My "partial30" diet in review

In my last post, I discussed my food goal to kick off 2019: a "partial30" diet based on the Whole 30 diet.  Dieting isn't about denying certain foods, but the focus should be on eating healthier, finding foods that provide nutrients and strengthen your body.  Although I was not super strict in the Whole 30 way, I was still making active choices to eat healthier.  I knew it would be rough, if not for the simple reason that  it was a mental game.  The moment I told myself I couldn't eat something (even if I didn't eat it regularly), I craved it.  Suddenly I was looking around my kitchen at all the foods I wasn't "allowed" to eat.  I read ingredient labels on packaged foods, and found foods that still fit into my modified diet.  I had originally said I wouldn't eat prepackaged foods.  But after reading labels, I decided it would be find as long as the food did not contain any preservatives.  Basically, prepackaged foods that were still made of whole, natural ingredients did not diminish my dieting purpose.

By far, the hardest part was going without processed sugars -- especially lattes!  The first week was the longest week because I was constantly thinking about food and searching foods that would satiate my sweet cravings.  It was also the week that I was most creative with my meal choices.  I was eating baked zucchini with tzatziki dip, baby carrots with hummus, and homemade salsa on scrambled eggs.  As a snacky person, I was constantly looking for snacks that would be healthy.  My go-to became dehydrated apples.  I read a report that said dried fruits aren't healthy, and I think that is true for prepackaged fruit.  However, there are absolutely no added sugars or other ingredients to dried apples -- they are just a different consistency.  Instead of being crunchy, they are chewy.


So how did I do??

• For being lactose intolerant, I surprisingly kept certain dairy products in my diet.  For the first half of the month, I allowed myself to eat a sprinkling of shredded cheese (usually on my skillets), then eventually cut it out completely.  I also allowed myself to have sour cream and yogurt.
• The prepackaged foods mentioned above that I could eat were: Juanita's tortilla chips, roasted cashews, beef/turkey jerky, and Smartfood popcorn. Notice that aside from eating a ton more fresh fruits and veggies, I still found ways to satiate my snack cravings.
• Sadly, I forgot garlic bread was bread (probably because I prepared the garlic spread from scratch), and ate a slice with lasagna one night.  I also ate pita bread during the first half of the month but cut it out after a couple weeks.  I thought it would be healthier than tortilla chips, but I never read the pita bread label.  I was wrong.  It was tasty, but contained more calories and preservatives than tortilla chips, so I did away with it. :(
• One positive result was that I ate a copious amount of fruit as I searched for fructose.  Again, this diet is such a mental game, and even though I wasn't hungry, I wanted to snack.  So to fill my stomach further, I ate fresh fruit, dried fruit, and fruit smoothies.
• Spinach became a daily green for me.  I love fresh spinach, and made a point to always keep it in stock in the fridge.  I know green veggies are super healthy, so I'm glad I made a point to include it whenever possible.  This is a habit I gladly intend to keep.
• I ended up eating a lot of carbs/starchy foods, the main culprits being white rice and fried potatoes.  While these were technically allowed in my diet, I know there was no reason to eat as much as I did.  One change I would make moving forward, would be to eat these foods on workout days so I am sure to burn off the carbohydrate energy.
• Sugar:  if you can't tell yet, I craved more sugar than I thought I consumed on a regular basis.  I don't necessarily have a sweet tooth (I rarely eat candy or soda, and steer clear from high-sugar fruit drinks), but my weakness when it comes to sweets are definitely lattes and pastries.  I am a bit embarrassed to say I would get coffee 3-4 times a week, using it as a "reward" for things like a hard sub day.  Although I always request half the syrup flavor, it still contained plenty of sugar.  And I love baking.  My latest treat is monkey bread.  This was a difficult month for me to watch others eat sugary treats or drink Starbucks, but I stuck to my guns and did not consume any of these myself.  I did eat yogurt, however, and that contains sweetener.
• Sauces:  I did not limit my sauces when preparing foods.  This includes: soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce....you get the picture.  Some of these contain sugar.  Whatever.
• Eating at home every single day was different for me.  As a single person, I'm used to grabbing food on the go or eating out several times a week (whether that be for lunch or dinner.  But after preparing every single meal I ate (with the exception of the four VegOut salads I bought), I've gained a better appreciation for food and meal prep.  Sometimes it was annoying having to pack a lunch every day for work, but after a while I got used to it.  I am so glad that it saved me money too!  It's amazing how much my paycheck went into me eating out!

