Jenn's Journey - Started Jan. 5, 2105

[Jenn1270]

So I started on Monday, January, 5th with my first ever Whole30. I have eaten clean, whole foods before, yet when i did my plan, I allowed msyelf 1 serving a day of either brown rice or Ezekiel bread (sprouted grain, not processed)-- it too was no legumes, however, i do think i had dairy. That being said, I had lost 45 pounds following this plan, until spring of 2014 when i started derailing on my plan and myself. I just sorta started slipping back into habits which I had long given up, but which were so easily picked back up again- going out for the occasional dinner and including a dessert here and there, became the way each time I'd go out, celebrating various events with food instead of just spending time with friends doing activities. So needless to say I realized why I was gaining, but didn't know if I was ready to go full on yet....Then my dad got sick this summer, and I knew that the only way to keep myself going was to make sure I didn't give up on my regime of exercise; but clean, healthy eating was all of a sudden just something in my rear-view mirror—I let my stress get out of control, and I allowed myself to eat mindlessly through the stress and all of a sudden I've gained back 20 of my 45. 

 

I didn't think about it long this, I just decided Saturday before my start date of Monday, that I would do this. So, in this topic I will try to describe my ways in which I'm doing things, the ways I'm feeling, and what I'm experiencing as I go along, in the event it will help others trying this, or thinking about trying it. So I have a bit of catching up to do-- Monday, Tuesday have come and gone, and I haven't written anything yet.

 

Monday: Woke up at 4:30 to go to the gym—decided to skip the gym this morning and get cracking on some of my cooking.

Breakfast: sweet-potato "hash" (omg delicious- my own creation); 2 pasture eggs (poached); spinach; 1/2 avocado

Lunch: Shrimp pan roasted in garlic, shallots, and ghee; spinach; leftover sweet potato "hash"; 

Dinner: Strip steak; asparagus

TV off at 8; devices off at 8; Read for an hour.

Sleep @ 9pm

 

Tuesday: Woke up at 4:30; walked Dog; got to the gym at 5- cardio from 5:10-5:30; strength training for 45 minutes

Breakfast: 2 soft boiled eggs; Pederson's compliant bacon (2 slices); broccoli sprinkled with cumin (oven-roasted)

Lunch: Left over steak; asparagus; broccoli; 1/2 avocado

Dinner: Salmon (oven roasted with garlic, ghee, lemon, and dillweed); green pepper, red pepper and spinach saute; 

Chiropractor appt. after work...yay

Computer off at 8:15; devices off at 8:15; bathed and read.

Bed 9:15pm

 

And now it's Wednesday:

Woke up at 4:30- walked Dog; Got to the gym at 5 - cardio only day- 30 minutes.

Breakfast: Sweet potato "hash" with bacon, onions, shallots; 3 pasture eggs (scrambled); Spinach

Lunch: Left over salmon; green/red pepper and spinach saute; leftover hash from breakfast

Dinner....well, I'll fill this in on my next reply.

 

One thing...I think i'm a day ahead of schedule for my headaches- Monday, Day 1 I had a bad one in the late afternoon/evening. It went away when I soaked in the tub. Tuesday, Day 2 I got on around 3pm (which is typically when I used to have my protein bar/snack) and it didn't go away until I was sleeping.  So far, today, all's good, and I don't feel like "kill all things" yet, so hopefully I'm over my hangover-- who knows, let's see what 3pm brings!!!

 

Looking forward to following you all and getting great ideas on different things. Right now I know i'm needing to make some salad dressing- probably some type of oil/vinegar type thing, but I want to know what you use, and how do you make it What are your favorite recipes?

[GFChris]

Since you asked for feedback on the other thread, I'm popping by.

Things look great: I love how you added in the sleep and shut off times for screens.

Regarding dressings, lots of options. My favorite is a few tablespoons of homemade olive oil mayo, mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar, compliant dijon mustard, garlic powder, pepper and chili powder to taste.

[Jenn1270]

That sounds great. I have to set aside some time to get a few things made this weekend....dressing is on the top of my list. Also, I didn't prep a ton of things ahead of time, but I keep reading that people have done so...I wonder if I'm missing something- I usually prep when I cook, but maybe I'm just used to that. I don't spend a ton of time for each meal-- is there a page I missed about prepping "all our food" ahead of time? THANKS for stopping by, Chris!

[Momzilla]

I found a dressing called Tessemae's at my Whole Foods in the produce section that is compliant.  I took the whole bottle to work with me.    Otherwise, I usually just put some EVOO and vinegar of choice in a little bitty Tupperware and shake the heck out of it.  Maybe some herbs, if I'm feeling spunky.  haha

 

Well Fed and Well Fed 2 (and maybe her website The Clothes Make The Girl too, haven't looked) have some dressing recipes, so does Nom Nom Paleo.

 

A lot of us prep protein and vegetables (cook protein and veggies, slice up other veg, stuff like that), maybe casserole type dishes, I always make a soup on Sunday for the week ahead.  With convenience foods out, this is pretty much the only way for me personally to ensure success.  I'm gone from the house 12 hours a day - no way could I make compliant meals happen every day without the cook-up.    There is a page that I read on here that goes back to the Whole 30 post that Melissa Joulwan did.  I'll link it here for you to see what all the fuss is about. 

