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Pat's first whole 30 log


PatrickDickey

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Hi everyone,

 

So I started, failed, started, failed, and finally started my whole 30 on Saturday again. I seem to be a day off on everything (tired and lethargic was on day 4, not 3). Up until today, the cravings haven't been too bad. That's most likely because I've been on vacation since last Friday--but I go back to work tonight.

 

My hardest parts are to eat veggies with each meal. I'm not really a veggie person, and spinach salads get really old after a while. So, in that respect, I've been failing all week. But, as far as eating non-approved foods, I'm doing okay.

 

So we get to "Day 5". I'm feeling weird. I'm not hungry, but I could eat a <insert food that I used to eat before starting the program>. All I drink is tea, normally. But that doesn't appeal to me either. Water doesn't appeal to me. I had force myself to eat supper (lunch also), which means no veggies. And I still have about 10 to 12 hours to go before I can go to bed.

 

A small part of me is screaming "Give up!!!!". But I realized today that I'm making a choice. I can choose to give into the cravings. Or I can choose to suffer through this, in hopes that it'll get better in a couple of days.

 

So, the hardest things for me are these:

 

1.  Finding ways to cook and eat approved veggies.

2.  Finding veggies to eat, other than spinach (I do have broccoli florets and brussel sprouts in the fridge).

3.  Finding snack foods that I can eat (or breaking down and doing the SWYPO thing and making whole 30-approved versions of some).

 

One of the reasons that this is hard is that I'm walking into this relatively healthy. I was able to drink milk, and eat dairy products. And aside from the occasional sub sandwich, bread is tolerated (I'm guessing it's the bread, but it could be the marinara sauce that Subway uses too). I've got high cholesterol, but my blood sugar is fine. So, I'm walking into this with the attitude of "I may not need to do this, but I want to give it a shot." After typing that, it would seem this should be easy. But it's not. It would be easier if I was already giving up some of the foods, due to medical reasons.

 

I'm not sure how often I'll write here. I've tried logs before, and I go in phases. I'll write for days, then disappear for weeks. Then write another post or two, and be gone again. I guess the main reason that I'm even writing this one is, I'm hoping that someone can reassure me that it will get easier in a couple of days. 

 

As a side note, I'm definitely one of the two groups discussed in the book. I'm in the group where I don't normally eat (I could go for a day without eating, if I was doing something else to occupy my mind). Eating wasn't ever a priority for me. Now it has to become one. I think that's one of the reasons I'm having these feelings today.

 

Anyhow, thanks for reading the book. When I do write, I'll probably be long-winded and ramble.

 

Have a great day.:)
Patrick.

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Ok, so I survived the cravings. What I ended up doing is buying some tea (Pure Leaf Unsweetened Tea) and a couple of bottles of V8 Juice. I realize that we're not supposed to supplement the juice for real veggies, but it helped to break the cycle. By the time I got to work, I was feeling better. And at lunch, I ate my roast (actually it was heart), plus the carrots and onions that were in with it. And I had the second V8. I'm still calling it a successful day, simply because I didn't eat anything that is against the rules (although the V8 could be bending them quite a bit).

 

The hardest part of work is that before I started the whole 30, I would stop at the gas station next door and get doughnuts and hot chocolate. For a brief moment, I thought about them--then pushed it out of my mind. The only odd thing from last night is, I could have sworn I smelled maple syrup (or pancakes with maple syrup). I'm guessing that's going to be my version of a "food dream". lol

 

Have a great day.:)
Patrick.

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So, Friday was Day 6. And I made it through...........

 

Some things that I learned in the experience though are: tilapia and broccoli are not a good meal before lifting 30 - 50-70 pound metal baffles (that are covered in paint), Tomato Juice (V8) isn't a good quick shot right before doing the same exercise, I most definitely entered the "Kill them all" phase last night, and am still in it today, and most importantly, the only reasons I made it through yesterday were that the place I buy doughnuts didn't have any ready when I got off work (I know they don't make them for about two hours after), and I was too tired to stop anywhere else.

 

This morning (Day 7), I cooked up four eggs since I was starving last night. I choked down two of them and tossed the rest. I know that even though I'm not "hungry", I could probably eat a dozen doughnuts or anything like that (because I can feel the cravings). But I will not falter. Not at all. 

 

I did check one thing last night (measured my waist). I'm down about an inch or so from my last physical (in November). I forgot to measure before I started the Whole 30, so I don't know if it's this, eating paleo off and on for the past month, or just not eating at all. But, an inch is an inch, and I don't care how it happened. 

