One Month on the Food Plan

My results doing Chris Powell's eating plan have been mixed.
The real reason I wanted to try it was to see if I could avoid the monthly weight swing.
Not that I wanted to lose any lbs. really, I just didn't like the 8-10 lbs. I went up last month.
It all coincides with my cycle. (TMI?) It is so frustrating. 
I always have a baked goods craving, but even if I am not "bad" I still have at least a 5 lb. swing.

I started off losing 3 lbs. in the first 2 weeks, which got me back to normal.  Since then, I have gained back 2 lbs.  I have not stuck to it word for word.  I don't like a lot of cheese and their meals have lots of cheese.  And last week, every day was a high carb day.  So I ate carbs.  But I didn't eat the best carbs.  I didn't have a cheat day because I felt like I was cheating every day with the extra carbs.  Anyway... I am glad to report that I didn't have a huge swing.  But I still feel bloated.  Argh!!!

Such is the life of a female. 

New Workout Buddy
I signed up my 12 yr. old for a month pass to the gym.  They are going on a trek this summer and I want her to increase her endurance before they go.  The fun thing is that she actually likes going.  And I like helping her.  She is still not fond of lifting, but she is interested in learning.  Today she asked to do pull ups again.  The machine was needing repair.  But I was impressed that she wanted to do them again.

Days Off
I took 3 days off in a row to see if my feet and leg pain would improve.  It did feel better this morning.  I want to run for the next 2 days and then take another 3-4 day break.  I know I need to heal, but it is so hard to skip that many days.

I was good today and stuck with upper body exercises, so I wouldn't add stress to my heals.  I keep trying to stretch and ice. We got a small pool for the kids so I got in while it was filling up and the water was chilly.  It was kind of like an ice bath, but I could tan at the same time.  Maybe that is the way I can get my husband to do an ice bath.

He finally went to the chiro and got adjusted.  He was told to stretch and strengthen the muscles around his hips.  I think it is hard as a runner, because all the motion is forward.  You think you are getting a good workout, but you ignore a lot of muscles. I know I don't get enough side to side or rotational movement to keep all of my joints and muscles loose and strong.

I should probably break out some DVDs so I can round out my fitness.  We use to do Richard Simmons in high school.  It's not high intensity, but has he got some moves!

Family Get Togethers
When we get together, I find it hard to decide what to bring to share with others.  Sometimes I want to bring something that everyone else will like to eat and sometimes I just want to bring something that I like. Some people want treats and some people want food. 


How do you decide what to bring to a potluck?
What is your favorite recipe? Dessert? Side? Snack?

Any help would be appreciated.