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/

Scrolling down a ways you'll see her cookup.

 

This page is a fab resource, too.

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/12/28/whole30-resources-roundup-2/

[Jenn1270]

Thanks, Momzilla!

 

Wrap up Day 3:
Dinner: Pan-seared chicken breasts (with ghee) and a sauteed onion and shallot in renaming ghee. It was delicious, and I was supposed to have spinach, but I just was full, so I stopped. Onions are listed as a veggie, and I have the equivalent to 1 medium onion, so I think that's fair.

Devices off at 8:30

Sleep at 9:30.

I've started day 4 (all's good so far), but I"ll keep that entirely to one post, probably early tomorrow AM

[Jenn1270]

I had a work lunch to go to today, and I read that carnitas from Chipolte were compliant, so I had that and some romaine, with guacamole but now i'm reading that it might not be compliant...ugh..i don't know what to do...., AND to topi it off, now I have horrible hiccups....I'm not a huge pork eater, so hopefully that's all the reason why.

[Jenn1270]

Day 4: GREAT day today!!

Woke up: 4:30- workout (cardio only) 5-5:30 am

Breakfast: 3 pasture eggs, spinach, canteloupe

Lunch: carnitas from chipolte, guacamole, romaine

Dinner: tomato sauce (homemade, and yum - with onions and olives); chicken breast; spinach

Devices off at 8:45

Sleep at 9:15- 

 

My headache stayed away today! Maybe it's gone for good I only get them when I do things like this

I loved cooking my tomato sauce, it was very delicious and cannot wait to have it for lunch tomorrow!!

 

I overall felt well, just tired quicker at the end of the day- i'm sure that's par for the course though. Getting up and working out so early has me usually tired early anyway. Things at work are nutty, but that's also par for the course, so i just keep on going and making sure i cook well, prepare for lunch at work, and enjoy what i'm experiencing. I have noticed that i'm eating thoughtfully now, instead of mindlessly...i'm eating slower, and taking notice of the flavors and the textures...it's a good experience this "eating" thing

 

Ok, see you soon!

[Jenn1270]

Day 8 has begun. I look back over my weekend of shopping for wonderful foods, cooking, and spending time with my nephew with glee! Since my last entry, I've made some fun dishes, had compliant only meals, but I did discover which compliant foods will be a potential problem for me- cashews are too close to food with no brakes, and so are olives...careful there Jenn!!

 

The house smells so wonderful-- I made bone broth over the weekend; short ribs; chicken thighs; lots of veggies-- just a wonderful weekend. 

 

I had a minor disappointment with a friend who basically said "I hate that for you" when I told her I was doing all my own food right now and couldn't go to breakfast with her this weekend--wish people would just support their friends' decisions without making them feel guilty - it's really difficult because I support her decisions she makes toward her health when she wants to do fasts like Isagenix for 30 days, even if I don't personally like that idea (I have tried that before...have any of you seen the list of ingredients in those? Not so sure that's real in any way!)

 

Ok, Day 8...here I come- I'm post workout and breakfast and ready to face a long week at work!!

Off to pack my lunch and face the day!

 

Hope everyone's doing well!

[Jenn1270]

Oh! One thing i did last night for part of my cookup, which I'm super proud about, is make my very own first time ever, paleo-mayo. I had some this morning, and I think I'm in  with it! 

 

What are your favorite things to use this with? What variations of it do you enjoy?

[Jenn1270]

Day 8 went great! I got back to my trying to turn off devices 1 hour before bedtime, but it was more difficult last night than it was last week. 

My foods have been delicious. I don't feel like i have boundless energy yet, but i didn't really feel too draggy last week, so perhaps it's a slow build for me. 

 

Wake 4:15- workout 

Breakfast: pasture eggs scrambled, spinach, cantaloupe

Lunch: Spinach, cucumbers, chicken thighs, olive oil, sweet potatoes

Dinner: OMG amazing-- ground beef, snap peas, mushrooms, with some of the homemade "thai" sauce i concocted up using the paleo mayo and sunflower seed butter-- delish!

TV til too late- i think i watched something until 10, and then went right to bed- woke up this morning without a problem, not groggy or tired, even though i didn't get my typical 7.5 -8 hours. Oh well, it'll hit me later probably! My workout was good, even though i have pulled a muscle in my mid back, feels like between two ribs, but it's been bothering me since Sunday, but during my workout (and we did upper body) it did not bother me at all! yay- my trainer is asking me all about Whole 30! I want him to read ISWF!

 

I hope everyone's having a GREAT Tuesday- See you on the boards

[Jenn1270]

Day 9 wasn't my best.

Woke up 4:30

Workout cardio and then with trainer 5-6:15

Breakfast: Scrambled pasture eggs, bacon, spinach

Lunch: Went home sick from work- ate ground beef, leftover veggies from the short ribs, and a sweet potato

Made it to the couch, slept for a few hours on and off

Dinner: felt icky (stomach wasn't right) but I did eat- bone broth, chicken thighs, onions and spinach

Went to be super early. 

