Sept. 3 Start Date--Whole30 Newbie

[pennylane14]

Hi all,

 

 Starting the Whole30 TODAY! Excited to not only challenge myself, but cook more and with new things. I'll be posting my meals here (when I remember) and also asking questions/seeking advice. Would love others who start around this time to join in as well.

 

day 1:

 

Meal 1: Sausage, egg, and zucchini bake (from Mark's Daily Apple)

 

*drank black coffee for the first time--not terrible . . .

 

Meal 2: Paleo chili (ground beef, diced tomatoes, green chiles, onions), sliced strawberries (I know there should be more veggies, but I ran out of time to roast brussels sprouts last night)

 

Snack (if needed): apple with almond butter

 

Meal 3: Pulled pork (just spices and onion), spaghetti squash (perhaps with salsa as a "sauce"?)

 

Happy Whole30!

[beckysefco]

Good luck, I started yesterday!

[Physibeth]

Welcome! Why not add some of those Brussels sprouts you didn't have time to make last night to dinner tonight? To get more veggies in for the day. Also if you need to eat between meals because you are really hungry (like would not say no to plain fish and broccoli hungry) you should have a mini meal with protein, fat, and veggies. Fruit should be confined to a main meal to help with blood sugar regulation.

[amberino21]

I second Physibeth's suggestions, and to also make sure you're adding fat to your meals. it really will help you feel satisfied for longer, and if you have enough it should help get you through to the next meal without feeling like you need to snack at all!

[pennylane14]

Day 2:

 

Thoughts: had a slight headache yesterday afternoon into evening. Felt pretty tired when I got home, but once I had dinner things looked up. This morning was my boot-camp class at the gym, energy wasn't an issue, though I just felt more tired in general.

 

Post WOD: hard-boiled egg, half a sweet potato

 

Meal 1 (eaten almost immediately after the Post WOD meal): egg, zucchini, and sausage bake from Day 1

 

Meal 2: paleo chili from Day 1, brussel sprouts, strawberries

 

Meal 3: pulled pork, spaghetti squash (salsa as a sauce is amazing! Huzzah!)

 

 

Noticed: I'm thirsty? Yesterday I more just drank water without noticing (I always drink a lot of water, it's really the only beverage I have during the day outside of coffee), but my big water cup was always almost empty. Today, I want ALLLLL the water in the world. And I want it to be ice cold. This may have more to do with my workout than anything, and that I didn't drink chocolate coconut water after my workout like usual (oh, how I miss you, Zico chocolate!). Is thirst typical in the first few days?

 

Thanks for all the advice and support from yesterday! Taking it one day at a time, but excited for what's to come!

[pennylane14]

Day 3:

 

Man, these detox headaches are not fun. Have a red wine headache sans drinking red wine, so that's neat. Also, the unquenchable thirst is still there (well, unquenchable at night and when I first wake up). 

 

Still, after making a grocery list/meal plan for next week and feeling full after yesterday's meals (no snack needed), I'm feeling more in the groove of the Whole30.

 

Meal 1: Day 1 Breakfast casserole

 

Meal 2: Day 2 Lunch

 

Meal 3: My first dining out test--family is in town. Going to have a hard-boiled egg and sweet potato before I go, and then steamed mussels at the restaurant.

 

So far, temptation hasn't been bad (though did not like seeing that photo of a cupcake in the daily email this morning). I figured out that if something tempts me, I'm going to ask myself if I would pay $25 for it (b/c that's how much I paid for the book and the emails). Odds are the answer is no :-)

[pennylane14]

Day 4: still battling a small headache, and definitely felt exhausted yesterday afternoon. Dinner out last night was ok, but even though I asked for the mussels to be steamed without cream or anything like that, I still think the waiter didn't fully deliver my directions. Ended up with a stomachache after dinner. Blech. Will be more diligent during the next dining out adventure.

 

My meals today are largely repeats of the rest of the week, so I'll save everyone that. It may seem boring, but I could legitimately eat the same thing every day (truth--I ate a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch throughout most of grade school). 

 

Tonight, my friends and I have "Wine Friday". I'm going to run home first and eat dinner before joining everyone. Not too worried about temptation, I turned down sips of wine and a bite of cheesecake last night at dinner (to be fair, I didn't broadcast my Whole30 regimen, especially after my uncle went on a diatribe about the "fancy" grassfed and free range meat at Whole Foods). Looking forward to bouncing up for my workout on Saturday morning without a hangover!

