Does food own you?

After my Whole30, I had a couple of weeks off. I went to NYC, played with friends and stopped watching what I ate. 3 things happened:

1 - I felt disgusting from the inside out. My tummy hurt, my joints ached and I was hungry again
2 - I began to think about food again, and when I could have more of it
3 - I realized the emptiness of using food for comfort

Insert this weekend. I spent the last week "mostly" off sugar. I'm trying to make it a lifestyle change, which requires testing myself in situations. As with all things, sometimes I fail. It's a learning experience. So this weekend, I started it off on Friday night at a new, adorable pizza place right by my house. I got a pizza, beer and a cookie.

I drank the beer, watched the game and ate half the pizza. HALF THE PIZZA.

I walked home.

I was still hungry. I felt like I hadn't eaten a single thing.

HOW????? Didn't my body know I had just consumed damn near 2000 calories? Probably more?

It didn't. I felt empty, hungry, grumpy, whiny and entirely unsatiated. And still, I wanted more. LAME.

It didn't take me long to hate that pizza. How dare it trick me like that? How dare it fill my stomach up without bothering to trip the natural *full-o-meter* that it's supposed to after eating!

While working in NYC, I would frequent a local pizza bar. One of the people I met there worked at a company just a few blocks north. Their job was to chemically test food additives that would allow companies to take up "more real estate" - her words - in your stomach. Essentially how to trick your body into being hungrier AFTER you ate than before. Some foods you love were on her list....Top Ramen, Doritos, Kraft Mac and Cheese and McDonalds were a few I remember her listing.

It's no coincidence that Americans are larger and more unhealthy than ANY other nation. We have companies paid billions to ensure we consume. This pizza? Clearly a client of hers...

What are you eating just because someone paid to use your body to make money?

Whole30 breakfast or treat idea

It occurred to me last night that when making a smoothie, the issue is always the ice. SO instead of watering down my efforts, I decided to put my ice trays to work for me. I poured a can of Light Coconut Milk into one (one can equals a tray exactly - so convenient) and froze them.

This morning, I threw three cubes into my blender with 4 strawberries and half of a frozen banana.

OH MY GOODNESS!! YUM!!!!!

Whole30: Complete

Tomorrow marks the end of my challenge! And I did it!!! I'm feeling great...sleeping great...eating great. I can't see changing much, actually. Although I will be celebrating with a few cocktails :)

YAY!

Total weight loss: 22 pounds

Total sugar eaten: ZERO

Total changes: Too may to count

Whole30 ideas for a non-Whole30 mind

I get it, I do. You're busy, you're stressed and the last thing in the world you want to do is re-think dinner. Check and check.

So I thought, "Hey! How about just a few changes to get someone started!"

Here's a few:


Buy coconut oil. Use it instead of any other fat you cook with/eat.
Buy cashew butter. Use it instead of peanut butter.
Buy bananas. Let them over-ripen. Cut them up, freeze them in baggies.
Buy coconut milk. Use it instead of all dairy.

When you want a snack, throw bananas in a blender with coconut milk and cashew butter or real fruit juice. YUM!

These require no effort, just a different purchase at the store. Will this fix everything in your life? No. But it WILL get you on the right track and maybe someday you'll be able to add a few more things to this list.

Good luck!!

I miss gum: A Whole30 Story

For 23 days now I have been on my Whole30. I have not cheated, not once. I have not made an exception, not once. I have not had any issues, except one. 

I

Miss

GUM

I miss it so much I have contemplated re-piercing my tongue. I have always had an oral fixation. For as long as I can remember I would chew on everything...paperclips, pen tops, erasers, pieces of plastic. You name it, I've chewed it. Years ago I tried to give up gum and ultimately got my tongue pierced in order to succeed. It worked while I had it, but as I got older the stigma of it got to me and I decided it was time to take it out.

Back to gum it was. We were happily in a relationship again until 23 days ago. I didn't know until I had already committed to the 30 days that gum was part of the equation. It never occurred to me.

What you want to read is that these 23 days have taught me that I don't want it anymore. You want to hear that I'm reformed and will swear off gum forever.

