Farrah's Whole30 Log

[Farrah]

A bit of an intro into who I am and why I am doing this.

 

I have tinkered with the idea of going paleo for a while. I did about 4 days last week, but it wasn't stringent (i.e. whole30) by any means. I had snacked on some paleo cookies (almond meal based) and ice cream (bananas and raspberries) that I had made for my daughter on the last day. I have been gf and cf for years, and occasionally have legumes in my diet.  I've been gravitating away from gf starches for some time now. My weakness appears to be fruit and the occasional SWYPO snack.  I am an avid green juicer and have always had a poor relationship with meat (issues with how they are raised, etc.), so eating meat (lots of meat) is challenging for me.

 

Over the course of the last several months I have watched my quality of sleep worsen (awakening after only a few hours and up for the day) as well as have found myself steadily increasing in weight. Over the course of the last 2 months I have gained about 5 lbs for no reason as there has been no change in lifestyle (other than the sleeping habits changing). I also have a thyroid condition which I have always wanted to try to treat naturally (and yes, of course, which limits me in terms of the consumption of certain foods). I have had chronic back acne since having my daughter 5 yrs ago. I am also hoping I can see a change in it with this program. I have a wonderful functional medicine chiro that I see so I know everything else is in check. This three things - the poor sleep, the weight gain, and the thyroid condition - have become the impetus of my desire to take this bold step. Besides, if I can continue to drink my black coffee, I am all a go!!

 

 

Over the last few years, I have corrected a leaky gut, as well as gone gf/cf to avoid developing an autoimmune disease (over and above the thyroid condition).  I have hypothyroidism (diagnosed 5 yrs ago), with no antibodies, although u/s would reveal it appears to be Hashimotos (an autoimmune condition). A recent stool test has revealed a very healthy gut (no pathologies, balanced flora, even candida is in check!).

 

My chiro about 4 months ago told me I should probably do a modified paleo and I somewhat resisted the idea. I did it intially for 2 weeks and it was fine. Then I had to travel out of state and it all went to hell. I never got back on.  Getting back up is often harder than falling, right?  I guess part of me already felt that I have led a life of just continually giving things up...I just wasn't ready do give up even more. Well, the time has come at last. I am changing how I look at the situation - it's not about what I am giving up, it is what I am receiving from all of this.

 

I am not a cross-fit athlete. I am a stay at home mother of a special needs child. (she has been my impetus from day 1 into taking better care of myself - everything from going gf/cf years ago, to this). I am also a part-time massage therapist/cranialsacral therapist and a yoga instructor. I have recently (since completing my schooling) stepped back onto the treadmill and begun running again. I know weight bearing activities would be ideal, but I am doing all of this in baby steps. I have found that if I take on too much at once, I end up doing nothing at all.  I am for the most part going to be excluding nuts, nightshades and starchy veggies from my meals (homemade kale chips are the only real exception as they contain red pepper and cashews) . I should probably go without the eggs, but I am going to see how this goes. IgG testing has shown me to have no issues with eggs, so that's why I have continued to include them. I should probably do the autoimmune protocol and maybe I will next time around,  on my 2nd whole30. Yes, I am already planning a 2nd one and I am only through Day 1 of my first!!  Frankly, I am excited to see how not having any soy in my diet (and I am talking all the hidden soy) impacts me.

 

So, without further ado, here was my Day 1 meal plan (tips/advice/critique are welcome):

 

Breakfast 

 

2 egg muffins wrapped in proscuitto (from nomnom paleo) 

1 Tbsp guacamole 

handful of blueberries, raspberries

1/2 red apple

coffee, black

 

(I ran for 30 minutes in between- no pre or post workout snack - I have to figure that part out). 

 

Lunch

 

Palm sized piece of grilled chicken breast

1 Tbsp guacamole

grilled veggies (onions, zucchini, red pepper)

handful of sugar snap peas, baby carrots

leftover apple from breakfast

 

I felt really dissatisfied after this lunch. I was still hungry.  Hence the snack on kale chips later on. But I think I need to fix my portion of protein. Perhaps no pre/post workout snack had something to do with this?

