So today is actually Day 17, so I am just over halfway! I noticed that my experiences have pretty much followed the timeline as far as what to expect when starting out on the Whole 30, with a few exceptions. I am now on the home stretch and SO thankful for that! I am feeling great physically - energy is pretty good, mood is pretty good, and so far I have been able to make dinners that are good enough that I am excited for lunch the next day.
There were two days that I was ready to give up - both of them occurred when dinner didn't go as planned ( the first time - it was this flank steak that I marinated in an asian-style marinade. Not good. Maybe I should have used chicken?) Anyway, after trying so hard not to snack after lunch, it was really disappointing that my only meal before breakfast the next day was gross, and I hardly wanted to eat it. I was super bummed and I was about three minutes from throwing in the towel and grabbing McDonalds. But I didn't and I moved on. The next time was actually last night, but it wasn't as tempting to give up then, just briefly considered it, before deciding it was ridiculous. This was because I opened my package of wings and it had gone bad! So that meant a trip to the grocery store at 5pm, when I would much rather have been sitting down to eat. I was hungry! I would say that if you are planning on starting the Whole30, you should plan ahead for when situations like this happen when you aren't expecting them. Maybe make a couple extra meals at the beginning, and put them in the freezer for when dinnertime gets the best of you.
Areas for improvement during my Whole30:
1- Portion sizes. I know I am supposed to eat until I start to feel full, and then wait a bit to see if I really am full or am a bit more hungry. However, I usually just keep eating. This is not a good thing, and I want to stop it NOW when I am still eating good foods.
2- Snacking. I try not to snack during the day, but VERY occasionally I have a mid-morning snack. This is usually an apple with almond butter or something similar. I would say this happens once a week, maybe. I do have an afternoon snack every day, but this is something I have always done - my kids get home from school and we have a snack and talk about our day, homework, etc. I have a larabar pretty much every day, and man those things are good! The habit that I want to curb is actually the after dinner "treat". Right now it is some dried fruit and a small serving of cashews or a banana with almond butter, or some blueberries in coconut milk ( THIS is amazing!). I know these are all compliant things, but I also know that I am adding in extra calories that I don't need, and they are instead a craving - I am not really that hungry. I am also worried that if I let this continue, then post Whole30, it won't stop but instead will be chocolate and wine or something! So I need to stop it TODAY. I decided to give myself a plan. After dinner I will brew some tea while I get the girls ready for bed. I will drink it and relax while I read them their bedtime story and say good night. Then I will brush my teeth right away! I am hoping that this will do the trick. I think having a plan in place is half the battle, if not more.
Things that are working well:
1 - No added sugar. I have found that I used to put sugar in a lot of things that don't need it. When I made sweet potato in the past, I would put cinnamon and brown sugar on it. Now it just has cinnamon, and I LOVE it! I plan on choosing foods that don't have added sugar in the ingredients as much as possible.
2- I want to continue with a mostly paleo lifestyle when this is over. I absolutely love to bake and cook, so I plan on continuing with this later - but I will bake with healthier ingredients and while I still plan on having the occasional cupcake or cinnamon roll, I want to do this even less than I did before.
3- Planning out ALL my meals has been great. I am SO SICK OF EGGS. However, I love that I have a game plan for breakfast because it is a lot healthier than just grabbing a bowl of Lucky Charms in the morning, because I haven't thought past my coffee yet. I am planning on choosing breakfasts that are healthy and make me look forward to getting up in the morning, and then putting them on a rotating schedule so I am not eating eggs. every. day. I am excited for when I can have avocado toast or yogurt again. I am interested to see how the reintroduction period goes, and to see how certain foods affect me and in what way. I will then use this information when planning out my menus in the days to come.
I am thankful that I chose to do the Whole 30 because in addition to looking at foods in a different way, and using this time to try and curb my food habits that are not helpful to me in the long run, I have also developed a new appreciation for food! I know that when I am finally able to sit and have a donut, I will ENJOY it and not just scarf it down and end up having two! I will be able to savor it for what it is, and then move on. I will be able to choose those foods less, because I know what life is like without them, but I also know that it is okay to have once and a while. I don't want to be a slave to food - I am the boss, and I want it to serve my purposes and not the other way around. I also have learned a lot about discipline and what we are capable of doing if we just decide to do it! I think this can spill out into other areas of life as well - training for that half-marathon that's on your bucket list? Yeah! Go do it! I bet you can do more than you thought you could. And I promise you can do a lot more if you get off of your couch and at least try!
So that is where I'm at on Day 17. Have you ever thought about taking the Whole 30 challenge? Did you complete one? Tell me about it!
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