Pa-le-ohhhh

So, my attempt to be more organized with my time has me out the door early, making phone and Skype calls from the coffee shop down the street. This has been my office five days a week ever since I returned to the States, but in an attempt to cut my budget, I was staying home this past month. Here's the conundrum that I face, however: stay home and get less done, but save $15 a week, OR get to the coffee shop, spend the $15 a week on drip coffee, and get more done. I've decided that I need to return to my more efficient ways, so I've returned to the coffee shop. I just can't get stuff done at home, because I get too distracted!

So here's a quick Paleo update. Yep, I'm still doing that crazy "diet," eating that crazy way: meat, veggies, fruit, and nuts; very little sugars other than from fruit, and when I do, it's honey or maple syrup, or 85% dark chocolate. I had read that your body will get to a certain point where it just stops losing weight and then you have to switch things up. I lost a steady 5-6 lbs. per month for 11 months, and am grateful for that, but have been on a plateau since April, and am tired of it. Though I'm very pleased with all the progress I've made, and am super active and in good shape now, I've still got 15 pounds to go to get into the "normal" weight category for my height, and would like to get a safe 10 pounds under that. That would put me at 135 pounds. Yep, I just told you what I want to weigh, and if you do the math....what I weigh now, and what I weighed before I started down this path. =-) And I'm not a bit ashamed of my current weight, because I've worked super hard to get to this point. And yes, for those who get concerned about my goals being unreasonable: Yes, a fair amount of my weight now is muscle weight. I get that. I cycle a ton, swim 3-4 hours a week, do 1-2 hours of Zumba a week, and have just added in a bit of running(Shocker! I never thought THAT would happen- haha). So, yes, I've got muscle. But....I've still got fat, too, and a bit more than I need to have.

Soo, what do you do when you hit a plateau and stay there? Ugh, you have to resort to the very terrible thing called calorie counting. I've not counted a single calorie during any part of this journey(Paleo discourages it). However, when you've got nothing else you can cut out of your diet(no soda, no ice-cream, no junk food, nothing), you've got to do something. So I've begun the arduous task of counting those calories. And I admit that I counted very carefully last week....and not so wonderfully this week. It's just Soooo hard when I'm exercising this much, and my body is telling me to replenish, replenish!!!! It kind of screams at me some times, so it's a bit of a balancing act until I get it figured out. But, I'm still loving this way of eating. I'll say it over and over again, "It's not a 'Diet' in the way that people now think of that word. It's a way of life, not a diet to lose weight. I don't plan on hitting 135 and then reverting to processed, high sugar foods. I plan on eating this way from now on out. My body feels so much better, free from the indigestion and bloating that gluten foods bring, and the crazy drainage and sinus problems that come with dairy. Do I eat foods containing those on occasion? Sure! And I enjoy them. But they won't and can't be a regular part of my daily food choices, because they're not good for my body or for me. So for now, I'll sacrifice, and instead of having one avocado in my salad, I'll just have half of one, and instead of putting nuts on top of everything and in everything, I'll choose to eat my nuts after workouts, and I'll be a tad more careful about how much coconut milk I pour into my coffee. ;-) I still get to eat great, and be healthy, which is what this journey is about, right? My body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and I want this temple to be in tip, top shape, so that it can be used to its utmost for His glory. As my mentor says, "Self care enables you to better care for others."

I LOVE banana pancakes!! 2 eggs, one banana, 1 tbsp, almond meal(you can do it w/out, but it helps it flip better), and pumpkin pie spice. Yum!

An absolutely amazing creation: coconut milk, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, bellpeppers, smoked turkey, cajun seasoning, and Hungarian Paprika. So good!!

Pumpkin! I love that Fall is here and with it comes pumpkins. And pumpkins are yummy! Most people consider this a decoration, but it's a member of the gourd family, and quite tasty! I made a yummy dinner the other night of onion, apple, chicken sausage, spinach, and pumpkin puree on top. I can't wait for pumpkin pancakes this Saturday, and roasted pumpkin. Yummo!