laubnyc Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hi all, Tomorrow I plan to start my first Whole30. I've been gearing up for this over the past few weeks (since ~new year's). Basically reading the 2 books, not buying any non-compliment shelf-stable groceries, reading ingredients of prepackaged foods, and occasionally ordering Whole30 meals when eating out for practice. Just packed up all my leftover non-compliant food to give to a friend in the morning (I hope she loves my giant tub of PB Fit! haha). Here are my motivations: 1) Boring chronic illnesses: despite being generally healthy day to day, I have a number of chronic health issues that I feel like I'm always juggling treatment and prevention for. I'm hoping Whole30 will lessen these... a) Hashimoto's thyroiditis: fortunately I've been subclinical for years (hormones in bloodwork low, but in healthy range), though I do take synthroid daily to get me closer to the healthy median for mental/reproductive health concerns. b ) Anxiety and depression: I've always had anxiety with some depression. The past few years I have been seeking treatment, and I'm currently doing pretty well. I'm really curious if Whole30 will help me feel more level, especially during the school semester. As a side note, I decided in November that I shouldn't drink while in school, largely due to how anxious I get the few days after drinking. I haven't drank since, and my anxiety has improved tremendously. So while I'm skeptical whether I'll notice any changes regarding mental health once I start tomorrow, I know that the absence of alcohol has already made a huge difference. c) Allergies: bunch of allergies. Environmental/seasonal allergies are bad spring, summer, and fall. Also allergic to pork and latex. Curious if I'll be less sensitive after Whole30. Occasional allergic reactions to foods like pumpkin are a mystery. Interested in trying pork after completing a Whole30, especially since it appears that I developed this allergy as an adult. d) Asthma: currently using a preventative inhaler before workouts to help with exercise-induced asthma. I would love get rid of this dependence. Right now, I'm fine if I forget my inhaler before yoga, but I used my rescue inhaler during a dance class a few weeks ago, which was concerning. e) Eczema: never had eczema until recently. Highly correlated with periods of increased anxiety. Occasionally enflamed by soap that isn't 100% fun-free. f) Food sensitivities: have never been able to eat mushrooms without getting sick. Recently realized that I get very stuffy after eating dairy. I probably don't feel great after eating a number of foods. Hopefully Whole30 will help me sort that out, and maybe find a theme to foods that upset my stomach. e) Tendonitis: pretty bad tendonitis in both ankles, thanks to genetics + childhood dance injuries. Probably what I'm most hopeful, and skeptical, about potentially improving while on Whole 30. I've been very mindful of the mobility of my ankles lately, so I hope that I'll notice an improvement over the next month! Ugh, so many little health things add up 2) Get to a healthy weight: right now I'm 25F, 5'5," and 160lbs. Since finishing college, I been stuck in this ~15lbs overweight range (by BMI). Quite simply, I tend to lose weight relatively easily when I'm mindful of what I eat. I'm hoping that Whole30 will help me make this mindfulness a habit, rather than a afterthought/chore/etc. [i'm into the no-weighing myself thing during Whole30, though I'd be lying if I didn't expect to loss weight over the next month]. 3) Relationship with food: just generally improve my relationship with food. I definitely stress eat. I definitely feel like I need to be more active to make up for what I want to eat, and for the volume that I want to eat. I somewhat regularly regret food choices that I make. I don't eat well by default; it's always a conscious decision to eat food with actual nutrients. This means that even when I eat "well," there was a lot of energy and effort going into that decision. It really seems like all this can be simplified. Here are my concerns: 1) School/Work: I'm currently in my second semester of a master's program and I work part-time at another university. The school/work concern is unique in that 1) these responsibilities are my primary source of stress, and 2) logistically, they make preparing my own food a bit difficult. The stress issue is pretty standard; I want to have a healthy normal level of stress, and taking care of my mental health is really what keeps this in balance. If Whole30 makes this easier (and lessen stress eating), great. The second issue can hopefully be solved with careful meal planning. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday night I have class while I would like to be eating dinner. I think it'll be best to pack food to eat at school, rather than eating out or waiting to eat dinner at home around 10pm. My work hours are flexible, but when I do go into the lab, that means that I need to eat a full breakfast before I leave in the morning, and also pack 2 meals. Again, doable with planning. 2) Boyfriend: My long term boyfriend will not be doing Whole 30 with me (though he is totally supportive). This isn't a problem during the week since I moved away to NYC from DC for school. However, when one of us travels to see the other on weekends is some cause for concern. First, we tend to eat out more when we are visiting each other. Second, when I go down to DC, I'm in his apartment without my own groceries. Third, when he comes up to NYC, he might eat non-compliant food in my apartment that will be leftover after he leaves. (Plus, there are so many pizzas and bagels to eat.) Finally, I'll need to figure out what to eat during bus rides back and forth. All of this can, again, be dealt with through meal planning. 3) Money: I'm hoping this will be a relatively non-existent concern. Yes, eating to Whole30 guidelines will definitely make my groceries more expensive. However, if Whole30 helps me stop eating out as much, I should break even. This is more of a motivator to make sure I pack my meals for when I'm out of the house all day. Thanks for reading! 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cnfaworker Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 It sounds like you have your bases covered. I wish you the best! This program will give you so much information that you will be able to use the rest of your life. You can do this - if you are disciplined enough to organize your life and pursue your goals you got this program. Happy Whole 30 - and let the learning begin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Thanks @cnfaworker! Day 1 Tuesdays are my one weekday where I don't have to physically be anywhere for school or work. This makes is the best day to get schoolwork done and/or run errands, but also the easiest day to waste just watching Netflix or whatever. I'm hoping that the structure of Whole30 will bleed into improved structure these Tuesdays. Pre-workout I slept in today, so I didn't eat a real breakfast. Before going to yoga at 10:30am, I ate ~1oz of smoked salmon. While pricey, it was delicious, easy, etc, etc. Will probably be eating a lot of smoked salmon this month. Meal 1 of 2 Got back at noon. Decided to just try 2 meals today, since I missed real meal 1. I don't plan on eating potatoes much this month, but I had 2 left that were sprouting that I wanted to use up today. I basically made a massive hash. - ~1 tbsp ghee (first time using it, very happy with it!) - 1 small diced onion - 2 medium red potatoes, cut into matchsticks - 3 plum tomatoes, quartered - 1.5 handfuls spinach - 1 egg scrambled in - seasoned salt When I make something similar again (probably most mornings), I'll use cauliflower instead of potatoes and add more eggs. I don't eat eggs very regularly, so I think it'll take a little while to stomach eating more than 1 or 2 at a time. I do like eggs in all forms though (poached, hardboiled, omelette, etc.) so I'm not too worried about variety in that regard. Drinking some black coffee now. Time to shower and then work work work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Another cup black coffee in afternoon Meal 2 of 2 - grilled chicken breast, thin slice - ~2 tbsp ghee - ~7oz Bird's Eye Grilling Blend - ~0.25lb fresh pineapple mango salsa Oops... still hungry... Meal 3 - house salad at restaurant (romaine, turnips, olives, roasted red pepper, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar) Definitely need more protein tomorrow, and could probably use more fat. A bit hungry all day but otherwise feeling good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted February 17, 2016 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2016 You know that if you don't care for eggs, you can do a Whole30 and never eat them at all, right? They are cheap and easy to cook, which is why they get mentioned a lot, but you could just as easily grill or bake a bunch of chicken to grab for breakfast in the morning, or make up a bunch of meatballs/burger patties (I don't know if you eat beef, but if you don't, you could make them with ground turkey or chicken instead), or salmon cakes (or tuna if you prefer). Or if you really want to eat eggs, you could make up a casserole/frittata/egg muffins, with eggs, veggies, and even some other protein all mixed together -- google Whole30 egg casserole (or fritatta or muffin, whichever format you prefer, though they're all basically the same thing) to get recipes and ideas for what to include. Done this way, maybe they'll be less "eggy" and more tolerable for you. Whatever you choose to eat, definitely have more of it than you did today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Slept