My Whole21 - Days 14 through 21

I did it!  Here's the recap of my last week (plus):

Sunday, Day 14 - We ate dinner at my parents' house and spiedies were on the menu.  Spiedies are a dish from Binghamton, NY where we used to live and I knew the marinade wasn't compliant but didn't want to not eat the meal my mom prepared, which was compliant otherwise.  I'm not sure if the barleygrass & wheatgrass in the Green Machine juice I drank are Paleo or not, the internet seems undecided, but standing in Wawa looking at the all treats that I really wanted and controlling myself was a win.  The juice was a delicious treat on our way home from the mountains, with a green kick to boot.  I need to focus on NO cheats this week!

Monday, Day 15 - Went to two different grocery stores to stock up for the week.  I was supposed to cook a new recipe tonight, but by the time I got home I didn't feel like.  I found some Whole30 compliant chicken sausage at Trader Joe's, so that made for a quick dinner.  I never liked sauerkraut in the first 25 years of my life, but apparently I like it now!

Tuesday, Day 16 - I was very tired after lunch, but not sure why!  And then my head started to hurt.  I started to go downhill throughout the afternoon and by the time I got home I felt terrible.  I laid on the couch and took a short nap while Dave made dinner.  He even made the recipe that I was planning to make that night!  What a guy!  After I ate dinner, I took a two hour nap on the couch.  Then I woke up and went to bed.

Wednesday, Day 17 - No headache today, thank goodness!

Thursday, Day 18 - Very tired around 2:30 pm.  I'm not sure why I've been feeling like this :(  Arrived at my parents' house to a fresh baked cake on the counter, a bowl of mixed cookie dough in the fridge, and candy everywhere.  I was seriously dying over the temptation.

Friday, Day 19 - I think I got more pork at DiNic's by ordering a bowl instead of a sandwich!  Wishing I could've hit up the Amish desserts at the Reading Terminal Market, but I survived!

Saturday, Day 20 - More of the same, I had to practice some serious self control when everyone was eating nachos and boneless wings at Applebee's.  However, my sister left the restaurant feeling "SO FULL" and I felt just right.

Sunday, Day 21 - I survived 21 days of clean eating!  I took my "after pictures" and then ate a brownie at 10 pm!  It was so delicious but it definitely threw my stomach for a loop.  I didn't really have stomach pain, I just felt kind of bloated and I was very aware of my stomach experiencing the brownie.  The brownie didn't taste "too sweet" as I thought it might, it tasted exactly how I remembered brownies tasting aka oh.so.amazing!  I'm not sure why I thought eating a sugar bomb at 10 pm was a good idea, because I could NOT fall asleep.

I still can't believe I did it!  Overall, my Whole21 was a great experience, I learned a lot, lost some weight, and tried a bunch of new recipes.  Stay tuned for a summary of my results and some before and after pictures!

Have you ever given up some of your favorite foods?

Double Date at the Auto Show!

Friday night, as the snow was coming down hard and everyone seemed to be stuck in traffic somewhere, we were on the train headed into the city. Our night started out with some delicious pork from DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market. Karisa and Frank met us there and then we all headed to the Philly Auto Show! We drooled over luxury cars, rumbled through a terrain course in a Jeep, almost lost our hearing in the DUB section (apparently big wheels go hand in hand with big speakers!), and the boys furthered their bromance.

I had never been to a car show before and we had a blast!  But it definitely made me want to go buy a new car... and not one in my price range ;)

Today is the last day of my Whole21!  I made it!  I will definitely be posting more about my last week and my results, but for now go like my new Facebook page!

Have you ever been to an auto show?  What's your dream car?

My Whole21–Days 7 through 13

Day 13 and guess what, I’m feeling great!  Here’s the recap for the past week:

Sunday, Day 7 - Buffalo chicken, french onion, and beer cheese dips were all in my house and I did NOT eat them!!!! Victory! I was super close to abandoning my diet completely (seriously), but I held strong. I’m not sure if I'm eating too much sugar via fruit but it’s still better than the peppermint bark that Dave keeps eating.  Enter the green eyed monster!

