My "Timeline" Experience (or lack thereof)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

I was so thoroughly amused by The Whole30 Timeline, Version 2.0, that I decided I'm going to try to keep track here.  I'll edit this post as many times as I'm allowed to try to keep it all in one place, and if that fails, I'll multi-quote or do whatever I need to do to keep a running post of my experience:

 

Day 1 (Friday, November 6): Total rockstar (day of performance that is, not the day after).  Yup, feeling pretty proud of myself with my little to-go containers. I haven't had eggs for breakfast in, what, months?

 

Day 2 (Saturday, November 7): Checked myself gingerly as I got out of bed but so far, so good.  No massive hangover feelings.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that half a chicken breast could be good fuel for a >45-minute high intensity workout.  Unless I'm still working off of a few Hallowe'en mini chocolate bars or microwave popcorn from last Sunday's family movie night.  I even had a successful dining-out experience (steak?  When's the last time I let myself order STEAK?) and subjected myself to the food porn movie "Burnt" (with Bradley Cooper - I recommend it but not if you're in the throes of serious cravings/food withdrawals, unless you can live vicariously through the screen - I'll see if it factors into food dreams in the days ahead).

 

Day 3 (Sunday, November 8): I thoroughly enjoyed steak and eggs for breakfast and have a newfound appreciation for the many uses of coconut and all its byproducts (today could have been called "Eat all the fats" for how much I was drawn to the coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut butter).  I felt a bit groggy getting up from my afternoon nap and I can feel some soreness like the onset of a headache playing around my temples, but nothing serious yet.  Fingers crossed for Monday morning.

 

To be continued...

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

(*Thank you, moderators, for moving this to the correct board in the forum! Helps if I actually READ all of the boards before making a post, yes? *)

 

I was so thoroughly amused by The Whole30 Timeline, Version 2.0, that I decided I'm going to try to keep track here.  I'll edit this post as many times as I'm allowed to try to keep it all in one place, and if that fails, I'll multi-quote or do whatever I need to do to keep a running post of my experience.

 

*Here's my (lengthy) aside: Remember of course that I am *not* doing an official 100% full meal-deal, 100% compliant Whole30 - but surprisingly close. The program itself is pretty black-and-white and I get that it needs to be - you can't compromise the sanctity of a program or you won't have a program any more - it's like the position on vanilla extract; sure it's self-admittedly extreme but it makes it easy to follow. I'm hopeful - confident, in fact - that if I can get to >95% compliance I will be a lot better off than just continue down the path of my old eating habits - even if they were relatively "healthy" by traditional SAD standards. It's bucking the all-or-nothing approach that says "I have to do this perfectly or there's no sense doing it at all." Do I agree that I would get better results by committing 100%? Absolutely - which is why I'm gearing up to commit to a fully compliant Whole30 in early 2016 (I was thinking February + March 1), but I might be able to bump it up based on the success of my demo days. I'll be very happy to get 21 "demo" days before my upcoming trip to Europe, and I will indeed eat a croissant (or two) in Paris and just live with the consequences because this is my first (and maybe only?) trip to Paris.

 

Day 1 (Friday, November 6):

Food Log: 

M1: Shredded cabbage and two eggs fried in ghee with a side of butternut squash roasted with coconut oil - everything topped with sea salt & black pepper

Pre-WO: Toasted coconut-almond-apricot ball (my own recipe; I'm on the fence about whether it violates the "no baked goods" rule - you don't bake it - it's almond butter with pieces of dried apricot and coconut flakes stirred in until you can pick it up and roll it around in more coconut flakes and sea salt for a coating) and half an apple - not the best pre-WO I understand - I'm still trying to figure out good, easily digestible pre-WO protein sources. It was a lacklustre workout, that's for sure

Post-WO: Leftover roasted butternut squash with sea salt

M2: Mixed salad greens topped with shredded chicken pieces, dried cranberries, clementine orange segments and EVOO & balsamic vinegar (which I sadly realized is not compliant since it contains sulfites - this is part of the prep to get me ready for the real deal!)

M3: I impressed myself with this one: sauteed onions and apple in EVOO then added in cubes of cooked white potato and baked chicken breast, seasoned with rosemary, sage & thyme and then poured the skillet mixture into a half a roasted squash "bowl". I can't wait to eat the leftover skillet with some eggs and/or sausage for breakfast tomorrow.

 

Feelings Log: Total rockstar (day of performance that is, not the day after).  Yup, feeling pretty proud of myself with my little to-go containers. I haven't had eggs for breakfast in, what, months?

 

Day 2 (Saturday, November 7):

Food Log:

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast with mixed herbs (rosemary/sage/thyme)

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M1: 2-egg omelet cooked in ghee, served on a bed of wilted greens with compliant salsa (so funny that 1 of the jars of salsa in my house is compliant but the other one isn't - all part of the "weeding out" that I am doing in advance of my "official" Whole30*) + smoothie (full-fat compliant canned coconut milk, orange juice, beef collagen protein powder, frozen banana)

M2: Cold cooked shrimp with 1/2 avocado on a large bed of wilted greens, topped with EVOO and (non-compliant) balsamic vinegar (knowing that it's not compliant, you might wonder why I continue to use it. It's one of the only English-language balsamic vinegars I have seen in South Korea so I will live with the sulfites and source a compliant option for my official Whole30*)

M3: Starter: prosciutto-wrapped melon Entree: Grilled beef tenderloin with roasted vegetables. I felt pretty slick avoiding the Italian bread basket and ignoring all of the pasta options on the menu (their eggplant ravioli is/was a favourite of mine), plus I turned down the complimentary in-house-made caramel gelato for dessert and enjoyed a mug of Earl Grey tea instead (until someone tells me that Earl Grey is not compliant - I didn't check that). And I was pretty excited that i had leftover tenderloin for a steak-and-egg breakfast on day 3! I doubt, however, that I will eat at this particular restaurant (or any restaurant at all, for that matter) during my official Whole30* because the language barrier with the staff is just too high, unless I can get one of my Korean co-workers to come with me and successfully explain that NO, I don't want the au jus!

 

Feelings Log: Checked myself gingerly as I got out of bed but so far, so good.  No massive hangover feelings.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that half a chicken breast could be good fuel for a >45-minute high intensity workout.  Unless I'm still working off of a few Hallowe'en mini chocolate bars or microwave popcorn from last Sunday's family movie night.  I even had a successful dining-out experience (steak?  When's the last time I let myself order STEAK?) and subjected myself to the food porn movie "Burnt" (with Bradley Cooper - I recommend it but not if you're in the throes of serious cravings/food withdrawals, unless you can live vicariously through the screen - I'll see if it factors into food dreams in the days ahead).

