Magpie's accountability log

[mnmagpie]

Day 1 of my whole 30 log.  I just jumped in yesterday and really didn't have a good breakfast planned out for today.  

 

Breakfast:  2 hardboiled eggs from pastured chickens.  

 

Lunch:  6 chicken drummies and cucumber and red onion slices dressed with organic EVOO and Organic raw-unfiltered apple cider vinegar.  

 

Supper:  6 oz 100% grass fed beef steak w/ cherry tomatoes, onions, orange bell pepper, and mushrooms sautéed in a little pork fat and flavored with organic EVOO and red wine vinegar.  Celtic sea salt was also added for taste,

 

I drank @ 6 glasses of water.  I kept my water intake down as I was kicking off some water weight and I sit really far away from the ladies room at work.

 

I really struggled with the cravings for chocolate today.  I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick up some veggies and had to bribe myself NOT to buy some dark chocolate.  ($5 a day for each success - I want to buy myself something pretty from time to time)  I do feel hungry but I think that has more to do with my body cutting down on sugar than from not getting adequate fat intake.  

 

But so far so good on day 1.

 

[Tom Denham]

I think you need to eat more. Compare what you ate today with the meal template recommendations: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

[mnmagpie]

Thank you for your feed back.  My breakfast was weak and my lunch was lighter than normal.  I made a very spontaneous decision to start the whole 30 today and did not have all my ducks lined up.

 

I did not specify my amounts but my lunch and supper portions filled my 11 inch plate.  I probably ate @ 2 cups of raw veggies at lunch and 4 cups of cooked veggies at supper.  For a visual think of how much room the steak would take up and then fill  the rest of the plate with cooked veggies.  I do not measure my fats I just use them it to taste and satiety.  My fat intake would probably stress out a SAD nutritionist.

[Susan W]

Just on what you and Tom have already shared. Start with protein. 1-2 palmfuls. Then 1-2 thumbsized amount of fat and the rest of the plate vegetables. It really does work.

[Susan W]

Just re-read your post. You got this.

[mnmagpie]

Day 2 of my Whole 30 log.  

 

I slept like a log last night which is unusual for me.  It's a good thing as I had a long, busy day of work.  

 

I got to the office at 6AM and jumped right in.  I work in accounting and we have our annual audit this week.  I also had a big deadline due at noon.  If anyone out there has gone through an audit you know that you are constantly getting interrupted by the auditors and being asked to provide them with information.  That does not work well with a looming deadline.  At 11:30AM I realized I was hungry - looked at the time and discovered I had blown through breakfast.  That was not intentional but a reflection of my busy day.  I grabbed a hard boiled egg and continued to work until I ate lunch @ 12:45.  I made my deadline and it appears the auditors will be finishing up a day early as my department is very organized and everything is moving smoothly.  That's always good news to get from the auditors.

 

Breakfast:  total failure - ate a hard bold egg at 11:30am.

 

Lunch:  a jumbo size bowl of homemade beef stew which contained a minimum of 4 oz beef, 2+ cups of cooked veggies including zucchini, onion, tomato, sweet potato, and tomatoes, and home made bone broth.  It was quite filling.  My lunch mates were laughing at the size of my bowl.  One of my co-workers had come back from a European vacation and brought in a beautiful box of fine Chocolates.  Normally I would have snarfed those babies up but I passed them by today.  My lunch mates were very kind and told me they did not taste that great.  I pretended not to notice them going back for seconds and eating the chocolate with relish.

 

I finished work @ 4:30.  It was a long but good day. 

 

Supper:  2 cups zucchini cut into long strips to resemble noodles, 1/2 large brandywine heirloom tomato, 1 and 1/2 cups sliced veggies (onion, yellow pepper, mushrooms)  sauté in a olive oil and oregano.  I heated up the zucchini in the microwave with a T of home made garlic scape basil pesto (garlic scape, basil, pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt and pepper).  tossed the zucchini mixture with the veggie mixture and threw the tomatoes on top.  I served this with 6 oz of sweet italian sausage.  Ingredient list for the uncured sausage is pork, water, salt, sherry wine, toasted fennel seed, garlic, organ, black pepper, and celery powder.  I actually made twice the amount listed and have packed up the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. 

