Day 29 @ 1:30am

ODD HOURS RAMBLINGS
I guess this will be one of the more difficult days for me.  I am sitting in a small conference room working the  11pm to 6am shift for a software conversion ocurring in Portugal (I am in MN, USA).  I have been up since 6am on 2/28 and will get to put my head on a pillow no earlier than 7pm on 3/1.  Back to the conference room (command center).  Because the work effort has been over 3 days, there is food everywhere!  Not one thing is compliant - trust me I looked!  Good thing I brought 3 hard boiled eggs, a banana and some Macadamia nuts.  Once it hits 6am, there is a little restaurant near here that makes awesome compliant omlets (breakfast) and amazing salads (lunch).  I will have dinner at home and then go to bed!

NON-COMPLIANT INVENTORY OF FOOD THAT IS WITHIN REACH

• LeeAnn Chins (many varieties)
• NutriGrain bars (3 boxes)
• Sunbelt bakery bars
• WhoNu? (cookies)
• Chips Ahoy's
• PopTarts (3 boxes)
• Pastries (large variety)
• Poppy seed muffins
• Blueberry muffins
• Donuts
• Baked Lays
• Lays Wave's
• Doritos
• Corn chips
• Popcorn
• Chips Ahoy's
• Pretzels
• CheeseIts
• Triscuits
• Caribou flavored beverages
• Every type of soda imaginable

Well, wish me luck, it is now 2am and I only have to be here 4 more hours!

Day 28 - Still Flowing Along!

So if you read my last post, you might get the pun (intended)!  This post is a female, hormonal rant - beware!

Everything about the Whole30 has been really great except this female 'bunny trail' adventure.  It is sidetracking a great deal of my focus from the effort.  I feel drained (yes, I know - punny) and just physically dragging.  I am sleeping, but it is fitful and full of odd dreams about menses.  I am trying to decide how long I should go like this before speaking to a doctor.  I mean really, how much can be left in there?  Where did it all come from?  Can I expect this to continue for a while due to my age?  Or is this due to hormonal re-balancing and it to will pass?

I know this isn't healthy thinking, but maybe I should just go back to eating crap so I can leave the house with out the fear of not having a bathroom nearby for my 30-60 minute check-ins!  UGH!!!

Only 2 days left (well most likely at least 4) but I. NEED. THIS. TO. STOP!!!

Day 25 (and a weekend update)

INSIGHT
I have definitely learned I am not a good blogger on the weekend.  Probably because, even though I have every gadget available, I tend to avoid my electronics on the weekend.  Except for mind-dead things like games & puzzles.

FOOD
We had some yummy Whole30 Compliant food this weekend.  We had an egg bake with lots of vegi's and a  spicy meat.  Pat made a meatloaf and his own BBQ sauce, sweet potato hashbrowns and last night we had chicken with vegi's and avocado.

THOUGHTS & EMOTIONS
(***warning guys, this is about very little Whole30 & potentially TMI female stuff***)
Just a little background - I am 31 days shy of 50 and have truly loved using Depo-Provera.  For me it was basically no periods, which has been awesome for the level of activity and the unusual locations I sometime land.  I am praying for menopause, not Niagara Falls!

So I had a meltdown on day 21.  I now believe that it was PMS.  And let me tell you, from one who has been using the quarterly shot, Depo Provera, for quite some time with no issues AND NO TOM, I was not ready for the last 5+ days.  Moody, blues, not hungry at all AND HORRIFIC flow.  Horrific is probably not even really adequate.  Let's just say I worked from home today and still was running to check on things every 30 minutes.  UGH!!! I have been out reading the Whole9Life Ladies Only forum.  Seems like many women experience changes in their cycles, but, this is just ridiculous. How much can really be there to have this ghastly flow last this long?  Really?  I mean how many days can I work from home without providing some type of explanation to my MALE boss?   He is a good guy, but I just hate having to discuss this stuff. I guess I just have to wait this out, but if anyone has any ideas, I am open to suggestions.

Day 22 of Whole30 - 1 Week Remaining

Yesterday was rough.  I am not sure what got into me, but I was whiny, moody, blue and was in a very negative mind set.  I have hit RESET today.

