Day Two - "Leg Sweats"

Ok, day two was harder!!!! I really felt the sugar withdrawals. I whined....A LOT. My husband alternately laughed and tried to tease me with cookies. I know that sounds mean, but he's mean. Ha!
See, honey, (if you even read this) I can throw you under the bus on here! I'll be sure to share your moments of "support" each day.

So, breakfast was the same as yesterday, except I had two cups of coffee and I used coconut oil to scramble my eggs instead of the ghee. You can see the "whoops that's too much salt" in the picture. I used a couple bites of salsa, but wasn't really feeling it for breakfast. This salsa from TJ's is compliant.  I had at least 2 bananas and an apple and mixed nuts (reduced salt ones from Trader Joe's) for snacks.

Lunch: I made tuna/egg salad with this Whole30 mayo recipe and a bit of organic mustard. I was at the height of my whining when I ate it, so I think that I thought a took a picture, but couldn't find one at the end of the day. It tasted like I wish I was eating ice cream. Make sure you buy tuna in oil, because the water packed tuna has soy in it. WHO KNEW? This is why we read labels!!

The mayo was fun to make though. Watching the ingredients emulsify into mayo was a fun little science experiment. I added fresh garlic and dill to it, since I am actually not a fan of mayonnaise itself. But, I am learning how to season things on my own instead of relying on pre-packaged items with flavoring. It's been a fun culinary trip for me. I love to try recipes and cook. I dream of having an enormous kitchen with two ovens and like 6 stove top burners.

Dinner turned out so well. I was completely taken aback by how great the chicken strips I made were. I use organic chicken breasts and cut them into strips. The breading was egg and almond meal. I put my pink Himalayan salt and smoked paprika in the meal to flavor the chicken. These things were so freaking juicy. Like, whoa. The kids gobbled them up. The broccoli I steamed with a bit of olive oil in the pan to keep it from sticking. Threw some TJ's garlic salt on it for flavor, and booyah. Dinner.

While I was cooking, I was feeling kinda icky and I jokingly asked Curtis what withdrawal symptoms feel like, insinuating he had experience. He said "What kind?" and I said "SUGAR WITHDRAWALS! But, I meant in general." He thinks for a second and replied, "Irritability....leg sweats...." I interrupted him. "Uh, leg sweats?! Like specifically your legs only?" He went with it. "Yes, like just your legs, ya know?" I was hysterically laughing - a sure sign that I was delirious without sugar in my body.

I did finish with a pineapple, banana, coconut milk smoothie. I needed something sweet and this ended up hitting the spot. I tossed in some orange juice (compliant!) about halfway through drinking it because I realized that's the flavor I was missing and I did not have any actual oranges in my house.

I went to bed FULL and happier than day one. I think the second day was harder than the first, but all in all, I felt like I had accomplished more after yesterday's temptation to give in.

I still really miss bread and pasta and quinoa, but I am sure the grains will return to my life after this challenge is over. I may seek out gluten free options. I have yet to pinpoint my tummy issues. I DO think the best thing that will come from this is breaking my sugar addiction.

Day One. WHERE IS MY SUGAR??!

Ok, so it's a Sunday and it's easy to start on a Sunday. We got up, I made cinnamon rolls for the boys and I had my coffee. I used canned coconut milk and the date paste I made yesterday for a bit of sweetener. Honestly, I can do without sweetener in my coffee, but I miss the milk. Since I am using almond milk sparingly, I am using the coconut milk. And it doesn't take the edge off the bitterness of the coffee. WAH! Right? By the way, the store bought almond milk is not ideal. So, that's why I am using it sparingly.

Anyway, the sweetener is just some dates and water blended til its the consistency of apple butter. Spreadable and smooth. I spent like $6 on this 12oz package yesterday. Today, I ran to Aldi and found an 8oz package for like $1.90. So, shop around!

Now, I had a banana before church and by the time we got home from the 10am service, I was starving and I made brunch for Curtis and myself. I went all out since it was my first official Whole30 meal, and again, it was Sunday and there was no rush.

