Aug 17 start date/my log

[Mamba]

Any forum I have ever been a part of I like to "lurk" without getting involved. This time I decided it may do me some good to record my journey and create some accountability. Especially since I am going it alone.

I have many fears, concerns, and hopes. 1) I started a business 1 year ago. Since then my kids have done all the cooking. I am very comfortable in the kitchen, I just have not had to come home from a full day of being an owner to then still have to be in the kitchen. 2) My kids are teenagers. Nuff said. 3) I am 30-40 pounds over weight. 4) I started having chronic headaches in 2007 that have steadily gotten worse, even while seeing many different specialists and trying every test and medication imaginable. 5) I have recently diagnosed myself with chronic fatigue since I am always tired whether I sleep well, whether it's a work day, weekend, or vacation. 6) Over the past few months I have noticed severe digestive issues. This is what finally made me search for a way to discover which foods could be causing irritation.

The good news is that as I have read about the first few weeks causing tiredness, headaches, digestive issues - I probably won't even notice. The MAJOR FEAR is that after reading what miracles this lifestyle can create in solving so many of these problems is that I will finish my 30 days without noticing any relief.

So, here it goes. I hope to do grocery shopping tonight. Do prep and pre-make basic necessities like butter, mayo, and salad dressings tomorrow. And to start my journey on the 17th.

[MrsZimm13]

Good luck to you!  At least you have help in the kitchen.  Will they follow a recipe? 

http://paleoparents.com/2011/stuffed-pork-chops/

i am in love with this recipe!  It's very tasty.  

This is a great forum with caring people all going through it together.  You will have plenty of support. 

[Mamba]

Thank you! Yes, they follow recipes and will be recruited to help make compliant dinners!

[Mamba]

It is a day after my start date, and I am a day late starting.

I thought my biggest worry was having appropriate meals at work every day. Wrong. I think my biggest hurdle could be the planning and prep!

Because there is a menu laid out and step by step prepping to do each day for the first week, you would think it is a no-brainer and getting up and running with it would be fairly simple. Instead, I was in tears with the frustration of flipping pages back and forth as I looked at the menu, flipped to the three different recipes included for that ONE meal, flipped more pages as one of the recipes was actually combining two other recipes.....and had to do it all over again for each meal for 7 days.

And then the issue that the first week includes a lot of sweet potato and squash that I just don't like. I tried sooooo hard to like sweet potatoes when they suddenly became very popular for fries, chips and everything potatoes are normally used for. But I just couldn't like them. I have learned to like some of the squash that has been served recently in restaurants, when they are a nice el dente (instead of mush) and slathered in butter and oils. Well, that won't work here. I don't like coleslaw. The recipe for slaw will make it nothing like coleslaw, but I am not liking the idea of a plate of cabbage with nothing but lemon juice to flavor it. Adding a creamy base would give it flavor but I am worried about it then being more like the coleslaw. I like cooked cabbage so I don't know if my issue with the dish is the raw state, the seasoning, or the dressing.

I actually have several staple recipes that are already compliant or would only take minor tweaks to become compliant. Then ensued the struggle of whether to continue with the 7-day meal plan, toss it entirely and just do basic baked and grilled meats with steamed, baked, or grilled veggies, or a combination of the two. Yeah, I know. I like to make things harder than they are. The point is, I couldn't just take a meal plan, look at the page and know what ingredients to buy and get on with it. And I knew that some of the recipes that I am unsure about I need to give a try at some point because I will get bored with my own repertoire.

After several hours of creating my shopping list, it was too late to go shopping.

The next day I woke with a migraine that stayed with me all through work. By the time I got home there was no way I was going shopping. Especially on this first foray into label reading. I was extremely proud of myself for making myself a healthy dinner of lemon dill fish, steamed broccoli, cottage cheese and home-canned pears. Not a compliant meal, but a healthy one. Instead of a frozen burrito and go to bed.

I went shopping after work yesterday. By the time I got back and got food put away it was 9:00. I didn't get any prep work done.

I didn't leave myself much time this morning, but I boiled a bunch of eggs and threw together a Greek salad. I could not eat breakfast in that first hour of waking, I ended up having to wait until I got to work to eat (good thing I am the boss!). I ended up with two boiled eggs, half an avocado and some grapes for breakfast with Greek salad, a boiled egg and some more grapes for lunch.

And here we go.......

[ShannonM816]

You definitely do not have to follow the meal plan in the book. We want you to make this work for you and ultimately be sustainable to whatever degree you choose to continue eating this way once your whole30 is over. Simple meals of protein, vegetables, and fat are fine. Take your time and browse recipes, making one or two new things a week to prevent boredom but don't feel obligated to make things you don't like. If you like your cabbage cooked but not raw, there are plenty of recipes for that.

Do know that your breakfast was light on protein (when eggs are your only protein have as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand), and completely lacking vegetables, so work on that going forward. Same with lunch, if that one egg was all your protein, you're likely to be very hungry before it's time for dinner.

 

[Mamba]

Thanks, Shannon. I was pretty hungry that first day!

Today is day 5. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach - especially any time I thought of any of the food awaiting me today. I like all the foods on my menu, and yet I really had to force myself through a very delicious breakfast and ended up packing something for lunch other than I had been planning. 

Even though I am pushing through the yucky feelings, I know that I went too light on protein this morning and will be too light on it again for lunch. I have never been much of a breakfast person, especially so much protein! The meals have tasted great so far, but they have felt very heavy.

Here is to a long, slow, sluggish day. And I really do think I want to Kill All the Things!!!

[Mamba]

Day 7.

The 3rd day in a row of constant nausea. 

Really starting to question if this is worth it. Very hard to function. Especially when my work requires constant standing throughout the day.

[ShannonM816]

While you're not feeling well, maybe try blander foods -- grilled chicken, baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, broth. Sip cool water or iced tea -- Peppermint and ginger teas in particular can be helpful for nausea.

You do have to eat, though. A palm-sized serving of protein at least, with lots of vegetables and a good serving of fat. I don't know how appealing it will sound if you're already nauseous, but fish can be a lighter protein that doesn't feel as meaty.

[jipmac]

Hi!  I'm one day behind you and hanging in. Miss wine more than anything. Have not wanted to kill all things but have felt short tempered but very productive.   One week without having a glass of wine in the evening.  That's a win for me.  Have a session with a personal trainer later today and hope he doesn't kill me.  Good luck to you!!!

[Mamba]

Thanks for all your support!

By lunch yesterday, I felt much better and REALLY enjoyed my protein salad.

This morning I had a little lingering yuckiness, but it was much more manageable and more along my normal "I hate mornings". I have always generally felt rough in the mornings. Of course, now I have three zits on my nose. I look like Rudolph! I thought I was supposed to get clearer skin! I have actually never had much problem with acne, even through puberty. So this is an unwelcome turn of events.

This may not even be food related, but I can pretty much blame everything on this, right?

After yesterday's complaining, I was asked about my food consumption, amounts, etc. I really can't remember that specific, so I do need to start doing a boring run down of foods eaten. Not only do I think that is horribly boring (for myself and anyone else reading), but I know I am still struggling to get the portions right - and fear judgement. So much protein and so much of the fats is making me feel heavy and greasy in the mouth. I do sincerely try, though.

Today I tried to eat yesterday's breakfast - 4 scrambled eggs, baked potato fries further diced and fried in the same skillet, handful of raspberries. I got some fat from the cooking oil (way more than I normally put in my pan) but did forget my 1/2 avocado I normally use to round this out. I just couldn't eat that many eggs, though.

Lunch will be "salmon thingies" I read about on another log. I don't think I used a big enough can of salmon, there is definitely more egg than fish. I brought 6 mini muffins of it and a large helping of leftover cabbage slaw with a small pile of green olives. (As mentioned on a previous post, I was scared of this slaw. Turned out delicious!)