Baby H: Nine Months of Mark

He... 

[+] weighs 20#0.5oz (56%) and is 27.5in long (15%) with a head of 46cm (77%). More moving on the growth curves which we're thrilled about. He's definitely a chunky guy now which is such a blessing after all our weight struggles in the beginning and hopefully his height starts shooting up soon too.

[+] got his top left lateral incisor on June 11 which is odd since the central ones usually pop out before these ones. I have a sneaking suspicion the middle ones aren't far behind because his gums are super swollen and he's been a hot mess lately.

[+] has a new schedule and while it's took a while to get in the groove, I think we made the right decision for him. He sleeps 7:30 to 7:30 during the night and takes two naps around 10 and 2 for anywhere between 1.5 and 2 hours each. With the weather warming up, more activities during the summer, a vacation on the horizon, we were feeling a little "stuck" with three naps at home in his crib. Going down to two means he's awake for longer between them giving us more time for adventures.

[+] now only gets four 7oz bottles (instead of five smaller ones) thanks to his nap schedule change but again, I think it's working perfectly. We've also upped his solid food intake to three meals a day and the time change of things has made his "meals" fall better with our normal breakfast, lunch and dinner. We're still working through some purees that are in the freezer but he's also eating a lot of regular food too. He really loves his broccoli + green apple puree, blueberries, tomatoes and avocado, greek yogurt and cottage cheese and basically anything we set in front of him. He's turning into such a good eater and is getting so good at feeding himself. He's also practicing drinking water with his sippy cup, out of a straw and from the edge of a cup.

[+] crawls like a madman and is getting quicker by the day. He is also a pro at pulling himself up and has successfully learned how to get down from standing without trouble. He got a push-cart walker toy that he loves to hold onto and walk behind, he "walks" along the edge of the couch and has officially learned to climb! The stairs are the perfect game in his mind (save us!). I don't think it'll be long before he's running at this rate.

[+] occasionally waves, gives high fives and squeaks and squawks all day long. He hasn't really made any distinct "sounds" yet like ma, ba, da, etc but we're really not worried about it. He'll also turn his head, crawl around, etc when you ask him "where's Ollie?" which is just so cute.

[+] nicknames: Marky-Mark, Boo, Love-B, Stink-stink (it seems like these few nicknames are sticking around)

[+] likes: popsicles, watermelon, being chased, water, Ollie

[+] dislikes: diaper/clothes changes, his car seat, getting teeth, being told "no"

I... 

[+] covet Mark's big, slobbery open mouth kisses like none other! He doesn't do it on demand yet but sometimes if I'm laying on the floor with him he speed-crawls over, grabs my face with his little fists and plants one on me. And the best part? He only does it with me! I'm sure J (and the grandmas) would appreciate the loving too but for now I'm soaking it all up. I've had so many moments of doubt that I'm not connecting with him enough, that I'm gone too much, that he doesn't do anything different with me than he does with someone else. So these silly kisses are exactly what his momma-heart needs.

[+] am 8 days out from being completely finished with boards and on summer break! It's been rough this last month or so and the time off, enjoying the summer, spending time with my boy, going on adventures and being stress free are going to be welcomed with open arms. And open bottles of wine most likely!

[+] sometimes get bummed that my life and my crazy medical school/residency journey is so difficult in terms of planning. Now that we have a family (and even before when it was just J and I) it's more difficult to take any opportunity that comes my way. Mark is so lucky to spend the first few years of his life in really close proximity to his grandmas and goodness knows we need their help a lot. And it just kills me that there's a chance, even if it's small, that we'll have to move farther away again and he won't have that for a while. Not to mention the planning and aspects of life related to baby number 2. (Nope, not pregnant, not trying, just being my A-type planner self).

Whole30: Week 3

I can't believe we're already finished with week 3! When we first started it seemed as if this month would drag on and we would hate the limitations it puts on us. But really it's been great. Sure it takes a lot more planning from week to week making sure we have the correct items and meals planned. And sure we haven't killed ourselves being overly strict but the benefits are there and we're continuing along. I didn't weigh myself today (because I know it's not accurate from our weekend) but late in the week I was down 7lbs from when I started and on the lower end of my normal "pre-pregnancy range". I've said it before and I'll say it again, if nothing else I'm thankful to Whole30 for helping me realize the food decisions I was making before weren't always the best and that eating better doesn't have to mean deprivation. Here's to going into the last week strong!

