August (and a bit) log

[apreston]

8:00 Coffee

8:30 A cup of lamb stew with mixed steamed veggies

1:30 Salad with a small can of salmon and vinaigrette

5:00 Cashew packet and carrots

8:00 Pork chop with cucumber/radish salad.

9:30 One lamb meatball (too tempting!)

[apreston]

Looks like it's lamb day...not that I'm complaining. Mmm, lamb. Not even all that tempted by the fresh croissants a coworker brought in, which is a first. Still ate too much (stress eating) at the end of the day, a very high protein day for me I guess.

8:00 Lamb meatballs in veggie gravy with wilted beet greens and coffee

1:00 Lamb stew with more wilted beet greens.

5:30 Basically breakfast + lunch without the greens.

[apreston]

11:00 Coffee, big pile of sauteed zucchini & onions, three eggs

2:00 half a small sweet potato with a spoonful of coconut oil

5:30 Garden salad, sauteed kale, the rest of the sweet potato with coconut oil

8:00 Meatballs! Both beef and pork, stocking up (and indulging)

[apreston]

Lots of cooking/work avoidance today. Trying to think of things I can travel with with a work trip at the end of the month, my intention is to stay on the Whole 30 even though I'll be right at 30 days then. Where I'll be working/staying is in the middle of a business park, between an Applebee's and an Olive Garden (neither of which I have ever eaten in nor do I plan to). I took a look at Google Maps and it looks like there's a Trader Joe's about a mile away, I'm going to try to hike on over there my first night (of three) to grab some groceries for my room. I'm thinking I should bring a cooler somehow. Anyway, the mac bark was invented when I started to panic about what I could bring for emergencies. It's basically cacao butter melted and mixed with chopped macs and a little salt. Very rich and a bit caffeinated, should hold off hunger in a pinch.

11:30 Coffee, three egg frittata with mixed veg and a few cut up meatballs

5:00 Snacky meal: One beet, kofta with a little mayo, a big fingerful of coconut oil/cacao butter mix I'm playing with, and a peach

8:00 More nibbles on things I'm making for the week: sauteed veg, a meatball, another beet, and my new favorite thing: savory macadamia bark.

[apreston]

Feeling very snacky today. Not a sweets craving, more of a salty/crunchy thing. I find myself starting to take my success in sticking with the Whole 30 for granted, this is when motivation to stay on the straight and narrow gets tough.

8:00 Coffee, beef & swiss chard frittata

11:30 Cup of asparagus soup

12:30 Half a (large) pork chop, sauteed kale, cauliflower mash and an orange

4:00 Packet of roasted cashews

7:00 Pork/sage/SP meatballs, chopped salad, all dressed in mayo and herbs

[apreston]

Waking up in the morning is getting tougher, I need to start setting an alarm to go to bed at night so I don't stay up too late. I lay there for 45 minutes this morning after my alarm went off, not good.

8:30 Coffee, beef & swiss chard frittata

10:00 More coffee

1:00 Half a (large) pork chop, sauteed kale, cauliflower mash

5:30 Bunch of cherry tomatoes, a few meatballs with dreamy avocado dressing

7:30 Small handful macadamias

[apreston]

8:30 Coffee, beef & swiss chard frittata

11:00 Orange

1:00 Carnitas salad with dreamy avocado dressing

4:30 Jerky stick and a cucumber, cup of asparagus soup

5:00 Packet of cashews

8:00 - 10:00 a small handful of macadamias, some veggies, a small salad with a few lardons

[apreston]

Really not feeling like logging today, so I'll keep it short. Stayed within W30, but not my best day. Had both a banana and an orange plus several handfuls of almonds as a "snack". Came home and ate some dates and coconut and raisins, finally managed to get past the sugar/grain cravings I felt all afternoon. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't just kick off more cravings tomorrow. Feeling very off (mentally and emotionally) all day. I'd say it was PMS but it isn't time yet, so who knows.

