21 Day Fix Day 3:

Day three is coming to a close, and things are going well. Surprisingly, I am staying under my calorie goal, tally chart thingy. Last time I did a round of 21 day fix, I was going over fruits, veggies, fats, everything. This time around, I am staying within the containers, and actually having a hard time finding a way to fit them all in!

Also, Half Marathon training is going well. Already got 2 runs in, and tomorrow is a rest day for runs, and Pilates for 21 day fix.

I have a couple of recipes I want to share, but since I personally, like recipes with pictures, it is taking a me some time. I guess, I should just accept that I don’t have a fancy camera, so the recipes will be having crappy cell phone pictures.

I am hopeful to have the first one out this weekend.

So here is a little teaser for what is could be…

Yummy!
Yummy!

What do I want from this blog?

I started this blog as a way to talk my way through Whole30, without the “tough love”.

I dislike that term, by the way. Love isn’t tough. It is kind and patient, gentle and inviting. It shouldn’t make you feel like everything you have done is worthless. Which is how I felt using the forum.

But now I am done with Whole30, But I don’t want to be done blogging.

I don’t want to be another “mommy blogger” or another “mommy food blogger” or another “paleo food blogger”. But I think it is a little inevitable, I am a mom, I LOVE food, and I am paleo.

I am not the type to develop a new recipe weekly for you.

I think I will take this blog in a weight loss and health improvement blog. That is my goal in life, to nourish my body to be healthy and whole. With a little parenting, little spirituality, a little of this and a little of that, all mixed it. It is my blog. I titled it with the word, WHOLE because, I wanted it to be about, the whole of my life.


So with that, it is August. Whole30 is done. And I am on to the next thing. This month, I am working on a couple of things, half marathon training, doing the 21-Day Fix, and I want to improve my scripture study.

Half Marathon Training: I found a training calendar, and I need to just do it. I also recruited a friend to do it with me!

21-Day Fix: I know I posted I was going to do the 21-Day Fix Extreme, but I want to do that half marathon, so I thought I should cut back a little.

Scripture Study: It seems like every Fast Sunday, at least one person gets up and says “Hey you! Why aren’t you reading and studying the scriptures? It is promised that you will have more time, more energy, more everything, if you just devote that time every morning to your Heavenly Father.” And then I go, “Crap, they are talking right to me, I should do that.”

Sometimes I am great at it. But most of the time, It never crosses my mind to even crack those suckers open.

This month, I am going to read daily. There is a couple of great places to get a daily verse set and question. This year, I wanted to finish the Book of Mormon again, since I haven’t do that since high school… I am in Alma, two months behind of BofM365 instagram feed… time to double up!

Day 31–Now what?

 

The good:
I get to step on that scale!!
Start: 208
Day 31: 199.2 WHAT! WHAT!!

Sleep?
Meh, I have a toddler who joins us almost nightly

Energy?
Ebbs and flows, but it mostly up

digestion?
I do not believe Whole30 helped it, especially since I had more occurrences of flares toward the end.

Reintroduction plan (5 days between new foods):
Day 1: CHEESE
Day 2 through 6: Whole30
Day 7: Peanut butter and beans
Day 8 through 12: Whole30
Day 13: Rice and corn
Day 14 through 18: Whole30
Day 19: Gluten

So far dairy has been fine. I had straight cheese, pizza (paleo with cheese) and frozen yogurt!

Cheese and apples
Cheese and apples
PIZZA
PIZZA

 

Froyo with lots of chocolate!
Froyo with lots of chocolate!

I did also have some popcorn at the movie in the park, and some potato chips at the park with some friends tonight.

Over all I am feeling good. A little sluggish, but over all fine.

So now that Whole30 is “done”, I am going to start the 21 Day Fix Extreme, while finishing up the  reintroduction phase.

 

Also, I think I want to do a local half-marathon in October. So, need to start training for that if I really do want to do that.

 

July 30th– And I am DONE!

 

For having “dieted” as long as I have, I am always surprised when I finish a program. Whole30 isn’t really a program, but you know what I mean. Whole30 has been an interesting experiment for me. I went through the typical, I HATE THIS phase, and now I am kind of content.

Am I going to keep going, sure, but with some changes.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow, PIZZA! Oh, and I get to see if I dropped any weight. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised it I was up from the start. My body hates me.

Food Log:

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, blueberries and cucumbers
Lunch: Leftover taco salad
Dinner: Curried chicken with zoddles and carrot noodles
Snack: Apple and sunbutter

Thursday:
Breakfast: GGS and a hard boiled egg
Lunch: Leftover taco salad
Snack: Banana
Dinner: Sloppy joes over sweet potato fries and cucumbers and ranch

Dinner whole30 day 30
Dinner whole30 day 30

Coming soon a post on my over whole30 feelings and what is next.

July 28th, 2015– The End is in My Sights

 

Two full days left! 6 meals! I am looking forward to kicking the no SWYPO rule out the window.

No, I won’t go “carb” crazy, but being able to have the option to have a “real” sandwich is freeing.

Started my SIBO antibiotics today. Hopefully, this is the cure! Or at least helps, significantly.

