The results are in...

I wanted to do a separate post about the weight loss that happened from Whole30, because it's really not the focus of the plan. Whole30 is about making your body healthier, not skinnier. The two do go hand in hand sometimes though, and I definitely lost weight. I have always stored the majority of my fat in my stomach, and some in my boobs. So the more weight I gain, the more I look pregnant :). Having CF and especially after having a kid, I will always have a little tummy. But it was getting a little out of control before I started Whole30!

I only really weigh myself at the doctor, but I know I weighed around 131-132 lbs before starting Whole30. This is also what I weighed the day before I gave birth to Maddie. SO- needless to say I didn't mind losing a few lbs so I could fit back into some non-stretchy pants.

In these pictures, I tried to replicate them as closely as I could. I am sucking it it in in all three pics- yes, even the first, lol. Remember, that's where I carry my weight! I wanted it to be as accurate as possible, so no lighting or angle tricks.

Weight Day 1: 131-132
Weight Day 31: 118

Breaking news alert: eating healthy food makes you lose weight, haha. Also, this was without exercise, just diet changes. My plan now is to add in more calories, but also start exercising more. I'm hoping to maintain what I have now, I'm very happy with this and don't want to lose or gain.

See ya stinky!

I just finished my last meal on day 30!!! WOOHOO! I am very excited- both that I am done and that I finished all 30 days. Not even a single grain of sugary goodness has entered my lips since February 1st. This last week has been fairly easy, compared to the first three. My cravings are not strong at all.

So I've really been thinking about what I want to take away from Whole30. There's no point in putting myself through that if I don't learn anything from it! First, I won't be continuing paleo eating for the time being. I'm so impressed by those who do pale all the time! I haven't weighed yet, but I think I've probably lost 10+ lbs, and my doctors won't like that! Also, I miss enjoying my food. Because of my terrible taste buds, there were only a few meals that I really truly enjoyed during my Whole30, and that was hard. So, I will be going back to a normal diet starting tomorrow (yay!).

BUT- I do feel like I've learned a lot and have some positive changes to take away.

1. Veggies every night with dinner.
(white potatoes and corn don't count, lol!)

I have gone YEARS (literally- this is not an exaggeration) of my life without eating a 
single fruit or vegetable. This is one change that I fully intend to integrate into my life.  

2. Fruit most days of the week.

            

3. Drink water or milk 90% of the time at home.

This will be one of my biggest changes. No more 2-3 cans of Dr. Pepper at home every

day. I will maybe have one from time to time, and when I eat out sometimes, 

but not every day. I have gone a month with no caffeine and I don't want to become 

dependent on it again for energy and stamina. No more chocolate milk every 

morning either! Waaaay too much sugar- will reserve for a treat every once in a while!

4. Switch to "natural" ketchup and limit use.

That's as much as a compromise as I can give with ketchup. Ketchup and I, we are

tight. And I really don't like any ketchup substitutes that I've tried. So I will eat

the kind made with sugar instead of HFCS, and I will be mindful of how much I use.

5. Snack smart.

If I need a snack, I'm going to grab an apple, some nuts, some popcorn. NOT 

a brownie (or 2), rice krispy treat (or 3), or a big bag of jelly beans or candy. I'm not saying

I'll never eat those things- of course I will! But it will be a treat, instead of eating

them all day every day. Moderation of sweets- what a concept!

6. Pay attention and eat real food.

I just need to pay attention to what I'm eating. Look at labels and ingredients. Find out where my meat and veggies are from and how they were raised. These things were moderately important to me before starting Whole30, but I'm pretty committed to it now.

Despite my title of this blog, I am actually REALLY glad I did Whole30. Thanks to Sarah for the inspiration! And to all of you who encouraged me and offered tips along the way. And to my parents who bankrolled the not cheap grass fed meat bill. There have been a LOT of positive changes. I haven't had a single stomach issue since the first week- bloating, cramps, gas, pain, etc. And I have a chronic illness that causes stomach issues! I have more energy, even when I've been pretty sick the last couple of weeks. I'm sleeping great. I'm sure there are more that I can't even think of right now.

I highly recommend this to anyone that wants to try it. I really think reading the book helped a lot as to WHY I was giving up all of these things. For me, I don't think permanent changes would be possible until I completely changed my habits, and that took almost the entire 30 days. It was not necessarily a fun 30 days, but you know what? I've done harder things. Although it may not have felt like it at the end of week 2 :). 

