Our Organic Journey Part 1: Produce & Pantry

This post has been a long time coming. Over the last year or so, Dan and I have been transitioning to a totally organic life. It's still a work in progress but I'd say we're 80% organic and loving it. I want to talk about that journey and what we've learned from the changes we've made because it's important.

As I started writing this, I realized had way more information than I could fit into one post so I broke it up into three. This is going to veer from being strictly about eating organic and also about eating cleaner in general. My goal is to provide tips to help you clean up your diet (and other areas in your life!) and doesn't strictly mean eating organic. There are ways to make better decisions even with non-organic food and I just want this to educational and accessible.

Organic delivery day!!!!

Some Background

Dan and I have eaten healthy for years. We eat a ton of vegetables and exercise often. We eat virtually no sugar or processed foods. I had been taking multi-vitamins and probiotics for a while (just the cheapest ones I could find). Despite all of this, I was getting sick ALL THE TIME. Between October 2017 and March 2018, I got sick 4 times - each for about a week. That's a week without going to the gym, or leaving the house much, or having energy to do basic things. It's debilitating and I was OVER IT.

Where it all began!!!

I decided to take a good hard look at my life, and all I could think was that I drink a significant amount of wine (but doesn't it have antioxidants?) and I work from home so maybe my low exposure has made my immune system vulnerable. That didn't seem to be enough to make me get sick so much. I talked to my doctor and all she could recommend was washing my hands more.

So I started washing my hands whenever I got home and after working out at the gym just to be safe. Around the same time, I was starting to read books on pregnancy because we were going to start trying. They all said the same thing: "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GO ORGANIC NOW." Maybe not quite in all caps but they went into detailed explanations about why non-organic products and food are SO bad and tips on what to switch to and how to clean up your life. I was shook.

We made changes slowly over a several month period of time but in the process we found out a lot of really cool stuff. I also got sick WAY less often. I went from getting something every month or two to barely getting sick at all (even while pregnant, with a lower immune system, I got two very mild colds all winter). I wanted to share some of our tips and experiences to help anyone else thinking of going this route.

Healthy AND Organic!

Produce

When people think organic, produce is the most obvious thing that comes to mind. Grocery stores have big produce sections divided by organic or conventional and it's to see. Since college, I've seen this area and avoided it and it's high costs. After reading my books, I learned why this may have been a bad idea. To start out - not all conventional produce is bad. In fact, there's an annual list of which fruits and veggies are more likely to be susceptible to pesticides and other issues, and what's generally safe. As you can imagine, anything with a thick rind or exterior tends to be ok but here's the latest Clean 15/ Dirty Dozen list so you have an idea where to start.

Now what are the best places to buy your organic Dirty Dozen? First up - Costco is amazing for organic produce and other groceries. Generally, they always have an option of organic or not, and if they don't, it's because the organic option is the only option. Cost wise, it's easy to see side by side what the difference is (with green beans I bought recently, they were the same price). When there's only one option, it's not bad either. We love bell peppers but they're not the cheapest vegetable. However, the organic ones from Costco are always competitive with conventional grocery store peppers.

Imperfect but still looking good!

We also found a service called Imperfect Produce. I've been unhappy with other CSAs despite loving the concept. Imperfect Produce works a little differently. They take the produce that grocery stores don't want (weird size, different shape, or simply just a surplus) and sell it at a discount. This makes organic vegetables more affordable and delivered straight to my door. As with anything, it has pros and cons. Everything is completely customizable and it's easy to skip weeks if you don't need it or don't like the options. On the cons - don't expect perfection. I know it says it in the name but I still get caught off guard when I get a beet the size of my head or a butternut squash smaller than my left hand. In any case, here's a referral if you're interested.

A look at the Flipp app!

Lastly, I've recently discovered Sprouts. I mean, I've known about them forever and it's been a great, inexpensive healthy food option, but thanks to a Facebook post from a gym friend, I've discovered their weekly deals. Their weekly flier comes out every Monday or Tuesday and is good Wednesday-Wednesday. That means that every Wednesday, this and the previous week's deals are both available. I've been going to Sprouts every Wednesday to maximize my benefit. I use an app called Flipp to mark things in the ad I'm interested in and use it as a shopping list.

Stores like Trader Joe's, Aldi, and Whole Foods are also great for a lot of organic options at reasonable prices. Now that Whole Foods is owned by Amazon, they have a lot of surprise deals on high quality produce. I recommend still using apps like Flipp to check for deals before you go. You can plan your shopping list and menu around what you already know will be on sale.

Another solution is growing your own!!! I don't feel like you totally need organic seeds or an organic starter plant (although this would help) but when you're managing your own garden, you're in control of the fertilizing and pesticides so you know you can keep it clean. I'm going to talk more about gardening in another post, but since it's technically produce, wanted to mention it now too. Even if you have a small space, there are a lot of hanging gardens and window box options so you can at least do a small herb or pepper garden!

I have some bias here because I don't really mind grocery shopping (I know some people hate it), but now that I have my grocery "schedule," it's been even easier. I go to Sprouts on my lunch break every Wednesday. I get my Imperfect Produce box every Thursday. I can coordinate these because I've picked my Imperfect Produce by Tuesday and also used Flipp to decide what I will be buying on sale at the store. I usually also go to Vons or Trader Joes at some point during the week to fill in any gaps of things that aren't available at Sprouts (TJs and Sprouts are pretty similar so I'm 100% talking about TJs' chocolate covered coconut almonds and freezer items which are unparalleled).

Disclaimer: it can be hard to know
how much you're getting from Imperfect!

Pantry Items

The pantry is really where this journey began years and years ago. Before I went Paleo and now organic, my original goal was just to not eat chemicals. When you word it like that, I think most people would think, "oh gross, yea, I don't want to eat chemicals." I started by just reading labels. If there were long chemical words I didn't know, I didn't buy it. It was pretty eye opening. From there, I found other weird trends in food labels. Have you ever read a pasta sauce label? I challenge you to go read a label for a big brand pasta sauce. Most of them have sugar. Why? Pasta sauce shouldn't be sweet. But sugar is an inexpensive preservative and... it's addictive. It's the reason you keep going back to foods you know aren't good for you.

