New Year | New Goals | New Strategy

Well here we are again... in a few hours we'll be waving goodbye to 2018 and saying hello to 2019.

2018 was a pretty awesome year for me and my family. My husband and I completed three rounds of Whole30 last winter resulting in a 30 pound weight loss for each of us. We traveled, we had great times with friends, and we had one of the best holiday seasons we've ever had. Overall, it was a great 2018!

So, what are we working for 2019? Whole30 is something we are eager to get back to. We both keep saying how we miss feeling healthy, eating healthy, and being "normal." It is pretty awesome that we consider Whole30 our "normal" and feel totally off when we're not eating Whole30. As much success as we had last year with our three rounds of Whole30 we had no real strategy to maintain our success once Whole30 was over. So, this year we're doing a few things differently.

1. More rounds of Whole30/Less time in between rounds of Whole30. 

Round #1 Wednesday 01/02/19 - Thursday 01/31/19

Round #2 Monday 02/04/19 - Tuesday 03/05/19

Round #3 Monday 03/11/19 - Tuesday 04/09/19

Round #4 Monday 04/15/19 - Tuesday 05/14/19

Round #5 Tuesday 05/28/19 - Wednesday 06/26/19

Last year we would go 2-3 weeks in between rounds of Whole30 which resulted in some minor weight gain and throwing our bodies off chemically. This resulted in the first 1 or 2 weeks of the next round of Whole30 playing "catch up" (e.g., losing the weight we gained, resetting our bodies back into "Whole30 mode", etc). That always felt like time wasted to me so this year we're going the most minimal time possible in between rounds (this is mostly based around birthdays, holidays, and planned trips).

2. Change up the menu each week.

During our third round of Whole30 last year my husband and I both struggled to lose weight. Part of the reason was we had to lose the weight we gained in between rounds 2 and 3 but I also came to discover that eating the same menu I ate when I started round #1 of Whole30 probably wasn't the best strategy. As Melissa Hartwig so eloquently put it "First, your body isn’t the same as it was [when you started], when you initially crafted your Whole30 eating plan....Your metabolism is more fine-tuned, your hormones are talking to your brain more effectively, your gut is healthier, and your immune system is calmer. So what makes you think that the same exact meals that worked for you [when you started] are still perfect for you now?" I detailed this plateau in one of my previous blog posts which can be found here. Once I changed up my menu the weight started to come off again. To help with keeping the menu fresh and different I asked for the Whole30 Slow Cooker cookbook so each weekend during the cold New England winter I can make a new soup or stew for dinner. The cookbook comes with many other recipes but I'm most excited about the soups and stews: the recipes are simple, they involve a lot of vegetables, one recipe can feed me dinner for a whole week, and they're easily reheated in the microwave. 

3. New rule for after Whole30 rounds are over: If my weight fluctuates 5 pounds above my goal weight I have to resume Whole30 until the weight is lost.

In 2018 after we ended our last round of Whole30 in May my husband and I told ourselves we'd do our best, eat Whole30 during the week, and just keep an eye on our weight. We felt so empowered by Whole30 - which felt great - but when summer bbqs, vacations, and holidays came around our weight kept slowly creeping up. In 2019, I want to keep a better eye on my weight after June 29th and abide by the 5-pound fluctuation rule. I think this will allow me to indulge but also keep my eating in check without gaining all of the weight back.