How to Succeed on the Whole30

For Sarah and I, Wednesday, October 1st was day 30 of our Whole30. For me, it was my second round of completing the Whole30. But, for Sarah, it was her first endeavor on the Whole30. Our venture started the day after a long weekend away at her family's cabin up in the north woods of Wisconsin. It was a weekend of not only getting away and enjoying time with the family, but also eating rather unhealthily with no real cares. Speaking for myself, I know I drank plenty of beer, sweets, breads, and baked goods. It was ultimately what lead to my decision of going through another round of the Whole30. I wanted to get my diet back on track, especially with my upcoming marathon on October 11th.

Initially when I had come up with the idea and personally committed to doing a Whole30, I brought it up to Sarah, initially she said something similar to, "hell no." I took the strategy of reverse psychology to try and persuade her to join me. I replied to her convincing "no" with a snarky comment like, "I figured you wouldn't be able to do it," and "you're too unwilling to make changes." Sure, it was a risky decision to make some pretty mean comments to a touchy topic for most women, but it ended up paying off. She ultimately agreed to join me, more out of spite to prove me wrong, than to make a positive change in her diet than anything. I must say though, now that we both successfully completed the full Whole30, I think she was glad she did it and not only truly proved me wrong, but proved to herself that she succeeded with something that isn't as easy as it may seem.

As I just mentioned, Sarah honestly proved me wrong, as I had her pegged to make it a week. See, without putting myself at risk for starting a fight, Sarah doesn't share the same motivation and drive when it comes to diet and fitness as I do. Don't get me wrong, she does a lot of good things and it probably still in the minority when it comes to physical activity, but nothing above the general population. She, does her best to find 30-60 minutes a day of physical activity, such as walking with the kids and dog, or riding her stationary bike in the mornings before work. About once or twice a week she'll get in a longer workout in at the YMCA where she will walk on a treadmill and then do a short strength circuit following. As far as diet, she was as I stated early, unwilling to make the changes as, she simply didn't want to. She drank at least a soda or two a day, all diet. She would often snack at work throughout the day, especially when coworkers would bring in candy, cake, snacks, etc for everyone to share. More times than not, she would eat "right," but it was the in-between time that was having the negative impact. So, when she told me she was going to do the Whole30 with me, I was thrilled and honestly proud of her. At the same time, I had my doubts that she wouldn't make it. I thought, she give up and say it just wasn't worth it for her. But, here we are, on Day 31, and she did it, she didn't cheat, she didn't complain, and honestly, I think she kind of enjoyed it.

Apples were a staple throughout our Whole30

I am very proud of what she accomplished. This was a huge change for her. She gave up all forms of soda, coffee creamer, breads, her occasional treats while at work, and going out to eat at some of her favorite restaurants. There were days of frustration, anger, grogginess, and down right crabbiness, but throughout the 30 days I honestly saw a change in her. Not only in her physical appearance, but in her perception of food and food preparation.  In the end we both lost 9 lbs.  I started at 178 lbs and ended at 169 lbs.  I was hoping to be in the 165 ball park, but am happy with how I feel, look, and more importantly how I my training is going.  I also utilized Hammer Nutrition's Phytolean prior to any of my meals which were higher in carbohydrates to lessen the impact on my insulin release and better metabolize fat for energy opposed to carbohydrates (you can also click this link to save 15% off a bottle of Phytolean from Hammer Nutrition).  As for Sarah, I know she took more away than just weight lost over the last 30 days, because she regularly mentioned having more energy at work, especially on longer days.  She also said how she just feels "better."  So, I know if she can go 30 days eating this strict, a lot of you can too!  Below are a couple before and after pictures of myself.

Now, instead of continuing to talk about our experience from doing the Whole30, I would like to offer some suggestions and expectations for those who are considering doing their own Whole30. So, below are 7 suggestions, tips, expectations, and how to set yourself up for success with your Whole30. All of which I have learned from my 2 experiences on the Whole30.

