Days 11 and 12: I Didn't Give Up!

I was just busy! Because, even though it seems like my entire life consists of Whole30, it does not. I have people to teach, menus to plan, board meetings to attend, leadership initiatives to advance, folders to stuff, cardboard to cut, iron to pump, shoes to get repaired, library books to return, library fines to pay. Oh and also children to raise, spouse to support, laundry to fold, dishes to wash. It's more than a day's work. So sometimes I don't get to the blogs, even when I fully intend them to be a priority.

The good news is that I have stayed committed! I am stronger and clearer-headed and more even-tempered and have not had to nap since Wednesday. I have an unfamiliar can-do attitude about things right now. My theory: the result of combined W30 compliance (i.e. if I can do this, I can do anything!) and enhanced mental clarity. I want to get organized, get up earlier, accomplish more, delve deeper into everything important to me. I've made it to daily Mass twice, addressed work issues and responded to emails almost expeditiously, lifted heavier weights, returned phone calls in a more timely fashion, mapped out our summer. Most significantly, my jeans are loose.

The bad news is that I have super mixed feelings about what I'm learning about food and how it affects my body. Sugar is the devil. I get it. BUT. I don't think I wanted to learn how horrible it can make one feel once the habit of it's been placed on hold. This morning I drank a Naked Juice that was technically compliant (though not recommended). I wasn't even thirsty, but I was somewhere where I had to buy something in order to occupy a particular space (and use space in question's wi-fi), and I thought a little juice would taste nice. To be safe, I only drank half of it (one serving). Also important: I had eaten an ample breakfast about an hour prior, so I wasn't loading up on sugar on an empty stomach. Nevertheless! Within five minutes my body revolted against me/it. I had horrible cramps and nausea and a little bit of shakes. It went away after about forty-five minutes, but all day my stomach has continued to feel varying degrees of unsettled.

I don't think I mind being a normal person who's stomach can decently tolerate all kinds of foods, including sugar, however poisonous it is. Isn't that one of the rad things about being human? And raccoon? Certainly, I don't want to be a high maintenance eater who gets sick from a swig of juice. Dining out with a tree nut allergy is annoying enough! These thoughts are all troubling me. Also - I can't remember if I've mentioned this before - but raw tomatoes have started to give me an itchy mouth. They never have before. Is the W30 Challenge causing me to develop new sensitivities? Because that is not what I'm after. What I was after was information. This was about as scientific an experiment as I get to do these days. I didn't anticipate such drastic changes however, and I find some of them disconcerting.

Those are today's (and yesterday's) impressions. I'll finish up with the food now. Have a lovely weekend! xoxo E-NC

Thursday, Day 11

Breakfast at 7:30: "The Usual" - sauerkraut, kale scramble topped with salsa

Post-workout snack at 10:30: Raw bar (felt right - I've stopped obsessing about workout food and am just eating something W30-approved immediately post-workout)

Lunch at 1 pm: big salad with almonds, seeds, beets, avocado, sprouts, arugula and romaine and last of my herbed mustard vinaigrette. AND A BLACK COFFEE. That is mega. You have no idea how mega.

Dinner part 1 at 8:30: chicken thigh from work (no picture - I promise, you don't want one)

Dinner part 2 at 9:30: cold red roast (not bad, but not worth photographing), microwaved sweet potato with coconut oil

That sweet potato was stupid delicious.

Friday, Day 12

Breakfast at 7:30 am: The Usual. (Yes, I'm over it, but it tastes good and doesn't require thinking. I am newly appreciative of the benefits of some routine in one's life.)

Poison at 8:45 am: Naked Juice

Lunch at 1 pm: W30 curry tuna burgers, arugula, guacamole (not pictured: seconds) (so good! W30 variation on these guys - revised recipe forthcoming!)

Dinner at 6:15 pm: Salmon with olive oil, W30 Asian cole slaw (a variation on my favorite salad - I'll share revised no sugar/alcohol/grain recipe soon!)

I also had two LaCroix grapefruit sparkling waters, an iced coffee, some herbal tea, and a ton of water today. More thirsty than hungry for some reason. Let me reiterate: I am barely ever hungry. Even yesterday, as I watched my thirteen lovely students and two coworkers eat food I'd helped to prepare, conscious of the fact that I wasn't probably going to eat for seven waking hours, I was not hungry. When I got home though, I needed food fast. Hence cold roast, which totally hit the spot.