Eagerly Awaiting...

I am sure you all were eagerly awaiting this final post about the Whole30. I will try to let you down easy. I ate and drank things that I shouldn't have. I know, I know I am a horrible person for not sticking to my guns. In my defense, I tried to avoid everything all at once! Big mistake!

For the results: I lost about 9 pounds, a dress size, and I feel physically better. Its hard to pinpoint specific changes in 30 days but those are the ones that I noticed right away. (I bought a size 4 pair of jeans! Not my first pair but first pair in a couple of years.)

I have a different goal for this month. I am going to avoid any grains containing gluten and most others as well. I say most because I would like to lose a little more weight. If I substitute other grains in the place of gluten containing grains I will not lose any more fat. Most grains cause a big spike in insulin typically even more than sugar!! The other things I am going to do is watch my sugar, dairy and alcohol intake. I am not going to stop completely but moderation is key!

I was diagnosed last year with high cholesterol. I am planning on getting blood work done early next year to see how it is. I am hoping with losing weight and eating better that it will not be as high.

As usual I will try to update every once in a while! (Don't count on it!)

Weekend Getaway

Tim and I have a Marriott Credit Card that gives us one free night a year. Typically we visit my sister in Canton and use the night then. Since we share a cabin with them, we have been meeting them there instead. Anyway the free room was going to expire so we decided to use it this weekend.

We made a day of it. We dropped Ralphie off at a boarding place and then headed over to the Cincinnati Premium Outlets.  We shopped around and then ate dinner and Dingle House. Both were very fun even though the outlets were a little crowded.

Dinner at Dingle house was pretty good. Although I did break my Whole30 again by accident. I got grilled Salmon, asparagus and sweet potato fries. Doesn't sound bad but the salmon had butter all over it, and the sweet potatoes were sprinkled with sugar. If that is not bad enough Tim talked me into getting a drink. Which I at least went with something that I thought was gluten free. So much for complete body healing.

I do have to admit that I think I bit off more than I can chew. I removed grains, legumes, dairy, sugar and white potatoes, and alcohol cold turkey. It has been really hard trying to keep myself from falling off the wagon. I must say this has made me aware of everything that I do eat that is not good for me. It forces me to pay attention to all of the places that extra sugars and grains can hide. I am still happy with my progress. My goal wasn't to lose weight but since implementing the new way of eating I have lost about 7 pounds. 

But I digress, we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in West Chester. We managed to get a suite, which was really nice. It had a kitchen and living area that was separate from the sleeping area. The bed was comfortable, and the shower was roomy. I would highly recommend staying at the Residence Inn, if you need a hotel in the area. I can't forget about the complimentary breakfast! Everything, was great and the staff were really friendly!

It was nice to "getaway" even if it was only one night....

Whole30 Update

I had been doing really well with the Whole30 until I ate gluten by accident. It didn't hurt me I didn't have any strange reactions to it but it did break my plan. 

We went out to dinner with some friends the other night at Smoq and I got the Buffaloaf. It's one of my favorites. I should have reconsidered my choice but I didn't think about until it was too late. Meatloaf is made with bread crumbs and bread crumbs contain gluten. How could I have been so stupid?

The whole purpose of my Whole30 is to allow my body to heal and I already screwed up. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself considering my past eating habits. I am 99% better than 14 days ago. I haven't had any slip ups with sugar or processed foods. I stick to drinking water which is easy.

All in all I am doing well. I feel better and I look better.

Time for a Change

I know I haven't posted for a while so here is what changed since then:

The deck we were building for my mom is finished! So glad to say that it passed inspection and is no longer our responsibility!

Tim and I adopted a dog (Ralphie). He is now 6 months old and losing his puppy hair! A happy addition to our family.

We had a successful Halloween Party as always. We dressed up as the Pink Nightmare and the Leg Lamp from "A Christmas Story".

I officially changed my diet. I have started the Whole30 program.

