Pleasing gone awry....

It's true. I h ate to admit it. But, I want to appear practically perfect in every way to every one at all times. Maybe I should bring this up in therapy.

So, a few weeks back, I was in Atlanta with my two sisters. I was driving in the car with my oldest sister when she mentioned the dilemma she was having with her new GPS. It is one of those talking GPS devices that tell you in its best flight attendant voice when to turn and how to get where you are suppose to be going. The problem was that when she disobeyed the GPS to pull off for gas or a bathroom break, it would become very obstinate in a very vocal way. We were laughing about how it would insist she turn around and the guilt she was experiencing by not following its every command. As I recall her exact expression was, "I am trying to please an inanimate object."

So, I found my own pleasing gene coming out this last week. Remember the curb and the tire and the strut and the spindle and the big expense that came with it all. Well, I had a friend ask me last night, "Why didn't you just file an insurance claim?" Um...because I've never filed an insurance claim. In my close to two decades of driving, I have never filed a claim. I have received one ticket, but I went to traffic school so that my insurance record would never see it. In fact, my husband and I are the coveted customers of every car insurance company out there. I am sure there are executives out there right now that have had full meetings on how to get and keep customers of such caliber. And, for some unknown reason, I didn't want to ruin that. I wanted to please some entity. I didn't want to worry about mentioning an incident when I called to price my insurance. I liked telling the phone representatives that we are perfect in every way that matters to them. Don't try to understand it.

So, last night, I did the math and realized they would have to raise our premium by a whole lot for a very long time to justify me not making a claim on this - even with the $500 deductible. So, I called. And I made our very first car insurance claim. And the girl on the other end was very nice and the whole process was extremely easy. And, if all goes well, we should be getting a decent sized check in the mail soon.

Now, if I can just figure out how to use this new found assertiveness towards the pest control salesmen that troll our neighborhood....

Emergency Fund

So, when you're good at math and that sort of thing, family finances come pretty easy. With my vast actuarial experience, I have created spreadsheets galore predicting our financial future under different scenarios and documenting our past. Its kind of a hobby for me, much like cross-stitching or gardening might be if I did either of those things.

I seemed to have run across a problem, though. While the "documenting our past" worksheets are doing a great job and their accuracy is amazing, those predicting the future ones have been failing miserably. Apparently my life, the universe and the stock market are unaware that I even have these spreadsheets.

June has been one of those months when life hasn't quite matched up with the spreadsheets...and we are only half way through. Some of it has been intentional. The PMS-induced painting frenzy earlier this month was probably not a strict necessity. And, I probably should have included the Cub Scout day camp in the original numbers. Still, we might have recovered from these deviations without incident.

But, then the came the storm. I'm not alluding to anything here - it was an actual storm with wind and rain and lightning and flying tree branches, some of which apparently landed on the street. In fact, one in particular landed on the very street that my husband takes home from work. Now, for a little back story:

When my husband was a teenager, he had an incident in his father's T-bird involving a tree branch. At the time, the tree branch had looked innocent enough, but two blown tires later, he had a true understanding of the danger that tree branches on the street really hold.

So, back to the story. As my husband approached the tree branch, his gut screamed, "Don't hit the tree branch. Anything but the tree branch. You will pop your tires. Volvo tires are $300 a piece. Don't do it. Save the car." So, he swerved....and he didn't hit the tree branch. He hit the curb. Hard. And, guess what? Curbs can do bad things to tires too. And struts. And other parts I can't even remember the names of. But I do know one thing. This definitely wasn't in the June spreadsheet. It wasn't even within the realms of the wriggle room I leave in the spreadsheet. No manipulation of numbers was fixing this.

Then it occurred to me. This was an unexpected event requiring immediate attention - the very definition of an emergency. Wait! I have a spreadsheet for that! And, somehow, out of this disaster, I felt a sense of calm and satisfaction. Because, there was a budget for this very thing - the emergency fund. Now, let's just hope that July and August go well. After all, I don't have another emergency of this magnitude in the budget until at least September.

Alliterative Weekend

Last weekend I was in Atlanta visiting with family and my little sister informed me that I had been a major slacker in the blog arena. I had no choice but to agree and to promise future blog posts. So, here is my first attempt in six months at chronicling my fascinating and blog-worthy life.

The kids got out of school on Thursday and, so far, this weekend seems to have taken on a theme. Experiences that would seemly be tied in no other way all have a commonality and, being a math person who is constantly trying to make order of the universe - this was quite calming to my sensibilities.

