Knoonell whole30 December 6-January 6

[Knoonell]

It's day 4 of my Whole30 and if I don't write this stuff down I'll go crazy.

 

I found out about the Paleo lifestyle in november and did pretty much 80/20 for two weeks before Tgiving. I thoroughly enjoyed food for the Tgiving weekend and went straight back to paleo the following Monday. but after all that i still felt like i had absolutely no energy.  I found the Whole30 program and decided right there that If i was going to do this I should do it right.

 

Like the program said, i started the very next day.  I cleaned out the fridge and the cupboards and made room for lots of good food.  Unfortunately, we didn't have the funds for me to grocery shop yet so i have been relying on the food I had bought for my paleo diet in november.  Even so, I have managed to keep to the program for the past four days.  Hang on momma, payday's comin'!

 

Day one was pretty easy since I had eased myself into the program already.  My only struggle was coffee.  I decided to give up coffee since i could not stand the stuff without milk and sugar.  I had been using honey to sweeten it in november but that wasn't gonna fly anymore.  I couldn't see that coffee would meet the four criteria anyway so, it's gone.  Day one's headache wasn't bad.  i guess I was lucky.

 

Day two I had a low grade headache all day.  I got up late so I didn't get a chance to eat M1 for about three hours.  Since i am not a breakfast eater usuually, i had not problem with this, although I know I have to reset my internal clock so i have made it a goal to eat M1 within an hour of rising from now on.

 

Day three was similar to day 2.  Low grade headache all day.  No energy or ambition.  I also have a bad habit of staying up late and then needing a nap in the afternoon.  I have found myself waking at about midnight feeling very hungry.  So hungry that fish and broccoli sounds like a feast.  i have gotten up for the past few nights and eaten a small handful of pecans or almonds.  That has been enough to let me go back to sleep for the rest of the night.  For dinner on day four I helped myself to a larger meat and fat portion.  It was strange, after dinner I felt physically full but not satiated.

 

Day four Now I know what is meant by the Low Carb flu.  I had to run errands and the whole time I felt like I had been hit by a truck.  The low grade headache is still here.  I have no energy and no desire to do anything.  The good news is that I was able to go to bed at a healthy time last night and slept through until morning.  I did still take a nap this afternoon but it was much shorter than my usual lengthy snooze.

 

I plan to post my progress for the whole 30 days.  Stay tuned for day 5!

 

 

[Knoonell]

Ugh!  I hate the nights!

 

It's 1:30 and I can't sleep.  My head aches.  My legs ache.  I can't get comfortable.  The snoring next to me isn't helping either.  I'm not hungry though.  That's an improvement.  But the achiness is driving me crazy. It feels like I have restless leg syndrome.  I have had RLS in the past but it has been years since it last bothered me.  I'm chalking it up to the program but that doesn't make it any easier to go back to sleep.

 

[amberino21]

Sorry to hear you're up and awake....you could be deficient in magnesium. Supplementing with magnesium will likely help your leg aches and sleep

[Knoonell]

Thanks for the suggestion, amberino.  I have thought about this.  My daily supplement, however gives me 200mg of Mg twice a day.  How much should bee enough and how much should be too much?

 

I also know that I am not getting enough veggies.  (Soo many bad habits to conquer all at once! ) I have started at M1 this morning measuring out 2-3 cups of veggies to be sure i get enough.  It sure looks like a lot on the plate!

[melbournegirl]

Great start knoonell. Coffees a beast to get over, takes me two weeks. I get that full but hungry feeling when I am detoxing. Make sure your getting enough fat helps. I am on day 12 with only one coffee and a small sugarfestafter my prior whole30 which finished 30 th nov. just thinking now how glad I am to be coffee free, really feeling the benefits at last re sleep, lack of cravings, and weight loss finally.

[Knoonell]

Thanks for the pep talk melbournegirl!  Today I am feeling a bit better.  Head still aches but it doesn't stop me from getting things done.  so one coffee and a bit of sugar were your go-to treats after 30 days of whole food huh?  Right now I'm imagining my splurge would be some cheddar cheese and a piece of chocolate cake. Or maybe a big plate of nachos with sour cream and pinto beans. Or.......

 

Okay, I'm back.

 

A little about me:

 

I'm just shy of 50 yo, a SAH mother of three and wife to a recovering alcoholic  I have about 50 pounds that i would like to shed and had made it a goal to lose a pound a week starting November 1st.  My actual plan to get rid of the weight took a little more time but i am happy to say I am headed in the right direction.  My other greatest frustration is my slowly diminishing energy and creativity levels.  My past seven years have been quite draining in that our family adopted a very high maintenance child.  It has taken years but I am finally feeling like we have a working routine in place that is healthy for him, for me and for the rest of the family.  i know that i should be giving myself time to recover from the work that was involved but I am feeling like I haven't even enough energy to keep the household running, let alone take time to garden or decorate or even socialize.  

 

I have become quite a napper, usually taking a 2 hour nap while the kids are at school.  I have no guilt for doing this but I am disappointed that it eats up time I could be spending doing fun things like working outside in the garden, or walking or running with friends.

 

I am definitely a carbaholic.  My go-to food has been crackers, chips, granola, cookies, anything i can find in the cupboard.  I usually buy this stuff for the kids to take with their lunches but much of it never lasts long enough for lunches.  I also like cheese, sour cream, ice cream, butter.  I have never noticed a problem with dairy and usually drink two or three glasses of milk a day.  

 

I am also a late night snacker.  My 'me' time is usually after all the kids are in bed (hubby too).  I help myself to a bowl of ice cream or a plate of nachos and either knit or read or watch a movie.

