Day 8 through 13

Ok…remember when I said I overdid it on Day 5 with the macadamia nuts and raisins? Well, it turns out my stomach problems didn’t have anything to do with what I ate that day at all. In fact, the problem persisted and got worse on Day 10 and I hadn’t even so much as sniffed a macadamia or a raisin.

I posted a question about it on the Whole30 Facebook page and then I remembered something I had read in It Starts With Food. In Chapter 18 there is a timeline that gives you an idea of what to expect (I think I mentioned this in a previous post). On days 8 through 14 people often have digestive distress. The book explains that the distress is happening because my intestinal lining is healing and during this time some gut bacteria die off and the protective layer that has formed as a result of all the inflammatory foods I’ve been eating begins to leave. I am very glad to know that while this has not been a pleasant experience, it is a good sign that my gut is beginning to heal. Who knew digestive distress could ever be a good thing?

This week I began to experiment a little bit with some other Whole30-friendly recipes because I’m already getting tired of the ground beef, turkey and pork. I did some searching on a Pinterest board from a blogger called ChowStalker. I found lots of great-looking recipes on there and decided to try one called Slow Simmered Spaghetti Sauce http://chowstalker.com/2013/01/slow-simmered-spaghetti-sauce/. My only complaint was that the recipe wasn’t specific about the size of the cans of tomatoes to use. I put in 2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes and that did not look like near enough. So I added 2 more thinking perhaps the recipe really called for 2 28 oz cans of tomatoes. However, after it fully cooked it had way too much fluid in it so I’m thinking it probably was 2 of the smaller cans. Even with the extra tomatoes, it was still very tasty. I would make it again but probably not with so many tomatoes.

I was also inspired by another recipe for shrimp that I found on Chowstalker and I decided to make some alterations to it and had it for Meal 3 on Day 8. I sauteed the shrimp in clarified butter with salt, pepper and paprika. Then I added a clove of crushed garlic near the end. The shrimp was starting to stick a little bit so I used a small amount of chicken broth to deglaze the pan just before I took the shrimp out. All I can say is YUM! I don’t usually do very well with food experimentation but I have to say this one was really, really good. In fact, it was so good, I made it again for Meal 3 on Day 10 and added scallops to it. I didn’t end up needing to deglaze the pan this time so I didn’t use any chicken broth. It was still fantastic. My daughter said she would eat it again so I know it really was good 🙂

During the first week I made the recipe for Classic Pantry Vinaigrette dressing in the book. It was ok but it didn’t really do anything for me. I also didn’t care for all the fresh parsley in it. This week I decided to do an online search and I found a recipe on Food.com that didn’t call for any sugar http://www.food.com/recipe/garlic-red-wine-vinegar-salad-dressing-37183 . This one tasted better to me and was very easy to make. I will likely continue to make it for the rest of my Whole30.

I definitely feel like I have more energy this week. I haven’t been feeling extreme fatigue at small exertions like last week. I have been able to get through the day without hitting the wall around 2 or 3 PM. I am very encouraged by that. It gives me motivation to keep going. I am also starting to notice that my clothes are fitting better, especially around my abdomen which is a HUGE encouragement 🙂 I can also visibly see a difference in that area but I am attributing most of that to the reduction of inflammation as opposed to fat loss at this point.

Sunday will mark the half-way point. In a way it seems like it went by really fast but in another way I can’t wait for it to be over. I have been without a full-time job since early February and today I had my very first face-to-face interview and I was offered the job. I am very happy and excited about this change of events and I would have loved to have a celebratory dinner with a decadent dessert but that will have to wait a bit longer.

This also means I will have to be much more diligent in my prep work and shopping because I will have to make sure I bring enough food with me to get me through the work day. I can already feel the added stress this will cause but I am not going to quit in the middle of my Whole30. One way or another I will make it work. I want the best results I can possibly achieve. There’s no turning back.

Here is a picture of the shrimp and scallops: