Two months and counting

I hate to leave something hanging, like my little bloggy here. I'm nowhere near done with this journey. I'm still eating about 90-95% "paleo." For any newbies to that way of thinking, it is basically meat + veggies with a little fruit thrown in. There are different interpretations of it. I have added in a little dairy (usually just some real dairy coffee creamer and some cheese here and there). About once a week, I'll have some rice or corn chips. That may change at some point, but for now that's what I can live with. I'm not militant about soy consumption, but don't use any at home. However, if there's some in my chicken at Qdoba, I'm not freaking out about it. I'm eating a salad instead of cheese-laden nachos, so it's got to be better.

Winner, winner chicken dinner
I have lost a total of about 11.5 pounds since the beginning of Sept., but even without that, I generally feel much better. Sometime in the past two weeks or so (can't nail down exactly), I have realized that the pain in my hands is gone. They are a little stiff when I wake up, but I don't have pain or any shooting pains throughout the day!!! That is huge. I was to the point of hurting just trying to wash my hair in the shower.

Real-world obstacles
My struggles really seem to be when I want a quick lunch out because I'm running errands. I'm used to eating in the car on my way to/from somewhere, and it's really difficult to eat a salad while driving! I always have to be thinking ahead to bring leftovers, or if there aren't any to pull together a salad option. I still crave french fries. I've had them about once in the past month. They are good. I cannot tell a lie. I have a little dark chocolate from time to time. The good thing about high-cocoa dark chocolate is that you don't really WANT to eat a lot of it. Potlucks and social gatherings are also tricky. It may be that I BYOB (banana) or eat before I go.

I had a Papa John's pizza last week. My first real pizza in over two months. Pizza is the reason I put off doing any of this for so long. I thought a life without pizza was no life at all. Turns out I was wrong. First of all, the pizza I ordered was not the pizza I got. BOOOOO! And second, I felt all heavy and crappy and acid-reflux-y all night. I just feel better when I eat veggies and lean meat.

Surprises
I ate brussel sprouts and cauliflower as my side dishes last night, which made up half my plate. Jerod really likes the way those taste. I admit they weren't as bad as I thought they might be. Don't go calling me a raging fan or anything, but we can put them in the rotation.

So that's where I am two months out. When I have a bad eating day, I go back toward the whole 30 way, with very little sugar, dairy, etc. for a few days to reset. I've pretty much banned gluten, though I'm planning to eat dressing on Thanksgiving. It's just easier for me to make a hard rule and follow it. Gluten seems a good place to land.

Thanks for cheering me on!

Reintroduction--Fast Food

Except, that wasn't on the plan! True confessions, here. I really have so little desire to reintroduce legumes. I am thinking I'll do another whole 30 challenge in January to reset after the holidays. Perhaps I'll "reintroduce" legumes at that time. I don't care for most beans. Black beans are about my only bean-consumption beyond soy and peanuts. There are so many other options for peanuts out there, that I really don't need those. Soy is inevitable in some ways. Maybe not at home, but try finding a grilled chicken out there in restaurant-land that doesn't have soy. About impossible. So, if I have a legume or soy issue, it will have to wait to be found out. I don't use soy at home, and try to avoid it as much as possible, but again, we have to live life too. Soy happens.

About that fast food. Yes, yesterday I went through a drive thru. I got a hamburger and french fries. It's been well over forty days. There are no excuses. I'd love to say it tasted horrible and made me feel like crap. Except that wouldn't really be true. I had planned to eat the burger without the bun, at least. But as the slippery slope often happens, I ate the glutenous bun as well. I'd love to say I felt itchy and sluggish, but I didn't really. Though, I know that that is not good fuel. So, no more fast food for a lonnnnnggggg while. I just can't say forever. But for the foreseeable future, unless it is a salad without extra "junk" on it, we'll just steer the car home for lunch.

