Guest Post: Heather's Whole30 Results!

More results people!  My friend Heather surprised me when she told me she was joining me for my April Whole30.  It's always fun when I learn that people read my blog (so feel free to leave some comments, you silent lurkers from Facebook)!  Please congratulate Heather and her husband because they rocked the Whole30 and earned some awesome results!  I'm so proud <3

I was never in terrible shape until I turned 21.  Being 21 led to Happy Hour every day after work, partying every weekend, eating greasy bar food plus whatever else I felt like eating.  This was my fiancé John and my lifestyle for a few years.  Awful, I know. I packed on the pounds and John never gained any weight at all.  He had a very physical job and played a lot of sports. We got married in October 2011 and shortly after, I learned I was pregnant.  I gained 33 pounds while pregnant and lost it soon after our little girl was born (July 2012).  I figured I would lose the rest eventually.  As our baby became more and more mobile, it hit me:  I do not want to be that Mom at the playground who is out of breath chasing her kid.  I don’t want to be so preoccupied with how I feel in my swim suit on family vacations that I’m hiding behind my towel instead of building elaborate sandcastles and splashing in the ocean with my child. Above all of that, I want to be around to see my baby grow up.  I knew I needed to make a change. 

I asked my husband if I could buy an elliptical with some of our tax return money.  I figured after our daughter goes to bed, I can use the elliptical while my hubby and I caught up on our favorite shows.  I bought my elliptical and lost 12 pounds the first month.  Meanwhile, I was continuing to read Amber’s blog and Sarah’s guest post.  I knew this was something I wanted to do.  I figured my husband would tell me “good luck” or “have fun with that” when I presented it to him.  To my surprise, he said he wanted to try the Whole30 with me.  (He got hurt at work back in July 2012 and has gained 50 pounds since then).  We began researching recipes and went grocery shopping. We gave all of our non-compliant foods to our neighbor (out of sight, out of mind).  We were ready!!

Let’s get right to the results.  In the month of April, I lost 17.8 pounds and 17.75 inches off of my body. John lost a total of 16.5 pounds and 10.5 inches! We are believers!! I experienced so many other benefits other than just losing weight…here are a few:

1. I slept like a rock!! This was the part of the Whole30 that I was excited about the most! My daughter has slept through the night since she was 3 months old; however, I almost always woke up several times every.single.night. UGH! If it wasn’t work I was thinking about, it was my sweet baby, family, and so on. During the month of April, I woke up every morning feeling refreshed and ready for anything!  
2. I was never hungry!! After reading Sarah’s post, I thought that this part could never work for me! I always thought I was eating such a healthy breakfast--Kashi Go-Lean Crunch or Total Raisin Bran. I was always starving by 9:30-10 and ate a snack at work. The same thing happened after lunch, around 2pm I had another snack. During the Whole30, I literally was never hungry between meals. I ate my 3 meals a day and sometimes a snack after dinner. That’s it. This was HUGE for John as well. He was the biggest snacker, especially at nighttime. He would eat leftovers from dinner, make sandwiches, etc. and that all has stopped!
3. I’ve never drank so much water!! The biggest thing I was worried about doing the Whole30 was giving up my diet green tea and diet coke (sooooo bad!) The more water I drank, the more I wanted it! We are finished the Whole30 and I haven’t had anything to drink other than water and coffee (well, maybe a few beers this past weekend!) :-)
4. My energy is through the roof!! I feel great and my energy levels remained even throughout the day. No more after lunch crash!!!
5. We have tried so many fantastic recipes!! As I have read in Amber AND Sarah’s posts, we also ate the traditional protein, starch and veggie combo every night for dinner. The Whole30 challenged our views on dinners and we tried recipes we would have never made before. Some of them we enjoyed so much, we are still making them. We tried new vegetables (I may have developed an obsession with fresh spinach which I never ate before), new spices, and John made his own compliant “ranch dressing” that he likes even more than regular ranch dressing now!
6. This has not been another “diet” but a true lifestyle change!! I went into this with the intention of making eating better a lasting part of my life. I also vowed to exercise every day of the Whole30 trying to make this a part of my routine. For the entire 30 days I did some sort of exercise. Whether it was walking on my lunch break, doing the elliptical or some days both, I did something every day. I find myself looking forward to my workouts now and feeling guilty if I don’t do it. YEAH!

