Now that I am only 4 pounds from my initial goal, I need to start focusing on my body as well as healthy eating. My daughter and I recently talked about the phrase that is often used by weight lifters - Skinny Fat. I hate that phrase. In some ways it sounds like those who use it believe that their journey for a healthy lifestyle is better, harder, more meaningful than those who do not work out. I also hate it because I think that those who use it to describe themselves are more prone to overdo which can lead to all kinds of eating disorders like over-exercising. That having been said, I do realize that I need some sort of regular exercise regimen.
So here are the first steps in that direction. Due to the fact that I'm totally addicted to running, I have decided to start racing a little more regularly. To that end I have finished my first 10K. I thought it was appropriate that my first virtual race benefit the American Lung Association. I didn't set any records, but I did it. I am also training for a half marathon that I will run in December. As part of the training I do long runs on Saturday, I ran 7 miles this past week and will run 8 this Saturday. In order to improve my time and to be able to go the distance I need to do some strength training. Every summer I teach summer school with the idea of using the money for something special. Last year I painted and refurnished my living room and bedroom. This summer I am putting together a home gym, complete with some miniature equipment for the grandkids. At this point my little gym contains a mini stepper, resistance bands, some hand weights, a couple of kettle bells, a yoga mat, TV and DVD player for workout videos and a mini fridge for water. After reviewing circuit trainers I think I have decided on one and will be adding it next week.
Finally, I am doing a little "vanity" work. My daughter and I are doing a 30 day butt challenge and I am doing a 21 day arm challenge. Unlike when my journey began, this time I am doing before pictures and measurements so that I can really see the progress that I am hoping to make.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
80/20
So I have now done my first 30 at 80/20 lifestyle.
Weight Lost: 6 pounds
Total loss: 56 pounds
I have to be honest here and admit that I ate more like 96/4. I still find it difficult to eat things that are not Whole30 compliant. After doing my first month of 80/20 I needed to decide what my forever food lifestyle would be; I came up with the following:
1. When eating with a group of people, do my best to stay clean, but don't talk about it to the others
2. When eating at someone's home, I would eat whatever was offered
3. I am a teacher and teachers are notorious for eating all the time, potlucks, happy hours... When deciding who would bring what to a Summer School potluck recently I overheard someone say, "Don't ask Jefferies. She never participates." So rule #3 is always participate in school activities and don't focus on what I should or should not be eating, just eat the bad stuff in moderation.
The bottom line is that I love what I am eating. I love playing around with different recipes and I love how I feel.
Weight Lost: 6 pounds
Total loss: 56 pounds
I have to be honest here and admit that I ate more like 96/4. I still find it difficult to eat things that are not Whole30 compliant. After doing my first month of 80/20 I needed to decide what my forever food lifestyle would be; I came up with the following:
1. When eating with a group of people, do my best to stay clean, but don't talk about it to the others
2. When eating at someone's home, I would eat whatever was offered
3. I am a teacher and teachers are notorious for eating all the time, potlucks, happy hours... When deciding who would bring what to a Summer School potluck recently I overheard someone say, "Don't ask Jefferies. She never participates." So rule #3 is always participate in school activities and don't focus on what I should or should not be eating, just eat the bad stuff in moderation.
The bottom line is that I love what I am eating. I love playing around with different recipes and I love how I feel.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Turning 60
To this point I have mostly focused on eating, not dieting, eating. My doctor does not want me to lose any more weight, but I have not reached my goal of 60 pounds, so I'm going to try an 80/20 lifestyle until I can decide what I want to do. However, eating is only part of the solution to a healthy life. I have also begun running. I have no problem getting into the clothes and shoes and hitting the trail or street, but I can't get the running vs. walking part down. So, as a series of gifts to myself I am going to do the following over the course of the next month. 1) work on my lungs 2) begin C25K running program 3) register for a 10K (I did a 5K in March) 4) purchase an elliptical machine for the days that it is too hot to run during daylight hours.
I Must Be In the Wrong Room
Round 4
I have now completed four rounds of 30. I am just a couple of weeks away from turning 60 and when I realized the potential for losing a great deal of weight with this new lifestyle, I considered that it was possible to lose 60 by 60. The results for round 4 are:
Weight loss this 30: 12 lbs
Total loss: 50 lbs
See, totally doable. And then I went for my bi-annual blood work. You would have to know my doctor to really appreciate this visit and even that is no guarantee that you would. My sister is not a fan of his. But here is a rundown of what happened.
Every visit begins, as I'm sure it does with most doctors, with a weigh-in and, blood pressure and temperature check. Everything was good and the nurse commented on my weight loss. She ushered me to a room telling me that the doctor would be with me shortly.
After a few minutes the door opened and there stood Dr. J, laptop in hand as it always is. He peeked into the room, look at his computer and professed to be in the wrong room. Without closing the door, he stepped back into the hallway and spoke to an unseen person. "What room did you say Ms. Jefferies was in, because she is not in this one." He turned back to me and asked who I was. I knew that he knew, but I played along.
"Joy, um Jefferies."
Looking at his computer again he said, "Nope, I'm looking at a picture of her from about 9 months ago and you look nothing like this picture." With that he came into the room and begin the medical visit in earnest.
He marveled at my blood pressure, which is honestly usually pretty good. He inquired as to how I was losing the weight and he asked about what kind of exercise I was doing. He imputed some information into the computer, turned to me and said, "Well, first off you do not need to lose any more weight. He said that my BMI was 19.5 and should not go any lower. Secondly, he said that I needed to have a bone scan as weight lose and age can weaken the bones. He ended the visit by telling me that it was the best exam and evaluation he had ever done on a patient. He even went to far as to say if he was grading me on health I'd get an A+. I've never had a doctor talk to me like that. It felt good.
Before I could leave I had to have blood drawn to check my thyroid, I'm hypothyroid. As I wanted for the lab tech, all three nurses in the practice came into the room to confirm that what Dr. J had told them about me was true and to congratulate me on the good work. It's nice to have family and friends tell you that you are doing a good job, but when you hear it from medical people, it is pretty cool in a different way.
I have now completed four rounds of 30. I am just a couple of weeks away from turning 60 and when I realized the potential for losing a great deal of weight with this new lifestyle, I considered that it was possible to lose 60 by 60. The results for round 4 are:
Weight loss this 30: 12 lbs
Total loss: 50 lbs
See, totally doable. And then I went for my bi-annual blood work. You would have to know my doctor to really appreciate this visit and even that is no guarantee that you would. My sister is not a fan of his. But here is a rundown of what happened.
