Ginsinnot Back to Basics Whole 30

[ginsinnot]

In the interests of accountability, I'm going to log this Whole 30. I've been off track the last few months and not feeling very happy about it. Recently had a scare where I thought my Crohn's Disease was flaring but turns out to have been an inflammatory reaction to an infection. But it scared me enough to be ready to really commit to getting back on track.

 

I'm starting my W30 on Monday, August 25th. I think this will be my 3rd or 4th?

 

I live with my husband and he'll be compliant when he's home, because I do all the cooking and shopping:)

 

Today I'm treating myself to an order from Tessemae's and Penzey's spices, to start things off on a tasty and easy note.

 

I'll be doing some batch cooking tonight and over the weekend to get some ready to go food into the freezer and fridge so I have no excuses. On the menu: breakfast meatballs (I'll be modifying a breakfast meatball recipe from PaleOMG, cutting out the bacon and maple syrup to make it W30 compliant), ground beef in tomato sauce with mushrooms to be served over zoodles, taco-seasoned ground beef for taco salads, and a big batch of cauli-rice (I'm going to try freezing it so it's ready to go).

 

I'll be stocking up on La Croix sparkling waters because I've been drinking soda and that's often a tough one for me.

 

I'll be focusing a lot on crock-pot meals and batch cooking with freezing. Because I work a regular Monday-Friday job and I'll be hitting the gym after work with my best girlfriend. She's getting married next year and starting an exercise program in prep for trying on dresses in about a month.

 

We've talked a lot and she's going to be a big support and motivator. We've been having a few too many ladies nights focused on food and drinks. I'm lucky to have a great group of friends. So we're planning a series of Sunday Fundays where we get together (spouses, significant others, kids, friends) and play games. We already had a great time playing kickball in the rain a few weeks ago. We've got dodgeball and another kickball game coming up.

 

I'm looking forward to feeling happier and healthier:)

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day One

 

It was a pretty walk into work this morning, not too hot yet but already heading towards humid. Went to bed fairly late last night but still got about eight hours of sleep, so a great way to start Monday and the Whole 30.

 

A busy, fun weekend. Got to that batch cooking but never quite get as much done as I plan to. Most excited about my breakfast meatballs, they might be my favorite breakfast lately. Made meatballs, a big batch of ground beef cooked, and zucchini with mushroom and onion in tomato sauce to go with ground beef. Had one hiccup with the cooking, a whole container of mushrooms had molded, which I didn't realize until I'd already been sauteeing half of them with onions. Fortunately, the gods were smiling on me and I had a fresh container in the veggie drawer. I think I ended up with about 30 meatballs, we'll see how long they last since my husband loves them (he doesn't know there are mushrooms hiding in there  ). I eat about 3 of them for breakfast usually.

 

And that brings me to breakfast (8:30am) today: 3 meatballs (ground pork, salt and pepper, a shredded sweet potato, a diced yellow onion, and diced mushrooms), about a handful of frozen blueberries and black coffee.

 

I debated weighing and measuring myself for the whole before and after deal. And while losing some weight is a big goal, I've decided not to weigh or measure to compare. I've done it before and saw the value in it (for those of you who are). I've just decided that I'm going to focus on feeling better, taking better care of myself, and structuring my daily habits around the things I need to do to accomplish these goals. Sure, I'll be happy when my jeans fit, but I've got a lot of work to do on re-building a great daily routine.

 

Lunch (1pm): Zucchini, onion, mushroom in tomato sauce with ground beef (a cup of the veggie mix and 1/2 cup of beef)

 

4pm: 2 breakfast meatballs

 

Gym: Oy, that was hard! A leg work out and 20 minutes of cardio

 

Dinner (late because of the gym then a trip to the grocery store which is never quick): more zucchini sauce w/ ground beef

 

Bed at 10pm, so tired!

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 2:)

 

My legs don't hurt as bad as I thought they would, but that walk in felt a little longer than it normally does.

