liz.rockon Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I have some notes in my Notes app regarding my first Whole30, but as you know, the dang brevity forced by tapping out thoughts on a tiny keyboard leaves something to be desired. That said, I'll post what I had recorded previously, and leave for another time my WHY and some of the questions and concerns that I have about the program. Sunday, 1/3 - Day 1 Today was my first day. I had a few waves of hunger this evening, but my meal times were off today so we'll just see how tomorrow goes. I did well with breakfast and lunch - compliant leftovers I had in my house - but I didn;t eat enough and didn't add enough fat. I went grocery shopping and food prepped for about 3 hours. This week is a bit of an anomaly since my husband is out of town for work. He is happy to eat what I eat but not too serious about 100% compliance for himself. Which is fine. But I assume the cooking time and shopping costs will double, which is scary. Breakfast - 9:30 am Constant Comment Tea Leftover collard greens with onions, sauteed in olive oil with apple cider vinegar Leftover slow cooker pork carnitas Organic egg fried in olive oil Lunch - 4:45 pm Leftover slow cooker carnitas Frozen veggie medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) with salt and pepper Dinner - 7:30 pm 1 1/2 egg muffins (from food prep) Spoonfuls of ground beef (WellFed recipe) Monday, 1/4 - Day 2 In retrospect it's clear that I should have eaten more yesterday. Tonight when I get home I'm going to take measurements. My starting weight is 177. Breakfast - 6:15 am Tea Three egg muffins A few bites of leftover collard greens Mid-morning - 10:00 am Another tea Carbonated water Lunch - 12:00 pm Spaghetti squash Leftover veggie medley Well Fed ground beef Coconut oil Spaghetti sauce Snack - 3:00 pm Freeze-dried strawberries and pineapple Dinner - 7:30 pm Coho salmon, cooked in clarified butter Half a sweet potato with some clarified butter Broccoli, with a little more clarified butter Glass of sparkling water with a splash of 100% orange juice (was realllly missing wine and/or cocktail) Tuesday, 1/5 - Day 3 I'm feeling really satisfied food-wise. Missing wine at night, and missing cigarettes (I quit smoking on 1/3 too). Woke up with a headache today. I was tired and just did not want to get out of bed! I've been drinking water and being gentle with myself. Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Three egg muffins Mid-morning - 9:00 am Another tea Lunch - 12:00 pm Leftover salmon cooked in clarified butter Steamed broccoli Half sweet potato I have a container of olives here I can eat as a snack if I want. For dinner tonight I will have ground beef, cabbage, carrots, and a sauce that I've been excited to make. I also made a list of dinner options for the rest of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 Last night for dinner I thought about the ground beef and my heart just said no. I ended up having a mini-cookup instead. I baked some chicken thighs with Greek seasoning and a little EVOO, made mashed potatoes with clarified butter and coconut milk (OMG so good) and some cabbage I had steam-sauteed over the weekend. I also made this 5 Minute Magic Green sauce from Pinch of Yum and boiled some eggs. It's really, really weird to have the motivation and energy to cook like that on a weeknight. Normally I would have been two or three glasses of wine in without energy for anything except sitting on the couch watching Netflix. Instead, after cooking I did the dishes (seriously, who am I?), put everything away and played guitar for about 15 minutes. That's not a great practice session (ideally it's an hour a day) but it was so different than the other routine. The take the edge off and shut down my brain routine. Wednesday, 1/6 - Day 4 I am feeling great today! It's supposed to be "kill all the things" day, and maybe it will turn around, but my spirits are high. Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Three eggs, deviled with my own homemade mayo, dijon mustard and a sprinkle of paprika 1 cup steam-sauteed broccoli, nuked with some coconut oil and salt and pepper Lunch - 12:00 pm (planned) Leftover Greek chicken thighs Leftover mashed potatoes (the best dang mashed potatoes ever OMG so so so good) Leftover broccoli with some coconut oil Dinner - 6:30 pm (planned) Not sure! I have ground beef and chicken sausage, ready to go spaghetti squash, cabbage and sweet potatoes, plus uncooked carrots, bell peppers, spinach, a jalepeno, lemons and limes.....I could just go crazy in there! This is so fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 6, 2016 Author Share Posted January 6, 2016 Keeping a log of the day by day feelings and meals is great. I like the accountability and will enjoy reflecting on this once all is said and done. However, I wanted to add an entry about my WHY - why am I doing this, why so drastic, why everything at once - and track some of the health issues I've had and note