Whole7ish Days 3-4

Today. Was. Hard.

I started hitting the dreaded wall today. I was able to force myself to eat so I will go on another day with my Whole7ish. I don't know how much longer I will make it, but I am going to try my hardest to make it to at least 7 days!! I think I can, I think I can! 

Day 3

M1: Eggs, bacon, avocado.
M2: Spaghetti squash, meatballs, broccoli with Tessamae's balsamic.
M3: Salsa chicken on salad with avocado, sauteed potatoes. 

**Snacks: Apple pie Lara Bar & a microwaved apple with cinnamon and coconut oil. 

Day 4

M1: Leftover sauteed potatoes with bacon and 2 fried eggs. Fresh pineapple.
M2: Applegate hot dog, grapes, broccoli with Tessamae's.
M3: Apple cider vinegar pork chops, sauteed apples with cinnamon and coconut oil, curried cauliflower.

**Snacks: Paleo "cereal" (walnuts, pecans, dried bing cherries, raisins, unsweetened coconut shreds with about 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk) & a banana. 

**When I did my first Whole30, I followed the "no snacking" rule very closely, but being pregnant, I have been using snacks to make sure I am getting enough calories to support growing a person :-) 

Whole7ish Days 1-2

So far, so good.  The wonderful thing about Whole30 is that it's kind of like riding a bike.  Even though it's been a year since I've completed a full 30 days, we've done 3 "refresher" rounds, so Whole30-minded eating has never been far from my mind.  This time is no different. I am back to my "typical" meals and I am ok with that! I don't mind having the same food day in and day out, so it works for me to be doing leftovers and extras.

Day 1: 

M1: 3 scrambled eggs, 3 slices of Wellshire paleo bacon, 1/2 avocado, power greens. 
M2: Trader Joe's grassfed burger (from the frozen section!) with mustard and pickles, carrots, TJ's green olives and purple grapes. 
M3: Baked chicken, boiled green beans, large sweet potato with cinnamon only.
Snacks (I wouldn't be snacking if I weren't pregnant!): Apple with almond butter, 2 bananas.
Workout: 1 hour, 13 minutes of cardio (treadmill walking and elliptical)

Day 2:

M1: 3 scrambled eggs, 3 slices of Wellshire paleo bacon, power greens. 

M2: TJ's grassfed burger, boiled green beans, sweet potato with cinnamon, olives. 

M3: Spaghetti Squash with Well Fed meatballs (marinara sauce from Aldi! Compliant!), broccoli/cauliflower mix. 

Snacks: Key lime pie Lara bar, banana, almonds.

Workout: 75 minutes of Yoga.

Trying to keep reminding myself that this is only 1-2 weeks. I am already sleeping better (and waking up without as much hassle, which is always my favorite part of a Whole30!). I've been having some hip pain in relation to my pregnancy and I am HOPING that if I can stick with Whole30 long enough, that will go away (fingers crossed!) 

Confession.

That should read "confession." 

Because I've realized that the only person putting pressure on myself to complete a Whole30 - is me. 

I stopped my Whole30 last week. Friday, to be exact. It was a hard week. A REALLY hard week. And all I wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (sidebar: for our family, that is sprouted grain bread, peanuts-only peanut butter and jelly with no added sugar.) But nothing in that is "Whole30" approved. So instead, I would wander around the house, wringing my hands trying to find something that was "acceptable" to eat. Some days, I was hitting 800 calories eaten (not counting the calories I expended through exercise.)  And it hit me. A pb&j at our house isn't an "unhealthy" meal and yet it was STILL not ok on Whole30. And I don't understand that. Maybe it's my emotions this week, but maybe, just maybe, I need to start rethinking why I am doing this. 

This time in particular, I feel very disordered in my thinking. I "quit" my Whole30 on Friday, yet almost all of my meals have been compliant since, with very few exceptions. I ran 10 miles on Sunday with Sara and had a minor panic attack when faced with eating a Jimmy Dean egg white/turkey sausage english muffin in the 15 minutes I had to eat before church. The thought of eating the English muffin scared me. I had half (I gave Little Guy the top muffin). I am easing back into grains, it's getting easier, but it bothered me how much different my experience was this time than last.  

