jillian Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Today is day 5. I had a surge of energy and enthusiasm during the first 3 days. It was great to feel so darn good. My head was clear and my attitude was positive. Yesterday, day 4, was a bit different. I was tired and felt a little weak and crabby. I had cravings - but nothing too extreme. I was super hungry for dinner and it wasn't even 5pm. So I ate - and ate. Then I had an orange and some salted, toasted coconut chips. The good news: my energy and mood improved, I didn't feel stuffed, and I didn't wake up with a "food hangover". I made peace from the start with the fact that I won't feel great and energized every day during these 30 days. I also resisted the urge to "fix" how I felt by using something a little sweet or comforting to soothe my irritability or sluggishness. I just have to roll with it, surrender to the commitment I made and stick to the program for 30 days. When that little voice pops into my head, justifying a small change to the plan, or judging the merits of the Whole30 guidelines, I simply respond with, "Is it day 30? Well then no judging or changing anything yet." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carie Skeahan Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I really like your perspective on this. You are going to do great…I just know it! So excited for you. At this point, day 5 or so, I would not over react to anything your body is telling you…it's all out of whack right now. Just stick to the program like you said. If you want, log your food here so we can take a look. Perhaps you were so hungry because of a lack of fat, for example. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SummerGirl Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Good attitude jillian. Will apply the same myself when I hit any speed bumps-thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Thanks for kind responses! Today is day 6 and I'm feeling steady. Here's an overview of today's food and it's a pretty similar to every other day so far: I wake up and my stomach is not ready for anything heavy so I have a few slices of orange or a kiwi with some black coffee. An hour or so later I have breakfast - which has consistently been 3 scrambled eggs with about 1/2 cup of diced roasted butternut squash, topped with half of a small avocado and some lime juice. I usually can't make it to lunch without a small snack - today was half an apple with almond butter lunch today was a serving of the chocolate chili from Well Fed (yum!) with about 1 cup of spaghetti squash. snack: baby carrots and olives (just olives, water and salt) dinner: 4 oz baked chicken breast with some roasted parsnips - my green salad was too wilted to eat I will likely have an orange or something else before I go to bed since my dinner was so early. A few observations - I do seem to eat more starchy vegetables than others on this plan. Also, I wonder if 2-3 pieces of fruit each day is too much (it doesn't feel that way). The good news: I don't have to drag myself away from any of these foods (as I would if it were cake!). I eat and just naturally put the fork down when I'm full (again, this is not the case with baked goods...). I don't have any fogginess, and there's no trace of "food hangover" in the morning. From an emotional standpoint: I feel motivated, clear, calm and non-reactive. I also find that I'm more relaxed and happy when I'm with family members who typically cause me stress and worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Day 7: I am so so so glad that I purchased the cookbook, Well Fed, before I started the Whole30. I've made the chocolate chili, moroccan meatballs, cumin roasted carrots, pad thai, a number of hotplates, mashed cauliflower ... and my absolute favorite, sunshine sauce. I love to cook (though not quite as much as I have been these past 7 days) so having this amazing cookbook with all its delicious and varied recipes keeps me from feeling deprived. My boyfriend, who is not doing the Whole30, has loved every dish I've made so far. Today was an odd day. I went to my first yoga class since starting the whole30. I felt very nauseous because my blood sugar was too low (however, it was not a strenous class). Then I made the mistake of not having a packed meal - just a bunch of olives, carrots, an apple, banana and almond butter - all of which I ate between 12 and 2 because I had an appointment right after yoga and then got stuck in traffic during my long commute home. After I got home, I had a 90 min phone meeting with my boss - so lunch happened around 3:30. I had a hard boiled egg and some frozen berries with coconut milk. Then I felt tired and sluggish. I really had to push myself to make dinner (pad thai recipe from Well Fed). There's something about the combo of fat and fruit that I think makes me feel sluggish - tomorrow I'm going to skip the snacks and just stick with real meals to see how that makes me feel. One week down!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Day 11 is almost over! I'm holding strong. I've noticed that the small patch of scaly skin near the edge of my nose is gone. I'm calm and feel satisfied after meals. My gums are strong and no longer inflamed (something I didn't expect to see change). At moments I have cravings - sometimes pretty strong - but at these moments I just remind myself that I had strong cravings before whole30. Mostly, I just want meals - meat and veggies and such. I still snack on fruit and nut butters - but often this is more out of convenience than preference. I don't find myself having to have a lara bar, etc. Biggest plus: no longer feeling guilt over eating too much or shame from not having the willpower to drag myself away from a batch of brownies. That all said, I wish I had a little more energy. I feel sluggish. Yesterday I picked up some Now Super Digestive Enzymes and probiotics and these have already helped. I also don't feel like I've lost any weight. Losing weight isn't really a goal for me - but I'm still surprised that I don't feel more slender around the waist. I am eating a lot - I have protein and plenty of fat at every meal and yet, I get hungry 3-4 hours after each meal - and this is not because I'm very active. I do a little yoga here and there and some gardening. My main reason for doing Whole30 is to clear up my skin (I never had bad skin until about 2 years ago - and it is now at an all time low). I'm also doing this to prove to myself that I can choose what food goes into my mouth. Ok - just taking notes here. No conclusions drawn - it's only day 11... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carie Skeahan Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I love this post. Once again, I have got to say, you have the loveliest attitude. I look forward to reading your log. Did you see the post Whole9 posted on their Facebook page the other day? It reads: "Guilt is wasted emotional energy." Reading your update tonight made me think of this... Nice job and congrats on your skin issues getting better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thanks, Carie! Today is the 2 week mark! And I think I'm turning a corner. Since my last post, I had a few days of overeating. I just wasn't feeling "right". I think I was trying to make myself feel better by eating more (which of course just made me feel worse). I started to get irritated - thinking that maybe Whole30 wasn't a good fit for me (oh how the mind loves to play tricks). Before I let myself get too discouraged, I posted about it in the "troubleshooting" forum. Thank goodness for such immediate, excellent, online support! I also found answers to other glitches I was experiencing. Today and yesterday I focused on having 3 square meals and one snack (meal structure is a must for me). I'm taking Now Super Digestives and a compliant probiotic. I'm really feeling good. Another "best part of Whole30": last night I did seated meditation for the first time since starting the program - I experienced a wonderful calm throughout my whole body. I didn't have tension or pain in my low back or shoulder. I was surprised when my timer went off 45 minutes later. What a nice and unexpected benefit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Starting Day 19! The past few days have been challenging - definitely due to it being that time of the month. I listened to my body and let myself eat more (after an initial attempt to "will" myself to ignore these signals from my body). As a result, my mood improved and I felt less irritable. Sometimes you just need to eat. That said, eating only Whole30 foods during these times makes all the difference. I don't experience food hangovers despite eating quite a bit. I don't experience the mood or energy crash I would experience if I was letting myself eat bread, pasta, or pastry. I feel calm and less reactive. And I'm still experiencing this incredible calm when I sit to meditate. When I was eating plenty of sugar and grains I'd often be agitated while sitting. The noticeable differences in how I feel when I meditate really show me the more subtle effects of this diet on the nervous system (the word diet meaning the sum and types of food consumed). Also, I went to the theater to see a movie and was so surprised that I didn't crave popcorn - toasted coconut flakes are more delicious to me (this is a BIG change). I look forward to the last third of my Whole30.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Day 24: Just checking in. Yesterday we hosted a bbq - lots of yummy cocktails, beer and brats - but none for me! And it wasn't so bad. I made the best compliant "cocktail" ever: lime, club soda, pureed cucumber, and ginger kombucha on ice with pretty garnish - helped me feel less deprived. I also made the green beans and bora bora fireballs from Well Fed - everyone loved them and this also made me feel like I wasn't "missing out" on the good food. I also had some fresh pineapple. The strange thing is, I woke up feeling a bit hungover and I just wanted chocolate in the worst way! I just had breakfast and I'm feeling better. We'll see how the last week of my whole30 goes... Also, at day 24, I'm still having skin issues. I'm also experiencing more bloating and tummy issues than when I'd eat a good dose of lentil soup or whole grains each day. I'm starting to decide what my first non-compliant food will be after day 30. I'm wondering if rice and lentils are foods that don't bother my digestive system. I know that refined grains - i.e., flour, causes problems for me. Hmmm... just taking a look at that 2-wheeler ... coming up with a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaunna Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Great job, Jillian! I love the cocktail you made, I'll have to try it! Thanks. OH! How was the chocolate chili from Well Fed? I haven't tried it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 Hey Shaunna - the chocolate chili is fantastic. My non-whole30 boyfriend loved it, too. And it freezes well. I served mine on top of a big pile of roasted spaghetti squash "noodles". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Starting Day 26: Hard to believe that I'm nearing the end. I think I've finally adjusted to eating this way - which is good because I don't plan to deviate much for awhile. I still imagine that a few more changes may happen in the next 4 days - so I'm holding strong and sticking to my commitment so I can confidently say I did my part. At this point, I can say that my skin has "calmed" down a bit - less inflammation but not a tremendous improvement. I'm sleeping about as well as I did before whole30 - which was pretty well. My energy levels are about the same as they were before - days of good energy and sluggish days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 whoops - didn't mean to post that without adding: On the other hand, I have noticed less gum inflammation (I didn't know my gums were inflamed before doing this). Some of my previous occasional aches in my shoulder and low back are virtually gone. I still have bad moods and at times am very irritable - but overall I'm more calm and less reactive even when I'm not feeling my best. There are days when I eat a lot and days when I eat less - but it's nice to feel like I'm following my body's cues and not insatiable craving patterns. I like feeling in control of what I eat - I think this just helps build my confidence and restore my self-esteem around food issues. I'm surprised by the amount of fat I can eat without gaining weight - that said, I haven't lost a pound (yet). I wasn't overweight prior to whole30 so I'm not too concerned with having lost no weight. I think the single best benefit of doing Whole30 has been its impact on my meditation practice. I can sit and "drop in" to a very calm state with very little agitation and maintain that for an hour without really feeling any strong urge to move or get up. I also don't experience aching in my low back nor burning pain in my shoulder - something that would consistently be there when sitting before whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Day 27 and I'm feeling good! I feel like my body is finally adjusting to this way of eating ... as if there may be something to this "30" part I'm glad that this program makes you stick to it no matter what for 30 days. There are ups and downs and lots of changes - all of which can make you doubt the program or justify a modification or cheat. I did not cheat or modify the program one bit. I'm really proud of myself because I can be the "queen of justifications" at times. Instead, I rode it out knowing that I could not make a decision on this way of eating unless I could honestly say I did the Whole30 for the whole 30. The online support has been tremendously helpful. As I get closer and closer to that 2-wheeler, I know I will continue to rely on this online support - because there's still so much to learn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Hey I noticed that about my gums too! Well done on being almost there & doing such a great job of it. Re the skin on Balanced Bites they rec. this stuff, supposedly has an amazing effect on one's skin http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/ButterCodLiverBlend/index.cfm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 thanks for the suggestion, Dervalc! All advice for my skin is welcomed - since I can't seem to figure it out... Day 29!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillian Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 woohoo! Day 30. That's all I have to say -because it's Saturday and a holiday weekend. More later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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