Whole 29? Or 31?

So I've made it all the way to Whole 30, Day 16. As long as you don't count last week's Patriots game. I've done really well - minus those 2 beers and key lime pie. Those were definitely not Whole 30 approved (in my defense, it's the playoffs!). The next day I was feeling guilty (and a little sick), but some good peeps reminded me that it was just a little slip and I didn't have to start all over. Maybe I'll just add an extra day at the end? 

So, I definitely cheated last weekend. But, I had a little triumph yesterday, too. On Thursdays, my friend, Erika, and I share a pizza. Her husband gets us a barbecue chicken pizza with pineapple every Thursday. It's the highlight of my workweek lunches. Erika still brings the pizza, but I donate my slices to anyone else who happens by while we're eating because I just can't eat that right now - as much as I might want to. Yesterday, I was having a crappy day and I didn't think my lunch was going to be enough. I thought I might just have to throw in the towel and eat a piece of pizza. (Have I mentioned that I really miss cheese?) I was about to do it when another coworker told me not to. "It's just not worth it," she said. So I sat there and ate an apple and grumbled about it the whole time. I make a lovely dining companion. Later, though, I thanked that friend because I was so proud of myself for eating an apple instead of pizza. I would've felt terrible if I cheated twice in one week!

In the meantime, I have to be better at finding some new recipes this week. I'm getting a little bored with my meals. It's time to mix it up a little.

As it stands, I lost another 2.1 lbs in my second week. (I'm totally breaking the "no scale" rule.) That's a total of 9.8 lbs in two weeks. I've almost undone all of the holiday damage I did!

If you have any recipes to share, leave a comment below... I could use some inspiration!

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Whole 30 Days 5-8

Oddly enough, I feel really good on Day 8 of my Whole 30. After doing some research before I started this, I was really bracing myself for the worst. I haven't had any insane cravings, I finally stopped waking up with a hangover, and I don't feel quite so tired in the afternoon anymore. 

One thing that this experience has made me aware of is how much of my kids' food I unknowingly put in my mouth. Now that my food is restricted, I am super conscious of what I eat. More than once, I've had to stop and take something out of my mouth that I mindlessly put there. Sure, I'll make you some chocolate milk. Then I'll lick the spoon. Let me open those snacks for you. I'll pop a few in my mouth before I hand you the bag. Don't mind me as I reach over and take something off your plate! I didn't even know I was doing it until I caught one of Charlotte's Froot Loops in my mouth and had to spit it out. Who knows how many extra calories I've been eating all these years?

A downside to this diet is that the food is not convenient. I really have to plan my meals ahead of time. If I forget to pack a lunch, I can't just grab something at Dunkin' Donuts or a convenience store on my way to work. 

I do have to admit to breaking one of the Whole 30 rules. There is a strict policy about not weighing yourself during the 30 days. Too many years of joining (& quitting) Weight Watchers has left me scale obsessed. On a good note, I lost 7.7 lbs in the first week. Granted, I think I gained about 10 lbs between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but it's a start. I know that the weight loss is not the most important reason for doing this, but I'm not going to deny that it made me very happy.

What's great about this is that we've cut way down on take-out as a family. Our meals have a lot more vegetables in them, too, which the kids are actually enjoying. 

Overall, the first 8 days of the Whole 30 have been fine. I had one minor cheat issue on Tuesday. My husband's aunt left a bag of candy for my kids. In it were those teeny tiny Twix Minis. I popped one in my mouth and enjoyed it immensely. I figured, it was so teeny, there wasn't much harm. Until I remembered that I have OCD and have to do everything in multiples of 4. So, I ate 3 more. Other than that, I have been so good sticking to the plan. Just keep the damn tiny chocolates out of my house!

Here's to another successful week (and looking for some new recipes)... Wish me luck!

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Whole 30 Days 1-4

So, I feel like I've successfully survived these first few days. I've felt full and haven't been going insane with cravings. I do kind of want to raid a chocolate bar factory around 8pm, but, that's my holiday late-night snacking habit catching up with me. I may have cheated a bit by having a few dates (the fruit, not the boyfriend), but I feel like that's a far cry from a king-sized Hershey bar, so I'm okay with it.

Every morning I wake up with what feels like a slight hangover (without all the fun partying to explain it away). I'm guessing it's the diet because I've been told the first week of clean eating takes a little getting used to. Adjusting to burning fat instead of sugar and putting my hormones back into whack wreaks a little havoc. 

