Anita's Whole30 log - first time

[AnitaC]

First of all, hi! I'm new here. This is my first attempt at Whole30 and I'm finishing up Day 8.

Why am I doing the Whole30? A few reasons:

Weight loss - I'm always yo-yo'ing with that 10 pounds I want to lose but last year I moved so my walk to and from work dropped from 70 minutes to 20. I didn't realize how much of a difference that walk made to my body. And so the weight piled on so now I have 20lbs I want to lose. The wine doesn't help either.

Energy - I am lazy. I'll come home from work and just crash on the couch and can't bring myself to get in the kitchen and feed myself. And it doesn't help that I live in the downtown core where there are restaurants and take-out options galore. No fast food but still, eating out is pretty caloric. And if I'm eating out, I'm going to treat myself. So if I'm in my favourite Vietnamese restaurant, I'll get the deep-fried wontons with my soup and there's nothing low fat about Thai food. I'm hoping this reset will give me an energy level I've never had.

Focus - I have a tiny attention span and have a terrible time focusing at work so I'm hoping this will get my brain out of the constant fog.

Wine - I drink too much wine and that has to stop. I don't sleep well and it's just empty calories.

I bought the book last month and decided to start in January because I'm not strong enough to resist the gluttony that comes with Christmas. I bought it on my e-reader and I really wish I had of bought the actual book. E-readers are great but for novels or something that you're going to read from start to finish and not jump around. Oh well.

I started on January 4th. I didn't prep the day before so that morning, I went out and bought a bunch of stuff to tide me over for a few days. I made ratatouille from a Whole30-compliant recipe I found somewhere and I made chicken.

The worst day was Day 2. The headache was killing me but I didn't know if it was the no caffeine or that it's January, when the air pressure tends to change rapidly and I get headaches. But Day 3, I woke up with the headache. I went to the store and got compliant almond milk and put a splash of it in my coffee. I'm sorry but I gave up wine, sugar, pasta and Diet Coke, give me something. But I limit it to one in the morning, I don't make a second one to take to work. After that, everything became better. 

Day 3 and 4 was the weekend. I was hungry a lot, then realized I wasn't eating enough. I grocery shopped on Sunday, something I truly hate doing (I was using a meal delivery service prior - great food, you cook it yourself) and came home and made an egg bake for the week. I hate it but I dump hot sauce on it (compliant, I checked) and it's palatable. Hot sauce can make anything palatable. I also baked a whole mess of chicken thighs in two different seasonings that I made.

Days 5-8 have been fine. I was prepped but what really helped was I had a writing assignment and tomorrow is the deadline (finished last night). I work full-time so work and the writing assignment took up all my time so I couldn't think about food.

Day 8 - tonight I shopped, then came home and made my version of kefta using ground beef and pork and my own spice mix and a root vegetable hash. Will have enough for a couple of days.

Tomorrow is Day 9 and I'm terrified. It'll be Friday. A normal Friday thing would be "yay, you made it through the week, you deserve wine" and I'd go to the mall, shop a bit and grab takeout and a bottle of wine. And I'm also afraid of getting bored and caving over the weekend. I'm going for lunch tomorrow with some work friends but they know I'm doing this and I told them I'll probably eat my lunch before or after. They don't care.

I have a friend whom I really respect, he's hardworking and dedicated and is never lazy. I told him about this and because I care about what he thinks of me, it's another method of keeping me on this.

tl;dr: I'm about to say goodnight to Day 8 and so far so good but I'm terrified of the weekend because that's when willpower disappear.

 

[Helen_]

Hey Anita,

You write that the Thai food isn't low fat. Maybe you mean the wrong kind of fat?  

If you could find the time, meal-prepping really does help you through the roughest days. Any change you could plan and prep your whole weekend to make it through with confidence and ease? I sure don't love all the planning, but it helps so much it's something I want never to skip unless there is a very good reason for it. I usually went for the whole week, but recently I find it's better to plan and prep for 4 to 5 days. I plan on Friday, go grocery shopping on Saturday and prep on Sunday. Around Tuesday or Wednesday I plan and shop for the rest of the week and keep it as simple as possible.

Another thing that helps is to always make more than one serving. I try to make enough (if it can be kept in fridge or freezer) to have at least one more lunch and one more meal to freeze so I can easily warm those up on the busier/lazy days.
 

