Jumping on the April 1 Bandwagon!

[gabby15]

This is my second attempt at doing my first Whole30!  (I crashed and burned after day 3 of my first attempt after fainting. Oops.)

I'm a college student that's more or less confined to an on-campus dining plan so I'll be rising to the challenge of staying Whole30 under cafeteria confinements. If worst comes to worst, I might just eat a burger (no bun!) and a salad everyday (I'm joking...a little).

Hopefully things go better this time around! I'm super excited to finally get on the road towards my food freedom and tiger blood!

[gabby15]

Day 1 - April 1

M1: scrambled eggs and potatoes -- I wanted more than this for breakfast, but these are the only two compliant things I can have on Saturdays
S*: mint citrus tea (forte brand)
M2: roast beef & turkey deli meat, zucchini & squash, mashed sweet potato
S: Epic salmon bar, nuts, LaCroix grapefruit, banana
M3: salad (hamburger, lettuce/spinach, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, olive oil, and salt) -- this was really really good (mostly because the hamburger was fresh and not the frozen ones they usually serve
S: nuts, LaCroix water

*S = snack (which I know I'm not supposed to do, but I was really really hungry)

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I'd say today was a good day for my Whole30. I had a bit of a rough start as mentioned above, just because my cafeteria doesn't have much for compliant foods in the mornings on Saturdays. The rest of the week is fine because I can go to the omelette bar during the weekdays and Sunday brunch has more than just the "breakfast" line open so I have more options then (but I have to wait until 10am to go to brunch and LITERALLY NOTHING is open otherwise so I just wallow in my own hunger until then).

I got a dull headache a few hours after lunch. According to the timeline, this is normal (I had to check that to make sure because it was weakening my resolve haha). Hopefully, I'll pass through the "hangover" phase quickly (although the half pint of Ben and Jerry's I had Day 0 says differently, I'm sure). My actions on Day 0 probably didn't help the cravings for sweets and cheese curds I had all day.

I was hungry later in the day (around 9pm) so I must not be eating enough for my activity level. Hopefully I can get that figured out soon because it's going to make going to class hard if my stomach is growling loudly the whole time. If anyone has any tips on what try to eat more to stay fuller longer, I'd appreciate them. I think right now, I'm just going to try increase my protein portion sizes and get more starchy veggies when I can.

[jmcbn]

Hey @gabby15 & welcome to Whole30!

Protein & fat will provide longer satiety. You don;t mention fat in any of your meals other than the nuts - which we'd suggest you eat in moderation (say a closed handful every other day, max) - so you could definitely look at ways of incoporating fat into your meals, which will also help curb any cravings.

Can you pack some compliant foods to add to the cafeteria food to make for bigger meals? Have you asked all the questions regarding how the eggs and potatoes are prepared?

[gabby15]

Hi @jmcbn, most of the things I mentioned end up sitting in their own oils because it's a buffet style cafeteria so I guess I'm not worried about the amount of fats I'm getting, but I'll try throwing some more olive oil into my meals. 

I can try to pack compliant foods to make my meals bigger, but it's hard for me to get off campus to get extra food as I don't have a car and don't always have a lot of free time.

My school has signs that denote if something has one of the top allergens in it (soy, gluten, dairy, etc.) so I'm okay in that aspect. I'm aware that my Whole30, in other respects, such as additives may not be completely compliant, but I'm okay with that for the moment. As long as I can stay away from grains, dairy, legumes, and soy, I figure that's good enough for me now, even if it doesn't fit exactly. I plan on doing another Whole30 this summer once I'm able to cook my own meals.

[kirkor]

On 3/31/2017 at 2:51 PM, gabby15 said:

If worst comes to worst, I might just eat a burger (no bun!) and a salad everyday (I'm joking...a little).

 forum.whole30.com/topic/40769-monomeal-mania11/ 

[Guest]

If they have olives and/or avocado in a salad bar that would be a good source of fat.  You're awesome for doing this in college!

[gabby15]

3 hours ago, Georgina2 said:

If they have olives and/or avocado in a salad bar that would be a good source of fat.  You're awesome for doing this in college!

Thanks @Georgina2, I have been putting some sliced black olives on my salads. Unfortunately avocados cost too much so they don't have those.

