Whole30

Could The Whole 30 Have Changed My Eating Habits?

October 23, 2018February 2, 2019 tanyasweightlossconfessions1 Comment

My kids were off school for a long weekend in October. I thought it would be a perfect time to head for the mountains to catch some fall foliage. They both wanted to go to the beach. If you have ever tried to persuade a ten and fifteen-year-old, you know where we ended up – the beach. Myrtle Beach was our ultimate destination.

I’m glad we did because the beach was absolutely beautiful and we all but had it to ourselves!

From the moment I thought about going away, I was a little nervous. This would be my first road trip while doing the Whole30. I have my local restaurant scene mapped out and know what I can eat at Chipotle, Zoe’s Kitchen, Clean Eatz and a few other restaurants but Myrtle Beach was unchartered territory and from what I could tell none of my favorite, safe restaurants were close to our hotel.

I packed a cooler full of my go-to Whole30 approved snacks for the trip. RX Bars, Justin’s Nut Butter, Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel, DNX Bars, Imagine Bone Broth, Applegate Farms Sausage, cashews, almonds, avocados, cucumbers, and apples.

We went out to lunch on our first day and I ordered as Whole30 compliant as I could. When we left the restaurant I asked my daughter and Whole30 partner, Taylor, if she enjoyed her meal. She told me it was ok but she preferred the meals we have been eating at home from the Whole30 Cookbook and Pinterest. I was so happy to hear that because it was exactly how I felt. Funny thing is, I know I would have enjoyed the restaurant meal pre Whole30!

We went out to eat two more times while at the beach and pretty much had the same experience as above. I left two of the restaurants feeling overly full, tired, and uncomfortable. I haven’t felt like this in almost two months and didn’t like it. Funny thing is, I’m all but certain I wouldn’t have thought anything of feeling this way a few months ago.

I found myself wanting to get back to our beach condo so I could eat my healthy Whole30 snacks.

Could 52 days of the Whole30 have changed my eating habits and taste buds this much? Based on my experiences this weekend, I would have to say yes.

I called my Husband, Tony, on the way home from the beach and all but begged him to have some Whole30 comfort food waiting for the kids and me when we got home. I suggested my favorite Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Soup or a recipe for Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie I saw on Pinterest. He outdid himself with the Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie. It was delicious and absolutely hit the spot!

Whole30 Shepherd's Pie — Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie

My biggest take away from this for anyone who would like to eat healthily but feels like they can’t do it because they will feel deprived doesn’t even have to think twice about it. Within a few weeks, your tastes buds will change and you and your family will crave the new healthy foods.

Cheers!

Tanya

Whole30

Whole30 Practice (Day 26)- As Easy As An Old Habit?

September 27, 2018August 7, 2022 tanyasweightlossconfessionsLeave a comment

I woke up tired. I went to bed later than usual last night and even though I slept for almost seven hours, it just wasn’t enough for me. Whole30 or no Whole30 I need my sleep.

As I walked into the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Taylor, my 15-year-old daughter, eating breakfast. Wow! She was eating Cashew Chicken from the Whole30 Fast and Easy and a banana. She ate Cocoa Pebbles and chocolate milk for breakfast for years before doing the Whole30. I couldn’t help but smile. This is a true Whole30 transformation.

I quickly turned around and saw Taylor’s lunch. This is another Whole30 transformation! I giggled out loud for a minute. Can you imagine a sophomore in high school sitting down with her lunch of strawberries, cucumbers, steamed chicken, pistachios, dried apples, and applesauce? That’s my girl.

I went for a quick walk and ate breakfast around 9:00. I had my favorite Whole30 soup for breakfast. Can you guess what it was? Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Soup!

I took my Whole30 food on the road today because I had an appointment with a specialist two hours away to discuss my thyroid and adrenal fatigue issues I told you about in How I Gained Over 100 Pounds and My Best Advice To You. I packed pistachios, an RX Bar, dried fruit, an Epic turkey bar, and olives.

For dinner, we had steak, potato, and avocado. We put Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame on our potatoes. Yum! It was funny because both Tony and Taylor commented on how it was nice to have a simple dinner that wasn’t a Whole30 recipe for dinner. Sometimes it’s nice to KISS – keep it simple sweetie.

As I check off day 26 in my Whole30 Day By Day journal, I think about Stephen Covey who is famous for saying it takes 21 days to form a habit. I know there is some new research out saying it may take a bit longer, but for me, Stephen Covey is spot on. It took about 21 days for this Whole30 thing to seem second nature.

Whole30

My Whole30 Experience (Day 5)!

September 6, 2018August 7, 2022 tanyasweightlossconfessions4 Comments

I wake up naturally and feel great at 6:00 AM. Could this mean the Whole30 hangover stage is officially over? Oh God, I hope so. My Whole30 experience (day 5) is off to a great start!

As I walk into the bathroom I think about all of the years when my adrenal fatigue was at its worst and I couldn’t peel myself out of bed in the morning. Within days of cutting sugar from my diet when I was on the high protein low carb diet, I started waking up at or before 7:00 AM naturally. I know I blogged about it in The Pursuit of Ketosis – Day 4, but I don’t think I realized how life-changing it was at that time. It’s amazing to think of what food can do to our mood and health, isn’t it?

I have to confess, I thought about getting on the scale a few times while I was in the bathroom. The words no one needs to know even bubbled up in my head. I decided since I have told you the truth every step of the way so far, I couldn’t start lying to you now, so I walked away from the almighty scale.