1. Plan Ahead

In my opinion, the only way to succeed on the Whole30 is to plan. At a minimum, you should plan out your meals for each week. When you plan ahead, you know what you will be eating for dinner in advance. This will prevent those nights where you look around and just order a couple of pizzas for dinner instead of making a healthy dinner at home. I planned out a menu for each week and constructed our grocery list off of our menu. This not only structured our meals throughout the week, but kept only healthy foods in our house opposed to just stocking the shelves with random snack foods. In addition to planning your weekly dinner menu, you should plan ahead each individual day. Pack lunches for work, know what you are going to eat for breakfast before you go to bed. When you plan ahead, you basically force yourself to eat the right foods. If you know you are going to be going out to eat for a meal, jump online and check out their menu in advance and know what you are going to order and how you are going to order it even before getting to the restaurant. Having a plan sets you up for success, the more you plan, the more you will succeed.

2. Don't Do It Alone

My first Whole30 back in February was a lonely Whole30. I did it alone. There were some days where I would eat a separate dinner from Sarah and the girls. It was not nearly as easy as it was the second time around when I had Sarah along for the ride. Instead of buying multiple styles and types of foods, I was buy a lot of fruits and vegetables and didn't even have to bother with processed grains and breads. This time around, we cleaned out our cupboards of all non Whole30 foods, which wasn't going to happen my first time. Along setting ourselves up for success inside the home, it was nice to have someone else to talk to who was going through the same things I was. We were able to talk about our cravings and challenges each day. We helped each other throughout the 30 days. It really helped having someone else who is experiencing the exact same feelings you are and would highly recommend you convince someone, anyone else to join you in your journey.

3. Expect It To Be Time Consuming

Yes, cooking takes time. In fact, just about everything during the Whole30 takes extra time. Making your weekly menu. Takes time. Making your grocery list. Takes time. Grocery shopping and having to read just about every label before you buy it. Takes time. Packing all your meals. Takes time. Cooking each and every meal. Takes time. You get the idea, the Whole30 takes patience. But, it does get easier. You get into a new routine, you learn tricks, you adapt. Just about any meal that you will be eating during your Whole30 needs to be prepared in some way or another. There is nothing easy about it, but I will tell you, it is so worth it. You feel good about yourself, almost a sense of accomplishment. Just, be warned, that you need to be prepared for the extra commitment to being successful during your Whole30. It falls right back to planning. When you are planning your individual day, plan on scheduling a little extra time for meal prep!

4. Expect There To Be Difficult Days

No doubt, there will be days that you want to quit. Most people quit their Whole30 on days 10 or 11. Just know that better days lie ahead. But there will be days when a coworker will leave a bowl of M&M's sitting on your work desk and they will sit there all day just tempting you to have 1, 2, 50. There will be nights where you will go out to dinner for your parents birthday and then meet up at their house for cake and ice cream and you won't be able to have anything all night. Plan ahead! Plan for this, check out the menu in advance. If there is literally NOTHING on the menu for you to eat, eat something before going. Plan, plan, plan. You will not succeed if you do not plan ahead. Know what you will do ahead of time so you don't just say, "screw it, I want some of that cake!"  Here is a link to a typical timeline so you have an idea of what to expect throughout your Whole30.

5. Be Open To New Things

So, you're used to eating a traditional American diet of breads, pastas, pizzas, grains, and cereals. You are going to have to eat some new foods. You can't eat steak and sweet potatoes each and every day throughout your Whole30. Be open to experimenting with new foods and recipes. During both of my Whole30's I repeated a single meal, Bacon and Apple Stuffed Pork Chops. We tried new recipes like Cauliflower Hummus to replace our traditional store bought Hummus. You have to be willing to try new things and you also need to be willing to accept the fact that you may not like what you made, and have a back up plan in case your new recipe is just unpalatable.