any improvements. Starting in May 2015, my right eyebrow lost a big chunk of hair right in the meaty part. Then it just started getting more and more sparse. Over the course of six months, it is half the eyebrow that my left one is...except then my left one started falling out. The outer third of my eyebrow is completely gone. Because I am vain, this has been the key issue for me that led to doctors and internet research. I asked everyone about the eyebrow - my aesthetician, a make-up artist friend, my mom. They all said different things - aging/skin damage, over-waxing, hormones, thyroid issues. So I went to an MD to get my thyroid checked out. Blood work showed no issues. A month later, nothing had changed, and I started becoming more aware of other issues. I felt tired and lacking energy daily. My cycle started to whack out after years of a perfectly consistent period. SO I went to a different MD, this time doing a large battery of tests including auto-immune, different thyroid indicators, blood sugar, etc. All came back normal. But I didn't feel normal. While I was waiting for the results I freaked myself out about auto-immune issues (Hashimotos? Lupus?!?!) because it runs in my family. I started reading. I started thinking about what I could do to address these issues, how I could change my life. I know what the medications for auto-immune can do. It's not pretty and not ideal. Once my diagnosis came back clear, it was tempting to ignore my symptoms under the fact that doc said I was healthy. All except my high blood pressure and being overweight. For whatever reason though, something in me snapped. I considered AIP, but decided instead to try Whole30 and see if it helped. I made a list of my "ailments" that I am hoping W30 can help address: Eyebrows falling out Overweight High blood pressure Chronic (daily) heartburn Erratic menstrual cycle Dry, patchy areas of skin, eczema, psoriasis Inconsistent BMs (swing from not enough to too much, if you KWIM) Already I can say that I have not had heartburn once since I've started. There are two big lifestyle changed that were forced by W30 too. One is quitting smoking. I have smoked off and on (mostly on) for 17 years. I am pretty good at quitting - that is to say, it's always easier than I think it will be - but better at starting back up again. In the last year I had whittled down to half a pack a day. I had my last cigarette on January 2, and started W30 on January 3. The other big change is alcohol. I wouldn't say I am an alcoholic - addiction runs in my family and I have very carefully reviewed my behavior with drinking. But, anyone would agree that I was drinking excessively. Even if I wasn't getting "drunk" because my tolerance was high, even if it wasn't impeding my ability to show up to work each day, make good on my commitments, etc., having 2-3 drinks every weeknight, and anywhere from 5-10 drinks on the weekends is too much. Not healthy. And even though alcohol did not interrupt my life, it wasn't adding that much. So quitting drinking and smoking, both daily habits, have been the biggest concerns and roadblocks. I would say I'm experiencing immediate benefits from quitting both - my skin looks better right away, and my sense of smell is returning. Also, even though my sugar hangover has me waking up with a bit of a headache each morning.....I was waking up like that every morning. Every. Morning. So, when this adjustment period goes away, I don't even know if I'll be able to handle the awesome! LOL. But seriously, hearing that other people call that a hangover in the context of their W30 makes me realize I was waking up slightly hungover every frickin day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Checking in for accountability! Wednesday, 1/6 - Day 4 Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Three eggs, deviled with my own homemade mayo, dijon mustard and a sprinkle of paprika 1 cup steam-sauteed broccoli, nuked with some coconut oil and salt and pepper Lunch - 12:00 pm Leftover Greek chicken thighs Leftover mashed potatoes (the best dang mashed potatoes ever OMG so so so good) Leftover broccoli with some coconut oil Snack - 3:00 pm Small handful of raw cashews Dinner - 7:30 pm Hot Plate with: Leftover ground beef (Well Fed) Steam-sauteed cabbage Red bell pepper Onion Coconut oil Cumin, cayenne, garlic powder and topped with Tapatio Sparkling water with a splash of orange juice Thursday, 1/7 - Day 5 It's been really hard to not eat mindlessly today. Almost immediately after lunch (a big lunch, too) I wanted a snack. Why? Because habit. Because for the last year, I have eaten in a complete free-for-all. Now I'm trying to ask myself the steamed fish question. My office snack options are raw cashews, roasted almonds or a lara bar - all W30 compliant. Today I munched a few cashews and moved on. One thing I am noticing today is constipation! Is Day 5 constipation a thing? I woke up really cranky and with a headache - again. I'm kind of over the morning headaches. And my cravings are manageable for food, but really, really hard for alcohol and especially for cigarettes. Cigarettes are actually the worst and most common craving I am having. I hope that gets easier. Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Two egg muffins with clarified butter on top 1/3 of a giant sweet potato with some more clarified butter Lunch - 11:30 am Leftover beef, cabbage, pepper and onion hot plate 1/3 of a giant sweet potato with clarified butter Snack - 3:00 pm Small handful of raw cashews Dinner - 7:00 pm (planned) Chicken sausage Leftover spaghetti squash Sauteed spinach W30 compliant tomato basil pasta sauce Tomorrow for breakfast I will eat the rest of my ground beef. For lunch, I will treat myself to a big salad from Whole Foods. And for dinner I will probably have leftover "pasta", or maybe tuna salad with eggs over mixed greens. My husband comes home from a business trip tomorrow and he has been gone since the beginning of my Whole30 journey - so adapting to having him in the house, making enough food, and keeping accountable for my own meals will be a new challenge thrown into the mix. I keep telling myself it's worth it! And that I'm worth it. Today in the mirror I think I look a bit slimmer, and I feel a bit lighter. Other than the constipation and cigarette cravings, I'm feeling great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geralyn5 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Thanks for posting all of this Liz! It sounds like you are off to an amazing start! Keep up the great work, and hopefully those cigarette cravings will go away! I am just finishing up day 4 and my heart burn has not reader its head since I started as well. Its awesome to not constantly be taking pills or chewing on tums! I was struggling big time with wine this evening. I came home from work and had the music going in the kitchen while I was cooking and thought the only thing missing was a glass of wine! Good luck with your journey! And keep posting so we can keep up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Hey Geralyn! Thank you for responding, and the struggle is REAL with wine. Last night was actually better than other nights have been for whatever reason. And the heartburn - I have always felt like I was too young to be toting around Tums and having a bottle at home, on my nightstand, in my deck drawers and some in my purse!! What was giving me heartburn before? I'm soooo curious. I guess I'll find out at reintroduction time? One thing I can't believe I forgot to list as an "ailment" - insomnia! For the past few years I have woken up almost every night, usually around 2-3 am. Sometimes I am able to get back to sleep within a few minutes, but usually its around 20-30 minutes - and a couple times a month I will be awake for hours. I could never really figure out why this was happening - one hypothesis was that once whatever buzz I had from alcohol wore off, I would pop awake. But it happens even on nights I don't drink. When I listened to the audiobook of "It Starts With Food", the section on Cortisol really stood out to me, along with the "bad day" of food. OOHHHHH, I thought, this is why! I wake up at 3 am but at 6 when the alarm goes off I feel like death. I am now on Day 6 of my Whole30. My sleep is improving each night. Night before last, I woke up only for a minute or so, and was able to get right back to sleep. Last night, I barely roused, although I did gain some consciousness. I'm shooting for multiple nights of uniterrupted sleep. Oh, how sweet that will be! Yesterday's Recap: Thursday, 1/7 - Day 5 Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Two egg muffins with clarified butter on top 1/3 of a giant sweet potato with some more clarified butter Lunch - 11:30 am Leftover beef, cabbage, pepper and onion hot plate 1/3 of a giant sweet potato with clarified butter Snack - 3:00 pm Small handful of raw cashews Dinner - 7:00 pm 2 chicken sausage Leftover spaghetti squash Sauteed spinach W30 compliant tomato basil pasta sauce For the first time since I began eating this way, I didn't finish my plate. I think both phsyically and psychologically I am starting to realize that I am getting enough food, I'm not truly hungry between meals, and my meals are giving me the nutrition I need. I have questioned a few times whether or not I was eating too much - too much protein, too much fat. But I think sooner rather than later I will begin to trust my body more and know how much I need. It's pretty cool. Friday, 1/8 - Day 6 Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Two egg muffins Homemade mayo Steam-sauteed cabbage, nuked with some coconut oil *Again, did not finish everything on my plate. I had served myself 3 egg muffins Lunch - 12:00 pm Giant Whole Foods salad Dinner - 7:00 pm (planned) Option 1: Rest of ground beef, cabbage, some peppers and onions for a re-do of the hot plate from the other night Option 2: Grass fed steak, baked potato or sweet potato, salad