Intrepid's Second Go-'Round

[Intrepid4]

Day Zero --

 

I'm starting tomorrow. I know, I know... it should have been today. Or last week. Or two months ago. But today I'm committing to it publicly (or as publicly as a personal log can be). I completed a W30 earlier this year, and have been planning a second round since June. Things don't move very quickly in my world. So this is it! The real deal! But for now, I'm off to finish my "last supper." Don't ask; I won't tell.

[Deb.]

How are you doing? 

[Intrepid4]

Well, unfortunately those twin evils -- depression and anxiety -- decided to rear their ugly heads again (just a flare up, though, not a severe case). Kind of like the high fructose corn syrup of mental health, they are ubiquitous and insidious. So even though I made it to the store to buy the ingredients for chocolate chili, actually putting it together seems like a task equal to climbing Mt Everest. I've been going at it half-heartedly, but can't actually count a day of true compliance. Yet. New plan: plan, plan, plan. But keep it simple. I will figure out a simple menu for the upcoming week, go to the store this Saturday to get what I need, and prep whatever I can. Sunday is my D-Day. I did this before, I know I can do it again. It will just take more effort to get myself in gear. The plus side: Whole30 will probably help my depression and anxiety. Win-win.

 

Probably more than you wanted to hear, Deb. But thanks for asking.

[peace_positive]

At then end of my whole60 I ended my anxiety/depression medication. It's been 6 months!

[Intrepid4]

Wow, peace_positive, that's very encouraging! I did make it shopping today, will do some prep this afternoon and will be good to go tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

 

The last time I did a W30, I lost weight, stopped feeling bloated, quit having acid reflux, and my joints quit being stiff and aching. I had more energy, slept better, and felt much better about myself, greater confidence and self-esteem. For all of that, I think I can give up my pumpkin spice lattes and almond croissants. Starbucks will miss me, but their loss will be Whole Foods' gain.

 

I'm off to cook that chocolate chili.

[Intrepid4]

Day One!!!!

 

I did it! I actually started! Now there's only that little matter of 29 more days.

 

Breakfast: omelet with bacon, Swiss chard, onion; 1/4 avocado; coffee.

 

Lunch:  curried beef on top of spaghetti squash, 1/4 avocado.

 

Dinner: chocolate chili (I cooked!!), carrot sticks, 1/2 avocado.

 

The carrots were a last minute thing because I didn't think to make a veggie to go with dinner. Maybe I could've counted the tomatoes and onions in the chili?

 

I'm used to having one item meals, usually protein (a steak, eggs, half a chicken breast...). And dessert, of course. It's going to take a bit to get into the swing of planning real meals. Not like I ever got into the swing of it on my first W30. If cooking were done with duct tape and bailing wire, I might manage to piece together a decent meal.  As it is, well, let's just say there's room for improvement.

[pingu]

Very awesome! Keep up the good work. And don't stress too much about planning super elaborate meals, simple is best!

[Intrepid4]

Day Two

 

I've been at this twice as long as I had been yesterday. Not bad for a day's work.

 

Breakfast: egg scramble with bacon, onion, Swiss chard. Cold brew coffee.

 

Lunch: chocolate chili, carrots, almond butter.

 

Dinner: chicken strips, acorn squash with coconut butter.

 

I wasn't hungry all day, so it was a challenge to eat three meals. Makes me wonder if I'm eating too much, but I seem to recall that the system has to kind of do a reset when it starts getting fueled by real food. Trust the process, right?

 

Thanks for the encouragement, Little Blue. Keeping it simple sounds like a very good idea.

[Intrepid4]

Day 3

 

Headache this a.m. and dizzy this afternoon. Maybe the detox setting in? Probably sugar withdrawal from my pint of ice cream per day habit. I'm already feeling less bloated, though, so that's good.

 

Breakfast: eggs, sautéed spinach, bacon, coffee.

 

Lunch: choc chili, carrots, almond butter, small pear. Starting to sound familiar? This is how I managed on the first W30 I did in March. Cook a big batch of something and eat it 'til I can't stand it any more. Or 'til the edges of the storage container start to turn green.

 

Dinner: chicken strips, acorn squash with coconut butter.

 

Last week was the end of our CSA season, so now I will have to forage for veggies on my own. I hear they sell them in stores, probably just past the ice cream section.