6. Have A Plan For After

When I finished my first Whole30, I just wanted to have a bowl of oatmeal, ice cream, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So, on day 31, I woke up, had a bowl of oatmeal, had some yogurt and cheese, and then within a couple days of finishing my Whole30 I was basically right back to where I was before. I had no plan on how to handle day 31. All I knew is I was done with the Whole30 and no longer had to follow any of the strict diet rules and I took full advantage of that. This time around, I did the Whole30, not just to do it as I did in February, but to put myself into a position to succeed with a new lifestyle and diet. I am planning on continuing with the Whole30 principles until my marathon on October 11th, making it a Whole40 for myself. Coming off the marathon, I will have a beer or two, and do plan on treating myself a little that weekend, especially if I meet my goals.  I will also probably have a piece of cake for my daughter's birthday on Monday after the marathon. But, my plan is to follow a Paleo lifestyle and completely avoid grains, processed foods, added sugar, and focus on high quality meats, fruits, and vegetables, with the occasional dairy (cheese). The main difference between the Whole30 and Paleo, is that Paleo allows real sugars, such as honey and maple syrup, it also allows altered foods, such as Paleo Cookies, Cakes, etc, where the Whole30 does not allow Paleo altered foods. I have not decided if I will just allow myself 2 or 3 "cheat days" each month, or just trust myself to make the right decisions and eat a Paleo/Whole30 lifestyle and eat an occasional treat every now and again. But I do know that I will start following a Paleo Diet coming off the marathon and will make a few exceptions, especially in the week or two coming off the marathon.

7. It's Over Before You Realize It

30 days is 30 days, and sure, 30 days sounds long, I mean it's basically a full month. Its 1/12th of the year. With that being said, it's ONLY 30 days. It is not that long. It WILL be over before you realize it and you WILL be better for it. Have faith in the process and stick with it. I can recall several times throughout our Whole30 that Sarah would say something about how she was surprised that she was already 10, 15, 20, and then 29 days through the Whole30. It goes by quick. For most the second half, it becomes routine and it's just a part of your life. So don't get steered away because you think you could never make it 30 days, or 30 days is just too long. Challenge yourself, prove yourself wrong. Do what my wife Sarah did and make take on a challenge to improve yourself. You won't be disappointed, I promise you. I know that Sarah would also say that it was worth it, that she, at a minimum learned something about herself and her relationship with food.

Healthy Eating 101

I am often asked, "what should I be eating?"  "What's the best diet?"  "How do I loose weight?"  Or some other form of one of these questions.  It's a popular question.  So?  What is the best way to eat?  Should you be avoiding gluten?  Should I follow a paleo diet?

I have no FREAKIN' idea....

But let me first explain.  Ever since I have started taking my racing and training seriously, I have been in search of the best diet for endurance athletes to follow.  I'd estimate that I have purchased at least 10 different books just on this topic alone.  If you were to jump onto my personal computer you'd find very elaborate Microsoft Excel documents entitled "The Diet," "The Diet 1," all the way to "The Diet Version 8."  I think there is even a "The Diet Version 3.2."  I have tried just about everything.  I have followed a high carb diet, a balanced diet, Paleo, I did the Whole30, I was even a "vegetarian" for about a year.  If you just look back throughout my blog, you will see at least 5-6 different articles one my desire to try a new diet with the hopes of losing weight to increase my race performance.  In fact, I am not afraid to admit, my latest adventure with wanting to follow a high fat/low carb diet, or a "ketogenic" diet.  I have also researched just about every other "diet" that is out there and the positives and the negatives of each of them.  To be honest with you, it got down right frustrating.  I would read an article that touts the health benefits of whole wheat grains, just to read a second article claiming wheat to be a major carcinogenic.

It's not like this is anything new, however.  Just look back at our nations past.  We have blamed fat for people being fat, we are currently blaming sugar and carbohydrates as the cause of people being fat.  It seems that we are constantly looking for the one reason why people are overweight and continuing to gain weight, but we are oblivious to the most logic reason, we eat too damn much.

Just using myself as an example, I have tried to follow many fad diets hoping that would be the magic ingredient to shed some pounds easily.  I would eat great for a week or two, just to fall back to my piss poor eating habits of snacking between meals and craving a sweet dessert after dinner.  I would succumb to my cravings and give in.  After the initial week or two I would find myself eating really nutritious, "healthy" meals just to eat crap between them.  Where did that get me?  Right where I am at today, 15-20 heavier than I think I should be.  Is it sugars fault?  Is fat to blame?  It must be that damn gluten!  No, the real reason, is I eat too much.  Pretty simple, almost too simple.

