Whole60 Results and Reintroduction!

WOOT WOOT!!!! 

**CLAPPING FOR MYSELF (AGAIN)** 

YAY!!! 

I finished my second round of Whole30!!!

So I have finished my second round of Whole30 for a total of 60 days!!!  Everything I posted in my previous post of what I learned and gained from Whole30 still holds true but I know people wanted to know what my results were from going 60 days.  If you want to read my first round of Whole30 completion blog click here - http://healthloveandyoga.blogspot.com/2013/04/whole-30-complete.html.

Results:

During my first round of Whole30, you might remember I lost 11 pounds and 11 inches.  So at the end of my second Whole30 I was ready for another dramatic weight loss and was disappointed (at first).  So during my second Whole30, I lost 5 pounds.  I was disappointed at first because the first 30 days I lost 11 but after I spent time thinking about it, 5 pounds is super awesome for 30 days and healthy!!!  Well, and the other thing that helped me be happy about the less weight loss was that I still lost a lot of inches - 10.5 inches to be exact!!!

So my total results for my Whole 60 was a total weight loss of 16 pounds and 21.5 inches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not too bad if I do say so myself :)

Reintroduction:

I honestly don't have much to say about reintroduction.  After Whole30, they recommend adding in one thing at a time alone to see if you have any issues with it.  Honestly, I was hoping dairy or bread would make me sick and make me know I can never eat it again.  This happens for a lot of people.  Not for me! haha of course!  So reintroducing foods did not really effect me.  The only thing I will say I felt as an effect of reintroducing things was heartburn.  I didn't have heartburn during the entire 60 days but I did almost instantly after eating other foods.  

I have had some people ask me what I am going to do now that my Whole60 is over.  I was just on vacation and ate what I wanted and was not really effected by anything I ate.  But I will say that I never really felt satisfied and missed eating my good meals, where I know where everything comes from.  So what am I going to do now?  I plan to continue to eat the Whole30 way most of the time but if I have to eat out for something or have an event, I'm not going to limit myself because that just does not work.  However, I miss eating how I did during Whole30 and just felt so much healthier and am excited to get back to eating like this 99.9% of the time!

Again, why not try Whole30 Yourself?!?!

I have a ton of friends that have already decided to try Whole30 because of what I experienced.  So if you're the slightest bit thinking about it, why not just do it?!?! Let me know if you're interested, we're starting another group June 1st!

Whole60 Days 42-60

HELLLLOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sorry I am so late in posting this but I was buried at work for awhile and then went on vacation.  I'm spending my last day of vacation getting caught up here :)

Here are the pictures of my food from Day 42-60.  I have tons of friends who have started Whole30 since me and are doing great!!! We have another group starting June 1st so if you're interested click here to join our facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/432044286890039/

PS follow up on my mom - she did great on her Whole30 and is continuing to learn the things she learned during it now.  She lost 25 pounds during her Whole30 and went down 2 pant sizes!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of her!!!

FOOD

Whole60 Days 31-41

Hello!!!  I promised I would post throughout my second Whole30 so I just wanted to check-in.  I put pictures of what I ate over the last 10 days below.  I lost some of my pictures so some are just words but you'll get the point.

The one thing that has been so exciting during the last 10 days are how many people who have contacted me saying they were interested in trying Whole30 or wanted to know more information so they could decide if they wanted to do Whole30.  My friend, Kendra, and I have decided to run a Facebook Whole30 support group and we are going to run two Whole30 groups starting May 2nd and June 1st.  If you might be interested in joining one of the groups here is a link to the facebook page and just ask to join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/432044286890039/

Special shout out to my mom, who hasn't had a Pepsi in 10 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is amazing!!! Anyone that knows her, knows she has always had a Pepsi attached to her hand at all time and I am so proud of her that she is trying to give it up and really do her Whole30!!! Whoohoo!!

I have had a couple friends ask if something has kicked in over the last 10 days because I am coming off super cheerful and just generally happy. And I wrote back to a group of my girlfriends and really cannot put it into words any better than I did when I wrote this, so here it is: I think a lot of me feeling like I've broken some emotional dependence on food has just been liberating...I had never known what it felt like to not obsess about food.

