Protein

Lets go back to the basics on this topic.  Once upon a time man made fire, killed an animal, cooked it, and ate it.  That animal lived a normal natural life.  Ate what it wanted and lived the way it was supposed to.  A natural healthy animal without antibiotics, hormones, no lifestyle un-natural for each animal.  Supply and demand came along and people started cutting corners, feeding animals things not naturally in their diet just to fatten them up faster.  Fast forward to this day and age, and you have kids that grow up way too fast.  Antibiotics don't work as well as they used to, causing people to get sick and not able to get better.  Let along the other ailments the population has because of the way the animals today are raised.

This all being said, I choose to eat grass fed organic beef.  This means the cow eats a diet they naturally would eat.  They get antibiotics when they are sick, not because they are cows.  They live a peaceful happy life.  This produces a leaner, healthier meat that tastes amazing.

I talk about eggs a lot on my Facebook page.  There could be a whole post about the different eggs found at the local grocery store.  I found so many different pages talking about the mistreatment of chickens that its disgusting.  Here is one link that talks about what the different cartons of eggs really mean.  Personally, when I shop for eggs, I look for a local farm that is willing to let me come see how the chickens live.  They should have a chicken coop that is elevated, and access to walk down and around a yard to peck at the ground.  Chickens love bugs!  A natural healthy chicken produces an egg that when you crack it open the yoke is orange and the whites are crystal clear.  These eggs come in all sorts of different colors.  The only reason you see white eggs at the store is because they wash them and bleach them.  Did you know that you can leave eggs on your counter for up to 4 weeks before having to put them in the fridge?  My eggs don't last that long, but as long as you don't wash them you can leave them on the counter for 4 weeks!  Being the working girl that I am, I eat 2 eggs every morning.  Because of time, I wash my eggs when I bring them home and stick them in the fridge.  Once you wash them you took that 4 week timeframe away and they need to go directly into the fridge.  Like I said, my eggs don't last long in my house.

Poultry, if you are eating birds, this is for you.  They said you should eat a lot of chicken and you can lose weight.  Well my friends guess what.  I'm not a fan of chicken.  Whats the point?  If everything tastes like it, then why waste your time?  I've also had food poisoning a few time from potluck chicken and I'm just not a huge fan of the stuff.  For Thanksgiving, I'll choose the turkey over the ham.  Ham is just gross.  Here are a few things about chicken that the super markets don't want you to know. 

Like fish?  Yes please!!!  Growing up I had an iron deficiency.  Its still kinda on the low side, however eating more fish has made a big improvement.  But does it really matter where you get fish from?  Of course it does!!!  I don't think I need to discuss the difference between farmed fish and fresh fish do I?  Lets just sum it up with farmed is just as bad as eating any other animal that has had processed food and chemicals dumped into it.  The color is not as bright and the taste is no where near as good as fresh.  But there is also a difference as to where the fish is caught.  Remember that oil spill we had a few years ago in the Gulf?  Well I have reason to believe that the chemicals dumped into the Gulf did more damage than the oil itself did.  So as a personal preference I choose to not eat anything from the Gulf.  Remember Fukushima?  That did a number on the Pacific.  I'm also not interested in any kind of fish from there.  That pretty much covers the globe right?  Not exactly.  I read the package and look for fish that is fresh caught from the northern Atlantic.  Every seafood should be labeled as to where it is from and how it got to the shelf.  Ask questions.  If the package doesn't want to tell you then you probably don't want it.

Vegetarian?  You can still get lots of protein from different beans.  I'm not a huge fan of making beans or anything with beans in it.  But there are many recipes out there to try.  Though I'm sure you already know how to find protein for your specific life choice.

Yes protein is pricy.  Get creative.  Google local farmers markets.  See if there are any natural organic meats.  I have found that mom and pop places tend to have the best options.  My friend Jess got with a neighbor and they split a cow.  Yup thats what I said, split a cow.  The butcher sold her half of a cow and she made that meat last for quite a long time.  Read labels, find out what is in the food you are eating, and where it comes from.  There are so many ways to find a good deal on whatever it is you are looking for, you just have to know where to look.

Goals

The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy for me with the half marathon and moving from one apartment to the next.  So I figured I would talk about the experience of running, and the different goals I've set for myself.  Lets face it if you don't set goals you won't feel like you have achieved anything.

For a couple of years now I've been signing up for different races / runs.  My first run was the Disney Jingle Jungle 5k.  My best friend Jess and I ran that one together.  We started the race to the tune of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.  Since that race I scroll to that song and play it at the start of each race, every time.  A week after my first race my cousin Barb came to town to run the Women's Running St Pete Half.  I had a great time visiting with her and wanted her to continue to come back.  So I told her that if she came back to do this same half the following year that I would do it with her.  That meant I needed to buckle down and start running way more than I was.

In February 2013 Jess and I ran the Gasparilla 8k.  I was miserable during that race.  I had a splitting migraine and wanted to throw up just about the entire race.  During packet pickup they had a pretty good deal for the Clearwater Iron Girl Half.  I figured why not attempt my first half?  I ended up spraining my ankle a couple of weeks before and dropped down to the 5k which I ended up walking it.

Life happened and one thing led to another and all of the sudden its November.  Guess who didn't prepare herself for her first half?  Yup this girl.  I figured what the hell, lets try it.  I was ok for about the first few miles.  My cousin Barb hadn't left my side.  Then I hit mile 6 maybe.  Blisters were all I could feel on my feet, and my ear was just throbbing.  It wasn't pretty.  Around mile 8 the van who was picking up the people who weren't going to finish in time, was on my heels.  I ignored them for a while.  Next thing I know is I'm was dead last and they told me that I needed to get in the van and take the short cut over to the finish line.  Barb took off and completed the race while I ended up only running (mostly walked) about 10 miles.  Trust me when I say, you should seriously prepare yourself for a run like that!

Barb and I decided to do the Gasparilla Half but not in 2014.  I needed more time to train.  I also found out a few weeks later that I had no eardrum, which is why my ear hurt during that race.  Eardrum surgery is no joke either.  I wasn't allowed to bend over and pick anything up and I wasn't allowed to hold anything over 10lbs.  I also moved from Tampa to Miami 2 weeks after the surgery.

Once I was fully healed and able to workout and run again I joined Orangetheory Fitness (OTF).  Along with working out at OTF I was running with the running group from OTF on Sundays.  I wasn't 100% prepared for this race either, but I was in a much better condition that I was the last time.  I was a lot stronger this time, and lost 40lbs.  My time wasn't great at 3:26, but that is less than the minimum requirements for a 16min mile for most races.  I now have my first half under my belt and I can only get faster and stronger from that.

The reason I'm telling this story is I've set 3 different goals for myself.  I have the OMG goal.  I want to drop 100lbs and I want to run a Full Marathon (bucket list).  My half way there, drop 50lbs run 2 hours or less for a half marathon.  Then the baby steps, drop 5lbs, complete the race.

As of today I've dropped 46lbs and I've completed my first half.  I found that setting baby step goals makes you constantly feel like you are accomplishing something which is never a bad thing.