Monica's Whole 30 Log. My first foray into paleo-style eating!

[MonicaRenee144]

Hi all!

I embarked on my first Whole30 yesterday. I've never tried paleo-style eating before, but have been feeling very off since I gave birth to my son. Pregnancy seems to have changed my body quite a bit, and I'm hoping this reset will help me change my lifestyle in a way that will have me feeling well again! I also have some very dry/cracked/itchy skin on my hands that I can't seem to shake, so I'm interested to see if it's diet related.

I am also supporting a 5 month old who drinks exclusively breastmilk, so I'm focusing on providing enough calories/nutrients for him as well. I'm terrified of not eating enough and having my supply drop, so that balance is going to be difficult for me to find.

Anyway, here's yesterday's food log - I found that I really wasn't prepared for Day 1 at all. I ate WAY WAY too much fruit, and my lunch portion was much too small (which is most of the reason I ate the two pieces of fruit afterward). Thank goodness for hard boiled eggs or I never would have made it. I had a massive headache and felt pretty off all day up until dinner, so hopefully I got the "hangover" portion of this out of the way on Day 1. (I am feeling pretty good today (Day 2), so I've got my fingers crossed!)

Breakfast – smoothie w/ strawberries, mango, wild blueberries + coconut milk.

Snack – 2 hard-boiled eggs and 1.5oz cashews

Lunch – Taco beef + salsa + avocado over spinach, nectarine, pear.

Snack – 2 hard-boiled eggs, 4 dates

Dinner – Apple Dijon burger + sweet potatoes + green beans + fried egg (olive oil used for cooking)

I know snacking is discouraged, but I think it'll take me some time to really get my portions right and be able to skip the snacking (plus that whole not eating enough and losing milk supply fear comes into play here as well).

Today is going MUCH better so far.

Happy Tuesday!

Monica

[MonicaRenee144]

Oh, I've definitely been checking out the pregnancy/breastfeeding area of the forums too.

[Heatherina]

Welcome to the Whole30! This place is very supportive!

[Nancy H.]

I'm sure your life is hectic right now with a 5 month old and starting on an entirely new way of eating.

But I think if you find some recipes and eat your protein and veggies you will find that you are eating plenty.

Not only that, but you are also eating enough for the breast milk.

Keep up posting and connecting. We are all here to help.

[MonicaRenee144]

Days 2 and 3 went pretty well. I haven't felt too many cravings, so that's nice. I imagine that will change though.

Day 2:

Breakfast – Turkey apple “scramble†cooked up w/ spinach and 2 eggs in coconut oil.

Snack – 2 dates, Cashew Cookie Larabar

Lunch – Apple Dijon burger + sweet potatoes + green beans (cooked in olive oil)

Snack – 2 hard-boiled eggs, pear

Dinner – Pork chops w/ apples, Brussels sprouts w/ pancetta

I thought day 2 went really well! I didn't overdo the fruit too badly (there's only a little bit of apple in lunch & dinner) and I felt pretty good.

Day 3:

Breakfast – Turkey apple “scramble†cooked up w/ spinach, sweet potatoes and 2 eggs in coconut oil.

Snack – 3 dates, Cashew Cookie Larabar

Lunch – Apple Dijon burger + sweet potatoes over spinach, + a small Apple

Snack - Apple Pie Larabar

Dinner - Salad from Chipotle - Carnitas, guacamole, lettuce and salsa (I checked their website and the carnitas is Whole30 compatible, yay!)

I was in the field for work yesterday - which is why I ended up having two Larabars. I needed something easy to transport, grab and eat, and my Primal Pacs don't show up until tomorrow (BOO). I did do the "are you hungry enough for steamed fish and broccoli?" test before eating them though. I'm in natural resources, so my day involved a fair amount of hiking around project sites, and I was genuinely hungry. I wish I could find some more portable stuff (like cashews and jerky) without soy or added sugar without ordering online. Frustrating.

Onward, to Day 4!

[Aberrantatavia]

Hi Monica,

Welcome to whole 30!

Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start and yes, it might take a bit of time to adjust to 3 meals a day. That's ok, as long as you are eating when you are actually hungry. You'll start gauging how much you need to get to the next meal. I actually do 4 meals a day a lot. Works better for me than snacking.

There are some portable options that aren't terrible, although finding compliant jerky is tough, you'd probably have to make it. Nuts and dates are good if you are having an active day. I also use squeezable baby food if I'm hiking all day.

Good luck and congrats on doing this with a hectic life of work and a little one still nursing:)

[MonicaRenee144]

Thanks! I'm wondering if snacks will just be a necessary thing while I'm breastfeeding. I just can't seem to jam enough food (even with a good amount of fat) into my meals to keep my hunger at bay and my milk supply up.

Day 4 yesterday went well:

Breakfast – Turkey apple “scramble†cooked up w/ spinach, sweet potatoes and 2 eggs in coconut oil.

Snack – 2 dates, Cashew Cookie Larabar

Lunch – A pork chop w/ some sauteed apple, brussels sprouts w. pancetta, and sweet potatoes.

Snack - 2 hard-boiled eggs

Dinner - Salmon and Acorn Squash roasted w/ olive oil, green beans.

I did have a sweet craving after dinner last night, but I wasn't actually hungry so I just went to bed. I'm pretty tired this morning (the little one woke me up too many times last night) so I think today will be a bit of a struggle with food as I walk around in a fog. I'll make it though!

It sounds like we might be going to a baseball game tomorrow, so I might have to fend off people that think I need beer, which will be frustrating, but doable. I'm not a big drinker anyway - I'll just bring my own food and call it good!

TGIF!

[MonicaRenee144]

I'm struggling with hunger this morning - as in "nom nom steamed fish and broccoli!" hunger. It's frustrating. The little one was very hungry last night, so maybe my body is trying to catch up? I had the same breakfast as the last 3 days, so I'm not sure what the issue is.

Maybe Day 5 is just going to be rough for me.

[MonicaRenee144]

Okay, I'm back! I don't have computer access at home (I spend so much darn time in front of one during the week, I just stick with my phone on the weekends, and it's tough to type a post on my phone!)

The weekend went well! I don't remember exactly what I ate, so I won't post it - but I was happy with it, no cheats! We took the little one to his first Twins game on Saturday and that was WARM but good. I stayed away from all the stadium food successfully and just ate the Primal Pac I brought and chugged copious amounts of water! I did have a bit of trouble last night when I wanted to snack, but I just went to bed instead.

Today so far:

Breakfast: Eggs w/ mushrooms & spinach in olive oil topped with avocado, black coffee.

Snacks: Primal Pac, 2 hard-boiled eggs, a couple dried apricot halves. - I know this is alot. I'm not sure why I was so hungry, but I think it's because my little guy decided to eat ALL NIGHT and I needed more calories than I had in my breakfast.

Lunch: Chocolate chili w/ avocado, unsweetened tea.

Dinner (planned): Baked chicken thighs, roasted butternut squash and garlicky mushrooms with kale.

And that's where I'm at. I should really start taking pictures of my food! I'm excited about my mushrooms and kale for dinner. It's one of my favorite side-dishes, so I'm excited that it's totally W30 approved.