My sister and I went on vacation to NYC last week and had a blast. We agreed before we left that we weren't going to stress about how we ate or getting a "workout" in since we would be walking everywhere. We hit an outlet mall one day and got some new Reebok gear. I put it to use last night at my first post-vacation WOD. Our owner/trainer even said it looked like we had slimmed down while we were away! My clothes all fit the same but I sure missed lifting while I was away. 

What I've learned from 9 days vacation:

My skin/body does not like a non-Paleo vacation. 

Working out at least 3 times a week gives me a higher energy level. 

I am addicted to coffee. 

A big city is my comfort zone. 

I like to lift- makes me feel strong. 

I can walk 10 blocks in 6" heels perfectly fine!

Rude people don't bother me- I can give it right back. 

Week 2 wrap up

Things went much better since I had an idea about what I was doing! Meal planning really helped. When we got home from CrossFit, we already knew what we were having so we could jump right in and get it prepared. Our cheat meal was Chik-fil-a. It was also our errand and grocery day. The side affects were much less then last week! We have also been trying to change up our meals and make them more interesting. This week we tried asparagus- wrapped in bacon and broiled. I topped it of with a touch of pesto. We both agreed to add it to our menu more often

Week 1 wrap-up

So, this week has flown by. We decided to do our first cheat meal at lunch before my sis headed to work. After much consideration we decided to head to a local burger shop. You can totally customize your burger- and we are the type that likes everything on ours. Fried egg, pineapple, and grilled onions are a must (they remind us of the days growing up in Australia where you could get an amazing burger from the corner store). Although we enjoyed our lunch and a chance to catch up with each others week, the affects of the cheese, bun and fries were more then we bargained for. The rest if the afternoon was spent in a slump. Neither of us had any energy. Even my sisters boss noticed she wasn't her normal bubbly self. I had house cleaning to do but couldn't manage to bring myself to get anything done. I think we may need to reconsider how we do our cheat meals. 

Days 3 & 4

I worked 12 hr shifts (11am-11pm). I'm not a fan of working day shift but I've got three more weeks of ER orientation then I'm on night shift!

But I did discover what eating schedule works for my long days at work. I sleep in, allowing just enough time to shower and throw on my navy scrubs. Before I head out the door I pack my cooler bag with a small container of nuts (walnuts and almonds), veggies (either fresh or leftover stir fry), and protein (day 3 was tuna, day 4 was chicken). Then I mix up a smoothie to drink in the car on the way into work. This week I finished up my Jillian Michaels powder so now I'm looking for a Paleo approved option. I add fresh fruit and some almond milk. About 1:30 I ate my nut mixture. 5:30 was either a coffee or fruit smoothie (no protein) from the coffee shop conveniently located in our hospital next to our emergency room! About 8:00 or do I had my veggies and protein. I'm sure I didn't eat enough during my shift but its the best I could do. I've got to work 36 hrs during the next three days so maybe I can improve my plan some. 

Day 2

Today went well, if you don't count my Sunday latte. Coffee, good coffee anyway, has always been my weakness. I didn't learn to drink it until I was in college and now it's my "drug" of choice. Typically Sundays are our "cheat" day if we are dieting. We spend all day in Enterprise (40 min drive from home) because of church and choir. So lunch is at one of our favorite places and we always spends an hour or so at a local coffee shop. 

But today we did better. Went to Subway (next door to the coffee shop!). Ordered a salad with double meat (chicken and steak- ok, maybe the steak wasn't the greatest choice) with spinach, tomato, olives, avocado, peppers and pickles. I did add a small amount if sweet onion dressing. I'm guessing there was a fair amount of sugar in it though. 

Dinner was a protein smoothie. I've got some Jillian Michaels vanilla powder so I went with that. Triple berry- raspberry, blueberry and strawberry! A splash of almond milk and served with a crisp, juicy Gala apple!

Day 1

Well, today was a success. I was unsure about what to do for breakfast. Since I didn't want to start the week (3-4 recommended per week) I opted for fruit juice and a handful if almonds. Choosing protein for breakfast will be a challenge for me I think. I took my mum and my detailed list to the farmers market this morning. The selection was a little disappointing but it was the first weekend of the season so I'm hoping it will be better next week. Then we decided to get lunch out- strawberry poppyseed salad from Panera Bread. Added about half the dressing and sipped my green tea. I love that their salads are huge, with a load of delicious ingredients. It took some motivation but I nearly cleaned the bowl! This afternoon I decided to work on my recipe book. I have a small notebook that I'm copying recipes into that I like. It's small enough that I can carry it with me to the store if I haven't planned meals yet. Tonight I decided not to plan dinner ahead. My sister decided that she was going Paleo with me! Since I had a fridge full of food I waited until she got home from work to figure it out. We chose grilled pork tenderloin and stir fry veggies.  I added fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro and basil to the stir fry (red pepper, onion, carrots, mushroom, red cabbage, shredded zucchini) while she grilled the pork with lemon pepper. The result was yummy and I have leftover veggies I can pack for work on Mon. 

Making a Change

Today is a day of preparation. I have been doing research for the last week on living the Paleo lifestyle. And today I am gearing up to try it for myself. When I started CrossFit in Feb. at Wiregrass CrossFit the Paleo diet was recommended. But I wasn't looking to change my diet, just my fitness routine. I thought I at a reasonably healthy diet, with a few cheats every now and then. But I soon realize I needed to do something different.
When I started nursing school in 2008 I weighed the most I ever had as an adult- 200lbs. I knew with a busy class schedule and part-time retail job it would be hard for me to stay active. So I drug myself out of bed to swim for an hour before class three days a week. By the time I graduated in 2010 I had trimmed down to 170 and I felt good. It was then off to teach summer camp for 6 weeks before I started my new job. I stayed active and maintained my weight and even got a tan while I was gone. Then I started working full-time 2nd shift at the hospital as well as working on my BSN courses. And the weight crept back even though I was in the gym 4 days a week. I knew my diet was killing all the hard work I was putting in.
Well this Jan I weighed in at 230lbs. I had slowly put on twice what I had dropped. My closet had been overhauled in the process but I still kept most of what I used to wear, especially my favorite outfit. I have a gray pencil skirt and plum colored top that I wore to a wedding after nursing school and to church several times. The complements were great, but I loved how I felt in the outfit. It was the first time that I tucked my top in. My stomach was flat enough that I wasn't self-conscious about it anymore.Then I started living in big t-shirts and sweat pants.
CrossFit was the change my fitness needed. But it wasn't enough. The past month I have hit a plataue and feel like I'm stuck. Sure, I'm down to 220lbs and feel a lot stronger, but I'm not going anywhere. I decided to do some reasearch on the Paleo diet. I bought Dr. Cordain's book,  The Paleo Diet. The first half of the book gave me all the data that my nerd brain wanted to back up what he presented. Then he detailed how to put the diet into practice using three levels. I knew I would have to choose level 3- the most strict.
Do I sound crazy, probably. But I'm the type that I have to go all-in or I'm not going at all. So today I have been making my own Paleo recipe book of recipes that I know I will eat (sorry folks, organ meat is not for me). I have adapted parts of the example menu plan for level 3 and made my shopping list. So I will shortly be off to the gym and then the grocery store.