July 30th– And I am DONE!

 

For having “dieted” as long as I have, I am always surprised when I finish a program. Whole30 isn’t really a program, but you know what I mean. Whole30 has been an interesting experiment for me. I went through the typical, I HATE THIS phase, and now I am kind of content.

Am I going to keep going, sure, but with some changes.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow, PIZZA! Oh, and I get to see if I dropped any weight. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised it I was up from the start. My body hates me.

Food Log:

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, blueberries and cucumbers
Lunch: Leftover taco salad
Dinner: Curried chicken with zoddles and carrot noodles
Snack: Apple and sunbutter

Thursday:
Breakfast: GGS and a hard boiled egg
Lunch: Leftover taco salad
Snack: Banana
Dinner: Sloppy joes over sweet potato fries and cucumbers and ranch

Dinner whole30 day 30
Dinner whole30 day 30

Coming soon a post on my over whole30 feelings and what is next.

July 28th, 2015– The End is in My Sights

 

Two full days left! 6 meals! I am looking forward to kicking the no SWYPO rule out the window.

No, I won’t go “carb” crazy, but being able to have the option to have a “real” sandwich is freeing.

Started my SIBO antibiotics today. Hopefully, this is the cure! Or at least helps, significantly.

Food Log:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, and blueberries

Breakfast  whole30 day 28
Breakfast whole30 day 28

Lunch: leftover meatloaf, carrots, and cucumbers
Dinner: a giant taco salad, lettuce, taco meat, guacamole, “sour cream” olives, and cucumbers

Dinner whole30 day 28
Dinner whole30 day 28

ALSO! Today, I went on my first run (ok, walk/run) in over 2 months! At my last race, I sustain a bad muscle strain and have been in physical therapy since. It wasn’t pain free, but using the tools I learned in PT, I was able to stretch and relief my discomfort.

Post run shameless selfie
Post run shameless selfie

SIBO, it might be the answer

Whole30 is coming to a close (THREE MORE DAYS), and while I know improvements have been made, die Sugar Dragon! My gut hasn’t been better, and my motivation to continue this lifestyle is mostly gone. Really, why would I continue to avoid “normal” foods to only make EVERYTHING from scratch and still be having issues. I would much rather eat without having to ask thousands questions.

Read my about section, here, now so you know more details about what has and is going on.

Did, you read it?

Alright then, here’s where we are now:

At my appointment on Friday, we went over my stool test results, which came back “normal” and after discussing my lower intestine, the doctor decided that maybe the small intestine is the culprit. Stool test only looked at my lower intestines. SIBO, small intestine bacteria overgrowth.

The test for SIBO is a breath test, that is only 80% accurate, and costs $200. We didn’t feel that for that much and the test not being accurate it would be worth it to us to spend the $200. Especially, since the doctor would want to treat anyway.

There are a few different treatment options, she presented me with two, ingesting peppermint essential oil or taking a high dose antibiotics.

Having researched for some time, but not in enough detail, I do not feel confident, that ingesting oil, any essential oil, is safe.

So that left the antibiotics. Which she told me, might not be covered by insurance and was $700.

So we prayed that insurance would cover it, and I made plans to call the pharmacy Monday afternoon.

My pharmacy called me, and said the script was in and that my insurance did cover it!

When I picked it up, I was told, it is actually $1400!!!

SIBO antibiotic
SIBO antibiotic

I am so grateful, that Mr. Wonderful has a great job with amazing insurance. I also really hope that this is answer. And maybe just maybe, paleo will be a lifestyle choice, not necessity.

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July 26 and 27th–Friends, Food, and Health

 

Sunday, July 26th:

As we were walking out the door for church, we got invited to lunch. We also already had plans for dinner. We spent all day out of the house, with friends, family, and food!

Breakfast: Leftover carrots, onions and potatoes with a chicken sausage

Snack: GGS

Lunch: Tuna Salad, carrot sticks, salad with paleo ranch (Lunch was not a whole30 friendly meal, so I brought my own food. Glad our friends understand!)

Dinner: (I took a picture, but it isn’t on my phone…) grilled, marinated chicken, salad, roasted carrots and green beans. It was delicious!

Monday:

Monday’s are always crazy, and I tend to dislike them. But today I got some great news. More details in a coming post.

Breakfast: GGS and I added some hemp hearts and coconut oil to make it a full meal.

Lunch: Hamburger over lettuce with caramelized onions and guacamole

Lunch Whole30 day 27
Lunch Whole30 day 27

Dinner: Meatloaf and roasted carrots and parsnips

 

Dinner whole30 day 27
Dinner whole30 day 27

July 25th, 2015– Five more days!

I finally got a hold of a copy of The Whole30: 30-day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom. Not much more information than what you can find on the website, except a little more details. Plus some recipes.

Food Log:
Breakfast: I woke up wanting a Sausage Egg McMuffin ( I haven’t eaten McDonald’s since before I was pregnant), so with some inspiration from the Whole30 recipe instagram feed I made myself one.

Crispy hash browns
Crispy hash browns

Made hashbrowns in the waffle iron, so they would be crispy, added some homemade sausage to a egg, and wham bam, YUM!

Breakfast  whole30 day 25
Breakfast whole30 day 25

Lunch: Mr. Wonderful asked for some crispy hash browns, so I made some more and add some sausage to it for me.

