How I Broke My Food Addictions with Whole 30

I love the holidays and all the festive foods that go along with it.   I look forward to the cookies, candy and eggnog as much as the next person.  No way am I going to deny myself those once a year treats, they are totally worth it.  But after weeks of indulging, my body thinks it can have anything it wants, anytime it wants.  When I realize that I can't make it through the day without a little sweet treat or a square of chocolate, it's time for a self imposed intervention.  My name is Melissa and I'm a sugar and carb addict. 

This is why I join all the other dieters in January.  It's a good time to start fresh and cleanse my system.  Last year I did the Fast Metabolism Diet and shared my thoughts here.  I thought it was a healthy eating plan and I was happy with the results.  The only downside was the intense amount of planning and preparation that went into the different phases of the diet each week. 

This year I wanted something a little simpler and decided to give Whole 30 a try.  I had read a lot about it online and thought the restrictive guidelines would be good for me.  No grains, dairy, dried beans or sugar.  That meant no bread products, pasta, rice or potatoes, all foods that  break down like sugar in the body, and are especially problematic for those of us who have insulin resistance.  For the most part, I make healthy carb choices- brown rice over white, steel cut oats over quick cooking, whole wheat breads and pastas over white.  The problem is that I eat too much of even the good stuff.  Knowing my all or nothing personality, cutting back wouldn't work for me, I had to make a clean break.  Thirty days may or may not sound like a long time to you, but when your body is used to having something everyday, it can be tough at first to go cold turkey.  For a couple of days, I wanted my carbs, badly.  But after that, I was ok. 

So, what did you eat, you might ask?  Lean protein (chicken, fish, pork, beef), vegetables (no corn, but pretty much anything else), fruits and healthy fats.  That meant I could have nut butters, avocados, olive and coconut oils.   I focused on all the good things I could have and tried to put the other stuff out of my mind.  I was never hungry.  I did get tired of eating eggs for breakfast.  Towards the end of the month, I could make dessert for my family and not even be tempted by it.  That my friends, is real progress.

Dinner menus for the week looked something like this:

* pork chops with cinnamon apples

   roasted sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes are allowed)

   balsamic brussels sprouts

*oriental chicken salad with grilled chicken

   mandarin oranges and nuts

*grilled hamburgers (no bun for me)

  sweet potato fries

  coleslaw 

* grilled chicken with salsa and avocado

   broccoli

* salmon with mustard sauce

   swiss chard 

* steak with creamed garlic spinach

* pork tenderloin (cooked in crockpot)

   spaghetti squash with walnuts

   roasted vegetables

*oven fried salmon cakes

  lemon spinach

*roast beef with veggies

  green beans

I made a lot of recipes from this cookbook, including mayonnaise.  With that healthy mayo, made with light olive oil, I could then create mayonnaise based salads like chicken, egg and tuna, as well as coleslaw and garlic creamed spinach, that was to die for.  From this same cookbook, I made ketchup (without all the sugar), oven salmon cakes, cauliflower rice (it's better than it sounds) and broccoli salad.  I learned about some new food items too, like coconut milk and ghee.  I adapted some of my tried and true recipes, like butternut squash soup.  When planning my meals, I would start out with a protein, like roast chicken or beef, and then add the veggies that I could eat as sides.  No measuring, counting calories or taking supplements or drops.  It was really pretty easy.  I knew what I could eat, and what I couldn't and I just stuck with the plan.  For 30 days.  

At the end of the month, I had lost ten pounds and dropped my blood sugar into double digits.  That's what I was really going for.  That, and feeling in control once again, of the food I eat.  Thank you Whole 30 for helping me subdue my addictions to carbs and sugar.  I'm sleeping better.  I have more energy.  It feels good!

From here on out, this is my plan.  I'm reintroducing some carbs back into my diet.  I'm eating oatmeal again.  I'm drinking milk and having yogurt and cheese.  I still haven't had bread, but I baked some good bread this week, and when I'm ready to have a serving, I will.  The key for me is to forward think through my eating choices for the day.  If I want oatmeal for breakfast, then I 'll have it.  But that means no carbs for lunch or dinner.  If I want pasta for dinner, then I have to eat eggs for breakfast and a salad or soup for lunch.  In other words, I'm going to enjoy carbs again, but on my terms.   Am I going to bake cakes and cookies?  You bet.  But not as often.  When it's time to celebrate, I plan on celebrating. I'm already thinking about what fantastic, chocolate something I can make for Valentine's Day.  But those splurges will be the exception and not the norm.  I love food too much to deny myself the pleasure that comes from preparing and serving a wonderful meal.  But food cannot be an idol that I worship, and yes, I do believe it had come to that.  Now I have it in it's proper place and I pray that I can keep it there.  

