Day 3 - Wednesday, May 1

Breakfast:
Black coffee
Sassy water
Banana
Lunch:
Bulldog Deli chicken grill salad (no cheese or croutons), balsamic vinegrette (mistake, pretty sure it had sugar in it), unsweet tea
Snack:
Mixed nuts (minus peanuts) at a work reception while I stared longingly at the cookies, cake and ice cream and my work BFF Angel got mad at me for hogging the almonds ;)
Supper:
Garlic-stuffed olives
Shepherd's pie with fauxtatoes (cauliflower and turnip blended with vegetable stock - this recipe needs a bit more work) [pic]
Apple with almond butter
Unsweet, decaf tea
WATER

Don't worry, I didn't eat the part with the shredded cheese.  And Jack called during supper and immediately said, "She can't eat that, it has mashed potatoes!" 

My Whole30 - Take 3

Sometime in March, Jack, Sara and I had lunch.  Sara had just purchased It Starts With Food and was talking about how she was about to start the Whole30.  We were intrigued and decided to give it a shot.

Here's a quick cheat sheet:

EAT: Meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, healthy fats
NO: Dairy, soy, legumes, grains, starches, processed foods, sugar (including artificial),alcohol


I started my first attempt at Whole30 on Monday, March 18.  I made it 20 days before caving after getting sick from (suspected) food poisoning.  Let the record show I made it longer than both Sara and Jack :)  Here is a log of my meals for reference:

At the end of that 20 days, my stomach was the flattest it's been in Y-E-A-R-S! but I had only lost 3 pounds.  So like the dork I am, I fell off the wagon for the next 9 days, gaining back all the pounds and bloat.  Yuck.

I started over in April only to fail again after the Warrior Dash when my body demanded that I feed it carbs, ha.  The only thing I was successful at sticking with was drinking my coffee black for 6 weeks minus 2 exceptions.  And considering how many cups I drink a day, 2 exceptions is very low!

So my third attempt started yesterday (Monday, April 29).  This time Michelle will be joining me, and I THINK that is the motivation to make it the entire 30 days.  I've also tried to implement a Whole30 approach for the family with some exceptions.  More to come on that.

Here is what I'm eating this go round:

Day 2 - Tuesday, April 30

Breakfast/Morning Snack:
Black coffee
Sassy water
Lunch: 
Salad (lettuce, carrots, grape tomatoes) with balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Turkey deli meat *
Boiled egg
Unsweet tea 
Monkey bowl (cut up banana, unsweetened coconut, natural cashews) [pic]
Supper:
Black olives 
Stuffed peppers (red, green and yellow - eat the rainbow!), sweet potato and green beans [pic]
Decaf, unsweet tea
Water

Day 1 - Monday, April 29

Breakfast/Morning Snack:
Black coffee
Sassy water (detox water made with lemon, cucumber, ginger, and mint)
Banana
Lunch:  
Leftover taco lettuce wraps
Unsweet tea
Afternoon Snack:
Apple
Supper: 
MORE leftover taco lettuce wraps
Bacon *
Almond butter
Decaf, unsweet tea
Water

* Bacon and deli meat that "normal" people around here buy are not 100% Whole30, but living in a podunk town isn't completely conducive to being compliant.

Travel is near!

Y'all, I miss blogging.  My new job coupled with the adoption has just thrown me for a loop.  However, I do plan to blog when I can during our trip, so here is a new blog just for the trip:

http://redtigerbaby.blogspot.com/

Hope you'll follow along!

A Mouse among Men?

We had a work retreat two years ago where we did the animal personality test.  There are four options: Eagle, Bison, Bear and Mouse.  I was not pleased with the result.  Can you guess which one I ended up?  The stinking mouse.

Here is the description of the "Human Temperament" of the Mouse:

Perceived as the black sheep with a slightly disreputable character (say what?), individuals ruled by the mouse are viewed as such due to their quiet ability to remain invisible yet resourceful and productive at the same time.  Competent in their own abilities and aware of their limitations, they maximize opportunity and end up dominating much to the surprise and chagrin of others.  They are bewildering and awe-inspiring in their talents to get out of the direst of situations in a manner that projects a sense of invincibility.  They are the giant killers; the underdogs taking down number one without anyone actually understanding how.  Humorous individuals who carry serious undertones, they rely on instinct and intuition rather than logic and rationality, and it often proves more reliable.  They do things their own way, finding a direct path to reach goals that are designed uniquely for them.  While seemingly small and vulnerable, they overcome fears easily, pushing forward, taking chances, and trusting in a higher guidance, even if that means knocking others off course.

I bolded items I agree with above.  Thoughts?

Turkey Trot'in

Once again, late but for posterity's sake


October 29, 2011 -- Time: 30:57 (we believe the new time is due to a last-minute, shortened route)

Fasting Failure

I am so disgusted.  I felt like I did a good job fasting yesterday, but I must admit defeat if Livestrong says I'm over my calories for the day, right?!?  Here's the rundown:

• Breakfast: Coffee only, but I have been making the mistake of using cinnamon creme powdered creamer at work...that cost me 100 calories :(
• Lunch: Progresso lentil soup (entire can b/c who in the world eats half a can of soup?) and celery with Jiff to Go
• Supper: Shrimp ramen noodles and carrots and grape tomatoes with ranch

I was starving when I went to bed, but maybe that was just mental...as disappointed as I am, I think at least this put a few things into perspective.

In other Lenten news, I did dishes last night as stated and went to Ash Wednesday service.  Tonight my goal is folding clothes in addition to dishes.  Baby steps...

Prequel

In October, known at the time only to my 3 BFFs, we reviewed what's called a "shared" referral from our agency.  A shared referral goes out to families in process via an email.  And I suppose in retrospect that I didn't realize that there must be a reason for releasing a shared referral instead of it being the normal "matched" referral (i.e., the level of severity).  So what I read in an email was that a particular little girl had been born with a spinal tumor but had a successful operation.  Now would be a good time to note that we had NOT marked such a condition on our medical checklist.  But  I looked at that precious face and thought Maybe?  I sent the file to Dr. H, and she confirmed what I thought: she seemed healthy based on the limited information in the email.  So, we asked to review her information, as did several other families.  They gave us a deadline for a decision a few days out, and they sent us more detailed medical information which we sent on to the International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham for review.  Before we ever heard back from IAC, another update was sent to us via email.  That one floored us.  When I look back I wonder how we could have been so confused, but I guess I just wasn't reading between the lines.  I spent those 2-3 days sick to my stomach with the process and my doubts.  After talking with Dr. C in Bham (in the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings on the phone), I came to the sad conclusion that we were not prepared to parent this precious girl and her ongoing needs.  My heart broke for her.  And oh the guilt!  The Bham doctor tried to make me feel better by telling me since she was so young that she would likely be matched with another family.  But between the guilt and the fear of the medical information, I spent the next two months practically twitching.