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Stephco's Whole30 - Healing My Body


Stephco

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I'm starting tomorrow!

 

I have had medical/digestive/energy issues for over a year and I am SO over it. A year and a half ago I had a thyroidectomy (thyroid cancer) followed by a radioactive iodine treatment (and simultaneous hefty antibiotic cycle) which apparently destroyed my gut and wiped out all the good bacteria. So...not only have I had trouble absorbing nutrients, I also have had stomach problems pretty much every day for months. I've figured out that when I remove a lot of the inflammatory foods for a few days my stomach will feel better, but it seems I never stick with the plan long enough to actually heal.

 

And! My energy is ridiculously bad. I have to lie down at least once a day and when I'm not doing that or working I spend most of the rest of the time on the couch reading. I have a loop around a lake by my house that's a flat 3 miles and most days I'm too tired to even walk that. Worse, I've noticed that I've started getting frustrated when people ask me to do things because I've become so possessive of my energy. This includes clients, friends, and family. I say no all the time to everyone and this is not how I want to live the rest of my life. I used to have a fit and active life and I want it back. I decided to do this Whole30 this afternoon lying in my bed instead of doing a thousand other things I'd rather be doing on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. I just started working with a nutritionist who asked me to eat paleo (and also remove nightshades) for a month while she manages my labs and supplements. It's the perfect time to do this! 

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Day 1

 

Today went great! I think this is mostly because I'm excited and I spent lots of time yesterday shopping, cooking, and cleaning vegetables. My refrigerator is beautiful. :)

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with canned coconut milk, scrambled eggs with onion and avocado, roasted brussels sprouts

Meal 2 - Chicken zoodle soup, roasted carrots and beets, avocado

Meal 3 - Chicken zoodle soup, roasted brussels sprouts, mango, turmeric tea (which I make with 1/4 can of coconut milk)

 

I didn't even have any snacks today which might be the first time ever. I was still really fatigued and I had tummy troubles, but I did go for a short walk in the sunshine.

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Day 2

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with beet greens and avocado, roasted brussels sprouts

Meal 2 - Chicken zoodle soup, cashews, roasted zucchini

Meal 3 - Chicken breast, roasted carrots and beets, mixed nuts

 

Really tired all day today. Had class tonight so I piled all my chicken and veggies in one bowl (which gave me pink chicken) and ate it on break. Nuts as kind of a snack before class, so it wasn't really all eaten together.

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Day 3

 

Meal 1 - Bone broth, chicken breast, roasted carrots and beets, avocado

Meal 2 - Chicken zoodle soup, an orange

Meal 3 - Sweet potato with extra coconut oil

Meal 4 - Turkish kabab spiced hamburger, celery, unsalted nuts

Before bed - Herbal tea

 

I had a hard time keeping to the schedule today. I had meetings all day and didn't eat lunch until 1:45. Of course I was over-hungry by then. Then I had another meeting, so I didn't get the second half of lunch until 4:00. So, I ended up eating dinner at 8:30, but it worked out fine. I'm kind of over roasted veggies (ha - on day 3!) Hence, I had raw celery with dinner and was very happy about it. I'll have to get a little more creative with the veggies. I feel like I have to make an extra effort to add the fat to each meal. Meal and veggies are kind of routine, but with the exception of avocado, I've had to add an extra thing to get in the fat. I had forgotten about olives (which I love) so I'll add those in tomorrow.

 

Felt pretty decent this morning, but was super fatigued this afternoon/evening. Stomach is better than the first day for sure, but still not awesome.

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Day 4

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, scrambled eggs, sautéed beet greens, unsalted mixed nuts

Meal 2 - Turkish hamburger, steamed carrots with ghee, kombucha

Meal 3 - Turkish hamburger, steamed carrots, mixed nuts

Snack - Apple

 

Today I woke up feeling better than I have in a long time. I had energy and even a little bit of pep in my step. I went for a walk midday that was lovely. I also went to the store and bought more veggies and 4 avocados! Don't need to be sad about running out of those for a bit. I kind of crashed late afternoon, but feeling great half the day is way better than feeling great for none of the day. Today is the first day that I've strongly missed having a glass of wine. I went to see Dirty Dancing with my family. They went out to eat first (the Cheesecake Factory.....). I had looked at their allergen menu online and had found a salad that, with modifications, I think could have worked for me. Turns out I had to work late, which was fine actually. After the play I ate an apple in my car while waiting to get out of the parking garage. Great day!