There seriously have been so many benefits I could continue this list on and on. The website is right, the Whole30 changed my life. We went to a wedding this past Saturday and I was fully intending on eating whatever I wanted. I ended up filling my plate up with veggies, protein and had a salad. I did enjoy a delicious roll, but pre-Whole30 I would have eaten mostly carbs! I love the way my body feels and I want to keep fueling it with good, nutritious foods. I was able to go shopping for a new dress for this wedding and it was a few sizes smaller. Numerous people at the wedding commented on my weight loss. Co-workers, family, and friends have all commented on how much energy I have, my weight loss, and how my clothes are falling off of me. Since February, I am down 29.8 pounds. I have a lot more to go, but I am so proud of myself and think this is a terrific start! Thanks Amber for all of the inspiration and information on this incredible program. Also, thanks to Sarah for sharing your story. Both of you really made me want to give this my all.

Guest Post: Sarah’s Whole30 Results!

When my friend Sarah told me she was thinking about doing the Whole30, I was so excited for her!  I knew how hard it was going to be and also how rewarding and I wanted to be her support system!  I went on amazon and ordered her some books, sent her tons of links and googled her every question.  There were numerous texts and calls back and forth.  Well, yesterday was day 30 and I am so proud of her!  Congratulations Sarah!

It’s official. I completed my first Whole30, and what a journey it’s been (yes – I did say first, which means there are more to come in my future). Pre-Whole30, I was a two-a-day bagel, fast-food-when-I-don’t-feel-like-cooking, snacking queen who felt controlled by food cravings and addictions. My life revolved around my 10-month-old son and my husband’s crazy residency schedule, leaving little time to care for myself, and boy did it show.

When I started the Whole30, I was 2lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight, and just couldn’t get that weight off. I am proud to say that I blew those 2lbs out of the water, and lost a total of 16.5lbs; a whole 14.5lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight. BOOYAH. Not only did I lose weight, but I lost a total of 13 inches off my body – 1 in off my neck, 1 in off each arm, 2 in off my bust, 2.5 in off my muffin top, and the rest off various other places of my body. In addition to all the weight loss, there were a number of other benefits I got out of this cleanse –

(1) Skin improvement – I never struggled with acne, per se, but I never had clear, radiant skin. And now I do! Of course an occasional spot comes up here and there, but guess who doesn’t need foundation anymore? THIS GIRL!

(2) Sleep improvement – at one point in my life I had clinical insomnia, and I swear to God, there is nothing worse than that. I had been doing much better, and then all of a sudden I started having trouble with it again over the past few months. Whole30 started… I slept.like.a.ROCK. Almost immediately. No medication needed. Some of the best sleep I’ve had in my life.

(3) Medical reasons – being overweight comes with other issues. I recently found out that my fasting insulin level was TRIPLE what it should be. What does that mean you ask? That means I’m heading down the road to diabetes. Uhh, at 26 years old? You bet. That was the kick in the pants I needed to get my eating straight. I was hoping for follow up blood work to share with you, but unfortunately my doc didn’t pull through on that one. Once I have it though, I will share! I can’t imagine that my insulin level has done anything BUT improve.

There are a few other things that I’ve learned in addition to those mentioned above.

(1) Craving vs. hunger – Pre Whole30, 75% of my eating was driven by cravings. I can only say that with hindsight now. Had you asked me before, I would have said 25%. This journey has forced me to recognize the difference between those cravings and TRUE hunger, essentially by cutting out ALL the foods I was craving before – sugar, carbs and fast food. Sure, do I still want those foods? Absolutely. Will I still eat those foods? Sometimes. Do I still need those foods? No. Do you still need those foods? No.

(2) I eat a lot of what I feed my child. What do you call this? Mindless eating. Oh, I mushed a graham cracker too much; I’ll eat it instead of throwing it out. Whoops, put too many goldfish on your tray; I’ll eat some so you don’t put too many in your mouth. Honest to God, I had NO sense of how much I was eating when I fed my child until I intentionally stopped.

