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The Second 30. On My Way To 120.


brittanyxo

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It's Day 1 of Round 2 (Day 31).

I did my measurements/weigh-in check-in this morning. I have to admit, I feel extremely hypocritical. I told people that it's not about the numbers, think about how you feel, check-in with your Non-Scale Victories... The scale shouldn't matter. But. I checked. And it kind of did.

Now, it's nothing bad. Yes, I lost weight. And considering before this I was gaining, I'm going in the right direction. But I have done 3 Whole 30's in the past, and this is my worst "result" weight-wise, and I started at my heaviest ever.

Now. I am going to take my own advice, and think about the NSV's, and what has changed for me in 30 days.

1) I sleep awesome - 30 days ago, it took me so long to fall asleep, I tossed and turned, and woke up SOOO tired. Every. Dang. Day. Now? I'm asleep before I realize I'm trying to go to sleep, I sleep peacefully, and wake up to an internal clock, feeling energized.

2) My skin is clearer - Now, I didn't go blemish-free for 30 days, but I didn't have the redness, irritation, and large spots that I previously had. My face also looks fresher, and my skin tone is starting to even out.

3) My clothes fit better - I didn't drop full dress sizes, or dig into my "smaller" clothes. But everything that "almost" fit 30 days ago I can actually wear now, with confidence.

4) My attitude is better - I am more positive about myself, the future, and the people around me. When I was feeling sorry for myself, it was reflected on how I treated/acted around the people around me.

5) Day Time energy - I have a desk job, and 30 days ago, I was exhausted in the morning. I was tired after lunch. And I was counting down the minutes til the end of the day. Now, the day goes faster, my energy is leveled throughout the day, and the end of the day sneaks up on me, versus me chasing it down.

6) I'm receiving compliments - Even if I can't see it myself, or see much of a change, my friends and family are telling me they notice a difference. My face is slimmer, my body less bloated, and my overall demeanor is better.

7) Inches lost - I consider weight lost and inches lost very different. I trained for 5 weeks straight (5 days a week) with a personal trainer when I was 18, I only lost 3 lbs, but I lost 13.5 inches in the same amount of time. This round of Whole 30 I lost 17 inches, 3" from my waist, 2.5" from the bust, 3" around the width of my shoulders/arms. As I start at the gym for my next 30, I can expect even more great results.

Now, my weight loss was only 4.5 lbs. My first Whole 30 ever, I lost 16lbs, one month later I did round 2, lost 13lbs. Even in January, my weak attempt at a Round 3, where I ended 3 days early, I lost 6 lbs. I'm going to attribute the BIGGEST change from those 3 to now? Walking. Simply, walking. I didn't work out any of my Whole 30's. But I had more active, on my feet throughout the day jobs. So I think incorporating the gym 5 days a week for this round will make a huge difference. I am going to follow the Jamie Eason's 30 Day Knockout Total Body workout plan. I have the energy now to do it, and now that I'm really on a roll with food prep and choices, I can focus my new energy on physical activity.

I'll admit, I thought I would at least be under 210lbs by now (started at 219, now at 214), but I have to keep my chin (just one, not two anymore, haha). It's getting into better summer weather, and in no time I will be able to start doing more, without feeling bogged down.

On to the next 30!

Ciao.xo

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Day 32 - -

Let's recap yesterday.

People get tired of hardboiled eggs 3 weeks in... think about 5, 6, 7 weeks in? Gonna need to think of a few ways to mix it up. I chopped up my eggs yesterday and put a little dollop of Dump Ranch on them (1 tbsp-ish), just for flavour. It worked pretty good.

Lunch yesterday was Tuesday night leftovers, chicken, roasted potatoes & green beans.

Last night's dinner was chicken, mashed potatoes & asparagus. There is leftovers for lunch. With Frank's. Yumm.

I brought more eggs this morning with ranch, and raw baby carrots. I think raw carrots for breakfast is weird, but it will okay.

Tonight I'm gonna get my SO to make spaghetti sauce, and have some spaghetti (squash) & meat sauce.

The gym program I selected starts today [Monday - Tuesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday] ... Yes, it's daunting to go from no gym to 5 days a week, but my SO is actually at the gym almost every day, and once I start, it's easier to just keep going than to risk falling off track. Today will be upper body. So I expect jelly arms tomorrow...

Ciao.xo

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~ Day 33 ~

So I went to Day 1 at the gym last night. Upper Body. Not too bad. Decided to just slowly work my way into it, started on lighter weights. Still struggled at the end, but it will be nice to see progress and growth. Tonight's Lower Body. I always had such strong legs, now I can really feel it when I overwork them.

Last night's dinner was yummy. A little too filling... Gotta start watching portion sizes getting too big.

It's leftovers for lunch today. Tonight I'm going to make baked chicken, roasted broccoli and a simple salad.

We are supposed to go out to the lake tomorrow... So I'll need to grocery shop tonight or in the morning for snacks/lunches.

Ciao.xo

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Day 36!

Weekend Recap: Satuday:

So this weekend would be my first real "so this is what Summer's gonna be like" experience. It was 28-32 degrees C (82-90 F for you Americans!), so we packed up and hiked to a river spot nearby our house.

