Like a kid in a candy store...

This has been me the two days following The Whole 30. Epic Whole 30 Fail!!

Seriously, I did every wrong thing possible the day after finishing. Of course, I swear it was temporary insanity for having all the things again at my fingertips. Let's see...

Wednesday:

1. I had creamer in my coffee.
2. I went out for drinks
3. I ate popcorn.

So, this added in dairy, sugar, alcohol, grains, more than likely some preservatives.

Woke up Thursday feeling like shit with my right eye puffy (partial quasi eye).

Thursday:

1. I had creamer in my coffee.
2. My mom took me to lunch where I splurged on a sandwich and fries. 
3. Had some wine at a friends.

© Keith McDuffee

More dairy, sugar, alcohol, grains, more than likely some preservatives in there. Plus french fries are the devil. The french fries made me sick. No more restaurant french fries for me. (even the picture to the left makes me want to barf).

Today I woke up with a puffy eye again and generally feeling like doodoo.

So, what am I going to do about this? Take it all back out of the diet, except the dairy. I'm reintroducing dairy for a week starting today. I'll continue drinking this coffee creamer (which is all natural), but I'm actually thinking I liked the putrid coffee with coconut milk and cinnamon better. Weird, huh.

© Clinton Steeds

The Whole 30 changes your body. You grow accustomed to eating clean. I mean, I was already set to continue eating this way, I think maybe I just needed to sow some oats in the form of everything bad for me for a couple days. I DO NOT recommend this. Follow the program. Follow the directions. When you're done with The Whole 30, do not act like a frat boy at Partyland. This shit isn't good for you and you've been off it so long it will have a giant adverse affect on your body.

I mean, I lost weight. I lost inches. I have more energy. I'm sleeping better.  I haven't felt this good for a long time. Why on earth would I want to jeopardize this for a few pleasures that really aren't that pleasurable, and are not good for me? I don't. I won't. You shouldn't either.

I am not sucking at life

No, I'm not. I'm drinking coffee with creamer. It's not the best tasting creamer I've ever had, but it has natural ingredients. And I'm not blending my coffee with coconut milk and cinnamon in my Magic Bullet. Why am I telling you this? Because yesterday was my last day on The Whole 30.

If you know not what the Whole 30 is, visit the link above. If you're sluggish all the time, want to change your relationship with food, want to look younger, want to sleep better, want to lose a little weight, you might want to give it a try.

How I feel after having done the Whole 30...

Food: Food and I are friends again. For awhile we had this weird relationship, It was mostly good,

sometimes I cheated on it. Sometimes I ignored it altogether. Other times my love for it was so intense I had to have it all. Also, I found myself having a quickie for dinner way too often.

Now I eat every meal, 3 a day. Sometimes I have a snack in between lunch and dinner, or after dinner if my stomach is a little grumbly. I'm cooking again. Sometimes I still need the quickie, but instead of turning to my longtime friend, Popcorn, I'll grab leftover meat (I always make enough to have leftovers) cook up some sweet potatoes and throw a salad together. Okay, it's not the 2 minute meal I've grown accustomed to, it's more like 30 minutes, but it's healthier, it's delicious and it treats my body good. I think I can handle an extra 28 minutes for that.

I buy most everything fresh except my coconut milk. I don't mind reading labels now, but if I buy fresh, I don't have to. I'm getting my fill of veggies and fruit, which I'd been neglecting for a while. I'm eating all good fats, almonds, ghee, avocado, olive oil. No more butter or margarine.

Alcohol: Alcohol and I used to be tight. You see, with me, alcohol is that friend that pesters you into hanging out until you cave. I mean, you love it, it's that friend you can lean on when you've had a hard day, or been given some bad new. Sometimes you'd just like to say no, but it always seems to be hanging around. Sometimes it overstays its welcome. I put alcohol in it's place. I made it go away until I'm ready to be friends again. Do I miss it sometimes when it's not around? Sure. But I'm confident that when we become friends again, I'll just see it socially and not be so dependent on it all the time.  Besides, I have a new friend that treats me better - sparkling water.

Sleep: A few years ago, sleep decided it didn't want to be friends with me anymore. I mean, it came around from time to time, but not as much as I wanted it too. Sleep and I have improved our relationship. Now it comes around every night and stays until morning. It usually leaves early, but I'm okay with that. Usually I've had enough to the point that I feel good and am ready to face the day.