 

kombucha (homemade)

 

Snack

kale chips - home made - with nutritional yeast, red pepper, cashews, lemon and salt - seriously awesome, made in the dehydrator - a staple in our house

 

Dinner

beef mini- sliders cooked in ghee (nomnom paleo recipe)

guacamole

grilled veggies (left over)

steamed kale, steamed broccoli

 

I should mention that I slept through the night - my alarm woke me at 4 am (so that would mean 7 hours of sleep). I slept completely undisturbed! Wow. Could this be a fluke? I turned off my alarm and slept for another hour. Wow. I actually got back to sleep!!

 

Today's breakfast

 

2 egg muffins

leftover steamed kale, steamed broccoli (took over half my plate)

1 slice of avocado

handful of berries, 1/4 apple, 1 slice of a nectarine 

black coffee

 

so far I am starting to decrease the amount of fruit offered at breakfast, and fill it with greens. Seriously, I can't believe I am eating kale and broccoli for breakfast.

 

Anyhow, off I go to tend to the rest of my day!

 

~namaste

 

 

 

 

 

 

[amberino21]

Hi farrah! looks like this will be another step in your journey to being healthier i hope you get lots of benefits from it!

From looking at your meals, I'd really suggest eating more - a lot more! Your meals are very light in protein and fat, which is likely to make you hungry between meals.

When you're eating eggs, a serve is as many as you can hold in your hand - likely 3-4. Make sure you eat enough egg muffins to fulfil this guideline.

The template suggest 1/2 - 1 whole avo as a suitable amount of fat per meal. 1tbs or 1 slice is not nearly enough fat!

If you increase your portions, you shouldn't need to snack between meals - if you are starving though, try and have a proper mini meal of protein, fats and vegies.

Definitely incorporate pre and post WO meals - pre is fat/ protein and post is lean protein and starchy vegies.

You mentioned cutting starchy vegies out - was there a reason for this? They'll really help you with energy levels and recovery!

[Farrah]

Wow. More food? I already feel like I am over. But okay..I'll try. I wasn't even that hungry this morning, truth be told. It's as though I was still satiated from last night's dinner. This morning's breakfast held me pretty well. In fact, it was a struggle to finish it. I am now embarking on an even larger lunch than yesterdays' seeing as I was still hungry afterwards. Lots of tweaking, for sure. Thanks for the great advice!

[Farrah]

I woke up still feeling full from Day 1, but I pushed through and put together a breakfast. For the whole day I was pretty satiated...never had a craving...never felt hungry. Success! My energy was also pretty consistent throughout the day, although I started to feel a bit tired come 7pm.

 

Breakfast

 

2 egg/proscuitto cups (with onions and zucchini - from NomNomPaleo)

2 slices of avocado

broccoli

kale

blueberries

 

 

Lunch 

6 7/8 oz of grilled organic chicken breast

2 l/o (left over) sliders from night before

l/o grilled veggies

l/o steamed veggies

sugar snap peas

handful of grapes

 

 

kombucha (home made) - 16 oz

 

Dinner

cod (in ghee) - palm sized amount

open palmful of black olives

steamed green beans

l/o steamed broccoli

 

 

 

[Farrah]

So, I planned my first two meals without much problem. My third meal was going to be a greater challenge as I was going to an event where I was going to be doing bodywork. So, I couldn't really stop and have a proper meal. That ended up getting blown out of the water as my DD got ill and I went home just as soon as I had arrived at the event. (momma intuition at its finest as my little one threw up within about 1 minute of my entering the house).

 

Anyhow, without further adieu

 

Breakfast

 3 chorizo patties - in coconut oil

1/2 apple

1/2 C guacamole

1/2 C green beans l/o

handful of raspberries (seriously the best raspberries I think I have ever had)

 

I worked out so ended up having a post work out mini meal of 1 l/o patty and some guac - no pre-workout meal as I worked out within an hour and a half of breakfast

 

Lunch

I had a chicken breast

guac

grilled veggies

steamed kale - with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice

2 Bubbie's pickles

 

I am getting a little bit bored with the chicken and grilled veggies for lunch. I need to seriously change it up once I get through this batch of pre-made meals.

 

black coffee (long night ahead - presumably due to the event, but I ended up staying up all night with my sick kid so I'm glad I had it)

 

Dinner

2 egg/proscuitto muffins

2 Tbsp guac

baby carrots - 6

handful sugar snap peas

1 plum

cashew larabar

 

 

I was pretty hungry for dinner. And ended up having the cashew larabar at the end as I was still pretty full and was not in a position to cook (sick kid and all). Within about 30 minutes I ended up with swelling on my top lip. It was so strange. It faded within about 30 minutes. I've had larabars before, and I've had cashews and dates before so I don't know what was up. Could eliminating these foods be revealing allergies that I never knew I had ? Strange indeed.  

