Tag Archives: Whole 30

Somewhere I’ve Never Been

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Maybe it’s the Whole 30 talking but I’m dying to have breakfast in a quiet diner I’ve never been to. I want to linger over my meal and plan the day ahead while eavesdropping on the early bird regulars. They’ll order their usual and chat with the waitress about their grandkids while I study a brochure over my veggie omelette or pancakes.

It’s Day 26 and, while I’m fine with most of my food, I’m sick of the limited protein choices. Being pescatarian, my proteins are seafood and eggs. No veggie burgers, no soy of any kind, no faux meats which literally are the only processed foods that make their way into my plate most days.

You can only fix fish so many ways before it starts to lose its luster.

But it’s Day 26 and I feel pretty good. I’m planning to keep going about another week or ten days before abandoning the strict rules and attempting to just focus on eating clean again.

Meanwhile, I badly want to find an old diner in a town I’ve never been and wait for the regulars to filter in. I’m thinking an omelette packed with mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli and goat cheese would be good. Add some hash browns and some toast – maybe a little fruit. That’s all. Nothing fancy.

Soon. Someday soon I’ll take off and find my way to a fabulous diner and come back with pictures to share. Meanwhile, my memories of pancakes and a delicious garden burger at the Oasis Diner will have to suffice.

Do Me A Favor

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Do me a favor. If you are near a Tudor’s Biscuit World, go there now and order an egg on a biscuit with sliced cheese (none of that nasty melted stuff). Then sit and savor the darn thing while you think of me.

I’m more than halfway through the Whole 30 and don’t really care about most food right now but am dying for this stupid sandwich. The closest Tudor’s is about 45 minutes away and I would not want to start over my thirty days just for egg and sliced cheese on a biscuit but it would be tempting.

Yes, friends. It is that good.

If you’re not familiar, Tudor’s is a regional chain that serves breakfast and lunch. I’ve never had lunch food but their breakfast is pretty tasty. So if you ever have a chance to grab breakfast I would recommend it!

Go. Go forth and enjoy.

Whole 30 Captive’s Diary: Day Four

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What follows is a true (if not exaggerated) account of my holiday with Whole 30.

7:35 a.m.- Awoke with a good attitude and an appetite for the veggies, eggs and healthy fats awaiting me at breakfast. It may be party day but I can do this!

9 a.m. – Finally got to sit down and enjoy the aforementioned healthy breakfast after helping my mother construct a homemade ice cream cake for her party. Note that this dessert doesn’t contain a single ingredient I can eat right now but a whole lot of things that are sugary and tasty. Think Oreos, Cool Whip, ice cream and caramel.

12:45 p.m. – Made a marinade for the fish I’ll grill alongside everyone’s hot dogs and hamburgers ( Hot dogs. Yuck!), make a nice salad and lay out a potato to bake.

1 p.m. – The pep talk portion of the day begins. This is where I remind myself that the food I eat tonight will leave me feeling satisfied but not stuffed and that there will be no sugar crash at any time today. I am strong. I am healthy. I do not want the sugary crap that will make me feel sick!

3:05 p.m. – Open bedroom door to find 3.6 pound kitten chasing a skink! You know… those little lizard things? Scream like a little girl and call Dad. Note: Life has not prepared me for this moment but I now understand why an independent gal like myself might need a husband. I always wondered why….

3:10 p.m. – Google “how to catch a wild lizard in the house” while waiting for dad and uncle to arrive. Armed with a spray bottle of water (that’s what the internet says), we find no trace of skink.

3:15 p.m. – Plan to move and leave everything behind begins to formulate. Fight off urge to find a Diet Coke and box of Little Debbie Fudge Rounds. I don’t even like Little Debbie products….

3:20 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. – Become consumed with appetite for Diet Coke.

4:30 p.m. – Feel terrible because my mother kindly made me deviled eggs and I can’t eat them because they contain non compliant mayo. She’s annoyed. I’m sorry that my desire to eat well has evidently ruined everything.

5:05 p.m. – Sit down to the most delicious dinner I’ve had in ages. Fish on the grill in veggie seasoning and olive oil is amazing. Better than any restaurant fish. Must remember this combination….. I didn’t even miss the ice cream cake because I had fresh fruit salad on a hot summer day.

5:17 p.m. – Assume the personality of a cult leader as I explain to the family the virtues of Whole 30 eating …. and understand that none of them are buying it. Tough crowd.

8:02 p.m. – Realize that holidays which we define by eating don’t have to be about the food. So what if I couldn’t have chips or ice cream! Big deal! I had a tasty meal and am still full and energized almost three hours later.

8:29 p.m. – Pack leftover fish for tomorrow’s lunch and take a moment to be thankful I never caved and had the dumb Diet Coke.

8:31 p.m. – Remember the skink and crave the drink again.

Sometimes the choices we make are emotional rather than logical. Logic wins today. Better rest up for another day of making good choices!

Whole 30 Has Begun!

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July 8 is a date that’s been circled on my calendar for some time now. That’s the day I was supposed to start a new Whole 30 round with my pal Sarah.

Whole 30 is pretty intense and it seems like every 30 day round is tougher than the one before so it’s a good idea to have a buddy.

Unfortunately, it seemed that I kept eating crap with the reasoning that I won’t be able to eat it after July 8. And you know something? My body has been hating me for all the mistreatment.

When I eat well, my mind is clearer, my body stronger, my endurance impressive. But when I eat sugar and processed foods, I’m tired, sluggish, temperamental and simply feel bad.

