This time last year, I embarked on a 70-day processed-sugar-free challenge, and made it the entire time, despite (or perhaps because of!) it being over Valentine's Day, and Easter, and All Junk On Sale Week.  I passed it with flying colours!

This year I decided to do it again, starting February 9th, and this time for a full 100 days.

Yes, you read right--100 days, 100% processed sugar free!

I don't know if I'm remembering last year with rosy glasses or not, but this year seems to be a bit more of a challenge (I'm just over a week in).  Not that it's horrific, but my mind has been doing a lot of, "Ooh look at that!", "That looks yummy!", "It's so pretty!  I wonder what it tastes like?" etc.

Of course I'm in control.  Right?  Yes, I'm in control.  Yes.  Just repeating to drive the point home LOL.

In all seriousness I am in control.  And I know how my body reacts to processed sugar--basically I feel like a big pile of crapola.  And I'm bitchy.  Whoa nelly do I get mood swings eating processed sugar!  Beware ye people on the street, daring to be in my path!  Beware the cold for being too cold and the hot for being too hot!

I'm doing well.  Yes, the little sugar voices in my head are whispering, but I just don't speak their language.  No speekee sugaree!

On a completely different note, in the next few weeks I'm going to start a juice and chew feast as inspired by Cookie Taylor at Reach4Raw!  I have to figure out the details, and I definitely won't be doing it until May or June (aka until it warms up...seriously it has been literally PAINFULLY COLD here!) and things start to get cheaper and in season.  Makes sense, right?

I'm also going to rope a friend into doing it with me.  I approached her way back in January about it (was it really just last month?!) and she said she was interested, but we didn't talk about it after that LOL.  I'll remind her when I've figured stuff out.

Excited!  Moving onward with my journey back to health!  Operation 2015!!  Ain't this picture sexy?  Hot damn!

WOW, OK so it's been a long time since I blogged!

Here's a quick update on what's been happening lately.

For the new year, I, like many, decided that things needed to change.  The thing to start the changes (and there will be many over this year), is to start with LIVING the person I always wanted to be, rather than DREAMING of being that person.

I had a little moment as 2014 ended, saying goodbye to the old me, thanking her for what she's done for me, and releasing her.  It sounds kind of corny, I know, but I really felt that I was releasing a part of me that had been holding me back in a lot of ways, and releasing her was also releasing a lot of old wounds and other hurts.

January 1st-9th, I started easing back into being more active, walking a little more, eating a little better.

January 10th-16th, I was in Jamaica, at an all-inclusive.  Now, you may well be thinking, "DUN DUN DUUUUUUN", but you see, I had a PLAN.  Failing to plan is planning to fail as they say!

I wanted to have a good time, soak up some rays, and not worry about what I was doing, BUT I also didn't want to come back home resenting myself for going bat-shit crazy.

So, my plan was to wear my Spark Activity Tracker each day, which shows me through lights, how
close I am to my goal of walking 10,000 steps per day.  And of course walk those steps!

I also planned to have drinks, but decided to only have alcohol when I was eating, and only eat 3x per day, unless I was starving.  That's still plenty of opportunities!

In addition to that, I decided that I would eat fresh fruit with as many meals as possible, at least a salad-plate amount.  That would allow me to eat lots of fresh fruit, which is amazing in January, and also fill me enough that I may not want dessert.  Win-win!

At the end of my vacation, when I got home, I sync'd my tracker up to Sparkpeople, and lo and behold, I'd walked 68,000+ steps during that week.  Insane!  And I didn't gain an ounce.  Also amazing!

Rejuvenated by my vacation, and with a wildfire in me from my steps success, I decided to make up a plan for 2015.  I also committed to join the Reach 4 Raw Marathon Fun Run, and walk a half marathon on October 25th.  How's that for motivation to keep going?!

My plan to train for walking a half-marathon (for the second time!) is laid out in 3-week increments until April 4th, then in 2 week increments since I'm following a marathon training program for walkers, and since I have time, I'm doing each week for 2 weeks, thus getting even more prepared.

The first 3-week phase finished 2 days ago, and I did great!  My plan was to walk 10,000 steps per day, 5 days a week, with a bonus challenge of walking 60,000+ steps each week, thus getting a Spark Activity Gold Medal.  And I did it!

It's a bit of a challenge to get the steps in each day, since it's the middle of winter and very cold, which makes indoor walking desirable.  Very desirable!!  But I'm doing it, come hell or 10 feet of snow.  I want my experience walking the half marathon to be an enjoyable challenge, not full of pain and anguish. :)

On the food side (this IS a food blog!), things are going well.  I'm learning that I don't have to be 100% clean, that in fact it doesn't work for me at all, because then I start thinking in terms of what I can't eat/drink, instead of what I can, and I fall off the rails.  Now, my aim is to eat well most of the time, work on eating lots of fruit and veg, juicing, and just not worrying about it if I eat or drink something a little unhealthy occasionally.  It's about what I can do long-term, not short-term.  

I've been trying new recipes, including an AMAZING, authentic jerk-chicken recipe, which I will share soon.  Delish!!