Above, from top to bottom: Some of our meals from the past week. Our experimental meal from the weekend: Whole30 sushi with cauliflower rice and homemade spicy mayo. Seltzer with muddled ginger, mint, lime, and pineapple. Cinnamon-vanilla roasted figs.
The first week of our Whole30 is done! Day 1 seems like forever ago, yet I know we still have a long way to go. The first few days were a haze of dull headaches, as our bodies unlearned to rely on sugar and grains for quick energy, and learned (or relearned, depending on how you look at it) to tap into slow-burning fats and proteins. On Sunday (day 4, hopefully my worst) I just leaned into it, made a palette on the living room floor, and watched movies all day long, completely eschewing any personal hygiene and social obligation.
My brain still doesn't want to eat breakfast first thing every morning, but I'm starting to see the value in it, and I know my body needs it. I think about cheese all the time (specifically mac and cheese, to no one's surprise). But, to my surprise, I haven't really been missing alcohol very much – at least not yet. I do miss dessert, and it's been a struggle not to Whole30-ify my cravings by making a dessert out of compliant foods. Our social lives now revolve solely around a handful of different grocery stores, the farmers market, and our new favorite butcher: Rose's Meats and Sweets (which I proudly supported on Kickstarter earlier this year!). I'm eating more meat than I have in years, but I feel good about it because it's all very high-quality and humanely-raised.
An unexpected perk of doing the Whole30 with Micah has been bonding with him over its limitations. We verbally daydream about what delicious foods and drinks we'll be having to celebrate the end of the program. We vent about our physical symptoms, and the temporary downsides of all the restrictions. Even though it seems like we're grocery shopping and cooking all the time, we're having a blast in the kitchen experimenting with new foods and new recipes. I already know I couldn't have done this without him.
I'm still so glad I'm doing a Whole30, and I don't consider failure an option at this point. I am in it to WIN IT. I think the physical "withdrawal" symptoms are gone, and now it's just a matter of dealing with the day-in and day-out of my psychological cravings. Bring it, week 2!
UPDATE: You can read a recap of my entire Whole30 experience here.