Whole9 30 Day Challenge Day 7

Woo hoo!  After today, a week down!  I'm starting to feel really good!


Family BBQ day today - one thing on this challenge is that BBQ tends to mostly be all good!  How can you go wrong with grilled meat and vegetables?  Without bread and dressings - you can't!

Brothers dog Castro

Castro and Sam playing

Me and baby Isla

Bro in charge of the BBQ

Isla plays guitar

Chilling

The Murrays - Shane, Isla, Otis and Bestie Fran!

Michievious Otis

So breakfast for me was just a banana.

Lunch:  BBQ goodness.  Grilled capsicum, courgettes, and mushrooms.  A lovely salad without dressing, a piece of BBQ steak, and a gourmet pork sausage - seemed alright from the listed ingrediants.

Snack:  Handful of raw nuts.

Dinner:  Leftover Paleo Shepherds Pie - nicer the second day!

Drink:  Water and "Joes" brand long black - very good!

Exercise - Nothing conventional - chasing the dog and a two year old around the yard and playing tickle monster with said two year old for a long time does constitute a bit of cardio though :)

Also went to movies - Saw the The Longest Hour

Not a bad movie - under two hours, a no brainer but pretty cool.  A big NSV for me - all I got for the movies was a bottle of water!  And it was fine - I didn't miss the icecream and coke zero I normally get.  I did also buy 5 muppets toys - I am a soft toy fiend though - and they are awesome!

Whole9 30 Day Challenge Day 6

Right today was the day to make a Paleo meal for the parents.  Luckily, most of the ingredients I needed, they actually had so just a couple of things to pick up from the Supermarket.

First off I made a snack = Cauliflower Popcorn (recipe can be found here )

First thing - you don't need the salt - although really really tasty - could definitely taste the salt.  Will try again without salt but they were still YUM!  Trust me they are so much tastier than they look!

Next I made Paleo Shepherds Pie (recipe can be found here ) - WINNER!

Not too bad to make - about 3/4 hour prep then 30 mins to cook. I swapped turnips for kumara and put a little almond meal on the top. Mum and Dad loved it and Dad went back for more.  Very tasty  :)

Other parts to the day included a decent dog walk with the parents dogs around the bays, and did a crossfit workout using the playground equipment at the local primary school.  Did 3 rounds of 10 step ups, 10 pushups, 10 body rows and 10 squats.  Good times.

Also went for a drive around the peninsula - fantastic scenary.  I now appreciate it more since I don't live here anymore.

Dunedin in the background

Macandrew Bay where I grew up seen in the background close to the water

Glad I got the exercise in early as the rest of the day was rain, rain, rain!

On the food front:

Breakfast:  Banana, then after workout - grilled ham off the bone, scrambled eggs and mushrooms

Snack - Mixed nuts

Lunch - Nothing - full from breakfast - a couple of small peaches.

Dinner - Cauliflower popcorn, and Paleo Shepherds Pie.

Lots of water, and a couple of Mocconas!


Hope for sun tomorrow - starting to wonder where Summer has got to!

Whole9 30 Day Challenge Day 5

Today not a lot going on really initially.  Had a cruisy morning - savouring these while I can before I'm rushed off my feet at work in a couple of weeks, especially with my new job as Dean.

Caught up with my little bro this afternoon and later on his girlfriend as well.  Lovely time and good to see the changes to the place since Colleen moved in a couple of months ago.  Very trendy (well since they are both form of designers) but homely too.  Finally got a bit of exercise in with going for a walk with Castro and Scott and then playing a form of frisbee with doggy in the middle.  Unfortunately it ended with Scott going into the bushes to find the frisbee (I had thrown...) and came up covered in thorns in his arms from the bush.  All good though - he's tough.

Scott and Colleen - awwww cute!

Went out for dinner - always a little concerning for me hoping that there will be something that I can eat - but we went Turkish and I got a mixed (Chicken and Lamb) Iskender.  Had a little garlic yoghurt and hummus with it to prevent any band sticking but very little of it, and avoided the rice.  Even came with a little green salad, and had water.  I felt proud of this choice.

Also went out for coffee.  The two lovebirds got dessert while I tried another brand of long black - this time made by Allpress - not too bad but strong - needed a little water to soften it somewhat.  Also tried Jed's at my bro's place and that was great!  This long black business is getting better all the time.  May not go back to having milk in my coffee at all and don't miss the sugar either!

Something that is nice down here - all the compliments.  Everyone I have caught up with so far has said Im looking good.  I must have changed a bit since I was last down in September - I will have to compare pics.

One thing I need to remember though - don't drink coffee too late - I don't sleep!

Breakfast:  Banana

Lunch:  Subway Club Salad - with lime and coriander dressing - Ma and Pa got it for me and I assumed wrongly that the dressing would be a vinegarette - it wasnt.  So scraped what I could off.  I do find though doesn't matter what subway salad you get, they all taste the same.

Dinner:  Turkish (as outlined above)

A couple of coffees, some walnuts, and a couple of plums and cherries and a piece of fresh pineapple - need to cut down the fruit a bit I think - not going to help with the weight loss!

