What Are You Eating? It Can't Be Healthy....

I've had a few people ask me about the Whole 30... who am I kidding?  I've had a boatload of people email me about it and ask questions.

Some people have been very concerned about what I'm eating.

Relax... here's a great example of what I'm eating...

Today, for breakfast, I had an omelet made with whole eggs, salsa and half an avocado.  I had 2 pieces of bacon.  I had a nectarine.

For lunch, I had a salad with about 5 oz of chicken I baked earlier in the week with a chipotle rub, black olives, half a tomato,  a piece of bacon crumbled and a dressing I made out of homemade mayo and the other half of the avocado.

I snacked on some macadamia nuts.

Tonight for dinner, I'm having a pork loin roast, crockpot apples (apples with cinnamon) and some potatoes diced and sauteed in butter with herbs.

See- I'm starving....  not.

I was not great about working out this week because of the holiday and my trip thrown in on my normal work out day.  But honestly, I'm not upset- I just missed some days, nothing awful. We're biking tomorrow and I will grab a quick work out. 

In my first 2 weeks, I've lost 7 1/2 pounds.  Working out like I always have, eating more calories.

It's crazy.

I need to back off the nuts this week to help get the pace back up, but as you can tell, I'm clearly not starving. 

And this week's takeaway-- not only is my skin soft, but my mental acuity is back.  Freakishly back.  I can concentrate.  I listen better.  It's all good.  I thought that was gone with motherhood.  Nope.

I have so much energy, I don't need coffee to get started in the morning. It's probably because I'm sleeping through the night. 

So for all the naysayers that think this a diet-- it's not.  It's going to take a LOT to get me to stop eating like this.  I'm serious.  I feel that good.  This week was a crazy busy and while I am tired, I am not exhausted.

When I was cutting calories and counting everything, I was tired, hungry and got nowhere.

I am so happy that I found this.  Who would have thought my "healthy" diet full of oatmeal, yogurt, and all things fresh and good was making me sick?

And yet it was.

Week 2 on the Whole 30-- Wanna Touch my Skin??

Wanna touch my skin??

It's really soft.

No, seriously, it is.

Yes, you can touch it.

Nope, I don't have lotion on.

Amazing, isn't it?



I may have crossed over into the realm of nutty.  On Saturday, I was just sitting there and I realized that MY SKIN IS SILKY SMOOTH AND SOFT.

No kidding.  We had some friends over that night and I kept asking if they wanted to touch it (and I was the only one NOT drinking....).

A colleague of mine who I used to office with about 14 years ago said "But you've always had nice skin..."

Nope.  I told her she missed my 30's and the 40's were starting out a little scary.  I NEVER had acne as a teenager.  No joke.  When I spent a year in Ecuador- and my friends who were there can back me up on this- I used to get stopped on the street and asked what I used on my face.  I think Noxzema had a boom year because of me.

I started to get a few cystic zits in college- stress.  Then it got worse.  Then it got horrible.  My hormones, stress, bad eating habits-- if it didn't get better, I was on my way to the dermatologist.

But now, I can save the co-pay.

Without getting too graphic, because I know I have male readers, let's just say, this isn't the week my skin should be clearing up.  And I certainly shouldn't be losing weight.

Yep, you know what I mean.  Something is just around the corner, and it ain't Christmas.

I have a few friends who think I'm on some nutty diet.  It's not- I swear.  I knew I wasn't feeling well and wanted to try something out there before resorting to a life of feeling blah.

So I cut out the sugar, the grains, the dairy, the beans, and the caffeine (which I've added a little more in because apparently I wasn't supposed to cut it out completely).

And baby, I'm back!

I have energy.  My skin is clear.  My skin is soft. I can focus.  I am sharp.  I am calm.  I am smiling more.  And yes, I lost a little weight, but honestly, I will never go back to eating like I was ever again.

Period.

Never.

