Carrageenan

http://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-carrageenan



Carrageenan is something that seems to be in everything. It's used a thickener and I'm finding that the difference in my body after I consume almond milk that contains it, is not something I should ignore. My stomach gets bloated and heavy when I consume products with it. While it is extracted from red seaweed it still creates a difference in my body. When I was doing whole30, I was flatter all day but now if I consume almond milk (silk to be specific) in the morning, I get bloated more quickly. Maybe it's vanity and maybe it's comfort but I think I'm going to say bye bye to products with carrageenan.

Some products without carrageenan:

Silk pure almond milk
Trader Joe's refrigerated almond milk
So Delicious coconut milk and almond milk desserts


That's my tip of the day!

Stomach ache of new proportions

So I ate a lot of sugar this weekend and I think I can finally say, my body feels much better without it! Last night, Iaid in my bed practically whining because my stomach hurt so much. I could feel the sugar coursing through my veins. This morning when it came time to get up, I noticed my body felt heavy and my face way super puffy. My body can't regulate it's temperature and I feel gross. My stomach still hurts and every few minutes I get sharp pains. I think it is safe to say, sugar and I will have to be a rare treat and this feeling is going to have to be worth it!

And with that, I'm going to give it up, again. Thanks for supporting this journey and continuing to read!

Not Whole 30 anymore!!

This weekend, I went ahead and tried a few things: gluten free pizza (which included dairy) and some baked goods from Buttercelli Bakery in Sherman Oaks. It's a bakery that has quite a few gluten free, vegan and My Pal Leo (Paleo) options. I was heading out to Glendale anyway so went the extra 20 minutes and purchased an amazing array of products. I wanted to see how it felt to eat these things again and how my stomach felt. Well everything went alright! I ended up offsetting it by going to the gym last night for an hour (after a 45 minute walk yesterday morning). But I will say, stomachache ensues today. I think I will be able to do this every couple of weeks. I can stay strict and then every couple of weeks go off of that. 

So trying new things! Headed to the gym later today to offset the spike in blood sugar and the gluten free amazingness I just had!

Happy Sunday to all and I hope you have a happy and healthy day! :)

Coming to the deadline and what did I learn?

So whole 30 ends Tuesday. And I'm kinda glad. I go back and forth but I learned today that the prosciutto I eat before the gym and sometimes after a workout contains sugar. So technically, I haven't been following the whole 30 at all! I'm so mad. I will say this whole try at whole 30 has taught me a few things.....

1. I need to work out more. I really need to be exercising 5 days a week between Pilates, cardio, and lifting. Working out more helps me keep my body feeling good and energized. Since doing the whole 30, I work out once or twice a day. Sometimes a 45 minute walk or I'll do cardio for 45 minutes then go to Pilates. Today I did 45 minutes of the bike then my trainer kicked my butt at Pilates! My entire body is shaking and it feels so good!

2. Whole 30 is definitely Paleo on steroids. It's very rigid and definitely designed for first time Paleo-ers and people doing a detox or someone who wants to live with a lot of restrictions.

3. I don't need a weekly Paleo treat but if I'm going to have a treat, my exercise needs to off set it. So if I want to make brownies or cookies, I do have to off set it with the gym....this is something I've always known but the whole 30 just reinforced it.

4. I'm stronger than I thought and I need to keep building on that. 



So two more days until it's over, despite the fact that it feels like it never began.....I'm so sad to have learned this late in the game that my favorite protein contains sugar. But I haven't baked in a month and I haven't had excess sugar so that's a plus. It's not a totally lost month. 

This is what I learned and I probably won't do it again but never say never! :D Thanks for following along the journey with me. Here's to the next step!

Day 4 of illness and coming into the last few days of the whole 30

The way to end this whole30 dealy has been less than perfect considering my illness but I woke up this morning with energy! I don't think you know how great that feels!!!! It is an ungodly hour to be awake but I'm just happy I'm not in pain and my ears aren't throbbing anymore. The medications are at work which makes me so happy that I'll finally feel like a normal human being.

What does that mean for my whole 30? Well I'm going to continue for a week. Not paying for the whole30 but rather just eating how I've been eating and working out, hopefully the way I was before I got sick. I was going to the gym 5 days a week and doing Pilates twice a week. I'm really excited about that. 

Well that's my update. I'm hoping to take a walk at some point today to get out of the house! Ugh I am so happy to finally feel a little better. Thanks for the well wishes!

Sick and in the home stretch

Hi all,

I haven't written in a few days because I, unfortunately, have been in my bed due to strep throat. I know, I know, it's strep and I shouldn't be knocked out like this but I am. I've been sick since Monday and on antibiotic since yesterday. 

The thing that BLOWS the most is that I'm in the final week of the whole 30 and I haven't been able to exercise since Monday. I have been feeling so crappy I can't do much. Not to mention my doctor said no work til Monday and my whole face hurts so I haven't done anything. I'd really like to work out soon though! I really miss it.