 

I didn't really fill out the goals sheet before I started, so here they are:

 

1. Lose weight. I weighed about 157-160 pounds coming into this. It's not a lot (I'm 5'9"), but I definitely don't like how I got there. So my goal is to get back down at least 10 to 20 pounds, and then build it back up properly (muscle more so than fat).

 

Nutrition:

 

2. Eat dinner at my table at least two to three times a week. Right now, it's usually off of a tv tray in front of my tv, or off of my desk, in front of my computer. I committed to this through the Blue Zones Project, and hopefully this will help to solidify the habit.

 

3. Eat more veggies. As I've beaten this to death in other posts, I'll leave it to those.

 

4. Cook new things. I love watching the cooking shows like Hell's Kitchen and Master Chef. And I've gotten acquainted with a few of the contestants through Twitter and Facebook. (Stress this is the occasional tweet back and forth) I want to try cooking some of the meals that they do (obviously right now, only the Whole 30 approved ones). And I just want to cook something more than just hot dogs and eggs.

 

Sleep:

 

5. Try to get either more sleep, or at least a better quality sleep. I've made some changes to help this along. I live in a three room apartment (big room with big windows, a smaller room, then the kitchen and bathroom). Up until a few weeks ago, I was sleeping in the biggest room. But I moved everything around, so now I'm in the smaller room (with no windows). I still have a tv and computer in the room (along side my alarm clock and phone), but it stays pretty dark anyhow. Depending on the day, I average between 5 and 7 hours. So I'm going to work on sleeping at least a couple of hours more.

 

Stress Management:

 

6. I got an email yesterday for a free Yoga class (I honestly don't know how they got my email address). I'm going to check it out, if it fits into my schedule. Then I'll see about paying for more classes. Also I plan on trying meditation again. It's not a "need to find time" problem though. It's a "need to just sit down and do it" problem.

 

Exercise:

 

7. The Yoga will fall under this to an extent. I'm also going to start riding my bicycle (indoor trainer), and when the weather gets better, I'll ride it to work. I may end up doing that in a couple of weeks (if I can make it that far on the bike LOL) because I'll be getting some work done on my car. I've also looked at some of those DVD Workouts (Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, and P90X), so I may try one of those too.

 

Active Recovery:

 

Not sure what I'll do here. I can stretch, but I don't have foam rollers yet.

 

Injury Rehab:

 

Doesn't really apply, other than sore muscles.

 

Fun and Play:

 

I don't have a family here, but I'll try to visit my nieces and nephews during (or shortly after) the Whole 30. I'm ending right about Good Friday time, so it'll probably be that weekend. And I'll most likely be carrying my nieces around on my back and shoulders (one's 10 and one's 15), so I'll definitely get exercise then.

 

Personal Growth:

 

I've already read the It Starts With Food book, and have the Nom-Nom Paleo cookbook. Plus I've got a few other Paleo books. 

 

Temperance:

 

I had to look this one up, to be honest. This one will be a hard one to define. I don't drink or smoke. I have the television on for noise value mainly (although I do record shows, I haven't watched the recordings). My only "vice" is my computer. So, I'll limit myself to two hours a day (outside of when I'm teaching or tutoring, as it's sort of a requirement there) on the computer each weekday.

 

Outside of the 9 factors, and their goals, I'm hoping to save some money (as I was probably spending between $35 and $50 on junk food each week). Or at least putting the money towards something more healthy. And at some point, I'm going to have a complete physical done (a friend of mine is a GP, and said she's going to kick my butt because it's been way too long). Hopefully my numbers are better than they were in November. My goal from this is between now and next November (or whenever my company does their annual health screening), I want to get my numbers down.

 

And going along with my goals on nutrition, I know that my biggest hurdle isn't finding the things I "can" have. It's finding the motivation to put the effort into making those things. That's probably the hardest thing for anyone here to overcome. Before walking through this door, life was easy. I'm hungry, stop and grab something. I want to cook, toss a pizza into the oven (or something into the microwave). I don't have anything for lunch at work, stop at a restaurant or convenience store, and grab something.... But now, we have to put the effort into cooking and creating our own meals. And we have to put the effort into planning meals. 

 

I know this will be worth it in the end.... It's just the getting there, which will be hard. But I know that I can achieve "nirvana" if I try.

 

Have a great day everyone. :)
Patrick.

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So I spent yesterday traveling. I drove about 2 1/2 hours to Des Moines, to go to Whole Foods. It was an interesting, and expensive trip--but very good overall. I bought a corned beef brisket (that I realized may not fit in my crock pot), some coconut milk, bacon and brats (that I can't eat, because they have sugar), steak, carrots, salsa, salmon, eggs, and thai curry paste. Grand total: $139.00.

