Whole30: Day 3

I tried another tea: Harney and Sons chocolate mint. It's okay. I really want my usual coffee back.

Breakfast

sweet potato bowl

I don't crave variety at breakfast, so I'll likely eat this every damn day. It's really good.

Lunch

Taco salad (romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, salsa, guacamole)

This was my first disappointing meal. It should have been good, but it wasn't. Fortunately, I finished lunch with a big bowl of watermelon. Watermelon season is the most wonderful time of the year.

I have a headache. Again. I really need my usual coffee back.

Whole30: Day 2

I miss my coffee already.

Breakfast

Sweet potato breakfast bowl. (See Day Zero for link.) This was really good. I would eat this if I weren't doing Whole30. I had baked several sweet potatoes a couple of days ago, so I removed the skin, put it in a bowl, and heated it in the microwave. I added some almond butter, coconut milk, and cinnamon, and mixed it up with an immersion blender. Then I drizzled it with a little coconut milk and added some blueberries that I brought home from Maine. It was delicious, and I'm looking forward to having it again. 

Whole30: Day 1

7:15

I'm enjoying one of my favorite parts of the day: the quiet hour (or so) when I'm awake before everyone else. I usually read (a book or the NYT app) or mess around on social media. And I have a cup of coffee with sugar and half and half. On weekends and during summer vacation, this is something I look forward to. During the school year, I look forward to my delicious coffee on the drive to work. I have never worried too much about the half and half and sugar, because I only have one cup. What's the harm? But it would be good, I suppose, to no longer begin my day with a hit of sugar, however small.

Whole30: Day Zero

Okay. I'm back from Maine, and though I frequently get hyped up about an idea but never follow through, I'm still starting Whole30 tomorrow. I decided to do it post-vacation because of all the delicious food I planned to eat while in Boston and Maine (clam chowder, lobster rolls, cannoli, blueberry pie, ice cream--it was a gustatory wonderland), but there was another reason that this ended up being a good time to start: when I'm going to be gone for a while, I like to clean out the fridge before I go, so I came home to a fairly blank canvas.

Whole30: Why the Hell Not?

I once read a comment (on Jezebel, I think) that said, "Why should I suffer because cavemen were too stupid to figure out carbs?" I wholeheartedly agreed. I ardently admire and love carbs. Yesterday I went to a Turkish place that had homemade pita bread, and it was like a religious experience. I. Love. Carbs.

And yet, I have impetuously decided to do Whole30. (The Whole30? I'm not sure.) I read an article and thought, hmm, maybe this is a thing I should do. It would be good to cut out dairy and sugar and to try to focus on eating fewer processed foods. So I did some further reading and saw all the things that you can't have: whole grains. (What? Those are good for you!) Legumes. (Are you kidding? They are very nutritious!) Gum. (Are you fucking joking?!) The verdict? 

But then I talked to someone who did it, and she was very convincing. I talked to my mom; restrictive eating is her jam, and her eyes lit up as soon as I mentioned it. Their positive responses were persuasive. There are really two reasons I want to do this, though: first of all, even though Whole30 doesn't claim to be a weight loss plan, I feel like I'm at a point where I have to do something drastic if I'm going to change my body. I don't hate the way I look; I am fit and healthy. But I'd like to go down a size or two, and this might be the way to do it. Mostly, though, I want to set a challenge for myself and then surmount it. I want to do a thing that I didn't think I was capable of doing. Last year I ran a half marathon, which I once thought I was incapable of. This year, I'm going to do Whole30. And I'm going to blog about it, as a way to keep track and to keep myself motivated. 

It would be nice to strike while the iron is hot and jump right in while I'm enthusiastic about it, but I'm going on vacation next week. I am going to have clam chowder and cannoli in Boston. I am going to have lobster rolls in Maine. (And dammit, I will probably have Funyuns in the car.) But once I get home, I'm giving myself one day to shop and plan, and then I'm doing this thing. I'll let you know how it goes. 

She Gets It From Her Mama

This is an important thing to know before you start reading this story: I am a rule follower.  Not a mindless one, but a rule follower nonetheless. If a rule is in place and it makes sense, I will follow it and give the side-eye to anyone who doesn't.  I like order.  Bear this in mind.

I run on an indoor track at my gym three days a week.  I've been running for almost a year, and while I have increased my distance considerably (and am preparing for a half marathon in less than two months, woot!), I am not fast, nor do I have any desire to be.  I go as fast as my short legs will allow me, and I am okay with that.

Well, it turns out that not everyone is as okay with my moderate, steady pace as I am.  Here's the setup at my gym's track: there are three lanes, and a sign requests that walkers use the inside lane and joggers use the outside lane.  Presumably, that leaves the middle free for passing.  Of course, everyone ignores that, and there are considerably more walkers than runners (I won't call myself a jogger, as I have no interest in finding dead bodies).  You tend to find walkers and a few runners in the middle lane.  I stick to the outside lane because I don't want to have to weave in and out of the walkers, and also because of my above-stated penchant for following the rules.

Christmas Jams, annotated

It's December, which means that I can finally listen to my Christmas music loud and proud (I'd been sneaking around since before Thanksgiving).  I'm about as secular as they come, but some of my favorite music is holiday-themed.  I've been working on this playlist for a couple of years now, and it's close to perfect.  I'm always looking to add to it, though, so if you know a great song that I don't, please share. Here are some of my favorites.