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Amara's Whole30 (Attempt #2) Jan 4th Start


OnlyAmz

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Well, my first attempt went down the tubes with an injury, having to rely on the other people in my household to feed me, and my not wanting to be demanding about what they were feeding me. Oh well, can't be helped. Onward and upward.

 

So, here we are on Day 1 and I'm pretty pumped!  :D The last few days of my holiday season were a bit excessive in terms of sweets and delicious foods that weren't necessarily good for me but I'm determined to get through the next 30 days. I was going it alone the other time and this time I have a few people for support so I'm really excited for that too.

 

I didn't have a lot of time to prep over the last couple days other than making sure there was some plain poached chicken in the freezer (from earlier in the month) and eggs & veggies on hand so today's first 2 meals weren't culinary masterpieces but they were compliant.

 

D1M1 - 3 egg omelet with sauteed arugula, chopped tomatoes and salt n pepper cooked in extra light olive oil with a cup of black coffee.

D1M2 - Poached chicken breast & frozen veg (broccoli, cauliflower & carrots) steamed in the microwave at work and drizzled with a bit of extra light olive oil and sprinkled with Italian seasoning.

 

Nothing spectacular but tasty enough to get me through.

 

Tonight's plan is to prep some protein and fresh veggies and to make some mayo.

 

 

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I was hungry in the afternoon so I had some olives and an apple (not together). I'll keep the snacking to a minimum but for day 1 with no prep I don't feel bad about it.

D1M3 was roasted chicken thighs, steamed butternut squash and Brussels sprouts with a small handful of walnuts after. I have trouble with the fat aspect of Whole30, not the thought of incorporating fat but what to use when I'm making a fairly simple meal. I'll get the hang of it.

Due to recent injury exercise will need to build up but I made it a priority to go for a walk while on my lunch break. That being said, the injury was likely caused by the extra 80 pounds I'm carrying around. I have a bodyweight workout that I'm going to start but need to see my Dr first (appt at the end of this week). Fingers crossed I get the go ahead to give it a try.

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D2M1 was some pork roast. I wasn't really hungry but made myself eat it while I prepped my lunch in the morning. I had the intention of snacking on some veg while on the bus to work but really didn't want them so I didn't force it and just drank black coffee.

 

D2M2 was more pork roast with sweet potato, brussels sprouts and a handful of olives.

 

I regretted not forcing myself to eat more at M1 because I didn't get through the afternoon without a snack (or maybe it's my sugar dragon??). I had an apple with about 1 tbsp of almond butter around 2pm.

 

D2M3 was beef chili (odd to have no kidney beans) packed with a ton of veg, my daughter makes it with shredded carrots, finely chopped broccoli, whatever's in the bottom of the fridge that's on the verge of being thrown out. It's delish and a great way to use up some veg that might otherwise end up in the garbage.

 

I slept a solid 8 hours last night which was awesome. I do have some head congestion today (Day 3) and I'm feeling a bit distracted. I felt the same on my first attempt and it only lasted a day or 2. I didn't go through the Days 4-5 "kill all the things" stage so I'm interested to see if I do this time. I went from this groggy, congested stage to having a bunch of energy but had ended up with an injury and stayed on the couch for a week before giving up on making it through a full 30 days.

 

Oh, and exercise yesterday was a 20 minute walk. I wanted to do more but was glad I didn't because there was a bit of pain before bed. Stretched a lot in the evening too, trying to alleviate the pain. It helped, didn't have to pop any meds thankfully.

 

Anyhoo, back later with today's progress...

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Meal 1 is crucial.  Your hormones are still figuring out what is going on and why am I not getting the sugar hits I used to get and how do I become fat-adapted and use this fat as fuel.  Right now, you might not be able to exactly trust your hormonal hunger signals.  Eating a template meal of protein, veggies, and fat at Meal 1 is crucial.  It sets the mood for the rest of the day. 

 

Also, just a word of caution.  Be careful with the fruits and nut butters.  A snack should be a mini meal, at least containing two of the following: protein, veggies, and fat.  A snack should not be an apple with nut butter.  I'm just trying to help.  The sooner you change this, the better off you will be for it.  Blood sugars will regulate, satiety hormones can be trusted, and your sugar dragon will go dormant. 

