Whole 30 Newbie Log

[BETTR4755]

Hello fellow Whole 30 friends,

I began my Whole 30 yesterday (10/24), and in an effort to keep myself accountable, alleviate family/friends from my sugar dragon woes, and possibly gain some support and advise, I will be logging my meals here. I read It Starts With Food back in March, but felt equally excited and intrigued by the amazing ways food can affect our bodies, but daunted by what felt like a list of CAN'T HAVES. I am 30 years old and I have always been extremely active, but I have never fully engaged in healthy eating. Actually, I would consider myself a full blown unhealthy eater. I am a Wisconsin gal; beer, cheese (anything dairy), and meat are involved in just about every social gathering and I have never found reason to complain about any of that :).  However, as time passes (and I age), I am having a harder time maintaining a healthy weight and I am beginning to experience minor, but pesky ailments (indigestion, blemishes, joint pains, insomnia, fatigue) that I have never experienced before. I seek to take better care of this precious body of mine, and I am excited to see the ways that Whole 30 can teach me to do exactly that. I wish anyone following the best and welcome any insight or feedback!

 

Day 1

Meal 1- Banana pre-workout, 2 Egg muffins (grated sweet potatoes, 2 eggs, wilted kale, chicken sausage) post-workout. Water and coffee to drink

Meal 2- Stuffed peppers from Whole30 book, kombucha

Meal 3- sweet potato stuffed with Tessamae's BBQ sauce, chicken, kale and spinach. Side of Brussel sprouts roasted in EVOO, pepper and chili powder

Snack - Rx bar, apple, almonds

(I know that Rx bars or snacks are not encouraged, but I have an intense HIIT 60 min workout at 5am and my workdays are 12+ hours as a nurse in critical care. Easy, high protein snacks are non-negotiable!

 

Day 2

Meal 1- coffee, smoothie (I know, not exactly Whole30 approved but a must on my days where I am on the go! All ingredients are Whole30 approved). Frozen cherries, spinach, frozen mango, orange juice, almond milk and Julian's Bakery Egg White protein powder (just egg whites and sunflower lecithin, Whole20 compliant)

Meal 2 - stuffed sweet potato (see day 1), apple

Dinner- pumpkin chili with avocado

Snack- Rx bar, hot rooibos chai tea

I woke up with a headache today and felt like I was in a fog until about noon. I also thought about sugar all. day. long. I wasn't even necessarily craving anything, but I literally daydreamed about sugary treats throughout the entire day. I mostly felt irritated by the fact that indeed, I am addicted. The irony was that I spent my day caring for a woman exactly my age withdrawing from heroin. In some really weird way, I think it made my empathy even deeper for what she was suffering (which by comparison to my addiction to sugar, is tremendously more painful and I don't wish to diminish or ignore that fact in the least bit). There is something very frustrating about not having control over bodily experience, and I think realizing the way sugar has a hold over what I put in my mouth and where my brain wanders was a huge reality check for me. I am looking forward to getting through these next few days and feeling better!

 

[MrsKennel]

Can you clarify your pre/post workout meals a little better? Meal 1 on day 1 has a lot of food but it also is listed at a pre-workout meal, too. 

 

[BETTR4755]

Of course! I had a banana before my workout. After my workout, I had two egg muffins. The foods listed in parentheses are ingredients in my egg cups just so I can reference back in the future.

[MrsKennel]

I would refer to this for your pre & post workout meals. 

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

And as far as snacks go, you should focus on them being mini-meals, so HB egg with mayo or avocado and some veggies. Or maybe you increase your portion sizes for your breakfast and lunch and find that you don't need snacks at all!