BiRTHDAY :) DAY 29 - VENTiNG!!!!

let me explain really quickly for my readers why my paleo diet is just the way it is ... which means i usually eat the same easy to cook dishes and probably not enough food in a day with a lack of veggies .. just so you can get a better understanding of my life-

I work full time -40 hours a week- while going to school full time-im taking four senior level classes this semester- and dating a guy who lives in Austin while trying to attend crossfit workouts three times a week at a gym 40 minutes away from my house in San Marcos. If that doesnt factor in a reason why I rarely have time to cook elaborate paleo dishes- i SUCK at cooking and am hardly ever home. I work 8 straight hours five days a week with no lunch break or time to leave because i am usually working by myself .. which means i need to bring my food- i HATE leftovers!! My month is almost over, and apparently my paleo diet hasnt been up to "par" - I am not going to stop eating strict paleo once November is over, but I definitly wont feel guilty if i eat a few chips at a mexican restaurant or want a nice cold beer with a few buddies :)

Therefore, i will openly accept any advice my readers have for me! Easy to cook paleo recipes, ways to make delicious veggies with my meals and certain spices to add to each dish ... PLEASE- bring on the advice, because i do need it. I rarely cook out of my comfort zone because i am so awful at cooking and i am so afraid that i am going to screw everything up and end up throwing away my dinner because it will be absolutely gross tasting .. or burnt/under cooked!

HELP!!! :) i am REALLY trying here!! Ive come from a fast food eating junkie who pigged out on chocolate AT LEAST once a week- i lived off Ramon Noodles and cheap microwavable dinners ... sounds like a college student right? Well i am a college student who now cooks her own meals and wakes up extra early to make a healthy breakfast- instead of grabbing a pop-tart to go! Ive come a long way from who i was about 7 months ago and its because of you .. yes YOU! so thank you :) and please feel free to keep inspiring me and motivation me to improve my diet -- and if you want to help me help myself, i need advice!

How do you perfect your paleo diet? What recipes do you use when you are in a rush out the door for a full day of work? What do you eat for snacks during a long day ... yeah, yeah- you get the point :) advice, advice! PLEASE!!

i love feeling this amazing and i will NEVER go back to the "old me" because i know how great it actually feels to maintain a healthy diet. i can only improve, and thats what the process is all about .. improving and learning!! Thanks everyone for all the help, motivation, and accountability!

I am going to the grocery store after work today and will spend most my money on lots of veggies to  cook with my meals- broccoli, green beans, and asparagus (my favorite). As well as onions, red or green bellpeppers and mushrooms to put in my ground meat to spice up my dishes .. alright readers- thats all i have for today!!

pictured above is my lunch for today- grilled salmon with double broccoli

hope everyone has a marvelous monday!! NEW WEEEEK!!

DAY 28

BREAKFAST: 6:30am 3 scrambled eggs and 4 bacon strips!!
                    7:00am 1 cup of black coffee

For a snack around 10:00am i had one banana! It's now noon and i am pretty hungry but have no food. i REALLY need togo grocery shopping and will probably try to do so before my moms thanksgiving feast :)

2:00 Turkey slices

im ready for my thanksgiving feasssttt ... yum

okay-okay! so minus the thanksgiving stuffing and cranberry sauce (my favorite) i didnt do THAAAAT bad ;)

So here was my main course- Chicken, green bean casserole, two deviled eggs, and cranberry sauce! I went back for seconds and only grabbed more chicken and two brussel sprouts. then for my dessert .... my special birthday cake that i couldnt deny :)

Double chocolate cake with chocolate icing (my special request) and its was delicious. I only had one peice and brought a few back to my apartment for leftover ... dont worry guys, i am saving it for after my month of strict paleo! Even though today wasnt strict today, i did better that i thought i would at the thanksgiving feast :) and i will probably add an extra day to my diet, just because!! But i am very greatful that my mom with through all the extra work today to prepare me a thanksgiving meal since i did not get to enjoy one on Thursday due to my crappy work schedule!! Hope everyone had a great weeeeekend

p.s. i forgot to go grocery shopping today ): so all i have to eat tomorrow are 3 eggs and 4 bacon strips!! I work from 7:00-3:00, so not having any snacks is going to suck. but i may order a salmon for lunch from Chilies since i have a few extra bucks from birthday money!! yumm

ALMOST DONE ...

MY THANKSGIVING MEAL IS TOMORROW WITH MY MOM- I PRACTICALLY MISSED THE "REAL DEAL" ON THURSDAY BECAUSE OF WORK AND I HONESTLY CAN SAY THAT I WILL PROBABLY NOT REMAIN PALEO TOMORROW ... CAN YOU BLAME ME?! YOU ONLY HAVE A THANKSGIVING MEAL ONCE A YEAR AND YOU REALLY, REALLY THINK I AM STRONG ENOUGH TO PASS UP ALL THAT AMAZINGLY GOOD THANKSGIVING FOOD?! I DONT THINK SO!!! MMM YUM YUM .. I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES... NOVEMBER WAS NOT THE BEST MONTH TO CHOOSE 100% PALEO WITH THANKSGIVING AND MY BIRTHDAY WITHIN A WEEK OF EACHOTHER .. BUT IT NEEDED TO BE DONE :)

DAY 27

first thing is first -- am i allowed to cheat in celebration of my birthday?! (:

Second -- So it basically took me over 30 minutes this morning to get out of bed because it was freeeezing. I had to be at work at 7:00 and instead of getting up and moving I laid in bed untill i had no time to make a filling breakfast and rushed to work ):

Its 8:00 and im on my second cup of black coffee and about to start eating some mixed fruit for breakfast! I will probably end up going to Chipotle for lunch because i have almost NOO foood at my apartment and did not come prepared to work today -- oops!

