Camping, Cravings, and New Technology

Dear Diary....

I'm back!!  Did you miss me?  I can't believe I've been gone for three whole days.  Well, technically I got back Sunday afternoon - but I've spent the rest of the time recovering.   I spent the weekend exploring the wilderness.  OK, fine, I went to a public camping ground in Oklahoma - not exactly the wilderness, but close enough.  I went camping with my kids, my parents, my brother, sister, and 4 additional small children that my mom is fostering.  Yes.  There were 12 of us.

This was the second time I've ever been camping in my whole life.  The first time was last year.  It's something my parents have started doing - and I like to tag along.  I wouldn't really consider myself an outdoorsy kinda gal - but I have to admit, I really enjoy camping.  For some reason, when I'm out by the lake the bugs don't bother me as much, the dirt doesn't bother me as much, and the heat doesn't bother me as much.  Any other time I scream at the sight of a spider, I can't go a day without taking a shower, and I'd rather stick hot pokers in my eyes than spend a minute outside when the temp is over 70 degrees.  But it's different when I'm camping.

This camping trip was a little different than the last time I went, however.  There was something missing.  Something very important missing - bathroom facilities.  My mom found out the night before we were supposed to leave that the onsite bathrooms/showers were locked until April 1st.  How f'in ridiculous is that?  It's not only a camping site, but a boat dock and fishing area.  I'm pretty sure there are going to be people there most of the year - but Oklahoma decides to lock up the bathrooms for the winter.  My mom made a quick dash to a store and bought a porta-potty.  Not exactly my ideal situation - but it beats popping a squat in the bushes...which is where I would have drawn the line, by the way.  I also couldn't take a shower the entire weekend.  That was groody and icky feeling - but I'd rather not be able to take a shower than pee in the woods. 

The whole weekend was a lot of fun.  The weather was beautiful.  The kids played in the dirt.  Peanut and Butter fished with my dad and brother.  Jelly had her first try at fishing.  And my mom and I sat and soaked up the sun having a good chit chat.  It was all very nice.  Saturday night, I made 5 little children's dreams come true by making them their first ever s'mores.  And they loved every bite.  All in all, a very awesome weekend.

Here are a couple of pics...as I know you're dying to see what was going on...

View from our campsite

Tents all set up

Jelly and I after we arrived - still clean!!

Can you spot what's wrong with this pic?

My girls and I - Ready for a fun weekend!

My awesome Butter - LOVE THIS PIC!!

Jelly and my nephew digging in the dirt

S'Mores Time!!

The highlight of her entire trip - Eating s'mores

 While I was there, I didn't eat on my detox plan.  It's kinda hard when you are very limited to food preparation and storage.  I didn't, however, over eat.  I ate my meals.  I did eat a few snacks, but very small amounts.  I also ate two s'mores - and that was the extent of my "cheating".  On the way home, we stopped at McDonalds where I ate the wrong foods - but it just didn't taste as good.

I came home pretty dehydrated, because I just couldn't drink the amount of water I was used to drinking.  That, of course, caused some bloating to appear.  No biggie, though, I've been making up for it since I've been back.  I gave myself another day off from the detox yesterday and took Butter to eat some pizza for lunch.  I will admit right now that it just didn't taste the same.  I didn't care for the greasy taste, and even the dessert pizza (which I absolutely devour any other time) was just too sweet.  I enjoyed my salad a lot more.

I'm going back on my detox today.  I have to.  No, I need to.  I've still got a lot of work to do in regards to my cravings.  Certain foods may not be tasting quite as good, but I still had the urge to eat them.  I need to continue working on that.

When I got back from my trip, Sunday, I came home to a new toy.  A toy that I've been wanting for almost a year.  It required saving some pennies, and getting a nice big win at bingo a while back.  I cam home to my new iPad.  Yes.  The new iPad.  The one that came out Friday - and has the name "New iPad" which I think is ridiculous - but I'm excited to have it.  I've been playing some games, and even discovered the wonder of ebooks.  Something I've never really wanted to get in to - because, well, I LOVE books.  Real books.  But, there's a book I've been wanting to read for a while now - and it's only been available on ebooks.  So, I downloaded it - and haven't been able to put the thing down since.  I love it.  I sat in bed last night, reading, in the dark.  Never could do that with a real book - but the iPad lights up, so it makes reading so much more convenient. 

