I awake at 6:30 in the morning naturally and feeling great. My first thought is it’s Day 13 of the Whole30. Then I remembered my very superstitious Grandma’s reaction to anything numbered 13. When I was 23 and a single female I proudly announced I had bought my first condo in a prestigious high rise in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago on the 13th floor. I expected my Grandma to beam with pride, but she closed her eyes and shuttered, “You know that’s bad luck, right. They used to skip the 13th floor in elevators because no one wanted to get off on floor 13 “.
In the 18 months, I lived in that condo, I was pickpocketed, got in a horrible car accident, stalked by a man with a criminal record, and my apartment was broken into. I’m still not very superstitious, but every time the number 13 pops up, I can’t help but think twice.
I decided to shift the focus of my day from Day 13 to something positive, so I started brainstorming. My mind drifted to the blog I wrote some time ago What Would Your Perfect Weight Loss Day Look Like? What if I focused on making today my Perfect Whole30 Day?
The inner sales coach in me bubbled up and I started asking myself questions like, what would my perfect Whole30 day look like? What would I need to make it happen? and What would my action items be? What would your perfect healthy day look like? I would….
- Focus on my food proportions – Each meal would include 1-2 palm size protein sources and the rest of the plate should be filled with vegetables. Healthy fats should include 1-2 thumb-sized portions of oils, animal fats, ghee, coconut butter, nut butters, 1-2 heaping handfuls of olives, one closed handful of nuts and seeds, 1/2-1 avocado, and between 1//4 and 1/2 14 oz can of coconut mil. Occasionally add a serving of fruit.
- Practice mindful eating and have every meal at the table free of distractions while concentrating on chewing slowly and enjoying my food. This is an area I really need to work on. As a type A Superfreak overachiever, I am constantly eating on the go. This change is going to take real effort for me, so I researched a few blogs that shared the benefits of mindful eating blog 1 and blog 2 to help me convince myself to stick to it.
- Not snack and eat three meals that were big enough to keep me satisfied throughout the day. This has been suggested throughout the Whole30 and today, Day13, will be my first day of fully embracing it!
- Get a good 45-minute walk in.
- Practice yoga or attend a barre class.
- Enjoy an Epson salt bath in the evening.
Around 8:00 AM, I ate my new favorite Whole30 breakfast – Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Around 12:00 I had lunch and literally made myself stop working and sit outside. To be honest, sitting outside by myself, staring at my food while I ate it, was a little….awkward.
And I buckled and had a Grass Fed DNX Bar for a snack around 4:00. I was so hungry, I was exhausted and had to make it through the kids’ tennis and football practices before eating dinner.
I finally sat down to dinner around 8:00 and did a better job of filling my plate with veggies than I have been. Tony made the Cashew Chicken from the Whole30 Fast & Easy and it was fantastic, again :). He ended up taking a call from his Mom and both kids finished their food by the time I took two bites of mine, so I practiced mindful eating again – still awkward.
So all in all, I cannot say that today was perfect, but I can say that it’s been my best Whole30 days so far. I did a much better job with proportions and filling my plate with veggies, practiced mindful eating, only snacked once, and walked for an hour. The kids schedules didn’t allow me to make it to a yoga class but I practiced a bit at home, which is something I never would have done if I wasn’t working towards a “perfect Whole30 day” and the water for my Epson salt bath is running as I type this!
Cheers to the Pursuit of a Perfect Day! I hope you have one soon!
Weight Loss Confessions 