Daisy's first Whole30

[birdsandbirds]

I started my first Whole30 yesterday, Monday January 25, so I am now on Day 2. 

 

For the most part I try to eat fairly healthfully (lots of fruits and veg, healthy proteins, avoid processed foods and added sugars, etc.), but I have one big problem: I love to give myself treats!

 

I am a wizard at coming up with various rationalizations that I should go ahead and eat something that I don't really consider a great choice. Like, "the subway took forever to get home and now I'm grumpy, I should cheer myself up with nachos" or "Fridays are so great, I should have a cookie to celebrate!" And the more treats I eat, the more treats I want, and I always seem to conveniently forget about the ones I just had. So more than anything, I'm hoping that the Whole30 will help me reset some of my food habits, and hopefully squash the idea that food=treats.

 

I'm also curious to see how different foods affect me, and particularly looking forward to what I imagine will be a major confidence boost  if  when I succeed. I feel like I could use that right now.

 

So, down to brass tacks...

 

Day 1 went great! I spent a lot of time in the kitchen on Sunday preparing meals for myself, so I feel really set for the next few days. I made this breakfast bake for the week, a chicken salad (w/ apples, celery, grapes, spinach, sunflower seeds, and homemade mayo) for lunches, and the Roast Pork Shoulder with butternut squash and kale (from the Whole30 book) for a few dinners. That roast pork recipe is amazing, and bonus: you can basically ignore it the entire time it's cooking.

 

Day 2 is going pretty well so far. I think I need to add some more fat to my chicken salad lunches because I am already hungry, so tomorrow I'll add half an avocado and a handful of cashews. I'm all for the idea of adding more (healthy) fats! I have a tiny headache but it's not too bad, and might actually be related to caffeine - I got kind of stuck up on how to go about this coconut milk replacement idea in my coffee/tea and ended up just drinking green tea. Not sure it was an adequate replacement...

 

Has anyone tried coconut milk/cream in black tea? Is it... any good?

 

 

 

[foodlovenotfoodwar]

Today was my Day 1.  I will be trying coconut cream in black tea as soon as I can get to a store that has a quality coconut cream.  Thanks for sharing that breakfast bake recipe-- it looks delicious!

[birdsandbirds]

Day 3: So far so good!

 

The daily newsletter had a picture of a grumpy baby today, but I'm actually doing pretty good, aside from fantasizing about pizza quite a bit more than usual. I almost got punked at Gregorys and had to start over - I asked if their almond milk was sweetened and the lady said no, and when I checked the ingredients to see if there were any other no-nos, the second ingredient was sugar! Phew, that was a close one!

 

Tonight will be tough because I work a waitressing shift at an Italian restaurant, so I will be surrounded by people enjoying delicious pasta dishes all night long, plus we all normally sit down for a glass of wine while we eat at the end of our shift and it's a nice ritual that will be hard to skip. Resolve will be tested!

 

I came up with a technique for when I get tempted by something, though, and have already put it to use to great effect! When I'm around something unhealthy that I really want to eat, I'm going to picture myself doing a victory lap around it, arms in the air Rocky style, with Eye of the Tiger playing and a crowd cheering me to victory. Maybe I can replace food cravings with a good chuckle.

 

So mostly I'm just kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop... Why don't I feel awful and cranky like they're predicting? is there a terrible food withdrawal hangover lying in wait for me tomorrow morning?

[birdsandbirds]

Day 4: Kill all the things

 

The timeline caught up with me today. Feeling pretty grumpy. I'm sure this also has a lot to do with working a late shift and getting only 6 hours of sleep, so I'll try to tuck in early tonight and get a full 8+ hours.

 

I've been poking around on the forum a lot and I'm starting to realize that I'm not always including enough fat to stay full until the next meal so I downloaded this Whole30 Meal Template and I'm going to try to make sure to include more avocados, olives, etc. Hopefully this will help me transition away from snacking between lunch and dinner.

 

I tried coconut cream in my coffee this morning and it was pretty tasty, but I started to feel queasy halfway through the cup. Might have overdone it a bit... maybe I'll try again tomorrow with regular coconut milk instead of the cream.

[birdsandbirds]

Day 9: Hanging in there (just barely)

 

Came down with a stomach bug on Sunday, so things have been hard (all I wanted to eat was dry toast or saltines!) but I stuck in there so I'm feeling proud of myself, even if I'm not feeling all that great physically. Mostly nibbled on sweet potato, avocado, scrambled eggs, and attempted a bit of shepherd's pie for dinner.