As you can see, I'm all over the place this morning, trying to cram everything in to one post.  I don't like being gone - it messes with my head.  My blog is a part of my routine, and when my routine gets messed up - I get messed up.  Tomorrow, I'll try and get a little more organized - but I can't promise anything.  I'm off work for the entire week thanks to Spring Break, so I'm going to be a little all over the place this week.  Just try to bear with me - I'll do the best I can.

Today is Butter's birthday.  It's hard to believe he's 11.  For the next three weeks, he's the same age as Peanut.  That's what happens when you have two children only 11 months apart.  Tomorrow, I want to do a special post for him - so look forward to that, tomorrow.

Till next time. ;)

As I Embark Out to the Wilderness...I Leave Behind Some Crazy (BYOC)

Dear Diary...

Today, I will demonstrate the true strength that lies within me...or true stupidity.  I will embark on a journey that takes courage, patience, and dedication.  It is a quest fit only for the bravest, strongest souls.  And this is only a small quest compared to the one I will take in 7 weeks.  What is it you ask?  It's going to work in a school the last day before Spring Break.  Not only that, but I will then travel out in to the wilderness to spend two nights camping with my parents and 8 children.  Did you read that right?  Yes, I said EIGHT children!

So, before I go, it's only fitting that I leave behind a little crazy....cause I'm sure I'll get a whole lot more by Sunday...

1.  How do you feel about college?  If you have kids or siblings - will you encourage or require them to go?  How long did you go and what for?  

Since I was 5 years old, I wanted to be a teacher.  All through middle and high school, I had plans to go to college.  I was excited about going to college.  Then, well, my plans had to change.  I had Peanut when I was 18, Butter when I was 19 and it just wasn't feasible.  But I never gave up hope that I would go to college...one day.  When I was 25 years old, I finally had the ability to go to college and four years later I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. 

I personally think it depends on what you want to do.  If a kid is a little mixed up about what they want to do with their life, he/she may find it more beneficial to get out in to the work force for a while before spending thousands of dollars on college courses that have no end game in mind.

I will always encourage my children to go to college, because in the world we live in today - a college degree is required to really get a good job.  For the most part.  Although, I will never require them to go.  Peanut has her hopes on being a lawyer.  I will continue to encourage that.  Butter doesn't know what he wants to do - maybe a vet - so he may benefit more by getting a job in a vet's office or working on a farm or something like that first.  Or, they may both change their minds in the next few years and decide on something else.  I just think they should make that decision.  I know in the few years between me graduating high school and going to college, I was able to experience a variety of different jobs:  Retail, medical,  telecommunications, working in a counseling office, and legal.  I got experience in an array of different areas and became interested in some of them.  When it was time to go to college, however, I knew what career path I was taking.

I want my kids/siblings to have an idea about what they want to do - and maybe get a little experience at some point - before jumping in to going to college with their eyes closed.

 2.  Pink or purple?  Coke or Pepsi?  Pen or pencil?  Cursive or printing?  Ketchup or mustard?

Pink AND purple - cause they are both my favorite colors
Pepsi - I can't stand Coke
Both pen and pencil - I work in a school...I've learned with how much my schedule and plans change, sometimes it's best to use a pencil and sometimes it's best to use pen
Cursive AND printing - again, I work with kids.  If I'm writing for myself I use cursive, for them I use print
Mustard - too much sugar in ketchup.  HA!

3.  If you could live in any generation - which one would it be?

Being that I'm a real techno geek, well, I like to think I am, I'd have to say this one.  I love all of the technology that is now available to me.  iPhones, iPads, laptops, HD TV, 3D TV, it's all very fascinating to me.  I'm glad to say that I lived in a generation where having a computer in the house was a very prestigious thing - kinda like when the TV was first invented.  I was probably 16 when my parents were first able to buy a computer, even though I'd been using them at school since 7th grade.  My eyes were open to the digital age, and that was it - I have been hooked ever since. 

I'm pretty sure my life wouldn't be the same without my techno gadgets.

4.  What do you sleep in?

A bed.  HA!  Badabum..I'll be here all weeks, folks.

No, seriously, I sleep in whatever's fitting for the weather.  In the winter I tend to go with fuzzy, fleece jammies.  When it starts to get warmer, I go for thin, cotton jammies.  In the summer, I sleep in shorts and t-shirt or nothing. 

