Before we dive into my overall Whole Living Challenge overview (including how much weight I lost!), I have to share my food log from Week 4. To recap, the following are off-limits throughout the entire 28 day detox plan: processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. During Week 4 you can pretty much eat whatever you want as long as it’s not one of the six off-limit things throughout the Challenge–this includes adding gluten products (like pasta) and animal proteins (like chicken and beef) back into your diet.
One of my overall goals for doing this Challenge was to push myself to try new foods and recipes. The following are the new foods I tried for the first time during Week 4:
- Parsnips
- Cannellini Beans
And this is the only new recipe I tried:
- Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cannellini Beans (pretty darn good, actually)
And here’s a log of what I ate during Week 4:
DAY 22
7:30am: Detox tea (wishful thinking after my Oscar party food hangover!)
10am: Blue Smoothie (blueberries, banana, orange juice)
12pm: Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto
3:30pm: Apple slices with almond butter
8pm: Three Twizzlers (WTF?! That’s the bad thing about cheating on your diet–it’s SO HARD to get back on track afterwards!)
DAY 23
7am: Cup of hot water with lemon
8am: Beet & Carrot Smoothie (I hated this damn smoothie, but felt like I had to drink it as my punishment for my Cheat Day)
11am: Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto, and veggies with hummus
3pm: A few bites of Quinoa Salad (quinoa, black beans, corn, avocado)
4:30pm: Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
I was still feeling like crap from my Cheat Day (Day 21), so it was all about back to the basics on this day as I tried to get back on track.
DAY 24
7:30am: Beet & Carrot Smoothie (still punishing myself)
8:30am: Tea
11am: Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto
4pm: Handful of almonds and cashews
7:45pm: Lettuce salad with carrots, red cabbage, broccoli, hearts of palm, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds
DAY 25
7am: Blue Smoothie (blueberries, banana, orange juice)
8:30am: Oatmeal with chopped nuts
12pm: Roasted Winter Vegetables (carrots, brussels sprouts, parsnips, sweet potato) with Cannellini Beans
3pm: The last of my Roasted Winter Vegetables with Cannellini Beans
6pm: Quinoa Salad (quinoa, avocado, black beans, corn)
DAY 26
7am: Tea
9am: Quinoa Salad (quinoa, black bean, corn, avocado–an unusual choice for breakfast, but it worked in a pinch!)
12pm: Lettuce and spinach salad with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, hard-boiled egg, artichoke hearts, and chickpeas)
3:30pm: Handful of nuts
6pm: More Quinoa Salad
DAY 27
8:30am: Blue Smoothie (blueberries, banana, orange juice), 2 eggs (scrambled, no dairy), and tea
11am: The last of my Quinoa Salad
2:30pm: Sweet Potato Chips & Hummus
6pm: A huge lettuce salad with broccoli, hearts of palm, sunflower seeds and chia seeds, and a teeny tiny slice of pepperoni pizza, and a few gummie bears left over from my Oscar party. Oh yeah…and some beers.
We had some friends over for a card night. It would have preferable to have had it AFTER my Challenge was over, but that was the night that worked best for everyone, and I was SO CLOSE to the end of the Challenge that I figured what the heck, it’s fine. I cheated a little bit with the candy and the pizza, but it could’ve been much worse. I love pepperoni pizza (of course it was from my favorite place) and normally would’ve eaten half the pie. I also normally wouldn’t have have eaten a big salad beforehand, so I was patting myself on the back for those choices!
DAY 28
7am: Green Smoothie (kale, parsley, banana, and green apple)
9:30am: Three eggs (scrambled, no dairy)
2pm: Spicy Black Bean Salad with avocado added
7:30pm: Broiled Lemon Pepper Cod
THE END!
::Takes a bow::
::Opens a bottle of Chardonnay::
Overall, I found that my second go-round with the Whole Living Challenge was easier to do, but harder to stick to. That may sound crazy, but it’s the best way I can describe it. Last year, when I first did the Challenge, it was SO HARD for me to adapt to this way of eating. Up to that point, fruits and vegetables were just things I purchased to make cute centerpieces. Since completing that first Challenge, however, I’ve drastically changed my eating habits, and eating healthy, whole foods (including fruits and vegetables!) has become a part of my daily life, so in that regard, adapting to the food constraints of the Challenge this year was much easier for me to do.
On the flip side, sticking to the Challenge was much harder for me this year compared to last year. I think the reason for this is that I felt so incredibly different–in a good way!–while doing the Challenge last year that I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize how great I felt. The results were very dramatic for me last year, which really helped me stay committed. This year, however, (which the exception of fighting cravings during that first week) I pretty much felt the same as I always do. I didn’t see huge improvements in my mood or energy like I did last year–which is actually kind of refreshing to realize because to me that means I haven’t gone too far off track since completing the 2011 Whole Living Challenge. Overall, I think it confirms that my 80/20 plan works for me and my crazy stubborn brain that is programmed to want something even more when it’s told it can’t have it.
And now, the moment many of you have been waiting for…the total amount of pounds I lost during this year’s Whole Living Challenge is…
::drum roll please::
Six.
That may not sound like much, but I’ll tell you this: 1) That number represents 4% of my body weight. 2) I was at a healthy weight before I started this Challenge and weight loss wasn’t a primary goal of mine, and 3) For the first time…ever?…I actually weigh less than it says on my driver’s license photo.
WOOT!
(Weight loss may not have been a primary goal of mine, but you’re damn right I’m going to celebrate that one!)
As much as my six pound weight loss is a nice added bonus, what I really wanted to accomplish by doing this Challenge was to remain committed to my 80/20 plan, challenge myself to try new foods and recipes, and above all else to set a healthy example for my daughter.
On the last day of my 28 Day Challenge, Kate finally tried (and finished!!) her very first Green Smoothie.
