Whole 30: Week 3

I am in the home stretch! I’d say I can’t believe it, but I’m not one to back down on a challenge so I knew I’d finish strong. Let me just tell you how this week went.

Monday – “Ok Meg, Week 3. You got this. You prepped your foods and you are almost there!.”
Tuesday – “Screw it. Wine. You need wine. Your exhausted, and you’ve been working so hard. One glass won’t kill you.”
Wednesday – “You are a goddess. You are holy and magnificent and can do anything.”
Thursday – “Step aside Beyoncé. No really. Step aside. This is MY world.”
Friday – “Wine. Need wine. And cheese.”

This week, I definitely had a good angel and a bad angel battling in my head. Luckily the good angel won, but man it was a fight to the death.

I feel strong this week. Mentally and physically. I feel like I really got over a hump, and have finally hit a state of mental clarity. I keep telling everyone my brain finally feels like it’s functioning normally, and it’s really so true.

That procrastination thing – yeah, it’s not there anymore. It’s crazy to even say that. But this third week I’ve really changed, and I’m so happy for that.

I was going to start the 80-Day Obsession Program with some Beachbody friends, but ended up holding off since I wanted to follow the program exactly. I’m instead going to start it when I get back from my work trip to Chicago in March. For now, I’ll focus on building up strength with the 21-Day Fix and 21-Day Fix Extreme programs.

Which means, double work outs!

I also got blood work done this month and it looks like my vitamin D is low and my LDL (bad cholesterol) is elevated. So, I’ll be tailoring my meal plan after this program to focus on foods that will help with both categories.

Into the final week of this challenge, and here’s what I’m aiming for (wish me luck):

Workouts
...Tuesday: 21DF Total Body Cardio Fix (AM) & Jazzercise (1-hour – PM)
...Wednesday: 21DF Upper Fix (AM) & Jazzercise (1-hour – PM)
...Thursday: 21DF Barre Legs Fix (AM) & Jazzercise (1-hour – PM)
...Friday: 21DF Pilates Fix (AM) & Jazzercise (30-min– PM)
...Saturday: 21DF Dirty 30
...Sunday: 21DF Yoga Fix

Dinner
...Tuesday: Mustard & balsamic pork chops with rosemary and red potatoes (on the menu from last week but didn’t make it)
...Wednesday: Almond crusted salmon & green beans
...Thursday: Coconut lime chicken w/ asparagus
...Friday: Onions & shredded Brussels sprouts burgers w/ sweet potato wedges
...Saturday: Steak w/ broccoli
...Sunday: Spinach meatballs over spaghetti squash
...Monday: Leftovers

Whole 30: Week 2

Week 2 is officially in the books. Can I get a “HOORAH?”

I literally feel like I’m walking around farting glitter with a spotlight on myself, giving me the perfect selfie complexion. And I’m not even kidding.

First, I want to give you the run-down on what this Whole30 thing actually is. After last week’s post, I got a lot of questions from people asking what it is and eager to jump on the kale-wagon. And although I had so much intention of actually writing a full post about what it is and what it is not, life got in the way.

So...

Simply put, it’s eliminating the crap and fueling yourself with the good stuff. I could give you a full list of what NOT to eat, but simply if it’s whole, it’s for you.

Vegetables, and lots of it. Fruits. Protein. Natural seasoning. Lots of water.

No alcohol. No processed foods. No added sugar. No dairy. No legumes. No grains. Oh, NO ALCOHOL.

I do love my wine. Maybe a little too much at times. So I thought that would be the hardest for me. And it was, for the first week. Now, I’m good with it.

This is NOT a quick fix to lose weight. Although that is a benefit, it really takes mental motivation, and will hopefully change how you look at and treat food. 

Ok... so how did Week 2 go?

I’m a creature of routine so I’m all about eating the same food during the day, every day, and just changing it up for dinner. I also really busted my butt with Jazzercise this week.

Dinner:

...Tuesday – Crockpot Italian lemon chicken w/ green beans (this would’ve been better cooked regularly. The crockpot made it dry.

...Wednesday – Cajun salmon w/ asparagus

...Thursday – Turkey burgers w/ roasted potatoes

...Friday – We went out!!! We went out for Mexican and I had fajitas (just steak, veggies, guacamole, and lettuce)

...Saturday – Taco ground turkey over mixed roasted veggies

...Sunday – Steak with green beans and sweet potato

...Monday – Leftovers

Workouts:

...Tuesday: Jazzercise (1-hour)

...Wednesday: Jazzercise (1-hour)

...Thursday: Jazzercise (1-hour)

...Friday: Jazzercise (30-min)

...Saturday: TWO Jazzercise classes (1-hour each)

...Sunday: Coffee & Jesus

...Monday: Rest

Results so far

Pros: I feel like this past week I hit such a mental clarity point. Procrastination has gone down, excuses are going away, and overall I feel like I’m in such a positive and upward place. I’m really excited about this new-found attitude and hope that it continues.

