30 Days of WHA?!?!

Well it's almost here. The end of my 30 day challenge to myself. To fill you in, I was completing what is known as the Whole 30. Basically I spent the last 30 (well, 28 so far) days avoiding grains, legumes, dairy, sugar and alcohol. What in the world did I eat? A lot of nutritious, delicious, non-modified, non-preserved food. Think meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables galore, fruit. It's pretty similar to the diet I followed in previous nutrition challenges.  The thing I liked most about these 30 days and what made it easiest to maintain was that I wasn't focused on dropping body fat. I just wanted to see how 30 days of clean eating would make me feel. Which means I was able to eat fruit (in moderation....meaning I had 1-2 servings a day most days out of the week) and starches like sweet potato!!

I should have blogged throughout the month but here's what I remember:

Days 1-7: Easy! I made a delicious mocha crusted steak the first weekend. I prepped food for the week. I felt good. I woke up fairly easily. I was starting to sleep more soundly. My workouts were terrible but that is typical.

Days 8-15: WHERE IS MY CHEAT MEAL!?!? I turned into a monster. I might have kicked a puppy or two. Any time I've done a nutrition challenge in the past I've always allowed myself at least a cheat meal per week and my body was looking forward to it. It got quite upset when I didn't reward it for a week of hard work. My tummy was revolting. I was constantly tired. And I just wanted to eat a cupcake. Instead I laid in my bed as much as I could. I stayed away from the gym (which only made any workout I did make it to that much harder). I did not want to eat anything that I was able to eat. I probably skipped a meal or two during this time frame because I just couldn't make myself eat something that wasn't fried. Eventually I ordered a burger (no bun, no cheese) with bacon, an egg and avocado and sweet potato fries from the bar next door. I thought sweet potato fries were ok because it's a sweet potato but it turns out fried form of any vegetable is out. So I guess technically it was a cheat. But I didn't know that until later. So I'm not counting it.

Days 16-23: Still being a monster. But I'm blaming that equally between diet, a gnat infestation, the supermoon and my period. Bad combo. But I was sleeping better and definitely having more energy.  I had a cup of tea (no sugar, no dairy) each morning but I typically felt like I didn't need it. I started getting comments from people that I looked a lot thinner and that I lost a ton of weight. (One of the rules on the Whole30 is that you aren't supposed to weigh yourself during it or take measurements....curious how much I did actually drop. I'm guessing about 5 pounds.) Overall I felt much better...minus the interacting with people.

Days 23-28: I ran a mile...fast. Fast for me. While I was doing it, I wanted to stop. But I reminded myself that the food I was eating fueled me to be able to do it. And I kept going. And it sucked. But I didn't die. My energy is good. I get tired between 9-10pm and I've actually been waking up without an alarm around 6am. Let's not get any crazy ideas...I make myself go back to sleep until my alarm goes off. But I think about getting up. My skin is smooth. My stomach stopped acting a fool. Today, at work, the doctor brought in caramel-sugar donut holes. They looked pretty darn good. But I wasn't even sad I wasn't partaking in them. I felt good with my breakfast of ground pork, mushrooms, dried cranberries, apples and almonds. It sounds like an odd breakfast (or maybe just an odd combo) but it was really really good. Just enough sweetness to make me not crave the donuts but lots of protein and healthy fat.

I have 2 more days and I feel confident I'll get thru them with ease. I've gone out in a few social situations and not drinking was pretty easy. If I were to do it again, I would make smaller portions of food so I didn't have to eat as many leftovers. I made an asian chicken that tasted good...the first 3 meals. I think I got 6 out of the recipe that I cut down.  By the end of it, I was pretty sure the chicken was my nemesis and trying to kill me.

I would recommend that everyone try this. It's 30 days. What's the worst that can happen? You find out that your body doesn't actually like gluten/dairy/legumes/sugar/alcohol? (Eesh! That would make me sad....I think that's not supposed to be the case but it's the truth) You find out that cutting those things out make you feel better? For me it was a huge test in willpower but I'm really happy I stuck with it. I'm a little worried about reintroducing the foods back in...but mostly because I really will be sad if anything makes me feel bad.

I'll try to remember to report back in a couple days with the end results.  And how I felt afterwards.