 

So I changed my mind about weighing and measuring at the beginning of the Whole3o and went ahead and did it.

Weight: 148# (in the morning)

 

Right Bicep 12.5"

Underarm    37.5"

Chest           37.75"

Rib               33"

Waist           30.6"

Belly            35.8"

Hip              38.5

Butt             40.25

Right Thigh  23.25"

Right Calf   14"

 

My Goals: Honestly, to lose some inches. On average, I was about 2-3" smaller everywhere in October of 2012 after my first Whole30 and that was the best I've ever felt (physically and psychologically).

 

Non-weight goals: feel happier on a day to day basis and less irritable. Feel good about making choices that are in line with my goals and values. Wake up with more energy. Sleep deeper and better. Enjoy consistent energy throughout the day. Play more because I have more energy. Finish some house projects because I've got the energy. Support my husband and friends in making healthy changes in their lives. Get rid of nagging aches and pains.

 

Breakfast today: 3 smaller meatballs, about a cup of strawberries and raspberries with coconut butter, some tasty new Starbucks French Roast in my coffee cup:)

 

Lunch: starvin' marvin at noon. Walked home to some leftover zucchini in tomato sauce and ground beef.

 

Feeling a little tired today, but I attribute that to restarting at the gym and not sleeping great last night. As it's back to the gym after work for chest today, I've brought a small banana, a meatball, and some unsweetened iced tea back to eat around 4 if I need it.

 

*Well, no gym tonight as we got some crazy strong thunderstorms that flooded a lot of roads. But I did my chest and shoulders at home.

 

Dinner: a sort of Mexican cauli-rice bowl with chicken, tomatoes, onion, chili-powder, orange pepper and riced cauliflower, topped with guacamole. Pretty tasty, needs more spice next time. Shared a bowl of strawberries with my husband.

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 3. Breakfast meatballs, strawberries and raspberries with coconut butter, and black coffee. Looks like my husband likes the breakfast meatballs because we're almost out already! I'll have to make some more; they're such a convenient breakfast on work days.

Slept much better last night, went to bed at 10:15 and woke up at 7. Took my time at home this morning before heading in to work. I'm lucky to have a flexible start time at work. So I did a little reading, stretching and minor pickup before heading in.

I've been eating my lunch at the dining table but we're still sitting in front of the TV for dinner. That's my husbands thing. And I'd rather sit there with him than on my own at the table. I'm thinking I need to make some "fancy" dinners so he'll sit at the dining table with me:)

Lunch was indeed at the dining table again. Had leftovers from dinner, with a splash of hot sauce from Tessemae's. I treated myself to an order of a few Whole 30 approved condiments: ketchup, BBQ, and mild hot sauce. I've had their salad dressings before and loved them. I'm especially excited to try the ketchup out tomorrow. I love ketchup on scrambled eggs

This afternoon, I've caught myself twice jonesing for a diet pop. And I've got a fuzzy head, which I think is the start of the carb flu because I was eating so much SAD the last six months. So, I'm finishing up this post and covering my eyes and popping in the earbuds for a 15 minute meditation break at work.

Dinner: potato salad (yay white potatoes), grilled rib eye steaks (getting to the last of our grass-fed cow from last fall)

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 4, absolutely gorgeous morning in my town today. Made even more lovely by a work from home day.

Went to bed at 10 last night and got up at 9! Feeling great.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with diced prosciutto cooked in ghee and half a small sweet potato with coconut milk, cinnamon, and toasted coconut flakes. My house smells awfully good after toasting coconut.

Meeting my sister at a farmers market on our Capitol lawn today. Looking forward to some great produce:) I normally have a food treat (they do these only 3 times a year and vendors come in from all over) but am thinking today I'll pick up some more lavender sachets and linen spray as a treat. There's a lady with the cutest burlap black and white packaging on a line of natural lavender home cleaning products.

