Day 11

Day 11... a day off from work.  I find that the days off from work are often the toughest because they often lack structure and have more down time.  I kept myself busy with laundry, organizing Chase's playroom and cooking stuffed peppers for lunch for the rest of the week.  I also find on my days off I struggle to drink enough water but on work days, I can drink a bazillion times more.  Little things.  Today was another day... I honestly feel like I have adapted this as a part of my life.  When Daryll says the chicken I made for dinner would be awesome in a sandwich with cheese, I can wholeheartedly agree with him but don't feel upset that I am not having those things right now.  The best thing the whole30 has done for me so far was making food take a back seat to the other things in my life.  I no longer have hot chocolate every night at 7, sometimes with a snack.  Reflecting on that, it was more of a habit and comfort thing than a want.  I find myself challenging my brain on what my body really needs.  An example was today I made Chase a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch... I wanted sooooooooooo badly to lick that knife clean but I resisted the urge like 5 times.  I told myself I would have a spoonful of almond butter after lunch to get off that urge but after eating, I didn't need the almond butter.  Pre-whole30 Nicole would've eaten it just to eat it.  

I am still worrying I am doing something wrong because I feel like the whole process is too easy but I have been completely compliant.  I also felt pudgy today which of course my mind kept worrying that the weight I lost was coming back... maybe I am eating too much?  Not eating the right things?  Too many nuts?  the answer to all those is no.  I need to let my body work out the process and do it's thing.  Just have to keep telling my brain that!

Food rundown-

Same old breakfast and lunch was leftovers from dinner last night (sausage, peppers, onions and green beans)

Dinner:  Coconut chicken tenders (which were AMAAZZZZZING and both Chase and Daryll liked them!) with homemade sweet potato fries (which of course Chase ate like 3 million).

I feel good not only feeding myself these great things but I am also finding that Chase is eating much more when I am cooking this way.  I'm wondering if the quality of foods mixed with the new spices/seasonings really appeals to him!

On to Day 12!

Days 8, 9, and 10!

Monday was the 8th day of the Whole30 and I was feeling pretty excited having made it through the first week.  I ate my normal breakfast, was marinating cherry chicken drumsticks for dinner and had gotten a workout in all before 11am.  I was feeling pretty accomplished.  I ate lunch which was buffalo chicken meatballs over a salad and had a spoonful of almond butter.  Around 2:30 I began feeling weird so I ate a handful of hazelnuts and tried to move on with my day.  Dinner rolled around and I wasn't hungry.  I cooked my chicken anyways but really didn't want to eat.  Around 8pm, my stomach started killing me so I went to bed and woke up at 10pm throwing up with severe stomach pains.  I ended up falling asleep sitting up on the couch around 4am.  Needless to say, I called in sick to work on Tuesday and found myself still having stomach pains until late morning.  I started feeling hungry but all I could fathom eating was a bagel or something in the bread family.  After some much need support from Katie (Daryll just wanted me to eat ANYTHING, he didn't care about the whole30 at this point), I ate 2 eggs.  For lunch I ate some banana, coconut and cashews and dinner was a chicken leg.  Although I didn't eat much that day, I did manage to stay on my plan, which I am feeling incredibly proud of!!  I was dying for a ginger ale!

So here we are, Wednesday, day 10!!  I didn't eat breakfast today and my lunch wasn't very appetizing to me so I ate my bananas, cashews and coconut that was leftover from breakfast.  Dinner we ate chicken apple sausage with onions and peppers with a side of green beans.  Today I was thinking about my time after the whole30.  I'm feeling a little nervous because I dont want to go back to my old habits but at the same time, I want a friggin gingerbread latte and some pizza.  I'm not sure if I will be able to have these things without going back to my old eating habits and frankly I don't want to. 

I caved and weighed myself on Monday and had lost 5 pounds in the first week, which is amazing!!!!!!!!

Days 5,6, and 7!

