Round Two

[bbuoy10]

Round Two--Day 1

I took one day off between rounds yesterday, and all was going pretty well until the drinks. I had my Five Guys meal (no bun, but I decided to have cheese), and it was all that I imagined. Three hours post cheese, my stomach was feeling a bit yucky, but it was a “worth it” treat. The drinks, on the other hand, really hit me hard. Ugh. I have no desire to drink anything except water for quite a while.  I don’t like this feeling. I’ve been recovering all day.

I have my lovely lamb chops waiting for me in the refrigerator, but no energy to cook them. They’re probably going to be my breakfast treat tomorrow morning. Yum.

M1—Chicken thigh with artichoke hearts and beets

M2—Coconut chicken curry and cauliflower.

Water intake was around 6 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 2

Still not feeling well today for several reasons. I’m sure my body is still recovering from drink-a-palooza and Five Guys, but I’ve also stopped taking a strong anti-depressant. I tapered off as slowly as I could, but I probably didn’t take enough time. I think I’m having discontinuation symptoms (similar to withdrawal). So, basically, I feel dizzy and slightly sick to my stomach at the same time. Good times.

My digestion is definitely out of whack. I hope I recover over the weekend. I’m trying to drink water and rest as much as possible. Sadly, I don’t think I’m going to meet my three meals goal today either.

M1—Chocolate chili with two mini packs of Wholly Guacamole. This was delicious, but I had a difficult time digesting it (stomach queasiness, gas, bloating, etc.).  I haven’t had a problem with chocolate chili or guacamole in the past, so I’m sure it’s related to my other issues. I probably should have eaten something blander.

M2—Three small lamb chops (finally!) and roasted sweet potatoes. Yum. I have still have a few chops left. I might bake a white potato or two to go along with them. Classic meat and potatoes (plus, I’ll have to add some other mixed veggies).

Water intake was approximately 6 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 3

It’s the weekend, so lots of shopping and cooking ahead. This should be the last week I’m not allowed to put weight on my left foot, but I’ll probably continue using the grocery store pick-up services occasionally.  For a small fee, I’ll save money and time by not wandering around the store picking up items I don’t need, not to mention it helps me avoid temptation.

I’m diving into Mel Joulwan’s Well Fed cookbook this weekend. I’m trying the cook-ups and hot plates, so one of the things I’m working on this weekend is preparing some of her seasonings and sauces (sunshine, ras el hanout, and Sri Lankan curry). My proteins are ground grass-fed beef and chicken thighs. I also bought some cans of tuna fish to keep on hand for a quick meal and avocado oil so I can make more mayo when I run out of my Primal Kitchen stash (plus, I can conveniently re-use the jar).

I like the hot plate idea because I like having a variety of meal options. During my first W30, I used recipes exclusively, which worked well because I had a chance to try new foods and combinations. But I think having staple proteins, veggies, and fats on hand that can be combined with seasonings to create different meals will help me make this more of a lifestyle change. I think it’s more sustainable.

I’m trying to be patient with myself because this is trial and error. For instance, I thought the Best Stir-Fry Sauce Ever sounded like a good ingredient to have on hand so—admittedly without doing my due diligence—I bought a pack of Chinese Five Spice. All would be well if I liked star anise or cloves. I hate them. A lot. ESPCECIALLY star anise. Oh, well. At least it wasn’t too expensive. Maybe my daughter or her boyfriend will like it.

M1—Three small lamb chops with roasted mixed veggies and a dollop of mayo.

M2—Tuna salad. I love tuna salad. I can’t believe it’s so hard to find compliant tuna. I think most people think “Why is W30 so strict?! It’s an unrealistic diet.” when the real question is “Why is there so much shit in our food?!” I can’t understand why soy and sugar are in everything. I don’t think anyone who even attempts a W30 will ever ignore a food label again in their lives.

M3—Butternut squash soup and a boiled egg. One egg isn’t enough protein, but the soups is filling. Plus, I still feel out of it and really lethargic. I started to bake a chicken thigh to go with my soup (I put the protein cook-up off until tomorrow), but I just didn’t have the energy. I did manage to make the soup and one of the spice combos from Well Fed today. Oh, and I boiled some eggs. Winning.

Water intake was maybe 5 glasses. I didn’t keep track very well today.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

Day 3 addendum

After my butternut squash digested a bit, I had more eggs (three total with M3).

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 4

Feeling MUCH better today. Still not 100%, but probably 80%. My body seems to be adjusting to the absence of the anti-depressants.

I went to the movies with my daughter and then did a Trader Joe’s run. I spent much more than I intended to, which has been a recurring theme over the past month +. Time to start budgeting. That’s the only other way I can sustain this lifestyle change. I spent $138 on groceries this weekend. Between the food I already have prepared and what I bought this weekend, I should be able to make it almost two weeks. (I’m only cooking for one person, so it’s a lot easier to make it last.)

