All the Travel Whole30

[pennylane14]

So I'm starting this log on day 9 of my current Whole 30. 

Day 9, you say? What about those past 9 days?

Let's back up to my story. 

This is my fifth whole30. I always feel great while on it, and some habits do stick with me, but I always end up falling off the wagon a few months out. I'm running my fifth half marathon in October, so this seemed like a good time to do another one to help with my training. However, the way this timing works out, I'm traveling three times during my Whole30. Currently in Vegas for work, then going from Vegas to my hometown. Back in my current city for a week, then off to Chicago for three days for work. 

Setting myself up for failure, you say? Well, remember, I've done this before. I've traveled while doing this before. So, this log is to keep me accountable while on my travels. 

Today was a travel day, moving three time zones away, so this is a bit convoluted:

M1 (5:30 a.m. ET): Sauteed zucchini and spinach, chicken sausage, 1/3 avocado

M2: (10:00 a.m. CT): half an omelet, a few bites of breakfast potatoes

Snack, mid-flight: RX bar

M3: (2:00 PM PDT): steak sandwich, sans bun. Served with grilled onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Side of truffle fries. I did have a few of the fries. It didn't occur to me to ask what the steak was cooked in, so it was likely butter? Is steak cooked in anything else? If so, oops. (these are things I don't stress myself out over, but will definitely be more careful in the future).

Not too hungry for dinner tonight, so we'll see what happens there . . .

[Melt]

I think work travel would be okay for me if I were staying in big hotels. Easy pickings at the breakfast buffet, usually some salad and a meat for lunch even in corporate catered lunches and generally a restaurant meal for dinner. For me it's the holiday travel... The mid morning coffee and local delicacy then the same in the afternoon. The takeaway Chinese meal eaten while sitting in a park... Plus the tendency to have a few alcoholic drinks when I am on vacation.  But it sounds as though you are well across it all.

[pennylane14]

Thanks, @Melt Things got crazy while I was traveling so I wasn't able to post as much. Though, I did have a few accidental dosings--some chicken I ate one night had been marinated in soybean oil (didn't seen the sticker with ingredients until after the meal), and some BBQ sauce touched my chicken another night at my aunt and uncle's. For the most part though, things went well. I was lucky that Vegas has so many tourists, I feel like every restaurant has something for every food sensitivity. The big winner? Grand Lux Cafe. There was one at the Venetian and one at the Palazzo, I ate breakfast there every day. They have something called a protein breakfast--chicken breast, egg whites, veggies. Delicious. Another called Joe's Scramble (I think?)--eggs, ground beef, veggies. Love that place.

 

Since I'm doing a whole 40, I'm now at the halfway point. Here are a few things I'm mandating for the rest of this adventure:

 

1. No nuts, nut butter, or dried fruit. Just feeding the sugar dragon.

2. Gauge my hunger more--Whole30 does a great job of regulating hunger since you eat such good, nutritious, filling meals. I need to be better about this. 

3. No fried food/potato chips. Even if technically Whole30 compliant, this is not ok. 

4. Post food log here every day. 

Onward to the next 20 days!

[pennylane14]

Day 21 of 40. Day looking like this:

 

M1: Zucchini and Spinach Frittata, side of roasted butternut squash (I am forever grateful to the early-September version of me who made a big frittata and froze it just for these weeks).

M2: balsamic chicken crock pot meal (will find link and post), carrots, wholly guacamole single

Pre-workout meal: hard-boiled egg

Workout: weights class at gym

Post-workout meal: tuna

M3: Chipotle most likely, taken to debate watching party. The party will be at a bar, which I'm fine with as I'm used to sipping club soda. But the bar will have free popcorn, so a test of willpower! 

[pennylane14]

Well, there go my plans to post every day!