I have not had the courage or energy to begin such a journey until now. I realize that I need to change my habits in order to change my outcome. I have had some questions as to why I am doing this and its hard to explain in a few short sentences but I will give it a shot.

The majority of this post and following posts will be discussing my progress on the Whole30 program. As you may recall from previous posts I have PCOS which can increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a host of many other diseases. PCOS symptoms can be eased or even eliminated by a change in diet. Basically I am doing this for better health and a better chance at getting pregnant. I am trying to change the things that I have control over: my diet, stress, sleep, exercise, even my attitude. All of these together can help me be the best possible version of myself.

In the month of November I am challenging myself to a complete 30 days of no alcohol, no sugar, no grains, no legumes, no processed foods, no dairy and no white potatoes. It will be difficult because I have cravings for many of the items that I have removed from my diet. I am hoping that the cravings will ease the farther I get into the program.

I started on November 1st so I am only 5 days into the program. I can't say I feel any different yet after all my body has many years of bad eating habits to break and lots of repairing to do. I try to keep my meals simple. A good portion of meat, lots of veggies, some good fat and the occasional piece of fruit. It hasn't been hard as much as a hassle especially with regards to eating out. We have to have much more fresh food in the house as well as a variety of meats so I don't get bored with the same meals.

In addition to the Whole30 program I am going to continue my exercise routine. I purchased Kettlebells for Busy Moms a few months ago and really enjoy the workouts. I know I am not a mom but Holly is a woman and she created these workouts for women! (The last time I checked I am a woman too. So these fit perfectly into my life.) I have been neglecting my workouts more and more so I am also going to set a goal for exercising 3 times per week in November using this kettlebell series as my base.

For now, I am excited to start this journey. I hope it takes me to my optimal health!

Deck Update

As you know I have been helping my brother build my mom a new deck. Well this weekend I sliced my thumb open which put me on the DL. I was still able to help some but not as much as I wanted.

Here are some pics of the work that has been done:

All of the posts and joists etc are done for both decks.

 

Next Sat we will add the posts for the handrails/railing and start laying the deck boards. I just hope my thumb is much better by then...

All Hands on Deck!

For Christmas my sister, brother and I decided to give my mom money, young good-looking labor (that's me), and plans to build a new deck.

 

We started digging the holes for the new footers two weeks ago. There are only two inspections that must be done. One is of the holes and the second is the final inspection of the finished deck. I have to say we dug 9 holes and those were some of the best looking holes I have ever dug. My hands however begged that they are never put through that again. Needless to say our holes passed inspection.
Now on to the next phase: pouring the footers.

Last Saturday we rented a portable cement mixer and bought 25 (that's twenty-five!) 80 pound bags of concrete. When you have to move them two or three times they start to feel heavier than 80 pounds. We got all of the footers poured and j bolts installed to support the new posts.
This brings us to phase 2: buying lumber!

Enter Sunday. My brother finished the shopping list and we head over to Menards to buy our materials only to find out we can only rent a standard pick-up truck. We have 16' joists to buy so there is no way the 8' bed on the truck will work. So we do the next logical thing, we call Home Depot to rent their truck. Turns out they will hold it for 30 mins and it has a 10'-12' bed so better but not ideal. Carey and I continue to pick up the mounting brackets etc while Hubby runs over to get the truck only to realize he doesn't have his insurance card on him. Luckily I carry mine in my purse so even though he had to make two trips its better than not having a truck. Just as he finishes the paperwork the same people he saw at Menards walked in to rent the truck!! That was too close for comfort. Once we paid for everything we could go around back to pick up the lumber. They have a huge barn and where we picked out everything we needed. Halfway through loading the truck an alarm goes off. Yes there is a weight limit on the truck! We continued to load while the alarm continues to sound. It wasn't the most annoying sound in the world but once we turned the truck on and put it into drive it went off! We made a total of two trips to get everything.
Which brings up phase 3: DEMO!!!

