michelleinmn Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Hi All, Today marks my first official day of my first Whole30 challenge. I've migrated over to a paleo style of eating as I got closer and closer to my ultimate weight goal. I started at 270 pounds in April of 2009, and through logging my food and exercise I got down to 148 or so. In order to get those last few pounds off, I restricted my carbs to under 100g and protein to over 100g and still had an emphasis on low-fat and reached an all-time low of 132 in November 2011. I enjoy training to run half-marathons, and last year stepped up to the whole enchilada in June 2012 which really wreaked havoc on my hormones. I was in a viscious cycle of restrictive eating to keep my weight down for about 3 days, and then I couldn't take it anymore, and I'd go on carb-binge type episodes. Ever since my last half marathon of this year on 12/2, I've been migrating to the Whole30 way of eating, but up until 12/27, I still had protein shakes and bars in my diet, as well as the occasional grain. Feeling strong and can really see the benefit of this program to slay the sugar demon and the cravings at night, which I never had during the entire time I was losing all the weight. I have been holding onto about 8-10 pounds of weight since the marathon and I'm really looking forward to losing the systemic inflammation I know I'm susceptible to and getting back into my sweet spot of 138-143. I also want to be able to just eat healthy food and not have to record every detail of my life. It was helpful to get me to where I am now, but I need to take the training wheels off and eat for fuel and health, not entertainment. Logging my food created a situation of having a few calories left over and deciding I needed to treat myself, rather than assessing whether I'm full or not. I'm also really looking forward to breaking my scale addiction and welcome the no cheat, no slip, no excuses aspect to this program. It takes the guesswork out of it and removes the temptation all together. Looking forward to this journey together! Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0426 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Oh how I know that vicious calorie counting cycle too well. The whole30 freed me of those struggles and allowed me to learn to listen to my body for signals. You are going to thrive here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karin Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Good job Michelleinmn! Running is awesome and not counting calories is even better! I am starting a W100 today. (I grew up in Thief River Falls! Where in MN do you live?) Happy New Year, Karin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ10 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Congratulations Michelle! Great intro! I officially start today but technically I started on the 28:) I love to run but have found myself not in charge and with no motivation the last 6 months. Eating good foods has such a major role in the rest of your life and I am so ready to make even more positive changes....this time for good! I am registered for a 1/2 in April, have a big bday in march and just really want this to be my year for overall health and fitness! So excited to have this forum and the wealth of knowledge is immeasurable. Good luck to you ! AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_wendy_house Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Wow, what an awesome achievement you have made already! I'm sure this W30 will be a cake walk (ha ha) and you will ace it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyR Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Hi, Michelle. It was great to read your post. I started the W30 on the 29th to get a litlte head start. It was also great to hear from another runner. I ran my second half-marathon in November (2:17) and I really want to get faster. To do that I need to get stronger and lose weight so I've been eating Paleo off and on. It is hard for me to battle food cravings and I feel like I don't make a lot of progress towards my running goals if I'm always eating wrong. I feel good when I do eat right so I'm excited about the Whole 30. It will be fun to keep up with your progress, and to hear how your running may change, so please keep posting. Best of luck, Amy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Thanks everyone! I'm on official day 8 - but unofficial day 13. I think yesterday was the first time I could feel the difference in energy while working out. I was tired and sweaty and it was an intense 60 minutes, but I never had that "out of gas" feeling, and I had 1/2 banana and a handful of almonds out the door on my way to the Y, so feeling pretty strong about the challenge so far. I have been trying to stay on the low end of healthy fats, but as I learn through experience on what fuels me the best, I seem to be titrating up slowly, and I think by the end of the 30 days, I'll have a great idea of what it takes me to be satiated at the moment I finish eating and not looking for a snack after 3-4 hours. As for the running comments: @AmyR - I ran my first half marathon in June 2011 in 2:16 - the second in October of that same year at 2:02 and the last one of the year in Vegas in December 2011 and got EVER so close to breaking the 2 hour mark at 2:00:56!! This past 2012 was hopefully going to be the year I broke 2 hours, but that darned full marathon I did in