A Year of 30 Day Challenges = A Healthier Me

Last year I wrote this post about 30 Day Challenges and my thoughts on how I would use them to help me become healthier in 2014.  If you aren't familiar with 30 Day Challenges, you might want to go back and read that.  A short, but really good, TED talk is included in the post.  Over the past few years, I've used these challenges to motivate me in lots of ways, but this past year the focus was on my health.  

Trying to shed a few pounds, eat better and move more have become a new normal way of life.  The older I get, the harder it seems to be.  Even if the scales don't move, the weight seems to redistribute itself in weird ways, that I don't like very much.  Now, I'm not obsessed with body image, but I know that when I'm not carrying extra weight around, I feel better and have more energy.  I also believe that learning to have self mastery over the body is a spiritual discipline.  My body is a temple that houses my spirit, so I have a responsibility to take care of it in the best way that I can.  But bottom line is, it's still hard. 

The 30 Day Challenges helped motivate me though, and I don't think I realized how much, until I looked back at the entire year.  It's that baby steps approach that I love so much.  Doing a little bit, over time, adds up to a lot.  I listed each month's challenge in the sidebar and sometimes I would post about my progress, but mostly I just let those goals hang out there as a reminder to myself.  Here's a quick recap of each month.

January- Use the Fast Metabolism Diet to shed some holiday weight.  This was a healthy eating plan that freed me from addictions to sugar, dairy, and most carbs.  I lost 15 pounds and felt great.  At the end of the month I wrote this post about the experience. 

February - Join the Y, start pilates class.  After years of being a solo exerciser, I thought it might be fun to take some classes, do something new.  I joined the Y and started going to pilates.  I didn't  like pilates, at all.  It was too hard and just frustrated me.  So, I started going to yoga instead and found it to be just what I needed.   Almost a year later, I can speak the "down dog" language.  Many times I still have sore muscles for days after a class.  Yoga is not easy, but I can tell it's good for my body.   After a few months of yoga, it occurred to me that I wasn't having any back pain, something that I had struggled with intermittently, since my back surgery.  This was an unexpected result that was a real blessing. 

March -Make and drink healthy smoothies.  Here was a challenge that I could get into.   I searched for new recipes and pulled out the blender.  I tried and tried to like green smoothies, but I just couldn't.  Turns out I like to chew my greens more than I like to drink them.  But I do love a good fruit and yogurt smoothie.  

April - Take extra steps by parking in the farthest parking spot.

This is a simple thing that adds up.  Instead of scouring the lot for the closest parking spot, park at the back and walk a little more.  Sometimes I would forget, but now it's an ingrained habit.  I still do this.

May- Begin training for a 5K.   This is something I've had on my bucket list for awhile now.  Don't ask me why I want to do this.  I have no idea.  I'm not an athlete, never have been.  I just want to say that I've done it.  This seemed like as good a time as any to get started.  I used a couch to 5K app on my phone and it worked out well for about a month.  I realized it wasn't my friend when it told me I should be able to run for twenty minutes and I could barely make it for ten.  I knew if I pushed myself too hard, I would just quit.  So I deleted the app and ran on my own schedule.  I'm still working on this.  It's taking me much longer than I thought it would.  But slow and steady will win this race.  

June- Get eight hours of sleep each night.  I loved this challenge. But I think I've decided that seven hours is about right for me.  I don't need eight hours of sleep every night.

July- Eat from the garden.   Maybe I was getting a little easy on myself at this point.  I mean really, how hard is it to eat wonderful garden food?   I love nothing more than a dinner that I've grown myself.  I'd like to have a good tomato right about now.

August- Try to walk 10,000 steps a day with my Fitbit.   I love my Fitbit.  It helps me to be more active.  Getting in 10,000 steps a day takes effort.  I don't sit a lot during the day, but I can't usually get in 10,000 steps without intentionally choosing to do some extra walking.  On the days that I train for the 5k, I can do it.  On yoga days, I don't always make it.  Having that wristband vibrate and light up to indicate that I've met my goal still makes me smile every time.  I have friends who use a Fitbit and it's fun to encourage each other.

September- Yoga twice a week, continue training for 5K .  My ideal exercise week is to train on M,W, F and Sat. and take yoga on Tues and Thurs.  It doesn't always work out, but that's what I shoot for.  Having this as a challenge helped me to establish a routine and get in the habit of being at the Y at certain times.  Now I don't have to think about what I do on each day.  I'm in the habit.  I just have to make myself get up, get dressed and out the door.  Sometimes thats harder than the exercise.

