I worked really hard last summer (July-ish) to lose weight and lost 5-6lbs. I was under my "scary weight" and felt good. Then BAM. The flood. The gym closed and we were busy with all kinds of clean up and stress and all that it takes to recover as a city. Then we worked out remotely from another gym, but I was so busy that I only worked out 2x per week compared to 5x per week. Plus my workout partner, affectionately known as Sparky, bailed for a few months to take care of family. Add in the holidays and well ladies and gentlemen, you have another natural disaster on your hands.
I'm about to turn the big 4-0 in a couple of months and I vowed to be under my scary weight before then. In comes a friend who encouraged me to try Whole30. She was starting it for the second time because she too wanted to lose a little more weight and kick her bad habits that snuck back in.
Here's about how it went...
I leave the gym completely motivated. I mean I can eat what she had for breakfast (steamed broccoli and eggs). I can totally do it if it's going to "melt off" [her words]. I'm totally in! Plus all I have to do is buy the book versus counting points, watching portions in boxes, pretending to give something up for a day or two or whatever it is I've tried in the past.
Off I go practically skipping through the Barnes and Noble parking lot. Totally got this.
I ask the guy at the counter where the book is and shocker, it's January and thus on the book display. I thought, hmmm, maybe I should skim this to understand the gist so I know if I need any extra prep tomorrow.
I sit peacefully, with my Starbucks' mocha and start reading...I'm glad it was in a corner because I'm sure my face began to contort in all kinds of ugly ways as I read the heart of it.
30 days of...
No sugar of any kind. [OK I expected this one]
No alcohol [ouch that will cut deep]
No legumes [sheesh!]
No bread [yeah, expected this one too]
No chemicals like MSG [umm, OK]
No dairy [really!? what kind of program is this!?]
I try to tell myself it can't be that bad so I keep reading. The more I read and drank my delicious sugary, chocolate coffee, the more I thought: Not no but hell no!
I put the book down and walked out. Pretty sure there was a fast sprint to the car.
I phone a friend, tell her what happened for sympathy. She too had just read up on the program and said the same thing - Nope. I feel better.
Later that same night another friend pops over who happened to have also done the program and convinced me that it wasn't as bad as it seems. It's hard but it actually really helped her change her lifestyle to make much better choices. She's also lost weight and kept it off.
The torment! The torture! The conversation in my head was sort've like this:
Can I?
Nope. Yes you can. No you can't. The wine alone will be hard enough much less the dairy, bread and sugar!
Then in true fashion I just fold and decide to think about it in the morning and say a little prayer for guidance.
The next morning I feel so sluggish. Sort've gross. Disappointed I had indulged too much the night before on things that were clearly not helping with weight loss. THAT'S IT!
I buy the book and off we go.
Wednesday was Day 1. I knew if I was going to commit it was now or never...or I would talk myself out of it. Plus I wanted to be done by Valentine's Day and in time to go visit some Besties in Raleigh to celebrate their 4-0.
Here's a glimpse of my first day...
This is what I used to eat for breakfast (plus 2 cups of coffee with a little cream and sugar in the raw):
It's sad but true. An unfrosted strawberry pop-tart is one of the few things that I can eat that doesn't make me want to vomit during a workout...so they just sort've stuck.
But yesterday, this was my breakfast (and I wasn't working out):
It was two hard boiled eggs mixed with fresh (practically homemade) mayo, salt, pepper and mustard powder; hot tea with lemon; steamed spinach with lemon juice and water. I figured out that I DO NOT LIKE coffee with just coconut milk. So tea it was.
For lunch I had the following:
Small spinach salad with a hard boiled egg, almond slivers and homemade vinaigrette; roasted purple potatoes and a small hamburger cooked on the skillet. It was very delicious and I must say, satisfying.
For dinner I tweaked my cottage pie recipe and instead of using instant potatoes I used real that had clarified butter, salt, pepper and unsweetened almond milk. I also skipped the corn starch in the beef mixture.
It was almost as delicious as the original recipe (let's face it - roasted garlic and Parmesan potatoes taste better than the simple version). I ate this again for lunch today as a matter of fact.
Did I snack? A little. When I craved something sweet I had an apple or an orange. I think I ate 2 small tangerines and an apple yesterday. I drank Lacroix if I wanted a fizzy drink and unsweetened tea if I wanted something with flavor. But generally I just drank water.
I did try black coffee with unsweetened almond milk today and it was tolerable. Not great but it gave me the satisfying coffee I needed.
I also worked out today and thought I was going to pass out. My body is literally in shock. It was screaming "I NEED A POP-TART! WHERE ARE MY CARBS!?" as I tried to swing a kettle bell and push a prowler. But I'm assured that this passes as my body learns to use it's fat storage and the better foods I'm eating instead of the quick carbs I usually feed it.
Anyone else tried it? I know you're not supposed to weigh-in but I'm totally weighing on Wednesday. I need the motivation. I even have a little calendar where I'm checking off the days.
If you've tried it, I'd love to hear your journey and how you felt at the end!
Stay tuned! I'm sure this will be a physical AND emotional journey!
