It's day 22 and honestly, I really want pizza. I guess it epitomizes the two main food groups I haven't had the last 22 days -- cheese (dairy) and grains. But I'm pressing on to finish strong because that's what I set out to do and I'm going to do it.
The first 1/3 of the month - specifically the middle of the first week - was definitely the hardest. But this second third has been so much easier! I found a routine, some new veggie creations to rely on, and convenience meats at Trader Joe's. And best of all, I began to feel so much better: sleeping better, all-day-long sustained energy, and overall better disposition. As for my appearance, my facial skin is much much better (it's a battle I've had for years!) and I know I've lost puffiness from inflammation. I've definitely lost some weight, though I don't know how much because you're not supposed to weigh yourself. However, I may have had a moment of weakness and measured my waist to find an inch gone... don't tell the W30 police. :-) But through it all I've never ever starved, I've not counted a single calorie, and I've been the most balanced, calm, destressed, and content I've been in a long time. I have cooked a lot and washed a LOT LOT LOT of dishes though.
In conjunction with Whole30, per the advisement of my naturopath I started using progesterone cream because labwork from November showed my numbers to be low. This does not surprise me because I've felt for a long time like I have been exhibiting the symptoms of low progesterone that I read on this website not long ago. Without getting too detailed, the cream is used for part of a woman's cycle and then stopped for the other part. And guess what? Many of my old symptoms began creeping back in when I had to stop. SO, the good news is that the cream is helping a lot (yay!). Does this mean that Whole30 hasn't done its job? Absolutely not, because I've learned that diet is a MAJOR influencer of hormone balance. Keeping sugar out and other inflammatory foods will only help my body recover and find balance again. And it takes a few months for the progesterone to really start maintaining consistent levels. So as much as I want to just drop Whole30 on February 6th like a hot potato, I really should continue eating this way most of the time. Once the thirty days are over I will carefully reintroduce the foods I've cut out to see if I have any negative reactions to anything. If they don't bother me, then I will eat them in moderation. If they bother me, then I guess that takes care of that.
So here's what I've been eating starting at Day 12 (find the first 11 days here).
Breakfast (combinations of the following)
The first 1/3 of the month - specifically the middle of the first week - was definitely the hardest. But this second third has been so much easier! I found a routine, some new veggie creations to rely on, and convenience meats at Trader Joe's. And best of all, I began to feel so much better: sleeping better, all-day-long sustained energy, and overall better disposition. As for my appearance, my facial skin is much much better (it's a battle I've had for years!) and I know I've lost puffiness from inflammation. I've definitely lost some weight, though I don't know how much because you're not supposed to weigh yourself. However, I may have had a moment of weakness and measured my waist to find an inch gone... don't tell the W30 police. :-) But through it all I've never ever starved, I've not counted a single calorie, and I've been the most balanced, calm, destressed, and content I've been in a long time. I have cooked a lot and washed a LOT LOT LOT of dishes though.
In conjunction with Whole30, per the advisement of my naturopath I started using progesterone cream because labwork from November showed my numbers to be low. This does not surprise me because I've felt for a long time like I have been exhibiting the symptoms of low progesterone that I read on this website not long ago. Without getting too detailed, the cream is used for part of a woman's cycle and then stopped for the other part. And guess what? Many of my old symptoms began creeping back in when I had to stop. SO, the good news is that the cream is helping a lot (yay!). Does this mean that Whole30 hasn't done its job? Absolutely not, because I've learned that diet is a MAJOR influencer of hormone balance. Keeping sugar out and other inflammatory foods will only help my body recover and find balance again. And it takes a few months for the progesterone to really start maintaining consistent levels. So as much as I want to just drop Whole30 on February 6th like a hot potato, I really should continue eating this way most of the time. Once the thirty days are over I will carefully reintroduce the foods I've cut out to see if I have any negative reactions to anything. If they don't bother me, then I will eat them in moderation. If they bother me, then I guess that takes care of that.
So here's what I've been eating starting at Day 12 (find the first 11 days here).
Breakfast (combinations of the following)
- homemade sausage patties
- smoothies (I talked about those in the first 11 days post) made with banana, greens, coconut milk, ice, and flaxseed.
- eggs (scrambled or omelette)
- "cereal" - blueberries, almonds, coconut shreds, coconut milk
- apples + almond butter
Lunch (always with various forms of veggies on the side, sometimes potatoes)
- sausage skillet with Aidelle's sausage plus peppers and other veggies
- leftovers of dinners
- Trader Joe's turkey burgers or chile lime chicken burgers
- Applegate hot dogs
- RESTAURANT FOOD! Ate at a Mexican place and ordered fajitas and just ate the meat and veggies. Thankfully nothing bothered me!
Dinner
- TJ's turkey burgers or chile lime chicken burgers
- pork roast
- homemade meatballs served over spaghetti squash (YUM)
- taco meat (homemade seasoning - YUM) over baked potato halves and again leftover on salad greens; mixed a yummy dressing of guacamole + salsa + W30 ranch.
- homemade chicken fingers "breaded" with clarified butter and almond flour; baked in oven. Excellent when reheated on the skillet!
- CHINESE TAKE OUT - wait what??!! Our favorite Chinese place offers steamed "diet" dishes with sauce on the side. I topped my steamed chicken and mixed vegetables with coconut aminos and enjoyed the night off from cooking. Easy!
- Aidelle's sausage
- leftovers of other meals
- skillet chicken in a sauce made with homemade broth, mushrooms, and lots of garlic. YUM.
- burgers on the grill
I have a meeting to get to tonight so I need to wrap this up. But I'll be back in about a week with my final wrap up of how things went!
Thanks for following along. I hope you give W30 a try -- I think every person needs to do it at least once to see what you can do for yourself just by eating. xoxoxo
Thanks for following along. I hope you give W30 a try -- I think every person needs to do it at least once to see what you can do for yourself just by eating. xoxoxo
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