Day 27, not what I was hoping for

[anthrogetch]

Today is day 27, and I have to unfortunately say that I have been underwhelmed thus far with the Whole30--which is very disappointing.  It's sunday morning, my son is at his grandparents, and all i want to do (and feel like doing) is having a nap.  I've also just had a bout of 'loose stool'--which is the first time thus far I've experienced this.

Perhaps I was hoping for a quick fix or tiger blood in the way many experience, but despite sticking to the program (as far as I can tell) for a full 27 days so far i'm not bounding out of bed and the skin on my face has not cleared up (was looking for more energy and to clear up my rosacea).

That's not to say I haven't noticed any benefits, certainly I have: reduced (almost eliminated) sugar cravings (and when I have them I can relate them now to more of a psychological impetus), no afternoon slump at work, marginally clearer head/better focus at work, some clothes are feeling a bit different and surprisingly really enjoying black teas!  I'm definitely keen on keeping up this new healthy food lifestyle, i don't really miss any one food in particular (except maybe popcorn in the evenings, but given what I've read now about corn, I'm likely to have that much less than before).  But I was really hoping for a noticible energy boost and I was sure this would help clear up the redness in my cheeks.

I'll try to remember the meals for the last few days, and maybe someone has some insight they could provide.  Coming up onto re-introduction...I'm considering adding an extra 15 days, or doing the re-introduction then starting another full Whole 30.  I'm just guessing my body may just need a little bit more time?

 

Sunday Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, kale sautee with green peppers, onions, walnuts, lemon juice.  (maybe should have added some avocado?, b/c I do have some hunger pangs still)

Saturday Dinner: Grilled steak with kale sautee, spahgetti squash with ghee

Saturday (late) Lunch: chicken breast with spaghetti squash, spinach salad with avocado and balsamic dressing

Saturday snack: handful of raw mixed nuts

Saturday Breakfast: (i think) leftover sweet potato and chicken soup, 3 slices of bacon and a bit of my son's left over egg.  Some Kiwi and prickly pear

Friday  night dinner: Chicken thighs, vegetable medley (from frozen) with ghee on spinach salad with balsamic dressing

Friday Lunch: Salmon, spaghetti squares and kale sautee with mushrooms, leeks and lemon (sauteed in bacon fat)

Friday Breakfast: (i think) egg and pepperette frittata with veggies and 3 slices of bacon

I'd appreciate some feedback, words of wisdom or encouragement.

Thanks!

Leah

[ArtFossil]

It looks like you are light on protein at meal 1. Bacon is a fat source (and not the best one) not protein. That lack of protein can carry on during the day, leading to fatigue, hunger and snacking. If you need a snack your meals probably aren't big enough. Snack, if you must, on a mini meal of protein and veggies or protein and fat. 

And a handful of nuts can be an enormous amount. The recommendation is a closed handful (for me, that is maybe 6 almonds) and as part of a meal and not every day. 

Try upping your protein and quality fats. Remember that veggies should be most of your plate. And ditch the nuts. See if that affects how you feel. 

How about your stress levels? Rosacea and skin disorders are tricky. My skin is a barometer of my stress. The more calm and relaxed I am, the less reactive it is. 

[SugarcubeOD]

It's hard to tell what your portioning is with the way you've listed out your meals, so I would challenge you to take a look at the meal template again (linked in my signature below) and assess whether or not every meal is matching the template.  The fact that you have 'snacks' is a good indicator that they are not infact matching because you should be going 4-5 hours between meals comfortably without the need to snack.

If you are going to snack, you should be trying for more like a mini meal of at least two of the three macros (protein, fat, veggies... not fruit and nuts).

When you're using greens (spinach, mixed greens, kale) as your veggie, you really need a wheelbarrow full because they are mostly water and chew down to almost nothing.  If you want salad, consider adding heartier cooked/roasted veggies (or raw if you like raw) to those salads.

As ArtFossil said, the fat in your meals looks suspect... we don't count cooking fat and nuts are not a great source.  Consider creamy dressings (mayo, ranch, pesto), avocado, olives etc... 

The Whole30 unfortunately isn't a quick fix and while some people do report fast results, each individual's context is different and comparing yourself to others is the quickest way to get frustrated.  Your non scale victories are great, I bet you could name another 4 or 5 if you wanted to

My advice would be that you do re-intro at the end of your 30 days and then make a WholeAnthrogetch plan that suits your lifestyle and your needs and continue this healthy way of eating.  Knowing what you know about the inflammatory foods, your personal plan may be very similar to the Whole30 and that's okay but at least you'll know that when Christmas rolls around and your bestee carts out the once yearly Christmas Pudding, you can make an informed choice

[anthrogetch]

Thank you both for your feedback.

