Round 2

I'm back!  And potentially, better than ever!

This past week has been incredibly relaxing and enjoyable.  Sure, I ate a bunch of crap...but not nearly as much as I would have if my friend Dan had come before I did the Whole30 in April.  We tried to keep 2 W30 meals each day and for the most part we were successful.  There was a few days that just didn't happen, but portions were still kept to a reasonable size (we shared sandwiches at lunches) and I learned to eat much more slowly.  Turns out, I overeat at each meal.  When I slowed down to match the pace Dan eats, I ended up feeling full before I was done with my meal--that never happens unless my portions are gigantic.  Lesson learned.

So, I'm starting Round 2 (R2) tomorrow but I am making some modifications this go around.  I finished reading the book It Starts With Food (the W30 book) at the end of the last 30 days, and with the "normal eating" experience this past week, I feel I can make some small changes that will help.

And for those of you saying, "But Whole30 is only meant for 30 days, is it even healthy or wise for her to do it again this soon?" I have this:

We based out program on the ideas that thirty days is the minimum amount of time necessary to solidify a new habit.  And in our experience, a full thirty days of our program is essential to give you a taste of "the magic" that's why we call it Whole30.  Many Whole30 participants report that their most significant transformations take place in the final few days of the program.  Still other require a While45 or a While60 to firmly root their new habits, banish stubborn cravings, and allow their bodies extra rime to heal. 

Pg. 204 It Starts With Food.

Change #1: SLOW DOWN TO EAT:
I eat way too fast.  Eating each meal with Dan, who is a slow eater really showed me that I rush through meals and tend to over eat.

Plan your (first) meal using your best judgment and our guidelines.  Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, relax while digesting.  Then, evaluate 15-20 minutes later.  Are you still hungry?  If you are, eat more-particularly more protein and fat.  Then evaluate your hunger levels, energy levels, and general mood in the hours before your next meal.  Are you ravenously hungry an hour before dinnertime?  Did your energy fade?  Were you cranky, foggy, tired?  If so, then your next meal need to be bigger right from the start.   

Pg. 198 ISWF

Quick Fix: If I can't give myself a full 20 minutes to sit down and enjoy a meal I need to reprioritize.  Really, 20 minutes shouldn't a big deal.  I need to eat breakfast at home before work so I don't rush.  I also need to eliminate a bunch of things from my schedule so I'm not constantly rushing from one thing to another and just trying to cram eating in.  Put the fork down between bites.  Chew.

Change #2 BE PRESENT DURING MEALTIME:
I scarf down food (see above) without even really tasting/enjoying it sometimes.  Then, because I realize I wasn't paying attention while eating, I eat more so that I can get that enjoyment out of it.

*Eat meals at the table, in a relaxed fashion.
* Do not allow distractions like TV, phone, or email during mealtime.
* Chew slowly and thoroughly; don't gulp. 

Start thinking of eating as a nourishing experience.  DOn't fall victim to reductionism-our meals are not just fuel, calories, or  nutrients.  Our meals are so much more than just the sum of their ingredients!  Our meals are out culture-the things our parents taught us and their parents taught them.  They are memories and emotions, reminding us of other meals and other experiences we have shared with those we love.  Mealtimes is about building new traditions within our own kitchens, with our own families-and setting a good example for our future generations. 

But when you eat your meals in your car, inhale lunch at your desk, or mindlessly shovel in dinner while watching TV, well, you're not fostering a relationship with your food at all.  There is no cultural significance, you recall no fond memories, and you create no traditions-unless you count passing your negotiating-rush-hour-traffic-while-eating-a-big-mac skill down to your kids. 

And the manner in which we eat our food-hurriedly, automatically, without presence of mind or consideration-plays a large role in creating our psychological and hormonal issues with food. 

We don't just want you to change the food on your plate-we want you to change the way you eat it, too.

