Bonnie StP's log - 1st Whole30

[BonnieStP]

Day 1 & Day 2 completed, following the suggested week 1 in Whole30- 30Day Guide with a few small changes in choices.

Learning to plan and prep and looking forward to that piece becoming easier as I become more experienced at that and also cooking parts of future meals ahead.

 

Low grade headache today, and flagging energy.  Mid-afternoon my old chocolate habit called to me, something I would have done before without any qualm, to "pep" me up.  I was actually kind of glad to have it happen and have the opportunity to remind myself that I'm doing 3 good meals per day for at least 30 days, and no snacks, particularly chocolate.... creating new habits and getting rid of the afternoon crashes once and for all.

 

This time of day, 9:45pm, is my other difficult time of day... snacking urges that willpower couldn't stand against for very long.  That is my other goal - to break that habit and not have nagging thoughts of what might be in the pantry ever again after the 3rd meal of the day.

 

I'm not even one little bit hungry.

 

I'll be calling it a day soon, to put myself and that urge to eat ...to bed!  

[Staggolee41]

Good work, Bonnie! If you find yourself needing some pep as mentioned above, a great way to break the old habit is to create a new one. Go for a walk outside, read a few pages, or listen to an upbeat, ultra-catchy song that'll have you whistling while you work.

[BonnieStP]

Good point, @Staggolee41.  Maybe putting on a song with a great beat and dancing a little bit....  

[BonnieStP]

Day 3 & 4 successful!

 

Took a 20 minute nap around lunch time, and felt much better afterwards.  Today I wasn't as bone-sore exhausted as I was on Day 3, but still am not myself.  Mid-afternoon, a walk around the yard to enjoy the summer plants did wonders.

 

Yesterday evening, I peeled and prepped a large butternut squash for today's meal #3, and this weekend's soup.  We had the brisket & squash today, using the crockpot, and it was fabulous!  It practically cooked and shredded itself.  I planned it for some left for meal #1 tomorrow and meal #2 early next week, so cooked a larger brisket than the recipe called for.  I am getting better at looking ahead and doing some prep hours, or even the day or days, before I need the ingredients for the meal I'm currently putting together to consume.  Also yesterday evening, I prepped the greens for my husband's lunch, separate from the tuna protein all mixed up and ready to assemble together in the last minutes before he walked out the door.

 

No hunger, no real cravings.  Very cranky yesterday, but mostly from being so tired.  Mood was improved some today, and especially in the evening.  Now though, it's time to call it a day.

[BonnieStP]

It's Day 5.  Thankfully, my energy level is much improved today.  I slept wonderfully last night!

 

The day, however, has been one full of adventure.

 

First, had to push myself to eat meal #1, as much as I could before I finally quit, to save about 1/3 of it for lunch.  (Kitchen sink eggs with shredded brisket, baby spinach, strawberries - yummy - just wasn't hungry!)  At a networking meeting, I went for black coffee and barely looked at the muffins sitting out on the table.  I didn't even give them a second thought.  Wow.

 

At the appropriate time for meal #2, I made myself less of what I originally intended (the cucumber cups with ground beef - VERY tasty recipe!!), because I still had some meal #1 on my plate.

Didn't finish all that either.  But did get the rest of meal #1 in.

 

and that's not all....

 

Planning ahead for the weekend, where we will be at our camper instead of at home.  This is the first time I'm having to plan SIX nourishing and filling meals ... for AWAY.  

 

I've got the pork carnitas in mind and have the pork butt to go into the crockpot, salmon tonight that we will have left-overs from for a meal and to add to the canned salmon for making salmon cakes, all the spices I'll need, vegs, eggs, clarified butter and animal fat, plus fruit.  Phew!  I had originally intended to make the squash soup there, but I decided to do it here, ahead.  

 

All went well with the soup until I poured the hot chicken broth/cooked butternut squash mixture from the stovetop into a blender, as suggested (or I could have chosen a food processor). I put the cover on, holding it there with my hand, hit the switch, and hot liquid pushed up the lid and sprayed me and about an 8' half circle in front of me, and all over the counter. Not to be discouraged, but just chalking it up to not being kitchen-gadget smart, I took about half the mixture out and put it back into the pot on the stove, put the blender cover on again, and did the SAME THING with the remaining soup in the blender...same force of spray too.

 

My dog really liked the new taste of the floor. I was not seriously burned, thankfully.  I moved 1/2 batch at a time now into the food processor, did my blending, put it all in the pot, and washed the floor, the counter, myself. 

