Tag Archives: Healthy challenge

Day 30: Tips from friends

There is an abundance of healthy, beautiful, tanned and toned people here in San Francisco.

To the point where I was about ready to hop back on the plane to Dublin when I first arrived. I don’t belong here, I’m an imposter! My shins are too pale to wear shorts every day.

But after a while I realised:

1. I’m not the only one with pale shins. We’re in the tech nerd capital of the world after all, filled with engineers who have pale everything.

2. I can actually use this situation to my advantage – make friends with these beautiful people and get their secrets!

So, that’s what I’m doing – interviewing my group of SF friends to get their top tips for staying healthy.

We’re starting off with Anna. Anna is actually Irish, but she does a very good job of blending in with the beautiful locals. And not only does she look great, she’s also a qualified nutritionist so she speaks the truth.

Watch the video by clicking on the picture below. This was taken on Day 31 at Dolores Park. Blog entry on this tomorrow.

(Note, this is my first time making a video. I’ll get better!)

Watch Anna’s top healthy tips here

If you’re not into videos, her tips written down are:

Find an active, social sport you enjoy
- Her sport of choice is spinning, which is close to where she lives
- She tries to do it 2-3 times a week
- If she doesn’t hit that number, she doesn’t beat herself up about it, she just pushes hard the next week
At a picnic, go for the low-cab options
- Avoid things like kettle chips (And Anna actually did avoid these things! Unlike myself. I had to actually throw that bag of kettle chips over to the other side of the picnic blanket to avoid them.)
- It’s OK to have a beer, but limit the number you have
- 1 drink during the day is worth 2 beers at night – so be careful as you could actually get more drunk day-drinking
Walk as much as you can
On a night out drink red wine, gin or vodka and soda
- Have the vodka and soda with lots and lots of lime as it makes it taste better

Thanks for the healthy tips Anna, what a super star! Stay tuned for more tips from friends.

Food and Exercise

I just had a couple of those tortilla chips and guac!

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, steamed Kale, raw celery and watemelon
Lunch: Chicken salad, with peaches and grapes and jalapeno peppers (random but tasty!)
Snack: Glass of wine…
Dinner: Salad with garbanzo beans and some kind of cheese (in a bar) and San Pelligrino
Snack: Glass of wine and like two-three tortilla chips with guac.

The late night snack with Lysbet, Isabel and Dzuy

Day 29: The power of a compliment – for good or for bad

Day 27: Zombie-like exhaustion

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Absolute and utter exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks on Day 27. I pretty much spent the majority of the work day like this.

I think our strategy going forward, should involve napping

Actually, that’s too cute-looking. In fact, it was more like this:

What do you mean I look tired? I'mma go zombie on your ass

I look tired, you say?

Zombie-like exhaustion is the perfect way to describe it.

I dragged myself, from meeting to meeting, struggling to keep my swollen, tired eyes open and contributing nothing of value to the conversations, aside from the odd snarl to let people know I was still alive. How to not make friends and influence people!

In addition, I wanted to eat EVERYTHING around me. ALL of the food. I was ready to upend the entire jar of granola straight into my mouth, followed by a carton of FULL FAT milk, right there in the middle of the kitchen, not caring who saw me.

Needless to say, my body was definitely crying out for fuel just in an effort to keep itself awake and functioning.

I was never more thankful to see the back of a working day. And I was never more thankful for having a long commute home. I fell asleep as soon as I sat down on the bus!

(This actually isn’t unusual for me. I practically have a super-human ability to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere, in under 5 seconds flat. My friends Marie and Kate, who both suffer from sleep issues, hate me for it. I’m convinced they always try to wake me up on purpose when we’re on long-haul flights together. Don’t hate me cos I sleep well).

Whilst Day 27 was a tough one, it ended in the nicest possible way – with the offer of a home-cooked meal from Venessa. Venessa is the ‘house-mom’ and an amazing cook! In under 30 minutes she can whip up a feast fit for a herd of ravenous zombies. So, rather than cave into the exhaustion and order a take-out, which is what I think would have happened if left to my own devices, I sat down to freshly baked Irish soda bread, quinoa and roasted veg and homemade beans. I was never more happy or thankful.

I’ve been mulling over the reasons why I was so exhausted on this day.

It could have been the fact that I stayed up slightly later than usual watching TOWIE – a trashy reality TV show set in Essex in England. Totes amazeballs. Even Lysbet, a pure Cali girl, thinks it’s well funny.

But, now I know, for a fact, that it was all the fault of ‘that time of the month’ (these words should be said in an exaggerated stage voice, looking furtively over your shoulder to make sure nobody heard you).

