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Refreshed on Day 8.

At one point while I was writing yesterday’s post, I woke up with my head on the desk. I was that tired. So it seems a little incoherent, and I was going to rewrite it, but I think I’ll leave it. And review.

I had some grim kids last night. Seriously hostile. Since I’m flying solo this week, it’s particularly exhausting. Something had to give, and it was the rigid adherence to Whole30. This was not my hill to die on.

And you know what? Today, as far as I can tell, they all stuck to Whole30, ate their lunches that they had packed the night before, and were in good moods at dinner. No one modified their meal or complained. As a matter of fact, we had a lot of fun and probably spent more time laughing than eating.

The lesson? Control is a powerful thing. If my kids feel like things are under their control, they will do almost anything, and willingly. But if I give it as an edict that can’t be argued with, well, look out. Having the choice is important. And I think even more so with something as personal as the food in your mouth.

So, to recap, I modified their Whole30 last night. Our house will continue to be Whole30, and I’m cooking Whole30 meals. If it’s not on the Whole30 approved list, I’m not buying it at the grocery store, either. However, they can modify Whole30 to the extent that they want. If they want to cook that is fine with me! More importantly, the girls get to go to the pancake breakfast at the local high school this weekend.

My package from Pre-Made Paleo also arrived last night. The kids chose a couple of the entrees for lunches today and everything got rave reviews. It is a huge relief to have those meals in the freezer and know I don’t have to prepare every single bite!

So for meals today, we discovered that Aidell’s Organic Sausages (in some flavors) are okay, and the kids love those. I sliced them and cooked them up with green beans and eggs for another yummy scramble. Dinner was kind of a surprise:  the Pioneer Woman’s Hamburger Soup. Pioneer Woman Paleo–who knew? It was delicious and just the thing for a day that has been 38 degrees and raining most of the day. Deep January, I think this is called.

What about cravings? I was surprised to realize that I’ve been sugar-, grain-, dairy-, and wine-free for eight days now. I haven’t felt deprived at all, and rarely have I felt hungry. Only now sitting here at the computer do I really miss a glass of wine. Twenty-two more days.

I think the reason for few cravings is that I’ve been absolutely focused on meal preparation for my family. I’ve been so concerned about what we can eat that I haven’t thought about what we can’t eat. Also, a lot of the reading implies that people can get bored with the diet. That isn’t a risk at all for me, because I’m preparing meals all the time. If I were doing this by myself, I’d be tempted to just grill up a bunch of chicken breasts and knock this thing out. And by day four I’d be feeling deprived. Instead we haven’t had the same meal twice, and I’m honestly not sure when we will start repeating.

As for me, I feel fine, and not really any different. Some stomach distress is the only indication that things are changing. Waiting on that “Tiger Blood” feeling.

Please feel free to ask anything about Whole30. I think it’s been a good thing to do with my family so far.