 

Day 3 (Sunday, November 8):

Food Log:

M1: 1 egg, leftover beef tenderloin, onions and cubed white potato all sauteed in some ghee, topped with compliant salsa and washed down with coffee with a few tbsp of full-fat coconut milk (I'm not a habitual coffee drinker but 1 coffee or latte on the weekends was normal for me)

M2: 1 baked chicken breast, 1-2 cups steamed broccoli, open handful size roasted squash + this "treat" from paleOMG (skating around that grey area about baked goods - again, you don't bake it and it's apples, cinnamon, coconut oil & coconut butter & sea salt) - maybe by the time I get to my official Whole30*, I won't even be thinking about things like this. But I deliberately considered it and its nutritional composition relative to the rest of my template meal.

M3: 1 bell pepper stuffed with a skillet of ground beef & onions sauteed in EVOO with tomato sauce and chili powder.

Looking at it now, I can clearly see that M3 was not big enough (not enough veg), which leads to why I had:

M4: Two small tins of tuna with hot pepper sauce, cubed white potato and two wedges of roasted squash slathered with full-fat coconut milk

 

I considered going to bed (or trying to go to bed) after M3 but I was honestly still hungry and I really need to resist the urge to under-eat, especially coming from a period where I was eating as little as 1,200 cal/day EVEN on days I was working out. (Yikes, I know!).

 

Feelings Log:  I thoroughly enjoyed steak and eggs for breakfast and have a newfound appreciation for the many uses of coconut and all its byproducts (today could have been called "Eat all the fats" for how much I was drawn to the coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut butter).  I felt a bit groggy getting up from my afternoon nap and I can feel some soreness like the onset of a headache playing around my temples, but nothing serious yet.  Fingers crossed for Monday morning.

 

Day 4 (Monday, November 9):

Food Log:

M1: Skillet with onions & apples sauteed in ghee, add in cubed white potatoes and one sausage.  In retrospect this meal could have used more vegetables, specifically some nice cruciferous (crunchy) green ones like broccoli and/or asparagus and/or Brussels sprouts.

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast with mixed herbs (rosemary/sage/thyme)

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: Tuna "salad" made with 1/2 avocado, 1 tin of tuna, 2 tbsp compliant salsa, stuffed into 1 yellow bell pepper.  I was planning to add a HUGE salad of mixed greens, purple cabbage and cherry tomatoes drizzled with EVOO and balsamic vinegar but I found out (the hard way) that the little cafe near my office closed unexpectedly last week (cue panic attack - I see why having "emergency" food on hand is so important when your options are limited).  I ended up adding a handful of macadamia nuts and an apple.

 

 

Feelings Log: I still have the tinglings of a headache playing around my temples (and my scalp was even sore to the touch when I brushed my hair before bed last night) but I made it through my 7am Monday meeting without wanting to kill anyone.  I felt a little bit slow and heavy during my workout (interval sprints and strength stations), but not weak or light-headed.

 

To be continued...

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 4 (Monday, November 9):

Food Log:

M1: Skillet with onions & apples sauteed in ghee, add in cubed white potatoes and one sausage. In retrospect this meal could have used more vegetables, specifically some nice cruciferous (crunchy) green ones like broccoli and/or asparagus and/or Brussels sprouts.

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast with mixed herbs (rosemary/sage/thyme)

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: Tuna "salad" made with 1/2 avocado, 1 tin of tuna, 2 tbsp compliant salsa, stuffed into 1 yellow bell pepper. I was planning to add a HUGE salad of mixed greens, purple cabbage and cherry tomatoes drizzled with EVOO and balsamic vinegar but I found out (the hard way) that the little cafe near my office closed unexpectedly last week (cue panic attack - I see why having "emergency" food on hand is so important when your options are limited). I ended up adding a handful of macadamia nuts and HALF an apple.

M3: Tilapia fillet and chopped onions pan-fried in ghee (and topped with dried dill), served with steamed green beans with ghee and coconut oil-roasted cauliflower.  I also had a toasted coconut-almond-apricot ball while preparing dinner.

 

Feelings Log: I still have the tinglings of a headache playing around my temples (and my scalp was even sore to the touch when I brushed my hair before bed last night) but I made it through my 7am Monday meeting without wanting to kill anyone. I felt a little bit slow and heavy during my workout (interval sprints and strength stations), but not weak or light-headed.  I'm fatigued (it's this weird brain fog of feeling like I'm underwater) but I think that has more to do with the fact that my four year-old has a nagging cough and I've been up with him and in and out of his bedroom several times every night for the past four nights.  I'm surprised I don't actually want to kill all the things!

 

To be continued...

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 5 (Tuesday, November 10):

Food Log:

M1: Skillet with onions & apples sautéed in ghee; add in cubed white potatoes and one sausage. Based on yesterday's experience, I added ~2 cups of roasted veggies (broccoli & cauliflower), but I still felt hungry within 2-3 hours!

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast with mixed herbs (rosemary/sage/thyme)

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: 1 tin of tuna, ~2 cups of roasted veggies (broccoli & cauliflower), 1/2 apple, 1 toasted coconut-almond-apricot ball

M3: 1 baked chicken breast and 1 baked chicken drumstick dredged in almond flour and spices (my first homemade Shake ‘n’ Bake – I totally winged it and it worked out really well: my four-year-old gobbled it up without even noticing the difference), 1-2 cups steamed broccoli, 1 small piece of roasted squash and the Apple and Coconut 2-bite Treat from paleOMG.com mentioned previously.

 

Feelings Log: Even though this is NOT an official Whole30*, I keep expecting to “feel all the feels” and already I have expectations of glamorous results (and anxiety that I won’t achieve them) – hoping for crystal clear skin (probably an unfair expectation given that I’ve had persistent black heads on my nose since I was 11 years old and I’m trying to fix +20 years of imperfect skin in 30 days) and I’d happily take a 10+ lbs. weight-loss (again, pretty aggressive for 30 days given that I don’t have a lot to lose) . 

 

Given that my four-year-old has been up coughing every night (and me up with him) for the past FIVE nights now and I still HAVEN’T wanted to kill all the things, I think that is evidence that my new way of eating is keeping me balanced.  I also feel strangely calm at work, although that could also be because I’m in a bit of a fatigue fog.  My overall stress (and cortisol/adrenaline) levels seem to be down.  And I realized that even though I’ve been hungry, I have NOT wanted to binge – probably because I’m getting all of the delicious, satiating fat that I was depriving myself of before!

 

To be continued...

 

Cheers,

-Lauren (GGG)

[littleg]

Just wanted to say hi!

 

Hope your little nugget feels better soon!