pretty bad last night. Could be the food, could be the time I drank coffee. Day 2 Meal 1 - ~8 0z cauliflower - ~2 tbsp ghee - 2 plum tomatoes quartered - 2 eggs - very large handful of spinach - ~1oz smoked salmon - black coffee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Meal 2 salad: - 2 handfuls arugula - closed handful sunflower seeds - grilled chicken breast, thin slice - ~0.25lb fresh pineapple mango salsa - 1/2 avocado - vinegar - olive oil - 16 oz orange juice - 2 cups black coffee in thermos, over several hours - ~10 Grillo's pickle chips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 Meal 3 - olive oil spray - ~2 tbsp ghee - 4 sea scallops - ~10 petite carrots - ~10 baby zucchini - seasoned salt - cinnamon was hungry, am tired, SO MANY DISHES TO WASH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 Day 3 Meal 1 - ~1 tbsp ghee - 2 eggs - ~8 oz cauliflower - 1 handful spinach was in a rush, probably ate about 2/3 of what I prepared above - 1 oz smoked salmon - 1 cup black coffee - apple, which I'll eat sometime in the next hour or so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 didn't eat apple yet Meal 2 salad: - romaine - kale - roasted beets - roasted red pepper - roasted squash - cucumber - red onion - carrot - grilled chicken - olive oil - lime juice - apple juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Snack - 0.3lb turkey - banana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Meal 3 Not too hungry, so kept it simple - 1oz smoked salmon - ~1tbsp ghee - ~15 petite carrots - 4 baby zucchini - handful spinach - marinara sauce had some trouble focusing today. felt as if caffeine wasn't kicking in. took a ~20 min nap at school. definitely craving sweet food today!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 quick notes on yesterday: - never ate that apple, though it did go missing! - had 2 cups of tea in the early afternoon - stomach bothered me a little after meal 2, not sure what it was Day 4 Feeling very groggy this morning. Headed to the bus to DC now. Can't decided if I should try to sleep, or buy a coffee and try to work on the 4 hour drive. Had a fleeting moment of "f Whole30, let's get an egg and cheese on a roll for breakfast! And creamy coffee!" Meal 1 - ~1 tbsp ghee - small/medium salmon filet - 2 handfuls chopped kale - 2 plum tomatoes - 2 minced cloves garlic - juice of 1 lemon - salt - orange (I almost always just bite out the juice of the orange... should this really be logged as orange juice? haha) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 Rest of the day was a bit of a food mess. Now know to 1) pack snack/meal for the bus and 2) don't expect to be able to eat plantain chips or apple rings with any form of moderation Meal 2 (at 5pm) salad: - romaine - steak - avocado - heart of palm - roasted squash - olive oil - vinegar - salt and pepper (not tasty! was too hungry to pick a good combo) - banana "Meal" 3?!?!?! (Grazing through rest of the evening) - apple rings - almond butter - plantain chips - guacamole - large black iced coffee (was going to a LATE comedy show, slept well after I got home, fortunately) My stomach felt a little off after meal 2 yesterday. It feels like the amount of fat I've been consuming. When I was a kid (and sporadically now), oily foods would really upset my stomach. Hmm? Woke up hungry this morning, which I think is a good thing. About to make some food... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 Day 5 Meal 1 - apple rings - black coffee - angus burger patty - fried egg - handful broccoli slaw - handful shredded carrots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 Ugh, rough food weekend. Lots of non-Whole30 food envy and lots of mindless/stress eating. Going forward, I'm not going to buy larabars, almond butter, or large bunches of bananas. Also, my sleep is out of whack. I've been sleeping until about 10am every morning. No good. Really messes up meal timing especially. Planning out my meals for the rest of the week now to avoid all this going forward. Oh, and I still have a vaguely upset stomach that feels like it's from fat. Still a mystery. Day 5 Meal 2 (beautiful weather = grilling!) kabobs: - 2 small chicken tenderloins - ~10 very small shrimp- ~1 tbsp olive oil - salt - garlic powder - hot sauce - 1 red bell pepper - 1 green bell pepper - 1 vidalia onion - lime juice (above made 5 kabobs, ate 3) - coffee (lots)- tea (lots) Meal 3 - 2 bananas - 2 larabars (cashew & apple pie)- almond butter Day 6 Meal 1 - 1 angus burger patty - drop olive oil - handful broccoli slaw - handful shredded carrots - cumin- salt - garlic powder - coffee- banana Snack?!?! - 2 larabars (both cherry)- coffee Meal 2 (5pm) - tuna steak - olive oil- lime juice- garlic salt- 1 tbsp ghee- ~6oz riced cauliflower Meal 3?!?!?! - banana- almond butter Day 7 Meal 1 - 3 eggs- large handful