[gabby15]

Day 2 - April 2

"M1"*: nuts

M2: pork with Italian seasoning, green beans, 2 smashed red potatoes

S: Tazo scarlet citrus rooibos

M3: salad with mushrooms, olives, olive oil; deli turkey and smoked pork loin, and 2 kiwis

*please keep reading

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So Sunday means Sunday brunch on my campus, which also means that nothing is open until after 10am. So this morning, I tried to tide myself over with some nuts I had in my room and that kept me from feeling too hungry until I could have a real meal. I know that I really do need to be eating a Meal 1, but I guess I wasn't preemptive enough in preparing for my Whole30 and didn't stock up on things for Meal 1 on Sunday mornings. This is something I'll try to change for next week.

The start to my day was really good besides being very hungry (before eating some nuts). I woke up at 6:30am ready to rock and roll (and of course, being a college student I stayed in bed and search Whole30 forums for an hour).

After lunch, I got hungry again. I don't think it was to the degree that I was hungry yesterday after lunch initially, but it seems to be around 3pm (exactly mid-way between lunch and dinner) that hunger strikes. However, as time passed and I refused to snack, I did get very hungry again. I'll try to up my protein for lunch tomorrow because apparently two slices of pork isn't enough to help keep the hunger down. I also started having sugar cravings again and made sure to take the gum out of my backpack so I don't absent-mindedly chew it in class (I use it to stay awake--hopefully the W30 will change that). 

During/after dinner, I felt a little off. I can't say exactly how, but maybe just like a brain fog. Hopefully that doesn't stick around. I have things to do. My stomach also became upset today after dinner so I'm not enjoying that side effect either.

I also am really craving Larabars and while there are Whole30 compliant bars, the fact that I'm craving them isn't good. So I'm not going to let myself eat them because I know ultimately I'd be feeding my Sugar Dragon.

I do have some doubts about the rest of the month. Mainly due to the lack of my friends' support (thank goodness my parents are supportive), and the fact this upcoming weekend I have a few meetings/socials that involve food. One of the meetings includes my professors that I need to be on good terms with and they're cooking dinner so I don't know how to politely bring up that I need a super "picky" meal or another way to get around eating non-compliant stuff. So if anyone has any tips on that, I could really use the help because that meal might be a dealbreaker for me Whole30-wise. 

I think that's all for today. I am going to go to the pool tomorrow morning, but I've decided to scale back my cardio workouts for the sake of figuring out how to manage my hunger first. Strength training, however, is going to be the same intensity as usual. Should be interesting.

[jmcbn]

5 hours ago, gabby15 said:

After lunch, I got hungry again. I don't think it was to the degree that I was hungry yesterday after lunch initially, but it seems to be around 3pm (exactly mid-way between lunch and dinner) that hunger strikes. However, as time passed and I refused to snack, I did get very hungry again. I'll try to up my protein for lunch tomorrow because apparently two slices of pork isn't enough to help keep the hunger down. I also started having sugar cravings again and made sure to take the gum out of my backpack so I don't absent-mindedly chew it in class (I use it to stay awake--hopefully the W30 will change that). 

During/after dinner, I felt a little off. I can't say exactly how, but maybe just like a brain fog. Hopefully that doesn't stick around. I have things to do. My stomach also became upset today after dinner so I'm not enjoying that side effect either.

Probably from a lack of fat  - the nuts aren't the best source and can be particularly hard on the digestive system, and I don't see any mention of fat at meal one, plus this is not exactly a HUGE amount of food for the day. The brain is made up of 60% fat so you need healthy fats for brain health. Fat will also help with satiety and with energy (it provides a steady slow burning source of fuel) - particularly for those strength sessions - be prepared to struggle with those for a maybe a week or so until the body adjusts to the lack of an immediate source of fuel (sugar) and learns to tap into your fat stores instead...

[gabby15]

Day 3 - April 3

Pre-wo: nuts

WOD: 1500 yd swim (meet warm-up)

M1: Omelette (ham, sausage, mushrooms, and broccoli), potatoes*

S: English breakfast tea (2 cups); second cup I added ~2 tbsp coconut oil

M2: chicken leg, potatoes & cauliflower, peas

M3: taco salad (beef, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, onions) - 2 servings; banana

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*So apparently the potatoes, according to the allergen info they list for the foods being served my potatoes this morning contained soy and milk. I'm assuming they were probably cooked with butter and soybean oil, but in my opinion the potatoes extremely dry so it's not like they're dripping in the two substances. I know that I need to be abstaining from this stuff 100% but it was either eat the potatoes or be extremely hungry prior to lunch. Like I've said before, I don't have absolute control over my food choices as a college student with a meal plan and I don't intend to starve myself just to stay "Whole30 compliant". I'm not entirely happy with the choice I made, but I still stand by my previous statement.

