Started sometime this past week... and need help/advice!

[ajanm]

Hi!

 

I was really planning on just lurking on the forums, but I need a little help with my Whole30.

 

A couple things to know:

- pre-Whole30, a lot of the way I ate wasn't too far away. I make most of my meals from scratch, we have very, very little processed food in the house, we have very little sugar and when we do, it's usually just honey. So this wasn't crazy to me. I'm light on dairy, already used coconut and almond milk a lot (but didn't worry about the carrgeenan content too much).

- my son has a SEVERE egg allergy and less severe, but still serious peanut (and other nuts) allergy.

- pre-Whole30, I got A LOT of fiber from beans, oats, and other grains

- I've never really been a beef eater. yucky.

- I've tried "dairy free" a couple times in my adult life and do notice that I feel better. But I love cheese so much that permanent dairy free is not in the cards.

 

I was interested in trying Whole30 because 1) I've been having a heck of a time with my weight (I have about 10-15lbs to loose... my weight is a story unto itself, though) and 2) I've had a constant bloated feeling and was starting to wonder if I was overdoing it on the beans. 

 

So I 95% started a week ago Tuesday. Only 95%, because I am frugal and wanted to use up my remaining carrageenan-containing almond and coconut milk.

After 2 days, I was feeling better - mostly with respect to my energy levels. I think I've officially been 100% Whole30 since Friday.

But ever since the weekend, I've uh... been back to having uncomfortable tummy things... and I think it's do to the instant dramatic change in fiber content in my diet. As much fruit and veges as I eat (and I've always eaten a lot of these), I think I've easily lost 15-20g of fiber daily from my previous way of eating.

 

Starting yesterday, I started to make sure that the fruits and veges I'm choosing are higher in fiber - we're having brussels sprouts with dinner tonight, for instance, but I don't think that's enough of a change.

 

I'm wondering...

Should I maybe have not done this cold turkey?  I'm considering maybe for the next week going back to my previous breakfast staple: a mix of oats, buckwheat groats, and barley... just add that in to what I'm doing now, do it for a week, and then restart the Whole30 which would just be replacing that dish?

 

Also - is Metamucil plan approved? I hope so, since I have felt the need to have some yesterday and today... if it's not, I'm restarting, anyway! lol

 

Any other suggestions or comments from anyone with similar issues are appreciated.

 

-AJ

 

PS... about the egg allergy. I'm unwilling to contaminate my kitchen because of my son's allergy. So what I decided to do was to buy eggs, hard boil them all, and take one or two to work as my mid-morning 2nd breakfast. That's been working well so far as morning protein is concerned.

PPS... I also have a pretty good egg-free Whole30 compliant Italian meatball recipe if anyone else is in a similar situation. 

[healthyAbby]

Stomach distress is normal in the beginning, if you wait another week, you'll be in the same boat again. You can post a few days of your food/water intake for the past few days and the mods and others can give you some suggestions on what to tweak. Just a reminder, this is a 30 day program not 3 days. Don't focus on the weight, just focus on how your body feels.

[Tom Denham]

You could say what you mean by "uncomfortable tummy things," but until you tell us what you are eating for several days of meals, we can only guess. For example, if eating a lot of meat is new to you, you might be having digestion problems manifested by a heavy, full feeling in the stomach, which could be helped by taking digestive enzymes. If you are having diarrhea, it might be simply the change in fiber content. With such issues, I recommend taking over the counter anti-diarrhea meds and waiting it out. Your body will adjust.

 

TV commercials have convinced too many people that you need scoops of fiber from the drug store to be healthy, but it ain't true. If you eat veggies at every meal, you get enough fiber to function beautifully and do not need extra. Your body needs a little time to adjust, not a refinement of the fiber content. That said, eating baked sweet potato can be a useful source of fiber.

 

And like Abby noted, feeling off is normal in the beginning. Most people feel better after a week or two without tweaking anything. 

[ajanm]

I was trying to avoid TMI... but basically, I'm on the constipated end of the spectrum (and my tummy feels very bloated). Note that I've always gravitated a little that way as do other immediate members of my family.

I'm eating pretty much a similar amount of fruits and veges than I did pre-Whole30. I've upped my fish intake, and of course my daily morning eggs. I've had beef once in the last week (in the form of my egg-free, Whole30 compliant Italian meatballs).

I've also not had to change anything with my fluid intake... I'm having the same two cups of black coffee I've had for years. Sometimes I have tea (green or regular) in the afternoon, but not always. Only change is that I'm not adding honey like I used to.  I drink lots of water throughout the day - that hasn't changed, although for the last day or two I've been more conscious about it to make sure I'm drinking lots.

