Our Whole 30 Journey

Yesterday was the last day, I made it to the end! My Whole 30 Journey is "complete". I wanted to share a little about my experience, so if you are interested keep on reading if not no big deal! Instead of writing paragraph after paragraph I'll do our recap in more of a bullet/list form. You can see my half way recap here! Alright let's get started....

Program: Whole 30. Basically clean, clean eating for 30 days. NOT a diet but a program to help form healthier habits. Check out specifics here.

Duration: 30 days. April 7th - May 6th.

Who: Robert and I did this together. Sorta, I'll explain in a sec.

Why: Robert and I had a serious talk one day about how to stay healthy now and for the rest of our lives. We have eaten okay this past year but not great. We were not treating "treats" as treats and had just really gotten away from any self-discipline. So we are doing this program to form better eating habits and habits for a healthier life now and for always. Will we still eat desserts, pizza and fries after the 30 days? Heck yes! I cannot give that stuff up forever.But the plan is to introduce it back into our lives slowly and eat those things in much better moderation and occasionally instead of every day. I have learned moderation is key!

Meals:  I love the meals we cooked, many we will continue to cook regularly! I love that we cooked almost every day and did so together, another great change. Our two favorite meals by far are the Kitchen Sink Soup and Burger Bowls. We also really enjoyed Our Picnic! I got a lot of recipes from Paleo blogs, although it is not exactly the same thing it is very similar. Few or no changes are needed to most recipes.

Workout: We did workout during this program. Robert much more than me because of basketball. I worked out about 4 days a week, usually for an hour to an hour and a half. Most of the time it was elliptical, bike or treadmill sprints along with weights.

My moods: Throughout the whole program I did pretty well. There were some days were I thought I might punch someone because I "needed" a pretzel. But then I would have a handful of nuts or an apple and the craving would subside, seriously. Overall it was great, I really got better about focusing on more important things in life instead of what I am going to have more my next meal:)

Now let's talk about some overall results...

For Robert: Robert had to stop and did not go the full 30 days for very good reason. It was going really well and he was sticking to the plan perfectly. We both were feeling much better and healthier. But then we started to realize Robert was starting to drop weight, lots of it and fast. So we made the decision that it was best for him to stop. He stopped at Day 23 and it was very much the right decision. Robert is a big man, he is 6'10" and an athlete. This program was just not the best for him. I am no nutritional expert by any means but for someone who is an athlete and does high intensity workouts every day, I believe they need there carbs. Not necessarily sweets and cereals but at least brown rice, whole grains, etc. But he agrees and is glad that we both formed some great habits that we will carry with us for ever!

For Bailley: This program was really great for me. It was time just to get my eating back on track and really just to treat my body better. Overall, I just feel better, like lots better. Here are some specifics...

• Skin: Some reviews I've read said they see a difference in their skin. Me? Not so much. It definitely has not gotten worse but from what I can tell it has stayed pretty much the same. 
• Digestion: This is where I have noticed a big difference. I will not get into specifics but I will say my stomach just feels SO much better. No bloating or stomach aches. Love that difference.
• Energy: Holy cow! I have SO much more energy. This is another big difference I have noticed. I wake up earlier, hardly take naps because I am much less tired and just don't need it. If I get around 7 hours of sleep at night, I am good to go! Where before I slept for much longer. 
• Weight Loss: They want you to weigh before the program and then not again until the end. This program is not a diet. It is about becoming a healthier person and forming healthier habits. It is not about the weight loss but that is definitely a perk. With that said, they want you to weigh at the beginning and end so you can see the progress you made in a very tangible way.  So that is what I did. I weighed myself for the first time this morning in 30 days. I am happy to report I lost 8.4 pounds! It was great to get off that extra weight I had gained in the past year and lose a little more as well.  Just helps validate to me how wonderful whole foods and clean eating is for my body. 
• Overall appearance: Like they say this program is about so much more than weight loss. I feel healthier and have noticed little changes in my body that make me happy. I feel leaner and stronger, which is a win win in my book.

Tips:

• Eat. Great insight, huh? But the hard days were when I didn't get enough to eat, and then I was very hungry and that is when major cravings would set in. So eat until your satisfied (not overly full), that was what worked best for me and helped keep cravings away. 
• Have a craving? They really don't encourage snacking but man this girl needs a pick me up every now and then. So if you are having a craving go into the kitchen and grab yourself an apple, a pickle or some nuts. It will help that tummy calm down.
• Foods that really helped: Sweet potato "fries", an apple with almond butter, grapes, pickles and eggs. Also a lifesaver?? Dried fruit!! This is okay in moderation and as long as there is no added sugar. Read your labels- the only ingredient should be the fruit.
• Drink plenty of water. Seriously, so important.
• Read your labels. Again, checkout their website for specifics but you have to read labels to know if something is OK to eat.

