Whole30 Results and Throwing Out the Scale

First, scales aren't totally meaningless, but the number they shoot back at you is. I'm not talking about people with real health problems who might have perfectly good and necessary reasons for having a scale or needing to know how much they weigh. I'm talking about people like me. People who step on a scale at least every other day to see what the number will say. People who step on a scale for vanity, assigning power to the loss of pounds. But here's the thing.. how much you weigh doesn't even come close to defining what you look like, what your body shape is, or how healthy you are. 

One of the Whole30 rules was that you couldn't weigh yourself for the entire 30 days of the program. So after I weighed myself on Day 0 I took the scale and put it at the top of my linen closet. Out of sight out of mind. I'm sure there are lots of reasons why this is a rule, but in my life it helped me to focus on how things were changing without getting hung up on a number. 

If this picture was a feeling.. I have felt it.

I'll come back around to the numbers later, but here are some of the things I loved about the Whole30:

• Portion Sizes
  
  If there is one thing that will make me fail on an eating program, it's limiting my food. I need a program that says "here are the right foods, and fill up your plate." That's what this did. Eventually you get less ravenous and things even out, but I am still in shock that I didn't go up a size in clothes with all of the food I was eating. Especially all of the homemade mayo. I am officially a mayo person.
• It's Challenging
  
  This seems like a weird thing to love, but it's empowering because it is a challenge. I know I have issues with some foods. It's hard to get over emotional ties or longstanding history. Just so we are clear, I am still talking about food. Doing this for 30 days showed me that I can be more powerful than a craving. Discovering that power gave me power in other things. It's like a self esteem up-cycle.
  
  
• FREE Resources for DAYSSS
  
  You don't have to buy the books. You can do this entire thing very easily with the power of the internet. The Whole30 website has every tool that you can get in the book except the recipes. But all you have to do is google "Whole30 recipes" and there are TONS of things right at your fingertips. Want to know if something is compliant? Google it. Because this program has been around for a few years, someone, somewhere has asked your question. And someone answered it. Google can find it all for you. Can't tell you how many times I used my phone to check for compliant ingredients. One of my best days was when I found out San Daniele Prosciutto was compliant. And melons are in season.

• The Whole30 Community
  
  There are TONS of strangers on the internet who REALLY want to help you make it through your Whole30. They want you to succeed. Strangers who taught me why my first attempt at homemade mayo failed. Strangers who suggested I eat more sweet potatoes (that's a good stranger) and strangers that told me to drink even more water. Strangers who cook things that you see and then you are like "shit I forgot about monkey salad!" and your life changes for the better. 

Now the results. At the end of my 30 days (before I step on a scale) here is where I am:

• A Better Me
  
  I'm happier. I can say that without a doubt. It's nothing to do with "I'm happier with my physical appearance," I'm just happier. I feel more optimistic. I don't get anxious about things, and that's coming from someone who at one time in her life got anxious about everything. I am more fun to be around and that makes me a better wife and a better mom. The ripple effect means that my relationships are working, my kids are happy, my marriage is strong. Because when you work on yourself, things around you kind of magically become better, too.
• Solid Sleep
  One night over this 30 day period, I swear I woke up in the exact same position I went to sleep in. It's the same amount of sleep, but the quality is so high. It makes a huge difference in my mornings and my days.
• Clearer Skin
  
  I was hoping the Whole30 would completely clear up some random eczema problem areas I have, and while it did improve them, I would probably have to live a very clean long term life to get rid of them. My skin in general though was much clearer and the areas I usually put concealer on weren't red anymore. Since I don't wear makeup every day, that was an easy one to tell. So dark circles and red t-zone became even toned and non greasy.
• Energy on Retainer
  
  It's not energizer bunny energy, it's energy that is there when I need to use it. When I do use it it's consistent and not up and down. I don't have an afternoon crash anymore, and that is huge with the kids. They want to go everywhere and do everything, and they should. Now I can better facilitate our adventures.
• Speaking of the Kids
  
  The Whole30 rules asked me to sit down to a meal 3 times a day. I found myself often sitting at the table with my kids eating. They want to try what I have (if it's not what they have) and this opened me up to a whole lot of foods that they love, but have never been exposed to. Plus my daughter very much wants to do what "grown ups do" right now. When I eat junk, they want junk. When I eat healthy, whole foods, they want healthy whole foods. The snacks that they ask for have changed over the last 30 days. That is just INSANE to me how much of an impact what I eat has on what they want. When you clean out all of the cheddar bunnies they will eventually start asking for fruit instead. But let's be realistic, there will still be cheddar bunnies and pirate's booty, and popcorn on movie night.
  
