Luda Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Hello everyone! This is the first time for me to go on the diet program and do it "publicly". Let me explain what I mean. Usually I quietly, without telling anyone, go on some diet and then also quietly quit it. I guess from the beginning I knew that diet won't work and didn't want to be a disappointment. It is the first time I am not only go "public" here on the forum but also with my friends. It is a bit scary because if I fail I will feel incredibly embarrassed. So no failing then. I did power-lifting and started Olympic lifting but recently got injured and my only physical activity for now is walking. Whole30 is a way for me to stay on track and maybe even speed up recovery. I started Whole30 on Monday, October 6th. But then realized that Daily E-mails might be a very good and supportive tool (need all the help I can get). So I sing-up for e-mails and today (October, 9th) is my official start day. This last three days gave me some practice and preview of what is ahead. Here we go: Goals for this Whole30: - physiological. I'm tired of the cycle of eat/guilt/punishment/reward. I don't want to stress about food and think about it constantly. It seems counterintuitive but I like the freedom this program gives. After each meal I can "forget" about food for 4-5 hours and concentrate on other activity. - snacking. I want to stop snacking between meals. This is my biggest problem. Sometimes I would snack throughout out the day without any proper meal. - weight lose. I am 137lbs. (5.5") and want to loose 7 pounds. I've been struggling with this last 7 pounds for a couple years. I would loose it and then gain it back quickly. For some reason I cannot find permanent solution for this last 7 pounds. But even if I don't manage to loose anything my goal at least not gain any additional pounds while I recover from my injury. - experiment with vegetables. I am not adventurous in the kitchen, more frankly, I am very lazy cook. I cook the same vegetables the same way for the past several years and then I'm surprised why I don't like vegetables. - stop eating in front of computer. Every meal I ate before was in front of my computer. Especially I loved to watch movie and eat. This needs to stop. Potential Pitfalls: - PMS. My PMS is falling on the third week of this program and this is worries me. Most of my diets failed during this days. I just cannot control my appetite (it feels like my stomach is bottomless). And of course foods I crave are not broccoli and spinach. - Exams/Homeworks Deadlines. I am a graduate student and have all the perks and stress associated with being in the program. Of course, this stress is nothing compare with someone who is working full-time and having kids, so, please, don't get mad at me. I'm writing this more to remind myself later that this could happen and I should watch out. I have tendency to snack while doing homework's or preparing for exams or rewarding myself after exam. -Fruits & Nuts & Nut Butters. This is my favorite foods and also foods-without breaks for me. I want to avoid it as much as possible. Thank you all for reading this long essay, I'll try to be more concise in my next posts, Luda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 10, 2014 Author Share Posted October 10, 2014 Day 1: Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/4 avocado, few cherry tomatoes, coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; roasted chicken; 1 hard boiled egg; 1/4 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Dinner: 1 hard boiled egg, chicken liver, raw vegetables (celery, pepper, broccoli) Thoughts: - No cravings yet or headaches. Feeling very good. (I shouldn't relax though, I know the worst is yet to come) - Had exam but wasn't nervous and didn't reach for reward in form of food after that. - I have 5 eggs a day. Do you think it is too much? - Thirst. I woke up very thirsty, even though I tried to drink lots of water. Do you think my meals are ok, is there are enough vegetables? I'm trying to avoid nuts & fruits as long as I can. Hiking food: We plan to go on a hike on Saturday and I'm scratching my head. What food should I take with me? I don't want to take nuts&fruits or Larabars. What do you think about kale wraps or any other leafy green wraps? Did you try to make one of those? How do they hold? What are good ingredients to put in them? Going out: After hike we plan to go out. I will be hungry and tired, so I will need all my strength to resist a temptation when everyone around me will drink beer and eat non-compliant food. I checked menu and didn't find any food I could eat. There is steak, do you think steak is complaint without sauce or they usually marinate it some sauce before grilling? I don't like to make trouble for waitress and cooks and look like a picky customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted October 10, 2014 Moderators Share Posted October 10, 2014 For your PMS worries -- during that time, plan on eating more than usual, especially more starchy veggies. Read this discussion for more explanation, or google Whole30 PMS to find more discussions. Try not to worry about the amount of