This past Sunday we went for a family bike ride.  We used to do them quite a bit and with the summer, it's way too freaking hot here, so we hadn't in awhile.  In the interim, I started this and my husband lost another 20+ pounds this summer.

We rode for 3-4 miles in about 20-30 minutes.  We weren't flying by any means, but we definitely were going at a good pace for a family of 4.  When we got home my husband and I both commented that in the spring, we would have gone about 2 miles in the same time and would have been wiped out when we got home.  Neither one of us was even tired or out of breath.  And we both commented that we could have gone longer-- the reason we didn't was because quite honestly, I ran out of places for us to ride!

We both smiled and agreed that that was EXACTLY why we were losing weight, exercising and eating healthier.  It's not for skinny jeans- which may never happen for us-- it was to enjoy life more.

Between my soft skin-- wanna touch it?-- and the ability to go for a ride without falling over-- plus all the other amazing things--- you can keep your ice cream.

Yep.  I said that.

Keep your ice cream.

I may indulge from time to time-- maybe not ice cream but wine is definitely coming back-- but honestly, I cannot go back.

I may even stay fat, but I am not going to poison myself and ruin the ability to enjoy life because I want a stupid donut.

Never, ever again.

This is so much easier than I ever thought it would be.

If you are bloated, tired, grumpy and your skin looks like you're fifty but you're 35- do it.  Once you get past that first week, you will never regret it.

Thank you to Helen and Candi for telling me about this!

So what have I been doing since I stopped blogging here...

This has always been my secondary blog and I've been quite lazy about keeping it up.  Since I'm doing the Whole 30, I feel like I'm obsessed by diet & exercise.  I don't want to bog down the other blog with my rantings and thoughts.  This also, I'm hoping, will keep me focused for the the remained for the Whole 30.

So I broke my finger which brought my Crossfit to a crashing halt.  Midway into month 2.  I only had 3 months to do it because of schedule issues.

Here's what I came away from Crossfit with:

#1- You really DO need to have some base level of fitness to get the most out of it.  I was soooo out of shape (comparatively speaking) that I had modified the classes to a new low. 

#2- With that said, I loved Crossfit.  I love the concept of pushing just past where you think you're comfortable.  Now during my workouts I always push during the last set until I don't think I can- I don't have any set reps-- I do as many as I can.  I also started increasing the weights significantly just to see what I can do.  I got that from Crossfit.  I don't want to hurt myself, but I keep pushing.  The arbitrary 10 rep set, or 25 rep set really does seem arbitrary.

#3- I can almost run now.  Weird.  Still not in my Top 10 list of things I want to do.  But rather than walk, I run (okay jog) between sets.  I pass people on the track.  Imagine that.  I laugh every time I do.

#4- Diversity is the key.  I do think diversity is important in life- in food, in the workplace, in music, in everything.  Now I use that same ideology in my workouts.  Every day is a different.  We never did the same routine at Crossfit.  I never do the same routine at the gym.  There are a million (okay maybe a thousand) different machines at my gym.  There are free weights.  There is an area with medicine balls.  Every work out I force myself to try something new.  I always do abs, but everything else is a something different.  I may do squats with the ball, or squats holding on to the railing, or squats with dumbbells, or squats with the squat machine.  There are hundreds of ways to work my upper body.  Why get stuck?  Even cardio.  I hurt my ankle last week.  Hard to run, fine to bike or row. 

#5- You don't need to be there for an hour to get a good workout in.  Most of my workouts are 30-45 minutes.  And I am soaked by the end.  That has been my new goal- to be the sweatiest person in the gym (I swear a lot, so this isn't too terrible).  I can keep my heart rate up, lifting the same as if I was in a spin class.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not lying on the floor groaning like many Crossfit people are, but I'm leaving feeling like I did something.

#6- Stretching is important.  Yep.  I've always been a fan.  I warm up.  I stretch a little (the active stretching technique I learned from Crossfit).  I work out.  If I'm stiff, I'll stretch at the stretching station mid-workout.

