Lifting the Weight

[littleg]

If you haven't seen this before... over at MDA there is a free fitness download available.  You have to sign up for their newsletters (which you can then unsubscribe from) to get it though:

 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/subscribe-to-blog/#axzz2y9WUYNy4

 

When I first started paleo 3 years ago I was a triathlete yet couldn't do a pushup or a pull up or even an air squat... I used the fitness guide to get me going on some body weight strength exercises.  

 

Then I stumbled on simplefit which is also a great at-home body weight based program.  

 

Both of these were great for me before I started crossfit - so I figured I'd pass them along!

[Intrepid4]

Thanks for the tip, littleg. I just signed up for MDA and got a whole bunch of downloaded goodies. I'll check them out tonight.

[Intrepid4]

Day 29.

 

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1/2 sweet spud with c butter, coffee.

 

Lunch: roast beef and broccoli, almonds.

 

Dinner: beef and cabbage stir fry, berries with c milk.

 

People are beginning to notice that my face looks thinner, as do my arms and shoulders. I'm a little anxious about doing the final measuring/weighing after tomorrow. I figure the numbers had to have gone down, but I don't want to set myself up. Even if they're just numbers, it's hard to break several years worth of mindset that the sun rises and sets with the bathroom scale.

 

I set a goal to lose 50 pounds this year. I figured averaging a pound a week was not out of reach, and could be done safely. Up until I started the W30, I was right on track. So hopefully I've at least stayed on schedule for that. Guess I'll find out soon enough.

 

One more day!

[missmary]

I set a goal to lose 50 pounds this year. I figured averaging a pound a week was not out of reach, and could be done safely. 

 

Yikes. 5 lbs a week is not only out of reach for most people, it is completely unhealthy and unsustainable. Some people lose that much on their first whole30 (usually men, though) and when they do, it is a sign to us that their body was hanging on to inflammation because of an irritant in their diet, not fat loss. Healthy sustainable fat loss is less than 2 lbs per week, and often it is much slower than this. That is ok. This is not a race. Good luck with your numbers but please please please don't beat yourself up if the loss seems small or even if there is no change in scale weight. This project is a whole lot bigger than that number, and your health is way more important.

 

EDIT: interesting, either I read this wrong in the fog of the early morning, or maybe it got edited? At any rate I'm pleased to see only 1 lb per week as a goal here. That's just fine. Good Luck!

[Intrepid4]

Missmary, I said 50 pounds over the course of the year, averaging a pound a week. I want to lose weight, but I want to stay healthy (or improve my health, actually). I am thrilled with a downward trend, but not in any rush. Thanks for your concern, though.

[Intrepid4]

Day 30!

 

Breakfast: 2 eggs, Swiss chard, mango slice, coffee.

 

Forgot to eat lunch, and then I was out and about and busy. Didn't actually feel hungry, though.

 

Dinner: leftover beef and cabbage stir fry, pistachios.

 

So I did it! What's next? Probably more of the same. I plan to add back bacon, butter (never got used to ghee), chocolate (sparingly)... and that's all I can think of right now. Going to do a 30 day exercise challenge next. Might continue logging progress on the Post Whole30 forum. Haven't decided about that yet. Kind of bummed out tonight. I guess mood stabilization won't be on my list of benefits from doing this.

 

I'll take measurements tomorrow.

[Intrepid4]

Day 31.

 

Official measurements today. I lost 6.8 pounds, 1 inch off my chest, and 2.5 inches off my waist. Interestingly, my hips stayed the same. An overall success, I would say.

 

Woke up today feeling lousy. Headache, stomach ache, a bit feverish... The good news is that -- whatever is causing it -- it is the exception these days, not just a typical feeling like it used to be. Breakfast this morning was 2 eggs and 1/2 sweet spud with c butter. I didn't feel the need to run out to IHOP and load up on chocolate chip pancakes and syrup.

 

Mad Dog will finish her Whole30 today, and then tomorrow we embark on a Whole 30 exercise challenge. We've outlined our rules (hers are different than mine, obviously, since she's a twenty-something CrossFit trainer and I'm a fifty-something couch potato). I am going to continue logging my progress on the post-W30 forum. I think tracking what I eat has helped immensely.

