Day 6

Woke up feeling pretty good again even though we had another night of very interrupted sleep. Worse than the night before. Around 11 or so my eyes started getting sleepy, but my mind still felt on top of it. Digestion is off too. Not sure what to make of it. I've been putting clove oil on the inside of my cheek to aid in the pain relief and hoping it will hurry up and heal. It's more of a nuisance than anything, but I must be re-aggravating it in my sleep.

I'm behind on my menu planning  this week and forgot my food bible at home today. Hopefully I'll have everything wrapped up this evening. 

I need to start incorporating exercise again. The nights bring the crisp autumn air, great for running. That, and I discovered I'm starting to get "mom ass." You know the one. Squats it is.

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After last nights dinner I realize I am am getting really good at making homemade dressings, something that I always use to not be great at. Okay. I sucked at it. Might throw out a few bottles now that I have some good flavor profiles in my pocket. 

Food Recap

Breakfast: 3 hard-boiled eggs, a sliced cucumber in apple cider vinegar, melon, and of course my coconut coffee.

Lunch: Leftover chocolate chili over baby spinach w/half an avocado, and some leftover brocolli slaw salad sans chicken (mmmmm...soggy lettuce).

Dinner: MMMMM... coconut curry with peppers, onions, spinach, and chicken over cauliflower rice. The picture does not come close to doing it justice..never said I was a photographer.

Derek: Is this couscous or quinoa?
Me: Neither. I'm not allowed to have any grains.
Derek: What is it?
Me: Cauliflower.
Derek: Fooled me.

The meal was a definite hit. My cooking skills have always been good, but I've been branching out into uncharted spice territory while on this Whole30 and they have improved greatly. Maybe it's the confidence? Who knows.

Eyes are getting heavy and its just past 8pm. Still feeling really good physically and mentally. Tomorrow will be the end of my first week and I am greatly surprised at how easy this week has gone. It really is all about planning.

Thought- Is Lil a crappy sleeper because I tell everyone that she sucks at sleeping? Power of positive thinking?

Day 3

Lil sucks at sleeping.

I know that part of this is probably my fault. I know she has sleep associations and at almost nine months old wakes twice on a good night, many more on a bad. I know all of these things. I'm struggling with what to do. I need to figure out a plan and stick to it. I just don't want her to feel lonely. My sweet little Lil. But we are both tired. She was so exhausted when she woke at 5am that she cried and cried till I finally gave her a bub at 6:30 to go back to sleep after the the bub that I gave her around 5 am so she would hopefully stay asleep. Did that last sentence even make sense? Ack! Thankfully it is dead at work. 

Needless to say I am sucking at the whole getting good sleep part of Whole30. I am trying. I really am. It's my daughter who is putting up the fuss. Thankfully I have coconut milk for my delicious coffee, although I'm trying to remember not to be reliant on the caffeine. 

I took two Excedrin this morning due to the lingering headache that won't get the hint that I do not want it around.

Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, spinach/pineapple/banana/chia/spirulina smoothie, coffee with coconut milk (I know, smoothies are not the greatest choice because of the fruit. It's cool). 

Lunch: Leftover Chocolate Chili over spaghetti squash topped with avocado

Snack: Apple with sunbutter

Dinner: A delicious hot plate with zoodles, ground turkey, onions, spices, and tomatoes.

Feelings: Besides tired? I was hungry for lunch before 11am and ate around 11:15. Yeah. yeah. The smoothie didn't hold me. Started feeling hungry around 1:30pm and knew I couldn't possibly be real hunger with how much I ate for lunch, so I kept on drinking water. I desperately wanted another coffee, but without my coconut milk and it being after noon, I thought otherwise. The hunger dragon reared its real head around 4:30...and I just couldn't wait any longer so I had a snack. I continued to feel great and was just a little hungry by the time Lil went down for sleep at 8 pm.Derek had bread and butter with his meal and although it looked really crusty and yummy the craving wasn't that intense.

I was hoping to stay up and watch Extreme Weight Loss, but I have a feeling I'm about to crash. I know. I know. I'm not supposed to eat and then go straight to bed, but today has been all kinds of messed up.

Day 2

Note to self: Get bigger kitchen.

Prep is, for the most part, done. Thankfully. The whole house is running on little sleep. Poor Lil woke up screaming after 40 minutes into her afternoon nap because she was so damn tired and couldn't fall back to sleep. It took a good hour for her to stop crying and make her way back to slumber. I napped with her till my sleeping arm woke me up. It was needed. That headache from yesterday morning stayed with me through the night. You know the kind that makes it so you can't even lay down and sleep even though that is the very thing your body needs most? The kind that throbs to the point of making get out of bed to stand under a hot shower? This family took advantage of the rainy day and took our mandatory rainy labor day naps.

