My Whole30 Recap

WOW! It's been a while since I posted! I guess the floors were being installed in the basement that day, and ever since then I have been trying to get all the baseboards and doors repainted and everything put back in its place. It has been a lot of work, and it's not quite finished, but that's not what I'm here to talk about today...

Around September 29, I decided, pretty much on a whim, to start a Whole30 on October 1. My diet had gotten out of control, and it was past time to rein it back in. Suddenly, it is November 2 and the (first) Whole30 is over! Surprisingly, it was much easier than I expected, possibly because I generally try to eat a primal/paleo diet, but I still had to restrict a lot more than I'm used to. I was NOT excited about giving up every last form of grains and my  beloved dairy. Alcohol I can live without, but the rest was going to be a bit of a struggle.

However, while it was sometimes challenging, getting rid of all the cravings made a big difference. The Whole30 timeline is invaluable in helping you understand what is causing your symptoms---because your body, emotions, and energy level will change during the whole month! It was great to just check the timeline, see what was happening and get some support.

What did I eat, you ask? Lots of eggs. :-) Not so many that I am sick of them, but they definitely came in handy when, because of my poor planning or busy schedule, dinner was something I simply couldn't eat. I have this Whole30 cookbook...which I don't think I used more than once this month...but the whole family has loved recipes I have made in the past. Honestly, this month has been so crazy busy with the basement and regular life that I didn't plan out meals as I should have. Where I normally would have added rice as a starch, I used potatoes, white or sweet. Yay! Potatoes are allowed! Burrito night was taco salad for me, sadly, minus cheese or sour cream. One new favorite is PaleOMG's Pizza Spaghetti  Pie . That came in handy for lots of easy leftovers, even though I had to keep everyone else from eating it!

There were a few cheats that I allowed myself out of necessity. The breakfast sausage we use comes from a local farmer and has a little sugar in it, but in lieu of spending hours finding an alternative, I decided to use it, though less than usual. I also allowed myself Primal Fuel meal replacement shakes because the ingredient list is pretty stellar even though it contains a little sugar. I made these choices knowing that neither of these options causes sugar cravings for me. (Pro-tip on the Primal Fuel, which is pricey: I discovered that my serving size (1.5 scoops, not 2) is cheaper than other protein powders if I use the auto-ship option. I love that---the higher quality shake for less money!)

The other actual cheat meals were a Tropi-Kale smoothie from Robeks which had yogurt in it. I didn't know that until after I drank it! That cheat was caused by poor planning for a long day out. Meg's feast day celebration included her favorite cheese fondue (alcohol, dairy, and grains--cornstarch!) which I ate with cauliflower, not bread. The fondue was a "safe" cheat because I knew it wouldn't derail the whole diet as a cupcake or cookie would. I can't decide if Chik fil-a waffle fries are a cheat or not, but they came in handy and made me happy. Eating at Chipotle a couple of times also made life easier. Their rice bran oil is probably, technically illegal, but as they have switched from the endocrine disruptor and illegal legume, soybean oil, I'll take it.

To wrap up, I lost about 10 lbs.! A few of those were gained just before I started, so probably came off quickly. I didn't count carbs or calories at all, which might improve weight loss, but I was rarely hungry. If I was hungry, it was real hunger, not head hunger. And I simply forgot about the rule that we're not supposed to snack between meals---and still lost 10 lbs. My belt is 3 (!!!) notches tighter, so that is 3" off the hips.

Am I going to continue? Absolutely. I feel great---happy, even-tempered, energetic. Thin. ;-) I experimented with a little dairy this weekend----cheese tasted terrible. Cream in my coffee was not appealing. Sour cream on my taco salad tasted great, but I was puffy and bloated this morning. My Halloween treat was 1 bite of a fine chocolate that actually tasted good, but I didn't want to finish. I got out 5 chocolate almonds later to treat myself, and the first one tasted dreadful so I put the rest back. I call that a total win.

Have you done a Whole30 or are you thinking of starting one? Let me know in the comments!

xo
Sara

Weekly Rambles 1

::My Weekly Rambling::

What’s the weather doing?

Oh my, is it ever raining! Lots and lots of rain. It's so chilly and damp that we even have a fire going---which makes a Monday so much cozier.

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Diet. Diet. Diet. I gave up so many things in January which resulted in a whopping 8 pound weight loss in 2.5 months. Most of that was the initial "water weight" so I'm not impressed.  The 50 lbs. weight loss for my 50th birthday is looking less and less likely. Though I'll take less. Obviously.

What am I thankful for?

My sturdy roof. :-) My beautiful, healthy family.

What’s going on in school?

It's the first day back at work for the home schoolers, and spring break for the Catholic schooler. It's nice to have him home with nowhere to go since his friends and girlfriend are all on fun trips. 

What’s cooking?

I have no idea what I'm cooking this week! Yesterday's fun was lemon-blueberry cheesecake bars with my own nut-based crust and no sugar. For the first time I used only liquid stevia (with a tiny, tiny touch of honey) as a sweetener, and I didn't hear any complaints.

What’s on the needles?

I spent a couple of hours at the auto-mechanic this morning, working on the Sock Yarn Blanket, learning how to join the diamonds for the first time today. This project will take me yeeeaaarrrs. I don't know how some people have made several of these!

I'm also waiting on 2 yarn shipments for my Color Affection because I'm almost out of 2 of the 3 colors. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the different dye lots won't be a noticeable issue since the shawl alternates colors. 

What’s special about this week?

Lots of stuff on the calendar this week! Lunch with a friend. Meg starts braces. The final, celebratory session of my Consoling the Heart of Jesus retreat. And some other, not exactly noteworthy, but busy-making actvities.

What am I reading?

I'm reading George Washington's Secret Six for book club (which was yesterday!). I'm nearly finished, and I might work on that today, except that I need to finished the CHJ book ASAP. Last night, AMC premiered their mini-series TURN which is about the same subject, the spy ring that helped save the revolution.

I've really enjoyed reading this book.  It's too bad I was on a deadline, but it is interesting enough to keep my attention.

What am I praying about?

So many prayer intentions! I'm learning that I don't need to name them all one by one when I pray because the Lord knows what's in my heart and who I'm concerned about. These days, I'm focusing more on spending time with Jesus and trying to remember Him throughout my days.

Not always succeeding, mind you, or even meeting my own goals, but I'm trying.

What’s on my ipod?/

A zillion podcasts that I don't have time to get through and still manage to read books!

What projects are happening at home?

I don't think there will be any big projects this week because we're so busy. But if I find myself at loose ends, I have some sewing to do and a table to refinish/paint. Stay tuned.