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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Whole30: the halfway point

Or at least it would have been, had I not dove headfirst into a seemingly endless stream of margaritas which doth flow like water in Austin. The very best one was had at the Iron Cactus on 6th street, but the $13 version on the roof of the Omni was, surprisingly, a close second, plastic cup notwithstanding.

So the Whole30 rests on the premise of total and complete abstinence from the forbidden categories: dairy, grains, sugar and, alas, alcohol. Since I consumed every one of those items in Texas last weekend, I am technically aaaaaaaall the way back at the starting point. Think of it as a culinary game of chutes and ladders...

Anyway, I feel awful from the cheats, and not in a guilty sort of way, but in a physically uggggggh sort of way. Two-and-a-half weeks without sugar makes reentry very, very painful. And if anything, the cravings are worse following a clean diet, but only for the first 24 hours or so. Does that make sense?

This morning is the first morning since last Thursday (the beginning of my sugar bender) that I haven't woken up feeling more dead than alive. This morning, it was about 50/50.

Here's what's been on the menu today:

Breakfast: black Americano, 4 banana 'pancakes' (I whip mine up in the blender and add a little liquid stevia, some cinnamon and some vanilla extract), and a handful of raspberries and blueberries. Waaaaaaay too much sugar (even the "legit" variety) for a true Whole30 breakfast, but I'm telling you these cravings are fierce.

Lunch: half a cucumber, handful of cherries, homemade guacamole, 6 slices of "clean" salami (is that even a thing?) and a bizarrely hued white carrot. Oh gosh, and the Pellegrino. I've been using at least a bottle per day; it's an expensive hydration option. Cheaper than wine, though.

I'll probably walk 3 miles on the treadmill tonight after the kiddos are abed. I've found that regular conscious effort in the activity department + 3 miles of walking add up to 10,000 steps, so that has been my default number to hit when I do have to do the kind of walking that takes place indoors.

So there's my update. Technically I have to start over counting from this past Monday, and seeing as how incredible the preliminary results were, I think I just may. August 27th, I'm looking at you...


11 comments:

  1. I really want to do something like Whole 30, but I have no idea how I'd feed our family without any grains. Aren't potatoes sort of discouraged, too? And while I don't eat much dairy, the idea of black coffee in the morning gives me heartburn ... which would probably lead to me cutting back on it ... which would probably be a good thing, come to think of it. Sigh.

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    1. I have been having the same ideas!! But, my hubs would think I was crazy and meal planning is already hard enough with out trying to explain to the kids why Mom's not eating what everyone else is eating. There'd be the temptation to just not eat anything and that's not healthy either. Also, black coffee would certainly equal no coffee for me!

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  2. Hey, you're far ahead of me! I cut out wheat and most grains about five years ago, along with most sugar, but the sugar is harrrrrrd! Only shortly after reading the book Sugar Blues does my resolve stick around long enough to get past the initial cravings.. And that's not often. I thought about doing Whole 30, but it's demanding! So good on ya ;] (also for starting again, I use every slip as an excuse to go crazy so my attempts are generally short-lived.. One of these days maybe I'll be able to start up again like you're planning on doing! ;] )

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  3. You're awesome! I don't think I could handle a full-on Whole 30, but I really want (slash think it would be the worst thing everrrrrr) a month-long sugar detox. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step to breaking addiction, right?

    It's just sooooooo good. What's life even like without cookie butter?

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  4. Don't despair! I would have gone off the plan at the conference too because HELLO? It was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting of hearts. (Or maybe "once-in-a-year's-time".)

    Plus, Jenny, I discovered Whole 30 because of you! (having read one of your posts last Saturday and signing on basically sight unseen) I am on Day 5 because of you! Am feeling great because of...YOU!

    And here you thought we'd never met...

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  5. I wonder if this recipe would get you to eat an egg and enjoy it. Im such a mom. I want you to eat your healthy food and LIKE it! ;)

    http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/04/asparagus-stuffed-eggs/

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  6. Ditto eeeeeeverything you said. Especially the ugh. And Iron Cactus rooftop having the best margarita. Trying hard to get back up on that horse with you!

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  7. I have never made it more than a couple days without grains/starches. At one point does it start getting easier??

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  8. Thought of you as I sat at the playground with my kids.... so I started walking laps. Look at you inspiring people to get a move on! :)

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  10. Great for you for jumping back in. I had one cheat day on the 31 before jumping back in and I sent myself down a dairy/carb free for all stomach ache. I wrote more about recognizing my eating habits being less about, "food issues," and more about sin. It's here if you want to take a look:http://goo.gl/69mvSe

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