Julia's Whole30

[saysjulia]

Today is my first day of Whole30! I spent all last night reading the book and decided that waiting any longer would be more challenging than starting. I've cleared out some space in my kitchen for my foods, and I plan on going to the grocery store this evening to stock up on healthy ingredients

 

This morning, I went for a jog (20 minutes) and walked to work. The only thing I really didn't have to kick off the diet is fats, so I stopped to get some cashews on the way to work and will split the small package between breakfast and lunch. Tonight, I will go grocery shopping - woohoo!!

 

- Breakfast: plum, 2 hard boiled eggs, cashews

- Lunch: shrimp, apple, grapes, cashews

- Dinner: Avocado, spinach, chicken, olive oil w/ lemon, pear

 

 

[saysjulia]

Start Over - Day 1 Part 2

 

I found out late in the day that the shrimp I enjoyed so much at lunch actually had sugar in the sauce, but I stayed on the plan at dinner. Instead of the chicken dinner I had planned, my lovely boyfriend cooked me a steak and roasted roots (carrots, potatoes, turnips) with curry sauce. He even went grocery shopping with me to help stock up the kitchen. Having a support system is going to make this way easier. Today, I woke up feeling great!! I went for a run and decided to skip the walk to work  because  I've been worried about energy levels based on the book's chapter around "what you can expect." Although, I haven't had that dip in energy... yet.

 

Here's what I'm eating today:

 

B - egg and spinach frittata and blueberries

L - spinach salad with grilled chicken, avocado, carrots, blueberries (I love them!), hard boiled egg and oil with lemon dressing

D - stay tuned!

[saysjulia]

Tonight my BF cooked me asparagus and pork tenderloin with walnut crust and balsamic sauce - all recipes from the book. Starting to feel like I've got this under control and feeling positive about the future. I realized that I haven't shared why I decided to hop on the plan. I've spent the past year working hard to make my dreams come true, but somewhere along the line I stopped taking care of myself. After about 3 years of following a strict vegan diet, I gave it all up and opted for the easy route of convenience foods - well, now I know that it wasn't the easy route. I gained about 40 lbs and began suffering from ailments, like sciatica, as a result. This past weekend, while shopping for new work clothes, I was disappointed that I could no longer fit into size 12. This is the heaviest I've ever been. It was devastating  and on top of that I found myself tired, stressed out, and overwhelmed. My mom encouraged me to go to the book store and that's where I found Whole30. It's only my first real day on the plan, but I already feel like I've got better control over my eating habits. It's hard not to look at the scale - I want so bad to see those immediate results. I know that it's working though - I can feel it in my attitude, my relationships, and I'm already starting to see by bloated tummy start to deflate. I'm hoping that this support forum will help me get through the tough days ahead. I'm committed and can't wait to see what the next month brings.

[saysjulia]

This morning I had a meltdown over mayo. A mayo meltdown. There was supposed to be mayo made for my "protein salad" and when it wasn't there, I flipped out. All my planning had failed me and I was stagnated in my decision on what to make for lunch. I've never consistently made lunch for myself to bring to work, so this is a huge change for me. Also, I just started a new job that starts at 8am - soooooo early WTF! I had to skip my jog and the frittata that I heated up for breakfast went cold during my meltdown. I chocked it down, but almost barfed a couple times.

 

Today is off to a rough start y'all. 

 

Breakfast - cold nasty fritatta

Lunch - boring ol' grilled chicken salad

Dinner - hopefully something more inspiring to my taste buds 

 

I want cake and candied cherries, but I'm staying strong!! Stay tuned.

[Rohanna]

Mmmmmm caaaaaaake... I'm staying tuned. We can TOTALLY do this!

[saysjulia]

Yea, your profile photo is killin me Rohanna. Get that cake outta here - gahhhhhh!! 

 

In other news, I have a terrible headache. Hoping it goes away soon.

[Rohanna]

My pic IS pretty appropriate! I didn't even do that on purpose. It was just ironically my Facebook pic lol. I've heard a lot of people talking about headaches. I'm so glad I haven't dealt with that yet. I hope it gets better for you!

[saysjulia]

PeaNUTZ! I had an event for my business tonight and didnt have a chance to get dinner beforehand. We went to Five Guys afterwards for a late dinner, and I got 2 burger patties with lettuce and tomato - no bun, no cheese, no bacon. After eating my sad-burger, I was still hungry and totally forgot that peanuts are NOT allowed and ate about 15. On the way out the door I realized what I had done. FUCKKKKK (this isn't moderated, right?). I'm at odds as to whether I need to start my day count over again over some damn nuts. It's nutty how worked up I'm getting over deez nutz. Sorry, couldn't resist. 

