The End

Phew....almost to the end of this whole 30 and I can say I am sooooo looking forward to being done.  Strange at the end of my first whole 30 I felt amazing, way more energy, way less bloating, and I had gained weight (I was 102 pounds at the beginning of that first one!).  To say I felt great is an understatement.  So it came as a bit of a surprise that this time as we come to the end I can not say I am feeling amazing.  I feel pretty good.  I have energy, my workouts are better, and I am waking up earlier than normal with energy.  But I still have some weird lingering junk (bloating, joint pain, etc.).  Which leads me to the same conclusion I have always had: diet is super important, but exercise, sleep, and lower stress are also important and need to be addressed in order for our bodies to function at their optimal levels.
As for me: I am working out as many days as possible, and I am trying to increase my steps to 10,000 every day.  I am trying to get to bed on time and I am working with Faith to stay in her own bed so I can sleep all night without a 5 year old kicking me :)  Most of you know my stress levels are a bit more than normal so that is something I am working on but sometimes stress is just a part of our lives for a time so I know that some of this is just what it is.  However, I have been getting up and spending time reading my Bible and praying each day and that seems to really help get me ready to face my day (no matter what that day has in store for me).  Oh and spending time outside!  I crave outside but often find I stay in to do dishes, laundry, clean, etc.  It is essential for me to get outside every single day.  My favorite time is to sit outside and watch the sun go down, usually it is cooling down enough that I can sit out there and just enjoy watching the day come to an end (plus the cat really loves to hang out with me when I sit on the step).

So here are a few things I learned:

1. I need carbs at every meal (so for me that was potatoes and sweet potatoes).
2. I also need protein after workouts.
3. Sometimes I have to have a snack.
4. I need to drink way more water than normal.
5. I miss rice, corn tortilla chips, fresh corn on the cob, and cheese.  Oh and the ability to not study every label.  I still have to check for gluten and coconut but those are fairly easy to find on the labels.
6. Meal planning and prep is essential.
7. Groceries are expensive ;)
8. I enjoy lifting weights, but not walking.
9. I need to be outside more.
10.  I am a happier person when I work on my spiritual self.

So if you are considering doing a whole 30 I totally recommend it and stick with it even if you aren't seeing that amazing WOW that everyone talks about.  Even feeling a bit better is worth it.  Also don't be afraid to examine other areas of your life to see if you need more sleep, more water, less technology, more outside time, less stress....etc.  Food is huge but other things can contribute to making you more or less healthy!

If you make a mistake.....

So we are 10 days in, and most of the physical symptoms should be getting better, but what happens if you make a mistake?!?!?!  You ate something you didn't realize had sugar or soy or some off program ingredient in it, now what....

Well you have a choice; you can choose to continue where you are and try to make sure to read and reread those labels, or you can start over.  This is where being an adult is nice, you get to make your own decisions based upon your own life.  It is your choice.

So for example if I had made a mistake in my first whole 30 I probably would have started over at day one.  However, now that I am on my 4th, I would not start over.  I would just chalk it up to a mistake and move on.  I mostly know how each food affects me and I mostly know what my results are going to be in 30 days so I don't fret near as much as I did on my first one.

Like I have said before, this program is hard.  It is hard because sugar, soy, gluten, and corn are in so much of what we eat.  These foods are stuck into so many packaged foods that reading labels and then rereading the same labels is a must.

So if you make a mistake don't be discouraged, just make a choice that works best for you and move on!  You are still making amazing choices each and every day so feel great about the good things you are doing for your own health!

Also days 10-11 are the hardest.  You will want to quit, you will think this is stupid, you will not see the point of this any more!  But again, stick with it.  30 days will pass anyway, why not see how amazing you can feel at the end of 30 days of best health eating?!?!??!?!!!!!

How bad do you feel?

So whole 30 is one of those times that instead of feeling amazing when you start you actually feel like you have been hit by a bus.  In fact you may wonder why you are doing this to begin with! There is an entire day by day list of how you might feel throughout the month.  I can say that if your eating hasn't been horrible then you may or may not have all the symptoms but overall your body is going to go through several changes.

