Congrats! &...craving conversation continued!

Hey everyone!
For some of us, today ends the whole 30 challenge! I thought I would spend part of this email talking about next steps after whole 30. According to It Starts With Food, these are the steps you'll want to take: 

Day 1: reintroduce and evaluate dairy products 
Day 4: reintroduce and evaluate gluten-containing grains.
Day 7: reintroduce and evaluate non-gluten grains. 
Day 10: reintroduce and evaluate legumes. 

They also suggest paying attention to how you feel for a few days after introducing the items. 

Congrats everyone on all of your success with whole 30!!!*
*image provided by www.freedigitalphotos.net artist digitalart. 

Craving conversation continued...
Overcome the cravings

• Think the craving through the entire process. How you feel before, during, and after the craving. Be mindful of each moment. 
• Eat a few bites - the first few are the most rewarding and enjoyable. So cut back the portion size. 
• If the craving is caused by a trigger - look to control the environment.  By keeping the cravings out of your comfort zone of home it will create more work for you and decrease the opportunity!
• Change the reward system - avoid using food as a reward or comfort. 
• Go for a walk to also get a hit of the happy hormones. 
• Drink some water or flavored coffee/tea. 
• Stay on top of hunger to prevent compromising your efforts because you're "hangry." (Hangry - hungry/angry). 
• Identify the environment and the craving associated with it... When I am at ____ I want to eat _____.  Replace it with a healthier option that you're excited about eating!!!!

Craving swaps - try these! 

• Sweet - fruit, fruit + sunbutter or almond butter (apple / banana with cinnamon sprinkled on top), avocado, Larabars (stick to ones without chocolate and peanuts), coconut date bars
• Salty - nuts, seeds (try roasted sunflower seeds), olives, avocado with Cajun seasoning, plantain chips, veggies w dreamy avocado dressing (from book), spiced nuts and seeds
• Sweet and salty - trail mix with dried fruit, bacon wrapped dates, baked sweet potato fries, figs and prosciutto 

Application

1) If you haven't taken the survey- click here! I am revealing the answers in the next post!:)

2) regardless of your start/end date, refer back to your log to see what you craved and incorporate a whole30 option! 

3) Share how you overcome your cravings!!:)

Cheers to another day of whole 30!!

Whole30: Using Cravings to your Benefit Part 1

Hey everyone, 

I hope that you have been tracking your cravings over the last week; if not, perhaps taking mental notes. :)

I really felt like I was on top of my cravings during the whole30... that is until the other night. I had a dream that I was eating a large chain restaurant's delicious bread sticks glazed in full fat butter.  I woke up disappointed and wanting bread sticks.  I felt incomplete or "one fry short of a happy meal," lacking the ultimate goodness.  The craving faded after hours and hours (or so it felt like hours).  It inspired me to learn more about this feeling that I've learned over my lifetime.  Here we are... in a 3 part series.  It will include the following topics:

1. defining cravings and the effects
2. how to overcome cravings and use to your benefits
3. long term strategies to kick cravings to the curb

In the past, I looked at food as being there for all of life's moments: graduating college, funerals, getting the job, getting promotions, difficult times, engagement, celebrations... the list can go on.  It was important to have the "right" food during that moment where I felt happy or sad.  It was there as a pick me up when I was down, the "icing on the cake," or it was there to help me celebrate the moment, the "cherry on top."  Typing out the expressions the images of cake and cherries dance in my mind and make my mouth water.  Please keep in mind I haven't had either since starting the whole30 challenge. I learned to associate them with a positive reward for my body regardless of how I was feeling in the moment (happy/sad).  So why is it now that I have this sudden urge to eat them and I crave them as I type this to you?  We begin to explore the wonderful world of cravings.

Defining Cravings
According to Webster, the definition of the word was first used in 1633: craving- an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing.  So what were they probably craving in the 1600s?  It was war stricken era, so to survive, I'm sure that they craved all foods.

The body has identified survival as it's first priority, thus a craving.  