I just saw this article on FB. It spoke to me, volumes.  I am still struggling with what "healthy" eating means to me. Like the author of this article, I don't have allergies or intolerances to any particular food or food group.  I don't have an autoimmune disease that will benefit from a paleo lifestyle. And I do have extreme guilt and shame about my food choices when I "break the rules." For now, Whole30 is going on the back burner and I'm working on my mental health. 

I may revisit a Whole30 - maybe during a less emotional/stressful time in my life. It IS a good process and it does have a ton of benefits, but for me, right now in my life - I just need to refocus and get my head right first. 

So I won't apologize - like I said, I have realized the only person I have disappointed is myself (I don't quit things!). And if you're considering a Whole30 - do it. Because you never know how you will do until you try it. Don't let my experience discourage you. My first Whole30 was awesome and someday - I will succeed again! 

Tomorrow  - stats from Sunday's 10 miler!

Whole30 Running

First long run since I started Whole30. I set out this morning with Sara (you remember Sara, right? From this race and this race?) to accomplish our 8 mile training run.  I haven't gone that far in about a year and Sara had never gone that far, so we had high hopes! My knee has still been bothering me so I foam rolled before I left this morning. We had a pretty awesome morning - high humidity but the temp wasn't as high as it's been in the last few weeks. We decided to do an out-and-back so that we had no choice but to finish our complete 8 miles (once you're four miles from the car, there's not much to do but run back!)


The first few miles felt pretty easy.  When we hit mile 4, we turned around on the track and headed back and my knee completely went out. A few hobbles, some tight strides and I was back in business. Except then I got all in my head. I started thinking about the pain in my knee, trying to compensate in other ways. My feet started to go numb and I actually was a little panicked. Around mile 5.8, I really focused on my quads - I really pushed myself to LIFT my leg and move. At that time, I felt my whole body change. My knee relaxed, my feet felt better and instead of just pounding the pavement, I was PUSHING OFF of it.  We decided right in the beginning we weren't going for time on this run, just completing our 8 miles, so my average min/mile isn't my race pace. And I am OK with that. Because at the end of hte run, I FELT GOOD.

How does Whole30 tie into this? Well, my run was 1:29 long. I usually require some kind of fuel (Honey Stingers have always been my fuel of choice) after about an hour of running.  Today, I fueled with water and coconut water. I felt energized, I never "hit a wall" and I actually felt STRONGER in the second half of my run than the first!

Food the last two days - delicious. Friday I made pizza from scratch (top 5, if not the best I've ever made, according to my hubby). I had chicken sausage sauteed with onions, peppers and portobello mushroom caps. I didn't even miss the cheese I would have put on it!


Saturday we hit up our favorite BBQ place and when I asked, all of their smoked meat has sugar in the spice rubs - of course. Boo!!  But I was able to get a double grass fed burger, double tomatoes & lettuce and balsamic onions, with a side of green beans.

Today after my run I had a chicken breast and a sweet potato. Then I had breakfast for lunch - sweet potato hash, 3 eggs, yellow pepper and a ton of blueberries. Dinner was a PHENOMENAL grass fed sirloin steak, roasted potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Better this time!!

 I am not feeling the lightheadedness or dizziness that I felt during my last Whole30!  I expected that by today (day 4) I would have started to hit my carb wall like I did last time. Nothing doing! I ran 3 miles in 30 minutes today then I jumped on the elliptical for 30 more minutes. I've been eating well, of course.  

Not feeling too terribly bad, except I did have to make a cake for my daughter's school - My FAVORITE cake - a blueberry coffee cake. It's SO many different Whole30 no-no's and it was EVERYTHING I had not to lick the batter off the spatula while I cleaned up!

Breakfast: 3 eggs, bacon, power greens

Lunch: Chicken breast, sugar snap peas, olives and watermelon.

Snack: handful of blueberries. 1 small spoonful of coconut butter

Dinner: Grassfed burger, sauteed zucchini, avocado and baked fries.

