Expectations

Oh expectations, how you like to ruin me.  Remember when I said I was going to blog several times per week?  I even did it for a week or two.  I also was all gung-ho on keto.  I did that for a little over a week before tweaking my diet (still clean) to keep me sane.  When signing up for the Phil Heath, I said I wanted to do several shows this season.  As of now, I don't have any shows on the horizon.  At the start of each week, I have lofty aspirations of having an immaculate house by the end of the week...we all know that that has probably NEVER happened.  See a pattern here?  I set these expectations in the disguise of a goal quite often.  I would venture to say I'm not alone in this process.  To what degree you set these "goals" for yourself, I'm not sure.  I know that I shouldn't feel bad when things don't pan out the way I planned, but isn't that human nature?  Maybe it's the control freak in me...

I'm transitioning out of comp-mode with my eating and workouts, still.  I'd brainwashed myself that if I don't do/eat XYZ, then I'm not successful that day.  Lies, they're all lies.  Slowly, I'm changing that mode of thinking.  I've become a big fan of the "if it fits your macros" or as some half-jokingly call it - "if it fits your mouth".  IIFYM or flexible dieting is all about finding that sweet spot of balance.  There's nothing you can't have.  I am a HUGE fan of My Fitness Pal and use their app on my phone all day long.  It's the only way I can make sure I'm staying in my calorie range and percentages.  I've customized it for myself and play around with my percentages based on not only my goals, but how I'm feeling that day.  Am I run down because I stayed up past midnight on Pinterest?  I'll allow myself more carbs that day.  Am I feeling bloated because I ate chips and salsa the other night?  Bye bye carbs.  I typically stay in the range of 30-40% carbs, and split the remainder between protein and fat.  No need to count sugar for me as it all translates back to carbs.  I've also pretty much cut out all my fake sugars.  They weren't being very nice to my body anyway.

Ok, so now that summer is quickly approaching, and for me that means kiddos are out of school...I needed to start planning what my summer routine will look like.  *I had a friend joke about her making a 30/60/90 day plan for her family...but I guess that's kinda what I'm doing, isn't it?!*  In a perfect world, I would be lounging by the pool while the girls played and I wouldn't have to worry about them drowning or the pile of laundry waiting at home.  A girl can dream, right?  Instead, I know they will require me getting in the water with them.  This will be the perfect time to use them as little water weights and do some laps around the pool.  The park will also be a great place to get some plyos and HIIT in.  I'm planning on (without huge expectations put upon myself) doing this 12 minute AMRAP - as many rounds as possible - this evening from Kama Fitness :  

Whatever your goals are, set mini goals along the way.  No one is going to fault you for things not happening on an exact timeline.  Treat each day like a new day.  God willing, you get to wake up each morning and start over.  Maybe you had a kick-ass day the day prior, that doesn't necessarily mean today will be the same...it could be even more amazing or a complete let-down.  Pick your battles with yourself and above all else, just keep going.  Set your intentions and move forward!!  

where did Saturday go?

I should be asleep right now, but got wrapped up in "studying". YouTube has become such a great resource for me for finding video of my favorite bikini competitors. Posing class today could not have gone better. Jeff said I have made some great progress and I was feeling pretty comfortable with the posing. Only kinda lost my balance once...much better than previous weeks. Those turns can be tricky! ;)

I told Jeff about my peanut butter dream, he laughed. The good news though, is that I'll be getting some calories added back into my diet so I don't continue to drop weight as quickly. On Friday, I weighed in at 122.2. With 4 weeks still to go, I don't want to get too low and risk losing muscle and looking *gasp* skinny! I just have to laugh, the way Jeff said, "you look good, weight is down, but you're not skinny". At first, my inner chubby girl wanted to scream, "no! I want to be skinny!", but then I saw Jeff's face. It was then that I had to remember that I was in a space where "skinny" isn't a compliment. If you want to be respected, you need muscles and be lean...but not skinny. I think I like this place.

After class, I met up with my friend Jessica. She asked me if what I'm doing and how I look is something I want to maintain. I totally do...to an extent. Probably where I am right now, or even where I was last week, is manageable. I treated myself to a little bit of Chick-Fil-A today and it didn't taste as good as I expected it to. However, the no sugar added vanilla/strawberry swirl froyo DID. Mmmm...froyo... I know that the froyo treat won't last much longer.

Thankfully, my abs are starting to come in, I can't wait to see what the final result will be. My stomach has always been my trouble spot, but I'm seeing results. I don't know that my body has ever looked or felt this good. Strong is the new skinny!! Lift heavy and eat clean my friends.

I thought eating was the hard part!

As you can see, I haven't been on here in a week. It's stayed on my mind, life has just gotten in the way! I'm about to finish week 2 of my Paleo Diet!! It's been surprisingly easy; the hard part is making time to write about it!

I'm really liking it, the cravings are getting a little bad here and there... I have to just remind myself that this is something I want to follow for years to come, so one or two non-paleo things during the week isn't bad. I've been aiming for 90-95% of my meals to be Paleo. This means out of the 35 "meals" per week that I eat, I can allow myself 2 or 3 meals of decadence. For me that may mean a potato with my steak or chicken...or dessert...or both!