Which brings me to an obstacle that I'm not sure I can fix. I am just a bad cook. I'm not great at planning the meals. I scour pinterest (filthy liar) and blogs and cookbooks. I pin "the world's greatest chicken!" and make it, and...meh. I think Husband makes the world's greatest chicken, frankly. It's just that by the time we get home, he preps the chicken and makes it and we sit and eat, Little Guy has tried to clean out all the fruit and chex mix because he has a hollow leg to fill and it's all of 7 o'clock and time for bath, etc. So, I have tried to prep stuff the night before. But I cannot deal with raw chicken unless it's with tongs and baggies. There is no trimming it. So, I can make beef ok, if I work around touching it. Pot roast is probably the only thing I generally do well. I killed some meatloafs this week. Like terrible. Like, that beef was sad it became meatloaf. The chicken last night was edible, but definitely NOT the "world's best." I am good at following directions, I watch cooking shows to see what kinds of spices and seasonings go with what...I just don't have the knack. And it's incredibly frustrating. So, when there's nothing prepared or easily accessible, I really just want to eat something fast and easy. I need to look into how to make that happen. Protein is the obstacle here. Protein and a cooking gene that missed a generation.

Corn, Other Grains, etc.-Reintroduction "days"

This reintroduction was not as successful. In my effort to live a somewhat normal life, I often find myself in social settings with food. IMAGINE! Sunday was supposed to be my official reintro of these foods. I went ahead and had some corn tortilla chips Sat. night at family taco night. I also might have had two handfuls of potato chips. They are my Sirens. Dang you, potato chips. I had to physically remove myself from the room.

I wasn't much hungry on Sunday, so I noshed on whole foods, but didn't really feel like prepping a big meal...then found myself at a pot luck that evening. Once again, I had some corn tortilla chips. Everything else I ate was pretty compliant, as I was fortunate that there was lots of salad and some chicken salad. It's just not feasible to eliminate ALL vegetable oils from life. Most people are not going to make their own mayonnaise for their pot-luck chicken salad.
Finally, Monday, I had some corn chips with my taco salad for lunch and some yellow rice at dinner. Not sure if there's any reaction. Again, I think it's true that foods like rice, corn, pasta, bread, etc. tend to push veggies off the plate. Those are what I WANT. It's for that reason I need to limit or eliminate them. That becomes all I want because of the high-carby-ness (food without brakes). For overall health, I should probably avoid starches/grains about 90-95% of the time.


Impressions on "day 40":
I had hoped that doing the Whole 30 would help me tame my compulsive eating. I think that it has helped me to look at food somewhat differently. I like the way I feel with no/little sugar. But none of that knowledge seems to be enough to make me NEVER want sugar or no-no-foods again. I can see life without bread and pasta and rice...I'm just going to roll with meat and veggies as my M.O. and take curveballs best I can. Something about a social buffet that is a challenge for me. Everyone else seems to be enjoying their food without a mental storm calculating vegetable oil content, sugar, etc. And I get that "it's just not fair!!!" voice in my head. No, it's not. But lots of people deal with far worse issues in life.

I would like to think I could do Whole 30 every day. But I think I would become like a sheltered teenager let loose on the world...and at some point go crazy. Right now, my mindset is to find the BEST food I can in any given situation, whether I end up at a fast food joint, a potluck dinner, or just staring into my fridge. Start with salad/veggies. Add in some meat. Have some fruit. A handful of nuts. Then I should be satiated.

I find that life on the other side of a whole 30 food challenge is still a challenge.  :)

Gluten Reintroduction Day

Yesterday was a day I had been dreaming about. Sweet, perfect gluten. I am a breadaholic. Truly. Jesus said something about our not living by bread alone. And if I didn't believe in Him so much, I'd almost think he was lying. 'Cause bread and butter together=kingdom of heaven.

Reintroduction includes the food at each meal. I went whole-hog, not necessarily whole-grain. I started with a chocolate croissant and a top of the day muffin (with some eggs and strawberries). I couldn't decide between the two. Top of the day muffin has some semblance of healthy with whole wheat, raisins, carrots, dates, etc. But chocolate croissant...well, it inspires me to write haiku. Fo' realz.

I bought some crusty bread and some vegetable soup for lunch. One of the whole 30/paleo "things" is that proponents maintain that eating grains often pushes vegetables off your plate. Yes. It's true. One I heated up some slices of European crusty bread and spread them with sweet, creamy butter, I couldn't have cared less about that dang soup. More bread, please.