 

Eating healthy is not hard. All THIS is.

 

It's not over yet - we haven't traveled to our weekend retreat yet, and passed all our normal snack stop locations.  But I don't think that will be a problem.  We will have eaten our salmon and vegs, plus a half baked potato and will be full.  We are both very content with our 3 meals/day, and so far, neither of us has had terrible cravings or felt the need to snack.

 

I hope all of you on this journey are having a good day too, for even with my mishap, I count this as a good day.  And I learned to use the food processor as choice #1 from now on.

 

Bonnie

[ShannonM816]

A hint: if you happen to have an immersion blender, you can blend soup right in the pot. So much easier than transferring it to something else to blend it. But that recipe should have mentioned that when you put something hot in a closed container and then blend it, it will create pressure and it's not pretty.  Should you ever need to use a blender to blend hot liquids, remove the middle part of your blender lid and cover the whole lid with a kitchen towel folded a couple of times that you hold over that opening -- it will let the steam escape so you don't get the explosion. Glad you weren't seriously injured.  (Did you happen to glance up and check the ceiling? It's unlikely, but occasionally when things like this happen, it can spew that far up, so if you haven't yet, go look to be sure.)

[BonnieStP]

@ShannonM816, thank you for the reply!  I have learned about the Immersion Blender since the mishap - and certainly wish I'd have known about that little gem before!  And I certainly learned first-hand about that pressure thing on the blender, thank you for sharing that tip on relieving the pressure.  I don't think I got any squash soup on the ceiling, but I was finding it in the dog's fur all weekend.  Guess she was in range at the time of the explosion.  Lucky she too was not burned.  (She's got lots of fur)

The soup, by the way, was delicious and worth the experience.

[BonnieStP]

It is DAY SEVEN!  One full week on the Whole30.

Lots of good things happening...

First, and most unbelievable, the tendonitis pain in my left knee that has been plaguing me for months, was completely absent on Friday and Saturday and I had only minor twinges today after a fairly active day.

One great week of feeling satiated all day, every day.  The only time I had any passing thought about snacking was on an afternoon where my energy was really at a low and my habit before at moments like that was usually to reach for a bit of chocolate to enjoy with some coffee flavored with sugar-free syrup, or some tortilla chips and low-fat cheese.  I didn't do it.  I drank some water, and I took a nap.

I drank coffee black, without any issue.  I also drank less coffee.  I just wasn't thinking about it.

I drank more water, for I wasn't drinking as much coffee.

I went to bed earlier, rather than staying up for my normal snacking hour.

I got up earlier, and ate Meal #1 within one half hour on each day.  I would often skip breakfast before, for I don't get hungry until late morning or lunchtime usually, and it seemed then that if I ate, it would make me hungry for the rest of the day.  I'm still not hungry when I get out of bed, but I see the value in having food work for me, and eating the 3 balanced meals every day has kept me from being hungry or having cravings at any time.  In fact, I'm often ready to stop eating before my plate is empty, and I have to push to finish up.  I'm keeping to the recommended ratio of protein to vegs/fat/fruit, so though it seems like a lot of food sometimes, for all but one day, I've been able to make myself eat without leaving any behind.

I've had a tiny bit of fruit on my meal plate for each meal... and eaten it along with the rest of the food on the plate, not at the end.  No dessert substitute, just a fresh and nutritious addition to the meal.  And I've loved the spice/sweet blends of these meals!

Though I was dragging on Wed and Thurs., I felt much better on Friday, and great on Sat and Sun., with just a few moments where I felt a little tired.  I slept well, and got up feeling great on Sat. and Sun. morning.

I've had some mishaps with recipes and meal planning, but I think I'm past the feeling of overwhelm on preparing three full meals/day.  I'm beginning to get smarter about meal prep and meal prep in advance, along with meal planning with left-overs.

I feel like my clothes are fitting more comfortably.

Really, REALLY big... my husband started this with me with much skepticism, and HE is now talking about how when we are done the 30 days, we probably will want to continue.  He's liking the food I've been serving him, he's not hungry between meals, and he's starting to ask specific questions about what is compliant and add input to the week's meal plan.

 

[BonnieStP]

It's Day 8!   Proper planning in the face of crisis, and a recipe question.

Today, an emergency trip to the dentist, and tomorrow... oral surgery.  Nothing to do with the Whole30 Program, but a brewing issue that I unfortunately ignored for too long.