FOOD
Meal 1:  hard boiled eggs (2), handful of Macadamia nuts, clementine
Meal 2:  meatballs with sauce, granny smith apple
Meal 3:  roast, carrots, squash (extra helpings of roast due to WOD prior to meal)
Water:  4 - 22 oz bottles

THOUGHTS
Looking back at what I ate gives me part of the reason for my day.  It didn't get any better even after I worked out.  I tried 'interval training' on the elliptical.  My trainer says I will burn more fat if I do cardio in sets of 15 secs all out, 10 secs slow.  Wow - that was more difficult than I expected.  I usually work out on the elliptical for 30+ minutes.  I was happy to be done at 20 minutes yesterday.  Went home, ate, played with a puzzle all night while listening to TV.  Can you say 'slug'!  Hoping for better today.

Day 21 - My (OLD/BAD) Habits are Fighting Back

RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Interestingly enough, the Whole30 email I received today for day 21 coincides with many of my thoughts this morning.  Habits die hard.  For the last two days, I have felt great, but have had niggling doubts going through my mind that are leaning toward undermining this whole plan.  Thoughts:

     *  I hate to think through & prepare breakfasts and lunches, especially in the morning before work. 
     *  I really can't find any vegetables that sound good, fruit is easier, tastes better, etc.
     *  You do need to have fats, just dip into that sunflower nut butter.
     *  If hubby isn't going to cook dinner, I don't think I can fend formyself.
     *  Eggs again?
     *  Is this really going to work long term or is this another fad?
     *  I miss eating ..... (fill in the blank).

As I read back, I sound like a whining spoiled child - I get that.  But how do I keep my self from sabotaging my self?

I have only ever liked working in/around the kitchen when I was baking (very unhealthy goodies).  I am not thrilled with grocery shopping (shopping period, but that is another story).  I have been spoiled with a hubby who takes care of most of this.  How can I make this easier?  I know, get over myself, suck it up, yada, yada, yada.  Wish it was that easy.

Day 20 - Still So Much to Learn!

THIS JUST IN!
So, I am the type to start something without fully reading (or reading period) the directions.  For the Whole30, I stayed true to form.  So, on day 19 (yesterday), I was reading Chapter 16 & 17 (of 20 chapters) of ISWF.  Understanding why the meal template is what it is provided a great deal of insight that would have been very useful from the beginning.  The one quote that has been stuck in my mind since is, " Feel free to add more to our recommended quantities, but never less."  (page 195, ISWF, discussing fat intake)  It is now a goal to finish the book by the end-of-day (EOD) Friday.

I approached this as a diet, or cleanse and until last night had missed a key point, to lose weight on this program, it is NOT about eating less, it is about eating real food that sustains your body and allows it to function as it is designed.  The dieter in me looked at the fat portions per meal and thought, well that's good if I need something for cooking, but not as  an actual part of the meal plan.  Now that I look back, I can see that between the meals where there was little to no fat is where I have struggled the most.  It is where my energy levels are up and down, my moods low and my hunger/cravings were the highest.  Note in ISWF, hunger and cravings are different, but at the beginning of this whole thing I couldn't trust my body to know the difference.  Yesterday, I knew I was HUNGRY.

Today I have modified my food planning to include fats at every meal and I have decided not to worry about it!  I have also decided that I am going to stop logging my food in MyFitnessPal.  This tool does still have a purpose I could use - track workouts & water - but the messages about calories, etc. were causing me to question my meal plan.  I will figure a way to track water and exercise elsewhere, to eliminate the negative pressure to eat differently.

ASK BEFORE YOU WORRY!
Chatting with my hubby yesterday, I voiced my concerns about the end of this and how easy it will be to slip into 'easy, old habits' versus trying to continue to build up the new ones.  He agreed.  So then I mentioned how worried I was that I couldn't keep this up on my own when he goes back to pizza, pasta, rice, sandwiches, etc.  It was so nice to hear (amazing actually) that he isn't planning to revert back to old, but that he would like some options available to him.  He is planning to reintroduce and watch for any indication that a food area might be best avoided.  But, he also wants to eat some of his favorites, at least some time!  This whole conversation made my day!

FOOD
I don't have an actual log at this point.  But I now know that Sunflower Nut Butter is a food that I can easily overindulge on.  Yes, I know it fits the fat category, it is why I went to it last night, but I don't think eating it by the spoonful is exactly healthy!  I think I need to limit this to drizzled on celery. 

