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Kristen's Whole 30 Log


Khhdesign

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Today was Day 1, it feels good to get started. I've read the book several times, but never did the Whole 30 because I didn't think I could give up the things required. Scratch that, I wasn't willing to give up the things required. But I've made great strides in improving my diet and health over the last several years, so now it doesn't feel like such a dramatic leap. Difficult, yes. Impossible? No.

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled; smoothie with cabbage, serviceberries, coconut milk (I know, smoothies are not recommended but I need to work on other options and it's one way I eat veggies for breakfast); small serving of raw almonds

Lunch: roasted sweet potato, turnip and radish; broccoli soup I made; leftover roast pork

Snack: 2 clementines; handful of raw almonds and pumpkin seeds (need to figure out a lunch that will hold me until dinner...seven hours is a long stretch of time)

Dinner: Thai-style bowl with leftover chicken, broccoli, carrot, celery, cabbage, almond butter sauce

Evening snacks are a habit that I'll need to work hard to eliminate, I almost always have something even if it's a piece of fruit or square of dark chocolate. If I'm going to have fruit, I'll need to have it with dinner instead of later as a snack.

I feel okay today, maybe a little tired but nothing out of the ordinary. Meals are planned for tomorrow.

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Day 2...not bad, but let's not get cocky. I know rough days are ahead!

Breakfast: 2-egg omelette with ham; avocado; cabbage, serviceberry, coconut milk smoothie

Lunch: roasted sweet potato, turnip, radish; leftover chicken, cabbage and almond butter sauce; broccoli soup

Work Happy Hour: club soda with lime (yay me! And I was not the only non-drinker so no big deal)

Dinner: spaghetti squash with beef/venison meat sauce; sautéed kale; apple

I'm in "I've got this" mode, but fully expect it to get tougher as time goes on. I feel fine, no hung-over feeling, maybe just a touch less energy than normal.

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Day 3. Bleh. That hung-over feeling hit today, and starting my TOM doesn't help matters. I felt sluggish from the minute I woke up, was so run-down I actually took a 15-minute nap at lunch. I have never napped at work. Ever. Wavered between feeling just okay and absolutely crappy all day. Tired mostly, queasy/gassy stomach this evening. I know this will pass, but don't look forward to the next couple of days.

Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with turkey and avocado (yum!); roasted sweet potato; frozen cherries

Lunch: Broccoli soup; leftover spaghetti squash and meat sauce; 2 clementines

Snack: I definitely would have eaten fish with broccoli, so I had a snack...boiled egg; roasted sweet potato, turnip, radish

Dinner: chicken sausage with leftover cabbage and apples; roasted sweet potato; frozen cherries

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Day 4. Feeling much better today, and happy to say I didn't want to kill anyone ;) Still a little low on energy, but not nearly as tired as yesterday. Felt clear-headed at work and went to my cardio class, although I did modify down a lot. Maybe because I had to eliminate foods before, and I like a lot of the "allowed" things, some of the changes may not be as dramatic for me. And I'm completely okay with that. Just waiting for the day when I would sell my soul for a piece of chocolate...I know it's coming!

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs; small handful almonds; cherry, cabbage, coconut milk smoothie

Lunch: big salad with romain, celery, olives, tuna, few sweet potatoes; 2 clementines

Dinner: Chipotle salad with lettuce, carnitas, grilled veggies, tomato salsa, guacamole (checked the Chipotle website, all of these items we re compliant, although next time I will ask for less guacamole...they really pile it on!)

Didn't want or need a snack today, I think I'm getting better a gauging meal size and fullness. Looked at the leftover desserts at work and easily said "no thanks", they weren't even things I really like but normally I would have eaten them. I did eat more of my dinner than needed, I'm a bit overfull this evening.

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Day 5 was fine. Not outstanding, but fine is fine. Our refrigerator is nearly empty (grocery day tomorrow) so I had to scrap together breakfast, and planned lunch out. I was tired all day, kept waking up throughout the night so didn't sleep well. I would wake up and just not feel tired, then fall asleep and wake up again. Annoying. So I didn't get up and work out in the morning, and went to lunch instead of yoga. I guess a few days off here and there are okay, as long as it doesn't become a habit. I'm really proud of how much I've been exercising the past few months and want to keep that going.

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs; avocado, celery, cherry smoothie

Lunch: at Cap City, omelette cooked in oil with ham and tomatoes; mixed fresh fruit plus two giant strawberries

Dinner: at Northstar, salad with avocado, almonds, chicken, dates, vinaigrette

Hey...no snacking last few days, I must be getting my meal sizes figured out.

