Introducing Teena, on her own Whole30 path

While starting the journey of my first Whole30 in March of this year, I counted days and posted pictures of some meals on Facebook. A week in I got a message from my cousin, Teena. She asked what I was doing, and knowing she has struggled with weight and health much of her life, I encouraged her to look at the program as outlined on the Whole9 page. After reviewing the program she decided she had nothing to lose (and maybe everything to gain?), so why not give it a try. I was so excited and proud of her for deciding to take the plunge. What followed was the first step in her journey back to health and a positive relationship with food. I find her story and continuing adventure so inspiring and real, I asked her to share with you. So without further ado, here's Teena.

Tips and Resources

Just a quick note today to share with you some awesome resources that you can find right here in St. John's, along with a few tips and tricks that I discovered last time around.

Come out swinging - Prep Tips

We are just a day away from the next Whole30! Excited? I hope you are. I know I am, I'm super pumped and prepared. We've already had one guest post from Sandra the Skeptic, Nicole has some links to yummy recipes in her post, and I've given a few tips on preparedness. Onward and upward from here! I decided to pull the rest of my tips into a single post. Especially since Nicole has recruited just about everyone she knows for this Whole30 and I won't have to worry about struggling for blog topics. Enjoy the few ideas I have below.

More "Trick" than "Treat"

Today is All Hallows' Eve and Whole30 eve, interesting timing. It's another candy and treat filled season for most, and I am no exception. I've been good with refraining from the mini chocolate bars and the like (total count so far: one mini Snickers and and one Mars - both left me with a waxy, sugar taste in my mouth, 3 pkgs. of Rockets), but I have been "treating" myself more lately to foods I am not usually tempted by other times, knowing I'll be going thirty days without as of tomorrow. The psychological impact that has on me is really interesting and explains (but doesn't excuse) the Mexican restaurant dinner I had last night, the tortilla chips, dip and cheezies I have been indulging in since Saturday's Halloween party. It's not that I no longer enjoy those foods, but I am so much more aware of how they impact me. It's helping me decide what's worth it and what isn't  - and what constitutes a special occasion (leading me to ponder how all special occasions are wrapped up in less than healthy foods.)

Round 2: Fight!

Here we are, just over a week to go until Round 2 of the Whole30. And this time, there's a whole pack of us! So keep your eyes open for some guest posts this month. Anyone interested in joining, just let us know! It's always easier with support and when you've declared your intentions to the world! In watching Nicole's Facebook wall, I've been truly inspired by all the friends that are joining us this time around. I open my heart and arms to you all. We may not be nutritionists or dietitians, nor are we even related to any doctors, but with our combined knowledge and passion for food and positive change, we can totally make a difference in our lives. And it was while reviewing these posts that I encountered a really good question that I would like to address in my next few posts. Someone said:

"I have little time for food prep... will that matter?"

Let's get this party started!

Ok, so here we are, days away from Whole30 round two. I am pretty excited about this next part of the journey, a number of people have indicated they are going to be Whole30ing along with us for the first time and we even have some guest bloggers lined up. It will be fun to see the Whole30 through their eyes and sharing the blogging load will mean less posts from us - a richer perspective for our readers. If there is anyone out there who is joining us for November and would be willing to write a post or two about it, please let me know. Those stories are always eye-opening and inspiring for sure!

And that's a Wrap!

Ever miss a friend's birthday? And a couple weeks later once you remember, you don't know if you should say anything? Yhe more time passes, the more awkward it becomes and you start thinking "maybe I'll just let it slide?". Well that's how I felt about this blog. I started writing immediately after the Whole30 but then... well... then I didn't finish and then I felt awkward, and then a little irritated by the Food Nazi who would not let me get away with it - lol! But that's what friends are for and that's the kind of support I signed up for when I agreed to all this. So without further adieu, here's my wrap up post. 

My thoughts immediately following the end of the Whole30: 

We MADE it! Yay! I suppose now is time for us to do all that soul searching and wrap up the blog with a lessons learned section. There is so much that I want to say so, please bear with me if my post gets unruly (which it will because it's taken me two months to write it).

First I want to give you all a little update. I apologize that the blog posting kind of petered off towards the end of the month. I could blame my still unfixed computer, but that wouldn't be quite true. Part of the reason I wasn't writing, was simply time. I've never been a journal person, I've never kept a diary, which could be part of the reason that my long term memory is so crappy. I barely remember things that happened when I was younger, but my cousin who always kept a diary, can tell me everything about a particular day, right down to what we were wearing. Yikes! I can't do that. Journalling has never been a part of my life and it is not a habit that I've cemented. 

