Back to Basics: Whole2012? :)

[jhmomi]

Hi everyone. Just checking in. Busy, busy week.

Feeling awesome with my workouts. Ran about 3 miles yesterday with pace of 8:45. This morning did squats, deadlifts, and practiced the jerk part of clean and jerks. It was my first attempt at learning proper form for them and it went well. My final set was 60 lbs but it wasn't difficult. Felt good and it was fun! Then I ended my morning workout with a couple of 60 second planks. With a 45 lb plate on my back. I have done them before but they seemed easier today. I used to have lower back pain/discomfort with weighted planks and deadlifts but I am happy to say absolutely ZERO discomfort the past several weeks. LOVE IT! I also no longer have wrist pain. I hyperextended my wrist in the Spring and had nagging discomfort throughout the day for months. ZERO pain in my wrist for many weeks now.

Eating still compliant except for a binge on cinnamon almonds two nights ago. Just had a rotten evening and indulged. They had artificial sweetener and some canola oil. Oh well. Was only deviation I made so all in all not bad. Other than that slight detour, I love the fact that I don't have to think about eating Whole30 anymore. As Nike ads would say, I just do it.

Just packed up a bunch of food for a weekend trip. Have plenty of compliant stuff and plan to stick mostly to salads to eat and water to drink at the rehearsal and wedding we will attend. Have a few primal pacs plus some cooked chicken and raw veggies that will go in my cooler with me. Short trip so it shouldn't be a big deal. My biggest offroad plan is likely a glass of red wine or two. No interest in wedding cake. We'll see.

My jeans are still not super comfortable but hubby said they looked good. I have noticed that only two lbs gone since July but waist improved because no muffin top at all in these jeans. My trainer says I look leaner but it's a subtle change. Moving in right direction for my goals...

[jhmomi]

For anyone that thinks it is impossible to stay compliant on the go, take a look at my fridge...

Two containers with a few snap peas, one with cherry tomatoes, two with baby carrots, two with a couple ounces of cooked chicken, two with a sliced AF hot dog in each, and four containers of grapes. I am going out of town for the weekend and I am also bringing hard boiled eggs, almonds, raisins, and some Primal Pacs. We will also eat out, but now I am not dependent on the entire group choosing a restaurant with great choices for me or relying exclusively on the food offered at the wedding we will attend. The little bit of time to prepare is worth it for the peace of mind it brings!

I keep some assortment of all these items in my fridge AT ALL TIMES. I just fill a few containers here and there every couple of days as things get used up. I also keep various nuts and dried fruit packaged up in tiny containers in my pantry for myself and my children. The mix may vary, but planning ahead like this allows me to stay compliant no matter what. If I don't need them for on the go and they need to get eaten, well that's just a super easy breakfast or lunch at home. Plus my kids eat better too. I can throw a few things in a cooler with an couple of ice packs on the way to three games on Saturday (t-ball, soccer, and baseball) or toss a few snacks in my purse for after school sports.

I just bought this from Amazon to keep a few little snacks cool with one ice pack without carrying a larger lunch sized tote. It's actually meant for baby bottles. I carry a pretty roomy purse/tote bag most of the time, and sometimes a backpack on the weekends with the kids for sports activities. This bag fits nicely inside.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41QK8q58VbL._AA300_.jpg

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

[Bridget]

you are ready for ANYTHING !!!! Have a great weekend-I love weddings !

[jhmomi]

you are ready for ANYTHING !!!! Have a great weekend-I love weddings !

Thanks Bridget. I started preparing this way before when I was on a diet and then had stopped due to laziness. I've been packing up my kids snacks (previously crackers, cereal, pretzels, etc but now more dried fruit and nuts) like this for a while though. Now that I am eating a grain and dairy free diet I have to plan ahead. No excuses, right? Funny thing is my kids keep eating the carrots and grapes when we are out and about. My oldest surprised me last week when he looked in our snack bag at all the choices, which included some very un-Paleo PB crackers, along with raisins, cashews, almonds, grapes and carrots. He actually chose to have the baby carrots first. I was blown away. So proud my kids are eating better than before and making good choices for themselves a little more often. That being said, I took my daughter to get our nails done this evening after my son's baseball game. My hubby ordered pizza for the family dinner since I didn't cook. I abstained from the pizza and made a Whole30 friendly taco salad for my dinner.

[jhmomi]

Wedding weekend was GREAT. My niece was a beautiful bride. Happy for her and for my brother.

As for staying offroading, all in all I did REALLY WELL. These were the non-complaint deviations between the rehearsal and the reception...

• Prime Rib was probably basted with a non-compliant oil, but dang was it some good meat.
  
• Used a tablespoon of balsamic dressing on my salad.
  
• Ate some roasted/sauteed veggies with mystery oil/butter. Also had smoked fish and a little roast beef.
  
• Drank one swallow of "sweet tea" after a server refilled my glass of unsweetened tea when I wasn't looking.
  
• Had one sip of wine at the reception, didn't like it, and stuck with water after that.
  
• Ate some baked/smoked chicken instead of the barbecue but I'm sure it had oil on the outside.
  
