If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.

Tomorrow is day one and I wanted to share the timeline of the next 30 days as put together by the Whole30 people.  It's a pretty funny read and depending on your former habits can be pretty accurate.  I definitely had the I just want to take a nap for the first week and kind of evened out after that.  I think that the timeline shows that you will have your ups and downs over the next 30 days but it's ok, everyone does.  :)

                                                                 Image taken from Pinterest.

Also I wanted to share with you some of my favorite paleo cooking blogs.  Cooking blogs are amazing and I've used a wide variety of cooking blogs over the past 4 years to create delicious food.  So when I went through my first Whole30 it only seemed appropriate that I turn to blogs for ideas.  These are just a few of the many out there but are definitely my favorite.

Slim Palate

Elana's Pantry

Paleo Cupboard

Living Healthy With Chocolate

PaleOMG

Chowstalker - Whole30

And of course just straight up Pinterest

                                          Image taken from Pinterest.

Also I just wanted to touch on not worrying about what you can't eat and enjoying everything you can.  Eat as much food as you want and don't worry about if you need to have a snack. I know some hardcore paleo people are anti-snacking but I think that if you need to snack, do it.  This isn't about restriction it is about freedom.  The freedom to not feel hungry/guilty/tired/just plain crappy anymore.

Finally, tomorrow morning I want you to hop on the scale and take you measurements.  Write this down and then don't worry about weighing or measuring yourself for the next 30 days.  Seriously, don't even peek.  :)

So are you ready?  Do you have a favorite healthy cooking blog or cookbook? 

Adrenal Fatigue

This first time I heard about adrenal fatigue was when a friend was diagnosed by their family practitioner.  Not knowing what adrenal fatigue was I researched it and now it seems as if information on it is everywhere I turn.  So why am I bringing this up?  Well I believe that adrenal fatigue can play a huge role in why some people can't seem to lose weight and/or don't have the energy to exercise.

So what's an adrenal?
-Adrenal glands are in all mammals and are endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys.  The main purpose of the glands are to release hormones in response to stress through the synthesis of corticosteroids (like cortisol) and catecholamines (like epinephrine and norepinephrine).  Adrenal glands mobilize these hormones as a response to every kind of stress (physical, emotional, or psychological) to help you cope.  If you have constant job stress, chronic pain, relationship stress, or are just overwhelmed with life your adrenals are working pretty hard to just maintain homeostasis.

So how can you tell if your adrenals are fatigued?
-If you feel chronically tired.
-If you frequently are ill and have a hard time recovering quickly.
-If you have brain fog.
-If you have alcohol intolerance (you seem to become drunk after only a glass of wine or have a hangover even if you haven't drank a lot).
-If you are jumpy or overwhelmed by stimuli.
These are just some of the most common symptoms but if you google fatigued adrenal symptoms there are several more that come up.  Honestly I believe that in our society most everyone suffers unknowingly from some degree of adrenal fatigue.

So what should you do to recharge your adrenals?
-Eat a healthy, well balanced diet with plenty of protein and fat.  Like a whole30 diet! :)
-Set aside time to relax each day.  Drink a cup of chamomile tea before bed, sit in the sun, snuggle with a dog, cat, or human, take a bath, etc.
-Go to bed at the same time every night.  I know this one is tough but at least being in bed around the same time with all electronics off is what I try to shoot for.
-Replenish electrolytes.  And no you do not need Gatorade to so this.  Try coconut water or simply a wedge of lemon in water.
There are definitely other things you can do so research it a little and see what works for you!

This is obviously a very simplified explanation of adrenal fatigue and it goes without saying that I am not a doctor just a girl with a laptop so please seek medical advice.

Do you think you suffer from adrenal fatigue?  Is there anything more that should be touched on?





 

No Body Is Worth More Than Your Body

Exercise is definitely a key component of the next 30 days.  I suggest going easy for the first week as your body will be looking for its normal quick fix of sugar or sugar in the form of bread.  Listen to your body.  If you really want to take a nap instead of workout then go for it.  Now I said nap not watch tv,  actually give yourself rest.  Also I recommend bubble baths.  :)

After the first week I would ramp up my exercise.  What does this mean?  Well it depends on your personal fitness and exercise level.  I am an avid walker, mostly because I have a large high energy dog, so I walked for 30-60 minutes at a brisk pace with hills everyday.  I find that walking hills gives me a great workout and is way easier on my joints.  Also I just finished a 20 day yoga challenge with a wide variety of classes depending on my energy level.