So, today started the third paleo challenge at my gym. Don't worry, I'm not going to subject you to day after day of menus and caveman-like eating options. In fact, I didn't even officially sign up. I'm just going to try to do my best to follow it in the hopes that the ten pounds that I have gained since the last challenge will find a new home.

Then, on Friday afternoon, I decided that I had a great idea for a project. I was going to paint the kitchen. But, if you've seen my house, that pretty much means painting the entire downstairs. We have one of those "open" floor plans. Yes, the house is only 5 years old, but the builder put flat paint in my kitchen and I have three boys and a husband that likes to cook - need I say more. So, I headed to the Benjamin Moore store with a quest - eggshell paint of such quality that it would only take an amateur to apply it, but would have the stamina to withstand the rigors of 6 sticky hands for decades to come. After two trips and some blind faith in a twenty-something paint store employee to match my color, I came home with three completely overpriced gallons of the "Aura" line of paint and the promise that it will take my walls to a new level of snobbery.

This all would have been fine and well, except last night I started to feel a little pain in my general abdominal region. At first I thought a short trip to the powder room would remedy the situation, but then I realized that whatever was ailing me was not going to take the proper path. So, I vomited - several times. Nobody else in the family got sick and I seem to feel fine this morning - so I am wondering if I just got some mild food poisoning. This has delayed the painting some. Also....did anyone else realize how absolutely crazy it is to try and tape a kitchen to be painted. I'm only hoping that the actual painting of the kitchen is easier.

So, in short, this has been a paleo, painting, painful, possibly poisoned weekend.

Paleo Challenge: The Last Week

So, the Paleo Challenge ended today. I didn't slip up even once during the four week trial, though my blogging efforts were not as diligent towards the end.

So, here are my thoughts on the Paleo diet. It was more expensive. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables (or even frozen for that matter) and meat and nuts is much more costly than eating macaroni and cheese or pb&j. It just is. I used to brag that Brig and I could live on $100 a month for food when we were first married. Not only was that a million years ago and food prices (and the size of our family) have gone up, but we eat better food now. So, if we continue with this diet, which we plan to do (with a few cheats each week), we will just need to increase the grocery portion of our budget accordingly.

Secondly, I have had more energy. I haven't had the dramatic bursts of energy that one has after a ice cream shake, but I have had more consistent energy. I do appreciate not having to deal with the lows that come after a carbohydrate induced high.

Thirdly, I did lose a little weight. Unlike my husband who lost a lot of weight and doesn't need to lose any at all, I only dropped a few pounds. Technically, I was at a completely normal weight to start with, so that wasn't the real goal of this, but, as a self-conscious female, I didn't mind this as a side-effect.

Fourthly, my gym performance did improve. I have never been an athlete and I will probably never be one no matter how many life adjustments I make, but I feel like I am doing the best that I can with what I have to work with.

Some other notes:

1. I really, really like sweet stuff and I don't think I could continue this diet indefinitely without cheats built in. Life is just too short.

2. The Chipotle we had today as an "it's over" celebration was absolutely heavenly. Unfortunately, my stomach was not used to being filled in such a matter and there was a little gastrointestinal rebellion to deal with later.

3. My boys are not that hip on the idea of mom and dad continuing the Paleo diet.

Anyway, that's it about the Paleo for now, though I may mention it in other blog posts further down the road. I now return you to your regular programming of boy stories and math follies.

Paleo Challenge: Days #20 & #21

Well the challenge ends on Saturday. So, this was really the last full weekend that I had to make it through. On Saturday morning, I had an apple and some nuts and headed out the door to the gym. The WOD was:

With a Team of 4

As Many Reps As Possible in 20 Minutes:

Deadlift, for reps

Burpees, for reps

*RULES*

1. Only 2 persons working at one time

2. Score = combined total of reps for DL/Burpees

Our team managed a respectable 570 reps in 20 minutes. I wasn't as helpful as I would have liked to have been on the Burpees, but I did a respectable number of deadlifts at 95 lbs.

I went straight to the grocery store after that and found what are becoming the usual foods at our house. Lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, and nuts. Then I headed home and had a peach, some carrots, and some turkey for lunch.

