Tag: new year

Whole 30

I Survived Whole 30… So Can You!

jessknowsbest85

Ok Guys – I made it. I Survived.

I can’t lie though – it was barely a crisis situation.  It really wasn’t that hard!  I used Pinterest to gather recipes and make my shopping list.  I practiced intermittent fasting, so I only ate 2 times per day, about 7-8 hours between meals.  That helped me steer clear of temptation.  I even ate out a few times and did awesome.  I’m patting myself on the back for wholeheartedly sticking to my commitment to the month.

Those first few days were tough, fighting those sugar cravings.  I learned quickly that I crave the act of eating far more than food itself.  You know when you don’t know what you want to eat but you feel like eating? Yup.  Its that, and its worse when you are fully conscious of abstaining.  My office time is during my son’s nap time, so from approximately 3-6pm, my cravings are in FULL FORCE.  That first week was positively brutal.  I had to distract myself or I’d be sitting on top of my fridge hiding out with oreos and a bag of shredded cheese.

By the end of the first week, I learned where I was weakest, and was prepared.  I drank extra water.  I had a mental pep talk ready to go – “you don’t need food, you’re bored.”  If I was really desperate, I’d start some dinner prep, or start planning what I wanted to have.  No, I am not that uber organized Pinterest mom.  I am mentally incapable of food prepping.  Mostly because I’m about as indecisive as they come!  I could make 5 meals for the week and be annoyed I have to force myself to eat them.

Whole 30 has a few main components.  Here’s what you need to know: for 30 days, you’re eliminating craving-inducing foods from your life – Sugar, Dairy and Grains.  That means no wine or beer, but you can definitely have coffee!  I found it to be more of a fun challenge to push myself this month than a tedious chore to deprive myself.

There is sugar in darn near EVERYTHING.  Reading labels is your new favorite pastime.  But, it is avoidable.  I never realized how much I was ending up consuming every day!  Same with dairy – cheese is akin to salt in my house.  I was shocked by how often I went to reach for some.  This is not a carb-concious plan, necessarily, so if you cannot fathom Keto (I already know that style of eating does not work for my body) this is a fabulous alternative.

Here’s the beauty of this plan though:

  • my overall cravings for anything (aside from chocolate, a girl needs chocolate) are down to insignificant if at all
  • I don’t feel the need to even add these things back into my diet
  • My skin is clear for the first time – you read that right – FIRST time in just shy of 20 years
  • I lost 16lb!
  • I was willingly eating healthy stuff – double the vegetables, smaller portions
  • My nails are super strong, my hair is cooperating

So, needless to say, through all of this, I’ll be doing my best to stick to this plan for good.  I’ll be trialing the three areas almost like an allergy protocol to see which effects me the worst and what I can have in moderation.

If eliminating Sugar, Dairy, and Grains fits in your health plan (I can’t imagine there’s any ailment that requires any of these areas!), I strongly encourage this plan.  Give it the 30 days, really commit, go all in.  You will learn so much about yourself and your health! I highly recommend it for anyone who’s been struggling to lose weight and get healthy.

Here’s my Whole 30 Pinterest Board

Best Wishes and Delicious Dishes!

-Jess

Whole 30

Day 10… not so bad!

jessknowsbest85

Day 10 – you’d probably imagine tearing your hair out at this point.  I for one never expected to feel so good or see so much dramatic change in a little over a week!

The first few days were exhausting, waging a mental battle against meaningless cravings.  It was easy for me to pinpoint when I wasn’t hungry, just looking for something to do.  I had 2 specific times a day where it was BAD.  When Nicholas naps, the first thing my body wants is to eat.  Why?  Who the heck knows.  Probably because its the first time all day I have to sit in peace without demands aside from my own.

Nighttime cravings are my second biggest enemy.  You can relate, right? Those cookies calling to you, that sliver of cake, that chunk of chocolate…. UGH.  I’m not hungry.  Its habit.  Now that I’m aware, I can talk myself off the ledge.

Here’s the real kicker (Gross Alert if you’ve never had to deal with the horrifying

day 10 whole 30
No makeup.  No filter.  I haven’t even brushed my hair yet!

effects and humiliation of acne)

I have struggled since I was 13 with horrible acne of varying types.  There was ONE stretch in TWENTY, yes 20, years, where my skin was clear.  I used a specialized cleanser that cleared my skin but made it so dry I couldn’t move my face.  So obviously that wasn’t really a great solution.  Then they got in trouble with quality inspections, the FDA or someone, and stopped making that particular cleanser. Doh!  If you’ve ever struggled with your skin, you know the pain.  Guess what.  10 days in, my skin is almost completely clear.  Clear of the hormonal crap around my chin.  Scabs from recent breakouts are healing faster.  No new breakouts.  My nails are actually strong and long for a change.  My hair is less oily.

Of course, now I begin to panic. Everyone was right all these years, and I’m practically devastated.  What does this mean for my future dietary restrictions?  Can I never enjoy a pizza or a donut occasionally again??  Well, at this moment, here’s my outlook:  I will reintroduce each removed category (dairy, grains, sugar) one at a time, for two weeks and see which is affecting me the most, and then work around it from there.

