Day #1 Done

[russhamel]

Day #1 is in the books.  Since I've dabbled with the Whole30 concepts before, I pretty much knew what I was in for.  As I already mentioned in my Day 0, I also got past the 'family buy-in' part without too much trouble.

One thing that I did catch is the sulfite contents in the lemon and lime juice that I put in my water to help me drink more.  I was also very disappointed to find sulfites in the Sauerkraut I absentmindedly grabbed off the store shelf.  Of course, they will be sadly missed during these 30 Days, and maybe beyond if I'm able to find suitable substitutes.

I've pretty much weaned myself away from sugar cravings during the past year.  Oh, don't get me wrong - I still LOVE my sweets - I just don't CRAVE them the way I used to.  My big challenges are potato chips and similar salty processed snacks.  I've been known to have a 'secret stash' or two around the house.

I also LOVE the taste of my morning coffee; I alternate between plain black, black with added cinnamon or black with added vanilla extract.  That one may be especially hard come the weekend when I've got more time to kick back for a slower, more leisurely breakfast.

So for Day #1, these didn't prove to be very challenging at all.  My wife asked me if I thought I was going to make it through all 30 days.  I told her, "I expect to make it through today, and when I get to tomorrow, I'll treat that as just another 'today'... one day at a time!"

What DID I eat?  I like to get my fruits and nuts down for breakfast.  Seems to help get my system running and all flushed out.  And because we slept in late (Labor Day; last day for pillow hugging for a while), we only had breakfast at 11:30 AM and dinner at 5:00 PM, which consisted of ground beef with sauteed onions and spices mixed with boat load of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

I'm also going to make it my goal not to eat anything after 6:00 PM.  One of my strategies is to get to bed earlier - in the bedroom reading by 8:30 PM and lights out no later than 10:00 PM.  My wife will sound the, "Where are you going" alarm if I try to sneak out of the room. 

 

All in all, it was a GREAT start.  I'm excited to be on this journey and I'm looking forward to all the healthy benefits to kick in.

[Carlaccini]

^{Hey there!  Welcome to the Whole 30.}

If you are looking for compliant saurkraut try looking up "Bubbies brand"  it's found in the refridgerated section of your grocery store (usually by the hot dogs and deli meat)

 

I am not sure if you just had fruit and nuts for breakfast or what - I'm not sure how to read this.  But please do try to keep to template meals - palm size protein(if it's eggs its the amount of eggs you can hold in 1 hand), minimum of 1 cup of veg, 1 thumb of fat, and then if you are still hungry add fruit. 

 

I find for me personally if I have fruit early on I am also hungrier earlier.  Also please note that nuts are not an ideal fat source.  (Nuts are considered a fat source not a protein source while on a whole 30) Nuts may cause bloating and discomfort.  Personally I can't eat them as they also mess up my sleep.

 

Ideal way to keep the sugar cravings at bay?  Have a small portion of protein with some fat.  Also a word from the wise: Don't feed a sugar craving with fruit.  I know fruit is much better for you than anything with sugar.  But fruit is naturaly sweet.  So when your brains yells "I WANT SUGAR" and you give it something sweet like fruit.  Yes, you are making a better choice, but you are still feeding into the sugar dragon.  We want to help you slay that suagr dragon.

 

So best of luck on your whole 30 journey!

[russhamel]

Thank you so much for your feedback, corrections and clarifications Carlaccini.  I DO want to get this right, or at least as close as I possibly can.  As I mentioned in another post, I've dabbled with this and other nutrition programs in the past and with that kind of 'whatever' mindset, the results just aren't there.  I can't blame anyone but myself for the less that gratifying results.

 

However, I'm learning and applying as I go.  Your words of advice are greatly appreciated!  I have taken them to heart and will correct my course accordingly.

 

All the best from Toronto,

Russ