Monday, Day 8 – So much chocolate at work, driving me crazy! I tried making zucchini and squash "noodles" for the first time. They were ok as just a side, but will be better topped with something. Yay for trying new things in the kitchen!

Tuesday, Day 9 – I was fighting some serious cravings around 2 pm, and was trying to decide if I was actually hungry or not. I knew I was taking a fail with some canola oil in the pesto I had already purchased from TJ’s, but I was so bored with my meals and really wanted the pesto. I never made sweet potatoes before and I was surprised how much I liked them (especially with some cinnamon). Another easy recipe out of Practical Paleo.

Wednesday, Day 10 - Coffee free, 4 days in a row! Guess that's what happens when you get tons of sleep :) I've been searching the internet for some Whole30 support/recipes/etc. and I keep seeing everyone talk about eating sausage, but when I looked in Wegmans every.single.sausage had sugar listed in the ingredients. But I did some googling and learned that there are a ton of Applegate products that are Whole30 approved. I will be buying these next week, I want some sausage (and variety) in my life!

Thursday, Day 11 - Started the day off feeling awful, I should've gone to bed earlier and I was definitely feeling the lack of sleep. Coffee to the rescue! I was feeling slightly worried about going away this weekend but I knew planning ahead would be my best chance at success! I went to my first yoga class in a few months at a new-to-me studio. I loved the class and left feeling great.

Friday, Day 12 – I was slightly sore from yoga, but I felt so inspired that I did a few sun salutations before my shower in the morning. I really wanted to add chicken to my grocery store salad bar mix but I wasn't sure what it was cooked in and decided to skip it. I was super annoyed when the salad oil was a mix of EVOO and canola oil... really???

Saturday, Day 13 - I'm so glad I packed a bunch of food and snacks for my trip. I ended up eating some sugar and other crappy ingredients in the taco seasoning that we used for the ground beef, but the rest of the meal was Whole30 compliant. Oh well!

I feel so good!  I’m more than halfway through and I know I can finish this thing.  So many people are sick right now, but I’m feeling better than ever.  Eating clean is definitely paying off and my waist is looking tiny and I’m never hungry.  I’m spending the weekend up in the mountains with a small group of friends.  Today was literally a perfect day for skiing, I loved spending the day in the sunshine on the slopes.  I hope you’re having a great weekend!

What’s something healthy you did for yourself recently?

My Whole21–Days 1 through 6

So, you read about my crazy little 21 day experiment to try out the Whole30 program and you may be wondering… how’s it going?!

Monday, Day 1 - Easy, breezy.  I planned my meals ahead of time, didn't really face any serious temptations, and felt pretty normal.

Tuesday, Day 2 - I woke up feeling kinda blah, but I wasn't sure if it was the "carb flu" or if I was actually sick.  I'm not sure the carb flu comes with congestion/nasal crappiness, but it sure did match up with the Whole30 timeline!

Wednesday, Day 3 - I was still feeling kind of sick, but not too bad.  My day started at 4:50 am (to prep for some meetings at work) and I was still playing volleyball at 9 pm, so I guess I wasn't really feeling that bad.  The challenge of the day came during lunch when my boss wanted to head to Wawa and I knew I wasn't going to find anything to eat there (except maybe their most plain salad).  I suggested we check out Wegmans instead and I ended up getting a burrito bowl with shredded beef, onions and peppers, salsa, and guacamole.  I'm not exactly sure if everything was exactly Whole30 compliant, but I do know the beef was (it was the only thing with all the ingredients listed).  I was pretty jealous of the creamy soups, giant hoagies, and fresh cookies my coworkers picked out, but my burrito bowl did not disappoint.

