Our Whole30 (er Whole26) Journey

Many friends have been raving about the Whole30 Program, and how it has positively affected their lives.  Their results range from feeling better, looking better, having more energy, etc.  After doing some initial research, I admit that I was pretty intrigued and asked Justin what he thought about giving it a shot.  I didn't really think that he'd be keen on it, but I forgot how he had been a gung-ho Body for Life-er before our wedding so extreme "dieting" wasn't new to him.

We both went into it hoping to hit the "reset" button after our crazy eating frenzies in DC and in general.  Yeah, we hit the gym and exercise at least three times a week, but our eating habits could definitely use some changing!  I am the first to admit that the reason why I run long distances is because it sort of gives me a "green light" to eat whatever I want!

So, being up for a challenge, we decided to devote the month of July to Whole30 - we'd give up dairy, gluten, sugar (real or artificial), legumes, and preservatives.  We didn't snack. We couldn't even re-create "junk food" using Whole30 approved foods (i.e.  like make paleo pancakes).

Then I did some more research and read that the first seven days are the hardest - you feel lethargic, cranky, and it's not the best time to try and run a race.

So we decided that it would be in our best interest to start on July 5th, the day after our Fourth of July 10K.  But with travel plans already set to visit friends in Indianapolis the weekend of July 31st and not wanting to worry about finding Whole30 approved foods there, we decided to cheat a little and just do a Whole26 instead of 30.

I'm not gonna lie - this.was.HARD.  Yeah, I've always cooked at home, but I felt like I was devoting a ton more time to meal planning and making sure that everything was Whole30 approved.  I felt like I was cooking or prepping or grocery shopping pretty much the entire month.  I was buying things that I never knew existed or thought I'd ever buy: avocado oil, clarified ghee, and a gigantic tub of coconut oil?!?  Never would I have ever guessed that I would be making my own mayonnaise (which was quite tasty when I don't mess up and make it too runny!) or spend time chopping and blending cauliflower into rice (which was a crazy delicious substitute!) or buy eggs by the bulk at Costco.  Oh, and you try spending twenty minutes in the bacon section of every grocery store trying to find a preservative free and sugar free bacon! 

And while the kids ate some of what we ate, we weren't nearly as strict with them, and so the temptation to cheat was always around.  Add in trips to Lola's house with all of their delicious goodies - whew, it was rough!  We even went to a few parties, and just the smells of all of the yummy treats and dishes was almost hard to take.  Not to mention going out to eat with a few friends and being very limited in our choices!  And the no snacking!  I never realized how much of a grazer I was and how often I would eat things- anything- just because it was there.  (Even the first day of the diet, I gave the kids a skittle for some reason and, without thinking, popped a few in my mouth.  Only to be highly reprimanded by Justin.  Haha.)

BUT, despite all of the tedious and difficult work, Justin and I truly did start feeling better.  I felt cleaner and healthier.  I slept better.  Justin didn't have his tension headaches or weird heart arrhythmias that he gets after working out.  I started to look at the foods I eat and how it affects my body, and I started seeing lots of positive results!

We did an initial weigh-in and measurement on the morning of July 5th and didn't touch a scale until our last day on July 31st.  I lost nine pounds and at least 5.5 inches, and Justin lost six pounds and over 5 inches!  (And, just a few days off of the diet has made me realize just how negatively processed foods affect me - I was sluggish and needed naps and didn't feel as much pleasure in eating the junk that I normally would've enjoyed.)

In all, this Whole26 has been an amazingly positive experience.  It has taught me to think more about what I choose to put into my body.  And while we aren't going to follow Whole30 as closely all of the time, it has given us a good foundation as to how to eat and what to look for in foods.  Will we do a complete Whole30 again?  Absolutely.  It truly was a good way to "reset" my metabolism and body and start eating in a way that nourishes my body.

My "after" shot

I even tried my hand at PiYo!

And, just for fun, here are a few of our favorite recipes from our experience:

• Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties
• Chicken Apple Sausage Skillet
• Southwest Chicken Salad
• Paleo Nachos
• Crispy Chicken Buffalo Fingers (with chicharron, y'all!)
• Crispy Italian Chicken 
• Slow Cooker Kahlua Pork
• Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles) with avocado cream sauce

Enjoy!