Another thing that is helping me this time is reading a bit in my whole30 book and journaling every morning and closing the day journaling in the evening. I use the day to day book, but any journal would do, even a (non)digital agenda. Just some short words to mark the day is usually enough. 

Good luck, stay strong, you can do it!

 

 

"One day, one meal, one bite at a time"  is a quote from one of the books that has really helped me a lot to get me started and motivated too. 

[AnitaC]

Hi!

I live alone so I always make more than I need, which is great because then I have lunch and maybe dinner the next day. I'm the type who can eat the same thing day after day if I really like it, I'm not a "I had chicken for lunch so I'll have salmon for dinner." And I do like spending time in the kitchen so if I have to cook every night or every second night, it's fine. I just open my iPad and watch Netflix or Youtube. Last weekend, I binged on Whole30 cooking videos. It's great for ideas but some people are making recipes and all you can think of is, "wait, that's not compliant and that's not compliant" so you have to be careful. And as long as I'm busy in the kitchen, my mind can't get bored and start thinking about wine or chocolate or the Nutella that's in the back of the pantry (I really should throw it out).

I agree on the every few days shopping. Right now I'm stressing about the zucchini in the fridge that I bought on Sunday. What will I do with it? I've got other stuff in the fridge that needs to be eaten. My life is apparently very difficult and full of great turmoil.

Good tip on rereading the book. I'm going to do that, I think that will really help keeping me committed. And I just read something helpful on someone else's log where he stated it takes time for your body to adapt to this so don't expect results overnight. I needed to hear that.

[AnitaC]

Day 9 is coming to an end.... well close, it's 8:12 on a Friday evening.

This morning I had the same egg, sausage and spinach bake that I've been eating all week. I hate it and again covered it in hot sauce. There are two pieces still in the fridge but I don't think I can choke them down this weekend. I have the time on the weekend to make myself a nicer breakfast so that's probably what I'll do.

I had lunch plans with two friends today but they knew I was doing this and didn't care that I wouldn't be eating. I ate my breakfast at 10:30 so I wasn't hungry anyway. I scoured the available juices and was curious about the VitaCoco water but passed and grabbed a Fiji Water. I was enjoying chatting with my friends and I mindlessly looked at the back of the bottle and freaked internally when I saw that it contained sulphates. I didn't want to be madame dramatique at lunch so I stayed quiet but couldn't concentrate. When I got back to my desk, I googled and phew, sulphates are normal, they aren't sulphites.

For lunch I had last night's leftovers, my version of kefta and root vegetable hash.

All day I've been nervous about tonight and this weekend because Friday is for wine and takeout. I don't have plans this weekend and the weather is going to be bad (icy road conditions) so I'll be home and will get bored and that's when my mind will wander to wine and sweets. So I took work home with me and hopefully can keep myself busy. As I write this, I'm also watching Youtube whole30 cooking videos, just for ideas and tips.

For dinner, I had the same thing as lunch however I also added two sunny-side up eggs.

I'm not a snacker. Or rather, I'm not a snacker on this. Pre-whole30, I snack on bad things but not because I'm hungry but because it's there.

I don't want to be that annoying person but so far I've been ok. I think because I don't have kids and I live alone, I don't have anyone else to think about so I don't have to do anything for others or have another person around to irritate me, etc. Or I'm doing something wrong and that's why I'm ok. I panic a lot and am constantly wandering into the kitchen to reread labels. 

Maybe a no-scale victory - my skin looks really good however if I can go a week without alcohol, my skin looks good so I don't know if it's whole30-related. I do have more energy but again, no wine so......

[Helen_]

I would definitely take those NSV's! That's amazing. My skin is taking a bit longer but after two weeks I am also seeing results.

I sure remember my first whole30 living alone, having nobody but myself to take care of as an easier ride than the ones I've tried over the years when the house wasn't just me and the cat. Though, sometimes it is good to have someone to account to. So maybe this forum can be that for you might you need it along the ride. 

The stressing over food left in the fridge and not knowing what to do with it is so recognizable! Whenever I just buy lots of veggies and try to wing it I always end up throwing away food that hasn't been eating. Now, keeping to a 'tight' regiment of planning every meal, buying groceries just for the plan and nothing else and holding to the meals  my fridge is empty when I have to buy new groceries without having to throw stuff away. occasionally I do end up with something leftover, but now, after having done this for a while, I don't stress about it anymore and just look up some recipe to make with it or try to experiment myself. Or just add it to the plate. Like cherry tomatoes. I had lots left after needing just 1/3 of the container for one specific recipe, but I just added a couple every morning to my breakfast, that was really nice, it also brought more colour to my plate and that really does help to enjoy a meal more! So maybe, for the time being it's best to really plan al your meals and than when you feel confident enough you could gradually maybe try to wing it for one or two meals in you meal plan and see how that goes?

