My husband and I have been talking for a while now about doing another round of the Whole30 program. We kept pushing back the start date because we have had so many different functions, parties, barbecues, etc. to attend. We wanted to be realistic and not put ourselves in too many situations that might lead to us giving into temptation. With most of our obligations out of the way, we decided that now was a perfect time to start. So, here is my journal chronicling the ups and downs, benefits, what I eat, workouts etc. I will update it daily, so keep checking back. You can read about our first attempt – HERE
Interested in trying a Whole30 out for yourself? The book “It Starts with Food” By Dallas and Melissa Hartwig is an excellent place to start. It will change the way you think about food. Not only is it a great read, but it will really help you get through the Whole30 program. You can get it – HERE
We knew we wanted to start on Wednesday, so we made a trip to Costco on Monday. Tuesday we received our CSA order Needless to say, our fridge was in utter chaos. It was stressful just to look at. Some people need an extra beer fridge, we need an extra produce fridge. BUT, we were fully prepared and stocked with delicious, nutritious foods to start us off on the right track for our Whole30.
After going grocery shopping, I was all ready to prep some food. I got us set up for a few days worth of breakfast, lunches and snacks. Also, I got the fridge organized. It no longer looks like I just opened the door, stuffed the groceries in, and shouldered the door shut. We did our best to get rid of all the tempting, non-approved foods from our fridge and pantry before starting. The beer in the fridge will just have to sit there and taunt us for 30 days.
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DAY 1
Lunch Day 1
Lunch today was from the meals I prepped yesterday. It was nice to just be able to grab something out of the fridge, heat it up and eat. It is a turkey sausage with oven roasted vegetables. DELISH! The first time we did a Whole30, I was already missing my coffee with cream and sugar as well as my cheese on day 1. But after doing it last time, we drastically cut back on our dairy consumption on a more permanent basis. It made day 1 pretty effortless this time around. Ask me if that holds true around the two week mark. I got a lot accomplished today and was able to spend some time in the kitchen working on new recipes. Beginning a Whole30 has me thinking of new, compliant recipe creations. There would be no point in making a bunch of food that we can’t even eat right now, and I absolutely hate wasting food. Here are a couple of sneak preview pics of new recipes that will be up on my site soon.
WORKOUTS – Today was a much needed rest day. I have been hitting it pretty hard lately. I’ve still got work to do for “Operation Red Dress” before my birthday.
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DAY 2
Dinner Day 2
Dinner today was salmon with a lemon, garlic, caper sauce and roasted vegetables. I love purple cauliflower. It tastes like regular cauliflower but has a slightly different texture that I like even better. I woke up today raring to go, and full of energy. My appetite was unstoppable today. The good news is that I was not craving bad food. Actually, I was hungry for all healthy food, BUT I felt hungry all day. I felt as though I could eat my entire fridge, and then eat my own arm. I did workout pretty hard and I’m sure that contributed to it. I made solid food choices all day and did not overindulge. I’m going to buy some coconut milk and see how I like it in my coffee. I’ve gotten used to it black or with a little almond milk but I thought I might try and switch things up a bit.
WORKOUTS – Today I was so full of energy, that I just felt unstoppable. At least once a week my friend and I try to walk somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-8 miles. Today we walked 5.5 and the last two miles of it, we ran intervals. Our mileage splits were quite backwards. After that, I did a deck of cards workout, practiced my pull-ups and then spent 30 minutes punching Bob 🙂 He totally had it coming.
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DAY 3
Dinner Day 3
Dinner today was top sirloin steak, sauteed veggies, and a nice hearty salad. I had great energy again today and felt like I could just eat, and eat, and eat.
Sunshine makes me want to drink beer… like a lot of beer… like jump in a pool of ice cold beer face first, mouth open. BUT, I just chugged copious amounts of water instead. I rediscovered this fruit infusing water cup that my sister got me. I love finding things I forgot about. It’s like getting a present all over again. Not much else to report for today. So far, so good.
WORKOUTS – Today’s workout was brutal. I finished it in 24:22. It pretty much felt like it took 2 hours. But in a good way. Honest! Afterward, I was collapsed on the floor leaving a corpse shaped sweat print. My hand tore last work during a workout and it just keeps tearing open again. I feel myself getting stronger and I see my body changing shape. I LOVE it. I love being able to look in the mirror, see positive change, and think to myself “I did that, I earned that.” It is pretty stinking rewarding. If that doesn’t keep me going back, day after day, I don’t know what will. I’m excited to see the PR’s I will hit with my nutrition in check.
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DAY 4
Breakfast Day 4
Today’s breakfast was DELISH!! Thick cut pork loin chops, half an avocado and eggs fried in avocado oil. I woke up with pretty bad heartburn this morning. But, I also woke up feeling slimmer today. I can already tell that some of the dairy bloat is subsiding. I feel much less puffy in the abdomen. It’s pretty crazy the effects that different foods can have on your body. I was very restless last night and it took me forever to fall asleep. I had a lot of energy and my mind was racing. I almost felt as if I had just drank a lot of coffee right before going to sleep… or attempting to anyway.
Snack Day 4
A random mid-day, pre-run snack. Healthy and satisfying.
WORKOUTS – Today I set out for a run and then my plans quickly changed. I decided to let my Polar dictate my pace. I can never seem to stay in Zone 2. So I just kept a pace that kept me in this zone. It was some running, but mostly brisk walking. It seemed to do the trick. I burned over 800 calories. WOOT!!
