Gin's First Whole 30

[ginsinnot]

Today is Day 1

Last night I cooked pork sausage (from Whole Foods meat counter, good stuff, no sugar or fillers) with peppers (red and yellow) and green onions so that breakfast this morning would be faster.

Breakfast today: 3 scrambled eggs (just water and eggs) with the sausage pepper mix, a red pear and black coffee (that's a first for me)

I also prepped lunches for my husband and myself (he's coming along for my ride): Mixed greens with a can of tuna fish, some olive oil in his with onion and avocado with black pepper in mine.

I'm a little tired today because I got up for an early day of work due to some appointments

I'm not sure but I think dinner is going to be a roast leg of lamb (since I have the afternoon at home waiting for a service appointment) with..... roasted squash and green beans. We'll see:)

[Carie Skeahan]

Great looking day 1!!! Welcome!

[Quinn]

Nice job! Keep it going strong! Lots of encouragment here. I am on day 10, so it just gets better

[Derval]

Welcome & good luck. Love roast lamb!

[Heatherina]

Yum everything sounds great!

[ginsinnot]

Oh my goodness, that lamb roast was sooo good last night. And really easy to make. Just rubbed it with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice then patted on 8 teaspoons of diced garlic and 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, little bit of pepper and salt and into the oven. I added carrots and onions because my husband is doing this with me and loves carrots. Roasted a butternut squash in coconut oil at the same time. Only took about 2 hours from start to finish. We also had some green beans with it. And I was full and happy.

The lamb roast was bone in, so I'm going to make stew tonight using the leftover meat, bone and veggies (adding some chicken stock and more veggies but skipping the white wine so many recipes call for).

This morning for breakfast I had about a quarter cup of pork sausage with spinach and red pepper and onion over 3 scrambled eggs, then 1/2 of a super soft peach with some strawberries. And my coffee black. I'm thinking about trying canned coconut cream tomorrow in my coffee, but I'm really trying to kick my sweet tooth, so I might just keep hitting the coffee black.

Feeding 3 adults like this (my sister, husband and I all live together) is a fair amount of work and we are going to go through a lot of meat and eggs! We already were eating a lot of veggies (and have home delivery weekly of organics so I don't have to go to the store so much). I stocked up on meat at Whole Foods on Monday night, but the closest one is about an hour from home. So I've been looking into buying meat from local grassfed producers and found an amazing site that you can use to find grass fed/pasture meat suppliers in your area at www.eatwild.com (I'm thinking about a farm "field trip" or two in the next week).

I'm thinking it helps, as far as sticking to the plan and enjoying it, that we've been moving towards this way of eating for a couple of months.

[Carie Skeahan]

You are doing great...I really enjoy reading your log!

[ginsinnot]

Lunch yesterday, was leftover breakfast and a little bit of squash. I walk home for lunch and by the time I got there and looked in the fridge, just wanted to eat. Yay leftovers.

Yesterday afternoon was a little rough, I snacked on a small handful of cashews and it was more because I wanted to eat "something". But I didn't give in to any of the "food products" that were mere feet away from my desk yesterday for an office party.

And I discovered that when I'm really aggravated, as I was with my husband right after work, I want..... I just want. So instead I cooked. Made bacon and grassfed beef chili (it's weird to leave out the beans) with lots of spices (cumin, coriander, chili powder, cayenne chili powder and a sprinkly of chipotle chili powder). A great secret I picked up a few years ago from an awesome cook: cook the bacon and leave the fat in the pan, then "bloom" the spices by adding the spices to the hot grease. This really releases the deliciousness and will make everyone think you're a genius in the kitchen:)

I also made lamb stew from the other night's leftovers. Since I was on a roll with the chili simmering away. Browned the leftover meat, added 3 leaks and some lemon juice and thyme. Used chicken stock and popped the lamb leg bone in. Never made lamb stew before, so hope it turned out.

Benefits: by the time I was done cooking and cleaned the kitchen, I was no longer mad at my spouse. And I have a big pot of chil and a pot of lamb stew so I won't have to spend all weekend in the kitchen!

Breakfast today: sweet potato with coconut milk, bacon, coffee and strawberries. Would have more non-starch veggies, but got up late today and didn't have time to really cook or do more. It's my sister's favorite breakfast so far. Dare I say this? It might be a little sweet for breakfast for me. Wow, never thought those words would pass my mouth.

this was a long post! Guess I should get back to work.

[Nancy H.]

Hi Gin.......Sounds like you are doing great. Congratulations.

But where do you find compliant bacon? I cannot find any anywhere. And I do love bacon.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Breakfast today: sweet potato with coconut milk, bacon, coffee and strawberries. Would have more non-starch veggies, but got up late today and didn't have time to really cook or do more. It's my sister's favorite breakfast so far. Dare I say this? It might be a little sweet for breakfast for me. Wow, never thought those words would pass my mouth.

[ginsinnot]

We have a local pig farm that we get our bacon from. The pigs forage mainly. It's a little pricey but I love bacon:)

[ginsinnot]

My log

[ginsinnot]

it's Sunday now. Friday and Saturday took some planning as I went to visit family. Just packed a lot of food! Made breakfast for the family: scrambled eggs with veggies and pork sausage, yams pan cooked in coconut oil then topped with coconut cream, coffee. Shared lamb stew for lunch.