 

I summarized my experience in a blog post at http://www.liftingtheweight.com/1/post/2014/04/my-whole30-adventure-or-how-i-survived-thirty-days-without-chocolate.html

 

Will likely be back for another W30 later this year. I've got thirty-four more pounds to lose this year, and it's only April. This might be the year where my New Years resolution actually comes true!

[Intrepid4]

Day 0 again. I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!

 

A little sooner than I expected, but I've decided, why mess with a good thing? Although I've continued to eat W30 compliant food for the most part since finishing up last week, the consistency and quality of my meals have gone downhill in a hurry. I'd been thinking of doing another W30 to help ingrain the healthy eating habits, and to facilitate losing more weight. But I hadn't really gotten around to committing to it until today.

 

I was having breakfast with Mad Dog this morning, and she said she was going to do another W30. Said since finishing, she had begun eating chocolate again, and that had started the cravings all over again. Plus she is nursing  still, and baby does much better when mama is eating "clean." So we agreed to do it together again, beginning tomorrow.

 

I still wanted to have a mocha before restarting, as I hadn't had one yet, so we went together for coffees and ended up having lunch in Portland. The first time I've eaten out since starting the prior W30. The mocha wasn't as good as I had hyped it up to be in my memory. Not worth it. So I begin again with no regrets.

 

I'll weigh and measure myself in the morning.

[PamH]

Day 0 again. I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!

 

A little sooner than I expected, but I've decided, why mess with a good thing? Although I've continued to eat W30 compliant food for the most part since finishing up last week, the consistency and quality of my meals have gone downhill in a hurry. I'd been thinking of doing another W30 to help ingrain the healthy eating habits, and to facilitate losing more weight. But I hadn't really gotten around to committing to it until today.

 

I was having breakfast with Mad Dog this morning, and she said she was going to do another W30. Said since finishing, she had begun eating chocolate again, and that had started the cravings all over again. Plus she is nursing  still, and baby does much better when mama is eating "clean." So we agreed to do it together again, beginning tomorrow.

 

I still wanted to have a mocha before restarting, as I hadn't had one yet, so we went together for coffees and ended up having lunch in Portland. The first time I've eaten out since starting the prior W30. The mocha wasn't as good as I had hyped it up to be in my memory. Not worth it. So I begin again with no regrets.

 

I'll weigh and measure myself in the morning.

Me, too.  I'm back.  Good to know there are others that need more time and more structure.  

 

I say DON'T measure and weigh yourself.  That needs to be out of your parameters for how you are doing.  I can say I feel so much better not having that scale to make or break my attitude every morning.  It has been maybe 6 months since I've stepped on a scale.  I can tell by the fit of my clothes and the tone of my skin if I am on track or not (I'm on the edge of moving up or down a size so a few pounds really changes how my clothes feel… especially since I'm short!).

[Intrepid4]

I weighed myself this morning, but didn't take measurements this time. I agree that judging by the fit of my clothes will be more useful than any numbers on a tape measure. I'm the opposite of you, Pam. I'm tall, so I can carry additional weight without noticing a lot of change. Which is great, until it creeps up on me, and then there's no amount of height that can hide it.

 

So, after Mad Dog and I treated ourselves to a non-compliant meal and mocha/latte yesterday, we both felt ill last night. And we both came to the conclusion that it's just not worth it to our bodies right now to eat less clean.

 

My goals for this time around:

  - continue to lose weight. Not to see a number on a scale, but because I am still in the "obese" category, and it's a health issue.

  - continue to improve my energy levels.

  - maybe make some gains in mood stabilization.

  - add in a daily exercise/movement component. Which in my case will be starting quite slowly, like maybe a half mile walk or something. Mad Dog is going to customize some mini workouts that I can do at home, and I will build on those as well. She's going to run me through a benchmark workout so I will have a base upon which to evaluate my progress.

 

I'm looking forward to this, actually. Let the games begin!

[PamH]

Mad Dog.  I smile whenever I see that name.  

 

Keep up the good work!

[Intrepid4]

Day 1.

 

Breakfast: 2 eggs, spaghetti squash, almonds, 3/4 decaf coffee.

 

Lunch: sliced roast beef, carrots, almond butter. Had to go grocery shopping today, and by the time I got home, I was hungry and didn't want to take time to cook a vegetable, so the carrots were the easiest thing to come up with. I'll plan better when I get back into the swing of this.

