Day 11 - Fitness plateaus be gone!

[HolisticSteph]

Hello Whole30 world! HolisticSteph here, and on Day 11 of my first Whole30. A little bit of the "why I started" -

 

• I'm a fitness nut. I teach HIIT (high intensity interval training) classes twice a week
• As much as I LOVE exercising, I also LOVE grabbing drinks with friends, cheeseburgers, loaded fries, etc. - I'm social to a fault. Sometimes I have plans for every evening for a week a half straight.
• I felt like I was hitting a wall in terms of my fitness goals. I didn't feel like I was getting more toned (I try to avoid saying "lose weight" - it's not all about the scale), I felt like my energy was lacking, and I needed something move me away from this plateau.

After I read "It Starts With Food," I decided to start my Whole30 post holidays (I wanted my NYE champagne!). My official start date was January 2. I generally eat pretty healthy (minus the wine, margaritas, queso - a Texas staple), so I didn't think it would be too hard. Here's how things have progressed.

 

• Day 1-3: Excited! A little sluggish, but not too much. Went light on my workout on Day 2. 
• Day 4-6: Rough, but not too bad. Day 4's HIIT class that I taught almost made me puke. Definitely chalking that up to a sugar withdrawal
• Day 7: WORST DAY SO FAR. Let me tell you, I smelled donuts when they weren't around. Everywhere. My cashews smelled like donuts. I cried to my boyfriend because I was in a mood (actual tears in the car after Ikea), and took a two hour nap. I don't know how I made it through that day. I did have to snack on cashews and who knows what else, but it was all compliant.
• Day 8-10: Sweet baby Jesus, what is wrong with my stomach?! You guys, I looked 3 months pregnant from bloat. The things going on in my tummy should not be spoken of, so I won't. You get the point.
• Day 11: Today! I feel AMAZING. Stomach bloat is gone. Replaced with tons of energy. I even had multiple people telling me how slim I'm looking (always feels good to get a little ego boost). 

I teach another HIIT class tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I'm a big believer in keeping everything balanced. My mantra is "mind, body, soul." You can't feed one and ignore the other. I definitely sound like a tree-hugging, yoga-loving hippie, but I'm not (only in my mind). Just your typical city girl looking to live each day fulfilled. 

 

HolisiticSteph signing out and 1/3 through my first Whole30! 

 

PS - I absolutely love cooking but favorite meals so far have been sweet omelettes, barbacoa, zoodles with load of delish roasted veggies, and creamy, heavenly chicken curry.

[SconnieGirl]

Way to go! I sure hope the worst is behind you! I'm also on Day 11. I'm surprised at how well it's going so far. I have always obsessed over when and what is my next snack and red wine in the evenings. So far, this has been like a switch flipped and I'm just powering forward. I'm thrilled to be eating for the sake of nutrition and satiety and surprised that I really am only eating three times a day (or a bit more on workout days). I think the fact that we are supposed to avoid snacking and not make treats out of compliant ingredients is helping me make an important disconnect with food. 

 

I hope you are in now in the clear and that things will continue to get better and better!

[HolisticSteph]

Thanks! I seem to be having 180s in terms of energy levels. Yesterday I had so much energy I felt like I had drank a gallon of coffee (but no jitters) and could tackle the world. Today (Day 12), I feel tired an sluggish. I'm hoping it all levels out soon. On the tired sluggish days, I tend to snack in between meals - all compliant. 

 

We'll see how it continues!

[SconnieGirl]

I'm the same-no lie. By evening for three nights now I've been sooooo tired. Can't figure it out. Workouts feel good but by night I'm beat. I think I'm reaching some kind of "honeymoon's over" stage yet I have no interest in cheating or stopping. I love the program and the food I'm eating. I'm just really tired. Glad I'm not the only one.

[StefSS]

Hi,

So, I started my first Whole30 on January 4th. I'm on day 10! I'm psyched about being in the double digits, but my workouts have been unbelievably difficult. I looked at myself in the mirror during my workout today, and I looked puffy...especially in my stomach.

I'm frustrated, because, aside from probably a few too many nuts (lunch on the go), I've been very aware of eating according to the template.

I'm probably also dealing with PMS this week, which always hinders my workouts, but I kind of expected a magical switch to turn on by now!

