weight/inches

Real quick, I didn't do this Whole30 for weight loss. I knew it was going to be an outcome, an added bonus, but I solely did this to better my health. I have some people who are so concerned about the number on the scale that they miss the ENTIRE point of the program. Even if you didn't lose a single pound, the way your body feels should ALWAYS be above that. 

Done with my little disclaimer. Here are the numbers:

Weight Lost: 14.4 pounds

Inches Lost: 9 inches

HOLY FREAKIN YEAH. 

i did it! whole30 day 31

OMG GYES! I DID IT. Not only did I complete this challenge, I CRUSHED IT. 

Before I get into the details on what I lost (weight/inches - see next post) let me tell you a little about my last day and the few leading to it...... (written Friday - Day 29)

*****OKAY SO. My Whole30 is almost up and some of you have asked, “ What is your next step?” “What is your meal plan going to look like?” “Are you exercising?” “ Are you going to keep going on the Whole30?”

So here is the answer (for those of you who wanted to know!):

1.       Next steps… well let’s get back to this one since my response will be longer.

2.       Meal Plan in the future – I am planning on sticking to clean & whole foods – those foods closest to how they were found in nature. After this Whole30, I have learned so much about what is in the foods I eat daily and it is shocking! My next steps will be to keep checking my portions, watching the SNEAKY foods I might snack on in the day, and just not getting obsessed with what I am to eat. Life is too short to focus on food so heavily – hoping to balance. 

3.       Am I exercising? No… and yes? – this is a tough one because at the present I maybe hit the gym 1 time a week (on average). For the month of January, I avoided it. I knew there was going to be a ton of people there all starting new so I just took a break and concentrated on the food/mental/emotional aspects of the Whole30. I will be exercising on the next phase, to help in strengthening my body, getting it stronger for my overall health.

4. Am I going to keep going? YES and NO. The Whole30 brought me amazing basic and foundational skills when it comes to food that I can't ever go back to how I was originally eating. I feel too good to do that. However, I am human and LOVE good food. So my plan is to stick with it 75-80% of the time. Having my foundations of food be Whole30 compliant and then letting myself have some extras. Rice, Bread, oatmeal, beans, etc. I am going to stay away from excess sugars FOR SURE seeing as those had effected me more than I know. Also going to LIMIT dairy as well. I believed that when I started the Whole30 my body was rejecting dairy, it was crying out saying "NO MEGAN WE DON'T LIKE THAT" and then rejecting me for days (i.e. stomach aches and pains and all that).

SO here is the Whole 30 post for Day 30! I totally felt as alive as that cat. Everything was fitting better, my skin is HELLA clear, and my overall confidence has skyrocketed. 

My evening was spent with friends and here is my 12 pack I brought to contribute (since we were drinking...)

My bestie was with me (doing the Whole30 as well) and thank God there was fresh caught Steelhead trout for dinner. My cup runneth over - I have the best of friends. 

Day 29 can be summed up in this one photo:

From the angle I am sitting at in the lunchroom at work, its like the ARROW is pointing at the CUPCAKES. The world hated me at that moment. And I gave it a glare and moved on to my carrots and chicken. YOU WONT WIN!

My Day 31 is going to be spent eating a piece of toast, meal prepping later, and reading about REINTRODUCTION. A lot of people jump right back into the swing of things but I don't think that will be good for me. Omitting all of the junk for so long, I need to go slow. 

So I will leave you with this photo. Check the next simple post for details on weight and inches! PEACE OUT!

Whole 30 - Days 22 - 28!

HOLY DRIED FRUIT! I am literally almost done. Like.... yeah. Ok, this journey for the past week has been interesting. I have slept AMAZING, had a bunch of energy (in spurts) and have felt GREAT. However the past day of two I have had a tummy ache. 

