My First Whole30 Experience

Well, I did it! I am officially done with my first attempt at Whole30. And I think I am forever changed.

A month ago, a friend posted on Facebook that she was doing her second Whole 30 Challenge and wanted others to join her. I was coming off a weekend where I'd over-eaten, over-drank, over-baked, and I felt horribly guilty about my lack of self control. I agreed to take the challenge and join her Facebook "support group", then I immediately panicked. What did I get myself into???

I didn't read It Starts With Food, but quickly figured out the condensed version of the program: Take out the allergens (grains, dairy, soy, and corn) and things that bloat (sugar, alcohol, and legumes) and basically eat things that you can grow or kill. That's it. Whole foods for 30 days. If you can't pronounce the ingredients on the package, it's likely off limits.

One caveat that I had to wrap my brain around was that you can't recreate baked goods with approved ingredients, if you want to be truly Whole30 compliant. No grain-free muffins, no banana and egg pancakes, no Paleo brownies, nothing. 

No baking. At all??? Yikes. "Why," you ask? It's about retraining the brain and not having SWYPO. Read about it. A hilarious analogy that explains why going gluten free last year didn't do a darn thing for my waistline.

To be clear, I don't "diet". The word itself is so misused that hearing others use it out of context is like hearing nails on a chalkboard. I hate counting calories, I'm inconsistent with tracking my food, I am an admitted sugar addict, and I've accepted the fact that I will never be a size 6. I try to eat healthy with a fair amount of occasional indulgences, and I intentionally workout to burn off the guilt of splurging. This has only worked for me to a certain extent and, as I get older and older, this plan works for me less and less. After seeing this chart above, it makes perfect sense that you can't exercise away a poor diet.

If you're interested in learning more details about Whole30, their website is a wealth of simple information. No need to recreate that here. 

Wondering about my results? I'll admit, it wasn't easy, but I refuse to say that it was "hard". As they say on their website: "It is not hard. Don't you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You've done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It's only thirty days, and it's for the most important health cause on earth - the only physical body you will every have in this lifetime."

The first week was tough, the second week was better, but still difficult, then it was all downhill from there. By day 12-14, I wasn't really tempted by much. All in all, here are my results...

FOOD

Because I didn't read the book, I didn't realize during my first week (see my menu here) that I wasn't supposed to snack. I have to say that I can't (or won't) eat just 3 big meals a day. I hate feeling full and I like a little fruit or some nuts mid-morning and mid-afternoon. I see nothing wrong with that! 

I overate early on in my 30 days because I read, "Don't count calories" and I heard, "Eat all you want, as long as it's approved! WEEE!" I went a little overboard. Yet, I still lost pounds and inches, so I can't complain!

I ate a lot of the same things every day, for example…

Breakfast: Either a veggie omelet with 1/2 an avocado or a banana with almond butter

Lunch: Either a salad with tuna or chicken, chicken and avocado salad with cilantro, or leftovers from dinner that week

Snacks: Fresh fruit, apples and almond butter, apple chips, nuts, a blueberry or cashew Larabar if I was on the run, and I love plantain chips from Trader Joe's when I want something crunchy and salty.

Dinner: I made spaghetti squash weekly, chicken stir fry with coconut aminos weekly, beanless chili a few times, apple sausage or chicken or salmon or steak with broccoli or green beans or cauli-rice or a baked potato (which was approved halfway through my 30 days), I attempted shrimp and mango lettuce wraps and chicken zucchini poppers and I tried a few other new recipes that were all delicious.

As an aside, my Tastefully Simple seasonings SAVED ME during this challenge. A sprinkle of Seasoned Salt, Ultimate Steak Seasoning, Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto, or Onion Onion added tons of flavor to any meat or even veggies, not to mention that a little bit of Onion Onion and Garlic Garlic made my cauli-rice absolutely delicious. 

