Starting my first Whole30 today!

[beckerj88]

Hey everyone! 

I've been lurking for a few weeks now. I read It Starts with Food, and bought the Whole30 cookbook a few weeks ago. I had been putting off starting for this and that, but decided yesterday that I'm always going to be able to come up with some reason why I can't do it, so I decided to just bite the bullet and do it! I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought stuff for the week. It was a bit overwhelming while I was at the store because I was constantly pulling out my cheat sheets and checking to make sure that the stuff I was buying was Whole30 compliant. I had been doing a fairly strict keto diet for about 9 months, and then about 3 months fell off and went back to eating very unhealthy. I have really been feeling the effects of that for the last 3 months. For me I think the hardest part of this diet is going to be eating more vegetables. I don't really like vegetables and never really have. It's mostly a texture thing for me. What I'm hoping to gain from this experience is a better relationship with foods, particularly my veggies, and an overall better feeling on a day to day basis. I've got a plan for this week, and am excited to be starting!

 

This morning I had eggs with salsa and guacamole, for lunch I'll be having some leftover Whole30 pot roast, and for dinner I will be having grassfed steak with chimichurri sauce, red fingerling potatoes, and some kind of veggie (asparagus maybe?). I'm not a big snacker, but just in case I brought some mixed berries to eat if I get a little hungry.

 

Here we go!

[beckerj88]

Well today was good aside from one minor setback. I had my pot roast for lunch today and afterwards I was browsing the forums and saw a note about caramel coloring actually being a sneaky sugar. When I got home I checked the beef broth I had used and it had caramel coloring in it the good news is I didn't use that as an excuse to just eat whatever I wanted to for dinner. I stuck to my meal plan and will just add an extra day. I'm glad I found out on day 1 instead of later because I would have been way more disappointed.

Also, I went for a "light jog" after dinner...I haven't been jogging in quite sometime. Definitely am way out of shape. Also, I learned it's not the best idea to go jogging right after eating dinner! Felt like I was going to yack the whole time.

So all in all it was a good first day even if it didn't count. I learned a lot and didn't get discouraged! I'll be better prepared for my day 1 redo tomorrow!

[beckerj88]

Today was good! I started off the morning with:

• 3 scrambled eggs mixed with onions, poblano pepper, jalapeno, and serrano peppers topped off with some salsa.
• I also had two strips of some compliant bacon I found.

Although I wasn't super hungry when I woke up I think it might just take some time for my hormones to get back in balance to where I wake up hungry. I had lunch around 1pm, I didn't feel starved or anything in between breakfast and lunch.

• For lunch I had some canned chicken, it was compliant in terms of ingredients I'm not sure about the quality of the chicken though. It was central markets brand. I mixed it with some mustard.
• I had a side of raspberries, blackberries topped with hemp hearts

It was interesting because after I ate the chicken salad I wasn't really hungry anymore and I felt full. I ate a little of the berries and then put the rest in the fridge. Success!

 

For dinner I had:

• Spring mix salad with an avocado, topped with almonds and I used chimichurri sauce for dressing. 

I feel pretty full after eating it. I think the combination of the chimichurri and the avocado made it very filling. I don't plan on eating anything else tonight, but I am at work until 11. I brought an apple just in case. 

 

So far things are going well, not having cravings yet, and also pleased with the increase in vegetables that I have been eating!

[beckerj88]

Decided to go for a walk on my dinner break at work since I had already eaten. Mixed in some light jogging and definitely feel better than I did after last nights run. My goal is to hit my 10k steps everyday that I am doing the whole30! I hope that this will also help me get in the habit of jogging and being more active as well  

[beckerj88]

I realized that yesterday was technically my Day 1 since Sunday the broth I used in the pot roast had the caramel coloring in it. So, day 1 was a success! 

