Starting with food

[Ytu]

Day 15 (Wednesday)

 

Sleep: Better. In bed at 10:15, woke up at 5:45 feeling relatively alert and refreshed.

Last night I put the laptop away at 9pm so that may have helped with sleep. Will try to do same this evening.

Pre-w/o: tsp of coconut oil
40-minute weights workout
Post-w/o: small piece of chicken.

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled with chorizo, tomato salsa, half an avocado, a microwaved sweet potato. A black coffee.
Lunch: a salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato salsa, radishes, with a tin of mackerel. Forgot to bring a fork and office kitchen out of forks so had to eat it with a spoon.
Dinner: Sri Lankan beef curry with cauliflower and potatoes. Small bowl of raspberries and blackcurrants with a spoonful of creamed coconut.

 

Feeling good to be halfway there. Had a boring day at work but no urge to snack. Tomorrow is another exam so at least that will change the pace of the day and I'll be done earlier than usual, even if the exam itself is a bit stressful.

[Ytu]

Day 16 (Thursday)

Did exam 3 out of 4 today and now it kind of feels like the weekend has begun but still have a full day's work to get through tomorrow. Hope it's not too boring.

 

Breakfast: Out of eggs, so half a tin of pink salmon with tomato salsa and a sweet potato with ghee. A black coffee.
Lunch: a salad of half a tin of salmon, lettuce, cucumber, tomato salsa, radishes, olives.
Dinner: the last portion of the Sri Lankan beef curry with cauliflower and potato. Little bowl of raspberries, blackcurrants, creamed coconut. This coconut and berry thing is really tasty but it is a bit like a replacement dessert. I'm not having it in response to a craving for sweets, more like wanting to have more fat because there wasn't much in the meal, and coconut with berries is really nice, so why not have the berries. So I think it's OK but won't make it a continuous habit.

 

I've been wondering about how you're meant to incorporate the "occasional" fruit. Is it OK to have it at the end of the meal or is that too much like having a dessert? Or should it be actually in the meal, like maybe apple chopped up in a salad? I'd like to eat more British plums while they are in season so might try to find a recipe to use them in, maybe a salad. I have a recipe for chicken thighs baked with plums which could be another one to try, needs modification though as the original recipe has soy sauce.

 

EDIT found just the thing ... plum salsa! Will make that over the weekend.

[Kmlynne]

Occasional fruit is usually listed as 1-2 servings a day.  It is to be part of your meal as the spirit of w30 is to get away from "desserts".  When I have fruit as part of my meal, I sometimes find myself saving the last couple of bites for the end of my meal

 

Just be aware that fruit naturally has more sugar than vegetables do.  If you are still having a lot of cravings for sugary things, the fruit MIGHT intensify them.  Try a little at a time and see how it affects you.

 

I love to add fruit in my salads!  Some chopped plums in a salad would be lovely! 

 

(For the chicken recipe with plums, try using coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce).

[Ytu]

Thanks Karen. I haven't been craving sweets at all so think the amount of fruit has been OK but will try to make sure it's with the meal rather than after. I have these frozen berry mixes that I tend to buy (much cheaper than fresh berries) and I don't know what savoury meal they would go with. Blackcurrant sauce with game meat is a thing I think but not sure about raspberries? Maybe with duck? These sound like fancy meals!

 

I've seen coconut aminos mentioned on paleo blogs a lot but they're not really available over here - you can order online but they are very pricey. So I'll probably just do without for the next two weeks and then reintroduce tamari soy sauce along with legumes.

[Derval]

the aminos are cheap from iherb Jtu , that's where I get them.

check out my referral link & get discount too.

[Kmlynne]

Oh - raspberries could go with just about anything! Pork, duck, chicken.... Last night I have pork chop with seared peaches. Fruit is so versatile!

Sounds like a plan with the aminos

[Ytu]

Thanks for the tip Derval! Still pretty pricey with the postage unless they have some other things I'll want so can combine postage ... will take a look. Also I think there's something about ordering special ingredients from overseas that feels to me counter to the idea of eating simple, real food. So I might just try to do without.

 

Whole30 day 17 (Friday) - journalling early as may not get a chance to later

Sleep: Good though not that long. In bed at 10, woke up at 5:30.
Exercise: Hill sprints (x 7)
Meditation: 20 mins

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled with chorizo, a small sweet potato, a tomato. A black coffee.
Lunch: a ground beef patty with cucumber, radishes and olives.
Dinner will be doro wat from the freezer, probably with courgettes.

