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First Whole 30 - Log


genghiskhym

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It's Day One and two hours into this I'm feeling good. Ha. I had 3 eggs with spinach and red pepper fried in coconut oil with a small orange and one cup of coffee for breakfast. I'm very used to having a morning snack and afternoon snack and I'm nervous about figuring out how much food I need to hold me until the next meal, but I will figure it out. 

 

Lunch today will be a palm sized portion of grilled salmon with kale slaw and an herb balsamic vinaigrette, with a few macadamia nuts and an apple. Dinner will likely be a steak and a heaping side of brussel sprouts and no more fruit and no dessert. Did you hear that? No dessert!

 

My starting weight is 138.8 and I'm not weighing myself again for 30 days. I'm not weighing myself again for 30 days. I'm not weighing myself for 30 days. I have been dieting since last June and have weighed myself almost everyday since then. My boyfriend put the scale away in a secret place. I don't even know where it is. 

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I was posting in March 30th starters thread, but it fizzled out, so I'm back here. My food log for the first week is below:

 

D1M1: 3 eggs with spinach and red pepper, small orange
D1M2: Salmon, kale slaw with a few macadamias, herb balsamic vinaigrette, apple
D1M3: Turkey taco meat with onions and peppers over green leaf lettuce with guacamole and tomatoes
 
D2M1: leftover taco meat with spinach and tomatoes, 2 eggs and a banana
D2M2: kale slaw salad with herb vinaigrette, salmon and 1/2 a sweet potato
D2M3: Hamburger (just the meat, of course) with heirloom tomato and roasted turnips (these were SO good)
 
D3M1: Wellshire Farms sugar free bacon, 2 eggs, zucchini and strawberries
D3M2: Carne Adovada (it's a New Mexico thing. Pork cooked in spices) with kale slaw and sweet potato
D3M3: Steak and brussel sprouts
 
D4M1: bacon, eggs, an heirloom tomato and strawberries
D4M2: Kale slaw with herb vinaigrette, citrus chicken and 1/2 a sweet potato
snack: banana with almond butter
D4M3: Baked chicken legs, green beans
 
D5M1: Spinach and avocado omelette, strawberries
D5M2: Salad with herb vinaigrette, a chicken leg and leftover citrus chicken
D5M3: Spaghetti squash and ground turkey tomato sauce
 
D6M1: Omelette with spinach, tomatoes and avocado, strawberries
D6M2: Frisee salad with duck, an egg and warm shallot vinaigrette (first restaurant experience on Whole30)
D6M3: Pork chop with salad
 

D7M1: Bacon and eggs, strawberries

snack: apple and almond butter

D7M2: Zucchini with ground turkey tomato sauce + last of leftover citrus chicken

D7M2: Blackened Tilapia with sugar snap peas

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Week 1 reflections:

 

1. I had a bit of a head start on the Whole30. I did the 21-day Primal Blueprint challenge in February, but then went on vacation where I drank beer and ate too many paleo desserts from Whole Foods. I've only had to get over vacation indulgence and completely eliminate dairy and sugars. It's really been smooth sailing and I feel great. 

2. The tendonitis that I've had in my wrist for over a year is gone. I went to occupational therapy, used Kinesio tape and had a cortisone injection (it went away for 3 months after the injection), but I think the Whole30 and continuing in a paleo lifestyle will get rid of it permanently. 

3. I really am happier. 

4. There is freedom in not having to get on the scale. On Day 3, when I ate too much for lunch and felt too full, I didn't have to worry what the scale was going to say the next day. I get to just figure this out without the pressure of weighing myself, which has been the source of frustration and feelings of failure in the past. 

