Ali's Feel-Good, Gain Control, Marathon-training Whole 30

[Alisonlcarver]

Thanksgiving is over, and I gorged and binged and didn't care about calories! We need a few days like that per year, where carbs, butter, and sugar are not forbidden! But now I'm over it and I am completely 100% ready for another Whole30! In the past, my reason for doing a Whole 30 was weight loss. I am currently 5'3" and 115 pounds now. Now my reason for doing another Whole 30 is that I want to feel good again, and not blech or yuck, like so many sugar-laden commercial, fake products make me feel. I want 4 things this go round:

1. Feel good. I want to wake up feeling good and not in a food hangover. I want to wake up rested. I want to stay hydrated (sugary foods dehydrate be so bad!) I want to feel good physically and emotionally about what I am putting into my body.

2. Food freedom and a sense of control. I have no (emphasis needed--NOOOOO) self control when it comes to Diet Coke, anything with sugar, and peanut butter. I want to have control over what I eat, not the other way around.

3. Be healthy. I want to eat whole foods that make me more healthy, not processed convenient foods that lack nutrition and make me feel bad physically and mentally.

4. Fuel my workouts and marathon training. I run, bike, and do exercise classes, including step, strength, and yoga, about 5-6 times per week. I have raced a few half marathons, several 10k races, and several 5k races in the past and now it's time for the big mama. Marathon is in early March and I am following the Hal Higdon Novice 2 training guide.

I know without a doubt that all of these goals will be accomplished through the Whole30. I am so excited to be starting another Whole 30 today!

Today is Day #23 and it's high time to do another self-evaluation! I didn't do it at exactly the 3-week mark because I was having some major cravings and needed to get through that. Darn you, extinction burst!

1. Feel Good: Overall, yes. I am still figuring out my stomach issues but am not ready yet to completely give up nuts or FODMAPs to determine if this is the cause. I know that by eating Whole 30, even with the inclusion of these foods, I am feeling better than I would be feeling if I were indulging in the foods of the season. Even on the days where I am not exactly feeling the Tiger Blood, I think to myself how much worse I would be feeling if I had indulged in those cookies the night beforehand, or something along those lines. I mean, there are so many opportunities to eat poorly at this time of the year. If I indulged in just one small thing a day I would be worse off than I am now, even with ocassional stomach issues. And I know that by eating Whole 30, I am purposely refraining from indulging. It's a hard time of the year to complete a Whole 30, but it is keeping me on track with my health and fitness goals, so I am appreciative for the structure and limits/boundaries. I am missing out on so many bad foods for me right now! Hooray! (And on a side note, there is ALWAYS an excuse to eat poorly, not just at this time of the year. New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July and summer bbq's, birthday parties, anniversaries, weddings, pregnancies, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hannukah. If I waited until there was not a special ocassion to eat healthy, I would never eat healthy!)

2. Food Freedom: Yes. The 'foods' that I used to find irresistible (but which I would have to force myself with effort not to eat) are much easier to bypass. I know their effects on me, and my definition of 'worth it' is changing. Example: Ok, so you know the Little Debbie cakes in the shapes of Christmas trees? Well, I used to love those! They were in a bowl at work the other day, free for the taking. I took one home with me, thinking that I will wait until my Whole 30 is over and then indulge in it...just the one. On my drive home, however, I got to thinking. I thought--I have looked at the nutrition label for this 'thing' and it's just chemicals. It's gross. It's non-food. Someone put chemicals together in a factory, put some white icing and sprinkles on it, shaped it into a tree form, and called it food. Ew. So (and I hate to waste food, so please forgive me), I decided that I was going to get some satisfaction out of this Christmas tree cake after all, and I squooshed it in my car before I arrived at home. And you know what, it felt pretty good! I do ocassionally have cravings and just have to get through them, but I am realizing what my triggers are and what to do when I have cravings. I am learning to be mindful and recognize the difference between hunger and cravings. Thank you, Whole 30.

3. Be Healthy: This is the easy one. Eating whole, real foods is healthy. Much healthier than eating fake, processed, chemicals.