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Day 6. Gas pains! Not sure why but I've had gas pains off and on for most of the day. I hope this is just a stage of the process, I didn't eat anything that I would think might cause that. Otherwise, I felt kind of tired all day. Ended up not being able to work out due to schedule, but did walk A LOT so I'm okay with that. Tomorrow I'll be able to get back to my weights schedule, which will feel good.

Breakfast: celery, banana, avocado smoothie; sardines; small handful of almonds (scraping a bare refrigerator to make breakfast!)

Lunch: omelette with zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, 2 eggs; pear

Dinner: at Silla Korean...crab; sashimi; beef, egg, scallion hot pot (in which I discovered rice noodles that I had to eat around, if I had any it was minimal so taking it as lesson learned and moving on). Skipped the soy sauce on sashimi, it was better without!

Interesting note today...I used to snack often in the afternoon and nearly always after dinner. I haven't been doing that at all. I think some of it is eating fuller, more balanced meals. But it's also just having an awareness about it; this is a lesson I want to carry past the Whole 30.

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Day 7...One week complete, woo hoo! I felt GOOD today, like better than I've felt all week good. Energetic and happy good. I slept like a baby last night. I think I actually may not have moved all night; I was in the same position when I woke up and my back sort felt stiff like I'd been laying the same way for a long time. Regardless, I felt great all day. Two nice long walks with the dogs, spent all day (literally 7 or 8 hours) in the kitchen cooking up delicious things for the week, and finished off the day with a weights workout. Finally...I hadn't done that for a week ans a half due to travel and feeling lethargic last week.

Breakfast: Brian's special with avocado and pineapple

Lunch: sautéed zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms; sardines; small handful of pistachios (I am especially proud of this lunch because when I am cooking all day I often just start snacking and don't really have a meal, I noticed I was getting hungry and stopped to cook up a quick lunch for myself...no snacking the rest of the day!)

Dinner: roast chicken thigh; roasted cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, carrot; Brussels sprouts; pumpkin side dish with pecan halves (not at all dessert like, more spicy and savory)

Happy with my food choices, exercise, energy level, cooking day...I'll savor this one because I figure some days won't be as good.

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Day 8. I felt really good today, energetic, woke up fairly easily. Apparently it's bloaty-feeling time on the timeline, and that seems about right. I wore a stretchy dress today instead of pants, but felt seriously puffy in the belly area! My body must be doing a lot of cleaning out because I've, um, been using the bathroom a lot and it's not pretty. Better out than in, I say ;) I really noticed the difference in not having fat at a meal makes today. I had a nice clean lunch, but around 4:00 was starting to get hungry. I thought about why, since I haven't been getting hungry between meals, and realized that there was not really a fat source in my lunch. I ate my "emergency almonds" and a piece of fruit, and felt much better. Amazing how I actually noticed that difference, and knew what to do about it! Love that.

Breakfast: egg and veggie casserole; avocado; pineapple

Lunch: baked salmon; sautéed zucchini, asparagus, red pepper; clementine

Afternoon snack: almonds; clementine (no protein available, but this did the trick)

Dinner: crockpot beef roast with lots o' vegetables; kale salad; grapefruit; small handful of pecans

Snack: a few nuts and pieces of dried fruit--I have to really watch mindless snacking, I was putting together a few "emergency packs" of nuts and dried fruit to have on hand in my bag, at work, etc. and, as I was doing that, I caught myself mindlessly putting a few nuts in my mouth every time I opened a container. I wasn't hungry, it was pure habit. Yikes, it's okay if I'm hungry but not if I'm not!

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Day 9, woo! Today was fine, nothing outstanding. I had a low-level sinus headache above my right eye all day, but I think that's weather related, not diet. I did my cardio class today--did pretty well, average energy. I need to check out the pre- and post-workout info, maybe I was lagging a little because I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was noon.

Breakfast: at First Watch, omelet with tomato, mushrooms, avocado; fresh fruit

Lunch: vegetables left over from beef stew; eggplant soup; chicken; clementine; almonds

Snack: really hungry again around 4:00--boiled egg; apple

Dinner: roasted sweet potato, turnip, chicken with almond sauce; pineapple, pear, clementine fruit salad

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Day 10. And I didn't quit :) Actually things seem to be becoming more routine, although sometimes putting together a meal and being excited about it is challenging. I just need to keep trying and cooking new things so we don't get bored. I have needed a snack the last couple of days in the afternoon. Not sure why, but is truly have been hungry so am just believing my body when it says that. I feel 1000 times better today since I got a good night's rest (Rusty woke me up the night before with an ear problem a few times and I was really dragging).

