Dave and I are in a small trough of rest between my parents' visit to Prague and our upcoming trip to Venice—where we'll explore for...
Read MoreWhole30: Day 21 Recap
From August 1 through August 23, I’m documenting my Whole30, including the when, what, where, and how much of my sleep, activity, food, and mood. Read about why I’m doing the Whole30 right here. Not familiar with the Whole30? Learn all about it here and get extra help with the Whole30 Daily.
Whole30: Day 21
WOOT! It was a kickass day because the universe smiled upon me: my energy was great, and I knocked out my last chapter of the Dummies book. My working vacation is thisclose—and by “working vacation” I mean I’m going to visit my parents in Pennsylvania for their 45th wedding anniversary, then heading to Philadelphia for sight-seeing and a book signing at CrossFit Center City. I’ll be blogging while I’m there, and honestly, none of that sounds like work. All of it sounds like fun!
Sleep
8.5 hours
Activity
Kundalini Yoga: Whenever Robin says we’re focusing on the second chakra, I know that’s code for “We’re going to be doing a lot of core work, and you’re going to get sweaty.” The Sanskrit name for the second chakra is Svadhisthana, and it means “dwelling place of the Self.” Located just below the belly buton, it’s associated with creativity and procreation, so it governs our emotions and creativity… which is why Second Chakra Day always means lots of poses that challenge the abs (and the mind).
Man! There is nothing like a 3-minute kriya for the core to make my brain want to chant, “Stop! Stop!” Among other things, we did table pose and kundalini lotus pose (mine looked nothing like this) and fast donkey kicks with breath of fire. By the time we’d donkey kicked on both sides, I was sweating from my scalp, my eyelids, and my elbow creases. Then we meditated, and it was groovy, baby.
Food
I’ve found my appetite is less ravenous, and I feel better if I eat in a 11-hour window — usually between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. so I can stop eating about 2-3 hours before going to bed — and don’t snack between meals or before bed. Because I’m dealing with my thyroid experiment, I’m measuring and tracking my food right now. I aim for 40% fat, 30% protein, 30% carbs.
Breakfast, 8:00 a.m.
4 ounces chicken breast + 1 cup collard greens + 2/3 cup sweet potatoes + 1 teaspoon coconut oil + Ras el Hanout
Lunch, 1:30 p.m.
4 ounces Lava Lake Lamb Italian Sausage w/ red, green, and yellow bell peppers
1 cup cooked cauliflower florets w/ garlic + crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup blueberries
Dinner, 8:00 p.m. — Firebowl Cafe
beef + zucchini + broccoli + onions in Thai basil lemongrass sauce
2/3 cup blueberries
2 teaspoons Sunbutter
Mood
Filled with joy and relief to have completed the Dummies manuscript.
Photo of the Day
As I mentioned gushed in my Tuesday 10 post, I’m going to a Jennifer Lopez concert on Thursday night. I can’t compete with La Lopez physique, but I do have a gold metallic dress.
Song of the Day
Let’s Get Loud, Jennifer Lopez
There’s been a lot of diva-tastic music coming out of my speakers for the past few days. What? It’s fun. Don’t judge.
How was your Day 21?
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Mel, you are a stunningly beautiful woman. And a terrific writer. I really enjoy your work. Good work finishing the Dummies manuscript. That must feel terrific. Have a bitchin’ day 🙂
Oh! You’re so lovely. Thank you for the compliments. I will definitely have a bitchin’ day now.
Hi there! I just moved to Austin a few weeks ago and started my first whole 30 3 days ago. I love your mayo and salad dressing recipes. They have been big hits with my fiancé, who I coerced to try paleo with me.
Do you know of anywhere in Austin that offers yoga for $5-8? Everywhere I found online is closer to $10-20. Thanks for your help and your blog! It’s super helpful!
Welcome to Austin! Glad the mayo, etc. is helping with the fiancé 🙂
I go to Yoga Yoga (AWESOME!) but their prices are around there. I’ve also taken classes at Black Swan, and the teachers are very good. There, you donate what you can afford, so you could comfortably pay $5-$8 per class. http://blackswanyoga.com/
Congratulations on finishing the manuscript!
Aaaaaah. Thank you!
You have a beautiful smile Melissa!
Sweet talker. Thank you 🙂
You’re gorgeous. Just like J-Lo.
Glad to hear the Whole30 is going great for you! 🙂
You are way too nice, but I’ll take it. Thank you.
wave to schuylkill county for me…have fun at your parents 45th!
Hi Melissa,
How do you calculate your macro ratios? The reason I ask is because you said you try for 40% fat, but I don’t see exactly where it’s coming from. You seem to eat a lot of lean meat, etc.
Just curious!
I plug random days into FitDay to make sure I’m getting close to my macro goals. I eat chicken breast for breakfast, but I eat a lot of homemade mayo, grassfed ground beef, and coconut oil to make up for it. I’ve been hitting between 40-45% fat most days.
Ah, I wasn’t thinking about the fat that’s in the other meat. Will have to check out FitDay. Thanks!
You are Rocktastic! I came across your blog about 2 months ago and have been addicted ever since…so much so I bought your book too! 🙂 I love that you have a family that is as food-centric as mine.
Way to go. and ENJOY that JLo concert. I’ll bet that will be so fun. You are lovely- and the dress is kick ass. have a fun working vacation. wow. our parents have been married the exact amount of time. mine celebrated their 45th in april. my heroes.
Nicole
Your blog is my favorite online reading material/inspiration right now 🙂 I use your recipes every week, I love the music you recommend, and I love reading your stories. I think this is a lovely picture of you, go rock that gold dress!
Question for you, I would love to see a complete recommended book list from you. I always check your “reading is sexy section”, but I would like to know if you have a comprehensive list of all of the books that you have listed in that section.
Thanks!
That’s a great request! I’ll add that to my to-do list for September. Thank you!
Wonderful, thank you! Enjoy your trip.
You look SMOKIN’!!!
What a smile! That’s a beautiful picture. Your book is still my favorite paleo cookbook and I recommend it to everyone.