July 31

breakfast: melon

snack: buffalo mozzarella

lunch: salad

dinner: steamed vegetables with tahini sauce, bread, cheese

workout: callanetics 10/10

July 30

breakfast: granola

lunch: pasta with cabbage, carrots and tofu

dinner: caprese salad

My back felt fine today so I'm going to start working out tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure it was completely healed without a relapse after 24 hours. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and the time off will shock my body into losing inches even faster.

July 29

breakfast: granola

lunch: hummus, melon

dinner: pasta with cabbage, carrots and tofu

My back is starting to feel better so hopefully I'll be able to begin working out again soon. I really miss it. That's the first time in my life I'ever said something like that. It used to always be such a dreaded chore to me. Now, I want to move more, etc. It's strange to have my thoughts about exercising change. Finding something I enjoy probably helps.

Weird Reaction

breakfast: protein shake

lunch: salad

dinner: hummus, salad, banana

I don't know what happened at dinner, but my mouth swelled up and I had a lot of trouble breathing. I've never had a reaction to food like that before, especially such benign food. None of it's stuff people are generally allergic to. I eat it all the time. The person I ate dinner with didn't have a reaction and they ate the exact same thing. It was pretty scary, but at least it passed.

I'm really tired of my weight not changing. It's strange. My clothes are fitting better, but no weight change. I know I could be putting on muscle and that ultimately it's more important how you look and feel, but I guess I just want more. I know it's just a number, but it would be nice to see it go down.

Not Taking the Time

breakfast: granola

snack: buffalo mozzarella

lunch: veggie burger (no bun), baked fries

dinner: blueberry muffin, sauerkraut, cheese

I was so busy today, running around doing things, that I never took the time to eat properly. And it shows. I waited to long to get hungry, was too lazy to fix a proper meal/cook. Not the healthiest of days by far. I don't feel good eating this way. I definitely feel better when I eat more balanced throughout the day with more fruits and vegetables.

Blueberry Muffins

breakfast: blueberry muffin, raw milk

lunch: gordita

dinner: blanched potato with a touch of sesame oil, steamed vegetables, buffalo mozzarella

I made the most amazing blueberry muffins from Grain-free Gourmet . They don't contain sugar, dairy or flour. Instead, it's just ground almonds. They were a little crunchy because I didn't grind the almonds fine enough, but they were soooo good. No one could tell they didn't contain flour, sugar or dairy.

I think what I like best about the muffins is the color - a nice, rich, dark purple. The blueberries are cooked until their juices come out and then they're added to the batter. So instead of having a muffin with little blue dots throughout it, the entire thing is the color of blueberries. It really brings out the flavor of the blueberries and every bite taste like you're eating one. I never thought of doing this before, but I really like it. I'm going to have to try it with other fruits.

No Back Pain: New Goal?

breakfast: raw milk

lunch: baked falafel, tahini sauce, sauerkraut, salad

snack: plum

dinner: potato salad, cannelini beans

I just finished a goal of one month without sweets. Now I'm wondering if I should aim for a one month goal of no back pain. I know my back hasn't hurt for very long, but it's never hurt like this or this badly before. It did pop tonight, so maybe that's a good sign - some of the pressure was relieved or it was just out of alignment.

Day 31 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein shake with too many blueberries

lunch: rice, baked falafel, sauerkraut, carrots

snack: grapes

dinner: pizza, sauerkraut

I still didn't eat any sweets today even though I'm no longer intentionally avoiding them. I just never thought about them. It's nice to no longer be controlled by a food group.

I think I did something to my back over the weekend while redoing the yard. It hasn't been feeling well at all. So I'm thinking I'm going to stop working out for a while, at least until I can do simple things like sitting and standing without excruciating pain. I guess it'll be a good test to see how long you can go without doing Callanetics and Ballet Conditioning and yet have the results last. Hopefully, they last a very long time. Not that I'm intending to be in pain for that long. But it'd be nice to know you could got a week without seeing a huge backslide, or any backslide really.

Day 30 - No Sweets

breakfast: raw milk, oatmeal

lunch: tofu, steamed vegetables

snack: blueberries

dinner: potatoes, green beans, salad

I really don't know what to write today. I woke up. I ate. I didn't eat sweets. I took the day off from most things and just decided to relax.