Veg box this week has both a marrow AND courgettes which is annoying. I wonder if I could let them know I don't want any marrows. They're so bland and watery. The only thing I know to do with them is to cook with some fatty spicy lamb so that the marrow soaks up the spicy lamb fat and actually tastes of something. So that might have to feature on the menu this weekend.

There's also some runner beans and I'm not sure these are OK on the whole30 so might blanch and freeze these for legume reintroduction.
 

Tonight going to meet a friend for a drink - first time I've ventured on an evening out during the w30 so will get to practice my fizzy water ordering skills!

 

And got a couple of new herbal teas without licorice - one's rosehip and one's fennel, plus my usual favourite green tea with blueberry leaves and pomegranate.

[Ytu]

Oh wow, so many new journallers! Must be the 1st of August effect. Up until yesterday I was keeping up with everyone's journals but now not sure I'll have time. Will try!

 

Day 18 (Saturday)

 

Tiger blood, where are you? I thought I felt a bit more energetic yesterday morning but had a huge energy slump after lunch and could barely keep my eyes open between 2-4pm. Then had a horrible commute back, took me over two hours. Was tired all evening in the pub, too, but drinking fizzy water was fine.

 

This morning up at 5.45 after just over 6 hours' sleep and haven't really been able to wake up yet and it's mid-afternoon now! I'm meant to be studying for the last exam next week and was hoping to have a really productive morning so I could maybe go to a belly dance class this afternoon - well, so much for that, I've barely opened the textbook and my brain is really tired and fuzzy. Tried having a nap but still can't sleep despite being so tired.

 

It feels like the cumulative effect of many nights' insufficient sleep. I don't know what else I can do. I've read other journallers with the same problem of waking up early and am doing what's been suggested - eating enough salt, taking magnesium, eating carb-heavy veg at dinner time, wearing a sleep mask.

 

Anyway, I really need to wake up a bit and study. Will force myself to do some revision now and then walk to the supermarket and hope the fresh air will wake me up a bit.

 

Pre-w/o: Coffee with two egg yolks blended in.

Workout: Weights workout (40 mins)

Post-w/o: 2 egg whites, a potato.

Breakfast: Chorizo sausage, 1 egg, courgette, tomato.

Mid-morning: A black coffee in the hope of waking up my brain but it didn't help.

Lunch: 2 mackerel fillets, sauteed fennel and onion, a few olives, sundried tomato paste. Was surprisingly really hungry at lunch. Possibly didn't have enough protein at dinner last night or at breakfast tonight. Was only going to eat one of the fillets and half of the veg but was still hungry so decided to finish it.

Dinner: A ground beef patty, cucumber, carrot sticks, a potato, some hazelnuts.

 

Was going to cook a big bolognese tonight but the meat is still defrosting so might leave it until tomorrow. Also I did a big supermarket shop but failed to get onions and celery so that means a second shopping trip either this evening or tomorrow. Walk to supermarket woke me up a bit and now am more alert so will make the most of it and study!

[Ytu]

Day 19 (Sunday)

 

Ooh, finally a good sleep! In bed at 10, up at 8, woke up a couple of times in the night but got back to sleep fairly quickly so probably about 9 hours net. Feel so much better for it.

 

Breakfast: Two rashers bacon, three eggs, a tomato, a small sweet potato, a black coffee.

Lunch: Salad of chicken breast, lettuce, spring onion, avocado, plum salsa, toasted pumpkin seeds. Oh yes. Delicious! Definitely recommend the plum salsa (just chopped plums, chopped chilli pepper, lime juice).

Dinner: marrow stuffed with Moroccan spiced beef (cooked with a few chopped apricots, almonds, ras el hanout, onion, garlic, tomato puree).

 

Making a slow cooker-full of bolognese sauce for dinners for the week and will cook some rainbow chard to go with it.

[Ytu]

Day 20 (Monday)

 

Sleep: Good! In bed at 10, woke up at 6, did not wake up in between.
Exercise: Easy 40-minute run.
Meditation: 25 mins.

Breakfast: Ground beef with Moroccan spices, apricots and almonds (from baked marrow last night); marrow, a small sweet potato, two small tomatoes. A black coffee
Lunch: tinned mackerel, plum salsa, lettuce, cucumber, toasted pumpkin seeds. Nearly as nice as my lunch salad yesterday. Plum and mackerel, very nice combo.