My dad is coming in town today to have dinner with me for my birthday ... Its technically not untill Monday, but he lives three hours away so today was the perfect day for us to get together and have our "family dinner". I am going to try so hard not to celebrate with a delicious chocolate cake untill after the end of November :) :)

12:00- my original chipotle bowl with double chicken, guacamole, veggies, tomatoes, and lettuce ... delicious!!!

7:00- We went to Chuy's with the family (My dad, Linda, My sister, Hannah and Jesse) I had one chip with cheeese ... and a beef fajita plate with extra guacomole and one strawberry margarita and half of a regular margarita!

Have a good night everyone :) Work at seven tomorrow .. so i am going to sleeeep!!

DAY 26

Today i am working from 10:00 to 6:00pm so i began my morning with a good breakfast to hold me over for a couple of hours!!

8:30- 4 Scrambles eggs and 4 bacon strips with 6 fish oils :)

12:00- one cup of black coffee
3:00- three leftover sausage links
5:00- mixed fruit
7:00- two tilapia fillets and a banana with almond butter

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

DAY 24
Today everything i ate consisted of the paleolithic diet- but i did not eat enough like i should have. I slept in untill about 10:00 and had lunch at Maudies with a few friends.
12:00 two Sausage and egg breakfast tacos- without the tortilla
I did not eat again untill around 6:00 where I had lots of Chilie at the O'briens- not sure of the exact ingredients but it did contain a few black beans. Later that night i had a smoothie with blueberries and strawberries- 2 eggs and some protein powder.


DAY 25
Today i ate broccoli for breakfast around 10:00 and then had a thanksgiving brunch with the O'briens before i had to leave for work. We snacked on some celery and guacamole dip and the main course was pork and sweet potatos. It was delicious! I pre-cooked sausage this morning that i brought with me to work for dinner also!

My blog is getting extremely boring and i have not been keeping up with my crossfit workouts over the past week. It seems as though with everything going on lately i havnt been motivated to get a good work-out in and it doesnt help that my last attempt at a workout was a dud ):


Living all the way in San Marcos (40 minutes from the gym) can sometimes make it impossible to schedule in the amount of workouts needed within a week. Also, after becoming a crossfit addict it is extremely hard to work out in a regular gym that is not designed for a crossfit athlete- therefore going to the student Rec can be BORING which makes it even more difficult to motivate myself to go whenever i cannot make it to a Westlake Crossfit class. There are never any valid excuses for anything- when you want something, you will go to any extremes to get it, no matter what, and this i understand.


What i dont understand is the reason why i have not pushed myself to get into the gym like i have the past few months! Yes- ive had a lot going on and my mind has been stressed but luckily i have healed super fast from the surgery and can attend crossfit classes next week :) I am already planning my schedule in order to make it to at least 3 classes next week- as well as hopefully getting in to the REC sometime this weekend! I need you guys to keep my accountable- My boyfriend does his best, but sometimes i need other people to ask me where i've been or ask why i havnt been going to classes! i LOVE crossfit and i hope that one day i can compete- I just cannot wait untill i graduate and live super close to the gym .. it seems so far away from now but i know time will fly by extremely fast.


I have been apart of the gym for only a short while now and i already have learned so much about myself and met so many amazing people that have made the gym feel like another home to myself! Its amazing to see what the members of Westlake Crossfit bring to class everyday, i cant wait to see what other progress i will make in the future due to crossfit .. but untill then, i can definitly wait to work out in the freeeeezing weather of winter! brrr i am not ready for that ... i dislike the cold!

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving and has thought about all the things in life that they are truly thankful for. Although life can be a drag sometimes we must always remember the things that make us smile and turn us into better people- even when things do not always look like they are going in our favor!!

DAY 23

so today i had surgery and couldnt eat anything past midnight of yesterday ... the surgery was at 1:00pm and by then i was STARViNG!!! But after recovery the nurse gave me some crackers (not paleo) and i ate a few with water around 3:30- then when i got back I had some sausage and jalapeno wraps waiting for me :) they were delicious!!

Sausage, bacon, and banana chips are still considered paleo- but they are on the lower end of the healthy spectrum when it comes to the diet. Chicken, turkey, steak .. all grassfed, are more recommended- but with a hectic schedule- they are super easy to make and bring to work with me for lunch/dinner-and snacks! I need to work on creating more "healthier" meals for my protein, but i am still eating about 100% paleo which for me is amazing ... even if i do eat more sausage and bacon then propbably recommended :)

ALSO- Veggies are super important and i have been doing a very poor job getting enough into my diet plan, this is something i also need to start working on. One reason i have been lacking on eating healther paleo meats and veggies is the lack of cooking knowledge .. but Jesse is going to help me incorperate more veggies into my diet by teaching me how to cook certain things :) Like broccoli (he makes the best broccoli ever)

 hope everyone had a great tuesday!!

