Whole30 #1...maaaayyybe whole45??

[bljf1006]

Man, I'm just having a rough week! And I blame it ALL on Mother Nature's lovely (early) gem. Last night, day 17, I was suuuuuper cranky. Mostly because I had spent my entire day at one house (which ended up being one of the dirtiest houses I've had to clean) and I didn't even get to finish! I spent 8 hours scrubbing mold with a toothbrush and on my hands and knees wiping 2 year old accumulation off the floors, so I was too exhausted to stand and cook last night, so what was available?? Salads. Iceberg lettuce is exactly what I want after burning 2,000 calories. So I was Upset. Then crappy DirecTV can't get anything right so all our shows were messed up on our DVR, so that just added to the pissiness (honestly, I'm normally a VERY even keel, nice girl)

Thankfully my DH came to the rescue. He thought of "hot cocoa," warming some of my almond milk up and adding cocoa and cinnamon to it. It made me happy and put me to sleep I love that man.

Today, day 18, I have to go back to that house and finish and then go to the house that I missed yesterday entirely. Phew! At least I'm starting to notice some muscles forming my back and arm muscles are definitely getting defined. Lugging around a 15lb backpack vacuum will do that I guess housecleaning is my CF.

I'm bringing the lunch I brought yesterday (I was too skeeved out by the house to eat so I just worked thru lunch :| ) here's to hoping today's a better day. (I started it with another hot cocoa )

[rach91]

That hot cocoa sounds like an awesome way to turn a bad day into a not-so-bad one When I have a bit of a tough day, I always think of it as somehow strengthening my willpower "muscle"... if you can get through a bit of a stressful day without going off plan, then the rest of the time will be a lot easier

[bljf1006]

Your so right Rach91! I've been amazed at the amount of willpower I've had. Normally I'd be like, "screw this!" And grab a chocolate truffle. But this is a whole different ball game! I'm sticking it out and soooo proud of myself it really is teaching me the difference between treating myself and caving in to a craving. This has been very eye opening!

[bljf1006]

So day 18 was WAY better than 17, although I worked just as hard (if not harder) strange! Hormones can be so unpredictable.

So I went back to that house, and never left!! I spent another 8 hours there!!! Holy cow! It looks a bazillion times better and smells better too. And the kicker? My client had a contractor come look at the bathrooms and kitchen to remodel (this house has been a rental) and he wants to use me for his post-construction cleanings!! Score!! Those are A LOT of work, and $$. My little business is shaping up! It pays to be meticulous in this line of work.

Anyhow, I am S-O-R-E!!!!!!!! Since I essentially spent 4-6 hours on my hands and knees scrubbing floors,baseboards, and cabinets, my arms, shoulders, legs, butt, back, - yeah, pretty much everything hurts; and I slept with the heating pad! Needless to say I didn't sleep very well because I'm in so much pain.

Yesterday I started off with eggs in the morning, I honestly didn't feel like cooking which is why I didn't make a great production out of bfast, but I knew I needed fuel; for lunch I had leftovers with an orange, and for dinner I made rosemary & date chicken from Paleomg.com look up the recipe, you'll be happy you did! It's the easiest dish I've ever made and my husbands favorite; perfect after a long day

I'm looking forward to resting this weekend. I bought some fabric last weekend that I want to make into pillows and curtains. (I know nobody on the forum really cares, but I'm excited that I essentially have 2-1/2 days to work on that now ) hopefully eating wont be as hard this weekend as it was last...

[Jocelyn Sauter]

I've enjoyed reading your progress. I just started with my husband and we are so very excited to see the improvements in our life as a result of the program!

[bljf1006]

I'm so glad it's been helpful Jocelyn! I enjoy hearing how people are adjusting/feeling/changing much more than reading their food choices, so that's why I've been logging more about how I'm feeling vs. eating. Good luck! Hard days will be hard, but the good ones FAR outweigh and outnumber the tough ones.

So yesterday, day 19. I was really pretty tired, not as exhausted as i normally would have been, but very tired from my week; however, I was surprised at how i wasn't sore! Woo hoo! I was REALLY sore at night, but woke up and my body felt fine. Crazy!

I volunteered in the morning, so I was bad and didn't have bfast, but I came home and made eggs, asparagus and andouille sausage for lunch before running out for errands. My husband came home and said he was taking me out for dinner, so we went to our favorite Italian place. I usually get 1/2 organic chicken with roasted veggies; but we've been eating SO much chicken, I would've assumed go hungry besides having anything chicken related. So I got the filet mignon with roasted veggies and lobster (it's sad I'm not a fan on lobster, ick!) it was fabulous except for the fact that it came with an au jus sauce....next whole30 I will remind myself : "never trust a sauce." 5 minutes after finishing I said, "we HAVE to get out of here, I need MY bathroom!!" YIKES!! They must've made it with butter, or added a little cream to it because holy moly my stomach emptied!!!