This is probably the best and most dangerous part. My brother and I start tearing off what's left of the railing. He moves on to the deck boards while I do the treads on the stairs. All of this is gone by the time Tim Tim returns from taking the truck back to Home Depot. (I am pretty sure he took the scenic route.) Once he gets back he is put to work removing the old joists while I take a breather. They finished that and I started removing the carriage bolts on the posts to remove the last bit of framing. We found out the joist hangers were rusted out, the only two posts supporting the deck were half rotten and the ledger board attached to the house was starting to rot. Its a miracle that this thing was standing for 29 years. I did not see us making it through demolition without getting a tetanus shot, surprisingly enough we did!
All preceding phases bring us to phase 4: Rebuilding the deck.

This Saturday and Sunday will consist of lots and lots of framing! Not only are we rebuilding the deck we torn down but we are building her a second lower deck. This will give her a multi-level deck with more space to lounge and relax. 

So far it has been really hard, intense work but the satisfaction of building the deck ourselves is worth it. Just knowing the deck is secure makes me reassured that someone won't fall through when they walk on it. By the time we are finished we will be able to host a large party on the deck and know its not going to budge!

Finally!

We finally finished our tile backsplash! It has been a long process but we did it ourselves. It may not be perfect but neither is our house.

Recently our microwave stopped heating so we just bought a new one. Now we just have to install it. I can imagine that is not going to be fun. That is the last piece to our kitchen. I will be relieved when everything is finished!

Considering we just had to buy a new refrigerator because ours stopped working, I think we will put any other projects on hold temporarily.

The View from Here

I mentioned earlier about several projects that we started but haven't finished. We officially finished Project B (the landscaping)! We bought the plants on Sunday and then planted them Monday night. This took a huge burden off my shoulders. 

Just in case you don't remember what it looked like:

After Removal

Before

Get ready for the big reveal!

 

 It has so much more depth and color than I anticipated. I can't wait to see what it looks like in a few weeks!

Weekend Warriors

Memorial Day weekend we decided to take on not one but two projects.

Project A: Tiling our back splash

We started the whole kitchen remodel project a year an a half ago. The only thing to finish is the back splash. I picked out some tile and an accent piece several times only to go back to my originals.. We started on Monday with the assistance of my mom and have almost completed one wall and part of the other wall. It is slow moving but It looks great! It will be a relief when it is finished.

Project B: Removal and Replacement of hideous bushes

We had 10 hideous Yew bushes. In my opinion they are hideous. With the help of my father-in-law and one of our friends we got them all removed last Saturday. I am so excited to pick out their replacements. Unfortunately our time has been limited.

After

Before

I am glad we have finally started both of these projects, I just wish we would have finished one before starting the other one!

My New Main Squeeze... Kettlebells

As you may or may not know, I recently bought 3 kettlebells. It took some time because I had to convince Tim of their value. I am not sure why because I bought them with my birthday money. Yes, I still get birthday money. I also bought the heavier set in case he wanted to join in the fun. I know super thoughtful of me.

My strength training routine was boring and repetitive. I was not getting the results I expected and thus it was a time for change. I have had my eye on a set of kettlebells for quite some time. I like to sit on a purchase just to make sure its something I really want or need. I picked up my Kettlebells Wednesday night and I also downloaded an exercise routine from the web. I burnt the files to DVD so I could follow along in real time.

I set my alarm for 6:30 AM and went downstairs to warm-up. I popped the DVD in and learned the exercises without weight before I did the full routine loaded. Proper form is very important to avoid injury. Many of the moves involve your lower back, hips, and glutes. Some of the moves were in my previous strength training routine. Some examples are Romanian Dead Lifts, Goblet Squats, and Lunges. There were a few moves that were new to me, High Pulls, Halos, and Sling Shots. I love the new variety of exercises along with the different equipment. The set that I purchased has 3 phases and you stay on each phase for 4 weeks before moving on.

I am not overly sore but nevertheless I do have some muscle soreness. Its just the perfect amount, enough for me to know I worked my muscles efficiently but not so much that I am too sore to exercise tomorrow.  I can't wait to see the results!

