Week TWO 40 Day Challenge - What I Ate

If you are new to my blog, and want to get caught up on all my 40 day Challenge posts click here to read my story, and if you haven't seen my before pictures yet, maybe you can go give me some words of encouragement on this post. I appreciate all the help and support I can get, thanks soooo much!!

I am linking this post over to one of my fav food blogs ever. Jen is a rockstar, for bringing all kinds of amazing ladies together, sharing healthy food every week. I am so happy to finally have something to share. Every Wednesday these ladies get together and share an entire day's worth of meals. SO MUCH FUN!!


Holy Moly Guacamole, it's been 2 weeks already, only 4 more to go. Actually 27 more to go to be exact!! Its been crazy hectic, and I'm so glad I started, and so thankful for all the support so far. I've been hearing stories from many of you on your struggles, and it's nice to look at each other for inspiration and help. I've also learned lots of useful tips thanks to all of you, so thank you for sharing!!

I'm going to show you WHAT I ATE for my second week, and I have to warn you ahead of time, this week has been quite a struggle for me. You'll see why, and I wish I could say I did better, but the week just didn't go as planned.

You know what though????
It's OK!!
I tried, I accepted if something didn't work out as planned, and just kept on trucking. It wasn't the end of the world, I didn't give up, I didn't punish myself. I just KNOW I could have done better, and should have, but it just didn't happen this time.

Clearly I might need to adjust some things to make it more realistic for ME..... like I said from the start, I'm not doing this challenge to LOSE WEIGHT, or get down to a certain size. My goals are so much more than that. It's also CRUCIAL to remember that despite what you do to reach your goal, if it's not sustainable, then it probably won't last. So I've been trying really hard to eat realistically, and slowly try and train myself better eating habits. Ones which equal being healthy, not losing weight.

I truly believe my body WILL take care of itself once I start feeding it better, and of course challenging it physically. I've done really good about my YOGA practice, and so good in fact that my body is constantly sore, constantly growing, and getting stronger, and my flexibility is dramatically improving. It's awesome!!

So my friends, let's get started shall we?
Here's what I ate last week (my second week)- Mon thru Fri.

• Day 8/40
• Up at 7:11 am - lemon water
• The week started off with a late start and pretty much stayed that way all week. It was SO cold, and raining, and getting up early just wasn't working from the start this week.

• Good Morning :)

 

• Breakfast 7:43am 
• Leftover daal (spiced lentils) with spinach
• 3 Scrambled eggs
• NOT a good combination, ate it but not doing this again.

 

• Lunch 12:46 pm - Quick salad, tasted pretty good. Didn't think I would finish it all.
• Romaine salad
• Spinach
• 2 eggs
• Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (I sliced it thick)
• Feta, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar

• Snack 4:32 pm - Almonds and dark chocolate - yummy. Hit the spot perfectly. Up until I started my challenge, eating dark chocolate wasn't sweet enough for me. I never really enjoyed it, but now that I'm not taking any sugar, I could actually TASTE how sweet this chocolate is. 

• Dinner 6:18 pm - Kids talked me into going out to eat. We went to Chilli's :)
• Chips and salsa - no idea exactly how many, I tried not to eat a lot, but it was yummy.
• Grilled Chicken - with mango salsa
• Steamed broccoli and I stole my kiddos onion strings
• Black beans on the side instead of rice
• I was eyeballing my kids food so bad. My oldest was having the burger sliders, YUMM, and my daughter had the chicken alfredo pasta. OMG,,, looked so good. I was good though, and stuck to my food, which was so filling. I was stuffed after dinner. YAY!!
• Forgot my phone again and had to ask the waitress to take a picture. 

Day eight over. After a rocky start, I woke up late, and a not so enjoyable breakfast, I still managed to get my butt in the gym for YOGA. That was great! I enjoyed a little chocolate, and ate pretty good while being surrounded by tempting food at Chillis. Overall I think I did OK! 

• Day 9/40
• Up at 5:11 am - Lemon Water - Trying to figure out how I got up on time this day. I didn't mention anything in particular so I am guessing I just actually got up when my alarm went off, lol. 

• Good Morning :)

• Breakfast 7:47 am - Considering I woke up so early, I sure waited long enough to eat. BAD!
• 3 Scrambled eggs
• Pepperoni cubed
• Spinach, garlic, onions, feta
• Was edible for sure, but not the best. Don't think I'm going to add pepperoni again. 

• Snack 12:01 pm - thick slice of Turkey Breast!
• I was SO tired this day, raining and cold. After kids went to school, I just CRASHED on the couch. I woke up just in time to go to the kids school for help day, and grabbed this on the way out. 

