Day 5

Side note, this post was FRUSTRATING! I actually wrote it at the end of Day 5,and when I went to save it I deleted it instead...then I re-wrote it and did the SAME THING AGAIN! Needless to say I was NOT a happy camper last night. Anyways I'm writing it now, more calm and centered...for now anyways.

For breakfast, I had the repeat offender Quiche and a couple of apple slices. I wasn't very hungry this morning so I only ate a small piece. I have never been a morning/breakfast person so, this whole eating a huge breakfast thing, has been hard for me. I didn't really feel like drinking my coffee right then so I took it to work and drank it slowly throughout the day (maybe I've kicked my caffeine addiction). The first half of work was productive and my energy levels were pretty normal. I ate my lunch a little late, so by time I was warming it up I was soo hungry! I had leftover shepard's pie, sweet potatoes, and some grapes with nuts. It was a pretty satisfying lunch.

I may have eaten too much for lunch because right around 2pm I started feeling really sluggish and sleepy. For some reason when I got home from work I got really hungry so I snacked (yes, I know terrible) on some nuts and an apple slice with cashew butter. My WOD was pretty tough today, I'm still not feeling 100% with my workouts, they always leave me dragging. By time I got home I was STARVING (still don't think I'm in that phase yet, where I can tell if I'm hungry or not). I ate a huge plate filled with leftover meatball, shepard's pie, sweet potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms with spinach.

The picture above doesn't even show how much I really had on my plate, I started eating and then realized I hadn't taken a picture yet. I know this was way too much, yet I'm not one of those people who leaves food on their plate ( I blame my upbringing for that) so I finished every last bite. I immediately felt over stuffed and bloaty! I tried to drink some chamomile tea, but without honey....I only got about two sips in. I really have to work on listening to my body when it's full. I also know that I'm eating way more than I usually do so maybe I need smaller portions? I'm gonna try to go caffeine free tomorrow and see how it goes. I was pretty frustrated with the Whole30 today, I resisted a red velvet cupcake at work, I've been trying to follow it to the tee, yet my stomach feels worse than before! Hopefully it feels worse before it feels better? Gonna keep keepin on! 

Day 4

Woke up with stomach pains this morning...no bueno. I don't know if it's because I've been eating different foods or because maybe my meals have been too big and I need to eat smaller portions. Anyways, I had the same breakfast as the previous days, I am a creature of habit and I don't mind eating the same things. Work was OK today, my energy levels are starting to get back to normal. For lunch I had some meatballs along with some mushrooms and broccoli. I put a little bit of ghee on the mushrooms and broccoli so when I warmed it up in the microwave I had some nice buttery veggies. I also had an apple and some cashew butter (not my favorite but it's ok).

Today was my rest day, so I had time to cook a good dinner. I sauteed some sweet potatoes with some EVOO, salt, and garlic. I also had sauteed mushrooms and spinach along with a few leftover meatballs. 

I had a handful of nuts today but other than that, I really didn't snack. I'm feeling better energy wise, but my stomach has not been settled since I started the Whole30. I think I'm gonna slow down on the portion sizes a little bit, I've been feeling really full and bloaty lately. Hopefully my stomach will start feeling better!

Day 3

Today was a bit rough. This was my first full work day on the Whole30. I didn't really sleep last night, a). because my neighbors were having a midnight dance party and b). my stomach was upset. This morning I wasn't really hungry but I ate a small slice of quiche minus the sausage (I feel like I've been eating too much greasy stuff) and some grapes with macadamia nuts/cashews. I also had some espresso with coconut water, it's still not my favorite but it's better than going caffeine free. Since it was pretty much a repeat meal, I'm not gonna post another picture.

Work was a struggle. I had ZERO energy today and I felt like I was in a fog. I prepacked my lunch the night before and it was pretty good. I had leftover shepards pie, a sun dried tomato meatball, some avocado, and an apple:

For some reason when I left work, I switched from sleepy mode to ROAD RAGE/kill everything mode! All I can say is that I did apologize in advance to my bf, for actions that would occur on the Whole30. I couldn't understand why I had NO energy, I had some form of coffee that morning and I ate two huge meals. I supplemented my low energy with a couple handfuls of macadamia nuts/cashews (terrible because I wasn't even hungry). Went to a 7pm WOD, and it was brutal. The actual workout wasn't hard but I felt like all of my limbs were noodles and I couldn't get my breathing right, just felt off. For dinner I had a bunch of leftovers, shepards pie (yes I'm going to keep eating it until it runs out), some sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and some homemade guac all mixed together. I also snagged a couple of pieces of watermelon =) SO GOOD!

Day 3 was pretty hard for me. I felt like crap at work and I also felt like crap in my workout, which is usually where I go to feel better. I'm still snacking, which is a hard habit to break, and also I feel as if I'm eating WAY more than  I usually do. Maybe I need to cut back on portion sizes? Stomach is still blah...main reason I'm doing this! I'm hoping I can get my stomach right because once that's all good, I'm assuming the rest of my body will follow suite. 

