Whole 30 | New Habits | Day 8

Learning to LOVE some new habits...

This is the BEFORE and AFTER of my desk drawer at work.

I tried - for a very short few weeks - to do a low-calorie diet and count and track all of my calories. This may be very good and well for some people, but it was horrible for me.  I was buying frozen diet meals and snacks that I had never eaten before.  They were not filling or satisfying in taste.  I also felt like it really took all of the thought process of eating out of the picture.  

So in the first picture I've got my flavored coffees and low-calorie snacks and in the second picture, a bit of salt for my hard-boiled eggs, a paring knife for my fruit, plain black coffee, teas and vitamin supplements called Damage Control.  These are Whole 30 compliant.

I love coffee. Love it.  But I got to where I could hardly ever drink it anymore unless it was sweetened with flavored creamer.  When I started calorie counting or eating "low-carb", I'd buy the same fakey creamer, but I'd get the Sugar-Free version.  Ugh.

On Whole30, you are not to have ANY added sugars or sweeteners of any form. This includes honey, stevia, Splenda, aspartame, etc. I saw on the support forum that a lot of people doing Whole 30 or Paleo like to add a bit of Coconut cream/milk to their teas and coffees.  I tried this the first week, but could only handle a few sips before I lost interest.  The cream looked like it had curdled and would separate and I felt like the black coffee was tasting like I imagine an ashtray would.  Strange, I know! haha!  Then I read that people actually pop their coffee into the blender or in a shaker to really get the cream blended into the coffee.  Eureka!! Back in the game!  Comes out like a LATTE and I love it. Sticking to just one cup a day, but it's a cup I enjoy and can finish.

Kombucha.  If you've never had this - you should at least give it a try.  First time I tried it, I gagged. It is basically fermented tea.  I tried a new flavor and guess what??  La la LOVE it.  Seriously. Addicted.  It's great for your gut, it's refreshing and it is compliant.  WINNING all around!

This is the only other drink I've really had other than plain water and coffee these last 8 days.

Farmer's Markets. Okay, it is no shocker that I love Farmer's Markets and better quality foods grocery stores like Trader Joe's and Sprouts, but when it comes to a lot of it - let's just say that I admired it from afar.  Hey.  It's not easy trying to keep a tight budget when you are feeding 6 people of all ages and sizes with crazy, busy schedules.  Don't even get me started on how CHEAP the cr*p food is and in comparison to whole, organic or natural foods.  Watch the documentary FOOD Inc and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Well, after talking to Marco, we both agreed that it would be better for us to start buying meats and produce that are more natural and less processed, hormoned to death and covered in chemicals.  Is it going to be tough? Maybe.  Will the portions be smaller? Most likely. We won't have NUCLEAR chicken anymore which is what we buy at our regular grocers.  That's the chicken that is just so huge it could pass for a turkey.  Yeah, it goes a long way, but we just don't feel good about that now that we know just how bad it really is.  These are all personal choices and I don't blame anybody that has to try and make the dollar stretch, but we know that for us - we have to at least try.  It may be just a little decision here, a little change there, but we're doing it!

Besides, it's hard to resist the natural colors and tastes that come from unaltered foods.

Along with these changes, I've also:

• stopped chewing gum and eating mints/candy - can't have the sweeteners and it just sends crazy mixed messages to your brain making you think you want something sweet or that more food is coming
• stopped eating fast food - for one, it's too difficult to find compliant foods (see the Carnitas post about Chipotle) and two - it is an easy way out.  I need to be thoughtful and this pushes me to plan ahead.
• stopped drinking soda/diet soda/sweet tea - not allowed and I'm glad.  I don't mind the water one bit.
• stopped having a late night snack or dessert - I wasn't a big snacker before, but I loved a bowl of ice cream or even a bowl of cereal late at night.
• stopped weighing myself - it's not allowed during Whole30 and I don't want to obsess over it anyway
• started making a conscientious effort to move more - I have a desk job. I sit almost all day. So I make myself get up and walk, bend, reach as much as I can. 
• started paying attention to how I feel when I wake up, after I eat, during/after exercise - just being more aware of my body has really helped me clear my mind
• started reading every.single.label that I can - I used to make the price a priority. Now it's the ingredients that I care about most.

So what do you think?  What changes have you made or would you like to make?