We reached the halfway mark for Whole30! YAY!
Since my last post, the belly pains/pangs, whatever you wish to call them, have started to subside and my sleep has gotten much, much better. I roll out of bed and I don't feel exhausted. I'm falling asleep great & waking up not hating life. Now if only I didn't kick my blankets of in the middle of the night and get so cold!
Meals
Meals are still pretty similar from day to day which I'm completely content with - as long as I get to eat, I'm happy. The one thing we still really miss is being able to go out to dinner. It is NOT easy to eat out especially because I'm not the type of person to ask for substitutions. I like to enjoy my dinner as the chef meant for it to be enjoyed (since I don't have an pressing dietary restrictions normally). Really it's kind of great because not being able to grab something quick has really forced us to be mindful when preparing & enjoying meals. We waste less groceries and we are spending less money (I think...). Win - win!
Challenges
We did decide to meet Nick's parents for lunch on Saturday at farm-to-table restaurant we've been to before. The compliant options were VERY slim. I had a salad topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions but it was sorely missing some protein like eggs, chicken, seeds, SOMETHING. Then we split a burger (no bun) which turned out to be a bad idea because we were both starving and cranky the whole way home.
I think the hardest part of Whole30 is the social aspect. It's really difficult to explain Whole30 to people who aren't doing it or don't know much about Paleo/food sensitivities, etc. It can get pretty frustrating.
I find it interesting that no one bats an eye when people adopt a more "conventional" approach to health/weight loss like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Advocare, Shakeology, etc. (the list continues) but as soon as you do something as RADICAL as eat real, whole food, it's just CRAZY! Like I said, I'm a little frustrated but I'm learning that I need to not worry what other people feel about it. It's working for me.
Everyone thinks about food SO differently. Some people view food simply as fuel - a means to get from A to B. Other view food as an experience - something to be enjoyed, savored, and constantly varied. Some have emotional attachments to food, others could just eat because they have to. To me, that highlights exactly why nutrition is difficult for us to understand and agree upon. It's really hard to see food as fuel, macros, calories, energy when it has so many other connotations. When I eat pizza, I associate it with memories of my Dad. When make certain meals, I'm reminder of dinner with family.
Successes
Slowly, because of Whole30, I'm learning to separate the emotions I feel towards and about food (everything from comfort to loneliness to guilt and worthlessness) and learn to nourish my body. Eat to perform and thrive, not to feed a craving or emotion.
One of the "tools" I've learned so far is simply to put things into perspective. Are you hungry or are you just bored/sad/lonely/happy? Hunger strikes. Would you be happy eating a piece of protein and vegetables or are you craving a cupcake or chips? If you say "I would eat chicken and broccoli" (or similar healthy pairing), you are truly hungry and should eat. If you say, "I want to dive head first into a box of Girl Scout cookies," there's probably something else going on that I should address. Maybe my body is craving a walk or I'm just thirsty. Maybe I should reach out to a friend/family member to chat, switch to another activity, or find a similar distraction. Food should not be the answer to everything!
Now that I've finally gotten to the "higher energy, more sleep, no belly pains" phase of Whole30, I'm starting to see increasing in my fitness level and changes in my body. I feel like things are tightening up overall. I'm seeing increasing in my strength, especially my upper body strength which is pretty dismal. - maybe I'll finally be able to do a real push up soon!
Other stuff
I'm working on rehabbing my back - I started a tapered steroid pack last week which helped tremendously and I started Physical Therapy on Tuesday. Last weekend I decided to take a few days off from activity which helped a lot, as well. We're working to strengthen my abs and fix my posture so I can protect my back and get full range of motion without pain.
I'm doing Crossfit as tolerated (so I modify where necessary) and I've been sticking to treadmill HIIT/interval workouts until I feel comfortable attempting a long run again. I'm hoping to do 5 or 6 miles this weekend and see how I feel. The weather really isn't helping my case at all because the last thing I want to do is run outside. Gotta suck it up :(
Since my last post, the belly pains/pangs, whatever you wish to call them, have started to subside and my sleep has gotten much, much better. I roll out of bed and I don't feel exhausted. I'm falling asleep great & waking up not hating life. Now if only I didn't kick my blankets of in the middle of the night and get so cold!