  
• This Way of Eating is now EASY
  
  Which is an insane thing to say considering I spent the first 10 days of the Whole30 walking around with the cookbook like it was my phone and having mini panic attacks when I would lose it. Even though this 30 days has something to do with the myth that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, I did form some new habits. Of course I still have a lot of my deep rooted old ones, so maybe it's just that I formed a back bone or the ability to overcome my old habits. Whatever happened, it made this way of eating pretty straightforward and simple for my continuing days thus far. 

So here is why I am giving my scale the side eye, if not a kick out of the door. In 30 days of hard core commitment, but no official working out, kitchen slave level cooking, marathon grocery shopping, not drinking, bloated belly, energy DRAIN, physical withdrawal, BOTH kids having ear infections (on separate occasions), two 2 year molars breaking through, memorial day weekend, a 100 year flood, 4 children's birthday parties, 1 wedding, and low lows followed by high highs.... well I took a look at the noticeable changes in my body and I expected that I had lost somewhere around 7-10lbs. But I lost 4. And I'm not unhappy about that, because I am happy with my physical results, I'm just stunned at the power I used to give the number on the scale. I'm REALLY glad I didn't get on a scale for 30 days. Because when the days were hard (and some really were) if I would have gotten on a scale and seen that I hadn't lost any weight or had lost 1 pound, I might have gotten into the "it's not working for me" mind game instead of embracing all of the changes that were happening beyond the scale. 

 I didn't do this to lose weight. If I lost weight I wasn't going to complain, but I am not overweight. I wanted to get rid of belly bloat (which I did) and just kind of see where this would take me. I am probably an 80/20 healthy real food eater, but when I do one of these things I realize how much mindless eating I do. This is especially true when it comes to my kid's food. There are all kinds of new things that you learn about your eating habits when you take on something like this.

I took before and after pictures and I wasn't going to post them. First, because it's not really my thing, and second because these pics are literally rolled out of bed selfies in the bathroom mirror. If I planned to share them I would have put some more thought into them. But with the 4lb loss I feel like the photos better illustrate the body changes. I also measured before and after and will give those stats as well. So here we go:

L: The Day Before my Whole30 (Day 0)  R: The Day After my Whole30 (Day 31)

I did also take a picture of myself blowing my stomach out as far as it would go and then sucking my stomach in with protruding ribs. Both of these photos are relaxed body. I lost 1.5 inches in my waist, 1 inch in my hips, .5 inch on each thigh and 1 inch in my bust. Arms stayed the same. And yes, I do think that 2 of those 4 lbs came out of my bra. And I'm not complaining.

So there it all is. Lots of words that I can sum up like this: I learned a lot over those 30 days. About my relationship with food, but also about myself. I like the me on the other side of the Whole30 better. I think my results would have been more drastic if I hadn't have already tamed my sugar dragon last year, but the results were still amazing from an emotional standpoint. I didn't realize I was feeling bad until I got back to feeling good again. 

If you think a Whole30 is too much for you to take on, then pick some smaller goals and work your way up. That is essentially what I did. My journey started a year ago when I gave up refined sugar for a month. My food choices only improved from there and then out of the blue I wanted to take on the Whole30. If someone was on the fence I would say absolutely do it. But it's not something that is for everyone and I respect that as well. The really insane thing I didn't see coming until I was done: I know now that this will not be my last Whole30. But I promise to officially stop talking about it (unless asked) until it's time for the next one. 

Seriously --thanks everyone for the support. Y'all have been lifesavers and completely amazing. Now here's to summer cocktails with zoodles, steak and eggs. 

The daily journey continues at www.instagram.com/raisingtexas.

B

My Whole30: Days 11 through 20

These days were rough on me. All ten of them. The food was amazing, but I just felt... slow. Like I was walking through cottage cheese. And irritable. I'm sure it didn't help that I had a special ladies only visitor for a portion of these ten days. The timeline said days 11-14 would be hard. All ten of these days were hard on me, which just emphasized the fact that this process is unique and different for everyone. And with that, here is the food from the very middle of my Whole30. 

Day 11: By this point I was finally getting the hang of the food. I was also SUPER bloated. Which was hard to take considering I was working so hard on all this food and washing so many dishes. But I kept on..