• Snack 3:35 pm - Yummy chocolate and almonds again. Really loving this snack.

• Snack 3:59 pm - Asian seaweed salad. 
• This salad is so crunchy, and delicious. I really love the sesame flavor. 

• Dinner 5:03 pm - I was craving some pasta after last night. So I HAD some. 
• Beef with tomato sauce, and spinach
• Gluten Free Pasta

• This is the pasta I used. It did taste great. If I didn't know it, I would think it was the real thing. My kids had no idea at all that it was anything but real pasta. 
• I've been trying hard to stay away from GLUTEN since the challenge. Last week I hardly had any "carbs" at all, but this week my cravings have just been going crazy. 

• Snack 8:11 pm - Gotta love a quick snack. Full of protein, and just enough sweetness. 

Day nine over. Today was challenging to say the least. I have no idea why I waited so long to eat breakfast. I didn't go tot he gym today, and was snacking like crazy this afternoon. Also I was just craving carbs all day, so gave in with dinner.

• Day 10/40
• Up at 6:21 am - lemon water

• Good Morning :)

• Snack 7:15 am - Don't ask me why, just felt like having some almonds, OK.

• Breakfast 7:26 am - Again was craving some carbs, this is what I came up with. 
• 3 Boiled eggs
• Beans with feta cheese
• Polenta (only I didn't salt it enough) 
• I seriously COULD NOT swallow this meal. 

• This was the most I could eat. I just wouldn't go down. I love polenta, we call it MAMALIGA, and it's so yummy. We eat it with lots of butter, cheese, sour cream, feta cheese, or even milk. Of course you could eat with so many other things as well, just not what I tried this morning, lol. 
• This was left over, and that was it for me. I guess sometimes things DO NOT go as planned. 

• Breakfast 7:42 am - Let's try this again. After a major FAIL with breakfast, I just enjoyed my yogurt after all. Maybe this was all I should have eaten. 

• Lunch 10:28 am - Chicken Salad
• My plack of planning has me grabbing a bite from the gym every day. Luckily these small little  tuna/egg/chicken salads are full of protein, and really satisfy me. Plus now that I'm trying them I can hopefully start making them myself, see the ingredient list is right on the label :)

• Snack 1:22 pm 
• I missed my yoga class this morning. Was already at the gym, only didn't come prepared for anything else. I was wearing flip flops. So I steamed myself in the sauna and decided to pamper myself today. I got a facial and a massage, and it was lovely :)

• Snack 2:43 pm - Sampled some beef enchiladas at Publix. Did not eat the tortilla. 
• After my massage and facial, I really wanted a mani and pedi too, so I went to get them done. Just in time before the kiddos come home from school. 

• Snack 4:20 pm - Again lots of snacking today.
• Salmon - small piece
• 1 grilled zucchini

• Dinner 8:51 pm - Late dinner after spending the evening at the high school. Learning about AP classes for my upcoming freshman. YIKES,,, my oldest will be in high school next year!
• After tasting that beef enchilada at Publix today I really wanted to have that for dinner. 
• Chicken enchilada
• Cannellini beans, corn
• GLUTEN FREE tortillas
• Salsa Verde (green sauce)
• Cheese
• I only used 2 tortillas and layered the filling between. 
• All of us devoured this dinner, the kids loved it, and I actually had seconds :) Ohhh BOY!!

• This is what I made dinner in. The tortillas fit perfectly. I cooked the chicken, beans, corn and salsa verde in the crock pot. YUMMY!!!

Day ten over. Gosh, today was great, relaxing, and wonderful. I went to the gym ready for my yoga class, and missed it just by a couple minutes. Yoga gets filled so quickly, and there was no room in there. As a result though, I got to pamper myself all day, so I guess it was ok :)

• Day 11/40
• Up at 7:11 am - Lemon Water - Woke up super late again, but after all that relaxation yesterday I slept like a baby, didn't want to wake up. 

• Good Morning :)

• Breakfast 7:24 am - Felt like something simple, and fast!
• Smoothie 
• Yogurt, almond milk
• Strawberry, banana
• Spinach, agave 
• I had 2 glasses of this

• Lunch 11:13 am - Totally awesome quick meal, really enjoyed it :)
• 2 eggs
• Cooked Salmon
• Olives
• Small tsp mayo
• On my way to the gym for YOGA..... go go go !!!

