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| It's been 30 days... and I feel GREAT. |
I assure you. This is not a coincidence. It's just logic.
I finally have gotten a "grown up" job and that entails 40 hour work weeks. Keeping up with new training, long hours, and a Whole30 daily blog was a bit too much. So I took stock and decided to discontinue posting until I was actually done with Whole30. And the majority of my new job's training.
I promise I was going to tell you guys. Really.
Anyways, here's the outline of how my Whole30 went down (and I do mean down):
12 pounds (5.44 kgs)
1 pants size
Stress levels
Cramps
Morning Soreness (joint creaks)
Inflammation in hands
Face bloat
Now here's what's up:
Muscle tone
Energy levels
Overall mood
Ability to taste things (did you know that vegetables are actually sweet...?)
Health of skin and hair
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll leave this confession here as I did on Facebook: I did not work out while I was on Whole30 this month. I really wish that I had. The weight I lost was from dietary adjustments alone. I mentioned that I started a new job, and while I can use the university's gym again as a staff member, I can only use it in the early morning. During the entire month, I managed to get myself up in time to work out only once. I can't wait for my training to end and my evenings to open up. I plan on getting a membership to a gym that I can use after I get off work in the evening. Mornings just haven't worked for me.
I saved my meal plans from my first three weeks. My fourth week was really winging it. I felt like I had gotten the routine down enough that I didn't have to actually plan out a meal and a shopping list. I did meal planning on the weekends, went shopping on Sunday, and did as much prep for the week to come on Sunday evenings.
But first, here are the pictures.
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| Left: 180 lbs January 29 Right: 168 lbs February 23 |
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| Left: 180 lbs Right: 168 lbs |
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| The "Mug Shot" - I promise I'm nicer than I look Left: 180 lbs Right: 168 lbs |
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| Left: 180 lbs Right: 168 lbs |
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| Left: You should know by now Right: Heck yes. |
The Full Disclosure:
This is not by any means where I plan on stopping. I still have another thirty pounds (approximately) that I'd like to lose. I won't be staying on Whole30 to do so, but I will definitely be staying Paleo. The food I was eating was very appealing to me. It was somewhat less appealing to the husband, who tends to be more of a gourmand. His cravings sadly never went away, and food did become an arguing point between us.
I don't say this to air our dirty laundry, but as a tale of caution: Not everyone likes this. He doesn't do eggs well, and breakfasts became boring for him. He missed the dairy to pretty extreme degrees. He also missed the convenience of bread. As a full time student, it was a definite struggle for him to find satisfying lunches that didn't need to be reheated.
Our Plan of Attack:
Now that we're coming off of Whole30, we've agreed to add dairy back in, and he's going to start making bread at home. His first results have been pretty spectacular. He's never had a reaction to gluten, and I feel much safer and happier knowing exactly what's in the bread he's eating.
He was awesome and stuck it out with me to the end. Although I think he's much happier now with his morning milk and occasional sandwich. And honestly? I'm not going to let perfect be the enemy of good.
Workouts will become more routine for me in the weeks to come, and I need to buy a new tape measure so I can keep track of inches that I'm losing instead of just pounds. Dinner is going to stay pretty much the same. Breakfast will probably stay the same for me, too. I found nitrate-free bacon that will be added in. The husband is going to sandwiches for his lunches and I will probably be eating leftovers from the previous night's dinner, or soup that I can warm up at the office. Some days will be splurges and I'll buy a fresh salad from the cafe near my office.
Finally, for Those Who Have Asked:
The Meal Plans
Each week is missing a few breakfasts because my husband and I fast on those days for religious purposes. Intermittent fasting is apparently a common thing in Paleo circles anyway, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone. Do your research. If you're not up for it, just make some eggs or eat some leftovers. I would always have a cup of coffee on my fasting mornings, and would not each lunch until noon.
Our normal diet also includes several "meatless" days which were incorporated into our Whole30 as well, with little to no difficulty.
Every week I spent around $150 for the two of us. I always had food left over (I usually actually ended up skipping one night at the end of the week just so we could get through our leftovers.)
Week One:
The Cravings Week
Sunday
No breakfast
Salmon fillets, brussels sprouts and carrots
Monday
Beef with Roasted Cabbage
Tuesday
Oxtail Stew leftovers
Spaghetti Squash Salad
Wednesday
Salmon with Finnish Beet Salad
Thursday
Oxtail Stew leftovers
Friday
No breakfast
Saturday
Oxtail Stew leftovers
Portobello Patties
Week Two:
This Isn't So Bad
Sunday
No Breakfast
Steak Poivre and Sweet Potato Fries
Monday
Deviled Eggs (use Paleo Mayo)
Holubtsi (sub chopped hazelnuts for rice)
Deviled Chicken Thighs with Broccoli
Tuesday
Waldorf Salad
Stuffed Peppers
Wednesday
Borscht
Salmon with Broccoli and Carrots
Thursday
Basque Hot Pepper Omelet
Chicken Thighs with Assorted Veggies
Friday
No Breakfast
Greek Veggies
Spaghetti Squash
Saturday
Leftover Free For All!
Spiced Ground Beef
Week Three:
This Is The Longest Month. Ever.
Sunday
No Breakfast
Deviled Drumsticks with Minted Cucumber Chips
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
Monday
Scotch Eggs with Lettuce
Leftover Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Flank Steak with Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday
Cabbage and Sausage
Leftover Pork Tenderloin
Wednesday
Spaghetti Squash Salad
Tuna Nicoise Salad
Thursday
Steak and Eggs with Peppers
Holubtsi (sub chopped hazelnuts for rice)
Chicken Thighs with Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Friday
No Breakfast
Cream of Avocado Soup with Crab
Saturday
Sweet Potato Skillet
Tomato Scallops with Shrimp and Avocado
Burgers with Carrot Chips
Week Four:
I'm Pretty Much a Pro.
I'm Not Doing This Plan Thing Any More.
I will be trying my best to go through and add links where I can for the recipes. If you find a recipe you would really like, feel free to drop me a line and I'll find you the recipe. Some of them are my own recipes that haven't made it onto the blog yet. Some of them are recipes from the husband's many books that I have lying around the kitchen. If you see something you want to make that I haven't provided a link for, just ask! It will be my pleasure to help any of you on your own way!
In the mean time, keep your chin up and I'll be making another post by the end of the month at the latest!
hey there, just stumbled upon this post. just want to say you look great (and i wish i had that flat a stomach at 168 lbs!!!). thanks for sharing your w30 journey!!
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that all these diets have in common, whether it's the gluten free, dairy free, grain free, etc., is that everyone who sticks to them lose weight. But there is no magical concoction going on here. It's that the reason they are losing weight is because they cannot eat sugar, chips, processed foods, fast foods...basically no junk. That is the reason people are losing weight. There is no need to delete 1, 2, or three food groups. You can eat dairy, gluten grains, and still lose the weight. Just eat real food, not fast junk food. Eat smaller portions. And try to eliminate most of sugar. No pop etc. Think of this, Europeans, and Asians are overall healthier and more trim than most Americans, yet Italians eat pasta every day, and have bread with each meal..white no less. Asians, consume meat, rice, and dairy. Just ditch the junk, pop, you know what bad food is. Don't do it and you will lose weight. Don't eliminate food groups. Some of these foods are full of very healthy nutrients.
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled on this post through pinterest and as someone who was the same starting weight as you and is now on day 5 of 30, this was such a great encouragement! thanks so much for posting!
ReplyDelete