I think that's it! I will be back tomorrow to post before and after pictures and weight loss, for those that are interested in the weight loss aspect of Whole30. I probably won't post the link to this on Facebook, so check back if you're interested!

So close I can taste it!

Believe it or not ( I can't!), I am now on day 28 of my Whole30....wow! I knew when I started it that I would finish it because I'm stubborn like that, but there were a couple of times (I'm talking to you, week 2) that I really wanted to quit.

Last week was a challenge, I was in good old NYC for 2 nights. It's pretty much masochistic to go on a trip like this while trying to do Whole30, but I had an offer to stay in free apartment, and I can't say no to that! So I packed up little baggies of steak and chicken and bacon, threw a bunch of apples in a bag and headed off to the big city. Staying in an apartment was nice so I could heat up my meat and cut up my fruit and cook my bacon. I really don't know if I could have done it in a hotel.

I also found a restaurant called Bareburger that I ate at for dinner my first night there. They serve all grass fed meats and are very transparent about their cooking oils, etc. I ordered a hamburger with a fried egg and bacon, no bun, and sweet potato fries. It was all pretty good. I wasn't sure if I'd like the fries, but they were actually pretty tasty with salt. I also found a little grocery/prepared food store with some tables, and went there a couple of times and just bought water and fruit and was able to sit inside (in the heat!) and eat my meat, lol.

It definitely wasn't the best trip food wise, but luckily since I live so close now, I knew I'd be back soon so I just tried to ignore all of the amazing looking (and smelling) places I passed. I couldn't help from noticing that you are basically never more than 30 ft away from a Snickers in the theater district. Using the lottery system, discounts and TKTS, I also got to see 3 shows for the price of one- all three close orchestra seats, it was awesome!

I've pretty much just been making a big dinner every other night, eating leftovers for one night plus lunches, and bacon and apples for breakfast. I'll post the recipes I used for the last couple of nights. From here on out (2 MORE NIGHTS!!), I'm not cooking anything special, so this will be my last food post, but I do want to write a little bit about the experience and what I'm taking away from it. So look for that tomorrow or Tues :).

Ok- Friday night I did a roast chicken- this recipe is based on Thomas Keller's but is modified for Whole30. It was very tasty- nothing like some crispy chicken skin. I roasted sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots and turnips with the chicken and those were all good except I almost threw up one bite of the turnips. Old habits die hard. It was a high effort, big mess meal, so maybe best for a weekend.

Tonight, I cut up a steak and just grilled some meat kabobs using this marinade. It was SO GOOD. A marinade I'd definitely come back to. Like really yummy. My meat wasn't even that good, but it didn't matter because the marinade was so delicious. I also did kale chips, after Maddie requested those over brussels sprouts :).

Sorry for being a bad blogger

Ok, I'm still here! Didn't quit, I promise :). I have been super bust at night this week, which is when I usually blog, so I just keep putting it off. The past few days have been good, my cravings are not as strong as they were last week, so that's nice! Being busy at night is a bit of a challenge, as I've had to eat at weird times or eat really stinky garlic chicken in the car (sorry family!) on the way to an event. But I'm now at day 21, which means- single digits left! Woohoo!

I won't do a day by day of breakfast lunch and dinner since it's been a few days and I honestly don't remember each meal. Breakfast is usually bacon/apple, apple/almond butter, or sausage and egg scramble. Lunch is almost always leftovers from dinner.

I do have two really good recipes to share.

Chicken nuggets: these are delish, but SUPER GARLICKY. I love garlic but I think I might tone it down a touch next time. Have a toothbrush handy when you eat these, they are strong! I used half almond flour and half tapioca flour on mine, and I think that was a great combo. I'm not crazy about coconut flour, I don't like the sweetness.

Beef Bourgignon: this was SO GOOD. I need this- it is SO flavorful and filling. It's not a hard recipe at all- a little time consuming with the chopping and clean up, but so worth it. I left out the mushrooms because I don't like them, and I used beef stock instead of bone broth. You need to try this recipe, whether you are paleo or not! Oh, and next time I'll probably skip thickening it at the end. Maybe I didn't cook my thickener long enough, but it was kind of gloppy and slimy.