DAY 22

Today i remailed strict paleo- with a diet consisting of 4 scrambles eggs, one tilapia filet and an avocado with lime juice, mixture of fruit- strawberries, catelope, pineaple- and steak and green beans for dinner. I also had a smoothie before my crossfit workout that Jesse made me with pre-work out powder as an ingredient.

6:30 work-out

7 min AMRAP  (IIII+4 Knee to Elbows)
5 Squat Cleans 65lbs
10 Knee to elbows
--> Rest 5 minutes
7 min AMRAP (IIIII + 10 DL)
10 Deadlifts 95lbs
10 push ups (show hands)
--> Rest 5 minutes IIII+ 10 KB swings
10 KB swings 35#
10 box jumps

This workout made me think ALOT about crossfit and how it can change a person's mentality. In crossfit, you can choose how hard to push yourself and how much you want your body to get out of each workout ... and sometimes it seems almost impossible to get your body to keep going, even though you know you can push yourself so much harder! This is what happened to me today and it opened my eyes- although i had a lot on my mind i hope to eventually learn how keep pushing myself and seperate the mind and body- crossfit teaches an individual a lot of mentality and i feel that todays work out was the beginning of my personal lesson :)

DAY 21

6:30- banana
7:30- lots of bacon and two cups of black coffee

snacking on banana chips right now .. sooo sleepy @ work!!

2:30 banana and almond butter

so after work at three, i was so exhausted and went home and crashed untill 6:00! I feel nice and rested but my body needed food- now my stomach hurts and i just got done eating 5 peices of bacon and some beef chunk things, about to make some eggs also.

DAY 20

11:00am- tons of scrambled eggs with red and green bellpeppers and onions, 2 bacon strips

went to the westlake crossfit BBQ where i snacked on Shaneen's paleo Deviled Eggs, which were awesome! a few grapes and some hamburger meat

Now im stuck at work untill 11pm and i just picked up chipotle for dinner ... double chicken, guacamole, veggies, tomatos, and lettuce :)


Cant believe im already on day 20 :) time has flown by for sure and its hard to believe (minus my big bend trip) that ive literally been about 100% paleo--crazy! thanks guys for the support and accountanility, its really helped!!

ive been snacking on banana chips all day at work also :) only 3 more hours!!!!

DAY 19 - TEMPTATION

8:30- 4 scrambled eggs and 4 bacon strips ... burnt ):
9:00- one protein shake with almond milk
11:00- Beef Fajitas with guacamole
1:30- Banana with Almond Butter

2:10- biggest temptation of my life sitting in front of me at work!!!

my favorite pie in the entire world, "chocolate moose pie" that i look forward to eating every year at Thanksgiving with the Martin family!!!! But I have to work this year, so i cant even go home to endulge .. which makes this temptation so much more difficult ... luckily i have an amazing boyfriend to keep me accountable who i called immediately to help me fight the temptation :) and an awesome co-worker/room mate who helped also!! Doesnt quite feel so aweome now, but i know later i will be happy that i didnt have a peice!! grr it looks so delicious though!!!

2:30- green tea, unsweetened with 2 teaspoons of honey

4:30- two beef sausage links

had some non paleo shots around midnight .. but kept my drinks to vodka and water.

THURSDAY- DAY 18

8:00- 3 scrambles eggs and 4 bacon strips

while on campus from 9:30-3:30 for class, i snacked on grapes, cashews, and some banana chips

4:00- 2 beef sausage links and one avocado
4:30- FISH OILS :)


7:30- Went to Carino's Italian Grill and ordered grilled chicken with lemon, mushrooms, bacon, onions, etc ... all paleo and delicious with a side of spinach in replace of speghetti .. the bread was so tempting, but i made it all the way through dinner without one bite :)


9:30- a few peices of bacon
9:45- one glass of vodka tonic with a lot of lime (:

DAY 17

-->Just in case i have any new readers who dont want to scroll all the way down to understand what the heck the purpose of this blog is for... I just want to quickly summarize that the reason i am blogging is 1) for accountability with maintaining a healthy diet, 2) To show others that it is possible to  eat a healthy, strict diet with a busy, hectic schedule 3) and to hopefully motivate others to get healthy and active :)
-->This blog, and the accountablity of my coaches- Jarrod, Jevon, and Jesse- have been one of the main reasons i have been able to deny my unhealthy cravings- and i have to say the reward is amazing. After being on the Strict Paleo Diet for almost half a month- i feel better, breathe better, my work outs are better, and max weights are increasing and life is GREAT!! It may be difficult to throw out all the junk food of your eating habbits, but i promise it is worth it. Just because you dont feel like crap doesnt mean your body isnt suffering and it definitly doesnt mean you wont feel even better- because you will, and its a great feeling :) Okay Im done blabbing on!!
--> quick summary of the paleo diet ... all natural, non processed foods- no bread, rice, beans, peanuts, etc! But lots of veggies, fruits and meat (grassfed)

Today i woke up at 5:45am in order to make it to work by 7:00am! On the way to San Marcos i snacked on Banana Chips and made a quick stop at my apartment to cook some bacon and grab a few snacks for the work day.


