Emiley Carey Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 A few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of Hydroxycut Elite Pro. Then, I went online to research results and reviews to see how quickly I could expect to burn fat! Hooray! …Then I returned it and ran screaming out of hi Health. During my web research I came across The Freckled Foodie, and thereby the Whole 30. After reading Rachel's blog for an hour or so, I ordered ISWF on my Kindle and read the first five chapters in one sitting. I am so, so grateful that this was my course rather than pumping myself full of a chemical heart attack in a bottle. Soon after, I sent my mom the following text message: Me: "Hey. Sooo you wanna do something a little crazy, kind of scary, and potentially life changing with me?" Mom: "Um...maybe..." We're beginning our first Whole30 on February 11, 2014 and we are AMPED! We've spent the last two weeks researching, learning, and experimenting. It's safe to say we've drank the kool-aid...Kombucha. One thing we agreed on is that if one of us slips and has to start over, we both have to start over. Oh snap. This is actually more for me, since she has the willpower of a demi-god and I'm muuuch more likely to wander into the sugar dragon's lair. I will be logging many of my meals because a.) I am a social media/community nerd, b.) for the purpose of feedback and critique, and c.) because I am really looking forward to seeing my whole journey at a glance next month. Comment at will, friends!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Here we are, day 1, and I am happily munching away at a beef/onion/mushroom/zucchini frittata and baggie of black olives, sipping some mineral water. I'm not accustomed to eating breakfast so it's slow going. Hoping I'll be able to eat my carrots and cucumbers as well. Lunch will be cocoa chili, mini peppers, olives and perhaps leftover cucumbers. Dinner is looking like cauliflower soup, grilled chicken thighs, and mixed greens salad. I woke up with a headache this morning...likely due to the monstrous levels of sugar I consumed last night. Fortunately, taming the sugar dragon should help avoid these morning headaches. Making Day 1 my slave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazel0350 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Congrats on day 1! I'm currently on day 8. I had terrible headaches every morning for the first 5 days. After reading some posts on here, I added more sweet potato into my diet and I don't know if it was just the timing or if it was the sweet potato but I haven't had a headache since. Before starting this, I'm pretty sure my body was just running on sour patch kids and haribo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Thanks, Hazel! And good for you! No headache today...knock on wood. I'm actually feeling pretty good! (Edit: headache ensued around 11am skipped the Advil and drank some Green Tea) Last night's dinner ended up being really thick cauliflower soup with curry spiced chicken thigh mixed in. It was good, and filling. I also had a couple sprigs of roasted asparagus (WAY too salty...woops) and a romaine salad with apple cider vinegar ...it left something to be desired without my normal goat cheese and candied nuts. A little while later I had some natural dried fruit...probably considered off-plan since it was more of a snack than an ending to the meal, but I successfully avoided the Red Vine stash and the Ben & Jerry's in the freezer. I made my husband promise to get rid of it by the time I get home from work today. This morning breakfast was another frittata square that I made ahead on Sunday. It's tasty but not quite enough to get me through to lunch so I added olives and some carrots. Lunch is Tuna salad with w30 mayo on Romaine leaf wraps and zoodles with ghee, perhaps a kiwi at the end if I'm feeling it. (Edit: I felt it. Freakin delicious kiwi sweeter than candy) Tonight is our Valentine's date, and I am really excited because we are going to a place called Posh Improvisational Cuisine...they don't have a menu! Since everything is improv, I just tell them of my restrictions and they whip up something glorious within those boundaries. It is the perfect date night for a W30 journey...too bad it's outrageously expensive or we'd probably go there weekly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Oh hi. Day 4, already? Heyoo. My Meal Log is at the bottom but before that I want to jot down some mental notes. I was really pleased with how last weekend's groceries held up. I still have plenty of meat for next week, and about a dozen eggs left. I plan on making