ellie4 Posted February 27, 2016 Author Share Posted February 27, 2016 Day 19 - February 25, 2016 (Forgot to post yesterday, whoops.) Breakfast: beets, cauliflower, leeks, spinach, cooked in coconut oil and ghee, beef eye of round steak, sauerkraut Snack: acorn squash w/ ghee, sauerkraut Supper: okra, cabbage, spinach, cooked in coconut oil, ground pork Evening (with friends): collard greens, mushrooms, celery, cooked in olive oil, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Sleep: 4 hours Exercise: none Day 20 - February 26, 2016 Breakfast: okra, cabbage, spinach, cooked in coconut oil, ground pork, sauerkraut, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Snack: acorn squash w/ lard Supper: broccoli, zucchini, arugula, cooked in coconut oil, ground pork, sauerkraut, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 Day 21 - February 27, 2016 Breakfast: broccoli, zucchini, arugula, cooked in coconut oil, ground pork Supper: artichoke hearts, carrots, arugula, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salmon, turkey, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Day 22 - February 28, 2016 Breakfast: cauliflower, okra, spinach, cooked in lard, turkey, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Snack (recital reception): carrots, cucumbers, celery, lox Supper: salmon, carrots, collard greens, bacon Sleep: 6 hours Exercise: none I went out with friends for supper, and I ate before so I wouldn't be that hungry, and I was able to just get a side of bacon-braised collard greens. Except, I realized later that the bacon probably had sugar in it. I forgot to think about that. I did think to check that the lox didn't have sugar at my friend's recital reception. Lesson learned - bacon is generally a no unless I specifically know it is sugar free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Day 23 - February 29, 2016 Breakfast: okra, cauliflower, broccoli, arugula, cooked in lard, pork shoulder, sauerkraut Afternoon: tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Supper: brussel sprouts, carrots, artichoke hearts, collard greens, watermelon radish, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, shrimp Evening: tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Sleep: 5.5 hours Exercise: none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Day 24 - March 1, 2016 Breakfast: broccoli, zucchini, spinach, cooked in coconut oil, pork shoulder, sauerkraut Mid-day: tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Supper: okra, asparagus, collard greens, kale, cooked in lard, sauerkraut Supper Part 2 (collaborative cooking with friends): red cabbage, carrots, onion, cooked in coconut oil,, shrimp, pork shoulder, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: none (does standing in line for 2 hours to vote count?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 Day 25 - March 2, 2016 Breakfast: okra, asparagus, collard greens, kale, cooked in lard, pork shoulder Snack: cucumbers with lard (an okay experiment), sauerkraut Supper: yellow squash, onion, green cabbage, spinach, pork shoulder Sleep: 7 hours Exercise: none Day 26 - March 3, 2016 Breakfast: yellow squash, onion, green cabbage, spinach, pork shoulder, sauerkraut Snack: cucumbers with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (a much better experiment) Supper Part 1: artichoke hearts, smoked octopus Supper Part 2: arugula, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, carrots, radishes, zucchini, olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar Sleep: 7 hours Exercise: none I had a scholarship dinner, and I brought my own food like I have before, but I didn't know if there would be a microwave so I wanted to bring something to be eaten cold. I was going to stop and get some smoked salmon, but then I saw that they had smoked octopus that was Whole30 compliant, so of course I had to try it. Except I wasn't sure if that was necessarily appropriate to take with me, so I just ate it before I went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 Day 27 - March 4, 2016 Breakfast: can't remember exactly, vegetables cooked in coconut oil and pork shoulder Lunch: sashimi, artichoke hearts Snack: blueberries, raspberries, coconut mct oil Supper: asparagus, leeks, cooked in lard and ghee, pork shoulder Snack: larabar, cashew butter, banana Sleep: maybe 7 hours Exercise: none Day 28 - March 5, 2016 Breakfast: plantains, artichoke hearts, blueberries, honeydew melon Supper: shrimp, carrots, strawberries, pate, cashews Snack: cashew butter, banana, larabars Sleep: about 7 hours Exercise: none Day 29- March 6, 2016 Breakfast: pate, potatoes, mixed berries, mango, peppers, onions, artichoke hearts Lunch: smoothie (banana, raw cacao powder, almond butter, coconut oil, coconut water), larabar Supper: cashews, larabar, watermelon, cashew butter, banana Sleep: 4.5 hours Exercise: none Sigh... There's a reason I've been avoiding posting the past few days of food. I'm not proud of this. There are some stressful things going on in my life right now, and I turned to food when I should've used some other coping skill. But beating myself up about it isn't going to help, learning from it is. So, things I have learned these past few days: 1. Berries are not my friend. I had been avoiding berries/fruit because I thought it would help me beat this sugar dragon thing. When I did eat them on Friday, I had a significantly increased headache and a bad stomachache within a few minutes. I don't know if it's just the natural sugar or something else, but berries=worse headache. That knowledge is actually very helpful, because it is easier to avoid yummy foods when I know what the consequence will be. Berries are delicious, but not amazing enough to be worth dealing with a worse headache. 