[Whole30] The Results!

Thursday, March 5, 2015


We made it! We did it! We made it 30 days and I, for one, am very proud of us!

Honestly, going in, I thought a mixtures of things. Before we started I remember thinking "there's NO way we can do this. as a working mom (and dad), how can we do this?? we don't have enough time to make meals like this. it's too hard."  I thought it sounded crazy. There were so many rules, I never thought we could adhere to them all. But that's where I was wrong. It's only hard if you think it will be hard. Like they say in the "It Starts with Food" book, fighting cancer is hard. Eating healthy and drinking coffee without creamer is not hard.

So, to answer the ever burning question, was it hard? Honestly? No. But honestly, we timed it the way we did so it wouldn't be as hard. Hard to say no to foods we couldn't eat. Hard to go places where other people would be preparing food and we didn't want to be rude and ask too many questions about how the food was prepared. We purposely picked the Monday after I had a work lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We purposely picked the 30 days that would end right before a birthday party we were going to. We planned it for the greatest chance of success and we achieved that.

I made sure we were prepared. I did my research. I looked up meals that I knew we would like and that would be easy enough for us with little time on weeknights. Nothing was fancy. Everything was simple. And I think that was our key to success. I made a meal plan for week 1 and naively thought we would adhere to it for all 4 weeks. And then... on week 2, I was already bored with it. We tweaked it a little and moved on through week 2 and then week 3 hit and we kinda just winged it. We knew the meals we liked. We knew what staples we wanted to use again. And we knew what breakfasts and snacks worked best for us. And week 3 and 4 went by quickly.

We bought almost all our food at Costco and Ralph's (our local grocery store). We bought mostly fruits, vegetables, tuna, nuts, chicken, and olive oil at Costco and beef and eggs at the grocery store. We bought ghee and coconut oil at Trader Joe's (but could have easily bought it elsewhere). We only went to Whole Foods for a couple things : Justin's almond butter, Bubbie's relish, and some dijon mustard (other things we found to be too expensive). I had wanted to try to find some lunch meat and some bacon at Whole Foods but they were insanely expensive (like $10 for 8 slices of bacon and $7 for 5 slices of lunch meat). This is another reason why we kept things simple - fruits, veggies, sweet potatoes all were pretty cheap. There was plenty of other stuff we could have bought to make fancier meals, but we felt that the cost did not justify the benefit.

And now I'm left wondering... why does healthy food have to be so expensive???

Why can you buy a Big Mac for $1 or one avocado for $1?
Why can you buy 20 slices of sugar-full bacon for $4 and 8 slices of sugar free for $10?
Why does a box of pasta cost $1 and a spaghetti squash cost like $3?
And has anyone actual fully gone grocery shopping at Whole Foods? Holy break the bank Batman!

Ok enough of my rant, I'm going to share some pictures with you. I am VERY self conscious about being in a bikini on the internet. VERY. And I am also going to admit my weight, which I am also self conscious about. So, please be nice with your comments and remember what your mother told you, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Before shots are on the left and after shots are on the right.

Seth

I think you can definitely tell that Seth lost weight. When he has his clothes on, it is obvious that his stomach is smaller. But in these pictures too, I think you can see it. In the before pictures, his stomach hangs over his shorts a little, and in the after pictures, it doesn't. You can also see that his chin area is smaller as well. (Don't worry, we talked about all of this before I shared the pictures, so I'm not saying anything that we didn't already talk about.)

Me

I thought I looked the same, but they say you are your own worst critic. Seth says that he can definitely tell that I lost weight. He said you can tell in my stomach, like his, where it used to hang over my swim suit a little and now it doesn't as much and also in my back.
Also, random side note, please note that I did not "lose my tan" in the "after" photos (not that I had a tan to begin with lol). I think we had a different light on in the "after" photos.

In terms of actual pounds

Seth
Start : 189.5 lbs.
End : 179.5 lbs.
Total loss : 10 lbs.

Me
Start : 158.8 lbs.
End : 149.3 lbs.
Total loss : 9.5 lbs.

And keep in mind, we didn't exercise. This was purely from eating well. Now, I don't advocate not exercising, we probably should have done that as well, but in a statement of fact : during the whole30, we did not exercise or do anything different than we normally do.


