Karyna's THIRD whole30

[Karyna]

I live in London UK and I went Paleo about a year ago but still had the alcohol and non-Paleo foods occasionally. I did my first whole30 in September/October and felt amazing and then went off the rails the following month and decided to do my second whole30 from mid-November to mid-December and because of Christmas, I went CRAZY afterwards. After Christmas I got back into a good routine that was about 85-90% Paleo... And then March came which was a mix of my husband's and my birthdays and lots of eating out and our daughter and I have been ill for the past two weeks so have not exercised and have been comfort eating my body weight in baked goods!

Day 1 - 31st March

So happy that my hubby is doing this with me! However... I woke up this morning, took a test and found out I am pregnant. My hubby and I have been trying since November and this will be our second. I was more determined than ever to make sure I ate healthily and stuck to whole30.

M1 - scotch eggs and spinach salad (recipe from WellFed)

M2 - zesty lime prawn and avocado salad

M3 - Italian Sausage and Eggplant Strata (from WellFed book)

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Day 2 - Today's meal plan is:

M1 - Egg & bacon muffin cups with spinach salad and a banana (I ate the banana about an hour before M1 as I was on my way to work and was starving)

M2 - Italian Eggplant Strata with spinach salad, 14 cashew nuts and strawberries

M3 - grilled sea bass sauteed in ghee, roasted butternut squash, roasted brussels sprouts and asparagus

I'm feeling really motivated about this third whole30. I even worked out this morning which I have not done in almost two weeks due to illness. I also ran 2 miles at lunch time but due to a terrible fall (injured my knee and palms) I decided to stop as it has been so long since I ran properly and I do not want to risk injuring me or the baby.

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Day 3 (2 Apr) - I feel really happy and motivated, more so than I did on my second time around. I have already planned week 2 and ordered my groceries to arrive this Friday. Planning for success!

I managed a great cardio workout this morning but was ready to fall asleep on the train to work. I'm ready to take a nap now!

PostWO snack - hard boiled egg

M1 - bacon egg muffin cups, roasted butternut squash and spinach

M2 - grilled salmon, roasted butternut squash and broccoli, strawberries and cashew nuts

M3 - 'butter' chicken (made with ghee instead of butter so whole30 compliant) with cauliflower rice, and a banana

I am really tired right now. And sore from yesterday's workout.

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Day 4 - I am TIRED. I want to fall aslep at my desk and take a nap. I'm so so tired.

And I am craving things like bread or any type of baked goods.

I need to keep myself distracted to help this feeling go away...

Before now, it has been a good day.

Workout - TurboFire 30 and ChaLean Extreme Push Circuit 2

PostWO - hard boiled egg

M1 - scotch egg with spinach and a banana

M2 - avocado and shrimp salad, cashew nuts and strawberries

M3 - dinner out with a friend. Roast chicken, with a side of green beans and almonds and olives. I also had knit group tonight but refused the cake.

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Day 5 (4 Apr) - Day 5 is going well so far. I had a good workout this morning, then the most fantastic breakfast.

M1 - hard boiled egg, smoked salmon, avocado, roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts

M2 - leftover prawn and avocado salad, strawberries, cashew nuts and dried strawberries

M3 - cod cooked in ghee, roasted butternut squash and broccoli, and a banana

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Day 6 (5 Apr)

An overall good day! Went out with friends and said no to cake even though I really wanted it!

M1 - hard boiled egg, smoked salmon, avocado, roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts

M2 - chicken breast and pepper skewers with piri-piri sauce, side salad and cashew nuts

M3 - almond and coconut flour crusted chicken with sautéed kale, roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts

I did snack in between meals on cashew nuts and some dried fruit. I will look at other options for snacks such as eggs or more protein.

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Day 7 (6 Apr)

Snacking was a bit of an issue today... But I tried to rein it in! Cashews and dried strawberries are no-brakes foods for me.

M1 - hard boiled egg, smoked salmon, avocado, roast broccoli and butternut squash (yes I have had this three days in a row but it is soooo good!)

M2 - zesty lime prawn and avocado salad

M3 - @paleomg Sweet Potato Enchiladas (yum!) on a bed of kale sautéed in ghee

One week done! Feeling good - surprisingly energy levels are great (except for occasional wanting to take a nap but I put that to pregnancy!) But craving bread and baked goods but did manage to say no to cake this weekend! Whoo!!

