Ellie's Wellness Campaign

[EllieBellie]

I'm moving to this forum now! I was trying for a new "Whole30" that wasn't really a Whole30 because I wanted some accountability. Eventually I want to reach a place where the following habits are ingrained:

1. Eating 3 meals without snacking.

2. Moving with purpose 3-4 times a week - be it strength training, swimming, hiking or yoga.

3. Cooking beautiful, tasty meals without ever relying on grains or sugar.

Right now, I also have about 2 inches to lose before reaching my body comp goals (btw, 2 inches sounds a lot easier than '12 to 15 ounds') and some health issues that are still outstanding. So, until I feel the pink of perfection, I'm trying to hack my diet and lifestyle to promote digestive health and fat loss. That means no more than 1 piece of fruit a day, knocking grazing on the head and getting lots of probiotics.

Yesterday was a stressful day, yet my food was v. successful!

1. No snacking! Ate my apple before dinner because I was impatient...

2. Intervals on the cross trainer and lifting weights (not free weights yet, hopefully next week's class will teach me the basics).

3. On the fly I made an awesome curry with mince, beetroot and carrot - woulda tasted even better made with cubed lamb, stewed for an hour in the spices and beetroot.

I'm also keeping myself motivated with (non food!) rewards and inspirations. Yesterday was a big reward: red suede boots! Yesterday's motivation was looking up fashion for a badass: What Would Khaleesi Wear.

Danaerys Targaryen is my ultimate aspiration, really.

[Alison Webster]

Great job!

[jrustdc]

Way to go on achieving your goals under stress!

[EllieBellie]

I was at home visiting my parents this weekend and went to a big party and, er, drank to excess. I'm normally pretty restrained when it comes to booze, which is good because drunkeness definitely blocks progress! I got home at 2am, made myself some cheese with apple and conked out still wearing make up. Le sigh.

I'm traveling again this week, but I have plans to stay on the straight and narrow. Also experimenting with a smaller eating window - I know we're suppose to eat within an hour of waking, but then I end up eating breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12noon, and dinner anywhere between 6 and 8pm - that's at least hours in the mid-afternoon without a meal, and that's often when I'm most susceptible to visiting any one of the 8 billion campus outlets for a vanilla latte and muffin. Le sigh.

Feel pretty chipper though. I forgot a major benefit of eat good, clean food: I'm less anxious about, well, everything really. Without my anxiety demons, I'm much more proactive about sending PhD work to my supervisors. That's really good. Which brings me to today's inspiration - Community's Annie Edison: "I think ahead. I prepare. I don't improvise my life like Caroline Decker, who probably has really bad credit and an unfinished mermaid tattoo."

[EllieBellie]

This has been a good week. Bought a load of meat for the freezer, we've upped the size of our vegbox. My dependence on fruit is slowly lessening and I'm generally more even tempered. I haven't been 100%, but then, when it comes to changing habits slow and steady wins the race.

I enjoy working out again! I've been doing some strength training (with teeny tiny weights!) alongside my regular swims and yoga. I've also been working my way toward full-fledged hippydom; I've just ordered a load of oils to replace my cleansers, toners and moisturisers - soon my bathroom cabinet will look like my kitchen cabinet! Also, I finally gave in and ordered some ACV. I think the buck stops with the no 'poo method, though!

I hope that all this will amount to me being able to manage my psoriasis without salicylic acid, steroids or the autoimmune protocal! Sorry, but I just love my eggplant, tomatoes and spices too much! We shall see.