5. I think I might actually be fat adapted. On Saturday we were running around all day and didn't sit down to dinner until 7:30. That's about 6 1/2 hours between meals and I wasn't hangry or dying or freaking out. I was fine. Wow. That in itself is a reason to keep eating like this. More evidence of fat adaption:

6. I've only had two snacks this week, which is a huge win. I used to be a morning AND afternoon snacker. That's what the sugar burning body needs. I would like to figure out a better snack than fruit and almond butter though. I'm especially happy about this one because the idea of not snacking made me nervous about starting the Whole30.

7. I now fit into a pair of jeans that I couldn't quite fit into when I got them. Squeee!

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I'm one of those people that's been on many different diets. In 2012 I was on a vegan diet. I felt amazing when I first started and lost 25 pounds in four months, then my hair started falling out and I got super fatigued. I was eating some fat from avocados and peanut butter, but no oil at all. I was eating a lot of beans, which I was led to believe would be sufficient for protein. I went to my primary care physician and he said that I needed to incorporate oil into my diet and that I probably wasn't getting enough protein. Really good advice from a mainstream doctor.

 

Anyway, the point of all this is that I found this list that I typed up during the good part of that time when I was feeling like I had it all figured out. I did the same exercise on Day 0 of the Whole30, but I like this list better. Three years later I'm feeling like I might REALLY have this figured out and like the things below could become reality. 

 

I want to remain without food cravings.
I want my body to be healthy, fit and pain-free. 

I want to fit into my clothes and buy smaller, cuter clothes. 

I don't want to feel out of control with food issues ever again. 
I don't want to gain weight, feel horrible about myself and have to go through losing it again. 
I don't want to support food companies that promote obesity. 

Remember how you'd eat something that was really fattening and didn't actually taste very good, but you'd keep eating and eating it?

I am choosing behaviors and attitudes that are consistent with the future I want instead of the past I don't want. 

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You go girl!  That's great news about your jeans fitting.  I have a now-tight pair that I would like to fit into as well, without the flabby part hanging over the waist.  I'm hoping this way of eating will do it.  For the last year or so i've been doing the 4-3 fast, so 3 days a week I would have only one small meal, and the rest of the week I ate whatever I wanted.  This worked really well initially then earlier this year I started regaining the weight I lost and the fasting started becoming more difficult.  I didn't like the person I was on those days, very grouchy and short-tempered.

 

I would love to be one of those people who can eat whatever they want but maintain their weight.  They have the whole balancing thing worked out without having to think, plan, prepare.  You know what I mean?  I'm hoping the Whole 30 will get me closer to unconsciously making the right food choices.  I don't have any health issues or allergy issues, at least I don't think so, and I want to be able to eat all those things that Whole 30 restricts, without getting bigger.

 

All the best to you.  It's nice to know someone else is going through the same 30 days as me.  Take care.

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Hey you! I've heard of the 4-3 fast and I've done diets that worked great at first and then just stalled. I understand about being grouchy and short-tempered. 

 

I do know what you mean. I envy those people. I really like eating this way and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to maintain something close to this diet for the rest of my life, which would allow me to focus on the rest of my life and not have to think about food so much of the time. Have you read the posts about what Melissa eats? She eats popcorn with a whole stick of butter! So it's possible to eat a little more normally long term. I hope it's possible for us. 

 

All the best to you as well. 

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I've been sleeping pretty well and getting close to 8 hours of sleep. I have been more tired than usual the last couple days though. I napped yesterday for over an hour and still went to bed at my regular time so I guess I really needed that nap. 

 

Food logs for Days 8 and 9: 

 

D8M1: 3 eggs fried in coconut oil, heirloom tomato and 1/2 an avocado

D8M2: Chicken salad with celery, grapes, almonds and homemade mayo, 1/2 sweet potato, a mango

D8M3: ground beef taco meat in romaine leaves with salsa, strawberries

 

D9M1: leftover taco meat, red pepper and 2 eggs

snack: banana

D9M2: Chicken salad with celery, grapes, almonds and homemade mayo, 1/2 sweet potato

D9M3: Steak, roasted broccoli, macadamia nuts

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Your meals sound delicious.  Are you doing the palm-sized protein and filling the rest of your plate with veg?  I feel like I am eating more than I ever have before but wondering if my plate/veg portion is too big?  

