Hoping W30 works for me - First Timer

[Brenridge]

I returned from a business trip Saturday night & knew I needed to change some things up.  I have been watching my weight since my pre-teen years (now 47) and although I have always been pretty healthy & active my set-point seems to sit at 20-30 pounds over my ideal weight.  I'm tall & carry it well however I am often dissatisfied with they way I look, especially in photos.  My career is becoming more & more "in front of a crowd" I would love nothing more than to look & feel successful in all areas of my life & I am just missing something when it comes to my diet & exercise.

 

I have literally studied diet & exercise forever.  I even have a BA degree in a wellness related field all because of this personal journey.  I have tried just about everything.  I know I will get a few cringes here but the most successful I have been losing weight has been with the HCG program but even then I can't keep it off.  All summer I exercised 4-6 days per week & still gained weight. with a low carb weekly regimen & a few cheats on the weekends.  I believe overall I eat better than most people I know.  Real food, home cooking, breads & starches limited to a few meals over the weekend.  

 

Obviously there is room for improvement.  I do enjoy social cocktails & when I the weekend rolls around and/or there is a special event I kind of just don't want to keep track & enjoy.  I figure If I am good 80+ percent of the time shouldn't I be able to indulge here & there?  I am looking for a way of eating that I can live with & still enjoy going out with friends & family without tons of restrictions.

 

So yesterday I am searching for a healthy 30 day "something" to dive in & make some changes & I found Whole30.  I am really good with black & white rules & manageable time periods.  Whole30 appeals to me because I believe in eating lots of veggies, some fruits, lean meat & healthy fats and I want to learn a way of life not a diet.  The biggest changes will be 30 days of no cocktails & weekends off.  Also the elimination of dairy & artificial sweeteners will be a big change.  I am adding back in things like sweet potatoes, squash & some other vegetables & fruits that are taken away from high fat low carb diets.

 

I am excited to see not only if I can drop some weight but how I feel overall.  Like I said before, I am generally healthy but I do have arthritis in my feet that has been flaring up & some neck strain that I can't seem to get rid of.  I sleep well & get plenty but I still don't bounce out of bed in the morning.  My energy is ok but some days I just can't get motivated so I am hoping this program may impact some or all of these issues.

 

If anyone is actually reading this "diet life story" I do have a question about exercise.  I read somewhere that you should make a small "bonus" meal after a workout.  I prefer to run or do a core interval class before I eat breakfast.  Usually 2 mile run or 30 minute class or 55 minute gentle yoga.  I usually have a protein shake after that because I am really not very hungry in the morning.  Do I really need to eat before & after?  Add a snack?  Any recommendations?

 

Groceries bought & getting started.  I will post my food & exercise diary this evening.

 

Here I go.

 

Brenda

[Tom Denham]

This section of the website has a lot of important information: http://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/. This might be the most important: 

 

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

 

The Whole30 works in large part by getting your hormones into a healthy rhythm so that they help you rather than hurt you when it comes to fat loss. Some of the critically important requirements for getting your hormones to a good place is eating breakfast within an hour of waking and eating enough food to fully nourish your body. Delaying your first meal of the day and eating too little wreaks havoc on your hormonal rhythms. 

 

Not being hungry in the morning is a good sign that your hormones are out of whack. Eating breakfast within an hour of waking is one of the most powerful ways to get your hormones in whack. It often takes several weeks of following the program before things start to get into a good rhythm, so do not expect everything to be great after just a few days.

 

If you follow the guidance of the meal planning template, you will be eating enough food to nourish your body. 

 

It is tolerable to exercise before breakfast, but it is important to eat "something" to get your system started before exercise. A single boiled egg is enough to do you good if you can tolerate it. It is very important that you eat immediately after exercise. Not 30 minutes later, but as soon as you catch your breath. Your body can use lean protein more efficiently immediately after exercise than it can later. You should not combine a post-workout meal with breakfast for two reasons. The post-workout meal is a bonus meal that you need after exercise. If you combine it with breakfast, you will not be eating enough to fully nourish your body. Also, breakfast should include fat. A post-workout meal should include lean protein and possibly starchy veggies, but not fat. Fat slows digestion and keeps protein from getting to muscles soon enough to take advantage of the enhanced feeding window open for a short-time after exercise. 

 

Protein shakes are not appropriate during a Whole30.

[Brenridge]

Thank you Tom for your explanation.  It makes sense.  So if I exercise in the morning after eating an egg & then have a protein/veggie right after is that considered my "extra" meal & I still haven't had breakfast yet?  I will read up on the links you sent tomorrow morning.

