HEY THERE, FRIDAY

This is the story of a girl who... said one thing and did another. Who finished a Whole30 triumphant, and then went back to making bad decisions. Mistakes don't just happen, they're a result of choices.

Oh, Whole30. I loved you and left you, and I miss you desperately.

I figured that when I was done with Whole30, I would just take a little clean eating break. You know, to have a taste of chips and queso, drink the occasional Coke,


Yeah, instead I Ross-Gellar-ed this whole thing. I ended up face-down in a bowl of goat cheese, empty Sonic cups and red straws strewn around me like flower petals.

Okay, not really, but very, very close.

You can come off of a Whole30 and end up making choices that lead you back to your old ways. And as long as you can look at your choices objectively, see how they were decisions and not "just what happens when  you come off a diet," as long as you can understand how you got from point A to point B, all hope is not lost.

Mostly because what they don't tell you is that if you do the Whole30 right, it leaves you with what I am going to call a Clean Eating Conscience. Picture the cricket from Pinocchio, or some other well-intentioned motivator, but picture it floating around with you everywhere, giving you the stink-eye as you slurp down Caramel Macchiatos, Cokes, burgers with their buns still attached...

Not that I'm speaking from experience, or anything.

So, how do you get back to being the best you? I think it starts with It Starts With Food. At least, that's where I'm starting.


I finished a Whole30, and although I've been hiding out away from this blog lately because I didn't want to admit how far from the Whole30 path I'd wandered, now you know what I've been up to all this time.

Here's to fewer Cokes and real food. Here's to all the good stuff.

To all my friends for whom this is the 2nd week of their October Whole30, and for the friends who just started Day 1 today, make it an awesome one. 

Lessons Learned:
1. When the Whole30 team tells you to clear out all the bad-for-you stuff from your pantry and fridge, do it.

Cravings creep up on you at the most unexpected times, but you don't have to succumb to them. And you can't fail if there's nothing there to tempt you.

Holy avocados... TODAY'S THE LAST DAY!

I'm feeling a strange sense of calm wash over me. I've finished what I set out to do. I ate clean, whole foods for 30 days, and I'm still alive to talk about it. I've shared my experience with friends and family, and received such overwhelming support that I just want to keep passing on this info to everyone I see.

It's cliche, but I think I just changed my own life.

Day 30 Recap:

Pre-Workout Breakfast: mango & apple bar from TJ's
Breakfast: potatoes with pork carnitas
Lunch: pomegranate seeds, fruit & nut dip
Dinner: chili rellenos with ground beef, tomatoes and salsa verde

With only two whole days left to go, I think I finally hit my "Tiger Blood" stride, if a little late. And I am most definitely in the HolyOprahIt'sAlmostOverWhatOnEarthDoIEatNow?! phase. When I went to the store today, I bought a couple of things that I hadn't even looked at during my Whole30. Goat cheese and tortillas... heyo!

And then I felt... guilty.

I hadn't even eaten these things yet, and already I'm feeling pangs of stop it stop it stop it! That's not approvedddd!! guilt.

At the beginning of the Whole30, I would have killed someone for a Coke. I wanted to throttle someone who ate a cheesy pizza in front of me. But now, as Melissa Hartwig put so well in her blog post, my "Worth It" foods have changed. Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks? It was worth it at the beginning, but it isn't now. Cheese on my chili relleno, bread on my sandwich, mayo with my sweet potato fries... not worth it.

Did I buy some non-Whole30 items at the store the other day? Yes.

Am I planning on binge-eating the lot of it on Day 31? Heck, no. I feel too good, I look too good, and there's too much goodness out there to throw it all away.

Day 29 Recap:

Breakfast: mango & apple fruit bar from TJ's
Lunch: Whole Foods salad bar
Dinner: pork carnitas on spicy roasted red potatoes

With just two more days left to go on the Whole30, I've been thinking about how different this challenge has been compared to every other diet plan I've tried. My friends and I were talking this week about other diets we've attempted, and how transient the results have been. Weight Watchers, counting calories, the 5-2 fasting diet, smoothie meal substitutes... Sure, maybe you get the momentary satisfaction of having dropped 5 or 10 lbs., but how do you feel? If you feel the same and look the same, what change did you make? If you're eating loads of processed junk in an effort to stay under 300 calories for every single meal, how is your body getting what it needs?

I can see the change; I can feel the results. And the best part? I know I've made a life-long change.

Day 28 Recap:

Breakfast: bacon, eggs, breakfast potatoes
Lunch: fruit & nut butter
Dinner: grilled chicken with avocado and steamed broccoli

Today, even while I was on vacation, I couldn't help but think about what Day 31 is going to look like. After all, Whole30 isn't meant to be just a challenge you shrug off the moment it's done - it's a lifestyle change.