Ups and downs

So, this has been a hard week for me. I feel like I spend more time wanting to throw in the towel than being happy that I'm doing it. I know it's just my brain trying to convince me to feed it sugar, but let me tell you, it's doing a good job. I also don't think I ate enough today, so I'm a little tired and grumpy. I just don't get excited about meals or eating anymore. I feel like because I'm so picky, I have to force feed myself most of this food.

On the other hand- I am definitely experiencing some positives. I am not bloated, I do not crash around 4-5 pm every day. My pee is almost clear (sorry!). I am not having frequent upset stomachs, headaches and body aches, even though I am sick. I am falling asleep quickly and sleeping well. My favorite jeans fit again. That's a LOT of positives, and I'm only halfway through!

Just have to conquer those cravings! Because they are NO JOKE right now.

Day 16:

Breakfast: homemade sausage patties- got some organic ground pork at the market and added my own spices. I won't include the recipe because I think they were to italian seasoning-y and next time I'll make them simpler for sure.

Lunch: stewed chicken with balsamic dressing and roasted potatoes

Dinner: Creamy chicken veggie soup again (fresh batch). It was very good! I ate two full bowls, I was really hungry tonight.

Whoooa, I'm half way there, whoa, livin' on a prayer (for real though)

Day 15 has finally arrived! I get to start counting DOWN the days now, woohoo! This was a rough day because of some bad timing around lunch time. We started running errands about 30 minutes before lunch, and didn't end up getting back for another 2.5 hours. I had a small breakfast because I ran out of bacon (the horror!), so I was hungry. I brought some cashews in the car, but I wasn't really feeling them.

And then Maddie got hungry, so we decided to run through Chick-fil-a to get her a quick lunch. Y'all, I am not even kidding- the smell of those nuggets brought tears to my eyes. Also, CFA has like the best Dr. Pepper ever. I have two feet firmly planted in the land of cravings right now. This is actually not the first time CFA has brought me to tears...one time when I was super pregnant I pulled up at like 10:28 and they were out of chicken minis. My love of CFA is real(ly crazy).

Day 15:

Breakfast: apple and almond butter

Snack: cashews

Lunch: leftover grilled chicken and kale chips

Dinner: leftover grilled chicken and green beans

New York City! Day 2

Day 2

So, Maddie is a huge fan of the TODAY show, haha. She watches it with my mom sometimes so she knows all the anchors. When she found out we were going to NY, she really wanted to hold up a sign on tv. So we woke up waaaaay too early (neither of us are morning people), bundled up and checked out of the hotel (checked our bags with the bellhop).Took the subway over to the show and made our poster. 

It was SO COLD, so it wasn't super crowded. We made it on tv a couple times! We didn't stay long, only until about 7:45 because Maddie was really cold and I had already gotten texts that we were on tv, so it was time to get inside and warm up! I'm glad I did it once, but being a night owl- I probably wouldn't do it again :).

We walked over to Ellen's Stardust Diner for breakfast. I didn't tell Maddie that the waitresses/waiters sing, so it was a fun surprise for her. They weren't super crowded (only time I've ever been there without a school group taking up the whole place!), and when they saw Maddie, they sang three Disney princess songs in a row- she was in heaven! The food was ok (they don't have nutella french toast anymore, which was a bummer, bc that was pretty good), but we came more for the atmosphere anyway.

We took our time eating, then hopped on the subway and headed to the American Natural History Museum! I was so excited to show her this awesome place. We watched Night at the Museum a few nights before our trip, so she was pumped. We got there right at 10, checked our coats and bags, and headed straight for the top floor. We had the dinos all to ourselves for a while! She was impressed by those for about 10 minutes, then got bored of skeletons. We had time to see the whole museum though, and we both really enjoyed it. Her favorites were the butterfly conservatory, the gems, the hall of human origins, many of the animals, and of course, the discovery room! 

We took several sitting breaks in the museum, and after we left we walked to Gray's Papaya. Maddie loves hot dogs and papayas, so I figured it would be a hit- it was! I am not a big hot dog fan, so after that we subway'd back to Times Square and went to BonChon for me to grab some wings (they are my fave wings and we don't have one in my town!). Then we had about an hour to kill before our train left, so we wandered into a few tourist trap shops in Times Square and got Maddie an I heart NY shirt.

