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A&J's First Whole30


malie

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Day 6 so far...

 

FOOD:

 

MEAL #1 – 7:15 a.m.

- scrambled eggs with spinach

- sliced bananas fried in ghee with nutmeg and cinnamon

- sliced tomatoes

- sugar snap peas

 

MEAL #2 – 12:00 p.m.

- taco salad – ground beef fried up with chopped onion and peppers on romaine, topped with salsa, homemade guac, diced tomato, and diced jicama

 

 

OBSERVATIONS:

 

Feeling great today! Had a wonderful long sleep last night and woke up before the alarm—which should have meant that I went to the gym with my hubby, but I don't know, no part of me wanted to go. So I went back to sleep for another hour while he went alone. :lol: Then later this morning I went on a nice long walk with my mother-in-law and niece.

 

I have not had any real cravings, but was a bit bummed this morning when I realized that there is really nothing cold and creamy or icy that I can eat this month, and we are having a real hot spell. I think in July, when our Whole30 is complete, I will experiment with some homemade sugar-free sorbets. I miss gelato, but I'm not letting myself dwell on it. I can always make myself a nice decaf iced coffee. ;)

 

One thing I have noticed is that this is really improving my relationship with food. I am loving what it feels like not to feel guilt and/or shame after every meal and ongoingly about my food choices. I am really interested to learn how to incorporate this new mindset (and the accompanying better choices!) into not-fully-Whole30 eating once these 30 days are over.

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My husband loves Mexican food and that's the one thing we have not eaten at all since Whole30ing.  I like your taco salad idea on Romaine and think I'll try that out next week - hmm - maybe for Father's Day.  It would be a nice treat for him (minus the beer).

 

Isn't it amazing what a night of quality sleep can make?!  I slept well myself and love that it impacts my entire day in a positive way.

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My husband loves Mexican food and that's the one thing we have not eaten at all since Whole30ing.  I like your taco salad idea on Romaine and think I'll try that out next week - hmm - maybe for Father's Day.  It would be a nice treat for him (minus the beer).

 

Isn't it amazing what a night of quality sleep can make?!  I slept well myself and love that it impacts my entire day in a positive way.

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It's a favourite around here for sure! We usually refer to it as a burrito bowl (like at Chipotle), just no rice or beans. I figured "taco salad" was easier to explain though. Next time I'm going to try adding a little cumin to my beef for even more Mexican taste. (Used oregano and crushed red chili pepper today.)

 

I LOVE sleep. Love love love it. I am usually a pretty good sleeper, and I think there is nothing more frustrating in life (not even traffic! maybe) than not being able to go to sleep or stay asleep. I also love getting up early after a good night's sleep. SO refreshing, especially in summer when it's light early.

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Day 6, cont.

 

MEAL #3 – 5:15 p.m.

- "Deconstructed Pizza" from ISWF – I used leftover ground beef from Meal 2's taco salad, and fried up some mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and sliced black olives in EVOO with oregano and rosemary, then served it all on a bed of fresh spinach (delicious!)

 

I was super hungry so made dinner a little earlier than usual; I think there is a mini-meal in my future this evening.

 

Hubby is sad today because it's nice out and he can't have a beer OR chocolate.

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Before I went on AIP (no hot peppers) we did mexican at least once a week. I used lettuce for "tacos" at first but then just started dumping everything in a bowl. I eat ground beef and a guac dressing (avo, lime, salt, evoo) over lettuce a lot--very satisfying.

About the bacon you might want to read this. A lot of people use pork belly or pancetta in recipes that call for it. http://whole9life.com/2012/03/bacon/

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Somes notes on Day 6 while they're in my head: I guess I didn't end up needing a mini-meal last night after all. Made a pot of peppermint tea, but I don't remember eating anything else, heh. If I did, it was compliant, but I'm pretty sure I didn't. I was so tired last night!

 

Had a GREAT sleep, though. Woke up with the alarm this morning and felt wide awake and ready to go to the gym. After the gym, I was starving and I had a post-WO snack of sardines (MY FIRST TIME EVER, you guys, and pre-7-a.m., too) with leftover mashed sweet potatoes and some leftover carrots and green beans.

