You wanna see something really scary?

I started messing around with make-up for my Megacon Cyberpunk Cosplay. 

It's kinda creepy. I dig it.

I got some serious deals yesterday on some potential cosplay stuff from a local Lingerie Shop that is going out of business. Naturally that spurred a whole round of dress-up last night, and more shopping this morning. Which is good, because Megacon is only a month and a half away. My Rose (Doctor Who - Stolen Earth episode) clothing is pretty much squared away, but I still need to build the gun. The basic components of my Cyberpunk outfit is together, but I also still need to build my hand-cannon and a headpiece. But thanks to a quick trip to Michael's and Lowe's, I'm finally ready to start those projects.

Conversation with gentleman at Lowe's: 

Me: Could you tell me where the PVC pipes are?

Him: Sure, I'll walk you there. What size do you need?

Me: I have to be able to fit my hand inside it.

Him: Oh, so pretty big then.

Me: Yeah.

Him: Uh, wait I don't mean to say you have big hands or nuthin.

Me: No, it's ok, I actually do. haha I'm building a gun, so my hand has to fit inside it.

Him: A GUN?! Really?!

Me: Oh, it doesn't have to work or anything, it's for a costume.

Him: Oh. It sounds more like a hand-held cannon.

Me: You know what? That's exactly what it'll be! Thanks!

************

Day 10 - By the way, I am having stress dreams about eating non-Whole30 compliant foods. Last night I dreamt that we had a box of Fruity Pebbles in the kitchen (WTF?! We never ate those even when we DID eat crap cereals) and I grabbed a handful and shoved them in my mouth. As I start chewing I remember that I am on the Whole30 and I spit it out into the garbage can. I...I just don't know what to think about that.

Breakfast: Breakfast Casserole, bacon, banana and coffee.

Lunch: Another Paleo Chicken Burrito from the other day and a half serving of Paleo Shepard's Pie left over from last night, plus three strawberries and a cutie. I know that sounds like a lot, but both Dave and I felt like I made the Chicken Burrito servings way too small, and it was the last one, so I supplemented with Holden's leftovers.

Pre-WOD snack: Almonds

Crossfit: Another good one last night. For a pre-WOD, we did max reps on dead-hang pull-ups. I used the green band as usual and could only do four. Kinda patheti-sad, but the best I could do. The Main WOD was five rounds of ten deadlifts at 60% your one rep max (which works out to be 120lb in my case) followed by four bar-facing burpees and then  one rope climb, or in my case, three rope pulls. I'm practicing a few minutes almost everyday on the damn rope. I can get off the ground and hold it, but as soon as I go for the first real climb I can't get my feet locked properly and I lose it. One of these days it'll click, I know it.

Dinner: I threw some chicken thighs in the crockpot with a little coconut oil/cumin/onion & garlic powder when I left for work in the morning. Dave was home first and sauteed up some zucchini to go with it. Good stuff!

In closing...did you catch up on New Girl yet? End of last episode: TOTAL ladyboner!

We're 1/3 of the way!! Woot!

Day 10, I am in you!

Crossfit was fun last night, in the way that only Crossfit can be...by that I mean, not ha-ha fun, but I-did- something-awesome-today fun. The work out was a 20 minute Ladder of 2 hand-stand pushups, (or pikes, in my case) 4 box jumps (Rx for ladies was 20") and then 8 butterfly sit-ups. After each round, we kept the pikes at 2, but added 4 to the total box jumps and 8 to the sit-ups. So by the time I got to round six, I had to  do 24 box jumps and 48 sit-ups to complete the round. I managed to complete the 6 rounds, plus 2 more pikes, 28 more box jumps and got 11 sit-ups in when the time ran out. The awesome part was that pre-WOD, I really thought I'd poop out and have to go down to a lower box by the final rounds. I even set up a 16" box, just in case. But did I have to use it? Nope. (Holla)

What I felt like doing the whole WOD on the 20" box:

What I really looked like:

Only, ya know, not as cute.

To the details of the day:

Breakfast: The mushroom/broccoli casserole and some bacon. The casserole alone wasn't cutting it. Grabbed coffee and a banana on my way in to work.

Lunch: Leftover spaghetti squash with ground turkey/marinara sauce with a tangerine and a few strawberries. See yesterday's post for the holy-too-sweet-batman reaction to the fruit.

Pre-workout Snack : Handful of almonds

Crossfit: See rambling, boastful paragraph above.

