Boring

Day 79.

I find myself becoming somewhat boring when it comes to my food these days. I'm not sure I'm liking where this is going. With my boredom comes my hunger. With my hunger comes not enough energy to carry me through my harder workouts. It's the "food-domino-effect" that I'm struggling with.

I know in my head and in my heart that eating this way is making me feel better overall. But there are so many foods that are so good for us that I cannot have, but that would "spice" up my food-life so much. I would give almost anything to just have some of my Greek Yogurt. I could eat it with fruit, put it in a smoothie or cream it up to make it as a sauce or sour cream. How simple that sounds. And yet, how far away it seems for me.

I met with Leah last Friday night. She made me a great drink with her new Food Processor. I am in need of one of those. All she did was put carrots, cucumbers and pears in the processor and in no time I had a refreshing drink.

Refreshing. I am now striving to move beyond "boring" and into "refreshing."

I am into my 2nd series of the GI Micro's. This will be the last round of killing the parasites, yeast and/or any other harmful organisms in my stomach. I am confident that this is working.

I put up a quote at my desk at work. It says, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." I need to remember this, even on the days when I'm bored!

My mouth was better than it was yesterday. Today it was only about a level 3/4. About 4pm my stomach started feeling bloated. I wanted to just skip out on my run tonight, BUT I am so focused on getting this training "right." So I did my hills. About an hour after the run, I felt "sick." I barely made it home. It was not pleasant. I feel that the past couple of days are from something this past weekend?

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Rice & Shine + Unsweetened Rice Milk+ Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 Fruit Fusion
  
• 1/2 c. coffee + stevia
  

Snack

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, 1/2 banana, chlorella and Stevia

Lunch

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, spinach + garlic
  
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach
• Wild Salmon Burger
• Hot Water + lemon
  

Snack (Pre-workout)

• Fruit Fusion
• Pineapple, honeydew melon, cantaloupe
  

Dinner (Post-workout)

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, spinach + garlic
  
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach
  
• Fish oil + spirulina + 1 Tbsp flax a little sea salt
• 1/2 c. unsweetened appleasauce
• 1 Grapefruit

Run Like a Girl

Day 78.

We had a great weekend! It was so hot in California this weekend! Yesterday it was 110 degrees; yeah, way too hot! Thankfully, though, Ryan and I went to the pool both Saturday and Sunday!

Yesterday marked Day 1 of the Run Like a Girl running club in Danville. I loved it! A few things from the event:

• Since yesterday was our first day, we had to do a timed 2-miler (our "best effort") to see what pace group we should be in for the weekly runs. I was pleasantly surprised with my 2-mile pace: 16:08 or ~8:04/mile. (Keep in mind that in High School I ran the mile in about 10-12 minutes!) My "pace train," therefore, will be between 9:30-10:30/mile.
• I felt wonderful during the entire run! Yes, it got hard the last 1/2 mile, but my stomach held up perfectly. All I ate before the run was 1/4 Fruit Fusion bar. (And then we rewarded ourselves by grabbing a Soy Latte at Peets afterwards!)
• I learned yesterday that just because you do everything right and get all 20 "swooshes" stamped on your card, still doesn't mean you'll get into the race. I was heartbroken to hear this. I believe it's only the first 300 that fill their cards up. I will still give it 100%, as I am hopeful that I can get in.
• I am friends with "Jane Runner" on facebook. You can learn all about the Run Like a Girl Club if your friends with her! Click here to find her.

I didn't have too many problems this weekend. Later yesterday afternoon and after dinner I felt bloated. Something wasn't right. Other than that, my stomach did very well again this weekend. My mouth was a little annoyed on Saturday, and it was about a 3/4 yesterday. I had great energy this weekend (athough, I definitely over-did myself this weekend with my workouts).

It's still so early in the morning, so no food to record yet. Here are the foods I "deviated" from (my normal) over the weekend:

• Coconut Bacardi + Sprite
• Wine Tasting
• I had 2 Soy Latte's vs one
• Sweet potatoes last night (with olive oil and cinnamon)
• Grilled Chicken on Friday night and Saturday afternoon

Other than that, everything the same.

Time to lace up my Nike's and head outside again to "Run Like a Girl."

Mystery

Day 74.