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Thanks littleg - me too, for all of our sakes!  I guess I'm having the Whole30 experience a mom with a newborn might have...sortof.  Ha!

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 6 (Wednesday, November 11):

Food Log:

M1: Leftover skillet with onions & apples sautéed in ghee; 2 eggs and 3 deli ham slices fried in ghee, ~2 cups fresh spinach leaves (I realized when this wilted down that I need much, much more) and 1 packet (1.06oz = 30g) of Artisana coconut butter.  I’m trying to up my protein and fat and cut out the fruit (other than the little bit of apple in the skillet) to see if breakfast will keep me feeling full for longer.

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast with mixed herbs (rosemary/sage/thyme) + ½ packet of Artisana coconut butter

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: 3 cups mixed salad greens, ½ avocado, ~1 cup cold cooked shrimp, and 1 chopped apple all drizzled with EVOO and balsamic vinegar + ½ packet of Artisana coconut butter

M3: 2 skin-in chicken drumsticks dredged in almond flour & spices and baked, 1-2 cup steamed broccoli and 1 small white potato cut into slices and boiled – both topped with ghee, sea salt and black pepper.

Evening snack: ~1/4 cup roasted almond butter (too much!  I realized that nut butter does NOT agree with my stomach, at least not in that large quantity), ½ banana, ½ dozen strawberries & ~1/2 dozen dates.  Oops.

 

Feelings Log: TIRED.  I think that’s right on schedule with the timeline, isn’t it?  (Although I think it’s got more to do with being up with my sick kiddo – poor little dude – than with the dietary change).  I majorly struggled with my workout today and had to go lighter than usual with the weights (feeling sore more than feeling tired during workout) – I should have taken today off as a recovery day.  Tomorrow will probably be a recovery day, depending on how I feel at noon.  I’m so glad I brought TWO packets of coconut butter with me to work. Normally there are tins of mixed nuts on hand in the office kitchen for emergency situations but nothing but peanuts available today.  I’m going to increase my crunchy green vegetables (vs. leafy green vegetables) and drop the fruit in the future to see if that improves hunger (except I already have some mixed berries with coconut cream prepped as part of breakfast tomorrow and I’m pretty excited to eat them – I’ll see how I fare in terms of blood sugar).

 

And so much for NOT bingeing.  The almond butter-fruit fiasco after dinner showed me that it is possible to overeat while doing Whole30.  The good news is that it was still compliant foods and I will chalk it up to a learning experience that I still need to reduce fruit consumption and increase my template meal intake so that I’m not over-hungry.  And I know that one of the primary triggers for overeating is being TIRED.  Which I sure am!  I sure hope my son sleeps better tonight, for both of our sakes!

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 7 (Thursday, November 12):

Food Log:

M1: 2 eggs and 2 deli ham slices fried in ghee, ~2 cups fresh spinach leaves, ~1 cup steamed broccoli (added in after I realized yesterday that the spinach alone was not enough green matter), 1/3 avocado, 1 cup frozen mixed berries topped with 2-3 tbsp. coconut cream.  Can I just say how much I’m loving Whole30 breakfasts?  I’ve always been a breakfast gal so this is a dream come true!  And I know I’m not working out today, so I need to eat enough to get me to lunch time, not just to my pre-WO snack time. But boy did it take me awhile to eat it!  I was hungry this morning, but I really had to take my time to finish this mega meal!

Pre-WO: Nil (much-needed recovery day!)

Post-WO: Nil (much-needed recovery day!)

M2: MEGA salad: mixed greens topped with sliced strawberries, a small handful of walnuts (I know they’re on the “Limit” list), chopped leftover chicken drumstick meat and 2/3 avocado, all drizzled with EVOO and balsamic vinegar.  Plus a packet of Artisana coconut butter – this meal has to last me almost six hours until supper time, so we’ll see if I can make it!  Breakfast kept me full until lunch today (it is a little bit strange not snacking).

M3: I made it to supper time!  I had a chicken breast baked with Montreal Steak Spice (which seems to be compliant, unless they’re being really, really sneaky on the labels), roasted squash, boiled white potato slices roasted for a few  minutes with coconut oil and sea salt (I found out I prefer them roasted with olive oil!) and steamed mixed frozen vegetables topped with ghee.  Then I had a “dessert” that was definitely the stuff of SWYPO (so I do NOT recommend it for an official Whole30* - applesauce mixed with coconut flour, cinnamon and a spoonful of almond butter, pressed into a pan and refrigerated until firm then cut into bars. Yes, the ingredients are all compliant but it’s the experience of eating it in bar form that makes it different than eating each of the elements on their own.  A great paleo-friendly, natural fruit-sweetened option for life after Whole30 though – I’ll be putting this on my blog (http://www.thegoldengrahamgirl.com).

 

Feelings Log: Things went well in the digestion area this morning, which made me realize that things had NOT gone yesterday.  No wonder I felt so shitty (pun intended – bahaha, I’m so funny.  At least to myself, and I guess I’m the only audience who really matters, right?). There is a “sameness” to my meals that is getting a little bit boring (I’m a victim of my own prep), so I’ve started thinking ahead to different things that I can prep in bulk for next to have new meals. I’ve got visions dancing in my head of “tacos” (ground beef on lettuce leaves for me; I’ll have to play around to make or find a compliant taco seasoning), Thai chicken lettuce wraps (if my darn Sunbutter would ever show up so that I can make Mel’s Thai “peanut” sauce), meat chili and meatloaf.  Plus more chicken and shrimp.  Oh, and a marinated pork loin with apples.  Ideas abound!  I’ll have to keep them around for the “food boredom” stage of the timeline.  P.S. – I *just* realized that I’m totally done my first whole week of my unofficial Whole30 (or Whole19 or whatever it turns out to be).  I can only imagine what it’s going to be like when I actually start sleeping through the night – excited to see! (Remind me of this when I’m moaning and groaning on day 16 or whenever).

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 8 (Friday, November 13):

Food Log:

M1: 2 eggs and 2 deli ham slices fried in ghee, ~2 cups fresh spinach leaves, ~1 cup steamed broccoli (I actually WANTED this in my breakfast today), 1 cup frozen mixed berries topped with 2-3 tbsp. coconut cream.  The berries warmed up with coconut cream are TO DIE FOR.  Almost makes me feel like it should be SWYPO, it’s so darn delicious.  Almost like SWYPOFF!

Pre-WO: Nil (I WANTED to work out today but had too many back-to-back meetings at the office)

Post-WO: Nil (I WANTED to work out today but had too many back-to-back meetings at the office)

M2: 1 baked chicken breast with seasoning, open handful size roasted squash with 1 packet Artisana coconut butter & steamed mixed vegetables.