Shane and I had a cheat lunch this past weekend. We went to Uncle Julio's to celebrate my finishing my Master Trainer Level 3 exam...I'm pretty confident that I passed it. We went all out, kind of. The meal started with ceviche royale with fish, scallops, and shrimp. Then we moved onto 4 pork tamales and combo fajitas with flour tortillas, beans, and rice.

After the yummy meal, we were basking in our glutton and like clockwork, hit a wall about 20 minutes later. Man does gluten and dairy slow us down!!

Today I decided to have part of a candy bar that I was craving. I knew that if I just ate a piece of it, I would be satisfied. Otherwise, my mind would have kept me thinking about it all night. Well, I don't know which would have been the better choice because I am now dealing with a bit of a headache. Oh well.

Hopefully I can manage my time better and aim for blogging a bit every other day. Thanks for joining me on this food journey!

Paleo Day 4 and 5

Day four wasn't realllllly a Paleo day for me. Breakfast started out great (some turkey sausage and fruit), but I knew that I planned on having my "cheat" meal later. I like what Adam Farrah talks about in Practical Paleolithic; listen to your body and try to practice Paleo 90-95% of the time. This gives me the sense that I have a little freedom. Other times when I've tried to 100% eat clean, I've felt like such a hypocrite if I want a french fry or jelly bean. So, I had my Greek food last night and enjoyed every last bite of potato. Yummmmm!!

I got up this morning (day 5) and with the time change, decided to get my day started. I packed up my baby girl and headed to Market Street for more of their yummy Old Bay seasoned shrimp. I loaded up the cart with organic fruits and veggies, including some rainbow chard I'm excited about, and headed for the checkout. Apparently noticing my plethora of organic goodies, the college-age checker asked me, "so do you really notice a difference with this organic stuff?" In my head, I was screaming, "heck yes I do, how could I not??". Instead, I said, "oh yeah, the flavor is so much better". Even though I could have stood there for at least another 10 minutes going on about all the reasons to "go organic", I knew maybe that reason alone would encourage her to try it out. The whole time, Zoe stayed content teething on cold slice of organic Braeburn apple.

On the menu for today: egg scramble with hamburger and avocado, snack of an apple, lunch of spinach salad with strawberries and tomatoes topped with cold left-over broiled chicken, and dinner will be fish and mixed veggies.

One of the biggest reasons I decided to take on this challenge for 40 days...and hopefully a lifetime...was to be a strong role model for my baby girl. I want to show her how to take care of your body and how to be a strong, independent girl and woman. Everyday I wake up, I remind myself of that.

Paleo Day 3

Well, they always say that the third day is the hardest for cleanses and diets. I did great during the day, but the sugar fairy must do something to me around 6pm. I have yet to crave starchy carbs...but sugary things...eek!

I had 2 jellybeans and a bite of the leftover spice cake. That's it, nothing more. However, jellybeans are just PURE sugar. Bad.

We've been having yummy breakfasts of eggs or turkey sausage (or both) mixed with veggies and a side of fruit. Lunch has been a lot of salads; yesterdays included a "hamburger" salad. Dinners have been pretty easy, just a lean meat and more veggies. I made some Swiss chard sauteed with onions, garlic, and some smoked paprika (picture shown). The smoked paprika gave them a "barbecue chip" flavor, which was very yummy. I paired that with some of Whole Foods organic pastured chicken quarters baked with some coconut oil to crisp up the skin. So yummy!!!

I'll continue trekking on. It's not so bad right now. I just hope the nighttime sugar craving subside soon. Time for breakfast!!

-Tricia

Paleo Day 1...and 2

Good morning!

Yesterday officially started my paleo adventure. Breakfast consisted of eggs with pico de gallo and turkey sausage. Lunch was a yummy spinach and kale salad with strawberries and shrimp, then dinner was steak and grilled zucchini. I snacked on raw fruit and veggies the rest of the time. It was surprisingly easy. I had expected to crave the jellybeans in the bowl on display in our living room, or the rest of the spice cake sitting on the counter. Both left-over from my sugar binge the weekend prior.

I shared a picture of breakfast this morning: turkey sausage with onions, spinach, and mushrooms. Sooooo yummy!

My goal for this coming week is to get my booty to the beginner CrossFit classes at Omega Performance Training in Plano. They have a Monday and a Wednesday night class. The trick will be timing it so that Zoe is in bed.

My husband, Shane, is joining me on this journey and I'm so thankful for that. His support will make the hard times so much easier. Plus, I don't think I'd last if he was parading around eating bread, rice, pasta, etc.

I'm getting a little hungry, so it's time for an apple and Zoe's nap! See you tomorrow!

-Tricia

40 days...I think I can, I think I can!

Hello all!

Since Zoe's birth, I've taken a huge hiatus, but am back!!! Since I last blogged, I've joined on to become the lead yoga instructor and coordinator at Omega Performance Training in Plano, TX. Along with amazing classes, they also have a Crossfit gym in the back.

I've been inspired to try it and also try the Paleo diet that is growing in popularity. The two often go hand in hand, eat and workout like a caveman! With Lent right around the corner, I figured this is as good a time as any. So, starting on Wednesday, I will be a "Crossfitter" and attempting to get lean with the Paleo diet.

I'm pretty excited since I've seen such amazing transformations in others with both regimens. My goal is to blog about my journey everyday, I know it will keep me accountable. Right now, I'm going to go enjoy a taco or two for lunch...it will be my last for at least 40 days!

-Tricia