Here we go again!!!

I miss this chick...

 I have felt like COMPLETE crap since my Whole30 ended. I've posted a few times, I've wallowed a lot more than that. I feel like I have no willpower now.  I don't even track my food obsessively in MFP anymore - because Whole30 was SO freeing about not doing it.  But when you're eating cheese and crackers, pasta and drinking half and half - and let's not get started about the amount of alcohol I've been drinking - tracking becomes MUCH more important.

I miss the clear headedness. I miss waking up refreshed. I miss not having any sore joints. I FELT stronger. I FELT thinner/less bloated and my head felt clearer.

Almost everyday I wake up and think "I'm going to eat Whole30-like today" and I immediately break it when I pour half and half into my coffee. Or when I lick the knife I just used to make my daughter's peanut butter sandwich.  Then I figure, "I slashed one tire, let's take care of the other three!"

So instead of beating myself up, mentally then at the gym, physically. . . instead of feeling guilt and denial that my eating DOES affect my life -- I'm going to DO something about it. I'm learning the truth - you really CAN'T outrun a bad diet!!  I can burn 500 calories or more a day in a workout, but if I come home and drink beer, eat chips and gorge on pasta - I might as well have stayed home.

Tomorrow I will start a Whole14. Just two weeks, 14 days, of "Whole30" eating.  I will go back to the basics of it.  Then, maybe on the flip side when I remember how GOOD it feels and how I DO have the willpower -- maybe then I can stick with something MODERATE.

I have 10 workouts left in the Jamie Eason training.  I apparently don't know how to deadlift because I hurt my neck on Tuesday doing them. I was out of commission yesterday. I PROBABLY could have gone back today but we had other things for school to get done. Tomorrow, I will head back.  Once I'm done with this training I am so excited to start running again. Maybe I'll start using all of those interval running workouts I have pinned on Pinterest! And of course, after a 12 week lifting program, I will be continuing with my training.

But for tonight, I drink up. 

Final Stats from Whole30

I learned today that PEAS aren't allowed on Whole30. I truly had NO idea. So if you're looking to do one, don't eat peas!  

Aside from the whole "no peas" thing,  we finished a successful (as far as we knew) Whole30! 

Here are my stats ! 

 I've had more energy, I have successfully weaned myself from an antidepressant and I feel stronger. I didn't have the amazing results I've seen around the forums and Whole30 sites, but to be honest, I didn't have a ton of weight to lose to get to goal. I hoped to get closer to my goal weight, but I can't turn my nose up at a 6.5 lb loss in a month. 

I think I've said it here before, we won't be paleo after this - it's just not sustainable to us. Unless we find that someone in our family reacts poorly to something during reintroduction, we will return to "clean eating." My husband and I agree that this is an excellent "reboot" and we will try to complete 2 Whole30's per year. 

I won't even go so far as to say everyone should do this. It's NOT for everyone. But if you feel that you need a good body reset, if you feel like you have inflammation or AI issues, if you feel like you need CONTROL of it for awhile - this is for you.  I didn't hit my goal weight. I didn't even lose as much as I hoped, but I also am a lot closer to my goal than someone coming from a SAD (standard American diet) because of the small changes we've gradually made over the years. It's been hard for me not to compare my results to ALL THE OTHER people who have completed a Whole30. "Why didn't I lose that much?" "Why didn't I get the tiger blood feeling?"  But I can't do that. I am not them. They are not ME! 

I can only go so far as to be proud of my 6.5 lbs, my 1.1% body fat loss, the teeeensy tiny abs I see in my "after" pictures. The fact that I am off an antidepressant I've been on for as long as I can remember. That I don't NEEEEEEED coffee to get me moving in the morning (in fact, most mornings lately, I FORGET to make a cup until around 10am!) 

It's completely embarrassing to put these pictures out publicly, but I am proud of where I am now. I admit, the fact that there are baby abs pushing through in the bottom left picture is a little addicting and I want to keep moving in that direction.  We are a few days out now and I've been adding in "prohibited" foods - I feel them. I have been more bloated-feeling and I miss the feeling of thinning out. I am going to try to start making a conscious effort to get back to tracking macros (without such a RIDICULOUS number for my protein!) and go back to a "clean" approach - with whole grains and lots of starchy carbs instead of processed stuff. 

I've missed a few days of the Jamie Eason plan - and I'm ok with it. It was getting to be a LOT of time spent at the gym, when I really needed to be spending more with my kiddos (you know, the reason I left my job?).  So I'm spacing out the workouts a little more. I am going to complete day 61 tomorrow, which is the 5th day of week 9. Today is technically the 2nd day of week 10, so I am only 4 days behind. 

I am going to start adding some running into the mix too. I registered for the Halloween 10K (fourth year in a row!) and the Mo' Cowbell Half again for this fall, so I need to get my butt in gear! I registered my expected finish time for the half to be 2:15!! 6 min shorter than my last! So I have a lot to prove - if only to myself. 

So as always, I finished up one thing and I'm on to the next. We will revisit the Whole30 concept again, hopefully a few times a year. If NOTHING else, it's a good reminder that I DO possess will power. I CAN control my eating, I can accomplish what I set out to do. 