Every visit begins, as I'm sure it does with most doctors, with a weigh-in and, blood pressure and temperature check. Everything was good and the nurse commented on my weight loss. She ushered me to a room telling me that the doctor would be with me shortly.
After a few minutes the door opened and there stood Dr. J, laptop in hand as it always is. He peeked into the room, look at his computer and professed to be in the wrong room. Without closing the door, he stepped back into the hallway and spoke to an unseen person. "What room did you say Ms. Jefferies was in, because she is not in this one." He turned back to me and asked who I was. I knew that he knew, but I played along.
"Joy, um Jefferies."
Looking at his computer again he said, "Nope, I'm looking at a picture of her from about 9 months ago and you look nothing like this picture." With that he came into the room and begin the medical visit in earnest.
He marveled at my blood pressure, which is honestly usually pretty good. He inquired as to how I was losing the weight and he asked about what kind of exercise I was doing. He imputed some information into the computer, turned to me and said, "Well, first off you do not need to lose any more weight. He said that my BMI was 19.5 and should not go any lower. Secondly, he said that I needed to have a bone scan as weight lose and age can weaken the bones. He ended the visit by telling me that it was the best exam and evaluation he had ever done on a patient. He even went to far as to say if he was grading me on health I'd get an A+. I've never had a doctor talk to me like that. It felt good.
Before I could leave I had to have blood drawn to check my thyroid, I'm hypothyroid. As I wanted for the lab tech, all three nurses in the practice came into the room to confirm that what Dr. J had told them about me was true and to congratulate me on the good work. It's nice to have family and friends tell you that you are doing a good job, but when you hear it from medical people, it is pretty cool in a different way.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Don't Be a Hater
Yesterday I was checking out Instagram and realized that one of the people I am following because she is Whole30, is not Whole30. If I read her correctly, she was Whole30 at some point, but recently quit. She of course has several followers who found her, as I did, by searching for Whole30. So now others like myself who are looking for support, recipes, meal plans... are finding her. Instead of finding Whole30 support you find just the opposite. I'm not the type to start flooding her with negative comments, but I do think that she is misrepresenting herself and the Whole30 lifestyle which can, in my opinion, have damaging effects on someone who is trying to change their bad eating habits. Am I wrong to think she should change her name XXXXXeastsWhole? Am I wrong to think her page should begin with a disclaimer?
Yesterday, I saw that she posted an article from the blog
of another Whole30 dropout. This is how I discovered that she is NOT Whole30. This one made me extremely angry. She called
Whole30 an eating disorder. According to the author, if you do "Paleo
Challenges" like Whole30, you have an eating disorder. Apparently now that
she has decided that she cannot maintain a Whole30 lifestyle she will trash it
and start supporting being able to push big tires, yes she brags about being
able to push around a tractor tire. She talks about people being held hostage
by their scales (not sure she used those exact words, but I cannot bring myself
to read it again). That's great that she is happy with whatever weight she may be at, but she has no right to make others feel bad for wanting to look a certain, healthy way.
Here's my take as a Whole30 follower with absolutely no
education or experience in the medical field.
Whole30 is set up in increments of 30 days to give you a frame
of reference. There is also Whole9, 21 Day Fix and others. The number is there
to encourage you to try it for that period of time before you start measuring
your success. I am on my 5th round of 30 because I love the way I am eating, how
I feel and what it is doing to my body health wise. I know what an eating
disorder is because I have suffered from both bulimia and anorexia. Whole30 is
NOT an eating disorder. It will not kill you.Your muscles will not deteriorate. Your hair will not fall out. Your period will not stop. It will improve your health if
you suffer from certain health issues. As I have stated before, I have Crohn's
disease - since beginning Whole30 I have not had a single flareup. Not one. I
have psoriatic arthritis - since beginning Whole30 I have not taken
a single injection of Humira ($1,200 a pop weekly, thank God for insurance) and the only negative side effect of stopping the injections is that my hands are
starting to show signs of the psoriasis, but not the arthritis. I can use
Taclonex topical cream for it and it's all good. I have suffered for years with
debilitating migraines (2 -3 a week) – I no longer take Topirmate or Relpax
and I have had 3 migraines since beginning Whole30. That's 3 in 5 months. I
have sciatica. I have had two back surgeries and have at one time or another
been on some pretty intense pain relief medications. I have taken Narco for 14
years. I hate taking it and only take enough to be able to function. I am never pain
free. My pain management doctor is amazed that after 14 years I have only
progressed to taking 8 – 10 a day, but as I said, I am never pain free, just
functioning. Since beginning Whole30 I have reduced the number of pills to 5 –
6 a day. My goal is to wean myself off of them completely within a year. My
doctor says it won’t be possible without further surgery, we’ll see. One of the medications I can’t do anything about it is my thyroid medication. I have been
hypothyroid for 25 years. I can live with that. Finally, I have a tiny little
brown bottle that goes everywhere I go. I have angina and I do carry my nitro
tablets with me at all times. I will ask for a complete physical next January
and am hoping that the cardiologist will be amazed that I no longer need to
worry about my heart. Finally, my family has a history of liver disease, my
brother had a liver transplant a few years ago. I take 50,000 m of vitamin D, because my liver count is always bad. I can’t wait until August when I go for
lab work. I am hoping that vitamin D will be an option, not a requirement.
So all
that boring medical stuff aside where is this woman coming from? Whole30 is NOT an eating disorder. It is a
quality of life giving, life-saving, eating lifestyle. I love every meal of it.
Do I ever slip? Yes. Do I start back at Day 1 when I slip? Never. 30 days is
just a frame of reference. What do I do at the end of 30 days? I ask myself if
there is something I want to eat that is not Whole30 compliant. This month I
will eat some Indian food, malai kofta, saag paneer and tandoori chicken with a piece of naan. The next day I will return to the lifestyle that has been life renewing for me. What I won't do is try to push around a big tractor tire and use that as a measure for healthy. What I really won't do is put down what works for someone else. I won't make someone feel bad about feeling good. I will look in the mirror and like what I see. I will continue running at I prepare for a 10K on the 27th of June. Most importantly I will love my life more than I have in years. .
