Sunni's Whole30 Log

[Sunni]

Hi Whole30 Community! I started doing whole 30 yesterday, June 29, and am doing good so far (I didn't get around to posting yesterday, so I'll try and catch up tonight after all my meals).

 

I'm Sunni, 26 years old, stay-at-home mom to two kids, 3 1/2 and 3 months old. My husband and I are doing the whole 30 together and are stoked for the end results. I am choosing to do this for more energy, to jump start into eating healthier food, get rid of my constant snacking urges, help my nursing baby be healthier, and (hopefully) lose a little of my lingering belly fat that I think is largely due to my snacking on unhealthy food all the time.

 

 

Day 1:

Breakfast - Spinach, egg, and ground beef muffins and a banana (probably not trying this again, not my favorite)

Snack - Carrots and celery

Lunch - Turkey, avocado, bacon sweet potato sliders

Dinner - Almond flour breaded pork chops with mashed potatoes and slaw (red cabbage, apple, nectarine, kiwi, and orange juice dressing)

 

I felt pretty good all day. I felt ravenous a few hours after breakfast before getting home from church for lunch, so I had some carrots and celery (forgot to get fatty snacks like nuts at the store). I was also quite hungry for dinner and ate a little faster than I probably should have, but I stopped when I still felt hungry and a little later my stomach caught up with my brain and I was completely satisfied! It was great - usually I think I eat so fast that I don't recognize when I'm actually full, so I keep eating.

 

I know I'm nursing so I need more food than usual, but I want to try and keep it to 3 meals a day since that works better for our schedule than 4 meals like has been recommended to me. I've been doing fine hunger-wise so far today as I write this (day 2, breakfast and lunch so far) so I think I just need to keep adjusting the size of my plate.

 

Anyway, off to a good start!

[Sunni]

Day 2:

Preworkout snack: egg and spinach muffin

Breakfast: egg and turkey scramble with sweet potato, zucchini, and kale hash

Lunch: leftover pork, potatoes, and slaw

Dinner: lemon chicken, yellow squash, and green salad with balsamic vinegar dressing

I felt pretty exhausted all day for day 2, though that could be in part to my running a mile longer than normal. I also got a mild headache halfway through the day that wouldn't go away. But that's expected, right? So I suppose all is going well!

[Sunni]

Day 3:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with sweet potato hash (same as yesterday), apricot

Lunch: leftovers from day 2, plus a handful of cashews

Snack: celery with almond butter

Dinner: meatloaf with beef, apples, onions and substitute recipe for ketchup, and broccoli

I woke up completely dead, though my body perked up a little after breakfast. I had to make it sitting down cause my arms could barely hold their own! I took today easy with the kids, no outings, so I think that helped, because I gained some energy back in the afternoon, and it stayed around until a few hours after dinner. Ready for bed, hopefully tomorrow won't be as draining.

[Sunni]

Day 4:

Breakfast: vanilla chia pudding with 1/2 mango, plus hard boiled egg for extra protein. Probably not the best choice for breakfast, but we're getting sick of so much eggs we wanted something different for breakfast.

Lunch: turkey bacon avocado sliders, carrots

Snack: hard boiled egg

Dinner: curry chicken salad

Today was wonderful. I was still lacking a bit in energy, but I'm leaving that reason to my son waking at 4:30 cause he wet himself and then I couldn't go back to sleep. Parenting joys... Anyway, I've been eating good amounts and feel like I'm eating good foods. Plus I made paleo mayo today that turned out very well, and so I feel totally on top of it!

[Sunni]

Whew, I am behind on this log! I have been keeping up with it, I didn't just stop, but I haven't had a spare (alert) moment to work on this. So... here goes a probably not 100% accurate log of the past several days.

 

Day 5:

 

Breakfast: Veggie omelette

Lunch: Curry chicken salad leftovers

Dinner: Lettuce burgers at Mooyah with homemade ketchup

 

This day I woke up feeling a little weak, then as I constructed our bigger-than-life omelettes (still learning size proportions here!) I started to feel very, very nauseous. I tried eating but after one bite felt like I needed to throw up... so I lay down. I tried half a pear just to get something in my stomach, but that didn't go very well either. Thank goodness after an hour nap I felt much better and was able to eat breakfast, then the day carried on. I was weak all day but never got nauseous after the first bit.