I also will be searching for ways to prepare sweet potatoes.  And finally, I need to learn how to store the different kinds of fruits and vegitables we are eating.  I don't think thrown into the refridgerator in the plasic bag from the grocery store is the best method to keep them fresh.  I was just told that tomatoes actually do better at room temperature vs. the refridgerator.  I have never heard of such a thing! 

Boy oh boy, I do still have a lot to learn!

Day 19 - The Downward Slope & Decisions

THOUGHTS OF REINTRODUCTION
Was discussing reintroduction with my hubby yesterday.  I think that he and I have 11 days to get on the same page.  I believe that he is still looking at this in terms of cost and convenience.  Last night he said he wanted to add grains back in first because he liked sandwiches, pasta and rice.  I don't want to go back there.  Grains are a food that I can easily over consume.  So, what does that mean for me if he wants all that back?

I will have to prepare more of my own meals.  I would have to ask him to prepare meals keeping grains separated from rest of the meal.  I am not saying I wouldn't want grains at all, reintroduction will tell me more.  But I would prefer to keep them as a "treat" than back to our original habits.  Pat and Gunnar maybe able to handle them, they have an entirely different metabolism, but I know that this is an area of problem for my health.

Pat would also very much like to have his weekly pizza back.  How do I handle that one, especially when what he is really thinking about Papa Murphy's take-n-bake?  Not that an occasional treat wouldn't be nice, but this was a weekly habit.  Make my own meal completely?  Wow, that shouldn't sound so ominous, but to  me it does.

Dairy is the area that I think I would like to try out.  I miss a glass of cold milk and cheese on my omelet.  Still, as I feel the health benefits, I believe that this too could be just an occassional treat.  Ice cream included.

Finally, I wonder about the Access bars, protien shakes & Fiber Wise.  For me they are convenient.  They are also less eggs!  Fiber Wise is the least of it.  I haven't really felt a need for anything like it since I started the Whole 30.  The rest is convenients I will admit.  I think in this area I will need to do some more research on what ingredients are in these two items.

Well, lots to think about over the next days.  I will actually be doing a Whole 32 - my final weigh-in and measurements for a contest I am in is on March 4 vs. the March 2 official date.

Day 18 of my Whole 30

So today is day 18.  I feel pretty good.  This weekend my hubby and I had our grocery shopping date on Friday.  We started at Cosco.  For those who think that the Whole30 is expensive, I will admit it can be, however, we have found quite a good deal at our local Cosco.  You have to search a bit, but it is there!  After Cosco, we went to Trader Joe's.  I really like that store.  In general, grocery shopping doesn't appeal to me.  Two stores I seem to like are Trader Joe's and Byerlies.  Of course, that seems to be in conflict  with the statement I just made about expense.  Good thing I have my hubby along who seems to be VERY frugal in the grocery arena.

Dinner on Friday was Salmon cakes.  Different recipe though.  This one used sweet potatoes.  We didn't like it at all, it came from the ISWF book.  Really loved the first one - it came from Nom Nom Paleo.  Anyway, we ate dinner and I determined that I would figure a way to use them during the week. 

Saturday Pat was busy in the kitchen.  He worked on a meatball recipe from MomGonePaleo and made mayo.  The meatballs were delicious! Pat served them over spaghetti squash - also a first for us.  It was a great meal.  We also have plenyt of leftovers to use during the week.

Sunday Pat slow cooked pork chops with carrots, celery and onions.  It was good, but I think Pat wanted it more moist with some extra spices.

I think we are learning to get enough of each of the food groups to keep our energy levels even.  I have to learn to ensure I have to fats, and Pat needs to eat better breakfasts.  Workouts seem to be fine as well.  I am eating 2 hardboiled eggs before them, not just one.  I have another weigh-in tonight for my 1 lb down contest.  I am curious to see where things stand this week.

Whole30 Happy Valentines Day - Day 14

2 WEEKS!!!

We made it! Feeling pretty good. Seemed to have solved the breakfast problem. Received some great ideas in the Whole30 forums. Jeans & tops fitting better, especially in the belly area. Very thankful for that specific local of loss. Sleeping well, though no odd dreams. I thought it would be fun to have one of those! I have exercised my 4 times per week for these last two weeks and am feeling great at the gym too. Only thing I am slacking on is my goal to thank God before each meal. Seems like a 'no brainier' but... My excuses are that brain & body are overwhelmed with all the changes, or you can't teach an old dog a new trick. I will keep trying!