 

My objectives for my Whole30 are:  

• To move away from grains and dairy and develop a habit of eating predominantly vegetables with healthy meats and fats.
• To restore a habit of three meals a day with little to no snacking.
• To restore a regular sleep cycle with plenty of rest at night and no need for naps during the day.
• To allow my metabolism to reset to a more healthy state so that I can investigate how different foods affect me.

My goals for using the Whole30 are:

• To lose a minimum of a pound a week while on the program
• To increase my energy levels during the day
• To improve my sleep routine at night.

[moh4m]

Hey there! I am doing my whole30 in December also

I started supplementing with magnesium last year because I was having trouble sleeping but the oral supplement didn't make a difference. I switched to magnesium "oil" that you rub on your skin (Ancient Minerals brand). I can feel it almost immediately. Apparently it's hard for the digestive tract to absorb, and the skin is a much more efficient way of taking it in. I've heard epsom salt baths work well too. Good luck !

[Knoonell]

thanks for the tip, m0h4m.  Today is grocery shopping day.  I'll try the health food store for Mg oil.  If that doesn't work I have epsom salts at home.  A hot bath does sound nice.  it's supposed to be very cold today.

[Knoonell]

It's D7.  Things are looking up a bit.

 

i spent hours yesterday grocery shopping.  I used to like to shop when i was younger.  I. have. NO. idea why.

 

First stop was the big box store, you know, the one with delicious samples at the end of every other aisle.  Nearly every single sample was of bread or dairy of some sort.  Boy did they look good.

 

I stared at each of those morsels with literal defiance.  I tasted them with my eyes only and said "You're not nearly good enough for me to give in.  I'm movin' on baby!"

 

Then there was the aisle where I could smell the delicious scent of cinnamon and vanilla and just knew it was some decadent dessert just out of the (toaster) oven.  I drew that smell in deeply.  I thoroughly devoured the taste of that sweet thing with my nose.  And I realized that I didn't need to put even a small bite in my mouth to actually enjoy the experience.

 

I just kept walking.

 

I did get to taste a sample of bacon, all by itself.  I took small bites of my little treasure and enjoyed both the smoky flavor and the crunch in my mouth.  Then I found a cart sampling roasted tomatoes.  I have never tried roasted tomatoes.  That taste was fun.  As I held the piece in my mouth I listed many ways that this little treat could add to my recipes.  Salads, omelets, cooked veggies, stews.  I think I found my replacement for spongy winter tomatoes!

 

So that part of the journey was quite rewarding.  Then, I hit the regular grocery store.

 

Tell me, why do they have to put sugar in everything!!

 

In salsa?  In sausage?  In canned veggies?    Even the items in the health food section were ruled out.  In fact some of the items I found on the conventional shelves were more compliant than a similar item in the health food section.  Another testament to the crazy ways people define healthy.

 

I left that store with strained eyes and sore feet and headed to the local Vitamin and Health Food store.

 

I figured I could finish my shopping here and find all the things that were left on my list.  

 

To their credit, I did find several items that the other stores lacked: coconut aminos, iodized sea salt, , and others.  But they didn't have some of the things i would have thought were staples, like almond flour, ghee and coconut butter.  And they were fresh out of the topical Mg that i was looking for.  That is now on order but they couldn't say how long it will take.  

 

Small town living has it's ups and downs, I guess.  At least we have a local store.

 

I now feel like I have truly had the hunter gatherer rite of passage and can now call myself a full fledged cavewoman.

 

And I have earned my deep sleep and vivid dreams.

[melbournegirl]

I'm a slow learner knoonell in that it has taken me most of the year and about 5 whole30's to get to the stage where my health and goals are more important than the end of whole30 celebrations... I had planned to do a 60 so you could say my breakout was a failure but not really because I am really enjoying how easy everything it at the moment with my sleep, eating and exercise in a really nice, balanced rhythm! Maybe I'm lucky that dairy, grains and legumes make me so sick... I used to compensate on whole30's by overeating compliant healthy and not so healthy (nuts, seeds, dried fruit) foods but without coffee and sugar bombs I eat, sleep and exercise better.

Good luck for your goals, I hope this does bring you a way to get more out of life!

[Knoonell]

So this is day four take two.  

 

I got to day 13 and then Christmas moved in and I couldn't resist all those cookies!  After a few days of politely nibbling cookies i made a big pan of cinnamon rolls for Christmas day and joined the family in thoroughly enjoying it.  by the next day my knees were achy all over again and i was lethargic.

 

So this time i got DD to join me in a Whole30.  Misery loves company.  And i figure i will be stronger for her and that will help me.  

 

DD is 15 and has been struggling with pain in her knees for almost a year.  PT has not helped.  Since i noticed the pain in my old knees disappearing after two weeks I thought we should try it for her.

 

This time around was similar to the first but much easier.  I endured only two days of headaches though, instead of a full week.  That may be due to the lack of coffee in my diet since my first attempt.  I also didn't have as much trouble falling asleep; no leg pain and no midnight hunger pangs.  No real crabbiness either.

 

DD is struggling right now though.  She is a bit picky in her eating.  i am making her stretch a bit.  Today I cut up some leftover ham and added it to a salad, then actually put some olive oil and balsamic over it.  She has always turned up her nose to salad dressing of any kind and thinks meat in a salad is disgusting.  

 

She actually like the balsamic.  But the meat in a salad will take a bit more time.  I also have to get her to see more possibilities for breakfast besides eggs and bacon.  But I'll leave that for another few days while she works her way through these first few hard days.