[Intrepid4]

Day 4

 

Didn't sleep well last night. Could be due to the changing diet. Or could be because my neighbor decided to recycle at 4:15 in the a.m., and then dropped it and broke a bunch of glass in the stairwell, which woke my dog up, who proceeded to bark loudly and prolongedly like the good little watchdog that he is, and who continued to bark and run around the apartment like a maniac when I let him out of his kennel, despite my assurances that everything was okay. But then I decided to take aforementioned dog out to potty just in case that might also relieve him of his urge to bark, but when I opened my door, someone in the stairwell who was sweeping up the glass (presumably my neighbor, but I hadn't put my glasses on, so I wasn't sure), began waving his hands and saying we were walking on the glass (which I couldn't see because I didn't have my glasses on). So I picked the dog up and carried him to his favorite pee spot, where he multi-tasked with barking and peeing simultaneously (try it sometime, it's not easy). Then we went back inside and he promptly curled up in his kennel and fell asleep. Not so for me.

 

But yeah, like I said, it could have been the diet, too.

 

Breakfast: omelette with bacon, onion and spinach. Coffee.

 

Lunch: chicken strips, acorn squash with c butter. Small pear.

 

Dinner: yes, for the fourth day in a row... choc chili and carrot sticks. And maybe a banana with almond butter. Haven't decided yet, but I need to make up my mind soon, or it will look like I'm having it for dessert. Or worse yet, as a snack. I think both are rather frowned upon by the W30 gods. Unless, of course, I'm using it to tide myself over between my third and fourth CrossFit session of the day.

 

The good news is that I have now run out of carrots, and only have enough chili left for one more meal. The bad news is that now I have to cook something else.

 

The best news is that I'm another day closer to completing my W30!

[Intrepid4]

Day 5

 

Today didn't go quite as planned. Probably because it wasn't quite planned.

 

Pre-breakfast: banana. I needed something to tide me over while I took the dog for a walk so he would stop bouncing off the walls.

 

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, onion, spinach and 1/4 avocado. Coffee.

 

Lunch/dinner kind of thing: choc chili (the last of it!!), 1/4 avocado, an apple and almond butter.

 

I'm pretty sure I didn't eat enough today, and I'll probably pay for it energy-wise tomorrow. And now I absolutely need to cook something tomorrow. Sigh.

[Intrepid4]

Day 6

 

Well, I thought yesterday was bad. Today's W30 attempt was worse. I knew I would be rushed in the a.m., but a number of unexpected events made the whole day a bit of an eating disaster.

 

Breakfast: I thought I had this one covered. I boiled eggs last night so I could grab them and... okay, I hadn't quite thought it ALL the way through. But it didn't matter, because I got up late, was rushed getting out the door, and completely forgot to take anything with me to eat. So I stopped at the grocery store and quickly picked up two boiled eggs, a banana, and a bottle of cold-brew coffee. I ate the banana (I know, I'm probably eating too much fruit), accidentally left the eggs in the car (in the hot sun for two hours, so didn't eat them), and belatedly saw that the coffee I bought was the mocha kind that had sugar in it. So, a banana was it until about 2:00 in the afternoon.

 

Lunch: got home, but had no time to get to the grocery store. Had two poached eggs, and bacon. And non-sugared cold brew. No veggie

 

Dinner: After lunch I had to make an unexpected visit to the vet with my injured dog (it's always about the dog, somehow). That turned into a three hour ordeal, by which time it was getting dark, and since I can't see to drive in the dark, I had to head back home with still no groceries. So... I had some sausage in the fridge that I ate (W30 legit), and an apple with almond butter (yes, more fruit, and yes, still no veggie !!!!!).

 

Yikes! This is not the way to do a W30!

 

Okay, so tomorrow... I can pull together a suitable breakfast, I will go to the grocery store first thing after that, and I will buy and prep real food. And take care of my poor puppy. And eat veggies!!!

 

I know that a lot of my success last time was through getting in the groove of 3 regular meals with the right balance. I can't just go a month of omitting all the "don't" foods, and think that's going to make me healthy. It's the whole package. This program is definitely as much about what you DO eat as what you don't.

 

Tattoo that on my forehead, please. In reverse so that I can read it when I look in the mirror.

