My Whole30 Results and Reintroductions so Far

I finished my Whole30 on Monday (now Sunday), and since then I've been reintroducing foods I've missed having in my diet. I was a little delayed on taking my measurements but am generally happy with the results. I usually sit at around 9st 4lbs when in peak fitness, so was thinking I'd like my results to show this (although I don't generally go by weight). My main concern was losing muscle mass, really I wanted to retain that and lose body fat %.

Here's what happened

Before:

After:

Eurgh, and my before and after pictures which I really didn't want to post (excuse the mess) but wanted to share as personally I can really see the definition of my muscles looking much better. My stomach is also less bloated. My bum is noticeably smaller (though sadly flatter) and my legs look stronger.  

Key Points:

Basically, by completing the Whole30 I lost a total of 5.4lbs, 4lbs of that was fat (a whopping 2.2%) but sadly I also lost 1.8lbs of muscle. My metabolic age also dropped by 2 years, to the minimum the scales will go (15 years less than real age).

I lost 2.25" from my belly button measurements, 0.75" from the narrowest part of my waist, 0.75" from my hips, 0.5" from each leg and my arms stayed the same. Overall though I'm definitely looking much leaner and feeling much stronger.

The best thing for me so far is having more energy, and loving the food I'm making and consuming.

My skin is clearing up but I still get breakouts, my IBS and bloating have reduced and other medical conditions are beginning to improve too. I realise it'll still take time and in an ideal world I would have continued fully W30 for another 30 days but I have too many plans for the next month. So for now, it's W30 99% of the time.

My Reintroductions:

Day 31 - Added gluten free oats, no bad side effects.

Day 32 - Four squares of dark chocolate, only non compliant ingredient was raw cane sugar.

Day 33 - Woke up with a headache and bunged up, although hayfever is feeling bad. Introduced Greek yogurt for breakfast and unfortunately this really upset my stomach. Could have been fighting a bug though as remained bunged up all day, dizzy with headache and tiredness. Also had a hot chocolate with almond milk in the evening, which felt ok and tasted good, making me realise I 100% never need to drink milk ever again!

Day 34 - Had gluten free granola (other than oats the only non compliant ingredient was honey), and tried the Greek yogurt again, this time no upset stomach. Really bad hayfever still though, although this I fear was made worse from "spring" cleaning and neighbours/council out mowing the grass surrounding our house!

Day 35 - Still having gluten free oats for breakfast, either with almond milk or Greek yogurt. Today I made my own hummus as it's one thing I've really been missing. This reintroduced chickpeas and unfortunately sulphites as the chickpeas I had in the cupboard contained them (I've learnt for next time). This tasted amazing and so far so good!

Day 36 - Still eating mostly compliant food although this evening my snack was this (halloumi the new food but I'd already introduced dairy in the form of yogurt):

I'll keep tracking my reintroductions but it's important to remember that what agrees with me, might not agree with you, but enjoy playing around with your reintroductions and try to use it as a good opportunity to make some new recipes instead of buying pre-made (like my hummus), that way you know exactly what's going into your food!

Home Made Cherry Energy Bars **RECIPE**

These are really sweet, you could probably get away with using less cherries. I used cashews this time but fancy making them again with almonds (my favourite) for more of a cherry bakewell taste! Simple to make and last around a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Since Nakd bars are allowed on Whole30, I figured I'd make my own. They're great for on the go energy or before exercise.

INGREDIENTS (makes 12 bars):

• 0.5 Cup of Dried Cherries (no added sugar)
• 10 x Dates (pitted)
• 1.5 Cups of Cashews
• 1 Tablespoon of Lucy Bee Coconut Oil
• 1-2 Tablespoons Water

METHOD:

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and blitz until combined, adding more water if needed.
2. Scoop mixture into a silicone baking tray, pressing down to compress the mixture and refrigerate
3. Turn out the slab and slice up evenly into 12 bars (pizza cutter)
4. I store mine in an airtight container with baking paper separating the bars (they are sticky). 