It's so true that results don't come over night. This helps me a lot as well. The first time I did a whole30 (years back, maybe 7 years ago?) my weight wasn't an issue, I just had a tummy that was bloated a lot, so result came quickly and easy. Now, years later after having steered away from a healthy lifestyle (long story short lost job, fell into self-esteem issues and once your spiraling down it's hard to hit the stop button and start climbing back up when there is lots of stuff going)  I am overweight and my tummy is showing big signs of inflammation (tummy fat anyone?) and it obviously doesn't show much results this early on and I shouldn't even expect that the tummy will be gone after the 30 days. But having done this before I do know what it feels like to not have a bloated tummy, not have the aches and pains in my body and have a clear mind and I do feel that result. So maybe try to look for small changes in how your body feels rather than looking at your body and maybe stressing over having to still buckle your belt on that same hole telling you it's not working? Patience and believing in yourself and the program is essential. Keep the faith and carry on as they say. So again, do take those none scale victories and celebrate them buy coming up with a new breakfast recipe that doesn't need al that hot sauce.  

 

[Guest]

i hear ya on the egg bake--i made one too for convenience sake and had forgotten that i hate the texture of baked eggs. i have to choke it down every day too! it just occurred to me that it might be improved with salsa or perhaps some bruchetta on top--might try to make this recipe today: https://civilizedcavemancooking.com/reviews/paleo-bruschetta-everyday-paleo-italian-cuisine/

i too find that if i just buy a bunch of veggies without a plan for them, they just go bad in the fridge. i can do that with maybe one veggie and then search for recipes for it, but it's harder with a fridge full of them! i just did this with a sweet potato--i have always HATED sweet potatoes but figured i'd give them a try because there are so many recipes for them. it sat on my counter for a week until last night i decided i had to do something with it before it went bad. i found a recipe for a curried sweet potato hash and it was AWESOME. 

good luck this weekend! i look forward to weekends because i can spend a lot of time in the kitchen making exciting recipes that i've found earlier in the week...perhaps fill your time with cooking, as well? i love to cook, though, so that's fun for me--if you're not crazy about it that might not help.

 

[AnitaC]

Helen_ : Thanks for your response. I'm definitely using this forum and this log to keep me on track. I also have a friend whose opinion of me I really value and he knows about this so hopefully that keeps me going. As well as my own willpower  When I gain weight, it's primarily in my torso, mainly my stomach. If I look at my teeny tiny mom and aunt, they gain weight the same way so genetics. Today I feel less jiggly so that's a win I'll attribute to this.

Ceerock: Thank you too for your response. I love eggs, it's the gross texture of the frozen spinach. I'll make something similar again but will use fresh spinach and not the revolting clumpy frozen spinach. Curried sweet potato hash sounds amazing. I just googled it, is it from paleorunningmama? I do love to cook (hate baking) so I don't mind if I have to cook every second night or so.

Last night I learned of a very interesting work opportunity, something i can't get out of my mind so hopefully that will be my obsession this weekend and not let my mind wander to wine or treats. I have a lot of vegetables in the kitchen so I may just run over to the nearby butcher and fish monger (I love my neighbhourhood) and get some cod (my favourite cooked fish) and a steak and some chicken.

I woke up at noon (don't judge, I don't get enough sleep during the week and I went to bed at 2am last night - I'm a night person) so haven't eaten yet but will either choke down that stupid egg bake or make some eggs and whatever is in the fridge. Maybe add a kefta patty or two just for the fat. For now I'm just going to zone out to some makeup videos on youtube.

 

[Guest]

i love eggs too--just not baked ones! and mine has frozen spinach too, which does make it even less appealing. have a great weekend!

[AnitaC]

Day 10 is just about over.

Very lazy food day today:

Breakfast - three sunny side up eggs (one yolk broke, hence 3 instead of 2 because that's how life works), one kefta patty and root vegetable hash

Lunch - egg bake covered in hot sauce - I didn't finish as I got a phone call and when I was done, I had no desire to finish it, mostly because I didn't like it

Dinner - four kefta patties and more root vegetable hash.

