Whole 30: Week 2 Recap

I have somehow managed to get myself sick.  I feel as though all of the gems/viruses that are running around the daycare have decided to attack me at once.  It started with a really sore throat that I battled most of the week, then Friday I could feel my body losing the battle and by Saturday morning the battle was lost and I was officially sick.

I am not sure how my immune system let this happen when I am healthier then I have ever been, while at least eating healthier then I ever have.  Even up until Friday, I felt great overall just had this annoying sore throat that wouldn't go away.

Despite being sick I am sticking with doing my Whole 30.  The tough part isn't the food. The tough part is that I want to put a big lump of honey in my tea to sooth my throat or have some booze to help kill all the bad things in my body. 

Overall things still aren't hard.  We are eating fantastic food.  Haven't eaten out or anything that I haven't made myself I think this is when it will get tough.

Day 9:

Breakfast: 3 eggs poached and 1 slice prosciutto
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: home made chicken soup

Day 10:

Breakfast: 3 egg muffins
Lunch: home made chicken soup
Dinner: lamb chops with puréed cauliflower and steamed green beans

Day 11:

Breakfast: 3 egg muffins

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken

Dinner:  mahi mahi with guacamole and lime cilantro coleslaw 

Day 12:

Breakfast:  3 egg scrambled 

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken

Dinner: baked chicken wings with franks hot sauce 

Day 13:

Brunch: apple with nut butter and proscuitto 

Dinner: grass fed steak with cauliflower and mushrooms 

Day 14:

Breakfast: larabar

Lunch: sausage

Dimmer: roasted chicken with green beans and  salad

Whole 30 Day 8: Mmmmm I Love Zoodles

I had so much energy on Sunday that I spent most the day in the kitchen cooking up a storm.  I am still in shock from how much I accomplished.  I started with breakfast apple sausages , turned my chicken broth that had been simmering in the slow cooker all night into an awesome chicken soup, made tomato sauce, meatballs, and egg muffins.  Plus all of the actual meals for that day.  As I told J, I am turning into a domestic goddess!

Monday's dinner was zoodles in marinara sauce with meatballs.  Turned out awesome, way better then spaghetti and meatballs.  I couldn't believe how fantastic and healthy every bite was and sooo healthy.

Day 8

Breakfast: 3 egg muffins and 1/2 a sausage
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: zoodles covered in tomato sauce and meat balls

Whole 30: - Week 1 recap

I have completed my first 7 days of Whole 30 and overall I am feeling pretty good.   There really haven't been many of the side effects that are outlined in the Whole 30 Timeline.

I never suffered through "the Hang Over" from sugar withdrawal on days 2 & 3, or the unexplainable "Kill All Things Phase" on days 4 & 5.  "I just want to nap" are suppose to take place on days 6 & 7, but I had some much energy on day 7, I can't believe all the things I was able to accomplish.  I did experience some of the day 8 & 9 "my pants are tighter" symptoms,  but that was actually on day 4.

I am still sticking with my previous comment that so far this isn't that hard.  No cravings or desires for "forbidden" foods.  Even when J is eating chips and drink pop in front of me I don't feel as though I need to partake.  Although I do get annoyed that he has started eating more junk and less paleo since I started doing Whole 30.

I am however still having a daily battle with not stepping on the scale.  Especially on days when I feel skinnier and really just want to know.  I have settled for knowing that the new clothes I bought are one size smaller then I used to wear, fit nicely and are not at all tight.

I have also this far avoided eating in a restaurant or at someone else's house.  I have been trying to rack my brain for what would be an acceptable meal to eat out and haven't come up with much.  I think that maybe Swiss Chalet, 1/4 chicken with side salad (olive oil and vinegar dressing) would work, no bun or sauce of course.  But I think my best bet is to try and avoid eating out for the duration of the 30 days.  Be good for my pocket book if I can do that too!

