Sept 22 - begining the journey

[ChickenNoodle]

So far day one has been un-eventful, which seems pretty standard from what I have read.

I am doing this w30 mainly to shake my sugar habit but also to clean up some bad habits that have creeped into my otherwise pretty good diet. My DDs (22 & 20) are joining me, not yet sure about hubby as he is out of town.

M1- eggs, zuccini & mushrooms w/compliant sausage and bacon (need to find other alternatives...I am not an egg lover)

Cup of black coffee ( a new challenge, but not as bad as expected)

M2- large salad with ground beef, 1/2 Avo, carrots, olives, extra virgin olive oil and lime. (My favorite salad)

Post work out snack- hard boiled egg and handful of grapes

M3- baked chicken w/ a chunk of sweet pot (girls had zuccini as well)

Went out for a walk/run....I had no gas in the tank, but I also hadn't been out in a couple months due to an injury.

Bed at nine, little trouble falling asleep. Up at 4 with a whiney dog, back to bed til 5:10.

Time to get up and prep lunches and breakfast!

[amberino21]

Hi! How nice that your daughters are doing this with you

You meals look pretty good - you could have perhaps added a few more vegies to dinner, and additional fat may have been a good idea. I aim for 2-3 cups of vegies per meal.

With your postWO meal, try to go for a meal sized portion of lean protein and starchy vegie carbs with little to no fat. Eggs are great for preWO but a bit much fat for afterwards, and fruit isn't the best choice.

[ChickenNoodle]

Amberino, thanks for the feedback. Lots of adjustments with the removal of dairy! I typically would have had a sting cheese before my run and a protien shake after. Thank you for the advice :-)

I did work out close to dinner, had my PWO snack and then dinner was ready about an 1 1/2 later. I know that I needed more veg but I just wasn't hungry. How can I add additional fat? I am so used to leaning on dairy, I need some alternatives!

I am struggling with my morning routine, but I think I will post that in Trouble shooting so that I can get more feedback than I would here.

Putting Kahlua pork in the crock shortly, then headed off to swim. Hopefully I will muster up a bit more energy for that!

[amberino21]

Do you have a copy of the meal template? There are lots of fat suggestions with portion sizes on there:

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

[ChickenNoodle]

Day 2 was long, and I felt a bit depleted a good part of the day but not too bad. I decided to skip my swim because I just didn't really have the energy and I knew it would be a lousy swim. Mid afternoon brought a mild headache.

Slept well,although that has never been an issue :-)

M1- a struggle...hardboiled egg, carrots, cuke, a couple sausages. I know this was not enough calories, but it is a work in progress.

Snack- few macadamias and a few grapes

M2- taco salad- load of greens, red bell, carrot, 1/2 Avo, ground beef, olives, lime and EVOO

Per dinner snack- needed to alleviate my headache and dinner was going to be late so I had a 1/2 serving of pork and 1/2 of an orange

M3- Kahlua pork, roasted acorn squash and roasted broccoli

Now it is the morning of Day 3, I am drinking some water as I prepare to start my day. Yesterday it became apparent that I am using sugar as much more of a crutch than I realized. A lot of my low energy/feeling depleted were moments when I would reach for a snack or an afternoon cappuccino. Very eye opening. Not sure how to increase my energy levels without reaching for food or caffeine, any advice on that would be much appreciated.

[amberino21]

Sticking to the template for all meals (and snacks if you're actually hungry between meals), including plenty of good fats and starchy vegie carbs should help with energy levels. Staying hydrated also helps.

That said, you will likely feel a lot less energetic than normal in the first couple of weeks - eating well is especially important when you're first starting!

[ChickenNoodle]

Thanks Amberino, I appreciate the support :-)

I understand there is a learning curve so I am being patient and tweaking things as we go. I am trying a bullet proof coffee this morning. Not bad actually, a little better than plain black...so very do-able!

I tried to eat an hour after I got up but my stomach couldn't handle pork, acorn squash and broccoli. I felt nauseous for a while after that. But I did choke down enough to count as a mini meal and maybe that is the best approach to my morning meals...plan a mini meal to eat while prepping lunches and everyone else's breakfast, then when I get back home from dropping DD at school at 8am have a proper breakfast? Thoughts?

[SimpleNotEasy]

Hi Chicken Noodle,

 

Sounds like you are off to a good start of making changes with Whole 30. Keep up the good work!

 

I often just have my coffee (I use coconut milk in it) first in the mornings while I prep kids lunches, etc. then eat my breakfast after I get them off. I'll be curious to see what Amberino says in response to your query. 

 

Are you doing bulletproof with butter like Dave Aspry talks about? Or just MCT oil to keep it Whole 30 compliant?

 

Hope you start to feel more energetic as you body adjusts to no sugar. Hang in there!

 

Sara

[ChickenNoodle]

Thanks SimpleNotEasy.....I am doing clarified butter and coconut oil. Should still be compliant right? I might try coconut butter tomorrow but I have in the past (unblinded though) and I didn't like it....but maybe blended would be better.

