I'm In . . . First Whole 30 Starting Today (Aug 1)

[ready4chg]

Ok, so I have this desire to be healthy. I guess most of us do, but I have a hard time deciding what exactly healthy is and isn't. In fact, I have read about the Whole 30 and somewhat followed the Whole 9 blogs off and on for about a year. But, let's be real. . . giving up dairy, grain, sugar, and legumes is well, just a little NUTS :-). So, I decided to try clean eating. I did really well for about three months, and I did indeed feel better. I even felt better without my friend SUGAR!

 

However, I still wasn't sure if this was the exact path to success. I have been wanting to get back on the healthy bandwagon as I fell WAY off in April, and I haven't been able to catch it again. So, this weekend, I happened to see a facebook post about the Whole 30 from one of my friends. I clicked on the link for the book, bought it, read it in a day, and decided to give it a try. After all, it is only 30 days, right? I can give it a try for 30 days. If I feel phenomenal then I'll keep going. If I don't notice anything different from my clean eating self, then I'll probably go back to clean eating. But, I guess I just decided I couldn't knock it since I have not tried it. And, the book seemed to have a nice amount of facts to back up the plan.

 

So, today is day one. Unfortunately, I am not as prepared as I might like. I do however have a fridge well stocked with fresh, organic fruits & veggies and at least enough eggs for today. I have some grass fed beef and pork, and I am ready to get started. I will need to do a little menu planning and make a shopping trip soon, but I am ready. We Can Do This! 

[Bet]

If you were able to eat clean for awhile, you will be able to do this. Good Luck!

[KelBelle]

Good luck! Its going to be fun and challenging all at the same time. I'm glad you are along for the ride!

[ready4chg]

Thanks for the encouragement guys! So far so good. I've kinda had a crazy start to my day. I started a new Bible study & the Whole 30 today. On top of that I've got company, it's raining and of course I had to go to work :-). I was late for work, and I didn't eat within in the first hour of being awake, but my breakfast was yummy. I made scrambled eggs with a little bit of various veggies I could find. I think I wound up with green onion, celery, radish, arugula, avocado and tomatoes. It was REALLY good and I am not really a fan of onion, radish or celery! I ate my way into liking avocado just this year when I started my clean eating kick. My office is freezing so I am sipping hot tea. I am not sure of ingredients in my usual blend so I went with plain green tea. I don't really like it so I added a little orange slice and some orange peel to it and just ate the rest of the orange. I think it helped? I don't know. It's still just okay, but it is hot and I am cold so that's good enough. 

 

I was totally not prepared for lunch. My cooler was at work, and I didn't have a protein prepared. I grabbed some random stuff from the house, but I will be better prepared tomorrow. 

[joolie]

What bible study are you doing?

[ready4chg]

Joolie, I am so sorry, I just saw this message :-)! I am doing the Faith Dare by Debbie Alsdorf. I am participating in an online study with Women's Bible Cafe. It's been great, but I haven't given it 100 percent like I should be. I am planning to go back through it on my own after the study is over :-). 

[ready4chg]

Okay, so I started this journey around August 1, and I haven't posted since. Things have been crazy, and I just haven't taken the time to log info here like I would have liked. I have done pretty well on my eating. I probably could eat a little more in the leafy green category and a little less in the fruit department, but my eating has definitely seen improvement in the past 19 days. It is difficult at times as my husband is not on board. I try to make dinners that he will eat without doing the same thing over and over. Sometimes I do okay in the things he'll eat category and sometimes he tries it and says it's not for him. Oh well! 

 

The hubby has been encouraging yet he tempts me at every turn (unintentionally). I have been strong, and I have not given in to the temptations facing me at Olive Garden (upon his request we've been 3 times in 19 days!), Marble Slab or Menchie's even though I have gone with him to these places. In addition, I have made him cookies and other goodies without even licking my fingers :-)! That was tough! However, this is my decision, not his. If I don't have the willpower to go about daily life then maybe I am not doing this for the right reasons or at the right time ;-).

 

I do feel badly for my husband today, and I haven't had a ton to eat as I have tried to be sensitive to his inability to eat much today. I have eaten a little here and there while he was sleeping or when he was not around. He had to have surgery this morning to remove a nodule from his vocal cord. We had an early dinner last night. He could not eat after midnight, but he actually didn't eat after about 5. Then he was not allowed food today prior to surgery. Now he is on a cold liquid diet for 48 hours. After that he is on a soft food diet (with no bread, meat, spicy or acidic foods) for 5-7 days. He is a big eater, and he LOVES meat so this is going to be tough. I know he has to be hungry so I have just tried to eat around him as little as possible so that the smells, etc of my food won't make him even hungrier. 

