Accountability

I know something we might all struggle with. Making health a habit. Putting exercise as a priority. Finding the time in your busy day to eek out some form of movement and healthy choices.

I also know a way to help with it. You've got to get some accountability. It comes in many forms. Maybe you join an office pool to lose weight. Or even try the online betting app called DietBet where you can join challenges and win money when you reach your goal. You can promise yourself a treat when you reach a certain goal. Or talk your significant other into keeping you accountable during mealtime. And then there is certainly my favorite...find a fit sister. Get yourself a partner in crime. Someone to work out with. Someone to call when the sugar monster rears its ugly head. Someone who will be bummed if you hit the snooze button and miss a session. 

Having someone to hold me accountable has been the biggest motivator in my fitness journey. I'm strong but my willpower wavers at times. The other evening I was this close to throwing my hands up in the air and calling uncle on my Whole30. But luckily my supportive husband talked me off the ledge. 

Today is Day 20 of your nutrition challenge and I want to know how you are feeling! What obstacles have you encountered? What has been you favorite part of it so far? What results are you seeing? And remember results aren't always on the scale. Are you sleeping better? Increased energy? Clearer skin? Tell me about it!

Catching Up and Weekly Check-In

1-12-15 Eats:
Breakfast- leftover salmon and eggs
Lunch- leftover chicken legs
Dinner- fried oysters (made with coconut flour) and sweet potato fries

1-13-15 Eats:
Breakfast- smoked salmon, avocado, and fried eggs
Lunch- turkey, avocado, remoulade' lettuce sub
Dinner- Cracklin' Chicken, steamed veggies and half a sweet potato

1-14-15 Eats:
Breakfast- bacon and salad eggs with hot sauce
Lunch- turkey, bacon, avocado, remoulade' schmaleo sub
Dinner- Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy with mashed cauliflower
After Dinner Snack- cut up banana, almond butter, toasted coconut flakes

I've really slacked on my water intake the past few days. I've gotten almost all the way once, the other few days I've only drank about half a gallon. I have had my oils in the morning and my ginger shot. And of course on Day 14 of my Whole30 I'm feeling pretty damn awesome.

The kids and I are headed out of town on an impromptu mini-vaca, and I'll be eating out. But lucky me, Northwest Arkansas has plenty of options for finding clean food. Meet you back here in a few days. In the meantime make certain and post your weekly update. The more you participate the more likely you are to win prizes!

#8WTF Days 10 & 11

Whoops! I was so darn tired I totally forgot to post last night.

Yesterday's eats went like this:

Breakfast- prosciutto and egg muffins
Lunch- roast & veggies
Snack- Larabar and banana
Dinner- shrimp and asparagus


Today's grub:

Breakfast- bacon, eggs, leftover salmon with spicy mayo
Lunch- more leftover salmon with spicy mayo
Dinner- Hot wings and sweet potato fries with spicy mayo

Hmm...lots of spicy mayo, very little veggies. I'll have to fix that tomorrow.

I've reached my water goal for the day but didn't get my oils in or my ginger shot.



I know most of you aren't doing the Whole30 but I thought I would write a little bit about how I go about it. Almost everyone will tell you to prep, prep, prep! Take Sunday or whatever and cook up a storm, slice up all your veggies, pack lunches. Some easy things to prep are frittatas, chicken thighs, seasoned ground beef, chicken legs, chili, paleo mayo, and deviled eggs. These are regular go to things for our family. But honestly I don't do a whole lot of prep. I am home all day most days of the week so I have plenty of time to cook our three meals. I just make sure and cook more than we need so there are lots of leftovers for those hungry people who wander in the kitchen and stare into the fridge as if it holds the answers to all life's questions. Since my husband is participating in this Whole30, I make extra sure these leftovers are available.

Let's take a look into my Whole30 fridge. Mind you I just went shopping today so its pretty packed. And of course you will see a lot of non-Whole30 food and a lot of non-Paleo food. My kids still have to eat. They mostly eat what we eat but there are times in between meals or when I'm not hungry myself and don't want to cook, but they still want to eat. Just overlook those items. I'm sure I've missed a few things but what I've listed is my most often used items.

#8WTF Whole30 Day 8

The hardest thing about the Whole30 to me is that alcohol is prohibited during the thirty days.

In fact all I really want to do today is drink a beer.

That's all I have to say.

Today's Whole30 eats:

Breakfast- bacon and fried eggs
Lunch- leftover Lobster Bisque
Snack- apple with almond butter
Dinner- half a ribeye and a small bowl of Lobster Bisque

I nailed my water intake and also had my oils and ginger shot.



If you are truly wanting to quit drinking alcohol, I highly recommend the community site, Hello Sunday Morning. They have a terrific philosophy about alcohol and an amazing support system.