 

At the end of the month I have to be on the road for 2 solid days so I was planning of having some larabars on hand. I am a little nervous however as to how I might react. I just ordered 10 primal pacs to have on hand for days like today, and the road trip ahead.  We'll see how it goes.

 

[Farrah]

Ugh! I just typed the whole darn thing out and it disappeared.

 

Anyhow, I was up all last night with a sick kid, so I already knew that it was going to be a challenging day. 

 

My husband was on hand to help with meal prep, but I didn't have as many fresh veggies on hand to compliment my meals so ended up heavy on the fruit. I think that had to do with my waning energy levels from being up all night. Something to be aware of for sure. My main job was to take care of my DD so I am being compassionate about my choices today. Compliant? absolutely. My best food choices ever? no. 

 

Breakfast

 

black coffee (yeah, no kidding)

1 avocado, 2 eggs (nom nom paleo's toad in a hole recipe)

handful of raspberries

handful of blueberries

1/2 nectarine

 

kale chips

 

I knew my breakfast was way too small even as I was eating it. I also didn't have many premade veggies on hand and so ended up with more fruit than I would have preferred. I ended up hungry later (hence the kale chips). I am aware of this and learning from it for sure.

 

Lunch

l/o chicken breast

guac

grilled veggies (thank god this is the last of this pre-made meal plan!!!)

sugar snap peas

handful of raspberries

 

Dinner

grilled lamb in butter lettuce wraps

avocado

brussel sprouts (browned in olive oil, and sea salt - to perfection!)

green apple

watermelon

 

my husband made the dinner and over-salted the lamb (I spent the entire day being a human pillow for my sick daughter so could not cook), so I ended up eating watermelon as a way to try to cleanse my palate and flush the salt out. Again, I know, heavy on the fruit, but today was an exception. Compassion is the key for today.

 

Things that I've already noticed shifting in my body:

1) my period is 2 days late! (i ended up shifting to paleo about 5 days before starting the whole30 - possibly having an effect on my hormones) 2) I am MUCH more regular than I have ever been before - I ended up having 4 BMs on Day 4!!! 3) my clothes are already looser! this is surprising to me as I really thought with all the salt I was having - more than I usually cook with - I would have been more bloated, but this is not the case at all! 

 

When my DD finally fell asleep on top of me I was able to grab the remote, turn off Barney and watch pbs (we don't have cable). I ended up watching about 2 hours of back to back cooking shows as I lay there.  One entire show was dedicated to chocolate. I watched everything with keen interest but was able to sit there, unphased. I just reminded myself that I would be able to have some of this stuff again, one day, some day (my husband, on the other hand, ran to the pantry for some chocolate - all we had on hand was dark chocolate, which he hates, and described the experience as "like kissing your sister"). All in all, I survived the day. No cheating. Some excess fruit. Sure. But most of all, I was there for my daughter when she needed it all while nurturing my own body in the process and did not fall prey to any weaknesses or temptation. In spite of it all, it was a successful day.

 

DD starting feeling better by about 6pm. Hooray!!! Fever never returned and she had a solid night's sleep. All is well in the household.

 

[Farrah]

Day 5

 

 

okay, here we go...it was another low key day with the kiddo still not 100%. We laid low all day. Pretty housebound. I'm not tired but I'm not feeling especially motivated either. Perhaps this is my version of the Day 6 exhaustion?  I do get a little tired when I'm about to get my period. Only time will tell.

 

Breakfast

 

smoked salmon, with capers and sliced red onions

watermelon

raspberries

brussel sprouts

 

tea with almond milk (compliant!)

 

Lunch:

 

3 eggs, with scallions

1 C sugar snap peas

1 C watermelon

1/2 avocado

5 slices of compliant WF bacon

 

Dinner

2 chicken thighs (nomnom Paleo's fiona's ....recipe)

slices of avocado

steamed kale with garlic, lemon and olive oil

watermeon

1/4 lara bar

 

yes, I had watermelon with each meal. I do love it. It is so cleansing, or at least I imagine it so. Especially in this Arizona heat I feel like it cools me.  But I know I need to lay off.  Maybe its the impending period (still late!!)??