I cut up cold chicken breasts, tons of fruit and take baby carrots with my homemade dump ranch. Then enough ice to keep it all cool. Meanwhile, my SO and the other friends we went with store-bought sandwiches. They ate the fruits/veggies/nuts too, but if I hadn't been on the program, I probably would have been there with them, a sandwich, and probably several bags of chips because it's "lighter to carry" (or so I would have told myself).

Instead, I had light, healthy food, and drank lots of water, while my friend commented on his ice cold beer. *sigh* Then later that evening I went to a girl friend's for girl's night, and her and the other girl there were drinking away as I had ice water in my fancy cup. I was totally okay with it, actually. Especially when they started getting drunk and I thought "oh thank goodness I'm not that ridiculous, oh yeah, and I won't be hungover tomorrow!".

The one pit-fall to my "feeling good about my choices", was that my SO (meaning no harm), suggested I put on a bathing suit to go, in case I wanted to swim. Now, it's May, in British Columbia, so the water is literally ice cold glacier run-off right now, so there's no way I'd swim anyways. But it prompted me to realize that I only had one plain black one piece that kind of fit, and I couldn't even find it. It took me right back to that feeling of nothing fitting, being too big, and feeling self-conscious.

I'm going to try my darndest to just turn those feelings into motivation for sticking to the program, and continuing on at the gym. The only person who can make the changes so I can feel bright and healthy is me.

Sunday:

Sunday my SO had to go in to work, so I had a nice lazy morning. I went out grocery shopping in the afternoon by myself. Holy cow! 5.30 pm and it was still cooking outside! It's still a month til Summer!

Got chicken and lots of different veggies for the week. When I got home I prepped yams and eggs for breakfast, and chicken and roasted veggies for lunch today. There's still lots of chopped fruit in the fridge from Saturday, so my SO will have watermelon coming out the wazoo for the next couple days!!

Monday:

So this morning I have yams and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, chicken & veggies for lunch, and I'll be making chicken and different veggies for dinner. I'm going to be having a lot of chicken for the next little while, as I want to reduce the amount of red meat I've been eating.

Back to the gym tonight, for Upper Body workout. My legs are still sore from Friday night's Lower Body workout. I go to a gym where there's a women's gym connected to the unisex gym. I needed equipment that was only in the unisex section, and when I went out there, I realized it was 95% guys, with two girls who both looked super fit. *Cue anxieties and insecurities*... I just went and found the machines I needed, did my reps quickly, and got out of there. I know I'll get more confidence as time goes on, but right now, just going in there and doing what I needed to do is a huge win. Normally I'd just skip it so I don't have to go in the 'guys' section. 

Anyhoo... Better days to come!

Ciao.xo

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Day 37.

Sooo fail of the day: No gym yesterday. My SO was off work early, and I guess wasn't able to make dinner before I got home, so when I got home, he left for the gym, and I was stuck cooking. I always seem to err on the side of catering to his schedule, and letting myself use it as an excuse to not put myself first. He sometimes talks about going out of town for work, and although I'd miss him like crazy, my first thought is usually "oh my gosh I could just go full on into my program and that's all I'd have to worry about!"...

I realize he's not forcing me to cook dinner instead of going to the gym, but I also know that I've slowly but surely cemented myself into the expectation of doing it. I need to go to the gym this month, so I will have to put my foot down about sharing certain chores so that I'm able to do what I need to do as well.

He's very supportive of my food program, partly because I think he enjoys being so well fed... haha. But we will have to talk about my gym program and how I need his help to make it a priority.

Eggs & carrots for breakfast, lunch is leftovers from dinner: chicken, roasted potatoes and asparagus. Dinner tonight will be the same but a different green veggie.

I've been slacking on my water intake the past couple days. Still drinking it, but not as much as I'd like. Got to bump that up today.

Ciao.xo

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Day 38.

Happy Hump Day!... Bleh... Such a dreary morning today. Summer weather has vanished as quickly as it came.

No eggs for breakfast, totally goofed last night. Fruit, nuts & veggies instead for today.

Lunch is leftovers: chicken, roasted potatoes and crispy broccoli. Yummy.

I've been trying to figure out how I can be slimming down (and probably losing weight), but my rings are getting almost MORE snug. Then I remember that I put Frank's on SOOO much food, super high salt... Which dehydrates you and makes you puffy. So I'm gonna really have to have extra water if I want to keep the hot sauce.

Tonight I had an extra portion from last night's dinner, so I won't have to cook to eat when I get home, which allows me more time to prep/cook my lunch for tomorrow: crispy coconut chicken strips & yam fries. Yay. Always easier to prep food when you're not hungry!!

Ciao.xo

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Day 39...

Well, plans changed a little, as they often do. My SO was out of town for work last night so I visited my cousin/bff and my niece & nephew. We are neighbours, so I just grabbed my leftovers and ate dinner with her. I didn't go home til almost 9pm, so I skipped all food prep. Eek.

