So much for updating along the way with our Whole30
challenge! We finished several
weeks ago, went back to eating forbidden foods (on a very limited basis) for a
little over a week, and now are back on Whole30 with a few exceptions.
My goals, and reflections are listed below:
1. Cut out the
cravings for sugar and grease.
This
was the biggest change that I noticed.
I still long for fat and sweets; however, when I did indulge afterward
they tasted completely different.
Coca-Cola was disgustingly metallic, my oatmeal peanut butter snack bars
were overly rich, and a brownie in a mug was grossly sweet.
2. Cleanse!
2. Cleanse!
Yeah. Eat
ground flax meal on a regular basis and you will be cleansed. We added a tablespoon of flax to our
smoothies, and I rolled chicken or tilapia in flax, then cooked the meat in
coconut or olive oil. Delicious
and very high in fiber!
3. To identify any other dietary headache triggers that one or both of us may have. (I have already identified MSG, aspartame, and excessive food coloring such as in Skittles as my migraine triggers)
3. To identify any other dietary headache triggers that one or both of us may have. (I have already identified MSG, aspartame, and excessive food coloring such as in Skittles as my migraine triggers)
I
didn’t find any other triggers, and still got headaches. This revelation was frustrating, but at
the same time, it’s good to know that I can’t do any more, diet-wise, to reduce
my migraines. I hypothesize that
the remainder of my headaches are due to things like weather (barometric
pressure/humidity) and hormone cycles.
Unfortunately, these cannot be controlled.
4. Segway into a healthier way of eating. We pretty much eat a standard American diet, save for avoiding the items I listed above in number three. I think we each manage about one vegetable and one-two fruits per day, and I want to do better than that.
4. Segway into a healthier way of eating. We pretty much eat a standard American diet, save for avoiding the items I listed above in number three. I think we each manage about one vegetable and one-two fruits per day, and I want to do better than that.
Done. My cart at the grocery store is now
loaded with fresh produce, meat, frozen fruit, and eggs. I use almond milk instead of cow’s milk
for cooking. I will eat cheese
once or twice per week, but it’s a small amount, and way less than
pre-challenge. We don’t buy soda,
flour, or sugar anymore.
5. Get better sleep. I've testimonials of other people that have conquered this challenge and said they slept much better on this diet. Since I still struggle with insomnia now and then, that'd be nice.
I
saw no change in my sleep.
Disappointing, but again, I guess it’s good to know that I can’t do anything
else with my diet to fix my insomnia.
One
unexpected quality that I gained from this challenge is confidence in the
kitchen. I’ve been less afraid to
experiment in the kitchen, and have had to force myself to learn how to work
with unfamiliar ingredients such as flax seed, coconut flour, etc.
Our
workout challenge (Focus T25) is going great! I feel so strong and am really seeing better muscle
tone. We are on week seven of ten. I’m both looking forward to the end and
worrying about how to continue this level of fitness.
Between the two challenges, I lost eight and a half pounds during the first week and about two more in following weeks. I gained a few during our week off and am still working on getting back to that initial number I lost, plus lose more!
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