whole 30

The Whole 30 Made Me Gain Weight, I Don’t Regret It
Fashion & FitnessFood & WineParenthoodReviews

The Whole 30 Made Me Gain Weight, I Don’t Regret It

by Jill
written by Jill

I completed the Whole 30 by the beginning of February. It changed my life for the better. It also made me gain weight.

Yeah…. after 30 days of no sugar, dairy, WINE, and a list of other stuff- 30 days of no weighing myself- 30 days of feeling like I was changing and making healthier choices than I ever had before- I stepped on the scale on day 31 and saw I gained half a pound.

I felt completely defeated and like a total failure, WHICH WAS DUMB because I didn’t even do it to lose weight.

In fact, I didn’t even take measurements or before pictures before because that wasn’t the goal. It was to reboot my relationship with food. And I did that!

I totally kicked my sugar addiction. I realized I CAN live without dairy. I learned how to feed my body what it needs, not just what it craves.

But still, to not even lose a pound? What had I done wrong? Did I eat too much fruit? Did I snack too much? 30 days of followthrough on my part is a RARE thing for me. I was so proud of my choices up until the moment I stepped on that scale.

Every other person I’ve known to complete a Whole 30 reports they lose 5-15 lbs by the end of it. Honestly, for a few weeks I had to stop following the hashtag and checking in at my FB support group because their weight loss was making me feel totally inadequate.

I didn’t measure myself right before the challenge, but I had measured my bust, waist, and hips a month prior for something else. I measured myself on day 31 thinking maybe I just gained muscle mass, but lost inches. Wrong. No change.

The whole time I was doing it, though, I thought for sure I was losing weight and inches. I felt slimmer, I thought I looked slimmer. I don’t know.

The first half of February was a mind fuck in terms of diet and body image after that. It really threw me for a loop. I didn’t update here immediately because I knew I needed to sort through some emotions before I wrote about it.

Let me stop here and say that, for me, if I lost 10 lbs that would really be all the weight I’d want to lose. So it’s not like I was looking for big numbers. And I am mostly okay with the weight I am now. 10 lbs would help me tone up, not be scary thin.

Now, almost 30 days after I completed my Whole 30, I’m able to say with a clear mind that I am SO glad I did it.

And I probably won’t do it again.

Not because it was bad for me! I think it taught me so much about food, and how I respond to it.

For example, I know without a doubt that sugar was the reason I was dead tired and crashing at 3 p.m. every day. Now I won’t touch sugar of any kind before 4 p.m. and my energy levels thank me for it.

I enjoy vegetables far more now, and no longer feel like I need to cover anything in cheese.

I haven’t had a sip of soda since I started, and I honestly don’t miss it or crave it. The thought of it actually makes me a little sick.

I’m drinking coffee without sugar like it’s no big deal now. Occasionally I can rock a black coffee, and sometimes I’ll have a latte (with no sweeteners), but mostly it’s coffee with full fat coconut milk.

And since I was forced to cook nearly every meal for 30 days, I have a lot more ideas when it comes to coming up with dinner now, and am far less likely to run out to a drive through.

I hate to say that the not losing weight part was somewhere I went “wrong,” but I did think quite a bit about what happened to keep me from seeing the kind of results all my friends did.

I’m guessing it’s a combination of a few things.

First, I’m still breastfeeding Lowell. So I wasn’t about to completely cut out snacking, and I ate a lot of full-fat foods because of it.

Second, I actually FED myself. Prior to the Whole 30, my day would go something like this: coffee, coffee, coffee, random processed food in the pantry, water, iced coffee, dinner, wine, cookies.

I was feeding myself 3 full meals a day for the first time in… I really don’t know when EVER in my life I’ve eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 30 days.

I also didn’t workout the entire 30 days, though I hadn’t been working out for a couple months prior to it.

Now I’m finding balance between life before and after Whole 30. Like I said, sugar is a NO before 4, but after? Sure. I’ll treat myself.  Wine is back because of course, but not as much or as frequent. Dairy is really scaled back. Processed foods have no appeal to me anymore. I drink more water, and try to have something small for breakfast- like a Larabar or a hardboiled egg. Veggies take up much more of my plate, and I rarely eat bread.

I’m also working out again, and most days I don’t eat 3 full meals if I’m not hungry for it. I still keep good fats in my diet, though, like coconut, avocados and almonds.

I don’t think I’ll do it again because I think I got what I needed out of it. None of the food groups were real triggers for me in a life-changing way beyond how I react to sugar and dairy, and I am adjusting accordingly. My cravings are minimal.