The first thing I do when I walk in to my house at the end of each work day is change in to my jammies.  Very rarely will you find me in my house in regular clothes.  I guarantee during spring break, unless I have to go somewhere, I will wake up each day, take a shower, and then put on clean jammies to spend the day in.  That's just how I'm most comfortable.

5.  Repeat question - summarize your week!

Real life has been a little hectic.  Working the last week before spring break has been tough.  I'm antsy and ready for the break - and so are all the kiddos I work with.  My own children have been biting at each others heels - fighting almost constantly - which has raised my stress level even more.  I've also been getting ready for our camping trip.  Oh, and this morning, I woke up to my NEW IPAD!!  Hubby got off work early and went to Wal-Mart to pick it up.  He's the greatest in the world.  It came out at midnight last night, and he was there waiting in line to pick it up for me.  I love him so much!!

Of course, now I have to wait until Sunday to try it out - because I'm going camping as soon as I leave work, and I can't take it with me...no, I won't take it with me because I don't want to risk anything happening to it.

Blogland has been awesome!! I've stuck to my detox plan every single day.  The idea was that today would be my last day, because of my camping trip and how hard it would be to eat well over the weekend.  Well, I ended up buying a bunch of fruits and veggies to take with me - so I'm not quitting.  I may eat a few things that are not on the plan - but I'm not going off of it completely.  I'm enjoying it too much, and feeling so much better for it.  More details about that the next time I post!

OK, so it's time to go.  I won't be here tomorrow - but I'll have a full recap Sunday or Monday...depending on when I have the strength to write my weekend recap.

Till next time. ;)

Biggest Loser Breakdown - Week 11

Dear Diary...

Tuesday night, if the comments on Facebook and Twitter are correct, I was one of the half dozen people left in the country that's still watching The Biggest Loser.  Seriously.  If you're on the internet on Tuesday evenings between the hours of 7-9pm CST, go to Twitter and search the hashtag #BL13.  You'll be amazed at the thousands of Twitter posts that appear bashing the show.  Then, hop on over to Facebook and check out the Official Biggest Loser page.  There you'll find thousands of more comments bashing the show.  And I'm still in the mindset that they are legitimate.  The show this season is TERRIBLE!!  However, I need content for my blog on Thursdays - so I endure the two hours of torture that is this season's show so that I can share with you how terrible it is play by play.  Yes, folks, that's how much I care about you.

This week, the teams finally went to singles.  At first I was relieved.  It was about time they all got separated.  Then I got hit with a realization.  There's still a team left.  That would be the green team - Jeremy and Conda.  UGH!!  And for some reason, that I still haven't figured out - because my mind just can't fathom how people can like that woman at all - those two are ruling the roost that is the BL ranch.

The yellow line was brought back this week, and the singles got to keep the trainers they've been with this whole time. 

Kim and Emily were both aware from the get go that they had major targets on their backs.  Emily because she was Cassandra's BFF, and Kim because she called out the rest of her team last week for being weak by voting off Cassandra.  It has always been my thing to root for the underdogs in this show.  Each season, there's usually some form of alliances that build up.  That's no new thing this season.  And, when that happens, I always root for the ones that are the weaker alliance.  This season, that would mean going for Kim and Emily.  Emily would be fine - but Kim I was feeling icky about.

The challenge this week was absolutely pathetic.  Each player was tied to a circle ring in the middle of an ice skating rink.  They had to each pull themselves to a button that was several feet in front of them - which meant pulling the entire team's weight with them.  It was probably one of the hardest challenges I've seen on the show.  The bonus with this challenge was that each player would get to pick a prize from 9 boxes.  The person that came in last would pick first, and then there would be a Dirty Santa type thing where each person that placed a position higher could keep their box or steal someone else's prize.  Buddy had some kind of fracture, so he wasn't allowed to compete - putting him in 9th place automatically.

Well, it just so happens that Conda and Jeremy got placed right next to each other.  How f'in convenient.  I could see what was coming before the challenge even started.  After a few minutes of all of them standing in the middle of the ring going nowhere, Conda got the bright idea to help Jeremy to his buzzer.  The two biggest players in the house, on the same team, placed right next to each other?  It was a no brainer they were going to cheat so that they could get the best prize.