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Day 5

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with onion and avocado, bone broth, roasted zucchini

Meal 2 - Canned tuna with Tessemae dressing, celery, olives, kombucha

Meal 3 - Epic bar, celery, mixed nuts, blueberries

 

Today went well until the evening. I had a banquet that I had to attend/work. I brought food with me, which was a good thing because I wouldn't have been able to eat anything they served - coated chicken, coated veggies, rice, and a creamy gravy. Cheesecake and chocolate cake for dessert. It turns out I was so busy I didn't eat at all. :( So, I ate an Epic bar, the rest of the celery, a handful of nuts and a handful of blueberries on the way home. Then, I was so tired (and no longer hungry) when I got home that I just went to bed.

 

On the other hand, my stomach is doing great! This morning I realized that I hadn't even really thought about my belly in a couple of days. Yay! That's the way it should be, right?

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Day 6

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, Turkish hamburger, steamed baby broccoli w/ olive oil, blueberries

Meal 2 - Olives, seasoned ground pork, kombucha, sweet potato w/ coconut oil

Meal 3 - Seasoned ground pork, an apple, avocado, sweet potato, mixed nuts

 

This has been the hardest day so far. I was really tired for one thing. In the late afternoon/early evening I also really wanted a glass of wine...and nachos....and cheese and crackers.... Part of the problem is that I got hungry. And Friday evening is historically when I've been freer with my eating plans and have had treats in the afternoon or for dinner. Usually some form of nachos and an adult beverage, but back in the day I admittedly even had brownies for dinner on a Friday night. More than once. So, I ate what I ate kind of spread out over the evening. It was unsatisfying, since what I wanted was a treat and wine, and what I ate was random stuff over a couple of hours - not even an actual meal. It would have been better for sure if I had cooked a meal. Maybe something new?

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Day 7

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with onion and avocado, steamed baby broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil

Meal 2 - Hardboiled eggs, butternut squash, coconut milk

Meal 3 - Mixed nuts, Balsamic chicken, roasted cabbage, turmeric tea (coconut milk)

 

Well I didn't plan very well toward the end of the week, so I ran out of meat. :( I ended up having eggs for breakfast and lunch. I hardboiled the lunch eggs just for something "different", but they didn't turn out great. I am a grown up and I still cannot properly hard boil an egg. They turn out not delicious every time - over done, under done, impossible to peel. I followed a new recipe from The Clothes Make the Girl that's supposed to make them easy to peel. This is true! They peeled beautifully, but I think I didn't have them turned up high enough so the yolks weren't done. I'll eat them anyway, but not happily. Loved the super easy peeling, however. Even on fresh eggs. I'll definitely use the recipe again, but I'll turn up the stove during the simmer part.

 

I don't know if it was because of the unattractive egg thing, but I had a hard time eating lunch. By 2pm I still wasn't hungry, but knew I had to eat. I ate the eggs and then kind of had to make myself eat the squash. A few hours later I was back to normal and got hungry for dinner.

 

I got my hair cut and my stylist told me all of her go-to paleo meals. Got some good ideas. Then I went grocery shopping and bought lots of ingredients for the next several days, including some new fun recipes. I also bought some meat specifically for the freezer so I shan't run out again!

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Day 8

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, hardboiled eggs, butternut squash, more coconut milk

Meal 2 - Balsamic chicken, avocado, roasted cabbage

Meal 3 - Mixed nuts, stuffed turkey breast, steamed komatsuna with olive oil drizzle

 

Today went really well eating-wise! I think this is probably the way it's supposed to be. I did eat a ton of cabbage with lunch (just wanted to finish it up and finally get it out of the fridge), so I was really full after lunch. I thought there was no possible way that I was going to be hungry for dinner, but at a reasonable dinner time I started getting hungry. I made stuffed turkey breasts for dinner, which turned out pretty good, but were a lot of work. Ate some nuts while chopping since the turkey took forever to make. I was still tired today, but my gut is doing awesome. Yay! Bought komatsuna (an Asian green) yesterday mostly because I'd never heard of it. I steamed the whole bunch. For Christmas my friend made me a jar of rosemary lemon salt and it's awesome on steamed veggies. I put it on the komatsuna with olive oil and it was delicious.

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Day 9

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, balsamic chicken, steamed yellow squash, olive oil

Meal 2 - Stuffed turkey breast, avocado, baby bella mushrooms

Meal 3 - Sweet potato, balsamic chicken, blueberries, walnuts

 

Really wanted a glass of wine tonight. Surprised and a little displeased that I've missed wine far more than any food during the last 9 days....