So far we should have passed through the excitement phase, and the hangover.  We should be right in the kill all things phase and heading into the I just want a nap phase.  Sometimes I think the phases hit you all at once!  For me there was no excitement phase.  Having just came off of one whole 30 and starting another I didn't really feel super excited.  I also haven't really had severe hangover type symptoms but, yesterday I was angry!  Angry at everything for no real reason at all.  Just mad at the world.  However, today I feel pretty good so we shall see what the rest of the week holds.  

The plan states that days 10-11 are the hardest and the time when most people give in to their cravings.  What I can say is stick with it!  No matter how bad you feel right now, no matter how much you just want a potato chip or a cookie. STICK WITH IT!   You will feel so much better in just a few short weeks!  Honestly, it is just 30 days even if some days feel like a lifetime!

So if you are feeling yucky, take a nap, and remember to be kind to yourself, give yourself a break!  Changing the way you think about food is hard work but worth it in the end.

Weekly Plan

So I keep saying planning is super important and I am not kidding!  There is going to be a day or a week that you just don't want to think about food, you don't want to decide what to eat, and you certainly don't want to shop and prepare it!  So before my second whole 30 I went through tons of recipes and found several weeks worth of things I wanted to try, I wrote them all out on calendars and I take them out before I plan the week.  It helps take some of the research out of the planning.

Here is a sample of one of the calendars:

Here is what my typical week looks like:

Most days I don't get creative with breakfast: 1. because I don't like to think about it early in the morning, 2. I want something quick and easy with minimal clean up.
Our typical breakfast is scrambled eggs with veggies and sausage and apple/sweet potatoes on the side.
Lunch is either leftovers or some type of meat/potato, veggie hash.  Again this is due to the fact that I need something fast and something I don't have to give too much thought to.
Dinner is always meat and veggies.  I try to get creative with dinner but sometimes I just go for fast and easy :)
Good luck!

Getting Started

So if the past has taught me anything it is that I can not control life (mine or anyone else's!).  We like to think we can control our lives but honestly it just takes one medical issue, one car wreck, one injury to really make you think hard about the actual things you can control!  Food is one thing I can control (along with exercise, sleep, and some stress!).  So today lets talk through some tips and tricks for starting the whole 30.

For those that don't know whole 30 is a program that focuses on high quality, nutritious food.  So you eat meat (organic and grass fed if possible), vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.  You will need to avoid all dairy (butter included), oils, sugar (in ALL it's forms), legumes (peanuts, beans) grains (including corn!).  You need to read every single label because sugar, soy, canola oil, and gluten hide in many common items (spaghetti sauce, tuna, salad dressing, etc).  The catch is you can't cheat, not even once!  If you cheat you must start over.  For more detailed information please check out the book It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig or head over to their website Whole 9 Life.  You can get the guidelines and information free from their site but I strongly recommend the book so you can understand why you should do this!

So a few tips:

1. Plan, plan plan!  I plan a week at a time.  I use a dry erase board and plan every meal and snack that my family will eat.  I always write down exactly what we are doing each day so I can make sure I have portable food when need be.  A plan allows you to shop smart and it helps you to make better choices when your week gets super busy!

2. Make a grocery list.  Include everything you need for meals and snacks.  You will save money going to the store once a week (though in the beginning you are going to feel like you are spending a fortune!).

3. Read every single label.  Even if you think it will be compliant, read the label any way.  Nothing worse than going to the store, spending money, and then finding out you can eat it :/

4. Pinterest is your friend but remember to double check that recipes are compliant.  I often see things listed as whole 30 but they include cheese or some ingredient that isn't whole 30 approved.

5. Buy produce that is in season.  It is cheaper and has a better flavor.

6. Make your own ghee!  It is super easy and is much cheaper.

7. Be careful with nuts!  They are super easy to over eat and cause some digestive distress.

8. Don't weigh yourself AT ALL!!!!  Seriously, you are going to weigh heavier for a bit because your body is going to detox.  Trust me don't worry about your weight, or bloating or anything else!  The results will come but it takes time.

