Day 31 - The Wrap-Up Post

I made it! Woohoo! [*happy dance*]

Before starting out, I wasn't entirely sure I could do this. A whole month without chocolate? I've never done that before. Seriously. Never. I wasn't sure I could drink my coffee without sweetener of some sort. I wasn't sure if I could keep up with the food prep and cooking. I wondered if I'd enjoy the food, if I'd feel full, if I'd even see any benefits by the end.

So, without further ado, my summary of everything I've enjoyed over the past 30 days:

Weight lost - 7.6lbs. Very happy with that.
Inches lost - from the biggest part of my abdomen, 2.5". From the smallest point of my waist, 2.5". Overall (from five points of measurement), 9.5".
Clothes - fit differently. Even bought a size 2 pants, when my size 4s were a little snug at the beginning.
Body composition - changing dramatically. I feel like I'm benefiting from my workouts more, and seeing even quicker results. (I'm kind of a mesomorph, so I build muscle fairly quickly. But this is *crazy*! If I had more free time to devote to my workouts, I bet I could get super strong.)
Skin - clearer, redness from my cheeks is almost gone, and dark circles under my eyes are less noticeable.
Breathing - improved. I didn't even realize how much inflammation was in my nasal passages until it was gone!
Food - loved it! Amazing flavours, tried loads of new recipes, and even tried out some new veggies. I feel like we've broken out of a serious dinner rut. And I never went hungry. Ever.
Cooking - learned to love it, too! Suddenly it wasn't so much a chore I had to do to make sure my family ate, but it was a genuine pleasure to prepare something for us to share together, especially knowing that those meals were so healthy. My kids ate everything we ate (with the exception of steak night, sorry kiddos!), and there were very rarely any objections from the "big" kids. (Which, considering they're four and not-quite three
is a feat in and of itself!)
Emotional eating - not 100% conquered, but close. Probably 90% defeated, but I'm always aware of the other 10%. I don't always give in, and at least I recognize that my desire to eat is not because of physical hunger. And instead of pacing the kitchen looking for something "approved" to fill the junk food hole (like a homemade Larabar, if I do decide to cave, I eat a piece of fruit.
Sugar cravings - I still like fruit, but I don't crave chocolate or junk anymore. This. is. huge. The smell of some things I used to like (M&Ms, for example) is kind of gross to me now. Too artificial. Cocoa still smells nice, though.
Caffeine dependency - a thing of the past. I still love my morning decaf for the ritual, but it has nothing to do with needing caffeine. Oh, plus it's a great way to enjoy coconut milk. A combination of Baby Belle starting to sleep better and having better energy made this the perfect time to kick the habit.

This month has challenged me and stretched me. It has required far more time in the kitchen then I'm accustomed to, which has been a bit of a challenge at times. I've gotten more efficient with my meal preparations, and oddly the increase in time spent on food has coincided with a decrease in obsession with food. I just eat good food until I'm satisfied. That's it.

A big thanks to Nicole for leading me here, to my husband for being willing to go along with this crazy idea, and to the team at Whole9Life for all the support they offer on their FB page.

(And, if you're wondering, I'm planning to continue sharing here. The first 30 days were interesting, but the fun hasn't ended yet - next I get to try reintroducing things and figure out what still deserves a place on my plate and what doesn't.)

Day 30!! The End!!

Today is the official end to my Whole30! I don't remember the last time a month flew by so quickly! I've really enjoyed everything I ate over the past month (honestly - everything), and I haven't missed much. Today was a tricky day, food-wise, because of all the added restrictions. First the Whole30 rules, second no nuts or eggs (because of my autoimmune issue), third I don't really like fish much, certainly not enough to eat it for three meals in a day! Apparently a one-day protein fast is no big deal, as long as I'm eating lots of veggies and healthy fats, so that is what I did. Need to make up all those protein-based calories somewhere!

Breakfast - A smoothie with frozen raspberries, 2/3 of a banana and a heap of full-fat coconut milk. Of course when I say "smoothie", I really mean "ice cream"! It was so thick and creamy that I ate it out of a bowl with a spoon.

