Bye Bye Dr. Pepper

[jencsu]

Hi, I'm new here. My husband and I started this Whole30 on Sunday (February 15), so we're on Day 3. My primary goal with this challenge is to get rid of my sugary drink habit. My father has Type-2 diabetes and I know it is imperative to give up all the added sugar in my diet to avoid this fate myself.  I've had issues regulating my blood sugar since I was a kid, and this prevents me from exercising as much as I should because I'm always worried I'll get sick. In addition, I'm hoping to get rid of the acne I haven't been able to shake since high school, increase my energy levels, and maybe drop a few pounds in the process! So I'll quickly summarize Days 1 & 2 and hopefully remember to update for Day 3 tonight. I'm still reading through "It Starts With Food" so bear with me if my meals aren't always perfect. I'm working on it! Also, my husband and I work opposite shifts, so our meals (with the exception of Meal 3) are very different. His meals are not included here.

 

Day 1

 

Meal 1 - Two scrambled eggs, grape tomatoes and half a tangerine. (I usually would never eat breakfast so I'm working my way up with this meal.)

 

Meal 2 - 1 chicken Italian sausage, a sweet potato with cinnamon, and a handful of almonds.

 

Meal 3 - Coconut flaked tilapia, Broccoli with salt and pepper, and about 1/3 of an avocado (I've decided I don't like plain avocado!)

 

Snacks: Almonds

 

Beverages: Water, coffee (black) and flavored soda water.

 

Impression - So far so good, but I'm realizing very quickly that I need to eat more food!

 

 

Day 2

 

Meal 1 - Three scrambled eggs, grape tomatoes, and carrots.

 

Meal 2 - This meal got a little messed up because I had to cram in as much work as possible at work before picking my son up early from school because of inclement weather. So I ate unsweetened apple sauce and almonds at my normal lunch time and ate a sweet potato with cinnamon when we got home. Not enough protein, I know, but life!

 

Meal 3 - Chicken roasted with salsa; baked potato with carified butter, salt, and pepper; and an orange. My husband cooked dinner last night and decided on fruit instead of that extra veggie. Next time, I'll cook the extra veggie!

 

Snacks: Almonds (it's a good thing I don't love these so I'm able to keep my snack portions very manageable.)

 

Beverages: Black coffee, water, flavored soda water.

 

Impression - After all of the testimonies I've read I was shocked that I didn't feel terrible! I had a minor in-and-out headache that was mostly out. I had assumed since I had been such a sugar junkie prior to the challenge (and did not wean myself off prior to starting) that I would be in the throws of a violent sugar flu, but not yet! I'm still struggling to find that perfect portion amount for my meals, but I think I'm getting better at it!

[MeadowLily]

Jen, eliminating nuts heals the skin in less time. You should see a difference in 2-3 weeks.  More proteins and less nuts.   More vegetables and less nuts.  Avocado - excellent.

3 meals and no snacks heals everything...including blood sugar.  Snacks are not forbidden but discouraged.

 

I know we've been told that 6 mini meals are better than 3 for blood sugar.  Eating every two hours actually raises blood sugar - going 4-5 hours inbetween meals gives you better results for blood sugar.

[jencsu]

MeadowLily - I am making a conscious effort not to snack and hope to get to a point (soon) where I can eliminate them entirely. I've never been a big "snacker" so this shouldn't be too hard. I know I need to add more protein and fat to my regular meals so I'm not hungry between.

[MeadowLily]

Very good, Jen.  

 

For those who are fighting insulin resistance....

One argument I see a lot is that people should eat often to balance blood sugar levels.

Eating big meals is thought to lead to rapid rises and falls in blood sugar, while eating smaller and more frequent meals should stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the day.

 

This, however, is not supported by science.

Studies show that people who eat fewer, larger meals have lower blood glucose levels on average. 

They may have bigger “spikes” in blood sugar but overall their levels are much lower. This is especially important for people with blood sugar issues, because elevated blood sugars can cause all sorts of problems.

 

Less frequent eating has also been shown to improve satiety and reduce hunger compared to more frequent meals .   

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

Try a little fresh lemon or lime juice and a sprinkle of sea salt on that avocado!

[jencsu]

Day 3

 

Meal 1 - 3 scrambled eggs, grape tomatoes, carrots

 

Meal 2 - Tuna salad (canned tuna, avocado, onions, apples, salt & pepper), apple slices, sweet potato with clarified butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. I finally found a way to eat avocado that was actually tasty!

 

Meal 3 - Pork tenderloin, raw yellow squash, and broccoli.

