My progress on Whole30 can be tracked by countdown to the Superbowl. It just so happens that the first day after I complete the 30 is Superbowl Sunday. I didn't plan it this way, but it was a teensy factor in deciding to start Friday, Jan. 3 rather than the following Monday. If I started Jan. 6, Day 31 would find me by myself in a hotel room on business travel, probably scarfing girl scout cookies and wine, wallowing in this depressing "celebration". As it stands, Day 31 shall find me at a friend's superbowl party, probably scarfing Tostitos and beers, but happy since I'll be with friends and not indulging alone. (I know you're supposed to ease back into regular eating, and not go all out with a sugar-and-alcohol-fueled scarf fest. But c'mon, it's Superbowl Sunday... and if there's one thing I truly miss on this diet, it's good beer.)
While we're on the subject, here are a few things I miss that I will be happy to re-introduce: (in moderation of course, yada yada)
While we're on the subject, here are a few things I miss that I will be happy to re-introduce: (in moderation of course, yada yada)
- Good beer, wine, sake, alcohol in general - No I'm not an alcoholic, but the relaxation properties, experience and social aspects of enjoying a good beverage (or several) with friends or on the couch Friday night cannot be understated. Nor can they be replaced by anything Whole30 compliant, and I don't wish to remove them from my life. Sorry, hot tea just doesn't cut it.
- Is it sad that I'm having trouble with my number 2 food I miss, which is clearly a distant second to a really good beer?
- Ok, #2: Chocolate/A Bit of Sweet - I love good chocolate, and I still enjoy a bite of sweet after meals. Even gum or mints is to me a great way to signal the end of a meal. I'm happy to say I've gone 16 days now without chewing gum, which for me is a huge feat. My gum addiction is unparalleled, sometimes "chain chewing" one piece after another. I haven't really missed it too much though, other than for the aforementioned post-meal sweet bite.
- A Wawa Hoagie - complete with a gooey, toasted, glutenous wheat roll. Bread is a wonderful thing, and sandwiches are just so delicious. Especially Wawa honey-smoked turkey hoagies with honey mustard and topped with plenty of veggies.
- Oatmeal/Cereal - I love a comforting bowl of cooked oatmeal with cinnamon and berries, or a big bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins with almond milk. It's my ultimate go-to comfort food.
- Finally, Fancy Cheese - I don't miss it too much since it's not typically an every day or even every week indulgence, but I love a great bleu, camembert, chevre, or brie. Definitely not going to give this up after Whole30.
But I digress, indulging my daydreams of mouth-watering foods I can't have for now. Back to Whole30 land. I'm still having trouble regulating how much I eat at meals, to not feel over-full or still be hungry. Friday night I felt stuffed after my dinner of salmon, yellow squash, green beans, and avocado. I did well not eating after dinner (around 9pm) and bedtime (post-midnight), but mainly b/c I was so full.
Saturday was a different story - I felt like a bottomless pit. Egg casserole, avocado, and half a grapefruit for breakfast (10am), then a banana before climbing at 11. I know I know, you're not supposed to eat fruit before working out, but I was still a little hungry for something and wanted some more fuel, and the banana was completely satisfying and abated my hunger throughout the 3 hours at the gym. So there. I was starving for lunch by the time I returned (2:30), so I had a mini post-workout snack of 2 turkey slices and roasted butternut squash. Then lunch was leftover salmon and veggies, along with the rest of the squash, bit of avocado, and snow peas. Yum.
You would think lunch at 3pm would mean I wasn't hungry for dinner by 7, but nope. Starving again by 7. Luckily I had crockpot chicken and veggies all cooked up (including sweet potato), so I had two heaping bowls along with more avocado and a couple cashews. So all of my meals have followed the meal plan, along with an extra banana and post-workout snack. But I was STILL hungry after dinner. I had an apple on the way to watch climbing comp finals, and several almonds. Good for a while, but again I was hungry before bed - polished off some carrots, more squash and sweet potato, and a couple bites of steak. Goodness gracious. The problem isn't in the amount of food, it's eating at night before bed and snacking in the kitchen, which is one of the main things I'm trying to change. I'd like to stop eating several hours before bed, not pick at things out of the fridge, and not worry if I'm going to get hungry in the middle of the night. On the other hand, I hate over-eating at meals and feeling stuffed, so it's hard to regulate. It's especially hard during the week when I can't eat dinner until 8/9pm, and go to bed not too long after.
So long story short, yesterday left much room for improvement in terms of timing and habits I'm trying to break. Today shall be better. Off to a good start - breakfast (10:30am) consisted of 2 eggs (cooked perfectly over easy :)), avocado (again, it's my favorite, easiest go-to fat), cooked kale, and black French roast coffee. Not only delicious, but satisfying - I was completely full afterwards, but not unpleasantly. I had the hard-to-achieve feeling of being satisfied from a good full meal, not interested in any more food for hours, but not overstuffed or uncomfortable. Good work! Here is my breakfast, in all it's eggy glory.
Greens, eggs, no ham
And now time for lunch (3:30), now that my hunger has returned. I'm thinking leftover crockpot since I'm feeling lazy right now. The test will be dinner and post-dinner before bed, but I'm confident I can do it right. Bon appetit!
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