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Thank you. I love to cook. Yes, I'm having one palm sized serving of protein and the rest of the plate veg. It really does seem like a LOT of food. I've only been too full once and the rest of the time I've felt satisfied. I'm finding it very nice after dieting and feeling like I was starving for so long. Are you hungry when it's time to eat the next meal?

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I'm slowly getting used to having breakfast in the morning though at the moment I would rather eat less.  Every morning feels like a Sunday if you know what I mean.

 

So far I am always hungry for lunch and dinner.  I still have cravings for a snack, even after I have a full belly.  I hope by the end of this that will be gone.  I still think about tortilla chips when I have avocado.  I still crave crispy, crunchy textures, but not intensely enough that I would actually do it and ruin my streak.  

 

Another good day checked off.  20 more to go.  Adios!

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It's Day 12. I'm still feeling really motivated and enjoying the food. 

 

My boyfriend loves the taco wraps I've been making, so we've had those and steak twice this week. It was our second dining out experience. We went to Outback Steakhouse and I ordered the steak and steamed broccoli from their gluten-free menu. I didn't miss bread or a baked potato with butter and sour cream. In fact, that steamed broccoli was absolutely delicious. I have gone to that restaurant in the past and left feeling stuffed and uncomfortable and annoyed with myself for eating so much and continuing to eat after I was full. It's amazing that I can stop eating when I'm full now. 

 

On Day 10 I had a non-traditional breakfast for the first time. Green chile stew is a New Mexico thing. It's cubes of pork stew meat with green chile (of course), tomatoes, potatoes and spices. I avoided most of the potatoes. It felt a little weird to eat that at 7am, but it was good. I'm really not getting tired of eggs for meal one, so I'll likely be sticking with those. 

 

(no idea where this quote box came from. Also no idea how to get rid of it. Hrm.)

 

 

 

 

D10M1: green chile stew with 1/2 avocado. an apple
D10M2: Chicken salad with celery, grapes, almonds and homemade mayo, 1/2 sweet potato with coconut oil
D10M3: turkey taco wraps in romaine with tomato, avocado, salsa
 
D11M1: 3 eggs with satueed zucchini, tomato, red pepper, kale, cabbage in coconut oil, 1/2 avocado
D11M2: Chicken salad with celery, grapes, almonds and homemade mayo, 1/2 sweet potato with coconut oil
D11M3: Steak and steamed broccoli
 
This is the last of the chicken salad so I'll be on to something new for meal two. 
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I suddenly started feeling like crap. I got really hot and headachy. I asked my co-worker if it was hot to her. She said no and commented that I'm too young to be going through "the change". Now I'm not as hot but my head, chest and back feel achy and my head is foggy and what the hell is going on?

 

I had bacon (Wellshire Farms - no sugar), eggs and strawberries for breakfast, which I've had before and felt fine with. I did go out to eat last night and I'm wondering if there was something nefarious in my steak and steamed broccoli that is just now affecting me. MSG in the steak seasoning maybe? Maybe it's completely unrelated to food, but everything feels related to food right now. 

 

I'm drinking a ton of water and hoping it will pass. Sigh. 

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Then I started feeling crappy again. I took a nap and felt fine the rest of the night. Day 13, was an almost exact repeat of Day 12 with the cycles of feeling crappy and not crappy. Anyway, Day 14 went by and I felt fine.

