Day 25 on the Whole30 - DONE!

Do you ever have any thoughts that don't serve you? 

'I'm not good enough.'

'I'm so stupid.'

'I'm fat.'

'I look hideous.'

'I can't.'

'What if people don't like me?'

'What if I fail?'

The list can go on and on...

When the voice in my head, aka my chatty doll, floods my brain with negative thoughts I redirect my attention to my breathe. Breathing grounds me. For some reason I feel like I'm mentally and physically exhaling negativity and inhaling positivity. Whether it takes 3 or 30 deep breathes I feel like the new oxygen cleanses my mind and body bringing in thoughts that serve me, not destroy me.

'I'm good enough.'

'I'm smart.'

'I can.'

'I'm sexy.'

'I love myself.'

'Failing means I'm trying.'

'I'm strong.'

This list can go on and on too, but at least thoughts like these make me stronger...

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

95 ounces

Sleep

7 hours

Daily Meals

5:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Latte with MCT Oil

8am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Latte #2 

9am - Breakfast : 3 Hard-Boil Eggs, Avocado & Olives

12:30pm - Lunch : COBB Salad with Steak (instead chicken) & Pico de Gallo Salsa

6:30pm - Dinner : Pan Seared Split Chicken Breast, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Sautéed Spinach

Next time you have thoughts that don't serve you...try breathing!!!

Day 16 of the Whole30 - DONE!

Are you FAT-PHOBIC? 

I used to be be FAT-PHOBIC. I used to think that if I ate fat it would make me fat. So instead of eating nutrient-dense food, I ate low-fat foods lacking in nutrients. Like many of us, I was duped into eating a ton of carbs (bagel, pretzels, rice, pasta, cereal, candy, tortillas, etc)...Looking back at what I used to eat I can't believe I functioned like I did...For over 15 years I'd wake up at 5ish, teach 1-2 fitness classes a day, work a full-time job, go out with friends or work at night, go to bed around midnight and did it all over again the next day...How did I function on the fuel I fed my body...???

Well, it turns out all the carbs I ate turned into sugar which gave me the energy I needed to get through the day. You see, if there is an overabundance of sugar, the sugar takes precedence over fat as a source of energy in many metabolic processes, and stored fat doesn’t get burned for energy, instead it stays stored on your body, which makes you fat (even if it's a skinny fat). 

Bottom Line

Sugar Burner = Energy roller coaster; “needing” to eat every two hours; cranky when you’re hungry; regular cravings for sweets or caffeine; dysfunctional hormonal response to food.

The Whole30 took me out of sugar-burner mode, and transitions me into being fat adapted—efficiently able to utilize fat as energy. This means my body is utilizing fat as fuel more readily, helping me avoid between-meal cravings, energy slumps, and brain fog. Being fat-adapted will help me get rid of stored fat (like my love handles and the extra tire I have around my waistline) —something that can't been done when running on nothing but sugar (aka carbs).

Fat Adapted = Even energy all throughout the day; no need to eat between meals; stuck without food — no crankiness or raging hunger; reduced cravings for sweets or caffeine; improved body composition and hormonal response to food.

Yeah, that sounds better to me, too, but in order for me to truly be fat-adapted I need to overcome my fat phobia and embrace all the good fatty foods. They are nutrient-dense and will satiate for hours. Being on the Whole30 has helped me overcome my fear of fat and it can do the same for you if you have this issue. 

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

135 ounces

Sleep

7 hours

(I was dragging ass all day because I didn't get more sleep...I can't wait to go to bed so I can wake up with more energy tomorrow)

Daily Meals

5:30am - Breakfast Beverage : (Full Fat) Coconut Milk Latte with MTC Oil 

8am - Breakfast Beverage : Homemade Bone Broth

10am : A few pieces of seared ahi tuna

12pm : Handful Homemade Beef Jerky & Mixed Nuts

2pm - Lunch : Bowl of Shepard's Pie

5pm - Snack : Handful of Nuts

7pm - Dinner : Smoke Brisket with my (Full-Fat)

Coconut Milk, Cilantro, Jalapeño, Vinegar, Avocado Oil & Fig 

sauce, roasted squash & tomatoes on a bed of mixed greens

 

Are you FAT-PHOBIC?

Are you a SUGAR-BURNER?

If so, would like to change?

Perfectly Peeled Hard Boiled Eggs...

The hardest part of making hard boiling eggs is the peeling them, would't you agree...???

I used to think all I had to do was heat the eggs to a boil, cover, simmer and peel them when I wanted to eat them, but then I realized that half my egg was peeling off with the shell and all I was left with was a little of the white stuff and all the yolk I started to research and experiment this very frustrating situation, especially if you eat about a dozen weekly...

Does this look familiar to anybody...???

Anyhow, after much experimentation I realized that you have to keep the eggs hot until you are ready to crack them at which point in time you cool them and immediately gently crack them starting from the air cell (fatter side of the egg) going around in a circular  motion until you reach the smaller side. I don't know for certain (since I'm not a food scientist), but it seems to me the shock from hot to cold temperature helps separates the outer membrane from the inner membrane. This separation makes the eggshell much easier to peel... 

Ingredients

- Dozen (free range/organic) eggs

or as many as you like, but I keep them in the fridge all week...they are great source of protein and an easy/convenient snack...

- Salt

Remember, eggshells are permeable so add salt to the water will help flavor the eggs...

Instructions

1. Place the eggs in a pot and pour cold water over them.

2. Add salt, enough to make the water taste like salt water.

3. Bring the water up to a boil, cover with a lid, and bring it down to a simmer (really low heat), for 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and let sit for at least 5-10 minutes. Whatever you do, DON'T LIFT THE LID!

5. The water should be hot when you are ready to peel. If you've let it sit too long, reheat the water, not to boil, just to a warm temp. Taking one egg out of the warm water at a time, place it under cold water to shock it. 

6. Begin gently cracking the egg in a circular motion starting from the biggest part of the egg (aka, air cell) to the smallest.

7. Then starting from the biggest part, begin peeling. The air cell is like a little air pocket which helps when peeling the outer membrane away from the inner membrane. Then I put them back into the water which helps rid the rest of membrane.

Perfect Eggs Every time...

Let me know if yours turn out the same way...

Next, blog post...My Go-To Egg Salad with Pesto Sauce...

Quick & Easy Breakfast

Try a bowl of this to start you day...DELISH...

Ingredients

- 2 hard boil eggs

- chopped tomatoes

- chopped kalamata olives

- chopped tomatillos

- chopped cucumbers

- dollop of my Tomatillo Jalapeño Avocado Aioli 

The hardest part making hard boiled eggs is peeling them...if you don't cook and crack them right it's miserable...blog post tomorrow on how to make peel hard boil eggs perfectly...

Don't those look beautiful...