Lenten Whole40 support thread

[Missy Lou]

So glad to find this thread. I'm doing well I think, at least so far. Today is a bit harder because of a rotten nights sleep due to a crick in my neck. I want to eat more than my share and I think its just because I'm tired. I am staying the course. Breakfast was 2 eggs, sauteed mushrooms and onions, unsweetened almond milk and hot tea with lemon. Lunch was a hamburger patty, sauteed squash and onions and a handful of grapes.

[lujo238]

Day 7

 

I am having some gut problems this morning.  Not to serious.  Yesterday was pretty good I think.  I ate my pre-made egg muffins for breakfast but was still hungry.  Had some pecans mid-morning to get me to lunch.  Lunch I had leftover chicken salad with half a red pepper.  Made it to dinner without snacking though I was seriously hungry the last half hour.  Dinner was meatloaf with a sweet potato and sugar snap peas.  Yum!  A couple hours after dinner I as starting to get hungry again so I ate an apple.  I was worried that fruit wouldn't help but didn't want to eat any more nuts and I'm out of eggs from making all those egg muffins this week.  Also I was really hungry not just craving something sweet.  I made myself wait a while when I first started feeling hungry before eating anything to see if it lasted.  The apple worked I was satisfied until bedtime.  Today I think I will add half an avocado to my breakfast and see if that satisfies me long enough to avoid snacking.

 

mcjule - I agree that communion is too important to pass up.

 

Whole Amy - It will be nice having someone around who has done this before to help out us newbies. Do you make zoodles with your squash or just leave it looking like squash.  I'm planning some spaghetti zoodles this week.  My kids are still not on board with everything and disguising the vegetables is sometimes the only way to get them eaten.

 

erin76 - I hope the dizziness goes away.  You may be surprised to find you need to eat more than you think.  I haven't had to spend a whole day in the car yet but that is coming this weekend.  I hope I am as successful as you packing lunch.

 

peahen - since your PreWO meal is your first meal after your overnight fast perhaps it just need to be a bit bigger.  Maybe two eggs would do the trick.  I woule be tempted to do a small egg salad with two eggs some may and some chopped veges. 

 

TDC - It's great for us newbies to have more experienced folks on our thread.  Three in six months does sound like a lot but it is nice of you to support your boyfriend through his.  It is just so much easier if everyone is eating the same.

 

Missy Lou - I hope you had a better nights sleep last night. From all I have read I would think you could add a third egg to your breakfast and see if that helps you feel more satisfied.

 

Time for me to get off to work.  I hope you all have a strong day 7.

[TDC]

Ooo it's exciting to be considered more experienced, thank you!! To be honest each successive one has taught me so much I almost think of my first one as a practice run -- I know so much more about how to plan my meals for the week, what does and doesn't work, when I need to eat, etc. I ate far too many nuts, coconut flakes and coconut butter in the first one (September 2013) as snacks. In the second (January 2014) and so far in this one, I haven't really snacked at all. Making decisions is easier now and I really think I've kicked the old chocolate habit. I often get a coffee in the afternoon from a high-end chocolate shop (their coffee is phenomenal too!) and don't even feel tempted by the chocolate, even though they offer freebies! And the most amazing thing of all for me is I've done a whole week already almost without noticing it -- before I felt like I was counting down the days! Making decisions and knowing what I should and shouldn't eat is almost second nature to me. I pick up bottles to read the label although I usually know instinctively before reading whether or not I can buy/eat it. I've accepted invites to eat out or at someone's house almost without thinking and then having to backtrack a little and thing, oh but will I be able to eat anything?

 

So what I'm saying is, I'm almost surprised to be considered a veteran of the Whole30 but I do think your knowledge just grows and grows and with that, each successive Whole30 because more and more valuable as you further deepen your knowledge about your own personal food habits and body. I hope I can be useful on here during this time! Here are some tips to get going:

 

1.) I highly recommend reading It Starts With Food, if you haven't already, as it goes into great detail explaining WHY you're doing it and what certain foods do to your gut. I also subscribed to the daily emails during my second one, and I think they were quite useful. Possibly not massively so if you've done a couple of Whole30s, but I did find the ones towards the end (e.g. looking beyond the Whole30 to Whole9) very useful and I'm still implementing some of the thoughts and ideas suggested now (e.g. today I made my own toothpaste!!)