CRAVINGS

Sugar: I crave it after lunch and dinner, I crave it mid-afternoon, I have no self control around baked goods. My biggest success through this experience is that sugar is no longer a temptation for me. What's more is that my body now rejects it! A few times in the past 30 days, I've had a taste of someone's dessert and within minutes, my stomach began to cramp. I love that my body has completely detoxed from sugar, here's hoping I keep away from my old habits.

Dairy: I have always been suspicious that I am lactose intolerant. I don't drink milk, but I learned very quickly that I add cheese and butter to everything. It was easy to replace butter with olive oil or coconut oil in most recipes, and I discovered the wonderment of ghee, but cheese. Oh cheese! It was hard to learn to live without cheese on my omelets, salads, and Italian or Mexican dishes. I purposefully didn't ask a waiter to omit the goat cheese on a salad halfway through the 30 days and my body didn't respond at all, so I'm wondering if dairy doesn't have the effect on me that I thought it did?

Soy: Knowing that Jason is allergic to soy, I already knew that soy and soybean oil is everywhere. This is my biggest annoyance at restaurants…making sure my chicken or salmon is cooked in olive oil, not soybean oil. It's a sneaky little substance these days! 

Corn: Taking corn out of my diet didn't bother me at all. When we stopped eating gluten last summer, we upped our corn tortillas and tortillas chip consumption, but these past 30 days, I didn't miss it. I will say that when we went to one of our favorite restaurants downtown a few weeks ago, I guiltlessly ordered the chicken street tacos on corn tortillas and, to my surprise, my body didn't react at all. So corn might not be an issue for me. We'll see when I add it back in over the next week.

Grains: This was fairly difficult. Maybe not as difficult as for those who were used to eating bread and pasta, but we eat oatmeal for breakfast at least 5 days a week and I really missed it. For me, it's a bit of a comfort food. Eliminating brown rice as a side dish was also a little annoying until I discovered cauli-rice. The first time I made it, I ate almost the whole pan!

Legumes: Switching from peanut butter to almond butter was a breeze - they're pretty interchangeable in our house. But I love adding black beans to soups and Mexican dishes, plus beanless chili wasn't a huge hit in my house. I'm hoping to add these back in without consequence.

Alcohol: I've never been a big drinker, until the last couple of years when I discovered the wonderful world of Cosmopolitans. I love me a fancy little Cosmo! I spent most of the first 30 years of my life stone, cold sober, so not drinking around friends, even at my high school reunion, wasn't a huge deal.

Non-alcoholic beverages: I love water and green tea and don't drink much else, so this wasn't an issue. I don't drink soda or coffee, my weekly protein shakes were easy to omit, and I only drink fruit juices when my husband makes me a foofy cocktail on the weekends, so this rule was also easy to follow.

"CHEATING"

Considering the fact that I had TWO vacations within my 30 day challenge, one of which was my 20 year reunion, I am extremely proud of myself. The number of times I politely declined greasy, cheesy, sugar-laden foods was ridiculous. I was tempted, teased, and tormented by some of my favorite foods and I can confidently say that, 99.9% of the time, I stayed strong. 

I indulged and had a few bites of no-no's during the 30 days, but I immediately paid for it. My body completely rejected sugar and soy. Yet, it didn't react at all to the corn tortillas or goat cheese. As I reintroduce each allergen back into my diet over the next few weeks, I'm very curious which ones my body will respond to in a negative way. That will be a whole 'nother blog post, I'm sure.

This is everything I brought for 4th of July weekend at my in laws' cabin.  A little bit of prep time beforehand meant I had plenty of options to choose from!

SLEEP

I love sleep, maybe a little too much. I don't function well on less than 8 hours of shuteye. I was hoping that this challenge would turn me into a morning person, but so far, it hasn't. 

One thing that I'm ashamed to admit is that I had gotten into the habit of taking daily naps. Never longer than 20 minutes, but seriously, we're talking 6 days a week, people. The exhaustion of being endlessly patient with my spirited 4 year old is more than I can take most days and a 20 minute power nap makes me a nicer mom during the 2nd half of each day. 

