Whole 30 #2 - est. Oct. 1

[Kat B.]

Today I'm starting my second W30. I finished my first last week Tuesday and after a few glorious days off (paleo brownies, anyone?) I am ready for another round.

The primary reason for starting today specifically is because my gym is doing an October W30 challenge, so I thought I'd join in. I'm not "competing" because, aside from the fact that I have no idea how one would quantify W30 success, I think that defeats the purpose of W30 - it's supposed to be about your own personal health journey. That said, I do think collective participation is a great motivator and keeps you honest, so I'm okay with it from that standpoint.

I also wanted to do a little fine tuning. For my first W30, I went in without any expectations and my goal was just to get through each day. Most of the changes were an easy transition - I don't miss you, grains. However, I know that I relied a bit too much on fruit to fill the sugar void and I discovered that my "sugar dragon" is more like a godzilla-sized chocolate easter bunny. Oh, and nuts. Glorious, delicious nuts. Over-did it a little bit on the nuts and nut butters last time. So basically I just want to do a little more fine-tuning with more emphasis on new veggies and veggie recipes, experimenting with different protein sources (chicken, beef, and bison can get a little old), and seeing what another 30 days will do to curb my chocoholism.

Excited to see what happens!

[LJG]

Good luck Kat! I am on day 22 and realized over the weekend that my multivitamin and some of my rx have Soy in them. I may go another round after trying to find replacement meds without SOY. I am trying to rid myself of joint pain in my hips and haven't seen it lessen yet. So I am all for another 30 days if it helps ease the pain.

[Kat B.]

Thanks LJG! I don't have much to offer in the way of eliminating soy from prescription meds other than to ask your doc if it also comes in liquid form (I have been surprised to learn that many common prescription meds are available this way) as I believe the soy is used for the capsule and/or gel part of a pill. But I'm no doc. I was at my local Walgreen's last week and found a line of inexpensive (read: not Nature Made, which is highway robbery) vitamins and supplements that are soy/gluten/crap-free. Soy is the pits!

Are you taking fish oil? I know people swear by it for arthritis and general joint pain. I take Strong Faster Healthier's Omega3 oil daily to help with muscle soreness. The jury is still out as to whether its benefits are physiological or psychological

[Kat B.]

Good morning day 2!

During my 6 days of downtime since completing my last W30, I did a little off-road experimentation to see how my body would react to different foods. We were out for dinner at a lovely new SLC restaurant that features modern interpretations of spanish tapas. I decided to try a little dairy in the form of ricotta cheese - big mistake! I was so bloated and uncomfortable by the time we got home and was surprised at the severity of my stomach pains the next day. Needless to say, dairy will never be a part of my life again.

This experiment did get me thinking, or better yet reflecting, about the importance of listening to our bodies and how we condition ourselves to ignore the voice inside our head. I have known for a few years that I had a little "dairy problem." I had pretty much stopped eating ice cream all together because of how badly I felt after eating it and decided the consequences outweighed the temporary satisfaction. After doing a little research, I learned that certain dairy products have more lactose than others and figured I could still eat greek yogurt, feta cheese, etc. - things that didn't have such an instantaneous negative effect. I realize now that probably had I taken a more honest assessment of how I was feeling, I probably should have cut out dairy all together instead of trying to justify certain things that I didn't want to eliminate from my diet. I have never liked the taste of milk, even as a child, and I am suspicious as to whether this was in some way related to the fact that I subconsciously knew that it wasn't "good for me."

I think that our bodies are constantly attempting to converse with us but we are often so focused on all of life's external stimuli that we forget how to listen to what's going on at home base. Over the next 29 days, one of my goals is to learn to listen and check in with myself more frequently.

[Kat B.]

Day 5

Sugar/chocolate cravings are weird. Where do they come from? Why are they so powerful? Why is willpower afraid of them? I thought this would be easier the second time! I don't feel crappy like I did the first week of my last W30, but the cravings are still there. (To clarify, this time I'm trying to go very low or no fruit whenever possible, whereas in W30 1.0 I didn't cut back on fruit).

One thing I realized last round was how much my lack of sleep was impacting me on all levels. When you're tired all day, you want a sugar pick-me-up. I'm sleeping much better, usually 7-8 hours a night (which is HUGE for me), but I'm still getting some afternoon/evening lethargy. So what's making me tired? I think it's stress.

