Day 1 - Off to a Great Start

Its 8:10 and my food prep has already paid off!

I woke up this morning, later than normal because I just didn't want to get up, and weighed and measured myself. One of the Whole 30 "rules" is no scale for the 30 days. However, I'm part of a competition that requires me to weigh in on Mondays. So I will be weighing in only on Mondays for that purpose. Anyway, I will be taking before pictures tomorrow morning. I will not be posting them right now. Maybe, MAYBE in the future.

So, I decided on some cabbage and bacon for breakfast, part one. While this was heating up, I packed up another serving for part 2, along with a banana and then mixed up my chicken salad for lunch.

I headed off to work, where I had my second half of breakfast, along with a cup of coffee. A few hours later, I ate the banana.

I had two hard boiled eggs and chicken salad for lunch about 11:30. And, I decided to join the big, scary world of instagram. You can follow me at: armywife12.29 but be prepared for lots of food photos!

That lasted me until about 3:30, where I had a glass of water and then another cup of coffee.

Dinner was Lasagna Soup and I had a light snack of a few banana chips and more water before bed.

Day 1 - SUCCESS!

Food Prep

Like any new adventure, there's a lot of work behind the scenes. I finished up meal planning for the next few days and with a quick Walmart trip, was ready to go.

Here's what I prepped today:
Chicken in the crock pot (for chicken salad)
Hard boiled eggs
Bacon
Paleo Mayo
Cabbage with bacon
Browned sausage for breakfast
Lasagna Soup

Now I'm pretty sure I'm ready for the next few days, at least. Dinners will still need to be prepared, but its easier to grab something and when the only things in the fridge are Whole 30 Compliant, that makes life easier.

My Whole 30 Journey

Today is Day 0, tomorrow I start on 30 days of a new way of looking at food. Here’s the basic of what the Whole 30 entails.

I will eat:

• Meat, seafood
• Eggs
• Vegetables, some fruits
• Good fats: oils, nuts, fruits, seeds

I will NOT eat:

• Sugar – real or artificial
• Alcohol
• Grains
• Legumes (yes, this includes peanut butter)
• Dairy
• Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites
• “fake” desserts – ie Paleo cupcakes

The few exceptions to this rule:

·         Clarified butter or ghee

·         Fruit juice as a sweetener

·         Certain legumes (green beans, snap peas, snow peas are ok)

·         Vinegar

·         Salt

So, I will eat the things that are allowed and not stress over the things I can’t eat. I will not cheat. I will make food as interesting and fun as possible and I will start viewing it as fuel and release its psychological hold over me.

Yes, my family is doing this with me. The kids, of course, will still have dairy and grains. But desserts are gone from the house. There is nothing bad or dangerous about this, so there is no reason they can’t participate.

So, why am I telling you? Because this is important to me. Very important. So please do not:

1.  Try to convince me this is not what I should be doing. I’m intelligent enough to do my research.
2. Offer me things you flat out know I can’t have. Like birthday cake. Or a bagel.
3. Let me eat things I cannot. If, in a moment of weakness, reach for something I should not eat, be a good friend and slap me. Throw it away. Save me from myself.

This is my plan for the next 30 days. January 2^nd through January 31^st. They keep telling me this is not hard. That having my coffee without creamer isn’t hard. That if I could handle childbirth, multiple deployments, several moves, and finishing a Spartan Race, I can handle this. I can handle this! Who knows, I may even like it….