Days 8-20 of the Whole 30!

I had forgotten to do a week 2 recap, then made one which was promptly eaten by the interwebz! So here I am doing it again. Eating Whole 30 style continues to be smooth. I've been this strict before, so doing it again is okay with me. My husband struggles a bit, but it's clear that he has major sugar craving issues that he knows he needs to correct for his own good. Some things I've noticed: Hormonal acne-my period did bring about some more acne on my chin, but at least it's isolated to there. Speaking of that, my cycle was actually an appropriate 28 day length. It usually has a very short luteal phase after ovulation, so it would end up at around 24 days. I used to chart when I was trying to get pregnant with my daughter, so I am very aware of how my cycle works. So this means that my hypothyroidism is not mucking up the works, so to speak, as it can. Having a short luteal phase is one cause of infertility and a sign of hormone issues, and I used to treat it with vitex before I knew my thyroid was in the dumps. That obviously helped as I was able to get pregnant easily. Now I don't want to have any more children, but being fertile, having my hormones do what they are supposed to be doing, is a good sign of health at my age. I seem to be a smidge smaller. I have a pair of tight pants that are well, less tight. Yay! An admission: I overdid a yoga routine, and I haven't done one since. It is my goal to get in at least 1 or 2, if not more in the next ten days. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of my Whole 30!

Week 1 of the Whole 30

I have survived the first week! I knew I would because I went cold turkey on so many food groups when I first was diagnosed with candida and leaky gut. But I have been slacking off lately, so I turned to the Whole 30 for some necessary structure. Plus, it helps that I have some friends going along for the ride with me.

Some things that I have noticed:

My skin looks much better. I always have some hormonal breakouts around ovulation and my period, but this last hormonal swing only brought two zits and they're all gone now. I'm glowing!

I *can* drink coffee with just my coconut creamer (which is coconut milk, coconut oil, and raw egg all blended). I used to have stevia with this, but I can go without it now.

I can pinpoint my cravings a little more. I definitely crave both salt and crunch, even over the sweet stuff. I had made some carmelized coconut chips with cinnamon and salt last night, which was great! I think I overate too much of them, but I didn't eat all that much yesterday.

I can go for longer periods without food. Since I'm eating nutrient-dense food, I have everything I need to fuel me for hours. I don't want to do that all the time, though. But good to know that I can and be okay.

I may be somewhat thinner. My waist looks smaller, but since I'm not allowed to measure or weigh myself, I'm not sure. Since I'm not allowed to measure or weigh myself, I need to be okay with that. Still working on it, really. That's harder than following the diet, almost! But it's a good medicine, so I'll take it.

Okay, so that's it. Stay tuned for week 2!

Day 1 of the Whole 30

This is my first Whole 30, so I'm sure that this will be very illuminating for me.

The first big change is that I drank green tea instead of coffee this morning...and then a second one at work. Coffee isn't forbidden, but I find that when I put coconut milk in it, I *really* need sweetener. Not so with cow's milk or cream. So, I'm going to give it a few days with the green tea and try again to see if it has become more palatable to me. An experiment!

Besides green tea, I had two ounces of smoked salmon (no sugar) for breakfast, which was almost too much. I work early, and usually my stomach isn't ready for food, and by the time I am, I'm teaching. Usually my coffee with coconut milk or coconut cream blend (coconut milk and oil,blended with an egg) is enough, but tea doesn't fill me at all. As it was, I was vaguely nauseous. But it passed.

For lunch, I had three black mission figs, broccoli, and pulled pork that I made yesterday. I can't tell you really how much I ate of that, but I was definitely satiated after.

I had a banana as a snack. It's been a long time since I had one, and it was so darn good.

Dinner is consisting of sauteed chicken, peppers, and onions in ghee, with lettuce to scoop it up.

I've also had lots of water today, so that can only help. I taught three classes today, so I was a bit parched with all of the talking.

Last not: I meant to weigh myself this morning, and then not do it for the next 30 days. But the digital scale went into wonk-mode (meaning either it's wrong, or we both suddenly lost 4 pounds each). So I decided to forget it. I know pretty much where I'm at. I did measure my waist at 29 inches. We'll see where it is on Day 31.