Whole30, day 16: Curiousity & cravings

For the first time in two weeks, I was really craving something sweet today. First I was thinking about chocolate, later it became a serious craving for a giant glass of cola. I resisted. A challenge is a challenge and I can keep anything up for thirty days, right?

Also, I'm very curious to see if I have lost any weight. I've been stalling for nearly two months before starting this challenge and I really want to know if I have broken that stall. Some people report a loss up to 12 pounds, and although that would be awesome, I would really be happy with "just" 4-6 pounds. Oh well...I resisted getting on the scale too. I will for it patiently.

Whole30, day 15: Eggs in Indian spiced tomato sauce

Two weeks in and I keep feeling better and better. The lovely spring weather is helping, but it can't get all the credits. I'm not sure what it is, because I have been eating pretty much primally since august 2011. Does not eating any dairy really make me feel this much better? Or is it the lack of crappy sweeteners (I was using quite a lot of sucralose and I was sneaking more and more diet coke into my diet)? If I'm honest, I hope it's the sweeteners, because I think it's easier to live without...

It amazes me what a challenge like this can do to the way you think and feel about food. When I started this only two weeks ago, I told myself I could stuck to anything for only thirty days, but I would definitely eat cheese or cream as soon as those thirty days were over. Now, only two weeks later, I think I could live without dairy for a few more weeks. It's not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I used make quite a few dishes with cream in it. Now I use coconut milk or creamed coconut a little more and I really don't care much for heavy cream. Ghee is nearly as good as butter and a tablespoon of fruit juice in a dressing is just as fine as artificial sweetener. I won't say I will never have any dairy or sweetener again, I'm sure I will, but honestly...it's a lot easier than I imagined. And maybe it sounds a little silly, but that insight, that I don't need all these things, makes me feel happy and kind of liberated. What a thirty day challenge can do....

Whole30, day 14: Lunch in the sunshine!

Today, I believe, was the first day of spring. We're not quite there yet, but after months of frost, rain, storms and dull grey weather, today was bright and sunny. And I loved it! I wanted to take in as much sun as I could and had my morning coffee outside in the garden. It was a little chilly, I have to admit, and in the shade it was just cold, but I just had to sit outside and enjoy the sunlight. It warmed up a little, and at one o'clock it was warm enough to enjoy lunch outside in a t-shirt. So I did...

If you've read more of my posts, you know that I love all things curried. Today I decided on a very easy curry soup, with some leftover ingredients.

Whole30, day 11: Sauerkraut & pineapple

Not even half way through the Whole30 experience and I'm already starting to think that I maybe should turn this into a Whole60! That's how good I feel. At least I know for sure, that after these 30 days, I won't eat dairy as often as I did before (like munching on whole chunks of cheese). I'm fine eating the way I eat right now and I'm sure I can keep eating like this for a long time. Maybe I'll use cheese, butter or cream more as an occasional treat instead of a daily habit. The same goes for stevia. Nearly two weeks in, I'm fine now with drinking my tea without a sweetener. I do love my Paleo coconut cake though, but I don't need to eat it every day, or even every week. Just as an occasional indulgence. And taken every now and then, stevia probably won't hurt me. It really amazes me how you can change your outlook on foods. Once I thought I couldn't live without bread. Now I'm living without it just fine. Three weeks ago I thought it would be really hard to give up my beloved cheese, but now I find that it's not that hard at all. Yesterday, I did however wanted a little sweetnes, so I decided to go for some fruit.

Whole30, day 10: Feeling better by the day

I seriously have been sleeping like a baby for the past three nights. It can't be my imagination anymore, and if it is...I don't mind, I love it. When I go to bed, it takes me no more than fifteen minutes to fall asleep. I sleep for seven to eight straight hours and wake up without hitting the snooze butten a gazillion times. Love it!

Also, I started logging my foods on Fitday, to see what my carb/protein/fat ratios are and how many calories I consume. I averaged at 60% fat, 25% protein and 15% carbs, and between 1400 and 1800 calories. That seems pretty decent to me. I never really worried about ratios before, but I thought I'd see how I'm doing lately. Quite well I think.

Whole30, day 7: Haddock & roasted vegetables

Yay! I finished my first week. That alone makes me feel good. The only thing that bugs me, is that I'm not allowed to weigh myself. I am really curious. But...I won't do it. I took this challenge, and I will complete this, including every single rule.

Is it my imagination or am I sleeping better? I went to bed last night at 12 and woke up, fully rested at 7:30. Normally, I wouldn't be rested with less than 8 hours of sleep, especially not in march. I'm better with less sleep in the summer. The early morning sun usually gives me more energy. But in this time of year, I always feel I have to hibernate, sleep for hours and hours...so I was a little confused when I woke this early. Oh well, more time to do stuff!

Whole30, day 6: Bone marrow, beef & vegetable soup

I woke up today at 06:30, refreshed, awake and feeling just fine. I slept like a baby for 8 hours straight. Last night I was really tired, so I had planned on sleeping in today, but I guess my body had other plans. Could this be the diet, or is it just coincidence?

