My Personal Reset Process

[melanieamcleod]

*************Day One***************************

This is my second Whole 30 (considering going longer, will decide later) and I did not take advantage of the log before. Hoping this will give me a bit more accountability as well as help me troubleshoot any issues. I was also an avid My FItness Pal logger (with little success though) so this will help me track my food although I am determined to really focus on my hunger and satiety in this process. 

 

So, why am I doing this again? Well, I felt pretty awesome at the end of my first whole30 (ended 11/21/14) and have since fallen WAY off track. I know I am gluten sensitive yet I have been eating gluten like crazy...ugh. I have eaten sugar almost daily and been drinking like a college student. How has all this made me feel? Here's what I have noticed since adding these foods back into my diet:

 

Bloating, lot of bloating

Digestive issues-gas, swings between constipation and diarrhea, etc. etc. TMI

excema again on my face---its my telltale sign of gluten ingestion

Low energy--seriously dragging a lot, dont have the energy to keep up with my kids

Sleep, not nearly as restful and wake up in the night

Mood, wow this has been a huge wake up---gluten makes me grumpy, being hungover makes me grumpy, looking forward to getting more stable

Workouts have been pretty mediocre---I remember about 2/3 into my whole 30 my workout instructor told me she had never seen me so strong---I wanna get there again. 

Focus---mind has been all over the place, looking forward to getting sharper like I was before.

 

 

I know reversing these things takes commitment and time. I know that the first week/2 weeks is challenging especially and that part of me wants to avoid social events and live in a hole.

 

However, this time around, I going to do a few things differently:

 

1. I am not going to isolate socially.

2. I am going to remind myself that not drinking is enviable my most and doable by few. This takes commitment. However, alcohol is not a health food, as much as I would like it to be and it almost inevitably causes me to make very poor food choices. It would be completely understandable to give up drinking because of the impact it has on me not being able to reach my fitness goals, alone. My husband is joining me on the no alcohol part this time around so that will be helpful.

3.  I am going to find my hunger/satiety points again. Honestly, I have not been truly hungry in a few weeks and I know that finding my hunger and getting in touch with satiety is the only sustainable way for me to find a healthy weight. In my first whole 30 I think I felt really deprived and so I let myself overeat a lot. This time around I'm going to curb that. 

4. I am going to accept that some compliant foods are total food without brakes for me and include: dried fruit (especially plums), nuts (most of the time---sometimes I can have a few and be ok, other times, they are my snacky downfall), nut butters (I am going to see how I do with tahini but know it could be a danger zone)

5. Keep working out---despite my slovenlyness since Thanksgiving, I have managed to continue to work out some and plan to amp that up a bit but also pay close attention to how my body feels. 

6. Enjoy the process---I was incredibly fixated on rushing through my first whole30...I remember those first few days obsessively thinking about when it would all be over, how many days til I could have a glass of wine, etc. and this time around I want to be more present and appreciate the process. I know there are lots of positive changes coming and I cant wait to document them here.

 

Well, this ended up being quite the novel and I havent even logged one bit of food! I guess that's what this is here for. 

 

Here are my starting stats:

 

wt---194 (up 8 lbs in 5 weeks--wowey)

bf---32%

hips---43"

belly---39" ( this is actually shocking, 4"+ in 5 weeks, hoping its a lot of bloat)

thigh---26"

arm---13"

chest---37"

 

 

 

 

 

[Hutlifr]

Here is an idea when facing social drinking situations... Say "I'd rather chew on my calories, l feel like some devil's eggs right now"...

Nobody will even think you are cutting out alcohol for health reasons! Lol

[melanieamcleod]

*****Day One Recap***

Had terrible headache....low carb flu I think. Did not eat enough for lunch and had to grab something quick at whole foods.

