Whole 30 Day 11-12 & Quitting!

So, the work week is half way over and I am really feeling my struggles a lot more. Let's hope this week ends well! I have started to really struggle with how bad some of my cravings have gotten. It is a struggle when you stress to not be able to eat those "comfort foods". It has become increasingly difficult to see christmas party posts of my friends and their dishes. It makes my desire for these foods increase when I see it. Like temptation, it is hard to resist. *If you would like to read Why I started, go here. For Day 1, go here. For Days 2-4, go here. For Days 5-7, go here. Days 8-10, go here.

Day 11 This particular work week has been incredibly stressful, but this particular day has been especially difficult. Working and not being able to indulge in your "go-to" comfort foods when you are stressed makes for a very difficult day, especially for an emotional eater like myself. It feels like another Monday and all I am looking forward to is the upcoming weekend. It has just been a blah day - but not for my meal choices!!

Meal 31- Breakfast. So, I was excited to hit up Trader Joe's last night for groceries, especially since finding Almond Butter. Oh yes, my friends, I have a new nut butter love. Almond Butter reminds me of a sugar-free peanut butter that is a lot smoother to spread.  I paired it with an organic green apple and an organic banana, this is a filling breakfast. And, thankfully I had it since I was busting my butt at work all day.

Meal 32- Lunch. Since work was super duper busy, I opted for a quick and hearty salad. Honestly, it was all I had time for. I used my last two slices of the remaining pack of sliced turkey breast on top of a bed of mixed greens. To my salad, I added chopped organic purple cabbage, strawberries and I made my own avocado dressing with leftover guacamole and EVOO. I paired this meal with my favorite drink on Whole30, La Croix.

Meal 33- Dinner. I have been craving some tacos. This was my take on tacos. I used ground venison burger and seasoned it with onions, paprika, fine herbs, S/P and garlic. Once the meat was finished cooking, i used the same pan, and sauteed chopped purple onion until they were lightly softened. Once completed it was time for assembly. I had my salad base from lunch, ground venison, yellow peppers, purple onion and topped with sliced avocado. Overall a very filling dinner and perfect way to end the day.

I struggled a lot, especially this evening to keep it together mentally. I wanted to cave and eat a big ol' slice of chocolate cake. Especially during the holidays, my friends tend to post and talk a lot about food. Posting photos of treats and sweets they have made and it made me want to grab a bite of anything I loved but not had in over 11 days. 11 Days!! What?! I cannot quit after 11 days. But, I wanted to. A part of my brain was telling me to grab a sweet treat, just one wouldn't hurt. But, I quickly started to see that my body is not yet ready to quit Whole30. The struggle is real but this time it will be me conquering those cravings once and for all!!

Day 12 (Meals 34-36) TGIF. Since we had an abudance of groceries, I have wanted to think "outside the box" on meal selection. I know a lot of other Whole30 folks have gotten tired and stopped half way though since they were bored of the same meal repeats. I did not want that to be me.

Meal 34- Breakfast! Even though it is Friday, work was proving to be another super busy day. December seems to be a busy time of year for my company, so I wanted to make something super quick and easy that would be filling to make and take ZERO time to create. Insert my breakfast bowl. I cut up a banana into slices, added my almond butter and topped with organic Trader Joe's coconut flakes. It was really good. I think next time I may try to moisten the flakes for a less crunchy taste. As messy as it looks, it was delicious. I think I may try this on the weekend with warm bananas (skillet-style) to see if I like it better.

Meal 35- Lunch. I find I like my lunches more "picnic style" aka easy, portable and eat with your hands. For the duration of Whole30, I find my lunches to be of lighter fare. I tend to not want a large meal during lunch-  especially since heavy foods tend to make me sleepy. In keeping with my trend, I made lettuce sandwiches using roasted turkey. I paired it with a couple of strawberries and pomegranate seeds. Last night I finally got around to the pomegranates and breaking them apart so I could have a large container of seeds. After about 3 poms, it was time to stop since my bowl was so full. If you love the slight tart taste of cranberry but the ease of a grape, these are for you! I think the best ones tend to be sweet like Black Currant but they do not pack too much of a sweet punch.

Meal 36- Dinner. Since I had some errands to run, I was out when dinnertime came. There are very few places in town I can actually go out to eat, so I choose one of my favorite spots I knew would be Whole30 compliant: The Daily Kitchen & Bar. They have amazing food and they offer a ton from local farms, so it has always been high on my list. I had their organic roasted chicken with grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes (i swapped for mashed sweet potatoes). I am glad they can do this meal Paleo Optional since that omits the majority of things from the meal I cannot have during Whole30. Even the sauce is friendly to Whole30, using only lemon, dill and clarified butter. Thankfully, their roasting process includes using duck fat, so even my chicken was perfection. And, bonus, the organic chicken is from a farm not 20 minutes down the road. The mashed sweet potatoes were utter perfection- twice baked and used clarified butter in the puree to get that creamy texture. I ordered a second helping!

Work Week completed! One thing I have struggled with is my hunger between meals, especially since I have been back to work. I find myself wanting to reach for a LaraBar or mixed nuts to fill my hunger. So, this week my focus was to realign my mind and remove snacking between meals. It has been a big issue for me, especially while at work, to focus on filling my immediate hunger need, especially during stressful situations. So, I increased my protein intake for my breakfast and lunch meals by making some of my portions bigger than last week to ensure I was getting full and staying fuller longer.

I did notice this week even when I did smell sugary sweets, I did resist the temptation. We had stopped in to get groceries this week and the bakery was making hot cinnamon buns. While they smelled amazing, I did not get the urge to eat every sweet in sight. All I could think of was how overly sweet they must be. I have been offered a lot of sweets these past two weeks. While I have paid a lot more attention to avoid being around the dessert table or strolling down the aisle where the sweets normally are, I have kept my mind focused away from all these items. I have done some avoidance but I think overall I have a decent handle on my sense of smell and my emotional reaction to it. Unlike Pavlov's dog, when I smell sweets, I don't start salivating. Progress!