Dinner will be Bolognese sauce with rainbow chard.

 

Edit: NOTE to self gassy and bloated 2 hrs after lunch. Salad does this to me sometimes but maybe if I can keep track I can work out which part specically. But may be just too much raw veg in one go.

 

Two thirds through and going strong. If sleep continues to be as good as last two nights, nothing to complain about! Should sail through this week eating mostly food prepped yesterday.

 

Am going to write to veg box people asking please no more marrows! Stuffed marrow is OK but now that I've had it once I don't really want to have to make another one any time soon.

[Ytu]

Day 21 (Tuesday)

 

Sleep: Good, in bed at 10, woke up for a bit around 5 but got back to sleep until 6.30.
Meditation: 25 mins
Exercise: just some walking around in general

Breakfast: Last of the leftover Moroccan spiced beef, two small tomatoes, a plum, a sweet potato. Black coffee.
Lunch: a tin of mackerel, lettuce, tomato, green beans, potatoes, balsamic vinaigrette.
Dinner: bolognese sauce, chard, beetroot.

 

Three weeks done.

[Ytu]

Day 22 (Wednesday)

Sleep: Bad. Went to bed at maybe 10.30 but couldn't get to sleep for a couple of hours. I think the culprit was the cup of coffee at 3pm. I don't usually have coffee in the late afternoon but before 4 has previously been OK, this time clearly not! Slept until 5 then on and off until 7.
Meditation: 20 mins.

Breakfast: 3-egg omelette, two small tomatoes, a sweet potato, a plum.
Lunch: salad of tuna, a boiled egg, olives, lettuce, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes.
Dinner: bolognese sauce, chard, a couple of small potatoes, beetroot, a raw carrot.

[Ytu]

Day 23 (Thursday)

 

One week to go!

 

Sleep: OK, in bed at 11.30pm, up at 7.30.
Meditation: didn't do it this morning but will do it now.

 

Breakfast: 3 hard-boiled eggs, cooked beetroot, half an avocado. A black coffee.
Lunch: tuna, boiled egg, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes.
Dinner: Salmon in kind-of-chraimeh sauce, potato and fennel salad, grated carrots, a few almonds.

[Derval]

Never hear of it & had to google, but it sounds great!
http://elrascooking.blogspot.ie/2013/08/hraime-chraimeh-fish-cooked-in-red-hot.html
I presume omiiting the sugar won't make much diff.

[Ytu]

Yeah, mine was a cheat's version - using garlic and chilli paste (which I'd made for another recipe from the Ottolenghi book) with tomato puree. It's plenty sweet from the tomato already, don't think I'd want any sugar in it! Will try to make the proper version next time though (but without sugar) to see how different it is.

[Ytu]

Having a mild motivational wobble. Today I'm wearing a dress which has always fit snugly at the waist and chest and still does, and therefore I've spent the morning thinking "I haven't lost any weight at all, in fact what if I've gained weight, I've been eating too much, too big meals, too many sweet potatoes, not enough exercise", and so on. Trying to calm myself down by being more rational about it and at least I know what's caused it (the dress). To be honest, it would be very hard for me to have lost weight in areas that make this dress snug, seeing as the primary cause of snugness seems to be the size of my ribcage. Going to loosen my belt a bit so my waist doesn't feel tight and try to relax about it.

 

I am a bit worried I'll be disappointed if I haven't lost any weight by the end of the 30 days even though it shouldn't have been my primary goal. Primary goal was to get myself out of the sugar/snacking/binging habit and so far that has been a roaring success. But you know the voice in the back of your head that goes ... but I haven't lost any weight. Not sure how to silence that voice.

[Kmlynne]

Ytu - are there any other clothes that you wear that are looser?  Put that one one and "wallow" in it for a little bit!

 

One of my go-to ways to silence that voice is to go back to my first logs and read about why I started w30 and think about what has changed since then - less pain, less brain fog, less depression, feeling better, more active, etc.

 

When I did weights and measurements at the end of a w30, I was disappointed that I hadn't lost much weight (not as much as my brain wanted me to).  But then I was astounded at the measurement loss of inches and had to really hold onto that success

[Physibeth]

One thing I advice of people who are stressed about weight loss is before you step on the scale on day 31 write out a list of all the positive things you have seen change during your Whole30. Read that list a couple of times and each time remind yourself that those are the important things and the scale is just a measurement of your relationship with gravity at a single point in time. Then tell yourself whatever the scale says you had a successful 30 days of eating whole foods. Then step on the scale. Or don't. You could ditch it forever.

