Yesterday marked roughly the halfway point of our Whole 30 journey, so I thought it’d be a good idea for us to weigh in and take vitals. I was pretty sure I’d be dropping weight, considering the way my body looked, and the fact that many of my clothes have been fitting strangely. Sure enough, we’ve both lost close to 5lbs over the course of the last 2 weeks!
Sarah – 155lbs @ 21.4% body fat
Luke – 175.5lbs @ 6.9% body fat
How have we been feeling? Not too bad. Some mood issues on both sides I’d say, but all in all good.
However, considering how fast I’ve been losing weight, I’ve put the possibility on the table of me not completing the rest of this Whole 30 with complete rigidity. Why? Because I don’t want to look like a pre-pubescent girl, that’s why! I feel that is my right.
I’m going to weigh in again this coming Monday before making the final decision on that. Even if I decide not to stick to the guidelines, I’m still going to be eating all my Whole 30 approved meals, but I’ll just add in other, more calorie dense, non-Paleo foods to bump up my total calorie intake. I’m all about being a lean machine, but I don’t like the idea of losing muscle. I worked too hard for it over the past 10-12 months to waste it all.
But don’t worry… Even if I don’t completely stick with the program, Sarah has assured me that as long as I still cook and eat what she’s eating, she’ll stick to it like a champ… The other law she set down was that I couldn’t talk to her about what it was that I was eating.
I can see this going something a little like this…
I let Sarah in the front door. She walks in with a smile, and a bag full of veggies for what we’re about to cook…
Sarah: Oh my God, you won’t believe it. Avocados are only 69 cents at Kroger right now.
Me: Praise Baby Jesus, this is most joyous news.
Sarah: I knew you’d be excited, so I went ahea-….what is that on your neck?
Me: *quickly slapping at neck* What? Nothing. Must be shaving cream. Man I hate when I forget to wash off the shaving cream! It’s probabl-
Sarah: Wait, is that ice cream!?… Have-…have you been cheating on me!?
Me: WHAT!?…NO!…no, no way, never… Well. I mean, I thought we had an open Whole 30 relationship?
Cue tears and yelling…
But we’ll see. I don’t want to cut back on the lifting or cardio, because that kind of defeats the purpose I think. I’ll update you on that here shortly.
But in closing, how about some food porn from the previous couple weeks (with links to recipes where applicable. Just click the picture)…
When I first went strict, I lost a ton of weight fast. Even through my best efforts, I dropped to around 146 when all was said and done.
I just made a point to eat until I was stuffed at every big meal, making sure the bulk of what I was eating was healthy, grass-fed, fatty meat. I’m back up to 158, and it’s all muscle. My body fat % is hovering around 6%, and my PRs are still increasing (not nearly as impressive as yours, but I’m the strongest person I’ve ever been).
I know a lot of this has to do with genetics as well as habituation, but what works for me, other than stuffing myself is IFing at least 3 days/week (16 hours off), and including a green smoothie as my first meal of the day which keeps me sated for at least 4 hours (includes a high density of protein and fats). Once I polish that off, I’m good typically until dinner. Then I still make sure to get some whey in pre and post-workout. If I get hungry mid-afternoon (happens typically on non-IF days), I snack on leftovers.
Jay recently posted..Tough Mudder!
@Jay
You know, that intermittent fasting stuff intrigues me. Interesting to hear it’s been working for you, especially considering how lean you already are and the fact that you aren’t trying to lose weight. I too have been eating until full (but not over full), and trying to minimize the snacking… It think it’s interesting how my dieting habits have changed so much over time: I used to subscribe to that “grazing” theory, and while I eventually did hit my goal body fat while eating that way, it was by no means easy. Now that I’m eating like a caveman more often than not, I’m having a hard time keeping the fat on!
Keep it up bro!
@Niall
Oh you know it buddy, there’s no quitting over here… Just resting for a bit and regrouping. Not resting on the lifting though, so don’t worry, I’m not turning into a complete fatty.