My friend Jen is really into crossfit and maybe I can talk her into doing a post on crossfit with a sample workout routine.  (Hi Jen!)  This is great if you love high intensity, sweaty, group workouts.  I know that being obligated to a group can help keep people motivated.  Simple bodyweight exercises are great too and there are a million online resources like Nerd Fitness or BodyRock.

The most important thing when it comes to exercise is to pick something that you can and will want to do.  I have a large grey coach that becomes ornery if walks are not a part of his life, that keeps me motivated.  I love yoga because I don't think for the 30-90 minutes I'm on the mat.  Shutting off your brain is incredibly freeing.


What do you like to do for exercise?  What keeps you motivated?

Preparation

I don't know who said it but I love the quote "If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail".  In many aspects of my life I have taken this quote to heart and it is no different with a month of eating clean.  There are many different factors to take into consideration when preparing for the next 30 days.

Personal Prep:

Is your significant other and/or kid going to be eating clean or will you modify their food?
-Jim was awesome the last time around but I definitely made him rice with our stirfry, pizza, and he had a bun with his burger.  The hardest for me was watching him eat tortillas, seriously.  But he ate almost 90% of what I ate so it made food prep easy.

What is your food weakness?
-Half of avoiding a trap is knowing it's there.  Last time I did this all I wanted was a cheese quesadilla and knowing that I kept cheese and tortillas out of sight in the beer fridge.  Know your weakness and have a strategy to avoid said items.  Also important is knowing what time of day you are most likely to binge.  For me it's between when I get home from work and dinner.  Apple slices with Almond Butter are my savior.

How do you feel about yourself and food?
-I know so many women (and yes it's most all women) that try to punish themselves and their bodies for eating poorly.  STOP!  Its ok.  You are not a better or worse person because you did or did not eat a cupcake.  Be kind to yourself over the next 30 days and don't associate food with self worth.  Just eat good food.

Food Prep:

How do you want to plan your meals?
-In my opinion the best way is to find a cheap calendar or use pepperplate.com (they also have an app) and set up your weekly menu.  I make a menu for the week of usually 7 dinners and then we eat leftovers for lunch.  Breakfasts are usually the same throughout the week.  Know what days you are busy and be honest about how much time you can commit to making dinner.  Some nights I'm fine with 30-40 mins others I just want to do 5 minutes of prep and let the oven or slowcooker do the work.

What is your best day of the week to go grocery shopping and do food prep?
-I advise going to the grocery store only once a week during this program.  You'll save money and there will be less temptation to grab something off plan.   After going grocery shopping I will usually spend a little time doing prep.  Also I am not afraid of shortcuts and definitely pick up sauceless chopped frozen veggies and frozen strawberries.  

How do you want to document what you are eating?
-So I know it sounds weird but I didn't count calories or measure portions last time around and it was incredibly freeing.  I ate when I was hungry and ate as much as I needed to feel full.  I'm a fairly active person and I was hungry a lot.  I documented what I ate for the first 20 days so that I could track what food I was eating and to make sure I was getting enough fat.  I just used a simple diary app but a notebook or word document would work just as well.

I feel like that covers most of the prep I needed.  Is there anything additional you think should be considered in prepping?

Beginning

Hello Everyone!

I don't know who all is reading this but welcome!  I wanted to start this as kind of a forum to post recipes and support through a Whole30 month starting on June 1st.

For those of you that are not familiar with Whole30 go read this but I will simplify it here for you.

So the gist is that for 30 days you eat:
Meat
Fish
Seafood
Veggies
Fruit
Nuts and Seeds
Coconut everything!
Healthy Oils

And you eliminate:
Dairy
Grains
Legumes
Soy
Sugar
Alcohol

So probably at this point it sounds like the food equivalent of waterboarding but I promise you that it is not that hard.  Plus the best part is you don't count calories, points, or measure portions!  For me the pay off was great but even if you do not have amazing results its just 30 days right?

Speaking of results when I did my first whole30 I lost 7lbs, 3 in. on waist, 2 in on hips, and 1.5 in on my thigh which means I lost a lot of fat and not a lot of muscle.  What was the best was my skin cleared up and I had tons of energy.  So join me for another 30 days of delicious and healthy eating!

Love you all!