Heading to the gym tonight and then shopping with my girlfriends. We normally have spent Thursday evenings on the patio with cocktails. They're being dolls and switching it up to gym and shopping:)

 

Lunch and Dinner: leftover steak and potato salad, a banana after the gym

[slesca]

Nice job! I'm on day 3 so I'm cheering you on. I'd kill to stay in bed from 10-9; that sounds incredible. 

[ginsinnot]

Nice job! I'm on day 3 so I'm cheering you on. I'd kill to stay in bed from 10-9; that sounds incredible. 

 

Before I did my first W30 a few years ago, I averaged more like 7 hours. During that W30, I discovered I need at least 8 hours and 9 was my sweet spot for sleeping. I tend to wake frequently during the night and always have. So being in bed 9 hours to sleep gets me the right amount, even with my waking up at times.

 

I'm pretty fortunate also. My job has great flex times (we can start anytime from 6:30 to 9:30am). And my position can now work from home a few days a week. And we don't have children. My only battle with getting to bed is getting my husband to turn the TV off

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 5.

In a good mood this morning but feeling physically a bit "meh". Switching up breakfast this morning: burger patty and egg with some Tessemae's BBQ sauce. Tea with a splash of pomegranite.

Yesterday's ab workout was Hard! But my friend won't let me give up and I did it. Reward: shopping with my sister after, great T-shirt and some comfy and cute sweat pants. So ready for college football to start, excited

I may have just moved into the exhuasted phase instead, dragging a little today. But that may be the weather here too, it's all gray and cloudy and supposed to stay that way with some thunderstorms for fun.

Given the draggy feeling and my protein-rich breakfast, decided to just have sweet potato with coconut milk and cinnamon and a small handful of berries on top for lunch.

I'm thinking I'll make one of my favorite quick meals tonight: Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash. I got it from PaleOMG. You basically roast a spaghetti squash for "pasta". You saute chicken and carrots, onion, celery. Then you mix up a batch of mayo and hot sauce. Mix it all together. Creamy, spicy goodness. Very satisfying.

(When you're done with your W30, I highly recommend you check out PaleOMG for recipes. She does a bit too much SWYPO and lots of paleo desserts. I avoid those, even when I'm not W30. The last thing I need is to unleash my sweet tooth. But her meals are usually quick and easy and tasty. And many are easy to adapt to a W30)

Yup, that's what's for dinner

Small burst of bad mood after work (on a Friday????) Cleaned the house and made dinner. Ate two bowls:)

Realized part of the bad mood is: not drinking this weekend, tailgating or at a pool party. Now, I know that I can go to those events. But I recognize this about me: as early as it is in this W30, I would be very likely to rationalize a drink and start over. Especially in the face of social pressure. Day 20? No prob, too many days in to mess up with a cocktail just because. Day 6? NOT a good idea.

Hitting the gym in the morning. Then picking my sister up (she's on a W30 too) and hitting a local breakfast joint for a totally awesome and compliant breakfast. They make their own chorizo, grow their own veg right at the restaurant, and source local good stuff. I'll be enjoying their Ballin Ass Scramble: chorizo, lime wedges, cilantro, potatoes, eggs and tomatillo salsa (just leaving off the queso fresco). Looking forward to someone cooking for me:) And a great cup of strong coffee:)

[ginsinnot]

Day 6 recap: no gym but breakfast as planned and was a wonderful start yo my day. Some housecleaning and organizing. Lunch was buffalo chicken "pasta" and la Croix water.

Movie date with my husband. Had a hard boiled egg and sausage stick before. Popped a La Croix in my purse just in case I felt weak (soda pop is a problem for me). I DID IT:) didn't even bust out that drink while he ate popcorn and had pop.

Then we went to a sports bar to catch a football game. I DID IT AGAIN:) got a chicken breast and sweet potato. Had water (all their tea was sweetened). Stayed out til midnight and stayed strong while my guy had beers and an appetizer platter.

Feeling strong, my friends:)

[ginsinnot]

Day 7:) beautiful Sunday.