We went to a dueling piano bar for a friends birthday party. Normally I wouldn’t test myself so early on in this process, but I was feeling strong and up for the challenge. We ate dinner before we left so that we wouldn’t be tempted to order bar appetizers. We drank water all night long and still had a great time. I learned 2 things… 1. It is in fact possible to go to a bar, not drink, and still have fun. 2. It takes a couple of glasses of liquid courage to get me out on the dance floor. But once you do, look out!!
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DAY 5
Breakfast Day 5
This morning’s breakfast was spicy sausage and sweet potato hash with scrambled eggs and caramelized onions. It was awesome and I could pretty much eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can find a variation of this recipe – HERE. I woke up this morning feeling sleepy and like I just wanted to stay in bed a couple more hours. Things feel quite different this time around, compared to the last time we attempted Whole30. I really don’t have any cravings at all. I realize that we are not that far into it yet but it feels a lot easier this time around. I attribute that to how much we have cleaned up our diet since the first time we tried this.
Last night I prepped some healthy snacks for us to take hiking. We froze the applesauce and the berries so they would hold up to heat while in our packs. I don’t eat very much fruit in general (Maybe once every 2 days or so) but I figured the natural sugars in the fruit would be a good energy source for our hike.
We hiked the Skyline Loop Trail at Mt. Rainier. I’ve done this hike several times before, but none were so challenging as today. We did the hike in the reverse direction which is a lot more challenging. We took the longest and highest route. We encountered far more snow than I would have thought. I normally do this hike mid to late August so that I can see all the wildflowers while they are in full bloom. About 2 miles of the trail was completely covered in snow to the point that you could not see the trail. We managed our way through it, it just slowed us down a bit. I was incredibly thankful for the amount of water and snacks I packed. It was a challenging but beautiful and incredibly fun day.
The picture on the left is from the same hike two years ago. I don’t feel like I even recognize those people!!
You can see more pictures from our hike – HERE
This is the highest number I have ever seen on my Polar. That was A LOT of calories burned. Needless to say, I was STARVING when we got home. It took hungry and tired to a whole different level.
Dinner Day 5
We had a nice dinner of Prawns that were marinated in red pepper flakes, garlic, minced onion, lime juice, avocado oil, and a little Himalayan pink salt. We ate them with a salad and roasted vegetables. We love, love, love roasted vegetables. If I am not careful, I will replace the dairy bloat with veggie bloat. That’s a thing!! Look it up! After dinner I did some studying and then we went to bed early. Day 5 was a good day.
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DAY 6
Salad Day 6
I made this beautiful salad to go with our dinner tonight. It had romaine, spinach, kalamata olives, capers, roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, roasted artichokes and pepperoncinis. I had a hard time verifying that pepperoncinis were a compliant food. I saw a lot of mixed answers. However, according to the ingredient list on the jar, it all looked compliant to me.
Dinner Day 6
Along with the salad we had roasted cauliflower and a pork loin chop. It’s almost time to hit the grocery store again and stock back up on some of the staples. I snacked on eggs and olives today and enjoyed my rest day. It was a busy past several days and I was feeling physically and mentally exhausted. I stayed home all day and got a lot of work done. I feel this whole process working already. I have more energy overall. I feel slimmer. My cravings are gone. I just feel well fueled. “Operation Red Dress” is in full swing!! I have no idea how much I weigh, or if I have lost any weight in this first week. I haven’t weighed myself in over 3 weeks and am taking a hiatus from the scale for a while. BUT, I certainly don’t need it to tell me that my body is changing for the better. My body is speaking for itself when I look in the mirror. Numbers do not define me.
WORKOUTS – Today was a planned rest day… and rest I did 🙂
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DAY 7
Tuesdays are always produce days in our house. This week I didn’t choose a lot of greens as we still have some left over from last weeks order, as well as from our Costco trip. However, I did double up on some of our favorites that we were out of, like sweet potatoes and cremini mushrooms.
Lunch Day 7
Today’s lunch was some leftover soup that I made last week and froze. It is a spicy sausage and sweet potato soup. The recipe will be up on my blog soon. I’m feeling really strong and energized as this first week comes to a close.
This morning I woke up and was all set to head to the gym and then I decided to take off for a weekday solo hike instead. We don’t have nearly enough nice days here in the PNW to take full advantage of all the beautiful hiking trails we have, and I want to take advantage of the weather while I still can. I hiked 11 miles RT for an elevation gain of 2300 feet. It was a butt kicker!!!
When I reached my car again, this was the number I saw on my Polar. BOOM!! Let’s just say I felt a new level of hunger that I have never experienced before. The entire drive home I obsessed about everything that I was going to eat the very second that I walked through the door. The good news is that all of the food I was obsessing over was all the healthy food stocked in my fridge. WIN! If ever there was a day for me to enter a steak eating contest, today would have been it!
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DAY 8
Lunch Day 8
Lunch today was a big, fat, delicious chicken salad with a lot of roasted vegetables. It was so filling and satisfying. I thought I was going to be pretty sore and tired from yesterdays hike, but I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. It was really hard not to jump on the scale this morning. I haven’t weighed myself in over 3 weeks but this morning I could just feel that I have reached a new low. But I resisted and just got on with my morning.
I’ve mentioned before that at least once a week my friend and I go for a walk. Today we tackled some pretty steep hills in the sunshine. It was brutal but awesome. It’s always nice to get some girl time and a butt-kicking workout in at the same time.