Honestly, I am not saying Whole30 is a complete life changer because since I haven't tried to reintroduce non-Whole30 foods back into my life yet, I cannot say how I will handle it.  I can say right now and over the last few weeks, I really haven't craved much, which is HUGE for me!!! I also haven't thought about food 24/7 like I would in the past.  I am hoping these things stay with me when I start to reintroduce non-Whole30 foods back into my diet but if not you will all be the first to know!!!

FOOD

Meal #1: Eggs, bacon, grapefruit.
Meal #2: Tuna salad and carrots.
Meal #3: Meatloaf, artichokes, salad, and applesauce
Snack: Cuties and sunflower seeds.

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, and grapefruit.
Meal #2: Tuna salad and apple with almond butter.
Meal #3: Chicken with salad greens (lost pic!).

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, and grapefruit.
Meal #2: Thai: veggies and shrimp pad pak.
Meal #3: Chicken, asparagus, kale and salad.

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, and salad.
Meal #2: Tuna salad, carrots and cuties.
Meal #3: Bison Burger (only ate one), avocado, asparagus, and grapefruit.

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, grapefruit and salad.
Meal #2: Tuna salad, avocado, and carrots.
Meal #3: Chicken, asparagus, kale, and salad.

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato and salad.
Meal #2: Chicken, broccoli, and asparagus.
Meal #3: Burger, avocado, asparagus, and salad.

Meal #1: Tuna salad, avocado, orange and carrots.
Meal #2: Chicken, broccoli, and asparagus.
Meal #3: Salad, green beans, and hot dogs.

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, and apple with almond butter.
Meal #2: Tuna salad, avocado, cuties, and carrots.
Meal #3: Hot dogs, salad, and green beans.

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, and salad.
Meal #2: Tuna salad, avocado, cuties and carrots.
Meal #3: Meatloaf, broccoli, green beans and salad. 

Meal #1: Eggs, sweet potato, and broccoli.
Meal #2: Meatloaf, green beans, broccoli, and salad.
Meal #3: Chicken and beef and veggies.

Boo losing pictures!!!

Whole 30 Complete!

WOOT WOOT!!!! 

**CLAPPING FOR MYSELF** 

YAY!!! 

I finished my first round of Whole30!!!

I can honestly say that Whole30 has just in 30 days changed my relationship with food.  I heard about Whole30 from two of my friends that swore by it (Jeff and Kendra).  The main reason I decided to try Whole30 was because I have been friends with Jeff for 13 years now and I have seen him struggle with his weigh and try different weight loss efforts and this has worked for him and changed his life!  I am so very proud of him and he is an inspiration to me!  Now I will forever recommend it to anyone who asks!

I have decided to do another Whole30 starting today for a total of a Whole60!  In the book, It Starts With Food, they talk about how some people might need more than 30 days to completely get all of the benefits out of the program and sometimes for yo-yo dieters or people who need to lose a considerable amount of weight, so I have decided to do 60 days and then assess!  

But for now I wanted to do an update on how my first 30 days went, but I think it is more important to know where I cam from to understand how wonderful the changes are.  I will come back and update this when I am finished with my Whole60.

Before Whole30:

• I guess I would be considered a yo-yo dieter.  I lost 95 pounds over two years of very strict compliance with Weight Watchers.  After an injury, I put 50ish pounds back on, all due to emotional eating, and no matter what I did (Weight Watchers, counting calories, working out forever, etc) I could not lose the weight again. 

• Recently, when I tried to do anything to lose weight it would not work, I would get discouraged and the cycle would start again.

• I am tall (5'9'') and carry my weight very well.  I can easily gain or lose 30 pounds without being able to tell a difference in my clothes.

• I was a vegetarian for over four years and then a pescetarian for the last six months, all for ethical reasons on how the animals are treated in factory farms.  I had been recently thinking about adding humanely raised meat back into my diet but hadn't made the commitment yet.

• I had heartburn on a very regular basis.

• I always had energy dips after lunch...always wanted to take a nap.

• I was having bouts of insomnia from time to time and when I was able to sleep, I still woke up exhausted, never feeling fully rested, even if I slept eight hours.

