Meghan & Dan Clark, Photos by Sara Beth

One crazy idea usually leads to others…and I blame this one on Jeff and Julie.

Well, maybe “blame” is a strong word but they certainly deserve some credit. When Jeff came out with his crazy idea at the beginning of last year, I was curious. I watched quietly as the family went through their first Whole30 together and rejoiced at seeing the wonderful results they realized at the end. And then my curiosity got the better of me. I started e-mailing Julie and asking all sorts of questions and scouring the Whole30 website.

I admit I was worried about jumping into a Whole30 immediately. But my first one in May/June of 2012 went really well, struggles and all. Being a firstborn through and through, I figured I would plan out meals for all 30 days before I started. Yeah…right…like that actually happened. Not that I didn’t do any planning but it ended up being less than I originally planned and thought I needed to be successful. I guess it just goes to show that you don’t need to have it all figured out before you jump in and start eating healthier!

But now, I’m smack dab in the middle of a second Whole30. I fell entirely off the bandwagon after the last one, gained back all the weight I lost, and undid all the health benefits I had realized. I knew I needed to get back on track. But this time around things are different.

You see, I’m not just getting healthy for myself, though that is reason enough. My husband and I would love to add children to our family and I know that one of the best things I can do to increase our chances is to eat healthier and take care of my body better than I had been previously. So we decided we could handle another Whole30 and that it would be a good idea to get us back on track and maybe to even stay more on track this time after the 30 days are up.

Now that we’re less than a week out from Day 30, I’m definitely beginning to feel the benefits again. I feel more energetic and can read my body’s signs more when I get tired or hungry. I’ve been walking laps around our local mall and finding that I can go further than when I started. I’m beginning to notice my clothes fitting a little better. We’ve even discovered some new recipes we love that we will continue to make past the end of the Whole30 (for example, check out this awesome roast beef recipe. I’m kind of excited to step on the scale again next week and take my “after” photos!

So thank you Jeff and Julie (and kids)! You have really made a difference in how I look at and consume food. Thank you for introducing me to the Whole30 experience and being great cheerleaders to someone trying to be healthier now and for the future.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Meghan

The answer is simple.

Everything.

I know where to shop. I know what to buy. I know what I can and can’t include in menus without majorly obsessing. I’ve had to eat out a few times Lone Ranger style for work and I’m not embarressed to play 20 questions with the waitress. I also have been blessed to help a few family friends work through their own Whole 30 transition.

Who knew our family would be nutritional mentors? EVER?

Our kids are surviving as well. While they were not over joyed at the idea of doing another Whole 30 (especially after Christmas), they are on board and reporting that they are sleeping better and have more focus at school.

Jeff and I were both talking this morning how we haven’t had major cravings like last year. Aside from a rough first couple of days for me, it has been pretty old hat.

This is because last year when we embarked on the Whole 30 it just wasn’t about 30 days. It was about a lifestyle change. Right after our Whole 30 we eased into a Paleo lifestyle and that has made all the difference.

The biggest difference this time around?

I am not dreaming about white potatoes. Don’t laugh. This is a huge step for me. I’m actually learning to love sweet potatoes.

All kinds.

I’ve really invested in learning new ways to fix them. Like with coconut oil and Italian Seasoning on the stove.

Yum. Yum.

Before, I had a hard time with the texture. Sweet potatoes just didn’t appeal to me, no matter how hard I tried last Whole 30.

I was a slave to the white nightshade.

This has been my hardest struggle with eating Paleo.

Not bad.

So this Whole 30 I’m learning to love sweet potatoes. What about you? What are you learning?

I’m Competitive

I’m competitive, very competitive. Some of you reading this, if you know me, chuckled a little and thought that was probably an understatement. I like to win. And because of that tend to only do things I’m good at. This is something I’m working on.  But, truth be told, I tend to find I really like to do things that involve competing in some form. Board games, cards, fantasy football, and driving carpool all provide opportunities to win. Yes, you can win at carpool and the drive there. What’s the big deal if everyone else in the “game” doesn’t even know that it’s a game?

Setting Goals

Anyway, back to the Crazy Idea. Last year as I was thinking up this crazy idea I knew that in order to stay motivated I would need to set some goals, some crazy goals. Goals like losing 70 pounds and running a marathon. Goals that would push me hard and be difficult to reach.