Exercise:  40 minute dog walk and frisbee.

Whole9 30 Day Challenge Day 4

Such a wonderful sleep! Where my Mum and Dad live it is so quiet.  There were no dogs to jump on me at 630am and no noise.  I slept until 930am - unheard of normally!

I'm finding since being on holiday, I'm starting the day with a banana, and then having more of a brunch at lunchtime then dinner.  The banana is easy to digest first thing as my band tends to feel tight and gives me a bit of a boost to get going.  From what I understand on the challenge I can have a little fruit but have to really limit it if I want to achieve weight loss.  So I will still have my banana, however will limit fruit to a maximum of 2 pieces per day.

So good start to the day.  Sleep is an amazing thing!  I caught up with my bestie Frances and her kids Otis and Isla today.  Great to see her.  The kids a growing so fast - times like that I wish I lived closer.  A cute pic of Isla and Sam (my parents dog) below.  Not much else to the day, a lot of chilling out and caught up more with the parents in the evening.

Food lowdown:

Breakfast:  Banana

Brunch:  Scrambled eggs with onion, grilled chicken, capsicum, mushroom and garlic

Dinner:  Beef Bolar roast with salad - To get this meat down, I had to put a little gravy on it to keep it moist.  Dry reach runs the risk of sticking - speaking here from prior experience, and Im not going there again!

Snack:  Small handful of raw walnuts (yum)

Discovered that in the world of instant coffee - Moccona medium roast tastes pretty good black.  Weird as when I tried it in the past with milk and sweetner, I hated it.  Perhaps it is best served black!

Still drinking the lemon water - loving that!

Exercise:  None - yeah I know lazy - well yep pretty much!  Waiting to the detox lethargy to turn into energy!  Maybe tomorrow :)

Whole9 30 Day Challenge - Day 3

A bit of travel today - from Wellington to Dunedin to see family and friends for a week.

How do I feel today?  Shattered!  More because of a late night hot water tank issue and having to get the plumber out - I would just like a good sleep!

At the airport today - I had another long black.  This one was pretty good - I think the brand was Bruno Rossi - favourite so far!

So here is the food rundown:

Black coffee

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs with capsicum, mushroom and red onion.

Lunch - At airport - got a beetroot and carrot/ steamed mushroom salad (see pic) mix.  May have had a little vinegarette in it but also lots of coriander and sunflower seeds.  Was yum! plus the long black.

Dinner - 1 baked skinless chicken thigh and general salad (no dressing) - yum!

Drunk a fair bit of water and lemon zest/juice in water.  Loving that!

Achievement for me today - did not have the airplane lollies or the biscuit they give out on both the flights I went on - Felt good to say no.

Lets hope for a good sleep tonight.  At least for once I'm glad its raining and cooled down somewhat.

Exercise - Apart from walking all over Wellington and Christchurch airports - none.

While I already miss my hubby and dogs - there is one furry friend I have down here that loves the hugs!

Sam my parents dog

Whole9 Challenge - Day 2

Today - felt a lot better.  Had a lot of sleep yesterday so what ever was wrong with me - sleep pretty much cured it!

Started the day with my first coffee without sweetner or milk.  It was okay.  I could get used to it. Takes a lot longer to drink but at the moment it's okay.

Breakfast - 3 scrambled eggs with mushrooms, capsicum, and onion.

Lunch - Thai beef salad from Cafiend in Petone with my first long black and water.  Had the dressing on side so had a taste but that was it.  Avoided the crispy noodles putting them to the side too.  Salad was delicious!  Long black is far better at a cafe than instant!

Had another long black at Go Bang Cafe in Petone - a lot stronger than Cafiend but they gave us hot water with it as well.  Cafiend gets my top vote though.

Dinner - after a workout at the gym, had garlic steak and salad - yum!  Had a few strawberries after - love Summer fruit.

Exercise - Beach walk with the dogs, then crossfit - today it was Press 3 x 5, and then a 10 min 1/2 Cindy amrap - 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 squats - managed 7 + 13.  A hot session - a lot of sweat!

Off to Dunedin tomorrow.

Whole9 - 30 Day Challenge - Day 1

It's time to clean up and detox my eating and drinking.  I am embarking on the Whole9 30 day challenge to clean up my diet and get some energy and be healthy!

Here is the outline of the challenge:

What Is The Whole30? Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness
 Strip them from your diet completely.
 This will change your life. We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact – the next 30 days will change your life. It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and thousands of people have since done it, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion. Our Whole30 Program, As Outlined. Eat real food – meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruit, oils, nuts and seeds.
 More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program.
 Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels (and your Success Guide FAQ), because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.

1. Do not consume alcohol, in any form, even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)

2.  Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. Yes, we said corn… for the purposes of this program, corn is a grain! This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.

3. Do not eat white potatoes. This is somewhat arbitrary, but if we are trying to change your habits and improve the hormonal impact of your food choices, it’s best to leave white, red, purple, Yukon gold and fingerling potatoes off your plate.

