Chocoholic382 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I'm back! It's probably been nearly 6 months since my last Whole30 and I'm so excited to jump back in! This time I have a friend joining me, so I'm hoping to keep myself in line and guide her along the way too. This Whole30, I would love to see (1) increased energy, (2) clearer skin, and (3) a flatter tummy. And I have to confess that I have never really given the Reintroduction process my all, so I'm hoping to do better with that this time. I still have some cooking to do, but so far my fridge and freezer are stocked with meat crust quiche, chili, beef stew, deviled eggs, Bora Bora fireballs and tons of vegetables. I don't have my whole day planned out yet, so I'll check back in later. Just excited to be back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 2, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 2, 2015 Welcome back, Choc! You sound well prepared for another successful Whole30! How've you been? So glad to see you again. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 LADYM! I was so hoping to see you here! Things have been great! Lots of changes but all for the better. (Ditched the fiance, got my own place again, got a puppy, found an awesome new gentleman...) How have you been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Day 2 Day 1 went by alright. I was extra tired, but it's likely my autoimmune stuff. Breakfast was eggs w/ squash, bell peppers & onions. Lunch was beef stew. Dinner was a big baked sweet potato stuffed with olives, onions & sundried tomatoes, with a couple deviled eggs on the side. I had some cravings in the evening and very nearly reached for the Coconut Butter, but that action alone makes me think I should get it out of the house. Instead of coconut butter, I binged on Gilmore Girls. Here's my tentative meal plan for today: M1: Another veggie scramble M2: My modified moroccan chicken thighs with a side salad (and my new Tessemae dressing) M3: Perhaps a flounder filet or two with some sauteed spinach, mushrooms & onions But it's Saturday and I've got all the time in the world to get creative, so WHO KNOWS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 3, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 3, 2015 Nice move with the coconut butter, lady! Wow, when it rains it pours, huh? HUGE changes for you. They--and you--sound pretty wonderful. I'm good. Just keeping on keeping on, you know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Meals got a little jacked yesterday because plans ran late and I didn't have food on hand. So I did have a purely fruit snack - an apple. Sorry, body! I also went with beef stew instead of the flounder. So for today: M1: egg & veggie scramble + black coffee M2: moroccan chicken on spinach (maybe with broccoli too) M3: flounder w/ spinach, garlic, mushrooms & onions + sweet potato It is the morning of Day 3 and I am feeling alright so far, but each W30 affects me WAY differently. Last time the hangover started late and lasted about 2 weeks. This time I'm just thinking positive thoughts and expecting the best. With the work week beginning tomorrow, getting into the routine of things will be even easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Day 4 Still feeling pretty good! I haven't wanted to kill anything yet, and it's even Monday . It is bitterly cold out today, so I dropped the dog off at daycare rather than fussing with trying to give him his 60 minutes of walking today. He'll come home worn out like we'd walked for 4 hours. I found a really great yoga video on YouTube last week that stretched me out and left me sore for days, so I intend to do that this evening in lieu of the walking. I'm also going to try to find a pork shoulder somewhere (is that a normal thing at stores?) so I can test it out in my slow cooker on date night Wednesday. M1: meat crust quiche M2: beef stew + spinach/lettuce salad w/ Tessemae dressing + 4 strawberries M3: TBD. I have many options! Moroccan chicken + spinach + roasted broccoli + banana Yesterday evening some mild cravings started. Top 3 were chocolate, Diet Coke and Jack in the Box tacos. I need to think up a way to get past them when they strike, because they linger for ages. Have a lovely Monday, friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Day 5 This morning was frickin' cold, but I still got in a 25-min walk with the pooch. I have lunch plans to run out to a yoga class with a co-worker. It's early afternoon and so far I feel pretty okay still. I'm seeing the usual fatigue, a few extra pimples and maybe a liiiittle bloat, but no carb hangover, no killing things... Hopefully good things are happening. These first days have flown by faster than usual. Since my lunch was a typical one and I don't usually snack before dinner, I was surprised by how hungry I was by 3:00 yesterday. More sweet potato today. I just don't want to get into the habit of overdoing it like in past W30s. Looking back, I'm seeing that each Whole30 has gotten stricter in good ways. Round 1 taught me to cut out dried fruit and nuts, how to cook, and that not all broths are sugar-free (whoops!). Round 2 taught me to cut out veggie chips. Round 3 taught me to pace myself on the coconut milk and sweet potatoes. I'd really like for Round 4 to teach me how to get my head into a better place. Complaining breeds more complaining. I want to be more present and to stop with the constant counting down and the planning to eat my favorite junk foods the minute my Whole30 ends. I want to stop believing I'm depriving myself, and instead start appreciating what a wonderful, kind thing I'm doing for my body and my brain. So off the top of my head, I'm going to remind myself that Whole30 is wonderful because: 1. I believe each of my "chapters" with this program is healing me in baby steps, Tiger Blood or not. 2. Clean eating calms my increasingly anxious brain better than anything else. Right now, this moment, I am NOT ANXIOUS. 