My hubbs will finally get home tonight so dinner is up to him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 Happy Saturday! I made it to Day 7!! I'm so freakin' proud of myself. From a smoking, drinking, drive-thru going (yikes... that's a tough starting point to admit) couch potato to sticking to a really tough plan. I feel fantastic. I'm feeling really strong in the eating, and in not drinking and having quit smoking. My skin looks great and I am visibly slimmer. My husband echoed everything I thought was true and he is stunned by the results of just one week. I've not disrupted my pattern yet since he's been home (have eaten a breakfast, lunch and dinner already) and I feel really strong. And, as far as I can recall I slept through the night last night! A first in literally AGES. No headache when I woke up this morning, constipation gone, and I woke up wanting to take a hike. What? This is crazy awesome. Is this Tiger's Blood, on Day 7? Maybe I was used to feeling so shi(ty that this is what a kind of average person wakes up feeling like? I don't know. But speaking of hikes, tomorrow in addition to my meal planning, grocery shopping and meal prepping, I would love to fit in a hike. Next week I want to start exercising again. Slow baby steps, just some cardio at first. Maybe a yoga class. I don't have a specific goal of what I want to build up to, or what type of exercise I want to do, but it feels right. I'm all unicorns and rainbows! Yesterday's Recap: Friday, 1/8 - Day 6 Breakfast - 7:00 am Tea Two egg muffins Homemade mayo Steam-sauteed cabbage, nuked with some coconut oil Lunch - 12:00 pm Giant Whole Foods salad Dinner - 8:00 pm Rest of ground beef, cabbage, some peppers and onions for a re-do of the hot plate from the other night Saturday, 1/9 - Day 7 Breakfast - 9:00 am Tea Around 4 oz New York Strip steak w/ clarified butter melt Egg fried in olive oil Steamed green beans with a touch of coconut oil Lunch - 2:00 pm Sparkling water with a splash of orange juice 1 1/2 W30 compliant chicken sausages Steamed green beans with a touch of coconut oil Dinner - 8:00 pm Roasted spiced carrots (Well Fed) The world's most delicious mashed potatoes (using up my russets potatoes has never been so awesome) Baked Chicken Thighs - maybe seasoned with Herbes de Provence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Weekend! It went well. Just finished my weekly cookup. Including meal planning, grocery list-making, shopping and stopping to eat lunch in between, the whole shebang took me about 6 hours. I would definitely like it to be faster, but I did make: Breakfast casserole - ground pork, homemade seasoning, spinach, sweet potato, eggs Ground beef Steam-sauteed cabbage Steamed broccoli Roasted carrots Roasted brussels sprouts Baked sweet potato Boiled eggs Clarified butter Chopped up peppers for munching or cooking My goal is to take 1 hour shopping (including travel time, multiple stores if needed) and 1.5 hours for all prep. Something to work towards! I have a bunch of cooked and raw ingredients and can mix them up any way I like! Today I woke up feeling a little sluggish. Kind of a bummer since I was feeling so great yesterday morning. Either way, I got a lot done today, and I'm not craving foods of any kind, or even alcohol or cigarettes. It's pretty awesome. Yesterday Recap (for accountability): Saturday, 1/9 - Day 7 Breakfast - 9:00 am Tea Around 4 oz New York Strip steak w/ clarified butter melt Egg fried in olive oil Steamed green beans with a touch of coconut oil Lunch - 2:00 pm Sparkling water with a splash of orange juice 1 1/2 W30 compliant chicken sausages Steamed green beans with a touch of coconut oil Snack - 4:30 pm Small handful of roasted hazelnuts Strawberries with some crunchy almost butter (amazing combo, actually) Sparkling water with some orange juice Dinner - 8:00 pm Roasted chicken thighs, russet potato, carrots and onion with herbs, salt and pepper - one pan for about 30 min Sunday, 1/10 - Day 8 Breakfast - 10:00 am Tea Sugar-free bacon Fried eggs Steamed green beans with a touch of coconut oil Lunch - 2:00 pm Leftover roast chicken and veggies Dinner - 6:30 pm Slow-cooker carnitas Roasted carrots Steamed broccoli Tomorrow, I'm thinking breakfast casserole with broccoli for breakfast, some rotisseries chicken meat with mixed greens, balsamic dressing (made with mayo), roasted carrots, and then for dinner maybe the salmon with some veggies. I love eating this way! It IS a lot of work but the food is so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 I am on Day 10. I am somewhat in awe of how committed I am to doing this. Honestly, I haven't thought once of cheating! I really think I'm going to make it through these 30 days. Last night, I dreamt that I cheated. The details are a little hazy, but I ate something due to peer pressure, then basically said "screw it" and was drinking alcohol, eating chocolate, etc. I woke up kind of sad and disappointed in myself...until I realized it was just