I know this because:

‘That time of the month’ happened the VERY NEXT DAY
It was exactly the same as last month. Utter exhaustion and pure chaos from a health eating perspective.

When I stopped to think about it, it all made sense – the granola obsession, bad skin, blah blah blah. I’ve basically been PMS-ing my way through the entire week.

I should obviously have copped on to this sooner – the whole thing happens like clockwork, obvs. But, funnily enough, I haven’t paid close enough attention until writing this blog.

The good thing is I can take action for the next time. The two things I always hear recommended for bad PMS are Omega 3s (EPA/DHA) and Evening Primrose oil. I buy the Minami Nutrition brand of Omega 3s as I’ve heard from personal trainers it’s high quality. Omega 3s are also apparently great for fat loss!

Needless to say I will be stocking up for next month!

Food and exercise

I was too tired to take pictures of food today. But to sum up:

Breakfast: oatmeal and flaxseed, bee pollen, apple and a little bit of peanut butter
Exercise: 1 hour of PT
Lunch: Salad with chicken, avocado, quinoa, grapes
Snack: Granola – not the whole jar but a big bowl with some yogurt and berries
Dinner: Roasted veg, quinoa, homemade beans, fresh bread, 2 squares of dark chocolate

Days 21-23: MIA- most likely found in the granola aisle

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As you can most likely infer from the title of this post the past few days have been rough. So rough I haven’t been able to face blogging about them. And the lack of blogging, or rather the lack of full disclosure to the masses, most likely exacerbated the issue. If I had come clean, and faced the shame on day 21, I would have probably been able to bring myself back from the brink, instead of spiraling into the darkness… The nutty, oaty, cranberry-y darkness.

So, can you guess what caused this tremendous flying leap off the wagon?

Yes, granola.

I can hear you all sigh at your screens as you read this. ‘I knew this would happen. The way she talked about granola in the last post seemed slightly manic. Hysterical almost. A lady on the edge.’

And all I can say is you were right, how very astute of you, well done. Just, the next time, make sure you intervene, k? Wrestle the box out of my hands, if needs be. (It will probably be needed.)

So, what happened exactly?

I would say that over the past 3 days I’ve actually been 75% healthy. Lots of veg, lean protein, healthy fat. Exactly what the magazines tell you.

But the other 25%? I’ll give you the showreel- granola after dinner, granola for breakfast one day, granola as an afternoon snack, pasta (!) and eating ice cream out of the carton standing at the freezer (only one spoonful but it’s kind of the defining moment of those 3 days of madness).

I think the worst thing about this period was the feeling that I was out of control, that I couldn’t say no to the badness, that the granola had complete power over me. And then of course, there were the feelings of guilt and loathing. The beating myself up and telling myself I was a terrible person with no will power, who had just failed the 100 day challenge.

Needless to say they were some dark times, food wise.

But, I am happy to say I am back on track and committed one again to my 100 Healthy Days.

What helped me? Some words of wisdom from my roommate Venessa.

‘Have you ever thought about telling yourself nothing is off-limits?’ She asked.

‘Interesting question.’ I replied. ‘Never. That would just open the flood gates. I would be having carb fests morning, noon and night.’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘think about this. If you say to yourself there is no way in hell you can have that granola, all you’ll do is obsess about it and then eat the whole box.’

I nodded emphatically.

She continued ‘If you tell yourself instead, you can have a quarter of a cup of granola today, if you’re craving it, and then you can have another quarter of a cup the next day if you still want it, you kind of remove that sense of deprivation. And also the obsession.’

You know what, what Venessa said to me just made sense! And it allowed me to get back on track, almost immediately, funnily enough. Without wanting any more granola. It’s like the desire has been neutralised.

Funny how the mind works. You always want what you can’t have.

So, the next time I have an intense craving, I’m going to remember Venessa’s words and just have a tiny bit, with the thought that it’s there for me if I want it later. And I’m just going to focus on eating food that makes me feel good. Ie healthy stuff!

I’m not saying this is the end of my struggles, but it’s food for thought, and thought for food. (Haha dork).

And I’m now back in the saddle! Roll on Day 24!

Day 20: Snack Attack

Day 19: The perils of too much coffee

Day 18: Dolores Park life

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Breakfast: Low fat natural yogurt, raspberries, red grapes, 6 pecans, cinnamon, coffee with milk
Snack: banana
Lunch: Vietnamese chicken salad (grilled chicken with cabbage, carrots, pickled onions, peanuts), kale smoothie made with almond milk and almond butter. All from Delores Park Cafe (really tasty).
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Chicken with tomato ratatouille, cherry tomatoes, red grapes

The summers in San Francisco are not the best. It’s cold and foggy and you’re more likely to be investing in a sensible Northface fleece than a cute pair of shorts. The fog is kind of cool to see though- it rolls in over the city like a wave and hovers so low you feel like you could touch it. The San Franciscans have become so acquainted with it they’ve even given it a name. Meet Karl the Fog. It’s a definitely a love-hate relationship.