So why do we crave when our lives are not in danger?  Good question...

How cravings can effect us
Cravings are associated with a reward in our mind.  Cravings can be habitual, physical, or emotional.  First, the mind anticipates the reward: I will feel _(happy, okay, content)_ when I eat _(bread sticks, cake, cherry)_.  Attaching a feeling creates a longing and / or emotional bond.  Our body identifies with the food that at one time released positive hormones, like dopamine.  Until we satisfy the craving, our body will release hormones to create discomfort.  So if you've ever craved something so much that your mind tells you, "I will only feel better once I have it," you know why!

Application
In the previous email, we discussed tracking our cravings.  Today we have 2 applications.  1) take this 10 question survey so we can compare our associations with food.  I will use the polls during the 3rd part of the series.  Warning! You may have cravings after you do this survey... 2) Review the log and identify if your cravings are:

1. Habitual - every night at 8pm I want dark chocolate.
2. Physical - I crave "x" food and learned I was deficient in "y" vitamin/mineral. 
3. Emotional - When I feel _____ I want _____. 

Since cravings can be considered a learned behavior, one can assume that we can alter this belief and create a new experience.  Just as we learned how to crave, we can also learn nurturing behaviors.  So now what will we say in lieu of our previous expressions, "i'm one veggie short of my 5 today?" :)

Cheers to learning new behaviors!

Amanda

Whole30: Dinner Meals Snapshot and Using Cravings to your Benefit

Hey everyone!

Thank you for taking time to fill out the survey!  If you haven't done so yet, please take 5 minutes and take it. :)  Click here!

This week, I will map out our dinner plans to give you guys some ideas.  I feel like the excitement towards creating new foods has worn off and I am realizing this is why it's so difficult for me to change.  I like to have my staples... and I haven't found that yet with Whole30.  Mainly because my favorites might be slightly unhealthier than others OR it's out of my budget.  So... here are my...

dinner meals in a snapshot!

Sunday - Beef with Broccoli

Notes: Coconut amino acids are in with the soy sauce
 at Whole Foods, I used olive oil, and I didn't use sesame seeds. 

Monday - Hamburger Salad

Notes: This is basically everything you would find on a hamburger on a salad.  

Tuesday - Sweet Potato Hash

Notes: I will post the recipe I use once I test it out.  There aren't directions in the book... 

Wednesday - Balsamic and Rosemary Chicken

Thursday - Leftovers (yay!)

Friday - Beef Soup

Notes: I will use beef broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, beef cubes, salt, pepper, spices to taste.

Saturday - Crab Stuffed Salmon

I hope this helps add some variety to your meals.  I noticed this week is saturated with beef... last week was chicken week.  Ha! :)  Next week may be more balanced...

Using Cravings to your Benefit

Once I started writing about this topic, I realized that it is extremely in depth on defining cravings, why it effects us, and how we can use them to our benefit.  Instead of compromising content for length purposes, I'm going to make it a 3 part series.  With each email I will provide an application piece to learn more about yourself.  Before we begin, I am going to start the week off with the first application component: tracking cravings.  Here is an example:

Time	Where	What	Who	Physical	Emotional
8:48 pm	home	chocolate	Significant Other	hungry	anxious for work

It's important to track each of these components in order to create a plan for long term success and apply what I will discuss in future emails to yourself.  I created this template to help track cravings. Feel free to use! :)  

Cheers to another week of whole30!! :)

Amanda

Whole 30: Eating Mindfully

Hey everyone!

Happy Monday to each of you. :)  I have to admit that I am starting to become extremely fond of whole30.  Once I get used to being in the kitchen and washing dishes more I am sure to love it even more! :)

Eating Mindfully

We've discussed preparing for the weekend and motivations.  This week, I'd like us to focus on eating mindfully.  I was conversing with a friend about eating dinner with our besties: electronics.  Restaurants have picked up how much it is in our culture that they market their experience with their quality TVs, entertainment, and great food.  Next time you're out, notice the music, number of TVs, and how many people are texting/talking on their phones when they're with other people.

