Here I am the last week of Whole30.

This week was so good.  I can really tell a difference in my body and the way I react to food.  I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I’ve been perfect on my journey.  Because I haven’t.  But I can really tell when I eat something that’s not fully compliant.  I don’t feel good, my stomach aches a little and I just feel gross.  I haven’t allowed myself to feel guilty when I mess up, so that’s good.  I used to try to eat super clean and super healthy and then when I would slip up I’d get onto myself.  I’m not doing that this time around.

I do think I’ll do another Whole30 challenge again in a few months.  Maybe I can get J more on board with it and maybe we can find some more crockpot or make ahead recipes.  I am really tired of having to cook.  When I’m just eating clean I can usually find something that is semi-clean, semi-not clean at all to eat, but with Whole30 it’s all or nothing.

I have noticed a few changes while doing Whole30

1) my headaches have gone away – I was getting headaches about 1-2x a week.  So I’m pretty pumped about that.
2) this week I fit into a size smaller pant.  I know this challenge is focused on weight loss, but it’s still a good feeling to reach for that smaller size.  #thankyouwhole30andcrossfit
3) my mood swings have calmed like whoa.  I was pretty moody before the challenge.  When my blood sugar levels would drop the ice queen would come out.
4) I survived that time of the month without chocolate.  Hooray!

Day 22 (Jan. 23rd)

I can’t remember… no pictures, no idea of what I even did this day.  I’m pretty sure I brought leftovers from dinner to work for lunch.  I think it was chicken with veggies, but I could be way off.

Dinner is the same story – no idea.  Steak? Chicken?  I don’t know.

Day 23 (Jan. 24th)

breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon and a banana
lunch: grilled chicken and an apple
dinner: steak with sweet potato

Day 24 (Jan. 25th)

see Day 22 for reasoning.

Day 25 (Jan. 26th)

breakfast: apple
lunch: leftover steak
dinner: hamburger and potatoes

Day 26 (Jan. 27th)

breakfast: nothing – I’m such a failure when it comes to breakfast. I sleep too late and play around with my makeup too long. I should make it more of a priority.
lunch: salad with chicken
dinner: shrimp and chicken

Day 27 (Jan. 28th)

breakfast: banana and two pieces of bacon
lunch: fajita chicken with veggies, guacamole
dinner: leftovers

Day 28 (Jan. 29th).

breakfast: banana and water
lunch: fajita chicken with veggies, guacamole and lettuce
dinner: ….?

Day 29 (Jan. 30th)

breakfast: apple and water
lunch: browned hamburger and potato
dinner: grilled chicken kabobs with tomatoes, green peppers and onions

Day 30 (Jan. 31st)

breakfast: banana and water
lunch: chicken and potatoes
dinner: steak and broccoli

Alright so I failed writing down what I ate for the last week of Whole30.  I should have been keeping better notes.  Honest – next time I will.  It’s hard when you’re already exhausted from the day, you come home smelling of BO after an intense workout and you want is to scarf down something yummy before you shower then crash on the couch.  Next time I will be better prepared – not with meal plans (those were great BTW), but I need to be more realistic in my desire to cook.  It’s tax season, which means working 6 days a week close to 55+ hours a week.  Then I’m trying to workout 3-4x a week, which adds another 4 to 6 hours a week of not being home.  Oh and don’t forget I’m suppose to be studying for my next CFP exam.  It’s just too much.

Way too much.

If I could take a way anything from this challenge it would be the fact I need to slow down and plan more accordingly to my schedule.

I’ve committed to starting Whole30 for the month of January.  I have a feeling it’s going to be hard.  If you’ve been living under a rock and have no idea what I’m talking about then I suggest you check it out on their site.  It’s the idea that our bodies are not made to consume the over-processed foods that we are used to putting in our mouths.  Our bodies need to hit the reset button and that’s exactly what Whole30 does.  It’s thirty days of eating clean, whole foods so allow our bodies time to heal from the damage we do with Oreos, fast food and potato chips.

I purchased the book It Starts With Food and read it one day.  Melissa and Dallas Hartwig go into the science behind the over-processed foods and why our bodies are not made for them, and why we crave them.  As I was reading it was like “oh yea, I know that!” but even knowing it doesn’t mean that I don’t consume those overly sugary foods.  So it was a wake up call of sorts because here’s all this information and explanation of how I’m hurting my body.  It’s like you’re opening yourself up to be hurt and yet you do nothing to prevent it.

I decided to start on January 2nd, not January 1st for a few reasons.

1) there are 31 days in January so by starting on the 2nd I will complete it on the last day of the month
2) I’m off work on the 1st so I can spend that day prepping foods, cooking ahead my lunches and breakfasts, and setting up a plan to succeed

 

I went a head and outlined what my meals were going to be, each and every meal.  I sometimes do really good with planning dinners, but then get lost on lunch and breakfast.  So I either go out and grab something or I skip the meal entirely.

Here are links to the recipes I found.  If there isn’t a link it’s because it’s my own recipe.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa
Grilled Pork Chops (half way down the page)
Fried Chicken (three-fourths the way down the page)
Beef and Broccoli with Cauliflower Rice

Check out my first week’s meal plan.