What lead me to this concept is a recent podcast I listened to from Endurance Planet.  They interviewed sports nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald regarding his newest book, "Diet Cults."  The book is not out there to "debunk" or mock all the new diet fads, such as paleo, gluten free, and just about any other diet out there that is claiming to be the "one right way to eat."  During the interview Matt discusses a recent research study where a research group went out to find what exactly was the healthiest diet for humans.  The way they were going to determine this was by finding a group of people who have recently lost 30 or more pounds on their own AND have maintained that weight loss for at least one year.  You figure, if someone has lost at least 30 pounds and have been able to maintain that weight loss, they must be doing something right nutritionally.  They studied these individuals for an extended period of time monitoring everything they had eaten.  So, what did they find?  They found that there was very minimal similarities within their diets.  Some of the similarities they found during their study include; most individuals exercised for at least 60 minutes a day, most individuals increased fruits and vegetables, and most individuals followed a redundant diet - meaning many of them followed a regular routine and repeated meals often.  One guy actually just eliminated his daily lunch...that's it, just completely took out an entire meal! You can listen to the Podcast HERE or below.

Click here to download audio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download 

Ironically, just after listening to this podcast, Runner's World posted an article called, "Study: What's the Healthiest Diet?"  This study followed 424,000 subjects for 15 years - seems pretty legit.  The study looked specifically at an individuals overall diet's effect on morality rates.  What they concluded was there were four diet classifications which were deemed to be "most healthy." The four diets were: the Healthy Eating Index 2010, the alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010, the alternate Mediterranean diet, and the DASH diet.  When you look at the similarities between all four diets, you'll find that they all recommended balanced consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and plant based proteins.

So, with all this considered, what is the healthiest diet, in my opinion?  Well first, I think you need to define what it means to be healthy.  Is it longevity?  Having a healthy body mass index (BMI)?  The ability to race fast?  Or maybe it's something as simple as looking good naked.  In my opinion, I would look at some typical markers which are commonly tested at your local doctors office.  These would include, cholesterol, fasted blood sugar, systemic inflammation, and body fat percentage.  I would also take into consideration of a person's overall feeling of well being.  Basically, does an individual feel better when eating a certain way.  Just looking at some elite athletes, who are often deemed as "healthy," often eat not-so-healthy foods.  You'll find athletes eating pancakes, fried foods, plain white bread, and even fast food.  Yet, so many people consider these elite athletes to be very healthy.  Even elite athletes who follow strict diets, follow a wide range of diets, from vegan to paleo.  So what gives?  Personally, I fully agree with Matt Fitzgerald's opinion, where there is no ONE right diet.  Each diet presents positives and negatives.  The best thing any individual person can do for themselves, is eat what makes them feel better.  Eat healthy foods.  What's considered healthy?  This is not as complicated as it's made out to be.  Just ask any 6 year old what healthy food is and they'll tell you.  Eat plenty of vegetables and leafy greens.  Add a lean source of protein, whether that is animal based or plant based.  Drink plenty of water.  Avoid artificially produced sweeteners if possible.  Try not to drink calories.  Have an drink of alcohol every now and again.  Exercise regularly at a moderate intensity.  Eat as much real food as possible, avoiding processed foods when able.  Do not stress over what you are eating.  Enjoy your food.  And, lastly, indulge every now and then.

So there you have it.  As Matt Fitzgerald says, eat an agnostic diet.  Where you do not follow any specific diet, but follow a little of eat.  You know the difference between health food and junk food, just follow that and exercise, and you'll find your diet to be right were it needs to be.  Plus you will never have to worry if what you are eating is "allowed."

