Whole30: Day 4

I am 4 days into my Whole30 and it honestly isn't as bad as I expected! I am not really missing carbs or cheese, and coconut milk in my coffee is seriously NOT BAD. I'm not missing much, but encountered some difficulty when trying to find a place to eat out tomorrow night. I decided to go with Bareburger-- a not too expensive option that offers organic, grass-fed, not to mention DELICIOUS burgers that can be made in anything from a good ol' bun (not so good when you're doing a Whole30) to a lettuce wrap. I am not sure if they are cooking the meat with any kind of oil but I will ask when I am out tomorrow night!


A WHOLE lot of vegetables

So anywho, I feel like I will encounter the biggest issues when I have plans. This whole week, I haven't made any plans to eat out, but on a Friday night, at the end of a work week in NYC, eating out for dinner is pretty standard and I'm not going to become a hibernating bear for 30 days of the beginning of a beautiful spring for a DIET! I will do my best, will not cheat, but if I find out the burgers are cooked in vegetable oil, I will not despair. A little vegetable oil is barely a reason to quit a diet or get my feathers ruffled.

I've been doing a lot of research about Whole30 to see what other people have eaten and felt throughout their own Whole30s. Yesterday I found myself eating a few too many tablespoons of almond butter, so today I ditched the almond butter completely. I'll let myself have some more when I can exhibit some better self control.

The hard part about Whole30 so far, for me, is investing time in the kitchen. Sunday night I made a big pan of roasted vegetables, which did NOT come out yummy, but since I put the time in, I've been eating some for dinner each night. I need to perfect my roasting skills on this diet. I made a big salad with spinach, kale, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, fresh mango salsa, and some olive oil, and brought this for lunch Mon-Wed.

Monday night I cooked up some turkey burgers from scratch, which I learned how to cook here. I put fresh mango salsa, onions, and some pepper, and made 4 turkey burgers-- enough to get me through dinner for 3 nights and lunch today! They were also delish-- I topped them off with some guacamole and 2-3 pieces of bacon. YUM. The first night I also made these sweet potatoes which were SO simple and came out really yummy as well.


Best turkey burger I've ever made!

That was a lot more time spent cooking than I am used to, but honestly it was worth it to have made 4 days worth of healthy lunches and dinners in about 2.5 hours time. I am out of leftovers though, so tonight I'm going to pick up some shrimp on my way home and make a shrimp avocado salad. Mm-mm-mm.

I don't have any other major findings to report yet as its only been 4 days. Not really seeing weight loss yet, but I am wearing a dress without spanx, that I wore a few weeks ago WITH spanx, so maybe that's a good sign. I've been really active, but that's how I've been for the past month-- weight-lifting 2-3x's a week, 2-3 HIIT workouts a week, Zumba once a week, and Yoga 2-3x's a week.

Will update with more of my progress!

-Riana

#Whole30

Today isn't just any ordinary Monday. It is the start of my very first Whole30! If you don't know about Whole30, you can learn all about it here. In summation, it is a cleanse-type diet that goes on for, you guessed it, 30 days. During this time, you cannot have any wheat, alcohol, sugar (including sugar substitutes or other artificial flavoring), legumes, or dairy. The point is to be only eating clean, nutritious foods that will fuel your day-to-day activities and get rid of strong cravings and other food issues that get in the way and cause ugly things-- like weight gain, bloating, sleeplessness, bad skin, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

I have been seeking a better diet plan for, what it feels like, years. Truth is, I haven't felt my best in a long time. I am constantly bouncing from diet to diet, only to crash or binge in between and have to start from square 1. I am hoping the Whole30 gives me a new outlook on food, helps me lose a few pounds, and in general, just feel better about myself.

In my first Vinyasa Yoga class last week, I admired a girl who was so flexible, she could do just about anything the instructor told us to do (I don't really know pose names just yet, other than Downward Dog and Child's Pose of course ;) ). The instructor asked her what her secret was, and she replied "no sugar." Which was kind of a funny answer, at which I sort of scoffed to myself at. Cupcakes happen to be my favorite food. No sugar in my diet? At all? Ha. Good one. But now, here I am, on Day 1 of a diet that excludes any kind of sugar-- besides that which is found in apples, grapefruits, and other fruit.