Feeling really good so far today! So much better than yesterday. Went for a walk/ run with hubby and was famished when we go home, but we are going to a 4:00 dinner tonight so I made my post WO snack more meal sized but simple...chicken and watermelon.. I know 'where's the veg?' I will eat more veg at dinner. Boy that melon tasted like sugar crack! So good ice cold on a hot day!

Not sure what I will find for dinner, that may be a challenge, but I am committed. :-)

[ChickenNoodle]

Good morning Day 4!

Not much planned today, a swim for sure and plan to roast a chicken for dinner tonight.

Day 3 went better than anticipated. Felt better than I did on Day 2 when I was really dragging.

Meals for Day 3 (yesterday):

M1- pork, broccoli, acorn squash

Meal 2- chicken breast and watermelon (late post WO meal to be followed by an early dinner)

M3- BLT salad with chicken, topped with EVOO, red wine vinegar and tapenade.

I did have an energy slump in the afternoon that came with a dull headache again. Lasted until our early dinner. Thankfully went away because we went to our local Major League Baseball game to see our DDs choir sing the National Anthem. No beer, no Cracker Jacks...was perfectly content with water and my little bag of almond/macadamia nuts. Not a balanced snack but it worked ;-)

Felt pretty good all day and energy was better, until the afternoon.

Looking forward to the day, hope everyone has a great one!

[ChickenNoodle]

So far this morning is turning out to be more of a 'kill everyone' kind of a day. Hoping things get better quickly!

[ChickenNoodle]

Welcome Day 5!

Yesterday (day4) had some ups and downs, most of the downs were in the early morning in the rush to get everyone fed and out the door. The rest of the day was pretty smooth, a little slump before lunch but I perked up with meal of cucumber slices with chicken and tapenade on top...almost immediately the mental flog cleared and I felt normal. Could this mean I am not consuming enough salt?

BP coffee

M1- hard boiled egg, handful baby carrots and the dreaded smoothie (coconut milk 2/3c frozen spinach 1/3c blueberries)

M2- cuke, chicken, tapenade, grapes

Snack- macadamias and a few grapes

M3- Homemade butternut squash soup w/ sautéed chile/lime shrimp. Sooo good, although not really enough fat, just the chicken broth and the coconut oil that I sautéed the shrimp in

Writing this out the folowing day is hard, hope I am not forgetting anything!

Over all I felt better that previous days, I slept well although I woke up an hour early...thank you to my dog.

This morning the heavy mental fog/disorientation I have been battling every morning was gone yay!

[SimpleNotEasy]

Hi Chicken Noodle -

Good job days 1-4!

Ghee or clarified butter is compliant as I understand it, so your bulletproof coffee should be good.

Just a thought... So if you dread the smoothie, how about having spinach sauted with a little onion or garlic or by itself in some coconut oil with your eggs instead? Also, I am pretty sure you should eat at least 2 if not 3 eggs to get enough protein.

Yay for mental clarity! Keep up the good work.

[ChickenNoodle]

SimpleNotEasy....I don't dread the smoothie, I love the smoothie and it is my typical pre-W30 breakfast. I say dreaded because it is sort of a no no on W30....we should eat not drink our food. Mornings and breakfast are hard for me, so I modified my smoothie to exclude the kefir and banana. If I ate it all separately in solid form it would be more compliant, but technically all the ingredients are and if fit my need yesterday so I drank it :-)

[ChickenNoodle]

Meals for Day 5

Meal1- 4 apple slices w/almond butter, butternut squash soup w/ chile lime shrimp, BP coffee

Meal2- green deviled egg (mashed the yolk with Avo, lime, salt &jalepenos -soo good!) sliced heirloom tomato w/EVOO and sea salt, cuke slices topped with chicken tapenade, 2 small slices cantaloupe, vanilla chai tea w/ coconut milk

Snack- tea w/coconut milk

Meal3- chicken fajita nachos ( chicken, salsa, guac,olives, jalepenos inside mini roasted peppers) soooo good!

Feeling really great today :-)

[ChickenNoodle]

Good morning Day 6!

I felt great all day yesterday, no afternoon slump, energy was stable. Ate well and felt satisfied all day. I feel like we are hitting our stride and doing very well.

My only concern is my DDs been feeling faint when she stands up ( from sitting) I was sure it was low blood pressure, so we pulled out Hubby's BP cuff and checked her.....98/60. Pretty low, she is 5'8" and 128#. We plan to increase her water and salt intake to see if that helps. Anyone else have this issue?

I am making more butternut soup today, got all the veggies prepped, just need to get some stock going. We really enjoyed it!


Pre breakfast snack- 4 apple slices w/ salted almond butter

M1- BP coffee, pre work out smoothie (1/2c coconut milk, 1/2 c blueberries, 1c froz spinach)

M2-chicken fajita nachos, topped with guac and jalepenos

M3- grilled skirt steak w/ homemade chimichurri, 1/2 sweet pot, tomatoes & cukes w/EVOO 

This morning has been great , second day of no fog, I guess my body is adapting.