Approximately 156 calories per bar.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder **RECIPE**

The best thing in the world for me is coming home after teaching a tough class to find dinner already cooked! Even better is a nice slow cooked joint that just falls apart. I personally like to cook my lamb in some flavours, here's how I make mine.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2-3):

• Lamb Shoulder (500g)
• 2 x Stalks Celery
• 3 x Cloves Garlic
• 3 x Fresh Sprigs Rosemary
• 2 x Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Dried Herbs (Basil, Oregano, Thyme)
• 1 x 400g Tinned Tomatoes

METHOD:

1. Pat meat dry with kitchen towel then rub salt, pepper and olive oil into the joint. Preferably leave meat marinading overnight. 
2. Line the slow cooker with the celery stalks, rosemary and garlic cloves (whole, unpeeled or minced).
3. Sit the lamb on top of the celery.
4. Sprinkle over the herbs and tin of tomatoes.
5. Leave to cook for around 8 hours on a high heat.
6. Serve with some of the tomato sauce and fresh veggies.

Courgetti Bolognese **RECIPE**

This meal is a great alternative to using pasta, with all of the goodness of the meat sauce, but none of the bloating. Feel free to add extra garlic, mushrooms, chilli or any other seasoning, I'd like to add some sun-dried tomato next to add some extra richness.


INGREDIENTS (serves 2):

• 250g Extra lean, grass fed (preferably organic) beef mince
• Drizzle Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 x Onion, sliced
• 2 x Celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1 x Carrot, finely chopped
• 4 x Cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 x 400g Tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 x Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 x Tablespoons W30 ketchup (or tomato purée, or sun-dried tomato)
• 1 x Teaspoon salt
• 1 x Teaspoon pepper
• Plenty of herbs to taste (I used thyme, oregano, basil and 3 bay leafs).
• 120ml W30 home made bone broth/stock
• 2 Courgettes/Zuccini

METHOD:

1. Add oil to a pan and brown the mince, and soften the onions. Then add the celery and carrots to soften .
2. Place contents of pan into a slow cooker or continue to cook in a pan, add all of the remaining ingredients.
3. If cooking in a slow cooker, leave on a low heat until serving. If cooking in the pan, cook for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Either use a julienne peeler or spiraliser to make courgette noodles, briefly boil the courgetti for 2 minutes. Either add to the meat sauce before serving or place on plate to serve meat sauce on top.
5. Eat immediately! Although this makes for great leftovers and tastes even better once the flavours have developed, I like it in a sweet potato jacket!

How to make Whole30 Compliant Mayo in under 5 minutes! **VIDEO**

I wanted to film a real time video on making mayonnaise... OK, so whilst it's not that exciting, I know of a few people who've struggled with it. I just wanted to show you how easy it is if you're patient.

I picked up my food processor cheap for about £25, and it's got loads of other attachments too. Honestly it's one of the best kitchen bargains I've ever bought, so if you haven't got one, make it your next purchase (the grater will shred carrots and sweet potato in a second)!

Ingredients:

• 300ml LIGHT Olive Oil
• 1 Egg (at room temperature)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Tips:

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
• It's best to keep the food processor running and slowly add the ingredients as it mixes.
• Play around with adding other tasty ingredients or mixing with other sauces.
• It's great with coleslaw mix and a potato salad is looming!

Here's the video:

I'd love to see pictures of your mayo and the dishes you used it with! Our house has well and truly converted to this beauty!

Day 31 - Reintroduction #1 Oats **UPDATED**

Whilst I'm happy and proud that I've finished my 30 days on the Whole 30 challenge, it's left me with mixed emotions about reintroductions. 

