Another week down on Whole30, and I’m halfway done!

If I’m being really honest with you, I’m having mixed feelings about my experience so far. Overall, I feel good – but nothing major. I do feel more clear-headed and focused than usual, but I wouldn’t say that I have all that much more energy than I do on a day to day basis. I feel a lot less excited about food in general, which is fine, but feels a little sad (my husband loves to cook so food is a big deal in our house!).

I also have noticed a significant decrease in my strength/endurance during my runs since I started Whole30. I’m slower, my runs are harder, and I don’t feel as awesome afterwards. It’s a bummer, because that’s normally my favorite part of my day!

I’m going to keep pushing through to hopefully achieve the elusive “Tiger Blood” feeling, but I’m starting to wonder if it’ll happen for me.

Here’s a breakdown of how the week went.

Day 8:

I wake up dragging a bit and head out for my run. I still haven’t been sleeping well, but shockingly, I’m functioning just fine despite it. Even without my Sonic teas! I’ve got 4 miles on the schedule today, and it’s rough. I’m a little sore from my long run yesterday and I feel pretty drained. But, I push through (and even keep up with the friends I’m running with), and I’m grateful for it when it’s over.

I notice when I’m working today that I feel really focused and motivated. I feel a little more clear-headed than I have, and I’m able to get quite a bit done today without feeling overwhelmed at all. Still waiting for the great sleep and awesome mood Whole30 is supposed to bring me, but overall I feel better than I anticipated I would this early in the game!

Day 8 Dinner: Leftovers. I have pork loin, mashed potatoes, and squash

Day 9

The lack of sleep hits me like a ton of bricks today. I am absolutely exhausted and dragging, and I go through my entire morning feeling like I’m in a bit of a fog. I feel a little better after a big breakfast (who am I and since when do I eat big breakfasts?!), and I promise myself I can try to squeeze in a nap if I cross everything off my to-do list first.

I manage to push through and have a mostly productive day, but the cravings. Oh my goodness, the cravings. All I can think about all day long is chips and cookies and tea and and and and.

They say people are most likely to quit on days 10 and 11 because they get tired of avoiding all the food they love and I FEEL THIS. If I make it through the next two days, it’s gonna be a miracle.

Day 9 Dinner: Leftover pulled pork with avocado and pickles, homemade french fries

Day 10

Shockingly, the cravings are better today. Thank goodness! I slept better than I have been sleeping and feel pretty great. I have good energy, I’m focused and in a good mood, and it feels relatively easy to stick to the diet today.

Corey had his real estate licensing exam today, and he passed. Yay! The only problem? Both of us immediately wanted to go out to eat to celebrate. There isn’t anywhere that’s Whole30 compliant that we actually feel excited about, so we stay home and have our planned dinner. Corey commented at one point that it doesn’t even feel like that big of a deal because we can’t celebrate in our usual way. It’s a fascinating realization for us, and gets me thinking about ways we can mark big milestones in our life without food. It’s surprisingly hard!

Part of me is excited to hit my first double-digit day and be 1/3 of the way through the diet. The rest of me can’t believe I’m ONNNNNNNLY 1/3 of the way through.

Day 10 Dinner: Polish sausage wrapped in Siete tortillas, with mustard, and pickles

Day 11

I feel more or less fine today, but we’re heading into the second weekend of Whole30, and I’m feeling a little nervous about it. I have a lot on my to-do list today, but I blow through all of it without issue. I’m feeling really motivated and focused, which is always a great feeling!

I’m still noticing that my runs feel harder than they did before I started Whole30. Today’s run is only 3 miles, but it’s not as easy as I feel like it should be. I’m also finding that I don’t have the boundless energy the program promises I should feel at this point. I’m still better off than I might have thought, given the lack of caffeine, but I don’t feel any more energetic than I might have before.

It’s a mostly quiet and uneventful day, and this week when we head to the gas station with our friends after school for slushes, it’s slightly easier to only get something for the kids.

Day 11 Dinner: “Spaghetti” (zoodles) with meatballs and marinara

Day 12

This is hands down, without a doubt, the hardest day of the Whole30 so far. I almost quit more times than I can possibly count, and by the end of the day I kind of hated the entire thing.

We had a birthday party for my friend’s daughter today. It’s hard being around all of the fun party food and not participating, but what’s really hard is the fact that the weather is beautiful and all we want to do is sit out on a patio, drink a margarita, and have some tacos. Corey and I are both very much spring people and we love nothing more than a delicious patio meal this time of year. But, eating out is almost impossible for us right now and we feel like we’re missing out on the only few weeks of great weather we might have in Texas.

Because, let’s be honest – by the time our Whole30 is over, spring in Texas is basically over too!

By the time evening rolls around we’re both hangry and over it and things are tense. We’re at a point where we should, in theory, both be feeling awesome but I’m just feeling fine and he’s been even more sick than he was before starting the Whole30. Things are feeling really hard today.

Day 12 Dinner: No real dinner. We grazed and scavenged and complained today, instead.

Day 13

Today is less painful than yesterday. Corey and I are both still feeling cranky about just about everything, but we push through and have a mostly okay day.

It’s Sunday again, which means snack dinner night. Tonight, we make a really fun and decadent feeling feast for ourselves. And honestly? I don’t miss “normal food” at all.

Except for the fact that I’m majorly craving something sweet after dinner. Nothing crazy – just something. Anything!

I resist (though not before asking Corey if he wants to eat a cookie with me and keep it a secret), and end up surviving another weekend on Whole30.

Day 13 Dinner: Shrimp ceviche, deviled eggs, Siete chips with cashew queso and guacamole

Day 14

Corey is still really sick and he’s over it. And I don’t blame him one bit. It’s frustrating to be eating such a restrictive diet and not see any sort of progress! He makes an appointment with his doctor for tomorrow to ask for advice and if he should continue on the diet, but he has serious doubts about if this is working out for him.

I’m not ready to call it quits, and he’s going to keep going until he hears either way. It’s Monday, and I find that the weekdays honestly aren’t all that difficult to stay on track. Sure, I crave the occasional handful of chips or Sonic tea, but I’m busy and not doing a ton socially, so it feels easy enough.

We’ve officially made it two weeks in the program and, honestly, that feels amazing. Even if I didn’t make it another day, I’d feel really awesome about my accomplishment.

Foreshadowing?!

Day 14 Dinner: Pork chops with fried eggs, potatoes, and ranchero sauce

Stay tuned for Week 3!

Need to catch up?

See Week 1 here.

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