Abby's Whole 30- September 23 start!

[blueabz]

Hello everyone!

 

I am here because I am lost I started Whole 30 today and I am doing well with only eating compliant foods, but I am just not convinced I am doing it right. So I figure I can track my meals and progress here, and hopefully get some feedback! PLEASE feel free to share your thoughts with me !

 

I guess I'll start with my story. My husband and I got married on September 7, but we've been together for 6 years. I have gone through phases of healthy eating, but he was typically not on the healthy eating wagon with me, which made it hard. He was always into working out. So when he got back from his deployment in March, in preparation for our wedding and in continuation of some habits, we were finally BOTH working out and eating pretty well. We weren't doing any specific diet, just trying to eat less processed food and eat at home most of the time. We also workout 6 days a week, lifting weights on 3 days and cardio for 3 days. This past weekend, we did the Air Force Marathon-----he ran the full marathon and I ran the half.

 

My main goal is to lose weight and FEEL better. Now that i have spent 6 months really trying to eat more whole foods, I notice I feel like crap when I eat more processed food. But if I slip processed food into my snacks or into a meal, without over doing it, I don't feel noticeably worse. So I have been overall eating poorly for the last month or so. I needed a challenge like this to jump start me again, and to fight the stereotypical "Oh we got married, let's gain weight now"

 

My husband is in the best physical shape of his life. He has about 6% body fat, to put it in some perspective. I, however, am still about 30 lbs away from my "goal weight" and definitely not at my goal body for vanity and health purposes.

 

 

 

SOOOOO.....here I am I look forward to your feedback.

 

 

Day 1!

 

Breakfast: 4 egg muffins. I made 10 muffins out of 6 eggs, so about 2.5 eggs. They were filled with broccoli, green pepper and orange bell pepper, as well as salt and pepper to taste. I was super hungry by lunch, but had not brought a snack with me in the morning to work so I didn't have an opportunity to snack.

 

Lunch: Salad. Probably 2 cups of spinach, cut up baby carrots, grape tomatoes, broccoli, 1/2 avocado, and one broken up egg muffin. I topped it with EVOO and balsamic vinegar (although I almost accidentally topped it with my usual dressing!)  I also had 1-2 cups of fresh mixed berries--- raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries

 

Snack: Apple

 

Dinner: I haven't eaten it yet, but the crockpot is cooking away! http://paleomg.com/leftovers-rump-roast/ is the recipe I made. I think I am going to steam some broccoli and carrots to eat with it.

 

 

 

I am confused as to how much fat I am supposed to have with each meal. And really, what else I am supposed to be doing besides 1-2 palms of protein and filling the rest of the plate with veggies.

 

I am also struggling mentally to think of breakfast options. For lunch, I typically do a salad......I can be happy with a salad every day of the week for lunch.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

[Tom Denham]

Breakfast sounded good and supper sounds good. Lunch sounds way too light on protein. One egg muffin does not provide enough protein. Maybe add a can of tuna packed in olive oil to that salad to get enough protein. 

 

You need to make sure you have some fat at every meal. Cooking fat is often not enough fat for a meal. You need fat in your protein or added fat like olives, avocado, or nuts. 

 

There really isn't much else besides 1-2 palms of protein and a plateful of veggies unless you workout. Then you would add pre- and post-workout meals.

[GFChris]

What Tom said. 

 

In addition, your snacks should be a mini-meal, including a protein and fat.

[blueabz]

Thanks for the feedback! I am tweaking things, and I really appreciate it

 

Today so far.....

 

breakfast: 5 egg muffins, so about 3 eggs, plus the veggies I put in.

 

lunch: spinach salad, carrots, grape tomatoes, avocado, and two hardboiled eggs. Topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Same as yesterday, except i added the two eggs to up the protein.

 

dinner::: going to be Tandoori Chicken  http://myheartbeets.com/tandoori-chicken-paleo/ .........I'm not sure what veggies to do with it, though. I don't cook indian food usually.

[blueabz]

The chicken was really good! We did more steamed veggies with it, and I ate a serving of cashews for fat.

 

I also had some cashews this afternoon with an apple. I know I should have had some protein if I was going to snack, but I am still struggling with that post meal desire to have something sweet. I also struggle after work, cause i normally grab something light after work before we make dinner.

 

But I'm making progress and haven't eaten anything non-compliant.

 

I am majorly feeling the "carb flu" I read about though. I have had a dull ache in my head all day and feel fuzzy. I am ready for this feeling to pass. If nothing else, it's actually sort of motivating for me. I don't like feeling so dependent on anything.

[amberino21]

If you snacked in the afternoon because you were hungry, you might want to consider having a bigger breakfast or lunch tomorrow - you could have some more vegies and fat with your egg muffins (perhaps a salad, and some mayo or avo?), or add some more protein to lunch. A serve of eggs is as many as you can hold, you may find that's 3-4!

Many people comment that a more substantial breakfast keeps them feeling more satisfied throughout the day compared to compensating for a lighter breakfast with a big lunch

Adding starchy vegie carbs may help with the fuzzy head, and energy levels - especially during the initial stages of your whole 30

[blueabz]

Thanks for the feedback! I find right now, I am struggling to keep enough food in the house! I am almost out of veggies from my Sunday grocery trip, so I feel like my meals are lacking.

 

I worked out this morning for the first time since the half marathon. Typically we work out 6 days a week, but we took a few days off. We lifted back and biceps, and it was tough. I felt a little drained. I had a hard boiled egg and some cashews before, and 2 hard boiled eggs after. I don't have any carb dense veggies like the template says to eat.

 

I am hoping my headache stays away today. By the end of yesterday, I was just ready to sleep.

 

I have my first challenge tonight.......dinner out for a friends birthday. I think I am going to eat beforehand, and then try to order just a super plain salad when I go out. We'll see.

[amberino21]

You have carrots!! They would count towards your starchy vegies for postWO. Sweet potatoes are my favourite though

I'd choose a different postWO protein - eggs are awesome for preWO, but a bit too much fat for postWO. Go for a meal sized portion of lean protein - chicken or turkey breast perhaps?

Good luck with the headache - here's the timeline, it might help you get through if you know what to expect:

http://whole9life.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

[blueabz]

I'm doing okay over here! I have stuck with compliant foods, but I'm not perfect at the meal planning template. I do my best and try to be better at it!

 

I had a couple terrible days where I was just so angry about the food I was missing. I enjoy having the timeline to look at, because even though I don't feel like I'm hitting it on the same days as it says, I have felt most of the symptoms/feelings at some point, and it's helpful in pinpointing it.

 

Day 11 is today. I am reaching a point where I am not quite so hopeless that this will never end. I am curious to see how I feel on day 30.

 

My husband and I had signed up for a bod pod on October 15, which is day 22 or 23 for me, I can't remember. We signed up prior to me deciding to do W30. So I am excited to see how my body fat looks during that. It will also be a weight update for me. I know we aren't supposed to weigh in during W30, but they are going to weigh me so I can't really help it. I've felt ok about breaking up with my scale, so I think it will be fine. And I am curious about my overall weight loss in the month.