#7- Paleo.  See previous blogs.


Basically, I go MWF during my son's jiu jitsu class.  It's a push to get us both there but now it's become our thing.  We are workout buddies.  It's awesome.  I'm focusing on weight training with some cardio.  We are planning on running a 5K next month, but haven't trained much-- school just started and we had some freaky hot/humid weather.  This week, we should get in runs on T-R-Sa.  Or that's the plan.  Tap dancing and Zumba are fun things thrown in.  Or as I like to say the reason I want to get fit is so I can enjoy doing them even more.

And, as you can see I'm doing the Whole 30 program to transition to a more Paleo based diet.  The 80%/20% thing wasn't working for me, so I thought I'd give it 100%.

Wow.

I've had withdrawals.  Today, my skin is clearing up.  Let's just say this isn't the "time of the month" where it should be.  I'm moving into the zit zone.  Overall, I have no complaints.  It's been much easier to follow than I would have thought.  I think it's because I've slowly transitioned to it to begin with- going cold turkey wasn't the end of the world.  It's been a week.  I do want some popcorn.  We are going to the movies today- that's going to be hard.  And chocolate.  I need to find something I can do about that.  Especially since we're getting closer to that "time of the month."  Trust me, it's better for society if I can find something chocolate!

I was happy with Weight Watchers last year- I loved the support- however, the diet plan didn't work for me.  At all. 

This seems to be working.  I'm eating more.  I'm losing.  I'm working out smarter. 

I still have a very, very, very long way to go, but for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm at least on the right track.  Being at healthy weight (not my goal weight) by my birthday in January seems entirely reasonable.  Not a "Gee, I hope I can make it."  I will make it.  Besides, my party theme is White Trash and I want to look good in my tube top and inappropriately tight leggings!!

Doing the Whole 30

The Whole 30

This past Monday I started a detox program (for lack of a better term) for the next 30 days.  I promised I would give a progress report on how I'm doing.

Still sorta sucking, but I am seeing the benefits already.

I've cut out processed sugar, grains, dairy, beans and caffeine.  I guess caffeine wasn't required, but I figured, why not. I had a glass of green tea yesterday and rambled like a loon.  I think it impacts me more than most people.

Before you get all "Mama Bean you need to eat a balanced diet...."  trust me, I am.  I am eating fruits, vegetables, proteins-- all good.  I am getting fiber from the fruits and veggies.  This isn't a bacon-bacon- and more bacon diet (not that I wouldn't love that).  My breath doesn't stink.  I don't have gas.

I am, however, very tired, still.  I don't look radiant quite yet.  And I'm well, a little pissy.

I should have known that this would work.  I was very food-sensitive as a kid.  Not highly allergic to anything in particular, but I had reactions to chocolate and dairy a lot.  I thought I had "grown out of it."  It's not looking that way.

I have lost a LOT of water weight just this first week.  I can tell, if no one else can.  It's like I'm deflating.  I am peeing like I'm pregnant.  No, it's not fat loss, but that's really not what this is about.  It's about correcting my insulin levels in hopes that this is what my issue is.

My clothes are noticeably loose.  I had tightened up after Crossfit, but was hesistant to buy new clothes.  I can wear clothes a size too big-- no problem.  It makes me feel thin (regardless of the size, of course!)  I have a feeling in 3 weeks, that won't be an option.  Especially where the weight is coming off.

My hips, stomach and upper arms are shrinking.  Clothes that were tight or fit last Saturday are looser.  I have on a t-shirt and the arms are loose.  They were tight the last time I wore it. I  put on a t-shirt for my tap class on Thursday and it easily fell over my hips and butt.

I'm tracking what I'm eating in my food journal and here's the interesting part-- it's the same or more than the Weight Watchers points.  My fat is higher.  Yet, the weight is coming off-- again, I know it's mostly water weight at this point.

It's a bit freaky, honestly.  It's enough to keep me motivated to keep going.

