Day 21 - I think I'm going to do a Whole21

[WholeSarah]

Today is Day 21.  I know theres only 9 to go, but I think this has to be it.  The Whole30 has taken over my life.  I have not wanted to go to social functions because of the anxiety I get around desserts and non compliant food.  Tonight is the first opportunity my husband and I have had in years to stay at a hotel without the kids for a night.  We want to make a night out of it, go to dinner, have a drink, and I hate to ruin the opportunity because of this.  In addition, my friends are planning a fun night in NYC at a very trendy restaurant on Sunday night and I would like to partake in those festivities too.  Lastly, next week is a holiday in which it's encouraged to eat only dairy food. Not sure how I'd get through that and family gatherings.  So I feel like now is a good time to end my Whole journey, even if it's not the full 30 days.  

 

I can't say I've seen huge or amazing results.  I don't think I've lost even a pound on the scale.  However my breasts have definitely shrunk and my arms and overall chest seem leaner (even though that's not what I wanted).  I was hoping to get rid of some belly fat, but my belly actually seems bigger than before (  I can't say I feel energetic or "tiger blood", but I don't feel tired, which is an improvement from before.  

 

I've been beating myself up over this decision - but I do feel like in these 21 days I've gained probably the same that I would had I maintained the entire 30.  I know now how a real healthy energizing meal should look like,  I have semi weaned myself from cookies cakes and sugar in general, although my sugar cravings got stronger after week two.  Still I think I will be able to satisfy my cravings with fruit instead of junk.  I have more vegetables in my fridge than before, which results in more meals that include vegetables.  So for all those reasons I am satisfied.  I am a little unsatisfied with the results thus far but I guess I can't complain if I am not going to complete the program.  Below is a sample of my food log - if anyone can point out anything I was doing wrong I'd be grateful.

 

1:

 

Breakfast - two eggs with palm size portion of lox.  spinach sauteed in coconut oil and some sweet potato and red pepper pieces.  two or three berries

 

Lunch - one plantain wrap with guacamole, grilled tomatoes, zuccini and a hamburger.  Coffee with coconut milk

 

Snack - watermelon and grapes

 

Dinner - Salad with 3/4 can of tuna, half an avocado, mixed greens, shredded carrots and red wine vinegar dressing

 

 

2.

 

Breakfast - two eggs with asparagus and spinach.  coffee with coconut milk

 

Snack - large handful of macadamia nuts

 

Lunch - two ground chicken kabobs with grilled zucchini mushrooms asparagus and peppers drizzled with tahini sauce

 

Snack - a few berries, a few pieces of dried and fresh mango

 

Dinner - chicken breast with a sweet potato and sauteed spinach and kale.  half a frozen banana and two spoons almond butter

 

**this is the most fruit Ive had in a day the whole time.  I could not satisfy the sugar monster yesterday

 

 

 

3.  

pre workout - a palm portion of lox, a quarter avocado w lemon juice

PWO - half a sweet potato and two eggs

 

didnt have time for a sit down breakfast so i added a cashew lara bar and a handful of macadamia nuts

 

lunch - cucumber, heart of palm and tomato salad, grilled zucchini and two chicken kabobs w tahini sauce

[GFChris]

First off, only you can decide if it's prudent for you to stop the Whole30 at this time, and there's no need to beat yourself up over whatever you decide.  This article may be helpful. http://whole30.com/2014/01/do-you-really-want-to-quit/

Secondly, you're right, without finishing, it's unclear what additional benefits you could have realized with 9 more days.

 

And finally, here's some feedback on your food log:
Meals, overall, look ok. My suggested tweaks, if you were to continue or revisit a Whole in the future, below:
- plantain wrap: the Whole30 recently went anti-coconut wrap http://whole9life.com/2013/12/pure-wraps/, so I would put a plantain wrap in the same category. 

- the need for snacks can be an indication that your earlier meals need to be bigger. I would play with the protein, veg and fat portions until you get to a point where your meals satiate you for 4-5 hours
- if you are genuinely hungry between meals (hungry = you could eat steamed fish and broccoli), have a mini meal that includes a protein and fat. Nuts are a fat source on a Whole30. Save your 1-2 daily servings of fruit to have with or immediately after your main meals only.
- postWO recommendation is protein and carb, no fat.  Instead of whole eggs, have just the whites (the yolks count as a fat), or choose another lean protein option.
- Avoid using fruit to satisfy the sugar monster: that tends to feed it. Ideally, do something non-food related as a distraction, or have sparking water, tea, or a mini meal (following the definition above) instead.

[GlennR]

Although I would wish you would continue, I think this is completely fair -- particularly since Whole30 has been making you feel harshly about yourself, and also since you are aware that the full benefits of the program may elude you because you are cutting it short. Perhaps you'll be able to come back to it sometime. Who knows? Perhaps it'll click for you on Day 28 next time you try it.

 

Some feedback on your meals:

 

It's a little light on portions, which is showing up in your snacking in between meals. Particularly, if you up the protein portions at breakfast, I think you will find you would not need to snack as much. It's a good goal to eat enough to last you 4-5 hours, until the next meal, so that you digest your meals completely.

 

If you do really need to snack, try to make it a mini-meal with protein, fat, and veggies. Fruits are not good to snack on because the sugar spikes then crashes your glycemic index, making you actually hungrier than before. (Likewise, nuts by themselves are not good snacks because they are mostly fat and incomplete proteins.)

 

Feeding the sugar cravings with fruit will not satisfy them; they will make them more ravenous. It's a slippery slope from fruits, to more fruits, then to other, less healthy sources of sugar. If you can, limit your fruit intake.

 

Hope this helps! Good luck.

 

EDIT:

Urgh. That's what I get for writing so slow. Someone else makes the points I was trying to make. 

[LadyM]

I, too, think it's fine if you want to quit, but make no mistake: a W21 is not a W30. Many if not most people I've read on the boards (including myself) don't really see the kind of results they're looking for until near the end of 30 days if not beyond. I just completed my second go round, a W85, and most of the best of what I learned and achieved happened later rather than earlier in the process.

 

As for the belly bloat, that's normal, I believe, as your body works out its digestive issues, and will subside and change as you continue W30.

 

If you do decide to quit, I hope you return sometime and complete an actual 30 days to see what it does for you. Good luck!

[monicav]

I want to stop too.  I'm on day 24 and while I don't mind the thought of getting to day 30, it's like another 2 weeks for reintro.  Sounds horrible.  But my husband is spurring me on.  Easy for him to say, he doesn't have to cook.

[Beets]

If you want to stop, no one can stop you! But yeah, most people don't see dramatic results by Day 21, or even Day 30. Belly bloat is totally normal where you are. And eating handfuls of nuts won't help that.

It seems, as PP wrote, you could have used more protein. 2 eggs is not enough for breakfast unless you weigh 60 lbs . The template is # of eggs you can hold in one hand. Maybe you are indeed tiny but, If I were to guess, I'd say you may have had a hard time moving beyond the conventional wisdom calorie/fat rubric that tells us to eat a lot of chicken and avoid fat.

And, in general, ditto Lady M. Doing a w21 is not going to give you a fair representation of what a w30 can do. That said, I blew my second on wine on Day 26. We all do what we can do.