Time to reflect on my Whole30 practice with the Whole30 Day By Day

As I sit down at my computer, with a cup of bone broth I crack open the Whole30 Day By Day. It seems as though day five can be a “mixed bag” and some might be feeling better while others feel worse. Thankfully I am optimistic I am feeling better.

Last night I read a few more pages of It Starts With Food and went to sleep a little disappointed in my type-A Superfreak self because I realized I had not been eating enough vegetables and healthy fat. To make matters worse, this morning, I woke to a woman’s comment on a meal I posted on a Whole30 Facebook page calling me out in front of 100’s of people for not eating enough vegetables. Ironically, in the Whole30 Day By Day for day five Melissa wrote that we shouldn’t try to do the “perfect Whole30” because it doesn’t exist and the Whole30 is just a step towards a lifetime of practicing healthy eating.

My favorite Whole30 breakfast isn’t exactly a breakfast

Around 9:30 I had my favorite non- breakfast food for meal 1. After I ate it, I thought I should probably have a healthy fat with it, but I was too full to eat another thing! Oh well, I’m practicing the Whole30 and will get there!

Whole30 -Chicken Pot Pie Sou — Whole30- Chicken Pot Pie Soup

The Whole30 is a practice, just like yoga

As I stood at my yoga mat ready for my yoga “practice”, the phrase “practicing the Whole30” bubbled up in my head. I remember a time in my yoga practice when I ……

Whole30 Practice - Yoga Practice — Whole30 Practice- Yoga Practice

Left the room in the middle of class to go to the bathroom when I didn’t need to so I could have a break Now, the class goes by so quickly I’m surprised when it is over.

Couldn’t make it through a class without taking child’s pose multiple times Now, I make it through almost every class without taking a single child’s pose.

Grimaced every time the teacher said jump to the front of your mat because I couldn’t even imagine how that was possible Now I jump!

Didn’t have the strength to do any other form of exercise the day of or the day after I took a yoga class Now I walk for thirty minutes to an hour after class and occasionally lift weights too.

Thinking about this and the process I went through in yoga helps me to gain perspective and I feel much better about my Whole30 practice.

And sometimes the Whole30 practice requires a good compliant Whole30 snack

I don’t have time for lunch after yoga and I’m really not hungry yet but I’m going into a meeting with My Son, Drew’s therapists and counselors and I don’t want to go brain dead in the middle of the meeting, so I eat a quick RX Bar and I have to say it was pretty yummy!

Lunch time

I had a late lunch around 2:30 and enjoyed a salad with a mix of spring mix and spinach, steak, red onion, avocado, olives, and strawberries topped with Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing.

and a few grapes…in a wine glass. Just because :).

And lunch and dinner were rescheduled by this thing called life

And the rest of my day was crazy with kids’ activities, so I ended up having a “snack” of Performance Nut Butter at 7:00 PM so that I could hold off to dinner at 8:30 – ugh. I’m “practicing the Whole30” – right?

Whole30 Day 5 Dinner — Whole 30 Day 5 Dinner

Tony made Chicken Tortilla-less Soup for dinner and it was good, not as great as the Chicken Pot Pie soup I’ve been eating for days, but good. You can find both recipes on Pinterest.

Time to reflect on my Whole30 practice with my Whole30 Day By Day journal

And I am proud to say I made it to 9:00 before checking my box in my Whole30 Day By Day journal and calling it a night.

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Whole30

Whole30 Snacks

August 31, 2018February 19, 2020 tanyasweightlossconfessions2 Comments

When my Daughter, and Whole30 partner, was a toddler, her friends carried baby blankets, pacifiers, and bottles into their playdates. Taylor came armed with her healthy snack bag. Her snack bag was almost as big as her and typically had 5-10 different healthy snacks in it at any given time. At the age of two and a half, she didn’t trust anyone to carry her beloved snack bag beside for herself.

In this case, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and I am just as serious about my snacks. Funny thing is I only snack once or twice a week, but I need to know that there are quick, easy, healthy Whole30 approved snack options available.

Whole30 Snacks

Finding healthy Whole30 approved snack ideas was my top priority of the day, so I sat down and started googling. I was lucky enough to happenstance on an article that had 30 great ideas.

I also read the easy snack ideas Melissa Hartwig wrote about in the Whole30 Day byDay

-a handful of almonds, baby carrots with guacamole, a meat stick or an apple – easy enough- right?

The blog was great and I loved Melissa Hartwig’s easy Whole30 compliant snack options, but I also needed some packaged items I could just throw in my purse and have at my disposal, so back to google I went.

Shopping on Amazon for Whole30 Snacks is SO Convenient……

I crafted my Amazon shopping list, crossed my fingers, and thanked God for Amazon Prime.

Shopping At Walmart for Whole30 Snacks:

Next, I set out on a field trip to Walmart, determined to find some items. This was huge for me since the only thing I hate more than grocery shopping is shopping at Walmart, but I was determined. I am glad I went because I hit the Whole30 approved snack jackpot!

Can’t resist those Whole 30 approved snack bars!

And My Favorite Nut Butter of All:

I left Walmart famished and grabbed my mail on the way into my house. I found a package from Performance Nut Butter in it. Performance Nut Butter is a Whole30 approved snack vendor and they offered to send me some of their product to sample. I tasted the nut butter and it is absolutely delicious. The combination of macadamia, coconut, and cashews had a smooth, unique flavor. Score! That’s another great snack for the snack bag!

Performance Nut Butter – Whole30 Snack

Having my healthy Whole30 compliant snacks ready to go, makes me feel so much better about tomorrow. I can’t wait to share them with Taylor. I hope she’ll be proud of Mom’s snack bag :).

What healthy snacks do you have planned for the week?

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