NEW FOODS (so far)
Salmon cakes
Sweet potato hash browns
Zucchini noodles
Home made mayonnaise
Frittata
Artichoke hearts - cold
Romain wraps
Bison roast

CRAVINGS
I am not having cravings with two exceptions. 1) Diet Dr. Pepper - when will this go away?!?!? 2) Visual cravings. This last one only occurs when I visually encounter my old food goodies. I am hoping this goes away soon, my will power may not last forever.

Whole 30 Day 11 - Snowy Monday

So...I was a slug this weekend.  Not really lazy, but after my Saturday morning workout and all the snow, I chose tasks such as paying bills, updating budget and beginning preparation for taxes.  In addition I am trying to complete the 'It Starts With Food' (ISWF) book by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig.

FOOD (just the highlights)
Friday Dinner:  salmon cakes - really yummy, hard to determine portion sizes!
Saturday Dinner:  stuffed peppers with turkey & a fresh fruit mix (even a non-paleo friend over dinner like this)
Sunday Dinner:  chicken & vegi stir fry

Water:  Hubby added lemon to a glass of ice water that was delicious - too bad I was freezing working in out basement, so the iced water didn't get finished very quickly.

THOUGHTS
OK, I think I am going to become an egg - hard boiled no less.  Two for breakfast on workdays.  One - two prior to working out. And I just read having 1 after working out (in addition to dinner in most cases for me) is a good plan.  I think I am going to need to learn some variety!

Pat and I were both a bit sluggish Sunday midday.  I believe it is because we aren't getting enough vegetable carbs.  I have made a few posts asking for help on this on the whole9life.com Whole30 meal planning forum.  Let's hope.

I was planning to workout Sunday evening, but the snow detoured me.  I just kept reading ISWF.

This morning, I almost didn't go to work.  I just didn't have the energy to play in snow bound traffic.  I finally went in, but well after traffic had reduced.  Now I am here an yawning.  Praying for responses from Whole9Life!

Whole 30 1st Week!

So as of the end of the day yesterday I have been eating extremely different from any other time in my life. I feel pretty good.  I am going to increase the amount of food I consume in the morning.  Going to find some all natural peanut butter and celery.  I think I can stomach that in the morning.

FOOD (remainder of 2/7)
Lunch:  The 250 Salad at D'Brians
Dinner:  Fresh walleye (from Lake Milacs), fried mixed vegi's

THOUGHTS
So other than needing to get my morning food figured out, things are going well.  The dear hubby (DH) is totally on board and we are working this together.  This is a good thing to be doing together as we continue to repair our relationship (long story from another time).  Earlier in the week we were talking about how we were feeling.  He said that it might give me some idea of how he felt physically when quitting drinking.  He said the first couple of days without sugar/grains/dairy felt a bit similar to going without alcohol.  That was an interesting tidbit of information for me, I never have had anything to provide any understanding on how that felt for him.  Another win from starting the Whole30 journey.

The downside is that I seem to only have read recently stories of Whole30iers who have had disappointing results with weight loss in the first 30 days. I think my trainer has pumped me up that the weight will just drop away, and maybe it will, but I think I need to focus on some of the other benefits.

GOALS - How am I doing thus far?

• I have not had any Diet Dr. Pepper beginning February 1, 2013.  SUCCESS
• I have stayed compliant to the Whole30 eating program thus far.  SUCCESS
• I am eating three meals a day.  SUCCESS
• I have been in bed by 10:30pm every night thus far.  Sleeping well after first couple of nights.  SUCCESS
• I have been taking some time to listen to a book, read or pray before digging in for the nights activities. SUCCESS
• I exercised 4 times last week and have exercised twice this week thus far.  I would like this to go up to 5, but we will see.  OK
• I have been stretching, but not regularly using the rollers.  Hurt shoulder on Tuesday and didn't stretch out at all after that. WORK ON THIS!
• I attended knit night last night.  First time in a while.  SUCCESS
• I went grocery shopping with DH last Friday & Saturday and made my own dinner Tuesday night.  SUCCESS
• I have not played on my electronics in our bedroom since before this started.  SUCCESS
• I have remembered Grace prior to my meals very few times.  Not a habit that has ever been  a part of my life in the past.  WORK ON THIS!