I feel fine. Had a horrible headache earlier but I'm attributing that to January and the fact the air pressure changes a lot. It felt the way it feels when a plane is landing and your head wants to explode. I tried to suffer it out but took two Tylenol. I'm assuming they're off plan because they're coated but I don't care and doubt it will make a difference.

I have errands to do tomorrow so I'll actually leave the house and go to the grocery store.

Confession: I have been weighing myself. So far I've lost a few pounds but it's those pounds you easily lose and put back on so I'm not into a new clothing size or anything. That said, I'm going to try to stop weighing myself because the other day, I was up two pounds from the day before and I was crushed but I stayed strong. But I know me and if I get on the scale and see a number I don't like, I'm going to spiral, say screw this and go back to eating whatever I want. So I'm going to do my damnedest to stop.

[AnitaC]

Day 11

Breakfast/lunch: last of the egg bake

Dinner: Salad from Whole Foods (added everything from the salad bar that's compliant and I like).

I went to Whole Foods today and picked up a few things but also happily found compliant guacamole and red wine vinegar. I broke down and spent a million dollars on almond butter, I've never had it before, hopefully I like it. 

I've been struggling with a headache (not quite a migraine) all day. As I've said, January sucks because of the air pressure change. Today I went to a shopping mall and the flashing lights in my eyes were almost unbearable. I used a self-checkout but had to get my mother to read stuff to me because I could only see what was in the top left of my vision. I don't blame w30, I blame January and maybe the laser eye surgery I got back in June. My eyes have been great but weird since I got it (but no regrets).

So that said, that will be all I eat today and I think I'm going to take off my makeup, slip into jammies and crawl into bed early. Watch The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers and hopefully fall asleep. I'll prep stuff tomorrow because I just can't tonight.

[AnitaC]

Day 12

Breakfast: kefta patty, half an apple (sliced), full banana and almond butter

Lunch: three kefta patties and root vegetable hash with tahini

Dinner: last of the root vegetable hash, two sunnyside up eggs, half an apple and almond butter

NSV

I haven't had a fizzy drink since Friday and I don't miss it. The idea of having a carbonated drink kind of makes my stomach recoil. That's bizarre for me because I'm a diet coke drinker, have been for forever.

Thoughts

I can't believe I have lived my life thus far and have never had the beauty that is almond butter. It's what I've wanted nutella to be. I want to scream "IT'S COMPLIANT" but I can't revert back to rewarding normal human behaviour with a treat.

Today I made another egg bake consisting of eggs, fresh spinach and mushrooms (with seasonings). I took the advice from the youtube channel FlavCity with Bobby Parrish and really beat the eggs so hopefully I'll like this bake more than last week's. I also roasted a ton of vegetables - white potato, sweet potato, colourful carrots, brussel sprouts and parsnip (added onion wedges, cinnamon and celery seeds, tossed with olive oil) and I have some stewing been marinating in the fridge. I'll figure out what to do with it tomorrow.

I didn't weigh myself today. Wanted to but didn't. I don't feel any lighter than yesterday. I freaked myself out last night by reading posts in the success stories and I read one where someone said they didn't lose any weight. I know this isn't a weight loss program but I'll be devastated if I don't lose weight. I have to stop thinking about that as it's only day 12.

Again, so far so good. I haven't been starving or bitchy (that I know of) and my energy level is good. I'm still lazy but that might just be me. Maybe I'll try and get up early tomorrow and run (I bet I don't).

[AnitaC]

Just eating my post-workout snack (fried egg and avocado) and googling "gum substitutes" for whole30. When I run, my mouth gets very dry and gum combats that but looks like I'm SOL. I also forgot to bring water with me so I cut my run from 35 minutes to 25 minutes. At least I went down.

Actually, maybe a NSV, I jumped out of bed when my alarm went off at 6. Didn't hit snooze once. Could be just an anomaly though. Probably was.

[AnitaC]

Day 13

Woke up at 6am to go to the small gym in my building and run on the treadmill. Had an espresso with a tiny bit of almond milk, just to take away the harshness of black coffee. I absolutely cannot eat beforehand.