All in all, it was a great trip! I wish the weather had been warmer, but if we did the trip in April or May, the hotel and Lion King tickets probably would have been double the price, so I can put up with a little cold for a good deal :). Maddie is in LOVE with the city, she wants to sell our car and move there tomorrow!

New York City! Day 1

Please excuse this break from your regularly scheduled programming! I've been meaning to do a trip report of Maddie's first trip to NYC. I don't scrap book, so this is my favorite way to look back at trips I've taken!

Day 1:

We left PA around 8:30 and got to Penn Station via Amtrak at around 11:15. I was so nervous that our train would be delayed or cancelled because this was one day after the city shut down for the "historic" snow storm that didn't happen, haha. Luckily it was a smooth ride. 

We took the subway to our hotel, the Hilton at Times Square (I tried to do as little walking on this trip as possible, since she isn't used to it and little feet tire quickly). The subway was packed going from Penn Station to Times Square, but that just added to the excitement for Maddie. Girl LOVES the subway. We came out and she got a little preview of Times Square. She started accepting pamphlets from anyone that offered, until I taught her just to say no thanks and keep walking, haha!

We checked in at the Hilton and luckily our room was already ready- hooray! We were on the 32nd floor, which was a really cool experience for both of us! We had a pretty good view of the Empire State building. I got a great deal on this room- only in January, I'm sure! It was definitely the nicest place I've stayed in NYC, as I tend to go for the cheap, closet like rooms when I'm on my own :).

After dropping off our bags and bundling back up, we headed to FAO Schwartz. The first time I visited NYC I was 13, and I remember thinking FAO was cool then- so you can only imagine what it was like for a 6 year old. She was in heaven! She had gift money from her MomMom and Papa, so she bought a small stuffed dog and some spy glasses. We also visited the candy store- original plan was to go to Dylan's, but it was SO cold and I figured we can hit that next time. She got a bulk candy bag and just got a few treats- I was proud of her restraint!

We walked back to the subway (in Central Park- we had to at least wave at CP even if it was freezing! Next time we will definitely do more there- she loves the story of Balto so that's on my list) and grabbed a pretzel and water from a street vendor. Probably not the best pretzel around, but it was hot and we were hungry so it was a good choice. 

We subway'd our way back to Times Square. I saw her eyes get as big as saucers as a giant Olaf headed towards us, so I had to give the quick spiel on how these were not always nice people dressed up and they wanted money, so we have to just not look at them and walk away. She adapted like a pro. We stopped in at Toys'r'Us to ride the ferris wheel- she LOVES ferris wheels and this one was inside a store! I won some cool mom points for that one. We did a quick walk through, but had seen enough toys and all I bought was a book for her to read about NYC.

After this we walked back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner and a show. I knew she'd need a rest to stay up late, and all the walking wears me out too! It was really cool to see the beginning of the sunset and lights coming on from our hotel window. Around 4:30, we changed into our dressier clothes, bundled up and walked down to Gyu-Kaku. I love that place, their sukiyaki bibimbap is so good. And so are their happy hour drink prices! And I knew Maddie would love doing s'mores for dessert there. It was great!

Then we walked down to the Minskoff for The Lion King! We were both very excited. I saw The Lion King in NC years ago, but I couldn't wait to see it on Broadway. For anyone that doesn't know,

Maddie has loved the movie since she was 2. Her best friend/lovie is a stuffed Simba that she takes everywhere with her. She brought him to the show of course, and he was even wearing his tuxedo (yes, she dresses him, lol). We had awesome seats- row F on the left side, aisle seats. When all of the animals started coming down the aisles, Maddie was so excited! I have to admit, I teared up a couple of times. It was a great show. And props to the ushers, they didn't mess around telling people to put their phones away or quiet their kids during the show. I wish all theaters did that!

Then we walked back to the hotel and both fell asleep in approximately .02 seconds. What a great day in the city!

Hunger vs the cold

I've been referring to this post from the Whole30 folks on the "stages" of Whole30 that most people go through. It looks like I'm pretty much on track- and by that I mean I just want to quit and eat delicious food again. But my stubbornness will carry me through! Hopefully.

Ok, Day 14 round-up time.

