Lenten Whole40 support thread

[lujo238]

I found a tuna recipe using avocado instead of mayo to use for tonight.  Whew.  This week I will see if I can find some decent cuts of fish to try next Friday.  That salmon recipe above looks pretty fool proof.  If I wrap it in foil it shouldn't fall apart or dry out too much.  Do you think I could put some asparagus right in the pouch with the salmon to bake?

[BZ234]

Hello everyone.  I decided to start my W30 1 March, then I realized I would be on it during Lent and thought, Yeah, what a coincidence!  I am doing W30 as my post-baby weight loss plan along with Crossfit.  I have been seriously craving chocolate all day, but I keep telling myself that if Christ could carry a cross up to Calvary, then I can just say NO!  Plus, it's Friday, which makes it even more convincing to just say NO. Good luck to all of you!

[BZ234]

I found a tuna recipe using avocado instead of mayo to use for tonight.  Whew.  This week I will see if I can find some decent cuts of fish to try next Friday.  That salmon recipe above looks pretty fool proof.  If I wrap it in foil it shouldn't fall apart or dry out too much.  Do you think I could put some asparagus right in the pouch with the salmon to bake?

I think the asparagus would be overcooked if you did that.  I like mine still a bit crisp, so I steam them for about 5 minutes, depending on the thickness.

[bethb]

WHY THE **Â¥%#|~** would anyone put SOY in tuna? Guess I'm back to Day Zero. Yay Lent 40. Maybe I'll sign up for those emails now.

I like my Asparagus a little 70s style, softer than fashionable, so I'd totally throw it all together with the salmon!

Peahen! How did the last Dr trip/ Mexican restaurant gauntlet go? I felt so hideous today until about 3. While my cough seems better faster, I wrenched my back coughing and if you put a basket of Mexican restaurant chips in front of me, I would have grabbed them, snarling "My preciousssss!"

Dinner looks promising anyway. Well Fed (have I mentioned my devotion? Yeah.) marinade from the ginger lime grilled shrimp recipe but with a little extra olive oil in a 13x9 dish with tilapia and green peppers and just a teeny bit of pineapple. Haven't decided yet if I want simple broccoli or cauli rice.

How's everyone's first Friday of Lent?

[bethb]

Wow BZ234! You're inspiring! I'd never heard of Crossfit before this and googled their gyms in my area. It looks terrifying! But then I haven't been close to fit in quite a while.... In the space where you enter your fitness level for I'd have to put BAHAHA. Let us know about getting into that along with the whole 30/40.

[wwills84]

Support is good with meal suggestions. Especially since Fridays during Lent will be a challenge for us. Previous years, we had a routine on Fridays, either (fried) fish or veggie pizza Friday night.  We volunteer at our church's Lenten fish fry, so that will be a problem.

Breakfast should be ok, just eggs (but no bacon or sausage with it); or a pumpkin "souffle" that I make (canned pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk, whipped in blender and baked, served with coconut milk and blueberries). Lunch will be tuna or smoked salmon most likely.

Looking forward to supporting each other through Lent.

How do you make your pumpkin soufflé? Sounds great! Thanks!

[mcjule]

WHY THE **Â¥%#|~** would anyone put SOY in tuna? Guess I'm back to Day Zero. Yay Lent 40. Maybe I'll sign up for those emails now.

I like my Asparagus a little 70s style, softer than fashionable, so I'd totally throw it all together with the salmon!

Peahen! How did the last Dr trip/ Mexican restaurant gauntlet go? I felt so hideous today until about 3. While my cough seems better faster, I wrenched my back coughing and if you put a basket of Mexican restaurant chips in front of me, I would have grabbed them, snarling "My preciousssss!"

Dinner looks promising anyway. Well Fed (have I mentioned my devotion? Yeah.) marinade from the ginger lime grilled shrimp recipe but with a little extra olive oil in a 13x9 dish with tilapia and green peppers and just a teeny bit of pineapple. Haven't decided yet if I want simple broccoli or cauli rice.

How's everyone's first Friday of Lent?

Isn't it shocking how many "extras" are in our food?  I was at Whole Foods yesterday trying to buy nut butter and most of them had sugar added (why do we need sugar in nut butter??) and a lot of them also had extra oils.  I also noticed this with dried fruits.  Because we need dried fruits to be sweeter??!!  Such a weird world we live in!

 

I'm technically back to day 1 too because my coconut milk wasn't compliant, but I figure the first three days were "learning days."  We'll still fit our Whole 30 into Lent.  Also, I'm sure you all know this but Lent is 40 days because we don't count the Sundays so it's actually 44 days with the Sundays added back in.