 

So, sardines: Kind of amazing. It is definitely mind over matter for me, though, because I hate the way they look (even though I made sure to buy the kind with no heads). And smell. But they TASTE really good. Also, I now understand the expression "packed in like sardines"; I thought there'd be like 4 in the can and there were TEN. I am amazed at the things I can eat early in the morning if I'm hungry enough, heh.

 

Anyway, on to today, Day 7.

 

MEAL #1 – 7:15 a.m.

- eggs fried in coconut oil

- leftover sausage (me) or steak (J)

- sauteed spinach with red onions and chopped apple (I didn't love this; J did)

- leftover mashed sweet potatoes

 

Oh, by the way, I had my first Non-Compliant Food Dream last night! I thought that was kind of exciting. Put a check mark in that column of the symptoms list.

 

In my dream it was Day 7, and somehow I mindlessly ate a bunch chips while at some kind of BBQ or event, and suddenly someone said to me, "Are you eating CHIPS?????" and I was like, "AWWWW crap. Now I have to start all over." I was so dejected! And so relieved when I woke up in the middle of the night to go pee and realized it was only a dream and I DO NOT have to start all over (or extend an extra 7 days, whichever).

 

It figures I would dream about chips, though. I love chips—way more of a troublesome craving for me than sugar or chocolate.

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Day 7, cont.

 

MEAL #2 – 12:00 p.m.

- more Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

- arugula salad with chopped tomato and avocado, dressed with EVOO

- baked sweet potato fries

 

Picked up a new compliant chai rooibos at the grocery store this afternoon, so had a cup of that around 3:30 to stave off my snacky feelings.

 

MEAL #3 – 5:30 p.m.

- BBQed chicken and onion skewers

- grilled asparagus with EVOO and lemon

- baked sweet potato fries (again, I know, really needed to up that starchy veg this week)

- diced avocado

 

Tonight we're going to a movie, and I'm going to enjoy the smell of popcorn deeply and eat NONE of it. And also no candy. That's the hard part. ;)

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I love the chai rooibos. Definitely recommend throwing a little coconut milk in there...so delicious.

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Thought about it, but I didn't grab any today and don't have any on hand! I'll pick up a can next grocery shop for sure. Yummm.

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Day 8

 

Another great day! Woke up easily, had consistent energy throughout the day, short but invigorating hike in the morning, shopping in the afternoon. Happy to be over a quarter of the way there!

 

MEAL #1 – 8:00 a.m.

- fried eggs

- sweet potato and kale hash

- quick and dirty guacamole (avocados mashed with a fork, some fresh-squeezed lime and kosher salt mixed in)

- black coffee

 

MEAL #2 – 12:30 p.m.

- taco salad – ground beef with jalapenos over romaine, topped with diced tomatoes, red onion, salsa, and more quick and dirty guacamole

 

Stopped for an iced decaf americano, black, at Starbucks while shopping.

 

MEAL #3 – 6:30 p.m. (my first Whole30 meal with company over!)

- grilled New York steaks (Santa Maria style steak rub) topped with sauteed mushrooms

- grilled asparagus

- roasted sweet potato

- black olives

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Taco salad is going on my menu this week! Sounds great!

How did you like the Santa Maria? I made this almost exact meal for a my boss and her family and they just raved about the steaks! It's become my "go to" for company.

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I think I got the idea from your post about it! It was delicious, but I made it a little too fiery for my personal tastes. I'd probably cut the cayenne in half next time. Hubby loved it though--more than the ISWF mocha rub, which is weird, because he's a chocolate lover.

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I think I got the idea from your post about it! It was delicious, but I made it a little too fiery for my personal tastes. I'd probably cut the cayenne in half next time. Hubby loved it though--more than the ISWF mocha rub, which is weird, because he's a chocolate lover.

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Oh, yay! I'm glad to know you're keeping an eye on me. Lol

Funny you mention that mocha rub because it didn't do it for me either and I am a chocoholic for sure. Trust. I actually tried 3 different rub recipes before I got to this one and found what I'd been looking for.

I just finished making chili so I can have taco salad this week! Yumm!

