Author: christietracy

My first M P123 Race. . . . BEFORE

So here goes. . .  I’m writing this post ahead of time because I want to capture my thoughts & feelings leading up to Saturday’s Race, and then compare/contrast them to what’s going through my head after the race 🙂

I’m planning to dip my toes into some National Level Racing this year. I love racing at the local level, but I want to become the absolute best version of my racing self that I can be as quickly as possible so that I can enjoy as many years of local podiums as possible before I ride over the top of that bell curve, and my fitness level starts going in the opposite direction due to the increased recovery times that unavoidably come with age at some point. I find that, personally, I improve most quickly when I push myself well outside of my comfort zone. That means jumping into the deep end with no arm floaties when I have barely learned to doggy paddle. . .

Let me clarify up front that I have no (nada, zilch, zero) aspirations of ever being signed to a Pro team or quitting my “day job” (aka REAL CAREER) and racing professionally full time. Maybe, in another life, if I’d found bike racing at a much, much younger age, that would have been a distant dream of mine, but as it stands now, I’m very content to just push my own limits, become the best that I can possibly be, and then maybe push a little bit further past that. . . in the evenings and on the weekends. . . when I’m not sitting behind a desk 🙂

In order to do my best to prepare myself (as much as possible) for a “Big Girl Race” at the National Level, I’ve decided to race a few local Men’s P123 races. The thought process behind this is that:

  • The field sizes are much larger than the local W Open fields- a much closer representation of what I’ll likely see at the national level
  • The competition is (I’ve been told) more aggressive – not in a bad way – they just ride a lot closer together, don’t soft pedal nearly as much, etc – more like what I’ll see on the NRC Circuit
  • The races are longer – closer to the Women’s National Level Race distances
  • The average race speeds are faster . . . a LOT faster. . . than what I’m used to
So, here I am. . . 4 days out from my first Men’s P123 race (This post is being written on Wed, Feb 10th, although I won’t publish it till later), and I have so much going through my head:
  • OMG YAYYY. . . This is going to be AWESOME! I CAN’T WAIT!!!!
  • OMG. . .WTF was I thinking. . . I’m not ready for this!
  • Oh shut up – I’m ready – I’ve been training my butt off all off-season and am in great shape – I can totally hang in there with these guys. . . 
  • Wait – what if they’re super super rowdy and attack/counter relentlessly from the gun? OMG – I’m going to ride the most humiliating 78 mile training ride of my life off the back of the peloton
  • Stop It. It will be FINE. Just be smart and position yourself well. It will be great practice at finding the draft, and holding your positioning. . . .
  • But what will everyone think of me if I register for this race and get popped right away?. . . I don’t want anyone to think I’ve got a big head or think too highly of myself or think I’m “too good” to race w/ the women!!
  • Stop It. It will be FINE. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You’re doing this for YOU and YOUR own personal training plan as a pathway to reach YOUR own personal goals. There are no expectations of you, other than to go out there and do what you’ve been training all winter to do. Suck it up and get out of your own head. 
  • But damn. 78 miles is a LONG way to go full gas. . .I don’t know if I’m ready for this.
  • No better way to find out than to just go do it, right?!? Worst thing that can happen? I’ll jump into the deep end, doggie paddle my way across, and finish my race an hour after the peloton. . .thoroughly embarrassed. . .but at the end of the day – who cares? No Harm / No Foul, right?
  • Okay – I’m really doing this. No turning back. I’m registered. I CAN DO THIS. Seriously, what am I so freaked out about? It’s just another bike race. . . and it’s not like I’m expected to win it! 
Sooo, yeah. I’m really and truly as excited as can be, but also rather terrified, all at the same time. I know it will be fine. I know I can hang in there with these guys if I’m smart, keep my nose out of the wind, stay “invisible” and mid-pack. I can’t get stuck “surfing the back” because the slinky effect will destroy me. I have to be forcible enough in my positioning to put myself mid-pack, and then hold my position. Just do it. No if’s, and’s or but’s. I. CAN. DO. THIS.
Also, thanks to the lovely Kat Hunter, who graciously offered me some advice as a woman who’s raced men’s fields and knows first hand what to expect: EAT (& drink) EARLY and OFTEN. I must remember this. Don’t drift too far back because working my way forward will be MUCH harder in this race than what I’m used to (and I’m already not all that good at it in women’s races. . . ). Also: Pee Breaks. She was kind enough to fill me in on the etiquette of pee breaks in longer races. . apparently “They are an informal but understood thing: maybe a few of the big teams decide they’re going to do it, and the pack is expected to soft pedal until they catch up again“. . thank goodness for Kat’s shared wisdom b/c I would have been absolutely clueless and thoroughly confused about what the heck to do if this had happened on Saturday and I hadn’t been forewarned!!

