Beth's Getting Married Log

[bethcollins]

I am getting married in 78 days, but this is not a log about hoping for weight loss via the Whole 30. While I wouldn't mind a few pounds, at this point my dress is altered so major weightloss would be another expense and task on the to-do list. What I want is simply my sanity back and I know enough that for me it really does start with food. On top of the wedding we recently got a puppy and my fiance travels quite a bit for work. I find myself in a state of exhaustion, subsiding on diet dr. pepper, going out to dinner almost every night, and off-roading to the point that it's become the norm.

I've completed two Whole 30s in the past yet I've still let myself get back to this place, what the heck! I plan to use this log to hold myself accountable to making choices that will give me a clear head, good sleep, and the energy I need to keep up with life in the next 2.5 months. It will not be a perfect Whole 77 because there are several events that occur once-in-a-lifetime (bachelorette weekend, bridal shower, etc) between now and Sept, but I plan to attack those with thoughtful off-roading. This is where I struggle, in applying what I've learned to everyday life and in being able to go back to the strict rules of the Whole 30 versus total food chaos when things get crazy. I plan to start logging tomorrow as Day 1.

[karacooks]

Congrats on your upcoming wedding and marriage!

Good luck on your "77". I'm with you on the needing control in the midst of chaos - I know how that goes. Sounds like you've got a good plan.

[bethcollins]

I woke up well rested for the first time in a while and excited about DAY ONE. Knowing the puppy doesn't care that it's Saturday, I went to bed early last night. Sleep is the second thing I'm working on While it was tough to peel myself off the couch, it was so worth it. Here's my rundown of the day:

{Breakfast} 3 scrambled eggs topped with spicy salsa, 2 pieces of bacon, a couple of strawberries. Also enjoyed a decaf coffee blended with coconut milk.

{Mid Morning} I did a quick workout of push press, v-ups and squats, topped off with a little sweet potato and a few bites of leftover spare ribs.

{Lunch} Friends in town, so we checked out a new Thai place around the corner from us. Their lunch menu included two dish choices with a salad and rice. I had coconut milk soup with chicken, salad, skipped the rice, and brought home my chicken panang curry (which I snacked on later after walking the dog in the Seattle sunshine!).

{Dinner} Had a plain iced coffee. Dinner was a giant portion of steamed green beans tossed in olive oil and seasonings, with a small sirloin steak.

{Evening} Nothing! I successfully deflected all temptation at the Sounders game. Amazing what happens when you've eaten properly all day and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.

[bethcollins]

DAY TWO started a little rougher than day one as we got home late from the Sounders game and the puppy was up early. He's lucky he's so cute. Working on my sleep is almost as important to me as working on my food as it really dictates my mood and how I feel. I am not nice when I'm tired. Today's log:

{Breakfast} 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, homemade guacamole. I also had a regular coffee "latte" (with coconut milk). Giving up caffeine is going a littler slower than planned.

{Morning} Took the pup for a 3 mile trail hike then came home and worked on my push-ups. Got 7 "real" ones in a row. I should have had a snack at this point, but I didn't and was starving by the time we made it to lunch.

{Lunch} Lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants with friends. I skipped the chips and salsa (pretty major feat for me), had a soda water with lime, and enjoyed carnitas and guacamole with a side salad. I was thirsty and sluggish after this meal, not sure if there was something surprising in it, as I've asked about it before and it's supposedly clean. I will ask next time we go to make sure the recipe has not changed.

{Dinner} BBQ brisket from the crockpot, cauliflower mashed "potatoes", and sautéed kale. Amazing dinner that took about 10 minutes of prep work in the morning and 20 in the evening.

{Evening} A handful of strawberries. Mostly because I was bored and didn't want to do anything productive. Need to work on this.

I spent a few hours in the kitchen today prepping food for this week. Since I have a pretty quiet week ahead, I plan to cook each night and fill the freezer with leftovers for busier upcoming weeks. 90% of my success is being prepared. Funny how that works.

[bethcollins]

The real test came yesterday, DAY THREE kicked of my first week day following Whole 30 guidelines. I followed my normal week night routine on Sunday night, which I normally don't do. Surprising, I got a pretty good night's sleep (which I also normally don't do on Sundays). I wasn't thrilled when the alarm went off at 5:20, but I was rested enough to do a short workout. That's a total win based on the last few weeks.

{Early Morning} Quick workout of squats, sit-ups, and hang power cleans. Finished it off with some sweet potatoes while I took the puppy down.

