Another Whole30

I have had a huge relapse in my eating...been gorging on maple syrup in my yogurt and eating Dairy Queen blizzards. The result is a gain of five pounds.

Worse than that, my body has suffered. My gums and teeth are so sore, much like the tingle after a dental teeth clean, except it has lasted 24 hours a day for the last two weeks. My teeth throb when I drink water. And my joints are very sore. Each morning two fingers lock when bent, and it takes a few hours of moving to get them to move smoothly. My digestive tract is really messed up.

It is time to do another whole 30. Today is day 1. So far, so good. I deliberated the ingestion of dairy, as I love half and half in my coffee. From a psychological standpoint, I would feel I am not really doing a whole30 and would inevitably not stick to the strict eating plan. So I am foregoing the dairy, and I will drink my coffee black. (I might look for a different nut based creamer, but not nutpods!)

Breakfast: 2 eggs, orange juice, coffee
Lunch: Chicken soup with avocado
Snacks: carrot sticks, satsuma, sunflower seeds
Supper: Pork Chop, baked sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli, unsweetened applesauce

Day 6, 2016

Aha! I was reading posts from 2015 and realized that I am not truly Whole30 compliant. I have a very dry mouth, so I chew sugar free gum when necessary. That means I am ingesting an artificial sweetener. I have decided that for me, I will continue to chew the gum. There really is no other option for my dry mouth problem and I am ok with this.

Breakfast:

Two Bacon, Two Fried Eggs, OJ

Coffee with Nutpods cream

Lunch:

Banana, Cashew Butter

Once Again I grabbed my old standby for lunch when away from home. Also ate a satsuma and enjoyed another cup of coffee with Nutpods.

Supper:

Leftover Steak, Baked Sweet Potato, Cooked Carrots

I sure missed the applesauce tonite!

Snacks:
Apple
Warm Apple Cider

Day 5, 2016

Still not much of an appetite. And still tired. All part of the adjustment to eating only Whole 30.

Breakfast:

Fried Eggs, Bacon, OJ

Lunch:

Leftovers! Steak and Cabbage and more OJ

I also added a banana for filling the stomach.

Supper:

Asian Chicken Legs, Stir Fry Veggies

 Recipe for the Chicken is found here
http://www.paleonewbie.com/paleo-asian-orange-chicken/
I did make it Whole30 friendly by using coconut aminos and by skipping the honey. Instead of rice vinegar I added about 2 tblsp of white vinegar to give the sauce its edge. I cooked the chicken on the stove top, adding some chicken broth for simmering purposes. 
It was good, but it missed the balance that honey adds to the dish. I would use chicken breast next time. There was way too much sauce; I would make only half a recipe.

For the veggies, I heated coconut oil on med hi, added cauliflower and cooked 4 minutes. Then added shredded cabbage, cooked another 3 minutes. Then threw in a bag of broccoli slaw and chopped garlic. (I had to add more coconut oil as the skillet was rather dry). At the end I added 2 tblsp of coconut aminos. 
My family and I really liked the addition of the broccoli slaw to a stir fry!

Snacks:
Half Apple
Satsuma
Mixed Nuts

Day 4, 2016

A much better day. All systems are functioning within established parameters. Not much of an appetite, so not a whole lot of food intake today.

Breakfast:
Two Fried Eggs
Two Strips Bacon
Orange Juice
Coffee with Nutpod

Lunch:
Coffee with Nutpod
Banana
Satsuma

Supper:
Strip Steak
Roasted Sweet Potato
Steamed Cauliflower
Applesauce

Snack:
Satsuma number 2
One-half an Apple

Exercise: Nope

Day 3, 2016

No photos today. Whatever was bothering me last night carried through to today. I had a bad headache upon rising this morning, as well as a sore throat. My digestive system was challenged. So I spent the day on the sofa, eating little and trying to stay hydrated and rested. 

Here is what I grazed on today:
Orange Juice
Two Satsumas
A Banana
Two cups of tea
Applesauce
Chicken Soup
Two pieces of bacon

I am happy to have stayed on the Whole30 even though I did not feel well.

