Serik Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Day 1 Okay, I've done this before a few times. I know what I have to do. I know how it makes me feel. How it improves my "numbers". I think I know what I need to do better this time to reap even more benefits. So what do I plan to do differently this time? #1 Focus on getting more veggies at each meal.... I think I've tended to go a bit overboard on the meat just because "it's allowed" and "I don't have to count/track anything." #2 Be more mindful of what my body is telling me and keep track of it here. #3 Break the snack habit. In the past I would decide that a snack of nuts was okay because "at least it's better than half a carton of ice cream." If I'm truly hungry, I'll make a mini meal. #4 And, probably most importantly, I'm going to follow the reintroduction schedule from the Whole30 book to the letter (with the possibility of adding a few extra clean eating days in between trials if I feel myself sliding.) I've done this before and fallen off hard at the end. I'm at my highest weight in years and both my blood pressure and cholesterol were up at my physical last year and I'm sure they have probably gotten worse. That's why I think the reintroduction is going to be the most importent part. I have seen some lasting, positive, effects of having done Whole30 and I think having a clearer idea of how some of these off plan foods really make me feel will help me adopt a more healthy lifestyle in the end. I weighed myself this morning 277 lbs. (ugh!) The scale will sit unused for the next 30 days, I'm sure I'll be a bit happier with the number then. But more importantly I'll be much happier with my energy levels. I'll be playing with my kids more, keeping up with my work better, and just generally be a more pleasant person to be around! Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 Meal 1: Ground beef, onion, salsa, and eggs scrambled together in some coconut oil. With some fermented cabbage and horseradish. Uh-oh I meant to have some avocado too. More vegetables world have been good too. But at least I got the kids to school on time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Meal 2: Big salad - lettuce, tomato, avocado slices, olives, tuna, homemade mayo Meal 3: Chicken thighs cooked with salsa, bok choy sauteed in coconut oil, steamed broccoli, cauliflower & carrots .... This meal was totally rushed between kids activities so I didn't eat enough. By the time I got them to bed I was definitely hungry so I had, a small portion of chicken, fermented cabbage, and some cashews. Phew! I made it through the day. I've been tired all day and cold for most of the morning. I had very little patience with my family most of the afternoon and evening. By the time I got the kids to bed it was almost 9:30 and I had a complete meltdown. Sobbing, almost uncontrollably, feeling so tired and overwhelmed, and also hungry. I finally sat down and ate a bit more and that seemed to help quite a bit... Think there's a message for me there? I have a bunch of things that I "need" to do tonight but... I'm taking care of me tonight and and going to bed. Lights out when I finish this post. Good night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inch-by-inch Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I'm taking care of me tonight and and going to bed. Good luck, Serik! I like your attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Well, while I know I probably made the right choice to get to bed last night it made for a stressful, rushed morning. I only managed a few bites of breakfast before I had to get out the door to get the kids to school. Luckily I was able to rearrange my schedule so I could get home within a fairly reasonable time to eat a full meal. So, 2 hours later I was able to finish my breakfast. Not ideal, but better than if I had stuck with my plan to go into work this morning (I'll have to go in later instead.) Here's the meal plan for today: Meal 1: Eggs and last night's veggies scrambled in coconut oil. Black coffee (with b'fast part 2) Meal 2: salad of - mixed greens and spinach, cucumber, onion, orange slices, walnuts with EVOO dressing, a can of tuna with homemade mayo, carrots Meal 3: London broil, potatoes, steamed veggies.... Need to add some fat to this one, I'll try to stop somewhere and get some Ghee or butter to clarify myself for the potato and veggies. Hoping my mood will be better today, it didn't start off great. I have a little time now to get things prepped for supper and I'm going to try to get the kids lunch and also our breakfast prepped for tomorrow. That way, when I'm ready to crash tonight I can without messing up my morning tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 So day 2 was much better than day 1. I felt today like I expected to yesterday - happy to get started, good about the