 

Here is my exercise/food log for today.

 

Ran 2 miles

 

Breakfast:

1 egg

Smoothie - 

1 cup coconut milk (SO unsweetened)

2 Tbsp Almond butter

1 tsp organic flax seed

1 cup organic raw spinach

1/2 cup wild blueberry's

 

Lunch:

Mixed Greens with roasted red pepper, fresh yellow pepper, artichoke hearts, lean roast beef, sunflower seeds & Oil/vinegar.

 

Dinner:

Grilled Salmon w/olive oil

Stir-fried Red beets, Carrot, Onion & Broccoli in Coconut oil

 

Snack: (I'm starving)

1 serving of pistachio nuts

Lemon & ginger tea

 

I must need more calories or something so I'm not hungry a couple hours after dinner which is a couple hours before bed.

 

Day one - check!

[jmcbn]

If you increase the size of your breakfast & build it to match the recommended meal template you will most likely be less hungry in the evening - when you have a small breakfast you tend to be playing catch up all day.

When eggs are the only source of protein in a meal a serving is as many whole eggs as you can hold in one hand, which is 3-4 for most females. Smoothies are discouraged because they tend to be fruit heavy, and because liquid food digests faster and leaves you less satiated than solid food.

Add a few more eggs (or an alternative protein source) to your breakfast, and switch the smoothie for more veg (1-3 cups with 3 being optimum) and you'll have no need for a snack in the evening.

Hope this helps!

 

[Brenridge]

Thank you jmcbn!

 

So half way thru my run this morning I realized I got out the door without a pre-wo meal.  Habits dye hard, I will try to get it done tomorrow.  As soon as I finished I ate two egg whites & a half of grapefruit and then an hour later I had breakfast 2 eggs +2 of the left over egg yokes plus spinach, mushrooms, & a little onion & 2 mini sweet peppers.

 

I am moving my lunch & diner hours later so that I hopefully wont be hungry before bed.  I will post a complete meal log this evening.

 

Brenda

[Brenridge]

Exercise & Meal Log:

 

8:30am  Ran 2 miles

9:15am  Post WO - 2 Egg Whites & 1/2 Grapefruit (after reading maybe the grapefruit is wrong?)

10:15am  Breakfast - 2 Eggs + 2 Egg yoke scramble with mushrooms, spinach, peppers & green onions

2:15pm Lunch - Dinner leftovers - Grilled Salmon filet & Beet/Carrot/Broccoli/Onion stir-fry

6:30pm Dinner - Grilled Chicken (2 pieces), Broccoli/mushroom/cabbage stir fry with cashews, Raspberry's, avocado & tomatoes & 1/2 sweet potato 

 

8:20pm Not hungry - yay!  Day 2... Check!

[jmcbn]

9:15am  Post WO - 2 Egg Whites & 1/2 Grapefruit (after reading maybe the grapefruit is wrong?)

 

Yep, avoid fruit pre & post WO as it will restore liver glycogen stores when you want yo be restoring muscle glycogen, with starchy carbs...

[Brenridge]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

This morning after a good 8 hours of sleep I am still not feeling the energy to jump out of bed & sieze the day.  I am really hoping that this way of eating will help with that & I know it is early (day 3).  I ate a hard boiled egg 10 minutes before I headed out for my 2 mile run.  Just after a mile I took it down to a fast walk, I wasn't feeling great energy-wise & I started getting a headache.  Don't know if it was the change in routine since I don't usually eat before running or something else.  The headache cleared up pretty quickly - before I finished my route after a mile of fast walk.  As soon as I returned I ate two egg whites & 1/4 sweet potato.

 

After my food log entry last night I did have a few macadamia nuts (less than a serving) pretty close to bed.  Bad habit I know.

 

I will log my meals again at the end of the day.

[Brenridge]

Meal/Exercise Log

Pre-WO - Hard Boiled Egg

Run/walk 2 Miles

Post-WO - 2 Egg Whites & 1/4 sweet potatoe

Breakfast- 1 Egg + 2 Egg Yokes with veggies & 3 turkey sausage links.

Lunch - Lean roast beef, sweet peppers, med. banana, almond butter

Dinner- Ground beef with zucchini onion & peppers, avocado, tomato & jalapeños. + cashews. Ginger tea with lemon.

