Day 6

Pre-workout (Barre class at 730 am). 1 hard boiled egg and a little bit of coconut butter. I won't be repeating the pre-workout meal. I felt it the whole workout and didn't notice any energy boost. Breakfast: Coconut wrap with one egg, left over roasted cauliflower, 1/2 Japanese yam with more coconut butter.
Lunch: Leftover stirfried beef and kale and cauliflower, topped with tahini sauce. Side of apple topped with cinnamon.
Snack: Smoothie with coconut milk, banana, and frozen peaches. Followed by a handful of mac nuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, and 1 dried fig.

Post 1.5 hour hip hop dance class - Dinner: grilled porkchop, leftover cauliflower, roasted broccoli, and a few beets. Bowl of pineapple and blueberries.

I ate a lot yesterday. To be truthful, it was partly because I did 2 workouts and partly because I worked from home. I find that when I'm home, it is much easier to drive by the kitchen and feel snacky. I also ate way more fruit than necessary, that usually happens the day I go grocery shopping! Tomorrow is Day 7!

Day 5

Breakfast (post-HIIT workout at 815 am): Coconut Pure wrap stuffed with 2 eggs and avocado. Handful of sweet potato chews (thinly sliced sweet potato roasted in coconut oil and cinnamon at 350 for a long time). Didn't get a pic because I was on the run. I probably should have eaten an egg before my workout but its tough for me to eat at 6 am!!! My workout today was at 630 am...

Lunch at 1 pm. Lettuce topped with 2 eggs, 1 fig, a bell pepper, beets, avocado, and carrots. Topped with Tessamaes. A side of coconut butter.

Snack: Primal Pac! These guys are delicious!! I needed the extra nutrients after my workout this morning and felt hungry. Grass fed jerky, mac nuts, cranberries and avocado - Whole30 approved!

Dinner: Ground beef sauteed with kale and pinenuts (cinnamon, all spice, coriander, cardamon and s and p), roasted beets, a few more sweet potato chews, leftover turnip puree, and roasted cauliflower (olive oil, cauliflower, s and p at 475 for 30 minutes). I made a side tahini sauce (tahini, lemon, warm water, garlic, and salt). This was so good. Had a grapefruit to wrap things up.
Today was a great day again. I did a HIIT workout and walked 2.5 miles home from work, so had a lot of activity. Was hungrier than yesterday (probably because of the intense workout) and thus I ate more! I love listening to my body. It is so freeing.

Planned my meals for the next 5-7 days or so, so off to Whole Foods tomorrow.

PS! 1/6th of the way through :) Can't believe it

Day 4

Breakfast: Getting sick of it yet? I'm not!!! Sweet potato and sausage hashLunch: Lettuce, carrots, peppers, avocado, 2 eggs, 1 fig, a splash of tessamae's organic dressing AND DELICIOUS PURE COCONUT WRAPS. These are seriously amazing and worth every penny. I had half of one since they came in the mail today. I put some of the egg in the wrap and it was absolutely delicious. I also had 1 TSBP of coconut butter with lunch.
Dinner: Scallops seared in coconut oil, topped with truffle oil. Roasted okra. Mashed turnips (tastes like peppery potatoes!). Orange at the end.

I did an experiment today and didn't have a snack. I really didn't need it. I'm trying to figure out when/why I eat. I ate breakfast at 9:30 am after doing a Barre class this morning. Wasn't hungry for lunch until 1:45ish. Then I walked home about 2.5 miles and made this delicious dinner and ate at about 8. I'm feeling great. No low carb flu or fatigue. Yay Whole30!!

Day 3

Preworkout: 1 hard boiled egg

Breakfast: Sweet potato and sausage hash

Lunch: CSA greens with 1 CSA local organic grass fed hamburger, carrots, avocado, 1 dried fig, and tessamae's dressing. Also topped off with a handful or roasted cashews, pistachios, and almonds.

Snack (5 pm): Baby carrots and 1.5 TSBP coconut butter

Dinner: Barramundi sauteed in coconut oil, topped with Melissa Joulwan's basil walnut pesto. Mashed butternut squash, and collard greens sauteed in coconut milk. At the end, a mango and a few strawberries.

Continue to feel great. Did a high-intensity interval training today (that included running up 20 flights of stairs). I noticed a headache after eating my snack, and I wasn't really hungry for dinner, but I ate it because I worked out pretty intensely today. I think I could have gone without the snack to be honest, I just didn't want to be famished when I got home. Continuing to feel very even-keeled.