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Day 10

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with bacon and avocado, steamed cauliflower

Meal 2 - Olives, stuffed turkey breast, kombucha, spinach

Meal 3 - Ground beef and lamb w/ all leftover produce in the fridge, avocado, blueberries

 

Dinner was light on veggies. Normally I clean out the odds and ends from the fridge in a salad or stir fry. Or a veggie smoothie. This time I chopped it all and cooked it into ground beef and lamb. Tastes fine, but it's definitely mostly meat. I'll have to have an additional veggie when I eat this over the next couple of days.

 

My very early meeting this morning was postponed, so last night I curled up on the couch with a book (It Starts with Food actually) some herbal tea and a bowl of blueberries. It made me very happy!

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Day 11

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, stuffed turkey breast, avocado, steamed cauliflower

Meal 2 - Egg salad with Tessemae's mayo (new find!), olives, carrots

Snack - Apple, mixed nuts

Meal 3 - Ground beef/lamb, avocado, blueberries, sweet potato

 

My lunch was apparently not robust enough and I was hungry at 4:30 or so. I still had a couple hours of work still to do and didn't want to stop to make dinner, so I had a snack. I've noticed I've been starting to get hungrier earlier in the day, so I've been eating breakfast earlier and earlier. Also, I think I'm going to lay off nuts for a while. Every time my stomach has been upset over the last several days has been when I've eaten nuts. I'm going to stop eating them for a bit and see what happens.

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Day 12

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, ground beef/lamb, avocado, sweet potato

Meal 2 - Salmon, steam cauliflower, avocado oil

Meal 3 - Olives, roasted turkey breast, steamed carrots with oil/balsamic

 

Today I felt better than the last few. My energy was better and my tummy was just fine (no nuts?). I even went for a walk before the clouds rolled in. I spent the early evening working on the couch, but I didn't have to lie down, which is huge. Bought salmon on my way back from a meeting and WAY overcooked it, so now I have dry salmon to eat for the next couple of days. Doing well!

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Day 13

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, scrambled eggs with chives, steamed cauliflower, olives

Meal 2 - Chicken zoodle soup, delicata squash, coconut milk

Meal 3 - Salmon, steamed carrots, olive oil/balsamic

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Day 14

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, salmon, steamed carrots, olive oil/balsamic

Snack - Epic bar, apple

Meal 2 - Ground turkey with zucchini and yellow squash, roasted white asparagus, olive oil

Meal 3 - Coffee, salmon, olive oil/lemon, pineapple

 

Today was a bit screwy. I ran a bunch of errands that took too long, so I got hungry before I could get home to make lunch. Hence, the snack. Then tonight I went to a fundraiser. A fundraiser centered around wine. Lots of wine everywhere. And tons of food. And chocolate spread out over all the tables. I had a glass of water. And later a small cup of black coffee. When I got home at 9:30pm I was hungry so ate the salmon and pineapple. No veggies with dinner. My colleagues all felt really bad for me that I couldn't drink or eat, but it actually wasn't that bad. It was more just awkward that I didn't have a wine glass or a plate of food in my hand, so people kept trying to get them for me. Although I did imagine I could smell the chocolate and a few times really wanted it.....

 

Also, I just read the part in It Starts with Food where they suggest having at least two veggies with each meal for variety. I have not been doing this, but will start.

 

By the way, over the last couple of years I've been having lots of problems with the joints in my right hand. I've had it checked by several doctors including a rheumatologist. Every morning I wake up and make kind of a fist to see how bad it is that day. Yesterday I made the fist and could close my hand all the way! Today, I didn't even make the fist. Just now after being awake for 2 hours I realized that I haven't thought of my hand until now. Hmmmmmm...... 

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Day 15

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, salmon, olive oil/lemon, roasted white asparagus, celery

Meal 2 - Ground turkey with squash, avocado, celery, steamed broccoli, pineapple

Snack - Pineapple

Meal 3 - Butternut squash soup, chicken salad

 

Today was the Superbowl. Late afternoon while the people in my house were preparing their snacks - chips and guac, garlic knots, beer, and popcorn - I had a small tantrum and rebelliously ate a bowl of pineapple. When I wasn't hungry. In the middle of the afternoon. Without any added protein or fat. Then I got over it and was totally fine. Although for part of the game I was siting next to the chips and guac and kept having little spurts of fear that I was going to mindlessly reach over and eat some and screw it all up. I didn't. Go Broncos!

