Need some encouragement!

[decker_bear]

I've been having weekly doctor appointments to try and find the right dosing for my medication. I'm on Day 8 and today I deliberately did not look at the scale (opting out of being weighed is not an option because of the type of medication). In the past there has been no comment about my weight so I didn't think to ask the nurse not to tell me. 

She says, "You're X pounds!" DAMMIT!! In one week. So now all the reasons you stay OFF the scale during W30 are plaguing my brain. Am I eating enough? Am I doing this right? I don't feel like this is a situation where I should have to start over because I don't feel like I did anything wrong, but I feel frustrated and worried now.

Any words of comfort? 

[Karen_Suep]

Next time just ask not to be told. 

And the only way to tell if you are or are not eating enough is a food log post that the mods can look over. 

But weight is not a linear thing. It could be what you were wearing to the doc's, when your last meal or bathroom trip was, that time of month, medications....My advice is to ask to not be told (maybe call before your next appointment so they can put a note in your chart). I think it's a live and learn thing. I'm sure a mod will chime in. 

If you decide you need more time, add days to the end. It's not a restart. It's a whole 38. You can do this. 

[jmcbn]

Hi @decker_bear

You'll note I've edited your post to remove mention of your weight. I'm not going to berate you for weighing in this case, but as karen has said you can just ask not to be told...

As for if you're doing things right we'd definitely need to see some examples of your food to determine that, but I'd comment that frequently people gain weight in the first week because they've been under-eating and their body goes into panic mode & holds onto every thing it's getting for fear of a future famine, and others lose weight in the first week in the form of fluids/inflammation. Either way, it's not a linear thing and changes up quite a bit in the first 2-3 weeks as the body adjusts and then figures out where it's at and where it needs to be, so panic not....

[decker_bear]

@jmcbn and @Karen_Suep Thank you both, I feel a little bit better. As I mentioned, they've never made a comment about my weight before so I hadn't even thought to ask. I will most definitely do that for future appointments. 

Here's a few days' worth of meals. This was super helpful because I now know why I'm having food boredom problems. Also, I do kind of wonder if I'm eating enough. Most days, and the meds play a part in this, I have zero appetite most of the day and I usually have to force myself to eat - but I do it anyway. As far as timing, M1 is usually around 7:30, M2 is usually around 12:00-12:30, and M3 is usually around 6:30-7:00. Also, I had a nasty cold during days 6-8, which I'm sure contributed to appetite as well. Now I'm making excuses, LOL. Okay - tough love - give it to me. Ideas on how or if I need to tweak this?? 

Day 8
M1 - 3 eggs, 1/2 zucchini, ~1/2 c. sweet potato ribbons, 1/4 banana, ~1/4 can coconut milk, ~1/4 c. wild blueberries (smooshed together and baked), coffee with almond milk 
M2 - roasted cabbage with olive oil (1/8 of a HUGE head), a heaping portion of sloppy joe mix, roughly two fist sizes (ground beef, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, seasonings), and a handful of raw cashews
M3 - chicken thigh marinated in Tessamae's, carrots tossed in ghee, baked potato with ghee
Still hungry after dinner, an hour later had small portion of smoked salmon, plantains and 1/4 avocado

Day 7
M1 - entire package of smoked salmon (I don't have the size, but the package says it contains 2 servings), 1/2 zucchini, ~1/2 cup sweet potato ribbons, ~1/4 cup blueberries; coffee with compliant creamer (similar to Nut Pods)
M2 - 2 eggs mashed with 1/2 avocado, plantains, ~1 cup roasted sweet potato wedges, few pieces smoked salmon, huge portion of spaghetti squash with ghee (~1 1/2 cups)
Felt hungry before M3; had cauliflower soup (cauliflower, red potatoes, chicken broth and coconut milk) and a few pieces of smoked salmon 
M3 - Roasted cabbage with olive oil, with a heaping portion of sloppy joe mix (see above) and 1/2 avocado 

Day 6 (felt horrible, nauseous, and Kill ALL The Things so I did the best I could...)
M1 - 2 eggs and mashed cauliflower (I know this was light, but it was all I could get down)
M2 - (3 hours later since M1 was light) large portion (probably 3-4 cups total) of beef stew with red potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, onions; handful of raw almonds. Iced cold brew with almond milk 
M3 - Big bowl of cauliflower potato soup - a large cereal bowl filled to capacity (see above) and three scrambled eggs

Day 5
M1 - sweet potato, apple and pineapple hash (about 2 fist sizes), 3 eggs, 1/2 avocado, kombucha 
PostWO - smoked salmon 
M2 - Beef stew (see above), jicama (handful of sticks) and almond butter (2-3 Tish?)
M3 - turkey meatballs (6, larger than a golf ball) with Tessamae's BBQ sauce, mashed eggplant (with coconut milk and almond butter), roasted sweet potatoes ~1 cup, steamed broccoli with ghee (~1 1/2 cups)

Day 4
PreWO - few pieces of smoked salmon 
PostWO - two eggs, few slices of sweet potato 
M1 - Crap, didn't even realized I'd missed it until now. Oops. I know, Pre and PostWO does not replace a meal. 
M2 - tliapia filet baked with ghee and seasonings, green salad with carrots, mushrooms and Tessamae's dressing, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 package Trader Joe's cooked beets tossed with balsamic vinegar and seasonings
M3 - 1 cooked chicken breast (about the size of my whole hand, not just the palm), heaping handful of olives, handful of grapes, 1/2 zucchini and ~1/2 cup sweet potato ribbons 
 

[decker_bear]

Oh - also - if this matters... I'm a 39yo woman, 5'5, 142lbs upon starting the program. I have a sedentary desk job and when I DON'T have a cold, I do HIIT training 4-5 days per week for 1 hour. 

[Carlaccini]

Hi DB!

Some thoughts while reading your food log - I see a lot of orange and beige veggies.  Try to mix it up a bit more - eat the rainbow! 

Yes pre and post work out meals are important - especially if you are working out as much as you are.  And yes don't forget that they do not replace meals at all.  

I'm also seeing a fair bit of starchy veg - I am from the camp that likes starchy veg and encourages it if one works out - but you could be eating them too much?  If you eat too much fruit and starchy veg it sometimes sets you up to feel hungrier earlier.  Some do better without fruit in the AM (I am one of these people).

I'm also wondering about your egg bake smooshed thingy.  Eggs - for me don't keep me full for long periods of time.  I had a lot more luck if I did eggs + other compliant protein.  Also your fat portions are pretty light - and in most meals you don't make mention of them.  Remember most cooking fat gets left behind in the pan - so feel free to add.  Also your egg smooshed thingy sounds like you're trying way to hard to create something sweetish (1/4 banana, sweet potato and blueberries smooshed <yes I saw the zucchini> together throws up a bit of a SWYPO red flag for me) but others could very well disagree with me.  Personally I think it's a bit of a borderline creation and probably in your best interests not to continue to make it as is.  However if you want to continue to make it, drop the banana, and throw some other protein into the mix - make it sweet & savoury - I think that would work better.

So in short - eat more colourful veg, include more fat, drop fruit in the morning, and maybe play around with your starchy veg intake.  Some do better with less than recommended and others do better with more than recommended.  (Recommendation for starchy veg is 1 fist sized portion of starchy veg a day)  

[decker_bear]

Hi @Carlaccini thanks for your feedback! I can certainly try to do some of the things you have suggested. My primary concern is whether or not I am eating enough - and it sounds like at this point, your primary concern is not getting enough fat and swapping out some of the starchy veg for other colors, did I pick up what you put down? 

I actually don't have a problem with getting hungry between meals, having cravings or crashing - I have the opposite problem. I'm not hungry at all. I have to eat by time rather than hunger. So while I completely understand your concern with fruits (and have no problem reducing them if you feel like I might be eating a little bit too much), they definitely aren't causing any of the "typical" problems. Energy levels are fairly consistent (when taking into consideration the side effects of the medications). My mood has been decent since I got past my temper tantrums from Day 6 (although I almost had a meltdown today as well, but contextually I don't think I was too unjustified). 

As far as the fats, I read back through what I posted, and to my eyes it looks like I'm including 1/2 avocado, a handful of nuts, handful of olives, nut butter and/or coconut milk with each meal in addition to the ghee, olive oil, etc. There was one or two where I didn't. I have no problem whatsoever eating more of them - fats are the one thing that actually do sound edible most of the time. Maybe you could glance over it just one more time and show me some specifics that stand out to you?? 

Smooshed egg thing - funny, I actually posted and asked if it was compliant back in August. Another mod had a similar feeling as you, but conceded that it would be okay "sometimes," just not for an every day breakfast. What you are 100% correct about is the sweet factor from the banana - far more palatable than a savory dish. I'm okay cutting out the banana though and trying to find another protein to add. What I like about it is the minimal prep time and I can make a big ol' batch to have in the fridge.  (Edit: by "big ol' batch" I mean about 3 servings, and it keeps more than a week, so still not an "everyday thing.")

Again, thank you. I'll be on the lookout for different color veggies. Do purple and red carrots count???  (kidding) Finding balance between what is "ideal" for a solid Whole30 and what I can stomach is soooo hard, but I'll try what you've suggested and see if I can't get there. 

 

[Carlaccini]

DB - Yes I stand corrected on the fats - I'm a little distracted today - sorry for that.

If your meals are holding you up for 4 to 5 hours - I would say that you are doing well.  As for the not hungry thing - work through this.  If it's really bad - we always suggest to plate up a full template meal, eat what you can of it of each component, if you are really struggling to finish it, wrap it up and finish it again when you are able.  Not necessarily hungry - but able to finish it.

This symptom is pretty synonymous with readjusting hormones and is kind of normal.  Everyone goes through to varying degrees. 

I unfortunately cannot make specific veggie recommendations as I am pretty limited myself.  I tend to stay lowish FODMAP and AIP most days.  So food can sometimes kind of repetitive and boring.

 

[decker_bear]

Thank you @Carlaccini - I appreciate you reviewing my log and giving feedback. I picked up some asparagus and broccoli at Sam's Club today - we'll see how that goes. As long as everything looks okay I'll just keep eating by time and hope (eventually) everything balances out. Thank you!!