Day Four ~ The Whole 30 with Oz Girl

So I know everyone is wondering, have I given up on my Whole30 plan.........

The answer is NO.

It hasn't been easy, but in fact, I've been helpfully motivated by some lovely naysayers at work.  

Mind you, I didn't exactly tell anyone what I was doing. I just made an off-handed comment that I was trying to eat healthier, I had eliminated wheat and sugar from my diet for 30 days, and it's really hard to eat the right foods on a daily basis.  That's all I said.  And one co-worker said, quite snottily and with a hearty "I know everything" attitude, "You can't do it."  Another person said "you can't undo all the damage of eating wrong for years, you'll still have health issues".

Alrighty then. From this point forward, when I'm at work, I will adopt THIS attitude...

The less you reveal, the more people can wonder.

Yep, just light, airhead conversation with any of my oh-so-wise and knowledgeable co-workers from now on.

So with that out of the way, if you're wondering what I've been eating (and drinking) the last few days, here's an update.

I've had a bit of salad - baby spinach and a red/green romaine mix with Walden Farms Creamy Italian dressing.  Walden Farms' dressings were the closest to Whole30 compliant, as far as no soy, no grain/gluten, etc.  The label says "sugar-free" BUT at the end of the ingredients it lists sucralose. Ahem, someone needs to tell Walden Farms that IS sugar.  However, being it's at the end of the ingredient list, that means there's a minimal amount.  Bottom line - not thrilled with the taste, so I'm going to make my own mayo today and from there make some of the dressings in the "Well Fed" cookbook.

Chocolate Chili

From Melissa Joulwan's "Well Fed" cookbook.  This stuff is awesome. You need to try it.  Really. Click the link, get the recipe. Here's a pic of mine, topped with some thinly sliced avocado.

I also made Caramelized Coconut Chips, again from the "Well Fed" cookbook.  Very easy, only 3 ingredients, and quite yummy as a snack.  You can get coconut flakes from Amazon (see links on recipe link page) or your local health food store likely has them.  That's where I got my bag.

Photo from Melissa Joulwan's blog, The Clothes Make The Girl

I've had fresh, pastured eggs for breakfast and some sausage patties, also from a pastured hog.  We bought half a hog back in March from the same farm where I get raw milk.  So we know what "our" hog ate. Heather at Faye Farms keeps her animals on as natural a diet as possible.

I've been eating fresh bananas, apples, strawberries and grapes. I also made some applesauce the other day, fresh homemade WITHOUT any sugar. Water, a bit of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and a smidge of vanilla. That's it, and it's freaking good.

I know I still need to amp up the vegetable end of the spectrum.  Veggies have always been tough for me to conquer, yet I know I need to make this conquest for the sake of my health.  I bought some kale the other day and plan to make some kale chips today or tomorrow.  Hey, it's a start.  :-)

What have I been drinking, you may wonder... especially since those who know me, know that I really don't like water.  (Luckily, I've never been a soda drinker so I don't have to deal with those cravings!) I usually flavor my water with Propel Kiwi Strawberry packets, and we just know those probably have a ton of sugar in them!

When I Google'd "ways to flavor water", I found this awesome link with so many great ideas. On Tuesday, I chopped up a cucumber and picked some mint leaves to make a very refreshing water beverage.  Today my water pitcher holds sliced oranges and lemons for a citrus-y twist.  Yum!

I started out drinking my coffee black on Monday.  It was tolerable.  But I really do love my half and half so I Google'd that also.... how to have creamer on a Paleo diet???  And I found this gem of a link, which uses coconut milk, coconut oil, and an egg.  IT WORKS.  I really like it.  It's not a so-so substitution, it's a delish substitute!  As you can see in my photo, it's rather frothy, but it's good!  And it will last in my fridge for a few days -- I simply popped it into the microwave for a few seconds to thin it a bit before adding to my coffee today.

I did notice some physical symptoms on Monday and Tuesday -- nagging headache, overall fatigue. I'm attributing this to my body wanting sugar and not getting what it wanted!  The book "It Starts With Food" tells you what to expect during each week of your Whole30; we are warned that days 1 to 7 will most likely not be pretty.  The most common withdrawal symptoms experienced by Whole30 participants are headache, lethargy and crankiness - commonly called the "carb flu".  Your body is adjusting to a new fuel source and we're advised to give it time to recalibrate.

I felt much better on Wednesday and feel pretty darned good today.  In fact, Ringo and I went for a 1 mile walk/run around the property this morning, using my new Walkmeter app on my iPhone (awesome app - check it out!)

Freshly cut pastures make a great walking/running course!

So that's a summary of my Whole30 life the last few days. This morning, I pinned a whole new slew of motivational quotes to my "Philosophies to Live By" Pinterest board.  I'm very motivated to stick with this!

I won't lie, it has NOT been easy.  It is a huge challenge.  On both Monday and Tuesday I felt like I was going to start hyperventilating as I walked around the kitchen, opened the fridge, opened cupboards..... what CAN I eat??!!  I didn't plan my start date as well as I should!  My Tuesday trip north to Wichita to Green Acres market fixed that, so I'm doing much better now.

Anyone else out there trying to do the Whole30, or something similar?  I would love to hear about your challenges, and any tips and tricks you might have discovered to help you stick with it.

Footnote:  I marked my end date in red on the calendar - October 9th will be the 31st day. My first big indulgence will be a glass of milk.  :-)