Thursday, Day 4 - I woke up feeling better.  I had a meeting where I knew there would be donuts, so I brought a clementine and a banana.  My biggest test was after work at our company holiday happy hour, complete with an open bar and a ton of breaded and fried food.  It took everything I had to avoid the food at this happy hour!  It smelled amazing, everyone was eating it around me, and they had some of my favorites.  Everyone kept asking me why I was drinking water and then told me I was crazy.  Willpower success!

Friday, Day 5 - I was excited when my coworker suggest Chipotle and I could actually eat it.  Apparently every meat (and the fajita veggies) is cooked in soybean oil except for the carnitas, so that's what I got!  I was having some serious burrito envy (I want that cheese!) but I was surprised when I really enjoyed my bowl just how it was made.  Then came the chili cookoff that I helped set up... my coworkers prepared 11 different crockpots of chili and the aroma was mouthwatering.  But each one was either cooked in beer, contained sugar or soybean oil, or featured some beans.  I found 2 that only broke the rules with their beans and picked them out.

Saturday, Day 6 - I was already getting bored between all the recycled meals this week and the overuse of Frank's Red Hot.  To shake it up, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few of the missing ingredients from a recipe I've been wanting to try from my Practical Paleo cookbook (an awesome bridesmaid gift from Heather!) and it turned out really great!  This book has really helped to inspire me this week!  I love how simple the recipes are.

Here’s a summary:

Tomorrow I’m having an impromptu shindig at my house since it’s supposed to be 60 some degrees and I want to spend the day outside.  I told everyone I would provide burgers, but to bring a side or snack.  I know I’m going to be super bummed when my friends bring buffalo chicken dip and taco dip that I won’t be able to touch.  But (even though part of the program is to not step on a scale… oops) I may or may not be down 7.5 lbs already!  It’s only 21 days, I can do this!

Do you like to cook recipes out of cookbooks?

Kicking Off My Whole21!

Starting today, I am kicking off a 21 day challenge to start the new year off on the right foot!

What: The Whole30 Program!  As described on the website: eat real food - meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts, and seeds.  NO added sugar (of any kind real or artificial), alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, carrageenan/MSG/sulfites, or white potatoes.

Why: Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it.  So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?  Strip them from your diet completely.  Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button!

When: Monday 1/7 to Sunday 1/27, 21 Days

Why I'm only doing 21 days: Although I may be altering the effectiveness of the program by cutting it 9 days short, I want to set myself up to succeed.  I could've started earlier, but I gave myself a week long grace period after the new year to finish up all the holiday treats and to enjoy some events last weekend that were already scheduled and revolved around drinking.  I will be strict with the program for the next 3 weeks and then the last week of the month I have a winter social and a build your own pizza party, both of which events will include drinking.  Typing this out is making me feel like I just can't commit to the entire 30 day period (specifically the booze free portion), but I am just trying to make sure that I'm making a promise to myself that I actually intend to keep, I want to set myself up for success.  It's my first time doing anything this strict and I want to commit 100%, so I will start with 21 days and see how I feel after that.

Before thoughts: The holidays brought out my inner cookie monster! I stuffed my face with sugary treats, lots of carbs, and things I knew would have a negative impact on my body.  My skin broke out, my nails are brittle and peeling, and my tummy ballooned up with bloat.  There were multiple nights that I would lay in bed and listen to my tummy gurgle and know that it was a direct result of what I'd put into it.  I know how great my body can feel cutting out processed carbs and dessert treats, but I've never been this strict with my diet.  I want to see just how great my body can feel on nothing but real food!  I've never cut dairy out of the equation before and I'm praying that my complexion will be singing with the results.  The Whole30 website claims this will change your life... really?  Will it change mine?  I want to find out and I’ll be sharing my journey as I go!  So far, so good for day 1, except for the stupid piece of gum I mindlessly popped into my mouth at work, fail!  Oh well…

Have you ever done an elimination diet?  Did you ever cut something out of your diet and realized that you felt much better without it?