Day 29 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein shake

lunch: gordita

snack: raw cheese, raw crackers

dinner: half a veggie burger

workout: finished landscaping yard...rather had to stop because I ran out of mulch. It's amazing how much is needed. Thought 10 bags would be now, not even close.

Only 1 day without sweets left. Doesn't really seem like a big deal. At this point, I don't care if I have them or not.

Day 28 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein shake

lunch: falafel, salad

dinner: tofu and pickled vegetable sandwich

workout: callanetics 10/10

I'm really tired today. I don't know why. It's been a pretty eventful week, so maybe that's why.

Day 27 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein shake

lunch: brown rice pasta, large salad

snack: nuts

dinner: oatmeal, plum

workout: Callanetics 10/10, 30 minutes HIIT

3 more days until I can have sweets again! I don't miss them at all, but it'll be nice not to have to pay so much attention to what's in food. I think eliminating sweets for a month was definitely the right things to do. I no longer think of sweets as a quick pick-me-up when I'm feeling tired and they're not an automatic food I reach to when I want a snack.

I've been having a protein shake for breakfast every day this week. I'm not snacking in the mornings like I was. I've been making them with a raw hemp chocolate protein powder that is sooo good. It has no sweetener in it, but it tastes amazing.

Day 26 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein shake

lunch: brown rice and tofu

snack: plum, nuts

dinner: brown rice pasta, green beans

workout: ballet conditioning

Day 25 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein drink

lunch: potato pancake, zucchini, tomatoes and chickpeas

snack: nectarine, nuts, raw cracker

dinner: avocado, tomato, basil, cheese sandwich

workout: 30 minutes HIIT

I shouldn't have had the sandwich. Wheat is just evil. My stomach is so bloated now. It's like I gained I gained a clothing size in under an hour. Well, it's not like I did, I actually did. I know I shouldn't have ate it, but it sounded so good. Sometimes it's so hard to avoid wheat because I truly enjoy it. I know it's really bad for me, it makes me fat, it makes me tired, it causes cold sores, and a variety of other problems for me. But sometimes it has so much going for it... I always regret eating it as soon as I'm done, but while I'm eating it, it's simply heaven.

Day 24 - No Sweets

breakfast: protein drink

lunch: carrot and cucumber salad, tofu, savoy cabbage with tomato

snack: peach, nuts, 5 baked corn chips with salsa

dinner: potato cakes, zucchini, tomatoes, and chickpeas

workout: Callanetics Evolution, 35 minutes HIIT

I had the most amazing 4 day weekend away. It was so nice just to get away from everything and visit with friends. Work seems to have become the focal point of so many of our lives, that we often forget about living and doing things that we enjoy. I believe our life is meant to be spent living, not working, slaving away for someone else day after day. With the advent of cell phones, it's like you can never get away. Vacations aren't really vacations. People don't leave you alone. They still call, even for the most trivial things. Even if you're so sick you can't get out of bed, you're still expected to be available. There's so much more to life than work, but it seems like work takes up pretty much everything.

Enough with that rant.

I've decided to try adding some high intensity interval training to my workouts. I want to speed up results, as well as increase my cardio conditioning. I've realized that I don't just want to be thin, I want to get into great shape. Talk about a shift in focus.

I know Callanetics works by using the small muscles that most workouts neglect, that's why it can produce such fast results. But I wonder how it works at truly shaping the body, the way an athlete's body can look. People in Callanetics videos are thin, but if you look at the early ones, they don't really look like they're in shape. Callan is definitely able to do a lot of moves and make them look easy, moves that require a lot of strength, but she's never really looked like she's in great shape to me. Maybe I'll have to rethink my workouts some. Add some stuff in here and there.

Day 19 - No Sweets

breakfast: oatmeal with apricots

lunch: masala and paneer dosa, plain lassi

dinner: greens, tofu, pickled vegetables

workout: Callanetics 10/10

Okay, both Ballet Conditioning and Callanetics really work my body. I can feel the muscles screaming at me. But, Callanetics is so relaxing it's additive. The time goes by so quickly it's like I'm done moments after I started. Granted, I do think the pain in Ballet Condition is also addictive, but it's anything but relaxing. It's painful, a good pain, but pain nonetheless. The two workouts are so similar, but so different. I'm definitely not getting tired of either of them.

I never thought I'd say that about a workout - not getting tired of it. I used to always start working out and then get bored, no matter how often I rotated workouts. Everything just seemed so similar. Of course, I didn't get the results I'm getting now. I do think being able to see changes so quickly is helping with the motivation, but I still enjoy doing both of these workouts. It's the first time in my life I've ever looked forward to working out. I just know I'm going to feel so good afterwards.

