Day 31

I conquered the Whole30.
Oh. My. Goodness.

And drum-roll pleeeaaaasssseeeeee......

I lost 20 pounds!!!!!!

That's right.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 AND 20 POUNDS.

I was so happy and proud today... but I also felt slightly lost.

I'm technically "free" from my initial obligation.
I gave this change 30 days, and now I can check off the box.

What do I do now?

I thought about having a non-paleo celebration meal for day 31.
I could have some of the things I'd cut out and nearly cried over when I started this whole thing.
(Nearly cried over... who am I kidding? I cried like a little girl over saying goodbye)

Pizza... ice cream... chips...

Whatever I want I can have.

But if I add a few things to my diet that are not paleo, just because I want to, what will stop me from adding another? And another... It seems like a slippery slope..

I kind of avoided eating for a while today - not sure which direction to go.
I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, forgot to eat breakfast first, then kind of puttered around the office when I finally got in.

My tummy was growling. It was time to eat, but I didn't know what to do.

This is the fork in the road.... the time to decide if the grass really is greener on the other side... and if I want to stay.

My original patch of grass had been trampled on and malnourished. The sun had scorched the energy out of it. Each blade was slowly wilting under the pressure.

This new patch is vibrant and healthy. Showered with nutrients and growing strong.

Whole30 has been like Miracle Gro for my body.

There are still things that I need to work on, and I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be.
But this has been a big step in the right direction.

So I said no to a "Bad Food Fest."

I ate a salad for lunch - no cheese or dressing - in true Whole30 style.

When I got home, though, I made my official transition from Whole30 to simply paleo.


Enter a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Paleo Smoothie.

I blended together dark chocolate almond milk, a little bit of coconut milk, fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries, cocoa powder, a hint of vanilla extract, and a few frozen strawberries to thicken it up.

From my low intake of sugar during the past month, this was plenty sweet for me.
And since you can't just have dessert for dinner, I returned to the kitchen again to create my paleo-approved meal.

Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti Squash.

Roast the spaghetti squash (450 for about 45 minutes)

In a large pan, heat some clarified butter and olive oil.
Add 4 cloves of garlic - saute for a few minutes.
Add shrimp, salt, pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes.

Once the shrimp is cooked through, remove from heat.
Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Toss some squash in a bowl, pour over some of the shrimp and sauce, and garnish with fresh parsley.

I don't want to stop the new habits I've formed.

They have structure and purpose.

I don't like where I would be headed without these changes.

So, I will commit to a paleo lifestyle... not just for 30 days out of the year... but for 365... for as long as I can.

My personality is an all-in, overachiever.  If I'm going to do this, I'm not going to do it halfway.

And in this situation, doing it halfway would lead to a quarter of the way, and eventually right back to where I was when I made this change 31 days ago.

I won't be so nit-picky about what "might" be in my bacon or lunch meat.

And if I really want to have something once in a while, I'm not going to feel guilty about it.

But I want to maintain a lifestyle where I am fueling my body and taking care of it.

I only have one body... I want to give it the best shot at being healthy for as long as I live.

Thank you Lord for giving me the strength to get through the last 30 days.

I hope and pray that you will sustain my resolve in the days to come.

Help me remember that my body is your temple.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Let's consider Day 31 an endless field of greener grass.

Day 30

Day 30.
This is real life.

I can't believe I actually made it this far.

The day started as a typical Monday.
I got to work and ate some left over frittata while I got settled.

I worked for a while, ran out on an errand, then decided it was time for lunch.
I wasn't super hungry, so I just had some rolled up deli roast beef and the biggest apple I've ever had in my life.

I think it's called a Kiku apple - about the size of a softball and super sweet.
(It was almost too sweet for me... who ever thought I would say that about anything?!)

Finally, it was time to head home... where I turned into a chef.

For my Day 30 Celebration Dinner, I made a super tasty meal.

