Whole30 Day 3! Feeling the Hangover!

They say that there is a general timeline for people as they work their way through the Whole30 process. This is how it typically goes for people:

Day 1: So what's the big deal? You don't understand why anyone thinks this is so hard.

Days 2 - 3: Hangover. Headaches, fatigue, etc. 

Days 4 - 5: Kill all things! Irritation and impatience.

Days 6 - 7: I just want to nap! All you will want is your bed!

Days 8 - 15: Boundless energy! Now give me a darned Twinkie! You'll have a lot of energy, but those cravings will be serious business. 

Days 16 - 28: Tiger blood! You are feeling great, have energy again, things are clear and optimistic.

Day 29: HolyOprahIt’sAlmostOverWhatAmIGoingToEatNow?!?!?!

Day 31: Deep breathing ... and maybe some ice cream.  

To read more details about each phase of the process, read the full article HERE.

I'm feeling it!

I can tell you that I am definitely right on track with the timeline. The first day, and even the second day, were mostly "Eh, this is not such a big deal." Today, Day 3, I've got a headache and I woke up feeling more refreshed, but still feel like I could just go back to bed. Plus, I am so sore today from the two workouts I've done in the last two days. Since we're doing a 2 days on/1 day off routine, however, I can take a rest day today and recover. Also, I've eaten the same thing for breakfast in the last three days. The first two days were fine, I was full, I felt good. Today, I feel like I could eat a huge pile of pancakes after I just ate my Lagniappe Casserole. All of this is normal, apparently, so I am just going to stick it out and see what happens when I get in the "Kill All Things" stage. Luckily, my husband and I are doing this program together, so we'll be entering that phase together. Should be interesting, haha!

My husband and I are doing the Whole30 program, but I also signed up for the Whole30 Daily and I bought their book, "It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways ." I tend to go all out when I'm motivated to do something. I also love to learn about why food affects us the way it does and how to control it so it doesn't control us. I have to say that both of these extra resources, the Daily and the book, have been a great investment so far.

Whole30 Daily:

 The Whole30 Daily is "32 days' worth of information (including a Day 0 and Day 31) written just for you, specific to that particular day of your program".

Credit: whole9life.com

Each day there is an email in my inbox explaining what I can expect for that day and tips for staying on track. And at the end of each email are two links. At the end of the day, and if you managed to stay on task, you click on the link that says, "I did it!" But if you got off track, there is a link that says, "I didn't do it. I need to start over" and it will take you back to the beginning. So it's nice to have that little click at the end of the day to look forward to. And the information in the emails really helps to explain my emotions and everything I'm experiencing and makes it a bit more bearable.

 

Credit: gooogle.com

"It Starts with Food": 

Whole30 describes their book, "It Starts with Food", as a source that "details the "why," the "how," and the "what happens next?" of the Whole30 in an entertaining, accessible manner".

I'm only about 7 chapters into this book so far, but it has proven to be an incredible resource. I bought it for just $10 on my Kindle and I have found myself highlighting something on every page, just because there is so much information that I want to remember! I've done research before on why food makes me feel the way I feel, but there is something about this book that really takes it to the next step. It is scientific, but not so much that you can't understand. And they use a lot of helpful analogies to help you really get a grasp on what is going on in your body. And the best part, it all finally makes sense! I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the book and I'm so happy I ordered it. For just $10, you really can't beat that.


My husband and I are also talking rewards today. We've decided that we are going to reward ourselves (other than the obvious reward of a healthier lifestyle) with a non-food gift. We haven't quite figured out what they'll be yet, but I will let you know when we do. All we know so far is that if he messes up one day, then he doesn't get his reward, but I don't either. And vice versa. We think this will keep us more on task because we are both more likely to be less concerned for our own gifts and would rather not take that away from each other because of something we did. And it will help us really motivate each other. We want our gifts! Haha! Make sense?

Ok, well that's my check in for today. Gonna go get some lunch around. Hope you're all having a great Wednesday! And if anyone else is currently doing a Whole30 challenge, or maybe you've finished one, I would love to hear about your experiences!