But by week 2 of this challenge, I realized that I wasn't that tired. I might lay on my bed and watch a Food Network show or get caught up on emails, but I very quickly realized that I don't need these daily naps anymore. For me, this is a huge victory!

One other thing I must mention is that I dream more now than ever before. Possibly because I'm getting better REM cycles? Who knows. I thought it was only me, until someone else commented on it in the Facebook group. Interesting.

CHANGES IN MY BODY

I only lost 6 lbs, but I can see big changes in myself, physically. Shorts that haven't fit in more than a year fit very comfortably and everything on my body just seems…leaner. The muffin top is gone, my sides feel tighter, there's less jiggle when I wiggle, it's great. I still need to measure myself to see how many inches I lost, but regardless of the number, I feel so much healthier and I'm no longer a slave to the scale.

Another odd problem that was fixed is my bum knee. I have developed a pretty annoying pain in my right knee that is exasperated by squats and lunges at the gym. But in the last few weeks, my knee hasn't bothered me at all. Not even once. It's fantastic.

EXERCISE/ENERGY

All of these physical changes have happened while working out LESS this past month. I was in the habit of going to the gym 5 times/week before and, partially because of schedule conflicts and starting our homeschool routine in July, I have barely been able to make it 2-3 times/week. My energy level is higher and apparently I don't have to workout as much because my diet isn't filled with garbage. I'm sure if I went back to working out 5 days/week, I would start dropping weight more quickly, but for now, I'm appreciating the break from my daily routine.

MY MOOD

Being a stay-at-home mom is trying in and of itself, but the fact that I also work my Tastefully Simple business and have a full party schedule, plus throw homeschooling into the mix, let's just say that my fuse tends to be shorter than I'd like.

This past month, I suddenly have a new dose of patience and my mood has been less erratic. The sugar crashes have definitely disappeared and, possibly because I'm well rested, I'm able to pause before reacting negatively to Mike and the kids. 

WHAT NEXT?

My next step is to keep going. Today, I ate popcorn at the movies (I brought plain popcorn from home for me and Jason, because the theater cooks it in soybean oil) - there was no reaction at all. No bloating, no cramping, no signs that I ate anything different than yesterday. Next, I'm going to introduce legumes back into my diet, making our regular chili recipe. From there, I'll try oats and other grains, then dairy, and I'm very curious to see if yellow cheeses affect me differently than varieties like goat cheese and feta.

After all of these items are reintroduced, I plan to stay on a modified Paleo lifestyle. I can't see myself ever going back to anything-goes. I've made mostly healthy choices for years (for the most part) with lots and lots of wiggle room. Too much wiggle room, apparently. I feel so good right now and I don't want to go back to the way I felt a month ago, that's for sure.

Are you intrigued yet? Have you struggled with your weight, your diet, self confidence, low energy, disturbed sleep, cravings, food addictions, aches and pains, seasonal allergies, or other physical ailments? I strongly recommend reading more about Step 1 of Whole30. I haven't talked to anyone who says this hasn't changed their life. It most definitely changed the way I think about eating and I hope this will permanently transform my relationship with food. 

There's no need to turn my Whole 30 experience into a Whole 365 lifestyle - I don't think that's the intention behind the challenge at all. But I'm certainly curious to see where this next phase takes me!

Whole30 First Timer - My First Week's Menu

Have you seen the buzz about the "Whole 30" challenge? It's basically a 30 day challenge to reset your body and commit to eating unprocessed, whole foods. Meats, eggs, fish, veggies, fruit, nuts, good fats, things like that.

There are a lot of restrictions and, although they make sense from a health perspective, I've always been too intimidated to jump in and just DO IT.

Until last weekend. I over-ate, over-drank, over-snacked, over-baked, pretty much over-did it in every regard. I laid in bed Sunday night feeling nauseous from overstuffing myself at dinner…too nauseous to even sleep, so I turned on my phone and flipped mindlessly through Facebook. 