Instead, I'll go pick up a salad for lunch. I brought my microwave poacher with me for breakfast and made a couple eggs for breakfast, with raw baby carrots.

Tonight I will get back on track with my dinner/leftovers lunch structure.

I started reading Food Freedom Forever yesterday, and discovered that Melissa actually recommends you only do a Whole 90 at most, before checking your reintroduction, so that you're not avoiding foods that don't do harm to you. I have a strong suspicion that almost every category will do harm to me (except maybe a little peanut butter, or rice).

So my new plan, instead of 120, 10 days reintro, then vacation a couple days later, will be: Whole 90, 10 days reintroduction, another Whole 30, (possibly re-modified if there's something I have NO reaction to), then go on vacation.

My vacation is to a family home in Arizona, so I will still be able to cook fresh chicken, have veggies, fruits, etc. But I won't restrict myself if we go out for dinner, or if I want some drinks by the pool. Overall I can choose where I want to allow myself to indulge, and when it's not worth it. Like for example, we usually buy chips & salsa to have at the pool during the day. I may have some, but it won't be every day, and it won't be a lot. And we would often have wraps for lunch, with chicken and veggies, I can just have the chicken & veggies... I don't need the wrap. Also, subbing fresh juices into my drinks instead of pop might be tastier, and a better choice (not a good choice, but better).

Anyways, that's still a long ways off. My biggest focus right now is getting into the gym program more wholeheartedly. 

My cousin has a lot of gym equipment, and a room downstairs in her house to put it in. I think I will offer my services to help her clean, organize and set it up, and then we can work out together, even on days we can't make it to the gym.

That's all for now. Ciao.xo

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Well, today should have been Day 44, but it's not actually a day...

I made it to Friday, June 2, Day 40. Then Day 41, around 6pm, the wheels fell off. Not in an, Oh-My-God-Give-Me-All-The-Treats binge-fest... but I was sitting in my landlord's backyard, surrounded by people, all enjoying beverages and food, watching them cook fresh ribs on the BBQ, and I realized, I wanted to partake in the food and drinks. So I made the decision to do so. I didn't feel guilty, I didn't over-indulge... But I had fun.

The next day, I slept in quite a bit, from being up late (not from being hungover), and heated up some leftover Whole 30 food. Then later that afternoon, I decided we were going to let ourselves pick up some take-out, and have the rest of the Whole 30 leftovers for lunch on Monday. So yesterday I ate Whole 30 compliant, but had a handful of chips at my friend's house in the evening.

I was very honest with myself about how I have been feeling, and my number one concern was my fatigue! I was pretty good with most things, no stomach pains or headaches, but when I had a sugary snack, I found myself tossing and turning at night, and waking up very tired again. I so enjoyed my peaceful sleeps, and waking up feeling well rested.

I want to be back on Day 1, 2.0, very soon, probably Thursday (June 8) (as soon as I go grocery shopping tomorrow). But I'm starting to come to terms with the time of year I've chosen to go hard with Whole 30. I think maybe doing the program 100% throughout the entire summer was maybe setting myself up for 'failure'. I would rather have Food Freedom for the summer, eat Whole 30 meals throughout the week, but be able to pick and choose which activities I will participate in, rather than feel like I always have to say no, and perhaps miss out. And that doesn't mean eating crap every weekend, but maybe not freaking out if my potatoes have butter on them, with my chicken and salad, if I go out with friends. Or being able to enjoy Canada Day, then a few weeks later, my best friend's birthday. 

I am still reading Food Freedom Forever, and I think that what she says about "This could take years"... it's ringing pretty true. I have to get myself to a point where I'm healthy and active for an extended period of time, so I know what it truly feels like. Yes, I've felt the good feeling of "losing weight"... but I've never actually completely succeeded in becoming the person I want to be. Down to a healthy weight, physically active on a REGULAR basis, and makes healthy choices due to habit, not because I have to... It's going to be a big change, and it's going to take time to get there.

So I think the best choice for me at this point in time is to log off (so as not to confuse anyone with Food Freedom eating), perhaps keep my own personal log, and then come back with a vengeance in the Fall.

Having the 100% strict rules is what has held me accountable for food prepping and not being lazy and resorting to buying prepped food, but I have to make myself accountable and stick to it because I want to, not because I have to. I think that's when I'll start to really feel empowered by my choices, rather than having the excuse of "well I have to because of the program".

Many things I've been making on Whole 30 are variations of foods I normally eat, but the Whole 30 compliant versions are SOOO much tastier! For example, ghee butter for roasting = SO good; chicken bacon = SO good, and no grease; homemade Dump Ranch = so delicious, and easy to make; coconut milk & ghee butter in mashed potatoes = way better than butter and milk. Even my homemade chicken strips, that I now roll in shredded unsweetened coconut, is so much tastier than bread crumbs or any other salty variation of coating.

Anyways, this has been a very long way of saying that I will be signing off, seeing how I do with Food Freedom over the next 3 months, and then probably a Fall Whole 30 with a proper reintroduction, when my calendar is free and I can commit with no excuses to a full 40 day program (Whole 30 + 10 reintro days).

Ciao... for now.xo

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