7:30am- 5 strips of bacon
9:00am- 1 banana with almond butter
11:30am- One cup of black Coffe
1:00- 3 beef sausage links

throughout the work day i snacked on a few banana chips and after work around 4:00pm i had 2 strawberries before driving to Wimberley to pick up my little zoe-burger (kitty)

6:00- 1 tilapia filet and 3 scrambled eggs

p.s. i am EXTREMELY sore from my post-evolve challenge work-out .. my legs havnt been this sore in what seems like months, ouch!!

8:00- one banana with almond butter, yumm

BIG BEND!!! DAYS 12-16

Hey everyone ... first off, apologies for taking a couple days to finally update my blog and secondly i just want to warn all my readers before i post my update on what i ate while camping at Big Bend ... i was not 100% paleo!! But for the most part (excluding alcoholic beverages) i stayed about 85% paleo during the trip. Thankfully in part due to Miles awesome portable gas stove we brought with us which ensured us with some pretty awesome breakfast and dinner meals.


Friday- DAY 12
For breakfast i snacked on a handful of grapes then cooked 6 eggs and 6 bacon strips to split between me and Jesse before we headed on our long road trip to big bend national park.


On the way to big bend we stopped at HEB and stocked up on groceries for the four day trip (friday-monday) and along the way i snacked on banana chips, almond butter, trail mix and more .. all 100% paleo snack foods :)


for dinner around 7:30ish Miles brought some homemade chicken noodle soup which was perfect for the chilie weather. (The noodles are not paleo, and yes i did eat them) Along with the chicken noodle soup we fried some jalapenos wraped in sausage and bacon ... and all i have is one word --> DELICIOUS!!!

So including the noodles we ate for dinner and the few bottles of beer consumed afterwards ... everything else was paleo for day 12 (: i would say thats pretty decent, but not perfect-i know, and im pretty sure it only gets worse .. yikes

Saturday- DAY 13
around 8:00am i had a cup of black coffee and for breakfast we cooked about 6 eggs mixed in with lots of sausage, onions, bellpeppers, and other paleo ingredients. [Pictured below before the eggs were added]

 Today, we hiked 5 miles and brought whole wheat sandwhiches for when we arrived at our destination called "the window." It literally looked a windew formed by slipper rocks overlooking the park .. beautiful and very scary!! Lunch for me consisted of 3 peices of whote wheat bread, turkey meat and mustard accompanied by a tomato and 2 slices of cheese. (bread and cheese are not included in the paleo diet)


Along the hike we snacked on a mixture of things including oranges, trail mix, apples and bananas.


For dinner we ate beef stew which had tons of chunks of delicious beef included with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, a small portion of potatos (not paleo) and a few other ingredients. My drinking favored the paleo diet more this night because i did not drink as much beer, but more tequila.

Sunday-DAY 14
For breakfast i got the honor of cooking for everyone, and i chose to scramble 9 eggs with 2lbs of bacon and included a few onions and green bellpeppers. I also had a cup of black coffee.

We all had a lara bar to snack on when we reached our destination while hiking to the balanced rock. Although the hike was short, it was fun and involved a lot of climbing and arm and leg strength (probably because we traveled off the path in other to climb our own huge boulders)


We then went to Turlingua, a city outside of the park which was basically a dessert ghost town. We ate at a restaurant for a late lunch/dinner where i splurged a little and the boys had chilie!! I  ordered a hamburger with onions and mushrooms- and i have to say, it was one the best hamburgers i had ever eaten. I was starving, so of course i included the hamburger bun in my meal, which might have been why the meal itself was so incredibly delicious- those turlingua residents sure do know how do toast their hamburger buns :)


For alcoholic beverages today i consumed 1 coors light and a bloody mary. Then we went to La Kiva- a very interesting bar where i had 3 margaritas and one chip :)



Monday- Day 15 (Last day at Big Bend)
This morning we had to hurry and get on the road so we didnt cook breakfast. I had a big cup of black coffee and we snacked on a few things we had left over including apples and almond butter and lara bars. We then stopped at Ft. Stockton (sp) and had mexican food where we all ordered beef fajitas with extra guacomole.


For dinner i went to chipotle and had a burrito bowl with no rice and beans- double chicken, veggies, lettuce, guacolmole and tomatos.



Tuesday- Day 16
I havnt eaten hardly anything filling today because life has hectic. I rushed back to san marcos to start laundry in time to make it to my 9:30 class. During my day on campus i snacked on grapes and pineaples and after class around 4:00 i cooked 4 scrabled eggs. I then had to hurry to work in order to pick up my paycheck and take it to the bank so i could finally go grocery shopping! I then rushed to HEB where i purchased tilapia, eggs, beef, sausage and bacon, etc ... it wasnt untill i was on my way to Austin for a work-out that i realized i completely forgot to buy veggies!!!!


I got to the gym where i completed the post-evolve challenge workout which consisted of 4x of a 400m run and 50 air squats. My pre-evolve challenge time was 14:35 and my post evolve evolve challenge time was 14:01!! I improved by 34 seconds, which is proof of become more fit .. it felt good. I was going to try and stay for the 6:30 workout but my muscles and cardio system were completely exhausted. So here i am now, finally getting the chance to update blog and wondering ... "whats for dinner?"


