Kay Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 My goals for this program are: To get rid of unhealthy cravings (especially alcohol) and stop overeating to relieve stress. To establish a healthy relationship with food, exercise and body image, have a stable sleep cycle and feel more energetic and inspired. At the end of each day, I will be writing down what I ate, how I felt and how active I was. This is both a good way to keep track of my progress and to keep me accountable. Day 1 Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onions, ground turkey and avocado Lunch: big veggie salad with leftover steak Dinner: bowl of vegetable/turkey soup Beverages: made a cup of coffee with ginger and lemon to have with my breakfast but only drank half of it. Not sure why, I normally always finish my coffee. Maybe because I had nothing sweet (like a banana or a few dates) to go with it. Switched to herbal teas throughout the day, and also had three glasses of water. Exercise: 15 minutes of high intensity cardio, some stretching, a 40 min walk Feeling: had a pretty bad headache for the first half of the day. It went away eventually, but I did feel low on energy and uninspired the whole day. Wasn't able to concentrate on work at all, so mostly spent the day doing simple mechanical tasks. I guess I didn't realize how out of shape I was. I used to work out regularly, and have only been neglecting exercise for a couple of months or so, so I planned a 30 minute workout today. But I felt really weak and shaky and out of breath after 15 minutes and had to stop. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Weak and shaky is no good! Maybe incorporate some starch into your plan, like a sweet potato? Could help with the low energy too, although that's not uncommon for day 1-2 anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah88 Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Dear Kay, I am really sorry for you that you had such a bad headache today, but other than that it sounds as though you did REALLY GOOD today Don't be too hard on yourself for not exercising any longer; for you still managed to take 40min walk and do some cardio, I mean, that is not bad at all, especially considering this is your first day and you weren't feeling all that good to begin with! I noticed that you did not snack on anything in between, which I applaude, and I was wondering whether you craved that glass of wine really badly or whether skipping it was not such a big deal? Once again, I think you did really good. On to day 2! My day went pretty decent as well. I had a 2 Egg/kale/spring onion scramble for breakfast + 1/2 kiwi and 1 coffee (which I drank without any stevia for the first time in like, well years really, and it wasn't too bad at all! Lunch: leftover rabbit stew with sauteed kale and pumpkin. Snack: one small apple (really small) and 2 pieces (about 30 grams) of fresh coconut meat. Dinner: not really hungry (probably due to the coconut), but managed to eat a small plate of: meatloaf, with sauteed beets and grilled broccoli. Beverages: 1 coffee, 4 cups of tea. Little exercise because I am aching all over from (over) exercising this weekend, but I did manage to clean the entire house, which qualifies as minor physical activity, in my book Spent a lot of time cooking today...Looking forward to easy left-over day tomorrow. I really like how we can support each other this way. Maybe I should keep my own log and not post my meals on yours though Sorry 'bout that. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your day. I hope you sleep like a baby tonight and I wish you the best of luck for day 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted October 13, 2014 Moderators Share Posted October 13, 2014 Day 1 Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onions, ground turkey and avocado Lunch: big veggie salad with leftover steak Dinner: bowl of vegetable/turkey soup Beverages: made a cup of coffee with ginger and lemon to have with my breakfast but only drank half of it. Not sure why, I normally always finish my coffee. Maybe because I had nothing sweet (like a banana or a few dates) to go with it. Switched to herbal teas throughout the day, and also had three glasses of water. Your headache may be due to not eating nearly enough food and not drinking nearly enough water. Your breakfast sounds like a reasonable portion size and well composed, but lunch fell short. Veggie salads look big in your bowl, but after chewing that big salad, there is usually very little bulk there. And if your only fat was from a dressing, you probably did not get enough fat either. Lots of people mistake how much food they are eating when consuming salads. Salads almost never provide enough food. A bowl of soup probably did not provide you with enough protein or fat, although if you cooked it with enough veggies, you might have gotten a good serving of them. Many people do not eat enough when they start a Whole30 and early headaches seem to go with that. We recommend drinking 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. If you weigh 100 pounds, you would need to drink 50 ounces per day. Three glasses of water probably left you needing more water. Study the meal planning template and make sure you eat at least the minimum recommended amounts: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Thank you both for your input and support! @Sarah: You're welcome to do whatever is more convenient for you! I don't mind at all if you post here. Also, the rabbit stew sounds delicious! Could you share the recipe? I can get some rabbit at my local butcher but I've never cooked it and have no idea where to start I didn't feel hungry between meals, so I felt no need to snack. I might have had some nuts