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.

Reset time!

Since my last post - a bit more down, but now think Im on the up.  I'm being positive.

After writing my last post, I realised I had got into a bad state - quite depressed about everything and a tad overwhelmed and maybe expecting too much of myself all at once! 

Thanks for the kind words and support from all.  I needed to step back and re-evaluate everything.  Im already on anti-depressants (which have done me wonders over the years - they do help to balance me).  However, I need to be stricter with my food - not neccessarily worried about portion size (thats pretty good), its what Im putting in my mouth.  Since the loosening of the band this has improved - however I still have an addiction to sugar.  I can stop for a while but I keep going back to it for comfort.  But does it make me feel better - thinking about it - short answer.....NO!  It affects my moods, my sleep and probably does not do much for my stress.  Up until now, it has been my comfort, my feel good food and always there, along with the caramel machiatos from Starbucks. I realise - I'm talking like an addict! Its like alcohol, cigarettes or drugs - sugar is my addiction!

NOW is the time for change - after a reality check email from my Crossfit coach - who says it how it is, and stated how bad my skin was looking at an event at the weekend (this clearly being due to reaction to sugar and dairy) - it was time to seriously take a look at my nutrition.

So starting back on the food diary monitoring everything I eat, cut out sugar, no more visits to Starbucks (that will save me money too!)

I am also struggling staying well - getting colds/viruses every couple of weeks.  Went to the docs who have taken blood samples to see if Im lacking in something.  Has anyone else with lapband found this?  I thought I would be more well post surgery, but cant escape the cold every couple of weeks.  This time of term Im seriously run down so also probably not at my best immunity.

Im going to go back the Paleo way - this worked a lot the first time I tried it (30 day challenge).  My goal of losing 10 kilos in 10 weeks not quite the success I wanted - since I plateaued - Ive started losing again.  Im at a 3-4 loss and with 2.5 weeks left - I would be quite excited if I made the 10 kilo mark.   I don't think I factored life into the equation.  I was talking to a friend today and we both said how great it would be to be locked away in the Biggest Loser house for 3 months without other influences/interuptions.

My next goal from this reset is to be at my best for 'barbells for boobs' on October 29th at my crossfit gym (this workout is done at gyms all over the world).  The workout is 30 clean and jerks in a row with a cap of 15 mins for the workout.  Proceeds from the event go to breast cancer research.  This gives me FOCUS - my word of the year :)

Finally some pics from Fight Gone Bad 6 - held at the weekend (with my bad face ;))
I did the womens intermediate version and got a score of 243 - improving from my last attempt.  Fight Gone Bad consists of:
Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20/14 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 16 kg (Reps)
Box Step Up, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 15 kg (Reps)
Row (Calories)

Psyching myself up for the sumo deadlift

Step Ups

Push Press

Row

Wall ball - trying to hit the pink target!

Straight After 3 rounds - alive...just!

Mmm, some of the sweat and t shirt marks I left behind!

Onwards and Upwards!!!

When it is a good thing to reach 40!

40 kilos lost that is!  Finally another mini goal.  I went to the dietician on Tuesday a few weeks shy of my 6 month - a - iversary for the check up on how things are going.

She was very pleased with my progress, and even though I said I felt I could be doing better and sometimes make better choices, she pointed out that I was still a perfectionist, but to remember it is ok not to be perfect all the time.  Hmmmm, some habits die hard.  I do feel better about myself now and my progress to date.  However, over the months since surgery I have also had confirmed for me again and again that it is a journey and not a short one.  The lap band is a tool, and as long as you use it appropriately - all good :)  The dietician was supportive of the Paleo eating way as well.  As she put it - can't really go wrong with fresh veges and animal protein.  Im still limiting the sugar and especially the bread. Im the first to say I used to be the bread queen - but now I do not even miss it.

Anyway, stoked to be over the 40 kilo hump.  Now have lost a total of 41.2 kilos (90.6 lbs).  Also now in the 120's - weighing in at 128.7kgs (283.1lbs).  Yay!

As my husband and I are going to Melbourne in the next school holidays, next goal is to get to 50 kilos lost by October 8th.  I have also got a self imposed ban on clothes shopping until then (essentials negotiable).  From all I have heard Melbourne has fabulous shopping - CANNOT WAIT!


So what weighs 41.2 kilos?

Some sort of compressor

Water Cooler/Ice Maker

This much cannibas!

This fish

And this wardrobe!

Again some adult people weigh this much too, but not healthily!

The crossfit is going awesome!  Apart from the flu last week, Im going 3 times a week.  I love it and missed it so much when I was sick.  Such a positive place to be.  Im getting stronger and stronger, and maybe even a little more coordinated ;).  Have managed to get my name on the leaders boards for the Shoulder press, clean and jerk, back squat, bench press and another one can't remember at present - love it! :)

Hope all is well in blogland.  Im reading lots of blogs and have been trying to comment, but something isn't working for me there and it errors and wont let me.  Been happening for a couple of weeks. Can anyone help with this?