Day 14:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach and bacon. I woke up super hungry today, probably because of small lunch and early dinner yesterday. I knew I needed something filling, so I did scrambled eggs. I tried cooking them differently this time, really slowly (I read about it in some cooking blog), and they were a tiny bit better. Not great, but I was able to eat a whole egg.

Lunch: leftover outback! plus some kale chips. Yummmm...heated up my baked potato and added ghee and garlic powder for a little more flavor.

Dinner: grilled chicken, roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes. I made this Italian dressing plus I added some pineapple chunks/juice for the marinade, and it was really good! It was a little dry, it would have been GREAT with ketchup. Maddie loved the chicken so much she asked for seconds, which she rarely does with meat. So score! I'm glad I made a lot. 

Oh, and did I mention that I grilled this chicken with the wind chill at around -9?? Across a porch of solid ice and snow? I always said I'd grill in any weather, I think today proved it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was a weird day, we ate a late breakfast but I knew we were going to eat a really early dinner (although it didn't end up being THAT early- call ahead seating at Outback fail), so I didn't want to do anything big for lunch. But tonight was the first time I got to eat out on Whole30, woohoo! It was nice to not worry about what I was making. It was a little bit of a bummer to skip the bread. And butter. And Chocolate Thunder from Down Under (my favorite dessert!). But it was a nice treat and I'm glad we went.

Day 13:

Breakfast:  bacon and an apple

Lunch: pistachios (lame, I know)

Dinner: steak and a sweet potato 

My first time eating a sweet potato, woop woop! It was ok. Not my fave. But I ate it (I feel like this is a common theme for me and vegetables). I ordered a 10 oz ribeye, lightly seasoned with no butter, a plain baked potato and a plain sweet potato, lol. The steak was really good. I brought home half the steak and the plain baked potato for lunch tomorrow. It is nice to find somewhere that I can eat without breaking rules (I researched it before I went!)

Sometimes you just really need a tub of Dr. Pepper

Today was pretty good. I'm still not feeling great, but good enough to struggle through daily activities, so it's not too bad. Maddie didn't have school today, so we went to see Paddington, which she has been dying to see since she saw the first preview for it. It was pretty cute, and she thought it was hilarious.

The movie theater almost broke me though! I sometimes get popcorn (which ALWAYS gives me an upset stomach), so that heavenly aroma bothered me a little bit, but what was worse was no cup (bucket) of Dr. Pepper to accompany the movie. I wanted one so bad I even considered quitting Whole30 today. Just for a minute, but man...I REALLY wanted one. Alas, I persevered. So here's a look at my food for today.

Day 12:

Breakfast: apple and almond butter

Lunch: leftover taco meat and avocado- yum!

Dinner: I tried out a new wing recipe tonight and had kale chips too. The wings were pretty good. Not great, and certainly not the teriyaki that I'm craving, but they were tasty. I didn't have fish sauce (actually I did, but mine has sugar in it, WOMP), so I'm wondering if that's why they didn't look quite as good (and maybe taste quite as good) as they were supposed to.

Here's what the picture on the recipe looked like:

Those look crazy delicious, right?

Here's what mine looked like:

And this was after I cooked them longer and even broiled them for a few minutes...oh well!

Is avocado a fruit or vegetable? I should google that...

Quickie late night post just for my meals- no other changes today!

Day 11:

Breakfast: Apple and bacon

Lunch: Creamy chicken and veggie soup (frozen one leftover portion last week)

Dinner: Ground beef with homemade taco seasoning, avocado, green beans and grapes. This was a super easy meal and it was very satisfying and tasty. I think I accidentally put way too much salt in my taco seasoning, because it was waaaay too salty, but I ate bites with avocado and it evened out a bit. My first time eating avocado, woop woop!

Double digits, woop woop!

I feel like I am starting to get used to this healthy eating gig. Not that I am loving it or anything crazy like that, but it's getting easier. I am still sick, but I think I have more energy than I normally would have with a cold.

That's pretty much it for today!

Day 10:

Breakfast: bacon and about 1/2 an egg...it's official. I just don't like them.

Lunch: Cauliflower rice and chicken stir fry and a couple of apple slices. It was slightly better today. I added more coconut aminos this time and cooked it for a little longer, and it was a bit easier to eat. Not something I will put in my regular rotation though.

Dinner: Bacon burger and roasted green beans. This was a great dinner- I am in love with our local, organic pork stand at the market. Everything they sell is delicious. I tossed the green beans in some garlic coconut oil before roasting and they were good.