Dinner: Dave was kind enough to make dinner AGAIN. He slapped together a Paleo Shepard's Pie that was crazy yummy. He also made some Paleo Mayo which I am looking forward to trying with some tuna tomorrow for lunch. I'm so happy we are on tjhe same wave length now regarding our health goals and methods for attaining them. For years, everyone once in a while he would get into something (cleanses or juicing, for example) and it would be something I just wasn't on board with and vice versa (weight watchers, tracking, etc). So we'd both end up feeling not really "heard" or entirely supported while in reality the other really was trying, they just weren't in the same head-space or into the same thing. But now we are, and it's aaaaaaaaawesome. 

Til tomorrow, stay classy interwebs!

And the train keeps a rolling...

Day 8 complete and we're mid-way through #9 as I type. My first big you-know-you're-on-the-Whole30 happened today at lunch. After my leftovers from last night's dinner, I had four strawberries and a small tangerine. They call them "Cuties" around here. My son is obsessed with them. Anyways, after eating both, I swear to Socrates that I felt like I had just shoved a tablespoon of sugar into my mouth. Which is something I totally used to do as a kid. That explains a lot doesn't it?

What I'm hoping this means is that all of this black coffee, no dark chocolate nonsense is actually going to give me a positive result.

By the way, if you are a Whovian, check out The Bloggess today. Not that you don't already check it out everyday like I do, but ya know, just in case. Moving on....

Day 8 - Break it down....

Breakfast: Mushroom & Broccoli Breakfast Casserole (6 eggs, cup of mushrooms, cup and half or whatever of broccolli, 1/2 cup coconut milk, bake 350 till firm. 20 minutes or so? Makes six-ish servings. I dunno, this isn't a cooking blog)

Lunch: Paleo Chicken Burritos - Basically just cauliflower rice, with some shredded chicken, with cumin, chili powder, garlic/onion powder, and paprika dumped on it, all rolled up in a lettuce leaf.Must credit Dave for that one, his idea to mix the cauliflower rice in with the chicken. I also ate handful of grapes, because FRUIT.

Snack: I think I cut myself a little short on the serving size for lunch, because I was starving by the time I got out of work. Ate a handful of almonds.

Crossfit: Some squat work, then worked up to a one rep max on the Squat Snatch 55#. 

WOD - 15 minute AMRAP

300 meter run

8 ring push-up

8 squats

I did the push-ups modified, and ended up completing 5 rounds plus the run. Though I was 5 seconds late on that last run. I don't often do the dramatic flop-on-the-floor-post-WOD-thing, but I did yesterday. I really enjoyed the WOD but it was a killer if you tried to keep up a decent run pace.

Post-workout - Had another small handful of almonds. Don't judge.

Dinner - Spaghetti Squash with Meat sauce. The sauce is store-bought but approved (sorry, need to look up the name) to which I added ground turkey. Check that, Dave added. He cooked last night. Really good stuff.

I wanted another piece of fruit after dinner, but abstained. I'll try not to throw my shoulder out patting myself on the back.

Till tomorrow, here is a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch subtly giving us the finger for no reason.

Well screw you too, buddy. 

(sigh) 

I take it back. I can't stay mad at you Sherlock.

Weekend Wrap-up

We totally made Week One of the Whole 30 our bitch!

How hard has it been so far? Not very, actually. But, and this but is almost as big as my own, this is due to the fact that getting to this point has been a very gradual process. I get why eating Paleo and especially the Whole 30 is so difficult for the average CW-type eater. I would have balked at it years ago too. However, the path that has led me to this point has been gradual enough that making the transition has been relatively easy. Though Weight Watchers is far from Paleo, their current formulas really do encourage folks to eat less "bad" carbs, and more protein sources, as well and fruits and vegetables. I figured out real quick that my Paleo meals (not that I knew to call them that at the time) would end up giving me more bang for my buck, points-wise. And then when I felt I had run my course with Weight Watchers, I got introduced to the Primal Blueprint and started eating to that plan. From there it's just a short hop to full-on Paleo and then the Whole 30.

That said, it is still not without it's challenges. This week I did struggle a few times with not being to drink soda. The funny thing is I find the temptations for soda are the same as when I quit smoking. I don't crave the actual thing (nicotine/caffeine/whatever-the-crap-they-put-in-diet-soda) but I'll be in a situation wherein I would normally partake and that is when I want it. When I finished grocery shopping the other day I came so close to grabbing a soda out of the cooler next to check-out. It's all about the habit of having it, not so much the thing itself.