SAAUUCCCEEEE

With the pasta sauce, I started with just reading labels. I found other sauces that had ingredients that make more sense for pasta sauce: tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, herbs.... real things that I'd expect!!! When I moved to San Diego, I decided to up the game and try making sauce from canned or fresh tomatoes. That didn't go so well... however, cans of plain tomato sauce are inexpensive and provide a great blank canvas. You can get a box of cans at Costco for ~$10 (to contrast, one jar of pre-made stuff is like $6) and it lasts months. It's also organic. I love adding my own seasoning, herbs, veggies, and meats to a can of plain tomato sauce. And the only ingredient? TOMATOES!!!!

So if you're trying to clean up your pantry game, here is my step by step to buying items that are better for you:

1. Read the label
2. Is there one with fewer, purer ingredients?
3. Can I make this myself for not too much work or money?
4. Is there an organic option?

And of course... I have some money saving tips!!

Not my dream pantry but I'm stocked up!
Including a few extras that I got on sale

First, Costco is always gold. I've been shopping there for myself since college and I'm amazed year over year how much more of their stock is becoming organic/natural/clean. For just about everything, there is an organic option (either this is the only option or they have a regular and an organic). For the meats and things listed above, this can have a price increase... but in the pantry area it's usually really comparable! If you're not a Costco member, I'd see if a friend can take you. With Venmo and things, it's easy to pay someone back and being able to do a test shop before committing to the membership, is a good idea. You also get two cards per membership so it could be worth joining with another household. If you're doing that and buying a lot, the executive membership gives you a voucher every year. Ours just about covers our membership and that's just for two people (who also are using services like Butcherbox, Imperfect Produce, and other grocery stores for a lot of shopping). Unrelated to food - Costco also has a travel service where you'll get things like Costco gift cards (we booked our honeymoon this way and got like $200 to Costco in addition to it being the cheapest site to book the trip and some bonuses during our stay). Likewise, they have printing site (cheapest photo prints and cards around), optometrist, and pharmacy.

If you're not ready to join Costco, or they just don't have what you're looking for (or in the size you need!), I also highly recommend just paying attention to deals. I already mentioned Sprouts but I'll say it again - check out the double deal Wednesdays!!! Pantry items are on sale more than fresh ones and they last!!! If you know you eat a lot of a pantry item and it goes on sale, there's no harm in stocking up. I use an app called Flipp to mark items on sale that I'm interested in. When I'm shopping, I just open the "list" part of the app and see if I want to get anything that I clipped. I always go on Wednesday so I have my two weeks of deals and whatever is in the monthly ad all saved on my phone.  I use it mostly for Sprouts but if I'm going to another store to stock up on groceries, I'll scan their deals as well in case there is anything really good.

Lastly, Amazon can be a great place for organic pantry items. You can use the Prime Pantry service to get a discount on a variety of pantry items. I personally like subscribe and save though. I get a few of my pantry staples and seasonings on subscription which gets me an extra 15% off of the price. Sometimes I don't need items as frequently as the subscription is set but all I have to do is update it a week before my monthly delivery date. With such a big database of products though, it's a great place to search for organic items and compare prices.

Like most things, pantry discounts come with buying on sale and buying in bulk. If you have a nice sized pantry or storage, this is way easier. I've been able to take advantage of more deals since we started living in houses instead of apartments. I DREAM of having a butler's pantry some day though so I can really go nuts in this department. Right now I have to carefully keep in mind how much cabinet space I have. I'd love to stock up more, but for now, just adding something to my list when I'm running low is good enough.

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I have one more pregnancy post that I'd like share before the baby comes but then I'll get back to parts 2 & 3 of this series so stay tuned over the summer for more on how to slowly change to an organic lifestyle.

Whole30 Wrap Up

Disclosure - I've been writing this entry as I've been going along. Some of my views may have changed a little so if it is disjointed, I apologize in advance.

I've outlined this as a little FAQ. Some of these are questions we've been asked. Some are questions I imagine you want to ask. Some are just answers because I like talking at my readers and if you're reading this, I'm guessing you're ok with that.

I'm so proud of this transformation so here it is again!

What Did You Miss the Most?

Easy - chocolate, cheese, and wine. Between those three, they varied a lot. At first, it was cheese. I'd gotten to the point where I was using it as a crutch and putting it in almost all of my food. I love cheese, but I see now how ridiculous it was. However, to compensate, I've been smothering everything in hot sauce so I'm not sure I learned much.

Wine and chocolate were really sorely missed when I was having difficult days. Those were the ones where I needed both but there were always instances where one seemed more preferable to the other. The day when I had the really bad cramps, I would have loved some chocolate. I always think about how in Harry Potter they use chocolate to help heal. Part of my believes that's real and I needed that chocolate healing power some of my 30 days.

At first, I didn't miss the wine much at all. It was more... something to do? I was worried about temptation to drink going out but staying in made me realize how much I just enjoy having a glass while I'm reading or watching TV. Later in the Whole30, I was really stressed and wanted some wine just to wind down. There were also some days where I would just think about the wine that would be perfect for that moment - maybe because it paired with my dish or the day was particularly nice and I wanted a refreshing glass of rose.

However, not being able to have those 3 things did accomplish something for me - it gave me more freedom over my actions. If I have wine and am tipsy, I can't work out.. same thing if cheese makes me feel less than optimal. It was nice to not have anything keeping me from an evening workout or doing what I needed to do. Obviously, chocolate is perfect and has no ill side effects so it doesn't really apply here.

What did you enjoy the most?

Buying new clothes now that I'm skinnier!! Just kidding...

If you've been reading this blog for a long time, I bet you know the answer. I loved finding new things to cook that were totally Whole30 compliant and super delicious. I have so many cook books that I largely ignore and instead I dove head first into them. I got to make so many awesome dishes and I have so many more untouched recipes. I think we could do a Whole365 and still only have to repeat things just because we like the taste and not out of lack of ideas.

We definitely were not bored with our meals

What Was the Hardest Part?

The hardest part of my Whole30 had nothing to do with Whole30. In the course of my 30 days my Aunt that I was very close with passed away, my work was very hectic, and I was training for a half marathon. Any of these situations on their own would have been hard to deal with and I had them all piled against me at once. These are all also situations that people tend to use as excuses to binge. I couldn't binge on Whole30 .

And that was a very good thing.

I think it's easy to latch onto our hardships as excuses and instead I had to find other ways to cope. While the running and half marathon training started out as a struggle, it ended up being a very useful form of stress relief. I also had my determination to finish and enjoy Whole30 to latch onto. I found a better way to work through my difficulties and have learned that instead of eating my feelings or drinking my stress, I can pour myself into a project or challenge and get a much better result.

