Whole 30 Challenge (Week 2)

I can't believe that I am already half way done with the Whole 30 Challenge!

The second week was definitely much easier than the first. This week I haven't had any cravings for the unhealthy, processed foods I used to consume and I have much more energy and don't feel like I need to take cat naps anymore. Also, several people have told me that I am looking much leaner this week! A few people at my CrossFit box have asked me about the challenge and I really hope that I inspire them to try it out as well. It's hard but it's definitely worth it.

Previous Posts
Whole 30 Challenge Into
Whole 30 Challenge Week 1

Meals Day 10-14 

Days 8 & 9 are listed on Week 1's blog post

Day 10
breakfast: orange; banana
lunch: crockpot chicken with veggies
dinner: baked chicken; roasted asparagus

Day 11
breakfast: banana
lunch: turkey burger topped with guacamole, salsa, and 1 diced hard boiled egg
dinner: Panera Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad without dressing and cheese

(I forgot to tell them no cheese so I had to pick around it. Jon happily enjoyed eating an extra baguette since I can't eat bread)

Jon and I went to Columbus this day. Traveling while on the Whole 30 is definitely tricky but if you plan where you are going to eat before hand and look at the menu before you go you can be successful!

I only had one fail this day - at Panera I also ordered a green tea, thinking it would be unsweetened. The first sip was absolutely disgusting and tasted like pure sugar. I dumped my cup and ended up getting unsweetened iced tea instead.

Day 12
breakfast: banana; avocado
post-workout: protein shake
lunch: chicken topped with hot sauce; sweet potato fries; brussel sprouts
dinner: chicken veggie soup; cucumbers

Day 13 - This was the day of the CrossFit Open 14.3 Workout
breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg; banana
post-workout: protein shake
lunch: 2 turkey burgers topped with salsa; green olives; carrots; cucumbers; sweet peppers
dinner: garlic lemon chicken; roasted asparagus; mashed cauliflower
dessert: lemon LARABAR

Day 14
breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg, banana
post-workout: protein shake
lunch: scrambled eggs with mushrooms, tomatoes & guac; 3 strips of paleo bacon
dinner: chicken & veggie soup; salad with mushrooms, tomatoes, and paleo avocado ranch dressing
dessert: apple pie LARABAR

 

I absolutely love that some flavors of LARABARs are paleo-friendly! (Be sure to check the ingredients to make sure as some contain peanuts) These are the perfect fix for a sweet tooth, sugar craving, or if you just want to top the day off with a tasty dessert.

The Best & The Worst

The Worst Parts
Saying "NO" - The worst part of the challenge so far is definitely saying "no" to my friends when they ask if I want to go out with them. Today is St. Patrick's day, many people have returned from spring break, and I am just relaxing with the pups! Don't get me wrong, I really need to relax my body today after some tough workouts earlier this week and prepare for the second round of 14.3 tomorrow!

The Best Parts
No cravings - I have not craved anything all week. I can't believe it. I have also noticed a huge change in my taste buds. The green tea tasted like liquid sugar and I immediately spit it out it was so gross. The sugary, creamy, flavored coffee I used to drink has changed to straight black coffee, and I enjoy it.

It all feels natural - When I first began the challenge I always thought that I was eating healthy because I had to. Now I want to eat a bowl of fresh fruit or snack on veggies just like I used to want to snack on a bowl of pretzels. Now I don't have to think about eating this way, it just happens.


Now go check out Carling's post of the challenge and see how she's doing!

Question of the Day

Have you ever tried the Whole 30 Challenge? How did you feel while on the challenge?

Whole 30 Challenge (Week 1)

I have officially been on the Whole 30 Challenge for over a week - 9 days to be exact!

Carling and I began this challenge "just because" and I'm so thankful for the experience so far. It's been such an eye opener reading nutrition labels (focusing on the ingredients), learning more about where food comes from, how to prepare it, and how it can properly fuel your body.

