Life is, indeed, too short to drink bad coffee. I decided that for myself, once and for all, after buying a Costco-sized bag of Starbucks beans in an effort to be frugal, grinding the not-so-fresh beans each morning and pouring a terrible cup of French press. I got through the entire bag after a couple months and promptly returned to one of my favorite coffee shops to get locally roasted beans. Suddenly I was looking forward to breakfast again. I normally Aeropress my coffee and top it with foamed milk in my version of a cappuccino, but now that I'm on the Whole30, I'm drinking delicious French press, straight up. It's pretty much the simplest part of my morning, and one of the things I look forward to most when I get out of bed to face another day on the Whole30.
So, how has the rest of my first week gone on this regimen? Here are a few things I'm noticing.
1. I am already tired of meat and veggies. I mean, meat and veggies were what I ate before this started, but to have meat be the main star of pretty much every meal is kind of exhausting. And I feel kind of...gluttonous. It's not that I'm craving grains and dairy, but I am craving the option of these vehicles, and I'm missing variety of the flavors they add. On some days, it feels like Whole30 is kind of an insult to people who genuinely love food and trying new tastes and flavors. I know the people who designed this have said it's still about loving your food, and really tasting it, but still, I feel so incredibly limited.
2. I really miss my routines. For the last few years, Joel and I have enjoyed our little aperitivo hour when I get home from work, which is when we talk about our days and unwind a bit over a glass of wine and some light snacks. And again, after dinner, making tea and having a modest sweet treat. We can continue to do these things with modifications, but it is just not as fun. On Friday we went out for a walk when I got home, so that's probably a better thing to do than snack and chat.
3. Planning is your friend. I hate food prep, the kind where you batch cook a bunch of stuff and package it all up for portioning. But, I must admit, it's been pretty nice throughout the week to just assemble and go. On Thursday when I was running from the gym to a happy hour with my friends, before I got there it was nice to scarf down some leftover pork loin I saved from the night before, because I wasn't certain I could partake in anything on the menu.
4. Happy hours can still be happy, but pregnant ladies: I salute you. I suppose I didn't mind not being able to drink as much as I minded not being able to eat the pizza I was smelling. But as a fairly reserved person I also do well with some wine to lighten up my laughter and be more outward in conversation, so I had to work extra hard here. Also, there was one item on the menu I could have - arugula salad with almonds and lemon/truffle oil dressing, sans the shaved parmesan. That cheese would have made all the difference. And along with it, sparkling water with lemon. Thank God I ate that pork loin earlier. Pretty much any socializing at a restaurant sucks, because there are so few options. I am getting a bit of cabin fever from eating at home all the time. I miss going out. Sigh.
5. Workouts are better. There was one session in particular where I felt like I could have done more reps and didn't feel tired at the points I normally do. I'm drinking more water throughout the day now, so that's probably helping, too.
6. Two things at bedtime: I can read longer without falling asleep mid-sentence, and my body relaxes more when I lie down. I'm not sure how to explain this second part other than I feel like a dead weight. The first night this happened, I was so surprised by it that I was kept awake by my excitement about it. It felt so cool! Since then, I've gotten more used to it.
7. My stomach doesn't growl with hunger between meals. This may be the biggest win for me so far. I had a hair appointment after work one night and I was waiting for that awkward moment around 6:30 when my stomach said hello to the entire salon. But it never happened. And I didn't even feel hungry until I got home and started assembling my meal.
8. My mood has been generally even and upbeat, though I'm not sure what I can truly attribute that to - the weather, the people around me, not feeling tired or hungry, etc. Either way, that's good.
Other than that, things feel pretty much the same. I know it's just the first week and things will likely continue to evolve. I'm pretty excited that my mom started this a little bit ahead of me and is experiencing noticeable results. I found some new recipes that are making me feel like I can get a little more variety throughout the week, and I'm starting to think about how this may be able to affect some general food decisions down the road. But the main takeaway for this week is food appreciation - as in, I'm really going to savor the food I'm currently denying myself (in modest proportions, of course) when I start reintroducing them in about 23 days.
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