Monday, June 8, 2015
A Whole New Me
I have now completed round three of Whole30, easy breezy. I have been having a bit of a problem with clothing though. I have literally had a pair of pants fall off when going up a set of stairs. I am down to two pairs of pants because they have belt loops and a couple of dresses, because I have no shame and don't care how they look. So the plan was to use my income tax refund to buy a WHOLE NEW WARDROBE! I have never done that. The closest I ever got was when I got married and back in the "olden" days the bride was supposed to go into to the marriage with new married lady clothes. I bought or my parents gave me the money to buy new clothes for my honeymoon and due to the fact that I worked at Joske's (it's like Dillard's kids) I got a 25% discount and was able to buy quite a bit. But this was different I was going to really throw out everything I owned and start from scratch. While I was at it I decided to get a serious hair cut. I loved it when people asked me what I was doing on the weekend and I could say, "I'm buying a new wardrobe."
I had planned the whole shopping experience out. I had put together boards so that I knew exactly what I was looking for. I had gone through my jewelry chest, shoe boxes and purses to see what I would need to buy and what I had on hand (nothing more than a year old would remain). I had Ali that day, so I knew I had to have a plan if I was to get anything accomplished and I have to say she was a trooper. The last time I bought a pair of pants or skirt I was a size 10, remember I have no hips and that is where pants hit. Plus I shop at Old Navy where they are known for vanity sizing, so maybe they were size 12, but the tag said 10. I felt very confident that I would be able to comfortably be able to wear a size 6 since I was going to Old Navy. I gathered up all the colors and styles on my list and headed to the dressing room. After trying on three pair of pants I got redressed and sat down to think. What a terrible depressing problem I had encountered. I could 1) go home, dig my old clothes out of the bag and wait a few more weeks to try shopping again or 2) buy a size FOUR, 4,4,4,4,4, because the 6 was TOO BIG but they may not fit me a month from now, because they might be too big and I didn't have the money to do another whole new wardrobe. I even tried on a 2 and if I were 30 years younger and not a middle school teacher I probably could have made it work until they loosened up in a few weeks.The truth was there was no decision to make. I could not continue wearing the clothes I had been wearing, so by the end of the day and several stores later I had purchased about 3/4 of a whole new wardrobe. I decided some things could wait until I reached my goal weight. Did I mention that the tops I bought to go with my size 4 pants were mediums. I don't think I have ever worn a medium top.
The next step in my makeover was to get my hair cut. I had made an appointment for the day after the shopping trip. I was almost as excited for the hair as I was for the clothes. I had even decided to give up the stylist who had been cutting my hair off and on for 30 years. I researched salons and stylists on Yelp and found the one that I thought would give me just what I was looking for. If you want to know how that turned out you can read my review on Yelp for Bliss Hair Salon. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Round 3 is in the bag and here are the results: An almost whole new size 4 wardrobe
Weight 146 (BTW I am 5' 71/2")
loss of 10 lbs this 30 and an overall total of 38 lbs gone forever
Did I mention that my pants are size 4?
I had planned the whole shopping experience out. I had put together boards so that I knew exactly what I was looking for. I had gone through my jewelry chest, shoe boxes and purses to see what I would need to buy and what I had on hand (nothing more than a year old would remain). I had Ali that day, so I knew I had to have a plan if I was to get anything accomplished and I have to say she was a trooper. The last time I bought a pair of pants or skirt I was a size 10, remember I have no hips and that is where pants hit. Plus I shop at Old Navy where they are known for vanity sizing, so maybe they were size 12, but the tag said 10. I felt very confident that I would be able to comfortably be able to wear a size 6 since I was going to Old Navy. I gathered up all the colors and styles on my list and headed to the dressing room. After trying on three pair of pants I got redressed and sat down to think. What a terrible depressing problem I had encountered. I could 1) go home, dig my old clothes out of the bag and wait a few more weeks to try shopping again or 2) buy a size FOUR, 4,4,4,4,4, because the 6 was TOO BIG but they may not fit me a month from now, because they might be too big and I didn't have the money to do another whole new wardrobe. I even tried on a 2 and if I were 30 years younger and not a middle school teacher I probably could have made it work until they loosened up in a few weeks.The truth was there was no decision to make. I could not continue wearing the clothes I had been wearing, so by the end of the day and several stores later I had purchased about 3/4 of a whole new wardrobe. I decided some things could wait until I reached my goal weight. Did I mention that the tops I bought to go with my size 4 pants were mediums. I don't think I have ever worn a medium top.
The next step in my makeover was to get my hair cut. I had made an appointment for the day after the shopping trip. I was almost as excited for the hair as I was for the clothes. I had even decided to give up the stylist who had been cutting my hair off and on for 30 years. I researched salons and stylists on Yelp and found the one that I thought would give me just what I was looking for. If you want to know how that turned out you can read my review on Yelp for Bliss Hair Salon. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Round 3 is in the bag and here are the results: An almost whole new size 4 wardrobe
Weight 146 (BTW I am 5' 71/2")
loss of 10 lbs this 30 and an overall total of 38 lbs gone forever
Did I mention that my pants are size 4?
Round 2
February 5
This is round 2 in a nutshell. On February 5th I was anxious to start my second 30. On day 31 of my first round I rewarded myself with a brownie (moist, decadent, with cream cheese and fudge icing). It was good, maybe even great. But not something that is a regular part of my life anymore.
After 30 days of my new eating lifestyle I can report that I have not had any flareups of Crohn's. I had one manageable migraine. I have not taken a single injection for my arthritis and I can function well without it. I am not pain free and to that end I am still taking Narco for my sciatica and arthritis, but I am down from 8 or more a day to 6 a day.
Now for the big news. On the 28th Elyse was running in her first 5K and I wanted to be there to support her. If you live in the Austin area, you will remember that as the day they shut down IH 35. I worried the entire way that I would miss her big moment. As it turned out Alivia and I were the only ones who did make there to cheer her on. I'm not sure you could really call it cheering as our hands were buried deep within out outerwear and our faces were covered with scarves, but we were there. Freezing our butts off. It was almost comical. At one point the runners had to run across a bridge, but it kept freezing up so they had to hold the railing and side-step it. I'm sure no PB was set that day.
We were celebrating Elyse's 30th birthday that evening with a family dinner. When we went to the store I was careful to purchase Whole30 compliant items for me and Erin. Elyse would be celebrating the BIG 30 and was free to eat whatever she wanted. Erin and I were going to try to stick to the plan.