As the year progressed I realized that I hadn’t done the best job of setting goals, they weren’t S.M.A.R.T. goals. Sure they were specific, measurable, actionable and time-bound, but they weren’t realistic. I wasn’t a runner and when I tried to run, my knees wanted nothing to do with it. So I had to re-evaluate a bit and decide that a marathon or even a half-marathon just want going to happen. We changed my training up to focus more on strength training rather than on reaching running goals. This in turn affected my weight loss as I added muscle and lost fat. So in the end, I didn’t reach my goal of a marathon or of losing 70 pounds (though I believe I did come close to that in fat loss, but the muscle gain off-set the total weight loss).

Failure and Success

There are two ways to view this.

The competitive part of me sees this as a failure. I didn’t do what I set out to do, despite how unrealistic it was. I missed the target I was initially aiming for.

But I don’t see this Crazy Idea as a failure. I am in the best shape I have been in for decades, I lost close to 45 pounds total weight and I feel the best I have for a very long time. To me that ins’t failure. I think it was Tim Ferris who said “It’s hard to fail completely if you aim high enough”.  When you set a very high goal, even if you fail partially, you still have room for some level of success. Alan Key said “If you don’t fail 90% of the time you’re not aiming high enough”. Often we tend to set easy goals because we like the feeling of success, of marking something off the list. But I want to challenge you to set some goals this year that are crazy. Then shoot for them, because even if you don’t reach it you’ll still be making progress in the direction you want to go.

What is your crazy idea for 2013?

This is easy and fast to make. I wanted to try something new by using my curry spice and this turned out great. Jessa announced to us tonight that she has a new favorite dish. The whole family loved these paleo curry chicken wraps.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cooking time 10 minutes

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced)

2 table spoons of chili powder

1 table spoon of curry

1/2 table spoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning

a dash of crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how hot you like it)

salt and pepper to taste

2 table spoons of coconut oil

1 head of butter lettuce

diced tomatoes

3 green onions chopped

1 avocado sliced

Empty chili powder, curry, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper and salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag. Toss in the chicken, close bag, and coat chicken by shaking.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt coconut oil and cook chicken strips in the skillet. Cook about 10 minutes, turning chicken until it is white all the way through.

Serve on lettuce leaves with tomatoes, onions and avocados.

Yum. Yum.

Let me know what you think.

But as Mr. Simon suggests, it’s time to make a new plan, a plan for your new healthy lifestyle. That’s the number two thing I learned from this crazy idea – healthy requires a plan, especially at my age. I once was healthy, naturally, or so I thought. Truth was, I ate junk, but was active enough I looked and felt healthy. But nature ran it’s course. And I did nothing to combat it. The extent of my plan was to not think about it and go along for the ride. After all, it was natural, right! Why fight it?

But last year I decided if I wanted a different course for my life I had to have a plan. I had to know where I wanted to be and how to get there. You wouldn’t just jump in my car and take off for a new destination having no map (see how I dated myself again there). You would figure out the best route and how long it would take to get there. So it is with your health.

As you approach 2013 what is your plan? If you’re like I was ,you may not even know where to begin. That’s why I asked Ed from Ed’s Gym to help not only with the map, but to jump in the car and go along for the ride.

So, three questions for you.

Where are you now? Where to you want to go? What do you need to do to get there?

We live in a world where making it “on your own” is rewarded, even glorified. But when it comes to making huge life changes, going it alone is hard, if not near impossible. Everyone needs support, shoot, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Looking back over the past year, I can’t even begin to imagine how I would have done it alone. If I was left to face it all by myself, I’m not sure I would have stuck with it to be honest.

Family Support

Without the support of Julie and the kids I would have been nearly impossible to complete the Whole 30 or stick with a Paleo diet. They not only did it with me, but were encouraging along the way. Sure, they weren’t always excited about our limited food choices, but they never lost sight of the big picture and didn’t complain much. If you’re going to make a drastic diet change like I did, you’ve got to get those closest to you behind the vision.

Professional Support

No matter how great my intentions I know none of the past year would have happened without Ed and the gym. He put us on the Whole 30, he crafted the fitness plan and adapted it when I realized running a marathon just wasn’t a very realistic goal for me this year. He pushed me, encouraged me and held me accountable. There were many mornings the gym was the last place I wanted to be, but I knew Ed was there and expecting me. I knew He would call if I didn’t show up, asking tough questions.

Support of Friends

While there the practical support of the family and Ed were essential, the support of my friends both here in Colorado Springs and online was very important to me as well. Knowing you were watching, even from a distance was an encouragement. Your words of congratulations when I would bump into you and you would see a difference from the weight loss was amazing. And the encouraging words on the blog meant the world. That in addition to knowing that some of you decided to make changes along with us made it easier to keep going.