Managing stress is difficult because stress presents itself in so many forms. Of course there's the obvious stressors of running late, forgetting where you left your keys, meeting a deadline, etc. But there's also the subconscious stress that comes from doing things that we actually like to do, like exercise. Yesterday I was taking stock of all the things that were giving me some sort of anxiety so that I could deal with each one, one at a time. I realized that my impending workout was stressing me out a little: I didn't sleep well the night before, so I wasn't feeling energetic, I had sore muscles from the previous days' workouts, but I really wanted to perform my best and feel like I did something well when it was over. Geez! With thoughts like that, you would think I was getting ready for a performance or major competition or something, but it was just Thursday.

So this whole train of thought got me thinking: what can I do to change how I approach my workout so that I undo all the positive things I'm trying to do for myself? Some ideas:

1) Let go of expectations: Every day is a little different, and you can only deal with the body you have on that day. You're not getting a gold medal, so just do your best.

2) Positivity: Approach workouts with a "try my best" attitude, not with dread, fear, or anxiousness. Remember, you're choosing to do this so try to have fun.

3) Leave it in the gym: No one cares what you did yesterday or the day before. Go, do it, but don't dwell on it. It's just a damn workout.

4) Listen to your body: If you are sore and exhausted, do something good for you. Stretch. Go to yoga. Get a massage. Pushing it will not make it better.

I'm sure there are more things I could think of, but I'm going to try and implement some of these thoughts in my daily routine and see what happens. I know that like any habit, it will take some time to really change my attitude, but I am hopeful that with practice I can.

[MtnRunner]

Luv it Kat, I am finding those same things and I am on day 5 too. I am also trying to be kinder to myself. Usually if I start anything and stray just a smidge I will just give up, this time I am realizing even though I am not being "perfect" on the W30, part of it being a learning curve about this program, but if I have a tiny piece of chocolate that is a huge improvement over what I used to do when I ate 5. It's all a process and we are only human.

[Kat B.]

That's a good point about moderation, even in doing a W30. I know the point is to be 100% perfect for 30 days, but I don't think anyone can be 100% perfect in life so is it really realistic? I have a friend who recently completed her second W30. After she and her husband finished their first W30, they "celebrated" with wine and whatever item they had been missing for the previous month. That lead to a slide back to their old eating habits and eventually to my friend deciding to go another round. If you look at the W30 like a race (I just have to get through this), then you don't really gain any benefit at all in the long run. There has to be some balance so you can meaningfully transition from "I'm not eating this right now because I'm doing a W30" to "I choose not to eat this because it makes me [fill in the blank]." I'm interested to see how the process goes for you!

[Kat B.]

Day 7

Two musings for this Sunday morning. First, is anyone else totally grossed out by canned coconut milk? I have yet to find a brand that does not contain guar gum (or some other "gum") and I've found that when heated, it likes to separate into an oily layer. No one likes to see oil in their coffee. I haven't had this experience with the brand I've bought in the tetra packs from the asian market (Aroy-D), but I was in a pinch yesterday and just got a full-fat can from the regular grocery store. I see that guar gum isn't off the W30, but like, eew? Did I just get a bad can?

Second, has anyone gotten their pets on a paleo/W30 as a result of their own W30? I'm making and eating all of this yummy protein and I can tell my dogs are just thinking, "where's ours?" I do feed them an all-natural, grain-free diet and whenever I roast a squash, bake sweet potatoes, or steam carrots/veggies, I always set some aside to mix in with their food because they love it. I'm just wondering if anyone feeds their dogs a raw diet or other "paleo" dog food and what benefits they have observed. I have looked into the Primal Pet Food brand, which is available at my local Whole Foods, but I have two Newfoundlands. Read: I have almost 300 pounds of dog to feed everyday and the money tree I planted in my yard this past spring just hasn't blossomed the way I'd hoped. Thoughts?

[1Maryann]

Three golden retrievers here, I feel your pain. Mine are on a high-quality grain-free kibble that I mix with some GF canned and a little water for 'gravy'. I also give them veggies, and they would rather have a baby carrot than a biscuit for a treat. I already asked Santa for a dehydrator, so I can make them jerky and sweet potato chips.

I have not had any trouble with canned coconut milk. I use Goya, which says right on it: no gums, no preservatives, no stabilizers, or similar language. I do have to shake the can vigorously before opening, or better yet, I pour the contents into one of the storage cups for my Magic Bullet, pop on the flat blade, give it a couple of pulses, and then use. It has a nice, frothy consistency that way, but it needs to be redone every time.