Instead of doing a huge recap at the end of this adventure, I thought I would update you weekly on how it’s going. That way I can let you know exactly what I ate each day and how I felt, in case anyone comes across this that is just starting out, or if any of you decide to take it on later! I know this is kind of annoying if you’re not interested so feel free to skip this post. :)

Day 0

I want to give you a little more info on the prep I did beforehand. I did a big grocery trip, mostly shopped organic at Kroger for this but I swung by Whole Foods for a few things I couldn’t find. I also made an order from a local farm for bacon and breakfast sausage with no added sugar. I probably spent about $230 total because I was really trying to buy high quality (grass-fed, organic) for all meats & eggs, and organic for the “dirty dozen” produce.

So, this is way more than I usually spend weekly on groceries, but I also had to buy some pantry staples to cook with that I will now have on hand. I also want to say that I overbought. I had some extra stuff left over, and spoiler: my next weekly grocery trip was about $90.

On this day I also made a breakfast casserole (12 eggs, 1 lb ground pork, spinach, red bell pepper, 1/2 cup coconut milk). I seasoned it, but not enough; to be honest it was bland! Not used to cooking without cheese yet!

All day I was kind of jittery. Up until this point I had mostly felt ready to get started, but all of a sudden I became very intimidated! I had made some cookies the day before and ate a couple during the day. I meant to eat another before bedtime but then the kids distracted me and before I knew it I had brushed my teeth and was in bed. I was so sad that I didn’t eat another cookie! Oh well.

Day 1

Breakfast: egg/pork casserole, banana

Lunch: salad greens with tomatoes and shredded chicken (we had a rotisserie chicken and I removed all the skin), Tessemae’s dressing, half a grapefruit, ten baby carrots

Snack: nut blend (almonds, cashews, pistachios)

Dinner: chicken apple sausage skillet

I felt: Hungrier than usual. Looking back I didn’t eat much fat, which is supposed to keep you fuller longer. Also I probably didn’t take into account the fact that I am still exclusively breastfeeding Liam. Overall it really wasn’t that big of a deal, and it was the first day in ages that Meredith didn’t eat any processed food or sugar at home, so I was proud of that.

Day 2

Breakfast: egg/pork casserole again, and I forced down half an avocado for the fat. I don’t like avocado though, so it turned me off on the bland casserole too.

Lunch: leftover sausage skillet, fresh berries

Snack: nuts

Dinner: taco salad (used this recipe for seasoning)

I felt: After breakfast my stomach churned for several hours but it wasn’t quite nausea. I don’t think avocado agrees with me so I will be staying away from it. After that resolved I had a great rest of the day, and felt quite satisfied. I did a moderate yoga session today. Not planning to work out a lot for the first couple weeks, but this felt good.

Day 3

Breakfast: three fried eggs, “monkey salad” (sliced banana with coconut flakes and cashews)

Lunch: leftover taco salad, fresh berries

Snack: Larabar

Dinner: Italian chicken. I got this recipe from the book It Starts With Food. Basically I seasoned chicken tenders, fried them in coconut oil & garlic, removed them and deglazed with oregano, rosemary, 1/3 cup broth, and a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, then put the chicken back in to cook for a bit. Really flavorful and tasty! I was too tired to make anything else after this, so I just ate baby carrots and unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon.

I felt: Fine! Maybe a little tired earlier than usual. No real cravings yet.

Day 4

Breakfast: three fried eggs and monkey salad (Meredith ate some of it)

Lunch: leftover Italian chicken, salad greens with grape tomatoes and Tessemae’s dressing, fresh berries

Snack: none

Dinner: my in-laws invited us over and my MIL generously cooked me my own chicken breast. I also had broccoli and spinach salad with tomatoes and an olive oil/balsamic dressing.

I felt: This was a crazy morning. I had insane leg cramps at 4am, kids woke up early, my car wouldn’t start, got a ride, when I got to daycare I realized an entire bottle of breast milk had spilled all over Liam’s bag, Meredith sobbed when I left her, was late to work (obviously) then barely sat down until around 1pm. I have to say though, that even though I was flustered in the morning and almost cried once, I rolled with it and didn’t feel irrationally irritated or angry. I still felt pretty happy actually! Another note: it was the first day I wore the Fitbit all day, and I hit 10,000 steps right as I was heading to bed. :)

Day 5

Breakfast: I was pretty hungry when I woke up so I ate two fresh apricots. Then I had three fried eggs, monkey salad, and most of another banana that Meredith didn’t finish.

Lunch: more leftover Italian chicken, fresh berries.

Snack: Larabar

Dinner: we went to my parents’ house and my mom made a yummy roast with cinnamon apples that tasted like dessert, seriously. There was an incident with their dog and a bird so she ran out of time to make the veggies. Oh well!

I felt: I actually felt leaner already. I don’t know if that was true, or maybe I just lost my normal bloat, or if it was mental. But it was encouraging nonetheless! I did feel mildly headachy in the morning, but nothing I’m not used to. And I got suuuper tired after work.

Day 6

Breakfast: the same, fried eggs and monkey salad.

Lunch: turkey slices wrapped around bell peppers and pickles, grapefruit.

Snack: banana

Dinner: chili, delicious broccoli. Embarrassingly enough, it was my first time cooking fresh veggies and I loved it.

Snack: David and I went to the movies, and so I wouldn’t feel deprived I brought along a mix of dried fruit and nuts. I actually didn’t eat that much of it though; I was full and didn’t feel like munching.

I felt: I dreamed I was eating bagels and biscuits. It was awesome, except that I felt guilty! Overall it was a good day. Took a long walk.

Day 7

Breakfast: tried some coffee with just coconut milk (I love coffee but I always put cream and sugar in it; I didn’t like this at all, but I’m going to keep drinking it to acquire the taste). Scrambled my three eggs! Also added blueberries to the banana/coconut mix.

Lunch: leftover chili, applesauce, and a few grapes.

Snack: none

Dinner: at my in-laws’ house I had shredded chicken, a big salad with tomatoes, a baked sweet potato, and fruit salad.

I felt: I fit back into some favorite pants that I hadn’t been able to wear in over a year, so that was awesome. I was dragging a little bit after church and didn’t get a nap, but things picked up and I didn’t notice it much. Got my planning and shopping done for the next week and I’m still motivated! Feeling like this was the best idea I’ve had in a long time, and it’s way less of a big deal than I expected. So far no sugar cravings.

My first week was a complete success! Onto the next.