{Breakfast} Starbucks decaf grande, added my own coconut milk. Chorizo breakfast casserole (chorizo, eggs, sweet potato, green chilis) topped with homemade guacamole. I also had half a cup of black regular coffee to keep the headache from rearing it's ugly head. I'll get there...

{Lunch} Leftover BBQ brisket, kale, and cauliflower mash. Soda water.

{Afternoon} Really trying to break the snacking habit, but I was hungry... and maybe a little bored. I ate the rest of my homemade guacamole (maybe 1/3 c?) and had another soda water. (I am logging my soda waters b/c I'm trying to cut back as they make me think about real soda.)

{Dinner} Two lamb burger patties with a big Greek salad.

{Evening} On my way to meet up with friends to watch The Bachelorette (don't judge!) I ate a small Primal Pac. I wasn't starving, but I was nervous I'd give into dessert. I am happy to report I skipped both a glass of bubbly (my FAVORITE) and a small cherry cobbler.

Day Three highlight: I survived my first day in a LONG time without succumbing to the (free) diet dr. pepper in the work break room. It felt really good to both not give in and not have a gross film on my teeth. (Seriously, why was I still drinking it when I knew that would happen? So gross.)

[bethcollins]

Oh, DAY FOUR, you're not my favorite. Novelty worn off and skin is not looking so hot (I've always assumed this is some sort of detox?). Though my stomach is feeling so much better and my sleep is improving.

{Breakfast} Starbucks grande drip, added my own coconut milk. The 'Bux by work is no longer brewing decaf coffee, which is not helping my resolve to give up caffeine. Chorizo breakfast casserole (chorizo, eggs, sweet potato, green chilis) and half an avocado. Soda water (sometimes I can not handle regular water early in the AM, so I figured this is better than nothing?)

{Lunch} Two lamb burger patties with a really large Greek salad. Soda water.

{Dinner} Beef "tacos" (in lettuce) with salsa and guac. Coleslaw made from shredded cabbage, olive oil, ACV, s+p.

{Evening} After taking the dog on a walk/hike and working on push-ups (did sets and got up to 24 'real' ones!), I had half an avocado.

Today's highlight: I've really started to notice all the little things that were creeping into my daily diet. I can see now why I was having trouble sleeping, clothes were fitting a little more snug, etc. I just hope I can keep focusing on the positive's as the summer goes on and only off-road when it's truly worth it.

[Derval]

Sounds like a tasty day Beth!

[bethcollins]

Yay for DAY FIVE! Still have skin that resembles a teenager, but I am feeling great.

{Breakfast} Forgot my breakfast and for a split second thought about a sausage sandwich at Starbucks. Instead I ate the same thing for breakfast and lunch, which was supposed to be my lunch for today and tomorrow. Leftover taco meat, salsa, guacamole, and my version of coleslaw. Also had a grande coffee with coconut milk.

{Lunch} See above. Been busy today and all my snack needs have not surfaced, proving that most of the time they really are boredom and not hunger.

{Dinner} It was my week night off from cooking (if I don't have one, I give up all together) so leftovers or going out. We picked going out and tried a new-to-us restaurant in the neighborhood. I had a butter leaf salad with hard boiled egg and truffle salt and the lamb sausage with grilled onions. They had an amazing cocktail list, but I enjoyed my soda water with lime. I'll definitely be going back in the future to try a cocktail for a special occasion!

{Evening} Took the pupster on a long walk with a friend. Had planned to do a quick workout when I got home, but it was late and I knew I wouldn't fall asleep easily if I did. Just enjoyed a big glass of water and went to bed on time.

Today's highlight: I pulled out a skirt to wear to work from my "used to fit" pile that I've been dreading trying on for a few months. I doubt the last few days have made all the difference in fit, but they did give me the confidence to put it on. And it fit.

[Derval]

Hurray for re-cycling your wardrobe

Lamb sausage sounds very good.

[bethcollins]

And here we are, DAY SIX. Going strong!

{Early Morning} Workout of wall balls and v-ups, followed by a little sweet potato.

{Breakfast} Slice of chorizo casserole, half of an avocado, coleslaw, and grande coffee with coconut milk.

{Lunch} Team lunch at a Mexican restaurant. More of a take-out place, so hard to order my usual plate of meat with salad and guac. Went for a dairy free "low carb special" (embarrassing to have arrive at the table) with extra guac, but turned out to be a plate of lettuce with a little guac and chicken and a few undercooked veggies. Ate other half of my avocado when I got back, but was still hungry.