 

2.) I'm preaching to the choir with this one but interacting on the forum was VERY useful in the first one. I didn't do this until about 2/3 of the way through the September W30 but I wished I had started sooner. It's useful to see what others are eating and how they're feeling, and it's a good support system. You end up feeling like you've made some friends! When I started January W30 I couldn't find a group that matched exactly as I didn't start on the 1st of the month and the only one I did find was very quiet and went dead eventually so you do have to choose carefully! When that happened, I almost felt like messaging one of the people from the September W30 to say 'Here I am, doing another one!' as a sort of accountability thing but then thought that might be a bit weird. 

 

3.) I still struggle with this but try and get a spiel down to explain to people why and what you are doing. I'm not really doing it to lose weight so I can't really say 'I'm on a diet' because people assume you're trying to lose weight. So I'm still working on this as I do get embarrassed, especially if eating out or with friends.

 

4.) Keep a food diary (or write it on here, or start a Food Log thread on the forum if you want to keep it separate). I used Evernote for my food diary, and apart from the food I ate I also noted down things like how I had slept, how I was feeling, things to improve upon...general musings. I actually only did this for the September W30. I started doing one for the January W30 but kept forgetting and eventually found that I didn't need it. I haven't bothered starting for this one. As I said, it becomes more and more instinctive, the more W30s you do.

 

5.) Absolutely key resources are Melissa Joulwan's two cookbooks, WellFed and WellFed 2. The second one came out after I finished the September W30 and I only had the first one in Kindle format (I suggest buying the books, even though they're a lot more expensive!!). With these, W30s are a breeze. Nom Nom Paleo's book is quite good too, although not in the same way. It's a little more elaborate in the sense that her recipes are stand alone one-offs, whereas Melissa Joulwan tells you a recipe and then shows you how to make them differently, so you become master of your own food without feeling like you HAVE to put X ingredient in. The WellFed cookbooks show you how to become instinctive an cook rather than prescribing to a set way of cooking. You do have to like cumin and spicy food though!!

 

I've rambled on long enough already so I will stop now. Happy Day 7!

[peahen65]

Ordered WellFed 1 and Nom Mom Paleo - supposed to be here tomorrow! 15 year old son thinks I'm crazy but said last night he wants to start eating healthy.

I get the daily emails too. They are interesting. They recently recommended Natural Calm, a magnesium supplement to take before bed. I found some at the health food store today. I'm hoping it will help my sore shins.

[TDC]

I take magnesium before bed. To be honest, I'm not sure I find it makes a huge difference to my sleep, but it is a recommended supplement by many of the experts I follow so I trust them on this. It's supposed to help with workout recovery too and I think it works for that for me.

[peahen65]

I'm glad to hear that, TDC.  I am mainly going to take it for recovery.  My shins hurt so bad since last week and are not getting better, so I figure I must be missing some nutrient or something.

 

I read this cool thing somewhere today...  Take care of your SELF with...

 

S - serenity (take time away to be quiet, meditate, pray or just be alone to decompress)

E - exercise (purposeful movement they say works as well as antidepressants for mild depression)

L - love (connect with those you love; commit loving acts often) 

F - food! (this is taken care of with our Whole30; eating well and mindfully, in support of our bodies rather than tearing them down)

 

I normally see my daughter on Tuesday mornings, then teach a noon Zumba class, but today I had to take my little boy to the eye doctor. Due to the change in my usual Tuesday routine, I was able to go to yoga this morning at 7:30.  It was so nice - relaxing but challenging and a little of the shin pain got worked out. 

 

Today is the last day of our first week!  Woohoo!  Reflecting back, here's what I think:  I think I eat a little too much fruit and macadamia nuts - I have been so on the go that snacking has been too much.  Pleased cravings haven't been too bad.  Still tweaking PreWO meal - tomorrow I'll try nut butter and see what happens.  I need to prep and cook more - hopefully my new cookbooks will inspire me! I still feel swollen (have a food "baby" up front) by mid-afternoon, no matter what I eat - not sure what to think or do about that.

