Whole30 Summary

Well I need to update you all on our Whole30 progress or lack thereof! We were going so well with our experiment but we had one major downfall that saw the challenge unravel – communication.

Before my crazy month started I would speak to Michal each night to gather information on his food choices, exercise and temptations. If he had taken any photos he would send them to me after we had spoken for the evening. I would then write it up after putting the kids to bed and post on the blog. This was working relatively well until my nights began to be filled with business plans and study for my exams until the wee hours and my conversations with Mike were few and far between. I did try to ensure that I at least sent him a text goodnight. He responded to my lack of attention by stopping taking photos or recording what he was eating – oh my poor neglected husband. It was not all bad though! We estimate that he lost a total of 6kg based on scale measurements at the commencement of the experiment and just last week! Pretty amazing effort – I wish I could lose 6kg in 3 weeks! Here is a summary of the findings of the experiment:

Experimental Findings: It was found that it is possible to undertake a Paleo lifestyle in a workers’ camp environment. However, there are significant restrictions on the variety of food available and the quality of the choices that are. The level of will-power needed to sustain this lifestyle under these conditions is significantly higher than in a home based scenario whereby you have control over your pantry, fridge and grocery shopping to minimise temptation. The subject reported that adjusting to the removal of added sugars and dairy was rather easy but cravings for starchy carbohydrates were intense and hard to manage. The subject combated these cravings with a dried fruit and nut mix, but when this option was not available or he had a particularly physical day at work the cravings were overwhelming and the subject would succumb to temptation. The subject reported that he felt lighter and less weighed down within the first few days of the challenge. He also reported that his skin was clearer, he was less bloated and had improved digestion. The subject did say that he often felt hungry and if completing the whole30 at home would have made sure there were more options available to satisfy his appetite.

Conclusion: Although the whole 30 days were not completed, the experimental findings showed clear benefits of the diet and described the pros and cons of following a Paleo lifestyle in a camp environment. The physical weight loss and improvement in his skin, digestion, and general feeling of wellbeing are great results to have observed in such a short timeframe. The main objections to successfully completing a whole30 in camp were the lack in variety of compliant food sources and the constant battle with temptation. The subject is keen to participate in another Whole30 but feels he needs to gather more information on managing cravings and also broaden his understanding of the process the body goes through when significantly reducing sugars and carbohydrates to better understand the way he was feeling during the 3 week study.

Thankyou for following on the journey! And I am sure the new year will bring a new challenge.

Whole30 Challenge Day 12, 13, 14

What a relief – one exam down today, and one to go next week! That will bring an end to this semester and the start of University holiday’s. Words cannot describe how excited I will be to finish exams next week, this last month has been crazy. And besides I am going away with my best friend to Melbourne for a week…double win! SO….lots to update in this evenings post. I have had my head in the books over the past three days and promised myself I would focus and not get distracted with the blog and my new shipment of beautiful skincare. So here is Michal’s update, I have spoken to him all of about 10 minutes total in the last week so I am sure when I get a longer conversation I will be able suss out the temptations he has faced and hey I might even enjoy just having an actual conversation with him…he is my husband.

Day 12

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Roast Beef & Rocket (great)

Dinner: Baked Ham, peas, carrot & steak (good)

Snack: Apple, shake (good, ok)

Day 13

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: baked ham and salad of rocket, cucumber, red onion (good)

Dinner: Sweet and Sour Pork and Rice (BAD)

Snack: Shake, nuts, pear (ok, good, great)

Day 14

Breakfast: Boiled eggs & banana (great, good)

Lunch: Ham and egg with carrot and lettuce (good, great, great, great)

Dinner: Turkey breast and steamed vegetables (great, great)

Snack: Mixed nuts, shake (good, ok)

Temptation of the day(s): Have not completed full interview with the subject but it can be observed that the temptation of Chinese for dinner was the biggest temptation faced over the designated period and it resulted in a breach of the Whole30 guidelines

Experimental Findings: When conducting a scientific experiment the researcher i.e me should choose a time to commence experiments that does not involve launching a new business, completing exams, nor burning her foot.

Conclusion: The subject has done a great job so far. My progress has been lacking over the last few days with skipped meals, late night dinners, snacks and way too much coffee! I will be sure to do some meal preparation this weekend to ensure next week runs smoothly.