Weight: My relationship with weight has been a rollercoaster ride in the past. Lately however, it's like I'm stuck at the top of the hill and no matter what I try, I can't get down. The Whole 30 helped me get down the hill. Just a little hill, but I'm hoping to get down a bigger hill soon enough until I can get off the ride for good. I don't think I'll share how much weight I've lost since the program isn't about that, it's about everything else. I'll just say, I look better and my clothes fit better. If I'd exercised more (I do, but I need to step it up) I'd probably have lost more. I actually had the meat guy at the grocery store flirt with me yesterday. It's been awhile since someone flirted with me.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: I've never liked CFS. Our relationship is parasitic. CFS is the friend who is always complaining and always miserable and after you've been with them for a while you just want to crawl into a hole and die. This relationship has also improved. Am I cured? No. But I get through the day without a nap (which is BIG for me). My energy level is higher during that time and I'm more productive than I have been in a long time. It still hits in the early evening though, 7 or 8 o'clock. But I'm okay with this because it's better and I can just crawl in bed with my phone or a book or my computer to watch Netflix.

What comes next?

Happy Hour. That's right, tonight I celebrate this achievement because to me, it's big. Don't worry, happy hour is not going to get me back into my old habits. I like the way I feel, I like the way I look, I like the way I eat. I will keep eating this way for the most part. I don't miss cheese or really any dairy (except my coffee creamer) for that matter. I'm not missing grains. I may have a glass of wine or a drink from time to time. And hey, I'll probably eat some popcorn, but not as much as I did at one sitting and not for dinner.

What am I hoping to gain from all this?

I'm hoping to shed a few more pounds. I'm hoping to have the energy to get to the gym regularly. I'm hoping to get another book published. I'm hoping to be more productive around the house and in the yard. I'm hoping I can be there for my kids and my parents when they need me.

I'm hoping this lasts a lifetime because I feel and look better than I have in years.

Whole 30: Day 5 - How I get by

I'm still supposed to want to "Kill All The Things," but I still don't. That's a good thing. However, I think I may feel myself slipping right into "For the Love of Gosling..." A little bloat in other words.  I still feel good though. I went to bed WAY late last night, but still woke about around 6:30 feeling pretty well rested.

I've been exercising too...again...finally. I really love the way I feel right now. I'm happy, clear-headed. I like the idea of getting healthy again and love seeing all those nutritious foods in my fridge.

A challenge


It's the weekend. Which for me usually means going out at least one night (which I won't be doing), and watching Game of Thrones at my friend Heidi's house where we usually eat a fabulous dinner and drink wine. I'm still going to Heidi's house, but I told her I would have to bring dinner for us so I could stick with my program. And I'll be bringing a sparkling water mocktail. And Thank God GOT is on at 6 and I can just watch and go (well, not rudely, but you know, I won't be staying and drinking wine for hours before the show starts like

AND A SPIDER JUST CRAWLED ACROSS MY TABLE!!! I had to shove things on the floor to knock him off!


Okay, sorry, what was I saying? Oh yeah, like we did with The Walking Dead. So, that's how I plan to stick to the program.

Here are a couple...I don't know what to call them, they're not cheats because I'm not cheating on the program...tricks? Wait, I'm going to come up with a good name for them. Talk amongst yourselves, BRB...

The Whole 30 Megan Method, or  TW3MM.

Yes, I know, I'm a dork.

Huh? What do you think?

Anyway...

• I eat on a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. 
• The other day, I was wavering between coffee with coconut oil or coconut milk. I've decided to go with the coconut milk. The taste is pretty bland for both, but the  milk doesn't have that oily texture that kind of made me want to barf. Anyway, blend the milk with your coffee in your Magic Bullet or Blender. It blends it really well and you get a nice frothy head that makes you feel like you're drinking cappuccino.
• My go-to spices: Fresh ground pepper, sea salt, garlic powder. After that base, you can add anything. Last night I added rosemary to my chicken. You could do curry for spice, red pepper flakes or cayenne for heat,etc, etc.
• If you don't want to fork out the cash for Tessamae's salad dressing and you get tired of oil and vinegar, do hot sauce. Many of them are Whole 30 approved. I like Tapatio. Make sure you read the book, It Starts With Food, or check labels before using hot sauces.
• I think I may have mentioned this the other day, but go to your store's discount meat section. I've found awesome deals on the London broil (which was grass fed), other grass fed meats, seafood (which is soooo expensive these days). It makes a big difference and you usually have a day or two to cook it.
• The other day I talked about my vegetable go-packs. If you're going somewhere and you know you may not be able to eat for awhile, take one with you. Or if you get hungry between meals, these packs will already be ready so you don't have to think about it, make something, or make a bad choice.
• I use leftovers in the next day (or two or threes) meals. Like the London broil I had the other night, I've been using in salads for lunches. The buttload of chicken I made last night I'll probably be eating in different meals through the weekend.
• Speaking of salads, this is a good lunch. You can mix it up with different types of proteins each