29 Years

Yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday!  Sometimes I can't believe I am almost 30 years old. Sometimes I wish I wasn't this old. There are certain goals I thought I would obtain by the time I reached that milestone but only one really bothers me.
 

I always thought that I would be finished having kids by the time I was 30. Yet here I am at 29 with zero kids and nothing to show for it but a broken heart. I struggle with infertility on a regular basis. I try not to bother tell people about this particular aspect of my life because it is very personal. In some aspects it makes me feel inferior. I know in my heart there is some reason I have not been blessed with a child, but it does not lessen the pain.

We have been trying to get pregnant for about two and a half years. Some of that time has been spent trying to getting a diagnosis (PCOS), and then another diagnosis (high cholesterol). We started with a natural approach before we knew there was a problem and then progressed to a medical approach. The medical approach did not start out kind to me. The side effects of the first drug, clomid, were enough to scare me off for a while so we tried the natural approach again aided by acupuncture. We have been on a break for the last three months because of the high cholesterol which could be from the PCOS. I don't know what caused what or how to fix it. We are where we are for some specific reason.  It doesn't matter that everything to this point has been unsuccessful. We followed our path. We followed our hearts.

 

Although our journey has been rough I would not change our path no matter the outcome.

"Boat" Shoes

So I was not a fan of the boat shoe at first. I think it was because of the reason that I thought people were wearing them: to be trendy and cute.

I recently bought a pair because I got a really great deal on them and they have memory foam insoles. I can honestly say these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. To add another reason we also have a pontoon boat. Because we are boat people I feel the need to have "boat" shoes. They make me feel fancy. The shoes not the boat. Although now that I think about it the boat should make me feel fancy not the shoes.

My mom reminded me about a pair of shoes that I had when I was little.  I referred to them as my "deck" shoes. If we went anywhere I would have them on and I would not let them leave my feet if I could help it. I think they were a pair of Eastlands that closely resemble a pair of plain boat shoes. Perhaps I have always been a fan of "boat" shoes and just didn't remember. 

My replacement "deck" shoes seem to be getting just as much wear as the originals. I have no intentions of taking them off any time soon.

Abandon Ship!

This past weekend we ventured up to our lake house with the intent of getting our boat from the marina. Sometimes plans don't pan out. 

My husband, father-in-law, and two brother-in-laws went to the marina. While they were there they discovered that the battery had been stolen and our steering cable had snapped. Oh what fun! 

Apparently they caught the person that thieved all of the batteries from the marina and surrounding neighbors. It was a kid who had a father with a tremendously long rap sheet. I guess this particular apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

The steering cable snapped when they put the boat back in the water before my family arrived at the marina. This put a hitch into our weekend plans but I suppose I should look at the positives. I am positive I would have freaked out if I went to the marina and received all of the wonderful news. I am positive I would have freaked out if the steering broke while I was on the boat. I am also positive that I would have freaked if I had to paddle a 28ft pontoon boat back to the marina after said steering broke. I am just glad I wasn't there and didn't have to deal with it.

All in all it wasn't a bad weekend even if we didn't get the boat from the marina. I had a wonderful time with my family and can't wait to go back to enjoy time on the repaired boat!

Homemade Almond Butter

This past weekend I decided to try my hand at making my own almond butter. The process was very simple and the result was amazing.

I did two batches of almond butter, one raw and one roasted. The only difference was for the roasted batch, I roasted my almonds in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees before throwing them in the food processor. I did have to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to allow everything to be processed. I added a little salt once the butter started to get to the creamy stage. 

The raw butter took a little longer around 15 minutes. The roasted almond butter took around 12 minutes. All in all it was a very productive day. This will save me about $2 per jar and I know exactly what ingredients are used! I can't wait to try it in my protein bars.

Going "Nuts"

I somewhat recently discovered that I cannot eat peanut butter. PB & J was my go to sandwich all through elementary school. I don't have a severe reaction to it but I do tend to become nauseous. Enough so that I have to take something and hope I don't see it a second time. It took several times of ingesting it before I realized it was the culprit. The pain that had me in the fetal position on the couch no longer controls me.