One final note regarding my decision to race the M P123 field for this race. . .one of the things that I am most sensitive about is taking away from the support of Women’s Racing and/or decreasing Women’s field sizes by opting to race a men’s race. In this particular situation though, the only other option for me would be to race the W P123 field, which is combined with the M 3/4 field. The scoring is also combined. . so basically the women are racing the men’s 3/4 race in this instance. For that reason, I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty for opting to race with the P123 Men vs opting to race with the 3/4 Men, which is basically what I would be doing if I registered for the WP123.

Asian Curried Poached Eggs and Kale in Bone Broth (Quick/Easy Breakfast Recipe)

Asian Curried Poached Eggs & Kale in Bone Broth (w/ a side of sweet potato hash)

I have got to be the worlds worst blogger – my posts are sporadic at best – but I am going to **attempt** to start posting “recipes” for some of the quick/easy meals that I throw together, at the request of a few of my friends. I put the word “recipes” in quotation marks because I would hardly call most of these actual recipes – they’re really just suggestions for combining several pre-made items that work well together. I’m busy. I very rarely have time to spend more than 10 minutes prepping my breakfasts, lunches, OR dinners. The exception to this is the 2 hours that I set aside each week on Saturday or Sunday to prep a ton of things that can then be “thrown together” to make meals later in the week.

Most of us know how good Homemade Bone Broth is for us, but many people don’t realize just how versatile it is! I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of broth for breakfast, and I’m in love with it. I no longer eat oatmeal or other warm and comforting breakfast porridge, so this warm bowl of comfort food was a nice warm-me-up-from-the-inside surprise on this chilly TX morning!

Asian Curried Poached Eggs and Kale in Bone Broth 

Ingredients:

  • Bone Broth (Homemade is best – either chicken or beef will work)
  • 2 – 3 eggs (Cage Free / Organic / Farm Eggs preferred, but any eggs will do)
  • 1-2 tsp Coconut Aminos (or soy sauce if you’re not avoiding soy)
  • 1 Tb fat of choice (Ghee or Coconut Oil recommended) 
  • Kale – a few handfuls (I use the HEB Organics kale in a bag)
  • 1-2 tsp Asian Garlic Curry Powder (I get mine in the bulk bins at Central Market)
  • Sea Salt to taste(I use pink Himalayan coarse ground salt due to it’s superior mineral content)
  • Optional: 1 scoop Collagen Powder (doesn’t add taste/texture, but ups the protein and collagen content of the meal)

Directions:

  • Heat Bone Broth and Coconut Aminos over medium heat in a small saucepan
  • Once it’s hot, whisk in collagen (if using), and then drop in 3 eggs and let them poach while sauteing Kale
  • On a separate burner, drop fat of choice onto a skillet, allow to melt, and then toss in a few handfuls of kale, stirring well to coat majority of it w/ fat.
  • Sprinkle some sea salt and curry powder to taste over kale, cover, and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally
  • Once eggs are poached to your liking (~5 minutes for slightly soft/runny yolks), place kale in the bottom of a bowl, spoon Poached Eggs on top of Kale, and pour broth on top, then stir to mix and enjoy!

I served mine this morning with a warmed up side of sweet potato hash that I had prepped over the weekend. If I hadn’t had that, I may have tossed a few chunks of Red or Yukon potato into the broth at the start to up the carb content 🙂

Whole30 Day 7 Video Log

I said Day 6, but it was actually Day 7.

