Whole 30 Update: Week 1

My reasons for starting the Whole30 were explained in my last post.  But, I have written countless posts about wanting to either lose weight, cleanse/detox my body, change the way I eat (traditional high carb to high fat), and changing my body composition for the better.  But, as usual, I start and stay on the plan for about a day or two.  I think I even stuck with a previous goal for a couple weeks.  Each and every attempt to change my relationship with food and eating.  I have been eating mostly based on my poor decisions and unwillingness to simply say "no" coupled with the impacts that food has on your hormones and subconscious.  Knowing that I have created so many poor habits over the years while eating a high carb diet on top of splurging in so many sugary sweets, I was aware that this wasn't going to be easy when I started.  But, I must admit throughout the first full week, it really wasn't overly difficult.

From beer to organic Kombucha

Monday, January 20th was the official kick off day of my Whole30 (W30).  I started by first creating a daily check-off/daily log form to help track how I feel each day and what happened as I work toward completing 30 straight days of strict clean eating.  My W30 began the day after coming home from our family weekend getaway to Chicago.  Just like many folks do the day before a new diet, I pigged out, not only Sunday, but the entire weekend in Chicago.  So on Monday morning I opted to skip breakfast all together, since I was still pretty full from a weekend full of indulgences.  I did my workout that morning consisting of a 2 mile swim that morning then heading up to the cardio floor and sitting on an elliptical for another hour.  That has seemed to become my new normal - ellipticals instead of good old fashioned running.  The one nice thing about it has been my ability to get out and do my "running" workouts longer and on back-to-back days without the stress that comes with pounding the pavement.  Ever since I stopped running, I canned my training plan in favor for a "plan on the go" style of training.  Now, I know that this is not the right type of mindset for someone who wants to qualify for Boston while running a sub 3 hour marathon in May, but there was no way I was going to be able to sit on an elliptical  for multiple hours and expect similar gains from long runs.  So, I have simply taken the mindset of this being an extended off season.  Honestly, it's been working out pretty well.  My training volume is up higher then it was this time last year, and the highest its been since my taper for Ironman Wisconsin.  Anyway, back to my W30 experience.  After my workouts, I had a Lara Bar and then went grocery shopping to stock up my cupboards with W30 approved foods.  I picked up a bunch of tins of sardines, tons of fruits and vegetables, along with some organic kombucha, decaf teas, nuts, and some quality meats.  After grocery shopping it was off to bed for a short nap before going back to work that night.

After my lunch and before getting to bed for work Monday night I weighed myself for a "starting weight."  The creators of the W30 encourage a start and end weight and then avoid the scales for the entire duration of your W30. Why?  Easy, health is so much more then a number on a scale. It can be as simple as how you feel, how your clothes fit, how you sleep, your energy levels throughout the day, your day to day stress levels, how your joints feel, and I could go one and on, but I think you get the point. Yes weight lose normally comes while doing the W30 and it is honestly not the reason I am doing the W30. Granted, I do want to loose some of my off season winter coat, but I know with my training coupled with new, healthy eating habits that will come with time.  I mean, I didn't add this extra twenty pounds in 30 days, so how can I expect to lose it in 30? 

Caffeine free coconut chai latte

No doubt, the biggest impact which I felt immediately was my decision to quit caffeine throughout the 30 days.  This was a decision I had made that was different from the standards set forth by the Whole30 creators.  They allow caffeine during the W30, but urge to consume in moderation.  But, I have gotten to a point in my life where I truly love the taste of quality coffee, but also drink it to help get through nights on 3rd shift.  I drink roughly 4-6 cups of coffee (32-48oz) a day/night, which in my opinion is a bit excessive.  Caffeine has a similar response in our brains as stress, and in simple terms, the more caffeine you consume, the more sleeping chemicals your body needs to produce to induce sleep.  In other words the more caffeine you consume, the harder it is to fall asleep, even after the energizing effects of caffeine wear off.  The good news?  This can be "reset" by abstaining from caffeine for 14-20 days.  This will reset some of the receptors in your brain that help you fall asleep.  This is in part as to why I am opting to give up caffeine.  However, when I first started this endeavor, I was planning on going caffeine free for the entire 30 days, which I still may.  But, during days 1-7, I must admit, I have never been more tired while at work.  I think this just goes to show, how much I have relied on artificial energy in the past (caffeine, sugar, carbohydrates).  If this trend continues into and beyond my next rotation, I will go back to drinking coffee but in smaller quantities and just be more cognizant of how much coffee I am consuming.  Regardless, I will at least continue to go caffeine free for a minimum of 2 weeks during my W30, for the "system reset" of my receptors in my brain.  I have also stopped drinking my teas which contain caffeine and avoided any other products that commonly contain caffeine.  I have still been drinking warm beverages such as decaf coffee and decaf teas, as I enjoy warm drinks, especially this time of year.  As I have done some research on coffee, specifically decaf coffee, I have found that majority of decaf coffees remove the caffeine through processes that involve several chemicals and therefore should be avoided.  You should opt for organic decaf coffee whenever possible.  

