Round deux

The thing about Whole30 is that, no matter how good, how incredibly seasoned my taco filling piled on top of a bed of lettuce is, I still want to slather it in grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. (Daisy, duh. Sour cream standards.)

Alas, here I am doing a second round of Whole30 and, while it is so much easier this time around, I already hate it. I WANT CHEESE. 

Also, I started last Monday and already cheated. I know, I KNOW, but I was attacked by a bird on my Friday morning walk to work. Yep, a freaking bird. I was just walkin along, minding by own business when I heard this terrible screeching and I saw wings flapping, to my left, out of the corner of my eye. It grabbed my shoulder with its claws - I was wearing a sweater, thank God, or else I would've gone straight to the nearest doctor to be tested for rabies or bird flu. And it proceeded to follow me for about 5-10 feet, all the while the most horrible noise was blaring out of its tiny little beak. 

I, of course, reacted calmly screamed loudly and started running awkwardly in my work clothes and my huge purse. I'm sure people were like, what is wrong with that girl? And I was just over here like, no big deal, I just lived The Birds. Now I know why people found that movie so scary. 

Then, on my way to meet up with Dan and some friends, birds kept darting out of the bushes in front of me and I couldnt stop flinching and fearing that one of them would turn on me and pluck my eyes out.

All that to say, I deserved a glass of wine. But, be proud that I still declined the basket full of sourdough bread (literally, my favorite type of bread). I didn't count it against me and I don't think you should either because that's what friends do. Plus, my goal this time around isn't so much the vegetable consumption part, I pretty well stuck to that after the first round. My goal this time is to make sure I fit into a bridesmaid dress I bought about a month after the first round. The weight loss part of this program is real. Eff my life.

{another selfie: snooze, but does anyone else have a boob that is considerably larger than the other?}

Whole ::: Wrap Up

Whole 30 Challenge: dominated.

But seriously, the biggest thing I have to say about this experience is that I feel empowered. I like things I didn't know I liked. I exercised will-power I was unfamiliar with. I survived and I feel good. 

During:

Of course there were days when I craved something that I couldn't have. But those were days came around less than expected. My body was running efficiently and it showed. 

I will say I did not follow the strict program that requires only 3 meals a day and no snacking. While I (kinda) get the purpose behind what they are trying to achieve, my purpose was to treat my body better and, if I am hungry, withholding nourishment simply because "our ancestors" didn't snack was counterintuitive to what I wanted out of this. Listening to my body was important and so I kicked that rule to the curb. 

I ate so many vegetables and I am so proud of myself! Carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, spaghetti squash, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes (it acts like a vegetable so I consider it one). And I liked all of them. I feel like an entirely different person and I like her.

Though this wasn't a priority for me, I also lost weight. I lost just over 10 lbs in 30 days. Which sounds crazy to me but I was eating food. Real food. And lots of it! Like I said, if I was hungry, I ate. Im chalking the weight loss up to cutting out sugar and grains.

After:

I really want to keep this up to some degree. Not crazy strict (I missed beans and cheese too much!), but I think I'm going to keep grains to a minimum and same with sugar. I also want to keep the vegetable intake high which seems so much easier now that I know I like so many of them and how I like to cook them.

A big test for me will be to see how I do over finals. Last year it was all, study for 12 hours then come home and make 7 minute mac&cheese. I still have some blue boxes in my cupboards (how's that for will-power!) but I'm thinking I may just donate them... I don't know. It's not like I'm never going to have mac and cheese again but maybe not to the extent I have in the past.

I am definitely splurging today. I am eating chipotle with beans and rice and cheese... and it's going to be freaking-fantastic. I'm robably going to pour myself a glass of wine tonight, too. But this whole process has made me reconsider what it means to do things in moderation and I'm hoping that most of this sticks long term.

Huzzah to me and all that. I did it. And I'm pretty dang proud.

Whole ::: Week Four

 Without further ado:

1. There are a lot of home-cooked meals going on over here and I don't hear any complaints from either of us. I've been getting faster at prepping some things and it doesn't take me anywhere near as long as it did the first week. Plus, slow-cooker. That thing is a god among kitchen appliances.