A friend of mine posted asking if anyone would want to join her in doing the Whole 30 Challenge starting on July 1. She was starting a FB group to share recipes, meal ideas, plus encouragement and other tips. Without thinking, I commented on the post, asking to be included. 

Then I panicked.

Even though I've been gluten free for the past year, I still eat my fair share of dairy, beans, oats, brown rice, potatoes…WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT NOW?!?!?

I pulled up Whole30 on Pinterest and started pinning things like crazy. Meal plans, grocery lists, approved Costco items, "how to be successful" tips, you name it. It slowly started seeming pretty doable.

So, I'm in. This is the end of my first full week and I wanted to share what I ate in hopes of helping give ideas to other first-time Whole 30 challengers.  I ate a lot of the same things, but here goes.

Update: I didn't realize during this first week that I wasn't supposed to eat snacks. All I heard was "don't count calories" and I sort of went with it. 

Monday - Day 1

Breakfast: Omelet with red bell peppers and tomatoes with a side of 1/2 an avocado

Morning Snack: Sliced apple with almond butter

Lunch: 2 Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausages (from Costco) and a handful of dried green beans from Trader Joe's (I was starving in the car on the way home from the store at 1:15pm)

Afternoon Snack: A red bell pepper with Wholly Guacamole

Dinner: (I forgot to eat dinner…I ate that afternoon snack so late that I heated up leftovers for everyone else and forgot about myself!)

Dessert: I was starving around 7:45pm (I still hadn't realized that I forgot to eat dinner), so I microwaved 1 chopped apple with 1 tsp coconut oil and 1/2 tsp cinnamon for 90 seconds. YUM!

Day 1 Thoughts: No cravings all morning, but I really wanted something sweet in the evening. The baked apple hit the spot!

Tuesday - Day 2

Breakfast: 1/2 a banana with almond butter (I was in a hurry)

Morning Snack: Blueberry Muffin Larabar, a few almonds

Lunch: Shredded chicken mixed with 1/2 avocado, chopped red bell pepper and tomato, plus a glop of mayo, all mixed up. 

Afternoon Snack: Trader Joe's Plantain Chips and Wholly Guacamole (I LOVE the single servings from Costco!)

Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with marinara and meatballs

Dessert: Apple Chips

Day 2 Thoughts: I was pretty busy today, so I didn't miss anything on the "don't" list. Except parmesan cheese on my dinner…I missed that as everyone else was passing it around the table. 

Wednesday - Day 3

Breakfast: Omelet with red bell peppers and tomatoes with a side of 1/2 an avocado

Morning Snack: Apple with almond butter

Lunch: A salad (with oil and vinegar dressing, shredded chicken, red bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, and apple chips)

1st Afternoon Snack: Plantain chips and guacamole

2nd Afternoon Snack: A smoothie (a banana, 5 frozen strawberries, 2 frozen pineapple pieces, some blueberries, fresh spinach, and green tea)

Dinner: Rotisserie chicken and zucchini sautéed with ghee and Tastefully Simple seasoned salt

Day 3 Thoughts: I was unusually hungry today. I really wanted some fresh fruit with breakfast, but all I had on hand was an over-ripe banana and an apple that I wanted to save for later. I ate my morning snack by 9am, then lunch by 11am. The salad didn't taste as good as I hoped it would, I think I was missing the feta cheese, so I ate some plantain chips and guacamole. Then I had a smoothie around 2pm. It seems like I had trouble feeling satisfied today. It could have also been because I was home painting all day…maybe being so close to the kitchen gave me the munchies?

Thursday - Day 4

Breakfast: Banana with almond butter (perfect pre-workout breakfast!)

Morning Snack: Egg white veggie omelet with avocado and grapes

Lunch: Shredded chicken with red bell peppers, avocado, grape halves and a glop of mayo. 