Breakfast Day 11: Mixed greens topped with leftover sweet potato
cauliflower mash, and a fried egg.

Lunch Day 11: Apple, yellow bell pepper, & Tuna Salad.

Dinner Day 11: Leftover Chili with avocado and a baby kale salad

 Day 12: The Friday before Memorial Day weekend. This was the first day I had a burst of amazing energy. After breakfast I weeded and mulched the entire back yard. I wasn't even hungry, but when I noticed it was 2pm I forced myself to eat lunch. Then went back out and finished. I felt really great this day.

Breakfast Day 12: fresh baby kale topped with leftover lettuce wrap
filling, scrambled eggs and avocado.

Lunch Day 12: Leftover sweet potato/cauli mash, baby kale salad,
last bit of leftover tuna salad, and celery stuffed with almond butter
and topped with chunks of dates.

Dinner Day 12: Baby spinach and kale tossed with evoo and aged balsamic,
chicken and mushroom sausage on top of chunky tomato sauce.

 Later this night I did some memorial weekend prep. We left town for two nights and so I packed some stuff for meals and for extras.

Included above - Greek salad ingredients, slaw ingredients, thai
zoodles ingredients, and even more tuna salad.

Day 13: was a travel day for us. We woke up, ate breakfast, packed up the kids and the car and headed out. It was a busy day, but a fun one. It was also a really tough day as far as resisting temptations. I ate A LOT of dates and almond butter this day. Without regrets.

Breakfast Day 13: pretty self explanatory.

Lunch Day 13: I had a big greek salad and a hard boiled egg. I was hungry
and didn't take a pic.

Dinner Day 13: Leftover Greek Salad, my whole30 slaw, and corkscrew
bbq brisket and ribs. I am fairly certain these were not compliant. So there's
my confession. There was something in the rub that gave me a headache.

But look at this brisket... I had no choice.

 Day 14: Busy day with the kids in and out of the pool. Still not as convenient being away from home, but I managed just fine. 

Breakfast Day 14: papaya with lime and tuna salad topped with
grapes on a bed of spinach.

Lunch Day 14: Cantaloupe, San Daniele Proscuitto & sauteed spinach

Dinner Day 14: Strip steak, roasted green beans, roasted broccoli &
leftover slaw.

Day 15: Memorial day was a little fast and furious. Quick morning and then loaded up the kids to head back home for lunch with my in laws. I was still feeling the cravings and feeling bloated.. and feeling over it.

Breakfast Day 15: fried eggs over easy, leftover roasted broccoli and
green beans, and a bowl of papaya.

Lunch Day 15: Was not photo worthy. It was leftover slaw, fruit salad and two
hard boiled eggs.

Dinner Day 15: Grilled chicken breast smothered in Whole30 Tomato
Sauce, steamed broccoli with lemon & even more leftover slaw.

 Day 16: This day was a mess. The night of Memorial Day we got 11 inches of rain overnight. We live half a mile from a bayou that came way out of it's banks. We were up all night with the kids (who don't like thunder) and then couldn't go to work the following day because the roads were still flooded. I do remember having lots of energy on this day. And not really being too concerned with feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't have bread.

Breakfast Day 16: Tuna salad with grapes & fresh baby kale and
spinach salad.

Lunch Day 16: Chili with avocado and an apple.

Dinner Day 16: This was one of my absolute favorite dinners so far.
The shrimp is from the Whole30 cookbook. It is tossed in pesto at the
end and is fantastic. With roasted mushrooms and sweet peppers.

 Day 17: Back to work. I was busy and irritable and still bloated. I was actually getting a little fed up with the program on this day. I almost got out the scale, but didn't. I really had to power through. 

Breakfast Day 17: Fried eggs over sauteed spinach. A banana.

Lunch Day 17: At work. We grilled extra chicken Monday and mixed
it up with chicken salad. Exciting, I know. On top of butter lettuce with
avocado and green pepper.

Dinner Day 17: Trying to meet weird cravings. Leftover Chili,
prosciutto and melon.

 Day 18: I was feeling more optimistic. I decided to try and drink 100oz of water a day. It was a game changer. Definitely got me over some kind of invisible hump.

Breakfast Day18: scrambled eggs topped with leftover pesto, tomato
and aged balsamic, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Lunch Day 18: Zoodles topped with chicken sausage and
tomato sauce. This was amaze.

Dinner Day 18: Salmon sweet potato cakes with a mayo based
sauce (with dill, lemon juice, capers, pesto and fresh pepper) and
green onion. roasted green beans and baby bellos. This was AMAZING.