 

But the most important part is, I got to finally experience what a lot of people are talking about: Shopping at Whole Foods. Will I do it again? Yes, but not for a while. Not until after the Whole 30, because there are way too many things in there that I can't have (but was tempted anyhow). On the way, I stopped off at a convenience store, and bought some apples (red and green) with caramel dip and a banana. The apples were good. The banana was good. The dip? You'll have to ask whatever animals rummage through the garbage, because that's where it ended up.

 

The salsa idea came from http://www.livinglaughinglosing.com/5660/whole30-day-11/ where she found it at Whole Foods. I bought the medium and hot both. Last night, I started eating the medium right out of the jar.....  OMG, it was good. It actually tasted a bit like spanish rice (or that could have been the start of the food dreams, I'm not sure). Speaking of food dreams, I had one last night. I dreamt that I was at work, and one of my friends bought me some food out of the vending machine. I thanked her, and put it aside (to eat after my Whole 30 was done).

 

So, bring on week 2. I'm ready (more or less). At least I know I'll have corned beef for a week. LOL 5 pounds will go a long way).

 

Have a great day.:)
Patrick.

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So, Day 9 went pretty good. I learned that "sun-dried tomato pesto bratwursts" are horrible. I also tried something odd and different at lunch. I had made a salad, but my dressing was frozen (long story). So, I put some dijon mustard on the salad instead. WOW!!!!! I'm not going to say it was the best tasting thing in the world, but it was edible. The surprise came when I took the first bite, and got a dose of mustard. It was almost like eating fresh horseradish (in that it cleared my sinuses). I don't think I'll do it again like that--although I may mix the mustard into my dressing next time (for a bit of a kick).

 

(Day 10) Today, I made corned beef without cabbage. I'd have made the cabbage also but: 1) I couldn't even fit the corned beef into my crock pot without cutting it in half, 2) I overslept, so it was close to dinner time when I woke up, and 3) I had to grade my students homework in a short time for mid-terms.

 

I'll have a more thorough update for Day 10 tomorrow.

 

Have a great day.:)
Patrick.

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So I'm coming to a few conclusions. They may apply to others also, but I'm sure they apply to me.

 

1. I'm not craving sugar or anything specific like that. I'm finding that my craving is more for the convenience of stopping and getting something to eat. Not having to take the time to do the cooking myself. I haven't given into the cravings, but they are there. Especially when I drive by the usual suspects every day.

2. Thursday nights are always the hardest for me. For some reason in the past, I'd never have anything ready to eat, so I'd order delivery. Most likely it's because I got paid on Thursday morning. Given that it's Lent, and I'm "trying" to follow the rules, it makes that so much harder this time around. Now, I have to make something for breakfast/lunch (whatever you want to call my meal before work) and make something compliant for "lunch" at work. This is where planning is most important.

3. I'm getting better at cooking eggs over-easy (or maybe they're coming out sunny-side up, I'm not sure :P). Although I've got to say that eggs are getting boring. 

4. Sugar really is insidious. I looked at bacon last night, and even the organic (Applegate farms) has sugar in it. Shopping at US Wellness Meats isn't really a viable option, as having to buy a minimum of 7 pounds AND $75.00 is out of my budget. I'm going to try Greatest Grains (a local health food store) and see what they have. When I went to Whole Foods last weekend, even their bacon has sugar in it. "It's only a tiny amount" is what the butcher said. A tiny amount is still more than we're allowed. LOL

 

I'm already sort of looking past the end of the Whole 30 to see what I'm going to reintroduce. Sugar, as much as it sucks, may have to be one thing. Just because it's in everything. And I may have to reintroduce the occasional grain (read as bread or buns, for when I'm visiting family and friends). But that's still about 15 days away, which is fine by me.

 

Ironically enough, I mentioned my diet to my mother (who worries about me constantly). I didn't get into too many specifics, other than that I don't eat any bread or grains. That it's mainly meat and vegetables. I was shocked when she said that they don't eat a lot of bread either. Now, I'm a realist. I know my dad wouldn't be able to just jump onto the Whole 30/paleo diet (because he's on insulin and o host of other medications). But, they might be open to incorporating some of the aspects, I think.

 

For Chris, my dijon mustard is compliant. It just has mustard seed, water, vinegar, salt, citric acid, and turmeric in it. I'm going on the assumption that the vinegar wasn't made with red/white wine, as it doesn't say.