 

5 AM Pre WO--Bone Broth, egg with hot sauce

6 AM Bar Method workout

715  M1--ground turkey with compliant spag sauce (white linen brand from costco, its delish!) on bed of sauteed spinach

1030  M2--flank steak and a bit of pork tenderloin on lettuce, tessa maes, cucumber and a few pumpkin seeds (hungry for this at 

4  Lara bar, coconut chips, kombucha (I know this was probably not the BEST choice but I was HUNGRY---managed to stop eating before full so as not to spoil dinner)

645  hamburger patty w mustard, tomato, onion, lettuce and pickles, 5 fingerling potatoes with ghee (probably ate too many), kale with coco aminos

 

Hooray! No snacking after dinner, felt very much in control. 

 

Slept like a log:)

[melanieamcleod]

Sooo tired today! Managed to make it to Bar Method but its only 5:30 and I could go to bed right now (if I didnt have to chase after two kids!)

 

A bit more snacky than I needed today, but not too terrible.

 

M1--ground turkey, spinach and compliant spaghetti squash

Pre WO--slice bacon, coconut chips

M2--kale, ground turkey with tessamaes ---handful walnuts, half a pear

M3--pork tenderloin, bit of ground turkey over bed of cole slaw mix sauteed in lard, one turnip, handful walnuts, salad

 

Definitely had the KILL ALL THINGS mood going today...hoping it doesnt get much worse! Also hoping to get an awesome nights sleep. 

[melanieamcleod]

********Day Three Recap**************

 

M1--two eggs fried with kale, dollop homemade mayo and some hot sauce

M2--ground turkey, kale and sunshine sauce; walnuts and dried plums (I have to be really careful with this)

M3--more walnuts (can you say mindless snacking??)

M4--chicken tikka masala over cauli rice (two massive portions though), broccoli (at least I was hungry for dinner and managed not to snack during prep!!) 

 

I went on a 7 mile hike so was very tired...fell asleep by 845 (right after my kiddoes) and slept til 6.....feel very tired but know that's part of the process. Looking forward to getting back to work and into my routine:)

 

Here's to day 4....off to take my dog for 30 minute walk before work.  Might hit yoga later at work if its not too crazy. 

[melanieamcleod]

**************Day Four Log******************

 

7 AM M1---ground turkey, tomatoes, broccoli with some tessamaes

1130 M2---chicken tikka masala with cauli rice and brocolli, carrots and one egg

600  M3--(a bit too hungry hence all the food) hot dog (compliant), bockwurst (also compliant), turnips with coco milk, roasted brussel sprouts, fermented sauerkraut, a kiwi and a half handful toasted coconut

 

I ate a lot today but also did my sculpting class which typically makes me hungry....trying to not get so hungry so I dont overeat sooo much. 

 

Felt pretty good today. Still tired but feeling rather content, really. And, I would probably be even MORE tired if I was not eating this way. In the land of NSVs, noticed my rings are moving around on my fingers, maybe feeling slightly less bloated! Yeah, I'll take it. 

 

So glad I am doing this log to help me document my process.

[melanieamcleod]

***************************Day 4***************************************

Felt pretty good today, much better mood and noticed upon rising that I didnt feel so groggy--yay! I took some 'before' pictures today so I will have another metric at the end...wish I had them at Day one but oh well.

 

700 M1--leftover chicken tikka masala and cauli rice (didnt finish, saved rest for lunch)

1130 M2--rest of chicken, hot dog, nuts, veggies Pre WO

Sprint intervals

POst WO--can of sardines, pickles, and mayo brussel sprouts with tessamaes

M3--literally! Half a chicken--yikes--big bowl of salad greens with tessamaes, half small banana with coconut and coconut milk, handful grapes

 

Wow--this was a lot of food....I overate but not going to stress too much, learning learning

[kirkor]

Here is an idea when facing social drinking situations... Say "I'd rather chew on my calories, l feel like some devil's eggs right now"...

Nobody will even think you are cutting out alcohol for health reasons! Lol

I just did something similar but opposite: over Christmas I was not on a W30 but I was still watching things a little bit. The whole family went to this neighborhood gelato shop, and I didn't partake. My niece asked why not and I replied "I'm saving the calories for booze!" (Granted she's 17 and this was possibly not the most sensible thing I could've said in all my avuncular wisdom, but oh well discipline is for parents right? )