The 30, the Whole30, and nothing but the Whole30

[TheBeeGirl]

This is my first Whole30, I'm doing it for weight loss and other health reasons. This will coincide with beginning CrossFit. I'll link to recipes. Feedback welcome! 

 

Day 1: 

 

Breakfast:

-Sweet potato hash with fried eggs.

 

-Coffee

 

The night before I made chicken in the crock pot, and saved the onion/garlic drippings, so I added them in, as well as roasted peppers and eggplant from earlier in the week. Served with about 1 tbsp salsa and coffee with 1 tsp coconut milk. I was surprised at how little I missed milk in my coffee, I think I just needed the taste of fat to mellow the bitterness in the coffee.

 

 http://nomnompaleo.com/post/19886925277/sweet-potato-hash-with-fried-eggs

 

Lunch-

-about a palm's worth of chicken breast from last night covered in the sauce from this recipe http://nomnompaleo.com/post/7486821187/my-sisters-phenomenal-grilled-green-chicken (substituted home made chicken stock, vinegar, and a couple of olives for the fish sauce and apple juice)

 

-mashed cauliflower: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1657598867/best-make-ahead-side-garlic-cauliflower-mashed (substituted a small amount of homemade ghee and chicken stock to make a creamy consistency)

 

Snack- I got hungry at around 3 so I had 5 strawberries and about 10 grapes with 5 walnuts. I was having a craving still so I had a tsp of raw almond butter and the craving went away. I see now I should have probably incorporated the fruit into lunch. 

 

Dinner-

-salad with EVOO,

-.5 cup of cauliflower,

-1 cup of pineapple salsa,

- 6 oz salmon fillet prepared with dry herbs per these recipes:

 

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/32467238025/spicy-pineapple-salsa and http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/05/06/moroccan-grilled-salmon/

(instead of grilled, I baked in a Pyrex at 350 for 30 min)

 

I felt too full after eating this much for dinner- I could have cut the cauliflower and still been satisfied. I still felt better than the brick-in-your-stomach feeling I have been getting from eating too many carbs.

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 2:

 

Breakfast-7:30 -  leftover sweet potato hash, 1 egg, 1 cup fruit salad (comprised of strawberries, banana, red grape), coffee

 

Lunch- 11- 1 can tuna packed in water with about 1/3 avocado, evoo, and various chopped veggies, accompanied by celery and baby carrots.

 

I got a little hungry around 1:30 so I had more celery and carrot sticks (about 5 total)

 

Then at around 3:30 I started to get a feeling kind of like hunger, but without the feeling like I needed to eat. I had a glass of water to see if it was thirst, and the feeling remained. I was about to have a pre-workout snack so I didn't know what to eat. I opted for another cup of coffee with coconut milk (4pm) and that did the trick.

 

Pre workout (4:45) was 1 tbsp. raw almond butter and a glass of water.

 

(I didn't work out for three straight hours, btw. I walk to/from the gym and needed time to get ready before the workout)

 

Post workout was kind of dinner part 1- (7:45) I just ate a little of my sides while my chicken was cooking.

 

Dinner: (8:15) sweet potato with about 1 tsp ghee

salad with evoo and lemon juice (bowl full)

a palm sized piece of chicken breast with the sauce from dinner yesterday

 

 

Am I ok on timing of meals? I was hungry at 10:30 but kept drinking water until 11 to avoid afternoon snacking (which didn't work). This was also my official first day of CrossFit and I didn't want much in my stomach when I worked out. After dinner I felt full; I left some of the sweet potato on my plate and didn't finish the full chicken breast (I ate 2/3).

 

Overall I don't feel a burst of energy, but I notice I don't have extreme peaks and valleys throughout the day.

[ksweet]

You'll probably notice that as your body adjusts, so will your mealtimes and you won't feel the need to snack so much. At first, it's so hard to eat that much nutrient-dense food at mealtimes but then you find yourself hungry midway. But I found that it evens out after a few days; just try to really fill up at the three meals. I also think so much snacking is about cravings/habits, but you seem like you're aware of that and are trying to avoid it. 

 

You may not get your burst of energy for a few more days. But congratulations on getting started. 

 

- Karyn

[GFChris]

Day 2:

 

Breakfast-7:30 -  leftover sweet potato hash, 1 egg, 1 cup fruit salad (comprised of strawberries, banana, red grape), coffee

 

Lunch- 11- 1 can tuna packed in water with about 1/3 avocado, evoo, and various chopped veggies, accompanied by celery and baby carrots.