And, to be honest, for several reasons that I won’t go into here, I’m pretty dang scared about the nodule biopsy results, but no amount of worrying or stressing about them will change them, so I’m just doing my best to stay positive until I get the results next Wednesday. . .

And OMG, I look exhausted in this video! Potential W30ers, take note, THIS is what the first week feels (and looks) like. . . but it really does turn around – just hang in there 🙂

Whole 30 – Day 3 Update

Here’s my Video Log. . . .forgive my awkwardness. . still getting used to the whole video camera thing!

As far as how my Whole30 is going, I’m actually quite shocked to say: “So Far, So Good!”

Day 1 was a breeze! I was expecting to be a ravenously hungry, sugar craving monster, but surprisingly I really wasn’t that hungry at all, and didn’t have ANY cravings on day 1 (see Video Log for more details).

Day 2 wasn’t half bad either. I have already fallen back in love with cooking and getting creative in the kitchen. I forgot how much fun it was to cook and “play with my food”! I did have a few pretty bad sugar cravings on Day 2 (after lunch, and after dinner), but survived them.

I’m going to attribute the ease of the first couple of days to the thorough prep work that I did this time around, and the fact that I fully committed to this bad boy up front – no if’s and’s or but’s. I’m in it to win it!

Here’s a run-down on the prep work that I did this past weekend in preparation for starting my Whole30:

I went grocery shopping, and using the Whole30 Shopping List as a guide, I stocked up on quality meats, eggs, lots of veggies, spices, and pantry items (coconut milk, oil, etc)

I bought some digestive enzymes, and have been taking 1 capsule just before each meal. My hope is that this will help me to improve absorption of the nutrients in my food, which I have been having “issues” with.

I bought some Jarro-Dophilus Allergen Free (Probiotics), and have been taking 1 capsule after lunch, and 1 capsule after dinner in order to help heal my gut and improve my digestion

I ordered the new SFH fish oil – The vitamin fortified Omega-3 oil for women, which is berry flavored, and has 3200mg EPA+DHA  and Vitamins A, D3, K2, B6, B12 and folic acid in 1 tsp. My hope is that this will help to improve some of my vitamin deficiencies, and reduce the inflammation that is most likely contributing to my inability to absorb nutrients in the first place, and causing me to have sore joints.

I “created” a really simple and DELICIOUS breakfast Frittata on Day 1, and cooked up a huge batch of sweet potato hash, and portioned it out, so I had pre-made breakfasts for 4 days. (Recipes for both to follow soon)

I also made a huge batch of cauliflower oven fried “rice” (modified from Mel Joulwan’s recipe here), enough coconut curry chicken with carrots, onions, and sweet potatoes in my Instant Pot for 4 meals (modified HEAVILY from the recipe found here). I also seasoned and browned some GF Ground Beef and pre-cut some veggies (cabbage, brussel sprouts) to make for easy dinner prep this week.

I pre-cut some snacking veggies (like jicama and carrots), purchased some Guac from Central Market, and bought some seedless grapes and raw almonds for snacking as well.

Finally, I made a batch of beef and chicken broth (in my Instant Pot, using this recipe from NomNom Paleo), and froze individual portions.

I’ll wrap this post up with a quick list of my go-to websites and blogs for Paleo information, support, and recipes. . . I’ve had a few friends ask me where I get my recipes, so I figured it would be easy to just refer everyone to this blog post moving forward!

  • www.whole30.com – An AMAZING resource – tons and tons of useful info, tips and tricks, recipes, and most importantly, a VERY supportive community
  • www.theclothesmakethegirl.com – run by Mel Joulwan, author of my go-to Paleo Cookbooks Well Fed and Well Fed 2 – this website archives a ton of free recipes that she has graciously put online, and also has some really great info!
  • http://againstallgrain.com/ – great recipe site!
  • www.nomnompaleo.com – another great site for recipes – I especially love her Instant Pot stuff
  • www.elanaspantry.com – not all of her recipes are Paleo (some are GF), but she has some great veggie recipes that I go back to again and again.
  • www.paleomg.com – WARNING – if you’re fighting a sugar habit like I am, it’s best to stay away from this site until you’ve got it under control – Juli has a ton of very tempting Paleo Desserts on her site, which are fully off limits during a Whole30 (and I have to be careful even after my Whole30 because they can re-ignite the cravings that I’ve worked so hard to kick). BUT she also has some really great “regular” recipes as well. One of my favorite go-to recipes from her site is the 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie!
Stay Tuned – I’ll get the recipes for that Frittata and the Sweet Potato Hash up shortly 🙂

