McDuffee's Log

[Guest]

Day 3

 

Technically I started my Whole 30 a few days ago. Technically I started a different elimination diet two weeks ago...but let's start this log so I can keep track of my food/mood/symptoms! 

 

Since I've started eliminating food (soy, peanuts, dairy, gluten, eggs, and corn) two week ago, I'm kinda less than excited to eliminate more food (all grains and legumes) from my diet for 30 more days. I've been slacking. My meals aren't well-rounded nor do they come three times a day. I've been under a lot of stress because I have a big decision to make at work and nothing sounds good except hot dogs, chips, and chocolate. And hot dogs it was for breakfast today. Nothing else sounded remotely appetizing. 

 

Breakfast:

• 2 Applegate turkey hot dogs
• Coffee with coconut milk (full fat canned)
• Some sort of lemony/fruit bar with chia and pumpkin seeds (ate half). 
• Wanted an avocado and had two BIG ones on the counter...but they were both gross inside once I cut into them. I hate when that happens! They're not cheap!

Lunch:

• Chicken salad (shredded chicken from whole chicken cooked Saturday, celery, almonds, grapes from my garden, water chestnuts, cabbage, mustard, and seasonings)
• Potato chips cooked in olive oil (I know, not really Whole30, but I eat these in moderation and to get a dose of health fat. I have a new-found brake mechanism when eating chips.)
• A fruit/veggie squeeze pouch. 

 

Dinner:

• Used up the rest of the chicken by making my own BBQ sauce (just winged it with some tomato paste, ACV, date paste, liquid smoke, and other stuff)
• Half a bunch of asparagus with ghee

 

Post-Workout:

• One banana with almond butter and unsweetened coconut
• Guilty binge on some plantain chips before bed (W30 compliant, but a bad idea. Don't buy any sort of "chips" on the W30)

 

Symptoms:

• Tummy troubles in the morning shortly after waking up 
• Feeling hungry by 10 AM (lack of a proper breakfast will do that!)
• Depressed and blah feeling. The stress is just making me want junk food and not give a damn about whether or not my food is compliant or not. Maybe reading ISWF again will give me a second wind. 
• I'm ovulating and have a lot of pain in the abdomen today! I always ovulate at work! I'm so glad that I've been using the Fertility Awareness Method for about 4 years and don't have to worry about artificial hormones affecting me during this Whole30 or ever. 
• Looking back, I had a high basal body temp today unrelated to ovulation--turns out it was a fever because whatever I'm fighting off, my boyfriend has caught!
• Had a good workout at the gym. I haven't been in a few weeks and thankfully didn't feel like I lost too much strength and I felt more flexible!

[Guest]

Day 4

 

Woke up super hungry today thanks to my carb-overload post-workout snack before bed. I don't get off until 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so if I want to workout those days, I usually don't go to the gym until after the rush (sometime after 7:30ish)...putting a after-gym snack before bed. I don't need a post-workout snack, but the gym always makes me so hungry!

 

Wednesdays are my day to sleep in because I don't work until later in the day...but things didn't go as planned and I was woken up SO many times this morning. I. AM. TIRED. Oh, and a little bit sore from the gym yesterday, but nothing too bad.

 

Breakfast:

• Scrambled eggs with lox and capers cooked with a bit of ghee
• A couple of sweet potato slices
• Some leftover asparagus from dinner

 

Snack: (assuming I didn't eat enough fat at breakfast since I was feeling hungry a few hours later)

• Coffee with coconut milk
• Lara Bar 

 

Lunch: (rushed!)

• Quickly heated up leftover BBQ chicken
• Tore up some kale leaves and mixed with chicken
• Some macadamia nuts 

Snack:

• Zoodles (spiralized zucchini) in some bone broth and ghee

Dinner:

• Last of the leftover BBQ chicken
• Romaine leaves as wraps
• Lara Bar for some fat

 

Symptoms:

• Feeling extra hungry today and have a strange aversion to fat (nuts and oils)
• Even more stressed about work and the decision I need to make soon, which is making me crave carbs
• Sore from yesterday's workout
• Bloodshot eyes
• Sore throat, but no fever today
• I need to go grocery shopping and take a chill pill!
• Very, very depressed in the evening

[lelani]

Hey there, I am on day 7 now, the first week is rough for sure, even though I have been eating very close to this way for years.  Just hang in there and it will get easier.  Stay away from those crazy chips of any kind, I know its hard, but you obviously want to do this, so just do it.  By the way I got really sick on day 4, like in bed, can't move kind of sick, but got through it ok.  I am feeling great today if that is any help.

[Emma]

I agree - the first week is rough!  The first few days are great and then reality sets in.  I'm always impressed by how many people pull off a Whole30 while caring for their families and working full time jobs.  It takes a lot of stinking work to get food, prep food, and eat the dang food.  And a total bummer on a fever!! We have some bugger colds going around our town and I'm thankful that mine has not developed into anything worse. (I love love love lox - wishing we had some!)

[lelani]

Hmmm.  Lox, must google it, I have never tried it, hope you are doing well

[Guest]

Well, I suppose it was actually smoked salmon, but I call it lox for whatever reason. Either would've tasted great!

[Guest]

Day 5

 

Is it only Thursday? This week is dragging by and I had a horrible night where I almost gave up. I just want junk food and carbs when I'm depressed. I was seeing improvement in my abs, but I feel like I'm getting lumpier everywhere else. 