Day 15
Breakfast   Spinach smoothie with frozen banana/strawberries/gala apple + almond milk & ice. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   2 Aidells Chicken & Apple sausages + spicy mustard. 
Dinner   Balsamic Steak Rolls
Snacks/Dessert   La Croix Peach/Pear
Thoughts   After dinner yesterday (see week 2) I was definitely wanting something lighter for breakfast instead of eggs. It could be just an odd coincidence but my stomach was definitely off after eating lunch and there's a chance it might have been from last night too. Alright pizza and beer, you win. Dinner was fine, nothing spectacular. We couldn't make the glaze from the recipe above so we made sure to season the steak well and I put a little balsamic vinegar on mine. Like J said, it was fine but not anything better than a regular steak with veggies on the side and it was a lot more work.

Day 16
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   1 Adelles Chicken & Apple sausage + spicy mustard. Gala apple with almond butter. A few raspberries/blueberries.
Dinner   Grilled chicken and asparagus (both just seasoned with salt and pepper)
Snacks/Dessert
Thoughts   I've been noticing lately that I haven't been finishing my coffees in the morning which is interesting to a coffee-addict like myself. I don't know if I'm just too busy to think to drink it but it is saying something that I just don't "need" to finish it. My lunch today was taken over by a hungry little boy named Mark. He ate some of everything I have listed like he was starving (after finishing a big bottle none-the-less). Like week one, I still love asparagus and don't know why we don't make it more often.

Day 17
Breakfast   3 over-easy eggs with half an avocado. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Spinach smoothie with watermelon/cucumber/strawberries. Second half an avocado + approved Larabar.
Dinner   Spaghetti squash with homemade sauce (see last week)
Snacks/Dessert   Nothing
Thoughts   Overall Whole30 has really agreed with me. I haven't felt extremely deprived of foods I wanted but couldn't have. I didn't get the really low energy the first week like some people talk about. My MIL even commented about me looking skinny today! But something odd happened today and while I'm not sure if it was Whole30 related (frankly I don't know what happened) but I fainted for the first time ever. I'm pretty sure my lunch was substantial enough at least compared to what I'm used to so I don't think it was from low carb/low calories. Honestly I have no idea and am getting checked out for it soon. It happened around 3pm and I felt fine the rest of the day/evening. So strange either way.

Day 18
Breakfast   2.5 scrambled eggs (Mark ate the rest) + raspberries.
Lunch   Steak salad on romaine with red onion/carrots + homemade dressing + a banana.
Dinner   Salmon with avocado salsa (same recipe from last week)
Snacks/Dessert   Nothing
Thoughts   My salad dressing was 6T EVOO, 2t dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, 2 T lemon juice, salt & pepper. It is very yummy but I drowned my salad with too much of it so I didn't quite finish everything.

Day 19
Breakfast   3 scrambled eggs with salsa. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Left over grilled chicken and asparagus. Avocado (shared with Mark)
Dinner   Cheat!
Snacks/Dessert   Cheat!
Thoughts   This afternoon we headed to the mountains to celebrate some good friends at their wedding. We had every intention of getting approved Chipotle for dinner but after a bit of a snafu with our hotel room, a cranky baby from being in the car and our lack of energy we decided to cheat with a dinner out and basically call the weekend a wash.

Day 20
Breakfast   Cheat!
Lunch   Cheat!
Dinner   Cheat!
Snacks/Dessert   Cheat!
Thoughts   Today was the wedding day and with other friends being in town and basically being on vacation we threw in the towel for the day and enjoyed ourselves. I did find myself not overeating and leaving a place feeling sick from being too fully like I normally would have done. I also went straight for the veggies and avoided the breads at the wedding even if I did have a cupcake. Was I perfect, heck no! But am I making better choices because of this program, heck yes!

Day 21
Breakfast   Cheat!
Lunch   1.5 Adelles Chicken & Apple sausages + spicy mustard. Fruit salad.
Dinner   Chipotle salad minus the dressing + carnitas + hot and corn salsa + guac.
Snacks/Dessert   Nothing.
Thoughts   We are back from our weekend away and even enjoyed a cookout at J's family's house where I had an approved lunch and skipped the ice-cream sundaes. My salad from Chipotle was really tasty even without my usual rice, black beans and sour cream but I do wish I would have "splurged" and gotten chicken instead of carnitas. Soybean oil is definitely the least of my worries and I could have enjoyed dinner even more.