My La Croix grapefruit is my "reward" for not killing anyone. .. . Day 3 in the history books!

Day 4: 

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, power greens and watermelon

Lunch: Half a grass fed burger, Applegate hot dog (been worried about getting in enough protein!), pickles, romaine with Tessamae's balsamic dressing, blueberries. 

Mid afternoon: (acting as a post workout meal even though I worked out this am) 1/2 small sweet potato, small spoonful of coconut butter

Dinner: giant massive stir fry with cauli-rice. I have found the BEST way to make it!!!

Workout: ran 3 miles in 30:27, Elliptical for another 30 minutes.

Day 4: Success!!! I'm not having the lightheadedness that I had last time. I am going to chalk that up to going off an antidepressant along with starting Whole30.

Crossroads.

I've been sitting here, staring at a blank screen for about a half an hour. I'm researching, reading and thinking through my next steps. 

I've completed a Whole30.  When it was over, I fell off the wagon.  No, I take that back, I swan dove off the sucker.  We left for vacation and never looked back.  I spent a month with little restriction (although I will say, we aren't usually very far from at least a "clean" eating plan) and gained back all of my weight, felt awful, etc. 

So I started another Whole30 (intending to do a "Whole14") last Friday.  Today is Day 5. I'm feeling good, but my anxiety is THROUGH THE ROOF. Not sure if it's W30 related or just life in general.  I had no headaches, I'm getting stuffy again (my whole family got horrible colds about week 2 last time), but I'm having no lightheadedness this time. 

But that brings me to my food today.  Eggs with bacon mixed in, avocado and coffee.  Lunch (was STARVING - had a 570 cal burn workout then took the kids swimming!) 1/2 spaghetti squash with homemade marinara & meatballs, salad with olives and Tessamae's balsamic dressing and a bowl of applesauce with cinnamon.  I made "ice cream" for my kids - frozen watermelon, coconut water and a touch of coconut milk for creaminess. (NOTE: THIS IS NOT WHOLE30 COMPLIANT, even if the ingredients are. It's SWYPO!)  I had some - you know why? Because I'm slowly realizing, I need to learn to live within my guidelines. Maybe finding an amazing delicious summer treat (that isn't "real" ice cream) will help me stop feeling "left out" of all the occasions that there is REAL ice cream.  

I was faced again with one of these situations at dinner. I went to get my co-op produce and left hubby and kids to make dinner. They put together a DELICIOUS chicken salad. My almost-6 year old made most of the salad herself - peeling carrots and shredding them, putting cheese on them and adding olives. When I walked in, she stopped me at the door and, with the saddest eyes ever, said "Mommy -- I accidentally put cheese on your salad."   Now I had two options - 1) try to pick all the shredded cheese off the salad to "preserve" my Whole30 (which would have broken my daughter's heart) or 2) Go with it knowing that I do NOT react to dairy (thank you, first Whole30). I chose #2. Because you know what, sometimes, food will have ingredients that I don't know about. Sometimes I will choose to eat "non compliant" food. Sometimes I will WANT to eat non compliant food. 

So I will continue to eat "Whole30" but I will use the remainder of my 2 weeks to keep my eyes open for opportunities for moderation.  Some accidental cheese, a paleo treat with my kids... 

I just can't continue the cycle I'm on - Whole30, junky eating, Whole30, etc. I don't believe it was intended to be used this way and I want to try to get to the root of my eating issues. I'm hoping to be more MENTALLY aware this time than I was last time. 

Sorry if a lot of this post is rambling - I really don't know where I stand or what my plan is going forward, but getting it "on paper" will really help me!

A few of my favorite things ...

I've been looking back through my blog, trying to remember what we ate last time we did this.  It seemed like a good idea to put ALL of the recipes that I loved in ONE place for me this time, for anyone else doing a Whole30 who needs inspiration.

My FAVORITE recipe recommendation when someone talks about getting sick of eggs: Sweet Potato Hash !!!  Do NOT skip the paleo bacon! (I link to what I use later in this post)  I am making it for breakfast for the week and it's the one thing I look forward to the most!  Add avocado and a fried egg on top for sheer delicious!