Breakfast: leftover chorizo, egg, potato, lime from yesterday and tasty black coffee

Lots of dirty yard work today:) Cleaning up beds, mowing, edging, sweeping, trimming trees. Got filthy and happy to be clean now

Lunch: a bit of this and that leftovers (beef with zucchini in tomato, buffalo chicken squash, potato salad) with some berries

Dinner: burger patty with onion, mushrooms, mayo and olives

Evening fireside with friends, drank 3 la Croix.

[ginsinnot]

Day 8 Recap: Happy Labor Day and day off work

 

Slept waaay in, til 11:30! I haven't done that in forever, guess I needed some extra sleep.

 

Breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon (first time this W30, which is pretty good for me, it's been waiting in the freezer), 3 scrambled eggs in ghee, coffee

 

Lunch: buffalo chicken salad (mayo, hot sauce, onion, rottisserie chicken, tomatoes) over romaine lettuce, La Croix (apricot is delicious)

 

Dinner: 2 burger patties with sauteed squash, tomato and onion on top; chopped salad (premade bag of cabbage, kale, carrot, pea pods, cilantro) in curry coconut dressing (from W30 recipes on Instagram: 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, juice from 1/2 a lime); blueberries with coconut butter

[ginsinnot]

Goodmorning Day 9.

Not a lot of detail on my weekend posts as I don't get online much over the weekends.

This was a hard weekend, had a case of the crankers throughout. Mild, but there. Saturday afternoon found me losing my temper when I couldn't stream my college football game. My actual short temper seemed to be related to changing my food habits. I found myself (as I worked out my temper sweeping and cleaning my driveway) contemplating.

What I wanted right then was not in line with what I want overall. So my brain was having a war with itself which resulted in my temper. Acknowledging that what I "want right now" (I can't remember if it was a soda or an adult beverage after losing my temper about the football game) was being denied because I had a greater want overall (to be healthier and feel happier).

So, my mantra became: what I want now is not what I really want overall. I just kept saying it in my head and sweeping until it passed. And I guess it worked because I sailed through Saturday night movie date and bar night without a problem and stayed W30 true.

Small melt down on Monday but that was less about food or cravings and more about "how the hell do I do all the things that need to be done as a grownup and still have a life" kind of meltdown. My husband's working a side job for extra income the last month. So I'm left to handle 90% of the daily life stuff on my own. It's a short term thing. 90% might be an overstatement, but not by much. So I was torn between having Monday Funday on one of our only days off together without plans and doing the things I know needed to be done to make the week go as smoothly as possible. I cried. We cleaned and did house stuff. I calmed down and we had a nice quiet evening in.

Typing all this makes me have a possible "aha" moment about food. I've treated food like a reward or maybe free-for-all , maybe because I'm hyper responsible in other aspects of life and my Crohns Disease has been pretty controlled the last few years. So when it comes to food and drink (especially after 8 years of a VERY restricted diet secondary to my Crohns disease) I often fall on the decision side of "life is short and I am so responsible and always make the right non-food/drink choices so I should/can eat/drink this now".

Which is silly. One, it's made me feel bad about myself. Two, I should probably leave off cleaning my house or doing the grownup thing a little more often and make unhealthy food choices a little less often.

Because healthy food choices on a consistent daily basis lead to an outcome I want (feeling healthier and happier and fitting into my beautiful clothes) AND doing the fun thing instead of the responsible thing a little more often in my life might also lead to the same outcome (being healthier and happier and building great memories with my loved ones)

Sorry, today is totally Dear Diary post.

Breakfast: a good sized sweet potato with coconut milk (maybe too much) and cinnamon and a few blueberries, coffee

I'm away for the work day in another city, so my lunch is packed: about a 1/2 cup of the buffalo chicken salad with the chopped salad in coconut curry dressing. Just in case there's bad traffic or the day goes long, have an emergency snack of a hardboiled egg and one slice of bacon. Got a La Croix apricot to drink.