I think maybe I didn't watch the labels as close as I should and MAYBE let something sneak in. Since I have no clue what it could be, I am going to keep trekking. It could also be that I LOVE FRUIT. Like a bunch. What happened is that I haven't been feeding my body candy or sweets that it was used to... So I turned to fruit to fill the sweet treat. Well, because of this the past couple days/last week I have been upping my fruit intake without even knowing. Something I am going to change in the next phase.

So my food hasn't changed much. Here are a couple meals from the past week:

Salad - with W30 approved dressing, turkey and ham slices. Added apples, pomegranates, mushrooms, cucumbers and lettuce (which you can't see). This was SO filling - I didn't even finish the whole bowl. 

Mucho Burrido bowl. So I checked the menu before I left for the restaurant with my work crew. I got lettuce, the chicken shredded (GF, DF, etc), pico de gallo, medium salsa, & guacamole (GF/DF etc.)  The chicken was SUPER spicy so I wasn't able to finish the whole thing. But it was TASTY! Water as usual accompanied my dish!

I made my own HOMEMADE marinara! I usually make my own but add the secret ingredient: SUGAR! Yikes.... so this version was a little more organic. Less sweet - more tart. I added in ground beef and black olives. I tried the "zoodles" that everyone is talking about... I used a cucumber, which was probably my first mistake. Gross. So sauce for dinner! Hah!

A couple nights this week I have settled for eggs and bacon. 

This steak, mashed potatoes and green beans/mushrooms in ghee were paired with a cute puppy for snuggling. Juno LOVES to watch me cook. 

And I also decided to chop my hair off and go red. Oh and got some kickass lipstick!

I have.... seriously 2 days left. I will be posting my next steps YADA YADA this weekend. 

HOME STRETCH!

Whole 30 - Days 18 - 21!

OMG. GUYS. I AM ALMOST DONE. OMG.

It hit me today, as I was eating my dried fruit and almonds... omg.... I only have like 9 days left! HOLY MOLEY! I can't believe it. I have NEVER in my lifetime done something this drastic and stuck to it. PROUD MOMENT HERE.

Sorry... It is just so exciting!! Pants are fitting better, skin is clearing, I am sleeping every night like a rock and I started working out again. WOOO. You are probably wondering, "What are you going to do once you are done??" Well that is an extremely good question. I will be writing a post next week letting everyone know what my plan is... because I am still trying to sort that out myself! All I know is this has been the BEST health experience (since I started running) that I have ever accomplished. I can't believe it worked!

I have no tummy issues - NONE. I haven't been upset or irritated by any foods. Whatever was bothering me (assuming it was dairy) has been eliminated from my diet and my body is thanking me! 

I apologize for not posting daily... but here is what is distracting me:

This little girl turned 4 months last week! Our little corgi Juno has stolen our hearts! So much playing, not enough time to blog! But I found some time this evening to get this all down.

Here is some of the things that has happened this week:

1. WASTE. If you ever do the Whole30 yourself, this will happen at least once. You will start out thinking I NEED EVERYTHING... but really no. You don't. I threw out so much spoiled food/recipes I didn't end up liking. It is trial and error. I planned better for the next week and soon only needed a few items every week.

 

2. MEAL PLANNING. Now I made this BOMB soup last week and well, I made it again. It healed me from my brush with food poising, and now it is comforting me for all lunches at work. So easy to make. And literally in the morning before work, I grab a container, spoon and apple and GO! LOVE IT. Planning meals and prepping a few ahead of time saves my butt during the week. 

3. REPEAT MEALS. So Rick and I LOVED this meal from last week, we repeated it again! Whole30 has a ton of recipes to try but we seemed to keep it pretty basic. I tried to get fancy and make things I have never heard of (cauliflower rice) but they never turned out how I thought. So we stuck to easy items; meats, veggies and some starch if needed. YUM. Seasons were just salt/pepper and lemon juice! Oh boy did it fill my hungry tummy. Those mashed potatoes are simply potato flakes (I used the Bob's Red Mill), ghee and chicken broth!