Crockpot Balsamic Chicken - I was chicken-thigh-a-phobic before we tried this recipe.  But this recipe - I ALWAYS use thighs!  I despise taking skin off chicken, but I will do it for this recipe. :-)   My kids love this recipe - as in, seconds, thirds, as much as I will let them eat!



Plantain Nachos - Whole30 or not, I will always use this recipe for my taco meat.  The plantain chips are so good they are almost SWYPO.... but it's approved, so I will go with it!



Old School Italian Meat Sauce - I make this, but without the "meat sauce" part. It's my go-to marinara for spaghetti squash, chicken and meatballs.


Good old burger - we splurged on grass fed beef, which we don't normally do. We grilled the burgers and added the Pederson's  bacon (PALEO - no sugar added!!) *

Prosciutto Wrapped Egg Muffins - Perfect for breakfast! Last time I made them, I blended spinach with the eggs and called it "Green eggs and ham" - my daughter had asked for them.  She, of course, hated them (green, ya know) but I loved them! This time I am going to try to put in peppers, onion and more spinach!


And my FAVORITE: Ginger Lime Shrimp. Mostly my favorite because we had them for dinner and my SHRIMP HATING daughter decided she loves shrimp!  It has a great flavor and I am definitely including it in my meal plan in the coming week!





Hubby's favorite - Buffalo Chicken wraps - I cooked ground chicken in ghee and Frank's hot sauce. I loaded that up in a lettuce wrap with celery, avocado and tomato.










*If this is your first Whole30, make SURE you are reading ingredients, NOT just sugar content!  Often times, lunch meats, bacon, ham etc will have a 0g sugar content but there is still sugar used in the preparation, often a rub or brine. THIS COUNTS!! 

Here we go again!!!

I miss this chick...

 I have felt like COMPLETE crap since my Whole30 ended. I've posted a few times, I've wallowed a lot more than that. I feel like I have no willpower now.  I don't even track my food obsessively in MFP anymore - because Whole30 was SO freeing about not doing it.  But when you're eating cheese and crackers, pasta and drinking half and half - and let's not get started about the amount of alcohol I've been drinking - tracking becomes MUCH more important.

I miss the clear headedness. I miss waking up refreshed. I miss not having any sore joints. I FELT stronger. I FELT thinner/less bloated and my head felt clearer.

Almost everyday I wake up and think "I'm going to eat Whole30-like today" and I immediately break it when I pour half and half into my coffee. Or when I lick the knife I just used to make my daughter's peanut butter sandwich.  Then I figure, "I slashed one tire, let's take care of the other three!"

So instead of beating myself up, mentally then at the gym, physically. . . instead of feeling guilt and denial that my eating DOES affect my life -- I'm going to DO something about it. I'm learning the truth - you really CAN'T outrun a bad diet!!  I can burn 500 calories or more a day in a workout, but if I come home and drink beer, eat chips and gorge on pasta - I might as well have stayed home.

Tomorrow I will start a Whole14. Just two weeks, 14 days, of "Whole30" eating.  I will go back to the basics of it.  Then, maybe on the flip side when I remember how GOOD it feels and how I DO have the willpower -- maybe then I can stick with something MODERATE.

I have 10 workouts left in the Jamie Eason training.  I apparently don't know how to deadlift because I hurt my neck on Tuesday doing them. I was out of commission yesterday. I PROBABLY could have gone back today but we had other things for school to get done. Tomorrow, I will head back.  Once I'm done with this training I am so excited to start running again. Maybe I'll start using all of those interval running workouts I have pinned on Pinterest! And of course, after a 12 week lifting program, I will be continuing with my training.

But for tonight, I drink up. 

Final Stats from Whole30

I learned today that PEAS aren't allowed on Whole30. I truly had NO idea. So if you're looking to do one, don't eat peas!  

Aside from the whole "no peas" thing,  we finished a successful (as far as we knew) Whole30! 

Here are my stats ! 