About 3:00, I had a banana and some pecans and then Brig and I went out for dinner last night. We decided that the safest option was a steakhouse. I had an 8 oz. Filet Mignon with steamed broccoli and a side salad, though I had to pick off the croutons. We spent the remainder of the night in my most favorite of places - a book store. And now, I have all new reading material to distract me through this last week of deprivation.

Sunday morning was busy as usual. I grabbed a banana and some pecans before heading off to church. Lunch was a little turkey, two peaches, some nuts and some fresh veges. Dinner was steak (again - don't tell), spaghetti squash and grilled sweet red onions. I also had a little apple cider with which I figure is okay since the only ingredient on the label was apples.

My evening snack was a pear and some pecans.

The kids have school off tomorrow which will make the day a little harder, but I am amazingly busy the rest of the week and I hope it flies by. I am really craving a Chipotle burrito with that lime-cilantro rice in it about now.

Paleo Challenge: Days #18 & 19

Yesterday night I taught an evening class, which also meant that I took a day off from the gym. I had some roast beef and a banana for breakfast. Lunch was a salad with turkey, the last of the pecans, mushrooms, green pepper and a few tomatoes. I ate an apple at about two and then made a quick dinner of poached eggs and carrots before running off to teach. When I came home last night, I was ravenous. I ate two more poached eggs, an apple, some grapes, some almonds and a little more turkey. I'll let you decide what was a meal and what was a snack in there.

Today has been a little more calm, but unfortunately we are running low on food. I managed to grab an apple and some almonds before heading out the door to the gym. The WOD today was:

21-15-9 reps for time:

Pull-ups

Thrusters

Ring Dips

I did every single pull-up without any assistance. This is huge for me as I usually resort to some sort of rubber band. I was also the only girl in the gym at the time that was doing the pull-ups without assistance, so that felt pretty good. Of course, the rest of the workout made up for it. We were suppose to use 65 lbs on our thrusters. I started with 65 lbs and about 3 thrusters in, I realized that was not going to happen - especially since the first round had 21 reps. I took off the ten pound weights on each end and just ended up on using the 45 # bar. I also had to use a rubber band (albeit a small one) to get through all of my ring dips. I think that I made the workout hard enough for me though, because I came home exhausted. It also took me 22 minutes to do which was one of the slower times posted today.

I came home and by the time I showered and went through Speech Therapy with Mike, it was time for lunch. His peanut butter and honey sandwich looked so good, especially since I had no idea what I was going to eat. I finally found a bag of vegetables in the freezer that I could steam in the microwave and a frozen chicken breast. I ate all 4 servings of the carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower while I waited for my chicken to cook. I have been so ravenous lately that serving size no longer applies as far as I'm concerned.

My afternoon snack was a few almonds on the way out the door to a primary function. Dinner was strawberries, almonds, and two poached eggs. My evening snack was some carrots.

Paleo Challenge: Day #17

Once again, I am running a day behind on blogging about my Paleo Challenge efforts. Yesterday morning was a rough morning in class and I think it wore me out for the whole day. I got up early and made a wonderful breakfast of poached eggs, carrots and an apple. I know it sounds like an interesting combination, but really, it was quite tasty.

Lunch was a salad with baby greens, mushrooms, carrots, and turkey. I also had about a fourth of a cup of almonds and some grapes on the side. I had a few more almonds and a banana as a snack before I headed out the door to the gym. The WOD for yesterday was:

Warm-up

500m Row

15 Pull-ups (work on kip)

Press PVC Skill work

WOD

Press

1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1, find 1RM

*1 RM = 1 Rep Max

I was only able to get to 65 pounds before maxing out on my press. It is amazing to me how much more weight I can press when I am allowed the small dip before which constitutes a push-press. During the warm-up, I was able to do my pull-ups unassisted (no bands) in sets of 3.

I actually ate my second snack of almonds and some carrots right after the gym so that I could shower and take my son to a scout night at a bookstore. Then I came home to a late dinner of stuffed green peppers. My husband had put everything from mushrooms to eggs to carrots in with the ground beef, but no rice or breadcrumbs. They were very delicious. He did a great job.

I've only got just over a week more of this challenge. I will post all of my thoughts about how it went at the end, but as a quick interlude, I wanted to note that while I don't love the deprivation, I have loved the fact that my blood sugar isn't all over the place.

Paleo Challenge: Day #15 & 16

Mondays are my especially long days. I teach until past 10:00 p.m., and when I made it home last night, I went straight to bed.