Now, I know some people will say, "that stinks, now you have to start all over." But I'm not going to. This is my first whole30, and I've been working REALLY hard to not cut corners and stay on plan, so the fact that I'm learning as I go - well, that's all that I can expect of myself and I'm not going to obsessively punish myself for being a Newbie. I just know now, NO SAUCES!!! (Even if they sound legit) (plus my hubby totally broke down, ate the soft rolls, ordered the breaded and fried eggplant chips (MY FAVORITE!!) and got lasagne, so I'm proud that I stuck to my dinner and San Pellagrino)

Now, this whole experience has piqued my interest in how my reintro will go...if such a tiny amount of an unapproved item sneaks into a sauce can wreak such havoc....I don't even know where to start! Obviously dairy and wheat are out of the question. Every now and again, I've thought how nice it'd be to have a glass of wine, so maybe that?? Sushi maybe? I guess I'll know when it arrives

[bljf1006]

Day 20 down and the 10-day countdown is ON!! Woot woot!!

Once again, I am feeling goooo-oooood!! I'm finished with my period week, which was the crummiest week ever. Note to self: expect a rough patch during that week and bad cravings! My cravings are back under control now and this weekend has been MUCH more enjoyable

So yesterday we went out for breakfast and I had an omelet with tomatoes, onions, and peppers which was delicious; and I got the fruit bowl instead of toast or home fries. Oh man, the fruit bowl. I had a definite 'When Harry Met Sally' moment with the fruit bowl. It was incredible!!! SO sweet and juicy. And I've NEVER liked honeydew melon because to me it never had any flavor; but this time was a completely different story!! It was just as sweet as the cantaloupe! I was in heaven, so I ordered a second bowl bad I know, but I was so blissfully happy! And it was only about 1/2 cup per bowl.

We got breakfast around 11, so I never had a lunch. It was a non-work/non-workout day, so my usual 2 meal day. I got so much done tho! Laundry, dishes, dinner prepping, tidying, and I even sewed a new pillow for my couch! I LOVE how I feel all the time and that I can go, go, go and know I'm not going to ruin any potential energy I might have the next day; because I know I'll get the sleep I need to re-energize. It's such a wonderful cycle.

[bljf1006]

This weekend was SOOOO much easier than last! Phew! Kinda needed a break. We even socialized for the first time while doing the w30.

So lunch yesterday, day 21, we went to Chipotle with friends. Not that hard because they have such awesome choices I ⤠chipotle. If one was nearby us, that would be lunch or dinner at least 3-4 times a week.

I was so full from dinner (and so was DH) that we didn't want dinner! Thankfully, the friends that we had over to play cards were full from lunch too, so nuts was all that was eaten 😉 they DID however, bring over a HUGE bottle of red wine (my fav!). Incidentally I did tell them that if they wanted some to bring some because we weren't drinking this month 😉 I must admit, while it was appealing, it wasn't as hard as I had imagined to smell an not partake! Don't get me wrong, there was a couple times I'm sure I looked longingly at their glasses, but I sat there with my huge glad of water and allowed myself an orange as a distraction and treat and was JUST fine ☺ I'm SO proud of myself! If I've done it once, I can do it again! I just have to keep reminding myself, it's not special, I can go get some any time, there's no prohibition coming tomorrow, so I can wait. I can wait for a special occasion.

Last night in bed, my DH said "I feel so relaxed." And I said how nice it feels to be able to feel so relaxed without having had a glass of wine to help. I honestly had been using wine to relax too often before all this and now I can see how it's not necessary!! 😠Dependency is on myself!!

[bljf1006]

So yesterday went great. (Day 22) I worked all day, and the jobs that I had, I left my house at 6:45am planning on being home after 5, but because I've gotten so much faster, I got home at 4:15!! That is awesome!! I think I shaved AT LEAST an hour off my day

I started off with asparagus and eggs, brought a huge lunch that I really didn't feel like eating, so ate some deli meat and an apple with sun butter. (I figure that on the days that I work, I allow myself fruit without question ) I got home and had a taco salad with ground beef and a huge portion of guac

