Day31?

My Whole30 is over...or is it? When I think of going back to eating the food groups I've eliminated, I have a hard time justifying putting that stuff into my body again, my body that I'm working so hard to fix. God help me if I make things worse when they are 75% better than they were a year ago. I'm headed for my sister's this weekend, which means meals out, which means treats and things that I haven't had to eat in a month or more. I may take a bite to be social, but I'm okay with passing on the unhealthy stuff (finally!). Hey, if I can make through girls' night at a wine bar and a birthday party and milkshakes with the kids without having any "forbidden" foods, then I can do this too.

Plus, I'm really happy about my weight loss during this journey, even though that is not the reason I started this program. I wish it had been under different circumstances, like working hard at the gym and eating right to lose weight and make a transformation without being sick, but I'll take it. It's progress, and this is the smallest I've been since around my junior year in high school. 13 pounds gone in a month? Not too bad! 30 pounds in 9.5 months? Wow. Just wow. I never thought I could do it. :)

Stats on the day before I started my Whole30:

Height - 5'6"
Size - 10/large pants; 8/medium shirt
Weight - 160lbs.
BMI - 25.8 (which is overweight according to the American Institute for Cancer Research website; 18.5-24.9 is the "normal" range, so I need to weigh no more than 154 to achieve this)

Stats today, the day after I finished my Whole30:

Height - 5'6"
Size - 8 pants; small-medium shirt
Weight - 147lbs.
BMI - 23.7 (which is NORMAL!)
  
The Whole30 program and the corresponding book, It Starts with Food, helped me to lose weight rather easily for the first time in my whole life. I don't have to count calories, points, portions, etc. and I get to eat real, nutritious food every day. I even learned how to cook! You'd think I'd miss the grains, nuts, beans, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and chocolate, but you know what? I don't. I've realized that those foods made me feel like crap, and it showed. Cheers to 13 pounds lost in the past 30 days alone, which makes a total of 30 pounds in 9.5 months. Never felt better!

Day30!

Omg, it's the last day of my Whole30! Wow, that month flew by faster than I thought it would. It's 9:15a.m. and I still haven't had anything to drink or eat, so I'm going to do that right now...

Breakfast - meds/supps with 10oz. water; two hard-boiled eggs with paprika; six strawberries

Lunch - can of tuna with mayo and mustard and dill relish on bed of lettuce and sliced tomato; a couple slices of ham; 8oz. water

20oz. water at the park

Dinner - hamburger with sliced tomato and lettuce; half cup of sweet potatoes; 8oz. water

--THE END--

Day29

Another morning doc appointment, this time with the PCP to fill her in on everything that has been going on since May. That's a lot! She drew blood to test vitamin D level. I had my morning meds and supps with 10oz. water around 8:30 and then an apple in the car on the way over at 9:15.

Lunch at 12:45 - a couple slices of turkey lunchmeat; small salad of four garden cherry tomatoes, garden basil, sliced baby portobellas, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

2nd Lunch at 2:15 - three hard boiled eggs with paprika and 2 tsp. store-bought "real mayonnaise." I would have made my own mayo, but I accidentally boiled all the eggs I had left...whoops. I didn't use very much, though, just enough to make the yolks less crumbly; 10oz. unsweetened coconut milk with supps; 8oz. water

Snack at 4:15 - small bowl of red seedless grapes; bowl of cauliflower with curry powder; 8oz. water

Dinner at 7:00 - oven baked chicken breast; sauteed vegetable medley with zucchini, yellow squash, white onion, and tomato; 16oz. water

Well, tomorrow is my last day of documenting every little thing I eat. Happy about that! I'm also happy to say I don't think I'll be adding too much back in even when I can. I've decided to do the Paleo route, minus nuts, legumes, chocolate, spinach, and anything else that is high oxalate. So, I'll still be dairy free, soy free, grain free with no processing and only natural sugars (and limited amounts at that). I'm going to let wine slide back in on occasion. Coffee is out, but maybe a latte would suffice once in a while, and only if it's made with coconut milk.

Day28

Only woke up once again to pee!

