Post-Whole30, the third

[lgt2013]

Today is day 1 post my 3rd whole30. I never did proper reintroductions after my first two, so I'm doing the slow roll this time to get it all right. I started with soy, haven't felt any ill effects yet. I'm interested to see if I feel anything because I never really had any issues before. I had tofu tonight and I'd forgotten how much I really like it, and it's so cheap! $1.99 a pound. Would be nice to have it every now and then in the meal rotation.

 

M1: Sausage w/ kale, onion, potatoes, and guacamole; green tea

M2: Sashimi w/ tamari and wasabi; edamame; seaweed salad

Snack: turkey epic bar

M3: Stir fry of tofu and veggies over napa cabbage

 

Now I have all this leftover stir fry with tofu and tamari that I guess I'll have to freeze while I go back to being compliant. It didn't even occur to me until just now, haha, I'm so used to making enough dinner to have for lunch tomorrow!

 

I didn't actually need the snack, but I found the Epic Bars at Whole Foods today and wanted to check them out. Pretty good! A much better option than Larabars, that's for sure. And the portion of sashimi was pretty light, so a little extra protein isn't awful.

 

E: Insanity Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

[lgt2013]

Day 2 pw30. No bad effects from the soy reintro so far. I've had a little headache, but I've had it for a few days. I chalk it up to caffeine withdrawal -- I've cut my coffee back to decaf only and am drinking green tea w/ peppermint in the mornings. I don't intend to have soy in my diet on a regular basis, but it will be nice to have a tofu dish every once in a while without worry.

 

Meanwhile, I'm still fighting the sugar dragon every. dang. day. My car veers towards the grocery with the awesome bakery everyday after work. I still have the strength to set it straight, but hopefully someday it will just forget about that bakery.

 

M1: Chicken salad w/ apple and walnuts; steamed broccoli; green tea

midmorning : cup of decaf

M2: Curried snow goose w/ zucchini

snack : spoonful of almond butter; bison epic bar (I am aware that I am not helping to fight the sugar dragon here. Snacking because I didn't have enough food for lunch)

M3: Nom nom paleo's lamb chops w/ mint chimichurri; baked(microwaved) sweet potato w/ ghee; asparagus sauteed in ghee

^That mint chimichurri is plate-licking good! I might make it again for my Easter dinner.

 

E: Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance

[lgt2013]

So three days post whole30, and I had a dream last night that I "cheated" on my reintro with soft-serve ice cream (something that really does not tempt me). I dreamt that my brother (who in real life does not consume dairy), had a soft-serve cone and offered me some and I ate the whole thing! And then I was concerned that I messed up my reintro with dairy the day after I had soy (and is soft serve really just dairy? Or is there a bunch of other stuff in it too?).

 

Outside of that, I had a pretty good night's sleep and am really feeling the Tiger Blood, so I guess I'm okay with soy. Tomorrow, it's alcohol to celebrate a friend's birthday. I'm looking forward to having a couple glasses of wine, even though I know already that it will disrupt my sleep. I'll be interested to see what other effects I may feel when my diet is clean otherwise.

[lgt2013]

Day 3(33) recap

 

M1: Sausage w/ kale, bell peppers, mushroom, onion and avocado; green tea

M2: leftover curried snow goose w/ zucchini; leftover cauli mash; mixed greens w/ red wine vingaigrette

Snack: chicken salad w/ apple and walnuts

M3: Leftover lamb w/ mint chimichurri; sweet potato w/ ghee; broccoli w/ mayo

 

E: Insanity Cardio Recovery

 

Lunch was a bunch of leftovers and a salad, I thought it would be plenty but I was hungry again by 3:45, and stuck at work with no food.

I was feeling energetic all day, but winding down pretty quickly now.

[lgt2013]

Day 5(35). Did my alcohol reintro yesterday and it went pretty much as expected; woke up at 4:45 and couldn't get back to sleep, finally just got up at 6:20. I didn't drink a ton, just 2-3 glasses of chardonnay, so no headache or anything like that. I'm definitely going to need a nap today though.

 

Tuesday will be my next reintro. I haven't decided what yet, corn, maybe or other legumes.

