June 2, 2014 – Day 2

What did I eat?

Meal 1

Leftover ground pork patty

2 boiled eggs

Banana

Apple

Meal 2

Urban Fare Roast Chicken Breast

Mixed steamed veggies

Coconut Crème Larabar

Meal 3

2 Lamburger Patties

Brussels Sprouts from frozen, steamed then sautéed in Ghee

The Day

I woke up and looked in the fridge, instantly regretting that I hadn’t shopped. Luckily, despite all my bad eating in the last few weeks, when I did cook at home, I stuck to Whole30 foods! I grabbed a leftover ground pork patty that I had made on the weekend, and some boiled eggs that I made last night, then headed to work.

Work went by fast; a typical summer Monday. I head to Urban Fare for my old standby, chicken and mixed veggies for lunch and buy a coconut crème Larabar. This one is decidedly my favourite.

When I got home, Sean (aka my ride) was having some tummy pain (to do with his impending surgery) and asked if there was any chance we could grocery shop tomorrow. I looked in the fridge and decided I could get by with what we had. I steamed some veggies and made seasoned patties from ground lamb to throw on the grill.

I wanted to go swimming but there were a lot of people in the pool this evening and I didn’t want to go down alone. This will be a mental hurdle that I will have to overcome if I want to move my body like I said. I was disappointed in myself but not discouraged.  

Today wasn’t very exciting, just a typical day. With sunshine.

I will make tomorrow better.

How I am Feeling

My energy is good and consistent. I am feeling less bloated. I have had a bit of hunger between meals but will adjust accordingly. I’ve had to pee a lot as I up my water intake but I know this will balance out. I am still really pumped and excited to be doing this. I am enjoying the flavours of W30 food more this round and looking forward to meals.

Day 8 - Easter Monday

Easter Monday was the highlight of the weekend!

Sean and I woke up decently early to receive a delivery of new fish for our aquarium. His work buddy couldn’t care for them anymore, knew we had an aquarium, and made plans with Sean to swing by to drop them off. There were some real beauties in the bunch and that made me happy.

While Sean dealt with that situation, I was getting ready for our planned day. We had plans to go to Abbotsford to visit my family. My sister, Mandi lives out there with her husband, Jeremy and my little nephew, Zane. My dad and his fiancée Anna would be there also.  

When I was made-up and ready, I whipped up a double batch of Scramblettes for Sean and me. I love that they are so quick to make, it doesn’t take much to make a big batch, and they are quick to eat.

We drove from West Vancouver to Abbotsford in just over an hour. Everyone was already there and waiting. Since my sister knew I am doing the Whole30, she offered to look at the grocery list and try to accommodate Sean and I. I had offered to bring our own food, but she insisted. Jeremy presented us with Chicken breasts, grilled with just olive oil and salt and pepper. They were simple as per my request but tasty. There was an array of raw veggies on the table as well, and I loaded my plate with carrots.

We all went for a walk around a large park in Abby. We played with Zaney Pants (what I call him – it’s catching on…) at the playground, walked on a path around Mill Lake, saw some turtles, geese, and other waterfowl, talked, told stories, caught up. The sun was shining and everyone was in great moods.

We got back to my sister’s place and Zane was ready for a nap. My dad and Anna had to head out but Sean and I opted to stay for dinner and go out with Mandi and Jeremy. I perused some local menus to see what we could have. I settled on Cactus Club for their 4 mushroom steak dish, figuring I could swap out the potatoes that come with it, for extra veggies. They were more than accommodating. In fact I was blown away by the server’s knowledge and willingness to accommodate my needs.  

She came by to ask if we had questions. I asked what the “Seasonal Veggies” were, and she said asparagus. I then asked if I swap out the potatoes, could I get extra asparagus. She said of course. Or I could get a different type of veggie, or anything I want. I asked if there is flour or butter in the demi-glace. She gave me a confident “no”. I asked if the yam fries are fried or baked. Maybe I could get yam fries instead of potatoes. She said “they are fried…. But I can have some baked for you – no problem!” I baked out and thought that is just too much to ask and ordered the steak with asparagus and broccoli in place of potatoes. She wrote down that I may have a wheat allergy and a butter allergy to ensure those would not be added to my plate. Needless to say,  I was more than happy with this service. And the meal was delicious!