I also think some of the rules are little too strict. I know a couple of things I used had little residual amounts of sugar (as a preservative), While the rest of the ingredients were clean or organic, this would still be non-compliant. I didn't stress over these things though so I guess I technically didn't have a perfect Whole30. I also think going strict on the "no treats even if the ingredients are all ok" is too much as well. Using paleo treats or alternatives are a great way to make healthier choices while still having fun with food.

Food is also a very social thing. However, eating out provides a lot of food and drink temptations. I found it easier to stay in than tease myself. While this helped me find lots of drink-free activities, it also made it harder to hang out with my friends because I didn't want to force this on them. I'm much happier now that I can find a balance of fun nights out and staying in to cook healthy meals.

Should I Try Whole30?

Early in my Whole30, I wrote out a whole long answer to this that basically said you shouldn't unless you have a lot of health problems, want to lose a lot of weight, or aren't drinking anyways because you're pregnant or don't drink or whatever. I deleted that whole thing because now that I've finished, I don't think that's the case.

So let's start over - before I can tell you if you should try Whole30, you need to ask yourself what you want to gain from this. Maybe you just saw my blog and haven't thought about it too much, or maybe you want a change for some reason. Limiting your diet for 30 days isn't easy. I think you need to really need to have at least one good reason that you can cling to when it starts getting tough. That will get you through the first 15 days. After that, your desire to not want to throw away the fact that you made it that far, will probably take you the rest of the way - but back to that one good reason. For me, it was wanting to do the most for my body to feel as good as possible going into my first half marathon. I also wanted my clothes to fit better but I'm not sure that would have been enough on its own.

If you need help thinking of good reasons - here are some:

• Lose weight - I know I just said that wasn't a great reason... but that was for me. I wasn't big to begin with though and my weight struggles were more with the increasing difficulty of staying the same size as we age. I wasn't overweight by any means. However, some people have much more difficult weight struggles. If your weight is impacting your health and you've tried everything and it's not working - try this. 
• Have more energy - Do you feel lethargic all the time? Are you not able to enjoy things because you're tired and mopey? Try this. Whole30 eating is a great way to give your body the type of fuel it really needs to function well. Be warned though - the first week, you'll be the type that are hit extra hard by the lethargy bus as your body adapts. 
• Battle long term health issues - I can't speak to this one personally, but the Whole30 book has a ton of stories from people with all ranges of health issues and inflammations that saw them decline or disappear over their 30 days. 
• Break bad food or drink habits - I didn't realize how far off the bus I'd fallen on this one until I was depriving myself of treats or drinks. Now that I'm post Whole30, I'm learning responsible ways to indulge. I want to drink less because I don't like feeling cloudy or not in control of myself. Treats feel more like much deserved rewards for my athletic endevours - rewards that I have to earn and rewards that I try to limit to one a day. I'm picking up better habits that let me enjoy fun food and treats without letting them take control of my life.
• Sleep better - I definitely have minor insomnia. While this didn't completely go away, I found that I slept through the whole night better. This led to me naturally waking up well before my alarm feeling rested and that means longer days where I can do more with my life. Paired with more energy - I feel pretty unstoppable some days.
• Combat/ identify food allergies - A lot of people have more food allergies than they're aware of and these could be affecting the way you feel from the energy and sleep mentioned above to just having stomach aches or cramps. I've had a few friends who didn't realize for a long time that they had gluten sensitivities and it's been a big life changer to find that out. 
• Prepare for an athletic event - This was my main reason and it was a great driver. I was having trouble waking up for my runs and was feeling really burnt out. Making a big dietary adjustment like this helped get me really into my half marathon training and I'm actually excited to do more of them. I feel like I'm just unlocking my body's potential.. at 29... I wish so much that I'd discovered this earlier when my body would have had even more ability.
• Teach kids healthy eating habits - Some people tell me they can't do this because they have children... wouldn't you rather have your kids growing up eating veggies and healthy snacks than junk food? Nomnompaleo.com is a really good resource for this. She has two kids and talks a lot about snacks and what things they love and teaching her children good habits from the get go. Remember how I said I wish I could have unlocked my body's potential at a younger age? Don't you want to give that gift to your kids? The Whole30 guidelines also say that children or those pregnant or breast feeding can and should eat lots of snacks and feed their growing bodies. 

So - if any of these scenarios might apply to you, give it a shot. It's 30 days. In the grand scheme of things, that's not very long. You can do anything for 30 days. If you hate it after that and feel terrible, that's it, you're done. But I really doubt it will come to that. 

Also - you can share this awesome picture if you make it all 30 days. I know you are all going to start your Whole30 RIGHT NOW just for that.

Any Tips for Getting Started or Having Success?

Definitely!!! Here are some bullet points:

• Buy the book - For a paleo beginner, the recipes will be very helpful. I've been cooking mostly paleo for years so there was nothing dazzling in it for me but it really holds your hand through each day. The first 15 days or so are very difficult and the book gives a nice guide for getting through them as well as what you have to look forward too. There are also a lot of recipes for basic sauces and condiments you can make at home so you're not missing out on mayo or ketchup or BBQ sauce.
• Clean out the pantry/fridge - In general, I try not to keep anything "bad" in the house. I never buy bread, highly processed foods, etc. However, I had a lot of gluten free or paleoish snacks lying around. To deal, I put them all in a paper bag and hid them in the closet. When I first went paleo, I donated a lot of "bad" food to the food bank too. 
• Get Inspired - Like I said, the book doesn't have the most dazzling recipes ever... but they are out there. Look up famous paleo bloggers to get good recipes. Paleomg, Nom Nom Paleo, Balanced Bites, and Primal Palate are just a few great resources with lots of new recipes showing up all the time. They all have at least one cook book as well if you want to invest a little money in it. Feel free to ask me what my personal favorites are! 
• Make shopping lists and plan ahead - Recipe planning and lists will save you! I like to bookmark / flag/ pin exciting recipes. When I'm planning a shopping trip, I'll look through them and see what jumps out at me and make lists. Don't forget to include some basics and staples though that you'll use all the time like eggs, fruits, hot sauce, prosciutto, and avocados... at lest those are my staples... those might vary depending on your tastes
• Invest in your kitchen - The best way to do this is really to cook. Eating out for every meal will not get you the results you want because even if you check every box and modify your order, there's a good chance some non compliant ingredients lurking. However, cooking can be hard and this is where kitchen tools come in handy. You obviously don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on this but if you want to make this a lifestyle change, it's helpful to pick up a new tool every few weeks. Here are my favorites:
• One really good knife - of course more are better but one very good knife that you can use for anything will save you a lot of frustration
• A food processor - this is the most pricey item, but is a big time saver and will allow you to make sauces, soups, salsas, purees, or just chop things quicker. I have one that has attachments for a blender, processor, and smoothie cups which is awesome.
• A spiralizer - this is the most fun item on the list. If you were every wondering how to make zoodles, this is it! 
• A Crock Pot - for all those times you think "I don't have time to cook." I used my Crock Pot several times during Whole30 and I'm excited to keep unlocking it's potential. It's so awesome to pop a few ingredients in, turn it on, and then go to sleep or work and have dinner cooking in the background

Will You Continue Whole30 or Do Another One?