Whole30 Challenge Day 11

Well today has been a little more relaxing than the last week has been! I spent the morning meeting with my new Arbonne Consultant which was really exciting! She is going to be a fantastic team member! I then got nearly 30min on the phone with my best friend to discuss her wedding. She lives 700km away, and this too was very exciting as I usually have to hang up because of ratbag kids or alternatively suffer through a conversation being interrupted every 5 seconds. It is true what they say ‘ how do you get your child’s attention? Sit down to a cup of tea or pick up the phone’. I then spent the afternoon and this evening studying for my exams getting up to hang out loads of washing. So actually now that I diarise today…..it was still rather busy! Oh well, I felt relaxed so that is an improvement. I ate pretty well today which is particularly hard for me during exams – handfuls of cashews and extra meals are usually unnecessary calorie additions. But not today! Lets see how Mike went for day 11:

Day 11

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Lamb Chops and Rocket salad  (great)

Dinner: T-Bone Steak, Pork Chop, Sweet potato and broccoli  (great)

Snack: orange, pear (good, good)

Temptation of the day: Subject reported that there was no temptation today. That he looked forward to his next meal and did not feel like he was missing out on anything. He was able to face the dessert buffet with minimal temptation.

Experimental Findings: It seems day 11 may have proved to be the turning point. In under 2 weeks the subject is now feeling satisfied with a Paleo diet and cravings for sugar and carb have been reduced.

Conclusion: It is important that the subject does not revert back to old eating habits as this stage. New eating patterns are beginning to form, cravings are reducing and energy levels are stabilising.

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

Well my Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes were a hit at my birthday party, so for my business launch last night I decided that this variation would suit the occasion perfectly!  I think I may have found my signature dessert!

Ingredients (makes 12 cups)

Crust

1 cup macadamias (processed until a mix of small chunks and some flour)

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink rock salt

Cheesecake Layer

3 cups cashews soaked overnight

1/4 – 3/4 cup coconut nectar (I only use a 1/4 cup but think you may like it sweeter than me so just test the cream and add to suit your tastes. You can also use pure maple syrup or raw honey as a substitute)

3/4 cup organic coconut oil

3/4 cup of lemon juice

1 tablespoon organic vanilla essence

Pinch of salt

Raspberry topping

2 cups frozen organic raspberries

1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in hot water for 15min then drained)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (c) and line cupcake tray with 12 liners. I bake the base to give a little crunch but this recipe can be raw by simply throwing the base in the freezer to set!

2. Combine crust ingredients and press a large teaspoon of mixture into each liner. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

3. Drain your cashews and place in food processor with other cheesecake topping ingredients and process until creamy. This will take several minutes. Stop and test consistency – should be smooth and light. Spread evenly into each cup and freeze for an hour.

4. For the raspberry topping blend dates with a tablespoon of water to form a paste. Add raspberries and blend, blend, blend, until the consistency of soft sorbet. Spread evenly into each cup and let set in fridge for at least 2 hours!

Enjoy 🙂

Whole30 Challenge Day 8, 9, 10

I apologise for my lack of posts over the last few days!! It has been a such an exhilarating, exciting and yes, very exhausting week! There are 3 days to catch up on, so I am going to keep it to a minimum so that I can post a delicious recipe tonight and tomorrow I will let you all know what has been happening!

Day 8

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Turkey and Salad (great)

Dinner: Fish and salad (great)

Snack: apple, shake, orange, pear (good, ok, good, good)

Day 9

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Ham and salad of rocket, cucumber, red onion (good)

Dinner: Steak, Cucumber and lettuce (great)

Snack: Roast beef and carrot (great, great)

Day 10

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Roast beef and salad (good)

Dinner: Steak and cashew salad  (great)

Snack: Mixed nuts, shake, apple, pear (great, ok, good, good)

Temptation of the day(s): The chocolate in the nut mix has been hard to resist. But subject has found that a couple have made it past this filtering and when they do it makes the subject feel ill.

Experimental Findings: Even with the researcher i.e. me is out of action for a few days, the subject has continued to be in control and make good decisions.

Conclusion: The subject is now self motivated and leaning to understand the effect different foods have on his body. This is an important learning function that will change his approach to what he puts in his mouth long term.

