Whole30 Part 1 done

Hard to think about the Whole30
when you get to see this. 

I finished the Whole30 on a Saturday. I had declared that even though the Whole30 ended at midnight that day, I was going to end it at sundown. I was at Rehoboth Beach on a beautiful day with a friend, and I didn't want to spend the whole time trapped in the dwindling hours of the Whole30. As it turned out, I didn't need to make that declaration.

The magic hour came and went and I still had no urge to "cheat." We went into a really nice little bistro, which as luck would have it, was offering half-price drinks and appetizers. We'd had a big lunch earlier (one of my first restaurant meals--a ginormous salad with shrimp), and were still full from the oversized portions. We didn't even sit at the bar for happy hour (what?!); we chose a table in the restaurant area and ordered a compliant salad "sampler" and club soda.The thing was that I really wanted the salads--egg salad with smoked salmon, beets and  quinoa (which I did not eat). I didn't really want a drink, partly because I had no idea how I'd react to the sudden influx of sugar. Even though I'd given myself the green light to go for it, I was still in food apathy mode and didn't care enough to give up on how great I felt.

That's how it's been, mostly.  I ended up going to New Mexico immediately after that trip to the beach and I "reintroduced" cheese, wheat, corn and alcohol.  Reintroduction is a key part of the Whole30. You're not meant to give up certain food groups forever, but see which ones make you feel bad, if any. One way to do this is just to keep going on the plan until you come across something you really like. That's the option I chose. While I love chips and salsa, the chips ended up sitting like a rock in my stomach. The combo of bread, cheese and meat together (as in a burger) is just too much to easily digest. While I love bread, it's mostly just a no.  I'd rather stick to the plan except for special occasions. I just feel 100 percent better, lighter and energized. I actually feel more "deprived" when I go rogue, than when I'm sticking to the basics--plants (i.e., fruit and veg) and clean proteins.

I also became leaner. I noticed my clothes fit looser and my cheekbones made a reappearance. I worked out harder and better, and had more stamina. Though it is a slow process and a cumulative effect achieved through consistency,  I did it. And it only took 30 days. The farther I got on the Whole30, the more energetic I became and I slept better than I had in years.

What they say is true, It can change your life, and took me to a place regarding food and my body I'd never been before. There are no fads, no real taboos (you can reintroduce every single thing you give up), and no weighing and measuring either your body or your portions. Would I recommend it to everyone I know? I don't know. Some people have an instinct as to what suits them and are healthy. But would I recommend it to MOST people I know? Absolutely. If you're looking to drop a giant amount on the scale with no regard nutritionally for what you're eating to do so, you may be disappointed. If you're looking to reset your system, change the way you think about fueling your body, abate inflammation, and lose some bloat, then yes, do it.

That's saying a lot coming from me. I've done them all, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, semi-vegetarian, low carb, even a crazy egg diet when I was much younger. Why, I'm not really sure. I think I was just looking for the next best thing. Ultimately, what I ended up sticking with was a non-diet, a plan where I could eat as much normal, healthy food as I wanted without thinking about fat grams, calories or portions. It makes me feel really good And it's so simple. To me, the Whole30 was like a vacation from cravings, restaurants, alcohol and processed food. I learned to appreciate the value and nutrition found in the simplest vegetable and pastured, not factory farmed, meat.  It will be the foundation of my eating plan for life. Thanks for coming on this Whole30 journey with me. Your support and encouragement meant everything. Cheers!

The beautiful scenery, not the bars and restaurants, made my last day of the Whole30 memorable. Food (for once) was an afterthought.

25 down, 5 to go… the final week of my Whole30

So, last week I wrote about how my cravings were diminishing and I compared it to falling out of love. Sometimes, it's only after we move on, do we realize all the pesty things we had learned to live with in a relationship. And we always had a reason to keep doing it, either because it's all we knew or because we could always rationalize the unpleasant feelings away.

I got used to (subconsciously?) bracing myself for a night out at a "good" restaurant when you want to make the most of it. On some level, I knew the alcohol would slow me down (how do you turn down artisanal handcrafted cocktails? Anybody? ), the dairy would make me feel bloated (nothing better than a cheese plate in my book), the amount of salt would make me dehydrated and thirsty, and the aftermath would be me recovering from all I'd consumed, and trying to exercise it away.

Now I realize I probably had some issues with those foods that I love the most and actually needed the foods that never appealed to me before. Vegetables, and especially fruit, were always the stand-ins, never the stars.

A big positive for me of the Whole30 was having somebody say "NO YOU CAN"T HAVE THAT FOR 30 DAYS," which took the decision out of my hands so I could no longer rationalize why it didn't really bother me that much, and why I could have it JUST THIS ONE TIME. I had no idea that these foods were making me feel bad--again, it's like a bad relationship. You don't realize how bad you had it till it's gone.

So, here's what I learned the past 25 days (and I am aware, I've still got to make through next Friday).

1. I found I love vegetables, all kinds, and that potatoes are NOT fattening. Yes, I'd eat a hunk of brie, but God forbid I'd ever eat a potato. That food myth is done. Potatoes, whether sweet or white give me energy. Cooked vegetables and salads are full of water and vitamins and make my skin clear. And, as it turns out, they only take minutes to prepare.

2. Yes, I CAN go 30 days without having a glass of red wine. Yes, I wanted it. Yes, I didn't want to watch other people drink it. Yes, I'll probably have one as soon as this ends. But I don't feel I have to have one every day to "wind down." I'll have a glass of good quality wine, and I'll savor it.

