I did it! 30 days of no gluten, dairy, or sugar!!! I can't believe it's over. I mean, I don't even know where to start! I kind of feel like I'm giving up if I eat bread or have a creamy soup. But, I also know that I need to get over it! We made a deal that we would only make our bread from scratch and that we wouldn't just fall into our old habits again. I aim to really do that. I don't want to just eat a sandwich for lunch every day! We've discovered so many other wonderful things to eat, it would be a waste to throw it all away.
The plan is to make a special dinner to celebrate the breaking of our diet. My husband is going to make some hand rolled pasta and I think we'll make some home made ice cream, too. I want to try to make it with honey instead of sugar. I really want to stay away from sugar! It's like a drug for me, I can't stop once I start!
The final tally: 15 pounds! Back to running tomorrow, no excuses! Let's see how long it takes to drop another 5 or 10!
Some people early on asked for recipes. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't use recipes. However, I can wrack my brain and try to recreate the process used to make yumminess! So, in the next week, I will try to compile a list of "recipes" for those who want to try new things.
I hope people enjoyed my journey as much as I did, it has been a great learning experience, and I feel awesome! I may post periodically for anyone who wants to know how the second phase goes: reincorporation of gluten, etc. and how it affects my feeling and weight. Otherwise, I guess that's it! Thanks for hanging with me through it all!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Day 29
Tomorrow is officially the last day of my diet! I'm not ready to give it up, though! I've lost 14.5 pounds, which is great, but I want more. I haven't been able to go running since it snowed because I've been feeling under the weather since! I've no doubt my results would have been more significant if I'd kept the running up the entire time. Oh well! I will persevere!
So, what have I learned from all of this? I've learned that I don't need sugar to make me happy! I've learned that I don't need bread to feel fulfilled and that I don't need cheese and cream to make a delicious meal! I now realize how many empty calories I was eating before. I mean, when you're hungry, it's so easy to just grab a handful of chips, or make a quick PB&J, or buy some junk food they sell at the check stand at the grocery store. I'm not saying all these things are bad, but for me, they were. I wouldn't think of those as actually eating, so I would still eat a meal on top of them. It all adds up!
I've also learned that it is possible to eat amazing food without breaking the bank! We spend, as a family of three, about $150 a week on groceries. Not bad! Could we spend a little less? Sure. We could really look for the sales, clip coupons, eat more staples and less fresh produce. We could also buy from a chain instead of our local store, but we don't want to do that! We enjoy supporting a local enterprise, and the produce isn't really significantly more! Some of the meat is more expensive, but the quality is far more superior! And, it's local, humanely treated, hormone and antibiotic free, grass fed. Just better.
Last night, we had chicken breasts stuffed with duxelles with a pan sauce spiked with sherry, rice, and broccoli. Yummmmm!!! The night before we had a delicious stir fry. A few nights ago, we had flank steak with mashed potatoes (butter only) and roasted cauliflower. My husband also made us egg drop soup for lunch yesterday! I'm so lucky!
We have been eating less salads for lunch because it's winter and greens aren't as good and they're more expensive. I do miss eating lots of greens, but it's fun experimenting with different lunch meals! I've also learned that quinoa makes a yummy salad!
So, where do we go from here? Well, I intend to try to stick with the diet. I'm not going to be quite so rigid about it. If we are out somewhere, or at someones house, we will eat what is available. But at home, I will continue to avoid! Although, we are going to try to find some good flour and bake our own bread. No more store bought bread, and definitely not every day!
When we first started this diet, I thought 30 days was going to be an eternity, but it really went by too fast! I feel great and am starting to look how I feel! I want our kids to grow up knowing what real food tastes like and having a mom that sets a good example of how to eat and exercise, to appreciate food, family, and life. And, now I feel like I'm on the right track to do that!
So, what have I learned from all of this? I've learned that I don't need sugar to make me happy! I've learned that I don't need bread to feel fulfilled and that I don't need cheese and cream to make a delicious meal! I now realize how many empty calories I was eating before. I mean, when you're hungry, it's so easy to just grab a handful of chips, or make a quick PB&J, or buy some junk food they sell at the check stand at the grocery store. I'm not saying all these things are bad, but for me, they were. I wouldn't think of those as actually eating, so I would still eat a meal on top of them. It all adds up!
I've also learned that it is possible to eat amazing food without breaking the bank! We spend, as a family of three, about $150 a week on groceries. Not bad! Could we spend a little less? Sure. We could really look for the sales, clip coupons, eat more staples and less fresh produce. We could also buy from a chain instead of our local store, but we don't want to do that! We enjoy supporting a local enterprise, and the produce isn't really significantly more! Some of the meat is more expensive, but the quality is far more superior! And, it's local, humanely treated, hormone and antibiotic free, grass fed. Just better.