For breakfast I had a big mug of peppermint tea, tomato and avocado salad and two scrambled eggs. After that I took a quick shower and went to the market. I bought a bunch of fresh vegetables, smoked mackerel and a few pounds of haddock that was on sale. After that I went to a plain old supermarket to buy meat (that's hardly ever sold on Dutch markets). I whipped up a salad for lunch with daikon, a bit of fennel, kohlrabi, a bit of paleo mayonnaise and smoked mackerel.

Whole30, day 5: Feeling sunny

Today, my work shift started late, so I woke up a little later than usual. The sun was shining, and as the rays of sun fell into my kitchen, I suddenly felt all cheerful. Soon, the leaves on the trees will start growing again, it will get sunnier and warmer. I kind of felt like I was coming out of hibernation and felt a sudden longing for dinners in the garden, fresh salads and fruits, barbecues in the sunshine and warm summer nights with friends and a bottle of prosecco. I know, I know...it's only early march, but spring is getting closer and I really love spring. I think it's my favorite season, the way friday night is my favorite night of the week. It's that satisfying feeling that you're done with the work week and the promise of two whole days off ahead of you. Spring, to me, is just like that. The dark days of winter are over, and the warm days of summer are just lurking around the corner.

All of a sudden, I didn't want my usual breakfast of fried or scrambled eggs and bacon, but something more "summery". I whipped up some tomato-avocado salad, with a sprinkle of himalaya salt and some good olive oil. With it I ate a simple boiled egg and some smoked salmon. Now, how's that for decadence? I have to tell you, a year ago, I would have never thought I would eat fish and salad for breakfast, but I love it! It made me feel refreshed all morning. After I finished breakfast, I had a mug of peppermint tea and I was ready for the day. And a bright day it was.

Whole30, day 4: Jamaican inspired pork curry

This is probably not the most photogenic food, but....dang, it's só good! I am a sucker for curries, and thank goodness, there are loads of them: from India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Jamaica...to name a few. An Indian chef told me once that the word "curry" means "sauce", and that if you had more people for dinner than planned, you just water the sauce down, and there's enough for everyone.

Today, is day 4 of my Whole30 experience. I can't say I was feeling on top of the world today, but all in all I'm still doing fine. The hardest part for me is to think before I put something in my mouth. I was already used to not eating sweets and cakes mindlessly, but now I even have to think about a piece of sugar free gum! I almost had one and realised that it had of course artificial sweetener in it, so I put it away again. And I have to admit that I miss cheese and cream. This diet is not hard, I still can eat loads of things I love, but I'm sorry...I do miss cheese and cream.

Whole30, day 3: Curried leeks & pork belly

Day 3 and I'm feeling much better. The headache is gone and I'm feeling more like myself today. For breakfast we ate some scrambled eggs with bacon and for lunch I made zucchini soup (with a few bacon pieces) from home made chicken broth. I've been preparing all weekend for this week, making broth, ghee and easy lunches for me to take to work.

Whole30, Day 2: Horrible headache & a kickass salad

I didn't post about my experiences with Whole30 on day one. Why? Because I was in bed with a horrible headache. I barely finished the work day, went home, whipped up a quick bite to eat and went to bed. I suspect the lack of coffee being responsible for it. I mean, it can't be a "carb flu", because I haven't been eating grains or sugar for months. I have been drinking buckets of coffee lately.

A Challenge to come

I haven't been blogging for a while, because life got in the way a little. Not blogging about my recipes doesn't mean I have been slacking on my diet. I have stayed Primal pretty much 90/10. The main reason I started the Primal way of eating was because of weight problems. I didn't feel healthy and was very much overweight. I quickly lost about 35 pounds, but then I stalled. For a very long time. So...I think it's time to take it up a notch: I'm going to do a Whole30.

Starting tomorrow I will eat a strict Paleo diet. No more sweeteners and dairy for at least 30 days. First I was a little intimidated by the idea, I mean, I really love cheese, butter and a little cream in my coffee. And speaking of coffee, I can drink it black, but I can't stand it without a little sweetener. I have tried, I really have, but I hate it. So, I'll be giving up coffee for the 30 days too.

I decided to start in the first week of march, and because I always like to start things on mondays (so I have time to prepare myself for it during the weekend), I start on monday the 27th of february. Once the date came closer, I got no longer intimidated by it, but much more excited. I am really curious. Will I feel some changes? Is dairy really stalling my weight loss? Is it the sweetener that's causing the problems? I still have over 80 pounds to loose, so I can't kid myself into thinking that this is the weight my body wants to be. I'm feeling way better eating Primal, then I ever did eating a vegetarian diet, but for the sake of my health and the sake of pretty clothes, I really need to lose more weight.

I will blog about my experiences this month. I hope there are people who read it and will share their wisdom and experiences with me. But even if nobody reads it, it's probably still good for me to keep some sort of journal.

And now I will have my last cup of slightly sweetend coffee with a drop of cream :-)