• I would ALWAYS break out around the time of my period.  I had this one pimple that would always show up every month in the exact same spot.  He's been around for years.  I named him Period Pimple Pete. 

• I had strong food cravings and would sometimes satisfy them and the most of the times not, making them much worst.  My main cravings were chocolate and cheese. 

• My knees hurt pretty much all the time, since I was very young.  I was always told it was because of my weight but a doctor finally said I do have knee issues and that I would need to limit myself from most of the working out I was doing (squats, lunges, etc).  

• I constantly had the urge to use the restroom.  I never went to a doctor, but I bet I had an overactive bladder.

• I had pretty severe PMS symptoms mostly including low back pain and crabbiness.  

• I ate every 2-3 hours because that's what everyone says is "healthy" and if I couldn't eat for some reason and had to feel hungry, I would not handle it well and would sometimes get dizzy.

• I was an emotional eater - tired, sad, happy, bored, etc.  

• I had loved yoga for years and really wanted to become a teacher but was to embarrassed by my size to go to a training, always thinking that I had to be a certain size to be able to go to a training.

During my FIRST Whole30: 

(because I plan to do more haha)

• I remember the first week being HARD.  When I look at my blogs during that week it doesn't seem like I thought it was that hard, but looking back, it definitely was a challenge. 

• I was worried I was going to gain weight because I was so ingrained to count something (calories, points, etc).   

• I noticed my stomach seemed to look and feel like it was shrinking but I was wearing the same size jeans.

• People at my work would walk by my lunch daily and talk about how good it looked and how they were jealous.  I would just sit there and wonder why they just didn't make a salad for lunch instead of going to grab McDonalds.

• Some people would tell me I was "crazy," they could "never give up cheese," and don't know how I am doing it.

• My friends and family were very supportive of what I was trying to do and went out of their way to accommodate me.

• I added meat back into my diet, but trying to be as conscious as possible.  I am still learning!

After my FIST Whole30:

• I actually feel satisfied when I eat a meal and not think of it as a point or a calorie but just as yummy food.

• I haven't had heartburn in at least 31 days!

• I haven't had an energy dip after a meal in at least 31 days!

• I sleep very deep now and wake up feeling well rested and ready to take on my day.

• During the PMS/Period period of my 30 days, I did not break out and my PMS symptoms were much weaker than in the past.  PS I don't miss Period Pimple Pete at all :)

• My food cravings are under control!  I honestly feel like I have broken my addiction to food.  I feel like for once in my life I can say I am not an emotional eater!!! I didn't even crave chocolate during my period, which I think most women would not even believe!

• I haven't noticed any joint pain at all in my knees!!! I am not saying my knee issues are gone, but they definitely have not bothered me like they have in the past.

• I drink so much more water/coffee/tea than before and my urge to use the restroom has gone down drastically!!! I wish I had been diagnosed with overactive bladder so I could be told I was cured now ha

• I was able to be OK with hunger and know that I was going to be able to eat again and when I did eat, I didn't treat each meal like it was my last. 

• I have more energy now.  I don't think I have completely what the Whole30 people are talking about yet and this is why I have decided to go for a Whole60.

• I can drink black coffee now!!! Crazy since I used to only be able to get the super sugary drinks at Starbux ... I haven't even craved my go to drink: Iced Quad Mocha with no Whip!

• I overall just feel healthier and happier!

• I have inspired several people to try Whole30!  Including my mom, who has tried to diet on and off throughout the years and I think has a lot of the same issues as me, or I had the same issues as her since she is older haha For all people that say they are trying it, I most hope it works for my mom because I know she would feel so much better! :)

• I set my insecurities aside and signed up for a 200-hour yoga teacher training course and I also signed up for a PiYo training course so I can start teaching and inspiring people ASAP :)

• OK and let's be honest, what everyone really wants to know:  I lost 11 pounds and 11 inches!!!

For my next Whole30:

I am going to stick to the Whole30 plan but am going to add in some more cardio since I am finally starting to have more energy to workout.  The one change I will make is to make bacon a weekend only treat HAHAH :) And who knows if at the end of the Whole60 I feel like I need more, I will just go ahead and do it! 

Why not try Whole30 Yourself?!?!