So, I used the Zoodle maker (veggie spiralizer) on a potato and made some fried (in clarified butter) hash browns. Then I made scrambled eggs with a couple handfuls of organic spring mix salad mixed in, omelette style. I threw some sliced avocado on top. Followed that with an apple. BAM. Breakfast.

Since we ate late, I sort of skipped lunch. That ended up being a bad idea. I did have some Wholly Guacamole (awesome and compliant) and carrot sticks as a snack around 2:30. I was starving by dinner time and I ate a Larabar in the car on the way home from Kroger (yes, I go to the store a lot. I have this really adorable habit of always forgetting something even though I always make a list) for a spice run. Curtis offered to grill (and I never turn down that offer!) and he made steaks. I roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and used some of my Whole30 ketchup to dip the potatoes in. Ya know, to pretend like I was having french fries.

Tomorrow, I plan on having more veggies and protein. I am also teaching a barbell class tomorrow, so I know my body will be asking for protein. Definitely need more water as well. I tried to make almond butter, but I need an actual food processor. I have been making good use of my free month of Amazon Prime and ordered one that should be here Tuesday. Then I will make some legit almond butter. Today, I ended up adding a bit of almond milk, a few dates and some flax seed to try and make something that resembled almond butter. Really, it ended up as this super tasty treat that I snuck a few bites of after dinner when the sugar cravings were especially brutal.

That was my main challenge today. I am craving sugar!!!! I snack a lot on things like cheese and yogurt. Pretzels and Halloween candy. It was hard to not grab the usual quick fix of a Clif bar or yogurt. I really wanted cheese on my eggs today. I had already cut back on dairy and was starting to feel better. I am more interested to see how my stomach feels in the morning after a day of no dairy or grains or SUGAR. 

It definitely doesn't help that Blue Bell ice cream returned this week. I did buy some for the kids and Curtis and I had a couple of small servings this week since I did not start the Whole30 before Blue Bell returned to stores. I am beginning to think my real problem is dairy. I will stick with the Whole30 until I am sure of that. I am already thinking about Thanksgiving and trying to not be difficult at family gatherings. That will be 19 days into the Whole30 and I think by then I will have a better idea of what is bothering me. What I am saying is don't expect me to skip Thanksgiving, y'all!

I am really loving making my own sauce and stuff though. It's nice knowing what's in my ketchup and I am making mayo tomorrow. Below is the recipe and stuff you need for the ketchup. I will post the mayo one tomorrow after I make it. I am planning on making tuna salad for lunch. I will be boiling some eggs for the week to get more protein. 

Tune in next time for: Jodie Cries Over The Sugar Detox. 

Whole30 Eve

I am actually excited and less full of dread for the start of the Whole30 tomorrow. I have prepped myself for breakfast and I have a meal planned.

I will take lots and lots of photos as I go. Here is my first little "recipe". You can thank me if you just cannot stand the idea of drinking your morning coffee without a smidgen of something in it.

I mentioned that I know some things are compliant, but may not be in the spirit of the Whole30. But, again, I consider myself fairly educated about what we should and should not be eating. I am doing the Whole30 challenge to find out what's been bothering my stomach. I have already noticed a huge difference by avoiding dairy. My skin looks clearer and my tummy feels better.

Last weekend, I had the stomach bug that's been going around. I lost a few pounds and so I am starting at a lower weight (honestly, one that I thought I would get to after the Whole30) than anticipated. But, I am not doing this to lose weight so much as to feel better and maybe shed some fat. I'll take my measurements and weight and body fat percentage tomorrow morning when I wake up, before I eat.  That will be my starting point. I'll measure it all again at the end of the 30 days for comparison.

Again, I encourage you to follow my Whole30 Pinterest Board and find me and follow on Instagram.

Let's do this!

Oh and tomorrow I am posting my recipes for ketchup and mayo. But, I need to grab some small containers to keep them fresh in the fridge after I make them. I will also give you more details on what we're eating this week and where I do my shopping for the supplies.