This isn't that blogpost. 7 days. One day at a time. I can do this.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Whole30 Steak Salad with Avocado

Lunch doesn't have to be annoying! I chopped up some steak last night and threw it in an already hot skillet with coconut oil and Red Robin seasoning. I brought the leftovers for lunch and ran down to the salad bar nearby for a cheap salad. $2 later I had a steak, avocado, tomato and onion salad!

Yum!

The secret inside Whole30

Being at the middle point of my 30 days, I was re-reading a few things in the book and something donned on me. Whenever I mention to people what I'm doing, the reaction is the same: "But I love bread and sugar!" Love? Really?

It occurred to me that this would be the reaction a drunk would have if a friend was giving up drinking and said they could too. Can't you hear it? "But I love drinking!" OR as a close friend of mine likes to say, "If I wasn't an alcoholic I'd be drunk all the time."

Knowing and admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. And that's true no matter what the addiction. Ask yourself this: SHOULD you need bread and sugar? Should you actually feel sad about not getting to eat a food? Should you utter the world love about food?

Foods purpose is to properly harness the energy of the sun and make it something that our bodies can digest in order to sustain us. Nowhere in that sentence does it say that we should feel emotionally satisfied by food. Like an alcoholic relies on liquor to bring them comfort, a sugar-holic relies on sugar and bread to bring them comfort. Don't believe me? Then stop having them. See how you feel.

My guess is you're now going to come up with justifications. "But I can stop whenever I want" "But I have control over it because I only have it in moderation" "It's not effecting my life negatively, not like an alcoholic." Sound familiar? I have several friends in recovery and my guess is the first time someone suggested that they quit drinking or getting high they had something similar to say.

In my article in Examiner.com I touch on the medical reasons for giving up sugar. Mainly heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. And what is a proven cause of heart disease? You guessed it: sugar.

"But what about holidays and birthdays and office parties and happy hour and romantic evenings with my partner??"

Believe me I get it and I'm not saying never. You're a grown up, that's going to be up to you. For me, in my life, it's almost never. I don't live in a strict world. I'm a grown up too and if I want to go to happy hour, I'm going to strategically plan for happy hour (after my 30 days, of course). If somebody's birthday is coming up and I know we're going somewhere awesome I'm going to prepare for that and I will make an educated choice as to what I want to eat or drink. The important part in this is knowledge. It's impossible to control an addiction you aren't aware you have.

I'm simply asking this: Are you addicted to sugar? No? Prove it.

Once you realize that yes, you are; try out any of the sugar detox diets out there. Whole30 has worked for me, but there are others. Once you're off sugar and can think clearly, you will likely discover that you no longer feel the need to "love" a food. Instead, when you eat, you'll love the way you actually feel. Physically. Not emotionally.

Whole30 got me into my Tommy's

A couple of months ago I went shopping. Meandering through a cool, funky thrift shop I came across this awesome pair of Tommy Hilfigers. They didn't fit, but you don't leave a $6.50 pair of Tommy's on the rack....so I bought them. And today I am wearing them!!! Thank you Whole30 :)

Whole30 breakfast

With a protein first line of thought, I try to begin each day with eggs. Doesn't mean it has to be boring though! This scramble has one egg, one egg white, half a ripe banana and was cooked in coconut oil then topped with blueberries and flax seeds. Mmmmmmm

Whole30 Week 1 Complete

Week 1 is DONE!!

It's a great feeling to be in control of one's environment. After just a few days on Whole30, I was hungry less, easily making good choices and feeling myself shrink. After my first week, I'm down 14 pounds (GASP) and feeling awesome. My joints are happier, my digestive tract is happier and my clothes...don't fit.

Thanks to an awesome coworker, this isn't an issue. She literally asked me last week out of the clear blue if I'd want her "inbetween" clothes as she too is shedding weight and is about 25 pounds ahead of me. Um, YES. She also happens to have an amazing fashion sense, so I feel cute for FREE. Bonus.