 

Still snacking on very small portions of almonds, since I am usually starving again about an hour before mealtime.

 

I feel like I am eating SO MUCH FOOD and yet I don't feel as "satisfied" as I would pre-Whole30. This is probably because I'm not getting any calories from soda, which is a big eye opener! The funny thing is that I haven't been craving Dr. Pepper - I just want a slice of fresh-baked bread with butter or a nice cup of greek yogurt with honey, haha. Or a Hershey's chocolate bar. Today, the headache has been more in than out, with a noticeable increase in severity as the next mealtime approaches. I've also felt really sluggish today so I spent a couple hours dozing on the couch. I will be so happy when I'm through this "detox" period!

 

So question... with our increase in amount and variety of vegetables, I worry our 21-month old isn't eating enough, I can't even get him to try them! I think if I make some Whole30 ranch or other dip I might be able to get him to at least try them. What has worked for you guys? He seems to have plenty of energy so maybe I'm just over-concerned.

[Sheena812]

Meals 1 and 3 seem to be low on fat. Increasing that according to the meal template but help keep you satisfied longer.

[jencsu]

Meals 1 and 3 seem to be low on fat. Increasing that according to the meal template but help keep you satisfied longer.

 

Well, that pork tenderloin was pretty fatty (and I'm pretty sure I won't be hungry again until tomorrow), but I see what you're saying. Do you have any suggestions on what to add to Meal 1?  Besides avocados?

[jencsu]

Day 4

 

Meal 1 - 3 scrambled eggs, raw yellow squash, carrots. I meant to add 1/2 cup of coconut milk, but I forgot!

 

Meal 2 - I went to the local grocery store's salad bar and made a grilled chicken salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and a hard-boiled egg, topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Small side of honeydew and cantaloupe. I had to buy my own vinegar because they stuff they had available was non-compliant.

 

Meal 3 - Roasted split chicken breast, baked potato with clarified butter, salt, and pepper, and a tangerine. I ate the skin, too, to up the fat content.

 

No snacks!

 

Today I have no headache and only a slight "Kill all the things" moment this morning when the boys were being irritating. I'm not my best in the mornings anyway, oh well. It does seem like my acne is better (no new breakouts) so things are going pretty well! I probably could still up the fat, but will try again tomorrow. I wanted to bring the same tuna salad to work as I had yesterday, but the canned tuna the hubby brought home had soy flakes (yuck!) I am continually amazed what food manufacturers will sneak into perfectly fine food. And a minor win, I got the youngest to eat some raw summer squash this morning.

[jencsu]

Day 5

 

Meal 1 - Scrambled eggs, squash and carrots. I also added a couple tablespoons of coconut milk to black coffee.

 

Meal 2 - Half a can of sardines, squash, and a sweet potato with clarified butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. This is my first date with sardines, and while I liked them, I need to find a way to dress them up.

 

Meal 3 - Pork tenderloin, baked potato with clarified butter and pepper, and an orange.

 

No snacks.

 

So I definitely need to get a better lunch plan together as I was starving before I even left work today. I also need to work on drinking more water. I spend a lot of my workday in places where food and drink are not allowed, so I forget to drink water when I'm at my desk. I need an app for that! I feel pretty good, no headache, no wishes to kill anything. I feel like my appetite is leveling off a bit - or I'm just getting used to eating more at a sitting. I am starting to get a bit bored with what we've been eating this week. I'm hoping we can make it out for a decent shopping trip and I'd like to make some crockpot meals to make Meal 3 a bit easier on cleanup. No intense cravings today, either!

[Beets]

I think that hungry feeling is part of adjusting to this way of eating. Your body is used to being fed sugar at regular intervals so it thinks it's hungry--even when you're feeding t enough food. As you've seen, this will level off. But it's an uncomfortable feeling! (Also can be tiredness, as happened to me this week.)

I don't normally eat eggs for breakfast because I can't stomach a bunch of eggs and otherwise it's just not filling for me. (Per the template if you're just eating eggs you eat as many as you can hold in your hand.) I much prefer eating a regular template meal with meat or fish. I know some people don't like his idea and you said you don't usually eat breakfast, but it really does help keep you full for longer and sets you up for the day.

It's also totally normal to feel bored with food where you are. You get sick of cooking and eating. This also passes.

And there are seriously hundreds of water apps! I've used one myself that helped. It's usually at the top of the list.

[jencsu]

Oops! Forgot to update my forum for a few days, but we're still going strong!

 

Day 6

 

Meal 1 - 3 scrambled eggs, 1 orange, coconut milk in black coffee.

