Nora's Whole30 Adventure

[ncc28]

Day 15:

 

I finally got over my irrational fear of spaghetti squash tonight. As a kid, butternut was my family's go-to squash. For some reason, I was hesitant to try a different type. But, Sunday night is meatballs/sauce night in our house, so I cut out the tsp of sugar from the sauce (I let the onions caramelize a bit to cut the acidity of the tomatoes), made meatballs with almond flour (for me - the BF got the regular recipe that includes bread crumbs and milk), and replaced pasta with spaghetti squash.

 

It was delicious! The meatballs didn't hold together quite as well as my regular version, but they stayed round enough and were tasty. 

 

Success!

[ncc28]

Day 16: 

 

Day 1 of my conference: 

 

Breakfast was at home, but purchased both lunch and dinner without any challenges. For lunch, had a bunless burger from b. good and dinner was a nicoise salad with kalamata olives, green beans, cucumbers and lemon juice/olive oil dressing. Really tasty!

 

Tomorrow is my first breakfast on the road. I'm confident I'll find plenty of options, but brought some larabars with me if I hit any major obstacles.

 

Feeling pretty good these days - the cold is gone, lots of energy and sleeping pretty well!

[ncc28]

Day 20:

 

Took a few days off from journaling this experience while I was traveling for work. Hit some bumps in the road, but nothing I couldn't overcome. I did some snacking on almonds, which was a step backwards, but it wasn't all the time-  just one day when my conference food options were especially bad. And, I don't feel the urge to keep snacking now that I'm home and in my normal routine. 

 

I actually ate really well while I was away. Having a per diem from work made it a bit easier to splurge on some great meals. I had lots of fish and salads that were delicious. The veggie-heavy meals, again, made my tummy rumble a bit. I'm convinced that my digestive system short-circuits when I have green salads two meals in a row. 

 

I was only drinking tea while I was away, because I didn't bring coconut milk with me for coffee. It made me realize how dependent I am on coffee (the taste, habit and caffeine). I would drink a few cups of tea before 10am and really missed coffee. I went right back to coffee this morning, but think that I should wean off once I use up the last of my coconut milk. 

 

Tomorrow, I've got a bridal shower and am not at all worried about saying no to cake and other treats. All week, while with colleagues, I sipped soda water and lime while they threw back beers and munched on appetizers. My will power has really strengthened over the last 20 days, and I'm so grateful for that!

[ncc28]

Day 20 update:

 

Dear Whole30, 

 

Is it possible you're limiting the effect of seasonal allergies? I went out for a walk to grab lunch earlier and noticed that tress are in full bloom, yet I am surprisingly free of sniffles and itchy eyes! I thought I was being attacked by allergens a few weeks ago, but it turned out to be a cold. Now, I keep expecting to erupt into a burst of sneezes, but feel fine. 

 

If this is an unexpected benefit of my food choices, I'll never go back :-)

[ncc28]

Day 22:

 

I dreamt of chocolate chip cookies last night. I ate one and realized I had broken the Whole 30 rules and completely went off the deep end. It was the first food dream I think I've had and it was so vivid. 

 

Thankfully, I did not actually eat a bunch of cookies!

 

Got lots of compliments on my skin this weekend - it's definitely clearer and brighter. 

 

But, in my last week of Whole 30, I really need to start exercising more. I've been pretty inactive over the last couple of weeks. I'm not traveling this week, and I've definitely got the hang of cooking every meal, so my goal is to add the gym (or at least a walk outside) every day during the work week.

[ncc28]

Day 23:

 

One week to go! 

 

I was feeling great, but today had to force feed myself some eggs for breakfast. I even choked down my cup of coffee and glass of water. There have been mornings when I've felt absolutely famished - where did that appetite go?

 

I also feel bloated for the first time in 23 days. 

 

Hopefully, this phase will pass quickly so I can get back to feeling fantastic. 