Anyway, I'm sticking to it. I love the food - really! I totally miss wine, but kombucha is a very interesting replacement. I'm just a little disheartened by the fact that I'm just so puffy!

Any suggestions?? Does this puffiness really go away? My stomach is totally rebelling...even with the probiotic effect of the kombucha.

[HolisticSteph]

No suggestions - I was like that too (hence the above explanation), a little early according to the timeline that they've laid out. And I'm not kidding when I say I looked like I was pregnant. It probably took like a five solid days for me basically to "flush" everything out. Just be patient, it will pass. 

 

Also on the same page with the nuts. I've been kind of bad about snacking on my tired days and my go-to is cashews (I love them). But I decided that after yesterday I'm going to be way stricter for the rest of my Whole30. It's not that I'm hungry when I'm snacking, it's that I'm tired and looking for "comfort food." This whole thing is really eye-opening in terms of my relationship with food and emotions. 

[HolisticSteph]

ALSO - I forgot to share the most amazing salad I had yesterday. I went out to lunch with my boyfriend (who's also doing Whole30) and we ordered a winter harvest salad that was so amazing. Definitely re-creating:

 

- mixed greens: arugula, spinach, kale, etc.

- roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets

- sunflower seeds

- sprouts

- shaved granny apples

- shrimp

- then added oil and vinegar, but I bet a homemade herb vinaigrette would be to die for

[HolisticSteph]

Tonight for dinner: cornish hens in the croc pot! Will be making a rub of garlic powder, salt, onion powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, black pepper (and perhaps a splash of sage) Sides will include roasted cauliflower and garlicky mashed turnips with bacon crumbles. 

[HolisticSteph]

Question to all - I've noticed my grocery bill has increased by about $30-40 every week. Granted, I'm sure it's because I'm consuming veggies/meats and other goodness much more than before, instead of pre-packaged bulk, processed foods. Does anyone have any grocery shopping tips? I always try to buy items on that are on the "healthy savings" sale. I'm just a cheap-o and any advice would be appreciated!

[J9er]

Question to all - I've noticed my grocery bill has increased by about $30-40 every week. Granted, I'm sure it's because I'm consuming veggies/meats and other goodness much more than before, instead of pre-packaged bulk, processed foods. Does anyone have any grocery shopping tips? I always try to buy items on that are on the "healthy savings" sale. I'm just a cheap-o and any advice would be appreciated!

I found my grocery bill initially increased because of replacing a few staples that weren't compliant. But now I literally only buy, meat, veggies, and oils. I buy very little fruit because I do not miss it at all, but my husband still likes it occasionally -- but this saves money. I don't make a lot of fancy recipes with fancy ingredients I would have to go to the store specifically to buy. I literally eat protein, sautéed veggies, and fat at most every meal. I can get grass fed ground beef for 5.50 lb at my grocery store, so I eat a lot of hamburger patties and taco meat. If I buy compliant sausage and bacon I do notice my bill goes up so I don't bother unless it's for a rare treat.

One can of salmon can feed my husband and I for a meal so while it may seem expensive,@ 3.99 a can mix it with a couple eggs, some coconut flour, spices, and salt, that's a pretty cheap protein for 2 meals (we eat a lot, so others may even have left over)

Again, at my grocery store the organic meat is reasonably priced so I also buy a lot of bone in chicken, breasts, thighs and drum sticks -- whole chickens too. I save all the bones and make bone broth, so I'm not paying for stock either, and if I don't have chicken stock, I just use water...and you don't HAVE to buy organic meat so that can save money. I choose organic meat and regular produce personally. Or you could mix it up and buy a bit of both.

For me, I recognize that I am eating to fuel and have gotten past food boredom so I find my bill is the same as before because I'm not buying a ton of other crap either. I usually have a petty good stock of meat in the freezer (buy a few extra things each time I shop and eventually built up a stash), so I only go to the store when out of produce. I made a deal with myself that I will use up all produce (except onions and carrots I buy in bulk)before going grocery shopping. So I have literally NO food waste. Keeping a head of cabbage is helpful for a cheap filling veggie when you have nothing left in the fridge (sauté with onion garlic and a carrot with some coconut oil and chili flakes...)sorry this ended up so long!! There are also lots of people who have done whole30 on a budget -- if you google "whole30 + on a budget" you should find kirkors thread and a few others that have kept track of every penny they spend -- it's impressive.