Day 2

Day 2 actually started off pretty well, I actually managed to choke down some coffee! I added some coconut water (instead of milk) and it was a little sweeter. I also had quiche (which was decent but a little runny)  and some leftover sausage with some grapes with a handful of macadamia and cashews.

We went over to my parent's house for lunch (Sunday tradition). Problem is, that we ALWAYS eat so late! I actually didn't snack though I was busy cooking Whole30 meals for next week =). For lunch I had avocado salad, brussel sprout/mushroom stir fry, and a HUGE steak.

Dinner was not that great. I was so full from our late lunch that I really didn't want to eat anything. I settled for a bowl of watermelon and bananas. On a good note, I did get a 6 mile run in with my momma, which felt great! I haven't run in forever!

Overall, the second day wasn't bad. I got some coffee in this morning so I wasn't having withdrawal headaches, and my energy levels were not super high but not as low as they were the previous day. In the stomach department, things have been a little slow if ya know what I mean, which was never really an issue for me in the past. I think it has something to do with the lack of dairy maybe? Usually in the morning after I have coffee I'm good to go but since I've started the Whole30, it's been not so smooth sailings in that department. I tried not to snack at all today but I did have to try a few spoonfuls of my Whole30 chili that I made to freeze for the following week. *Sneak Peak*

First day (and hopefully not last) of Whole30

So thankfully I have a very supportive boyfriend, who is taking care of our chores right now so I can write this thing, who is also going to help me out with this process. He is not actually going to follow the Whole30, he said he would try all my food though! This morning after a fun little 8am WOD, I had my first Whole30 breakfast :

It was pretty simple, some deer sausage and two fried eggs (compliments of the bf). I'm not really an egg person but I guess I have to get used to them! Also not pictured here, I am a caffeine addict, I have a large latte every morning before work. Since it is the first week I figured I'd wean myself off of caffeine slowly. I tried to make my coffee with just coconut milk and it was DISGUSTING! I took a couple of sips and threw it out. Oh well! I tried. So my family decided to drop by and instead of eating one of my planned meals, we ended up going to get bbq, this was my first real test. I tried to stick to my Whole30, hopefully all of this was satisfactory:

Side note, in between buying new and different foods and also cooking all day, I ended up snacking all day (terrible I know) But I tried to stay Whole30 compliant. I mostly ate cashews and macadamia nuts along with little tidbits of whatever I was cooking. For dinner I tried out my Whole30 Shepard's Pie, it was pretty good, I added half a HUGE organic avocado on the side:

Feedback from Day 1: Overall I think it went ok, I was definitely having some caffeine withdrawal headaches. Also I had pretty low energy all day but that was probably because we woke up early for the WOD. For Day 2 I am going to try to not snack and also figure out a way to drink my coffee =(

Why am I doing this to myself?

Hi Everyone!

So I apologize in advance if this blog sounds/looks goofy. This is my first blog EVER! Actually it's a few firsts for me. My first time changing my diet, my first time talking to people about some personal issues, and my first attempt at trying to be technology savvy/cool. Anyways, some background info on me. I am a 23 year old working girl (got my first "Big Girl" job the month after I graduated from college). I am starting this blog to document my experience on the Whole30. Normally I would just write about my feelings and mushy stuff in my diary, however I think this blog will keep me motivated and also hold me accountable (NO CHEATING). I heard about this Whole30 deal at my crossfit gym. I have been doing crossfit for about a year now and I LOVE it!! I am skeptical of fad diets, mainly because I don't think I have enough will power to do them and because I am a fatty at heart. I literally workout so I can eat...sad day. I researched the Whole30 and was actually kind of surprised...so this wasn't a calorie restricting or "starve yourself" kind of deal, and most people do it, not to lose weight but to feel better mentally, physically, etc...One of the main things that stuck with me was a testimonial I read about somebody with stomach issues, I believe they had Chron's disease. Now about 6-7 years back I started noticing that I was having stomach problems of my own...I chalked it up to a slow metabolism and this weird thing of mine that I can't, ya know do the duty, in a public restroom (weird I know). No matter how little I ate, no matter what I ate...I always felt; full,bloated, like I had a a growing food baby just kicking away at my insides (his name is Humberto). NOT A GOOD LOOK. To make things worse, when I started working, I no longer had the luxury of just running to my private abode and having some personal time with my porcelain friend. So I would just sit their miserably, in pain, with my stomach gurgling and doing who knows what. So when I read this testimonial about the "miracle" that is Whole30 and how it cured this poor person's terrible stomach problems...I was hooked. I am doing this because I have tried everything else, I have had every test done, been to every doctor and the only thing I have ever heard is the dreaded IBS diagnosis. I am hoping that eliminating grains, sugar, dairy, and legumes I will finally feel like a normal person. I will actually enjoy eating again and not worry about not fitting in my pants due to bloat, and being able to workout without excruciating gas pains. Blah ok so that might be TMI for some people but for people like me who deal with stomach issues constantly, I hope you find comfort in this YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Like I said normally I wouldn't share such things, but since I cannot see your beautiful faces, it makes this a lot easier =).. Stay tuned as I am starting my first day of Whole30 today and I will attempt to post every meal, every struggle, every triumph I encounter. Thanks!!! Wish me luck!