Day 5 - Enough about me and what I eat....tell me about you.

We move in 3 weeks.  We have started packing and cleaning.  I have packed all morning and now I am sitting at my dining room table looking out the window at our tree in the front yard.  Up in the top of the tree are a set of balls. They have the Iowa Hawkeye logo on them. They belong to a game set that my parents bought my kids.  They are two golf balls connected by a string. It is a fun game that we usually play in our backyard.  My son Calvin somehow got the string caught around a branch and there the balls sit, at the top of the tree.  I am sure it was his goal.

So, as I sit and look at the balls stuck up at the top of the tree, I am thinking about Day 5 of my 24 Day Challenge and what has really been going on.  It has become clear to me that my challenge in the first 5 days is not what I expected.  It isn't giving up Diet Coke.  I have substituted that with an H20 fizzy drink that seems to be doing the trick.  For an extra kick, I will have an Advocare Spark drink. Yesterday during "happy hour", I mixed the two together just to be crazy.

It isn't the coffee in the morning.  I have hot tea or an Advocare Coffecino and that works out perfectly.

It isn't a glass of wine with my husband on a Friday night.  Ok, that one was tough.  A definite plus is that my Scrabble game is a little smarter without wine.  Yes, I still lost..again, but the score was closer this time.

No, what is really killing me is the sugar.  I have noticed that in my regular life, if I eat a healthy lunch, I usually reward myself with something sweet.  It occured to me yesterday that after each meal, I crave something sugary.  Thinking back before I started this cleanse, I am certain that when I eat a healthy meal or go for a long run, I don't feel as bad eating candy or a cookie.  I have always thought that it balanced out. But, I have to admit that it isn't always A cookie or some candy...if I eat healthy or work out I REALLY reward myself with something bad.

So, what do I eat on this 24 Day Challenge you ask?  No one has really asked me that question yet, but when my other friends did this challenge, I did wonder what they were eating. 

So, instead of some random story about Byerly's or Tator Tots, I am going to talk about what I eat.  I completely understand if this seems boring.  But, let me say that while you are on the 24 Day Challenge, it is pretty interesting.  So, if you are thinking of healthy options and are interested, I can share some things.  If you have some menu ideas (LIZ - I know you do).  Share them.  I would love to learn more.  The more options I have, the easier this challenge is for me.  If I had no idea what to eat, I am pretty sure I would get frustrated, hungry and eat jelly beans.

So, here goes...for breakfast today, I had egg whites with spinach and mushrooms and a side of strawberries. I think separating the egg white is gross, so I buy the Trader Joe's egg whites that are ready to go in the carton.  This is usually what I have for breakfast even in my real life, so that isn't a stretch for me.  Plus, getting the ready-to-go egg whites seems to be easier and less mess.

For lunch yesterday and today, I had a salad with mixed greens, a protein (yesterday it was chicken, today tuna), veggies, sometimes I add fruit, some sliced almonds, boiled egg whites, some red beans.  For a dressing, I just mix Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar.  The last two salads have been incredible because I have been adding a little bit of everything and it is so tasty and fresh.  Sometimes I add a little brown rice to my salad to bulk it up.  This is a "clean, complex carb" and completely legal on the 10 Day Cleanse.

For a salty snack I have had the Lightly Salted Rice Cakes with Reduced Fat Hummus.  Today I was starving and I could tell I was craving something sweet, like my face in a bag of sugar.  So, for a sweet snack, I had a slice of Ezekial Raisin Bread with Almond Butter, topped with sliced strawberries.  This was sort of a big snack, but I was HUNGRY and I didn't want to cave, so I thought better to eat a big, yummy snack than eat the rest of Molly's cupcake from yesterday.  Last night I wanted both, so for sweet and salty, I mixed a little bowl of sliced strawberries and raw almonds.  This was by far one of my favorites.  It reminded me of my love for Candy Corn and peanuts...except fresh and good for me.  And although I love me a good sugar buzz, I didn't have to deal with my head spinning. I also really like like sliced apples with almond butter or a little dash of Sea Salt.

Last night for dinner, my husband grilled Tilapia, red peppers, mushrooms and zucchini.  We had a little side of brown rice. Trader Joe's has a frozen brown rice that heats up in 3 minutes.  It felt like a normal Friday night grilling out, hanging out and eating delicious food.  Instead of marinating everything in high sodium marinate, we used Olive Oil, Sea Salt and pepper.  It truly was so good!  We usually grill chicken, steak or shrimp.  While I was at Byerly's yesterday (just before the cupcake incident), I talked with the butcher.  He let me know that Tilapia does not contain mercury.  Byerly's partners with a specific farm that raises their Tilapia.  So, I can eat Tilapia every day if I want.  Other fish such as Swordfish, Mahi Mahi and Tuna can only be eaten once a week due to their mercury level.  And, the reason I decided to pick up fish to grill (besides Lent) is that fish is high in protein and low in calories and "feed muscle and reduce appetite". 

My friend Liz did tell me to make sure to eat during this cleanse, so I do.  I just keep it fresh and basic.  AND, I try to limit myself to a serving....instead of several servings in one sitting. I also keep a food log to keep me in check.  I am a big fan of "all you can eat", so keeping a food journal helps.  And, since my big focus these days is what I am eating, it doesn't seem to be as painful and boring as I imagined it to be.

So, as I ponder how I went from drinking Diet Cokes and eating Robins Eggs until my heart was content, to signing up for this 24 Day Challenge, one thing sticks in my mind that I just can't seem to shake.... "how am I going to get those balls out of the tree before we move?"

For more information on my friend and Nutrition Coach, Liz Blom please visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lizblom.nutritionandwellness