 As I look back at this, I think this is going well.  I have also noticed that my allergies (or constant snotty nose) has really decreased.  I am sleeping well. I don't know, but it feels like my tummy is decreasing - my muffin top doesn't seem so significant.  If this is at all true, it will be awesome!  Every time I have put on weight (usually the same 40 lbs I lost before) more and more of it goes to my abdomen.




 I will continue on this journey, results thus far are worth it!

Day 6 & the Morning of Day 7

So yesterday started out well, but ended with me feeling ill.  But first ,the basics.

FOOD - Day 6
Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs, banana
Lunch:  Cran-Almond Chicken salad (from D'Brians, dressing was olive oil)
Dinner:  NADA - couldn't bring myself to eat anything.
Water:  Plenty...

EVERYTHING ELSE
So I was feeling really good yesterday.  I had a great night's sleep.  Productive day at work, even with the person who I wanted to kill on Monday.  So on the drive home, I started feeling punk.  My shoulder aching didn't help any - seems to not like driving.  Once home, made a plan for G to get to bed early (he has been burning candle at both ends and it shows) and went to kitchen to make something for dinner.

I looked in the fridge, freezer, pantry (which we cleaned out and tossed everything not Whole30 except G's shelf - gotta leave the skinny kid something fun to eat) and nothing seemed even slightly palatable. I decided to just wait for me to feel hungry.  Never happened.  Iced shoulder and by 8pm, went to bed, still not feeling that well.  Slept mostly well.

FOOD - Day 7
Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs, apple, macadamia nuts

SO FAR TODAY
I feel much better.  Shoulder is not aching.  I was hungry.  The Day 7 Whole 30 email says I need to check into a few common errors.  I need to evaluate these two:

      #3 EAT MORE Energy dragging, but still afraid of fat or carbs?  Eating enough of both sustains energy
           levels, health, and athletic performance.
      #4 BY-THE-NUMBERS  You're so focused on your "numbers' - blocks, grams, calories, or body
           weight - that you override all of the messages your body is trying to send you.

I think that I am not really worrying about the numbers.  I had Pat hide the scale.  However, when entering my food into MyFitnessPal.com, at the end of the day, a few times the message has said I need to consume more calories.  It has made me wonder.  I know from yesterday that I needed to eat more, but I am considering that more of an illness skip.  I know my body wasn't happy because my morning urine was almost orange! (sorry for the TMI)
As for the 'eat more', this I have been contemplating.  I know the areas where I need to add food.  Breakfast is one, but I am struggling with vegetables that I can tolerate in the morning.  Still really experimenting, but anything I have tried was not good, practically had to choke them down and they felt like they just sat in my stomach for the next couple of hours.  I will keep trying.  I also think that I need to add more to my pre-workout and post-workout. That isn't as hard as the recommendations are protein for the former and most of the time I just need to increase portion sized for my dinner to cover the later.

Well, back to work.

Whole 30 Day 5 In Hindsight

If you are short for time, warning:  I have a lot to share!

FOOD
Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs, strawberries, macadamia nuts
Lunch:  leftovers from Monday night and a kiwi
Pre-WO:  1 hard boiled egg
Dinner:  onion, peppers, 1/2 can of chicken and 2 eggs somewhat stir fried in olive oil
Water:  LOTS!
Exercise:  1 hour with trainer.  He also took measurements and body fat.

EARLY MORNING ADVENTURE IN HUNGER
One thing I have read is that this food program is based on 3 meals per day and that you will eventually feel good between meals, not craving more food or your body even needing it.  What I learned yesterday morning is that though this seems to be true so far, when your body wants to 'break the fast', it isn't something to kid about!  Of course for me, I learn this the hard way.  Leave for work with breakfast in tow (because I am running late).  Traffic decides to be awful because there was a light sprinkling of snow the night before and NO ONE in Minnesota has ever seen snow before, so they drive like idiots!  When I finally arrive to work I am late and a bit cranky.  My journey to my desk includes 1 flight of stairs in the parking ramp, hike across a lobby (past convenience store selling Diet Dr. Pepper) and an elevator ride up to the 8th floor (more on that another time).  At the top of the parking ramp stairs, I feel a bit light headed and VERY hungry.  I complete the route only to get to the 8th floor and find I have left my badge in my car.  Crankiness has just escalated!  I retrace the route, get my badge, but am feeling weird enough now that I skip the ramp stairs and even take the elevator for that.  By the time I get to my office, I am actually feeling a bit sick.  I sat down and started shoveling the breakfast in!  Phew, emergency circumvented!

