Whole30 Results!

I feel like I say this every damn time I start a blog post, but man it has been a crazy week….and it’s only Wednesday! Good thing I’ve got tons of stored energy to get me through this week (and next…because I’m already managing my time for when it arrives)! I’m happy to be writing right now. It has become such a huge stress reliever for all the built up craziness that ensues throughout my day. Well, lets jump right in, shall we? Mama’s got a hot date night downtown with her Valentine from two weeks ago. I am curling the hair and putting the lipstick on and going all out since our date nights for the past 30 days have consisted of me cooking us dinner in leggings and t-shirts.

I don’t even know where to begin. If you’ve been following along with me, then you know that the most important change that has occurred has been my psychological relationship with food. I feel like I’ve taken back the reigns of my life in some sort of way. I don’t feel powerless and afraid anymore. I feel like I’ve come back to myself. I’m more me; the best of me if there is such a thing. After having such an emotional roller coaster of a year, feeling this way means so much to me.

With that said, I also reaped some other pretty awesome benefits like:

• Hair: My hair is shiny and healthy! I’ve had 3 different people in the last week positively comment on my hair-blog post coming in the near future on this!
• Nails: My nails are hard and thick now! And I am a biter! But, I was always led to bite my nails usually because they always chipped and cracked. My nails are strong! I even scratched my inner thigh in the shower when I was using my hand to scrub with a loofah. I am not used to such sharp talons!
• Definition: Now that all of the initial bloat and inflammation is out of the way, I’ve got my abs resurfacing, my quads shaping, and my arms toning!
• Inflammation: Gone! My ankle’s swelling and throbbing went away right in the first week and has held up since, even with all of the high impact workouts and running. I haven’t even used my ankle brace! I would also always get back pain as well after running or doing a lot of jumping. I had to spend a lot of time stretching before and after workouts…and I have not had any at all. It is pretty awesome to not feel like your an old and decrepit  woman when you’re still in your 20’s….Plus, my engagement ring and wedding band have been much looser since. I love this feeling, because it was really starting to tighten up toward the end of last year.
• Sleep: I’ve recapped on sleep pretty often. It’s great! An interesting side note though-this past Monday and Tuesday night I have not been able to sleep in due to my hectic schedule and I can definitely tell when I’m not getting enough sleep now throughout the day. Will fix this immediately!
• Attitude: Happy! I’ve got a pep in my step. I’m extra friendly and bubbly. Like I said, I feel like myself and this is worth everything!
• Energy: No more ups and downs throughout the day. My husband said to me the other day “slow down and pretend like you wanna be by me.” I felt so bad! I was just walking so much faster than I usually do. It feels like I have all these stores of energy that I can tap into whenever I want.
• Fitness: Not only do I feel like I am able to push myself more with workouts, but I also feel much more in tune with my body. I am learning how to let myself rest and recover when my body needs it. I can definitely tell an improvement in my fitness because I recover much faster from workouts without the pain of soreness bothering me all day. I also ran every Sunday during my 30 days and my runs improved with longer mileage and faster pace each time. My first Sunday run was 2.57 miles at a 12:05 min/mile pace and this past Sunday was a 3.91 mile run at a 10:35 min/mile pace. Now, I gotta get a sub 10 pace and I’ll be good for the 5K I’m scheduled to run in March!
• Cravings: Gone, nada, zilch! I am still not going to test out any unleashing of a sugar dragon. I have a pretty nasty addiction with the stuff so even though I am happy to report I don’t crave any sugar, I am not going to risk it for a while.
• Skin: I’ve luckily always had pretty clear skin. I had a few blemishes throughout the second week and afterwards my skin looked better than ever. Today in the mirror while washing my hands I couldn’t believe how clear and healthy my face looked. It looks “fresher” if that makes any sense.
• Libido: This is pretty self-explanatory. It was an unexpected but welcomed side affect.
• Relationships: Not only has my relationship with food changed, but also with my husband. I eat to eat now. This past weekend I forgot to eat lunch! I quickly scarfed something down when I realized I went on a run and had been doing yard work for an hour on Sunday–not because I was hungry but because I knew that I needed to give my body nutrients and energy quickly since I missed out on lunch AND a post-workout meal (woops!). I enjoy cooking meals for Hubs and I. We get to spend that time at home and eat dinner together which was something we never really did. I’m a happier person and now I get to share myself more with my husband because I am present!
• Weight: Unfortunately, I did not take any before measurements. I wish I did, but it was something I just simply forgot to do. I did take measurements on my 30th day so that I can now keep track from here on out. However, I did lose 16.4 lbs! I’m pretty psyched about this. It is a great start.

