Spaghetti Squash & the Caveman Diet

Hello Folks,

Today I would like to talk to you about this new diet I am on. Raise your hand if you have heard of the Paleo  Diet, also known as the "Caveman Diet."

Well for those of you who haven't, let me tell you a little about it, remember I am no expert just a chubby girl trying to be super hot and fit. The Paleo diet basis itself on eating food that Cavemen used to eat, it talks about how fit they were and how they could run for long periods of time without physically exhausting themselves and if we eat these foods we can be lean, fit and have lots of energy too.  The diet consists of eating lean meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts. You're supposed to eat grass fed and organic products because this is how the Caveman ate their food. You are also supposed to eliminate all processed foods (nothing out of a box or can), dairy, and all white and wheat flour products. That is basically the concept of the Paleo Diet.

I am on my third week of the diet and I have mixed feelings about it. My work wife suggested that we try this diet out for one month, we had just signed up for Crossfit classes and she had read that most people who do Crossfit workouts are on the Paleo diet. I decided to give it a shot without really knowing too much about it (I still don't know that much about it, I am a beginner). The first 3 days were hell for me, my body went into shock without the carbs that I normally filled it with while I was training for the marathon. I felt lightheaded, weak and cranky. On the fourth day I started to feel a little better and by the following week I was back to my old self again. I was surprised that I didn't feel worse considering I had eliminated caffeine from my diet and I was starting to get addicted to it. On my runs I usually always took some form of caffeine, either through tea or coffee, some extreme sport beans, or an amino acid powdered drink. Now, I am doing the Crossfit workouts which are super intense by the way (that is for another post) without any form of caffeine and I feel great. I am allowing myself a cheat meal once a week or I would go crazy and pull all of my hair out and I am a fan of my hair so I would like to keep it in tact.

Mixed Feelings (after 2 and a half weeks):

1. I have not lost any weight (pounds) but I have lost 1% body fat

2. I feel thinner and therefore have more confidence

3. I am not sure if the results are because of Crossfit or the diet or both (I should have tried one first then incorporated the other. I am not good at this science stuff people)

4. I love carbs and I could never go completely without them

5. I am not a fan of meat. Sure I eat it, but it is not my favorite thing on the plate

In Conclusion, (I am feeling a little fancy right now if you haven't noticed) I will continue with the Paleo Diet for the week and a half I have left, but afterwards it's back to my regular diet. Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and wheat bread, I miss you and I will see you soon! As for Crossfit, I love it and because I love it I will be writing a post about it so stay tuned!

Spaghetti Squash

It's super easy to make and carb free! Just cut the Spaghetti Squash in half, bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees, then scrape the squash with a spoon, it will look just like spaghetti. I made the meat sauce with lean ground turkey, pasta sauce, bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions.

Spaghetti Squash after being baked (right: has already been scraped)

Spaghetti Squash 

With Meat Sauce

-Crystal

Running a Marathon: Who Said Fat Girls Can't Run?!

Hello Folks,

I know it's been a while, my apologies. I have been busy training for the marathon and coaching soccer and working and trying to live. You know how that can get.

For those 5 of you who read this blog, you already know that I have been training to run my first marathon. I actually ran it two Sunday's ago (10/14/12). I ran the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. There were over 25,000 people running in the marathon/half marathon and it is one of the largest organized runs in the country. It was definitely the most intense experience of my life. It has taken me a week to digest my feelings about this huge accomplishment in my life and I feel it is only appropriate to break down my feelings to you folks as they came.

The Marathon Itself

I'ts about to get real honest up in this blog! Truth: Crystal ate like a baby hefer on the Friday before the run and in turn had "the runs" and they were not the business. DO NOT PIG OUT before running 26.2 miles, your body will not know what to do with all of the greasy food and will try to get rid of it as quick as it can. Sitting on the toilet while sightseeing in San Francisco is NOT the business!