 

Dinner: Crock pot mocha-rubbed pot roast (from stupideasypaleo.com), asparagus, pistachios.

 

Exercise: half mile walk.

[Intrepid4]

Day 2 (yesterday).

 

Breakfast: 2 eggs, sautéed spinach, 1/4 avocado, coffee.

Lunch: mocha pot roast, asparagus, almonds.

Dinner: chocolate chili.

 

Did a workout that Mad Dog designed for me. Couldn't decide afterwards whether to pass out or throw up. Fortunately I managed to do none of the above. A little sore in the abs today, but I'm looking forward to the next WO. I know it works, and I know that Mad Dog is a good coach and won't give me more than I can handle. I worked with her before when she co-owned a CrossFit gym. It's nice to have my own personal trainer. Just like the celebs!

[Noelle]

I'm starting (again) today, and I'm loving your log! You're hilarious. I too smile whenever I see Mad Dog.

[Intrepid4]

Thanks, Noelle. I got to thinking about it, and Mad Dog got her nickname before she started her gym, from her coworkers at a coffee shop where she worked as a barista. Hmmm. And my other daughter, The Terminator? Well, we won't even go into that one.

 

They're such sweet girls...

[Intrepid4]

Day 3.

 

Breakfast: 1 poached egg, 1/2 sweet potato with c butter, coffee. Was supposed to be two eggs, but one slipped off the slotted spoon when I was trying to maneuver it onto my plate, fell onto my arm that was holding the plate, burned the holy heck out of my wrist, then fell on the floor. And me without a dog. I had to clean it up all by myself.  

 

Lunch: choc chili, 1/4 avocado. I'm counting the tomatoes and onions in the chili as my veggies. Does that work?

 

Dinner: mocha roast, 1/2 sweet potato with c butter.

 

Heartburn tonight. Drinking Organic Heartburn Tea that Mad Dog gave me. My heartburn pretty much went away with my last W30, so not sure why it's back. Maybe the cocoa in the choc chili and the mocha roast???

[mangio_bene]

I'd count the tomatoes/onions as my veggies but the idea is to have 1-3 cups of veggies for each meal.  I am closer to one cup than three so count anything in the vegetable family.

[GFChris]

Day 3.

 

Breakfast: 1 poached egg, 1/2 sweet potato with c butter, coffee. Was supposed to be two eggs, but one slipped off the slotted spoon when I was trying to maneuver it onto my plate, fell onto my arm that was holding the plate, burned the holy heck out of my wrist, then fell on the floor. And me without a dog. I had to clean it up all by myself.  

 

Lunch: choc chili, 1/4 avocado. I'm counting the tomatoes and onions in the chili as my veggies. Does that work?

 

Dinner: mocha roast, 1/2 sweet potato with c butter.

 

Heartburn tonight. Drinking Organic Heartburn Tea that Mad Dog gave me. My heartburn pretty much went away with my last W30, so not sure why it's back. Maybe the cocoa in the choc chili and the mocha roast???

 

 

I'd count the tomatoes/onions as my veggies but the idea is to have 1-3 cups of veggies for each meal.  I am closer to one cup than three so count anything in the vegetable family.

My husband also gets heartburn after eating the chocolate chili. He attributes it to the cumin (as there's a healthy dose in there).

I would add a hearty salad to your meal when you have the chocolate chili, to fulfill your veggie portion.  

[Noelle]

I make the chili "half-spiced" for my crew (which includes a spice-intolerant partner, a kindergartener, and a toddler--I should give them all nicknames in my log!) and it's still flavorful and nobody's heartburn or taste buds rebel.

Not going to lie: I've eaten a dropped egg before.

[Intrepid4]

Thanks for the feedback. It could very well be the cumin that's giving me heartburn. I don't usually cook with that, don't particularly care for it, but I'm such a rule follower that I just toss in whatever the recipe calls for. If it called for lighter fluid, I'd probably dump some in. But then, lighter fluid is not W30 compliant, I would imagine, so my label reading skills would save me there. Maybe I'll try cutting back on the spices next time, as you suggested, Noelle.

 

Meanwhile...

 

Day 4.