healthy, tasty food I am eating, just generally in a good mood. What a relief! I ended up not going into work at all today, since the church has no heat (and hasn't for a week and a half) I had to cancel rehearsal so I didn't have to go get things set. So, I did quite a bit of food prep. Breakfast is made for the morning and just needs to get thrown in the oven to warm up and the kids lunches are prepared and just have to be thrown into lunch boxes in the morning. Day 3 should get off to a better start. I've been thinking about what I'm hoping to gain by doing this again. Concrete things that I can track, rather than the long term getting control of my food habits, especially the sugar dragon. Things like keeping my migraines under control, reducing morning back pain, improved knee pain, increased energy. I'm realizing I could go on and on but I think I'll stop there. Lights out for another good night of sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 Day 3 Well, I feel crummy today. My legs and shoulders have been achy and I am tired.I guess I can chalk that up to the stuff I ate leading up to day 1. Hopefully it won't last more than a few days. At least my mood seems pretty stable. I really hope to skip over kill all the things.... I don't think the 6 and 7 year olds would understand that. Meal 1 Roasted sweet potatoes and onions, sausage, a fried egg Hunger hit fast and hard while working at our food co-op so I agree part of an epic bar Meal 2 Salad with mixed greens, cucumber, a few raisins and walnuts, EVOO dressing, typed with leftover London broil an apple and a bit of sunbutter. Handful of cashews while prepping- Meal 3 Chili, guacamole, salad of mixed greens, cucumber, orange slices, walnuts, onions, EVOO dressing I've struggled a bit with hunger today, I'll have to examine my menu and see what needs tweaking. Or could it be just a reaction to how I've been feeling? Is it truly hunger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Day 4 Starting off feeling pretty well today. My back is achy, but I don't think that will totally resolve until I lose some weight, same with my knees.... I'm sick of sounding and feeling like an old lady! But, that's why I'm doing this again. I was really tempted to snack last night, and really almost gave in to a Larabar or sitting down with the bag of cashews. But, instead I made myself a cup of tea. Didn't make the craving go away totally but I also distracted myself with knitting and an episode of NCIS. Victory, however small, it's worth noting! Meal 1 Leftover breakfast! Sweet potatoes and a small piece of sausage left over from yesterday's breakfast, London broil left over from dinner two nights ago, 2 fried eggs, then, because I was short on veggies I had a good sized serving of the salad left from last night. That should hold me till lunch! Meal 2 Left over chili, guacamole, probably some carrot sticks, maybe an apple Meal 3 Pot roast, carrots, potatoes, whatever other root veggies I have around, salad with some kind of dressing, possibly roasted Brussels sprouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Day 5 I've been feeling pretty sinus-y which is not unusual for me, especially when I eat junk, and it takes a while to start clearing up when I do a Whole30. But today it is especially bad. Everytime I rolled over in bed the world started spinning. Luckily my sweetie got up with the kids and brought me some Sudafed and Advil so I was able to get out of bed eventually. I don't know if this is just an effect of being at the beginning of the Whole30 or if I'm also a little sick. Either way I'll push through. Meal 1 was a little late but I feel like I've got a decent handle on the rest of the day. Meal 1 2 eggs fried in coconut oil on top of a good serving of chili enhanced with a serving of cooked collard greens, sprinkled with dulse granules. Black coffee Meal 2 London broil and/or roast beef on a big salad with some kind of dressing. A handful of nuts or sun butter and an apple or banana Meal 3 Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with coconut milk and ghee, roasted carrots and beets, something green I also need to increase my water intake. Probably not to 1/2 oz per pound of body weight - that's ALOT- but I'll at least try for more than I normally get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 Aaack! This after dinner desire to snack is driving me crazy!! I'm not going to give in tonight, having tea, watching a show, and heading to bed. I have to change my habits or this won't stick beyond 30 days yet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 So, I think I do have a bit of a cold. The sinuses seem a bit better, no room spinning today, but my throat is a bit scratchy. Around noon I hit a wall, my body aches and I just want to nap. I also have NO patience with my family. Meal 1 - I know, I know, far from