I've decided that some things I can live without, for example milk, but others I'm sooo ready to add back in. So having thought long and hard about what I wanted to reintroduce first, I decided upon oats. I chose Gluten Free Oats, because I wanted to ensure that any negative side effects I have come from the oats and not gluten. After what felt like hours searching for a gluten free muesli or granola I finally found these, the only ones without added sugar and other nasties! **Sadly, since May 2016, Nairn's have changed their recipe to now include cranberries, sweetened with SUGAR! Their reasoning was that it's only to sweeten, and per 100g the new product has less total sugar than the old recipe. They're missing my point that for the sake of a few cranberries, they are missing out on a massive part of a growing market... NO ADDED SUGAR! Anyway, I've stock piled my last few boxes of the old recipe and will not be buying the new mixture, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they remove the cranberries in the future!**

They tasted pretty good, although expensive at over £3 for 450g. The recommended portion size is 45g, but I splashed out weighing out a whole measly 50g. I'm not great at keeping cereal portions in the deep, dark, depths of my bowl... Served with Alpro Unsweetened Almond Milk and 7 strawberries, as well as an apple, oh and a homemade energy bar, it kept me pretty full until lunch. All in all, my morning meal contained 445 calories, which is similar to what I've been consuming every breakfast for the past 30 days.

Why Oats?

Oats contain a protein called Avena Sativa. For some people this can cause sensitivities via inhalation or ingestion. The protein is similar to gluten, found in wheat and can cause similar symptoms. For people who suffer from an allergy to gluten, they may also suffer an allergic reaction to the avenin, the glutinous protein found in oats.

Oats intolerance symptoms can include stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, vomiting, excessive gas and headaches.

If you believe you have a sensitivity to oats, please speak with your GP where they can advise you further. Sometimes the symptoms associated with oats can be delayed, so it's worth noting what you've eaten and keep a diary on any delayed side effects. Consuming oats in small doses may also present no symptoms, but in large quantities on a regular basis, side effects may pop up.

How I'll be managing oats

So far so good, but bearing in mind a delayed reaction, the rest of my diet will remain W30 for a couple of days. I intend to mix up my breakfasts, to begin with having gluten free oats only, however I won't rule out testing non-gluten (via contamination) in the future. I've previously been tested for celiac disease and the results came back negative, however just because a person doesn't have an allergy, doesn't mean they can't be sensitive to gluten, suffering from bloating and fatigue.

I'm still loving my chia pudding and eggs, but it feels so great to have a few more options opening up!

One final confession

So, technically introduction number two... On only day one but the only non compliant ingredient was date syrup and since I've been eating dates, I didn't think it was a massive deal. Plus celebrating with one of these, was sooo much better than celebrating with a glass of wine! 

Why is Healthy Eating Seen as a Diet??

Today is my penultimate day on the Whole30, and one bug bear that's been with me since before I even started was people thinking that this is a "diet", and telling me I don't need to lose weight, and sharing their overall concern for the fact I wont be eating cake...

Whilst I understand that the Whole30 is an extreme version of clean eating, giving up all grains, dairy, beans and legumes which are usually deemed as healthy as well as the not so healthy added sugars, sweeteners, alcohol and other processed foods, it's only for 30 days!

So because of it only being for 30 days, I've had a few people tell me that it's a fad diet, and as with any fad diet weight returns once you start eating normally again. Yes this would be true, if it weren't for the fact that Whole30 isn't a diet, it's an education, a way of testing which foods your body reacts negatively to. Bearing this is mind, over the 30 days, you'll see many changes occur with your attitude to food and physical appearance and mental well being. You will learn that you no longer crave bad foods and enjoy eating healthy.

I'll let you into a secret... I DON'T diet, and I DON'T buy into fad ways of losing weight...

I'm just not sure why people seem to think that eating real food and making conscious choices (being able to say no to foods you don't want) is a diet?? It's what we're meant to eat, it's what should form the majority of our diets to keep our bodies healthy. It's what feeds and repairs our cells and encourages a healthy immune system. Processed foods, whilst OK as occasional treats, do the opposite and feed disease. Maybe W30 isn't a healthy diet, perhaps it's just that an UNHEALTHY diet has become the norm, making real food foodies stick out like a saw thumb!

