Well, it's over! My second round of the Whole 30 is finally over and the results are in! As I was saying in a previous post, I really don't think my first go-round with the Whole 30 did much for me. Instead of really focusing on changing my relationship with food, I concentrated on just cutting out all the technically inappropriate foods. This resulted in a severe over-consumption of fruit, almond butter, and other paleo treats. I never kicked my late-night snack habit and, as a result, did not conquer my sugar demons meaning when my first Whole 30 was over, I was right back on the sugar train. Paleo sugars of course (that's what I told myself).....but really there is no difference.
About half-way through this Whole 30, I read a great post on the Whole 9 Blog about conquering your sugar demons and it finally clicked. I think I made more progress in the last 2 1/2 weeks on then I did during my entire previous Whole 30. So without further ado.....
My Results:
Weight Before: 158.2Weight After: 152.8
I have lost a total of 4.75 inches from my waist, hips, thighs, and arms.
I was pretty excited about the results especially the inches. Weight is a very deceptive beast and it really doesn't mean that much to me, but inches really say something.
Ok So I know you are all dying to know if I went completely nuts today on junk food and the answer is....sort of. :) I had a normal breakfast, got in a great 5:30AM WOD at CrossFit Katy and then went to lunch at Ruggles Green. I got the Blackened Shrimp Salad and a side of Butternut Squash. It was delicious but MAN there was a lot of sugar in that lunch. The salad had about 5 different kinds of fruit/dried fruit on it and was tossed in a poppyseed dressing and the butternut squash was full of brown sugar. It was good but it is not something I think I will order again because it's just too dang sweet....not really worth the cheat! And even though I was already in a sugar coma, I followed up the lunch by sharing a piece of Ruggles Green warm carrot cake with Christie.....now THAT was sweet but definitely worth the cheat! They have the most amazing carrot cake. As was expected, after lunch I felt like a zombie and was in a full-on sugar coma within an hour. I took about an hour and half long nap to sleep it off! I have never had that kind of reaction to food before. You'd think I would have learned my lesson after lunch but this was cheat day...I had to keep going! Dinner was salmon and homemade macaroni and cheese. The mac and cheese was tasty and I didn't feel quite as lethargic....just very puffy and bloated and to finish it all off I tried to eat a brownie for dessert but I couldn't finish it.
Looking back at the day, I'm not all that thrilled with my cheats. Some were good, some were ok, and some were just not worth it....and I have felt pretty terrible all day. I really think I have finally changed the way that I feel about food. My tastes have truly changed this time and I hope to never go back to eating grains, extra sugars, and processed foods on a regular basis again. I will still enjoy the occasional non-paleo treat and I definitely plan on adding certain non-Whole 30 foods back into my diet...like pastured butter (YUM!)....but as a whole, I really don't plan on deviating much. I have felt great, I am setting new PR's in the gym, and I am just a much happier more energized person when I eat this way.
There's some really exciting things happening this month. February 5th I will be attending the Form3 Women's World Tour and February 13th I am competing in the Fittest Games at CrossFit Central. Hopefully all my hard work, clean eating, and training will pay off. I feel much more prepared for this competition than I was for the All-Cities Open in Dallas. This should be a great indicator for the upcoming Open Sectionals Competitions. CrossFit Katy has some great athletes going to compete and I am looking forward to having a great weekend with some great people!
*Just for clarification, the first pic is from July after my first Whole 30 and the second pic is me now after my second Whole 30*
First, I'd like to say congratulations on the SECOND time of doing the "Whole30." I'm just working up the courage now to attempt it and while I'm nervous, I too am a foodie; so, I know there are a million things I can eat and won't feel like I'm being punished.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that wasn't mentioned on their site or in the comments (I didn't purchase the book) was regarding protein shakes. One woman posted saying her husband wouldn't give those up, insinuating that they aren't whole30-friendly. I use the Syntha-6 after CrossFit and need to research what to do after those days for recovery.
Thanks!
-Jesse G.
Hey Leah,
ReplyDeleteDid you purchase the Whole 30 success guide? If so, is it something that helps people that have never done something like this? I mean does it have recipes as well as guidance?
Thanks,
@Jessie....Protein shakes are not allowed on the Whole 30. Part of the point of the Whole 30 is to eat real, whole foods that aren't processed and even though many protein powders are good products and are convenient, they are processed so they are out. My Whole 30 approach to pre and post workout nutrition looked like this: 1.5-2 hrs before a WOD I ate a half-meal sized amount of protein (either one egg or 3 slices of deli turkey or 1/2 medium chicken breast) and a small amount of fat (usually avocado around 1/4th but if I ate an egg then I didn't eat extra fat). Within 1/2 hr Post-WOD I ate either 3 egg whites or 1/2 chicken breast or about 5 slices of deli turkey and 1/2-3/4 of a cup of mashed sweet potato or butternut squash. The post-workout meal is supposed to contain no fat so absorption is not slowed. This combo works perfectly. You may find it difficult to eat food right after a WOD but it is something that you get used to and I highly recommend it.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous- I did not purchase the Success Guide because I went to two of the Whole 9 Nutrition Seminars and therefore didn't need the guide since they gave us information at the Seminar. I would imagine that the success guide is a very helpful tool for someone who wants to try the Whole 30 for the first time. You could probably get most of what you needed from the Whole 9 website and blog but I imagine the success guide would put everything at your fingertips as opposed to having to research it yourself through their website and piece together information.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leah! I guess I just missed that one line that said no protein shakes, I see it now. That does make sense. I workout hard enough with Neal that I can't eat before--I get nauseous. However, after, I can totally eat instead of have a shake.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
-Jesse
Leah - Congrats! Wish I could go to Austin to watch you compete. I know you are going rock it!
ReplyDeleteJesse - I went to the Whole 9 Foundation workshop in January and bought the success guide as well. If you have not been to the workshop and really want to give the Whole 30 a try, I would totally recommend buying it. They include great guides for best choices in meats, veggies, fats, etc as well as the suggestions for portions. Like Leah said, you can totally do the Whole 30 based in the info on the website but if you are willing to purchase the Success Guide I don't think you will be disappointed.
Leah - rock on, sister! I've linked to this post in our Whole30 comments, as some folks who finished their first rounds were disappointed that they didn't see the weight loss they expected. Your story is the perfect example of why a second go-around (and a good, hard look at some of the mental factors that may be impeding your progress) can make a real difference in results.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - great work here!
Melissa & Dallas
Whole9
Hey Leah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Congratulations on doing two rounds!! I just finished my first whole30 and I did not get all the results I was looking for either! I have a more similar build to your before picture but did not reach the results of your after picture! I am planning on continuing a pretty strict interpretation until the end of February, any other suggestions?
Thanks!
@Melissa-Awesome! Lovin' the link and I'd be happy to talk to anybody about the differences between my two Whole 30's!
ReplyDelete@Meredith--I think continuing your Whole 30 to the end of February is a good idea BUT you must first recognize what is holding you back from attaining your goals or you won't get anywhere. For me, it was never truly conquering my sugar demons. I was cutting out "bad" foods but still had a psychological urge to snack (even though I wasn't hungry) You can't go shoving macadamia nuts and berries into your mouth after dinner with the mentality that "it's ok cause it's Whole 30 approved" You really have to get to the root of why you are doing what you are doing as far as your nutrition is concerned and separating your desire to eat from your need to eat. Good Luck!
dang girl....you look great! congrats on your 'next level' success!
ReplyDeleteLooking great! Love the results. Tasty. :)
ReplyDeleteYou look great! I'm starting now and I hope to see results like yours
ReplyDelete