  

  © Rainer Zenz

  day, steak, chicken, tuna, ground turkey or beef, etc. Add your different veggies. Use different types of lettuce or spinach. Make a taco salad, or a chop salad. Mix it up. It would be hard to get tired of it (unless you hate salad, then you're on your own).
• Tessamae's dressing. These are really good. But they're fresh so the oil base coagulates while it's in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes to half hour before you  need to use it. Or a few minutes before you eat, run it under warm water.
• When it comes to balsamic vinegar, they are not all created equally. Vinegars have sulfites in them. Some have naturally occurring sulfites, others have added sulfites. Only buy the former. It will say right on the label in the ingredients. The bad ones will say "sulfites added" or "contains sulfites."

That's all I can think of right now. 

So yesterday this is what I ate:

Breakfast
One egg with spinach and mushrooms
Pineapple and strawberries

Lunch

Green salad
Leftover London Broil
Grapes
Balsamic vinegar and oil
Coconut water (I really do get tired of plain water all day, and I'd just worked out)

Dinner
Chicken thigh roasted with my basic spice mix from above and rosemary
Roasted asparagus (I like mine crispy. I know, I'm weird)

I made another mocktail for the evening. I used black cherry Arrowhead Sparkling, added frozen
berries and smooshed a fresh strawberry into it. I called it Megan's Cherry Berry Mocktail. It was okay, but not the best, and I added way too much fruit. Had to dump it down the sink.

You can really add any fruit, even to regular water to give it a nice flavor. Cucumbers are good too. I like cucumbers and lemon together, pineapple, strawberries...

On other notes, I had my unemployment appeal yesterday, so send me good vibes. I'll find out in a few days if they accepted it.

And I've put my tornado novel aside for awhile. Going to edit Girl in Motion. I need to do something different for awhile.

Happy Friday!!

Whole 30: Day 4 Kill All The Things!

Day 4 on the Whole 30 and I feel pretty good. I'm still not sleeping perfectly, but I'm rising early (like super early 5:30-6:30) feeling refreshed, which hasn't happened for a long time. And I feel slimmer. Now I may not in a few days according to the program, but for now, I do.

Today is "Kill All The Things Day" for me. So far, I don't feel like killing all the things. Of course, I haven't had my unemployment appeal ye It which takes place in 2 hours. Then we'll see if I want to kill all the things.

Let's talk coffee for a moment. Coffee is totally allowed on the Whole 30. However, anything you'd ever want to put in it is not. My friend Gae Polisner (author of books The Pull of Gravity and The Summer of Letting Go, which you should all buy) told me to try organic coconut oil in the coffee. I did that. It helped with the taste enough to drink it, but of course, there was that oiliness to it that was kind of barfable. I decided to try compliant coconut milk today. It didn't taste as good, but no oily texture. Soooo, I have no idea which I prefer. Probably the oil. I think. I think I'll have another cup and compare.

Even though you're only eating protein, fruits, veggies and fats, you still need to watch your portion size. Here is a guide (as given by the Whole 30, I didn't make this shit up).

Protein = size of your palm
Veggies = after you fill your plate with your protein, fill the rest with veggies
Fruit = I don't remember how exactly they explained it in the book, but pretty much a size you can hold in one hand with with fingers wrapped around it. Does that make sense?
Oils & Butters = Thumb size
Coconut and & Olives  = Handful
Nuts & Seeds = what you an fit in a closed handful.

If I'm explaining that horribly (which I'm pretty sure I am), they have a printout with pictures to show you. They have a lot of helpful printouts actually.

One more thing. I went to my local store to look for LaCroix so I could make the mocktails and my store only had two giant packs, lemon and grapefruit flavored. There is a store nearby that probably has more (I really wanted the coconut), but I was too tired to go there yesterday. I bought Arrowhead Sparkling (AS) instead. There are substitutes, just make sure you read the labels to ensure there are no added sugars.

So anyway, I bought AS in lemon, black cherry, and watermelon, er, I think strawberry (or kiwi, can't remember). I made the mocktail that LaCroix calls Mimi's Mimosa Mocktail.  Of course, instead of the juice, I used fresh squeezed. If you want the Cadillac of citrus juicers, get the Big Boss 8962. It juices oranges in seconds. I put orange slices in as well. It was pretty good. I changed the name of it to Megan's Marvelous Mockmosa. I bought frozen berries, oranges, lemons and limes to add. I also have kiwi and pineapple. I'm going to have a good time with these I think.