Anyway, the last thing you heard was that I was heading to a wedding. Barry and I traveled to Halifax for 3 nights 4 days and had a great time! I stuck to the Whole30 very well. I interrogated every waiter, asked for a million substitutions, and ate a lot of steak... hahaha! It wasn't always easy, and I did threaten to cry once when Barry was thinking about ordering nachos, but I made it. The only things that kept me compliant were Barry's constant support and reminders and the crazy support that I got from my friends the day/night of the wedding. No one tried to convince me to try the dessert, no one said "aww c'mon, just one drink", I was given multiple mineral waters from the bar every time anyone went for a round. So, thanks everyone! You have all my love and my undying gratitude. 

I spent the rest of the weekend quizzing the waiters at every restaurant and stressing myself out about not knowing what kind of choices I would find. Either way, I always managed to find something, even if it wasn't what I thought I wanted. Overall, I survived the weekend away and stuck to my Whole30. Bad news? It totally broke my stride. When I came home I was counting down the days (only 2 but still) and dreaming of all the things I was going to eat once my Whole30 was over. I couldn't wait for it to be finished. I kept thinking about the microbrews that I missed out on and the desserts I wanted... Those last two days were the worst of the entire Whole30, I struggled with returning to "normal", how I would handle it, and taking a very truthful look inside to see what I was really feeling. I wasn't motivated or excited about the journey anymore and no amount of blog reading helped. I just couldn't get that motivation back. So that kind of fooled me up. In a way, I kind of look forward to doing another Whole30 in the future so I can have the full experience, because I felt like it kind of lost something in those last few days. I still ate according to "plan" but it just wasn't the same. 

But it's done right? Now what?

First, lets take a reading - how did I feel at the end of 30 days? Good news? I lost almost 12 pounds and a total of over 7 inches on my body. Bad news? Internally, I felt alright, but not as good as I expected to. I expected that I had lost a little weight, I wasn't feeling hungry, I was feeling satisfied. But I didn't think there was any miraculous change that I experienced. I still had a few bouts of IBS but I figured it was likely a reaction to dark leafy veggies. My hair and skin felt the same, my fingernails were still soft and bendy. My sleep didn't seem different, the only energy difference that I experienced was that I wasn't tired at 3pm. I just didn't see anything life changing. And I was disappointed. I over analyzed all the food choices I had made over the last 30 days, wondering if I had eaten something that would have caused a required restart of the 30 days. I blamed the trip. I just was expecting something bigger. At one point Nicole commented about how this 30 days was changing my whole life, and I remember thinking, "really? It's not so fantastic". So I ate. And I ate. And I ate. I managed to follow the 10 day reintroduction schedule for about 4 days. That's when I added in gluten grains. And the whole thing went to hell in a hand basket after that. I started to return to my old eating habits, I had takeout multiple times in a weekend, drank beer, and ate dessert. 

Lets skip the dirty part... 3 weeks later... I'm searching in my closet for fat pants, wishing I hadn't eaten all that food. I stepped on the scale I had only gained 3 pounds?!!?! What? If I only gained 3 pounds in 3 weeks, why did I long for the comfort of stretchy yoga pants. It made no sense...  Unless I had wheat belly! I was bloated and tired and generally felt kind of crappy. I could have been any number of things but I seemed to feel the worst when I ate wheat and I even had pain and IBS flare-ups. All symptoms of gluten issues. I don't know if I have a sensitivity, or what but I do know that wheat products are like poison to me. But because I went so far off the rails with my reintroduction schedule, I also can't be sure if it is only the wheat. Maybe it's the bad fats?  Maybe it's something else in my diet. But all I know is that I felt yucky but I didn't feel like this on the Whole30.  Even though at the end of the 30 days I said that I just felt alright, maybe I felt better than I realized? Maybe I felt great and just didn't know it? Because there certainly is quite a discrepancy between how I felt on the Whole30 and how I felt after 3 weeks of off-roading. So, I decided to cut out wheat and make better decisions about the food I was eating; try to return somewhat to a Whole30-ish form of nourishment. 


Skip ahead again a few weeks to the present day. I'm doing better with my food choices but not great. I've gained back about 6 pounds altogether. The scale has stopped moving and even though I don't crave wheat or grain products, I can't seem to work the internal switch that tells me to say no when they are in front of me. So I'm struggling. I need to work more on some things. I haven't unlearned some of my bad habits and I need to give myself time to work on them. I truly believe that every time I do a Whole30 I will learn something new, or make a change that I didn't think possible. Now that I know what to expect, I plan to do some extra things for my next Whole30 to prepare myself, my pantry, and my freezer. I know it was hard on Barry sometimes as the main cook in the household to accommodate my first Whole30 so I want to make it easier for him to accommodate my choice when I decide to do another Whole30. If anyone has any ideas/recipes please share! 

