my whole30 experience

I've gotten some questions since I posted that I was doing a Whole30, and now that I'm all done, I've gotten even more! I am so happy to share with you my experience of "doing a Whole30." First let me say, that if you're interested in doing a Whole30, checkout their website! Their website has SO MUCH information on it, lots of specifics - whole30.com, like the program rules, shopping lists, etc. I'll post some other resources I found helpful at the bottom! 

Full disclosure: this was my THIRD attempt at a Whole30 and my first time making it all the way through! I think when it comes to doing this, you HAVE to be mentally in the game. This time, I finally was! 

I remember exactly the first time I had heard about the Whole30. It was in March of 2014. I was at a Moms' Night Out at one of the Stroller Strides instructor's house and we were all standing in the kitchen. In walked Becky, she was at the time the owner of Stroller Strides Honolulu. I had just seen her about a month ago at Valentine's Day workout at the zoo. And she looked different! Noticeably different! Her skin was glowing! She had clearly lost weight. She looked amazing beforehand, but wow. Immediately I was like, "GIRL. What the what? Tell me ALL your secrets." She proceeded to explain the Whole30 to me and thus changed my life. Seriously. 

At that time, Whole30 only had one book out called, "It Starts with Food." I purchased it right away. I read it, and it made SO MUCH SENSE. I mean, it's SO simple. Eat REAL FOOD. Not really anything new, right?? They describe the Whole30 as a "30 day nutritional reset." This book details the WHY, the science behind it, but in a very easy and engaging format. I was not bored, and my simple mind did not find this hard to read. ;) The Whole30 eliminates particular foods for 30 days, but they also explain why they chose those foods. Foods that aren't necessarily BAD, but may cause inflammation, or have been known to aggravate certain conditions. 

But I think more importantly than the "what can I eat?" specifics, the Whole30 focuses on our RELATIONSHIP with food. A lot of people start a Whole30 (*raises hand*) to get a jumpstart on weight loss, but you will not be weighing yourself while on the Whole30. It's against the rules. It's SO MUCH MORE than your weight. It becomes SO MUCH MORE than your weight. I got to take a good hard look at how I view food, my snacking habits, and how obsessed I am with the number on the scale. Not good, I promise. And NO counting calories! This was huge for me. I get so obsessive about numbers and calories, but because you're eating REAL food to satisfy HUNGER, you don't have to count calories. Ah, so simple, WHY is this so revolutionary? 

Now they actually have a "Whole30" book - The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom. Tell me that doesn't sound amazing? 

In my opinion, the key to success on the Whole30 is PREPARATION. This is not a "fly by the seat of your pants" sort of thing. At least it wasn't for me. The Whole30 requires you to sit down and eat 3 meals a day. (And a bonus meal if you're exercising.) This was probably one of the most challenging aspects for me. I'm a BUSY stay-at-home-mom with two little ones, and it's hard for me to just hop in the kitchen and whip something delicious and nutritious up ONCE a day, let alone three times a day. Also, do you know me? I don't cook. Except while I'm doing a Whole30... which Rob loves. Hah! I still struggle with meal prep, because I don't like to make straight up meals a full week in advance, but having some things on hand, chopped and ready to go helped A LOT. 

Staple foods to have on hand for me were: eggs, sweet potatoes, sweet bell peppers, organic baby spinach (or some other mixed greens), cherry/grape tomatoes, asparagus, avocados, Bruce Aidell's Chicken Apple sausage, organic chicken breast, frozen fish, ground beef, ground turkey, coconut milk, coconut oil, apples, almond butter (peanut butter not allowed! It's a legume), olives, and vegetable stock (read the label!).  

Because the cost of food/groceries is so expensive in Hawaii, I did almost ALL of my shopping exclusively at Costco, which is normal for us anyway. The coconut milk I had to go to the regular grocery store for. 

So what did a typical day of food look like for me?? It's not perfect, but it worked for me. Also what worked for me: keeping it SIMPLE. Three meals a day. If you nourish yourself, you won't be hungry between meals. 

