First week of the Whole 30

Last week I wrote about why I was starting a Whole 30. I thought it would be a good idea to show you what I have been eating for my first week of the Whole 30.

I began on a Sunday after a terrible nights sleep (not Whole 30 related) and felt pretty average all day to be honest. I really just wanted sweet food to fill that gap (one of the reasons I’m doing this Whole 30 – to stop these habits).

Sunday – Day 1 Whole 30
B: Scrambled eggs with Spinach and coconut milk, chicken breast, avocado and some frozen vegetables.
L: Mango & prosciutto as a starter, home made pumpkin soup and buffalo wings.
D: De-constructed burgers – Beef Patties (Just beef and herbs and spices), topped with a fried egg (fried in coconut oil), avocado, pineapple and parsnip crisps with a side of kumara ‘fries’.
S: I didn’t snack in the morning (win!), but come 4pm I was so hungry it wasn’t funny! I had a cup of Red Seals Red Bush Tea which didn’t fill the gap so had a bit of almond butter – straight off the spoon (that stuff is AMAZING by the way!!) and a couple of teaspoons of home made no grain-ola to tide me over while cooking dinner.

Feeling: I felt tired all day and after a long walk to the travel expo and back I was pretty tired. I also had the feeling that I had a headache coming on the whole day. I’m fairly certain this was more to do with the crappy sleep than anything else.

Monday – Day 2 Whole 30
B: 1 Beef Pattie, 2 Fried Eggs, Avocado, Frozen Vegetables and a few pieces of mango.
L: Home made pumpkin soup and chicken breast with a hot lemon drink and some coconut cream mixed with a little bit of home-made no grain-ola.
D: Chicken Tenders and Kumara Fries. 
S: 1 Pear and 1 Carrot, snack of almond butter and a teaspoon of no grain-ola with a couple of dates. 

Feeling: I felt pretty alert all day despite having an average sleep (again), although I was really busy at work so I didn’t have time to get that afternoon slump. From about 2pm I was ridiculously hungry and wanted to eat anything in sight! I held out for 3pm and had the pear and was hungry again 30 minutes later, I finished my bottle of water and had my carrot sticks at 4.30pm.

I was then stupidly hungry again at 5.00 and new I wouldn’t make it through a netball game without anything so grabbed a couple of dates dipped in Almond Butter (holey crap this is good!) and a teaspoon of no grain-ola.

I then faced my first issue of dining out – not at a restaurant! We dined at Burger Fuel and I had the chicken tenders (just chicken breast with garlic and herbs!) which were amazing although overpriced and the kumara fries (which I then felt like a failure but I didn’t have a lot of other options going on, however they are cooked in canola oil which is not ideal but technically ok when dining out for the Whole 30. Fries however are not OK but I’m okay with it given it was either that or two lots of chicken tenders which would not have filled me up, cost me $16(!) and my issue isn’t with savoury food which I can take or leave.).  I have kumara shaped into fries at home as well and I put a lot of thought into my decision and came back to the fact I was doing what I could with the options in front of me and am at peace with that decision. 

Tuesday – Day 3 Whole 30
B: Scrambled eggs with coconut oil, chicken breast, avocado and frozen vegetables. 
L:Chicken Breast, Coconut Cream and Frozen Vegetables.
D: Pina Colada Chicken with roast vegetables.
S: 1 Pear,1 Carrot, few dates dipped in Almond butter and 2 teaspoons home-made no grain-ola.

Feeling: Still super hungry in the afternoons despite the big lunch I had and I tried to add a decent amount of good fats to lunch to keep me going through the afternoon too. I felt a bit ill after eating lunch due to all the fat in it and the sheer size of the meal. 

Wednesday – Day 4 Whole 30
B: Scrambled eggs in coconut oil, chicken breast and frozen vegetables.
L: Leftover Pina Colada chicken and frozen vegetables with an apple and almond butter.
D: Salmon, roast vegetables and frozen vegetables. 
S: Few tablespoons of no grain-ola and a couple of dates dipped in almond butter. 

Feeling: Alert all day, super hungry in the afternoon (again!) but had meetings and was busy at work so didn’t snack until I got home as I was heading to the gym and wouldn’t have made it with nothing in the tank. 

Thursday – Day 5 Whole 30
B: Scrambled eggs in coconut oil, chicken breast and frozen vegetables.
L: Steak and fried egg with frozen vegetables, coconut cream with some no grain-ola.
D: Crock pot beef (with a tin of tomatoes, garlic, ginger and some chilli powder) with some roast vegetables and frozen vegetables.
S: 1 apple,  1 Carrot & a few tablespoons of no grain-ola. 

Feeling: Slept really well which was nice although by 10.30am I was feeling drained and tired (I believe this was work related as I had what I frequently refer to as a ‘shit storm’ waiting for me this morning.). Subsequent to the looming ‘shit storm’ I had all the sugar cravings in the world and If I wasn’t doing the whole 30 and writing what I have eaten here to be accountable I WOULD have brought a slice of something almost 100% sugar. I had an apple for morning tea as there is no way I would have made it to lunch time (first day eating morning tea since the start of the whole 30 which is big for me!). 

Friday – Day 6 Whole 30
B: Scrambled eggs with prosciutto, couple of bits of leftover dinner meat, vegetables a few pieces of mango and bit of almond butter. 
L: Leftover crock pot beef, coconut cream and mango. 
D: Salmon, Roast Vegetables and frozen vegetables. 
S: 1 Apple, Cup of Peppermint Tea, 1 Carrot, bit of no grain-ola. 

Feeling: I could have just stayed in bed and kept sleeping this morning, nothing to do with the Whole 30 and everything to do with this thing called work. I am generally feeling pretty alert throughout the whole day though which is good. 

Saturday – Day 7 Whole 30
B: Scrambled eggs, chicken tenderloins, vegetables, almond butter and 1 Red Bush Rooibos Tea 
L: Home made crumbed chicken tenderloins, coconut cream and vegetables. 
D: Burger patties, egg, roast vegetables and spinach. 
S: 1 Pear, Red Bush Tea, Coconut Water, Bit of Hazelnut Spread & Creamed Coconut. 

Feeling: Feeling awake in the morning, slept really well. Was tired around lunch time after going to the gym and then felt like I was going to throw up for an hour or so. It was really weird and nothing came of it but I had a nap and slowly came right and was fine the rest of the day. 

So there we have it, my first week of meals for the Whole 30.  I was lucky that I didn’t have any real side effects from the change in diet, which I imagine is due to the fact that we were eating a fairly paleo diet prior to beginning to Whole 30 anyway. I am finding the thought of eating out to be more hassle than it’s worth generally speaking. It’s a lot easier to just grab something at home as I know how it is prepared and that there isn’t any added sugar or anything. I do know that I could a few events coming up over the next few weeks that will require me to be smart with my choices to ensure my meals are Whole 30 compliant. Bring it on 😉

What I’m missing?
I knew that doing a Whole 30 would be hard as I love my paleo treats I have been making. I have really missed my nut free bliss balls which I have been having for morning tea during the week prior to starting the Whole 30.  To be honest I have not missed my almost daily quest bar and I have realised that I can go until lunchtime without having morning tea sometimes. The other thing I have really wanted is a milky chai tea! Chai without the milk or sweetener is just not the same! 

I have only been craving sweet slices, chocolate and what not on the days I have been stressed at work, and that is solely an emotional eating issue which is linked to work. It has been good (although hard!) being able to just say NO to myself when I get that voice in my head telling me to go and buy a nice caramel slice from one of the cafes down the road. 

7 days down, 23 to go! 

What do you think you would miss the most if you did a Whole 30?