Helen's second Whole30 Log

[helen]

I started my second Whole 30 yesterday. This time around I am receiving the daily emails and reading through 'Day 2' decided to start a log. My goals are different this time around. I have the food stuff down (well you know for the most part) but I want to reinforce making good choices and focus on other aspects of my health. My main goal is to get off the computer by 10 pm and go to bed. I had originally chosen 9 pm but my kids are little and they aren't asleep by 9 pm so it wasn't sustainable.

My stats:

Height: 5 ' 0"

Weight: 151

Measurements (will do this later, need to find a tape measure).

Day 1 Food:

Coffee with coconut milk splash

Meal 1: Banana, tuna salad, green juice (kale, carrot and beet)

Meal 2: Spaghetti squash with ground turkey and marinara sauce. Kombucha.

Yes, only two meals. Yesterday I was running late and didn't eat until after yoga. I have to eat right when I wake up in order to do yoga (it is a two hour power class that I do twice a week) and I got distracted so had to wait. This was okay but NOT a good or sustainable choice. I need to eat three meals. Also, I just discovered spaghetti squash a few weeks ago and this (meal #2) rocks on a busy night. The marinara sauce is from TJ's and ingredients are good. I have plans to can a bunch this summer when we are rolling in tomotoes.

Day 1 Exercise:

Power yoga (2 hours)

I love this class and I love to exercise. I am a perfect example of how exercise doesn't make you skinny though. This class is very challenging and has a lot of really advanced students which is somewhat intimidating. I have finally gotten side crow down at home and have been a little scared to do it in class but did and was successful! Also, the teacher (who is an LMT) does a lot of assists and assisted me in pigeon today which was interesting. Pigeon is hard for me and I usually also think of it as a rest after 45 minutes of standing poses (this class is basically an Ashtanga style). This was not resting. I have never felt quite a mix of love/hate that I felt for my instructor as I did during this moment.

Day 1 Sleep:

8 hours. Four year old came and slept with me half the night so woke me up several times. I stayed in bed 9 hours but my husband and other daughter were up getting ready so not really sleeping.

Others:

I stayed on the computer (FBing) until 10:30. I liked the interaction but need to get off the computer (I don't watch television at all and don't like how the computer has been insidiously distracting me since I had children).

My goals this week are to: buy seeds for garden and plant it (so unmotivated, the weather is grey and dreary), to go through the kids clothes and get rid of the old crap and to get ahead in my work so the next few weeks are less stressful, set plans for getting chickens (finally talked my husband into it), plant blueberries (requires finding peat moss to acidify soil).

Also, I want to start researching light boxes (I very much have SAD winter depression) at the suggestion of my therapist. And I want to resume the hunt for a home sauna. We don't want infrared and are on a budget. We found one last summer about 8 hours away and should have bought it. Need to remember this is important!

Okay, going to go eat breakfast so not a repeat of Day 1.

[Tom Denham]

Congrats on your progress!

Your meal 2 was probably light on fat. Ground turkey tends to be light on fat and I doubt you got much with the marinara sauce. You might want to add a handful of olives to make that meal a little more filling.

[helen]

Thanks Tom. I struggle with fats (too many years of conditioning). I am actually going to write that down in my goals notebook. I keep olives and coconut flakes around for this reason. I meant to eat coconut flakes with the meal and totally forgot.

[dukunbayi]

Hi Helen!

Glad you're logging. I've found it helpful to keep a record, stay accountable, and journal thoughts. I suspect it'll be interesting to read down the road; hindsight insight!

[helen]

Day 2 Food

Meal 1: Eggs with spinach, onion, garlic, tomato (cooked in clarified butter), coffee with coconut milk, green juice (kale, beet, carrots, strawberries).

Meal 2: Spaghetti squash, marinara, ground beef and handful of coconut chips.

Afternoon: Earl Grey with coconut milk

Meal 3: Leftover ground beef, sugar snap peas big bowl, coconut chips, mixed nuts, Kombucha.

Day 2 Sleep: 8.5 hours (both kids woke up and thus woke me up two separate times but we all went back to sleep pretty quickly).

