Whole30 Days 9, 10, and 11 » I See The Light, But I Still Want A Donut…

I have been documenting my journey throughout my first Whole30, and up until now it has been extremely difficult. I say up until now — it’s still not easy but it’s steadily becoming less and less difficult to keep on track and eat completely clean.

Everything before day 9 was brutal. My energy was little to none — naps were inevitable because I could barely keep my eyes open around 1:00PM, immediately after lunch. I was hungry all the time and I consumed more than one cup of coffee every afternoon. This has been the hardest part of the challenge — not necessarily resisting the sugar, french fries or bagels, but dealing with the lack of energy that the absence these food items have deprived me of.

Days 9, 10 and 11 of Whole30 have been so much better. I have not had to nap in the afternoons, and although I still have a cup of coffee in the early evening, I am able to drink just one small cup and feel energized. These days have marked the beginning of my boundless energy that I’ve heard so many talking about — the major reason I signed up for this in the first place.

For breakfast, I have kept it pretty simple. On day 9 and 10, and 11 I had three fried eggs cooked with clarified butter and a side of fruit. This was considered my pre-workout meal. I am not a huge breakfast person, so keeping it simple in the mornings has made things much less stressful — especially on weekdays when my daughter has school.

After my workout, I always eat a small something with some protein in it. On days 9 and 10, I had an apple with 1 Tbs. of unsweetened almond butter and half an apple. On day 11, I had just an apple because I left the almond butter at home, boo.

Over these days, 9, 10 and 11, I have had to make some adjustments to my snacking. I was not snacking on week 1 of the Whole30, and I was finding myself ravenous at mealtime. I am currently pregnant so I made sure that my body wasn’t being deprived by adding a morning and afternoon snack.

For lunch on days 9 and 10, I made “spaghetti” boats (ground turkey and tomato sauce — recipe from the Whole30 book), with roasted potatoes and green beans. 

On day 11, I had a salad topped with 2 fried eggs. I was in a hurry this day so I didn’t have time to cook the chicken I planned on roasting.

On week 1 of Whole30, I found that my appetite had diminished so I didn’t have lunch until later than normal (usually between 1 and 2), but my appetite and energy level kicked in simultaneously, so I ate lunch around 12:00 on these three days.

I had a mid-afternoon snack, usually around 3PM on all three of these days. I either had two boiled eggs or a serving of fruit topped with unsweetened coconut milk and a sprinkle of Whole30 approved cinnamon — so delicious.

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day, so I really tried to make it a fun and tasty meal throughout the challenge. On day 9, I had leftover roasted chicken with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes.

On day 10, I had a big bowl of Chili — recipe from the Whole30 book. It’s a phenomenal meal and one I’ve already added to my recipe box! I also gave it a little something-something by topping it with jalapeños. I am growing some in the garden box and I have entirely too many right now! Might as well keep them from going to waste!

On day 11 of Whole30, I went out on a hot date with my husband. I had a lot of anxiety about going out to eat because I was afraid I would mess up on something. 

To drink, I had a Pellegrino with a lime — a great alternative to the Diet Coke I used to order on “special occasions”. For the entree, I ordered a roasted beat salad with blackened salmon and made sure to tell the server that I has some dietary restrictions so I could have no dairy. Everything was cooked in EVOO and instead of dressing, I asked for olive oil and vinegar.

My husband and I always go out for dessert and coffee after our date nights, and I was prepared to do just that! I got a decaf coffee (just because it was so late) and brought my blueberry RX bar for dessert. Let me tell you, that thing tasted BETTER than any pastry I could have ordered, and they’re Whole30 compliant!!!

Overall, I have to say days 9, 10 and 11 were much easier and felt more routine than any day has before. I feel like I’ve gotten in the grove of things, and it’s just a matter of walking through the motions now. Yes, I still want a donut, but my will power is much too strong to even think about caving at this point!