 

I got a little hungry around 1:30 so I had more celery and carrot sticks (about 5 total)

 

Then at around 3:30 I started to get a feeling kind of like hunger, but without the feeling like I needed to eat. I had a glass of water to see if it was thirst, and the feeling remained. I was about to have a pre-workout snack so I didn't know what to eat. I opted for another cup of coffee with coconut milk (4pm) and that did the trick.

 

Pre workout (4:45) was 1 tbsp. raw almond butter and a glass of water.

 

(I didn't work out for three straight hours, btw. I walk to/from the gym and needed time to get ready before the workout)

 

Post workout was kind of dinner part 1- (7:45) I just ate a little of my sides while my chicken was cooking.

 

Dinner: (8:15) sweet potato with about 1 tsp ghee

salad with evoo and lemon juice (bowl full)

a palm sized piece of chicken breast with the sauce from dinner yesterday

 

 

Am I ok on timing of meals? I was hungry at 10:30 but kept drinking water until 11 to avoid afternoon snacking (which didn't work). This was also my official first day of CrossFit and I didn't want much in my stomach when I worked out. After dinner I felt full; I left some of the sweet potato on my plate and didn't finish the full chicken breast (I ate 2/3).

 

Overall I don't feel a burst of energy, but I notice I don't have extreme peaks and valleys throughout the day.

The timing was ok, but I would increase some of your portions.

 

When eggs are your protein, the serving size is the number of eggs you can hold in one hand. For most folks, that's at least 2-3 eggs.

When avocado is your fat, the serving size is 1/2 to 1 full avocado.

Make sure you're getting 2-3 cups of veggies per meal.

If you get genuinely hungry between meals, have a mini-meal containing a protein and fat.

Here's the recommended meal template with more details.

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 3:

 

07:30 Breakfast- 2 over hard eggs, 1 sausage link, 2 tbsp. salsa,  sautéed spinach and a cup of fruit and coffee with coconut milk

 

11:30- had a tiny bit of nausea- ate a tsp almond butter and glass of water and felt better

 

12:15- can water packed tuna with various veg and 1/2 avocado, leftover cauliflower mash, carrots, and celery

 

2:15 - my adrenaline from working out kept me up too late and I didn't get enough sleep, so I was getting tired- I had a coffee with coconut milk and that perked me up

 

Dinner- 7:00- about 4 small meatballs (a variation on nom nom paleo's meatballs) with spaghetti squash and compliant tomato sauce with a small salad with EVOO and 5 olives

 

This way of eating makes me feel good about myself and in control , but it is incredibly time consuming. I have spent at least a half hour cooking, and another hour after dinner each night cooking more food and prepping for the next day(s) food each night. Could it be that I'm trying new recipes and it takes longer? I've planned ahead for one week's worth of meals but I find I have to continually adjust based on leftovers and what is about to go bad in the fridge.

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 4: Am definitely feeling "hungover" today (headaches, fatigue, etc.) along with being elected Mayor of Grumpytown.  I read through the stages and it gave me a bit of comfort to know I wasn't the only one, but it still was a tough one. 

 

7:30- breakfast 1 egg, zucchini, pepper, onion stir fry, 1 sausage,  fruit salad, coffee with coconut milk. 

 

 11:00- breakfast 6 oz chicken breast with curried broccoli soup (http://nomnompaleo.com/post/2345953636/curried-cream-of-broccoli-soup) and carrots/celery

 

2:00ish- was having both the odd "hungry/not hungry" feeling again combined with some crazy cravings. I didn't want to get in the habit of feeding this with almond butter again so I had a half an avocado and two small pieces of frozen banana. I felt better after that.

 

5:00- dinner- salad with olives and EVOO and a handful of meatballs and spaghetti squash. I got really hungry earlier than usual. I think I should have had a bigger lunch, but it still doesn't make sense that I was so hungry this early, esp. after eating at 2pm. Is this normal for people starting Whole30?

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 5:

 

8:00- breakfast- 2 eggs, spinach/zucchini/pepper/onion stir fry, sausage, fruit salad, coffee with coconut milk

 

12:45 I got called away for something at work so I had 1 tsp almond butter to hold me over.