food you may be eating. I think of Whole30 as nourishing my body with lots of healthy, nutritious foods -- it's important to make sure you're getting enough, even if it goes against any dieting advice you may have gotten in the past. Most diets focus on getting you the bare minimum you need to survive, in an effort to lose weight, but Whole30 takes the approach of making sure you give your body all of the nutrients it needs, and then it will work at its very best and know that it doesn't need to store up fat in case you try to starve it. For the restaurant, call them beforehand (try to call at a time when they won't be super busy, so not right at the lunch rush or anything) and talk to them about your dietary requirements. Many meats are marinated, and the only way to know what they've used is to ask them. But if you call beforehand, they may be able to help you figure out what you can have, so when you get there, you can just order without having to question the waiter at that point. If nothing else, you could maybe order a plain salad and bring some tuna or something to have with it. It may not be ideal, but it would be enough to keep you from choosing something totally off plan. I'm not an expert on exercise, so I don't really have suggestions for the hiking food, but I know I've seen it discussed around the forum before. If no one else offers suggestions, you could google Whole30 hiking and see if you can find some suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 Shannon, thank you very much for your advice and suggestions. I will come back and read it again when I will go through my PMS. Every diet for me means hunger. I caught myself today thinking why I am not hungry all the time, I am on the diet, I have to be hungry, it means I am doing something wrong. But then I realized this is actually good, it means I had enough food to keep me satiated. I called to the restaurant. They were exceptionally nice about it, I guess there are many of us who are Paleo/Primal/Whole30 and they were not at all surprised with my questions. Thank you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 Day 2: Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/4 avocado, few cherry tomatoes, coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; chicken liver; 2 hard boiled egg; 1/4 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Dinner: chicken liver, 1/4 avocado, raw vegetables (celery, pepper, broccoli, cherry tomatoes) Thoughts: - Still no cravings or headaches. Friend offered cashews (my most favorite nut) and it was surprisingly easy for me to decline. - Roasted for the first time butternut squash (my first-new vegetable), haven't tried it yet (made it for hiking). - Injury is feeling much better, hopefully I can return to the gym soon. Hike: Tomorrow is going to be a very long day, 3 hours of driving to the mountain, then 5-6 hours of hiking and 3 more hours of driving back. Should be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkibsy Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi Luda - I am also in graduate school and totally understand the stress that is associated with it!! I am currently doing a W30 as well and have found that it has been surprisingly easy to eat this way, except for the amount of time that I put into prepping my meals. However, I have been struggling a little bit with motivation and discipline for school the past two weeks. More so, just trying to keep up, then get overwhelmed... What are some strategies that you use to keep you going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hello Lkibsy, Yes, school is getting more and more demanding every day. Unfortunately for me 8-9 hours of good sleep is needed to be able to do anything productive next day. For this reason, I have to start all my work as soon as possible so I don't have to pull all-nighter as many students do. So my activities during semester are very minimal: school(classes/homework), gym (which is replaced with walking for now), grocery shopping, meal prepping and maybe cleaning when I am lucky . Social life is basically non-nonexistent. Most of my school work comes in terms of projects and I always read the description of project right away even if project is due in 2-3 weeks. This allows me to start thinking about it, thinking what topics it covers, what professor wants us to do, etc. So kind of slowly getting into it without immediately start doing it. But I agree I have this panicking thoughts of how much has to be done and how little time left. But this thoughts are not helping but distracting from concentrating on the studying. So let's try not to overwhelm ourselves by thinking how much has to be done but just solving or finishing one problem at time. Good luck and have a happy Whole30. So far I completely enjoy this way of eating (guilt and hunger free) I hope you too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 Day 3 (hiking day): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/4 avocado, few cherry tomatoes, coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Meal before hike: collard greens wrap (1/2 egg, 1/4 avocado, roasted chicken), coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Meal