Meals for the past 2-3 days (I eat a lot of the same thing, as I don't get bored, so there will be repetition):

Tuesday: 

M1: Aforementioned frittata, butternut squash

M2: was supposed to be sweet potato rice jambalaya, but I was missing many ingredients, and am now not sure what to call it. Chorizo/sweet potato rice/canned tomatoes/onions/creole seasoning mish mash? With carrots and Wholly guacamole single.

Snack: link of chorizo (leftover from making the mish mash)

M3: Tuna burger, zucchini and kale saute with cashew cream sauce

 

Wednesday: 

M1: breakfast bowl: spiralized sweet potato, spinach, two fried eggs

Pre Workout snack: hard-boiled egg

Workout: Circuit class at gym

Post-workout snack: Tuna

M2: Sweet potato toast with avocado and smoked salmon (note, this did not fill me up!), grapes, larabar, almond butter (couldn't get full!)

Hot yoga (no snack prior as had just had almond butter)

Post-yoga snack: egg whites, half a sweet potato

M3: Jambalaya mish mash, grapes

 

Thursday: 

Workout: 3 mile run in the AM

M1: (Post-run) Frittata with cashew cream sauce, butternut squash

M2: Jambalaya Mish Mash, carrots, guacamole single cup

Snack: there will be about 9 hours between lunch and dinner--Larabar (packed for a meeting). 

M3: Likely a turkey burger and zuccini/kale saute with some avocado

 

 

I usually have one or two food cheat dreams while on a whole30--once that I was eating Pringles, another time that I was eating cookie dough with potato chips (what?!). This time, I'm having them EVERY NIGHT. That I'm eating desserts, trying hummus, or last night, I was on my reintroduction phase, and had some sort of baked bread with cheese and prosciutto inside (which, if it doesn't exist, SHOULD exist). I wake up feeling super guilty and disappointed with myself, and it takes a few minutes (usually when i see my Whole30 daily email) to remember that it didn't happen!

 

[pennylane14]

Since this is a whole40, this is my second to last weekend! Huzzah!

But it also might be the hardest weekend? i'm so close to the end that I just want an f-ing glass of wine and some hummus. I'm also going to Chicago on Sunday for work and will see friends. It's just seeming really old right now.

Ok, today's log:

M1: Kale, spiralized sweet potato, two fried eggs

Workout (completely forgot to eat a pre-workout snack): spin class

Post-workout snack: egg whites

M2: smoked salmon, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 sweet potato

M3: epic bar, four-salad combo from local place: sauteed mushrooms, vinegar slaw, sweet potato mash, and beet salad (they just started posting ingredients to all their dishes, so I was able to confirm they were all compliant!). Also finished off the rest of the cashew cream since it will likely go bad while I'm out of town. 

Still feeling peckish, but I know I've eaten enough food. Going to drink some water and go to bed since I have to run 5 miles tomorrow. 

 

[pennylane14]

Five mile run on Saturday went really well--well, I should say it felt terrible, but was the fastest I've run in a while. So, something's working?

Meals for the last few days have been . . . interesting:

Saturday:

Pre-run: hard-boiled egg

Post-run: egg whites

M1 (At like, 1 p.m.): sweet potato, avocado, smoked salmon

M2: chicken apple sausage, sauteed zucchini and spinach

Movie snack: larabar

11 p.m. snack: RX bar

 

Sunday:

M1 ( at 6:30 a.m. ET): sweet potato rice mish mash with chorizo

M2 (at 11:30 a.m. CT): egg scramble with mushrooms and avocado, breakfast potatoes

M3 (at 6:00 p.m. CT): two turkey burger patties, side of brussels sprouts with bacon, sweet potato fries (This was me more feeling deprived than anything, was at Second City and friends were drinking)

 

Monday: 

Pre WO: hard-boiled egg, handful of almonds

Workout: 20 mins on elliptical

No Post-WO meal (shame, I know, but it wasn't a hard workout)

M1 (at 12:30 p.m.): pork tenderloin, roasted brussels, spicy kale salad

 

Now it's 3 p.m. and I'm hungry. About to go do a bit of foraging around my hotel.