Other than the crap headache which I don't think had anything to do with Whole30 and everything to do with the one glass of wine, little water, sugar, and lack of sleep from the night BEFORE starting my Whole30 that did it, I really feel quite good. I have been putting the recommended amounts of protein/fats and eating till I'm full which, so far, has been carrying me over nicely to the next meal. No snack cravings last night. 

On to todays food:

Lil and I had a quiet little breakfast together while her Daddy slept. I ate some reheated green pepper and onion frittata (which I overcooked, bleck...) topped with avocado and salsa and a side of melon. 

Lunch consisted of a ginormous grilled chicken salad with lots of veg, raw cashews, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil to dress.

Around 4:30 I had a handful of toasted coconut and slivered almonds simple because I wanted to. I wasn't hungry, but it smelled so damn good toasting in the pan, how could I not?

Dinner was delicious Pad Thai from Well Fed. Oh. My. Goodness. Sunshine sauce is going to get me through the next 28 days no problem. I was stuffed and couldn't finish my portion, but there was no room in the fridge for leftovers, so Derek gladly ate what I couldn't.

I should prep lunch and breakfast for tomorrow, but I'm zonked and still need to get little Miss to fall asleep. There is always the morning.

Day 1

Weight: 233

Measurements

Under Bust - 40"

Waist - 40.75"

Belly Button - 47.75"

Upper Arm -  16.6"

Thigh - 30"

Calf - 19"

Neck - 14.5"

Yep. There I am in all my glory. Definitely have some work to do...

Our little Lady did not sleep well last night which means that Mama did not sleep well last night. I also woke up feeling very dehydrated, a tension headache, and pain in my lower back and calves. How comical to wake up on the first day of my Whole30 and feel this crappy...

Also comical, the in-laws are up from VT and the whole family thought it would be great to go to IHOP for breakfast. I spent some time last night thinking about what I would have that would be Whole30 compliant and toying with not eating anything, but came to the decision that as long as this is one of the few times I go out to eat this month that I am okay with whatever oil they cook my batter and dairy free omelet in.

Lunch was well.... kind of non-existent. Although I had a snack of an apple and some sunbutter around 1:30. Note for next Whole30: Do the food shopping the day before starting. Because of running around, a tired baby and a riduliclous headache, I didn't get to start prep until four in the afternoon... 

We had Well Fed's Chocolate Chili for Dinner made with some grass-fed beef I got at the farmers market yesterday. I spooned mine over some baby spinach and cooked zucchini. It was really quite good. Loads of flavor. I also had a hard-boiled egg about 15 minutes before we sat down for dinner (I was REALLY hungry).

Overall the day went well. Granted it is only 6pm, but so far so good. I have a feeling I'll be hitting the hay after picking up the kitchen a bit. I'll have to continue meal prep tomorrow. Thankfully it is a holiday....

Think Lil will let me sleep tonight?

Here's the plan....

Mmmmmmm..... Coffee ice cream with chocolate chunks. Savoring every. Single. Bite.......

Finished my pre-prep for my first week of my Whole30. I'm starting this Sunday 9/1. Thirty whole days of whole, unprocessed, real food. So here I am devouring one of my last bowls of ice cream knowing it will reek havoc on my digestive system, but enjoying it all the same.

It's a bit strange. As soon as I set the date for my Whole30 my good eating habits of avoiding dairy and limiting grains went right down the tube. What happened? Maybe my subconscious is justifying this crap eating knowing I'll "make up for it" in the next month or so....maybe that's a load of bull as well.

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Well Fed was a God sent when it came to planning for this experience. I couldn't quite figure out how I was going to swing cooking all this food when Derek is the one who normally makes dinner while I put the babe down to sleep. Melissa's idea of banging out a ton of prep work on one day and making Hot Plates (simple easy dishes that can be thrown together like bam) for most of my dinners and lunches has lightened any mental stress that I have been carrying. I am so siked to try the Chocolate Chili and the Pad Thai from Well Fed this week. Between Melissa's cookbook, It Starts With Food, and the Whole30 Forum, I am ready to tackle this beast. No excuses. Just purely awesome positive attitude coming at this full force.

Here is the meal plan:

 

and the corresponding grocery list: 

Thankfully I have a stock-pile of frozen protein in the deep freeze to burn through first. No, it's not grass-feed. But I know I won't have the financial luxury of purchasing high-end proteins for all of Whole30. Money is tight as it is.... Hoping to save some dough and do a little shopping at Trader Joe's , then make my way over to Whole Foods. Sadly my order from Penzey's won't arrive till Tuesday because of labor day and my procrastination of ordering, but I'll plan those dishes that need some spice love that I don't have on hand, later in the week.

I'll be measuring and weighing on Sunday morning as well as taking my before photos. Ah, I cannot wait.