This was the end result of our walk as measured by my Polar. I have had some pretty intense calorie burns this week. I’ve loved the hikes and the walks but it’s back to CrossFit tomorrow. Too many days of not lifting things up and putting them down makes me a crabby girl 🙂
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DAY 9
Dinner Day 9
Tonight for dinner we had burgers topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms, roasted sweet potatoes and steamed artichokes. When I was done eating it, I felt like I could eat the entire thing all over again. I have just been voraciously hungry lately. I woke up bright and early this morning, feeling energized and ready to get to work. Lucky for me, my work is just a walk downstairs. We are almost a third of the way through and I feel better ever day. Today at the gym was no exception. The workout was hard but other than sweating like it was my career, I bounced right back from it. I feel strong and I also felt like my push-ups were done with the best form I have ever had. I am definitely feeling the difference that proper nutrition makes in all aspects of my life. I can tell when I look in the mirror that my face looks thinner and my skin looks more radiant. BONUS!
Then there was time for some post-wod silliness. That lovely face belongs to our coach, Kurtis, who is in Carson, CA for the games right now. When daddy’s away, the kids will play. I LOVE my gym and the people that go there. My family grew exponentially the day I joined.
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DAY 10
These monstrous beauties came from our garden. I can’t even explain how rewarding that feels. We even grew them from seed. I already can’t wait for next year so I can plant an even bigger garden. I decided it was the perfect day for “pasta”
So, I used my spiral slicer to make “noodles” out of them.
Then I sauteed them in a little chicken stock, garlic, sea salt and pepper.
Dinner Day 10
Then I topped them with my tomato meat sauce recipe. You can find that recipe – Here. I made a double batch of the meat sauce last week and froze it. It’s pretty handy just to be able to pull it out of the freezer and heat it up.
10 days in and I am still feeling pretty great. I woke up with heartburn the last few days though. I’m not sure what that is all about. My energy levels are great. My brain still feels a little cloudy but I’m sure that is because I just have a lot on my plate right now… Literally and figuratively. On the literal side of that, I just can’t seem to eat enough. I am more food obsessed than I have ever been. But in a positive way if that makes sense. In the past I have been notorious for thinking about my next meal while my current meal is still in front of me. A lot of the time I am thinking about what I can eat for dinner based on what I had for breakfast and lunch so that I can keep myself where I need to be. It is exhausting and I am sure many of you can relate. Now I am properly fueled and getting adequate nutrition and I am just hungry all of the time. I can feel that my metabolism is revved up and that my body is running like a well oiled machine. I am no longer listening to the cravings or bored, sad, mad, tired cues that would normally tell me it was time to eat and am instead listening to my body scream “FEED ME” It is such a different feeling. It is kind of hard to explain. The best way I can describe it is to say that my body is telling me when to fuel it and I’m just going along with it. As a result I can tell that I have lost pounds and inches even though I haven’t stepped on the scale. I don’t need the scale. I have eyes and a mirror 🙂 The even crazier part is that I am eating way MORE food than I was before. Don’t be afraid to eat! Just as long as you are eating the right things.
WORKOUTS – Today’s workout was “Isabel” 30 Snatches – For time. I increased my weight by 10 pounds as compared to the last time we did this wod in April. I had hoped for a bigger gain but we spent a lot of time practicing the movement and proper form before starting the workout. I’m not saying I could have gone a ton higher on the weight, I’m just saying that I started the workout pretty tired already and probably should have practiced the movement a little less before starting and bumped the weight up a little for the actual wod. It felt great though. I’m pretty sure I start sweating the very second I think about going to the gym in the morning. It’s a good thing that is the perfect place to get sweaty and not be embarrassed about it.
I can’t stress enough how different only 10 days of eating clean has impacted my workouts. I have always been able to power through a workout, even if it takes me forever. Usually after some of the tougher ones, I will feel wrecked for the rest of the day. This past week, I have felt amazing. I bounced back immediately. I haven’t even really been sore the next day after my workouts. It is an incredible feeling.
WE ARE A THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH. YAY!!!
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DAY 11
Dinner Day 11
Dinner tonight was a Dijon pork tenderloin, grilled prawns and roasted vegetables. We ate dinner at a friends house and they were so accommodating to our dietary restrictions. They eat pretty healthy as well and were more than happy to go along with a Whole30 compliant meal at their house. It’s always a good day when doing a strict food challenge doesn’t interfere with social engagements. More and more we seem to be surrounding ourselves with like-minded, healthy individuals and it definitely makes sticking to a healthy routine a lot easier.
I’m going in the reverse order here but I always like to start each post with a picture of something I ate. We started the morning boating at the lake with friends. We packed healthy snacks and water to keep us on track while we were out having fun. I’m getting used to thinking far enough ahead that we never find ourselves in a situation where we are either starving or surrounded by bad food options. It’s a good feeling.
After a long day on the lake, we came home, ate and got ready for a garage workout. We went through the workout in groups of two. It was short but intense enough for me to leave a pool of sweat behind. I’m not sure if it is in any way related to Whole30 but I feel like I am sweating uncontrollably during my workouts now. I feel like I start to sweat the moment I think about going to the gym. Has this ever happened to you?
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DAY 12
We made a trip to Costco today to stock back up on some staples. We also hit up a roadside fruit stand by our house that has the most delicious cherries I have ever tasted. I have always been a label reader when I am shopping. I love going to the grocery store and I love taking my time there. Most people would probably hate to shop with me. The grocery store is my blank canvas… my happy place. Doing Whole30 has made me even more of a label reader, if that was even possible. It is shocking to see how many things have evaporated cane juice as the first or second ingredient. It is also alarming how many different names there are for sugar. Last week I wanted to get a rotisserie chicken and the second ingredient was evaporated cane juice. So sad! UGH! Serves me right for not just making my own. At least the first ingredient was chicken. Want to see a grown woman melt down in the store?? Let her get her heart set on rotisserie chicken for lunch, only to read the label and see sugar. I threw a silent temper tantrum.