So after all of that, I'm sure you know what my answer is.... yes! I don't know if I would commit to another pure Whole30 short of being pregnant or completely losing all self control. I might consider hoping on the January ones every year as a post-holiday detox, but other than that, doing a full 30 day Whole30 might not be necessary.

However, I think Dan and I both really liked the effects and want to strive to a mostly Whole30 lifestyle. I'm obviously going to start having wine and cheese and chocolate again but maybe in moderation now. I think we don't have to eat out and have cheat meals as much. I want to use treats as an award for my hard work. For example, I still have leftover birthday cake in the freezer. I had a bad day last week and almost ate it... and then stopped myself. I wanted to earn it so I'm saving it for after one of my long runs.

I also really like Melissa Hartwig's "One Bite Rule." The rule is that if you decide you can or want to have a cheat meal in your clean post-Whole30 life, there's nothing wrong with that. However, if you take a bite of your treat and realize it isn't everything you hoped and dreamed it would be, you're not obligated to finish it. We trick ourselves into thinking we have to and we feed our cravings by doing that.

Are You Driving the Food-Train or Does Dan Have Some Input? How Does He Feel About This?

We have a pretty easy time balancing our relationship and food. I buy and make most of the food we eat and Dan mostly goes along with it. He lets me know what he likes and doesn't like and I take that into account when I'm figuring out meals. Sometimes he'll say "We haven't had x in a while." or "We should grill soon." or something and I'll work on that too. I'd like to think about it as a very balanced, adult relationship. He's pretty open to trying new things that I make and I try to be sensitive to not making it too spicy or citrusy or whatever he doesn't like (especially since it's pretty easy to add that stuff to just my own plate).

What really surprised me though, was how much he ended up loving all of this. He wasn't as strict as me, of course. He had a couple of burgers and his birthday cake and a beer here and there. However, he mostly followed Whole30 - probably to a slightly stricter plan than what I would hope to continue on when we are done... and he has felt amazing. Dan's visible weight loss has also been obvious. He has a killer metabolism and works out a lot and he's a large person so weight changes really show up for him. I thought he would be unhappy with that but he told me he was having a much easier time at the gym. His pull-ups were much easier and he wasn't feeling and knee pain when running (which is something he had been struggling with a for a while). That all came at a time when I was struggling with Whole30 (as a consequence of struggling with other things). Hearing his non-scale victories was a great motivator.

If you can, do this with a partner. I know that I'm really lucky to 1) have an amazing partner to begin with and 2) have one that didn't bat an eye when I said I was going to do this. Ok... maybe he asked if our food was going to suck and then gave me a big hug when I said I wouldn't be drinking for a month. Anyways, the point is, if you can get your family on board (even just 90% on board), you'll have a much easier time doing this and sticking with it.

What is Your Plan for Moving Forward?

The most fun I had with this challenge was dusting off my cook books and making things that I've been meaning to try since I bought them... and I barely scratched the surface. For someone that enjoys cooking, having a huge stockpile of recipes is a Godsend. We were not bored with our food once I really got going on trying new things. We didn't even really have to repeat anything. If I did, it was more out of convenience or love of a dish than boredom or lack of options.

In general, I'd say our day to day will look more like strict paleo/primal. I'd like to stick with being mostly dairy free and only have cheese on occasion, maybe a couple of times a week for the dishes that really aren't the same without it. I think a glass of wine a night is fine and maybe a little more on the weekends. I still have a lot of training I want to do though which I think will keep me from hitting the sauce too hard. I also am ok with paleo baking going forward. For me, that was the silliest of the the Whole30 rules. I definiely understand that paleo waffles still aren't the healthiest food but I think allowing those treats every now and then and doing them in a way that is controlled and less bad is better than buying some over processed crap.

I just really want to continue on this path. I want to plan out more of my meals and use new recipes. I want to drink a little less wine than I was before. I want to save cheese and chocolate for special occasions. I want cheat meals to be a rare treat, not a regular occurrence. Mostly - I want to keep feeling good. I want my clothes to keep fitting well. I want my skin to keep glowing. I want to have control over my food and my health. But also - I want to be able to treat myself when I've earned it and enjoy social settings where there is food and alcohol. I feel like I'm in such an awesome place to make the best decisions for my health and my body... and my future.

Happy and Healthy

Whole30 - Days 30 and Beyond - Crossing the Finish Line

And the finish line!!! For me this was a literal and figurative finish line. I planned my Whole30 to end the night before my first half marathoner. Obviously, I didn't want to risk a stomach ache before my race so this carried through until I literally crossed the finish line. For me, it was really helpful to have an event as my ending date. It gave me a very real idea of how close I was to the finish.

But... let's see how we got there.

Day 30

Day 30 got off to an early start... like very early... like before 4 am early. For those who don't know, the half marathon was organized by Lululemon. One of the highlights of the event, is an exclusive store for the race. Limited edition race gear is released and for Lulu fanatics, this is a main reason to go. I'm not a crazy Lululemon fan (but that's changing day by day) but I've been getting into better shape and wanted to celebrate my half by picking up a few souveniers. I would have gone to the store a little later but my friends are crazy Lulu fanatics so we woke up early enough to make a rooster cry and headed out to wait in line. 

In the end though, it was fun to wait in line and shop with my friends. I picked up some fun things as well! I'll get into all of that in another post though. 

After all of that shopping though, I was hangry. My friend and I walked around forever before we found anything that I could work with. Finally, I found a place with eggs benedict. They had a few options for them - classic and one with tomatoes. While there was gluten free bread, I knew it probably wasn't compliant so I asked if I could use tomatoes instead of toast. The guy has absolultely no issues with my substitutions. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it came with a side of veggies as well. 

Note: I'm sure the hollandaise wasn't 100% compliant but it's not too far off and at this point, I think it's more reasonable to make a tiny exception rather than have trouble finding anything substantial to eat. 