 What Now: We have formed much better habits that will last us a lifetime. We have seen the significant difference clean eating can do for your overall health. We will cook healthier meals, treat ourselves to treats occasionally and not every single day, make healthier choices (a banana instead of chips for instance), junk food in much better moderation and the list could go on and on. I am so much more aware now of what I put into my body and what is good for me. We of course will still treat ourselves, but like I said not every single day. I now want to put "better" into my body, not to lose weight, but because I know how much better you feel and the positive changes it makes on your health. A healthy me is always my goal!

Interested? If you are interested in this program, check out more at their website. You can also email me and I can give you more details from our experience if you would like! It is so very do-able, not always fun but totally worth it! The habits you form and what you learn can change your journey and help you become the healthiest you possible!

Whole 30...Half way!

As I have mentioned, Robert and I are doing the Whole 30 program. It is similar to Paleo, just a little more strict. It is all about eating clean for 30 days in hopes to form healthier habits. It helps you determine how certain foods might be negatively impacting your health. You eat lots of veggies, lots of meat/eggs and lots of fruit. 

Why are we doing this program?
Robert and I had a serious talk one day about how to stay healthy now and for the rest of our lives. We have eaten okay this past year but not great. We were not treating "treats" as treats and had just really gotten away from any self-discipline. So we are doing this program to form better eating habits and habits for a healthier life now and for always. Will we still eat desserts, pizza and fries after the 30 days? Heck yes! I cannot give that stuff up forever.But the plan is to introduce it back into our lives slowly and eat those things in much better moderation and occasionally instead of every day:)

How do we feel? 
We are 15 days in, half way through the program! Wahoo! Honestly, we feel incredible. The first few days we were tired, our bodies needed to adjust. But now...We are way less bloated, have more energy and just feel good. It is amazing how much more your body loves you when you cut out processed junk and eat clean food. Our bodies our definitely thanking us.

What do we eat? 
We eat a variety of protein with every meal...eggs, lean ground beef, chicken, shrimp, ect. We eat a lot of fruit, probably more than we should. So we are trying to exchange some of that fruit for more vegetables. Which surprisingly is the hardest part for me. In the first 10 days we ate a ton of sweet potatoes, they were/are a life saver. Since day 10 we have cut back quite a bit because we got a little tired of them. One of our favorite meals so far is this kitchen sink soup...

We followed her recipe pretty close. But also just used what we had in the kitchen...sweet potatoes (a must), carrots, ground beef, celery, yellow pepper and tomatoes. This was so good and made enough for leftovers for the next day! Other meals...

 Frozen shrimp, sauteed with a little olive oil and whatever spices you like. Eat with fruits/veggies. 

 Mexican meatballs. 

 This was our Easter brunch. We tried to make it a little special. Eggs, fruit, bacon and Whole 30 Banana Muffins. They encourage you during whole 30 to not to substitute "junk" food you were eating before for a whole 30 version of it. Like muffins for whole 30 muffins. But it was Easter and we needed a little something and these muffins hit the spot. They are made with almond butter and almond flour. It makes 12, so you can have some for the next few days!

A lot of meals look like this. A protein, sweet potatoes and a veggie. 

Is it hard? 

Robert and I tried this program back in November and failed miserably. We made it 4 days in, I think, and quit. I just thought it was too difficult. But for some reason this time around it has been much easier. Why? I think because we have set our minds to it. This is what we are going to do and there is no quitting. With that mind set, it is a game changer. We are finding all sorts of new foods and meals like the ones above that we love. They fill us up and it is so satisfying knowing how healthy it is for you as well. We are not just eating these meals, we are enjoying them! There have definitely been times where all I want is a pastry from the corner bakery or we walk by a pretzel stand and I can hardly stand it. And I kinda want to cry (but I haven't yet)! But we are determined and 15 days in we see how beneficial the clean eating is. This is soo do-able, just set your mind to it!

15 days in, 15 more to go! I'll do a recap at the end of this journey as well. I do not want to overload y'all with this information and every single meal I eat because we all know that is very entertaining:) So I will get back to blogging fun stuff! But if you do have any questions, comment or shoot me and email! And I will help the best I can. 

I hope you all have a great day!