Whole30 Update: I recently posted that my honey and I are completing a Whole30 Program experiment to improve our health. If you missed that post, check it out here. If you are unfamiliar with the Whole30 Program you can read about it at the Whole30 site.
Today’s post is a diary of sorts from the first 2 weeks.
We have cleaned out the cabinets and now have several boxes of food stored in the basement. In theory, it is out of sight and out of mind but I can hear the dark chocolate calling for me and this is day 1.
Day 2 – actually we had to restart because we found out there is soy in our tuna fish. Any goof up results in a restart. Why would they put soy in a can of tuna? I am learning they put soy in a lot of products as a filler. I bet there is soy in your tuna as well. Luckily Number 9 was able to tell me that BJ’s sold tuna with no soy!
So day 1: I had 2 scrambled egg for breakfast with spinach and mushrooms and ½ of an orange. Lunch was leftover soup and an apple. I must admit I had to grab a small handful of almonds at 2pm due to hunger. Oops, I forgot to add protein to my lunch. I went grocery shopping and bought a lot of good healthy food. I am making baked salmon, spicy potato slices and sautéed peppers and onions for dinner.
I have a bit of energy and just did 45 min of exercise on the Wii. I haven’t gotten on that thing except to weigh myself in months. I am feeling some left knee pain and have minor GI issues. Other than that, I feel good. My starting weight is 152.6 pound and my belly circumference around my belly button is 39 inches.
Day 2: 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast with onions, peppers and ½ of an apple. Lunch was salad with avocado, a small piece of salmon and a hardboiled egg. I did good not snacking today. I am making fried eggs with butternut squash soup and some nuts for dinner.
I planned our menu for the next 4 days as I have to work Friday and Saturday. I figured I better be ahead of the game when out of the house all day. I spent what felt like a great deal of time in the kitchen. This will be hard if I don’t plan ahead. I took a 30 min walk with Fenway and did my AM Yoga routine.
I am seriously considering eating meat as part of this Whole30. Otherwise I am afraid I will burn out on eggs and fish. For this week, I will do eggs and fish including salmon, tuna, flounder and shrimp. I have been so reliant on cheese and tofu along with some beans as my protein that I have to remind myself to include protein in every meal.
Day 3: 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast with home fried potatoes. Lunch was pan-fried flounder dredged in almond flour and a creole spice with leftover salad and butternut squash soup. Dinner OMG was garlic, lemon shrimp with broccoli and a sweet potato. So today we went to the store and did some serious protein shopping. We bought swordfish steaks, canned tuna, shrimp and chicken. YES, I said chicken. Not sure if I will actually go thru with it but I bought it and am considering crossing to the dark side.
Today was also the first day I thought about beer. I love to drink a cold beer while cooking and today I missed that feeling. But the craving passed quickly and I did not cave. Other than that, I have not missed any of the food I have stopped eating. Then again, it is only day 3! Today I had a small amount of knee pain and minor gastric issues. Pretty much the same as before I started the Whole30.
Day 4: 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast with butternut squash. My honey and I read thru what to expect in week 1-4. We won’t be shocked if we have some bloating, tight pants, irritability, energy fluctuations etc. So far if there has been any change to my energy it is for the positive. I went to the arboretum with Fenway and took a 40 min walk in a light rain. When I got home I still had some energy and did my yoga DVD.
Lunch was the leftover shrimp and broccoli with some almonds and ⅓ of a smoothie made with spinach, ½ avocado, cashews, banana, blueberries and a little mango. I drank the smoothie (which I made as part of dinner) because I was still hungry. I made Moroccan Eggplant in the crock pot and 2 fried eggs for protein. We split the rest of the smoothie about 30 min later. I like that we have almost eliminated snacking. When I leave the table I really think about if I am full, if I ate enough. I am even eating a bit more than usual at meal time because I am not filling up on beer and desserts.
Day 5: Today is my first full work day since starting the program. 1 hardboiled egg for breakfast while driving to work followed by a spinach smoothie with avocado, banana and blueberries. Lunch was tuna salad with carrot, celery sticks and some almonds. For dinner we had lemon pepper baked swordfish and leftover eggplant. I continue to do my yoga DVD daily.
Day 6: Breakfast of a hard-boiled egg with a romaine lettuce, blueberries, carrot and avocado smoothie. Tuna salad with veggies for lunch. Last night I prepped a potato spinach soup and used my crock pot. Oh and more eggs for protein. Thank God I love eggs because we are eating a ton of them. I am tired today but had a crazy day at work. I feel fine otherwise.
Day 7: Eggs and veggies for breakfast. Salad and tuna for lunch. Going to cook dinner for my sister and her honey at their house for dinner so I can watch the Patriots. My plan is almond crusted flounder with Mexican spices, roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes. My sister usually cooks for us when we go over but I think our new style of eating has her worried.
I have not had a beer or a glass of wine in a week and really only thought about it once. I tend to drink a beer or wine while cooking. They go hand in hand for me and I am amazed how easy it has been to stop this daily ritual. I have not had sugar or ½ and ½ in my tea for a week. I think about this more often but am doing fine with black tea.
Day 8: Eggs and veggies for breakfast. Tuna salad for lunch with nuts and veggies. Awesome dinner tonight! I made sautéed shrimp with green pepper and onion. I marinated it in ghee, avocado oil, jalapeno, cumin, salt, pepper and red pepper. I bought lots of veggies today at Aldi’s.
Day 9: OMG I ate chicken for dinner… I was afraid I would have an upset GI tract but all was good. I thought we were buying organic chicken and was excited to see it on sale for $4.00 per pound. When I got home I read the label more closely. Natural, no hormones… Turns out they aren’t allowed to put hormones in chicken so basically I spent way too much! We have decided to primarily buy organic chicken and wild caught fish which is more expensive but we feel better about how the animals were raised and the quality of the food they were fed. Remember the old saying, you are what you eat?
Day 10: I continue to have no real issues with this new eating plan. I feel like I have more energy.
Day 12: Two good nights of sleep in a row! I don’t want to jinx this!
To summarize the first 16 days of our Whole30, things are going smoothly. I find this way of eating filling and I have significantly reduced snacking. When I do need a little something extra, I slice an apple or banana with some sunflower butter or a handful of nuts. Initially it was challenging to make sure I included protein and healthy fat with our meals. I have gone 2 weeks without beer, wine, and sugar in my tea. As much as I love these things, they are pretty much empty calories and not good for my health.
Although I still wake up at night I am able to fall back to sleep and that is progress. I had one night where I went to bed and I was wired. I was annoying myself but my honey didn’t complain. One surprising side effect is my fingernails are stronger. Typically the break or I bite them and I rarely have any to talk about. Well now I have stronger, healthier nails after 2 weeks.
Planning the menu has gotten easier and we have figured out some prep we can do in advance. I make a pound of ghee at a time. My honey makes the mayonnaise, hard boils eggs and keeps me supplied in chopped onion and celery in a container in the fridge, ready to add to whatever dish I am creating.
One of the recommendations of the Whole30 Program is not to weigh yourself until it is over. Well, oops, I couldn’t wait. I knew I was loosing some weight and really wanted to get a sense of how much. During the first 16 days, I lost 5.7 pounds. But more importantly, I feel good, I feel healthy and I feel in control of my health and wellness. I am happily paddling in my little blue kayak towards excellent health!
Overall, we are rocking this Whole30 Challenge! Leave me a comment if you have done a Whole30 or are considering it!
Lake Girl