This isn't something designed to keep doing.  At the end of the 30 days, I reintroduce foods back in, one at a time.  The ones I react to, I will avoid (not necessarily eliminate entirely, but know that there are consequences to eating it).  The ones I have no issue with, I will put back in in healthy portions.  If I had to guess, sugar and dairy are gone.  I don't think I have an issue with gluten.  I honestly don't eat enough bread and pasta to make it an issue.  I do love ice cream.  And yogurt.  And all things dairy.  But we'll see.  

I always joke that I'm the 2%-- no, not the wealthy folks, but the 2% that always have a reaction to medication.  When the studies say "2% of the population developed a rash from taking...." I will get a rash from holding the bottle.  Any time my doctor prescribes something I ask "What are the side effects?"  She'll go through them.  I plan for them.  And it's not suggestive illness, either.  I'll have a reaction, read the label and TADA--- "Less than 1% of people tested, suffered from intestinal gas...."

So it's not a surprise that I might be sensitive to food.  When I was a kid I was told that I had a sensitive system.  I was the baby who could projectile vomit across a room.  Apparently, not a lot has a changed.  I just turned the puke into belly fat, which caused more imbalance, etc, etc.

I should also point out that at no time have I ever tested negatively for any imbalance.  My blood sugar has crept up over the years- but I'm still normal.  When I was having "girl issues" a few years ago, my gyno tested me and said I was still in the normal range, but clearly something was going on. She also pointed out that normal is determined by quantifying 80% of a population.  Normal didn't necessarily equal healthy.  Additionally, I could have started out at the 20th percentile and moved to the 80th-- still normal, but not for me.  This is why I keep all my blood tests and compare year to year.

At this point you might be thinking "Mama Bean, it's calories in, calories out." 

And I will say, it's not looking like that.  It's looking like maybe it's the type of calories that my body types needs and uses is the issue.  Maybe it's the fact that staying in shape and losing weight are 2 very different things.  Maybe it's because I don't have a history of bad eating habits and not exercising that I can correct to see huge weight gains.  Maybe all that cardio I was doing was actually making it even harder for my body to drop weight.

I am focusing on building muscle by doing interval training.  I keep my heart rate up for 30 minutes while I do back to back reps at a fast pace, with some slow, heavy weights thrown in.  I get my cardio now my lifting with bursts of running.  I am burning almost the same amount (from my heart rate monitor) as I do about 45 minutes into a cardio class.  Per my monitor, my cardio health is improving.  I think it's the bursts.  When I can get back to Zumba schedule wise, I will go because it's fun.

I am hopeful that with building muscle and lowering my sugar intake I can reset my metabolism.  And then I can determine what the right balance is for me.

Detoxing sucks....

From my original, non-diet blog "Mama Bean's World"

 

Detoxing sucks

This probably belongs on my other blog, but I'm too tired to write 2, so I'll post a link.

If you've been following my weight loss issues over the past year, you know it's been a bit of a struggle.  Weight Watchers was not my thing.  I liked the meetings (good to stay focused) but the actual program was having no impact.  I don't drink soda.  We rarely do fast food.  I already exercise.  There really wasn't a lot of "new" stuff to add to create a change for my body to adjust to.  I was getting bitchy every time someone made the assumption that I must be cheating. NO I WAS NOT.  Every morsel was accounted for.  I never went over my points.  It just didn't work for me.

Then Crossfit which was awesome, but as I said when I joined, I wasn't doing it to lose weight, I was doing it to get in shape.

I have to say Crossfit was a great experience.  While I am not going right now due to scheduling conflicts, I learned that I was capable of much more than I was doing.  I can actually, albeit pathetically, run.  Every day it gets easier.  I can also lift considerably more weight than I realized.  Those 60 lbs leg adductor/abductors reps I used to do-- I can do them at 170 lbs.  I even eked out a few at 190 lbs.  This guy annoyed me at the gym because he was chatting with a friend instead of using the pulley-chest press.  I did 10 reps at his weight, thank you very much.  Wimp.  Mama Bean brought it.