4. Fuel my Workouts: Heck yea! I am trial-and-error with this one. I ran a long run yesterday, and was able to fuel a 2-hour cardio session by eating a pre-, during, and post-WO meal. I love being fat-adapted!

Overall, everything is going great! I love the way I feel. I love that I am doing something positive for my health. I love that I have an excuse to not indulge in the holiday treats--this takes the pressure off of my brain to just say no rather than saying well maybe just one serving. I love that I am forming new habits and learning how to handle certain food situations. I love my positive attitude.

[ArtFossil]

Yea! There we so many foods at WF that were compliant, except for the canal oil. I was glad to see that a handful of foods were cooked in olive oil. And those chicken wings were SO good! I sat by myself in WF near the very end of the row of tables and was sucking on the bones. Ha! It was probably gross, but I just didn't care. They were that good.

I would have been right there with you. :-)

And good on you for your happiness at not partaking of the ubiquitous junk food. While shopping at Trader Joes, which is a great place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables and pantry staples, I was struck by how much of my relatively small store is devoted to "snacks." Is there any other culture in the world that snacks as much as we do? Or who uses ANY holiday and every singl season as justification for repeatedly over indulging? Or who equates socializing with overeating?

[Alisonlcarver]

Art--Totally agree! Food has become an expectation at a gathering. Join a book club?--you better be bringing a snack to share with everyone! Having people over for game night?--you better have some appetizers available! Having friends over for anything not associated with foods?--foods will still be expected. It's getting ridiculous. Scratch that. It's gotten ridiculous.

You know what else is ridiculous? There's already Valentine's Day stuff in stores and Christmas isn't even here yet!

[Alisonlcarver]

Day 23 (12/19):

M1: 3 cage-free scrambled eggs, about 2 tsp. ghee, roasted veggies, salsa, 1/2 avocado, a few cups of crio Bru, around 9:15am

(Exercise, if you can call it that: Today is my Crosstrain day, following my long run yesterday. I had planned on a long bike ride but ran out of time before leaving for a show, so I ended up going on a short 20-minute walk with my husband. It's better than nothing, I suppose.)

M2: My husband and I went to see 'The Nutcracker' today--perhaps against my husband's desires, but he didn't complain! I wasn't super hungry when I ate lunch, but thought I had better go ahead and eat so that I am not starving after the show. I had a few snacks in the car--it's everything pictured, minus the carrot sticks. I wasn't feeling 'em today. So, M2 was an EPIC turkey bar, raw grape tomatoes and mushrooms, an open handful of unsweetened coconut flakes, and an organic Granny Smith Apple, around 1:30pm

Mid-afternoon: Bloated and Gassy.

M3 to come...we may be going to a Christmas party tonight, but may stay in. Not sure yet...

[Alisonlcarver]

Stayed at home after all. Not very hungry for dinner, but it's been 6 hours since lunch so I am making myself eat a meal. Not sure what's going on. Maybe the bloating is making me feel full. That's usually the case. Or the lack of physical activity today.

Had a cup of crio Bru while making dinner.

Day 23 M3: homemade tuna salad, 2 stalks of organic celery, salsa, roasted butternut squash (roasted in coconut oil with salt, parsley, and cinnamon), homemade ketchup, 1 taste of coconut butter, at 7-7:30pm

Cravings after dinner...it's weird. I'm not hungry for dinner, but then I have cravings after I am full.

[Alisonlcarver]

I am thinking that my GI issues are caused by more than nuts and nut butters. Nuts probably don't help, but I bet they're not the only type of food to blame. Also, nuts and nut butters may be one cause of my recent cravings.

I am also thinking that the reason I am not very hungry for dinner is because of my GI issues. I know I need to eat dinner so I do but I don't like eating when I'm not actually hungry. I have had to do this several times recently for M3.

Therefore, it's time to get serious about figuring out my GI issues. I still have quite a few foods in the fridge that are high FODMAP. I don't know whether I should go ahead and eat on the green FODMAP list now, or wait until the reds and yellows are out of my house. It's like--do I postpone my FODMAP experiment and not waste foods by eating the rest of it (potentially prolonging my GI discomfort) or do I go ahead with my self-experimentation and figure things out quicker (and possibly feel better earlier) and waste the high FODMAP foods?

