To Eat (to live) or not to Eat (to live)....

I was just informed by my husband that we are attending the Washington Wizards/Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game this Saturday night. Ordinarily, that would make me ecstatic. I love basketball, especially NBA. We have been season ticket holders in the past, so Ive been a little spoiled in how frequently we used to attend. The last year I havent gotten to go as much, so this is exciting news, usually. Unfortunately for me one of the most exciting parts of the ball games is the food and the beer! Naturally, this causes me great anxiety. Tomorrow will mark two weeks I have faithfully followed the Eat to Live plan. How am I gonna pull this off??! I want to go to the game, drink $8 beers, and eat all kinds of crap!  OK, now that I have that out of my system, but really? How am I gonna pull that off? This is trial will be weighing on my shoulders the next few days.I cant lie, I honestly sat here and contemplated if it was too soon to have a cheat meal!  I should be strong enough at this point in the game to handle this! Why does it have to be so hard! I can tell you this; I will get through it. I made it through 4 more shifts with the caring cart staring me in the face begging me to partake and  I  prevailed. I can do this too. I suppose this chapter will be continued...

Just keep swimming, swimming, just keep swimming, swimming.....;)

Feeling Unmotivated...

Ok blog friends, motivate me. I am sitting here feeling like I have nothing to write about. Today has been detox hell. Disconnected, headache, anxious. Blah. I still stuck to the plan. I actually wasn't extremely hungry today and had to push myself to eat lunch, even after an intense 2 hour workout.  I started day 43 (week 7) of my 12 week strength training program yesterday. Today I worked arms, abs, and ran for my cardio.  I am running in a 10-miler race in about a month and Ive just started to step up my running again since the Army 10-miler last October. It been so dang cold here that I haven't been able to run outdoors much lately. I find it terribly difficult to stay focused on the treadmill. Got through it though, thankfully. I am so anxious to see results from the fruits of my labor I can hardly stand it! Tomorrow is my legs day, and my strongest muscle group by far. This is my fav day of the training program, which comes twice a week. If you're interested in following (or just checking out) my workout regimen, here is the link. Jamie Eason's LiveFit 12 week trainer I have enjoyed it thoroughly.

I have def been a funk the last couple of days. I'm still trucking along, eating on plan, not cheating...but DYING for some variety. I think that is going to be my goal for this week; trying some different recipes. Tonight my hubby ate "my" food with me, which consisted of romaine lettuce, bell peppers, walnuts, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, topped with a dressing I purchased from whole foods (legal). It was pretty good. My hubs is eating well also, but not following Eat to Live as I am. He still incorporates meat into his diet, and possibly more carbs. He def isn't giving up meat! 

SO, tomorrow I will be facing another challenge. I have a MOPS meeting and brunch in the am (mothers of preschoolers). This is basically where a bunch of moms get together and eat, and hear a speaker. I look forward to this event, which is held twice monthly. Mainly for the brunch part. Oh man, egg and sausage dishes, muffins, cake pops, fruit, bagels, etc. I LOVE it. In fact, I myself am responsible for bringing in a pile of food I cant even consume. How lame is that!? Anyway, I foresee myself sitting in the car having a little talk with God before heading into that land of temptation. i imagine that if I can evade the caring cart, I can make it through this as well. I mean, I am into my second week and going strong. Why screw it all up now? Fresh fruit. I may eat the whole damn tray, but that's fine by me. My friends know whats up. 

Speaking of friends, my BFF, Lorie ( who is working towards all out eating to live) got news this weeks that her hubby got orders for this summer, and they may be PCSing (permanent change of duty station) this summer. For those who dont know me personally, we are an Air Force family. My hubs is active duty AF. Lorie is an Army wife (no, I don't hold that against her, we wear sweatpants equally as often ;) We have only known each other a little over 2 years, but during that time, we have built an incredible friendship and I consider myself extremely lucky to have found her. Also, so thankful for my eldest daughter, Emma, to have found Lorie's daughter, Peyton. They are 8 and also the best of friends, so this news has been especially hard on them as well.  I love her and her entire little family dearly. I honestly don't know what I will do without her when she leaves. So, as you think about me this week and my Eat to Live journey, say a little prayer for all of us as this all sinks in. I ask that Lorie and her family to receive suitable placement and to find happiness in that decision, and for the girls as they go through their first heartbreak. Also for me, as I feel a little selfish, because I just want them to stay! 