October - Strength training twice a week  Since I was at the Y to take my yoga class, I figured I should go a little early and work out on the weight machines.   After all, I was paying to use them, but not taking advantage of it.  When I joined the Y in February, I went to a few training sessions.  My trainer told me then, that to be strong and healthy, I needed to work on four things; strength, balance, stretching and aerobic activity.  I wasn't interested in building muscle, just trying to be a little stronger.  I want to be able to easily lift that carry on bag over my head to put it in the overhead bin! 

November - Continue to work on 5k training  It had been seven months since I started this running thing.  I needed to stay focused on my goal.  At this point I was up to running 2 miles at a time, but not to my goal of 3.  I was starting to get a little discouraged at how long this was taking me, so I had to give this my full attention.  I found a running podcast that I enjoyed and tried to stay motivated.

December- Stick to the exercise plan through the holidays.  I always abandon exercise in the month of December.  I tell myself I'm not going to, because it will help me eliminate the stress that comes with the season, but then I get busy and it's the first thing to go.   But not this year, because I was making it my 30 Day Challenge.  I did well until Dec. 12th, and then I got sick.  And was sick for the next two weeks.  Oh well, I tried.

I know that I am healthier now than I was a year ago.  I challenged myself to something new each month and then moved on.  Some of the challenges "stuck" and became habits.  This is what I love about a 30 Day Challenge.  I can do most anything for 30 days.  Knowing that I only have to do it for 30 days means there is light at the end of the tunnel.  But the great thing is that after 30 days, sometimes that challenge isn't so much of a challenge anymore.  I love that.  

28 Days Later - Thoughts on the Fast Metabolism Diet

Well, my first 30 Day Challenge of 2014 is behind me.  Since I was having a hard time getting my pants buttoned after the holidays, I knew I needed to shed some weight.  Going on a diet is not something I look forward to, and believe me,  I've had some experience with it over the years.  A person like me, who loves food, I mean, really, loves food, often struggles with keeping a proper balance.  And because of that struggle, there are times when you just have to do what you gotta do, mainly stop eating so much of the wrong things.  

I chose the Fast Metabolism Diet because I had watched friends successfully lose weight by following it, and because I liked the methods the author uses to help reset a sluggish metabolism, which I was quite sure I had.  All natural, whole foods make up the diet.  No weird overly processed diet foods, liquid shakes or bars.   No drops under the tongue or pills.  No counting calories or points.  Just lots of eating good, healthy food.

I bought the book and read it cover to cover, studying and preparing for a new way of eating.  There are a number of recipes in the book, but you know me, I wanted the additional cookbook, with more recipes.  People who love food, also love cookbooks.  Between the two books, I had more than enough new dishes to try and ended up enjoying every one of them.

The first week was the hardest.  I felt as though I was reading or thinking about food, shopping for food, prepping food, cooking food or eating food, nonstop, every waking moment.  By the end of the week, it was making even me, the food lover that I am, a little crazy.  To say the first week is intense might be an understatement.

I was never hungry, because you have to eat every three to four hours.  I loved that about the diet, but after a while I was tired of eating.  Imagine that.  I found it was imperative to be very organized and plan all of my meals and snacks in advance.  At the beginning of the week, I would take out all the vegetables, prep them and put them in bags.  This was a convenience that was worth the effort.  

On this diet, you focus on eating fruit and whole grain carbs (like oatmeal and brown rice), along with lean protein on Monday and Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday is heavy on lean protein and low glycemic vegetables (no carbs or fruit), and was the most challenging phase of the diet for me.  But it only lasted two days each week.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I could eat some foods from Phase 1 and 2 (Monday- Thursday), but also add in healthy fats, like olive oil, hummus, salmon, avocados.  I lived for the weekends. Then it started all over again with Phase 1 on Monday.  Twenty eight days of following this eating plan and your body begins to reset how it metabolizes food for fuel.   According to the author, it begins to believe you will feed it regularly and well, therefore, it doesn't need to hold onto the food your giving it, for fear it might not get any again for a while.  The extra weight starts to come off.  It amazes me that you can eat this much food, and still lose weight.