So I decided on a whim Monday that my Whole 30 round was starting right that minute. And I’m so glad!

The anticipation was literally killing me and there was no reason to hold off since I know the rules and how to eat. I just need to do it.

Funny thing though – within an hour of saying “today is the day,” my mother texted to say she’s having a holiday cookout and wanted help with making an ice cream cake. Not long after that, at work, we scheduled an event with a lunch later this month.

It just goes to show, there’s never a perfect time to do what’s good for yourself. But if you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

I’m taking my own food for the cookout – grilled fish, baked potato and a nice salad. Dessert will be fresh fruit. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? And as for that work function – I’m there to work, not to eat, and can do lunch on my own later. It will be ok.

Not sure what the Whole 30 is? I wrote about it here and here. It’s actually meant to help people identify foods that cause digestive issues, intolerances and other health problems. However, it’s a great way to refocus your attention and your taste buds using clean eating and real food. It is not for everyone but I feel amazing when I eat the Whole 30 way.

And, as for Sarah, I’ll just be a week ahead of my friend but intend to extend this round by a week so she won’t be in it alone. I’ll give you an update a little later and let you know how it’s going.

Crisis Averted

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So the headline is a little melodramatic but I was beginning to think a crisis was on the horizon.

You see, since starting the Whole 30 last year, I have become dependent on RX Bars as meal replacements on the go. Even when I’m not following the Whole 30 (like right now), it’s a great way to avoid fast food when there’s no opportunity to eat a decent meal. They also make terrific pre-workout fuel because they taste good but are made with just a few ingredients you can pronounce.

Sadly, a recall due to possible peanut dust exposure left the shelves bare of almost every RX Bar flavor sold in southern Ohio. My supply has been dwindling and I was starting to worry.

Finally, though, I was able to lay my hands on a box yesterday! I also grabbed a new flavor of Bubly because I evidently am an impulse shopper. Doesn’t Blackberry sound yummy?

Isn’t it funny the habits we fall into and how challenging it is to face the prospects of changing even if just for a short time? Is there a product you use that would feel like a catastrophe if you couldn’t get it? Tell me about it!

Recommitting To Myself

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new years 2019I’m not a huge fan of the New Year’s Resolution. Maybe it’s because I believe every day is a perfect time to commit to doing something that’s necessary or good. Maybe it’s because I see how quickly most people fail with their resolutions. It takes at least a month of commitment to form a new habit. Sadly it takes one bad decision and about five minutes to revert back to our old ways. Then discouragement sets in and before we know it, we’re waiting for next January 1 to repeat the process.

Last spring, my beautiful friend Sarah introduced me to the Whole 30. It’s designed to help kick a sugar addiction and it’s an elimination diet to help folks with health issues figure out their allergies or other food related problems. For me, it became more of a lifestyle to stave off sugar cravings, lose weight, have increased energy and greater mental focus. I even found that food was causing some mild Rosacea like symptoms.

I quickly learned that I am happier when I eat whole foods and avoid heavily processed stuff. 

It’s a real commitment to be a Whole 30 Pescaterian. It’s a lot of cooking and most convenience food is off the table because it’s packed with sugar and all sorts of nasties you can’t pronounce and probably shouldn’t digest. For most Whole 30’ers, the prospect of eating in a restaurant is enough to incite panic. In other words, it’s a commitment and a challenge. And unlike most diets, if you make a mistake today, you don’t just pick up and go on tomorrow. You go back to day one with every slip up. So if your goal is to just get through the thirty days, it’s stressful when you’re new or when you’re trying to eat on the go.

Like I said, I have achieved a place of lifestyle where I try to stick with it as much as possible but am not bound so tightly by the rules of being on a thirty day round. This healthier diet gave me more energy for hiking, working out and going on adventures. After a few months of being really strict, I gave myself a season of leniency – more or less to see what my tendencies are, what my weaknesses are and what I do if given some leeway.

Turns out, my weaknesses and natural tendencies are appalling.

So today I start a new Whole 30 round and recommit to some of the lifestyle choices that made me so happy last year – drink lots of water, fuel my body with good food, get outdoors when possible, hike a lot, read good books, listen to amazing music, write daily, and surround myself with people and things that make me happy.

I’m also doing a reset on my budget. The holidays and poor self control on this last road trip tell me that I simply cannot be trusted with food, money or anything else. Ha, ha… ahem.

So, I’m not making a resolution. Instead, I’m making conscious decisions to recommit to what’s good for me and to what’s really important.

If you are among the many today who are committing to a resolution, here’s my advice – PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!!! Write out your strategies, write down what you’re doing, study your choices and reward yourself for good performance.

If your goal is to cut spending so you can pay off a credit card, you would need to make a budget, write down every penny you spend, study your spending habits and chart your progress as the credit card balance decreases. Then periodically reward yourself with something special but not necessarily something that costs money. Maybe you invite a friend over for coffee or take a long, hot bubble bath. If you have kiddos, plan a picnic at a local park.

You get the idea.

Whatever you do, remember that the thing you want – the slimmer body, the fatter bank account, the life without cigarettes, or whatever it is – you can work toward every day of the year. You don’t need a calendar or a silly annual tradition to make it happen. You WILL need some elbow grease and a commitment to make it reality.

I have my plan together and I have a goal to be good to myself. And really, my friends, what’s better than committing to being kind to yourself?

Best wishes with your resolutions or goals or whatever it is you call them. Go forth and conquer every day this year! Let’s make 2019 our best year yet!