[Derval]

Great idea!

[Ytu]

Thanks all! Physibeth, it did occur to me that if I never get on the scale again I can't possibly be disappointed with the loss! Will follow your suggestion about the list.

 

It was mixed messages from my clothing yesterday: the dress was tight but my underwear was on the point of falling down. I wish I had taken measurements beforehand but guess will rely on clothing fit as a guide on whether I've lost any inches.

 

Day 24 meals:

Breakfast: 3-egg omelette, a few cherry tomatoes from my own tomato plants (yum!), half an avocado, a sweet potato.
Lunch: Leftover salmon and sauce, potato and fennel salad, grated carrots and green beans.
Dinner: supermarket forage: goose rillettes, radishes and a banana.

[Ytu]

Day 25 (Saturday)

 

Sleep: Not so good, in bed at 11.30, up at 5 and couldn't get back to sleep. May need a nap later. We had an offer accepted on a flat yesterday which is very exciting but also stressful so I'm worrying now about sorting out the mortgage and everything else.

 

But it's a lovely morning with blue skies so I've had a pre-w/o egg yolk coffee and will now head out to the park to do sprints. The weather will be rainy and stormy tomorrow so better to do sprints today and an indoor weights workout tomorrow morning.

 

Exercise: 8 x sprints and a few incline push-ups in between.
Meditation: 20 mins

Pre-w/o: Coffee with two egg yolks blended in
Post-w/o: 2 egg white + 1 egg omelette
Breakfast: A ground beef patty, an egg, tomatoes and spring onion cooked in olive oil, half an avocado.
Lunch: Tuna with sundried tomato paste, olives, celery sticks, a carrot.
Dinner: Roast chicken, baba ganoush, roast patty pan squash.

[Ytu]

Day 26 (Sunday)

 

Sleep: Great! In bed at 10, woken up by cat briefly around 5.30 but then got back to sleep until 7.
Meditation: 30 mins
Exercise: 40-minute weights workout

Pre-w/o: tbsp of coconut oil
Post-w/o: A bit of chicken breast
Breakfast: Shakshuka with three eggs, some babaganoush and a couple of pieces of squash from last night.
Lunch: Chicken, babaganoush, a spoonful of shakshuka, a carrot, a couple of pieces of squash, a small cup of chicken bone broth.

Dinner: Sri Lankan stir-fried lamb (with spices, sliced peppers), a cabbage curry (cabbage, onion, fresh coconut) and a cashew nut curry (cashews in coconut milk). The cashew nut dish is very rich, think I ate a bit too much and had a bit of gut discomfort afterwards. Will have smaller portions of the leftovers alongside leaner meat and veg.

[Derval]

All sounds exotically delicous!

[Ytu]

Thanks Derval! The curries are all from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey. The Sri Lankan chapter is pretty much W30 compliant with no tweaks (I think we left out a small amount of palm sugar in one of the recipes). Brilliant book - everything from it has been delicious.

 

And the middle eastern foods come from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem book. These two are my go-to books for special weekend cooking.

[Ytu]

Day 27 (Monday)

 

Sleep: Sufficient, in bed at 11.30 (went out late onto Blackheath to look at the Perseids and the supermoon, but only saw one shooting star, and the moon obviously, couldn't have missed it!) woke up at 7.
Meditation: 25 mins

Breakfast: 3 poached eggs, shakshuka, spinach, a black coffee.
Lunch: Leftover lamb with sliced peppers, cabbage with onion and coconut, cashew nuts in coconut milk.
Dinner: chicken, cooked carrots and parsley, potatoes, a nectarine.

The cashew nuts (I think) don't agree with my stomach. I thought I ate too many last night but after a small portion at lunch was again bloated and uncomfortable for the afternoon. Or it could have been cabbage, lightly cooked but maybe not cooked enough. I'll try to have a little bit of the cashew nut curry without the cabbage one (all gone) at lunchtime tomorrow and see what happens.

We've made a mortgage application today. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly! But even if it does, this will probably make the next month or two rather stressful so it would be a good idea for me to continue to be strict about no snacking even once the whole30 is over.