2. I LIKE BRUSSEL SPROUTS AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT. And you're like, so? But I'm like, what?! I never would have eaten brussel sprouts voluntarily ever before this. And then my sister gives me this killer recipe with bacon and I'm like, oh ya, no big deal. I LIKE BRUSSEL SPROUTS.

3. Almond-breaded chicken is the shizz.

4. In the first week I was a little so-so on the sweet potato thing and now I crave them. Like, I'll dream about them while I'm studying at school. Weird.

5. I roasted some sweet potatoes and butternut squash to go with pot roast the other night and it was good. Butternut squash, chalk that up as another thing I never tried before and now love. Who am I?! I don't even know this person.

6. I have one more day, if I'm doing my math correctly (which, let's be real I'm a law student so math isn't my forte -- feel free to check my work), and it's a little nerve-wracking. Part of me is like, put that cheese in my mouth and then the other part of me is screaming "but you feel so good and you've done so well!" It's not an all-or-nothing game, I know but I am a little nervous that I'll fall back into old habits hard.

7. I'm really glad this is ending before Thanksgiving because I want pie. That's definitely a food group I'm re-introducing. It's probably the second tier on my personal food pyramid. It goes fruit & vegetables. Then pie. Everything afterwards is just... not pie.

I'll probably, maybe, do a full re-cap of my thoughts and feels on this Whole 30 business in the next week or so (maybe not, it is finals season after all). We'll see. So there you have it, week four and I'm rip, roaring and ready to go.

Whole ::: Week Three

Holy crap, day 21 is here. What?! The end is so near, which is crazy. There is just over a week left -- the last day of Whole30 coincides with my last day of classes (and that feels way too fast) so the challenge seems somewhat secondary and it prevents me from focusing too much on it. I just do it and that's been working for me. Anyway, some things about this past week:

1. I made some diy Larabar carrot cake bars (more like circles) and they are super tasty -- probably more than the actual bar -- and they were way cheaper. Score.

2. We ate out twice this week. Once when my sister came and once with friends. It wasn't too hard. I found things I was able to eat but it will be nice when I don't have to worry about every. single. sauce. ingredient. WHO CARES IF THEY USE WHITE WINE IN THE SAUCE. IT BURNS OFF. But whatever. I did it and it was fine.

3. Went to the gym for the first time since I started the challenge. It had been a good while since I had run so that was a little rough, but it felt good. I felt super sore the next two days so, that was new.

4. I made my own italian meatballs! Threw em in the spaghetti squash (btw crockpot spaghetti squash is life changing. so much easier).

5. I ventured into the world of coconut milk whipped cream. IT IS LIFE. I whipped that stuff up and dolloped some onto my strawberries and just munched in my own little heaven for a while.

7. Almond breaded baked chicken strips. That's all.

8. Fruit it killing me. Literally. I've always known I had a major sensitivity to bananas (but I would eat them anyway because they are so good). But now, it feels like every piece of fruit I eat results in a major stomach ache. Whyyyy.

9. On my calendar for November 25 I have "eat some cheese." That's all I want to do. Maybe a little sip of wine, too.

Whole ::: Week Two

1. I have more energy. Not like bouncing off the walls, let's go climb Mt. Everest energy, but I wake up earlier without issue and I don't really get tired til my normal bedtime. Before, I would have waves of exhaustion throughout the day - those aren't really present this week.

2. I ATE EGGPLANT, ONION, AND MUSHROOMS for dinner the other night. And I liked it. 

3. This may not be real but it seems like, because I can't get the flavor of cheese or sour cream or cheez-its or whatever, I have been looking to get satisfying flavor elsewhere, which has helped me be more open to foods I didn't traditionally like and actually enjoy them.

4. Speaking of things I used to not enjoy: tomatoes. They are all up in my salads now and I'm cool with it. 

5. I do miss crouton-like things. I love the crunch in my salads. I've tried nuts - they just don't compare.

6. Tacos are not tacos without beans. There. I said it. I can meet you at the lettuce wrap in lieu of corn tortilla shell but for me, beans are essential. When this is all over: beans, baby. Further, I don't get why people are so like excited about Chipotle during Whole30. Like, all you can have is lettuce, meat, salsa, guac, and onions/peppers. No beans. No Rice. No cheese. No tortilla. Which, is fine, I'll eat that meal but I'm not going to pay $9 for it. amiright?

