Another Paleo Challenge

Anna and I officially started our Whole 30 challenge yesterday.  The plan was to start on Friday, I was all set, and then got to my training at a Waikiki Beach Hotel in Waikiki.  All was going well, I ate my eggs and went to lunch with some coworkers.  Unfortunately, even though I ordered my burger with no bun, there was no getting away from all of the fried stuff.  I just texted Anna that we would start the next day instead.  To me it's a relief to be back on a "challenge."  I have poor impulse control, so when the brownies are sitting on the counter, I eat one.  Sometimes two.  And sometimes I have a difficult time stopping myself from eating way more than is socially acceptable.  With paleo I always start off wanting to snack a bunch, but I actually remember the healthy snacks that I have available.

View of Waimanalo from the Pillboxes

Yesterday started off fine, Anna made some bacon and eggs.  I went off to hike the Pillboxes with Keysa and Ananda and while I was gone she left for work.  She only took two bananas and two eggs, so I went to the store and got her some roast, some salad, cashews and coconut water.  It was nice to bring her her lunch at work.  We talked for a little bit at the bar, had some cashews,  and I headed home for my own lunch.  I'll definitely stop by there again one of these days when she's working there.  Bars are so different when they are empty during the day.  I had ahi tuna for lunch when I got home.
Dinner was steak, okinawan sweet potato and asparagus.  I am a damn good cook sometimes.  It was really tasty.  It was also a big dinner, so I didn't feel like I needed to snack on anything during the usual "dessert" time of the night.  We watched TV and made plans to run the beach and watch the sunrise.  Well, she's been working hard and hopefully she's finally having a good night's sleep.  It's 7am and she's not up yet.  Surprisingly, the sound of the dogs and I moving around out here didn't wake her up.  Hopefully she's still passed out pretty good.  There will be other mornings for sunrise beach walks.
I love this kind of morning.  I've got Gizmo on my lap, and Titus is on the couch all cozy, but keeping his eye on me.  I can hear the birds chirping outside, the usual air conditioner noise from the bedrooms and our neighbors, and the fishtank gurgling away.  Not too shabby.  I'm gonna make some coffee, then I haven't decided yet whether I will turn on the TV, read, or write in my journal.  I think I will just relax and take this day as it unfolds.

Trial and Error

Yesterday I had a super long day.  I didn't have much time to stop and eat.  I ate with the kids in the office during their lunch time.  Then I raced over to my other school and had a couple of meetings until 4:30.  They were the kind of energy draining meetings that make me not want to work out.  Luckily Jak was at the last meeting and when I said I didn't feel like going to Tae Kwon Do she suggested walking the Lanikai Loop.  I agreed.  So I got home, had some almonds and raisins, changed and we walked the loop.  It was an okay workout, got the blood flowing, but I was just still exhausted when I got home.  I made dinner and for some reason dreamt about the chips in the fridge.  I kept feeling like I couldn't have any and it made me want them more.  Then I remembered that this challenge isn't about being super strict, it's about discovering how to make it a lifestyle.  So I stopped and thought to myself if I really wanted the chips.  I decided I did.  I had 4 chips and walked the dogs.  I really took notice of the taste of the chips and as usual, it wasn't as good as I imagined in my head.  So I stopped eating them.  They didn't really do it for me.  I think part of my problem, when super strict is that the imagined "unhealthy" food takes on this magical delicious taste and texture in my mind.  I keep thinking how wonderful it would be if I could just have a bite...   Well, mostly I know that's not true.  And when I'm not super tired I don't bother.  I have other delicious things to eat.  But when tired or under the weather, I may need to change tactics if the fantasy grows wildly.  I may need to stop and think whether or not I need to have some to stop the madness.  Last night it worked.  Monday it mostly worked, but I wasn't prepared.  I did not let the eating spiral out of control, however.  It's not that I think you shouldn't eat any snacks or carbs at all.  I know that for me, it's like crack-cocaine and I can get out of control.  I am retraining my brain to enjoy a smaller amount, in moderation.  Mostly I go without, but a planned snack is okay.

