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Here we go! Day 1!


Mykelogan

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Hello everyone!

Like many others apparently, I am starting my first Whole 30 today. I have better than I ever have in the past these past few months, following a controlled carb diet (Carb Addicts Lifespan Plan), and during that time I have lost 50lbs since January 2012. I am also down around 200lbs from my highest weight ever a few years back. I feel like over the past few months I have not only tried to control my eating, exercise more, but make myself more knowledgeable about what I am eating and how it affects me. On this journey I began to discover the Paleo and Primal lifestyles, and that lead to finding this place and the Whole 30. I am the kind of guy that responds well to a challenge so I felt like the structure here is something that I would respond well too.

So here I am on Day 1, excited for the next 30 days. And of course, scared too. Mostly scared about actually giving up cheese (lol!) and not weighing/measuring myself for the 30 days, but I told myself I was all in so I am going to take the leap of faith and just go for it.

Hope that everyone starting today or anywhere along their journey is doing well! Best of luck to us all!

Mike

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Mike - this resonates quite a bit with me. I've lost around 80 lbs in my lifetime on various low-carb type diets and while they work, I didn't always feel great, or really understand how food choices still factored into my success and health even within the context of a low-carb diet where so many foods were already removed from my diet. I gotta tell you I love the whole30 program because it solved that missing piece of the puzzle for me and I've learned an incredible amount about food and how it affects me in the process.

As for the portioning bit...I suggest reading Gary Taube's book "Why we get fat" (if that's not the actual title it's something close to it). He spends some time talking about how flawed our dietary recommendations have been. We (the general public) historically have told tell people to eat WHATEVER they want but to just control it and use it in moderation. Would you ever tell an alcoholic they should just learn to drink less?...maybe just on special occasions? It made me want to hit someone in the face for all the years we've all spent internalizing our failed attempts at fat loss and blaming ourselves for not having the all elusive self-control we're constantly told is the key. It's not about control. It's about real whole food and when you eat that, everything else follows and you'll learn just that on the whole 30. Good luck and let us know how we can help!

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Two great, moving posts.

Well done on your success to date myke and best of luck on your w30. That is indeed the name if the taubes book with the tag line...and what to do about it. My 9 year old pointed out to me yesterday that the letters on the cover start fat and get skinnier :)

Loving the new pic Johnny, fierce shexy ;)

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Six days in! Body is definitely adjusting, felt my energy levels take a little dip but feeling much better now on Day 6. Have to say that I am definitely feeling less bloated than I was before. I mean, I am a big guy, but I never really noticed how actually bloated I was feeling til it started to fade the past few days. Getting creative in the kitchen too is a lot of fun!

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Week #2 is underway! Getting through Cinco De Mayo when all of my friends were enjoying their tequila was a challenge but I stayed strong with my ice water. And was able to get up early the next morning and have a productive Sunday while I am pretty sure they could not! lol. P.S. I am learning how much love I have for avocados, just saying. I am not overdoing it at all, but it's unctuous deliciousness is a welcome treat!

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Awesome Mike! I never realized jut how bloated I was either until it went away with the Whole30. It feels SO MUCH better not be bloated! (I also thought it was just normal to have gas all the time!) Keep up the good work!

Johnny, I'm copying your second paragraph from above and putting it in my riding my own bike log... awesome! I want to keep that paragraph!

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Day 12! Can't believe the halfway mark is almost here. Finally got to slice up my homemade Paleo & Whole30 friendly homemade bacon. Oh man, sooo good! Also, have a friend who's interested in Paleo eating and the Whole30 now. Hoping to get him on here soon! hehe

Hope that everyone is doing well. I know that I am feeling fantastic!

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I passed the halfway point!!

Yesterday was interesting. I went to visit my grandparents and brought my own lunch. My grandmother was a little ornery about it at first when I told her I was doing it, but when I showed up and she could see the difference in me being down so much weight, she was happy. lol. She did keep trying to get me to have a roll or some bread with the food I brought (chili spiced grilled chicken with green peppers, mushrooms and some onion) as she could not fathom the idea of such a meal without a "starch." I did acquiesce and accept one thing she put out, a nice big slice of tomato! hehe It was tasty and made her feel like she was involved. I left there with a lot to think about because as we finished lunch, and I had told them more about the Whole 30, my grandfather said, "So what happens after 30 days are up?" It's a good question! I guess that as I am now on the back 15 so to speak, I best start planning!!

Hope everyone is having a great day! I am off to the gym for the second time today. Lifted some heavy things this morning and tonight I am bringing a friend to my favorite water aerobics class. Time to get wet!!