Jodie

A False Start

I know I was planning on starting the Whole30 on November 1st, but I didn't. I promise that I have a great reason for that. We all got hit with a stomach bug. One by one. It was awful. Gage got sick Friday. Then we miraculously were all well for Halloween and trick or treating.

 I woke up Sunday feeling a little icky but got my coffee with cream of coconut from Trader Joe's and NO SUGAR and had an apple for breakfast. I technically started the Whole30. Then I quickly devolved into being super sick and could only eat a handful of pretzels around lunch time. I then took a long nap and woke up feeling only mildly improved. I ate about 8 bites of Cheerios with almond milk and finally had a Nutri Grain bar and a cup of water at 9pm. Basically, I knew that dry bread and water was all I could manage.

That night, Curtis was hit with the stomach bug. Then Monday night, Cade took his turn. I barely felt normal Monday and had to take Tuesday off from teaching my classes because I kept Cade home. I will say that I had my flu shot (mandatory as an employee of the hospital unless I want to fill out paperwork and make up a reason not to get it. Like "I am a baby and WAH! I don't wanna". Because that's the only thing I have against it.) on Friday and I had flu like symptoms in addition to the stomach bug that was due to my immune system taking a germ hit. I was definitely more sick than my guys were and I am thankful they didn't have the muscle aches and headache that I had.

All in all, it just made zero sense to go all crazy Whole30 this week. We're now all well and I am planning on picking up a couple more things to make my own sauces and condiments and keep our food flavorful while we eat healthy.

You can follow me on Pinterest and specifically my Whole30 board for ideas that I am using for my meals and more importantly, the sauces and flavorings I am using to make them edible :)

The new and improved start for this Whole30 Journey is November 8th. Leave me a comment if you drop by!

Jodie

You might be wondering....WHY AM I TORTURING MYSELF WITH THIS?

Hopefully you read the little intro post yesterday and now you're back for more. I said I would share in more detail about why I am doing the Whole30. This is a bit longer of a post.

First of all, I really enjoy being miserable and not having sugar in my coffee or cupcakes crumbs on my shirt. I'm kidding. Obviously. I don't drop a single crumb of my cupcakes and I much prefer milk in my coffee.

In reality, there have been some tummy health issues in my life that have been happening no matter what I eat. So, good food choices or not, I was having stomach pains and other related issues. Poop. I am talking about poop. And unhealthy poops are unpleasant. 

A little science for you: Humans are born with the enzyme called lactase that breaks down lactose in the gut. That's in milk. Breastmilk. Formula. It's about babies and their main source of food. Our bodies stop producing it after approximately 5 years of age (which is an age that children are breastfed til in some parts of the world), unless we continue to consume dairy. Here in the modern world, we have access to dairy and a lot of us enjoy it. So our body responds by producing the enzyme past that young age. Here is a full explanation of that. I am posting for the science. Any opinions in that post are not necessarily ones I hold. 

As we get older, we can develop that natural lactose intolerance as our body stops producing the enzyme needed to break down lactose in our gut. And, while I am a huge fan of dairy and have always eaten it, I started to notice a pattern between drinking milk and eating ice cream and some pretty awful digestive issues. So, I cut back. Switched to milk alternatives (Soy, Coconut, Almond milks) and noticed an improvement. But, not a complete fix. 

Then my paternal grandmother reminded me of her Celiac disease and my mother reminded me that my uncle also suffers from Celiac disease and pointed out "hey, it runs on both sides of your gene pool here..." And, finally, someone else shared an article about how lactose intolerance and Celiac disease can often occur together. Like two really mean girls at school who ganged up on your digestive system. Sooooo, I had a suggestion to check out the Whole30 and started my research,

I had heard of it before and once I read all the restrictions, I laughed. Because I live a SUPER active lifestyle teaching classes at the gym and I don't have any weight loss goals. I might annoy a lot of people by saying this, but I am pretty happy with my body in regards to my weight and muscle tone. I could be more defined, but I enjoy food. I eat a variety of mostly healthy foods and I eat other foods in moderation. If I ate cleaner, I would have less body fat and more muscle tone. I get that. I made my choice. I know what I'm about. I love food. I wasn't really having any stomach issues. I mean, yeah there have been some instances where I have been doubled over in pain after eating, but I sorta wrote it off as one or two nights of something I ate that wasn't "right". In retrospect, I was likely showing signs of sensitivity to something and here I am, 30 years old, experiencing those problems more often than not. It's time to do something different.