Best laid plans - I made bottlecaps (floured, fried, jalapeno slices) with creamy jalapeno ranch dip. I confess I ate a couple... dozen. But I was celebrating sort of. I found out that I am going to be a grandmother again. I had mixed feelings about the announcement, because Erin has been trying to get pregnant for almost a year and I knew that this announcement would be hard on her. The news was enough to curb my appetite for the rest of the party. My heart was aching for one daughter and I didn't feel like I had truly expressed to the other how happy I was.
Although one of our family members was now with child, we made the family decision to run in Ali's school's 5K at the end of March. Hence, Ali's Rainbow Heart team was born.
And I was hooked. I couldn't wait to run again, although I would have to wait because I had some serious shin splints and was sure to have aching muscles tomorrow. But now I didn't just want to race, but run for the sake of training to race. I'm even thinking 10K next time and running this one again next year for a medal.
Here's the really important stuff that you probably want to know, at the end of the 2nd round of 30 days I am weighing in at 156! That's another 12 lbs for a total of 28. Way to go me!
This is round 2 in a nutshell. On February 5th I was anxious to start my second 30. On day 31 of my first round I rewarded myself with a brownie (moist, decadent, with cream cheese and fudge icing). It was good, maybe even great. But not something that is a regular part of my life anymore.
After 30 days of my new eating lifestyle I can report that I have not had any flareups of Crohn's. I had one manageable migraine. I have not taken a single injection for my arthritis and I can function well without it. I am not pain free and to that end I am still taking Narco for my sciatica and arthritis, but I am down from 8 or more a day to 6 a day.
Now for the big news. On the 28th Elyse was running in her first 5K and I wanted to be there to support her. If you live in the Austin area, you will remember that as the day they shut down IH 35. I worried the entire way that I would miss her big moment. As it turned out Alivia and I were the only ones who did make there to cheer her on. I'm not sure you could really call it cheering as our hands were buried deep within out outerwear and our faces were covered with scarves, but we were there. Freezing our butts off. It was almost comical. At one point the runners had to run across a bridge, but it kept freezing up so they had to hold the railing and side-step it. I'm sure no PB was set that day.
We were celebrating Elyse's 30th birthday that evening with a family dinner. When we went to the store I was careful to purchase Whole30 compliant items for me and Erin. Elyse would be celebrating the BIG 30 and was free to eat whatever she wanted. Erin and I were going to try to stick to the plan.
Best laid plans - I made bottlecaps (floured, fried, jalapeno slices) with creamy jalapeno ranch dip. I confess I ate a couple... dozen. But I was celebrating sort of. I found out that I am going to be a grandmother again. I had mixed feelings about the announcement, because Erin has been trying to get pregnant for almost a year and I knew that this announcement would be hard on her. The news was enough to curb my appetite for the rest of the party. My heart was aching for one daughter and I didn't feel like I had truly expressed to the other how happy I was.
Although one of our family members was now with child, we made the family decision to run in Ali's school's 5K at the end of March. Hence, Ali's Rainbow Heart team was born.
So on March 25th we ran or walked or did a walk/run in the Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children 5K Run and Ramble (how's that for a mouthful). I have never run for the sake of running. I am a soccer girl raised in a softball family. I have done nothing even remotely athletic in years, but when I saw other runners my age or older passing me, something snapped. Erin and I began running leaving behind the people we had promised to walk with. At some point Erin decided to take a break from running, after all she had now gone public with the fact that she was expecting to give me yet another precious grandchild due just three weeks after Elyse. I crossed the finish line by myself with a few family members there to cheer me on.
Here's the really important stuff that you probably want to know, at the end of the 2nd round of 30 days I am weighing in at 156! That's another 12 lbs for a total of 28. Way to go me!
WOW!
Week 4
I will not leave you in suspense 30 days after beginning a new lifestyle, I have gone from
184 lbs to 168 lbs. I am so excited about this loss. I had told myself that I would be happy with 12 lbs, because I knew my body was changing and my health was improving, but I really wanted more and I got it. I did not do measurements which Whole30 recommends that you do. I wish I had, but I am not going to let that bring my down. It is also a good idea to take some before pictures in underwear or a bathing suit. I did take the pictures, however I forgot that they were on my phone. When my phone decided to stop working I went to the Sprint store to have it looked at. The bad news was that it could not be saved. The worse news was that my before pictures were on it and I had not saved them anywhere else. In my sudden panic to keep the Sprint guy from seeing me in my underwear as he transferred my pictures and videos to my new phone, I grabbed the phone and deleted the pictures. But despite only having the wicked scale to measure my progress, the bottom line is, I am beyond pleased with my results.
Today I told myself that I could eat anything I wanted. I wanted a gourmet brownie. That's it. I ate one, so that I don't go through the next 30 days regretting it and possibly setting myself up for failure, but you know I really felt like I could live without it. It was good, great even, but I don't feel like it will hinder my future progress the way "cheating" had in the past.
Tomorrow I will begin my 2nd round of a Whole30 lifestyle.
I will not leave you in suspense 30 days after beginning a new lifestyle, I have gone from
184 lbs to 168 lbs. I am so excited about this loss. I had told myself that I would be happy with 12 lbs, because I knew my body was changing and my health was improving, but I really wanted more and I got it. I did not do measurements which Whole30 recommends that you do. I wish I had, but I am not going to let that bring my down. It is also a good idea to take some before pictures in underwear or a bathing suit. I did take the pictures, however I forgot that they were on my phone. When my phone decided to stop working I went to the Sprint store to have it looked at. The bad news was that it could not be saved. The worse news was that my before pictures were on it and I had not saved them anywhere else. In my sudden panic to keep the Sprint guy from seeing me in my underwear as he transferred my pictures and videos to my new phone, I grabbed the phone and deleted the pictures. But despite only having the wicked scale to measure my progress, the bottom line is, I am beyond pleased with my results.
Today I told myself that I could eat anything I wanted. I wanted a gourmet brownie. That's it. I ate one, so that I don't go through the next 30 days regretting it and possibly setting myself up for failure, but you know I really felt like I could live without it. It was good, great even, but I don't feel like it will hinder my future progress the way "cheating" had in the past.
Tomorrow I will begin my 2nd round of a Whole30 lifestyle.