Afternoon Snack: Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chips

Dinner: 3 Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausages

Dessert: Strawberries and blueberries

Day 4 Thoughts: We headed to my in laws' cabin for the holiday weekend and I brought a bunch of snacks and veggies, all chopped and ready for omelets and salads. Being around Mike's family, who was eating and drinking whatever they wanted, wasn't too tough so far, but I'm definitely glad I brought a lot of my own snacks. (first picture below)

Friday (4th of July)

Breakfast: Omelet with red bell peppers, ground sausage and tomatoes with a side of 1/2 an avocado and a banana

Morning Snack: Strawberries

Lunch: A salad (with oil and vinegar dressing, shredded chicken, red bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes,  grapes, and avocado)

Afternoon Snack: TJ's Roasted Plantain Chips and Wholly Guacamole, more strawberries

Dinner: Grilled chicken with TS Seasoned Salt and olive oil, with a  side of carrots, red bell peppers and broccoli sautéed in olive oil and TS Seasoned Salt

Dessert: Apple Chips

Day 5 Thoughts: At the 4th of July festival that we went to, I treated the kids to homemade mini donuts and some apple pie. I decided to have a bite of each and it was totally worth it. It was a holiday, after all! My only "cheat" so far and I don't regret it one bit. When we returned home from watching fireworks, my father in law left us a baggie full of recently baked chocolate chips cookies...my biggest weakness. Thankfully, I wasn't tempted in the least and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. 

My father-in-law's idea of "pillow mints" - so funny!

Saturday - Day 6

Breakfast: Omelet with red bell peppers and tomatoes and 1/2 an avocado 

Morning Snack: Handful of almonds, cashews, walnuts and raisins (individual bags sold at Trader Joe's)

Lunch: My daily salad (with oil and vinegar dressing, leftover grilled chicken, red bell peppers, cucumber, tomatoes,  grapes, and avocado)

Afternoon Snack: Apple and almond butter, Trader Joe's dried green beans, strawberries

Dinner: Steak and steamed broccoli

Day 6 Thoughts: I've been especially tired today. And I couldn't stop snacking in the afternoon. We headed home from the cabin after dinner, so hopefully being home and in my routine tomorrow will help proceeding with this challenge a little easier than being on "vacation".

Sunday - Day 7

Breakfast: Omelet with sautéed zucchini, red bell pepper, and tomatoes with 1/2 an avocado and blueberries.

Morning Snack: none

Lunch: We went to Chipotle (I ordered a "salad" with no dressing. It was just lettuce, chicken, extra fajita vegetables, tomatoes and guacamole - forgot to take a picture until I was almost done eating!)

Afternoon Snack: TJ's Roasted Plantain Chips and Wholly Guacamole

Dinner: A hamburger with mustard and no bun - after the 30 days, I'm going to try to make Paleo ketchup

Day 7 Thoughts: Mike and the kids keep trying to eat "my" food. I'm trying to convince Mike to try Whole 30 with me, but he wants to see what kind of results I get first. Everyone sneaks my plantain chips and fresh berries, and they always ask for bites of my sausages and salad. The food I'm eating is DELICIOUS!!!

This week might not have been my perfect preference for a first week, given the fact that we went up with my in-laws' to their cabin for the long holiday weekend, but is there really ever a "good" time to start? 

In 3 weeks, I'm heading to KC for my high school reunion, then 3 weeks after that I'm speaking at a Tastefully Simple conference in Baltimore. Then it's my birthday. Then Labor Day. Then Columbus Day…I mean, seriously, I could come up with a gazillion excuses! But I didn't want to. I just wanted to dive in and get 'er done. 

What am I expecting to get out of this 30 day challenge? I'd like to have more energy, be less lethargic, get less sugar cravings, and leaning out a little before my 20 year reunion and my speaking engagement wouldn't be half bad, either! I also plan to gradually introduce each food group back into my diet to see how it makes me feel. I've always had a sneaking suspicion that I'm lactose intolerant, so maybe I'll have an epiphany there? We'll see. 

I committed to not measuring or weighing myself until it's over, but I cheated and weighed myself this morning. I'm down 4 lbs, which could be water weight, but it's 4 lbs I haven't been able to lose no matter what I've done! In the end, the only thing I really care about is that my getting-too-snug jeans start fitting me properly again. 