Today marks a week into the Whole30 challenge.  I have missed a couple of posts (grocery shopping Friday night and movie night on Saturday) but have been 100% compliant the entire time!  Things are still going pretty good.  Today I felt tired enough to take an hour and a half nap, which I don't usually do but pretty normal in the world of Whole30.  I have definitely become more aware of reading labels and what I am putting in my body.  On Saturday night I stopped at Market Basket to grab some grass-fed beef and was faced with my biggest fear.  Here is was.. Saturday night after a long day at work and I still had to make dinner.  Part of Whole30 success is totally being prepared and having a plan.  I had a plan (buffalo chicken meatballs) but when I was getting home at 530, I did not feel like dealing with that.  After searching around the grocery store, I found Applegate Organic grass-fed beef hot dogs!  They were nitrate free, sugar free and exactly what I needed for this Saturday night slump I was feeling.  I was also able to find some chicken and apple sausage that was compliant so I will most likely keep a pack of each of those in the freezer for emergencies or late nights.

Today I felt like I was battling my brain.  My brain is trying to sabotage my challenge.  Most of the day I was wondering if I am "doing the Whole30 right", is it really making a difference?  Is it worth it?  And although it's not soley about loosing weight, I'm wondering if I am loosing any.  But there are reasons I have to tell myself it is making a difference.  My stomach feels 90% better so I am positive I was eating something that was screwing it up (gluten, processed junk, or dairy).  I have also noticed Chase eating a lot more meats when they are of good quality so that's definitely a benefit too.  I sat at lunch at work with a dozen of donuts, pecan rolls, and muffins and didn't eat or want to eat any of it.  Pre-Whole30, I would've eaten them simply because they were there.

For foods I have made in the past 3 days:

A Southwest Frittata-  Grass-fed ground beef, salsa verde, sweet potatoes, onions, jalapenos and eggs,--- This was so good!  I wasn't sure how I would feel having beef for breakfast but it kept me full for a long time!

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Brussel Sprouts

Organic grass-fed beef hot dogs with broccoli

And we are on to Week 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 4!

Ok so day 4 was a whole other beast.  I mean, I still made it through but today was different.  I have been feeling hungry like an hour before my next meal so I'm thinking I need to be eating more protein so this has been making me grumpy.  All day I have been craving sweets.  Like seriously shove a chocolate bar in my face NOW.  I know this is simply a craving because someone mentioned egg nog and I was all like "oooooooo egg nog"  NO BRAIN, I don't like egg nog.  So luckily, I feel so far I have been able to really think about what is going on food wise and it has helped me to be logical.  Do I look at other people and be jealous that they are drinking a delicious coffee drink?  YUP.  Do I wish I could devour a large cheese pizza on my own?  YUP.  Could I have punched Daryll in the face when he walked in with 5 huge, chocolaty cake pops today and said "oh yeah, you can have these...." YUUUUUUUP.  I then got the awesome pleasure of watching him and Chase enjoy their delicious treats when I drank water.  Can you tell the little sugar demon I've been fighting today?  After dinner, I had some strawberries and unsweetened coconut flakes which helped me get over that hump.

Breakfast:  Same!  Honestly, I'm a creature of habit and I figured it was easier to make a bunch of something to have easy go-to meals for the mornings, especially when I am working.

Lunch:  Sliders with caramelized onions and roaster red peppers... cherry tomatoes and a couple of cucumber slices

Dinner:  Crockpot beef and tomato stew which also had carrots and celery in it.  It was really good, very meaty... but a little salty.  I would definitely make it again, just decreasing the salt.

My reflections from today:
This is totally easy (I'm sure I will eat my words later but I feel like I am in the right frame of mind to tackle this... I mean I started didn't I?!).  The hardest part so far has been meal planning and shopping for compliant foods.  Since one of the rules of the Whole30 is no added sugar, I am reading every label and finding hidden sugars in everything!  I've searched high and low for ketchup without sugar (no luck).  I've also wanted bacon (nope, added sugar!) but I honestly feel like this way of eating is something I can easily continue to do well beyond the whole30, just less restrictive.

Day 3

Here I am.. Day 3!  I had another great day today... which leaves me wondering if I am doing something wrong.  I am supposed to be having carb hangovers and really having a generally tough time but I feel awesome!  I know it's a good thing but I'm just wondering :)  My stomach has felt pain-free most of the day (like 97% of the time) which is a huge benefit to me because I have struggled with stomach issues for years now.  I am missing diet coke and was putting Chase to bed looking forward to my nightly sweet (hot chocolate, chocolate, whatever I can get my hands on) but once I consciously became aware of my thinking, I remembered how awesome I feel and decided to read my book "It starts with food".

