The second week started on a high. Waking up, I felt lighter. Perhaps it was just my imagination. Or maybe my jeans really were a little easier to button. The Whole 30 claims to be an anti-inflammatory diet, and I have to agree. No bloating anywhere in sight. The first thing I did Monday morning was head to the kitchen and make a dozen prosciutto wrapped egg muffins for the week ahead; anything to make those breakfasts more appealing. These were easily thrown together and baked in 15 minutes. Delicious and satisfying.
Now, one important rule to follow while on Whole 30 is to stay away from the scale. Weight loss is supposed to be a secondary victory throughout the program. Conquering the sugar monster, the first. I couldn’t stay away. I weighed myself. Oops. Five pounds down. Mental note: don’t do that again until Day 30. Sigh.
Pumped with the news of the initial weight loss, now I really was on a high. But by the time life happened the rest of Monday, I was not able to get to my dinner until after 8 pm and I. WAS. A. GROUCH. This seemed to be a pattern throughout WEEK 2. I was satisfied between meals, but if I wasn’t able to get to them on time I became viciously hungry and moody. Thinking I would make a terrible Survivor contestant. A little late, but I guess the Diary prediction listed for Days 4 & 5 Kill All Things was getting to me at this point. Coincidentally, the book also lists Days 10 & 11 as The Hardest Days. The newness of the program has worn off, as they write. I AM cranky. I AM impatient. “This is where you really start to experience the psychological power of your food choices and habits … ” it says. ” When has a cupcake ever made you feel truly accomplished, comforted, calm, or beautiful? …” Lets not get crazy now. I have to disagree with this one. Clearly if they’ve never had a cupcake do any of that, they just don’t know where to buy them. Nothing like a sweet, soft, icing-filled cupcake to…but I digress. Will resume serious cupcake talk on Day 31. I will say now that I thought I’d be badly craving my usual cheese-on-cheese on everything and my wine. I’m not. Don’t get me wrong. It would be really nice to indulge in a glass of wine right about now, but I’m not depressed over not having it like I thought I’d be. That is all.
I’ve been sleeping better. Deep sleep. I’m usually up several times a night and although I’m still ocassionaly getting up, I fall back asleep immediately. There is no tossing and turning whatsoever. Heartburn is still gone. Good riddance. Don’t miss that! I’ve also discovered the magic of the monkey salad. While I’m still tweaking this recipe to add a vegetable and animal protein to it, this is another recipe I will be keeping in my life forever. All hail the monkey salad: 2 tbsp of almond butter (or a handful of almonds/macadamia nuts, shredded unsweetened coconut, sliced bananas with the occasional bacon bits thrown in. Did I mention the Whole 30 is bacon friendly? As long as it doesn’t have sugar that is. I finally found one. Thank you Pederson’s!
Dinner out on Week 2 consisted of Chipotle and a glorious visit to Michael Mina 74. As it turns out, Chipotle’s carnitas salad (pork , bay leaf, salt, black pepper, thyme, juniper berries, and sunflower oil with fresh salsa and guacamole toppings) is compliant. Not to mention, also very satisfying. The real treat came on Saturday night when I splurged on a Florida-fresh, never-frozen seafood platter at Michael Mina 74: stone crabs, shrimp, oysters, and lobster. The staff was also gracious enough to sauté some vegetables for me in just olive oil. Gotta love great service! They went out of their way to make it work!
As for my kitchen adventures, I surprised myself by preparing non-compliant food for others with ease and not being the least bit bitter. Maybe just a little tempted, but not too badly. Surely I thought I’d be wishing my husband and friends would choke on their BBQ chicken wings, craft beer, and potato chips. But I wasn’t. Really. Instead I’ve focused on cooking compliant food and even enjoyed making the sauces and dressings from scratch. Day 14’s dinner was a tasty dish of spare ribs with a tangy BBQ sauce and a kale salad. Not THAT is how you close out the second week! Well, that and JON SNOW IS ALIVE! YES!
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- Seafood Feast at Michael Mina 74
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- St. Louis Style Spare Ribs
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- Chipotle Carnitas
Reintroduction
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