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Nice job Mike!! As for post-30 days... if you're on board with paleo nutrition long-term, you can use the Whole30 as a starting template and tweak things slowly to see what works for you. There are many different takes on nutrition within the paleo sphere, each with their own nuances and focus. Any of these variations can be valid depending on individual context. I would encourage you to define goals for yourself post-30 days, read and explore, and experiment SLOWLY. That being said, from a nutrition standpoint you cannot go wrong continuing a fully compliant Whole30 approach indefinitely.

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Awesome job! Thanks for sharing. Only 2 more weeks! And yes, I'm curious as to how i want to eat after my whole30. DEFINITELY want to continue eating paleo, just have to figure everything out to a T!

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At the moment my plan is to pretty much stay Paleo and Whole 30 compliant as much as possible. I have around another 100lbs (possibly more) I would like to lose, so I know I need to keep it all in control for some time to come. Like you said Jim, I am going to make sure I am well informed of my options and approach any changes I do make at a slow pace so that I can see how my body responds. I am also very interested to see just how my body has physically responded to the Whole 30 itself in terms of weight loss, etc. The not weighing for the 30 days piece is killing me right now! lol

Need to share last nights dream... I was in my kitchen making breakfast, and what was I making? Monkey bread!! You know, that crazy carby recipe of cut up canned biscuit dough dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar and then covered with a brown sugar butter glaze!! It was funny because in my dream I had a moment of lucidity where I said, "Wait a minute! This isn't allowed on my Whole 30!!" and I dumped out the whole pan of raw dough, to the chagrin of my waiting friends. lol. Not sure what it means, but it gave me a good chuckle when I woke up. Even my dreams are Whole 30 compliant now! lol

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At the moment my plan is to pretty much stay Paleo and Whole 30 compliant as much as possible. I have around another 100lbs (possibly more) I would like to lose, so I know I need to keep it all in control for some time to come. Like you said Jim, I am going to make sure I am well informed of my options and approach any changes I do make at a slow pace so that I can see how my body responds. I am also very interested to see just how my body has physically responded to the Whole 30 itself in terms of weight loss, etc. The not weighing for the 30 days piece is killing me right now! lol

Need to share last nights dream... I was in my kitchen making breakfast, and what was I making? Monkey bread!! You know, that crazy carby recipe of cut up canned biscuit dough dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar and then covered with a brown sugar butter glaze!! It was funny because in my dream I had a moment of lucidity where I said, "Wait a minute! This isn't allowed on my Whole 30!!" and I dumped out the whole pan of raw dough, to the chagrin of my waiting friends. lol. Not sure what it means, but it gave me a good chuckle when I woke up. Even my dreams are Whole 30 compliant now! lol

How funny! I've had TWO dreams since starting my whole30 2 weeks ago. One was more like a nightmare, I was cheating and eating all the stuff we're not supposed to! I woke up so sad and mad at myself, then realized, it was just a dream!!
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Amazing the way our waking lives/concerns can invade our dreams sometimes!!

I wanted to check in because today starts the last week of my first Whole30!! I can't believe how quickly it really has flown by and how much my attitude towards food has changed. I mean, I won't go as far as saying that my undying love affair with food is completely over but we're definitely on the outs! lol. I guess I mean that I am surprising myself how I am starting to really see food as fuel and not as the focus of the universe. I still get excited about the flavors and new tastes I have experienced on my Whole 30 but I don't find myself planning my entire life around the next bite coming anymore. I see that as a victory.

Mike

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I have also been having cheat-dreams, full of hummus and gluten-free crackers (former favorite snack). Mike, you are such an inspiration. Way to go. If I may ask, what brought you to the conclusion of dieting/changing your eating habits in the first place?

Did you watch the recent Weight of the Nation documentary on HBO? Your story reminds me of several of the characters filmed. (I think it is free to watch online if you haven't - its a must-see!) It seems like many people dont even know where to begin or what to do first.

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Hi Laura, thank you! It's funny you asked about what brought about my decisions to change in the first place because I do ruminate on that often. They sometimes that the universe has plans for you and that sometimes it needs to slap you in the face to get you to pay attention. I definitely think that happened for me, because as of four or five years ago I pretty much my life set up to completely reinforce my addiction to food. My job, my social life, heck, even my home were all set up to perfectly allow me to continue living my life as super morbidly obese man (I was in the neighborhood of 550lbs, above or below depending on the week!) who really only cared about the next meal, the next bite. You see I lived in the same building that I worked, literally about fifteen steps down the same hallway, and when my office was moved to a building next door I would drive across the street instead of walking. I was allowing my weight and eating to take over. Turning down invitations by friends and family to certain events based on how much walking would be needed, and would I fit in the seats, and would there be enough food.