 

Oh, and another thing for the S above (serenity) I've found a wonderful site... pray-as-you-go.org - very nice, very centering

[lujo238]

I have a quick question . Today I accidentally had sugarless gum.  I say accidentally because it wasn't until I spit it out that I realized what I had done.  How bad was I?  Is this a violation worthy of a re-start or do I just dust myself off an move on?

[Physibeth]

I took communion today.  I figured that is something I need to get me through Lent.  

 

Religion is like the doctor...it trumps the Whole30. If you get a gluten free option for communion that can be a better choice. I take communion every week (for me it's a small piece of pita).

[Physibeth]

I have a quick question . Today I accidentally had sugarless gum.  I say accidentally because it wasn't until I spit it out that I realized what I had done.  How bad was I?  Is this a violation worthy of a re-start or do I just dust myself off an move on?

 

I responded to this question in your log.

[lujo238]

Day 8

 

Today I woke up with a headache again and I didn't hop right out of bed today like I have the last couple days.  It may have to do with the spring flowers in my front yard and the blossoms all over my pear trees.  Spring has sprung, at least in my yard.  Tis the season for itchy eyes and sneezes. Hopefully the whole30 will help me need less medication. Seasonal allergies are one thing I was hoping to reduce some.  My mother and I both have had some itching these last few days.  Hers has been accompanied by a light rash on her arms.  We re-read last night how that should clear up by week two so here's hoping.

 

Yesterday I tried something a little new with my food.  Have you heard the breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper? Yesterday I ate my largest meal in the morning and smallest at dinner.  It seemed to work okay.  I had my egg muffins for breakfast but added a sweet potato, for lunch was leftovers from dinner last night, and dinner was a homemade chicken soup with carrots, onion, & celery cooked in the broth and then a big scoop of chunky guacamole on top. 

 

TDC - Made your own toothpaste? Color me impressed.  I can see how the too many nuts thing can happen. Especially the first time through.  Re-learning to only eat three meals a day after years of hearing about 5-6 smaller meals a day is hard.  I totally agree with your advice on keeping a journal and staying active on the forums.  I learned that in a previous program and it definitely helps whatever you are doing to keep the accountability high.

 

Peahen - My family has been giving our kids a banana for leg pain (growing pains we always called them) for a while now.  Bananas are a good source of magnesium and you can almost always get your kid to eat one.  I hope the magnesium supplement helps your shins.

 

Physibeth - Thank you for answering my gum question.  I have decided to stay the course since I am planning on a whole 40 anyway.  It's not a bad idea to have the first week to work out the kinks especially for a newbie.  I have given the gum to my kiddos and will be picking up an extra toothbrush and toothpaste at the dollar store next to my work this morning.  It will actually be much better for mw to brush after lunch anyway.

 

 

[erin76]

Hello and congratulations on your first week!!! I have had many ups and downs this week but feel confident moving into week two. The dizziness has subsided and I do think perhaps I wasn't eating or drinking quite enough. It's really hard to eat much more though! Yesterday I had two eggs, collard greens, asparagus and two strawberries for breakfast. Lunch: a really big salad with every vegetable possible and 1/4 cup of walnuts. Dinner: 1/2 pork chop, sweet potato and left over kale. My husband does not eat meat but we've always had animal protein available for the kids at dinner. This week I am going to try to add meat to my lunch and see how it goes. I have enjoyed identifying ways that I relate to food this week and then really assessing WHY that relationship exists. For example the trend we've had to offer animal protein once daily --- we've been doing that for ten years but we may reconsider! I will admit that it's REALLY hard not to take a bite here and there while I am preparing the kids meals .... sadly I've found that it's almost instinctual to put the fork to my mouth or to sneak a taste when I'm making mid day snacks. I also struggle with not being able to have a glass of wine - today's newsletter was timely. I need to find other ways to reward myself. Sadly a glass of wine is my go to when I'm really happy or when I've had a bad day. The emotional connection will be hard to break. Best wishes to all as we move into week two!!