[Physibeth]

Don't be afraid to politely send food back when they don't get it right at a restaurant. If they give you trouble just say you have an allergy and they will take you more seriously. If you couldn't tell until after you ate it though then that is that. You did due diligence. Sounds like you have a good plan for tonight. Definitely stay focused on that hangover free Saturday morning if you start feeling tempted.

[pennylane14]

Day 7:

 

With family visiting this weekend, no time to post! Happy to say that I stayed on the bandwagon and was comfortably full most of the time. Also, I used to HATE avocado (and guac, I know, so odd), but I found myself asking for avocado in my salad last night--are my taste buds changing already?!

 

Meal 1: new breakfast! Three hardboiled eggs, big bowl of spinach, and some roasted sweet potato. Sprinkled lemon over it. To drink I had coffee with coconut milk.

 

Meal 2: Paleo chili, roasted broccoli, strawberries, almond butter

 

Meal 3: Pork roast (from last week), roasted brussel sprouts. Since this will be right after my spin class, I will either eat more of the pork, or perhaps pick up a pack of tuna on the way home for a recovery snack.

 

 

Of note: felt very tired all day Saturday (thinking I did not eat enough at meal 1 to recover from morning run), but noticed today that my thirst has subsided (um, good). Also, feel very awake today (but that could be the coffee from this morning, but I didn't need another cup--like I usually get at work mid-morning)

 

Onward!

[pennylane14]

Day 8:

 

Sunday night through last night the sugar dragon roared something fierce. All I wanted was froyo or something sweet. Then a coworker walked by crunching on Sun Chips, and I nearly tackled her. So I think I'm having a combo of a few different days on the timeline. Le sigh.

 

Luckily, I've stayed on track, and I've found that even admitting the craving makes it less daunting. A coworker asked me how it was going, and I said "I just want sugar. Something sweet. Anything." And then sighed. I pondered not going to spin class for a silly reason, but went and had a great ride. 

 

Nothing new to add to the menu here (see, I can seriously eat the same thing all the time and not get sick of it). I will say that I toyed with a pre-workout snack yesterday of a hard-boiled egg and a Larabar, and it was tasty and I think contributed to my great spin class. Oh, and I love La Croix (which we keep stocked in our office! Yay!) and Seagram's seltzer water.

 

Headaches are gone and feel like general energy is back. I did have my first Whole 30 dream though. I ate two cheese Pringles (in the dream, I couldn't see what I was eating or I wasn't fully awake when I was eating it, like I stumbled into a bowl of Pringles). I woke up thinking that had happened and I would have to start over. Silly. 

[pennylane14]

Day 11: 

 

Man oh man, those sugar cravings are the devil. Staying strong but really looking forward to those being over. I have to say, I'm finding problems at restaurants when I ask for a modification to a meal. Last night I asked for mussels to be steamed without butter (still with tomatoes and garlic) and the waiter pretty much refused, saying that wasn't the recipe and he wouldn't recommend it. I pushed back, saying I couldn't eat dairy, and he said he would do it, but wouldn't take responsibility for the taste (seriously, this was the conversation I had). Result: the mussels were delicious! But his tip suffered.

 

This morning, had breakfast with a friend. Got an omelette with avocado and tomatoes. It came with a side of greens (not listed on the menu) that had dressing. I asked the waitress about the dressing and she said "vinaigrette" before walking off. I called out to her and asked a few more questions and she kept saying "it's just vinaigrette. You know, vinaigrette". *rolls eyes*. Needless to say, I ate the part without any dressing. Le sigh.

 

Otherwise, things are going pretty well. I think I'm going to start taking a probiotic of sorts to help with digestion.

 

No exciting meal updates (remember, I eat the same thing allll the time without getting bored). Looking forward to day 16 and being over the hump!

[amberino21]

You mention probiotics - have you considered things like raw sauerkraut, kombucha and other fermented foods? These will be beneficial to the health of your gut. I also have whole lemon juice before some meals, and incorporate apple cider vinegar.

Digestive enzymes will assist with digestion - a lot of people on the forum recommend NOW super enzymes. I started taking them a few weeks in to my whole30/60 and have had much improved digestion!

