I've been delinquent in blogging, mainly because I don't have a lot to report. Feeling good, no big revelations, and not much new and exciting in the food department. But as I go into the last week of my Whole30, I've been starting to reflect on the benefits I've seen, what I've learned, what habits I'll continue with going forward, and what I won't continue with after the 30 days. This reflection also helps with motivation in the last several days, especially as I'm hankering for a beer after a day of snowboarding, and getting tired of reading the ingredient list on EVERYTHING.
Physical Benefits / Results:
What I Will (and Won't) Continue:
- Eating healthy fats at meals. Definitely continue. Not only are avocado, olive oil, and nuts delicious, but I do feel remarkedly more satisfied after a meal and stay fuller longer.
- Eating sweet potatoes. They're just plain delicious and my boyfriend loves them too. I'll continue to buy and cook them as a starchy nutritious form of carbs. Also parsnips - they are cheap, tasty, and way easier to prepare than butternut squash. Yum.
- Post-WO snacks. I previously hadn't paid much attention to the advice of eating within 15-20 after working out, and instead waiting until I got home to eat. However now I've been bringing a post-WO snack along for the ride home. Not only better for recovery, but I'm not a ravenous beast until I can get ahold of dinner.
- *Trying* to have a sit-down, full plated meal each time, and not snacking as much between or snagging random bites of food. I'll admit I haven't been so great at this, and still sneak grapes, carrots, broccoli, etc. out of the fridge often. However I've been trying harder to sit down, eat my meal (and pay attention while doing it), and then put the food away until next meal.
- I'll continue eating mostly (but not entirely) paleo after the 30. I'll continue to read ingredients to minimize additives, added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other 'not so great for you' ingredients. However I'm not going to be a nazi about it, and I'm sure I'll go back to some artificial sweetener (black coffee is just not that tasty). I also plan to reintroduce some whole grains, bread, and yes even cereal. I'm sorry I just love it too much. And I plan to reintro the limited amount of dairy I ate, along with limited legumes (occasional hummus or beans in soup.)
- And finally, I'll probably more attention now to the quality of meats, seafood and produce I buy. I've always conceptually understood why organic/wild caught/grass-fed/etc is better, but never really practiced it. Now I'm more aware that not only is there less "bad stuff" in these versions, but there's more nutrition (and better taste!) so you're getting more bang for your buck.
Ok, long post (again)... and getting hungry
Physical Benefits / Results:
- Definitely more cut/lean with especially tighter stomach and little bloating. This I like. However, still no 6-pack and if I don't have one now, it's safe to say that may be an unreasonable goal in my lifetime.
- Not getting ravenous between meals. Prior to Whole30, I would often get extremely hungry ("must get food in me now!") before dinner. Often it would be after work or after going to gym, and I would get critically hungry before making it home and cooking dinner. Eating more fats at meals and bringing a post-WO snack helps. Now I'm hungry by the time I get dinner, but I don't get that headache-y, cranky feeling. Nice!
- Feeling good, but not markedly different than how I normally feel when I eat healthily. It doesn't seem that cutting out the extra sugar, sweeteners, preservatives, or any of the potential intolerances (gluten, dairy, legumes) have made much of a difference. And I already know how alcohol affects me and makes me feel, and when it's worth it to make the trade-off.
Psychological Benefits / Results / Lessons: Less stress over what to eat - Having guidelines over what I can and can't eat, following the program for meals/snacks, and preparing meals ahead of time means less stress and less thinking in general over what to eat or not eat. Liberating even - don't even have to think about that bite of cake, or an extra bowl of cereal. However, with this liberation comes with a trade-off of the freedom to eat as I like, with the occasional sandwich or piece of Brie.
- Also less anxiety over what I've eaten - don't need to feel any guilt over any poor choices, or overeating anything much. Even when I do go on a carrot bender, or crack a few too many pistachios, I know that this is nothing in the grand scheme of the month. Again, liberating.
- Lastly, trying to use Whole30 to view food as necessary fuel for my body (that can and should also be extremely delicious!) - and thinking about everything I eat with the nutrition it'll give me in mind. I already do this to some extent, but Whole30 has forced me to think more about the timing of foods throughout the day and how they'll affect my energy levels, mood, appetite, and workouts. And not just viewing nutrition as the sum of the foods I've eaten in a day. Also with this goes paying more attention to how my body responds to food, and when I need more carbs/fats/protein.
What I Will (and Won't) Continue:
- Eating healthy fats at meals. Definitely continue. Not only are avocado, olive oil, and nuts delicious, but I do feel remarkedly more satisfied after a meal and stay fuller longer.
- Eating sweet potatoes. They're just plain delicious and my boyfriend loves them too. I'll continue to buy and cook them as a starchy nutritious form of carbs. Also parsnips - they are cheap, tasty, and way easier to prepare than butternut squash. Yum.
- Post-WO snacks. I previously hadn't paid much attention to the advice of eating within 15-20 after working out, and instead waiting until I got home to eat. However now I've been bringing a post-WO snack along for the ride home. Not only better for recovery, but I'm not a ravenous beast until I can get ahold of dinner.
- *Trying* to have a sit-down, full plated meal each time, and not snacking as much between or snagging random bites of food. I'll admit I haven't been so great at this, and still sneak grapes, carrots, broccoli, etc. out of the fridge often. However I've been trying harder to sit down, eat my meal (and pay attention while doing it), and then put the food away until next meal.
- I'll continue eating mostly (but not entirely) paleo after the 30. I'll continue to read ingredients to minimize additives, added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other 'not so great for you' ingredients. However I'm not going to be a nazi about it, and I'm sure I'll go back to some artificial sweetener (black coffee is just not that tasty). I also plan to reintroduce some whole grains, bread, and yes even cereal. I'm sorry I just love it too much. And I plan to reintro the limited amount of dairy I ate, along with limited legumes (occasional hummus or beans in soup.)
- And finally, I'll probably more attention now to the quality of meats, seafood and produce I buy. I've always conceptually understood why organic/wild caught/grass-fed/etc is better, but never really practiced it. Now I'm more aware that not only is there less "bad stuff" in these versions, but there's more nutrition (and better taste!) so you're getting more bang for your buck.
Ok, long post (again)... and getting hungry
RSS Feed