There are two 'types' of food I love.
Sushi (which isn't really possible because I like the rice and all that craziness that is not Whole30)
And seafood in general (which is totally acceptable)

So when I ventured to Giant Eagle yesterday, I made a stop at the seafood counter.

First, I prepped some asparagus, sprayed it with coconut oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and let it roast for 15 minutes at 425.

While the asparagus got all nice and crispy, I made zucchini noodles with a julienne peeler - making long strips by "peeling" lengthwise down the vegetable.

I tossed that with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, then placed it in a pan on medium heat.

At the same time, I began heating a larger pan with some clarified butter.

I rinsed and dried some sea scallops, then dropped them in the pan.

Wait 2-3 minutes, flip, then wait another 2 minutes, remove from heat, and you're done!

Plate, then finish it off with just a touch of lemon juice.

Absolutely delicious.

It was so yummy, I didn't even have leftovers.

Food doesn't have to be filled with unhealthy things to be appetizing and wonderful.

Let's consider Day 30 a strong finish.

Day 29

One more dayyyyyyyyyy!
Wooohoooo!

Who knew I could make it 30 days without carbs?
I certainly had my doubts, but it looks like I just might make it.

Today, I woke up, got ready for the day, and headed to church.

After church, I stopped at Walmart and Giant Eagle to pick up a few things (perhaps some items for a special dinner tomorrow night... you'll have to wait and see)

When I finally got home, I heated up some leftover frittata, opened up the screen door to enjoy the lovely spring breeze, and plopped down on the couch.

I spent the afternoon getting some paperwork in order for an appointment I have this week.

When I got hungry, I had a banana while I decided what else to make for dinner.
I ended up cutting up a sweet potato and roasting it in the oven.
I also had an orange in my fridge that needed to go, so I cut that up as well.

The rest of the night, I toggled between cleaning and watching Law & Order: SVU.

Since today is Mother's Day, I would like to dedicate this day to my wonderful mom.
She has been with me through everything - especially in the past month.

I know how much she wants me to be healthy, and I'm hoping I finally am on the right track.

I hope I can make you even more proud as I continue on this journey of a lifetime.
I love you Mommy.

Let's consider Day 29 a Happy Mother's Day.

Day 28

Today was a lazy Saturday.

I slept in until about noon and then stayed in bed watching a movie for a while (just because I could)
I love my job, but it can wear me down a bit... so it's nice to have a day where I do almost nothing.

Eventually, my stomach started growling.
I headed to the kitchen to whip something up.

I ended up making a frittata - which is super easy.

I chopped up some fresh spinach, crumbled up bacon, and then poured over some scrambled eggs that were seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Place it in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes (until its not jiggly anymore) and viola... Frittata!

Once out of the oven, I cut myself a slice and continued on in my Saturday activities of movie watching and relaxing.

My roommate showed up later and we decided to head to Panera for a bit.

She needed to grade papers and I needed to get out of the apartment.

After hitting up the bookstore next door, I decided to order food before sitting down.

I tried Panera's cobb salad with avocado (yes, I am officially addicted to cobb salads)

I also got a large iced tea.

When I went to fill my cup up, I found a beautiful sight before me - three different options for unsweetened ice tea.

Why yes, I would like to try them all!

I ended up with tropical hibiscus tea - it was so very yummy!

Closing time came and we packed up our computers and papers.

Saturday is over... but what a good day it was.

Let's consider Day 28 rejuvenating. 

Day 27

So, backtrack and pretend it's last night - getting home late, being exhausted, and blogging don't mix too well.

The beginning of the day was pretty uneventful. I can't really remember what I did for breakfast, but lunch was nice.

I made a lovely salad with lettuce, avocado, and turkey.
I ate while I worked, since the day was super busy.

After my work day was over, I met up with one of my friends from college for dinner.

I opted for a cobb salad - which has turned into my new favorite thing at restaurants.
It's a great choice because it is full of protein, fats, and fiber, which keep you full and fuel your body.

My friend made fun of me for eating a salad and for not wanting any dressing... but I'm pretty sure I felt physically better than he did at the end of the meal. (The french fries alone would have been enough to send me into a food coma!)