With that being said, I started the run having to use the restroom and held it until mile 8 because I wanted to make my goal of completing in under 5 hours and the lines for the porta potti's were ridiculously long! Yeah, you can imagine how uncomfortable my first 8 miles were. Needless to say I was running at a decent pace. I made sure to hydrate at each aide station and I was eating sport beans every 4 miles.

At mile 11 I saw my family cheering me on, it sent a huge surge of energy through me and I had some of my fastest mile times after seeing them. Miles 11-16 were all in under 10 minutes and closer to 9:30. I don't know how I would have done it without their support! Thank you Adrianna, Christina, and Terri! I love you guys very much and it meant the world to me that you came to support me!!!

Mile 20: AKA: THE WALL - At mile 20 I hit a wall. I was both physically and emotionally exhausted. I didn't want to run anymore and I didn't know how I was going to finish off the last 6 miles. I had to yell at myself and give myself multiple pep talks just to keep up the run/walk. My phone died and with that so did my music. So it was just me and my aching body slowly chugging along like the Little Engine That Could.

Last Mile, Home Stretch: Somehow I found the strength to run the last mile. Don't ask me how but I did it! Seeing my family at the finish line was so wonderful because I knew I had done it! When crossing the finish line I was greeted by a hot fireman holding my Tiffany necklace, life couldn't have been any better at that moment.

When I finally crossed the finish line and was reunited with my family, I got the sudden urge to cry. I was so relieved that I actually completed the marathon and that I made it in my goal time. I wanted to cry because my body was aching and I was exhausted and didn't know if it was worse to sit, walk, or stand. I wanted to cry because I never thought I could run a marathon. And finally, I wanted to cry because I was the fat girl who couldn't jog more than a block and now I was a mean running machine! As much as I wanted to cry, I held in the tears, I was afraid once I started I would never stop! I finished the race in 4:57:39 and I came in 497 out of 1059. Not bad for my first marathon EVER!!!

Immediately After the Marathon

Right after the marathon and the next few days to come I was absolutely done with running. I wanted nothing to do with it! I was exhausted, my muscles ached, and I was very nauseous. I kept telling people I would never run another marathon again! And I didn't even want to think about doing another organized run. I had crossed that off my bucket list and I never wanted to think about it again! EVER!!!

After One Week

Now that I have had some time to process everything, I have a different outlook on the marathon. I still don't know if I will ever run another marathon again, but I don't hate the thought of running like I used to. I am extremely proud of myself for having accomplished this. It is not something that many people can say they have done in their life. And to me, this holds a very special place in my heart because when I was Fat Crystal I hated so much about myself, I doubted myself so much, and I never believed in myself. I was my own worst enemy and I was my biggest critic. And now, I am my biggest fan; I can pump myself up so much and running this marathon only confirms what I already knew, which is that I can do anything that I set my mind to. Just thinking about this statement makes me want to cry tears of joy because I am so proud of everything that I have accomplished. At one point in my life I was in such a dark place that I struggled to find a reason to live, and now I don't even know who that person was. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, I work hard, I have many goals, and I can't wait to accomplish them all! 

I wanted to share my experience with the blog world because I would like to let anyone who has ever doubted their abilities that they can do anything that they set their mind to. I used to be an almost 300 pound girl who couldn't even imagine the life that she has today and now I am a true believer! A believer in life, a believer in love, and a believer in the power of one's determination.

We are all capable of making miracles happen! Let's not forget that!

At Pier 39 with my cheering team (from left to right: Cousin Christina, Sister-in-Law Adrianna, and Aunt Terri)

Picking up my pre-race packet

Before the race

Running!

I did it!

My prize 

Necklace 

-Crystal

How to Take the Leap & Learn to be Confident

Let's talk about confidence. It's rare for an overweight person to feel confident in their body, right? Okay, I don't want to speak for everyone, but I will say, I have confidence issues. I may not show it and generally I would say I portray confidence (at least I think I do). However, when it comes to how I feel about my body, I lack confidence big time!