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Day 9 (on to double digits tomorrow, woohoo!)

 

Another great day, although I did need my alarm clock to wake me up this morning. Still, woke up fairly easily and had good energy all day long. Starting to be able to stay up a little later as well (i.e., I'm not falling asleep by 6 p.m.).

 

MEAL #1 – 7:00 a.m.

- eggs scrambled with leftover ground beef and veggies

- leftover grilled asparagus

- leftover arugula salad for me / leftover steamed carrots and green beans for J

- black coffee

 

Then, you guys, I MADE HOMEMADE MAYO. It is so much better than store-bought, and I am never going back. And it was so easy. I followed Melissa Joulwan's instructions to the T and it worked perfectly.

 

MEAL #2 – 12:00 p.m.

- HB eggs turned into egg salad with DELICIOUS HOMEMADE MAYO nom nom, served on a bed of baby spinach leaves

- leftover steak warmed up in the frying pan

- leftover roasted sweet potato

- sugar snap peas

- sliced tomatoes

 

(This was SUCH a colourful meal. I love colour on my plate.)

 

MEAL #3 – 5:30 p.m. – at a BYOM BBQ with friends

- organic buffalo burger patties (bought at a local organic store)

- I topped mine with salsa and guac; J topped his with dijon

- roasted yam & kale salad

- black olives

- blueberries and almonds to fend off those BBQ snacky cravings

- lots of water to drink

- J also had several slices of watermelon – I didn't even go there because that is totally Food With No Brakes territory for me

 

We were stoked to have successfully survived our first away-from-home Whole30 meal! I was worried I would mindlessly reach for chips or candy from the snack table, but my Invisalign sure helps with that, ha.

 

Tomorrow marks the 1/3 point!

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Day 10!

 

Ok, kind of a rough morning as far as getting up and getting going. Guess who forgot to make breakfast until 15 minutes after we were supposed to be eating? This guy girl.

 

MEAL #1 – 7:30 a.m.

- eggs scrambled with spinach

- diced cucumber, tomato, and avocado dressed with EVOO, lemon juice, and salt

- hubby had a couple of turkey pepperonis as well

- black coffee, of course

 

MEAL #2 – 12:15 p.m.

- chicken salad made of leftover chicken chopped up, homemade mayo (WOOHOO), and red onion

- on a bed of baby spinach and diced cucumber

- diced gala apple and navel orange fruit salad

- hubby had another turkey pepperoni

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Day 10, cont.

 

MEAL #3 – 5:30 p.m.

- BBQ chicken breasts

- baked sweet potato fries with homemade mayo

- leftover grilled asparagus

- black olives

- some sauerkraut for me

 

Now off to meal plan for the next week, yaaaaaay. :rolleyes:

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Time to catch up!

 

I decided to start experimenting with pre/post-WO meals this week. Yesterday, Tuesday, I went to the gym first thing in the morning without eating first (as was my old habit). Workout was difficult, and as I left the gym, a huge headache hit me. Ate some sardines and cucumber immediately upon arrival home. Headache still took an hour or so to subside.

 

Decided to make sure that I tried eating before and after working out to see what happened with headaches and energy levels. Made some hard-boiled eggs last night to have on hand for mornings.

 

This morning, Wednesday/Day 12, I got up 10 minutes earlier and had a hardboiled egg mixed with some homemade mayo, as well as a few jicama sticks. Did not have a headache after my workout! But the workout still felt challenging. I am not up to my pre-Whole30 gym strength yet, but that's OK by me. It'll come.

 

Day 11 (yesterday)

 

Now, the most AMAZING thing happened yesterday. I went for my monthly allergy shots—I've been doing immunotherapy for two years now, one shot for certain trees and grass, one shot for cats and dogs. This time, my reaction to the shot was about 60-80% less than it has ever been before!!!! I still got a hive at each injection site, but they were maybe 40-50% smaller than usual, and seriously 80% less itchy and painful than usual. THIS. IS. EXCITING. (One of my main hopes for Whole30 is to find some relief from allergies.) This, to me, is already a measurable result.

 

Onward to yesterday's food log!