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Day 8 - (7Apr)

PostWO - hard boiled egg

Meal 1 - eggplant sliders with a spinach salad

Snack - cashew nuts

Meal 2 - beef bolognese with courgette noodles and strawberries

Snack - banana

Meal 3 - chicken thighs with a tomato, courgette and red pepper sauce baked in foil, with cauliflower rice, and grilled apples

I do need to re-work my snacks to follow the meal template but otherwise, I am feeling good - not too many symptoms except for maybe a bit of tiredness.

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Day 9

Today has started off well with a great workout followed by a hard-boiled egg post-workout.

Meal 1 - breakfast casserole with a spinach salad and raspberries

Meal 2 - leftover chicken thighs and cauliflower rice from last night, strawberries and cashew nuts

Snack - banana

Meal 3 - PaleOMG's meatloaf with kale sauteed in ghee, and roasted butternut squash and grilled apples

Feeling really good, actually, except for the cravings for bread and cake. While on whole30, however, am completely happy to say no to them and I really want to change my relationship for things that have added sugar. Especially now, with the pregnancy, I would like to eat as healthy as possible. My last pregnancy, whilst I did eat healthily, I had pastries and baked goods every day. I only gained 30lbs with my first, but it was not necessarily the healthiest way I could have gained that weight.

[Karyna]

Day 11 (10 Apr) - I think I skipped a day here somewhere. Oops.

 

I woke up this morning at 6am, after a very bad night of sleep. I went to bed at 10, but tossed and turned for a good hour until I went into quite a light sleep. I then woke up at about 2 as I found my husband asleep on the couch after a night out and told him to come to bed, then my daughter woke up and wanted to come into bed with us, and it took me another hour to fall back to sleep.

 

However, I did wake up with some vigour and went straight into my workout - ChaLean Extreme's Burn Intervals. Cardio intervals with weight training. Really good!

 

Today's menu:

PostWO snack - hard boiled egg

M1 - breakfast casserole with spinach salad, strawberries, coffee with unsweetened almond milk

M2 - PaleOMG's meatloaf with sauteed kale, roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts, and a banana

Snack - cashew nuts and strawberries

M3 - salmon, kale sauteed in ghee, roasted butternut squash and broccoli

 

I plan on going to bed at 10 tonight and switching off my iPhone at 9pm which will hopefully help me sleep better. We'll see!

[ksweet]

I hope you're getting some good sleep right about now - those pregnancy hormones can wreak havoc on sleep. 

 

I have to say, I'm really impressed you're working out, despite the fatigue. 

 

I know you said you don't eat meat during Fridays in Lent; it looks like you're doing seafood? Any particular suggestions? My family likes shrimp and some fish okay, but I feel like I've never found any really good recipes. And breakfasts are particularly hard. 

 

I like what you said about the planning/spreadsheets. That's one thing I haven't done this go round and need to do this weekend. I decided on a whim last Sunday to go ahead and do a Whole30. I did a good job of prepping for the week but would like to have a more detailed meal outline for the upcoming weeks. 

 

What are your plans for Easter?

[Karyna]

Day 12

I had a better sleep compared to the night before. Asleep by 10:30 but up at 4:30 and could not get back to sleep. Alarm went off at 6:30 and up and sprightly for the day.

Workout - #turbofire HIIT 15 & #chaleanextreme Push Circuit 3

PostWO - hard boiled egg

Meal 1 - hard boiled egg, smoked salmon, 1/2 avocado, spinach and a cup of tea with unsweetened almond milk - one of my favourite breakfasts!! I usually go with salmon or sea bass or cod or prawns on Fridays during Lent.

[Karyna]

Mid-morning snack - banana

Meal 2 - grilled salmon, roasted broccoli and butternut squash and cashew nuts

Afternoon snack - strawberries, pineapple and cashew nuts

Meal 3 - grilled sea bass, kale sautéed in ghee, roasted butternut squash and grilled apples

I am turning in for an early night. Hopefully I won't wake at 4:30 again!

As for Easter - no major plans so will go on with the day as normal. I can save the chocolate for after the whole30 is done. I will probably do a roast chicken with roast sweet potatoes or roast butternut squash, roast parsnips and carrots, Brussels sprouts. A big roast dinner but whole30 compliant!