We decided to go see a movie afterwords, and he desperately tried to convince me that movie theater popcorn was a vegetable and paleo approved.

I am very proud to say that I did not budge and happily went into the movie without a snack.
(Plus, I had just eaten a big salad - one that I couldn't even finish - so eating again wasn't really in the agenda)

The movie was hilarious - I didn't even miss the foods normally associated with going to the movies.

Overall, the night was a success. It was great having a chance to catch up with my friend, but not giving in to the pressure to eat bad food was the bigger success of the night.

When I got into my car and headed home, it hit me how tired I was.
And unfortunately, the fatigue made me want to eat food. I have no idea why, but I had an extreme desire to eat.

I wasn't hungry at all. Thankfully, I was able to recognize that.

So I mentally slapped myself in the face and vowed that I would eat nothing (even if it was Whole30 approved)

I finally got home and crawled into bed without a single pistachio or bite of fruit passing through my lips.
Strength I didn't think I could muster.

Let's consider Day 27 a strengthening resolve.

Day 26

We had out-of-town teammates visiting the office yesterday and today.

Because the weather was so nice, we walked down to the square to get something to eat.
The great thing was that I was not intimidated by eating out.

We sat down, I looked at the menu, and zeroed in on the choices that would be the best.

I ended up with a ginormous cobb salad.
Greens, tomatoes, avocado, hard boiled egg, bacon, and grilled chicken; minus the cheese; dressing on the side.

I am no longer afraid to ask for what I want (or what I don't want!)

I kept eating and eating... but I couldn't seem to make a dent in it.
Eventually, I threw in the towel, feeling happy and full.

And I wasn't even interested in dinner until after youth group.

I don't want food to be the most exciting part of my day.
And I think I am well on my way to accomplishing that.

Let's consider Day 26 a habit in the making.

Day 25

Five days left! Five days left!! Five days left!!!

I am so excited to accomplish something like this!
Check out my "Whole30 Completion" reward:

My new, pretty bracelet - made out of paracord.

It's like a Survival Strap, but this company (Soldier to Soldier) makes pretty ones.

Plus they make a donation to Homes for Our Troops with each purchase.

I've wanted one for a while, and since I work for a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) this type of accessory is right up my alley.

I don't get to have it until Day 31 (but I needed to model it!)

I like sparkly incentives. So next week, I will get to add this to my ensemble.

I will also add some other things on Day 31.

I tried to do the whole exercise thing, and I really needed more time to get it together.

So I let go of the guilt and am allowing myself a pause on adding anything else until I accomplish this big goal.

(One step at a time right?)

In the past, I've always tried to conquer all the problems all at once - something I've seen myself do in multiple areas of my life.

And every time, I have crashed and burned - which spirals me back into poor eating habits.

I am slowing it down this time.

Trying to get used to each change before stepping it up a notch.

Relieving some of the pressure and taking away some of the expectations that I always seem to pile onto myself.

It makes me feel like I can get where I want to be. Maybe not as fast as I would like, but eventually.

Success is a legitimate possibility... and a likely outcome.

It gives me strength.

Let's consider Day 25 fortifying.

Day 24

Today was a grumpy kind of day.
I just felt a little bit off and even simple tasks were a struggle.

I had an apple with almond butter while I got settled in at the office for the day.

I later had some raspberries while I sorted an order of promo items that came in yesterday.
The day was super busy and I kept getting distracted... and I wasn't really feeling food for some reason.

So I never had lunch.

When I got home, I finally started to feel a little hungry.
I had a slice of turkey while I decided and eventually made something to eat.

After settling down on the couch, my grumpiness calmed down a tiny bit.

I talked to my sister and my best friend - their words cheered me up and gave me a chance to talk it out.

I guess you just have those days sometimes... but at least I didn't try to bury my emotions in ice cream or junk food.
That's a success.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Let's consider Day 24 a little cranky.

Day 23

One. Week. Left.