M1—Butternut squash soup (giant bowl) and a snack pack of Kalamata olives.  I didn't have any protein prepared, not even boiled eggs. So this was an incomplete meal. I baked some chicken thighs tonight and boiled a few eggs to avoid this problem in the future. 

M2— Chicken thigh, artichoke hearts, and beets. One brown tomato sliced and seasoned with sea salt.

I made a breakfast casserole tonight. One big slice with some avocado is all I need. I’m going to make more of an effort to eat my three meals a day this week.  

Water intake was approximately 8 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

Day 4 addendum

Got hungry for M3! Butternut squash with a baked chicken thigh and a small handful of slivered almonds. 

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 5

So, today was hard! Lots of cravings and, oddly, not for candy, even though it’s Halloween. I had to fight the urge to order takeout/go get a burger and have a drink. I think it’s because tonight is a bit like a Friday since it’s a holiday. Even if you’re not going to a party, you might be settling in for a horror movie marathon with a bit of wine and a pizza or some other fast food. That would eventually lead me straight to the candy bowl. I have lots of chocolate minis and almost no trick-or-treaters. I’ve had plenty of nights like that down through the years.

Plus, I’m burned out with cooking. That happens, so it’s always good to have food ready in the fridge so you can stay on plan. I’ll probably make a few small things tomorrow (mayo and sunshine sauce) to go along with food I’ve already prepared. But I definitely won’t spend hours in the kitchen.

I made it through the cravings partially by reminding myself that this is self-care, not punishment. And my food is truly delicious. It’s not like I’m suffering. I’m working on some other areas of my life (Hello, finances!) where I’m having to remind myself of the same thing. Reminding myself of the negative consequences of former bad choices also helps. I know for sure that I won’t wake up tomorrow with a candy/fast food/alcohol hangover and a boatload of guilt. I’m still amazed at how much of this is psychological and emotional.

I don’t expect the cravings to disappear because I made it through today, but I know for certain that they will eventually subside. I just have to ride it out and replace my old traditions with new ones.

M1—Breakfast casserole with a mini-pack of guacamole.

M2—Same as M1, but a bigger slice of casserole!

M3—Coconut chicken curry with cauliflower rice and a sprinkle of slivered almonds.

Snacks—Two cups of black coffee.

Water intake was approximately 9 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Days 6 and 7

Day 6

Well, this is going to be a Whole 26. I got an invitation today to the Thanksgiving potluck at work, which I totally forgot about. I’m part of a very small team in a very small office, so if I don’t try all of the dishes, they would notice. Plus, it would seem rude. But it’s okay. I can live with a Whole 26.

M1— Breakfast casserole with a small avocado.

M2—Brussel sprouts and chicken thigh.

Water intake was approximately 8 glasses.

Onward.

 

Day 7

My kitchen is an absolute mess, and I just don’t feel like doing anything about it. I foresee a lot of cleaning over the next few days because, honestly, a messy kitchen disturbs me. Every time I go in there, I groan. Lol

I broke my mayo tonight. L I forgot to bring my ingredients to room temperature, so I have a cup of yellow-ish goop sitting on my counter. I pulled out another egg so I can try to salvage my very expensive bottle of avocado oil later tonight. I was looking forward to eating tuna salad, so it was a little disappointing. Oh, well.

M1—Giant slice ‘o breakfast casserole with a small avocado.

M2—Chicken thigh with artichoke hearts and beets.

Water intake was approximately 7 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 8

I felt like total poop today. I was dizzy and out of it, not to mention bone-tired exhausted. My sensory perceptions were off. I haven’t been eating consistently (far too long between meals), and I’ve had an unusually large amount of coffee over the last few days, but I don’t think those are the problems. (But they’re not helping, of course.) Unbelievably, I think I’m still having discontinuation symptoms from my anti-depressant. I read that it could take weeks for them to stop, but I was hopeful that I wouldn't have to endure that because I was feeling so much better.  

The good news is that I salvaged my mayo by letting an extra egg come to room temperature and then blending it with the yellow-ish goop I'd already made. It's more sauce-like than mayo-y, even after sitting in the fridge all night, but that's fine for tuna salad. 

M1— Tuna salad (can of tuna, half an onion, two boiled eggs, homemade avocado oil mayo)

This was my only meal today. I developed indigestion and didn’t feel like eating anything else. Bleh. I hope this ends soon. 

Water intake was approximately 4-5 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 9

Yesterday’s indigestion lasted through most of the night, but I was fine by this morning.

So, let’s talk about ketosis. I didn’t feel dizzy or out of it today, but I was incredibly lethargic, as in barely able to lift my arms tired. This is something I’ve been talking about for the last few days, but it was much worse today. Then I remembered that my doctor mentioned he found ketones in my urine sample a few days ago. Since I’ve already gone through a Whole30 and should be fat adapted, I didn’t link the lethargy to the ketones; however, my doctor said the ketones were a sign that I needed to drink more water. A few quick online searches reiterated that hydration is important if you’re in ketosis, and that you probably need much more water than you think. I decided to give it a try. I downed about six glasses in a 20-30 minute period, and I felt MUCH better.