About that time of the day, I noticed sharp, stabby pains in my hands. They are usually sore & stiff in the morning, but get better and better all day. I had done NOTHING to cause pain (lifting, squeezing, etc.) and had even been at my keyboard less than usual. My stomach was fine, but I was definitely experiencing some soreness and pain that was unusual.

I decided to have gluten-gluttony (GLUTTONY!) for the rest of the dang day, as by this point it was fairly obvious that this bread-lover is relegated to a fairly gluten-free life. We made real spaghetti and the rest of the crusty bread for dinner with salad. Then I topped it off with two chocolate chip cookies later. I had forgotten how much I love chocolate chip cookies.

Now, writing this on Friday morning, I have woken up today with my right hand puffy. I mean, not crazy-puffy, but I can tell. I was, however, able to get into pants today that haven't fit since before Shepard was born. My perfect bread is not worth pain and bloat and an expanding waistline. I now join the ranks of the gluten-free. Thankfully, they are making products that help with that, provided I don't have corn and rice issues. We'll intro those fully on Sunday-ish. I hate, hate, hate to be that "special" girl with more food issues. I'd rather just eat whatever. But, I think I need to give this a full-on year or so and see what happens with my body. I think I already know that answer. Sigh. Who wants to sponsor my order of coconut flour?

Dairy Day--Reintroduction Day 1

Day 31 is finally here! And I got to have some dairy. I had some natural bliss creamer in my coffee. Hallelujah!

Yes and Amen.

My wee omelet with spinach and CHEDDAR!

I had some sharp cheddar slices for breakfast. Yes I did. And it was glorious. I sprinkled a little shredded cheese on my grilled chicken salad for lunch. Did not need that. Just didn't add at all.

But what to have for dinner!? Something cheesy, please. I toyed with squash casserole, but opted to try a cauliflower-crust pizza. I had never tried it, but have seen lots of versions while tooling around the internet. Here's the one I settled on.

I did forget to COOK the cauliflower after I riced it. OOPS. So I cooked the crust longer than was called for until it looked like THIS:

Promising cheesy-cauliflower-ness

All of this doing took an hour and a half. Partly because I have a tiny food chopper instead of a real food processor (hello, Santa?). Poor Little Guy kept coming in the kitchen hunting for food. Here's the finished product. Looked GREAT. Ingredients are all natural/organic, etc. I even hid some spinach beneath the sauce.

Isn't it pretty!?

So...the verdict? I'll give it one more try and try some different techniques (like cooking the cauli!).  It wasn't very crisp, even though it looked like it might be. I don't love the flavor of cauliflower so much, and it seemed strong to me. Husband wasn't really a big fan either. And he LOVES cauliflower. I'd rather splurge every now and again on a gluten-free pizza from Fuel Pizza or find one at EarthFare. Little Guy didn't really fall for it, either. I enjoyed watching his face as he worked his way from the pepperoni down to the crust (yes, he eats it in that direction), and the confusion he had when the crust was different.

As far as dairy effects. I didn't have a straight glass of milk. Just some cheddar, some high-cocoa-content chocolate, the parmesan and mozzarella in the pizza and creamer. The only thing that felt a little off was after the pizza. Like there was a small balloon in my tummy. Nothing violent or monumental. So, I think I can probably keep a little dairy going forward. I will be keeping coffee creamer. And I think hard cheeses will be generally ok. I wanted some feta yesterday, but didn't have any on-hand.

Now I eat "clean" again for two days. On Thursday I get to have some gluten. That's supposedly the kicker for a lot of people.

Progress:
Husband reports that my pregnancy-induced snoring (that never went away) has subsided significantly, so some kind of inflammation must be going down. Also, I've lost 10 pounds, so that's definitely a plus. Just can't be adding back in TOO much cheese after all this. I'm sure I could put back on those pounds with a solid few days of cheese.

AND...PLEASE READ IF YOU PLAN TO MAKE THIS CRUST RECIPE!!!!!
Most cauliflower crust recipes call for you to squeeze the water out with a clean tea towel after you chop or cook. WASH THAT THING IMMEDIATELY. We thought there was either a rotten potato or a propane leak in the laundry room because I left it in the washer overnight (I didn't want to leave wet clothes in overnight and planned to wash Tuesday morning). That was some stinky stuff!