I can't believe that next week, I will have accomplished something I didn't think I was strong enough to do.
I felt so powerless and out of control.

But by the grace of God, something clicked in my mind.
I guess it was time.

I still notice some bad habits that come up every now and then (like the desire to eat just because and snacking too close to bed time)
But, I'm at least eating things that are better for my body.

Today went rather smoothly, despite two situations that would have normally thrown me off.

At work, we did a team building activity that culminated in team lunch... at Chipotle.

My goodness I love Chipotle.
Usually, I would get a salad bowl - sounds healthy right?
But I would add meat... and rice... and cheese... and sour cream... plus tortilla chips on the side, duh!

I wasn't 100% sure what I was going to do.
(I'm still a little bit apprehensive about some vegetable combinations. Salsa being one of them)

But I went out on a limb and formulated a Whole30 approved lunch.

A salad bowl with lettuce, carnitas, fajita vegetables, and fresh tomato salsa.

I wasn't a huge fan of their use of red onions (I don't think I will ever truly like onions), but the salad was tasty overall.
I didn't even eat it all.

The good choices - plus my teammates saying how much of a difference they could already see in me from my incomplete Whole 30 experience - made me feel great.

The next challenge came after work.

I had been invited to a Cinco de Mayo party for the ladies at my church.
Basically a Mexican food fest... which I was 99.9% sure wouldn't offer too many (if any) options for me.

So, I swung by my apartment and made a quick dinner.
Salad topped with avocado, Tuscan herb olive oil, and left over shrimp and bay scallops from last night.

Then I hopped in the car and headed off to temptation central.
The food smelled amazing...the rice, the meat, the cheese, the tortillas.
But like my other experiences with bad food overload, I entertained a brief moment of self pity... then sucked it up.

I spotted some fruit and got a small bowl.
To my disappointment, though, the first piece of strawberry confirmed that the lovely fruit salad had been tossed with sugar. A lot of sugar.

I nonchalantly pushed my bowl aside and convinced myself I was perfectly content with just a glass of unsweetened iced tea.

The ladies surrounding me questioned my lack of food and I happily explained why I wasn't joining everyone else in the food fest.
They were all very understanding and I didn't feel guilty for refusing.

When desserts were served, I had to politely decline offers of cake and other goodies.
Not my favorite to refuse people, but I'm not about to consciously make a poor choice on Day 23!

Without the focus on food, I completely enjoyed great conversations and fellowship with wonderful women that I hadn't had the chance to meet yet.

There is so much more in life to enjoy than eating. Like the encouragement and company of wonderful teammates and friends.

Let's consider Day 23 socially uplifting.

Day 22

Today was a pretty busy day.

I got up and headed to church.
Today was Communion Sunday... pretty sure the bread and grape juice were not Whole30 approved, but it's communion for goodness sake.
I am not about to sacrifice that just for the sake of not consuming a few grams of sugar.

After the service, there was a bridal shower at the church for one of my friends.

Holy cupcakes and cookies Batman.

So much food... all around me.
And I wanted it.
For some reason, the turkey subs from Firehouse were the things I wanted most - the bread really got to me.

But, I was good.
I had a plate full of fruits and veggies along with some cashews I smuggled in.

The shower was lovely, everyone had a good time, and I made it out of there Whole30 intact.

From the church, I headed straight to Trader Joe's and Giant Eagle for the week's grocery shopping.
I meandered through the aisles and finally headed home, trunk loaded with bags.

For dinner, I decided to put a little bit of effort into cooking.

Green beans tossed in a bacon vinaigrette dressing with bay scallops and shrimp sauteed  with garlic, salt and pepper.

(I do love seafood)

Following dinner, I made a quick trip to Walmart before settling in for the night with one of my new books... I really can't believe the weekend is over and Monday is tomorrow.

Let's consider Day 22 a whirlwind.

Day 21

Over 2/3rds of the way there!!!!!

Whooohooo!

I'm super excited about reaching Day 30... I've always been very goal driven, so I'm all pumped up.
And the days have flown by so fast. I now only have single digit numbers of days left!