I have realised that milk bloats me, and I also believe dairy to be the trigger for my skin breakouts. Simply put, I won't be adding back into my diet my two skinny lattes and two bowls of cereal after my 30 days are up.

Everyone will find their W30 different to the next person; that's good. You take from it what you can, even if it's just removing unnecessary sugar from your diet or providing you with a few more healthy recipes. Some people prefer to stick with W30 99% of the time, others turn to paleo (this will be more me), some prefer to return to a more adaptable way or eating, just choosing to omit certain "trigger" foods, others like to repeat the W30 cycle whenever they feel their body needs to "reset".

I certainly don't see my dinner tonight as "diet" food, Chicken Cacciatore from the official Whole30 book.

My Non Scale Victories

I've noted my non scale victories as listed amongst many others in the book (hopping on scales after the challenge has finished), and I'd like to share them with you:

Physical (outside)

Fewer blemishes
Flatter stomach
Leaner appearance
Less bloating (swelling)
More defined muscle tone

Physical (inside)

Less stomach pain
Less constipation
Less bloating (pain)
Improved regularity
Less chronic fatigue
Less muscle stiffness

Mood, emotion and psychology

I'm happier (generally)
I'm more optimistic
Fewer sugar cravings
Feeling in control of my food

Brain function

Improved attention span
Clearer thinking

Sleep

I fall asleep more easily (not often a problem anyway)
I don't need to hit the snooze but as often (although one morning I slept through my alarms)
I generally awaken feeling refreshed
Fewer restless leg and arm symptoms

Energy

Energy levels are higher
More energy to exercise

Sport, exercise and play

I feel more athletic
I can lift heavier things
I recover faster

Food and behaviour

I've started eating meat again and realise it doesn't cause physical problems (as previously thought)
Healthier relationship with food
Practising mindful eating
Making more of an effort with reading labels (I was quite good before)
I know which foods make me more & less healthy
I'm learning how to cook new things
I'm enjoying cooking (and eating)
Fewer cravings

Lifestyle and social

Meal preparation is organised and efficient
Enjoyed sharing this experience with others
I've learnt I can still socialise without wine and cake
I'm a Whole30 convert!

If you still think that Whole30 is just a "diet", check back here in a couple of days when I'll be sharing my 30 days worth of meals with you. All of which are real food, and most of which will be staying with me FOREVER!

Day 28 - Finish line in sight!

I'm not going to lie, this challenge has been a bit of a roller coaster. Although I've mostly felt great, I've had some serious mood swings, bloating, tired spells and immense hunger! Although today feels like a bonus day as somewhere between days 24 and 27 I lost track of time... I was certain that yesterday was day 26, right up until late evening, bonus!

Despite the negatives, I can honestly say I've loved doing the Whole30 and intend to keep my diet W30/paleo friendly, with the occasional treats chucked in. I definitely have more energy and brain power, I'm feeling leaner and stronger, I'm not craving food (95% of the time anyway), my skin is starting to clear up although I'm still seeing a few break outs. With regards to food, I'm enjoying eating, even cooking and I'm being more creative and actually fuelling my body with real food, which it needs for my job and lifestyle. I ate well before, but believe I eat healthy now.

I'm both excited and nervous for my reintroduction stage. I've carefully thought about the foods I've missed, and then tried to find the cleanest version of non compliant foods. For example I've decided to add back in gluten free oats first, in the form of muesli. I'll have it for breakfast on day 31, along with almond milk. The only thing not compliant in this muesli is the gluten free oats. Fingers crossed that upon reintroduction I don't notice any negative side effects. If I'm not missing a food, I'm not reintroducing it!