Day 2 Exercise: Tuesdays I usually do cardio and some simple hip openers, core work at the gym. I skipped it because my husband said he wanted to do Y yoga that night (our Y has good instructors just the classes are only 60 minutes). This was a mistake because I needed to listen to Nirvana and sweat out the tension yesterday.

Reflections:

Yesterday was an emotionally charged day all day. I have a lot I have to get done this week and I feel a little overwhelmed (supposed to be my 'Spring Break' but apparently I put off a ton of tedious stuff I do at my job for this week which was not good planning). The problem with my job is that I work about 20-25 hours a week but only have about 12 hours of childcare so the rest just gets done here and there and I feel like I always have work that I should be doing if I don't want to be up on Sunday night until midnight. I had a really hard time making a simple decision (red or green cushions for patio couch that essentially serves as a dog bed for my gross 75 pound mutt) which makes me realize I am overwhelmed. My hippie friends say some planet is in retrograde and that is the problem. I hope that to be so!

Also, I thought I had the food stuff down but I have issues with eating 'extra' fat. I have blood sugar crashes when I don't eat it but it is hard to eat if not in the prepared foods. I ate the mixed nuts in the car after yoga so I wouldn't get home and eat something with sugar while I figured out what to eat for dinner (not a well planned evening). The coconut chips at that meal were also mindless eating so not good.

I went to bed when I put my kids to bed (late which caused an argument with my husband both last night and this morning). So I did get off the computer by 10. The sleep issue is one we will struggle with. We co-slept with both our kids and thus they still are not independent sleepers. Maybe they wouldn't be anyway but for three years I slept for crap and finally having them sleeping makes the middle of the night wake ups prettty hard especially when I'm in a deep sleep.

Also, I feel kind of silly keeping a log in some ways but in others it is making me really reflect which is awesome.

[dukunbayi]

Also, I feel kind of silly keeping a log in some ways but in others it is making me really reflect which is awesome.

Well, silly as you may feel, keep writing because your log helps me. I just read your last post and thought, "oh thank goodness I am not alone in this Land of Overwhelm."

Course, part of my problem is I have spending too much time on this site .

Okay. Get to work. Me too.

[helen]

Well, silly as you may feel, keep writing because your log helps me. I just read your last post and thought, "oh thank goodness I am not alone in this Land of Overwhelm."

Course, part of my problem is I have spending too much time on this site .

Okay. Get to work. Me too.

This site is pretty great. I agree that reading your logs and others has helped me. My biggest problem is I don't like admitting my blunders along the way (like I didn't want to post the first day that I only had two meals!) but I think I'm over that now and this can be very useful!

[Nila]

Hi Helen! I finally made it over her. Nice job on posting. Now that I have you in my queue I'll be reading daily(ish). As dukunbayi said, being able to see your log helps me. Good night!

[helen]

Day 3 Food

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs, half a chicken sausage and green juice (2 cups kale, a few baby carrots and some beet)

Meal 2: half a chicken sausage and about 2 ounces of grilled chicken thigh, plum

Snack about a half hour after Meal 2: mixed nuts and Kombucha

Meal 3: sugar snap peas and a small portion of ground beef

Day 3 Sleep 8 hours (four year old got in bed so woke me up once but went right back to sleep)

Day 3 Exercise: Y yoga.

Reflections:

Day 3 was pretty small on the portions which is a combination of my not being hungry (which is so strange because the last Whole30 I was eating everything I could this first week) and life getting in the way. The day started out with an argument with my husband over my daughter almost missing the bus. It was cold and grey and I was feeling pretty down but watched the HBO show 'Girls' while I cleaned kitchen and cooked breakfast and burst into tears and suddenly felt better. My youngest and I went to the downtown library to hang with the cool kids and my good friend was there and that was nice (she is a total dirt lover and coming over today to help me plant some trees and also to show me how to work the Kindle Fire that I bought and finally took out of the box--I am a total Luddite when it comes to personal technology). After the library I went to yoga and the teacher is one of my favorites. She is in her 50s and a runner so has injuries and has just the best vibe. Her theme was slowing down so she read all these quotes including one from Gandhi about how we often are rewarded in our culture by how much we get done but sometimes we need to just be. Good grief did I need that message. Also we did handstands and I did feathered peacock from headstand which is pretty cool.