Whole30 Challenge Day 7

The end of week one! We did it…..well mostly! I feel like I am back in the groove of Whole30 and am not missing my treats as much as I thought I would! As mentioned yesterday I have a hectic week. I went to the doctors today and yes my burn in bad…3rd degree burn with exposed nerves. In a lot of pain and am hosting my first fundraiser tomorrow night..so will keep this short and sweet as I have a presentation to finalise and lots of food to prepare!

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Two boiled eggs and rocket salad (good)

Dinner: Roast Lamb and Chicken with peas and pumpkin (great)

Snack: Shake and mixed nuts (ok, good)

Temptation of the day: Did not have a healthy protein alternative for lunch. It was tempting to choose the other meal options as they were more appealing and as he had already eaten eggs for breakfast he did not feel like them again. (resisted)

Experimental Findings: Michal reported that the roast dinner was “yum” and that he felt really satisfied after this meal. The key finding of the day was that in camp you have little control over your choices. It can be difficult to choose a healthy option if that option is not appealing or lacks variety from meal to meal. Michal resisted this temptation well today but I feel that if he did not enjoy his evening meal following a less than satisfying lunch, it would be difficult to resist in the same circumstances tomorrow.

Conclusion: When it comes to maintaining a restricted diet, being in control is paramount. It is important to be able to make choices for yourself and choose foods that you enjoy and make your meals satisfying. This is an issue in camp and potentially make you resent the lifestyle you are undertaking, instead of enjoying it and its benefits.

Just letting you all know that tomorrow night I will be hosting my Girls Night In for Breast Cancer Research. I am hoping for a really successful event and to raise a significant amount of money for the cause! I probably won’t get to post our meals tomorrow night, but will be sure to update you all on Friday morning! Today’s photo is of Michal’s Breakfast, but I have included a pic of the delicious Water Kefir that the lovely Sara made and shared with me! I love learning from others, discussing ideas and of course trying each others creations!

Whole30 Challenge Day 6

Today I was feeling a little overwhelmed. Everything was getting to me and I had a lot of little tasks to do so felt very scattered and torn. Even though I ran around all day my To Do list looks practically the same now as it did this morning! When I am stressed I get hungry and today I may have decided that a Super-Food Square and a third long black was called for…..ok I broke the rules, I know it, I am over it! I suppose the Paleo Gods felt I needed to be punished because this evening when I was cooking dinner I dropped a ladle of boiling tomatoes on my foot! Ouch! Michal hurt his back at the gym so Day 6 was a pretty average day all round. Regardless, I am still going to report Michal’s meals for Day 6:

Breakfast: Bacon, 2 poached eggs & banana (good, great, good)

Lunch: Turkey and Carrots (great)

Dinner: Shake (ok)

Snack: mixed nuts, protein shake, pear and apple (good, ok, good, good)

Temptation of the day: We didn’t get to discuss temptation today as I was trying to get 2 children to bed with the skin coming off my foot!! Our conversation consisted of a text that asked Michal what he ate today, his reply, and good night. Therefore for this section the results are determined to be invalid due to recording error.

Experimental Findings: If you drop boiling liquid on your foot, you ability to engage in the findings of the experiment and extract required data will be negatively affected. Also forgot to ask for pictures today.

Conclusion: External influences restricted the accuracy of reporting, but Michal’s food choices were reasonable and tomorrow is a new day! I am now going to study for my exams all night because my foot is too sore to sleep! Goodnight everyone 🙂

 

Whole30 Challenge Day 5

Day 5! We are moving towards the end of the first week which is very exciting! It really is great doing this challenge together. Today I really wanted something sweet after dinner but knowing that Michal was resisting a buffet full of desserts helped me choose a peppermint tea instead. Below are the results of Day 5:

Breakfast: Bacon and 2 poached eggs (good)

Lunch: Steak & mixed salad of lettuce, cucumber, red onion and carrot (great)

Dinner: Turkey, broccoli and roast carrots (great)

Snack: mixed nuts, protein shake, banana (good)

Temptation of the day: When picking through a trail mix that had chocolate nibs in it, the subject accidently tasted some chocolate that had melted onto a nut. Michal reported that this limited exposure to the contraband substance immediately set off intense cravings that he found very difficult to control. (resisted! miracle!)