Take the Leap

So here is my challenge: I've decided for the benefit of our readers and of course, myself, I'm going to take the leap and just be confident. It's going to be hard at first. I'm going to have to change my way of thinking. I've already started trying to view things differently but it will still take time before I have confident thoughts instead of judging thoughts. Who does this? Who constantly judges themselves, or thinks others are or will judge them? It's a hard habit to stop, right?

To take the challenge, visit The Petite Athlete

A couple of days ago, I started a 30 day ab challenge. Abs are my weakest body part and it has always been a goal of mine to live a life without a kangaroo pouch. In an effort to take the leap and be confident in my own skin, I've decided to post some before pictures. I'm crossing my fingers that these pictures won't be in vain and there will be a visible difference in the after pictures.

Let me tell you, posting these pictures isn't easy. In the course of editing the post, I've added and removed them a number of times. Yet, in the end, if I have a plan to be a success story one day, I'll need to be confident that I'll get there. Posting these pictures will help me stay accountable and hopefully in the long run serve as inspiration to others looking to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

If you are planning on taking the 30 day ab challenge, don't worry about hitting those 300 reps right away. The first day I did the exercises, I only eeked out a total of 143 reps. The second day got a little easier with a total of 185 reps. By the end of the 30 days, I should be blasting out those 300 reps and sporting a leaner look.

Someone once told me, "Do the uncomfortable until it's comfortable." I'd have to say it has worked in other areas of my life and could certainly be applied to confidence. Remember, you've already made the first step, take it day by day and celebrate yourself! The confidence will soon come back without hesitation, but you have to take the leap. Trust yourself, love yourself and show yourself you can do it!

- Nikki





20 Miles!

Good morning Folks! Today I would like to talk to you about my 20 mile run on Saturday morning and more importantly about "Runner's High." A couple of months ago Evelyne (work wife) asked me about runner's high. She asked me if I get it and what it feels like. This was my response:

"Runner's High is a load of BULL. Sure I get it, but it doesn't last very long and when I do get it I think, hey I'm doing pretty well, I could keep up this pace, and then it all comes crashing down. I get a pain in some part of my leg, I start feeling tired, and reality sets in that I have to run 10 more miles or something crazy like that. My point being, Runner's High is not as cool as everyone makes it out to be."

I am here to tell you folks that I was completely WRONG. I felt the amazingness that is Runner's High this past Saturday. It started off like any other run, I was nervous because it was the longest run I have done to date and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run 20 miles. I left my house at 6 am and I started off slowly, I had a few aches and pains but they are normal for me until my body warms up. The route that I run has a lot of hills and usually when I run I have to take some breaks and walk the hills because I am tired and my leg muscles are aching. This time I felt great and I was able to run through all of the uphills. When I finally reached the 10 mile mark and had to turn back and run home I thought I was going to feel tired and dread the run back but boy was I wrong! 10 miles in and I felt absolutely wonderful! I knew that I was experiencing Runner's High and I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure that this great feeling was going to go away very soon and I would start feeling my normal aches and pains and tiredness but I was wrong. I kept running and running and I felt great. It was like nothing else mattered in the world, just me and the road. I felt such a great sense of accomplishment and pride because I knew that I was a runner and I felt like I had found my passion.

This high lasted for 6 miles until I stepped wrong and hurt my knee. Then the pain came and I knew that I had to take it slow and listen to my body. So I jogged and walked and tried to figure out what I did to hurt my knee. The last 2 miles got better and the last mile I felt the high again. I ran the 20 miles in 3:36:15. Yay Crystal!!!

All day Saturday I was beaming with joy and pride. I ran 20 miles! Me, formerly extremely obese Crystal, who could not run 1/2 a mile to save her life, is now a full on runner!!! I'm pretty sure I am still on a high right now just from thinking about the run.

I am here to say that Runner's High does exist! And any of you who are thinking of becoming runners or would like to experience the high should do it! Today is the day! It is the greatest feeling in the world! And it has really changed my perspective on running. I started running to lose weight, then I did it to challenge myself and prove that I could become a runner, and now I am doing it because I enjoy it. I am craving another run like the last one! I can't wait to feel the awesomeness again!