Again, I’m not supposed to weight myself but as of Monday morning, I was down just over 11 lbs. More than that though, I wore a pair of non-stretch jeans this weekend that I haven’t been able to get over my hips in 3 years. So, that’s a huge win.

Also, people are noticing my weight loss. I keep getting compliments on how thin my face looks.

Additionally, my step-dad’s doctor told him if he keeps this up, he’d be able to come off his blood pressure. At the highest, his BP was 210/100. Medication helped bring it to 130s/80s. His last appointment, it was in the normal range for his age of 110/66. WOW!

That’s HUGE!

Cons: I’m SOOOO tired of Tupperware! I feel like all I do is work, workout, prep food, and clean Tupperware. I definitely took advantage of the luxury of going to a restaurant, picking something off the menu, and someone else doing all the work for you.

Honestly, doing this program has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Besides getting my dog.

Cheers to 2 weeks down and 2 more to go!

x

Whole30: Week 1

A few months ago, one of my best friends had mentioned to me she was going to do the Whole30 starting January 1.

Always being up for a challenge, and looking to kick it up a notch myself, I invited myself to join along with her. Not only that, but this girlfriend is my happy hour buddy, so if she was taking an entire month off from vino and greasy food, I figured I might as well too.

Enter, the stressing.

I spent WEEKS researching. Started a Pinterest board, started putting away the non-compliant foods in the cabinet, bought all the books. All of the preparation seriously stressed me out.

It was too hard. No way could I do it. Black coffee tastes like poop. It’s not for me.

Once I found out my boot camp was closing indefinitely, I decided “enough is enough” and finally got to work.

Prepping
Read. Read. Read. And then go for a walk.

Honestly, the books are helpful for reference, but most of the information you need can all be found on the whole30 website. I think investing in the books mentally made me want to “get my money’s worth” so it’s pushing me more. But aside from the brief review I did, I haven’t cracked any of them. I bookmarked the resources page instead and use it frequently.

In case you are like me and actually WANT the books, you can find them all on Amazon:

• The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom Click here
• The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook: 150 Simply Delicious Everyday Recipes for Your Whole30 Click here
• The Whole30 Day by Day: Your Daily Guide to Whole30 Success Click here (THIS I actually use daily and HIGHLY recommend)
• The Whole30 Cookbook: 150 Delicious and Totally Compliant Recipes to Help You Succeed with the Whole30 and Beyond Click here

I joined some online Facebook groups to join other beginners and others starting in January. They provided some great tips for compliant dressings, seasonings, meal ideas, etc. But, I’m finding many people just post the ingredients label and asking if it’s compliant, rather than educating themselves. 

Planning

I am a creature of routine, so my day food is usually the same every day. The only thing I really switch up is my dinner. And honestly, my evening cooking is my therapy.

So, I wrote out a plan of what my day food will look like for the week, as well as a plan of what my dinners will look like each day. I love having a routine and a plan for the week, with the flexibility to change it up if I’m feeling like it.

I LOVE using Google Chrome on my laptop to bookmark recipes online and then opening Google Chrome on my iPad or iPhone to get the recipe while cooking. It makes things so easy and takes away time looking for the recipe again.

Week 1

I’m officially done with Week 1 of Whole30 and I have to say, it’s honestly not THAT hard. It takes label-reading, discipline, and planning. Period. End of story. That’s all folks.

The program encourages you to eat three whole meals per day with zero to minimal snacking. Which was a challenge for me the first two days, since I’m used to eating every 2-3 hours and smaller meals.

So, here’s what I ate.

7 AM: Black coffee on my way to work. A few times I added some Nutpods and a little cinnamon, which was a subtle addition of flavor.

9 AM: Egg casserole (a ton of sautéed veggies baked with eggs), a single container of guacamole, and a banana (note: If I was really hungry on my way into work, I’d have my banana then).

12:30 PM: Kale salad with cucumbers, peppers, red onion, and compliant bacon. Topped with seasoned chicken and ½ avocado.

Snacks: I always have almonds in my purse and my office – just in case – but also started to carry around Cashew LunaBars (AMAZING).