[Intrepid4]

Day 7

 

Yes!! Lots more energy today. And possibly even a bit less anxiety than I've had for a while. AND I managed to shop and cook and eat three meals... okay, maybe that's status quo for most people, but for me it's rather significant. So, yay me!

 

Breakfast: eggs, sausage, Swiss chard sautéed in ghee, coffee.

 

Lunch: curried ground beef, green beans with pecans and vinaigrette.

 

Dinner: oven roasted pork ribs, green beans w/pecans.

 

One week down. Now, if I can just build on this bit of momentum.

[Intrepid4]

Day 8

 

Managed to prep some food today, so I've at least got the next couple of days covered. Feeling rather bloated tonight. Not sure why. I haven't been getting exercise the past few days, with my puppy walking partner out of commission. How I'm supposed to keep a seven month old puppy on "strict rest" for two weeks is beyond me, but that's supposed to be the plan per the veterinarian. So that rules out our daily walks. I'll have to get creative on the exercise front.

 

Breakfast: omelette cooked in ghee, with bacon and onion. Coffee.

 

Lunch: pork ribs, green beans w/pecans in vinaigrette.

 

Dinner: curried ground beef, roasted Brussels sprouts, banana w/almond butter. I mostly ate the banana because the fruit flies were threatening to commandeer the kitchen. When I saw them practicing their synchronized swimming routines in my vinaigrette, I knew I needed to take action. 

 

Maybe that's why I feel extra wide tonight. Besides getting very little exercise, I also ate beyond my feeling full point. Who knows, I may have even swallowed a few fruit flies. Are they W30 compliant?

[Intrepid4]

Day 9

 

Still having good energy. I've been having weird dreams and not sleeping very soundly the past several nights. Don't know if that's diet related or not. Annoying, though. I pay good money for those sleeping meds. Didn't get the cooking done that I wanted to today, but I still had enough leftovers to cover for the day.

 

Breakfast: egg scramble with Swiss chard, bacon and onion. Coffee.

 

Lunch: I forgot to eat! I got wrapped up in three projects at once, and it was only as I was walking out the door for a 3:30 appointment that it dawned on me. Didn't have time to pick up anything, so I just waited for dinner. I should get some Primal Packs for the car, but they're rather spendy...

 

Dinner: last of the ribs, sweet potato with c butter.

 

In my last W30 I relied a lot on sweet spuds. Then I went to a naturopath who tested me and said I had an intolerance for potatoes (including sweet potatoes). So I've pretty much quit eating them, but sometimes ya just gotta live on the wild side.

[Intrepid4]

Day 10

 

A third of the way through! I know some people do Whole 45s or 60s or 365s, but I'm not a very big-picture kind of person. So it's a stretch to look 30 days into the future, let alone 45 or 60. And now I only have to look 20 days ahead! I can almost do that! Not that I plan a total pig out on day 31. I think the last time I did a W30, I kind of went on for another week just because nothing non-W30 really stood out as a "must have." Today was a challenge, though, because I met my daughter at a coffee shop and had to forego my usual mocha and scone. But I did it, and only drooled a little puddle on the floor in front of the pastry display.

 

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, left over Brussels sprouts. Coffee.

 

Lunch: sausage, green beans in vinaigrette w/pecans.

 

Dinner: Moroccan  style lamb meatballs in a tomato-based sauce. I'm counting the tomatoes and onion as my veggies. It was fabulous! I've never made anything with 26 ingredients before (my usual average is probably about 3 ingredients plus or minus water). I hope they freeze well, 'cuz the recipe made a lot! Or I'll just eat on them for the remaining 20 days. I'm boring enough to do that.

 

Dropping into a bit of a funk today. Lots of stressors. Glad a crappy diet isn't compounding it this time.

[Intrepid4]

Day 11

 

Kinda hard to motivate myself today. I intended to do more cooking today, but that didn't happen. So I just winged it.

 

Breakfast: sausage and Swiss chard. Coffee.

 

Lunch: lamb meatballs in tomatoes.

 

Dinner: 2 hard boiled eggs, almonds. Just wasn't feelin' it, but I knew I had to eat something. Hopefully tomorrow will go a little better.

[Intrepid4]

Day 12

 

Another not-so-good (W30-wise) day.

 

Breakfast: started out okay... eggs, bacon, yam, coffee.