Last night, we had chicken breasts stuffed with duxelles with a pan sauce spiked with sherry, rice, and broccoli. Yummmmm!!! The night before we had a delicious stir fry. A few nights ago, we had flank steak with mashed potatoes (butter only) and roasted cauliflower. My husband also made us egg drop soup for lunch yesterday! I'm so lucky!
We have been eating less salads for lunch because it's winter and greens aren't as good and they're more expensive. I do miss eating lots of greens, but it's fun experimenting with different lunch meals! I've also learned that quinoa makes a yummy salad!
So, where do we go from here? Well, I intend to try to stick with the diet. I'm not going to be quite so rigid about it. If we are out somewhere, or at someones house, we will eat what is available. But at home, I will continue to avoid! Although, we are going to try to find some good flour and bake our own bread. No more store bought bread, and definitely not every day!
When we first started this diet, I thought 30 days was going to be an eternity, but it really went by too fast! I feel great and am starting to look how I feel! I want our kids to grow up knowing what real food tastes like and having a mom that sets a good example of how to eat and exercise, to appreciate food, family, and life. And, now I feel like I'm on the right track to do that!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Day 24
We are well into our fourth week, and I truly can't believe how fast it's gone by! When we first talked about doing this diet, I thought it was going to be a constant struggle to resist temptation. I do find myself thinking longingly about pasta, fresh baked bread, and cheese occasionally. But, it passes, and I feel so good right now! Part of that feeling is pride in my ability to stick it out, but a big part of it, is just feeling healthy, lighter, refreshed.
Earlier this week I made a quinoa salad with broccoli, red onions, carrots, and red leaf lettuce. Tossed it all in a mustard vinaigrette. It was so light and delicious! My husband went on another cooking spree and made a stir fry with chicken and tons of veggies. Another dish he made was a Mexican-style "salad" with ground beef and veggies cooked in a tomatillo sauce with cabbage and served over rice. He also roasted a pork shoulder and served it up with braised fennel and an apple-potato mash. None of these things take a super long time to prepare either. With a little planning, it could even take a novice only 1/2 hour to get everything ready.
We are feeling a little under the weather, so I made a chicken and vegetable soup yesterday from our own chicken stock.
Also, I have been bringing my own breakfast to work with me so I don't feel tempted by all the fresh baked goods, pancakes, waffles, and biscuits and gravy! Sometimes the smells drive me mad! But, I manage, and I feel satisfied with my oatmeal or polenta, and apples. I know deep down, if I gave in and ate one of those things, I would only feel regret.
Exercise has been spotty, I tried to go running, but am feeling a little sickly, so it didn't go so well! But, I am back to having lost 13 pounds! I am trying to work on my portion size now that I have gotten used to eating this way. Salads can be as big as the moon, but breakfast and dinner, I am trying to eat a little less.
Christmas is coming up, and we've decided to kind of "let go" a little. I don't mean shovel in the mashers, gravy, and pie, but to let ourselves indulge a little. We will also help with the cooking I'm sure, so we can add our own healthy influence to the meal. Plus, by then it will have been almost 2 months!
So, one more week to go of the official 30 day diet. Then we will start thinking of ways to incorporate gluten and dairy back into our lives without going back to the way things were. We have learned so much, it's amazing! I am looking forward to carrying the learning to another level!
Earlier this week I made a quinoa salad with broccoli, red onions, carrots, and red leaf lettuce. Tossed it all in a mustard vinaigrette. It was so light and delicious! My husband went on another cooking spree and made a stir fry with chicken and tons of veggies. Another dish he made was a Mexican-style "salad" with ground beef and veggies cooked in a tomatillo sauce with cabbage and served over rice. He also roasted a pork shoulder and served it up with braised fennel and an apple-potato mash. None of these things take a super long time to prepare either. With a little planning, it could even take a novice only 1/2 hour to get everything ready.
We are feeling a little under the weather, so I made a chicken and vegetable soup yesterday from our own chicken stock.
Also, I have been bringing my own breakfast to work with me so I don't feel tempted by all the fresh baked goods, pancakes, waffles, and biscuits and gravy! Sometimes the smells drive me mad! But, I manage, and I feel satisfied with my oatmeal or polenta, and apples. I know deep down, if I gave in and ate one of those things, I would only feel regret.
Exercise has been spotty, I tried to go running, but am feeling a little sickly, so it didn't go so well! But, I am back to having lost 13 pounds! I am trying to work on my portion size now that I have gotten used to eating this way. Salads can be as big as the moon, but breakfast and dinner, I am trying to eat a little less.
Christmas is coming up, and we've decided to kind of "let go" a little. I don't mean shovel in the mashers, gravy, and pie, but to let ourselves indulge a little. We will also help with the cooking I'm sure, so we can add our own healthy influence to the meal. Plus, by then it will have been almost 2 months!
So, one more week to go of the official 30 day diet. Then we will start thinking of ways to incorporate gluten and dairy back into our lives without going back to the way things were. We have learned so much, it's amazing! I am looking forward to carrying the learning to another level!
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