WholeBS15 - BillS and Susiek's 15-Day Tune-up

[BillS]

We're back!  My best WholeBuddy Susiek and I teamed up for our original Whole30s back in February and have decided to undertake a two-week tune-up together as well.  We both found the practice of daily food journals and the accountability and support of the online community helpful, so we'll be logging things here.

 

My first Whole30 thread and success story give all the basics about me.  Life since the inaugural round has been very good.  I continue to eat probably 85% compliant, with just a few major off-road adventures.  As expected, I feel the difference when I misbehave, but at least I can actually tell what's wrong now instead of feeling that way all the time.

 

I'm just committing to 15 days for this iteration because I have a some celebrations and travel booked later in April.  I'm contemplating a full Whole30 starting in May.

 

My goals for this one are to fine-tune my food, learn some new recipes, become more focused in my exercise, and reset my wake-up time to 6:00 a.m.  Oh, and the new, smaller jeans I bought a just a tiny bit tight.  I want to get a little more comfortable in them

 

Today is Day 1 and is off to a good start.  I'll come back later and log my food.

[BillS]

Bill's Day 1

 

M1 - Golden cauliflower soup; three eggs fried in ghee

M2 - Chipotle:  salad, carnitas, hot sauce, guacamole

Snack - Kombucha; assorted tastes of chicken and mayo during my cook-up

M3 - Rogan josh; cauliflower rice; strawberries

 

Back in the saddle.  Food wise, today felt good.  It was pretty much the same as I would have eaten anyway, so not a huge adjustment. I think the kombucha in the afternoon was too late for all the caffeine, so I'm up much later than I wanted to be.  I'll have to balance this with wanting to be up early in the morning.

[Susiek]

Yay, Bill! Congrats on your first day! As you know, I've had some delays and am starting tomorrow on my W15 tune up. For this tuneup,,I plan to stick with my original low fodmap diet( including no coconut, no sweet potatoes, and most fruit) plus begin the process of eliminating the foods on the AIP plan (including coffee) so when begin my next full whole30 in early May I will be ready to go! Looking at May 5th as a start date! :-)

[BillS]

Perfect, Susie! I know you'll rock this!

Day 2

M1 – Two eggs scrambled in ghee with sweet potato, onion, spinach, and hot sauce

Exercise - 3-mile walk

Snack – Kombucha

M2 - Tuna salad with mayo, cucumber, and pickle over lettuce

Snack - Strawberries with sun butter

M3 - Rogan josh, cauliflower rice, zucchini and yellow squash; blueberries with coconut milk

A little bit carb flu on my hike today, but it passed once I had lunch. All is well.

[Susiek]

Day 1 ( in process) GOAL: NO NUTS TODAY!

1st meal: Black tea,Two eggs fried in coconut oil, two slices of prosciutto green beans and zucchini (about 2 cups), 1/2 banana

venti black iced half caf americano,

Snack: Bilberry Kombucha

2nd meal: (planned)

Salad with field greens, salmon, olives, peppers, zucchini, and italian squash. Berries/banana with coconut yogurt, hemp hearts

3rd meal: grilled chicken breast wrapped in bacon, sauteed chard and collard greens sprinkled with help hearts/coconut aminos

Pineapple bits and tangerine slices

Yay! I made it through a day without nuts!

[BillS]

Day 3

 

M1 - Three eggs scrambled in ghee with spinach, onion, and hot sauce; 1/2 grapefruit

M2 - Salad with chicken breast, turkey breast, egg, lettuce, spinach, olives, carrot, artichoke heart, red pepper, EVOO, and vinegar; banana; macadamia nut butter

M3 - Chicken thigh, rogan josh, cauliflower rice, and mayo; 1/2 bottle kombucha; blueberries

 

Kill All The Things came early this time, and passed pretty quickly as well.  That might might just be normal Monday stuff.  Overall the day went well.  I didn't eat as much for lunch as I should have, so was very hungry by dinner time.  I already have a better lunch packed for tomorrow.

