Well, we’re about halfway done with Whole 30 and despite some very minor setbacks, I’m doing great! I wanted to give an update on what I’m eating, how I’m making it work, and my thoughts so far.

SETBACKS

At Chuy’s for lunch one Sunday, I’d had a coldbrew coffee for breakfast (bad idea, already starving) and we waited for our food for three hours. Sue me, I ate some chips out of sheer starvation. When I say starvation, I mean the kind of starvation where you see your dead relatives floating around you beckoning you into that foggy meadow over there. Then there was that time a LITERAL teaspoon of cheese was mixed in with the breakfast taco guts. And that time I put in two of those tiny plastic half and half cups in my coffee and I couldn’t pour it out because the person who’d just made it was standing right next to me in the break room. And I’m sure the two times I’ve been out to eat haven’t been 100% kosher, either. But, hey! I’m halfway done and feel really good about myself despite The Chip Incident.

GETTING CREATIVE

During the first week, it was easy. Chicken, vegetables, fruit, repeat. No big deal. But when you eat chicken that way that often, it can get old. So you think of things you’re hungry for and figure out a Whole 30 way to make it! Ergo, my homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise and tarter sauce! There’s millions (probably) of recipes for Whole 30/Paleo sauces out there; ketchup, ranch, barbecue, steak sauce. My perception with Whole 30 was that if it’s rich and creamy, it’s out. But that’s not true! Like I said, you’re eating like a caveman. If cavemen had almond milk. It’s impressive how many recipes come up just googling “Whole 30 recipes.” I mean, things you thought were off limits have suddenly been transformed into something natural and delicious. The hardest thing to do during these 30 days is plan a meal. If you can do that, you’re golden.

Here are some of the things I’ve made so far:

-Chicken and broccoli stir fry
-Creamy foil packed potatoes and onions (I made this up! Want the recipe?)
-Turmeric and dill pan fried tilapia
-Tarter sauce (homemade mayo + dill + pickles)
–Hollandaise
–Mayonnaise
-Mixed greens and vegetable salad with balsamic vinaigrette
-Grilled chicken and vegetables
-Mashed potatoes
-Cherry lime-aid

WHAT I CAN’T WAIT TO EAT AGAIN

Breakfast has been the hardest for me. I keep oatmeal in my drawer at work and normally eat that, but oats are off limits with Whole 30. BUMMER. I’m not a huge fan of eggs either, fried or scrambled, I mean, I’ll eat them, but they’re not my #1. I usually just eat fruit. So, oatmeal. Cereal. WHISKEY, for God’s sake. Cake. Chocolate. Chips and salsa. CHEESE, DAMMIT. Sugar! (It’s literally in EVERYTHING.) Whole grain mustard. I really don’t miss a lot of things. I haven’t really been that much of a bread eater this last year, and I’ve severely cut down how much sugar I intake. Whiskey, though? I miss it. Not like in a dependent sort of way, like, I’m at a concert and want a drink kind of way. Before I started Whole 30, I ate and drank literally whatever I wanted. These 30 days are forcing me to be more intentional and thoughtful about what I eat and the things I buy.

HOW I EXPECT TO LIVE WHEN THIS IS OVER

I expect to live lighter. By that I mean, keep being intentional and thoughtful about the food I eat. I’ll still eat whatever I want, just less often than I did before. I’ll eat better fats, still cut out a lot of sugar, plan meals more, cook at home more often than not and generally be mindful. Can I make something at home instead of buying it? (ie: mayonnaise!) Probably, yes. Can I eat a salad for lunch and then cake for dinner? Sure. You’re an adult. Should I walk the dogs for an hour or keep binging on the Olympics? Probably binge on the Olympics, but w/e.

THE NEXT FIFTEEN DAYS

They’re probably going to hurt. But now that I’m on the downhill slope, maybe it’ll make it that much easier to resist temptation. Or that much harder. While at my parents’ last weekend I had a dream I ate a bag of chips from Chili’s. Like, I’d hidden them in a closet and ate them in my sleep. It was the saddest dream I’ve ever had. AND SHOULD TELL YOU HOW MUCH MY BODY MISSES CARBS. My brain is literally talking to me and asking me what is happening because we never go this long without carbs. Someone wrote out a timeline of how most people feel during the thirty days and it’s hilarious. I should’ve read it before I started this whole thing and maybe I’d have been more prepared. Last week when I was exhausted for no reason, right on schedule, I realized my body was finally starting to learn to live and run on good things. Not carbs. Way to go, body! You’re pretty cool.

Now the question is, who wants to take me to dinner September 1 when this is all over? #whiskey #missyou

xx