Today has been tough. I woke up hungry but nothing ready to eat since I was out of town. Took a while, but cooked up some chicken thigh meat, onions and kale. Because I felt a little cranky for the first time, thawed some frozen berries and baked them in the oven plain then topped with toasted almonds. It's lunch time now, a bratwurst and sauerkraut for lunch. I'm still irritable. But my sister is cooking dinner tonight and that will be delish (partly because I won't beaming it:) garlic roast beef shoulder, roasted tomatoes and cauliflower.

[ginsinnot]

I stuck with it. Today was not easy. I ate more food than I needed because I was cranky and tired. But no cheats. I even managed to go to the movie theatre with my guy and not have any junk. And I'm pretty full of myself for that, because he had a giant popcorn and pop. I'm sitting here with some soothing hot tea and glad it's bed time. Clicking the I DID IT button in my support email felt awfully good today

[Heatherina]

Great job - movie popcorn is hard to resist, for me!

[ginsinnot]

Today is already a much better day. I feel good! It's a beautiful early fall day here in Michigan, the trees are just starting to change and I needed a jacket and scarf for my walk to work. Oh, and the mums on my porch and in the yard are just gorgeous this year!

For breakfast: 4 eggs with spinach, oven roasted tomatoes and 3 mini sweet peppers diced up. Coffee with some coconut cream. I actually couldn't quite finish my eggs, so into the fridge they went.

Yesterday was tough, but I sat down on the couch with my tea (lights low in the house, no tv on ) and paged through "It Starts With Food" to remind myself why I'm doing this. It helped, may start carrying it with me for times when I can't get online to the forum and website.

My sister is also doing the Whole 30, she and my husband and I share our big old house. But it may not be big enough for both of us to have the food crankies on the same day!

[ginsinnot]

Great job - movie popcorn is hard to resist, for me!

I almost didn't go to the movies, it's almost synonymous with eating junk food! But I figured if I can do that, anytime I think about going off plan in the next 24 days, I'll remember the movie theatre. Like winning a major campaign battle or something!

[ginsinnot]

Here's Day 6: Breakfast was 3 or 4 eggs with oven roasted tomatos, spinach and sweet peppers; coffee with 2 tbsp coconut milk. Huge difference using the oven roasted tomatos instead of just tossing fresh in!

Lunch was leftover garlic roast beef sliced over greens with 1/2 an avocado and cherry tomatos. Topped with garlic olive oil leftover from making the garlic roast. That was super tasty! I really need to get the garlic roast beef recipe from my sister and share it; it's really decadent tasting with all that toasted garlic flavor.

Dinner was pork loin chops with garlic kale and roasted buttercup squash. Added some ghee to the squash with a little bit of nutmeg and cinnamon; it was like eating pumpkin pie. We had some strawberries that were about to turn as well as a peach, so I diced the peach up with the strawberry and topped with a tablespoon or 2 of coconut cream that evening; shared it with my sister. That was pretty delicious.

I've been enjoying a cup of herbal tea at night. It seems to help me wind down and the warmth makes me feel sleepy.

Things I need to figure out: breakfasts and lunches for my husband. Leftovers would work great for his breakfast, the trouble is having enough leftovers! Lunch is a little tough because he works on jobsites without any way to heat food, so he's a little limited there. I made him chicken breasts on Monday, turns out he ate 2 of those but nothing else.

This is day 7 for me and I'm feeling like I am going to stick to the Whole 9 forever! With some limited additions after my Whole30 (what those will be remain to be seen when I add things back in post-30: I'm hoping it includes some tasty aged cheddar, some alcohol, and limited traditional desserts. What I won't be adding back in: diet pop or pop in general (I've been working on getting that out of my life off and on for about 2 years now, I really think it's poison, especially the diet stuff which is what I drank), anything even closely resembling factory food (think crackers, chips, "chicken" nuggets, cereal, soy products, etc).

I also find this lifestyle very intriguing from the standpoint of my work. I work for the government in a disability program; essentially I read through people's medical records and talk with them, then decide if they are disabled from working. Everyone who applies is very sick, even those that are denied by the program. I'm not sure that as a public we really grasp how many people in this country are really, really, really sick. Like not functional on a daily basis, people who've given up on living life without pain and misery daily. And through my own experience with the medical system (I have Crohn's Disease) and my work, I can't tell you how important it is that we (as in "the people") figure this out. And I think Whole9 and approaches like it are the way forward.

[ginsinnot]

Just got back to work from lunch. It was a little rushed as I had to walk home, cook bratwursts, clean up, feed the cats (now that I'm eating like this, I feel bad about all the filler crap in their pet foods, and I buy what I thought was the good stuff; may add their diet after I'm done) and get back to work. But I enjoyed my bratwurst with sauerkraut. For the first time, I just drank a quarter of coconut milk straight up to make sure I got my fats in. Wasn't too bad, sort of my Whole 30 digestif (I had to look that up, I wrote aperitif but then thought that's before the meal which it is).