 

And after reading a tip about how to get veggies in, I'm doing better. When I make my lunch, I toss some frozen (or fresh) veggies into a bowl, drizzle olive oil (and maybe ghee) over them, and toss my protein in. Then I microwave it at work, and enjoy. It definitely beats the same ole salad every day. :)

 

Have a great day.:) 

Patrick.

 

(14 days down, 16 more to go)

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I found some salsa that seems compliant Saturday night. At Walmart, no less. Actually it's two brands, but one is questionable.  The first is "Clint's Texas Salsa" (ingredients: tomatoes (tomato juice, calcium chloride, citric acid), onions, serrano peppers, tomato paste, cilantro, garlic, salt, distilled vinegar, lemon juice). And the "questionable" one is Herdez Salsa Casera (ingredients: tomatoes, onions, serrano peppers, iodized salt, and cilantro). I put it as questionable because typically iodized salt contains dextrin or some other sugar to keep it flowing. I cooked up some pork loin riblets with sauerkraut, onions, and carrots last night. It was pretty good (obviously I miss BBQ sauce :P), and I'm taking it for work tonight. Tomorrow or Tuesday, I'm going to do a Whole 30 version of a basic chicken recipe that I have. The original recipe is just coating the chicken with flour, salt, and pepper. I'm using almond flour instead (usually I use quinoa, so it's not like it'll be completely different). And I'll toss a few herbs and spices into the shaker bag.

 

I am realizing that I drink way too much iced tea. So I'll need to spend the rest of the Whole 30 trying to cut that back also. And at least the past few days, I've been eating a lot of bananas. So, I'll probably have to cut those back also (just because they could be providing the sugar dragon with food). I mixed some avocado and salsa together, and am taking that to work tonight.

 

So I'm combining a few days in this post. Knock on wood, I'm finally sleeping a full (more or less) 7 hours or so. I may wake up once in that time, or I may not. And it's a deep sleep, which is good. So maybe in that department, the magic is finally happening. As far as the cravings and such go, it sort of happens like this: around 4 in the morning, I start thinking about what I'm going to eat after work. I say "I don't want to deal with this, so maybe I'll just stop and pick something up." Then at 5, when I get off work, I drive to the Post Office to get my mail, drive home, and cook something. Even on the days where I'm starving, the only real change might be that I don't stop and get my mail first.

 

I did try cooking my eggs in ghee this morning. They came out pretty good. Since it's essentially butter, they tasted like the eggs I used to eat as a kid. So, that's a good thing. And it's a delightful change from cooking them in light olive oil (or evoo olive oil).

 

That's enough rambling for a while....

 

Have a great day. :)

Patrick.

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So here's the recipe for the Paleo version of Oven Fried Chicken (from the Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics book).

 

3 to 3 1/2 pounds of cut up chicken (boiler-fryer or pieces)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Ghee (the original was butter or margarine)

1/2 cup almond flour (the original uses all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Put the ghee into the pan and melt it in the oven for 3 minutes.

Mix the flour, paprika, salt, and pepper in a large shaker bag.

Place the chicken in (a few pieces at a time) and shake them.

Place the chicken skin side down on the pan in the ghee.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, then flip the chicken pieces. Bake another 30 minutes or so.

 

You can substitute cooking spray for the ghee, and then melt 2 tablespoons of ghee and drizzle it over the chicken pieces after you flip it in the oven.

 

Have a great day.:)
Patrick.

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CRASH AND BURN.......

 

So, I get to work last night, and find out that the company bought us pizza because we passed an important Environmental inspection. For a brief moment, I thought about refusing, but chose to enjoy the slices. I felt bad about it for a few minutes, because I knew that I blew my Whole 30 after 19 days. But then I made two decisions that count.

 

One, I decided that that would be the only meal where I break. When my lead told me that there was pizza left later on, I politely thanked him and refused. I came home, and cooked scrambled eggs. Basically I went back to my routine.

 

Two, I decided that I'll start a new Whole 30 in May. That way I've got time to get more things ready, and I'm not bumping into Easter or other things. I'm going to finish this one strong, as I only have 10 days to go. But I'm also going to realize that any results that I see are skewed by three slices of pizza and a can of Mountain Dew.

 

Part of the problem last night is that I ran out of time, so I didn't get anything prepped. I only had some hamburgers to take, without any veggies or other stuff. So I was setting myself up for failure right away.  Live and learn. Fall down, and get right back up. Finish and start again. These are the lessons for the day.

 

Have a great day. :)
Patrick.

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