[Karyna]

Day 13

I slept fantastically last night. Asleep by 10:30, woke up at 3 by my daughter but straight back to sleep until 6:30.

Meal 1 - hard boiled egg, smoked salmon (Sainsbury's sell this without sugar), 1/4 avocado, spinach and green tea

Meal 2 - A visit to The George (Wetherspoon's) and I have had the chicken breast and pepper skewers with piri-piri sauce, salad, a banana and cashew nuts (not pictured which I brought on my own).

Snack - pineapple and strawberries

Meal 3 - chicken wrapped in prosciutto with steamed asparagus, cashew nuts and dried strawberries

Not too much snacking today actually - and feeling good overall. I feel a lot more confident about this third time round.

I am looking ahead to my visit to Edmonton, Canada and Las Vegas in the first two weeks of May which will definitely not be compliant. I can try and control what I have at home (I have a kitchen in the hotel in Vegas so can control breakfasts and snacks), and I can try make the best choices I can, but when my parents are already talking about taking me to IHOP and dimsum... I will just come back and go straight back to whole30.

I am finding I am a bit emotional, snappy and craving bread... Pregnancy maybe?

I am going to bed early again...

[ksweet]

I think that's one of the great things about the Whole30 - you know you have a way to "reset" your eating habits when you find things have "gone of the tracks". 

 

Chicken wrapped with prosciutto sounds delicious. 

[Karyna]

@ksweet it is why I am on my third whole30. It gives me a chance to reset and I have learned something new each time!

Day 14

I had the strangest food dream. I dreamed I ate a big bready bun. With butter. And in the dream, I thought, "Crap there goes my whole30! Why did I do that?!" I felt such guilt for consuming bread... And then I woke up. At least I am not dreaming about Oreos and Doritos like last time!

Meal 1 - 2 hard boiled eggs, smoked salmon, avocado and spinach

It was such a beautiful sunny day so my husband and I took a bike ride with our 2 & 1/2 yr to Wanstead Park and had a little picnic in the sun!

Meal 2 - Breakfast casserole, roasted butternut squash, spinach, raspberries, banana, cashew nuts and dried strawberries

Last time we had a picnic, I ate an entire family sized bag of crisps, a bottle of cider, a huge bacon and egg baguette and donuts. Yes . I could actually eat that much. Reigning that in now.

Snacks - raspberries and cashew nuts

Meal 3 - OMG. Best dinner ever.

Roast pork loin with apples.

Homemade crackling.

Roasted sweet potato and butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.

Perfect Sunday roast. Yum! I may make this again for Easter as it was easy and so delicious!

Overall a great day!!

[ksweet]

That does sound lovely. How did you make the crackling? 

[Karyna]

I cooked the pork in the oven for an hour and a half. Then removed the pork from the oven to let it rest. I cut off the far and placed it under the grill until crispy. Yum!

[Karyna]

Day 15

I normally work out first thing in the morning but I was just so tired. I did manage to so ChaLean Extreme Lean Circuit 1 - 40 min of weight training so happy about that!

Meal 1 - smoked salmon, two hard boiled eggs, 1/4 avocado, spinach and coffee with almond milk

Meal 2 - leftover roast pork dinner from last night

Snacks - banana, kale chips/crisps, cashew nuts, dried strawberries

Meal 3 - shepherd's pie with a sweet potato topping, spinach salad and roast broccoli

I have spent all day watching old episodes of Great British Bake Off - drooling over the baked goods but instead of biting into bread, I kept myself distracted and had tea with kale chips instead!

[ksweet]

I can't watch/look at things showing baked goods - I don't even want to hear mention of such things, lol. So, is British food better than it's reputation here in the US? Not that we really have room to talk as inventors of fast food and things like Cheez Whiz. 

[Karyna]

@ksweet - British food is getting up there (I have had some of the best Indian food recently) but compared to American food, portions are not as big or unhealthy, but I am sure the amount if processed things is even across. I am so used to the food here now (I grew up in Canada) although I do wish we had things like coconut amigos that you all have. Otherwise Paleo-wise, so easy to get local and organic and grass-fed. Lovely.

[Karyna]

Day 16

I woke up with a bit more energy than yesterday and so wanted to do a 45min workout but my 2&1/2 yr old daughter was being a bit difficult this morning (not a morning person) so had to cut it back to 30 min. I did a great #TurboFire 30 - so fun!