 

Glad I did, because day 10 is the day of my annual health assessment for work health care benefits; i have to fast for 9 hours before hand...no issues there- I ate last at about 5:30/6pm!

[Jenn1270]

Day 10. 

Not quite what I expected, or planned for!

 

Woke up to clean the house at 5am- no gym this morning.

had to fast because of the health assessment at work, so I brought breakfast with me-

Breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, cucumbers

Lunch: I was supposed to meet some former colleagues at Chipolte, they both had to cancel because of meetings, so I made a Costco run, and went to Chipolte by myself, to get Carnitas-- learned that they've pulled their contract with their supplier, because the supplier is not complying with their standards for the swine. Fortunately I came back to the office, and I had packed chicken thighs, had the rest of my hard boiled eggs, spinach, and avocado...worked out fine.

Dinner- well I had to pick up my nephew tonight at one of his afterschool activities, and he had to eat something, so we swung by Jim and Nicks to get his favorite chicken tenders dinner, and went home to find that most of my protein is GONE! I did not buy enough food to last the week at all!! I took some steak out of the freezer, fired up my cast iron skillet, and seared that sucker! At that point it was so late for me- I usually eat around 6:30- I think it was 7:45 by the time I took my first bite. I had lovely broccoli sauteed in ghee, garlic, and lemon...it all worked out fine, but i was not my typical cheery self, and I let my nephew know that if i didn't eat i'd be very grumpy, so he worked on his homework after he ate, and I cooked!  

 

One note- I used to be right there alongside him with those chicken tenders, they're freaking awesome, and OMG their fries are to die for....but I just didn't even care that I wasn't partaking in that meal tonight. I haven't had any "regretful" moments when I watch friends eat things in front of me that used to be my favorite this or that. My nephew asked me "how long is this diet" because he's been around me so much to know that some things I try are 7 day, 15 day, etc. and my answer to him was "the rest of my life". and that's truly how I feel...it's not a diet anymore, it's just my way of life, and because I've done something very similar in the past, I know I can do it, I just needed the understanding that ISWF provided for me to know WHY I'm doing it now. 

 

Ok, Day 11 will be interesting, we're going out to lunch for a teammate's lunch- to First Watch...I'll find something i'm sure!

[Jenn1270]

Day 11, 12, 13, 14 are all under my belt. I clearly haven't been the devoted journalist I hoped to be, but I am proud to say I'm still in this Whole 30 and loving every minute of it. This weekend I had my first party to attend. It was a game night at a friend's house, and she was serving light appetizers. I ate dinner prior to attending, which was great, and brought some celery with me just in case she didn't have any veggies. She did have a few, but I'm glad I had dinner before hand. There were cashews and pecans, and I had a few cashews, but didn't really covet what others were having, it was not all about the food, which is what it usually is- I watched people eat, and didn't think "oh, man! I want one of those brownies"-- I'm not sure who's possessed my body and removed me, but that is a first for me!! I'm so excited that it wasn't hard to do! 

 

I had the best weekend in my kitchen- I made a slow cooker version of a butternut squash soup which I was so excited about, but I didn't really like it. It was seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon. I'm not sure my butternut squash was ripe enough or flavorful enough, it was VERY hard to cut, and honestly I've never even used one before, so I probably got it too early, before it was ripe and ready....oh well.  I also made a whole chicken, then used the bones for my bone broth this week...the chicken is delicious. I made a pork shoulder (or maybe it's a butt) and slow roasted it in the oven, and now have some beautiful pulled pork meat to feast on during the week. Slow roasted some sweet potatoes, and prepped a lot of my veggies-- overall a really fun weekend in and out of the kitchen.

 

I'm happy to report I slept through the night, without waking up at some crazy hour in the middle of the night...this was a first. I'm hopeful that this continues.

 

Anyway- Congrats to me and anyone else starting Jan. 5, because we are officially at the 1/2 mark! Woo hoo...we can do this! 

 

See you all on the boards!

 

Jenn

[Jenn1270]

Well I am in fact one of the worst at logging my days! I have had NO issues lately, no sugar dragons beating down my door, no real issues where they usually appear (after dinner time but before bedtime) with wanting to "snack", and I have been LOVING the cooking and experimenting with different things. I bought Well Fed and read it cover to cover, like a book, before even trying any of the recipes...and this weekend I ordered Well Fed 2, and it arrived and I'm so pleased with it. 

 

Work's been very busy and crazy, but i'm still bringing my lunch every day. I don't think I'm losing a ton of weight, but I feel good- My mom and dad saw my new photo and said they think i've lost a ton (my face usually shows it first), so maybe I am losing, but my pants are the same

 

I'm planning on continuing my Whole30 into a Whole whatever it takes, and just live my life in this fashion as long as I am realistic about things. I like Well Fed's Melissa's approach-- she makes an exception 1-2 times a week-- special occasions or events and the rest of her life is Whole30.....

 

Perhaps I'll log some more soon!

[LisaPT]

Hi there. I read your blog ecause of the quote at the bottem. You are a really neat person!!! I hope you are doing well still.