#8WTF Day 7 & Mediterranean Roast Chicken & Weekly Check-In

Last night's dinner was one of my own recipes. Mediterranean Roasted Chicken. So good, and the leftovers are just as bomb.

Ingredients:

4 bone in split chicken breast

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. capers

3 canned artichoke hearts chopped

1 tbsp. garlic

2 tbsp. sundried tomatoes

1 tbsp dried basil or a 1/4 c. fresh basil thinly sliced

Early in the day, marinate the chicken breast in the balsamic vinegar.

Preheat oven to 375 or preheat grill.

Mix all other ingredients together. Pull back skin on chicken breasts and stuff in the mixture. Place in roasting dish and bake for 45 min to 1 hour or until juices run clear. If grilling start with skin side down to sear and seal in stuffing mixture. Continue to flip back and forth until done.

Today was rest day. A much appreciated rest day. I literally stayed in my pj's all day long. I got my water in, although it was tougher than normal with no exercise to increase my thirst. Also had my oil infused water, but didn't have a ginger shot. Whole30 still going strong. Todays eats were:

Breakfast- eggs, bacon, sweet potato hash

Lunch- leftover Mediterranean Roast Chicken and veggies with a quarter sweet potato

Snack- half and avocado wrapped in turkey

Dinner- Paleo Lobster Bisque

For dinner tonight I found a recipe to use up some of the lobster tails I have stored in the fridge. This Paleo Lobster Bisque from Cavegirl Cuisine turned out very good.

At the end of Week 1, I kept to my goals, but I'm feeling very tired today.

Let me know how your week has gone. What small daily steps have you done to reach your goals? Any obstacles get in your way?

#8WTF Day 6

"There are many things we don't like in life but the benefits that they bring far outweigh the temporary discomfort." - Richard Gilmore

Any other Gilmore Girls fans in the house?

Woohoo! Are the cravings setting in yet? I had a bit of a sugar craving hit today and while I ignored it, I kind of ate more food than I planned on. But then again maybe I was just hungry. Yesterday I made Spicy Tuna Cakes from Nom Nom Paleo's book Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans. They are one of my favorite things from this book! Last night we also tried the Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy and hot damn! It was a hit. We will be having more of that during this Whole30.

These tuna cakes are so yummy. Even cold! For breakfast I threw a cold one on my plate along with bacon, eggs, and avocado. So good. Lunch was four more tuna cakes. Snack was the last tuna cake, a mini pear, and half an avocado wrapped in turkey. Of course I gobbled a Larabar (gonna have to take a break from those). My dinner plate was Mediterranean Roast Chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli.

I could have taken today as a rest day but instead chose to work legs and abs. I am still in love with my roman bench. I used my medicine ball on it today and I can guarantee you I will be feeling it tomorrow. I'm calling today a success despite the extra food. It was all Whole30 and I have been getting my workouts in consistently. Progress not perfection.

#8WTF Day 5

Yesterday was good. This post is a day late because I straight up wore myself out yesterday and went straight to bed. All goals checked off. Got in a nice 3.7 mile run and only felt a bit sluggish. I think I'm coming out from underneath the carb flu.

Day5 Whole30 eats:

Breakfast- steak and eggs
Lunch- Nom Nom Paleo Spicy Tuna Cakes and a quarter an avocado
Snack-Pecan Pie Larabar
Dinner- Nom Nom Paleo Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy with steamed cauliflower

#8WTF Day 4

What are you doing to track your goals? And I say goals because none of us are rarely easy on ourselves and just pick one goal. We must do this and this and also this. In order to not beat myself up on the days that fall a bit short, I keep a log. It reminds me of the big picture. The long term. Progress not perfection.

As you can see the last few days I've fallen short on my water intake. And today I didn't get my oils or my ginger shot. No excuses. I'll do better tomorrow. Hopefully at the end of the month I can say I drank a gallon of water 25/30 days. A few days here and there are nothing to stress about. The Whole30 goal isn't flexible though. Whole30 requires strict adherence to produce results. It requires research, planning, and commitment. I made cupcakes with frosting for my daughter and had to remember really hard not to lick any wayward frosting. Yay for me!


#8WTF links from around the web (basically good stuff to know):

8 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

What 2000 Calories Looks Like

Whole30 Recipes and Tips

Whole30 & 8WTF Day 3

Quick check in!!!

My water intake wasn't what it should have been today. I need to get started earlier tomorrow to get in my full gallon. I did have my ginger shot and my oils in the morning. Those oils sure do burn going down!

My Whole30 eats for the day are as follows:

Breakfast: steak with a onion, mushroom, lobster scramble
Lunch: Nom Nom Paleo Salmon Patties with a sweet potato topped with ghee
Snack: Pecan Pie Larabar
Dinner: Well Fed's Chocolate Chili with shredded cabbage

Yum!!! I love that I can eat so well on the Whole30

I also got in a good workout today. Arms, shoulders, and abs. I know I will feel it tomorrow.

