Bye Bye Trail Mix and Fruit..kind of

HALF WAY!!  I've made it half way through my Whole30..14 days of unprocessed, no sugar gloriousness (yes, that's a word..at least in my dictionary).  I can't believe I've made it this far!  I feel amazing.  I haven't had this much energy since I was a kid!  Plus, I just feel better and feel like I'm moving, thinking, and just living in general in less of a "fog."

Now, I'm on the home stretch into week 3!  I want to keep challenging myself though, so I'm going to cut back my trail mix and my fruit intake.  I think I've started to rely a little too much on trail mix and fruit to get over my sugar/fake sugar addiction.  Honestly, I could sit down and eat an entire bag of trail mix (the brand that's from Lincoln, NE without peanuts or other types of soy nuts and no sugars).  I also realized that my fruit intake is lower than it was in the past, but I know I could still do better.  My new goal is to only buy trail mix every other week and to only eat berries as my fruit.  I'm also going to challenge myself to one serving of fruit a day.  I'll have a cup of berries with breakfast!

The timeline is still SPOT ON!  Here's what it said for week 2 "Hurray! The slump is over! Your energy levels are better than normal – you’re downright Tigger the bouncing tiger!  But something weird is happening.  You’re dreaming. Not crazy nightmare or strange surrealist dreams, either. Incredibly normal and realistic dreams – about donuts. Or Twinkies. Or Snickers.* In your mind, sometimes you get caught and feel guilty. Sometimes you just brazenly eat the contraband. But then, the feelings start following you into the waking hours. Suddenly, you’re craving things you don’t even like. (For me, it’s Diet Coke and Twinkies, for Melissa Hartwig, it was fast-food cheeseburgers!) Your co-workers; heads transform into giant Girl Scout Cookies as you gaze on in disbelief. Seriously, you’ve almost hit the halfway mark, and now this?!

All joking aside, though, this phase gets really intense and for some people. This is the part of the program where our minds try to drive us back to the comfort of the foods we used to know. Our food relationships are deeply rooted and strongly reinforced throughout the course of our lives and breaking through them is really big deal. Journaling can be especially enlightening and helpful during this phase, and helpful for reflection later. Take some time to jot down what you’re craving, how you’re feeling and what tools you’re using to work through the cravings." (Whole 9) 

It was so true because during that time (this weekend especially) I went to a wedding reception.  Before the wedding party arrived there was popcorn, candy, and all sorts of sweets to indulge in.  There was also an open bar and I'm not a big drinker, but for some reason a big, tall cold beer sounded amazing.  The dinner was a BBQ/Buffet style.  There was salad (with all sorts of toppings), potato salad, beans, bread galore, shredded pork, and BBQ sauce.  Let's not forget the cupcakes and cakes after dinner!  I was so proud of myself though because I stayed away from ALL OF IT!  I had some salad (without toppings and dressing) and a good portion of the shredded pork without BBQ sauce.  Did I miss the beginning snacks or the decadent desserts?  Maybe a little, but man it felt great to leave knowing I hadn't let my cravings or eyes takeover what I ate!  

I've also gotten into cooking (I know, weird).  I've cooked chicken in my crockpot, sauteed vegetables, baked vegetables, combined vegetables, and eaten them raw!!  I feel pretty awesome since my idea of cooking was the microwave!

Here's to week 3!!!