I'm no longer snacking. I'm not sure if this is because my body is starting to understand hunger vs cravings, or if it's just because I'm sick and have less of an appetite.

Back at it y'all

I'm back! I know you were all holding your breath waiting for this moment. On Sat, I came down kind of suddenly with a fever, chills, fatigue, etc. I definitely have a cold, but no fever since this weekend and I feel ok other than short of breath and a little more tired than usual. I'm not going to do a big list of what I ate when I was sick, because it's not anything to be proud of! I didn't break any rules, but I ate almost exclusively steak and mashed potatoes for 2 days straight, no veggies. Oh well. 

Breakfast continues to be a struggle. I ate a steak and spinach omelet on Sat morning, but since then I've pretty much been eating bacon or nuts and some fruit. I think I'm just going to have to be happy with that. Last night we had lamb, roasted potatoes and asparagus. So I ate some asparagus, but yuck. Not my fave.

I think it is getting easier though! I had my first food dream the other night (brownies and chocolate dipped rice krispy treats....mmmmm). I'm really excited to be in my second week. The water is getting better too- I know I'm so much more hydrated and it bothers me less to drink it all day. I may add in unsweet tea (also known as "tea" around these parts) next week for variety.

Day 9 (!):

Breakfast: roasted salted pecans and grapes

Lunch: leftover lamb and potatoes and an apple

Dinner: chicken stir fry with cauliflower "rice"

Ok y'all, let me give it to you straight. Cauliflower rice does NOT taste like real rice. You will not, at any time, forget you are eating cauliflower. All those bloggers that claim they'd chose it over real fried rice any day need to get their taste buds examined.

That said, it was ok. I knew it wasn't going to taste like rice to me. I added scrambled egg, carrots, bacon, ginger, chicken and coconut aminos (soy sauce substitute, two thumbs up) to my "rice" and it was perfectly edible. I will eat it again for lunch tomorrow. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I'm not dreading it either. 

Womp womp

No update today, I'm not feeling well (not Whole30 related). Hope to be back in a couple of days.

Cupcakes and sprinkles and nutella...oh my!

Is it day 5? I think it is. Today had it's ups and downs, but overall I think today was a win. I am NOT a zombie today, hooray! I felt quite normal, no longing for a mid afternoon nap. I've also noticed that the bloating that I usually have is gone. In celebration of this fact I wore jeans instead of leggings today.

Today was challenging because Maddie had to bring in a treat to school for her half birthday (they are not in school for her real birthday). We made cupcakes and OMG THEY SMELLED SO GOOD. I'm not a huge frosting lover, but I could have made a serious dent in those cupcakes. I was good though, I didn't even lick my fingers (which would actually be super gross since we were cooking for her class)!

TORTURE

Then, when she got home from school she informed me that she clipped up to pink today- pretty much the highest of the high in her class, meaning her behavior went above and beyond expectation today. It's really hard to get to pink (have to go through blue and purple first), so whenever she does we get a little treat. Today she picked Rachel's Creperie, which just happens to have super delicious crepes and Nutella hot chocolate. So it was a bit of a bummer to go there and order a water. At least Maddie chose a smoothie and not something delicious. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Still struggling with breakfast, but other meals were great today. That combined with my lack of sleepiness- I'm hoping that I'm turning a corner in this Whole30 adventure!

Day 5:

Breakfast: Apple and bacon...I know, I know, this is not a good breakfast. I've got to figure out a way to like eggs better.

Lunch: Leftover stewed chicken with balsamic dressing, grapes and toasted pecans. Struggled with not having a veggie at lunch today. I was out of kale chips and was a little sick of them anyway. The toasted pecans (with ghee and salt) were soooo good though. Made enough to save for snacks.

Dinner: Balsamic and Fig Beef Kabobs, roasted broccolini and mashed potatoes. This was soooo yummy! The steak was a delicious grass fed DelMonico from the market. I made the potatoes with ghee and some chicken stock. The broccolini was just ok- I had to make myself eat all of it, but it didn't make me gag. I have lots of leftovers, so I will be eating steak and potatoes for a couple of days. Just need to figure out the veggie situation!

Here's a link to my dinner recipe

Also, here's the balsamic dressing that I put on my chicken- it's delish! I found it at Fresh Market in Pittsburgh.