Here's Week 1 and Week 2

Whole30: Week 2

This week definitely wasn't perfect (you'll see why below) but in all reality that is okay with me and my goals for this program are continuously changing. I mentioned when I started this that I wanted Whole30 to be a "jump start" if you will towards making better choices and getting myself feeling better. Sure some weight loss would be great and I bet my body is much happier without processed/sugary/"bad" foods but I wasn't looking to this as being a "cure all" for the ailments I have because frankly I don't have any.

So yes I cheated this week (spoiler alert) but that's okay with me for a few reasons. The first being that I'm already feeling so much better. I don't have the afternoon crash I used to get around 3pm. I'm not falling into bed every night completely drained. I don't absolutely craaaaave sugar anymore. Second, my cheats happen and I move on from them and continue eating well afterwards. Our approved meals still make it to the table, I'm still making healthy choices 90% of the time and I'm realizing that I was eating a lot of things that I'm not actually missing now. Add all that to an additional 1lb weight loss (total of 5lbs and back to pre-baby weight) and I think Whole30 is doing exactly what I wanted it to.

Now on to the yummies!

Day 8
Breakfast   3 over-easy eggs topped with salsa. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Local bison dogs + spicy mustard. Watermelon and pineapple bowl.
Dinner   Talapia (following this recipe for salmon) + avocado salsa.
Snacks/Dessert   A glass of unsweetened iced tea and the rest of my coconut water with pineapple juice. No actual "snacks" though.
Thoughts   It feels like I'm just sorta in the groove with this whole plan. I've mentioned before but I'm sure it has to do with being home during the day more now but also because we've shopped according to this plan so that's really all there is to eat. I go downstairs to make myself lunch and have a surprisingly easy time putting something together that's tasty.

Day 9
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash topped with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Spinach smoothie with almond milk/watermelon/pineapple + small portion of almonds.
Dinner   Lean turkey veggie burgers.
Snacks/Dessert   Unsweetened iced tea.
Thoughts   My sad lunch was thanks to poor planning and some miscommunications between J and I and the protein in the fridge. The "burgers" we tried to make for dinner had a few ingredients that we couldn't have so we thought omitting them would be okay. Turns out we were wrong, the patties wouldn't hold together, so we plopped all the meat in a bread pan and essentially made meatloaf with it. It was pretty bland and hopefully will be our one flop meal for the week.

Day 10
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash topped with 3 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Spaghetti squash with homemade pasta sauce.
Dinner   Paleo chili.
Snacks/Dessert   Nothing actually.
Thoughts   I made extra eggs for breakfast because Mark gobbled them the day before. Turns out he didn't want them today though, figures. My pasta sauce was so easy... sautéed some garlic, poured in some crushed tomatoes, italian seasoning and some extra garlic powder/black pepper and simmered for 15 minutes. For the chili we used ground turkey instead and omitted the bacon since our store didn't have anything approved. It was very tasty and a bit spicy and will probably stay on our menu even after this is over.

Day 11
Breakfast   3 over-medium eggs with salsa. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Spaghetti squash with homemade pasta sauce + chocolate coconut chew Larabar.
Dinner   "Open" chicken fajitas (seasoned chicken, white onion and bell peppers on top of romaine lettuce) + guacamole and hot sauce.
Snacks/Dessert   Naked Mighty Mango juice.
Thoughts   I waited way too long to have lunch and definitely didn't feel good because of it. I've also had a serious chocolate craving the last few days so I figured an approved Larabar (while not necessarily "recommended") was better than cheating. I was starving before dinner when we went shopping so I grabbed a Naked juice to sip on so I didn't fall down. Dinner was fantastic and is yet again another reason why this program is so great. I would have had so many more calories with tortillas, cheese and sour cream but didn't actually miss them at all.