 

Yesterday, my meals were:

Breakfast (part 1): chia seeds in almond milk with a pile of fresh blueberries, coconut flakes and almond slices

Breakfast (part 2): hard boiled egg and banana (note that I've been having a banana every morning after I get to work for years - so no change there)

Lunch = leftovers from the night before's dinner. In this case, a simple clam sauce over a pile of sauteed veges (zucchini, onions, green peppers); and some fresh chopped carrots. Sometime in the afternoon I ate an apple.

Dinner: shrimp "tacos"... shrimp cooked in my homemade taco seasoning combination (a bunch of dried spices) with guacamole (just avocados, a little lime juice and fresh cilantro) and a simple, mild salsa

After dinner I had a couple dried figs

 

Pretty much every day my breakfast is the same (but I vary the fruit a little).

Lunch is almost always leftovers from dinner the night before, but usually over a pile of fresh greens (spinach, kale, etc).

Sometime during the afternoon I almost always eat an apple.

Dinner is a protein cooked with veges. I normally hardly eat after dinnner.

 

Any thoughts?

 

-AJ

[ajanm]

oh and yes - I know this is a 30 day program. I guess from my perspective, I don't mind taking a week or two to start up and figure it out before I declare Day 1! Although, unless the metamucil messed it up... I'm pretty sure my Day 1 was this past Friday. 

 

-AJ

[GrannieD]

I'm definitely not a moderator or even an advanced member but I have a suggestion. I know when I increased my fat content it helped with the problem you are having. I started using ghee, coconut oil and coconut milk in addition to the usuals like olive oil, etc. I don't know what you are consuming now but it might be worth a try.

[missmary]

Breakfast (part 1): chia seeds in almond milk with a pile of fresh blueberries, coconut flakes and almond slices

 

 

Ajanm, have you looked at the meal planning template? http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

The breakfast you are eating does not meet those recommendations, and it reinforces a habit of a sweet carby breakfast. That is one habit the whole30 is designed to break. Have protein, vegetables and good fats at breakfast, that should help.

 

While I agree with Tom, Metamucil probably wasn't needed, if you had a version which is just psyllium, you are fine. If you had one of the varieties with sweeteners added, it isn't allowed during the whole30, but isn't cause for a restart, just put it aside until you are done.

[Tom Denham]

Your meals seem way too light on protein and you indulge in more fruit than we recommend. Like Mary said, you need a meal makeover to approach meal template guidelines.

 

Nothing stands out in your diet to explain constipation, but some people experience trouble just because they start eating differently. Our bodies can sort it out, so it should be just a matter of time. To help, you could take Natural Calm, a magnesium supplement. Most of us need more magnesium. It is meant to be taken at bed time because it has a mild sedative effect. They warn that you should start with a small amount and move up to a full dose because it tends to cause diarrhea until your body adjusts. By taking the Natural Calm, you may find yourself moving again more smoothly.

[ajanm]

@Tom and @Mary:  Yes, I saw the template... and it wasn't very helpful. While I'm open to changing up the breakfast routine, I need suggestions for actual dishes.  The constraint I'm under is no eggs. At least in part 1 of the breakfast.  (That's why I've kind of split breakfast into 2 parts...)  I do have nitrite free bacon (which I get from my local, all-organic CSA).  

 

I knew going into this that b'fast would be the hardest part for me!

 

I did try eating an avocado for b'fast the other day - raw. I could do that again/more regularly - but not always raw.  

 

I'll put aside the metamucil... it has aspartame in it. 

 

As for the fruit... I'll try to cut back. That's going to be hard since I also haven't increased the amount I eat!

 

-AJ

[missmary]

@Tom and @Mary:  Yes, I saw the template... and it wasn't very helpful. 

 excuse me, but why? Did you not understand what the template is telling you? or did you not like the information it conveyed?

 

The meal template calls for a "palm-size" portion of protein, a "thumb-size" portion of fat and "the rest of your plate" filled with vegetables. It can be anything. Here are a few examples:

 

a pork chop, with sauerkraut and apple slices 

a hamburger patty, green beans and roasted sweet potato.

a hash of parsnips, carrots and onion with pulled pork and a poached egg

zucchini noodles with tomato sauce and beef meatballs

roasted turkey breast with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and guacamole

butternut squash soup topped with a big handful of pulled chicken and some steamed broccoli

salad of baby greens, black olives, shaved fennel. olive oil and lemon juice, tuna steak

sardines with onion, mushrooms, capers and parsley baked with some coconut oil

tuna or chicken salad with homemade mayo, celery, red onion, grapes, cashews

crispy roasted chicken thigh with roasted carrots and sautéed spinach

asian-style coleslaw (cabbage, carrots, ume plum vinegar, olive oil) with asian-style pork meatballs (pork, fish sauce, scallions, shrimp).