Meals Day 1 - 9 

Day 1 - rest day (I slept in late so breakfast and lunch were combined)
brunch: buffalo chicken lettuce boats topped with avocado; cherry tomatoes
dinner: steak; broccoli; sweet potato

Day 2 - rest day (slept in again, it was the weekend!)
brunch: 2 hard boiled eggs
dinner: steak; asparagus

Day 3
breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
post workout: protein shake; handful of strawberries
lunch: sweet potato nachos (sweet potato chips topped with ground beef, guac & salsa); olives
dinner: chicken & veggie crockpot soup

During my workout this day I was really light headed and decided I needed to add more carbs to my breakfast.

Day 4
breakfast: banana
post workout: protein shake - click to see what protein I'm using during the challenge
lunch: turkey burger topped with guac; salad topped with tomatoes, mushrooms & olive oil
dinner: sweet potato topped with chicken & veggie crockpot soup

Day 5
breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg, banana
post workout: protein shake, 1/2 avocado
lunch: ground beef flavored with taco seasonings, guac & tomatoes; strawberries on the side
dinner: same as lunch but hot sauce was added; cauliflower, carrots, & cucumbers on the side

I found that day 4 or 5's breakfasts are key for feeling good and having enough energy throughout my entire workout.

Day 6 - Day of the CrossFit Open 14.2 Workout

breakfast: banana
late lunch: turkey burger topped with guac & tomato; sweet potato fries; sautéed mushrooms & peppers; berries
post workout: protein shake
dinner: chicken fajitas topped with guac & salsa

Day 7 - rest day
breakfast: banana
lunch: ground beef mixed with avocado, tomato and baby spinach
dinner: turkey burger topped with guac & tomato; spicy sweet potato fries; caulirice with mushrooms

This is when I started craving pretty much anything sugary, fatty, or greasy

Day 8
breakfast: banana
post workout: protein shake
lunch: ground beef stir fry (asparagus, onion, tomato, mushrooms, carrots); berries; avocado
dinner: kofta (a middle eastern meatball); tabouleh; chicken; olives & pickles; strawberries

This day was when the real challenge set in. I went to my cousin's birthday party and had to turn away some of my favorite foods. Shopping and cooking for myself at home allows me to control what kinds of food are available so it was a challenge having to pass up some of the delicious dips and desserts at the party.

Day 9
breakfast: banana
lunch: salad loaded with veggies topped with olive oil & vinegar; cafe americano coffee
snack: 1 square Ghirardelli 100% dark cocoa (disgusting!); spoonful of cashew butter
dinner: crockpot chicken & veggies; green beans

This was my first day ordering something from a coffee shop. I told the cashier about the Paleo diet and that I couldn't have anything with dairy or sugar in it. She was really cooperative, wasn't annoyed by my requests, and gave me a few different suggestions.

Today we also hit up some of the local health food stores. I was so shocked by the size of the organic sweet potatoes! They were huge! I bought 3 and they each weighed almost 2 pounds.

The Best & the Worst

The Worst Parts:
Cravings - At my cousin's party I really wanted to give in and have one bite of cake but I knew I would feel guilty afterwards and the satisfaction of finishing this challenge without cheating is going to feel so much more rewarding. But doesn't this cake look so good?

Explaining myself - (This can also be considered one of the best parts when people are actually interested and want to learn more about the challenge) While I love talking about healthy living, eating, and this challenge, I absolutely hate having to explain why I"m doing it. Some people think that the only reason you should change your eating habits are to either lose weight or because of allergies and don't understand why anyone would want to eat this way. It's hard convincing people this is a good change when they don't believe in giving up things like pasta and sweets.

Reading labels in the grocery store - Shopping takes so much longer when you actually stop and look at the ingredients in different products. However, it's easier when sugar is the first ingredient listed and you can just set the product back down on the shelf! Soon I will be able to just know what is paleo and what isn't and won't have to study the ingredients so much. (I was so shocked when I saw that the precooked frozen chicken I have been buying for awhile has sugar in it!)

