Whole30 Week 1 Complete

Week 1 is DONE!!

It's a great feeling to be in control of one's environment. After just a few days on Whole30, I was hungry less, easily making good choices and feeling myself shrink. After my first week, I'm down 14 pounds (GASP) and feeling awesome. My joints are happier, my digestive tract is happier and my clothes...don't fit.

Thanks to an awesome coworker, this isn't an issue. She literally asked me last week out of the clear blue if I'd want her "inbetween" clothes as she too is shedding weight and is about 25 pounds ahead of me. Um, YES. She also happens to have an amazing fashion sense, so I feel cute for FREE. Bonus.

I only had one weak moment this week (which I did NOT give in to). I was at a friends house and in her kitchen was a pan of brownies. Brownies are my favorite food. If I was deserted on an island and could have only one thing for the rest of my life, it'd be brownies. I love them. I heart them. And I did NOT have them. After my third time having to pass them and saying no, I decided I needed to leave and eat some real food so that my hunger wouldn't outweigh my will. It worked :)

I'm eating a LOT of fruit. Perhaps more than one is supposed to...but obviously this isn't negatively affecting my efforts. I'm also eating a lot of protein and veggies, so I must be doing something right. 

If you're at it too, keep up the good work!! If you're weighing your thoughts on whether or not to try the Whole30 consider this...it's 30 days...aren't you worth that?

Whole30 Day 3

Today I did something I'm not supposed to do. I stepped on the scale. I couldn't help it...I was releasing a LOT of water and was feeling so clean I had to know what it was doing. I'm down 7 pounds since a couple of days ago. Clearly it's ALL water, but it feels amazing to be un-bloated.

Part of this is that I'm off all starches...but the other is that last night I had "lemonade" - The quotes are because for me, lemonade is literally lemons with sparkling water. No sugar or sweetener - I've never liked my lemonade to be sweet. Lemons are a natural diuretic, so it's not surprising that this happened, but it feels awesome!

I didn't sleep great, but I know this will pass. I'm waking up slightly hungry, which means my metabolism is working properly and I'm able to easily say no to the two boxes of cookies and chocolate cake that is currently sitting in my work break room. I feel my energy climbing, so I'm excited to have this increase!

Joining a CSA

After living in Austin, Texas, the words organic and local became part of my daily vernacular. Farmer's Markets, CSA's and Whole Foods were suddenly in my radar. Farmer's Markets are great, but require one to actually get to them when they're open, which can be rare, and to actually shop, which takes time; and Whole Foods, while largely organic, is rarely local. Enter CSA's.

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture

CSA's are simple:

• Find one near you
• Sign up for the size box you need per week
• Enjoy your produce

Some deliver to communities, some to neighborhoods and others to local merchants. But the gist of it is this...you're getting locally grown, in season fruits and vegetables (organic if that's the CSA you want). You're eating healthier, getting it easier and supporting a local farm. Many of these farms offer tours and different ways of participating, so you can actually SEE what you're eating grow instead of trusting some far off conglomerate to care what you're eating. The people who run the farms are largely the ones doing all of the work...they eat what you eat, so they care as much as you do.

So what do the boxes look like?

The one I joined is called Terra Firma. Last night I enjoyed an amazing potato leek soup made almost entirely from what was sent and today's lunch is a fresh spinach salad courtesy of my box. Just do it! You won't regret it :)