 

Meal 2 -  Grilled chicken salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and a hard-boiled egg, topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Small side of honeydew and cantaloupe.

 

Meal 3 - Chicken and apple sausage, garlicky green beans, butternut squash tossed in clarified butter and cinnamon. 

 

No Snacks. 

 

Day 7 - Week 1 Done!

 

Meal 1 - 3 Scrambled eggs, 1 orange. We were running late this morning so I ate what I could!

 

Meal 2 - Three egg omelet with onions, tomatoes, and green peppers. We were eating out at the local farmer's market restaurant and this was what I came up with . Also, decaf coffee.

 

Meal 3 - Chili with ground beef, pork rib meat, shredded sweet potatoes, onion, pepper, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and lots of seasoning. Yummy, but I did miss the beans here. 

 

No snacks. 

 

Day 8

 

Meal 1 - 3 scrambled eggs, monkey salad (why have I not been eating this all along - even my 5 year old loves it!)

 

Meal 2 - 2 Applegate hot dogs, 1/2 a large sweet potato with cinnamon, and 1 orange.

 

Meal 3 - Baked local rainbow trout, mashed rutabaga, and steamed broccoli. 

 

Snack: almonds

 

I'll do a full update tonight after dinner, but so far we're doing good! I'm really getting used to eating breakfast in the morning - I wake up hungry and feel like I need to eat right away. I haven't felt that way on a consistent basis in a very long time. I also kind of like that the diet is forcing me to cook lunches on the weekend. Before I would just grab whatever was convenient and go with it. Now lunches are much more mindful and healthy!

[jencsu]

Day 9

 

Meal 1 - 3 scrambled eggs and coconut milk in black coffee. I kind of sucked at this one because I had to bring my son to school a little early and didn't leave myself enough time to eat.

 

Meal 2 - Tuna salad with avocado, an orange, 1/2 sweet potato with cinnamon, and a handful of almonds.

 

Meal 3 - 2 Applegate hotdogs, potato wedges baked with olive oil, salt, and pepper, one apple.

 

I know I needed to up the veggies today, but time was on the short side today since I also got home from work pretty late and everything we have on hand needed to be prepped and cooked. I need to stock my freezer to make sure this isn't an issue on days where time is tight. I'm feeling pretty good, growing more accustomed to the larger amount of cooking involved with Whole30, though I haven't grown used to the increased volume of dishes!!! I also managed to get past the "this diet is stupid" stage without even really noticing. 

 

I've had some more acne, but that could be menstrual, and it's not nearly as bad as usual. No severe soda cravings - I haven't even thought about buying a soda from the vending machine in a weak moment at work. Of course, today I was too busy to even remember to drink water until the very end of the day. So fail on that front, too. I did download a water consumption app that has helped quite a bit on other days. Today I only noticed it when I was in the lab, which is a no fly zone for all food and beverages.

 

We're still plugging away at it over here, and I feel more and more confident that I will finish this diet. I certainly had my doubts before we started and even in the early days.

 

[iluvmysix]

Day 5

 

Meal 1 - Scrambled eggs, squash and carrots. I also added a couple tablespoons of coconut milk to black coffee.

 

Meal 2 - Half a can of sardines, squash, and a sweet potato with clarified butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. This is my first date with sardines, and while I liked them, I need to find a way to dress them up.

 

Meal 3 - Pork tenderloin, baked potato with clarified butter and pepper, and an orange.

 

No snacks.

 

So I definitely need to get a better lunch plan together as I was starving before I even left work today. I also need to work on drinking more water. I spend a lot of my workday in places where food and drink are not allowed, so I forget to drink water when I'm at my desk. I need an app for that! I feel pretty good, no headache, no wishes to kill anything. I feel like my appetite is leveling off a bit - or I'm just getting used to eating more at a sitting. I am starting to get a bit bored with what we've been eating this week. I'm hoping we can make it out for a decent shopping trip and I'd like to make some crockpot meals to make Meal 3 a bit easier on cleanup. No intense cravings today, either!

I bought a can of sardines but haven't had the nerve to open them!  haha!  I guess I need to give them a try!  I'm very much enjoying your postings!!

[Ytu]

I had sardine and potato salad with romesco sauce for a couple of lunches this week. Romesco sauce - delicious! And quite strong flavoured so a good way of "covering up" the sardines if you don't love their taste. Would be good with other fish too. 

 

(I doubled the amount of roasted peppers in the sauce, had the whole lot of sauce in two servings, reduced the amount of potatoes and had a whole can of sardines per meal, to bring it closer to meal template)