If the oats are good, I've then found a gluten free granola, the only other ingredient being honey (be careful with gluten free products, often laden in sugar), so this way I get to test how I react to honey. I'll test this out two days after trying the muesli as this gives me enough time to note any negatives. Fingers crossed, honey (added sugar) won't be too detrimental, so I then plan to test out some Greek yogurt. I believe milk was causing the majority of my problems before (two skinny lattes and generally two bowls granola/cereal per day). I'm really, REALLY hoping that a little bit of yogurt won't be too severe. Other than that, the only other things I've missed are chocolate, so I'll treat myself to a little dark chocolate at some point, and hummus! I also can't stick to the three meals a day rule. I'm happy to go three hours between meals, but I get so hungry it hurts! I've stuck it out for 28 days and will complete the W30, but just saying that on day 31 I plan to eat a little more frequently!

I'm also interested in trying my hand at some paleo bakes, just to vary up my diet a bit and feel as though I'm not missing out on the good things in life! I also intend to revisit the W30 fully whenever I feel I need a reset!

Day 25 Progress and a Cheeky Chinese **RECIPE**

Since my sudden loss of motivation at the weekend I've been right back on it, the only downside is I'm no longer waking up feeling "fresh" and even slept right through my alarms on Tuesday morning (something I've not done in years). However, I've been finding I feel much better after breakfast... Although still hungry. On days I have time for four meals, I do, my pre workout snack of two boiled eggs, half an avocado and a nectarine worked wonders:

Today is day 25, and I must admit I'm loving this way of eating, although could do with eating more frequently. I woke up this morning not feeling bloated for the first time in about 6 days, I was beginning to think the amount of meat I've added back into my diet was causing it, but fingers crossed it's just a coincidence since I tucked into lovely slow cooked lamb last night and today I'm pain free:

For ages I wanted to make a sweet and sour, and try out cauliflower rice for "egg fried rice", today was the day and it sent me straight to food heaven! I didn't follow a recipe as I struggled to find a compliant W30 one, so I made my own:

Sweet & Sour Sauce

150ml Unsweetened Apple Juice

Tin of Pineapple Chunks (in own juice, no added ingredients)

3 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos (click here to buy) 

3 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree

Tin of Water Chestnuts, halved

1/2 Teaspoon Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Sprinkling of White Pepper

*(I also made up a paste using coconut flour and water to thicken the sauce, however this doesn't look good as it looks like bits of coconut floating around. Personally I don't think this adds to the texture of flavour and believe that by just reducing the sauce down it'll give a similar finish)

Veggies

1 Onion, chopped into 12 chunks

1 Green Pepper, cut into chunks

1 Red Pepper, cut into chunks

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

Meat

Any of your choice, browned in 1 teaspoon of Lucy Bee Coconut Oil or use king prawns or serve vegetarian.

Egg Fried Rice

1 Cauliflower, broken into small florets and pulsed in food processor until resembles rice

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

2/3 Tablespoons Coconut Amino (to taste)

3 Eggs

Pinch of Salt

3 Spring Onions

Method

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a pan (except the water chestnuts), simmer but continue to stir. Allow the sauce to reduce down until it's less watery and has a nice glaze. Add the water chestnuts right at the end so they keep their crunch.

Cook the meat in the coconut oil, then add the veggies. Soften before adding the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken and glaze the meat and veggies, simmer until hot.

Meanwhile add one tablespoon of the sesame seed oil to another large frying pan or wok, add the whites of two spring onions (saving green parts for garnish). Crack two eggs into a bowl, whisk and add the second tablespoon of sesame seed oil and the pinch of salt. Drop into the hot pan and break apart as the egg cooks. Add the cauliflower rice and stir to mix. Finally add two tablespoons of coconut aminos, still well continue to heat on low for a minute.

Serve the two together, garnishing with remaining spring onions.

Serves 4.

I'd love to know what you think of this recipe, the coconut aminos are AMAZING! The perfect substitute for soy sauce, although not as thick the smell and flavour work so well in these two dishes.

You can also follow me on Twitter or over on Instagram where I bombard my feed with my daily meals!