Monday, December 31, 2012

Experiment and Learn

Cooking exhausts me. I spent the better part of two hours yesterday peeling, chopping, marinading, and cooking my grocery store haul, and I still didn't complete everything I wanted to do. My fridge is stocked with baked chicken thighs and boneless ribs, cucumber salad, roasted carrots, sweet potato chips, a variety of veggies for stir fry, and some mashed cauliflower and parsnips. Of course I sampled everything while cooking; my taste buds are delighted for the coming week's meals.

I treated myself to a movie in the afternoon (Les Miserables, again). I took full advantage of the fact that the Whole30 has not started yet and ate a whole small popcorn. And then I had a Oreo blast from Sonic. It tasted oh so good, but sugar hates me, and I felt like crap afterwards. One day I'll learn. If the food you eat makes you feel terrible, don't eat it.

Which brings me to the "why" of the Whole30. There are a lot of popular eating philosophies out there. Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten free, Paleo... it's trendy to brand yourself as one of these. People claim it like a badge of honor. The Whole30 most closely identifies with the Paleo way of eating. The Paleo diet in it's simplest form is eating like our prehistoric ancestors ate. They could only consume what they hunted, fished, or gathered. The Paleo diet and the Whole30 both eliminate grains, beans and legumes, dairy, and sugar. The difference is that after your Whole30 you will introduce these food groups back into your diet one at a time.

Grains, beans, dairy, and sugar can be highly inflammatory for some people. Inflammation in the body leads to a host of health maladies, such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, and other aging diseases. With the Whole30, we reset our bodies by eliminating these inflammation causing foods for 30 days. Afterwards we reintroduce one food group at a time and notice how we feel and how our bodies react to the food. If you feel fine, energized and tummy happy, then go ahead and enjoy that particular food group in your regular diet. If you notice gastrointestinal problems, headaches, or just a general bad physical feeling after eating the food, then you can take that as a sign that your body doesn't like that food (maybe you're allergic to it) and eat it less frequently.

The key thing to remember is that ultimately the Whole30 is about becoming more aware and mindful of your body, its wants and needs, and healing your relationship with your body and food. There are no points or calories to count, neither during nor after your Whole 30. And afterwards there are no foods that are off limits and no excuses to be made to justify eating something. Eat what makes your body feel energized and alive. Avoid what doesn't. When you want a treat, eat it because it is freaking delicious.

Speaking of, it's New Year's Eve! Go party it up, dear readers! Or chill on the couch in your jammies and watch the ball drop. Enjoy some delicious food, maybe a glass of wine, and ring in the excitement and promise of the New Year.

Be safe and get ready! Whole30 starts tomorrow!

Christan

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Prep Time

Like all good resolutions, our Whole30 challenge starts January 1, which means the next two days are prep time. You've heard the saying, "Fail to plan, plan to fail", right? Well, it's true, and I've hit the grocery store, selected some recipes to pre-make for the week, and am scehduling in my workouts for the next month (5:30 a.m workouts. Eek!).

Loot from Wally World, except the coconut aminos and nori. Those you'll find at Whole Foods.

During the Whole30, we eat lots of lean meats and eggs, veggies, plant based fats, like nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados, and some fruit. One of the biggest excuses I hear about eating "healthy" is that it's so expensive. I do spend a fair amount on groceries, but I've compared my grocery bills when I buy a basket of junk for my husband to when I buy a basket of produce and meat for me. The total bill is pretty equal. I stocked up at Walmart yesterday, bought everything you see above, plus some extra veggies and freezer items, and I spent less than $100. I even bought higher priced items like coconut aminos and the Sushi Nori (which I can't wait to use). Honestly, that's not that bad.

Today will be spent cooking a few meals for the coming week. Mom gave me Well Fed, a paleo cookbook by Melissa Joulwan (check out her blog for awesome recipes), and I'm selecting my meals from the tastiest looking pictures.