[Brenridge]

It is tolerable to exercise before breakfast, but it is important to eat "something" to get your system started before exercise. A single boiled egg is enough to do you good if you can tolerate it. It is very important that you eat immediately after exercise. Not 30 minutes later, but as soon as you catch your breath. Your body can use lean protein more efficiently immediately after exercise than it can later. You should not combine a post-workout meal with breakfast for two reasons. The post-workout meal is a bonus meal that you need after exercise. If you combine it with breakfast, you will not be eating enough to fully nourish your body. Also, breakfast should include fat. A post-workout meal should include lean protein and possibly starchy veggies, but not fat. Fat slows digestion and keeps protein from getting to muscles soon enough to take advantage of the enhanced feeding window open for a short-time after exercise. 

 

.

 

Second day of eating "something" before WO & again just don't like the feeling.  I feel like my energy is going to digesting that little bit of food & I've lost my "umpfh".  Many would hardly call jogging 2 miles a WO anyway.  Yesterday I had a hard boiled egg & today I had two links of turkey sausage 15 minutes before the run.  Is the energy drain I am experiencing "normal" getting started & should I keep doing it until I get over the hump?  As I was jogging today I was thinking I would skip the Pre-WO meal tomorrow to see how I feel.  I have been good for the past 3 days about getting a good post WO meal in. 

 

So far here's my day:

Pre-WO - 2 turkey sausage links

Jog 1 mile/ walk 1 mile

Post-WO - 2 eggs, 2 turkey sausage, spinach, peppers & onion & 1/4 sweet potato.

 

Here's to day 4! 

[Brenridge]

Yesterday (Day 4)

 

Pre-WO - 2 turkey sausage links

Jog 1 mile/ walk 1 mile

Post-WO - 2 eggs, 2 turkey sausage, spinach, peppers & onion & 1/4 sweet potato.

 

Lunch - 

Big salad with lots of veggies, 1 chopped Date, Sunflower seeds & Olive Oil/vinegar dressing

Chicken thigh

 

Dinner -

Another Chicken thigh (need more protein ready & on hand)

2 dill pickle spears

Broccoli, bananna, a few raspberry's & almond butter

 

Extra meal (breakfast?)-

1/2 Avacado, 1/2 tomato

smoked salmon

small chicken thigh

juice from 1 lemon

 

Kind of missed breakfast after the pre & post wo meals & felt off the rest of the day.  Felt like grazing but tried to keep it together. 

[ShannonM816]

Keep in mind that many people find that during  the first week or two of Whole30, their workouts are worse than usual. You're trying to get your body to go from primarily carb/sugar burning to primarily fat burning, and during the transition, workouts just are harder. It may not be the eating first thing, it may just be that normal transition period. Try to keep doing the pre-WO food within an hour of waking up, and see if it doesn't get better over time.

[Brenridge]

Thank you for the encouragement & advice!

[Brenridge]

Pre- WO - Hard boiled egg

2 Mile Walk

Post WO - 2 Egg Whites & steamed califlour

Breakfast - 2 eggs + 2 yokes, peppers onion & kale

Lunch - Chicken thigh, banana & almond butter, celery, peppers

Dinner - chicken drumstick, pumpkin soup with coconut milk & 2 pieces bacon. kale chips

Juice from one lemon.

[Brenridge]

I'm still here, day 7 complete & happy to say I am on track. I think the hardest day so far was #6 otherwise known as Saturday. My usual evening of a few cocktails not happening made me a little dissatisfied & pouty. My meals were off schedule but not off approved menu. Today was better as I found a few new recipes to change things up. Ready for week 2. I know there will be some challenges but I am committed to see this thru.

[Brenridge]

Day 11 well underway & I am on track with my meals each day.  Really not any cravings or anything, but I bet when Friday evening rolls around they may rear their ugly head!  I had a dull headache from the evening of day 9 & throughout day 10.  I don't know if it is related to this diet at all but that was unusual for me.  Yesterday I woke up kind of cranky (partly due to headache?) for no reason & never really shook it.  I had a melt down (crying) at one point in the afternoon for really no reason.  Today is much better.

 

I still don't like eating that egg before I run!  15 minutes is probably not enough time for it to digest before running & I just can't put off my run any longer or I may miss it all together.  I am going to continue this week & early next week but if it doesn't get better I am going back to running on empty.

 

I am tracking my meals in the My Fitness Pal App.

 

Well, here's to being 33% thru my 1st Whole30!  Cheers!!

[ShannonM816]

You know that pre-workout doesn't have to be an egg, right? That's usually recommended because it's easy, but I've heard of some people skipping the protein and just having fat, like a small handful of nuts or a spoonful of coconut butter or some olives, or even a few who do a W30 compliant form of bulletproof coffee, which would be either coconut oil or ghee or a combo of the two blended into coffee, maybe with a little coconut milk. A combo of fat and protein would be ideal, but if you think any of these other things would be any better, maybe try one of them.

