Monday, March 09, 2015

The Deal

There has been much discussion in our home lately about doing the Whole60. Eric was not on board, and I wanted to press on. He was willing to do whatever I decided, to be supportive. But he urged me to consider his side.

Eric has some really good points to argue. He wants us to do something that was sustainable for life. He didn't want to avoid social events because of it. He didn't want to keep jumping from diet to diet only to binge inbetween. He most definitely agreed that we needed to have some sort of rules/plan. He wanted something that would work for us.

How could I argue any of that? Of course I wanted to stick to the Whole30/60. It works. It makes me feel fantastic. But why did I need to do it again? I learnt so much on the first time around, did I NEED to do it again? I am still not sure about that. The answer may still be yes.

We made a deal. We will try it his way for 30 days, and it we come out of the month healthier, we know we found something that works for us. If we fall back into old habits again, we know that obviously we still have work to do, and we will do a Whole60.

Our plan is:
-Eat 99% Whole30/paleo style foods at home. The 1% accounts for the small amount of palm sugar in the kale chips I just bought :p . Can't seem to master making these on my own.
-When eating away from home, choose healthier things, but not impose our dietary preferences on others. This does not give us free range to binge eat cupcakes and salt & vinegar chips at the next brithday party. This gives us the ability to attend potlucks, parties, showers, etc without worrying there will be nothing for us to eat, and we will have to explain to everyone why we are not eating. This is the way it is when doing a Whole30, but it is no way to live your life forever.
-Work out together at least 5 days a week
-We are also discussing the possibility of making one treat once and a while. The frequency is still under discussion, but it will probably be once a month. Once a week seems far too often.

We have also talked about how we will define success at the end of these 30ish days. We both agree that weight loss is a goal of ours. We would also like to feel better, and we are going to re-evaluate our habits at the end of it, to make sure we haven't fallen back to old ones.

Now Eric doesn't at all want to do the Whole30 again, so this is motivation for him to keep this up and keep me accountable. So as much as it pains me to "quit" something, Eric has urged me not to see it that way. He knows I am not a quitter when I say I will commit to something. He wants me to look at this like I am taking permanent steps towards a healthier life, and I am trying to see it that way. I learnt so much on my first Whole30. These things I still carry with me, and want to live my life according to them. I am not at all giving up on this way of life. The Whole30 creators themselves have said that doing a Whole30 was NEVER meant to be a permanent solution. There will always be splurges and we need to decide if they are worth it or not!

Now please do not take this post the wrong way. I am SO SO SO happy we did a Whole30. And if you have never done one, I urge you to try. YES it is strict, but I felt that made it easier. Plan out ahead of time when you want to do it, and make sure it doesn't conflict with any major social events, birthdays and holidays that you are just going to torture yourself on. Potlucks and other parties can be handled on the Whole30. Eating out can be done. Being on the go can be done. I have done it all. You just need to PLAN AHEAD. That is the biggest thing. Try to get someone fully committed to do it with you. RESEARCH. Research until your fingers fall off. Read everything you possibly can on www.whole30.com. Join the FB group and ask questions. Stock your pantry. Just commit to it. You can do it!

If I did it once, anyone can do it.

Friday, March 06, 2015

A Work Trip, A New Cycle and A Whole60

This past weekend/week, Alyssa and I went on an impromtu trip to Vegas for a photography expo (WPPI).


We had 4 really solid days there. Our first morning was spent traveling. Getting up at 4 am, gaining 2 hrs flying and arriving in Vegas at 11 am. We checked into the hotel and sat in the sun by the pool. Our first hotel was by Fremont street, which is vintage Vegas. We grabbed some food and explored there for a while, before heading back to the hotel for a 3 hour nap to catch up on lost sleep from a 4 hr night and 8 hours of flying! When we woke up it was still only 7pm! We bought a selfie stick and some supper, and spend the rest of the evening exploring Fremont some more. It was the longest day ever!

On day 2 we rented a car and headed out to the Valley of Fire, about 45 minutes northeast of Vegas. This was the best decision ever. We spent 5 hours with huge smiles on our faces exploring this gorgeous place! It was a cold day, and it rained a bit! On the way back we stopped at a Target to stock up on some groceries, we dropped all of our bags off at the new hotel near The Strip and took the car back to the rental place. Or we tried to at least. There are SO many turn offs, and they don't give you warning, so we missed the sign and had to drive around the ENTIRE airport again. Needless to say the car was returned late, and by the time the bus came and we got back to our hotel we were exhausted. We originally wanted to go to a restaurant for supper, but we were too exhausted. Pizza it was!

Day 3 was for the expo. We spend 5 hours scouring the show floor, looking at products, talking to vendors and listening to speakers. It was a full, but awesome day. We found some really great products that we will be adding to our lineup. The expo ended at 4. We relaxed at the hotel a bit and then headed to Burgr for supper. We spent the rest of the evening shopping at the Venetian, and watching the volcano show at the Mirage and the fountains at Bellagio. We soothed our sore muscles from all the walking in the hot tub and went to bed.

Day 4 we stowed our bags at the hotel valet and headed back across the street to the expo. We mostly sat at the Nikon booth and listened to top photographers speak. We soaked in SO much valuable info from these seasoned pros. We were sorry to have to leave so early. We grabbed a cab to the airport, and had a nice supper before we caught our flight home.

The last day in Vegas my cycle started, so the next day I called Heartland first thing. I have already started medication for another transfer, which will most likely be towards the end of the month.

Because I want to be as healthy as possibly for this transfer, I have decided to do another Whole30, but turn it into a Whole60. I started yesterday.

Today I am SO over it. I just want to stuff my face full of snacks right now. Which is even more reason to keep going, I would be stuffing my face if I was not on this plan. Another 58 days of this just seems so sickening. I am trying to convince myself it's ok to quit. I just might. Where did all my willpower go from round 1?
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