Day 5:

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins and 2 slices prosucitto 

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and homemade dressing 

Dinner: grilled tuna with salad

Day 6:

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with spinach, mushroom and tomato and 2 slices prosucitto pan fried

Lunch: tomato salad and grilled mahi mahi 

Dinner: baked pastured chicken with zucchini noodles, green beans and a salad

Day 7:

Breakfast: 3 poached eggs with apple pork breakfast sausage (recipe)

Lunch: sausage with salad
Dinner: roasted pork with steamed cauliflower and roasted beets

Whole 30: Day 3 & 4 - Hide the Scale

One of the rules for doing a Whole 30 is that you aren't suppose to weigh yourself during the entire 30 days.  Here is a little excerpt  on this taken directly from the source (you can also click on the excerpt  to be taken to the Whole 30 page to find out more about the program).

You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30.

I have found that this habit is one of the hardest for me to break.  From the time I wake up I start thinking about weighing myself and have to remind myself that I am "not allowed" to.  Then there is constantly reminding myself while in the bathroom waiting for the hot water in the shower that I cannot step on the scale.

After I step into the shower the need to weigh myself goes away.  This is because I have convinced myself that you weigh less before you shower then you do all wet after you shower (also can't eat breakfast before you weigh in cause that add on pounds).

It is because of my overwhelming desire to weigh myself everyday and my own silly little rules about getting weighed, that I think this rule is such an important one.  I really do need to break away from the psychological hold that the number on the scale has on me.

Meal Log

Day 3:

Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms, and a side of smoked salmon
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and home made dressing
Dinner: cilantro lime chicken legs (2), marinated tomatoes and zoodles (zucchini)

Day 4:

Breakfast: egg muffins with prosciutto
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken and home made dressing
Dinner: grass fed ground beef tacos - home made seasoning, lettuce wraps

Whole 30: Day 2 - Not That Different

Ok so I am saying this after completing only 2 days of Whole 30 but I am going to say it now and see if I eat my words later (are words allowed to be eaten on the Whole 30? going to have to consult my list).  So far for me eating Whole 30 has not been that different.

Before Whole 30 - I was eating 3 meals a day of real food that was mainly paleo.  Now I am eating 3 meals a day that are 100% paleo.

A lot of the reading I did before I started this journey was people saying that you need to stock up on food and they can't believe how much food they went through.  But I haven't gone through any more food then I was before.  I stocked my fridge the same as I always do on the weekend and as the week goes by the amount of food dwindles down.

There are some small changes that I have had to make to be compliant on this diet, but I don't actually even notice the difference.  Here are my changes:

• No more dried cranberries on my salad they contained added sugar
• No more store bought salad dressing that I knew I shouldn't be eating.
• No cheese on my salad or in anything I cook
• No milk in my tea
• No eating R's snacks - he is gluten free so many of these are off limits for me
• Read every label very carefully!

I did find out that I don't like my morning tea without the milk in it (used to be sweetner as well ekk!).  So I have started drinking my herbal teas in the morning and love it.  Vanilla rooibos tea is absolutely wonderful and has a beautiful hint of sweetness to it.  I am disappointed in myself that I used to add milk and honey to this tea as it is so much better without anything added.

So really no earth shattering changes to report (thus far - still looking up if eating words in on Whole 30 or not).  

Day 2 Food Log:

Breakfast  3 egg muffins and salmon/cucumber nori rolls  

Lunch: salad with chicken and home made dressing (3 ingriedents: olive oil, rice vinegar and herb de Provence soooo yummy)

Dinner:  mild Italian sausage* with steamed cauliflower and grilled beats

I emailed my little grocery store where I buy most of my food and asked them for the ingredients for the sausage, I was so happy to find out it is pork, water, salt and spices!

Whole 30: Day 1

So as part of this Whole 30 journey I have decided that I will keep a food log.  Nothing fancy, but just to give people an idea of what food I am eating while following this plan.  Also include some recipes and things that work for me while I do my Whole 30 journey.

