TevG's Whole 30, round 1...& a half. :)

[teviag]

Hey y'all! :-) So I'm a deep fried, home grown southern belle from Louisiana, born into a family of amazing cooks, married to a Cajun man who knows how to eat, and if that weren't enough, I'm a preacher's wife who is very involved in all our church events! So, I discovered an acquaintance posting her whole30 food log and thought I'd give it a try...you know...being southern, a church girl, and in a family full of cooks and foodies...makes perfect sense, right?? Truthfully I'm in desperate need to lose weight and I'm tired of feeling sick and having unusual pain that freaks me out (started when I hit my 30's) and I'm trying to help my husband get healthy as well. So I read. And I read some more. And I researched, googled, facebooked, pinterested, and finally said out loud to my husband "I want to do the Whole 30." So I explained what it was and he jumped on board wholeheartedly.

Our original start date was June 30. And we went through 3 1/2 days doing well...had the headaches and such but we were doing good- then on that Thursday it hit us. We realized this weekend was about to get crazy! 1. It was July 4th weekend (a big deal here!), 2. It was his sisters birthday and she and their mom were coming to visit, 3. We had a huge church presentation for that Sunday. With all of this going on we realised we weren't ready to go through the weekend trying to maintain our commitment to the plan AND focus on everything else...(plus, I wanted corn on the cob for the 4th!). So we agreed to break the plan for the weekend and restart the next week. And we did! Well...almost. We tried to start Monday and got through most of the day until dinner. I left work starving to death after not having really the ability to plan my meals for the 1st day. So we crashed at one of our favorite restaurants. We tried again the next day and I turned into "vicious cunnid." I was irritable, tired, hungry, bloated, whiney, miserable. And I crashed. Again. And I fussed at myself. And I pulled out my calendar to see the dates for my vacation coming up and figured out when I need to really re-commit. It was the next day. So I re-committed and replanned and re-ignited my determination and passion. I restarted on Wednesday, July 9. I'm 3 days in and going strong. Last night and tonight were hard because of get togethers with friends and tonight was youth social. However I managed to stay on track and enjoy myself as well! I prepared whole 30 compliant snacks for tonight and it was funny how some started asking if they could chow down on my snacks instead of the pizza and junk food! Lol! I'll be doing the same for another event tomorrow- will go back and start my food journal tomorrow also. Really proud that I was able to conquer tonight! Y'all have no idea how hard it was to turn down rice crispy treats and oreos!

Well that's all for now! Y'all keep winning! More to come....

[Hutlifr]

Yes, I have an idea how hard it is to turn down a treat, and do so many more of us whole30 people!

Hang in there, plan your meals, and stay strong. You can do it... I could... On day 24 and it has been an amaaaaazing ride!

[Kmlynne]

Welcome to w30!

Good luck on your journey!

[teviag]

It’s the end of Day #5 and OHHH the frustration and discouragement! Let me start with today and work backwards….

This morning we had a huge presentation at our church, (I’m the associate pastor’s wife) so I had all kinds of stuff going on- rushing around- making sure everything was ready for service- And I noticed as I was talking to people that my breath kind of had that "bad smell" you get when you haven’t eaten anything in a while- (Yes, I brushed my teeth! Every morning and night!! LOL) Anyway, it made me self-conscious so…without even THINKING about it, I run to the hostess desk and grab a peppermint. This is something I’ve been known to do quite often on Sunday mornings at church- It’s a joke between me and the hostess that this is my Sunday morning "breakfast". However, I absolutely did not even THINK about the fact that I was putting a sugar-laden peppermint in my mouth at all! …Until I was about 5 minutes from going onto the platform to lead worship…and it hit me! “I just put a PEPPERMINT in my mouth and ATE IT!” My stomach sank and my heart broke realizing I had just totally cracked on my Whole 30 without even realizing it. Then I remember reading something about if you eat something unaware, or by mistake- this is forgivable, not intentional and therefore not demanding of restarting the Whole 30. So I forgave myself and gave myself permission to continue the Whole 30 on Day 5. =) 

