Hello everyone! We are proud to announce a new addition to our link up - Winter! She has been linking up with us from the beginning so we are pleased to have her on board! Go check her out :)
Also, a special thanks to Erin @ Love, Fun, & Football for making our beautiful new button!
Quickly, the weigh in:
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 189.6
This week: 189.0
Change: -0.6
Total Loss: -47.2
Not a big loss this week which I think is a mostly due to bloating/water weight. Maybe that means a big loss is coming up soon :) Not gonna stress it!
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So this is the last part of my Whole30 wrap up - what happened after it was all over. If you haven't read Part I and Part II, there are the links! If you're interested in what Whole30 is, you can read all about it at their website.
The week that I finished my Whole30, I had 5 exams/practicals. Let's just say the rubber band snapped back REALLY hard. Originally it had been my intention to either keep going with the Whole30 plan or to slowly reintroduce the different food groups (dairy, grains, legumes, etc.) in order to tease out whether any of these things were a source of problems for me. Well, when you fail to plan ahead, you plan to fail.
I failed big time.
I was staying at school late to study (I never do this...I like my sleep!), snacking between meals and relying heavily on caffeine to get me through. I tried my best to make good choices (salads, fruits, limiting bad snacks) but there were a few times I had to grab food on the run or I just didn't have the energy to cook. We ordered pizza, I grabbed Panera once or twice, etc.
As you can imagine, by the end of the week (which included a trip to Louisville for a Bachelorette party immediately after my exams were over), I was exhausted and my body was angry at me. I never had a sudden "bad" reaction to reintroducing some of the foods I had removed from diet but overall I just felt bad. Like bloated, sluggish, and gross. If I remember correctly, I was still rehabbing my back at the time (more about this in a future post) so I wasn't allowed to run and I didn't go to all my Crossfit classes that week either. Woof.
Like I said, the rubber band snapped back. After that hell week, things did get much better. Now I would say I'm eating about the same as I was before starting the Whole30 - about 80% healthy, 20% "not-clean."
I do want to tighten things back up and focus on losing the last bit of extra weight so that I can shift my focus to new goals. I'm really getting tired of the whole "weight loss" mentality - I just want to be at a healthy weight already!
The scale is beginning to mean less and less to me and I'm starting to realize that I can set really cool goals for myself that don't include getting to a certain weight. Crazy, I know. Like maybe I'm capable of more than just burning X amount of calories. Maybe I can run faster and lift heavier. Maybe I can push and pull my own body weight around and still have energy to do the things I want and need to do during the day. Our bodies are pretty darn cool so why have I been limiting myself for all these years, viewing nutrition and working out as some form of punishment?
So to sum up the end of Whole30:
What has changed
The week that I finished my Whole30, I had 5 exams/practicals. Let's just say the rubber band snapped back REALLY hard. Originally it had been my intention to either keep going with the Whole30 plan or to slowly reintroduce the different food groups (dairy, grains, legumes, etc.) in order to tease out whether any of these things were a source of problems for me. Well, when you fail to plan ahead, you plan to fail.
I failed big time.
I was staying at school late to study (I never do this...I like my sleep!), snacking between meals and relying heavily on caffeine to get me through. I tried my best to make good choices (salads, fruits, limiting bad snacks) but there were a few times I had to grab food on the run or I just didn't have the energy to cook. We ordered pizza, I grabbed Panera once or twice, etc.
As you can imagine, by the end of the week (which included a trip to Louisville for a Bachelorette party immediately after my exams were over), I was exhausted and my body was angry at me. I never had a sudden "bad" reaction to reintroducing some of the foods I had removed from diet but overall I just felt bad. Like bloated, sluggish, and gross. If I remember correctly, I was still rehabbing my back at the time (more about this in a future post) so I wasn't allowed to run and I didn't go to all my Crossfit classes that week either. Woof.
Like I said, the rubber band snapped back. After that hell week, things did get much better. Now I would say I'm eating about the same as I was before starting the Whole30 - about 80% healthy, 20% "not-clean."
I do want to tighten things back up and focus on losing the last bit of extra weight so that I can shift my focus to new goals. I'm really getting tired of the whole "weight loss" mentality - I just want to be at a healthy weight already!
The scale is beginning to mean less and less to me and I'm starting to realize that I can set really cool goals for myself that don't include getting to a certain weight. Crazy, I know. Like maybe I'm capable of more than just burning X amount of calories. Maybe I can run faster and lift heavier. Maybe I can push and pull my own body weight around and still have energy to do the things I want and need to do during the day. Our bodies are pretty darn cool so why have I been limiting myself for all these years, viewing nutrition and working out as some form of punishment?
