Life Goes On

I've finally gotten to a place where there are no unbearable hunger pains, and healthy food is not a mind game to get down my throat. I've loved my breakfasts and lunches...as for dinners they are a little bit of a juggling game. I think I'm just worried Drew is never full because he eats so dang much. I'm fine with eating beans for dinner, he on the other hand looks at me like I have a third head upon suggesting that. So that's been tough. Also the prayer thing has me feeling like I haven't tried hard enough? I'm sure that's ridiculous, but I was just expecting some sort of revelation or something. Pushing forward.

My breakfasts have consisted of strawberries, kiwis, and or bananas with honey and cinnamon drizzled over them. Occasionally I will throw some kashi granola on top with a 1/4 cup of almond milk. Its pretty fantastic.

Lunches I've made in addition to fun juices, veggie soups, veggies and hummus.  ( I tried an enormous cup of carrot, apple, and ginger juice..I was shocked I got that down. It was more orange than a pumpkin.)  

For dinners we've done quinoa, beans, soups, and salads. Nothing exciting. I'm sad to tell you that. 

I've recently decided that I needed two workouts a day because a) I'm impatient. and b) my holiday weight was making me mad. True to working your butt off, I am feeling more svelte and definitely sore all over. Yay! 

I'm amazed at my energy level and over all good mood. You get out what you put in. Also, good health and eating has more influence in your weight loss and appearance than the gym does. Go figure. 

Lord Beer Me Strength

My mother said the first three days are the hardest of the fast. On day one I wanted someone or something dead. I was so hungry and crabby, my goodness. My poor husband. I must have been detoxing cause I had no energy and felt that I should weigh 98lbs because that is how I felt. I had never been so happy to eat beans and rice and veggies for dinner in my life.

However, this morning I woke up totally refreshed. Ready to go!

The night before I had juiced for lunch:

2 bananas (which don't "juice" well I recommend a blender)
8 large strawberries
1 handful of blueberries
 1/2 cup of almond milk
squirt of organic honey

I also planned to take left overs for lunch from last night along with some hummus and veggies.
Dinner tonight is a Caribbean rice dish.
http://www.ultimatedanielfast.com/2009/10/if-only-i-were-having-it-in-caribbean.html

Looks yummy!

Today's hunger pains were nothing compared to yesterday. I drank nearly 6-7 water bottles yesterday and was using the restroom on the half hour. I'm sure that had everything to do with my rejuvenation.

Renew

MONTHS later! Sweet liberty....apparently I fell off the blogging train. I attempted the 30 photos in 30 days thing.... Obviously, that didn't pan out. Turns out I'm forgetful and not really thinking about my blog all the time. I really like to blog, I just wasn't really committed to it. Alas, a new years resolution.

My husband hates new years resolutions. He claims no one sticks to them by the end of the year. He's probably right, but I argued that its the effort of a new start is to what I find exciting. A blank page, a new beginning, whatever you want to call it, it feels good to me.

New Years Resolutions:
1. Have a better prayer life.
2. Blog better and more often.
3. Healthier lifestyle and a fit physique to show for it.

1. My prayer life I feel comes mostly from my needs. Which I feel is terrible. I usually start my communication with God being thankful of all that I have, and then go on to list my emotional and physical needs or frustrations.  I would like to change that to a sort of seeking and listening to what God might be trying to show me or lead me to do amidst my own little world. I want to ask the question, "What do You want to do with my day?" more often. At our church this month we are doing the Daniel Fast. If you've never heard of this or think fasts are for monks and Jesus himself, its really quite interesting. Actually, fasting was a normal discipline for the early church. It is just an act of saying God and His will for me is first and I am second. My needs are not a priority, and his voice is what I need to hear. In the book of Daniel, Daniel denies himself the luxuries of the "kings food" for 21 days in order to press in closer to what the Lord was asking of him.

So I'm not starving myself, I am simply...eating only fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, and lots of water. Its basically a vegan diet for 21 days. The vegan diet is not hard for some people, but it will be hard for me. I'm a carb and sugar addict. I realized the severity of it over the holidays. I normally live a relatively healthy lifestyle because of my father's cancer and the diet he is continually beating cancer with. I know how the secretly poisonous food works, especially in America. However, with Christmas and Thanksgiving...and the pies and the chocolate, cookies, and ham and everything buttered beyond belief...calling it a vacation from your normal diet catches up to you. I noticed I did not like wearing my jeans, I'm absolutely terrified of stepping on the scale, and I wanted to layer everything to keep from feeling the clinging shirt against my stomach.  So! That brings me to skip over number 2. and go right into number 3. I'm excited to jump start my year with the detox of the Daniel fast and get my bubble butt into the gym.

I'm hoping with the resolution of blogging more I can maintain the idea that if I'm forced to write about it, I might make the right choices. We'll see.

Today, 1/09/2012

I woke up this morning to my 6:55am alarm. I said to Andrew, "Are we going to the gym?" He said, "Doesn't it sound like a better idea after work, I'm so tired."

I'll give him a break. (ha!) I slept til 8 and woke up to do my juicing. I decided I would eat a fruit breakfast, juice for lunch with a steamed veggie and eat a veggies and beans for dinner. This is the plan for 21 days.

This morning I ate about 6 large strawberries cut up with sliced banana in a bowl with a large glass of lemon water. Delish.

For lunch I have juiced, 2 apples, 1/2 grapefruit, and a cup of grapes. Its called an apple blast. Not the amazing apple blast from caribou, oh how I wish! Its decent. I'm not a huge fan of grapefruit. It does something weird to my tongue. It leaves my mouth feeling like tequila does.  Also, with lunch I steamed a nice bowl of broccoli with sea salt. Its currently the highlight of my day. Whoa.

