Whole30

On Tuesday, I embarked on a new journey with my health. The Whole30 journey. I'd heard tremendous things about the Whole30 lifestyle, but it's a Paleo-like diet and that scared me. So, I bought the book and that pretty much sealed the deal.

Here's the thing...I've always struggled with maintaining a healthy weight and with making smart food choices. I reached my ideal weight in 2007 and maintained it until 2011, but over the past 3 years the weight has slowly crept back on. I knew I needed to make a lifestyle change. I knew Weight Watchers wasn't going to cut it this time.

The science behind Whole30 really appealed to me, but I'll go more into that in another post. In an effort to keep myself honest, I'm going to blog about my Whole30 experience. I'd love to hear your feedback!

 

Day 1 -

Breakfast: Breakfast was my least complicated and most satisfying meal of the day. I had turkey bacon, egg whites, and an apple. I love breakfast food so this was an easy meal. I also had the day off from work, so I didn't eat breakfast until around 10am.

Trip to the Grocery: Bad idea. Terrible. I wanted to buy all the cookies. I didn't, but I wanted to.

Lunch: Turkey burger patty, homemade sweet potato fires, and grapes. Lunch was a little harder. The fries didn't quite turn out the way I wanted, so I was a little bummed. Plus, Kris was packing for his move so my emotions were on the fritz. I really wanted to binge eat potato chips. I didn't, don't worry. I think I ate around 1:30pm.

Snack: I wanted a snack around 3:30pm so I ate some pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries. In hindsight, I should have added some protein. Maybe I was using fruit in place of a normal sweet snack?

Dinner: Another turkey burger and sweet potato fries. I ate dinner around 5:30pm. I planned on cooking chicken, but by that time Kris had gone. I'd cooked 4 patties at lunch, so I thought why the hell not?

Snack: Yet another turkey burger patty around 9pm. At 160 calories I didn't really feel so bad, but I'm not sure why I felt like I needed another snack.

Overall, I felt like I ate too much fruit and not enough veggies - something to do better tomorrow. Also, I noticed how often I mentally felt like I needed to eat. Whole30 talks about patterns and having to rewire your brain. Hoping that starts soon!

Let's Recap

You may (or may not) remember this post from April laying out my goals for the month. Well, now that it's mid May, let's see how I did, shall we?

1. Get my butt back in gear. Hmmm. I've stepped it up a little bit. Maybe. But mostly I'm still lazy. I had a dream someone told me I was getting fat, should maybe I really should get back on the wagon...

2. Read more, watch TV less. Cancelled cable is no natch for me. Although I did download Lean In and I made it through the first chapter, so that's something.

 3. Eat a proper breakfast. Instead of eating Special K bars, now I'm drinking Slim Fast shakes, so...

 4. Buy more platform/wedge shoes. I did buy these shoes, but you'll notice they are neither platform nor wedge.

 5. Be as cool as this guy. Let's face it, I'll never be as cool as this guy. Why try?

Clearly I haven't done so well on accomplishing my goals. Oh well, better luck next month I guess! Have a great weekend!

Taking A Risk

Taking a risk is #18 on my list of things to do before I turn 30. When I added it to my 30 Before 30 List I really had no idea how I would accomplish it. I'm sure I thought I'd wear red lipstick one day and count that as my risk. Or call in sick to work without legitimately being sick. Maybe I'd find myself turning 30 and that item still being uncrossed and try to use it as life lesson. I had no idea that I'd be crossing #18 off my list the way that I am. 

This month, Kris accepted a new job in a new city. And I'm not going with him.

It's not really as dramatic as it sounds. Or maybe it is, but we're choosing to see this as a blessing. Back in March, we found that Kris may have a job opportunity in Nashville. We began to pray that God would show us one step at a time the direction we should take. As time passed, it looked like the opportunity would become a reality. So we discussed what we would do if he got the job. 

I happen to be married to the most amazing man. When I decided about a year into our relationship that I wanted to apply to law school in Knoxville he fully supported  me. When I got accepted, he quit his job and moved to Knoxville with me. He found a new job and supported our household during those three grueling years. He helped me find my current job, which I love. In short, he has been on team Jessica since day 1.

I knew this job in Nashville was an amazing opportunity for him and for our family. He's worked too hard to not be rewarded. I was not going to be the one who wasn't supportive, especially since he has always been supportive of me. Then, we found out he got the job. I could tell he was so happy knowing this is a giant career leap. So I decided that I was going to do whatever it took to make this work, but my darling husband is not a selfish man. Knowing that I'm crazy about my job and that I too have worked my ass for a successful career, we came to a compromise. He would go and I would stay. 

Knoxville is about a 2.5 hour drive to Nashville. One can easily drive to Nashville and back in a day, no sweat. We've decided that I will go to Nashville on weekends and Kris will come to Knoxville on his days off. (In the country club world, you work weekends and are generally off 1 to 2 weekdays). We don't see each other a ton now because of our opposite schedules, so I don't think this will be that bad. Although, I'm not pretending it won't be an adjustment. It's not ideal, but I know we'll make it work. 

That's my risk. Trust me I've been praying about this non-stop since the day we found out he got the job. I have peace about our decision. I really do. I feel like God is nudging us to take this leap of faith. So there you go, #18 is done!

photos by John Shim Photography

Caprese Garlic Bread

Those who know me know that there aren't many home-cooked meals at Casa de Garner. To put it another way, the only thing I'm interested in making for dinner are reservations. And that's the truth.

It's not that I can't cook, it's that I don't cook. There's a difference.

I work hard, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is cook something. And then have to clean it up. Um, no thanks. We are an adults only household, and we can figure out to not starve to death without someone having to cook all the time. Plus, most nights Kris works so it's just me at home. I'm totally happy with a sandwich or a bowl of cereal. #passthefrostedflakes

But, in an effort to do something different, I'm challenging myself to cook one new meal every week in May. That means I'll make one dish I've never made before for each of the five weeks in May.I know, it's sounds crazy to me, too. :)

This week, I made Caprese Garlic Bread (I skipped the balsamic). It was super easy and required minimal clean up. A double win for this career girl. I can remember my mom making french bread pizza when I was growing up and I freaking loved it. Little did I know this was her "I don't feel like making dinner, but I can't neglect my children" meal. The secret is out, mother. The secret is out.