As for the rest of the day, I was craving the texture of grains and had only the smallest pangs of hunger prior to dinner (definitely no where near to the extent I've had in previous days). However, as for things not directly related to food, I found myself running out of motivation or willpower to do things such as study for a test which is definitely not ideal. I'm assuming this slight emotional slump is due to the drastic change my diet felt after starting W30. Other than those couple of things, I feel like I had a good day. Swimming this morning went well too. Tomorrow is my lifting day so we'll see what happens then.

 

[jmcbn]

4 hours ago, gabby15 said:

peas

Sorry to be the bearer of potentially) more bad news, but if by peas you mean like the English garden variety then they are also off limits as they're a legume... Snap peas, snow peas etc (where it's more pod than pea) are fine.

[gabby15]

6 hours ago, jmcbn said:

Sorry to be the bearer of potentially) more bad news, but if by peas you mean like the English garden variety then they are also off limits as they're a legume... Snap peas, snow peas etc (where it's more pod than pea) are fine.

They were the garden variety. Forgot about that rule. I think I'm just destined to never get past Day 3. Or really even Day 1 in a college cafeteria.

[jmcbn]

25 minutes ago, gabby15 said:

They were the garden variety. Forgot about that rule. I think I'm just destined to never get past Day 3. Or really even Day 1 in a college cafeteria.

It's going to very difficult for you under the circumstances, but you certainly deserve kudos for making the effort.... Every good meal is a step forward!

[gabby15]

3 hours ago, jmcbn said:

It's going to very difficult for you under the circumstances, but you certainly deserve kudos for making the effort.... Every good meal is a step forward!

Everything considered, I think I'm going to step back from posting my logs as I cannot complete a true Whole30 as prescribed by the rules. Considering I haven't actually completed a Whole30, I won't be posting in the post-Whole30 log either. I am however going to continue to try to eat as Whole30 as I can and try to be conscious of when I do slip or crave some non-compliant food. I think trying to be W30 within the confines of a college cafeteria is just too much stress for me right now, and I'm sad to step away for the moment, but I think it's for the best until I can actually cook my own food this summer.

[MeadowLily]

I don't log my food. You don't have to wait for the summer to keep tooling along and doing the best you can do.  I don't log anything, not beginning or ending weights, measurements. All of that would've turned the Whole 30 into another round of dieting and I stepped off that gerbil wheel for good.

Tom Denham said we don't need to log anything and that includes food. I can pull that right up for you.  He said logging food is good for troubleshooting purposes.  You know where the potholes are in the road up ahead.  Step back from logging food but don't give up.  Do not be discouraged or deterred. 

Go on and keep journaling about your victories.  I don't care about NSV because the scale is no longer my motivator.  It wasn't  in the beginning or the end and all of the months inbetween.  Victories are victories and all of mine are without the scale.  Yippeeee!

I wanted a Food Reset and a Mind Reset.  Body. Mind. Spirit.  The Whole package. 

Just keep going and log about what really moves and motivates you into wellness and health. When the timing is right, you can complete 30 compliant days without complaint.

[MeadowLily]

Posted 21 June 2012 - 09:18 AM

"Drop it.  During a Whole30, we want you to practice listening to your body.  Counting/tracking gets in the way.  You don't even need to keep a food log.

A log helps so that we can spot when you might need to eat more protein, fat, or carbs, but a log should not be a substitute for tracking/counting.

Your body may not be giving great signals now, but ultimately, your body is more authoritative than any record could be."

[gabby15]

On 4/4/2017 at 11:38 AM, MeadowLily said:

Just keep going and log about what really moves and motivates you into wellness and health. When the timing is right, you can complete 30 compliant days without complaint.

Thank you @MeadowLily for the advice. 

[MeadowLily]

I know of another really funny one by Tom Denham, what he really thinks about tracking and logging and fitbit. Hi-larious.  

He's the big fish in the pond. Many have followed in his footsteps but no one can dish it up and set the table for finishing strong like he does.  He's a gentleman, a scholar and loaded to the gills with wisdom. I wish he'd come back.