Day 5: Whole 30 Challenge *Breakthrough in Self-Awareness*

Today was an awesome day.  My two biggest goals during this challenge are to stop picking my skin and stop binge eating.  I had a breakthrough with both today.

When I pick my skin, I usually don't notice until I've already picked a few spots.  Once I realize what I'm doing, I feel guilty and bad about myself and I usually keep picking.  I always pick when I'm driving alone.  This morning, I noticed every time I started to pick and I stopped.  My mantra was simple, I kept telling myself, "I do not want to do this."  When I was reading a success story on the Whole9 website, this quote resonated with me "When you take such care with what you feed your body, you can’t help but take equal care with what you feed your heart, soul, and mind." - See more at: http://whole30.com/2012/10/i-lost-185-pounds-on-the-whole30-and-i-miss-him/#sthash.Ha4z8ox7.dpuf I think this is part of the reason why this lifestyle change is helping me stop picking.  I'm spending so much time and energy thinking about and preparing what to feed myself, the drive to take care of myself is spilling over into other areas of my life.

This morning I fixed myself sweet potato pancakes and banana slices (This is a technical no-no on the whole 30 plan, but I just wanted to add some protein to my sweet potato, I wasn't craving pancakes).  When I took my first bite, I was thinking, "This is so deliciously sweet, I wouldn't want to add maple syrup even if i could."  Then, about halfway through my meal it didn't taste that good anymore.  I checked in with myself and realized I was not hungry anymore.  So, I stopped eating.  This is a HUGE breakthrough for me.  Until now, I would always clean my plate.  At lunch, it happened again.  I only ate half of the chicken salad I served myself.  And even then, I think I ate too much.  I felt overly full for about an hour after eating.  It was also the first day I wasn't hungry for an after-school snack.  I felt full and satisfied until dinner.  

After my last post Sarah asked why I have to cook for the entire week. The diet is made up of protein, vegetables, fruit and healthy fat. That's it. One of the biggest challenges is having to cook everything from scratch. I don't have to cook for the week but if I don't I won't have time when I get home from work to prepare everything I need for dinner. All of the vegetables are fresh so I have to cut and wash them. Every sauce is made from scratch like the mayo, ranch, salad dressing or pesto we've been eating. Breakfast has to be made ahead of time because we don't have time to cook in the morning. And lunches have to be packed the night before. I love to cook but this process has been overwhelming. Hopefully things will level out after we're done unpacking and moving. Breakfast: sweet potato pancakes and banana and a grapefruit Lunch: pumpkin soup and chicken salad dinner: shredded beef lettuce wraps