Yummy Dinner

One of the biggest tricks to being successful with the keto diet is meal planning. That’s something that we are not good at here in our house.

Well, this last weekend I went over to my parents house & got on Pinterest & started looking up good keto meals.

Now, let me side track for a minute. My husband is gluten intolerant. One thing he & I REALLY miss is a good deep dish pizza. So far, all gluten free pizza crust I’ve found that don’t take a whole lot of effort are thin crust & have the texture/consistency of pita bread.

Back to Pinterest… So as I was looking for keto friendly meals, I saw a recipe for calzones. I was SUPER excited to try it.

You use fat head pizza dough (just Google ‘fat head dough’) and then you stuff it with your ingredients & bake it for 10 minutes.

Sorry, I took a picture after biting in to it.

It wasn’t crispy like a regular calzones, but it’s a good substitute. The one thing I would change is next time, I would use refined almond flour. The flour I used this time was from WinCo & it wasn’t refined, but it still did the job. The only other thing I would do is spray the pan with cooking spray. The calzones stuck to the pan!!! Oops.

What is your favorite keto friendly meal?

Keto Here I Come

Since having my son 2 1/2 yrs ago, I’ve failed miserably at staying in shape. I’ve got every excuse in the book. But it comes down to my mental health.

So, instead of trying to lose weight by just exercising, I’ve decided to start the keto diet. I’ve had a friend have major success with it (she lost 80 lbs). Plus, there are a bunch of people on Instagram that have had AMAZING success with it too. So, I figured I’d give it a try.

I started it once & lost like 10 lbs, but then my birthday came & I wanted cake really bad, so I fell off the keto wagon.

I had a REALLY good day with keto. Like, even the candy on my co-workers desk didn’t even look enticing, and I have a MAJOR sweet tooth.

For breakfast I had a hard boiled egg & a couple string cheese. I really want to try bulletproof coffee, but if I drink too much coffee, it wreaks havoc on my belly & my ulcers start to reappear (no bueno).

For lunch, I had keto crack chicken. This is going to be a new favorite meal. SO. GOOD.

For my afternoon snack, I had a couple more string cheese.

And for dinner, I had zoodles & pork roast. I prepared the pork roast in my Instant pot with gluten free brown gravy, about 3/4 stick of butter & ranch seasoning mix. Turned out SUPER good.

For dessert, because I haven’t had a chance to make some cookies dough fat bombs, I’m going to have a bowl of frozen strawberries.

Now, let me say this while I’m thinking about it. People think you have to cut out fruits & veggies when you go on keto. I’m not. I know there are carbs in both, but they are better carbs than have white bread, etc. I won’t have as much corn, carrots, etc., Just because those turn to carbs faster than say, broccoli. But you can still have fruits & veggies on keto. You just have to manage it right.

I did learn today that I need to pack more snacks for me while I’m at work. I didn’t have enough today & found myself getting hungry before lunch & before dinner. I know once I’ve been on keto for a couple of days though, I stay full longer after a meal. And that’s a a HUGE thing for me.

Have you ever done keto? Have you ever had bulletproof coffee? What’s your favorite keto snack during the day?

My Personal Development

I apologize for not blogging in forever. For a while, shit just hit the fan and I haven’t had time for anything extracurricular.

But, since I blogged last, I have decided to become a coach for Beachbody. Don’t worry, that’s not all I will blog about. I’ve got plenty else to talk about too.

But…part of being a coach for Beachbody, is you have to work on your personal development. The company wants to help you get in shape physically, but also emotionally.

The first book I was encouraged to read is called The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins.

I used a free credit on Audible and downloaded it and listened to it.

First off, I just LOVE Mel Robbins. As she is narrating the book, its like she is talking to you in a room. Its not monotone or anything. Oh, and Mel gets bonus points for cursing .I just loved it.