Meals
Meals are still pretty similar from day to day which I'm completely content with - as long as I get to eat, I'm happy. The one thing we still really miss is being able to go out to dinner. It is NOT easy to eat out especially because I'm not the type of person to ask for substitutions. I like to enjoy my dinner as the chef meant for it to be enjoyed (since I don't have an pressing dietary restrictions normally). Really it's kind of great because not being able to grab something quick has really forced us to be mindful when preparing & enjoying meals. We waste less groceries and we are spending less money (I think...). Win - win!
Challenges
We did decide to meet Nick's parents for lunch on Saturday at farm-to-table restaurant we've been to before. The compliant options were VERY slim. I had a salad topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions but it was sorely missing some protein like eggs, chicken, seeds, SOMETHING. Then we split a burger (no bun) which turned out to be a bad idea because we were both starving and cranky the whole way home.
I think the hardest part of Whole30 is the social aspect. It's really difficult to explain Whole30 to people who aren't doing it or don't know much about Paleo/food sensitivities, etc. It can get pretty frustrating.
I find it interesting that no one bats an eye when people adopt a more "conventional" approach to health/weight loss like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Advocare, Shakeology, etc. (the list continues) but as soon as you do something as RADICAL as eat real, whole food, it's just CRAZY! Like I said, I'm a little frustrated but I'm learning that I need to not worry what other people feel about it. It's working for me.
Everyone thinks about food SO differently. Some people view food simply as fuel - a means to get from A to B. Other view food as an experience - something to be enjoyed, savored, and constantly varied. Some have emotional attachments to food, others could just eat because they have to. To me, that highlights exactly why nutrition is difficult for us to understand and agree upon. It's really hard to see food as fuel, macros, calories, energy when it has so many other connotations. When I eat pizza, I associate it with memories of my Dad. When make certain meals, I'm reminder of dinner with family.
Successes
Slowly, because of Whole30, I'm learning to separate the emotions I feel towards and about food (everything from comfort to loneliness to guilt and worthlessness) and learn to nourish my body. Eat to perform and thrive, not to feed a craving or emotion.
One of the "tools" I've learned so far is simply to put things into perspective. Are you hungry or are you just bored/sad/lonely/happy? Hunger strikes. Would you be happy eating a piece of protein and vegetables or are you craving a cupcake or chips? If you say "I would eat chicken and broccoli" (or similar healthy pairing), you are truly hungry and should eat. If you say, "I want to dive head first into a box of Girl Scout cookies," there's probably something else going on that I should address. Maybe my body is craving a walk or I'm just thirsty. Maybe I should reach out to a friend/family member to chat, switch to another activity, or find a similar distraction. Food should not be the answer to everything!
Now that I've finally gotten to the "higher energy, more sleep, no belly pains" phase of Whole30, I'm starting to see increasing in my fitness level and changes in my body. I feel like things are tightening up overall. I'm seeing increasing in my strength, especially my upper body strength which is pretty dismal. - maybe I'll finally be able to do a real push up soon!
Other stuff
I'm working on rehabbing my back - I started a tapered steroid pack last week which helped tremendously and I started Physical Therapy on Tuesday. Last weekend I decided to take a few days off from activity which helped a lot, as well. We're working to strengthen my abs and fix my posture so I can protect my back and get full range of motion without pain.
Must run - I feel like I cannot catch up on ANYTHING these days. Emails, lectures, laundry - it's all a big mess. When will I ever feel caught up again?
I think the social part of any weight loss "diet" is tough. So much of our interaction with others is centered around food. Even if I get together with friends for an activity I want to follow up with some sort of meal/snack. Sounds like you are doing fantastic. Cute pic of you and your hubby!
ReplyDeleteUmm...the linkup is missing.
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite of you. I go to bed cold and wake up hot. You should ask your PT if they're familiar with the Alexander Technique to help your back and correct your posture.
ooh comfort eating and I go way back. I seriously need to work on that. I eat all my emotions. Happy or sad...food gets me through it. I should probably drink a big glass of water every time I want a cookie and see if that helps. I know I don't drink enough water :/
ReplyDeleteYour meals look great. I haven't come across too many people who are unsupportive of my Whole 30 so far. Mind you, I haven't told my family yet. But my friends are good. They were even googling things for me to eat one night when we were at a sushi restaurant... they didn't come up with anything except sashimi though :(
ReplyDelete