Breakfast:

BLACK coffee 

2 eggs - hard boiled, soft boiled, fried, or scrambled. Whatever mood I was in. 

1/4 avocado and a handful of cherry tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper. 

Sweet potatoes in some form.

Sautéed spinach 

Sometimes if I had left over veggies from the night before (like asparagus), that too.  If I scrambled my eggs, I added in full fat coconut milk (the kind in the CAN, not in the box). Thai Kitchen was the only brand I could find that was Whole30 compliant. I always scrambled or fried my eggs in coconut oil, EVOO, or avocado oil.  

Lunch:

BIG ol' salad - greens, 1/4 avocado, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cucumber, carrots if I was brave (hate carrots), hard boiled egg, some other type of protein like chicken or fish,  canned tuna* seasoned with salt and pepper, fresh lemon juice, a little EVOO. 

Half (or whole) apple, or some other small amount of fruit. 

Dinner: 

This was the hardest for me AND where I felt I needed to be most prepared, especially if Rob was on a trip. If I was in a pinch, I made eggs. But I can't tell you how many times I made the Whole30 Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie (found in the Whole30 book), and had leftovers for at least the next day. I also loved Sweet Potato Turkey Burger sliders. I cooked asparagus A LOT too. Many nights I'd bake a frozen fish in the oven and season with salt and pepper and fresh lemon juice, and maybe a little coconut oil. Veggies on the side, add a little side salad, and good to go! I also loved pork shoulder in the crockpot seasoned with paprika and salt and pepper. And then shredded pork on EVERYTHING. So so so good. 

*READ YOUR LABELS! My canned tuna had SOY in it. WHY???? My frozen salmon had food coloring added to it. WHY???? So obviously, I didn't eat those. You will quickly see how much sneaky crap is in your food. 

Here are some of the meals I cooked along the way! 

I did workout almost every day as well. A post-workout meal would be a hard boiled egg (or a few egg whites), and some sweet potatoes. Maybe half an apple with some almond butter. 

SO... what happened during the Whole30. Those first few days were HARD. I had a headache, I was sluggish, and a bit crankier than I normally am. Haha! BUT, within that first week or so, I noticed that my clothes were fitting better! ONE WEEK. That was motivation enough to keep me going. Here's a handy timeline posted on the Whole30 website. It's a little tongue in cheek, but it's actually quite accurate. After the fog cleared, I felt more rested and the biggest change? MORE ENERGY aka "Tiger Blood." So much more energy. (I did not experience the "my clothes are tighter" milestone in the timeline. Thank goodness or else I would have cried.) At the end of the night, I had energy for the first time in a long time to stay up past when the kids went to bed. I actually did laundry. Gasp. I felt more rested at night, even though Cora is still waking up too much during the night.

I lost 10 pounds. I never weighed myself throughout, I never counted calories, and I never measured out anything. I just ate real, whole food, drank lots of water (probably almost 100 oz. a day), exercised, and I didn't snack.  

If I was out and about, and in a pinch, and hungry because it was time for lunch, I would eat a Coconut Cream Pie Lara Bar (picked up at Target) to hold me over.  I only had to do this a few times. Also, I did not eat out at all while on the Whole30. This wasn't too hard since we hardly ever eat out anyway. 

I used other resources along the way to help out with recipe ideas or just general encouragement. A little disclaimer: JUST because someone says something is Whole30 does NOT mean it is. Make sure you know what's compliant and what isn't. If you have a question about a particular ingredient, google " [whatever ingredient] whole30" and I guarantee someone knows. Also beware of books (EVEN on Amazon) that says it's a Whole30 cookbook. IT'S NOT. The ONLY two books that are legit, for sure, 100% Whole30 are the two books written by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. Don't be duped. 

Here are a few websites that I love! 

Nom Nom Paleo - http://nomnompaleo.com (It's not Whole30 per se, but she does do a lot of Whole30 and obviously paleo recipes. She's very transparent about what is Whole30 and isn't.)

Well Fed (formerly The Clothes Make the Girl) - http://meljoulwan.com (Same as above.)