3. Cravings mean it's working. It means I AM starving my body and brain of all that crap, which is good. Pain is gain. So with that in mind, I enthusiastically set out my tentative mean plan for today: M1: meat crust quiche M2: beef stew + steamed broccoli + sweet potato M3: TBD... an egg/veggie scramble with my new Sunny Paris spice blend sounds good chili Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 OH MY GOSH THE BLOATING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 7, 2015 Broccoli and cauliflower do it to me every time. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Day 6 Still feeling good! Still trying to enjoy the present and not to focus so much on counting the days left. By round 4, I've found a solid set of delicious go-to meals that help a lot. I'm lookin' at you, moroccan chicken and beef stew. Walked the dog in the snow for 25 minutes this morning. It was 15 degrees out. Even my spazzy Jack Russell terrier wasn't loving it. I'll have to get him some snow booties. I am good and sore from yoga yesterday! The instructor seemed to be punishing us for something. M1: slow start to the day so this kinda didn't happen M2: sauteed onion, red bell pepper & zucchini with 3 eggs + black coffee M3: slow-cooker pork shoulder with onions & cabbage + roasted broccoli & cauliflower (SO EXCITED!) First Whole30 win for this round: I can finally take my coffee black and it's not horrible! Woot! Happy hump day :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Day 7 Wrapping up week 1, and the bloat is nearly gone! Those extra pimples have faded away and I'm hoping to see the everyday acne (bumpy forehead, chin breakouts, T-zone redness) continue to go down. I dunno why but I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this round. I think I'm going to see good things. One thing I did a little late was decide to go off of most of my supplements. With my autoimmune stuff, I take a LOT of them--13ish per day-- and they are a mixture of doctor recommendations and the results of my own research that are then doctor-approved. But they almost all contain trace amounts of soy, and I know they're keeping this from being a perfect Whole30. I'm nervous to go off of them, so my compromise this time has to eliminate all but the most essential 3 (ribose, probiotics, magnesium) and see how I feel. If things start to tank, I'll add back the CoQ10. If things go great, I'll cut the probiotic and magnesium doses in half. But I think I can handle being off of the rest for a few weeks. I hope! M1: meat crust quiche + steamed broccoli with a little ghee + coffee M2: Moroccan chicken + sauteed onions, bell pepper, squash & tomato + side salad M3: TBD beef stew + baked sweet potato with a little coconut butter Late snack: 3 bora bora fireballs Here's to a great Week 1! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 Day 8 Hello, Week 2! I'm going to take a couple days off from the meal logs since they will be about the same as the past week until I cook new things. The only exception would be tonight, when I'm going to venture to a restaurant. I'll likely stick with something simple: a salad w/ vinegar & olive oil, or a salted/peppered hunk of meat cooked in olive oil. So I'll just be reporting on how the day's going. Today: feeling good. Bloating's 99% gone. I might be hallucinating but the face seems to be a tiny bit smoother than usual (still the same old redness, but patience, patience). I could swear my hair's a little bit oilier, but that would be a new reaction. Who knows. Cravings have been hitting a bit in the evenings (I reeeeeally wanted wine yesterday), but I haven't considered caving to them. Chamomile tea helps some. I just read through my first W30 log from almost exactly 1 year ago. I followed it with a Whole45, and did a couple Whole10s later in the year. I've really come farther than I thought, it's just so hard to tell the incremental day-to-day changes. It has been the work of time, multiple rounds and careful bike riding. My blood pressure, circulation, hormone imbalances, anxiety and stamina have all improved 25-50% since I first started. While I'm still tired, I never have those exhausted, "How in the world am I physically supposed to make it through this day?" days anymore. I'm excited to see how I feel after another year of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 9, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 9, 2015 I just read through my first W30 log from almost exactly 1 year ago. I followed it with a Whole45, and did a couple Whole10s later in the year. I've really come farther than I thought, it's just so hard to tell the incremental day-to-day changes. It has been the work of time, multiple rounds and careful bike riding. My blood pressure, circulation, hormone imbalances, anxiety and stamina have all improved 25-50% since I first started. While I'm still tired, I never have those exhausted, "How in the world am I physically supposed to make it through this day?" days anymore. I'm excited to see how I feel after another year of this. This is so great! And one of the