Whole30 Day 1 – Introduction

Whole30 Day 1…

I’m starting this out exhausted, run down, breaking out with acne like a teenage girl, sore & achy, a little bit “soft & fluffy”, sugar addicted, basically just a hot mess in general‪…

I’ve had enough with sore, achy joints, zits, feeling rundown, puffy bags under my eyes, and random inflammation.

 Even more than that though, I’m sick and tired of madly craving sugar around the clock. The first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning is sugar, and I find myself fighting with the craving non-stop all day long. It’s mentally exhausting, and I have a lot of other things that I’d prefer to be spending my mental energy on!

A quick background – I’ve followed a Paleo-ish “diet” (I hate that word) for probably about 5 or 6 years, but over the last year, have re-introduced diary, and some gluten free grains like white rice, GF Oatmeal/Muesli (in order to supply additional fuel for my endurance training). Over the last 6 months, I’ve found myself eating more and more sugar, until, as of today, I pretty much follow every single lunch and dinner with dessert – usually in the form of frozen yogurt or ice cream, and usually incorporate some form of processed sugar into my breakfast (like chocolate chips in my oatmeal). . .it’s a slippery slope, y’all!

Day 1 Thoughts: I am missing the stevia in my coffee, but looking forward to breaking up with the Sugar Monster that’s been stalking me mercilessly for months! I saw my reflection in the mirror, and realize that I’ve aged quite a bit in the last 6 months – I look tired – I have dark circles and bags under my eyes. . . . and to add insult to injury, I have zits galore!

Over the course of the next 30 days, I’ll be trying to post brief video updates a few times a week, as well as some recipes, and tips and tricks for fueling endurance training while following an elimination diet, such as the Whole30.

Feel free to leave me words of encouragement, tips and tricks that you may have, or questions that I may be able to help answer in the comments section 🙂

For those unfamiliar with the Whole30, here’s a link to the website – there is lots of valuable info and a great support community there!

And here’s my first attempt at a video log!

 
The video quality isn’t so great, so I’ve inserted a “before” pic below as well. I’m not so much worried about tracking my body composition changes – it is a given that this will improve as my training load increases over the next several weeks anyway. . .I’m more interested to see the changes in my skin, complexion, and general appearance of being fatigued/run down.
 
No Filter, No Makeup, No Nuttin – just me – pizza face, fatigue, and all!

No Filter, No Makeup. .just me! Pizza Face, Fatigue, and all!

#Iwokeuplikethis. . .ugh. . .first cup of morning coffee w/ no sweeteners. . just black w/ some Collagen Peptides. . .
 Missing my Stevia!

Throwback Thursday

 

#TBT . . Ft. Hood Championship / TX State Road Race Edition

 

The picture above depicts 3 years of crossing the finish line at the grueling TX State RR Championships.
Each year’s race has done more than just mark an end to that year’s Road Racing Season. . . it has left me with a unique sense of accomplishment and taught me valuable lessons:

Year 1 (2012): 

  • Lesson Learned: If you want to be taken seriously as a bike racer, you might want to leave the sunshine yellow puppy dog jersey at home!
  • Sense of accomplishment: I am officially a Bike Racer!! (After completing my very first USAC Sanctioned Race)

Year 2 (2013): 

  • Lesson Learned: Sometimes a grueling race comes down to fractions of an inch & a bike throw. Keep your head in the game to the very end…
  • Sense of accomplishment: Won my very first sprint! (Sqeeeaaakkk!)

