Day Nine: I Got This. But I'd Still Like An Oreo.

So the blogging every 3 days thing hasn't quite worked out like I thought.

I just finished day nine, so I've got a lot of catching up to do.

Lesson #8: It's okay to start small and easy, and work up to the more complicated meals.

My very first day, I decided for my second Whole30 meal that I would make this somewhat complicated salad, which not only involved cooking meat a specific way with specific ingredients, but it also meant making my own salad dressing.

That meal ended up in the garbage because it was so disgusting.

I stood in my kitchen after throwing what was probably $14 of food into the garbage and considered having another meltdown like the one in Kroger a few days before. (If you've forgotten about that, you can read about it here.)

Instead, I sniffed and pushed back the tears, and prepped a much easier lunch:

Granted this lunch wasn't elaborate (it contained grapes, a banana, a tomato with pepper, walnuts, and proscuitto), but it was tasty enough to hold me over till dinner.

I have since tried more complicated recipes with some success (and some not so great meals that I plugged my nose and ate because I already threw $14 into the trash and I ain't about that life), but in my 8 days of Whole30, I have learned to enjoy the simplistic meals like the one on the left. I've learned that meals like this one give me some of the food groups and vitamins that I need, and leaves me feeling satisfied. And some days, that's just plenty.

But, to prove that I have tried some more complicated recipes with success, here are a few other things I've made, 100% Whole30 compliant:

 (Left: Spaghetti Squash with Buffalo Chicken and Green Onion, drizzled in Homemade Ranch Dressing)


(Right: Italian Sausage and Shrimp with Zucchini, Squash, Red Pepper, Dairy-Free Cheese, and Cajun Spices)







(Left: My version of pizza: Potato with Pepperoni and Dairy-Free cheese with a side of Organic Chips and Salsa)


(Right: Grilled Italian Spice-filled Sausage, Apples with Cinnamon, and Baked Sweet Potato Rounds)





Lesson #9: It's okay to cheat just a little.

On day 4, my husband and I went back to Trader Joe's to do a second round of shopping (and a day later, I went to EarthFare to finish my grocery list). He was once again extremely patient as I spent a good hour in Trader Joe's, trying to read the ingredients listed on back of products I wanted.

While this list proved to be a life saver, I still wanted to look at a few other products not listed on that list.

What I found is that a lot of things seem totally Whole30 compliant until you get to the "Contains less than 2% of the following" list. I was getting frustrated because so many things I needed had things in that less than 2% list that were against Whole30. I finally just gave up and put a few of these things in my cart, telling my husband that if it was in a list that comprised less than 2% of the makeup of the product, I was still going to get it.


This rule has proved to be an extremely crafty one, even if it means I'm technically not following the Whole30 approved diet 100% of the time.

I think what I've learned in the last 8 days is that you have to pick your battles in everything in life, including your food.

But it's also important to do everything in moderation, including your cheats. Besides this 2% deal, I have cheated a few other times when I've taken a bite of my husband's ridiculously good-looking pizza, had a small handful of Goldfish on my way out the door, and, probably the most radical, allowed myself to put croutons in my salad tonight because I was dying for something crunchy and bad.

But you know what? If having a few croutons in my salad is the definition of being bad right now, I'll take it. It's better than my old $15 of Taco Bell trips.

Lesson #10: Listening to your body is kind of wonderful.

I'll be honest, I don't remember the last time I listened to my body before Whole30.

One of my husband and I's favorite pastimes is going to Cook Out and each getting the Trays (which comes with a hamburger and two sides) and splitting a milkshake. We even have an Official Eating Cook Out Parking Spot in a parking lot across the street from the Cook Out.

Clearly from this story, you can see that I don't listen to my body very well when it comes to eating.

But for the past 8 days, I have been listening to my body.

A prime example of this is today at lunch. For lunch, I packed a potato with dairy-free cheese and salsa, two boiled eggs, and an afternoon snack of some organic sweet potato chips. At lunch, I ate the potato with the not-cheese and salsa, and as I was reaching for the eggs, I thought, "Wait. Why am I reaching for these eggs? Am I about to eat them because I am still hungry? Or am I eating them because they are here?" I sat listening to my body for a few seconds and realized I was actually pretty satisfied and didn't need the eggs. During my afternoon break at work, I grabbed the chips and did the same thing, which resulted in me only eating half of the packed chips.

