Here I go again! Gearing up for another round...

[tillymonstar]

But this time... I'm doing an "almost" Whole30. Why? I found this Paleo 30 Day Challenge is more forgiving, allowing dry wine and spirits in MODERATION. Even dried fruits (which usually have added sugar-- so I'll avoid them). It's basically the same as the Whole30 but not so strict on things like sausages and chicken broth with the dreaded sugar added. I simply cannot afford the alternatives (like Applegate farms) so for convenience, I am just going to buy them, but try and avoid it if possible.

My downfall last time? The darn glass of wine I was dying to have on a Friday night to unwind. Ok, sometimes, Thursday night too. Ha! This time, I'm going to TRY and go without, but if I want a glass, I'll just freaking have one.

I also very much like to cook with wine rather then broths. I'm gearing up to make my own, but as a new mom of a 2.5 year old, a freelancing graphic designer and a stay-at-home mom, time is NOT on my side. And wine deglaze in my honest opinion can MAKE a dish for me. So I'll be using it.

In lieu of this, I'll be doing an 8-week healthy weight loss challenge on the Mothering.com forums. Mostly for accountability and tracking my successes. I am focusing on a strength training routine 4x a week and working in more walking/hiking/biking. I'm hoping to lose a few pounds and feel better about my body, in which I am STRUGGLING with right now.

I am posting my food log here starting tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[tillymonstar]

My starting weigh-in was depressing. 222.6lbs.

Day 1

Breakfast:

3 eggs (though I shared it with my 2yo, she maybe eats half an egg!), ghee and olive oil, handful of Trader Joe's power greens (baby chard, kale and spinach), tomatoes and garlic. DELISH!!!!

Coffee with coconut milk

Lunch:

Banana, blueberry and coconut milk smoothie also shared with the toddler

Half a pink lady apple

Salad with power greens, salami, olives, tomatoes with splash of champagne vinegar, apple cider vinegar and olive oil

Dinner:

Mediterranean Sautéed Shrimp & Fennel. I had to of course modify a few things. Like NO feta cheese on top. *SOB* and the capers, which just totally freak me out. I subbed in green olives.

Snack:

Handful of pistachios, bananas, strawberries and nectarines cut up and shared between my DH and DD.

I stopped eating when I was full. Like-- STOPPED. Hard for me to do sometimes...

[Carie Skeahan]

Hi tillymonstar -

Welcome and I am glad you are here, especially since you have done a W30 before...I am sure you will be very helpful to the newbies starting 8/1. I am, however, concerned about an "almost" W30 for the exact reason. Since we have a bunch of people starting on 8/1 I am concerned the "almost" part will cause confusion on what is approve vs. not.

I want to encourage you to consider doing an approved W30, but if that is not possible, please be sure to acknowledge the parts that are not W30 in your log and we will take it from there. If it goes too far off plan, we can reevaluate. Is that fair?

Again, glad you are here, just want to be sure there is no confusion.

With regard to your log above, breakfast looks good, but lunch did not include any protein. Remember, each meal should include protein, veggies and fat. Even snacks, snacks are just mini meals and should also include protein, veggies and fat.

Hope that helps.

[tillymonstar]

Thank you for making this more clear for me. I actually failed epically the last W30 I tried and it was mostly due to wine and cheese. Ha!

Yeah my log for today was a work-in-progress and tomorrow I think I'll wait till the END of the day to post. If you view it above you'll see the protein in there! Dinner usually provides the bulk for me.

I don't want to cause confusion and will mark out any non-w30 compliant areas, hoping there won't be many.