 

Here's what I ate only day 3ish:

 

Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs, grapes

Lunch: Salmon cakes, spring mix salad, blueberries, tartar sauce

Dinner: 2 sad burgers on lettuce and tomato and 15 fucking peanuts

 

And I'm still hungry. In other news, my headache as stopped. Hooray. AND I resisted all of the delicious cakes, BBQ, sandwiches, fries, and alcohol at the event tonight. (Insert another nut pun here.)

[saysjulia]

As you can see, I am scattered brained (which I like to call "creative") and forgot to say what I had last night for dinner - I had grilled chicken and roasted veggies for dinner last night. It was good, but I couldn't finish because I felt like I was going to barf again. The nausea is going away slowly but surely. 

[Rohanna]

Baaaahahaha ♡ ok how about this mindset, don't consider it starting over, consider it adding a few days on at the end. I realized yesterday I just need to buy a mini fridge for my car or something so I don't get caught unprepared. I'm gonna wait n see if a moderate scolds you for the f-bombs. If not I'm gonna let them fly

[saysjulia]

Still at it!! I'm on Day 9, like the peanut incident didn't even happen...

 

The past few days have been really hectic and stressful, but the plan itself is coming along swimmingly. Today this is what I ate:

 

B - 2 boiled eggs, banana, handful of blueberries

 

L - avocado, baked chicken, swiss chard, tomatoes

[saysjulia]

Confession: I had boiled peanuts. What's with the no peanuts anyhow? 

 

Otherwise, I've somehow managed to last 15 days on the plan. I've been keeping late nights due to my business (right now we are doing tubing trips ALL weekend), so I've been eating out more frequently. Asking a ton of questions to wait staff and getting healthy meals has been relatively easy. Researching ahead of time is definitely important - otherwise, broccoli. If anything, I'm probably not getting enough food throughout the day because it's not a focus right now - and it's also not a comfort. FINALLY! Although, I have to admit that I really wanted french fries at dinner last night. Saying "no" was rewarding in itself though, and I went to sleep without feeling guilty. 

 

At this point, I am spending a lot of time negotiating with myself. My relationship with food is changing, and it's been a rough process for me. I usually reward myself with a full meal, including lots of dessert and adult beverages. Now that I'm doing this plan, I have to find other ways to reward myself. Hot baths are helpful with this and going to bed early (when I can). Sometimes it's just taking a walk as a reward. Food is just so darn easy to use as a reward, and alcohol even more so. Since I'm a small business owner, I don't have a ton of disposable income to reward myself with new clothes and furniture. Instead, I'm really focusing on the little things, like spending time with people and laying down (boring, right?!). Hopefully after this crazy weekend, I can start rewarding myself with yoga again. 

 

In terms of successes so far, my clothes are fitting me better, my skin is clear, I'm able to think a whole lot more clearly, and I have energy that I didn't have before. An unexpected success is that my tinea versicolor has pretty much disappeared - and this is the time of year when it's usually horrible! Also, I don't have back aches as much and my sciatica isn't bothering me. 

 

I'm so curious about my scale numbers.  I know from the way my clothes are fitting that I haven't lost more than 10 lbs. This is another mindset change that's been challenging. I am so used to eating a heavy meal at night and then waking up and weighing myself in the morning - inevitably feeling crappy about myself for the entire morning and drowning my sorrows in pizza by lunch time. Vicious, horrible cycle with myself. It's a huge relief to remove that from my morning routine. Now, I'm waking up and making breakfast and getting my lunch together for the day - focusing on the positive, instead of on "how bad I've been." 

 

Goodbye self-shame. 

[saysjulia]

And then 4th of July. I ate a hamburger, bun and all. An oreo cookie. A handful of chips. A breakfast wrap from Arbys. Rice with dinner. 
 

Today I am suffering from extreme sugar cravings. I had BBQ for lunch, which I'm sure had sugar in it. I can't seem to get this thing right this week after my slip up. 

 

Feeling guilty and stressed out

[Rohanna]

It's hard to keep up on this forum. Wish I'd seen your last post sooner so I could give you a loving kick in the ass to keep going. But no guilt no shame. Who needs that shit?! I wish you the best in your food journey.

[aprilreneewilson]

Hi!  I didn't see how it turned out.  Just now getting on the Forum.  Need some extra motivation.  I completed 14 days, then went off the wagon, and have been off for 5 days.  Did you get back on track and start over?  I think i am officially going to start over this coming Sunday or Monday...

[melyhegedu]

I clicked on this cos my name's Julia, too. Don't give up! I'm starting my 2nd whole 30 on August 1. It is hard to change old habits. I did really well for a year after my first W30 then gradually stopped caring. The bloating, joint pain and low self-esteem came right back. This time it's for real!