3. No, fat is not a dangerous enemy. I consume a lot of fat. I eat avocados, olive oil, homemade mayonnaise and fatty salmon. I eat eggs, steak and chicken with skin. My HDL (good cholesterol)  levels have never been better and my nails have never been stronger.

4.  Yes, I felt like I was eating more actual food than ever and I didn't explode. In fact, I got leaner, stronger in the gym and lost all the bloat in my stomach. Even with the fat, and without oats, sushi or "low fat" foods.

5. A sweet potato now tastes almost too sweet to me. I've never been much for sweets and I'm wondering if I'll ever really want them much again. Except for dark chocolate with toffee. That may work itself back in on occasion.

6. No, I'm not weak and famished because my diet is "restricted." My brain is more grounded and clear for my work, and I have so much energy I've started going on long walks and taking spin classes in addition to my workouts at 202strong. When I fall asleep at night, I REALLY sleep and don't wake up until the morning. And then I can get up and start my day without having to roll over to try to get another hour in.

7. I've discovered how to make really great dinners and found some wonderful sources for meat and chicken that is not factory farmed. THAT I never want to eat again. Plus grass-fed beef has CLA in it, which is a natural fat burner. No wonder my grandparents, who wouldn't consider processed food an actual "foodstuff" and hand picked their meat from the local butcher, ate whatever they wanted and were blessed with good health till the day they died, which, for my grandmother, was age 97 and with a clear mind.

So one more week. I'm really curious to see if I'm going to cave immediately on Saturday, or if I'll be able to live this way a little longer. Five more days to find out. If any of you have done this and have advice for transitioning out, please chime in!

I found I love garlic spinach now more than creamed. I sauté it in olive oil with lots of garlic and have it with my eggs in the morning and with several meals at night.

I've discovered multicolored baby yams by the bag. I grated these in the food processor with an apple and an onion and will sauté them till they're soft and delicious.

This will be garlic shrimp and chorizo. The sausage is cooked, so it will heat through while the shrimp sautés in olive oil and garlic. I added cilantro, too.

While nothing I make is complicated in the least, I love my food processor for chopping and making mayo. I'm not the most orderly cook, but the outcome is usually worth the mess. No meal takes more than a few minutes to prep.

This is a luxury, but I use what I save on restaurants to have grassfed protein delivered to my door from a farm, US Wellness Meats. 

What do I have to do to get an olive around here?? One week down on the Whole30 and I'm craving salt.

Today marks the one-week anniversary of my Whole30 spring-cleaning plan and I'm still going strong. I started the program last Friday and never dreamed I'd have kicked my wine habit in a week. (This coming from someone whose Wodify profile picture is a margarita.) The raging headache over my left eye is gone, the sugar cravings are done and my sinuses are clearer than they've been in ages. But on Tuesday, I needed salt.

I've never been much of a sugar junkie; I specialize in fat and salt--gooey, ripe brie and cheesy nachos. So I think because I wasn't overloading on cereal, pasta or cookies before the plan, my sugar withdrawal (er, wine withdrawal) lasted only about 5 or 6 days. But then I woke up craving salt. I looked to my stash of jalapeño- and anchovy-stuffed olives and gherkins I keep for such emergencies. Foiled again.

Every single olive  in my fridge had something in it I couldn't have on the Whole30, namely some sort of sulfite or glutamate. At least the Maille company had the cojones to announce it. Their label reads in all caps "WARNING: ALLERGEN IN PRODUCT." Maybe the French are more picky about these details.

So, then, of course, because I had to have them, I drove to the grocery store and started reading every label in the olive section. I wasn't sure any were compliant, so in desperation, I ended up with a can of green beans. Eureka. Canned green beans never tasted so delicious.

Meanwhile, I sent my husband out to continue the search and he scored. Big time. Jalapeño olives with  just salt. More subtle tasting than my old brand, and every bit as good.

This was also like the week before Christmas. Packages were delivered almost daily, treasure troves of foods that I no longer had the energy to scour the aisles for--pastured sugar-free bacon and grass-fed compliant teriyaki steak. A box from Tessamae's came from the same day with that wonder product, sugar-free ketchup.

This may sound like a lot of trouble to stay "compliant." And it is. But I'm fueled by dreams, nightmares actually, in which I've consumed something non-compliant and was faced with starting over. I actually dreamed I mindlessly picked up a glass of red wine and gulped big sips. I woke up horrified that it really happened. In another one, I took a big bite of store-bought chicken salad without paying attention. Those dreams are warnings, I'm sure of it...

So now everyone in my house is reading labels out loud and reacting in wonderment to what they find. "Did you know the second ingredient in sriracha sauce is sugar?" "There is corn starch and sulfite in our green chile!! " and the clincher, "The horseradish has soybean oil, sodium metabisulfite, and high fructose corn syrup!!" It's become like "It's Academic" at mealtime.

But so far I'm feeling good. I actually had so much energy this morning that I thought maybe my thyroid prescription was too much. My daughter is following it with me (during the week) and we are getting creative with our meals. A friend commented that I sounded so much better and less congested. And I sleep like the dead. One week down, three more to go. I've heard this can really get boring and bad around the 12-day mark. If you've tried this and have any suggestions, please pass them on!

While this company makes my favorite cornichons, I have to pass during the Whole30. At least they let me know.

WHOLE30 COMPLIANT, AND SO I MADE THIS AVOCADO OMELET: