Whole30 Challenge Day 13 Recap: Snowboarding!
Day 13
On Day 13 of my Whole30 challenge I woke up amidst the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains in Mammoth Lakes, CA. My husband and I are Mammoth season pass holders and try and go snowboarding as much as we can during the winter. It’s so much fun to get out and enjoy nature – plus it’s a great workout, too!
I mentioned in my Day 12 recap how I spent some time planning and prepping food. On Saturday morning we woke up and I had 1/2 a sweet potato, a blood orange, some chicken, and veggie juice for breakfast. I needed to fuel up for our day of boarding! When we got dressed for snowboarding I noticed that I had to tighten my snowboard pants another belt notch from the last time we were up three weeks ago for New Year’s. These pants were too tight on me a year ago and now I’m at the last notch of my snowboard belt. A total Fit & Awesome moment. I was happy.
It was a beautiful, sunny day out on the hill. We boarded for about 4 hours straight and finally our tummies told us it was time for lunch. We met up with some friends at the lodge and I was faced with another whole30 challenge – finding a whole30 approved meal in the cafeteria. I knew it would be fine because I’ve been to Mammoth hundreds of times and know exactly what they have. I went straight to the salad bar and got a salad made with spinach, carrots, beets, hard boiled egg, onion, cucumber, and spinach. They didn’t have any whole30 approved salad dressing so I mixed it with a little bit of olive oil and squeezed some lemon wedges on it. The flavor from the red onion and the beets made it perfect. When I got to the table my snowboard buddies were commenting on how healthy my plate looked and asked me some questions about whole30. I was excited when several of them told me they tried being gluten-free for the past couple of weeks and they noticed results. AWESOME!
Mammoth also recently opened a juicery in the main lodge on the mountain. I grabbed a veggie juice there and it was GOOD!
Lunch was huge and filling so I knew I was going to have plenty of fuel for riding. But after lunch I did get hungry and need to snack. I had a Larabar in my pocket and ate some of it. Now, Larabars are not the best on the Whole30 but they are good if you are on the go and in a pinch. I put one in my snowboard pants for this reason. And quite honestly, I was burning so many calories on the mountain that I’m not too concerned about it. The Larabar did taste good but I wouldn’t say I have an addition to them. I actually prefer the Larabar Uber Bars, but unfortunately the Larabar Uber Bar is not Whole30 approved. But Larabars are Whole30 approved. In moderation, of course.
After snowboarding we went to the hot tub with our group of friends. Normally when we go in the hot tub everyone sips on a beer or other adult beverages in the hot tub. I stopped drinking beer awhile ago so this was not an issue. I filled up a big plastic cup full of water and took it to the hot tub with me. I drank the water while we sat and relaxed and socialized with friends and felt really good and healthy. I also had another Fit & Awesome moment in the hot tub. Normally when I have to get in a bikini I get a little bit self conscious. Who am I kidding? I get really self conscious. But when I put on my bikini on Day 13, I felt GOOD. I know I still have a long way to go but I do feel like my hard work is paying off. It’s nice to begin to not only feel results but to physically see them too.
After the hot tub we went to the grocery store and bought food for dinner. When we were trying to decide whether to go out to a restaurant or dine in, the choice was easy. We stayed with my husband’s uncle and I offered to cook for everyone. We made salmon, green beans, and mashed potatoes. I didn’t have the mashed potatoes but I made them for the group. Everything turned out really healthy and delicious. I didn’t even have this meal planned and pretty much cooked it on the fly. My husband was the sous-chef and we were all really happy with how yummy dinner turned out.
After dinner I was beat from a long day. I got in my pajamas and sat on the couch reading “It Starts with Food.” I know a lot of people read this book before they start Whole30, but I have to say that reading It Starts with Food during the whole30 has helped me a lot – it’s like my “pat on the back” to myself at night confirming everything I did during the day was right, and was right for a reason. I was super tired and read for around 45 minutes and fell asleep. I didn’t even need Natural Calm in the mountains – snowboarding all day will result in great sleep!
What about you? When you begin a healthy eating plan, at what point do you begin to physically seeing the results? Do you find it hard to keep your strict diet in a group of 15-20 friends? Post in the comments and let me know!
In This Post:
I keep a Lara bar in my purse for Whole30 emergencies. The Uber bars are better though.
I don’t mind not drinking when I’m with my friends if it’s only a couple of times. If it were longer than the 30 days though I’d never make it. In fact, I’m going out tonight with friends to not drink and to not eat a burger at a wine and burger bar. sigh.
The first Whole30 I did I didn’t notice that I was any smaller. At the end I had lost 5 pounds and put one pound back on. This Whole30 I have lost 6 pounds so that makes 10 total and I can definitely see and feel the difference. My smaller jeans fit, they haven’t in a couple of years. I wouldn’t rock a bikini like you (congrats for feeling great in a bikini!) but since I’m an older lady it wouldn’t be right anyway.
That’s great you lost 5 pounds! I wish I know how much I’ve lost so far but it’s probably better I don’t know so I don’t obsess over it. I can tell I’m getting leaner but I’m not sure if it’s reality or just my imagination 🙂
Uber bars are way better than the Larabars! I have been considering extending my whole30 to 40 days. Thoughts?