I also think I am eating too much fruit. From what I gather if I wasn't trying to lose weight it wouldn't be an issue, but I am. I'm not going to lie, trimming down some more is my largest motivator for doing the Whole 30. I'm averaging around three servings a day of fruit, and I think most folks keep it to one per day, if that.

So that said, here's the weekend's breakdown:

Friday
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, coffee, banana.

Lunch: Salad with chicken and oil/vinegar and grapes.

Exercise/Dinner: Dodgeball was, say it with me, you know you want to...AAAAAAAMAZE-BALLS! Sweet Socrates, it was so much fun. There are no words, really. We all kept saying, "We need to do this every week!"
Afterwards we had a paleo cookout at the gym. Dave grilled us up some chicken breasts, and I had some spinach salad, some melon and paleo shrimp cocktail. Kinda missed having  a beer with everyone, as they are all on the Paleo Challenge, not Whole 30 and can...but oh well. The indian leg wrestling made up for it.

I don't think I've seen Dave have so much fun, ever. Seriously, the dude was giddy out there.

Saturday
Morning: Went directly to Crossfit, without even coffee. Gah! Did Grace and then ran a mile. (30 clean and jerks, RX was 95#, I did 65# in 4:34) Afterwards, Holden, my mom and I ran down to the Farmer's Market in Vero and then hit Fresh Market and Publix. I ate an apple at Publix.

Lunch: After all the shopping I didn't have it in me to cook anything fancy and I wasn't feeling salad. So breakfast for lunch! Two scrambled eggs and a chicken-apple sausage.

Snack - Picked on a wee bit of honeydew, pineapple, bacon and prosciutto. Guess what I was making for the evening's event?

Dinner - Attended a Sweet Potato Queen party at my friend's house. She was kind enough to make a Pork Loin in the crockpot that I could actually eat. Aside from the bacon/prosciutto wrapped melon/pineapple I brought, it was the ONLY things I could eat. I also had an avocado when I got home.

I am Patti, Queen of the Amazons. No, really that's my Sweet Potato Queen name.

Sunday

Breakfast - Bacon, eggs, banana and coffee. The previous day's search for a crumble-type sausage that was sugar-free was not fruitful. Really bummed about that.

Lunch: A salad with chicken, cucumbers, pine nuts, mushroom, onions, oil and vinegar and half an avocado. Some honey dew on the side. Super Yummy. 

Exercise: Ran 3 miles with Dave, Holden biked alongside.

Dinner: Steak (I forget what kind of cut it was, my bad) and roasted brussel sprouts. We were both jonesing for a little something more afterwards so I made a smoothie of one cup of strawberries, one banana and 1/2 cup coconut milk and split it between the two of us. Mega-yum! But do you see what I mean about too much fruit? Part of me thinks it's ridiculous to worry about eating too much fruit. But then again part of me would have thought it ridiculous at one time to think whole-grains could be bad for you too. So there's that.

I also spent a good part of the day cooking for the week ahead. A broccoli and mushroom breakfast casserole and Paleo Chicken Burritos for lunch. I'll let you know about that one tomorrow, trying the first one today.

In closing, (holy crap, this was a long post) you want a better look at the Sweet Potato Queen outfit don't you?

You're welcome.

Oh My Gerd! Derdgeball!

The Friday 5:30 class at Crossfit is always a Team WOD, which is always my favorite of the week. But today is even better. Today we're playing Dodgeball and having a cook-out afterwards. From what I gather when you get hit, you're only out for as long as it takes you to do a pre-determined exercise. Then you are back in the game. I'm probably going to suck-ass and end up with a harder workout than a regular WOD, but I still can't wait!

Day 4
Breakfast: You guessed it; bacon, eggs, coffee and banana.

Lunch: Leftover Plantain and Meat Casserole from last night. A cup of grapes and a handful of baby carrots.

Exercise: I work late on Thursdays so don't do Crossfit. After-school, I teach a Fitness Class for elementary-aged kids and then take the aerobics portion (25 minutes) of an adult fitness class immediately afterwards. Boy does that traditional aerobics-type class feel silly (grapevine right and punch!) after having done Crossfit for a bit now. But I'd be lying if I said it didn't get my heart rate up for a bit, which is all I am looking for on Thursdays, really.

