One week down

iRegards for any typos. This was written from my phone :-)

So I've been doing this for a week. I can do this! I'm at that point where I feel like this is easier than people make it out to be. We usually like to skirt around the rules and get away with finding "compliant" alternatives for our favorite foods, but is that really right? I'm going to go with "no." 

I've told myself I'm not going to be tied to recipes and overworking myself in the kitchen to the point of madness. So far I literally haven't followed a single recipe. If you're using fresh ingredients and have some decent sense of flavors (to know what goes with what), and some basic cooking skills then it's pretty simple to create 21 WHOLE meals. 

I also told myself this wouldn't hold me back from being social. And so far, it hasn't really held me back. I'll fill you in on three social situations where I held strong.

1) on Friday I went to the basketball game with a friend who had a baby 10 months ago. She hasn't had any alcohol in a very long time, her baby recently starting rejecting breast milk (so it was safe), and was craving a beer - we were at the game! She didn't want to drink alone, but I assured her all was fine with me and she should feel like I wasn't holding her back. At the same time I wasn't being held back by my new nutrition plan. Win-win! 

2) on Sunday after church it was planned we would all eat at Nando's for dinner. Nando's is my favorite casual dining place. Some good spicy chicken deliciousness! I checked the bottle of Nando's sauce in my fridge for the ingredients, and there were two that I didn't know. I did a quick google and didn't find anything related to Whole30 to know if it was okay to have. I decided I shouldn't go, because you literally can't get anything there that doesn't have sauce on it. I wouldn't want everything to be messed up because of a sauce. I opted to stay later than normal at church to talk to people but ducked out on the dinner and ate at home. Win-win!

3) I caught up with a friend at lunch during work in Monday. Long story short the place we went had two items I could have gotten (limited choices there) but the workers didn't know enough about the ingredients of a salad dressing (red flags for extra sugar or soy) or of a frittata (red flags for milk, cream, or cheese) to enable me to choose either of them. Instead I talked my friend's ears off and opted to eat later at my desk. Win-win! Well, maybe not for my friend's ears...

The last thing I told myself was I wouldn't let Whole30 keep me from taking communion. I never even thought of this challenge until Sunday night at church, so I've only "told" it to myself since then. When I saw that tiny cracker and teaspoon of sugary juice I admit that I had second thoughts. Then I remembered my God is so much bigger than Whole30, and communion is important to me. I can't believe I even second-guessed taking communion, but I did and I'm moving forward. 

Maybe I will have more time to blog next week. This week I have been tied up and exhausted from a multitude of other things!

Nightmares and Laughs

Last night I had a nightmare that I accidentally ate something with corn starch in it, and it was kinda bready - and I had to start whole30 over from the beginning. There was  a lot of crying and screaming and then I woke up. 

Then today I bought ghee, coconut flour, apple cider vinegar, and purple carrots.

What's wrong with me?

Nothing is wrong with me! I just crack myself up that I'm so into this thing that it's affected me enough to make me go to the store (almost) daily and have nightmares about bad food. 

Happy Day 5!

Last minute planning

This is my first time blogging from my phone so iRegards in advance if there are any typos or weird autocorrects going on! 

Tonight after the gym, which was amazing to be back for, I had a moment of panic. In this moment I freaked out at the thought of not having enough tasty "whole" good to eat and that I hadn't prepped enough by getting some of the typical items people say you can't do Whole30 without. So I went to the store. 

Among some fresh salmon and greens for dinner as well as other vegetables, I came out of the store with these items that I likely wouldn't have bought before. 

Shredded coconut: for those times when a crunchy dessert sounds so great, and it can be sprinkled on top of anything really. 

Fennel seeds: substitute for gum/mints to get that fresh breath feeling

Macadamia spread: I shouldn't have bought this since I don't know what I will use it for, but it was on the "good eating fats" list so I felt it was necessary

Coconut milk: for the days when I've had enough of black coffee and feel like I need something in it. I actually loooove black coffee, so I will likely use this in my coffee only when I'm annoyed that I can't have a salted caramel and chocolate ice cream bar for dessert ;-)

Also I started my Whole30 early today for dinner, since I had just gone back to the gym anyway! 

No dairy, sugar, gluten, grains, alcohol, or soy were consumed in the making of this photo...

Tomorrow can't come sooner

The adventure starts tomorrow! Finally. I have been waiting for my parents to leave so that I can truly crack down on what I'm eating without them feeling like they are in prison.

All my breakfasts for the work week are prepped - 3 days of eggs with mushrooms, some salad and tomatoes; 1 day of fried eggs in which I'll figure something out to go with those soon enough.

I cooked up some chunk steak with a blend of southwestern spices and a drizzle of coconut oil. It smelled so good! I'll have that with veggies.

While mom has been here we have cut up some vegetables and fruit. HELLO GRAPEFRUIT SEASON!

I just keep thinking "if this isn't protein, good fats, or vegetables (or fruit in small doses) then I don't need it"

Last week it hit me that I can't have gum or mints on this nutrition plan either. I honestly thing that will be the toughest thing to give up! I like to stay fresh! Mint leaves or fennel seeds, here I come...

Oh! I also took my measurements today. Personal training sessions for 2015 start this evening, and I know my thighs will be bigger afterward (from muscle swelling) so I figured I should get the "numbers part" over with.

The Big W

This past summer in Houston when I was home, a friend of a friend came into town and was doing the Whole30 nutrition plan. I thought it was kind of extreme after hearing that it is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, soy-free, and alcohol-free. After getting more healthy and active this year in 2014 and wanting more, especially after being on vacation the last 17 days, I have decided to start this journey for myself. I've read about some of the health benefits, besides losing weight of course, are increased energy and less headaches. Only time will tell!

I will begin on January 13th, 2015 after my parents leave Australia. I will continue to do my personal training plan as normal. The Last day will be February 11th, and I will not weigh myself until then. So, one week away from starting and I've already been working on mentally preparing myself for the challenge. I love ice cream treats and a good crispy chip (or french fry), which Perth has the best of these two, so it will actually be a challenge.

Looking forward to my challenge in the days ahead! Here we go...

Becoming Whole...