To be clear, I wasn’t trying to put my body into ketosis. But when I looked at my food log for the last few days, I guess I can see how I got there. Potatoes or butternut squash are my carbs of choice. I wanted to cut back on the potatoes a bit (particularly white potatoes) because they’re my food without brakes. And I rarely eat fruit. So my diet has been very low-carb for a few days, although I didn’t think it was quite this low. I’m not in a rush to add lots of potatoes back into my diet, because, honestly, I want to lose some more weight, and I’m curious if being in ketosis will help. I need to do some more research on ketogenic diets. I’m still surprised that I’m having so much fatigue after being Whole30 for 39 days. Ketosis must be a different beast because the carbs are so low.

M1— Breakfast casserole with a small avocado. This has hashed white potatoes.

M2—Roasted Brussel sprouts and chicken thigh with Sunshine Sauce.

M3—This wasn’t really a “meal,” but I had two chicken thighs with sunshine sauce before bed. Yum. Sunshine Sauce…

Water intake was approximately lots and lots.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 10

So, I did some research on ketosis and the ketogenic diet, and I’m not interested. The Whole30 way of eating makes sense to me, and I feel like I’m doing something good for myself. I think the promise of quick(er) weight loss was the only reason I considered purposefully trying to keep myself in ketosis. But as soon as I saw ratios and macro counting and the side effects, I stopped reading and decided I was going to eat some more potatoes/starchy veg this week since I’m clearly not eating enough. The increased water intake yesterday was a positive though.

M1—Breakfast casserole and roasted sweet potatoes.

M2—Coconut chicken curry and cauliflower rice.

M3—Two salmon patties with roasted mixed veggies, balsamic vinegar, and homemade mayo.

Water intake was approximately 8 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 11

Today was a cook up day. Was I in the mood to do it? Um, no. But I did it anyway. I’ll thank myself next week when I go back to work and things get busy again. I don’t usually cook a ton of food in one sprint session, unless I’m in the mood. I spread it out over the course of one or two days, and do it a bit at a time each day. Otherwise, it feels too overwhelming. I usually start with something quick and simple to build momentum.

I’m shopping my fridge this week, as my frugal daughter calls it, and trying to cut back on my spending. I spent waaaaay too much money last month. I already have two full meals (minus the extra fat, of course) in plastic containers in the freezer, plus two salmon patties that I can use as a protein with a veggie later this week. Here’s what I made today, all from food I already had at home:

Proteins:

• Baked chicken thighs (I had three in my freezer. I started with these because they were super simple to cook.)

• Pasta sauce with ground beef

• Breakfast casserole with ground beef (plenty of veggies mixed in here, too)

Veggies:

• Spaghetti squash

• Roasted carrots

• Green beans (frozen). I seasoned these with coconut oil, salt, garlic powder, and chili powder. I might use clarified butter on my next batch of frozen veggies.

• White potatoes (I have some sweet potatoes that I’ll probably one-off microwave as a side dish for meals later this week.)

Condiments:                                                                                                       

• Ketchup (I was going to make Sunshine Sauce, too, but I was absolutely exhausted.)

I portioned out the chicken thighs, carrots, and green beans into three plastic containers. So, I basically have three meals ready to go.

This should hold me until Saturday. If I run short, I have lots of frozen salmon filets, tilapia, and more veggies I can throw together.

Snacks—mini pack of Kalamata olives in the morning. I wasn’t ready to get up and cook yet, but I was hungry. Two cups of black coffee.

M1—Two scrambled eggs and roasted sweet potatoes. I usually under-salt my food, but I think I hit it dead on today. I added extra salt to the sweet potatoes, too. Yum

M2—Chicken thigh, beets, artichoke hearts, and Kalamata olives. Cooking kills my appetite, so there was a huge gap between M1 and M2, and, thus no M3.

Water intake was approximately 9 glasses.

Onward.

[bbuoy10]

RT Day 12

I’ve decided to move over to the post-Whole30 area since I now know that I’m not going to complete a full 30 days this round. My goal going forward is to eat using Whole30 guidelines the majority of the time because I want to take care of myself, and it makes sense to me. Why would I go back to eating fast food all week long?

I’m not going to use a ‘percentage’ guideline (i.e., 80/20, 90/10), because I don’t want to build in room for junk food, etc. just because. I want to be more intentional about the times I eat less than optimally (e.g., for events like my office potluck or Thanksgiving, etc.). I don’t want to think in terms of “cheat days.”

Basically, I’m moving into the FFF phase (still reading the book…). Logging my meals is extremely helpful and keeps me on track, so I want to keep doing that for a while, just on another forum.

M1—Slice of breakfast casserole

M2—Spaghetti squash with pasta sauce, home fries with homemade ketchup

Water intake was approximately 6 glasses.

Onward.