For dinner, my friend coordinating the trip did an AMAZING job finding a place that would work with everyone's different eating restrictions (we also had a vegan and a carb lover). I was happy to have a few options that would give me the meat and carbs I needed pre-race and in the end, the menu had even more available than what was posted online. I ended up having this super balanced steak, potato, and asparagus meal.

But most of all... I FINISHED!!!! Finishing any big goal is awesome - as awesome as a ninja cat with a golden gun riding a fire breathing unicorn into a rainbow. It's funny, I actually almost missed the significance of finishing Whole30 since I was on a trip and getting mentally prepared for my race. I had a little moment of personal celebration though and then it was time for sleep.

Day 31

Since I was going into a half, I wanted to be careful about sticking with my normal Whole30 pre-race rituals so I didn't feel sick on the course. This is a pretty careful line since race day is always a little more anxious than a normal run and lots of things can contribute to throwing you off.

For pre-race, I'd been having fruit squeezes (Basically and organic apple sauce with other fruits mixed in. My favorite is apple, mango, & kale.) and some turkey. I was a little anxious so I didn't have a lot of my pre-race food but on such a long run, it was good to get something in.

And then I ran a half marathon! I ended up having cramps at some points and had to walk. I think that will all the craziness with traveling, I just didn't hydrate enough the day before. I made sure to stop at every water stop after that though and it helped a ton. As much as I would have wanted to run the whole thing, it was best to listen to my body. It's not going to be my last half and it gives me more to strive for.

And then there was post-race brunch! The race actually provided food which was awesome. Obviously this was not Whole30 and honestly, that was ok. I ran a half marathon, I burned 1300 calories, and my body needed sustenance. It was nice to have something to put into it right away and I started feeling better after getting some food and warmth back into my body.

And then it was treat time!! I obviously didn't want to fall off the wagon the first day off of Whole30 but I was on vacation and wanted at least one special Canadian treat... POUTINE!!! It was amazing and definitely a great reward for everything I'd done that day.

Of course, I didn't quite stop there... There was also the exclusive Lululemon beer that I had to try after the run. It was really good too!

...and then of course wine. Don't worry - I actually had a Whole30 dinner (kale slaw and deli meats) but I had a few drinks to celebrate as well. I thought I did great though - I was able to try the drinks I was curious about but didn't get drunk or overdo it. If the big takeaway here is just learning to enjoy alcohol responsibly and for the taste and enjoyment rather than getting wasted, then that's huge and this whole thing is a win.

And Beyond!

But after Day 31, there are many more days. I let myself have a few treats on Day 31, mostly because of the race, but I didn't want to let myself think that it was now ok to just binge. I really want to stick with an 80% Whole30 lifestyle and that picks up again immediately.

So I wanted Day 32 to be on track again and start experimenting with life after Whole30. The first stop was breakfast. I was able to get some potatoes, bacon, and eggs with no problem. I just asked them to hold the toast and it was so easy. 

It actually feels really nice to not feel restricted by a challenge but want to keep going with it and eating healthy. When I was reading through the menu, many of the exceptions just didn't even sound great. I'd rather keep doing what I'm doing and feel awesome than get back into the bad habits that had me feeling down in the first place.

For dinner, aside from the wine, I still stuck to something Whole30 - a salad with crab, shrimp, avocado, and tomatoes. It didn't need cheese or anything else that wasn't compliant. I even nursed my glass of wine. I was mostly just thirsty and wanted to down a lot of water. After one small glass, I stopped up the bottle to save the rest for another night.

Actually, the next night was a little rough for me. We had a crazy day at work and my whole team had to be on all night. Dan's family was in town so I was trying to barbecue dinner while working. After work was finally done, I decided to just finish the bottle of wine - a bad, old habit.

I'm sure you could guess what happened... I felt terrible. I didn't like the foggy feeling in my head or not being fully in control of myself. It was a bad slip but also an important one. It was good for me to realize that I don't need more than a glass of wine a lot and that drinking more doesn't make me feel better. It's ok to enjoy wine, but there's really no pointing in continuing to drink it once you've passed the point of enjoyment.

Summary

I also took my before and after pictures. It's so easy to see that I definitely had a lot of bloat before. My tummy is flatter now, and my facial features are more prominent. I'm generally in a better mood with more energy (although a lot of recent stress has been working against that). My legs (where I carry my weight more) lost A LOT of size. The shorts in both aren't the exact same but they are the same size/cut/brand and you can see how much looser they are around my thighs. For weight, I went from 136 to 131 so not huge but something. I chalked it up to muscle gain from all my working out.

But there was still something curious about that... my change seemed more drastic than 5 pounds and running usually is a weight loser not a weight gainer like lifting is. I hadn't been doing as much strength training because I was a little over expended with work, running, and family issues.

And then I saw something interesting... many of the women who ran the half marathon were saying they were up 5 pounds the day(s) after the race and wanted to know if anyone else had experienced that. So, a few days later, I decided to weigh again.. this time the scale said 127. The next day... 126. All in all, I came out about 9 pounds down which is way more in line with the results I was seeing. 

I also took another picture:

I guess after the shock to your body of running a half marathon, you retain water and nutrients for a few days. Seeing my total transformation though is such a great motivator to keep this going. Dan and I weren't hungry and we weren't bored. We loved the food we were eating and were both really happy with the developments we saw in 30 days. Now, we aren't planning on being as strict - a little cheese or treat every now and then isn't terrible, but I want to do at least enough to maintain where I am. I don't feel like I need to lose anymore weight but I want to keep feeding my body well and letting it decide where it feels more healthy. 

I'm going to do one more wrap up post with my all encompassing feelings about Whole30 so be sure to tune in for that as well!!

Whole30 - Days 27-29 - On the Road

Almost done!!! Of course I couldn't make it easy and include Day 30 in this. You'll have to wait a little longer to see how that goes.

I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures. I thought it would be easier to take some while I was traveling but being on the road really throws me off and I just didn't think about it a lot of the time. I hope that doesn't take away from the post too much!

Day 27

I maybe had the best night of sleep I've had since starting this thing. I was worried last week when my sleep was bad. Good sleep was one of the better side effects I'd noticed and then it disapeared so I was worried I was doing something wrong. It turns out it was just the stress. Food affects us so much, but stress affects us even more. Having work calm down and getting things ready for my trip (as well as my super long walk) definitely put me in a good spot to get a better night's sleep. I woke up really rested and it felt wonderful.