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Meal 1 is crucial.  Your hormones are still figuring out what is going on and why am I not getting the sugar hits I used to get and how do I become fat-adapted and use this fat as fuel.  Right now, you might not be able to exactly trust your hormonal hunger signals.  Eating a template meal of protein, veggies, and fat at Meal 1 is crucial.  It sets the mood for the rest of the day. 

 

Also, just a word of caution.  Be careful with the fruits and nut butters.  A snack should be a mini meal, at least containing two of the following: protein, veggies, and fat.  A snack should not be an apple with nut butter.  I'm just trying to help.  The sooner you change this, the better off you will be for it.  Blood sugars will regulate, satiety hormones can be trusted, and your sugar dragon will go dormant. 

 

These things I know, I choose to ignore on occasion! lol Thanks for the help. At the time I ate the apple and almond butter because that was all I had and wasn't able to leave work to grab anything else. If I would have had fish and broccoli in front of me I very likely would've eaten fish and broccoli. I'm no longer going to keep my work fruit bowl stocked but will keep a can of tuna and some veg handy for those times when I really need them.

 

I've been eating a morning meal for weeks with no issue. Just felt a bit off yesterday. It was the exception, not the rule.

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Yesterday (Day 3) was pretty good  :) other than the groggy feeling and that I'm not able to exercise much.

 

D3M1 was eggs scrambled in olive oil with a side of tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar

 

D3M2 was an adventure at the mall food court. The girls at work wanted to go so I tagged along. I found a sandwich place that made me an awesome salad of romaine, carrots, cukes, tomato, roasted sweet potato, and avocado. They were unsure of the spice mix used on the chicken so I passed on it and I didn't want to chance any of their dressings so I just had some lemon juice. I had chicken in the fridge at the office so I ate that when we got back. All in all not bad. I'll have to keep some balsamic vinegar in my purse for such occasions.  :lol: I've kept stanger stuff in there! 

 

D3M3 was leftover beef & veg chili with a side of steamed broccoli.

 

My back/leg was pretty painful by the end of the work day so other than the bit of walking we did through the mall I didn't get any exercise. I did the stretches my chiropractor assigned before I went to bed so I guess that counts for something too.

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Day 4 was uneventful. No snacking for either days 3 and 4 so I'm happy about that.

 

D4M1 was a baked chicken thigh, tomatoes, cucumber, and black olives.

 

D4M2 was pork roast, brussels sprouts, and kabocha squash with chopped apple.

 

D4M3 was 4 scrambled eggs (it seemed like a lot, I usually eat 3 but there were 4 left in the carton so I finished em off) cooked in olive oil, a small sweet potato, and steamed broccoli with olive oil and spices.

 

No exercise to speak of. Not happy about that. Hopefully after my appt tomorrow I'll be able to move a bit better.

 

Sleep has been awesome the past few days, other than last night it's been 7-8 solid hours a night. I usually wake up once or twice a night but haven't since Tuesday night I think. I woke up groggy this morning but didn't get to sleep until late so only got about 5.5 hours. So, I'm a bit cranky today and don't know if it's lack of sleep or because today is Day 5.

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D5M1 was cucumbers, tomatoes and black olives

D5M1 was pork roast, sweet potato and half an avocado

D5M1 was scrambled eggs with broccoli, zucchini and onion cooked in olive oil

OK day, a little cranky. I wanted a beer. Yay willpower! lol

I stayed up pretty late last night and slept late today so only ended up eating 2 meals, one at noon and one at about 7pm.

D6M1 was stir fried veg (zucchini broccoli carrots onion mushrooms) and ground beef & pork cooked in a bit of coconut oil and tossed with Chinese 5 spice and coconut aminos.

D6M1 was smoked oysters, a hard boiled egg, garlic stuffed olives, dill pickles, raw carrots and an orange.

All in all a good couple days.

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D7M1 was potatoes, mushrooms, onions fried in coconut oil, a couple eggs fried in olive oil and an orange.

D7M2 was chicken thigh meat sautéed in ghee with mushrooms and onions and a side of butternut squash.

D7M3 will be roast beef and veg. I think there's potatoes, carrots and onions in the roaster (husband is cooking). I won't have any of the potatoes because I had some at meal 1. I'll cook some broccoli & zucchini or something of the sort instead.

I roasted chicken thighs for work lunches earlier, will get some meatballs made before I get to bed and maybe bake some fish too. Feeling like food rules my life right now. Blah. lol I'll get over it.