I'm considering my first restaurant experience tonight with the Whole 30. We have a fantastic local Mexican restaurant and before my Whole 30 officially started, I'd eating paleo-style there without a problem. Just didn't eat the corn chips, had water to drink, and chicken fajita without the side plate of beans/rice, kept the lettuce/pico portion. I'm just not in the mood to cook tonight!

I'm also thinking about hosting a ladies boardgame night this Thursday at my house, a way to get to see my girls but control my environment a little. I was thinking of making some Whole30 party treats I've seen (think that was my daily email) and then having sparkling water fancied up with lime or maybe frozen berries for me. Ideas for this are welcome!

[Derval]

A jug of water made & let steep the prev night - with cucumber slices, mint leaves & lemon & lime slices.

Or use frozen berries as ice-cubes in sparkling water.

kale crisps?

cruditee with sunshine sauce for dipping? beetroot humus.

Slices of proscioutto wrapped around avo slices?

brain emptied.

[ginsinnot]

Thank you, love the idea of prosciutto wrapped avocado! And I wouldn't have thought to steep the water overnight. Great ideas

[ginsinnot]

Tired tonight and a little bit of a sore throat, something going around the office probably combined with my immune suppresser. All the more reason to stick with it and have a lifetime of controlling inflammation through healthy eating!

Restaurant foray number 1: our local Mexican place. No chips, just water and fajita mix veg with steak and shrimp and chicken, side of lettuce. Much needed quiet time with the honey and no

dishes to wash:) Reading then off to bed.

[ginsinnot]

I feel great this morning! It is so unusual, but so nice, to wake up in the morning before the alarm goes off and not because I have insomnia.

I didn't do the day #7 Food for Thought exercise yesterday, so I thought I'd post it here for posterity

Find myself craving sweets/bread/sugar when: So far, I haven't. Which I'm amazed by. I've been a hardcore sugar enthusiast since grade school, when I'd take my change to the local dime store and buy CANDY

Sometimes I think I'm hungry but I'm actually just: Bored at work (or at home on the weekend)

When I'm craving sugar I used to eat: I was addicted to any form of sugar but most often went for candy when at work, homemade baked goods at home.

During my Whole30 I'll reach for: Not food. Meditate. Or my husband, the best "sugar" there is .

When I eat sweet food like fruit, I notice: Because a major goal is slaying my sugar dragon, I'm only eating fruit or sweet potatos (because they taste sweet now) with meals. No snacking on those. When I do have them with a meal, I notice the swirl of flavors that accompany the "sweet". Blueberries this morning were bright and tart and a hint of sweet. The sweet potatos were warm and earthy, like fall, with a calm sweetness.

When I eat salty foods like nuts or olives, I notice: Hmm, don't really notice anything. I only want a little of those at time, salt can be overwhelming.

I thought I'd miss eating/drinking: Pop (diet coke or coke zero) but I don't and that makes me feel so free

I didn't think I'd like eating: wasn't worried about anything. I have recently learned there's a way to eat egg plant (life long loathing for that veg), which is in Julia Child's Ratatouille which my sister is a pro at

I have the hardest time sticking to the Whole 30 when I'm feeling: Stressed, but I'm feeling that less 1 week in

I have the hardest time sticking to the Whole30 when I'm (social setting): Well, I've tried a restaurant and stuck to it. And I tried the movie theatre, that was a little tougher but I felt awfully good after having resisted. I think it would be hard to meet friends after work for drinks and stick to it, so I've avoided that.

When I eat a good breakfast I feel: ready for the day

Preparing whole meal from scratch, I feel: Relaxed, caring (for myself and my fam), engaged. Sometimes rushed.

Since starting I've notice:

that my exercise/performance is: on hold last week, while I adjusted to the all the time cooking and resting

that my sleep is: Awesome! I'm going to bed earlier, sleeping mostly through the night, and waking rested before the alarm

THAT MY ENERGY LEVELS: Are so even! And increasing.

that my emotions are: smoother, happier

that my body feels: GOOD (cue James Brown)

that my clothes fit: just a smidgen better

that my conditions: Allergies, the same, it's ragweed time here in Michigan (my nemesis...nemese....nemisi?) My skin is, let's just say, transitioning. Digestion: all good (which IS AWESOME, my Crohns is in remission for a few years, but things are obviously working better more consistently now)

[maggief]

Great work and great log! Keep it up

[ginsinnot]

Great work and great log! Keep it up

thank you, just checked out your log as well

[ginsinnot]

Breakfast this morning was a sweet potato cooked in ghee with cinnamon, then added frozen blueberries and coconut cream with 2 eggs and coffee. Smelled like blueberry pancakes (must be feeling strong to even think about blueberry pancakes and stick with it)!

Lunch was surprisingly good, because I had swiss chard that my sister cooked in coconut milk and some spices, ended up like a tasty creamed spinach sort of deal. With roasted carrots and a chicken breast. Got pretty full and couldn't eat the last few bites.

I am pretty sure it's partly the beautiful fall day and partly my Whole30, but I am really just so darn happy. And I've been feeling just calmer and more even and happy progressively since starting. Yippeeee!