Boy, did that piss of Kim.  She's so competitive, and to see them cheat like that really did NOT make her happy.  Then Mark helped Megan.  Then, Chris helped Mark.  Which pissed Kim off even more.  Poor Kim and Emily were on opposite sides of the ring, and just couldn't catch a break.  Everyone made it so obvious that they were going to do what they could for each other - except Kim and Emily. So sad.  The challenge ended with Emily coming in last.    

The prize selection worked out kinda weird.  Buddy picked a hat.  Emily picked a phone for a day.  Kimmie picked an autographed photo of Allison Sweeney, Kim picked a big box of chocolates, Chris picked a 1lb advantage that was then taken and swapped with Conda's $1 bill.  So, Conda had the 1lb advantage.  Megan picked a goldfish that she then swapped for the 1lb advantage.  Mark picked a box that had two votes for the elimination.  Lastly, Jeremy picked a shopping spree with a celebrity - that he freakin' swapped with Conda's goldfish - so that Conda could pick someone to have the shopping spree with.  The only prize I was concerned about was Mark's two votes at elimination.  That bothered me, big time.

Conda decided to take Kim on the shopping spree - because they are both single moms.  Yada yada.  Kim was happy to go, but I got the feeling she'd rather go with someone other than Conda.  The celebrity was Jessica Simpson - and both contestants could pick anything they wanted from her store to keep.  For free.  Well, I'll say - going against all the bashing I saw on Twitter Tuesday night - Kim looked really good in the clothes.  It was so obvious how much she'd slimmed down.  Conda on the other hand?  Eh.  Not so much.  It amazes me how different all the women look - but the biggest girl in the house has only lost 60lbs.  Kim, who was much smaller to begin with, has lost 70lbs - and I would call her slim now.  Conda looked frumpy and awkward in the tighter clothes and high heels.  Yeah, I may be being a little judgmental cause I can't stand that witch - but she wouldn't have looked good even if I did like her.  There, I said it.

The show was only 1 1/2 hours this week, so after all that it was time to get to the weigh in.  I was happy the yellow line was back.  I think it's the fairest way to judge weight loss.  I'm so sick of the high losers going home and the low losers staying.  Conda should have gone a long time ago - but I have a feeling she's freakin' in it for the duration.  As long as her and Jeremy are together - nothing is happening to either of them.

Kimmie went first and lost 4lbs.  Then it was Buddy, who lost 8lbs.  Kim lost 6, Conda lost 7, Jeremy lost 9, Chris lost 7, Mark lost 9, Megan lost 6.  It amazes me how big the weight loss was this week - now that the yellow line was back.  Amazing, isn't it?  The last one to weigh was Emily.  she was told she had to get more than 5lbs to be safe.  She knew if she didn't, she was going home.  It was between her and Kimmie - and she knew they wouldn't send Kimmie home.  Emily pulled a 5.  Just one pound shy of being safe. 

In the elimination room, Kim voted for Kimmie.  Then everyone else started voting for Emily.  Even Chris - who was on Emily's team the whole time - voted for Emily.  That woman seems desperate to please everyone else to keep the target off her back, apparently.  Then, it came to Conda.  She voted for Kimmie which seemed to shock everyone on Twitter.  Not me, though.  I knew what was going on.  She could vote for Kimmie - making it look like she cared for Emily - when she knew damn well that everyone else would vote Emily off.  Mark got his two votes and they both went to Emily... cause he's a jerk...and that was that.  Emily was sent packing.

As much as I really hate to admit this, I'm kinda starting to like Kim.  I like the fact that she's so competitive.  She can't stand the game play that's going on with Jeremy and Conda.  And now she's all by herself - cause everyone else is wrapped around Conda and Mark's fingers.  How sad is it that the person I'm now left rooting for is the person I haven't been able to stomach since day 1?  I'll admit it.  I disliked Kim just as much as I disliked Conda - but Kim has lost a lot of weight, and she's done it by working hard.  Other than the one show where the contestants went home, there hasn't been too much whining from Kim.  Sure, she misses her kids - and says that a lot - but she doesn't use it as an excuse, she uses it as a motivation.  I have to give her some credit for that.

So, it was another pathetic week at the ranch. Rumor has it that next week the contestants are all going to Hawaii.  Whoopy doo.  Don't really care a bit.  I'll watch - cause I know Jenn would be very disappointed if I didn't do the recap next Thursday.  So, again, I'll endure the torture.  I just can't wait for this season to be over - I just don't know how much more I can stand.