9:00 - one harvest cookie from yesterday; meds and supps with 10oz. water; six strawberries; one cup green beans; 5oz. oven baked pork tenderloin; 8oz. water

1:30 - pumpkin spice smoothie (see recipe below); O's leftover harvest cookie; a few slices of turkey lunchmeat; 6oz. water

I still crave all those yummy fall-flavored treats and beverages, despite being almost done with my Whole30. Here's a VERY easy pumpkin spice smoothie that tastes like autumn and is as basic as you can get to make.
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- one soft, pitted medjool date
- 6-8oz. unsweetened coconut milk
- a couple shakes of pumpkin pie spice
Blend in blender until creamy. You can always add more or less coconut milk or even ice, depending on the texture you desire. If you want it more or less pumpkin-y, then adjust the amount of puree. Makes one 10oz. cup.

4:00 - 8oz. water

6:30 - three slices turkey while making dinner; supps with 8oz. water; salmon and sweet potato cakes; boiled broccoli florets; 8oz. water

Day27

Woke up to Maisie meowing at 6:45 after only getting up one time to pee last night - that God that is getting better! Needed to get up anyway to prepare for my presentation today (anthology reading emcee). Meds and supps with 10oz. water at 7:00.

Breakfast at 7:15 - two eggs plus one egg white omelet with three slices of ham; eight strawberries; one "harvest cookie" (see recipe below); 8oz. water; 10oz. mint tea.

Harvest Cookies
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 4 soft Medjool dates
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup raisins
(add or sub in diced apple next time!)

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Grease with coconut oil.
2. Combine mashed banana, pumpkin, and dates in food processor and blend until smooth.
3. In separate bowl, combine coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and vinegar.
4. Add wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter is formed.
5. Fold in coconut and raisins.
6. Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto cookie sheet and flatten with hand (these cookies do not spread on their own).
7. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a rack or container.

On the way to my event today, I ate one Granny Smith apple. Then I drank 16oz. water at the reading.

Lunch at 1:45 at Panera - French onion soup (no cheese, no croutons, no bread); chicken cobb salad (romaine, avocado, egg, bacon, tomato...no dressing); one gala apple; 10oz. water

Snack at 4:15 - one small harvest cookie from recipe above

Dinner at 6:30 - grilled steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions in ghee, oven roasted butternut squash with coconut oil, sauteed asparagus with olive oil and garlic; 8oz. water

Day26

Getting closer! Five more days until my Whole30 is officially completed. :)

Breakfast at 9:15 - last of the leftover oven baked chicken with shredded and sauteed Brussels sprouts; small bowl of strawberries; 8oz. water

Birthday party 10-12 -- the cupcakes looked amazing! Wish I could have had one, but I'm glad I didn't. :)

Lunch at 1:30 - tuna with homemade mayo, mustard, and capers atop a bed of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and sunflower seeds with balsamic vinegar and olive oil; 16oz. water

Ate a date just to try it around 6:00...by 6:45 I was having the worst ulcer/gastritis/I don't even know anymore pains, like I do when I eat raw pineapple. No dinner for me. Mike put the kids to bed. :(

9:00 - managed to eat an apple and felt better by about 10:00.

Day25

Fun day with the kids planned (open gym, storytime, library, playground) then Moms' Night Out tonight at Parallel Wine Bistro - boy, that's going to be a test for me! No wine, no cheese, no chocolate, no bread, etc. Hopefully they have a good meat and veggie platter.

Breakfast and meds/supps at 9:30 - leftover oven baked chicken with shredded Brussels sprouts sauteed in olive oil; 16oz. water

10oz. water at the playground

Lunch at 2:30 - boiled baby carrots and cauliflower; 8oz. water

Snack at 4:00 - two small Granny Smith apples with cinnamon; 8oz. water

Dinner #1 at 6:30 - plain beef shawarma with zucchini, squash, tomato, red pepper, and mushroom kabob; cucumber, onion, tomato, and romaine salad; two small bites of hummus; 8oz. water

Dinner #2 at 8:30 - salmon filet with mixed garden vegetables (string beans, red pepper, green pepper, cauliflower, zucchini, squash); three slices of apple; about seven green grapes; several refills of water, probably a total of 24oz.

Going to MNO was TOUGH, especially when they brought out the complimentary champagne and chocolate mousse cake. Ugh! But I did it. I didn't have a single sip or bite of anything that I wasn't supposed to. Go me!