We had friends over to plays cards again and they brought their own dinner (take-out Chinese, not appealing at all) and a bag of cool ranch Doritos (an old vice o' mine). While doing "Paleo" I would've reasoned, well, I've been so good all day, and I've worked hard, I'll allow myself a handful (or 2....or 3) but while the two of them ate HALF the bag (!!!) I sat there finding myself unable to bear the smell!! It was like I could SMELL the MSG permeating from the bag. I can confidently say, at this point I will not desire Doritos ever again. Then they said, "do you guys have any sweets??" And my DH said, we have raisins, cranberries and dates, to which they replied, "eeeewwww!!!" Haha, I actually thought, "mmmmmmm." And when they were talking about going to Walgreens to grab some Reese's peanut butter cups, I was thinking about dried fruit. But we all just enjoyed our water and that was that. Thankfully. Any other time with this couple would've turned into a chip and dip, candy filled, drink infused evening. Instead, I had my taco salad and water and enjoyed their company and woke up with a happy belly

I've also made my future plans! Beyond w30. So I've decided I won't be doing a 45. With my mom arriving on day 31, it's just too hard to keep up with out-of-town guests for the duration. But I have made the decision to live 100% Paleo. The ONLY time I will have a piece of cheesecake is at a wedding, or a drink is at a party or get-together. The ONLY time I will allow for anything non-Paleo is at special occasions, so that way, I can maintain feeling well and taking good care of my DH and home so he doesn't have to spend so much time taking care of me. However, I don't want to do Paleo treats with nut flours and such; except maybe when I'm pissy and on my period. That way I know what's in what I'm eating

[bljf1006]

Yesterday was another good day. (23) I worked again; faster again I can get used to this! I ate a really light lunch tho which wasn't good by how much energy I was burning working. But I wasn't overly hungry and I really didn't like the dish of leftovers I'd brought. I came home pretty tired and my husband ordered me my favorite 1/2 baked organic chicken with roasted veggies. The veggies were mushy and overdone tho so I couldn't eat them :/ so yesterday was really protein heavy, but nere did I think to falter!

I did wake up with a ridiculous headache tho!!! I haven't had one of those in a while! I'm just gonna relax for a couple hours (it is only 5:30 after all) and that'll probably take care of it.

On the physical side of things, my stomach is flat again!! Like, honest to goodness, flat and somewhat concave! I am SO excited. I just wish it wasn't February and I had a chance to wear my bikini somewhere but like they say, "summer bodies are sculpted during the winter." So true. Come the first 80 degree day, I will be ready with my short shorts and bikini tops I love the confidence I have in my body again; I haven't felt this since I was 22. (Got a little soft after the wedding)

I have jeans that I wore when I was at my thinnest (size 6) and I can button and zip them, now to be able to breathe in them will be the next magic trick

As day 30 is approaching, I'm feeling less and less confident about reintroduction. Can I just say, "I KNOW I'm allergic to everything" I mean, I felt amazing right off the bat, so I'm pretty darn sure I'm allergic to corn and rice because when I was 80/20, my 20 consisted of a weekly trip to sushi and a night with natural corn chips and salsa, because I wasn't allowing dairy or wheat at that point. So obviously those things were impeding my ability to function well. I'm not a bean/legume girl, I actually have developed a love for sun butter. So that leaves sugar and alcohol. Which are two things that aren't necessary to enjoy daily life (who is speaking right now?!) so why bother trying them right away just to "see" that they'll give me a migraine and disturb my lovely wonderful sleep

Well, with my mum here, I shall see. She suffers from 30 years of sleep deprivation, so I'm gonna try and see if feeding her the way I've leaned will help that which will help keep me on track too! Win/win

[bljf1006]

Day 24 went really well. I scheduled my gift to myself for completing my whole30. (I know, a little premature, but at this point Failure is NOT an option) A boudoir photo shoot! I've always wanted to do one and I finally feel like my body's in a good place right now so that was fun! It was with a friend of mine who's a fabulous photographer, so it wasn't awkward at all

I'm feeling so great!! Although yesterday I took an hour nap in the middle of the day and then slept for 10 hours!! Granted I slept less than 6 the night before, so I might've been playing catch up. I feel VERY well rested now I haven't slept that much in a month!

Ready for day 25!

[Derval]

Oooh la la, nice!

[bljf1006]

Haha Derval! Ur too much it honestly felt (and looks) more like art than anything. I haven't felt this beautiful in a very long time (even though my husband always tells me I am), so it felt good to do something for myself that made me feel good (and my husband can enjoy too 😜 )

Day 25 went swimmingly. Honestly, I have to say it, whole30 is easy! 😳 The ONLY time I find it to be the hardest thing in the world is during my period, I'm sure I'm not alone on that one.