So, the last two days I have made peace with this diet. Instead of trying to fit it into my normalcy, I have just given up and gone with what feels right. So, instead of 3 meals and two snacks each day, I feel like I am eating constantly. Yesterday, I had a several pieces of fruit, some steamed vegetables, some turkey, plenty of nuts and two poached eggs. They were pretty much spread out and nothing was really a "meal". But, I wasn't hungry and I felt fine through my marathon four hour math class.

Today was pretty much the same, except we did have a sit down dinner of crock pot roast, sliced pears, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. It was very tasty and I am full.

I didn't make it to the gym yesterday and I usually don't on Mondays, but I did make it this afternoon. The WOD was:

5 Rounds for time:

400m Run

15 KTE’s

20 Wall Balls

25 Push-ups

I finished in 32:15, which was about in the middle of where most people finished. I wasn't using quite as heavy of a medicine ball on the wall balls as I should have, but I think it was right for me today. Wall balls have always been a weakness of mine - along with anything that requires coordination.

Paleo Challenge: Day #14

I am writing this on Monday. I've been pretty good to post on the day of so far for this challenge, but I was not feeling well last night and ended up on opting for an early bed time.

Breakfast yesterday was a banana and some walnuts. I spoke in church and had to hurry out the door fast to make sure I was there with time to spare. Lunch was some turkey, a salad, a peach and some orange juice. I had a snack of a pear and some almonds before dinner.

Dinner was an interesting mix of experimental food. We had a salad with tomatoes, carrots and sweet habanero peppers. We also ate grilled portabella mushrooms, asparagus, sauted baby eggplant, and grapes.

I had an evening snack of a peach and some almonds.

Paleo Challenge: Day #13

Well, the challenge ends two weeks from today. I will make it.

Breakfast this morning was a pear, some nuts and two eggs. There wasn't much in the house, so I just scraped together what I could. Then I headed off to the gym for the 9:30 WOD. The WOD today was:

2 Person team will complete:

800m Relay Run

80 Wall Balls

80 SDLHP

80 Box Jumps

800m Relay Run

80 Push-Press

80 Burpees

80 Sit-ups

800m Relay Run

The girl I was paired up with is a Sargent in the ROTC and was a lot better than I was. We ended up on having to take some of the weight off for the SDLHP and Push-Presses, so that I could complete my part. We finished up in 43:15.

I made it to the store before lunch and so I had a bunch of fresh fruit and veges along with some turkey for lunch.

My afternoon snack was some nuts and a peach.

We had dinner out with the rest of the crossfit people at BD's Mongolian Grill. It was quite a feast and good times with our fellow gym friends, though some were almost unrecognizable in their made-up non-gym state.

I was stuffed after dinner, but in the spirit of the challenge, I am currently eating an evening snack - a single golden delicious apple.

Paleo Challenge: Day #12

Food was running low and there was a lot going on today. I don't think I really had enough to eat today, mainly because the Paleo options left in the house were not necessarily fast or easy. I had to be up to Breckinridge Elementary at 8:00 this morning for more assessments on Michael, and I woke up later than I should have, so I just grabbed a bag of pecans and some grapes on the way out the door.

We made it back home around ten and Michael was acting a little under the weather. I let him watch TV for a while and then had a few slices of turkey with a nectarine and called it lunch. We both went down for a nap after that. I had a small snack before the gym - just some nuts and some grapes again.

The WOD today was:

For time:

400m Run

2 Hang Power Cleans

4 Push-Presses

10 KTE’s

4 Hang Power Cleans

8 Push-Presses

10 KTE’s

6 Hang Power Cleans

12 Push-Presses

10 KTE’s

4 Hang Power Cleans

8 Push-Presses

10 KTE’s

2 Hang Power Cleans

4 Push-Presses

10 KTE’s

400m Run

I started with a 75 # weight, but ended up on just going down to the 45# bar for the last two sets of Cleans and Push-Presses. I've got to make it to the gym tomorrow as well to get in my last WOD for this week. The challenge ends on October 3rd, which is two weeks from tomorrow. So, I am almost halfway there.

Dinner was some poached eggs and veges. And I had an evening snack of walnuts and another nectarine. Now, I'm off to get my 8+ hours of sleep - the part of the challenge that I am really good at.

Paleo Challenge: Day #11

So, this morning started out with a not quite ripe nectarine, nuts and some turkey. That seems to be the breakfast for me lately since it is as quick as cereal and still fills me up enough to last a few hours. Lunch was another salad with turkey, strawberries, pecans, grapes, and carrots topping romaine lettuce. Dinner was poached eggs and fruit. I had several small snacks scattered in there as well - mostly nuts, fruit, carrots, and meat.