I've had lots of good food, too, so that was a nice surprise. I definitely don't feel like I'm starving. I was ridiculously tired most of yesterday afternoon and into the evening. Last night was also supposed to be date night with hubs to go see Les Mis. Luckily, the theater we go to has a Starbucks in it. I bought a venti black coffee to help me stay awake through a 2 1/2 hour movie. I also smuggled my own coconut milk in one of my kids' water bottles (in my purse) for the coffee. I think the old lady sitting next to me was working under the assumption that I was up to no good with my illicit purse milk. I have to say, even though PJ bought a popcorn with all that awesome fake butter deliciousness on it, I didn't even want any. Now, had he bought chocolate to go with it, I might have punched him in the throat, but he was smart kind enough to skip the candy.

One nasty side effect I've noticed is all of the dirty dishes. I have done a ton of cooking this week to prepare all of my meals. At one point, I had the dishwasher running, the sink was full, and every pot I owned was dirty. It's definitely more work than grabbing breakfast or lunch on the way to work. On a side note, I've got all kinds of yummy new recipes that even my kids like. Thanks to my sister and my paleo Twitter peeps, I've found a lot of good resources. I even made my own homemade mayonnaise to use in tuna and as a garnish for other things. It tasted so fresh (and I was super proud that it didn't "break" on my first try).

So, I feel like this venture into the Whole 30 isn't too terrible as of yet. I know these first two weeks are supposed to be the worst of it, so I'm preparing myself mentally for that. Four days in, I feel ok. I've also logged 2/500 miles in my 500 mile running challenge for the year. Only 498 to go. HA!

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Waffles = Rock Star

Today I made homemade waffles for breakfast. You would've thought it was Christmas. Sophie came out to the kitchen and said, "Guys! She's really making them the whole way! Like, with the grill!"


When I posted about it on Facebook, someone told me I'm the "mom of all moms." I wouldn't agree with that sentiment, but I have learned a few things over the years. 


1.) Set the bar low. I'm not a breakfast person. I'm also usually rushing around like an idiot in the morning. These two things combine to make limited breakfast choices. At my house we eat a bowl of cereal, a cold pop-tart, some yogurt, or a frozen waffle when we're feeling really fancy.


2.) Act like everything is intentional. There is a price to pay for not buying groceries. This morning I woke up without any of the kids' breakfast staples. As I figured they wouldn't eat yesterday's stale munchkins that are still on the table, I had to get creative. My only option was to make waffle batter. Or serve them a hot dog. Even though it was out of necessity, I let them think I did it because they are just so lucky to have such an awesome mom.


So, I busted out the waffle iron and mixed up some batter. I even sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top of the waffles. The kids thought they died and went to heaven. What they don't realize is that I'm just too damn lazy to make a hot breakfast - unless it involves pushing down the toaster button for the Eggos - 99% of the time. Believe me, if I had actually had anything in the house to give them, I wouldn't have made the waffles. I'm just bad at breakfast. Because this is our norm, though, my little stint at the waffle iron has turned me into an instant hero. Hopefully they'll still remember it tomorrow when I offer them some hot dogs Raisin Bran.

Hot and fresh!

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Transcendence

There was an evening last week, that prompted me to develop a new mantra. "Rise above." We had been eating dinner as a family, but the kids were very antsy. One by one, they finished their meal and asked to leave the table to go play. At that point, I didn't much care what they did as long as it didn't interfere with me finishing my dinner. (Please, if you know what is good for you, do not get between me and my food.) 

As PJ and I sat there enjoying the rest of dinner, chaos was unfolding around us. They were jumping, running, tagging, and wrestling. Which quickly led to yelling, fighting, crying, and screaming. The noise level was ridiculous even for a house with five children. It certainly wasn't the norm for dinner time. PJ and I just looked at each other and shrugged. We decided that they were going to have to work it out and we continued enjoying the meal. We came to the realization that, as long as there was no bloodshed, we were going to rise above the noise and pretend that we were eating in peace. 

I'm sure that most people would have been absolutely horrified by the scene, but we figured it was a battle that we would lose. We chose not to fight. The kids were tired and cranky. The only solution for that would be an early bedtime. So we ate our dinner and tuned out the nonsense. (Which, trust me, was a super-human feat.) As soon as we were done, we ushered them off to bed.

We'll just have to be sure to remember this night if we ever decide to throw a fancy dinner party. Which is, of course, super-likely. (Do they make a "sarcasm" font?) In lieu of hors d-oeuvres, we'll pass trays of ear plugs.

Watch me chant serenely while my kids scream like fools...

If you enjoy the blog, why not become a follower? Quickly... before I get a cramp from this lotus position. You can also stalk find me on Facebook and Twitter. Like the page and follow me!

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