I'm going to hit the other store today and see about the other flavors.

So here's the menu from yesterday:

Breakfast
Pork sausage patty
1 egg
spinach

Lunch
Green salad with Tessamae's Balsamic dressing
Avocado (about 1/4)
Topped the salad with leftover grass fed London broil
Red grapes

 Dinner
Shrimp
Roasted sweet potatoes and brussell sprouts
(I couldn't eat it all)

The Whole 30: Day 3

I made it this far, but I feel like I can't see straight and that I got hit by a bus. So there's that. I'll
explain that in a bit.

The Whole 30. I didn't really explain it much yesterday, just that I was doing it and why. These are the basics. It's about taking foods out of your diet that have a negative impact on your well being. I'm just going to give you the skinny today. For in-depth commentary, you'll have to visit The Whole 30 website.

1. Don't eat sugar of any kind, real or artificial.
2. No alcohol in any form, even for cooking.
3. Do not eat grains.
4. Do not eat legumes.
5. Do not eat dairy.
6. Do not consume carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites.
7. Do not try to recreate baked goods, junk foods, or treats with The Whole 30 approved foods. That defeats the purpose.(There are a few exceptions, like you can use fruit juice but you can't drink it, you can only use it to sweeten things. You can use ghee or clarified butter. If you're on your death bed you can consume medication with alcohol in it, though they would want you to try to find a natural remedy first. Others you'll find at their website)
8. You are not allowed to step on a scale or take measurements during The Whole 30. Yes. Do it before.
9. You have to do it and be faithful to it for 30 days. If you go off, you start over.

Then there are the first few days. I'm on day 3 and I'm about to explain about my first sentence in this blog.

Day 1: What's the big deal? You're feeling satisfied, it isn't hard. It's a piece of cake. You tell everyone you know about it.
Day 2 & 3: The Hangover. Yes, this is where I am. The pre-Whole 30 food bender of pizza, wine, nachos, margaritas and whatnot is hitting you where it hurts. The amount of bad you feel is proportionate to the amount of bad you ate prior to The Whole 30. Expect headaches, fatigue, and malaise, but don't give up. I took a 2 hours nap and I'm still tired. Drink some water and get through it.
Day 4 & 5: Kill All the Things: For some reason, I'm looking forward to this day. (JK) You are
overcome with the desire to punch people in the face. They have no idea why this happens, but it does. Just warn people in advance and ask forgiveness when it's over. Don't give up.
Day 6 & 7: I Just Want to Nap.  Your body is learning not to rely on those easy access energy sources like sugar and grains. Don't worry, it will learn how to give you fuel in other ways, so don't give up.

Day 8 & 9: For the Love of Gosling, My Pants Are Tighter! The process is still working, your digestion is adjusting. As your body processes this food effectively, you could experience, um, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Really, this phase passes quickly, so still, don't give up.
Day 10 & 11: The Hardest Days. Uh, yeah, you thought those previous 9 days were bad, I guess it's going to get worse. You'll get frustrated that the program isn't working it's "magic" yet. You're still establishing your meal routine, you'll start noticing the food you can't have, you'll see what hold food had on you. Find a way to reward yourself that doesn't include food. Yeah, you're intolerable right now, but you're closer. Don't give up.

That's all I'm going to give you. For the rest, visit this page: The Whole 30 Timeline.

So, I was going to mow my law today because I'm sure my neighbors hate me, but I'm not sure I have the energy. I think I'll try anyway.

So yesterday, this is what I ate:

Breakfast
Pork sausage patty
Mushrooms and onions
Banana

Lunch
Chicken thigh
Green salad with tomato, avocado and mushrooms
Topped with Tessamae's Lemon Garlic dressing ( only brand of dressing that's Whole 30 approved, I found it at my local store, but they also have a website. They will also tell you which of their products are Whole 30 approved)
Grapes
I tried Kombucha, but it tasted like butt, so I gave up.

Dinner
Balsamic drizzled pan-seared London Broil (OMG I got it on the "old meat" rack. It was cheap)
Roasted sweet potato wedges
Small spinach salad with tomatoes and strawberries
Topped with Tessamae's Balsamic dressing

I also get tired of drinking plain water. Sometimes I drink water with lemon, but that still gets boring. Yesterday I did this thing to the left here. I added strawberries. It was better. THEN I find out AFTER I sip the liquid of ass Kobucha (and if you see how they make it, you'll see why it tastes like ass) I find out that LaCroix bubbly goodness in every flavor is Whole 30 approved. WTF?!?

Sigh.

