Sunday night- meal prep for the zoo. I would probably just get something at the zoo and spend money on garbage, but spending this time preparing a healthy meal was definitely worth it.
Monday, May 19
Breakfast- iced espresso from Starbucks
2 eggs with peppers, Roma tomato, over kale.
2 huge scoops of almond butter- this has turned into our sweetness at meals
Apple with almond butter- we went through 1 jar in a week!
Dinner - turkey burger topped with bacon over mixed greens, brocollini, sweet potatoe fries with BBQ sauce and Dijon
Tuesday, May 20
Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs, bacon, peppers, kale. Apple with AB (no pic)
Snack- 4 celery sticks in AB
Lunch- leftover cauliflower rice mixture with smoked chicken. Plantain chips dipped in avocado mash.
Dinner - Leftover chicken and kale soup
Snap peas dipped in olive oil with salt and pepper
Fruit salad - pineapple, mango and strawberries with almond meal/butter crumble on top
Wednesday, May 21
Breakfast - Iced coffee
Egg, sausage, spinach frittata with mashed sweet potatoes
Pineapple and mango slices
Snack - almonds
Lunch - Salad with peppers, cherry tomatoes, chicken and snap peas. Oil and vinegar dressing
Plantain chips with mashed avocado
Apple with AB
Dinner - Mexican Paleo Soup (recipe: http://wearegustafson.blogspot.com/2013/09/paleo-mexican-soup-whole-30-recipe.html)
Topped with sliced avocado
Dessert - Paleo Apple Crisp (recipe: http://browneyedquail.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/paleo-apple-crisp/) **minus the honey
Thursday, May 22
Breakfast - Banana and AB, 2 eggs over eggplant ratatouille
Iced coffee
Snack - almonds
Lunch - Grassfed beef grilled burger with a slice of bacon
leftover broccolini
Mixed greens salad with cherry tomatoes and oil and vinegar dressing
Snack - Apple with cinnamon and AB
Dinner - Homemade taco meet over a salad with sliced avocado
Spoonfuls of Almond Butter....not joking
Strawberry cobbler (leftover)
Fruit slices
**today was interesting. Although I do get hungry, I find that I eat because I'm bored. I had a snack today, but wasn't really hungry. It was just "that time of day". The Whole 30 is supposed to clean up that stuff. I'm pretty sure I'm failing in that aspect.
And I'm cranky. I'm mean. I want what I want. I literally don't miss any particular food. I just miss being able to have what I want, when I want. #firstworldprobs right?! We both want to give up. And our stomachs have been a wreck. Like bloated and feel like literal crap, but can't go to the bathroom. And I have no energy which makes me want to mindless eat. And I'm sick of eggs for breakfast. I love them, but I'm sick of them. And I have until June 10th with them.
Friday, May 23
Breakfast - Panera Iced Coffee
Power bowl - steak, 2 eggs, tomato and avocado - superb
Snack - banana and almond butter (2 hours after breakfast)
Lunch - Lettuce, avocado
Taco meat mixture
Apple
*this lunch was rushed, and honestly, I found that I wasn't too hungry. I've been busy at school wrapping up the year so lunch has been on the go this week.
Dinner - Puerto Rican beef over sweet potatoes (repeat dish!)
Avocado
*I had to attend our high school graduation tonight which usually ensues a teacher outing with fried food, drinks, and fun. I had tons of fun....but none of the other stuff. And (drum role please.....) I felt fine. I took my snack of almonds in and had two glasses of ice water with lemon, and felt great. Oh sure, the fried green beans, ranch, fried pickles, etc all looked and smelled amazing. And I had the thought for a few days that I might allow myself 1 drink. What's 1 drink?!
But I stuck to my plan and I was amazed how empowered I felt. If I had eaten just 1 green bean or sipped 1 little drink, it's not like this whole thing wouldn't count, but it was bigger than that for me. It was BEING ABLE to say 'no thank you' and knowing I would feel better, later. Not in the moment. In the moment, I wanted all the ranch dressing and drinks from everyone's drinks. But later on my way home, I felt amazing and I woke up amazing. It was a bit of breakthrough for me.
This.....did not get to me that night!
Saturday, May 24th
Nathan made me a smoothie this morning and I was starving for it...
We decided to occasionally add almond milk into our plan for variety and realistic of what we would eat after it's over.
He doesn't remember what was in this, but we did not put in our wonderful cassein-free, grass fed protein powder b/c it is sweetened with stevia. And on the Whole 30, Stevia is a no no. So we "think" this has almond milk, nuts of some sort, strawberries, spinach and maybe one other thing.
