Primal... and oh so yummy

Not whole 30.

Mmmmm steak

Bfast

Lentil soup

Chicken gyro salad

Still going

Mashws cauliflower.   Its really creamy. Yum.

Cheese burger cauliflower

Delicious. Looks funny with white cheddar.  But that is one less dye/chemical.

Bfast

Spinach, bacon and feta. I hope it is not gross. Sounded better than it looks.

German, I guess

Brats, kraut and apples.  Hmmm, hope it is okay.  Totally afraid.

Cauliflower cheeseburger

Tastes good.  Looks, not so much

Dinner

Keeping on keepong on :-)

What I have been doing

My focus for the next phase is to try to plan easier to prepare meals.  Also I would like to add some variety and maybe source some healthier alternatives.  This week I have tried 5 juice recipes.  I made almond butter, almond milk and finally successfully made mayo!

I am a domestic goddess.  And I rule at preparing healthy meals for my family.  That part  is very rewarding.  It is extremely satisfying to know that I have fed them well.  I am responsible for their health and I have taken control.

August is over

So I had my little paleoish treat.  Could only find/afford non complaint chocolate chips.  I didn't say f  it for the whole day.  I ate my treat in addition to a regular clean day.  Stayin on track.  I had a coue of mom's bbq food on labor day, but added extra veggies and watermelon.  Still thinking differently.  Got to watch the sugar and treats.  Its okay now, but I am a little nervous.

So here is bfast.  New normal.

Cauliflower crust pizza

I guess this is primal,  which is how I plan to go forward from my whole 30.

The day after

Not anu didferent.  Hells yeah!

Day 30 meals

Bfast - egg quiche,  avocado and a red plum
Lunch - egg salad, pluot
Dinner - caprese topped burger,  sweet potato

The final supper

But it is totally not the last one.  Just the last one i track by the day. 

Day #30 and Results - a day early

I forgot to snap a pic of dinner #29. It was Italian sausage sliced and served in spaghetti sauce and a side of steamed green beans. Quick and easy enough. So, today was the weigh in. I guess most people will do it tomorrow, but in order to weigh on the same scale, I had to do it today. 13 pounds… not too bad. I never counted a calorie. I ate 3 meals a day. I ate as much as I wanted at any meal and I ate heartier meals than I ever have on any diet. When I put all that in perspective, 13 is amazing. It is sustainable. I am not over the moon though. I am so glad I wrote my post yesterday about how I was feeling. I took an after photo last night to compare to my before photo. Yes, you could see a difference. Not a huge difference, but there is a change. It was only 30 days and only 13 pounds. I shouldn’t expect the photo to be radical. I guess the part that is messing with my head is the fact that I have A LONG WAY TO GO. A really long way. My logical brain tells me that I now know what I need to do and exactly how to get there. So what if it takes a year or two to get there. This way of eating is sustainable (as long as I work in some time saving measures). Healthy is the important part and I know I am healthier and I can maintain it. I am looking forward to having a paleo treat tomorrow. I haven’t decided which one though. Oh and tonight I will plan next week’s meals and I will grocery shop on Saturday – just like I have been doing for the last 30 days.