[BillS]

Day 4

 

M1 - Three eggs scrambled in coconut oil and ghee with spinach, onion, zucchini and yellow squash, and hot sauce; 1/2 grapefruit

M2 - Salad:  Chicken thighs, lettuce, olives, carrot, cucumber, sauerkraut, and avocado

Snack - Orange

Pre-WO - Chicken thigh with mayo

Exercise - 3-mile fast hike with some running intervals

M3 - Chicken thighs, asparagus, zucchini and yellow squash, butternut squash, mayo

 

I had glimpses of tiger blood today, especially during my hike.  I felt really strong.  I'm only on Day 4, but am surprised by the changes I'm seeing.  I thought my post-W30 food had been pretty good, but given how I feel today and the changes I'm feeling in my body, it makes me wonder.

[BillS]

Day 5

M1 - Three eggs scrambled in ghee with spinach, tomato, 1/2 avocado, and hot sauce; 1/4 kombucha; small plate of melon, pineapple, and strawberries

M2 - Salad Bar: Chicken breast, carrot, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, tomato, cucumber, radish, artichoke hearts, celery, pickles, and olives

Snack - Banana

M3 - Garlic ground beef, red pepper, onion, Serrano chili, and mayo; 3 dates; 1/2 kombucha

Another day of feeling good. I did wake up insanely early, liked 3:30 a.m. This happened last time as my energy adjusted. I hope it's a short-term issue this time.

[Susiek]

I have had the worst luck getting on  the forum  and now I can't remember my meals. All I know is that I have been compliant ( with my special exceptions) for all 5 days, and that I have had no nuts! This is huge for me, because I went  a little nuts with the nuts on my first whole45, and I could definitely feel it.  Now, I feel I have more energy and my digestion is better this time around.

My goal this weekend is to stop drinking coffee... It messes with my energy and my moods, and I feel so much better when I don't drink it. So, on Sunday I will switch to full decaf and see how it goes. 

Woke up crazy early this morning, so hope to have a nice mellow evening ( dinner's already made!) and an early bedtime.

[BillS]

Awesome job, Susie!  Keep up the great work.  And yes, I've had issues accessing the forum lately as well.

 

Day 6

 

M1 - Two eggs scrambled in ghee with garlic ground beef, red pepper, onion, Serrano chili, and hot sauce; strawberries

M2 - 1/2 roast chicken; balsamic roast veggies

Snack - Thunderbird bar

M3 - Prosciutto wrapped dates; garlic ground beef with diced tomato, Serrano chili, broccoli, and mayo; olives; coconut kefir

 

I felt a little flabby today.  I hit this point in my first W30, so was expecting it.  Time to keep on keepin' on.

[mangio_bene]

I belive the entire whole9life and whole30 sites were both down most of yesterday even though I don't see any type of announcement about it.

[BillS]

I figured the same thing.  Thanks for confirming.

[GFChris]

I belive the entire whole9life and whole30 sites were both down most of yesterday even though I don't see any type of announcement about it.

 

 

I figured the same thing.  Thanks for confirming.

 

When that happens, you'll typically see an announcement on the Whole30 Facebook page. 

[Susiek]

Due to medical issues, I'm going to have to bail out of this whole15. :-(

Hopefully I will be able to join you in May. Good luck with it!

[BillS]

Hey, Susie, you know you're always my WholeBuddy! Get better soon and come back strong in May.

Day 7

M1 - Two eggs scrambled in coconut oil with garlic ground beef and avocado; strawberries

M2 - Salad: Chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, salsa, hot sauce; two dates

Snack - One orange

M3 - Pork cracklings; banana; mixed nuts; skirt steak; pistachios; pickle

I had a bit of an emotional eating meltdown tonight. Everything was compliant, but it was kind of a mess. I'll be back on plan in the morning.