[Biggest resources]


[Other random things to note]

I cut out coffee all together for the 30 days because I can't drink it black. Yes, I guess that would qualify as "drinking black coffee is hard" but cutting out black coffee for 30 days was not hard. I did drink tea, which I thought had caffeine as well, but apparently it had way less than I thought because I now feel weird when I have a cup of coffee. Like my heart is racing and my head feels funny. It's weird. I literally had to go buy decaf k-cups to use since I was craving the coffee but not wanting the crazy feeling I was having.

On top of the weight loss, I will say this - I did feel better. I felt that I had a lot more clarity when I was eating real foods vs processed and can tell the difference when I eat junk now.

We had a doctor appointment for Mason the other day and were running late and Mason was beyond hungry so we drove thru Carl's Jr. Seth and I got a burger and fries and I literally felt guilty as I was eating it. Like I was letting my body down. I honestly think the only fast food we might have now will be in n out (but only protein style, no cheese, no spread - but possibly adding fries back in).

I was a little surprised that I didn't feel gross when we added regular foods back in. Though we are trying to still follow the whole 30 plan/paleo, we have gone out for donuts, we did have cake at a birthday party, and we have gone out to dinner. And surprisingly, I didn't feel sick. I mean I definitely am making better choices, but I was kinda surprised after eating so clean for 30 days that my body didn't react more when I incorporated processed foods in again.

Also, the whole 30 website has a timeline of how they expect you to feel while on your journey. Honestly, I didn't really feel any of them. I didn't really feel more tired any time or like I had more energy anytime. I didn't get headaches. Maybe we just ate relatively well to begin with and so it wasn't that drastic of a change? I don't know.

Overall, would I recommend the whole 30 to you? YES! I would! But make sure you do your research and make sure you have a plan. Set yourself up for success and not failure.
And just know... you can do it!

Questions?
Anything I didn't cover?
Ask away in the comments!


22 comments:

  1. Woot! Way to go, girl! I can definitely see a difference in both of you! I am so proud of you!! Thanks for sharing your journey with us. :)

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  2. Woohoo... I can totally tell a difference! That's great you guys both lost weight and felt better doing it! I don't think I could pay Chris to let me post pics of him like that or share his weight. Not that I'd want to either ;)

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  3. Let me just start with this...I can totally tell in the before/after. You look great! Wow 30 days just seems so daunting but I love how you went into it with a solid plan and didn't set yourselves up for failure. Amazing. I'm so glad to read this...I've been interested in your thoughts since you mentioned you were starting. Great results for both of you guys!

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  4. I need to get my butt on this train. I can fully tell you lost weight! Like a few inches!! And the whole feeling better and not feeling like your letting your body down--- I need that! I eat so much sugar if isn't even funny. Come cook for me?

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  5. That is awesome! You guys lost almost 20 lbs together!!! Wahoo!!! Great job you too.

    And YES story of my life. I am BEYOND frustrated that healthy food has to be so darn expensive :(.

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  6. Virtual high-five! Both of you really look great! That's so awesome that you lost weight just by eating healthier. Thanks for sharing your sources too- I may try this in the future. Also, can you send some In N Out my way?? ;) I could go for a double double animal style right about now (doesn't even matter that it's 7:45 am)

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  7. Way to go Liz!!! I know how worried you were about the big change Whole 30 would bring and you killed it! I'm so proud of you!

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  8. I am sooooooo proud of you! This is seriously a big deal! You and Seth are amazing!
    I can totally tell that you lost weight/inches. Promise! And girl, it's all about moderation! You probably didn't feel sick when eating a treat as you added stuff back in because you're having a little bit, instead of eating the whole dang cake ;) (Not saying you did that before, ha!) but when you maintain a healthy diet and add in a treat here or there, you most likely won't get sick. I can't say the same about soda though. I stopped drinking soda when Mia was born (only because my soda of choice is Dr Pepper and I somehow thought that caffeine would transfer through nursing and keep Mia awake at night.... umm. I just really blame my sleep deprivation and crazy hormones for thinking like that. Mia was born with Dr Pepper in her veins, ha ha!) and now if I drink more than a sip or two? Holy tummy ache!
    Anyway, CONGRATS! So proud of you! Now throw in working out a couple days a week and see what changes happen now that you've already changed the diet up a bit! SO PROUD OF YOU!

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  9. You are awesome! (I sang that out loud whilst typing...for adding oomph) You can totally tell in your before and afters. It isn't like y'all were oompas before so it is subtle but totally there. If I cut out coffee for 30 days I'd stay away haha. I think coffee is my worst diet killer. We really don't eat crazy around here but then I drink pure sugary awesomeness in a cup. I blame Aria, I was never a coffee drinker before her. And, yes! It is ridiculously expensive to shop at the healthy options. I looked for ghee when we did our paleo stint in september but never could find it. We'd have to go to Orlando though for trader joe's or whole foods.