On a side note - got assessed for adoption on Monday.  After three hours of questioning about our lives (quite intense), the social worker said she had no reason to not put us forward for approval to go on to the next stage of putting a profile together and going into the selection pool.  A long process, but its going forward!  Cute thing last week at school was that one of my students asked me if I wanted to adopt him - said it would be cool to have two lots of parents :) - oh how the teenage mind works!

Still amongst the living!

I am still alive...really I am.  So much going on lately and the blogging has slipped badly.  Not just the blog but there seems to be a lot that I need to get around to doing, and just hasn't happened yet.  Well 3 weeks now until term break (2 weeks off school....I swear teachers are more excited than the kids).  So Im hoping to tick many things off my to do list.

The last month has been pretty crazy.   Not all can be mentioned here in the blogging realm, but when things seemed to calm down, something else pops up.  The WOW and OH MY GOD factor has been pretty huge in some cases.  However to update on some events:

BAD AS

I entered my Weightlifting competition.  It was a blast!  Well run and so many awesome women (and men helping out) and supporters (Thanks Hubby, Riki and Kate for the cheers and support).  In the kilo for kilo competition, still too heavy to warrant even considering placing, but in the overall lifting I worked out I came 10th= out of 31 contestants!  Stoked and with only about 6 weeks proper training, I figure I can do a lot better next year :)  In the morning I got a photo taken in my gears, and compared it to my initial photo - quite a change there, as seen below.


October 2010



June 2011

  
Other pics from Bad As:

DOWN TO DUNEDIN

The next day after the competition I flew to Dunedin (where my parents are) to help look after Dad post-op.  While I thought I would have quite a bit of down time, that didn't happen.  So it was a good thing that I forgot most of my work I was meant to do down there.  My Dad had his op, had his colon resected, and is healing pretty well almost 4 weeks on.  He has to go through chemo once he heals completely as a precaution as there may be still some cancerous cells lurking.  However, he is getting better every day.  Im so happy for the outcome.  It was a great time to spend a lot of quality Dad-Daughter time together.  I took him out for coffees etc and he loved it.  Even helping with a spot of clothes shopping.  I introduced him to the 'Man Chair' outside the changing rooms - he loved that and all the commentary coming from the changing rooms.  Valued memories I will treasure :)

Had a few times to see a couple of friends and got to meet my best friends new bub - Isla at only 2 weeks old, and of course big older bro - Otis - 2.

PALEO CHALLENGE

With all that has been going on, I was still doing the paleo challenge.  Have completed that and managed to lose about 3.4 kilos.  New ways of eating now, still always a learning process, and a constant battle with that sugar craving.  I have lost the lethargy feeling and feeling more awake and energised.  I did stay on Step 1 for the majority but have laid off the bread and grains.  Im please to say bread just does not appeal to me. With all the busy times at the moment and a lot of stress with work and family, I feel eating this way and exercising has got me through it better than I would have coped a year ago with the extra weight and the less than desirable lifestyle I had.  What a difference a year makes.

I made a paleo meal during the challenge consisting of:

Butternut Pumpkin Soup with Cayenne Pepper (and then a bit of coconut milk as put in too much pepper!)

Beef Burgundy

Walnut and Honey Biscuits

Invited the mother in law around and of course husband had some and they loved it.  No biscuits left either!Not so skeptical now....well maybe!


In the weight loss department have now lost 37.4 kilos (82.3 pounds).  At this point when I look for images, there are a lot of pictures of anorexic people - not so ideal.  But I have lost the weight of a giant leopard!

I started proper crossfit classes on Saturday and my muscles are certainly aware of the workout, and Im going back tomorrow.  I did the class which involved a warm up then the workout called 'Cindy' which I scaled to 5 body rows (normally pull ups), 10 scaled press ups and 15 squats - continuing to rounds of that for 20 mins.  Awesome but intense!  This was followed by an hour of lifting, flipping etc of heavy stuff - fun :)

Can't wait for the holidays to focus on weight loss and exercise without distractions.  I now have a new goal in sight.  My husband and I booked tickets to Melbourne for a 2 week holiday in the next lot of holidays.  I want to lose at least 10 kilos before then!  Its just over 3 months away - I think totally do-able. So excited for the holiday though!  Great shopping there.

Briefly on other things.  More friends having babies, another 2 couple friends of ours got engaged, been to baby shower today (I try but really they are not my thing - maybe it helps if you are a mother??).  My husband and I are going for adoption at the moment and go under further assessment in a couple of weeks.  While the process is long, its ticking away.  My too big clothes are piling up - another thing to do is to clear out the wardrobe, and put on Trade Me (Melbourne will be great for clothes shopping).  Except for essentials, I will hold off on buying clothes until there.  Also booked in to see a psychologist at the clinic to help with everything that is going on in my life at present and how to keep on track with eating.  Not sure if I need a fill either - I feel Im on the cusp of one.