I'm living on soup, plantain chips, tea, and kombucha. This little paleo is really not happy about being so sick. I haven't had to take antibiotics in years. I can't believe how sick I got so quickly. That being said, I hoping my face and throat and ears start to feel better so I can rock the gym again! I'm so close to my goal and desire to be done with the whole 30.

I have stayed on the whole 30 and that's a new thing for me. Considering I feel like crap, I'm shocked I've been able to not go off of it. Small wins!

So I also found a new use for coconut oil. I have stretch marks on my stomach, so I rubbed some on my stomach and I'm hoping that in a few days the stretch marks will go away. Keep ya posted on that one!

Okay, that's my update. I'm heading back to my cave. (haha)

The Home Stretch!

One more week. 3 weeks are behind us and I can't believe that it's almost done! I am so excited. I think if I were to do this again, I'd make almond milk earlier and make chia seed pudding more often ;) I think despite the fact that this "diet" or Paleo on steroids as it's been described so often by many people, I have learned more about myself and my body. I need to be more active and not so reliant on Pilates and walks. I think the weight lifting and strength training aren't bulking me up but helping me to burn more fat. I'm also eating more veggies, which is weird because I use to rely on just meat. This weekend I ate more veggies than proteins and was totally happy. I have goals and I think the whole 30 will help me reach them more quickly in combination with working out.

In terms of my goals, I met one and I'm okay with that. My biggest goal was to be active for 45 minutes for 5 days a week, and being active could take any form...walking, gym, Pilates, whatever!!! I'm very proud of that one and I don't want to loose that as I come up on the 30 days.

It's also been great to have someone here in California doing the whole 30 but also a friend in NYC. We talk every day and keep each other accountable. We share recipes and "little wins" (!) like not minding the sweets that placed in front of us at a meeting or not snacking as much. We are in this together and that feels great! 

All I can say is my attitude is different from 3 weeks ago and I'm happy about that. It's been an evolution for me and I won't say I'll never do the whole 30 again because it might have to happen just to see what more changes I can inflict upon myself haha.

Happy Monday!

Crispy chicken wings!

preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
put a wire rack over the cookie sheet.
place the wings on the rack, spread them out. 
season with salt and pepper to taste.
stick them in the oven for 30 minutes.
after 30 minutes, take them out, flip them, then season to taste again.
once the second round of 30 minutes is done, take out of the oven, remove from rack.
place in a heat proof (pyrex) bowl, drench in Tessemae's "Southwestern ranch" dressing/marinade. 

Sunday Cooking! 2 recipes I haven't made yet...

Homemade almond milk:

1 cup of almonds
water covering almonds in a bowl
2 dates
filtered water (4 cups)
blender or immersion blender
cheese cloth

1. soak almonds over night in water (or some suggest coconut water to make it sweet, I just used regular water)
2. drain water from soaked almonds
3. put in food processor (with or without the shells, doesn't really matter)
4. add 4 cups of water and the 2 dates
5. blend
6. dumb into a bowl over cheese cloth
7. ENJOY!

This is a messy process no matter how you do it. It was hard for me not to make a mess. Happy fact: it's currently in the fridge and tastes good! I think I might just keep buying it or try to make "Against All Grains" french vanilla creamer after the whole 30 is over. Or find a friend who can help the process.

tip: if you keep the almond meal you can make almond flour, I will figure this out and let you know how to do so.

Chia Seed Pudding:

2 tablespoons of chia seeds
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup of coconut milk (canned)

1. put ripe banana in food processor and add 1/4 cup of coconut milk
2. pulse in chia seeds
3. put in a bowl and refrigerate

I let it chill for 2 hours, enjoyed the WHOLE bowl with fresh strawberries. I will not lie to you...it is amazing!!!!!!!!! I'm contemplating making more later today. It's a great source of nutrients and so sweet all on it's own. It's the perfect treat.

This photo is pre-strawberries :) 


More to come!

Whole 30, day 21!!!!!!!

Holy cow. One week left (tomorrow)!!!!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! It's amazing :D. Kind of exciting. Right?! It took about 3 weeks to get over some of my mental stuff but we're here. I'm passed the "I want this" stage. I'm in the "eh, I can do without it." Yes, making brownies or something would be great but I think this time has shifted my thinking about food. Though I won't lie to you, I really would like to eat a pastry and drink coffee for the sheer "coolness" of it. Not because I need it to live. Just because it's something different for me....different than eggs. I'm semi-sick of eggs. Yesterday was an egg breakfast which is fine and that kept me going most of the day!! I had Korean BBQ for dinner, so yummy and filling.

It's interesting how a workout mid-day will change my eating for the rest of the day. I worked out, kinda hard around 3:30pm (until 4:30pm) and ended up not eating dinner until 9pm (there was a super long wait at the restaurant) but had plantain chips with almond butter around 5pm. I find if I snack after my workout, I don't need dinner right away. It's kinda nice!

Last night, I went out of the house in leggings as pants. They were my new splits59. Full disclosure, they are semi-see through, which made me self-conscious but I was able to buy a long shirt last night that will cover my booty. 