The GOOD news is, in spite of mouth/facial discomfort and anxiety, I remained compliant today too!  I have planned the meals for tomorrow and my recovery day  on Wed., pre-cooked vegs and have left-over meats & salmon patties in the fridge.  My husband, who is also on the program, has already been clued in to what's available, and that I'm planning for soft eating for me and little effort tomorrow night... I have dibs on the salmon patties, the left-over squash soup, and maybe 1/2 a banana.

While looking ahead, I know I have a very full and difficult work day on Thurs., so I've got that planned and some pre-prep ready for that too.

And for fun, since I'm facing adult unpleasant stuff, I went out and bought myself an immersion blender that also had a chopping and whisking attachments, and a spiralizer to make my own vegetable noodles - some things to make prep time easier!  No more hot liquids bursting out of a blender, with quick clean up, and a little less cost associated with the vegs.

There is still a nagging little calorie counting girl in me that can't believe I'm not going to gain weight eating these THREE good sized meals a day without paying any attention to anything but 1 protein & remainder of plate fill with veg's (almost every meal includes something sauteed in olive oil or animal fat), a little fruit maybe, and possible a trickle of a sauce.  My plate is full.  I'm eating foods I really like until I feel full... and it's ok?  It's really ok?  There's that "if it sounds too good to be true..." skeptic that raises its voice every once in a while.  But I remember I'm in for the long haul, with the goal of making my body more efficient at burning fat rather than sugar, I'm not snacking, I'm not eating empty calories or fats, and I decide to believe, and tell those voices to just shut it.

So, recipe question - I made the salmon patties today, using coconut flour because I didn't have access to almond flour.  I read that coconut flour needs a wetter ingredient recipe, and I added some left-over salmon to the canned salmon to increase the recipe size too... so I added a 2nd egg.  It wasn't enough to make the patties moist.   They are tasty, but bone dry.  We added a bit of avocado mayo with a dash of hot sauce to the top and that helped.  What could I have done?  Added a little water or chicken broth?  Any advice is welcome.

 

[Jager07]

My salmon thingies (a real word ) are super easy:  a can of salmon drained, 2 whisked eggs, a bunch of chopped onion, Frank's red hot.  Pour into mini muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes at 350.  They're quick, easy and very portable. 

[Jager07]

Hope your surgery goes well tomorrow and recovery is quick. 

Way to go staying compliant, planning ahead and getting great kitchen tools to help both you and hubby succeed! 

Keep up the awesome job!

[BonnieStP]

@Jager07 - it looks like you don't bother with the almond (or coconut) flour in your salmon patties, and yours cook for a shorter time as well... thanks for sharing that!  I'll try that next time.  And a little hot sauce mixed right in would be good too.   Thank you too, for the well wishes on today's surgery.  All went well.  Now the mending begins.

[Jager07]

Good morning, Bonnie!

How are you feeling?  Hope you're healing and all is well. 

J

[BonnieStP]

Hi @Jager07!  Thank you for checking in, that's so nice of you!

I feel great, as far as the post oral-surgery goes, thanks.  I haven't had any issues at all.  Very grateful.

Yesterday was a tough day though, for I had a HUGE, high performance anxiety day at work - ultimately a great success - but it prevented me from eating enough breakfast (I was off my feed), having to force myself to eat some lunch, and then feeling sick the rest of the day, even through dinner and beyond - perhaps because of the antibiotic on a nearly empty stomach in the morning?

I am back to myself today, woke up hungry, at a great meal #1, and feel wonderful.

Have a wonderful day!

Bonnie

[BonnieStP]

It is DAY TWELVE!

Yesterday was strange, I didn't feel good at all... but I had a work project to do that came with a fair share of performance anxiety, so managed only a few bites of meal #1, and then my antibiotic for oral surgery (earlier in the week) recovery, and on to work I went.  Didn't get to sit or relax until about 1pm, and by then, my stomach was too upset to eat, I even thought I might need to go bend over the porcelain bowl, but instead I closed my mind to that thought, fried two eggs and ate some fruit.  It was tough getting it down, but I did.

The feeling stayed through meal #3, but I enjoyed the taste of the food and suddenly began to feel better.  I wonder if it was the antibiotic on a mostly empty stomach?

This morning, everything is back to normal and I was hungry.  I've eaten meal #1 & #2 with great enjoyment and am looking forward to meal #3 in a little while.