Having all of you behind me as I undertook this Crazy Idea made all the difference. A simple thank you doesn’t seem to be enough, but thank you for believing in me, supporting me, encouraging me and challenging me. You guys are the best!

On The Road Again

This year we did more travelling than we ever have. Rocky Mountain Media Group trips took us to Seattle, Oregon, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Steamboat Springs. Those coupled with family trips presented challenges to keeping a healthy routine.

Eating On The Road

When you are used to eating all natural, gluten free, paleo meals, travel can get tricky. Being prepared and planning ahead is the key. Do some research on the area you are visiting to find out what restaurants offer options that fit with your plan. And plan to take some snacks with you. When I travel, fresh fruit and nuts are always handy in my bag. Sometimes you will find yourself in situations where there aren’t good options. But again, planning ahead can help. One meal off plan won’t do much damage, but when that one leads to two than five it can. Make the best of the situation and don’t let it de-rail the work you have put in.

Working Out On The Road

This was a bigger challenge than eating out for me. When we travel we tend to have early mornings and late evenings. Making the time to get up and hit the fitness room wasn’t easy. And often times we would find ourselves in hotels without work-out rooms. This is one of the things we are working on for 2013. Again, some planning is the key. Make sure the hotel has a fitness center. It doesn’t have to be state of the art, just enough to get you moving. As we plan our schedules while on the road this year, I will also make sure we have time to get to the gym, especially if it more than just a day or two.

Your Healthy Travel Tips

We learned a lot about travelling and trying to maintain a healthy routine this year, but I’m sure we’ll learn even more in 2013. What are some of your secrets for a healthy routine for travel?

The secret to losing weight

The secret to losing weight is eating better and exercising. That’s it. Shocking, I know.

As I’ve changed my diet and I eat less junk I feel better and have more energy. When I feel better and have more energy I feel like exercising more. When I exercise more I burn more calories than I eat and I lose weight.

Pretty simple – yet not so easy to do. It involves changing habits, it involves emotional connections with food and it involves getting off the couch and moving.

But if you really want to lose weight there are no more excuses. Go eat a salad and take a walk for starters.

In 2012 we have had some highs…

And we have had some lows…

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was a roller coaster where our nutrition and work out schedule was concerned.

It happens.

It happened to us.

Lets just say it involved crazy work and travel schedules, cheese, beer, and a McRib sandwhich may or may not have been consumed.

But that is all in the past.

We said from the beginning that we would be honest. Share our highs and lows. The last few weeks have had some food lows.

Starting 2013 with a Whole 30

But we have set new goals and yesterday jumped head first into our second Whole 30 as a family. For those of you who are curious what this is and why would we do it, think of it like a way to reset your body.

We take 30 Days on this pretty strict plan and only eat real, nutritious food.

Food that you can feel good about.

Food that actually needs to be cooked.

We also kick things like dairy, sugar, gluten and bad foods to the curb.

For 30 Days. After the Whole 30 will continue on our regularly scheduled paleo diet.

That is how we plan to move this Crazy Idea forward in 2013.

Wanna join us?

You have nothing to loose and only your new healthy life to gain.

Stay tuned!  In a few days we are putting together a Recommendation Page full of books, blogs and resources we use for maintaining a healthy life style. On this page we will include links to The Whole 30, Paleo What and Why information, meal planning ideas and fitness.

What are your nutrition plans for 2013?

But I did it. I hiked that mound of dirt and rock that  I looked at for 15 years. And after climbing Pikes Peak I decided I wanted more. I hiked another 14er, Mount Bierstadt , only two weeks later. This time with the help of Jeff and our friends Bob and Bekah. I was becoming a mountain mama!

I’m hooked. I am dreaming of the next one. Colorado truly is a wonderland. I am blessed to live here with my family.

Hopefully in 2013, Lord willing I will cross off at least 5 new 14ers from the checklist.

I realized this year by getting healthy that I could do things I only dreamed about before Jeff’s Crazy Idea.

And while I did learn some other things, like I could survive with drinking coconut milk in my coffee every day instead of creamer (thanks again to Ed Stedman of Ed’s Gym), I also learned I am strong. I am determined. I am a mountain climbing machine.

The ability to climb mountains didn’t come over night. I had to work hard to get ready for it. But I learned a valuable mental and physical lesson.  I could do it. 

What will your goal for 2013 be? What do you need to do to prepare for it? Not just dream?