Twist Me Pretty

I"ve been on a braiding kick lately. I'm not particularly great at braiding but practice makes perfect right? I can manage a french braid. I can clumsily get thru a (I think) Dutch braid - think inverted french braid. Braiding under is WEIRD! But the waterfall? The fishtail? Anything else??? So confusing looking! But so pretty!
I came across this website and she's great at simplifying things. I used her instructions to waterfall braid tonight - it was actually pretty easy. Tomorrow I'll tackle the fishtail. And I'm thinking I might give this a try tomorrow night:

Well.

Well that didn't last long. I knew it wouldn't. I was trying to be optimistic about this dude. But he's out. Which stinks. But it is what it is. At least I didn't waste an invite to my birthday party on him. And I have another stitch fix on the way. Oh and vacation. I love my family vacation. 5 days to go!

Oh and I got a job. It's exactly the hours I want, a good location, good days. I start the day after I get back from vacation. Hopefully I'll have good things to say about it!

Cracking Up!

Ok guys, I'm cracking up over here. I'm sitting in my living area, reading a blog. One roommate has headphones on, the other is sitting behind me working...and I'm dying laughing. I'm trying so hard to hold it in but it's not going well. I may have snorted at one point.

This is what I'm reading. Some posts are meh. Some are hilarious. Click on the links. I'm definitely going to read this more often. I feel like I'm 10 years younger from the amount I just laughed. I think this was what had me laughing the most. The Jesus Kitten. Oh man, so cute, so funny. I'll add the link to this blog to my sidebar so you can enjoy it all the time.

Stitch Fix

I got my second Stitch Fix today! I've been stalking the Stitch Fix website for weeks, reading customer reviews, wondering when they'd start working on mine and mostly just fantasizing about what cute clothes they'd send! Tuesday I noticed that my box had FINALLY shipped. It feels like it took forever! I got the box today and greeted the Fed-ex guy with the biggest smile he's probably seen on a grown woman!

I opened the box and....LOVED THE COLORS!

I think I had a different stylist this time, which was slightly disappointing but I was willing to keep an open mind. She mentioned she put a pair of pants that would be "perfect for work"....which would be great...if I wore pants to work. (Real pants, not scrub pants. I do wear scrub pants to work.)

I tried the Elizabet Striped Maxi Dress ($68) on first. It was another maxi dress...and horizontally striped at that. Eesh. This wasn't going to go well. Horizontal stripes on my hips are a disaster waiting to happen. But I tried it on....and I actually really liked it. From the side view I think it is pretty flattering. The front view definitely shows I've got thighs...but who doesn't? At least mine are (mostly) muscular. Besides, I could walk around sideways all the time, right?

 Ignore my face. I don't know why I make that face when someone is taking a picture of me. 

The Sadie Embroidered Neckline Tab-Sleeve Blouse ($48) was next. It's like my dream shirt - flowy, slightly sheer, dreamy shirt. I really like this one. A lot. I'm a little worried it looks like all of my other clothes though.

  Oh I'm just petting my lion. What are you doing? 

Followed by the Norris Henley Sleeveless Hi-Lo Blouse ($48). I put this on and didn't love it. I looked in the mirror and didn't love it. I showed it to Rachel the Roommate who loved it. She wants me to keep it so she can borrow it. After she took the pictures though....I really really like it in pictures. I think it's flattering and slightly different than what I already have. I'm a little unsure about the tail though.

 Do I have a tail?? 

I LOVED the Delfina Pintuck Flutter Sleeve Blouse ($68) on the hanger. It was such a vibrant color! It looked soft and pretty and romantic. I tried it on and wasn't quite as sure. It's definitely my least favorite of the shirts. And then I saw the price. I definitely wasn't looking to spend $68 on that shirt. If it had been $35? Sold in a heartbeat! $45? I'd strongly consider it. But $68? No.... as I was sadly folding it up to put it back in the box, I noticed a few threads unraveling from the front seam. What do you think of it? Worth $68? If I tell them about the seam, I'm sure they'll send me a new one if they have it. The customer service is supposed to be great.

 I liked it like this. 

 Rachel the roommate preferred it belted. 