Dinner Day 12
For dinner tonight I made a new steamed clam recipe. I will have it up on my site soon. It is amazing how fast you can go through clams. My husband and I ate 4 pounds like it was nothing. We are pretty savage eaters. If you were in my dining room watching me eat, you might run out screaming. That’s a lie, what I meant to say was… “If you were in my living room watching me eat” Our dining room table is pretty much just for looks.
I am really starting to wish that I took a before picture. I feel and look so different already, that I really should have documented it. I still have not weighed myself and that is showing some serious restraint. I am excited for when I finally do weigh myself as I know I will be pleasantly surprised.
Someone on my Facebook page was asking about how to prepare yourself mentally for starting a Whole30, as well as how to shop. Here are a few of the suggestions that I offered.
1. Taper down your dairy intake prior to starting
2. Start incorporating a lot more vegetables in your diet
3. Diligently read labels on packaging and familiarize yourself with the ingredients you don’t recognize. Chances are, if you don’t know what it is, you probably shouldn’t be eating it
4. If you eat sugar, scale way back or try your best to omit it completely
5. Shop the perimeter of the store
6. Shop local farmers markets if you can
7. Clear your fridge and pantry of any bad/tempting foods
8. Up your water intake
9. Start doing weekly meal prep
10. Talk to anyone who will listen about what you want to do and how they can be supportive.
WORKOUTS – Today was rest day… The only thing I did was work on my pull-ups a little bit.
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DAY 13
Dinner Day 13
Dinner tonight was kind of a hodge podge of whatever I pulled out of the fridge. I wish I had written it down because it actually turned out pretty great. I love the way purple carrots look in a dish. Nature produces such beauty.
It has all felt pretty easy so far but as I approach the 2 week mark, I had my first no-so-great day. I had some slight cravings… Nothing strong enough that I felt like caving. They were more like “I wish I could eat…” The things I was wanting were not even that bad. Mostly, I just really wanted some quinoa today. If that is the worst craving I am having, then I would say I am doing pretty good. I also had an off day body wise. I just felt puffy and kind of gross. I suppose we all have days like that but it was just a stark contrast from how I have been feeling. Tomorrow is a new day.
WORKOUTS – Today was pretty much a rest day too… The only thing I did was 150 abmat sit-ups and work on my pull-ups.
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DAY 14
Snack Day 14
It is perfect cherry season and these babies were DELICIOUS!! When I first adapted a low-carb lifestyle, cutting out fruit was not a problem for me because I was never much of a fruit eater. I have always preferred vegetables. Reintroducing fruit into my diet has been awesome. Now, I like a lot more fruits than I used to but I am not tempted to overindulge in them.
Today was produce day. Between our weekly produce order, Costco and our garden, we are probably eating enough produce for about 10 adults. I love it.
Breakfast Day 14
Sweet potatoes with spicy sausage and eggs with caramelized onions is one of my favorite meals right now… Breakfast, lunch or dinner.
WORKOUTS – Today the workout was – In 15 minutes, run 1 mile and then for the remainder of the time complete as many rounds as you can of 3 Squat Snatches and 10 Box Jumps. I made it through, but it was definitely not even close to a good performance. I was way more tired after the mile than I should have been and my form on the squat snatches was pretty terrible. After the first set of box jumps, I switched to step-ups. My legs just felt like cement. NOT a good day in the gym. BUT, it was still better than not going at all. I did my mile in 10:04 and then did 3 full rounds plus 2 squat snatches.
I sent this picture to friend today. It was meant to be funny but also with a competitive undertone. I’m finally starting to see results from all of my hard work. Could it be that this girl is actually starting to show some muscles? I can officially say that I no longer hate tank tops. What a great feeling. It just makes me want to push that much harder.
Well, we are officially through the first two weeks of Whole30. It’s not easy, but it is definitely worth it. I want a beer.
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DAY 15
Dinner Day 15
It wasn’t beautiful, but it was DELICIOUS. I’ll let you in on a little secret… Tomato paste, garlic and dijon mixed is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I have some recipes going up soon that include these three ingredients.
Day 15… What to say about Day 15??? Well, this is the day that brought our Whole30 crashing down last time we attempted it. So, I can safely say that we have made it farther than we did last time. Although, I do not believe we are the same people we were then either. My patience is wearing a little thin, but I am still feeling determined to see this through. Have I mentioned how bad I want a beer?? Do I sound lushy yet? I’m finally feeling more focused mentally. I got a lot accomplished this week and really stayed on task. I’ve been feeling a bit foggy lately but it seems as though the fog is lifting.
I gave up soda a long time ago and haven’t really ever looked back. But on occasion I do miss the carbonation. Talking Rain is my newest obsession. The ingredients are: Carbonated Mountain Spring Water, Essences From Natural Oils and Extracts. If this is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right 🙂 It’s pretty refreshing.
WORKOUTS – Today I hit a PR on my overhead squat at the gym – 115 lbs. Then I went on a 7.5 mile hike with a friend. It was an active and exhausting day.
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DAY 16
Dinner Day 16
Dinner tonight was salmon with lemon, garlic and capers, roasted vegetables and salad. I’m not going to lie, this is getting a little harder. I think I need to get in the kitchen and do some more food prep. I feel a little too food obsessed and am spending too much time thinking about Whole30. It may just also be that I am crabby today. Look out world! To make things even trickier, I am considering Zone blocking these last two weeks. Not much else to report for today. Like I said, I’m a crab.