Scale Withdrawal
Week 3
I want to step on the scale so badly, but part of Whole30 is not weighing until the end of the 30 days. I have lost as much as 12 lbs in a month in the past by dieting. It is usually the only way to know that I am losing early on. I was always happy to see a 2lb loss after a week of starving or eating foods that I didn't enjoy at all. A 3lb loss would send me over the moon. This time it is so different. I can SEE the loss already. No bloated stomach, a tiny bit of a waistline and even my tops are getting looser. I have nine days to go before I step on the scale. It's harder staying off the scale than it is to eat healthy.
This week I went to my daughter's for the weekend. She and her husband have just become home owners and are living "in the country." She completed her first 30 and had her first weigh in. 18 pounds! She is running as well as eating healthy. I walked and pushed my grandson while she ran Sunday afternoon. I love that she is running and training to do some races. Not for me. I would do an eliptical if I had one. I am so proud of her though.
I want to step on the scale so badly, but part of Whole30 is not weighing until the end of the 30 days. I have lost as much as 12 lbs in a month in the past by dieting. It is usually the only way to know that I am losing early on. I was always happy to see a 2lb loss after a week of starving or eating foods that I didn't enjoy at all. A 3lb loss would send me over the moon. This time it is so different. I can SEE the loss already. No bloated stomach, a tiny bit of a waistline and even my tops are getting looser. I have nine days to go before I step on the scale. It's harder staying off the scale than it is to eat healthy.
This week I went to my daughter's for the weekend. She and her husband have just become home owners and are living "in the country." She completed her first 30 and had her first weigh in. 18 pounds! She is running as well as eating healthy. I walked and pushed my grandson while she ran Sunday afternoon. I love that she is running and training to do some races. Not for me. I would do an eliptical if I had one. I am so proud of her though.
Friday, May 29, 2015
This Isn't Dieting Like Dieting January 19
Week 3
January 19
Week two is in the bag. It was so much
better this week, partially because I am feeling better physically than I have
in a very long time, and partly because I discovered mayo, I really cannot
emphasize enough how this is a life saver for me. As I said earlier my stomach
is already less bloated than it has been in 30 years, as a result I can see
that I will have to be buying a belt soon. I have a disease that my mother used
to call “noassatall” which means I have no hips or butt, so my stomach was the
only thing I had to hold up my pants. Most importantly, my daughter and I are
connecting in a very special way. She began this journey 5 days before I did
and we are sharing recipes and milestones. This week my other daughter is beginning
The Whole30® it is an exciting time in our lives. But it is
much more than that.
As I am beginning week three, I feel like I am over the hump so to
speak. I don't think at all about what I am missing. I think about what new
foods I can create or try. I think about where I was just two short weeks ago
and where I am now. On January 1st I was tired and depressed. I had been
depressed for several years, but it was getting bad and harder to hide. I am a
journaler. I have kept journals for my grandchildren since their birth. I love
chronicling their lives, but I have not written in them in over a year. I am
hating my job and really didn't think I would make it till the end of the year.
I was looking for ways to turn my work week into a 4 day week. How many leave
days did I have left? Were there workshops that I could convince my principal I
needed to attend? I used to turn down the chance to attend workshops, because I
didn't like leaving my kids in the hands of others. It isn't that I don't still
love my students. It is the whole climate. I am not the only one who feels it,
not by a long shot.
So what has changed? I can see the depression leaving. I
haven’t picked up my journals yet, but I am keeping my lifestyle journal. I am
not jumping out of bed anxious to get to work, but I don’t sit in my room and
cry when I need to be getting dressed for work. I find myself smiling more. I
know I smile more because the kids have told me. I had the opportunity to
attend a workshop and I said, “No thanks.”
I have a number of health problems, many of them come with age. I
have an underactive thyroid, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, sciatica
(major automobile accident and two surgeries later), migraines and angina and
my liver count is not good. I have not had a migraine since I began the
program. I usually have 3 – 4 a week. I have not had a flair up of Crohn’s and
I am going to see if I can survive/function without my arthritis injections. I
only take the injection weekly, so it may take a few weeks to notice any
negative repercussions. Most importantly I want to see if I can cope without
the pain meds for my back. To that end, I have already cut out one a day. If
this is the best I can hope for, it will be life changing.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Not Just Salt
My plan had been to put a summary of my journal weeks on here before I started journaling on a daily basis, but I could not wait to show this:
I have been aware of Himalayan salt for awhile, but had always heard it was expensive and the way I use salt, I didn't think it was a wise buy for me. Yesterday my sister surprised me with this. To understand how I feel about salt, let me just say this. I am a teacher. Teachers attend a ridiculous number of professional developments. At professional development you have to play silly games and do ice breakers. At least once a year I have to answer the question, "Besides your family, food and water, what is the one thing you cannot live without?" Me, "Salt!" No hesitation.Anyone who knows me knows how very much pink is my favorite color. So when they begin marketing pink salt and I actually get some, well let's just say life will never be the same. And yes, that is one of the pillows on my bed. I wanted it to feel welcome it's first night.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Week 2
*Recipes Below
Baked Shrimp: Melt 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in baking dish. Add one bunch of green onions sliced. Place shrimp in pan and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake until done.
Shrimp Salad: Boil ½ pound of shrimp. Cool. Boil two eggs. Chop. Put eggs and shrimp in bowl and add 2 stalks of celery chopped, 1 bunch of green onions sliced thin. The tops of one of the onions chopped. Add enough mayo to moisten. Chill for about an hour so flavors can marry.
Taco Salad: Place ½ chopped onion and 1 ½ teaspoons of cumin seeds in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until onion starts to brown. Add beef and cook till done. Drain any grease. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 tablespoon paprika. 1 teaspoon garlic salt and ½ cup water. Simmer till water evaporates. Serve over chopped lettuce with the salad dressing at top.