4. LASTLY. I have found that I am eating WAY less than before. Today I came home from work, hungry of course. So I had some salted plantain chips with salsa and a hard boiled egg. I then went to the gym, LATIN DANCED, and came home. Not hungry. It is 8PM. No "official" dinner for me. WEIRD! I used to eat a snack, then a full dinner, THEN dessert. Man.... things are changing! This below was my lunch. Usually I have like 2-3 more items (snacks) but this filled me and kept me satisfied until 5PM!

So MORAL of this story is. I am doing great. 9 days to go. I will be posting soon - letting you know the pros/cons, review, next steps and what was the HARDEST and EASIEST parts of the Whole30.

YAY YAY YAY. 

A note

My best friend Michelle and I were talking on an impromptu trip to Seattle, this Whole30 experience for both of us and really gave us a reality check. We have been so blinded about what we were actually consuming that we totally had derailed and were feeling the effects. We are learning that food can be delicious even if it is simple. Not only delicious, but filling and life giving. This Whole30 is a new foundation for the rest of our year. A place where we went back to basics, learned what whole foods are and what to kick out. We are still detoxing and we know it. We have been learning about late night cravings and that we will survive without dessert. We have sat in bakeries/coffee shops & restaurants, just smelling the foods and staring at the wines and wanting to cry. We have passed on the bread, passed on the butter, passed on the fast food. And it has been hard.

I know for me personally, I didn't know I was addicted to food until I started this program. I had no idea how much of my life was dedicated to my next meal. I thought about it all the time... ALL THE TIME. With this program, it has been a painful re-wiring of my brain along with my stomach. Telling myself I will survive without the maple bar on the Friday morning at work. I will survive without chips and cheese dip on football Sunday. 

What we have realized that to make a change, the only thing to do was to be drastic. We are eating. a lot. Like.... whoa... And yes, there are things some might think we shouldn't be having, but we are going by the book. Only following this one philosophy. We aren't counting calories, we aren't worrying about how many almonds/cashews we are having in one sitting. We are changing. 

We will be honest, this has been a painful road. But we are, as Taylor Swift says "out of the woods." We are still moving, still smiling, bodies are saying THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 

Sometimes when others see someone make a drastic change, it is hard to compute. Hard to understand. They want to reach out and say "you don't have to do that, just do this." But it was the last straw. It was the ONLY choice in our eyes. It has been a journey - as we walked the aisles of Trader Joes, sipping sugarless tea or a unsweetened/un-milked americano. And we have come so far. It is the first step to new health, new idea on food, new beginning for the next part of our journey to better health. 

just a note as I go back downstairs to prep my grocery list. :)

Whole 30 - Days 14 - 17

Helloooooooooo! Finally I have a chance to sit at my computer and blog about the last couple days. Here are a few things that have happened:

1. I have passed the HALFWAY mark. YES YES YES. *pat on the back*

2. Cravings are passing - still there but not as tempting. Even though I make a big deal of my slight cravings, making them seem worse for kicks- & giggles... I am doing just fine.

3. My face is clear - like really cleared up. 

4. I have been sleeping deeper and waking well rested. I haven't felt well rested in months. 

5. I was able to fit in my non-stretch skinny jeans... you heard me..... hell yes!

Here are some of the DELICIOUS meals I have consumed - not counting your calories has been a beautiful thing. Thanks Whole30. 

Steak, potato with ghee & salt/pepper, and green beans. Simple. hearty. filling. 

I treated myself as a YAY you made it halfway! to a cut/color at Gene Juarez. I had so many gift cards to there - combined them and ended up only having to pay $10 extra! Plus - got some lovely products. GAWD, I love getting my hair done. 

Taco Salad - with homemade pico de gallo, ground beef with seasons, lettuce, olives and guacamole (compliant brand!).

Repeat on soup... this one is a winner. Making it again this next week!! 

Sunday football breakfast - complaint bacon, two eggs scrambled, leftover baked potato and black tea. 