My first Whole30 was interesting to say the least and I did actually come away with a number of good habits. I'm completely off aspartame  I am not having sweetener in my coffee or tea or in any food. And I haven't replaced it with another form such as white refined in coffee or tea. I've been using honey when I cook and need a little something sweet and I've stuck mainly to dark chocolate when I have chocolate. But I still have trouble with cupcakes and muffins when they are available. I have totally eliminated soda pop too! And I was a huge Diet Pepsi drinker. Since the beginning of August I've had half a glass of Diet Pepsi and had such an immediate reaction to the aspartame, that I doubt I'll go back. My head started to pound within a half hour and I can only assume that it was the pop. Not to mention that it seemed exceptionally sweet to me. Now I stock my cupboards with carbonated water and throw in a little lemon or lime when I want a treat. I'm also drinking a lot more teas instead of coffee with nothing added. I found that I really enjoy cuddling up on the couch in the evening with Barry, a cup of Pumpkin Chai tea (from Davids Tea), and a good book. I still can't really get the hang of coconut milk. It's ok but not something I want in my coffee everyday, I have to say I'm enjoying the cream at the moment. 

So, I would say that my Whole30 was a success even for just the aspartame and Diet Pepsi. And I finally posted this wrap up, and now I can start thinking about and planning for the next Whole30, in November! 

Well, that flew by! What next?

First off, my apologies for not posting sooner. In the final days of the Whole30 we unexpectedly bought a house and are in the crazy process of selling ours. Blogging time became decluttering time.

But for the final paragraph in this chapter, one word would describe this Whole30 for me: success! At the end of the thirty days, I felt fantastic. My skin was dewy (hello healthy fats!), my sinus issues gone, I felt firmer, slimmer and completely energized. I had moments when I felt so great, I was tempted to try and go longer - why mess with a great thing?

Final days of Whole30 #2

Four more days until this Whole30 is a wrap. It's been a good one, I have to say doing a challenge like this during a bountiful harvest time makes it pretty pleasant. Plates have been colorful and flavorful the last 26 days and I haven't experienced boredom with my meals yet. It will be interesting to see how my next Whole30 will differ - that's planned for January. My intention is to complete a Whole30 twice a year, just to give my system and myself a reset and reminder of how good it feels to eat so cleanly consistently. The effort it takes to complete a Whole30 is a way of consciously investing in my health.

Day 24: A Mini Vacation and a Wedding!

I'm going on a trip! Tomorrow I will be travelling to Halifax for a friend's wedding. I can't wait to see her walking down the aisle. And the party afterwards is going to be like a university reunion! We are then staying in Halifax until Tuesday. We plan on visiting the Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada (GPAC) kennel too. This is where Fury made a short layover on his way to our home and hearts. But GPAC is the organization that arranges to get the dogs from racetracks in the states and who is responsible for making sure they are in good health and then getting them adopted. Fury stayed there for about a week before he came to our home, but many other Greys have spent time there too. Right now they probably have a dozen or so dogs (I'm guessing) who are living at the kennel. Our plan is not to bring one home but just to travel out, see the kennel, meet some of the volunteers, maybe spend some money at the store and play with the greys that are currently living there. The whole 4 days are going to be exciting! But a little scary in trying to stay Whole30 compliant. Although I've got a few strategies...

Day 22: Cookie? Maybe?

What a day. It's been a long one and I don't have enough energy to write much of a post. Overall it was a good day, no a great day! We celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the arrival of our pup, Fury, with a romp in the backyard. We finally have most of the fence built and we were able to take him out without his leash for the first time. He raced around, jumped all over us, and we got the chance to play too. He ran so hard around the yard that he tore up his front paws. Nothing serious just a surface wound. But he loved it, and now he is totally passed out. He'll probably sleep for the next three days straight.

Days 18, 19, 20 and 21: Try new things

Sorry for being out of touch the past few days. I did not slip-up, cheat, or go rogue, I just truly enjoyed my weekend at home, to the point that I didn't even think of writing anything. I also spent a fair bit of time working for some of the volunteer work that I do, and attending some meetings. The weekend just kind of got away from me, and yesterday too. Not to mention that this computer is crappy and old and irritating. I've been eating very well the past few days and have even tried a few new things. 