a dream! The worst part of the dream is that I don't even remember what the food was that I caved in for! There was nothing special about it, I'm pretty sure. Every day at my office, I walk past no less than 4 candy bowls. I have been eyeing them more in the past few work days than I have ever paid them notice in the past. I think my eyes are opening up to how much junk I am surrounded with each day, and how it seems so normal to pop a Lindor truffle into your mouth at the beginning of a meeting. Each Monday they bring it a few dozen bagels from Einstein's, with a handful of different cream cheeses. I walked right in the cafe where people were toasting their bagels, smearing delicious whipped cream cheese on top, and put my lunch in the fridge. I wasn't hungry because I had already eaten a nutritious breakfast, of course. Regarding some of my health issues - insomnia is getting better. If I do wake up in the middle of the night, I fall right back asleep. We actually have a lot of light pouring into our bedroom from a street light, and need to put up curtains to block it out - a weekend to-do item. My energy has improved a ton! I was just talking to my husband about how great it feels to wake up feeling good. Believe it or not, I see a few little hairs growing in on my left eyebrow - my waning eyebrows were the impetus to making any sort of change at all! I was feeling a little bloaty the last few days (For the love of Gosling, my pants are tighter phase right on schedule). That seems to have gone away as I woke up this morning feeling slimmer again. And I have not had heartburn even once on my W30, which is truly astonishing to me. Two things I want to improve in my W30 - 1) I have a small snack of nuts each day. I think this is more habit eating that actual hunger. It's my "I want work to be over" feeling - this is normally when I would go smoke a cigarette or drink a soda or eat some crap. At this point I believe it's mind over matter. I should probably make myself some tea (water alone hasn't quelled the desire). 2) I want to start exercising. I was telling my husband this morning, as I visualize the future of no drinking during my W30, to a much-reduced level of drinking, I need something in my life to give me that buzz. I think exercise endorphins are just the thing to replace the nightly booze buzz. Because I hurt my back in July, I stopped exercising completely, and since September have been on maybe five intentional long walks and a few gentle yoga classes. Now my back is much improved and I want to start slow, working my way into walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, yoga, and weight-lifting. I did The New Rules of Lifting for Women program in 2013 and I loved my results. I might like to go back through that program again, this time being even more conscientious with my form (given my back). Something to work up to. But for now, I actually just have to go to the gym and walk on the treadmill or get on the elliptical for 30 minutes. That's how it starts. THIS WEEK!!! Yesterday's Recap: Monday, 1/11 – Day 9 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea Breakfast casserole Lunch – 11:30 am Leftover rotisserie chicken Steamed broccoli Roasted carrots Olive oil Snack – 3:00 pm Roasted almonds Dinner - 7:30 pm Slow-cooker carnitas One third of a giant sweet potato Roasted brussels sprouts Today's Plan: Tuesday, 1/12 - Day 10 Breakfast - 6:45 am Tea Breakfast casserole Lunch – 12:00 pm (planned) Tuna salad w/ homemade mayo, chopped onion and pickle Mixed greens Roasted brussels sprouts Dinner - 7:30 pm (planned) Ground beef Cabbage Bell peppers and onions Coconut oil and spicy seasonings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 The last few days got away from me. Coincidence that they were "the hardest days?" My attitude was flagging yesterday. Finally around 4 pm I admitted to myself - and a coworker - that I was really annoyed that I had nothing to stress or boredom eat, and nothing to stress or boredom smoke, and it pissed me off! She laughed, I laughed, and of course saying it out loud takes some of the steam away. I will continue to have moments like that with the smoking - I've been through it before. It does get easier and I will make it! Recaps: Tuesday, 1/12 – Day 10 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea Breakfast casserole Lunch – 11:30 am 5 oz tuna, mayo, pickles, onions Mixed greens with evoo and balsamic Apple and cashew butter Snack – 3:00 pm Larabar – Cherry Pie Dinner - 7:30 pm Leftover ground beef Steam-sauteed cabbage Red bell pepper Onion Coconut oil Cumin, cayenne, garlic powder and topped with Tapatio Wednesday, 1/13 – Day 11 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea Breakfast casserole Lunch – 11:30 am Leftover ground beef Steam-sauteed cabbage Red bell pepper Onion Coconut oil Cumin, cayenne, garlic powder and topped with Tapatio Snack – 3:00 pm Raw cashews Dinner - 7:30 pm Salmon cooked in clarified butter Cabbage Carrots with coconut