Here's the food rundown for the day:

Breakfast:  the usual egg frittata muffin, bananas topped with cashews and black coffee-  I ordered unsweetened coconut flakes so I look forward to their arrival tomorrow to throw in my banana/ cashew mix.

Lunch:  Chicken, baked sweet potato and broccoli...  I think one of the reasons I am not feeling a carb-flu is because I have been eating some sweet potatoes everyday, who knows!

Dinner:  Dinner was soooooo good!  I made burger sliders with grass-fed beef, caramelized onions and roasted red peppers.  I also ate some green beans with olive oil and garlic salt.  I have to say, I generally am not a fan of the taste of beef, before the whole30 I ate turkey and chicken, but grass-fed beef has such a better taste and is totally worth the $1 extra that I paid.  Daryll also loved the burger sliders and Chase ate 2!!  I would say this recipe will appear weekly and continue even after the whole30 is over.

My Reflections:  I still miss diet coke.  I am definitely drinking  more water, which I wasn't before because I was drinking diet coke instead.  Today I am feeling proud about the decision I am making to continue this journey and I am feeling thrilled that my family ate the meal I was eating and enjoyed every bite.  Daryll could have had his with cheese and a bun but he supported me and ate the same way I did which was amazing and made me happy.

Day 2

I woke up today fearing the dreaded "hang over" phase but to be honest, I felt pretty amazing all day!  My head felt clear, my stomach didn't bother me in the morning.. it was awesome!  I did notice that I became quite snippy in the afternoon and I have a little headache tonight but I assume that is from the lack of caffeine and Chase being a little punk all night.  I do miss diet coke and I found myself wanting things I couldn't have (PIZZA and hot chocolate!!!) and wondering if I wanted to live life without these things but being healthy trumps it... and I will find Paleo recipes for all my favorites once I am done with my 30 days.  I felt like from the minute I woke up I would give my right arm for a fountain diet coke.  

I ate the same foods today to get rid of some left overs/ I'm too lazy to cook everyday.  I did however figure out Franks Red Hot is totally compliant so I dipped my chicken in that for dinner :)  I have some pretty good meals coming up, which is awesome because although my chicken is delicious, I'm OVER IT!!! ;)

Day 1

     Well, here it is.. day one of my Whole 30 journey.  I figured I would write about my days so I can look back and see where my improvements or progress was (and maybe encourage others to follow in my path!).  The reason I decided to do this was because I have struggled with food for my whole life.  I have found that when I like something, I will eat it until I feel sick and do not want to have it anymore rather than simply enjoying a small amount (can you say addictive personality!?).  I also have ongoing issues with my stomach and I feel by removing grains, dairy and sugar, I can take the time to see what truly bothers me.  I'm not really doing this to loose weight (but if I do, then I wont complain!) but really more to make a lifestyle change that I can stick with.
     Last night was rough to say the least.  I had told myself I was going to start my Whole 30 today and bought all my food and even made breakfast for the week.  Then Chase woke up throwing up all over his bed.  This happened 3 times at various times during the night.  Needless to say, I woke up feeling tired, run down and already second guessing my starting today.  I decided that I wasn't going to let any excuses get in the way and continued with my plans.  Here's what I ate today!

Breakfast-
1 sliced banana with cashews
Egg frittata muffin with prosciutto, broccoli, red peppers and onions
Coffee with a splash of coconut milk


Lunch-
Salad and chicken salad made with Paleo mayo
Water with lime

Dinner- 
Chicken cutlets breaded in almond flour- topped with homemade salsa
Baked sweet potato

How I feel ending today:
I feel pretty good!  There was a time during the day when I forced Daryll to eat my leftover baked ziti and eggplant and he said he would rather be eating my salad.  My response wanted to be yes, that's why you are the size of a small boy.  All the food I made was delicious, definitely recipes I could see myself making when the Whole 30 is over. There were times during the day I caught myself thinking about eating some of Chase's Life cereal but luckily the cravings haven't really hit me yet.  I hear day 2 is a little biatch so I guess we will see what tomorrow brings!