Today, I slept away most of the day - I love "Sleep in Saturdays" more than I should.

After a quick breakfast/lunch and watching Secretariat, I headed out for the afternoon.

Shopping time!

I hit the mall looking for bridal shower gifts for a friend.
I wandered from store to store, found what I needed, and also made a few purchases for myself.

Books. My favorite thing.
Growing up, my parents would never say no to books.
And I think I'm going to use that mentality in this situation.

Instead of never saying no to food and using that as a reward system, I want to find things that I enjoy and are good for me.
Books/reading challenge the mind and the imagination - which is a much better investment than fat-filled food that challenges the scale and the stretch of your jeans.

My last stop on my shopping spree was the bookstore.
Barnes & Noble to be exact... which happens to have a Starbucks inside.

I do love Starbucks. That combined with the fact that I hadn't had anything to drink for hours made me wonder if - perhaps - Starbucks has something Whole30 approved.

Thanks to Google, Starbucks received my patronage once again.

Unsweetened passion iced tea.

I had tried it before and wasn't a huge fan of it without a few packets of sweetener.
BUT the fact that I have not had added sugar and have completely changed my eating, I thought it was awesome this time around!

Not to mention the fact that a venti is half the price of a grande sized latte that I would normally get.

Good for the tummy and great for the wallet.

So I sipped on that as I wandered through the store, found what I needed, and headed on home.

The day had gone by so fast and I still needed to make dinner.

Say hello to my delicious dinner.

Sweet potato - sliced thin with coconut oil, salt, pepper, and onion powder; roasted in the oven.
Burger - topped with sliced avocado and bacon crumbles.

Who needs the bun, right?

My taste buds were happy and my tummy is content.

So now its time to settle into bed... maybe read one of my new books.

Let's consider Day 21 rounding the home stretch.

Day 20

So, I'm a little behind on the blog schedule for yesterday... so I'm just going to pretend like it's still late last night when I finally got home from a work event.

Day 20 was a little bit of a challenge.

Breakfast and lunch were normal - but I had to work a baseball game in the evening and had to leave straight from the office.

So, I just had some deli meat and an apple for dinner as I headed out to the game.

Baseball games.
AKA the land of quintessential American ballpark food.

And this event was hosted by one of our sponsors... in a suite... with food everywhere.

Now, I have been lucky enough to attend many games in suites, and I've always looked forward to and overindulged in the delicious spread of snacks.

Ballpark nachos with that fake cheese sauce - for some reason, that is my culinary sports fan weakness.

So being surrounded by all of this and everyone else eating it was pretty tough.
I was smart enough to bring my own snacks... trail mix and a Lara bar.

When I started feeling hungry (and a little sorry for myself) I pulled out the Lara bar.
Luckily, that did the trick and I made it through the evening without giving in.

When I finally arrived home from a very long and exhausting day, I grabbed a handful of cashews, decompressed, and then headed off to bed.

No alarm clock for the next morning hopefully will allow my body to get caught up on some much needed rest.

Let's consider Day 20 a passed test.

Day 19

Nothing too exciting happened today.

I did manage to forget about breakfast (I usually eat something while I get settled at my desk for the day)
But this morning, I just kept getting distracted.

A phone call here... an email there... running out to the bank.

Finally I remembered the whole eating thing and headed to the kitchen to make lunch.
A yummy salad which I enjoyed while I finally took a break from the craziness.

After work, I ran home real quick, grab something to eat, then headed out the door for youth group.

I resisted the buttered popcorn that made its way around the room in a giant red bowl - the delicious aroma hit my nose... and I did genuinely miss popcorn for a moment.

But I got over it and passed the bowl along, settling for a glass of water.

Eventually, I headed home, grabbed a snack, and am now blogging.

I need to get on on a good sleep schedule, so hopefully this weekend I will catch up and get back on track.

All in all though, it has been a pretty good day.

Let's consider Day 19 uneventful.