on the summit (best meal ever): 2 collard greens wraps and 30 g. of raw cashew. Meal after hike: 1 collard greens wrap and 30 g. of cashew. Thoughts: - I put cashews in my backpack just in case wraps won't be enough and then realized that it is hard to resist eating them when they already there. (lesson learned, next time I won't let myself to have this option) - I feels nice to become slowly hungry. It is such a soft feeling compare to craving. With my constant snacking I forgot what it means to have real hunger, not craving "hunger". - My hiking pace was slower than usually, I felt the lack of carbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Day 4: Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, roasted chicken, spinach), 1/4 avocado, few cherry tomatoes, coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; chicken liver; 2 hard boiled egg; 1/4 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Dinner: roasted chicken, raw vegetables (celery, pepper, carrots, cherry tomatoes), dates (5-6), few pieces of kiwi, apple, almonds Thoughts: - Felt a bit tired after hiking but also felt very proud that I didn't gave into temptation of drinking beer and eating non-compliant food after hike. - Dinner was a bit bad, we had people over. We had fruits, nuts & dates on the table and I ate quite a few dates even though I didn't really wanted to eat after chicken and vegetables. Today I pay the consequences as I have slight headache from all the sugar in the dates & fruits. I won't buy anymore dates, it will be safer. - As you can see my meals are the same every day. I know I'll get tired of this same menu but so far I am happy that it is convenient and tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Day 5: Today is my first really bad day. After eating too many dates for dinner last night I have actual hangover from sugar. It feels like I had several drinks last night. I feel sleepy and tired even though I slept enough and had enough food. I hope it won't continue for the rest of my Whole30. First 4 days were easy and I had lots of energy. It is very surprising to have such a reaction to sugar from seemingly healthy food. No more dates for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Day 5 (bad day): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/4 avocado, few cherry tomatoes, 2 cups of coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; chicken liver; 2 hard boiled egg; 1/4 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), raw cashews (lots of it - embarrassed to admit how much) Dinner: roasted chicken, raw vegetables (celery, pepper, carrots, cherry tomatoes) Thoughts: - This was bad, had hangover feeling most of the day - headache, nausea and overall weakness. - For breakfast had to make second cup of coffee as I felt very tired and sleepy. - Even with nausea felt hungry. Barely could wait until lunch and then couldn't stop myself eating lots of lots of cashews after my huge salad. - Went in the evening for Crossfit for the first time, after working out felt much better. At dinner time felt as my normal self. - Dates and cashews are out of my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Marie Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Hi there ! just a suggestion. It doesn't seem like you have enough protein in your salad. Remember a palm full. I'm certainly not an expert - but wanted to share with you. I finished my 30 on 10/3 I lost 11 lbs and I ate a lot of food ! and didn't get the Stuffed until I want to Puke feeling either ! No desire to go back for 2nds either. Approximately around the end of the 1st week - no more wanting to snack ! So hang in there. It will come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Hello Tina Marie, Thank you very much for advice and encouragement. Congratulations on finishing Whole30 and achieving such a fantastic results. I hope I can be as strong as you are. You might be right. I added a bit more protein for breakfast today and will do the same for lunch. I hope it will keep me full until next meal. I feel much better now. My first few days were very easy and I thought this is going to continue. But last couple days it was much harder to resist temptations and I overdid it with my favorite foods: fruits and nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Day 6 (barely can call it Whole30 day): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/4 avocado, few cherry tomatoes, 1 cup of coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; chicken liver; 1/2 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), apple, hazelnuts, cup of coffee with coconut milk Pre-dinner: chicken liver, roasted butternut squash, 2 apples, cup of coffee with coconut milk Dinner: roasted chicken, raw vegetables (celery, pepper, carrots, cherry tomatoes), dried prunes. Post-dinner: raw mixed nuts, apple, cherry tomatoes Thoughts: - Ate lots of nuts & fruits, not good. - I felt hungry all day. I honestly had thoughts of eating non-compliant food and quitting Whole30 all together. - By far that was the closest I got to quitting. - I am so glad I didn't!!! - Today is new day and I can continue enjoying this program and awesome food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Thank you guys, I wanted to thank everyone who reads my log and leave comments here. I didn't quit yesterday only because I felt that I promised here not to fail. Without this support group I would probably quit and of course regret it today in the morning. Thank you for keeping me strong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Marie Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Hang in there !! No quitting you can do it !! 