Whole30 Update: Day 22

I am on day 22 of whole30.  Can't believe it's somewhat close to coming to an end.  It really is more kind of a habit, rather than a "count down the days."  Actually, I kind of stopped counting days about a week ago.

I will admit I still miss my cream and sugar in the mornings with my coffee and there a times I'd love to pull into Whataburger and get a hamburger, fries, and Dr. Pepper!!  I did cheat once (due to lack of being prepared) and within 30 minutes got a headache.

Overall, I am feeling good.  Last week, I was really struggling with energy.  Just flat out tired.  I think planning a bachelorette party and VBS, staying up wayy to late started to catch up with me.  I started trying to go to bed at a decent time (I am naturally a night owl) and upping my protein intake and I think that has helped.

Actually, today is the first day I haven't really wanted something sweet.  Fruit didn't even sound good and sounded too sweet.  What??  I will admit I've probably eaten 2 whole watermelons by myself within the last week.  They have just been so good.  And sweet!!  Now I'm trying to focus on not snacking.  I have allowed myself to have a snack when I felt like I needed one, but really it's more I just want to eat, to eat.

So here's what I've been eating in pictures:

 

Tuna fish with homemade mayo

Baked chicken with olive oil, carrots and celery, garlic, salt & pepper, mashed sweet potatoes with coconut butter & cinnamon, sliced cucumbers & tomatoes.

 Breakfast: pork patties, sauteed mushrooms with an egg & fresh fruit.

 Lunch: chicken salad (made w/ homemade left-over roasted chicken, pickles, homemade mayo), apple chicken sausage, sliced apples with cashew butter sprinkled w/ cinnamon, fresh fruit.

 Perfect snack: sliced apple, cashew butter, cinnamon, dried coconut chips.

 

 Pork patties, guacamole, sliced tomatoes

Breakfast (B. picked out my plate:): ground pork, poached eggs, mashed sweet potato with ghee, and watermelon

Breakfast: pork, sweet potato hash, eggs, and fresh fruit

One of my favorite meals!  Marinara sauce (no sugar) simmered with grass-fed beef, carrots, mushrooms, & onions with sauteed zucchini noodles.  So good!!

I've been craving iced coffee.  I've had a few cups of black coffee but it's just not the same.  I had some left over black coffee from breakfast and threw it in a blender, added canned coconut milk, tablespoon of coconut butter, dash of cinnamon, and a few ice cubes.  Turned out to be a perfect treat for during naptime.

Also - it's naptime and I'm NOT napping!  This is huge!!  By 2pm everyday, I was done and needed a nap.  Now I don't feel that afternoon slump, or I should say not near as much as I did prior to whole30.

So there ya go...of course those are just the meals I remembered to snap pictures of.  Here's to finishing strong!!  I'll give an update once I'm done!!!

Whole30 {Week 1}

So today marks one week since I started Whole30.  I am currently on day 8 and thought I would share a little about this experience.  If you aren't sure what Whole30, click here to learn more.

I heard about Whole30, maybe two years ago but just had a baby and dieting wasn't really on my radar.  Plus, I read what you had to give up and thought "there's no way!" ha.  I decided to get the book It Starts With Food to see what it was all about.  After reading the first few chapters, I knew it was time to make a change regarding my relationship with food - mostly carbs and sugar.

Yea, all the things that taste amazing, call my name at 9pm after dinner, and all those wonderful looking desserts all.over.Pinterest.

So enter Whole30...here are a few things I've learned so far.

-Everything.  Everything has sugar in it.
-Finding sugar-free bacon is near to impossible.
-Reading labels is a must and honestly kind of scary to think about all the "things" we consume without even realizing it.
-Soy is in everything.  Again, everything.
-Farmers markets and local co-op are lifesavers.
-Breakfast is my favorite meal and I am not a morning person!
-I really miss having coffee.  I've been tempted to try it black, but just haven't.
-Not all salts are created equally.

Here's a run down of what I've been eating:

Day 1:

Breakfast: sweet potato hash, egg fried in coconut oil, garden fresh cucumbers and tomatoes with S&P, cantaloupe

Lunch: Pan seared porkchop in olive oil, paprika carrots cooked in coconut oil, and more tomatoes and cucumbers.
Dinner: I had bunco that night and ended up going to eat with a friend...at Chili's.  I ordered a bacon burger without the bun and all veggies.  Squeezed mustard on top of it.  For my family, I baked a whole cut-up chicken in oil olive, onions, carrots, celery, with spices (garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper)

Day 2: (I guess I didn't photograph this day & now I don't remember what I ate)

Breakfast: was probably the same as day 1.

Snack: apple with almond butter sprinkled with cinnamon
Lunch: ????
Dinner: Slow cooked a chuck roast in the oven with onions & carrots.

Day 3:

 Breakfast: sweet potato hash, fried eggs, pasture ground pork patties, and apple slices.

Lunch: Compliant hotdogs topped with yellow mustard & pickles (with no sugar), cucumbers/tomatoes, slice of cantaloupe.
Dinner:
Wednesday is grocery day so after the farmers market, we went out to eat before I took off to the grocery store, alone!  They had half price oysters on the half shell so we got a dozen & ate them WITHOUT a cracker!  I know...actually I didn't even miss the cracker!  I had the fish of the day (drum), grilled with a side of asparagus.  AB had surf & turf.

 

Day 4: Beach day!

Breakfast: egg scramble with mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, fresh pico, and spinach leaves.  Pasture pork, and cucumbers and tomatoes.
Lunch: For our beach lunch, I packed Applegate salami, green olives, cherry tomatoes, and sugar-free pepperoni (sliced thick) and salt & pepper pistachios to snack on w/ La Croix to drink!

Dinner: grass-fed burgers topped with bacon, sliced avocado & onion, and pico and homemade Whole30 mayo.  Sweet potato fries and sliced tomatoes.

Day 5:

Breakfast (on to go!): 2 hard boiled eggs with S&P, an apple
Lunch: don't remember...???

Dinner: Spaghetti sauce with creamy roasted garlic sauce from Planks, Love, and Guacamole.  It was sooo yummy!  Like we really eating pasta, will definitely make this recipe again!

Day 6:

Breakfast: egg crepe topped with pico, yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, and pork sausage.
Lunch: sausage links with yellow mustard (later I googled the ingredients of sausage & it   wasn't compliant, oops!)
Dinner: sliced brisket, bbq'ed chicken (without sauce), balsamic green beans, salad with ranch dressing using whole30 mayo, and watermelon.

Day 7:

Breakfast: apple- since I didn't have time to cook before church

 Lunch: tuna fish boats made w/ whole30 mayo and watermelon

Dinner: pork chop seared in avacodo oil, oven roasted brussel sprouts, a few green olives and tomatoe slices.
After dinner snack: watermelon with pink salt!

Whew, there's week 1!  I will say that days 2-5 were probably the toughest and randomly yesterday I was craving a Dr Pepper and sausage cheese balls like something fierce.  Totally random!!  I try not to snack but if I do I try to have an apple or watermelon, a few unsalted cashews, or half a Lara Bar.  I mostly drink water with lemon in it.  B loves "lemon-add!" and even B eats better because it.  He always eats whatever we eat so this is forcing us to feed him good stuff, instead of "junk!"

Overall, I am feeling pretty good.  I can tell a difference in mental clarity (thank goodness), and for the most part have more energy.  My body is still adjusting to the whole "shock" of it all, but I am excited to see where I am at the end of this.  I am already planning on doing another Whole30, right after this one!