Celebrated yesterday's success with that project with a splurge for fresh NE lobster for meal #2 today... using butter lettuce as wraps.  Simple chunks of succulent meat with a little thyme and coriander spices sprinkled on top, along with a squirt of lemon.  Tomatoes are ripe and really yummy right now, so great cherry tomatoes and cukes on the side, and it was a fantastic lunch.

Clothing feels a little less snug, and the suspicion that a stubborn tendonitis in my left knee (MONTHS of on and off again severe pain) has completely left me is now confirmed.  I have had absolutely no knee pain, and yesterday was a KILLER day of physical mobility with that project, rushing, twisting, lugging, lifting, crouching.

My skin looks good too, I think.

Getting ready to go away for the weekend to camp, and have all our proteins, healthy fats, vegs & fruits planned.  We were invited to eat dinner tomorrow with friends, but it's too hard this early in the program to oversee what someone else is preparing, plus this group usually starts with cheese and crackers/cocktail beverages happy hour before eating, so we declined, and will join up with them after we eat our planned meal #3 for time around the fire together.

Hope that everyone is doing well on their Whole30 journey!

Bonnie

 

[BonnieStP]

Day 14 Completed!

Tomorrow, we will be at Day 15 of our 30 days.  Wow.

The weekend is done, and we kept on plan, in spite of repeated suggestions to do otherwise.  Friends actually asked us if we wanted to accompany them to the ice cream shoppe, to socialize with them and watch them enjoy their after supper ice creams, when we had politely declined an invitation to join the group for supper because typically a gathering with these friends means hors d'oeuvres and drinks first, plus we were more comfortable for now handling our meal plan for satiation and satisfaction in our own kitchen.  I'm not sure what the invitation for watching them eat ice cream was all about, maybe not wanting us to feel left out, but we said no thank you and moved on, seeing them today socially without any food involvement at all.

Clothes are definitely looser.  Knee pain was back for a bit over the weekend, but is now gone again (we had a very active work weekend, renovating a camp). Skin IS looking better!

My husband is motivated, and that makes all the difference in the world.  I did experience some hunger the last couple of days, but didn't snack, and I believe that it was easier to stay the course because he's doing so well.

Tomorrow I am meeting friends at a restaurant for the first time since beginning Whole30.  I've checked out the menu and lobster roll is a special tomorrow- perfect.  That, minus any mayo's, or roll.... and a Cobb Salad minus the cheese, checking out the bacon to make sure it's not cured with any sweeteners, and I'll have a pretty hearty meal!  Thinking of bringing my own dressing.  Beverage won't be a problem; I'm good with unsweetened iced tea.  Looking forward to the time with friends!

 

[Jager07]

Congrats on making it to the halfway point, Bonnie!

Hope your restaurant dinner was an absolute success because you sure sound resolved.

[BonnieStP]

DAY 23!!!

WHERE has the time gone??!?!?

@Jager07, thanks for the congrats at Day 15, and support regarding the dinner out.  The meal out with friends went very well.  We ate (at the bar!), sitting in a row, so I kept my resolve not only in sticking to my plan for foods I was going to be happy with and were compliant, but in addition, with their ordering cocktails (and refills), gooey cheesy appetizers, soft pretzels with mustard and cheese dipping sauces, and more.  I sipped my iced tea and enjoyed the amazing aromas of the food surrounding me while they polished it all off, until finally the main entrees were served.  Luckily, I was there more for the conversation, and could distract myself and enjoy the outing, and when the lobster arrived (no bread, double side salad, added my homemade creamy italian dressing that I brought), I was a happy gal.

We've had similar circumstances with friends for 2 weekends in a row, where it almost seemed as if they were testing us.  We declined eating with them, saying we'd enjoy getting together afterwards, simply because it was easier all around, and we knew we could eat to satisfy and satiate by being in control of our foods.  On the first weekend, as I wrote about before, they called us to invite us to go with them to watch them eat their after dinner ice cream.  This last weekend, it was a group of 12 getting together, and we set a time we'd join up with them that we thought would be safe to arrive after dinner, only to discover when we got there, that they were all just beginning to eat their meals.  This continued into refills, and then, around the campfire,  alcoholic beverages, marshmallows, homemade cookies and two kinds of pie were offered and passed around.  I desperately wanted the cookies and pie, and I admit, I felt resentment at being placed in this position.  The stories and laughter were good, and it was good to not have missed that.