[ginsinnot]

Didn't have time for lunch but appreciated that egg and piece of bacon. After work, ate a beef stick (got lucky with a sausage place at the market, no sugar no junk beef sticks, great snack) and another egg with some tea. Then errands. Absolute ill gorgeous day here, too pretty to workout in a gym. Met my girlfriends for a brisk walk on our river trail, even worked up a sweat!

Groceries done. Got home from that at 8:15 and made dinner. Tossed ground beef, onion, garlic and red peppers into pan, added tomatoes and served over leftover spaghetti squash. Lifesaver:)

10:15 and kitchens clea, grabbing a shower and hitting the sheets:)

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 10

 

Late start to my day, went to bed a smidge late and would have gotten up at 7, but my husband started snoozing his way through his alarm at 5 am, which interrupted my sleep a bit so I didn't get up til 8. Just now (9:40 gasp) making coffee!

 

Limited breakfast options this morning (no leftovers, no meatballs, no hardboiled eggs), so having a small sweet potato with coconut milk and blueberries with my coffee. Cooking tonight, must make breakfast meatballs and hardboil some eggs. Hopefully will have time to also make a new recipe: swedish meatballs in mushroom gravy over cauli rice. Bless the internet and people who share, this recipe is from a lady that eats paleo and shares family recipes she's adapted to paleo (and this one is W30 compliant).

 

These next few weeks I think I'll work on eating fewer sweet potatos. I don't think I've way over eaten them, but they are just so darn easy and tasty. I need some more leafy greens in the rotation.

 

Lunch: Worked from home this afternoon so I had some extra time to make my lunch. Made roasted sesame brussel sprouts with curry mayo dipping sauce and a plain chicken breast. Really good.

 

Dinner: Super late! Had a haircolor appointment that went from 5 til 7:30. Got home and started a W30 Swedish Meatball recipe. Cooking til like 9:45 but worth the wait. Served it over a bed of toasted cauliflower rice.

 

Stayed up late, didn't get to sleep until 11:45

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 11, feeling pretty good despite not a lot of sleep.

 

Breakfast this morning: 3 eggs scrambled in ghee with diced prosciutto. Coffee.

 

Could have eaten a bit more with breakfast but in a rush to get to a work appointment this morning. Looking forward to lunch!

 

Lunch: 3 meatballs with mushroom gravy over cauli-rice, Perrier grapefruit sparkling water

[LMar]

Nice job on the food log...I got some great ideas! Keep going!

[ginsinnot]

Nice job on the food log...I got some great ideas! Keep going!

Thank you LMar. I sometimes check out food logs for meal ideas when I'm getting bored with mine, so I'm glad to lend some inspiration to others

 

To finish up Day 11's post: Dinner was spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and a few meatballs. Quick and easy. I ate quite a few grapes and strawberries at home last night, more snack eating than as part of a meal. And at the end of my work day I had about a small handful of almonds and cashews. I'm not sure why...

 

On to Day 12.

 

Rough morning. Didn't want to wake up, but that's partly due to my interrupted morning sleep. My husband has been working his usual job and a side project, so he's way overtired which has led to an uptick in his hitting the snooze button way too many times. Then one of my cats decided hey, why not yack up breakfast on the back of the couch. Cleaned that up. Had issues getting my hair into a ponytail that would pass for work (why do perfect ponytails or hair days happen when you'll be cleaning the basement or something, but not when you have to leave the house????). Then discovered cat pee where it should not be (on top of my washing machine). Sometimes having pets is NOT fun. Cleaned that up. Managed not to murder any of my 3 cats after all this. Grabbed breakfast and walked to work.

 

I did enjoy the sunshine and light breeze on my walk in. I've got my coffee now and ready to eat. Having breakfast meatballs and strawberries/blueberries with coconut butter.

 

Update: NOT my best day. Spilled half my berries on dusty gross work floor (half stuck in bowl by coconut butter fortunately). THEN hit my head on my desk after picking it up. Was looking forward to lunch with my husband, but he couldn't make it due to a work emergency. NOT MY DAY.

