Tag: paleo

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.

Well, I’m doing it. I’ve been talking about it for weeks and finally I’m starting the Whole30 on Monday. This weekend is my last fling with pancakes, Starbucks’ iced mochas, chips & queso, and chocolate. I don’t mean forever – I fully intend to enjoy those delicious treats in an intentional way in the future – but I’m ready to break my body’s addiction to them.

I admit that I am pretty nervous. Here are my concerns, roughly in order of biggest to smallest:

Cooking new foods and with new techniques that I’m not used to, and the time in the kitchen it will require. 

Not planning well and going hungry as a result.

The initial cost of pantry staples, and the ongoing cost of high quality ingredients, especially meat.

The way I will feel the first couple of weeks as I detox, and being able to function well as a wife, mother, nurse, etc.

Juggling meals for the rest of my family while maintaining the rules.

Giving in to a craving.

All of those might end up being unfounded, but laying them out there helps me to anticipate problem areas. I’m hoping that Meredith will enjoy doing more work in the kitchen with me and that she will be open to these foods (I’m not going to keep her on the diet strictly but also won’t be making her separate meals and will limit her snacks).

I’m hoping the costs will be offset somewhat by not buying all the other stuff we normally eat, and that we can cut back in other areas to maintain our budget.

I’m hoping that I can manage to cook some decent-tasting meals that will keep me full for several hours. I’m not at all confident in my cooking skills which is why this concern is at the top of the list.

I’m hoping that accountability from a friend who is doing it with me will be enough encouragement since David is currently doing his own thing. (Because I’m the only one in the house doing it, I can’t really do a “pantry purge” so there will be extra temptation there.)

I’m hoping that I don’t feel terrible, and that the benefits will be worth it.

What I’m doing to prepare:

>Obviously I had to make a Pinterest board of recipes. But I’ve also been compiling all sorts of meal ideas from other sources, and tomorrow I’m going to nail down a meal plan for the first week.

>I visited a couple grocery stores and plan to check a couple more out over the weekend to find the best prices and to see what product brands are Whole30-compliant.

>Had a conversation with my friend & partner on this journey since she has done it before. It was great to hear a testimonial in person and get some tips and ideas about how to make it work.

>A big ole grocery trip is in store.

>Splurging. When I said I’m having a last fling with forbidden foods, I meant it. And I’m going to enjoy them guilt-free.