Till next time. ;)

Old Habits Die Hard

Dear Diary...

Had another very successful day with my detox again yesterday.  That makes 3 days in a row I've eaten no white flour, white sugar, pasta, rice, bread, or fried anything.  And it feels pretty darn good. 

I have to tell ya that I'm feeling really good.  I haven't had any cravings since Sunday.  No wanting any sweets or chips or fried foods or anything bad for me.  I haven't even had a craving for bread - which is very weird for me.  Bread is always my fall back craving.  And I haven't wanted to touch a slice. 

I was actually worried about going to the gym to work out last night.  Not because I didn't want to.  Not because I was tired.  Because all I kept thinking about was eating back any exercise calories I burned off.  Being that this detox is keeping me under my calorie intake all by its self, I knew that I would have to eat back my exercise calories.  If I'm only eating around 1300 calories a day, and work off 300 in the gym - my body is only getting 1000 calories to energize its self.  I know that anything less than 1200 is dangerous.  I've seen enough nutritionists, doctors, and trainers to know that my body must have at least 1200 calories to fuel me.. and keep burning calories.  If I go less than that, I risk going in to starvation mode and my body will start retaining water and storing fat.  The complete opposite of what I want it to do.  I'm sure it would be fine for a day or two to... but I don't want to take any chances.

So, back to going to the gym.  I decided to go, and get on the elliptical for 20 minutes.  I knew that would give me a pretty decent cardio work-out, but only burn about 200 calories.  I know it sounds crazy, but I just didn't..no wait.. knew I couldn't eat back more than that. 

No joke, this detox has really helped keep me satisfied all day long.  I feel full after I eat.  I don't have the urge to eat a lot.  All I had for lunch, yesterday, was a bowl of steamed veggies, a Greek yogurt, and a pear.  And I was stuffed!  That full feeling lasted me to my snack time.  I ate baby carrots and hummus for my snack.  While I enjoyed every last bite of it - I was full, again, after eating that.  The thought of having to eat an additional 200 calories was a little scary.  I knew my dinner was going to keep me under my calorie range.  So, I opted to treat myself to a snack last night while watching Biggest Loser - a 1/4 cup of almonds.  High calorie, still good for me, and helped burn up those extra exercise calories. 

My goal was set to 1687 calories - after my workout.  I ate 1470.  I was still under my goal - by a little over 200 - but it kept me in a healthy range.  Nothing to worry about.  And while I was still over with my protein - it was only by 8... which is about the lowest its been all week.

When I woke up this morning, it was a little later than I'm used to.  5am, actually.  I'm used to getting up at 4.  I did go to bed early last night - and apparently my body needed the rest.  I slept like a baby and feel completely recharged today.  Of course, getting up, I knew it was Wednesday.  I was a little flustered by getting up late - so what did I do?  What I always do on a Wednesday morning - stepped on the scale.

It wasn't until after that I realized I'm not supposed to be weighing in this week.  I'm not supposed to be weighing in until April 4th.  It just goes to show how old habits die hard.  I'm not going to share the number with you.  Sorry, but I want to hold off until I'm supposed to weigh in.

What I can tell you is the detox is working.  Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea for me to step on the scale.  The number I saw surprised me a little.  No, make that a lot.  And it made me feel really good to see it.  It gave me reinforcement that I need to keep going.  What I'm doing is working.  It really gave me an additional boost of motivation - so it wasn't so bad to do it, I guess.  Although I've put the scale away now - like I said I would.  That will stop me from just idly standing on it without thinking about what I'm doing. 

I'm kinda thinking that I'm going to continue with the detox for longer than the 6 days.  And I need to stop calling it a detox.  Yes, that's what I'm using it for - to rid my body of the cravings - but it's also filling me with nutrition, health, and a better outlook about my eating habits. 

I still have a lot to learn about myself.  I want to see how long I can keep going by eating this way.  Maybe it's a couple of weeks, maybe it's a month.  I want to eventually start adding some stuff back in to my diet that I'm restricting myself from right now... but I'm not ready for that.  Plus, I need to learn a happy balance between eating healthy, being able to work out, and finding ways that I can make use of my exercise calories. 