[TDC]

erin76 -- from your description it doesn't sound like you're eating enough protein. Don't forget the rule of a palm-sized portion at least. For example for me, today's food looks like this:

Breakfast: Breakfast skillet (onions, spiralised sweet potato, minced pork, kale, semi-dried cherry tomatoes with oil, eggs; inspired by http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/entrees/beef/sweet-potato-breakfast-skillet/)

Lunch: Chicken leg with sweet potato wedges and green salad with mayo dressing

Dinner: (will be, it's still mid afternoon here!) Kalua pig (http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig) with whatever veg I decide to cook, probably leeks and flower sprouts.

 

So I have a helping of meat with each meal. I understand that you usually limit meat to one meal a day; that's fine but you do need to make sure that your other meals have sufficient protein. You could have added chopped egg (mixed with mayo perhaps?) with your salad at lunchtime for instance. I know it's hard to reprogramme...I'm not adverse to eating meat but adding it in at breakfast time is quite difficult, I think, takes more effort if you're not keen on eating eggs every day! Looking back, I think I didn't eat enough protein the first time round either. That doesn't mean go overboard on protein, everyone's different so try and work out what works best for you. 

 

peahen65 -- prepping and cooking is the most important thing! I think if I took nothing else away from my first time it was that. And I STILL struggle with this! If I am away for the weekend and don't get a chance to do a cookup my week always ends up being really frantic! I need to work out a simpler system -- I'm always over ambitious! Even if I just cut up a load of cucumber, lettuce, etc. and make up a jar of salad dressing at least I've got that basic ready. And then if I always make sure there's some form of cooked meat in the fridge or freezer too then that's that. About your food baby: I wonder whether the over-indulgence of nuts has done this. I think I sometimes eat too many nuts too fast and end up with a tummy ache. How about cutting up some cucumber and carrot sticks and always having them available in the fridge with a pot of mayonnaise (or nut butter if you must!) and have that when you're on the go. Actually I like that advice, think I'll do that when I get home!!

[swordchick]

Hi there, I've been lurking and decided to join. I probably won't be able to post much, but reading your posts has been great for me! I'm doing my first Whole30 as a part of lent. Yay for Day 8! 

 

Snacking is my biggest problem so far. 

 

Keep it up, y'all!

[WendyG7]

Hi Everyone, May I join you. I started my Whole 42 the Monday before Ash Wednesday. Feeling great.

Wendy

[peahen65]

Absolutely! The more the merrier. I like your name, swordchick. More about my day later :-(

[kllsunshine22]

I haven't had any of the side effects of headaches, sleepiness, etc... It is going really well for me and I feel really good. I slept through the night last night (day7) and almost had a heart attack when my husband's alarm went off. I am on seizure meds and drink a bunch of water all day. I hadn't slept through the night in years!!!!! My red splotchy face is going down (i'm guessing inflammation). I have been able to continue yoga and crossfit with energy. I am really loving my first experience and have had many people ask me lots of questions on facebook. I think people are really interested in feeling better. All of my post are about feeling better not losing weight. Maybe this is helping people not ask me how my diet is going!!!! People have been telling me how proud they are of me and that feels good too.

[Maxmill]

Taco salad - http://hollywouldifshecould.net/2012/04/taco-salad-a-love-story/

Opened my wallet for new walking shoes yesterday. Today it snowed but that should end soon.

[peahen65]

That's wonderful, Sunshine! I am glad you are feeling good and issues are resolving so quickly.

 

Lujo, I hope today was better.  I (used to, until W30) kind of eat that way... I ate almost constantly until noon, then lightly in afternoon, then nothing after 6 pm.

 

As for me, last night before bed I felt wretched.  And I was mad too.  I was mad that my very healthy smoothie is discouraged and I felt flu-ish and cranky and semi-nauseous and exhausted.  I woke up feeling better, but getting out of bed was a struggle - so tired!  Today is a big workout day for me, so even though I was cranky about it, I followed the recommendation for pre-WO meal... I had a third of an organic W30 compliant chicken-turkey sausage and a spoon of cashew butter.  Still cranky, went to strength training and felt pretty good throughout until... yes, abs.  I did not get as sick feeling as Monday, but just a little light headed and queasy, just briefly.  So it was better, I guess. Did Zumba without problems, then for post-WO ate a couple leftover thin beef slices and half a banana (didn't get a sweet potato baked last night).  Got my mid-morning Americano (black for a week now - I'm starting to really like black coffee) and practiced tai chi an hour and felt fine.  I feel pretty good in general most of the time but sometimes I feel kind of tipsy.  Not dizzy, but like I've had a little wine or something.  And my memory is worse than usual - yesterday I couldn't remember the first 3 digits of my social, which was bizarre and frustrating!