 

My M1 for Day 2:

• 3 scrambled eggs cooked with onion, garlic, jalapeno, and poblano. Cooked in 1 thumb size portion of FatWorks pork lard and some avocado oil. Topped with salsa
• 2 strips of compliant bacon
• Black iced coffee

I was pretty full as I was eating. I was also in a hurry so I ate faster than I should have. I think tomorrow I will do maybe 2 eggs and 1 strip bacon and see how I feel with that. We'll see how full I feel until my lunch around 1pm!

[beckerj88]

* At about 11:30 started to feel tired. Not really hungry, just got a heavy feeling in the eyes.

* M2: whole30 pot roast sub mushroom broth

* Didn't quite finish the whole portion, felt really full though. May have still eaten a little too much. Went on a 30 min walk after. Still feel pretty full now back at desk. Don't feel tired anymore though. Maybe my body was hungry and that's why I felt tired?

* After sitting back down at my desk for a while I started to get sleepy again. So I don't know if the tiredness was from being hungry or not. I'm still feeling pretty full an hour after finishing my lunch.

* At about 4pm started feeling a bit light headed I assume this is the "fog" that some people describe. Hopefully this phase will be done quickly. Still feeling full from lunch. No signs of hunger.

* M3:slow cooker whole chicken, with red potatoes and carrots. I ate the two legs and thighs and the wings. And filled the rest of the plate with potatoes and carrots. It was good and very filling. Spent more time eating and chewing slowly so I don't think I ate as much

* Went for walk afterwards and hit my 10k step goal for the 3rd day in a row!

[beckerj88]

* I didn't sleep very well last night. I woke up a few times. It was a struggle to get out of bed this morning. Didn't have much energy. Once I did get up and started making breakfast I did feel a lot better though.

* M1: three eggs scrambled w/ red onion, a jalapeño, 2 Serrano peppers, two strips of bacon cut up, half an avocado sliced, and finished with some salsa. Once I got up and started moving around I realized that I was really hungry. Decided to cut the bacon up and render out the fat and then cook the veggies and eggs in it. I had some avocados that needed to be used as well so I threw a half of one on top. I didn't rush through the meal, and ate mindfully and slowly. I'm full but I don't feel overly full like I did yesterday morning. I'm hoping this meal can carry me until around 2 or 230 when I will be able to eat lunch.

* M2: Spring mix salad with half an avocado, half a chicken breast, two radishes, and topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Feel just the right amount of full. Wasn't starving at 230 either. Also haven't felt tired today like I did yesterday. Went on an hour long walk/light run this morning after breakfast.

* M3: sloppy joe's made w/zoodles. Ate about 615. I took a nap this afternoon and ate when I got up. I wasn't super hungry when I ate, probably because I was still full from lunch. On a side note I didn't finish my plate because I was full which is a huge success for me because usually when there is food on the plate I will eat it!

* Hit my step goal for 4th day in a row!

[beckerj88]

* Didn't sleep well again although I think it was mostly due to a neighbor blaring their speakers most of the night.

* M1: 3 scrambled eggs cooked w/ red onion, a jalapeño, and a red bell pepper. Cooked in avocado oil. Topped with salsa. Ate with a side of blackberries and raspberries sprinkled with hemp hearts. Also a cup of black iced coffee. Feel full afterwards. Still making an effort to eat slowly and at the table without any distractions. It's actually been a really nice way to start my day and I don't feel rushed like I normally do!

* M2: Whole30 pot roast. I brought one portion to school with me for lunch, but I couldn’t finish the whole thing. I am definitely full. It was also mostly veggies and not a lot of the meat. I was surprised how quickly I got full from that. I’m definitely being able to recognize when I am full while I’m eating instead of noticing 10 min or so afterwards and feeling uncomfortably full. I also am noticing today that my mood is generally more positive and up beat. I feel like I have a little more pep in my step, which could be due to what I’m eating, or could be related to the fact that I’m being more active, and that I am feeling proud of myself for what I am doing. So far today I haven’t felt tired at all. It usually hits between 2-3p so we will see if it happens today or not.