Finally, the Emer Diamond Print High Waisted Cropped Pant ($98). WHOA! I pulled these out of the box and was terrified. Printed pants! So out of my comfort zone! I vowed to try everything on though and so on they went. Cropped pants on a short person are....normal pants. They definitely hit the top of my foot. They were not cropped at all. The high waisted part scared me as well but I thought I could get used to them. The pants were insanely comfortable. I would have been content staying in them for 3 days. Sleeping, working out, you name it, I'd do it in these pants. Once I saw them in pictures, I wasn't as sure. They looked a little snug in the hips/thighs (as everything is). The high waisted part made me look like I had a FAPA. Which I don't. Then I saw the price. And they came off just that fast.

 Cropped

 And this is their version of "cropped" 

I have until Sunday night to decide. What do you think? Right now I'm leaning towards the Sadie shirt, the Hi-Lo Blouse and maaaaayyyyybee the maxi dress.

Read about my first stitch fix here.

Smitten Kitten

So much to tell you guys about! It's been so long since I blogged. Where to start....I'll have to break this into 2 different blog posts.

1. I'm smitten. I tried my hand at online dating - in the past, blargh! It's been terrible. But Rachel the roommate suggested I try it out again and so I did. I actually had decent results this time around.  I went on a couple of mediocre dates.  They weren't bad. They just didn't hold my interest at all. I didn't care one way or another if I saw them again or not. Then I went on a good date! He does crossfit, the conversation flowed nicely, he was cute. The following weekend we went out again...but I had 3 dates scheduled in 24 hours and was exhausted by the end of it! The date with xfit dude went well, I enjoyed hanging out with him and I definitely found him attractive. The second date was mini golf which was fun and different in the city...but the guy? Meh. Didn't care. The third date I dragged myself to because I was so tired at this point. I didn't care what I looked like and honestly, just wanted to get it over with. We were meeting up for afternoon tea and since I got there ahead of him, I went ahead and bought my drink so I could drink it and be gone. Except then we started talking....what I thought would be a 30 minute thing ended up being nearly 3 hours!

For the past month, I've been juggling both guys. I've enjoyed both and had no idea who to choose or how to pick. Xfit Dude was "comfortable" - I could see us doing fun, low key stuff - going for runs, grabbing a drink at the bar, watching a movie. The Tea Dude seemed unreal - he's cute (blond hair, blue eyes, strong jaw), has a GREAT job, HAS A BOAT!!!, and seems 100% out of my league. But he's really funny and in a way reminds me of my brother. Don't tell my brother that.

This past weekend was an eyeopener though.  Friday night, I took some brisket that I cooked all day long over to Xfit Dude's. He was iffy at first, saying he didn't like cauliflower (bacon & mushroom risotto - made with cauliflower instead of rice). But he tried it and said it was actually good. Then he said the brisket was dry. And my rollerblading session was good that day but I'd have been better off running. And he preferred pink nail polish instead of the seafoam green that was adorning my toes. Then he called me a fag. In a joking manner. But I was already not feeling it and then I was super not feeling it. First of all, if you want to flirt with a girl, don't insinuate she is gay. Second, don't use offensive words. Third, don't try to offend me by calling me gay. Gay, retard, etc....I hate when people use those words! I left his house with a bad taste in my mouth.

Then I had a dinner date with Tea Dude. He texted me earlier in the day and asked if I wanted to go out on the boat to watch the fireworks show after dinner. He asked if I minded if he invited a couple friends. It was so much fun and so relaxing. Dinner was good, the boat ride was nice. He even brought champagne (though wine glasses to drink out of?!?). His friends were nice. We stayed out just floating in the lake for about 3 hours. Just chatting. It was so fun. He definitely brought his A-game. When he looks at me, I feel like I'm the prettiest girl in the room. Which is cheesy. But true. He's texted me every night this week but so far, we don't have any additional dates lined up. I am 100% smitten with him, cheesy goofy grin and all. By default I'm trying to back peddle and avoid that feeling....but sometimes I just relax and enjoy it :)

Nothing to Say

I was going to blog. But then I realized I have nothing to say. Oh...except thus far I'm really enjoying living with roommates. And the cats aren't so terrible.