 

So, I'm taking the afternoon off work and going to turn this day around. Staying compliant, because the W30 makes me feel better and is not the problem today, it's the universe. Okay, it's not the universe. I need to just relax and move past the beginning of this day.

[ginsinnot]

Day 12 did get better. Kind of. I rode along with a friend to pick up her kids (the whole weekend parent swap deal). Ran into terrible weather, so we sheltered in a TGIFridays for about an hour. I sooooo thought about a cocktail. But I got an iced tea, and being the awesome freind she is, she did too. And I had a salad, no dressing. And I felt pretty good about that.

 

Saturday: Pretty Awesome. Started the day with breakfast and shopping with my sister again (same local place, same delicious scrambled egg/chorizo/potato/lime/salsa dish). I found the biggest mum EVER for my front porch. Seriously, it's like a small bear and the most gorgeous deep red color. Will look gorgeous in the cobalt blue planter it's going in.

 

My sister: she found a Keurig for 50% off at Target, I could not believe it. Her coffee pot broke Friday morning, so I think the gods were rewarding her for not smiting anyone without her morning coffee that day.

 

Lunch on Saturday....I can't remember. It was W30. Dinner was fab. We went to our friends' to watch football. The games were awful. My team: no points at all. That is not cool. But the food, all W30.

 

And can I say, their two kids didn't bat an eye at the W30 dinner. They're good kids. We had chicken kebabs (chicken, peppers, pineapple). I made a chicken bacon ranch chopped salad. We had grapes and strawberries and watermelon. And veggies with dipping sauce (spicy mayo something) my sister brought. I was only a little "meh" about drinking my La Croix rather than a cocktail with them. They had cocktails and my husband had beer. BUT I DID IT:)

 

Sunday: finished up leftovers from my Saturday breakfast. Took an amazing motorcycle ride through our area, absolutely gorgeous early fall day. Came back and ate some Swedish Meatballs over brussel sprouts. Took at least an hour nap all cuddled up with my husband. Got up, talked calendar and finances without any annoyance (that's a big W30 mood boost happening right there) and went to a movie. Sipped on a La Croix during the movie. Came home and went to bed. Good day.

 

Now, it's DAY 15

 

I'm feeling pretty good. My mood is more even and up, even when I get irritated/down it passes much more quickly. My skin is looking just glowier (not really a word I know, but it is). My pants are feeling looser. My energy is much more even. My hunger is manageable. Cravings are pretty much gone and I'm barely thinking about food outside of meal times (with the exception of planning shopping lists and meal plans).

 

This is why I keep coming back to the W30 since 2012 and why it's my goal to live like this on a daily basis (not W365, but the general clean eating and living and feeling so good).

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 17

 

Breakfast: 3 breakfast meatballs (pork, shredded sweet potato, sweet onion, mushrooms, salt/pepper),  coffee

 

W30 victory: Feeling pretty good this morning even though I stayed up til one in the morning. Went to a major league baseball game with my best ladies. Absolutely gorgeous night and had a wonderful time. I'm tired but my mood is great, and that's how I know the W30 is working it's magic.

 

Lunch: kind of hodge podge as I stayed at work due to poor weather and lots of work. An apple with almond butter, beef jerky. Actually pretty filling.

 

Dinner: the chicken enchilada bake. I made it a little more tasty by chopping up some green onion and tomato to top it with, and drizzled some mayo-ranch on top. Also had cucumber slices and carrots with the mayo ranch dip.

 

A pretty lazy night, cuddled up on the couch to watch a movie with my guy.

[ginsinnot]

Top o' the morning to you Day 18

 

It's coooollll here in Michigan, and going to stay in the low 60s for a few days, WOOHOO.    I love fall. And I'm going to make pot roast this weekend.

 

Breakfast on the go this morning: 2 breakfast meatballs and a Lara Bar. I honestly don't understand how people go crazy with the Lara Bars. I think they're a little icky. But they are good emergency food (my husband at the lion's share of the meatballs and I forgot to hardboil any eggs last night, no fruit for the morning to round out breakfast). Betting I'll be ready for lunch today!