Instead, I’ll focus on moving forward, adopting what the Whole 30 taught me about myself and incorporating it into a healthier lifestyle.

I’m still a big cheerleader for Whole 30, and think anyone could do it. It’s just for 30 days, and you will learn so much about your relationship with food.

Life After Whole 30 | BabyRabies.com

That awkward moment after you upload what you thought was the perfect pic for a post, only to realize you look like a toddler holding your pee in.

If you want to learn more about it start with the Whole 30 website, read the book It Starts With Food for even more info, and follow TeamWhole on Instagram for tons of inspiration (also the #Whole30 hashtag, of course, and check out #JillsWhole30Journal for all my #whole30 related IG posts).

You can read more about my Whole 30 experience here. 

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My Newfound Ability To Start
Parenthood

My Newfound Ability To Start

by Jill
written by Jill

There have been plenty of days when I’ve fantasized of a time that I could write a blog post telling you all how I finally felt like a responsible, capable adult- the kind who regularly cleans house, wakes early, cooks dinner, and doesn’t feel like she could burst into tears or have a panic attack at the thought of everything on her to-do list.

And that I’d be able to tell you how you can become that person, too (if you’re not already).

I’m not saying today is that day, or this post is that post, but let me describe this to you:

I woke up at 6:55 this morning to get Kendall to school. The house was a mess. Like a gross mess with nasty dishes and food all over the kitchen. The lunches weren’t made. I got a little less than 6 hours of sleep last night. And I am majorly behind on some big work projects thanks to Scott’s travel schedule and sick kids last weekend.

Me one year ago would have been in a sour mood this morning, snapping at Kendall to hurry, hurry, hurry while I threw together his lunch. I would have come home and had a pot of coffee before taking the other two to preschool. And then I would have walked in the door, took one look at the mess, thought for 30 seconds about my inbox and what I’m behind on, and I would have just… froze. I likely would have just taken a nap and called the day a loss, knowing I’d be too exhausted to focus on anything anyway.

The nap wouldn’t have helped things, as I’d feel even more guilty and overwhelmed when I woke to get the kids from school, knowing I wasted an entire work day. My sour mood would continue, and I’d do what I could to avoid both the mess in the kitchen, and the mess in my inbox.

Instead, this is what me TODAY did:

I pushed the mess aside, made lunches, and sent Kendall off with a smile. I had to hurry him a bit, as is usual, but it didn’t feel like a tortuous task. I drank coffee because some things can’t ever change. Then after taking the other two to preschool I came home and I just started moving. One thing at a time. I picked up, made beds, did the dishes, wiped the counters, ran some laundry.

I thought about my workload as I was cleaning, but I knew I work best in non-cluttered, non-smelly spaces. The blog post could wait until lunch, the emails can wait until after that. The project will get done. It will.

See, the me-this-year can actually understand that just because you can’t get everything done RIGHT NOW, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. The me-this-year understands that the best way to accomplish things, is to just start. Most days I don’t have much of a plan, but the days that I’m the most productive, I literally just MAKE myself do SOMETHING.

I tell myself, “just start picking up. Do it for 15 minutes.” And soon, it’s been 1.5 hours and the house is pretty damn clean because I just kept going.

I tell myself, “just answer 4 emails. Do it for 15 minutes.” And soon, I’m putting together pitches and brainstorming ideas because I just kept going.

The me this year has the ability to START.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

Seriously, I am forever grateful that I am at this point now when this time last year I felt so, so, so overwhelmed and stuck… and just unable to get started.

I don’t know what exactly has helped. I have to think it’s a combination of a lot of things.

For starters, this time last year was when I recognized that I needed to talk to my midwife about the reappearance of postpartum anxiety, and I’ve been on meds for about a year. I think that has been HUGE.

It’s very possible that the Whole 30 has helped, too. I credit it with energy during the day like I haven’t experienced in a long time.

Beyond that, though, starting last spring, I really began to make myself and my peace of mind a priority. Nearly all the money I made blogging went right back into stuff to make my life less hectic.

I paid for and delegated things that were weighing me down, but needed to get done. (New blog design, media kit, etc.) I even brought on a super talented assistant for a while to help me dig out of the mountain of emails.

We also hired a nanny for a short time, until we could get Lowell in Mothers Day Out, and then had a housekeeper come regularly.

So I wasn’t profiting much at all in the last year in terms of money, but I was profiting big-time in terms of sanity, and laying the groundwork for growth.

Let me pause and say that I recognize what a tremendous privilege that is– to be able to have the means to take care of myself and my family like that. I know it’s not something everyone can do, and that is why this is not that post I dreamed about– the one where I tell you all how I did it, and how you can do it, too.

