Week 1 of Whole 30

I started my Whole 30 journey on Tuesday January 29th, and the first week is now in the books.  I did fantastic, if I do say so myself.  I had no cheats, and quite honestly no problems.  Didn’t know I was doing a Whole 30?  I blogged about it here.  I’m experimenting with different recipes that satisfy both Jay and I, as well as figuring out portions so that we each have enough food for lunch.  And I’m definitely sticking with my motto for the month, to READ THE LABEL!

Wonder what I’ve been eating or some my best tips?

TIPS – What’s been working for me this week :

• Prep, prep, prep.  It’s the only way to survive on paleo/whole30!  Write out a meal plan for the week, grocery shop for the entire week.  Have lots of quick & easy meals for “just in case” – cut up veggies, make a frittata, have extra fruit on hand.
• Read labels.  I still can’t believe how much of our food has added sugar in it.
• Don’t consider socializing a no-go for 30 days.  I don’t know about you, but I actually prefer catching up and socializing in my own home, over a home cooked meal.  This worked for me this week, and I’m going to keep it up for the remainder of the challenge.  This doesn’t mean I can’t go out and see my friends; I actually went out on Saturday night, but I ate a fulfilling dinner before going, and just had water/tea while I was out with friends.  It is possible.  Doing this way of eating doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, you just have to be smart about it.  Plan ahead.  Be smart – don’t meet your friends at a bar when you are starving and haven’t eaten dinner, you’re going to either end up cheating, or hating your life.
• Slow cooker.  Got a busy night?  No problem.  Prep the night before, or in the morning, and not only will you come home to a home cooked meal, but your house will also smell amazing!!  Recently, I’ve made a whole chicken in the slower cooker – success!  And tried a lemon rosemary pork tenderloin – fail!  I’ll be making some Whole30 Creamy Chicken Soup this weekend, and a Crocktata (frittata in the slow cooker!) Try out new things, don’t be afraid!
• Experimentation.  Especially for us athletes, we need to figure out individually what works for us pre-workouts.  I was terrified to give up my trusted protein shake for this month, but so far, I haven’t missed it, other than the ease of it.   I’ve been having a small meal before my hard workouts, or eggs – either scrambled or in frittata form.  This has worked great for me, so great that I’ve been shocked by a couple of KILLER workouts that I’ve done just on eggs.  I still have yet to do a long run that I need to eat during, but I’m going to be making my Fruit’n'Nut balls this weekend to bring to my half marathon.
• Herbal tea.  I’ve been drinking lots of tea, as a change from water, and in an attempt to distract myself from missing coffee.  It’s worked fairly well (except for after running & snowshoeing on Saturday – the craving was bad then!!), but it’s been a welcome treat during Jay’s hockey games to have a warm drink without paying the $5 at Starbucks…

Special thanks to Cath for the awesome 2 cup thermos Birthday gift!!

What I’ve been eating :

Breakfast – I cut out both my bacon & my sausages because both have added sugar.  Sad face.  But, I’m making do with lots of eggs, veggies, avocado, and some fruit.  2 typical breakfasts pictured below are (1) poached eggs, avocado, & tomato slices (2) scrambled eggs with zucchini, peppers, onions, avocado & banana

Lunches – are always leftovers from the previous night’s dinner, and if there’s not quite enough, I’ll add in some cut up veggies, or some fruit.

Dinners – I’ve been loving the ideas and master recipes in my “It Starts with Food” book, and I was also given a Paleo Slow Cooker recipe book for my birthday, so I’ve tested out a few recipes from there as well.  We’ve had some awesome winners, and a few duds.  Don’t worry, I’ll only share the winners! Pictured below (1) Ground Turkey with Veggies fry (2) Steelhead Trout BBQ w/Yam & Green Bean dish (3) Coconut Prawns (4) Moroccan Chicken – same recipe as I blogged about “Moroccan Pork” but done with chicken!

It’s been a good week!  Lucky for me, my diet was fairly close to Whole30, so it hasn’t been an ugly week of cravings and hating my life.  I know how that is though.  When I first cut complex carbs and dairy from my diet, the first 2 weeks were HELL.  This journey so far is reassuring me that my choices before the challenge, were still in the right direction.  I’m interested to see the changes and affects I feel after the full 30 days.  So far, I’m feeling good, and enjoying the challenge!

xoxo

-S