Today (Sunday) I have been cleaning the whole house with husband, getting the kitchen organized and will begin my grocery list this afternoon. I have tomorrow off (yay for working at a school district!) so I will do some of my prep tomorrow. Thinking a late grocery shopping trip tonight to get in and out. 

I have noticed that prepping each week, actually writing down what you will have during the week and then going through your fridge and pantry to see if you have everything.... is such a better way to attack this Whole30. Organized and structured is the only way to get through it. I haven't noticed my grocery bill lowering but with some tweaking, I think I can actually spend LESS than I used to. 

So here goes the last stretch of days! Getting easier and more streamline as I go! I totally understand why they make it 30 days and not just a week. :)

Whole 30 - DAYS 9 - 13

Okay, so life hit me HARD this week. Short story is, food poisoning. Yeah. Fun. No. And not just that, just me trying to be un-busy. To find quiet times. To do nothing. It was great. So to update you all:

1. No I didn't quit

2. Yes, I am still in this 100%

3. No, I haven't measured or weighed myself, but have been super tempted. (It is against the rules to weigh yourself during the process. You are to focus on feeling and healing rather than the scale. I like that.)

4. I am almost half-way there!

5. I am making myself a nail appointment for a CONGRATS you made it 10 days. YAY.

So instead of writing 5 BORING posts on food and feeling (which are all the same), I have combined them for you. Here are some of the meals I have been enjoying, to say the least, these last few days. 

PLUS, I got this cute planner to keep all my meals, workouts and everything organized! Next week I start using it - checking off when things are done. Time to get in a ROUTINE! Right now I just need heal my food poisoned gut and get back into LIFE. 

DAY 13 DONE. ALMOST HALFWAY THERE. 

Whole 30 Day 8 - FRIDAY

WHEW - I made it a WHOLE week being WHOLE with my foods! VICTORY! My reward? A new planner that arrives in the mail today! For my meal planning, fitness goals, overall happiness for myself and my little family :)

Day 8 was good. Slow Friday, first full week back to work after the holidays. Everyone was ready to go home. There was a birthday celebration at work - chips, salsa, strawberries and coconut whip cream. My plate consisted of strawberries which were super satisfying on their own. More than I thought they would be actually. THIS IS GOOD!

Lunch was chicken, veggies and an apple. I have found that I am eating less at lunch - which I have talked about in a post before. I have been keeping Whole snacks at my desk but I only seem to need a couple throughout the day to fill in the gaps of hunger. My body is starting to figure out that bread isn't returning anytime soon and it should get its act together and change with me. 

When I got home from work, my husband and I thought to make this "everything and anything" dinner. Usually Fridays are pizza and bread bread bread in front of the TV (which is LOVELY), but since I am being all Whole and he is supporting me, we decided to make a random dinner. Here is what it turned out to be:

What are you seeing here exactly? This is a Whole30 girl's way of having a "cheat night." There is a homemade burger, sautéd mushrooms in a little ghee, fried egg, three strips of compliant bacon (YUM), and a lettuce leaf for color/wrap abilities. Those there next are homemade potato fries with olive oil and cajun seasoning (compliant and SPICY). Pineapple for a little sweet. YUM. Omg. I mean I was missing the ketchup and teriyaki sauce but I got most of this down. I made my burger too big so there is a half in the fridge for later. I have been following Whole people like me on Instagram and have been loving the food that people are creating! 

I am going to be meal planning this weekend and will post the process of that!

Day 8 - KICKED IT OUT OF THE PARK! 

Whole 30 Day 7

Thursday - hey Thursday, Day 7... day 7... yeah.... Thursday... 7 days......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Pretty much my feeling this past week. Energy was low but spirits are high! My body is getting used to not being "rewarded" for simple things in life - such as making it home through the commute, being awesome, cooking chicken for dinner, running to the mailbox... etc. You know - real things that should be rewarded.... HAH. Sugar /crap were always rewards. If I do good this week we can have pizza Friday, and I will allow myself 4 slices and 6 breadsticks... TOTALLY! No. Food rewards are fine when they don't become this big deal and you overload on it. 