I taught this evening, so this has been another busy day. It has been inconvenient to not be able to grab a bowl of cereal or a granola bar, but we've had plenty of alternatives and I've felt pretty good.

I didn't do a workout today. I do plan to do the WOD tomorrow and Saturday.

Paleo Challenge: Day #10

Hey, we're into double digits. I will live. This morning I woke up after a full 10 hours of sleep to a breakfast of applesauce, turkey and walnuts. It has been 4 days since the shopping trip and food is starting to get scarce. I went off to teach and had an interesting morning in my Math class. I am starting to believe that no matter how hard I try there will always be students that stubbornly refuse to learn. Still, that belief depresses me some, so I try not to actually go there.

Lunch was a salad of romaine lettuce, carrots, chicken, pecans, and purple grapes. As weird as the combination may sound, it was actually quite tasty. Then after carpools, homework and piano practice, and a fast snack of grapes and turkey we were off to the gym. The WOD today was so convoluted that I am forced to cut and paste it from the gym's website. Here it is:

21 KB Swings 53/35 lbs

100m Run

21 Pull-ups

100m Run Backwards

15 KB Swings

100m Run

15 Pull-ups

100m Run Backwards

9 KB Swings

100m Run

9 Pull-ups

100m Run Backwards

100m Bear Crawl to finish

Yeah. It wasn't as bad as it looks though. I finished up in 11 minutes 35 seconds.

Dinner was pork chops, the rest of the grapes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I was able to stop at the grocery store this evening for some more fruit. Hooray. We now have pears and nectarines and strawberries in the house.

Evening snack was some fruit and nuts.

Paleo Challenge: Day #9

What a crazy day. I usually post some through out the day, but here I am at the end of the day eating pecans at my computer and trying to remember what I ate today.

Breakfast was applesauce, nuts and some turkey. I went out to lunch with Brig to Chick-fil-a and got the same salad that I did on Saturday - not filling, but it meets the requirements. The rest of my "meals" today have been snacks. I've had applesauce, grapes, carrots, all kinds of nuts, and three poached eggs at various times between about 2:30 p.m. and now. I have not had anything that doesn't fit the list of foods we were given and even though my meals were not defined, I believe I get all points for eating under the spirit of the law.

The workout today was short, but difficult for me. One of the hardest moves at the gym for me is the basic squat. While others jump in and out of these like there's nothing to it, I am slow. Maybe it is because I am so tall and have a long way to go down. That must be it. Anyway, the workout was:

4 rounds:

400 meter run
50 squats

So, for those of you doing the math, that is a total of 200 squats. The coaches watch carefully to make sure that we go "all the way down" every single time. They put a medicine ball under us and make sure we touch it each time. Pure torture for me. I finished the workout in 17:45. I was the second to last person in the group to finish which meant that I got to be cheered on by all of the other who were done with their workout first. Hooray!

Still, in the spirit of optimism, I must say that while I totally suck at squats, I am an ace number one sleeper. While the others at the gym complain about their inability to sleep for 8 hours, I still feel deprived after 9. Sleeping 8 hours a night has been the easiest part of this challenge for me. Go me.

Paleo Challenge: Day #8

After getting the two older boys off to school this morning, I sat down to a lovely breakfast of Walnuts, Turkey and a Nectarine. The speech therapist for Michael was a little late and by the time she left, going to the gym today was out of the question. I had a feeling that it might go that way.

Lunch was absolutely delicious. I sauted the last of the sirloin with some mushrooms and served a romaine salad with pecans, baby yellow tomatoes and yellow raspberries on the side. Michael had peanut butter and honey with a big glass of milk. I was okay with our separate lunches until he had a frosted cookie for dessert. I could have used one of those. I'll have to put that on the list of things to eat once this month ends.

One thing I wanted to talk about in this blog entry is the cost of this diet. Brig and I are finding that we spend about 50% more on groceries trying to follow this. We usually spend about $100 a week and it has been closer to $140-150 a week the last two weeks. Part of the reason is that our children are not following the diet and so we are buying ingredients for two sets of meals or at least extras for them. We usually make them have the same main dish, but they get theirs with milk and bread and such. Most of the reason, though, is that we are replacing cheap sides such as rice and potatoes with expensive produce.