 

Stomach not quite back to normal yet, but I'm hoping to get back on track and up my veggie factor from where it's been, but lack of preparation from being sick for the past two days makes it hard. Breakfast was kind of a bust (Aidell's chicken & apple sausage with apple and almond butter was all I could throw together fast). Lunch is a tuna salad with celery, kalamata olives, red onion, and homemade mayo over romaine, plus an avocado. I feel like this isn't enough veggies but I'm kind of stuck for today. I'll try to do better at dinner by adding a big side of extra veg to the shepherd's pie.

 

I'm oscillating somewhere between eagerly looking forward to being done and feeling like I could just eat like this forever. Although I really want pizza and ice cream in some abstract way, there isn't really any part of me that is entertaining the idea of actually eating it, which feels oddly freeing, like the decision is just out of my hands and I don't have to worry about it. Strangely, it's almost kind of a relief.

[birdsandbirds]

Day 11

 

Upping the veggie factor seems to be working great! I've noticed that I'm not feeling hungry between meals the way that I used to. At first I thought no snacking would be very difficult, but now I don't feel like I need it. I think this is a good thing!

 

Here's today:

 

M1: kale, avocado, and grapefruit salad with toasted sunflower seeds and dijon dressing (this was an awesome breakfast salad, for anyone looking to take a break from eggs!) with Aidell's chicken & apple sausage. Black tea with almond milk.

M2: tuna salad with celery, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and red onion over romaine (with homemade mayo)

M3: shepherd's pie (beef, onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, spinach & mashed potato top) with a side of roasted brussels sprouts

 

I made my own almond milk this weekend using this recipe (I didn't have vanilla beans so I skipped that and upped the cinnamon a tad, and went easy on the dates). Oh my stars, it's delicious! Loving it in my earl grey tea in the mornings, might be a permanent change.

[birdsandbirds]

So far no dreams about eating, but I am having these weird moments of paranoia when I'm awake, basically a sudden moment of panic where I think I must have eaten something without paying attention and blown the whole thing, and in order to get rid of this feeling I need to go back and mentally verify what I ate recently. I'm guessing this is a sign that I haven't always approached eating with enough mindfulness....

 

This happen to anyone else?

[birdsandbirds]

Day 15: meh.

 

I've been waiting for the amazing energy and looser pants to kick in and so far, it's not happening. I didn't eat great this weekend. I didn't go off the whole30 foods but I was also just so damn tired of cooking, and as a consequence I didn't really eat enough veg (or maybe I didn't eat enough, full stop). So I'm going to try to ramp it up over the next few days and hope to feel that tiger blood soon.

 

Yesterday:

M1: 2 scrambled eggs with mushrooms, spinach, tomato & two slices bacon (whole30 compliant bacon, of course!), one orange

M2: 3 slices bacon, 2 hard boiled eggs, handful of pistachios (whole30 FAIL, ugh)

M3: chopped chicken salad with frisee, tomatoes, fennel, avocado, lemon olive oil dressing

 

Today:

M1: 2 fried eggs with (lots of) onions & spinach in olive oil, 2 slices bacon. black coffee

M2: chicken breast w/ guacamole, handful of olives, 1 large orange bell pepper (I'm thinking I need to add another veg/fruit to this)

M3: fish (not sure what kind yet, but I'll probably add fat with cilantro lime mayo), with roasted broccoli and sweet potato

 

So, yesterday, not good. Today... better I hope?

 

Have been having lots of headaches and got a cold sore on Saturday and generally feeling tired, so feeling a bit grumpy with this whole thing. I'm also dealing with a lot of work stress so that's probably not helping.

[birdsandbirds]

Last night I had a dream that I forgot I was doing the Whole30 and made it halfway through a pint of Haagen-dazs chocolate ice cream before I realized what I had done, and that I would have to start all over again. Eeek!

[birdsandbirds]

Day 17: WOOOOOOOOO!!   

 

I finally made it to the good stage!!!

 

I had been feeling a little frustrated getting these daily emails about how tiger blood should be kicking in any day now, while I was still having headaches, fatigue, poor digestion, and enough bloating that I felt like I might actually be gaining weight instead of losing. I wasn't thinking of quitting, but I was seriously wondering if this was somehow the wrong eating plan for me. Today is a totally different story! No headache, more energy, better digestion, and bloating gone. I feel healthy!

 

Yesterday I got in a good long walk (3-4 miles) with a friend of mine after work, and I'm kind of wondering if that was the push I needed to bump me into this next stage. Also increased my veggie intake significantly, and I can feel my body appreciating it. Something to consider for anyone who's also feeling like they're lagging behind the timeline.

 

Yesterday:

M1: broccoli with thumb of sunflower seeds, small sweet potato, two hard boiled eggs, a few slices of red bell pepper, 1/2 apple, black coffee

M2: steak salad (modified from W30 recipe: steak with watercress, arugula, red bell pepper, asparagus, grape tomatoes, and a few slices of purple potato, with generous helping of cilantro-lime mayo - altogether about 2-3 cups of veggies) DELICIOUS!