 

I noticed your post-WO was egg whites and cauliflower. Post-WO is usually recommended to be lean protein and  a starchy vegetable, so you've got the lean protein part right with the egg whites, but cauliflower is not a starchy vegetable. Try sweet potato, potato, any of the winter squashes, root vegetables, jicama, or plantains instead. Starchy vegetables also seem to help many people maintain an even mood, so try having at least a fist-sized serving of them every day, and it's okay to have more than one serving, especially if you're feeling cranky, down, or low-energy, and you might find you need more during the week leading up to your period as well.

 

I would caution you about the MyFitnessPal thing -- please don't pay attention to your macros while you're doing Whole30. There are no particular macros to aim for with W30, and most people who try the tracking thing find that MFP thinks they're eating too much fat or that their numbers are otherwise not matching up. They may also see that they've eaten more calories than MFP has allotted for them and skimp on dinner even though they're hungry, or they might have calories left and eat even though they're not hungry. Just ignore the numbers. If you want a way to keep track of what you eat at each meal, you could keep a log here, or post pictures on Instagram (or just keep pictures of each meal in your phone), or write it in a notebook. There was an app called twogrand that people were talking about here in the forum for a while, I never checked it out, but it sounded like, if you really wanted an app to track your food, it might be a better bet -- it didn't do macros, you just posted pictures/descriptions of your meals. 

[Brenridge]

Thank you very much for your suggestions Shannon. I knew i wasn't limited to an egg but it did seem the easiest. I had not thought of nuts or healthy fats because I thought the programs suggestion was the pre WO protein not the fat. So I can see body responding better to a shot of something like coconut oil. What about a cup of bone broth? I guess I really don't understand why eating before the WO is so important.

I only use MFP to log the meals I do not pay attention to the Macros. I admit that I do check out the calories. I have been under every day & more so on WO days. I don't know that it has influenced me, maybe to eat a bit more one time.

This weekend has been busy & im on track but the program definitely cremps my style on Saturday nights. Missing my margaritas!

Two weeks down! Yay! Looking forward to he last 16 days.

You know that pre-workout doesn't have to be an egg, right? That's usually recommended because it's easy, but I've heard of some people skipping the protein and just having fat, like a small handful of nuts or a spoonful of coconut butter or some olives, or even a few who do a W30 compliant form of bulletproof coffee, which would be either coconut oil or ghee or a combo of the two blended into coffee, maybe with a little coconut milk. A combo of fat and protein would be ideal, but if you think any of these other things would be any better, maybe try one of them.

 

I noticed your post-WO was egg whites and cauliflower. Post-WO is usually recommended to be lean protein and  a starchy vegetable, so you've got the lean protein part right with the egg whites, but cauliflower is not a starchy vegetable. Try sweet potato, potato, any of the winter squashes, root vegetables, jicama, or plantains instead. Starchy vegetables also seem to help many people maintain an even mood, so try having at least a fist-sized serving of them every day, and it's okay to have more than one serving, especially if you're feeling cranky, down, or low-energy, and you might find you need more during the week leading up to your period as well.

 

I would caution you about the MyFitnessPal thing -- please don't pay attention to your macros while you're doing Whole30. There are no particular macros to aim for with W30, and most people who try the tracking thing find that MFP thinks they're eating too much fat or that their numbers are otherwise not matching up. They may also see that they've eaten more calories than MFP has allotted for them and skimp on dinner even though they're hungry, or they might have calories left and eat even though they're not hungry. Just ignore the numbers. If you want a way to keep track of what you eat at each meal, you could keep a log here, or post pictures on Instagram (or just keep pictures of each meal in your phone), or write it in a notebook. There was an app called twogrand that people were talking about here in the forum for a while, I never checked it out, but it sounded like, if you really wanted an app to track your food, it might be a better bet -- it didn't do macros, you just posted pictures/descriptions of your meals.

[Brenridge]

Day 16!  Whoo hoo!

 

So I have been waking up a bit more energized & alert the past few days.  I am sleeping well & have had the "food cheating" dreams recently.  lol.  For the most part the Whole30 "What to Expect" outline has been right on.  

 

Today is Tuesday & this is really easy for me during the week & only two more weekends left.  Even though I never felt "addicted" to sugar, i am really not craving it.  We had company last night & my hubby & he enjoyed a glass of wine & I was ok with my water but looking forward to re-joining the social scene eventually.