WORKOUTS – Today is a rest day. Tomorrow will be also. I have something big in store for the weekend. I’ll fill you in after it’s over. All I can say is… Wish me luck!
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DAY 17
Dinner Day 17
Dinner tonight was a seared chicken breast and a nice big salad.
Day 17 was definitely the hardest day so far. Everything made me crabby, nerves were high and I wanted to eat everything in sight… good food and bad food. My inner devil just kept saying “Go have sushi. You deserve it” Of course I didn’t but I certainly wanted to. The fact that I stayed on plan and didn’t give in, is a huge win for me.
***THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO DO – Note, This did not happen. This is an old picture from the archives. *** Doritos are my kryptonite and are not allowed in my home because I would devour them. It’s like they call to me… Still, after all this time.
Instead I made a batch of lemon fruit and nut bars (My version of Lara Bars) You can find the recipe for them – Here. It’s pretty hard not to eat the entire batch straight out of the food processor. I may have overindulged on these just a bit, but it is far better than taking a bag of Doritos to the face.
WORKOUTS – Today is a rest day.
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DAY 18
Lunch and Snacks Day 18
Lunch was a big salad with lots of veggies and a chicken breast. For snacks I took apple slices, a Larabar, raw cashews, olive and two hard boiled eggs. I didn’t end up eating the cashews or most of the apples.
Why did I have all of this packed with me you ask?? Okay, I know you didn’t ask, but I am going to tell you. Today I attended the Level 1 CrossFit Trainer Seminar. That is huge, exciting, scary news in my world. I only started doing CrossFit about 9 months ago. It has changed my life so much that I want to take it to the next level and help other people change their lives as well. As of right now I’m not exactly sure what that means. I’m not sure if I will train at a gym some day or if I will just continue working on becoming a better athlete myself and try to help my friends to do the same. It was a long day, full of a lot of information. My nerves ran high and I felt quite anxious most of the day. I thought I would feel more at ease considering that the seminar was hosted at my gym and led by our coach. I long ago learned that comparison is the thief of joy but I couldn’t help but compare my strengths and weaknesses to those of the other athletes attending the seminar. We did several breakout groups where we were divided into smaller groups and coached through fundamental movements. I felt like my form was great in those, I got offered very little correctional cues (which is a good thing) and I felt like I was absorbing and retaining the information. I even won a paleo treat during the review portion for answering a question correctly…
Then came the workout at the end of the day… Ugh. My performance was horrible. I’m pretty sure my very first Crossfit workout was better than that. It felt worse than day 1. I barely finished in the time cap and I felt like I might die by the end of it. I don’t know what happened. I’m not saying that I am normally some badass athlete who does all of the workouts as prescribed and in record time, because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. But, I usually finish middle of the pack and steadily hit PR’s and increase my speed. I feel as though in most areas, I am progressing quickly for only having been at it 9 months. I felt a little bit like crying and begging my coach to tell everyone in the room that I was normally a much better athlete than that. In that moment I did not feel like I deserved to be there. In that moment I felt like I might be an embarrassment to him. I had to talk myself off the ledge and remind myself that it was only one bad day and that as long as I know what I am capable, that is all that matters. I’m no Samantha Briggs or Rich Froning, but I am Kyndra Holley and I give it my all in everything I do. I am also my own worst enemy.
My husband has an uncanny knack for doing the right things at the right times. I came home to these beautiful flowers and him in the kitchen cooking dinner for me. It was as if he sensed how bad I was feeling at that very moment. It was a wonderful surprise and a nice end to a long day. I think I earned some extra Whole30 brownie points for not diving face first into the cooler of beer at the end of the seminar. Although Whole30 and brownie don’t really belong in the same sentence. It’s the whole SWYPO thing.
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DAY 19
Lunch Day 19
Lunch today was another salad with a lot of veggies and some turkey sausage. Of course it included my daily avocado. No day in my world is complete without avocado.
I used my lunch break to review my notes and the training guide before the test. I also watched in complete awe as some of the seminar staff completed a lunch time workout far more brutal that anything I have yet encountered.
Last nights pity party was over as quickly as it began. I was back at it today with renewed vigor and with my pride in tact. I am always far too hard on myself. It was only one workout and I shouldn’t have let it get to me like that. If anything, it was humbling and I can usually stand to get knocked down a peg 🙂
Day 2 of the seminar went by in a whirlwind. It was a lot of information coming from all different directions. I feel as though I grasped a majority of it. It is easier to pay attention and retain information if it is on a subject that you are passionate about. I am definitely passionate about Crossfit. In fact, this post is starting to look like an ode to Crossfit, and less like a Whole30 journal. But since we are already on the subject…
In the mainstream media, and to people outside of the CrossFit community, it has this reputation for being a group of elitist cult members, in shirts with quick-witted slogans, rambling off a list of girls names, who think they are the the very best at exercising. Ask the average crossfitter about CrossFit and a couple of different things will happen… First off, you will immediately wish that you never asked because they will go on and on and on and on and ON… Then if you truly look a little deeper you see a person that is boasting about family, a sense of community, pride of ownership as if they actually own the gym they attend, passion for healthy living, a strong but healthy competitive drive, all the while talking about the hardest workout they’ve ever completed and how they can’t wait to do it again. CrossFit is so much more than the workouts. I dare you to walk into a globo-gym and see how long it takes you before you get their sales pitch. They probably won’t even ask your name first. Next, walk in to the CrossFit gym closest to you and see how long it takes you to feel like you are home. My guess is that these two things will happen in about the same amount of time.