The Best Parts:
All of the support I have - between Carling, Jon, family, and friends I have a ton of support. I am so grateful that the people I nanny for eat a paleo diet and always make sure that there are several meal options available for me.

How I feel - I ate healthy most of the time before the challenge but I definitely would have my days where I would scarf anything down without thinking. I can tell a difference in my sleep, my energy levels, and my performance during CrossFit.

Cooking - I have found a new love for cooking and creating new recipes. I purchased two paleo cookbooks today and am loving all of the recipes in them. The ones I have are Paleo Happy Hour and Make It Paleo.

On A Different Note

I have to share this picture of Ethel with you all. I was laying on the ground playing with her and as soon as I whipped out my phone to snap a picture of her, she turned her head. She absolutely hates the camera! She's such a precious girl though :)

Question of the Day

What's your favorite paleo meal?

Be sure to follow me on Instagram to stay up to date with all of my eats!

Whole 30 Challenge

I can't believe it's already March, can you? 

My good friend Carling and I have been looking into healthy eating a little bit more and I recently started nannying for a family that eats Paleo a majority of the time. I was telling her about it, we began researching, and we came across the Whole 30 Challenge.

Basically the Whole 30 Challenge is 30 days of eating super clean - how we are supposed to eat. 

The challenge is strictly meats, vegetables, some fruit, nuts and seeds. No sugars, grains, dairy, processed foods, or beans. We have found that some people who eat Paleo tend to paleo-fy their desserts and we both decided against that. If we think that after 30 days the Paleo lifestyle is for us, then maybe we will use some of the dessert recipes to satisfy our sweet tooth. Until then, we are strictly, 100% Paleo, even if our bread-loving, dessert-eating, boyfriends are not. 

Once a week we are both going to blog about some of our eats from the previous week. You can also follow us on Instagram if you want to see our food on a daily basis. 

My Instagram handle: danielle_abou

Carling's Instagram handle: carlingbarrett

Here's a look at yesterday's eats!

If you have any advice about how to cure our sweet tooth while on the challenge, want to share any delicious Paleo recipes, or have done the challenge before, please comment below and share with us!

You can also read Carling's post about the challenge here.

Question of the Day

Have you ever done the Whole 30 Challenge? What did you think? 

Inside My Fridge

Workout

Before I get to talking about food I want to talk about today's workout and the lack of one yesterday. Yesterday I had 4 miles plus speed work scheduled and was planning on running when I got off of work. Whenever I got off I saw a text from a friend asking if I wanted to go to his sister's with him because they were ordering cookies and of course I said yes. I mean seriously, cookies beat running every time.

So today I did both speed work and strength training. I felt like crap with the sprints today. It might have to do with the fact that I ate lunch about an hour before.

Complete all of the reps/sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Rest 15 seconds between sets!

What's in my fridge?

Ever wondered what is inside another person's fridge or cupboard?

Well today I thought it might be fun to share with you what I have stocked up in mine! Living in the dorms doesn't allow for a huge fridge or awesome cabinet space so I have a mini fridge that has a few things in it and some storage drawers packed to the brim with different snacks.

I always have a couple of water bottles for those days that I am running out of time to fill up my Brita water bottle. Lately I have been enjoying cheese sticks, hummus, and yogurt for snacks. I usually have Chobani Greek Yogurt in there but I ate it all and bought a thing of Yoplait Key Lime Pie Whips the other day for a treat.

When it comes to breakfast, I normally don't have time to sit down and eat a bowl of cereal but when I do I normally eat Special K Red Berries or Kashi Healthy Heart.

For the days I can't eat a bowl of cereal I eat granola bars. I'm not big into snacking but when I am hungry I'll grab one of them to munch on. I have found that I can eat the Special K Chocolate Pretzel bars about a half hour before a long run and feel amazing on it. Sometimes after a hard run or workout I will eat a Clif bar (not shown) or a Clif Builder's Bar for extra protein.

