my big vegetarian whole30

Welcome to my big vegetarian Whole30 experience!  First, let me preface this post by saying that I was bad and did not research enough before I started the Whole30.  I was familiar with the concept, but as a vegetarian, it seemed much more challenging when I realized that I was unable to eat any grains or beans along with already excluding meat.  BUT,  I will say that it was easier than I thought it would be.  I wanted to put together some of the tips and tricks that I used in case you are vegetarian and wanting to do the Whole30, but are intimidated by the restrictions.

First off, if you are considering trying the Whole30….DO IT!  Seriously!  It changes how you think about the food that you eat on a daily basis.  I usually eat pretty healthy, but I definitely have a tendency to binge on chocolate and "healthy" snacks.  There are so many "healthy" foods that really aren't that good for you.  I have done 28 day sugar cleanses in the past, but it really didn't even stack up to how differently I felt during the Whole30.

Here are some of the changes that I experienced during the Whole30:

-Energy:  My baseline energy levels increased and they remained more stable throughout the day.

-I completely quit coffee:  I didn't need it!

-Sleep:  I slept more soundly and awoke feeling more rested.  It was also much easier to get up in the morning right away, even after short nights of only 5-6 hours of sleep.

-Mood:  I felt happier & more emotionally stable as the weeks rolled on.  Small things didn't bother me as much as they used to and I had a more positive outlook.

-Food view:   I began to view food differently and was able to see past emotional cravings and view foods for their nutrient density instead.  I began to assess which foods would give me the most nutrients or a different mix of nutrients throughout the day.

-Weight loss:  I lost about 8 pounds, although that was not my goal with this program.

So what was it like?  How did I prepare for and survive the Whole30?

research

Okay, this is important.  Do lots of research before you begin.  There are quite a few ins and outs, especially when trying to figure out what is approved for vegetarians.  For example, did you know that all grains and beans are out?  This includes gluten free healthy grains like quinoa and other legumes like peanuts.  How rude!  And cheese.  Again.  Rude.  Take the time the week or so before you start to research and to find recipes that are compliant that you will like to try.

planning

I would highly highly highly recommend meal prepping.  Seriously, do it.  Save your Sundays for this process because I guarantee, it will make the week ahead a MILLION GAZILLION times easier.  Meal prepping takes out the indecision that can arise throughout the week.  It gives you a clear, obvious answer for what you need to eat that day.  I don't know about you, but I always eat worse when I don't bring a lunch because then I have to scramble to find something healthy and quick.

On a similar note, pack your food the night before for work.  Again, it helps to keep you on track and it saves you time in the morning.  AKA, you can't be "forced" to buy an unhealthy lunch because you didn't have time to pack yours.

cost

There is this idea out there that eating healthy has to be expensive.  It doesn't.  It soooo doesn't.  You just have to be smart about it.  First, familiarize yourself with the local grocery ads.  Foods are different prices at different stores.  In the Twin Cities, we have a grocery store called Fresh Thyme that has awesome sales on produce each week.  Most cities will have something similar.  Fresh Thyme is spread out across the country and I know Aldi usually has good deals on produce.  Stick with your local ads, shop at multiple stores if you need to (you might not be able to get everything for the lowest price at one store), and buy seasonal produce.  This means that the produce is at it's peak freshness and abundance, so it should be less expensive than during other parts of the year.  I also try to make sure that I capitalize on bulk sales.  For example, when almonds were on sale for $5.99/lb., I bought a bunch in bulk so it would last me a few weeks.  I do the same when pistachios are on sale because helloooooo, pistachios are delicious.

Finally, cost is not just about how much you pay when you buy something.  Do you make it worth it once you have it?  I used to be awful at doing a healthy food grocery run overhaul and then it would sit in the fridge and I would do nothing with it.  Now I take a look at the ads, pick what I want to buy, and then find recipes that fit those ingredients.  I try to be super efficient with this.  If I do mess up and have to throw something away, I always question why I bought that item in the first place.  When you're shopping, ask yourself:  will I actually use this?  Only buy it if you will use it in a timely manner and not throw it away.