FEELINGS & ENERGY
I felt good most of the day.  At about 3:30pm, I crashed, so when I got home I took a nap.  I have since learned that I too long of nap, mine was 60 minutes.  Seems as if anything over 20-25 minutes will make you groggier - YUP, true.  So good to learn these things by trial instead of just believing the book.  I did pull out of it and exercised at 6pm.  All was well until I tried these leg lift thing's in a funky contraption that has me hanging from my forearms trying to pike my legs up from their hanging position.  I have done these before, but of course, this time my left shoulder could not handle the weight (I wonder if I was this heavy the last time I tried this?) and now it is not a happy camper.  Went home and iced it.  Driving home seemed to irritate it - UGH! - stopping driving is not an option!  I slept well.

HIGH FOR THE DAY
I cooked my own dinner!  That may not seem like a big deal to most, but I don't cook.  My hubby did leave some directions, but I had to complete the task all by myself and it tasted good and no fires occurred!

If for some reason this is actually being read, feel free to leave comments.  Also, I would definitely recommend the Whole30. You can learn more about it by clicking the button on the right side of this blog (sorry it is somewhat cut-off haven't figured out how to size it yet).

Day 4 From the Morning After...

First off, I am writing the day after because one of my goals was to NOT bring electronics into the bedroom.  Therefore by the time the day completed I was laying in bed and realized that this is the time I would normally post.  I was to lazy to move downstairs and take care of it and didn't want to break my 4 day winning streak of keeping the electronics out of the room, so...I am writing this morning.

FOOD
Breakfast:  Strawberries, two hard boiled eggs, about 10 macadamia nuts
Lunch:  Ribs (left over from Saturday), cauliflower mush (left over from Sunday), kiwi
Pre-Workout:  one hard boiled egg
Dinner:  Ground beef, tomatoes, peppers, oninion, jalapenio mix served in romain lettuce leaves with 1/2 avocado used as a "spread" and a kiwi

FEELINGS
Yesterday started out about the same as the other days, slug-like zombie.  However by about 1pm I was feeling pretty good.  I only tried to kill one person, and that would have happened no matter what I was eating.  I am still craving the Diet Dr. Pepper.  I would like that craving GONE!!!  However, my workout was very uplifting, my trainer and a few at the gym were very supportive, especially commenting on the DDP willpower.

ENERGY
As I mentioned above, the day started out with low energy.  By the time I hit my workout I was feeling pretty good.  My workout went well, with one exception.  That exception is the dreaded 'dog sled'.  This is a lovely exercise I believe was taken straight off some torture web site (or from Biggest Loser's last chance workout - same difference).  It entails my trainer standing on furniture movers (slippery little discs that easily move across carpet) and me, with stretch bands pulled across my waist - held by him, mushing and pulling him like I was competing in the Iditarod.  I am the sled dog.  The first round of this went OK, but each subsequent round drained me of any energy I had.  The last being practically a crawl, though I did remain on my feet.

I was thankful to come home to a wonderful dinner and was able to recover because I hadn't anything pressing to do during the evening - hence early to bed (see above excuse for posting so late).

Whole30 - Day 3 Need Sleep & Energy

I ended my look back at yesterday with weird restless night of little sleep. Can you say Zombie! I have had enough energy to barely make it to church and my life group. Of course there was a nap in between the two!

Breakfast: eggs, half an avocado and an apple. I need to look into if avocados are vegi's ad fat, or just counted as one of them.
Grabbed a small handful of macadamia nuts before group.
Lunch: peppers stuffed with Tuna

I am back on couch ready to nap again. I have to find enough energy to prep some fruit and vegi's and finish the laundry. I am not confident that this will occur.