I’ve been able to start applying the rule in a couple different aspects of my life and I’m seeing progress

I don’t want to give too much away, but its a simple rule, yet once you know about the rule and apply it to your life, you will see how amazing things will change.

Have you read this book? What aspects of your life do you use the rule? Do you have any good personal development books I need to read?

21 Day Fix & Running

So, I’m finally to a point with my anxiety that I’ve got it under control enough that I feel like I can focus on working out again & losing weight. 

This is week 2 of me working out. Week 1 I did Country Heat by Beachbody & I started a Couch to 5k program. I’ve decided it’ll be easiest & I’ve got a better chance at success if I do the Beachbody workouts on the days my husband works & I do my running on the days he doesn’t. Week 1 I lost 2.3 lbs!

I was going to keep up with the Country Heat for week 2, but then I logged in to start the video & it said “elite” & that scared the crap out of me. I’m not coordinated AT ALL, & I even struggled through week 1 of Country Heat, but it was a good intro back to working out. 

So I decided to try 21 Day Fix. HOLY MOLY!!! I love it, yet i hate it. It’s pushing me. It’s pushing in a way I pushed myself when I was training for triathlons. I might complain that I have D.O.M.S., but really deep down inside, i LOVE it. This program is 21 days long (duh!) & I’m excited to see how much I’ve improved in those 3 wks.  
My running, I’m slow. But for some reason this time, seeing the slow paces I’m running doesn’t seem to bother me too much. 

With the Couch to 5k program, I run 3 times a week. Week 1, day 2, my pace was like a 15:40/mile. I ran around a paved trail at a nearby park. It has some slight hills, but if you’re not trained for it & you’re barely starting out running, they can kick your ass. Week 1, day 3, I ran from my parents house up to my old high school & ran around the track. My pace was a 14:30/ mile. Can you believe that???? That was a HUGE confidence boost that I needed. Granted there weren’t as many hills, but still. I’m excited to go running this week. I know doing the 21DayFix will help with my running to because I’m building muscle. 

If It’s Not One Thing…

We’ve all heard the saying “if it’s not one thing, it’s another”. Well, that’s totally my life right now. 

To be honest, I’m tired of it. I’m trying not to let it stress me out, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. 

I’ve got 4 health issues going on right now, that I can’t get anybody to treat or look in to further for 2 1/2 to 3 more months. 

• I’ve got restless legs REALLY bad. The doctor thinks my iron is just low, so he won’t do anything until I’ve been on an iron supplement for 3 months. 
• My back has started acting up again. I’m just trying to manage it with pain meds. It seems it hurts the worst in the morning. I don’t notice it as much during the day. 
• I’m getting migraines, but the manifest themselves as sinus infections. I always knew I had migraines, but my doctor doesn’t seem to feel the need to give me anything strong enough for them. I thought it was a sinus infection, so I went to my E.N.T. & had xrays done & everything, & no infection, nothing. So I guess I’ll just deal with the headaches. 
• Last, but not least, & sorry if this is TMI, but my monthly cycle has decided it’s ok to come for 2 weeks straight, then take a break for a couple days, then come back for a week!!! I called my ob/gyn & they put me on birth control for a month. That worked for the month, but then I’m back to where I was in the beginning. I called them again & they said they wouldn’t do anything for another 2 months because it takes a total of 3 months for the hormones from the birth control to get in your system & even out your hormones.

My hormones are just all jacked up. It could be 70 degrees in my house & I could still be sweating bullets. 

Besides the health issues, we are desperately trying to get out of debt, but it seems like every day we get a new bill in the mail. Plus I need new tires on my car. Plus my husband needs a new vest & boots for work. 

Seriously I just feel like I can’t catch a break. I’m absolutely exhausted. I’ve gained a TON of weight. I’m just done. 

Feeling Thankful

I know it’s not quite the 4th of July yet, but I had a really cool experience the other day.