Anyway, SF summers kind of suck (which is a lot for an Irish person to say) but the SF fall can be spectacular- like this weekend! It was so hot, but with a light breeze so very pleasant indeed. I love the sun!!

If you’re staying in the city there’s really only one thing to do when the weather is nice- hit up a park. And my park of choice is Dolores Park. Not only is it in my hood, but it’s the most fun in my opinion, even with half of it under construction as it is now. It’s chock-a-block with people, dogs (sometimes cats), babies, birthday parties, acrobatics, hippies doing hippy things, hippies selling hippy things (like things 😉 ) and…people kicking back and drinking.

Beers in the sun, in a park. Is there anything nicer?

Before heading over to meet my friends I tried to steel myself against the lures of Delores Park by reminding myself of my goals, blah blah blah.

But as soon as we sat down and someone mentioned getting beers my resolve began to waver and the internal battle commenced.

‘Well maybe one, tiny, light beer won’t hurt.’ ‘

‘That skinny girl over there is drinking beer, how bad could it be.’

‘Drinking in the sun burns off calories immediately.’

And so on.

It wasn’t until another friend Katie refused the offer of beer in favor of coffee that I was able to calm the inner voice and say no myself.

And the good news is I still had a good time. Parks are fun without the drinking.

But it just goes to show that while I have won a few battles on behalf of healthy eating, the war with my old habits had yet to be won.

In other news, I got a hair cut today as well. It was really needed! Thanks Henrik, magic work!

Day 16: That Friday Feeling

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Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites and eggs, pineapple, berries, coffee with milk
Lunch: Mixed salad, roasted veg, Grilled chicken breast, balsamic vinegar
Snack: Pineapple, cherry tomatoes, sugar snaps
Dinner: Appetizer – mixed meat, main course – vegetable cassoulet (smoked chickpeas, corn, green beans) and arugula salad, 2 x glasses of wine

What is it about Fridays – you always feel like you want and deserve a treat! It’s the end of a hard working week and all you want to do is kick back with a glass of wine and something nice to eat.

Or, as has been my habit of late, go out for happy hour, not eat any food and finish up at around 1.30am in the pizza joint.

Guess what I did not do! (The pizza one).

But I did kick back with something relatively nice to eat and a glass of wine (x2). Not 100% healthy but I think it’s healthy enough. Just to be clear – I still want to live my normal life by going out on the weekends and going for dinners and drinks. I just need to healthify the norm.

It was a slightly special occasion as well – my parents’ last night in SF. And we had a lovely time!

We had an aperitivo in the sun at Noeteca in Noe Valley. Such a cute little wine bar if you’re in the neighbourhood with good food.

We then went to Precita Park Cafe in Bernal Heights. Sweet little neighbourhood, with a great dog park if you’re that way inclined, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it for a Friday night. Full of kids (actually the perfect spot for a family on a Friday eve) and they totally rushed us through our meal. The food and wine were tasty though.

Then afterwards we went back to my parents’ Air BnB to chill on the couch and watch TV. There’s something so lovely about doing this with your family – so comforting, so normal, so relaxing. So precious.

I’m going to miss them loads.

Also, one last point to show you what I’m up against when it comes to healthy eating.

This is what I was faced with when I walked into the work cafe this morning:

Death by doughnut holes…

Thankfully they also had this, so I was easily able to be healthy.

Yum!

Day 15: Reflections and Refocusing

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Breakfast: Low fat natural yoghurt, bee pollen, flax seeds, tsp dried cranberries, apple
Exercise: 30 mins PT
Snack: Acai bowl (frozen blended acai, bananas, strawberries, shredded coconut)
Lunch: Mixed salad with plain tune
Snack: Half carton of low-fat cottage cheese, crudites
Dinner: Mediterranean chicken (chicken with homemade tomato sauce and zucchini, peppers, onions and mushrooms) with mixed salad and avocado
Dessert: What I didn’t have was some of the Mitchell’s ice cream my parents bought. BOOM.

The acai bowl is more of a cup really. False advertising.

I am now in my 3rd week of my 100 Healthy Days in SF challenge – where did the time go?!?

This has prompted me to do some thinking and reflecting on how the challenge has gone to date and what I want to focus on for the next while.

Biggest learning for me has probably been that it’s not just a matter of saying you want to change a behaviour and relying on sheer will power to get you there. Yes, will power plays a part, obviously, and the more you practice using it, the easier it gets. It’s like a muscle, don’t ya know.

