So I was craving sugar, per usual. Decided to give a new snack idea a try, and make my own banana chips- GREEN bananas, of course. They came out hard and disgusting and just made me crave real banana chips, so I went out and got some. They had 5g of sugar in a package, I kind of went apeshit on them. UGH. I’m not doing so well on this, and I’m completely sucking at getting to the gym and drinking water. 

I haven’t even worked out in a week. At first, I wasn’t worried about it. I knew  I was working a lot, time was scarce-as was energy, and I wanted to get my diet established so it wouldn’t affect the way I work out. But we’re going on almost a week and a half and I’m stressing about it. I need to find the time again, the motivation, and strength. My eyelids are creeping closed as I write this. I think that’s my cue!

Going good, going strong. I’ve been tempted, trust me, and compelled to quit but I didn’t. I’m persevering! I feel extremely tired, and irritable, and kind of headachy- but I could also attribute that to the 40+ hours I worked this week. 

Today, I get a little time to myself, I plan to eat some awesome food, get back to the gym, and do a little resting!! 

Soooo, I admitt I was a little weak last night. I forgot about this dark chocolate almond milk I bought last week and it was just sitting in the fridge calling my name. I couldn’t resist taking a few sips. My boyfriend walking in on me crouched in front of the open fridge door. Guilty. ;/ 

TODAY’S A NEW DAY. I’m feeling strong. I made these apple and coconut bites from PaleOMG. And OMG. I felt like I was cheating, however they are 100% Sugar Detox Ceritfied, but they were so awesome- maybe not for breakfast though. ;/ 

I know what you’re thinking, “Stephanie, you’re nuts. You’re starting another food fad without completely understanding the first one you started!?” No? Not what you’re thinking? Well, we’re on two different pages then. 

But today I am starting a 21 DAY SUGAR DETOX. Why? Because I’m sick of being bombarded by this ridiculous craving for chocolate and candy and crap every day and night. Sugar= crack, and I kid you not. Sugar just kills your slower- but nevertheless, IT WILL KILL YOU. 

I did not plan on starting the detox today, but I got paid today- which unleashed spontaneous spending from me, and on a whim I bought the sugar detox from  Balanced Bites, and here we go for the next 21 days.

I’m nervous. Cause I don’t have meals prepared, or snacks. Luckily I do have money for grocery shopping, but where’s the time!!!

So this shift into a Paleo lifestyle is moving slowly but surely. I’m just beginning to understand specifications of the ‘Caveman Diet” but also, I dont know the reason why they restrict things like peanuts, dairy, bread, and so on. And if any of you are curious in the least bit about what the hell I am talking about, well here are some helpful guides:

http://www.fitbomb.com/p/why-i-eat-paleo.html

http://infographic.paleolithicdiet.com/?utm_source=PaleolithicDiet.com+Influencers&utm_campaign=0834e2da65-PDI1&utm_medium=email

http://greatist.com/health/ultimate-guide-eating-paleo-infographic#

I’m having a large and frustrating issue with snacks. Anything I’d normally eat for snacks- like a blueberry muffin, is a huge NO-GO in the Paleo world. So the other day I bought some jerky and trail mix, but A. Jerky is damn expensive and loaded with sodium (something I’m trying to cut down on, I know, I know. SHOCKER. Salt and Stephanie go hand- in- hand.) and B. There were peanuts in the trail mix ( a paleo no no.) and dried fruits are usually suffocated with sugar. A suggestion from  http://paleomg.com/question-answer-sesh/ , was beet or sweet potato chips, meat, and larabars- which I cant seem to find anywhere! And I don’t know if I’m brave enough, nor have the cash flow to just waste on some beet chips that I might not even life. WELL I WONT LIKE THEM WITH THAT ATTITUDE. Positive Thinking. 

HA! A funny thing that just popped into my mind. There’s this one yoga class at my gym I try to go to every Saturday. The instructor is completed indescribable. He’s huge earthy-crunchy, talks so softly I don’t even know he’s made a joke until he’s laughing already, and starts off every session with the same long speech. Anyways, what cracks me up is that he every class, he always spontaneously whispers, “It’s okay to be where we are today” I just think its funny, because he’s trying to reassure the class that it’s okay to not be able to touch your toes, or keep up with the fast-paced cardio stanzas (not that there’s anything funny about that!) but I’m over here cursing myself for not being able to support my weight in a side crow or keep my balance doing a half moon. And the way he just whispers it to us, haha it’s just funny. 

Fitness-wise I was very angry with myself yesterday. I know what I can do, and what my body is capable of and yesterday it was like I just could not get my mind and body to live up to my expectations. Not to mention it was ARMS day- which has since become my ‘drag me to the gym kicking and screaming day” because I found myself plateau for numerous weeks and couldn’t understand why! (And on a side-note have you seen how ripped Kelly RIPa’s arms are?! They are crazy chiseled, like you can see her delts even when she’s not flexing and that’s what I want. And no, you can’t tell me “ew, thats manly” because there is NOTHING manly about Kelly Ripa.) Back to arms day- I was feeling discouraged at the gym and while whining and complaing to my brother-in-law about the progress I wasn’t making I realized I was lying to myself. When I was plateauing- I was stuck at 60/70 lbs and just could not move past that, 70lbs for bi’s and tri’s was my max, and there I was curling 80 as I spoke!! Then I surprised myself more and a 90lb triceps pulldown…. BEAST. (Sorry if your a huge manly muscle-head scoffing at me, but that is an accomplishment for a petite midget like myself.) 

 My point being APPRECIATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.  Acknowledge them, recognize your strengths, and identify your weaknesses. I know, that I am my biggest critic. I know what I want, and I have the patience of steaming kettle of water, if that makes sense, to get there. HOWEVER, my body took over 20 years of developing any which way it wanted, and I’ve just started to mold it to my liking within the past 6 months. Just like any doctor will tell a new mom, it took your body 9 mos to form a child inside of it, you are not going to return to pre-baby weight overnight. There you have it.