The Whole 30, Days 9-13

Hi everyone! This week kind of got away from me, and I wasn’t as good about posting meals every day; but, I did take some photos, and I had a breakthrough in my understanding of why I am doing The Whole 30.

Breakfasts this week were a bit easier, thanks to some planning ahead. The Nutty Blueberry Protein Balls from Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals were a fast, tasty way to start off the day with my coffee (funny, maybe I am adapting to not having sugar because my coffee doesn’t taste as bad as it did the first week).

The other amazing food item that has made my week easier is Primal Pacs.

If you haven’t tried these, stop reading this and go order some right now! I have been eating beef jerky for the past 7-8 months; but, I never really loved it before. This beef jerky is so good! The Primal Pacs have Organic Grass Fed/Grass Finished beef jerky, mango, macadamia nuts, Marcona Almonds, cranberries and spices. They have The Whole 30 blessing, they travel well and they rock! You can tell I love them (I even lick the bag!)

I have begged the indoor climbing gym (Sportrock) to sell these at the front desk for the gluten free Paleo crowd and they are looking into it – they got in touch with the Paleo Pacs peeps yesterday. Yea, networking!

My other breakfasts this week included eggs and sausages

Banana, avocado with olive oil, macadamias and sausages

Lunches were either Primal Pacs or leftovers from dinner the night before with the random baked sweet potato or butternut squash on the side.

On to dinners! Burgers with butternut squash and lettuce buns (no photo).

Beef with carrots, celery, onions, demi glace and rosemary (heaven!)

Wagyu beef with demi glace and sweet potato (out of this world)

Drinks were water, coffee with coconut milk and herbal tea. One night I decided to live on the edge and juiced a pink grapefruit………..I used to love Greyhounds (grapefruit juice and vodka)…….which brings me to my realization about the purpose of The Whole 30.

The purpose of The Whole 30 is to make me aware of all the things I do automatically that sabotage my health. Did you get that?! We all act in ways that sabotage our health every day, and we are either ignorant to the effect these decisions have on us, or we know they are bad for us and we do it anyway. Has anyone caught BJ Gaddour’s video that went viral this week about things women say to trainers?  http://youtu.be/aosMsYWzKzs

BJ made this funny little video wearing a wig and makeup where he just talked to the camera as if he was a lady talking to her personal trainer. He Tweeted it to a few people, who ReTweeted and posted to Facebook walls, and the video went viral within hours! Last night, BJ Tweeted that the video had over 308,000 views in 48 hours and said, “I guess we struck a chord with some people.” He struck a chord with all of us, because we can all see ourselves in “that woman.” The Whole 30, for me, is all about learning how to avoid being “that woman!” You know, the one who justifies the treats and the nightly 2 glasses of wine, and the excuses to avoid tough workouts.

The purpose of doing this 30 day challenge is to bring awareness to all of my decisions. I have realized just how automatic it was to put sugar and cream in my coffee, to have a spoonful of chocolate almond butter after every meal, to eat a raw/vegan/gluten free chocolate macaroon every afternoon with my coffee, and to have a glass of wine or a margarita every night with dinner. I have realized that taking away those escapes leaves me to deal with the real issues (stress, fatigue, social pressure, laziness, etc, etc.) It is not that I can never do these things again; but that if I go back to these food and drink choices I need to do so with absolute awareness of whether I am copping out or really just enjoying a treat………

Anyone else having earth-shattering breakthroughs?

P.S. I need to mention that I had a stressful day this week, and came home for the first time in 2 weeks and felt like I “needed” a drink to unwind. The craving was so strong, it surprised me. I messaged Dallas and Melissa and they both messaged back and talked me through the whole issue. They helped me to realize that I don’t “need” anything except to deal with the issues (in this case, stress). After talking with them, and relaxing a bit, I went to bed early and was fine. The level of dedication of these two amazing people astounds me. I am so thankful to call them (virtual) friends and can’t wait to meet them in person! Thanks, M & D!