Church ended… we went and ate with our Sr. Pastor as usual… I had already planned in my head what to eat because we usually eat at the same restaurant every Sunday. Except today. Today they wanted to go to a different place. And it was Bar-B-Que. (SMH.) So I’m deliberating with my husband on the way of what I can have. We get there- he orders me a plate of brisket (cooked with no seasonings…just smoked), and a side of green beans (The only “side” that looked W30 compliant and safe). I get my plate and take a big bite of green beans and look right at my husband… SUGAR. There was CLEARLY sugar or SOMETHING sweet added to the green beans. (WHO DOES THAT???) So disappointed. Twice in one day?? REALLY?!?! So I finished my brisket and cried inside and prayed to God that my W30 wasn’t completely ruined. I have been trying so hard and really doing my absolute best to be faithful, committed and honest to a fault on this diet. 

I get home… change clothes and settle down to FINALLY relax after a week of pure craziness and insane schedules. And I’m laying there thinking about this Whole 30 stuff and what all happened today…on one hand I’m frustrated over the mess ups today…on the other, I’m proud I’ve stuck so tightly to this plan…on the other I am CRAVING A FRIED PIECE OF CARBOHYDRATE AND A COKE like a FAT KID!!!! Dear God I could almost SMELL a donut! And in all of this thought and deliberation… something started rolling around in my head about how I had been trying to find bacon at the grocery store that had no sugar, what I read about how hard it is to find bacon with no sugar, that I had eaten 2 bunless, W30 compliant burgers from Wendy’s this week with bacon on it, that I was doing so…..wait. I ate 2. bun less. burgers. from. Wendy’s. this. week. with. bacon. The burgers had bacon. BACON. with SUGAR. Bacon has sugar in it. I ATE BURGERS WITH BACON THAT HAD SUGAR. TWICE!!!!!! “!#$”)(*#$!@RPAOIF!!!!! AAUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!  Kicking myself, slapping myself, punching myself, banging my head against a brick wall ensued. Well, not really… but in my mind, yes. IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!!! So now here I am. Sitting here. Disappointed in myself. Disappointed that I’m not doing as great as I thought I was. Craving carbs like a maniac addict. Exhausted from the week I’ve had. (y’all have no idea. my life. being a pastor’s wife would blow your mind! It’s awesome though. I love it.) Oh… and I’m kind of hormonal this week as well… you know… that “stuff” that women deal with. Yeah. And the hubs fell off the W30 wagon waaayyyy back there on day TWO again. So I’ve been winging this all by myself all week! 

So I’ve told you all (well, whoever’s reading this) my sob story and now I’m looking for A. mercy to continue my Whole 30 at this point and keep going forward, B. some positive reinforcement, or C. permission to have a donut. No… not really. I really just don’t want to be ridiculed, criticized or hand-slapped for not flawlessly making it through my 1st week is all. I’ve really tried to be honest with myself and do this without a crack or flaw. Amidst my 40 hr./week job, band rehearsals, staff meetings that include home cooked comfort food, a huge youth night where pizza, junk food and loads of carbs were served, a ladies meeting, 2 birthday parties and a special presentation on Sunday, I have not faltered, caved or let so much as a morsel of ANY forbidden food touch my lips. I have been teased, questioned, tempted and ditched by my fellow W30ers (including my husband, who still supports me, but he couldn’t resist the comfort food at that staff meeting!). And all of this was just over the weekend! (Well, since Wednesday..) So judge me if you choose, call me a hypocrite if you dare, but this girl is DYING for a carb covered in chocolate and I haven’t caved YET. Call me a SWYPO traitor if you wish, but I made Whole 30 compliant Avocado/Coconut/Chocolate ice cream and you know what? I’m going to have a bite of it and LIKE IT. Now, for those of you who think I should restart…tell me why. Cause, I’m really not trying to cheat or sneak or do any of the things that would intentionally break the rules, so I haven’t convinced myself yet that this is all deserving of a re-start. Yes? No? What say you? 

