Another WHOLE30!

This time the CF Box is hosting a Whole30. There's some money on the line, too. And I've engaged in some good natured trash talk with the owner. Even if there were on $5 on the line for first place, my goal would still be to beat him. :)

As it turns out, I don't think I did the first Whole30 right the last time. I've read It Starts With Food, so I'm not sure how I missed for the Whole30 part that I couldn't have honey! And I guess I sort of ignored the "no Paleo desserts" part, too, because I didn't consider the fruit "cobbler" and the Paleo ice cream (coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, and fruit) really dessert. And I didn't read some labels clearly enough to check for honey or added sugar.

Three full days in, and I TOTALLY feel the difference. Which makes it clear that there needed to be some adjustments here, too. I've cut out the fruit protein shakes in the morning, and I feel the effects of the lack of sugar there, too. Plus, I've decided to cut out caffeine this time around, so it's a massive shock to my system.

And let me tell you, the combination of no sugar, no caffeine, and working full time this time around has left my body exhausted. And truer to what others' Whole30 experiences have been like (so I've read), I'm much more moody this time around. I think it's because knowing we were doing this and doing it as a competition, we threw caution to the wind the last two weeks, and I really broke every thing that I had been abiding by since like March. Everything is out of whack it feels like right now. My performance has suffered a bit in the last two weeks. My sleep has been gnarly. It's extremely clear to me that 70/30 or 80/20 or even 85/15 is not optimal for me, perhaps because of my age, and perhaps because I'm still not where I want to be. I need to think, after the Whole 30, more in terms of 95/5. And no gluten whatsoever.

My body hates me right now, just like it did in March after spring break, and just like it did in August when I came back from my cousin's wedding.

Recap for Days 1-3
Stress--through the roof, as it has been since the quarter started. This is problem number one. I've experienced my first weight gain of the year since I started losing weight in January since this quarter started. I feel like since Monday my cortisol production has increased because my belly seems to have gotten bigger rather than smaller after three days of clean eating. This tells me the following:

• I need more rest.
• I need to be better organized so that I can reduce the stress.
• I need to do something in the afternoon that relieves stress instead of trying to nap (which has been unsuccessful), in the hopes that I get better sleep.

Sleep--has been a bit better. I had to start taking the melatonin to help me sleep again because my brain won't shut down and relax, but in the last three days I've gone from 3 to 2 to 1 pill. That's improvement. And I find that for the first time in a while, I'm sleeping through the night, despite the Red Rocket's bed shenanigans.

Food--Last night was tough. I didn't have anything prepped because I was tired, and Boudreaux came home late. So we had grass fed, free range, no sugar, no preservatives, no nothing added, organic bacon and  some eggs. 

Workouts--I feel slow and heavy and like everyone is improving and I'm not, and it's pissing me off. This is in part because since classes have started and since I got sick and fell behind, I haven't been able to get in in the afternoons. And that pisses me off, too.

So here we start day 4. I'm actually really exhausted this morning, and I feel like I should go back to bed for another hour or two, but I've got so much work to do that I need to do my work so maybe I can get some restful sleep later and have my afternoon free to do some meal prep for tonight and tomorrow.