The most expensive part for me was doing a 2 day juice cleanse for the first two days.  Although it was more expensive, I think it was well worth it and it made adapting to the rest of the month much easier.

my tips & tricks:

Sweet potatoes are your friend.  I ate a literal shitload of sweet potatoes.  Since that was pretty much my only source of high volume carbs, I didn't mind eating them every day.  I mixed in a few other varieties of potatoes, but sweet potatoes are the bomb. dot. com.  I'll post the recipe that I used.  :]

Eggs are also a good friend, although I tried to keep it at 1 per day.  Some days I succeeded, others I did not.  And I have no shame in that.

Mix. It.  Up.  It can be easy to find a few things that you like and to just eat those for 30 days.  And by day 30 you will be bored and chomping at the bit to try anything else.  Try different seasonings.  Try different preparations of foods--hello, zoodles?!?!  Try different foods that you haven't tried before!  It’s one thing to have go-to's, but still aim for diversity.  Not only does it keep things interesting, but it guarantees that your are consuming a variety of different nutrients!

Water.  Drink lots of it.  I was amazed at the end by how much water I was drinking.  I always have a 24 ounce Starbucks cup with me.  When I started the Whole30, I was drinking about 2-3 of these cups every day.  Now I am drinking 4-5 every day.  It actually helps me wake up, too.  I didn’t have coffee until the last week or so and it has been super minimal because I definitely don't want to become dependent on it.

my cheats

Okay, so I'm the first one to admit that I am not perfect.  Not even close.  (Shocking, I know). There are a few products that helped me to survive:

Simple Mills Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Almond Flour Crackers

RX Bars (Blueberry and Apple Cinnamon)

Larabars

Jackson's Honest Sweet Potato Chips

social impact

Okay, so the social impact of the Whole30 can be intimidating.  I rarely ate out on the Whole30 and it was a challenge to explain to friends and coworkers the reasons behind my decision.  It never feels good to have people shame you for a health decision that you are making for yourself.  That being said, it was much easier to stick to once I felt the changes start to take place.  I had evidence that what I was doing was having an impact, which made it much easier to stick to my guns.  Before you start or have to explain to your friends, ask yourself why you want to do this.  Find your why.  It's not the same for everybody and that's okay.  Once you figure out your why, be prepared for a range of responses.  Some people will be in awe and ask how you are doing it and may even jump on board to do it with you.  That's great!  Others will think you are a nut in a box of Cracker Jacks and will dismiss your efforts.  Some might even try to make you feel stupid for trying it.  Don't let those haters get you down.  I know it can be hard.  I've been there.  Remember:  if you are doing the Whole30, you are doing it for you.  Nobody else.

Going out to dinner is a tough one, too because there is such a limited selection of Whole30-friendly foods at restaurants.  If you are comfortable with it, be that person who goes out with friends and inquires about the oils that foods are cooked in, how foods are prepared, and for substitutions to meet your needs.  I think it's funny that one of the common critiques of the Whole30 is that you turn into "that person".  Whatever.  Again, remember that this is for you.  If you are comfortable with it, then go out for dinner and ask the extra questions.  I didn't go out much, but that doesn't mean that you can't.

Here's my advice though:

1. Be honest.  Explain your why to your friends.  Be prepared for a variety of responses.  Just remember, you don't need to justify or argue your decision to anybody but yourself.  This. Is. About. You.
2. If you are feeling really ambitious and don't want to lose the social aspect to food, invite your friends for a dinner party.  Make foods that work for you and for them.  Boom.  Compromise reached.
3. Be prepared.  There were times that I packed my own food for visits to non-Whole30 friendly places or went grocery shopping for myself when I went to visit my sister.  Having my own stash of food made it much easier to stick with it.

Okay, I know this was a lot to take in, but I hope it was helpful.  My next blog project is going to be putting together some of the recipes that I used throughout the Whole30, including some of the juices!  If you have any questions at all about the Whole30 or what I did, please reach out to me in the comments or directly and I can answer them for you!

to your health,

anne

***Correction:  A few weeks after posting this, I was researching the Whole30 again and found that there is a vegetarian FAQ page.  They allow you to include gluten free grains and some legumes, although peanuts are still excluded.  You can check it out here.

real. raw. genuine.