I look at Whole30 as the ideal goal. I don't know how I will do. I may decide that, darnit, I am going to make some cauliflower crust pizza even though it's not in the spirit of the Whole30. I AM committing to reading labels and eating things that are compliant. I will not eat sugar. I will not eat grains. I will not eat dairy. I will not drink alcohol. (Though I am not really a big drinker at all. I;ll have a drink at a girls night out or a birthday dinner, but I don't really drink much outside of that.)

There are things like LaraBars and Izze sodas that are Whole30 "ok" but that are technically not allowed because they're packaged and processed. Here's the thing. I get that some people do the Whole30 to revolutionize their eating habits. I am pretty well educated on what is good to eat and what to avoid. Whole30 will allow me to go deeper into the rabbit hole that is those seemingly obnoxious people who can't eat anything at all ever at a restaurant and are a giant pain in the butt to be around. I don't think eating something prepackaged will be a gateway food to me eating cupcakes in my closet while I swig a half gallon of cow's milk.

My purpose is to find out what is making my stomach hurt and my trips to the bathroom miserable. I am positive I will feel better and that I will learn more about what's sneaking around in our seemingly harmless foods. I can almost guarantee you that if I find gluten isn't bothering me, I will return to eating it with abandon. Don't put me on a pedestal here. I am here for answers and once I find them, I will make educated decisions on how my eating habits will change for the future.

That being said, please feel free to join me. Ask questions here or directly on Facebook. Let's learn about eating for our best selves. If you feel icky, try this with me. I'll share what I discover and maybe you will have ideas that will help me out, too. Gimme your recipes and your experiences doing the Whole30 yourself. I'd love to hear them!

In Fitness and Health,
Jodie

Prepping and Counting Down

I decided to go ahead and launch the new blog for the Whole30 journey on which I will be embarking in just over a week. I am in the research (and back-pedaling) stage right now. As a couple of people have pointed out, the 30 days will include Thanksgiving. I don't plan on veering off course just for the holiday. I mean, I have had like 30 Thanksgivings in my life and I can only assume I will have more after this year. So, one year of eating Paleo style will be alright. Also, I will be pretty far into the 30 days, and I am convinced that it will be easier to stick to the Whole30 25 days into the month rather than in the first week. My resolve should be pretty strong by then.

So, before I talk too deeply about WHY I am doing the Whole30, you might just simply want to know what the heck I am talking about. Here is the link to the Whole30 website where you can read details on it. Basically, it's a very strict Paleo diet. NO dairy. NO grains. NO legumes. NO added sugar. We're talking about lots and lots of NOs, but, hey, there are a ton of other foods out there. The thing that really makes the Whole30 so strict is that it doesn't allow things that take compliant foods and make them into treat/cheat items. No Paleo baking muffins or brownies. It's like eat real food. No ingredients. Your food should be the ingredients! Could you make a cauliflower crust pizza? Sure. Is it in the spirit of Whole30? No. I am debating some things as I look into the rules. I mean, it's 30 days. And I know we could all use 30 days without cupcakes and pizza.

My motives for doing the Whole30 will be covered more in my next post. And those motives will define how I handle the food choices and rules. If you're curious about Paleo eating, you can read more about it here: Intro to Paleo.

So, if you're here to watch the world burn and me descend into madness, please follow along! Find me on Facebook and add me. I will be posting the links to new blog posts there as well.

In Fitness and Health,
Jodie