Taco Salad w/salsa and Zesty Salad Dressing
Day
1
Breakfast
½
grapefruit
Grilled
thin sliced beef steak seasoned
Boiled
egg
Coffee
Lunch
Vegetable
beef soup*
Water
Dinner
Dilled Salmon
Baked
Brussell Sprouts*
Green
Salad w/zesty dressing*
Water
Day
2
Breakfast
½
grapefruit
2
cups watermelon
¼
cup blueberries
Coffee
Lunch
Tuna
w/mayo, green olives, green onions, boiled eggs and served over a bed of
lettuce
Cucumber
slices w/chili lime dip*
Water
Dinner
Paprika
Pork Chops*
Steamed
veggies
Salad
with Zesty Dressing*
Water
Day
3
Breakfast
2
egg omelet
½
grapefruit
Coffee
Lunch
Left
over pork chop
Cucumbers
with dill dip (add dill weed to mayo)
Water
Dinner
Baked
shrimp*
Spaghetti
squash
Steamed
zucchini
Water
Day 4
Breakfast
Boiled
egg
½
grapefruit
Watermelon
Coffee
Lunch
Shrimp
Salad*
Water
Dinner
Taco
Salad* with Zesty dressing
Fruit
Water
Day 5
Breakfast
Sunbutter
Apple
Slices
Coffee
Lunch
Taco
Salad
½
grapefruit
Water
Dinner
Curry
Chicken
Salad
w/dressing 101
Water
Day
6
Breakfast
2
egg omelet w/grilled steak
½
grapefruit
Coffee
Lunch
Boiled
Shrimp
Sautéed
Cabbage
Water
Dinner
Talapia
seasoned with lemon pepper and baked with lemon slices
Grilled
asparagus
Fruit
salad
Water
Day 7
Breakfast
Boiled
egg
Large
fruit salad
Coffee
Lunch
Seasoned
roast beef
Small
baked potato w/clarified butter
Green
salad
Water
Dinner
Roast
Beef Rollups
Sweet
potato fries
Water
Snacks
Herbal
Tea (seems to take care of my late night cravings)
Fruit
Veggies
and either Chili Lime Dip or Dill Dip
Dill Encrusted Salmon: Put 1T of dill weed in 1/2 cup of mayo. Put in fridge for 20 minutes. While dill is in fridge, remove salmon steak (enough to serve 2) from fridge. Place fish on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Cover fish with 1 -2 T lemon juice and let sit outside of fridge (meat should begin to whiten). Remove dill mayo from fridge and cover fish as completely as possible. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Dill Salmon with dilled sugar snap peas and baked okra
Baked Brussels Sprouts: Wash and remove outer leaves. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil. Place sprouts on cookie sheet and spray with olive oil. Salt. Bake until bottoms start to brown. Turn over and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Serve with clarified butter.
Dill Salmon with dilled sugar snap peas and baked okraBaked Brussels Sprouts: Wash and remove outer leaves. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil. Place sprouts on cookie sheet and spray with olive oil. Salt. Bake until bottoms start to brown. Turn over and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Serve with clarified butter.
Chili Lime Dip
Add chili powder and fresh or bottled lime juice to
Whole30 mayo. Best if made a hour before eating.
Paprika Pork Chops:
Mix together 1 teaspoon or garlic salt, onion powder and paprika. Rub over pork
chops. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and bake until
done.
Zesty Salad Dressing:
addi 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, onion powder, dill and cilantro (the one found
with spices, not fresh) ¼ teaspoon of jalapeno sauce (found beside the Tabassco
sauce), ½ - 1 teaspoon of lime juice to ½ cup of mayo. Adjust to taste. I add
enough water to make it pourable.
Baked Shrimp: Melt 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in baking dish. Add one bunch of green onions sliced. Place shrimp in pan and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake until done.
Shrimp Salad: Boil ½ pound of shrimp. Cool. Boil two eggs. Chop. Put eggs and shrimp in bowl and add 2 stalks of celery chopped, 1 bunch of green onions sliced thin. The tops of one of the onions chopped. Add enough mayo to moisten. Chill for about an hour so flavors can marry.
Taco Salad: Place ½ chopped onion and 1 ½ teaspoons of cumin seeds in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until onion starts to brown. Add beef and cook till done. Drain any grease. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 tablespoon paprika. 1 teaspoon garlic salt and ½ cup water. Simmer till water evaporates. Serve over chopped lettuce with the salad dressing at top.
Taco Salad w/salsa and Zesty Salad Dressing
Curry Chicken:
Brown chicken in 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Remove chicken and add 2
teaspoons of curry powder to oil. Mix well. Add ½ can of coconut milk and ¼ cup
of lime juice, ¼ cup water. Mix well. Return chicken to pot. Simmer until
chicken is almost done. Add ¼ fresh chopped cilantro. Continue cooking. Good
alone or served over raw cauliflower that has been riced (chopped until it is
about the size of rice grains) in a blender. I love Thai and Indian food, so
this is my favorite. You can substitute
shrimp for the chicken.
Vegetable Beef Soup: Sautee stew meat in small amount of olive oil. Add two cans of organic- roasted tomatoes, one large onion cut, 3 sliced carrots, 2 stalks of celery chopped to meat add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Add 2 potatoes (I use russet) diced large. Continue simmering until potatoes are done. I add hot sauce (Cholula, Tabassco...).
Vegetable Beef Soup: Sautee stew meat in small amount of olive oil. Add two cans of organic- roasted tomatoes, one large onion cut, 3 sliced carrots, 2 stalks of celery chopped to meat add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Add 2 potatoes (I use russet) diced large. Continue simmering until potatoes are done. I add hot sauce (Cholula, Tabassco...).
Seeing Results Already January 12
January 12
After week one I discovered several things about myself and the diet. I discovered that I almost always eat leftovers for lunch which is not necessarily a bad thing, just something I had not noticed before. I discovered that even though I don't usually eat much in the way of salad dressing or mayo, I now really needed both. My go to dressing 101 was not working for me either. So I made my first attempt at making mayo. I used the recipe on the Whole30® and ended up throwing the disgusting mess down the drain. My daughter suggested that I take a look at the recipe on theclothesmakethegirl.com which I did. Major success. Suddenly, I could see myself doing all kinds of exciting things with it. It really saved me. My only worry was whether the amount I could see myself using would be counter productive.
After week one I discovered several things about myself and the diet. I discovered that I almost always eat leftovers for lunch which is not necessarily a bad thing, just something I had not noticed before. I discovered that even though I don't usually eat much in the way of salad dressing or mayo, I now really needed both. My go to dressing 101 was not working for me either. So I made my first attempt at making mayo. I used the recipe on the Whole30® and ended up throwing the disgusting mess down the drain. My daughter suggested that I take a look at the recipe on theclothesmakethegirl.com which I did. Major success. Suddenly, I could see myself doing all kinds of exciting things with it. It really saved me. My only worry was whether the amount I could see myself using would be counter productive.
Now I know that as I
wrote this I had only been on the diet for 8 days, so to expect to start seeing
results was far fetched, but on Monday morning as I was dressing, I did see
results. Despite the fact that in the past I have been able to lose
considerable weight albeit lasting only a short while, my stomach always
remained bloated. At age 48 when I weighed 140 (I am 5'8") a student asked
me if I was pregnant. This morning I looked at myself in the mirror and was
shocked at how much my stomach had gone down! I may not be loving the food yet,
but I am loving the early results.
