I blew it. Day 2 of my Whole30 to Whole90 experiment and I found myself like the old cartoon with the angel and the devil on each shoulder. I know Whole30 works. I have real experience of losing weight while on Whole30 — and after! It has worked for me, helping me, a woman, lose weight over 50. Yes, I made some modifications to accommodate my frequent business travel reality. And it STILL worked. But last night, Day 2 of my reboot, I blew it. Or did I?
Every Wednesday night, if I’m in town, my husband and I meet at the same foodie restaurant, facing the lovely gazebo centered in the town square of our quaint Midwestern home. At the restaurant, they call it “Wine Down Wednesday” and offer a number of great wines at half priced. We usually have a glass, then have them cork it to take home for later in the week. The food is great. The wait staff is attentive. It’s a real treat to be there — to have a mid-week date night before a busy weekend arrives, holding hands across the booth and talking about our week.
Last night, I couldn’t wait to sit in our favorite booth and relax. My sweetheart had a crazy stressful day, and I was so looking forward to a little time to decompress with him. And there was a great wine on the Wine Down menu that night — one that was highly rated that we’ve never tried before.
Angel: “You need to stay true to your commitment. You can order a nice club soda and lime and let M get whatever he wants.”
Devil: “Life is too short not to be enjoyed! A little red wine won’t hurt anything, and you can get on track again tomorrow. You don’t even have to tell anyone about it. Just enjoy yourself!”
Me: “Yes, I’ll have the wine. And let’s do the salad with the blue cheese crumbles — I know I shouldn’t have cheese, but what’s the difference at this point.”
And there I was, falling off the Whole90 wagon before the journey even began. It’s amazing how strong that voice of “C’mon, do it anyway” can be in your head, guiding you on like that bully in high school — the cool kid who you wish would like you, but just tempts you into trouble, then walks away laughing… you know the one.
I have myself to blame. I was doing great. I was feeling good. And then I blew it, at least according to the defined principals of the Whole30 approach.
So let’s take a look at the point of failure so we can learn how to lose weight on Whole30 without future mishaps:
- Breakfast: Three eggs, fried in coconut oil; three strips of no-sugar clean bacon.
- Lunch: I worked through lunch. And I only had a tiny pack of almonds from a recent flight (thanks Delta!) and a blueberry Rx bar that I keep in my purse for emergencies.
- Dinner: By the time I got to the restaurant, I was starving. What was supposed to be a 6PM dinner got pushed back to 7:30PM. I didn’t have enough water that day. I also didn’t come prepared for an emergency stash of snacks after having to eat my supplies at lunch. It’s no wonder I was weak and caving into temptation! I should’ve been more mindful to what my body needs instead of giving in to what my body craves.
A few wins though: I didn’t eat any of the bread. And if I were eating on a keto diet to lose weight, I would absolutely be compliant.
Did I enjoy our dinner? Yes and no. Yes, we had a lovely time. I will never regret sharing an evening with my husband at a booth at our favorite restaurant. But the glass of wine wasn’t worth it. It was a good bottle, but not great. And I woke up this morning feeling puffy again, and a little ashamed of myself for caving in.
Onward! Today is a new day – Day 1 all over again? Nah, let’s go with Day 3 and stay the course. Maybe once I get going, I’ll add on two more days at the end to make the purists happy… maybe.
Note to the Whole30 purists – No, I am not restarting my journey and dialing it back to Day 1. I know Melissa would not approve of this, but I am giving myself 90 days on this journey. And it isn’t really Whole30 in its purest form — the goal is to find Whole30 modifications that make me feel great that I can adapt into my life when I travel for work. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I HAVE had great success in my efforts to lose weight while on Whole30. My goal now is to figure out what works for other business travelers like me who want to look good, feel great and perform at their best. Stay tuned!