 

 

A few personal stats @ me.  

9/8/11 weight:  166.5#

height:  5' 4"

Sex: female

Age:  57

 

My highest weight was 211#.  Before I started eating primally I was the typical yo yo dieter.  I tried them all: WW, Mediterranean, dash, etc.    I'd lose the weight, find that the diet was not sustainable for me and then gain it back.  By February of this year I had gained most the weight I had lost back and was at 200 and expanding.  Then I saw a documentary on Public TV about exercise and diet.  The segment on intermittent fasting fascinated me  I started researching it and ended up learning about paleo.  It made sense.  I kept hearing about the whole 30 through my paleo research and picked up the book.  Since then I have effortlessly dropped 33# - 10 of it on my previous whole 30 in May.  The last month I have been sneaking in the chocolate and decided it was time to go clean again.

 

I plan on posting my food intake daily.  I am doing that for me - to be accountable.  It will probably be yawn inducing for anyone reading it.   I will also reveal more about myself as we go along.  I have had some real health scares in my life which I will discuss in the next few days.  So if you are interested scan through the boring stuff and move down the page to the musings.  Of course since I work in accounting that other stuff may be pretty dull as well.

 

Thanks for stopping by Susan - one of the nicest people I know is named Susan.  It's a good name.

 

I welcome comments so please feel free to say howdy.  

 

Magpie

[mnmagpie]

Day 3

 

Breakfast:  1 hard boiled egg and 1 cup raspberries.

 

Lunch:  2 cups mixed veggies and 3 oz sweet Italian sausage.  Leftovers from last nights supper - see day 2 for details

 

Supper:  Hamburger hash -  7 oz 100% grass fed beef hamburger, 2 cups veggies - onions, banana peppers, mushrooms, Jalapeño pepper, and 1.5 cups tomatoes.  Seasoned with Celtic sea salt, black pepper, and oregano.  All the veggies but the mushrooms were grown in my garden.  

 

I'm not much of a breakfast person so I really made a point of eating it today.  I packed more eggs but just couldn't go there this morning.    I do much better with breakfast on week-ends when I don't get up so early.  I get up at 4:30 AM and start work by 6AM.  To a degree I need to listen to my body and honor it.  This isn't going to work if I have to force myself to eat when there is no desire to do so.  I also am dealing with some intestinal irritation.  I think that is related to the increase of vegetables by a cup or so a day.  I will play with that in the next couple of days.  

 

$15 earned so far  When I make the whole 30 days I will be able to by myself something really fun!  

 

I miss bacon

[Physibeth]

Eating M1 to the template is so very very important to getting your hormones properly balanced. If you have a hard time eating in the morning what I would suggest is planning a template meal 1 (doesn't have to be breakfast food) and eating as much of it as you can with in an hour of waking. Save the leftovers to eat as a mini meal later. When your body isn't regulating itself correctly there actually is a little forcing that needs to happen. The reason breakfast is so important is you are literally breaking your fast. When you feed your body within an hour of waking rather than making it wait another 5-6 hours to eat you are assuring it that you just slept and are not trying to starve it. 

 

Personally when I don't feel like eating I eat anyway if it as been at least 5 hours since my last meal. This has worked really well for me.

 

On the intestinal irritation are you eating a lot of raw veggies? If so try eating more cooked for a while. 

[amberino21]

It may be difficult for you to eat breakfast initially if its not something you're used to - making yourself eat will help your body, and you will get more used to eating. Try to have smaller meals, but make sure they fit the template and include protein fats and vegies over fruit.

You could make yourself a proper sized meal, eat as much as possible then eat the rest between breakfast and lunch?