But anyway, isn't this supposed to be about food? We rushed home to eat lunch and my daughter ate her chicken breast and then proceeded to eat 2/3 of my chicken thigh (I had always avoided thighs because they were more fattening but I really love them). But what's a mom to do right? I remembered it was bring your friend to dance class for my older daughter and thus the mad rush to get snacks and other things together so I couldn't prepare much else for myself protein wise. After we dropped the older girls off my younger daughter and I walked over to this strip mall nutrition store. I bought nuts and a Kombucha and some Pirate booty (the friend wouldn't eat any of the snacks I brought but I knew she had eaten Pirate Booty at our house before). This nutrition store is a serious one with half the store being supplements and all the people very sincere so a rowdy four year old is always a treat to have with me. I also think it is funny to go to a nutrition store to essentially buy junk food (they also have some cool things like a locally made coconut chips with no sugar that I buy and sometimes local eggs). We pulled in the driveway and my husband jumped in the car to take the girls to the Y while he lifted weights with a friend so I had two hours to myself ! This is a rare treat. I I listened to a Science Friday episode 'The Fallacies of Fat' which was really, really good (http://sciencefriday...ies-of-fat.html). I'm teaching 'Digestion & Nutrition' next week and it was a nice review of all the sugars. Okay, first I listened to Savage Love (sex advice show with Dan Savage who is all kinds of awesome) and then I listened to Science Friday. I snacked on the sugar snap peas (found not eaten left over from my husband's lunch) and a little bit of meat while I made a bunch of food for this week. Family home--girls not hungry because had a granola bar and smoothie on the way to the gym so a whirl of bath and bed and brushing teeth, etc. By the time that was over I had a sore throat and didn't feel like eating since I wasn't hungry.

Stayed on the computer until about 10:40 so didn't meet my goal of off by 10. Tonight I am going to try and be off before girls go to bed. Also, I did nothing for work today. I talked to my husband and am going to work 8 hours away from the home on Sunday. That way I can just enjoy this week off without worrying.

Goal for day 4 to eat three decent meals. I don't want my body to move into starvation mode.

[Nila]

A log, in my opinion, doesn't have to just be about food. It's about the whole experience, as much one wants to share. The Whole30 has a nutrition focus, but the Whole9 is so much more. I keep the following graphic on the desktop of both of my computers. I pull it up when I feel like I'm getting just a wee bit too focused on food:

It's from this post: http://whole9life.com/2013/01/whole9-our-9-factors/.

You have quite the full days. I can identify. I posted this link to Facebook and Twitter the other of a post titled Too Busy to Enjoy Life? When Will You? I think I need to read it every day. Once or twice a year I got through a purge of my schedule, tossing out all sorts of networking coffees and no-longer-useful activities I'm doing. It isn't very long until I let the space fill with new things. I have a very hard time saying no and keeping time for me. The older I get, the more I realize that I need that open time to keep stress - and therefore inflammation - at bay.

If you've told me before and I've forgotten, please forgive me...what type of work do you do?

Good goal for the day. Enjoy those decent meals!

[helen]

I'm an adjunct at a community college (I teach 4 labs, biology lecture and an online course that is a biology lecture/lab combo) plus I take on side jobs normally which are time consuming and tedious it seems (right now I am writing the human A&P lab for a blind student and last year I wrote the bio I lab manual). I have a LOT to do on my online class this week (I'm on Spring Break) which is why I need all day Sunday available.

Next year my youngest starts K so either I will get another part-time job or look for a full time teaching job. If I go back to high school teaching I'll wait until the girls are in 1st and 2nd.

Thanks for the Whole9 graphic. I am going to make it my back drop too. This Whole30 really is focused holistically!

[helen]

You have quite the full days. I can identify. I posted this link to Facebook and Twitter the other of a post titled Too Busy to Enjoy Life? When Will You? I think I need to read it every day.

I just read the article and it is good. Synchronicity since my therapist and I just talked about 'human doing' versus 'human being' last week (which kind of makes me sad because I thought he was clever and came up with that himself, lol). My mom who is 83 (we both were 'older' moms) but acts like she is 60 (walks 5 miles a day, on no medication) was an immigrant and to her you must always be doing something productive. In fact, she won't watch my girls if I am going to yoga but she will if I have to teach a class or go to a meeting or a school event. So I am trying to unlearn some of this conditioning. To not feel guilty for yoga which is something that brings me immeasurable joy but is not a fiscal investment.