ideal, but I had to get to work. 2 hard boiled eggs, a banana, handful of cashews. Meal 2 Roasted chicken, green beans with ghee, mashed potatoes with ghee Meal 3 Roast beef, salad with dressing and olives, roasted sweet potatoes and/or butternut squash Made a big change in the amount of water I drank yesterday. I still cannot imagine drinking 138.5 ounces of water, that's almost 17 ½ cups! I keep seeing the quote about water on these forums but don't remember actually reading it anywhere else with an explanation of why so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Day 9 Still plugging along. Having the kids home for a three day weekend is great, but it throws of my schedule. So I haven't posted in a few days. I'm not going to try to post everything I ate but maybe just a few thoughts. Day 7 Monday, the kids were home. I hasn't gotten to the store so food choices were limited. We slept in so breakfast was late. I had eggs scrambled with collard greens don't remember if there was anything else. Lunch never really happened... My sweetie and I picked at some leftover chicken and something else... Dinner was more left over chicken, roast squash, and veggies... I'm pretty sure I did a fair amount of snacking... More than I should have. I was achy and tired Day 8 Meal 1 - pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk definitely not enough protein, I was hungry before lunch, though I didn't give in to a Larabar. Meal 2 - egg salad, large green salad topped with pepitas, olives, dried cranberries, dressing, and a pickle ... I was stuffed Meal 3 - hot dogs, sauerkraut, mustard, frozen veggies- California mix Today - I think I'm starting to see some improvements in energy and pain! Meal 1 Eggs scrambled with salsa, black coffee Meal 2 Chicken salad made with carrots, apple, dried cranberries, mayo served with raw veggies- peppers, cucumber, carrots, grape tomatoes Meal 3 Taco salad - large bowl of greens with tomato, avocado, olives, taco meat (ground beef and chicken), salsa and mayo Yummy and satisfying! Focusing on getting more sleep so time to wind down for bed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Day 10 Still at it, not even tempted to give up. Feeling a little headachy and sinus-y today but not too bad. Meal 1 2 eggs fried in ghee, pumpkin casserole (pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk) walnuts, black coffee Meal 2 2 salmon cakes, mashed sweet potatoes, pickle, tartar sauce, green tea Meal 3 Coconut curry chicken drumsticks, mixed veggies with ghee, mashed sweet potatoes with ghee Still working on the water intake, I definitely do better when I'm home all day than when I'm out and about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Day 11 Woke up with a headache and still feeling some sinus pressure but Advil took care of the headache. I've been making an effort to get to bed at a decent hour and to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Between that and the Whole30, I'm hoping to feel a significant increase in energy in the next week or so. I think that's what I'm hoping most to achieve this time around, more consistent energy...without so much caffeine. My resolve to keep this log going is waning, but I'm trying to really track things and keep myself on track so I'll try to keep up with it. I so want this to help me make permanent changes in my relationship with food. This time around, I've really been trying to keep the template in mind when making my meals and been very analytical when I think I need a snack, and most times find that I'm not really hungry, just bored or in a habit. I'm feeling really good about how this is going this time. Here's the food for the day: Meal 1 2 salmon cakes with tartar sauce, 2 eggs fried in ghee Meal 2 3 chicken drumsticks, carrots and dip, an orange Meal 3 Tomato, collard green, squash soup with leftover taco meat, carrots, guacamole Had to run out to go to a workshop so I didn't really finish. So, I was still hungry when I got home so I had s few pepitas and carrots and guacamole but fought back the urge to have a Larabar and am sipping a nice cup of cinnamon vanilla tea. It's Friday so I'm going to chill out with a show and then head to bed. Hopefully I'll find some time for meal planning and grocery shopping this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Day 12 I can't believe we're this far along already! I need to do some serious meal planning and budgeting and shopping. Today I'm pulling together meals from what we have around. So it's an organ meats day since they are what I have in the freezer. I buy them because I know I should eat them, and they generally don't cosy too much, but they stay in the freezer until I don't have any other choice. I am just about out of both fresh and frozen veggies, I hope I can at least get somewhere to get some veggies for dinner. Also, I tried