Food Log:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, and blueberries

Breakfast  whole30 day 28
Breakfast whole30 day 28

Lunch: leftover meatloaf, carrots, and cucumbers
Dinner: a giant taco salad, lettuce, taco meat, guacamole, “sour cream” olives, and cucumbers

Dinner whole30 day 28
Dinner whole30 day 28

ALSO! Today, I went on my first run (ok, walk/run) in over 2 months! At my last race, I sustain a bad muscle strain and have been in physical therapy since. It wasn’t pain free, but using the tools I learned in PT, I was able to stretch and relief my discomfort.

Post run shameless selfie
Post run shameless selfie

SIBO, it might be the answer

Whole30 is coming to a close (THREE MORE DAYS), and while I know improvements have been made, die Sugar Dragon! My gut hasn’t been better, and my motivation to continue this lifestyle is mostly gone. Really, why would I continue to avoid “normal” foods to only make EVERYTHING from scratch and still be having issues. I would much rather eat without having to ask thousands questions.

Read my about section, here, now so you know more details about what has and is going on.

Did, you read it?

Alright then, here’s where we are now:

At my appointment on Friday, we went over my stool test results, which came back “normal” and after discussing my lower intestine, the doctor decided that maybe the small intestine is the culprit. Stool test only looked at my lower intestines. SIBO, small intestine bacteria overgrowth.

The test for SIBO is a breath test, that is only 80% accurate, and costs $200. We didn’t feel that for that much and the test not being accurate it would be worth it to us to spend the $200. Especially, since the doctor would want to treat anyway.

There are a few different treatment options, she presented me with two, ingesting peppermint essential oil or taking a high dose antibiotics.

Having researched for some time, but not in enough detail, I do not feel confident, that ingesting oil, any essential oil, is safe.

So that left the antibiotics. Which she told me, might not be covered by insurance and was $700.

So we prayed that insurance would cover it, and I made plans to call the pharmacy Monday afternoon.

My pharmacy called me, and said the script was in and that my insurance did cover it!

When I picked it up, I was told, it is actually $1400!!!

SIBO antibiotic
SIBO antibiotic

I am so grateful, that Mr. Wonderful has a great job with amazing insurance. I also really hope that this is answer. And maybe just maybe, paleo will be a lifestyle choice, not necessity.

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July 24th, 2015–Test results round 1

 

A month or so ago, I took a Stool Test to figure out what all my gut issues are. Saw my doctor today about the results. Other than having some low good gut bacteria, nothing was of noteworthiness.

No sign of inflammatory bowels or yeast overgrowth.

The doctor is really leaning towards SIBO.

Mr. Wonderful jokes that I should just get a colon transplant.

Well after some sleep, I am off to research SIBO.

Food Log:
Breakfast: GGS, sausage and eggs
Lunch: Enchilada salad-lettuce, green beans, enchilada sauce, ground beef, “sour cream”, and guac

Lunch Whole30 day 24
Lunch Whole30 day 24

Dinner: was a disaster! We were going to grill burgers at the park, but we didn’t bring enough charcoal and they were cooked, but undercooked to my liking, and I couldn’t eat it. Luckily, I brought carrots and apple slices and some sunbutter.

Day 13, 14, and 15

I did a great job of catching up after I got back, but then life happened. The 15th is anniversary of my mom’s death and I have been trying to keep busy.

Monday July 13
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, GGS
Lunch: Coop turkey lettuce wrap sandwich with tomato, cucumbers, red onion, and avocado (I asked lots questions, and everything was whole30 approved)

Lunch Whole30 day 13
Lunch Whole30 day 13

Dinner: sloppy joes, zoodles, sweet potatoes fries, and paleo ketchup

Dinner whole30 day 13
Dinner whole30 day 13

Tuesday July 14
Breakfast: woke up late and skipped it
Lunch: romaine and sloppy joe stuff
Snack: apple and sunbutter, I only got half, Mr. Z “shared” with me.
Dinner: enchilada casserole from A Girl Worth Saving’s cookbook. I used my spiralizer, since I don’t have a mandolin to make long zucchini noodles. I just pulled the zucchini across the flat blade as if it was a mandolin. Used the left over enchilada sauce from last week, and left over chicken from some other meals. It was delish! We also had it with steamed carrots and some paleo sour cream.

 

Wednesday, July 15th
Breakfast: GGS, Prosciutto, and 2 eggs scrambled
Lunch: Left over enchilada casserole
Dinner: Pork chops with mushroom gravy and green beans, Mr. Wonderful, who is not a steak or pork chop fan, said, that this was the best pork chop he ever had and that I can make it again!

Dinner whole30 day 15
Dinner whole30 day 15

The scale…

I didn’t think not stepping on the scale would be a challenge.

When I am in the midst of a workout program, it’s my check in once a week.

Some times, after a week of not pooping, I like to see how much, usually I am disappointed.

I weighed in Wednesday. The rules say no body measurements.

I can go weeks without weighing, so why is it now an issue?

Because someone said, “no!”

That word, has such a psychological hold on us, all of us.

You tell a 2 year old “no”and you get a range of responses, compliance to tantrum.

Tell a teenager, compliance to tantrum. Although, a teenager tantrum is called rebellion, it really is just a tantrum.

Tell an adult, and you still get compliance to tantrum.

Right? That’s what this is. I can’t step on the scale because some one told me no, so now I am going to complain.

But this isn’t just because someone told me no, I made a choice to commit to 30 days of whole30 rules.

I can only be upset with myself.

I could just break the rule, and no-one will know. I could and that’s cheating. If I break this rule, what other rules will I allow myself to break?

Stay strong, don’t give in. You can beat this natural man!