* M3: made the no fuss salmon cakes from ISWF. They were really good, I think next time I will use fresh salmon because picking out the bones took forever. Made a side of potato salad with homemade mayo that was really good. Felt very satiated after dinner. Also hit my step goal for today! I didn't tired this afternoon, but I'm thinking its mostly from the lack of sleep last night. Definitely feeling a much more positive mood, I hope this continues!

[beckerj88]

* Didn't sleep well again although I think it was mostly due to a neighbor blaring their speakers most of the night.

* M1: 3 scrambled eggs cooked w/ red onion, a jalapeño, and a red bell pepper. Cooked in avocado oil. Topped with salsa. Ate with a side of blackberries and raspberries sprinkled with hemp hearts. Also a cup of black iced coffee. Feel full afterwards. Still making an effort to eat slowly and at the table without any distractions. It's actually been a really nice way to start my day and I don't feel rushed like I normally do!

* M2: Whole30 pot roast. I brought one portion to school with me for lunch, but I couldn’t finish the whole thing. I am definitely full. It was also mostly veggies and not a lot of the meat. I was surprised how quickly I got full from that. I’m definitely being able to recognize when I am full while I’m eating instead of noticing 10 min or so afterwards and feeling uncomfortably full. I also am noticing today that my mood is generally more positive and up beat. I feel like I have a little more pep in my step, which could be due to what I’m eating, or could be related to the fact that I’m being more active, and that I am feeling proud of myself for what I am doing. So far today I haven’t felt tired at all. It usually hits between 2-3p so we will see if it happens today or not.

* M3: made the no fuss salmon cakes from ISWF. They were really good, I think next time I will use fresh salmon because picking out the bones took forever. Made a side of potato salad with homemade mayo that was really good. Felt very satiated after dinner. Also hit my step goal for today! I didn't tired this afternoon, but I'm thinking its mostly from the lack of sleep last night. Definitely feeling a much more positive mood, I hope this continues!

4/8/16

* Slept better, but still had a hard time falling asleep. Maybe it's because I have more energy than I'm used to? Is it common to have trouble sleeping at first?

* M1: 3 eggs cooked in avocado oil, 2 strips of bacon, 2/3 an avocado sliced and put on top of eggs, topped with salsa. Iced coffee. I ran out of peppers so I didn't have much else to mix in with my eggs. The avocado is filling though.

* Also, I didn't take my allergy medicine yesterday just to see how I would do. I felt pretty good yesterday, but today I woke up with some congestion. I'll give it a few more days not taking it and see how I do before I start taking it again. This may be in my head but physically I feel like my stomach is already looking a lot smaller. I'm a pretty big guy (322 when I started on Sunday), but it definitely looks like it's a bit smaller!

* M2: Whole30 pot roast. Didn't finish my portion because I was full. Those veggies really fill me up. I am getting a little bored with this so next week I'm gonna switch it up with something else for lunches. As of 230 no tiredness which usually happens between 1-3. I have been much more sedentary today because I had a doctors appointment so I'm going to have to work hard to hit my step goal!

* M3: Leftover sloppy joes with zoodles. I felt pretty content for the rest of the afternoon. Didn't really get much tiredness during the afternoon which is nice. Wasn't able to finish my plate of dinner. I think my body is really starting to adjust to listening to my hormones about when I am full and then being able to stop eating. It's 730 and I still have almost 5k steps left for today so I'm going to have to go on a long walk now!

* Went on a jog/run right after dinner. Hit my step goal! Something else pretty awesome happened...I think I got a runners high that's never happened before. I've always hated running since I've been overweight my whole life. My legs always start burning after a minute of running and then shortly after my lungs start burning as well and then I stop running. Today something different happened though, I was able to run longer before that happened and it when it hit it wasn't all at once it was gradual which let me push through it. I'm excited to keep going and pushing myself. Maybe by the end of the whole30 I'll be able to run a mile without stopping!

