Whole Living Challenge: Week 3 Wrap-Up
If you learn nothing else from following me during this year's Whole Living Challenge let it be this:
CHEATING IS NOT WORTH IT!
Ugh.
My pudgy sodium-swollen fingers are still throbbing even as I type this--a cruel reminder that I make poor decisions when surrounded by friends, Chardonnay, and chips & dip.
I also blame the Oscars. This never would've happened if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences had consulted me and my Whole Living Challenge timeline before scheduling their event.
Assholes.
Here's the problem with having a planned "Cheat Day" like I did last week. You're mentally prepared for making a poor choice, and once you carve out that little exception for yourself, the lines start getting blurry.
I originally negotiated with my willpower that I would only drink my (organic!) Chardonnay on my Cheat Day and not eat anything that wasn't Week 3 Challenge-friendly. That line then faded into, "Ooh, I should make this (not Challenge-friendly) appetizer for the party...and I have to taste-test it first, of course." Which then blurred into, "Screw it. I'm going to eat whatever I want during Sunday night's party. I've been good for almost 3 weeks--I deserve it!" Then Saturday hits and you rationalize that you've already planned on cheating on your detox tomorrow night, so what's wrong with having just one little bite of two of something you shouldn't be eating today too?!
Before you know it your brussels sprouts are rotting in the fridge and you have a contract with your local grocery store to deliver a crate of Junior Mints to your house every Monday morning.
It's a slippery slope, people. Avoid it at all costs!
Alright, let's talk about the shameful end to my Week 3. To recap, the following are off-limits throughout this detox plan: processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye), caffeine, and alcohol. In addition, food options for Week 3 are limited to the following: gluten-free grains, eggs, seafood, tofu, beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, plant-based fats/oils, and spices.
One of my overall goals for doing this Challenge is to push myself to try new foods and recipes. The following are the new foods I tried for the first time during Week 3:
- Rice Noodles
- Trout
- Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto (loved it)
- Quinoa Salad (super loved it)
DAY 15
8am: Hot water with lemon
9am: Green Machine Smoothie (kale, parsley, pineapple & mango)
11am: Roasted veggies with hummus
5pm: The rest of my Green Machine Smoothie
I have a habit of OD'ing on hummus and that happened again today. I overate at lunch and wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. I also play volleyball on Monday nights, so fitting in a real dinner can be a challenge. Thank goodness for smoothies!
DAY 16
8am: Tea with soy milk (I've decided I'm not a fan of the soy milk)
9am: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana, green apple)
10:30am: Clementine
12:30pm: Black Bean & Millet Bowl (my favorite recipe from last year's Whole Living Challenge)
5pm: 3 eggs (scrambled, no dairy), sweet potato chips and hummus
7:45pm: Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto
I had a training all day at work today and they provided breakfast and lunch for everyone. Of course I was surrounded by all sorts of delicious food options that I normally wouldn't hesitate to enjoy, but today I had to hold back. I packed my own breakfast and lunch and resisted the granola bars, pastries, pasta, cheese, and cookies. By the time I got home I was SO HUNGRY and I overate a little bit. I should've packed some nuts to tide off my afternoon hunger--grr! I was looking forward to trying the Rice Noodles with Broccoli Almond Pesto recipe for dinner, so even though I wasn't very hungry after my 5pm "snack" I still made the dish and tried a little bit. It was fantastic! I've never had rice noodles before, but if you're missing pasta (like I was!) you've got to give this recipe a try. The flavor is pretty mild too, so don't be scared off by the broccoli!
DAY 17
7:30am: Cup of detox tea and a small Green Machine Smoothie (kale, parsley, mango, pineapple)
9am: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana, green apple)
10:30am: Clementine
12pm: Quinoa Salad (quinoa, black beans, tomato, corn, avocado)
6pm: Mixed green salad with pine nuts and balsamic vinaigrette, smoked Steelhead Trout w/steamed broccolini, roasted fingerling potatoes, and garnished with a caper-egg aioli
Day 17 was another training day at work with breakfast and lunch provided, so just like on Day 16, I had to pack my own foods (just in case) and resist all the yummy goodies I'd normally enjoy (and some that would normally not even turn my head!) if I wasn't doing the Challenge. Lunch provided by my agency was a variety of wraps and one of them was a Quinoa Salad Wrap (see ingredients above) that I decided to give a try (sans the flatbread "wrap" part). It was so delicious! I am definitely going to try to duplicate this recipe ASAP. I loved it!