 I've had more energy, I have successfully weaned myself from an antidepressant and I feel stronger. I didn't have the amazing results I've seen around the forums and Whole30 sites, but to be honest, I didn't have a ton of weight to lose to get to goal. I hoped to get closer to my goal weight, but I can't turn my nose up at a 6.5 lb loss in a month. 

I think I've said it here before, we won't be paleo after this - it's just not sustainable to us. Unless we find that someone in our family reacts poorly to something during reintroduction, we will return to "clean eating." My husband and I agree that this is an excellent "reboot" and we will try to complete 2 Whole30's per year. 

I won't even go so far as to say everyone should do this. It's NOT for everyone. But if you feel that you need a good body reset, if you feel like you have inflammation or AI issues, if you feel like you need CONTROL of it for awhile - this is for you.  I didn't hit my goal weight. I didn't even lose as much as I hoped, but I also am a lot closer to my goal than someone coming from a SAD (standard American diet) because of the small changes we've gradually made over the years. It's been hard for me not to compare my results to ALL THE OTHER people who have completed a Whole30. "Why didn't I lose that much?" "Why didn't I get the tiger blood feeling?"  But I can't do that. I am not them. They are not ME! 

I can only go so far as to be proud of my 6.5 lbs, my 1.1% body fat loss, the teeeensy tiny abs I see in my "after" pictures. The fact that I am off an antidepressant I've been on for as long as I can remember. That I don't NEEEEEEED coffee to get me moving in the morning (in fact, most mornings lately, I FORGET to make a cup until around 10am!) 

It's completely embarrassing to put these pictures out publicly, but I am proud of where I am now. I admit, the fact that there are baby abs pushing through in the bottom left picture is a little addicting and I want to keep moving in that direction.  We are a few days out now and I've been adding in "prohibited" foods - I feel them. I have been more bloated-feeling and I miss the feeling of thinning out. I am going to try to start making a conscious effort to get back to tracking macros (without such a RIDICULOUS number for my protein!) and go back to a "clean" approach - with whole grains and lots of starchy carbs instead of processed stuff. 

I've missed a few days of the Jamie Eason plan - and I'm ok with it. It was getting to be a LOT of time spent at the gym, when I really needed to be spending more with my kiddos (you know, the reason I left my job?).  So I'm spacing out the workouts a little more. I am going to complete day 61 tomorrow, which is the 5th day of week 9. Today is technically the 2nd day of week 10, so I am only 4 days behind. 

I am going to start adding some running into the mix too. I registered for the Halloween 10K (fourth year in a row!) and the Mo' Cowbell Half again for this fall, so I need to get my butt in gear! I registered my expected finish time for the half to be 2:15!! 6 min shorter than my last! So I have a lot to prove - if only to myself. 

So as always, I finished up one thing and I'm on to the next. We will revisit the Whole30 concept again, hopefully a few times a year. If NOTHING else, it's a good reminder that I DO possess will power. I CAN control my eating, I can accomplish what I set out to do. 

Week 3 - 3/4 done!

Sunday 

Day 15:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 cups of power greens, 2 homemade sausage patties

PreWO: handful of almonds

Lunch: Sweet potato & bacon hash. 

Dinner: Smoked brisket, curried cauliflower, sautéed asparagus, baked sweet potato.

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 48 - Back/rear delts

Total Time: 58 min

Total Calories Burned: 211 calories

Monday

Day 16:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 cups of power greens, 1/4 avocado, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 2 HB egg whites, some greens (not much), some plantain chips, a baby cucumber and a few olives. Was NOT feeling lunch today  

Dinner: Smoked brisket on power greens, broccoli, olives, carrots. Tessamae's balsamic. 

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 50 - arms, abs, cardio

Total Time: 72 min

Total Calories Burned: 465 calories

So emotional today. SO OVERLY EMOTIONAL!  I cried because I didn't know what to serve for dinner....   

Tuesday

Day 17:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 cups of power greens, 1/2 avocado, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 1 HB egg, carrot & cucumber sticks, some "best chicken you'll ever eat," and a few slices of orange. 

Dinner: Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps with avocado, tomato & celery. Green beans. Sweet potato fries.