The truth is, I don’t know exactly how you can feel like me-today if right now you feel like me-last-year. I’m not going to tell you the only path to happiness is to hire a housekeeper (which, BTW, we haven’t used since moving into the new house because we actually feel more motivated- for now- to keep this place clean ourselves).

Here’s what I do know, though:

Understand that it takes time. Don’t tell yourself you must get everything done/cleaned/organized/answered over a weekend. You’ll just end up feeling like a failure all over again.

Make yourself a priority. Don’t give up time at the gym or doing fun activities because you tell yourself you need to spend that time doing tasks that overwhelm you. Take care of yourself first- and this goes for ALL of you, from your mind to what you eat (can not recommend the Whole 30 enough). Seriously, be GOOD to yourself.

Ask for help. This could mean asking a friend to come over and help your de-clutter. It could mean asking your partner to wake up with the baby more so you’re getting more sleep. It could mean asking for recommendations for a therapist. Don’t take this on on your own.

Start. It will be tough, but tell yourself to just start. Do SOMETHING. Something small. And don’t be mad if all you can do is that small thing. All the small things will add up.

I am not saying that I’m the responsible grownup who isn’t flakey, who stays on top of dishes, and doesn’t get overwhelmed anymore. That’s still who I am, and will likely always be.

I AM saying that, mostly- at this point, I’m the kind of person who understands that a bad day can be left in the past, and it’s okay to only use 50% of the pages in my planner, and that none of that should keep me from being able to wake up tomorrow, make a to-do list, get half of it done, and call that a success.

I have the ability to start.

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Running downhill in the #Whole30- Update on a life with no sugar or wine
Food & WineParenthood

Running downhill in the #Whole30- Update on a life with no sugar or wine

by Jill
written by Jill

I’ve been drinking coffee black lately. Even more hardcore? I’ve been ordering Americanos at Starbucks black. Me from one month ago literally can’t even with what is happening right now as she sips her grande vanilla latte.

(Side note, OMG Skellie the IG account @OMGLiterallyDead. You will die of the can’t evens.)

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

 

Today is day 17 of my #Whole30 food experiment. I cringe to call this a diet. I’ve really never been one to diet.

I mean, there was that time in 4th grade when I resolved to eat only Special K for breakfast because tweenage insecurities die hard. 

Instead, we embarked on this not really for weight loss (though I can tell I have slimmed down, and that is a welcome and nice side effect), but to re-boot our relationship with food. As a family.

We got to a point where feeding ourselves and our kids was the MOST stressful part of our day. Can you imagine? We have 3 kids 6 and under, just moved to a new home, have the means to grocery shop when needed, have access to nutritious and healthy food, and the most stressful part of life is FEEDING each other?

No. That was not okay.

Over the years, I think we’ve just backed ourselves into a complicated corner with food. We tried to eat organic, but we knew that’s not always the best choice (organic processed granola bars are not going to be better than a non organic orange). We tried to eat local, but our options here are limited. We tried to cut back on meat and dairy, but we had no idea what to substitute it with.

We watched too many Netflix food docs, got overwhelmed, and we did what we do. We shut down. We didn’t want to meal plan. We didn’t want to research fun new recipes. Food was not an enjoyable thing for us.

Often (really very often) we just threw up our hands and went out or drove through somewhere. Opting to leave the tough choices up to someone else, ignoring their calorie counts and ingredient lists, and relishing in all the dishes that were not dirty in our kitchen. It wasn’t a sustainable plan.

Our kids were learning bad habits fast. I worked SO hard to establish healthy eating habits with Kendall. I made ALL of his baby food. We fed him a wide variety of foods from a very early age. Then things became more relaxed with Leyna and Lowell. I didn’t want to continue down that slippery slope into a mountain of processed foods anymore.

We had to force ourselves to do the hard thing- to deal with food, to re-learn what to do with it, and how it makes us feel. We had to stop ignoring it. I knew the Whole 30 plan would make us do just that.

For 30 days, we are committed to a plan that allows NONE of the following: Any kind of real or artificial added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes (including peanuts), dairy (with the exception of clarified butter), carrageenan, MSG, or sulfates.

This may seem limiting (and at night, when I REALLY want a glass of wine and some chocolate, it is), but it’s not awful. We have eaten some delicious, compliant meals the last 17 days. This does not feel like a diet. 

  A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

 

Coconut BUTTER melted and poured over bananas and dates, y’all. I AM SERIOUS THIS IS AMAZING.

We’ve had to cook 90% of this stuff from scratch. I go to the grocery store every other day. We are constantly thinking about food, one way or another.