Dinner: Super-Tasty-Amazeballs short ribs in the crockpot with steamed broccoli. Here's the recipe I used. Took a wee bit more prep than usual for a crockpot recipe, but so very worth it. I also nommed on a tangerine after dinner while I was doing the laundry. Probably shouldn't have done that. I think I need to keep the fruit down to 2 servings a day, not 3.Probably be even better just to do one, but let's not get crazy here.

Stay strong my Paleo friends and I'll see ya'll on the other side of the weekend...unless I finally get around to that Austin post I keep jawing about.

I may have picked the wrong month to quit drinking.

Really feeling the old "be careful what you wish for" cliche' at work. I really don't want to go into it here, but some added responsibility that I have been asking for, for years looks like it is heading my way. And now I feel like the dog that finally caught the car. Now what do I do? It's an oddly scary oh-crap-I'm-nowhere-near-as-intelligent-as-I-thought-I-was, mixed with happy-dance-I-totally-got-this.

But no worries. Because, ultimately? I know I've totally got this.

But that doesn't mean I can't have a little freak out about it and go looking for my IT guy/Sounding Board to have a little venting session, but then when I go looking for him he is MIA as usual, so I have to come back to my desk sans vent, but then realize it is way past lunch and I should probably eat and that's probably why I'm stressing a bit and...

(breathe)

Yeah, so Day Three:
Breakfast: More bacon, eggs, a banana and black coffee. 'Cause that's how I roll every weekday morning.

Lunch: Salad with oil and vinegar, and chicken. Grapes and baby carrots.

Crossfit: Both Dave and I, instead of doing today's regularly scheduled WOD, did  Rankel (a Hero WOD named for U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant John Rankel) as a benchmark for our Paleo Challenge. I think I may have sub-conciously sandbagged with my choice of weights...or maybe not because my right triceps is sore as hell today.
     Rankel
     20 minute AMRAP
     6 - RX 155# Deadlift, (I did #115)
     7 - Burpee Pullups
     10 - Kettlebell Swings Rx 35# (I used the 25#)
     Run 200 meters

I ended up doing 5 full rounds and got in 4 more deadlifts before time ran out. At the end of the 2 month Paleo Challenge we'll do it again and see if our time/weights improve.

Post-workout Snack - Handful of raw almonds.

Dinner - I made Caribbean Plantain and Meat Casserole courtesy of Baltic Maid, but via this link by Holly at Holly Would if She Could. (credit where credit is due and all that) I don't think my plantains were at the right level of ripeness, as their texture and taste wasn't quite what I've had in the past. But it was still quite good...and I'm hopeful will be even better if some of my puertorriquenos can give me a hand and offer to buy me a clue. Liza?!? Gari?

Till tomorrow...don't blink!

Whole 30 - Day Two

Happy Humpday Intertubes!
Dave and I are slowly getting our act together and getting back into routine. He actually got the coffee machine going for me yesterday while I was getting dressed and I made his coffee for him before he left for work last night. Daaaaaaaaw!

The cute, it hurts.

Without further adieu, here is yesterday's breakdown:
Breakfast: Three eggs scrambled in the drippings from the four slices of Gwaltney's No Sugar Bacon I made, along with black coffee and a banana.

Lunch: Leftover chili from the night before, some baby carrots and a cup of grapes.

Crossfit: You know what? I'm going to list my workouts here whether you want them or not, so there.
Pre-WOD - One rep max, Front Squat - 115#
WOD - 15 minute AMRAP - 20 weighted sit-ups (RXed 25#), 5 pull-ups (green band), and 40' bear crawl. Did 6 rounds, plus 11 sit-ups.

Dinner: Chicken roasted in the crockpot. Probably had a little more than I should have, portion-wise. But it was goooooood stuff. I also made mashed cauliflower to go with it. Instead of using butter, I added 2 tablspoons coconut milk and 1 tablespoon coconut oil, as well as threw in some garlic powder, salt and pepper. Best mashed cauliflower EVAR!

I have to admit I feel like I'm spending all my free time at home cooking, even more so than usual. But no pain, no gain...or... er, loss, right? It doesn't look like I'll have a whole lot going on this weekend (YAY!) so with some luck I'll be able to get a jump on some cooking and be able to start next week actually prepared.

Keep the shiny side up my friends!

PS I promise that Austin post is coming soon.

And we're off.....

