Guilt....Two-timing Whole30

GUILTY!!!!!

So, I'm currently between Whole30's and I don't want all my progress to be wasted, but I just can't commit to a real Whole30. I was sick last week so I made some Emergen-C's to try to battle this cold coming off of my last Whole30. The fructose (and a dozen other things, I'm sure) in the Emergen-C made my sugar cravings strong. I was eating a lot of fruit, some days, it was like 8 servings. Even though fruit is compliant on Whole30, the guidelines suggest two servings a day....and if you bloat or are trying to lose weight, it's not the worst to skip fruit all together some days.

So, here's the plan and what I do in between Whole30's. I still eat Whole30 compliant "ingredients," but I eat those ingredients any way I want them. Oh yes, lots of SWYPO here people! If I want frozen berries in coconut milk, I have it. If I want to eat more than one serving of nuts in a day, I do it. If I want to snack on compliant potato chips, because they are the most amazing thing to happen to my non-Whole30-eat-real-food life, I snack. Sometimes the snacking is in shame, but it's good while it lasts.  The key to me doing ok with a break from Whole30 and still continuing to get results is balance. If I'm breaking Whole30 for a night of drinking, I make sure that I ate great that day. I consumed a ton of water....I ate the right foods and the serving sizes laid out in the Whole30 guidelines....this way I can go out without feeling that guilty that I'm cheating. Same goes with a cheat meal....as long as you don't turn a meal to a day, a day to a weekend, a weekend to a week....you get the picture...you don't need to feel guilty, but it's important to keep yourself in check if you're the type of person to wander and forget to return (ie. ME!!!!!)

Today, I went to the new Better Health store in my area. It didn't let me down because I went there for one thing....MEAT! My friend told me about these EPIC Bars and I had to give them a try. I haven't seen them anywhere else locally, so I was excited when the store actually had them. I haven't tried it yet, but I will let everyone know what I think.

Next, I found these Good Health Natural Foods Olive Oil Rosemary Potato Chips. These are fantastic if you like rosemary. It's a subtle taste and not too overwhelming. The bag is pretty small (which I think is a VERY good thing) so you won't be able to overindulge too much.

Komucha! I've heard so much about it and now it's all mine! It was SO worth the wait!

Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos are great when you are on Whole30 or not. A great alternative to soy sauce. Soak your water chestnuts in the aminos, add them to a stir fry and thank me later. They're so good you could eat them raw, but they are great in a stir fry.

Lastly, Artisana Organic Raw Cashew Butter....no added oil and it reminded me of cookie dough...super smooth and great with apples.

~Nicci, In-between Whole30's

Nicci's Results on Whole30

Although, I have yet to share my entire Whole30 journey, I wanted to share my results thus far. I started on September 2, 2014 (this time) and have completed 3-Whole30s. I have been eating Whole30 compliant foods this whole time, minus 5 days of cheat meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, my BFF's wedding, a card party and once when Nicole was here in Michigan). I can count them on one hand. I am so motivated by the results and although I still have a long journey ahead, I'm overjoyed by the progress I've made and the way I feel when eating real food. 

I love cooking, and this way of eating allows me to explore new flavors and foods. I have become much more adventurous in the kitchen since starting Whole30. There are so many benefits to eating this way, but one of the best is the amount of money I have saved from not eating out and going to lunch every day. Lunches at my work have become refreshingly fun lately, because of the interest my food has brought to the office. People at my work have recently asked me to cook for them because my lunches look so good. They crowd around my desk and ask "what's on the menu for today"....I end up sharing bites regularly. I love sharing my recipes and food while spreading the Whole30 word. 

More recently people have been stopping me and asking "what am I doing to lose all this weight?" This is my time to share the amazing results that Whole30 has given me. I share the benefits of my clearer skin, my no-longer-a-necessity (real word, I swear) to be on pre-diabetes medicine, my healthier and regular digestive system and the most important one to me, the fact that my depression has been completely controlled and tolerable. I have struggled with depression since I was about 9-years-old, that I can remember. This stemmed from being much bigger than most of the kids and some adults around me. Depression and my weight go hand-in-hand. You want to know how I'm feeling? Look at a picture and my size and you will know just how bad I'm feeling. My goal isn't to get to the weight I was in my twenties, or even high school....my goal is to get to my middle school weight. Then, for once in my teen/adult life I will finally be a healthy "normal" weight according to the BMI chart. 