oil And today: Thursday, 1/14 – Day 12 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea Breakfast casserole Brussels sprouts Lunch – 11:30 am Ground beef Spinach Brussels sprouts “Dressing” – mayo and balsamic vinegar Dinner - 7:30 pm ? - leaving it up to my husband, who is on board with me in this journey! He is not doing an official Whole30 (he is eating some non-compliant stuff like ostrich jerky (I know!! what?)) but he is eating breakfast lunch and dinner from W30-compliant foods and loving it! He is on day 6 today, has already lost 5 pounds. feeling great in the morning, sleeping well at night. It's really awesome to have the support from him, and beyond support that he is on the bandwagon of eating this way, not smoking, not drinking. I have not cheated by stepping on the scale but my clothes are fitting much better/on the verge of too loose, I feel much slimmer in the mirror, and I've noticed a slight change in my face when applying makeup in the morning. I'm NOT attached to the number on the scale, or really even the dress size. I know what feeling good, strong and fit feels like, and it has happened for me a several different weights and sizes. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for awesome results like some of those I have been reading - 10 or 15 pounds lost during the W30. That would be a great jump start to getting me back on shape. Either way the benefits of this are more important that just scale weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Today I'm trying to stay positive but I'm kind of grouchy. I'm a bit tired of this constant cooking, prepping, and eating three square meals a day. I know that sounds like a stupid thing to complain about, but I'm bored!! So bored. It's not that any other type of food excites me....I still have zero cravings for anything - pizza, nachos, bread, sugar....nada. I do miss a good vodka tonic at the end of the day, or a big glass of red wine, but going without is tolerable. I'm just cranky. What irritates me most about being irritated is that the timeline says that boundless energy and positivity should be kicking in right about now. It's day 13! And instead, I'm pouting. It actually is a great day - I get to leave work early (in about 90 minutes in fact) and have a three day weekend with lots of fun stuff planned. I need to turn my frown upside down and food is just not going to do that for me. It never will, really...so time to quit leaning on that crutch. Yesterday's recap: Thursday, 1/14 – Day 12 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea Breakfast casserole Brussels sprouts Lunch – 11:30 am Ground beef Spinach Brussels sprouts “Dressing” – mayo and balsamic vinegar Dinner - 7:30 pm Grass fed steak - I could only have 2 bites, around 1.5 ounces. Just wasn't hungry Big green salad Mayo and balsamic dressing Friday, 1/15 – Day 13 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea 2 chicken bratwurst Frozen chopped spinach Olive oil, s&P, hot sauce Lunch – 11:30 am Big green salad Baked chicken thighs Balsamic "dressing" Dinner - 7:30 pm Not sure Hubby is craving seafood so I think I'll stop by Whole Foods on my way home today. Sometime this weekend we need to eat some ground beef. We have some chicken sausages and frozen chicken and pork too. I'll have to think through this. UGH PLANNING! Ok, I'll stop whining now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spacecowgirl Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I've really enjoyed reading your blog! I'm going to start the Whole30 on Monday so I can prep on Sunday like the book recommends. I have to say that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed in regards to the sheer size of my grocery list and the recommended amount of prep each day. Keep up the blog! Loving it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Hey Spacecowgirl, thanks! It is really overwhelming but I say just do it. Plunge in and make sure you have good tunes or a podcast or whatever floats your boat playing while you do your food prep. Make it an event. That's the only way to make it happen without being totally stressed out - my two cents of course. I'm glad you enjoy reading this. I'm glad that I've put some of my feelings and all of my food out on the internet if only to keep myself accountable. I wish I could say my dark cloud of a mood was limited to yesterday, but I woke up feeling extremely touchy and irritable AGAIN today. Currently I'm fending off a tantrum/rant/surrender to pizza and beer and maybe a cigarette too. This is hard. It's not beating cancer hard, yada yada, I know that, but....it's just hard. And my little psyche is frickin' pissed today. Pissed I "can't" have all of the things that I used to numb out bad feelings. Feelings of boredom, or complacency. Once you take away the alcohol and the eat whatever, do whatever mindset, it's challenging to entertain oneself. I feel like staying close to home so I don't have to deal with the challenge of eating