 

Post-WO – 6:30 a.m. (me only)

- about 1/3 can sardines (that's half a palm to a palm for me)

- cucumber slices

 

MEAL #1 – 7:30 a.m.

- eggs fried in coconut oil

- sweet potato and zucchini hash

- sliced grapefruit

 

GROCERY DAY! Still expensive, but took a lot less time than last week's shop.

 

MEAL #2 – 12:00 p.m.

- taco salad – ground beef sauteed with onions and tomatoes, served on romaine lettuce

- and topped with salsa and homemade guac

 

MEAL #3 – 6:00 p.m.

- mashed cauliflower

- salmon baked with herbs

- diced avocado, tomato, and cucumber tossed in olive oil and lime juice

 

Then we had friends over in the evening; one couple (vegans) brought a fruit tray, and the other couple (health-conscious omnivores) brought a veggie tray with hummus (which we didn't eat, of course). I had one small plate of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, grapes, pineapple, and watermelon—all my faves!) and that's it (Invisalign to the rescue!). Hubby had similar. We also had Perrier with lime wedges, which we shared with the girls; the guys had beer and hubby abstained with no complaint. (One was left in our fridge, and I'm pretty sure that'll be his very first reintro item, heh. I hid it behind some other non-compliant items and a big sign that says "NOPE" on the bottom shelf of the door.)

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Day 12 (today)

 

FOOD:

 

Pre-WO – 5:20 a.m.

- one hardboiled egg

- about a thumb of homemade mayo

- a few jicama sticks

 

Post-WO – 6:20 a.m.

- 1/3 can sardines

- more jicama

 

MEAL #1 – 7:00 a.m.

- eggs scrambled with leftover ground beef from the taco salad, topped with guacamole and salsa

- jicama sticks

- strawberries

 

NOTES:

 

Today is a bit of a weird, off-schedule day around here. J won't be home for lunch as he has a meeting, so I sent him with a meal-on-the-go of fresh veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and jicama), dip (homemade mayo mixed with dijon mustard), turkey pepperoni, hardboiled eggs, and almonds.

 

Meanwhile, I've got lots of driving around to do with appointments in the city this morning, and I know I won't get home to eat a proper meal until after 1:00. So I've packed carrot sticks and almonds for in the car, and I know I'll be having a coffee meeting close to lunch time, and coffee usually helps my tummy feel fuller. I'll also take a big bottle of water.

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So yes, today has been fine. I had the carrots and almonds in the car around 1:00, and then leftover salmon and mashed cauliflower from last night's dinner when I got home at 2:00. But now my stomach is upset—crampy and a little nauseous. So I'm having peppermint tea. I can't figure out what would have done that, though. My first suspect would be the almonds, but it wasn't until I ate the salmon and cauliflower that it started being funny. Hmm.

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Weird stomach continued through dinner and into the evening, although my post-dinner cup of peppermint tea seemed to make me feel better. It was making lots of funny sounds all evening, but at least I'm not in pain or nauseous. Still don't know what caused it.

MEAL #3 – 5:30 p.m.

- deconstructed pizza from ISWF – ground beef fried with mushrooms and spices

- bed of spinach and diced tomato

- topped with black olives, salsa, and hot sauce

- sparkling water

Harvested a bunch of greens and herbs from our garden today—kale, arugula, romaine, cilantro, chives, parsley—and am looking forward to using those!!

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Day 13 so far

 

Pre-WO – 5:20 a.m.

- hardboiled egg

- homemade mayo

 

Post-WO – 6:20 a.m.

- 1/2 can of sardines with a tiny bit of mayo for flavour/moisture (tried the sardines in water instead of oil this time and they were super bland)

- jicama sticks

 

Meal #1 – 7:00 a.m.

- sweet potato and zucchini hash

- poached eggs (my first time ever making them and a smashing success!)

- guacamole

- grapefruit

- black coffee

 

Meal #2 – 12:30 p.m.

