Today is Whole30 Day 8! I started my first Whole30 challenge last Saturday. For most people, the first week on Whole30 is one of the most difficult. Luckily for me, my only major challenge was yesterday. The rest of the week has gone by fairly smoothly. If you want to learn more about what to experience during Whole30, check out the timeline of side effects. Mine didn’t really follow it, but everyone reacts differently.
I’ve put together everything I remember eating in the last week. I tried to spread my updates between social media accounts, but I definitely didn’t record all my food. Portion sizes are not included. Generally, I had 2-3 eggs, 1/2-2 apples, 1 banana, and a small handful of raisins & pistachios. If a beverage isn’t listed, I can’t recall if I drank hot tea or lime water.
Whole30 Day 1
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with bell pepper & leftover steak; hot strawberry black tea.
Lunch: Leftover chicken, bell pepper slices, Kalamata olives, raisins & pistachios, lime water.
Dinner: 1 bell pepper sliced in half to serve as a taco shell, smeared with guacamole, piled with taco-seasoned ground beef, & sprinkled with salsa; applesauce, lime water.
Challenges: I buy bottled lime juice because it’s easier than buying fresh limes every few days. I’ve been drinking lime water since July. I just add a bit of lime juice to a tall glass of water. It’s delicious! Alas, my two brands of lime juice both have preservatives not allowed on Whole30. Luckily, Dan and I found a Whole30-compliant brand of lime juice at Kroger.
Whole30 Day 2
Brunch: Scrambled egg bowl with avocado, bell pepper, & salsa; banana & almond butter; hot strawberry black tea.
Snack: Pistachios & raisins.
Dinner: Steak, potatoes, apple with almond butter, lime water.
Challenges: The night before I took my anti-anxiety medication to help me sleep, but I took it too late. I’m pretty sensitive to it, so I slept in Sunday until noon. I was so groggy when I woke up, and all I wanted to do was eat the rest of the Christmas cookies. I scrambled eggs instead. I also had a headache all day, most likely from sugar withdrawal. I was pretty groggy most of the day, but it’s hard to say if that was a side effect of sleeping 12 hours or of Whole30.
Whole30 Day 3
Breakfast: A repeat of Day 2! Scrambled egg bowl with avocado, bell pepper, & salsa; banana & almond butter; hot Constant Comment black tea.
Lunch: Stuffed bell pepper with leftover taco meat. Basically a repeat of Day 2, but I baked it instead of eating the bell pepper raw. I prefer it raw. Apple with almond butter, lime water.
Dinner: Leftover steak sauteed with mushrooms & bell peppers in a romaine lettuce wrap (i.e. fajitas), lime water.
Challenges: I experienced some bloating. Who knows if I should blame Whole30 or Crohn’s, though.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAIzbpcrowY/?taken-by=belle_brita
Whole30 Day 4
Breakfast: “Deviled” eggs with guacamole (aka blended guacamole with the egg yolks; did not like). Banana, hot chai black tea with almond milk.
Lunch: Eggs fried over leftover fajita filling (peppers, mushrooms, steak). Raisins & pistachios, hot chai with almond milk.
Dinner: Hamburger patty with guacamole & salsa; baked sweet potato; lime water, apple.
Challenges: More bloating.
Whole30 Day 5
Breakfast: Applesauce, hot tea.
Snack: Pistachios & raisins.
Lunch/Dinner: Leftover hamburger patty with guacamole & salsa.
Challenges: I wasn’t really hungry on Day 5. I wasn’t hungry at all until about 3pm, when I ate the leftover burger. I think I snacked on carrots & bell peppers at some point during the evening.
Whole30 Day 6
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAPryUlro0E/?taken-by=belle_brita
Breakfast: Hard-boiled eggs, avocado slices, hot Constant Comment black tea lightly sweetened with apple juice. Probably some apple or banana, but I forget.
Lunch/Dinner: Leftover hamburger patty with guacamole & salsa.
Challenges: No challenges, but a win! I made fake hummus with zucchini, and it’s so incredibly yummy! I woke up hungry for breakfast, but again wasn’t hungry for more real food until the afternoon. I’m pretty sure I snacked on something at some point, but I don’t recall what.
Whole30 Day 7
Breakfast: Raisins & pistachios, banana, banana porridge with raisins, hot chai with apple juice & almond milk.
Lunch: Potato wedges, bell peppers with hummus, lime water.
Dinner: Chicken, potato wedges, lime water, apple.
Challenges: Day 7 has been my most difficult day so far. I woke up feeling completely hungover. I couldn’t drag myself out of bed until about 10:30am, and I still felt dizzy/lightheaded for another 20 minutes or so. I immediately guzzled the bottled water next to my bed. I staggered into the kitchen, grabbed a banana, the raisins, and the pistachios, and then I collapsed onto the couch. I felt a little more stable after eating the banana and some raisins & pistachios. I then prepared the rest of my breakfast, since I had started the porridge the night before.
Whole30 Week 1 Recipes
For the most part, Dan and I didn’t use any special recipes this week. Dan grilled out a fair amount of meat. I ate a ton of eggs (literally more than a dozen). I did follow two Whole30 recipes this week, though. Both of which have really enhanced my food options, so I’m really glad I tried them.
Note: I modified this slightly. I didn’t add any lemon juice, and I guesstimated the seasonings. I think this is better than than real humus.
Note: I also modified this slightly. I couldn’t find pecans at the grocery store, so I just used cashews & almonds. Instead of trying to compensate completely for the missing pecans, I upped both the cashews & the almonds by roughly 2 spoonfuls each. I also substituted 1 cup almond milk for the 2 cups coconut milk. It’s supposed to create 4 servings, but I feel like my modifications made 2 Brita-sized servings. It was really good, and I can’t wait to have the second bowl.
How are you focusing on your health this January? If you’ve done Paleo or Whole30 before, please share your recipes with me!