Sauteed Sweet Potatoes with Apples

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a full week in a classroom for a Crises Intervention Team (CIT) training in Appleton.  For that week I followed a typical Monday through Friday, 8-4 schedule.  Every now and again, I get the opportunity to go a full week with this type of schedule, and I take full advantage of it when it comes around.  During this week, I had my alarm set at 4:45am so I could get up and get my workout in before each day of training.  Since finishing my Whole30 last month, I have been more aware of the damaging effects of grains on my digestive system.  In stead of my usual morning ritual of oatmeal, I have grown to love a concoction I came up with during my Whole30.  I ate this for my morning breakfast each day of my CIT training at the beginning of each class.  It was funny, the first day, before anyone really knew anyone, I just got some weird looks.  But on the second and third day, I got questioned as to what the hell I was eating.  My concoction is rather simple and takes about 10 minutes to whip up, plus it tastes as good warm as it does cold, so you can make it the night before and bring it with you when you're on the go.  It's just a single sweet potato with an apple, sautéed in butter topped with coconut flakes and cinnamon.  It is obviously not low carb, but it is sugar free and is relatively low on the glycemic index, meaning it will not rapidly spike your blood sugar.  Plus, cinnamon has a natural anti-inflammatory effect and has a positive effect on insulin and glucose, meaning it will help control your blood sugar levels, lessening the spike when consuming sugary/starchy foods.  One of my friends at work as also at the CIT training and he wanted to try my morning staple and asked me to make him a bowl for work some night, which I did.  After he tried it, he wanted the "recipe."  I laughed and told him, how simple it was, but insisted that I set him up with some directions.  So, I told him I'd put it on my blog....so here it is.

Ingredients:

1 Medium Sweet Potato Diced
1 Apple Diced (Gala, Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, or Similar)
1-2 Tbsp Grass Fed Butter or Ghee
1 Tbsp Cinnamon (or to taste)
2-3 Tbsp Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Directions:

1. Saute sweet potato with the butter/ghee over medium-high heat.  Add apples and cook the two until soft.
2. During last 1-2 minutes of cooking stir in cinnamon and coconut flakes.

Whole30 Update: Week 3

And I'm on the home stretch!  3 weeks down and just a little over 1 more week to go.  Day's 15-21 were without a doubt, the worst days of this journey to date.  They sucked.  They were hell.  They were miserable.  I want my homemade oatmeal.  I want some yogurt.  I want a cookie.  I want a bar.  I want a beer.  I want something other than eggs, sardines, and salads.  I brought up The Whole30 Timeline in last weeks update and will do the same this week.  Per the timeline the third week falls between Boundless Energy -Now Give Me a Damn Twinkie and Tiger Blood.  First, during days 12-15 they say that typically cravings come back, stronger then ever.  Then, from 16-27 it's said that these are the days that you do this program for.  Typically these are the days were you feel great, you thrive on the program.  To quote the Boundless Energy Phase (days 12-15):

"All joking aside, though, this phase gets really intense and for some people. This is the part of the program where our minds try to drive us back to the comfort of the foods we used to know. Our food relationships are deeply rooted and strongly reinforced throughout the course of our lives and breaking through them is really big deal. Journaling can be especially enlightening and helpful during this phase, and helpful for reflection later. Take some time to jot down what you’re craving, how you’re feeling and what tools you’re using to work through the cravings."

That pretty much sums up my past week.  That with a combination of a typical early phase (days 10-11 - "The Hardest Days").  During this phase typically, this is where you really start to experience the true psychological hold that your food habits have on you.

I don't know what it was about the past 7 days, but I really started to question this whole "Whole30" thing all together.  I mean, do I REALLY feel better?  Did I REALLY eat all that bad before starting this?