I'd like to say that I had an epiphany at this point or even a physical crisis that made me wake up but to be honest I didn't. Instead, someone made a choice for me. On Christmas day of 2007, my car was stolen. I literally walked out of my building to meet my dad, and he asked, "Where's your truck?" It was gone. This forced a huge change in my life. I had to start walking to the office in the morning, as short a distance as it was, and also around campus. I didn't really change my eating/drinking habits much but I was moving again. This was a big change. I started to lose some weight just by moving. I'll be honest. I was enjoying my enhanced mobility but was not at all at a place mentally where I was thinking about my diet. I would say that I lost around 50-60lbs just by the little walking I was doing. That summer I made the decision to move across the country to California, for love and a job. Neither worked out and I found myself pretty much homeless. Luckily my sister was in California and I went to live with her for a few months before I came back east. It was during this time I like to say I was on a "Poverty Diet." Again, the universe made some choices for me. I just simply could not afford to eat like I used to and I was moving even more. I lost a lot of weight fast by the time I was back on the east coast. Then I found work again, and starting regaining weight, fast.

That was the equilibrium of my life until this past winter when I was having a discussion with my best friend about things we wanted to do in our lives, and he challenged me to find something physical I wanted to try. He had brought up skiing and I said I was more of a sit by the fire and drink cocoa guy than a skier. He said, "Well is there anything you'd like to that doesn't involve sitting and eating?" I was honestly pissed during the discussion. He was definitely known to push my buttons and challenge me often but this was really the first time that he was so direct. I think he realized he struck a nerve and backed off, and I did too. Until I was home that night and I was realizing that I was turning 40 next year and there were many things I wanted to do that I was allowing my appetite to rule out. I was 400lbs that week in January. Down so far from my highest weight but heavier than I was when I had gotten back east two years before. I was letting the old patterns come back into my life and for the first time really ever, I took a long hard look at what I was doing to myself. And I realized I wanted to change.

I started two weeks later following a diet I had used with success before, the Carb Addicts Lifestyle Plan, but I while I knew this was a tool that had helped me before it was also something I could not sustain in the long run. I needed to learn more about the different options out there and I started to do research. I read a lot of books and websites, discovered the work of Gary Taubes, Mark Sisson, Loren Cordain, and more. There was something about the Paleo and Primal paths that resonated with me. It made sense. I knew what I really needed was something that would break me of my old habits and let me introduce new ones. Something that would help me to fundamentally change my relationship with food. Then I discovered this site and the Whole 30. I was looking for a tool to help me make a change to a more Paleo focused diet and the Whole 30 was an answer to my prayers because I am someone who responds well to challenges and to structure. Which brings me to today, with 6 days left in my first Whole 30 and a totally new outlook on feeding, no fueling, my body. That's probably a bit longer of an answer than you were looking for, sorry!! :-)

And yes, I did see Weight of the Nation. It was very eye opening, though I wish there had been more of an open discussion about the types of "diets" that people may be utilizing. And yes, I did see a lot of myself in several of the people spotlighted. I spent so much time controlled by my addiction to food that I could not really see the first steps I needed to take.

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Tomorrow I begin the Whole30 program. I just finished a 6 day juice fast and want to continue on the road to optimal health. I think the Whole30 is the logical next step. I typically eat a pretty clean paleo diet but want to take it to the next level, jump start my metabolism and treat my body how it deserves to be treated. Excited to be on this journey with you all!

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Mike, what a great post! Thank you. I hope you feel comfortable to post your post-Whole30 results here, bc I am dying to know how it turns out for you! I am on day 8 and things are starting to get better for me, ever so slightly.

Our relationship to food is so important and I think way too many people take that relationship for grants. It's not all their fault though, our crappy food system is mostly to blame, because honestly, how can you expect people to know what to eat and what not to eat based on the commercialized and industrialized system we live in today? Unless they have the willpower and motivation to do the research and experimentation like you, they will never know. I work in agriculture and it pains me everyday to see the food quality (or lack thereof) and politically-driven agenda we are instilling upon the nation and the world. It is all about the success of ag market and the economy, not human health nor quality of life, which food is essential to. This is getting into a totally new subject here, which I could rant about for hours, but I really appreciate the way you described how you changed your relationship with food (and exercise).

I have a half-brother who sounds a lot like you, but he doesn't seem to get it yet, and still has a very poor relationship with food. Maybe I should steal his car? :)

Thanks for your story.

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Thanks for the positive feedback all!! And yes, Laura, I say go ahead and have that car stolen. It was truly a life changer for me. Even if it took my head a while to catch up!!

After today, only 2 days left in my first Whole 30!!! I cannot believe it. Today my sister told me it looks like I am shrinking. lol. Guess we will see when I weigh myself for the first time in a month on Wednesday! haha

But really, even if I did not lose a pound this month, the change in how I feel overall is more than worth it.

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