Day 18 - No Sweets

breakfast: strawberry smoothie

lunch: summer minestrone, pain au levain

snack: brazil nuts

dinner: raw crackers with hummus, popcorn

workout: ballet conditioning

I had such a strong craving for popcorn tonight. I had the crackers with hummus to try to insert something healthy into my body in place of the popcorn. The flavors are kind of similar. But, no, it had to be the popocorn. It turns out I only wanted a few bites and was set for the evening. I wonder what it is in popcorn, or corn in general, that my body was craving.

Day 17 - No Sweets

breakfast: strawberry-almond smoothie

lunch: deviled egg, avocado, steamed green beans, raw cheese

snack: plum, brazil nuts

dinner: summer minestrone, peach, date

workout: Callanetics 10/10

It's so nice to have so much summer fruit in season finale. So many times a day I can pick so many juicy flavors to explore, each different and exciting. They taste so much better than any cake or cookie. It's definitely easy to avoid sweets at this time of year - produce more than makes up for it. Now, with corn in season sweet foods are everywhere. It should be so easy to lose weight this time of year. Food is so much lighter and healthier. It isn't dense and heavy like winter squashes. It's filled with water and so many flavors, each unique unto itself. Summer is truly a treat for the taste buds.

Day 16 - No Sweets

breakfast: raw milk, peanut butter toast

snack: peach

lunch: tomato, sauerkraut, steamed vegetables, tofu

snack: peanuts

dinner: brown rice pasta with tomatoes, zucchini and corn

workout: relandscaping yard

I've been redoing my yard this weekend. It's definitely a great full body workout. A gopher decided to inhabit it for a while, dig holes everywhere, and break the sprinkler system. All the old grass is now dug up. The sprinkler system is repaired. Just adding new soil and plants is left. It's supposed to be extremely hot the next couple of days, so I probably won't finish it until next weekend. Even though it's currently just a mass of dirt, it already looks better than the gopher hole swiss cheese appearance it had before.

Day 15 - No Sweets

breakfast: melon, raw milk

lunch: bean and cheese quesadilla

dinner: gordita, buffalo mozzarella, salad

workout: relandscaping yard

Day 14 - No Sweets

breakfast: bread and cheese

lunch: green beans, salad, pizza

snack: nuts, fruit

dinner: green beans, potatoes

workout: relandscaping yard

Day 13 - No Sweets

breakfast: focaccia, raw cheese, raw milk

lunch: sushi, couple of pieces vegetable tempura

dinner: tomato, lettuce, cheese sandwich

weight: -1.5 pounds

It's so nice to see the scale going down. I wasn't very hungry today. Yet, I probably still ate twice what I wanted. For both lunch and dinner, I was no longer hungry about halfway through, but I still kept eating. I don't know why. It was just stupid. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

Day 12 - No Sweets

breakfast: oatmeal with apricots

snack: focaccia with tomato, avocado, raw cheddar, and balsamic vinegar

lunch: chickpea patty, raw cracker with peanut butter, sauerkraut

dinner: tomato and cucumber salad, tofu, potato, melon

workout: Callanetics 10/10

Today was a hungry day. I probably could have ate more after lunch, but I got tired of eating. I'm not sure why I was so hungry today. I don't think my activity level has increased or anything. If I wasn't avoiding sweets, I normally would have reached for cookies or something similar to quite down the hunger. Those wouldn't have satisfied me nearly as well, so I'm glad I've cut out sweets. I feel so much better and it's easier to make healthier food choices.

I just started measuring on Monday. I decided to remeasure today because I thought I was more toned. I've already lost 1/4" off both my waist and my hips. I think that's pretty good for 3 days. The combination of Callanetics and Ballet Conditioning seems to be working very well.

Day 11 - No Sweets

breakfast: 1/8 baguette with avocado and cheese

snack: raw milk

lunch: raw nori crackers with peanut butter and parmesan

snack: couple bites granola

dinner: chickpea patty, avocado, french fries

workout: callanetics warm-up, 30-minute walk

Not the healthiest today. I so didn't feel like fixing anything for lunch. At least the crackers and chickpea patty had vegetables in them. Tomorrow, I'll do better. Even if you're lazy, you have to eat decently.