Author: Kathleen

preparing for whole30

Well, I’m doing it. I’ve been talking about it for weeks and finally I’m starting the Whole30 on Monday. This weekend is my last fling with pancakes, Starbucks’ iced mochas, chips & queso, and chocolate. I don’t mean forever – I fully intend to enjoy those delicious treats in an intentional way in the future – but I’m ready to break my body’s addiction to them.

I admit that I am pretty nervous. Here are my concerns, roughly in order of biggest to smallest:

Cooking new foods and with new techniques that I’m not used to, and the time in the kitchen it will require.

Not planning well and going hungry as a result.

The initial cost of pantry staples, and the ongoing cost of high quality ingredients, especially meat.

The way I will feel the first couple of weeks as I detox, and being able to function well as a wife, mother, nurse, etc.

Juggling meals for the rest of my family while maintaining the rules.

Giving in to a craving.

All of those might end up being unfounded, but laying them out there helps me to anticipate problem areas. I’m hoping that Meredith will enjoy doing more work in the kitchen with me and that she will be open to these foods (I’m not going to keep her on the diet strictly but also won’t be making her separate meals and will limit her snacks).

I’m hoping the costs will be offset somewhat by not buying all the other stuff we normally eat, and that we can cut back in other areas to maintain our budget.

I’m hoping that I can manage to cook some decent-tasting meals that will keep me full for several hours. I’m not at all confident in my cooking skills which is why this concern is at the top of the list.

I’m hoping that accountability from a friend who is doing it with me will be enough encouragement since David is currently doing his own thing. (Because I’m the only one in the house doing it, I can’t really do a “pantry purge” so there will be extra temptation there.)

I’m hoping that I don’t feel terrible, and that the benefits will be worth it.

What I’m doing to prepare:

>Obviously I had to make a Pinterest board of recipes. But I’ve also been compiling all sorts of meal ideas from other sources, and tomorrow I’m going to nail down a meal plan for the first week.

>I visited a couple grocery stores and plan to check a couple more out over the weekend to find the best prices and to see what product brands are Whole30-compliant.

>Had a conversation with my friend & partner on this journey since she has done it before. It was great to hear a testimonial in person and get some tips and ideas about how to make it work.

>A big ole grocery trip is in store.

>Splurging. When I said I’m having a last fling with forbidden foods, I meant it. And I’m going to enjoy them guilt-free.

June 13, 2014
found

I always enjoy going “shopping” at my parents’ house, as I like to call it. My mom has saved a bunch of stuff from when we were kids, has accumulated more treasures along the way, and they’ve inherited some cool stuff from my grandparents. In most cases if I say that I want something, I’m free to go home with it. These are my latest finds.

baby shirt / baby shoes in original box

handmade child’s hat / romper

jewelry box (I used to love it) / cabbage patch doll

kids’ tee / cigarette box (it was my grandmother’s)

not pictured: a beautiful basket and the perfect rolling wooden desk chair!

June 12, 2014
project life 2014 : weeks 21-22

I usually do my Project Life spreads over the weekend (sometimes quickly on Saturday morning, sometimes in bits and pieces over both days) but I was so busy last weekend that I just finished this up yesterday evening. I really didn’t want to put it off any longer because for me right now it’s all about getting it done and staying on schedule. Therefore I did hardly any journaling at all.

This is from May 19 to June 1. It’s mostly everyday photos, a group shot of the church group that ran the 5k, a couple of craft works-in-progress, and some filler.

I just let the week in review cards do most of the talking, and only labeled a few photos for context.

During this time I also documented a day in the life on Instagram. I decided to make it an insert using these pocket page protectors.

I typed the journaling in Photoshop Elements on the grid view to make sure it would fit in the 2×2 pockets. For the 2×2 square photos I just created a collage in PSE to come out with a 4×6 photo that I could have printed traditionally.

I love these little square pockets and this was my first time to use them. I really want to play around with these more one day but for now I kept it simple.

June 11, 2014
health update : physical

It’s time for an update! Since my original post on physical health I’ve made a bunch of changes and have more planned.

Exercise

What I’ve been doing: I mentioned I ran a 5k! It was so encouraging and motivating to be in a race environment. Most importantly, I felt really good running and I was very proud of myself. The week after the 5k it rained – I’m talking downpour and flooding – for about 5 days straight. So instead of running I did some yoga at home a couple of days, but mostly I made excuses. Boo. The next week I decided it is just too hot outside to run so I started the 30 Day Shred. Ouch.

Plans: I realized that up until this point completing the Couch to 5k program has been my goal, so now I need another motivating factor to keep me exercising several times a week. On the same day that I decided I couldn’t run outside anymore (at least during the summer) a friend of mine asked me to train for the Houston half marathon with her. It’s in January, and though I’ve never run that far before I think it’d be possible since I’d be able to really start training in the fall. We signed up for the lottery as a team and we hope to get in, but if not I think there is another half around the same time that we will run. Scary!

In the meantime I’m going to alternate the 30 Day Shred with yoga. Once the gym opens at work this is going to change because I want to start including weight training, elliptical, and spinning. I’m not really exercising on the weekends right now because of the kids, but I’m thinking of how I can add it in. Also, I’m still considering getting something like a FitBit even though I know it’s just a glorified pedometer. I think the syncing and the statistics would be really motivating for me. (Reading Elise’s and Sarah’s reviews were helpful.)

Food

What I’ve been doing: For several weeks I was back to counting calories on My Fitness Pal. My daily goal is totally obtainable because I get 500 extra calories from exclusively breastfeeding, and while I was taking care to track I was usually under my goal. So far I’ve lost about 3.8 pounds.

Plans: I have been reading the book It Starts With Food and it has totally sold me on doing Whole30. No sugar, grains, dairy, or legumes for 30 days. It sounds crazy and impossible but I think my body really needs a reset. Although tracking calories is working somewhat for weight loss, it’s not achieving my overall goal of eating healthy, real food. I still cheat a lot and have cravings that I constantly give in to, and who knows what that is doing to my hormones and internal health. My projected start date is next Monday, June 16, and I’ll be back before then to talk about my planning process.

June 10, 2014
around here

Around here it was a pretty busy weekend. Meredith is entering the age of birthday parties and we had two to attend. I actually enjoy them, and she does too, but they ARE exhausting, especially since I generally let her eat all the treats so there is a resulting sugar high/crash involved.

Also this weekend there was book club, dinner with family, cleaning, shopping, playing…the usual. But very little downtime. I got one project finished at the end of last week (that stitched table runner for our dresser) but didn’t quite get my Project Life spread done, or make any progress on anything else. It’s okay.

My Whole30 start date is a week from today, so I’m a bit consumed with that at the moment. I’ve been having a lot of headaches and stomachaches lately so this is coming at a good time. Apart from that I’m going to try and take a step back from all my other projects. I need to focus on my family and my health a little more.

June 9, 2014