How I did it. An overview.

I spent a solid week researching and ramping up for this. And probably 3 months talking myself into it in bits and pieces. When I first came upon the idea of the Whole 30, I knew it would be good for me. But I really, truly from the bottom of my heart did not think I could do even three days, forget 30.

First, I read a LOT of the whole 9 website. Everything you'd need to know is on there. A printable shopping list, lots of manifestos about why you're NOT eating certain foods, if you want to know that. I did purchase the book, so I'd have a full understanding of what I was doing, but found that most of the information is available on the internet on various websites.

Throughout the process, if I came to a wall or had a question, just a thorough google search would give me several answers to compare from both real people, the whole 30 forum, and other "paleo" bloggers. I have been keeping a pinterest board to help us transition our foods to more whole foods and to do way less (if any?) processed foods (even some treats). All of this transitioning will take some time. I'm trying to wean the shortest one in the house off goldfish crackers. Plus, if goldfish crackers are in my possession, I basically eat the whole bag. Health food might look different to everyone. I'm going to give this system a solid try, and see if it will work for us.

Getting started: The stock-up

We're fortunate to have an EarthFare food store very close-by. Otherwise, maybe a Healthy Home market, Trader Joes, Home Economist or other good health food grocery store would probably work.

General:
Almond flour (not to make cookies or anything, but occasional "breading" of chicken, pot roast, etc.
Also bought tapioca flour and coconut flour to use on occasion.
Good eggs--go ahead and get two dozen if you plan on eating them for breakfast and making some things like mayo and coconut creamer for coffee. And get the good, free-range omega-3 ones while you're at it. Regular grocery stores have these and often put them on sale.
CANNED Coconut Milk: get it from the Asian section. Get the full-fat kind. No sugar. I used at least 5-6 cans in 30 days.

Produce:
I stocked up on vegetables that were (A) on sale or (B) I knew I already really liked. It's important for the first few days to make food you already like and not try to go out on limbs. It actually may be important for the whole 30 days. It was for me. My go-to veggies are: green beans, broccoli, zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, raw spinach leaves and romaine/mix salads, peppers, asparagus and tomatoes. Best fruits for me are banana, apple, grapes, mandarin oranges (in juice, not syrup), strawberries, & plums. I like a few other fruits, but those are the ones I would grab.

Oils:
very important to have the "right" fats on-hand. I bought coconut oil, some extra-light olive oil (good for making mayo or anything else where you don't want or need the olive taste). I already had EVOO at home. If I could have found Ghee (clarified butter), I would have gotten it on the first run. GET THE GHEE. It should be in the same grocery neighborhood as these other items. Ghee saved me when I needed a little buttery flavor or I didn't want my food to have the coconut-oil flavor as much. You can also make your own clarified butter, but by the time you buy really good butter to do that with, you may as well get it ready-made.


Salads:
1.  Just make your own dressing. Find a sugar-free recipe or make a standard vinaigrette without sugar or sweetener.
2.  My favorite is a recipe I made before all of this. I omitted the sugar. The sugar does it make it the best salad dressing on the planet, however.

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. sugar or splenda (not on Whole 30)---I am going to try this now with a dash of honey

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or chopped
*1 tsp. worchestershire (forgot this when I initially posted)

Mix together and pour into a container (I use finished olive oil bottles) and shake well. 

Store UNREFRIGERATED for up to two weeks.

3. My favorite salad base was raw spinach. Felt like real veggies with nutrients versus some lettuces that are not as nutritive. I added a little apple, strawberry or a small amount of dried berries to help with the bitter flavors. If you liked raw veggies more than I do (hardly at all), this is a great place to add in some carrots, broccoli, cucumber, etc.

Treats:
Doing a whole 30 really isn't about treats. When I wanted to "splurge," or was hungry on the go, I found that Larabars worked for me. The blueberry, cashew cookie, & banana bread were the best. (Read ingredients...they aren't ALL compliant.) If I started to get hungry, and it wasn't meal-time, I would have a small snack of almonds or pistachios and a little bit of fruit. One day I cooked some apple slices in ghee and sprinkled them with cinnamon. They honestly would have tasted better fresh and crisp.