I was talking to my mom last night and she questioned whether or not the diet was healthy since it is essentially cutting out two of the main food groups (dairy and grains). I told her that I have done some research and I honestly don't know since there is so much going both ways. I told her that I figure that 28 days of it probably wouldn't kill me though, since I lived on ramen and pizza for full months at the time in college and lived to tell about it. I also promised her that if my teeth starting falling out before the experiment was over that I would definitely start drinking milk again right away :)

Because of my four hour evening class, the two snacks and dinner were more like three large snacks. Early afternoon I had some turkey and another nectarine. I had some pecans and two poached eggs right before I left for class. When I got home from class I ate the last nectarine (must buy more tomorrow) and some walnuts.

Now, I better get off to bed if I expect to get my sleep in.

Paleo Challenge: Day #7

So, I was in a rush to get to church on time this morning, which didn't happen anyway, but in my efforts, I had a very light breakfast - just a banana and a small handful of almonds. As a result, I was absolutely ravenous by the time I made it home. It didn't help that treats were being given out left and right at church. I really could have used a handful of those jelly beans.

So, here was what lunch was (in this order):

A sliced nectarine
Sliced Sirloin (leftovers) sauted with mushrooms.
A handful of Pecans
A handful of yellow baby tomatoes
Another sliced nectarine with a bunch of sliced strawberries.

I think I was having some blood sugar issues, because the only thing that sounded good and seemed satisfying was sweet. Luckily we have plenty of fruit in the house.

My afternoon snack was a bunch of pecans. I wasn't especially hungry after lunch.

Dinner was:

Sockeye Salmon
Butternut Squash
Mixed Veges (Carrots, Cauliflower, and Broccoli)

The butternut squash tasted very good to me. It has a slightly sweet flavor, which almost tasted like candy at this point in the game even though I hadn't added anything to it. I guess sweetness is a relative thing, since I'm sure if I were serving it with ice cream and cake, it probably wouldn't have gone as quickly as it did or at all.

I will admit that I have started to fantasize some about my post Paleo month first dinner. I am thinking either Chipotle or something with bread. Still, there are three more weeks to go, so I better not think too hard about it.

My evening snack was:

Walnuts
Turkey
Yellow Raspberries

I don't think I will have time to do a WOD tomorrow between Michael's speech therapy in the morning and teaching tomorrow evening, so unless some miraculous time shows up in my schedule, I will end up with gym time on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday again.

Paleo Challenge: Day #6

I am starting to feel better today. Really, I am. I woke up this morning to realize that we had basically no food in our house, so I grabbed an apple for breakfast and was off to the gym.

The WOD for today was interesting. We were in teams of three. Brig was up doing a scout thing, so I was on my own. Luckily I found two friends of similar skill level and we were off. The runs were all done together and the other was split up with one person working at the time.

400 m run
100 Sumo Dead Lift High Pulls (SDLHP)
100 Push-ups
400 m run
75 SDLHP
75 Push-ups
400 m run
50 SDLHP
50 Push-ups

Our team finished up in 24:11

After the gym, Michael was crying for pizza and I knew I wouldn't be able to go shopping until Brig got home (three boys and me in the grocery store is pretty scary) - so I made a compromise. We did go out to lunch, but we went to Chick-fil-a, where at least I knew I could find a Paleo option. So, for lunch, I had their Chargrilled Chicken and fruit salad minus the cheese and dressing. I also didn't add on the packet of granola they gave me. I was still hungry after finishing this and my water up and so I've been snacking all afternoon. We did have watermelon at home, but after Brig stepped in the door, I made the trek down the street to the Saturday Farmer's market. I came home with yellow raspberries, sweet habaneros, baby eggplant, baby yellow tomatoes and a various other peppers. My afternoon snack has mainly comprised of watermelon, yellow raspberries and sweet habaneros.

Before Dinner, we made our way to Meijer and now our house is full of food again and it is wonderful. Dinner was absolutely divine. We had a grilled sirloin steak, salad, and steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower). I had a small dish of green grapes for dessert.

My evening snack was a nectarine, some sliced chicken and some almonds. I actually feel quite full and satisfied right now. A big change from earlier this week.

We have sockeye salmon on the menu for tomorrow and some leftover steak to put on our lunch salad. This challenge is much easier when we have food in the house.