 

Breakfast:

• 2 slices of Applegate bacon
  
• 1 egg (Yes, I know that's 2 less than I should've eaten)
  
• Asparagus
  
• Coffee with full-fat, canned coconut milk
  
• Lara Bar
  
  • Notes: I'm addicted to eating something sweet with my coffee. Usually a banana or a Lara Bar. Not a good addiction, but it could be worse. Also, there were no avocados at the grocery store yesterday! What? Prefer more fat at breakfast, but everything was cooked in bacon grease, so I guess it's okay. 
    
  
  

Lunch: 

• Lettuce wraps:
  
• Applegate turkey slices
  
• Romaine 
  
• Heirloom tomato from a coworker
  
• Cucumber
  
• Homemade mayo
  

 

Dinner:

• Grassfed beef rump roast (turned out SO dry)
  
• Cauliflower spanish "rice" with green and red peppers, olives, salsa, and onion.
  
• A couple of the biggest green grapes I've ever seen
  

 

Symptoms:

• Been waking up super hungry--maybe too many carbs before bed?
  
• Super productive at work today, but my head hurts from the flickering lights above my desk and staring at the computer for hours
  
• Still stressed/depressed
  
• Ate breakfast around 8 and was hungry by 11 and ready for a nap by 12
  
• Didn't take a nap! Got a second wind after lunch, which wasn't until after 3 and I was starving!
  

[Guest]

Day 6

 

Thank goodness it is Friday! Oven repair man came this morning before work and is coming back with someone to help him later today because he thinks the fuse has gone out. I am so ready for a working oven--I have a lot of winter squash waiting to be cooked!

 

Breakfast:

• 2 slices of Applegate bacon
  
• 2 eggs
  
• Asparagus
  
• Coffee with full-fat, canned coconut milk
  
• Lara Bar
  

Lunch: 

• Leftover beef
  
• Leftover spanish "rice"
  
• Half an avocado
  
• Honeycrisp apple with almond butter because I was super hungry
  

Snack:

• ​A couple of rings of Nature Box's Big Island Pineapple (pretty much my favorite thing in the whole world)
  

Dinner:

 

Symptoms:

• Brain isn't working as well as it was yesterday. Not very productive and can't concentrate that well. I think I just need more quality sleep.
  
• Itchy left eyebrow, which makes me pull the hair there. Hair pulling has been less since I started, but this itchy feeling makes me want to rip all the hair out.
  
• Sad about broken oven. Repair guy says the control panel is out. Hopefully the new part comes in soon!
  

[Guest]

Well, I'm slacking on the log because it's too hard to post from my phone, and I don't get on the computer too often. I'm still here and still on the Whole30--I had forgotten what day I was on before logging on, but it looks like today is Day 10. 1/3 of the way there! The hardest part of this all is not eating sugar and chocolate. Mostly chocolate. The closest I've gotten is chocolate in Larabars and I know those aren't encouraged on the W30. I wasn't a big sugar-eater prior to the W30, but I do have a sweet tooth and like natural sugars, like maple syrup, coconut sugar, and stevia. I plan on doing the reintroduction of foods after day 30, but just for kicks, because I see this as a new lifestyle for me. My boyfriend has also started eating this way (but he is paleo...with a few treats here and there). I think my new lifestyle will be paleo with homemade yogurt and butter from grassfed cows on occasion if it does not cause any issues. I think I will allow myself to be less strict when going out to eat with friends and family and on holidays, but will always try to avoid gluten. 

 

I'm still concerned that I have an issues with eggs...and of course I have 3 dozen in the fridge now! They seem to give me a slight stomachache if eaten in the morning and I've noticed that my trichotillomania has gotten worse over the past week. There's been some talk about sterols causing the yeast on the skin (forgot the name, but starts with a M) to grow, which triggers hair pulling for those with trich. Now to decide if I want to keep eating eggs, only eat the egg whites (sterols in the yolk), or just not eat any eggs for a week and see what happens.

 

I probably won't do anymore food logging, but I must mention the delicious chili I made the other night:

• BBQ Chili:
  • Grass fed ground beef
  • Kale
  • Onion
  • Sweet potato
  • Garlic (or powder)
  • A little bit of compliant BBQ sauce (or make your own)
  • Canned tomatoes, sauce, and paste
  • A bit of compliant chicken broth or water
  • Cumin, cayenne, salt, and other spices

I ate this for the past 5 or 6 meals and would probably never get tired of it. So. Good. Slightly sweet from the BBQ sauce, slightly spicy, and lots of good, whole food. 

[Emma]

I've never been a fan of chili till I started this Whole30 business and now I love it.  It's so easy to make and it's easy to make a lot and my kids like it and there's plenty of leftovers.

 

What about duck eggs?  I have a friend that can't each chicken eggs, but she can eat duck eggs.  I've heard other people mention it too.  I don't know much about it, but I started eating duck eggs so that I could have some variety.  They grossed me out at first because they have big yolks and I don't like them scrambled, but they are awesome over easy mixed in with spinach or kimchi or whatever breakfast thing you do.  

 

The sweet tooth thing is tough.  Will it go away at all if you eat more carbs like sweet potatoes?  I'm thankful I don't have much of a sweet tooth (until I taste something sweet and then it's all downhill) but once I'm eating Whole30 I can keep it at bay with a sweet potato and hard boiled egg.

 

 Congrats on making it till Day 10!