 

Day 4(34) recap:

M1: 3 eggs scrambled w/ onion, bell pepper, and broccoli w/ guacamole; a little leftover sausage hash from day 33; green tea

M2: chicken salad, roasted butternut squash w/ ghee, roasted asparagus

snack: 1 larabar, 2 epic bars <---- meltdown. unacceptable

M3: pork tenderloin in fig demi glace w/ peaches; roasted potato, asparagus, mushroom, pancetta hash; green beans; 2-3 glasses chardonnay (more than 2, less than 3)

E: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit

[higs]

lgt, we're right at about the same reintro stage:  several Whole30's, first time proper reintros, so I wanted to pop by and say howdy. Also, I was just looking at your meals:  curried snow goose!  OMG!  That sounds amazing.  Wherever do you find snow goose, or do you hunt?

[lgt2013]

Higs, the snow goose was given to me by a friend who hunts. I am actually not such a fan of it, so I try to cover it in some other flavor like curry or taco seasoning. Can't turn down free meat!

 

Where are you in reintros? I'm thinking I'll do peanut butter and beans on Tuesday. I want to do dairy really slowly (butter one day, small amounts of feta and blue cheese another, mashed potatoes w/ cream another), so that's going to take a while. I may spend a month doing reintros!

[lgt2013]

Day 5(35) recap:

Went to a beach bbq today. It was gorgeous out and super fun and I was glad to not be on a whole30 for it. I did not drink, but I did have some potato chips. I also brought a big green salad since I had my doubts about anything healthy being available. The only "vegetable" there was corn on the cob.

 

M1: Sausage w/ kale, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, and avocado; green tea

M2: 2 sausage links with mustard, salad w/ fennel, orange, and avocado w/ mint vinaigrette; potato chips; La Croix cran-raspberry water

M3: sweet potato w/ shredded chicken and guacamole

[higs]

lgt, I've reintro'd legumes (except) soy and I'll start a reset after a couple more days (I have TONS of leftovers to eat).  Then, maybe non gluten grains.  I haven't decided.  I'm doing more days of food trials with more days of resets in between.  I had tried the one day on/two day off technique after my first Whole30 and it really went too quickly for me to notice much by way of reaction, so I'm doing it sloooooowly this time around.

 

A beach bbq sounds awesome!

[lgt2013]

Well, I'm not feeling the Tiger Blood anymore. My energy level is noticeably lower today than it was last week. I think I will hold off on any more re-intros until Wednesday or Thursday. In the meantime, I'll be downing tons of veggies!

[lgt2013]

Day 7(37). Last night I could not get to sleep. This is a problem I almost never have. If I have sleep issues, it's usually getting up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep, or waking up about an hour earlier than I want to. I never have trouble falling asleep! Food was 100% compliant, no sugar -- not even fruit, only my usual green tea in the morning, no other caffeine, no out of the ordinary stress. The only thing different was that I added a little coconut milk to potatoes to make my shepherd's pie for dinner. But it was just a half of a can in the entire dish, and I had about a quarter of the dish, so 1/8 of the can. I occasionally have trouble with coconut milk (upsets my stomach, causes bloating), so this is the only thing I can think of. I'm postponing any other re-intros until everything is back to normal -- I don't want to confuse these issues with foods I'm reintroducing.

 

Day 6(36) recap:

M1: Sausage w/ kale, bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, guacamole; green tea

M2: Tuna salad, roasted asparagus w/ ghee, roasted butternut squash w/ ghee

M3: Shepherd's pie (ground beef w/ onions, carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini, all topped with mashed potatoes (coconut milk & ghee)); steamed broccoli w/ mayo 

[lgt2013]

Ugh, something in that shepherd's pie is a problem. I had some for lunch today and my stomach is so bloated. It's either the white potatoes or the coconut milk, but I'm putting my money on the coconut milk. Blech. The rest of it is in the freezer; I guess I'll just have to save it for some dinner when I have nothing to do that night. Such a bummer because it's one of my favorite dishes.

[MeadowLily]

I don't do well with too many combos of food at one time, either.     

[higs]

lgt, I hope your tiger blood comes roaring back soon.  Bummer about the coconut milk!  You might need to reintro it all by itself.  I've been making the Well Fed shepherd's pie with cauliflower instead of potatoes, and it's really quite good.

