Whole30 breakfast or treat idea

It occurred to me last night that when making a smoothie, the issue is always the ice. SO instead of watering down my efforts, I decided to put my ice trays to work for me. I poured a can of Light Coconut Milk into one (one can equals a tray exactly - so convenient) and froze them.

This morning, I threw three cubes into my blender with 4 strawberries and half of a frozen banana.

OH MY GOODNESS!! YUM!!!!!

Whole30: Complete

Tomorrow marks the end of my challenge! And I did it!!! I'm feeling great...sleeping great...eating great. I can't see changing much, actually. Although I will be celebrating with a few cocktails :)

YAY!

Total weight loss: 22 pounds

Total sugar eaten: ZERO

Total changes: Too may to count

Whole30 ideas for a non-Whole30 mind

I get it, I do. You're busy, you're stressed and the last thing in the world you want to do is re-think dinner. Check and check.

So I thought, "Hey! How about just a few changes to get someone started!"

Here's a few:


Buy coconut oil. Use it instead of any other fat you cook with/eat.
Buy cashew butter. Use it instead of peanut butter.
Buy bananas. Let them over-ripen. Cut them up, freeze them in baggies.
Buy coconut milk. Use it instead of all dairy.

When you want a snack, throw bananas in a blender with coconut milk and cashew butter or real fruit juice. YUM!

These require no effort, just a different purchase at the store. Will this fix everything in your life? No. But it WILL get you on the right track and maybe someday you'll be able to add a few more things to this list.

Good luck!!

I miss gum: A Whole30 Story

For 23 days now I have been on my Whole30. I have not cheated, not once. I have not made an exception, not once. I have not had any issues, except one. 

I

Miss

GUM

I miss it so much I have contemplated re-piercing my tongue. I have always had an oral fixation. For as long as I can remember I would chew on everything...paperclips, pen tops, erasers, pieces of plastic. You name it, I've chewed it. Years ago I tried to give up gum and ultimately got my tongue pierced in order to succeed. It worked while I had it, but as I got older the stigma of it got to me and I decided it was time to take it out.

Back to gum it was. We were happily in a relationship again until 23 days ago. I didn't know until I had already committed to the 30 days that gum was part of the equation. It never occurred to me.

What you want to read is that these 23 days have taught me that I don't want it anymore. You want to hear that I'm reformed and will swear off gum forever.

This isn't that blogpost. 7 days. One day at a time. I can do this.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Whole30 Steak Salad with Avocado

Lunch doesn't have to be annoying! I chopped up some steak last night and threw it in an already hot skillet with coconut oil and Red Robin seasoning. I brought the leftovers for lunch and ran down to the salad bar nearby for a cheap salad. $2 later I had a steak, avocado, tomato and onion salad!

Yum!

The secret inside Whole30

Being at the middle point of my 30 days, I was re-reading a few things in the book and something donned on me. Whenever I mention to people what I'm doing, the reaction is the same: "But I love bread and sugar!" Love? Really?

It occurred to me that this would be the reaction a drunk would have if a friend was giving up drinking and said they could too. Can't you hear it? "But I love drinking!" OR as a close friend of mine likes to say, "If I wasn't an alcoholic I'd be drunk all the time."

Knowing and admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. And that's true no matter what the addiction. Ask yourself this: SHOULD you need bread and sugar? Should you actually feel sad about not getting to eat a food? Should you utter the world love about food?

Foods purpose is to properly harness the energy of the sun and make it something that our bodies can digest in order to sustain us. Nowhere in that sentence does it say that we should feel emotionally satisfied by food. Like an alcoholic relies on liquor to bring them comfort, a sugar-holic relies on sugar and bread to bring them comfort. Don't believe me? Then stop having them. See how you feel.

My guess is you're now going to come up with justifications. "But I can stop whenever I want" "But I have control over it because I only have it in moderation" "It's not effecting my life negatively, not like an alcoholic." Sound familiar? I have several friends in recovery and my guess is the first time someone suggested that they quit drinking or getting high they had something similar to say.

In my article in Examiner.com I touch on the medical reasons for giving up sugar. Mainly heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. And what is a proven cause of heart disease? You guessed it: sugar.

"But what about holidays and birthdays and office parties and happy hour and romantic evenings with my partner??"

Believe me I get it and I'm not saying never. You're a grown up, that's going to be up to you. For me, in my life, it's almost never. I don't live in a strict world. I'm a grown up too and if I want to go to happy hour, I'm going to strategically plan for happy hour (after my 30 days, of course). If somebody's birthday is coming up and I know we're going somewhere awesome I'm going to prepare for that and I will make an educated choice as to what I want to eat or drink. The important part in this is knowledge. It's impossible to control an addiction you aren't aware you have.

I'm simply asking this: Are you addicted to sugar? No? Prove it.

Once you realize that yes, you are; try out any of the sugar detox diets out there. Whole30 has worked for me, but there are others. Once you're off sugar and can think clearly, you will likely discover that you no longer feel the need to "love" a food. Instead, when you eat, you'll love the way you actually feel. Physically. Not emotionally.

Whole30 got me into my Tommy's

A couple of months ago I went shopping. Meandering through a cool, funky thrift shop I came across this awesome pair of Tommy Hilfigers. They didn't fit, but you don't leave a $6.50 pair of Tommy's on the rack....so I bought them. And today I am wearing them!!! Thank you Whole30 :)