Some other favorite snacks of mine are fruit snacks and beef jerky.

And for a boost of energy and a chocolate treat I will grab a handful of chocolate covered coffee beans. These are perfect when studying or just to satisfy a sweet craving.

Trail mix, dried fruit, cheese with sticks, and CHEEZ-ITs are also a snack around here. I'm always reaching for a big glass of water and CHEEZ-ITs after a long run if I don't feel good. I don't know why - maybe it's the salt in them - but I always feel 10x better after eating them.

And what college student do you know that does not have Ramen somewhere in their room?

I always have a bag or two of Pretzel Crisps, Food Should Taste Good Chips, and The Better Chip stashed away. I love eating the Original Pretzel Crisps with hummus! And let's face it, eating these versus Doritos or Lays is so much better for you and you feel better afterwards too.

I also have a bag full of nut butters. Whenever I want to jazz up a piece of fruit then I get one of these out and spread it on the fruit for some extra flavor and protein.

Out of all of these snacks, the ones that I have to have in my room are CHEEZ-ITs, yogurt, granola and protein bars, beef jerky, and something sweet to satisfy my taste buds.

Update: Since graduating college, I have created another great post - Healthy Snacks for College Students That Won't Break the Bank. It is full of healthy options and tips and I would love for you to check it out!





What is something that is always in your fridge?

Turkey Day Challenge

Earlier today I ran across a challenge on GPP's website that is intended to help clean up your eating, become more committed to exercise and improve health. The challenge is intended to run from October 29 to November 21st. All the details for the Turkey Day Challenge are below and are taken from GPP's website.

Commitment

1. You may eat NO ADDED SUGAR - no white sugar, no brown sugar, no high fructose corn syrup (you'll have to check labels for this sneaky beast). Honey and agave are ok. Unprocessed fruits are OK.  You can have Splenda and Asptartame, but why the H would you want to?  Basically, anything that is a sugary sweet eaten for pleasure alone is off limits.  Just until Thanksgiving day.
2. You must complete 5 GPP workouts per week PLUS three extra 30 minute cardio sessions per week.
3. You are to pick a health related challenge to stick to.  Once picked, you should post this healthy challenge and how you will be accountable for compliance to it.  For example: you may choose to begin a few rounds of BCD & post (daily) whether or not you stuck to it.   Below are a few suggestions of health related challenges you may consider:

• Comply strictly with a GPP meal plan.
• Get 6-8 hours of sleep per night.
• 50 extra burpees per day.
• Pray/meditate daily
• No unhealthy snacks.
• Take a daily multi vitamin.
• 5 servings of fruits + 5 servings of vegetables per day.
• Eat .9 g of lean protein per lb of lean body weight daily.
• Eat healthy & correct portions of breakfast/lunch/dinner.
• Weekly community service.
• Weigh & measure weekly.

The Teeth

If you are going to commit to any of the above, you have to be committed enough to put some teeth into it.  In other words, it has to HURT if you break your commitment.  So here is how that works:

1. You must commit to, and define your intention to complete the challenge to comments.
2. You must post daily results of your challenge to comments.
3. There are penalties for not following through.  Each time you miss a workout, indulge in a sugary treat, or mess up on your personal goal (your observable, measurable & repeatable one) you are to pay $1, or 1 can of food for every offense!  Strictly enforced by HONOR.  These are to be dropped off at GPP HQ (or your local food bank).  Questions or exceptions are to be voted upon by those in the challenge.  Majority rules!  

My Personal Commitments

1. No added sugar except for the small amount found in foods that I feel are healthy. My goal of this challenge is to not eat candy, cakes, chips, or anything deemed unhealthy by most people. No tastes or samples of these foods allowed!
2. Completing 5 workouts a week, GPP or not. I have other workout routines that I sometimes follow so these do not count against me.
3. Health Related Challenge - take a multivitamin everyday and drink more water.

I am not going to blog daily posts each day about the results of this challenge but will offer an update every now and then.