upping my eggs this morning since I can easily hold 4 or 5 eggs...even 6 but no way I'm eating that many. I'm going to see how that makes me feel. I don't think I'll want to eat 4 eggs every day but maybe I should try to add another protein source. And yes, I know I don't have to eat eggs for breakfast, but they're most economical and money is tight. Meal 1 4 eggs fried in ghee, 1 grapefruit, coffee with coconut cream. (I know, I know, I should have veggies with breakfast but... See above) Meal 2 Beef liver and onions (wish I had some bacon to go with this, or even mushrooms), leftover veggie soup... Need to figure out a fat, maybe olives Meal 3 Beef heart, roasted sweet potatoes, kale chips and/or other veggie if I get to the store We're taking the kids roller skating today, haven't done that in like 18 years. Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Day 13 Feeling pretty good! I'm usually wiped out after two Masses on Sunday morning, but I'm rolling along. Speaking of rolling...roller skating yesterday was fun! I was afraid I'd be sore today, but other than the muscle I wrenched in my hip avoiding falling over one of my 6-year olds when he fell in front of me, I feel fine. I definitely look forward to doing that again. Meal 1 2 eggs fried in ghee, cup of soup, black coffee (have to get more organized for Sunday mornings, I don't leave myself enough time to eat before I have to get to church to warm up the choir) Munched on a few cashews on the way home from the co-op - breakfast was definitely not enough Meal 2 Peppers, carrots, and mushrooms dipped into Pâté made with the leftover beef liver (not usually my favorite thing to eat, but wasn't bad today) cup of soup Meal 3 Chocolate chili, guacamole, carrots and zucchini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 Day 14 Wow, I think I'm actually feeling more energized. I didn't have any slumps today, didn't feel especially tired until around 9:30 when my body was definitely telling me "it's time to go to bed." Still struggling to get my butt out of bed in the morning, but this gives me hope that someday that will be easier. Meal 1 3 eggs scrambled with collard greens and salsa in ghee, black coffee Meal 2 Beef heart, half of a big baking sheet of kale chips, an orange, cashews, black coffee Meal 3 Chicken thigh and drumstick, mashed sweet potatoes with ghee and coconut butter, frozen California blend with ghee Still working on the water, definitely much improved than where I was before this whole30, but not where I want to be. I should probably take a water bottle with me in the car since I spend 2 hours a day in there. Also, I really need to start thinking about getting more active... I just don't know what I will actually stick with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Day 15 Halfway there, though talking to my wife today I said maybe we should go a little longer if some issues haven't totally straightened out by day 30. So, we'll see. The energy continued to be fairly level today, a little slump in the afternoon but my sleep schedule was off this weekend since my wife, who works nights, was actually home. So hopefully after a few days of regular sleep I'll be reaping more of that energy. Meal 1 3 eggs scrambled with collard greens and salsa Meal 2 4 chicken drumsticks, mashed sweet potatoes with ghee and coconut butter, sauerkraut, olives Meal 3 Chocolate chili with guacamole Snack Dates with coconut butter and a few dried cranberries (not sure why I gave in to the snack craving tonight, probably stress. Need to prevent this from becoming a habit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 29, 2016 Author Share Posted January 29, 2016 Day 17 Wow, yesterday sucked. I spent the entire day fighting anxiety. I wasn't sure how well I'd sleep or if I'd end up waking with my heart racing, luckily that didn't happen and I got a decent sleep and have felt okay today. It's strange that I dealt with that during a whole30, it usually isn't an issue when I'm making healthy choices. I should probably check in with the Dr. It was just this constant undercurrent of worry, no panic attacks, but still not fun. It was also a busy day and poorly planned, foodwise. I stayed compliant, but didn't do great. Yesterday Meal 1 Hmmmm.... Don't remember what I had, other than 3 eggs fried in ghee... But I'm pretty sure I had more than that Meal 2 Chicken avocado Cobb salad (no cheese, no dressing, no bread) at Panera, didn't think about the bacon so I spent a good deal of time picking out every piece of bacon I could find. I dressed it with lemon juice and had an apple and an unsweetened iced tea Snack: lunch didn't quite do it for me and I wasn't headed home yet so I had a banana, and then a coconut Larabar...I know, I know far from the best choice Meal 3 2 burger patties with mayo, avocado, tomato, large serving of broccoli with