Derek and I have been talking a bit today about how we've really got the hang of this (maybe him moreso than I). I think we're finally finding our groove of finding meals that we simultaneously can and want to eat.
It's been easier to focus on staying compliant, because the end is getting nearer. We see it, and we both actually believe we will get there. So, while we may yearn for a good crusty piece of bread, we know that eventually, we'll get to have it. So for now we'll just keep trucking with our endless supply of protein and veggies.
Also, yesterday when we went grocery shopping, we got everything we needed for the week for approximately the same amount we had been spending per week pre-Whole30. The couple weeks prior, we had spent around $50-60 more per trip! Obviously, our first instinct was to freak out at how sustainable spending upwards of $200 extra per month on groceries was going to be, but when you factor in that we were easily spending WAY more than $50-60 a week on eating out, we're still actually ahead of the game and saving money. If we can keep up this week's total, we'll be saving even more. I think that's pretty awesome, and it just goes to show that despite the fact that everyone thinks that eating healthy is so much more expensive... it's actually not the case. I mean, sure, grass-fed beef is more expensive than conventional, and I don't even want to TALK about the prices of like, condiments and lunch meat and oils and things like that, but you don't buy those every week, and you shape your meal plan around what you already have on hand. Easy peasy. Also, I don't know how other stores work this out, but at Wegmans, a lot of the organic produce is really comparable in price to the conventionally-grown. Some of it is still a fair bit more, but not everything has to be bought organic (in case you were wondering, the general rule of thumb is that if you peel it or otherwise take the skin off before you eat it, it doesn't need to be organic!).
Obviously, these two things combined are making me feel much better about our path post-Whole30. I'm still eagerly awaiting our first "20" day, but at the very least I'm confident (for now, hahaha) that this is for real our new lifestyle and not just something we'll try and then forget about.
Anyway, today was our food prep day and I am proud of us because not only did we stick to it and prepare everything we truly needed to prepare, but we did it and still had time to relax/play/nap. Our dishwasher has been run more in the past week than it had been in months, and we've handwashed cutting boards, knives, and the cast iron skillet more times today than I can count, but it feels awesome to have so much to point to that we accomplished!
So, there. In other news, we ate some yummy food today and without realizing it, kind of subscribed to the long-touted idea of "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper". The deets:
What I Ate:
Breakfast: We made home fries! From scratch! They took a while to make but were TOTALLY worth it and were absolutely delicious! We had them with over-easy eggs (a first for Derek) and bacon. Honestly, this is probably my favoritest meal we've had on Whole30. It wasn't too different from something we would've made ourselves or ordered somewhere, but we could feel good about it. It was all compliant! We also threw in some fruit at the end for good measure. As this was a bit "decadent", though, and time-consuming, this probably won't be a weekly occurrence. Maybe every couple weeks/month.
Lunch: mostly the same as yesterday -- compliant hot dogs with mustard, carrots and a little guacamole, and I had a couple pickles. I love me some pickles...
Dinner: Scallops, green beans, and a nectarine.
How I Feel:
Productive. Accomplished. A little triumphant. We made it HALFWAY! We have literally completed an entire half of our Whole30. I remember a couple years ago, after a lifetime of eschewing restrictive diets, Derek convinced me to try the South Beach Diet with him. He'd had some success on it and since he'd tried doing WeightWatchers with me (with little success for either of us), I agreed to try SBD. I don't know if you're familiar with it but for the first two weeks, you're in "Phase 1", which is super-restrictive and doesn't allow any fruit, dairy, grains, white potatoes, and essentially, no carbs, period. I think we made it through both weeks, and I lost a decent chunk of weight -- maybe like 7 or 8 pounds -- but I was so CRANKY and unsatisfied and HUNGRY that while you're SUPPOSED to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, which is markedly less restrictive and allows back some of the forbidden foods... I don't think we even bothered.
I used this as proof that me and diets that tell me "no" just do not work. As I mentioned before, the first time I heard about Whole30 was when my friend mentioned that she was trying it and I swore up and down that it couldn't be any good because nothing can work if it's so restrictive, blah blah. I felt the same about Paleo. I guess I needed to read into it more? Anyway, I finally "gave in" because I feel like I'm running out of options, and wasn't at all confident that I could pull it off. But here I am. I'm at the peak of the huge mountain this forced me to climb, and it's all smooth sailing to the finish line from here. This is honestly a really proud moment for me, so I can only imagine how I will feel in another 15 days! Hah!
We're still trying to figure out how to celebrate completing the entire 30 days. We definitely don't want to celebrate with food (although we will be having an off-plan day sometime during our week post-completion), and we're not exactly rolling in money right now so don't want something too exorbitant, but I think it should be special. Any thoughts, friends?
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