Monday was a breeze as I still was in my little mid-week work routine.  It has been that any day/night that I have had to work, I have been able to stay busy enough with my life to not have any meaningless cravings.  But Tuesday was the start of one hellish week.  Tuesday was my first day off and I started the day with a nice long swim (3,500 meters).  I came home and ate a couple of our leftovers from the previous week as my post workout snack.  I caught about an hour or so nap and then was back up into a long rest of the day running on little to no sleep, just trying to make it to 8:30pm to go to bed and crash.  But, as I mentioned in last week's update, my sleep deprived turn-around days are the worst mentally for cravings and just feeling hungry all day.  Again, I went throughout the day with moderate snacking, but mainly all vegetables just to try over my mental hunger until dinner.  On Wednesday, I had one of our regular standby dinners, (even before I started the W30) of spaghetti squash with seasoned chicken breasts, all topped with pasta sauce.  I even went out and bought pasta sauce that was all natural with no added sugars, sweeteners, or artificial sweeteners.  So, as I was putting our dinner together I grabbed the sauce from the fridge and on a random whim, I checked the ingredient list, just to double check.  Sure as shit, I grabbed the wrong pasta sauce.  Ahhhhh!  I was so frustrated!  I had already assembled all the dishes and topped them all with the sauce.  One of the dinners I had been looking forward to has now become uneatable for me.....juuuust grrrrreat.  So instead of a nice salad and dinner, I just topped my salad with some tuna and ate my salad.

This leads me to my first gripe - what the hell is it with all the f-ing added sugars in just about EVERYTHING?!?!  If you haven't ever looked, next time you go grocery shopping just try and buy something with no added sugars.  Yup, that means, you'll have to actually turn your product around and see what exactly you are putting in your bodies.  If you see Sugar, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Fructose, Glucose, basically anything that ends with "ose" - it's off limits - Good luck!  Sure, I knew that your typical products such as cereals, breads, prepackaged oatmeals, bars, etc all had added sugar, no surprise there.  But, now, I'm looking for atypical stuff, such as seasoning blends (all have sugar), "all natural bacon" (has sugar), many beef and chicken products (have sugar), literally damn near EVERTHING has some form of sugar somewhere in the ingredients.  Why you ask?  Well, to feed our culture's sugar addiction.  If you didn't think sugar was addictive, here is your proof.  Food companies add sugars to their products, no only to make it more palatable, but also to create that endorphin release that causes things to becoming highly addictive.  So, like I said, good luck finding anything that doesn't have any added sugar.  And then, when you do find something with no added sugar, you end up seeing that it is loaded with preservatives or artificial sweeteners.  So FRUSTRATING!

Eventually I got over the fact that I screwed up my dinner that night and just looked forward to Thursday night's dinner.  My brother-in-law recently was hired at a new job and to celebrate we planned on getting together for a celebratory dinner at my favorite restaurant, Stone Cellar Brewpub.  I knew going into this that, one, it would be a test for me mentally to be in that setting with some of the best beer and damn good food and not be able to order any of it.  And, two, that if there was any one place in the Fox Valley, that would have numerous choices that would meet the W30 criteria, it would be Stone Cellar, who is known for locally grown, minimally processed, local grass-fed beef, and mostly organic food choices.  I had scoped out Stone Cellar's menu that morning to get an idea of what I might be able to order and had it narrowed down to a couple choices.  Once at the Brewpub, all I wanted as a beer and to be able to just order something without having to worry what it was made with.  I was officially starting to get extremely frustrated with the W30 style of living.  It was a minor state of paranoia - always reading ingredients, always checking what you order, asking family what they will be having for dinner in advance.  Yea, it was getting old.  On top of that frustration, Thursday was bill paying day for us and as usual, we hadn't done nearly as well as we had hoped, which added an additional stress on myself and Sarah.  So, here I am, going to literally, my favorite bar/restaurant with my family, worried/concerned/stressed about our family finances, and now I'm pissed that I can't just order fish tacos, with their 6 Grain Pale Ale, or their limited edition 666 Grain Pale Ale.  Plus, we all ordered two appetizers of spinach and artichoke dip along with a pub basket.  Now, normally I don't go crazy with all the deep fried goodies that come in the pub basket, but seriously, all I wanted was a cheese curd, or a kettle chip.  It was seriously hell.  I ended up ordering their grilled sirloin with a side of sweet potato fries, which came with a house salad and balsamic vinaigrette.  Don't get me wrong, the food I had ordered was absolutely delicious, once I ate, I was satisfied with my choice, but still wish I had just 1 cold beer to wash it down with.  For the first time since starting, I was seriously contemplating just giving up on the W30 and just getting a beer and ordering what I really wanted, not what I should want.