 

I have not gotten on the scale, but that has been tough, too. I am in the habit of weighing myself every morning before taking a shower. I still automatically head towards the scale, but have stopped myself every day thus far this month! I feel like I am starting to look better, and I am feeling more confident with my body. In fact, I wore a shirt I haven't worn in over a year Saturday as I have not felt it looked good on me anymore. I put it on Saturday and was comfortable in it! YAY! No scale needed for that victory. 

[KC Sunshine]

Keep it up! You're more than halfway there!!

[ready4chg]

Woohoo! I can't believe it's been almost a month. Only two more days to go on my W30! I have to admit . . . I was having a really rough day over the weekend (not W30 or health related . . . just random). I really needed a happy, and I absolutely knew I had lost weight. I could just feel it. So . . . I did cheat. I stepped on the scales, but it definitely gave me the happy I needed. I was down 7.5 lbs in like 25 days, and the best part I was only 1.5 lbs from my goal weight. Oh happy day. I then vowed not to get back on the scales for the rest of my W30. I forgot I had a Doctor's appointment Tuesday, and according to their scales I am only .8 lbs from my goal weight.  I am boggled. I can't believe I have lost that much weight that quickly. I only wanted to lose 9 lbs, but I expected that to take at least 2 or 3 months. WOW! Ok . . . so absolutely no more weighing until Sept 1  . . . really . . . I promise! 

 

So as my W30 is coming to an end, I have found that as long as I prepare it is really not that difficult. I feel better, and I feel better about myself. My plan is to continue the eat paleo. However, after August 30, if I really want pancakes then I'll find a paleo recipe. If I really want something other than eggs, meat & veggies for breakfast, I'll make some paleo muffins. I don't intend to do this often, but just when I really want something different, etc. I love to cook, and I have loved that this forces me to be a little more creative in the kitchen. Good luck to everyone else! Keep up the good work guys. . . your body will thank you for it! ;-). 

[ready4chg]

Wow! I was BAD, and it was NOT worth it! I did so well. I stuck to the Whole 30 plan for 40 days. Then last Monday, September 9, I found out about mid day that I had to go to Mobile that night for training the next day. I worked a full day, went home, packed, had dinner, and made the three hour drive to Mobile. I finally got to my hotel around 12:30 AM. I had some things to do after checking in so I didn't get to sleep until about 2 AM. I had to be in class the next day by 9 AM. I slept as long as I could, and I grabbed what they had available in their breakfast area that was Paleo friendly. This was basically a banana and an apple. I did fine until lunchtime. The ONLY thing they had available for lunch was a boxed lunch which consisted of a sub sandwich, chips and a cookie. Since I did not know I had to be there until last minute I could not make any special lunch requests. I also didn't take anything with me as I didn't know if I would have fridge, etc., plus I had little time to plan. The sandwiches were turkey, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and mayo. I thought about just eating the inside of the sandwich, but I was hungry. I knew this would not be enough to fuel me until the class was scheduled to be over at 4. I ate my lunch, and it was GOOOOOOD! I also had a small piece of chocolate. They had candy spread out on the tables during the workshop, and they had my favorite there. It was just taunting me during the entire meeting. I figured since I'd already broken the rules one piece of candy wouldn't hurt. I didn't notice any issues from my lunch. I did feel a little light headed or something that afternoon, but I just chalked it up to little sleep. Since I was feeling okay, AND I had already cheated, when I got thirsty on the way home from Mobile, I stopped at McDonald's. Oops! I ordered a sweet tea, and a small fry. UGH! Oh well, it was good. I said this was my chance to enjoy some bad stuff. I would start over the next day. I went straight from Mobile to a Thirty One party a friend was hosting at a Mexican restaurant. I did good there. I was tempted by all the yummy goodness, but I didn't partake in anything. Then when I got home, my husband ordered pizza for supper. I finally caved, and I had a piece of pizza for dinner. Since most of my "cheat" for the day was with grains, I did try to peel the cheese off of the pizza. Again, I didn't notice many issues with this cheat day as far as feeling bad, etc. I did think maybe I was a little bloated, but that was about it. 