2. Nuts are really not my friend. I've already suspected this, and haven't been eating nuts, but I did this weekend. What I noticed is that eating nuts usually gave me a burning sensation in the back of my throat and mild chest pain (I have mild problems with acid reflux). Again, knowing the consequences make it easier to avoid a food, and the consequences of eating nuts were much clearer this weekend than before. 3. One small mistake will trigger more mistakes If all I had done was eat a bowl of berries, that wouldn't have been so bad. But, that bowl of berries triggered me to crave foods I haven't even been eating, like nut butter and bananas. Gretchen Rubin has an excellent idea about abstainers vs. moderators. I am an abstainer to the highest degree, and it is far easier for me to not have anything outside my restrictions than to break the rules just a little. Recognizing this should also help me resist temptation in the future. 4. Fruit and nuts are more emotionally charged foods than I realized I have had a lot of crap happen this past year and a half, and I have been paleo (or attempting paleo) for much of that time. I didn't fully recognize until this weekend how nuts and fruits have fulfilled the role of "comfort food", also known as "food to be eaten in excess in an attempt to feel better rather than dealing with what is stressing me out". 5. My relationship with food is a bit more messed up than I realized. This weekend helped me realize how much I do rely on emotional eating and how out of control my eating can be. This emotional eating is a problem that I'd say started in early high school and became more out of control my first year at college, when I was in a really bad place mental-health wise. I was anemic for a few years in early high school. I would always drink hot chocolate, and often eat a cookie or something, when I was exhausted and stressed (which was basically everyday). I still reach for sweets when I am exhausted and stressed. Another big issue was that I did not have any appetite from about age 14-19 (doctors could never figure out why). I lost a lot of weight in early high school, and it became a huge ordeal of my doctor and mom freaking out and making me drink nasty protein shakes. So, I began to make myself eat more even though I wasn't hungry, and after several years of that I became very accustomed to eating when I'm not hungry. Readjusting to listening to my sense of hunger is something that is going to take a long time, so I need to take care to be consciously aware of whether or not I am actually hungry when eating. I also need to figure out other coping skills to use to deal with stress. While I am not happy with how I ate the past few days, I am glad that I at least did not eat any foods outside of the Whole 30 guidelines. Of course, eating tons of larabars and cashew butter is not exactly a healthy diet, but this pattern of eating generally would end in me going to get hot chocolate and/or dessert (and often doing so regularly for more than a couple days). So, at least the safety net of Whole eating kept me from continuing that pattern. And, to not do this until day 27 is a big deal for me (especially considering some stressful things I've had going on lately). So much to learn still...one day at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 Day 30 - March 7, 2016 Breakfast: sweet bulb onion, cabbage, arugula, cooked in coconut oil, ground beef, sauerkraut Supper: yellow squash, brussel sprouts, cabbage, red kale, cooked in coconut oil, ground beef, sauerkraut Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: 1.5 mile walk and resistance band training Hard to believe it has been a month already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danananda Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Congratulations on completing a Whole30! And even more importantly, for acknowledging the knowledge and wisdom gained from the last few days. All of that will carry you through the next 802 (or 8002) days!! You are awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Day 31 - March 8, 2016 Breakfast: yellow squash, brussel sprouts, cabbage, red kale, cooked in coconut oil, ground beef, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Supper: brussel sprouts, broccoli, celery, spinach, cooked in coconut oil, ground turkey, sauerkraut, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: Ran 2 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 Day 32 - March 9, 2016 Breakfast: brussel sprouts, broccoli, celery, spinach, cooked