[helen]

Day 4 Food

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs with onion, garlic and a small tomato, green juice (2 cups spinach, a few baby carrots and 1/3 apple)

Meal 2: grilled chicken (4 oz), chocolate chili, plum

Meal 3: half a banana, almond butter, Kombucha

Day 4 Sleep: 9 hours (one wake up from child getting in bed)

Day 4 Exercise: Cardio (low level) at Y,for 30 minutes, stretches

Reflections:

Woke up feeling pretty good about my decision to enjoy my week off and work this weekend all day on Sunday. Went to Y and exercised with a friend, went to Trader Joes and bought the groceries (we were totally out of vegetables after breakfast), came home and laid on the grass while my friend Rea planted four trees in my yard and her son played with my daughter. At lunch I had a really bad sore throat so didn't feel like vegetables. In fact, I had to choke down lunch at all. The throat got worse and I just got home from the minute clinic with a strep diagnosis (my other three family members had it last week). It is against my religion to get sick (I am proud Greek peasant stock). I wonder if Omnicef is Whole30 compliant?? So, the almond butter and banana were to take the meds and hopefully avoid a tummy ache.

No yoga tomorrow. I am very sad about this. Friday is my favorite class. My instructor builds for Fridays so we get to do a ton of cool inversions and arm balances. Sigh.

I think I am going to watch that documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead until I can fall asleep. Some inspiration. My mom has agreed to take the four year old for the morning so I can sleep in. Oh the joys!

[Nila]

Speedy healing to you!

[dukunbayi]

You'll feel better soon with the antibiotics. Do you have any probiotics?

Take good care!

[helen]

Day 5 Food

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs with greens, tomato, onion and garlic and green smoothie (3 cups spinach, a few baby carrots and half a banana--too sweet!).

Meal 2: two hamburger patties, onion, half a tomato, mustard, baby carrots

Snack: 1/3 banana and almond butter

Meal 3: one hamburger patty, green smoothie, plum.

Day 5 Sleep: 8 hours totally interupted by kids with colds or allergies. Need to move to the desert.

Day 5 Exercise: None (boo!).

Reflections:

My appetite is back which I supposed is good but is really kind of a bummer because it is pretty easy when you don't feel like eating. I put banana (which used to be my main fruit I used) in my morning smoothie because it was there and it made my green morning drink way too sweet. So interesting. I know that smoothies are frowned upon in the Whole30 and I understand why. I just love them in the morning. I feel like they hydrate me and give me just a huge burst of micronutrients (I heart my Vitamix!). I have really reduced the fruit in them and increased the greens (usually 3 cups spinach or 2 cups kale, sometimes broccoli and a small amount of fruit) and I always eat them with protein. Also, I've set a goal to cook my eggs with veggies so that I'm also eating veggies in the morning and not just drinking them. Maybe by my third or fourth Whole30 I'll be done with green smoothies who knows. They are a great way to use of veggies in the fridge though too. The burgers were organic and grass fed. I have eaten a lot more red meat than usual these past few weeks but I have been craving it. This prompted me to read a bunch of articles today on red meat and I guess I feel okay about eating it so often. My throat from the strep throat really started hurting later this afternoon so I made another green smoothie instead of eating no veggies. Oh well. Progress not perfection, right?

But yes, my appetite has recovered and now I am going to really have to pay attention to getting the right proportions of fat, protein and amounts at my meals so I don't start snacking which leads to mindless snacking. The snack I had today was to take the antibiotic and pretty small. I ate the banana because it was there. It is a lot better as a whole fruit than in a smoothie for sure.

I didn't go to yoga today so I used that child free time to do some work and actually it was quite a relief to get one project finished and submitted. My house is a mess though. Sigh. Not eating any meals outside the home (I think I have eaten 5 meals outside the home since I started my first Whole30 at the beginning of January and all were social events) makes the kitchen a perpetual bomb. Maybe I just have to admit that I'm not that tidy when I'm in the midst of a teaching semester. Summer will be organization (or not)!