I am back to 100% paleo with no excuses (hmm thanksgiving and my birthday might be tough) but will let you know what i ate for dinner ... no working stove will complicated to work with though, hmph!! Good night everyone!!!!

PERSONAL RECORD!!!!

11-10-10 continuted

I arrived at the gym about 45 minutes before the 6:30 class began where i then attempted to beat my kipping pull up record of 15. With the support of the coaches, i actually did 26 kipping pull-ups in a row! What an accomplishment, it felt great :) I beat my record by 11 and my goal by 6 !!
At 6:30 the class started and we began by doing 5x3 deadlifts. My max deadlift is 175lbs and the progression of my weights during this task was 110#,125#, 135#, 150#, 160#... if my memory is correct-i will need to look at my log book to double check!!

The workout for the day consisted of 10 rounds of 50 double unders and shuttle runs. I can't do double unders yet (which is like a regular single jump rope, but the rope must pass under the feet twice while your feet are in the air) The progression for people who cannot complete a double under is singles tripled- so for 50 double unders, i had to complete 150 singles per round.

8:45 Me and Jesse went to chipotle for dinner- we both had burrito bowls without rice or beans. My bowl consisted of double chicken, guacomole, lettuce, and tomoatos. Jesse's bowl was also 100% paleo, leaving out the corn as well :)
_________

THURSDAY 11-11-10

Today consisted of a 7:00 work out with Jesse's training group where i completed my 5x3 shoulder presses that i missed from mondays workout. My progression was 45#,50#,55#,60#,65# ... 65# is my shoulder press max, but today i was able to do three presses in a row at that weight :) It felt great and im ready to PR next week ;)

The workout consistes of 150 wall balls for time. This is throwing an englarged ball 10 ft up in the air making sure the ball hit above the line and is accurate. I used an 8lb ball and finished in 9:41 ... boy was this tough!

I then rushed back to san marcos afterwards in order to make it to my 9:30 class on time! I had no time to cook a good breakfast so i brough i few snacks with me. Throughout my day on campus i snacked on cashews and turkey meat.

Its not 2:10 and i just ate a lara bar ... i have a salmon that i should probably cook, but i have never cooked salmon before (thats usually Jesse's job-hah) so im a little nervous how it will turn out, or what spices to use!

4:45 i was tempted with a lovely looking piece of chocolate fudge .. i easily refused :)
5:00 one green apple on the drive to Austin 
7:00 and im starving :)


We had a little get together at Jesse's new house with friends and family, then we went to Torchies Taco where i got something that had pork and veggies- i did not eat the tortilla.


2 glasses of wine throughout the night and 2 bud selects ): i know, i know!! oops

DAY 10

stuck at work from 7:00-3:00 today, then attending the WLCF class at 6:30 tonight.

6:30- 4 scrambles eggs
8:00- snacking on mized fruit -cantelope, strawberries, pineaple, grapes

i brought my leftovers from last nights dinner to work with me for lunch, as well as a few paleo brownie peices for "dessert."

DAY 9

8:15- 4 scrambled eggs with 3 bacon strips and 2 strawberries
I forgot to bring snacks on campus with me but suprisingly i did not get extremely hungry untill i was heading home.

4:00- 2 scrambled eggs with mixed fruit

4:30- I went to the REC to attempt to complete the WOD for Monday!! Unfortunately i was not aware of how extremely busy the gym is around this time and all the equipment was being used in the weight room when i arrived. I was planning on doing 300 singles in replace on my 400m run, but the gym was extremely crowded for that to work out-basically there was no room. Instead i ran 800m while the weight room was full, then luckily after the run a spot was free. (The inside track is located all the way on the other side of the gym and on the second floor- so it makes it difficult to incorporate into the actual work out) I did the workout that is listed on my DAY 8 blog that consists of squat cleans and pull ups! My weight for the squat cleans was 65lbs also! It was a great work out and made me extremely thankful for everyone at the crossfit gym- it definitly helps to have people yell at you and motivate you to keep going when all you want to do is rest. Lets just say i rested way too much during this work out ):

6:30- protein shake with almond milk :) yeahh its paleo .. i think! Coach Jarrod recommended it for me as a replacement for milk!

7:00- Ground Turkey with asparagus and a side of mini beef sausages and fruit
[pictured below]

8:00- two peices of the paleo brownie

UPDATE!! ive had a few people admit that that paleo "candy bars" are better than the brownies. I disagree, but i was thinking it might be due to bias- the paleo brownies are WAYY MORE easier to make than those dang paleo "candy bars" and you dont have to worry about them melting or falling apart on you!! If you try some, let me know what you think :)

Im sure i will snack on some fruit before bed also- im addicted to fruit and im sure i ate way to much .. oh well- time to pack to my big bend trip this weekend :) hope everyone had a terrific tuesday. nighty night

NEW WEEK!! DAY 8

7:00am - A bag full of fruit (strawberried, canelope, pinaples) im sort of getting tired of cooking eggs so early!!

8:00am - 1 cup of Coffee (black)

10:00am- 2 bananas with Almond Butter ... yes i know, i eat way to much fruit and not near enough veggies!! its tough.