Today is low-key, making homemade almond milk (!!!!) and chicken wings and starting to read one of the books I recently purchased. I've also gotten more serious about my workouts. I'm in the lifting stage. I'm making more of a conscious effort to lift before cardio and then do some cardio. Gotta get stronger! It's my goal to be a lean, mean, picking things up machine (haha). 

So 21 days. It's amazing how the time has flown. It's been hard but I think it's easier and when this whole thing is over, I'm going to keep up my activity level and try to keep my sweets intake to once a week rather than every day. Also if this almond milk thing goes well, I'm going to make it more often. It's not that hard. I've watched a few youtube videos about how to do it but the most recent one suggests adding a pitted date for added sweetness. I am going to try it! I'm excited because the coconut cream I've been adding to my cold brew isn't as sweet as I'd like but it's tasty. 

Recipe and instructions to come later today!

Some things whole30 have brought up for me...

I've gone a long time without telling the whole story behind my weight, my obsession with food, and my disordered body image and disordered eating. But tonight, I'm feeling compelled to explain...all of it....

I was always an overweight person. I was made fun of constantly in elementary school and middle school. I was short and fat. I wasn't getting proper nutritional information and wasn't taught about how to eat. Honestly, going through as much as I did as a child (a divorce, a major death, tons of moving, etc) I always turned to food for comfort and used it as a reward. In high school, I battled an eating disorder. Though I was never diagnosed. As a teen, I was starving myself. Then I flipped and started binge eating. The switch happened because I was on a massive amounts of hormones for reproductive issues. It was then that I started hiding food in my room. I would eat secretly. I would barely eat in front of parents and if I did, it was small portions and then would go back for more later when they weren't looking. I would conceal whatever food I was consuming by moving leftovers around or ice cream. I counted what was in the package and make sure my consumption wouldn't be noticed. It was a big issue. I was constantly talking about my weight. At 19 and 20 years old, I had a personal trainer, a nutritionist, and doctors looking into my thyroid and other potential reasons I was gaining weight.

In high school, I weighed 118 and ballooned to 160 by my first year in college. Everyone was concerned. My first year at Clark I noticed purple stretch marks on my stomach, thighs, and arms. I was uncomfortable all the time. I couldn't look at myself. This was when I started dieting and my self esteem tanked. I began Weight Watchers and became obsessed with what went into my mouth. I never lost any weight and in fact, was getting heavier. By my junior year at Clark, I weighed 180 and was so miserable with my body, I started Slim Fast. This was the most effective diet for me. I started to loose weight and fast! I was so excited. However, like most quick fixes, I gained it all back in grad school.

Once again, I was miserable. I went off all of the hormones and thankfully dropped some weight. I went back on Weight Watchers and tried to loose weight. I couldn't break 150 at this point and just felt like nothing was happening. 

Finally, last year, I started Paleo. For the first time in my life, I stopped obsessing about my calories! It was so liberating. I was (and am) very concerned about my body and how others see it. I'm constantly worried about what people see, where fat is hanging over, how shirts fit around my stomach, how my bras fit around my chest so not to see bulge of skin, etc. 

Doing whole30 has brought up a lot of issues for me. I find restricting foods is making me obsess with my body image, my food intake, and my exercise. It's making me worry about results and oddly enough, it's making me desire foods I've never craved. I have thought about stopping but instead, I'm going to continue and hopefully be able to move past the mentality around it and the move past some of the issues that have come up. I'm full and nourished but I obsess about the "can't haves" rather than the good, real food, I am eating and well!

I truly believe this is why I've had so much success with Paleo. It does not, ever, make me feel like I can't have something. There are so many rules associated with whole30 I become fixated. I've been doing really well at leaning on the folks doing it with me and just focusing on the health benefits; the increased energy levels, the lack of bloat, sleeping better, etc. But I did want to put my issues out there for the world to see because I know there are others like me. I just want people to know that they aren't alone. Disordered eating and body image are real. They effect lots of people. 

In the past year, my confidence has increased leaps and bounds and I am so thankful I have found a lifestyle that has given me the confidence to look in the mirror and see what really exists. I can finally see a person, not rolls of skin (which is what I saw for a long, long time). I can, for the most part, sit without covering my stomach. I finally have confidence to just be me and try new styles of dress.

Paleo has given me freedom and liberated me from dieting/counting calories/obsessing. I'm not complaining about doing whole30, I'm just saying, it's definitely brought up some things I didn't think would come up. I'm learning a great deal about myself and am learning what works for me and what doesn't. 

Thanks for reading :)

Day 16 of the whole 30

In the downward spiral now for this whole30 business. I'm not sure if I see results and today my reward came, my new bra, tights and exercise pants. The tights and bra are awesome but the pants are headed back to the store because they don't fit right. So I started thinking "the true test is my size 8 jeans." I grabbed them off the shelf and put them on. I cannot believe how much hang over is not present!!!! I'm so excited. They aren't stuffing me into the jeans thus making me look heavier. I am so excited. If this is the only visible outcome, I'm happy. I don't feel like I have to hide my stomach when wearing them either.

Whole30 for the win? We have 16 days to see......maybe whole 30 round two next month? Maybe I'll take a few days/week off and go back to it.....We will see!