 

2:00 still no lunch but I had about 10 walnuts in my purse so I ate those, since I felt hungry. with both snacks I was just trying to stave off the feeling like I could eat anything in sight so I wouldn't eat too much when it came to the meal and feel bad afterward.

 

2:45 lunch- carrots, celery, big bowl of broccoli soup with 4 oz chicken and unsweetened iced tea

 

4:45- pre workout half of an avocado

 

7:45- dinner/ post workout- leftover meatballs and spaghetti squash with spinach/zucchini/pepper/onion, green salad with 5 olives and EVOO

 

Did Crossfit again today and I had a total adrenaline rush and felt great post-workout! Tomorrow morning may be a different story.

[melissaD14]

Day 3:

 

07:30 Breakfast- 2 over hard eggs, 1 sausage link, 2 tbsp. salsa,  sautéed spinach and a cup of fruit and coffee with coconut milk

 

11:30- had a tiny bit of nausea- ate a tsp almond butter and glass of water and felt better

 

12:15- can water packed tuna with various veg and 1/2 avocado, leftover cauliflower mash, carrots, and celery

 

2:15 - my adrenaline from working out kept me up too late and I didn't get enough sleep, so I was getting tired- I had a coffee with coconut milk and that perked me up

 

Dinner- 7:00- about 4 small meatballs (a variation on nom nom paleo's meatballs) with spaghetti squash and compliant tomato sauce with a small salad with EVOO and 5 olives

 

This way of eating makes me feel good about myself and in control , but it is incredibly time consuming. I have spent at least a half hour cooking, and another hour after dinner each night cooking more food and prepping for the next day(s) food each night. Could it be that I'm trying new recipes and it takes longer? I've planned ahead for one week's worth of meals but I find I have to continually adjust based on leftovers and what is about to go bad in the fridge.

 

It is time consuming to me as well.  I spend 2-3 hours in the kitchen on Sundays, then up to an hour preparing a meal after I get home from work.  I'm trying to enbrace it and realize that its the way I should have always been eating, real foods, and not quicky meals.  Some days I don't spend as much time (leftovers, make ahead meals, etc.), but its still something I'm trying to get used to.

[pjena]

It gets easier and faster the longer you do it.  You'll have easy staples that you rely on for busy times and find new recipes to try for fun when you have time.  You can also do the Sunday cookups and make double of anything that you can use later in the week for another meal or freeze for a super busy night.

[TheBeeGirl]

Thanks for the encouragement- I think in my zeal to make new recipes I got a little carried away. I took stock of what I had on Tuesday and have managed to eat leftovers for two days so I felt like I could do other things and get off the life treadmill of sleep, work, eat, exercise, food prep. 

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 6: 

 

8:00 Breakfast- fruit salad, omelette of 1 sausage, 2 eggs, and veggies, coffee with coconut milk

 

12:00 Lunch-  can of tuna with veggies and EVOO, half of a sweet potato with a little ghee.

 

3;00 I got hungry so I had 1/2 of an avocado. 

 

6:30 Dinner- Cauliflower rice  http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1626071845/another-simpler-version-of-cauliflower-rice%C2'>

 

I am having a real issue with being hungry in the afternoon. I feel full after I eat lunch, and I don't want to overeat and feel distended after lunch. Any suggestions? 

[GFChris]

Day 6: 

 

8:00 Breakfast- fruit salad, omelette of 1 sausage, 2 eggs, and veggies, coffee with coconut milk

 

12:00 Lunch-  can of tuna with veggies and EVOO, half of a sweet potato with a little ghee.

 

3;00 I got hungry so I had 1/2 of an avocado. 

 

6:30 Dinner- Cauliflower rice  

 

I am having a real issue with being hungry in the afternoon. I feel full after I eat lunch, and I don't want to overeat and feel distended after lunch. Any suggestions? 

 

Try experimenting with having your fruit later in the day (at lunch or dinner) instead of breakfast, as that can cause a sugar spike.  For the fruit that you take out, add the equivalent amount of veggies at breakfast.

 

If you get hungry in between meals (hungry = you could eat steamed fish and broccoli), have a mini-meal containing a protein and fat.

 

Also be sure you're staying sufficiently hydrated. Aim for drinking water, in the amount of at least half your body weight in ounces, daily.

 

Clarification question on dinner: did you really only eat cauliflower rice? No protein? Fat?

[DoctorMom]

Hi, BeeGirl!  Congrats on starting your Whole 30, I hope it is a good experience for you.