[pennylane14]

Thanks for the reco! I guess I was lumping probiotics and digestive enzyme together? 

[pennylane14]

Happy Day 14!

 

Can I say how excited I am to hit Day 16? Once I have more behind me than ahead of me, life will be grand.

 

I had a pretty tough weekend dealing with cravings and jumping off the bandwagon (man, did I want a glass of wine or a bite of a friend's donut) but stayed strong (if not feeling lame). Hoping that I don't go on a post-Whole30 bender of wine, cheese, and sugar (really hope I don't!).

 

Some new food this week:

 

M1: two hard-boiled eggs, sweet potato

 

M2: crock pot chicken, broccoli, salsa, strawberries

 

M3: last of the pork roast, brussel sprouts

 

Going to spin tonight, so my pre-workout snack will be a hard-boiled egg and a Larabar (gave me so much energy last time) and post-snack will be a pack of tuna. I typically eat dinner when I get home from the gym anyways, so the tuna will be an appetizer of sorts. 

[amberino21]

I'd avoid the larabar around workouts - too much carbohydrate for preWO and too much fat for postWO! Maybe just stick to the HB egg (or two) beforehand, and tuna after. Perhaps consider adding some starchy vegie carbs post WO too

[pennylane14]

"Whooaaaaa, we're halfway there. Waaaaoohhhh, living on a prayer!"

 

Happy Day 15!! I have to say, I'm looking forward to day 16 like no other--then I'll have more behind me than in front of me!

 

Yesterday was bit stressful, and I made a few bad (but still Whole30 compliant) decisions--eating a Larabar when I wasn't hungry, overdoing nut butter a bit, having a small cup of almonds and cashews after dinner. Trying to remind myself that no matter what I'm eating (if it's "healthy" food even), eating when I'm not hungry or letting emotions take over is not what this is all about.

 

Today I'm going to a baseball game with friends. So I ordered a salad from Chopt for lunch (with more of that now-tasty avocado). Included a hard-boiled egg and brought two HB eggs from home. Tonight around 5:30 (before the game) I'm going to have the lunch I brought for today (salsa chicken and broccoli, strawberries). Have a Larabar packed for the game should hunger strike, but am pretty sure the dinner I have packed will keep me full.

[pennylane14]

Hi all,

 

 Didn't mean to go radio silent--more just didn't have a lot to report. Moving and shaking now that I'm on day 23. Can't say I've experienced crazy tiger blood, but I do have more drive to get things done. Still playing with protein and healthy fats at breakfast to stay full throughout the morning, but other than that, allll good!

 

One thing--I saw that the Silk Pure Almond milk was compliant (not the best thing, but still ok as creamer for coffee). So I was all excited to have coffee with it. Um, it was terrible. This whole time I'd really been missing milk in my coffee, but now I think I've overhyped it, and it's just not that good in the first place. 

 

One thing (and I know I will get some flack for this, but whatever)--I'm going to reintroduce diary on Day 27. Essentially, I'm going out of town on Day 31, and don't want to be traveling on a day when I'm reintroducing something and unsure of the reaction. Plus, I'll be visiting family that has a lot going on, health-wise, and it would be good to be able to have one food group added back in (hopefully!). So I'll reintroduce dairy on Day 27, and non-gluten grains on Day 30. Still abstaining from added sugars and gluten until after Day 30, though. This is what I think works best for me.

 

Over and out!

[Crissy]

 

 

*drank black coffee for the first time--not terrible . . .

 

 

I noticed the same thing! I was sure I would *hate* black coffee, but it's not so bad. In fact, I'm beginning to enjoy the flavors that had previously been covered by the half and half.

[Mousebrat]

On 9/25/2013 at 11:41 AM, Crissy said:

I noticed the same thing! I was sure I would *hate* black coffee, but it's not so bad. In fact, I'm beginning to enjoy the flavors that had previously been covered by the half and half.

I actually started with black coffee back in high school as part of a research paper on coffee. I loved it black, even went to work at Starbucks and dove headfirst into the different flavor properties of coffees from different regions, all black, all the time. And then somewhere along the way I got sucked into cream and sugar and I'm not sure why. I went back to black coffee a few months ago and I'm not sure why I ever put anything in it. Stick with it and it will just get better. You'll probably discover a plethora of new coffee brands you love.