 

Food logs for the last three days:

 
D12M1: 3 eggs, 3 bacon and strawberries
D12M2: green chile stew, salad with with 1/2 avocado and herb viniagrette dressing
D12M3: Pork chops and green beans 
 
D13M1: Frittata with spinach, tomatoes, green chile, bacon
D13M2: Salad at Whole Foods with chicken, hard boiled egg, oil and vinegar
D13M3: Pork tenderloin with swiss chard, strawberries
 
D14M1: 3 egg omelet with spinach, tomatoes, green chile, bacon and 1/2 avocado
D14M2: salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, grapes
D14M3: green chicken curry and small sweet potato with coconut butter
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Week 2 reflections:

 

1. I think I only had one snack this week. Woot! I was hungry between breakfast and lunch and ate the banana I was going to have with lunch. 

2. I'm less reliant on nuts that I thought I would be. At first I thought, "As long as I can have fruit and nuts I can do this Whole30 thing.". I'm finding that I just don't need nuts. I only had a small handful this week.

3. I love fruit. I have said, in the past, that I could be a fruitatarian. I'm eating one serving of fruit a day because I keep buying fruit and I think I love it and want it and maybe even need it. I'm thinking that might be changing. I didn't buy any fruit this week and I'm gong to try reducing the frequency that I eat fruit and see how it goes. When peach season rolls around all bets are off though. 

4. I haven't had sugar cravings. I think this goes hand-in-hand with feeling like I could do with less fruit. Such a feeling of freedom. The sugar dragon is hibernating. I just hope I don't go crazy after 30 days and wake him up. 

5. I bought 3 pairs of size 6 pants this week and they all fit. I wear a size 6! That is crazy.

6. I spent HOURS in the kitchen yesterday. I roasted beets and sweet potatoes. I cut up kale and cabbage. I made salads for my boyfriend. I made chicken curry. I made stuffed green peppers. Grrrr. The stuffed pepper saga: I had them on my dinner plate and was getting ready to sit down when my boyfriend mentions that it doesn't look like there is much sauce on the peppers. I reminded him that he bought a tiny can of tomato sauce. He brings out a big can and says, "Well, this one has sugar in it and that one didn't." I pull the can out of the recycling bag -- organic sugar! -- I put the peppers back in the pan and warmed up the curry. My boyfriend said the peppers were great. Sigh. Glad he like them. 

7. My breath is better and my teeth feel cleaner.

8. I was quite tired this week. Looking forward to tiger blood rearing its energetic head.

 

Let's get on with Week Three!

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I'm down to 4 pears from the CSA box that I'm going to eat before I try the no fruit thing. I think the coconut milk in the chicken curry is making me bloated. I'm glad the curry is gone. I was feeling really skinny last week and bloated is not what I want to feel right now.

 

D15M1: 3 eggs fried in coconut oil and 1/2 a roasted beet
D15M2: Green curry chicken, salad with 1/2 avocado
D15M3: Steak and roasted turnips, apple
 
D16M1: 3 eggs fried in coconut oil with zucchini, onion, green pepper
D16M2: Green curry chicken, salad with 1/2 avocado, small sweet potato
D16M3: Grilled chicken breast and brussel sprouts, grapes
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Day 19 and I'm definitely going through the "For the love of Gosling, my pants are TIGHTER." phase. I'm also going through the "Holy Crap I can't eat another bite" phase, as well as the "Why in the hell am I awake in the middle of the night...AGAIN?" phase. I'm hopeful that these are truly just phases and that before I step on the scale on Day 31 they will have passed. 

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Catching up on meal logs:

 

D17M1: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 bacon, heirloom tomato

D17M2: Grilled chicken breast, salad with heirloom tomato, pear and 1/2 avocado, 1/2 small sweet potato
D17M3: Tilapia with homemade tartar sauce and sauteed zucchini
 
D18M1: 3 scrambled eggs, heirloom tomato
D18M2: Grilled chicken breast, salad with heirloom tomato, pear, 1/4 small sweet potato
D18M3: Turkey taco wraps with 1/4 avocado and salsa, strawberries
 
D19M1: Leftover turkey taco meat with onions and red peppers
D19M2: Chicken thigh with salad and 1/4 sweet potato, strawberries
D19M3: Burgers and cole slaw with homemade mayo (soooo good)
 