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 51 - legs

Total Time: 60 min

Total Calories Burned: 284 calories

We went to a local children's museum today. They have a VERY nice restaurant attached, which I have always considered fairly healthy. I KNEW going in that we wouldn't be able to eat there, though. They are sandwiches/salads/soups.  The sandwich I usually get is a GF bread, roast beef, horseradish mayo and red onions/spinach.  I can't trust the roast beef, obviously could't eat the bread or mayo...   They have a "no outside food" policy but I just couldn't think of any one thing we could have eaten there. So I packed lunch, ready to defend my choice if someone asked. Thankfully, no one did, but it really opened my eyes to all the "healthy" things we used to think were great options that during this Whole30 just aren't possible. 

Wednesday: 

Day 18:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 homemade sausage patties, mushrooms, poblano pepper scramble - 2 cups of power greens, 1/2 avocado, coffee with coconut milk  <-- My breakfast scramble was THE MOST disgusting thing I've ever tasted. And I found a ladybug wing on my lettuce (are they whole30?!?!) so I got super grossed out. Wound up eating 2 HB egg whites and a banana... I know, not enough, but I was over it!

Lunch: "Best chicken you'll ever eat" - about 2/3 of a breast, green beans, 1/2 plate covered in roasted broccoli, small handful of olives

Dinner: Eggplant sausage strata (BIG fail with everyone but me!), spaghetti squash, sauteed zucchini. 

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 52 - chest/abs/cardio 

Total Time: 78 min

Total Calories Burned: 429 calories

WHERE IS MY TIGER BLOOD?!

Thursday: 

Day 19:

Breakfast: 3 eggs,  2 cups of power greens, banana, coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: Two hard boiled eggs made into "deviled eggs" by mixing the yolks with a whole grain mustard.  a few bites of brisket. 

Snack:  Almonds and dried pineapple.

Dinner: Well Fed carnitas, sage roasted acorn squash, roasted asparagus.

Workout: Forced rest day (sick kiddo at home)

Total Time: 0

Total Calories Burned: 0

Totally failed today as far as eating. Lunch just didn't sound good. I nibbled. A big no no, I know.  Hopefully back on track tomorrow 

Friday: 

Day 20:

Breakfast: 3 "green eggs and ham" muffins (prosciutto, spinach and eggs)

Lunch: Grass-fed hamburger with avocado, onion, tomato and a side of mixed greens.  (RESTAURANT! Yay!) 

PWO:  Almonds & HB egg white.

Dinner: Plantain nachos from Well Fed, sage roasted acorn squash. 

Workout: Jamie Eason Day 53 - Shoulders; then an 18.25 mile bike ride with my husband and son!

Total Time: 138 minutes

Total Calories Burned: 645 cals

Good Friday at church was maybe the biggest challenge yet!!  They did communion with 'real' bread (big fresh loaves of heavenly smelling wheat bread!!) and they had an "after party" with so many different desserts it was nuts.   My husband and I didn't take communion because we both knew it would have been more about the bread than the meaning.  We got the kids out with only a chunk of pineapple each (the FRUIT tray even had sugary dip!!), promising them that it was JUST as hard for mommy and daddy to walk away from the table as it was for them!! 

My kids are rock stars. <3 

Saturday: 

Day 21:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, a few slices of starfruit. Coffee with coconut milk.

Lunch: sausage/eggplant strata, spaghetti squash, apple with almond butter.

Dinner: Grilled pork steak, veggie kebabs. 

Workout: Jamie Eason Day 54 - Legs; Jamie Eason Day 55 - Back

Total Time: 68 min

Total Calories Burned: 303 cals

I'm just ready to be done. That's all. 

Whole30 Days 4-7 Review

Whew! ONE WEEK done.

Day 4:

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins, 1/2 avocado, coffee with full fat coconut milk from a can, 2 cups super greens

Lunch: Chicken breast, super greens (probably 3 cups), Tessamae's balsamic vinaigrette, 1/2 tomato, 1 hard boiled egg & 10 dried apricots. 

Dinner: Spaghetti squash with marinara (Well Fed - the meat sauce w/o meat), 6-1Tbsp Italian meatballs, sautéed mushrooms and onions (sautéed in ghee and garlic)

One cup of coffee in the afternoon, one cup of tea at bedtime.