 

I did pretty good Wednesday. I then went to a football party at a local restaurant on Thursday. It was a networking event for work. I wanted to support the restaurant since they were hosting the event. I took great care in thinking through the menu. I tried to make the best decision possible, as most of the menu was sandwiches and nachos. I then saw gumbo on the menu. I went through the ingredients list in my head: chicken, tomatoes, okra, etc. I ordered that and a cup of fruit with water to drink. Then, as soon as I got to the table with my gumbo I remembered, RICE! Gumbo has rice! How could I have forgotten. Oh well. This was my only sidetrack for the day. I ate it since I had paid for it, and I'd already had grains this week anyway. It was good, and I just decided to enjoy it. 

 

Friday I got a little sidetracked, too. I had a decent breakfast, but I got BUSY at work so I didn't have lunch. I was starved by the time I got off work. I was tired from the long week, and I was lazy. I wanted something fast, but I wanted to try to be healthy. I decided to go with the chicken salad from a barbecue restaurant. I have been craving chicken salad. I knew I could make avocado chicken salad at home, but I just didn't feel like it. I ordered the chicken salad/salad. I ate the chicken salad on cucumber slices. There wasn't a ton of chicken salad, and I was hungry again before long. My husband called and wanted to go to Outback for dinner. We went. I have also been craving Caesar salad. I ordered a Caesar salad minus the croutons and cheese along with a sweet potato (no butter, etc). I ate that, and no issues. 

 

Saturday I woke up and went to work with my husband. We had lunch out, but I was good. We had a LONG day of working on some stuff for Sunday. We came home, and at the last minute we decided to go out to a fun beach front restaurant. The only real compliant food they had was salad or grilled chicken. I was not in the mood for salad, and the grilled chicken was $20 (almost as much as the hubby's seafood platter). I really didn't want to pay that much for dinner so I decided to splurge. I got the BBQ sandwich (because it was one of the cheapest things on the menu and I knew it was good). It came with fries. I ate a good portion of the meat, about 1/2 of the top of the bun and 1/2 the fries. I was STUFFED! By the time we walked home (the restaurant is right across the street from our house), both the hubby and I were miserable. I really didn't eat that much, but I felt bloated and gross. I now knew what people where talking about when they said they had a food baby. I had one. Yuck! 

 

Well, Sunday, I awoke with the intentions of being good. I got up at 4:20 AM. I made compliant bacon and maple glazed plantains for breakfast. YUMMMMM! I boiled some eggs and took some nuts, etc to snack on. There was ALOT going on at church today, and there were A LOT of things that could go wrong. I knew I had a stressful day before me, and I wanted to be prepared. I did great until about 11 AM. I had a headache (probably from lack of sleep), and I was started to feel droopy. I needed a quick fix to get me through until 12:30. I was then really, really bad! I went to the drink machine, and I bought a mountain dew (gasp)! I also had a couple of cookies from the refreshment table to help get me through. I was really quite scared of the effects of the mountain due. Other than the tea I had earlier in the week, this was the first caffeine I'd had in over 40 days. It didn't seem to affect me, and I was fine. Then my husband decided to got to Olive Garden for lunch. He and I have been to Olive Garden MANY times since I have started the Whole 30, and I have been good. However, today, with a Mountain Dew in me, I decided to go for the gusto. I had their signature salad, which I had been avoiding due to the dressing. I also ordered pasta!!!! I again let price get me. I ordered it because it was waaaayyy cheaper than the healthier options, and we've been eating out way too much lately. I even ate a little bit of a breadstick. Okay, after this meal, I again feel TERRIBLE. I am bloated and gross feeling. My stomach kinda hurts. I went back to church to help the hubby set up the stage for an event Thursday, and to do help him with some other stuff. On the way home, I see a bag of Doritos in my seat. I eat those as a snack. UGH! Later in the afternoon, I ate a tablespoon or so of peanut butter when craving something sweet. I am a bloated, mess. My hands are swollen, and I feel like poo! But, since I am being bad, I decide to continue this for the rest of the day. I ate a frozen pizza for dinner. I really wanted Wendy's, but they closed the one close to us, and we didn't want to leave the house. 

 

I woke up this morning still feeling bloated and my hands are still swollen. I also have fluid in my ears. This happens to me frequently, but has gotten much better while choosing a Paleo lifestyle. I have learned my lesson. This junk food binge is SOOOO NOTTT WORTH IT! I know that I didn't incorporate foods back in the way I should have. I tried to be conscious about that, but I finally just gave up :-). Well, I paid for it. I guess on the bright side, I did get to see the negative affects that eating junk has on me, and I will now have a strong reason to continue to follow this life style! It is more work, but I learned this week that it is worth the extra work, time and effort! Thank you Whole 9!