- egg salad made with homemade mayo, chopped celery, and chives

- on a bed of baby spinach

- veggie sticks on the side (cucumber, cauliflower, carrot, jicama)

- small bowl of strawberries and blueberries

 

Some Observations

 

I may try not eating the post-WO meal. I felt overly full after breakfast this morning from having two meals in such short succession. I know the post-WO meal helps with recovery, but I'm not sure I need that much recovery help? I will continue with the pre-WO as it has prevented headaches the last two days. We'll see.

 

Digestion/regularity has improved, even though I've stopped eating sauerkraut regularly. So I think things on the inside are evening out. So glad!

 

Good Things: J said that he has not been feeling hungry/snacky in between meals, which is definitely new for him. Also, neither of us have had any real cravings whatsoever. And I'm pretty sure my love handles are shrinking, yessssss. (I definitely think J's are, although he's dubious.) Energy levels have really improved the last few days. I am staying up until my normal bedtime and getting up in the morning earlier.

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Day 13, cont.

 

Meal #3 – 5:30 p.m.

- BBQed chicken wings (these were just OK for us, I wanted to try something different, but neither of us is a huge fan of wings to begin with, so meh)

- roasted butternut squash with EVOO, garlic, and rosemary

- grilled endive with EVOO and kosher salt (now these were yummy! first time cooking or eating endive)

 

Ended up being kind of a smallish dinner given that chicken wings don't give you that much meat, and I was a little peckish in the evening—nothing a nice cup of chamomile tea couldn't cure!

 

Day 14 so far

 

No workout this morning. Man, am I sleeping good, though.

 

Meal #1 – 7:00 a.m.

- eggs scrambled into ground beef with onions, tomatoes, and spinach

- jicama sticks with lime juice and sprinkled paprika (a nice change from plain)

- diced avocado

- black coffee

 

Yesterday and today I felt like I ate too much at breakfast. Yesterday I was hungry by like 10:30 though, so I'm not sure. Today I don't feel quite as stuffed post-breakfast, but I bet I'll be hungry before noon again. Hmmm.

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Day 14, cont.

 

Meal #2 – 12:15 p.m.

- hamburger patties of my own concoction (egg, white onion, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper)

- topped with homemade mayo mixed with dijon, fresh romaine lettuce from my garden (yay!), tomato slices, and red onion

- kale salad (also from my garden!) with leftover roasted butternut squash and almonds

 

Had a cup of chai rooibos with coconut milk around 3:00. The coconut milk addition was just OK for me; will probably have it plain in the future.

 

Meal #3 – 5:45 p.m.

We had my brother-in-law up from the basement suite; he eats sort of paleo-adjacent most of the time (although too low-carb in my opinion! Hehe).

 

- BBQed chicken breasts with creole spice and lime juice

- baked sweet potato fries with homemade mayo/Frank's hot sauce dip

- roasted zucchini and broccoli with EVOO, lemon, s&p

- the poached pear dish from ISWF (hubby's special request)

 

The poached pears turned out amazing! I used a vanilla bean instead of vanilla or almond flavouring and it was PERFECT. I've never poached pears without sugar before, but it turns out they totally don't need it. This is not something I would eat every day though as it is too dessert-adjacent. But a very nice midway treat. :)

 

Now off to make my second batch of mayo and hoping it turns out as well as the first did!

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Sooooo tired tonight. It was a busy day, but I don't feel like I should be this tired... Too tired to log properly, but we were compliant and I avoided all snack and drink offerings at the bridal shower I was at this afternoon. Now for sleeping.

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As I mentioned in the June 1st group thread, I have been feeling really tired and down since about midway through Day 15. We haven't made any big changes to the way we've been eating, although part of me wonders if I shrunk my portion sizes too much after feeling like I was too full from a few meals. So I will keep an eye on that and make sure I am eating enough. But I do really think it is just my body doing further fat adaptation, which is GREAT.

 

Also took some progress pics this morning (no weighing or measuring) and it encouraged me SO MUCH. I really had no idea what a difference it was making in my appearance. On Fri/Sat, I was feeling good about fitting in clothes and stuff, but started feeling bad about myself midway through Sat again (ugh, shut up, self-hating part of me!). Those pictures were a massive, massive encouragement this morning. Raring to go for another 13 days and then some!

 

Logs for Days 15 and 16 to follow...

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