I only had one weak moment this week (which I did NOT give in to). I was at a friends house and in her kitchen was a pan of brownies. Brownies are my favorite food. If I was deserted on an island and could have only one thing for the rest of my life, it'd be brownies. I love them. I heart them. And I did NOT have them. After my third time having to pass them and saying no, I decided I needed to leave and eat some real food so that my hunger wouldn't outweigh my will. It worked :)

I'm eating a LOT of fruit. Perhaps more than one is supposed to...but obviously this isn't negatively affecting my efforts. I'm also eating a lot of protein and veggies, so I must be doing something right. 

If you're at it too, keep up the good work!! If you're weighing your thoughts on whether or not to try the Whole30 consider this...it's 30 days...aren't you worth that?

Whole30 Day 4

I've always had a knack for ordering. Very often whomever I'm with will just wait till I order and say, "oh ya, that!" Even if they had something else in mind.

This is not different for packed lunches. And it isn't different while on Whole30. Today I'm traveling. Knowing I am usually hungrier when I travel, I thought ahead. Here's what I brought:

3 clementines

1 orange

strawberries

cashews

spinach*

grape tomatoes*

peperonchinis*

avocado with lemon*

frozen thoroughly cooked and seasoned chicken strips*

As you'll notice, a very nice combination of protein, fat and fruit/veg. Yes a lot of citrus...my CSA order came in and I figured I could bring them all to eat over the weekend.

I brought it all in baggies for easy combination when I was ready to eat. As I started to combine the salad items (those with an *), my fellow passengers began looking at their food and back at mine. I knew what they were thinking..."man that looks good!" Many watched me eat it.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. It doesn't have to be bland. It's okay to make people jealous!

What are your travel food whole30 ideas?

Whole30 Day 3

Today I did something I'm not supposed to do. I stepped on the scale. I couldn't help it...I was releasing a LOT of water and was feeling so clean I had to know what it was doing. I'm down 7 pounds since a couple of days ago. Clearly it's ALL water, but it feels amazing to be un-bloated.

Part of this is that I'm off all starches...but the other is that last night I had "lemonade" - The quotes are because for me, lemonade is literally lemons with sparkling water. No sugar or sweetener - I've never liked my lemonade to be sweet. Lemons are a natural diuretic, so it's not surprising that this happened, but it feels awesome!

I didn't sleep great, but I know this will pass. I'm waking up slightly hungry, which means my metabolism is working properly and I'm able to easily say no to the two boxes of cookies and chocolate cake that is currently sitting in my work break room. I feel my energy climbing, so I'm excited to have this increase!

Whole30 Day 2

Today I awoke tired. I also feel like I'm coming down with something...scratchy throat and ears, tired eyes. I read up and realized I have the "Low Carb Flu" as it's being called. Lethargy and a general feeling of ick are normal for the next couple of days. Oh goody.

Aside from that, all is well. I cooked up a storm last night and have food for quite a while prepared. The newest addition to my life: baked sweet potato with coconut oil and cinnamon. Oh dear jeezus they're good! And so healthy!!!

So what did I make?

Ground Turkey with chives and roasted garlic
Baked chicken with lemon juice and red robin seasoning
Cauliflower Rice
Stir Fried veggies (in the fat and seasonings from the meats)
Baked sweet potatoes

I also used my amazing Cuisinart coffee grinder to prepare my flax seeds and cashews for easier use. I will be adding both to various things to increase my nutrition content.

Any recipes I need to try? Leave them below!!

Whole30 Day 1

My brain today is along these lines. I'm feeling great, full, satiated. I'm following the 4 meals per day plan as I follow the eat every 3-4 hours rule.

For meal 1: I had an egg, 1/2 a banana and some blueberries as well as coffee with a splash of coconut milk.

For meal 2: I had a spinach salad with fish, almonds, carrots, avocado and lemon juice.

For meal 3: I will have a couple of clementines and a hard boiled egg.

For meal 4: I will be making a bunch of things tonight, so I'm not sure yet, but I have a ton of healthy options that I'm looking forward to.

We are having an event at work today, so I'm super busy, which is a good thing for me as I am distracted :)

The no gum rule might just kill me, though...oy.