Melissa Hartwig's Instagram - https://instagram.com/melissa_hartwig/

Whole30Recipes Instagram - https://instagram.com/whole30recipes/

Whole30 Instagram - https://instagram.com/whole30/

Whole30 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Whole30/

How's life AFTER my Whole30? Pretty good! Am I still eating Whole30 compliant? For the most part YES. I had a little bit of cheese on some rice crackers because I was making cheese crackers for Christian's lunch and I was STARVING, so I had a few. I've had a smoothie with Shakeology and store bought almond milk (NO SMOOTHIES on Whole30!!), and I just ate some gluten free bread with avocado and turkey breast. GF bread is OUT for the Whole30, and sliced turkey is technically fine IF it's compliant. Again, read the ingredients. And sigh, why does turkey have "ingredients" to begin with?? I have had a small headache off and on since coming off the Whole30 and I know it's because I didn't do the "life after Whole30" reintroduction like the book suggested. Oh well. Maybe next time? I am still drinking my coffee black though! AND I LIKE IT! 

So. 

If you're thinking about doing it, DO IT. If I can do it, anyone can! I promise! For the FIRST TIME EVER IN MY LIFE, I did not eat any Halloween candy. But more than that, I didn't WANT any Halloween candy. Reese's Cups are my favorite forever and ever amen, but not even that little orange wrapper could tempt me this time. Am I saying that I'm NEVER going to eat a Reese's Cup again? Um, no. Do you know me at all? :) But for now, I'm good. 

alooooha friday!

Pineapple fields on the north shore. 

Oh Friday. How you truly mean nothing to me. This day is no different than another day for the stay-at-home mommy with a husband that travels for work. Well, I guess today is a little different because Rob is actually at headquarters all day doing interviews. So it was nice to see him for 5 minutes this morning, and then again tonight. Case in point: I started this little post at oh... 7 this morning? It is now 6:30pm and Rob is home. Onward. 

This week was a busy one. Since we've decided (for now) not to put Christian in a "real" preschool, and use more of a homeschooling approach, we've been trying out some new activities. We've been having fun in a soccer skills class, yesterday we tried out gymnastics (which he LOVED), and soon we'll be trying out a group that does weekly field trips around the island. It looks like so much fun! I follow them on Facebook and when I saw them take a trip to the taro fields where the kids actually got in and got muddy picking taro, I was sold. (They're grown in pondfields.) I love their philosophy, "The goal of the program is to get families outdoors, learning about our rich environment, including animals, the ocean & land, and the precious Hawaiian culture and history." Can't wait for their winter program to start! He'll be trying out a Jiu-jitsu class on Monday. If he doesn't care for that, then we'll try something else like Taekwondo. So yeah, a little busy, but LOTS of fun! Usually these activities take place in the mornings, so that leaves our evenings open to just hang out or head up to the park. 

Cora had her first little "tumbling" class yesterday. And yes, she LOVED it. However, even though the class starts at 6 months old, it's really geared towards early walkers. I think we'll hold off for a few months until she's at least crawling, and then start going regularly. 

Today is my mom's birthday!!! Yay! Happy birthday, Mama!!! 

I really wish we could be there to celebrate. I've been missing Virginia and craving some Mama time really really badly lately. Right now, I am missing the change of the seasons as I sit in my house with the windows and doors open and a fan pointing on me because it's so darn hot. I don't miss cold weather, and I definitely DO NOT MISS SNOW and winter, but I do miss autumn. Seeing leaves change. The crisp mornings. Wearing boots and jeans and sweaters. Right now, I am missing Richmond, and I'm wishing it wasn't so hard to get back there. 

Mom sent me this picture the other day of a tree that my dad planted. So pretty! 

Let's talk Whole30. I'm on DAY 30! Sweet mercy. I made it! Thirty days of eating WHOLE, nutritious, delicious foods. Clean and green. Nothing processed. No processed sugar. No gluten. No dairy. No alcohol. But thirty days of eating so much yummy food. Foods that don't actually have "ingredients!!" Here's just a sample of some the delicious meals I ate during the past 30 days. 