I've decided, though, that this week's priority is just the eating.  If I'm getting in 20 minutes of cardio and a little strength training - fine - but that's going to be about it.  Let me get through this first stage - learning how to eat - and I'll move on to learning how to eat and exercise at the same time and not freak out about having to eat more. 

Till next time. ;)

True Confessions Tuesday

Dear Diary...

I confess that day 2 of my fruit and veggie detox went very well.  I'll admit that it was tougher being at work, because there is a lot more temptation looking me in the face - but I made it through A-OK.

I confess that my total caloric intake yesterday was 1379 - 91 calories under my limit!  I was still way over with protein, but everything else was below limit.  It's weird.  I stop eating so much meat, and end up finding other ways to pack on the protein.

I confess that I didn't go to the gym yesterday afternoon, and I have absolutely no excuse for it.

I confess that I'm excited that for this week only (starting today), I get to leave work about 15 minutes earlier than I usually do - which gives me an extra 15 minutes at the gym.  And despite not going yesterday, the thought of having those extra 15 minutes each day is exciting.

I confess that I just remembered I volunteered to help out after school tomorrow for a school function.  Which means there won't be any gym tomorrow.  Dang it!  Now I'm really ticked about not going yesterday.  Oh well, I get an extra 15 minutes today and Thursday at the gym.  That still gives me the equivalent of working out the normal time of three days.

I confess that I'm a little nervous about having to eat back my exercise calories.  And I may not, even though I'm supposed to.  That's simply because yesterday, I ate enough food to keep me full all day - and the thought of eating more than that is a little mind boggling.   Although, I'm an advocate for eating back my exercise calories - so maybe I'll treat myself to a yogurt for dessert after dinner, or maybe I'll eat a handful of almonds.  We'll see.

I confess that after only two days of eating clean, I already feel a lot more energetic.  Sunday night, I went to sleep pretty late - after 11pm actually.  I got up yesterday at 4:15am.  I was pretty tired for a while yesterday, but by the end of the day I felt much better.  I wasn't able to go to sleep last night until after 10pm, and I was up at 4:30 this morning.  I'm hoping my exercise will wear me out this evening - so I can go to bed earlier and get a decent night's worth of sleep.

I confess that while the rest of my family ate homemade burritos for dinner last night, I ate a heaping pile of veggies with a couple of spoonfuls of the burrito meat.  The plate didn't look very appetizing, but it tasted amazing.  I even snapped a pic...

That's a concoction of salad greens, salsa, burrito meat, natural guacamole, fat-free sour cream, onions, and peppers.  It looks terrible - but tasted fantastic.  Plus it was only 399 calories.  Which is probably a little over half of the calories of what everyone else in my house ate - except a lot more food.

I confess that my body is starting to feel different, already.  It made just be some mind play, but my body feels lighter.  Not once yesterday did I feel bloated or lethargic.  I felt lighter, more aware, and.. well... healthier.  I noticed a bounce in my step - even at the end of the day when I'm usually exhausted and ready to get home and get on the couch.   I'm enjoying the foods I'm eating.  My body is enjoying the foods being put in to it.  And, still considering I'm only 2 days in, I feel that I will get through this week being successful and eating clean.

Till next time. ;)

Day 1 Detox Results - And Other Stuff

Dear Diary...

Well, I made it through my first day of detox and I feel pretty good.  Of course, it's only been one day.  Still a way to go - but at least the first day was completed with good progress...although it wasn't perfect.  I know what you're thinking, I couldn't even make it through on day of detox without cheating?  While that's true - take a look at how I cheated before making rash assumptions, m'kay?

For breakfast yesterday, I had 3/4 cup of Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble cereal and 1 cup of whole milk.  I LOVE the Kashi cereal.  It tastes yummy, and I know what every ingredient is in it.  There's no artificial or processed stuff or sugar...so it works for me. 

In between breakfast and lunch I had 8ozs of Acai Pomegranate 100% juice.  Non sweetened.  It was my first time trying this brand.  It had a great mixture of tartness and sweetness that made it very refreshing.

Lunch was where I cheated.  If you want to call it that.  I had two poached eggs and two slices of Sara Lee Multi-Grain 45 calorie bread.  I cheated because I'd sworn off bread for the entire week.  I wouldn't have eaten it, though, if it wasn't multi-grain.  I wasn't supposed to eat it - but there were MUCH worse things I could have eaten.  I bought a new microwavable egg poacher on Saturday, and I wanted to try it out.  It works really well, but that will be the last time I eat bread for the rest of the week.

