Whole 30 Week 1 plus cravings

I finished my first 7 days on the Whole 30 program Sunday.  Just a reminder, in this plan you eat meat, veggies, and fruit.  You give up highly processed foods and make whole food choices.  

These are a few of my meals/snacks from last week.   I honestly don't think anything has been harder than reasonable.  I have found alternatives for everything except how to get my morning coffee a little sweet.  I admitted yesterday that I occasionally add Stevia in because, well I can't figure out why Stevia, a natural sweetener that doesn't effect blood sugar, is really bad.  

Cravings: 

Honestly except for an occasional chocolate craving which I satisfy with some form of fruit, I am good. 

Sleep:  

Okay, truth here, I sleep like crap most of the time but this last week I have been dead to the world.   I haven't had any trouble sleeping and when my husband, a closet 2am insomniac wakes me up accidentally,  I have no problem getting back to sleep.   I wake up refreshed too.  I admit that mid-afternoon I am tired but overall, it goes away.  

Workouts: 

I did manage to get a couple in last week.  I will be much happier when I get about 3 more a week but I consider this a tiny victory.  

Concentration and Clarity: 

I haven't noticed any great advancements on my concentration at work but I think my "brain fog" is better. Honestly, my mind jumps around like crazy all the time and I am still fighting my slight OCD issues but hey, this is a healthy eating plan not a miracle plan. 

Migraines: 

I still get headaches a lot but they aren't horrible headaches so that's good.  I'm not sure that I totally give credit to the eating, although food does effect headaches.  The simple reason? I get cluster migraines and I haven't been in a cluster for a few months.  Thank you God! 

Food & more Food: 

Overall, this is a good experience so far.  I find healthy food requires just a little planning and when I dig in, I remember how wonderful good-for-you food actually tastes.  I do miss my occasional glass of wine on the weekends but it isn't anything I am struggling with, yet anyway.    

I have made a few smoothies to cure my cravings for ice cream but although I realize the Whole 30 prefers that you don't, I kept them completely within agreement with the plan using veggies, coconut milk or water,  and some fruit like banana or mango.   The one day that I made a breakfast smoothie, I used a little almond butter for protein.   

Ok that's week one in a nutshell.   If you asked me today if I would recommend this, I would whole heartedly say yes!  In fact, I am feeling so good that I think I am going to switch to a mostly Paleo lifestyle when this is over.  My family isn't suffering either.  We make adjustments for their carb needs and I am happy to share any healthy goodies with them.  In fact, having fruit in the house has been a great thing for them.  They turn to that when they need a quick snack and that makes me happy!