Monday, September 29, 2014

Whole 30: reentry and results

Okay I promise I'll shut up about the Whole 30 soon. Really soon. But first I wanted to share some stats and insights.

We officially ended our Whole 30 on Saturday evening (it was a vigil feast, I suppose you could say) in anticipation of Sunday. So it was a Whole 29. We ended up at the Rio because we are a. predictable and b. Mexican food is worth it.

Here's the weird part: the margaritas were good, but they weren't that good. And I only had one. That has never happened before. I only wanted one. And I'm not even pregnant.

So the clear, harsh light of Monday morning has broken and I'm happy? Confused? Resigned? to report that alcohol isn't really worth it. Dairy isn't really worth it. And grains of all varieties? Meh. I'm not really that relieved to have reintroduced anything back into my diet, save for tortilla chips. And even those don't hold the sway over me they once did. So going forward, I don't think it's going to be all that challenging to keep eating paleo most of the time. Not even the 80/20 ratio I was envisioning, but probably something closer to 95/5. I'm serious. And nobody is more surprised than me.

Dave is lactose intolerant and we've known about it for a while, but I'm totally wondering if I am too, now. And that kind of sucks but it's nice to know that if I want to feel really good, I know how to make that happen.

So on to the really exciting stuff (though honestly, feeling this good and clear-headed is surprisingly just as exciting as the weight lost. But I know what you came here to find out):

In 30 days of eating Whole 30 (with two intentional cheats) I lost 12 lbs. I went down one jeans size (and I'm flirting with the next size down). I lost 1 inch from my waist, 1 from my bust, and 2 from my hips. 

Dave lost 11.5 lbs so technically I won, but who's really keeping score? Ahem.

Basically it was a smashing success, and I'll probably keep cooking paleo for our main meals and have a glass of wine or two on the weekends. It's been a total life change for the better, and I'm so relieved to have seen it through to the end. I'll probably do another strict Whole 30 sometime in the future, but for now I'm so excited to have one under my (looser) belt.

Anyone else out there made it through the month of no fun? Feeling surprised about any part of it in particular? Cut any nastiness out of your diet permanently? Fed up with the whole thing and think it's totally overrated? Do tell.

Oh gosh, and here are some pictures. I didn't really take "before" shots because vanity, but oh, lucky you, here's roughly how I looked before our month of fun, courtesy of a 4 year old who always finds the iPhone AND the most flattering angle possible. Thanks, Joey:

Wow 
And wow-er.
(My little sister calls those our "arm legs." Family heirlooms bestowed on each female in the dynasty.)
And here's me now:


I feel really good. I'm back at pre-Evie weight, but I may have been a tad (ahem, 20 lbs or so) overweight when we conceived her, so I'd love to lose another 10 or 15 lbs. If I don't, no big deal, but I'm definitely going to keep working at it. 

I've also been working out twice a week with a trainer at our gym primarily to tone my core and strengthen my lower back. And by tone I mean dig around and see if there are any intact muscle fibers still connected in that region. It has been hard. But good. And it gives me hope that if we're blessed with another pregnancy or seven in the future, my spine isn't going to give out. 

So there you have it. One Whole 30 done, one whole new perspective on food and nutrition, and one very reformed beer aficionado who now prefers seltzer water. Most of the time.


22 comments:

  1. This is so awesome! Can I offer some unsolicited advice? If not, you better not read because I'm about to.........I was forced (very much against my will) to do a similar diet (no gluten no dairy) when nursing both times. I also felt like crap when I reintroduced certain foods and thought I might be intolerant. A very helpful doctor explained that I actually just did it to myself and it probably wasn't a true intolerance. He said that when I eliminated grains I depleted my body's ability to process grains and so when I ate them again, my body didn't remember what to do. I took some digestive enzymes (Pancreatin by NOW) and BAM, problem was totally solved. Obviously paleo works for you so you should totally keep it up, but I wanted to mention the enzymes in case you want to take a few on the weekends when you have that wine or go to that party. They might be the difference between feeling miserable or making it through.
    Congrats!

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    1. Kaitlin, thank you for sharing that info! I gave up gluten for Advent last year and felt horrible when I brought it back though I had no other signs of allergy / intolerance. What you're saying definitely makes sense.

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    2. I seriously want to walk around handing them out. I think they could help so many people.

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  2. You look wonderful, Jenny! Way to go!!

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  3. Seriously, wow. Your results are impressive! I tried a half-week of a Whole30 and then caved...tortilla chips are my downfall too. Sigh. I'm determined to try again soon, though.

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  4. Great job!! And might I be the creepiest commenter today and say that I had a dream that I saw you and some sort of FUS reunion and all I could stutter out was "I'm so star struck!" So congrats for making it to my subconscious!!:)

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  5. You look great!!! And, what a blessing to find out you feel better and what foods you can not be so attached to! I'm doing the same - messed up in the middle of a Whole30 so I'm back at it again :)

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  6. Well done! I've enjoyed reading your Whole 30 posts this past month - must be delightful to be enjoying the results! :)

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  7. I have found the same thing - the grains and sugar just don't hold their thrall anymore. We had a celebration dinner on Saturday also - a belated anniversary dinner. And although wine and some really good cheese was involved, by and large, we stuck with the paleo. Because we've discovered that it's totally yummy! So my take is that I won't get worked up about the occasional recipe that includes some bread crumbs or butter, but we're planning on sticking with it for the long term. I just feel better. And for the occasional cheese or ice cream eating, we keep a box of lactaid pills in the house and I just pop one before eating and I'm fine.

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  8. I also did a Whole30 just ending. I didn't lose as much weight as you (down about 5-7 lbs) but I did feel so much better. I also wrote about my expereience here. http://onecatholicmama.blogspot.com/2014/09/what-i-learned-from-doing-whole30.html

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  9. Oh good job!!! And for the record, progress and before/after posts are too interesting! ;]

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  10. I don't even know you, but I'm so proud of you! (I hope that doesn't sound condescending, because I really mean it.) You look great, and you're even making me rethink my lifelong allegiance to grains and sugar (at least a little) and make some better choices for my 2.5 year old daughter. What are some things you and/or your kids eat as snacks? Do they fill up on veggies and fruit?

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    1. Thank you! And ha I WISH that were the case, but my kids eat pretty close to what most preschoolers eat, I'm guessing, plus a whole lot more protein than is typical. Eggs and bacon or sausage in the morning, mini pizzas on corn tortillas for lunch, small amounts of whatever we're eating for dinner, plus ketchup. They're probably slightly less picky than the average Joey, but not much. The trick is we don't have anything much in the house that's fun, so if they don't want what I make, it's bananas and peanut butter or yogurt.

      Oh, they also really love roasted sweet potatoes sliced in circles and all kinds of salami and cheeses.

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  11. High five, lovely lady! That's awesome. Especially the part about feeling good. I found the same when we switched to a *mostly* paleo diet with the focus on veggies.

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  12. Congrats!!! You look amazing! So glad you enjoyed it and plan on sticking with it most of the time. :)

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  13. You look great, Jenny! Congrats for seeing it through!

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  14. Awesome job! I did my first Whole30 this summer and had similar amazing results. I think the best part was that the last two weeks I legitimately felt the best I have in my entire life...not just physically but mentally too. So energized and inspired and just happy all the time! Nowadays I eat a lot cleaner but I'm not as strict, and when I get irritable my husband says, "I wish you would go back on Whole30." Ha!

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