So, what now? Now, I plan to follow a Whole9 lifestyle. My 30th day was Monday and I have stayed compliant. I plan to take it day by day and stay on course as close as I possibly can and only straying when it is absolutely worth it, and only absolutely worth it!  I’m sure I won’t be perfect at this right away, but I hope to get better and better at it with time as I not only build my confidence up but the trust I have with myself. I am definitely a work in progress. The Whole30 has already given me an amazing head start on my whole-kind-of-life plan. I will elaborate more on some personal goals I have for the Whole 9 Factors. Now, I must go get ready for our date! And, just for the record, I am sampling a beer tonight. And I do think this one is absolutely worth it.

Saturday’s Seven

Once today is in the books I will be finished with my first week! OMG, time out: “My 600 lb Life” is on my TV right now (I put it on as background noise) and I am slightly disturbed by what is going on with “Penny.” I usually can’t watch these shows because the images can be kind of graphic and the stories can be deeply sad. Let me just say, I don’t feel so fat anymore after hearing what Penny just said. No, I’m not going to repeat it.

And, we’re back! Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. I felt really tired but it took me much longer than normal to actually fall asleep. I also woke up a few times in the middle of the night. This usually happens at the end of my first week, which I was anticipating this time around but hoping it could maybe skip me this time. During my last Whole30, it only lasted 2 or 3 nights and then I entered sleep haven every night after that. It’s not like I didn’t get enough sleep last night. I feel really well rested too. I just love it when I fall right asleep after hitting the pillow. It could be worse! I could suffer from insomnia-so I am definitely not complaining.

This morning I made an omelet with some left over pork that I made in the crock pot earlier this week. I topped it off with some avocados. That reminds me, that I need to buy some more avocados because I finished them!

I finally went to a gym class, which I wasn’t able to do most days this week because of the snow. It was a great sweat-fest. I felt so energized afterwards that I did 30 minutes of cardio afterwards. When I got home I immediately made a post-workout meal: sweet potato and turkey burger cooked in coconut oil.

My post-WO meal was right around lunch time, but I didn’t want to wait too long to make a big lunch meal since Whole30 recommends eating right after working out. So, I thought I’d eat lunch afterwards whenever I felt hunger pains again. I took a nice long hot bath, made the bed, watched some Netflix, got some Valentines Day decorations out and never got hungry. I needed to make some errands so I figured I’d be out for a jiffy and come home and then I’d make a meal.

I think everyone was out shopping today! This was the first real day that all the roads were clear of ice and the grocery stores were packed with Superbowl shoppers. I picked up some red candles for my “Valentines Day” decor.

I also probably spent way too much money on beer as well. I wanted to get some chocolate flavored beer for my hubs for V-Day but then I found some amazing picks that I couldn’t wait to try after my 30 days. That is the one thing I probably really miss is sipping on a beer with my husband. It’s not even the taste of beer I miss, but enjoying the different types and the different flavors with my Hubs is such a fun experience. I will probably try to stick to Whole30 as much as I can after my 30 days but include beer from time to time!

Anyway, I picked up this find for my Valentine:

Atwater‘s Decadent Dark Chocolate Ale. I love the word “decadent”! There is 6 of them, so he better save me one at the end of the month! I also found this gem:

I KNOW, RIGHT?!?! I couldn’t pass it up! I love Wells’ Banana Bread Beer. It seriously tastes just like it sounds, so I am hoping this one will too. You all will have to wait to hear how it tastes though….20-something more days!

Anyway, after spending too much money on beer that I’m not even going to get to drink I braved Whole Foods to see what “whole” goodies I could find. I came across lots and lots of chicken wings. So many, in fact, that I not only bought one package of wings, but I bought two! Seriously, I bought way too many wings. But, they were on sale! And I figured we wouldn’t eat all of them on Superbowl Sunday so they would make great leftovers. I think I brought home over 6 lbs of chicken wings.

See, the big yellow “On Sale” sticker?!

The wings on the left are already seasoned with garlic, paprika, celery seed, sea salt and pepper. I’m planning on using this Chili-Spiced Mango recipe for the naked wings. Note to self: buy more avocados and buy some mangoes! I had to buy a little plastic container of celery and baby carrots while checking out because by then my hunger pains were churning my stomach inside out. I didn’t time this whole meal planning thing out very well today. I gnawed on the veggies on the way home and instantly felt better. Once I got home, I added some almond butter to them and cooked a turkey burger. I got my protein, fat, and veggies all in….just not at the same time! Now it’s past 5 o’ clock and I have no idea if I will be hungry again today or if I’ll become ravenous at any moment.

I hope I fall asleep more easily tonight than I did last night. Tomorrow is going to be a fun cooking day for me in the kitchen. I’m making everything Whole30 compliant. And then, when I am finished, I will watch Downton Abbey while my husband yells at the TV in the other room. Life is good!