{Dinner} Tried a new recipe, ground beef with enchilada sauce and spanish 'rice'. Let's just say it was a giant fail. I ate a little of the beef but I was kind of turned off dinner by the whole mess. Can't win 'em all!

Today's Highlight: I hadn't intended on staying fully Whole 30 compliant, I really just wanted to focus on managing the off roading when life got crazy. But I'm feeling so good and remembering how easy it is that I'm six days in without even trying. There will be off-roads (we're hosting a "help us pick our wedding wine" tasting party this Sunday), but I am mentally keeping a list of all the foods I'm not eating that would have easily slipped in had I not made this concious effort to clean up. Umm, it's a lot! Feeling really proud of myself for taking charge as things started to go down hill.

[bethcollins]

It's taken me a few hours today to get up my DAY SEVEN post because I have to admit defeat to the perfect W30 guidelines.

{Breakfast} As usual, slice of chorizo breakfast casserole, half an avocado, and a coffee with coconut milk.

{Lunch} This is where it started to go down hill, I didn't bring enough for lunch. I like to throw leftovers into single serving pyrex containers in the freezer to grab for easy lunches. I grabbed one with ground lamb, Indian seasonings, and peas (I know, my fiancé loves peas so when not W30ing I make them sometimes). It was not enough though. I most often fail on the vegetable front, packing a protein but not enough veggies to fill up.

{Afternoon} By mid afternoon I was dying. While walking back from a meeting in another building I needed a snack, but didn't have my wallet on me. I had my phone with the Starbucks app, so I figured I could get a bag of almonds. It was slim pickings with nothing even remotely Paleo. I went for a veggie juice (which turned out to be $6!) and took two sips before wanting to gag. I realized I had the other half of my avocado from breakfast in the fridge, so I returned to my office and ate that.

{Dinner} My best friend was in town for work and booked a late night flight so she could meet us for dinner. I could write out a very long description of how I ended up making all the choices I made (which I just did, then erased because it was like 3 paragraphs), but here's the dirty details: spicy chicken sandwich, three bean salad, two glasses of wine, bowl of coconut milk ice cream. The sandwich was out of circumstance (restaurant with 4 items on the menu and out of the one salad), but the others were just not taking the time to think about each thing and really decide if they were worth it. I'm glad I put a stop to it after one meal, that's definitely an improvement over past unintended off-road eating.

Today is another day and another opportunity to fuel up on the foods that make me feel awesome. The headache and tummy ache from this morning were a good reminder.

[bethcollins]

DAY EIGHT and DAY NINE went better than day seven had. I really did feel the side effects of less-than-stellar decision making over the weekend, and am feeling them this morning. The quick run-down by day:

Saturday: Seattle's SeaFood Fest was going on right outside our front door, so we had more of a snack-filled day than real meals (which I find are not good for helping me make good food decisions at all).

{Breakfast} Scrambled eggs in butter with guacamole.

{Lunch} Had a bowl of fish stew from the fair. Thought the rice would be separate, but it was mixed in.*

{Afternoon} Had two grilled chicken skewers from the fair.

{Dinner} Diablo shrimp salad from the fair. Served with cheese and beans and in a fried flour tortilla shell.*

{Evening} We tried out a few recipes for a signature cocktail for the cocktail hour at our wedding. I had about one cocktail while taste testing. This was a planned off-road and didn't turn into anything other than the cocktail followed by some water and doing my push-ups for the day. Up to 42 (in sets of 8 to 10).

Sunday: I was over eating out at the fair and committed to making myself healthy meals all day.

{Morning} The fiance and I grabbed coffee and took the wild puppy on a long walk.

{Brunch} Since we didn't eat the steaks I had defrosted on Saturday night, we had a steak and eggs brunch.

{Early Afternoon} Went on a slow 4 mile jog with a friend. First time we've been out since she got injured two days before we were supposed to run the Seattle 1/2 Marathon together last month. I'm over running. I like long walks with the puppy and weight training so much more.

{Afternoon} I made pizza soup in the afternoon. One of my W30 staples since everything can come from the cupboard and freezer.

{Evening} We hosted a "help us pick our wedding wine" party, so I tried samples of 6 wines we're considering. That was planned as it was shared with good friends and lots of good conversation. The cheese, a cracker or two, and few bites of a lemon bar were not. They were there and I ate them.* No excuses, but moving on.

*Lesson learned from this weekend: If it's on my plate (or easily accessible), I eat. I need to think about that upfront, especially when dining out. Anyone else feel like they learn the same lessons over and over?