If you've been having lots of raw vegies, try cooking them, or change varieties. You mention lots of tomatoes and capsicums - these can cause digestive issues in people, as can lots of onion and garlic

[mnmagpie]

Thanks for the responses - I was beginning to feel alone here as my posts have not had much interest from others.  

 

I have had 1 cup of raspberries in 3 days.  Is that an over consumption of fruit?  If it is that is not my understanding of the Whole 30 literature.  Page 192 of the book states to have 1 to 2 servings of fruit a day.  Standard measurements of a raspberry serving is 1/2 cup.  Page 158 list raspberries in the Best fruit choices category.  Because I have an issue with over consumption of sweets I am purposely keeping my fruit consumption low and focusing of veggies instead. 

 

I am eating @ 90% cooked veggies.  I have been eating paleo since February and the first thing I noticed was the difference in my digestive system.  I never realized that I had issues until I gave up grains.  I think my gut was actually in pretty bad shape pre-paleo eating.  Makes sense as gluton sensitivity (possible celiacs - but family members affected don't want to go back on grains to be tested)  runs in my family.  So even though my gut is churning it is much better than pre no grains eating.  I am much more aware of it now and know what healthy should feel like.

 

The types of veggies could be one issue as suggested esp. if leaky gut is an issue.  I do eat a lot of tomatoes and onions.  I eat my heirloom brandywine and purple cherokee tomatoes raw - but always cook the paste tomatoes and onions.   As I stated above I eat @ 90% cooked veggies.  I grow amazing garlic in my garden but much of it goes to my son.  Except for the garlic scape I haven't eaten my own garlic yet.  I'm not sure if the same rules apply to the scape as it is more vegetative than the bulb.  At any rate I have only consumed a small amount of garlic scape basil pesto and the digestive issues started before that consumption.

[amberino21]

There is nothin wrong with including fruit in your intake daily, but it shouldn't replace vegetables in your meal. You should include fruit as part of a meal, or straight after a meal if you have room after you've eaten a decent meal that fits the template.

I try to spread my serves out over the day - I may have one serve (closed fist size) after one or two meals.

Nightshades cause issues, and also FODMAPs. Perhaps look these two things up and see if you've noticed digestive issues eating things on one list or the other - it may be a case of trying to avoid one list for a period to see if your symptoms subside.

You could also try digestive issues - I was having issues prior to and during my whole 30 that have decreased significantly since taking digestive enzymes. My tummy is much happier!

[mnmagpie]

Day 4:

 

Breakfast:  3oz Italian sausage and 1/2 cup raspberries.  See day 2 supper for sausage details.

 

Lunch:  Hamburger hash - see day 3 supper for details.

 

Supper:  4 oz wild caught sardines packed in olive oil.  2 cups greek salad.  Ingredients:  tomato, red onion, cucumber, yellow pepper, greek olives and lemon peal.  dressing ingredients:  EVOO, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, black pepper.  Banana.  I tried to slow down my eating and chew more hoping this will have a positive effect on my digestion.  This was pretty tasty so was easy to do.

 

I realize my supper was raw veggies and this may not be the best choice per yesterdays discussions, but I really want to use up my garden produce as I had a beautiful cucumber calling my name.  It won't be long before I will have to get my produce at the store.  And quite frankly there is a huge difference between even the best store produce and fresh picked garden veggies.   

 

I have been taking magnesium for severe night time leg cramps.  I know that magnesium can cause loose stools so last night I skipped my magnesium and I will do so tonight as well.  If the leg cramps come back I will go to plan B.  I felt a little better digestive wise today but I forced myself to eat my breakfast as I felt a bit gaggy.  Tomorrow I will be getting up later so I will be eating a typical week-end breakfast.  I'm starting to taste the natural sweetness of my food again.  If I hadn't made it myself I would have thought I put honey in the salad dressing.  

