New Year, New Me!

It was exciting to make it through Christmas at my parents’ house in Colorado Springs while eating healthy the entire time! Now, though, I knew I had the hurdle of making it through New Year’s in Las Vegas!

How difficult would it be to find something healthy to eat? Would I be able to find enough protein? Would there be restaurants on the strip that had gluten-free and dairy-free items on their menus, or would I have to search them out? Read on below to see how my week went!

Sunday, December 30th:

Today I woke up feeling healthier but exhausted as we had a morning flight to catch back to San Diego. We’d just spent the week at my parents’ house in Colorado Springs for Christmas. I was sad to leave, as I’m very close to my parents, but happy that my travels weren’t finished yet.

We arrived back in San Diego and visited our two cats, Matilda and Jasmine. They’d had our cat sitter staying with them but were still very happy to see us. We unpacked and repacked our bags and started the drive to Vegas with Will, Chea, Tom, and me. We’ve been to Vegas many times before but never on New Year’s. So, I didn’t know what to expect.

I packed some nuts with dried fruit and water for the journey. First challenge: what can I eat at Del Taco that fits into my diet? I finally ordered the bean tostada with no cheese. It was dinner time, and we’d hit some traffic, so we weren’t going to get to Vegas for a couple hours at least. Once we arrived at our hotel on the strip, we checked out what was there. Then we ate at Grand Lux Cafe, which I was happy to see served omelets and a brown-rice tofu dish with vegetables. I ordered the tofu dish, which was great!

Day 36 complete and I survived the first day of Vegas!

Monday, December 31st:

It’s New Year’s Eve! I spent a great day walking around Vegas and looking at the shops with Tom. In the evening, it was nice to meet up with Will, Chea, Chea’s brother Kevin and Kevin’s fiancée. Then we all watched the fireworks on the strip at midnight! It was a great sight to see the hotels all along the strip with firework shows at midnight!

Day 37 complete, and Happy New Year!

Tuesday, January 1st:

It’s New Year ’s Day, and what better way to start 2013 than with a visit to the spa! Chea and I visited the spa at the Palazzo hotel and enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing morning there! Chea and I had a lovely lunch at the Canyon Ranch Grill right next to the spa, which had lots of gluten-free options! 🙂 I had a delicious blueberry and raspberry smoothie with whey protein and the black bean chili. We enjoyed a rejuvenating day of the spa, watching movies, and going around Vegas. We had to have an early night for our drive back to San Diego tomorrow.

Day 38 complete … here’s to a wonderful 2013!

Wednesday, January 2nd:

Today I had to get up at 2:30am because we had to leave Vegas at 3:00am. Will and I both started work at 9:00am in San Diego, so we had to leave early to get back. We made it through the day successfully!

Day 39 complete and back to normal!

Thursday, January 3rd:

I still feel tired from the early start yesterday and recovering from being sick. I’m working on getting back into my full workouts again, but I don’t feel fully recovered yet. It definitely is a long illness. I feel good about getting back into all the daily activities again, and I’m excited for when I get to do a full TurboFire workout!

Day 40 complete and getting healthier!

Friday, January 4th:

I’m starting to feel more energetic again! Yay! It’s exciting to be feeling more normal. I’m happy I had a healthy diet through the holidays because my body feels like it’s in good shape even though I had to take my exercise schedule easier than normal.

Day 41 complete and keeping going!

Saturday, January 5th:

I feel so much better! I have a little bit of a cough still, but I’m feeling much more up to activities again. I worked morning into the afternoon. Then we enjoyed a wonderful evening watching Cavalia. We were able to get complimentary tickets because I work for the Salvation Army at the Kroc Center!

It was a great show in downtown San Diego by the producer of Cirque du Soleil. It was fantastic to see the final night of the show! I felt lively all through the evening!

Day 42 complete and feeling lively again!

I made it through the entire holiday season and have stuck with my sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free diet! It was not easy Christmas and New Year’s, especially in Vegas, but the way I feel now is worth it. I’m feeling almost completely back to normal again, and my body is looking better than before the holidays! I’ve even been complimented for “looking so tiny”! I’m excited for 2013, and I’m ready for whatever opportunities God sends my way! 🙂

Be sure to check out my original 6-Month Nutrition and Fitness Experiment post for a list of all my posts and recipes!