Whole30 Day 30

Well that was uneventful. I guess that's a good thing, but in reality it didn't even cross my mind that I was actually done with what turned out to be my "loosest" Whole30 ever. Some thoughts on how this one went:

1.) I could totally eat this way all the time. What I mean by that is that I wasn't a crazy freak about not eating bacon; . I drank once (which is a HUGE improvement from the bottle of wine per night the hubs and I used to consume pre-Paleo) and is completely manageable; I survived without any Paleo "treats." I also survived without a significant amount of Paleo "subs."

2.) I started feeling better a lot later this time. I believe this is primarily related to how poorly I was eating the weeks prior to starting this one. I do think I didn't have as many problems switching to fat metabolism when working out like I did the first two times, but any changes in my body fat percentage seemed much later this time too. Which I know isn't the point, but it sure is a nice benefit!

3.) I feel like towards the end I finally got a good grasp on my intake/output ratio to mange the afternoon starving that was happening early on in my Whole30.

4.) This will continue. I have really evaluated the things that I missed. And in no particular order they are: sweetened almond milk lattes (either rosemary brown sugar or honey almond) from my favorite coffee shop and ice cream. That's it. That's not to say I won't have an occasional Paleo pancake, muffin, or non-Paleo treat but if I can make it through a Mexican restaurant with fresh chips and salsa, Super Bowl Sunday with pizza, and a party at a bar with AMAZING bar food then I think I'm on the right track. As for my favorite lattes and ice cream...Thankfully, I can ask for half (or maybe a quarter) of the sugary substance that goes into the lattes, but I am going to definitely reduce the number of them I am drinking..my body and my bank account will thank me! And for my favorite ice cream place I am sure I will be satisfied with a small kids size scoop in a cup instead of the biggest one available in a chocolate dipped waffle cone, we shall see on Friday! I don't want to be unreasonable and "that crazy lady," but I do want to value my body and know that I can enjoy an occasional treat without destroying all the healing and health benefits I have reached so far.

I plan on continuing to document what I'm eating. I will also keep posting new recipes that I have tried and any helpful hints.

So, for the last day meals! Breakfast was the usual meat/eggs/avocado. For lunch I had a big salad with mixed greens, tuna, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes and some balsamic vinaigrette. Dinner was loaded bacon burger soup. And it was okay, nothing great. I won't make it again. It seemed very bland compared to so many other Paleo meals that are bursting with flavor. I was leery of the pickles in soup but they were probably the tastiest part! I did roast butternut squash in coconut oil to go with it and that, as always, was delicious. It is so time consuming to dice up those guys into little cubes, but I love how crispy they get on the outside and gooey on the inside. And I since I didn't even realize it was over I didn't celebrate with anything "special"....I'm saving myself for Salty Caramel ice cream....