Whole 30 Confessions: Week 2

Hey guys, I'm alive! I survived two weeks of this crazy Whole 30 challenge and I'm feeling...like I could eat a gallon of ice cream and chips and salsa for days.

FOOD:
Besides my cravings still in almost full force, things were better last week. I was way more prepared and that helped a lot. I made several meals that lasted me almost all week, and Chris was out of town, so I wasn't tempted at all.

Some hits for the week were:

- this chili

- this sausage 

- potatoes fried in coconut oil

- all natural turkey sandwich meat

- homemade ketchup: 8oz organic strained diced tomatoes, 4oz organic tomato paste, 2 tbs lemon juice, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Blend all together in a small blender.

- potato chips made in the microwave (I microwaved mine for 7 minutes)

- guacamole

- almond butter

- bacon, eggs, and hash browns

Let me say something about these hits. As much as I'd like to sit here and say that these hits were delicious, that'd be a lie. Yes, each items is/was pretty good, but nothing so far has compared to how it tastes normally. Out of that list, the only thing I plan on making after this challenge ends is the breakfast sausage. That is some good stuff right there. And of course the bacon, eggs, and has browns.

Chili isn't the same without cheese and cornbread. Potatoes fried in canola oil or crisco are just better. Natural turkey meat is dry. The ketchup is nothing compared to the real stuff. The potato chips are a great replacement for now, but not even in the same category as out of the bag chips. The guacamole is just about the same recipe as I've always used: an avocado, scoop of salsa, and some lime juice. The only difference is the salsa is organic and has no sugar. And yes, that makes a difference. The almond butter is delicious!

Some misses:

- I tried frying chicken patties and they were alright, but probably not a repeater. I mixed ground chicken, an egg, and some spices together, then battered them with almond flour and fried them in coconut oil. Not terrible, and they might have been a hit with real ketchup, but they just weren't my favorite.

- Beef stew meat. Just eww. I need to remember to never buy that again. I might as well just chew on Chris's boot.

- An egg, spinach, onion, a steak frittata. It just wasn't that good.

- Banana ice cream. Specifically this banana ice cream. Don't get me wrong, it was okay, but almost too rich after caramelizing the bananas. Let's just say it wasn't Blue Bell.

As for the misses, although they weren't the best tasting things around, I still ate every last bit of them. I refuse to waste the food that I am cooking and, to be frank, sometimes I don't have the time or energy to fix something else, so gross leftovers will just have to do. I'm not that picky.

My theory on the foods I don't like is...watch tv or distract yourself while eating and you won't pay so much attention to how gross the food is. In the end, I get full on eating a healthy meal and that's what this is all about.

Sunday Chris grilled chicken and I devoured two huge pieces. It was by far the best thing I have had in two weeks and he will be grilling much more this week.

MOOD:
My mood the first week was similar to dancing with a lion; dangerous, and something you probably wouldn't want to do. I was moody and cranky and if Chris Tucker were writing this post he would probably tell you that I was extremely unpleasant to be around.

I am happy to report that last week I felt like my mood was better. Chris wasn't in town to witness my gleeful attitude, but I'd say I felt less groggy and out of it. I did have some moments of fog, but for the most part, my mood was more upbeat and I felt like I had more energy than the first week.

Can I just say something? I felt like I had a lot of energy before I started this challenge. I was working out every morning, eating pretty healthy, for the most part, and was feeling really great about my body and how I was feeling. I'm not sure I can credit this diet to making me feel great...just a thought.

HEALTH: 
Y'all, I am so freaking excited to say that I have not thrown up/had any stomach pain at all since I started this!! My acid reflux hasn't bother me at all!! I used to have stomach pain after every meal, like piercing pain, but I haven't felt that in over two weeks. That makes me think my stomach may not agree with something I was eating and I hope to have an answer to that at the end of this whole challenge!

WORKOUTS:
These are few and far between. The first week I think I only went to the gym twice. Last week I only went once. I am starving, STARVING the moment the alarm clock goes off and the last thing I want to do is go to the gym when I'm starving. I am eating a lot, but I feel like I can't eat enough. Everything I am eating is healthy, but not calorie dense, so I need to work on eating more protein later in the day, so when I wake up, I have enough energy to make it to the gym. I did make it to the gym Monday morning, but felt a little nauseous when I got home because I was so hungry.

OVERALL:
Overall, I feel...I'm not sure. I love how my clothes are fitting and I know I've lost inches. I tried on my best friend's bridesmaids dress (for her wedding in January) a week before going on this diet and it fit perfectly snug, with no room to spare. I tried it on again on Sunday and it was almost too loose! I no longer have any love handles and I am starting to see all my abs, so that is nice. But, if I'm being honest, the biggest motivator in this is my acid reflux being under control. That has been such a huge pain in my butt for almost eight years now, so to know I potentially have that under control is a great feeling. On the other hand, there is no way I could keep up these eating habits forever. The meal prep and lack of delicious (to me) food is something I'm not willing to give up. Call me crazy, but ice cream and chips are just too delicious to never eat!!

And no offence at all to those people who live this healthy lifestyle all the time, because I commend you for doing this because it is really freaking hard, but no, Paleo ice cream is not better than real ice cream and homemade ketchup doesn't taste like the real stuff. So, for all those items you claim to have mastered to taste like "the real thing," I'm sorry. Pillsbury has perfected the cookie and there is just no substitute for that. Blue Bell is the master of ice cream and no frozen banana treat is even close to tasting as delicious as Cookies N Cream. And kale chips dipped in homemade organic no-nothing ranch are nothing like Chuy's chips and jalapeno ranch dip. Sawwrryyyy.

I have ten days left until we go on vacation and I am going to try my hardest to eat healthy for breakfast and lunch, then splurge for dinner. I am a little worried about upsetting my stomach, so I am going to try and take it easy, but no guarantees when you're in NYC!

Has anyone else tried Whole 30? Do you have any delicious recipes? I'd love to try them out!