I just recently got back to Crossfit. My friend Sonya and I started going to Newberg Crossfit around the time they opened. I continued to work out into the beginning of my pregnancy with Ava but due to moving and bedrest I had to stop. I talked about it for months and months and finally convinced my husband I just HAD to go back. It's an amazing work out with a strong gymnastics background and emphasis on community. It's a perfect fit really. This month they have invited anyone to do the whole30 challenge. I told Rick about it and he agreed to do it with me. Here is a snapshot:
The entire program is based on a book called "It Starts With Food." I have not (and probably won't) jumped on the whole Paleo bandwagon. However, I was attracted to this challenge because I would be doing it alongside others and it seemed easy enough to follow. I love that you don't count anything and you really help your body cleanse and break habits. I have always LOVED food. I love good food just as much as I love bad food. Because of this, I have had a hard time getting into a good and proper relationship with food. The "stricter" regime of this challenge really has opened my eyes to my personal habits.
I graze and snack a LOT. I did not realize this. It has taken a lot of conscious effort to stop myself from taking a bite of my kids food. I cut the crust off, I feel the need or urge to eat it. That has been very eye opening.
Food fills time. The first thing I think about when I get my kids down for a nap is a snack. I didn't even realize I did this. I also go to food when I am bored. Not being able to do this has really helped break that crutch; I really relied on food to accompany me through my day as opposed to nurishing me.
Food make this more fun. This is a big one for me. I love being with people or spending time watching a movie with my husband. Whatever it is, food needed to be involved. Not being able to do this has been crazy! I never realized how much I had these things tied together. Now, I don't think sitting down to popcorn and a movie is bad by any means but do you really need it every night?
I have had quite a few people ask me how I plan and what it has looked like so I figured I would just provide a sample week. I have taken a lot of my meal ideas from the blog Whole Family Strong. This program really helped me to sit down and plan the weeks out. One deal I made with the husband was that if he agreed to do this I would pack his breakfast and lunch everyday. He has really LOVED this and it has made things easy (and again forced me to plan).
Sunday: plan dinners for the week, rough lunch ideas (if no leftovers), make breakfast for Rick to take each day.
Monday: Breakfast (C) - scrambled eggs with spinach and salsa
Breakfast (R) - either a piece of Quiche I made him for the week or a piece of Apple Bumpkin Cake (kids loved this one. Ariy would eat it mixed into yogurt with a little extra cinnamon)
Lunch - big salad with chicken on top and any other veggies, monkey salad *I would buy a rotisserie chicken in the beginning of the week and use it all week. You have to find one without sugar added though. I lalso would buy a large thing of mixed greens or spinach for salads.
Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with red marinara meat sauce (use ground beef or italian sausage)
** Make some cauliflower rice for the rest of the week. Save half of spaghetti squash for next night.
Tuesday: Breakfast - basically continues to look the same for R (quiche or ABC) & C (eggs of some sort)
Lunch - in a wok or large pan throw together chicken, cauliflower rice, any veggies, curry spices and a little coconut milk (full fat canned). I LOVED this lunch and it took me no time using the premade cauliflower rice and rotisserie chicken.
Dinner - Paleo Pad Thai using the other half of lasts nights spaghetti squash. I LOVED this and I just used what I had for the sauce. I did not have all the ingredients and it still turned out good.
Dinner: Lettuce wrapped burritos - I seasoned some ground beef and stir fried veggies like peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, etc. We used romaine lettuce to bundle the mixture up in. I added avocado to mine. Kids got theirs in actual tortillas.
Thursday: Lunch - salad with either stir fried veggies on top or roasted veggies and chicken
Dinner - My made up Zucca Tuscana soup (made in crockpot). Through in cooked/browned italian sausage, and onion, sweet potato, salt and pepper and some beef broth. At the end - added lots of spinach.
Friday: - Breakfast - Apple Bumpkin Cake
Lunch - leftovers and salad with pear and walnuts
Dinner - Sweet potato hash and scrambled eggs with spinach (and sausage - I could take or leave the sausage on this one).
Rick's packed lunches often looked like: leftovers, salad with chicken or a precooked chicken sausage. I usually put 1 piece of fruit in OR some ants on a log, some nuts or nut butter and carrots and celery sticks.
These were some of our favorites so far and I felt like pretty easy to make.
Here are some really helpful recipe links:
Tomorrow is day 20 for us and neither of us have cheated! It's been amazing. We are finally feeling like it is much easier and the cravings are going away if not gone. I feel really good and hope to continue to do something similar long term but incorporating some more foods back to the equation (not sure what yet).
Hey all you fat husbands. I haven't lifted a finger, and I've already lost 15 pounds. #notafathusbandanymoresuckers
ReplyDeleteIt's called starvation until you reach a balance of burning and intake of calories.
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