Last several people asked about Whole30's recommendation to not snack, so I thought I'd follow up with their brief explanation for this. First off, though, this is not a program rule; instead, it is a recommendation. The rules (i.e. no sugar, dairy, alcohol, legumes, etc) are not optional. However, the recommendations are ideal, but you can still stay true to Whole30 and not follow the recommendations. Here's an article that explain the rules and the recommendations, which includes a brief explanation of the no snacking rule.
Now back to my weekly review! My grocery shopping haul was much smaller since I had made and froze my evening meal of sweet potato chili the previous week.
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| As usual, lots of vegetables, some meat, and eggs |
- Reminding myself this is Whole30 not WholeForever. There is a reason that this program only last 30 days. For me, it's not a sustainable lifestyle but it's not meant to be a sustainable lifestyle since they only have you do the program for 30 days. So when I find myself getting frustrated, I remind myself that it's temporary.
What's been the hardest:
- There is sugar in waaaaay too many things. One thing Whole30 has done is open my eyes to how many foods have sugar in it. WHY must there be sugar in sooooo many things. It's incredibly frustrating, especially when you plan to make a recipe where you think all of the ingredients will be fine until you get to the last thing on your grocery list (chipotle peppers in adobo sauce this past week) and realize you can't get them because they have freaking sugar in them.
New recipes I've tried:
- Paleo Pad Thai - A coworker recommended this to me after she found out I was doing Whole30 as this recipe is Whole30 compliant. Phil said I should make it again so it was definitely a hit. I skipped the egg step at the recommendation of my coworker, added shredded carrots, and served it with zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti squash. Next time I make it I'll add thinly sliced red peppers. Also, just a heads up in case anyone is curious, the recipe does call for snap peas, which are technically a legume. However, Whole30 allows you to eat them because the peas are so small compared to the pod they are in. The same goes for snow peas.
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| I topped mine with cilantro and chopped cashews |
- Ratatouille Zucchini Boats - When my friend Erin shared this recipe with me last month, I immediately added it to my meal plan for Whole30. I love ratatouille and I love zucchini boats so it was like this recipe was made for me! Of course to make it Whole30 you need to skip the cheese but they were still great without it! I served them with the barbacoa.
How I feel:
- I'm still having weird dreams about food. For example: one night last week I dream that I was at a mall (which never happens, I hate malls!) and I took a sample of sunbutter that someone was handing out, which makes no sense because who hands out samples of nut butters? After eating it I freaked out because I didn't ask to see the list of ingredients and there was likely sugar in it. I guess I am super paranoid about making a mistake and eating something forbidden by the program!
- My stomach still feels better than it would normally, but I honestly do not feel the "boundless energy" that others have described. It probably does not help that it's been rainy/cold for the last week or so. A friend of mine who did the program in January speculated that I don't feel as much of a change in energy since I ate so healthy in the first place. I certainly don't feel less energy so I'm not concerned and I recognize that everyone will react differently to the program.
13 comments:
Interesting that you don't feel the boundless energy, but I think your friend is right. It's not like you are swapping from eating McDonalds every day to eating the Whole30. This change, especially since you already have cut out grains and dairy, is not as huge of a change as it is for others. I have a coworker who is doing some sort of ketosis diet and he has dropped a ton of weight. If I did that, I would probably not lose that much, as I already skip most processed foods, plus he is two times my size, so he is just losing the initial fat, whereas I feel that the later fat is harder to drop. The other thing for me is that due to my running, my body has become pretty efficient at STORING energy and so I actually do not burn off calories as quickly as some may assume I would.
It's fascinating following this -- and Kyria's assessment on why you aren't feeling more energy makes some sense. You're also dealing with a lot of other issues with your hip, weather, you name it. Just roll with it -- ou are almost done!
If you ever do find the solution to having boundless energy, fill me in! I used to have lots of energy but as I age, it is waning. Bleh!
Your food looks very good and healthy!
Isn't it sad that there is sugar in so many foods? I guess we just have to eat all whole foods, but that would not be very much fun!
One more week to go! You have almost made it!
One week and a few days? You can totally do this! I agree with your friend- I think you're a really healthy eater to begin with so I'm not surprised you aren't seeing all the same results as others that did this program.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I always love to see/hear about what other people eat :)
I've got one of those pots that has a slow cooker function and a pressure cooker function and I can't recommend it enough! I've used the slow cooker a few times to make things overnight but I mostly use the pressure cooker to have meals ready super fast. I love the look of your ratatouille zucchini boats and will add that to my list of things to try.
Yup, I bet your friend is so right that you just don't see the same crazy results because you eat so healthy anyway.
You are doing a great job and the recipes you posted this week all sound delicious!
You're doing great with the whole 30! At least you know it's not sustainable as a lifestyle now. sugar is in everything. If it comes in a box, jar, or bag there is sugar added. Even my beloved hot sauces are usually jacked with sugar. It's so frustrating! Soy is in everything too.
We just talked about this via text - so you know how I'm doing with it.
I am amazed by how much sugar is hidden. and let me tell you - I was SO addicted to sugar and dairy before this. I had cheese or gluten every time I put food in my mouth I think lol. (that's a little exaggeration, but not far off)
I have found that I love coffee with coconut oil and almond milk! It's the new way I will take my coffee! And I have found an appreciation for bananas. I used to eat toast & peanut butter for a pre-run snack, but have had to change to bananas. I can actually swallow them when it's all I can eat lol. Interesting how that works! ;)
That's so funny about the dreaming; I find dreams so fascinating and would love to know how/why some things enter our dreams and others don't, and why so many of them are so bizarre! I've been having wild sleeps lately, moving around a lot, etc., and a lot of bad dreams :-( Not sure why.
The Whole30 program definitely sounds tough. I don't feel like I eat a lot of sugar when cooking at home, but of course it's hiding in so many things/ingredients, so I'm probably eating more than I realize.
I HATE, HATE, HATE that there is sugar in so many things where you would not expect it.
I read this post last night and then this morning I had a dream that I visited you with my parents for your birthday but we missed your birthday dinner because my mom wouldn't stop cleaning your house and dad walks very slow. Ha!
I never thought I would have food dreams either and I remember waking up in a panic, thinking I had ruined all the process I had made by eating string cheese!
I'm trying to be good during the week with a cheat meal on weekends. I also had to tell myself this is not whole forever!
I really learned how many things sugar is in when I quit sugar for 6 weeks a few years ago. It was insane! By the end of the 6 weeks things like rutabaga and carrots were tasting "sweet" to me.
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