Aaaaaahhhhhhh, writing it is reliving it.  Let it go.  All is fine.  We kept our resolve, we were able to congratulate each other and support each other by looking at the experience as us controlling what we eat, not the other way around.

OK, enough of that. 

We feel GREAT!

Our clothes are feeling SO much more comfortable.  I have thrown away and donated many pieces I was wearing to "cover up" for several years, and am enjoying taking some old favorites out of the closet and having them easily button, zip and pull over... and they're looking pretty good too!

I'm getting smarter about menu shortcuts - freezer chopped vegs, for example.

I now know where to get the compliant foods that I should keep in our pantry when my normal grocery store doesn't carry them.

I seem to have inspired a few people to get started on a Whole30 of their own, and I'm very happy for what these friends and family are going to be doing for the improvement of their health.

Yes, it's the end of Day 23!  We are beginning to discuss what happens after Day 30, and both of us feel we're going to continue... but first.... there's a wedding to attend, so I won't sweat how the food was prepared when it's placed in front of me at the reception, try to stay away from the cake and cocktails. (I used to LOVE wedding cake - will I still?  I think it's still too early to have some, because I still think I really want it.)  And my husband is looking forward to a beer.  We both also are very aware that this is the best time of the year in New England for corn on the cob (we never used butter, but always went overboard on how many ears we devoured), and are both anxious to enjoy that treat while it's still in season.  We've decided we will only buy 6 ears at a time.  I'm thinking after a couple weeks of adding a food back in, then 2 days on, I might re-start for another Whole30, to further ingrain good habits and not get right back into the sugar cycles.  I can see this being a way of eating forever.

This may have been the smartest thing I've ever done for myself.

[Jager07]

Great job, Bonnie!

Love how you walk us through your thought process.  Where you arrive is how truly good for you this is.  You deserve this. 

 

[BonnieStP]

Thank you again, @Jager07- I love being part of this community where everyone is so supportive.

DAY THIRTY has come and gone!  It's three days later, and we haven't re-introduced anything back into our daily diets yet, for we had to make a decision to allow two partly non-compliant meals into it on our last weekend of the month while in the Whole30.  They were truly special occasions that were not going to come around again... vietnamese "pancakes" cooked for us from a guest staying over, who was meeting us for the first time and had planned this treat for us, and  a lunch out with them and others, where we were not in control of the choices.  So, a tiny little bit of flour, canola oil, and in the lunch outing, we shared a chili that had legumes.  But we stayed AWAY from all the tempting menu choices, pastries and ice creams.

We are proud of what we have accomplished, and since we are intending to continue to eat healthy and do the Whole30 again in a few weeks, we are not sweating the two meals that brought non-compliant foods into our plan.

We weighed ourselves on Day 31, and I've lost over 10 pounds, my husband is at 8.  That's a first - I lost more than him!

More importantly, this is weight that I now know we will keep off.  And we will continue to be the healthiest us that we can be.

I'm attending a wedding this evening where I don't know what is being served for the meal... but I do know there'll be multiple choices of PIE from my favorite diner, a place where we sometimes stop so that I can take a slice to go!  I haven't decided yet if I'm having pie.  I can stop at that diner at any time in my future... I don't need it today.  I'm not having any worries about alcohol - it's not that important to me, plus I'll be driving over an hour to get back home.  I have no control over the meal or how it's prepared, so perhaps that's quite enough for today.   I can stay away from the rolls without a problem too.  Hmmmm, maybe someone will let me have just a bite of their pie... I think I'd be good with that.  They're my family, they shouldn't mind if I take a nibble.

Plus, tomorrow we're smoking a turkey and having friends over.  They're bringing corn on the cob - a seasonal favorite that will be coming to a close soon.  We missed the whole season with choosing to do our 30 in August, and both want some.  The rest of the meal is 100% compliant.  After dinner, there's likely to be a trip to the ice cream stand... I AM ready for a little bit of ice cream.  Baby cup, no toppings.

So, I realize that we're not doing the re-introduction quite right in this manner.  And it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.  After tomorrow's meal, we'll go two days on, and then we will begin to focus on one introduction at a time with the two days in between for the next couple weeks.  We have another Whole30 start date planned for Oct. 3rd, after which we can follow the re-introduction plan right at day 31 since the summer and its social events will be over, and then, 9 days later, I turn 55.

I feel good about reaching this birthday potentially 18-25 pounds lighter than I was before I discovered the Whole30 and its health benefits.

It will be a landmark birthday present to myself.