Breakfast: sweet potato, turnip, kale, egg dish; pineapple; avocado. Honestly, I don't like this dish so I threw out the last piece. Everything is not a winner.

Lunch: leftover veggies and chicken with almond butter sauce; pistachios; clementine; eggplant soup

Snack: can of tuna; few pecan halves; few prunes (in hindsight, wish I'd had a piece of fresh fruit instead of the prunes since they're such concentrated sweetness and I don't want to get into that habit, apple next time)

Dinner: leftover beef stew and veggies; sautéed kale with olives and pine nuts; squash; pumpkin side dish

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Day 11. Today was challenging, two of my three meals were out. But I actually did well, I'm happy with my choices. First, lunch at a speaker event. Fortunately I always order gluten- and milk-free meals anyway. Today I didn't have to ask for anything special, the salad was fine as is, I just scooted the dried cranberries off to the side. And had my pecans when I got back to the office. Dinner was at a lovely French restaurant. Yes, the land of butter and cheese...there's a reason I never choose to go there! I had them make me everything dry, plain, with no cheese, veggies for a side. Skipped the bread, dessert, drinks, successful (and still delicious) meal. Funny thing is, what I had was very good, I didn't need any of that other stuff!

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with ham; roasted sweet potatoes and turnips; butternut squash (I love omelettes, they're my favorite breakfast so far)

Lunch: at country club event--salad with mixed greens, plain chicken, strawberries; mixed fresh fruit

Dinner: at Refectory--shrimp; roasted portobello with arugula and walnuts; dry-cooked filet mignon, steamed carrots and zucchini (I ate a little too much, honestly could have just had the salad and one other appetizer, or just half the steak, but it was good so no regrets ;)

Overall I've felt good the last couple of days. Some gas, but assume that is still my digestive system adjusting, and it's not painful anymore. Have had energy and been sleeping well.

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Day 11. Today was challenging, two of my three meals were out. But I actually did well, I'm happy with my choices. First, lunch at a speaker event. Fortunately I always order gluten- and milk-free meals anyway. Today I didn't have to ask for anything special, the salad was fine as is, I just scooted the dried cranberries off to the side. And had my pecans when I got back to the office. Dinner was at a lovely French restaurant. Yes, the land of butter and cheese...there's a reason I never choose to go there! I had them make me everything dry, plain, with no cheese, veggies for a side. Skipped the bread, dessert, drinks, successful (and still delicious) meal. Funny thing is, what I had was very good, I didn't need any of that other stuff!

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with ham; roasted sweet potatoes and turnips; butternut squash (I love omelettes, they're my favorite breakfast so far)

Lunch: at country club event--salad with mixed greens, plain chicken, strawberries; mixed fresh fruit

Dinner: at Refectory--shrimp; roasted portobello with arugula and walnuts; dry-cooked filet mignon, steamed carrots and zucchini (I ate a little too much, honestly could have just had the salad and one other appetizer, or just half the steak, but it was good so no regrets ;)

Overall I've felt good the last couple of days. Some gas, but assume that is still my digestive system adjusting, and it's not painful anymore. Have had energy and been sleeping well.

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Day 12. Another challenging day with two restaurant meals. Happy to be at the weekend, when I can eat my own cooking! I THOUGHT I was happy with the choices I made, but had a definite reaction to something at dinner. I got stuffy, a slight headache, and a little tired almost immediately. It's amazing how I really notice reactions like that now. I don't know what it was, clearly a non-compliant ingredient. I'll just move forward, but will be looking for the same reactions when I start reintroducing foods after Whole 30 is over.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs; avocado; butternut squash; smoothie with pineapple core, celery leaves, cocnut milk (not a winner, needed something for smoothness way too rough and fibrous!)

Lunch: chicken salad; salad with walnuts, dried apricots; fresh fruit salad

Dinner: h/s soup; chicken with snow peas and carrots

Having a reaction to food really pisses me off. Like when I have a full-blown allergic reaction, it just makes the rest of the evening sucky. I wanted to work out like I usually do in the evening, but I feel crappy. So I had something that made me feel bad AND I didn't work out. Great.

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Day 13...lucky 13? Right now I feel like I'm just chugging along, and finally starting to get the hang of eating this way. It doesn't seem so difficult to figure out what to eat, it's not such a complex thought process. I kind of mentally check the boxes for each food group in each meal now (protein? Check. Veggies? Check. Fat? Oops, add some nuts, and so on). Three meals hold me nicely, if I need something in-between it's because I really am hungry and I make it a mini-meal. It's not a "snack" or a treat. I'm trying new recipes, and altering recipes I have and like from the past.