• Ate a lot of the cooked green beans. Had smoked ham mixed in that I skipped but I am sure there was just a little mystery oil/butter on them. Yummy.
  
• A handful of "mixed nuts" at my Mom's house. Was Emerald brand so had canola oil and other stuff.
  
• Had guacamole salad when out at Mexican restaurant with my family. Not sure if anything non-complaint was in the guacamole. I ate a few ounces of chicken and some baby carrots at the hotel just before we left for the restaurant to make it a meal.
  

Honestly that was it. I had lots of raw veggies and fruit at both events and packed my own food for the rest of the time. It was easy, didn't matter to anyone else and I felt great at the gym this morning even though we got back late last night and I only had about 4 hours of sleep. Love how good eating makes me feel.

And I rocked my little pink dress. Will try to post a pic later...

[Derval]

Oh yes, dying to see you in your dress!

You did really well, well done.

[jhmomi]

Here are a couple of pics from yesterday. Me and my Mom in first photo. I cropped out the people in the second photo. It was the only full length shot I had without kids standing in front of me.

[Derval]

You look beautiful, so elegant! And check out that flat stomach & toned arms - fabulous!

[jhmomi]

You look beautiful, so elegant! And check out that flat stomach & toned arms - fabulous!

Thanks Derval. I felt good yesterday. I upped my protein and lowered my carbs just a little for 4 days just to make sure that dress looked good without me having to suck in my gut all evening and I could be comfortable! It was fun to see so many people I had not seen in many, many years. Even saw a few college friends of mine from the 80's that knew the groom from the fraternity they all are in.

You will love this. At the reception, they needed someone to help cut the wedding cake for the guests. My sister in law asked me to help along with one of the bridesmaids. So there I was, slicing up and serving this very rich, beautiful cake with all kinds of fillings and icing on it. Pretty darn ironic since I was probably the only one there that doesn't eat grains, dairy, or sugar! I skipped the cake and didn't even lick my fingers when I was done slicing and serving. Looked really good, but I honestly wasn't tempted.

I started a Whole26 today. Have a family dinner party at my home on October 13th so I will stay compliant until then. For the dinner party I will have plenty of compliant food choices, but will likely have an adult beverage. Or two or three. It's a family function after all. Right now I feel great and notice I am getting just a bit leaner, plus running and strength training is going too well to start screwing it up now.

[Derval]

Your slogan - "I slice cake, I don't eat it"

I think one of the best things about losing weight is not having to wear Spanx anymore! Whole30=Nature's Spanxs!

[jhmomi]

So I started my "Whole26" yesterday. But I forgot my anniversary is coming up before then. So I have revised my goals through the end of the year and this is my plan.

Whole2012 September 17 until December 31?

I will remain Whole30 compliant for my food and beverages for this time period with the exceptions of...

• October 5th - My 10th anniversary
  
• October 13th - a big family event that will be held in my home (alcohol only, not non-compliant food)
  
• Thanksgiving Day
  
• Christmas Eve (beginning after mass, about 5 pm, not the whole day)
  
• Christmas Day
  
• New Year's Eve (alcohol only, not non-compliant food)
  

Acceptable off-roading for these days shall be limited to:

• red wine, limit 3 glasses or vodka martinis, limit 2
  
• up to three bites of a starchy or sugary foods (bread, pasta or dessert)
  
• one cup of my Mom's mashed potatoes with butter on Thanksgiving Day, plus a little giblet gravy
  
• non-compliant butter or oil on prepared meat or veggies (others may prepare some dishes for various events)
  
• a reasonable serving of various chocolates and cookies my German mother always buys/makes for Christmas.
  
• A little goat cheese or gorgonzola on my salads (I absolutely LOVE goat cheese)
  

That's the basic plan. I can't think of anything else worth slowing down my progress. I certainly have no intention of ordering lasagna or pizza when I off-road. It's going to have to be something much better than that.

I plan to begin the New Year Healthy and Fit!

Guess I need to start a new log and close this one out.

[Derval]

Good plan!

[maggief]

Love your plan! Especially for dealing with the holidays. It's so easy for just two or three holidays to turn into weeks of indulgence. I'm bookmarking this for my own future use

By the way, you looked absolutely lovely in that pink dress! Keep up the great work!

[jhmomi]

Darn it. I have to update that plan. No official Whole30 January 1st. Have a family out of town thing that will make it nearly impossible to stay compliant. I will NEED an adult beverage or two or three. Extended family is great, but think this will be a bit too much of it.

I am very content to keep my off-roading to a bare minimum. Long-term the areas I am most likely to be non-compliant are hidden oils and flavorings in prepared foods when I am away from home. In most restaurants I can specify no butter or oil but then there are those times when it's harder to do. I love packing my Paleo foods to bring along, but if the worst thing I do is eat a handful of nuts at my Mom's that happen to be roasted in canola oil or a few grams of sugar in a restaurant salad dressing (love oil and vinegar but sometimes a tiny bit of dressing is good too), I think I can live with it.

[jhmomi]

I stared a new log in Off Track/Staying on Track since I am not technically doing a Whole30 any longer. It's called My WholeHealthyLife. Here's a link...

http://forum.whole9l...__fromsearch__1