Whole30 Day 8 (or Week 2 Day 1?) AND…

…3 Week Yoga Retreat Day 1!

So is it Whole30 Day 8 or Whole30 Week 2, Day 1? I’m pretty proud that an entire week is done and nobody is dead yet.

Cutting sugar is tough. Anyone that says otherwise? They lie. Even if you don’t drink soda or eat a ton of sweets, sugar is everywhere. Avoiding sugar is expensive. Next time you’re at the market, grab a can of tomato sauce and look at the ingredients. I was so excited to find Hannaford canned tomatoes do not have sugar that I might have done a little happy dance in the tomato aisle. (I totally did. People avoided me after.) It’s easy to see why so many of us are overweight and unhealthy. Inexpensive food is full of fillers (sugar).

So looking down the barrel of Week 2, I feel good. I feel less puffy. Not thinner. Just less thick. It’s probably mental, but I’m OK with that.

I started 3 Week Yoga Retreat today.

True Confession Time: I do not like yoga.

Oh! That was really liberating. I want to like yoga. I see yoga people doing they’re bendy stretchy things and smiling and I want to feel that! But…it hurts and my body doesn’t move like that. And then they say “…doesn’t move like that – YET…” And then I want to elbow slash them which is totally against yoga rules.

I did the 30 minute Day 1 Core class. I was a sweaty mess by the end and we barely did anything. Really. It was Downward Dog and Chair Pose for most of it. But I made a promise to myself. I’m going to finish all 3 weeks. Even stupid week 2. (I do not like Elise as an instructor. She is obviously skilled and seems like a great human. But for the love of sanity – STOP TALKING!!!! Instead of cuing, she’s sharing anecdotes. It’s like when you look for a recipe on a blog and have to sift through their musings. Shhhhh. I’m not here for that. Give me the YOGA and nobody gets HURT! Hmmmm. That’s probably against yoga rules, too.)

I’m gonna go drink some coffee to calm down from all that yoga talk.

Have a sugar-free namaste-day.

Oops. An Update!

So you remember that time I wasn’t hungry?

Weirdest. Day. Ever. It lasted only one day and I was RAVENOUS the next. Which is good because I was worried. I like food. That’s a lie. I LOOOOVE food.

So the day after not being hungry, I ate anything I could get my mouth on and realized – I need sweets. I enjoy cheese and bacon and veggies but sometimes, a girl needs sweets. Thank goodness for Ocean State Job Lot! (That is not an affiliate link. It’s just a link to Ocean State Job Lot.)

For anyone outside of the New England and parts of Eastern NY area, Ocean State Job Lot doesn’t exist. I’m really sorry for you. I fell in love with them when I lived in RI and screamed with glee when they opened a store in Schenectady. Nobody understood why. I’m used to that. Job Lot is similar to Big Lots or any other discount retail store until you get to their food section. They introduced me to Bob’s Red Mill products and they don’t charge a billion dollars for the products (I’m looking at you, local supermarket).

So I went into Ocean State Job Lot to get some blanched almond flour because I was feeling too lazy to make my own. I was accosted by Walden Farms chocolate syrup. Chocolate. Syrup. No carbs. Once again, I screamed with glee. Once again, nobody understood why.

I am weird about sugar free items. Back in the ’80s when Aspartame was introduced, all my little teen friends discovered diet soda…I tried to fit in. I really did. But diet soda gave me a nasty headache. I’ve avoided diet anything since I was a teenager. I was worried about how the chocolate syrup would taste and if it would hurt my head. But mostly about the taste. Come on. Chocolate. Nobody needs foul tasting chocolate.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvtv-mcnPh1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I am happy to report, it is yummy. It was perfect on my cream cheese pancakes. As you can see, I also bought a bag of Swerve sweetener.

Interestingly enough, those pancakes are the only sweet item I’ve had since starting keto. I was craving sweets but I suspect the craving was mostly mental because I had not yet learned how to have sweets and stay keto.

So that’s my food talk.

I ran a 5K on March 30. I hate running. I didn’t die. That’s a plus.

I’m still doing Power 90. It’s Week 2 and I love that the workouts are short.

Wow. That looks even lamer when I type it out.

 

 

 

Well Hello There. Let’s Talk Keto.