So for the Whole30, since I am trying to change my rewards for good things I have decided to focus on health/simple victories. For one, if I make it to Day 10 without slipping (this is Sunday! and I am on track!), I get to go and get a manicure! How fun is that?! Instead of rewarding myself with food, I am using other ways to be happy. I am still coming up with other rewards for other victories but I know that my end victory (Day 31!) I want to get myself a new pair of Brooks shoes. For my next chapter. Next phase of this journey. 

Any ideas? Let me know! Simple victories can be for making it to certain days, having an old pair of pants fit, going a whole day without complaining, etc. 

It is tough because I am a foodie - I LOVE food. And good food. I like to pay money for good food! And not getting a cupcake because I did 10 crunches is hard! :) Trying to re-wire my brain to focus on food as a life source. Food can be a pleasure to eat but your mind doesn't have to be consumed by that. Something I am working on daily. Mental changes. 

Dinner Day 7 was simple but SO satisfying: chicken breast with pepper/salt, sage and a hint of lemon juice. Green beans (and a whole lot of them!) to top off the day. 

ONE WEEK DONE! :)

Whole 30 Day 6

So this whole day I thought I was on Day 5... but really I am 6 days in! Almost a full week! So after last nights slight meltdown, I got my head in the game and realized I was really trying to wing this Whole30 month. This isn't some program to "wing." It is taking time, preparation, energy, creativity, openness, and patience. So I purchased a planner (Amazon!) and am going to get my head together this weekend. Meal plans, goals, workout routines/schedules etc. This is MY year. I have put my health and body off for many years and enough is enough! 

The Whole30 Instagram is hilarious! :)

So this morning I was super tired! I was assuming it was because we are puppy sitting and are also training/raising our own pup. That it is a new busy year and everything is going back to normal...... but no. Well, yes and no. Day 6, as told by the Whole30 team, goes something like this:

HAH. And here I am taking a 10 minute snooze in my car before work this morning because I thought I was just stressed.... THANK YOU! Well, today was better. Last night I prepped like 23497238640923802934 snacks to just grab and go. Chicken breast with salt/pepper and spices for my protein. I never knew how satisfying so little can be. Well, let me explain. Before, lunch was like a HUGE meal. And my snacks were large in themselves. But now, a half chicken breast, and apple and some carrots are filling. And filling for hours! Who knew. :)

Dinner ended here: 

and yes, I did eat that whole piece of steak. NOMS.

Day 6 - DONE

Whole 30 Day 5

Day 5... 5 days! I can't believe I have made it this far. I mean I know I have 25 days to go, but this is the longest I have ever stuck with some sort of "diet" plan. Healthy eating sure, but this re-focus.... so proud of myself. 

Day 5 was killer. Unmotivating, hangry day. HANGRY. You heard me. I got home just PISSED at my husband for no reason (thankful that he forgives me always). As I stomped around the house shouting "WHY CAN'T I EAT THAT? I AM SO HANGRY! I JUST CAN'T DO THIS! DOES IT EVEN MATTER...." I grabbed the Whole30 book and turned it to the pages that tell me how I should be feeling and BAM. HELLO. Just read the text below - brought to you by the Whole30 philosophy itself!

Days 4-5: Kill ALL the things!

Day 4 dawns and you tentatively step out of bed, expecting to feel like you took a strike from Thor’s hammer in the temple. Instead, your head is surprisingly clear. Your limbs all feel functional. This could be a good day! You walk into the kitchen and as you’re greeted by the smiling face of your significant other you are suddenly overcome…with the desire to punch them in the face for smiling this early in the morning. Congratulations! You’ve made it to day 4.

Now, I have no clue why this phase happens, or why it happens here (and not on, say, day 14).* I just know that it happens. Often. Even experienced Whole30ers (myself included) go through this phase. Every nerve is lit, temperance is non-existent and the only solution to the problem seems to be to Kill All of the Things.