Day 2, 2016

I was rather tired today. I've read that when the body is used to burning sugar for energy, it takes a while for it to switch when sugar is no longer ingested. I remember this from last year; this is not surprising or new. I am also experiencing a lot of bloating and flatulence. I'm not sure what is causing it, and I hope it goes away soon!

Breakfast:

Two fried eggs and bacon

 I cooked the bacon first, then fried the eggs in some of the bacon fat. I am not afraid of eating the fat. I have learned that the healthy fats are necessary for the body to function properly. 

I also had coffee with the Nutpod cream. Maybe that is causing the intestinal discomfort. Hmmm...

Lunch:

Banana and Cashew Butter!

 I was gone over the lunch hour, so I grabbed one of my favorite combos! It is great because the nut butter protein keeps me going while the banana fills me up!

Supper:

Leftover Pork Roast, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potato with coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce

Another favorite food of mine is the baked sweet potato with coconut oil. I use the organic coconut oil from Trader Joe's. 

Snacks:
Two Satsumas
Dried Bing Cherries
Cup of warm Apple Cider

Day 1, 2016

It was a busy day, and I was successful in eating Whole30! I really wanted something sweet after supper....same old story as last year, huh!

Breakfast:
Two eggs, fried with bacon.
Orange Juice
Coffee with Nutpod French Vanilla 'Cream'
http://www.nutpods.com/

Lunch:
Leftover homemade hamburger soup

Supper:

Garlicky Chicken Over Spaghetti Squash
http://www.glutenfreehomestead.com/2015/10/garlicky-chicken-over-spaghetti-squash/
I tweaked the recipe just a bit....microwaved the squash, used 2 cans tomatoes instead of fresh, and did not add the butter at the end. Delicious!!!
Green Beans
Fresh applesauce

Snacks:
Satsuma
Carrot Sticks
Cup of warm Organic Apple Cider 

Exercise?  None

Second Time Around! 2016

Once again I am embarking on the Whole30. For the past year I have mostly followed the Whole30 way of eating, but I got addicted to eating sugar again. I know that doing another Whole30 will break that nasty habit.

I maintained a weight loss of 25 pounds for much of the year since my last blog post, but since Christmas I have gained some weight. 

I did not reach my 2015 goal of losing 35 lbs, nor did I hike Mt. Si. But I did well with the eating plan and exercising. 

In 2016, I would like to lose 10 lbs, exercise (walk) 5 days a week, and hike Mt. Si this summer.

Starting weight: 146.1 lbs 

Let the challenge begin!

Day 69

Breakfast:
Omelet, Bacon, Avocado, Orange Juice
Coffee with cream

Lunch:
Rib Steak, Baked Sweet Potato, Steamed Broccoli, Applesauce

Supper:
Did not eat supper. Oops. But I did snack on celery with cashew butter and raisins. Had  an extra cup of decaf coffee with cream

No exercise today.

Day 68

Breakfast:
2 Fried Eggs, 3 pieces Bacon, Avocado, orange juice
Coffee with cream

Lunch:
One Chicken drumstick, Half a baked Sweet Potato, Romanesco, Applesauce

Supper:
Vegetable Beef Soup

More Food:
Handful of Cashews and Raisins
2 Celery with cashew butter and raisins
Half an apple

Exercise: None today

Day 67

Breakfast:
Fried Egg, Bacon, Coffee with cream

Lunch:
Roasted Chicken Drumsticks, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Romanesco, Applesauce

Supper:
Chicken Soup

Other Food:
2 Satsumas
Handful of Cashews and Raisins
Dried Apricots
Glass of Apple Juice

Exercise: None
This is not good. I re-read my goals from the first post in January, and it said I would be walking six days a week! Must get back into it.