Paleo Challenge: Day #5

Are we really only on Day #5? This is going to be a very long month and I am starting to seriously question my ability to do this. My husband and I ate different meals yesterday, which turns out to be a good thing, because he got ill last night - the kind of ill that requires way too much time in the restroom. Poor guy. We think it was food poisoning, but haven't traced it back to any one food that he ate.

Sleep: 8 Hours

So, this morning I started the day with breakfast and went off to teach a class. One of my fellow Math instructors is playing best man in a wedding this weekend and so I got to teach the first day of his class. The class went well and I felt fine through it all.

Breakfast:

1 Apple
Handful of Walnuts and Almonds

Lunch:

Some Turkey Breast (about 3 oz)
1 Banana
More Nuts

Snack #1:

1 Apple
1 Banana

Dinner:

Chicken Breast
Sauted Yellow and Green Peppers.
1 Apple
A few strawberries

Snack #2:
Frozen Strawberries
1 Banana
A few Walnuts


The WOD today was brutal. I took me over 48 minutes to finish. It was as follows:

800 m Run
25 Squat Cleans
50 Pull-ups
400 m Farmer's Walk
50 Pull-ups
25 Squat Cleans
800 m Run

The pull-ups killed me. I was doing them in sets of 1 and 2 by the end. The squat cleans probably would have killed me as well, but I was only lifting the bar instead of adding the extra weight to bring it to 65 lbs as was prescribed for women. My form isn't real great on cleans yet, so it was probably for the best.

Anyway, I am glad it is Friday and I am looking forward to going to the grocery store tomorrow since we are running low on food and the selection has been quite limited. I don't know how many more apples and bananas I can take.

Paleo Challenge: Day #4

There seems to be a discrepency between what I thought was the point system and what is the point system. Since I have yet to figure it out, I'll ignore that part for now and continue to follow the rules as closely as possible.

In general, I am feeling deprived right now. Though I feel like I am getting plenty of food and calories, I am still craving bread and carbs in general. I don't feel as sluggish today as I did yesterday, though. Of course, that may change after I teach my class tonight. At least today is a rest day from the gym.

Sleep: 8+ Hours. I was exhausted when I went to bed last night and slept deep. None of the usual tossing and turning.

Breakfast:

1 Banana
Some Turkey
Handful of Almonds and Walnuts

Lunch:

Baby Greens Salad with
Carrots
Deli Turkey
Cherry Tomatoes
Walnuts
Cucumbers

1/2 cup green grapes

Snack #1:

Nectarine
Almonds

Dinner:

2 Boiled Eggs
Apple
Walnuts

Snack #2:

1 Boiled Egg
Apple
Almonds

Tomorrow morning I am substituting for another teacher and the WOD for tomorrow looks like it is going to be brutal. I will be lucky to still be standing at the end of the day.

Paleo Challenge: Day #3

So, you are probably all shocked that I am still doing this. But, yes, it's true. We are three whole days into the challenge and I am still on the bandwagon. Today was my first day of classes for this quarter. The students in my Wednesday morning seem to be a good bunch. There were a few absent, so I'll reserve final judgment until next week, but I am optimistic.

I am still struggling with a bit of a "sugar withdrawal headache." I made an executive decision that Tylenol would have to be Paleo if I was going to make it through class today. The workout this afternoon was very hard on me though. I felt faint a few times. I guess my body hasn't quite adjusted to the slower energy sources it is getting.

So, here's the rundown for today:

Sleep: 2 pts.

Do we even need to ask anymore? Have I ever not got at least 8 hours of sleep? My husband is not convinced that my sleeping patterns are normal. But, after many years of marriage, he has learned to accept certain things.

Breakfast: 1 pt.

A few slices of Deli Turkey
Some Almonds
Sliced Strawberries

Lunch: 1 pt.

Salad with:
Lettuce
Carrots
Walnuts
Mushrooms
Cucumbers
Pink Salmon
Sliced Strawberries
Plus, 3/4 cup of green grapes on the side.

Snack #1: 1 pt.

1 Nectarine
Turkey
Almonds

Crossfit WOD: 3 pts.

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes:

5 Burpees
10 Kettlebell Swings
15 Wall Balls

I made it through 6 rounds plus a set of Burpees. It was a very hard workout for me.

Dinner: 1 pt.

Pork Loin
Veges - About a cup
1/4 avocado
1 banana

Snack #2: 1 pt.

Apple
Turkey
Walnuts

Total points for today: 10 pts.