 

 

Day 6:

 

Breakfast: Bacon and egg sliders with sweet potato "buns"

Lunch: I can't remember, but I'm sure it was good

Dinner: chicken nuggets with almond flour and some veggie

 

Sooo weak on this day. In fact, I have pretty much been a zombie from days 5 to 10.

 

 

Day 7:

 

Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, avocado with coconut aminos as flavoring

Lunch: Tuna, mayo, cucumbers with carrots and celery and almond butter

Dinner: Homemade lettuce burgers with cucumbers and red bell peppers, fruit kabobs

 

This day was the 4th of July, our first challenge doing a social eating gathering with our own food. I was actually quite happy with the foods we had, but family saying "you can't have this? Aww, I'm so sorry!" all the time made it kind of frustrating.

 

 

Day 8:

 

Breakfast: scrambled eggs and peppers

Lunch: Tuna salad

Dinner: Hamburger patties with homemade bbq sauce, potato salad, fruit salad, watermelon, salad

 

I was initially so excited for this day, because we were celebrating my brother's birthday with my parents and my dad was cooking steak. However, I learned that my dad put standard bbq sauce on all of the steaks so we couldn't have any.  

 

 

Day 9:

 

Breakfast: Apple pie scramble (eggs, apple, spinach, apple pie seasonings) 

http://myhealthyhappyhome.com/2013/05/04/non-dairy-options/

Lunch: I don't remember

Dinner: lamb neck, leftover salad and potato salad, fruit salad

 

I think I overdid it on the fruit this day. And dinner was miserable. I have never cooked lamb before, and though I SWEAR I bought lamb chops, we ended up being grossed out and unable to eat the lamb. Oh well, live and learn!

 

 

Day 10:

 

Breakfast: Mexican hash egg bake 

http://paleomg.com/mexican-hash-egg-bake

 

Lunch: I can't remember

Dinner: BBQ chicken and ratatouille

"Dessert": Green smoothie 

 

This was my last day of constant zombiness! Hopefully... also, my husband and I went out for a date and couldn't resist trying to find a treat. We found a green smoothie at a local smoothie restaurant, and it was almost tasteless, so that was pointless, but at least we didn't have any sugar like we usually do!

 

 

Day 11:

 

Breakfast: eggs and peppers

Lunch: Leftover Mexican hash, strawberries

Dinner: Citrus orange pork (so good!) and roasted eggplant

 

This day was the first time I had a constant flow of energy in quite some time and it was wonderful. I never felt like I needed a nap like I usually do while caring for my two littles, and I was pleased with all of the foods I was able to eat.

 

 

Day 12:

 

Breakfast: zucchini/sweet potato latke 

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/08/zucchini-sweet-potato-latkes-2.html

Lunch: Leftover pork and ratatouille

Dinner (planning to have): Sun dried tomato meatballs with spaghetti squash

http://everydaypaleo.com/sun-dried-tomato-meatballs-with-creamy-pesto/

Dessert (planning to have): Poached pears with raspberry coconut cream dressing

 

I wasn't feeling quite on top of my game like I was yesterday, but after a couple late nights I'm not surprised. Also, we are having game night with some friends tonight, and we usually do dinner and dessert together, but since we're doing the Whole 30 we decided to just make some healthy dessert for them. I poached the pears yesterday and they smelled divine, so I can't wait!

[Sunni]

By the way, can I say I HATE meal planning and going to the store right now? It takes so much more time than I've ever put into it. We usually just do cold cereal in the morning, sandwiches for lunch, then I make double for dinner so we can have leftovers during the week and I only have to cook 3-4 times a week. This has been such a challenge for me, and last week as I planned it was literally an all day effort, which was hard since I had 0 energy at all. Anyway... hopefully for this next week it will go much smoother, since I 1) have more energy and 2) am more used to doing this!

[Sunni]

Day 13:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, cucumber, banana, cashews, coconut flakes

Lunch: leftover meatballs and spaghetti squash

Dinner: salmon cakes (with sweet potato) and fruit salad

Not enough veggies this day... We went to a bbq where there was supposed to be green salads we were planning on eating, but of course they all had cheese and added dressing in them. Thank goodness we could have fruit salad with our salmon cakes we made.

I had a decent amount of energy this day. Hoping I have more as this goes on!

[Sunni]

Day 14:

 

Breakfast: Bacon butternut squash quiche

http://myhealthyhappyhome.com/2014/01/18/bacon-butternut-squash-quiche-whole30-meal-planning/

Lunch: grilled BBQ chicken, grilled zucchini, grilled red potatoes, watermelon, green salad

Dinner: Leftover salmon cakes, ratatouille 

 

 

Day 15:

 

Breakfast: Chia vanilla pudding, banana, egg, zucchini and yellow squash

Snack: cashews

Lunch: Roast beef, cucumber, avocado wrapped in lettuce, carrots, snap peas

Dinner: Slow cooker kaula pork, slaw

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig

 

 

Day 16:

 

Breakfast: leftover quiche

Lunch: Leftover pork and slaw

Dinner: Chicken curry and cauliflower rice

https://instagram.com/p/sxgYycA1v4/?taken-by=homemadetoast

 

 

Day 17:

 

Breakfast: Apple pie scramble

Lunch: Roast beef, cucumber, avocado wrapped in lettuce, blueberries, strawberries, apple pie larabar

Dinner: Asian beef and broccoli

 

I am not doing so hot at remembering to record each day!

Anyway, I am happy to say that today my energy levels were pretty much constant from the morning to the evening, minus half an hour or so after I came back from a couple hour drive. Unfortunately my husband decided to quit today due to it being too hard to do while traveling for business (and he missed bread oh so badly). So I'm doing it solo, but I truly am enjoying what I am eating, so I don't think it'll be too hard to keep it up by myself (especially when I was doing all the food prep by myself in the first place!). 

On another note, I had a bizarre dream last night in which there was month-old cupcakes sitting in the cupboard and coming out of the walls and I couldn't stop myself from stuffing my face with the frosting, even though I knew I was breaking the rules. I haven't even been craving cupcakes so I don't know where that one came from!

[Sunni]

Day 18:

Pre-workout snack: hard boiled egg

Breakfast: egg scramble with zucchini, yellow squash, sun dried tomatoes, hot sauce

Lunch: tuna, cucumber, tomato salad with strawberries

Snack: 2 peaches (they were going bad), cashews, coconut flakes, celery and almond butter. I was ravenous!

Dinner: leftover chicken curry and cauli rice

Good energy levels this day! I'm happy to not be needing a nap anymore. It allows me to get other things done when my kids nap.

Day 19:

Breakfast: eggs and sweet potato/zucchini/kale hash

Snack: nuts and carrots

Lunch: huge chicken salad with lettuce, kale, red pepper, tomato, cucumber, mayo, grapes, and a few strawberries on the side

Dinner (planned): leftover broccoli and beef

I feel like I'm losing control of my ability to listen to when I'm full. I'm really enjoying food so when I have some in front of me I want to eat it all, regardless of whether I am satisfied or not. I went to Costco today and let my son have samples of everything and I'm now missing all my foods quite a bit. So... I think I'm trying to make it up by eating more than I should. It's healthy food, but still, not a healthy habit. I'm going to try to do better now on at finishing when I'm full.

[Sunni]

So, update: I am currently on day 25 and looking and feeling amazing. My energy levels have been consistent, which is the main thing I was hoping to obtain from doing this experiment. It has been hard the past few days since my husband quit, but I've been carrying on and still sticking to the program. On Monday I went on a run and ran farther than I have in a very long time (just 3 miles, but it was long to me!) and it felt wonderful. So things are going very, very well.

 

I want to do the 10-day reintroduction plan. I was looking at our calendar, and there are a few food-related things coming up that will be making the whole30 program difficult to comply with. Since I am feeling at the top of my game right now, and am very happy with the results, I have chosen to start the reintroduction today instead of waiting until I have completed the full 30 days. Though I am not going for a full straight 30 days, I will still end up being mostly whole30 compliant for a whole week later than I was originally planning, so I feel this is still very beneficial. It's been getting a little stressful at home dealing with two types of meals for everyone (since I'm the only one cooking around here), especially when our budget is tight as it is. I have appreciated doing this program so far and am hoping to continue to see good results as I incorporate these meals into our regular meal plan. So... hurray for me completing a whole24! 

 

So for the next 10 days or so, I will be (hopefully) staying on top of my log to track exactly how I am feeling each day so I can determine how each food type affects my body. Here goes!

[Sunni]

Reintroduction day 1 (LEGUMES):

 

Breakfast: Eggs, zucchini/sweet potato/kale hash, banana with peanut butter, peach (my son wouldn't eat it after I cut it up for him and I hate seeing food go to waste!)

Lunch: Salmon, braised red cabbage with apple, lentils

Snack: celery with peanut butter, cashews

Dinner: Sweet potato, turkey, black beans, salsa

 

Most of the day I was fine. I've actually been a bit tired from late nights/early mornings and a run I did this morning, but it hasn't been too bad, and I'm pretty sure it's not related to anything I'm eating. I did start experiencing light gas a few hours after lunch but nothing too bad. We'll see how the next couple of days go!

[macysknits]

Thanks for all the meal ideas! Congrats on completing your Whole30.

[Sunni]

Reintroduction day 2 (Whole30):

 

Breakfast: Eggs and broccoli (I've been having simple breakfasts lately... laziness!)

Lunch: Sweet potato, salmon

Snack: banana, cashews, raisins, coconut flakes

Dinner: Baked fajitas with chicken, green and red bell peppers, onions, and cauli rice

 

I am oh so tired today. My baby has been waking up in the middle of the night lately and I am pretty sure that's throwing my energy groove off. Who knows though, maybe the beans are contributing? I haven't had much gas today, just a little amount that's expected with legumes. Nothing I can't handle though. I am planning on eating beans more once I'm done with whole30 since they are much cheaper than eating meat all the time. If I continue to have a lack of energy when I eat them I will probably lay off (though once again, pretty sure it's just cause of my sleep patterns lately).

[Sunni]

Reintroduction day 3 (Whole30):

Breakfast: eggs and leftover braised cabbage

Lunch: turkey, craisin, pecan green salad with balsamic vinegarette

Dinner: compliant hot dogs (bunless), sourkraut, paleo ketchup, butternut squash purée, cherries, melon, potato chips (I know, I know!)

I felt quite good today. I was able to catch up on sleep a little, and have felt fine all day long. I was so excited to find organic grass fed hot dogs by Applegate, as we were doing a BBQ with my husband's family today (yes, lots of those this month) and I wanted to join in with hot dogs. My one area I did go against whole30 is the potato chips. I'll be honest, I feel like when I am this far along, I am more in support of what the ingredients actually are rather than what the shape of the foods are. I rarely, rarely eat potato chips, but I thought it would be fun to do with the family. Anyway, needless to say they weren't that enjoyable, so I don't think I'll be having them again anytime soon. Funny how much I prefer more real foods now!! But I am very, very excited to have my gluten-free grain day tomorrow. hopefully my body does okay with it, because I sure miss grains!

[Sunni]

Reintroduction day 4 (mostly GLUTEN-FREE GRAINS) (see explanation below)

Breakfast: breakfast tacos with white corn tortillas, eggs, hash browns, sausage

Lunch: chicken, bell peppers, brown rice, coconut aminos

Dinner: gluten pasta with butter/cheese sauce, salad, sourdough bread, and ice cream

Ugh. Dinner did not go as planned at ALL, pretty much messing up my whole test day. We went to a special dinner theater at Old Spaghetti Factory where there were only three dish options, all of which were pasta and cheese based. I was planning on going gluten free with the pasta but they brought a gluten dish out for me, and I didn't realize it till the server commented that it was gluten pasta I was eating. So, strike one. I also tried to choose a dish that would be less cheesy than the rest, but I failed at that as well, since I apparently cannot interpret ingredients and ended up choosing the most dairy filled one. Strike two. By this point I figured it was a lost cause so I had the oh so nummy sour dough bread and ice cream they brought out. Strikes three and four. Then I had three Oreos at home since my husband said he wanted to do a sugar free diet starting now, and there were three Oreos left, so I volunteered to eat them before they went bad. Strike five. Clearly not a good night. Fail fail fail. Oh well...

Reintroduction day 5 (Whole30):

Breakfast: eggs, zucchini sweet potato hash, spinach, banana

Snack: cashews and raisins

Lunch: leftover hot dogs, red cabbage, puréed squash, cherries

Dinner: pot roast with potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and green salad

I actually felt mostly good this day. At about mid day I started feeling a little bloated, and that stuck around for a while. Also light gas. It certainly didn't feel great though. I was also tired but again, I can't tell if it's from food I'm eating or my lack of sleep. Darned confounding variables! This experiment thing isn't going very well, but I'll keep on trying I suppose. One thing for sure is that I am not feeling as wonderful as I was on week 3.