Jul 6, 2012

Day 4 - Whole 30

I am not sure this is getting easier, but it is getting more natural. This morning I brought light coconut milk to work so I could get my Starbucks Pike and it was delicious – much better than the regular coconut milk. Although I like my coffee milky and sweet, I did not miss the sweetness at all, the coconut milk is just enough to take the edge of bitterness off the coffee and more than enough to make it creamy. I am still drinking lots of water and yesterday I had a plain Perrier which satisified my crisp/fizzy craving. I poked around a bit on the site and it seems that carbonated water is ok so I was happy with that. I know I am one sip away from a Coke Zero binge! 
I had a moment of panic last night when I started mentally adding up all the calories and fat grams I’ve eaten over the last few days. I had to talk myself down off the ledge of quitting Whole30 and convince myself to trust the science and my body.
Next week I have four meals at restaurants, so I need to plan really well. Two are at Baton Rouge, and I think I can get away with a steak and just a green salad. They brush their steaks with butter but I will ask them not to and I always get lemon wedges and olive oil for my salad anyway so that parts easy. The third and fourth (one dinner and one lunch) – I don’t know the restaurants yet, but if worst comes to worst, I am planning to just have an herbal tea and eat afterwards (or before). I am committed to no “slips” during these 30 days.
I was thinking last night that Whole30 is very similar to an elimination diet for allergies. When my dermatologist told me that wheat and dairy were causing rosacea flare ups, I immediately cut them almost completely out of my diet. This is the same thing – grains and legumes and sugar are bad for my body. My body is “allergic” to them. Although I’ve known how bad they are for people with metabolic syndrome (me) and  this isn’t the first time I’ve read about this cause of inflammation – It  Starts with Food explains it better than I’ve ever understood before and I now “get” that this is similar to a chronic illness or allergy and eventually – these foods will kill me. Not directly – my throat won’t close up and choke me – but day by day, little by little they are wreaking havoc on my blood vessels, my heart and my vital organs.
Only I can stop it. I have to believe that I am strong enough to do this for the thirty days and keep whatever changes necessary beyond that.
I do feel better, no morning aches, headache is gone, I am sleeping better and deeper and although my stomach is in a bit of digestive distress I know that is temporary. I’m sure the drastic cut from the caffeine that I used to get in Coke Zero is helping as well. I think its working!
Today’s food:
Breakfast: boiled egg, carrots
Lunch: veal steak and watermelon salad (leftovers from last night), carrots
Snack: 5 dates and 10 almonds
Dinner: chicken basquaise and green beans


I am so thrilled with getting thru this dinner. First it was delicious - i could smell the fresh herbs as soon as we walked in. Prior the main course we had melon, carrots and cauliflower with homemade dips. I had the chicken with peppers and tomatoes, turned down the potatoes and really good quality dark chocolate. No lie the chocolate smelled divine but I just told myself that I was not eating chocolate today. And it worked - I just ignored it and nothing bad happened. No cravings, no thinking about it - it was as if I just dismissed it and it disappeared.

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