PWO: fried egg and half an avocado

Breakfast: egg bake, half an avocado, a banana and almond butter

Lunch: last of the kefta, roasted vegetables and tahini

Dinner: beef coconut curry (with zucchini, tomato and mushroom). Apple and almond butter

Thoughts

I'm still doing ok. I had coconut curry for dinner. How can you be in a bad place when you can raid through your cupboards and throw a bunch of things in a pan and you end up with compliant coconut curry? I didn't even miss rice, wished I had cauliflower rice. I'll pick some up tomorrow to have with the leftovers. Everyone at work was drooling over my roast vegetable bake. These people normally have great lunches so that is a compliment. I am trying to stop being that guy and shut up about the whole30 but....

I had a very physical day at work today. I have a desk job but I maintain a lot of equipment and all my stuff was packed and moved and I have this week to unpack everything. Some things were crazy heavy and.... it was tiring. I came home covered in dust and was starving but I didn't spin out of control, didn't say F it and get takeout or order, I made dinner.

My run was good this morning except I really wanted gum. My mouth gets so dry and it's not thirst.

I still haven't gotten on the scale and it's killing me but I don't think I've lost any weight and I know if I get on the scale and it tells me that, I'll spiral.

Oh, and I hate this egg bake too. I think because I can't add milk, it's so dry and has a weird texture. Maybe I just don't like egg bakes. Regardless, I'll finish it because I can just smother it in avocado and hot sauce and it's fine.

I'm rambling. I apologize.

[Helen_]

Hey Anita, have you tried adding a bit of coconut milk to your egg bake instead of the milk?

Also, do you mean pre or post workout?  As I understand correctly it's better to eat a small amount of fat (like your egg bake and half an avocado or just a boiled egg) before your workout and eat a meal with some carbs in it after the workout to refuel your muscles. 

I am not a runner, but can't you bring a sports canister with you on your run? you could fancy up your water with a little bit or dead sea salt and some lime juice if you don't like to have just plain water.

Also sounds like the getting up and not hitting snooze is definitely a NSV! Great job on not hitting that scale! (seeing others do it helps me to keep it up aswel )  Stay strong, you've got this!

[Guest]

9 hours ago, AnitaC said:

Oh, and I hate this egg bake too. I think because I can't add milk, it's so dry and has a weird texture. Maybe I just don't like egg bakes. Regardless, I'll finish it because I can just smother it in avocado and hot sauce and it's fine.

I'm rambling. I apologize.

yeah for me it's the texture of baked eggs--it never works. i scramble eggs with scallions and it's delicious and i tried a big egg bake with scallions and i hated it.

[AnitaC]

Helen_, I meant post workout, oops. I can't eat before if it's 6am, I just can't. And I'm not a morning person but I have much more stamina for a 6:30 run than I do for an after work run. I do normally bring water with me (forget yesterday) so I can sip but the gum just keeps my mouth not parched. I don't want to drink too much water while I run as I'm afraid of getting a cramp (or more likely, having to pee and cut my run short). 

And to both Helen_ and ceerock, I'll add some coconut milk next time and if that doesn't work, will have to realize without milk and cheese, egg bakes are not my thing. I'm about to choke down a piece now but I'm smothering it in guacamole. I forgot to bring my banana to work (I'm currently at my desk) but I have grape tomatoes so I'll have them. Ugh, tastes like rubber.

[AnitaC]

Day 14

Breakfast: egg bake, guacamole and grape tomatoes

Lunch: beef coconut curry over roasted vegetables (they don't go together but they were good together)

Dinner: beef coconut curry over broccoli rice and a carbonated grapefruit water

Thoughts

Two weeks. I didn't think I'd do it but wow, two weeks.

I came out of someone's office today and staring at me was a box of Timbits (donut holes to non-Canadians) and my first instinct was to check what was left in the box but I kind of recoiled as if it would shock me. I don't even really like them that much so resisting was easy but when they're there, I'll eat them.

My day was extremely physical as I'm still moving equipment. Tomorrow will be easier but still a lot of work. I do appreciate this way of eating as I'm not sluggish or bloating, things that would make unpacking that stupid room much harder.

Broccoli rice is better than I thought it would be. I wanted cauliflower rice but the store was out. I know I can make it myself but no. I like to cook, I'll make the effort but the thought of little tiny white bits everywhere made me cringe. I LOVE cauliflower but I hate cutting it. But the broccoli rice was good. I heated coconut oil, added onion and garlic, then curry paste. After that smelled incredible, I added the broccoli rice and sautéed it until the beef curry had heated up in the microwave. It had a nice crunch and the taste was not overpowering. I think I'm going to make a bolognese sauce or maybe try making my dad's cabbage rolls using the b rice. 