If Runner's High does really exist, does this mean that Santa Claus does too? ;-)

-Crystal

To Scale or Not to Scale, That is the Question

Today we are actually sitting down and writing a post together. A lot of our conversations lately have revolved around the scale and in order to fully satisfy our obsession, we've decided to give our input on the scale debate.

Crystal's View

I was obsessed with the scale. I probably talked to the scale, yelled at the scale and cried to the scale more than I did my close friends. I used to weigh myself once and often twice a day. The scale defined me and guided me and I felt I needed it. I needed to see that defining number to either tell me to be proud of myself for the hard work I did or to scold myself for my lack of will power. If I for some odd reason did not weigh myself I spent the entire day obsessing over the number that could have been. Wondering and guessing my weight, debating whether or not I should restrict my calories or indulge a little or step up my work outs or keep my same routine. 

Luckily for me, my obsession with the scale has decreased greatly in recent weeks. This last week I did not weigh for an entire week and guess what? It felt amazing! It was so liberating to be able to trust my own judgement and to know that I have all the tools that I need to continue to lose weight without needing to see a number. I weighed yesterday after my run and I was at 195.4. I couldn't be happier with the number I saw because I know I am still losing/maintaining. When I look in the mirror I see a happy, healthy, and hot Crystal and that's all that matters!

Nikki's View

Let's get this straight, the scale has never been my friend. I've gone for months without stepping on to weighing myself daily. What I've realized with both extremes is that while I do need to step on the scale to know my progress, I can still get a good feel of it by measuring myself or seeing how my clothes fit. 

The truth is, I know when I've been bad and when I've been good. The happy medium is probably different for every one but I've learned that mine is just two or three times a week. Alex and I do our competition weigh in on Fridays so on Mondays I'll weigh in to see how the weekend affected my progress. Sometimes, I'll weigh on Wednesday too, just to know if I really need to kick it up a notch.

Conclusion

Bottom line, weighing yourself is a great tool for staying on track, but don't obsess over it. Find YOUR happy medium.

To further test our theories, Crystal is going to go the next few weeks (until October 11 - when our challenge ends) without stepping on the scale. Nikki will continue to weigh in two to three times a week (no less, no more). At the end of the challenge, we will compare results and see just how valuable the scale is to weight loss.

- Crystal & Nikki

What My Toddler Taught Me About Eating

In "Personal Accountability" I mentioned that I view my daughter's nutrition as a blank canvas. I understand that the kind of food I allow her to eat will greatly affect her eating habits throughout her life. It took me up to this point to realize that this kind of care and consideration should also be put into my own eating habits. I'm not exactly sure when it all clicked but I know in just this last year Presley has taught me a lot about eating.

Presley enjoying some of Grandpa's watermelon

Pres enjoying carrots.

Lesson #1

Presley is constantly snacking. Her snacks of choice are carrots, strawberries, bananas, string cheese, cheerios, grapes, pretzels, and oranges. She usually tells us when she is hungry and I don't typically have a problem with giving her a snack if she asks. In observing her snacking habit, I've realized I should be doing the same. Often times when I get home from work I'm ready to eat and sometimes ravenous. This certainly isn't a good thing because when I get to this point I get moody (sometimes angry) and often make bad choices. 

I've started taking snack foods to work so I can fuel up on a snack before I leave. That way when I get home I'm ready to workout and even satisfied enough to wait out the process of cooking dinner. Making sure the snacks are healthy is another important step in this lesson. If I snacked on chips, sure it would have the same effect but it wouldn't fuel me for workouts the way nuts or string cheese does.

Lesson #2

If anyone eats around her, Presley will want a bite. She is willing to try anything. Sure, it may just be a trial lick but she's open to new foods. I've always been open to trying new things but usually it involves junk food.  More recently I've decided to use this new lesson on fruits and vegetables. I've never like tomatoes. Sure, I like ketchup and spaghetti sauce, but other than that, you couldn't get me to try tomatoes if you paid me.