This phase, too, will pass. Beg your spouse, children, parents, co-workers, for patience and forgiveness – as nicely as you can (and no, “shut up and leave me alone!” does not count as nice). Take a deep breath and eat some sweet potatoes. I promise, you’ll feel better soon.

*It’s probably because your brain is never very happy when you tell it that it CAN’T have something, and take it out of it’s habitual and accustomed comfort zone. An unhappy brain is a stressed brain, an anxious brain, a fearful brain. No to mention your hormones are desperately trying to keep up with your new food choices, your gut is trying to heal, you’ve had a headache for the last three days, and you REALLY MISS YOUR DIET COKE. So yeah, maybe we do know why this is happening now…

Breakfast/Lunch - lots of veggies, fruits and a little protein. Have to get more of this in.

Dinner was disappointing. Tried to make the cauliflower rice... yeah. Husband LOVED it. Me, not so much. Give me jasmine or brown rice any day! Just not for the next 25 days. I get it. 

Peaches and a scrambled egg topped off my pissy night. Some tears were shed but strong I am staying. This is only temporary. Just have to get through the fog... everything will be clearer.

Whole30 - Day 4

Okay... alright... I am having a MAJOR adjustment. Something I never thought I would experience. Food is so tasteless to me. I used to call myself a cook but now, its like I am lost in the kitchen. I have no idea what to make. I have tons of groceries and a stocked fridge... but I just open the doors and stare blankly into the abyss. 

Maybe I am being a bit dramatic... but SERIOUSLY. Day four so far has taught me that I have been eating for pleasure and not for nutrients! I love eating for pleasure, don't get me wrong. But shoot! I was driving home and was thinking to myself "MAC AND CHEESE WOULD BE TASTY AND EASY." NO. You need to make time to cook something wholesome and PLAIN! Bleh. 

Tonight I made a meat chili with all compliant spices and ingredients, but for some reason it was BORING. It was missing something MAJOR in my book - beans. And possibly sugar. 

But I ate a small bowl anyways - well because it was almost 8PM and I was slightly hungry... Did you get that? Slightly hungry. I can't remember the last time I knew when I was slightly hungry, let alone not hungry. So far, I have noticed that I am now eating when hungry... not out of pure boredom but actual genuine hunger. WHAT A CONCEPT. For example, today I had fruit and tea for breakfast (needed a break from eggs and I was in a hurry for work) - this was around 6:30-7AM. Around 11AM is when my tummy started-a-rumbling.... 11AM!!! Holy moly that was a long time! I had a handful of almonds and some tea and made it to lunch at 12:30PM. Lunch was a salad, mixed veggies and chicken. Side of cherry tomatoes and an apple. Did I eat all my lunch? Not even close. I was not hungry... I seriously stared at my Tupperware and couldn't believe I was leaving food in there. Small victory for sure. 

At the end of the day I still had a FULL lunch sack and realized I packed too much. As bland as the Whole30 is right now, thank God for it. 

TONIGHT: I attempted to make some homemade ketchup because I was baking some yummy sweet potato fries with cajun seasoning. My most favorite dipping sauce is ketchup/mayo mixed. So here is what my attempted looked like:

Looks like ketchup right??? Didn't smell or taste ANYTHING NEAR MY NORMAL HEINZ. So disappointing... but they warned me in the book! Omit SUGAR and lots of it. I put it in a mason jar anyways and will try and mix it with homemade mayo this week - maybe that could help? If not, I give up. I am the girl who likes ketchup on her ketchup... but this 30 may just need to be ketchup-less. 

So today was more BLAH than YAY! But hey! Thats okay. Some days will be better than others. I am just thankful that this time around I am serious, I am focused and I am fully committed to this challenge!

DAY 4 DONE. HAZZAH. 

Whole 30 - Day 3

Good morning exhaustion! Today was, wow... tiring. Like I was barely able to make it up my stairs without being out of breath. I woke up after sleeping for 10 hours (holy cow!) and was still super tired. No headache, which was amazing since they say Day 3 is almost the same as 2. Woke up grumpy, no eggs..... UGH.