M3a (needed a pre-walk boost): a few slices of chicken with olives and raw cauliflower

M3b: baked chicken with guacamole, hearty serving of sauteed asparagus with lemon, olives (weird combo but it was what I had on hand, lol)

 

SO HAPPY that I seem to have come round the bend!

[birdsandbirds]

Day 23: Still Truckin'

 

Cravings for non-W30 foods abound at this stage! Yesterday was psychologically tough because it was a day off and I needed some down-time AND my husband went away so I was alone in the house, so I had to confront my dual-habits of snacking when I'm hanging around the house, and even worse, indulging in my favorite junk foods when I'm having alone-time in the house (this latter thing is a two-part issue: part 1: no one is there to judge me if I eat junk; part 2: it feels like maximizing enjoyment of a good day to add food treats like ice cream to it). However, I did it, and I'm so proud of myself for making good choices all day!

 

Here's what I ate:

M1: 2 jumbo fried eggs with broccoli & potatoes, baked prosciutto, grapefruit (I know, I know, sorely lacking added fats)

M2: chicken breast with herbed mayo over arugula, baked sweet potato

M3: Rosemary Chicken (this recipe from Skinny Taste is a stand-by for me - I like to use Muir Glenn fire roasted tomatoes to add flavor, and up the veggie proportions - but of course I skipped the white wine this time, and also added anchovies and lots of kalamata olives. It came out great!), crumbled prosciutto on top, banana & almond butter

 

No snacks!

 

Mostly I am feeling good with the sleeping and the energy. Digestion is a little wonky at times still, but manageable. Two things are really killing me though: I can't wait to have a glass of wine, and my pants are NOT getting any looser. I suspect that I am still not adding enough fats to my meals and that the W30 monitors would tell me I am not eating enough. I just... forget. Yesterday's breakfast felt like a pretty complete meal, but by W30 standards, I guess there is one major element missing - fat. Need to try harder.

 

 

One little mishap: I think I got dosed with a tiny bit of butter in some restaurant scallops. I didn't do my due diligence checking about the sauce (I didn't realize there was a sauce) and when I took a bite it tasted suspiciously buttery. The kitchen was closed at that point so I couldn't switch it out, so I scraped off the sauce (there wasn't a lot anyway) and went ahead and ate the scallops without sauce. I have decided not to start over because a) it was truly 100% unintentional, and b ) I can't imagine that the minuscule amount of dairy in the minuscule amount of butter I may (or perhaps not!) have consumed could have been enough to throw off the whole science thing that much. So, it's not going to be a perfect Whole30, but that's ok with me. I suspect that I'm going to find out that I have issues with dairy anyway, so this really isn't much of a spoiler. 

[birdsandbirds]

Day 26: Confused

 

Getting a little frustrated here - the fit of my pants is telling me that I have not lost any weight AT ALL. Why????

 

Yesterday I ate:

M1: 2 homemade sausage patties with 2 thumbs of herbed mayo, roasted broccoli and butternut squash (about 1 cup each), black coffee

M2: tuna salad (homemade herbed mayo, kalamata olives, capers, 1.5 medium tomatoes, 2+ cups of mixed power greens)

M3: Rosemary Chicken dish (1 thigh, 1 leg, plus tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, rosemary, kalamata olives, anchovies, chicken stock), 2 cups cauliflower with olive caper tapenade

 

I feel like I'm finally on track following this meal template but there are no discernible weight changes AND my face wants to make pimples! I know weight loss is not the point here, but I do eventually want to lose about 10 lbs so if it doesn't happen on Whole30, where do I go with my post Whole30 eating to make it happen?

 

What is going on?????

[birdsandbirds]

Day 31: Mixed Results

 

In general I think I feel pretty good. My energy levels are generally good (not sure I ever hit that tiger blood though) and I've been sleeping pretty well. Moods are kind of up and down. My skin isn't great (keeps wanting to break out, something that usually only happens every month or two). The main thing that I'm disappointed about is not having lost any weight (ok, one pound). I know this is not a weight loss diet, but it's so strongly suggested as a side effect and I was very hopeful. If my energy was amazing and my moods were great, I wouldn't mind so much, but I feel like my results overall were kind of lackluster and that makes it feel more frustrating.

 

I'm going ahead with my reintroduction because I have some travel coming up and I know it'll be very hard not to get derailed, so I think it's better to figure out what my sensitivities are before that happens. Then I think I will return to mostly Whole30 eating (except for a few occasions where it won't really be possible, e.g. a wedding at the end of March), with a few modifications (I'm really hoping that I won't have any issues with Greek yogurt - this is a good source of both protein and fat, and I am SO TIRED OF EATING MEAT ALL THE TIME) and see what happens. Maybe I just need more time.