I'm on the home stretch! I am almost done! In classic-J-Style, I have wanted to cheat so friggin bad, because I am notorious for not really finishing most everything. But in this case, it was a 30 day journey to better food, better choices and overall well-being. And I'm gonna do it too! Eff-yeah!!
I am not cured of my unhealthy choices. Just the other day, one of my colleagues brought in some All-Dressed chips. I smelled the bag and my mouth watered. There have been gummy candies at work most days. I fucking love gummies!!! I missed birthday-cake-day. I can't eat the Timbits (doughnut-holes for Canadians addicted to Tim Horton's) that sit on the counter taunting me. My work loves snacks. I eat a handful of nuts instead.
But hey, I bought new jeans and a new pair of capris for work, because I'm getting skinnier! For the record, the jeans are a size 7 and the capris are a size 6. It's been a few years since I fit those sizes!
I have no "goal-weight'. I have no preconceived notions of what I think my body should look like. Right now, all I care about is feeling better in my own skin. I enjoy not grunting when putting on a sock and I appreciate that I can wiggle into a pair of jeans easily instead of with difficulty.
I still begrudge the constant prep and thinking about food. I'm serious when I say that. If you don't plan your meals you will fuck yourself and the whole deal. (If you cheat, you need to start over. 30 days could become 59 days, just like that!) Therefore, you constantly think about food. Not that you're hungry, but because you're committed to a 30 day commitment, and it shouldn't be that hard to go 30 days. But always. And everything will need to be made from scratch because as soon as you start your shopping and reading the labels, you realize EVERYTHING has added sugar. Ketchup? Nope, can't have it. BBQ sauce, mayo, Miracle Whip, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, everyday sauces and seasonings, nope, nope, nope, big fat nopes all over the place. Soy is out on so many levels, mostly because it's so GMO and stomped on it barely qualifies as food as far as I'm concerned, Whole30 doesn't allow it for that reason. So you improvise. You make your own sauces. Here were a few of my favorite things I made though:
- Mini Meatloaves with sweet potato topping and *homemade bbq sauce. (bbq sauce was my own recipe)
- Buffalo Ranch chicken stuffed peppers
- Egg Clouds
- Turkey burgers
- Homemade guacamole (will post recipe, it's my own concoction)
- Homemade BBQ sauce (also my own concoction)
- Creamy coconut-cilantro-lime chicken
- Apple cashew "oatmeal" (this is sort of SWYPO, but damn, it was so good. No added sugar, grains, sweeteners so I don't care, it wasn't cheating.)
- Curried butternut squash soup (own concoction)
Here are a few staples you should stock up on:
- Coconut milk (full fat, low fat, whatever. I prefer the full fat, myself. Read your labels. NO ADDED SUGAR ALLOWED!) This gets used in probably 50% of my food intake in some capacity.
- Avocado (this little fruit is really quite versatile!)
- Apples (sweetness and awesome as a snack with some almond butter!)
- Bananas (awesome for a thickener in smoothies, awesome for sweetness, a delicious snack all on its own)
- Dates (or in my case- I almost detest dates- raisins and dried figs) These are used to sweeten dishes/sauces occasionally. And a handful of raisins takes me back to being a kid; my mom used to stock up on little boxes of those for us kids as snacks. Still a tasty little treat!
- Onions, garlic, (both of which I am not overly fond of- these are accents, IMO, not flavours.) mushrooms (canned or fresh, they are a versatile way to add flavour and texture to a dish) and peppers
- Healthy oils (coconut, olive, avocado- I got through this whole thing without ghee)
- Eggs
- Spices. Have a well stocked spice cabinet! Himalayan pink salt, kosher salt are Whole30 (most table salt has added sugar... like seriously??)
- Larabar, for on the run. (Just remember the peanut and peanut butter ones aren't Whole30 compliant) Just buy lots of these. If you can't stop to eat or if you don't have time to plan a lunch or a breakfast, grab a Larabar.
- Dry roasted nuts, peanut free (did you know that peanuts are a legume? And beans and legumes are not Whole30 compliant) and raw cashews
- Frank's Red Hot. Perfectly Whole30 compliant, And a delicious addition to most dishes.
- Fresh herbs, I especially went through basil and cilantro, but those are two of my favorites.
- Bacon. Read those labels!! Every breakfast meat (sausage, bacon, back bacon) which has undergone a curing process typically has added sugar to balance out the salt. Either find yourself a good butcher, or shop at Costco. Their low sodium blue label Kirkland brand is the only bacon I found without added sugar. Most sausage (unless you make your own, and I sure as hell don't have the time for that!!) has a tonne of added crap like milk solids, cornmeal, wheat, sugars, syrups... dream on- just rule out sausage,
- Get yourself a blender, food processor, mini-chopper, or magic bullet. I grabbed my magic bullet from Walmart for 50$ and an electric mini-chopper for 15$. If you like soups, sauces, etc, get yourself an immersion blender as well. And a good, sharp knife for prep.
This post has gone on too long. I will add recipes, I promise, You need to know what you're getting into if you're going to succeed. If you're thinking of doing a Whole30, prep yourself, don't just jump into a decision. It takes planning. It takes dedication, And it takes willpower. I was totally surprised at how hardwired I was to pre-made foods and breads/grains and sugars. I was not prepared to battle over 2.5 weeks over my weaknesses. It sounds like a short amount of time, until you're in that battle and everywhere you turn, there is junk, waiting to be eaten, (T. ate my pizza pops. I actually thought I might engage in sweet, vindictive revenge.) But with only two days to go, I am looking forward to the end, and as crazy as it sounds, I'm going to start planning a second Whole30.
I will post a separate entry with just recipes. I keep calling this a diet, but this is the only "diet" where I have not felt deprived, I don't feel hungry and I actually eat more than I ever have and I am still losing weight. Eating this much shouldn't ever be called a diet. Just remember, all it is, is real food. We just seem to have forgotten what that is. I encourage you to do your research and engage in feeling better about yourself. We only get one body and one life.
#Whole30
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