Today was a sad day. No matter what you thought of Michael Jackson, you cannot deny the fact that he was an unbelievably talented musician. His music will forever remain!

In other news, I had a mystery last night. It was about 7pm. I had just gotten home. I took my supplements, but that's it. I had not eaten anything yet. All the sudden, right as I was about to eat, my left arm started to feel hot. I was talking to Ryan when I realized it. I pulled my sleeve up and it looked quite red. It kept getting hotter and hotter. It spread to my other arm, then to my face, then my legs and back side. My skin also got "blotchy" in some places, almost like hives. A few places itched, but not too badly. I was so scared. It leveled off, I ate and then I fell asleep. When I woke up this morning it was gone.

It was so bizarre. Leah thinks it may be a sign of progress. Toxins perhaps are leaving my body in lump sums. Still, not a fun experience. I go to see Leah tomorrow.

I felt great, other than that, yesterday. I had another good day today, too! My mouth was about a 2/3 all day. My stomach was perfect, except for a little bloated between 4:30-5:45pm. I am thrilled with how detox has made me feel!

Here was my day:

Breakfast (Post-Workout)

• Rice & Shine + Unsweetened Rice Milk+ Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. coffee + stevia
  

Snack

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, 1/2 banana and Stevia

Lunch

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach + (leftover from Magic Mineral Broth) Kombu + carrot
• Magic Mineral Broth
• Organic Cranberry/Green Tea
  

Snack

• Fruit Fusion

Dinner

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• Wild Salmon Burger
  
• Fish oil + spirulina + a little sea salt
• 1 c. unsweetened appleasauce
• 1/4 Fruit Fusion
  
• Hot water + lemon/peel + pinch cayenne

Happy Friday Eve!

Shifting Energies

Day 72.

I have been so excited to update this Blog all day! Are you sitting down for this? Today was my most perfect day in the past 72 days!

No bloating. None. No mouth problems, as it stayed between a level 0/2 all day. I had energy; my God did I have energy! I ran and ran and climbed stairs and did abs and then yoga, where I was able to do all the poses (tree, frog and push-ups in between). It was amazing!

The only thing that changed from yesterday (in terms of food) was that I didn't have any scallops and/or black beans. Tonight for dinner I had a Wild Salmon Burger. I ate about 20 minutes ago. I'm still doing fine, but we'll see how I progress. Unbelievable. Absolutely Unbelievable.

Today is the day I also answer the question Leah posed to me, '"What are you going to focus your energy on once you are "healed?"' Here it goes:

It's very important that I explain one thing quickly. I will ALWAYS focus on food and nutrition and health via food and nutrition. I have been interested in and obsessed with it my whole life. It intrigues me so much that when I started realizing something was not "right" with my body, I was not the person to just "ignore" what my body was telling me. I started to research, research and then research some more. And even though I came to some of the wrong conclusions, a lot of what I had gathered and found on my own was relevant to me! This part of me will never go away. This healthy (and somewhat "crazy") "foodie" in me will stay until the day I die.

That being said, once I am "healed," I won't have to focus any negative energy on it all. I won't have to be depressed and miserable on a day-to-day basis wondering "what did I do" or "what did I eat" or "why? why? why?" That is what I am looking forward to firing from my life! And when this happens (and it's happening already!!!) here are the two main things I'm focusing on:

1. "Since 2004, runners have trekked from downtown to the Pacific Ocean, where men in tuxedos hand them a Tiffany's necklace." (Runner's World, June 2009) On October 18, 2009 (yes, just 4 short months away) I will run my 1st half marathon - the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in San Francisco. I will get in to this race by working hard and showing up for the Nike Club runs in Danville every Sunday. Training starts this upcoming Sunday. This is and will be an incredible feat for me. I attempted to do this last year. I was unsuccessful, as the longer runs (7+ miles) didn't work for me. I would hit about mile 7 or 8 and I would get sick. I would get really sick. If there was no bathroom in sight, many times I thought I was going to throw up, getting chills and all. My stomach was in such bad shape; I was not able to handle the training. I am looking forward to my 2nd attempt! I am praying for the positive thoughts. I am praying for the confidence and strength that I can do it, even with what's happened in the past year. I know I can and I am absolutely re-inspired! You can learn more about this wonderful day and weekend here. And yes, when you cross the finish line, you get a Tiffany's necklace, unique only to this race!

