Quote(s) For the Day:
"Whether you think you can or you can't, you are right."
~Henry Ford
“The food you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy. Those are your options.”
~Melissa Hartwig, It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways
Today is Day 31 of my Whole30 way of eating. I started on Jan 15 and am loving the results so far. Some people are ready at this point to slowly re-introduce the foods that they have eliminated during the Whole30 to see how they effect them. I, however, am not ready. I plan to continue eating on this food plan...hopefully, until it becomes just "the way I eat".
The "Before" and "After" pictures...I'm not sure that I can tell a difference in the pictures...which is very disappointing...but here they are...
The "hard" results:
Weight: -10 pounds
Measurements: -11"
- Bust -1/4"
- Waist -2 1/4"
- Hips - 2"
- Thighs - 2 1/4" total
- Calves - 1 1/2" total
- Upper Arms - 2" total
- Neck - 3/4"
The "soft" results:
- I'm off of my medication for GERD (Gastro-esophageal reflux disorder)...something I have suffered with for 30+ years and have been on medication for 20+ years. (I have found that it does return when I eat grapefruit, though, but that is easily taken care of by a few drops of Digestzen essential oil by doTerra.)
- Blood pressure has dropped by 10 points, both diastolic and systolic!
- Resting heart rate is in the 60's!! (It has been in the 80's for the last several years.)
- No more ankle swelling.
- No intestinal gas or bloating.
- My insomnia is GONE.
- I wake up feeling refreshed and energized.
- I have more energy throughout the day and get more things accomplished.
- I've learned to cook some very tasty and healthy recipes and have eaten some new foods for the first time ever!
- Food has FLAVOR without adding any sugar.
- YES, I CAN drink my coffee with just unsweetened coconut milk added...no sweetener of any kind....and still enjoy it! (Who knew???)
- My sugar cravings have decreased by probably 80-90%.
- My desire to eat out my frustrations or emotions has also decreased by 80-90%.
- No afternoon brain-fog or sluggishness.
- Improved/upbeat mood.
- I've joined a fitness center and work-out a couple times a week...something I haven't been able to do since 2008!
I had my usual 6 month check-up with my cardiologist this week and he is quite pleased with the changes. He wants to recheck my cholesterol after a few more weeks of eating this way and, if possible, he will make changes in both my cholesterol medication and my blood pressure medication. In the meantime, I'm going to keep track of my blood pressure because if it drops any lower, it will be too low!
What I have found to be IRONIC, is that EVERYONE agrees that the current American diet is very unhealthy. However, in the next breath those very same people give me grief about "why did you stop eating 'fill-in-the-blank' "...the very foods that make up the contemporary American diet. It seems that most people think you should continue to eat the contemporary American diet...just eat "less" of it. Is "less poison" not just as bad for you as "poison"???
What I have found to be IRONIC, is that EVERYONE agrees that the current American diet is very unhealthy. However, in the next breath those very same people give me grief about "why did you stop eating 'fill-in-the-blank' "...the very foods that make up the contemporary American diet. It seems that most people think you should continue to eat the contemporary American diet...just eat "less" of it. Is "less poison" not just as bad for you as "poison"???
Loretta
So happy for you. I love the encouraging results. I have a friend who cannot eat any whole foods, just take out. Imagine that!.
ReplyDeleteI finally just stopped eating all the processed foods Junk!!....the results were rewarding. Did not give up the coffee either. But no more diet soda, diary, high corn fructose, very little flour.
Will be watching for further results.. congratulations
Oh, I could tell the difference in the photos! Your tummy is flatter! Don't believe me? Your shirt is longer, and that happens when the rest of you is smaller! Also, your face says it all - you look so much happier!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the interwebs are full of info on the Whole30, but was wondering if you could give an idea of what a day or week of meals/snacks looks like?
Also, is Andy eating the same as you, or just for meals together?
Yeay you! So proud!
An average menu for a day:
DeleteB: eggs (2-3), veggies or 1/2 avocado, fresh fruit, coffee with unsweetened coconut milk
L: tuna or chicken with home made paleo mayo, veggies, fresh fruit, water with lemon
D: protein (chicken, beef, venison, fish, etc.), 1-2 servings of veggies, fresh fruit, water with lemon
For a "snack" in the afternoon, I have a cup of Good Earth tea, unsweetened. You can have nuts (no peanuts), but I try not to snack between meals. Sometimes I will have some nuts or a spoon of almond butter for dessert instead of fruit.
I make a lot of meals in the crock pot. There are LOTS of recipes out there...just google paleo recipes and then leave out any type of sweetener.
One of my fave meals to take to work when I don't have leftovers is throw some frozen stir-fry veggies (no corn or legumes) into a dish, on top, add a serving of protein (I like frozen cooked shrimp). Dash of salt on top and throw the whole thing in the lunch bag. When dinner time comes around, I toss it in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes, and voila...instant meal!!!
I also make veggie soups and throw in whatever leftover protein I have in the fridge from the previous days dinner!
Andy is not eating this way, per se, but he does eat what I cook...then adds a piece of bread to it and then has a dessert snack in the evening. When I'm not home, he eats the way he always has. He's lost 2-3 pounds so far.
I can tell! Good for you- keep it up!
ReplyDelete