Year 3 (2015): 

  • Lesson Learned: Life Happens, and sometimes its necessary to take a bite of humble pie and adjust your goals to keep them within the realm of reality (And that’s OKAY!) Give it everything you’ve got & leave it all out there, but be careful not to set yourself up for failure by attempting to give more than your body is capable of giving at that moment in time. Tomorrow is a new day. Meet today’s goals, & then reevaluate & set new ones
  • Sense of accomplishment: Succeeded in meeting REVISED goal of simply completing 66 mile State Championship RR 1 month out of a hospital bed.

 

 

My Plan for Speedy Collarbone Healing (Nutrition, Supplementation, & Training)

Well, I haven’t blogged in FOREVER, but I’ve been scouring the internet for the last several weeks looking for supplements to promote bone regrowth, exercises that can be done with a broken collarbone, quick and easy Paleo Meal recipes that I could fix with 1 arm, and various other odds and ends related to my most recent collarbone break and recovery efforts.

A very abbreviated history:

  • June 13, 2013 – I broke my left collarbone in a Crit, and surgery was required to repair it. I was religious about sticking to strict Paleo Protocol during my recovery, and came back very quickly, and stronger than ever. 
    • Surgery was June 28th (~ 2 weeks after break)
    • I was on the trainer 1 week post-op.
    • I was back on the road 3.5 weeks post-op with no restrictions other than no racing yet.
    • I returned to racing 7 weeks Post Op
  • February 16th, 2014 – I was in a really bad accident during a Road Race, and re-broke my left collarbone at the end of the existing plate. This time, I had a compound break (they actually scraped road paint off the exposed end of the bone. . . ewwwww). . . and I had a pretty severe concussion. I was life-flighted  from the accident site to the nearest Trauma Center, and emergency surgery was performed. I was in the hospital for several days due to the high risk of infection. This break was MUCH worse than the first, and recovery was slow and painful. I got depressed and let’s just say that I did NOT stick to my Paleo Protocol (pretty much as far from it as I could get after a while) My sugar demon reared it’s ugly head and I now joke about the fact that the “Ben & Jerry’s Diet” is apparently NOT conducive to bone healing. . I tried to justify it by the fact that I was getting my calcium in. . but c’mon. . I wasn’t fooling anyone!
    • Emergency Surgery was February 17th
    • It took 4 weeks this time before I was back on the trainer, and then it was sporadic at best
    • I was back on the road at 6 weeks, but limited to solo rides because bone wasn’t fully fused
    • I was not cleared for group riding until 11 WEEKS post Op, and even then, my bone wasn’t fully fused, and I was instructed to be careful
    • I am now 16 weeks Post-Op, and the bone still isn’t fully fused, and they are worried that it may become a Non-Union
  • May 24th, 2014 – I hit a huge pothole on a group ride in Austin, took a spill and broke my right collarbone. 
    • Surgery was June 6th (~2 weeks after break)
    • A follow-up apt 1 week Post-Op showed that it’s lined up nicely and already knitting, but the left side is STILL not fully fused.
SO, this is what’s led me to begin all of this internet research. Since the 3rd break, I’ve been really careful about what I’ve been eating for the most part, with only 1-2 small splurges, but after the most recent appointment on Monday where I was informed that they are concerned about a Non-Union of the Left Collarbone, I am officially on an All-Out Mission to heal BOTH sides once and for all. 
I’m blogging my plan and progress in the hopes that it may help someone else out there whose trying to promote healing as quickly as possible from a collarbone break, while staying active and preventing loss of fitness.
THE PLAN (effective TODAY, June 18th, 2014 until both collarbones are fully fused):