For me, it has become a habit to have electronics in tow while eating meals; I am a perfect example because at breakfast I catch up on email, during lunch I eat while looking up stuff online, and at dinner I rotate eating at the table and on the couch to tune in for a show.  (The real entertainment at our place is fending off our puppy from stealing our food at either area.) While my friend and I were talking she said, "We eat our dinner in like 7 minutes."  Have you ever stopped to think about how much time you spend preparing a meal and it's gone in 7 minutes?  Don't you want to enjoy it for each of those minutes down to the last whole30 goodness?  

You're probably thinking, "She wants me to give up my everyday foods AND now this while I'm eating."  No, not entirely.  Here are some ways to compromise eating mindfully with others:

For 7 minutes:

• Incorporate a "no electronics zone" or "electronic free zone" at the table.  
• If taking the TV out of the equation is too much, only watch rerun shows that don't peak your interest.
• Alternate how you eat dinner, with or without electronics.
• Plan a special meal for the family, add some ambiance with candles.  
• During work hours, schedule time into your day on breaks to get your "to do list" conquered.  

With kids and significant others, compromising can be difficult.  If it doesn't go as planned the first time, repetition makes a habit... Don't give up!  Find what works for you and your family, and stick to it!  

Whole 30 Guide 

I realized that going through the first week was tough because I didn't have a go-to sheet for reference.  I've created a google doc with ideas on how to build a meal with protein, fat, veggies/fruit, suggested serving sizes, foods to avoid during the 30 days and alternatives for those foods. This is based on my interpretation of It Starts with Food.  You can view the document here. 

Cheers to another week of whole30!

Amanda :)

Check out the blog here!!

Whole 30: Preparing for the Weekend

Hello everyone!

How are you being successful at Whole30?  I imagine that everyone is doing very well and meeting their goal(s) as we go throughout this journey.  I also think we are learning more about ourselves and what is keeping us from feeling 100% successful.  One possible way way to increase our chances of success is to focus on our schedule.  With the weekend quickly approaching, that means our routine usually changes.  Our schedules have less structure so that means we have more time to cook, work out, clean the house, etc... right?  If you're like me, the answer is no!  I find that the weekend is bombarded with a million and one things to do.  Here are some ideas to help use the weekend to prepare for your week.  Ideally, you'd carve out at least 1-2 hours (I'm talking about 4-5% of one day) to dedicate to your success!  If you cannot dedicate a full hour (even split up throughout the day), I encourage you to find at least 10-15 minutes to commit to you!  You are worth it! : )

Weekend Ideas:

• Clean out the fridge / pantry
• Wash any storage containers
• Plan meals
• Find coupons for any meals (grocery or dining out)
• Grocery Shop
• Prep meals, like cutting onions and garlic you'll use this week
• Look up the menu of the restaurant you plan to go to this week with a buddy to see your options
• Cook meals ahead (if this works for you)
• Plan a nice Whole30 home cooked meal on one of these nights: save a recipe you want to try on one these nights.

If the weekend is not the ideal time to get ready for the week, pick any day!  We're flexible here.  This day is for you!  So make it fun, relaxing, and Whole30!  For me personally, I like to plan out my meals, grocery shop, and figure out how much prep I'll have to do throughout the week on Saturday/Sunday.  Since I am incorporating new items into my diet, I feel like every trip to the grocery store is a scavenger hunt and I must read every food label.  I factor in about 10 minutes extra at the grocery so I continue to have a positive experience with Whole30.  The idea is that you can find ways to continue creating a positive relationship with this lifestyle.  Find what works for you!

Blog Updates

Check out the blog for recipes, resources, and other postings by yours truly.  If you have a recipe, don't hold back!  Share it!  Our very own sidekick, Skinny Buff, shared hers.  You'll see a link to her blog too so check it out! :)  Recipes now posted include: 

• Crab Cakes (with a link to Mayo)
• Tomato Soup
• Shrimp Wrap with Sauce
• Skinny Buff's Sweet Tooth Fix

Visit www.whole30for30.blogspot.com and look for the recipe tab at the top of the page. 