The evening was another challenge in that I joined my boss in taking our trainer out for dinner at a nice steakhouse restaurant. I scoped out the menu ahead of time for an entree that was "Challenge-friendly" and decided on the trout. I thought I'd be seething with jealous watching everyone around me enjoying their perfectly prepared steaks, but my dinner was amazing! It was also incredibly satisfying knowing that I managed to "eat out" all day and still stick to the Challenge guidelines. It IS possible!
DAY 18
7:30am: 3 eggs, scrambled (no dairy)
8:30am: Tea
12:30pm: Millet & Black Bean Bowl
4:30pm: A handful of nuts
5:30pm: Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto
This was the first day of the Challenge that I didn't have a smoothie. It seemed so strange. I loved starting my day off with some eggs, though--yum!
DAY 19
8am: Tea
10am: Mango Coconut Water Smoothie
12pm: Roasted veggies and hummus
8pm: Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto
DAY 20
8:30am: Mango Coconut Water Smoothie, and 2 eggs (scrambled, no dairy)
12pm: Tortellini, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, and sweet potato chips and veggies with hummus
7:30pm: Salt and Pepper Tofu
This was the day before my "Cheat Day." See how the line was blurred already?! After breakfast I went grocery shopping and started prepping food for my Oscar party the next day. During this time I had a few bites of tortellini (gluten) and mozzarella (dairy) from the appetizer I was prepping--two off limit things during the Challenge--but I recovered and had some sweet potato chips and veggies with hummus to round out my lunch.
In the afternoon I made chocolate-covered strawberries and Oreo truffles for my party. Full disclosure: I had a couple licks of chocolate and a couple Oreo cookies. (Shame on me!)
DAY 21
Now before you read this, let's all keep in mind that this was my planned "Cheat Day" since I was hosting my 3rd annual Oscar Party. No judging!
8am: Beet & Carrot Smoothie
The rest of the day was pretty much a blur of me eating all sorts of crap with little to no thought of sticking to the Challenge. I nibbled on tortellini, mozzarella, pepperoni, and artichoke hearts as I assembled pasta skewers for the party, then I "taste tested" the caramel corn I made and a few pieces of candy as I set up the candy buffet. Once the party started, I very much enjoyed sipping on my Chardonnay (yay!) and munching on the goodies my friends brought (I'm pretty sure I devoured all of my friend Erica's creamy spinach dip). I certainly made the most of my "Cheat Day." No doubt about it.
...and I paid for it, too.
By the time I went to bed I felt so gross and bloated, my fingers were swollen, and my stomach felt WRETCHED. I wanted to puke, but couldn't. It was awful.
I slept like crap that night, and the next day stomach still felt yucky and my fingers were still ridiculously swollen.
Okay. Now you can judge.
Join myself, Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, Tori, Rebeca, and others on All Things G&D on Facebook as we discuss our ups and downs of the Challenge and share our favorite recipes! I'm also posting each of my meals and snacks for reference. We'd love to hear from you, too!
5 comments:
No judging here...this coming from a girl on day 5, so I might not be a very reliable source... LOL... BTW i tried the butternut squash garlic dish(if I didnt have my water with me to wash down every bite I would have been in trouble. The coconut smoothie was yummy.