Day 12
Breakfast   2 over-medium eggs with salsa. Coffee with almond milk. The second half of my Naked juice from yesterday.
Lunch   Tuna "tacos" with mustard + watermelon/blueberries
Dinner   Paleo Jalapeno Burgers with guacamole on the side
Snacks/Dessert  Half a Naked coconut water with lemon + chocolate chip mug cakes
Thoughts   Breakfasts have been so easy and so satisfying lately. I don't miss any of what I used to have in the mornings and am surprised at how little time it really takes to make something good. Dinner was very "eh", I don't know if it was just a poor attempt at a good burger or the fact that we substituted ground turkey which has less flavor but it wan't very tasty. Good thing for guac! We cheated tonight and I made myself one Moscow Mule (J had a drink too) after the baby went to bed which led to us wanting dessert too. We did pass up all the fair-food and a funnel cake would have been much worse, right? You win some, you lose some.

Day 13
Breakfast   2 eggs whites & 1 whole egg scrambled + blueberries. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Gala apple + Pecan pie Larabar
Dinner   Spinach salad with roasted baby peppers/cucumber/red onion/tomato + lemon scallops + homemade dressing.
Snacks/Dessert   A bit of almond butter before bed because I was hungry.
Thoughts   I was out volunteering during lunch time which meant I snuck bites of my Larabar when I could and gobbled my apple on the drive home. Dinner was fantastic tonight. We've made this salad a number of times before (from Salads for Dinner) and left off the feta and pita crisps and subbed scallops for shrimp for a nice change. The dressing was also from this book and was EVOO, dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper.

Day 14
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash topped with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with coconut milk.
Lunch   2 Aidells Chicken & Apple sausages + spicy mustard and a gala apple.
Dinner   Pizza + a Corona.
Snacks/Dessert   Nada.
Thoughts   I tried coconut milk out in my coffee for the first time and wasn't a fan at all. I should specify and say that it was the kind from a can. I do enjoy the kind from the carton in the refrigerated section just fine. It was super oily (which is obvious I know) but I kinda wasn't expecting it and the flavor wasn't that great. I ended up throwing it out and making iced coffee in the afternoon with almond milk instead. We ended up with take-n-bake pizza for dinner and I enjoyed a beer with it. We did go on a 45+ minute walk so I'd like to think that makes up for it.

Here's Week 1

Thankful v16

Lately I've been thankful...

[+] for weekday/holiday get aways to an empty town we know so well

[+] for baby's first successful trip to the mountains and away from home

 [+] for impromptu blooms that turned out better than expected

[+] for lots (and lots) of rain that's doing a yard without sprinklers some good

 [+] for baby attitude and plenty of sass 

[+] for vitamin D and moments of sunshine 

[+] for messes and being a boy mom

[+] for the hypothetical cheerleaders (and best support team) in my life for this month

[+] for forced study breaks and sweaty bed-head

[+] for a body that's starting to feel like my own again

[+] for a green thumb in the making

 [+] for consistency, new adventures and stability

[+] for evening rituals and time spent together 

Join me in finding the good in this week why don't cha!

Whole30: Week 1

I'm one week in and feeling good. I am down 4lbs from where I started and approximately 3% body fat too. I realize that a lot of these changes are due to water weight loss and less bloat but as someone who wasn't going into this program with the interest in losing a ton of weight I'll take it. Plus the less bloat definitely has my self confidence up some already. I was worried originally about how difficult it would be to curb cravings but as a whole it hasn't been too bad. It definitely helps that I'm at home now during the days and that we aren't "getting out much" for summer type activities thanks to board studying. The less temptation the easier it is for me. For the most part the food has been delicious and we have another week filled with potentials. Here's how week one went...

Day 1
Breakfast   Jimmy Dean Delight breakfast sandwich. Coffee with almond milk. I did a bad job planning and forgot I had a practice board exam at 8 am until 11pm the night before which meant the prep I was planning on doing didn't happen. But I successfully avoided the muffins/bagels/juice provided for the exam so we'll just move on from my slip.
Lunch   Tuna with spicy mustard drizzle + black pepper. Gala apple/green grapes with almond butter.
Dinner   Hawaiian Burgers
Snacks/Dessert   Strawberry/raspberry/blueberry bowl + sprinkled coconut flakes for dessert
Thoughts   The day was fine given the start. I already know my cheat is going to be one packet of splenda in my coffee in the morning because I just can't drink it black and I can't go without coffee right now either. I loved that Mark basically had the same dinner as us eating pineapple and ground beef for the first time. I need to up my water intake overall though.