Lunch - Guacamole over sauteed kale and sliced tomato. Then I decided I hadn't had enough guacamole, so I grabbed some baby carrots and started dipping. (I ate almost a full avocado - Baby Belle ate the rest. She loves to eat guacamole out of a bowl with a spoon!)

Supper - Pan-fried "breaded" (almond flour) haddock with coconut curry cabbage and sweet potatoes (roasted then mashed with fried onions & coconut oil).

Snacks - Coconut butter!! A handful of shredded coconut and an apple.

Day 29 - The Home Stretch

Hard to believe this all comes to an end tomorrow evening. As of Saturday, I'm "allowed" to eat whatever I want. I will be able to say that I made it through 30 days without touching a single off-limits ingredient. I ate no grains, no legumes, no sugar, no dairy, and no soy. (Unless, of course, I dive into a chocolate cake in the next 24 hours...) I didn't even lick my fingers when handling something for the kids that had a forbidden ingredient in it!

But here's the thing. Even though I'll have the figurative green light on Saturday, going totally off the rails would defeat the whole purpose of doing this in the first place. If I eat a big bowl of ice cream and feel terrible afterwards, I won't be sure exactly what about the ice cream didn't agree with me. The dairy? The sugar? The fact that it's a processed, chemically-laden food product? The whole idea is to reintroduce things one at a time and figure out your body's reaction to each thing. I know I won't bother reintroducing wheat, because I already know what that does to me! Pain in the butt hip. Everything else, though, I'll have to figure out. I'm going out for dinner on Saturday, and my plan is to eat a meal that is as close to Whole30 as I can get - but I won't bother asking about what kind of oil they use. Aaaaand I may just consider ordering a glass of wine...

Breakfast - The last sausage pattie with guacamole on top, and a side of sauteed kale and cherry tomatoes. Decaf with coconut milk.

Lunch - Leftover roast chicken and gravy. And an apple. Yes, that's it. My kids were NUTS and my kitchen was a DISASTER. The plan was to clean up then make some veggies - but then nap time was over. (How 90 minutes flew by so fast, I don't understand!)

Supper - Roasted pork tenderloin (rubbed with olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper) with curried twice-baked sweet potatoes (minus the sausage) and roasted cauliflower.

And now, there is beef stock finishing up in the crock pot. Mmmm! Over 2L of stock for about $3, no additives, preservatives, sugar, soy or other questionable stuff!

Day 28 - A New Shape

I haven't done any body measurements since beginning my Whole30 (as per the rules - oh, other than that one misguided weigh-in on day 5), but I can tell by the way things fit that my body composition is changing. Things that were snug a month ago fit beautifully now. Things that fit perfectly a month ago need to be tailored. And for the first time in a long time - maybe ever? - I can feel my spine. Is it totally vain to say that I'm finding a great deal of confidence in all the positive changes in my body? Bah, even if it is vain, I'm enjoying it. :)

Breakfast - Homemade sausage pattie with guacamole and sauteed kale.

Lunch - Leftover roast chicken and gravy with a heaping side of roasted broccoli. (I could eat a bowl of that while watching a movie in lieu of popcorn. Seriously. That and roasted cauliflower. I'm hooked.)

Supper - Pulled pork sandwiches. I know, big Whole30 no-no. Oops. Guess Melissa and Dallas won't be referring anyone to my blog for meal ideas. :) I made a simple pulled pork in the crock pot (with thinly sliced onions, garlic and chicken stock) and then mixed it with the barbeque sauce from Paleo Comfort Foods. I toned down the heat (for the kids) and added a teeny bit of sweetness by chopping up four or five dates and simmering them in the sauce then blending it at the end. Tossed the sauce with the pork and piled it (with some raw red onion) on a grain-free bun. All served with a mound of beautifully sauteed baby bok choy.

(Yes, it seems I break the rules about not paleo-fying things all the time. But here's where I draw the line: I've never tried to create a version of a food that's a known trigger for me. Eating a muffin sweetened only with bananas doesn't make me want to hit up a bakery for a wheat- and sugar-laden version. Eating a cheese-free, almond crust "pizza" doesn't make me want to call the delivery guy and get a Meat Lovers Special. I know my limit, so I've never pureed dates with cocoa powder in hopes of creating an approved-ingredient chocolate substitute! I break the rules [always have - it's in my nature] but I know when to stop.)