[BillS]

Day 8

M1 – Two eggs fried in ghee; garlic ground beef, onion, and spinach cooked in coconut oil with salsa; kombucha

M2 - Banana with sun butter

Snack – Mixed nuts; cantaloupe

M3 - Braised wild boar; cauliflower; broccolini; mixed greens salad; three dates

Dinner tonight was at a really lovely restaurant celebrating my parents' anniversary. I didn't order anything that wasn't compliant, but also didn't quiz the server on questionable ingredients. I'm sure the usual suspect ingredients were lurking, and I'm not worrying about it. I was happy with how easy it was to avoid all the obvious temptations: martini, wine, artisan bread, garlic mashed potatoes, and many tasty desserts.

[BillS]

Day 9

M1 - Two eggs scrambled in ghee; Italian sausage; fresh fruit; mixed veggies: one date

Snack - Kombucha

M2 - Banana; two hard boiled eggs; mixed nuts; coconut kefir

M3 - Italian sausage; chicken; Brussels sprouts; mixed berries with coconut milk; mayo

I struggled through today. I think the noncompliant ingredients last night eroded my resolve. I made it, but not without many temptations along the way. On on!

[BillS]

Day 10

M1 - Two eggs scrambled in coconut oil with carne asada and spinach

M2 - Salad: Carnitas, lettuce, salsa, picante, tomoato

Snack - Banana; mixed nuts; apple sauce

M3 - Italian sausage, onion, olives, capers, tomato sauce served over zucchini noodles; strawberries; prosciutto

Struggled with cravings today, but physically felt great.

[BillS]

Day 11

 

M1 - Three eggs scrambled in ghee with coconut milk; Brussles sprouts with prosciutto

Snack - Banana

M2 - Salad: chicken, lettuce, olives, yellow pepper, and kim chee

Snack - Mixed nuts

M3 - Italian sausage, onion, olives, capers, tomato sauce served over zucchini noodles; pickle; 2 dates

 

Tiger blood!

[BillS]

Day 12

 

M1 - Three eggs scrambled in ghee with coconut milk, prosciutto, tomato, avocado, and salsa; mixed fruit

Snack - Cashews

M3 - Salad; assorted probably noncompliant wrap slices.  I just ate the middles, not the cheese or tortilla wrap parts; mixed fruit

Snack - Cashews

M3 - Chicken; asparagus; 1/2 avocado

Snack - 4 dates with sun butter

 

I was at a work offsite today and expected better options for lunch.  I opted to just eat small portions of the parts I felt reasonably comfortable with.  I was a tiny bit "off" in the afternoon, but recovered by the end of the day.

[BillS]

Day 13

 

M1 - Three eggs scrambled in ghee with coconut milk, yellow pepper, onion, spinach, and salsa

M2 - Roast chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower

Snack - Banana

M3 - Bratwurst with mustard; yellow squash; prosciutto; dates with sun butter

 

I've hit the doldrums of the process, which isn't so bad since this is a short one.  One more day will make a full two weeks.

[BillS]

Day 14

 

M1 - Three eggs fried in ghee; Spinach, onion, and prosciutto sauted in coconut oil

M2 - (Unexpectedly stuck in my office) - Banana; mixed nuts; Thunderbird bar

Snack - Pepper salami

M3 - Chocolate chili with avocado; kombucha

[BillS]

Day 15 - Results

 

I'm ending this MiniWholeAdventure a day early because I'm going out to my birthday dinner tonight and, well, I want cake!

 

This was an interesting experiment in a short-term reset of my diet.  Overall I consider it a success.  I wanted to get back on track with food (though I wasn't too far off plan when I started), and to improve my exercise and sleep habits.  Diet went well; exercise and sleep…not so much.  I'm dedicating May to the later two goals.

 

I found it harder to stick to the plan this time.  Something about the shorter timeframe made it seem less important.  I didn't intentionally cheat, but felt the pull of noncompliant foods much more strongly than my inaugural Whole30.  I'm interested to see how the next W30 plays out.  I'll undertake that later in May or early June.  I want a bit of a break for now.

 

I lost 2.8 pounds in the last 14 days, which I'm intellectually happy about, but emotionally just a tad disappointed that I didn't lose more.  Yet further evidence on needing to distance myself from the Tyranny of the Scale!

 

Until next time….