out, and I hardly want to see anyone because there's no adult libations. It's being revealed to me how boring I am as a person without all of my vices. Maybe this is melodramatic because I'm in such a foul mood, but it really is disappointing. Yesterday's Recap: Friday, 1/15 – Day 13 Breakfast - 6:30 am Tea 2 chicken bratwurst Frozen chopped spinach Olive oil, s&P, hot sauce Lunch – 11:30 am Big green salad Baked chicken thighs Balsamic "dressing" Snack - 3:00 pm Roasted hazelnuts Boiled egg Dinner - 7:30 pm Seared scallops Sauteed zucchini and onions Boiled yellow potatoes with clarified butter Saturday, 1/16 – Day 14 Breakfast - 8:30 am Sugar-free bacon Fried egg Steamed broccoli Lunch - 1:30 pm Grass-fed hamburger patty Roasted brussels sprouts Baked spicy sweet potato fries Dinner - 7:00 pm Not sure! We have chicken sausages and veggies, so we'll probably do something with them My husband is making the aforementioned lunch now, and taking great care with seasoning, etc. It is really, really nice of him to do anything for me today since I am so moody and down in the dumps. But he does enjoy cooking and he is on Day 8 of his modified W30 (not 100% compliant in his snacks but all his meals are the same as mine). He has also been weighing (it's really hard not to weigh, too...dangit!!) and he has lost over 7 pounds!!! So it is great to have him on board with me in this journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 Day 15! I'm halfway through!! I feel much better today. I wouldn't say I'm bouncing off the walls with energy but I woke feeling positive and ready for the day. I'm glad that crappy mood has passed. Maybe the 90 minute hike I went on yesterday helped? This morning my husband and I are going to look at some open houses, and later I'm going on my first outing since starting W30 - I am meeting a friend for "drinks" at a bar/restaurant. I'm a little nervous about that but trying to think positive - I can enjoy a mocktail, and not abhor getting dressed for this event because all of my clothes are fitting me better. And I can stay strong in this, my friend is not a bad influence in the ways of diet. After that I'll hit the grocery store to stock up. I'll do my weekly cookup tomorrow because I have the day off. Yesterday's Recap: Saturday, 1/16 – Day 14 Breakfast - 8:30 am Sugar-free bacon Fried egg Steamed broccoli Lunch - 1:30 pm Grass-fed hamburger patty Roasted brussels sprouts Baked spicy sweet potato fries Snack - 4:30 pm Pistachios Sparkling water with orange juice Dinner - 7:00 pm Chorizo Cabbage Onions Olive oil, seasonings Sunday, 1/17 – Day 15 Breakfast - 8:30 am Sugar-free bacon Fried egg Leftover sauteed zucchini, onions and yellow potatoes Lunch - 1:00 pm Italian chicken sausage Cabbage Carrots? Broccoli - whatever is left Dinner - 6:30 pm Whatever is quick and easy from the grocery store - and I'll need to prep a breakfast and lunch for my husband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Kaye Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Hi Liz! I'm enjoying your log, and wanted to chime in with a suggestion. I have the exact same relationship with alcohol as you do, so I definitely get how difficult it is. In particular, I always pour a glass of wine when I start cooking, and it always grows to two, and often three. Every. Single. Night. That's just not good, even though I don't get drunk, nor do I wake with a hangover each day. What I started doing when I started my Whole30 is to make a glass of soda water in the Soda Stream, and pour it into my wine glass, with a lime wedge. It's actually tasty, and made me realize that sipping that wine was more about the sipping than about the wine. Keep up the good work! You're a week and a half ahead of me, so I'll be interested to follow your log and see what may be in store for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hi Georgia! I love the club soda with lime in a wine glass idea - I've done that once or twice. I agree with the cooking being a huge trigger too. Heck, even just having an open bottle is a trigger for me to pour another glass. So my drinking was way out of whack and my tolerance was higher than it should have been. I have thought a little bit about my drinking habits post-W30, but not too much. I haven't set up any rules for myself, but I know that I don't want to go back to how it was before. I struggle with things being black or white, so drinking alcohol in moderation will take a while to figure out. Do you have any plans around incorporating this back into your lifestyle? My mood has seriously improved since the weekend, but I'm not feeling as buoyant as I was feeling even in the first week. I know the timeline is not gospel, but I am a bit perplexed by the flip-flop of emotional (and physical) reactions. I'm not tired at all, but the vibrant buzzing energy I felt in the first week is not present. My first week was great and I think the main reason it was easier for me physically is that I am not a big sugar