Also, I'm still deciding whether I should have a glass or two of wine tomorrow at Hallowine.  I may have a glass of wine, or my other options would be drink water all night, maybe in a fancy glass, or to have a drink like a gin and tonic.  I don't even know if that last will be available though.  What are your thoughts?  Continue to work this challenge to be about moderation?  I don't know.  I kind of like how I feel after not drinking.  Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to see how I'm feeling.  If I'm tired and stressed out I might not be able to handle just having one or two glasses, I might go totally overboard.

Eating Out

Day 2.  Eating out at restaurants is difficult.  I brought my breakfast and snack with me to our training today, but the group wanted to go to Chili's for lunch.  There were a few salads that I could have gotten away with on the menu, but they were 14 dollars a piece!  For salad?  No way.  I refuse.  So I got the house salad, no dressing.  I forgot to ask for no cheese or croutons, so I just shoved em to the side.  The waitress brought out some lemon and I squeezed that all over the salad.  It was really good, actually.  The most difficult part is looking at the menu.  Restaurant menus make everything look SO good.  I am positive that there was no way to make any of the other menu items paleo or cheaper.  So the house salad was a good choice.  For dinner I had some ground beef with salsa and some leftover coconut milk.  I envisioned it tasting much better than it did.  I think I overdid the coconut milk this past week.  I've put it in just about everything, so I think I was just a little over it.  Luckily that was the end of the can, so I can take a little break and have some more in a week or so.  Went for a walk with the ladies around the Lanikai loop and now I'm feeling like going to sleep. Good night!

The Jungle Gym

Didn't write this morning because I was too busy out and about being awesome.  I made a spur of the moment decision at 6:15am after a brief dog walk that I should go for a run.  I donned the vibrams and took off.  The sun was just rising and I decided to sprint as fast as I could to the closest park.  It's only about 2 blocks away. I then proceeded to kick the jungle gyms ass.  I creamed the monkey bars with my pullups, whipped the castle bridge with my squats and climbed the shit out of the swirly ladder.  The swings took a total beating with my super pumps (aka swinging on the swings).  I climbed a tree, planked and pushupped, dive bombed from a bench and leapt over the chain link fence.  After that I got a quick sip of water and tore off down the road back to my cave.
Get off your ass.  This workout was superfun.  I'm exhausted, all of my muscles are sore, I got to work on time and I'm in a great mood.  Highly recommended.

P.S.- No animals or jungle gym equipment was actually hurt during this episode.

Full Moon Hiking

First night time hike for me was last night.  It was a full moon so I planned a Lanikai Pillbox moonlight hike.  It was beautiful. There were a lot of cars parked at the entrance and two huge groups of people at the top, but even with all of those people it was still beautiful and serene.  There is something about being out in nature at night that I miss.  The moonrise was exceptional, it looked huge and I wish my camera could capture it.  I had to pirate some pictures from my friend Shane who joined us on our hike because his camera captured the moon better than mine.  All in all I'd say that moonlight hiking is something I'd like to try more often.

The Dreaded Plateau

I am grateful for the fact that I am still 145 although it means I have lost no weight in quite a while.  It also means that I have not gained any weight, which could be considered a miracle.  I did briefly gain a few pounds when for Lent, Nathan and I gave up sobriety and opened the case of BudLight that someone gave us quite a while ago.  It is absolutely amazing how fast weight can pile on.  Of course beer is a double wammy because I drink a few beers and then not only do I want the chips that are in the cabinet, I want all of them, and my self-control is out the window, so I DO eat all of them.  Luckily this week I made it up with exercise and am back to the same old weight.  That goal of 140 has stayed within my sight, but it takes a step backwards every time I step forwards.  Damn thing is right there, but I just can't get hold.  Of course I was saying this about 145 not too long ago, so I know I can do it.  Since losing weight is about a lifestyle and not about yo-yo dieting, I will be patient.  Nothing is worse than losing weight and then gaining it back again.  It is so crushing to watch your hard work swirl down the toilet.  At least moving at this snail pace I can be sure that it will stay off longer.  Even falling off the exercise and healthy eating wagon several times over the past couple of years the weight has piled on much slower than it used to.  So here's to getting back to fitness.  And here's to tofu and all kinds of crazy food that I have gotten out of the habit of eating.  
I went for a hike this morning, up the pillboxes and followed the path to the end of the Lanikai loop.  Then walked back to the car.  It's a good hike at 5:45am.  Going to kickbox on Monday.  Guess I should think of something to do tomorrow.