2015 Detox: Halfway Report

I’ve successfully made it to the halfway point of my 2015 nutritional cleanse.  While I was a bit cranky the first few days, these first few weeks have gone fairly quickly and haven’t given me too much grief (other than missing oatmeal a little).  I have three “mess ups” in my first half and will therefore be extending the whole process by a day (I had a nibble of my peanut butter-honey flourless cookies I made to ensure they tasted alright – I know, so selfless of me, a bite of a bacon dish that I didn’t realize was caramelized in maple something, and a burger with some cheese on it – I had otherwise been avoiding lactose as well). 

So what have I been feeding my inner fat kid with?  Between training, running my business, and tying up loose ends from the accident, my January has been pretty darn busy; it is not rare for me to leave the house at 5 am and not return until 8 pm.  With a schedule like this, it is absolutely vital to plan ahead when it comes to what I’ll be eating.  For lunch, I typically eat shredded chicken (which I just get from the deli), fruit, and veggies; I have a big old lunch box that I pick from as I go about the day.  Here are a few other things I’ve been munching on:

Breakfast

I love breakfast food and tend to eat between 1 and 3 breakfasts a day so this category is significantly larger than the others.



Yes, this looks weird but it's delicious!  I'll make this on weekends or days when I have a little more time and don't need something pre-made. Mashed banana, eggs or egg whites, flax seed, raisins, turkey sausage, coconut extract, and a little salt all mashed up together and microwaved for about 5 minutes (or in a pan if you have time).  I then top it off with a little coconut milk - yum!

On Sundays, I make breakfast smoothies (more of a puree actually, they're pretty thick) for the week.  Depending on how I'm feeling, I usually eat part of it before I swim and the rest right after.  These suckers are packed with fiber and nutrients with a combination of: HAMMER Vegan Protein Powder (chocolate flavor), 1 cup almond milk, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, beets, carrots, celery, ginger root, and either an apple or some berries. 

I also make this dish up on Sunday evening and divide it into 6 portions: 12 eggs or egg whites, tomatoes, broccoli, onion, and red pepper all mixed up and put in the oven for about a half hour.

 Yummy pumpkin breakfast bake, another recent go-to for my busy days: Can of pumpkin puree, mashed banana, 3 egg whites, ground flax, raisins, baking powder/soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg all mixed together and in the oven for 20-30 minutes.

Dinner

I am the crockpot queen!  Prepare on Sunday, start on Monday, and eat all week.

 Ground turkey, pureed tomato, bell peppers, onions, broccoli, and mushrooms all cooked together and then put over spiralized/sautéed zucchini (ie zucchini pasta)

 



Pork with onion, a little lime juice, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili powder all cooked together and then put in a cabbage leaf shell.

Training Fuel

I’ve done a crummy job of taking pictures for this.  My go to has been baking bars with nut butter, dates (put through the food processor), coconut shreds, an egg white, and baking powder/soda.

 Looks like a brick, tastes ridic: cashew butter, dates that have gone through the food processor, 1 egg white, cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder/soda mixed up, put in a pan, and cooked for about 10 minutes.

 

Post-workout yumminess: Greek yogurt, mashed banana, vanilla Hammer Vegan Protein Powder, and blueberries.  Sometimes I add an egg white and throw it in a pan to make a giant "pancake."

Having cleaned up my nutrition a bit, I’m feeling pretty darn good.  I do, however, have a vice that needs to be addressed.  I’ve noticed that I consume far too many sugar substitutes; I avoid aspartame but take in way to much sucralose ( ie Splenda) and it makes me feel terrible every time.  Going forward in the next few weeks I think it is necessary for my health to cut out these products and keep sugar substitutes to a small amount of stevia or monk fruit (natural sources of sweetness).  I have also deduced that I don’t include enough fat in my diet and will be integrating more olive oil, avocados, and nuts to balance things a bit.  I’ll let you know how it goes!   

2015 Kickoff Cleanse

It’s that time of year again!  While it’s always bittersweet to wrap up the festivities and look towards the long winter, I, for one, am a bit relieved now that the holidays and off-season have finally draw to a close.  After this year’s non-traditional fall and a month of visitors/holiday happenings it is definitely time jump back into my routine.  In order to kick things off right, I decided to begin 2015 as I did 2014 in terms of diet.  As of January 6^th, I am amid 35 days of no grains, alcohol, or added sugars.  Just in case you’re curious, here are a few reasons why.

Reason number one why I need to radically clean up my diet

1.       Why January 6^th?  Plain and simple, this was the most convenient starting date for me.  I had company through the 5^th and didn’t want to be worried about reading salad dressing labels the whole time.  Also, starting new ventures on a Monday or on the 1^st of something always gives me a little anxiety and I wind up acting like a dummy in the weekend leading up to this date.  Tuesday the 6^th just sounded like a noninvasive date to re-find old habits.

2.       Why 35 days?  The answer is silly, really.  First, I wanted to incorporate the year 2015 somehow so I added the 20 and the 15, making 35.  35 days ads up to 5 weeks which is a good round number and just about 10% of the New Year.  Also, this ends my “cleanse” on a Wednesday.  I am way less likely to say, “Oh hey, it’s the weekend, let’s go get ice cream and margaritas” on a Wednesday. 

3.       Why no grains?  This is something that is probably unnecessary for most people, especially most athletes.  In addition to having a wheat allergy, I have found that my body is just very sensitive to grains in general and I have much better energy and recovery when I find my sources of carbohydrate in produce (primarily sweet potatoes and fruit).

4.       Why no sugar?  I have a nasty sweet tooth and am definitely a bit of a sugar addict.  However, last year, I found that I was able to break this vice after my sugarless month and maintain the habit for months following.  I’ve definitely fallen off the wagon the past month or so and need to jolt my system back where it belongs before I find myself at the bottom of a very slippery slope.

5.       What does this no sugar thing entail?  No sugar means reading a LOT of labels and not doing a lot of eating out.  It’s shocking how many foods have sugar added into them (most sauces, salad dressings, energy bars, jerky, etc) so one has to be pretty careful.  I also do not add sweetness from most natural sources (honey, molasses, juice, syrup) that are generally seen as ok to eat.  This is only a month so I can manage!  Last year I ended up using a lot of spices for flavor and whole or purred fruit for sweetness.  Doing this takes some trial and error, some recipe hunting, and experimentation but the simple knowledge gained by cooking/eating this way are pretty priceless! 

6.       No drinking, what???  Yes, it’s sugar and empty calories.  Also, for me at least, a few cocktails can lead to poor food decisions so it’s best avoided. 

The final “rule” of my kickoff is that I don’t track any outward physical progress for my 35 days.  On the 6^th, I weighed myself and took measurements and pictures but the scale has now been put away until February 9^th.  The ultimate goal is to be healthier and to train smarter, not to see an arbitrary number on the scale or utilize a new slot on my belt buckle. 

I feel so blessed to have my nutritional endeavors supported by Hammer Nutrition.  They offer a variety of electrolyte, fueling, and recovery options with NO added sugars!

Just doing some supermans with my super-fuel

Please feel free to join me on my little venture but by no means feel obligated!  Everyone finds health their own way; this just happens to be what I’ve found has worked for me in the past.  More than anything, I’m posting this as a means of keeping myself honest.  I’ll be sharing recipes, insights, struggles, and progress throughout the month.  Happy 2015 everyone, it’s comeback time! 

Bring it on 2015!