[helen]

Day 6 Food

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs with greens, tomato, onion and garlic, coffee with coconut milk

Meal 2: grilled chicken, nuts, baby carrots, plum

Ice black tea in the afternoon

Meal 3: half cup chocolate chili with tomatoes and onion

Meal 4: mahi mahi with garlic, cauliflower rice and green beans sauteed wtih mushrooms, kombucha

Day 6 Sleep: 8 hours, woken up once by child and once by sirens (cannot for the life of me figure out why the sirens were on in my suburban neighborhood at 5 am) but otherwise slept like the dead.

Day 5 Exercise: 90 minute yoga, biking at park

Reflections:

I did not eat enough at breakfast or lunch so I ended up having an extra small meal which is fine. Yesterday I struggled with the Whole30. Random stuff like I really wanted a gumball (ritual with my kids) after yoga and I really, really wanted a margarita at an outdoor place on the market downtown to end the day but I remained virtuous.

After yoga I had my husband take a picture of me doing side crow which is a pose I have finally gotten after wanting to get for a while. I posted it on facebook for my yoga buddies but strangely instead of making me feel good all I could think was that I looked huge in the picture (it is a twisting kind of pose and I had on a kind of tight unflattering shirt). It does make me feel a little sad that something I have worked so hard at for so long is thwarted by negative self body image. The day before when my Kindergartener was trying to spell words on her on and got frustrated with herself I gave her a pep talk with the 'remember how many words you knew when school started and now how many do you know now?' and I tried to use this 'look how far you have come' pep talk on myself and it worked a bit.

But, we headed outside (71 degrees and sunny after a long month of cold and rain) and spent the afternoon at the park riding bikes (youngest on a tagalong on my bike so extra work pulling her) and the Vitamin D therapy did wonders although I did really want the perfect end to the afternoon which would be sitting outside letting my kids run around the square, probably seeing people we know and drinking a frozen margarita. Instead we stopped by Panera bread (a chain, boo!) and the girls got a mango smoothie and a bagel and we both got an unsweetened iced tea (which was annoying because for $.75 more I could have had a Kombucha if they had them). My youngest acted like a red ass at the restaurant (she is what they call 'high energy' or 'spirited') which was a little embarassing because the cashier was a former student of mine. Good thing I have parenting nerves of steel. We came home and cleaned up and made a great dinner. After dinner I did have cravings for something sweet but we ended up watching another food/health documentary called Forks Over Knives. This is the second one that pushes a vegan/vegetarian diet. I do have to admit that the idea of a juice fast intrigues me. Maybe this summer.

Today is my long work day so off to the grind.

[helen]

Day 7 Food

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs with greens, tomato and onion.

Meal 2: 1.5 chicken sausage, chicken thigh grilled, sugar snap peas

Snack: Kombucha

Meal 3: spaghetti squash, marinara, a ton of garlic, ground beef, plum, another damn Kombucha, handful of coconut flakes

Day 7 Sleep 8 hours (crap sleep, kids allergies kept me up)

Day 7 Exercise: We went on a family bike ride along the river so not formal.

Reflections:

Day 7 was rough in terms of cravings. I just wanted something to drink besides water or Kombucha. I worked in the morning for five hours and got caught up mostly. Then we went on another family bike ride at the park (super fun) but after we stopped at Earth Fare (smaller Whole Foods type store) to get my youngest strawberries and a few other things. I was really craving carbs, stronger than since I started this whole journey in January. Some chips and salsa or a coffee frappacino. I got a cranberry Kombucha and poured it over ice (they have really good crunchy ice at Earth Fare) while my kids had a treat. Following the ISWF advice that when you are having cravings don't feed them when we got home my husband gave my filthy children a bath and I made dinner and listened to a Robb Wolf podcast with Chris Kresser hoping that would encourage me. Strangely, the show was about some people on Paleo ending up with high cholesterol and having to go more 'Mediterranean Paleo' which is something I've been thinking a lot about anyway (I want to increase my fish consumption, more olive oil). I thought of listening to the podcast because earlier in the day I received an email from an old 'friend' from college (we were hippie chicks together and not that tight but in the same pack). Anyway, she went on to be the number one mountain biker in her region and then med school and is now a neurologist in Utah. She sent me an email a week or so ago because of my facebook posts about my Whole30/Paleo transition and told me she was on a 30 day juice fast. She and I have that kind of competitive thing you can have with other women (probably because I was in love with her boyfriend and we all lived in this ginormous house, lots of bad behavior on my part, well all our parts) so I kind of thought it was a 'correction' from her along the lines of 'I'm an uber athlete/doctor/vegan so you should be too." But, then yesterday she sent me an email saying she had spent all week listening to Robb Wolf podcasts and was now going somewhat Paleo and cleaned out her pantries and I am such an inspiration to her, blah, blah, blah. Life is SO weird. So, I was hoping the podcast inspired me but instead it talked about how for some people too much saturated animal fat can lead to elevated lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease (it is of course more complicated than this involving the thyroid and genetics, etc). But I still feel good about my diet. I want to keep my servings of red meat a week down to 1-2 anyway for ethical reasons and I want to increase my fish consumption so this just supported it.