June 2012 killed my speediness and increased my weight. I flirted with 2 hours all year 4/2012: 2:07; 9/2012: 2:10; and 12/2012: 2:15. I am taking January through March to get leaner and stronger, and then hit it hard come March to really make a push to break 2 hours in my hometown half marathon (Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon). I haven't had many cravings past day 1-3, though if I haven't had perfectly timed meals due to my schedule of running around, I'll have a snack in the evening, all Whole30 approved, and I'm happy to report I don't get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and be so ravenous, I'm pantry-surfing. If that is all this Whole30 "cures", I'm fine with that. I finally feel like I have control over me, not my appetitie, which never really was a problem before the marathon training. I'm excited to see how you do as well! @Karin: I'm in Duluth, though I grew up in Bloomington. We left the state for about nine years due to schooling and jobs, but apparently couldn't stay away. Though, I could stand someplace with a little less harsh winters! @AJ10: I hope you're having a good challenge so far - I am doing the bare minimum amount of running to keep a solid base, and enjoying more cross-training. This has helped me to stay fresh and excited about ramping up my running, but not go completely cold-turkey. Good luck to you! I'm also happy to report, I haven't stepped on the scale since 1/1. I'm wondering about where I am calorie-wise, but really, it isn't that concerning to me as I thought it would be, now that I am starting to sense what real hunger feels like and the "food without brakes" is out of my system. I think that has been the biggest revelation of this whole thing so far - it wasn't a problem with me, those brakeless foods were tricking me into thinking I needed more, when clearly, I didn't. I'm excited to see how this journey ends. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Here it is official day 10 and unofficial day 15. Still feeling strong - and had a bit of an epiphany yesterday. I was late in getting Meal 1 eaten (about 10:30am) due to taking kids to school, one of them late due to complications of mono (yuck) and then ran a couple of errands, so I was a bit off on my times all day, but that's real life, at least for me. Was going to leave to pick up the kids later about 1:45 and decided to have an apple and some cashew butter because I knew I was going to be on the run with minimal breaks until 6:30, and I was starting to get hungry. I finished the apple and cashew butter and all of a sudden thought, if I'm hungry now, even though it's only 3 hours after my first meal, why am I just having a snack - add some more protein and veggies and make it Meal 2. And so I did - ended up having an hour break between picking up the kids and a musical lesson where we went to a local grocery store that has a great deli and Caribou Coffee (for any fellow Minnesotans out there). I was full from Meal 2, so the kids had their snack, and I had Rooibos tea, and ended up getting home about 6:45 where I made one of the ground meat skillets into the mexican mix and had a taco salad. I went from 1:45 until basically 7:15, and had even energy and never that low crash where I was so ravenous I had to EAT something now. It feels so good and refreshing to feel like myself again - we've eaten out, I've made cookies for the family, my husband has brought home donuts, we went to a bagel place over the weekend while attending a swim meet - all handled perfectly, no cravings, no feelings of deprivation, I am just so impressed with this process and feeling really good! Oh, and finally sleeping!! Yay! Need to get in some "hubby" time though before I pass out in the evening - next thing to work on! Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Another day in the bank. I had a pretty hard weight lifting/running day yesterday and thought I ate enough to compensate for it, but this morning, whoa - I was hungry! I had to have a couple of handfuls of almonds right off the bat just to take the time to sautee my veggies and make my eggs. We have an unexpected day off from school today due to an ice storm, so I'm going to get going and get some stuff done, but also take a few hours to cook some things in advance as we have another swim meet this weekend, and the salmon patties worked so well in a pinch. I couldn't find canned sweet potatoes that were just the potato, so I ended up using canned squash and they came out great. I was down in Minneapolis last weekend, and was able to stop by the Whole Foods down there and pick up some canned sweet potato, so I'm excited to see if I can tell the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 So, here it is the 15th and I too am on somewhat of a roller-coaster with energy and tiredness and ability to sleep and appetite. I think though, after a day of too many almonds (my holy heck, I'm hungry, i just walked in the door - I need something NOW) I realize that they bloat me just as much as refined carbs and excessive sodium. I've scaled back the nuts and nut butters, and in turn am having an extra serving or 2 of fruit, which I know isn't ideal, but it tends to work better for me than the nuts, and I'm doing my best to have the fruit in conjuntion with protein and fat or one or the other to make sure I'm not just pounding fruit. I wouldn't say it is taking the place of vegetables, more of a supporting role to the