Sleep, Hydration and Missing Foods

Since I posted my last update I've been attempting to improve my sleep (so, so important to health) and decrease my headaches. A note about the headaches: They are like no headaches I have had because they are so mild, rest on my face more than my head and I can tolerate them very well. They are like that buzz your refrigerator makes that you don't notice for hours and then suddenly you're like, "You've been annoying me all day!".

Sleep:

For sleeping purposes, I had to adjust my cat's desire for waking me up at all hours. I've added catnip playtime right before I go to bed and it seems to have helped them. They still get antsy around 6am, but I have noticed I'm sleeping for 6 hours before I wake up naturally. I do feel loads better, but I still feel I am not getting enough sleep. I would like to sleep 8 hours.

I may look into adding Vitamin D and Magnesium to my nightly ritual (right now I take Niacin and no other medication or vitamins). I'm also wondering if I need some potassium which can be found in Avocados and Salmon.

Headaches:

I upped my water intake to help deal with the face-ache and it has helped a lot, but there is still this nagging bit hanging about. I was laying around this morning in bed with curiosity and realized that some of what I am feeling is reminiscent of the after effects of my (also mild) migraines. My migraines are linked to my digestion. So, I'm wondering if it's just my digestion readjusting itself to the improvements I'm making *and* I'm wondering if I'm missing some sort of food.

While I am totally sated and eating protein, veggies and the right fat, I am not sure I'm getting enough fat. I am not shy about eating good fats (Coconut oil, animal fat, extra virgin olive oil), but as I think about it, what I am eating may not be adding enough because it's pretty lean.

I'll add a bit more and report back the results -- remember, this is partly an experiment to see what happens in a month. If it's not working for me either because I still don't feel 100% or I'm not seeing any improvements I'll adjust for the next 30 days to see. What once worked 3 years ago may not work since I am getting to that age of major womanly changes.

Food I'll add:

Usually I can tell what my body is craving, but I can't this time so I'm going to guess and add some avocado as a snack to the mix. Mmmm. Actually, I may make tacos as one of my weekly meals. YUM!

I actually make my own taco seasoning and have since I completed this challenge in 2014. It's actually cheaper and has no preservatives:

2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sea salt
¼-½ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

You can mix and match to your own taste. You may, for example, want to add black pepper.

We then make homemade pico -- OMG, you'll never go back. Tomato, red onions, pickled jalapenos, cumin, salt, pepper.

The guacamole is simply 1 or 2 avocados mashed up with some of the homemade pico added. Then we usually salt and pepper to taste.

Now we just need iceberg lettuce for the taco shells, ground beef cooked with the taco seasoning and tabasco sauce for me (paleo makes me LOVE hot sauce -- and most other hot sauces have preservatives to I stick to this). My mouth is watering now.

Weight loss:

I'm down 7.3lbs as of day 11. I lost 5lbs in the first few days and since then it's been pretty slow with many days at the same weight. I'd be lying if I said it's not hard to see changes in the scale, but I remind myself that this is a lifestyle change and I am doing it as part of a journey to be healthier. As I have gotten older (I'm 44) I have noticed that my feet don't carry me as far without complaint, my knees are hyperextended and I often have moments of sharp pain because my muscles have atrophied. I see weight loss as one equation to lightening the load, but more importantly as the first step that will lead me back to weight lifting to strengthen my body.

Mood:

My mood's been really solid throughout. I feel balanced, calm and focused on meeting whatever needs pop up. I had one evening where I felt lonely and a bit sad but that's not so abnormal anyway -- life is not always roses. I'm an introvert and spend lots of time by myself -- I need to -- but sometimes I realize I need my friends and at times I realize that after I've already felt the pangs of loneliness. I actually bounced back by first confiding to my husband how I felt, getting a much-needed hug, and then making plans with friends. I don't think it had anything to do with paleo.

Exercise:

I really haven't done much exercise, not because I don't want to, but because I recognize that if I pile too many challenges on at once I will stop them all. I feel like any desire to eat crap has faded and it might be time to add exercise more consistently. What I need most is to strengthen my muscles so that my core and knees are more supported. Oh, wait! I started a plank challenge yesterday so that is a start to core work. Here's where I want to be again -- I love my muscles! 

This is me at my goal weight with one major difference -- I was lifting weights so I was leaner and much stronger than I am right now. That said, it only took me about 3 months to get here. If you are curious, in this photo I am performing in a musical number -- cell block tango -- such fun! He definitely had it comin'.