I cheated again at dinner.  I know, not a great start for my very first day at a strict detox plan, but again in terms of "cheating" it was hardly pizza.  Hubby has recruited Peanut to start learning how to cook.  A couple times a month, she is going to get to pick any recipe she likes to make with Hubby's guidance.  Well, for her first time cooking she went straight to my Better Homes Healthy Choice cook book.  Gotta love her for that!  She picked out Fajita Salad bowls.  I had to go to Wal-Mart and pick up some more detox food, so I did that while she stayed home with Hubby to cook.

When I got home, I was greeted by this...

She made every part of it, and Hubby just chopped up the veggies.  She baked whole wheat tortillas to make the bowls, and then filled the bowls with fajita meat, peppers, salad greens, tomato, onion, fat-free sour cream, natural guacamole, and shredded cheese.  One bowl only has around 280 calories!!  I ate two for dinner, and ate less than 600 calories.  Again, as cheating goes - I ate the whole wheat tortillas.  But, I wasn't missing out on my daughter's first homemade meal - especially when she went to the trouble of finding something healthy to prepare.

The tortilla bowls were absolutely delicious!  They had the same feel as the fried bowls you can find on other taco salads - minus the greasy, dipped in fat taste.  All of the ingredients were fresh.  It was my first time eating natural guacamole.  I have a feeling it's going to be one of my new favorite foods!  I've only ever eaten the commercial dip kind that's full of all kinds of unknown ingredients, the natural kind was so much better.    The fajita meat was lean cut sirloin.  So, all in all, my daughter did a FANTASTIC job with her first cooking project.

Want to hear how many calories I consumed for my first day?  Drum roll, please..... My total caloric intake for yesterday was a whopping 1258.  That's 212 calories under my limit!  I did go over by 1 on my fat intake and 18 on my protein intake.  It's weird to see me go over my protein intake - it's almost always carbs that I go over with.

All in all, I consider the day a fantastic success.

When I went out to buy additional detox food, I didn't get a single urge to buy anything that wasn't on my detox food list.  And I was starting to get hungry when I went, too.  I had already bought tons of salad stuff the day before, but I needed more steamed veggies and snack foods.  I picked up about a gazillion bags of different forms of steamable veggies.  I picked up pears, apples, and baby carrots.  I also got some natural hummus to eat with the carrots.  And I got a bag of dry roasted, unsalted almonds.  Those will serve as a snack, maybe, sometime during the week.  I don't want to eat too many nuts while on my detox - but I figure unsalted almonds is the way to go if I do decide to eat some.

I must say that it was kinda exciting to think about how I'll be eating this week.  For some reason, the clean, almost vegetarian eating plan I have for myself gives me a lot of hope.  I don't feel scared.  I don't feel like I'll be depriving myself of anything.  Actually, I believe my body is going to love the shock to the system of nothing but this way of eating for a week. 

Of course, being at work will be the true test.  There's no doubt that this is going to be one crazy, hectic week being that it's the week before spring break.  I'm going to need all my strength to avoid any sweet treats or comfort foods that may get in my line of vision over the next 5 days.  I'm strong, though, and I'm determined to make it through.

Till next time. ;)

To Rid My Addiction, I'm Gonna Have to Face a Detox

Dear Diary...

I've had something on my mind these past couple of days.  Something I've been considering.  Thinking about.  Researching a little.  Actually a lot. 

This past week has been absolutely TERRIBLE in terms of eating and exercising.  I've worked out in the gym once since last Sunday.  I've also eaten out at restaurants or grabbed fast food three days since last Sunday - and ate leftover pizza for dinner yesterday which technically makes it four days. 

This crazy week has messed with my head.  Big time.  I've been very busy, and in times when I'm so busy I just don't think about what I could eat that would be healthier for me - I just eat what I can when I can...and that almost always ends up being some form of fast food.  Even when I told myself that I'd eat from the salad bar while my kids ate pizza at Chuck E. Cheese, once the pizza was in front of me - I just couldn't help myself. 

It's no surprise, and I'm not admitting this for the first time, but I'm a food addict.  I am addicted to food.  A person that is a drug addict can say that they're going to give up drugs - but in order for them to actually rid themselves from the drugs - they have to go through detox.  That got me thinking.  In order for me to get over my food addiction, I too have to go through a detox.  I have to shed my body of the remnants of the junk in my system, put nothing but clean stuff in to it, and retrain my system to only crave and desire the good stuff much more than it craves the nasty junk.