Dinner:

...Tuesday – Herbed salmon w/ cauliflower rice and green beans

...Wednesday – Lemon chicken thighs with roasted potato

...Thursday – Garlic and rosemary pork tenderloin with roasted broccoli

...Friday – Cilantro lime shrimp over cauliflower rice with asparagus

...Saturday – Chimichurri flank steak with sweet potato and green beans

...Sunday – Bacon burgers with roasted Brussels sprouts

...Monday – Sicilian-style grilled swordfish with cauliflower rice and green beans

Workouts:

...Tuesday – A Little Obsessed Total Body Core & Jazzercise (1-hour)

...Wednesday – A Little Obsessed Booty & Jazzercise (1-hour)

...Thursday – Rest (we had a crazy snow storm)

...Friday – A Little Obsessed AAA & Jazzercise (30-min)

...Saturday – Jazzercise (1 hour)

...Sunday – Coffee & Jesus

...Monday – A Little Obsessed Total Body Core & Jazzercise (1-hour)

Results so far

Pros: My energy throughout the day is definitely up, and I notice I’m more of a positive and patient person. I’ve always been a great sleeper, but I notice I sleep extra hard lately (with some crazy dreams) and wake up feeling really refreshed.

I’m not supposed to weigh myself, but I do daily. And, according to the scale I’m down 8 lbs already! I can definitely feel a difference in my clothing and my stomach area.

Cons: I convinced my step-dad to do this with me (which is a huge pro), so prepping for two people for ~4 days at a time takes about 1.5-2 hours each time.

I also have what I’m now calling “Whole30 Brain.” Aside from 2-3 days of snappiness, I now can’t remember anything. For example, I told my stepdad his food was “on the top-left of the shower,” almost put crushed red pepper on my almond butter-topped apple, and it took me 10 mins and a scroll through my iPhone pictures to see what I made for dinner last night.

Cheers to 1 week down and 3 weeks to go!

2018 Goals

I’m a sucker for a fresh start and the feeling of something new.

…A new week, a new day, a new year.

…A new pair of shoes, a new handbag, a new planner.

…A new haircut.

Something about it makes me think that what’s in the past is in the past, and anything that happens from here on out can only get better.

With a new year, many people make resolutions. But, statistics show many don’t follow through with them. And those that do only last a few weeks.

I tend to get overambitious at the beginning of the year and commit to a complete life shift, only to end up disappointed that I didn’t stick with anything at all.

So, for this year, I’m setting more attainable goals.

+ Get active at least 5 times a week. Whether it’s a Jazzercise class, working with a Beachbody program, or taking Elphie for a long walk.

+ Serve at church at least 3x per month, and join a small group. I won't go into too much yet about my spirituality, but I will tell you that it saved me from a great depression and has really changed my life.

+ Increase engagement and accountability both with my blog and my business. I have the world at my fingertips thanks to social media and technology, but alas I find excuses to not grasp it.

I’m on a big journey this year to transform my health and energy. So, I’m starting the year following the Whole30 meal guidelines.

Today marks Day 4, and although I can’t tell you it’s a walk in the park, it’s also not as bad as I expected. I’ll share a weekly update, as well as what I ate, with you all so you can follow along.

Did you guys set resolutions or goals for the year?

The Butterfly Year

Hello Friends! And Happy 2018!

I used some vacation time during the final week of December to wrap up 2017 and prepare myself for the New Year. I prepped a to-do list; brought home some work items that I needed quiet time to focus on, and had every intention of making my time off productive. 

First thing on my list was to re-launch “my blog.” I put that in quotes because I’ve always thought of Glamorous Hustle as my blog. After all, we spent four lovely years together. But, this new blog is still something I’m working on turning into mine. 

Anyway, back to the point…

Instead of being productive, my week was filled with catching up on sleep, watching movies on Amazon Prime, and drinking too much vino.

But alas, New Year = New You. Am I right? 

I really missed sharing. Sitting down and hitting the keys and just getting out whatever is on my mind.

Some call me an over sharer, but truthfully it’s my therapy. For me, it’s better than therapy. Trust me, I tried that ‘ish and it just isn’t for me.

So, what’s on the agenda for 2018? I’m calling it my “Butterfly Year.”

The last two years did a number on me.

…I ended a long relationship

…I lost my Dad to cancer

…I fought a dark depression (and am still fighting it)

…I started to focus on my health and healthier choices (also failed a few times with it)

…I ended friendships and made new ones

…I learned a lot about myself

This blog is going to be my way of holding myself accountable to goals and plans. A way for me to share the highs and the lows in hopes of celebrating with you all and showing you that if you’re going through the same thing (or similar), you’re not alone. 

And of course, we’ll hopefully have some laughs together. 

So, cheers to the new year – the Butterfly Year – and to making memories together (virtually)!