I also did a lot of walking today but my energy was really lacking for the rest of the day. Where did my burst of energy and tiger blood go?

PostWO snack - hard boiled egg

Meal 1 - breakfast casserole, spinach, raspberries and coffee with unsweetened almond milk

Meal 2 - leftover shepherd's pie with spinach and roast broccoli and a banana

Snacks - strawberries and cashew nuts

Meal 3 - beef escalopes with roasted butternut squash and kale sautéed in ghee, and grilled apples

[Karyna]

Day 17 (16th April)

 

Yesterday, I managed to wake up early enough to do TurboFire Fire 30 and ChaLean Extreme's Lean Circuit 2 while also ensuring my daughter had breakfast, got her dressed and ready to go, as well as myself ready and out the door in just over two hours. Phew!

 

PostWO - after taking @GFChris's advice, I had smoked salmon and roasted butternut squash.

 

Meal 1 - smoked salmon, hard boiled egg, avocado, spinach and roasted butternut squash and a banana

 

Meal 2 - zesty lime prawn and avocado salad with strawberries

 

I was still so incredibly tired after lunch. Like, every muscle felt like it was at the point of exhaustion. I could not shake it, even with a cup of tea. But after an hour or so, I began to perk up a bit.

 

Snack - hard boiled egg and cashews

 

Meal 3 - chicken curry stir fry with cauliflower rice and grilled apples

[ksweet]

What was GFChris' advice? 

 

Can you not take a nap - remember, you are pregnant. Whole30 or not, you're body needs a lot of rest right about now. I know it must be hard to fit it in between your daughter and your work. 

[Karyna]

What was GFChris' advice? 

 

Can you not take a nap - remember, you are pregnant. Whole30 or not, you're body needs a lot of rest right about now. I know it must be hard to fit it in between your daughter and your work. 

 

GFChris said I wasn't eating the proper amount of protein/fat/carbs with my postWO and my snacks. I needed to remind him I was pregnant which is a major of cause of the tiredness.

 

Wish I could take a nap at work. I am heading to bed earlier and am lucky that I only work three days a week now. Hope I can get some time to nap this weekend!

[GFChris]

GFChris said I wasn't eating the proper amount of protein/fat/carbs with my postWO and my snacks. I needed to remind him I was pregnant which is a major of cause of the tiredness.

 

Wish I could take a nap at work. I am heading to bed earlier and am lucky that I only work three days a week now. Hope I can get some time to nap this weekend!

As an aside, I'm a her.   

And yes, I agreed that your pregnancy is likely a big part of you being tired. Having the recommended mini-meals for snacks and PostWO fuel could provide additional help.

 

Other suggestions: (besides the great idea of getting a nap in when you can), check out the Whole30 While Pregnant or Breastfeeding section for other ideas.  Also, be sure you're staying sufficiently hydrated with water, consuming at least half your body weight in ounces, daily.

[Karyna]

As an aside, I'm a her.   

And yes, I agreed that your pregnancy is likely a big part of you being tired. Having the recommended mini-meals for snacks and PostWO fuel could provide additional help.

 

Other suggestions: (besides the great idea of getting a nap in when you can), check out the Whole30 While Pregnant or Breastfeeding section for other ideas.  Also, be sure you're staying sufficiently hydrated with water, consuming at least half your body weight in ounces, daily.

 

I'm so sorry Chris! I don't know why I assumed he.

 

Thank you for all of the suggestions. The tiredness was not too bad today. It was a bit in the morning, but no major slump in the afternoon. I just had a mini-meal of cashew nuts and a hard boiled egg and dried fruit which should get me through until dinner tonight at 7. The break between lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm is too long for a pregnant lady!

 

I'm aiming to get some naps in this weekend... watch this space.

[GFChris]

I'm so sorry Chris! I don't know why I assumed he.

 

Thank you for all of the suggestions. The tiredness was not too bad today. It was a bit in the morning, but no major slump in the afternoon. I just had a mini-meal of cashew nuts and a hard boiled egg and dried fruit which should get me through until dinner tonight at 7. The break between lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm is too long for a pregnant lady!

 

I'm aiming to get some naps in this weekend... watch this space.

Oh, no worries at all. I'm frequently mistaken for a male in the online world.

 

You're most welcome. Also remember, being pregnant gives you "license" for 4 meals a day, if needed.