Nutrition/Supplementation

  • Cutting out Caffeine (OMG kill me now. . coffee, I will miss you!)
  • Cutting out all alcoholic beverages (not really an issue – I rarely drink)
  • Daily cup of home-made Bone Broth (from grass-fed cows)
  • Going back to STRICT Paleo 
    • Whole30 started this morning
    • Emphasis on LOTS of leafy green veg & healthy fats, and moderate amounts of fruit & high quality protein (Organic, Free-Range Eggs, Grass Fed Beef, Pastured Chicken, Wild Fish) 
    • Will be keeping caloric intake up to support bone healing
  • Supplementing w/ Calcium + D3
  • Supplementing w/ Cissus Quadrangularis
Also doing more research on a Comfrey Ointment and possibly supplementing w/ Glucosamine Chondroitin. Verdict is still out on these, but I’ll be updating.
“Other”
  • Get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every single night (preferably closer to 9)
  • Using a Bone Simulator 20 minutes each side, 2 x per day, as prescribed by my Orthopedic Surgeon
Exercise
  • Bodyweight Leg & Core Workouts started 1.5 weeks post-op
    • Bulgarian Squats
    • Air Squats
    • Pistols (attempted – probably have to work my way back up to these!)
    • Bridges (increased difficulty by elevating feet on bench)
    • Hollow Holds (arms at side)
    • Flutter Kicks/Hello Dollys
    • Will add to this list as I come up w/ more 🙂
    • Here’s a 30 second excerpt from my 1st workout – felt AMAZING to work up a sweat again!
  • Stationary Trainer starting 2 weeks Post-Op
    • My Cycling coach will doing my programming and easing me back into it 
  • Back on the Road – pending clearance from Ortho Surgeon – based on speed of bone healing – Hoping for 4 weeks post-op though . . around July 4th!
1st Break – AFTER Pain Meds. . . 
2nd Break . . Not in good Shape. . .
3rd, Current Break

Let’s try this again. . .

Confession: I’m a horrible blogger. The frequency of my blog posts are sporadic at best, and when I do get around to typing up an update, it tends to turn into an epic novel. . . concise and to the point, I am not!

But. . . I really like to blog. While I find a hard time squeezing in the time to post consistently, I DO love to write and share my life experiences when I’m not being pulled in 10 other directions.

So I’m going to attempt to start blogging again on a semi-regular basis. A LOT has changed since I left off nearly a year ago, most notably the fact that I have transitioned the primary focus of my athletic endeavors from CrossFit & Olympic Lifting to . . . drum-roll please. .  . bicycle racing!

Yes, I know – you really can’t go much further from one end of the athletic spectrum to the other. And I still LOVE CrossFit and Olympic Lifting, but I have truly found my passion in cycling. And racing my bike fulfills that adrenaline rush seeking part of me that I’m always trying to satisfy. And, let’s face it, my genetic makeup and build aren’t exactly “ideal” for CrossFit, but seem to be working out pretty well for me so far in the Cycling World! My only regret at this point is that I didn’t find Cycling until my mid-30’s. . . . but whatchagonnado? I’ve still got plenty of active years left, and I hope to be racing for many years to come!

One thing that hasn’t changed is the way that I eat. I’m still sticking to Paleolithic Eating Principles in my day-to-day life, with a few “worth it” splurges from time to time. I still do a Whole 30 once or twice a year when I find that I’m splurging a bit too much, or find myself craving sugar like crazy. I keep my day-to-day meals pretty simple. Between work, training, & racing, I just don’t have a lot of time available to cook elaborate meals, so I tend to lean toward simple combinations of grilled meat or ground beef cooked in a skillet, roasted or grilled veggies, and roasted squashes and sweet potatoes to provide the starchy carbs that are very much needed to refuel after my long and intense training sessions or races. I don’t do Paleo “Treats” often because I just don’t have the time, and to be honest, I’d much rather just splurge on the real thing once or twice a year and truly enjoy the experience, and then suffer the consequences!

So that’s all I’ve got for now. In the upcoming posts, I plan to type up a Race Report from the Tour of New Braunfels Race Weekend, which was the start to my 2014 Race Season. I also plan to summarize my January Whole 30 – the challenges that I encountered and the benefits that resulted. I’ll probably also discuss my training plan (or lack thereof) due to this battle w/ the flu that I’m currently fighting. I’m sure there will be talk of dogs, work, bike rides, and food as well!