Unfortunately i wont be able to make it to the WLCF class today because i am going to my moms for dinner tonight. I am really hoping that if i dont get back too late, i can rush to the REC and complete the 5x3 Shoulder presses and start the WOD. The gym doesnt have a convenient place for me to incorporate the 400m into the workout appropriately- so i might have to substitute the run with double unders (singles for me)!!

400m run
10 Squat Cleans
2 pull ups
8 Squat Cleans
4 Pull ups
6 Squat Cleans
6 Pull ups
4 Squat Cleans
8 Pull ups
2 Squat Cleans
10 Pull Ups
400m run

12:30 baby back ribs to go from chilies with a double side of broccoli ..

I am working right now- and have been stuck here since 7am so i cant cook anything that i have in my refrigerator because i technically dont get a "lunch break" it sucks- and its making me a tad broke! oh well- Any suggestions on some good food i can bring to work for lunch/dinner that is pre-made ... besides chicken?!

6:00 mixed shrimp, broccoli, cauliflouer, and corn (no, i did not eat the corn)
[listen below]

7:30- one peice of the paleo browinie

I am doing the workout listed above tomorrow after class because i did not have time tonight!! :)



DAY 7

6:40am- three eggs cooked sunny side up :)
7:15am- 4 bacon strips

I am working from 7:00-1:00pm today so throughout the work day I have been snacking. I have had 1 lara bar (Dates, Cashews, and Unsweetended Cherries), a few peices of the paleo brownie, A ginormous apple, and Turkey meat.

2:00- I saw DUE DATE --> Hilarious!! And snacked on a beef jerky stick
5:30- One tilapia fillet, burnt again ): with 3 scrambled eggs and 3 strawberries

My legs are somehow extremely sore from my front squats yesterday and my arm-pit region is also sore from all those manly push ups :) therefore i am taking a break from the REC today.

7:30- One chicken breast serving
9:30- before bed snack: 4 peices of strawberry, canelope, and pinaple!!

I experienced quite a bit of temptation today while at my friends house watching the Cowboys game! They made this delicious looking queso dip (which i LOVE) and everyone was chowing down on chips and cheese dip. It looked mouth watering- and as much as i just wanted to give in and grab just ONE chip- i knew that was the easy part that i would later regret!! I fought the temptation and it felt great. I am excited to see what other temptations i will be put through during the next 21 days!! :)

Night Night!!

DAY 6

working from 7-3 today!!
7:30 mixed fruit of strawberries and canelope
10:00- i am STARViNG and want a muffin ): my snacks are not filling me up! but im going to eat a "chocoalte" Lara Bar with the ingredients of Dates, Almonds, Walnuts, and unsweetened chocolate!! :)

12:00 Lunch from Chipotle (no corn this time) Double chicken, lettuce, guacamole, and tomatos only! i was sooo hungry i scarfed this down extremely fast :) it was delicious!!


4:30 i snacked on some cashews while cleaning the apartment, doing laundry, and organizing my room and clothes ... it was much needed!!

5:30 i went to the Texas State Gym (REC) and played around for a little while. i jogged a 10:06 minute mile, did 5x (x=rounds) of 10 push ups Rx (prescribed) :] yeahh, no more knee push ups!! another sign of progression and increased strength. Then made it over to the weights where i completed 5x of front squats- first two rounds i did 10 reps of 65#, 3rd round i did 8 reps of 70#, and the last two rounds i did 5 reps at 75#. Then i did 5 strict pulls ups (or my version of a "strict" pull-up, where a lot less kipping is involved) I noticed my hands were slowly re-ripping and then I left :)

7:30 one tilapia filet and a side of Asparagus [pictured below]

The photo is a little blurry (oops) and i kind of burnt my tilapia just a little bit because not only was a multi-tasking by cooking the filet and the asparagus at the same time, i was also making ..... wait for it .... oh yea .... PALEO BROWNIES!!!

yes, they are delicious- and of course i cannot eat all of this by myself ... so Jarrod (and anyone else) i will bring you some when i am at the gym on Tuesday :) you better be their!! The ingredients contain oil, 2 eggs, honey, almond meal, and carob powder! ... oh yea, and i added a little coconut chunks in with the ingredients and sprinked some on the top as well, it adds a little bit more flavor!

8:20 i am snacking on two slices of the paleo brownies, about to grab a third. This is amazing for those who have a ridiculous and annoying sweet tooth like myself.

That is all for now, hope everyone had a great day!! Remember to stay healthy throughout the weekend also :) you'll be glad you did come Monday!!



Discipline

maintaining a healthy diet requires an extreme type of discipline- you have to ignore your cravings and be able to walk away from temptation!! But anyone can do it- it just depends on how badly you want to acheive your goals in order to turn your body into something much more- a body that is pure and absent from junk and unhealthy foods that can make you feel like crap. The reward is definitly worth the time spent on maintaing a healthy "paleo" diet. Its what your body was designed for- all natural, non-processed foods!! It may seem like hundreds of thousands of years ago that our paliolithic ancestors existed where they hunted and gathered all of their food. But in reality it was not that long at all, and our body and genomes have not changed as much as our food has!!