This led me to my second gripe - Is this Whole30 thing, really making a difference - I mean, now that I have been doing this for 18 or so days, is it REALLY that different from how I was eating?  Sure, I did have an unhealthy relationship with sweets, I will certainly cop to that.  But, to say that I ate unhealthy, would just be foolish.  My downfall came when I would succumb to my cravings.  Not only would I give in and have a treat, but I would not know when to stop.  But, is this Whole30 thing going to fix that?  Or is that something that I will just need to get a grasp on and just stop allowing myself to not be a better athlete?  Then, I began thinking of foods like oatmeal, my whole fat plain unsweetened greek yogurt, and other minimally (if at all) sweetened health foods that were deemed unhealthy by the fricken "Whole30 Food Gods."  And, what I really feeling better?  Can I even tell a difference from a month ago?  To be honest, other than not overeating and that "stuffed" feeling you get from just stuffing your face, no, I felt pretty much the same.  As far as my gut and digestive health - that might be the one difference.  Previous to starting the W30, I usually went to the bathroom once a day or so.  Now, it's more like once every 3-4 days.  Yea, not sure about that, but what ever.

After leaving Stone Cellar, I was feeling better, knowing that I had made the right choice not to scrap all my progress.  I started this thing for a reason.  I started it for me, to learn about my relationship with food and to hopefully develop some new healthier relationships with my food.  I was on day 18 of 30, over half way.  I knew that I would hate myself and truly regret giving up, so I was, in the end, happy with my choice, no matter how frustrated I was at the time.

Friday was another similar day to Thursday evening.  We had SWAT training during the day and then I was off Friday night.  We always go out for lunch on SWAT training days, and on this day, it was decided we would go to Red Robin for lunch.  So, once again, I was left to scour the menu for a W30 approved dish.  There was not one single meal that I could order outside of getting a chicken sandwich with nothing on it wrapped in lettuce as opposed to a bun.  Sounds like an expensive salad right?  I just went with their plain chicken salad with no cheese or croutons.  It wasn't bad actually. It was simple and tasty.

The remainder of the week came and went with much of the same issues as previous weeks, dealing with hunger pangs from higher than "normal" training volumes (in comparison to majority of folks who do the W30) and random snacking throughout the days.  The past week I had a total training volume of over 9 hours (about 1:20 average per day).  I had quite a lot of almond butter this week, more then I probably should have.  It was my "coping" treat.  I was eating it as opposed to my typical chocolate or baked treats.  I was eating it either on celery or on a banana.  But, man, I'm freakin hungry!

My training has finally found a consistent routine.  I ran 10 miles on Wednesday and did 7 of those miles in my Newtons.  I had to stop at home after 7 and swap out shoes because I could feel my calf getting tight.  I realized that I need to ease into my Newtons due their their lower heel drop in comparison to what I have grown accustomed to with my previous shoes.  For example, my New Balance 890 V3's have a 7mm heel drop (28mm heel height and 21mm toe height), while my Newtons have a heel drop of 5mm (28 heel height and 23mm toe height).  Sure, that's only a difference of 3mm, but you couple that with the dynamic shift in a full foot, foot strike to a exaggerated forefoot striking shoe such as the Newton, it will put more stress on your calf muscles.  The final 3 miles of my 10 mile run felt good in my old pair of NB 890's that I wore at Ironman.  I took a couple days off between my 10 mile run and my next run.  I filled those two days with a swim along with a 2:00 ride on my indoor cycle.  Saturday, I was nervous to go back to running.  During those two days away from running, all I could feel was my calf/shin, and I thought for sure I would be stopped almost immediately after starting to run.  I went to the YMCA Saturday morning to do an indoor brick.  I rode on their indoor cycle for an hour and then jumped on a treadmill with hopes of running 6 miles.  I started running at a conservative pace and then just kept going.  My calf was never an issue.  It felt normal the entire time.  In fact, I felt so good, I decided to stay on the tread for a couple additional miles, for a total of 8.  With a good volume of training already in my log book, I opted to cut Sunday's workout a little shorter and just focus on recovery.  I jumped on my indoor bike after getting home from work and just rode super easy for 30 minutes just to move my legs.  It felt good.

