Whole30- Day 2

Today, I woke up a bit late and ended up with 20 minutes to get ready to head to work.

Thanks to that and lack of planning, I had to grab a bowl of fruit and didn’t eat until after I got home.

I ended up only having 1 meal and 2 peices of fruit today but I’m still feeling full. I made a large meal of fried potatoes, onions, peppers, tomatoes and ground beef.

I cooked the whole roll of ground beef and hard boiled a full dozen eggs. Last night, I made a batch of unsweet iced tea so I would have something to drink other than water or coffee. The tea gave me my caffeine fix since I didn’t have time to grab a coffee.

The day has been slow and fast. My day at work went by extremely slow but my day after work sped by. During week 2, I’m planning on cutting fruit for a week to cut all sugar out of my diet. I have my breakfast and lunch planned and am thankfully off work on Monday.

Smoking progress- I reset my quit date. I am trying to pace quitting, wanting to still do it but not wanting to do too much all at once and end up failing everything. I am cutting way back.

Today is my technical last day but my food has been compliant

I was wrong before. I keep thinking there are only 30 days in the month.

Today, I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast and have a lunch of a plain baked potato, salmon and kale with no butter.

I’m still unsure if ill allow myself one last time indulgence or am going to just start today. Im thinking starting today.

Tomorrow is my cigarette quit day, I have work then a day of making candles and editing my book planned after to keep my hands and mind busy.

Whole30 (Again)

On August 1, I’m prepping to begin the Whole30 again.

Whole30 is something I’ve written several posts about in the past, I did it in 2019.

Just to recap, I’ll be giving up

Sugar, alcohol(but I don’t drink anyways), dairy, grains/gluten(all grains), most legumes and certain food additives for 30 days.

Melissa Hartwig (writer and creator of the Whole30) wrote a journal Whole30 Day by Day and I’ll be logging “journal entries” on a regular basis during my Whole30 experience.

Is there anyone else doing it during August? I’m hoping if I log how I feel and any changes, it will push anyone who reads who has been curious to try it. It got easier last year and by week 3, I had it almost down perfectly. I also never went through sugar withdrawal but did have some cravings occasionally.

Ways to Stay on Track While Doing Whole30

Staying on track with any diet takes effort.

The Whole30 seems intimidating until you finish your grocery shopping and get into the recipes, you will see that 30 days isn’t hard.

Since so many of us are trapped at home, now is a better time than usual to do it, it’s only 30 days with a couple weeks reintroducing the foods.

I had myself ready to go through the severe sugar addiction symptoms Melissa warned against, but actually didn’t deal with any bad side effects from quitting sugar.

Buy the journal, or check it out from the library, check out the Whole30 cookbooks as well as “It Starts With Food.”

Read “It Starts With Food” before you start and go to the Whole30 website- sign up for the newsletter as well as the beginner kit.

Find 1-2 weeks of recipes, mark down the ingredients and do your grocery shopping the day before you start.

Try to grocery shop 2 times, and shop for 2 weeks at a time.

Keep an eye on how long you have left, how you feel and keep a log.

If you keep a blog, keep tabs for accountability on your blog. You don’t have to do a post every day but it can help with gaining support. There are also several Whole30 groups on Facebook. Support is extremely helpful in getting through this month.

Try to avoid going out to eat, but there are options if you do- just be careful. I ate steamed kale and it ended my first attempt at 22 days- it was sauteed in butter.

Keep the end results in mind

Don’t weigh yourself, it’s tempting but it’s not a weightloss diet- it’s to try to help discover problematic foods. A lot of people do lose weight, but one of the rules is to not weigh yourself until after you’re done.

Try to not obsess over food.

Don’t snack unless you need to.

Prepare a wide variety of foods. It can get boring eating the same things over and over so make sure you get a lot of healthy fats and proteins- they fill you up longer. Use this time to try new produce and meats.