[ginsinnot]

Day 18 finish:

 

Lunch was: scrambled eggs with ghee and prosciutto

 

Dinner: Our favorite Mexican restuarant. I got the steak fajita with guac and lettuce and pico. My husband happily ate up all the chips on the table:) Enjoyed a glass of water (where I'd usually be tempted by pop, a margarita, or sangria). Went out to a movie with a girlfriend in the evening, munched on a few pistachios during the movie. It's how I survive a theater full of popcorn and soda and candy.

[ginsinnot]

Hello Day 19. It's still cool and fall-like here in Michigan. I love it. Turned on the heated floor in my bathroom last night (best thing ever, if you ever remodel your  bathroom: DO THIS). Planning to make chili and a garlic beef pot roast this weekend. Excited for that. Also going to make a double bath of breakfast meatballs, I owe my sister a few for ricing my cauliflower (she has a food processor, I don't).

 

Breakfast: a small sweet potato with ghee, cinnamon and nutmeg with 2 small breakfast meatballs. Black cinnamon coffee.

 

Lunch: leftover steak fajita

[ginsinnot]

Just cruising along the last few days. It's day 22 today.

 

yesterday, enjoyed a great dinner at home with my Dad, his lady, my sister, and husband. I can't remember the last time I cooked a Sunday family dinner, it was nice. We had an English roast, I loosely followed a Jamie Oliver recipe for that (olive oil and salt/pepper on roast, spices of bay/thyme/marjoram in with onions and carrots, added the potatos later). I also roasted some of the potatos with leeks and elephant garlic, loved that. My Dad brought a delicious salad with apples and walnuts as well as greens. My sister brought green beans tossed in ghee with garlic and dill.

 

My Dad said he couldn't tell we were on a "diet" at all, as far as having a delicious Sunday dinner.

 

Later in the evening I had some of the leftover roast and veggies, with a baked apple and a cup of cinnamon tea.

 

Busy day today. Breakfast was a sweet potato with walnuts, coconut milk, and some blueberries. Just had lunch at my desk, ground beef with red cabbage and horseradish mustard.

 

Chili planned for dinner.

 

This weekend, we're taking a road trip to Virginia. My husbands a Civil War buff and they're celebrating one of the sesquicentennial events in Westchester. He doesn't do the whole re-enactment thing, but he's otherwise totally "into" it.

 

I've got a plan for staying W30. It's a road trip, so I'm packing a cooler with hardboiled eggs, raw veggies, my breakfast meatballs, a few nuts, and a few Lara bars for emergencies (I really am not a big fan of the Lara bar, but they can be great on the road). You can always find a salad and plain chicken or salmon or steak in restaurants. Feeling pretty good about the plan.

 

And overall, feeling great. Really no cravings to speak of, but keeping an eye our for the "extinction burst" this week. I do still miss cocktails, but other than that, not really missing anything.

 

Still pondering just keeping on beyond 30 days until I have a reason not to (I'm pretty clear on my re-intro issues from past W30s: dairy makes me break out and constipated over time and I'm pretty sure just messes up my hormones, grains give me heart burn and make my appetite skyrocket, legumes just give me stomach pains but no longlasting issues I can identify, and sugar makes me want more sugar usually, corn is it's own thing for me and seems okay without the issues of other grains but still don't really miss it).

[GoJo09]

Just cruising along the last few days. It's day 22 today.

 

yesterday, enjoyed a great dinner at home with my Dad, his lady, my sister, and husband. I can't remember the last time I cooked a Sunday family dinner, it was nice. We had an English roast, I loosely followed a Jamie Oliver recipe for that (olive oil and salt/pepper on roast, spices of bay/thyme/marjoram in with onions and carrots, added the potatos later). I also roasted some of the potatos with leeks and elephant garlic, loved that. My Dad brought a delicious salad with apples and walnuts as well as greens. My sister brought green beans tossed in ghee with garlic and dill.

