I'm currently 19 days in to my first Whole30. It has been hard, but not THAT hard. Sure it takes a little extra planning, and some will power (my husband was laying in bed eating animal crackers and m&m's last night... grrr...) but it isn't impossible. I haven't even touched the surface of all the recipes and ideas available. But I have yet to hit that point where I feel like I have 'tigers blood' as they call it in It Starts With Food. I know a lot can happen in 11 days, and maybe my body is still working stuff out, but I honestly don't feel all that wonderful.
That isn't to say I haven't seen any benefits. I lost 5.5 pounds in the first two weeks (you're not supposed to weigh yourself, I don't care, I did anyway). I don't have headaches anymore in the afternoon from too much junk. I can go without snacks between meals and not feel like I want to slap someone (hanger is real people, Elsie and I are both evidence of that). And I don't have an upset stomach as much anymore either. I've discovered that nuts make me extremely bloated, and almond butter makes me feel sick (lame!). But they aren't the only thing bothering me. I just haven't figured it out yet.
My runs have also been pretty miserable. I anticipated the first week being bad, and it was. It was quite horrible, my body was having a very difficult time providing enough energy to keep me going. I felt shaky on runs. I've found that eating a banana or a Larabar before a longer run definitely helps, so some homemade Larabar bites might be in my future to pop before all my runs. But on Friday I went out for a six mile run and it was AWFUL. I walked probably a good mile spread throughout there. My legs felt weak, my stomach was a bit of a mess and my back was killing me. I don't know what is going on. If it's all in my head, if it is just because I need new shoes (I really need new shoes), if I really need to strengthen up my legs more, what. But right now nothing seems to be working.
I feel like it sounds as though I am not enjoying this process and the Whole30. That isn't true. I don't feel deprived, I'm eating lots of good food, I'm never truly hungry. Honestly if the people around me weren't eating off limits foods, I don't think it would be a huge deal at all. But currently the girls get a 'sweet treat' (a few m&m's or chocolate chips) if they finish their meal, and dishing out m&m's without eating a few is kind of agonizing for a few seconds. Or just reminding myself not to eat the crust off Ryann's sandwich, or a handful of whatever snack I'm getting them. Overall the experience has been positive, and I look forward to hopefully moving our family toward a clean eating or paleo lifestyle. It will just take a while to figure out the balance.
If you care what some more of meals have looked like, here you go...
I'm pretty sure some combination of sweet potatoes and chicken apple sausage has become one of my favorite breakfasts. So tasty and so filling. Today I added spinach and it was great. The second photo is an Asian Almond Chicken Salad. I liked the flavor, but wanted more of the sauce. Directly underneath that photo is a Chili Lime Chicken Burger from Trader Joe's. I really liked it on top of a portobello with guac. Chris wasn't as impressed but he said they were good. I don't know what I would do without Trader Joe's. They have some great clean options. To the right of that photo is a Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad. I really liked it, and would eat it more often if I wasn't too cheap to buy the good shrimp. And that very last photo is an example of how much I fail at making omlettes. They taste fine, but I can't figure out how to make a pretty one for the life of me.
I'm challenging myself to make at least two new actual recipes in the next 11 days, instead of just throwing compliant crap together and calling it good. The recipes I've used have been delicious, but I'm not a very good meal planner so we haven't had all the ingredients for stuff.
2 comments:
I definitely am curious what would happen if I tried this - my friend did it, and just felt SO weak the whole way through, even after 30 days so she went back to eating some carbs and feels much better now.
Love your blog. Found you while searching for running blogs. Your girls are super sweet and I love the peek into your daily life. I am just finishing up my first whole 30 and I didn't feel miraculously different either. I feel better, but I had mild headaches pretty much every day until the past couple. Loved, loved loved the zesty lime Shrimp and avocado salad. Biggest surprise on my whole 30, I don't miss bread and pasta like I thought I would. Take care!
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