Mother Knows Best (and a binge story)

Moms...why are they always right?

The lovely Mama Cindy has been my tour guide through this new world of Whole30.  She's answered questions I was too lazy to Google, she's passed along tips and tricks she picked up along the way and has listened as I recounted every single thing I ate that day.

She also warned me to not under eat.  Continually asked me if I really thought that was enough food and suggested I really try eating a little more.

Oh, Mom!  I'm fine.  Eating plenty.  

Sunday night in "Asia on Argyle"

And then, the crash.  Sunday I binged like crazy.  It started with a vietnamese dinner with the bestie and her in-laws.  I'll spare you all the details, but the middle was a blizzard with oreo and peanut butter cups and I finished off hours later with a few bowls of cereal.  Lets just say I hit every single thing Whole30 tells you not to eat, and I didn't just have a bite, I ate them in large quantities...peanuts, grains, MSG, sugar, dairy...I didn't have any alcohol however-we'll call that a win in that category.

I woke up Monday feeling like crap.  Not the usual post-binge mentally defeated feeling that normally occurs the morning after a binge like that.  I actually got over it pretty quickly mentally and emotionally.  Physically though, that's a different story.

Sure, it was one of my bigger binges.  If this binge had occurred while I was still  eating "normally," I probably would have only noticed a little bloating and some slight sluggishness.  But because I'd been mostly Whole30 for a whole week, and I had already started to notice changes in energy level, decreased bloating and other amazing "side effects" of the Whole30 plan, what I witnessed on Monday when I woke up was horrifying.  I actually looked like I was 8 months pregnant.  I was SO bloated.  I have never seen anything like it.  All day I was drowsy, couldn't focus, felt antsy/unsettled and my body revolted.

Really?  After just one night of eating crappy that's what happens?  Lets not do that again, Linsey.

Back to the part about Mama Cindy being right...she emailed me a link to a woman's blog showing everything she ate while on Whole30.  Each one of her plates had considerably more food on it than mine ever do.  I also (re)found this link to this Whole30 meal template.  Though I'd seen at the beginning of my research, I'd apparently forgotten about it...

I realized that Mom was right...I hadn't been eating enough at meals.  That's why I was hungry in between and much more prone to falling off the wagon.  Further research has shown me that most people start to feel full before finishing their Whole30 meals but eating those last few bites will help to stave off hunger until the next meal.  Sure, you don't want to stuff yourself, but a few extra bites of kale aren't really going to kill you.

So, my plates are now more robust than last week's.  Here's what I've been eating:

Passover Seder at Church Saturday night...Chicken, carrot salad,
a piece of potato and some matzo ball soup

Sunday Breakfast: paleo pancakes with mango and blueberries,
sautéed mushrooms with kale and spinach and a single piece of bacon.
After my research, this is NOT enough protein or veggies.

Monday breakfast: Paleo pancakes made with toasted chopped pecans and coconut,
topped with pineapple, ugly fruit and the same pecan/coconut mix.
Chicken sausage sautéed with kale, sweet potato, zucchini and yellow squash.
I probably could have added quite a bit more kale or spinach.

Lunch Monday: Fajita chicken and veggies (peppers and onion) with a side of
avocado and roasted asparagus.
Too small for a normal lunch but I knew I was having an early dinner.

Tuesday Breakfast: Sweet Potato hash (peppers, onion, sweet pots,
Italian chicken sausage) with spinach and two eggs.  A fruit smoothie of:
Coconut water, banana, frozen strawberry and peaches and a clementine.
Probably could have used more spinach or another veggie.

Tuesday Lunch: Fajita scramble using left-over chicken and peppers from yesterday,
with mushrooms and fresh cilantro, topped with fresh salsa and guac.  A side of
kale salad (Whole Foods) and fresh fruit salad.

See...portions are much better Monday and Tuesday.  If you don't wanna click the above link for the template, I'll break it down for you:

Protein: 1-2 times the size of your palm

Veggies: the rest of your plate

Fruit: Occasionally a closed open palm (yeah, I didn't know how to better describe it...click the link)

Coconut: Heaping handful

Nuts: Closed handful

Fats (oils/butters): Up to 1-2 thumb size portions

So...truth be told, I LOVE fruits and I don't feel bad eating more than they recommend.  It makes me feel like I've had a treat because it satisfies my sweet tooth and cleanses my palate of all the savory flavors.

I'm still working on getting my full veggie intake, slowly but surely I'll get it all figured out!