[peahen65]

 

 

"I also have a scrumptious creamy balsamic vinaigrette recipe, but I have to find Dijon mustard with no wine in it.  Might try it with regular mustard. Otherwise I have to order the non-wine Dijon."

 

Welcome, Bethann!  I found non-wine, non-honey or other sweeteners Dijon at Whole Foods.  I can't recall the brand (not at home now) but will post it when I can.

[peahen65]

Isn't it shocking how many "extras" are in our food?  I was at Whole Foods yesterday trying to buy nut butter and most of them had sugar added (why do we need sugar in nut butter??) and a lot of them also had extra oils.  I also noticed this with dried fruits.  Because we need dried fruits to be sweeter??!!  Such a weird world we live in!

 

I'm technically back to day 1 too because my coconut milk wasn't compliant, but I figure the first three days were "learning days."  We'll still fit our Whole 30 into Lent.  Also, I'm sure you all know this but Lent is 40 days because we don't count the Sundays so it's actually 44 days with the Sundays added back in.

I know! My husband says it must be a conspiracy to poison the populace.  

 

OH!  I forgot about Sundays not being counted, since they are technically feast days.  Oh well, we can make it an extra 4 days

[peahen65]

My Friday went well, actually!  It was shaping up to be a major challenge but ended on a great note...

 

Breakfast was my modified smoothie:  half an avocado, half a banana, cup of blueberries, 1/3 c coconut milk, T. chia seeds, T. ground flax seed, ice, and water kefir.  I'm not missing the Greek yogurt in it at all! 

 

Then I went and ran/walked (starting back up training for spring) and did strength training afterward.  For my post workout snack, I had the only compliant Lara Bar available in the whole store. 

 

On to the city to take Mother to the doctor and it took FOREVER, which turned out well, as I had to get back home to pick up my little one so took Mother to my husband's office and let HIM take her to the Mexican place!  Victory!  But by then I was HUNGRY so driving back I ate macadamia nuts. And cold leftover black Americano.  By 4, to keep from passing out , ate a little leftover beef roast and carrots and half an apple. 

 

Then I needed to go see my middle daughter (at college about 45 mins away) and take her out for her birthday.  She wanted local famous rural BBQ.  I'm like, uhhh, I doubt they'll have anything I can eat. So we went in and looked at the menu - all the sides were starch or sugar laden and all the meats were rubbed in sugar and the sauces of course were full of sugar, even the vinegar ones, etc.    So we left and started searching on our phones for steak houses and found one in the city.  Looking at the menu there, I started having my doubts, but figured I could cobble something together there, then I saw it... Grilled Rainbow Trout with basil, cilantro, and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil!  I asked to make sure if that was all that was on it, yes it was - woohoo.  For my sides I got a baked sweet potato (please leave off the cinnamon sugar and the butter... and the server said, you want a dry sweet potato? yes) then she asked what dressing on your salad, so I asked if I could trade salad for another side, and she said I could. So I got the steamed asparagus (please leave off the lemon butter sauce).  I apologized for being so particular, but she said it was no problem.  So I ended up having the most tasty scrumptious and amazing meal I've had in I can't remember when!  Grilled trout, plain baked sweet potato, and a dozen thin, fresh, steamed asparagus spears  and I didn't even have to use my coconut aminos that I brought with me in my bag.  And daughter had the whole loaf of bread that came with our meal, a sweet potato (with the sugar and butter), fries, and a half rack of baby back BBQ ribs - and I didn't envy her at all - victory! 

[missmary]

Breakfast was my modified smoothie:  half an avocado, half a banana, cup of blueberries, 1/3 c coconut milk, T. chia seeds, T. ground flax seed, ice, and water kefir.  I'm not missing the Greek yogurt in it at all! 

 

Then I went and ran/walked (starting back up training for spring) and did strength training afterward.  For my post workout snack, I had the only compliant Lara Bar available in the whole store. 

 

Can I encourage you to follow the meal template recommendations a little more closely? We find people have the best results if they go by these recommendations, which include protein and vegetables at breakfast and protein and carbs (not fat and carbs like your lara bar) for post workout. Here is the template: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

 

Here is some info on smoothies: Smoothies: We'd rather you didn't

 

This is a very popular question, with a very unpopular answer. Smoothies (generally made using lots of fruit) are technically compliant on your Whole30, but we strongly recommend against it. Food that you drink sends different satiety signals to your brain than food that you chew. So when you drink your meal, your brain isn't getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it's had enough of what it needs. Plus, smoothies are generally really fruit-heavy, and starting your day off with a liquid sugar-bomb sets you up for cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day. In summary, we'd rather you just eat the food, and skip the smoothie.