HOWEVER, I am well aware that I need to clearly do something about my diet.  I know that I can not exercise the weight off.  It doesn't work that way.  It helps, but it's the food.

I've been reading up a lot on Paleo/Primal eating.  Anyone that I know who does it, swears by it.  And they look healthy, too.  I cut out beans, don't eat much pasta (never really have) and tried to make small adjustments.

Then I stumbled onto a book called "It Starts with Food"- it's a 30 day detox program that basically reintroduces food into a Paleo diet.

No grains.  No sugar.  No alcohol.  No beans.  No caffeine. No dairy.

None.

For 30 days.

It's to reset my insulin.

Somewhere in the book it said that I might experience withdrawal effects.  If I did, it's because this is what the issue is.  And if they are strong, that's an even bigger reason to stick with it- because my body is fighting it.

HOLY CRAP I FEEL LIKE SHIT.

I almost threw up yesterday.  I fell asleep at  9:30 pm.  Dead asleep.  My head is killing me.  I never get headaches.

However, I'm actually kinda excited.  After 15 years of dieting, I think I may have stumbled onto what the actual problem has been!

Woo hoo!

I made myself workout yesterday and about halfway through I felt a little better.

Now you might be asking "What did you cut out to have such a reaction so quickly?"

• Shredded wheat or yogurt for breakfast
• One cup of coffee (yep, ONE)
• Popcorn as a snack
• Cheese on my salad
• Late night chocolate binge (I usually have chocolate chips with some nuts)

That's it.

Nothing awful.  Nothing unhealthy- no donuts, no ice cream (that's a weekend thing), no cakes, no bread (not a big fan), no tacos- nothing crazy.  Yes, I do eat those things, but not normally during the time period that I've been on this.

Last night we had sole crusted with almond flour and pecans, a side of cauliflower "rice" and brussel sprouts.  Not exactly prison food.

Of course, there is the chance that I have the flu, but honestly, the cravings are making me nuts right now.  I'm glad the book warned me about it.

So this was the problem.  My insulin levels.  It all makes sense now.

I am going to stick with this.  I hear by Day 10 I'll be radiant and glowing.  Food will taste better.  Right now I want to kick a puppy.

Apparently, once I get over the hump, the regular weight loss strategies will work better.  A clean slate.

And yes, this is healthy. I'm eating lots of fruits and vegetables.  Lean protein.  It's not a bacon/steak/fried egg diet.  It's a plant based diet with protein for balance.  Not exactly bad stuff.

I think I miss cheese the most.  Sweet, wonderful cheese.  Oh well.

I will keep you all posted on how this turns out... I am not giving up!

But, if you see that I am getting irritated- RUN.

My Crossfit Saga continues....

Last month I was proud to complete my intro class to Crossfit and I completely wimped out and opted to repeat the intro class.  The regular classes frighten me.

Then I realized that holy crap, I actually had to stick with it.  There would be no magic fairy that was going to make this easy.

This realization made me sad.

Over the weekend my husband, father-in-law and I were discussing how former military members make good teachers.  They have realistic expectations, know that sometimes you have to do crap jobs as part of the big picture (a gripe I often have about staff- yes, filing IS part of the job--- unless, of course, you are very pregnant like my assistant was), and in general, they will plow through to get something done.

Crossfit was designed with the military, firefighters, policeman in mind.  People who don't have the option to quit in the middle of their jobs.

I am a financial advisor.  When I have a bad day- you know, the coffee maker breaking, my computer not working 100%-- I can say "Screw it" and head home after 1 pm (the market close time for the west coast).  And I do this.

I am not designed for Crossfit.

This hit me like a ton of bricks during our conversation.  While I perceive myself as NOT a quitter, in some ways I am.  I know how to work out.  I could absolutely recreate the entire work out, get the work out of the day (WOD-- the acronyms crack me up... doing a WOD... c'mon...), and do it myself.  Yet I don't.  I need the coach.  And even then, am I really giving it 100%?