Today’s View From My Green Machine (actually taken last month as a cold front moved into S TX during one of my rides):

Whole30 Diary Entry: Days 7 – 12

I have been absolutely horrible about updating my blog daily. . .so here’s a quick post with my meals Days 7 – 12.
Quick Summary – I finally “turned the corner” on Day 9, and my energy levels started to pick back up. I’m not quite feeling the magic yet, but I do feel a million times better than I did Days 1 – 5!
I’m really struggling with snacking . . . I’m snacking on healthy stuff – mainly spinach muffins, pickled okra, and a few raw almonds, but it is still snacking and I need to get a handle on it. One thing that I’ve found is that having bite-sized fruit (like cherries) in the house is a BAD idea. . . I usually won’t break down and eat an entire apple or orange in between meals, but somehow grabbing a handful of cherries is much more tempting.
Still no news yet on the MRI – I’ve started PT though, and am sticking to my Foam Rolling / Icing / Liniment routine.
I did get back on my bike today for the first time in 2.5 weeks, and it was AMAZING!!! I missed it so much. I can’t even put into words how great it felt to get back out on it 🙂

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 6

As you’ll see if you read my Day 5 post, I’m entering my Day 6 Diary Entry a little bit late – toward the end of Day 7.

Just a quick summary: Because I laid around so much on Saturday, I had a hard time actually falling asleep on Saturday night (duh!). I got caught up in a book, and ended up reading until about 12:30 am. . then proceeded to sleep until 10:30am on Sunday. And I don’t think I actually rolled out of bed until close to 11. . . BUT it went uphill from there!

I fixed myself breakfast, mapped out my meals for the week, and then took the dogs for a walk (since that’s about the only exercise that I can do right now other then swimming, and the Aquatics center was closed all weekend for a swim meet). It was actually a really pretty day on Sunday, so the 2.5 mile walk felt great, and gave me the chance to soak up a little bit of sunshine, which brightened my mood considerably.

I spent most of Sunday afternoon doing laundry and prepping food for the week (chopping up all my veggies, making spinach muffins, hard boiling eggs, and making a few “grab and go” lunches).

I felt much more accomplished by the end of the day on Sunday, and got to bed at a slightly more decent hour, although still not as early as I had hoped (10:30PM).

I snacked a bit more than usual again on Sunday, but not NEARLY as much as Saturday.

I think part of it has to do with it being the weekend, and the fact that I’m not rushing from one deadline to the next all day long – I’ll have to be much more conscious of my snacking next weekend.

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 5 – Snacky McSnackerson

Okay, Truth Time: I did NOT write a blog/diary entry at the end of day 5 . . or day 6. My energy levels hit the floor, and my brain decided it was going to go on holiday as well – seriously – I couldn’t put together a coherent thought for the life of me on Saturday. The weather was cold and dreary and I had one of those “don’t feel like doing ANYTHING . . can’t make me!” kind of days.

On top of this, I’ll be honest – I was a bit depressed over the weekend. Not clinically depressed, or hormonal raging thyroid-out-of-whack depressed, or #omgthrowherinastraightjacket depressed. . . . more like throwing myself a pity party depressed because I’m sick and tired of my freaking knee hurting. And I miss Cycling. And I miss Weightlifting. And I miss CrossFit. And I miss just being active in general! I fall into a “funk” really easily when I go too long without regular physical activity, and I haven’t been able to do much of anything since my bike accident at the end of November. I’m rational enough to know that I’ve got a pretty amazing life – I’ve got an the world’s best hubby, a supportive and loving family, two precious dogs, a wonderful job, and some really great friends. There are people out there battling cancer, serious auto-immune disorders, and all kinds of things that are SO MUCH WORSE than a silly bum knee. . . but even knowing all of this, I still threw myself that pity party – and it felt kind of good to get it out of my system. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still pissed as hell that my knee is preventing me from doing so many of the things that I love to do – but I’m (trying to be) over the “poor-pitiful-me” feelings. There’s nothing that I can do that I’m not already doing. . . Foam Rolling, Stretching, Ice, Ibuprofen, “Mountain Magic Liniment ” (yes, I’m desperately trying anything and everything that might help), and above all else – REST. That’s the hardest part. Not a single fiber of my Type A brain wants to rest right now. But I’m doing it. Because I know that it’s what I need to do in order to heal. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t suck! So – because there is nothing more that I can do that I’m not already doing, I’m doing my best to be as content as possible, take the extra time on my hands to do some productive things 🙂

Okay, Rant over.