Keep up the great work, guys!  To Whole30 and beyond! :)

Amanda

Whole 30: Motivation

Hey everyone!

By now it may feel like we've been at this forever... Is it really only day 5? Or is it day 4?  I'm not sure... (I say this jokingly).  Nonetheless, since January 2 we have undoubtedly learned a few things about ourselves.  Here is what I've learned so far:

• Restaurants seem to be a breeding ground for all things preserved, cheese (delicious cheese), and potatoes.  B.W. (Before whole30), potatoes or rice were generally my go-to items in lieu of gluten.  Not anymore.  
• My first restaurant experience: I had chicken with lots of veggies... primarily onion.  I walked out of the restaurant, with my hot breath, feeling pretty good that I stuck to it.  
• My second experience: this time it was MUCH easier since I had confidence that I could choose whole30.  If you've never tried Queen of Sheba, they offer many options for us.  And it is SOOO yummy. :)  Here is a link to their menu: http://www.queenofshebalouisville.com/html/dinner_menu.html.  TIP: If you've never been, ask for no rice or Injera until AW (after whole30).  
• I need to stock up on items that are quick and easy when I'm feeling a craving coming on, like Larabars (found at Kroger, Meijer, Whole Foods, etc). 
• I am proud of myself and YOU.  I won't claim to be perfect at all!  Whether we choose to go off whole30 by accident, by choice, or plan it, we can all agree that we are eating much healthier.  And for anyone in my life who is making an effort to improve their health, I will support that.  Kudos to you!!! :)

Motivation

This week, I encourage each of us to examine our motivations.  When I was working as a health educator, I encouraged each one of my clients to think about why this is important to them to make a change.  Granted your desire to eat just one ___________ (we all have our vice) may outweigh your motivation in that moment... it sure can get you back on track.  Motivations are not, I repeat, are not meant to cause any guilt after "slip ups."  It is to serve as a reminder to why you started on this journey.  Here are some examples of motivations that I have heard over the years:

I want to...

• be able to tie my shoes easier.
• be there for my kids/grand kids.
• improve my cholesterol.
• be able to achieve "x" activity (fill it in... walking, running, zumba...).
• buy new clothes. 

Once you identify your motivations, write them down, and put them in a visible/high traffic area.  For me, I may need to have it in the kitchen so I'm reminded why I'm not indulging in ________.  Or maybe in my car since I live so close to Homemade Pie Kitchen...  :)  Either way, I will be reminded why I'm taking this step to better my health.  

Congratulations on conquering the challenge thus far.  You're doing great!

Cheers to discovering your motivations and another week of Whole30!  Feel free to share your motivations with us if you like. :)  I'll post mine to the blog (www.whole30for30.blogspot.com)!

Amanda

you might be on Whole 30 if you...

• find yourself questioning what you can eat at each meal... (even though you planned every meal)
• realize you won't be using gum or mints to cover up your onion you had for breakfast...
• think constantly about your next meal...
• wonder how long it will take before you see/feel a difference...

Congratulations, these are all signs that you are on Whole 30.

I've also experienced this "if" today... the unintentional, OMG that's not whole 30 and I just ate it.  Yeah, that's right.  In my sugarless rage I had my go to snack - peanut butter (PB) and 1/2 a banana.  As I was eating this heaven, i realized... peanuts are legumes (as the hartwigs  reminded me in it starts with food).  Legumes are not stamped with the whole 30 approval so they suggest sunflower butter (made from sunflower seeds).  So with the exception of 1/2 TBS of natural pb... i'm still on track ...and I have a bellyache.  I'm not sure if the bellyache is from the PB or knowing I ate the PB. ha!

All I know is now I will never forget that my beloved peanut butter is considered a legume.

Happy Whole 30!