 

The arthritis in my feet is still there but the inflammation & burning I sometimes experience is gone.  I am still working thru my shoulder pain & my skin is still itchy in spots.  Not expecting this to be a cure-all but I am just taking note of where I am for future reference.  I have been surprised by the occasional headaches I have had at bedtime.  That is unusual for me.  Also a few times I have felt a little faint when standing up or moving quickly.  Not often, only 2 or 3 times in total.

 

Toady before I ran I drank a cup of bone broth.  I know this is not the breakfast that is recommended but I hope maybe enough for a "pass" ... something rather than nothing?  Anyway, my run was ok.  Not super energized but didn't feel my stomach draining my energy either & was able to complete my 2 mile route without walking.  Upon return from my run I had 3 pieces of natural bacon & some leftover pumpkin soup.  An hour later "breakfast" was half a chicken thigh & broccoli/mixed veggie pure soup.

 

Feeling good & felling thinner. 

[ShannonM816]

In It Starts With Food, they describe the pre-workout as "send(ing) a signal to your body to prepare it for the activity that is coming." They also say something is better than nothing.

 

Because you're working out first thing in the morning, another aspect of this is the idea of getting your first meal in within an hour of waking up. It Starts With Food describes why this is important as well, but here's a blog post with a basic summary of why that's important.

 

Headaches and feeling faint are not normal Whole30 reactions. Things that might cause this are not eating enough in general, not eating enough starchy vegetables in particular, not drinking enough water, or not salting your food.

 

It's hard to tell just from what you've listed here, but I suspect you may just not be eating enough. Half a chicken thigh is not enough protein for a meal.

 

In your post-workout, bacon tends to be more fat than protein, and the idea is to avoid fat post-workout because it slows absorption of the protein and starchy vegetables that you need to help with recovery from your workout. This article has more on what you should have post-workout.

[Brenridge]

Thanks again Shannon, I do appreciate the feedback.  You are right about the bacon after WO.  I get mixed up still with what is protein & fat.

 

What is today?  Day 18.  Had a stressful evening last night & my mind was saying "margarita time!"  But I was good.  Sigh.  Going into a weekend with two social events & more scheduled Halloween the following weekend (last weekend on W30).  That really is the toughest part.  I know I will get thru it but its kind of a drag.  "Not as hard as having a baby..." lol.

 

Might be dragging a bit since its TTOM.  On the plus side, definitely didn't cramp as much day 1.

 

Until next time.... 

[Brenridge]

I m not doing a very good job with my food journal am I.

 

Breakfast - 3 links of sausage, 2 eggs & a raw carrot.

Lunch - Rotissery chicken & lots of stir fry veggies w/cashews

Dinner - Chicken Thigh, Mixed Veggies, 1/2 sweet potato

 

I usually have a few nuts a couple hours before bed too.

 

Going for 100 oz of water every day.

[Brenridge]

Day 22 - 

 

Breakfast - Crust-less quiche with veggies, banana & almond butter

Lunch - Paleo Pumpkin soup & Natural Sausage Link

Dinner - Spaghetti Squash, Turkey Sausage & Asparagus

 

Eight more days.  Starting to think about re-introduction & I have a problem.  I am heading out for a vacation 6 days after W30 wraps up.  Gone 7 days, 4 nights of which we are on a Cruise.  I really didn't realize I wouldn't have 10 days to do the reintroduction right until this moment.  Maybe I should post this on reintroduction forum?  I guess I will just proceed with Day 1 Legumes & Day 2 Non Gluten Grains & do my best for day 7 & 10 but I think that will be tough & cocktails will definitely be in the mix.  

 

Once I return I plan to resume an overall Paleo WOE but include social cocktails on occasion & weekends.  

[ShannonM816]

I personally would make your first two reintroductions the things you are most curious to see how they affect you, or the things you're not likely to be able to avoid. If you think you may have issues with dairy, maybe do that one first, so when you're on your cruise, you know whether ice cream or dairy-based dishes are worth it to you -- you don't want to find out you have severe lactose intolerance on a ship. Or maybe you figure you'll want desserts like cake or pie, and it makes sense to have gluten grains to determine how you react to them.

 

Of course, you can do whatever you want to do, that's just what would make sense to me -- and that's assuming you aren't going to stay compliant the whole time on your vacation, which you may feel you can do.

[Brenridge]

Shannon, thank you!  I was wondering if I should mix it up & dairy is definitely a good place to start, grains too so I am going to try that.  I am going to try to be as compliant as I can but also enjoy a few treats so maybe I will still be able to tell what I am reacting to if anything.

 

Thanks again.