It does feel like and extreme test of my kitchen cleaning skills, which I mostly fail at every day, but at least all those dirty dishes are the result of food everyone in the family is loving.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

Seriously, we’ve had fewer battles at the dinner table while doing this than I feared we would. The kids, of course, are not being held 100% to the rules of Whole 30. They still get chicken nuggets for lunch and some of their favorite snacks. But they’re also eating more veggies, and far less sugar. Mostly because it’s just not an option in the house anymore.

I’ve come to the point now, more than halfway through, where I’m not counting down the days to the end anymore. The first 12ish days were lonnnnng and not easy. The first week, I made the mistake of going off my anxiety meds. My prescription was out, and I didn’t intend not to refill it, but I was feeling so good with the change in food, I thought that might be the key to helping me get off of them.

Oh no. So wrong. Total nutcase by day 6, and back on the meds I went.

Now, I will say, in general, I do feel less anxious than I used to, even on the meds. And I think the change in food has helped my emotional wellbeing, for sure.

The best part, besides my slimming midsection because yes that  is awesome, is how I’m able to wake up at 6:30 or 7 everyday and not feel like I’m going to pass out on my face while standing from exhaustion at 3 pm. I make it the whole day until I start to get sleepy at 9:30. My body never gets sleepy at 9:30!

The key to this so far has been 100% commitment on our part, right down to packing compliant snacks and drinks when we leave the house for outings and parties. Also, I can’t say enough good things about finding a group of people who are also going through it along with you. The support is so vital.

I’ve got 13 days left of never-ending dishes and no wine. And then? I’m looking forward to… not changing too much. (Except the wine, of course.)

I owe so much of this journey to my internet BFF Mandy, and you can follow her Whole 30 IG account @TeamWhole. She’s a Whole 30 food whisperer, and super motivational. The #Whole30 Instagram community as a whole (puns!) is pretty terrific. 

You can check in on my Whole 30 updates on Instagram (@BabyRabies) by looking for #JillsWhole30Journal.

I’ll do my best to answer any questions in the comments, but I’ll admit I’m learning this as I go along. If you’re interested in trying the Whole 30, the first thing to do is to dive into their website. Everything about this plan is free! If you want to get more in-depth (highly recommended) buy the book It Starts With Food. This isn’t some sales pitch, I just super believe in this.

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Decision Fatigue- That Make So Much Sense!
Food & WineParenthood

Decision Fatigue- That Make So Much Sense!

by Jill
written by Jill

SponsoredBySubway

I got up at 6:30 this morning, even though it’s Scott’s morning to get Kendall to school. I did so willingly because this is the year of grown-up choices.

Oh yeah, I’m still on the January Cliche high.

I made breakfast. Again. Which is like, wow. I don’t even know who I am!

I’ve had a lot of coffee, but I can’t really say it’s working. The kids are all at school, and I want so badly to crawl back into bed for an hour. But this… writing this post… is one of my top 3 to-dos for the day.

IMG_7722

See? It says so in my new planner. (Another top 3 is to clean the kitchen.) So I’m going to get those 3 things done before I reward myself with anything. Really.

||OMG, y’all. I have been looking at this planner all morning. And I just now- at 10:30 am, realized I planned today on yesterday’s page! I am chronically flakey. ||

I read this thing about Decision Fatigue late last year, and it really spoke to me. I am SO that person who shuts down when faced with too many choices. My God, the Cheesecake Factory is torture.

And when I tell my husband, “Seriously, you pick the restaurant. Just. For. Once.” I MEAN IT. On Valentines Days of past, I’ve been known to get super agitated at the fact that I am always the one who does the choosing of the place to eat. On this one day of the year, please show your love to me by not making me make a decision. 

The idea behind decision fatigue, from my understanding, is that even the smallest, repetitive decisions can exhaust you throughout the day. So, they suggest a couple things.

1. Limit your choices.

2. Do important things early in the day, before all the decisions exhaust you.

On the doing things early in the day part- I KNOW that’s what I have to do. It’s a very hard thing for a not-morning person to commit to. But, if I’m honest with myself, I realize that I am not just physically exhausted by 3 pm lately, but I’m mentally drained, too. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a round of productivity after 6 pm.

Is this what getting old is like? Because even 30 year old me could get a solid 3 hours of work in after bedtime, but 33 year old me is not having any of that nonsense.

Anyway, I woke up early this morning in an effort to conserve mental energy later in the day. Jury’s still out on that one.

The easier of the two for me will be the first- limiting choices. 

