One Week Down ...

Well, we did it! 

We made it through the first week of Whole30. We have beaten the stages of "So What's the Big Deal?", "The Hangover", "Kill All Things", and "I Just Want A Nap!". 

Day 1: It really wasn't that big of a deal. I had taken the time to organize the kitchen, throw out all the bad stuff, create a meal plan, and set up reminders around our apartment. We flew through Day 1 with no problem.

credit: whole9life.com

Day 2: This day we both were kind of out of it. I had a bad headache, which made me a little cranky. Hubby was stressed out with issues at work, so he was having a hard time. We were both ready for the day to be over!

Day 3: Very much like Day 2. I had another headache and hubby was still cranky too, lol.

Day 4: Hubby was very much irritated. I thought I was doing well, but realized about halfway through the day that I had been on edge. I just tried to focus on things I needed to do and stay away from people, lol.

Day 5: I wasn't quite as cranky, but hubby still had a bit of a temper. He started to wonder if we were going to see any good from this program (he is a bit of a pessimistic). But I reminded him of what was to come.

Day 6: Hubby went kayaking and ... lost his wedding ring! I was so sad. We've already ordered another one, and I made him get a $10 stainless steel Wal-Mart ring to wear until it comes in, lol. BUT ... this was a turning point for him because he noticed that he didn't get tired as easily as the other kayak buddies. Also, he wasn't dying of hunger by the time they got out of the water. So this is when he started feeling good. We both kept pretty busy that day, so neither of us noticed much fatigue, as is common with the "I Just Want A Nap Stage".

Day 7: Again, we kept pretty busy. I wasn't feeling completely great, but that could just be because of other issues, TMI, monthly issues. So, I don't really want to blame the program. We actually woke up around 7 AM, no alarm clock, this day. We normally would sleep in until about 9:30 and drag ourselves out of bed to get ready for church. But this morning I woke up at 6:30, tossed and turned for half an hour, then turned to hubby and said, "I can sleep no more." So we got up and started our day. Still can't believe it, lol.

So, overall, this first week has had a few ups and downs, which was expected.

I do want to highlight all of the positives we've experienced so far in 1 week:

For me:

• softer skin
• more energy... much more energy
• waking up clear-headed, without an alarm clock most days
• overall happier/more optimistic
• more productive (less time wasted because of fatigue)
• fewer cravings 
• do not eat until it hurts anymore
• feeling satisfied after a meal
• I really don't miss counting calories! 

For hubby:

• much more energy
• achy pain in joints is decreased 
• waking up earlier and ready to start the day
• more endurance
• not hungry between meals/balanced blood sugar levels

What I've learned:

» Reading the recipes a day in advance helps ... a lot.

There were a few times that I'd go to get out the ingredients that I need for a recipe and I would realize that I forgot to take some of the meat out of the freezer. So I'd have to wait and thaw it out before I could finish, which is hard to do when you've only allotted a certain amount of time to meal preparation and have other things to get done or other places to be. I also realized at 4 PM that one of the meals I was supposed to make was a crock pot meal, and obviously didn't have enough time to do that, so I had to adjust and cook it on the stove top. So, read ahead.

» Meal Plan

Meal planning takes some time initially, but it totally worth it and saves you a lot of pain throughout the week. I actually do not even feel as many cravings because I don't have to make the decision of what to eat. Normally I would wait until I was starving and then decide what would be the quickest way to get food in me. Sometimes that would be going to the grocery store and buying junk, sometimes it would be fast food, and sometimes I would just make a "meal" out of bad ingredients that we currently had. With the meal plans, I feel like I'm prepared and I can plan ahead. I have an idea of when I'll start to get hungry and I make sure I have all the ingredients ahead of time, then I prepare the meal and just eat a balanced meal. Problem solved. I don't even have to worry about what healthy food sounds good, because it's already done!

I also took a picture frame and filled it with blank paper (can use colored also) and each day has our dinner and a place to put a check mark with different colored window markers if we complete each day's meal plan and fitness plan. It helps to stay organized. I got the idea for the picture frame and window markers from Pinterest. 

»Whole30 Daily

I've really come to love the Whole30 Daily email. It is something that reminds me at the very beginning of each day that I am working towards making myself healthier and it gives me tips and information about the process and everything involved for the day that I'm on. It has really become a big source of motivation that I look forward to each day. I also love clicking the "I did it!" button at the end of each day! 

So, there is my summary of Week 1 on the Whole30 plan. I'll post my meal plan for last week and then also my meal plan for next week and share another one of my favorite recipes soon! I'll also share what I've been doing for workouts here and on my Facebook! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did, and I'm looking forward to another Whole30 week!