Whole30 Days 1-3 Review

Sunday afternoon I began the daunting task of getting rid of all non-compliant food from our pantry.  The picture on the left is what's left. The picture on the right is all the food that I have boxed up and hidden away.  I only threw out things that were terrible and we didn't eat anyhow - and I gave away anything that would go bad before our 30 days is over. I don't know where we will be after this - and I'm sure we won't be eating lots of it - but there was no reason to throw it away at this point. 

Day 1 is under my belt and I'm ready for to post for accountability! 

Breakfast: hot tea, eggs, super green mix (kale, chard and spinach) and 2 homemade breakfast sausages. 

Lunch: Leftover chicken breast, more super green mix, 1/4 avocado and half a tomato

Dinner: Pork tenderloin rubbed with the BBQ spice mix from Well Fed, roasted purple cabbage with ghee, asparagus wrapped in Whole30 approved bacon (yay!) and grilled pineapple. 

Late night: Hot tea. 

Workout: Rest day 

Total Time: n/a

Total Calories Burned: n/a

Day 2.

I'm going through this food detox and also detox from a medication. I've been super light headed today. I also found out some pretty devastating news about our puppy, so there's that too... 

I count it as a win that I didn't drown myself in chocolate, pasta or wine today.   Me: 1, Stress: 0

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins (bacon, tomato, spinach), 1/4 an avocado, cup of super green mix

Lunch: small chicken breast, 3 cups super green mix, 1/2 hard boiled egg, 1/2 tomato. Tessamae's balsamic dressing. Leftover roasted cabbage. 

Mid-afternoon: cup of coffee with full fat canned coconut milk

Dinner: Sunshine spiced pork tenderloin, sweet potato with ghee and cinnamon, a few cups of green beans, 2 strawberries

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 36: Shoulder/Cardio. 

Total Time: 52 Min

Total Calories Burned: 352

My workout today was 5 min warmup run, lifting routine, and it was supposed to be a 30 minute run. But I was feeling so lightheaded and weak that I only made it 14 minutes. REALLY disheartening for me not to be able to complete a simple 30 minute run.  

Please tell me this will get better!!

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins, 1/2 avocado, coffee with full fat coconut milk from a can. 

PWO Snack: very underripe banana  (I know this isn't the best choice - but we ran to the store after the gym and this was the least of all evils I could grab and eat fast!!) 

Lunch: Chicken breast, super greens (probably 2 cups), Tessamae's zesty ranch and probably 1.5 cups of broccoli. 

Dinner: Salmon recipe from Well Fed (it was delish!), Nom Nom Paleo's roasted butternut squash, cucumber salad (evoo and acv) 

I had one pecan earlier (before dinner) and another cup of coffee/coconut milk this afternoon. 

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 37: Chest/Abs/Cardio

Total Time: 78 min

Total Calories Burned: 482 cals

Today's workout included a 5 min sprint as a warmup, lifting (chest/abs) and a 30 min run on the treadmill. Again felt lightheaded and had to stop a few times.  Hoping my energy returns soon!! 

Feeling great otherwise. Trying to remember to drink more water is hard for me but I am getting there! 

So - 1/10th of the way in and so far, I feel alarmingly well. Although according to this timeline, the worst is coming! I'm bracing myself but I'm cautiously optimistic that it won't get too bad.

Refocused.

My friends, I have been MIA for awhile. I apologize for that. I seem to have extremely "on" weeks followed by extremely "off" weeks. I have not only fallen off the wagon but I've rolled down the cliff too.

I quit quitting sugar but I know I need to get back there. I just FEEL icky! My stomach is squishy, my joints hurt, my tummy is icky.

I have a new focus, though. A few weeks ago, I had my body fat percentage "read" (assessed?) It turned out to be higher than I'd hoped, but less than I expected. I am pleased that my body fat reading was 26.4%. I think I would be far more satisfied with that number if I'd had this done a year & a half ago when I got serious about losing weight. However, I will definitely take this number happily.

My next fitness goal is to drop my body fat percentage. I have been formulating some weight routines so that I can add to my workouts. I do minimal weight training in my circuit class but I know that's not enough.

My plan looks like this as of today (but if you've been around awhile you know those can change ;))

MONDAY: Cardio plus class + circuit class + upper body lifting plan
TUESDAY: Yoga + ab routine
WEDNESDAY: Cardio plus class + circuit class + lower body lifting plan
THURSDAY: Pilates + running (hopefully 2-5 miles)
SATURDAY or SUNDAY: run/spin (some cardio)

I plan to have my body fat levels reassessed every 4-6 weeks. My first goal will be just before Christmas - I would like to see a 2% reduction.

Monday will start another detox attempt. I am also moving towards a more "clean" lifestyle although I won't force it on my family. Of course their eating habits will change a bit based on how I am cooking but I won't restrict them in any way. I would love to get to a place where we are eating mostly protein/plants but we shall see. Any advice on how to get there? Any great tips for cutting the processed foods from our life?