We are doing the Whole30 (I’m still not cool enough to know whether I have to put “the Whole30” or “a Whole30”, or just Whole30. I am, however, cool enough to know that there is no space between Whole and 30, thankyouverymuch). It was a pretty sudden decision which was good because given more time to think about it, I would have put more energy in planning cinnamon rolls and doughnuts pre-Whole30 as opposed to planning Whole30 food.
Why are we doing this?:
I’ve been pretty actively trying to lose weight since December. I started being more conscientious of my eating and working out 3 times a week. Then in March I really fell in love with our YMCA and started going to classes 6 days a week. And you know what? Nada. I haven’t seen one change. Sure, I rock at squats but my clothes don’t fit any differently and I haven’t lost a single pound. I’m not that upset about it, because I love it and it is total stress relief but it got me wondering why the heck my body isn’t doing what it’s supposed to be doing.
I realized we probably don’t eat as well as I think we do and maybe my body really just needs a reboot. And if you know me, nothing halfway for this gal. So I figured we’d do this crazy Whole30. Even if it is total bunk, we’re just eating a lot of vegetables and forming better eating habits which can’t be bad for us.
And Kraft’s doing it because I make his food. Ha. And because he wants to be supportive. At least that’s what I read into his shrug when I asked him if he wanted to do this with me. 🙂
So, here we go.
Breakfast:
- Cruciferous Salad with prosciutto and tomatoes, avocado, and soft-boiled egg (this recipe makes more dressing than you’ll need so don’t just dump it all in like I did)
- Cherry Limeade Smoothie
- We can assume hot tea for me and coffee for Kraft at every breakfast
Lunch: [not pictured]
- Tuna Salad (The trick to my mom’s uh-mazing tuna salad recipe is you add diced jalapeño. Do it. Your mouth will thank you, I promise) on romaine lettuce
- Mashed Sweet Potato and Applesauce
Dinner:
- Steak (although it looks like burnt pecan pie in the photo)
- Roasted Broccoli and Cherry Tomatoes
Post-dinner:
- LaCroix Cran-Rasberry. Most delicious sparkling water I’ve ever had. Even better than Dr. Pepper. (No, it’s not, don’t believe that. Are you crazy? I’m just trying to trick myself. 30 days is a long time people. But it is really, really good.)
Prep for this week:
- For pre-workout meals this week I boiled a dozen eggs so we can eat an egg and 1/2 an avocado.
- For post-workout, I made a double batch of Chicken and Veggie Frittata.
- Zoodles for a meal tomorrow and Monday.
- Roasted 8 sweet potatoes (put straight on a sheet tray lined with foil for 45-60 minutes at 400°)
- 4lbs of carrots cut into carrot sticks
- Turned half of the sweet potatoes I roasted into Sweet Potato and Applesauce Mash
How we felt:
Whole30 has a hilarious timeline of how you should be feeling as the days go by so I thought it’d be good to jot down how we felt each day to see if it corresponds. I got a headache around lunchtime but it was gone by dinner time.
Breakfast was way too much food. It took me like an hour to chew through that salad and I was full halfway through but I still ate the whole thing because no snacking allowed. I love snacking. I’m very good at snacking. Especially hiding-in-the-pantry-snacking so my kids don’t tackle me and rip the food out of my hands.
I stayed pretty full all day but I definitely felt deprived. I didn’t want to chew salad, I wanted to chew, well, anything else really.
Kraft got pretty hangry between breakfast and lunch and he is really not liking his coffee black.
Meal prep was a lot of work, but I’m hoping I’ll be happy I did it later in the week.
Who the hell am I? Seriously? Even my phone doesn’t know me. Almost every word I’ve typed in this post has been autocorrected because when do I ever say spiralized or Cruciferous. My phone is like, “Hmm. I think you meant leftover Halloween candy or pizza and beer.”
Go big or go home, amiright?
Jennifer Thornell says
I love your optimism. I just started today. I felt that my diet (carbs, wine) were getting out of control. Sluggish, loss of interest in exercise. So I signed myself up. Breakfast I choked down because I am a protein bar +black coffee girl and no longer could have my protein bar so in place I have scrambled egg with salsa…ugh. Lunch was so uninviting. Dinner doesn’t look good either. I work 12+ hr shifts so what I bring for breakfast, lunch and dinner is what I get or don’t eat. I am working again tomorrow for another 12 hrs so putting together my meals tomorrow will be so delightful. Okay maybe I would call it HANGRY. Drinking a boat load of black coffee to get me through. Now I wish I had prepared a little more before signing up. When I have a moment I will have to experiment. Until then, I will continue to choke down what I have made up and deal with it. I definitely need to figure out breakfast options otherwise I see failure.
Vanessa says
I feel ya, Jennifer. Your schedule sounds really hard. Period. But throwing in a Whole30 even harder. Good for you, though, you’ll figure it out. I think if I had that kind of schedule, I’d do smoothies for breakfast. I know they say that smoothies aren’t the best but for something portable and quick you can make one of those smoothies with lots of spinach or kale in it. This one is my favorite but subbing with coconut milk: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/13/classic-green-monster/ Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
Rachel says
Genius. You’re a genius. This is happening tomorrow morning, because…no planning.