Eating out:
It's sooo much easier just to eat at home. We went to a sushi/Japanese place for a friend's get-together at one point, and I just ate before I went. There was really going to be nothing there that would work. I was very dedicated to having the closest guideline-following experience I could. The only times I felt that I had "cheated" in any way was trying to eat out. It's just hard to know what those folks are cooking in back there. I ate salads out and brought my own dressing. I carried an apple in with me, so I could cut it up in my salad. I asked for no cheese, no croutons, whatever I needed to. I looked up allergen information at Qdoba and Chick-fil-A, as they have to list soy, gluten, and dairy. Panera just says that any of their food might come in contact with an allergen. Thanks, Panera. Way to go. Chain restaurants are at least good about having nutritional information on their websites. But if you have to get some grilled chicken and a salad out, you just need to. I say, it's radically easier to eat at home or pack some stuff if you ever have the chance. I did eat at a Mexican restaurant on day 30 and got fajitas with no tortillas, rice or beans. Just meat, veggies, lettuce, pico and guacamole. It was awesome.

Favorites:
Spaghetti, pot roast, fajitas, steak, grilled chicken...I just ate them without their gluten or rice friends while husband and short guy ate them with. That helped life feel a little normal.

Days 26 - 30

Sorry. I did NOT fall off the wagon. Just had a few days at home when I wasn't able to get a post up, then days 28-29-30 were out of town.

I won't list everything I've eaten for the past five days...I will share a few challenges. It's pretty easy to keep this up at home. With the addition of a handful of convenience foods like sliced turkey, fruit and nuts and Larabars, I feel pretty confident a decent version of this is a good longer-term solution. Going out of town posed its own issues. My first meal out of town was Friday lunch at a restaurant. Almost nothing on the menu would be 100% compliant, but I opted for a chicken salad on green salad with my own dressing. Probably the mayo was made from soybean oil, but that was it. It was really, really good. It was hard to sit at a table with 10 other people, who ordered all manner of incredibly yummy looking foods. I think everyone at the table had something different, and it felt very sad to be relegated to four salads on the menu. That's just honesty.

I was fortunate to be a conference center for the remainder of the weekend, and had called ahead to work out "Shelley's diet" plates with them. It mostly consisted of their salad bar, and they'd bring me some really plain chicken breasts with a veggie cooked in olive oil. Friday night I had a sweet potato, so that was awesome. Again, it was difficult on Saturday night when they served fried okra. FRIED. OKRA. Maybe my favorite version of any vegetable. This morning, they had biscuits and gravy. I really don't eat that very often, but that would be my very favorite breakfast. I had to end well, though. Couldn't go blazing out on day 30, right?

My only area of non-compliance has been the occasional "something" in my coffee. I had no way to refrigerate my coconut creamer concoction, so I had a packet of sugar each day in my coffee. Bite me. I needed a cup o' joe. And I can't drink it black.

Impressions on Day 30:

I did it!! And it wasn't nearly the hardest thing I've done. Parenting is much harder! Meal planning will always be my nemesis, but at least I've been able to look into a new category of menus and meals. I don't have crazy cravings, and the fact that I've been able to turn down foods for 30 days that I wouldn't have thought twice about eating before is monumental for me. Saturday night, there was a bonfire with s'mores. And not just any s'mores, like Ghiradelli and nutella and caramel s'mores. And giant marshmallows...and my dinner had been crappy...and I was REALLY hungry, and there were just s'mores everywhere. The smell! I nearly had to curl up and rock myself.

I'd be lying if I said this experience wasn't a little isolating. Our society does somewhat revolve around shared meals and foods. I enjoy talking about why I'm doing all this, but in a group setting, sometimes I just wanted to eat what I wanted to eat and not be all special.

Tomorrow I get to have DAIRY. My block of cheddar (not that I'm eating it all) is ready, as is my natural cream/milk/sugar coffee creamer. I'm pretty sure that unless my intestines just explode that I will still want some sort of creamer. I'm stoked about dairy day. I am supposed to otherwise eat "clean." Just add dairy to my entire day. Will have to watch sugar, as I don't want that to creep back in.

DAY 30!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!