Sean and I hit the highway right from the restaurant after we said our goodbyes and headed home. It was back to work the next day and we had to stop for groceries and I had breakfast and lunch foods to make… 

Day 2 – Still Feeling Good

I woke up this morning feeling great! I only hit the snooze 2 times (vs. my usual 4-5), got up early, showered, and pulled out the egg muffins and salads that I made last night.

My large muffin tin

The muffins I made last night were bigger and had sautéed mushrooms, red onions, red peppers, grape tomatoes, Green onions, Salt, and Pepper. I think I will make the next batch without red peppers. I am finding them to be overpowering. Again I had a banana and black coffee.







I am not sure if it was just a rough day at work for a lot of people, the blood moon eclipse, or if "Kill All the Things" started early for me, but I was feeling irritable on and off as the day went on. Little things bothered me and I mainly kept to myself and buried myself in work. Maybe it was "just one of those days"

Mental Note: try to see if these mood swings coincide with eating.  I am wondering if I am more irritable between meals. I have noticed I have been hungry between meals and I think it is because I am still learning what a portion size should be, but keeping it light so far.  

After researching this a bit more, I came across this awesome article. The part about "Not Eating Enough" and how the baggage of old dieting habits following us around, really resonated with me. I am very much down with this part though: "Eat as much Whole 30 compliant food as you need to eat to be truly satiated. Listen to your body and it will tell you what to do. If you're hungry, eat up!" Drinking lots of water helps too!


Let's discuss water for a second. I don't think I have to lecture anyone about water intake, but I would feel bad if I didn't mention it. Water is the most important thing you can put in your body! Adding chemically based flavour enhancers to it is just wrong. I love water but I didn't always. When I first went to a naturopath, desperate to lose weight, she recorded my body composition and I was more dehydrated than an 80 year old woman, who is dehydrated. I didn't drink a lot of water. The water my body did get was from foods, coffee, juices, milk, and the occasional glass of H2O. Through the hCG protocol I did with my naturopath, I learned how important it is to drink water, not just when losing weight, but all the time. There are still some days that I do not get enough but one thing that has really helped lately is having a big bottle near me at all times. I bought a 1 litre bottle one day and I just keep filling it. I fill it when I get to work in the morning, and I fill it again at lunch, for a minimum of 2 litres per day. As long as it is in arms reach and full, I keep drinking it.  

The mug is for scale

Sean helps me out at home. He often takes it upon himself to pour me a big cup and put it in front of me while we watch TV or hang out. Half the time I just drink it subconsciously and don't realize he's snuck it under my nose until it is half empty. Speaking of Sean, he takes his with lemon. He really likes flavourful drinks and it keeps the cat away. She likes water more than anyone and that tells me it's good for our bodies. 

Needless to say, I was happy when lunch rolled around. Lunch was Salad made of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, avocado, red peppers, and hard boiled eggs. I didn't make a protein last night, but luckily café in my office building sells plain boiled eggs. I sent Sean to work with Canned Tuna to add on his salad. And of course I read the label to make sure it was compliant. My salad dressing was made of the juice from Tomato Basil Salad mentioned on Day 1. I simply added a small amount of olive oil and shook it up. I like to keep my dressing off my salad until I am ready to eat it in order to keep the lettuce from going limp.


For dinner we had Lettuce Wraps, but they were so full of delicious flavour, they became Lettuce Tacos. All you do is fill lettuce leaves with ground chicken or turkey, veggies, and sauces. I seasoned my chicken with sage, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. I cooked it without oils, in a non-stick pan. While it was cooking, I chopped tomatoes and avocado, then spread some grainy mustard in the lettuce leaves. I put in some cooked chicken, and my veg, and then topped it with a sprinkling of Frank's Red hot sauce. SO GOOD!

 

Are you surprised to learn I used condiments? Here is a link to the Pantry List on the Whole30 site. If you buy anything that comes in a box or a jar, make sure to read the labels. Every ingredient should be pronounceable and Whole30 approved. Frank's Red hot sauce has a short list of ingredients, but this only goes for the original recipe. I was sad to learn that many of our grainy mustards (don't ask why we have more than one - it's a long story...) have nitrates in them, but luckily I did happen to have one that only has natural ingredients. 

Another successful day down, and I can't wait for tomorrow!