 

Breakfast: 2 eggs, sautéed spinach, coffee. Forgot the avocado, so not really any fat. I cooked the spinach and eggs in veggie broth.

 

Lunch: choc chili, 1/4 avocado, 1 cup fresh berries. Didn't read the advice on veggie portions 'til afterward, but I guess I need to ramp up in that department. That's a challenge for me. Before my first W30, I hardly ever ate veggies. For some reason, it just seems like a monumental pain to include them. Something for me to work on.

 

Post Workout: This one caught me by surprise, since I don't usually do workouts.  But Mad Dog told me I was supposed to eat something afterward, and said it should be easily digestible. So I had a banana and some almond butter. I think there was supposed to be some more protein in there. I will look at the template a little closer, now that I'm becoming a worker outer.

 

Dinner: herb roasted chicken thighs with cauliflower and onions. From SimplyRecipes.com. Substituted cauliflower for the potatoes that were called for, and used regular mustard instead of Dijon. Really good!!

 

Did a Mad Dog workout, so I'm still maintaining my 30-day exercise challenge. I guess that's my X30. On Day 6 for that. I'm going to be so healthy a month from now, I won't even recognize myself.

[mangio_bene]

I would be sad if cumin gave me heartburn.  It's one of my favorite spices.  I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen.  A recipe is only a guideline.  so you shouldn't ever feel like you need to add an ingredient that you don't like.

[Intrepid4]

Day 5.

 

Breakfast: chicken thigh, cauliflower and onion. Picked up a clover coffee at my favorite coffee shop later in the a.m. It was really hard to pass by the completely stocked pastry display, but I managed, leaving only a tiny rivulet of drool in my wake.

 

Lunch: choc chili, 1/4 avocado, 1 cup mixed berries. Major heartburn in the afternoon. Guess I'll lay off the chili for awhile. Maybe tomatoes, too? Coffee? It's the only vice I have left... I'd really hate to give it up. But I hate dealing with the heartburn and reflux, too. Drinking more Heartburn Tea, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. Maybe I'll start taking HCL again. That seemed to help a bit.

 

Dinner, when this settles down, is going to be eggs and sweet potato. Something easy on the system, I hope.

 

For my exercise, I tried to do a yoga workout from an online video, but downward dog nearly killed me. Not a good pose for reflux.

[PamH]

You always manage to type something that makes me smile.  I wish you continued success!  Master that downward dog!

[PamH]

Day 5.

 

Breakfast: chicken thigh, cauliflower and onion. Picked up a clover coffee at my favorite coffee shop later in the a.m. It was really hard to pass by the completely stocked pastry display, but I managed, leaving only a tiny rivulet of drool in my wake.

 

Lunch: choc chili, 1/4 avocado, 1 cup mixed berries. Major heartburn in the afternoon. Guess I'll lay off the chili for awhile. Maybe tomatoes, too? Coffee? It's the only vice I have left... I'd really hate to give it up. But I hate dealing with the heartburn and reflux, too. Drinking more Heartburn Tea, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. Maybe I'll start taking HCL again. That seemed to help a bit.

 

Dinner, when this settles down, is going to be eggs and sweet potato. Something easy on the system, I hope.

 

For my exercise, I tried to do a yoga workout from an online video, but downward dog nearly killed me. Not a good pose for reflux.

How spicy did you make the chili?  My guess is it is the chili.  I bet you could handle your coffee if you were careful about what else you ate over the day.  Tomatoes are a big trigger because of their acidity.  I am avoiding them for histamine content these days.

[Intrepid4]

Thanks, Pam. I just made the chili according to recipe. I like your theory that I can keep the coffee if I watch other stuff. I'll gladly give up tomatoes if I can keep my coffee!

 

Day 6.

 

Breakfast: frittata, strawberries with coconut cream, bullet proof coffee (courtesy of Mad Dog and family).

 

Lunch: leftover chicken thigh with cauliflower and onions.

 

Dinner: choc chili. I know I said I was dropping it, but this was the last serving, and I just couldn't let it go to waste. I started taking HCL last night, and more today, and so far, no heartburn or reflux.

 

Exercise: did another Mad Dog workout. Found a cool Tabata timer online. The cat amused herself by sitting on the furniture near my head and swatting my hair every time I came up on my push ups. Glad I could be there for her.