Incidentally, notice how oily my face is. I actually solved this problem by switching to washing my face with -- you never will believe this -- OIL! I'll write a separate post on this.

Writing this blog helps me stay excited and curious to see what happens in 30 days. Thanks for joining me on this journey. 

Paleo Reboot with Fast-5 Fasting

Something Had to Change to Prepare me

Three days ago I began another 30 day Paleo challenge. This time I'm upping my game to include Fast-5 Fasting. I completed my previous 30 day Paleo challenge in January of 2014 with amazing results. I lost 15lbs, yes, but the most miraculous thing was that my aching joints no longer ached -- this, without exercising regularly. I was floored. And then I blew it and started eating ice cream again. Frozen yogurt actually. Kemps to be exact.

I then began working at a job I loved and that simultaneously took over my life. I was solely responsible for all of our customers and I worked 14-16 hour days and several hours each weekend. There were times I pulled all-nighters to finish projects because I didn't have time during the day while constantly interacting with customers. I got used to it. It became normal for me. But it was at the expense of everything else, including my health.

Something had to change. Ultimately I left my job and started my own coaching business which freed up time and energy to take notice of my life and make some changes. I made several attempts, backed by great motivational energy, only to watch each fizzle quickly. I tried being accountable and muscled through my commitments only to backslide immediately. "Why was I doing this to myself?" I wondered.

It was only when I began working on healing myself through a modality called Somatic Experiencing that I began to feel an internal shift. It wasn't miraculously causing me not to overeat or choose poorly -- that had become a habit -- but it gave me the strength and energy I needed to change that habit. I felt like a sculpture, where pieces of my protective, but outdated self, were dropping off and I began feeling more alive. It sparked hope that I could not only control my actions but actually transform who I was so I no longer sabotaged my health. I was so moved by this that I immediately signed up for a 3-year certification in Somatic Experiencing and now use it extensively in my coaching, but that's a different story and you can read more about that on my website (launching soon - I will retroactively update this post).

The reason I bring this backstory up is because food was actually serving and protecting me, and I was trying to get rid of it. That's why I was failing. Deep down I didn't want to be rid of it. Food had become my coping mechanism and I wasn't respecting the work it was doing for me. With the healing I had begun and continue to do, I am now ready to remove it as a coping strategy. This is important. If anyone reads this and gets a burst of motivation to do this challenge it's important you know what your body reaches for when it feels unsafe, stressed, threatened, angry, lonely, anxious, tired, overworked, excited, etc. If it's food and you don't have an alternate, you may not be ready to complete this challenge. And that's okay.

I feel able to complete this challenge because of the healing I've already done and will continue to do, a rediscovery of reading for fun -- one of my new coping mechanisms -- and watching a lot of TV shows. I look at the three of those things and realize that last one is not healthy for me, but I also am wise enough to know I still need it. Maybe a future challenge, when I'm ready, will be to give up TV for a month. Whoops, my chest just got tight at the thought...

Now, let's get into the details...

My Plan

I know myself -- I am most successful in completing something if I'm curious and strict. I like knowing that I have yet to learn what I will notice when doing a strict challenge. I like challenges to be black and white. No wiggle room. No cheat days. No "close enough". If I have wiggle room, it will cause me to spiral down. A cheat day will turn into a cheat year. Wiggle room taints the results for me. 

My plan is to be strictly paleo and to eat within one 5-hour window each day and go to bed at 10pm (asleep by 10:30). I am combining paleo with a program called Fast-5 Fasting. This is the only area where I'm giving myself some leeway. I will aim for 3pm - 8pm but know that social engagements may dictate I start earlier. In each case, I will keep it to 5 hours. 

I may make mistakes. I imagine there may be times when I revert back to using food as a way to quell anxiety. I may give in and have breakfast. I may go out with friends and stay out until, gulp, 11pm! I will forgive these mistakes and move on. Any correlations will be included as part of my findings as I did in 2014. This time in addition to weight, I am tracking mood and skin. I may also dabble in measuring my body but that just feels like work so probably not.

Why Blog?

A lot of people will set out on a health journey and blog to be accountable. I have found that being accountable to other people doesn't work for me. It actually just adds to my stress and shame and ultimately makes me more prone to fail. However, I love data analysis and am thrilled when I can help someone else be inspired. I get excited when I think about sharing my results at the end of this 30 days and that is why I'm publishing a blog. Keeping a blog helps me keep my reasons at the forefront. I may write daily, I may write weekly or something in between. I hope you enjoy!

What I've noticed so far

As I said, today is the morning of day 3.