[amberino21]

Remember to try and make your meals and snacks fit the template - your "pre breakfast" and meal 1 contained no protein and very little vegetable.

As a preWO, your smoothie doesn't fit the template - it should be fat and protein. If that was your preWO, where's postWO and meal 1? Your body needs the extra food to recover and refuel.

[ChickenNoodle]

Yes,I agree. This morning was poorly planned! I had not planned to work out and at the last minute decided to.

M2 was my post workout meal which doubled as lunch since I are at about noon.

I am stil trying to get the hang of the pre/post workout meal.

As for my pre breakfast snack...that is a work in progress but I am finding that I dont have time for a full meal at 6 am and a little snack with some fat/protein helps to tide me over until breakfast at about 8.

[amberino21]

Something small in the morning is great, but apple and nut butter is fruit/fat and no protein! The nut butter is primarily a fat source - it has a little protein but not enough to be considered a good protein source.

Your postWO should have little to no fat - it would be really beneficial for you to have a postWO of lean protein (meal sized portion) and starchy vegies immediately post training, then meal 2 a while afterwards.

[ChickenNoodle]

Ok I will keep that in mind and try to think things thru first.

 

Today has been the best of the 6. I have felt great, had great energy and feel good about this clean diet. While I am still fine tuning the protein/fat/carbs in my snacks and pre/post WO snacks...I think I am progressing quite smoothly along :-)

[ChickenNoodle]

Yay, Day 7!

Woke up feeling good, although my sleep was broken up my howling dog. Not sure what was up with him but every few hours he started howling, I was up at least 4 times. Ugh.

M1- BP coffee, skirt steak with chimichurri, sweet pot and 1/2 orange

M2- not yet sure

M3- chicken fajita nachos w/guac and chopped jalepenos, fruit. (Going to a family BBQ and bringing these little beauties for my daughters and I)

I feel like I am slimming down, but don't have a lot to spare, so hopefully things will balance out. My husband was so impressed with last night's dinner, he requested that I make the same thing for tailgating with friends on Sunday before the game. Yay for the Whole 30, you rock!

[GFChris]

Yay, Day 7!

Woke up feeling good, although my sleep was broken up my howling dog. Not sure what was up with him but every few hours he started howling, I was up at least 4 times. Ugh.

M1- BP coffee, skirt steak with chimichurri, sweet pot and 1/2 orange

M2- not yet sure

M3- chicken fajita nachos w/guac and chopped jalepenos, fruit. (Going to a family BBQ and bringing these little beauties for my daughters and I)

I feel like I am slimming down, but don't have a lot to spare, so hopefully things will balance out. My husband was so impressed with last night's dinner, he requested that I make the same thing for tailgating with friends on Sunday before the game. Yay for the Whole 30, you rock!

Out of curiosity, what did you use to make the nachos?

[ChickenNoodle]

Breezed the day 8 and am now on Day 9!

Spent the entire day yesterday at a pro football game. Tailgating with about 20 people for several hours before the game, beer flowing, big buffet table....and I breezed right thru! Brought beef strips to grill and some baked sweet pots thatI warmed on the grill, some cantaloupe and sliced tomatoes and my hubby and I were set.

Came home and had leftovers and a cup of tea. It was so nice not to come 1/2 hammered and unable to get any Sunday night chores done! Instead, I threw in some laundry did some lunch prep, made DD dinner

[ChickenNoodle]

"Out of curiosity, what did you use to make the nachos?"

Tortilla chips.

Just kidding :-). I sliced mini sweet peppers in half, drizzled with EVOO, salt & pepper, filled with leftover shredded chicken that was mixed with compliant salsa....popped into the oven for 15-20 mins. Topped with guac and chopped jalepenos. I found the recipe here and my DDs and I LOVE them, have made them twice already.

[ChickenNoodle]

I can't believe we are already on Day 10! I have to say that while there have been a few challenging moments, for the most part this has been much easier that I anticipated. i really thought I would be lost with out dairy and I find that I do not miss it one little bit. Sugar is another story!

Other observations are that I did not have hunger pangs early today for once. I did not even miss my 5am coffee....it now feels normal to grab a cup of water to sip while I catch up on the news and email. At least my morning coffee has moved from an involuntary 'must have to function' to something that I enjoy but get around to it when I am ready. That is pretty huge!

My tummy is definitely feeling plumper the last two days. I can tell that I have lost fat through my rib cage and there is less bulge around my bra strap,,,.but my belly is poofy. Hopefully that will go away in the next day or two...I think I need to eat more cooked veg...yesterday I ate a lot of raw veg and that may be a contributing factor,

BP coffee 7am

Pre WO snack - 8am Guac egg (hardboiled egg yolk mashed with guac and then spooned back into the egg)

Post WO snack - 9:45 cup of homemade butternut soup with left over chicken.

M1-?

When should I eat my first real meal?