My hubby and I went for bfast (he loooves going out for bfast) I got eggs and a fruit bowl again, and for lunch time I had very slight hunger, so I had an apple with sun butter and deli meat. For dinner I made a shrimp scampi (without white wine of course) and steamed/sautéed green beans. We both said how yummy, fresh, and clean the meal tasted! It was great! The problem was was that the shrimp metabolized too quickly and we were both hungry in 2 hrs. I'm able to go to bed hungry, but my husband...not so much. He snacked. W30 approved, but he SNACKED!!! Oh well, he's doing great in my book, I'm so proud of him ☺ he usually doesn't have the kind of stamina to stick to something this long 😉

I'm excited for today because ill be spending the day with a friend who I've told W30 about, I know she'll have lots of questions and well be talking about it all day! (Which totally excites me!) she suffers from severe allergies and has tried LOTS of elimination diets but hasn't quite found the right one 😉

On to day 26!!

[bljf1006]

Yesterday went well. The weird thing is, is that my friend and I went to whole foods for lunch. I found the salad bar and made and awesome salad with spinach, shredded carrots, roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries and cashews with olive oil and red wine vinegar on top. The issues was, I had REALLY bad indigestion the rest of the day (resulting in bad bathroom visits all night) and then I slept TERRIBLE!!! I woke up tired today and feeling more and more like reintroduction of any kind will send my body into a diarrhetic coma.

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the cashews were roasted with oil of some sort that I shouldn't have, and/or the cranberries had sugar added?? I wouldn't be able to know because they didn't have the ingredients posted 😟

Oh well, today's another day, and even tho my belly is still feeling weak and bloated, I'm optimistic ☺

[bljf1006]

Day 27 went well although I ended up eating a fair amount of fruit, but I'm not worrying. We were out and about and the only compliant thing available was a massive package of cut up fresh fruit. Then I made a couple eggs in the afternoon and some leftovers of sausage and red peppers. It originally was a recipe for grinders, but works just fine by itself

Had some friends over for cards and they brought over wine. It sounded wonderful (and my hubby had 2 glasses!!) but I stuck with my San pelagrino.

Today (28) went really good too. I think I've got this whole thing down the only thing was we ran out of the house this morning so quickly I didn't get to eat breakfast, so I almost passed out around noon from hunger, it was awful. So I hurried home to make some eggs and cut up fruit and mix them with walnuts and almond milk. It was tasty tasty.

We went out for dinner with friends (everyone had drinks again !!) and I got a seltzer and the most amazing tea!! It tasted sweet without any sugar! I loved it so much that I bought an extra bag to bring home (kinda embarrassed everyone, but I didn't care!)

I got a fabulous grilled salmon salad with olives and oranges. It was divine! I was so full, but not feeling like I needed to be rolled out of the restaurant like everyone else who got burgers and nachos. I love the feeling of having eaten good food and not feeling bad about it

The ONE thing I'm wanting to have after all this is chocolate and wine. Well, I guess that's two things, but those are going to be my two reintro items. Ill have sushi eventually (there's an AWESOME all u can eat place near us) so that's one thing way down the list. Ill be bringing my coconut aminos tho

I'm getting SO excited for day 30!

[bljf1006]

That day when you realize you wash your jeans so they fit right, instead of wearing them 4 times before they fit right ðŸ˜

[bljf1006]

Day 29 went really well. Spring cleaning!! I pulled my house apart and scrubbed for hours! There's nothing like sitting in a perfectly clean home

dinner time rolled around and I was so tired and realized that the meal I'd planned needed to go in the crockpot in the AM - so we ordered out and I reaaaallly was tempted to get sushi cuz it was easy and, well, I've been SO good and isn't day 29 as good as day 30? NO!! I WILL STAY STONG!! I got a grilled chicken taco salad with guac and was happy 😊

Today (DAY 30!!!! I DID IT!!!) went of without a hitch too. I worked all day. I ran out without breakfast 😕 and wasn't very good for lunch either (didn't have any leftovers to scrounge from) but I stuck on program. Dinner was Ah-mazing!!! Korean BBQ Ribs with sautéed broccolini. I got the recipe off Pinterest in case anyone is interested.

I did think about grabbing a bottle of wine to "celebrate" and start my reintro tonight, (as my whole30 technically ended this morning, but at this point, who's counting?) but I thought, "why do I need that? I don't!" So I decided to hold off and wait for a time when I really want it, not just because I can have it 😊 I feel like I've been healed of food reliance! It's so exciting to know when I really want something vs. craving/bored.

At this point I'm nervous to even start reintro 😕