But husband was home today so I whipped us up some complaint bacon and eggs. Half of a banana and some tea.

Bacon was mostly fat so I crisped it up. I will try and stop in at the local butcher this week and see if he has something better. But this will do - BACON. yum. 

Lunch consisted of leftover pot roast, sweet potatoes, carrots and celery. I used a veggie base because I have yet to find a beef base that is compliant. Let me know if you find one! 

I took 2 naps today, one during the game (oops!) with our puppy and one after the game was over. Chores and hanging with my husband kept me busy and distracted from the cravings. Mainly what I am discovering is that all of my food before this was seasoned, added, changes, or modified by sugar or cheese or something.... Food is plain to me. This is because I have never experienced with spices or new recipes. This program is forcing me to reach out of the box, searching for something full of flavor but also compliant to the program.

For dinner this evening, we headed to our favorite meal EVER as a couple - Mongolian. I had plenty of veggies, double chicken and pineapple. Only sauce was a little olive oil and pineapple juice. Did it taste the same as before? No. Will I eat there again? Yes. I usually DUMP teriyaki sauce on my meal - but man, does it have a ton of sugar. Weird things I am learning... 

Day 3 for the books. My evening was spent prepping for tomorrow.... first day back to the office since  mid last week. I can do this. I WILL DO THIS. 

Cheers!

Whole 30 - DAY 2

Catching up from the weekend - man, food prep...... holy cow. Those of you who food prep already probably started somewhere along the lines of "The only thing I have done today is prep for the week...." WHEW. Chicken, pot roast, snacks galore......

So here is the lowdown on Day 2 (Saturday). I woke up thinking, this is GREAT, for it to quickly crash and burn... HEADACHE CENTRAL. So, for some of you, you will get it when I say I was so "hungover" that it was as if the night before I was partying like it was the end of the world. I couldn't open my eyes to the sunshine. I was completely fatigued, exhausted, nauseous, and more nausea. 

I texted my friend who was on Day 2 as well and she gave me good advice. Big breakfast, herbal tea with lemon and a couple ibuprofen. By noon, I was feeling better. Headache was at bay and my energy seemed to come back. 

Breakfast was easy - eggs... omg. I love eggs usually - with buttered toast and hash browns. But no cheese or milk mixed in? Blah. Keep on Megan, keep on. 

One of my good friends from high school came back from Japan to visit (he teaches English there) and brought me that AMAZING mug - Starbucks Tokyo. So while I ate my apples, applesauce w/ a dash of cinnamon (Whole30 approved from Trader Joes), and scrambled eggs, I was able to sip my herbal tea and watch the sun rise and my puppy play in the yard. I put on a record of Iron and Wine and just took in the moment. 

One of the coolest moments was going to a restaurant that night and ordering compliant foods. I also let the waitress know I had special dietary needs (which made me nervous to be "that girl") but they were super accommodating. Since we were at a restaurant, and I am not "selfie" brave, no photo of my meal was generated. But it was a top sirloin steak with asparagus and mixed veggies. No ketchup, no butter, or appetizer of mozzarella sticks.... sigh. 

HOWEVER, I did dabble in a new recipe - my own homemade dressings!

Super simple to make, and taste pretty good. 

OH and a funny moment... I was hungry for lunch and my bestie Michelle was over. We were chatting Whole30 (she starts Monday!) and blah blah blah. I made chicken with spices, carrots and peas. YUM. However......... just as I was about to take a bite, Michelle kindly let me know PEAS ARE NOT ON THE PLAN.... crap... so here is what lunch looked like BEFORE / AFTER.

I didn't (SCOUTS HONOR) eat a single pea..... for real MEGAN? Yep... I know right? Taking this ISH seriously.

oh and those of you who are like "WHAT IS IN THE STARBUCKS CUP MEGAN???".. english breakfast tea with NO sweeter. :) I got this. 

DAY TWO done. Here's to 28 more.