Whole30 - Day 0

Today was about more purging and a trip to the health foods store to stock up on the items we'll be eating. I tried to make out a week's worth of meals but since I wasn't sure exactly what I'd find at the store I'm sure we'll have some gaps in the menu...it's something I hope to learn in time.

I found some great meat that was grass fed without hormones or additives so that was a big help since our meals will revolve around those proteins. Also grabbed some wild caught fish. Loaded up on tons of veggies and some fruit, grabbed whatever was in season and will find recipes for it in the days to come.

The hardest part was finding random ingredients that I've never used before like coconut oil or curry paste. I felt a bit overwhelmed surrounded by tons of food that isn't on the diet yet searching for the few items I needed. I know I'll get better at knowing the products and where to locate everything but on this first shopping trip it was tough.

In the morning we kick things off...wish us luck!

Here's the cart before checkout (all the produce is on the bottom, hard to see).

Confessions

It’s been a long time since I've written in this blog.  Since last spring my goals for “the good life” haven’t changed but other things got in the way.  I completed my Couch to 5K program but decided that running wasn't for me, leaving me to find some other activity that I would like.  At the same, maintaining my weight loss was SO HARD.  I’m pretty convinced that losing weight is easier than keeping it off.

Fast forward to today, I've gained all my weight back thanks to getting off the structure of Weight Watchers and struggling to find the time to exercise and an activity that I enjoy doing.  It’s all about priorities, I know, and mine started to shift to the point that taking care of my health became less important than other things.

It may be cliche, but it’s a new year and I want to start it off on the right foot.  Before the holidays I started to feel a food hangover, too much of the wrong stuff and hating that I was gaining the weight back.   I knew that during the holidays wouldn't be the time to change any habits instead I’d been researching so when life was back to normal I’d have a plan for change.

My goal is really about being healthy.  This means a healthy weight and healthy body (via regular activity).  I don’t have a number in mind for how much I should weigh, I’d just like to fit in to my clothes the right way and be in the normal range for my BMI. 

Part of being healthy involves the food I’m eating.  With Weight Watchers the structure helped me lose weight and make long-term changes to my food choices but I've still been eating too much of the wrong stuff including processed foods, additives the wrong kind of carbs (I love bread).  My recent conviction has been to eliminate the unhealthy chemicals from my food and eat in a way that’s better for me long term.  I’m currently surrounded by several pregnant women and becoming more aware of the food in our diet that isn't ok – if we shouldn't eat foods because they could affect the development of a baby, why should we eat them at all?

After looking around at different eating plans I found Paleoand Whole30 (super strict Paleo for 30 days from the Whole9 program).  It’s based on eating responsibly-raised meat (free range, grass fed, no antibiotics, etc.), good veggies and fruit.  That eliminates so many of the unnatural ingredients that I want to avoid and all processed foods.  The challenge will be that dairy, grains and legumes are not included in the plan.  I’m not nearly as articulate as the pros when it comes to explaining all the science and nutrition info for the plans (like don’t you need milk for healthy bones, why no legumes and grains, how different foods effect your body chemistry and can help or hurt your system) so check out their sites for all the details.

I’m lucky that Ben wants to do this with me; he’s always been healthier than me and has some stomach issues on occasion that should be helped by a change in diet.  This weekend we've been purging and splurging – getting rid of the foods we won’t be able to eat anymore and enjoying our favorites before we have to say good bye.  It’s amazing how few of our current foods remain in the kitchen after purging – we had way too many processed foods, added sugars and grains of all sorts.

I’ll use this blog to post about the journey of eating differently – not just to lose weight but for total health.  I’ll also share about my quest to find activities that I like so I can exercise regularly and not hate it.  

My Love Affair With Cheerios

I'm not going to lie, I like to snack on Cheerios.  I feel a bit like a toddler when I do it because I'm munching on them from a little snack container, just like a two-year-old would.  The only difference is that I'm sitting in my office at a posh downtown Denver law firm.  Yep, it seems a bit out of place!

But I've found that Cheerios are one of the most universal foods I know.  They are enjoyed by people of all ages, have great health benefits, and are more than just a breakfast food.  It doesn't hurt that they've greatly expanded their product line in the last year or so while keeping the stats healthy.

I'll eat regular Cheerios with milk and fruit for breakfast or a snack when I'm at home.  I like to munch on the fun flavors during the day for a snack, eating them dry like they are chips or something much more decadent.  I love the Cinnamon Burst, Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Honey Nut (good ole' stand by) flavors.  I still need to try the Dulce de Leche, Apple Cinnamon and Banana Nut flavors. 

The best part – the flavored types are based on multigrain cheerios but with a different glaze and some extra flavors.  Unlike other flavored cereals they still have great nutritional stats for a serving (1 cup or ¾ cup depending on which kind you're eating) because they are whole grain with minimal sweeteners. 

Maybe I'll get wild someday and mix up the peanut butter and chocolate!  I think they'd be fun substituting in Rice Krispies treats too.  If you're a sweet and salty type of snacker they'd be perfect paired with some pretzels.

Next time you need a crunchy, sweet snack give some Cheerios a try and connect with your inner toddler like I do!