 4.  We call this "Sex With Your Pants On" (SWYPO), and it will ruin your Whole30 faster than you can say, "Paleo pizza." Do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no "Paleo-fying" desserts or junk food – no Paleo pancakes, pizza, brownies or ice cream. Don’t try to replicate junk food during your Whole30 program! That misses the point of the Whole30 entirely. 

 5. In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices!

 6. One last and final rule. You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements during your Whole30 programme.

 The Fine Print A few concessions, based on our experience, and those of our clients. 

1.  Clarified Butter or Ghee. Clarified butter or ghee is the only source of dairy allowed during your Whole30. Plain old butter is NOT allowed, as the milk proteins found in non-clarified butter could impact the results of your program. Refer to our Butter Manifesto for more details on the milk proteins found in butter, purchasing high quality butter, and how to clarify it yourself. 

2.  Fruit juice as a sweetener. Some products will use orange or apple juice as a sweetener. We have to draw the line somewhere, so we’re okay with a small amount of fruit juice as an added ingredient during your Whole30… but this doesn’t mean a cup of fruit juice is a healthy choice! Refer to your Shopping Guide for clarification.

3.  Certain legumes. We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas. While they’re technically a legume, these are far more "pod" than "bean", and green plant matter is generally good for you. (Refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details.)

4. Vinegar. Most forms of vinegar (like white, balsamic, apple cider, red wine, and rice), are allowed during your Whole30. The only exceptions are vinegars with added sugar, or malt vinegar, which generally contains gluten.

5. Minimally processed foods like canned coconut milk, applesauce, tomato sauce, chicken broth or canned olives are all acceptable on the Whole30 – but avoid anything with carageenan, MSG or sulfites. These additives all have potentially nasty side effects, and you can easily find all of these foods without them.
6. Processed foods.

 Ready To Start? Now that you have the basic plan, you need to know how to implement it. It’s simple, actually.

Do it now.
Your only job for the next 30 days is to focus on making good food
 The
It’s only 30 days.
only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days, no cheats, slips or "special occasions." This isn’t Whole9 playing the tough guy. This is a FACT, born of education and experience. You need such a small amount of any of these inflammatory foods to break the healing cycle – one bite of pizza, one splash of milk in your coffee, one lick of the spoon mixing the batter within the 30 day period and you’ve broken the "reset" button. You must commit to the full program, exactly as written. Anything less and we make no claims as to your results, or the chances of your success. Anything less and you are selling yourself – and your potential results – short. Here’s What You Can Expect The first week or two will be tough, as your body heals and adjusts to this new way of eating and your brain wraps itself around going without all those sweet tastes and sugar-driven energy spikes. And while you may start to feel better after a week or two… the healing process takes significantly longer. In addition, the mental addiction and emotional connections to sugary foods, large amounts of carbohydrates and over-the-top, chemically-altered flavors is going to take a lot longer to overcome.
Stick with it, and be patient with yourself.
 will happen. You’ll go to sleep easier, and sleep more soundly through the night. Your energy levels will increase and stabilize, and you’ll feel just as good first thing in the morning as you do at the peak of your day. Your body composition will start to change – your clothes will fit differently, and you’ll feel less bloated at the end of your day. Your performance, whether it be in the gym, while playing sports or during a hike, will improve. Your recovery after exercise, a game or a hard day’s work will feel easier and more complete. Conditions, ailments, aches and pains will miraculously start to improve. And through all of it, you’ll be eating delicious, fresh, natural, real food… food that tastes good, and is physically satiating and mentally satisfying.
At some point, we promise you… the magic
 It’s For Your Own Good Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who "slipped" or "fell off the wagon" or "just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here)." This is for you.
It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Giving up heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your "struggles". YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.
Don’t even consider the possibility of a "slip".
 You never, ever, ever HAVE to eat anything you don’t want to eat.
 This does require a bit of effort. 

 In Conclusion We want you to participate. We want you to take this seriously, and see amazing results in unexpected areas. Even if you don’t believe this will actually change your life, if you’re willing to give it 30 short days, do it. It is
 But here at Whole9, we’ve built our entire business around telling you what you need, not what you want. We will not pander to you here. We will tell you what we know to be true, based on literally thousands of testimonials and consulting clients’ real results. Programs that offer built-in cheats or rationalizations for less than healthy food choices simply do not work long-term. They don’t teach you anything about how the foods you are eating are affecting you, and they don’t do anything to help you change your habits, patterns and behaviors. The Whole30 program has been in motion for almost two years, with participants all across the world – and has measurable, real-life, sustainable results to back up our claims.
 
 Welcome aboard.


So that's it!  A fair bit of effort on my part is needed but it is only 30 days (although I will do about 35 due to starting on the Monday rather than the others at the gym on Saturday).

Day 1:  Breakfast - None - Was feeling off - was sleeping.  Ended up sweaty and feverish - a 24 hour bug - most of day was sleeping.

Lunch:  3 scrambled eggs with mushrooms, red onion and left over lamb.

Dinner:  3 wraps using lettuce leaves instead of tortilla wraps.  Filled with salad veges and a little more leftover lamb - not too bad and water.

Felt crap for the majority of the day so sleep was how I spent most of the day.  No exercise today.  Hope for a better day tomorrow.