[beckerj88]

* Still am having trouble sleeping. Once I fall asleep I sleep pretty good but it's taking a lot longer to fall asleep than it used to. I get into bed and it just feels like I have a lot of energy still. Even getting into bed much later than usual I still can't fall asleep. Perhaps I'll try some sleepy time tea or something this evening

* M1: 3 scrambled eggs cooked in avocado oil. 3 left over salmon cakes. Small side of blueberries. Iced coffee. The salmon cakes weren't as good reheated. I think they might be really good with a poached egg and hollandaise but I didn't have time to make that this morning. Feel satiated. Weekends are tough because I work at 7am so we'll see if I get the usual 1-3 tiredness

* M2: Ate around noon. Had 4 salmon cakes and a side of potato salad. Feel satisfied. Also feel incredibly tired at the moment. I think I might have to take a nap when I get off of work today

* S1: I was out doing some grocery shopping after work and got really hungry so I ate a banana

* M3: chicken cacciatore with zoodles. The chicken cacciatore wasn't very good. There just wasn't really any flavor and I think the chicken was overcooked so it was a little dry. I haven't been feeling so great today so I heated up a cup of chicken bone broth and had that with it. I then went on a 30 min walk/light jog. I hit my step goal again!

* I've been having chest pains today. It's possible that it is from doing push-ups this morning. Has anyone else experienced this though? Am I maybe not getting enough electrolytes? Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated!

[beckerj88]

* I was finally able to get a better nights sleep. I did take a Benadryl though because the neighbors were blaring music so that could be why I slept better. Hopefully I'll be able to get a good nights rest tonight

* M1: 3 eggs scrambled cooked in avocado oil, with three strips of bacon. Topped with Cholula and with a glass of iced coffee. I feel kind of full, I woke up late and didn't have as much time to prepare stuff so I just went with what I could. I did bring some berries to snack on today in case I get hungry before lunch.

* M2: chicken salad with a side of blueberries and raspberries. I've been feeling super exhausted today. I looked at the timeline and I guess that's normal, but it's been a struggle to anything haha. I just want to take a nice long nap!

* S1: had some smoked salmon. Had a super busy day right after work and knew that I wasn't going to be able to eat until later.

* M3: shepherd's pie from Well Fed. It was a lot of prep but it smells really good, plus I made a double batch so I'll have lunches for this week.

* The shepherd's pie was amazing! I'm glad we made a double batch!

* Hit my step goal again today. I'm hoping for a good nights rest!

[ShannonM816]

There's a few things you could try in order to improve your sleep listed in this article, and this one -- you might start with those suggestions if you're not doing them already. This article talks about why making changes to how you eat might be causing sleep problems, which is pretty interesting too. 

[beckerj88]

Hi Shannon, thank you for sharing! That last article was particularly interesting. I'm going to try some of the stuff from it to see if it helps. I have been working out before bed which could be attributing to why I am wired when I try to go to bed!

[Emma]

Oh my gosh - I can never fall asleep after working out.  Well, smiling, I never work out so I can't really know if that still holds true, but I do remember that as an issue.  

 

I started taking Natural Calm in the evenings before bed and I love it.  It's magnesium which is probably lacking in my diet for sure (and which I saw lots of people talking about in the Whole30 forums) and about 45 minutes after drinking it, I fall asleep really nicely.  

 

I'm on Day Seven today and I'm tired too.  This late afternoon/early evening time is rough, but I've got dinner in the oven and I'm practicing love with the family, and soon it will be bedtime.

 

How's that veggie relationship going?  I didn't care for them so much growing up, but thankfully didn't have any major aversions to them, but I don't care for the soft mushy textures of certain things.

[beckerj88]

Hey Emma,

Thanks for the magnesium advice! I've seen that before as well. I actually have some tablets that I bought a while ago because I heard it could help with anxiety, the ones I have though aren't compliant so I'll look for that natural calm.

I'm on day 8 so I'm right there with you. I decided today instead of going for a long run/walk to just relax and take it easy. I tend to be an all or nothing type of guy and I really wanted to hit my 10k steps everyday during my whole30, but it's okay.

My relationship with veggies is improving vastly. I used to hate onions and peppers, but have been adding them to breakfast most mornings and I'm starting to really like them! I still have some work to do with spaghetti squash and zucchini though. I really like zoodles, but if zucchini is cooked and gets mushy I can't do it. I'm going to try some lightly cooked asparagus this week, and maybe next week work my way up to broccoli!