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 38: Legs

Total Time: 42

Total Calories Burned: 245 cals

I was able to run my whole 5 min warmup at 7.0 on the treadmill!!  My leg workout was decent, but I was under a time crunch and cut a few of my very favorite moves. Boohoo! 

Day 5:

Breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled with 1 homemade sausage and 3/4 of a green pepper, 1/2 small sweet potato, 1 cup homemade apple/pear sauce, coffee with canned coconut milk. 

Lunch: 1/2 apple, almond butter, 5 small meatballs (leftover from last night's dinner), small handful of green olives, 2 cups of sugar snap peas, coffee with canned coconut milk

Dinner: Plantain Nachos from Well Fed (plantains baked, with a taco seasoned meat), topped with tomatoes and 1/4 avocado, cumin spiced baked carrots (Well Fed) and cilantro lime cauli-rice. 

One cup of tea at bedtime.

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 39: Arms/Abs/Cardio

Total Time: 32

Total Calories Burned: haven't checked my Garmin, but I think it was around 150.

I skipped my cardio because I ran out of time before my son's swimming lessons. 

Strayed from all the greens today a bit. I started getting bored and bored on day 5 doesn't bode well for me making it all the way through! I still tried to keep the meal plan template. Dinner was probably a little starch/carb heavy but it was soooo delicious. 

 Day 6:

Breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled, 2 cups of greens, 1/2 avocado, coffee with canned coconut milk. 

PostWO: 3/4 small sweet potato, 2 slices spiced pork tenderloin

Lunch: 2 1/2 cups super greens (Actually called "power greens" at Costco), 1 HB egg, pork tenderloin, sugar snap peas, broccoli, Tessamae's balsamic 

Dinner: Homemade Italian sausage in a portobello mushroom cap with homemade marinara (from Well Fed), 1 cup green beans, 1 1/2 cups broccoli

Licked the spoon after giving my kiddos an almond butter snack!

One cup of tea at bedtime.

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 40: Shoulders/Cardio

Total Time: 1:20

Total Calories Burned: 478

Soooooo bloated today. Could probably convince people I was 3 mos pg. 

Day 7:
 Breakfast: 1 medium cooked egg, sweet potato hash with bacon, pineapple, 1/2 avocado.

Lunch: Chicken breast, green olives, carrots, sugar snap peas, radishes, 1/2 apple, 2 Tbsp almond butter.

Dinner: 1/2lb burger, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 avocado, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup baked carrots, 1/2 cup butternut squash. 

One cup of decaf coffee at bedtime.

Workout: Rest day

Total Time:

Total Calories Burned:

I was sooooooooo crabby today. So extremely crabby!! Still feeling bloated today but not as bad. Trying to drink more water today.  

Week 1 Summary thoughts: I've been crabby but without real terrible physical side effects - no nausea, no headaches or stomach aches. The lightheadedness/dizziness has eased up and I've been able to get through my day without having any today.

I haven't been hungry between meals at all. I don't know if it's that I'm balancing correctly (fat/protein/carb) or if it's my weird psychosis about things I "can't eat" but it's wokring for me!  REALLY having to hold myself back from stepping on the scale, but I will continue to take weekly progress photos, so that kind of helps me in that respect.

In total, I call week 1 a success - with one MINOR issue. I feel like I have been spending THE WHOLE DAY in the kitchen!! Wake up, make a full breakfast for 4 people, send one to school, one to work. Unload dishwasher. Reload & run dishwasher. Clean the kitchen. Go to the gym. Come home, start a full LUNCH for 3 people. Have lunch. Clean up.  Start prepping dinner items around 3 depending on the recipe. Unload dishwasher, reload dishwasher. Start fully cooking around 4:15, cook until dinner at 5:30ish, eat. Clean up. Prep for tomorrow.

I had a HUGE prep day today - will post about that later this week, along with what my kids are eating! - and got a ton of stuff out of the way. I'm hoping to stay out of the kitchen more this week, especially with good weather coming our way!