 Day 19: 100oz of water a day was making me a happier person with lots of energy. And so was the Whole30. On this day I noticed my clothes were fitting better. Great fuel for the weekend ahead.

Breakfast Day 19: Chicken and sweet potato hash from the Whole30
cookbook. A great egg alternative for breakfast.

Lunch Day 19: I threw together a spinach salad and topped it with
whatever  I could find. That included sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes
and a hard boiled egg.

Dinner Day 19: Grilled NY Strip, roasted sweet potatoes and more
spinach salad with a dressing that was made even more awesome with
toasted prosciutto and sauteed green onion.

 Day 20: I threw myself a pity party on Day 20. We had to cancel plans to leave town due to storms and an ear infection. And I also threw a pity party for all of the dishes. I felt like the dishes were never ending. And I wanted them to end. But it was Saturday, I was feeling leaner, and I made my breakfast all in the same pan. Sometimes it's the little things.

Breakfast Day20: fried eggs over sauteed spinach, bacon & blueberries

Lunch Day 20: Chicken salad, apple slices & dates with almond butter.

Dinner Day 20: Grilled fajita steak, homemade guacamole, mashed
sweet potato & roasted sweet peppers.

 These were rough days for me. I was overall pretty over the whole thing and had to talk myself in to "trusting the process". It was a huge game changer for me mood and energy wise when I started drinking more water and added in more starchy vegetables. It's like a little mystery body formula I had to figure out.

It is currently day 30 for me, so I'm hoping to post meals from days 21-30 tomorrow. Then a recap. Haven't decided if I'll actually display before and after pics. Because I love the internet and things... but seeing my midsection on it is a bit much. Maybe. Who knows.

Greetings from a converted Whole30 cult member! 

B

My Whole30: The First Ten Days

 The ten day meal round up with small accompanying day descriptions. For anyone who was curious about what the first ten days of the Whole30 were like for me. 

The program focuses on getting back to three meals a day. Most of these days I had an apple or banana in the afternoon. If I had a bad craving that I couldn't get past or wanted a good treat, I would fill a couple of dates with almond butter. 

Day One: I grocery shopped all over town the week leading up the my start date and spent 2 hours prepping food the night before. I finally learned how to make my own mayo. This was a pretty good day. I was feeling confident and the food was filling and wonderful.

Breakfast Day 1:
Spinach & tomato frittata, avocado, & fruit.

Day 1 Lunch:
Tuna salad, spinach tossed in extra virgin olive oil, grapes & blueberries.

Day 1 Dinner (Not Pictured):
I was so hungry at the end of this day that I didn't remember to stop and
take a pic. Spaghetti squash topped with ground beef, Italian seasonings, and
red sauce.

Day Two: was a work day. A little more hectic in the mornings to find time to sit down, but we managed. When I woke up on day two I had sinus drainage and a cough. I was pretty sure I was getting a cold & felt achy all day.

Day 2 Breakfast:
Leftover spaghetti squash and ground meat topped with a fried egg and tomato sauce.

Day 2 Lunch (at work):
Tuna Salad stuffed bell pepper with more greens, raw carrots
and roasted red pepper sauce for dressing/dipping.

Day 2 Dinner:
Grilled chicken breast (seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder,
fresh pepper and salt) with red pepper mayo, grilled sweet potato
rounds and Green Cabbage Slaw.

 Day Three: My throat drainage got better. I thought maybe I was just having some allergic reaction to something outside. Still felt off, but ok. Still very satisfied form all of the meals, but getting sick of being in the kitchen so much.

Day 3 Breakfast:
Sauteed spinach, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, & two fried eggs.

Day 3 Lunch (at work):
Mexican Tuna (basically tuna and avocado) in Romaine Leaves with
leftover cabbage slaw, carrot sticks & a not pictured apple.

Dinner Day 3:
Beef Brisket with gravy, roasted sweet potatoes & baby kale and
spinach tossed in extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

Day Four: This is the day that I realized my "cold & allergies" were actually physical symptoms of my body adjusting to all of the things I had taken out of my diet. Overall the day was good, and I was feeling REALLY tired by the end of it. The brisket from the night before was amazing and I think it set me up for good days. 

Breakfast Day 4:
Fried eggs with leftover brisket gravy, sauteed spinach & fruit.

Lunch Day 4 (not pictured):
Big Spinach and vegetable salad with leftover beef brisket & gravy.

