A Whole30 Update...

Today marks Day 8 of my Whole30 journey.  I haven't been blogging it out day by day because I figured that'd bore you guys into an early death, so here is a summary of how the first week went:

Day 1:  This is a breeze.  These foods are delicious!  Thirty days?? Heck, I could do 60 days easy!

Days 2-4:  My head feels like Mike Tyson's punching bag.  Why do I feel like death warmed over? If I have to eat another egg for breakfast I will cry.

Days 5-6:  I'm hangry and want to eat ALL the things.  Except eggs.

Day 7:  Headache is gone and my energy seems to have returned to normal-ish, but I'm still craving sugar like nobody's business.  And it feels like every picture on my Facebook and Instagram news feeds includes ice cream. Or cookies. Or cake.  Mmmmm... cake.

It has been a challenge, but it is doable.  And I can tell you honestly that I haven't cheated once yet.  I can also tell you honestly that sitting at lunch yesterday with my in-laws while Micah ate a plate of bacon (non-compliant, as it contained sugar) and biscuits and gravy (my FAVORITE) was torturous.  He has been wonderfully tagging along on this adventure with me whenever we are together (I told him to eat whatever he wants for lunches), but I couldn't let him skip out on his momma's homemade biscuits and gravy yesterday.  And they sweetly made a separate meal for me, including a bowl full of delicious fruit and fresh tomatoes from Micah's dad's garden.  But those biscuits, y'all.  They were calling my name.

I'm not supposed to be weighing myself, but I can't help myself.  I'm down about 6 pounds, which isn't at all crazy if you consider the binge I went on last weekend before I started.  It's definitely motivating, but I really am trying to focus on health rather than the numbers on the scale.    

I plan on doing a roundup of my favorite recipes at the end, but here are a few I've loved so far:

• Nikki's Sweet Potato, Apple, and Bacon Hash.  This stuff is out of this world.  It's a little time-consuming, or else I'd make it EVERY morning.  After devouring it this weekend, my plan is to make a big batch tonight so that I'll have plenty for breakfasts this week.
• Sliced bananas with raw almond butter melted on top.  I keep convincing myself that I'm not using this as a substitution for dessert (which is against the rules and the reason that no paleo baking is allowed) because it's so tasty.
• Yellow Curry Chicken Bowl (prepared according to the directions laid out in It Starts With Food).  Micah devoured this and keeps asking for more, so I'll definitely be making more this week.

There have also been some total and utter failures in the kitchen this past week.  I'll make sure and include those on my recipe roundup, too.

Overall, I'm really, really happy I took the plunge.  I recognize that my struggles with food (i.e., my unadulterated love of all things delicious) will likely be something I have to deal with for the rest of my life, and I know I won't be able to forego glazed buttermilk donuts forever. But for now, this is workable, and it's working.

So I'll just be over here with my eggs and spinach.  I bet you're so jealous.