Before i starting eating a semi-healthy diet and even inbetween my extreme "healthy spells" i would drink at least two cups of coffee 3 to 5 times a week while at work. In this coffee i would dump 3 packs of sweet-n-low as well as two honeynut creamers ... but today, i stand here at work with a natural black coffee with no additives!! Slowly but surely i have disciplined my body to accept this, even if it may not be as tasteful :)

8:00am-lots of bacon that i asked our cook at work to make for breakfast because everything else they had was not aplicable to the diet.

It can be really tough turning down such exciting and delicious looking breakfast foods that are placed right in front of you whenever you are starving ... but it just takes discipline and strong will in order to fight the urge to quickly satisfy your apetite with something that may seem delicious and filling- but is in reality is completely bad for your body! if i can do it, so can you :)

11:00am- Bag full of Canelope and Strawberries [pictured below]

12:30 Cabana bowl from Taco Cabana only $5.00!! No beans, rice, or sour cream!! Just contained beef, lettuce, guacamole, and pico-de-gallo!! [pictured below]



5:00- 4 scrambled eggs and 4 bacon strips, so delicious i just cant get enough :) [pictured below]

At around 7:30 i headed back to Austin to have dinner with my cousin and her boyfriend- who actually owns a crossfit gym in pearland, Texas. It is located right outside of Houston, called Pearland Crossfit. We went to the Iron Cactus where i had a blacken tuna mixed green salad with vinagerette dressing and pinaple cubes. it was delicious!! i love stepping out of my comfort zone! Work at 7am tomorrow-goodnight everyone :)



((UPDATE))

Hey everyone, i forgot to update you on the end of Day 3 because i forgot my computer in San Marcos!! After work on November 3rd, i rushed home and munched on half of a ginormous apple with almond butter.
@ 6:30 i worked out at the Westlake Crossfit gym with an awesome group of people. The work out was:

Every minute on the minute/ 12 minutes - which means you have to complete one round of the work out provided within that minute for all twelve rounds, once you are unable to do so, it turns into an AMRAP (As many rounds as possible for the remaining time)

5 Hang Power Cleans (recommeded for ladies is 95lbs- i did 65lbs)
6 Pulls ups
7 Goblin Squats (completing an air squat while holding a 25# kettle bell up at your chest)

The work out was awesome!!! I complete 6 rounds within a minute, and the continued finishing four more rounds with a total of 10 rounds in 12 minutes!!! :) I was extremely proud of myself and my arms definitly felt like jello after the 60 total pull ups and 50 hang power cleans!!

After the work out i had a protein shake ... yes, with milk ): i tried water and the powder definitly did not mix as well. It was disgustingly globby and looked just gross and not apetizing, so untill i obtain some almond milk- i will definitly be using milk with my protein shakes.. and no friends, milk is not paleo!

Then around 10:00pm i had two sausage links then went to sleeeeep!! zZzz

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DAY 4

My day began at 6:00am when i woke up to get to the gym for an early morning work out- on the way i ate a few small peices of Turkey. I worked out with Jesse's training group where we completed "Mary". This consists of 5 handstand push ups (scaled) 10 pistols (one legged squat) and 15 pull ups! ... you complete as many rounds as possible in a total of 20 minutes. It was a different type of work-out because the movements were more difficult (minus the pull ups), but it was good to work on my pistols and do MORE pull ups! I actually beat my pull up record of fourteen this morning during the first round of Mary :) So now my max pull ups is at 15. super exciting for me, even if it is only by one pull up!!

After working out i am usually not hungry so i didnt eat anything for the next couple of hours except a few more peices of Turkey during my drive back to San Marcos (which took almost an hour due to traffic).

at 12:00 i grabbed some strawberries and canelope to eat while waiting for the bus to campus then snacked on a lot of turkey peices during class around 2:00.

5:00pm One egg and one large avocado

May not look amazingly delicous, but it was definitly good!! :)

p.s. more veggggiesss, i know!! Asparagus are on the menu for tomorrow night :)

8:00pm I went to Zarka with the O'briens and had coconut curry chicken with rice. You can replace the rice with veggetables but of course i forgot to mention that i wanted that ... and NO, i did not eat the rice :)

DAY 3

I woke up at 8:15and had 4 scrambled eggs and 1 "large" avocado for breakfast. Then drove to San Marcos to work from 10:00-6:00. I am just now starting to get hungry (its 12:45pm) and brought some left-over baked chicken that i made yesterday afternoon with me to work for lunch.

1:30 - One big left-over baked chicken breast with garlic powder and an apple
2:45 - Hand seperated trail mix from work. They contained peanuts and m&ms and i sorted through three small bags taking out and throwing away the non-paleo items. Included in the mix was raisons, dried fruit and almonds :)

PREPARE!!

So today is class day- and i woke up almost an hour earlier than usual in order to prepare a good, healthy breakfast. And let me tell you- after showering and making the time to cook a filling meal, i felt more awake than usual. For breakfast i scrambled 4 giant all natural eggs that contained omega-3 fats along with 4 bacon strips. I also ate 2 orange cuties before heading out the door for class at about 8:45 this morning. I wasnt even that hungry untill ,12:30 this afternoon, and i snacked on an apple before my third class began.