 

Last night, while feeling wretched, I read the W30 timeline. I'd heard it referred to but not yet read it - kind of the emotional etc things one is likely to go through. Have y'all read it?  Get ready, ladies - Friday and Saturday are supposed to be doozies!  Hopefully things will be better by Monday as I have got a race Monday evening. Short race, but still...

 

One victory today - I didn't snack.  No macadamia nuts today

[peahen65]

Oh, yes, I forgot to say that while practicing tai chi, I yelled at my instructor. Which is not normal for me.  He's a good friend so didn't mind, but still.  We were going through form and he messed up and I said, "Wait!  Stop!  That's all wrong!  You're doing it wrong!"  which is certainly not appropriate in a class in front of other students. I was embarrassed and apologized. Then I apologized again later when I told him about W30. Sigh.

 

Yay for new walking shoes, Max!

[lujo238]

Good morning.  I got up with my alarm this morning but it was easy.  That's the happy medium I think, not waking up super early and not struggling to get up when it is time.  Nothing particularly exciting to write about today.  I didn't snack on any nuts or fruits between meals yesterday.  It was tougher before lunch. I find myself getting hungry around 10:30 but yesterday I just distracted myself so I could wait until noon to eat.  After dinner last night I got hungry again, like really hungry.  I decided to just have a small plate of leftover dinner since I didn't want to eat any nuts.  My serving at dinner was probably just not big enough.  I thought about having seconds right away but decided to wait and see. 

 

erin76 - Keeping the kiddos food out of your mouth is a tough one.  One time a couple years ago I was on a super strict diet plan. I remember making something and getting on my finger. Before I realized what I was doing I just licked it off.  Next I was standing over the sink trying to spit it out.  I cant even remember exactly what it was just something sticky like frosting or peanut butter. Looking back it was pretty funny but my kids thought I was nuts. 

 

 

TDC - Your menu sounds wonderful.  I've barely dug in to all the recipes out there and sometimes the choices are overwhelming. 

 

swordchick - Hang tough on the snacking. I fell like I have gotten better after the first week. The thing I think that did the trick for me was increasing the size of my breakfast a bit.

 

Wendy67 - Welcome - Your a couple days ahead of most of us but that's great as you can give us advance warning of anything headed our way.  LOL  The more the merrier I say.

 

kllsunshine22 - Wow.  It's so great how it's going for you.  I'm a little jealous of the no headaches.  Sleeping through the night is grand.  I'm so glad you are feeling better.

 

maxmill - Congrats on the new shoes.

 

peahen65 - Thanks. Yesterday was better.  I feel like I've got a bit of a groove going.  I'm glad to here your pre-WO was a little better.  Here's hoping it keeps getting better.  Congrats on switching to black coffee. It is my favorite. 

 

Yesterdays menu was egg meat muffins and a sweet potato for breakfast, leftover chicken salad on lettuce with carrot and celery sticks for lunch, oh and a dill pickle, dinner was supposed to be meat sauce over zoodles but my zoodles were super mushy so I just mixed them in with the sauce.  So dinner was a bowl of sauce which had Italian sausage and ground turkey, Classico tomato and basil, stewed tomatoes, bell peppers & onions chopped up and the zoodles.  It was a very thick and chunky sauce so it was east to eat in a bowl.

 

Off to start my Day 9. I hope everyone does and feels great.