Brewer5??

[littleg]

Yeah!  Such a positive message up there  So glad you feel so good!  

 

Well, except for the GI stuff.  

 

I know I've said this before, but I'm good at repeating myself.  FODMAPs are hard to reduce.  Nuts are easy.  I went through this myself.  I was always gassy and bloated.  I tried giving up "everything" all at once.  It was actually my binge eating that helped me figure it out.  I'd eat a bunch of almond butter and I was a mess.  So I really, really, really gave up the nuts.  Not just gave up the nuts for breakfast  FODMAPS may be your issue BUT before doing that, if it were me, I'd want to try nuts.  Coconut butter is a great substitute - so if you really like the nut butter on a banana or something you *do* have an option for something similar with coconut butter (and even sunflower seed butter, right?  isn't that not a nut?).  Take 1 week or so and if you have no changes, take a big deep breath and try the FODMAPS.  Plus that way you won't waste food.

 

I see Brewer is on here reading this now, she will probably say the exact opposite

[Alisonlcarver]

Littleg, I like that plan. That way I can give nut omission a serious try, not waste food, and not have to give up FODMAPs yet.

Sunflower nut butter is not a nut in this sense??

[littleg]

From FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education)

 

Tree nuts include, but are not limited to, walnut, almond, hazelnut, cashew, pistachio, and Brazil nuts. These are not to be confused or grouped together with peanut, which is a legume, or seeds, such as sunflower or sesame.

[Alisonlcarver]

So omitting nuts for this purpose still allows me to eat sunflower nut butter and coconut butter? That's definitely something I can live with.

[Brewer5]

I see Brewer is on here reading this now, she will probably say the exact opposite

 

Lol.  Do you secretly hate me?  

 

I actually agree that nuts can be a big, big, big ​problem for people -- and the more I see them struggle to give them up -- the more I know they need to.

 

I've been there.   I've said it before and I'll say it again -- they need to go.  As you said:  really, really, really go.  

 

I will add a warning that sunflower butter is a trigger for me and I do not eat it under any circumstances.  Yes, I've made it myself in my food processor.  Raw.  With nothing added.  Still a trigger.  Had to go.

[Alisonlcarver]

Ok, so starting tomorrow I am going to give giving up nuts a real try to determine if they are the cause of my symptoms. I will really try for one week, keeping everything else as is. Really really really.

As far as the tummy troubles, will sunflower nut butter contribute? I know sun nut butter can be a craving inducer, but strictly talking about causing GI upset, should I also omit sun nut butter during this nut omission trial?

I am tempted to eat a whole bunch of nuts tonight as a nut farewell, but know that this is a bad habit that I need to break.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

Ali, I hear you on not wasting food, but the raw tomatoes & mushrooms in M2 really stood out to me, as well as your salsa. I find salsa can be irritating to the gut (not sure if it's the spices or the tomatoes or both).

And yes I think you'll manage fine with coconut butter and Sunbutter (as long as you don't go overboard) vs. nut butters.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

P.S. I had a can of milk-chocolate covered macadamia nuts from Hawaii set aside for a post-Whole30 "treat" but when I actually read the ingredients (including milk solids and sugar and soy lecithin) I ended up giving them away to a coworker. Now, if they had been coated in fair trade organic dark chocolate, that would have been a different story!

[Brewer5]

 strictly talking about causing GI upset, should I also omit sun nut butter during this nut omission trial?

 

Sunflower seeds do contain phytic acid -- which is generally what causes the stomach upset.  I personally would exclude all nuts and seeds for this trial.  There is no reason to assume that sunflower seeds are "safe".

 

Have you heard of soaking & dehydrating nuts and seeds?  I used to do this, back when it was really important to me to continue to consume them.  

 

You may find this link interesting:

 

http://nouveauraw.com/raw-nut-seed-and-grain-flours/sunflour-sunflower-seed-flour/

[littleg]

I'd keep coconut butter but skip the sunflower seed butter.  Maybe add that one back in first?  