How was your day 3?

#8WTF D2

Day 2 was super uneventful...

No workout because yesterday was LEG DAY. Yes...that deserves all caps. My rear end is so sore today. I did clean the house so I'm counting that as exercise.

Breakfast: coffee with coconut cream, 2 prosciutto egg muffins, a tiny pear, and a ginger shot.

Snack: Key Lime Pie Larabar

Lunch: 2 Applegate hot dogs with sauerkraut

Dinner: Lobster tail, steak, cauli-rice, and a sweet potato with ghee

It was freezing (well to me at least) but I still bundled up and grilled surf and turf.

#8WTF Day 1

It's the end of Day 1, how did you do? What steps did you take to reach your goals?

I completed the first day of my Whole30.
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, and avocado
Lunch: Hamburger patty topped with sauteed onions, portabello mushrooms, and Paleo mayo with                 sweet potato home fries on the side
Dinner: Citrus chicken over cauli-rice

I also drank my gallon of water, along with a ginger shot, and 4oz of water infused with Slim and Sassy. The most difficult part of my day was making myself eat first thing in the morning. I usually drink about three cups of coffee and go for a run before eating around 10am or so. This morning I got up and had half a cup of coffee with coconut cream while I cooked breakfast. After eating I waited about an hour and a half before getting in my workout.

Make sure and check in here or over on the Facebook page and let everyone know how you did!


Monica Ralls was the winner of the first prize.
Here is the list of all the gals and their goals. Good luck everyone!

Participant	January Nutrition Goal	February Fitness Goal
Vanessa Heath	Sugar detox, try Paleo	Run 5K without walking
Elizabeth Fisher	Sugar detox, count calories	Complete C25K
Celeste Ashcraft	Count calories, quit soda, eat more fruits/veggies	Work out 4 days a week
Monica Ralls	Sugar detox, count calories	Work out 5 days a week
Aurora Barbosa	Cook three new healthy meals a week	Lots of yoga
Kathy Smith	Start Trim Healthy Mama	Gym 3 times a week
Lindsay Branson	Whole30	Run 2-3 days a week and run a sub 30min 5K
Kim Posey	Low carb/no sugar	Walk/jog 3 days a week in addition to basketball two days a week and do yoga on Saturdays
Reness Birchfield	Clean diet/reduced carb	Reaching daily FitBit goal, yoga or pilates everyday
Julie Kohl	Start Weight Watchers, watch portion sizes, avoid sweets	Workout three days a week and start running again
Ashley Smith	Whole30, gallon of water a day, ginger/wheatgrass shots	10 full body pushups, 8m run

My 8WTF Goals

Today is the last day to sign up and declare your goals for the 8 Weeks To Fit program! Tomorrow is the big day! I'm beyond excited! Like using an exclamation point for everything excited. You are just lucky i'm not talking in all caps!

Before I post the roster of participants and their goals, I thought I would lay my own out for you. You didn't think I wasn't going to join in did you? I am a constant work in progress. My diet has gotten way off track in the past few months and I have some fitness goals that I really want to accomplish.

For January, I am taking on a Whole30. If you are new to the Whole30 go ahead and click on the link to read about it. Basically it means no grains, no added sugar, no dairy, and no alcohol for 30 days. Bummer. But oh so good for your system. I also plan on drinking a gallon of water a day, and taking shots of the following: Slim & Sassy infused water, wheatgrass, and  a ginger cayenne lemon concoction.

The thing about setting goals is that if you don't have a plan, you are much more likely to not reach them. This is my arsenal of tools to reach my January nutrition goal. I've got It Starts With Food, the book that originally detailed the Whole30. My Whole30 folder, compiled of internet printouts and recipes. A BPA free plastic gallon jug for my water with appropriate reminders about how far along I should be in my water drinking during the day. A bottle of Slim & Sassy from doTerra to curb sugar cravings. Wheatgrass shots made fresh by a local gentleman. And finally a big box of ginger ready to go in the juicer to be made into shots.

My February goal is very simple. Complete 10 full body pushups. I was able to do 5 before I had surgery. I'm slowly working my way back to them and my goal is to be able to knock out 10 with no problem by the end of February. I also need to complete an 8 mile run. I haven't done that since before surgery either.

I'll be posting on Instagram and Facebook daily about my progress that day. Remember....progress not perfection! Don't give up because of one bad day. And when you are feeling like you just can't stick to your plans, seek out help. Go to the Facebook page or troll Pinterest for some inspiration. And don't forget to tag all your social media with #8WTF!

Good luck!