Sorry I’ve been missing…blah, blah…yes, it’ll happen again. It’s kind of who I am. If it helps, this post will be a rambler.

So anyways…We’re getting used to being dairy free. Well, my daughter is. I’m getting used to cooking dairy free. I’ve conquered pizza, mac and cheese, and ice cream cake but lasagna still eludes me. I can’t find a good ricotta substitute that’s available locally. I’ll keep working on it. Daiya, So Delicious, and Miyokos are awesome!

For whatever reason, I decided to try keto. I’m still not even sure why. So I started Monday March 18, 2019. The day after St, Patrick’s Day.

Monday – Day 1: You already know there were no issues. There are never issues on Day 1. I have no clue if the Day 1 link will work  It was eggs for breakfast, tuna for lunch, and bacon wrapped chicken for dinner. Then I had a great Hula Hoop Fitness class and drank water until bedtime.

Tuesday – Day 2: The 3 AM bladder break should have clued me in…There’s a lot of urinating in keto. I read about it. I just wasn’t really ready for it. I was fine today. I had Zumba and then a (yawn) meeting. They ordered pizza so I had to smell pizza and wings. Luckily, I already know the pizza and wings they order sucks. (Yes, I’m a pizza and wing snob.) So I went home and happily ate my meatloaf.

I should also mention that this week, in addition to my classes, I’ve been doing Beachbody Power Half Hour with an emphasis on arms and a Danette May ab video that I got for $4 or something. Side note – my DVD arrived broken but they sent me a free replacement (no additional shipping). And I can get to the videos online. If you see the ad on Facebook, it’s worth it. Why am I telling you all this? Just keep reading…

Wednesday – Day 3: My 3 AM bladder break was interrupted by a GOD AWFUL full abdominal muscle cramp. I thought I was dying. I went through the mental list (Heart attack? No. Uterus? No. Appendix? No. Have I been shot or stabbed? No.) and realized it was my newly engaged abs rebelling against their recent call to action. The entire day was spent in a haze and my husband assures me I was cranky. If I could have engaged my core? I might have murdered him. I’m pretty sure Day 3 was my “keto flu”. Also, I peed a LOT. I’m kind of tired of urinating.

Thursday – Day 4: (No link to the meal plan. I was lazy about it. It’s pretty similar to Days 1 – 3 and I’m not even sure it works.) I was less stupid! Yay! I also broke down and bought keto test strips and that sucker turned a beautiful shade of purple almost immediately. Now I’m paranoid about keto breath. I did step on the scale and have not lost anything….but I also suspect I have PMS. I miss the pill. I miss knowing what my cycle was doing. PMS would also explain the crankiness. I was less foggy today but my muscles are not amused…Thursday is TurboKick day. I had no students but decided to do the workout anyways (after clocking out, of course!). My legs were having trouble during the plyometric lunges. So I’m sort of happy I didn’t have to teach. But I’m also bummed because I really love that format and don’t want to see it cancelled.

Today is Friday. Day 5. I’ve peed 4 times already. But my brain is clear. I guess that’s subjective. I mean, did you read what I just wrote? We might go out for cocktails after work…I’ve researched and might have a vodka with soda water. Maybe. I’ll keep you posted. Maybe.

Valentine’s Day 2019

Oh look, I’ve been missing in action again. Oops. I really am a terrible blogger.

So Valentine’s Day 2019 happened. Two days before, I realized it was a TurboKick Thursday. Oops. Another Turbo instructor posted some really cute Turbotine cards and said she was handing out candy to her people. I loved the idea but couldn’t justify the candy. Don’t take that the wrong way – I love candy. But I’m trying to help my participants achieve healthy lifestyles. Throwing candy at them is not necessarily the most healthy option.

Luckily, as the Worst Sales Person ever, I have plenty of Pink Zebra stuff kicking around!

So I scooped up some Mr. Right and Healing Waters (both discontinued scents) and made some healthy Turbotine cards!

Adorable, right?

I know some people will argue that soy wax and fragrance oil isn’t healthy. To them, I say…You’re right and I don’t care. I love my Pink Zebra. Essential oils are fab but they’re limited.

So how did my participants like them?

Um. Well. This is awkward.

Nobody came to class. I was stood up on Valentine’s Day. So I wandered around the gym and handed them out.

I hope your Valentine’s Day was wonderful!