W30 Days 1/2: The Headache

W30 Day 1: 

Still quite unsure what came over me this morning as I reached for a Lara Bar instead of a bagel and a Diet Coke. Perhaps I was possessed, or my brain had been hijacked by Robb Wolf. Either way, I went to work without a lunch which forced me into decision making at an unreasonably early hour of the day. I pushed “breakfast” to 9am, and opted for a Banana Nut Bread Lara Bar and a Poland Spring Sparkling Water. Not my ideal first meal to start off the month, but it got the job done… well, sorta. I was HUNGRY (all caps necessary) for hours, which is a feeing I rarely let myself experience. As a serial grazer, I never really let ghrelin- the “I’m hungry” appetite regulator- do its job. Not an entirely pleasant feeling, but with nothing else to eat I had no choice but to just feel my stomach flip until lunch. Oh, did I mention already I brought nothing to eat? Thankfully, from my last round, my brain was full of ideas for quick, cheap mini-meals that would last me until I could get out of work and head to the food store. I placed a Rapid Pick-Up order for Panera Bread for a very overpriced salad, but it was all compliant and I wasn’t going to fuck up on the first day. After picking up my brown bag, I ate the side choice apple in the car on the way back to work. The salad was actually delicious, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve had just a salad. Romaine, spinach, avocado, hard boiled egg, tomatoes and cucumbers. Easy, lunch = done. No protein, but I don’t expect to have a perfect round. I had no plates fat with breakfast, already had an emergency bar, and no plan for dinner. Great start, Leesh, amazing. Much success. I’m ok with it, I’m doing the best I can and so far have had no stomach problems- which is mostly the point of this. A little wholesale food shopping at BJ’s- 5 dozen eggs, 2 whole young chickens… nothing too serious- and took the haul home before going to get some Whole30 staples at Shoprite. A quick 3 egg scramble as a mini meal- again, no fat but giving myself a pass on day 1- then back out the door. Food shopping on Whole30 can be pretty overwhelming, especially the first few times. Luckily I remembered some brand names and items I used from my last round, and didn’t take too long to get back home and start cooking dinner.  Turkey meatballs with red sauce were on the menu tonight- and they were DELICIOUS. Minimal ingredients, super easy and I have plenty of leftovers for breakfast or lunch tomorrow. Overall, not bad for day 1. I expect this to get harder before it gets easier, but I really have faith this time that I can come out of this experience on top this time. 

W30 Day2:

Survived day 1, so basically I’m winning at life. Woke up feeling super light as opposed to weighed down from a heavy dinner. Bloating is gone, stomach is mostly flat and overall feeling good! Fast forward to an hour later and I was near death, here’s why: breakfast was a carrot cake smoothie, I recommend a Vitamix for this, but sadly I only have a recent model of the Ninja blender… first world problems at its finest. Shredded carrots, 1 banana, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and *the culprit* COCONUT MILK. I should have remembered this from my last round, but coconut milk is basically a laxative for my body. Great start to the day. I’ll spare you the gruesome details, but if you’ve never had coconut milk before or don’t drink it regularly, it’s better to start with a small amount to see how your psh reacts. I had another meal around 9, something much more familiar to me- chicken, green beans & carrots. Ok, the headaches started today, earlier than last time. Sugar detoxing can be pretty difficult especially if you’re a Cookie Monster like me. It wasn’t a pounding headache, but constant and strong enough to be annoying. It continued basically all day, but was strongest around noon before my next meal. Lunch was leftover turkey meatballs with red sauce, carrot sticks, tomatoes and a few cherries and blueberries. I felt a lot better after that meal at 1:30pm, and I was able to push my last meal to 7pm without feeling hungry! Win. After a handful of cashews while waiting for the microwave, I had more turkey meatballs and some veggies while fighting off the dog’s nose. In between eating and cleaning up (a LOT of dishes, I hate this part!) I also threw another whole chicken in the Instant Pot for salad tomorrow, using my favorite faux-tisserie chicken recipe. Day 2 down, another moderately easy day- but I know the “kill all the things” days are ahead.