Despite overwhelming yourself on your cheat day, you've done great! I (now that I've decided I'm not doing the challenge for week 4) have realized that when I'm not eating crap, I pretty much follow the whole plan...minus cheese and wine. Those are my two weaknesses and I cannot be changed. With that said, I did cheat twice during the three weeks. (I know, the shame!) BUT, I ONLY cheated with Chardonnay (because I decided if I was gonna cheat, I wasn't gonna cheat all the way, just with ONE thing). On Valentine's Day I had some wine, as well as Oscar night. And now that I'm in 'week 4' (even though I'm 'not participating'), I've found that so much of what I want to eat is totally challenge friendly. So, my diet changes have certainly done the trick. I'm still enjoying smoothies in the morning (mostly fruit with coconut or almond milk), lots of fresh veggies and fruit throughout the day, lean proteins, and limited gluten intake. I'm not even craving chips or the easy-to-grab crap. But I'd love to indulge in a little chocolate!
@Anonymous--So sorry to hear you didn't like the butternut squash. Boo. The smoothies are great, though! I can't imagine getting through the Challenge without them so I'm glad you're enjoying those.
@Andrea--Thank you for the supportive words; you're too kind. So great to hear you're sticking with your Challenge eating habits--good for you!! I also find that as long as I can incorporate a few of my vices (most notably wine and Mexican food) I tend to do a pretty good job of sticking with healthy eating habits throughout the year. The Challenge is a great way to "reset" and refocus on those habits. So happy to hear you found it helpful!
OK, soooo...some of the things I've tried this week:
* Millet Bowl w/Black Beans & Veg = LOVED!! I was taking a risk making a double batch before trying it, but I was so glad I did. Made for great lunches for me & the hubs the next day. Mmmm Mmm Good!
* Miso Breakfast Soup = Good. I forgot to add the S&P, but once I took care of that, it was def more tasty. Interesting (in a good way) taste/texture for breakfast.
* Fresh Fruit with Applesauce-Sweetened Tahini = Delicious. What a great way to doctor up tahini. It cuts what could have been an overwhelming sweetness from the bowl of fruit. I used 1 of each...red grapefruit, navel orange, plum, nectarine, and mango. Makes at least 4 servings, so share with a friend. And don't forget the toasted coconut...it's like icing on a cake!
* Rice Noodles with Broc-Almond Pesto = Great flavor, we enjoyed this. Though I felt like the pesto turned gluey pretty fast. I kept thinning it with the cooking water, but it seemed like I could have added another 8oz of noodles. There was SO MUCH pesto! (I even used a 1/2 of the broc it called for).
Most of the other things I've tried were repeats from weeks past. I had scrambled eggs (no dairy) for breakfast twice this week...and only one smoothie!! So many more recipes that I want to try.
But in terms of cheating, this past week was 95% good...however I could have DEFINITELY made better choices. Not sure why I gave in to things that wouldn't normally be on my radar...Beer for example. I had (and actually enjoyed) a beer with my husband, as well as a glass of wine with my chicken cheese steak sandwich and chips last night. (Philly, you are killing me.) Oh shit. Make that 85% good...I just remembered the coffee with cream & granola thin that I had before a job interview (my excuse = to keep me sharp). Sigh. Definitely could have done better. I see what you mean by the slippery slope.
I think you are doing great, despite the Oscars debacle, and want to let you know without the generous sharing of info from your blog and FB page, I would not have made it this far. So, thanks!! It's been a fun 4 weeks, not nearly as difficult and miserable as I was suspecting.
And now, after what might be your longest comment ever (???) (sorry!), I will finish my lemon water & zip it. :)
So happy to hear you loved the millet bowl, Karyn! It's a staple when it comes to my lunches. I'll have to give miso soup a try one of these days. I tried the tahini fruit recipe last year when I did the Whole Living Challenge and I have to admit it didn't do much from me. Maybe I added too much tahini? Interesting you said that about the broccoli almond pesto--I also thought I had way too much pesto so I cooked up the rest of the rice noodles in the box and added them (so about 2x more noodles than the recipe called for). I thought it was my error and that I had added way too much broccoli to the recipe, but hmmm...maybe not. Sorry to hear you got caught up in that slippery slope as well. It's such a tempting one! And the reason I think my "80/20 plan" works so well for me throughout the rest of the year. Thank you so much for your sweet words about going through this Challenge together. It's been wonderful to have your support as well! PS. Hope your job interview went well!
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