Hope all is well with you all!

History of the Paleoilithic Diet

Learn more about the Paleo Diet.

My Dad

Tomorrow my Dad goes in for surgery.  An update on the cancer.  It seems to be contained as from the CT scan.  However, a length of his colon has to be removed along with his appendix.  He made the joke that he will no longer be a colon but a semi colon now.  Dad humour, but to his credit that was a good one.  While the recovery will take a while, it seems all going well he will be back to normal in time.

My Dad reassuring and settling my nerves before going down the aisle

Proud Dad with new son in law

Father of the Bride speech

I love my Dad.  He has always been the strong one and looked after me.  It is hard to see him in this position.  It has made me aware that my parents are aging.  It is scary.  Now it is my time to help look after him.  This event has truly made my family closer, and I'm glad to get leave from work  - going down home for a week on Sunday to help Mum while Dad is in hospital and then when Dad comes home.

It has been a hard couple of months.  As much as I have tried to not let it affect me at work etc, it has.  The students have been surprisingly understanding.  My mind will be on Dad tomorrow, so hope there is not too much chaos in the classroom ;)

Bad As.....

Weightlifting competition on Saturday.  I can now have weights on all lifts..woo hoo!  Get my t shirt for the competition on Thursday and now have to work out my starting weights and what ones to warm up on.

At the moment my best weights are:

Clean and Jerk - 40kg (88lbs)
Bench Press - 54kg (118.8lbs)
Back Squat -  57.kg (126.5lbs)

Looking forward to it and been doing a far bit of training.  Who knew I would be doing this a year ago??

Weight Loss...

The Paleo Challenge is in Week 3 now.  Have lost 2 kilos since my last weigh in.  Am feeling better (kind of detoxed)even with everything else going on.  So now I have lost 36 kilos (79.2 lbs).  More and more clothes dont fit properly.  My whole body is changing shape as well as getting smaller.  I have gained muscle with more exercise, but am finding some loose skin in places....yuck!  Have definitely found having coconut milk in my protein shake in the morning instead of milk satisfies me more, and it is yummy!

And finally...

If you need a good laugh and some light hearted stress relief.  Watch this!

 Loved it!

The 30 Day Paleo Challenge

Another challenge for me.  In a time where everything is processed including our food, my trainer has shown me a way of eating where everything is natural.  Called the Paleolithic Diet - it simulates what man ate in Paleolithic times (Stone Age) a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture.

Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

My gym has encouraged us to partake in the 30 challenge to help one of the members who wants to work on her energy, weight loss etc for boxing.  We buddy up with another member - my excellent inspiring partner is Ann.  We have decided to share our food diaries each day to keep us accountable and avoid the consequences as listed below.

DETAILS OF THE 30 PALEO CHALLENGE

Start Date: May 16th

For 30 days, eating clean – what does that mean?

Are you completely new to primal eating (chocolate Milo cereal for brekkie, sammies for lunch and couldn’t recognise a zucchini if it bit you?) or a veteran (can’t remember the last time you ate sugar and you kill your own meat)?

It’s tough to make changes to dietary habits that may have been a part of your entire life. So take it slow. If you can meet the requirements for an entire week, try the next step.

Step one (Week 1)


• Cut out all liquids except, coffee, tea and water.
• Try to add veggies/fruit to every meal/snack
• Eat some form of animal protein at least 2 times a day
• Reduce, then remove all sugar from your diet
• Take 3 grams of fish oil a day or at least up your fish intake.

Step two (Week 2)

• Reduce, then ultimately eliminate all grains from your diet (oats, rice, corn, quinoa can be the last to go as they don’t contain gluten, but they are still very high in carbs)
• Ensure a serving of healthy fat at every meal/snack (A serving is 1-2 tbs of oil or butter, or 2-4 tbs of avocado, coconut or nuts)
• Eat some form of animal protein at least 3 times a day
• Continue to focus on veggies and fruit, but try to emphasise veggies more.  A 3:1 ratio of veggies:fruit is good over the day.

Step three (Week 3)

• Only consume dairy, fruit or starchy veggies such as potatoes, kumara and parsnips AFTER exercise, and only if it lasts longer than 20 mins or is at high intensity. If you can handle dropping the spuds, do so as they are much higher in carbs than all other veggies and are actually not that nutritious.

Step four (Week 4)
This is for people who have their nutrition extremely well dialed in and want to fully lean out. Try for just 30 days.

• Drop dairy, fruit and starchy veg completely

CHEAT: you will owe your partner $40 and 100 burpees. This is borrowed from CrossFit New Zealand who currently has their own challenge underway. If you CHEAT 3x in 30 days, you’re out!

Achievable?  I think so!!