I'm facing my first challenge this weekend. My mom and I are going to the Women's March on Saturday. Last year we attended the march, then afterwards went to Nordstrom for lunch and had a boozy bougie mother-daughter lunch that focused primarily on drinks. That's how I reward myself. I'll have to make sure to eat a huge lunch before I go out. She'll want me to spend the night so I'll have to make dinner so I can control everything. Bonus is she's cool with me cooking. It'll be really hard to not want wine on Saturday.

Still haven't weighed myself, mainly because I'm sure the scale hasn't budged and I can't bear to see that. Please let me lose weight from this (I know, I know, not the point).

[AnitaC]

Day 15

Breakfast: Two sunnyside up eggs, roasted vegetables and guacamole

Lunch: broccoli rice, roasted vegetables and beef coconut curry

Dinner: Three sunnyside up eggs, roasted vegetables and guacamole - a whole banana and almond butter

Thoughts

This is the halfway mark. Holy moly.

I felt bloated today so I have to figure out what it was. My only thought is the beef coconut curry because I hate the beef, it's fatty and not in a good way. I expected more from meat from Whole Foods. I didn't eat much of the beef so I didn't get much protein at lunch today, hence the three eggs for dinner.

So I weighed myself today. The scale hasn't moved since last week. I was devastated and I sulked. Once I was done, I told myself if I want change, I have to do it. So I'm going to have to create (and stick to) a running plan. I run so infrequently so I've been stuck at 5km for a couple of years and I'd like to get to 10km. I can keep training on the treadmill (I don't love the treadmill but it's too dark and sometimes too cold in the morning to go out and do my preferred route) and maybe by April, I can get outside and do 10km.

Anyhoo, I'm rambling again. I'm happy it's day 15 but sad about not losing weight all week.

[AnitaC]

Day 16

Breakfast: two pieces of the egg bake (covered in hot sauce), guacamole, a banana and almond butter

Lunch: last of the beef coconut curry and vegetable roast

Dinner: salad from the Farm Boy salad bar (Farm Boy is a smaller but better Whole Foods)

Thoughts

Weighed myself again, no change.

I love a big salad. I wanted to add the beef but the ingredients listed palm oil so I ducked into a corner of the store, pulled out my phone and googled "whole30 palm oil" and saw some mixed messages so decided to err on the side of caution, skip it and double up on boiled eggs. Added avocado, olive oil and olives for fat. And the $9.99 red wine vinegar I bought at Whole Foods - I'm going to finish that expensive bottle.

Tried to wake up to run this morning but couldn't get out of bed until 7:30. Tomorrow I'll run. Probably. And then there's the women's march - it's going to be 5C tomorrow so that's great. Then I'll spend the night at my mom's so I'll have to bring some almond milk for my coffee and I'll make dinner to ensure it's compliant.

Had a dream that I popped a candy in my mouth, then freaked out, spit it out and wiped my tongue on a napkin and tried not to swallow. Was so glad it was a dream.

Otherwise I have no thoughts. I'm doing fine, no cravings, no hunger, haven't had headaches all week.

[AnitaC]

Day 17

Breakfast: egg bake and guacamole

Lunch: salad from the salad bar at Farm Boy - loaded with everything good

Dinner: pork chop, roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts

Thoughts

Today was the toughest in terms of "challenges." And by "challenges," I mean normal stuff people face every day but I'm treating it as if everything is life altering. After the women's march, my mother and I wandered back into the downtown core (where we both live) and headed to the mall. She wanted beer so I told her to go into the liquor store by herself because I just can't go in there. I picked up a salad to have later for lunch, then we headed to my place. As we were going back to her place (and I'm staying the night), I packed a bag of food so I could make dinner, plus threw in a couple cans of LaCroix and poured some almond milk in a jar so I can have coffee in the morning. When we got to her place, the want for wine was overwhelming. Normally I'd come in, put the bottle on her entrance table and take off my boots. So many habits I have to break.

I made dinner and that was tough because she kept pulling stuff out of the cupboard and ask "what about this?" Despite telling her 8,000 times "no dairy, no sugar, no grains," she asked about rice. I said no. She asked, "what about basmati?" Sigh, still rice. Then she pulled out a steak rub but I saw sugar on the ingredients label so she snatched it back and rolled her eyes. I guess I get my dramatic reactions to non-dramatic situations from her. She asked me "well, what can you eat?" I showed her the dinner I was preparing. I told her I wasn't limited at all. She's the blandest eater in the world, I don't know why this isn't simple to her.