I took Liam to the park to run in the morning, we stopped off for coffee and a Target run, then we came home around 11. Liam ate and went down for a nap and I laid outside for some sun and to actually read It Starts with Food. I haven't technically finished it, although I've read the highlights and how to do the program. But, it was very much needed. We've both been down here and there with cravings, being starved between meals, and just lamenting the foods we can't have (mostly beer and ice cream;)
But after reading a few chapters out loud, we were both back on the game plan. Just reading scenarios of people who have our diets and lives (terrible sleep, stress, grazing all day, cortisol levels out of whack) gave me inspiration to keep going and finally be proud of our accomplishment thus far.
To read all about metabolic syndrome, hormones, insulin, etc and how when 1 is out of whack, they all are. We read through the numerous (read - page full) of ailments and illness, some which affect us and our close family, and how NEARLY ALL OF THEM are attributed to what we eat. All of this information just astounds me, yet it doesn't surprise me. We are the sickest we've ever been and very few are willing to point towards our diets.
If I could tell you, you could have the life you wanted: full amounts of energy, ability to exercise and work, great night's sleep every night, few sicknesses/ailments/illnesses....would you want to hear more? Of course you would! But what if I told you to change everything you're currently eating. Commit to a life of fruits, veggies, and lean meats. And your body would heal itself. Would you do it?! I think that's where we struggle. Because all of that WOULD BE HARD. Well, so is sickness. And both of us have wanted to quit, but as the book puts it, "This isn't hard. Having a baby is hard. Fighting cancer is hard. Not putting cream in your coffee IS NOT HARD."
Wow, I got my motivation back and strangely enough, I feel better today. Not ravaged between meals, not starving, not needing a snack.
I even forgot to have lunch until 3 (which I don't recommend ever...we just got talking and reading and I sort of forgot)
Lunch - leftover Mexican Paleo soup with avocado (no picture)
Dinner - Ahi tuna steak topped with homemade pico, sweet potato fries, plantain chips dipped in guacamole.
This dinner was amazing....and I wasn't even hungry. The book says around week 3, your hormones should level out and you won't hate the world anymore b/c you are low on refined carbs.
Sunday, May 25 - end of week 2!
2 eggs
2 ham slices
spinach
pico sauce
Half of iced coffee (leftover from yesterday)
Snack - I had a banana with AB around 10:45. Not b/c I was hungry but b/c it "felt like snack time" (I'm still working on the not eating in between meals part =)
Lunch - 1 Sweet potato topped with smoked chicken and bacon
green and red peppers
Pico, avocado
4-5 roasted eggplant slices
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| Yes, I was full after this! |
Dinner - Kale with cherry tomatoes, olives and oil and vinegar
Grass fed beef burger with 2 slices of bacon
leftover Sweet potato fries
Strawberries in coconut milk and coconut shavings
Decaf green tea
This week has really started to look up. When all we wanted to do was give up, we reread the book and got re-motivated. One thing we both appreciated from the authors is their realistic approach to this program. They don't expect you to never eat sugar or never drink alcohol. They even say it's not realistic, but they want to give you the tools to make conscience decisions where your health is concerned. And give you all the resources and science to back that up.
This was big for me b/c 2 things I really struggle with are having a sweet every day (sometimes more than once) and drinking alcohol. I would probably have a drink 4-5 nights a week. Could be glass of wine or sharing a beer with my husband or a martini after a long weekend. This would be my unwind time. And I couldn't get a handle on it. I often think, "Well, I am exhausted from my evening with my 1 year old. I need a drink. I've earned it." And once the alcohol hit, my decision making skills flew by the wayside and I had no problem eating a small bowl of ice cream or perhaps Easter candy we have stashed.
The thing is, I don't need to earn food. If I want it, I can have it. But that was my justification. And I'm finally realizing that. At graduation, I kept thinking, "but this is my reward for a long year. To go out with my friends and drink and relax." Well, I didn't drink and I didn't feel deprived and I did relax and have fun. But getting over that hump has been challenging. But I feel empowered and motivated moving forward.
Nathan doesn't have a post this week, but I asked for his comments. His are very similar to mine in that he now doesn't feel starved in between meals and his digestion issues (which he's always had) have lessened. Even after the Whole 30, we know there are certain things that can not be a part of our diets going forward.
My take aways from this week:
1. Stick it out - things that are worth it are always hard in the beginning
2. Critics - there will always be naysayers, and guess what, they can talk when they've done it
3. Money - good food is expensive. That part is killing me. But hey, so are doctor visits and illnesses
4. Prep - it takes a lot to plan out our meals each week. Just today (Sunday) I have made pancakes for Liam, egg souffle, salmon, chicken breasts, paleo spaghetti pizza...woof. I spend a lot of time making food, going to the grocery store, and washing dishes. Meh, no good.
5. Halfway - we are almost halfway there....
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| YAY! |