Dinner Day 4:
Roasted salmon topped with fresh dill, salt & pepper. Roasted broccoli,
sweet potatoes & golden beets.

 Day Five: I started to get a little bitchy. They say it happens. It did. It started on Day 5.

Breakfast Day 5:
Fried egg over sauteed spinach, butternut squash soup, berries & Elsa shoes.

Lunch Day 5:
HUGE greek salad with romaine lettuce, red onions, kalamata olives,
tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, & garlic. Dressed with red wine vinegar,
olive oil, and lemon juice.

Dinner Day 5:
The juiciest bone in pork chops with spiced applesauce on a bed
of arugula.

 Day Six: Also know as day two of the "Kill All The Things" phase. I was getting mad at inanimate objects. And my family. Lots of negativity on this day. It was the weekend and I really wanted some wine. There was lots of good food, but it was a tough first weekend.

Breakfast Day 6:
Scrambled eggs with leftover pork, leftover applesauce & side of greens.
And more brisket gravy.

Lunch Day 6:
At Whole Foods. Bowl of kale, hard boiled egg, and all the veggies you see
drizzled in olive oil.

Dinner Day 6:
Baked sweet potato stuffed with pulled pork carnitas and
served with avocado mayo.

 Day Seven: So tired this day. But nicer to be around. On this day I felt slimmer. My midsection was noticeably less bloated and my face felt slimmer. That basically made me have the best day ever. Superficial, but honest.

Breakfast Day 7:
Sweet potato hash, sugar free bacon, fried eggs & berries.

Lunch Day 7:
Tuna salad on a bed of spinach, bell pepper and carrot sticks, & an apple.

Dinner Day 7:
Kielbasa, spinach, onion, tomato frittata, cauliflower & sweet potato mash,
and fruit salad.

Day Eight: Back to another week, easier to not be jealous of the people drinking nice wine around me. Normal busy Monday with the kids. Had plenty of energy in the morning and I felt good.

Breakfast Day 8:
Leftover fruit salad, leftover butternut squash soup, & a fried egg
with sauteed spinach.

Lunch Day 8:
Tuna salad with apples, walnuts, celery, hard boiled egg, compliant pickles,
homemade mayo, lemon juice & compliant dijon mustard. Served on a bed
of arugula and drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar.

Dinner Day 8:
Chicken and vegetable stir fry topped with cilantro & dressed with
sesame oil & coconut aminos.

 Day Nine: No longer feeling slim. Feeling bloated and that is frustrating considering how much time I am spending in the kitchen cooking all of this damn (but delicious) food. But they say lots of people feel this way around days 8 & 9, so I'm rolling with it.

Breakfast Day 9:
Fried egg over sauteed spinach, cantaloupe, & strawberries.

Lunch (at work) Day 9:
Cold Thai salad with Zoodles & a sunflower seed butter sauce, Salmon &
sweet potato cakes (the kids LOVED these) with Dill Aoli dipping sauce.
The apple was eaten later. This was really filling.

Dinner Day 9:
Ground turkey lettuce wraps with cold thai salad.

 Day Ten: The Whole30 facts show that most people who quit the program do it on day ten or eleven. Their words are perfect for my sentiment: The newness has worn off, you've been through some unpleasant side effects, but you still haven't seen big results. That was EXACTLY where I was on this day (and today, day 11) but knowing these days were coming helped me. I haven't come this far to give it up.

Breakfast Day 10:
Leftover stir fry topped with a fried egg.

Lunch (at work) Day 10:
Leftover ground turkey lettuce wraps & a bell pepper.

Dinner Day 10:
One pot classic chili topped with avocado & served with a baby kale salad.

In real life I am finishing Day 11. I noticed a change in my energy today and over the last ten days we have tons of positive things happening with the kids. They are really good at trying new things and both of them have loved a lot of the food we have been making and eating. We don't have as many quick snacks around (chips, popcorn, etc) so when they want a snack they are asking for fruit or vegetables. It's really cool and one thing I'm super proud of about this. Of course, when we were at Whole Foods today I totally got ambushed by the cookie station. If there is ever a day when my children turn down a cookie, they are sick. I don't even need to go to the doctor. It's just a fact.

Happy to be 1/3 of the way in. Having to plan every single meal is a pain but it also has amazing advantages. I am not wasting food and my grocery store trips are much more focused and quick. It's better for my budget, even though all this food can get expensive. 

Still working on enough energy at the end of the day, so with that, I'm off to bed.