One down, twenty-nine to go. It was a crazy, slightly frustrating day. Not so much because of the Whole 30, but because of it being the first full day back to work after being off several days due to the unfortunate and sad passing of my sister-in-law a little over a week ago and then the Austin trip. Though my house and office may beg to differ, I am a fairly organized person and like to feel prepared for Monday, so to speak. And I wasn't. And i especially needed to be this week. But after some google-ing and planning and list making, I'm ready to properly tackle life again, now. Or will be anyways if I can just get to bed a little earlier tonight.

Any-ramble, what did Day 1 look like? This:

Breakfast: I grabbed a banana and small black coffee from 7-11. I had intended to make eggs but was behind the 8-ball and ran out of time in the morning.

Lunch: There was no W30 approved protein at home in the way of chicken or what-have-you, so I just added pinenuts to my salad of lettuce/cauliflower/broccoli/cucumbers. I mixed my own oil and vinegar dressing. It was...ok. I guess I'll have to learn to like it. I also had a "Cutie." Are those things tangerines or oranges? I'm not sure, but they are GOOD. Holden turned me onto them. The boy knows his citrus.

This is not Paleo!

Pre-workout Snack: I ran into Target after work/before Crossfit to buy more supplies to support the cause. Finally purchased a coffee-maker and little baking dishes. I quickly realized that the lack of protein thus far in the day was wearing me down. I bought a jar of  raw almonds and ate a handful on the way to the gym.

Workout: Crossfit. I'm considering putting my workouts on here as well. Anyone interested?

Dinner: After an epic shopping trip post-WOD, I got home a little after eight. And realized despite my meal plan and shopping list, I hadn't factored in a meal for that evening that was quick or easy. Oh well. I decided to sacrifice a little sleep in order to get a jump on leftovers and made chili. And I sauteed up some chicken that can be added to salads in a pinch, aaaand I cut some fruit, etc. It actually wouldn't have been the worst way to spend an evening, if the laptop would have been working properly and I could have caught up on the latest My Drunk Kitchen episodes. (sigh) Oh Hannah, won't you be my best friend? But I digress....

I didn't get to bed till close to midnight, but the chili was fantastic! I highly recommend it. You can find the recipe here. Holly Would If She Could is a great real-world, paleo/fitness blog.

All said and done it was a tiring, but successful first day. I'd like to share some stories/photos of Austin but I think I'll make that into a separate post in case some of you want to skip the food porn.

Stay shiny, my friends.

Please do not attempt to feed the wildlife.

Dave and I have begun the Whole 30 as of this morning. You have been warned.

Technically, we also started a two month Paleo-Challenge with our friends at Treasure Coast Crossfit last Monday. However, Dave's epic 40th Birthday trip to Austin, TX was this past Thursday through Sunday, so...yeah.

Look! I even went to Crossfit while I was in Austin. Not ya know, actually worked out or anything, but walked by and had Dave take a picture of myself outside the building.

Which is why we had been planning for the past couple of months to start the Whole 30 today. But then the TCCF Paleo Challenge popped up and we wanted to be a part of that too...and next thing you know we're in it to win it....Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Sorry TCCF teammates, but I regret not the Gourdough's Heavenly Hash Donut, the Oscared Beef Tenderloin at Jack Allen's Kitchen, the Spinach Enchilada at The Oasis, nor the Fat Tires at far too many awesome bars to count. But we're done now and ready to get back to business. Especially after reading more of the Paleo Solution on the plane home and realizing that grains are probably the cause of my Hashimoto's and Lack-of-Gallbladder.

INFORMATION I COULD HAVE USED....well, many year ago apparently. Better late than never, I suppose.

I'm going to try to post daily for the duration of the Whole 30. For my records, and for anyone following along at home who is thinking about giving it a shot. I suspect it will be a challenge, but since we are already Primal/Paleo (vacations aside) the transition should not be too painful. But stay tuned, I'm sure the process will be entertaining either way, like really bad TV.

We had our measurements taken at Crossfit last week. I'll get those numbers and post them later for a baseline. But I do think it is worth noting what four days of debauchery will do to you. On Thursday morning, before we left for the airport, I was 177.6 lbs. This morning (we returned last night) I was 187.2. Crazy, huh? When I am "good," gains like that disappear in a week, but still...really? The tough part is that doing the Whole 30 we are not supposed to weigh ourselves or track our food. Things I do and have been doing almost EVERYDAY since May of 2011.

Yikes. But the scale has been put away and myfitnesspal will just have to go unused for a month. I am committed...or maybe should be.