Day 2
Breakfast   3 egg omelet + spinach/onion/cherry tomato. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Spinach salad + cherry tomatoes/carrots/balsamic vinegar. Half an avocado.
Dinner   Grilled top round steak + oven roasted potato wedges. Both drizzled with balsamic.
Snacks/Dessert   A handful of almonds, second half an avocado, banana with almond butter for dessert.
Thoughts   I definitely didn't get enough calories from lunch which left me hungry and cranky in the afternoon. I need to add in a protein source for lunch. I've become a balsamic vinegar addict and want to put it on everything I would normally use condiments for. I got a pretty decent headache this afternoon but don't think it was Whole30 related.

Day 3
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash topped with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Spinach salad + grilled chicken + strawberries/green onion/cherry tomatoes and homemade raspberry vinaigrette. Slices of pineapple on the side.
Dinner   Salmon on the grill with lemon + EVOO. Steamed broccoli.
Snacks/Dessert   Made a big jar of iced tea, unsweetened with a few lemon slices.
Thoughts   Breakfast was fantastic! I used about half a sweet potato and roughly followed the recipe linked above and seriously almost made the same meal for lunch it was that good. The vinaigrette I made at lunch was approximately 1c raspberries, 1/2c EVOO, 1/4c balsamic and cracked black pepper all mixed together in the magic bullet.

Day 4
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash (above) topped with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Local Bison Dogs (like hot dogs but better) + spicy mustard. A gala apple with almond butter.
Dinner   Taco salad with ground turkey + avocado/cherry tomatoes/green onion on shredded lettuce.
Snacks/Dessert   More iced tea, strawberry/blueberry bowl for dessert.
Thoughts   I wanted a post-dinner snack the night before but didn't end up getting one which made me super hungry when I woke up this morning. I'm actually surprised at how good I'm still feeling. No real lack of energy, headaches, etc., still going strong and didn't even cave to Costco samples today. I overcooked my eggs this morning making them not quite as good.

Day 5
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash topped with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Local bison dog + spicy mustard. A gala apple with almond butter.
Dinner   Mixed greens salad + grilled chicken + green bell pepper/red onion/cherry tomatoes with my homemade raspberry dressing (above).
Snacks/Dessert   Nothing actually.
Thoughts   A creature of habit much for the first part of the day? I'm switching it up soon so I don't get burnt out on these items because I love them so much. Dinner was a flop, no necessarily because it was Whole30 but because our salads just weren't good. We occasionally have this same meal for dinner without being on this plan but it just wasn't hitting the spot tonight. Peppers we're best for eating raw, spinach was getting a bit soggy, everything was just blah about it. I had a rough study day and really, I mean really, wanted a drink in the evening but I didn't cave!

Day 6
Breakfast   Sweet potato hash topped with 2 over-easy eggs. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Smoothie with spinach/frozen banana/blueberries + a splash of almond milk. Avocado with garlic powder and lime juice.
Dinner   Grilled chicken + grilled asparagus drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Snacks/Dessert   Handful of almonds and a small handful of raspberries.
Thoughts   I had a weird moment in the late afternoon where I suddenly felt super hungry, got lightheaded and even felt super nauseous. I'm not sure if I was overly hungry from not having a very big lunch but I definitely didn't like the feeling. The almonds and raspberries helped but still so strange. Dinner was delicious, I think asparagus might be one of my favorites. Fell into the hole that is cheating and made myself a drink after I was done studying. I'm feeling good overall and still want to stick to this so I'm not beating myself up about the cheat.

Day 7
Breakfast   3 egg omelet + spinach/onion/cherry tomato + hot sauce. Coffee with almond milk.
Lunch   Left over chicken with raspberry vinaigrette dressing + baby carrots + almonds.
Dinner   Chicken & apple sausages + sweet potato hash (same as above from breakfasts)
Snacks/Dessert   A banana + coconut water with pineapple juice.
Thoughts   My breakfast and lunch were definitely low spots today. I over cooked the tomatoes in my omelet but undercooked my eggs a bit leaving the whole thing too slimy for my liking. I was in a time crunch for lunch and nothing else sounded any better but this definitely wasn't satisfying. Thankfully dinner made up for it and was extra delicious. I had my first realization tonight about how Whole30 can really be a thought process/lifestyle change as I didn't miss the hotdog buns, ketchup, overly salted frozen french fries that we usually do for this meal instead.

June Goals

May's Recap
[+] survive! Yes, we made it to June. 

[+] have a good celebration with my hubs for his birthday. I think this was accomplished but the real judge would be J. 