[mcjule]

Hey all!  Just checking in.  The timeline is interesting but I'm not sure where I should be.  I started on Ash Wednesday but I had to restart on Sunday because my coconut milk had additives in it that aren't allowed.  So I'm either on day 9 or day 5, depending on how you look at it.  I've been exhausted but with little kids, I'm always exhausted so I'm not sure how to take that.  I haven't had headaches or other yuckiness though.  My stomach is noticeably flatter, so that is exciting.  I have had to snack every day and I feel like I'm often hungry even though I eat a lot of protein.  I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I've been mixing it up so we'll see.  I also think I've been overdoing it on the nuts so I'm trying to cut back and not have them everyday.  Today's snack is pork tenderloin and avocado.  

[lujo238]

Good morning. I'm kinda bummed the thread is so quiet.  Hopefully everyone was just busy yesterday.  I had a bit of a headache all morning yesterday and woke up with it again.  Hopefully that will pass soon.  I'm not hungry as much between meals although the time between breakfast and lunch is harder.  Could that be because after fasting all night I am hungrier the first half of the day? Or because my work tends to be much busier in the afternoons I just don't have time to think of it.  I had some pistachios with my lunch yesterday.  They seem to be a good nut choice because the work involved in eating them stretches it out and I ended up only eating about half what I read somewhere was a portion. 

 

Yesterday's menu was scrambled eggs, bacon and asparagus with black coffee for breakfast, leftover chicken soup with chunky guacamole and some pistachios, dinner was leftover meat sauce over sautéed zucchini.  We had leftover night at my house yesterday as there was just a little of everything left so we all picked something to finish off.

 

Tonight is our big fish experiment.  Wish me luck.

 

mcjule - I figure it's pretty common for people to make mistakes in their first week.  I had some sugarless gum the other day but decided to just stay the course instead of start over.  We are planning a whole 40 anyway so those extra 10 days should give us some room to learn.  Try adding another or more vegetables.  I was having a problem with breakfast so I increased the amount of my veg and it helped keep me full longer.

[TDC]

I am just wondering whether anyone here does weekly cookups, and what they look like. I work full time, as does my boyfriend, but I like to eat well, I enjoy cooking (have no problem spending a few hours at a time just making dinner) and I can't afford to spend money on eating out on a daily basis so I make lunch packs for both of us to take to work. However, my boyfriend made the point yesterday that we (but really I!) seem to spend most of our time cooking. This is definitely true -- we barely have free time together in the evenings in between CrossFit, Dodgeball and me trying to prepare enough food. In the past few weeks I haven't had a chance to do a cookup on a Sunday so that's been one factor. The other issue is I like to buy cheaper larger cuts of meat (pork shoulder and whole chickens for example) to cook  in the slow cooker or the oven so as to keep costs low. Obviously the problem with this is that I have to prepared enough to have cooked them at a time when I have enough time to be home (if cooked in the oven) or not out for too long (if using slow cooker -- to avoid overcooking food). So I'm just wondering whether anyone has any ideas or suggestions on how they manage a similar situation. Tips on cheap and easy breakfasts and lunches would be particularly welcome! Although I like eggs I'm not an enormous fan of having eggs every day and I am not really a fan of just having some sort of veg with eggs over the top; I like to inject flavour and interest into my food! The other factor is I try and include green vegetables of some sort into every meal I eat.

[mcjule]

lujo238, thanks for the encouragement.  I would have loved to start 100% compliant but I understood that it could take a few days to get the kinks sorted out so four days added on isn't a big deal, especially considering that Lent is 44 days.  That being said, I mentioned this in my log but I realized we're going on vacation with our kids the last week of Lent, Holy Week, so I think I actually may need to do reintroduction after 40 days because otherwise I fear I'll accidentally eat something non-compliant (very hard to stay on track when we're eating every meal at a restaurant).  I'm going to kind of feel it out.

 

Big accomplishment for the day -- I made my own mayo!  It was so easy I'm kind of shocked.  My mother makes her own (just because she loves to make everything from scratch) and I thought she was crazy!  Anyhow, put it with tuna and avocado over greens for lunch.  Yum yum!

[mcjule]

Also, sorry if this is TMI but I got my period today.  I'm crampy and feeling a bit bloated, but I'm hoping the hormonal changes don't throw anything off with my eating.  I don't usually get cravings at this time of the month and I'm certainly not feeling any now so that's good I guess!