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D8M1 was a Larabar and 2 hard boiled eggs. Definitely not ideal but had to be done due to time constraints. It was only the 2nd Larabar I had ever eaten, they're not bad but I'm not going to make a habit of them.

 

D8M2 was chicken thighs and nuked frozen veg (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and spinach) and a banana.

 

D8M3 was a can of tuna, a handful of green olives, chopped cucumber and avocado with cherry tomatoes. Maybe too much fat? I'm comfortably full and didn't have any at lunch. I guess it balances out in the end. I'll be more vigilant about including some in every meal. It's definitely something I struggle with.

 

All in all pretty good. No exercise to speak of other than light housework over the weekend. I'm still suffering because of my hip/leg/back so have to take it slow. On the bright side my pants are getting loose and I have a ton of energy  :D

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D9M1 was bad. Well, not terribly bad just not ideal. I slept in and had to rush so I didn't eat until I got to work. Thank goodness for hard boiled eggs! I ate 2 with a banana and called it a meal. It kept me satisfied until M2 though so yay for that!

 

D9M2 was broccoli slaw (shredded broccoli stalks, shredded red cabbage, matchstick carrots) with added tomatoes, cucumber, and olives and a dressing of cider vinegar, olive oil, and italian seasoning. I had 3 very small baked chicken thighs as well and about 10 small green olives. I'm hooked on olives.

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D9M3 was roast beef and fried potatoes. I had no energy or any interest in food.

 

Today is Day 10. People are annoying.

 

D10M1 was frozen berries and coconut milk and some prosciutto (technically compliant but not great I know, I'll do better tomorrow)

 

D10M2 was roast beef with a small potato and some carrots.

 

I've got 2 hours left of work, I hope nobody needs to speak to me for the rest of the day.

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D10M3 was steak and shrimp, German potato salad, and green beans with stewed tomatoes. Delish! 

 

The rest of the day 10 was pretty good, I got less cranky as the day wore on and was very happy to get home. I slept so soundly last night and woke up feeling very rested. I also feel like I'm fighting a cold though. There are a few people in the office that feel the same way so I'm not sure if I should chalk it up to that or to the Whole30. Either way, I'm feeling a little drained today even after waking up feeling great. I've been drinking lemon and/or lime water for the week so hopefully the little boost in vitamin C and the significant increase in consumed veggies will assist in fending off a cold this winter. 

 

D11M1 was overcooked scrambled eggs (multi-tasking failure!) and leftover green beans with stewed tomatoes.

 

D11M2 was baked chicken thighs with steamed broccoli slaw carrots as well as a couple slices of prosciutto I had convinced myself they were going to go bad ;-)

 

Halfway through my work day and people are annoying but not as bad as yesterday. Ah well, tomorrow will be amazing. Just because I said so.

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D11M3 was a bit of roast beef, a couple of meatballs (because I had ground meat that needed to be cooked so I made a batch) and some boring veg. I didn't mind that it was boring. Tired of food. I tried a few reen grapes but they were too sweet. That was interesting. Anyhoo, Day 11 done.

D12M1 was a couple meatballs and a banana on the run to a conference.

D12M2 at the conference was plain grilled chicken, plain boiled potatoes and a plain grilled tomato. Nothing inspiring bit edible. I had a coconut cream Larabar too because there wasn't any fat to speak of in either meal.

On my way to the chiropractor now. Fingers crossed for more mobility soon!

And what to do about dinner...

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D12M3 was cold meatballs, a handful of raw veg and a handful of pistachios. Not ideal but what I had.

D13M1 was Nom Nom Paleo's Cracklin Chicken, a banana and some grapes.

I somehow missed M2 (bad, bad, bad!!!)

D13M3 was leftover roast beef and stir fried veg (broccoli zucchini savoy cabbage mushrooms) tossed in Chinese 5 spice and coconut aminos. Simple and delish!

I might have a small meal a couple hours before bed, it's only 6:30 right now so I should have time.

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Small meal a couple hours before bed was Brussels sprouts topped with 2 fried eggs. Runny yolks on the sprouts were delish!

D14M1 was leftover cracklin chicken and a banana.

D14M2 was sautéed onion, zucchini, savoy cabbage & mushrooms with poached sole. Salt n pepper not spices on everything.