Pg. 182-183 

Quick Fix: Leave the phone and computer in the other room.  Relax.  I have at least 20 minutes (see #1) so there is no need to rush.  Focus on each bite as I chew and be aware of the taste, texture and temperature instead of inhaling while distracting myself with a book, text or phone call.

Change #3: EAT ENOUGH:
I have had an issue with snacking.  Is this because I'm not eating enough or because I've been a "grazer" my entire life?  Uncertain.  But I do know that it's important to make sure I'm getting the proper amount of fuel for my body if I'm doing intense workouts.

If you work exceptionally long days, or have an especially  active metabolism, you may end up needing four meals a day.  That's OK-just make sure you allow a good chunk of time between meals to encourage optimal hormonal response. Pg. 185 

For those individuals participating in either high-intensity or longer-duration activity, you'll need to support your training session or athletic event with proper nutrition to help you fuel and recover. 

*Pre-Workout: Your pre-workout "snack" is not fuel for your workout!  You've got ten of thousands of calories stored in your body-plenty to support your activity.  YOur pre-workout food simply sends a signal to your body to prepare it for the activity that is coming.  Eat 15-75 minutes before your workout, choosing foods that are easily digestible and palatable-the timing is highly variable and depends on what your gastrointestinal tract can tolerate before physical activity.  Focus on protein and vegetables.  A pre-workout snack might be: 2 hard boiled eggs, some deli turkey and a small handful of macadamia nuts, or a few strips of beef jerky.  If you exercise first thing in the morning, a little something is better than nothing, so do the best you can. 

*Post-Workout: Your post-workout meal is a special "bonus meal" designed to help you start the recovery process faster and more effectively.  After you train, your muscles and connective tissues need protein, and your glycogen stores may need replenishing.  Eat your post-workout meal as soon as possible-ideally within 15-30 minutes of training.  Have a meal-size serving of an easily digestible protein and add carbohydrate in the form of starchy vegetables based on your activity level and health status.  Fruit is not your best choice here.  A good post-workout meal might be: chicken breast and sweet potato, salmon and butternut squash, or egg whites mixed into mashed pumpkin.  Eat a normal meal 60-90 minutes after your post-workout meal. 

Pg. 185/242

Quick Fix: Hard boil eggs at the beginning of the week so they are available immediately after working out and no preparation is necessary.  Plan a protein and vegetable "4th meal" for days that I'm up early and on the go all day.  Stop freaking out about needing to "snack" in the afternoon...I eat breakfast and lunch so early that I can rarely make it to dinner without needing something, so instead of beating myself up about snacking, why don't I just prepare an additional meal of protein and some veggies.  I'm thinking hard boiled eggs and a small veggie smoothie.  I know they don't like the idea of smoothies but I make them with little fruit and mostly veg.  Nothing in them that's not W30 approved, so what's the harm in having an 8oz cup on the way to pick up the girls in the afternoon with a few hard boiled eggs or other form of quick protein?  I'm not sold on the idea but it sure does sound a lot better than hating the fact that I shoveled almonds into my mouth all afternoon.

Change #4: ELIMINATE OVER CONSUMPTION:
Yep, nuts are allowed.  In moderation.  I can't stop eating them.  Yep, bacon is allowed too.  But I shouldn't be eating it every day.

Of course, some nuts and seeds in the diet may be good, but more is not better.  We still want to be careful not to incorporate too many of these fragile PUFAs (Polyunsaturated Fats) into our cell walls, whether from whole-food sources or not.   

One last thought on nuts and seeds, and especially their corresponding nut butters.  Much like the natural sweetness of fruit may promote an unhealthy psychological response (and potentially violate our first Good Food standard (promote a healthy psychological response)), the natural fats, added salt, and perhaps added sugar found in nuts and nut butters can have the same effect.   

In plain speech, people find them all too easy to over consume. 

Now, if you were to sit in front of the television and mindlessly eat a whole bag of carrots-no harm, no foul.  We certainly don't encourage that kind of "auto-pilot consumption" but even an entire bag of carrots isn't going to send your metabolism spiraling out of control. 