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of my favorite dish from the Whole 30 book - Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie. I've also been loving Sweet Potato Turkey Burger Sliders. I make it Whole30 compliant, which I think it basically is except it calls for barbecue sauce, and you'd have to make your own or read ingredients. Either way, not a huge barbecue sauce fan anyway, so I don't use it.  Guess what? I eat A LOT of sweet potatoes. And eggs. More on the Whole30 later. I haven't weighed myself in 30 days, I haven't tracked calories in 30 days. It's been SO liberating. 

I'm currently on day 5 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme, and uh, I'm really sore. I'm part of a challenge group on Facebook that's really been keeping me accountable. I'm seriously so in love with the Beachbody programs and philosophies, I am considering becoming an official Beachbody Coach. We'll see. I'm still thinking and praying about it. :) All I know is my Beachbody coach is awesome, inspiring, her positive energy is infectious, and it really makes me want to be part of her team. 

Tomorrow is Halloween, and we'll do some trick or treating around the neighborhood for the first time. Christian is thoroughly stoked. We didn't get around to carving pumpkins though. Oops. Maybe next year? And I totally forgot to string up my pumpkin and orange twinkle lights. 

Ok I better end this before it becomes an Aloha Sunday post. Have a safe and wonderful Halloween!! 

whole30, day 4

I'm doing it! Today is Day 4 of a Whole30 - I started on Monday. And so far, so good. Granted, it's day 4, so ask me in a week, or tomorrow because I'm just taking it day by day. But really, I was ready to start. I felt gross and bloated and just kept binging on carbs and sugar, carbs and sugar. I was (am) a bit overwhelmed as to what I would eat on this 30-day journey, but so far it's been going well. Day 2 I had a bit of a headache and felt a little foggy, but also... I have a newborn.

These are the Whole30 rules, if you're interested. I highly recommend the books though. I've especially liked their newest book, "The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom." I picked mine up at Costco. Because I live there.

I really think the biggest key to success is meal planning, and I'm not quite there yet. On the Whole30 you can eat A LOT of good WHOLE foods. See graphic above. I've mostly been winging it, but I definitely want to write down some meals for the coming weeks. SO yes, that means I have actually been cooking. Shocker, I know. I feel all domesticated.

I'll break it down just a little more. Breakfast is my favorite, because I can eat ALL THE EGGS. And NO, you do not have to worry about your cholesterol. Promise. My friend that inspired me to do this ate 3-4 eggs per day and her cholesterol dropped 27 points. BOOM. But if you're interested in the science behind it, I recommend reading the books.

This is what my breakfast has looked like the past 4 days:

(There is a bison burger hiding under that egg. Loco Moco, Whole30 style!)

I could eat sweet potatoes 3 meals a day. Lucky for me Costco sells a gigantic bag (naturally) of organic sweet potatoes. So I do basically eat sweet potatoes three meals a day.

So far the breakdown is: breakfast I make, lunch is a giant salad with canned salmon/Whole30 approved chicken sausage, and/or leftovers, and dinner I've made the past 3 nights. Please. Pick yourself up off the floor. YES, I actually made dinner 3 nights in a row. Currently there is a GIANT (again, Costco) pork shoulder in the crockpot for Kalua pork tonight, and I'm going to try my hand at cauliflower rice.

The first night I made Sweet Potato Shephard's Pie; recipe from The Whole30 book, which was BOMB. And leftovers were the next day's lunch, and midday snack.* Day 2 I threw some mahi-mahi in the oven and had a giant (Costco) baked sweet potato. And last night's dinner was bison burgers on sweet potato buns with a side of sautéed green beans.

*Part of Whole30's rules are basically, no snacking. They want you to eat 3 solid meals a day, enough food that would fill you up until the next. (They have a meal template). HOWEVER, their caveat is if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. That rule is out the window. I snack if necessary, and I eat when I'm hungry. Usually my "snacks" could actually qualify as a meal. And no difference in my milk supply, unless you count the 2oz I pumped at record speed.

