Staceylc's Whole30 Log

[staceylc_w30]

Day 24: Great food day! Three meals, and I had a lot of fun putting things together in the kitchen.

 

M1: Salmon and salad (romaine, 1/2 avo, balsamic).

M2: Stir-fry: marinated beef (OO, balsamic, smoked paprika, 4-6 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper), onion, carrot, Brussels sprouts, spaghetti squash.

M3: Kickass fajita stir-fry with beef, pasilla chile, red pepper, onion, lime juice, cumin, TJ's Hatch Valley salsa. Salad (romaine, 1/2 avo, balsamic, squirt of lime).

Evening snack: closed handful of raw cashews. I hate to blame fresh cherries for waking up the Sugar Dragon, but I suspect eating them is why I wanted a "little something" before bed. Proud that I didn't eat more than a small serving of nuts.

 

Someone else noticed I'd lost weight, and I got to talk about Whole30. Good stuff! I feel tired today. Time to stop going to bed at midnight!

[staceylc_w30]

Day 25: can't believe I'm on Day 25! Man, has the time sped up. I'm sticking to my guns and finishing this thing out! Thinking about how much longer I want to keep going, and whether to start reintroducing foods after Day 30. I'm pretty happy the way things are.

 

M1: Leftover stir-fry.

M2: "Picnic" of olives, a little bit of the remaining stir-fry, 1/4 apple, and a couple of pieces of cauliflower. Felt satisfied at the time, but I will want a bigger dinner.

M3: Snacked on jicama while prepping dinner. Chicken thigh, cauli-tatoes, giant salad w/romaine, 1/4 apple, zucchini, 1/4 avo, balsamic.

Evening snack: small closed handful of raw cashews. Not craving anything; just felt a little hungry and didn't want to eat a lot before bed.

 

Ran into another Paleo person who does Whole30 every so often, and her Dad is doing it now, too. He went to the eye doctor after cataract surgery, and was told that he had no inflammation in the eyes. None. That rarely happens. Quite an endorsement for the anti-inflammatory properties of good, whole, fresh food. Whole30 for the win!

[staceylc_w30]

Day 26: Feeling really great about honoring my commitment to eat only Whole30-compliant foods for 30 days. Haven't always followed the template, but have not cheated one time with non-compliant foods.

 

M1: Leftover beef and red pepper stir-fry.

M2: "Picnic" of two chicken thighs, cherries, and cashews.

M3: sirloin patty, leftover faux-tatoes, zoodles, big salad with 1/4 avo and balsamic.

[staceylc_w30]

Day 27: woke up with a headache and didn't feel all that great. My face is breaking out, and I'm not sure if it's something I've been eating, or the sweating in the heat that's causing it. Averaging over 80 oz. of water/day, and need to work on being consistent with the amount.

 

M1: Canned salmon, romaine, 1/4 avo, balsamic

M2: Munched on black olives, cherries, and cashews. Not very smart, but it's hot in the house, and I don't feel like eating anything substantial.

M3: binged on cashews. Stupid, and I should have eaten a salad with my lunch. Now my stomach is upset. At least the cashews are gone, and I won't be buying any more.

 

Everything I ate was compliant in theory, but I did binge on cashews instead of fixing something on-plan to eat for lunch and dinner. I'm also getting really tired of being "irregular" despite eating veggies, drinking water, and taking magnesium. Back on track tomorrow.

[staceylc_w30]

Day 28: sleeping enough (and on a regular schedule) is going to be my next focus. I'll get a couple of days of 8+ hours, then drop to 7, or 5. Going to bed on time is the hardest part.

 

M1: Fresh-cooked Copper River salmon, romaine, 1/4 avo, balsamic.

M2: Didn't eat because I was taking a nap. Slept just under five hours last night, then took a three-hour nap this afternoon.

M3: Chicken apple sausage, 1.25 oz guacamole, raw carrots, cooked cauliflower.