I have the meal template on my fridge and it does say that cooking fat is considered a fat for your meal,  am I miss reading SugarcubeOD "we don't count cooking fat and nuts are not a great source. "

We've been using 'salad' probably too much as a 'veggie' as I think my partner was getting a bit tired of all the root veggies (which I love...and we just made a big batch last night) but we also haven't been doing many 'creamy' dressings...so yes, perhaps we still need to work on getting the template right.

This morning I had a small chicken breast, roasted root veggies with a teaspoon of ghee (thinking of the 'thumb' size rule on the template"...and I'm hungry already and feeling a bit sluggish (although we just ended daylight savings time here in Ontario, so that could be a factor!)

I've also been using nuts as a crutch I think...maybe mostly psychological, will try to scrap that!  Most of the time I would say however that I don't snack.

My next challenge will be getting the pre/post WO food right, as I'm determined to get back to the gym this week (after being away for two months).

I appreciate your comments and feedback and will let you know how it all pans out!

[ladyshanny]

@anthrogetch - cooking fat is a fat........but most of the time a majority of it gets left in the pan or the food in the pan is split a few ways and then the original cooking oil you actually consume with your meal is therefore only a fraction of the amount that was used.  You can (and usually should) always add an alternate fat source.

Nuts are not optimal for every day consumption. The recommendation is that they are limited....think a closed handful, every other day at the most. Nuts are high in Omega 6 which most people don't need more of, they can be digestively upsetting and they are far too easy to over-eat once you get started. 

Keep editing your meals until you get 4-5 hours between and figure out exactly what your unique meal composition should be. Maybe add some steamed green beans to your breakfast with some diced avocado as well. 

[anthrogetch]

Thanks @ladyshanny, will move away from nuts (boo!) and keep working on getting the template right.

Here's another question, when I did a sensitivity test with my naturopath many legumes back as causing my immune system to react...green beans were one of them.  I think I will have to steer clear of most legumes, could you provide me with a list of your favorite veggies?  While I know the book provides a list, I find it very helpful hearing what other whole30'ers use as a 'go to'.

thanks so much!

Cheers;
Leah

[ladyshanny]

28 minutes ago, anthrogetch said:

Thanks @ladyshanny, will move away from nuts (boo!) and keep working on getting the template right.

Here's another question, when I did a sensitivity test with my naturopath many legumes back as causing my immune system to react...green beans were one of them.  I think I will have to steer clear of most legumes, could you provide me with a list of your favorite veggies?  While I know the book provides a list, I find it very helpful hearing what other whole30'ers use as a 'go to'.

thanks so much!

Cheers;
Leah

Erm.....well you won't like me much. We use about 6# of green beans a week.  They are a staple at our house.

Roasted carrots, steamed brocoli, cauliflower mash/rice, roasted baby potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, kale-slaw/coleslaw.  All of those also make an appearance regularly. But our most common green veggie is green beans. In the summer we do a lot of cucumber, baby tomato and snow peas (that probably wouldn't help you either).

[ShannonM816]

@anthrogetch I'm not ladyshanny, but I'll throw out some more vegetable ideas, because you can never have too many veggie options. Zucchini and yellow/summer squash (they taste about the same to me, so I pick based on color or price or which one looks better) cook fast, so they're great for a quick saute, or if you have a spiralizer or julienne peeler you can make zoodles to top with spaghetti sauce or use them to make these comfort noodles. Broccoli and cauliflower are both amazing roasted. I see you have lots of kale and some spinach listed, branch out to some of the other greens -- I prefer collard greens, but try turnip greens or mustard greens or if you buy beets with the greens still attached, you can cook those as well -- there's two recipes here that you can use for any of those. Cabbages are good too -- not just the traditional cabbage, but things like bok choy or brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts are great roasted -- if you have a lot of patience, you can make "chips" from roasted individual leaves, but that is more time consuming than I usually  want to deal with. Bok choy is great to add to stir fries. Also for the cabbage, don't rule out sauerkraut or kimchi -- vegetables plus probiotics.

[Itzel]

Hello Anthrogetch!  I was searching for people with rosacea and I found this thread.  How are you doing?

I am on day 10 of my first Whole30, but I've been researching and testing many things to clear my skin.  I had an MRT (food sensitivities) test done in May.  While I have shown no reaction to nuts in the test, I do often flare up right after eating them.

My two goals with the Whole30 are similar to yours: clearing my rosacea and lifting the brain fog.  I am therefore very interested in knowing how you are doing now, three months later.  What have you decided to do post Whole30?  How did the reintro go?

Thank you for sharing!