Seeing my incredibly picky two-year-old happily slurping up a smoothie bursting with healthy kale, parsley, banana, and green apple was, without a doubt, my greatest reward.
It’s never too early to plan ahead! Who’s going to join me for next year’s Challenge?
Looking for a great way to view all of my weekly prep posts, wrap-ups, and recipes? Follow me on Pinterest and check out my 2012 Whole Living Challenge pin board!
A huge THANK YOU to Jenna, Frances, Karyn, Jennifer, Sara, Marlena, Andrea, Christy, Melissa, Katie, Kerri, Tori, Rebeca, and everyone else who joined me at All Things G&D on Facebook to face this Challenge together. It wasn’t always easy–hell, it was rarely easy!–but having your support made it so much better. Thank you all so much!
Congratulations on completing the cleanse! I loved reading about it-you inspired me!
6 pounds is GREAT for how thin you are to begin with, ha! So pretty.
Congratulations on completing the cleanse and I bet that is a great feeling… I would love to try something like this someday but I don’t think I could *ever* get my husband to agree. Did you do it alone or with your hubby?
Congrats!!!! You did amazing and you are really inspiring me to try this. I think there is no way I could do it since I love my coffee and am such a picky eater, but that just makes me want to do it even more!
YAY!! We survived! Thank you so much for inspiring both Steve and me to do this challenge. It has definitely changed the way we eat. I wrote a wrap-up post on the board – not sure if you saw it or not. It has been a challenging, but great experience!
Congratulations! Isn’t it amazing what determination and willpower will get you? I’ve been (silently) following your Whole Living challenge the last month and have been amazed every step of the way. You’re much stronger than I would be in that situation, although I do thankfully eat mostly healthfully already. Way to go in sticking it out!
Congratulations on finishing the cleanse! I assume you can do this challenge anytime during the year? I am pregnant and read somewhere you shouldn’t do cleanses while pg or nursing, so I will have to wait awhile. But I do need to try new recipes that are way healthier than what we eat now. I love smoothies, my 2 yr old does too, but not my almost 4 year old. I would love to get my husband on board, but he has different ideas as to what is healthy, so that might be tricky. Did your husband eat what you made?
Congrats, Dusty! I’m definitely down for doing it next year!
From your weekly wrap-ups, week 4 (minus the red meat) is very similar to how I eat normally, but I think this would give me a great opportunity to try new things.
Looking forward to it!
Thank you SO MUCH everyone!
Thank you Nicole–so happy to hear it!
@Megan–Thank you so much! No, G did not do the Challenge with me, but he was super supportive. He tried a couple of the new meals I made, but for the most part he stayed within his comfort zone. One recipe we both really loved is the Salt & Pepper Tofu, so that will be added to our dinner rotation. Other than that, I’ll probably just stick with some of the new recipes for my work lunches, or a side along with something I know G likes.
@Lindsey–You’ll have to let me know if you decide to give it a try!
@Jenna–I’ll check out your post tonight. SO PROUD of you and Steve for doing it, too! Great job, girl!!
Thank you so much, Mrs. Great Indoors!
@Jodie–Yep, you can absolutely do it anytime (after Baby #3 arrives). Last year I did it in April. Anything goes! (See my response to Megan to answer your question about G.)
@Carla B.–It’ll be fun to have you on board next year!
Congrats, D, and thanks for sharing! I was very intrigued by the Rice Noodles with Broccoli-Almond Pesto so I made it earlier this week and it was awesome! So thanks also for exposing me to that.
A question for you — you said your main motivation for this challenge and healthier eating in general was to be a good example for Kate. I, too, have become a semi-crunchy, healthy food-pushing mom since my daughter was born. Where I run into issues is with daycare. So, how do you handle what Kate is served at daycare? At our center, it’s not always the healthiest options (bologna sandwiches, canned veggies, etc) and we won’t be able to bring in our own foods once she’s in the toddler room. How do you reconcile your desire to have her eat healthy with things outside your control (assuming your daycare operates similarly to ours)?
Two weeks ago I started the challenge…made it to Friday morning (ate green sauce chicken enchiladas for lunch, got back on for dinner with a huge salad). I blame not being able to continue with not being prepared. I think it is important to know and have on hand all the items I will eat. I shopped for food to last me just one week. So tomorrow Monday is a new day and I will start over.
Hi Julie–So glad you liked the Broccoli-Almond Pesto with Rice Noodles! To answer your question about Kate’s daycare, I actually pack her lunch on the days she attends (3 days/week), and allow daycare to provide her morning and afternoon snack on those days. They generally do a pretty good job of offering the kids healthy snacks, but not always. For awhile I considered packing her snacks too, but I know I need to let go of a little bit of control in this area because I can’t shelter her from unhealthy food choices forever. I also worry that if I’m too strict with her food choices she’ll be the kind of kid that goes to a friend’s house for a play date and gorge on chips and candy because she feels so deprived of it. I don’t want that either. I reconcile what she eats for snacks at daycare (and what she eats when we go to birthday parties, etc.) by considering Kate to be on the 80/20 plan, too. Eighty percent of the time I know she’s eating healthy, wholesome foods, and the other 20% of the time I need to let go a bit and let her be a kid.
That response may not help you much considering the fact that you can’t pack your child’s lunch, so here’s another option to consider: provide your daycare with healthy, low-cost lunch and snack recipes and ideas (if they’re open to it). My daycare providers noticed the homemade food I packed for Kate and started asking me for recipes so they can make some of those things for all the kids (one cheap and easy suggestion is my Oatmeal Banana Drops). I thought that was really awesome that they asked that. Maybe your daycare would be open to it, too!
@Anonymous: I agree with you 100%–preparation is the KEY to success. I hope you were able to get back on track!