2. Sarah Kay Hoffman Marketing
For anyone who knows me, you know that I've "been on the go" my whole life. If it isn't one thing, it's another!

Example: I had this "dream" of moving to California when I was a Senior in High School. I told everyone I'd do it. My parents did not want me going to college in California by myself, so they said I had to wait until college was over. So I waited. A few months before graduation, I had a job lined up that took me to California. I knew what I wanted, and I made sure I did everything I needed to to get me from point A to B as easily as possible.

My family is not really sure exactly who I belong to, since I've always been this little "go-getter!" But I belong to me. I like it this way!

So I graduated from College, moved to California, fell in love with Ryan (who was in Minnesota at the time), moved back to Minnesota for a minute and then found myself back in California with him. And now my "go-getting-days" look different than they used to somewhat. As I've gotten older (and okay, let's be honest, I'm still only 26) I've learned more and more about myself. I've learned to think for myself and let my mind take me to the place that will find me the most comfort. And what I've learned with regards to my "place" is that I have an incredibly huge passion for entrepreneurship, creativity (writing/design/social media/marketing/pr), positive-ism (I know, not a word...let's just pretend it is today!) and food/health/fitness.

So once I'm "healed," (and I've actually already begun this process) I'm going to be forming my own Consulting Business. I have had several people contact me already for help in a number of these areas. I don't have all the specifics yet. I know some minor details. BUT, this is all a part of me "focusing my energy" on something else.

I can't wait. I will keep you posted!

Here was my day:

Breakfast

• Rice & Shine + Unsweetened Rice Milk
• Organic Cranberry Green Tea
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. coffee + stevia
  

Snack

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, 1/2 banana and Stevia

Lunch

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach + (leftover from Magic Mineral Broth) Kombu + carrot
• Magic Mineral Broth
  

Snack (Pre-Workout)

• Fruit Fusion

Dinner

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• Wild Salmon Burger
  
• Fish oil + spirulina + a little sea salt
• Hot water + lemon/peel + pinch cayenne

Detox Day 1

Day 71.

1st Day of Detox - Mission Accomplished.

I was fatigued this morning until sometime this afternoon. That was the fatigue from yesterday; it stuck with me for some of today. It has lifted.

I worked out first thing this morning, around 7am. It was legs day and very hard, due to my fatigue. I turned Fergie up a little louder, told myself some positive thoughts and just got it done. And I'm so glad I did!

This detox is not very hard for me because I don't deviate too much from how I've been living for the past 71 days. As I mentioned yesterday, I just took a few things out and added some other things.

Here is what I'm extremely proud to report today: NOT AS MUCH BLOATING! Sure, I had a few times when my stomach was rumbling, but this was a much different rumbling than before. This, I know, was rumbles from being a tad hungry. I even had things moving through me a couple of times. I got a little bloated and uneasy around 7:30 pm, (sometime after my late lunch and snack) and then a little more after dinner. Tomorrow I will cut the scallops only and see what happens. But, no real mouth problems either. Mouth stayed consistent between a 0/2 all day. I will detox all week.

Here was my day:

Pre-Workout

• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
  

Breakfast (Post-Workout)

• Rice & Shine + Unsweetened Rice Milk
• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, 1/2 banana and Stevia
• Organic Cranberry Green Tea
  

Snack

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
  

Lunch

• 1/4 c. black bean - unsalted - soaked overnight in water
  
• 1/4 c. mini wild scallops
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach + (leftover from Magic Mineral Broth) Kombu + carrot
• Magic Mineral Broth
  

Snack

• Fruit Fusion

Dinner

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zuchinni, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, garlic + spinach
• 1/2 c. mini wild scallops
• Fish oil + spirulina + a little sea salt
• Hot water + lemon/peel + pinch cayenne
  

Leah sent me an email last week. At the bottom of the email she wrote this , "PS. I want you to think of one more thing..."What are you going to focus your energy on once you are "healed"? " I smiled. I knew my answer the instant I finished reading the question. As a matter of fact, I have two things. And tomorrow I'll have my answer for you, Leah, and for anyone else who cares to know!