in coconut oil, ground turkey, sauerkraut, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Supper: radishes, onions, kale, cooked in coconut oil, ground beef, sauerkraut, tea w/ collagen powder and coconut mct oil Snack: almond butter, banana, larabar So I realized that I forgot to mention a couple posts ago that I recently had food sensitivity testing done and I get my results back tomorrow. I'm working with a dietician who uses the MRT/LEAP food sensitivity testing/diet plan. MRT tests you for 150-200 different foods and chemicals and shows different levels of sensitivity for each. What is different about MRT is that, instead of just not eating food you're sensitive to, you start by only eating about 20 foods you are not sensitive to. Gradually, you try introducing more foods, starting with the ones you were less sensitive to, working up to ones you're more sensitive to, and ending with foods not on the test. Then, you eat different foods following a rotation to help you avoid developing new sensitivities. I am excited in that I think this should really help me a lot, but I am also really anxious about what staple foods in my diet I might be sensitive to. I have my suspicions.... Also concerned because so many vegetables I eat regularly aren't even on this test, which means I'll have to exclude them at first. But if it helps, it'll be worth it. So, as I have said before, I am pretty suspicious of nuts. I highly doubt these will be okay as far as MRT is concerned. I find that I have an easier time making big dietary changes if I give myself the chance to mourn the loss of a food and appreciate it before I take it out. That's a lot of what's going on recently too with wanting nut butter because, even though I've been choosing not to eat nuts most of this last month, it's still been an option. There's a loss of autonomy of food choice that will come with these results, and that's always an adjustment. Last night, I spent a while making a conscious decision as to whether or not I wanted to eat those snacks. I made myself go to a less convenient grocery store, sat in my car in the parking lot thinking about it before going in, then walked around the store for a while before grabbing anything. By the time I actually bought the snacks, I had decided that I was okay with it because these will probably not be an option for me very soon. I also only bought how much I was comfortable eating at once so as to safeguard against overeating. I am not sure if I will be able to follow the new MRT plan 100% right away because I am traveling next weekend and it might be impossible to follow. I'll have to wait and see. But I do not want to draw this out too much, so I am going to start implementing any restrictions on nuts and fruits on Saturday. Always an adventure.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Share Posted March 11, 2016 Day 33 - March 10, 2016 Breakfast: radishes, onions, kale, cooked in coconut oil, ground turkey Supper: brussel sprouts, asparagus, carrots, sweet potatoes, beef, watermelon, artichoke hearts, smoothie (banana, almond butter, coconut oil, coconut water, raw cacao), larabar Snacks: banana, cashew butter, oranges, grapefruit Sleep: 6 hours Exercise: none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancy31 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Hi Sarah, I just have to say that I'm really impressed. If I was posting daily detailed accounts of my food, habits, and experiences and was receiving very few comments I'd probably lose motivation after a short while. The fact that you're rolling into Day 34 and have done so without many responses is really quite awesome. Although I'm on these forums because I have always struggled with motivation. In the past year and a half I've gained about 50 pounds due to stress, depression, or a combination of the two. I've tried diets in the past but have never really reached out for support outside of my immediate family. I'm hoping by connecting in the forums I'll get some of the support, encouragement, and motivation I need to make it longer than about 10-14 days into my commitment. Just reading your log is inspiring to me. Maybe you've been writing it just to keep yourself on track, but whether you realized it or not you are helping people like me. So I'd like to send you a virtual high five! Keep it up girl! ~Megan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 12, 2016 Author Share Posted March 12, 2016 Thank you, Megan! I have foun having this accountability VERY helpful, for sure. I guess just having a place where someone *could* see it has been enough for me, because I don't want to break the streak and admit defeat! Day 34 - March 11, 2016 Breakfast: plantains, honeydew, artichoke hearts Lunch: beef, potato, onion, carrot, cabbage, green beans Snack: grapes Supper: chicken, sweet potato, honeydew, smoothie (almond butter, coconut oil, coconut water, banana, raw cacao) Snacks (not all at once): cashew butter, banana, guacamole, cucumbers, larabar Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: none So I finally got my food sensitivity results yesterday and they were very interesting! I didn't