Benefits Noticed

This week, I started to notice that I no longer have “a case of the Monday’s”. I thought about why this may be, and I think it’s a relationship between diet and my mindset, rather than any environmental changes. To explain, ever find yourself in a loop where you can’t wait to get to the weekend, and Monday morning is dreaded? Did part of what you looked forward to on the weekend involve food, or drinks? Me too.

Regardless of reasons why you (or I) couldn’t wait for the weekend, “treats” were linked to it. Can’t wait for the weekend because I’ve been good all week and I “deserve” a treat. Well, this became an interconnected loop without me realizing it. I believe that indulgence in alcohol, sugar, processed food/ fried food in a condensed period like a weekend was impacting my sleep, and my energy levels.

Now that I’m focusing on the Whole 30 and am motivated by these food choices, quality sleep, and exercise, I look forward to the weekends for different reasons. The weekend allows a chance for food prep and planning, more quality sleep, bonus exercise, and more family fun. Since I have been feeling so much better during the program, I now look forward to waking up Monday and accepting the challenges and blessings of a new week.

Challenges this week

No major challenges noted this week. I really wanted a cold Bai drink (with artificial sweetener) after my round of golf Friday, but I was able to choose a seltzer. I made some iced green tea as well, to satisfy the want for a nice iced drink on a hot day.

Tip of the Week

My tip of the week is to inventory any foods that you may tend to overeat, even if they are healthy foods. I’m realizing that mixed nuts are in this category for me, so I’m reclassifying them as a treat, rather than a daily staple.

Let’s talk about it

Video summary of the blog post and week 3.

Meals

Sunday

Morning: Coffee, water, seltzer

Around 12 noon: omelet with tomatoes,avocado,sides, green powder, smoked salmon

Around 5 pm: Bowl of spicy Coleslaw with cabbage, carrot, onion, pickle, garlic, dressing with avocado mayo, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; 3 handfuls of mixed nuts, 2 spoons nut butter.

Monday

Morning: Coffee, water, green tea

Around 12 noon: Salad with Spicy Coleslaw (see Sunday), lettuce, tomato, olives, avocado, pickles, sardines, greens powder, dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper; 2 spoons of nut butter; seaweed snack

Around 5 pm: 4 pickles, 3 beef sticks, 3 handfuls of almonds, 2 spoons nut butter

Tuesday

Morning: Coffee, water, green tea

Around 10:30 am: Rebel Keto drink (compliant with Whole 30); cup of coffee

Around 3 pm: Salad with Spicy Coleslaw (see Sunday), lettuce, tomato, olives, Smoked Herring, greens powder, pumpkin seeds dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper; 2 spoons of nut butter; a handful of almonds, 2 beef sticks

Wednesday

Morning: Coffee, water, green tea

24 hour fast, due to annual check up

Around 5 pm: Creamy Taco soup with mixed peppers, onion, garlic, ground beef, fresh cilantro, beef bone broth, coconut milk, spices, topped with avocado; salad with lettuce, picked, greens powder, olives, green powder, dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper; 2 spoons nut butter, 2 handfuls of almonds

Thursday

Morning: Coffee, water, green tea

Around 1:30 pm: Bowl of Creamy Taco Soup with a spoon of avocado mayo; 4 pickles; 3 handfuls of almonds; 2 spoons nut butter

Friday

Morning: Coffee, water, green tea

Around 2 PM: Bowl of Creamy Taco soup with an avocado; bowl of sauerkraut with green powder, 2 handfuls of almonds, seaweed snacks

Around 6 PM: Herbal tea.

Saturday

Morning: Coffee, water, green tea

Around 1 pm: Salad with Cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, garlic, greens powder, dressed with Oliver Oil, Salt and Pepper; 4 strips of bacon, 1 handful of almonds, 1 handful of pumpkin seeds

Later meal TBA

Favorite Meal of the Week

Favorite meal of the week was this salad pictured below, ordered out at lunch. It was my favorite because I was able to make some slight adjustments while ordering and make it Whole 30 compliant, you can still go out on the Whole 30!

Exercise

Sunday

Lawn mowing: 2.5 miles, about an hour total

Monday

Morning stretch and roll, about 50 minutes of walking

Tuesday

Morning stretch and roll

Deadlifts: Work sets- 205×5, 225×5, 255×2,2,2,1, 205×5; Ab roll wheel, 6 sets of 6-8 reps, hangs from pull up bar

Wednesday

Morning stretch and roll

Total Gym row and curl combo, 4 sets of 10; Double Kettlebell push press- 35 lbs, 10,10,9,10; Pull up- 4,5,5,5; Push up- 10,10,9,12

Thursday

Morning stretch and roll, about 50 minutes of walking

Friday

Morning stretch and roll, 4.9 mile run, around 55 minutes total. Interestingly, I ran the exact same route as last week, with slightly different results. I had to take a walk break at the top of the hill at the end of my run, and I did not last week. All of my exercise numbers have been improving throughout the Whole 30, until this morning. Noting this change, which is not an improvement, I had to ask some questions as to why:

• Am I dehydrated? No, same fluids routine as previous weeks.
• Did I sleep well? Not 8 hours straight, I woke up once in the middle of the night.
• Am I over training? I do not believe so, but I did add some volume to deadlifts this week.
• Did I eat a junky meal or go out drinking the night before? NO!
• Was the humidity different? Maybe, I did not check.

Reflecting through this as I write, overall there was not much difference in the overall run as compared to last week, it was really just the hill kicking my butt. However, the exercise of journaling this out was very helpful, because there have been times where eating junk or drinking the night before has impacted my energy or my workout.

My other “exercise”, 9 holes of golf, walking! I have not played actual golf since 2016, before my son was born. My shot of the day was hitting the green on a 225 yard par 3, made par! Please note, made par indicates my score for one hole, not the round…😄

Saturday

Mowed the lawn, about 2.5 miles total, about an hour time; weed whacking/edge trimming, around 30 minutes total time

My compliance grade

100%! Still not feeling any major temptations, cravings, etc. Feeling very confident about week 4!

Looking ahead to Next Week

Next week, we are having a family Beach weekend at Cape Cod! We found a nice condo where it is easy to socially distance. I am going to do some planning for myself to make sure I bring some compliant food with me, and know what kind of food I can order out while still being on my plan. This is going to be a great test and affirmation, a healthy vacation!