I know  a lot of my friends wanted me to really tell the truth here so others could realize they are not alone in these types of feelings, so that is what I tried to do here.  If you are doing Whole30 now, good luck and keep up the hard work, it will be worth it!  If you are considering doing it, please just try it...it's only 30 days! You can do anything for 30 days!  I will post from time to time on my next Whole30 and then will post another final update on my Whole 60.

A special thanks to all my friends and family that have supported me over the last 30 days!!! I really appreciate it and <3 you all :)

Whole30 Day 30

Whole30 Day 30

YAY!!!!!!!!! It's Day 30!!!! Whooohooo!!!

I thought I might want to splurge and go off plan for dinner to celebrate but didn't at all.  I haven't been thinking about going to buy cheese or chocolate or even wine...so weird! However, I don't think I have everything completely down yet.  Also, I do have a considerable amount of weight to lose and have yo-yo'ed with weight over the last two years.  In the book, it says some people might need a Whole45 or Whole60 to have everything really click.  So I have decided to do a Whole60 so starting tomorrow I'm starting another 30 days! YAY!  I won't blog everyday, like I did with this 30 days, but will still be posting about my upcoming trainings and will definitely update throughout the 30 days.

Tomorrow, I'll post a wrap up blog with all the information everyone really wants to know :)

Exercise

I decided to take a rest day today.  

I had a massage appointment scheduled for today and it was wonderful! 

It was nice to reward myself with something non-food related :)

Food

Meal #1
Eggs, sweet potato, bacon and salad.

Meal #2
Tuna salad, avocado and apple with almond butter.

Meal #3
Meatloaf, asparagus, salad and applesauce.

Whole30 Day 29

Whole30 Day 29

Last night I had a crazy dream! I was sitting in a closet hiding from Lee eating animal crackers.  I do not eve like animal crackers! haha Lee found me and I was so embarrassed I had not made it through the Whole30.  Then I woke up and thought it was true for a few minutes until I realized it was only a dream, geez!

I had a lot more energy today than I have the last few weeks.  I think some of the good stuff that is supposed to kick in for most people around the middle of Whole30 is just now starting to kick in for me.  In the book, they say it could take someone a Whole45 or Whole60 to really start seeing the benefits.  I will address this more later...

I had a friend ask if I would add more about how I felt during the Whole30 and I definitely will in my last write-up about it.  It is hard to think of things to say day by day but am going to spend some time thinking about how the last 30 days as a whole have gone and will definitely report back :)

Exercise

I got up this morning and did a 45 minute advanced yoga flow with an app I downloaded for free on my phone.  It was super challenging and I was exhausted by the time I was done! I also did about 45 minutes of gentle yoga with my friend Lisa after work today before a meeting.  We did super deep stretches and hip openers.  It was nice to just do a gentle but still challenging practice.  YAY!

Food

Meal #1
I woke up super hungry today!
Eggs, bacon, sweet potato and salad.

Meal #2
Tuna salad, avocado, carrots and an orange.

Meal #3 (1 of 2)
Salad greens, pecans, apples and oil/balsamic.

Meal #3 (2 of 2)
Smoked salmon with cucumbers. 

Whole30 Day 28

Whole30 Day 28

Last night I didn't sleep too well.  Our power went out around 3:00 a.m. and me, mom and gram were up for awhile then.  Luckily, the power was back on within a couple hours so we didn't lose the groceries we just bought.  We went out for one last meal for lunch before mom and gram left town.  Then I did some food prep for the week because I have something going on a few nights this week.  Then I did something I never do, napped!!! It was glorious!!! 

Exercise

I was hoping I would work later tonight, but I didn't, I was so exhausted so I just decided to listen to my body and wait until tomorrow. 

Food

Meal #1
Most ridiculous meal in life.  My family got McDonald's
for breakfast.  I didn't really feel like cooking so I just
warmed up two all beef  hot dogs (Applegate brand)
and we laughed that it looked like a smile with my grapefruit :)
So I gave it a pecan nose! I had a side salad too.  

Meal #2 (2 of 2)
Grilled catfish and applesauce. 

Meal #2 (1 of 2)
Side salad with cucumbers,
oil and vinegar.

Meal #3
Left over burgers topped with avocado.
Side salad and asparagus.