Here’s hoping that I passed my exam and will officially be able to call myself a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.
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DAY 20
Dinner Day 19
Dinner tonight was Tomato Dijon Turkey Meatballs with a salad. I finally got the recipe posted that I made on Day 1. I brushed on a little extra tomato paste after I cooked them. It didn’t really change the taste.
I don’t have a lot to say about today. I spent the day getting work done, answering emails and reflecting on the seminar. All day I have been reciting random CrossFit facts in my head. I really can’t wait to get the test results back. I better pass.
Lunch Day 20
It wasn’t beautiful, but it was delicious!! Today I made my own garlic Dijon Mayo in the Vitamix. I’ll get the recipe for that up soon-ish. I mixed it with tuna and topped it with avocado. YUM!! The only thing missing was the bacon.
WORKOUTS – Today is a rest day.
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DAY 21
Dinner Day 21
Dinner tonight was salmon, roasted veggies and salad. I think I have eaten more salmon during this Whole30 than I have in the last year. It has renewed my love of fish.
For an after dinner treat we had a handful of frozen mixed berries with a couple of Tbs. of almond butter. Microwave it for about a minute and a half and mix it all together and you have a little slice of heaven.
Today was produce day. I’ll probably make a trip to the grocery store tomorrow to pick up some additional fruits and vegetables as well. We go through them so fast.
WORKOUTS – This was the workout today. I PR’ed my snatch by 5 pounds. I was hoping for more, but a PR is a PR
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DAY 22
Dinner Day 22
We have been on a near weekly ritual of having dinner with our neighbors in their beautiful back yard. We all contribute something to the meal and then eat and laugh together. It has easily been my favorite part of the summer this year. I just adore them. They eat very cleanly on a regular basis, so sharing meals with them is always easy. They were very accommodating with our Whole30 and when making the salad, put any ingredients they weren’t sure if we could have, on the side. They made the delicious salad and roasted vegetables (eggplant, mushroom and zucchini) and I made Langostino with a lemon caper sauce. I can’t seem to get enough of capers lately. It was delicious and fun as always.
Today I also made some fruit infused ice cubes. I’m loving fruit in my water these days. I did different variations of lemon, lime, orange and cucumber. Then within a couple of glasses, I used them all. I love these ice trays because they fit in narrow mouthed water bottles. They would also be great for freezing fresh herbs in oil for later use. (Which I keep thinking about doing but have yet to actually do)
WORKOUTS – Only once since I started CrossFit have I not finished a workout in the gym. We had done a 5 rep max on deadlifts the day before. I did 210 lbs for 4 reps. The next day this was the workout on the board when I walked in. It seemed fine to me. I was up for the challenge. But, not long after starting, my back was screaming. I attempted to scale down the weight and keep going but even that felt like too much. I had to stop before I hurt myself.
I didn’t make it into the gym this morning and I knew I had a busy evening in front of me, so I took to my garage on my lunch break and did this workout. The one I like to call “The one that got away” I feel blessed to have such an awesome set-up at home for days like this.
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DAY 23
Dinner Day 23
Dinner tonight was not very colorful. But it sure was tasty. We had blackened pork loin chops with roasted cauliflower, onions and mushrooms.
WORKOUTS – Today I worked out at home again today. The workout was: In 12 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of 5 front squats, 7 burpees, and 9 push presses. I got 4 complete rounds plus 5 front squats and 4 burpees. For weight I only used 55 lbs. I felt like I should have at least gotten 2 more rounds but I just couldn’t seem to pick up the pace. It was only after I wrote the work out and did it that I realized how alarming close it is to the workout I bombed at the seminar. My workouts haven’t felt that great for the last week and a half or so. I think it may be due to a medication I was taking recently. I’ve stopped taking it to see if it makes a difference.
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DAY 24
Violation snack!!!
I was working on new paleo recipes today and make this bowl of deliciousness. It turned out amazing and I can’t wait to share it with you. BUT, having this violated one of the major rules of Whole30. I wasn’t craving anything sweet or trying to re-create any of my old junk food habits. I was simply spending the day in the kitchen working on new creations. I never gave it one second of thought besides that. It doesn’t have a single non-paleo, Whole30 compliant ingredient in it, but it would still not technically be allowed on the program. I remembered that after I made it and tasted it. I don’t really feel bad about it though. Ice cream was never one of my major vices. I have always craved savory over sweet. Thus my Dorito-Kryptonite reference earlier. Also, I didn’t make it to satisfy a craving or an urge, I was simply working on new recipe development. Given that, I don’t really feel like it is that big of an offense. It’s not like I set out to paleo-ify Doritos… That would be bad news!
WORKOUTS – This was the workout at the gym today. Due to an unplanned vet visit, I didn’t make it into the gym. But I did do the workout in my garage tonight. I am still not proficient at double-unders. I am up to where I can string a couple together and do one every other jump. So, for the workout I subbed 150 single jumps for each round. I did my floor presses at 65 lbs. and for the toes to bar, I worked on getting my toes as close to the bar as possible. I got several that were within an inch. Progress!! I can’t wait to bridge that one inch gap. ONE INCH! I finished in 14:54. I felt a lot better than I have been feeling during my workouts. A few days off the medication I was taking and I already feel my performance getting back up to where it was. I wish I would have made the tie before the seminar. Ahhhh, such is life. Starting to feel like myself again. I even felt better when I woke up this morning.
Here is a picture of my little old lady at the vet. Poor pup has a urinary tract infection. Did you know that happens to dogs? I sure didn’t.