Obviously, not a tasty pic, but I do like her cover design.
Mom made me Melissa's mayo, some ghee, an amazing garlic olive oil that I eat by the spoonful, and magic mushroom powder to be used as a spice. My mom is an awesome cook. She's also the main motivating force that will help me complete this challenge. When she decides to do something, she commits 100%. Who in their right mind spends time cooking down butter to make ghee? My mom, that's who, and you should too because it will broaden your food options and make this challenge easier to maintain. Making your own condiments and meals may be a little time consuming, but the benefits of saving money, improving your health, and taking the time to get personal with what you put in your body are more than worth it.

Some other quick-start prep tips from the Whole30 creators:
  • Clean out your pantry. No "off limits" foods means less temptation. If, however, you've got others in your home who aren't doing the Whole30, like me, you'll just have to invoke some good old fashioned will power.
  • Plan a week's worth of meals. This might be the hardest step for me. Something about it makes me antsy. If I write a plan, I want to stick to the plan, but what if I want steak and green beans instead of the chicken and broccoli I had planned for Thursday night? Silly, I know. Just eat the freakin' steak and green beans.
  • Go shopping. I love shopping.
  • Plan your go-to meals. These are the quick and easy things you can grab when you come home late, tired, and hungry. Meals made ahead on Sunday are ideal for this. So are eggs. Eggs are my new Whole30 best friends. Boiled; scrambled; sunny side up in ghee; they're all perfect.
  • Set yourself up for success. Are there times or situations that you know you'll be vulnerable to peer pressure or temptation (3:00 slump or date night, anyone)? Figure out now how you'll handle those situations. My co-workers think I'm nuts for eating raw cauliflower over the Doritos in the break room, but my tummy loves me for it.
  • Ditch your scale and take "before" photos. The scale is the devil. That one number often ruins my whole day and constantly preoccupies my thoughts. Solution: I don't weigh myself anymore. Even at the doctor's office, I'll turn my back so I don't have to see my weight. If weightloss is important to you, why not measure it by how your clothes fit instead of the number on the scale. I know the appeal of the scale. Numbers seem so absolute, but your body weight fluctuates by a few pounds every day depending on a number of factors so spare yourself the misery.
Now, a word about before photos. I am going to take them, but I am not going to look at them. I'll have my hubby snap a few pics and then keep them hidden away until the Whole30 is over. Do I sound silly again? Well, here's my thinking. If I look at my before photos I will obsess over every perceived flaw I see. I will stare at those pictures, zooming in on my thighs, for at least ten minutes. Then I will spend the next few hours reviewing the pictures in my mind and freaking out about how I look. The before photos won't motivate me; they'll hinder me. So I just won't look at them. If before photos will motivate you to stick with the Whole30 and get in some workouts, then devour that motivation! But if you have body image struggles, cut yourself a break and save the photos for the end of your challenge. Or don't take them at all. Do whatever you have to do to cultivate a healthy and kind relationship with your body.

I'm taking things one step further in order to consciously build a better relationship with my body. I've covered all the mirrors in my home so all I can see is my face.


I will not look at my naked body's reflection for the next 30 days. Not because I'm in denial or because I'm scared or silly, but because I don't want to hear the negative stream of vomit spewing forth from my inner critic anymore. Think about it. Before you hop in the shower, and you catch a glimpse of yourself au natrual, what's the first thought that pops into your head? Mine is often something negative, discouranging, and emotionally abusive. So why subject myself to that? Going for a month without looking at my reflection in the buff forces me to acquaint myself with my body by what I actually see with my eyes or touch with my hands. Mirrors, even the clearest ones, produce distorted images. Look at your actual body, not an object's reflection of your body. If you are going to critique your body, base your criticisms on what you actually see and touch, not what is in the glass. It's a little awkard, but you will become much more mindful and present in your body, and mindfulness and presence is key to health and happiness.

Get started prepping, dear readers. January 1st is coming fast. If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Christan

Saturday, December 29, 2012

New Year, New Blog, New Challenge.

If my little sister has started a blog (and a good one at that), then the time has come for me to start one as well. Scratch that, maintain one. I've started at least 50, but now with the New Year it's the perfect time to maintain one. Coming to a close for me is a year full of inner reflection, finding out what makes me tick, what motivates me, and (let's be cliche for a minute) who I really am. I uncovered reasons for some of my most prominent habits and laid the groundwork for changing the reactions I have to the triggers for those habits. It's been hard. Really hard. But I am a completely different person today than I was a year ago. My hope for the coming year is that it explodes with purposeful action. That I take all I have learned over the last 12 months and with it produce visible results. That means changing deep rooted habits. That means reacting to triggering situations and emotions in new ways. That means setting and tackling new goals and challenges and taking more and more baby steps to a happy, mindfully present life.