- See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.q7YyqStU.dpuf

[peahen65]

How's everyone doing with sleeping, energy levels, etc? Strangely I have been sleeping great from Day 1!  I am tired at the right time and ready to wake up at the right time (5:45). 

 

I am a little concerned about energy for next week... I usually work out / exercise daily but this past week have not been able to due to snow days, Mother to doctors, and sub teaching.  Maybe I'm worrying about "tomorrow" a little too much. 

 

I'll be glad for any tips BZ234, on how you eat before and after Crossfit.  I strength train 3x a week, do Zumba 4+ times a week, and am starting to run again (after taking winter off). 

[peahen65]

Can I encourage you to follow the meal template recommendations a little more closely? We find people have the best results if they go by these recommendations, which include protein and vegetables at breakfast and protein and carbs (not fat and carbs like your lara bar) for post workout. Here is the template: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

 

 

Okay... I looked more closely at the template (I have it printed out in my bag - haha) and think maybe after work-out would be some plain baked sweet potato and a hard boiled egg?  I think I can manage getting that together and packing up to take with me. 

 

But I am still stymied about pre-workout... small amt protein, small amt fat - easily digestible and palatable.  My pre-workout is at my breakfast time (3 or 4 days a week), so can't do a full breakfast those days without getting sick feeling.   Need ideas as I can't think of anything - nut butter on... ?

[missmary]

Okay... I looked more closely at the template (I have it printed out in my bag - haha) and think maybe after work-out would be some plain baked sweet potato and a hard boiled egg?  I think I can manage getting that together and packing up to take with me. 

 

But I am still stymied about pre-workout... small amt protein, small amt fat - easily digestible and palatable.  My pre-workout is my breakfast, so can't do a full breakfast without getting sick feeling.   Need ideas as I can't think of anything - nut butter on... ?

 

A Hardboiled egg isn't so good for post-workout because of the fat content. Chicken breast or tuna or lean roast beef would be better with the sweet potato.

 

One the other hand, a hardbolied egg is just about perfect for pre-workout. That's what I use pre-workout and it has been great. Some people will do a spoonful of nut butter or coconut butter, or pair the egg with mayo or guac if they need a little bit more food before the workout.

[Maxmill]

I am back from walking my errands ,which included the small winter market to buy farm fresh eggs(so good)!

On my way I overheard a couple talking about where they could find a Paleo meal in town, they settled for coffee but fun to hear Paleo eating on the street. Pork Chops for dinner.

[peahen65]

Made Crispy Chicken from NomNom Paleo today - was very good.  Also have my egg and lemon juice sitting out to get room temp before making homemade mayo.  I haven't done that in years - hopefully it turns out well. 

[TessTurbo]

Today, day 4, was the first time in four days that I haven't needed a nap. Thursday I crashed in place at the computer. Friday I had more warning and was able to curl up somewhere comfortable.

One thing hasn't changed: I've only needed two meals a day. I eat a late breakfast (as that fits best with my schedule) and am not hungry again until dinner time. I don't believe I'm overeating at meals at all, based on the size plates I use. I just seem to stay full when I eat this way. I do drink a lot of water. Have been in that habit for many years, and haven't stopped now.

Today I spent 3.5 hours in the kitchen, roasting peppers & squash, browning veg for omelettes and beef for taco salad, making sauces and dressings, creating avocado & tomato salsa for use on eggs and salad, making both cauliflower mash and rice, plus simmering a batch of Well Fed 2's Cincinnati chili. A little more effort tomorrow, and the rest of the week I should be able to throw meals together quickly.

Also, I felt bad declining a cheerful Girl Scout at a cookie booth, but I managed to stay the course. Victory, I guess.

[peahen65]

I think that was a victory, TessTurbo!  Except the feeling bad part.  Maybe next time, if you feel bad for declining the offer to buy, buy a box and give them away to someone right away (unless holding a box of them would be a huge trigger).  And yay for all the prep work you did.  I think that's awesome.

 

I made my homemade mayo yesterday and it is EXCELLENT.  Turned out perfectly and tasty to boot. 

 

Dijon mustard:  the kind I found is Whole Foods store brand 365.  Caveat!  365 had some other Dijon type mustards that are not compliant.  This one is 365 ORGANIC Dijon Mustard... INGR: organic apple cider vinegar, water, organic mustard seed, sea salt, organic spices.  NO WINE, NO SUGAR, NO HONEY.