if I had any, but nuts are a no-brakes food for me, so I purposefully didn't buy any. I did crave some wine in the evening, yes. Still do today What helped was a good movie and a new knitting project, which kept me busy until it was time to go to bed. @Tom: Your answers are extremely helpful! I'm not worried about my soup portions, since the soups I make are more like stews, with much more veggies and protein (which I always brown in coconut or olive oil) than water. But salads mignt be an issue. I will try to add more protein and fat to my salads. I wonder if a herbal tea, like peppermint or camomile, counts as water. It is basically a cup of hot water with some flavour and no caffeine, isn't it? I had quite a lot of tea on the first day. But I will be doing my best to increase my intake of plain water. Here's the log for today. Day 2 Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs with leftover roast potato, spinach and sundried tomatoes in olive oil (checked the ingredients on the jar and it is just tomatoes, olive oil and salt, yay!) Lunch: salad with a can of tuna, 1 egg, 1/2 avocado and some olives, with olive oil/lemon dressing (hopefully that was enough fat!) Dinner: bowl of vegetable/turkey soup, same as yesterday. Beverages: Coffee with lemon in the morning. Again, didn't finish the cup today, so tomorrow I plan to not have coffee at all. 2 cups of herbal tea. 4 big 15-ounce glasses of water (which means I only need 1 more to meet the daily recommendation!) Exercise: was feeling quite sore (unexpectedly so, after the really short workout yesterday! Serves me right for giving up on exercise for so long, I guess ) but managed to do 30 minutes of low impact cardio and went for a 40-minute walk. Feeling: much better than on day 1! Slept quite well. Had trouble going to sleep and woke up once at night, but felt well rested in the morning. A little sore and a bit bloated, but not too much. Head was much clearer and I managed to catch up on most of my work. Overall, I am happy with Day 2. Now off to do some cooking for tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Not the greatest day today. Had trouble going to sleep again, and then had to get up three times during the night to go to the toilet. I've read on the forums here that it can happen while the body is readjusting and getting used to lots of water and the program in general. But still, it felt a bit ridiculous - this never even happened to me as a child, and I am 31 years old now! Then, of course, I felt really tired in the morning and thought I'd sleep a little longer, and overslept by a lot, waking up at 1 PM (didn't hear the alarm at all!) So, only had two meals up to now, and don't think I'll be hungry for more before bedtime. To top it off, I have a really urgent job to do today, and I'll probably have to work until bedtime. Which means no walks and no exercise today. Will try to at least do some yoga/stretching before bed. Day 3 Breakfast (/lunch): whole grilled chicken breast, cucumbers, peppers and carrots with homemade mayo, a banana Dinner: beef stew with sauerkraut Beverages: 1 cup of tea and 5 big glasses of water (the recommended daily intake). Apparently, drinking enough water is quite easy if I remember to keep a full glass at my desk and all the time, refilling it as soon as it gets empty. Exercise: none Feeling: generally quite good. No headaches, almost no soreness. The sleeping issue is the only problem at the moment. Oh, and I have a brend new huge spot on my cheek, but I've had skin issues for years and don't expect them to go away overnight, obviously! I am quite stressed because of the job, but then, a week ago in similar circumstances I would be a) crying like a baby and reaching for the wine bottle. Instead, I'm focused, ploughing through the assignment and drinking my water. Not bad at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Crazy couple of days: no time at all to read the forums, much less to write. Will just put down the logs for days 4 and 5 really quickly, since they were very similar. Days 4/5 - same menu Breakfast: frittata with 2 or 3 eggs, lots of veggies Lunch: chicken salad with veggies and homemade mayo, wrapped in salad leaves Dinner: big bowl of soup, 1/2 avocado Beverages: lots of water. It's becoming much easier to drink the recoomended amount. I add lemon, lime or apple cider vinegar to my water. Only had camomile tea once in two days. No coffee. Exercise: not a lot (no time because of the huge amount of work). Managed to squeeze in two 20-minute walks and did some jumping jacks or squats every couple of hours. Feeling: really good. Looks like the energy rush is kicking in. I don't see any physical changes yet, but I'm definitely more productive, focused and happy, and better able to cope with stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Day 6. Apparently, finding something to eat at a big family reunion is not hard at all if you offer to help with cooking! It was quite exhausting, but totally worth it. I was only able to sleep for 3 hours or so, but had enough energy all day long, with a little help from a banana/coffee snack in the late afternoon. Breakfast: big bowl of leftover soup + a small kiwi Lunch: pork chops, baked potato, mushrooms and a veggie salad Snack: coffee and a banana (I don't normally snack. but this was really needed) Dinner: chicken livers, spinach, tomatoes and avocado Beverages: recommended amount of water + 1 coffee and 2 cups of peppermint tea Exercise: as before, squeezing in a few minutes of simple exercises whenever I can. Not perfect, but it helps. Feeling: very calm. This may also be due to the short meditations I have been doing before bedtime. I still have some trouble with digestion and falling asleep, but overall, I'm