Snack: I’m such a creature of habit, and clearly lunch was not big enough – I had an apple (and it was incredible how SWEET it tasted), a small closed handful of macadamia nuts and some mixed dried fruit & nuts (25g packet).

M3: Taco night!  I had to laugh when I looked at the Old El Paso taco seasoning mix – the first ingredient was maltodextrin and it also contained soy in at least one form.  I chucked it and browned some ground beef with chili powder, cayenne powder, dried onion flakes, garlic, sea salt & black pepper and a spoonful of compliant salsa.  I served it in lettuce leaves (my family had hard corn taco shells) with chopped raw onion and homemade guacamole: mash a ripe avocado with a fork and stir in compliant salsa, lemon juice, chopped garlic & sea salt to taste (http://thegoldengrahamgirl.com/2015/05/24/quick-and-easy-guacamole/).  “Dessert” was a Carrot Cake Larabar (I couldn’t resist trying them when they showed up in the mail today).

 

Feelings Log: I felt so darn GOOD waking up this morning!  My little dude still has a cough, but he seems to have turned a corner and actually slept straight through from about 1am - ? (He was still sleeping when I left the house at 6:30am for my carpool) which means that I slept straight through from about 1a.m. I never thought I could feel so good on 4+ hours of unbroken sleep (reminds me of the first time a newborn baby sleeps more than 3 hours in a row).  And if you told me I would actually CRAVE broccoli at breakfast time, I would have laughed in your face.  Ha HA!  Joke’s on me!

 

In other news, I *feel* as though I am getting leaner.  Also something I would have laughed about after adding so much dietary fat.  And no, I am NOT taking measurements.  But I actually thought when I looked in the mirror this morning that I was leaner through my torso.  Perhaps a bit slimmer through the waist & hips (maybe 1”, maybe more?) and more definition in my abs.  Maybe it’s all in my mind just because I’m in a good mood, but I guess what’s in my own mind is the most important!  My subjective interpretation of my objective reality is more important than the reality!  How’s that for deep Whole30 thinking?  I felt the same way about my legs during my workout on Wednesday.

 

Oh, and I had my first (minor) food dream: I dreamt I was making two slices of toast for breakfast.  Then I realized “oh hey, I can’t have toast!”  I wasn’t anxious about it; just threw it out and carried on.  I’ll see if the dreams (and foods) get more intense as time goes on.  Seriously, a food dream about plain multi-grain toast?  How boring!

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 9 (Saturday, November 14):

Food Log:

Pre-WO: 1/2 tin of tuna packed in oil (I can’t find water-packed tuna in the store anymore L).  I was skeptical of how well this would fuel me for 60+ minutes of mixed cardio and strength, but I felt fine!

Post-WO: 1/2 tin of tuna packed in oil + open handful size roasted squash

M1: 2 eggs scrambled with coconut milk (I found out that this makes the eggs a little TOO fluffy for my liking), served on a bed of fresh spinach leaves and topped with a few tbsp. of compliant salsa.  I washed it down with coffee that I whipped around in my Vitamix with a few tbsp. of coconut milk (nice and frothy!).

M2: “Harvest” salad: mixed greens with purple cabbage, julienned carrots, chunks of cold roasted squash and pieces of baked chicken breast with dried cranberries, drizzled with EVOO and 1 packet Artisana coconut butter.

M3: I really pulled out all of the stops for this meal!  I used the marinade from THIS recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/apple-ginger-pork-chops-recipe.html) for my pork tenderloin and made the skillet without the wine.  I roasted the marinated pork using THIS technique (http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-roasted-pork-tenderloin-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-211998) and also put some cubed white potatoes in the roasting pan, tossed with olive oil, sea salt & black pepper.  I served the pork with the skillet, roasted potato and steamed broccoli and carrots topped with ghee. WOW! And “dessert” was an apple-coconut bite from www.paleOMG.com.

Late night snack: I’m sure I only ate because I was up WAY past my bedtime.  I’ve read (here somewhere) that if you really have to eat in the evening (after your third template meal), lean protein is the best choice, so I had a few pieces of leftover pork.  That really wasn’t cutting it though (gotta work on my emotional attachments to food and routines!), so I also had one of the SWYPO no-bake applesauce bars I made Thursday night.

 

Feelings Log: I tried really hard to get into the Christmas spirit today, playing Christmas carols while we put up and trimmed our tree (we put it up early because of our upcoming trip to Europe, which will be in lieu of a vacation during the actual Christmas holidays), but just felt a bit burnt out today.  The lack of sleep is starting to get to me. I found myself getting irritated at the frequent interruptions to my sleep due to kiddo’s coughing fits (poor little dude – it’s not his fault he’s sick and nothing we try seems to work to rid him of it for good!).  I did, however, manage to host three kids under 6 for the morning and I served them macaroni and grilled cheese sandwiches without even wanting a bite!  And I’ve been making good on my ideas for exciting new meals.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 10 (Sunday, November 15):

Food Log:

M1: My husband was darn jealous of this breakfast (all part of my master plan to get him on the Whole30 train with me at some point): 2 eggs + 1 sausage link, all fried in ghee, served on a bed of fresh spinach with a side of fresh sliced strawberries topped with a few spoonfuls of coconut milk & dusted with cinnamon.  I also had another “frothy coffee” (black coffee + coconut milk + Vitamix).

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast with mixed herbs (rosemary/sage/thyme)

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: Leftover pork tenderloin, roasted squash, steamed carrots topped with ghee and my new favourite side dish: shredded cabbage fried in ghee with sea salt & black pepper!

Snack: 1 Pecan Pie Larabar & chai tea with coconut milk.  Tea with coconut milk was a disappointing experience; I was hoping to get a chai latte experience but it really didn’t work and I will NOT repeat it.  I can see I need to focus on getting back on track with satiating template meals or at least make my snacks mini template meals.

M3: I made my first compliant meatloaf (and even served it to dinner guests!).  One pound of ground beef mixed with 1 egg, flax “egg” (3 tbsp. flax seed meal + 1/3 cup water), 100g each of sautéed red bell pepper, chopped carrots & onion, 2 tbsp. yellow mustard, garlic salt & black pepper.  Press into a loaf pan and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until beef is cooked through.  Next time, I need to add more spices and I might try adding arrowroot starch to the egg and flax to act as a thickener/binder.  I had roasted squash and mixed steamed vegetables on the side.  And yet another SWYPO dessert. (this will be the hard part for me to break during an “official” Whole30 – I keep getting great ideas with compliant ingredients.  I guess it’s the food blogger in me.  Coconut butter + coconut oil + fresh strawberries + food processor + muffin tin + freezer = strawberry-coconut freezer fudge).

