The Day1 email described week 1 as a transitional week because it is a big change and a lot to take in all at once. Eating habits will be changed completely to eliminate sugar from my diet and it is important that I stay as positive Day 2-30 as I am on Day1. I love the support of the daily emails, but I wish there was more from the program and the website - I wish it was more user friendly - easier to find recipes, easier to speak to someone if I had a problem or a fear of falling of the wagon, or more specific ideas of what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, etc. I know we are not supposed to weigh or measure, but I am nervous that I am going to over eat (not under-eat, that's not my problem). But over eating will HOPEFULLY go away when I learn to control cravings and how much protein in relation to vegetables I should eat each meal to carry me through to the next. Whole30 does not approve of snacking, which is my biggest weakness, especially at work, especially at 3pm so I need to learn to eat enough protein at lunch (and later in the day) so that I don't "crash" or think that I need sugar in order to get through the next few hours until my next meal. I have not had a piece of fruit today which is rare for me because I usually am always eating fruit since I have trained my mind to see it as a 0 point snack.
I did buy dried figs and apricot and bare fruit apple chips which have no other ingredients other than organic fruit and states clearly on the label, "no added sugar." I had 1 fig and that satisfied my sweet tooth enough that I did not need more. I plan to leave these at home so I don't have them in my desk at work and on hand when I think I need to snack. They are for emergencies!!
This morning I woke up early to prepare the slow cooker meal and headed to Bar Method. Surprisingly, even though I had the day off, I still went to my 6:45 am class with Brittany. I came home and made breakfast - 2 eggs with scallions, spinach and tomatoes. Normally I would have made my egg white and oatmeal pancake but it felt good to eat real foods and not worry about points! And I was full, in a good way, not bloated, but really full and not worried about my next meal.
Rick and Katie came at 12pm. We started with a salad that I made with spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, sprouts and leftover avocado & mango salsa. I added some walnuts and slivered almonds. We did not even need dressing because the mango salsa had oil in it. It was delicious. Sweet and a little tart from the red onions (I am so sad I didn't get a picture of this beautiful salad). Lunch was the slow cooked cuban pork and sweet potatoes which I made with my own orange juice to keep it Whole30 approved. It was delicious. Perfectly spiced, the meat was tender and the potatoes were so soft and sweet. I gave them a schar gluten free roll to eat theirs with (so I could get the bread out of the house) and they also had a gluten free chocolate chip cookie (I did not have one, did not need one and did not think about it while they ate it - in fact, I cleaned up the dishes while they had the cookie so I didn't even see it). We ate at 1pm and at 3pm, wen I normally crash, I could feel hunger pains - but I wasn't sure I was hungry, or just hungry because of habit. So I ignored the voices in my head telling me I was hungry. At 4pm, I decided to have peppermint tea. I don't think I was drinking enough water today, but usually at work I drink a lot of water so I'm not worried about being hydrated.
The recipe originally is a Weight Watchers recipe which I tweaked slightly to accommodate Whole30. Instead of using Trop50, I juiced my own orange juice. At 1/4 cup I don't think the sugar would have been too much for me if I was not doing Whole30, but I feel better knowing that I stuck to the program and was able to alter a recipe for my own needs.
Cuban-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew
Serves 4
1 pound uncooked sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound uncooked lean pork, cut into 1 inch pieces
14.05 oz canned diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup orange juice
2 medium scallions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Place potatoes, pork, tomatoes, garlic, orange juice, scallions, salt, cumin and pepper in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker; cover and cook on low setting for 7 hours.
Stir in lime juice and cilantro; cover slow cooker and cook for 5 minutes more. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving (including some cooking liquid).
Ryan came home at 5pm and as much as I wanted to have dinner with him, it was too early. I knew that if I ate now, I would slip and want dessert, or even another meal. So I am waiting a little longer and will have a small salad and the vegetable soup I prepared yesterday. Hopefully I can make it through the evening without craving dessert. Night time is very difficult for me - I am a grazer at night and like to think calories or points don't count at night so I usually eat a lot of sweets like chocolate and peanut butter at night. But those are all no no's on Whole30 so I am going to do my best. If I need something sweet there are baby carrots and almond butter!
I am more nervous tomorrow - I need to prep a salad and soup for lunch and just be mentally prepared for the day. It will be my first day on the program outside of my home where I feel safe.
XO
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