On the subject of snacks, I do not just eat a snack after dinner. The snacks are included throughout the day.
On the subject of snacks, I do not just eat a snack after dinner. The snacks are included throughout the day.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Week 1
*recipe below
Day
1
Breakfast
½
grapefruit
Blueberries
Boiled
egg
Coffee
Lunch
Lemon
Pepper Chicken*
Steamed
Yellow Squash with clarified butter
Water
Dinner
Lemon
Pepper Chicken
Boiled
turnips with clarified butter
Baked
cabbage*
Water
Snack
Cup of
herbal tea
Fruit
Day
2
Breakfast
½
grapefruit
½
cantaloupe
¼
cup blueberries
Coffee
Lunch
Baked
sweet potato w/ clarified butter
Cucumber
slices
Water
Dinner
Chicken
Rosemary*
Baked
okra*
Salad
with Dressing 101*
Water
Snack
Herbal
tea
Fruit
Day
3
Breakfast
2
egg omelet*
½
grapefruit
Coffee
Lunch
Chicken
Rosemary Shred*
Cucumber
Cucumber
Water
Dinner
Spaghetti
Sauce*
Spaghetti
squash
Salad
w/ dressing 101
Water
Snack
Herbal
tea
Fruit
Day 4
Breakfast
Boiled
egg
½
grapefruit
Watermelon
Coffee
Lunch
Spaghetti
Sauce
Spaghetti
squash
Cucumber
Water
Dinner
Cashew
Chicken*
Fruit
Salad
Water
Snack
Herbal
tea
Fruit
Day 5
Breakfast
Sunbutter
Apple
Slices
Coffee
Lunch
Cashew
Chicken
½
grapefruit
Water
Dinner
Hamburger
Steak*
Baked
Brussel sprouts
Salad
w/dressing 101
Water
Snack
Herbal
tea
Fruit
Day
6
Breakfast
2
egg omelet
½
grapefruit
Blueberries
Coffee
Lunch
Boiled
Shrimp
Sautéed
Cabbage
Green
Salad w/dressing 101
Water
Dinner
Shrimp
Scampette*
Grilled
asparagus
Fruit
salad
Water
Snack
Herbal
tea
Fruit
Day 7
Breakfast
Large
fruit salad w/coconut milk
Coffee
Lunch
Seasoned
roast beef
Small
baked potato w/clarified butter
Green
salad
Water
Dinner
Roast
Beef Rollups*
Sweet
potato fries
Water
Snack
Herbal
Tea
Fruit
RECIPES
You will quickly figure out that I am not a chef
Lemon Chicken
Add 3 tablespoons of clarified butter to non-stick skillet. Season boneless chicken breasts with lemon pepper. Brown chicken in skillet. Remove chicken from skillet and place in baking dish. Pour any juices from the skillet over the chicken. Thinly slice a lemon and place slices on the chicken. Cover and bake at 400 for about 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Baked Cabbage
Slice a head of cabbage starting from the side opposite the stem in 1/2 slices. Place each piece on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Drizzle with butter or olive oil. Sprinkle a tablespoon of caraway seeds over the cabbage. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 375 until edges of cabbage begin to brown.
Rosemary Chicken:
Saute one clove garlic minced and 1 tablespoon of rosemary in 2 tablespoons of
clarified butter. Add chicken breasts and brown. Remove chicken to baking dish.
Pour the drippings from the skillet over the chicken. Bake until done.
Rosemary Chicken, Baked Cabbage, Roasted head of garlic
Rosemary Chicken, Baked Cabbage, Roasted head of garlic
Baked Okra
Completely thaw a bag of cut okra. Toss okra with olive oil. Place in a 375 degree oven on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Stir occasionally while okra browns to your taste.
Dressing 101
This is not exactly Whole30® approved, but it's very close. I got this recipe from the Marilu Henner diet book.
Add equal parts of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and brown mustard. Mix well and chill.
2 Egg Omelet
This can be done in a skillet, omelet pan or in a Belgium waffle maker. It is a basic omelet made with pasteurized eggs. I add grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms and sometimes spinach to mine. You can add any approved veggies to yours. If making in the waffle maker, I pour in the eggs, immediately add the veggies, close the lid and cook until it stops steaming. Remove and fold. I top mine with homemade salsa.
Salsa
1 can of fire roasted organic tomatoes (can use any type)
1/4 small onion
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 -2 jalapeños
Add equal parts of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and brown mustard. Mix well and chill.
2 Egg Omelet
This can be done in a skillet, omelet pan or in a Belgium waffle maker. It is a basic omelet made with pasteurized eggs. I add grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms and sometimes spinach to mine. You can add any approved veggies to yours. If making in the waffle maker, I pour in the eggs, immediately add the veggies, close the lid and cook until it stops steaming. Remove and fold. I top mine with homemade salsa.
Salsa
1 can of fire roasted organic tomatoes (can use any type)
1/4 small onion
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 -2 jalapeños
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Place everything in a blender until chopped.Will keep in fridge for a couple of weeks.
Chicken Rosemary Shred
Shred leftover Chicken Rosemary. Mix with cauliflower rice. Add 2 tablespoons of clarified butter and mix. Add in any other chopped veggies desired. (I add onion and mushrooms). Mix. Microwave just until warm.
Spaghetti Sauce
Brown ground beef. Add 2 cans of diced roasted tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic
minced, 1 tablespoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, ¼ teaspoon fennel, simmer
30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti squash. Cook spaghetti squash by cutting it in
half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet, poke
several holes with a fork. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven
and use a fork to scoop out squash. It will look like spaghetti.
Spaghetti and Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti and Spaghetti Squash
Cashew Chicken
In a large skillet or wok saute, 2 - 3 chicken breasts that have been cubed, in small amount of coconut oil,
add ½ can coconut milk, ½ - 1 head of
cabbage chopped in about 1 inch square pieces,
chopped onion (not too small), ½
cup of cashews, 1 cup sliced mushrooms and simmer until chicken is
done. Season with coconut amino (it’s kinda like soy sauce).