Those are the things that got me through the month. I may have failed, but it did help me see how bad dairy does effect me and I found I have some issues with sugar. By the time I was just a couple days through the diet, I could taste how much sweeter normal foods were and when I went back to a normal gluten free/low dairy diet, sweetened foods were almost overwhelming.

Have you done Whole30? Did you make it through the whole month? What tips would you give someone just starting out?

New Years is Coming Up

I’ve been extremely busy. Every year I do resolutions, just for fun but most of the time I keep them to some degree.

I have been extremely busy with my Etsy, working retail- the holidays had me slammed with hours at work and orders on Etsy. I’m still catching up but I’m manageable now.

I’ve been thinking (and my main listing on Etsy is astrology, so I have a large idea of how the astrological energies are going to be this coming year)

I have some major plans coming up- so I have financial goals set. Hobby Lobby just opened right down the street, so I have more options in person for candle supplies- I have a line I’m going to be working on and adding to Etsy in January but I never talk financial goals publicly. (or with other people, they stay between me and my husband)

I have been working overtime now that hours are cut on organizing and minimizing my stuff at home. I finally have my closet pared down- 5 jackets (I wear jackets almost daily, I wear them until they are filled with holes and destroyed), 1 winter coat (here in my state, we may get a month of hard winter weather- but winters have been mild lately), 3 bathing suits, 4 covers (all different styles, lengths and I wear all 4 even while swimming), 3 sweaters, 3 hoodies.

I now have 1 drawer of band/sports and volunteer graphic tees, 1 drawer of regular screen tees and other causal shirts and 1 drawer of work shirts, 4 good pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of leggings and 2 or 3 pairs of black or khaki pants.

Now that I’m down to those, and about 6 or 7 comfy pairs of PJs, I feel I’m finally down to what I normally wear and really like.

Now that I have my closet cleared out and somewhat organized, I’m planning on keeping it like that, get rid of shoes and I’m also working on being strict with myself and only buying what I really want/like/need.

This year, my goals are

Move closer to living a minimalist lifestyle

It’s appealed to me for years. I love the concept and I would much rather have less clutter and more space. We bought a home and downsized pretty major- 40 feet. At first I didn’t think 40 feet would be much, but we lost a spare bedroom, several walk in closets and a whole storage room. We didn’t really downsize our stuff when we moved, we didn’t have tons of time between both of us working and the time our lease was up, so now, I’m trying to get stuff out.
Change my diet

In the past 2 months, I had a weird cancer screening that resulted in an ultrasound. The ultrasound came up with 2 different conditions- so in the middle of January, I’m getting a minor surgery. I should be functional again by a few days after the surgery (they are doing a laparoscopic). One of the conditions will be cured, the other one I likely had since I was a teen and it’s tied to blood sugar problems. I’ve had Reactive Hypo since I was a teen. Now, I am autoimmune and have issues with dairy and gluten so I’m looking at something that would go with bloodsugar, gluten and dairy free. I’ve been looking at the Keto and seeing if that helps. I’m also debating whether I want to do a sugar fast or Whole30 again on January 1. I’m thinking start with a sugar fast
The others are mainly for my business/Etsy. I also have the goal of getting one book published and 1 edited and ready to publish. I’m putting an end to starting new for a while, until I get some of my drafts finished.

What are your goals? Do you set them? I always do it just for fun but this year is a massive milestone for me. January 2nd will be one full decade clean. 10 years ago, I told people I would be high til I died, and on January 2nd, I woke up and realized I was wasting time, money and resources, put it down and never looked back. I’m hoping I can use this milestone to quit my final vice- Nicotine. I did quit for a while last month but started up due to the stress from Black Friday with the intent to quit again after the holidays. With my upcoming surgery and goal to get back on a workout regime and back to a decent weight, I’m hoping I can use the diagnosis’s to get the final kick of motivation to fully quit- for good.

Book Review: The Whole30 Day by Day

The Whole30 Day by Day is a journal. It’s best to buy than check out so you can write in the book.

It gives you a day by day on what to expect, possible symptoms and gives you a place to write encouraging thoughts as well as record your feelings, cravings and thoughts.