 

Good luck with a better night's sleep tonight!

[lgt2013]

Well I'm feeling much better today. Great sleep last night, feeling good this morning. I've known that coconut milk is kinda an issue for me since I used to down pints of coconut milk ice cream. It's almost as bad as my dairy issue.

 

Day 7(37) recap:

M1: Sausage and veggie mix w/ avocado; green tea

M2: Leftover shepherd's pie; green salad w/ avocado and red wine vinaigrette

M3: Shrimp stir-fry

E: Insanity Pure Cardio

 

Day 8:

Pre-WO: Turkey epic bar

M1: Sausage and veggie mix w/avocado; green tea

M2: Leftover stir-fried veggies w/ chicken breast; sweet potato w/ ghee

M3: Potato-crusted cod; broccoli w/ mayo; garlic mashed cauli <-- that's the plan

E: Insanity Cardio Power & Cardio Abs

 

Some friends are going to happy hour today. I may join them and have ONE drink or glass of wine. I'm planning to re-intro non-soy legumes tomorrow.

[lgt2013]

Day 9(39), legume day and I just ate a whole can of refried beans! Talk about food with no brakes, sheesh. I thought the peanut butter was going to be an issue this morning, but that is sitting quietly in the back of my refrigerator.

 

My schedule was weird today, had to be up super early to get the dog to the vet.  I had a pepper and onion omelet and sausage at 6 am and just didn't feel like having the peanut butter. So I had the PB mid-morning at 10:30 with apple slices, along with a couple slices of roasted turkey. Lunch was more turkey w/ mustard, and carrots and jicama with hummus at 12:30. I didn't eat very much of the hummus, maybe about a 1/4 cup. By 3:00 my stomach was distended and very uncomfortable. Dinner was at 7:00, barbacoa beef in lettuce wraps with salsa and guacamole, side of refried beans. I just couldn't get enough of the beans so I kept heating more and more and more until there was no more. Most certainly will not buy those again. I am waiting to see the results. I might be in bed by the time they take effect.

[lgt2013]

Day 11(41). I am really struggling right now. I was dating someone for a few months this winter, then he lost his job and our courtship went on hiatus. I just found out yesterday that he killed himself a few weeks ago. While I'm not sure where our relationship was heading, I am completely heartbroken. We met online, so we have no friends in common. I don't even have much information on it, and his online presence was minimal, so I'm having trouble finding anything as far as a memorial service. Anyway, I really don't have much of an appetite, although I would totally feed my pain with cake or brownies right now if I could. I would love to tear into a bottle of wine right now too. I am thankful for having the whole30 and having learned that doing either of those things will make me feel worse, not better.

[lgt2013]

Day 14(44) non-gluten grain re-intro

 

M1: Oatmeal w/ ghee; 3 egg omelet w/ asparagus, mushroom, and onion

M2: Leftover barbacoa beef; arborio rice; broccoli w/ homemade mayo

M3: Kalua pork in corn tortillas w/ salsa and guac

 

Bloated and gassy a few hours after lunch, but sometimes broccoli does that to me.  I may have to retest without broccoli.

[lgt2013]

Day 15(45)

I don't know how much of my crappy sleep last night can be blamed on my re-intro, or just my life. Or maybe my dog who woke me up at 2:30 to go outside. Anyway, after waking up at 2:30 and taking him out, it took more than an hour to get back to sleep. Went to bed at 11, up from 2:30-3:45ish, out of bed at 7:45, but I'm feeling kind of draggy this morning. I was also really phlegmy during the night. I will retest rice and corn when I get to the end of my re-intros.

 

On a positive note, I have been invited to a fancy-schmancy food and wine pairing dinner at a local fine dining restaurant next Thursday the 16th. I'm really looking forward to this as I have been struggling financially the last few months (and whole30-ing) and not able to go out to any nice dinners. The dinner is 4 courses and only $45pp (a steal for top-quality food and wine, in my book!). Looking at my calendar, I need to get through the rest of my re-intros before, so I'll do dairy this Friday and gluten on Monday. My retest for non-gluten grains will have to happen the following week.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

Enjoy that nice dinner out!