• I've lost 5.1lbs or 18% of my total weight loss goal of 28 pounds. Weight loss always happens super quickly for me in the first 2 weeks of a strict program. 
• I've had a very faint headache on and off for the entire 3 days. I gave up caffeine in 2014, sort of. I almost never drink caffeinated coffee. I also gave up all beverages but water or soda water and only had soda when I went out to eat. But in the last 6 months or so I started drinking diet soda in bursts until there was a danger of it becoming a habit. Most soda has caffeine. I think I am going through withdrawal. It is not nearly as bad as what I went through in 2014. OMG!
• I was mellow and slightly moody on day 1. It also coincided with a somatic experiencing session I had where a lot of anger surfaced. Then I had to have about 10 conversations with myself about why I was not going to get a decaf coffee with sugar-free vanilla and cream from McDonald's. I finally was able to convince myself the rib-eye steaks and asparagus Bryan was cooking for us later would be my focus. It worked each of the 10 times I tried to justify having a coffee or the insides of the breakfast sandwich (no bread, but sausage is soooo processed). 
• On day 2 my mood was calm and good.
• I have noticed I'm tired at night. This is a good thing. 
• I am proud of myself. :) This is the best part so far and what I need most. 

Do You Recognize Your Poop?

Hey Cave Clan (too silly?)

I came home from work feeling so happy today! Let's review:

• I was stuck behind a slow car for most of the commute and as soon as it moved, I sped up for about 500 feet until a giant wide load trailer pulled out in front of me. The commute sucked.
• I walked into the office 10 minutes late to the wonderful aroma of coffee. Meh.
• I had 7 back to back meetings from 10 to 5 (I'm including lunch) so I stayed until about 7:30 to finish up some things. 
• I had to stop at the grocery store to grab some chicken to cook because I didn't plan ahead and defrost any. 
• My car didn't drive up to me like I wanted it to. When I left the building I had to walk to IT.

Most other days I'd be annoyed. Today I wasn't. I didn't even get home until 8:20 or so and still enjoyed cooking my dinner, telling Bryan about my day, eating my dinner, watching a little TV, and snuggling with Bryan. And now, I'm writing my blog. I'm in a great mood. Is it from eating Paleo? Who knows? I'll see if this becomes a trend. 

A few updates:

Food: We made tacos last night and they were SOOOO delicious. We used this recipe from The Fittest Fat Phat Girl's site to make the taco seasoning. What a great name. I wish I'd thought of it. Then we made homemade guacamole: Mash up two avocados and add homemade pico de gallo, sprinkle a little cumin and salt and YUM! Bryan makes the best pico by dicing red onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, lime juice and cumin. It is TO DIE FOR! We use it standalone, in the guac and to cook with eggs. Addictive, I tell you. Oh, but don't worry, we didn't use tacos, we used iceberg lettuce. With the first bite we noticed the lettuce overpowered it so we sprinkled hot sauce on it and BOOM (not BAM!) it made it perfect. 

Headache: I woke up with no headache so I was pretty psyched about that. Today was my first day back in the office since I started and I was looking forward to a headache free day. Well, it didn't last long. By 10ish I started to feel it and I had it all day. Excedrin rescued me. Hey, I know there's caffeine in it, but I gotta work! The good news is that it was much milder than the other days. I was chatting with a couple of my coworkers about Paleo and giving up caffeine and one of them told me it took his wife 3 weeks to get it completely out of her system. Strangely enough, that comforts me. 

Slept pretty well last night except for when Kitty woke me up at 5:45am. I went back to sleep until my alarm went off with no issues. I seem to be falling asleep faster because I don't really remember it. You know how you wake up and you're like "Oh! It's morning" rather than "Uh, I was up until 1am last night!"? It's nice. 

Poop: I took a picture to show you all. Just kidding. I did find this poop link though. Do you recognize YOUR poop? BTW, the inner workings do seem to be getting better but it's early yet. Taking probiotics and magnesium daily. 

Finally, my weight: I decided to go naked because ensuring the clothes are the same weight is not easy when you have to leave the house and go to work like an adult. The first 5 days I was pretty much wearing leggings and a t-shirt, which, btw, doubles as my pjs. Soon it will triple as workout gear. So I estimate I've lost 4-5lbs so far but can't be sure so we'll officially start counting down today: Since I DO have a goal weight I know that I Have 20.3lbs to go. Tomorrow I hope I land below 20lbs. Maybe I should start a betting pool.

PS: Sorry for the misleading title. I bet you looked though. ;-)

Time to get my quality sleep now. Night night Readers.