• Snack 1:55 pm - Out of all the little snacks I've had from the gym, enjoyed this the LEAST. 
• Pesto Chicken

• Dinner 5:12 pm - quick and simple.
• Salsa Verde Chicken Chilli
• Same chicken filling from enchiladas yesterday. Just added extra beans.
• Spinach salad

• Snack 8:32 pm - Pretty lame snack, but again, just giving in to every craving, erghhh. 
• 2 chicken strips
• Pickles
• 2 orange slices

Day eleven over. Are you starting to see a pattern this week. Waking up late. Craving all kinds of stuff. Not eating regularly. What can I say, it's been tough this week. 

• Day 12/40
• Up at 6:44 am - Lemon Water

• Good Morning :)

• Breakfast 7:25 am - Yummy!
• 3 egg scramble
• Zucchini, onion, tomato, green chilli
• Indian spices made this YUMMY.... really enjoyed it :)

• Snack 7:40 am - Enjoyed some fresh fruit. So sweet and delicious. 

• Lunch - 12:01 pm - Enjoying my meal after yoga and a haircut!
• Asian Tuna Sandwich 
• Gluten Free UDI bread
• Spinach Salad

• Snack 4:30 pm - I REALLY enjoyed my snack.
• Sambar (Indian veggie soup, with lentils)
• 1/4 cup kerala red rice
• Buttermilk
• Sour Cream and Onion chips
• BOCA Meatless - Spicy Chicken patty

• I told you I enjoyed it so much!! I had seconds. Must admit this was the beginning of the end for me yesterday. I was so full afterwards, I actually had a tummy ache. Really haven't had seconds at all for almost 2 weeks. This was a little too much, I gave in and pigged out, but really should have stopped after my first serving. 

• Snack 6:48 pm - My BIGGEST no no since I started this challenge. Can't believe I gave in. 
• Spent the evening at my kiddos school for a carnival, filled with food, and sweets everywhere. The kids had fun, I was doing good until my kids asked for a cookie from one of the vendors, and then I just HAD to have one too. Not only was it SUPER sweet, it was from the grocery store, yuck, and full of sugar, preservatives, and gluten. So pissed..... :(
• Seriously have no idea why I ate it. 
• Wish I would have saved my SWEET treat for something worth while, but NO!!!

• Dinner 7:48 pm - What better way to finish off my evening, than with another CRAPPY meal. 
• Five Guys Little Bacon Cheeseburger
• Fries
• NO SODA, only water
• My kiddos wanted some of my burger, so surely that saved me at least 100 calories, :)
• I used to enjoy this all the time. I LOVE a good hamburger, and we would eat here often enough. Nothing beats my homemade burgers, but on a busy night, when I'm running around with the kids, this used to be an easy choice.

• This is what was left. I used to finish every last bite, but not only did I start off with some of my burger gone already, I didn't even finish what was left. Still felt pretty bad for not making better choices. 

That my friends is how last week went for me.

I told you it was pretty rough. I was all over the place with my cravings, giving into temptations, and waking up late.

I did not drink my GREEN TEA most of the week. Not for any particular reason, I just didn't make it in the morning, probably because I was waking up so late, and was rushing most days. I am pretty sure that made a difference. I felt so much better last week, peed a lot more, and had more energy.

I also was super tired this week, sneezed quite a lot, and my body just felt sore. Hopefully I'm not coming down with something, but it's been crazy cold, raining, and just crappy weather here. Not to mention I'm walking around in flip flops, and wet hair half the time. I'm usually pretty sweaty after leaving the gym, I don't exactly have time to get all prettied up before I leave.

Either way, this week was bad for me. I REALLY wish I could tell you it went great. There were plenty of times I did good, despite my temptations, but HELLO did you see what happened yesterday. Oh man, that was a total bummer!!!

Again I want to remind all of you, that it's OK if you aren't perfect. I tried, but not hard enough, and clearly my body wanted something last week, and I just wasn't giving that to it. I need to figure out what was going on exactly.

I really thing the GREEN TEA makes a huge difference. So that is something I need to MAKE sure I drink and have ready every day.

Also as much as I wish I could say I don't need or want any carbs, clearly my body says otherwise. I think I need to be more realistic in eating more carbs.

Still don't know if I will continue the GLUTEN FREE kick for the rest of the challenge, but I do think it's helped me. I still feel less bloated, and I know this is a direct result of taking out most of the gluten from my food. So I'm going to keep it going as long as I can.

I really want to try to bake something yummy and satisfying this week, I really want something good, and healthy too. Any suggestions??? Preferably GLUTEN FREE!

Alright, well that's a wrap up. Another week down, and 4 more to go.

Can't wait to see how I do next week!!

Thanks again for all your support, I LOVE all the help, and words of encouragement I've been getting. I sure hope I don't let you all down, but most importantly I hope I don't let myself down. I felt very disappointed in my choices yesterday. I know I can do better.