Whole 30 (Day 9 and 10)

The days are starting to get really crappy.  Day 9 sucked worse than day 8.  I kept spiking.  I woke up feeling great and then 2 hours later, I felt horrible.  I literally felt like a wall of fatigue just hit me.  I ate breakfast, which was 3 boiled eggs, avocado and tomato.  I eat that breakfast every morning and took my medication the way I normally do, but for some reason I was off for the remainder of the day.  I started playing with my children and the next thing I knew they were yelling, "wake up mommy".  I was really that tired.  I told them we needed to have a movie day because mommy just wasn't feeling well, so we sat down on the couch, snuggled up and 2 hours later I felt great again.  When the fatigue wore off, I picked myself up and went to the library, bookstore, and Trader Joes. By the time I got home, I felt like crap again.  I don't know what is going on, but I know I do not like it.  I suspect that I am having some adrenal issues, but I've got other things to deal with at the moment and that will have to wait.  Anyway, I picked up some ground beef from the store to make myself some tacos (with a cabbage shell of course) and just so happened to turn the package around and saw this:

I have been trying to figure out how ground beef is the product of three different countries and I was so alarmed by this label that I just didn't eat it.  It is still in my refrigerator.  I don't know how I feel about knowingly eating a cow with a passport. I typically go to the halal market/butcher for meat.  I prefer looking into the eyes of a butcher or a farmer, but I needed something quick and the picture above is what I got.  The rest of the day was uneventful.  My dinner was scrumptious. I had chard, curry chicken, broccoli and cauliflower.  

Day 10 was worse than day 9.  My energy has yet to pick up and I feel like I'm spiraling down.  I have moments when my energy picks up, but more than the fatigue, my attitude sucks. I'm just so short tempered.  I feel like I need some cookies in my life.  I know at this point that I really have a problem with sugar.  Oh, which brings me to some Whole 30 failures:

Contains sugar

Contains sugar

Not sure about this, contains defatted soy

I had to invest in another seasoning because all of the ones I usually use were not Whole 30 approved.  I ended up buying a new one from Trader Joes and I like it.

No sugar!

My meals were pretty much the same as on Day 8 for day 9 and 10. I am hoping that things start to turn around in how I am feeling.  I called the doctor today because I realize that I need to be seen.  I also have a hematology appointment next week that I will probably write about soon.  Until next time...

Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 8)

Today sucked!

I mean, it really sucked.  I want to eat my Paleoish cookies so bad.  I just want a spoonful of honey.  I really want to eat some rice.  I just felt hungry all day today and I ate more than I usually eat.  Check it out:

Breakfast:  3 boiled eggs, avocado and tomato

Snack:  Peach

Lunch:  Chicken Strips (homemade, Whole 30 approved), sweet potato and avocado

Dinner:  Lamb, sweet potato and avocado

Snack: Strawberries and a Watermelon and Kale Smoothie

I just felt out of it today.  I didn't feel like doing anything.  My energy kept spiking.  One moment I was full of energy and the next I was dozing off to sleep.  I know I need to see the endocrinologist because although my labs are in the normal range, I noticed that my numbers were increasing, which is odd.  I haven't picked an endocrinologist because I am very afraid a new one won't agree with me taking T4 and T3.  I refuse to go back to what I was doing before, so I am a bit apprehensive.

That's about it for day 8.  It sucked!  I felt so hypo that it wasn't even funny.  Hopefully, the hypo clouds aren't moving in and this was just a bad day.


Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 6 and 7)

There really isn't anything all that exciting to write about day 6 or 7.  Day 6, was pretty busy.  My family and I went out to the Farmer's Market here in Temecula, CA and bought a few things.  I made breakfast ahead of time, which was two eggs and a nectarine...I think.  I always love going to this market on Saturdays because it is so beautiful and the prices are great.

After the market, we came home and got a quick snack before going on the lake.  I absolutely love California...sometimes.  We followed the lake up with going to the beach and by the time all of that was over, I was HUNGRY.  We stopped at the Halal market in Temecula and got a few Kabobs, which were spectacular.  That was it for day 6.

Day 7, my cousin left to go back to Los Angeles and as soon as I got back into the house from dropping her off, I began to crave bad food.  I learned from her being here with me that the key is to have healthy food near you when these cravings happen, so I ate some strawberries and busied myself with cleaning the house.  My husband must have sensed that I was about to loose it because he made me a delicious smoothie.  Only problem was that the smoothie was too sweet from the watermelon we got from the farmers market.  Foods or drinks that are too sweet are a gateway to me not completing this Whole 30.  My dinner was awesome and I took a picture before I scarfed it down.

