#16: NO MORE No-More-Carbs! (Also known as Challenge #1 COMPLETE!)

Thank Jesus. 

I remember about 4 days into this month thinking that the end would never come. But it did. REJOICE!!!

Overall, I would say that this Challenge wasn't as hard as I made it. That's not quite the right way to explain it ... the challenge of eating low-carbs in and of itself was not hard. But sticking to something when I got bored of it, sticking to something so that I could say i was a total success, sticking it out when I was feeling sad/upset/bored/any other emotion I usually manage with food, was what was difficult. And, if I'm being honest, I could have done better. 


I did learn some good information about food and your body's intake/management of food. I think there are some great permanent changes coming from this 30-Day Challenge. I expect to be eating a more balanced diet, making healthier options overall, to care about what I put in my body, and to notice how my body/mind/energy feels and acts after I put said things into it. That's a great plus from these 30(31) days. 


Down side is that I didn't stick it all the way out. I indulged over the past 3-4 days on more than the 20 allotted grams of carbohydrates. I didn't "stick it out to the very end" which is something I really need to do to feel accomplished. And I could have done it. I don't know if it's because I lost focus, I subconsciously didn't want the success, I was afraid of being successful, I simply lack will-power (which is clear, but is that ALL it was or is that a great excuse?). 


The great thing is that I have another chance starting tomorrow. And I'd like to see myself stick it all the way out. It's important to me, after this month's experience, that I run full-speed all the way thru the finish line and not start trotting or walking or race-walking (a reference for some of you 80s geeks) as I see it approaching. 

CHALLENGE #1 - FINAL GRADE: B

It's on to February now. As a reminder, Challenge #2 is cardio and/or strength training 6 days each week. The important rules of the Challenge are:
1. 6 days each week, with 1 rest day
2. 30+ minutes per workout to count it
3. 2+ days of strength and 3+ days of cardio/week
4. Find some variety


This is no joke. It seems like it's a nothing task to do something you don't normally do for just 30 days. It's only a month for goodness sake. But doing anything you don't want to do with any amount of gusto is hard. I faked it a lot and it showed. I half-assed it a lot and that showed too. If I was really going hard, I would have gone hard. I'm committed to these Challenges and the motivation behind doing them. So if I'm committed to that, I need to commit to doing them as a committed person, with commitments. 


I congratulate myself for getting it done and for not failing at it. 


I am hopeful for an improved performance next go 'round. 


Here's to carbs (tomorrow, of course)!!

#15: Healthy Eating is a Thing of the Past ... Almost

Only 2 days to go!!!

I've actually been having some internal pain since Thursday night so I've been inactive, bored, feeling cooped up, etc. My reaction to that has NOT been, as I would have suspected, to eat myself out of house and home for lack of anything more entertaining to do. Part of that may be that it was my oldest's birthday on Friday which meant 8- 14 years olds going to see the Harlem Globetrotters (which they loved) and then to Underworld Awakening (which they also loved) but which required me to be up and at em and out and about. And therefore, in pain. 

I did try to stay laid up as much as possible yesterday but at some point I was so over being immobile and in one place that I thought I was going to pull my hair out. So how did I entertain my need to do something? Go get take out. We went to a local BBQ joint and I decided that because I was only 3 days from the end of this no-carb thing, and because I was so annoyed with being cooped up, that I was going to try some carbs and see if I could manage myself. I ordered catfish with hush puppies and cole slaw. It was good, but not amazing. Not worth the carbs, honestly. And I did NOT feel good afterwards. I will have to see how I manage re-introducing carbs to my body because if this was any indication, I won't be going very close to them very often. 

Altho, to be fair, it was corn meal on the catfish and corn meal in the hush puppies. Corn meal isn't exactly high on the good-for-me carb list. If nothing else, maybe this is an indication that I won't be going very close to crap-carbs since they make me feel like ... well, crap. (Hence the cleverly titled type of carbs.)

But I took to heart the way I felt yesterday after eating that and decided I'd make a better-for-me, low-carb breakfast of jalapeño beef sausage, eggs and cheddar cheese scramble. And I got the meat out for dinner - pork spare ribs with a Memphis rub on them. YES!!! Who cares what we're having with them, really. 

And after this, only two more days. 6 more meals. Not that I'm planning to take a biscuit-filled bath on Wednesday morning or anything, but you know ... just being told that I can't have something really makes me want the hell out of it!! I should probably tell myself I can't have a cute body, a successful career and a fat bank account and - POOF! - I'd be that banging body, high roller, Boss Lady. 

So thinking about Wednesday and the new challenge, I'm realizing that if I don't get this pain figured out, I'm gonna fail on DAY ONE. So, on tomorrow's agenda is the doctor. My friends will be so proud - I hateHATEhate going to the doctor. They either tell me that they have no idea what the problem is, or they  tell me I have some thing that's uncommon and I just have to live with it. 

Tomorrow is also a lot of evening errands and activities with Miss Maya, The Princess, and Sir Antonio, The Dog which means I have to plan ahead on food or I will end up eating some drive-thru concoction that makes me feel horribly afterward. See? I'm learning. 

Oh, and Tuesday is The Toddler/The Queen of it All's 3rd birthday. And The Nephew's basketball game. So, again, planning ahead will be really important. And then, YES!, it will be Wednesday. And not that planning ahead and thinking about what's going in my body won't be important, but it won't be something I will feel total guilt over because of the Challenge.