After the first week, I got into a little groove with my meal plans and things became easier.  I could remember the foods that were allowed each day and didn't have to rely on the book so much.  I made hummus for the weekends, boiled eggs to have for snacks, kept veggies and fruits prepped and ready to go, cooked a big pot of steel cut oats and divided them into single servings, oven roasted sweet potatoes and used them in all kinds of ways.  I bought the family size container of spinach and fresh salsa from Sam's. I also discovered that I liked sprouted grain bread and tortillas, brown rice pasta, quinoa, chicken sausage, cashew butter and kale chips.  I quickly found out that I did not like turkey bacon, at all.  I used lots of peppers in every shade, along with onions.  Oh, and mushrooms.  I ate a lot of mushrooms.  My husband wasn't a fan of some of the things I was eating, but he loves baked potatoes and would happily eat one for dinner every night.  No, I didn't feed him a baked potato for dinner every night, but no matter what I prepared for him, he never complained.  He's as low maintenance when it comes to food, as I am high maintenance. 

 I tried to focus on all the delicious foods I could have, rather than the things I could not, like sugar, wheat, corn, white potatoes, rice and pasta and dairy.  No diet foods or sodas were allowed either.   Strangely, I missed my milk, yogurt and cheeses the most and that was the first thing I went to the store to buy when my twenty eight days were up.  As hard as it is to fast from those foods, I know that my body needed to give them up completely in order to break its dependance on them.  The entire first week I had a headache and I totally believe I was going through withdrawal from sugar and carbs.  After the first week, I felt fine.  In fact, I felt better than fine, I felt great!   That great feeling is what kept me motivated to stay committed to my goal. 

Having a few friends who were also on the diet helped.  I think I needed that support system.  When I was wanting chocolate, all I had to do was let them know and they gave me ideas to help with that craving.  We shared recipes and cooking tips with each other.  It made the project more enjoyable to have others along on the journey with me.  

When I started the diet, I told myself that I didn't care so much about the numbers on the scale, that I just wanted to cleanse my body from the indulgences of the holidays, lower my blood sugar and feel in control of my eating choices.  Those were my goals.  Now if a woman tells you she doesn't care about the numbers on a scale, she's probably not being honest with you.  I weighed myself every day.  And the number jumped up and down.  I have to admit it was frustrating to lose one day and gain the next.  But in the course of the month, I lost nine pounds,  my clothes are now looser and my blood sugar is in a good space.  My doctor is going to be happy when I go in for my next blood tests.  What I love the most, is that I am in control of my food and not the other way around.  Sugar and carbs are addicting, and it takes time to get those out of your system.  But I know if you stick with it long enough, you really do lose the cravings for those things.  I was at a church dinner this week and everyone at the table had dessert.  I didn't even want any.  And I didn't feel like I was being deprived in any way. I honestly didn't want it.  And if you know me well, you know that is a miracle.  

I've found that when you give your body healthy, unprocessed foods, your taste buds become reacquainted with the way food should taste.  An apple or orange can be incredibly sweet.  Brown rice has a nutty sweetness to it that's very satisfying.  A green salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing tastes clean and fresh.  Nut butters on sprouted grain toast is delightful.  Eating real food becomes exciting and nourishes the body the way it is intended to nourish.  This new way of eating has been a great learning experience for me.

Interestingly enough, the first day I was "off the diet", I got up and found myself thinking, "I can eat whatever I want now."  And I chose the same foods I had eaten on the diet.  Turns out, I like this food and want to keep eating it.   I also plan to continue to:

* Eat three meals a day and two snacks. 

* Plan ahead and keep prepping foods, so I'll always have the healthy stuff on hand.

* Drink lots of water.

* Eat bread and pasta sparingly. And only when it's really good.  I don't have to eat bread just because it's on the table.  But if it's really good bread, I'm going to have some and enjoy every bite. 

* Stay away from any food that is fake.  Eat whole, natural foods.

* Think before eating.  Is this something that I really want?  Is it a special occasion or celebration and worthy of indulgence?  I will definitely be baking again and making wonderful treats, just not nearly as often.  

* Eat seasonal foods that taste delicious.

* Continue making the recipes from the plan that I loved, like the spicy chipotle chicken sausage bowl, meaty spaghetti sauce and stuffed mushrooms.  Make big pots of chili and soup and keep some in the freezer for days when I'm too busy to cook.  Brown rice, quinoa and cooked beans freeze beautifully.  

* Stay active.

So, I'm a big fan of the Fast Metabolism Diet.  I think it's a healthy way to lose weight and I would recommend it, not only as a way to take off some pounds, but as a sustainable lifestyle.  I'm going to try very hard to maintain the new habits I've formed, and if in the future, I find myself in an unhealthy relationship with food, I know I need to get right back on this plan for another 28 days and get straightened out.  