ghee At some point I know I also had a couple of dates with coconut butter. Today - Day 17 Meal 1: 3+ scrambled eggs with salsa, sauerkraut, handful of coconut chips, black coffee Meal 2: A chicken thigh, tuna salad on baby kale with red peppers, zucchini, and olives Meal 3: Coconut curry chicken thighs with sauce made from the drippings and sprinkled with coconut, mixed veggies drizzled with olive oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Day 18 Losing my momentum a bit... not that I'm going to give up, but I'm having trouble finding time to plan and prep so some of my meals are less than stellar and I'm feeling it. Meal 1 3 eggs fried in coconut oil, compliant breakfast sausage Meal 2 Tuna and mayo on salad of mixed greens, zucchini, red pepper, pepitas, an orange Snack: Larabar Meal 3 1½ burger patties with mayo, mustard, avocado, sauteed mushrooms and onions, tomatoes, mixed veggies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Day 19 I realized yesterday evening that I haven't been waking up with back pain and my knees, while not totally pain free, are SOOOOO much better. It's harder to recognize things that are no longer happening than the things that are now happening (like more energy) but that's why I'm trying to stick with the log this time. My parents are coming today to help put together bunk beds for the kiddos. But, my house is a wreck and I'm stressed. I have been prioritizing sleep and didn't pull an all nighter last night like I usually would, but now I have to scramble to make things less horrible. Here's the food plan Meal 1 3 eggs fried in coconut oil, sausage.... I'll go try to find something vegetative and some fat Meal 2 Leftover meat and/or tuna, veggies (red pepper, carrots... Whatever I can find quickly) Meal 3 Chocolate chili, guacamole, orange pico salad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Day 20 Meal 1 3 eggs and sausage scrambled in coconut oil Meal 2 Salmon salad with red peppers and carrots Meal 3 Chocolate chili, orange pico salad with evoo dressing and walnuts, guacamole I started feeling dizzy yesterday afternoon around 4:30 and have just felt sinus-y and crummy today. Hoping it's just a quick sinus thing and that I'll be feeling at least a bit better by tomorrow. Need to work on planning meals ahead of time and doing a good grocery shopping so I'm not constantly having to run out. Thinking about trying a meal plan and weekly cook-up from Mel Joulwan'site. I really think this would help A LOT. It will definitely help my breakfast be more complete and probably will help me pack better lunches for my kiddos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Day 21 Feeling much better today. Some of the energy from last week is back though I am now feeling some sinus pursue and a bit of a headache, but much improved from yesterday. I have a plan... at least I think I do. I'm going to go shopping on Wednesday and do a big cook-up on Thursday for the next week. My biggest concern is whether or not I'll have enough money on Wednesday to actually do it since payday is Thursday. But those days seem to make most sense schedule wise. We'll see. Meal 1 3 eggs fried in coconut oil topped with onions and mushrooms sauteed in ghee, sauerkraut Meal 2 Chocolate chili, orange pico salad with walnuts, carrots and red peppers, guacamole, kombucha (homemade) Meal 3 Pork chops cooked in lemon juice with garlic, mashed sweet potatoes with ghee or coconut oil, roasted cauliflower, kimchi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Day 22 I felt tired and headachy this morning after dropping the kids off at school, but some Sudafed, Advil, and coffee took care of that. I did a bunch of cooking; pot roast for supper, a double batch of salmon cakes, clarified a pound of butter, made mayo, and prepped and parboiled potatoes for supper. While there were certainly plenty of other course to be done (dishes, laundry, etc...) I still feel like I was pretty productive today. Meal 1 3 eggs fried in coconut oil, serving of pumpkin casserole (pumpkin, coconut milk, eggs) Meal 2 Salmon cakes with lemon-dill mayo, red peppers and carrots, banana Meal 3 Pot Roast with onions and carrots over mashed potatoes with ghee. A snack may have to happen as I have meetings tonight from 5:00-? Not sure if the pot roast will be ready beforehand or not. I'll have to figure out a good snack just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serik Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Day 23 Meal 1 3 eggs fried on ghee, pumpkin casserole, black coffee Meal 2 Salmon cakes, mayo, kimchi, carrots, ref peppers, cucumbers, banana, sun butter... Yes, I'm hungry today! Meal 3 Leftovers - pork chops and/or pot roast, carrots, sweet potatoes and/or mashed potatoes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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