 

Feelings Log: I actually only managed to eat half of my breakfast but I think it’s because I sat down to breakfast later than usual AND it threw off the rest of my day.  I was hungry again at lunch time (3-4 hours later) and then hungry enough to have a snack (thank goodness my Larabars showed up Friday night!). 

 

Sunday was also a bit of “Whole30 Hell” – there was a big church potluck, strewn with gorgeous (non-compliant) dishes and desserts.  However, I stuck to my water with lemon and simply ate at home after the event (not so hellish after all).  I even baked a double batch of peanut butter-butterscotch cookies to donate to the goodies and avoided even a bite of batter, despite getting peanut butter all over my hands (for once I washed vs. licked it off!).  I found out after the fact that the Shepherd’s pie at the potluck WAS Whole30-compliant! Unbeknownst to me, two of the women at my church are also currently doing a Whole30 (or sort of – they said they weren’t 100% compliant.  I’m also not 100% compliant* but I don’t know what that means to them versus what it means to me).

 

(EDIT: Haha.  I just checked the timeline and leave it to me to have this potluck and birthday party - see below - land on "the hardest days" - no wonder it got under my skin!  I think I came through the day with flying colours!  Quitting never really entered my mind as an option; I'm pretty stubborn that way!).

 

I was feeling Whole30-confident, so we also had dinner guests over to celebrate our neighbour’s 30^th birthday.  I even baked (again!) this delicious (but wholly non-compliant cake – no I didn’t have any, even though everyone else had seconds)!  I’ve actually been doing really well on this “unofficial” Whole30.  Yes, I’ve ingested sulfites and probably some hidden sugars and soy in at least one of its forms, but I’ve successfully avoided dairy, gluten/grains, legumes and “conscious” sweeteners (maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar, & maple sugar – ALL currently in my “baking cupboard”) and artificial sweeteners (I was using 1-2 packets of stevia + chewing sugar-free gum with xylitol + drinking at least one can of Diet Coke almost every day leading up to this Whole30).  All great strides!  I’m proud to report that I’ve been Diet Coke-free for 2 weeks and I’m 1/3 of the way through this “unofficial” Whole30 (or maybe I can call it half way through, if it ends up only being 19-20 days).  I’m feeling pretty inspired to try to keep this going while I’m in Europe, but I’m not passing up regional delicacies (Dutch pancakes! Belgian chocolates!  French macarons!) for the sake of this program. I will “off-road” when it’s really, really worth it and live with the consequences.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 11 (Monday, November 16):

Food Log:

M1: Shredded cabbage fried with leftover taco beef and two eggs (it makes a wonderful sort of hash), served with steamed veggies and topped with leftover homemade guacamole.  I was questioning the guacamole-at-breakfast decision as I spooned it on, but it turned out great.  Savoury breakfasts are where it’s at!  (And no, don’t ask me what “it” is.  And don’t ask my co-workers about my guacamole breath!).

Pre-WO: Nil (I WANTED to work out today but had too many back-to-back meetings at the office)

Post-WO: Nil (I WANTED to work out today but had too many back-to-back meetings at the office)

M2: Leftover meatloaf and steamed veggies, one apple + 25g mixed dried fruit and nuts (I find myself wishing I had more packets of coconut butter in my desk).

M3: My Organic Sunbutter arrived in the mail today (don’t get the “Natural” – it has added sugars and stuff), and I finally made the deliciousness that is Mel Joulwan’s Sunshine Sauce – wow!  Not to mention I had several large spoonfuls of sunflower seed butter (too bad I just noticed that it’s on the “limit” list).  I stir-fried shrimp, red & yellow bell peppers and onions in EVOO and added a generous dollop of the sauce (I can’t wait to use it as part of some cashew-chicken lettuce wraps tomorrow night!).  I realized I didn’t have enough veggies so I added a bowl of mixed salad greens with EVOO on the side. 

 

Feelings Log: Ugh.  I didn’t get to work out today (AGAIN!  This is unusual for me and always makes me feel like crap when it does happen).  I found it hard to focus all day and I had a headache (I also just noticed that I incorrectly entered pre- and post-WO snacks on Sunday; I didn’t work out on Sunday!).  I almost feel just as bad as Day 2.  It makes me wonder if I managed to give myself a headache/carb flu just from the choices I made on my “wild and crazy” weekend (an apple with dried fruit & nuts, a Larabar and a banana on Friday – you’ll also notice if you look carefully that I failed to enter the banana on Friday night; orange juice, a banana, dried cranberries and apples & raisins on Saturday; strawberries and a Larabar on Sunday – pretty different from what I used to ingest on a “wild and crazy” weekend!).  Thank goodness Monday only comes but once a week.  My focus is to cut out fruit this week (and NO Larabars, although I now have a stash in my desk for true “emergency” situations and I think they might come in handy on my upcoming international flights).  I also need to stop with my SWYPO “treats” with compliant ingredients.  Why sabotage myself (although I’m torn about whether the benefit of a portion-controlled “treat” with almond butter is better than uncontrolled spoonfuls from the jar – I think the latter is a bigger food problem for me!)?

 

After re-consulting the timeline, I’m curious to see if the food dreams will commence this week!

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 12 (Tuesday, November 17):

Food Log:

M1: Egg “muffin” (or mini frittata – I whisked together 8 eggs with ~1 cup of sautéed mushrooms and ~1 cup of caramelized onions then baked them in 12 silicone liners in a muffin pan at 350F for 20-25 minutes – so I guess eating one is less than 1 egg), 1 sausage link, shredded cabbage fried in ghee and leftover onion-apple-raisin skillet.

Pre-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast

Post-WO: 1/2 baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: 1 tin of tuna packed in oil with red pepper sauce, 1 packet Artisana coconut butter, and ~2 cups steamed mixed vegetables +~1/3 cup coconut milk + sea salt + black pepper + mini jug blender = cream of vegetable soup! (I was pretty proud of this and I felt like “MacGyver” – I was feeling less than inspired – and hungry! – facing my dish of steamed vegetables.  I remembered that I had a can of coconut milk with me at the office, supposedly for coffee, so I dumped some in on top.  As it thinned out from the heat, I suddenly thought of my mini jug blender in the office kitchen from my old smoothie days.  I threw it all in and blended, adding hot water to reach the desired consistency.  Then I seasoned to taste with the sea salt and black pepper shakers in my desk drawers).