But I think you also need to think about pro-active, intervention strategies as well. Bad habits take a while to form and they can be steadfastly entrenched in your day-to-day life. It’s going to take some effort and planning to get rid of them.

So, one of my big focuses over the next while is to plan ahead and be prepared to meet the various challenges head on.

The second biggest learning is around FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). This will happen a lot!! You see someone else happily drinking a margarita in the sunshine of a Friday evening, or ooo-ing and ahhh-ing and smacking their lips over an ice-cream and a little voice inside your head screams ‘THAT SHOULD BE ME! I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY! HAPPINESS IS NOT FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF A BAG OF STUPID CARROTS.’

What I’ve learned is that it takes a lot of shouting back at that inner-voice to get him to shut up. You need to constantly remind him it’s all for the greater good, that this is a new way of living, that carrots are tasty in their own way and that the person who appears to be having such an amazing time eating or drinking may not actually be enjoying themselves that much. (Although I’m pretty sure the people eating Mitchell’s ice cream are having an amazing time).

Funny note – my mother is obsessed with the phrase FOMO. She laughs every time she hears it and has started saying it as well. I’m trying to get her to start saying YOLO as well. That would make me LOL.

The third part of my reflections are around exercise. I haven’t been doing nearly enough. Partly because my parents are over and partly for no reason at all. Laziness most likely. So the next few weeks will focus on getting my sweat on!

Last note for today – do you know how to pronounce acai? I did not. Apparently it’s pronouced ah-sigh-ee. Morto for me, I was pronouncing it A-Kigh. Oh how the Californians must have laughed at me.

Day 13: Spotlight on breakfast cereal

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Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and egg whites, steamed kales, chia seeds, raw celery, tomatoes
Exercise: 1 hour PT session (leg day)
Lunch: Mixed salad, with grilled chicken and avocado, apple cider vinegar
Dinner: Brown rice and spicy eggplant with shrimp and chicken
Snack: Almond brittle

I didn’t photograph the almond brittle. It was only a tiny piece!

I read a really interesting article today from The New York Times, about the decline in cereal sales over the past decade. The reason cited are varied- millennials are too busy to sit down and eat meals in general so are ‘snacking’ instead (not this millenial!); people went crazy for bagels for a while; the number of breakfast options available in the marketplace are growing so people are branching out; and lastly people are becoming a lot more health conscious and don’t want to eat unhealthy food.

About 2 years ago I started seeing a personal trainer in Dublin (howya Gordon!) and one of his most important pieces of advice to me was to fix the breakfasts- ditch the sugary, processed cereals and concentrate on eating protein. Not only is it better for you from a nutritional standpoint, it will also help to balance your blood sugars for the day so you’re not craving the bad stuff.

I cried a little when I heard that.

Cereal and I – we go way back. Some of my most fond memories relate to cereal – my gran sprinkling on the sugar for me when we vactaioned with her in Italy, being so excited to eat Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms when we went back to visit Canada. I would happily eat cereal at all times of the day – it’s carby and comforting. Carbforting – does that work?!

But, based on his advice I did it, I quit cereal! Even the ‘healthy’ muesli I had convinced myself was OK. Instead I started eating eggs, smoked salmon and even smoked mackerel (there was a small bit of gagging the first time)!

I stopped short at eating chicken for breakfast, which is what his recommendation was. I think I nearly threw a dumbbell at him when he suggested it. Chicken!

And, you know what – I feel great for it and it’s one of the healthy habits I’ve managed to keep up. I rarely get sugar cravings, and I don’t feel hungry until lunch time. So great, it’s a healthy habit I’ve managed to keep up. I can safely say that my breakfasts are 99% clean. (Don’t you dare throw those Day 11 pancakes back in my face).

Note, I actually also try to avoid fruit sugars at breakfast, where possible. Even having too much fruit has an effect on my blood sugars (ie sugar craving).

Try it! And tell me if you have any good breakfast recommendations that don’t involve eggs. I eat them a bit too regularly.

The cereal selection in work. You have no power over me, cereal!

One of the breakfast options I want to try is this. It looks soooo good!

Avocado with eggs. Yum!

100 Days in SF

100 days of fun in San Francisco

Tag Archives: Healthy challenge

Day 30: Tips from friends

Day 29: The power of a compliment – for good or for bad

Day 27: Zombie-like exhaustion

Days 21-23: MIA- most likely found in the granola aisle

Day 20: Snack Attack

Day 19: The perils of too much coffee

Day 18: Dolores Park life

Day 16: That Friday Feeling

Day 15: Reflections and Refocusing

Day 13: Spotlight on breakfast cereal