Went for a hike and a bike ride
D20M1: 2 eggs with pork sausage
D20M2: Chicken sausages with salad, strawberries
PWO: turkey jerky
D20M3: Pork chops and grilled broccoli, strawberries
 
D21M1: Omelette with tomatoes, spinach and green chile, bacon
D21M2: Chicken stir fry wraps
Snack: Banana
D21M3: Steak with roasted turnips and carrots
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Week 3 reflections:

 

1. One snack this week and no nuts. The CSA put a free box of strawberries in this week so I ate those over the weekend. I'm going to try less fruit this week.

 

2. The pants are tighter phase took a week to get through. It was the hardest part of this for me. There were times I felt so full and bloated and like I was gaining weight. 

 

3. The Whole30 and camping go very well together! We took the travel trailer about 4 hours south of us. It was easy to figure out what to eat and easy to execute (my boyfriend did all the cooking). The Whole30 compliant cole slaw I made was amazing. 

 

4. I have chronic low back pain and it's getting better. When I did the 21-day primal challenge then went on vacation two days later it didn't hurt at all on vacation, which is the first time in 10 months that it didn't hurt. Then sugar and beer on vacation, and back to sitting all day, and two days later it was raging again. Last week it started loosening up and it's feeling a lot better. I'm curious to see if any of the reintroductions will make it worse. 

 

5. Exercise - The first two weeks I didn't go to the gym because I wanted to focus on the food. I took walks at work so I could get up from my desk. Last week I went back to the gym and rode the stationary bike for 30-45 minutes and lifted weights. I had a lot of energy and had really great workouts. On the camping trip I hiked and went for a bike ride. It was my first hike in 10 months because of my back pain and it felt so good. There was a time when I wondered if I'd ever be able to hike again and I got really depressed because of that.

 

6. Speaking of depressed. I'm prone to it. Nothing major, but always an undercurrent of sadness. When I was hiking I thought that maybe that undercurrent of sadness is fading. There were definitely moments this weekend where I didn't feel it. I'm so used to it being there and I didn't expect it to go away because I changed how I eat. 

 

7. I got a little obsessed with what I was going to reintroduce when the time comes. I've been reading the forum about reintroductions and creating a schedule, which is ever changing. I can live without beans, so decided not to do a full reintroduction of legumes. I was just going to do peanut butter. Then I read what ISWF says about peanuts and decided I can live without peanut butter too. Then I decided I was going to do a separate reintro for soy, soy sauce in particular. Well, I bought coconut aminos and my boyfriend and I agreed that we can eliminate soy sauce. Now I'm thinking about just making a paleo dessert that is SWYPO for my first day off Whole30. I want to do non-gluten grains on a weekend and the current plan is: oatmeal, corn (tortillas), white rice (sushi). Dairy: Yogurt, cheese and ice cream. Ice Cream will have to be Haagen-Dazs, I looked at the ingredients for my former favorite local frozen yogurt shop and it all contains carrageenan. I have no business eating anything that causes inflammation, so that's out for life. Sadness. I'm doing a separate reintro for beer then I'll do gluten grains. I don't think I'll ever incorporate gluten grains back into my diet, but am curious how they affect me.

 

8. My boyfriend is not doing the Whole30, but he's made a few changes to his primal diet, like reducing dairy. He's losing more weight, which is mildly annoying. He's already 11 pounds down from his goal weight and he weighs 6 pounds less than I did when when we started dieting last summer. He's lost over 45 pounds. I'm super proud of him, but it's so easy for him that it can be annoying. At least he understands that. (Just to be clear - Paleo is not a diet for us, it's a lifestyle).

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I find it totally annoying that guys lose weight so easily and quickly.  I'm sure if my other half followed this plan he would be feeling much healthier, but he needs to decide that for himself.  That's so great that your boyfriend has a similar eating plan, i'm sure that helps a lot, especially with the cooking.