1 day at a time. You should be eating enough so that there are no "pre dinner - post-dinner" needs. Trust me - increase your protein and fats in your M1,2& 3. You will be full satisfied until your next meal. Go back and re-read the rules - a good way to remind yourself. And Love yourself for doing this for YOU ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 Day 7 (PMS at full swing): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach, piece of roasted chicken), 1/4 avocado, 1 cup of coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; chicken liver; 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), cup of coffee with coconut milk Snack: cup of coffee with coconut milk, 2 apples Dinner: chicken liver, roasted butternut squash, apple Thoughts: - PMS is here, now I understand the reasons for my rough couple days. Chocolate is soooo desirable. - I expected to have PMS on my 3rd week on Whole30 but for some reason I miscalculated it and instead it falls on 2nd week. - I felt hungry all day again. I want to eat more than usual but still feel tired, where all this energy goes to? - Also got a cold - "perfect timing" and tons of work for school, so not as much sleep as I need right now. - Overall I am very delightful person to be around now - hungry, tired, sleepy, sick and irritated . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted October 16, 2014 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2014 Some people actually find that their cycle changes somewhat while doing a Whole30 -- you may not have miscalculated. Don't forget to up your starchy veggies -- and if you're hungry, don't be afraid to eat more, either more at meals, or a mini meal between meals if you need it. Just don't have something like fruit and nuts by themselves, have protein and fat and veggies. Remember that during the time before your period, your body is getting ready in case it needs to grow a little human -- I'm sure prepping for that takes energy, and I know it changes up your hormones, which is why you're hungry and tired and irritable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Shannon, Yes, I wasn't prepared that I am going to feel so bad. It is so easy to grab nuts and fruits when I feel tired and upset. I will continue with this Whole30 but I'm really upset that last 4 days I didn't do a great job of keeping myself from snacking on nuts and fruits. Hopefully, on my next Whole30 I will do better. I eat a lot of roasted butternut squash. I don't know if it is considered starchy vegetable. But it tastes a lot like sweet potato. I didn't really like at first but now I really enjoy it. Overall, I love to eat this way, if not for my cold and PMS. Just need to get over this slump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Day 8 (PMS + cold): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/2 avocado, 1 cup of coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil, apple Lunch: big salad (lots of green leafy vegetables: arugula, spinach, kale; chicken liver; 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 avocado; apple cider vinegar & olive oil), cup of coffee with coconut milk, apple Dinner: can I just leave blank here, so not to embarrassed myself? Ok, let's be honest: lots of grapes(2 lbs.) and lots of lots of raw cashews. Thoughts: - I felt even worse than the last few days. Cold and PMS is great combination. - Why do I have appetite even when I am sick? - Dinner was a disaster, but after eating grapes I got some energy to do some work and some cooking for today. - Because of this dinner I slept very bad. - Seriously if I get out of this hole of feeling so miserable I will be such a happy clown. Can I just skip to the best part of Whole30? - Feeling a bit better today, maybe I am on my way up. I don't want to post such and depressing post for the next 22 days - need some tiger blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Day 9 (Life is good): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/2 avocado, 1 cup of coffee with coconut milk & coconut oil Lunch: roasted butternut squash, chicken liver , cup of coffee with coconut milk, apple Dinner: ground beef, stir-fry pepper and onions, cup of coffee with coconut milk, grapefruit Dinner: roasted chicken, stir-fry pepper and onions, fresh vegetables (radish, cucumbers, tomatoes), apple Thoughts: - I'm not 100% yet but what an improvement. Life Is so much better. - My meals were a bit small today that is why I end up having one extra. - Still too much fruit today, but I needed to give my body a bit of energy to get over the cold. - No cravings, there is chocolate in my kitchen and I could care less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Day 