I was raised in to a very patriotic family. Both of my parents served in the military. My mom served in the United States Army and my dad served in the United States Air Force. Even both of my grandfathers served in the military as well. Therefore, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. It ranks higher than Christmas for me.

Well, the other day I was up at the Veterans Hospital helping my dad pick my mom up to go home after having back surgery and I had a pretty cool, humbling experience.

My dad was in the room helping my mom get dressed and I had my 1 year old with me. He was getting rather bored, so I put him in his stroller and we walked the halls for about 30-45 minutes. I stopped and talked with one nurse and she asked what my son’s name was and I said it was “E” and we had a fun conversation and then we went on our way. Then, we were circling around by my mom’s room again and the following conversation took place:

Mystery Person: “Hey E!”
Me: Did you hear someone call your name Buddy?
Mr Black: “Yea, Mr. Black did!”
So, we walked in to Mr. Black’s room, he happened to be in the room right next to my mom. Here sat an older gentleman in his hospital bed, with 2 containers of urine sitting on his table waiting for the nurse to come take it & Mr. Black carried on a conversation with my 1 year old. When we walked in to that room, Mr. Black’s face just lit up. He asked how old E was and how big he was. I told him that E was almost 17 months old and weighed in at 30 lbs. He commented on how cute he was and that he was going to grow up to be a linebacker (Probably will be, lol). I don’t remember exactly what led to ending the conversation, but then I thanked Mr. Black for his service to our country & left the room.

As we were standing in Mr. Black’s room and visiting with him, I just got this overwhelming feeling that Mr. Black doesn’t get visitors and I find that terribly sad. There was another gentleman a couple of doors down farther, Mr. Peacock (it sounds like I’m naming people from the board game Clue) and he had his wife there and he was actually getting released that day too. But it absolutely breaks my heart that Mr. Black doesn’t seem to get visitors.

I’m glad my son though, who is 16 months old, and even though he doesn’t know the kind of impact he has on people, was able to bring a smile to Mr. Black’s day yesterday.

I’m so glad that my parents are the ones that watch E while my husband and I work. E has had MANY opportunities to go up to the Veterans Hospital since he’s been born, since my mom has quite the health problems. I’m glad that my little boy has always been able to put a smile on these folks faces.

 

Running Rant

Ok, so I had a conversation on Facebook the other day & it just kind of irritated me. 

I’ve got an acquaintance that just had major surgery & got her first run in since surgery. Knowing how hard it is to get back to running after surgery I commented “Girl, if you need a running partner, give me a holler, I’d be happy to go with you!” You know, it would help with accountability, etc. She replied back with “Maybe when I’m faster…” I responded saying I’m far from being fast, the last time I ran, I ran a 13:45 mile. She proceeded to say I was a speed demon because she’s running like a 14:30 mile right now. 

Now, why can’t others see that dude, if it meant having a running partner I’d run a 14:30 pace. Speed shouldn’t stop people from running together. It wouldn’t kill someone who runs a 10:00/mile to slow down to run with someone who runs a 12:00/mile. 

I’ve never found a runner that is willing to slow down to run with someone else. Have you? I find that very sad. I find it sad also that a slower runner doesn’t want a running partner until they get faster. 

Aren’t we all in this to help better each other? 

Workout Update & Motivation

I’ve been really upset and depressed lately that I didn’t get to do Ragnar. I know, that sounds so trivial, but being overweight and seeing all my friends on Facebook talk about how they’ve been doing all these races and how they did Ragnar and how much fun it was, has really had me depressed. So, lately, my back has been feeling ok. The herniated disc hasn’t been giving me any pain, etc. So, last night, I really didn’t feel like doing a normal Beachbody workout, so I decided to go down to my apartment gym and try & run/walk on the treadmill.