I think that's what they call Portion Control.

Whole30, you're not half bad.

But I'd still really like an Oreo now, please. With a side of greasy fries. And a burrito or six.

Day 1: The First Seven Lessons I Learned

First day down.

29 to go.

Yeah, I'm already counting down the days...

If you missed my last blog (read it here) I started Whole30 today.

But let me back up and tell you about my breakdown in the grocery store a few days ago.

My husband (who's being supportive and giving up certain things but not completely doing Whole30) and I went to the grocery store on Sunday to buy groceries for the week. I had made a list, but was honestly not 100% sure about certain meals I had picked out to eat for the week, and didn't truly decide what recipes to make for the week until we pulled into the Kroger parking lot.

Lesson #1: Always know exactly what you will be eating and what you will be buying for your Whole30 week way before getting to the store.

Lesson #2: Don't try to do the bulk of your shopping at Kroger.

We did pretty well in the produce section. You can have a lot of fruits and vegetables on Whole30, so even though my list wasn't complete, I knew I would find a use for everything I bought in the produce section.

The breakdown started in the health food section.

Lesson #3: Don't plan for elaborate recipes the first three or four days into Whole30.

Lesson #4: Really understand what the products are that are on your grocery list if you do make somewhat elaborate recipes.

I was not prepared for this grocery trip. I had things like beef tallow and date syrup and Whole30-approved mayo on my list, things that either were super vague, like how the recipe just said "find a mayo that's Whole30 approved", or just things that I wasn't even sure what it was (yes I had to later google beef tallow to know).

Lesson #5: Maybe don't choose recipes that are vague, or say to just find a product like mayo that is Whole30 approved. Do your research and find a brand that is approved before going to the store.

Because if you don't, you will tear up and almost lose it in the health aisle of Kroger and have to have your patient husband rub your back and calm you down and tell you that you can do this.

Lesson #6: Trader Joe's is a wonderful store and you should profusely apologize for the years you spent dissing them.

I still hold that TJ is racist (I mean, come on, Trader Giotto? Trader Ming? Really guys?) but I gotta give it to them, they have great Whole30 approved foods.

I also found this blog that has already proven to be a godsend and tells me exactly what is Whole30 approved at TJ's so I can shop with ease and not have to have another breakdown whilst at the grocery store.

So with my newly bought groceries, today's been a relatively successful first day (minus the salad that I tried to make for lunch that I threw away that we won't discuss here...)

For breakfast, I had eggs and tomatoes, and while I did miss having my cheesy scrambled eggs, plain eggs are still eggs, and I do love me some eggs.

For lunch, after the salad fiasco, I had prosciutto and walnuts with tomatoes, grapes, and a banana, which left me feeling full for over 5 hours, which is amazeballs to me. Normally I have to have a snack between lunch and dinner, but today I was actually fine to wait till dinner.

Lesson #7: Whole30 is going to teach me to eat the foods that are filling and healthy and good for me and in the food groups that I need instead of just the foods my taste buds tell me I want.

And for dinner, I made a Whole30 version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, which turned out pretty tasty if I do say so for myself.

First day of Whole30 complete pain-free.

What you got for me, 29 days?

Day 0: When I Decided

Oh boy.

Well, here goes.

I have been scared of dieting for long enough I think. 

I have never had a good relationship with food (if you need a reminder or proof, read it here). And I don't know if Whole30 will magically fix that Whole30 won't magically fix that. 

But I'm tired of being scared of diets and longing to have a healthy relationship with food. 

I'm doing this by myself for myself. I've read that it's massively easier to do it with friends and have support, but I suppose I just want to prove something to myself. So I'm doing it alone. 

Not completely alone. My man is giving up certain foods with me for the 30 days like a trooper. And I plan to blog about this. 

You're welcome to read along and virtually join me, or you're welcome to skip the next 30 days of my blog, I won't be offended. But I've learned over the years that I grow through writing it out, so I plan to write a blog about my experiences every 3 days (10 blogs total) while eating this way. 

In all seriousness, pray for me. I have never done anything this extreme with food ever, and I've gotten use to a lifestyle of fast food at least once a week, not including a glass of wine or a beer a few times a week, so I know this will stretch me pretty thin. 

Okay. 

Okay. 

Okay. 

Here it goes.