Funny thing is, I really notice when something doesn't agree with me, like last night. Which is kind of cool. Maybe I can actually figure out the foods I'm both allergic and sensitive too once I start reintroductions! Although this Whole 30 hasn't been perfect (see last night), I'm going to just continue and finish it because it's only four weeks until we go to Hawaii. I want to get more comfortable with the general template of eating this way, and have time for a few reintroductions before we go. When we get back I'll do another, even cleaner, Whole 30. I imagine each time you do it you discover something with a hidden ingredient, etc. I would guess it just gets better each time. It's a process :)

Breakfast: 2 eggs; butternut squash; smoothie with kale, 1/2 banana, avocado, cocnut milk.

Lunch: chicken, snow peas, carrots, zucchini sauté, topped with chopped almonds.

Snack: slice of turkey; leftover cooked vegetables; few olives.

Dinner: Mediterranean Fish Stew (new recipe, delish!); sautéed zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms; few walnut halves while cooking.

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Day 14, two weeks down! It was a rough day. The cravings referenced in the timeline kicked in, plus I felt lethargic all day. Actually I've been feeling that way for a few days. I wake up full of energy, but kind of run down as the day goes on. I'm sure it's a combination of where I am in the process and not quite having the meals balanced right yet. I had a total throw down with my homemade granola today, and it had to go in the trash. I had kept it for "after I'm done" but, as I re-read ISWF, I can't see any reason that I should go back to starting my day with fruit and granola, homemade or otherwise. Plus it was calling me from the pantry, and it's a food without brakes for me. I have a feeling more of those things I set aside for "after" will end up in the trash. It's hard to reasonably justify going back to them now. I really was having a snacking issue this afternoon...I was tired, I did a strenuous yoga workshop, I just wanted something. At the risk of totally losing it and eating items way off the list, I had a few snacks of compliant foods. Not the best, I prefer to stick to three meals a day, but considering the options it seemed like the safest choice.

Breakfast: Brian's special; avocado; grapefruit; pecans and raisins (hard to break the habit of eating while reading the paper on Sunday!)

Lunch: pre-yoga mini-meal of turkey; pineapple; almonds (should have had a veg instead of fruit)

Afternoon snack: post-yoga mini-meal of HB egg; clementine (hear that sugar dragon roar? Driving me straight to the fruit bowl); later, pistachios

Dinner: chicken sausage; cabbage; apples; roasted carrots

I'm really working on breaking the habit of always reaching for fruit, especially as a snack. My years of weight-watching has me trained to reach for a "healthy snack or treat" like fruit. While fruit is not necessarily bad, I feel like I have it more often than I should, I could get in more veggies. And I am really working on training myself to not have a snack that is a treat, only a small meal, and only when I really need it. Sigh. Not my best day, but that's why it's the Whole 30...back at it tomorrow. At least I didn't totally fall off the wagon or quit!

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Day 15. I feel good! I mean really, really good! I was a little sluggish this morning, just lethargic and a little slow-moving, but I chalked it up to the time change and it being grey outside. Sometime this afternoon my energy kicked in and I've being going strong ever since. Had good meals, got in a good workout, productive day, yay! I did have my first "food dream" about the most beautiful delicious-looking chocolate cake donut with glaze. I kept saying it looks so good, but I can't eat it, I've come so far, I can't give in now...then I woke up ;)

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with spinach (yum!); butternut squash; avocado; a little pineapple (I only ate a few pieces and decided I was full, so put the rest back)

Lunch: eggplant soup; chicken; roasted sweet potato, parsnip; almonds; clementine

Dinner: beef and venison chili with sunflower seeds on top; sautéed kale salad

I didn't automatically add fruit to every meal, only when I really wanted it. Improvement.

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Day 16..wait, 16?! I'm over half-way :) It was a good day. Other than having a hard time waking up, which I attribute to the time change, I had good energy all day. On the way home I was thinking about how good I feel--I was busy working all afternoon, not hungry or wanting a snack, not tired, and I still felt energetic when I got home. I never notice that I feel bad until I feel better, and vice versa...when I eat something that makes me feel bad I really notice it, although that's probably how I used to feel all the time. The question I've started to ask myself is what do I want to test for reintroduction. Really, what do I want bad enough to add it back in? For example, oatmeal I can give or take. I ate it all the time, but I really don't care about it, so why add it back? Maybe I should start making my "worth testing" list, and just get rid of anything that doesn't make the cut.

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with spinach; avocado; butternut squash; a little pineapple (again, I got it out but then really didn't want it, I'll skip it completely tomorrow!)