When I started Whole30, I didn't truly understand how much this method of eating would affect me. I thought I'd do the challenge, then bounce right back to my old habits after everything was said and done.

Um, wrong.

I don't want to binge on bad-for-me-stuff. I don't want to watch all this hard work to go to waste. I want to take a good, hard look at how these foods affect me, and measure how I feel after I consume them. This post from My Primal Provisions only fueled my reintroduction fire.

Day 27 Recap:

Breakfast: fruit plate and black coffee
Lunch: poached eggs with flank steak
Dinner: grilled salmon with grilled veggies

And the final seven days begin!

Day 24

On Wednesday I got a chance to talk to some of my friends about my Whole30 journey - I even shared some of my before & Day 14 comparison pictures, which I thought I would never do. It feels awesome to be able to show off what I've accomplished.

Day 24 Recap:

Breakfast: smoothie with strawberry, banana, avocado, coconut milk and chia seeds
Lunch: Whole Foods salad bar
Dinner: grilled veggies, dried mango, fruit & nut dip

Day 25

Day 26

Bulletproof Coffee: I tried it.
If we're not on the same page of what Bulletproof Coffee is, then I'm going to direct you here, so you can get up to speed. This is where Bulletproof originated, and this site should answer all of your questions, because I'm certainly not an expert.

All around the healthy blogosphere, Bulletproof Coffee is the "it" drink of the moment, especially among the paleo/Cross-fit set (although not the purists, because technically coffee/caffeine isn't paleo). More info on that? Go here.

People are raving about it. It's supposed to be "better than a latte," giving you the energy of Zeus and a can-do attitude to boot.

I used an Ethiopian organic, fair-trade blend from Trader Joe's, freshly ground yesterday afternoon. I made my coffee in a French press, and blended it with grass-fed ghee and coconut oil.

Taste-wise, the flavor was pretty similar to the coconut milk latte I had on Sunday. I added a dash of cinnamon, but for me, what this combination is really lacking is something sweet to pull the whole concoction together. And that is definitely not Whole30 compliant, so sweetening the brew just ain't gonna happen. 

Bottom line? I think the effects of Bulletproof Coffee will depend on what your standard caffeine intake already is. Mine is, admittedly, pretty hefty, so I think that's why I haven't felt the jolt of unstoppable energy that others rave about.

Looking for a different way to do coffee? Give it a shot and tell me what you think.

Day 23 Recap:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with TJ's Salsa Verde
Lunch: plantain "chips" with fruit & nut spread
Dinner: sweet potato with pork carnitas & poached egg

Let's talk about snacks.

From the outset, the Whole30 program encourages you to eat meals that are filling enough to get you to your next meal, eliminating snacking as much as possible. But, why?

So far for the entirety of my Whole30 program, I've stayed away from snacking. I'll have an orange or an apple here or there, or drink a Dave's G.T. Kombucha when I would normally down a Coke from Sonic, but since pre-packaged, Whole30-compliant snacks are pretty hard to come by, I just skipped them altogether.

Until yesterday, when I went a little crazy at Trader Joe's.

Chowing down on snacks, even when they're approved, compliant snacks, takes away market share in your stomach from more nutrient-rich, delicious foods that you could be eating as a meal instead. If I eat half a bag of dried mango, no matter how compliant it is, I'm just not going to be hungry for sweet potatoes, eggs and chicken later.

But, no matter where you are in the snacking/meal planning/fruit-loving stages of your Whole30 journey, if you've stuck it out this far, keep on keepin' on. Don't beat yourself up for snacks here and there. Remember, there's no such thing as a "perfect" Whole30.

Day 22:

Breakfast: coffee (womp, womp)
Lunch: sweet potato with compliant chicken salad
Snack: dried mango, spirulina chips and TJ's apple & mango bar
Dinner: sweet potato with chicken, poached egg and TJ's salsa verde

Day 21: Whoamygosh, the temptation.

Must. Not. Give. In.

I actually sent my friend a text today that said, "I can't help it... I just feel like my life is incomplete without cheese."

The cravings today, for me, were insane. I wanted to eat everything in sight and then some. The pack of Twizzlers sitting on the shelf in my pantry had to be thrown in the trash before I succumbed to the evil, Whole30-wrecking temptations. Instead, I took what I had on hand and made a "dip" of sorts.

The dip was originally supposed to be "bites," but nothing was holding together, so into a tupperware bowl it went. I used this recipe as inspiration, but changed the game a little to fit what I had on hand. The last place I want to be on a Sunday afternoon is at the grocery store.