those into deviled eggs for breakfasts next week. I am OVERRRR this frittata every morning, but am super proud of myself for willingly eating eggs! This was something I used to HATE. So go me. I feel good so far...no particular crankiness or intense cravings, and my tummy feels good. I have had a few headaches, so I don't know what's up with that but it may just be me sleeping funny. I need to improve the length and quality of my sleep starting tonight. Last night I dreamed that I was W30 compliant all day and then my friends started giving me a hard time, and all of a sudden I was eating a cheese pizza and they were laughing at me for failing! Underlying issues much? Then, I dreamed that I snuck a pint of Ben&Jerry's into the shower with me and ate it between shampooing and shaving. Weirdo. Digestion is good, and I'm not feeling deprived but should eat more at breakfast. Overall, feeling good and strong and happy with this life of mine! Day 3: M1: Egg frittata (made ahead last weekend for 6 days) with beef, onion, peppers, zucchini...not enough food so added macadamia nuts and carrots. mineral water, green tea M2: all leftovers--1.5 chicken thigh, roasted asparagus, 1/2 white sweet potato. SUPER full. M3: big bowl of cauliflower soup with seasoned ground beef, onions, and garlic. Ate until I was full but didn't particularly like this soup with the ground beef. I'll be sticking to chicken in this soup. Day4 M1: Frittata, olives, handful blueberries. Should have eaten some veggies too but I'll make up for it at lunch. mineral water, green tea M2: Ground beef and onion sauteed with yellow squash on top of big serving of spinach and W30 mayo/vinegar dressing. Mini peppers and cucumbers. M3: Grilled balsamic chicken, white sweet potato w/ ghee, yellow squash, kale blend salad with creamy balsamic. I'm looking forward to the long weekend so hard. It will be interesting seeing how I do with meal spacing...when I'm at work it's easy to eat at the same times each day and only have access to my carefully planned and portioned meals. Mom and I are going to the farmers market tomorrow and may try out some prepping meals so that will help a lot. Bring it on weekend. I got this. Emiley: 1 Social Life: 0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I dreamed of chocolate and beer last night .. Day 5: M1: 5 deviled eggs (2.5 eggs), cauliflower soup, mini peppers M2: ghee-sauteed onions, small chicken breast M3: Steak, broccoli, sweet potato w/ ghee, romaine salad with blueberries and creamy balsamic Day 6: M1: 5 deviled eggs (2.5 eggs total), sweet potato, broccoli, 2oz orange juice with mineral water M2: W30 Chili, romaine salad w/ creamy balsamic, a couple asparagus unsweetened Passion Tea M3: Dinner at the in-laws...Grilled steak, steamed broccoli and oven fried potatoes...They thought they were accommodating my nutrition plan, so I ate a couple of the potatoes. I know they are off plan, but I really don't want to start over...they didn't produce an unhealthy psychological response other than the frustration of the situation...what to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Day 7: M1: Chicken/apple sausage, Cauliflower soup with broccoli M2: 2 romaine wraps with deli roast beef, tomatoes and egg salad; pistachios Unsweetened Passion Tea M3: Sweet potato, deli roast beef, cucumbers, macadamia nuts I ate meal three sitting in a movie theater for Robocop...DH suggested a 7:30 movie so instead of panicking I brought a handy dinner! Day 8: 2/18/14 M1: mini peppers, small roma tomato, 1/2 chicken apple sausage, mac nuts Stomach started hurting--sharp pain? Perhaps the raw veggies, but it's a new issue. M2: Egg Salad, mini peppers, cucumbers M3: chicken thigh curry, broccoli, salad, zoodles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Welcome! A couple of observations:- the oven fried potatoes on day 6 dinner: if they weren't sweet potatoes, they are not compliant.- raw vegetables can cause stomach upset for some. Maybe try switching to all cooked vegetables and see if that alleviates your stomach pain. - make sure the deli roast beef is compliant. It's tricky to find compliant deli meat with no gluten, sugar, carrageenan or other nasties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Welcome! A couple of observations: - the oven fried potatoes on day 6 dinner: if they weren't sweet potatoes, they are not compliant. - raw vegetables can cause stomach upset for some. Maybe try switching to all cooked vegetables and see if that alleviates your stomach pain. - make sure the deli roast beef is compliant. It's tricky to find compliant deli meat with no gluten, sugar, carrageenan or other nasties. Hi Chris, Thanks for the input! Does everything else look good as far as following the meal template? The roast Beef is Applegate farms--just beef, water, salt and pepper. Do the potatoes warrant a re-start? I hope not...it was four bites total, and they were golden potatoes oven fried in olive oil. I reviewed the justifications in ISWF and it seems the main objection is due to the unhealthy psychological response, and the commonality of french fries and chips, etc. These things haven't been problem foods for me in the past so I am really hoping I can just move forward and avoid them in the future. If going 36 days is necessary, I will do it. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hi Chris, Thanks for the input! Does everything else look good as far as following the meal template? The roast Beef is Applegate farms--just beef, water, salt and pepper. Do the potatoes warrant a re-start? I hope not...it was four bites total, and they were golden potatoes oven fried in olive oil. I reviewed the justifications in ISWF and it seems the main objection is due to the unhealthy psychological response, and the commonality of french fries and chips, etc. These things haven't been problem foods for me in the past so I am really hoping I can just move forward and avoid them in the future. If going 36 days is necessary, I will do it. Thanks in advance. Everything else looks ok. When you have the deviled eggs, the number of eggs in a serving is the amount you can hold in your hand. For some folks, that's 3 or 4. On the golden potatoes, no this does not merit a restart, just don't have them again for the rest of your Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Day 9 M1: Egg salad...about 3-3.5 eggs, carrots Feeling heavy and blehh in my stomach. My time with eggs may have come to an end. M2: Tilapia, 3 lg Brussells, slice sweet potato, maybe 20 pomegranate seeds, mac nuts. Still feeling gross so couldn't stomach much. Mini-meal? 2pm, felt actual hunger but had no more food. Ate a LaraBar and it satisfied the hunger but also set off sugar cravings. Sigh. M3: 2 Turkey Apple burgers pan fried, big bowl cauliflower/squash soup, kiwi, Magnesium in h2o Overate. I think my main issue today is lack of BM for two days...it would explain the heavy gut feeling. I'll take Magnesium tonight and see if tomorrow is any better. I feel like today was just a poorly planned and executed food day and that bums me out... can't help but feel a little down today, especially after feeling so well the previous days. Part of the detox process, I suppose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Yesterday I learned how I felt when I overate. Not good. Today I learned how I feel when I under-eat. Not good. Day 10 M1: Small piece Tilapia, one strip sweet potato, one lg brussels sprout, kiwi. (leftover lunch from yesterday). I knew this was a small breakfast and didn't care because my guts were still all heavy from yesterday. M2: two handfuls mixed greens (spinach, kale, etc) with a crumbled turkey burger from last night, oil and vinegar dressing Normally this would have been plenty for lunch...but I began feeling hungry at about 2pm, and now by 3:30 I'm tummy-grumbling! Learning that fat and well-portioned protein at breakfast is really important. PreWO - half chicken sausage PostWO - half can tuna with mustard, cucumber slices M3: Chocolate Chili, zoodles, coconut milk Magnesium before bed Here's to balance in day 11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Day 11 - Friday M1:Turkey burger, cucumbers, black olives M2: Tuna with Mayo No veggies…no appetite. Bad mood in general…feeling annoyed and grumpy. M3: Happy hour with friends, success! Ahi Sashimi, soda with lime. When I got home I had zoodles and squash with ghee. Having my CT scan this afternoon...fingers crossed for good results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Day 12 M1: Sausage, sweet potatoes with coconut oil M2: running around and accidentally skipped it M3: super fun Paleo grill out with the girls! tiny portions each of chicken, steak, pork, shrimp and fish; grilled onions, mushrooms, asparagus and peppers. Grilled pear for "dessert" I went clothes shopping today, and for the first time in a long time I actually enjoyed it. I scored some awesome deals and felt really good in the things I was trying on. I have not weighed or measured myself since day 0, and the affirmation of a happy shopping trip helped me remember how little the number on the scale matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninglawyer88 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 How was the ct scan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 How was the ct scan? Wow, thanks for asking! It was fine, I won't have any results until later this week but the fact that the doctor hasn't rushed to call me is probably and good sign! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Day 13 - this is all starting to feel so natural! I feel very well. M1: Sweet potatoes fried in coconut oil, sausage M2: Another dinner at the in-laws…but no potatoes this time! Tri-tip, broccoli and mixed salad with oil and vinegar. The giant cherry pie on the counter didn't bother me all through the afternoon, but when DH ate a big slice next to me I reeeeeally wanted some. Still, it wasn't hard to say no. M3: Mango with chili powder, wahoo steak with ghee, salad with oil/vin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Day 14 - alive and well. M1: Sausage and sweet potatoes fried in coconut oil. I could eat this every day! Also added mini peppers and olives for fear of being hungry too soon. M2: Cauliflower soup with crumbled turkey burger. I added curry powder and extra cumin to the soup. Good call. Coming back to work after the weekend was rough. I'm tired today, but I am certain it's due to a lack of sleep...only 5 hours Saturday and 7 hours last night. I went for a quad Americano on my lunch break...I've not been sensitive to caffeine as an adult, due to the 3+ years I spent working at Starbucks, but I think this Americano has hit me hard today! Interesting how my body is more sensitive now that it's becoming used to wholesome foods without other stimulants. I've been drinking maybe 8oz of green tea every couple of days but haven't noticed any caffeine buzz. Regardless, I'll be in bed extra early tonight. *falls asleep at keyboard * M3: Roast beef slices [maybe one palm], couple bites sweet potato with ghee, mac nuts, frozen cherries. All this was initially intended to be a PWO/snack. But then...Husband made a fruit salad, and I ate some of that, then I ate a dried fruit bar for no apparent reason other than that he was still eating and I was enjoying the sweetness of the fruit. Then about and hour and a half later I made roasted sweet potato "chips" and ate the equivalent of a small/medium sweet potato. Dinner was obviously not compliant with the meal template, but I am glad I stuck to compliant foods, even when he got out ice cream. At day 14, it's not even a question because I refuse to start over. I just don't know why I strayed so far off the template when I had chicken and salad readily accessible. That is a little frustrating. Tomorrow is a new day and I have prepped and planned sufficiently for M1 and M2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Day 15: Half. Way. There. Whaaaat?! I am definitely hungrier than normal this morning, which I am sure is from the imbalance last night. Hardly any protein, mostly fruit and carbs. womp womp. I do feel well though, just famished! Bring on the big protein packed breakfast! M1: Moroccan chicken, mini peppers, tomato, mac nuts M2: satay chicken with Sunshine Sauce, broccoli M3: Grilled strip steak and shrimp skewers; grilled onions, mushrooms and brussels Magnesium before bed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Day 16 and feeling good M1: 8am Chicken sausage, mini peppers, cucumbers, mac nuts note to self: the "mild italian" chicken sausage is gross and the pieces of bell pepper inside it are soggy and remind you of the way fruitcake looks. Get the Chicken Apple every time. M2: 12:30pm Chocolate chili, 1/2 sweet potato with cinn and ghee (ughhhYUM), cucumbers, mineral water I got very sleepy around 2pm...like droopy eyelids sleepy. I had a kiwi in hopes that it was a blood sugar thing, but still drowsy. I fought it until about 2:45, and then laid down in my car for 15 minutes. I fell right asleep and woke up on my own after 15min. It helped but I still feel like I could sleep for a few hours right now. What gives? M3: DH wanted Godzilla Tails (breaded fried chicken pieces smothered in buttery hot sauce) from Shogun, so I agreed to go. It was the first time I was in a place I REALLY wanted to go off plan...but I didn't. I had Wahoo sashimi (no ponzu or soy) with roe, and a soda water. When I got home I had stir fried asparagus/onion/brussel leaves with chicken and a side salad, then some blueberries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 I mentioned that some girlfriends and I did a BBQ grillout on Saturday. Of course I talked about the Whole30 and explained some of the differences between this and Paleo (to which I had never really adhered...in fact I