 

Lunch: I forgot to eat again. Not like I was too busy or anything, I just didn't think of it. Apparently the W30 diet isn't helping my memory issues any. But then, maybe it would help if could remember to follow it properly. Kind of a Catch-22 deal.

 

Dinner: lamb meatballs in tomato sauce, almonds.

[Intrepid4]

Day 13

 

Lucky thirteen. I remembered to eat three times today, though they weren't exactly complete meals. Also managed to cook something, so now I have a second huge batch of something to eat on day after day (after day after day). Suits me, though.

 

Breakfast: two boiled eggs, coffee. No time to cook, and again, the eggs were as far as I had gotten in pre-planning.

 

Lunch: lamb meatballs (of course).

 

Dinner: curried coconut chicken and cauliflower. I kind of combined two recipes and then added my own twist. It's really much safer when I follow actual recipes. This turned out okay, although I shouldn't have taken the advice of one of the recipe reviewers who said to triple the amount of curry. I mean, I like curry, but not as the main ingredient. Note to self: all things in moderation.

 

Puppy is still limping so I'm not getting my usual daily walks in. I could go without him, I suppose, but then I have to put him in his kennel cage thing, and when I do that he barks and howls and whines so much and so loudly that my neighbors will probably lynch me some day. Or my puppy. But I think there are laws against that.

[Intrepid4]

Day 14

 

Highlight of the day: I finished the meatballs! But that means that I have to cook something else. Getting more energy back, though, so that shouldn't be a big problem. I hope.

 

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, yam, coffee.

 

Lunch: lamb meatballs in tomato sauce. More coffee (possibly not a good idea; we'll see how well I sleep tonight).

 

Dinner: curried chicken and cauliflower. Almonds.

 

Kind of feel like I'm getting into the swing of it finally. Although the grocery stores are starting to carry egg nog (or pumpkin nog, so they can slip it into the market two months before Christmastime). I'd be drowning in that stuff if I weren't W30ing. So yeah, I'll have to forego the sugar, dairy, HFC, artificial colors, artificial flavors, etc. Are there actually eggs in egg nog? Maybe when I have my eggs tomorrow I can color them orange with turmeric, and then they will seem autumnally festive. Or not.

[Intrepid4]

Day 15 (yesterday)

 

Had my first food dream last night. Dreamt I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and suddenly realized that I wasn't supposed to have jelly (for some reason I wasn't concerned about the peanut butter or the bread). Interesting food to dream about, since I can't remember the last time I had a PB&J.

 

Breakfast: omelette w/onion, bacon & spinach. Coffee.

 

Lunch: curried chicken and cauliflower. Almonds.

 

Dinner: wasn't hungry and feeling a little down. Ate an apple with almond butter.

 

Half way through!!!

[Intrepid4]

Day 18

 

Okay, maybe I can't even claim to be doing a Whole30 anymore. Still eating compliant food, but not getting in three balanced meals each day. At all. More like two meals (kind of) and a snack. So I'm not sure if I should continue to track for another 12 days, regardless of not following the meal requirements (but staying compliant with food choices), or just end it here and continue to try to at least eat clean paleo. I guess a third option would be to force myself to make/eat three balanced meals a day. But that's just not gonna happen right now.

 

Decisions, decisions.

[Intrepid4]

Day 20

 

Alright, I decided that I'm going to stay food compliant for the entire 30 days, but I don't consider it an "authentic" W30, and I'll interpret my results accordingly.

 

I've been tracking my meals for the past week, but I won't log them here. Just start back with today:

 

Breakfast: sausage, coffee. Again in a rush to get to an appointment.

 

Lunch: stuffed sweet potato. Super good. And balanced! With ground turkey, spinach, onions, bacon, apple and dried cherries.

 

Dinner: haven't had it yet. Probably more sweet potato or just an apple/almond butter.

[Intrepid4]

Day 21

 

Breakfast: omelet, coffee

Lunch: skipped

Dinner: stuffed sweet potato, herb tea.

[pearlstreet]

Hi. Can you tell me about your acid reflux healing, first time around? When did Whole 30 start to work? Did you stay off caffeine? Did it come back? I'm on Day 7 of my first round. Doing pretty well. My energy kicked in a bit yesterday. But I do have the acid reflux and my diet is more limited than the normal Whole 30 diet because I don't eat the high acid foods (tomatoes, citrus, etc.). Would love any thoughts.