Anyway, I felt better after dinner. I think ultimately being outside again (thank god, I really suffer from depression and this winter did not help out at all) means I need to drink more water. I was probably dehydrated and need to not go there and eat or drink sugar because I need water.

Stayed on the computer until 11 pm so that was a total fail. We were discussing books from middle school and why our parents let us read the V.C. Andrews series 'Flowers in the Attic.' I slept for crap (also something the podcast was talking about). I have to get more continuous sleep which means I have to go to bed earlier until my 4 year old becomes an independent sleeper. Also, being an old mom (I'm almost 44) and having a 4.5 and 6 year old has its sleep challenges but it is what it is.

On other observation: I ate too little at breakfast and had to overconsume at lunch to make up for it (protein wise). Need to figure this out for the future.

Today is long day for me (yoga, therapy, teach 4 labs back to back) so off to the races.

[helen]

Day 8 Food

Meal 1: 1/4 of a scrambled egg, green smoothie (spinach, blueberries, water).

Snack after yoga: Larabar, banana

Meal 2: chicken breast (prob 4 ounces) and ground beef with onions and sugar snap peas.

Snack: Green Kombucha and nuts

Meal 3: ground beef, some leftover chicken, sugar snap peas and carrots.

Day 7 Sleep 8 hours (kids allergies making them very congested, ugh, lots of wake ups).

Day 7 Exercise: Power yoga (1.5 hours)

Reflections:

Today was totally screwed up for food. I was running late for yoga so made my breakfast and my daughter ate almost all of it (she NEVER eats eggs) but I didn't have time to make anything else. So, after yoga I had to run to therapy and had to scrounge the car because I stayed for handstands and feathered peacock so running late and thus had the banana and Larabar (both are sugar bombs, natural but still). This caused me to eat too much meat at lunch. And then I didn't plan well for work and so just had the nuts and ended up eating too much meat when I got home as hungry. Oh well. Live and learn. So much for downsizing my red meat consumption. I am going for fish the next two nights! My cravings leveled out a lot today but maybe because I'm too damn busy on Mondays (and Wednesdays) to think about food.

I feel really content right now. I'm going to take a bath and then try and stream the last episode of 'Girls.' I am so glad this is my last semester (hopefully) teaching nights!

[Nila]

Stopping by for a quick hello. I like this: "I feel really content right now." I miss Girls this season. No HBO right now. Enjoy it!

[helen]

Day 9 Food

Meal 1: two eggs, green smoothie (spinach, blackberries, water).

Meal 2: steamed white fish and broccoli, Kombucha.

30 minutes later: pumpkin seeds

30 minutes after that: mixed nuts and a sweet potato

15 minutes later: chicken thigh

Meal 3: chicken breast and guacamole

30 minutes later: chicken sausage and plum

Then another green smoothie (spinach and blackberries again), coconut flakes

Day 9 Sleep Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Day 9 Exercise: Elliptical at gym 40 minutes

Reflections:

Today was super hard for me food wise. My eating was so erratic and I just could not feel satisfied. And talk about a sugar dragon. I was dying for something sweet. I even considered taking a gummy vitamin of my kids to try and deal with the cravings. I finally made a second smoothie (spinach with blackberries) and that seemed to help. Seriously, today was awful and not what I want. I link this directly to the crappy night of sleep I got last night (after several not so great nights). I was tired and just wanted to graze and eat sugar. Luckily, I didn't fall off the rails. But, I'm hoping tomorrow is better. We ended up eating lunch very late at Earth Fare and luckily I found a protein that wasn't cooked in dairy (butter) or weird vegetable oils but there was no fat at lunch and I think that led to later grazing until I finally sat down and ate dinner (chicken and guac) at 5 pm.