Going back to the store today to get some and going to try some of their Mocktails Most of them include fruit juice. Just squeeze fresh fruit into your water or use frozen or fresh fruit instead of the fruit juice.

Until tomorrow when I'll feel like KILLING ALL THE THINGS! Which really isn't so different from a normal day for me.

The Whole 30

I was going to write about the rioting in Baltimore or the Religious Bigotry, I mean Freedom Act, but I started the Whole 30 yesterday and a friend said she hoped I would blog about it. So here I am. I heard about the Whole 30 from a friend last week. She had not done it specifically, but done some Paleo eating and said she had never felt better in her life, plus she looked like she probably dropped some weight.

She used to suffer from Fibromyalgia. She said that after eating Paleo for a while, her fatigue went away and her aches and pains. She said it also helps with many other ailments, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrom (CFS) and other things we just may not like about ourselves.  If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that recently I was diagnosed with CFS. You also know that it took a couple years to diagnose and that I absolutely hate it. When my doctor told me I just had to live with it and learn how to love myself this way, I was like "Hell no!" So when my friend told me how it helped her, I thought I would give it a shot.

Let me say this first and foremost: The Whole 30 is not a "diet." Yes, it will probably help you lose weight, but it's more about your body, mind, and soul. This is a lifestyle change.  This is supposed to improve everything about you and make you realize that you don't need all the extras you eat and make you NOT want to go back to the way you were eating.

Now, I'm just starting, so I have no proof about this, but here is a list of only some of the things the plan can do for you according to the Whole 30:

Inner physical rewards:

1.  Fewer blemishes
2. Glowing skin
3. No more circles under your eyes
4. Stronger nails
5. Thicker hair
6. Fresher breath 
7. Flatter stomach
8. Defined muscle tone
9. Looking younger

Outward physical rewards:

1. Less stiff and painful joints
2. Fewer PMS symptoms
3. Increased libido *cough*
4. Less gas, bloating, heartburn, acid reflux and all the other nasty stuff that comes with a bad stomach
5. Fewer illnesses
6. Fewer allergies
7.  Less chronic fatigue (YAY!!)
8. Less chronic pain
9. Improved blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar

Emotional rewards:

1. Happier
2. More patient
3. Less anxious
4. Less stressed
5. Fewer mood swings
6. Improved depression
7. Fewer sugar and carb cravings
8. Better body image
9. More self esteem

 Brain function improvement:

1. Improved attention span
2. Improved work or school performance
3. Improved memory
4. Faster reaction time
5. Fewer ADHD symptoms
6. Clearer thinking

I'm going to stop there because they tout SO MANY more benefits. Basically on top of all the above, you'll sleep better, have more  energy for EVERYTHING!! You will exercise more, harder and better. You will have a better relationship with food and rid yourself of cravings, emotional eating, using food as a reward, etc.

In a nutshell, you will be awesome.

For me, the physical, emotional and brain rewards are where it's at. If I can improve my energy, lessen my fatigue and allergies, and get a clearer head, I'm good to go.

So, what's involved? I will talk more about that tomorrow because this blog is getting really long. I want to tell you how my first day went.

It went fine except I didn't do proper shopping (which I highly recommend you do. Print out their shopping list and go to town) so I got a little hunger at night, but not until 8 or 9. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast
Palm sized pork sausage patty
Pineapple
I'm pretty sure I had something else, but I can't think of what it might have been.

Lunch 
Chicken thigh (I bought the kind with the bone because I'm going to make some stock out of it which you can use for the program)
Green salad with topped with hot sauce
Banana

Dinner

Grass fed Angus patty
Bed of lettuce, onion, tomato and Avocado
Pineapple (I had to finish the pineapple because it was very close to being bad).

I was fine through dinner. Not hungry at all. Then, like I said...I'm sure it's because I didn't eat any real hearty vegetables. So I'm going to pick some more up today.

I'm not really good at eating veggies. Mostly because by the time I eat I'm starving and I'm not in the mood to clip, cut, wash, etc. Probably why I've been eating popcorn the last few months for dinner. So, to help me fix that, I made these veggie packs for snacks in case I get hungry, or if I do a fail at a meal and still need my veggies. They contain radishes, mushroom, snap peas, carrots and grape tomatoes.


I will say this about yesterday, I was surprised I wasn't more hungry and I felt well rested when I woke up today. Which for me, is very good because I never sleep well, including last night. I tossed and turned a bit, but still felt really good this morning. Woke up at 6 am and stayed up. That hardly ever happens anymore.

Tomorrow I'll talk more about the program, if you want more info before them, you can always visit the Whole 30 online.