So, on Saturday, I was low on energy, a bit on the “gloomy” side, and just generally in a funk. I stuck to my Whole30 guns 100% in regards to food quality, BUT looking back, I realize that I snacked a LOT more than I should have. I snacked initially out of hunger. . .then I snacked because I was sad. . . then I snacked because I was bored. . . then I snacked because I felt guilty about all of the snacking . . .( a bit counter-productive, don’t ya think?). Now granted, all of my snacking was on “good” foods – leftover chicken livers, raw almonds, cherries, spinach muffins . . . but I was feeding my EMOTIONS rather than a true HUNGER, and that’s one of the unhealthy habits that I’m hoping to break with this Whole30.

Sooo – I’m glad that I am able to recognize this snacking for what it was, and now I will try to be much more aware of how I’m feeling before I grab my next snack. Am I really hungry? Or am I just trying to feed my emotions?

Well, that about wraps up this Diary entry. I did get up Saturday morning and went to the Farmer’s Market and the Grocery store, and I fixed Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner . . . but that is where my productivity ended for the day. Chalking it up to a bad day. . learning from my mistakes. . and moving on 🙂

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 4 – Still no energy

General Attitude/Mood:
I definitely woke up this morning feeling better than I felt yesterday – but I was still super low on energy all day long. I really didn’t feel like swimming after work again, but the Aquatics Center is going to be closed all weekend, so I knew I had to suck it up. . . and I felt MUCH better once again after my swim 🙂

I’m still irritable/cranky/snappy but not quite as much as yesterday – I’m trying really, really hard not to be irritable w/ my hubby b/c it’s certainly not his fault. .  . I’d say I’m having about 50% success with that. . .

By the end of the night (9pm), I was SO tired, that I skipped the diary entry, so I’m actually posting this retro-actively on Day 5.

Meals:
I made a butternut squash Hash this morning w/ some onions and a little GF beef and topped it with two eggs fried in Ghee. . . this was SO yummy, and kept me full until lunch 🙂

I had a sports massage scheduled for 1pm to work on my IT bands/quads/hamstrings. . so I didn’t end up eating lunch until about 2:30, and I was pretty freaking hungry by that time, but I ate a Premade Paleo Meal, and drank a couple of glasses of water, and I was once again feeling full and happy 🙂

I had a cup of bone broth after work because I was feeling chilly/achy/drained, and it really did the trick – it warmed me up and gave me a little energy boost.

After my swim, I was once again ravenous, so I ate a couple of Spinach Muffins while I was preparing dinner.

I found this recipe for pork chops that I thought I’d give a go last night, and it was TO DIE FOR! My (decidedly UN-Paleo Hubby) even liked it 🙂

Cravings and/or “Issues”:
The cravings didn’t seem as bad today, but I did still crave sugar after both lunch and dinner. It took less time for the cravings to pass today though, and the weren’t as intense.

Exercise:
As I mentioned above, I did NOT feel like I had the energy to swim after work today, but I dragged my butt to the Aquatics center, and was so glad that I did after-the-fact. I felt about a million times better after 45 minutes of swimming.

Injury Update:
I had a sports massage scheduled today on my lunch break. I asked her to work on my IT bands, quads, hamstrings and glutes in hopes that it would loosen them up a little, work out some knots, and decrease the amount of “pull” on my kneecap (specifically left knee – the one that’s been giving me hell). This was NOT a pleasant massage. . . but I can honestly say that my knee felt much more “solid” after it was over with!

I think I’ll hold off until after my MRI, but do plan on scheduling another one. She was able to hit areas of my IT band that I just can’t seem to get on my foam roller. I can only inflict so much pain on myself with that darn thing!

Other:
Didn’t drink quite enough water today – will be more mindful of that tomorrow. Otherwise, I feel like I may be starting to turn the corner on the “carb-flu”. . . only time will tell!