As far as how I have felt throughout my first 7 days, I would say, that my sleep has been sub par, I have been lethargic, and just generally tired.  I should say that this isn't necessarily a surprise, however.  I am drastically changing my primary source of energy from carbohydrates to fats.  So, this does take some time to effectively make the switch, roughly 2-3 weeks, depending on the person.  I haven't had any cravings or temptations throughout my first 7 days.  But, I would say my 2 challenges thus far have been the quantity of fruit I consume and the frequency of between meal snacking.  As far as fruit, I was relying on fruit as my source of sweets for the first 4-5 days, until Sarah read some of my W30 info forms laying around the house.  She pointed out that I have been eating a ton of fruit, when, according to W30, I should only be consuming minimal fruit as opposed to my 5+ pieces of fruit a day.  After she mentioned this, I cut back to about 2 pieces a day, with an occasional third.  As with my snacking, I have come to accept it as that is how I am going to have to complete my W30.  The true sense of the W30 is to have your day revolve around 3 meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a potential pre and post workout meal.  But, when you are working 3rd shift with a varying schedule and then while at work, I never know when I will be able to eat, I just have to eat food when I am hungry and get food when I can.  I just make sure that the food I eat is W30 approved and in sensible portions.  However, on the couple nights that I had off this week, I did attempt to cut out my snacking and focus on my main meals.  

In the past, typically my first days off were always hell for me when it came to constantly grazing on poor quality foods.  I would usually come home from working all night and then grab only 1-2 hours of sleep before being up for the remainder of the day, meaning I would be extremely sleep deprived.  Sleep deprivation has a ton of negative effects on the body and its systems, one of which, is it tells your body that you are hungry, even though that may not be the case.  I'm not making excuses, just telling you the facts.  It was still my choice to choose the shitty foods.  So, in the first 7 days, I had two days like this, which went great, with minimal hunger and/or cravings.  When they would come, I would have some nuts, or a piece of fruit or vegetables.  On day 4 I had a SWAT training and as we always do, we go out for lunch.  This week, it was to a local Chinese buffet - which believe it or not, I was happy about.  They have a stir-fry grill in the back corner with a whole buffet of raw veggies and meats.  I avoided the processed, low quality meats and opted for just veggies with some vegetable oil.  The vegetable oil is the lowest accepted item on the W30 list and is only accepted due to the overabundance of it in the culinary world.  It would be damn near impossible to go out to eat and avoid vegetable oil these days....kind of sad really.

Our dinners have been fantastic and believe it or not, Sarah and the girls have really liked most of them.  I have been finding recipes on Chow Stalker, Nom Nom Paleo, and The Foodee, and I have yet to be disappointed.  In my first 7 days, some of the dinners we have had include; Crock Pot Coconut Curried Chicken, Shrimp Fried "Rice," Baked Chicken Drumsticks with Mashed Cauliflower, and Apple & Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops.  I must say, that the Apple & Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops were absolutely delicious, even Sarah said, "I could eat like this every day if this is what we had for dinner!"  As for my lunches at work are rather simple with a bag of mixed vegetables (celery, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower), a tin of sardines, nuts, and a piece of fruit.  My pre and post workout meals need some work. I have been having a small piece of fruit with some nuts or a tablespoon of nut butter for a pre workout snack, but would like to cut out the fruit all together from my pre workout meal. As for post work, this cries defendant on if I am going to bed after working out or just starting my day. If I am going to bed I will just have a can of coconut water, but if I am working out to start my morning I have been going with some combination of sweet potato, egg, avocado, and/or salsa. I have also had a sweet potato fried up with an apple and coconut flakes, with a dash of cinnamon, which was surprisingly tasty. That's about all I have been eating and I feel good. I haven't noticed any physical changes that you can see, but Sarah seems to think I have lost some weight. I know that I don't feel so bloated - imagine that - you stop pigging out everyday and you don't feel bloated and full all the time! I have also found it extremely frustrating when looking for common products that do not contain any added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Even simple products like seasonings....have sugar. But I eneded up finding a seafood seasoning with just herbs and spices and no sugar or preservatives. As for other stuff, I just opt to buy food that doesn't come in a package and avoid pretty much everything else. The biggest thing I can say, is that I honestly haven't had a single urge to go off the beaten path, but I know that will come. I am still in the "newness" stage of this and still have another 23 days to go. But, I am motivated and committed to seeing this through.

Oh!  And how can I forget that on day 7 was not only the last day of my first week of W30, but also the last day of my 3 week lay off from running.  That Sunday, I came home from work and ran a short 4 miles before getting on my indoor trainer and riding for an hour.  The run was awesome!  I felt great, almost as though I never missed a step.  From there, I planned on taking 2 full days with no running before trying again.  My plan is to err on the side of caution and make sure I allow ample time to recover from each individual run and take baby steps progressing my mileage back to where I'd like it.  As of today, I am still planning on running my 30 miles on my 30th birthday, which is only 32 days away!

Back to running in my new
Hoka One One Bondi Speed 2's!