shredded carrots - ~2tbsp ghee - ~6oz riced cauliflower - garlic salt - iced coffee Snack - 2 larabars (cashew and apple pie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iloveveggies Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 You are doing fantastic! I'll be following, you're just one day ahead of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 Thanks @Iloveveggies! Let's keep going!! Notes: - Went to the Trader Joe's in Union Square (Manhattan) this afternoon hoping to pick up like 100 bags of riced cauliflower. It was the 3rd time I went that they didn't have any, so I asked someone on staff. He told me they run out everyday(!), and that I should call in the morning to reserve a few bags. I guess this is my life now. - Splitting my time between NYC and DC, I probably have access to the highest density of a-la-carte-"fast-casual"-salad-shops in the world. Sweetgreen, Fresh & Co, Just Salad, Chopt, etc etc etc. I've been enjoying this convenience, and I've been happy making healthier salad choices (no croutons, no feta, no breaded chicken...). However, I CANNOT WAIT for my Whole30 to be over so I can get some tasty SALAD DRESSING from these places. (I've mostly been ordering lemon/lime juice or olive oil). I think longingly of ice cream and fake-fancy-artisanal-ginger-ale, but when I think about what I need to give this lifestyle longevity, I might really come down to reintroducing these convenient, often-creamy, salad dressings on about Day 31. THIS IS CRAZY! THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT! I was not a salad person before. I guess I am now. - About 2 Mondays a month, when I get back from DC, I would usually go to Chipotle. This was making me a bit sad today (I can think of 5 locations that I literally walked past this afternoon). Since I can't eat pork, I can't really order anything. Lettuce, guac, and salsa are things you eat WITH something else (right?). There's no "something else" I can eat while on Whole30. #tragic. - Not feeling super energetic, but the brain fog I was experiencing seems to have lifted. - Noticed that the fat on my belly is getting relatively thin. I think not drinking the past few months probably got this in motion, but I'm sure eating this way helps! I don't have a flat stomach by any means; I have fat to lose around my organs, and add on to that some moments of truly terrible posture. But it's nice to see things headed in the right direction. - Been pretty impressed with the one pot meals I've been coming up with. If anything, this is a worthwhile habit to keep up! Meal 2 salad: - romaine - carrots - cucumber - beets - broccoli - steak - salt - pepper - lemon juice Meal 3 - ~1tbsp olive oil - ~10 small shrimp - 2 large handfuls kale - 8 baby zucchini - marinara sauce - salt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 Made mayo this morning. Even though I think mayo is tasty, it sort of grosses me out. Making it myself didn't really help haha. Day 8 Meal 1 salad: - arugula - red and orange cherry tomatoes - salmon from pack dressing: - mayo - lemon - vinegar - salt - curry powder - green tea - orange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 Meal 2 - ~1 tbsp ghee - ~1 tbsp light olive oil - small eggplant, cut into disks and fried - salt - red pepper flakes - marinara sauce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Made dinner for friends! Meal 3 - filet mignon - salt - olive oil spray - asparagus - lemon - garlic - salt - ghee - red pepper flakes salad: - arugula - shredded carrots - red and orange cherry tomatoes - yellow plum tomato - beets dressing: - mayo - lemon - vinegar - curry powder - saffron - salt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 I have a bit of a cold. Not to bad, but taking tylenol and napping as needed. Day 9 Meal 1 salad: - romaine - shredded carrots - red and orange cherry tomatoes - 2 beets - cucumber - tuna from pouch - guacamole dressing: - mayo - vinegar - salt - half white grapefruit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Meal 2 - brussel sprouts - sea scallops - light olive oil - mustard - salt - flattened and dried banana - pure cranberry juice diluted with water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Meal 3 - olive oil - buffalo burger patty - broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix - salt - marinara sauce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laubnyc Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Day 10 Meal 1 - 3 scrambled eggs - olive oil - salt - 1/2 white grapefruit -large iced coffee Meal 2 salad: - romaine - shredded carrots - beets - red and orange cherry tomatoes - cucumber - salmon from pouch - sunflower seeds dressing: - mayo - vinegar - mustard - hot pickles - watermelon - large coffee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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