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  10. Woohoo!! Congrats guys - you both look great! Crazy how just eating the right things can have a 10 lb impact a month!

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  11. Congrats, lady! So awesome y'all completed the program. My husband and I are on day 11 and are feeling pretty good so far! I'm excited to see the changes in my body, because I can already feel a better sense of clarity like you mentioned!

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  12. So cool! You guys look great! I've been debating doing this, but I haven't done my research yet. Or talked to my husband. haha.

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  13. kudos to you for posting your before and after photos! You look great either way!!! but it always helps to feel better when u do something for yourself (eat better, workout, loose weight, etc). Glad to hear you fee good about be changed you made. I am slowly trying to make some changes to my diet but first trying get on an exercise routine - I can't do food changes without my happy enorfins from exercise! Thanks for sharing this. I'm going to check it out for sure!

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  14. It's funny that you said you can really tell on Seth but you thought you looked the same, because when I saw the pictures I kind of thought the opposite. & I totally don't mean that in a mean way like it came out sounding sorry, lol. Good for you for doing such an awesome job! Also, PS, you can't buy a Big Mac for a dollar. ;)

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  15. So many things!
    1) I am SO proud that you two stuck this out, even when you weren't sure you could do it. That's HUGE!!
    2) I'm serious, I'm totally hitting you up when this baby arrives. Right now I know I'd fail (I seriously can't so no to a strawberry shake from In and Out right now), but come August you'll be my go-to.
    3) You two made AWESOME progress. I can totally tell how much of a positive impact this has had on you. And, I can TOTALLY see a difference in BOTH of you!! Don't be so hard on yourself, you look amazing.
    4) Seriously, WHY is fast food so dang cheap - when you know it's been heavily processed! But, whole foods are so much more expensive. I really don't understand it.

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  16. Are you kidding me?!?! Oh my gosh, you can totally tell on BOTH of you I think. :) WAY TO GO!! I think it is so important to realize what some of the food out there does to our bodies, sure it's convenient but not good for us!! Girl, give yourself a big pat on the back, you deserve it and should be so proud for what you guys accomplished. :)

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  17. I love this post! I think you both look amazing afterwards - I can totally tell you both lost! I'm so proud of you for doing this and sticking to it. You guys rock! I think you may have just inspired me to do this too. We've been talking about it for a while. Thanks again for all the great references, recipes and meal ideas. CONGRATS!!! 10 pounds is HUGE!!!

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  18. Ohhhh I need to send you those recipes. Sorry, my brain is literally all over the place. I even have your email flagged! Anyway, I can definitely tell a difference from both of ya'll's pictures! What you are noticing is the "bloat" has fallen off because your body is able to easily digest all the great foods you are eating! You can get the In & Out burgers as lettuce wraps, btw. I think you knew that though. ;) So proud of ya'll! We actually do the majority of our grocery shopping at WF (just because I'm super weird about meat) and then purchase staple items and toiletries at Kroger. At first it was way more expensive, but like you said we figured out which items were best to purchase where. Oh Kroger, btw, has plain pb (just dry roasted peanuts) as a store brand and it is SO cheap!!!! Not sure if ya'll are going to do pb, just thought I would relay the message. :) Great job!!!

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  19. Looking great guys!!! I laughed out loud when you asked who actually shops at Whole Foods- we do! But Brian works there and you cant beat a discount ;)

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  20. SO PROUD OF YOU! Great job you two! Doesn't it just drive you crazy when you shop to buy healthy foods and it is sooo much more expensive! Well just remind yourself the other items probably aren't food! Someone told me a few years ago if your grandparents wouldn't have recognized it as food...then it's not! I have to admit I seriously love the ambiance of Whole Foods and there are certain things that I love from there. But mostly I am a loyal Trader Joes and Costco girl! So proud of you both! You looked amazing before and AMAZING after! LOVE YOU!

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  21. Awesome job guys! And how brave of you to share those pictures! I definitely see a change in you both. Seth's may be more obvious, but you look more toned! Yay for succeeding & surviving!

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  22. You both look amazing! I think it's so awesome you did this, maybe I need to look into some of the recipes to incorporate into our regular meals!

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