Water...NOT as satisfying as a Snickers

That should totally be their new slogan.

Day 4, feeling...tired. I accidentally typed turd first, and almost left it because that's kind of how I feel. All I want to do is sleep. I'm even having trouble reading because I'm just so tired! I am typically a night owl. I usually have trouble falling asleep before about 12:30, but since starting Whole30 my eyes are closing at 10:30! I'm waking up a little earlier too. So I guess overall this is a positive change, because it puts me in a more normal sleep pattern.

A little bit grumpy today. Thursdays mean gymnastics for Maddie, and I usually drink a Coke or DP and either a bag of Cheetos or a Snickers while she's at practice. So today was a little miserable with my lousy cup of water. I wasn't even hungry, I just wanted something delish, ya know? And OMG I want some GUM. I didn't realize how much gum I chewed until I started Whole30 and realized that I am wanting it all the time.

This is supposed to be the roughest week, so.....I guess I can't complain that it's a little rough!

I have a ticket to see a play tonight, and even though I really just want to curl up in front of the tv (did I mention the wind chill is close to 0 outside!!!), but I'm making myself go because I know I'll be glad I did.

Day 4:

Breakfast: Green apple with almond butter and some bacon. I just couldn't make myself eat an egg today!

Lunch: Leftover stewed chicken with a balsamic vinegar dressing (Whole30 approved- I'll have to double check the brand and post it. It was from Fresh Market and really tasty) grapes and kale chips. I'm kind of over kale chips right now, so I may have to switch it up tomorrow at lunch.

Dinner: Leftover Creamy Chicken soup from last night. Still yummy!

No snacks today, I didn't feel like I needed them. I may have some nuts after the play if I'm hungry since I had a pretty early dinner.

Mmmm....noodle soup

Has it really only been 3 days? Because in the afternoon when I'm dying for a brownie and Dr. Pepper, it feels more like 3 weeks, haha. But honestly, today was ok. I was a little lethargic before and after lunch, but lethargy is not an entirely new feeling for me, so that's not a huge deal. I've been having headaches too, but very mild and Advil fixes me right up.

I know in my first blog, I mentioned that I hate fruits and vegetables. That's not entirely true. I will list the fruits and vegetables that I enjoy.

Fruits:
Apples (red AND green)
Grapes

Veggies:
Corn
Potatoes (white)
Lima beans

That's it. Now, in the past few years, I have learned to eat (if not enjoy) kale chips, roasted green beans, roasted brussel sprouts and most recently, roasted broccoli. Anything else must be snuck in or I'll gag. And as far as fruit goes, that's truly it. I hate berries and melons of all kinds. The closest I get are cherry flavored fruit roll ups (what, those don't count?).

So that's why I say if I can do Whole30, anyone can. If you can eat a salad (LETTUCE IS SO GROSS), you are like 10 steps ahead of me already.

Ok, time for the daily report:

Day 3:

Breakfast:
Egg and sausage omelet- this was super yummy, I got some Whole30 approved kale and garlic sausage from our pork vendor at the market and just took it out of it's casing. The sausage definitely helped the egg go down easier.

Morning snack:
grapes- yum

Lunch:
Chicken nuggets and kale chips- yup, again. Last of the nuggets so I need to figure out lunch tomorrow!

Afternoon snack:
cashews- double yum

Dinner:
Creamy chicken soup- this was a big winner, yum! My mom stewed an organic, free range chicken this morning to get shredded chicken and broth for this recipe. Up here in farm land, we do it up right #AlwaysLancaster. Then we added zucchini, cauliflower, onions and garlic to the broth- let the veggies soften and then stuck them in the blender until it was smooth. Hidden veggies, yay! Then we added shredded chicken and carrots to that mixture, simmered it up and ate it down.

Recipe here if anyone wants to try it. Kid friendly too!

*the title to this post is a Friends reference, there were, of course, no noodles in the soup*
**is it brussel sprouts or brussels sprouts?**

I've already had more veggies in 2015 than in all of 2014

Day 2, I'm 1/15th of the way through! Ha ha....ha. Today started out a little rough, I woke up (after getting a lot of sleep) pretty tired. I felt like a zombie up until lunchtime. After that though, I started to feel more normal. I know my body is trying to figure out why in the WORLD it is not getting any sugar or caffeine.