Fruit & Nut Spread:

• large handful of sliced almonds
• small handful of crushed pecans
• 1/2 c dried apricots
• 1/2 c dried figs
• 4 TBS coconut oil
• 3 TBS 100% cacao 

Day 20: Just 10 days left!

Another day, another meal away from home. I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to get tired of the stress of eating out. Scouring menus, searching for things that are compliant is exhausting.

When I started the Whole30 journey, I explicitly told my husband that we couldn't go anywhere near a place that had my favorite "layered queso" dip: queso with brisket or ground beef, guac and sour cream all in one happy little bowl. Why not? Because I didn't trust myself to not order it, and even now when I trust myself to avoid it on the menu, I don't trust myself to not be completely miserable without it.

It's all about prevention.

Day 20 Recap:

Breakfast: Coffee, smoothie
Lunch: cashews and an orange
Lunch (Part 2): pork carnitas with avocado
Dinner: Salad with grilled salmon and fruit, with a side of chimichurri "dressing"

Day 17-19: What to do when you're eating out (for literally every meal). 

Day 15: HALFWAY!

I've been getting a little discouraged lately, since the end of the Whole30 is so far away, but today I compared my "Before" pictures to the "now" me, and there are definitely differences in how I look, and more importantly, major differences in the way I feel.

Day 13: Bacon.

Bacon.

Every Saturday, we wake up, lollygag around the house a bit, and make an epic brunch. Bacon, however, is an integral part of brunch foods. It's what makes the world go 'round.

Pederson's Natural Farms  makes sugar-free bacon that's delicious, and available at Whole Foods. No antibiotics, no preservatives... and totally Whole30 compliant. This morning we made sweet potato hash, with pulled pork carnitas, bacon and poached eggs, and I actually forgot that I was actively giving up anything for a blissful hour.

And then a new round of cravings set in. Goodness, it would be nice to not feel like I want to eat anything and everything in the world right now.

Day 13 Recap:

Brunch: sweet potato hash with carnitas, bacon and eggs
Dinner: turkey, bacon and avocado salad

Day 12 Recap:

Breakfast: smoothie with fresh fruit and coconut milk
Lunch: sweet potato with pork carnitas
Dinner: grilled avocados with barbacoa and pico de gallo

Tomorrow I'm posting a recipe for

Days 10 & 11, according to my two go-to sources (Primal Provisions and the Whole30 Timeline), are the days you're most likely to quit the program. Why? Who knows. It's just what happens.

Day 10

If you made it to Day 10, you made it a third of the way through, which feels awesome. 10 days, no matter how you cut it, sounds big. Sounds amazing. Sounds like you're doing it. Really, actually doing it.

My day 10 was also my non-Whole30-er husband's birthday, which meant dinner out and cake. Look here, people who are thinking about quitting: cutting a birthday cake and not licking the icing off your fingers takes a small amount of willpower, but you can do it. Not indulging in chips and spinach-artichoke dip stinks, but you can do it. Sitting there watching your significant other scarfing down a thick-crust pizza while you try to incinerate it with your eyeballs may test your limits, but it is possible.

Instead of telling myself, "I can't have that," or "That's off limits," I've been trying to internalize the phrase, "I don't want (insert craveable food here)." It helps remind me that this Whole30 challenge was my choice, and that I'm doing it for a reason.

Day 10 Recap:

Breakfast: sweet potato hash and a smoothie (strawberry, banana, avocado and coconut milk)
Lunch: pork carnitas in butter lettuce wraps with onion and TJ's salsa verde
Dinner: remaining half of the smoothie and sweet potato hash

Day 11

Forgive me for the laziness of lumping two days into one post. I think after you read my Day 8 recap, you'll understand why I couldn't just leave you with that sad blurb.

Day 8

According to my Whole30 "whole"-y grail, the My Primal Provisions blog, Day 8 should feel... puffy. And that's an understatement. As your body gets used to all the new foods, lack of sugar and hyper-processed stuff that you normally gorge on, your digestive system takes a few days to reset itself. This usually happens around Day 8. Imagine you ate all of the sodium and fried foods in the world, and then double that gross feeling.

The good news? Waking up with my alarm clock is getting a lot less difficult to do.

The bad news? The gross feeling made me not want to do anything. When I got home, the only thing I was interested in doing was passing out on the couch, but I forced myself into making a smoothie and doing some Day 9 food prep.

Day 8 Recap:

Breakfast: leftover sweet potato and hatch chile hash with chicken and baked egg
Lunch: broccoli salad with Trader Joe's canned salmon (not a fan.)
Dinner: smoothie with strawberries, banana, peaches, avocado, coconut milk and chia seeds (made enough for two so I would have an easy breakfast on Day 9 or 10)

Day 9