[+] work towards dropping Mark's dream feed. Now that I'm done breastfeeding this got pushed to the top of the list. After a week of letting my supply go I attempted to just stop doing it last night. And success! He didn't wake up once which just proves that he was ready. 

[+] make Ollie a doggie-friendly treat for his B-day. I totally spaced this (not to mention thought his birthday was on the wrong date) but whipped something up in a hurry. Frozen banana + peanut butter topped with a few dog treats. He loved it. 

[+] get (or ask) for more summer clothes for Mark. After picking up a few items myself and getting a few from the grandmas we're in much better shape. He also got a new swim suit and rash guard for our California trip. 

June's Goals
[+] move my winter clothes out and my summer clothes into my closet. I need to figure out what of my summer wardrobe even fits anymore (since I was prego last summer I didn't get to do this) and hopefully the nice weather is here to stay. 

[+] do at least 88 Qbank questions for boards every day. I'd love to do 132 and I will whenever I can but I'm sure that's not realistic every day. 

[+] be more intentional about my time. If I'm studying I need to log off social media and stay at my desk. If I'm playing with or feeding Mark I need to not attempt to study pharm cards at the same time. If I'm getting quality time with my husband I need to put my phone away and turn off the TV. If we're out with family or friends leave med school at home. 

[+] see the sun every day. It's no joke that this month will spend way too much time studying for boards but getting some fresh air is good for everyone, med school mommas included. 

[+] stick to Whole30 for the month! I'm finally doing something for me.

Happy June everyone! Halfway through the year almost!

Whole30 Journey

June 1st marks my first day of Whole 30

I've mentioned a time or two that I want to do something to make myself healthier. And it's never panned out. I said I wanted to actually get to the gym but I'm pretty sure the people at 24 hour think I moved away since it's literally been almost a year since I last went. I started following a few fitness instagram accounts that had short circuit type exercise series' that I could do on the floor of my office when I took a break from studying. I did them for like three days and then stopped. I even looked into doing a Couch to 5K running program but then realized I just hate running so that was out before it even started. And with my crazy schedule for the next month including as much board prep as I can possibly handle while balancing being a momma and a wife too I've come to the realization that I just don't have the time for an exercise program right now. I can't fathom finding an extra 30-60 minutes in a day consistently to make a difference in myself and I'm honestly okay with that.

And this is where Whole30 comes in.

I've been terrified of dieting, counting calories, etc etc since I've had such a struggle with breastfeeding in the last few months, specifically with milk supply levels. I know there are plenty of mommas out there who can exercise daily, count calories as long as they're factoring in extra for nursing and successfully lose their baby weight all while sustaining their babe too. But since my biggest problem was low supply I couldn't risk it. What this amounts to is that I've basically been eating whatever, whenever I wanted for over a year. It started when I was pregnant, eating healthy 80% of the time but enjoying far too many french fries and carbs in general, sugar filled coffees, desserts/treats throughout the day. You get the point. I've thankfully had a good metabolism my whole life and haven't had to worry about what I eat and how much I burn but I know my habits weren't healthy. And now that my breastaurants have closed shop until another baby comes along it's about time I do something for myself.

The basic idea behind Whole30 is avoiding certain food groups entirely, as their thought to be "inflammatory foods" making you sluggish and lacking energy, making your body not run optimally and causing all sorts of trouble with how you feel as a whole. Granted I don't have any medical concerns, no heart burn, digestive issues, chronic pain, etc etc but I do feel run down a lot. I find myself refilling my coffee cup or grabbing some sort of pick-me-up in the afternoons just to make it into the evening. Not to mention that I have 5-10lbs of baby weight still hanging on and the aforementioned bad eating habits and this plan seemed perfect for me.

In a nutshell you can eat as much protein, veggies, fruits and good fats (things like nuts, avocados, etc) while avoiding all alcohol, grains, legumes, sugar and anything processed.

It seems easy enough and since I'll essentially be a home-body with board studying this month it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. We did all our grocery shopping Sunday, planned approved dinners for all of us, lunches and breakfasts for me. I plan on recapping weekly what I've been eating/good recipes, how I've been feeling and what I think about the whole process. I've taken measurements but time will tell if they change and I care to share the progress. I'm not necessarily doing it to lose weight but more to just start feeling better and I'm optimistic right now. So long ice cream and white wine, I'll see you in 30 days!