Trying Something New

It's difficult to say, but I have gotten off track again. Between the stress of losing my job and doing a ton of overtime (odd combo, eh?),  my dad having surgery last week, and starting to interview for work... my desire to eat right has been hit or miss and my desire to workout has completely gone on vacation.

So my husband and I talked about it and have decided to do something we've never done before. We're going to try a program together. It's strict, but not scheduled. And I really think that having him do it with me will be a huge help. Something has got to change because last night I realized that I'm to the point of having to lie on the bed to pull on my boots and most of my pants don't fit anymore. If he does this program with me, it will help keep me on task because I won't want to let him down.

I know I have gotten to the point before where I had excellent will power, could turn down a free cookie even if it was just under my nose, refused to do anything else until I got my workout in ... but somehow I have lost that ability. For now. I know I can get it back. I think I just need a little extra help getting there. And it's time that I learned how to ask for that help. Luckily, my husband is super sweet and very involved in things that are important to me, so he was not hesitant to agree to do this with me when I asked.

Ok, so what is this program we're doing? 

I think you might have heard of it if you've been hanging around in the Paleo world for any length of time. It's called Whole30 from Whole9.  How do we do it? Well, this program happens to be free, so I can share the details. The program lasts 30 days. That's not bad, right? It is a combination of eating right and working out, but it's more of a guideline rather than a regimented schedule and list of recipes/workouts. So it allows for flexibility.

Credit: whole9life.com

As outlined on their website, here is what you do NOT eat for 30 days:

• added sugar
• alcohol
• grains
• legumes (except green beans, sugar snap peas, and snow peas)
• dairy (except clarified butter or ghee)
• carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
• white potatoes
  

You are also not allowed to Paleo-ify foods. That means no making "Paleo muffins" or "Paleo pancakes".  Instead, we'll will be eating foods like meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. The real kind, not the stuff that is full of hormones or artificial additives. So it's pretty open to a lot of delicious meals ... you just have to find them! : )

And one more rule, they ask that you weigh yourself before starting and take measurements, but then you put the scale away. You don't weigh yourself during the actual program, just at the beginning and at the end.

They also ask that you do regular exercise, but I haven't seen where they are very detailed about the rules of that. They do include pre and post workout food options though.

Credit: whole9life.com

What's the Plan?

My plan is to follow what Whole Family Strong did, 2 days on and then 1 day off and repeat. I'll be doing the Fitness Blender workouts for this 30 day challenge. My husband has limitations due to a back injury but he'll be doing stationary bike and road biking  or swimming to get his workouts in.

Creators of Whole30 - Credit: nomnompaleo.com

My husband will be my partner in this, but if you're interested in joining in on the Whole30 Challenge, there is a whole forum available for support and tips or you can be a part of their Facebook and Twitter communities. And if you do better with more structure, they have included the option to sign up for a daily email, called The Whole30 Daily,with guidance and tips to keep you on track with an option to check in for accountability. It does come with a fee, but it's only $14.95 for the month so that is just .50 cents a day, which is not much when you think about how much you will save by not eating out for a month (or trying not to). We signed up for this option.

Want more info? 

If you'd like to see the real results of this program, they have a whole page full of testimonials. If you're still wondering what foods are good foods and which foods should be avoided, they have a book published that you could get as a reference. I have not read it, but if the book is anything like the site then I am sure it will be very helpful. It's called "It Starts with Food". They also recommend checking out the NomNomPaleo website for recipe ideas. Otherwise, we can get started on prepping before the start day. They happen to have a list of very helpful downloadable resources, including a Get Started list.

So ... that's the plan. 

We start on Monday. We got our Day 0 email yesterday when I signed up for it, and they should be sending another one soon to help us get everything set to get started. Today and tomorrow we'll work on cleaning out the fridge and cabinets of anything off-limits, although we don't really have too terribly much of that nowadays. Then we'll run to the grocery store and stock up on all of the things we will be eating for the next week. And tomorrow I'll post our starting weights and measurements. I want to make this a very open and public so you can all see my journey. I would really love to hear about experiences that you've had if you've tried Whole30 before and if you're interested in started the program with me, that would be great to hear your feedback too!

One more thing, I will be posting a new product review in the next day or two, so keep an eye out for that! : )