9. Avoid temptations.  My kids know that during whole 30 I am not going to be making pancakes, we are not having cake or ice cream or anything else that I may want to overeat.  I just don't buy it.  Now I do allow them to have some snacks that I can't eat but usually things they like but I don't (yogurt covered pretzels).

10. Check weekly ads to get the best price on produce.  

11. If you feel tired avoid a heavy work out.  Take a walk outside or do some yoga but don't push yourself.

12. Be kind to yourself!  This is hard, but it isn't impossible and it truly is worth it!  Also you are helping your body so take a break, rest, read, relax!

13. Do not over do any 1 food!  You can develop an allergy to foods if your body is detoxing and you over do a food.  Example: I am now very allergic to coconut because during my first whole 30 I was eating coconut flakes, using coconut oil, and eating coconut butter!  My body decided that was enough and now I can not eat coconut at all!

14. Find products you love and stick with them.  Examples: Lara Bars are great portable snacks (Cherry, Blueberry, Apple Pie, and Banana Bread are my favorites!).  Avocado oil is great for a salad or over a sweet potato.  Sweet potatoes cook super fast and go great with a boiled chicken thigh!  

Lastly, this is going to feel hard at first but I promise it does get easier and you will find new favorites.  You will also find energy you didn't know existed.  So why not give it a try?  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!  I mean who doesn't want a better understanding of how food affects them?!?!?!  

Whole 30 again

This!  All of this!  Whole 30 is not a fat free, low fat, diet.  It is a way to figure out exactly what different foods are doing to your body.  I don't know if you all know this but you only get one body and one life to live.  We spend a large amount of time eating so it makes sense to know how the food we are consuming is affecting us.  I have done Whole 30 multiple times.  The first time is when I figured out that gluten was the source of my massive weight loss; sugar was the source of my body aches, mood swings, and foggy brain; and dairy was causing bloating and rashes.  I made the changes and felt pretty good for quite a long time.  But like everyone I slipped back into some of the old habits (paleo sweets, gluten free goodies, ice cream, etc).  I woke up one day and realized that I had to get back to basics so I could feel good.  So I started my second whole 30.  During the 2nd one our family experienced stress like we haven't ever felt.  So I didn't complete my 2nd whole 30 but I know that if I hadn't been on whole 30 the stress would have been much worse for my body.  When the dust settled some from the unexpected family crisis, I decided that I owed it to myself and my family to get as healthy as possible because honestly life is unpredictable and while I can't control everything about my health I can do my best to eat better, exercise, limit my stress, and sleep more.  So my 3rd whole 30 started May 25th.  I am happy to say I completed this one and felt amazing!  I remembered how good my body could feel and I was excited.  Then the sugar cravings hit and I ate ice cream.....as I sit here and type I am covered in a rash, bloated, in pain, and exhausted!  All from ice cream (which by the way was sooooooooo not worth it!).  So my 4th whole 30 will start July 1st.  However, this one is going to be a bit different; Ryan is going to join me, and my big sister Brandi is also going to join me!  I am so excited for both of them.  Ryan did the first one with me and felt amazing so I am excited to watch him feel amazing again.  My sister has some health issues and I am so excited for her to feel her very best!  Both are going to have to put in some effort to avoid temptations and junk but I have promised them that it is going to be so very worth it!  If you are reading this and are interested let me know!  I would love to help you feel your best too.  No strings attached, no gimicks, and nothing to buy other than quality food.

Dusting off the blog

So it has been FOREVER since I have blogged.  I tend to use Facebook to talk about my kids, and life is pretty much all about them right now so no need to blog too.  Plus who has the time to devote to keeping up a blog.
However, I am going to be starting my fourth whole 30 and my sister is going to join in on the fun so I would like a place to put down thoughts, recipes, tips, and struggles for anyone wanting to take the leap to better health.  So for the next month I will try my best to blog at least once a week on meal planning, exercise, and just health in general.