Experimental Findings: Strong cravings can be all consuming. They can limit your ability to think clearly about anything other than what it is you so badly want (can you tell I have experience in this arena). I advised the subject that in the second week the cravings will start to subside and that healthy habits would be beginning to form. Current findings show that the subject is making good choices from the available options and is observed to be learning to assess food from a new angle. These results are very positive and look to support the hypothesis that one can follow a restricted diet in an on-site camp environment.

Conclusion: The first week is definitely the hardest when making any lifestyle change. I baked Super-Food Squares tonight and was going to post the recipe on the blog, but then realised I couldn’t taste them to ensure they had turned out well. I might post it anyway and you can let me know if they are terrible. My children did enjoy them for dessert……but then again, they eat anything!

 

Whole30 Challenge Day 4

I am feeling very happy today! Michal was home which was lovely, more special was the fact that he spent his one day off cleaning the house so I could have a fresh start to the week! He definitely scored some grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free brownie points! I have a busy week this week; study for my end of semester exams, a charity event on Thursday night, my VIP Business Launch on Friday night and a lot of cooking to serve my clients, friends & family! So his help today has made the world of difference to how I am feeling heading into this week! The other bonus was that this was the first day of our challenge that we have had the opportunity to enjoy meals together! Our youngest daughter made us breakfast in bed (wood & felt food…mmm delicious) and our eldest, trying to out-do her little sister, offered me “A Protein Cupcake” (also wood). Once we finally rolled out of bed, Day 4 went like this:

Breakfast: Fried eggs with sweet potato, mushroom, onion & kale hash in coconut oil (great)

Lunch: Roast Chicken with rocket, grapes, spanish onion, tomato & avocado salad (great)

Dinner: T-bone Steak with mixed salad of rocket, lettuce, spanish onion, capsicum and carrot (great)

Snack: mixed nuts (good)

Temptation of the day: Heading back to camp this afternoon to be confronted once again by the buffet. Dessert tonight was particularly tempting but he resisted.

Experimental Findings: It is much easier to follow a Paleo diet at home. The process of preparing and cooking meals is in your control and only quality oils are used to cook and dress food. It is also nice to eat the same offerings as your family and enjoy healthy quality meals together. Additional finding: Cleaning the house makes your wife very happy.

Conclusion: Day 4 proved the best day yet on our challenge. This supports that it is definitely easier to follow a strict diet in the comfort of your own home and is even easier when as a family you are doing it together. We also discussed and established some fitness goals for the week, including lots of running mixed with some intensive weights sessions. I had a wonderful day today, I hope you all had a beautiful day also! Stayed tuned for Day 5 progress tomorrow.

Whole30 Challenge Day 3

Well today was jam-packed ! The girls were up at the crack of dawn so we had bacon, eggs and kale by 5.30am! I then got them ready to take to my parents as I worked today. After work I came home to clean and study before receiving a call from Michal informing me I had forgotten to transfer money into his account. Whoops! He was planning on driving home just for the night but needed fuel. Lucky for us the credit card saved the day and we got our man home in time for dinner. Here is the Day 3 Report:

Breakfast: 2 Fried Eggs & bacon plus a banana (good, as good as it gets, good)

Lunch: 3 boiled eggs and a mixed salad of rocket, lettuce, onion, mushrooms (good)

Dinner: Steak, sweet potato chips, broccoli and squash (great, great, great)

Snack: Apple, mixed nuts, protein ball (good, good, good)

Temptation of the day: Whether to consume beer while watching the Rugby this evening (cracked and had 2 beers). The habit of having a beer while watching the game is quiet ingrained in my husband (12 years). However, no grace will be given; he broke the rules  – marking this a fail.

Experimental Findings: Meals have been rather consistent and compliant. There was a large consumption of eggs today but this was due to a lack of alternative clean protein. The subject failed to resist the temptation of alcohol.  It is interesting to reflect that Michal could resist the buffet treats on day 1 & 2 but not alcohol when it presented in a comfortable, familiar social setting.

Conclusion: Day 3 saw Michal break the guidelines. I however, ate really well today! As a naturally very competitive person, I would normally extrapolate the results of Day 3 to conclude that I am ‘WINNING’ our little challenge…..but as this is a team event I will instead take the following action:

• Help Michal plan the next week at camp.
• Stock up on some tins of tuna/sardines for him to have handy – as there is a lack of clean protein available on site.

You are supposed to start back at Day 1 if you break the rules. To simplify our experiment we will accommodate this rule by extending our challenge to 33 days. Bring on Day 4!