Whole30 Days 9-15

Wow. Today marks Day 16 of my Whole30.

I am just barely MORE than halfway through the program, and pretty proud of myself. 

This past weekend, I attended a wedding. A wedding with wine (rosé, y’all!) and cupcakes and Caesar salad in all its tangy dressing gloriousness….and I stuck to the plan. 

I had my bestie Alex over last night for a farewell dinner before she moves to Colorado (I can’t even), and didn’t hardly blink looking at the pizza, breadsticks and giant cookie I ordered. 

I went to Waffle Works in Lake Arrowhead, Sean and I’s fave place in the Village, and ordered a salad and requested a side of olive oil and some lemon wedges when I realized the dressing was somehow creamy. 

I brought snacks and La Croix waters for the drive up, and got an unsweetened green tea at Starbucks on the way back. 

I’m OWNING this plan. 

For dinner last night, I had steak, green beans, and a sweet potato and was so satisfied! 

Whole30 has been really good for me, because it’s been an exercise in discipline, self-control, actually  feeling hunger, and learning that it’s totally ok to politely decline food. 

You can say no. You don’t have to feel obligated to partake in food just because, especially if you’re not even hungry! 

And if you are hungry, there are tons of ways to eat well, eat clean, and be prepared.

I’m eager to see how much I’ve lost at the end of 30 days, but moreso, I want to adapt some of these exclusions into my everyday life moving forward. I don’t miss the lethargy or the bloating! 

I’ll keep you posted! 

 

Whole30 Day 5-8

Whew! 

Still going strong! Haven’t been able to get on here and update very easily between work, parties, meal prep, and….oh! Sleep! 

Today wraps up Day 8, and so far, so good! I’ve done remarkably well sticking to the program, and it’s been fun to come up with new meal ideas. Currently I’m obsessed with anything I can make on my Le Creuset grill pan, and roasted tomatillo salsa (aka medium salsa at Chipotle, but better).

I have made steaks. Carnitas. Chicken. Ground sirloin. Cauliflower rice. Green beans. Sweet potato hash. Roasted sweet potatoes. Piles of arugula topped with yummy ingredients….its been satisfying, easy, fun, and kinda life-altering. 

Here’s some of it:

My energy levels are all over the place, thanks to my work schedule. But aside from that, my skin and nails look good, my eyes are clear, my allergies haven’t been out of control, and I sleep more soundly. 

Today specifically is a rough day. I slept about 4 hours, and I was cranky all day. 

I found maggots under the trash compactor in the new house and had an absolute MELT DOWN. I think it’s part of the process.

Whole30 gives you a timeline of expected feelings/behaviors to expect at every stage of the program and I haven’t been experiencing any of the negative side. Until today. Lol.

Overall, I’m happy! I resisted temptation at the going away party for my best friend Alex this weekend, and stuck to my snacks I had brought with me. Still felt good, and still had decent energy. 

Lara Bars and Chomps 100% Grass Fed meat sticks have been my lifesavers when I’m out with no place to get Whole30 approved food. 

Hallelujah. 

21 days left! I got this! 

Don’t forget! If you’re Whole30 Alumni or currently doing one, please share your tips! 

More soon! 

Whole30…Day 3 and 4

I’m still alive, guys! 

Not gonna lie. I’m a little scared. 

Why isn’t this harder right now? Is this the calm before the storm? Am I too tired to be cranky? Am I insane? 

Why isn’t this as icky as I’d imagined it being the first few days?

Admittedly, my first couple of shifts this week, I was exhausted and barely hanging on for the last 2-3 hours. This morning, I didn’t battle that, or go to bed with an aching head. Also, I didn’t take melatonin before bed, and still managed to sleep until about 2 pm, which I previously could NOT do without melatonin assistance. That’s a win! 

Some of my fave things I’ve been eating are veggie scrambles with chicken sausage, and apples with a little almond butter. 

I also found one of my new Trader Joes staples! The Healthy 8 Veggie mix they sell in the salad section is chopped broccoli, carrot, celery, jicama, cabbage, onion and some other stuff I can’t remember. I sautéed it for a couple of mins with some organic EVOO then add my eggs and scramble and it’s SO GOOD! 

I’m going to try a sweet potato hash at work tonight (it’s my Friday!), and maybe make some crockpot carnitas when I prep this weekend.

It feels good knowing I’ve resisted temptations around me. Someone offered me some goldfish crackers this morning around 5, and I was all “Nah. I’m good.”

I love those little fishes.

Anyways, I know there are some anticipated hurdles for days 4-7, so I’m gearing up for those on my busy weekend and I’m optimistic! 

I finished both books, and I’m really impressed with how much I learned about my food and how it affects the issues I have. I’m inspired to maybe explore nutrition more on my own, to ensure it continues to be a part of my lifestyle. I go back to school in January and I’m seriously considering a program that opens a gateway to Nutritional Counseling. 

That’s it for now! Still gotta get through the night and two more meals, but I had Meal 1 about 1.25 hours after waking up today which is HUGE progress for me! 

More soon! 

Whole30…Day 2

Ok, guys.

I’m not dead, I’m not starving, and I don’t even feel cranky. 

I resolved to take melatonin when I got home from my night shift to ensure I got more sleep than I’ve been getting. Part of the reason for this, was that I had a massive headache in my left temple region when I got home! 

I slept until about 2:30 pm, laid lazily for about an hour, and then headed down to the kitchen to make some food…already doing better than yesterday! 