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DAY 25
Breakfast Day 25
This morning was a practice photo shoot. My neighbors let me borrow their camera and I have been playing around with the settings and lighting, in an attempt to start getting some better quality food photographs. This was our breakfast this morning. Not to be a tease, but I have not yet posted the recipe for this. Have no fear, a lot of what you see in this post will make it to my blog in the form of an official recipe eventually. But we had rainbow vegetable noodles, poached eggs and sausage links. It was DELICIOUS.
It started with this
I achieved this using these two devices
I promise that there will be many recipes coming your way that includes these vegetable “noodles”. They are so versatile, colorful and crazy delicious.
Dinner Day 25
Any of you who have done a Whole30 already know how hard it can be to dine out. It is possible, but not without asking a lot of questions and requesting a lot of modifications. Even then, you really don’t know what you are getting since you weren’t there when it was prepared. My friend and I wanted to go out to dinner tonight and after having to get up and leave one place, another being closed, and looking at a series of menus online, we ended up spending about 30 minutes in the grocery store, reading labels and grabbing random foods. We ended up taking all the food back to the Pilates studio she works at. We spread out our bounty on the floor of the studio and had what turned out to be one of the best date nights ever. We managed to find a Whole30 compliant smoked salmon (which I was sure did not exist), a tilapia ceviche, guacamole, carrots, snap peas, pineapple, cherries, and sparkling mineral water. It was a great night.
WORKOUTS – Today was a rest day. I am really going to try and stick to a 3 on 1 off workout schedule from here on out. Today that meant missing our group workout with friends that we do every Saturday in our garage.
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DAY 26
26 days in and I don’t have a food picture for you today. But here is a picture of my newest obsession. I.am.hooked! I can’t get enough sparkling water. Thanks to my favorite 4 year old, I keep calling it tickly water.
We are in our final week and I am feeling better than ever. People keep asking what we will do after this. I don’t really feel like there is an after. We will keep doing a majority of the things the same but occasionally enjoy a nice treat meal or adult beverage when the mood strikes. Life is all about moderation. I don’t believe in saying “never”. The very moment I tell myself I am never going to eat something again, that is the very second I will start obsessing over it. I don’t believe in strict limitations just like I don’t believe in the word “diet” used outside of the noun definition “The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.” Make it a verb and I don’t care for it. It feels good to eat this way and I don’t really feel an overwhelming need to change anything.
WORKOUTS – One of the biggest things I took from the Level 1 seminar was biased vs. targeted workout programming. The short version is that biased programming caters to strengths and targeted programming is based around weaknesses and developing a better athlete. I understand it as it pertains to programming workouts for other athletes but I have also implemented it into my own workouts. I SUCK AT BURPEES. Terrible, awful, horrible. I am not being hard on myself or negative. It is just a fact. They smoke me like no other movement ever. So what did I do??? I did burpees in three different workouts this week. This was a workout done at the gym last week on a day I wasn’t there. I decided to give it a go at home. Just to give you an idea of how bad I am at burpees, I did every single set of wall balls and kettlebell swings UNBROKEN and at the prescribed weight. Even with that, this still took me 19:36 to complete. It wasn’t until I got down to 3 of each movement that I did my burpees unbroken. That was the whole point though. I suck at burpees so I made myself do a whole lot of them. Here’s to being better next time.
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DAY 27
Lunch Day 27
I found a Whole30 compliant meal at the unlikeliest of places. The Rock. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it is a restaurant with a rock music motif and wood fired pizzas. On the very last page of their menu, all the way at the bottom, I found this gem. It is a zucchini noodle pasta with garlic, olive oil, crushed tomatoes, basil and I added grilled chicken to it. I asked a lot of questions of the server just to make sure I could eat it. She was very patient and she checked with the kitchen for me. I hated to be one of the annoying guests with a million questions but it was important to me. It was delicious. I would order it again even if we weren’t doing a Whole30.
I spent some time in the kitchen today working on a few new recipes. The creative juices were flowing. I’m starting to feel like I have my mojo back. I’m also really enjoying playing around with my neighbors camera. They are too good to me.
WORKOUTS – Today I walked 4 and a half miles with a friend. We missed our walk last week and we had a lot of catching up to do. Time flew right by.
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DAY 28
Breakfast Day 28
Ate breakfast at my desk today as I do most days. I ate sweet potatoes and eggs as I did some work on my website. I prepped the sweet potatoes last night while I cooked dinner so that I would only have to cook the eggs this morning. I wanted to make sure and get a good breakfast in before heading to the gym.
It’s produce day again. We even got coffee with our order today. I had a credit to use and so I figured why not add coffee to the mix. I drink it every day anyway. Look at those beautiful avocados just sitting there, waiting to be ripe enough for me to devour them. 🙂
Snack Day 28
Sugar snap peas dipped in guacamole has been one of my go to snacks lately. My husband didn’t like that I had store bought guacamole given that he makes a mean bowl of guac. You can find his recipe – Here
WORKOUTS – Today at the gym we did Fran. 21 – 15 – 9 Thrusters and Pull-ups. I did my thrusters at 55 lbs. and I did my pull-ups on the green band. I felt strong and energized today. It doesn’t seem too far off until I finally have an unassisted pull-up. I am getting better at them every day. I finished in 9:43
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DAY 29
We eat a ton of roasted vegetables. We always have. Tonight I prepped up two large trays. They will probably be gone tomorrow just between the two of us. Tomorrow is our last day and I feel pretty damn good. I’ve read a lot of labels, learned a lot about food and about my own body. Now that it is almost over, it feels as though it has gone by really fast. I’m looking forward to implementing much of what I have learned into my daily routine.