This has been a major step for me, and I’m sure other people are having big revelations as this month goes on too.  My eating has been extremely lax over the last 8 months, but has never been super under control prior to this.  I have never had a horrible diet as an adult.  I enjoy a large variety of foods and eat reasonably well most of the time.

Whats disturbing to me, is how we have accepted that all these ingredients are “normal” and safe

This is just “life” as Americans.  Prepackaged food.  Preservatives.  EVERYTHING has sugar in it (try reading labels real closely for a few grocery trips – your head will spin).  We take food shortcuts because our lives are busy.  Food planning takes extra time and effort that most people don’t have.

The bottom line is cost. It might cost you some extra time to plan a grocery list, retrain your tastebuds, and actually cook. But not doing it can truly cost you your health.

Hugs and Delicious Wishes,

-Jess

 

Mental Health

New Year, New Me… mmm naahhh

jessknowsbest85

Ahh yes, our favorite time of year, when we promise ourselves to do more, be better.  What’sSnapchat-177795489 your resolution?  Did you make any?

Personally, I don’t do resolutions.  I know I’ve never kept any mediocre promises to myself before, and I need to stop fooling myself into thinking I’ll go to the gym more, eat fantastic all the time, stay on task every day.  Its unrealistic!

Have you heard this year’s buzz word?

Self Care.

Cue your friend who sells bath bombs and candles jumping up, the friend who sells in-home workouts, the friend who sells comfortable clothes, all jumping out of their skin to tell you what you need to “self care.”

I want to let you in on a secret about this buzz word of 2017: self care is NOT about bubble baths and buying yourself a Frappucino. It goes far beyond Treat Yo Self.  In fact, some of the most important pieces of self care is not about treating yourself, but rather, abstaining from something!

Are bubble baths and hot cups of coffee self care? Sure, but they’re not the key to true self care.

But here are some things that ARE self care, and are incredibly important to your overall wellbeing:

  • Getting to the gym you committed to even when you don’t feel like it
  • Taking care of your mental health (with medication, if need be). See that therapist, take the medications, do some reading about self help
  • Taking a shower when you don’t feel like getting up
  • Eating a healthy (or at least healthy-ish) meal when you’d rather skip or eat junk
  • Stop with the crappy habits – smoking, drinking soda, alcohol overuse.  You know how bad it is for you.  Get help if you need it.
  • Brushing your hair, brushing your teeth, washing your face, changing your clothes
  • Keeping appointments – friends, business, etc
  • Taking care of that thing that’s been hanging over your head – been putting off that doctor’s appointment?  Been delaying cleaning something?  Have to make an important phone call that you’re procrastinating on?  Doing it and getting it off your mind will make you feel exponentially better!
  • Making that doctor’s appointment and keeping it
  • Cleaning a room you’ve been putting off
  • Taking your medications properly
  • Remembering to take your vitamins
  • Smiling at yourself in the mirror; you’re your best ally
  • Keeping in touch with good friends, even if its just a brief message back and forth occasionally
  • Ridding yourself of toxic relationships.  Stop talking to people who are not good for you.  You don’t owe them any special explanation.  You don’t owe them any more of your time or energy.  You do owe yourself peace.
  • Setting real goals that will make you stretch, keep you interested, and have real rewards at the end
  • Taking time to do things that nourish your soul.  Did you read a lot before? Take some time to read each week.  Got invited to a yoga class? GO. Used to do needlepoint?  Pick it up for an hour here and there.
  • Getting your budget together, being realistic about it, sticking to it
  • Not running from problems; confronting, delegating, completing
  • Start CRUSHING goals. Not in the sorority, girl gang, rah-rah sense.  I mean taking that list of goals and doing something about it.  Following through, swinging for the fences, creating the life you deserve.

Stop living an unfulfilling coast-along life.  Start creating a life you don’t need to escape from with those bon bons, trash tv, and comfy clothes.  Build a life that makes you want to jump out of bed each day and not want to take a 6 month vacation, twice a year.

2017 has been a hard year for me to keep up with.  I’ve struggled to keep my house clean.  Cooking dinner has been an exhausting thought.  I have gone days without bothering to shower, some days managing to throw some dry shampoo in my hair and brush it.  I’ve gained a ton of weight back (well, a ton in my book).  I struggle minute to minute with motivation.  My business suffered.  My team suffered. My income absolutely tanked; I realized that not only was I making less money for the same (and possibly even more work), but other benefits had been stripped away one by one.

Not to mention, the biggest seller, highest ticket item – the easiest to maintain sales on – is almost entirely dependent on my personal weight loss results!  How in the world can I sell something that I’m not remembering to take, and isn’t working for me because I never remember to take it!

I had to make a change before I lost all of my income and passion.  I moved forward with a company that has the same green and clean product values, but is a product everyone uses almost every single day.  Now I have the ability to offer men, women, and children that first step in their self care without focusing on weight loss or sensitive subjects.  It touches every single life and is safe and healthy for them.

Life is short. You know that. You don’t need me to tell you that.  Start enjoying it and stop making excuses for why you aren’t.

Happy New Year!

-Jess

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