[Emily]

Hi! I'm just getting caught up. Congrats on the upcoming marriage!

I had a couple of thoughts as I read along:

1) Your Starbucks isn't brewing decaf coffee? What the heck? That seems insane to me. When I go somewhere and they don't have drip decaf coffee I ask them if they will me a decaf Americano for the price of decaf drip. Usually they agree--that way I still get decaf but they don't end up with an entire pot.

2) Is there anyway you could leave some emergency food at your office or in your car? I work 48 hrs straight and sometimes there is no way I can really eat for 10-12 hours straight. I keep a bag of Lara Bars in my car for this situation. They definitely aren't perfect, but technically they are compliant.

3) I totally learn the same lesson over and over! But I am able to see myself moving in the direction I want. Good luck and keep going!

[bethcollins]

Hi Emily, thanks for the comment! It's ridiculous that they won't brew decaf, but if I go with the Americano it takes forever as I have to wait in line with all the latte ordering people. Thanks to your note I tossed my stash of Primal Pacs in my glove box - much more practical there than on top of the fridge. And I'm glad I'm not the only one!

[bethcollins]

I re-committed to making this week about being prepared to eat healthy food after my off-roads this weekend. No one likes a Monday, but I was not going to let that keep me from making DAY TEN a good, clean food day.

{Breakfast} Slice of chorizo breakfast casserole, half an avocado, handful of grapes, black coffee. Forgot my coconut milk, wanted heavy cream from the 'bux but I say no to dairy. (Unless it's cheese and wine is involved, that habit is taking a little more effort.)

{Lunch} Big bowl of pizza soup.

{Dinner} I had a chicken sausage leftover from making the soup (clean ingredients!) and baby carrots and guacamole.

{Evening} I skipped the homemade peanut butter cups that a friend made. It was a bummer, one of my favorite foods and home made by a friend I'd usually choose to have one guilt-free. But with all my choices over the weekend I decided to skip.

Lesson learned: When I eat clean, my food report is much shorter and quicker to write. Also, off roading when it's not worth it means no off roading when it is worth it.

Today, DAY ELEVEN, went great as well.

{Breakfast} Slice of chorizo breakfast casserole, half an avocado, coffee with coconut milk.

{Lunch} Carrots with guacamole. When I finally got out of meetings around 2 I had a slice of brisket from the freezer and some grapes. Freezer leftovers once again to the rescue.

{Evening} Took the pupster on a hike/walk, got lost and hiked for longer than intended. Very hungry.

{Dinner} Ate shirmp straight out of the butttery pan in which I cooked them. Also had some baby food sweet potatoes. Sometimes it's just not glamorous around here.

Today's highlight: Realizing how often I eat during the day because I'm bored. I've been extremely busy the last few days and the amount of food I've 'needed' is quite a bit less. Work has really picked up and the fiance is traveling a lot the next few weeks, so I'm non full-time pup duty. Trying to stick with my 8 hours of sleep, but it's not been easy!

[bethcollins]

I hate to use the word failure, so I'm going to use 'learning experience'. Sounds so much less severe! I was going really great following my mostly W30 guidelines, off roading when it seemed worth it, then work hit me like a semi-truck. Out of nowhere I went from my usual 8 hour days to billing 11 and 12 hours daily, while the fiance was out of town and I was on puppy duty on my own.

At this point, I stopped logging but I didn't go too far off track. Some extra wine, white rice, and dairy made it's way into my diet, but nothing extreme. However, having gotten more lax in the two weeks before my bachelorette party this past weekend made it VERY hard for me to stay on track while I was in Sonoma with my girl friends. I didn't drink more than I had intended to, but wow did I go off the rails with food. I came home with a food baby and horrible GI problems. And the worst: cravings galore for dairy (which I can not tolerate) and sugar in all forms.

So.... after not much thinking about it and more just diving in, I decided to join in with everyone on the Aug 1st Whole 30. I am 100% NOT prepared to start tomorrow, but I'm going to go for it anyway. I just need to make it Wednesday through Friday after work, then I can get prepared this weekend. I *might* take off August 25th, the day of my bridal shower, but we'll see. I'm not going to go into this planning to cheat on that day. My MOH knows I am doing this and is going to make sure there are plenty of brunch items (eggs, fruit, etc) I can eat so if I choose to remain compliant that day I can, without making other guests feel weird that the bride is not eating.