 

And no, Brewer, you *know* I don't secretly hate you !  I just figured she'd get opposite advice from everyone

[Alisonlcarver]

Soaking and dehydrating nuts sounds like more work than it's worth. I want to really give this a shot, to see if it works. Starting today, no nuts or seeds. If my tummy troubles improve, great!--I will know that nuts and seeds are the culprit and I will be a lot more careful with them moving forward. If tummy troubles persist, I will revisit the FODMAPs idea. Thanks littleg, Brewer, and GGG!

Day 24!!

[SimpleNotEasy]

Overall, everything is going great! I love the way I feel. I love that I am doing something positive for my health. I love that I have an excuse to not indulge in the holiday treats--this takes the pressure off of my brain to just say no rather than saying well maybe just one serving. I love that I am forming new habits and learning how to handle certain food situations. I love my positive attitude.

 

So glad you are feeling mentally and emotionally upbeat. You are growing in your ability to notice what is going on in your body and how to approach doing something different to find out what might be causing your GI distress. Keep up the good work. I'm interested to observe your nut/seed elimination experiment.

[Alisonlcarver]

Thanks SNE! This is going to sound crazy since we talk all the time but...do I know your name yet? Ha!

[SimpleNotEasy]

Ha! My name is Sara. I should put it in my signature line. It's not likely I'm trying to be anonymous. 

[Alisonlcarver]

Ok, so my plan remains to omit nuts and nut butters for a week to determine if that's the cause of my tummy troubles.

So far, so good.

I am still pondering FODMAPs, and have more questions. I am a planner, and like to have all of the information. Here goes:

1. If FODMAPs are my issue, will my body ever get used to the high amounts I am consuming, if I continue to do so without cease? Like, will it adapt and have my symptoms go away over time if I do nothing? (Hey, a girl can dream.)

2. If the answer to #1 is no, then what's the process? Take them out, get symptom relief, then slowly reintroduce them? How do I reintroduce? Is this a systematic reintro, like one food at a time, or one type of food at a time, or my favorites at a time?

3. I see that cabbage is red on the FODMAP list, but I have heard such good things about the probiotic nature of sauerkraut. Explain. I found some bubbies brand sauerkraut that I would like to try, but not if I am going to have to give it up if I omit FODMAPs.

Thanks!

[Alisonlcarver]

One more...does my omission of nuts and nut butters for a week also include unsweetened almond milk? I am guessing yes.

[littleg]

http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/

[Alisonlcarver]

Day 24 (12/20):

Ok y'all, this is getting real! I'm on the home stretch now!! Final week!

M1: 3 cage-free scrambled eggs, 2 tsp. ghee, roasted butternut squash (roasted in coconut oil with salt, parsley, and cinnamon), 2 pieces compliant bacon, 1/2 avocado filled with dark cherry balsamic vinegar, a few cups of crio Bru, at 8:30am

Pre-WO: 2 hard-boiled eggs with homemade mayo, at 11am

(Exercise: Run 6 1/2 miles)

No time for a post-WO meal, because I was already late for church!

M2: homemade tuna salad, raw celery, carrots, and grape tomatoes, ramekin of salsa verde, at 1-1:30pm

Had a cup of crio Bru around 4-5pm. I like to drink a warm cup while I'm getting dinner stuff ready. (Who am I kidding? I like to drink it all the time. )

M3: 2 garlic paprika chicken drumsticks with roasted green beans (roasted in olive oil and topped with the juicy drippings from the coconut oil-baked chicken), 1/2 baked sweet potato with 2 tsp. coconut butter, at 7pm

Dinner was amazing! This is the weekend of chicken on the bone! I had some chicken wings on Friday at Whole Foods, littleg had some yummy-looking chicken yesterday, and now there's more chicken on a bone tonight! I licked the plate. Seriously. It was that good.

Herbal tea following dinner.

[Brewer5]

Alison ~ I see your FODMAP questions and I have been waiting until I could sit down and type out a good response.  Well, I haven't been able to sit down today.  Lol.  I will answer when I can!