Maybe 85%.

I suck.

When I was in high school I seriously considered the Naval Academy.  I had wanted to be a doctor and they had the best pre-med program out of the military academies and seemed to have the most women.  If I really wanted to be a doctor, the cost of grad school, med school, etc, was too much, so it was pretty much the best option.  My dad is former army, I have many relatives who serve or have served, so it wasn't out of the question or discouraged.  

But the truth was, it would have been too hard for me.  Not academically.  Mentally.  I remember looking at the PT requirements, the daily work-outs and thinking "No.  Way.  Ever."  And even medical school- without the military- seemed like a lot of work (ironically, I have spent more time in school with my graduate school and designations than if I had just gone to med school and done a residency).

It was too much work.

I quit before I started.

Me.  Apparently, the only things I stick with are the things I am good at doing or enjoy.  I bail before I begin at anything that makes me uncomfortable.  I am a chicken.

Coincidentally, on Monday on the whiteboard they had listed 5 places that were hotter than Las Vegas- Afghanistan, Iraq, Oman, Sudan and the deck of an aircraft carrier- and we were only working out for 30 minutes, not 18 months.

My cousin and my many friends that have been served in the Middle East push through every day.  They don't quit.

So now I'm at the fork in the road-- I can forge ahead with something that I am not skilled at and really give it 100% or just call it a day and do something a little less stressful and painful, being grateful for all the people that do have the tenacity to push through and know I am not one of them.

Let's face it, I was jumping rope this morning and felt like I was "dying."  Yet somehow, I could still talk?  

Which Mama Bean do I chose to be? 

And it's not just Crossfit.  This transcends into my life.  Giving it 100%.  All the time.  Every time.

I joke about my lowest common denominator theory- that my 60% IS more than most people's 100%.  

But it's not mine and I know it.

And somewhere in that conversation with my father-in-law and my husband, it sorta slapped me in the face.

I need tenacity.

That is what is holding me back.  Sucking it up through the bad stuff, trudging ahead, brushing it off.

Getting it done.

Yesterday I put on an outfit and it very truly hung off me.  As in too big to keep.  My dress today is baggy.  If you saw me, you might not even notice, but I do.  It's nice.  It will probably keep me going for awhile.  I also know that it won't be consistent and steady.  I might not have another "Wow" moment in the next month or so.

But the real  battle is in my head.  Despite the smile and the jokes (I can't pass on a good snatch joke), I am fighting the voice in my head saying "Why bother? You know you can't do it.  You're not like these people."

As I wrote a few weeks back, this suddenly isn't about losing weight- it's about getting over what got me here in the first place.

I don't want to be the person that quits the second something gets difficult.  

The jury is still out.

And the saga continues...

Apparently, I have to keep going...

Well, I started my second round of the Crossfit intro class.

I guess, in order for this to work I have to KEEP going.  That was not in the brochure.  I had signed up for the magic wand program where I did a few pull-ups after only 4 weeks of training and miraculously a size 8 overnight.

They must have misunderstood my membership plan.

But here's the good news-- I jogged the 200m.  No whining.  No joke.

I even encouraged the people who also politely asked "Can I do something other than run?"

Yep.  I've tried that, too.

And the answer is still apparently no.

I think they might enjoy the torture. 

Rather than have the simple training bar for the deadlifts, as I did on the first day last month, I lifted 65 lbs.  Woo hoo!  My time was about the same, but I that's a big difference. 

I still can't do push-ups and opted for the hand release modified version. 

And for whatever reason, I feel like this next month will solidify what I learned this past month.  And I will start focusing on the primal/paleo diet a little more (after the holiday). 

And then it will be up to me to decide what do to with it.  I've got the tools.  I've got a good plan. 

Now I actually have to stick with it and do it.