This diet takes some reprogramming of the brain.  Not for eating a different way, but more to make sure you don't mindlessly eat something.  Little man was eating yogurt and I got some on my hand.  Had to repeatedly tell myself over and over not to lick the yogurt off my hand.  Sure if I had of licked it off my hand it wouldn't have been a big deal.  But given that it was 7 am on day 1, I really didn't want to eat a "forbidden" food.

A few roadblocks were put in my way today and I breezed passed them no problem.  The first was that I was at the office an extra hour longer then normal or was expected.  Thankfully I have stashed a few Larabars for just such an occasion.  If you are in Toronto and looking for these I found them at Tutti Frutti in Kensington Market for $1.25 each.

Then as I had known about for over a month, I chose to start my Whole 30 on the same day as book club.  Temptation was staring me in the face the entire evening with multiple bottles of wine and a ton of forbidden food on the table in front of me all evening.  This was where having the strict rule of No Cheats really helped me.  A first glance at the table made me long for everything on it.  Then I didn't even notice the table for the longest time.  I did notice that there was some fruit on the table that I could have eaten, but I also recognized that I had just eaten a large yummy dinner and wasn't at all hungry.  Oh and I also sipped on carbonated water the whole evening.


Day 1:
Breakfast: egg muffins
Lunch: salad with oil & vinegar dressing
Snack: 1/2 Larabar
Dinner: basil pork tenderloin, fennel apple & mushroom stir fry with tomato & kalamata olives salad

Sausage, Spinach & Tomato Egg Muffins

Sausage, Spinach & Tomato Egg muffins - there are a ton of recipes on the internet for these.  I made them up on Sunday and have them packaged in the fridge so I can grab and go in the morning.  I put them in the toaster oven this morning to reheat them and they tasted great.

1/2 lb cooked ground sausage - I had ground pork so I pan fried that with some herb de Provence and other spices
1 handfull chopped spinach - I used fresh spinach
1 small tomato diced
1 small handful of basil chopped
9 eggs
coconut oil

Set oven to 350 degrees, grease a muffin tin with the coconut oil.
Mix together the spinach, tomato and basil in one bowl.  In a separate bowl whip eggs until frothy.  Combine eggs with veggie mixture.
Distribute the cooked sausage evenly into the bottom of the muffin tins.  Pour egg mixture over top.
Place in oven and cooked for 30 minutes.

Whole 30: It all begins

Today I am embarking on a life changing event.  While life changing for 30 days at least.  I have decided to clean up my eating and undertake the Whole 30 Challenge.

In a nut shell, the Whole 30 Challenge is essentially just being super strict paleo for 30 days.  This means no grains, legumes, sugar, dairy or alcohol at ALL.  But it also means as much meat, eggs, seafood, nuts, good oils, veggies and fruit as you want. (although they do recommend you limit fruit).

But the biggest and most important part about this diet is that cheats are not allowed.  None, nada, zero.  You must avoid the bad foods at all cost.  If you are eating out, you need to find something on the menu that is complaint with the diet.  You are not allowed that one cookie just cause everyone else is eating one.  You are not allowed that salad dressing that has sugar in it even though there is only a tiny bit.

I am actually looking forward to the strict guidelines of no cheating.  Because this challenge lasts for 30 days there is a definite timeline for how long it will last but it also gives me the excuse of why I can't cheat.  Eating paleo for months makes it easy to rationalize why you can have just one cookie.  This program takes that ability away.

The same with peer pressure.  People will bug you about eating the cookie but if you are able to say that you are on a strict diet then there is a better chance they will leave you alone.  Well this is at least what I keep telling myself.

Its funny, I decided about a month ago that today would be my start date for the Whole 30.  I bought the book It Starts with Food, and read it while on vacation and then started stocking my pantry with the right foods.  But I also found that all last week (after returning home from vacation), I started eating on plan.  I actually lost 2 lbs last week because I was sticking with the paleo diet 98% of the time.  I must confess however, that Friday we went out for chicken wings and fries and a "last supper" kinda meal.

