New Measurements

Here are the measurements that I took before starting the WLC.  Speaking of the WLC....it is not going so well!  Crap. Between Maddie's injury, my quad and now my wrist and some extra stress around this house we haven't done nearly as well as we could have.  For the most part the weekdays are fantastic with very few cheats, but the weekends are all over the place.  The bad thing is that I feel terrible after consuming the very things that are supposed to be "exciting" to eat.  I think I'm going to be able to get my act together this week though!

I also decided that I'm keeping oatmeal in the morning. There is just no other way for me to get around it and feel half way decent.  The whole dairy-free thing has been easy and really so has the grain-free...it's the whole eating out and cheating thing that has thrown me.  I think we are just going to go forward doing the best that we can do.  Eating almond butter and natural pb seems to make me put on weight and bloat much more than PB2, so despite the 1 gram of sugar I'm going to allow PB2.

From the last time I did measurements this is where I am:

Chest: 31.75   (same)
Waist: 25.5   (-1.0)
L Arm: 10 (-.75)
R Arm: 10 (-.75)
L Thigh: 18 (-2.0)
R Thigh: 18.25 (-1.75)
Hips: 35.75 (-1.0)

BMI:  20.9% (+1.4%)
Weight: 118 (- 2.5 lbs)

We'll see where I am in mid-November.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Rich and I went on a cooking/baking spree Sunday so that we would be well stocked for our start of the WLC.  After spending an hour in Walmart and $150, we were set for the week and beyond. Once we got home we made Paleo Banana Bread, chicken vegetable soup (huge batch), chicken legs on the grill, brussel sprouts, sauteed peppers and onions, and some pumpkin pancakes.  Doesn't sound too tasty when you put them all together, but separately they are delicious!

Pumpkin Pancakes (adapted from PB Fingers)
Makes 12 pancakes
 
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup almond flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 scoop vanilla egg protein
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 2 heaping tbsp almond butter
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or as needed to thin)

Directions:

• Mixed all ingredients together until well blended.
• Heat griddle to 400 degrees
• Pour batter on griddle and cook 2-4 mins per side or until golden. 

Banana Bread (Paleo)

I had to make a slight adaptation to the recipe that I found over at Mom Gone Paleo because the WLC does not allow honey. I also left out the salt and added in some egg protein.  This recipe was FANTASTIC.  For something without salt or sugar it was dang good and didn't taste like it was missing a thing!  

 Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 scoop vanilla egg protein
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups of almond flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix wet ingredients or use food processor to smooth out bananas.
• Add in dry ingredients until well mixed. 
• Pour into greased pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Enjoy with some butter!

Day 2 and 3

Grain-free other than the a.m. oatmeal!  It's turning out that this isn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be....yes, it is difficult to change things up, but finding foods that are grain-free are not.  It's plain and simple, you eat whole foods like veggies, fruits, nuts, and meats and stay away from anything processed/packaged or with grains.

Don't get me wrong, when I got a text asking me what I wanted from Bodos (local bagel shop) it pained me to say two eggs, no bagel.  However, the temptation latest for just a few seconds and I think my will power is here to stay.

Yesterday's meals:

• Old fashioned oats, flax, chia, almond milk, protein
• PWO shake
• Apple with cottage cheese and cinnamon
• Mixed greens, a few raisins, 1/2 avocado, balsamic dressing/olive oil
• 3 grain-free pancakes with strawberries
• turkey burger (no bun), caramelized onions, steamed cauliflower and broccoli 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk before bed

Today (so far):

• Oatmeal
• PWO shake
• 2 scrambled eggs
• Leftover turkey burger, onions, cauliflower
• Salad for snack
• Birthday dinner with Rich....we'll see if it is grain-free!

Grain-free Pancakes

Thanks to The Paleo Project for saving me last night when I was craving some carbs and hungry for grains! 

Rich and I switched up the recipe for Paleo Pancakes a bit and added some strawberry reduction.

Thank the Lord for these!!  YUM, especially if you like bananas!

Messy Vitamix

Grain-free Pancakes

 Ingredients:

• 3 bananas
• 1 scoop vanilla egg protein
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
• splash of vanilla extract
• any toppings you want (strawberries, blueberries, nuts, honey, etc.)

Directions:

• Heat griddle to 400 degrees.
• Place all ingredients in food processor (or Vitamix) and mix thoroughly. 
• Heat up strawberries with a little Stevia on the stove top.
• Pour batter onto griddle and cook for a minute or two on each side until brown.  
• Top with fruit and enjoy!

No Grains - Day 1

Alright, so it actually wasn't a total grain-free day, but I'm not ready to give up my morning oatmeal yet!  I'll wait until next week to take that plunge. 

Today's meals:

• Oatmeal, flax, chia, protein powder, almond milk
• PWO shake (banana, strawberries, egg protein, almond milk, ice)
• Apple and 1/2 cup cottage cheese with cinnamon (NO dairy next week!)
• Mixed greens with avocado and olive oil and a can of tuna (yep, ate it right outta the can)
•  Grilled chicken, asparagus, garbanzo beans

6 more days...

Until the Whole Life Challenge starts!  After indulging in things that I normally don't eat last week (one candy bar, ice cream, and plenty of bread), Rich and I are going to ease ourselves into a grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free challenge .  Starting tomorrow, we are only going to eat grains with breakfast.  That means no bread or pasta the rest of the day.  I really think the hardest part for me will be giving up my oatmeal for breakfast.  It's a habit that will be hard to break! 

Just for the record, I'm not all for cutting out things completely (like grains/dairy), but I am up for the challenge and I'm intrigued to see what the results will be like.  I know the first couple of weeks will be hard, but at least Rich is doing it with me so we can push each other to stay on the right path.  I'm sure there will be some cheats here and there, but that is okay as well (at least for us!). 

If you want to learn more about joining the challenge, check out Courtney's link at Petite Athleat.

Whole Life Challenge

A read about the Whole Life Challenge through Courtney at A Petite Athleat a couple of weeks ago and thought that it sounded TOUGH, and I mean really tough in the nutrition department, but who isn't up for a challenge, right?

From their website: 
The purpose of The Whole Life Challenge is to see what sort of impact you can have on your 
body,your fitness and your lifestyle habits over the course of 8 weeks, and to train in having a
health and fitness practice that is practical and sustainable for the long term. There are three
categories that make up the criteria for the game:

1. Performance - How much can you improve in a workout (faster time, more reps, better score)?
2. Body - How many inches can you lose off of your body (based on circumferential measurements)?
3. Lifestyle & Accountability - How consistent can you be over 56 days in maintaining healthy habits
   and being accountable for your results in your daily life?

The main focus for me would have to be nutrition because the guidelines are extremely strict.  I'm interested to see what would happen if I cut out grains and dairy, which is exactly what a lot of trainers ask their clients to do for 8 weeks when they first start working out and cleaning up their diets.  In fact, I've already opted to cut out a lot of these on my own.  However, I know I am going to be hurting without my morning oatmeal and cottage cheese for a snack.

If anyone is interested in participating, let me know.  Check out the rules on the website first.  I had to sign-up under Courtney's affiliate since I do not belong to an affiliate.  I'll send you her link if you are interested. The madness begins on September 15th.