So this is where I am today. I hope I can continue! I know it'll be hard when Rob is gone, but we are also on a mission to NOT make 2 dinners - meaning, Christian has to eat whatever is being made. Unfortunately, we got into that cycle of making food for him, and food for us. We've been working on this for a few weeks now. Baby steps. I will definitely need to have a plan for when Rob is gone. And yesterday DESERVED a bottle of wine, but I miraculously refrained. A miracle indeed.

Here is a tongue-in-cheek timeline of what it's like to do a Whole30. Thankfully (so far) today I don't want to "kill all the things," but there's always tomorrow!

Happy eating!

committing to kaia (and whole 30)

See what I did there?

A few things have been happening around these parts recently and I am PUMPED. Yeah. That excited. First, I've been reading the book, "It Starts with Food" in preparation for the Whole 30. If you don't know what that is, then go here. Read all about it. I've seen the results of Whole 30, and I am impressed. (Although I want to say the goal isn't to lose weight, that's just the amazing side effects when we stop putting junk into our bodies.) I've been eating "Whole 30" for the past 11 days just to prepare myself, so to speak, in conjunction with the Advocare Herbal Cleanse.

Without going too much into it... because you can read all about the cleanse on their website, it really isn't a cleanse in the way we're used to hearing about them. There is no starving going on here. No lemon, maple syrup, cayenne pepper concoction. Trust. Been there done that, blogged about it. Never again.

With this cleanse, you drink a fiber drink in the morning on days 1-3 and 8-10. You also take the "herbal part" at night on days 1-7. It's three tablets that include senna extract, beet root powder, wheat grass juice, cranberry juice powder, etc... all ingredients available on their website. You also take probiotics (which I take anyway). Their "rules" are: no dairy, no sugar, no preservatives, LOTS of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins. Hmmm... sounded a lot like the Whole 30.

So for the past 11 days, I have been eating TONS of vegetables, and protein. Vegetables for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And if I snack in between, more vegetables. I've been trying to limit my fruit. No dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, no soy, no gluten. Guys, these really aren't hard things to give up. Well, gluten is kind of a pain, but I have found it actually hasn't been too bad. Promise. I've been reading labels like a mutha, and I have been cooking my butt off. And I don't cook. (Two nights ago I googled, "how to boil chicken.") So there you have it, if I can do it, then anyone can. Rob is pleased.

I now feel really confident starting the Whole 30 tomorrow. The hardest part for me is all the vegetables, which admittedly, I typically don't like and don't eat. And instead of focusing on what I CAN'T have, my eyes have been opened to so many NEW things of what I can have, and how to create and cook with all my options. It helps that there are blogs with many many many recipes available.

BUT THE BEST PART?? I have a TON of energy. I wake up energized. I've been sleeping SO GOOD at night, and I have energy through the day. Maybe even as much as Jessie Spano on caffeine pills. Ok, maybe not. My skin looks better than it ever has.

Tomorrow I'm also starting Kaia F.I.T. Their website best sums it up, so I'll just put it here: Kaia F.I.T. offers fitness programs catered to women and specializes in delivering personalized training in a group atmosphere. Our whole body approach to fitness and healthy living will make you leaner, stronger, more flexible, and give you the energy to be more effective in your daily life.

I know a few mamas that do this program, and um, I'm sold. I was sold a long time ago, but with pregnancies and laziness, I haven't committed. That is until now. It's a 6 week program, 5 days a week, and I am so pumped to be a part of this group! And it starts tomorrow at 5am. Whhhhaaaaaa? Yep, I'll be there!

My hope is that with clean eating - and if you read all about Whole 30, it's not just about eating clean. They really get into the psychology of why we crave certain foods, and how it makes us feel, and making a disconnect of eating for comfort instead of hunger. So let me start again, my hope is with clean eating + Kaia (and Stroller Strides), I will be my strongest and healthiest ever. That I will lose the last bit of this pre- pre- pre- pregnancy weight, build muscle, crave vegetables, and have lots of energy to chase around my very busy little boy who is constantly in motion!!

Constantly. 

Wish me luck.