Maya got a much needed haircut this week!

The final 9 days of my W30 will be the real test.  I am working day hours Monday through Thursday and will be working out in the morning before work.  I think those 4 days will be relatively easy to get through as I will be so busy to just get home and then cook dinner, prepare for the next day, and then get to bed early enough to get up early enough to get a decent workout in before work.  Friday I am off from work, but we are getting together with Pat and Melissa for a couples Valentine's Day dinner at a new local up scale Latin Restaurant.  So, yet again, I will test myself (on day 26 - so close!) with no beer and having a very limited menu to choose from.

The good news, is that as of today, I have made it a full 3 weeks with absolutely NO CAFFEINE!  I will start back up again with regular coffee and green teas starting Monday.  I will mix my coffee 2:1 with decaf coffee just to keep my caffeine consumption down from what I was at previously.  I am just looking forward do drinking regular coffee again!  :)

Chicken Mofongo

If I haven't posted about it yet, I absolutely LOVE Chow Stalker!  If you haven't checked it out, you should.  It is a blog with constantly updated Paleo, High Fat, Gluten Free, and Real Food recipes.  I have yet to find something on there that doesn't make my mouth water.  Plus, the best part is they are all healthy recipes!  The other day I was scouring Chow Stalker and found a recipe for Chicken Mofongo.  The picture looked delicious, but I had no idea what the hell Mofongo was.  After doing a little research, I learned that traditional Mofongo is a classic fried plantain dish originating from Puerto Rico.  Traditional Mofongo dishes are made from fried green plantains which are then mashed (like mashed potatoes) with olive oil, broth, garlic, and pork cracklings or bacon.  It sounds delicious, so I figured, what the hell, lets give it a try!

Turns out, it was better than delicious, it was fantastic.  It took a while to make and was pretty labor intensive to be honest.  The entire dish took about 1:10-1:20 to complete, start to finish and left me with a sink FULL of dirty pots and pans.  But, in the end, everyone loved it, including our picky kids.  If you're looking for something new to try, or always wanted to try a dish with plantains, here is a great option!

Ingredients

   

Mofongo:

• 4 Green Plantains
• 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
• 4 Slices of Thick Cut Bacon
• 1 Tbsp Garlic, Minced
• Salt and Black Pepper to Taste

      Chicken Sauce:

• 2-3 Boneless Chicken Breasts, Cubed
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• Medium-Small Onion, Diced
• Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 2 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
• 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1 1/2 Tsp Cumin
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• 1 Tsp Coriander
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

Directions

1. Peel plantains by cutting the outer peel with a knife and running your thumb between the plantain and the peel.
2. Cut the plantains into 1/2-1" disks and place into a put with water and 1 Tsp salt and allow to soak for about 15 minutes.  After they have soaked for 15 minutes bring water to a boil and boil plantains for 5 minutes, drain from the water and dry using paper towel.
3. Cook bacon in a frying pan, when fully cooked place onto a plate with paper towel to dry off excess grease.
4. Fry plantain disks in the same frying pan using the excess bacon grease.  You may need to add a little extra coconut oil if the bacon grease dries.  Fry until golden brown.
5. Dice the cooled, dried bacon
6. Add all Mofongo ingredients into either a food processor or mortar and pestel to mash to the consistency of traditional mashed potatoes.  Add Chicken Stock a little at a time as you mash the ingredients together, you may need to add more or less Chicken Stock to get the desired consistency.
7. To make the chicken sauce, first heat coconut oil in frying pan and saute the onion, pepper, garlic, and cilantro, for about 4 minutes, or until soft.
8. Add tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, and chicken stock, cook for another 3-4 minutes
9. Add chicken and remaining herbs and spices and cook until chicken is fully cooked.
10. To serve, ladle sauce onto plate and form Mofongo into baseball to softball size balls and place in center of plate.  Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro. 

Boiling the plantains.

I used a food processor to mash the Mofongo.