very satisfied with the program so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Day 7 Breakfast: Frittata with peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms Lunch: steamed cauliflower and chocolate chili Dinner: chicken thighs baked with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, green beans and carrots Beverages: 4 glasses of water (1 glass less than the recommended amount), 3 cups of tea. No coffee. Exercise: 15 minutes yoga & stretching + a short walk (the weather was way too bad for a long one). Starting a five-day fitness challenge tomorrow. Feeling: a little too energetic perhaps? Couldn't fall asleep for two hours. Maybe I should The skin on my body is visibly getting better, no more spots on my back or chest, and my elbows and knees are less dry (they are usually super dry and itchy this time of year). On my face, not a lot of change just yet, but I wasn't expecting it to happen quickly. Let's see what Week 2 is going to bring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 A day that started badly, but ended up being okay. Day 8 Breakfast: 1 bolied egg and 1 cucumber with some mayo. I was feeling nauseated in the morning and could barely stand the smell of food. Forced myself to eat a little, but this was all I could stomach. Lunch: a chicken thigh and some cauliflower. Dinner: half a baked potato with chili Beverages: 4 glasses of water + 4 cups of herbal tea. Exercise: Day 1 of the FitnessBlender 5-day 30-min workout. Feeling: pretty unpleasant digestive issues. It says on the Whole30 Timeline that this might happen at this point in the program, but wow, this was unexpectedly intense. Almost couldn't eat at all in the morning, was all sick, bloaty and crampy during the day, had trouble finishing my lunch. However, all of this hardly influenced my mental state and I could work well enough. A brisk walk helped, and so did several cups of peppermint and camomile tea. Felt much better and actually managed to complete the workout I had planned (doing easy versions of the exercises), and actually felt hungry an hour after the workout, so I enjoyed my dinner. Even though my belly isn't getting any smaller, I think my face looks a little bit slimmer. I'll take that as motivation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 Day 9 Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled with ground beef, zucchini and tomatoes Lunch: big bowl of salad with tuna and mayo Dinner: grilled chicken breast, fried celery root and sauerkraut Beverages: recommended amount of water. It's getting really cold, and cold water isn't as pleasant to drink, so I'm mostly drinking warm water with lemon. Exercise: Day 2 of the FitnessBlender 5-day 30-min workout. Feeling: still some digestive issues, so I got some digestive enzymes and will be taking them for the next few days to see if they work. Otherwise, everything is fine. I'm happy I finally found the energy and motivation to work out! The 30-minute routines are perfect for me right now, not too hard, not too easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 It's been a roller-coaster couple of days, and I've been away from the Internet except for work. But I do need to write things down now, lest I forget. Day 10 I am reluctant to even count this as a day. Felt horrible, couldn't eat a thing and could barely hold down some water and a cup of broth. The symptoms were just like for food poisoning, might have been a bug or something. Anyway, I felt really weak and just spent most of the day in bed. Day 11 Woke up feeling much better and had stable energy levels throughout the day. Also, I started taking digestive enzymes and they seem to be helping. Breakfast: frittata with potatoes, peppers and onions, guacamole Lunch: ...I packed a lovely lunch and forgot it at home, so had to make do with what I could get at the local supermarket and eat at the workplace: a can of tuna in olive oil, a bag of spinach and arugula, some cherry tomatoes and a banana Dinner: Steak, grilled veggies and a green salad (went to a restaurant with a friend - the waiters know us well and helped me choose a very satisfying W30-compliant meal) Beverages: 4 glasses of water (so, 1 glass less than recommended). A cup of tea in the morning. Exercise: Day 3 of the FitnessBlender 5-day 30-min workout. Feeling: Quite good. Went to see my dermatologist, and she believes that my recent acne outbreaks could be a reaction to cold temperatures rather than food. That's good to know, and gives me hope that my skin will clear up once I start using a protective cream. However, the cravings are suddenly here. It might be PMS, or just a period in the program that a lot of people go through, or it might be because my sense of smell has improved, but I'm finding it hard (not impossible! but hard) to resist the call of freshly baked bread and fresh yogurt at my local bakery (I still buy bread for my husband), and also, while prepping some meat and veggies for the weekend, I got a really vivid image in my head of a beautiful sandwich I could make with these things. Hoping this phase will pass soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 25, 2014 Author Share Posted October 25, 2014 Day 12 Breakfast: turkey meatballs with zucchini and cauliflower Lunch: stir-fry with pork, gerrn beans, peppers and onions Dinner: simple pumpkin soup with coconut milk + warm salad with arugula and duck liver Beverages: I lost track of water but I believe it was enough. I now drink at least one or two glasses of water during and after a workout, which helps with the overall water intake. Exercise: Day 4 of the FitnessBlender 5-day 30-min workout. Feeling: not quite tiger blood just yet, but my sleep patterns have improved, it's way easier to wake up in the morning. I