Day #28 - A word from me

I have been meaning to write some of my thoughts down to share here, but I am literally spending so much time cooking, shopping and preparing meals that there has been no free time. Some non-scale victories I have noticed in the last 28 days: #1 – My hair stopped falling out excessively on day 19. This is one of the things I hoped for most of all. This is how I know my body is healthier. And my hair seems shinier and softer too. #2 – Monthly lady issues seem to be properly spaced and regular in nature. TMI, I know, but this has been something that I have felt was wrong, but not really addressed medically. More on that in a second. #3 – My butt is smaller. Proof of this happened when I laid down on the bench at the gym to do chest presses. My back arches because my big ol’ booty keeps my back from touching the bench. I usually have to tilt my hips up to get my back on the bench. Less tilting was needed. This was a surprise. #4 – My belly is smaller. Usually I have a hard time in spin class when we are sitting and bent over to grab the handle bars (position 1) because my belly is all squished up I actually have a hard time breathing because of all the pressure from being rolled over. This is improved and I have better performance on the spin bike. #5 - My skin is clearer and my eyes seem to have a sparkle. #6 – My face is narrower without all of the bloat. I think my nose even looks longer and slimmer. I could totally just be crazy. Could my nose possibly have been bloated? #7 – My clothes fit better. #8 – I am sleeping better. I used to get really hot in the middle of the night and toss and turn and now I am sleeping more soundly. I am sure there is a victory on the scale as well, but I won’t weigh until tomorrow. Why I wanted to do this So of course I want to be thinner. I am right on that line of a morbid obese BMI. That sucks. I have a health screening coming up at work next month and some of my blood work #’s are getting into the medium risk category (Triglycerides and Cholesterol). I have been so discouraged over the last couple years over my health and weight. Three years ago I dieted and exercised and lost about 50 lbs. Shortly after that the weight started to come back on. My eating habits were not drastically different, but my diet was definitely sliding. I would try for a week or two (or a day or two) and I just could not achieve the results that I thought were appropriate for the calories I was consuming and the exercise I was doing. Finally after about 25 lbs crept back on, all the while exercising daily, I gave up completely. I didn’t put the weight on right away. I held steady for about 5 months and then POW. I gained 30 lbs in the next 2-3 months. So then I was faced with a new all-time high weight. I complained 2 years in a row at the doctor of the hair loss. She totally didn’t believe the rapid weight gain. She also didn’t think I really counted calories and didn’t lose weight. I complained of my messed up cycles. She sent me for na Ultrasound to see if I had fibroids and sent me to a GYN to discuss the heavy and irregular cycles. The Ultrasound came back normal – funny little note – it said “normal,” but when I pulled the medical record and read the report for myself it noted a cyst on each of my ovaries – but the summary page said “normal.” Maybe that is normal, but it was worthy of some attention. The GYN wanted to do a surgical procedure called an endometrial ablation to eliminate my cycles. She had no concern as to the cause of the issue. Oh, just one caveat, otherwise I just may have done the procedure, I would have to pay $1,500 out of pocket up front to her and $100 to the hospital since I had not met my deductible. That is messed up (not my insurance, but the cash hungry doctor not really concerned with my health, only her profit). On my own I went to an endocrinologist to see if he could offer any insight. He said my hair loss was most likely testosterone related and I probably had PCOS. Sure enough, I had elevated testosterone in my blood test. My primary had looked at that and it was okay in April, but it was elevated in June. I am no doctor, but it seemed that when my cycle was on time it was normal and when it was late it was elevated, but it must not be elevated all the time. Well, that makes it difficult to diagnose a problem now, doesn’t it? I started to read up on PCOS. Cysts on the ovaries are a possible symptom. Other symptoms are hair loss, facial hair growth, insulin resistance, cycle problems which are often heavy and irregular. Finally everything made sense - insulin issues causing hormone issues. Ah ha! That is why certain diets have been effective in the past, like when I did a south beach style diet and anytime I eliminated sugar and flour. The Dr. prescribed a diabetes medication to try to help with weight loss. Obviously he said I needed to lose weight and he didn’t seem to think I was truthful when I told him I was having a hard time losing weight. I took the meds for less than 2 weeks. They gave me diarrhea. During the time between seeing the endocrinologist and getting the results/meds I discovered Whole 30. This diet completely made sense to me. I had issues with weight watchers because you could conceivable eat 6 snickers a day in that plan. It is ultimately about the points. The issue I had with South Beach was the use of artificial sweeteners and the limitations on fruit. I wasn’t comfortable with the meal replacements because that is not sustainable long term, plus liquid diets have never made me feel full. I could go on and on. There is so much processed crap in the diet industry. Finally a diet filled with healthy nutrient food that is sustainable for life. And the focus is health, not weight loss. Although, weight loss is a side effect is healthy eating. Better than diarrhea! I stopped the meds and started Whole 30. After my research I felt that I could control my symptoms with diet. Now, here I am approaching the end of my 30 day nutritional reset. I am healthier than I was 30 days ago. I feel better. I am no longer masking my fatigue with caffeine and fat burners and sugar. I am no longer experiencing the energy crashes following the self-medication. I am planning my next phase. I am planning to go Paleo plus cheese and yogurt, I think. I can have plenty of treats under the paleo framework. There is no need to have gluten infused carb/sugar fests. I do not have to deprive myself of anything. I am aware that because I do still have a lot of weight to lose that I need to keep the treats in moderation. I am hoping to learn to be able to do that. Maybe since my cravings are at bay, I can actually achieve that. Plus, because of my health issues, I need to keep the sugar consumption at a low level. I am also thinking I will probably do 2 or 3 Whole 30’s a year to keep it all in check and rein back in anything that might slide. So now I understand what it means when people talk “lifestyle change.” Crazy. My goal for the next 30 days is to take this program and figure out some time saving techniques.

Day 28

Nearly rotten peach and mango

Lunch and notes

This is lunch. Picture taken after I already ate some mango, the broccoli that was with the mushrooms and the tuna with guacamole.   Very colorful,  yummy, satisfying lunch.

Last night was roasted carrots and zucchini and a grass fed burger.

Bfast

Lets see if this will keep me satisfied until lunch.

Lunch 27

Tuna and friends

Day 26 dinner

Turkey burger, fried "rice" and stir fry.

Day 27

I'll have my regular, please.

Day 26 dinner

Turkey burger, fried "rice" and stir fry.

Quick lunch

Store bought guacamole, tuna and an orange.   Not as good as my guac!

Breakfast of champions

Yep!

Dinner

Taco night with fresh homemeade guacomole.  Mmmmmm making mine like a salad.

Bfast

Eggs, blueberries and avocado.

Dinner day 24

Leftovers

Mid day

Having almond butter and apples for a snack

Saturday

Scrambled eggs (in ghee) with blueberries.

Dsy 23

I don't even care about the day number anymore... hoping this is the new normal.

Dinner is spaghetti squash and meat sauce.

Day 23

Well my tummy is full, but not a satisfying lunch as far as flavor goes... at least my leftovers are all gone. Looking forward to dinner tonight.  Next up, spaghetti squash.  I told hubby this was the last time we would have it after I saw the price.   I may need to plant some.

Day 23

Not totally prepared, but makng it work.

Day 22 Dinner

Leftover veggie soup with burger and strawberries with coconut milk, cashew pieces and coconut flakes.  Need to eat the strawberries before they go bad.

Lunch day 22

Lunch pic below. Bfast was egg quiches with half an avocado and a mango.  I have a small orange for later.

Day 21

	Kale chips... not something I would buy on purpose.

Day 21

	Fried eggplant... I think it is good. Kids are revolting... and for desert I am making kale chips. They'll probably LOVE them. LoL