On a trip to a local farm stand, there were four different types of tomatoes just staring at me. I had no idea what I was going to use them for but I just went for it. Alex was looking in horror. (He doesn't like tomatoes either.) He whispered, "You know those are tomatoes?" I may be somewhat clueless at times, but I do know what a tomato looks like.
By the time we got home, I decided there was no way we would eat all three pounds of the tomatoes and if I was going to get our money's worth, I would need to somehow preserve them. A fan of canning, I looked up a tomato jam recipe, made a few modifications and got to cooking. Let me tell you, that shit is good! I made three 12 ounce jars of the stuff and so far we have gone through one jar. It's really tasty mixed into pasta, spread on toast, and with cheese. Guess who likes the tomato jam? Yup, you guessed it. Presley. I've realized that if I don't try it, Presley won't try it. Since Alex and I are the ones putting the plate in front of her, we have the power to put whatever we want on it and if we aren't willing to try something new, the likelihood of Presley trying it is slim to none.

Tomato Jam ingredients (Can you see why I couldn't pass up these beautiful tomatoes?) 

If you are wondering what recipe I followed, it is on Martha Stewart's website. I made a couple of modifications. I didn't use cinnamon and reduced the amount of brown sugar and honey. I'm really glad I did that since I'm not much of a sweet tooth person and even with those modifications, it was somewhat sweet.

Presley's second helping of corn.

Lesson #3

Presley typically finishes her meals but occasionally she doesn't eat everything. It's very important to me to make sure that she isn't forced to finish her food. Conversely to that, it's just as important to allow her to have more if she wants it, to a point. If she wants more veggies or fruit, I'll give her more. I trust her hunger. Recently on vacation, we introduced corn on the cob to her and she loved it. She asked for another after another. I knew she had a full day and was probably starving so I allowed her to have three half cobs. 

The following day we went out to dinner and she had some of what Alex and I were eating. She didn't finish everything and let me tell you, if it was me I would have cleaned the plate. The food was so good. That's my point, though. Presley listens to her hunger regardless of the type of food she is eating. It's a really hard thing to do at my age, especially when I'm used to finishing everything, but I've tried to slow down when I eat and have found that allows me to listen to my hunger.

Changing my eating habits isn't easy, especially after 30 years of being this way. I know that children can be picky but I still believe that we should treat our own nutrition with the same attention we give our children.

- Nikki

Reward Yourself

If you are like me, you need a pat on the back when you've worked your butt off. Alex, my husband, recently came up with a points system that really has me geared up and gives me the reward I need. We are just in the second week of using it and so far so good. I've actually already redeemed points for a reward three times!

Alex & I before a workout (P.S. I'm working on my modeling pose.)

The great thing about this system is that it really encourages you to get out and move (definitely something I need encouragement to do). I guess you could say it is an ode to Weight Watchers, but the rewards are what have me really charged.

So here's the breakdown:

For every pound lost, you earn 20 points.

Also, for every pound you gain, you lose 20 points.

If you run or walk a quarter mile, you earn 2 points.

If you do aerobic exercise (including yoga and strength training), you earn 2 points for every 10 minutes.

If you don't workout for two consecutive days, you lose 20 points.

If you don't workout for three consecutive days, you lose half of your point balance.

If you don't workout for four consecutive days, all of your points go to the other person.

"I workout!" - LMFAO

You're probably wondering what the points can be used for, right?
For 50 points, the other person will give you a 10 minute foot rub. (Definitely my reward of choice)
For 100 points, the other person will give you a 15 minute head, neck and shoulder rub.
For 200 points, the other person will give you a 20 minute full body massage.
For 1000 points, you get a professional massage.

Whoever reaches their goal weight first, will get $200 to spend as they please.
FYI, Alex's goal weight is 200, with a starting weight of 289. My goal weight is 140, with a starting weight of 201.

At first I was a little apprehensive because the points only encourage you to get moving and doesn't really do anything for eating right. However, the great thing is that you can still lose points if you aren't losing weight which would also be affected by your eating habits. For now it's working and I've done some sort of physical activity almost every day so I think I'll stick to it.

- Nikki