Blue Mound State Park Weekend Backpacking Trip!

Today officially marks my 8th day of my Round 3 Whole30! Yay! The best part about doing these back-to-back is I don't have the tiredness/crankiness that is usually associated with the first week.  Since ya know, my body isn't withdrawing much from regular sugar consumption.  I'm running on 6 hours of sleep and I'm actually doing better than I expected.

I've been pretty diligent about my workout routine as well! My goal is to be more active, at least 30 minutes a day, and if I get a hard workout in that will burn some calories, THE BETTER!  My run on the treatmill yesterday (it's too hot/humid for me to be running outside at 4pm) went really well too.  I was running a lot faster than I had been just a few months ago and I kept the incline higher than I did a few months ago as well.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm 25 lbs lighter, my diet has changed, or a combination of both.  Either way, I was feeling pretty darn good about myself as I was sweating like a pig afterward ;)  I'm looking forward to some cross-training at home after work.

Now for the original topic at hand, my backpacking trip this weekend! Since I started working my big girl job, I've felt very disconnected with nature and real camping.  I used to go on a backpacking trip every year since I started, and that has been put to the wayside for other things.  I am going on a backpacking trip in October with my significant other, but I just cannot wait that long.  As a young person, I don't have much PTO, so I decided a weekend trip would fit my needs for now.

I am really excited to go to Blue Mound State Park!  Not only is it part of the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, but their hiking looks fantastic.  Their trails have hilariously pun-ny geology names such as "Holy Schist", "Basalt & Pepper", and "Gneiss & Smooth" that is just the icing on the cake for me.  Although I love backpacking, that does create a predicament for me since I am mid-Whole30.  Usual meals consist of things such as oatmeal, noodles, and rice.

So I took to the internet!  I was extremely delighted to find the blog, Backcountry Paleo - AIP and paleo sustenance for the adventurous life, which was a lifesaver!  I am so excited to try making some of her dehydrated meals when I have more time.  Until then, I bought some Paleo Meals To Go for dinner and came up with a simple breakfast/lunch routine that I think can work for two days:

Breakfast

·         Pickled eggs

·         Nuts (almonds/pistachios)

·         Freeze dried fruit (Aldi)

·         Freeze-dried veggies

·         Coffee/tea

Lunch/Snacks

·         Tuna

·         Nuts

·         Dehydrated fruit

·         Freeze-dried veggies

Dinner

PaleoMeals To Go (Summit Savory Chicken & Beef Stew)

I'm looking forward to a beautiful weekend in nature to relax and hike!

Whole30 - Lap 3

Gee, one day I'll be more consistent about posting...

Well folks, I finished my second Whole30 on July 5th and I think it went relatively well for my second round (and let me tell you, that celebratory glass of merlot I had last night, was amaze-balls)!  I was pretty concerned after reading some postings that the second Whole30 can actually be more difficult than the first!  I even made it through 4th of July without a slip-up which I shocked even myself on.  I do have to agree, it was difficult since much of the "newness" is gone on the second time around and I was quite frustrated that I wasn't seeing the same results I saw with the first.

The first round, I lost 20 lbs.  Oh ya, I was feeling AMAZING.  After this second one, I only lost 5.  I'm only 5 lbs away from my goal weight for August!  BUT the Whole30 program reminds everyone that there's plenty of Non-Scale Victories (NSV) that occur as a result of eating this way.  For example, my skin continued to stay relatively in control, even though I still have hormone issues from my birth control.  I have more energy, despite my hypo-thyroid.  I went down a pant/dress size and my clothes just fit better in general.  My mood and confidence seemed to be more under control than they were pre-Whole30.  I even started biking to/from work at the end of my second round which helped improve my mood even more!  Overall, I have plenty to be thankful for.  It's not what you see on the scale that defines you, right?

I have been rolling the idea around in my brain regarding the goals I have for this third round.  Now that I have a routine that works for me and my busy schedule, I decided to be more proactive about my workout schedule.  I always found that working out really pushed my body to the next level of toning up.  The endorphin's don't hurt either!  I have a mud run coming up August 13th that I'd like to be in better shape for (even though it's not really a competitive race) and I start training for my second half marathon August 22nd.  All the more reason to get my butt going in order to see how this lifestyle really affects my performance!

Doing some more research into the premise of Whole30, part of the goal is to change your body from a carb-fueled system to a fat-fueled system.  Carbs, from my understanding, are easily burned and fats are slowly burned.  Which is why many runners and athletes carb up before a big race or event!  Fat-fueled workouts can actually benefit athletes in the long run.  While carbs give athletes that "bolt" of energy after their pre-workout snack, fat-fueling your body will actually allow you to workout/perform LONGER. As one would imagine, a longer/slower burn seems to make more sense for someone who wants to run half-full marathons, am I right?

From my understanding, the transition isn't easy, but I'm hoping after two previous rounds of eating this way, my body won't be so jolted by this change.  Whole30 recommends a pre and post workout on top of your three regular meals.  Pre-workout should consist of a protein/fat and post-workout should be a protein/carb.

My intended meals are as follows:
Pre-WO: 1 hard boiled egg & 1-2 scoops of a nut butter (almond or sunbutter)
Post-WO: 1/2 sliced chicken breast & 1/2 baked sweet potato
M1, M1, M3: as usual, unless my body needs something tweaked

I can not express enough how much I love this new lifestyle change.  This is the most free I've felt eating in a long time!