What are your go to veggies?

[beckerj88]

* I slept really well last night. It was hard to get out of bed this morning though. I was really tried still, but after getting up and going I feel good. I'm hoping that in the next week or so my sleep will be regular and I'll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go

* M1: 6 egg yolks (the shepherds pie called for 6 egg whites last night and I didn't want to waste the yolks because the eggs are expensive!) cooked with a handful of mushrooms, and two slices of bacon, topped with a small portion of guac. I felt kinda hungry still after I was done eating, the yolks aren't nearly as filling as the whole eggs. I didn't want to eat anything else though because I had my workout class this morning and I'm glad I didn't because I would of been too full during my workout!

* For my work out this morning we did some beginners Pilates. I'm glad it was beginners because I've never done that before and it was intense! I feel pretty good afterwards though.

* At about 1130 or so I started feeling pretty anxious. I've been having some ongoing anxiety issues lately so I don't know that this is really food related. I did notice that it started to set in after I finished an ice coffee so maybe it's related to the caffeine?

* At about 1:15 I ate a banana because I was just feeling really weak and thought maybe it was because I was hungry even though I don't really feel hungry

* So I was still feeling anxious around 1:15 when I ate the banana but about 30 min afterwards I felt A LOT better. Maybe I was just hungry from not eating after my workout? I didn't eat anything for lunch which I know isn't good but after the banana I just really wasn't hungry.

* S1: ate 5 slices of prosciutto around 5:30, and then went on a walk. I tried to jog some but I just didn't have the energy.

* M2: Left over shepherd's pie and an apple. I ate around 6:30. Feel full. Still just feel bleh from today though.

[Emma]

Carrots, onions, mushrooms, spaghetti squash, and greens like arugula are the ones we use the most.  Partly, we are limited by what is offered where we live and then there are some things I won't buy unless they're organic such as bell peppers.  We love pesto with spaghetti squash if we don't overcook our squash.  We like roasted carrots with chopped up dates, salt, and coconut oil.  I do cook a big plate of broccoli, eggs, and salsa that's pretty good (as long as they're not overcooked) The veggie thing is hard.  Oh, I like roasting cauliflower now on a high temperature until it gets kinda crispy, but I have to admit that I am generous with the salt on all my veggies and that makes them a lot more pleasant.  If I had to cut back salt....that would be rough.  Probably, though, the salt isn't THAT over the top since I'm no longer getting it from the processed foods.

 

Glad to meet someone at the same place as me on the timeline!!

 

Hey - so I was just re-reading your post from today and one thing to do if you snack is to make it a mini-meal.  Try to have the protein, veggie, and fat instead of just one or the other.  I often have a hard-boiled egg and sweet potato or carrots - oh yeah - sweet potatoes - I totally dig them!  They're portable, easy to cook in the microwave, filing, and don't need any seasonings - they are my go to veggie.  I stress about getting hungry and falling off the wagon so I try to have them ready as an emergency dose of Whole30 They have saved me many times because my cravings just go away.

 

Tiger Blood - hopefully just around the corner for us

[MimiL]

Hi beckerj88 and Emma. It looks like I'm just a couple of days ahead of you both. (I started April 2nd.) It also looks like you are able to sleep now beckerj88...good news! I am having a really hard time with sleeping. I have not gotten more than about 5 hours each night since day 3. I have tried most of the recommendations on the links that Emma posted and nothing seems to help. Admittedly, I have struggled getting good, consistent sleep for several years, but this is very different. Any ideas on how long this could last? I'm exhausted! Thanks in advance.

[Emma]

Oh gosh Mimi - I think my husband who is a lousy sleeper didn't start sleeping well till we were further along on our Whole30.  It kinda snuck up on him and surprised him.  Lack of sleep is the pits.  The magnesium supplement Natural Calm really is nice for helping to doze off and making sure there were no lights at all in our room (even from a digital alarm clock) helped my husband.  No quick answers - that's for sure - but sleep does get better eventually.