[teviag]

I’ll log my meals from Day 1-5 now… maybe this will help. 

 

Day 1- Wednesday 

• Breakfast: 1 egg with salsa, 1 grapefruit, ½ cup black coffee
• Lunch: Logan’s Grilled pork chop (dry w/salt, pepper seasoning only), grilled veggie skewer and plain baked sweet potato
• Snack: Can’t definitely remember but it was either: kiwi, a small handful of nuts, or MAYBE a larabar- but I don’t think I had any Larabars at this point yet. 
• Dinner: Ground beef w/onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and roasted veggie k-bobs (Mushroom, Zuchinni, Squash, Onion, Bell Pepper)

Day 2- Thursday

• Breakfast: Egg w/chopped chicken breast, salsa- 1 kiwi, ½ cup black coffee
• Lunch: Leftovers from Wed. night dinner
• Snack: Larabar
• Dinner: Wendy’s bunless hamburger w/lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard…and bacon., unsweet tea
• Snack: 2 Home-made coconut, chocolate, date balls (W30 compliant)

Day 3- Friday

• Breakfast: egg w/salsa, 1 grapefruit, ½ cup of coffee
• Snack: handful of nuts, 2 homemade coconut, chocolate, date balls
• Lunch: Prime rib cooked dry, grilled asparagus (no butter), sweet potato fries plain
• Dinner: Greek meatballs- ½ beef, ½ lamb, garlic, onion, eggplant, fresh basil, cinnamon, salt, pepper - grapes, coconut chocolate date balls (Youth night/party at our church - made party food that was W30 compliant for me to snack on)

Day 4- Saturday

• Breakfast: grapes, 1 larabar
• Snack: 1 larabar, leftover greek meatballs
• Lunch: Blackened chicken, steamed veggies (Cajun Grill in the mall - checked for sugar, butter, etc), 1 unsweet tea
• Dinner: Wendy’s bunless burger w/lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard and bacon. again. about 4 sweet potato fries made at home. 
• Late night craving: homemade avocado, coconut chocolate ice cream - made it, had a bite. a bite. not a bowl. the end. 

Day 5- Sunday

• Breakfast: ……. um… a peppermint?
• Lunch: Smoked brisket, green beans (that apparently had sugar or something sweet in them), unsweet tea
• Snack: few bites of homemade ice cream (from Saturday night)
• Dinner: …..staring at my screen blankly. 

[Kmlynne]

First of all, you are amazing!!!

Second, accidental sugar intake does not constitute a restart. (Accidental intake of grain, soy, dairy, etc does because it restarts that inflammatory process in your gut and body a bit).

May I suggest a couple of tweaks that have helped me?

I don't think you are eating enough, especially at breakfast. Grab a copy of the meal template and post it in your kitchen. When you have eggs, a serving is how many you can hold in your hand - for most women, that is 3-4. The yolks can count as your fat but don't be afraid to add a little avocado/guac or olives or something like that. The add 1-3 cups of veggies. If you are still hungry, add your fruit. Fruit is an occassional thing to have but should not push your veggies off the plate. In the beginning, I started having blueberries every morning w my breakfast and struggled with cravings. Then someone suggest I have them with a later meal. Think about it this way. The first thing in the morning you are 1) not getting enough protein and fat to satiate you, and 2) feeding your sugar dragon, waking him up for the day with fruit. I think if you eat according to the template for meal 1, you will find that you won't need those mid day snacks.

If you do need a snack - hungry to the point of wanting to eat something bland like fish and broccoli - try to make it a mini meal (1/2 serving of protein, 1/2 serving of fat, and some veg) instead of the larabar (great in an emergency, but otherwise....) or date balls. Again, having fruit on its own (without a meal) can trigger that sugar dragon and can make you crave more.