I prepped some chopped and par-sautéed zucchini and summer squash on Friday, so I grabbed some of that, some crumbled chicken Italian sausage (the fact that I have THREE types of chicken sausage in my house right now is hilarious to me), some shallots, and some eggs…and made a scramble! 

I topped it with some roasted tomatillo salsa from Trader Joes and it was SO GOOD! 

It’s weird, because you know, being half Italian and all-around human, I generally consider cheese a given in a scramble. I didn’t even miss it. 

I went to a paid marketing group before work, but when I got to work at 9:45, I had 15 mins to whip up some food from the cooler bag I bring and keep here on my work days. I had some chopped rotisserie chicken, some sliced avocado with fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper, and grabbed a nectarine too. 

Now, it’s almost 3 am and time for Meal 3, and I’m not starving. I’m going to have some of my chicken and apple sausage I grilled last week, and some melon chunks with some bell pepper strips.

While I’m not really missing the sweets I craved hardcore at work recently, I won’t lie…I stared at my gummy vitamins EXTRA hard today and considered taking seconds. 

I didn’t do it…but I definitely thought about it! Doesn’t seem out of place on Day 2, but I’m looking forward to when that’s not such an issue. 

At the market research study, they had a table full of snack mix and sodas…I grabbed a cup of water and didn’t even pine for the sugary canned goodness…although I’ve never been much of a soda fan outside of ginger ale and Diet Coke anyways. 

I’m late posting this, but mainly because I have time to do it now, and something to actually report! 

Today I weighed myself and had Sean take some “before” photos for me. No more scale until the 30 days is over! 

Check in soon! 

Whole30…Day 1

Did you know that the whole reason I started this blog was as a means to hold myself accountable?

It worked for me, for so long! 

And then somehow, I got away from what worked for me. My life went into this tailspin of all work, no sleep, hardly eating, not eating what I should…you’ve all heard some version of this story, or maybe you’ve even lived it yourself! 

I recently saw someone I admire raving about Whole30, and looked into the book that started it all: “It Starts With Food.” 

I was so, so fascinated by the idea that our hormones are affected by the food we eat; our weight and health is affected by our hormones. Shoot, the way we feel on a daily basis is even impacted by what we eat!

So, all those days I ate a quarter of a sandwich and nothing else for 12 hours at a time, on top of not sleeping more than 2 hours in a row? Definitely part of the problem. 

So, I decided to give it a shot. Protein. Veggies. Healthy fats. Even fruit? I can DO this! 

And I’m gonna do it right here. Where people can see it. And where, if I don’t complete it, it’s a constant reminder every time I look at my site if I didn’t complete it. 

I went grocery shopping Friday and prepped my food. I carried an insulated bag and put it in the fridge at work for these five 12 hour nights, and I’ve got more in the fridge at home for when I’m not working, too. 

It’s not going to be perfect. I’m already hardcore struggling on day one…not because I’m cheating or craving anything…moreso the problem I’m having is the not eating part.

I got off work at 6:15-ish this morning, went home and passed out until 11:30 am, got up, got ready for an appointment I had at 12:30, and then got home at 3 pm. And laid in bed again. I got up at 5, went to pack some extras I bought to take to work, and headed in. 

Got to work, and there were no plates. So I had some chopped melon, and decided to wait for my first break to enjoy my chicken and veggies and maybe a clementine. 

When I take my lunch break, I’ll be scrambling an egg with some bell pepper and chicken breakfast sausage that I pre cooked (and added some turmeric to, because I’m a little trend-obsessed with turmeric right now), and I’m not gonna lie, if 3 am rolls around for my last break and I’m not hungry? I just may not eat.

This is part of my problem. And this is one of many areas where I seek a solution, and a Non-Scale Victory….also known as an “NSV,” from here on out (fellow Weight Loss Surgery peeps know the lingo). 

Other things that can happen with Whole30 in your life? 

• Better skin 
• More energy (although not right away…you gotta work through the hard part for that)
• Decreased allergies
• Decreased Asthma
• Weight loss 
• LONG TERM HEALTH OVERALL 

I mean, this is doesn’t even touch the ifs printable checklist you can print on the Whole30 site. They even have a page dedicated to free printables to  help guide you to success. 

It’s 30 days.

No sugar( I mean, NADA. Not sugar, not honey, not maple syrup, not sugars cousin Splenda, not sugars baby daddy Stevia….nothing). No grains. No alochol. No legumes (beans, and so forth). No nitrates, MSG, or carrageenan (google it). No dairy.

Read the rules here.

It sounds like “WHAT THE ACTUAL F*** IS THERE TO HAVE WITHOUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS?”

But guess what? My shopping trip was super easy, because I pretty much hit meat, and produce and skipped endless aisles of temptation. Endless choices. Endless foods that build me up and then break me down.

I only ate melon so far today. But I’m not dying for tortillas or cheese…yet. Also, I didn’t stop at Einsteins or Del Taco (aka the only acdeptable form of fast food in my world) on my way to work, either! 

It’s going to get harder before it gets easier.

But I’ll get healthier! That’s the goal! 

So, feel free to follow me on this journey. I can guarantee daily check-in posts, and as I get more acclimated, I’ll share some of my prep tricks and tips and meal ideas! 

If you’ve tried Whole30, help me out! I want to know what you love(d), what you hate(d), and what helped you make the most of it and SURVIVE. Lol. 

Don’t get me wrong-don’t mistake my overdramatization for dread. I’m actually happy. I need this challenge…and I REALLY need the benefit to be gained from it! 

I just maybe need a little help sticking through it when it feels lonely? 

More soon!