Google+ Adventures in Paleo-land: 21DSD Day 12 - Stay Strong

Friday, May 24, 2013

21DSD Day 12 - Stay Strong

Bored with plain old water? Mix it up with lemon or lime. Or if you want to be fancy... Cucumbers!!! Because really, what's life without cucumbers in your water? It tastes so crisp and cool... like a cucumber.

I'm currently writing this in the car as my friends and I road trip to the lake for Memorial Day weekend. The song we're all singing to right now is "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker. Fun fact: Darius Rucker was the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, who just really wanted to sing country. And I mean, can you blame him? Country is awesome. So is Texas. Oh, and he's awesome, too.

Anyways, I'm mentally preparing myself for saying "no" to alcohol. As I mentioned, it's really hard to go out with a huge group of friends who are all drinking and not join in. I mean, my mom even said that it wouldn't be a big deal if I just had a drink... She wants me to have fun and not feel like the sober outsider, which can happen sometimes.

But I'm just reminding myself of the reasons to stay strong:
1. It's just plain good for my body.
2. My body will thank me tomorrow when I'm not hungover.
3. I'll be one of the few people with a clear recollection of the events of the evening.
4. I get to avoid filling myself with empty calories devoid of any nutritional value.
5. I want to be able to say that I stuck with 21DSD without cheating or slipping. It's a pride thing.
6. My face will stay clearer by staying away from the sugars in the alcohol mixers.
7. I want to win $200 in my work "Baywatch Challenge"

Speaking of the "Baywatch Challenge," I was heating up some Paleo Chili for my lunch today when I saw one of my competitors pulling a Lean Cuisine out of the microwave. It just made me think of the days when I used to eat microwave dinners. I did it for years, even back in high school because my schedule was so crazy with school, studying, and my abundance of extra-curriculars. I just remember always feeling hungry after I finished eating it. It just didn't seem like enough food, yet I was always worried about my total calorie count for the day, so I just sucked it up... Until I couldn't restrain myself anymore and I attacked the snacks. Not so good for weight loss. So today, when I tucked into a large bowl of Paleo Chili, I silently thanked the Paleo gods... Jk, I felt immensely grateful that my "Twin" (the other half of my crew team's stroke pair) introduced me to Paleo. Granted it took her a few years of telling me how great she felt to get me to try changing my eating habits, but it finally happened.

Though eating Paleo takes a lot longer and it makes me that person at restaurants when I say "I'll have the special, hold the bread and the sauce and the potatoes, and can I get a salad instead of that cheesy nonsense," I still prefer the foods that I'm eating. I don't think I can rave enough about how great my meals end up tasting in comparison to how i used to eat. Going Paleo forced me to hone my cooking skills. Don't believe me? Just ask my ex... He was the cook in our relationship; I was the baker. I attribute that to the fact that I love to bake from scratch and raw meat used to terrify me. Baking just seemed like the better option for me. But I've adjusted. I still love baking way more than cooking, but I enjoy cooking now, and it's not so much of a chore anymore. Yay!

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