 

now you try.

[ajanm]

Well, eggs are out - so no poached eggs.   (cashews and all nuts except for almonds and hazelnuts are out, too, btw)  

 

I guess I'm just having a hard time with the concept of dinner for breakfast.  

 

So that's why the template wasn't working - I can't conceive of any protein for breakfast that's not eggs, and I can't do eggs in my house.

 

I guess if I'm going to do this, I'll have to suck it up and get over that part...

 

 

-AJ

[missmary]

I guess if I'm going to do this, I'll have to suck it up and get over that part...

 

 

 yup. I gave you 11 ideas and one included a single egg, so that's not good enough? We can't do this program for you. You have to open yourself up to the process and give it a try.

 

ps. why can you eat an egg at "breakfast #2" and not at "breakfast #1"?

 

EDIT: now I remember your child's allergy. Hash with pulled pork and no egg would also be fine. just add a little more pork

[ajanm]

Breakfast #2 is at work, #1 is at home.

My son has a SEVERE egg allergy. The risk of contaminating my kitchen (where I pretty much cook all our food from scratch) is too great. I was able to convince myself that hardboiling a pile of eggs at a time, and taking them to work would be okay. But cracking an egg in my house isn't going to happen until his levels come WAY down. Same issue with peanuts (obviously not a problem for Whole30) and all other nuts except for almonds and hazelnuts. (I had a party the day the allergist told me that his almond levels were good!) Because of the risk to him, this is non-negotiable and I'm absolutely not open to having more eggs at home.  (But I do love eggs and ate them all the time before my son was born.)

 

I ate beef for the first time in... ~20 years? the other day... (I was a vegetarian as a teenager and young adult... but for the last 15+ years I am a fish and poultry eater only - no beef and the rare, rare pork)... so for me, that's being pretty darn open. (And I've been so anti-beef, I don't think my family believes me when I told them!) I've always found beef to be pretty disgusting... but I figured I should at least try some things that are not fish and poultry.

 

-AJ

[healthyAbby]

What about making a "breakfast" sausage patty? Nom Nom Paleo has a really awesome sausage patty recipe (in her book), that you use ground pork with. Or there's this recipe, that she recommends on her blog. Add some veggies on the side of this, and some fat, and you've got a compliant breakfast.  

[GoJo09]

You're a beady eye vegetarian . Good on you for trying new things, but if you don't like red meat, don't force yourself to eat it. Or maybe you'd like lamb/mutton better than beef? Def try all options, and then decide what you do and don't choose to eat

 

My mother was staying the other day and was watching me eat cold chicken thigh, mayo and steamed vege for breakfast. She asked if it was weird eating veges for breakfast, and I honestly had to think about it because I've been doing it for a while now - the first week is definitely odd, but then it just becomes the new normal! That's where eggs at home make it a little easier - it's not weird to have a spinach and mushroom omelette for breakfast, and once you get used to that every day it's a small step to other proteins (totally understand why you don't do this though - although, if you have a microwave at work, you could do scrambled eggs with spinach and mushroom in the microwave and not even have to bring the eggs in to the house).

[Clarabelle]

My favorite egg-less breakfast..... Sautéed peppers, zucchini zoodles, homemade turkey sausage, sprinkled with fajita seasoning, when it's all sone, I top it with half an avocado! I eat a banana with a little almond butter and some coconut sprinkled on top. I made a double batch of turkey sausages (grated apples, onions, sage and ground turkey) and after cooking them I froze them individually - great protein source in the am! For some reason I can do any tex-Mex inspired food for breakfast.

[GoJo09]

I made a double batch of turkey sausages (grated apples, onions, sage and ground turkey) and after cooking them I froze them individually - great protein source in the am! For some reason I can do any tex-Mex inspired food for breakfast.

 

 Yum! Great flavour combo, totally making these on the weekend!

[ajanm]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'll change it up today and do banana with almond butter (and some coconut flakes) and still have my hard boiled egg at work. That'll probably be tomorrow, too, since next trip to the grocery store where I can get the good ground turkey or pork won't be till the weekend. (shopping and cooking have to get managed around that pesky day-job and taking care of the kid!) 