[apreston]

Last Tuesday I went to the market at lunch, and amongst other things picked up some sugar-free bacon that I intended to take home with me that night. I forgot it in the fridge at work, which turned out to be the best thing ever when I came in to work HUNGRY with nothing to eat. Or so I thought! So exciting to find my bacon in the fridge, I feel a little sorry for my coworkers who have to smell the delicious bacon I just cooked in the microwave (and for the plate I cracked, bacon fat is hot) but my tummy is happy.

8:30 Emergency bacon! and an banana

12:00 Chard stems cooked in bacon fat, chicken & veggie coconut curry

Too many raw almonds

10:00 Beet greens with garlic & anchovy, zucchini with a little bacon

[Mich]

Hi Apreston,

Just thought I would check in and see how you are going after yesterday not going so well?

Michelle

[apreston]

Hi Michelle,

Thanks so much for checking in! I am still hanging in there, but boy did I learn a valuable lesson about my body and almonds. I knew it was not a great idea to overdo it on nuts, but what I didn't know was that overdoing it on almonds would provoke such a dramatic reaction from my body. Two days of munching on almonds in the afternoon and my whole body aches. Last night I had a headache and a tummy ache, and when I woke up this morning my body felt like I'd been beat up. All my joints (but especially my ankles and knees) and aching and stiff, and my muscles are sore. I did nothing to cause this other than eat too many almonds, so I guess those are out now. At some point in a few weeks I'll probably test to see if this is nuts in general or maybe almonds and stone fruit, but for now I think I'll just cut all nuts out and try to heal.

[Mich]

Hope you're feeling better today. I find that if I make sure I have the 3 meals a day with protein, fats and some veges (although I don't always have veges in the morning) that I snack much less. I did have some late last night though, I know I shouldn't have bought those macadamias

[apreston]

Thank, I do feel better so at least the effects weren't too long lasting. I'm officially at 30 days now since I started a few early, and tomorrow morning I start a business trip. I'm packing some hard boiled eggs (in shell, so they should keep okay for a few hours at room temp), raw veggies and cacao nuts for a boost if I need it. I'm sure that I will end up eating something sub-optimal on this trip, but if I can keep away from sugar and processed foods I think I'll be okay even if a little wheat sneaks in. I know that sounds bad, but I don't crave it so any effects would be temporary (as opposed to sugar, which I go nuts for).

[apreston]

One day of work trip down! Had a quick bite of cauliflower mash and steamed veg as I headed out the door (at 4:30 AM, ugh). Stashed my treats bag of fresh veg and hardboiled egg in the breakroom fridge on arrival, avoided the giant spread of doughnuts and bagels and had an egg and a tomato mid-morning. Fortunately the lunch was from Chipotle so I got a carnitas salad with guacamole. Dinner was less successful but not awful, a few sweet potato fries and wings and a Cobb salad. I did have some beer with dinner, so along with the seed oils that's my off-roading for the day. I'm okay with that as a post-whole 30 occasional treat. No sugar, no processed food, no (unfermented) grains. I won't get lean this way and it's not something I'd do on a regular basis, but I'm feeling pretty good overall.

[apreston]

Okay, day two post-30. Hard boiled eggs and tomatoes for breakfast, not my favorite but it was filling and healthy. A little awkward eating them around my coworkers but that was just me, nobody complained about sulphery eggs stinking up the conference room at 8:00 AM.

Lunch was a Thai coconut curry, it was served with rice and I did end up eating some of the rice that had soaked up the coconut milk. Had a banana for a snack mid-afternoon, then soup and a steak for dinner. I'm pretty sure the soup was thickened with cornstarch or flour, I didn't think to ask beforehand and was so hungry from watching others eat the fried calamari and sourdough on the table that I went for it anyway. I also had some of the mashed potatoes that came with the steak. Not my best day, but I am at least proud of myself for refusing all offers of alcohol (pre-dinner, during dinner, and post-dinner) and dessert.

Two lessons for myself today. Ask before you order, and tell them to leave of the inevitable carb-heavy accompaniment.