Whole30 challenge

While speaking with my sister about eliminating sugar from my diet and joining the CSA, she mentioned the Whole30 challenge. She completed it a couple of weeks ago and had amazing results. She and her husband are avid runners and cross-fitters; they are uber healthy, health-conscious and fit; and even still, she dropped a whooping 7 pounds in just 30 days! On top of that, her energy increased, her mood stabilized and she felt so great that she is still at it!

She sent me the book that day and I read it cover to cover fairly quickly. If I had not already begun eliminating so many things from my diet, this would seem a bit more daunting. As it is, however, there are very few additional changes I'd need to make, so figured...why not?!? Starting March 18th (I'm Irish - I'm not going alcohol free on St. Patrick's Day!) I will be on the Whole30 challenge!

It's quite simple - it's like a Paleo diet, but without the neanderthal inspiration. Instead, their idea is this: food either makes you healthier or it doesn't. That's it. So they evaluated everything and came up with the foods that make you healthier. There's no magic potion here, no math is involved and you don't even have to count calories. You simply remove toxic food from your diet...sugar, legumes, preservatives...you get the idea.

People have reported that illnesses have disappeared, health has improved exponentially and overall well-being is transformed. I will let you know how I feel as soon as I begin :)

Joining a CSA

After living in Austin, Texas, the words organic and local became part of my daily vernacular. Farmer's Markets, CSA's and Whole Foods were suddenly in my radar. Farmer's Markets are great, but require one to actually get to them when they're open, which can be rare, and to actually shop, which takes time; and Whole Foods, while largely organic, is rarely local. Enter CSA's.

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture

CSA's are simple:

• Find one near you
• Sign up for the size box you need per week
• Enjoy your produce

Some deliver to communities, some to neighborhoods and others to local merchants. But the gist of it is this...you're getting locally grown, in season fruits and vegetables (organic if that's the CSA you want). You're eating healthier, getting it easier and supporting a local farm. Many of these farms offer tours and different ways of participating, so you can actually SEE what you're eating grow instead of trusting some far off conglomerate to care what you're eating. The people who run the farms are largely the ones doing all of the work...they eat what you eat, so they care as much as you do.

So what do the boxes look like?

The one I joined is called Terra Firma. Last night I enjoyed an amazing potato leek soup made almost entirely from what was sent and today's lunch is a fresh spinach salad courtesy of my box. Just do it! You won't regret it :)

Seeing sugar as poison

Warning: this gets a little long

Having moved since my last post from NYC to sunny California, my life has been a little crazy. My weight has remained stable through this transition and I stopped worrying about losing for a while so that I could settle into life here. I'm now on a simple routine of walking to and from work each day (1.3 miles each way) and then yoga/stretching twice a week. I will soon be adding weight training in 2-3 days per week as well.

Now about sugar.

I spent last weekend in beautiful Lake Tahoe with my oldest friend in the world. She's a scientist and specializes in how various chemicals effect cell structure, etc. I am lost very easily when she speaks, but she is a great teacher and brings it back down to my level as soon as my face goes "huh?"

The topic this weekend was about a study that was recently completed. She is super critical of studies and doesn't believe most of what is out there. She will pour over the details of findings to make sure each step was done properly and that there was no possibility of bias on behalf of the researchers. It is this intense distrust in her that makes me worried. This new study she believes. She said the findings tell us this:

Sugar changes our DNA.
Sugar causes cancer.
Sugar then feeds the cancer.
Sugar causes diabetes.
Sugar causes heart disease.*

Sugar causes our cells to continue dividing even when they are unhealthy/damaged cells. In a normal body, when a cell divides and the result is a damaged cell, the cell itself has within it's structure to commit suicide; thus ensuring that only healthy cells continue dividing. Sugar blocks that signal. This means that when a cell divides and results in a damaged cell, that damaged cell goes right on dividing. It isn't hard to see why we as a nation have gotten so unhealthy so fast.

Thanks to the "fat makes you fat" craze, anything and everything was created "fat-free" AKA: high sugar. The flavor had to come from somewhere. Research has now proven that we were wrong. Completely. Some fats make you fat, but it is sugar that makes you sick. It's toxic. And it's in everything.

