Whole30: Day 1

I did a lot a pre-prep to get started. I went on a shopping trip last week to get anything that could be dry stored or frozen over the next few weeks. I also bought in bulk to save money.

 

Protein

·        6 lbs of lean ground turkey (separated and stored frozen in 1lb increments; 2lbs of which were seasoned into turkey breakfast sausage).

·        3lbs sirloin steak (separated into 3 packages and frozen)

·        1 pork loin

·        1 lb frozen shrimp (to be added to salads)

·        3 lbs HEB organic chicken (frozen box)

·        2 lbs boneless pork chops (separated into 2 packages and frozen)

·        1 lb tilapia (frozen and stored)

·        4 cans tuna (no extra additives)

 

Vegetables (because I fear buying too many fresh vegetables and not using them before they spoil)

·        3 lbs frozen broccoli

·        2 lbs frozen brussel sprouts

 

Fruit (for non-dairy smoothies, which I think is technically questionable but still allowed)

·        1 lb frozen mango

·        2 lbs frozen mixed berries

 

Nuts/seeds

·        Almonds

·        Cashews

·        Pistachios

·        Pumpkin seeds

·        Sunflower seeds

 

I also made a detailed meal plan for this week so we would know what fresh ingredients to get from the grocery store. Then, I went back to work yesterday, Michael had a solo day with both boys, we celebrated my sister’s birthday last night, and the fresh shopping trip just didn’t happen. Whoops. So, we begin with a slightly amended plan.

 

	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Breakfast	Eggs on the Vine (2 scrambled eggs mixed with one tomato on the vine)   1 pink lady apple	SausVeg (turkey sausage and grilled zucchini)   Strawberries and mango	Spinach Tomato Scramble (2 scrambled eggs with spinach and cherry tomatoes)   1 pink lady apple	SausVeg (turkey sausage and grilled zucchini)   Strawberries	Egg Baskets (eggs fried in bell pepper rings)   Grapes
Lunch	Eating Out: Whole Foods Salad	Left over (pork chops, sprouts, and spinach salad)	Salad with Tuna (romaine, bell pepper, cherry tomato, apple)   Carrots	Left over (spaghetti squash and broccoli)	Left over (pork loin over spinach salad)
Snack	Mixed Nuts and Seeds	Grapes and nut mix	Nut mix	Carrots and nut mix	Apples with almond butter
Dinner	Blueberry Glazed Pork Chops with Brussels sprouts and spinach salad (bell pepper, avocado, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice)	Lime Shrimp Salad (romaine lettuce, shrimp, avocado, pico de gallo)   Side of raw zucchini and carrots	Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Tomato Sauce   Side of steamed broccoli and berries	Savory Pork Loin with Roasted Vegetables   (sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and bell pepper)	Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potatoes  Side of broccoli

Whole30

Last year, a few of my co-workers did a Whole30 challenge. I couldn’t help but think: “Are you crazy? How can you sustain that? How can you go 30 days without a bite of dark chocolate? No tortillas? No butter? That just doesn’t seem possible. I’m tired of all these fad diets.” So, it’s a bit laughable that I’m starting the same program today.

I’ve been slowly changing my eating over the past few years to be more well-rounded, plant-based, and limited in processed junk food (get that Star Crunch out of our house!). However, Pregnancy/severe morning sickness puts me in a spiral. When the only thing you can hold down is French fries, you tend to eat a lot of French fries. When you can start adding other things back in, they tend to be the things that accompany French fries. You know, Chick-fil-A nuggets, soda, ice cream, oreos… the works. Unfortunately, I can’t blame the works on pregnancy. Those are choices. MY food choices and I feel ready to choose differently.

I’ve spent the past 12 weeks trying to shift slowly back into healthier eating and I’ve done alright. Not fantastic, but I’m actually craving healthier foods again. In comes the Whole30. For many, the challenge is a kickstart into a totally Paleo lifestyle. For me, it is an experiment in eating. If I’m making healthier choices, I want to make the right ones for my body and how it functions.

Paleo enthusiasts taut – this is how we humans were made to eat! I agree, to an extent. Humans are the only animal to drink another animal’s milk and it’s not really made for our bodies. However, I’m still trying to figure out why I can’t have my beloved black beans.

I’m using these next 30 days to see how my body responds to a very basic diet. At the end of the 30 days, I’ll slowly start adding foods back in. I assume I may find a few foods that just don’t agree with me and I will remove those from my diet. If none of them agree with me, I guess I’ll join the ranks of Paleo eaters.

The rules (as outline here: The Whole30® Program | Whole9 | Let us change your life.)

1.      Eat good food! This includes lean proteins, good fats, lots of vegetables, and fruit.

2.      Eliminate foods that you probably enjoy a lot but that may not be helping you.

a.      No added or artificial sugar

b.      No grains

c.      No legumes (with the exception of green beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas)

d.      No alcohol

e.      No dairy

f.       No white potatoes

g.      No MSG, carrageenan, or sulfites

3.      No paleo-fying junk food

4.      Do not step on the scale until the 30 days are over.

I’m going to use this blog to document what I’m eating, how I’m feeling, and what I’m taking from the experiment. Hopefully it will hold me accountable too finish the darn thing. I can do anything for 30 days and I’m ready to go!