Whole30 Week 3

Ok. Whole30 Week 3 is CRUSHED!

I still can’t believe how quickly the past 21 days have gone!

 

My first thoughts when I started doing the Whole30:

 

• “ I have to give up cheese??? Who does that?”
• “ Is it still possible to maintain Crossfit and eat this way?”
• “WTF is wrong with me?” 
• 
• “I am a rebel anyway; I’m going to make this Whole30 wish it never challenged me. I will destroy it!”
• Final thought: - looks down at stubborn areas “See you never!”

And here I am 21 days later and I feel fantastic. Who knew that eating fat means losing fat? I know…mind bottling. That’s been one of the bigger challenges eating like this. I follow the meal plan guidelines here, and every time I sit to eat ½ an avocado or add a tablespoon or two to our meats/veggies I cringe inwardly. I was hard wired as a kid that fat is bad! Fat will make you huge! Boy, I needed reprogramming cause now I understand the magic behind it. Your body NEEDS fat to live. If you don’t feed your body the necessary amount of fat IT WILL STORE IT. That’s right. By not eating enough fat your body will send messages throughout say “Keep it! We need it for later because we don’t know when we will get more!”

"Lower-fat diets can also have negative impacts on adipokines which impact fat loss. Adipokines are hormones released specifically from your fat cells. One such hormone, adiponectin, is a true fat-burning hormone that works to enhance your metabolism and increase the rate in which fats are broken down, curbing your appetite. Lower-fat diets lead to lower levels of adiponectin."- Body Building.com

It is frowned upon to measure our progress during the Whole30. So, following that rule, my only measure of success comes from a variety of areas:

My Crossfit performance has improved! Hitting PRs, fine tuning my technique on my weaknesses, and it’s always nice to hear compliments from the Coach 🙂

My clothes are MUCH looser. Seriously, my once tight fitting work pants are now TOO BIG.

Compliments from family, friends, and co-workers. I LOVE these! One of my co-workers came up to me and said,”Amanda, you are looking so thin! What’s your secret?” Made my day/week.

And my ever loving husband who tells me I am looking good!

 

This week has been the week where things “clicked”. I am more comfortable with what is compliant and what isn’t. I am getting used to making just about everything from scratch ( max effort = max results right?)

 

And now that I am hooked on this way of eating, I will probably do a Whole30 every couple of months to keep myself in line but I still plan to continue eating a Paleo diet afterwards.

 

If you are interested in doing a Whole30 for yourself, I HIGHLY recommend it! It’s just 30 days. Give it a go and if you hate it, then at least you can say you did it anyways!

 

Here are some of my favorite meals so far:

 

Grilled Chicken breast with beef stock whipped red potatoes and steamed kale

 

Badass Burrito Bowls from Performance Paleo Cookbook

 

Grilled Shrimp Kebabs with lots of bright roasted veggies

 

Jalapeno Turkey Burger lettuce wraps with a wollop of guacamole

 

Turkey Meatballs with spaghetti squash and homemade marinara

 

CHIPOTLE SALAD BOWLS!!! I had my first Chipotle experience a week ago and it was AMAZING…I got the Salad bowl (no dressing) double meat Carnitas with pico de gallo and guacamole. YUM

 

I'm no longer a Chipotle virgin!! I heard they were a good option for dining out on the #whole30 and I am in love!! 😍😍😍 got salad ( no dressing), double meat carnitas, pico de gallo, and guacamole!!! #chipotle #guac #avocado #salad #carnitas #lowcarb #whole30lunch #whole30homies #whole30sisters #whole30challenge #paleo #protein #grassfed #iifym #instafood #fresh #fitfood #fitfuel #foodporn #eatclean #eeeeeats #eatforabs

A photo posted by Amanda (@thekitcheneer) on Apr 25, 2015 at 3:35pm PDT

 

If you are interested in doing the Whole30, what else would you like to see here on the blog to help you out? I’d love to hear from you!