person. Yes, I was consuming more added sugar than I realized, and my morning coffee definitely had sweetener, but I would pick french fries, peanut butter or cheese over cupcakes, birthday cakes, donuts or candy any day of the week. So what is the deal now, with what feels like a decline in mood, energy, countenance? Is this a latent psychological response? Is this an indication of some deeper physical stuff going on? For instance, my BMs have been all over the place - they were awesome, then got kind of stopped up, then awesome again, and now for the past few days, it has not been ideal. I know that's majorly TMI but it's totally food and diet related so I'm sticking with it. I start wondering if I'm not doing W30 right - like I try to follow the meal template to the best of my ability, and I don't always have perfectly balanced meals but I haven't cheated, knowingly or unknowingly. I have personally prepared every single meal I've eaten for the past 17 days. It's hard not to get sucked into how much weight I have or haven't lost (don't know yet) and how much I want to lose weight. The only thing that keeps me from obsessing is thinking about how I sleep through the night, and I have the best sleep ever. And my eyebrow is growing back! And I haven't had a single instance of heartburn (previously occurring multiple times a day for many years) since I began eating this way. Every single one of the symptoms that I listed (that I can measure on my own) has improved since beginning my W30. The positive impact is undeniable. My husband and I talked a bit about offroading this weekend. He started six days after me, so I might be in for a Whole 36 so we can break at the same time. He is really interested in legumes. Like, really interested. He's pretty excited that those are the first thing to come back into play. He has undiagnosed IBS, or Crohn's, or something terrible with his belly. This diet (Day 10 for him) has not alleviated his stomach issues yet, but I do think it is helping. I am a little nervous about the beans specifically since his primary issues are digestive (also, he has a gluten issue that results in severe psoriasis) and ISWF talks in detail about how legumes are hard for people to break down. But he is a grown up and will make whatever changes he feels are appropriate to his diet. He detests the concept of "paleo" and his lawyer-researcher brain wants to junk the entire way of eating because he disagrees with the claims of "eating like our ancestors." Personally, I don't care if you tell me a diet helps keep aliens away - if it feels good and has results and I don't feel deprived constantly then let's do it! It's been so extremely helpful to have him with me on W30, so I am a little worried about wanting to stay pretty compliant/clean and him potentially wanting to resort back to old ways. I guess we need to talk more and I need to prepare my own contingency plan regardless of what happens, and of course, wait until it happens, not just think about it anxiously until then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Kaye Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Liz, we are so much alike where the wine is concerned. I think what I'm going to do is stop having wine every night at home while I'm cooking. I'll have it on the weekend, or when we go out (we're retired, so go out fairly often, mostly for lunch). We have a road trip planned beginning in the middle of February, so I won't be doing a proper re-introduction, and that's less than ideal. When we get home from that, I'll do another Whole30, and do the reintroduction phase as it should be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz.rockon Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Day 21. The hardest days yet - today and yesterday. I'm craving everything - but mainly chocolate and wine. I started TOM today so maybe that has something to do with the angst. I've stayed on track this week, tried to be mindful with portions and have addressed my afternoon snacking habit and reduced the amount of nuts eaten overall. I stopped recording my meals but they've all been compliant. I just can't believe I have nine more days! Hope I get back to my happy place, my first or second week vibe again by the end of this thing. I think I'm going to end up with a Whole 34 and split the difference of my husband's start date and mine. I've spent far too much time today thinking about when I can eat X again, when I can go out and be social again without feeling like I have to protect against my desires to have a drink, eat like a "normal person"...Please let tomorrow be easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Kaye Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Hi Liz, I just realized that you haven't added to your log since you posted that days 20 and 21 were so difficult for you. I sure hope you made it through those tought times! Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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