Well, that lasted about 13 minutes/0.9 miles and then the treadmill BROKE!!! If you look at the picture I took, you can tell the treadmill already has issues and needs to be serviced. The belt isn’t centered, therefore it skips (if that’s the right word to use). But at 0.9 miles, the treadmill just shut down. It was like someone went and unplugged it, but it wasn’t unplugged. So…off I went to the elliptical trainer.

I was able to make it so when I was on the elliptical I was keeping the same pace I was as if I were on the treadmill. I normally am not a fan of the elliptical, but I didn’t really have a choice last night. I was sweating bullets and got a decent workout in. But, the GUESS WHAT? My feet did NOT fall asleep during my workout last night. I ended up going 3.07 miles and my feet didn’t fall asleep AT ALL. You know what that means, right? That means the epidural shot in my back and the physical therapy for my herniated disc are working. Yay!!!! I will take it easy, but I’m going to start running again.

I think I needed this break from running to give myself some perspective. When I tried running earlier this year, it was all about my pace and how fast I was running etc. Last night, I didn’t care how fast I was running or anything. I was just glad to be out there doing it.

While I was on the elliptical, I texted my husband to send me some motivation and here are some of my favorite motivation pictures I got from him:

 

I think my favorite is the giraffe/lion one!

Do you have a favorite motivational poster you’d like to share?

Ragnar & Epic Relays

Today my husband, my son & i packed stuff up to go fishing at East Canyon Reservoir. Fishing here is stirring up alot of memories & it’s making me really depressed. 

You see, East Canyon is a major exchange between van 2 & 1 for the Ragnar Wasatch Back.

If you’re unfamiliar with what Ragnar or the Epic Cache-Teton Relays are, let me enlighten you. 

The Ragnar Wasatch back is a 220 mile, 36 hr relay run through the Wasatch Mountain Range. You usually have a team of 12 runners. If you have 6 runners, you’re considered an “ultra” team. I’ve always wanted to have an ultra team. 

The Epic Cache-Teton Relay is the same type of race, except it goes from Logan, Utah to Teton Village in Jackson, Wyoming. The views throughout this run are breathtaking. The views of the Grand Teton National Forest are beautiful!!

What i like most about these races are the camraderie between you & the others on your team & other teams. You’re having so much fun, you forget you havent showered or slept in 2 days. I just dont know how else to describe it. 

I didn’t see any runners as we were driving to go fishing. But i saw the directional signs & i saw the 1 mile to go sign. I just miss it. 

Sadly, i can’t even run right now. I can’t run because i’ve got that herniated disc in my back & because of that, it makes my feet go numb after running about 1 1/2 miles. 😦

Maybe i can run both these races next year. The company i work for sponsors a team for both of these races. 

I’m almost to the point that i say “screw it” to my back & start running again any ways & just get used to running with numb feet. 

I might have to do that because there’s a sprint triathlon i want to do on Nov 4. And if i’m gonna do it i need to start training now. 

Oh, & the only fish that was caught while we were fishing today was caught by my husband. 

Just Keep Swimming

I’ve been doing aqua therapy for my back & it REALLY makes me miss the pool. 

When i was training for triathlons, i was in the pool 3 times a week. It made for alot of early mornings & really late nights. But that’s where i felt confident…in the pool. 

I ALWAYS got compliments from other swimmers. The older ladies that were there for water aerobics always said something to me. “Wow, you were swimming non-stop, how far did you go?”, “i could never do that”, “You sure swim fast”.

One time i swam 2.4 miles (the length you swim in a full Ironman) in the pool just to see if i could do it. It took me about 90 min. 

I would LOVE to get back to swimming on a regular basis again, but it’s just not in the cards right now. At the local county recreation center, it costs $5 admission every time you go & the yearly membership is about $300. Unfortunately i just can’t afford it right now. Maybe after my husband gets back to work, since he works for another county, tgey offer him a discounted rate for a membership & they offer a payroll deduction too. Then, maybe i can get back in the pool. 

Have you ever done aqua therapy? (It’s kicking my butt.)