 

I've also struggled with the time consuming aspect of cooking.  I'm on day 26 of my 1st.  It's true it's getting a little better as we go.  With two careers and 3 little kids, I don't have a ton of time to cook during the work week. Here are some tips that have helped me:

 

Saturday am - big grocery store trip (If I can get out of work early enough on Friday to do that without kids and get a jump start BONUS!)

Saturday - wash, chop, oven roast tons of veggies. 

 

• chop up a bunch of onions and garlic which will be used for recipes
• baggies w/ baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, snap peas raw
• chop and wash and spin lettuce for quick week night salads
• cookie sheets covered in foil to roast: winter squash, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, etc
• two "tasty" veggie recipes - like Coconut Almond Green Beans or Sweet and Salty Broccoli Salad from well fed books, to keep things interesting

 

Sunday - cook lots of meat

• double pot of chili (then freeze half)
• double-triple batch of "burgers" made in the oven on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper (salmon, beef, pork, turkey, etc) - can freeze half of these too, super easy to pull out of the freezer

[DoctorMom]

contintued:

boneless skinless ckn thighs in the crock

chicken breasts in the oven or foreman grill

one other "tasty" recipe, like meatballs in tomato sauce, etc

 

Then I also make a huge batch of sweetpot + brussel sprout/kale, bacon/sausage hash then we reheat every am and throw 3 fried eggs on top of for daily breakfasts.

Make some mayo.  Maybe one or two other "sauces" like BBQ, or remoulade.

 

Sunday evening - pull all the cooked food out, line the counter with meal sized tupperwares and mix and match to create meals per template.  Stack 'em up in the fridge, grab and go during the week.  In the evenings, time allowing, make something else "fun" to keep life interesting, like spaghetti squash fritters or fried plantain or food process an avocado with garlic, lime juice for a whipped avocado mousse to top your ckn breasts or burgers, to accompany your basically pre-made meals.

 

This takes me several hours over the weekend.  But we eat very well.  My husband calls it gourmet.  And I'm gradually learning economies of scale (i.e. triple make burgers and freeze a bunch, chop all your onions and garlic at the same time).

 

Good luck!

[TheBeeGirl]

These are great ideas, thank you!  I'm going to have to try and learn how to make mayo.

 

Something went haywire with my last post; I had cauliflower rice, coconut chicken curry with spinach, kabocha squash, and stir fry from earlier in the week for dinner.

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 7-

 

8:30 Breakfast- 1 scotch egg http://thehealthyfoodie.com/paleo-chicken-scotch-egg/, salad greens, salsa, fruit salad, sweet potato hash

 

11:30 Lunch- leftover cauliflower rice and chicken curry

 

3:00ish- 2 apple slices and a couple of nuts while hiking

 

7:00 dinner- Kahlua pig http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig, spicy pineapple salsa http://nomnompaleo.com/post/32467238025/spicy-pineapple-salsa, green salad

 

The Kahlua pork was really greasy for my taste and made me feel bad afterward. I don't have access to compliant bacon, so I used pork belly (which looked similar to the bacon featured in the recipe's photo) I think I'll decrease the amount of bacon on the bottom next time.

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 8-

 

8:00- Breakfast- 1 hard boiled egg, sweet potato hash, green salad, coffee with coconut oil (1/2 tsp)

 

11:15- 1 cup fruit salad. I had three bites of leftover Kahlua pork and a couple of bites of salad and started to feel nauseous.

 

11:45- still felt queasy, so I had a tsp of almond butter to try and calm down my stomach. (normally I would have had peanut butter and jelly on toast. I was craving that comfort, but I knew it wasn't an option, so I had to get creative) continued to drink water as well.

 

1:00pm- still felt queasy, so I had a small sweet potato with .5 tsp ghee and salt and pepper. I felt better after that.

 

6:30pm - dinner- leftover caulfiflower rice and chicken curry, 2 tbsp. homemade baba ghanoush with 5 carrots and 2 slices of green pepper.