Dinner consists of a Mex mix of black and pinto beans, with rice, organic salsa, and guacamole. Yum. After dinner we're gonna give couple devotions a whirl and see how that goes.

The gym will consist of arms and abs with a bit of cardio.

Yay for resolutions!

Whoa life

I'm now realizing this 30 day challenge might have to happen in increments of 5 days at a time. I just don't have the time to get on here and upload a photo a day. You might say to yourself, "But Erin you're unemployed..", as I often say to myself when ever I'm feeling good about myself (keeps the ego in check), "you have all the time in the world". Surprisingly, I'm busy. Crazyness.

Day 2: My outfit of the day

Photograph what I was wearing for the day. More of these self photographs...c'mon. Not my favorite thing. Thus my forced smile. This was the day it was 95 degrees and I was crabby everywhere I went. Usually, I tolerate the heat very well. I don't know what my deal was. Anyway, the outfit's theme was to wear as little clothes as possible without being too hot. A thin tank top from either urban outfitters or forever twenty-one...I don't remember. It is a grey owl with a rainbow over it with breezy grey cotton shorts. My long horse hair didn't stay down for very long. It was far too hot for that.

Day 3: Clouds

The clouds on day three were lame. Not the clouds above. This photo was taken a month or so ago at 9pm! I will certainly miss that about the summer. I figured I could swap this photo of the clouds outside my apartment  instead of showing you the true uneventful clouds of day three.

Day 4: Something Green

I thought of maybe doing some sort of environmentally green photo but yesterday, which was an amazing fall day, my husband wore his favorite green hoodie. And he is my favorite. 

30 Day Photo Challenge

On pinterest.com, my new obsession/affair, I came across a thirty day photo challenge list. I found this challenge to be purposeful because a) my husband bought me an expensive camera that I need to use more and b) its a list and I love lists...

Day 1

A portrait:

I might have taken 60 pictures of myself. Everyone of them feeling like a 14 year old girl trying spice up her myspace profile. It is kind of awkward and then you start seeing all the flaws in yourself. You notice one eye is bigger than the other, or that botox would help the bags under your eyes, or that your face is rounder than you'd like. Or perhaps you understand why people mistake you for being from Greece....its the nose. Taking a million pictures of yourself is humbling. Yet, doing it I could see pictures of myself as a little kid showing through the new photos. I never really saw that before. I always have had the opinion that I look nothing like I did when I was 7 or 5. Lo and behold I do. You also begin to see what you'll look like in 10 years or in 20. You'll also wonder what some photo editor from hollywood would do to your pictures.

It was an odd experience. I don't think I cared for it.

Summer Reading

If you're from Westpark, like I am, you remember Book Club at the Westpark Library. Maybe Book Club was everywhere, but we did these mini book reports to the same librarian for years in order to get Indians tickets! I wish there was adult book club rewards...

This summer is the first summer since I graduated from high school over six years a go that I have been able to read for fun. I forgot how hopelessly I become a part of the stories. Depending on how good the book is, it takes me a few days to process that the book is over and it didn't really happen. That is really sad. I probably shouldn't admit that.

The three books that have consumed me and kept me up til 2am turning pages are: The Help, Water for Elephants, and Redeeming Love. These books all captivated my heart and had me cheering aloud.

The Help: If you've been paying attention to previews, magazines, and talk shows you've probably heard of this one. The movie stars Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, and Viola Davis. It is a look at the unspoken behavior and civil rights issues regarding black women working as maids for white women in southern Mississippi. One women tries to help tell the stories of the maids and begins an unlikely sisterhood that initiates "changing times" in their city. There is drama, there is scandal, and everything else that makes a good book. I literally was cheering out loud and had to explain my to my husband the story because I was so excited. The book and the movie (which is due to come out this Wednesday) have had rave reviews. I read some articles that angry black women had written complaining that a the women who wrote the book, who are white, still can't comprehend the truths about the matter. All while that might be true, she did a commendable job and wrote a beautiful story that I think if any race was angry with the book they might have issues all together. Some people complained that black women didn't need the white women's help at all with telling their story. They said it would have happened with or without them. Maybe, but maybe those white people deserve a pat on the back for being brave and standing up. For standing alongside their friends because they believed the right things no matter what society deemed appropriate. Anyway, it was a great book and I recommend it to everyone and I am very excited to see the film.

Water for Elephants: I know this was a movie.  I never saw it. I thought it looked overly girly and I'd have to do some sucking up to my hubby to make him take me to it. Otherwise, it just seemed like a solid redbox rental. Turns out this awesome love story had me intertwined in the pages. Its a love story about a veterinarian who loses everything only to actually run away with the circus only to fall in love with a married women and develop a loving relationship with an elephant that no one else can understand. I kept picturing Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in my mind in the roles because I knew they starred in the movie. I think that added to the greatness. So now I must wait for the dvd out, which I can't find a release date for....so if anyone knows anything about that let me know!

Redeeming Love: This book is over 450 pages and I read it in three days. My mom and friend had been telling me for years to read this book. I now know why. It is an amazing story about a girl that was sold in to sex slavery and grew to become a renown prostitute only to be rescued by a man who wants to marry her because God told him to and pursues her heart with unconditional love. Its a story of redemption that can be compared to Christ's love for us. It is incredible and I could not put it down.

I encourage book club to all!! I'll try to update soon with my next three books!

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