Anyhoo, now I'm trying to pretend my grapefruit LaCroix is what I want to be drinking on a Saturday night. At least I'll be awake for SNL.

[AnitaC]

Day 18

Breakfast: two sunnyside up eggs and an avocado

Lunch: leftover porkchops and brussel sprouts

Dinner: two sunnyside up eggs, half an avocado, one banana and almond butter

Thoughts

Weighed myself and was down two pounds. I like my mom's scale better than mine

It was around 5C today so my mom and I went out for a walk and went to a farmers market. I stopped at a sausage stand and asked about their ingredients. This was the first time I did that but told the woman I was doing the whole30. She just smiled (don't think she knew what it was) but gladly showed me the ingredients for the chorizo and the ingredients were a thing of beauty - completely compliant. I bought a a pack of four. I was so weirdly happy. I'm going to make a succotash-type dish in the slow cooker on Tuesday (I'll prep everything tomorrow night). We then went to Whole Foods where I bought coconut flower. Still can't find coconut aminos. If I can't get it at Whole Food, not sure where I can find it in my city. I did find a soy-sauce substitute that contains organic fermented coconut tree sap and after googling it, I think it's not compliant. Oh well, I'll be ok  

We were out and moving for three hours. It was humid today so by the time we were nearing my mom's house, we were dragging our feet. Got in and the cat was in the same place he was when we left. I want his life. 

But I know that I need to make an effort every day to move. Some weekends I barely leave the couch and that has to stop. I've laid out my running clothes, drank lots of water and am about to have my sleepytime tea so I can get up in the morning to run.

Still doing great, can't believe I've kept this up for 18 days. I'm going to read up on the paleo diet and see if that's something I want to embrace.

[AnitaC]

Day 19

Breakfast: boiled egg and half an avocado - I think I had a banana and almond butter, this morning was so long ago

Lunch: left over porkchops, grape tomatoes and an apple (weak lunch, I know)

Dinner: porkchops, sauteed mushrooms, slivered almonds and black olives

Thoughts

Almost had a slip. I have been on my feet all evening, chopping a billion vegetables to prepare for a slowcooker dish tomorrow. My thumb is burning from the red chili peppers I cut up. Finally I started dinner, made the porkchops, then started sauteeing zucchini, mushrooms and brussel sprouts and added Chinese Five Spice. As I was finishing up, I realized I never checked the ingredients. I stopped reading at "brown sugar." Blurgh!!!!! Dumped them in a bowl, wiped out the pan, then started over, melted ghee in the pan, added new mushrooms, then some slivered almonds for fat. They compliment each other nicely. Anyhoo, I'm so glad I checked the ingredients.

I ran this morning. I couldn't eat before (07:00) and didn't have a proper post-workout meal and breakfast. I read up today on what I should do so tonight I crumbled ground turkey, onions, apple and spices so I can have a lean protein.

[AnitaC]

Day 20

Breakfast: two sunnyside up eggs, ground turkey and apple scramble

Lunch: left over porkchops, sauteed mushrooms and almond slivers, black olives

Dinner: sausage vegetable mix, black olives

Thoughts

Those organic, free-range, $14 for 4 sausages are not good. They are dry, flavourless and have a weird smell. But I made a huge slowcooker thing of mixed vegetables and them so I'll be eating that for a few days. Oh well, I'll just add hot sauce.

[AnitaC]

Day 21

Pre-run: boiled egg and half an avocado

Post-run: ground turkey with apple and a carrot

Lunch: sausage vegetable mix, a whole avocado

Dinner: sausage vegetable mix and a salad with a whole bunch of good things (including egg and avocado)

Thoughts

I tried eating before my run and I don't know if I want to do that again. I felt fine but was so scared of it coming back up. When I got back upstairs, I couldn't figure out a starchy carb to eat so hopefully the carrot sufficed. I couldn't eat breakfast because I had already eaten enough.

Aside from that, still going strong. I still have four servings left of the sausage vegetable mix and I already hate it. I think I dislike eggplant. Never really cooked with it before and only ever had it in Thai dishes so I'll live my life just fine without ever having eggplant again.

[cynrok]

which brand of sausage was it? i'd like to know what to avoid...