 

My Dad said he couldn't tell we were on a "diet" at all, as far as having a delicious Sunday dinner.

 

Later in the evening I had some of the leftover roast and veggies, with a baked apple and a cup of cinnamon tea.

 

Busy day today. Breakfast was a sweet potato with walnuts, coconut milk, and some blueberries. Just had lunch at my desk, ground beef with red cabbage and horseradish mustard.

 

Chili planned for dinner.

 

This weekend, we're taking a road trip to Virginia. My husbands a Civil War buff and they're celebrating one of the sesquicentennial events in Westchester. He doesn't do the whole re-enactment thing, but he's otherwise totally "into" it.

 

I've got a plan for staying W30. It's a road trip, so I'm packing a cooler with hardboiled eggs, raw veggies, my breakfast meatballs, a few nuts, and a few Lara bars for emergencies (I really am not a big fan of the Lara bar, but they can be great on the road). You can always find a salad and plain chicken or salmon or steak in restaurants. Feeling pretty good about the plan.

 

And overall, feeling great. Really no cravings to speak of, but keeping an eye our for the "extinction burst" this week. I do still miss cocktails, but other than that, not really missing anything.

 

Still pondering just keeping on beyond 30 days until I have a reason not to (I'm pretty clear on my re-intro issues from past W30s: dairy makes me break out and constipated over time and I'm pretty sure just messes up my hormones, grains give me heart burn and make my appetite skyrocket, legumes just give me stomach pains but no longlasting issues I can identify, and sugar makes me want more sugar usually, corn is it's own thing for me and seems okay without the issues of other grains but still don't really miss it).

 

I didn't reintro corn after my first Whole 30, but this time I will, just so I know for sure that the odd serving of corn chips (hello, nachos!) won't be the worst thing ever for me.

 

Looks like you've got a good plan for the weekend - and just remember that sparkling water with a slice of lime in a nice glass is half the cocktail battle won

[ginsinnot]

Good morning Day 23. Drove an hour for work in dense fog today, shadowy but very pretty at times.

 

I'm away from my usual work site once a week. I have been good about packing and taking my lunches. Today, I should finish in half a day, so I did not have lunch packed. I grabbed an apple and sparkling water just in case I get home a little later than my stomach is happy about. Started the day with a good breakfast though, 3 eggs scrambled in ghee and topped with some chili. Feels like diner food

 

I can definitely tell some of the extra weight has come off. I don't have this annoying bra-line back squidge that's been bothering me. My jeans are fitting better and I fit into a few more pairs (still not into my favorites, but that will come with time). I'm feeling like dressing up again. I think I spent last winter in leggings, sweats, and loose clothes (that started not being so loose). Which was so unusual for me. I love dresses, boots, skinny jeans, fitted tees, and blouses. I love clothes in general. My closet is ready for a life much more glamorous than the one I currently lead on a daily basis

 

And I'm sooo excited to being able to wear some of that again. If I keep going with my W30 beyond my 30 days, I should even be able to forgo shopping for a New Years Eve dress this year and wear one of the rocking dresses I've got hanging in the closet from a few years ago.

 

So I'm feeling pretty good about this Whole 30.

 

I can, and have, gone without the cocktails (eight years once, due to my Crohns disease)(and I've turned them down pretty easily this W30). Which makes me feel good about my willpower. The other foods, I really just know that they aren't so good for me, and the costs outweigh the benefits in my mind usually. But adult beverages, I enjoy from time to time. And because they're so limited in scope and frequency, I feel fine with having in my life in general. I'm a two-drink girl at the most and I like my drinks with fine ingredients (no mixer junk please, just straight up squeezed lemon or lime if needed). When I really get crazy, on New Years or a big birthday party, I might have three drinks....Crazy and wild I know.

 

My husband and I aren't much for drinking when we vacation, so that's a good thing too. We are more the museum and tours kind of people on vacation.