Breakfast is definitely going to be the toughest meal of the day for me. About 75% of the time, I eat Honey Nut Chex and a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast. The other 25%, I eat doughnuts, pancakes, brownies or rice krispy treats and a glass of milk. Oops. So far I am just tolerating the scrambled eggs, they aren't my favorite. Hopefully it will get easier to eat those. The bacon is pulling me through breakfast each day!

My meals today were very similar to yesterday. I made enough for 2-3 days because I don't mind repeating meals, and this means not having to cook 3 meals a day, which is a big plus for me!

Day 2:

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs and bacon (blah)

Lunch:
Chicken nuggets and kale chips (left overs)

Afternoon snack:
cashews (yum!)

Dinner:
Roasted chicken with rosemary, potatoes and roasted broccoli (chicken and potatoes were leftovers)

Y'all- I ate broccoli for the first time ever! I have tried a bite in the past, but usually gagged and quickly abandoned any thought of eating this food that SMELLS JUST LIKE A FART. But cut up pretty small and roasted- it was edible. Not my fave. But I could eat it again. Does this mean I'm a grown up now??

2015- The year I went crazy and decided to try Whole30

For those of you that know me well, no- it's not April 1st.  Jenny Humphries, queen of hot meat carnivore-ism, is starting Whole30 today. For several years now I've been interested in the role of diet in inflammation. I also know that I consume waaaaay too much sugar- mostly in the form of soft drinks. And candy. And brownies. And everything I eat ok ok ok. I've talked with my nutritionist about it before, gotten some pamphlets, seen what foods they recommend and promptly dismissed the idea because I hated all of those foods.

SO- for me, Whole30 is an effort to break bad food habits and change the way I think about and use food in my daily life. I want to feel how the food choices I make affect my body. I don't really care if I end up losing weight or not- in fact, I will be making a concerted effort to take in lots of calories to make up for all of the junk food and soft drinks that are part of my usual diet. I am at a weight that it would not be detrimental if I lost 10-15 lbs, but for me this is not the focus or the goal. 

The main reason I've decided to blog about this is because I am an extremely interesting person and everyone wants to know the details of my life. KIDDING. I actually can't imagine that anyone will find this the least bit interesting, but I feel a lot more accountability if I put this out there and can't just quietly quit two week (or two days) in. #peerpressure4lyfe

 Also, if anyone is interested at all in the Whole30 program, maybe they can get more info via my experience. I very strongly believe that if I can do this for 30 days, anyone in the world can, haha. Have I mentioned I hate fruits and vegetables? And water?

For those that are not familiar with Whole30, here are the rules. For 30 days, the following foods are off limits:
1. dairy
2. grains
3. added sugar (this includes any sweetener, fake or real- splenda, honey, agave, etc).
4. alcohol 
5. legumes (green beans are fine)

There is a lot of scientific research and thought behind these exclusions. If you are interested in the "why," I recommend reading the Whole30 book. It's very interesting and makes you think twice about what you're eating and how it's affecting you.

Here I go! I am starting on 2/2 instead of 2/1 because yesterday just happened to be Chocolate Fest in Hershey, and I'm crazy....but not that crazy. I'm going to try and blog every day. Maybe. If the lack of Dr. Pepper doesn't leave me on bed rest. Which it might. 

Day 1
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with spinach and a side of bacon
I've never really eaten eggs before except in fried rice. These were ok...they are better in fried rice, haha. I found some sugar free, uncured bacon at the market from the pork vendor- it was tasty!
Morning snack:
Apple with almond butter
The almond butter was very....almondy. The funny thing is, I actually like almonds better than peanuts. But I'm used to sugary peanut butter. I liked it ok, I think I can get used to it.
Lunch:
Chicken nuggets and kale chips
I made the nuggets with almond flour and coconut flour, and they tasted a little different. Not the best nuggets I've ever had, but they were pretty good. Would be better with ketchup :). I like homemade kale chips so those were good.
Afternoon snack:
Pistachios 
Yum- but missed my DP for sure.
Dinner:
Chicken w/rosemary and roasted oranges and a side of roasted brussel sprouts and potatoes

*I'm not sure if I used affected/effected correctly in this blog and it bugs me, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong. 
**I use hashtags inappropriately, so #sorry #notsorry