Happy Monday!!!

This is going to be a very vulnerable post for me.  I want to talk about you.  But I also want to talk about me.  I think that you and I are probably on similar journeys.  I have been doing a lot of soul searching recently and found some things that I want to work through.  With all of the study that I have done on mindset in the last year or so, I find it absolutely amazing how difficult it still is for me to incorporate some of the practices into my life.  And the really crazy thing is that when I do incorporate them, I feel a million times better.  I feel amazing.  I feel like I can conquer the world.  It’s insane!  So why do I still have such a hard time maintaining these practices long term?  And it isn’t even just with my mindfulness practices.  I find myself doing this with my diet and workouts too.  I constantly limit myself with my mindset.  I know that I feel better when I work out consistently.  I know that I feel like a million bucks when I am eating whole, plant-based foods.  I know that it’s better for my health to engage in these practices.  So why in the hell do I self-sabotage my health and wellness by not maintain these practices in my everyday life.  Now this is where you come in.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not the only person who goes through this cycle.  Am I right?  Is this you too??  I thought so.

One of my goals with this blog is to share my journey and to help others who might be struggling with the same things.  Everyone knows that social media is just an individual highlight reel.  I used to get so scared to post anything that didn’t indicate that I am fit as a fiddle and loving my #fitlife.  Hell, I still get really scared to post anything like that.  If you notice when I go on hiatuses from posting….it’s usually because I’m afraid to put out anything but #positivevibes.  I am so afraid of being a failure that I just won’t share anything.  It reminds me of how our moms used to always say, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”  For me, this translated to, “if you can’t post something positive, don’t post anything at all.”  All of this fear and negativity is a super big part of my limiting beliefs and it is something that I intend to work through.  Here’s the thing that I realized:  I’m so scared of being imperfect or off my game that my story isn’t translating as my story.  And I truly believe that my experiences can help others if I can get past this stupid limiting belief that I need to be perfect all the time in order to help others.  

I promise that I will share the real aspects of my journey, both good and bad.  Mistakes are such a good way to learn and I have made plenty of them for you to learn from.  I would much rather be the one to make the mistakes if it will benefit somebody else in the long run.  I just hope that my journey is one that your can identify with and that it serves you.

So with that being said, here is my current status:  I haven’t had cheese, chocolate, or coffee in 17 days.  And I surprisingly don’t want to murder someone.  If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is! :]  I have had a lot of ups and downs over the last few months and my self esteem fluctuated with those hills and valleys.  If I wasn’t doing a sugar cleanse or Whole30, I was crazy bingeing on chocolate and crap and telling myself it wasn’t a big deal.  I have transitioned to a sitting job, so I’m not running around a store all day like a crazy woman, which makes a huge difference in how my body uses energy and more importantly, how much energy my body uses.  I’ve started running recreationally, but my training has been really inconsistent.  Honestly, I think my biggest road block is consistency and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that was your biggest road block too.  Am I right?  I have been consistent over the last 17 days and that is why I feel better now than I have in a looong time.  

I started the Whole30 with a coworker and it was daunting af.  But I know that I have done sugar cleanses before and felt a million times better than before.  I sort of dived into Whole30 without realizing how much else was limited outside of sugar and processed foods.  As a vegetarian, being told that I also needed to purge grains and legumes sucked.  But you know what?  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I honestly feel super clear headed and my energy levels are more consistent.  The only drawback that I have really noticed is that I need to eat more frequently.  I would highly highly recommend trying a Whole30 "cleanse".  It has definitely changed the way that I look at how I eat and why.  It's supposed to help you develop a healthier relationship with food and I think that it definitely has for me!  And I'm not even done with it yet!  :]

Anyway, I wanted to put this out there and tell you guys where I'm at in my journey.  I just really hope that this helps someone realize that they don't have to be and won't be perfect all the time and that's okay!  I'm really excited because I have some ideas of things to share with you all and I think you will like them too!!  More coming soon!