So to sum up the end of Whole30:
What has changed
- No soda - I haven't had diet soda in two months now which I'm pretty excited about. I couldn't have done it without La Croix which is carbonated water with natural flavors (my favorites are Berry & Lemon but I love them all!).
- More veggies & fruit - I NEVER thought I would get to the point where I grabbed an apple or some carrots with guacamole over traditional "snack" foods (like a cookie or chips) but I have. I feel like that's a HUGE accomplishment from where I used to be.
- A little more meat in my diet. I was never a big meat person growing up and the meats I do like tend to be overly processed things like sausage and salami. With the Whole30, I started to embrace good quality beef and bison as well as chicken. Currently I typically have 3-4 oz of meat twice a day so it's not a huge amount by any means but it's enough to keep me full and satisfied. Still, I don't like meat to be the center of the show. I really try to make sure I have more veggies and carbs on my plate than meat.
- Fewer cravings/Less emotional attachment to food
- I used to get food cravings 24/7. During the 30 days, that all but disappeared which was a huge shock to me. I expected to feel awful, to detox heavily or crave everything. Instead, I found myself looking forward to my meals but not craving something more. Now, I feel like I'm much more in control over my food choices and I can more easily make appropriate choices. I don't feel deprived if I don't get another treat and I also don't feel like I'm going to go off the wagon or worse, binge, if I allow myself something "off plan."
- Quality of food is more important than ever. When possible, I really try to avoid junky food that's filled with sugar and lots of fillers. I try to get the best eggs possible (pastured, cage free, etc) and do my best to find grass-fed/finished red meat and ethically sourced chicken. Organic produce when we can afford it. Overall, food that is REAL and animal products that are as sustainably and ethically produced as possible. We aren't perfect by any means but we try.
- Three meals a day instead of 4-6 meals/snacks. I think the whole "keep your metabolism going by eating every 2-3 hours" thing just doesn't make much sense to me from a biochemical stand point. Regardless of the science, it's not ideal for me. It encourages me to graze and it's not practical from a lifestyle standpoint either. Nope, three squares a day plus the occasional snack.
- Limited dairy/grains - This has been me since Day 1 of this blog. I'm not convinced that I have any specific intolerances to these items so I don't see a reason to NEVER eat them again. But I will continue to limit them to special occasions and not make them part of my every day diet. There's nothing I get from either of these food sources that I can't get from other more nutrient dense foods.
- Still tracking macros/calories. Sorta. Someone asked if I followed my macros during Whole30. The answer is no, at least not in the IIFYM sense of things. I still continue to track my intake on MFP but I just use it as a general guideline now to keep myself around a certain goal and to make sure I'm not overdoing it. I don't have the willingness to count specific macros - I think it triggers bad behaviors and restrictive thinking so best for me to keep it loosy goosey.
- Keeping it simple. No points, no specific macros, no complicated formulas or crazy diets. I'm staying within a specific calorie goal that I vary based on my activity for the day. Running/lifting? maybe a little more. Lazy study day? Maybe a little less. My methodology? I guess you could say I'm "Paleoish." I'm eating good sources of protein, TONS of veggies, moderate fruit and carbs, and healthy fats. And sometimes I'll have a little ice cream or chocolate. I want to enjoy my life but I also need to zip things up again.
- I would love to lose the last 20-30 lbs (depending on where my body decides to go) before I start rotations in July. I know the stress of starting a new part of my life will not be conducive to weight loss so if I can get to maintenance by then, that would be optimal.
Size 12 jeans! Wahoo!
- Resuming half marathon training after 6 weeks of physical therapy on my low back. I still plan to run my half in May so I'm working my way back up!
First run after being put on hold for a month!
- Continuing my Crossfit journey!
- Studying for my board exams that I take in June and surviving the last few months of second year.
- Prepping for our belated honeymoon to Seattle after boards! (So I wanna look and feel my best!)
I LOVE your raybans. What style are they?
ReplyDeleteSize 12?! Woman, you're rocking it!!!! :)
Thank you for saying what you did about three meals a day. I was starting to feel like I was the only one not on the 5-6 meal/day bandwagon. I like occasional snacks, but I did feel like having 5-6 meals a day just makes me think about food all day. And when I think about it...I want it.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. They say stretch your meals...I say how? Eat half a sandwich then the other half 2 hours later? LOL
ReplyDeleteAwesome job staying away from soda! So many aren't willing to give it up then wonder why they're not losing.
ReplyDeleteGreat job overall with the Whole 30! It's quite an accomplishment. I'm with you on the 3 meals a day. I can't do the tiny meals. I want to be full.
ReplyDeleteHi, I was trying to edit my link, but every time I click the little trash can, a giant Pinterest button comes up instead. Can someone help me? I just wanted it to say "50 lbs lost!-Jebbica @ Jebbica's World". I'm a little excited about this big milestone...thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDelete