Young supermamma breast cancer survivor first whole30

[nicholedvm]

I'm a 42 year old breast cancer survivor busy mom with 2 precious children aged 5 (boy) and 8 (girl) who are my world! I am also a veterinarian and own and practice at two hospitals while still being a present mom and doing the whole 30 for the first time! My reason is my children and my desire to live to see their weddings, college graduations and their children. I'm still learning to navigate this so if I am doing something wrong forgive me. I'm doing my food log for today which is not perfect but it is compliant I believe. I would love to hear from others on the program if you wish to connect! 

 

Breakfast - Ok I could not get myself to eat much as I was groggy and not very hungry so I just ate an apple with some almond butter and snacked on some nuts and dried fruit while working

Lunch- chicken breast tortilla soup at a restaurant (made from scratch) with no cheese or tortilla strips added and a few more nuts/dried mango afterward

dinner- chicken legs (2) with sauteed veggies (green beans, mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, white potato) and a green salad with olive oil and balsamic 

 

(two cups of coffee with almond milk in between meals)

 

I am trying to eat the least amount of food that satisfies me without being hungry- now I'm wondering if I'm eating too little? I plan to be back on track with my usual egg scrambles tomorrow morning. 

[jmcbn]

Hey there & welcome to whole30ville - you've done good in making it here - that's the first step!

You know your breakfast wasn't great, but it IS important to make the effort and eat meal one within an hour of wakening. It's key in getting your hormones back into check & will set you up for the day. Try to stick to the meal template as the fruit, nut butter & dried fruit combo will only set your blood sugar levels soaring in the morning, followed by a huge dip later in the day causing faux hunger, cravings, fatigue etc etc etc....

Try to stay away from nuts & dried fruit in general as they can be a food with no brakes for a lot of people, the dried fruit can keep the sugar dragon alive, and the nuts can cause digestive distress.

The rest of your meals don't look too bad, although with a soup it's hard to know how much protein you are eating unless you can stand a spoon up in it...!!

The best way to tell if you're eating enough is if your meals are keeping you full for 4-5hrs - if they are then you're doing good, if you're finding the need to snack then you need to add more at each meal.

If you MUST snack try & stick to a 'mini meal' of protein & fat.
 

[nicholedvm]

Thank you for your reply. I posted this to the Facebook page today. Any advice is very appreciated!

Thank you for accepting me to the group! I'm a 42 year old cancer survivor with 2 kids and a lot of belly fat to get rid of! I'm frustrated because I made the big mistake of stepping on the scale today and have only lost about a pound in 8 days!!! frown emoticon I know it's not supposed to be about the weight but for me, I am about 50 lbs overweight and have fat in my liver (and having this fat puts me at higher risk for recurrence of cancer) so I really do need to lose it! Should I eat very small portions? How do you lose a significant amount of weight on this plan? Also, there are no really healthy restaurants around me. Hubby and I went to El Torito and I modified a chicken salad- assuming it is not compliant perhaps due to the cilantro dressing or how the chicken was cooked but cannot find the ingredients online!

[jmcbn]

Hi there - I replied to this in the other thread you'd copied it to - here's what I said:

You should eat as per the recommended meal template, three times a day. Make your meals big enough to keep you satiated for 4-5hrs, avoid snacking, and your body should start to heal, and your hormones start to settle. Then, and only then, you may start to see weight loss as a nice side effect from eating good wholesome food.

Don't measure, don't restrict, don't count calories, macros, micros or points. Just focus on eating to the template three times a day.

When you're eating out it's probably safest to opt for grilled chicken or fish with steamed veg, or dry salads - get into the habit of bringing your own dressings - and ask, all the time, everywhere you go, what oils they sue to cook, what ingredients are in the foods. It's the only way!