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Healthy fats.  I love them.  Unhealthy fats, well I like them just fine too and that's part of the reason I'm on a diet right now.  But this great diet I'm on, (read more about it here and here) allows me to enjoy some healthy fats each week.  By Friday, I'm dreaming of olive oil, avocados, salmon and hummus.  I do love hummus and the best I've ever had was in Israel.  Gosh, that was good hummus.  I suppose it's a good thing I liked it, because it was served with pretty much every meal.  

You can buy some really good hummus in the stores these days, but it's so easy to make yourself, that I rarely do.  I like to have control over my ingredients and the quantity that I make.  Do I want to make a little, or a lot?  And, it's much less expensive to make your own, even after you buy the tahini, which isn't cheap, but lasts a long time and will make lots of hummus. 

These are the ingredients that I used to make this roasted red pepper hummus.  You can omit the peppers if you'd rather have the plain version, or you could add other ingredients in place of the pepper, like spinach or olives.  There are lots of possibilities and this basic recipe is fun to experiment with.

I drained and rinsed the garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas) and put them into the food processor.

I juiced several lemons,

and rough chopped my garlic.  The food processor will do most of the work here.

Tahini is a sesame seed paste, having the consistency of a natural peanut butter. The oils will separate and you'll have to stir before using. This goes into the bowl with the other ingredients.

I used one and a half peppers, again, just rough chopping.  Then I  blended it all up in the food processor, adding a little drizzle of olive oil at the very end.  It seems to give the hummus a creamier texture, which I like.

Ta-dah!  So Yummy...

Hummus

1 -16oz. can of drained and rinsed chickpeas

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 T. tahini

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

salt to taste

 drizzle of olive oil

Puree until smooth, adding olive oil at the end.

Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.  More juice?

More garlic? More salt?  However you like it.

Serve with veggies, on wraps, or with warm pita bread.

All delicious options.

How to Improve Your Life with a 30 Day Challenge

In August of 2012, I attended BYU Education week. This is something I love to do as often as I can. ( You can go here to find out why I keep going back, year after year.)  Upon returning home, I have pages of notes, book titles to add to my "must read" list and thoughts constantly swarming around in my brain, about all the great things I learned.  But how much of that do I retain, after six months or longer?  Not as much as I would like.  I have, however, remembered and applied much of what I learned in one of the classes that I took.  Sister Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt taught a class  entitled, "Seeing Yourself as You Really Are, and As You Really Can Be", and much of the content of that class is in this book.  I've enjoyed the book, but the class was so much better.  Sister Platt was entertaining and cute as a button and I often find myself thinking back to those four hours in her class and the things she taught.  At the beginning of one of her classes she showed this TED talk, entitled 30 Day Challenges.  It's only 3 minutes long, so go ahead and watch it. You won't be sorry.   

Wasn't that great?  Are you motivated to try something new?  In the past few years I've tried a number of 30 Day Challenges from everything to practicing the piano, knitting, taking pictures, exercising, speaking positive words and reading the scriptures.  I agree with the speaker when he said, "You can do almost anything for 30 days."  And even if I wasn't completely successful at accomplishing my goal for the full 30 days each time, the way I see it, any attempt at improvement is movement in the right direction.  And 30 days will pass whether we set a goal or not, so why not set a goal and work on it?

I've decided that this year my 30 Day Challenges will revolve around becoming a healthier me.  I know January is the month that everyone is making such resolutions, but I'm hoping this will carry over into February and beyond. Some months will be more difficult than others (like getting eight hours of sleep is going to be a lot more fun than training for a 5K), but I'm hoping that each month I'll learn something that will help me be just a little healthier and happier.   

Now, for my first 30 Day Challenge of the year, I've chosen to try and shed some holiday weight.  I don't regret all that yummy food I ate, because the holidays only come once a year and food is a big part of that celebration for us.  But, I am having a hard time getting my pants buttoned, so I need to deal with this, and pronto.  I like to be able to breathe, you know?  So here's my plan for becoming a thinner me - I'm following the Fast Metabolism Diet.  I'm not big on diets in general, but a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do, right?  I'm a week into this one and actually feeling pretty good about things.  Here are the reasons I chose this plan:

* It's healthy and scientifically based to help reset your metabolism.

* No weird diet foods, just "real" food, eaten at specific times.

* The plan is 28 days long, so it fits perfectly with my challenge

* I've watched others around me shrink while on this plan.  It works! 

I'll keep you posted about my progress.  I hope to have good things to report at the end of the month.  One nice thing that has already come out of this challenge, is that I have learned to make a most excellent roasted red pepper hummus.  Stop back by in a few days for the recipe.  

*I'd love to hear about your goals for the new year.