have any foods in the highly reactive category but did have a lot of foods in the moderately reactive category. These are: american cheese, apricot, beef, black pepper, broccoli, buchwheat, cane sugar, carrot, chicken, coconut, garlic, grape, honeydew, lima bean, oat, parsley, quinoa, soybean, sweet potato, tapioca, turkey, tumeric, wheat and the chemicals acetaminphen, caffeine, sodium sulfite, and salicylic acid. Most exciting news is that I can eat avocados again! Biggest surprise is that I do not actually have any sensitivities to nuts. I thought for sure those were going to be out. Though I know almonds at least are very high in salicylic acid so maybe that is the problem. Salicylic Acid is going to be the toughie because it is naturally occuring in so many foods, like tomatoes, olives, and berries. I can have some foods with salicylic acid but I have to limit those. At first, I want to minimize them as much as possible. Other huge toughies are coconut and beef/turkey. The first two weeks of my diet plan have me eating only fish as my protein...but then I can add back pork and lamb. I like fish, but I will miss beef and turkey. And coconut....oh gosh, as you can easily see I cook everything in coconut. Literally everything. I also use coconut hair products and soaps and replacing all this will be an adventure. So now I get to cook everything in ghee instead. I've got to figure out how to make my own ghee, though, because buying that much would be pricey! I'm really excited to see the difference, though, because going from eating such mass quantities of coconut to none could make a pretty big difference. My dietician and I decided that it's be good for me to continue the WPP/ketosis experiment and see how that goes, because ketosis is very good for neurological conditions. I think I am done with my AIP adventure for now, because the MRT/LEAP diet eliminates so much already that I don't want to unnecessarily limit myself beyond that. I can't start Phase one of the LEAP plan until after I get back from a trip next weekend. I am going to phase these foods out this week as get back to the WPP template of eating. I'll be starting Phase 1 on Monday, March 21. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 12, 2016 Author Share Posted March 12, 2016 Oh, Megan, I also wanted to mentioned that I've found that I'm really glad I wrote my first "Day zero" post about exactly why I was doing this. I find myself rereading that all the time, and it helps keep me going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancy31 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Wow...no coconut? I would truly be lost without coconut but I can say that making your own ghee is really easy. There are some pretty helpful tutorials out there to give you a step-by-step guide, but after you do it the first time you probably won't need to use a tutorial anymore. After 2 weeks when you can add back in pork products, you may be able to use lard or other animal fats as your cooking oils. Just a thought. I am really interested to see what new meal ideas you come up with that exclude your reactive foods. (Yay avocados!) I really like your idea of writing down a log each day, and doing it publicly to help keep myself accountable. I think I'll go start my own thread, too Thanks for the inspiration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 Days 35-37 - Saturday, March 12, 2016 - Monday, March 14, 2016 I can't remember exactly what I have eaten the past several days, but it has all been food within Whole 30 guidelines, but not exactly well-rounded meals. A lot of fruit, a lot of nut butter, more eating out (at Whole Foods...) than usual because I won't be able to do that at all once I start the MRT on Monday. This is kind of a weird transition time, and I would've just gone ahead and started with the MRT stuff except I'm traveling this weekend and don't want to make the food situation more difficult than it already is. I would say that allowing myself this chance to appreciate these foods for a while has helped me make the transition into new restrictions in the past, because it helps me feel more ready to start. Or maybe that's just an excuse, who knows. Well, it's only a few more days until I can start the MRT stuff. Day 39 - Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Breakfast: okra, beets, cooked in ghee, avocado, beef, sauerkraut, mixed nuts Snack: smoothie (almond milk, almond butter, banana), mango Supper: pork loin chop, orange pepper, okra, red kale, cooked in ghee, sauerkraut Snack: mixed nuts Sleep: 6 hours Exercise: none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Day 40 - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 Breakfast: pork loin chop, orange pepper, okra, red kale, cooked in ghee Snack: larabar Supper Part 1: chicken, carrots, brussel sprouts, mixed berries, mango, smoothie (almond butter, banana, coconut oil, coconut water, raw cacao), watermelon Supper Part 2 (collaborative cooking with friends): okra, brussel sprouts, beets, onion, red kale, leeks, cooked in ghee, acorn squash, avocado, beef scotch tender Sleep: not nearly enough, not sure Exercise: none Used up anything I had that I will not be eating once I return from my trip and start MRT last night with my friends (or gave it to them). It was also the last time I'll be eating out at Whole Foods in Austin, which is a bummer because I really like going there (plus it is a great way to avoid rush hour traffic on weekdays). This MRT stuff is going to be such a huge change, it is so daunting. I'm glad I'm coming at it from already eating paleo, because I can't imagine changing to this after following a SAD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Day 41- Thursday, March 17, 2016 Today was a weird good day because I was flying and didn't eat meals so much as I grazed on the food I had brought with me, and then I wasn't hungry for a meal in the evening. I'll just list the foods I ate: Acorn squash, larabars, epic bacon bar, avocado, cucumbers, snow peas, Apple, mixed nuts, bananas, coffee Sleep: maybe 6 hours Exercise: none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Day 42 - Friday, March 18, 2016 Breakfast: zucchini, yellow pepper, okra, spinach, cooked in olive oil, ground pork Snacks: orange, mixed nuts, larabar Supper: chorizo burger with avocado spread, plantains Sleep: 10 hours Exercise: none Day 43 - Saturday, March 19, 2016 Breakfast: zucchini, yellow pepper, okra, spinach, cooked in olive oil, ground pork Lunch: lettuce, egg, tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, coffee Supper: beets, onion, okra, cabbage, beet greens, cooked in olive oil, pork, grapefruit Snack: apple Sleep: maybe 7 hours Exercise: none Day 44 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 Breakfast: beets, onion, okra, cabbage, beet greens, cooked in olive oil, pork, orange Snack: avocado, apple Supper: lettuce, chicken, egg, tomato, avocado, olive oil, apple Snacks: larabars and similar bars, honeydew, watermelon Sleep: 6 hours Exercise: none Had so much fun in Michigan visiting friends, and didn't have too much trouble finding stuff. I cooked for my friends one night and made my own breakfasts. We ate out too but I think I did okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Day 45 - Monday, March 21, 2016 ~start MRT~ Breakfast: green beans, mushrooms, lettuce, cooked in ghee, salmon, walnuts Supper: snow peas, onion, lettuce, cooked in ghee, clams, hazelnuts Snack: snow peas with tahini Sleep: 6 hours Exercise: none Today I started the intensive craziness that is MRT. I have mentioned it some before, but MRT is a food sensitivity test with an (intense) program of applying the results for (hopefully) maximum healing. What is different is that instead of just avoiding the foods you ARE sensitive to, MRT takes the opposite tactic and restricts your diet to only foods which you tested NOT sensitive to. It is in several phases, starting with the very, very least reactive foods and gradually adding in other non-reactive foods. I chose to modify it a bit because I wanted to eat low-salicylate at first since I tested salicylate-sensitive. (and oddly enough the plan from MRT didn't account for that.) I figure that if I'm going to do this I might as well go all-out. This part will be done in 6 phases and should take about two months. Phase 1 is 12 days long. My foods for phase 1 are: catfish, clam, crab, salmon, scallops, sole, green bean, green pea, leek, lettuce, mushroom, onion, hazelnut, pecan, walnut, carob, lemon, and sesame. This is going to be interesting, for sure. So much seafood. Tahini did not taste at all like what I thought it would. So very different from nut butter despite looking identical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Oh, and I can cook in ghee and I can also use white vinegar and salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancy31 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I'm cheering you on with the start of your MRT plan! ...I agree with your tahini observation. Strange at first especially since I was expecting it to taste like peanut butter (only because it looks just like it)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Day 46 - Tuesday, March 22, 2016 Breakfast: green beans, onion, lettuce, cooked in ghee, crab Snack: hazelnuts, walnuts Supper: mushrooms, leeks, cooked in ghee, scallops, lettuce, lemon juice, pecans Snack: walnuts Sleep: 6.5 hours Exercise: none Man, I have been wanting to start exercising in the morning, but as you can see, I've been pretty awful about it. It's a combination of not getting to sleep on time and not wanting to wake up. The actual running part I love. Tomorrow. I will go on a run tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie4 Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Day 47 - Wednesday, March 23, 2016 Breakfast: green beans, snow peas, leeks, cooked in ghee, lettuce, crab, walnuts Supper: onion, peas, cooked in ghee, tahini, lettuce, clams, lemon, pecans Snack: smoked salmon Sleep: 6 hours Exercise: none So following my typical pattern, I stayed up too late to be able to get up and run. But I am going to bed soon so I will be able to run tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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