protein. I think the difference this past week has been a hectic schedule and off-timed meals, so that I'm not necessarily getting 3 meals in with no snacks, it's probably been 2 meals and a mini-meal snack somewhere in there, and then of course by the evening, I'm hungry and looking for something. I've stayed completely Whole30 compliant on food choices, no cheats, no slips, no excuses -- but I am really trying to embody the spirit of the challenge and eliminate the grazing, especially at night, which is really what drove me to find Whole30 after the viscious cycle I found myself in while marathon training. Feeling good and strong, and really no cravings - so happy about that! My jeans are now more comfortable, but I'd really like them to be comfortably loose by the end of the challenge, and I think another 2 weeks of this should put me there. I really am interested to see what the scale says, but more importantly, what my measurements are - that is really the important outcome for me. Onward we go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Yesterday turned out to be probably one of the best days as far as eating just meals and not grazing snacking, and I really think it is because when I ate, I made the time for a real meal. I had a veggie omelet for breakfast around 9:30 with 1/2 banana and 1/4 apple and a hash of beets, carrots, green pepper, onion, etc. We have an awesome place up here called the Duluth Grill - was actually on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives a few years ago, but they have such a wide variety on their menu - gluten-free, organic, sustainable, local produce and pastured meats and eggs, you can alter whatever any way and they are happy to make the change. So, before my errand-running yesterday, I had breakfast there. Lunch didn't end up happening until 4pm, because I had an hour long TRX/Kettlebell Circuit class and then had to immediately go get my children at their various schools. Since I ate lunch or "Meal 2" so late, I ended up making homemade chicken noodle soup (thank you bone broth I made over the weekend in the crockpot) and grilled cheese sandwiches for the family and cleaned up while they ate, got people in the shower, did a load of laundry, was as productive as possible, until I started to get hungry which was about 7pm - precisely at about the time that Tom Denham noted that he has dinner in Melelina's post. I think the key for me is to make sure I have a meal at 7, whether it be a mini-meal because my schedule has allowed for earlier timed meals (today in fact, I had breakfast about 8:30am), or a regular meal. That way, when I go to bed at no earlier than 9pm, usually it's more like 10:30-11pm, I'm not on the prowl through the pantry! What a learning experience this is - just when you think you've got it all down pat, you learn something new. I think that is the beauty of this program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Still doing well - though the almonds and raisins were a problem yesterday. I need to realize that when I start to reach for these things, I'm hungry, I need something substantial - have it, and quit grazing trying to see if just a little will get me to where I need to be. I also had a pretty intense day yesterday exercise-wise. Started out with a mile run on the treadmill to warm-up, then 60 minutes with my personal trainer doing weights. We always do 3-4 rounds of supersets using a few muscle groups, then move on to the next group, and superset those for 3-4 rounds. She's a big proponent of combination moves and little tweaks to make a normal pushup that much more core-centric by lifting a leg when returning back to the plank position, etc. Walking lunges while holding a 25 lb plate above my head - that kind of thing. Then did 2.5 miles after lifting. I did have a great dinner last night late, so I wanted to go somewhat light. I had just a little bit of leftover chicken from the bone broth I made on Sunday, and the kids had some steamed carrot/cauliflower/broccoli that they had left over from their dinner. I put all of it in a pan to warm when I realized I could take the broth I had frozen, defrost it a bit in the microwave and add it to the skillet for chicken and vegetable soup. It was awesome, especially on a frigid night like we had last night in Minnesota. I have lost count on which "day" I'm on, which I guess is a good sign that I'm just following the path and not getting obsessed with the details. Hope everyone else is doing well! I looked at the calendar though yesterday, and realized that if I'm going to start my half-marathon training using an 18 week program, that's only 5 weeks away...that was an eye-opener! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 One more quick post for today - I decided to log my food today, just to see how the distribution falls out on calories eating at various times during the day. I didn't want to keep track of any of this early on because I wanted to tune into my body's cues for hunger. I was a little surprised, but not so much, that my calorie count was over 800 cals for breakfast. I had a diced organic sweet potato, 1/2 diced green pepper, small red onion sauteed in coconut oil and topped with 1/2 avocado and three organic eggs. I was pretty hungry this morning, so I also had one clementine, a cup of blueberries and 6 strawberries (something I normally don't do, but I did this morning) with my coffee. In the end, I probably should have added one more egg and reduced the amount of fruit, but it is what it is. I am either doing an hour long cardio class, or running on the treadmill at noon, so at least I won't be behind for the day after that. I've always wanted to adapt the eat a bigger breakfast lifestyle, but I could never get beyond numbers and I'd be afraid that I'd have nothing left to eat in the evening if I had too big a breakfast. I've found that if I start out with the tank full, it's so much easier to top it off during the day, than to start empty and constantly try to make up for it, only to eat a huge meal in the evening and then it just sits there. I'm wondering though, if I continue to log my food for today only, just as a point of reference, if it will subconsciously make me turn to less calorie-dense items. I guess, if that happens in the evening, that's ok, but I don't want to mess with a good thing. Interesting stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted January 19, 2013 Author Share Posted January 19, 2013 So, my day of logging yesterday netted me interesting results. Given the big number at breakfast, I was kind of freaked out that I was going to be way over in what I feel is an acceptable calorie range for me, given my history. In the end, the day was pretty much like a normal weight loss day for me, around 1500 calories, about 175g carbs and about 80g protein. I ran a fartlek program on the treadmill that was 40 minutes in length and then did some stretching, so in the end, I might have been a little under, which would explain waking up at 1:30am to go to the bathroom and grabbing some cashews! I don't feel the need to log again today, and I don't feel the need to log in the near future. It was kind of nice just to check in with myself to confirm that my body's cues are right on, and I am learning to know the difference between urges and real hunger. I think that has probably been the best part of the challenge for me. I still struggle with sleep - and if I have gone too long without a meal (like over 5 hours) and have done that consecutively, it sets me up to not sleep well because I wake up and I'm hungry. I am having more dreams though about accidentally eating something off-plan which is hilarious, because in the waking hours of the day, I have no thoughts about that at all. We were at a UMD women's basketball game last night where my youngest daughter was "bulldog for a day" so she gets to go to the locker room with the ladies, sit on the bench, bring the ball out to the refs at the beginning of the game, etc. I actually had peanut m&ms in my hand that I was handing to her a few times because we didn't plan well and eat beforehand, and I had no emotional attachment to them, I had no urges, they were just in my hand. HUGE step in breaking the emotional tie to unhealthy food. Not only that, but the place the family chose for dinner, was probably the only place in town I couldn't eat anything, so I had some water, tried to engage in as much conversation as I could and threw something together for myself when I got home. The whole drive home, I was racking my brain as to what I was going to make. I ended up throwing a bag of frozen broccoli/cauliflower in a skillet, sauteeing with no fat, added some italian seasoning while some chicken tenderloins were thawing in the microwave. Browned the chicken in coconut oil, added a can of petite diced tomatoes, added back in the veggies and reseasoned. Voila - dinner in 15 minutes and while not gourmet, very tasty and fast! I actually had the 2nd half of it this morning for meal 1 because I was running errands and shoveling snow and time got away from me. I still wonder what the scale says though. In order to run my sub-2 half this spring/summer, I really need to be under 140, or if I'm not, my body fat needs to be in the 16-17% range. I've only titrated about a percentage point up when I gained the marathon training weight, but I know in order to reach my athletic goal, I need to be a lean machine. Feel free to comment if anything in my posts resonates with you, or you've experienced the same thing or have some constructive criticism. I'd love to hear how others are doing as well..off to read some more of the forum before getting things done on this very cold and windy Saturday in the tundra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Haven't posted an update at all - so here it is. I am still going strong. The only thing I've reintroduced are Quest protein bars as an emergency as I'm out and about - otherwise I'm still toeing the Whole30 line. I weighed myself on day 31, and was slightly upset that I was only down about a pound and a half, but my measurements showed some improvement. However, yesterday is my normal weekly weigh day, and I had dropped another couple of pounds, and my measurements were lower even than previous to the weekend, so my body continues to adapt and change for the positive. Benefits from this Whole30 include: no more sugar cravings! Yay!; normal appetite; better skin and softer, shiny hair; 2 inches off my waist and between an inch and a 1/2 inch everywhere else, except my bicep where I gained a 1/2 inch - due to my increased amount of strength training while ramping up for my half-marathon training program; sustained energy throughout the day, especially on my runs and strength training workouts. I have reduced the amount of starchy vegetables I am eating, and reduced the fat to the low-end minimum that is Whole30 recommended, and