Believe me, I know how busy and "spontaneous" being a pastors wife can be! It is hard to plan mealtimes, let alone meals. Try keeping some mini meals in the fridge to grab for when you have to run out. Thins like boiled eggs or primal packs and veggie sticks with guac (wholly guacamole make compliant single serving size), Something you can grab as you run out the door. Then if you swing by some fast food place, you have your own meal. A bun less burger works great in a pinch, but will get old quickly - and you won't have to worry about what is added into the meat, or in the condiments.

You really are off to a great start and now have five days of experience under your belt! Continue on and once you get to the end of the 30 days, then you can decide if you are going to add 5 more fully compliant days to make up for this and completely slay that sugar dragon. But, as I said before, accidental sugar does not mean a restart!

[GoJo09]

Noone gets it perfect right away! There's always the one condiment that you assume is fine and then you discover there's sugar in your mustard, or soy in your tuna.

But yeah, like kmlynne said, you're not eating enough at breakfast, and all of those little date balls and Larabars are satisfying your sugar cravings because they're sugar. That's one you kind of have to white knuckle through - if you're really hungry when you have a sweet craving, eat something savoury, and sooner or later the sugar Dragon will get the picture.

[teviag]

This makes sense and makes me feel so much better! Thank you both for your help and support.

So I get this correct... you're saying I CAN have more fat and protein right? It's really shameful the amount of food it takes to satisfy me! Apparently I'm an EATER. Anyway, I'll definitely reconfigure and start fresh for week 2. Thanks so much again!

Definitely determined to conquer this!!

[Kmlynne]

Yes! Eat! (I know how hard it is - I came from a count every calorie, eat no fat dieting background - I know how hard it is to transition). Follow the template and you won't be hungry between meals

Next time you have eggs, take them from the carton and see how many you can hold. I'm an averaged sized woman and can hold 3-4 (4 chicken eggs, 3 duck eggs as they are a little larger). That's one serving!

Next time you have ground beef, make a patty that will fit the palm of your hand. For me, it's about 3.5-4 ounces (about a 1/4 pound) per serving.

And don't forget your veggies!

Enjoy your food!

[teviag]

Well……………… ……. …… …… OK OK OK OK OK I fell off the wagon!!!  I was hallucinating donuts. I was actually doing ok. Making it…but I kept CRAVING, THINKING, Dreaming, imagining a DONUT. 

AND I was weak, cranky, tired, exhausted actually, and dealing with… well anyway. 

I could go on, but there’s no point in rehashing the past, right? I knew what I was doing… and to be honest, I had just about given up on even doing this Whole 30 bit. And then I started feeling bad again… that bloated, yuck, too much junk food, blah, gross feeling. And I remembered how it felt to feel bad on Whole 30… and I LIKED it. It wasn’t easy but I LIKED not feeling bloated. I liked feeling tired from the detox versus being tired because of too much sugar crashes and caffeine crashes. Even though I wasn’t feeling the full effects from Whole 30 yet, I like the way I felt 5, 6, 7 days in! And then I realized… I NEED to do the whole 30. I need to do this for me. To prove to myself that I CAN do this. And it’s the first time I’ve ever felt that sort of a challenge with myself. Not for anyone else or for any other reason but just to prove I can do it. 

Ok… so I screwed up again and figured it out again… and here I am. AGAIN! 

Starting over. for the whateverth time. 

I. am. doing. this. Whole 30, you will be mine. 

Start date for my restart is today: 7/23/14 And I made it through day 1. 

Beginning a blog also so I can keep up with my food entries, etc… 

[annabel]

Well done for picking up and starting again! 

 

Hopefully you've taken the advice to eat bigger meals on board.  When I eat breakfast according to the template I can easily go 6 hours between meals, so it really does work.