Whole30 Week One (Truckin' Along On The Paleo Highway)

So, I've made it through one solid week of Whole30. I had set the bar a little extra high for myself, since I feel I need to go the extra mile to balance my body. Also, setting the bar extra high, for me at least, means that if I falter a little, I'll still be doing way better than I was. I'm not one of those people who, if I slip up a little, throws it all out the window. I just get right back in the saddle.

Here are some of the details of how my week went:

The first few days, I had some times that felt like I was detoxing a little- low energy, some minor sugar cravings and a feeling of being mentally hungry, even when my stomach was full. I found that having 1/3 cup of thawed frozen berries with some coconut milk was a nice way to help that mental hunger. I notice I get tired earlier in the evening- around 8pm. Is my body trying to force me into earlier bedtimes?


-I'm happy to report that I've had zero dairy and zero sugar and I've been able to keep my fruit intake quite low (one serving/day). I haven't had stevia, either. Pretty soon, my sweet tooth will be falling out of my head;)

-I've been eating a lot more greens- especially kale, which I can't get enough of. It's so good sauteed with some garlic granules and a dash of coconut aminos (which is a good soy sauce substitute- a little less strong in flavor with a hint of sweetness and more versatile).

-Avocado and coconut milk have been my best friends. I like eating sliced avocado with salt and pepper as a side to almost any meal and I've had coconut milk on berries, in tea, and by itself (can you tell I really like it?) I use the Whole Foods 365 Organic brand and I have to say it's very good.

-I've also made friends with creatures of the sea, specifically small creatures such as oysters, herring and sardines. I really like any smoked fish in olive oil. It could be goldfish and I'd eat it. It's also quite convenient to open a can and dump it on a salad for a fast meal.

-I've eaten more eggs than I intended to, but less than I previously was.

-As for nuts, which I also intended to cut back on, some days I'm good and some days I'm not. I'm trying to add a little variety (I usually eat pecans, almond butter and walnuts) so I bought some brazil nuts. A little extra selenium can only do good things for my TPO antibodies.

-Caffeine: I haven't been drinking my usual black teas in the morning; I've been having green or herbal tea. Some mornings I just have a green drink instead: some Midori Greens with some fresh lemon juice in water.
As for coffee, I only had it once this week. Not too bad! I also had a cup of cocoa consisting of dark cocoa powder, water, coconut milk, cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt. Not sweet, but pretty good, actually. I may stick to that method of cocoa preparation in the future, since I like chocolate even if it's not sweet.
PS- chocolate is not a trigger food for me like it is for some. I can have a little and be happy.

Here is an example of what I ate in a day:
Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs with leeks and a side of sliced avocado (1/3 avocado) and some sliced cherry tomatoes (I'm not avoiding nightshades) and a cup of chrysanthemum green tea with orange peel.
Lunch: big salad with 1/2 can smoked herring, few spoonfuls of kimchi and dressing of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar and few brazil nuts.
Dinner: bison burger topped with mushrooms and onions and side of sauteed kale (3/4 cup).
Snack/dessert: 1/4 cup thawed raspberries topped with 1/4 cup coconut milk and sprinked with sea salt.

I still need to make bone broth- that will be my weekend project.




As for the non food-related aspects of my program:

-Exercise: I've been walking almost every day. Since I had a number of days with low energy, I didn't push myself to work out, but yesterday, I intermittent fasted (I do condensed window eating) and did a fasted workout with a few sets of two-armed kettlebell swings (with a 25 lb bell), some regular and side planks, the "Cat Vomit" (from The 4 Hour Body) bicep curls (with my 10 lb bell) and pushups.

-Sleep: I've been getting to bed a little earlier (around 11/11:30) but I still want to get to bed around 10.


Over all, I feel lighter, my energy is starting to improve a little, my face is less puffy when I wake up. I've been assured by others who have done Whole30 that your energy usually increases after the second week. I'll be patient!

-Erin