The Reluctant Runner

I wouldn’t call myself athletic.  I’m a bit of a klutz and a weenie which is a combination that doesn’t usually equal athletic prowess.  I’m not a thrill seeker but more of a control freak.  The idea of doing anything fast, epic, “balls to the wall” is not something I’m attracted to.  Give me something methodical, slow and repetitive and we might have a winner.

I’m also a total pear shaped person – thinner on the top and thicker on the bottom.  This means that my body was built to use my muscular legs for things like walking (which I naturally do pretty fast, ask my family – I leave them in the dust when we’re walking around anywhere), biking and as I’ve recently learned, snowshoeing.  I’m great at climbing and using all those thigh muscles for what they were meant to do. 

Ironically, though I’m a natural walker, I’ve always hated running.  This hasn’t been helped by shin splints and trying to keep up with people who are more proficient then I am.  I like the idea of running – covering more ground than walking in the same time and giving your body more of a cardio and muscular workout.  I’ve just always been bad at the execution.  I think I’ve just gone out too fast or too hard without a plan on how to correctly acclimate myself to something new.

Recently, I’ve been working on being more active and have found some things that I enjoy doing (thankfully) but usually I’m only exercising on the weekends.  I know that to really see the benefits of activity and to embrace a lifestyle where exercise is important, I need to commit to workouts throughout the week.

So I’m so happy now that I’ve found a great running program, Couch to 5K.  There are several training programs out there with the similar aim of helping couch potatoes or weekend warriors like me get in to running.  It’s a 10 week program that gets your body into running shape with run/walk cycles and then increases your running until you can complete a full 5K.  I must say, it’s one of the best apps I’ve spent money on (and I’m stingy so there aren’t many apps I actually spend money on).  

I’ve made it through week one and must say it’s easier than I thought it would be and I actually enjoy the half hour I spend run/walking.  Things at work are getting really busy and a bit stressful and it’s been great to have some time to myself after work to let out some of the stress from the day.  I still wouldn’t call myself a runner (yet) but I can see myself becoming one by the end of the program.  

About This Blog

It's been several years since I appeared in the blogosphere (other than stalking my friends' blogs) and wrote a post.  So what has brought me out of the shadows and back to a screen in front of you?  I've been through a transition over the last year to regain my health and during this time I've learned a lot about myself and the world of diet, fitness and health that used to be so scary for me. 

My Purpose

I'm not going to force anyone in to making similar changes in their lives but I want to share my story and the journey I'm on.  My first goal is to help keep me accountable to maintaining what I'm doing – create momentum to stay on this journey for myself.  My second goal is to give perspective, ideas and encouragement to anyone needing to make small changes for them self.

My Story

Last March (2011) my work clothes were too tight.  I knew I didn't want to buy bigger clothes, I hated how I looked in pictures (too many unflattering shots from the holidays had scared me out of having my picture taken for several months) and I was finally at a point where I wanted a change.  I've lost weight before by changing my diet and I knew that I had to be ready to commit fully before deciding it was time for a change – too many depressing mornings of ill fitting clothes had put me over the edge.  It was time to lose weight.

I started Weight Watchers thanks to a good recommendation from my massage therapist (informing me that they'd revamped the program to fit real life much better).  Previously, I'd had a very negative view of WW, mostly because I'd been around people on the program who couldn't stop talking about it and made me feel like a dork for not being on it.  When I started the program I decided that I wouldn't tell more than a handful of people I was even on the program and I wouldn't become a walking WW commercial to those around me.  Hopefully the success would speak for itself.

I lost 25 pounds (17.5% of my starting weight) over the course of a year solely by following Weight Watchers and changing my diet.  My BMI went from 26.5 (Overweight) to 21.9 (Healthy).  I didn't increase my exercise or add in any activities – I just ate differently.  My diet was full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins with limited alcohol.  Fast food nearly dropped off my radar and if I wanted to splurge I had to make a tradeoff somewhere else in my foods for the day.  I learned: what a real serving size is; to eat treats in moderation; that dieting is about tradeoffs and that there is a difference between "bad," "better," and "good" choices.

As the weight came off I felt better, looked better and started to see myself differently.  The last time I lost significant weight was when I was 19 and it was all about getting thin.  This time, I was 32 and the emphasis became about being healthy and taking care of myself.  Funny enough, after losing the weight through diet I felt more confident about my physical self and this dedicated couch potato decided I wanted to try exercise.  As a wonderful side-effect of weight loss I've added bicycling, walking the dogs, golf, snow shoeing, cross country skiing and now am about to add running to my life. 

Being more aware of my overall health (weight, exercise, lifestyle) has also made me more aware of what science is saving about health, activity and the obesity epidemic.  I've read studies that help give me more motivation to stay fit because of the consequences of obesity on so many areas of life.

Perspective

I came in to this place as an "outsider" who rarely cared about what I ate, hated to do activity, was turned off by health and fitness nuts and thought I was healthy enough to not worry about making any changes.  Everything I've done in the last year has been slow, with small victories, a lot of trial and error to see what would work for me and from the perspective that I'm not a dieter or an athlete but that I'm ready to put health as a priority.  Just a few years ago I would have laughed out load if you told me I'd be on a journey towards health and wellness today.  

There is my story in a nutshell.  I'll be posting about my journey - what works and what doesn't work for me, what I'm learning and how I'm doing.  Please follow along!