Whole30

Whole 30

3/3/15 Tuesday, Day 4-I am so irritable.  Not in a all doom and gloom sort of way like I get when I am coming off of a sugar hangover.  My thoughts aren’t bleak but I just want to yell at people.  Yell at cars for stopping in front of me.  Yell at children for climbing on me.  I am just annoyed.  I remembered to look at the Whole30 timeline to confirm that I am, in fact, right on track, although I feel I have eaten too many fruits and I have finished off some AIP banana bread I made the other day.  I have been guilty of eating it when I am not even hungry…just snacky.  Which doesn’t help break the habit of grabbing food out of boredom or ...insert emotion here.  I’ve eaten well, otherwise.  The real test begins now that I am done with the banana bread. I have coconut yogurt in the fridge in case I get too hungry in between meals.  I am also trying to only eat 4 times a day.  Hard for me.  Also, my back is killing me.  My slipped disc that occasionally gives me problems is quite painful.

3/4/15 Wednesday, Day 5  I woke up thinking, “I don’t feel so grumpy today.”  Then, I dropped…everything and there were stop lights; I was wrong.  Since, today is the first day I vow to not snack unless hungry and not eat discouraged food (i.e. unsweetened banana bread) I will list what I have eaten or will eat today:

B Egg, 2 Whole30 legal pieces of bacon, AIP “porridge”, coffee with lite coconut milk.
S Hard boiled egg and Coconut yogurt w banana and pineapple
L Butternut Squash Leek Soup, Whole30 legal Chicken Sausage
D AIP chili

There are several things that I am surprised that I once thought I couldn’t live without.

1. Cheese-It was a staple in my diet.  My favorite go-to snack.  Most people have cheese at their house which I can grab when I am hungry.  I need snacks because my work days are so long that I can’t go 6 hours between each meal.  Sometimes, though I am guilty of snacking out of boredom.  Cheese was a good source of protein which I would grab to tide me over until the next meal.  Once, I cut out cheese then reintroduced when AIP was over I no longer liked the sharp, bitter taste of cheese by itself.  Still love it on things but definitely can live without.  I thought it enhanced the flavor of everything I added it to but I have learned to appreciate the flavor of different ingredients without it.  
2. Milk-I didn’t think I could live without it in certain recipes and especially in my coffee.  I preferred half/half in my coffee and always sweetener.  When I finished AIP I stuck with NO DAIRY for awhile.  I grew accustomed to no sweetener in my coffee.  After awhile, I PREFERRED it to be unsweetened.  Now I can’t STAND sweetener in my coffee.  As for coconut milk in my coffee, I have grown to LOVE Trader Joe’s lite coconut milk.  It’s such a treat.  I will never go back to dairy unless it’s the only thing available when I get to a maintenance level. 
3. Peanut Butter-I would still like to eat Peanut Butter; I am not going to lie.  I prefer it to all other nut butters.  However, it is the snack I used to go for when I wanted to eat out of boredom.  Also, when I wanted something sweet, or dessert.  My favorite snack will always be apples and peanut butter.  It’s just delicious and filling.  I will go back to that after a long run on a strict Paleo diet.  I digress, I used to prefer Jiffy Natural Peanut Butter but it is made with sugar and other added ingredients. I never thought I would be able to switch to pure peanut butter, but I did.  I never thought I would like any other nut butters, but I do.  I never thought I could live without peanut butter, but I am.
4. Greek Yogurt-Once upon a time I thought I couldn’t eat my everyday smoothie without a dollop of Greek yogurt.  Over time, I have perfected a most delicious smoothie with 1 cup of greens, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of pineapple, 1/2 cup of coconut water, and Greek yogurt.  Like I said, I thought I couldn’t give up the Greek yogurt but I discovered when starting AIP that I could actually do without the Greek yogurt.  I add collagen hydrolysate for protein and even a few other veggies and it is just as filling and delicious.  Now that I know how to make Coconut Milk yogurt (recipe link above) I can add it to my smoothie and it adds the tanginess Greek yogurt did.

The point of this is that I once thought I couldn’t go without these things (mostly dairy) and now I am living dairy free (and peanut butter free much to my chagrin).  It was a progression over the past year.  It wasn’t overnight.  My mind changed; adjusted.  I took one thing away and realized I could, in fact, live.  It’s all about finding what does work for you.  It takes trial and error.  Much like the perfect Chipotle Burrito.