(3) Cooking shows did more for me than teach me how to cook – they made me CRAVE what I was seeing. As a new mom, I knew there were a lot of adult shows that I used to watch that I didn’t want to have on in front of my baby. So what other adult TV shows could I watch that would be fine to have on when Caleb was around? COOKING. OF COURSE. Sure, they’re fine for Caleb, but little did I know, they weren’t fine for me. I look back now and realize that a good portion of my snacking was mindless (ohh there’s that term again) eating that was catalyzed by looking at all the delicious food on the TV. OH! And just a little rant. Next time you watch TV, pay attention to HOW MANY food related commercials there are. SO MANY. No wonder this nation is obese…

(4) You can cook outside your comfort zone. I am as guilty as anyone else in the department of cooking the same crap night after night, week after week. It was what I was comfortable with. And clearly it wasn’t working for me. As evidenced by my weight, my inability to even run a mile, or still wearing some pregnancy clothes NINE MONTHS after being pregnant (wow that’s embarrassing to admit out loud) – take your pick. Clearly what I was doing wasn’t working, even though it was comfortable. The Whole30 forced me to embrace new fats, new proteins, new vegetables, new spices and seasonings – a WHOLE new thought process behind how to prepare a meal. I ALWAYS prepared your typical “protein, starch, vegetable” for dinner. And why not? I’ve been eating that my whole life. The Whole30 challenged me by saying “Why not skip the starch, and add another veggie?” “Why not make the protein or the vegetable the star of your meal?” So I did. And it was awesome. And I wasn’t hungry. WHAT!?! I wasn’t hungry??? Nope.

(5) You don’t need carbs to stay full. Or processed carbs at all for that matter. Take it from the carb queen of ALL carb queens, I was PISSED to give up carbs. Believe me, I fought it. I was cranky about it. I thought Amber was insane for even suggesting it. But you know what? I.did.it. and I wasn’t hungry. Sure, I dreamt about cupcakes and pizza, but I didn’t eat them, and my body feels AMAZING. If I can go 30 days without processed carbs, ANYONE can. Trust me on this one.

(6) You can eat bacon every day and lose weight. A lot of weight. You think I’m crazy, right? I am living, breathing testimony to this. I ate bacon EVERY DAY of the Whole30. I ate between 2 and 6 eggs EVERY DAY of the Whole30. And I lost 16.5lbs. It happened. Believe it. Oh, and did I mention that I BARELY exercised (maybe 1x/week) during this whole thing? Imagine the possibilities if I had!

All-in-all, the Whole30 was a good experience and definitely worth doing again when I’m feeling lethargic and crummy from what I’ve been eating. Or when I’m wanting to lose weight. Or when I want my skin to improve. Or my sleep to improve. Or hosts of other awesome benefits from the Whole30. Was it hard? Yes. Was it really hard? YES. Was it worth it? Absolutely. There are a lot of things I would suggest in order to succeed during the Whole30, but we’ll save that for another post.

‘Til next time, folks!


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Guest Post: Inspiration Saturday with Shayna

Happy Saturday everyone!  It's my mama's birthday, Happy Birthday Mom!

I have been blogging since June, can you believe it?  And can you believe in all this time I've never asked any of my awesome blogging friends to do a guest post?!  I just occurred to me the other day and I got really excited about the possibilities.  So without further adieu, here's a super inspirational guest post from my good friend Shayna who blogs over at Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times!  Thanks Shayna :)

 

What Will Happen to Your Body Today?

Being a Penn State alumna and fan, the only logical place for me to be on January 26^th, 2012 at 2 pm was watching TV (in my case, at Planet Fitness) to see Joe Paterno’s memorial service, and it didn’t disappoint.  I gained many new insights from the speeches about Joe’s life and legacy that day, but what has stuck with me the most is this quote:

“Is today going to be better or is it going to be worse? Because it’s not going to be the same”.

I love this. I aspire to think this every morning and to make the decision (then follow through on it) to make the day better! P.S. Yes, that was me crying on the elliptical- luckily, it’s the ‘judgment-free zone’. Phew. 

Okay, so I’ve decided to make today better. Now, how is that going to happen? The first step is to allow my body to work optimally so that I can enjoy the experience of the day.  My mom is a chiropractor and in her office while I was growing up, she had a bulletin board with little plastic letters which we changed weekly with a new healthy living quote.  At some point, the quote stopped changing and for awhile, we just kept this gem up there. It was worthy of its near-permanent status and will stick with me for life:

“If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?” ~Anonymous

Let’s think about this for a second.

So we want our bodies to function at their best in order to enjoy the day, each day, and create the life that we want for ourselves, then spread all kinds of goodness to others around us…right?  How do we do all of this?