Swap those carrots for half a jar of sunflower seed butter (or almonds, or macadamia nuts), however, and we've got a serious problem.  Nuts and seeds pack a far greater caloric punch than carrots and you may just find yourself consuming almost an entire day's worth of calories before you know it.  Really. 

Pg. 175-77

Quick Fix: Eliminate nuts.  I can't be trusted with nuts.  While on the last W30 I gave one of my roomies all my nuts.  I told her I'd have a small container in the pantry with nuts and that's all I could have for the week.  When I needed more I'd have to ask her.  Sure enough, I eat WAY less nuts now that I'm being held accountable for it.  I will continue to use the coconut/pecan mixture with my paleo pancakes and on mango or monkey salad if I have it, and if a recipe calls for nuts, that's ok too, but all other nuts are out.  No more handfuls of nuts.  It's a slippery slope and I need to realize that I'm just not at the point where I can eat them in moderation-so, they're gone.  I'm also eliminating bacon.  I'll eat it every meal all day long if you let me.  So, it's gone.  I can make it 30 days without bacon.  I hope I can anyway, I'm not sure its ever been done before!

Change #5 CONTROL FRUIT CONSUMPTION:
I love fruit.  And I crave sugar.  Especially in the afternoons.

In our experience, a good Meal 1 (Breakfast) focused on satisfying protein and fat and nutrient-dense veggies (and not overloaded with fruit) sets you up for a less hungry, more consistent energy levels and fewer sugar cravings, which makes it easier to make good food choices throughout your day.  We're not saying you can't include some fruit with your first meal, but just don't make it the star of the show. 

Pg. 183 

Feel free to add some fruit either with your meals or immediately after.  Remember, fruit should not take the place of vegetables during meals!  However, adding fruit to meals, or enjoying a sweet treat after a meal, is a great way to take advantage of nature's nutritious sweetness. 

Finally, from our perspective, when clients eat a bunch of sugar first thing in the morning, they are far more likely to experience volatile energy swings, sugar cravings, and abnormal levels of hunger throughout the rest of their day.  So think about Meal 1 as setting the tone for the rest of your day, both physically and psychologically.  If the first thing you taste when you wake up is sugar, it may be hard to shake that taste, and any subsequent cravings.  But if your first meal is a nutritious and satiating combination of protein, healthy fats, and vegetables (with perhaps a little fruit thrown in for flavor), you start your day off with steady, long-lasting energy, nutrients, and the feeling of satisfactions and fullness that comes from a complete meal. 

Pg 192-193

Quick Fix: Easy.  Don't eat a lot of fruit.  Don't make it the star of the show, ever.  Especially at breakfast.  If I'm still hungry after my meal, a small piece of fruit is ok.  The amount of fruit on my paleo pancakes shouldn't be more than the amount of paleo pancakes on my plate.



I have a few more tidbits from the book, which I'll share as I continue this journey, but this is a good start.

Also, Josh passed this article along and I think it's a great reminder about why I started doing this in the first place.  I have to stop looking at it as a quick way to look great.  Loosing weight might be a byproduct of the W30 but the purpose for it is to drastically change the way I approach food, to remove it as an idol in my life and to learn to honor God with my eating/exercise.  I'm going to buy this book, I'll let you know what I find out reading it.

I'm also still doing Insanity.  I'm on the second month which is completely crazy...each workout is an hour.  Shaun T is rapidly becoming one of my least favorite people...he is a crazy man!

Check back tomorrow for the day's events and meals.  I'll post in the same fashion I did last time, my goal is to publish at 8pm...but, that might not always happen...

Round 2, here we go!

*So, I will be out of town Memorial weekend so will break the W30 during that time (Friday afternoon-Sunday night) but will make the best choices I can and will hop right back on Monday morning.  I plan on going straight through to June 15 when I'll break it for a baby shower I'm planning then will be on again until June 21.  Confused?  Me too...