ISWF Day 0 - Shopping Thoughts

Well I got my kitchen back today at 2:00. And there was much rejoicing. I still have to reconnect the water line for the refrigerator and the water and drain lines for the dishwasher, but otherwise its done and the floor actually looks BETTER than when it was first installed. (This guy did a better job than the original company.) So yay!

Still, most of the day there was much pounding and continuance of NOISE, so it was hard to do the prep work. I did sign up for the daily e-mails. (Hey, I've spent $15 far more frivolously than that.)

The first instructions were some basic prep work that included:

• Print out all the website info
• Plan a week of meals
• Plan emergency quick to make e-mails
• Clean out the pantry and fridge
• Go shopping

Unfortunately with no access to my kitchen and distracting noise for half the day, I wasn't able to get it all done but I did make some headway.

I printed out the info and did plan meals and a shopping list through Friday afternoon just to get me through.

 And after work it was time to shop.

Okay, here are my thoughts after my first Whole30 shopping trip:

1. Over $70 for two days worth of stuff? The HELL?
2. Mostly the meat. There was not great selection that was Whole30 compliant. There's locally-sourced, happy-pigs-and-cows meats at the health food store, but it's about $15 a pound. To feed myself and my boyfriend three meals with protein a day? Undoable. I think I may have to compromise (at least for now) by going mass-produced but hormone-and-antibiotic free. I've had a lot of BIG expenses lately, so maybe I'll revisit when I'm not so poor.
3. Was VERY happy to find organic ghee, coconut oil, and olives at the "normal" store I like. Fats acquired!
4. Bought avocados for the first time. I think I need to film myself eating one tomorrow. :-D
5. Not organic, but it's about DAMN TIME someone came out with "pre-husked" pomegranate. EXCITE.
6. And the rotisserie chicken is just "regular" chicken but is for tonight. I'll STILL use the leftovers during Whole30 though.

Back tomorrow with Day 1 report AND a race report from what will literally my coldest race ever if the forecast holds.

Oh the Noise, Noise Noise

Day T-1 and Counting.

I knew today was going to be a clusterf--k with the flooring contractors here, but MY GOD. SO loud. (Well, just as loud as you'd expect tearing out and putting in hardwood floors to be. Definitely did NOT help the headaches I've been having.

I had a late breakfast of steel-cut oats and a large apple. Man - all carbs definitely leaves me hungry yet bloaty right after. (I figured I might as well use the oatmeal up AND it's admittedly very easy to cook.)

Soon after, the contractors arrived, and first thing they did was pull out the appliances. No stove, no dishwasher, and the fridge is plugged in in the dining room for now.

Yikes.  Takeout for dinner tonight. THIS is why I'm waiting until Thursday to start.

It Starts with Food, BITCHES.

T - 2 and counting.

Okay, I picked up "It Starts with Food" a couple months ago in my continuing quest to figure out nutrition and good diet. (And I mean "diet" in the medical sense, not in the "losing weight" sense." I don't even remember where I first heard about it. I read it and it made sense to me but I was loathe to make a drastic change during the race season. (Okay, especially if said change required giving up cookies, pizza, and beer.)

Then tri goddess Sonja started a Whole 30 challenge on her new food blog. TWO WEEKS before IMAZ. The fallout? Girl won the race AND set a new amateur record. By seventeen minutes. Ummm, okay, now I can't even use training as an excuse. (And it's the off-season now anyway.)

So...let's see - no heavy training or serious races AND even if I did I'd probably do even better?

I had a nice long chat with Sonja on her blog last night (which...thanks Son!) and she's convinced me to go for it, especially since, as she put it, we're carbon copies in how we process food.

I'm a little scared of putting myself out there because I have a ridiculous fear of failure, but as the saying goes, 'Perfection is the enemy of good." ("Le mieux c'est l'enemi du bien.") Also, I have had insomnia, headaches, and body aches the past few weeks and they're just getting worse, not better, and I'm hoping cleaning up my diet will help.

So why am I not starting until Thursday? Because my damaged kitchen floors are being replaced tomorrow and Wednesday and I don't know how much (if any) access I'll have to it. I'm going to use this time to start prepping and planning.

So, one last yummy sammich for lunch:

(and yes, cookies.)

Tomorrow the kitchen floor gets pulled up and I may or may not have a fridge and stove. I'm going to use that day to put together a menu plan and shopping list.

Wednesday will be cleaning out the pantry and refrigerator and shopping. Thursday (yes, Thanksgiving), we begin.

Onwards, no fear!