[mnmagpie]

Day 5

 

Breakfast:  3 egg omelet with mushrooms, onions, banana pepper, and basil cooked in pork fat.

 

Lunch:  4 oz wild caught sardines, 1.5 cups greek salad - see day 4 supper menu.

 

Supper:  4 oz sirloin steak, 1.5 cups greek salad - see day 4 menu, 1 Minnesota midget melon (Minnesota Midget Melon was developed at the U of MN in 1947 specifically for a cold climate.  It grows to @ 4in in diameter or about the size of an apple).

 

I would have had a great night sleep last night but I was rudely woken by a painful leg cramp so its back to taking Magnesium for me.  My digestion has been much better today.  I suspect the issue was not the magnesium but just how my body was adjusting to a change in my diet.  I checked out the blog article today about the time line of what many experience on the whole 30.  During the time my intestines were gurgling corresponds to the time most people experience feeling sick.  If that's the case I came off pretty easy compared to some people.  But then my diet coming in the the whole 30 was pretty good.  (no grains, legume, seed oils, etc)  According to the time line I should just be getting over the ornery stage about now.  Fortunately I haven't felt that at all - but I did the first time I did the whole 30.  (did one in May)  Lets just say I'm glad my son still considers me his mother  I do plan on doing more research on leaky gut and FODMAPs.  With my family's history of issues of gluten intolerance and the many years I ate a SAD much damage could have been done.  

 

I do have a question if someone cares to address it.  Why is coffee OK to drink?  I really don't understand why it is considered a food and not a drug to be avoided.  Does it even have any nutritious value? My body can't tolerate coffee.  My heart starts to beat very fast and it trigger irregular heart beats.  

[mnmagpie]

Just did a little research to answer my own question.  It turns out the coffee is a great source of antioxidants.  It is believed to have health benefits such as reducing type 2 diabetes, reducing the risk of gallstones, discouraging the development of colon cancer,  improving cognitive function.  It also has negative health risks as well such as increasing blood pressure, triggering irregular heartbeats, and it is an addictive stimulant.  But here is the kicker:  10% of coffee is a protein that cross reacts with gluten antibodies.  What that means is that if you are gluten sensitive or celiac and are gluten or grain free drinking coffee could trigger the same gluten related health problems you are trying to avoid. Check out this article.  http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/gluten-issues-or-celiac-dont-drink-coffee/

[mnmagpie]

Day 6:

 

Brunch:  3 egg omelet stuffed with cherry tomatoes, red onion, yellow pepper, banana pepper, mushroom and basil.  Veggies were sauté in pork fat and then eggs added.  

 

Supper:  4 oz steak, 1 cup carrots slices steamed and sprinkled with ground coriander/fennel spice and drizzled with EVOO, 1 cup zucchini slices sauté in pork fat.  Steak and zucchini was flavored with salt and pepper.  1 small banana sliced, 1/2 cup raspberries.

 

I slept in today then was out and about most of the day.  I was offered food but it was not whole 30 compliant so I turned it down.  I would rather have only 2 meals than eat non-compliant food.

 

Even with reduced food intake I feel quite full and satisfied.  My gut also feels good - the irritation from a few days past is gone.

[mnmagpie]

Day 7:  

 

Breakfast:  3 egg omelet stuffed with onion, green pepper, tomato, and basil.  Veggies sauté in pork fat before eggs are added.

 

Lunch:  6 drummies, mixed greens salad with mix veggies and greek salad dressing (see day 4 supper menu)

 

Supper:  4 oz steak, sautéed mushrooms, and steamed carrots drizzled in EVOO and flavored w/ coriander/fennel spice mixture.

 

At this point I hope the reader realizes that my veggie portions are generous so I didn't list the cups eaten.  I was not hungry for supper but ate anyway.  I feel uber full right now.