Day 27 - Home Alone

Baby Belle was up all night. Well, not technically all night, but she was up from 9:30pm until 3am, so close enough. After only three hours of sleep I was miserable this morning. And to add insult to injury, my husband was scheduled to have a staff meeting after work, which would mean he'd be walking in the door at the same time we needed to be sitting down for supper, to make sure we could finish and get the kids in bed before the girls arrive for faith study tonight.

*phew*

I was changing Baby Belle's diaper in her room just after lunch (after a napless morning) when I heard Princess say, "Hi, Daddy!" I didn't think anything of it, because she and Music Man have been playing this game where they take turns being the baby and the parent.  Wasn't I shocked when I heard a voice respond to him?! My beloved hero came home to rescue me from my misery! Or maybe to rescue the kids from my misery... Whatever. He helped me get them ready for naps, then while they slept I slept, too!

And if that wasn't awesome enough, after they were all up from their naps he packed them into the car and drove off into the sunset city to have dinner with his parents. I got to be home alone for three whole hours. Yes sir, it was just what the doctor ordered! Feeling very refreshed now, I must say.

Breakfast - Homemade pork sausage patties with sliced tomato. Two cups of decaf (wished it were regular) with coconut milk.

Lunch - Leftovers from last night - a hamburger pattie with sauteed onions, homemade ketchup, and a side of coconut curry cabbage.

Supper - Crock pot chicken and gravy (yum!!!) and raw veggies with guacamole.

Snacks - A banana and a (rather large-ish) scoop of fresh cinnamon coconut butter.

Day 26 - No More Eggs?!

Well now. It has come to my attention that in addition to the dietary changes I've already made, I should also consider giving up eggs, nuts and nightshades, to see if there's any improvement in my alopecia areata, since it falls within the category of autoimmune.

But here's the thing. Do you know what nightshades are? It's a fairly large group of foods, including tomatoes, peppers (both sweet and hot) and spices like cayenne, chilli powder, curry powder, and paprika. And nuts, while not a huge part of my diet over the last 30 days would still be challenging to give up as I've been using almond flour in many recipes (like as a binder in hamburgers). And eggs?! I've eaten eggs for breakfast just about every day since I started! Oy.

I'm going to do some more reading about this. Obviously I'd love to see improvements in my condition, but it would be frustrating to go cold turkey on all those things and not see an improvement. *sigh* For now I'll just start with cutting out eggs and go from there. Wish me luck.

Breakfast - One and a half (leftover) Italian sausages fried with kale, ghee and garlic, topped with a sliced roma tomato.

Lunch - Coconut curry cabbage and a small-ish chicken leg.

Supper - Burgers! Smothered in homemade ketchup and a pile of onions sauteed in ghee. And, because it was just so yummy, I made another batch of the coconut curry cabbage. (Francis also had fried sweet potato slices.)

Day 25 - Shopping Therapy

Not that I really needed any particular therapy, but it's always fun to go shopping, am I right?! The five of us made a trip to Old Navy because I'd mentioned that I wanted to look at some of their new dresses, and my fabulous husband said, "Well let's go then!"

I bought these, and this, and another dress which isn't on their website. And the funny thing about that particular dress, is that it has horizontal stripes! I was feeling bold! Let's hope I can recreate that feeling when it comes time to wear that bad boy out of the house!

Breakfast - Three eggs and kale scrambled, a bit of crispy prosciutto and a two cups of decaf with coconut milk.

Lunch - A big @ss salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and diced rotisserie chicken breast. Oh, and a healthy dose of (approved) Italian dressing. By the way, this all natural Italian dressing is hands-down the best Italian dressing I've ever had. One of the best dressings, period.

Supper - The most intensely flavourful, perfectly medium-rare sirloin steak, smothered with a mountain of onions (sauteed in ghee), and a side of grilled bell peppers.

Snacks - Most of a really big apple (all three kids helped me eat it!) and half a banana with six or seven almonds.

Result: My protein was pretty much right on target again, and my carb levels were much better than yesterday, but still a tiny bit higher than what I'm aiming for. I wish I knew what my recommended fat intake should be - I'm off to do some reading on that right now!