Just let me say this real quick before I head out. I already feel better. This blog is so theraputic to me. Thank you to everyone who reads! 

Going to go ahead and close out for the evening, the hubs is already passed out. Goodnight everyone!

Nutrient Density

Wanted to share this clip. Here, Dr. Furhman discusses nutrient density, the key principle to the Eat to Live plan.

True Hunger vs Toxic Hunger

Alrighty, let me update you wonderful people.  First, I want to briefly talk about TOXIC hunger vs TRUE hunger. For those who are beginning this journey, or for anyone who has ever attempted to cut out the processed and preservative filled garbage we so often fuel our bodies with, you have felt "toxic" hunger. It's actually your body detoxifying itself.  The toxic hunger Dr. Furhman discusses in his book, Eat to Live, is described as irritability, headaches, weakness and that growling feeling we all have felt before deep in our bellies. That feeling usually only satisfied by eating something unhealthy. Often times we begin our diets and start feeling this way and we give in because it feels like we are literally STARVING! It's a vicious cycle. Guess what? We were WRONG!! It is the same concept as when a drug addict gives up their drug of choice and begin to go through withdrawals. We are addicted to unhealthy, preservative filled junk food! Our bodies produce the same response when you deprive it from what it craves. I have gone through this over and over during the last week! Except for the giving in part ;)
Now, let me talk just a bit about TRUE hunger. Once we can move through the withdrawal phase successfully we are able to recognize what TRUE hunger feels like. True hunger, apparently, begins in your throat. Your sense of taste heightens, and your salivary glands will be more active. I wondered if this was just something Dr. Furhman made up so I Googled it (my most reliable resource ;).  I found from multiple sources (unrelated to Dr. Furhman) that this is, indeed, true. Although I have yet to feel this true hunger in my throat, much of my withdrawal symptoms have faded and I am hoping to soon experience true hunger.
Now, let me update you on where I am in this journey. My first full week ended Wednesday night. I weighed Thursday morning and found that I have lost 3.1 pounds. Let me be honest. I was disappointed. I expected to jump on the scale and see an 8 pound difference. So after weighing and feeling disappointed in myself, I had to take a sec for a reality check. I said "Jenny! you lost 3.1 pounds in a WEEK! Why the heck are you disappointed??!" Then I responded with, "Wow, you're right! That's great! What if you do that every week for a month?! That would be 12 pounds lost! Better still, what if you do that for 6 weeks?? That would be 18 pounds lost! How amazing is that?!" Ok. So the sadness is gone. So happy with my results at this point!  Bringing me to the biggest achievement, making it a whole week without cheating. I did it. So freaking proud right now. I'm beaming.
In other news, my magical Ninja food processor/blender showed up on my doorstep this week. I have been so excited about getting this for making smoothies, dressings, whatever else I may feel compelled to process or blend. However, before I could even use the dang thing, I managed to cut the end of my texting thumb off on the blades while washing it. Man, I really thought the blood would never stop. Anyway, finally got it washed and blended the best green smoothie ever! I pretty much stick to the same recipe everyday (spinach, kale, flaxseed, strawberries, blueberries, banana).  I feel pretty good at this point. I am feeling less hungry between meals and not craving the junk food like I was. The biggest change for me I've noticed is in the evenings I feel more energized. I haven't needed the afternoon coffee just to make it to bedtime. This has truly been a blessing for me and I am so thankful for my decision to go with this. Everyday I have success makes it harder to turn back and I pray it continues. Thank you so much for reading. All the positive notes really boost my morale :)
The All Star basketball game is on tonight, so I'm going to close out on that note.

I love motivational slogans, so here is your dose for today. This is what I'm trying to keep in mind as I keep on trucking today.