Sigh.

[Nila]

I look at all the things you ate and think, "wow, that's some wholesome stuff."

I was very sleepy today too. Too little sleep for 2 days. This afternoon I got hungry (but didn't realize it) on top of sleepy which turned into crabby. Like suddenly. Bad mood. Then I ate and... voila! I was back to my silly-at-home self. It's crazy what lack of sleep and hunger can do to a person.

Sleep well, friend.

[helen]

Looking back over it this morning it doesn't seem as bad so I guess it was the way I was eating and the cravings were so strong. I was really tired too. In retrospect, I should have gotten out of the house in the evening I think.

The sleep thing is killing me. My kids are terrible sleepers and it impacts my health. My older daughter has terrible allergies too and I hate it for her.

Thanks for the encouragement though NIla!

[helen]

Day 10 Food

Meal 1: 3 scrambled eggs with greens,garlic and onion. Green smoothie (kale, blackberries, carrots).

Snack: nuts

Meal 2: chocolate chili, baby carrots, Kombucha, macadamia nuts.

Snack: larabar

Meal 3: grilled thigh and breast, plum, coconut flakes.

Day 10 Sleep 8 hours with minor interruptions.

Day 10 Exercise: Yoga at the Y.

Reflections:

Again, my appetite was through the roof and my cravings were intense. I over ate today but at least it was whole foods and not processed (or minimally like the Larabars which I rarely eat these days). I am just really confused by how hungry and erratic I feel. During the last two months I didn't really feel a craving for processed foods but today one of my students was eating Combos and I was like "I really want those." But despite overeating I did okay I guess. Hopefully these cravings will die a quick death and the magic will happen. I did wake up hungry this morning which may mean my hormones are finally getting right. I usually have to force myself to eat breakfast. And I ate three eggs instead of two which I think I need to do from now one (I can hold 2.5 eggs in my hand).

My fave weekday yoga teacher was gone. The sub was nice but not my fave teacher.

Weds are my long day, racing from place to place for my kids and then racing to work but I managed to feel more relaxed than usual and I let my students out early because the internet was down and so I could show them the animations I usually include so got done early.

Vernal equinox too. I hope it brings a good night's sleep.

[helen]

Day 11 Food

Meal 1: 2 scrambled eggs with greens,garlic and onion. Green smoothie (cucumber and blackberries), coffee with coconut milk splash

Meal 2: tuna salad, 2 plums

Snack: larabar & earl grey with coconut milk splash & 1/2 banana and TBL almond butter.

Meal 3: chili chicken patty (TJs), guacamole, larabar, 1/2 bottle Kombucha.

Day 11 Sleep 8.5 hours, minimal interruptions

Day 11 Exercise: Yoga at the Y.

Reflections:

Today was better. I still was hungry thus the afternoon snacking but I did not feel like meat so went for fruit and nut butter. My sweet tooth is subsiding (maybe today I just fed it though since the Larabar, the extra plum, the banana) but I don't feel so crabby right now so I'm taking it all as a positive. I also slept more sound last night (only one wake up when my four year old was laying on my brachial artery and cut off circulation and my hand was numb). Seriously, my husband and I get an 'F' in sleep for our parenting. I don't regret co-sleeping but I am ready for it to be over and both my children to be independent sleepers.

Yoga was my fave guy at the Y and I went easy because tomorrow is my fave class of the week (and the hardest studio class I do, he builds like the New York Times crossword puzzle so Fridays are very awesome).

I am feeling more positive today. I don't think I'll do another Whole30 for quite some time. Maybe a Whole14 if I start really slipping. Also, I am thinking seriously about a juice fast this summer.

Oh, the cucumber and blackberry drink this morning was divine. It was so light and refreshing. I think I need to stick with 3 eggs in the morning.

Went to TJs and now we have veggies again so that is nice. Okay, off to family life.