I started with a nice leftovers breakfast. We still had a couple of pork chops so I heated those up with some potatoes and eggs. I have the worst non-stick pans ever so my over easy eggs always turn out over scrambled. I really need to invest in something better. 

For dinner, I wanted something easy but nice. Getting ready for a trip can be a little stressful with packing and make sure work is wrapped up, but from an eating perspective, it's also nice to enjoy your last home cooked meal in a while. The balance is finding something easy and quick. 

I decided to go with some Mahi Mahi over cauliflower rice with two salsas. The Mahi Mahi was super easy. I thawed my fish fillets over the course of the day then I just lightly seasoned them with salt,garlic powder, and ghee (lime works well too) and baked them for 20 minutes. It's also nice to broil for the last couple of minutes to get some nice color. The cauliflower just needed to be cut up and then pulsed in the food processor until it was in rice sized pieces. Then I just cooked it in bacon fat in a large skillet. The salsas were the easiest part. I started with the mango - I cut up a mango, some cilantro, and a jalapeno. I put it in a food processor with some lime juice and pulsed it a couple of times until I had big chunks. This salsa ended up being way too spicy on its own so I paired it with a milder pico de gallo I had in the fridge. Then I just sliced up some avocado and served it all together. 

This sounds like a lot of work but it was all really easy and I was able to do everything while the fish was baking while also taking plenty of breaks.

And then it was time to mentally get ready to leave my puppy behind. We went on a long walk and got some fun pictures, but I knew I would be sad to leave her behind. 

Day 28

Time to hit the road!

I didn't get a lot of pictures on day 28, but I managed to capture this one of one of my travel solutions. When I drive up to LA in the morning sometimes, I'm definitely guilty of stopping at McDonald's for something quick to grab and go. This obviously wasn't a Whole30 option. I decided just to pack up a little container of leftovers. This gave me something to munch on when I got hungry (or bored sitting it traffic) and made sure I was eating right.

For lunch, I knew exactly where to go - Chipotle. Chipotle is an amazing option for Paleo/Whole30 eating on the go. You can get the burrito bowl salad - no rice or beans, add fajita veggies along with your meat, and then you can have any salsa except corn as well as the extra guac. I did double meat and it was way too much food for me to finish - aka you won't starve eating Whole30 at Chipotle.

For dinner, my mom really came through for me. She make me steak and veggies with a side of mashed butternut squash. It was so delicious and I was really grateful she had no problem adapting dinner to meet my restrictions. 

On that note too, on this kind of challenge, it can be hard to see the day to day changes in yourself. I'd seen my mom about 6 weeks before and when I showed up, she immediately noticed a difference in my appearance. That definitely goes down as a non-scale victory!

Day 29

And then it was off to the races!!! 

Day 29 had me getting up early and heading to the airport to go to Vancouver for my half marathon! Even thought travel is annoying, getting to a new destination is always fun and I was pumped to flaunt my workout gear and excitement for the trip ahead!

But traveling on a restricted eating plan isn't easy. I had a little breakfast before leaving but I wasn't sure if that would be enough so I picked up some pistachios at the airport shop in case I got hungry.

And then we were off! The takeoff out of LAX goes over the ocean and since I nabbed a window seat, I got an awesome view of the beach on takeoff.

When I arrived in Vancouver, I was definitley hungry. A small breakfast and some nuts to snack on definitely don't cut it for a day of traveling. I was able to find a little salad place to get lunch at. It wasn't quite as filling as I'd hoped but it was enough to hold me over until dinner.

For dinner, one of my friends and I went to sushi. I was able to eat some seaweed salad and lots of sashimi to fill me up. I would have taken some pictures but we ended up having a lot of great conversation and it completely distracted me from the food. As much as I love taking food pictures, sometimes it's way more important to live in the moment and it's totally ok to miss a picture if you're just really present in what you're doing.

Summary 

Finding Whole30 options on the road isn't the easiest thing but it's not impossible. You just have to bring along some smart snacks and be patient in the search for menu items that work or can be easily adapted.

Whole30 - Days 24-26 - Powering Through

I heard a quote once - "You can feel crappy all the time, or you can feel real happy all the time, and it's always your choice." It's always stuck with me. Obviously everyone has bad days and we can't always help letting a little crappiness in... but then do what you can to push it out. I closed my computer Friday and I did not open it again all weekend. That was my decision: to be happy.

Day 24

I was really excited about Day 24. We had some friends coming over for a pool day and grilling. Before any of that could start though, we had some groceries to buy. I thought it would be fun to go on a bike ride to the store. Dan could watch the bikes while I ran in. It would be a great way to work out and run errands at the same time. It mostly went really well. We hit some traffic on our bike path which always gets us a little grumpy but overall, it was nice to get out on the bikes and our view was just bonkers gorgeous. 

But OMG grilling... Whole30 actually lends itself perfect to it, and I'm not sure why we haven't done more of it. I'm a little crazy with hosting and making sure there's enough food so I definitely went overboard. I made kobe burgers with sweet potato buns and then some carne asada.

We also had a nice fruit tray laid out. Notice how I went with the actual cantaloupe this time instead of those inconsistent pepinos.. we also had some prosciutto because salty pig parts + sweet fruit = heaven

To top off the tacos, I made some bomb guacamole and bought some salsa. I've been hesitant to buy salsa because of possible non-compliant ingredients but I always feel like something is missing when I made my own. I decided to just buy some but read the ingredients carefully. Turns out, the one I normally buy was definitely ok so that was awesome to find out.

My plate turned out awesome as well! My friend, Leanne, brought some veggies to grill as well which rounded everything out beautifully.

After our pool and sun time, we did some hot yoga with my friend Lindsey. It was such an awesome easy going Saturday. I had a lot of fears this month about finding things to do that didn't involve drinking. It's been so nice that my friends have still had fun with my sober activities and reminded me that we don't need alcohol to have fun (but that no one will so no when I bring out the wine either).

After yoga, it was nice to come back to so many tasty leftovers. I probably had more fruit than recommended but I normally don't have any and it was such a beautiful summer day, it was nice to have the treat. 

Dan and I went to see Fantastic 4 that night (meh - I'm still really sad they didn't get absorbed into the MCU because they would be so amazing in Civil War... but I digress). When we got home, I captured this cute picture of my two little ones sharing the couch. I think they might be best friends soon...