[ncc28]

Day 24:

 

I'm starting to freak out a bit about ending this adventure. I'm starting to plan out the reintroduction phase and just worry that I'm going to quickly undo every benefit I've experienced thus far. I'm reassured by the encouragement to keep going if I feel like I need more time to reap all the health benefits of much cleaner eating. 

 

I think I've mentioned before that I need really strict guidelines to stay on course. My will power has gotten stronger, for sure, but I don't trust myself to not slide back. If I'm allowed to eat one cookie, I'll probably eat two. 

 

Perhaps I'll just keep going for awhile...

[ncc28]

Day 27:

 

I can't believe I'm down to my last weekend (plus a Monday) of Whole 30. I've definitely slipped a little over the past few days with snacking. We're gearing up for a big event at work and I keep arriving home starving each night, so I've been stress/starvation eating almond butter while making dinner. I feel kind of gross because of it. 

 

On a related note, I've been reflecting a bit on some things I've noticed related to my eating habits:

1. (as mentioned above) Snacking on almond butter makes me feel gross! It tastes so good, but feels so bad. I feel sluggish and my skin gets oily.

2. Vegetables are my best and worst friends. I feel awful when I don't follow the meal planning template and have too much protein and not enough veggies. I need the fiber to keep things moving in my system. But, if I eat too many raw veggies, I have the opposite problem - I end up running to the bathroom and obviously struggle to digest some raw vegetables.

3. My favorite Whole30 food item is coffee with coconut milk. I look forward to before going to bed at night and have made it the first part of every day. No judgment at this point on whether this habit is good or bad, but let's recall that my 1st or 2nd post included a complaint about coconut milk and the possibility of switching to tea. Tastes change!

 

I'm sure there will be other reflections over the next few days and during reintroduction.

[ncc28]

Day 30!

 

This is it - the date on my kitchen calendar with stars and exclamation points drawn in! Day 30 of 30. And, just as day 1 started with leftovers for breakfast, Day 30 started with leftover meatballs and tomato sauce (which was supposed to be my dinner, but I got impatient). 

 

Yesterday, I went to Fenway Park with the BF; I think it was the biggest test yet. Not only is every item on the menu non-compliant, but they literally yell at you to buy hot dogs, pretzels, cold beer, clam chowder, etc. Every 30 seconds, someone yells out the name of another food I want, but can't eat.

 

Truthfully, it was really hard to resist those cold beers, especially since I was so close to the end. But, I held off, drank a bottle of water and made a delicious dinner when we got home.

 

Tomorrow brings some exciting and scary adjustments. I think I'm going to start by reintroducing non-gluten grains. Certified GF oatmeal for breakfast, tortilla chips at lunch and a side of rice at dinner. Hmmm..just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt a little. But, I'll give it a shot and see how I really feel. 

[ncc28]

Update!

 

Since day 30, I've more or less fallen off the wagon and reverted to some really bad habits from my pre-Whole30 days. Alcohol, for sure, has re-established its role at my dinner table. Dairy has been in and out of my diet - mostly through nonfat lattes at my local coffee shop, and gluten has made a big come back. Needless to say, I feel terrible. My sleep habits have gotten worse and my skin is missing that healthy glow (it doesn't help that I'm persistently covered in sunscreen and humidity-induced sweat).

 

The good news is that I've maintained a few key good habits - if I make meals at home, they're compliant. And, I check labels to avoid unhealthy additives. My downfall is eating or ordering out. 

 

So, I'm recommitting to the Whole 30 - starting back at Day 1. Today, I've had coffee w. coconut milk and larabar (not my finest choice, but I was in a major rush) for breakfast, followed by a salad covered with grilled chicken and vegetables (plus 1/2 an avocado)for lunch. 

 

Tonight, I'll grill steak and veggies, along with a few chicken breasts to take for lunch the rest of the week.

 

Hold me accountable, Forum! 

[Kmlynne]

Welcome back to w30 - and congratulations on the successes you did have!  When things get hard, just remember that you have done this once already - you can do it again!