M3: 1 skin-on rotisserie chicken leg (thigh & drumstick), 1 baked chicken breast, 2 oz. cashew, Mel Joulwan’s Sunshine Sauce, lettuce leaves (Thai cashew-chicken lettuce wraps!), sautéed broccoli and 2 heaping tablespoons of coconut butter (man, that stuff is my kryptonite!  Nutiva is hands-down my favourite brand – it was like pure heaven scooping it out of the jar vs. squeezing it out of a packet.  I think the Nutiva coconut flesh is a little bit sweeter, too). I was definitely STUFFED after this meal, but I’m trying really hard to stick to the template and up the proteins and fats (which I got in abundance at this meal). 

 

Feelings Log: A good sweaty, intense workout was just what I needed today, and just what I got.  It perked me up immensely (although it also made me hungry – it was hard to resist the compliant Larabar in my desk, but I made a commitment to move away from those this week and really hammer on the template meals).

 

However, by evening time my post-workout glow had worn off and I was feeling pretty low.  Scratch what I said last week about getting leaner; this week I seem to be putting on a nice layer of blubber all over my body, most notably in my hips (again, this is subjective – I haven’t taken any objective measurements).  Maybe this is just my “for the love of Gosling” stage, except it’s not abdominal bloating I’m contending with – I just feel like I’m retaining water and adding body fat all over.  I don’t think I’ve gotten to the fat-adapted stage yet in order to really start burning off body fat.  All the more motivation to put the hammer down on the template meals!  (The moaning and groaning I foresaw on Day 7 is coming to pass, except back then I thought I would make it to day 16 before it kicked in J).

 

Oh, and as an aside, I had the experience of noticing my toothpaste taste preternaturally sweet!  More so, I noticed this with the gel toothpaste that my husband likes to keep at home; my white “paste” is not as strong.  But I did order some Weleda Salt Toothpaste to try!

[littleg]

I've been on the fence about sunshine sauce because I think it might be *too* good, so I've held off.  I made homemade sunflower seed butter last year and it tasted like crap so I don't think having the unsweetened kind of that around would be problematic... but that sauce - that may be a different story  

 

If you like Asian-ish flavors my husband and I make a super easy orange stir fry which is super easy:

 

1 c OJ

fresh/dried ginger

fresh/dried garlic

Splash of fish sauce

sesame oil

coconut aminos

couple of chopped scallions

 

We don't measure - sorry... Combine and then cook down until it thickens - pour over cooked chicken or beef (we usually use skinless chicken thigh meat).  I LOVE this sauce.  The trick is to NOT cook the meat in the sauce - cook them separately that way the meat browns.

 

Also, I'm pretty sure week 2 is the "feeling fat" week on the timeline.  I think I just got there today too

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Hmm, littleg - you might have to try it.  The commercial Organic Sunbutter (unsweetened) is a bit problematic for me, but the sauce itself is spicy enough that I'm not sitting here eating it by the spoonful.  Mind you, I didn't have any coconut aminos to make it with (so I just omitted them entirely) so maybe my sauce is not quite as dreamy as the real deal.  Still incredibly good, though!  It was great in the lettuce wraps and the shrimp stirfry, and tomorrow I'm using some on zoodles with chicken and cashew (like a Thai noodle bowl - erm, without the actual rice noodles).

 

No worries - I don't really measure when I cook, either.  Baking is where my scientific measurements come in (I realized I have two digital kitchen scales AND one analog scale).  I wish I could get coconut aminos!  Are all fish sauces generally compliant or am I going to have to be careful?  I have some in the cupboard and have been looking for ways to use it, but I haven't bothered to translate the Korean label yet for ingredients.  I'll definitely follow your tip to cook separately - I normally have three different pans on the go anyway so that I can measure my hubby's stuff for IIFYM (and used to separately measure MY stuff for MY IIFYM), and then my son's stuff.

 

I am with you in fatness, sister!  If only I could get back to my consistent workout schedule.  So funny that I try this major overhaul and of course my son gets sick and work meetings ramp up so I'm not getting my regular sleep OR workouts!  Hopefully we'll both get the miraculous super-fast fat loss Whole30 results some people get!

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 13 (Wednesday, November 18):

Food Log:

M1: 3 egg “muffins” (or mini frittatas, as per yesterday), shredded cabbage & zucchini rounds fried in ghee and leftover sautéed broccoli, and a mug of coffee with several tablespoons of coconut milk.  This was highly successful as a satiating template meal – I wasn’t hungry at all until past noon (5+ hours). J

Pre-WO: Nil (gosh DARN these work meetings – but I was pretty darn sore this morning’s from yesterday’s enthusiastic workout, so maybe I needed a recovery day anyway. I feel less “guilty” taking a day off when I know my food is in order with good template meals – I don’t feel that I HAVE to work out to burn off any indulgences).

Post-WO: Nil (see above).

M2: 1 tin of tuna packed in oil, ~2-3 cups mixed salad greens with EVOO & balsamic vinegar, 1 raw yellow bell pepper and 1 packet Artisana coconut butter.

M3: 1 cod fillet pan-fried in ghee with onions, served over zucchini noodles (“zoodles”) with lemon juice.  I also had a toasted coconut-almond-apricot ball while preparing dinner and “dessert” was a bowl of frozen mixed berries warmed up with a few tbsp. of coconut cream.

 

Feelings Log: MY SON SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT (and so did I)! I also had the presence of mind to remember to bring more packets of coconut butter to work to stash in my desk and a bottle of EVOO to keep in the office fridge so that I can easily add it to salads or veggies.  Preparation is the key for any dietary/nutrition/lifestyle overhaul.  I even managed to bake a few dozen of my renowned Christmas shortbread cookies for a baking auction and only once did the sweet aroma of butter and powdered sugar cause a moment of weakness (one I did NOT act on, I might add).  Otherwise it was just a fun creative outlet and project with my son, and the proceeds of the auction are going to charity.  No different than playing with Play-Doh (when you don’t eat the Play-Doh, that is!). 

 

Also, one serving a fruit per day seems to work well for me.  I really like berries (vs. apple or orange or banana) because they are a bit higher in fiber and don’t seem to be as intensely sweet.  The (technically-compliant but not ideal) Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabar in my desk is a bit tempting, but I’ve got my eyes on a new sweater for Christmas (I haven’t been interested in clothes shopping in AGES, because I don’tdidn’t feel good about my body).  Time to focus on non-food ways to reward myself!

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Well, now I have no excuse to NOT do a full thirty days.  My much-anticipated trip to Europe has been cancelled in light of the deteriorating security conditions in Belgium.

 

Mixed feelings about this.  The decision has been taken out of my hands so I don't have to worry that I am jeopardizing my or my family's safety by taking the trip.  But darn it, I really wanted to see that part of the world!  Maybe someday...