Day 25

Day 25, I just felt awful. I feel like I haven't been getting enough sleep lately. I usually stay up until the same time but I'll wake up an hour before my alarm raring to go. This isn't a bad thing, of course. It's given me some more me time in the mornings. However, it means that I'm probably not getting enough sleep at night.

On Day 25, it finally caught up to me. It was as if my body knew that we didn't really have any plans and was telling me to just take a time out. I woke up later than usual, took the dog out, and then crawled back into bed for another 3 hours. When I finally woke up again, I had monster cramps and just felt like I didn't want to move at all.

I ended up spending most of the day lounging around and reading. I thought cramps was something Whole30 would help with so I was a little bummed that they seemed worse than usual. 

Eventually, by dinner time, I was feeling better. I had the foresight to thaw some pork chops while I was out of it. I was able to cook those up pretty quickly which I roasted some brussel sprouts and sauteed some sweet potatoes. 

The other good thing was that there were lots of leftovers!! It's always nice to set myself up to do a little less work, especially since I wasn't sure I'd be feeling better. 

Day 26

I definitely started my work day with some of the same frustrations as last week which wasn't awesome for me. I decided to take a different approach and fight fire with water instead of more fire. I very politely tried to explain processes and deal with reason. However, those things didn't work. Luckily, my boss jumped in and really supported my case. It's definitely a game changer when you can get some back up and remember that you're not the unreasonable party.

After work was done, I decided to get in my run that I wasn't feeling well enough to do on Sunday. I have a great 6.5 mile loop but I thought I might be able to do something a little different to cut it down to 5.5-6 so I wasn't over exerting myself on taper week. I ended up getting lost and doing something closer to 7.5 miles. Oops.

After the run/hike, I was off to book club. I managed to get a nice shrimp and crab salad minus the cheese. I ordered a bacon vinagrette which probably wasn't Whole30 compliant but since I have no proof of that, I figured I could let it slide. I didn't take pictures because I'm sure that would look weird in front of people I don't know too well.

I came home and was feeling much better about work and stress. I was super tired from the extra long excursion but managed to fold laundry and get my packing organized. Having my work stress sorted out was definitely a huge weight off my shoulders and I'm happy it came just in time for me to enjoy the adventure I have ahead of me this weekend.

Summary

I'm happy the biggest source of my stress has calmed down a little. What I want to work on is also just keeping a positive attitude when I'm struggling. Also, sorry for the lack of food pictures. I've had a lot of leftovers to work through which isn't exciting. I have some travel coming up in the next few days though so hopefully I can show you what Whole30 looks like on the road... in Vancouver... FOR MY HALF MARATHON!!!

In the meantime, here's a funny picture of my foobear

Whole30 - Days 20-23 - Coping with Bad Days

This next group of days was probably my hardest of the challenge so far (while writing this, I'm on Day 26 and it still stands that 20-23 were the hardest). I think we all have those days where everything is kind of piling on you and something kind of snaps. You need a break, or to cry, or whatever. Those are the days when comfort food is so needed. I wanted more than anything to have some dark chocolate and a glass of wine, but I wanted to finish this the right way even more.

Day 20

Dan's birthday dinner really threw me off in a few ways. I had a lot of meats and things in the fridge and wasn't quite sure how to schedule them out since we ate out for a meal. I feel really bad about food going to waste, and I've been buying nicer ingredients so that's double wasteful. I decided to go on a day of cooking lots of big exciting things.

I was also feeling a little sluggish though. Despite my best efforts to order clean, I feel like there may have been some sneaky gluten or sugar or something bad in my food from the restaurant. I felt like I'd been hit by a train. If that's how I feel from just the possibility of some bad oils or a touch of gluten or sugar being in my food than it's really even more reason to stick with it (in moderation) once the 30 days is over. I'll have more on that down the road, but it was definitely my first big realization on what I'm thinking of for life after Whole30.

To compound all of that, Tuesdays are the busiest day at work for me and 90 minutes after I'd signed online, there was still no one from my team online.

I decided to call a timeout. Scallops were one of the things I'd bought that I was worried about. I couldn't think of any scallop breakfast dishes so I decided just to do a salad. Whatever, I don't need no breakfast police telling me what I can eat when. 

I also roasted some marrow bones as a kind of second breakfast. I'm a little on the fence about these. The taste is great and they are so good for you. They're reasonably easy to make also. However, I'm a big texture eater and without toast or something to put these on, it's just ooey gooeyness in your mouth and that's not super pleasant. I think I'd want to explore some other options for eating these in the future. 

For lunch, I had some fresh salmon that I cut up to have like sashimi. This would have been great with some cucumber but I'm so bad at using them that it doesn't make sense for me to buy one, use a little, and then waste it.

This also ended up being a perfect lunch because I was swamped at work and it was super easy to prepare. Which gets me started on one of the things that was making my week so stressful. I don't have a stressful job. It's one of the reasons I took it. It paid a little less than I was used to but I was ok with that for the peace of mind and flexibility. However, I'm feeling like week after week, more and more of my interactions have been stressful and condescending and that I can't even enjoy my lunch breaks.

For dinner, I had one more big thing I wanted to cook for the day. I have an amazing cookbook called Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans. It's probably my favorite paleo cookbook and I have a lot of them so you can take it on pretty good authority that it's awesome. There's a recipe for beautiful whole Branzini that I've always wanted to try but I never see them in stores. I've done it a few times with trout but I finally saw Branzini at Whole Foods and had to buy them. They were a little pricey but I was really impressed with the offer to clean them out for me and that definitely helped justify their expense.

The recipe is pretty straight forward - just season the fish and stuff it with lemon and fresh herbs. You then coat it with ghee and let 'em broil. Ok, that was really oversimplified but short of writing out someone else's recipe, that gives you the jist. 

I made the fish with some cauliflower rice and rainbow chard for a lovely, light summer dinner... that would have been perfect with some Rosé.... I'm definitely getting to the point where I'm really missing the wine.

And I know exactly what it has to do with - Bad days.

Tuesday was the start of a string of bad days for me. I was just so stressed out with work and my big energy rush was crashing. All of that combined with trying to fit in cooking and workouts and dealing with the fallout of my aunt's passing... it's all been really hard and stressful. I went to the movies later that night (and of course stepped in dog poop that someone didn't clean up because when you're having a hard time, it can always get worse.. I was wearing new shoes for the first time too, of course) with a coworker and told her about everything I was dealing with. I just wanted to cry. 