Day 66

Breakfast:
Omelet and Bacon
Coffee with half n half

Lunch:
Pork Chop, Baked Sweet Potato, Green Beans, Applesauce

Supper:
Chicken Soup

Snacks:
2 Satsumas
Half an Apple
Handful of Cashews and Raisins

Exercise: Walked 1.3 miles

Day 65 - Sunday

Breakfast:
Omelet and Bacon
Coffee with half n half

Lunch:
Beef Stir Fry with Snow Peas, Carrots, and Red Peppers

Supper:
Soup

Exercise: Walked 1.3 miles

Day 64

Breakfast:
Omelet and Bacon
Coffee with Half n half

Lunch:
Hamburger and Baked Sweet Potato
2 Satsumas
1 Banana

Supper:
Soup
I don't know what to call it. I threw together a bunch of stuff. In coconut oil, I sautéed onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. Added shredded carrots, shredded collards, shredded cabbage, and one chopped up hamburger patty. Also threw in some coconut aminos (soy sauce substitute) and salt. It was tasty!

Snacks:
2 pieces Chocolate, 72% dark
Small glass of Berry Apple Juice
Handful of Cashews, Raisins, and Dried Cranberries

Exercise: None

Day 63

Ooops....I forgot to post!

Day 62

Breakfast:
Handful of Cashews and Raisins
2 cups of Coffee with Half n Half
So much for eating three good meals a day. I had a bad headache this morning, then don't feel like eating. The coffee was helpful, so I had two cups!

Lunch:
Burgers, Roasted Sweet Potato Fries, Green Beans, Applesauce
For the burgers, I mixed one pound of hamburger with one pound of pork, then added about 1/3 c finely diced onion, two minced cloves of garlic, salt and pepper. They were very tasty and not as dry as just beef alone. One neat trick I learned today is to dimple the raw meat with your fingers; it keeps the burgers from shrinking into a thick small patty.

Supper:
Vegetable Beef Soup

Additional Foods:
2 Satsumas
One Half an Apple
1 small glass Berry Apple Juice

Exercise: Walk 1.5 miles
I could not do much more than that, as my legs and ankles are rather sore from yesterday's slight bit of running!

Day 61

I went for a shorter walk today, but I ran some of it! One ankle is sore tonite; I hope it is better in the morning. It felt really good to run a bit.

Breakfast:
Omelet, Bacon, Orange Juice
Coffee with Half n Half

Lunch:
Leftover Rump Roast, Roasted Sweet Potato, Green Beans, Raw Carrots, Applesauce

Supper:
Chicken Soup

Additional Foods:
2 Satsumas
Half an Apple
Handful of Cashews and Raisins

Exercise: Walk/run 1.6 miles

Day 60

A good day! I think I have finally adjusted to eating three good meals a day with no snacking. I don't think about food nearly as much as I used to. It helps that there is no snacky food in the house, but eating good meals stays with me longer that the poor meals I used to eat.

Breakfast:
Omelet, Bacon, Orange Juice

Lunch:
Leftover Rump Roast, Baked Sweet Potato, Steamed Broccoli, Applesauce

Supper:
Leftover Almond Chicken Soup

Other Foods:
Coffee with Half n Half
Half an Apple

Exercise: Walked 1.25 miles

Day 59

I got really close to eating some chocolate today. I have some Milk Chocolate in the back of the cupboard, saved from December. I've always known it was back there, but never thought about it. Until Now. Daughter has been eating it, and then I really want to eat some too. I did take a teeny tiny nibble off of her piece of chocolate; I was surprised, for it did not taste as good as I expected! And I no longer felt like eating chocolate!

Breakfast:
Omelet, Bacon, Orange Juice

Lunch:
2 Satsumas, a Banana, a Handful of Cashews and Raisins, Coffee with Half n Half

Supper:
Vegetable Beef Soup

Other Foods:
Apple

Exercise: None

Day 58

The Day I Fall

I made it 57 days without falling to temptation, but today I broke that record. I had a gluten-free brownie. It was not even that tasty. I kept telling myself I don't eat that way anymore, but it had no effect. Did it kill me? No. Am I happy? disappointed? ashamed? No, no, and no. It is just the way it is...I ate a brownie and life goes on. I am looking forwards to tomorrow when I can start a fresh day of healthy eating!

Breakfast:
2 Eggs, Bacon, and Orange Juice

Lunch:
Baked Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus

Supper:
Leftover Almond Chicken Soup

Other Foods:
Gluten Free Brownie
Coffee with Half n Half
Half an Apple
1 Satsuma

Exercise: None