[TheBeeGirl]

baba ghanoush recipe: http://andhereweare.net/2012/06/summer-staple-babaganoush.html

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 9 - 

 

07:30- Breakfast- 1 hard boiled egg, 1 tsp mayo, green salad with EVOO, sweet potato hash, coffee with 1/2 tsp coconut oil

 

11:00- lunch- tuna salad with veggies (1 can tuna) and 1 tbsp mayo, fruit salad

 

1:30ish- had a crazy protein craving that wouldn't quit- so I had 2 tbsp baba ghanoush with carrots and 1 hardboiled egg with 1 tbsp mayo

 

4:45 - pre WO- 1 tbsp almond butter

 

7:45 - dinner - 5 oz sirloin steak with kale, mushrooms, onions, all cooked in EVOO, pineapple cucumber salsa 

 

I'm having a lot of trouble eating a large lunch. I eat until I feel full but I always seem to need a little more 2 -3 hours later. I want to follow the plan but this feels like it's just my natural rhythm to not want to eat a huge lunch. Thoughts? 

[mangio_bene]

I have this problem too sometimes .. where I get full fast and have a hard time finishing.  Often I think it's partly because I'm bored with the food so I've always tried to keep my diet varied (long before I even heard of W30) even within the confines of whatever food plan I'm following.

[GFChris]

Day 9 - 

 

07:30- Breakfast- 1 hard boiled egg, 1 tsp mayo, green salad with EVOO, sweet potato hash, coffee with 1/2 tsp coconut oil

 

11:00- lunch- tuna salad with veggies (1 can tuna) and 1 tbsp mayo, fruit salad

 

1:30ish- had a crazy protein craving that wouldn't quit- so I had 2 tbsp baba ghanoush with carrots and 1 hardboiled egg with 1 tbsp mayo

 

4:45 - pre WO- 1 tbsp almond butter

 

7:45 - dinner - 5 oz sirloin steak with kale, mushrooms, onions, all cooked in EVOO, pineapple cucumber salsa 

 

I'm having a lot of trouble eating a large lunch. I eat until I feel full but I always seem to need a little more 2 -3 hours later. I want to follow the plan but this feels like it's just my natural rhythm to not want to eat a huge lunch. Thoughts? 

No one says your lunch needs to be large.   The recommendation for each meal is to follow the meal template of 1-2 palms of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies, and the appropriate amount of compliant fat.  Your protein and fat at lunch look good: it's unclear whether you had at least a cup's worth of veggies. Don't let fruit push veggies off your plate.

I'm thinking if you upped your breakfast protein, that may help you minimize the need for some snacking later on.  1 egg is a bit below the portion recommendation. When eggs are your protein, as a reminder, the recommended serving size is the number of eggs you can hold in your hand. For most folks, that's at least 2-3 eggs.

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 10:

 

8:00- breakfast- green salad, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 tbsp mayo, sweet potato hash

 

1:00- lunch - tuna salad with 1 tbsp mayo, 1 cup fruit salad

 

4:15- I was about to go to my first social outing, where I knew I couldn't eat anything, so I had 1 tbsp baba ghanoush and green pepper. but I realized I wasn't that hungry so I decided not to push it. 

 

9:00- dinner- about 4 oz leftover steak and 1 cup kale and mushrooms. I wasn't really hungry when I came home, but I figured I needed to eat a little something or I would be ravenous and likely to overeat the next day. 

[TheBeeGirl]

No one says your lunch needs to be large.   The recommendation for each meal is to follow the meal template of 1-2 palms of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies, and the appropriate amount of compliant fat.  Your protein and fat at lunch look good: it's unclear whether you had at least a cup's worth of veggies. Don't let fruit push veggies off your plate.

I'm thinking if you upped your breakfast protein, that may help you minimize the need for some snacking later on.  1 egg is a bit below the portion recommendation. When eggs are your protein, as a reminder, the recommended serving size is the number of eggs you can hold in your hand. For most folks, that's at least 2-3 eggs.

 I will try this, thanks!

[TheBeeGirl]

7:30- breakfast- 1 egg, sweet potato hash,coffee with coconut oil

 

11:15- lunch - homemade chicken sausage patty on a salad, fruit

 

2:00 - 10 walnuts

 

4:30- 1/2 avocado 

 

6:00 - 4 chicken drumsticks with nut pesto and sauteed spinach/onion, 1 tbsp baba ghanoush with green pepper

 

 

[TheBeeGirl]

Day 12:

 

8:15 breakfast- 2 eggs, squash, salsa spinach, coffee with coconut oil

 

12:00 cantaloupe and pineapple

 

1:30 lunch chicken salad with 1 tbsp mayo and green salad

 

5:00 pre wo tablespoon almond butter

 

8:00 dinner bison patty with egg and sauteed zucchini\pepper\onion, salsa, 1/2 avocado