Final thoughts:
After eating sugar for the first time in a month yesterday, I know it's possible to go without it.  I went a little crazy: oatmeal bar with chocolate chips, Captain Crunch, a frappe, and cake/vanilla ice cream.  I did not eat all these at once! But I guess that doesn't matter.  It was too much.  I suffered for it.  I was jittery and awake until almost 1 am.  But I was too excited to eat it again.  Now I know better.  I plan to limit processed sugars to the days I work out so I know I'm using the energy up.

Although the flavored frappe was absolutely delicious, it was still so sweet (even with half the syrup!).  My original plan for treating myself to coffee twice a week may very well drop down to once a week.  I don't need it.  And I felt really guilty afterwards -- even though I later worked out for two hours as planned!

I've become so aware of fruit, that I'm making a conscious effort to continue incorporating it into my daily eating habits.  I've always been a fan of veggies, but now I'm making a point to eat even more.

Having a slice of toast, or having a sandwich won't kill me.  I'm glad I can eat bread again!

Eating out means I plan on cutting my portions in half.  I've decided every restaurant meal I buy should feed me twice.  And I want to remember to bring my own takeout container to save on waste.  I will also make a conscious effort to eat at home as much as possible.  It's a silly excuse to say I'm "treating myself".  I don't need to give in to my cravings every time, and should approach dining out like I do alcohol:  as a social affair.

Ultimately, my workout endurance increased, my energy level remained steady (rather than spiking and crashing), and I lost about 6-7 pounds.  I don't care too much about the scale, however, since I wasn't necessarily cutting the portions of my meals.

All in all, this was a wonderful experiment in restraint.  I did not curb my snacking habits -- in fact, I think they increased -- but I did find healthier alternatives to balance out some of my other runaway habits -- eating out, coffee, etc.

2019 Goals

I don't make resolutions.  They only leave me feeling defeated when I ultimately fail at my resolves.  So to soften the blow, I like setting goals instead.  So without further adieu here are my 2019 goals:

For the month of January, I will do a "partial 30" -- I looked into the whole 30 diet (knowing it'd only be for 30 days), and realized it wasn't a matter of capability, I simply refuse a diet that forbids rice.  That is the Asian staple, and I will eat it until I am physically incapable of the feat.  Here's my modified partial 30:

• No buying lattes for a month: this is to help me with both my sugar intake, and money outtake.  I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I love froofy coffee, and this is probably my main source of sugar.
• No eating out: I am trying to cut out processed foods as much as possible, and it is much easier to regulate natural foods from processed foods when I'm making it myself at home.  Also, this is a way to curb my spending! *The only exception I make to this rule is salads.  If I eat out, I will only buy fresh veggie salads.
• Cut out processed foods as much as possible.  Notice that it is not an absolute.  I'm not going to go crazy reading labels, although I'll generally assume if it's prepackaged, it's processed.  I won't be cutting out pasta, almond milk, or yogurt.
• I'm lactose intolerant, so the amount of dairy products I consume is quite small.  However, I will cut out the tiny bit of cheese I eat, ice cream, cottage cheese, and probably butter.
• Cut out breads: if I don't have breads, I won't need butter.  This will also include other forms (bagels, pastries, garlic bread, etc.).  Notice that I am not cutting carbs out of my diet, just breads.

Due to a dinner party I'm attending, this diet will take affect on January 6 and go through February 6.

I will also be budgeting this year.  This is new to me.  I budgeted for a hot second my first month in Bangkok until I realized that I made plenty to cover my expenses, student loans, and savings.  However, this time, I will be recording all my expenditures and learning the growing pains of living within a budget.  A huge part of this is because I'll be moving to Athens for a year as a missionary and the money I raise must last me a year.  I'm truly hoping this turns into a habit that I carry into future years like second nature.

My last goal is to learn conversational Greek.  I know a handful of words, but it's difficult to string them into coherent sentences with a native Greek.  Hopefully this will become easier once I'm in Athens!

Alrighty, that's only three goals.  I hope by the end of this year, no matter how difficult these goals might be, that I can say I've accomplished them!