 

pre-Whole30, tuna salad was a regular staple around here, too and I could see doing it for breakfast... but I'll have to be creative about what I do in place of mayo. pre-Whole30, I used plain greek yogurt and obviously homemade mayo won't work in my case and most egg-free homemade (or even store bought) mayos are soy based. I'm thinking I could use some combination of coconut milk and/or coconut flour... we'll see.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

-AJ

 

PS: to follow-up on the eating... for dinner last night we wound up having poached chicken "pad thai" using one of the recipes I found through this site.  Delish!  It was over spaghetti squash and included a lot of snap peas.  That will be my lunch today, too.  I took one of the suggestions on this thread to increase some of the fats and wound up poaching the chicken in coconut milk (instead of water) and melted a bit of ghee over the hot spaghetti squash.  I am feeling better today than I was this time yesterday.

[missmary]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'll change it up today and do banana with almond butter (and some coconut flakes) 

 

 

This is not good enough. You can do better. You don't have to eat steak for breakfast, but if you continue to have low-protein (almond butter is mostly fat)/high sugar breakfast you will continue to rob yourself of the benefits you could experience following the plan fully. At the very least include some vegetables. You said you are used to eating vegetables, right?

 

Here are some tips for the "meat-challenged": http://whole9life.com/2013/02/eating-meat-a-primer-for-the-meat-challenged-2/

 

one more: mashed avocado makes a good mayo sub for tuna and chicken salad.

[ajanm]

I think you might not have understood my post. This is just for today and tomorrow because going to the grocery store is not in the $$ budget or time budget till the weekend. I can't eat what's not in my house.    And that includes the fact that there aren't extra veges laying around. 

 

Now if someone was willing to shop and cook for me..

 

I do have plenty of canned tuna and I have one last avocado that wasn't already allocated to another purpose... so I can try that for tomorrow! 

 

-AJ

[Tom Denham]

I remember the day I made seared scallops with zucchini noodles for breakfast: http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2011/06/scallops-with-zucchini-noodles/

 

I felt as if I had done something cool to eat fish at breakfast and it only takes me 15 minutes to prepare. That meal made me feel accomplished. I hope you can find your way to such an experience. Eating leftovers for breakfast could be a great thing once you get used to it. 

[ajanm]

Actually that might be the answer... using my leftovers for breakfast instead of lunch. 

Once I get some good recipes down, I'll eventually get back to what I was doing pre-Whole30:  whenever I cook, make 4-6 extra servings for the freezer. This week has been hard because I can't eat what's already cooked in my freezer (although I can send my son to daycare with it since he can't eat most of the food there and I bring almost all his food to daycare) and when I'm doing a new recipe, I never cook more than maybe enough for one round of leftovers (for the next day). 

I should be back to mass production in a week or so and hopefully things will work out...

 

In the meantime... planning on tuna with avocado for breakfast tomorrow!

 

-AJ

 

PS: dinner tonight was baked swai and steamed brussels sprouts (and some blueberries... hey - I ate less fruit that I'm used to all day! That was hard!! lol)

[BecFreeby]

AJ, congrats on such an upbeat attitude and positive outlook- you're accomplishing a lot in a short period of time

I am not the biggest egg fan, however, if you can do hard boiled eggs, I recommend egg salad with grilled veggies as a breakfast choice. You can use avocado instead of mayo (or, see if a neighbor will let you use her kitchen and blender in exchange for some mayo, and then keep it at work). It's a good protein punch in the morning, has lots of good fats, and the veggies give a great flavor.

I also do sweet potatoes mashed with coconut flakes and macadamia (wasn't sure if those are ok, leave them out and use almonds if not), a turkey hot dog or chicken sausage patty, and an arugula salad with raspberries for breakfast. Blissfully eggless and soooo tasty.

I hope that helps, I understand how hard it can be to detest a staple ingredient. Focus on what breakfast can be and not what it is- good luck!

[BecFreeby]

Also, soups are awesome breakfasts because they're warm, portable, and easy to make in advance. (And, no eggs or nuts!)

Try this one:

4-5 cups stock (beef stock is awesome, but you can use whatever you want).

1 small can tomato paste

1/2 c coconut milk or cream

1 turnip, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 parsnip, sliced

1 can tomatoes

Spices galore... try oregano, basil, parsley, cumin, pepper, paprika, and/or chili powder.

Let it bubble for an hour and then check a turnip to be sure it's done. If you need to, add water to thin and then freeze what you don't eat

[GrannieD]

Clarabelle, how do you make sausage? Do you stuff it into a casing of some sort? Or do you eat it 'loose' like a ground meat? I would like to try.

AJ, it sounds like you are making an effort to try this way of eating. It will be a big change from how you were eating before but I know I feel a lot better now than I did just 17 days ago. I did have to plan for about a month before I started because it takes a lot of preparation. You sound very organized so it doesn't seem like that will be a problem for you. And you're reaching out to others who are doing it or who have done it many times before. Kudos to you!

By the way, somewhere on here I think I saw an eggless mayo. I will do a search.