I’ve been focusing on health in 2012 in a big way- eating better, training for the ODDyssey half marathon (inspired and motivated by Amber, a good friend since 5^th grade),  and gaining a new awareness about my body- and I plan to make this ‘health kick’ a habit that lasts a long time.  I was really honored last week when Amber contacted me asking if I would write a guest post for the blog, and have been thinking about what to write for days. Well, here it is. My words of wisdom?

“Hold yourself accountable for what happens to your body”. ~Me!

Think about the foods you take in, exercise/energy you send out, being proactive (as opposed to reactive) when it comes to your health, considering the words that you say and the things that you do, and even the ways in which you will treat your body/taste buds/muscles as part of your new routine.

I love the concept of accountability when it comes to health.  Another quote is actually coming to mind (gotta love good quotes). I was involved with the Jewish organization, Hillel, in college and while at a leadership conference one Summer, this one struck a chord in me:

“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” ~Rabbi Hillel

So today (not tomorrow), think about your goals to make each day the best it can be,  then figure out just one way in which you can hold yourself accountable for what happens to your body.  Once you start measuring and seeing progress, you’ll feel great and you’ll want to keep going. That’s how I started making some good choices for my body and losing 19 pounds between January and March this year. Crazy, right? 

The key is that you already know what changes you should make (I did), and in most cases, you already know how to do them. It’s just a matter of kicking your butt into gear, writing goal-reaching activities into your schedule and holding yourself accountable for your body. SO GO FOR IT! You can do it :)

Here are a few ways to mark your progress and hold yourself accountable:

1. Foods you take in- Remember, everything in moderation. Set a goal to cut back, but not necessarily to cut out what you love completely.  Log it. If you have an iPhone or another smartphone, you can download an app called MyFitnessPal for free and log your breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, water intake, cardio and strength exercise each day. It’s an accountability tool masked as a calorie counting calculator and it’s been a great one for me. Another way to measure healthy eating habits over time? Hop on a scale- I’d recommend just once a week (try it on a Monday for great over-the-weekend motivation to keep yourself on track)- and log your progress toward your weight goals. When you feel good, see #5 below.

2. Exercise/Energy you send out- MyFitnessPal is good for this too, but I’ve also been keeping a copy of my Training Plan for the ½ marathon taped up on the wall in my room and I’ve been logging progress with each run.  I love writing on the plan after a good run and adding up my miles at the end of each week. I also started logging the miles on my new sneakers when I bought them and it’s amazing to watch that number go up. Signing up for a 5k, a run, a walk, a class or another exercise-related event (especially with friends, and ESPECIALLY when a monetary downpayment is involved) is amazing motivation.  

   Sending energy outward can also include sending good thoughts and wishes to people who are close to you. What kind of energy are you sending out into the universe? My fiance, Kyle, and I have been trying to live with a ‘change your mind, change your life’ mindset. Not happy with something or someone? Change your own mind about the situation, look at it a different way and decide to make it better; it could change your life (or at least your perception of life)! Oh, and after you send out energy (exercise or otherwise), see #5. 

3. Being Proactive as opposed to Reactive- Feeling like something’s a little off with your body? Not sure what ‘normal’ should be? Do some research, visit a doctor, get testing done (and ask for copies for your own records) and get to know your body. After all, it’s the only one you’re going to get. Take care of it and if something doesn’t seem right, you know what you should do. Make a list of what needs to be done, then do it.  When everything’s checked off, see #5.

4. Consider What You Say and Do (and the information that others send you)- What goes around comes around. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Be respectful. Don’t trash talk other people. Use your good judgment and your heart. Listen. Think. Take in any information that you feel is useful toward your goals. Let go of anything that does not align with your new lifestyle. Find mentors, teachers, heroes and role models of healthy living. Ask questions, observe, imitate in any way that jives with you, and have fun. Yeah, and make sure you see #5! 

5. Treat Yourself- Here it is! After all this hard work, allow your body to feel good. Eat dessert, get a massage, play a game, go out with friends, sit around and relax, have fun, get a manicure/pedicure, watch a movie, go for a walk, just enjoy. Don’t forget this step- it’s very important. If needed, plan treats into your schedule because you deserve them. 

After all, we all want today to be better than yesterday. So how will you hold yourself accountable for your body today?