I wish I could then turn it around and be like "but Whole30 makes me feel perfect so I don't want wine or chocolate or mac & cheese because I'm super woman eating super foods." It's not like that. I wish there was a chapter in the book on how to deal when you're feeling weak and having a hard time but there isn't. My options were to quit, have the chocolate, have the wine, and be done with it... or to not quit, push through, and be happy with that. Maybe that is the lesson... the silver lining... that as much as giving in would have felt nice, I know I would have felt horrible for quitting. That would have been the last thing I needed - to feel that in addition with so many things being difficult for me, I couldn't even do that one thing in my power to control.

And maybe the strength in ourselves is the one thing to cling onto - because when so many things are disappointing, you can at least work to not disappoint yourself. 

Day 21

Wednesday was a little better. I was still feeling a lot of the same stress and was still getting really overwhelmed. Work was a little slower but it's still hard to deal with people sending you rude emails because they don't understand things. I decided to take a longer lunch break and get some fresh air and feel better. 

That definitely helped and then I came home and prepared a random lunch with more items-that-will-go-bad-soon from the fridge. It ended up being kind of super awesome. I had scallops, prosciutto wrapped figs, guacamole, and the rest of my salmon sashimi. I haven't loved the use of coconut aminos instead of soy sauce but I did like the guacamole as a topping for the scallops and the sashimi. The acidity from the lemon in it really went well with the fish.

I was still feeling pretty "meh" about doing my run though. However, living with a personal trainer, makes it hard to be lazy with those things. Dan is always there to push me when I'm not feeling like getting my workouts in and it's so helpful. Him and Harley came with me on a nighttime run around the harbor and showed me some new sites. It actually was really exhilarating to get out and it helped worked through some of my frustration for sure. I need to remind myself that working out gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy and happy people don't chuck their work laptop over their balcony. 

For dinner, I just made a simple salad with slow cooker pork, tomatoes, apricots, and spinach. I wasn't super hungry after my run which is weird so it was nice to just throw together something simple and easy. 

Day 22

Day 22 started with some adorableness. Callie had been at the vet getting her teeth cleaned the whole day before. Since we brought her home, Harley kept following her around all day. She had been so worried about her sister not being there. It was pretty cute. Callie was on some meds so she didn't even mind too much. 

Work went better too and there wasn't much to report there. It's still frustrating getting rude emails though, but at least there were fewer of them.

Moving on to fun things... my coworker friend and I had tickets to a dance show that night! We decided to get all dressed up so it was a fun excuse to ruffle through my closet and pick out something fun to wear. It was also nice to see that my dresses were fitting a lot better. Having made it past my Tuesday hurdles definitely felt worth it to know that it's paying off - my stomach is looking flatter, my skin is clear, and I do feel great when I'm not stressed. I had so many people comment on my picture that they're noticing the change and it's so helpful in continuing the journey.

The show was great too! It was Move LIVE on Tour with the Hough siblings. I don't watch Dancing with the Stars so I didn't know what to expect but Lindsey really wanted to go and it sounded fun. It was amazing. They are so talented and I'm not really sure how they danced for 90 minutes and continued to breath. For someone with a long list of fitness goals, it is so motivating to see people do such amazing things with their bodies. I wanted to go home and run a few miles or play Dance Central or just MOVE. It was a perfect night out and I'm so happy Lindsey invited me! It was such a great mental boost.

Day 23

By Friday, I was definitely feeling better in general. I still wasn't back up to some of my earlier energy levels and wasn't waking up an hour early to get my run in like I had planned.. but better.

Better enough to make Dan and I and awesome breakfast of sweet potatoes, bacon, and spinach, topped with poached eggs and hot sauce. It's seriously one of my favorite breakfasts to make and you'll see it pop up quite a bit on my Instagram. 

That evening, I went on my run. This workout was pretty interesting. It was supposed to be 5 1-mile laps with a warm up and cool down. I had trouble finding a good loop until Dan showed me a new area on the Harbor on our Wednesday run. It was a little island that was about a mile.... except that in the summer the symphony is set up there... and they had a show Friday night... so half the island was closed off. I decided to just do shorter laps around the other half and do more of them. I figured about 8-10 laps would be great (in the end, I don't know how many I did). 

I had a lot of fun playing with different speeds. I did not have a lot of fun having guys on Segways try to follow me and check me out. It really bothers me how men think women running are just an open invitation for cat calls and advances. So to any men watching me or anyone else run, here is what they are thinking "MY workout has nothing to do with YOU." I would fathom a guess that almost everyone out there running or biking or whatever, is doing it because they want to accomplish something, not to get some attention from stranger so please, don't make my run about you. That is my time. 

Besides that though, there were lots of bunnies and I got to listen to the symphony on my run which was incredibly lovely. Dan and Harley met me for the end of it and we all walked back together. Coincidentally, all of the bunnies made themselves scarce around the time puppy turned up. 

After the run, I threw together a fun summer dinner. I made little sweet potato pulled pork sliders, grilled peppers, and some carrot and broccoli slaw. I love how I made that sound so easy... I mean, for the most part it was. However, those carrots and broccolis DID NOT come that way. Between a knife and a julienne peeler, I got a small amount of carrot, broccoli, and finger shredded before I finally gave up. I made the dressing from mayo, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and pepper. It kind of tasted like ranch which is definitely going into the mental data base.

The finger... will heal in time. I probably didn't help things much by almost chopping it off again last night. Luckily that one didn't break the skin but I'm literally cutting it very close. 

Summary

Obviously, I had a lot of struggles these days... but as you know, the night is always darkest before the dawn. I don't know if anyone can find 30 consecutive days and know that you won't hit any obstacles during that time. Hell, I hit one of the biggest obstacles in my life on Day 1. On those hard days though - you can't give up. Those are the days that we have to remember why we are doing this - to feel better about ourselves, to have clothes fit better, to chase away cravings, to experiment with new recipes, to run a half marathon.

I think you'll notice in the last few posts that I don't have food pictures every day. Don't worry, that's not me cheating, just being a little lazy. I'm definitely someone who loves and is totally ok with leftovers so where possible, I'll make enough to get me by on those. I have fun cooking so I try to do that as much as possible and have leftovers for breakfast and lunch. However, this week took such a mental toll on me, that I found it hard to come up with creative new recipes and most days found myself scrambling to get something thrown together. I also was snacking a lot which is not encouraged on the program. The main story here is - I'm human and find it really hard to keep up with this every day like anyone else would. Loving to cook and eat good food definitely is a big help, but that doesn't mean I can always pull it off. 

Man when this is over though, I am breaking off the biggest piece of sea salt almond dark chocolate.