It’s a very helpful guide that helps track cravings and helps you get through the challenge easier- because it warns you how you will possibly feel, you can get an action plan started and continue on the journey.

What I learned from my first 20 days of Whole30

I’m on day 21, so I only have 9 days left.

I honestly am not feeling extreme changes but as motivation yesterday when I was losing motivation and found I lost around 10lbs so far.

Due to the insane changes in the weather, my Osteo was acting up and I have slacked on cardio but made sure I got a lot of other types of exercise in.

I am feeling a little better, never felt the “tiger blood” energy surge but little by little I am starting to feel a bit better.

I’m hoping my last week will feel better than I have been feeling.

Through week 1

Throughout week 1, when you’re supposed to go through withdrawal, but I never did. I was excited and felt better my first week than any other weeks. I had some cravings but they were manageable and I also went long periods without actually being hungry.

Since I am still able to have my plain, black coffee every morning that has saved me throughout

Week 2

Throughout week 2, I had nights I’d be out as soon as my head hit the pillow and other nights I felt like I’d be awake all night. Some days I had tons of energy and others where I felt I could sleep all day and still be exhausted. I am down 10lbs and down about 2 sizes, though.

Week 3

During week 3, I started feeling annoyed. I am not feeling the extreme benefits so many people said they felt and thanks to that I had a few days that i considered giving up, but since i am so close i started taking it day by day.

I’m now on the first day of week 4 and seeing the light at the edge of the tunnel.

I have found some healthy and filling breakfasts I can make fast and learned what to do to get rid of mindless snacking.

I’m learning how to listen to my body when it’s actually hungry and how to handle when I’m feeling bored instead of snacking.

Mindless snacking has been my downfall through the years. I’ll get bored, stressed or tired and start eating sugar.

I’m trying to relearn eating. Changing from eating out of boredom or stress and find new ways to handle.

Going so long without sugar is also making vegetables and other foods sweeter.

I’m now going into my last week so I’ll see how I feel from here on but the Whole30 has been a major change from how I have been eating.

Life during the first week of the Whole30

I’ve been studying up on the Whole30 for a few years. I’ve had it recommended and read a lot about it for autoimmunity and inflammation.

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos when I had to have half my thyroid taken out. I’ve been medicated but my meds have had to be adjusted every few months. I was also diagnosed with a mix of IBS and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance and have been on a strict gluten free, low dairy diet. I found myself craving and eating chocolate way more than I need so I decided to quit studying the Whole30 and the day after Easter, I made myself start.

Rules of Whole30

No sugar, unless it’s fruit in moderation, no sugar is allowed at all.
No legumes- I tend to gravitate towards soy due to eating gluten and dairy free foods primarily but I have heard a lot of bad about soy and thyroid. This is a change I’ve been wanting to make for a while and I can live without beans or peas.
No Grains- slightly less difficult than giving up soy but not so much. Since ridding my diet of the majority of grains I was eating, I’ve been having trouble finding a good gluten free bread. Baked sweets are the hardest for me personally but bread itself isn’t hard at all.
No dairy- aside from chocolate (which covers 2-3 categories here), it’s not an issue. I ate very low dairy to begin with and chocolate was the reason I couldn’t fully give up dairy.
No alcohol- this is a nonissue. When I do drink, I only have drank 1-2 times in the past couple years and last time closed my throat up, so I’m pretty much over it. The last 7 or 8 years, every time I attempted to drink, it would cramp my whole body up and I would be hurting until I finished drinking enough for a buzz so it’s not worth the calories (or hangovers)
No stepping on a scale- I don’t do this too often but now, I’m wanting to just because I was told not to…
Don’t sub normal deserts or baked goods with compliant remakes- Ok, this one is understandable but… paleo cookies are just as good as regular…

How I’m doing so far

My end goal is to try to stick to a Paleo majority diet when I finish. I also am hoping to lose some weight. I lost 50lbs within a few months of having my third baby- before and immediately after my thyroid surgery. Part was normal postpartum weight loss but part was due to my thyroid being hyperactive (the reason I had to have part removed)

My meds are stable and working, I start to lose- they quit working and I stop losing or even gain so that was part of why I decided to try Whole30. I also have 2 forms of Arthritis and thanks to having scans in multiple areas on my body, I have inflammation issues and this is supposed to help with inflammation.