[lgt2013]

Day 16(46)

Yesterday was not the best food day. M1 was fine, 3 eggs with leftover kalua pork and a side of broccoli w/ homemade mayo. It went a little downhill from there: M2 was kalua pork, straight from the container, and leftover carrots and jicama. And then M3 was peanut butter, straight from the jar. Nothing else. That jar of peanut butter is going to work today, and I'm leaving it there. Sheesh. Sleep was okay last night, but I was up for an hour from 4:30-5:30, finally out of bed at 7. I want my good sleep and tiger blood back! Today will be a good food day, and then tomorrow is dairy reintro.

 

I will say that I should be right in the middle of PMS, and my sugar cravings have been relatively low. My car is not veering towards the bakery everyday like it used to. That's something new and different.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

Oh peanut butter....Definitely a food with no brakes for me. I cannot have it at home, too many fond memories of that salty stuff!

[lgt2013]

Yes, the peanut butter is safely in the work refrigerator -- no binge-eating there! It's weird how I don't at all have the same compulsion with almond butter. I've had a full jar in my fridge for probably close to a year.

 

Day 18(48) Yesterday was dairy reintro, went pretty well. I know cream and milk are a significant issue, so I don't even bother. M1 was an asparagus mushroom omelette w/ feta; M2 Salmon over green salad / gorgonzola, pear, and walnuts -- that gorgonzola is almost worth any ill effects! Almost. M3 Chicken thighs and zucchini w feta. No bloating or digestive issues, no noticeable congestion. I can't say if it affected my sleep because I was pretty emotional last night and would not have slept well anyway. I may try to reintro a little cream in mashed potatoes, maybe sour cream, further down the line because I really don't love coconut milk. 

 

Back to whole30 today and tomorrow. Gluten on Monday.

 

Today:

M1: Sausage and sauteed veggies w/ half avocado; green tea

M2: Leftover short ribs w/ cauliflower/potato mash; broccoli

M3: Kalua pork over romaine salad; side of veg. <--- I'll be working a wedding tonight so I may have an epic bar as a snack, either before or after M3, just because I know it's a long event. Not planning on it, but I'll have it just in case.

 

Starting month 2 of Insanity on Monday.

[lgt2013]

Day 19(49)

M1: Sausage, w sauteed veggies and avocado; green tea

snack: turkey Epic Bar

M2: Kalua pork lettuce wraps w/ salsa and avocado

M3: Leftover chicken thighs w/ zucchini; sweet potato w/ ghee

 

Had a 90-minute deep tissue massage this morning, oh so good. Then had to hurry and meet my bff and her daughter for a hike this afternoon, thus the epic bar before the hike.

 

Tomorrow is gluten reintro and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited to have pasta!! And bread! We'll see if that excitement carries over to the days following.

[lgt2013]

Day 51 (I'm done counting from the end of my whole30. I figure it was 51 days ago that I renewed my commitment to this lifestyle.)

 

Yesterday was gluten reintro. Ooof. Worst reintro yet. Mind you there would probably never be a day when I have gluten at all three meals, but it was interesting to see the effects. Here was my day:

M1: 3 eggs over medium, 3 slices bacon, side of broccoli, bulky roll

M2: Buitoni fettucine (from the refrigerated section) with Trader Joe's marinara and grass fed beef

M3: Leftovers fr meal 2, 1/2 pear

 

My intention was to have a salad with both meals 2 and 3, but I was just soooo full! Ugh. All I could think was how UNnutritious my day was. Then, for whatever reason, I ended up staying up until 1 a.m.. Not good! I am understandably groggy today, AND I'm having some unexpected soreness in one of my knees as well as all-over achiness. This is actually something I've noticed before when I've overdone the gluten.

 

My lesson from this reintro: gluten is only for very very very special occasions when it is extremely worth it (namely, my very favorite restaurant that makes it's own pasta), and NEVER for all three meals in one day!

 

P.S. I just got the menu for the food and wine pairing that I'm going to on Thursday and so happy to see that there is minimal dairy and almost no gluten on the whole menu -- gluten only in the dessert, and yes, I will be having dessert!