Dinner: Roasted Vegetables (recipe coming soon) and chicken sausage.

Dinner whole30 day 25
Dinner whole30 day 25

July 24th, 2015–Test results round 1

 

A month or so ago, I took a Stool Test to figure out what all my gut issues are. Saw my doctor today about the results. Other than having some low good gut bacteria, nothing was of noteworthiness.

No sign of inflammatory bowels or yeast overgrowth.

The doctor is really leaning towards SIBO.

Mr. Wonderful jokes that I should just get a colon transplant.

Well after some sleep, I am off to research SIBO.

Food Log:
Breakfast: GGS, sausage and eggs
Lunch: Enchilada salad-lettuce, green beans, enchilada sauce, ground beef, “sour cream”, and guac

Lunch Whole30 day 24
Lunch Whole30 day 24

Dinner: was a disaster! We were going to grill burgers at the park, but we didn’t bring enough charcoal and they were cooked, but undercooked to my liking, and I couldn’t eat it. Luckily, I brought carrots and apple slices and some sunbutter.

July 23, 2015– How much longer?

7 days. 21 more meals.

Trying to be strong. But I really just want to give in, or as the Whole30 Timeline says, “I am SO over this.”

Next Friday, we are having homemade pizza. And this SWYPO rule is OUT THE FLIPING WINDOW! I can give up sugars and added sugars. But I just want to eat a hamburger with a bun, a real sandwich, and have a bowl of cereal with my 2 year old.

Food log:
Breakfast: homemade sausage, 2 eggs and a GGS (I needed something to spice up my eggs)
Lunch: an over stuffed enchilada stuffed sweet potato with cucumbers
Dinner: zoodles, pasta sauce and meatballs

July 22, 2015– No, you didn’t have a bad day.

 

I didn’t post yesterday, and I was going to write, how I had a “bad day” yesterday.

But then, I said, “No, you didn’t have a bad day yesterday. You stuck to Whole30, while your food choices weren’t perfect, you did not eat anything off plan. And you walked about 6 miles. You had a GOOD DAY, yesterday!”

July 21:
Breakfast: GGS, 2 HB eggs
Snack: Apple and Sunbutter
Lunch: Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potato
Dinner: just enchilada stuffing, no sweet potato

July 22:
Breakfast: 2 HB and some sauteed veggies
Lunch: Apple Sausage, sauteed carrots, onions, and green peppers and Strawberries
Dinner: We went out, Mr. Wonderful had a rough day at work, and he came home to me crying over some damaged items from my mom. So we went out, I got a hamburger in a lettuce wrap and a side salad, I also bought my own condiments so I wasn’t eating a bland burger.

Dinner whole30 day 22
Dinner whole30 day 22

 

July 20th, 2015–Can I just eat some “fake” food?

 

Chocolate chip cookies.

Beautiful, gluten filled, Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, made for my sister and her move in crew. I just want to enjoy one, or a few handfuls.

 

Instead I ate THREE BANANAS…

 

I still want that DAMN cookie.

I am currently debating doing the reintroduction phase… 1) This is how I already eat 75% of the time. 2) I am so done. 3) I feel lied too. Whole30, 30 days of “real food” but everyone forgets to tell you about the 10 DAY reintroduction phase, it is really the WHOLE40!

Food Log:

Breakfast: Leftover potatoes and carrots with a apple chicken sausage

Breakfast  whole30 day 20
Breakfast whole30 day 20

Lunch: zoddles and meat sauce

Dinner: Slumgillion, is what we grew up calling it. Leftover roast, gravy (aka leftover mushroom soup), and the leftover potatoes and carrots. We had it over green beans.

Dinner whole30 day 20
Dinner whole30 day 20

Then I ate another serving, and 3 bananas, because I really wanted to eat chocolate chip cookies and ice cream and cheese, and rice…

 

How much longer and why am I doing this?

Day 18 and 19: The weekend

 

10 day! Just 10 whole days left!! (Well, and the 10 day reintroduction phase, boo!) I am done with this, ready to move on to the next thing. I also, really want some foods back. Menu planning now, just has me dreaming about what I want to eat on day 31… Pizza is currently winning.

July 18th:

Breakfast: GGS, 2 eggs scrambled
Lunch: leftover pork chops over lettuce

Lunch Whole30 day 18
Lunch Whole30 day 18

Snack: Berries, at my soon to be sister-in-law’s bridal shower
Dinner: chicken fingers and sweet potato fries, with whole30 Ketchup and mustard

July 19th:

Breakfast: GGS, 2 eggs scrambled
Snack: blueberries, at church
Lunch: Kalua pork with some whole30 BBQ sauce over a bed of lettuce and carrots

Lunch Whole30 day 19
Lunch Whole30 day 19

Snack: banana and sunbutter (I wanted to melt some chocolate and just cover it…)
Dinner: Pot roast, potatoes and carrots. I wanted my mom’s good old fashioned pot roast, so I made a “vegan” whole30 approved cream of mushroom soup just for the roast. Mr. Wonderful, said “Now, this is a Sunday dinner. If only we weren’t poor and could afford a weekly roast.” Truth!

Dinner whole30 day 19
Dinner whole30 day 19