After class i went to the grocery store to finally pick up all the food i will need for the upcoming week- a few of the items you would have found in my shopping cart included 2lbs of all natural turkey meat, tilapia and salmon, chicken breast, apples, strawberries, and canelope, eggs and more!! I am currently baking some chicken breast in the oven to bring with me to Austin for dinner before our kickball playoffs begin.

While preparing the chicken i snacked on a lara-bar! Its the healthiest on-the-go premade bar that you can eat, including no more than four ingredients. These ingredients include Dates (which make the ingredients stick together) and depending on the type of bar you purchase, unsweetened cherries or apples, etc! All natural, healthy, and extremely tasty for an on-the-run quick snack!! I actually accidently bought two bars that contain peanuts (NOT PALEO) so i will not be eating these ... so if any of you readers out there want to try a free Lara-bar sample let me know, or they will be going in the trash ):

Today has been a GREAT second day, and i am looking forward to the upcoming week- I have actually written down everything that i will bring to work and class to snack on each day, what i will eat for breakfast, and even cook for dinner each day of the week. This is really going to help me with my crazy schedule! Tonight is KICKBALL PLAYOFFS, and i am not drinking ANY beer- Voda and soda water is all i will be drinking, and thanks to my friend Diana and boyfriend Jesse, we are all going to avoid beer tonight and stick to the vodka (even though i am not a big fan of this liquor)

Ill update tonight to let you know what i ate during the night :)
Chicken will be for dinner .. i know for sure!!
Happy Tuesday everyone!!

________

So at about 6:00 i had one chicken breast and two orange cuties

Jesse and Diana actually decided to back out and drink beer during kickball (LAME) and i didnt drink at all, unlike most of my team mates! We made it to the finals but lost 2-1 ): it was a great time!!

After kickball  i snacked on some all natural smoked turkey breast at around 10:00pm and i just finished an apple! The only thing i have drinken tonight was half of a glass of vodka and soda water (yuck) i couldnt even finish my glass, oh well!!

I was temped all night to drink beer by my friends and to eat leftover halloween candy, but i did not give in and i am feeling great :)

Hope everyone had a great and healthy day!!!

THE BEGINNING

Today has been the first day of my paleo challenge and so far it has been good. I got to sleep in untill 10:30 which i was very excited about because i will have to get up around six o'clock, or earlier every other day of the week ... including saturday and sunday for work!! GROSS. Me and Jesse made a HUGE batch of paleo chilie last night which consisted of both steak and ground beef with tomatos, onions, jalapenos, and other ingredients to kick in some spice. So i definitly had paleo chilie for breakfast before my 12:00 workout at WestLake CrossFit.

The workout today consisted of 5x5 presses starting at 63% of your max and ending at 85%, which for me was 55lbs. It felt good also! The WOD (Work out of the Day) consisted of squat press walks, 10 box jumps, 10 a2b (Ankle to Bear) and 4 sandbag gets ups, 2 on each arm. It was a good work out and i learned how to do my first get up, thanks Jevon!!

After the work out i went back to my "second" house which is in Austin, and had to quickly get ready for work, do some dishes, and round up the fur-ball (Zoey) to bring her back to my Apartment in San Marcos!! I am currently at work and am unfortunately stuck here untill 11:00pm, yikes. I forgot to bring some leftover chilie with me, so i found myself stopping at Chipotle to grab a bowl to eat while at lunch. NO guys, i did not get any rice or beans :)

My bowl consisted of double steak, veggies, corn (which i still am not sure counts as "strict" paleo or not) tomatos, guacamole, and lettuce! Yepp, all paleo and its delicious!! I even got my guacamole for FREE, he said because i have to stand up eight full hours at work and he felt a little sorry for me.

Its aprx 5:00pm and i still have SIX more hours of work to get through,and my chipotle bowl is almost all gone, uh oh! Although i am still pretty hungry, i am not tempted to eat anything that is not paleo here at work. Having a pretty busy weekend, has left me a bit unprepared but tomorrow after class i am planning a big grocery shopping spree consisting of lots of turkey meat, avocados and other easy snack foods that i can bring to both work and school.

Maintaining a healthy diet is ALL about planning, especially if you have a busy schedule like myself where i am stuck in one place for eight hours with no time for breaks to cook "real" meals! This is when you have to think smart, you can bring sliced Avocados and turkey meat with you wherever you go as a healthy snack, along with apples slices and almond butter, baby carrots, nuts and fruit. Here you can get all you need on the go- Turkey has your protein and avocado contains your healthy fats, along with your servings of fruits and veggies also. This means - NO EXCUSES, even for me!
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So its 7:05 and i am currently sitting down at work making my grocery list as well as planning out my meals for the week. This can get pretty stressful trying to figure out a time to pre-cook some of my food, ill be in Austin tomorrow for Kickball playoffs- yeahh (wish us luck or come out and support the Cairy Hocks tomorrow at 7:00pm) And then wednesday ill be working from 10:00-6:00 then rushing back to Austin to attend the 6:30 Crossfit class. yikes, thinking about how busy life will be can get stressful, but hopefully my pre-planning will reduce the stress!

So im still slowly muching on my chipotle bowl, but as a snack ive eaten a banana with almond butter. only four more hours of work to go and im feeling good. Just a quick update while im bored at work! Everyone have a great night.