I am super excited to be doing this now that I'm made the decision. Prompted by the Whole 30 Day 0 email (which is awesome, BTW), I just wrote down my nine goals for this W30, which really made me put things in perspective and think about why I'm doing it. So here's to feeling great on August 30th, and 53 more days til we tie the knot!

[bethcollins]

DAY ONE! I'm excited to be doing this, even if I'm feeling not at all prepared. I woke up fifteen minutes early this morning to see what I could pull together for meals. Here's what I cobbled together for the day from the freezer and cupboard (all the meat was from the freezer - got lucky I still had a few cooked items stored away):

• Meal One (6:45) - Two servings frozen green beans tossed with olive oil and balsamic, two lamb sliders, half caf coffee with coconut milk.
  
• Snack One (9:45) - Gourmet Grassfed 'meat snack'
  
• Meal Two (11:30) - More frozen green beans tossed with olive oil and balsamic, two lamb sliders, 2 jars of baby food sweet potato puree.
  
• Exercise - 60 minute walk with the puppy around the neighborhood.
  
• Snack Two (5:00) - Few slices roast beef with grapes.
  
• Meal Three (7:00) - Chicken leg/thigh, roasted butternut squash, salad tossed with olive oil and balsamic.
  

Holy cow that was a lot of food. For some reason, whenever I go from extreme off roading (as I did this weekend and carried into the early part of the week a little) to really clean eating, I am STARVING for the first few days. I could have eaten a lot more during the day, just didn't have time to get to store and actually buy more. I also drank about 48 oz. of water.

The two major goals I'm working on during this Whole 30 are increasing my veggies (and even fruits) and my sleep. Here's how I plan to tackle:

I rely way too much on protein and fat and don't take the time to always include veggies like I should. I need them both for the bulk so I don't eat more protein than necessary and just for the general vitamin/mineral goodness they provide I'm trying to focus on eating two servings of veggies with every meal. This is really hard for me when I get busy, so I need to both find easier solutions and not continue to make being busy an excuse.

For my sleep goal, I'm planning to turn off all electronics by 9pm on week nights. This is going to get difficult with my current workload, but I'm going to try my best to adhere to this, even if it means getting up earlier to get things done. I'm also hoping to buy a real alarm clock this weekend so I can start leaving my phone outside the bedroom.

[bethcollins]

DAY TWO! I woke up starving, even though I ate so much yesterday. I forget how wonky things can be the first few days. I managed to make a very quick Trader Joe's run last night, so I had a few more options to pick from for today's meals:

• Breakfast: Three hard boiled eggs with Houndstooth Rubio's XXX hot sauce (umm, best new combo EVER!), a small side of blackberries and green grapes, and a coffee with lots of coconut milk.
  
• Lunch: Repeat of dinner from last night - chicken leg/thigh, roasted butternut squash, salad with olive oil and Penzey's Fox Point seasoning.
  
• Snack: Gourmet Grassfed jerkey stick.
  
• Dinner: Chicken with salsa verde, shredded cabbage and carrots tosses in ACV and olive oil, and raw veggies with homemade guacamole. After taking the puppy on a walk, I came home and ate the rest of the veggies and guac.
  

Nutrition Goal: I didn't quite succeed in my two veggies with each meal as I forgot about breakfast. I did get some fruit in, but I'm going to try to be better going forward. I also bought a ton of pre-cut veggies and veggies for eating raw for days when I just don't have time/energy to cook.

Sleep Goal: I went to bed at 9:40 (after turning off all electronics at 9) and woke up at 5:30. Closest I've gotten to 8 hours in a long time, and I can feel the difference. Also, with my 40 minutes of 'down time', I made it through a bunch of bachelorette party thank you notes and read a chapter of It Starts with Food. This goal is really turning out to be a win-win.

[Derval]

Hurray for productivity & rest combo!

[Renee Lee]

Good job with hopping back on the horse, Beth!

[bethcollins]

Thanks, ladies! I appreciate the encouragement as I battle the red wine demon tonight!

[bethcollins]

DAY THREE and FRIDAY! TGIF doesn't even come close to how happy I was to be at the end of the week.

• Breakfast: Three hard boiled eggs with Houndstooth Rubio's XXX hot sauce, green grapes, and a coffee with lots of coconut milk.
  
• Lunch: Dinner leftovers - chicken with salsa verde, 'coleslaw' x 2. (Plan had been to go get an avocado at lunch and eat half of it, but that didn't happen.)
  