 

OKAY... Those of us Lenten Whole40ers who observe Communion... what did you end up doing this morning?  I had planned to partake by intinction (dipping) but was so conflicted by the time that I crossed my arms and received a blessing instead.  I felt good with that.  I felt I was receiving in spirit, if not by the elements.  But I was not sure I wanted to go all through Lent thusly, so I looked it up and this is what one of the Whole30 Forum Moderators said...

 

 

You can take prescribed medications and participate in religious services without restriction during a Whole30. There are some authorities we don't argue with.

My church offers gluten-free wafers because our associate pastor has celiac disease and took the initiative to introduce them. She feels a difference even with a small bite of regular bread. Your taking communion may have a negative physical impact on your gut, but you can still have a good Whole30 if that is your only variation from the plan. Wine is likely to have even less influence than bread, so a sip at a service should not undermine the rest of your efforts.

 

I personally found this to be reasonable, so plan to partake next week without inner conflict or feeling like I have to start back Day 1.

 

I'm glad y'all are here.  The accountability really helps me a lot.  I truly think I can do this!

[lujo238]

Hello again.  Today was day 5 for me.  My mom and I worked together to cook up and prep some stuff for the week.  When I mentioned in an earlier post I don't know how to cook fish I wasn't kidding.  I brought home some cod yesterday I figured I would throw in the freezer for Friday.  Then my mother told me I can't freeze previously frozen fish.  I asked her how did she know it was previously frozen.  Duh. We are much to far from the sea for it to have been flown in fresh.  Especially as it is wild caught Alaskan Cod.  So we went ahead and cooked it today to freeze it pre-cooked to be used at later dates.  It would not have lasted until Frida so I will pick some fresh up Friday afternoon.

 

I feel pretty good other than being completely exhausted.  I chopped, sliced, and diced what feels like a ton of vegetables.  I also made egg meat muffin cups for the week.  I used different varieties of vegetable to try and keep it from getting boring by Friday.  We also made chicken breast to use in a chicken salad tonight and through out the week.  Then we tossed the bones in a pot with our vegetable end pieces for a broth. The best thing I did all day though was I made homemade may perfect the very first time.  Thank you Melissa Joulwan for the video it was perfect.  If any of you have not checked out her website yet, www.theclothesmakethegirl, please do so right away.  It has been a great resource for recipes and ideas in general. 

 

BZ234 - This may or may not be helpful to you.  They say not to give in to your cravings.  However I had the chocolate chili from the above mentioned website yesterday and it was a savory take on chocolate that was kinda neat.  Also I drink flavored coffee and this week is mocha latte.  It is one of my favorites.  
Also I brilliantly invited my sister and her husband to have fish with us on Friday asking him to teach my son how to grill the fish.  Hah! I will roast the asparagus and perhaps some sweet potato oven fries to go with it and let the men enjoy their fire.

 

 

bethb - I have been shocked at the ingredients in some things.  I see you mention Well Fed in your post.  I don't have it yet but it is in my basket.  The website is fabulous but I do prefer to have a cook book in book form.

 

wwills84 - I second your request for a recipe on that pumpkin soufflé.

 

mcjule - 44! Thanks for the tip.  At least it gives us room for error.  Plus so many people seem to be feeling so good at the 30 day mark they just keep going.  I'm hoping to be one of them.

 

peahen - My sleep seems to be pretty good too.  This morning when I woke up I was immediately wide awake which is new for me.  I am definitely a snooze button kind of gal.  I did take a nap after all the cooking I did this morning but I put a 30 minute limit on it and was wide awake right away again.  We will see how it goes tomorrow morning after the leap forward today.  I agree also with missmary's suggestion for a hardboiled egg pre-workout.  I used to have one before Zumba and it was perfect.

 

maxmill - pork chops sound lovely

 

 

TessTurbo - Nice work on the cook up.  I know what hard work it is.  As for the Girl Scouts I was avoiding them but my daughter talked me into letting her buy a box yesterday.  She picked the flavor she wanted and we bought one box.  Which is good because in previous years we would have bought many.  The best part though is I'm not even interested even though she did pick out me previously favorite ones.   

 

Sorry for the long ramble but I like to give at least a little shout out so people know there thoughts are being received.  It's time for shower and bed for me.  It's barely 8 o'clock but I am passed ready.  Good night all.

 

 

 

[mcjule]

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

[Whole Amy]

Way to go everyone!  I did have communion yesterday, I thought about it on my first Whole30 but still received.  Eating lots of wheat does make me feel tired and starts cravings, but the small amount in communion has no impact on me.