leaned more toward the critical side; something I now regret) and we all discussed some of the different philosophies we have been exposed to. Once of my most significant points about this program is the focus on psychological and emotional relationships with food vs. fuel, etc. It's really been the most growing and stretching experience of my nutritional life--and after only two weeks! SO: My friend Coral sent me a text yesterday saying she is starting Whole30 on March 1st! I am so excited and it feels really good to know that my positive choices are helping others, too. I told her I would think about extending my plan with her, but I want to do the reintroduction phase with my mom since we began together. Maybe I will do the reintros, and then hop back on W30 with that new knowledge in tow. I really see this clean eating lifestyle with occasional Whole30's becoming a lifelong thing for me. I'm excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Day 17 I woke up with a headache this morning, and it's reminiscent of the sugar headaches I used to get...I reviewed everything I ate yesterday and can't find anything sneaky, so maybe I'm wrong. M1: 2 scrambled eggs with 1/2 lg sausage and leftover veggies, ghee, and hot sauce M2: Satay chicken with Sunshine Sauce, raw carrots/celery/cucumber M3: Leftovers round up. Egg Salad, roast beef, tomatoes, lettuce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Day 18...the end is nearing I woke with another headache today. Nothing severe, but I am certain it has nothing to do with food. I think I just need to go to the chiropractor or get a massage...hmm maybe this weekend?! Also, HICCUPS! I've had hiccups at some point during the day for the last three days. Strange. M1: Sweet potatoes fried in coconut oil, chicken apple sausage, red grapes It was my turn to bring in breakfast at the office, and I was initially torn because it's frustrating to buy typical breakfast foods that I choose not to eat. I ended up going with a Build Your Own Burrito bar with a few types of sausage, eggs, cheese, potatoes and tortillas. Sooo I ate none of it. lol. But the team loved it, so that's fine. M2: Cauliflower soup, last piece of satay chicken thigh, and olives. I have some raw veggies packed in case it's not quite filling enough. M3: grilled steak on a big kale and spinach salad with strawberries and a couple each cashews and almonds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Day 19 M1: 1/2 Sausage, egg scrambled with spinach and mushrooms in ghee. My friend Coral came over today for a cookup. We successfully made ghee! I also prepped new Mayo with walnut oil, turkey patties for breakfasts this week, and a zucchini fritter for dinner. M2: Turkey/apple burger, zucchini fritter, grapes, olives. Kombucha and mineral water. I went to the gym about an hour later…nothing crazy. 15 min elliptical warm up, lots of stretching, weighted squats, some heavy leg presses, and a million* weighted sit-ups on the medicine ball. M3: Grilled wahoo, shredded and mixed with mayo (Mayo was made with Walnut oil…DO. IT. So good!!) on a bed of baby spinach with balsamic, mini peppers halved and loaded with chopped up spicy shrimp. Dinner was what I feared would be an ill-fated attempt at salvaging random leftovers and turning veggies, but it was actually really delicious! I was right on the cusp of overeating, so I think I could have had less. Good thing this nutrition plan isn't about less, huh? Ended the evening watching one episode of Terra Nova with DH and hit the hay. I'm a happy camper *million: actually seventy five Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiley Carey Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Day 20: officially 2/3 done. Weird! M1: Sweet potato hash in coconut oil, chicken apple sausage, mineral water with a splash of pure OJ went to the gym after church…didn't have a PreWO and should have. M2 (right after gym) : Turkey patty, 1/2 leftover sausage with sauerkraut and hot mustard, mixed fresh veggies in creamy balsamic dressing (also better with new walnut oil mayo) baby tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, celery. Also having my first Bulletproof coffee, and loving it. DH went to Starbucks while he was out and brought me home a plain americano (without me even asking ) Off to get a massage (also courtesy of DH) M3: Stuffed baby bella mushrooms with turkey/spinach/mushrooms, sauteed asparagus/onion/spinach, tomatoes and mini peppers. Handful of blueberries and squeeze of lime in mineral water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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