Whole 30: Week Two Round-Up

Tomorrow marks the end of week two of Whole30. It started out great, like really great. I cooked for about three hours at the start of the week and BAM! I had nothing to do throughout the week but mix and match all of my food. It was awesome, worth the time, and made Whole30 feel a lot more manageable this week. I roasted chicken thighs, made a carton of hardboiled eggs, a huge batch of golden cauliflower soup, two spaghetti squash, sunshine sauce for paleo pad thai, thawed out some wild salmon for easy dinners all week, and baked sweet potatoes.

It was all delicious and much easier than the first week, but I can't get over how NOT into spaghetti squash I am. So many people tout its versatility, how it's THE BEST stand in for pasta... etc. I don't know if I wasn't making it correctly or what, but I've got to throw a big no on those claims.

I'm going to try it again next week, but only as spaghetti squash, not under tomato sauce like it's actual spaghetti or something-- let's not kid ourselves. I have a feeling gluten sensitivity isn't in the cards for me, so I'm looking forward to reintroducing whole grain pasta when this Whole30 is up. Until then... zoodles?

Onto the Whole30 timeline predictions for my feelings this week. 

They say... Days 8-9=Tighter Pants

This didn't happen to me this week. What did happen is I tried to eat less red meat, more chicken and fish. I just can't stomach too much red meat, even if it's grass-fed and organic. I also made a few salads, including this beauty with sweet potatoes, golden tomato, spring greens, and Tessemae's lemon garlic dressing as a side to my herb-crusted salmon. 

Like I said... a great start to the week!

They say... Days 10-11=The Hardest Days

We went out of town for the weekend, which made days 10 and 11 even harder than already predicted. When we got to the hub's parent's house, they had pretzel rolls and sourdough bread, not to mention wine. Torture!

I had to tell myself what Whole30 told me... it's only 30 days. It wasn't a holiday or a special occasion. It was just a weekend away, those happen all the time, and it's okay to not eat the pretzel roll or sip on the wine this time. 

I think the end of my "YOU CAN DO THIS!" self-talk rope came when we hung out with our niece and nephew and went for ice cream. At the candy shop. 

Sugar addict's nightmare. So many gummies.

The weekend was rough on my willpower and ability to maintain positive self-talk, that's for sure. I even thought about weighing myself because I feel lighter and it would have made me feel better even though it's a no-no and would defeat the purpose of why I'm doing this. I even got snippy with the Hubs when he ate a bag full of bagels (he literally ate a bag full of bagels, it was small, but still). I was like, "DUDE."

-- I said other stuff too, but that sums it up. It was just a cherry on top of a weekend of trying to be cool with sticking with this for thirty days.

They say... Days 12-15=Boundless Energy and Dreaming About Junk

Yeah, this isn't happening because I'm sick. I have no appetite and no boundless energy. I've got a sore throat and body aches-- this is a real killer. In fact, yesterday I slept thirteen hours. 

 The only things I want to eat and drink are saltines, Mrs. Grass, dry toast, mineral water, and warm whiskey with lemon juice. Soooooo... none of those are Whole30 compliant except for mineral water and lemon juice. 

I had a moment yesterday where I got irrationally angry at all of this. I've been working my ass off on sticking to Whole30 and this is what I get? I get sick? Really? Isn't my immune system supposed to be bouncing viruses off of it like rubber? I mean, WTF, Whole30?!?

I'm over the rage today--I was being irrational. I realize now that anyone can get viruses, even when they are super healthy. I'm grateful that I have no snot running out of my nose because I'm not eating any dairy. I'm also grateful that I'm not eating a bowl full of gummy bears to comfort myself right now because sugar can make it harder for you to get better when you're sick.

 This is what I am eating or drinking when I have an appetite:

-Plain baked chicken

-Scrambled eggs

-Throat coat tea

-Water/mineral water

-Roasted and salted almonds (kind of close to saltines?)

-Mashed potatoes with ghee

-Frozen cherries (feel so good on my throat)

-Unsweetened applesauce

-Bananas

Throat coat. A lifesaver. 

It's working out so far. Here's hoping to better days going into week three, the supposed week of Tiger Blood. 

We'll see what living with Tiger Blood in Jen World looks like next week.