Like most people this time of year I have indulged in a few to many "Paleo" treats and chocolates, and maybe even a few to many non-Paleo treats if I'm honest (I won't cave on gluten or wheat but I will with sugar, corn and dairy) and with the New Year coming is seems like an appropriate time to start a challenge. There are several out there for those of you looking for support during the process Diane Sanfilipo has her 21 day sugar detox starting up on the first, or Whole 9 Life has their whole 30 coming up also. Either one is a great way to get some direction along with support during the process. Personally I am opting for a modified Whole 30, I am going to be eating Whole 30 approved meals and snacks 6 days out of the week with 1 day that I may eat "off". I will still try to keep those days as close to Whole 30 as possible, but a girls gotta have her dark chocolate, and it will also allow my husband and I too keep a weekly date night (something that has been neglected for a while). That way we can eat out without me having to worry about whether it's Whole 9 approved or not.
I don't know about you but I have also gotten a bit lax in keeping my meals balanced and being sure that I am getting a great start in the morning. Like eating within an hour of getting up, eating a meat and nuts breakfast with occasional eggs seems to work best for me. By cleaning up my diet I am looking forward to improved energy and honestly hopefully some fat loss. I am still working on getting my Cortisol levels to even out, so this should help with that too. Even though clean eating seems like a no brainer, when I get exhausted, like I have been lately, it just seems to take to much energy to eat well. But at some point something has to give. I am going to sit down and lay out a basic meal plan for the myself so I don't have to think about it but just grab and go. Like more leftovers and meals prepared ahead of time, I want to make it as easy as possible for myself to succeed when life is busy.
What are your New Years Resolutions? Will you be joining me or any of the other groups in cleaning up your diet this month?
Happy New Year!
I have been doing the whole 30 again this month to get back on track after too much sugar indulgence.. hehehehe.... however am really disappointed that I did not even lose a pound this entire month, after having gained 3 during the massive sugar indulgence! Im so bummed! any suggestions? how did you do?
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteThat is a great question, one there could be many variables to. I will start by asking about your fruit consumption, are you replacing your sugar consumption with fruit or dried fruit? If you are going for fat loss skipping the fruit would be your best option, however if you aren't willing to do that then limit yourself to one piece of fruit a day. Another thing to look at would be your fat consumption, are you consuming a lot of nuts for snacks etc? That will sabotage your fat loss too. Be sure you are getting lots, and lots of water, maybe even add some fresh lemon to your water so it doesn't get boring or make some "Spa water".
A basic rule is protein should be about the size of your palm and then fill out your plate with veggies and a little bit of fat.
This isn't scientific or anything but sometimes it seems to me that loosing just a few pounds is much harder than loosing 20#, not sure why, just what I have experienced. Doesn't mean it can happen, it just might take longer, have patience. Another thing to look at might be your exercise, are you exercising, and what form? You may need to make some changes there to for a while to promote the weight loss.
And lastly, since you are doing a Whole 30 maybe enter the discussion boards for they have, they are great for moral support. Encouragement and support make a huge difference. As for myself, I didn't notice anything for a while (it's really only been about 2 1/2 weeks though because my husband and I were gone on vacation for a week). It took my husband reminding me to stick with it and to have patience, now I am noticing my pants and shirts are starting to fit differently. The other thing is I am not weighing myself and put my full length mirror away for a month. Good luck and hang in there! If you really are sticking strictly to the Whole 30 guidelines and not cheating or treating yourself you should do great!
Karen,
ReplyDeleteSleep would be another to look at, are you getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a darkened room? I find blackout curtains make a huge difference for me as well as taking a Bath in Epsom salt before bed. Just a thought. Good luck.
Sheilla