JUST FINISHED WEEK ONE

[AprilS]

I just finished week one, 100% compliant with the rules.  I gotta say, I loved it! For context, you should know that I had kinda hit the bottom of the barrel on overeating and drinking after about a month of traveling this summer.  My weight was up, my energy was down, I was having sinus issues, achey knees, bags under my eyes.  I am a distance cyclist and was struggling to keep up my pace.

 

So because I felt so terrible, I was ALL IN.  Another thing that helped was that I love to cook.  I bought both editions of Well Fed, and tried everything. YUM!  So I made a point to stock up on organic fruits and vegetables, I bought about 80 pounds of grass fed meat from US Wellness, and got  pantry items in stock so I was set up to succeed.

 

My treats were Kombucha, decaf coffee after dinner with steamed full fat canned coconut milk,  and coconut water instead of sports drinks on my bike rides.

 

Here are the changes I am experiencing AFTER 7 DAYS:

The aches are gone from my knees and I can breath more easily during heavy exertion on the bike

Sinus issues are about 75% resolved

Swollen belly is flat again

Bags under my eyes are gone, redness is gone

Mental exhaustion and brain fog gone

I can stay awake after dinner!

 

I am still having trouble sleeping. And I still lack my normal energy while cycling.  I have faith that those will resolve soon.

 

One of my favorite quotes so far was from one of the daily email:

99% commitment DOES NOT EQUAL 99% success.

 

Special thanks to David Humphreys who helped straighten out the problem I had getting the emails.  They are so helpful.

[Mac family]

Great job! I just finished week one as well. I'm also feeling great. Bloating is down for me as well. I don't think I realized how bloated I was! Cravings are not too bad, although sometimes I would kill for a Starbucks latte. I only got 2 workouts in this week, but stayed super active and did a lot of walking and felt great. My husband, who is sort of doing this with me (he's like 90%) had major "kill all the things" attitude over the last 2 days. His diet changes are a little more radical than mine. I never really had that moodiness, but I still feel a little fatigued in the mornings. I haven't had a bite off plan, and I'm super proud of that! I have no problem resisting foods. I know I'll make it to the end of 30 days, but I'm sure I'll get tired of cooking full meals 3 times a day plus all the cleaning that goes with it. I made a couple new recipes though, and have had fun trying new foods.

What's your favorite new recipe so far? I didn't buy those cookbooks, I'm just relying on the internet and Pinterest. My favorite new recipe so far has been Nom Nom Paleo's cracklin' chicken. Planning to cook up a batch of egg casserole for breakfasts this week.

[Boolz]

Congratulations! I just finished week one, too! Frankly, beforehand, I wondered if I could do it. I vowed to push through, even if I was miserable, but found I wasn't miserable at all. It was really quite easy!

What went well:

- no cravings, no hunger (other than the normal mild bit just before a meal)

- easy to plan meals. I started with the cook-up-bunch approach, but then dropped it in favor of cooking as I go

- increased energy

- back pain is leaving!!!

What didn't go so well:

- horrible insomnia. I'm getting only 3-5 hrs of sleep each night. My brain just won't turn off. I can make up on the weekend by sleeping really late, but the work week got pretty brutal after the 3rd night of ~3 hrs of sleep.

[AprilS]

Mac Family-

One of my favorite recipes so far is the Zucchini soup from the clothesmakethegirl.com http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/

It does not sound like something I would love so much just from the ingredients, but I do just love it.  I have made it twice.  Both times I made it the day after I made shredded pork in the crockpot.  I used the broth from the pork instead of store bought.  Maybe that made it extra great. I would like to try this recipe with other veg as well.

Congrats on your first week!  It is fun to talk to someone at the same stage of the 30 days.  Let's keep in touch!

April

PS your family is beautiful.  That is my oldest daughter in the photo with me.

[AprilS]

Dear Boolz,

Congrats to you too!

I am having the same problem with insomnia! >:-(

That is really only the negative side effect though.  Today's email was all about sleep.  It was very reassuring to hear that it should get better soon.

In the meantime, I hope we both sleep better tonight!

April

 

[Boolz]

I forgot about the emails! I better check my spam filter.

[AprilS]

Yay!  I slept through the night last night for the first time is as long as I can remember!  No ambien either... What a relief.

I have notice that my skin is looking much better too.

[Mac family]

Yay for sleep! I've been sleeping well too. Every morning I feel a smidgen better the day before. I did have a brief moment of exasperation the other day- after running the dishwasher for the third time on Sunday and eating a meal that wasn't very good, I wanted to quit. But I pushed through and my husband and I are both feeling great.

That soup looks good, although I've avoided soups because I just love a great crusty bread with soup! I've avoided the kitchen more today and yesterday. We grilled burgers last night and I've had hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Tuna salad with home made mayo for lunch today. I went to the grocery store today and tried not to longingly look over at Starbucks. First thing I'll do when this is over is enjoy a hot latte!

Your daughter is beautiful as well! My son turns 1 next week. I won't be enjoying birthday cake with him, but I can't wait for him to try it!

[AprilS]

Today is day 10.  I feel full.  I have enjoyed everything I have eaten on Whole30, and I have eaten plenty.  But today I am starting to care less about food.  That is kind of amazing for me.  I guess I am satisfied.  And maybe unhealthy food is losing its grip on me.  

 

One other major change I noticed.  I had a ruptured disc in my neck.  It caused horrible excruciating pain.  I recovered all the way except for residual numbness in the last joint of my thumb, forefinger and middle finger of my right hand.  I just realized that the numbness is gone!

 

Happy Birthday Baby Mac!

[Mac family]

Wow!!! That's amazing that your numbness is gone! It could be that you have less inflammation in the body and that helped. That's awesome to hear!

I did not really start out with any physical ailments or problems before starting my Whole30, other than some occasional GI irregularities and bloating. That has completely resolved since the first few days, and I feel great. My goals were to kick my sugar craving and bad eating habits I picked up while pregnant and breastfeeding. I have 10 more pounds of baby weight to lose, and I was hoping this program would help get me in gear.

I'm on day 13 and now I'm ready to quit!! Ugh. 2 days ago I was thinking how easy this was. Now I'm just tired of resisting foods. I won't quit, but this is the first time I've strongly wished I could just eat some darn cereal or yogurt when I'm hungry or a chocolate bar that has been calling my name in the pantry. I would love a pumpkin spice latte right now. However, just typing out my goals above helps remind me why I started this to begin with. I will make myself a cup of tea and try to be patient.