The first day was pretty stressful, I was back and forth. It was easier than I thought it would be but I really missed desert.

The second day was actually easier and by the fourth or fifth, I was starting to wake up better and felt better in general. I never “detoxed” and I didn’t budge on sticking to the diet.

Sixth through now was easier but harder. I have random cravings hit but hardly ever last. I keep getting mad at myself for even attempting this and sometimes feel like I put myself on a strict diet without my consent but give me unsweet iced tea and coffee and I’m fine drink wise. I thought quitting pop would be hard but it’s only when I see people drinking Mello Yello (my only pop of choice) that I even notice.

I’m doing my best to keep from thinking about food when I’m having a craving and I checked out Whole30 Day by Day, It Starts With Food and a WHole30 cookbook (since starting to make my own mayonnaise and finding some mustard, I’m doing better- I have condiments 🙂

I’m also starting to crave the taste of different meat dishes and I’m looking forward to eating meat more than thinking about sweets

What I’m noticing already

I’m no where near as gassy as I used to be- I have cut back on broccoli and cauliflower but I had gas all the time on a regular diet (thanks to IBS)

I also have IBS-D and haven’t since starting (I did throw up once, but I used jarred garlic I had accidentally left out for a day or two. I threw it out and have been fine since)

I’m getting better at quickly throwing together recipes, I have tried meal prep and planning things out really isn’t my strong point.

I am having more energy, and at times waking up nonexhausted- I used to have to sit in bed for close to an hour trying to orientate myself and no matter how much sleep I got, I was always exhausted. I’m starting to feel better when I wake up and not as groggy.

I’m not past the hard part yet. I’m hoping to feel a drastic change as the month goes on, but right now, I’m counting down until I can start adding things back- I’m still hoping to go Paleo after this experiment ends.

I’d love to hear Whole30 success (or failure) stories. Feel free to comment if you have ever done the Whole30. How did you manage to avoid going crazy? How did you feel at the end?

Homemade Nut Milk

It’s hard to find Whole30 compliant nut milk. Most in stores have additives and added sugar. I’ve been playing with testing out different nut milks.

Here is what you need to make your own. The ingredients for vanilla or chocolate nut milk are not compliant with the Whole30, 100% cocoa is but no sugars are allowed. You can leave the sweetener out and make flavored, compliant milks

For the milk you need:

Nuts, filtered or bottled water, cheese cloth, bottles or cups

To flavor:

Vanilla bean paste, cocoa, sugar/agave or any other sweetener (not compliant with Whole30) or any natural flavoring you want to experiment with

To make the milk:

Take a cup of nuts (I tried pistachios and cashews) and soak them over night in water.

When they’re soft, drain and put them in a blender with fresh water.

After they are a fine paste, take a cheese cloth and strain the residual nuts out.

Sweeten or flavor the nut milk if you like and store in the fridge.

If you want chocolate flavored

Put 3-4 Tblspns baking cocoa or melted baking cocoa and mix with the sweetener

Stir or shake

Drain again with another piece of cheese cloth to get all extra chocolate or sweetener out.

If you’re using hard baking chocolate, melt it on the stove and sweeten, then mix in the milk.

Whole30 Compliant Sweet Potato Hash (whole30 day 2)

I glanced at some sweet potato hash recipes and looked in my own fridge. Since I needed something to tide me over until lunch, I mixed

1 avocado

2 eggs

1 small sweet potato, chunked

5 cherry tomatoes, sliced

3 slices of bacon, chopped

1 squirt of olive oil (extra virgin)

I cooked it all for about 20 minutes on low heat and spent the last 15 covered

It was delicious and made the house smell good as well. It only took a few minutes to prep.