I have not caved on the Diet Dr. Pepper, but it is always on my mind. According to the plan, tomorrow I am looking forward to a crabby, kill everyone/everything day. Wonder if I will have the energy to actually follow through on that?

Dinner: buffalo roast. Not sure what will be served with it yet.

ZZZzzzzzzz

Whole30 - Day 2 In Hindsight

So everything warns that days 2&3 will be hard. I felt sluggish all day! However I also did quite a few things I normally wouldn't. I slept in! This was so necessary, but I just about missed my noon workout appointment. Just grab some cold meat on my way out the door - will have to work on the per-workout food plan. Got back, cleaned up & had eggs, vegi's and was then off to a butcher shop & Cosco. Please note here that this is the 2nd grocery trip for me in as many days - UGH! We definitely learned that buying organic is more expensive. However, on a positive note, we found quite a bit at Cosco. So when we finally get home it is after 6pm and I am starving. Pat made us ribs with a salad...have to figure out some type of dressing.

I went to bed early. Can you say weird dreams and a restless night!

Whole30 Day 1: The Shopping Trip

So dinner was yummy. Hubby made zucchini spaghetti and we had some spicy sausage. I could replace pasta with this. Still craving Diet Dr. Pepper.

Grocery Shopping:
I have not (for years & years) participated in the meal planning, purchase or preparation. My little comment when people look astonished is, "DH can sort his coupons by aisle and can make something delicious from nothing, why would a lady who can burn water want to get in his way?" So, we have a Paleo cookbook from a friend and DH has printed off the weekly meal planner, I have the pantry stocker and shopping list from Whole9Life - we should be set, right? Nope. He seems to be a little off put by this thing. So we made a list and headed out.

Mistake #1: it is snowing, the roads are slick and we are going to the nearest Whole Foods. This easily a 20 minute drive, in good weather. Also DH is driving and doesn't really like to drive at night. Lots of cars in the ditch, but we made it there & home safely.

Now we are not financially strapped, but I would say we are frugal. I am learning that my DH is a wildly frugal grocery shopper! Whole Foods (he calls it Whole DOLLARS) was kind of cool to me, most items on the list were there, easy to find, it was clean and layer out nice. However, I have been informed that the prices were ridiculous. So after dropping less than $100, we left with our two paper sacks. Next time I need to remember that 'tree huger' is part of the shopping experience and I need to bring my own reusable bags!

Now, the average person would just let the subject of money drop, but not me! I asked if we could just pop over to the Barnes & Noble so I can pick up the book (It Starts With Food). Remember, it is still snowing and about 7 degrees F. He was pretty cool about it, but I think it is just dawning on him that I am pretty serious about this...for more than just the thirty days.

Well, I am off to start reading said book. Hoping I will find more reasons for him to want to make this a life long journey.

Whole30 Day 1: Where is my Diet Dr. Pepper?

For anyone who knows me, I am truly addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper.  It has been around since before my kids were born.  I would go off during the pregnancies, but right back at it afterward.  I don't drink coffee and have only sampled tea.  Today I went cold turkey! 

Of course if you know anything about Whole30 I also went cold turkey on a few other things like:
Dairy (no cheese)
Grains (no bread, pizza, chips)
Sugar (yes - all, any, zip, zero nada)
Lugumes (I had been eating alot of these, they are usually marked healthy)
Alcohol (going to miss my wine - a bit)
White Potatoes
Sulfites, MSG or Carrageenan (this entails reading label, especially if you don't really know what they are)

The final challenge is you are also not allowed to weigh yourself during this 30 days!  This one I am going to have to fudge a little on because I am still competing in a 1 pound down competition.  This means I get weighed in every Monday and could win the big cash prize if I am the last gal standing.  You must lose a minimum of 1 pound per week.  Guess I could just have weigh in person give me a thumbs up or down and not the numbers?  Do I need to have my son hide my scale?  This last one I think I am going to have consider, I have a bad habit of getting on the scale in the mornings - it's there and, who doesn't want to start out each day with a little bit of torture?  This will take some pondering...

Breakfast:
3 eggs
handful of sugar snap peas
water

Lunch:
Avacado
Sugar Snap Peas
Black & Blue Berries
water

Tonight the hubby and I have a date to go grocery shopping.  Skipped it last night, the teens below zero was keeping us motivated to stay home.