Whole 30, Take 4

A friend of mine decided in December to do a Whole 30 starting Jan 1. We were headed to Disney on vacation (whooo hooo!), so when I decided to join her, I knew I'd have to start a bit after her. Today was that day. I bought the Whole 30 "Day by Day" book to try to help myself along as well.

I've been having craptastic reactions to foods that I don't normally have reactions to, so I'm really hoping to pin point exactly which foods are becoming issues for me. I've been having some major allergy issues since we moved as well, so hopefully cutting some of these foods out will help with that too.

I'm also hoping to heal my gut (again). It'd be awesome if there was a side benefit of some weight loss, but I know not to count on it.

Foods I think I'm reacting to:
Sour Cream
Cheese
Rice (especially when combined with the two above)

Day 1 went ok. Day 1 isn't usually the problem day though, so that's par for the course. Here's to day 2!

PS: I do plan to keep working out during this W30. I've been really loving the Peloton app - especially now that we've added the Kieser m3i spin bike & Sole F80 treadmill to our gym!

Blah blah blah

No excuses - once again, we went off the wagon & in a righteous way. Needless to say, we didn't complete the September Whole 30. I did buy the book Food Freedom Forever, so maybe reading that will get me motivated to get back on a track.

I've also started listening to the Naturally Nourished podcast. I really like that Ali does episodes on certain diseases or issues. I'm planning on taking notes as I listen to it. It's just that informative. Looking forward to learning more from the podcast.

I have set a weight goal for next year. It's 100% attainable - if I get on it! Now, to set a plan in place and DO IT!

Getting Back on Track

With all of the thyroid & adrenal fatigue problems literally getting me down, it's been a rough road. I'm not shy about it and quite frankly, it needs to be talked about. I know I'm not the only one suffering, so it's good to get it out there.

I'm *finally* starting to feel a bit better. In an attempt to get myself (and Jon) back on track, we're doing the Fitness Blender 4 weeks for busy people workout plan.

Now, you may be asking "Why is a personal trainer following someone else's plan?" The answer is simple. While I could design and do my own workouts, designing and essentially training your husband isn't always a smart idea. He is much better off if it's someone else's workout and I correct form if needed.

Jon hasn't been doing all of the workouts, so I finally said "I'm doing them with or without you. Join me or don't, up to you." I'm finding this solution is working for ME. I also figure if he sees me doing the workouts, he'll eventually either do them on his own or join me.

After the blizzard last week, the boxing gym was shut down for a few days. Hopefully I'll be able to get over there next Monday/Wednesday.

We're also discussing doing another Whole30 starting February 7. Why not start it next week? Because, quite frankly, there are a few things I want to make that aren't W30 approved. So, I'm giving myself a week to do it. If they get made, great. If not, oh well. After Whole30, I think it'll be a bit easier to switch to the nutrition plan my naturopath wants me on. Finally. After kind of doing "whatever" since October.

It will all fall into place.

One step at a time. One day at a time. One workout at a time. One meal at a time.

What's in store for 2016?

2015 was a bittersweet year. We traveled to 5 countries (Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Netherlands), 9 states (MI, TX, NC, SC, FL, MA, NY, OH, and CO), sold our house (YAY!), moved into our apartment, sold the travel trailer, bought our motorhome, and attended 4 funerals - including both of my remaining grandmas. Like I said, bittersweet.

I finished Rising Strong just before the new year (I started it in September). I also watched the Scott C Jones Ted Talk about F*** It Lists recently. I think I'll write a post on Rising Strong soon.

We celebrated NYE with dear friends of ours at a campground in SC. It was a great way to celebrate new friendships and passing into a new year.

So, what's in store for 2016?

• Practice the Rising Strong lessons learned. 
• Work on my F*** It List.
• Set 2-3 goals and work towards them - both personally and professionally.
• Read Art of Possibility and put lessons learned into action.
• Read Year of Yes and put lessons learned into action.
• Work on my overall health, to include getting back to more of a Paleo eating style. 
• Use the Passion Planner and get a bit more organized!

Notice something missing?

I'm not setting any specific race goals or workout goals. At all. It's a conscious decision. The past couple of years have been rough on my health; this thyroid thing has turned my world upside down.


(Note: I'm not affiliated with Amazon.com or YouTube, they're just where I've consumed these books/videos.)

Whole 30, take 15

Now that it's June and we've closed on the house, I have a kitchen I'm allowed to cook in again! Thank goodness!

So, today, along with at least 2 other ladies, I restart Whole 30. Jon will join me in the meals I make him (at least). Being up front, I have 40 lbs and at least 20 inches to lose! I also need to get my thyroid back in optimum health.

I'll also be working on Fitness Blender's 4 week Low Impact plan. I figured low impact was a good way to get back into it.

Here's what week 1 will look like, with a couple of holes still:

Monday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l - salad with chicken
d - roasted chicken & summer squash & bok choy
(lots of chicken today!)
Fitness Blender plan 3 & 4

Tuesday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - beef skewers & salad
Fitness Blender plan 5

Wednesday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - pulled pork, coleslaw, broccoli salad
Fitness Blender plan 6

Thursday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - lettuce wrap pork "tacos" with veggies, guacamole, and salsa
Fitness Blender plan 7

Friday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - chicken & zucchini poppers with broccoli salad
Fitness Blender plan 8

Saturday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d - bbq at a friend's house
Fitness Blender plan 9

Sunday:
b - sweet potatoes & chicken sausage
l -
d-
Fitness Blender plan 10 & 11

Eventually, I'll need to change my breakfast up. But, I'm trying to keep it as easy as possible this week to get back into it. Lunches are my weakness. Pretty much the plan is either salad or leftovers. I need to get better about planning those though.

The Paleo Journey

Since we've been trying to sell our townhouse, our eating has been horrible. I'm not even going to say it's been ok; it's been flat out horrible. I take responsibility for that. I've been having a rough time knowing if it's "ok" to cook in the house because you're not supposed to have lingering food smells when you show the house. Hard to cook dinner when some showings are between 6-7pm.

That being said, something HAS to change. We've been talking about getting back on the Paleo wagon, even with showings. People are going to have to realize other people live in houses... even ones that are for sale.

This weekend, we were in a Barnes & Noble. It's amazing how being in a college town changes whether or not there's a book store around. I picked up three new Paleo cookbooks (like I needed them!).

Real Life Paleo

Whole 30 Cookbook

21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook

(I'm not Amazon affiliated, just sharing the links)

The Real Like Paleo book really caught my eye. It's about making changes and adapting to the lifestyle one step at a time. I like that style of making changes, so we'll see if it helps!

The W30 cookbook just recently came out. I've been curious about it & with the chance to flip through it before I bought it, it seems like it'll be a good reference for when we decide to do another strict W30.

I have a friend who has the 21 Day Sugar Detox books and she loves them, so I figured it'd be a good addition to my library.

There are days I wish we didn't live in an area that was so easy to say "screw it" and go out. I feel like we may have stuck with the Paleo lifestyle a little more if that was the case. I've been on/off Paleo for a couple of years now. I KNOW it works. I don't know why I resist it so much.

We have a big anniversary coming up in November of this year. I'd like to be closer to my goal weight & health by then. I've got all of the resources. Just need to DO IT!