my body seems to be shaking out. It also helps that I no longer keep a stash of nuts in the house as they are my go-to grab and go snack - of which I was going to much too often. I'm currently at 144, and my sweet spot for running is 138-142, so with the ramp up of running and a keener eye on nutrition now that the sugar dragon is dead, I'm confident I'll get to where I need to be. I knew in the back of my mind that my weight loss on this 30 day challenge would be minimal since I'm so very close to my goal weight, but part of the dreamer in me wanted to magically be at my goal weight after 30 days! Instead, I'm armed with the knowledge to better fuel my body for whatever I ask it to do, and am positively motivating my friends and family to migrate to a place of eating for health instead of eating for entertainment. All-in-all, this was a fantastic experience, and one I'm going to continue to go on for at least a week or so when I'm on the road with my girls for a quick trip to New Mexico, then friends flying in for the Dropkicks concert on 2/23, where alcohol will be consumed! However, I am confident that I am well on my way to reaching my short and long term goals this year and am very grateful to Dallas and Melissa for providing the nutritional knowledge to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Had a bit of a bump in the road the past few days. We are dealing with some health issues with our oldest daughter and my weekend was full of unrelated responsibilities. I was doing so well nurturing myself, continuing my running ramp-up, eating compliant foods, and last night for whatever reason, I succumbed to crap. I bought some donut holes for my girls because they are built-in portion control, but I decided to finish one from my youngest daughter because I hadn't tasted these particular ones before - red velvet. It was good, but that was it. Well, last night I ended up popping 3 into my mouth before I even know what happened, in addition to some small baggie of M&M's that someone decided to save. There are just certain foods that I cannot tolerate, in any amount, and the concentrated sugar and processed grains in a donut hole are at the top of the list. On a positive note, I went back and figured that I had gone 45 days without a slip, and that is a fantastic achievement for me. Once up this morning, I popped a few handfuls of peanuts (I know, non Whole30 complient) into my mouth before I headed outside to shovel/snowblow, and came back in and thought, well, I blew it again today, but regrouped, made myself a proper Whole30 breakfast of 1 egg/2 egg white omelet with sauteed mushrooms and wilted spinach and some tea followed by some coffee, and drew the line in the sand right there. I have a 5 mile run staring me in the face today (that I didn't get done yesterday) so I will burn off some of those unwanted calories, however, I know I'll be dealing with the after-effects for a few days. Oh, and one other thing, I had a copious amount of brussels sprouts yesterday sauteed with a sweet potato and red onion, over some spring mix and a boiled egg + boiled egg whites for breakfast. As much as I love those sprouts, the gastic distress caused by them (and it might just be the amount of them I had yesterday) and the distended belly due to gas has made me rethink including them in my diet. That's this week - I may just make tomorrow a new day 1 and see how it goes from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleinmn Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Here's a current update. I continued to be mostly Whole30 compliant except for the use of Quest protein bars in an emergency, and had my above-mentioned detour with the donut holes and M&Ms at bay. We had a busy week last week of traveling to New Mexico with my girls to a resort and visting family, then returning for a day and then we had our own houseguests show up for the tail end of the week. The wheels really came off the bus as soon as we got to the resort last Saturday as I hadn't had enough to eat earlier in the day, and I believe I started the day with a scone from Starbucks. Basically the entire time at the resort was eating everything I couldn't eat during the Whole30. That coupled with the altitude and travel, and I was bloated up like a balloon. Once our friends came to town, we did a lot of eating out, and since the beginning of the week started out so poorly, I just threw in the towel and ate what I wanted. I am not stepping on the scale to know I did a huge amount of damage. Restarted a Whole30 yesterday and did well, even though I hadn't planned meals. I'm in for another Whole30, and then I think I'm going to reintroduce foods, instead of try to extend a Whole30. Since reaching my weight loss goal, I can really get into a pattern of restrictive eating and then wheels-off-the-bus eating, and that was the point of doing my first Whole30 - to change that behavior. Hopefully it sticks this time, and I'm trying not to beat myself up about it as it is all a learning process and eventually, I'll land on a comfortable way of eating for me that is manageable for the long haul, but still keeps all the health benefits that I want to maintain forever. What is interesting though, is that I never really had any problems with night time eating, restrictive eating, then binge-type episodes while I was losing the weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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