 

I had a much easier time at my Restoration Yoga class today as my pain threshold was greater today.  I have secondary fibromylasia (secondary is when you know the cause) due to a serious car accident @ 20 years ago.  When I cut out grains back in February I noticed an almost immediate reduction in both muscular and joint pain.  The whole 30 brings that relief to an even deeper level.  What that means for my Yoga practice is that I can relax much deeper into the poses.

 

7 days down - $35 award $$

[mnmagpie]

Day 8:

 

Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs, 1 C cantaloup

 

Lunch:  4 oz steak, with a heathy dose of mushrooms sauté in pork fat, and carrot slices drizzled w/ EVOO and sprinkled with coriander/fennel spice, 3/4 C raspberries.

 

Supper:  4+ oz salmon, 2 C mix greens topped with 3/4 C greek salad (cucumber, pepper, tomato, purple onions, olives) dressed with EVOO, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice.

 

I am eyeballing the amount meat/fish I am eating and basing the oz on many years of dieting on the SAD where I weighed everything.  So it is possible that I am consuming more than 4 oz.  I am definitely not consuming less.

 

I am having less cravings for sugar/chocolate.  This is exactly what I am working towards.  When I first went paleo and gave up grains walking thru the local grocery stores artisanal bread section was difficult.  Now it holds no interest for me.  I want to get to that point when I walk thru the treat section.  I know there is the possibility that this may take more than 30 days to break those patterns.  For now I will focus on the 30....

 

$40 award bucks.

[mnmagpie]

Day 9:

 

I felt skinny today so I decided to jump on the scale to see where I was at.  Well the Goddess of Whole 30 conspired against me because the battery on my scale is dead!  I guess I'll have to shop for a new battery in 21 days

 

Breakfast:  3 egg omelet, stuffed with mushrooms, banana pepper, onion, and tomato sauté in pork fat.  

 

Lunch:  6 oz 100% grass fed hamburger, fried in its own fat with 1/3 onion, 2/3 C mushrooms, 1/3 jalapeño pepper,  1/2 C tomatoes, basil, and oregano.  This was served with greek salad ( see above menus) and 1 small banana.

 

Except for the mushrooms all veggies are from my garden.

 

Supper:  5 oz salmon, 1.5 cups greek salad (see previous days ingredients)

 

I am aware that I am not eating a huge variety of veggies right now.  Currently my Garden is my veggie source and it is almost done for the season .  I have a tree that received storm damage this summer and is nearly dead.  It will be cut down this spring.  I plan on expanding my garden into this area so next year I should be able to plant a larger selection of veggies.

 

I outsmarted the Goddess of Whole 30.  I tried on clothes today and I am down one size.  In all fairness I was close before I started the whole 30 but doing this challenge has help put me there

[mnmagpie]

Day 10:  

 

Breakfast:  2 hard boiled egg one MN midget cantaloup.  

 

I had a very busy work day and almost blew by this one.  I wasn't hungry but ate anyway.  No veggies - something for me to work on.

 

Lunch:  2 Italian sausage @ 5 oz total.  On greek salad w/ tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, and olives dressed with red wine vinegar, EVOO, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

 

Supper:  Hamburger hash - 5 oz grass fed hamburger, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and peppers.  Spiced with garden fresh oregano and basil,  black pepper and celtic sea salt.  3/4 C garden fresh tomato added for good measure.

 

Hail storm moving this way.  I hope I don't get hit.  I have one of the best tomato crops ever and there are a lot of fruit on the vine not ripe enough to pick.  I have a lot frozen already which will be great additions to soups.  I plan on making soup to freeze for hardy workday lunch meals.  

 

Day 10 down  This is feeling pretty easy.  My sugar cravings are dramatically reduced.  My energy is increasing but getting a good night sleep is still sporadic.  

 

$50.00 earned.  