To your health,

Anne

no added sugar: day one

WOW.  I woke up this morning and the first thing I wanted to eat was Starburst jelly beans!  They aren't kidding when they say that sugar is more addicting than cocaine!

I wanted to document this journey here so that you guys can follow the process and see that A) it's not easy 100% of the time and B) YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO!

So I wanted to start off by telling you guys what I did about my insane jelly bean craving this morning!  First, I put the jelly beans in a Ziploc and will be dropping them off at work tonight so that I can't be tempted.  Then, I drank a HUGE glass of cold water...I try to do this every morning to kick start my system anyway.  Finally, I made a wholesome breakfast of oats and fruit and hard boiled eggs to energize me for the day and the strawberries gave me a little sweetness.  THAT'S IT!

Now, for the fun part....going through my pantry, fridge, and what my grocery list looks like for this week!

For this challenge, I put everything with added sugar in the BACK of the pantry/fridge so that I wouldn't be tempted.  It's amazing how many foods (vegetable broth?!?!) have added sugar in them!

First, here's the pantry:

So I like to keep my breakfast and snack foods on the top shelf and foods I might cook on the bottom shelf.  On the top shelf: old fashioned oats, museli cereal (sweetened with dates & raisins), organic natural peanut butter, raw & roasted nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds), nutritional yeast, roasted chickpeas, dried/freeze-dried fruits, herbal teas.

On the bottom shelf: several types of boxed beans, canned veggies, whole wheat pastas (lasagna & spaghetti), lentils, quinoa, brown rice, spirulina, vegetable broth (off limits :[)

Now onward and upwards to the fridge:

For the record, I have NO idea why this one won't upload in the right orientation, but whatever.  In my fridge: organic eggs, basil pesto, ground flax meal, hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, unsweetened greek yogurt, cold water, hummus, steamed asparagus, kombucha, fresh berries (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry), cheese :]

This one is tough!  The only items here that are no sugar added are the unsweetened vanilla almond milk, organic maple syrup, grated cheese, and soy sauce.  So all of the dressings, ketchup, and even teriyaki sauce are OUT!

Finally, my drawer:  carrots, snap peas, peppers, lettuce, and an apple.

Last but not least....the freezer:

This one is pretty self explanatory: frozen veggies, frozen strawberries, and bread.  Believe it or not, Simply Balanced makes a bread that is stored in the freezer that has no added sugar! The pizzas and even the meatless burgers are OFF limits for this month!

Now believe it or not, in addition to these items, I have a fruit bowl on my table with grapefruits, bananas, an apple, and clementines and a potato bowl in the pantry with sweet potatoes, onion, and garlic.

This got kind of long, so I will save my grocery list for next week!

Stay fit!

xoxo

Anne

no added sugar challenge

Hi friends!

I just wanted to shoot out a quick update about a challenge I am participating in for the next 28 days!  A friend of mine from high school is hosting a NO ADDED SUGAR CHALLENGE on Facebook and I cannot WAIT.  I've know that this is something that I want to focus on for some time, but I think this group will provide the perfect amount of support and accountability to see some great results.

If you are interested in joining, just search for Lilly Polivoda on Facebook for the link!  Or check out her post about the last time she did it here and the FAQ that she put together here!

I would also HIGHLY recommend the documentary "Fed Up".  You can find it on Netflix!  I've really gotten into food documentaries since last fall, so this will likely be the first in a long line of docs that I recommend!

But really...it's very interesting.  I also find it to be a very sad reflection of our society and how we let companies dictate the choices that we make that effect our health, well being, and longevity.  Personally, I think it's utter nonsense that our elected officials let this happen, but as you will see, there is a lot of money and dirty politics involved.

If it doesn't pull a little bit at your heart strings to watch the kids talk about their struggles, then you more than likely are a robot.  Just sayin.

Check it all out and I hope to see you in the challenge group!

stay fit!

xoxo

anne