So every for the past four years, January my wife and I start the year off doing The Whole 30 Meal Plan. My wife seems to always have great results, me not so much, though I have to admit I don't go as full on with the plan as she does as she usually does the Vegetarian version and I modify it to the non vegetarian version so I can have some protein / meat. Now I do realize that changing the plan will get different results but I typically lose maybe 4 or 5 pounds and Tabitha usually ends up with around 20lbs loss. To me this does not seem right so I am now starting to focus on my nutrients and the balance I am getting so I can understand fully what is working and what is not.
The Whole 30, in brief, is eating clean food and avoiding dairy and carbs for 30 days; there is more to it but that is the gist of it.
The first time we tried it I wasn't too much of a fan but I did it to support my wife. She made most of the meals as she was more familiar with what we could and could not have. There was a lot of spaghetti squash and vegetarian chili; which is good but it was quite a few times a week and got boring fast.
Over time we did The Whole 30 maybe twice a year and with that I started to take more of an interest in making the meals as i used it as an opportunity to teach myself more vegetarian cuisine as well as learn a more healthy style of cooking. For me it was a bit bumpy at first as the chef in me was constantly wanting to add certain things to elevate the meals but couldn't because of they were not Whole 30 approved. Oh the frustration!
Here we are now though and I feel confident when making a meal that needs to be whole 30 approved, vegetarian or not, and make it rich and flavourful and healthy. this last little while I have made Lasagna, Roast dinners, Meatloafs, Stirfrys, basically anything we would eat any given time when not on the plan. Tabitha and I are so set on the quality of the meals that we now regularly add these meals into our weekly meal plans when not on the Whole 30.
I am quite happy with making the meals that are healthier and tastier that don't make me feel bloated and miserable. Damn carbs! And while I am lactose intolerant it is great to have experimented with some soya "cheese loaf", though it will never replace a smoked gouda or Caciocavallo cheese it is nice to have options that taste good.
Now again as disappointing as it has been to not have the results Tabitha gets, I have been focusing for the last month or so on logging all my meals, logging my exercise and researching my nutrients required to sustain me properly. I truly believe that this year my research and efforts will pay off as my exercise routine has been very stable so far and my meals have been spot on to where it should be so the results should come.
I have focused a lot on upping my protein intake which helps with late morning and mid afternoon cravings. I typically have a protein shake right after my workout then again in late morning and mid/late afternoons when my cravings are at the tipping point. I have also been focusing on which fats I am eating (lots of avocado - and I never used to like it too!) and limiting my carbs. the protein will help build my muscle mass and in theory my body will burn more fat for using up as energy. Combining this with a good solid workout 5 to 6 days a week ( at least) I should see results in the near future that will truly show the direction I am going.
I know as I restructure my habits and my caloric intake my body is going through an adjustment period. This period has always bothered me as I know the efforts I would put in during past trials and failures and the weight loss is just not where I want it to be. Disappointment would step in and a cycle of falling off the wagon would commence, so this time around I have decided to only weigh myself ever 2 or 3 months, my next weigh in is in March. I have also decided to start taking measurements of key body parts; my neck, arms, chest, waist, calves, and thighs. I believe this will give a better representation of the changes that will be made and while I may not lose the weight I think I should I would be able to see the progress of where I am at better. For some reason I keep forgetting to take measurements though ( hopefully by the time this is posted it will be done!).
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