So that weird woozy/tired feeling I had is gone. I have been feeling pretty good these past couple of days! I found myself running up the stairs and punching the air on my way to the shower this morning a la Rocky. WHO IS THIS PERSON?
I don’t think it’s too early to say that one of the most interesting things that’s happened to me on Whole 30 so far is that I feel full (almost) all of the time. The obvious benefit is that I am not feeling hungry/sad/deprived or craving snacks. My stomach is no longer growling at 11:30 a.m. I’m not eating a mini-meal before dinner or trawling the cupboards in the evenings. I am never hangry either, banging around the kitchen and getting snippy with poor family members who merely want to know what’s for dinner and what time we’re eating.
I’m not lunging into my plate because I’m so hungry, and at every meal I seem to be eating less food because I’m just not that hungry anymore.
I attribute this entirely to two things: Increasing the amount of protein I’m eating overall and eating a larger breakfast that includes protein.
Also worth noting, Whole 30 is a lot more palatable (pun totally intended) if you can focus on your favourite foods. Dinner last night was a delicious salmon dish. This was lunch the other day:
Spicy, juicy, grilled jerk chicken on a bed of mango/avocado/red onion/cilantro/lime juice. It was leftovers from the night before, but it tasted amazing, and when it tastes amazing, there is zero feeling of sadness and deprivation.
I’m having leftovers for lunch again today, but they’re so good that I am looking forward to digging in.
Some observations:
- – We are eating a lot more produce. I thought we ate a lot before, but we are reaching record amounts here. I know this by how frequently we’re emptying out our kitchen compost unit.
- – The negative side of cooking more food at home: dishes. I feel like I’m doing loads of dishes and rewashing pans multiple times a day. (Not to mention the garlic press, which I hate cleaning.)
- – I think my skin looks a bit better, although this might be my imagination.
- – This might also be a result of increased water intake. My rather unsexy method of drinking more water can be summed up this way: pee out, water in. There’s a glass in every bathroom here, so I am using it.
- – I MAY have spotted some abs. Maybe. I did 10 push ups today to encourage this trend.
- – Food is tasting really good lately, like, better than usual. Has something happened to my tastebuds or am I just appreciating it more right now? It reminds me of the time when I was pregnant with our eldest. Orange juice took on a whole new level of flavour while I was pregnant. It was like drinking liquid gold, but in a parallel universe where gold actually tastes 1000x better than orange juice.
- – I’m drinking more tea during the day, and a wider variety of teas too. It gives me something hot to hold in my hand while I work and I also just really appreciate a good cup of tea. I don’t feel the need to add milk or sweeteners either. One of my faves is Stash brand peppermint tea. Have you tried it? It has a really nice, sweet, finish and apparently peppermint is good for digestion as well. (Or at least that’s what my grandmother said!) Maybe I’ll drop by David’s Tea and reward myself with something new this weekend.