reasons I'm so glad I've kept logs. We do so easily lose sight of our progress, and it's incredibly useful to be able to go back and see just how far we've come. So happy for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 Day 9 The cravings are getting really intense. Whole30 is not dating-friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Day 10 I survived yesterday's cravings. Talk about challenging. I'd ended up on an unexpected day trip with no food, and we couldn't even find me a piece of fruit until 2 p.m. I was nearly dizzy with hunger and it ended up triggering a pretty big autoimmune crash by late afternoon. (I recovered much quicker than usual though, so I'm not complaining.) So I wasn't in a good head space about Whole30. A couple friends gave me some good encouragement and I decided to do a cookup. Yesterday I made or started: pulled pork w/ roasted veggies, sweet potato crust quiche, deviled eggs and chili. Today I'm going to make some shepherd's pie, roast up some broccoli & cauliflower and finish the eggs. In other news, this is the first Whole30 where I'm 99% sure I'm seeing complexion improvement. Hooray for less redness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 11, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 11, 2015 Impressive recovery, lady. Good for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Thank you! I picked a couple really good friends for a pep talk, and got out of my mental funk within an hour of that post. I'll be reaching out to them as needed in the future. I also had kind of a "duh" moment when I realized my lowest points are always on the weekends. Makes sense, right? The most social days of the week are, of course, a minefield of temptation because not only am I out of the comfort of my routine, but I'm feeling left out when I either (a) sit at the restaurant with a plate of lettuce and a water or ( b ) bow out of social dinners/happy hours completely. And then there's the fact that when I'm out of the house for most of the day, I'm unable to just pop into most places for a quick snack. So in preparation for the coming weekend, I'm going to try to have more grab-and-go items in the fridge. Not sure what they'll be. Ideas based on suggestions from the site and message boards: -roasted sweet potato chunks -apple, banana, orange -melon chunks -Larabars? (scared I'll love them too much--I've avoided trying them up until now) -carrot sticks (I kinda hate them, but I hate being hangry more) -homemade jerky (need a recipe) -hard-boiled eggs -jicama? never tried it but people seem really fond of it... My appetite is a little off this morning. It's 9:30 (I woke up at 6:45) and I still really don't feel like eating breakfast, but as soon as I post this I'll hit the microwave and eat it anyway. Either way, I'm happy to be able to rely on the simplicity and predictability of my normal routine for the next 5 days. M1: sweet potato crust quiche + roasted broccoli & cauliflower M2: pork shoulder + roasted broccoli & cauliflower + 2 bora bora fireballs M3: shepherd's pie + steamed asparagus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 12, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 12, 2015 Yeah, navigating social situations without feeling like a tool can be tough. But for how many weekends a year? Yeah, it's worth it. My suggestion is to leave the larabars alone. They're candy bars, plain and simple, and will do you no favors. Best to stick with protein, fat, and veggies, especially when hangry or otherwise blood sugar crashes. Easy meatballs (a million recipes in Well Fed 2) are my favorite handy go-to. Her salmon cakes are self-contained delicious mini meals in themselves, too. Jicama totally rocks. Especially delicious dipped in guac. I'm sure you know this already, but one of the most important things you can do to help balance hormones is eat within an hour of waking. Yay for simplicity and predictability! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 About 12 weekends last year. Actually that's more impressive than I thought. Cool! Yeah, I think you're right, LadyM. I'm doing SO well not turning W30 foods into binge foods this time around. I'll skip the Larabars. Well Fed 2 happens to be sitting about a foot from my left elbow right now! I've done the Bora Bora fireballs and find them really convenient, hot or cold. Plus you can make so many at once. I feel like a crazy person but I need to say here that I'm frustrated with my friend who is doing Whole30 with me. Cause she's not really doing it. She's eating compliant food (mostly?) but her eating schedule's crazy, she tossed the meal template out the window, and this weekend she had ALCOHOL! Basically I've said once that the program is about more than just the food and then I kept mum about my judgment, but I was so excited to see her get the most out of this, and she's going to walk away with way fewer gains because she didn't DO it right! I view this program as all-or-nothing when you're doing it, and she's skipping right to riding her own bike without clearing her system first and resetting her brain first. She's an adult and I'm not going to badger her. But I think I let myself get way too excited at the prospect of having a true W30 buddy. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliElmer1 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Love reading your thread! Really helpful and as I embark on my 2nd Whole 30 ever (did one last year around the same time, last only like 12 days) I am DETERMINED to do it!! Have a great day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Work has been abominable today. My wretched, clueless, demoralizing boss did a really underhanded and shitty thing and kept me from a promotion that was perfect for me. She didn't even tell me she'd chosen someone--she just announced the person who DID get the promotion in a department-wide meeting...where all eyes turned to me because everyone knew it should have been mine. (The person who got it is completely inexperienced for this job.) I have never been so close to quitting on the spot in my life. 5 minutes later I was told that I'm probably going to be taken off of salary because of new company-wide regulations that state that people without enough decision making power (WHICH I'VE BEEN BEGGING TO BE GIVEN FOR THREE YEARS) should be hourly instead. I work hard and I do a good job here, and this crap is just constant. Everyone loves me except the 2 people who are in charge of my fate (one of them actively dislikes me and the other one just listens to the first), and they seem determined to not let anything good happen for me. Coworkers have spent the last 2 hours talking me down. At this moment I really DO think that chocolate is worth the cheap comfort it'll bring me. Sorry for the negativity, but that's how this day is going for me. I'll shake it off, I just need to be pissed for a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutlifr Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Day 5 I'd really like for Round 4 to teach me how to get my head into a better place. Complaining breeds more complaining. I want to be more present and to stop with the constant counting down and the planning to eat my favorite junk foods the minute my Whole30 ends. I want to stop believing I'm depriving myself, and instead start appreciating what a wonderful, kind thing I'm doing for my body and my brain. Did you ever think of extending the whole30 experience to maybe 60? For those I know who did, something major happens with the brain reset button...I totally experienced it. And for some of us it just takes longer to reset. Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thank you Hutlifr. Your timing on that reminder was perfect. I've done a Whole45 and I actually decided last week that the next one WILL be a Whole60. I just haven't decided when. Probably late spring. I have shaken off the earlier upset. To keep from wasting these 12 days, I told myself I could eat an entire baked sweet potato if I really needed it this evening. My lovely guy encouraged me to hold off on the chocolate (and wine) binge and made a deal with me: if I still really need chocolate enough that I was willing to give up on Whole30 by this weekend, he'd take me out to the chocolate bar downtown. Obviously I won't do that, but I used that bargain to carry myself over the 4-hour hump of extreme emotions without eating any. It was a surprisingly good strategy to hold me over until I was back in my right mind. No chocolate or sweet potato binge needed. And in the meanwhile, I set up a meeting to talk to a higher-up about this BS, scheduled an interview for a position in another department, and found an even better role to apply for this evening after dinner. I might pout when I'm pissed, but it can't be said that I don't take action as well... Day 12 So to get back on track with logging: insufficient sleep last night combined with work stress left me pretty tired today. Lots of coffee needed and mealtimes were a little off for breakfast and lunch. Not much more to report, except that tomorrow will be so much better. I get to have sister time and I'm able to relax about work knowing I've done all I can. M1: roast pork shoulder + roasted veggies M2: pulled pork + roasted veggies S: 2 deviled eggs M3: chicken chili verde *Unusual craving this week for mints and gum. Weeeeeird. Maybe I'll try to hunt down some compliant mint tea. And I think an early bedtime sounds wise! See ya tomorrow, friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic382 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Day 13 Ahhh it's the half point to the week. THAT is good news! And I'm at Day 13! I had some bloat yesterday, but I also consumed a lot of broccoli/cauliflower and some cabbage. So that doesn't seem surprising. Steamed broccoli from a frozen pack seems to be okay for me, it's just when I roast the fresh stuff that I get the rumblies. Broccoli is just so easy to whip up! Tonight I'll do something with the asparagus in my fridge. M1: pork shoulder + roasted turnips & broccoli M2: chili + steamed broccoli + mango M3: frittata w/ onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, spinach & garlic It's weird how my first two W30s were so physically challenging, and these last 2 have been so mentally challenging. But this one's honestly not been as bad, despite the 2 near breakdowns I've reported this week. Outside of those dark spots I've felt pretty good about it all. My energy has been so much better than the last one, my anxiety is under control, and my face is actually clearing up some! Seems like 4th time's the charm! Now that I'm on Day 13, I am opening myself up to increased energy. I commit to drinking 100 ounces of water today, giving myself frequent (short) breaks from my work, and eating mindfully. I'm also going to stay out of the office gossip (which is surely rumbling after yesterday) and power through my work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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