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[littleg]

I'm not sure if I should say "oh, bummer" or "that is a good thing".  I'm sure you'll see it someday!  When you do eat a croissant for me  It is unfortunate that we live in times like this.  

 

Are you going to count your first 2 weeks or will you start a stricter 30 days now with no SWYPO kinds of stuff?

 

Did you buy the sweater?  Or ask Santa for it?  I switched careers about 3.5 years ago and am now a nurse.  I haven't bought new clothes in about... 3.5 years  It is one of the many things I like better about this job!

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Haha - I had the same mixed feelings.  My co-worker thought I was bat-shit-crazy (pardon the expression) for considering the fact that I can now do a Whole30 as a "silver lining."

 

I'm going to start a stricter 30 days.  No SWYPO stuff; no non-compliant vinegar.  No Korean food labels I can't read (unless I translate the entire thing).

 

I need to see if the sweater is available in a store locally to try it on - just because it looked good on the model online doesn't mean it'll look good on me (if it does; I'll ask Santa). I've avoided clothes shopping in Korea like the plague, since I am the size of the average Korean man.  Thin is definitely in here.  For reference, the largest "normal" size pants carried in my stores is a 27" waist.  And yet the last time I was in the Gap in North American, I magically became a size "Small" for their shirts.  I'm going to have some major reverse culture shock going back (but I'm SO EXCITED about the food and grocery options!!!  Being able to walk to a store and buy cashew butter off of the shelf, vs. making my own at home - I've done it - or ordering it and waiting patiently at the door for a week...there are no words).

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 14 (Thursday, November 19):

Food Log:

M1: 3 egg “muffins” (or mini frittatas, as per yesterday), leftover shredded cabbage & zucchini rounds fried in ghee, and a mug of coffee with several tablespoons of coconut milk.  I also had some organic Throat Coat tea (compliant!) to soothe my sore throat.

Pre-WO: ½ baked chicken breast with seasonings

Post-WO: ½ baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash

M2: Leftover zucchini noodles covered in EVOO and topped with the tomato meat sauce I made last night (ground beef, tomato sauce, sautéed onions & red bell pepper, mixed Italian herbs, garlic flakes) + 1 packet Artisana coconut butter.

M3: Curried cabbage (from The Detoxinista’s Warm & Cozy Winter Detox – some recipes are already Whole30-compliant, some can be adjusted with just a few tweaks) with cooked shrimp.

Snack: I was eyeballing a banana & almond butter (and also thinking about the Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabar again), but I wanted to stay true to my “template meal commitment” so I went for a small tin of tuna packed in oil with hot pepper sauce and a large handful of black olives.  And then I still ended up with my fingers (literally – not figuratively or proverbially) in the coconut butter jar again.  I need MORE PROTEIN at my template meals.  I also felt head-achy and on reflection I realized that not only did I not have any fruit at all today, my only starchy vegetable was one serving post-workout.  I’m going to try putting one serving of fruit back in at a minimum on the days I work out.

 

Feelings Log: Well, my pants feel looser today (yes, even in the hips).  I also woke up well before my alarm clock (5:30 am I simply could not sleep anymore so I got out of bed and got some more Christmas cards written – I’m trying to get them all done in advance of my trip).  On the downside, I also woke up with a sore throat and a breakout!  This is the worst my skin has been in many, many months (although it dawned on me as I rested my chin in my hands that it is also softer, along with spottier).  And my hair is oily, too!  I guess my body is just adjusting to the extra dietary fat?  I’m sure my hormone levels have been all over the place, what with the change in diet and the crazy sleep.  So I’m frustrated but I’m trying to keep a balanced view and hang in there. 

 

I’m getting more and more attached to the idea of trying to maintain a Whole30 style of eating while on my trip so that I can at least reap some of the benefits of this program, the kind that only come from thirty full days.  (And yes, I know that my benefits won’t be quite as good as they will be when I have 100% compliance, but so far I am having a darn good run on my “unofficial” Whole30.)

 

UPDATE: Trip cancelled in its entirety due to deteriorating security situation in Belgium & France.  As soon as I found out my trip was cancelled, I’ll admit that I was bummed.  And one of my reactions to my emotions was that I wanted to eat that darn Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabar!  But I recognized my emotional response and resisted giving in to it. I went shopping instead (on the hunt for 100% Whole30-compliant ingredients, such as coconut milk & balsamic vinegar and more salsa! – not your usual “retail therapy”). I also saw that one of the “silver linings” of my trip being cancelled is that now I can do a full 30 days (or more!).  Except, however, this might be more ambitious than I initially realized.  I could not find regular or light-tasting olive oil ANYWHERE (so I will have some strongly-flavoured mayo!), all of the coconut milk had some sort of preservative ending in “sulfite”, and I could not find English-label balsamic vinegar with compliant ingredients.

 

I also tried my salt toothpaste for the first time.  Definitely a different experience, although it too has a laundry list of ingredients!

[littleg]

Look for AroyD - I think its from the Philippines - maybe they carry it in S Korea...?  Or what about Thrive Market - is that only for the US?  

 

... I just checked, US only

[ShannonM816]

Just to clarify -- all balsamic vinegars will have sulfites, but good quality balsamics will only have naturally occurring ones, not added ones. I don't know what labels look like where you are, or what they're required to say, so I'm not sure what to tell you to look for. Here, if they list something that ends in sulfite in the ingredients, they've added it, but if they just say something like, contains sulfites, or contains naturally occurring sulfites, those would be okay for Whole30. (Here, organic ones can't have added sulfites -- but again, I know you're not here, so I don't know what the labeling laws are like there, that may not be a label they use, or it could mean something else entirely.)

 

And you may already know that and just be having trouble finding any, but just in case there was any kind of confusion, I thought I'd mention it.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Thanks, Shannon!  It was clarified for me that my balsamic vinegar IS actually okay - it contains sulfites, but they are not in the ingredient list proper (naturally-occuring).  Thank goodness!  Now the hunt is on for compliant full-fat coconut milk.  I found lite canned coconut milk that is fully compliant, but I need those healthy, satiating fats!

 

Thanks!

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 15 / Official* Day 1 (Friday, November 20):

That’s right; the clock has now started ticking on my Official Whole30!  No SWYPO treats, no non-compliant additives), no trusting foreign-language food labels without full translation by a native speaker – if I can’t read it; it’s non-compliant!  The focus is on balanced template meals, with fruit limited to 1-2 servings per day (based on my own personal experience with blood sugar & hunger after eating it but also malaise with NO fruit on workout days), no nut butters (compliant but a “food-with-no-brakes” for me) and limited nuts and seeds (no more than every few days).