 

I did not get to prep as much as I would have liked over the weekend.  I did however cook only W30 foods for my family and kids, so I am very proud of that!  I made some chicken kiev that was amazing, it was a combination of two recipes I found online.

 

I have been following this way of eating for over 8 months now, and doing this whole 30 is very fine tuned, it feels great.  Anyone else on a second or third W30?

 

Todays plan:

B- eggs, beet greens and avocado

L - salad with chicken olive oil, side of sweet potatoes

D - spaghetti with ground meat over squash, side of broccoli

[erin76]

Hello All - I started whole30/40 for lent as well. It's proven difficult so I'm not sure I'd have the will power to do it another time! It's definitely a change that has me asking God for strength! So far I love it, I love the challenge and the satisfaction I feel at the end of the day. Last night was the first night I noticed a difference in my sleep - I slept like a rock!! I do still feel dizzy at times but my headaches have resolved. The weekend was hard because we are slammed with kid activities and don't usually make it home for meals. I packed snacks and lunch and avoided fast food for dinner. The kids love Chinese so I ordered steamed veggies with steamed chicken - no sauce. AND I took home more than 1/2 which I never do!

I get the daily newsletter which I do look forward to reading every morning. I hope to be an active member of the forum over the next several weeks for support. Hoping everyone has an outstanding day!!

[GFChris]

Hello All - I started whole30/40 for lent as well. It's proven difficult so I'm not sure I'd have the will power to do it another time! It's definitely a change that has me asking God for strength! So far I love it, I love the challenge and the satisfaction I feel at the end of the day. Last night was the first night I noticed a difference in my sleep - I slept like a rock!! I do still feel dizzy at times but my headaches have resolved. 

Feeling dizzy is not normal.  I wonder if you're eating/drinking enough? Can you post 2-3 days worth of your food log in the Troubleshooting section, and folks can give you feedback on possible tweaks? 

[peahen65]

My day so far, trying new things for PreWO and PostWO meals...

 

For PreWO, I had hard boiled egg with a little homemade mayo chopped in (as per the moderator's suggestion).  Felt good on my stomach.  An hour later I did an hour of strength training and felt okay, BUT by the time I got to abs at the end, I felt my face go white, then I felt dizzy and nauseous (and I was laying on my back when this occurred!).  The only time I've had this happen before is when I did pilates very early on an empty stomach.  I really think I need to add fruit to my PreWO meal - please advise.  Especially since it is technically my breakfast 3x a week. 

 

After strength training (I just lay there for the end of abs, to recover) I thought I should go eat a banana, but felt recovered enough to go on to Zumba without the banana.  I did Zumba for an hour and felt well enough.

 

PostWO meal I brought with me and ate as soon as I got to my car... chicken and a baked sweet potato.  Very satisfying. 

 

Having my late morning black Americano now and will have lunch about 12:30, broccoli and chicken.

[TDC]

I'm jumping in on this thread as I started a WholeLent last week too. For no good reason (certianly not religious anyway!) other than it works well as a 30 day programme + 10 days. I am vaguely thinking of counting those 10 days at the end as the reintro period as in my previous two Whole30s I haven't managed the Reintro protocol correctly; I think having it relatively regimented as part of the programme, with Easter Day chocolates to finish a good way to work it in.

 

Anyway, peahen65, it's terrifying to hear that you felt dizzy. I never feel the need for too much pre-WO (I usually go without). From what I understand (the moderators will elaborate I'm sure) the pre-WO meal is less needed for the nutrition and more to do with preparing your body for training. Some people (and I think Melissa and Dallas don't agree with this) train in a fasted condition (i.e. don't eat anything). However, you have obviously something that you need to address. Have you tried some nuts? Another option is this bar: http://londonpaleokitchen.com/2012/09/10/coconut-fruit-nut-bar/ (without the fruit of course!). Beware: it's a lot like eating a chocolate bar so if you think you have a problem with that then don't make these!

 

erin76: Make sure you eat some fat; steamed chicken and steamed broccoli is not really enough! As GFChris suggested, post your meals over the last few days.

 

This is my third Whole30 in 6 months. I know that sounds too much; it is, really! I didn't plan to do this one. I did my second soon after the new year started and then my boyfriend said he was doing another through Lent (it'll be his second) and I thought I'd better do it too! I was pretty surprised to find that 6 days have gone by (it's almost 5pm here in England) without me even noticing it. Making food choices and planning meals just gets easier and easier the more you do, and of course the in between bits become less bad as you work out what does and doesn't work for you so I'm not doing a huge amount different, but I do need the discipline to stay on track and I know I learn a lot from each one.