I’ve always known that clearing clutter from the house makes me feel better. I enjoy nearly monthly purges of our closets and the playroom. We donate A LOT to the local women and children’s shelter. So I’m actually excited to implement this in everything from what I wear to what we eat.

I’m not a fashionista, but I have enjoyed experimenting with clothes more over the last year. I don’t think I’ll go so far as to create a capsule wardrobe, but I’m going to focus on limiting my choices hanging in the closet to ones I truly love and actually wear. Like, at this moment. Not in the future when my waist is smaller.

I think where I feel the most decision fatigue, by far, is when it comes to food choices. I might be feeling this to the max right now because of this Whole 30 thing I’m doing, but I also enjoy the fact that this makes me make decisions ahead of time.

We’re experimenting with foods and getting back to healthy basics, and the whole family seems to mostly be enjoying it.

I’ve tried so many approaches to food in the past, and the more gourmet and complicated, the worse our family responds. I hate all the dirty dishes and time spent making food nobody else appreciates, and the kids are really tired of me trying to get them to eat exotic meals every night.

It’s not that I’m opposed to trying new things! I think I just need to respect all of our limits more.

So at some point before the Whole 30 is over, I’m going to try to write out 30 or so dinner ideas that are crowd pleasers (which I’m sure will include a lot of Whole 30 hits). And that’s going to be what we work from for the year.

We may deviate from time to time, but that base of 30 go-to meals should be enough to create some peace about feeding people in this house.

It’s seriously been so stressful in the past. I find we put off dinner until nearly bedtime because we just… don’t know what to do. It’s like I WANT to prolong the witching hour? Dumb.

We’ll still budget days and money to go out to eat, but I’d also like to focus on keeping those choices simple, too, for days we’re not feeling adventurous.

We love stopping in at Subway for healthy sandwiches and salads, so that’s an easy choice for us anytime. Even for me.

So, tell me, if you were to simplify your life and limit your choices, how would you go about it? Have you done this? I really want to hear from people who this has worked for long-term!

It seems like this is one resolution that should be easy to keep – do LESS, not more in the new year.

Thanks to Subway for sponsoring this post about grown-up choices!

 

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All The Ways I’m A January Cliche
Food & WineHome Decor & DIYParenthoodSchool Age Days

All The Ways I’m A January Cliche

by Jill
written by Jill

New year, new me! Starting fresh, new page! First chapter in my next 12 chapter book!

It’s Monday, and I had 4.5 hours of sleep last night, but I took Kendall to school on time this morning, after making him a hot breakfast, and I consumed a pot of coffee WITH NO SUGAR OR CREAMER.

Oh yeah, 2015. I’m in an ass-kicking mood. I am a changed person. I am going to be healthier and organized and I am going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

I am… a January cliche.

1. It started on the 1st, when I ordered a new planner. Now, since 2014 me was such a procrastinator, and put off doing this until 2015, my selections were very limited. It’s like these companies think people actually plan ahead, or something.

Luckily, I found a Day Designer in stock and ordered it with expedited shipping. It’s still not here, so I won’t be able to take over the world just yet. But soon. Soon!

Day-Designer-Whitney-English-pink

This pretty is on it’s way to me, via BelleAndBlush.com.

I had an Erin Condren last year, and it’s a great planner, but I wanted an entire page a day. I thought I’d get an Emily Ley planner, but they were out of stock. Then I thought I’d get a Passion Planner, but again, out of stock. Super, duper excited about the Day Designer, though.

2. Organizing stuff, and stuff.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

 

I even caught up on laundry. Mostly. And Lowell is back in cloth diapers for the first time in… a long time.

3. Whole THIRTYYYYYYY!

Hey guess what? That food bandwagon every person you’re friends with on social media is on? I’m on there, too! It’s a party! Except with no booze or sugar.

Like, none.

Today is day one, so obviously this still feels shiny new and adventurous to me. Got a new coffee mug to celebrate all the coffee I’m going to drink sans fancy creamer and junk. Mixed mine with coconut milk (the delicious kind from a can) and a little 100% cocoa powder. Not terrible.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

Currently  guzzling Topo Chico, pinning recipes for Whole 30 compliant bloody mary mocktails.

4. Make this house a home! We’re painting and unpacking again, after a holiday hiatus. Kendall’s room is nearly done…

Well, at least that wall’s done. 24 hours later. Paint by #Behr- Sterling (gray) and Deep Blue Sea (blue)

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on

Now, stay tuned for February’s blog post on new year burnout, forgotten resolutions, and blank pages in expensive day planners.

I mean, we all know I suck at sticking with anything like this. 12 in 2012, anyone??? LOLOLOLOL.

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