Here's hoping!

Comfortable in My Skin

This morning, I saw this video on Facebook. It had such an impact on me that it's been resonating with me all day. 

Do yourself a favor - please follow the link and watch it.  You will be so glad you did! It's an Australian woman who had the "perfect body" and realized that it still wasn't good enough. Nothing changed about how she felt about her body, even after working so hard to "get a taste" of what it felt like to have an amazing, toned, perfectly in-shape, magazine-cover-worthy body.

To me, the strongest words in her video were, "How am I going to teach my beautiful daughter to love her body if her mom can't do the same?" Knife. in. the. heart.

I have never been comfortable in my own skin. As a young child, I was always the tallest in my class and a little thicker than all of my flat-tummied little friends. My single mom found the funds to put me in dance, tennis, and swim team. I was clearly an active kid, yet I always knew I was "bigger" than other kids. Looking at this picture below from my 6th birthday, my negative self-image seems ridiculous.

In 4th grade, my PE teacher did an annual fitness test. We did sit ups, push ups, ran, and we were measured. I remember exactly where I was standing in the gymnasium when my friends were discussing their weight. "I'm 64 lbs," "I'm 61 - less than you!" I looked down at my paper and saw that I weighed 85 lbs. I felt huge.

Today, Ryan is the same age and weighs about the same as I did. He is a fit, active boy, and he is solid as a rock. Yet he is perfect. Definitely not chunky, definitely not thin, just perfect. Thinking back, I'll bet I was, too. 

When puberty hit, I developed quickly and boys stopped looking me in the eyes during conversations…their gaze wandered down to my chest and never moved. I had a different reason to feel uncomfortable in my skin. Thankfully, baggy, oversized shirts were the "grunge" style in the early 90s. 

In high school, when eating disorders were rampant, I compared my flaws to others' strengths, never knowing what they were doing to stay so thin. I always felt like the biggest girl in the room. I refused to cut my hair too short for fear that it would make my face look chunky. 

In college, I went overboard, gaining the freshman 15 in a matter of months, then packing on a few extra pounds for good measure. I ate Golden Grahams for lunch and Pasta Roni for dinner. It was a carb-feasting phenomenon. I can't imagine what I would have weighed if I drank my way through college, like most of my friends!

By the time I graduated, I was a healthier weight and worked out consistently, but still felt disgusted by the image looking back at me in the mirror. I was so deceived!

It seems that the pictures I look back on with envy are those around the time each of my kids was about a year old. Could it be because I was carrying around a not-yet-walking 20-30 lb baby blob all the time? I remember finally feeling fit enough to run a 5K and thinking, "That picture of me crossing the finish line must have been a really good angle - because my butt and legs look great!" Or maybe…just maybe…my legs actually DID look great? At the time, I didn't think so. 

Here I am, after four pregnancies and three beautiful children, still criticizing myself in the mirror every single day as I get dressed.

Lately, even before watching the video above, I've asked myself, "When is it going to be good enough?" And the answer is most definitely, "NEVER." I am never going to be happy with the way I look unless I consciously decide to be.

My metabolism isn't what it was in my 20s. My hips aren't what they were before I gave birth. And even if I were at my ideal size and weight, my legs are getting veiny and gravity is starting to set in. It's very possible that I look better today than I will ever look again in my life. Very soon, I will look back on the pictures from May, 2014 and long to look like I do today. Right at this moment.

I'm done. I'm done with the self-loathing. I'm done critiquing the parts of myself that are imperfect. I'm done shaming myself for giving in to a sweet treat after lunch or eating one too many cookies at a pot luck. 

I am officially, publicly, accepting my near-40 year old body. This is me and I need to deal with it. Pouchy belly, back fat and all. I will continue to exercise and continue to make healthy eating choices, but I am DONE with the negative self image. 

I resolve to become comfortable in my own skin in 2014 and stay that way. Yee Haw! I feel more free already.