Alright, so not EVERYTHING. What isn't it in? The perimeter of the store. We've all heard it...that you're supposed to walk into the supermarket and stay on the outside. Why? Everything inside is processed. That truth is much more important than we knew.

The FDA is now in the process of changing food labels to show us the added sugar. The study is changing the face of food...and hopefully, your kitchen cupboards.

But HOW?!? Sugar?!? 

I know. Believe me, I know. Even after I had broken myself (through a ton of prayer) of my addiction to it, I was still in love with it. Come on, it's sugar!

That's the problem. When given the choice between sugar and cocaine (yes, cocaine), mice chose sugar! It's so addictive it can even make you want it over cocaine if you have to choose between them. If you don't think you're addicted to it, then stop. Today. See how that goes.

When you realize that you, yes you, are addicted...only then can you begin to heal it and stop having it entirely. The FDA is currently saying it's safe to have up to 5 teaspoons a day for women/7 for men. But a couple of years ago, it was 8/10...essentially sugar is being seen a less and less healthy. Therefore, it's my belief that the only solution is to remove it completely...like quitting smoking. Just done.

Does this mean you'll never ever ever have anything with sugar ever again? No.
Does it mean you'll stop buying it and eating it regularly? Yes.

Sugar should become so rare in your life that just as a previous chain smoker will be annoyed by the smell of smoke wafting their way, the taste of it should annoy you. After all, it's bad for you. Your body knows it, you've just been so inundated with it that your body figured out a way to deal with it. Your taste buds changed, your blood sugar changed and everything lined up to allow for this addiction.

It's not as hard as it sounds.

When I decided to take it out of my diet, I started SLOWLY. The word NO never entered my brain. I simply stopped buying anything with sugar in it. I also stopped counting calories. The only way I was going to get through this was to NOT feel hungry. Ever. Hunger = cravings = bad choices. So I surrounded myself with things I like that aren't sugary...crackers, cheeses, fruits, oatmeal, salad, chicken, yogurt, tea, coffee, hummus, salsa...you get the idea. FOOD.

I've always been a "snack" person. Something sweet after dinner is normal for me. So instead of going cold-turkey, I allowed myself to have whatever was left in my kitchen. This included fiber one bars. They're chocolate and oat, so there IS sugar. And eventually they are a no...but while I transition, the fiber allows my blood sugar not to spike and the chocolate allows my brain not to revolt.

And you know what? It's not that hard. In fact, cutting it out is making me less hungry. Go figure. I am beginning to prefer the taste of naturally sweet foods more...oranges, yogurt (unsweetened - unflavored), tomatoes and I physically don't long for it. Hooray!

What to eat then?

I recently joined a CSA, which will deliver fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies to me each week. This means that I don't even have to go to the store to have all the healthy I need! I highly suggest doing things like this for yourself...if it's easy, you'll stick to it.

I looked up the various foods we should be eating each day and here's my list:

• Food Amount Calories
• Hemp Seeds 3 TBSP 135
• Yogurt 3/4 c 110
• Flax Seeds 2 TBSP 74
• Cinnamon 1/2 tsp 0
• Almonds 23 163
• Blueberries 1/2 c 42.5
• Broccoli 1/2 c 15
• Oatmeal 1 1/2 c 360
• Tea 2-5 c 0
• Beans 3/4 c 495.75
• Garlic 1 clove 0
• Olive Oil 1 TBSP 119

They can be combined and enjoyed in various ways. What matters is trying to eat as close to this list each day as possible for great nutrition and a balanced, happy body. Each has a different reason, so if you cannot stomach one of them, look up why they're good for you and find a substitute. Obviously you will eat more than just this...this is only about 1500 calories (and a person NOT trying to lose weight needs more than that).

*I want to take a moment to point out I am NOT a doctor/researcher/specialist and this is strictly what I was told by a friend whom I trust to have done the research. I encourage you to do the same if you're at all concerned that I'm wrong. Though I can't see a single negative come from eliminating this poison from your diet. To my knowledge no one ever died from NOT eating sugar.