I've openly admitted that I'm no fan of fad diets or strict diet regimens.  My junk loving brain has programmed me to shy away from any type of "plan" that promises to rid my body of the desire to crave junk foods.  But, when I think about those drug addicts again, I'm pretty sure all of them are dealing with a brain that has been programmed to reject any form of help for ridding their bodies the desire to get rid of the drugs.  When they do decide to try to give up the drugs, their body goes through a nasty detox process.  They suffer from shakes and fever and nausea and vomiting.  It's not a fun process, but if they are able to stick to it - they can finally start to break free from the hold that drugs have on them. 

Thankfully, for me, food detox doesn't involve any of the nasty side affects that drug detox has.  I am able to reprogram my body and mind by spending a few days ridding my body of the waste and replacing it with the good.  And, in the process, training my brain that the good stuff is much more beneficial than that bad stuff ever was.

So, I'm guessing you've figured out where I'm going with this, right?  Yes, I'm going to try a detox plan.  Nothing crazy.  No drinking strange, awful tasting concoctions.  No starving myself.  Not gonna spend days having fluids only.  Not going to take pills.  I'm going to detox myself by eating mostly fruits, veggies, and unprocessed foods for six days - starting today and ending Friday.

I went grocery shopping yesterday to prepare.  I still have a few things left to buy - but it was a start.  Basically, for the next six days I'm not going to eat any pasta, bread, sugar, white flour, or fat (other than healthy fat).  I will also be limiting my dairy intake to only involve a cup of milk a day, yogurt, and fat-free cheese.  I will be eating no more than 1 serving of meat per day, and it will be lean meat only.

The only foods that I will consume for the next six days are Kashi Natural cereal, Whole grain oats, fresh veggies, steamed veggies, fruit, 100% unsweetened fruit juice, eggs, 1 serving of lean meat per day, olive oil, unprocessed guacamole, Greek yogurt, whole milk, a very small amount of fat-free cheese, and flax seed. That's it.  All of the foods provide the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats my body needs - without any processed sugars, flour, or "bad" fat.  I won't be depriving myself of anything.  I'll be getting the calories needed to reach my caloric intake each day.  And that is key with these types of "detox" plans. 

You will notice I put whole milk on that list.  According to Dr. Oz, there is very little evidence to support that whole milk is worse for you than skim milk.  Skim milk has less fat, but it also has more natural sugar due to the processes it undergoes to remove the fat.  As long as I only drink 1 glass of whole milk a day, I'm just fine.

My hope and goal with this plan is that my body will start to reboot.  It will begin to adjust to the benefits that eating clean can do for it.  And, if after 6 days I don't believe I've reached that goal - meaning if the first thing I start thinking about is eating a cheeseburger - then I haven't gone long enough, and the detox will continue. 

The research I've done all says that this type of detox plan is NOT harmful to the body - or harmful if used on a long term basis.  Basically, I could live the rest of my life eating this way - and I'd be just fine.  That's not my goal, however.  As strange as it may sound, I don't want to spend the rest of my life eating mostly fruits and veggies all day long.  My only goal in all of this is that I can start being more mindful about my food choices, and get over some of the junk food cravings.  I want my brain to learn to love the taste of fruits and veggies - and not like the taste of bread, pasta, and sweets so much.  I still want to be able to eat those things, however, just in much more moderation. 

Hubby made a meal plan out for this week, so this week I won't be tempted near as much by fast food or eating at restaurants.  I'm feeling very confident that I can make it through this week - excited in fact.  It's going to be a challenge, I'm sure, but it will make the whole process a lot more meaningful in the end.

I will openly admit that I weighed in this morning - just to get an idea how much damage I've done this week.  This is not an official weigh-in (thank goodness).  The scale said 246lbs.  Oh.  Em.  Gee.  Can you believe that?  The sad part is, I can.  I totally deserve those added pounds this week.  And even though I'm going to stick with not "officially" weighing in until April 4th - I will be checking my weight this time next week, just to see how much of an affect my clean eating has on me.  It may just be the motivation I need to keep the plan going for another week.  We'll see.

Till next time. ;)