The what and why of the Whole30 food challenge is here, but essentially the rules are no sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, or certain additives (carrageenan, MSG, sulfites) for a 30 days.
I’m three weeks in and fully in the I’m so done stage.
How I Feel
Clean (I don’t really know how else to describe it), but otherwise normal. No surges of energy that other people have described. At least not yet.
Mostly, though, what I’m feeling is a kind of boredom with the level of restrictions and I’m wanting this to be over with. I’m not craving anything in particular (except booze). I don’t want candy or pastries or chips or other kinds of junk food. All I want is to be able to have some corn on my Chipotle salad. Or, quinoa. Or, other mostly healthy things that provide some variety, but are restricted during the Whole30.
And I want a freaking beer, or wine, or whiskey, or whatever.
Other than that, I’m feeling pretty good to go on this. The cooking is sometimes annoying after a long day, but doesn’t feel overwhelming. Even the weekly meal prep is easy enough. So, I’m sticking with it and I’m certain I’ll make it through the next week and a half.
Meanwhile, my dad being his ever helpful self told me I should drop this thing so we can go out and have drinks together — thanks, dad.
The Grocery List
Trader Joe’s – $38.75
- Proteins – None.
- Veggies – Romaine Lettuce, Healthy 8 Chopped Veggie Mix, Zucchini, Green Beans, Portabella Mushrooms, Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas
- Fruit –  Apples, Freeze Dried Mango, Freeze Dried Apples
- Drinks – Tejava iced tea, Coconut Milk
- Other Stuff – Olive Oil infused with lemon juice, Red Wine Vinegar
Whole Foods – $39.46
- Veggies  – Romaine Lettuce
- Fruit – Bananas, Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Cherries
- Other – Vegan Pesto
Total Costs – $78.21
Even with the high prices at Whole Foods, buying groceries this week was significantly cheaper, which is great. Makes me feel like I’m getting a handle on this shopping thing.
What I Ate
In reviewing this week, I’m thinking I may be a little too heavy on the fruit (fruit can end up becoming a replacement for the sugars taken out by this challenge). Technically, I think I’m supposed to be eating more veggies than fruit, but my proportions may be more equal than that.
Meal Prep – Same as last week. I tried out some new vinaigrettes and a flavored olive oil this week for a tiny bit of variety.
Breakfasts – Some days were sliced up bananas with almond butter, some days were hard-boiled eggs and avocado.
Over the weekend, I made myself some one pan sweet potatoes with sausage and a fried egg, which was pretty delicious.
Lunches – Pretty much the same as last week, with mason jar salads during the work week. Over the weekend, I had more salads, because they were easy to make.
Dinners – My evenings were busy this week, which made cooking my own meal at home a bit more difficult. So, I ended up grabbing some Chipotle on two occasions (carnitas salad with pico de gallo, green salsa, and guacamole).
My favorite dinner of the week was a portobella burger — comprising a portobella mushroom cap as the bun, a beef burger patty, lettuce, and tomato with some pesto sauce for dressing. Very yummy.
My sister also made dinner for me one night, which included some amazing pesto zoodles and sausage.
Deserts – Fresh kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or dried fruit. Honestly, fruit for desert is one of my favorite things about this.
Snacks – One serving or more of sugar snap peas, nuts, or Larabars. I pretty much have a routine down with this one.
Exercise
My saturday run was really rough — I started out strong for my first mile but was dragging on the way back home after reaching almost four miles. It was like all my energy had drained out of my body. As a result, I decided to skip the Sunday run.
I’m feeling like this is a combination of factors: 1) I’m having to build up again after not having trained for a while, 2) I may not be getting enough calories on run days (since I’m not eating more to compensate), and 3) I probably need more carbs. My sister and I were talking about running and both of us realized that most runners need higher amount of carbs for energy. So, my solution is going to be to try and eat more potatoes on the days I’m planning to run. That way, I can still follow the rules of the challenge, while also feeding that need for higher amounts of carbs. I’ll have to try it out this upcoming week and see how I feel.
Other exercise this week included taking a long walk with my sister (which I got a little dizzy during the middle) and a gentle strength training work out on Wednesday.
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If you’re also in the midst of a Whole30, let me know how you’re doing in the comments.