My favorite candy bars tended to be ones with chocolate and peanuts or chocolate and peanut butter. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed when I found out. Granted I don't need the candy and it's probably the best thing to ever happen to me. Since I can't eat my favorite candy anymore I have started making my own granola type protein bars. This helps me in 2 ways. One, I have something to eat for breakfast that is quick and easy. Two I have something to eat as a snack that is healthy and quite delicious. It satisfies my sweet tooth without destroying my nutrition goals.

With that being said my protein bars use almond butter instead of the dreaded peanut butter. I am not sure if you know this or not but almond butter is fairly expensive when compared to peanut butter. I checked out a recipe book from my local library and in it there was a recipe for making guess what, that's right, almond butter! Let me tell you I was so excited that I did a little dance. I have not had a chance to make it yet but I have no doubt that it will be just as delicious and just as flavorful as the stuff I buy at the store.

As a side note, I do a good portion of my shopping at Sam's Club and they have a 3 pound bag of whole almonds for about $10. I have been buying them to chop and put in my granola bars but now they will have a whole new purpose: making almond butter which will also be used in my granola bars.

You may be able to tell how excited I am about making my almond butter by now since I have dedicated an entire post about it. I hope to have time this weekend to give it a whirl. I will keep you posted!

Hidden Clutter

The other day I decided I was going to run some errands all by myself. I know, big step, right? I knew Tim wouldn't mind because he usually hates shopping. 

I started off by running to the grocery store and got ingredients to make some homemade protein bars. Then I ran to the auto parts store to get some new windshield wipers. I can now see out of my windshield and I don't have to worry about the weather. Then I ran to Target and got some baskets. Which leads to the rest of the story....

My downstairs bathroom closet has been bothering me for weeks. I got several baskets to organize it some time ago but I needed more baskets. The hodpodge of baskets and cut up cardboard boxes was driving me bonkers. While my husband was out I ripped out everything in the closet and reorganized it my newly acquired baskets. 

I had some leftover basic cardboard boxes that were also helping tame the clutter. They weren't the prettiest things in the world so I grabbed my spray paint and doused them in matte black. They actually look like they have some purpose and style now which is not saying much for my closet.

I didn't necessarily get rid of anything but I at least hid it in pretty containers. I won't be as closet-conscious

when someone takes a peak without me knowing.

All in all, I have to say it was a fairly productive day. My protein bars were quite delicious too.

Spring Training Part 2

So it turns out that I can't run the half marathon I was planning on. I was a little disappointed when I realized I had a wedding conflict. I was also relieved at the same time. I have never trained for something this quickly. 12 weeks doesn't seem that quick but I haven't been running very long which leads to many, many sore muscles.

I am taking this opportunity to reassess my goals. There is a 5K in May that I am planning on running and possibly a 10K in July. Once I hit these goals I may re-think the idea of running a half marathon. My legs are thanking me as I write this.

It's not that I don't want to run the half marathon. I was actually looking forward to trying to run 13.1 miles, to stepping outside of my comfort zone to accomplish something very different.  I guess I was just excited about the opportunity to run with my sister. We ran the Thanksgiving Day race a couple times in the past together but it has been a long time since I have been in running shape. I told her the news yesterday. We agreed to try to find another race to run together. Got to love family bonding!

Since I will be dialing back my training regimen I can start cross training again. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle both and I hated the idea of sacrificing my resistance training. I was beginning to miss the soreness from one too many squats. I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore.

4 Years in the Making

4 years ago today I married my husband Tim. I couldn't have imagined being this happy as a little girl.
Everyone always said they dreamed about what their wedding would be like or their dress. I wasn't one of those girls. I always felt that the person I chose to spend my life with would be more important than all of those things. I have to say I was right!