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D22M1: 3 scrambled eggs and a zucchini

D22M2: Tuna salad with greens and 1/2 beet

D22M3: Chicken stir fry with coconut aminos

 

D23M1: 3 scrambled eggs with red pepper and 1/2 avocado

D23M2: Chicken thigh with salad, 1/2 sweet potato with coconut butter

Snack: apple with almond butter 

D23M3: 3 baby back ribs with no-sugar BBQ sauce and coleslaw (I knew I wasn't on a diet after eating this.)

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I'm posting this review of the new book on Amazon:

 

I got the new Whole30 book yesterday and plowed through what interested me. I'll read every word later. It's a beautiful book and contains a lot of new and useful information. It already answered a couple questions that apply to my Whole30 experience. Like why I'm waking up in the middle of the night (blood sugar not quite stabilized yet) and how much fat to add if the meat has fat (don't count the meat and add fat). I'm on Day 24 and a little obsessed about reintroductions. The additional reintro information is very useful and is helping me figure out how to manage that part of the program. I'm also happy with the kitchen fundamentals and recipe sections. I'm a good cook and am always interested in learning new techniques, even about the basics. This book is a big win for the Whole30 program. As Melissa says, "Winning!".

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D24M1: 3 eggs, 3 bacon, 1/2 avocado

D24M2: Zucchini and tomato sauce

D24M3: 2 Chicken legs and green beans

 

D25M1: Chicken leg, egg and plaintains fried in coconut oil

D25M2: Broiled Halibut with avocado mayo and satueed carrots and zucchini

D25M3: Sloppy Joes on romaine with colesaw

 

The halibut lunch yesterday was the best meal ever. 

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I had tiger blood on days 24 and 25 then felt like crap on day 26 and the morning of day 27. Tiger blood was back by the afternoon of day 27. I think I've had allergies. Maybe they will eventually go away if I keep eating like this. 

 

D26M1: Halibut with avocado mayo and 2 poached eggs

D26M2: Salad with bacon, chicken thigh, tomatoes, avocado with a mayo based dressing that I made up on-the-fly. 1/2 sweet potato with coconut oil. 

D26M3: Pork chops with coleslaw

 

D27M1: Frittata with spinach, tomatoes and green chile, homemade pork sausage 

D27M2: Salad with chicken thigh, tomatoes, avocado with herb vinaigrette. 1/2 sweet potato with coconut oil. 

D27M3: Lemon butter (ghee) cod with roasted broccoli stalks and zucchini. 

 

I listened to a few of the Paleo f(x) live stream sessions Friday and yesterday. The most interesting was the "Don't let the perfect get in the way of the good" panel with Mark Sisson and others that I wasn't familiar with. They had a lot of good things to say:

  • Self-acceptance, right now, is attainable. I'm working on this and it's working on me.
  • Better>Perfect. I am better than I was in January, February and March. I am better than I was a year ago, 2 years ago, 10 years ago. 
  • get to>have to. I get to eat this eat way. I get to be healthy and kind to my body.
  • Watch the Allen Savory TED talk. Done. Mind blown.
  • Put your money where your mouth is. Watch for Mutual Funds that invest in junk food, non-food companies. 

I keep thinking about getting on the scale Wednesday morning. I have a number in my head and I keep inching it up and negotiating with myself about what I'm going to be okay with. I trying to convince myself that 2 pounds lost is okay, even though I think I've lost more than that. Yes, tons of non-scale victories, but I know what they are. I don't know what the scale victory is. 

 

I've done yoga off and on for about 15 years. I was doing Day 7 of 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene on YouTube yesterday: downward facing dog, right leg in air, right leg to right elbow, leg back up, right knee to left elbow, leg back up, right knee to nose. It wasn't hard. I felt light and strong. I remembered how hard this was at 160 lbs. I feel very grateful to be where I am now. 

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