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Day 16

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, ground turkey with squash, avocado, butternut squash soup

Meal 2 - Chicken salad, butternut squash soup, kombucha

Meal 3 - Chicken salad, broccoli, avocado oil

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Day 17

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, butternut squash soup, ground turkey with squash

Meal 2 - Chicken breast, carrots, olive oil/lemon

Meal 3 - Ground turkey with squash, avocado, walnuts, sweet potato, kombucha

 

I woke up this morning with all of my joints sore. And I was so tired all day. Not just lacking energy, but my muscles were tired. I went to bed last night at 8:45  :( but then spent the next hour and a half reading through the troubleshooting section of this website. The best I can figure out is that I should be having smaller portions of meat. I'd guess I'd been having near 2 palms of meat for most meals. And I need way more veggies. I had missed the 1-3 cups of veggies recommendation, so I'd say I'd been having around 1-1.5 cups. Starchy veggies were often recommended. I can't eat nightshades for 6 weeks (per my nutritionist) so no potatoes, but I can eat more sweet potatoes, squash, beets, etc. Also, most recommendations were to step up the fat. I can also try that.  

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Day 18

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, butternut squash soup, chicken breast, celery, avocado

Meal 2 - Egg salad, steamed carrots, celery, olive oil/balsamic

Meal 3 - Chicken breast, avocado, brussels sprouts.

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Day 19

 

Meal 1 - Hard boiled eggs, sweet potato, celery, avocado oil

Meal 2 - Ground beef/lamb, brussels sprouts, olives

Meal 3 - Mahi mahi, homemade tartar sauce, steamed carrots, olive oil/balsamic, kombucha

 

My gut has been not great the last couple of days. My joints are sore and I've been fatigued. I feel like I'm back to square one.....

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Day 20 

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, bone broth, hard boiled eggs, roasted beets, coconut milk

Meal 2 - Mahi mahi, tartar sauce, avocado, celery, apple

Meal 3 - Epic bars, apple, nuts, freeze-dried peas

 

The second half of this day was a mess. First, I didn't have any veggies cooked for lunch and didn't have/make time to cook some. Or clean some. So I ate what I had left that required no work - celery. Pathetic, I know. I ate an apple to add some more produce even though I know we're not supposed to substitute fruit for veggies. Then, dinnertime was a bigger unplanned mess. I ended up just eating what I had in my car/purse, which was the Epic bars, apple, nuts. At 10pm or so I ate the freeze-dried peas that my sister-in-law had packed for my nephew. I carefully did not eat the freeze-dried corn, so there is that good thing. Finally I gave up and went to bed to start another day with a clean slate.

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Day 21

 

Meal 1 - Stuffed turkey breast, steamed romanesco with olive oil, coconut milk

Meal 2 - Mahi mahi, tartar sauce, avocado, roasted asparagus, cucumber with lime

Snack - Walnuts, olives, black tea with ginger and coconut milk (yum!)

Meal 3 - Mahi mahi, tartar sauce, avocado, roasted asparagus, sautéed dandelion greens, blueberries

 

I felt really pretty good today. I still got fatigued, but I had this strange oomph to do a lot of stuff. Kind of like my old self. :)  I completely cleaned and reorganized my whole office, which made me very, very happy. I even went for a walk. I did rest a couple of times too, but the fact that I felt like I had enough energy to do extra things and not just the bare minimum of the day is GIANT.

 

Also, I'm reading a book that takes place in India. The main guy mentioned a dish called kachumber and described it as "cucumber sprinkled with pepper and lime juice". I thought he meant black pepper and thought this sounded awesome. Maybe he did mean black pepper, but when I googled the dish I found a ton of variations that seem to include several other ingredients including tomatoes and chili peppers - neither of which I can eat. So, instead I made it with lime and black pepper and once I get the go ahead to eat nightshades again I'll try a better recipe. Lime + cucumber is super refreshing though and I'll definitely remember that this summer.

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Day 22

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with sautéed beet greens, avocado, butternut squash soup

Meal 2 - Hamburger patty, roasted asparagus, sweet potato, coconut milk

Meal 3 - Hamburger patty, avocado, sweet potato, blueberries

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Day 23

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with sautéed dandelion greens, avocado, sweet potato

Meal 2 - Ground turkey with squash, sautéed dandelion greens, olives, cucumber with lime

Meal 3 - Ground turkey with squash, cucumber, mixed nuts, sugar snap peas

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Day 24

 

Meal 1 - Coffee with coconut milk, scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms, steamed carrots with olive oil/balsamic, coconut milk

Meal 2 - Hamburger patty, olives, sugar snap peas

Meal 3 - Ground turkey with squash, sweet potato, cashews

 

Energy was better today!

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