Lunch: eggplant soup; turkey leftovers; roasted sweet potato, parsnip; pecan halves

Dinner: sautéed turkey, mushrooms, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts with pesto, cooked in coconut oil; pineapple, oranges

No snacks. Didn't want any, or even really think about them for more than half a second. So cool!

Wait, had a boiled egg as post-workout snack. I have mixed feelings on this...if I'm not hungry and am doing an intense workout, do I need more food?

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Day 17, woot woot! I was talking about Whole 30 today to two separate people. Telling them how great I've been feeling (once I got past the first week or so, that is). And talking with them about probably not adding back in a lot of things I cut out. I mean, if eating this way makes me feel better, then why wouldn't I continue it? There are a few things I would like to test, either because they're common so I want to know if I react to them (soy, I don't care but want to know if I needed to avoid it in restaurants). Or because really do like them (fresh corn and peas in season). Some things really need to be very occasional (chocolate, homemade sweets); I mean, I can avoid those things for 30 days but I really do want a slice of good quality cake on my birthday!

Breakfast: 2 eggs with kale; butternut squash; avocado

Lunch: at Red Hook...chicken breast grilled; sweet potato; pistachios

Dinner: leftover chicken sausage with cabbage and apples; sautéed zucchini, yellow squash; almonds; spoon of almond butter post-workout

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Day 18. From a Whole 30 perspective, good. But I had a very disappointing situation at a really nice (and expensive) restaurant. It was an event, so the menu was set. Every item had cheese on it and, Whole 30 aside, cheese is one of my allergy triggers. I asked if I could have something without cheese, and they told me everything was already made. So I was left with a little salad that I picked the cheese off of. I've never been left with nothing to eat before! Very disappointing from a service perspective. Fortunately I had lunch items at the office, so had my own lunch afterwards. And I'd had a nice hearty breakfast. I wasn't starving, which would not have been the case pre-Whole30!

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with kale and leftover turkey; butternut squash; avocado.

Lunch: above disappointing little salad with almonds

Lunch 2: boiled egg; roasted sweet potato, parsnip

Dinner: Lindey's salmon with asparagus, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash with olive oil, few almonds at home.

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Day 19. Average day, nothing outstanding to report. Felt a little under the weather this morning and through most of the day, but I think it actually was the weather changing. It's interesting that I am not as congested very often anymore, so I really notice it when I am.

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with spinach and turkey; avocado; pear

Lunch: leftover fish stew; boiled egg; almonds; dates; banana

Dinner: out...chicken with chipotle rub; coleslaw (a little spicy on the tummy...)

Edited to add that the chicken woke me up and kept me up last night. And while I was laying there I had a major revelation. I realized that there are restaurants where I really care about the food, and others where I really don't. Meaning, if the draw of the place is just that it's a fun social place, or someone else likes it, then I should order a compliant meal anytime I go there. Only "indulge" (post-Whole30 of course) if it's a place where the food really matters to me, where that "something special" is not compliant but seems worth feeling less than optimal. Frankly, I rarely go somewhere like that--most restaurants are just okay, which means I can still eat compliant meals and not feel like I'm missing anything. I think my litmus test is "if I was alone, would I choose this place?" If not, then it's not that special to me.

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20 Days down, 10 to go. Although I really plan to stick to most of the main tenets after my 30 days are up. I'll be eating "Paleo" or Whole30ish, something along those lines, most of the time. I cleaned out more things in my refrigerator and pantry today. When I started this I set a lot of things aside, thinking I would reintroduce them when I was done. Today I went through those things and asked myself if I really missed them, and if I had any interest in adding them back in KNOWING they were less healthy foods. In most cases the answer was no. Most beans and grains I don't care about. And more them may go before I'm done. For example, if I really want to eat chickpeas, I should go to Aladdin's and enjoy the best hummus ever...why make a mediocre version at home? Millet? Eh...I bought some, made it once, the rest has been sitting in the pantry. Clearly not a "can't live without it" food. There were many more. Also, sauces, etc. that had sugar or sulfites in them...if I want those things post Whole30, then I'll buy new compliant versions. It was actually very freeing to let go of these things, since many of them were "healthy" things I thought I should be eating but don't love. I did keep the really good, really dark chocolate, some baking supplies, and brown rice (still on the fence about that one so I didn't pitch it yet ;)

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with kale and avocado; apple

Lunch: venison chili over sweet potato and roasted cauliflower with avocado; clementine

Snack: almond butter (honestly, there were a few bits in a container and I cleaned it out)

Dinner: coconut crusted fish; roasted sweet potato; avocado cole slaw

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