I ate better today, but I did not drink enough water.  I'm going to get this thing together before the end, but I can honestly say that I feel better and lost 1 whole pound.  Yippie!


Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 4 and 5)

Again, I have missed a day of blogging about this Whole 30, but I have a great reason.  My family and I spent the whole day out on the 4th of July and I was absolutely too exhausted to open my computer and write about food.  I haven't done the whole fireworks and barbecue thing in so long that I think I forgot how fun it could be.  On top of just enjoying the great outdoors, I had the pleasure to be in the company of friends who I deployed with while I was in the Army.  It was an awesome day.  My daughter got to go fishing; my son got to dance around in his diaper and I got to catch up with girlfriends.  The best part of the day was reminiscing over the good times in Iraq and Kuwait.  It truly was an awesome day.

So, about the Whole 30...it was not easy to maintain on the 4th of July.  The hot dogs, burgers, and ALCOHOL!  Truthfully, I don't drink alcohol because it makes my body feel horrible, but a real life burger would have been so nice.  I couldn't bring myself to break my diet and I am deathly afraid of gluten, so with the help of great friends, I ate some grilled chicken and burger with no bread or anything else.  There was also a ton of fruit to eat and considering that I thought we were only going to be there for 10 minutes and ended up staying for about 9 hours, I believe I maintained my Whole 30 in a pretty efficient manner.

Day 5 was much better.  I didn't eat breakfast, but that is because of my thyroid medication.  I started waiting a whole hour to eat after taking my medication because I found that it made me feel better.  Most doctors suggest you wait 30 minutes, but I have come to learn that my body does better with an hour between my morning medication and food.  I went to meet friends so early in the day that I didn't get the chance to eat. Surprisingly, I wasn't very hungry, but I absolutely needed to eat lunch.  My cousin and I knew we weren't going to cook when we got home, so we poked our heads into this really cool restaurant called Earth Bistro.  It is truly a fantastic place and you can totally make your food Whole 30 approved.  I ordered a burger on a bed of lettuce and my cousin ordered a philly cheesesteak without the bun, mayonnaise, or cheese.  The best part about the restaurant is that it is mostly organic, the meat is grass-fed, and all the items on their menu are locally grown.  Here are some of the pictures:

Stuffed Vegan Mushrooms (minus vegan cheese)

The Italian Mob (beef patty, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, avocado, artichokes, and lettuce)

Philly Cheese Steak (minus the bun, mayo, and cheese)

The food was grrrrrrreat! I mean, I could have eaten more, but it was enough to satisfy my hunger and I think that is what this Whole 30 is all about.  I would go back even if I wasn't on the Whole 30, so mission accomplished.  The rest of the day was pretty uneventful with us ending the day eating chicken my husband grilled with chard and avocado.  Of course, I drank water, tea, and had the pleasure of sneaking some of my cousins Kombucha (I'll write about this drink later).  Day 5 was a pretty good Whole 30 day.

My cousin and I

Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 2 and 3)

Okay, so obviously I'm no good at blogging.  I missed a day of blogging already, but I plan to...try my best documenting this Whole 30 process.

Day 2 was awesome.  I have no idea what I ate.  I know I stuck to the plan, but I could not tell you exactly what I had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Forgive me, but I have no thyroid.  I absolutely have no memory sometimes, but since I am writing this at 9 p.m. my brain is still working with today's activities so I will share what I ate today, which is Day 3.

Breakfast:  2 eggs, with tomato and avocado

Lunch:  Chicken Strips (Whole 30 approved), cucumbers and tomatoes

So, that is basically what I ate for the day and that is absolutely SAD.  My program kind of got messed because I didn't prepare anything for lunch.  I took my kids to a stay at-home mom's group bowling function where they made pizzas and simply didn't pack a lunch for myself.  The chicken strips were a late lunch and when I eat late, I typically don't eat dinner.  I failed for today, but I am also sticking with it more than I did last time...well, that's not true.  The only difference is that I am not craving juice and sweets this time, which is giving me a clue that I may actually do this for a whole 30 days (hence Whole 30).

I believe my saving grace this time is my cousin, who is here visiting.  Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I moved across the United States of America with my husband and three children by car? That, I will write about later.  Anywho, here are some pictures of my food for Day 3 and of course my cousins beautiful breakfast.  She always puts me to shame.  Hopefully, I'll blog tomorrow.  Happy 4th of July.

My cousin's breakfast (Chard, 2 eggs, Avocado)

My Breakfast (2 boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado)

My Lunch (Chicken Strips Whole 30 approved, cucumber, tomato, and avocado)

Breathe and Listen