With the new year I will begin a specific challenge: The Whole30. My mom, dad, and sister are all in on the Whole30 with me. For the first 30 days of 2013 we will restart our bodies and cleanse our systems by eating an ass ton of veggies, meats and eggs, healthy plant fats like avocados and nuts/seeds, and some fruit. If you want to take a negative spin, that means no grains of any kind, even gluten free, no dairy, no beans or legumes, no sugar, and none of the processed crap that masquerades as food. I already eat like this for the most part, but a sugary food bomb exploded over me during the holidays, and I ate all the chocolatey, minty, gooey, creamy, sickly sweet debris left in it's wake. And I feel like CRAP! So the Whole30 it is. Mind you this is not for looks or for vanity's sake. You will not hear me talk about the pounds or inches I've lost (for several reasons), but mainly because focusing on looks will only get us so far when it comes to goals of diet and weightloss. It's only a temporary motivation because I guarantee that at some point in your life you've been on a diet to look better in your summer bikini, and at some point during that diet you said "Screw the bikini. I'll be a whale. GIVE ME CHOCOLATE!" That's one reason why, for me, this is not about weightloss, and I do not consider this a diet. This is a way of eating for life.

As I said, I already follow these principles for the most part, but at least a couple of times on the weekend I'll break from it and have something sweet. That's all well and good. There is nothing wrong or evil about enjoying something sweet. However, I am a sugar addict, and the one hit of sugar makes me crave more, and cravings are nearly impossible to resist. So I eat more, but not just a couple of extra Hershey's kisses; I eat the whole bag. I'm not exaggerating (and if you'd like to know more about my nitty, gritty past with food struggles, you are more than welcome to ask, but for the sake of not identifying myself as those struggles they won't necessarily be delved into publicly in this forum). After that influx of sugar I feel physically and mentally terrible for days. So this Whole30 challenge is about feeding my body whole, natural foods that promote a feeling of health, energy, and happiness. It is not about good foods and bad foods. It is not about losing weight. It is not about deprivation.

For most of us, food is not the only factor when it comes to eating healthfully. It's easy to say "I'm not going to eat sugar (or whatever else) for 30 days", but to do it can be quite a bear for two reasons. One, certain foods, especially sugar and other processed foods are addicitive, like, cocaine addictive. Read It Starts With Food and Google "sugar addiction". There is tons of research and and countless studies, books, and documentaries discussing the startling affects of sugar/processed foods on our brains and bodies. Second, we have an emotional connection to these foods. "Comforts foods" are labeled so for a reason. Who hasn't chomped a whole bag of chips while angry or sucked down silky, soothing ice cream when sad? The trouble with emotional connections to food is that they affect everyone differently. The foods and situations that trigger emotional eating vary from person to person, and the degree to which they affect people varies as well. That's where the inner reflection and personal work comes into play. It's tough, but infinitely benificial.

And, if you need a third reason why it's so hard to quit crap food: we have disconnected, disfunctional relationships with our bodies. Do you ever truly and consistently listen to your body to see what it really wants? Sometimes I do, and most of the time I don't. It's a hard thing to do consistently, but if you work towards listening to and healing your relationship with your body, you will find that it doesn't need and probably doesn't want all the sugary, fatty, salty, addicting foods you think you just have to have. Our relationship problems with our bodies don't stop there, but more on that later.

Whew! I will bring this first post to a close now, but trust me, my rough draft was about twice as long. I've always thought it weird that in face to face conversation and groups I'm pretty quiet, but give me a pen or a keyboard and you can't shut me up. Anyway, I'm excited for the next 30 days, and I hope that you will join us on this Whole30 challenge. Regardless, I hope that your New Year is filled with blessings, happiness, health, and growth, and that you cultivate these things where ever you go.

Christan