Day 21

I have survived three weeks!

That means I only have 9 days left.  Woa.  Honestly did not think that I would make it on my first try.  If you're still debating on whether or not, STOP AND JUST DO IT.  You do *not* have to live a paleo lifestyle afterward (though of course I'd recommend that you do) but after the 30 days you can start to slowly reintroduce foods back into your diet to see how they affect you.  You'll gain a new understanding and appreciation for your body.

So on to my weekend!  Friday was my grandmother's funeral.  It went great!  I had a wonderful time seeing my friends and family and am at peace with everything.

Except the food.

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  The food.  There was SO MUCH offered by the generosity of family and friends.  Potato salad, chicken spaghetti, macaroni salad, etc.  You get the idea.  And that was before I even got to the dessert table! (Which was equally mouth-watering)

So what did I do?  I loaded up on salad, green beans, and piles of brisket (which was melt-in-your-mouth amazing).  No one even brought a fruit salad so for dessert I climbed a jungle gym with my baby cousin and his family and my friends.  And you know what?  It didn't even bother me.  I had SO much fun just talking with everyone and playing.  I even managed to get down some black coffee, thanks to a tip from a new friend (a few grains of salt, who knew!).

Today: grocery shoppiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

I won't list everything (because I'm lazy) but this came pretty cheap!  There was a lot on sale and meal planning saves lives.  This week:

• pot roast with sweet potato fritters and green beans 
• Shepard's pie with Brussels sprouts and asparagus 
• braised Moroccan chicken with broccoli

I grabbed more Medjool dates this week as well.  "Nature's Delight" is a SERIOUS understatement.  

They are like little wads of candy.  You just pull them open, take out the pit, and NOM.  I dip mine in almond butter or coconut butter (which is also like crack).

Welp, that's it for today.  Twenty one days down, 9 left to go!  I may or may not be itching to bake some paleo cookies.  We'll see.

Whole 30 - Day 15!

Yassssssss I am HALFWAY DONE

This thing is flying by, and I'm feeling great.  The biggest improvements I've seen so far have been in my stomach and in my brain!

As far as my stomach goes, I haven't had a single flare up.  Nope, not one.  And coming from someone who used to have stomach aches every single day, this is really saying a lot.  No more guessing, "What did I EAT??" "Why do I hurt so much?" "How quickly can I get to a gun to put myself out of my misery....?"

Secondly, my brain.  I have SUCH issues with food sometimes.  I binge snack a lot (just diggin' into food without any kind of control, haha).  And mostly on specific foods, like nut butters, chocolate, and carb-y foods.  Well, the latter two were eliminated from my diet completely during my Whole 30, so that solved those.  But I still had some trigger foods!

I finally broke down and bought some almond butter to put on my celery.  Terrified that I'd eat the entire jar in one sitting, I told myself I'd only eat it with celery.  Okay, okay.  But then while eating it with celery, I'd always go for an extra spoonful.  Or two.  But finally, I learned to just put the jar back.  For those of you who don't have nut butter addictions, you'll never understand.  But for the rest of you: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?  Choices like that have become easier and easier.  I basically ask myself, "Am I hungry enough for a boiled egg?" (of which I'm not very fond) and if the answer is no, then I don't get to mindlessly munch on fruit or almond butter either.  It's a great system!

So I went to a get-together last night and had to explain to a few people about my "diet" (hate that word).  Everyone's response?

"What do you eat???!!!"

hahaha, meat and veggies, man.  So much meat.  As I'm sure you've all seen.

But the overall response from people was positive.  They applauded me for my efforts and were supportive.  Which was a nice change of pace!

So what have I been eating?  I'm not going to document every single thing from the past two weeks, but I'll give you a day in the life.

Breakfast:

(eggs, spinach, ham, avocado, salsa)

Lunch: 

(chicken sausage with spinach, olives, cucumber, and watermelon.  and yoga pants)

Dinner: 

(Tex mex casserole [beef, sweet potato, cauliflower, lettuce tomatoes and avocado] and sweet potato-zucchini fritters! New fav)

I also enjoy bulletproof coffee every morning now (coffee with coconut oil and ghee).  It helps get my fat intake up and stay full and productive all day.  I love it. 

And that about wraps it up!  I'm halfway through and feeling great.  Saying no to treats and things that I know make me sick is becoming much, much easier.  The cravings haven't magically disappeared, but saying no to them has become exponentially easier.  And I can easily live with that. 

Day 5 Whole30

Well well well! Day 5! Looks like I'm 1/6th the way through.......! :D

Okay, okay.  Nothing much accomplished so far.  I'm a little tired and grumpy, but that was to be expected on these days, according to my Whole30 Timeline.

So what have I been up to/eating these past few days? Welp, for breakfast I've been having a sweet potato hash with pork sausage and spinach, along with avocado and tomatoes and a fried egg

For lunch I've been having my paleo lunchables!  I am obsessed with these bad boys.  This one had paleo tuna salad (homemade mayo!), carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, dates, and a cutie!

And for dinners I had a mix of ground beef lettuce cups, spaghetti squash with meat sauce, and garlic lemon chicken :) all with tons of veggies, of course!  Instead of posting all the photos, I'll just let you in on a secret: yes, I have an instagram.  I've had it for years now but never bothered adding any of you because all I post is food and fitness, hahaha.  But since I'm doing that openly now anyway, I figured I'd let you in on it.

In other news........ garden update!

Here's one of my tomato plants

And my poor basil plant getting eaten up :(

My lemon tree!  Apparently all of those flowers will turn into lemons :OOO

My garden!  From left to right and top to bottom there SHOULD be: celery, broccoli, green beans, cabbage.  Eggplant, eggplant, kale, kale.  Cucumber (dead), cucumber, brussels sprouts (dead), brussels sprouts.  Tomatoes, cabbage, cabbage, tomatoes :) 

My strawberry plants :) also getting eaten up! :(

And of course a wild Maxwell growing in the yard.