I should be prepping but feeling lazy. There's chicken breasts and ground pork & beef defrosting so I'll have to cook soon. I'm going to make a big batch of meatballs and probably end up having spaghetti for tonight's meal with some left over for the week. Not sure what I'll do with the chicken yet. I don't have a lot of fresh vegetables in the house at the moment, it's ridiculously cold this weekend and I didn't want to venture out to the grocery store. I'll make due with some frozen veg I have at work for lunch tomorrow and grab a few things on the way home.

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D14M3 was fish cakes (canned tuna & salmon, baked mashed sweet potato, celery, red pepper, green onion, fresh parsley) and dilled baby red potatoes.

I did nothing to preplace for the week. Ah well, there's cooked chicken and I can always make eggs. I got to reading a book this afternoon and it was far more interesting to me than food.

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Day 15!!! Pretty excited. About everything! Smiling all day, on a Monday no less. Beginning of Tiger Blood? I hope so.

 

D15M1 was leftover fish cakes, a couple chicken tenders and 4 baby red potatoes tossed in clarified butter and dill.

 

D15M2 was 2 eggs, chopped spinach, chopped tomatoes and olive oil cooked in the microwave. Not too bad. I had a handful of black olives on the side as well.

 

I saw my chiropractor last Friday and my massage therapist today, will see the chiro again this Friday and MT again next Wednesday. It finally feels like things are starting to get back to "normal" so hopefully I can get moving other than the little bits of walking I've been doing. I was thinking about going to the pool and walking in the water in hopes that it would be less painful. But that requires a bathing suit. Don't know if I'm ok with that yet.

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D15M3 was shepherd's pie (ground pork & beef, carrots, snow peas, and reduced homemade beef broth topped with mashed potatoes made with clarified butter and tempered egg.

 

D16M1 was leftover shepherd's pie (it was so good! I wish there was more)

 

D16M2 was in a restaurant, they served me a deconstructed clubhouse sandwich. Roasted chicken, prosciutto, lettuce tomato, avocado with a side of roasted veg and a lemon vinaigrette. Delish!

 

D16M3 was in another restaurant (M2 was a planned outing, I was pretty much forced into M3 lol) salt & pepper chicken wings and a cobb style salad. Roasted chicken, boiled egg, cucumber, tomato on mixed baby greens with balsamic vinegar and oil as the dressing. Pretty sure something contained soy because my stomach rumbled loudly until late. Ah well, what can you do... 

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D17M1 wasn't the greatest, frozen fruit and coconut milk. Thought I had more food at work.

D17M2 was spaghetti squash, meatballs and marinara.

D17M3 will be burgers and salad.

Crappy day at work. Ended up at the mall afterwards and really wanted a poutine. (That's French fries with gravy and cheese curds for you non-Canadians) I walked away.

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D18M1... I can't remember what I ate. Must have been boring! lol

 

D18M2 was 3 eggs & chopped spinach cooked in olive oil & topped with salsa with chopped cucumber and grape tomatoes on the side.

 

D18M3 was roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots that were cooked in the same pan. Some whole cloves of roasted garlic too. Yummers!

 

I was tired but couldn't sleep last night. Probably slept for about 6 hours so feeling yucky today.

 

D19M1 was a boiled egg, an apple and about 10 almonds. I'm finding it harder and harder to eat a full M1. I'll push it for the remainder of my 30 days but wonder if I need to afterwards?? Eating a smaller full meal might be sufficient. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

 

D19M2 was a work meeting at a restaurant (my choosing thankfully). I had steak and broccoli. In hind site I should have had them throw on some avocado too but didn't think of it. Had a handful of coconut as a fat when I returned to the office as it was only about 15 minutes after I had finished the meal.

 

My husband is making compliant clam chowder for dinner tonight. He said I won't even be able to tell that there's no cream in it. We'll see  ;)

 

I highly recommend marrying a former (or current) chef. He loves experimenting with food and has embraced making me delicious compliant dinners, especially when I'm feeling frustrated with my own lack cooking skills  :wub:

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Well clam chowder didn't happen. Maybe today or tomorrow. Life got busy.

D19M3 was a burger patty, Brussels sprouts and olives. My son marvelled at the odd combo. I would have had avocado instead of olives but they aren't ripe yet.

D12M1 was a burger party, a handful of boiled baby potatoes and green beans, both tossed with a dollop of clarified butter and some spices.

I'm out and about today for a haircut and errands. There was nothing portable to take with me so I'll have to make due somewhere in my travels.

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