Vacationing, part 2

Fox Cove, Newfoundland

Day 20 is coming to a close and I'd be lying if I said this has been a walk in the park this time around. It is easier - I attribute that to the abundance of fresh, local vegetables available now that makes it easy to have colourful, tasty plates at every meal. However, Whole30ing while vacationing is a challenge: not for me are the "salty snacks" my family shares while watching the nightly movie; no thank you to refreshing ice cream after dinner; not indulging in a drizzle of honey or maple syrup over a pumpkin spice waffle at breakfast; no wine or beer to unwind after the kids finally pass out from their full days.

Vacation - the Whole30 my way

I have been conspicuously absent these last couple of days. Today we left for a five night vacation - we have rented a little heritage home in an outport village four and a half hours from a major city. I knew grocery options would be limited out here, so the last two days I have been frantically meal planning, grocery shopping and preparing. As Dallas and Melissa say, failing to prepare for your Whole30 is preparing to fail - and that would really be the case if I came out here without a game plan.

Day 17: An Early Veggie Harvest

My garden on the back patio

You may have picked up somewhere along the way on the fact that I'm a bit of a hobby gardener. It all started when I was a child. I grew up in a household that included both my parents, three siblings, and my grandparents. My grandmother is an avid gardener. She can plant anything and get it to grow: mail order seeds; shoots and clippings from a friend's garden; cuttings from the side of the road; plants that others were getting rid of; even a handful of grape seeds that were left in an ashtray for weeks. Believe it of not she has a greenhouse with gorgeous grape vines that produce perfect green and purple grapes from those ashtray seeds! Her talent is unbelievable! From the time I was little, she has spent her spring and summer days out in the garden, weeding tending to her plants. Her focus is mostly on flowers and shrubs these days with a little veggie garden, but I remember a time when half our backyard was a veggie garden. We had a non-stop supply of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, currents, gooseberries, potatoes, carrots, turnips, raspberries, and onions. Every since I moved out on my own, I longed for a property where I could have a similar space; however, we lived in a number of apartments without access to land. So when we finally bought our first house, I was super excited about getting a garden going! But how to do that effectively in a subdivision, on a building lot the size of a good postage stamp, in a neighborhood that was built on the side of a hill composed completely of rock?

Day 16: A Visit From the Sugar Monster and Why I Fought Back

Day 16 has been pretty good. Day 15 (yesterday) was not so good, although I didn't tell you about it last night because I wanted to focus on the good things, like celebrating my 15 days and looking at myself and all the changes that had occurred. I didn't want to talk about the bad things, I was cranky enough. But today, now that I'm back to normal, I can tell you about it and not dwell on it. So my day started out good, had a healthy breakfast, a yummy, lunch that I couldn't even completely finish, and then... around 3pm... it happened! Ever feel like you are being chased by a huge slice of cheesecake that you know you can't eat? That's what happened. The Sugar Monster paid me a visit! I felt horrible! I was cranky, I wanted something to eat but couldn't figure out what - other than something full of sugar. I wanted a muffin... or a piece of banana bread with chocolate chips... or anything! Just make this feeling go away!

Day 15: The Halfway Mark

In celebration of the halfway point I've decided to re-visit the me from Whole30 Eve to see if there have been any changes.

Day 14: Two Whole Weeks!

Hey everyone! We've made it two whole weeks into the Whole30. We are almost half way there. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves, feeling better, sleeping better, losing weight, getting healthy. I know I am. Although it's time to celebrate, it looks like my hardrive is fried on my laptop, so I'm typing this on an antiquated computer. I did celebrate my 14 day success with a nice peppermint tea at Chapters (my favorite place in the world) with my book club girls. We actually met to choose a book this time! It's been a long day and it's late so here's a quick rundown of today's food and an interesting photo I found called "Food Marketing Translations" or "What That Really Means". Enjoy! Keep up the good work and thanks for all the support!

Happy half-way eve

Tomorrow will be day 15 of this Whole30, how awesome is that? To celebrate, I am hoping for good weather so I can bring the monkeys blueberry picking. I understand the barrens are positively bursting this year and although I am not a lover of picking them, there is nothing like the taste of a wild Newfoundland blueberry...nothing! In fact, the grandparents brought some freshly picked berries down a couple of nights ago and the the boys dove into them, cramming fistfuls into their mouths.

Goodnight Day 13

Well, we are closing in on two weeks of our Whole30 and I've got sleep on the brain again.

One of the nine factors referred to in the Whole9 is sleep. Getting the right amounts in the right fashion is integral to health and well-being. The right amounts are between 7 and 9 hours, apparently. I fall short of this most nights, but feel markedly better when I do punch seven good hours. One of my definite time wasters is my beloved iPad and iPhone. It never fails that I want to check "one more thing" before lights out, and before you know it I am on the fourth food blog and up well past my desired sleep time.