[mnmagpie]

DAY 11:

 

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 MN midget melon. (apple size)

 

Lunch:  3 cups mix greens salad with sliced strawberries. 1 oz chicken,  5 oz hamburger with mushrooms, onions, peppers, oregano, and basil

 

Supper:  6 chicken drummies, 2 cups green beans and carrots stir fried in coconut oil. 1 small banana

 

Stopped by the grocery store to pick up veggies.  Struggled a bit more today when I walked by the treats at the register.  The dark chocolate covered almonds were very tempting.  10 days isn't enough for me to overcome the sugar/chocolate cravings.  But I am stronger than I was before I started.

 

$55.00 earned.

[mnmagpie]

Day !2:

 

Breakfast:  3 egg omelet filled with cherry tomato, onion, mushroom, and bell pepper.  Seasoned with celtic sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

 

Lunch:  5 oz salmon with 1 1/2 C cucumber salad with sliced red onions.  Dressed with olive oil and organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

 

Supper:  6 drummies with  3/4 C cucumber salad and purple cherokee tomato slices drizzled with balsamic vinegar and EVOO.

 

I made the mistake of going to the groceries store when I was hungry.  I was tough passing the chocolate but I did it.  I still has work to do on those cravings!

 

$60.00 bonus bucks.

[mnmagpie]

Day 13:

 

I had a whole 30 failure today.  

 

No I did not eat any foods on the forbidden list.  

 

What I did do is not eat until supper.  I left the house this morning and realized I had complete forgot to eat breakfast.  My errands took longer than planned and whole 30 food was not available.  Funny thing is that I wasn't all that hungry and cravings didn't kick at all.  

 

Supper:  A big bowl of home made soup made with italian sausage, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, spinach and chicken broth, spiced with oregano, fennel, and basil.  A small banana. I checked the sausage ingredients carefully and they contained no off limit items.  The chicken broth was commercial but was sugar and gluten free.  Like the sausage all the ingredients are whole 30 approved and recognizable as actual food.  I just threw this soup together but I really wish I had measured my ingredients because it is one of the best soups I have every made.

 

So even though I did not follow all the whole 30 rules today I still feel as though I had a successful day.  Why - because what I did eat was on the whole 30 approved list.  I am not going to drive my self crazy or berate myself because I missed a couple of meals.  That would be emotionally destructive.  My purpose for doing whole 30 in the first place was to get my sugar cravings in line.  And I did have a successful day in that regard.

[Kathiii]

Is breakfast getting easier for you?  I ask because I also have a really terrible time getting food down.  I also wake up around 4:30 and leave for work at 6am.  If I eat or drink anything that early in the morning, it normally causes me to vomit (NOT the way I like to begin the day!).  I have been snacking on my breakfast once I get to work, sometimes finishing before lunch; usually not.  Have you had better success?  If so, what's the secret???

[mnmagpie]

Thanks for stopping by Kathiii.  I no longer have the intense reaction to breakfast that I did in the first couple of days however I have learned that on work days when I get up at 4:30 I can not eat right away.  I wait until after 8AM.  I don't seem to have an issue on my days off when I sleep until my body wakes up naturally.  I'm not sure I have any wisdom to share with you as to why things have gotten better but it may be in part due to body detoxification.  I have started reading up on FODMAPS and am paying attention to how my body reacts to certain foods.  For example I know that I do not handle hot peppers well.  I have been giving some thought to continuing the whole thirty beyond the 30 days and possibly eliminating the FODMAPS food to see if that has any effect on my digestion.  With out getting in to graphic details I do not think my elimination system has normalized yet.  

[mnmagpie]

Day 14:

 

Breakfast:  3 egg omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and bell pepper.  Veggies sauté with pork fat then eggs poured in.

 

Lunch:  5 oz salmon, 1 cup green beans sauté in pork fat, 1+ cup of cucumber salad (see day 12).

 

Supper:  1 large bowl of Italian sausage soup,  See ingredient list on day 13.  

 

$70.00 bonus bucks earned.  Awarded myself today with a pair of stud earrings.  After all a woman can never have too many studs in her life