Yesterday, after a carb-filled day my sister and I indulged in as our type of day-long "last dinner," I was getting nervous. The meals I was planning for myself sounded bland and boring. I couldn't even have half & half in my iced coffee-- which is something I look forward to every morning on my journey to work. The carbs part, which is what scares many people, isn't really what scares me. It's moreso the fact that I need to plan in advance and cook a lot more. No more eggs + english muffin w/peanut butter for dinner as a last resort after a late yoga class. No more teriyaki sauce on my salmon. My diet is basically getting a huge makeover. Maybe not huge, but it felt that way last night.

But as I am doing some more research on the plan, reading recipes from past Whole30-ers, looking at Instagram photos with #Whole30, and reading positive reactions to the plan, I'm starting to think, hey, this isn't so bad.

I had coconut milk in my iced coffee this morning, and it wasn't so bad!

I started the day with an egg white scramble with peppers, spinach, and onions, and a small grapefruit. Wasn't so bad! Had to throw out my Oscar Mayere reduced sodium Turkey Bacon because it had some fake stuff in it. Wasn't so bad! I can have REAL bacon instead-- which is DEFINITELY NOT SO BAD (sorry for caps but BACON IS MY FAVORITE).

I can have kale and sweet potato chips! Not. So. Bad

I made myself a huge salad for lunch with kale, spinach, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, almonds, mango salsa, strawberries, olive oil, and turkey. Random, huh. I just wanted to make sure I was full because I am a major snacker. But the more I am reading up, the more I'm finding out other options to make for lunch. Each day of this diet will be a learning experience. And I will learn more awesome recipes to keep myself satisfied and feeling great, so I don't get sick of eating salads all the time. Tonight I am going to make a turkey burger (hoping one of my avocados are ripe), roasted vegetables (actually already made 'em last night), and a sweet potato. I'm going to make kale and sweet potato chips for the week too-- excited about that one.

I guess the thing about new stuff, in general, is that they are scary. You don't know what to expect, it feels out of your comfort zone, and it doesn't feel natural. But in the end, Whole30 is anything BUT unnatural! So soon, I think it will become second nature. I can't wait to see the results, because my pants are feeling extra tight from a weekend of bad eating.

More soon!
-Riana

The Boston Marathon

I can't really describe how I'm feeling, which is rare, but I think nauseous is pretty close.

The Boston Marathon. Marathon Monday, as us college students called it. The most wonderful day of the school year. No class, all-day drinking fun and ridiculousness, and high spirits. This was our homecoming, our tailgating, and one of the most memorable days each year.

Not to mention my love for running. I trained for a half marathon a few summers ago, and if you follow me on any form of social media, you'll see my Nike+ runs come up in your newsfeed regularly. It's something my friends like to tease me about, but as a social media junkie and runner, it's right up my alley.

Social media: the way I found out about the "explosions." On first glance, as usual with these types of horrific events, I read "explosion" and think anything but a terrorist attack. Maybe I'm naive, or maybe I have faith in humanity-- but planting bombs in garbage cans by the finish line of one of the most honorable marathons in the world?! No. That wouldn't happen. I'd think.

But it did happen. Is anything safe anymore? I have the chills reading articles and seeing these photographs. I don't think "that could have been me." I do think how horrible and close to home this hits for me, but I mainly think about the victims, the runners, and the heroes. I know the grueling but amazing efforts of training for a half marathon in the peak of summer, waking up early for a 12 mile run, the twitching I'd get in my toes after as I'd indulge in a huge breakfast to make up for the "loss of calories" I had experienced. These people trained for a full marathon. These individuals put time and effort into running 26.2 miles so they could feel a sense of accomplishment, honor a loved one, raise money.

When you're running in a long-distance race, night-before jitters are normal. What should I eat tonight? I hope this doesn't bother my stomach. To energy gel tomorrow or not to energy gel tomorrow? Will I have to pee in the middle of the race? Will I get a PR? Will I even finish?! Shorts or pants? But "Do I need to worry about there being explosives hidden in garbage cans at the finish line?" Nah. Never. That would never even cross my mind.

But now, movie theaters, elementary schools, buses, subways, public libraries. Where are we safe. I don't want my loved ones and friends to live their lives in fear. Life is too short. Between my sister and I, I've always kind of been the brave one, to comfort her when she is afraid. I will continue to be the brave one, but I will need to be more cautious with each step.