Oh I also learned that Frank's Hot Sauce is compliant on the Whole 30.  Woohoo I don't need to give up my chicken wings while on this diet.  I purchased 5 lbs worth of wings from the grocery store to celebrate!

Now from everything I read in the book and online about this program, the best way to succeed is by meal planning.  Figure out what you are going to eat at every meal and then buy all the groceries you need for the week to make those meals.

While I had every intention of meal planning, it just never happened.  I even started a meal plan about 3 different times, but never finished one.  Saturday at noon my boys were napping and I took the opportunity to run out and grocery shop.  So with no plan in hand, I shopped till I dropped.  My cart was full of veggies.  I also picked up a few items from the butcher counter just to be safe, even though the freezer is full of frozen meat.

Wish me luck as I enter day 1 of this 30 day journey.  Here is to feeling and looking great at the end of the 30 days (and hopefully many days before that).

It All Starts With Breakfast

It is September and time for life to get back to normal and to start preparing to hibernate for the winter.  Well at least I wish I could hibernate, cause I hate the cold.  Hopefully we have an Indian Summer this fall and the nice weather sticks around for as long as possible.

The farmers markets are beautifully stocked with the most delicious fruits and veggies.  I love a great big vine ripen in season tomato and have been waiting all year to sink my teeth into one.  Thankfully this year I was not disappointed with how wonder they taste.

On a sad note, St. Jocab's farmers market had a great big fire in their main building this weekend.  We were hoping to go there this weekend and stock up on veggie to can for the winter.  Looks like the outside area will still be open, but I just don't know if it will be the same.  Hopefully for all the inside vendors there will be a speedy rebuild and things will get up and running for them.

Now onto the point of this post ...

After years of being told that it is important to eat breakfast this was always something engraved in my brain and still something that I believe to be true.  The sad part is that we were taught that we shouldn't eat too much and that a whole wheat bagel is better then bacon and eggs, and never eat the egg yolk cause that will kill you.

This lead to me eating a bagel or english muffin (white of course, those whole wheat ones are gross) with some margarine for years.  All the while thinking that this was the right thing to be eating (sortof) and never questioning why I was starving at 10 am, when I just ate breakfast at 8 am.  I knew that if I purchased the weight watchers bagels they would be 2 points and that was more filling then the english muffins for the same amount of points.

Once I broke free from the grains, I switched my weekday breakfast to either 2 hard boiled or some cottage cheese.  I found both much more satisfying to eat then a bagel; however, I was still struggling with being hungry before lunch time.  Usually around 11 am my tummy was starting to grumble.

Then out of necessity to eat all the eggs up before going on vacation I had 6 eggs and 2 days.  I decided to throw caution to the wind (or whatever that expression is) and eat 3 hardboiled eggs for breakfast each morning.  Not only did I eat the three eggs, I also drizzled them in olive oil (Yummy). 

The first thing I would like to report is that even though I ate three whole eggs, yolk and all, two days in a row, I survived and am still living.  But other wonderful things happened too.

Not only was I able to stay full until lunch time, it was more between 1-2 pm that I found myself getting hungry enough to eat my lunch.  Then because I ate my lunch later, I found that I wasn't starving when I got home at 5:30.  Then cause I wasn't starving, this meant I wasn't shovelling as much food as possible in as little time as possible while standing with the fridge door open.  Which also means that I didn't out of desperate starvation eat 2 dinners - 1 in front of the fridge  and 1 at the dinner table.

So I have learned that 1 extra egg in the morning, a mere 90-120 calories, saves me HUNDREDS of calories in the evening and keeps me happy and sane.  That is right, no 5pm monster crashing and banging around in the kitchen trying to find everything and anything that I can fit in my mouth.  This also results in a much happier husband and kid I might add!