Food Log:

M1: Shredded cabbage and egg “scramble” fried in ghee along with zucchini rounds (only two eggs; I need to get my breakfast protein UP – I guess “egg boredom” is setting in, especially since I am now facing the possibility of not finding any compliant breakfast meats – I’ll have to swap ham, bacon & sausage for home-cooked chicken thighs, ground beef, and the like) + 1 packet Artisana coconut butter + small handful (~1/2 oz.) raw cashews.  I also had some organic Throat Coat tea (compliant!) to soothe my sore throat again and my standard mug of hot water with lemon juice.

Snack: 1 Apple Pie Larabar and 1 mug of black tea.  (Yes, yes I know I said above that I was focused on template meals – see my reasons below for this “treat”).

M2: Leftover zucchini noodles covered with Mel Joulwan’s Sunshine Sauce, 1 baked chicken breast and ~1 oz. raw cashews.  It was like a Thai cashew-chicken noodle bowl, without the…noodles!  And 1 apple (anticipating a workout that failed to materialize – le sigh).

Pre-WO: Nil (attended charity baking auction instead)

Post-WO: Nil (attended charity baking auction instead)

M3: Cauliflower roasted in EVOO with Italian herbs, topped with leftover homemade tomato meat sauce and black olives.  And then I had roasted squash on the side with coconut butter.  I was SO hungry, and I didn’t even get my workout today!  My mental instinct was to pull back and try to STOP EATING but I decided to trust my body’s cues and just ate until I felt satisfied.  I have no idea if I was experiencing “false” hunger from eating that apple.

 

Feelings Log: This “re-start” is harder than I thought, in light of my trip cancellation.  I knew at some point I’d have an official Day 1 and would have to “start over” so to speak, but I thought it was going to be after two weeks of sight-seeing (and wining and dining) in Europe – and staying at hotels and getting a BREAK from preparing and cooking and packing and storing food.  Today was our holiday baking auction.  I knew that all along and I had no problem preparing my favourite Christmas treats from scratch (Nanaimo bars, shortbread cookies, etc.) without a single drop of batter crossing my lips.  But I seriously considered letting today be an “off” day so that I could actually sample the fruits of my labor (I know darn well that my baked goods are definitely WORTH IT).  I rationalized that I was going to have to start at Day 1 again anyway, whether it was today or tomorrow.  And my special once-a-year baking is the kind of thing that makes Melissa & Dallas caution against starting a Whole30 during the holidays, anyway.  I also confirmed with a Korean co-worker that my Korean-language labelled coconut milk actually does contain non-compliant ingredients (as I suspected but ignored for the purposes of my “unofficial” Whole30).  So, the clock is truly squarely back at Day 1. 

 

My counter-arguments with myself were that I had already achieved something great by eliminating dairy, gluten, grains, legumes (with the possibility of hidden soy additives), sugar & artificial sweeteners for two weeks, and I wanted to keep that going.  One bite of my Nanaimo bars and one bite of my peanut butter-butterscotch cookies would reintroduce every single one of those food groups all at once – not exactly the desired reintroduction protocol.  And I also realized that since they are MY baked goods, I CAN choose to bake them in the future and I will be able to sample them then, if I so choose (and live with the consequences).  I do NOT have to have them RIGHT NOW.  And I now know what labels are clearly non-compliant (and if I can’t read it, I’m treating it as non-compliant and NOT part of my official Whole30).  So let’s just get this show on the road!  You can see all of the great learnings I’ve had from my demo days reflected in the disclaimer in italics, above.

 

Result?  The compromise that I made with myself was to have a Larabar (Apple Pie flavour, actually – it seemed more appealing to me than the Chocolate Coconut Chew) BEFORE attending the baking auction.  That one little “treat” was showing enough kindness to myself to take the edge off and I was able to enjoy the event without a single bit of catered pizza or a single sample of the various baked goods on offer.  And when the event switched over to a live auction, it was a LOT of fun!  My three goodies were sold as a lot for 500,000 KRW (~$500 USD!).  Did I reward an emotional reaction with (compliant) food?  Yes.  That could be considered a failure.  Did I pre-emptively plan for a food-heavy event?  Yes.  That could be considered a victory.  I would say on the whole that the mindfulness made it a WIN for me!

 

In other news, I also woke up before my alarm clock this morning, but this time I felt more anxiety/stress (possibly just the spillover of emotions from yesterday’s trip cancellation).  I was certainly up way too late – ironically because I was reading the Whole9 forum!  But who knows, maybe it’s the beginning of Tiger Blood kicking in!?!  This is all the more reason to move seamlessly into my official Whole30 with no day off, which is exactly what I did.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Day 16 / Official* Day 2 (Saturday, November 21):

Food Log:

M1: 3 poached eggs served on a bed of shredded cabbage fried in ghee and topped with a spoonful of compliant salsa, with a wedge of roasted squash on the side.  This was the perfect satiating breakfast to fuel me up for a morning of (non-compliant) baking.  I made Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Muffins, Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (I had ripe bananas to use up), Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies and Andes Mint Chip Cookies to take to my Quiz Night Event and to Sunday school.  I couldn’t get over how NOT HUNGRY I felt – no temptation to sample ANY of my creations.  I also hard-boiled a batch of eggs, and I have plans to attempt making homemade mayo tomorrow.

Pre-WO: ½ baked chicken breast with seasonings

Post-WO: ½ baked chicken breast + open handful size roasted squash.  Instead of going to the gym first thing Saturday morning (and throwing off the timing of all of my template meals thereafter), I realized I really enjoyed going during the noon hour (my regular workout time).

M2: My “MacGyver” soup (steamed mixed vegetables puréed with coconut milk, sea salt & black pepper) and a baked chicken breast with salsa and black olives.

M3: I put my dinner in the hands of the Korean restaurant deities and had grilled beef tenderloin with a side of sautéed mushrooms, green beans and roasted baby potatoes.  I completely ignored the French fries and ketchup that came out as an unexpected side and gave them to my tablemates instead.  Then I spent the evening nursing bottles of unflavoured San Pellegrino served with wedges of lemon and lime and really enjoyed myself.

Late night snack: I was HUNGRY when we got home (probably more a function of being up well past my bedtime) so I had two hard-boiled eggs with sea salt & black pepper.

 

Feelings Log: After worrying about being so hungry Friday night, today my appetite was lower.  As long as I continue to nourish my body with healthy and satiating food, I think I can trust that it won’t eat me into oblivion!

 

I also finally found some compliant coconut milk (ingredients: coconut extract and water).  But closer inspection of the nutrition label (and the water in the ingredients, in retrospect) made me realize that it is NOT full-fat coconut milk.  Yeesh.  All of the full-fat coconut milk I’ve seen in the stores here has some sort of sulfite in it!  I might just have to order online…