Dinner tonight was uneventful. We had chili-lime chicken patties from Trader Joes, topped with guacamole and roasted vegetables on the side. I wasn’t feeling all that creative. But, it did the trick.
WORKOUTS – For my workout today I did a deck of cards workout in my garage. Clubs were Ab-Mat sit-ups, diamonds were hand release push-ups, hearts were knees to chest, spades were dumbbell strict press with 20 lb. dumbbells, and jokers were 15 pull-ups each. Pull-ups are another one of my weaknesses. I figured I better throw some in there for good measure. For the knees to chest, I did them from a dead hang on the pull up bar, pulling my knees up to my chest, with little to no swing. The randomness of a deck of cards workout is fun, but it sucks when you get the same suit repeatedly. I had to do 37 hand release push-ups in a row. I tore both of my hands on the bar during the pull-ups. OUCH! But I clipped the skin, filed the calluses and I will be good as new in no time.
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DAY 30
Lunch Day 30
Lunch today was chicken and roasted vegetables. It was delicious.
Today is the last day!! Although I don’t really view it that way. I don’t plan on changing much after this but I am really excited to go have an ice cold, Friday night beer tomorrow.
I am so proud that we completed this entire round of Whole30. We only made it 15 days last time, so it feels even better to know that I finished what I started.
Results…. I wish I had done before and after photos and measurements. There is a definite noticeable difference. A pair of pants that I tried to wear before were too tight and gave me a muffin top. Now they are loose straight out of the dryer. Hooray for non-scale victories. I feel leaner over all and am finally starting to show some muscle definition. In terms of pounds, I lost 13.5 pounds. In fairness, I did not weight myself for two weeks before starting Whole30, so that is actually a 6 week weight loss total. Although, we didn’t exactly eat great the week leading up to our start date. My husband lost 9 pounds and he definitely looks leaner as well. This is a great way of eating. The beginning and the end were easy. There were a few rough, crabby days in the middle. Overall, I am very happy with how things went. I’m excited to loosen the reigns just a bit without going overboard.
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Interested in trying a Whole30 out for yourself? The book “It Starts with Food” By Dallas and Melissa Hartwig is an excellent place to start. It will change the way you think about food. Not only is it a great read, but it will really help you get through the Whole30 program. You can get it – HERE
Interested in trying a Whole30 out for yourself? The book “It Starts with Food” By Dallas and Melissa Hartwig is an excellent place to start. It will change the way you think about food. Not only is it a great read, but it will really help you get through the Whole30 program. You can get it – HERE
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Corned Beef and Cabbage
Creamy Reuben Soup - Low Carb, Gluten Free
Pickled Red Onions
Keto Chocolate Vanilla Marble Pound Cake
Low Carb Turkey Club Pinwheels
Low Carb Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl (Crack Slaw) - Paleo, Whole30
DIY Avocado Hair Mask
Queen Zara says
Thanks for the nudge! I reeeeeally need to do this. Grains and dairy hate me! My birthday is coming up soon, but I think after that…I’m going for it!
Kyndra Holley says
You can do it!!! Timing is definitely key. Make sure there are no important engagements standing in the way. Like birthdays 🙂 Everyone deserves to be a little indulgent on their birthday.
Anonymous says
question regarding the quality of food…I’ve shopped Costco a lot and read a lot of labels. Do you buy organic?
Kyndra Holley says
I do try to buy organic as much as possible, yes.
CarolineCalcote says
I’m not ready to commit again to the Whole30, but I’m doing an interim step. Since Monday…no grains and no ice cream. Notice I didn’t say no dairy, but I have gotten into a BAD late night ice cream habit. So that just had to gooooo. Already I feel less bloated. You can do 30!!!
Kyndra Holley says
When I am done, I’m flying to St. Pete to eat sushi with you.
Anonymous says
How do you make your hardboiled eggs and BTW, definitely ordering your cookbook, you’re great at sharing recipes and I think we should all support you buy getting a copy! I used to have an awesome egg cooker by Oster. They no longer make it and I’ve tried many different brands (which didn’t compare) as well as poking them myself and doing the standard bring to a boil, then cover then cool under cold water. Nothing works like the amazing egg cooker I once had. Doing anonymous cause I don’t have any of these other accts. — thanks DM in NJ.
Kyndra Holley says
I cook mine by placing them in cold water and bringing them to a rolling boil over high heat, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 13 minutes. Then I run them under cold water before peeling them.
Kurt Matice says
Love all the meals and the exercises/workouts that you’ve prepared from day 1 to day 6. 🙂
How I wish I’ll be this disciplined and organized just like you
Kyndra Holley says
Thanks for the kind words. YOU CAN DO IT!
Anonymous says
Did you end up liking the coconut milk in Ur coffee? Or does Almond milk taste better?
Kyndra Holley says
It’s actually on my to-do list for today. I still need to go buy some.
Anonymous says
Your salads look amazing! Do you use any dressing at all?? If so, what?
Kyndra Holley says
I typically use avoacado oil, balsamic vinegar, onion powder, Himalayan pink salt and red pepper flakes. Sometimes I just go with the oil and vinegar
CarolineCalcote says
Congrats on making it all the way through this time!! I know I’m late, but just had to catch up on your post. All of your food looks awesome, as usual. I’m planning to start another Whole30 on September 1st. You are my inspiration! And I miss you and wish I could hike at Mt. Ranier with you and go on your long walks with you and your friend 🙂 xoxoxo
Kyndra Holley says
Thanks lady. I miss you too!