 

Can't believe the month is almost over! I'm staying strong and not weighing myself, and not eating anything off plan.

[staceylc_w30]

Day 29: Had my first food dream last night. I remember the cheesy crunchy goodness of the patty melt, and the awful knowledge, after just a few bites, that I had blown my Whole30 on Day 29. Boy was I happy to wake up, even if I do have a pounding headache. Today I'm going to eat more carbs!

 

M1: Copper River salmon, romaine, Tessamae balsamic dressing. I'm missing my homemade avocado+balsamic mash on my salad!

M2: Raw carrots and 1/2 a single-serve container of guacamole. Not hungry enough to make a meal.

M3: Chicken apple sausage, steamed cauliflower.

 

Not a good template day. It's 9pm and I'm hungry, because I didn't eat enough. Good thing I don't have nuts or something munchy in the house. I'm going to make some decaf tea and have some coconut oil in it, to see if that helps me feel less hungry.

[staceylc_w30]

Day 30: It's DAY 30! This has been a fantastic experience, and I am going to keep going!

 

M1: Marinated beef strips and guacamole over romaine. Yummy!

M2: Marinated beef strips, and a pile of cooked carrots

M3: Copper River salmon over romaine with mashed sweet potato, olive oil, and balsamic

 

Still not as regular as I would like, and my face is still breaking out. Something's not too happy, and I'm still not sleeping enough. Go to bed!

[staceylc_w30]

Day 31: weighed myself today (not making that a habit, but I wanted to know) and I've shed 8 pounds! Numerous NSVs that I'll document soon [edit: see below]. Decided I'm going to keep going for at least a Whole42. Weird number, I know, but I'll be traveling extensively and visiting old haunts and new places. I plan to eat Whole30-style until I either a. can't find or pack W30 food in the cooler or b. find something off-plan that is totally worth it.

 

NSVs of note:

• Eating way more veggies now. Eating salads out of a mixing bowl, and I crave my avocado and balsamic mashed dressing.
• Taking a cooler with compliant snacks is easy; keeps me on track and lets me talk about the program when people ask about it.
• M1, M2, M3 = revelation. Eat what's in the fridge, whatever time it is. Easy peasy.
• No more "what do I want to eat" or "there's nothing in the fridge" drama. Use the template, put some stuff in a bowl, and eat it.
• Saving money on whole, fresh foods vs. throwing out shriveled or moldy veggies b/c I never used them all.
• Remembering that I like to cook, vs. feeling like it's too much trouble to cook for one person. It's fun now.
• Doing a cook-up every few days makes life so much easier! Now I cook for 2-4, and eat it all or freeze it. Grab and go.
• Fitting back into my 15-year old Levi's [note: now they're too big, and I'm buying smaller sizes].
• Sleeping deeply, and waking up on my own vs. hitting snooze repeatedly and dragging out of bed.
• Energy! I have it, and there are no afternoon slumps or energy crashes.
• Not usually hungry between meals; if I do get hungry, it's manageable and I'm not hangry/crabby.
• Food knowledge and knowing the consequences of eating something off-plan.
  • Fruit = Sugar Dragon (if eaten alone and/or too sweet) and bloating (if the serving is too large).
  • Grains = bloating and energy crashes.
  • Dairy = breakouts and digestive issues.
  • Nuts = binge.
  • Treats = headache the next day. They might look delicious, but often don't taste as good as they look / taste as good as I remember them. Very few things are actually "worth it."

Pretty impressive list of NSVs. I truly enjoy "riding my own bike" nutritionally, and returning to the discipline of the program whenever things start to get out of hand. Finally understanding that I am completely responsible for what goes into my body - and not feeling apologetic or self-conscious about it - is another gift of having done a Whole30. This program truly is life-changing, and I'm so glad I did it. Thank you, Melissa & Dallas, Robin, the Mods, and every other one of you on the forums. You've taught me so much, made me feel like part of a club, and made me laugh out loud when I needed it most.