Cashew Chicken and Cucumbers w/Chili Lime Dip
Cashew Chicken and Cucumbers w/Chili Lime Dip
Hamburger Steak
Saute sliced onion, sliced mushrooms and 2
cloves of garlic minced in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter. Shape ground beef
into patties and place in baking dish. Top with onion mushroom mix. Bake.
Shrimp Scampette
Melt 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in baking dish. Add one bunch of green
onions sliced. Place shrimp in pan and sprinkle with garlic salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Bake until
done.
Shrimp Scampette with sauteed mushrooms and asparagus
Shrimp Scampette with sauteed mushrooms and asparagus
Roast Roll-Up
Shred leftover roast. Slice one large onion. Mince one clove of garlic. Heat ingredients in a warm skillet until onion is clear. Place a large spoonful of roast mixture on lettuce leaf (Boston is best, I think, but any will do) and roll.
Day 1 January 5th
January 5
Guess
I have lost my mind. Today I was starting my first Whole30®. I had every
intention of starting it. However, I did nothing to prepare for it. I guess I
thought I would just wake up and everything I would need would have magically
appeared in my pantry and fridge.Well that didn't happen but......I did
discover that I had enough things that are The Whole30® approved to make it
through the day. I always make a batch of soup on the weekend and I freeze a
couple of bowls for emergencies, like when I am just too tired to cook. I
always have eggs on hand. I usually have a batch of homemade salsa. I always
have pickles. So for breakfast I fixed 2 scrambled eggs with salsa and a cup
of coffee and then it hit me. I DO NOT drink black coffee. I can't imagine why
anyone would. But, I needed coffee. I couldn't even conceive of going a day
without it. Wasn't it enough that I was saying goodbye to cokes? So I made a
compromise with myself. Instead of the usual 3 tablespoons of powdered creamer
I would only use one. Instead of the usual 1 tablespoon of sugar, I would use
1/2. The plan was to gradually learn to drink it black. So I wasn't exactly
doing it The Whole30® way, but I was heavily influenced by it. For lunch I
took a bowl of vegetable soup from the freezer and a cucumber. I love, love,
love drinking water, so my fridge at school stays stocked with water, sparkling
and plain. I made it through to the end of the day and headed to the grocery
store. Tonight's dinner would be done right and I would buy food for the rest
of the week. I am good with chicken. Can in fact cook it about a million
different ways that The Whole30® would approve of, so I bought a lot of
chicken (cage-free), pasteurized eggs, veggies, fruit (which I figured would go
bad because I don’t like fruit) and some ground grass-fed beef. Many $$ later I
was at home starting to prepare to do it right.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
The Journey Begins
I am not a diet or nutrition expert. I am certainly not a doctor. I am just a 60 year old lady who has turned her physical and emotional life around due to The Whole30® Program. I decided to put parts of my personal journal into this blog because I was finding that more and more people were asking me, "How did you do it? Lose all that weight," and they really wanted to know, so here is the answer to how "I did it," complete with my non-professional menus and recipes.
I have two regrets as I begin this blog. The first one is that I did not measure or take pictures before my journey began. The best I can do is a three year old picture,
but it is fairly representative of how I have looked for the past three years. The second one is that I began my journaling in a journal instead of online. I wanted to transfer my journals with the original dates, but having just realized how many entries there are and how long that would take, I will give a weekly synopsis until I get caught up. So here goes...
Shortly after Christmas my daughter Elyse announced that she would be starting a Whole30 eating lifestyle and invited me and her sister to join her. She also said that she was going to begin a running regimen. I am not and never have been a runner, so that part was of no interest to me. As far as the diet goes, I think it looks too restrictive, expensive and requires too much prep time. As January 1st arrived and she began her new lifestyle, I looked into some past diets that I had tried and I've tried a lot. I began a pro/con list.
Atkins
Pros Cons
Meat Limited food list
Cheese High in fat
Quick results Not lasting results
Not a lifestyle change
Subway
Pros Cons
No prep No variety
Cheap Not a lifestyle change
Weight Watchers
Pros Cons
Large variety Measuring and weighing
Lifestyle change Measuring and weighing
Prep work
Marilu Henner Total Health Makeover (Macrobiotic)
Pros Cons
Lifestyle change EXPENSIVE
Large variety Prep time
No caffeine
The Mayor's Diet
Pros Cons
No prep Not a lifestyle change
Cheap Preservative filled
Calorie Counting
Pros Cons
Large variety Measuring and weighing
Semi-lifestyle change Measuring and weighing
Whole30
Pros Cons
Large variety Prep time
Lifestyle change Can be costly
I have two regrets as I begin this blog. The first one is that I did not measure or take pictures before my journey began. The best I can do is a three year old picture,
but it is fairly representative of how I have looked for the past three years. The second one is that I began my journaling in a journal instead of online. I wanted to transfer my journals with the original dates, but having just realized how many entries there are and how long that would take, I will give a weekly synopsis until I get caught up. So here goes...Shortly after Christmas my daughter Elyse announced that she would be starting a Whole30 eating lifestyle and invited me and her sister to join her. She also said that she was going to begin a running regimen. I am not and never have been a runner, so that part was of no interest to me. As far as the diet goes, I think it looks too restrictive, expensive and requires too much prep time. As January 1st arrived and she began her new lifestyle, I looked into some past diets that I had tried and I've tried a lot. I began a pro/con list.
Atkins
Pros Cons
Meat Limited food list
Cheese High in fat
Quick results Not lasting results
Not a lifestyle change
Subway
Pros Cons
No prep No variety
Cheap Not a lifestyle change
Weight Watchers
Pros Cons
Large variety Measuring and weighing
Lifestyle change Measuring and weighing
Prep work
Marilu Henner Total Health Makeover (Macrobiotic)
Pros Cons
Lifestyle change EXPENSIVE
Large variety Prep time
No caffeine
The Mayor's Diet
Pros Cons
No prep Not a lifestyle change
Cheap Preservative filled
Calorie Counting
Pros Cons
Large variety Measuring and weighing
Semi-lifestyle change Measuring and weighing
Whole30
Pros Cons
Large variety Prep time
Lifestyle change Can be costly
Caffeine
I tried to convince myself that I would be better off going back to one of the previously tried diets, no new rules to learn. In the end though I had to admit that although I had been successful at losing weight in the past, nothing stuck, the weight returned and I lived for the day that I could go back to eating the foods I loved, always promising myself that as soon as I saw a five pound gain I would go back on the diet. I never did. So I have decided to give Whole30 a try. January 5th I weigh 184.
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