 

Look forward to continuing to cheer you on!

[Karyna]

Day 18 (17 Apr)

I woke up a bit later this morning but did manage to complete #chaleanextreme Burn Intervals.

PostWO - chicken and roast butternut squash

I was already exhausted on the way to work... Oh dear.

Meal 1 - breakfast casserole, banana and spinach

Meal 2 - leftover chicken curry stir fry with cauliflower rice and strawberries

I managed to say no to all the Easter chocolate and treats around the office... Thank goodness!

Snack - hard boiled egg, cashew nuts and dried fruit

This snack was great as it is enough to get me through to dinner without starving!

Meal 3 - pork loin, roasted Brussels sprouts and kale sautéed in ghee and cashew nuts

Now relaxing with a cup of decaf tea...

[Karyna]

Day 19

I feel that a bit of the pregnancy nausea is coming into play...

I was exhausted this morning but did manage a workout.

PreWO - hard boiled egg

Workout - ChaLean extreme Lean circuit 3

PostWO - smoked salmon and butternut squash

My husband was so nice and let me lie down for an hour after he got home from his night shift. I woke up feeling slightly worse - headache and a bit of nausea.

Meal 1 - smoked salmon, hard boiled egg, avocado, spinach

Meals planned for the day:

M2 - salmon, kale sautéed in ghee, banana

Snack - hard boiled egg

M3 - cod, roast butternut squash and broccoli

And on Good Friday, everyone is posting pictures of hot cross buns... And I am so weakening! Day 19 of whole30 and this morning, while making my breakfast of smoked salmon, hard boiled egg, avocado and spinach, part of me did not want it and almost felt a bit ill (and this has been a favourite of mine for the past two weeks) and just wanted something baked and bready. I did eat it and it was lovely but I do feel a little bit sick now. And stressed as our grocery order had to be moved to tomorrow night so my plan to prep today has been pushed to Easter Sunday. Poop.

It isn't chocolates or deep fried food that tempt me. It is baked goods.

Get me away from them! Help this pregnant lady stay on the whole30!

[Karyna]

So I caved... A bit.

My snack this afternoon was supposed to be cashew nuts and a hard boiled egg, but the thought of them just was not appealing.

I bought a bag of vegetable root crisps and I have eaten only a quarter of the bag and put the rest away. There is now currently a paleo blueberry pound cake in the oven... For a 'just-in-case' so I don't go and grab anything completely off Paleo like my daughter's granola and Greek yoghurt.

I still feel guilty for going off the whole30 a bit. I have read Melissa's article and it was really helpful but I still have the guilt! Part of me says, "You can only blame so much on pregnancy..." And the other half says, "Suck it up!"

Hmm.

Planning baked cod and roasted butternut squash and broccoli for dinner. If I can stomach it. It doesn't sound appealing as I type this...

[Karyna]

So... After some advice (thank you @GFChris) I am trying to feel less guilt about ending the whole30 on day 19.

I still want to take it day by day, and see how I feel. I read the article that Melissa wrote and she says to have a huge selection of food just in case. I know this does not mean a SWYPO Paleo blueberry pound loaf, but it is what I felt I could stomach. I probably should have had a Nakd bar instead - a fruit and nut bar that is technically compliant but obviously not recommended. It would have been better than the blueberry pound loaf but that did not appeal to me either.

I still do feel guilty now because I am the type A personality that must finish what I started. And I love the rules of the whole30.

At the same time, if this food craving/aversion is only temporary, I can be as compliant as possible (albeit with what my pregnancy hormones allow me to stomach!) and once the aversions subside, do another whole30.

So for now, I will take it day by day and approach each day as if it were a whole30. And it won't necessarily be about beating the sugar dragons, etc. It will be about keeping my lifestyle as healthy as possible within the realms of pregnancy.

I will still update here and let you know how I get on.

[ksweet]

It's a hard balance - recognizing that pregnancy throws so many things off while also trying to follow the Whole30 rules because they're so healthy. But I think you're doing great and I would suggest continuing to remain as compliant as possible. I think the biggest thing is to ask yourself if it's the healthiest choice you can make for you and baby and then go for it - that might be paleo pound cake or it might be salmon. Keep in mind that cravings can also be for something your body actually needs/wants. Baby might have been "saying," "enough salmon, Mom." Lol.