He is right for me in so many ways I couldn't possibly name them all. Maybe I will name a few in hopes that I will earn some brownie points.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). My doctor did not feel we would have any issues with regards to getting pregnant. However, the easy route is typically not the road that I have the opportunity to travel. He has been very supportive through all the tests, decisions, and let downs. I know in my heart I would not have this support from anyone else.

There are some days that are just awful. You know the ones where nothing goes right, at least how you think it should go. Those days are miserable to get through. I walk in the door and I have flowers sitting on the counter and his arms waiting to hold me. It's enough to put a smile on my face and allows me to put the day behind me.

Honestly, I think my favorite attribute about my husband is the fact that no matter the situation he can almost always make me laugh or smile. He has brought me through too many situations with a joke or a stupid comment, situations or memories that I could have easily cried through. He reminds me that no matter how bad I think a situation is there is always a silver-lining even if we can't see it or if it seems out-of- reach.

I thank God everyday that he has blessed me with such a wonderful man. My life would not be complete without such an integral piece of the puzzle.

Spring Training

I think I may have taken on more than I can handle. My sister recently sent me a picture of my niece and nephew passed out in the jogging stroller after a two mile run. (Aren't they adorable?) I then proceed to ask if she is training for something. She informs me that she is running a half marathon and asks if I would run with her.  So many thoughts run through my head but the one that makes it out is, "Sure. Let me see if I can run two miles without dying." 

To my surprise I did run 2 miles without dying Friday morning and another 2 miles Saturday morning. I ran much slower than I anticipated but I guess that was to be expected. The only hiccup I ran into, (pun intended) was a minor blister on my toe because of my shoes. I switched them out and Saturdays run was perfect.

I only have 12 weeks to train for those unforgiving 13.1 miles so naturally I started training immediately. Today marks the first full week of training and I will run a total of 7.5 miles.  I couldn't even tell you the last time I ran 2 miles before last week let alone 7. Oh well all in good time.

I did tell myself I would be in running shape for this years Thanksgiving Day Race so this is a good way to prepare myself.

Wake Up Call

I love working out in the mornings! I make better choices throughout the day and I have time to sit and relax in the evening. The only problem is dragging myself out of bed.

I was in a great habit about 6 months ago of getting up but something happened and my routine changed. I can't pinpoint what exactly but here I am hitting the snooze button 15 times before I actually get up. I barely have enough time to shower, get dressed, and get to work on time let alone exercise.

A few days ago I had an epiphany! Move your alarm clock so you get your lazy butt out of bed. I mentioned this to hubs to see how he felt about it. He was not as enthusiastic as I was about the idea. I couldn't possibly understand why not. The logic made perfect sense to me. If i had to get up to turn the annoying beep off then I would already be up and it would be downright silly to go back to bed.

While the hubs was out last night I decided to move my alarm clock anyway! I put it on his dresser which is across the room for me. He didn't even notice it when he walked into the bedroom, mission accomplished. I set my alarm clock to wake me up with enough time to exercise and still get ready for work. It was amazing. I got up walked over turned it off and went straight to the bathroom to change.  I had broken past my will to sleep. I do enjoy a good sleep but I like the feeling of accomplishing something before I even start my work day.

I don't think he was very annoyed because he probably slept better without the beeps every 5 minutes. Score: 1 for me and alarm clock 0. Let's see if I can do it again tomorrow.

Progress

I have been tinkering with the idea of starting a blog for a few months. Scratch that. I started a blog a few months ago but then deleted it. I wasn't sure about the idea of posting my thoughts online for the world to see. As a matter of fact I'm still not. 

I took this leap again because I have always enjoyed writing. I may not be the best writer but I write what I feel. I typically use writing as a coping mechanism. I find myself writing poetry when I am emotional. It has pulled me through some very trying times.

My main intention with this blog is to find a way to express and improve myself. Hence the name WorkSchapp. I like to think of life and myself as a work in progress. I am not perfect and probably never will be but the idea of improving and becoming better is very appealing and I am sure my husband wouldn't mind that either!