DC Reunited

DC Summer Vacation 2015!

As much as I love a good summer vacay to the beach, I had been itching to get back to Washington, DC to see what's changed, eat at some of my favorite restaurants, and show my kids around one of my favorite cities. Besides, we took an epic beach trip last year, so we could skip it this year, right?

We decided to go the week in June that is the trifecta of special occasions for our family: our wedding anniversary, Father's Day, and Xavier's birthday! We had lots of fun celebrating in DC! (It didn't matter that Xavier's birthday was technically the day after we got back - what he doesn't know won't hurt him, haha.)

The kids were old pros on the plane, and these flights were the smoothest ever since we decided to nix the car seats altogether since we were taking public transportation most of the time while we were in the city. I loved how it was a direct flight to Reagan (why didn't Southwest offer this 10 years ago when I needed it?!?), which was also just two Metro stops away from our timeshare in Old Town Alexandria. The kids weren't quite impressed with the Metro, mainly because in a bit of confusion they thought that by "subway," we were going to be eating at Subway a lot during our vacation. Sigh.

Loving the long "excavator" rides to the subway.

We loved utilizing the King Street Trolley to help us explore Old Town and the waterfront. That first day, we enjoyed a yummy lunch at The Fish Market, and the kids and I met up with some awesome mom friends for ice cream and to play at the park while Justin and my parents got groceries and settled into the suite.

First trolley ride!

Lissie and her new buddies are all about a month apart!

Getting a picture with everyone looking was impossible.

Saturday, our anniversary, we took a trolley tour of the monuments and paddle-boated around the Jefferson. My parents headed back to the timeshare in the late afternoon, while Justin and I visited the White House (since somehow he had never been before, and I am always up for a trip to my dream home) and trekked to one of our favorite restaurants before getting caught barefoot in the pouring rain heading back to Old Town.

Showing them my favorite study spot behind the Lincoln Memorial

Safety first!

My dream home.....

Happy anniversary to us at Lauriol Plaza!

On Father's Day, we started the day with Mass just walking distance from our suite and then headed to the National Harbor via water taxi to explore. It was totally new to us since it wasn't there when we lived there almost ten years ago, and it was fun to eat lunch, check out the overpriced ferris wheel, and play at the play area and sand pit with the Awakening statue. Poor Xavier was kind of out of it this day fighting a fever in the afternoon, but in retrospect we think he just couldn't handle the DC heat. We headed back to Old Town early, which was fine since Justin and I were off for some Korean BBQ, bing su, and even Amsterdam falafel and fries with old friends.

Water taxi

Happy Father's Day!

Family selfie!

On Capital Wheel

With my dad on Father's Day

Poor Xavier couldn't hang - even with unlimited carousel rides.

Reunited!

Oh how we missed this!!!

The rest of the trip was spent doing more touristy activities - the National Zoo and the natural history, American history, and Native American Smithsonians.

Showing him my favorite animal at the zoo.

We found Uncle Peter and Auntie Jen!

Xavier, the Science Kid

She can't get enough of the dresses.  He had enough of the dresses.

My little "cooker," in awe of Julia Child's kitchen.  

We even got to spend some time with my cousin Cliff and his family. The kids enjoyed playing with cousins and eating yummy Filipino food!

Apparently Xavier is Cinderella, according to Ella.

It was a fabulous family trip. I'm so glad the kids got to experience DC - they talk about it often and claim they hear the Metro every time they hear a loud noise on the highway. It was nice experiencing it with the grandparents - not only because they were extra hands and baby-sitters but because these are wonderful memories and moments to treasure for years to come.

These two found this chef on the sidewalk and immediately became friends with this "cooker."

Just one of many sweet treats of the week.

When Daddy's snoring wakes us up at 5:30am, you just gotta get up and enjoy fresh donuts!

If I can't be First Lady, maybe she will.....

My sillies in Old Town

Love this kid!

And the beach? Next year. Lissie's been asking to go, and I've already been planning our next big vacation. In the meantime, we've got a few fun road trips in our near future to round out the summer. Oh, and a couple of trips to the Nashville "beach," as well.

Happy happy summer!