7. I got a little tired of this routine on Friday. I just really wanted some beans and rice. I didn't do it and I'm finishing this til the end but woah that craving hit hard and stayed for a while.

8. I tried two of those drink recipes I posted  last week (the grapefruit one and the blueberry/mint one) and they were delicious. My favorite was the grapefruit drank - it was just easier to make and super refreshing.

9. Dan has been so supportive. He's not doing the actual challenge with me (something about voodoo witch magic) but he eats whatever I make and this past week he made the majority of our dinners because I had a couple deadlines I had to meet. He was like, "Okay, so what am I making and what's allowed in it?" And he likes most of it, too. Although, that's not surprising he's always liked vegetables. He does miss rice and bread, etc. But he'll have those on his own when he really wants them.

Onwards and upwards into week three!

Whole ::: Week One

Here's an update on my Whole 30 experience.

1. I had headaches the first couple mornings. Not sure if that's normal. Some say it's toxins leaving, others say I might be drinking too litte/much water. Regardless, they weren't debilitating, they are gone now, and I'm moving on.

2. I bought Tessamae dressing -- the balsamic version. It's... okay. I think I'm getting used to it but I am not in love yet. And it's so expensive that I am not super thrilled with the idea of buying others to try because if I don't like them that's like $6 down the drain. But, it's fine for now.

3. I'm not craving much. Every once in a while I want a piece of cheese (feta on my salad would be divine) or some chocolate (halloween sucked) but other than that I haven't been like I NEED THIS IN MY BELLY NOW about anything in particular.

4. But it has been hard to get meals going. I didn't plan well. Dumb move. Plan, plan, plan. I needed to plan some meals for the week and I just jumped in too quickly. So that meant expensive trips to Whole Foods everyday (because it's on my way to Metro when I go home) and taking approximately 1.5 every night to make dinner. I don't got time for that. This week will be better -- I already did my big grocery haul so I got what I need.

5. I actually like water, have for years, but I do miss flavors in what I drink sometimes. I am surprised that I don't miss soda almost at all. So I am figuring out ways to make little drinks with carbonated water, fruit juice or tea, and fruit. See below. Those recipes are from the Whole 30 website and they look pretty good!

6. At this point, 3 weeks and 2 days doesn't seem that much longer. It's not phasing me yet. Though I'll let you know at day 21. It might be old by then. ;)

7. I went to NC this weekend for a bridal shower and it was definitely difficult to find food that I could eat. Fruit, some of the veggies, and the salad. Though, it wasn't too hard to say no to the fried food and mac and cheese (surprise to me!) and I just steered clear of the mimosa bar because that might've been fatal.

8. EATING OUT IS HARD. I forgot my lunch one day this week and I walked into 2 restaurants and ending up buying lunch at Whole Foods (which was gross and I was not happy about it) -- waste of money. Never forget lunch again: √

All in all, good week. I feel good. I don't think I'm exuding crazy amounts of energy like some people say they experience but maybe that comes a bit later? My body does feel good and I never feel like crap after I eat, which is great.

p.s. Don't these look so yummy?!

Whole

So judge me or whatever but I've hopped on the clean train; I'm doing the Whole 30 challenge. I've been thinking about my eating habits for a while now. I knew I was eating too much processed food and not enough vegetables. I want to eat healthy. I want to be healthy. It doesn't matter that my metabolism lets me eat a cheez-its and diet coke and not result in obesity. It matters that I can give my body good sustenance and I should take control and do so.

So, while I could have just attempted to ease into it -- continue to eat some of the other foods and just incorporate more veggies into my diet -- I knew that, if given the option, I would eat all bread and salami and cheese instead. I decided to do the Whole 30 because it would force me to eat healthier. It would force me to find ways to put vegetables on my plate.

At this point I'm not sure I'll stick with the strict program after the 30 days. I mean, I really love cheese. But, I think this will kickstart a better relationship with food for me. We'll see!


p.s. If you've ever done paleo or Whole 30 I would love to get some recipe ideas! I made spaghetti squash with italian sausage and my own mayo so I could put it in tuna. It's kinda crazy how many things are in store bought items that you don't think about!