10 (Back to training): Breakfast: big omelet (2 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/4 avocado, cup of coffee with coconut milk & oil Lunch: salad ( baby kale, spinach, chicken liver, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/4 avocado, olive oil and AC vinegar), cup of coffee with coconut milk & oil, apple Snack: roasted sweet potatoes Dinner: salmon (wild caught, out of can), butternut squash, fresh vegetables (radish, cucumbers), 5 prunes Thoughts: - It was first time after 2 weeks I could do Olympic lifting, feels very good to be able to release stress in the gym. - Sweet potatoes are really sweet, either my receptors are more sensitive now or sweet potatoes taste like candy. - Wanted something sweet in the evening, couldn't help myself to reach for prunes. - I cannot believe it has been 10 days. Whoa, time flies. - I know my eating is not the most ideal one but I am really surprised that I could do this for 10 days. Food discoveries: - I fell in love with roasted butternut squash, I would never try it if not for this program - I cooked chicken livers before this program, but only on this program I started buying organic one and what the difference. It tastes so much better. - Love coffee with coconut milk & oil. I don't have blender, but use steamer from my espresso machine to make some foam and mix everything together. Better than latte from Starbucks. - After 10 days I am still not tired of eggs for breakfast. Can you suggest me some other vegetables you liked to try this week? I want to expend my "vegetable menu". And there are so many different vegetables in season now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted October 20, 2014 Moderators Share Posted October 20, 2014 Can you suggest me some other vegetables you liked to try this week? I want to expend my "vegetable menu". And there are so many different vegetables in season now. I eat a lot of zucchini and yellow squash, although they're not necessarily coming into season right now, I think they're more at the end of their season. I like roasted beets, although they have an earthy flavor that some people don't care for. There's cauliflower, which you can roast or steam or use to make cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower, or try this cocoa-toasted cauliflower recipe. You've tried butternut squash, you can branch out to some of the other winter squashes -- acorn or kabocha are usually easy to find around me, and of course spaghetti squash. Jicama is good raw in a salad -- just peel it and dice it into bite-sized chunks. It's crunchy, sort of the texture of an apple or pear, but not quite as sweet as either of those. I did not like it cooked, but there are lots of recipes out there for making jicama "fries" that you could try. Brussel sprouts -- I prefer them roasted, but they're okay boiled, I just prefer the texture roasted. Every now and then I buy myself a couple of still-green plantains (the yellower/blacker they get, the sweeter they are, and I'm going for savory, so I use the greenest ones I can find) and make tostones. They're good, but I do feel like I could eat way too many of them if I let myself, so I don't make them often. Cabbage. I was really surprised to learn that I like cabbage, and not just in coleslaw. I like it roasted (I roast any vegetable I'm not quite sure what to do with, it improves most of them, in my opinion). And sautéed bok choy is nice every now and then, although regular cabbage is cheaper. I'm still just not that into turnips and rutabagas, although I will keep trying. Maybe I just haven't found the right recipes for them yet. But some people love them, you might too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Shannon, Thank you very much for your help. I will try cauliflower rice and spaghetti squash. Honestly, some vegetables you mentioned I've never heard of . It will be very good to try and learn to cook something new. How many times did you do Whole30? My first attempt is not going as well as I thought it would. Even though I eat only compliant food I don't always follow the guidelines from the book (no snacking, only 3 meals a day, limit nuts and fruits). I'm curious if it gets better further you go. Thank you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luda Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Day 11 (Lots of FAT): Breakfast: big omelet (3 eggs, ground beef, spinach), 1/2 avocado, 2 cups of coffee with coconut milk & oil Lunch: salad ( baby kale, spinach, beef stew, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 avocado, olive oil and AC vinegar), cup of coffee with coconut milk & oil, apple Dinner: beef stew, butternut squash, 1/2 avocado, fresh vegetables (radish, cucumbers), apple Thoughts: - That was by far the closest to Whole30 perfect day, I wasn't hungry, I didn't want to snack, No nuts: PERFECT! - And the trick is: adding 1/2 of avocado to every meal. - I woke up really hungry and ate huge breakfast frittata or omelet (I don't really understand the difference). - But the next day....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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