Day 2

Breakfast: Sweet potato and sausage hash, topped with one egg

Lunch: CSA lettuce, topped with grilled chicken, shaved beets, 1 dried fig, broccoli, and carrots. Drizzled with Tessa Mae's organic dressing (balsamic, olive oil, and garlic).

Snack: 1 TSBP Artisana coconut butter and carrots

Dinner: Thank you Melissa Joulwan. Chicken pad thai. BEYOND delicious. Sliced green beans and julienned zucchini tossed with 2 eggs and coconut aminos, grilled chicken, and sunshine sauce. Topped off with a few dry roasted nuts. Also had some grapefruit and fresh mango.

Exercise: Walk back and forth from work - 5miles

Verdict on Day 2? I feel AMAZING. Didn't get tired this afternoon, didn't reach for my snack until 5 pm (usually rumbling at 2:30 for snack), and generally felt very even keeled all day. Had less fruit today than yesterday. I'm very pleased!

Day 1 - How'd I do?

Day 1 eats

Breakfast: Sausage and potato hash with one egg, pineapple

Lunch: Zucchini, onion, omelette

Snack: Apple and Coconut Butter

Dinner: 2 drumsticks, steamed broccoli, cauliflower rice pilaf, 1/2 a grapefruit

Day 1 went surprisingly smoothly. It might be because I was so well-prepared with lots of meats and vegetables prepared in the fridge. I did eat 2 1/2 servings of fruit throughout the day, so I should probably cut back on that a bit as I acclimate to the transition as Whole30 recommends starting with 1-2 a day. Overall, I feel great and my workout was fantastic this morning.

One thing I am trying to be mindful about is why I am eating. HALT is a helpful acronym. For example, after lunch I felt like I wanted something else. HALT stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. I think I was tired and ended up taking a nap and I wasn't really hungry.

Dinner Day 1

For dinner, I heated up leftover steamed broccoli and mushrooms. I also made Melissa Joulwan's cauliflower rice, and her "best chicken ever" from the fantastic paleo cookbook - Wellfed. I ended up eating a second drumstick and half a grapefruit.

Day 1 Snack

Snack at 4 pm today included one pink lady apple sprinkled with cinnamon with about a TSBP worth of Artisana coconut butter (mixed with 100% raw cacao)

Day 1 Lunch

This isn't pretty but it tastes great. After getting back from my workout, I was hungry for lunch. I sauteed onions and one zucchini in coconut oil with some salt and pepper. When they started to caramelize/turn brown, I added 3 whisked eggs. I cooked on high for 2 minutes, then threw it under the broiler for 3 minutes. I also had 3 small pieces of pineapple.

Day 1 - Breakfast

This was an excellent start to my Whole30. I had a fist sized portion of pineapple, sausage and sweet potato hash, and 1 pastured egg fried in coconut oil.

To make the sausage and sweet potato hash, you saute 1 lb of sausage (I used mild and hot Italian, make sure there is no sugar added) after removing from casings. Grate a sweet potato while the sausage is cooking. Add it to the pan with 1 TBSP of coconut oil and cinnamon. Cook until tender. This is absolutely delicious. I also have tons of leftovers for the week. I think the key to doing this whole30 right is to meal plan as much as possible.

I also drank 24 ounces of water with a lemon. I don't drink coffee but I may have a glass of herbal tea. I'm off to walk with a friend and take a barre class.

The Whole30 is "designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, calm systemic inflammation and put an end to unhealthy cravings, habits, and relationships with food. Since 2009, thousands of people have used our program as a jump-start to changing the way they eat for the rest of their lives. To get started on your Whole30 program, check out our new Whole30 Success Guide, the program details and real-life testimonials below" (cited from http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/).

For various reasons, I have decided to complete a whole30. Join me in my adventure as I document what I eat, how I feel, and the impact of the Whole30 on my life. Think of this as an N = 1 experiment.

What can I eat?

Eat real food – meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds.

What can't I eat?

1. Sugar of any kind- including artificial sugar (e.g., stevia)

2. Alcohol

3. Grains

4. Legumes

5. Dairy

6. White potatoes

Since I eat primal 80% of the time, this shouldn't be a huge departure. I'd like to see what kind of results I can get from eating this way for 30 days.