• Dinner: Chopped up three TJs Italian Chicken Sausages and tossed in skillet with pre-cut Brussels sprouts with a little coconut oil. I ate half of that along with a salad tossed with olive oil and vinegar. All was good, then I got snacky. I ate the fourth sausage and a few slices of roast beef. While everything was W30 compliant, it is more processed food than I'd like and I was definitely grazing and eating not because I was hungry.
  

Nutrition Goal: Breakfast is still lacking in veggies. I'm hoping to make up a casserole over the weekend that will help with this next week. Otherwise, doing good. Sometimes I only eat one veggie, but do a double serving of it.

Sleep Goal: I was sending work emails up until 8:59, but turned the computer off at 9 and made the fiance turn off the TV. I probably went to bed around 10 after writing more thank you notes and reading another chapter of ISWF. I woke up at 5 to get to work early to finish everything I would have normally stayed up late doing.

My food might not have been ideal and I'm definitely working and stressing way too much with too little exercise and sun, but I did get an hour massage this evening so that is something positive. I'm hoping for a weekend of lots of good food and getting out in the sun. I need it after this week, especially today. I am battling serious wine cravings right now and am drinking tons of sparkling water to help. This first week is never my favorite!

[bethcollins]

Day FOUR and Saturday! It's just me and pupster this weekend as it's the fiancé's turn to be out of town for his bachelor party.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with a double serving of spinach, red onions, and Houndstooth Rubio's XXX (yes, I'm obsessed!). I also made a "latte" by frothing my coconut milk in decaf coffee.

Snack: Strip of beef jerky

Lunch 1: Leftover chicken sausage with brussels sprouts

Lunch 2: Leftover salsa verde chicken.

Dinner: Chocolate chili over a bowl of raw spinach and topped with avocado, 1/2 of a red bell pepper, and red onions. Then I had a second bowl that I probably didn't need.

Late Night: 1/4 of a cantaloupe

So my nutrition was all over. I did a much better job of getting veggies in with my meals, but I ate A LOT and I felt like I was hungry all day. I'm sure I'm still just getting my meal sizes down and I need to stop giving in to stress eating. I'm almost done with ISWF, and tomorrow I'm going to try very hard to have three right-sized meals, with 5 or so hours between them.

Other thoughts from today:

• The dog doesn't respect the weekend and got up at 5:30. I thought for sure last night would have been an 8 hour night, not so much.
  
• I'll be really happy when the detox acne goes away. This happens to me every time and it sucks.
  
• I went grocery shopping today using the hot plate meal planning idea. I'm excited to see if it helps with lack of time to cook during the week.
  
• I made a double batch of chili and have 12 single servings in the freezer. No excuses!
  
• We got a fancy food processor as a wedding gift (so excited!) and I finally succeeded in making mayo after many failed attempts.
  
• I NEED to start exercising again. I know I will feel great. But starting is so hard.
  
• Is it normal to be thinking about eating spoonfuls of the mayo that's in the fridge? That stuff is good.
  

[bethcollins]

Day FIVE already! With being so busy at work and in life, I think the time is going by much faster this time. Proof that I definitely am a food fantasizer when I'm bored.

Breakfast (6:45): I wanted to eat the homemade mayo, so I made egg salad with three hard boiled eggs. I added red onion for some crunch and ate it over a big bowl of baby spinach. Also had a decaf latte with coconut milk.

Lunch (11:30): I wanted more mayo, so I made up a chicken salad with chopped celery, carrots and red onions over another bowl of baby spinach.

Afternoon: Some snacking as I did a big prep time for meals for the week.

Dinner (4:00): Chocolate chili over a bowl of raw spinach and topped with avocado and red onions.

Late Dinner (9:00): One hard boiled eggs tossed with mayo and a beef jerky.

Besides the snacking in the afternoon, I did much better at both eating enough (and the right mix) at meals and not succumbing to HALT eating. I ended up with four meals since I needed to eat something before bed, but I'm okay with that.

Other thoughts from today:

• Mayo = crack. I now get it.
  
• I didn't eat or drink anything at the Sounders game. It's not easy to say no to a beer when it is 90 degrees out, but I did.
  
• Grand total of cook-up: sunshine sauce, Moroccan dipping sauce, ground lamb, chicken thighs, dozen hard boiled eggs, zucchini, peppers, green beans, and cauliflower rice, plus assorted raw veggies and guac to make later in the week and the mayo I made yesterday. Set up for success.
  
• Second day of no caffeine and it's really not that bad.
  

[gatork]

yay for day five! i just had to comment and say i laughed at the dog not respecting the weekend, haha