Days 5 and 6: This Sucks! But Not Really...... #Whole30

August 15, 2015





The last 2 days have been tough.  Not because I was starving or because I was craving anything terribly, but because of feeling so restricted.  

Yesterday, I had a horrible day at work. I just wanted to grab some chocolate or chips, anything, to emotionally eat away my anger and frustration.  But I couldn't.  In fact, there isn't 1 single thing in the vending machines I can eat.  I guess that is a good thing.  And I'm proud of my staying true to the plan.  But it was hard.

This morning, I woke up and just wanted to get going.  Every Saturday, I run to Walmart, about 20 minutes away, to get groceries.  I just wanted to get there and get back.  Unfortunately, I was out of fruit and nuts, and all cooked protein, so I couldn't just grab something and go. So after pouting a few minutes, I got up and made myself some scrabbled eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms.  And you know what?  It was wonderful.  I'm so glad I took the time to make it.  And my son was thrilled to get a cooked breakfast for a change, sans the tomatoes and mushrooms.

Afterwards, I ran all over town taking care of errands, then ran to Lewistown.  Once again, I was unable to find almond butter without added sugar (I really need to make a point of stopping at some of the other shops my friends told me might carry it), but I was able to find where they keep raw nuts.  They don't have a large variety of nuts without added peanut oil. But I was able to find macadamia nuts, pecans, and almonds that were the only ingredient listed on the packaging.

Then came my big disappointment.  Tuna.  I have been eating tuna since day one.  It is cheap, versatile and filling.  The ingredients listed are tuna, water, salt and vegetable broth.  Unfortunately, I never noticed the warning "contains soy" on it before.  I'm not supposed to have soy.  I'm guessing it comes from the vegetable broth....which could contain corn, as well, now that I think about it.   Oh dear.  I looked at almost every brand of tuna that they carry and all listed the same thing.  Vegetable broth and soy.  Fortunately, a friend reassured me that the soy might actually be listed on the package because the tuna is processed in a plant that processes other items that contain soy, though it didn't say "may".  My mom suggested rinsing the tuna before using it from now on, just to rinse off/dilute any added ingredients.  I just can't quite using it, because it is one of the few things I can truly afford in bulk. So I'm hoping that it won't cause me not to get the full results and benefits of the plan.

Grocery shopping was difficult.  I keep seeing all these foods that I just felt I "had" to have.  Pizza, bread, chips, wraps, yogurt, pudding...the list goes on.  Plus the bread baking at Subway was killing me.  But I persevered.  I stayed the course.  I didn't buy myself anything off plan.

When I got home, I still wasn't hungry.  So later in the day, I finally ate a banana, some blueberries, and some macadamia nuts.  I love this combination.   For supper, I poached some whiting fish and sprinkled it with my favorite--garlic salt.  Yes, I have a problem.  I need to branch out and try some new seasonings.  I did try something new, though.  I have yet to clarify my butter and I wanted a sweet potato.  So I sliced it and saluted it lightly in olive oil.  Then I spread it out on a plate, covered it in plastic wrap, and microwaved it for 5 minutes.  It was perfect!  I didn't need to put anything on it.  I only managed to eat 1/2 my supper, since I had a late lunch, so I'll save the rest for breakfast tomorrow.

I will say, when I can't mindlessly eat anything I desire, I find I'm not hungry all the time.   So I guess the terrible hunger I experienced pre-Whole30 was really in my head.  Well...in all fairness, I might truly have been hungry because all the empty carbs I was feasting on weren't keeping me full.  The protein I'm eating now really does fill me up faster and sticks with me longer.

So while it sucks that I can't have what I want, when I want, and how I want it, I know what I am doing is good for me, mind and body.  So it is worth it.