[beckerj88]

Emma thanks for your feedback about the snacking. I think that's a good idea, and something I will try to do from now on (already ate some smoked salmon as a snack before reading this so starting with the next snack )

I like the idea of incorporating more veggies into my breakfast meals. I LOVE eggs and I think that would be a good way to try some new veggies. Especially with salsa on top

We eat sweet potatoes a lot too, they're wonderful! They're so diverse too with what you can do with them. Tonight we're having roasted chicken with sweet potatoes!

Where do you buy the nature calm stuff?

Mimi, I have had trouble falling asleep for quite sometime. One thing I've done is stop using devices in bed, and also not getting into bed until I'm really feeling tired. I found I would get in bed hours before I would actually fall asleep and then that would basically train my body that the bed wasn't a place for sleep. Once I trained my body that when I got into bed it was time to sleep I was able to fall asleep a lot faster! Good luck with your Whole30!

[MimiL]

Emma - Natural Calm doesn't seem to help. I'm going to try taking it earlier tonight. Thank you for replying. I'm so frustrated and tired I want to quit at times. 

 

beckerj88 - I think I'll try not getting into bed until bedtime. I do tend to flip through a magazine once I'm there and sometimes I do check my phone (which I know is terrible.) I know your question was to Emma, but I buy Natural Calm from drugstore.com. I think you can get it from Walmart, GNC, and probably Amazon. Thank you for your help and kind words!

[beckerj88]

Mimi- thank you! I'll have to check at Walmart and see if I can find it there. I'm not sure if you have an iPhone or not but if you do the lastest update has "nightshift mode" which blocks out the blue light emitted from your phone. You can set it to automatically start doing it at sundown and go until sunrise. That definitely helps if you're going to use your phone in your bed (I do too even though I know it's terrible). Hope that helps and good luck sleeping tonight!

[beckerj88]

* Slept pretty good last night. Definitely feel that my sleep is improving!

* M1: 3 scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms and 3 strips of bacon. Topped with salsa and a bit of guac. Felt full after and felt pretty full until lunch. No coffee this morning as I'm trying to cut back on caffeine to see if it helps with sleep/anxiety

* M2: Left over shepherd's pie. I'm in love with this recipe, it's so so so good!

* S1: Some smoked salmon since I knew that dinner wasn't going to be until later because the chicken needed more time to slow cook

* M3: slow cooker chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and homemade garlic aioli. The chicken wasn't as good as when I made it last because it didn't cook as long, but it was still pretty tasty. I was really impressed by the garlic aioli, it was delicious! Making it from scratch was pretty easy too. Feeling pretty full. I ate later than usual because the chicken was cooking so I'm probably going to try to stay up a little longer to give my body time to digest before going to sleep!

[Emma]

I buy my Natural Calm off amazon, but that's because we live far off the beaten track.  It's a tad pricey, but it's the one supplement I've stuck with now for several years.  I find I look forward to it and I think it has a positive effect overall, though subtle.  If you do buy it, look for the plain version without any sweeteners since we're on Whole30.  It's bitter at first, but I found I liked it.

 

You sound like you're doing great!  I feel like I was such a complainer when I logged about my day  I was a complainer!  What Shepherd's Pie recipe are you using?

[madness]

Hey Becker, I started April 5th, so I'm following right behind you!

 

I had a lot of sleep issues too. I got restless arms (not legs!) so bad that a few nights I feel like I didn't sleep at all. I started taking calcium and magnesium. I've also been having muscle cramps which both of those help with. Not sure if it was just part of the Whole30 cycle or if the supplements have helped but the past few nights have been way better.

 

I'm a huge veg fan so I definitely don't have that same issue! Roasting vegetables is awesome. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, beets, etc. So good. I also love adding things into my eggs. Try spinach and garlic. I usually do a fried egg on top of garlicky greens. Delicious. Raw veggies with a nice dip is a great too. Celery, carrots, fennel, tomatoes. Yum!