am finding more and more pleasure in cooking and eating, looking for recipes online and just being creative in the kitchen and trying new ingredients. Also, it's "this time of the month" just before my period, when I'd normally be all grumpy and sad and sluggish, but I am actually quite energetic and calm. Also, my Lumosity scores are the highest they've ever been, which means my attention, memory and so on are improving, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Day 13 Breakfast: fried eggs, half an avocado, spinach and cherry tomatoes Lunch: big mixed salad with olives, baked potato and boiled tongue Dinner: duck breast and mixed oven fries (potato, celery root and carrots) Beverages: More than enough water, a cup of dandelion root tea and a coffee, which I really enjoyed. Apparently, I don't really need a big mug of coffee in the morning, but a tiny cup of espresso after a good meal is still lovely - for the taste and experience, not the energy boost. Exercise: Day 5 of the FitnessBlender 5-day 30-min workout. Yay - challenge completed! I think I will restart this once my period is over (will be doing some low impact stuff and stretching until then). Feeling: heightened senses, especially taste and smell. I enjoy clean home-cooked food so much now when I pay attention to what I cook and how and eat it mindfully, rather than gulping down in front of the computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 Day 14 Breakfast: fried eggs, half an avocado, arugula and cherry tomatoes Lunch: beef stew with onions and mushrooms, zucchini noodles Dinner: duck liver and mixed oven fries (beets, celery root and carrots), green salad Beverages: Water only, lots of it Exercise: none except for a walk Feeling: Somehow most veggies taste really sweet to me now. I'm not a fan of sweet things, so this is not the best thing for me I need to get some W30-approved pickles and more sauerkraut! Am a bit bloated but that is normal for when I'm on my period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whole30 Certified Coach littleg Posted October 27, 2014 Whole30 Certified Coach Share Posted October 27, 2014 You can make your own sauerkraut. Super easy. Probably wouldn't be done in time for the end of your W30 though You can also make quick pickles. We like this recipe - just skip the sugar. http://greenvalleykitchen.com/quick-pickles/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Thanks littleg! Mu family used to do tons of pickling when I was a kid, I still do it sometimes, but I totally forgot about quick pickling. Will definitely give the recipe a try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Day 15. Midway through! Breakfast: turkey meatballs, 1 fried egg, leftover grilled veggies Lunch: rabbit aspic (storebought but W30 compliant), big plate of veggie stir fry with mushrooms Dinner: pressure cooked chicken breast with mixed steamed frozen veggies and coconut cream Beverages: lots of tea (got some new varieties of herbal teas and had to try them all), a little less water than recommended. I can of pure coconut water (so delicious!) Exercise: 10 minutes abs, 25 minutes yoga/stretching Feeling: a little exhausted. I've been inundated with work, it's all doable, but it's just that before Whole30 I could just glue myself to the computer after rollimg out of bed and power through, grabbing a sandwich and a coffee now and then. Now, the cooking and eating and exercise takes some extra time. I'm not complaining though, it's nice to take some time for myself. Also, looks like my skin is clearing up! No new outbreaks for two days now, and it feels much smoother. I actually went out without foundation yesterday without feeling completely ugly! That's a big step forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 Okay, so I've been thinking about this and I've made the decision to stop the daily logs. I really, really needed this when I started the program - the idea that I need to confess my every food choice to potentially anyone out there was extremely motivating. However, right now I feel like this has become more of a chore than a useful exercise. "I will have to admit to the Internet that I did this" is no longer a reason for me to fight unhealthy cravings, simply because I don't have these cravings any more. I eat three times a day, I don't ever snack, I always have good food in my fridge or in my lunch bag. Cooking and eating real food has become a habit and a routine. I have given up caffeine almost entirely, only having (and enjoying) an espresso once in a few days, for the enjoyment of it, not the energy rush. I look forward to some red wine after the 30 days are over, but it will be good wine (and not whatever was on sale), and on special occasions (not every evening!). I have a pretty stable and enjoyable exercise routine, and constantly having some drinking water on hand is very natural now. I'm enjoying Whole30 a lot. This feels like a completely normal way of life rather than a short-term "diet". There are not many changes in how I look, but people around me are noticing the changes in my mood and behaviour. A month ago, I was a whiny and depressed wreck, crying uncontrollably over every tiny problem, and now I am calm, in control and - dare I say it? - almost happy. I will still write here from time to time, not daily, and will focus more on how I feel and what is changing, not what I eat and do. Of course, if I do feel that I need this king of commitment again before I finish the Whole30, I will start logging daily again. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah88 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Good for you Kay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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