30 Day Update

30 days is down (actually, it's been 34 days)!! It blows my mind how fast it has gone. I never would have imagined during the first two weeks, that it would be this awesome. I have to tell you, the first two weeks are tough!!! I was warned and thought I was prepared for it. Unfortunately, there is no preparing for that kind of torture. This is probably why I didn't start my blog until the 3rd week. All my posts would have been titled, "This Sucks" or "I'm dying here!". Your body is literally fighting you for cutting out sugar. I was grumpy and ticked off. My mind was starting to play tricks on me. I actually started telling myself I was just fine the way I was before and any issues I had weren't really THAT bothersome. I just endured and I'm here to say that by the first day of my 3rd week, I felt like a whole new person! Now I said I was going to give this 30 days just to see if I can tell any difference. Well, I know I will continue on at least a couple more months. I just feel too good to stop. And when I'm done with Phase 1, I will continue to live a gluten-free lifestyle. I think that's been the bulk of my issues.

It's only gotten better! After one month, I have lost 6 pounds! Now let me remind you...I am the girl that CANNOT lose weight, no matter what I do! That is almost half way to my goal. My body is starting to take back its old shape and I'm feeling like me again. It's been about 5 years since I've felt like this. On top of that, every day on this diet (even during the 1st two weeks), I have not had one single stomach ache! It is a truly amazing feeling.

Another added bonus is the realization that I am a better wife and mother. I talk daily to my mom on the phone and one day, she commented that I haven't been yelling at the kids. Of course, I'm still getting onto them CONSTANTLY but I'm not screaming at them like I used to and I'm more patient with them. It really is true. Life in our home has been more harmonious. If you know my husband, just ask him. He's the one that called me "all smiley" a couple weeks ago!

If anyone is thinking about doing this for themselves, I would very strongly recommend it. Just imagine that only 30 days from now, you could feel like a whole new person. The next 30 days is going to pass you by regardless, so you might as well feel better on the other side of it!

Souvlaki

So, I guess with Mom here, I got a little sidetracked. Sorry! You didn't miss much, though. I basically repeated some recipes as well as ate out a few times. I did make a roast one night that turned out pretty good. Of course, I served all the potatoes for to rest of the family.

And just on a side note, you can make gravy from the pan drippings using arrowroot powder to thicken it instead of flour. You'll never tell the difference. And a special thanks to my hubby for taking a break from his Scrabble game to take a picture of my roast!

Tonight, we had Souvlaki. These are a favorite in my family. Normally, I make rice to go with it but made quinoa instead. Actually, I burned the first batch of quinoa and the second batch wasn't ready until after we were done eating. So, it was a good thing we weren't that hungry tonight. All you need to do to make it yourself is marinate the meat (beef, chicken or lamb) in olive oil, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Also use this mixture to coat onions, sweet bell peppers and tomatoes. Skewer and grill it! See, this diet is easy!