I believe that Whole30 sets us up to want to motivate to work out. I have had a really hard time motivating to work out this time around. I keep telling myself I'm going to start, but I have yet to begin. My next Whole30, which is I guess going on now, I really want to get a routine going. Between work and school I make excuses every day. I walked at work today, which is better than doing nothing, but I still need to get a good routine started. 

So here's the breakdown of my weight loss results:

Sept 2 - Oct 2: Down 24.5lbs
Oct 3 - Nov 12: Down 17.6lbs
Nov 13 - Dec 13: Down 12.2lbs
Dec 13 - Jan 3: Up 1.8lbs (damn holiday, weddings and parties)
Jan 4 - Feb 3: Down 13lbs 

Non-Scale Victories:
*All my previous clothing is lose or fits comfortably (which leads me to believe my clothes were way too small before)
*Bought new jeans in a size I haven't seen since middle school
*Bought The North Face jacket I've wanted for years...NOT in their biggest size...because that's a promise I made to myself...oh, and it fits
*No diabetes medicines
*No medicines at all
* Better/clearer skin
*Way more energy...though I'm not working out, I am getting way more done around the house. I don't come home and park my behind on the couch for hours at a time. I cook, I clean, I play with my dog, I do my homework...before Whole30, just hearing all that would have made me exhausted and require a nap. 
*Knowledge of food and other things we put in to our bodies has grown so much in the last few months. I am much more confident in making healthy decisions.
   
Most Important Non-Scale Victory:
*Feel amazing! Able to control my depression and concentrate on the positive changes I'm making in my life. 

Still need a reason to try Whole30? Check out these before and afters:






As seen on Instagram, me in August at my birthday party and me at my friend's New Year's Eve celebrations.....

Both the pic to the left and the one underneath are pics from September 2, 2014 and today, February 5, 2015...5 months and 67 pounds later...I still have a long journey ahead, but I'm excited to keep going. Look, a collarbone! 













Have you had great Whole30 success? Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding the Whole30 plan? Leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you. ~Nicci, Whole30, Day 2 or 32....whichever

I have to start all overrrrrrr?!!!!!!!

Yes… that's what I said. I got to day 22 and went to New Orleans for a race weekend. Knowing full well that it would require a total restart, I did the best I could in NOLA to enjoy the flavor and culture of the city and not fall completely off the wagon. But there was alcohol. 🙊 Sure enough that club soda tastes totally different with vodka in it… and not in a bad way. LOL I made a deal with myself though that I wouldn't give in to every whim and ruin all the progress I had already made. (I weighed myself the morning I left. I was down 8 lbs! 😁 Keep in mind, I lost 10.4 during my last whole30.)  

Here's what I did to be ok with my weekend… 

One meal a day needed to be as close to compliant as possible while eating out.  This usually ended up being breakfast. I found it easy to skip the toast and oatmeal.  

I skipped dairy as much as possible. I had one cafe au lait all weekend. The rest of the time my coffee was black and pretty tasty! No cheese on salads or omelettes. I did have a cauliflower soup that probably had cream in it but it was too delicious to pass up. 

I bartered with myself for the things that would be worth it to indulge in. For me, that's one order of Drago's oysters (there's the cheese sneaking in!), alcohol but still no pop, dessert at Emeril's, and a cup of gumbo. All of these were absolutely worth it. Quintessential NOLA things that I just couldn't pass up. 

So I enjoyed my weekend with no regrets and came home to an empty fridge and whole30 knocking on the door for the next day. The next day, I got up early for work and hit the SuperTarget on my way in. First stop? Starbucks. Gotta have 'bucks for a quick shopping trip in Target. I loaded up with enough for a few days that could be easily supplemented if I were able to get out. 

It's the first time I've eaten the Applegate hotdogs and I didn't mind them at all. Pretty good, actually. My favorite find are those Love Beets! So much better than a can and full of healthy vitamins!

I always laugh when people freak out about having to start over. I think if you're that worried about the restart, you probably need to think about what you're really trying to get out of the whole30 program. I can't wait to get to Tiger Blood again. So many amazing things happen on the inside while you progress thru whole30, why would you want to rob yourself of those?  

As I go thru IG, I keep seeing everyone's "I'm done" posts and I'm sitting here all… I'm back on day 5. 😳

But then I remember the awesome weekend I had getting this… 

… and I think yep, #wholeFebruary sounds good to me!!  Remembering why I'm doing whole30 in the first place and what I'm trying to get out of it is a great way to keep my positive attitude in place and moving forward. Who's with me for for whole February?!! 😜