Death of the Dragon - 30 days of carnage (July 25)

[emilyelowe]

All right, this is going to be a long one, friends. Day 7 for me (1 week down!!!) but I'm struggling a bit. Sorry in advance to people who don't like to talk about how the body works.

Today I am very bloated. This makes me sad, as this is the primary item I want to get rid of with the Whole30 and feeling this way always makes me super cranky. I've also generally been feeling like I look bigger/puffy/bloated, which also makes me sad. I know this is not out of the ordinary, but I think I was expecting to feel good in my clothes pretty quickly because it hasn't been that long since my last Whole30 and I didn't feel like my off-roading was overly ridiculous. Alas. Looking at the timeline, I may have been right about moving through the stages more quickly, though, as Day 8-9 are called out as the tight pants days. So maybe I am just a little ahead of schedule? The other symptoms on the timeline were also ahead of schedule (almost bit my husband's head off on Day 3 ) so hoping that is it. Time of the month also starts this week so I should probably just expect to be an annoying piece of bloated work anyway.  Possibly more on that in the Ladies Only forum... (random thought: why don't they have a Men's Only?)

I also spoke with a nutritionist at a fitness expo yesterday who said she also struggled with bloating and constipation for most of her life (as have I). She said the biggest gut changer (get it? like "game changer,"  ) for her was fermented foods. So, DEFINITELY looking for recommendations on how to incorporate fermented foods. I can't think of anything I like that falls into this category, so wondering if there is some tricky milder way to do it. She suggested homemade fermented yogurt, which is obviously out. Maybe I should just try a pill probiotic? (#america) Any suggestions you have would be so appreciated! I also need to search this in the forums and check in ISWF  and research kefir and the like. 

This is also frustrating because part of the motivator here is definitely physical appearance for me and these symptoms are making me nervous about calories (stupid, I know, but just let me go on). I'm following the meal template more accurately than I ever have before - much more emphasis on vegetables, paying attention to my meat portions, very little fruit, nuts, nut butters, and having fat with every meal. However, low and behold, even though I know fat doesn't make you fat, here I am going, "Am I feeling puffy and bloated and fat because of the fat!?!!" #facepalm 

Digestion is also abnormal. I started taking magnesium (1 tsp Natural Calm before bed) with this round so I was also expecting this part to go more smoothly. The dosing says that once stool is "comfortably soft," you're probably taking the right amount. So... should I try a bigger dose? 1 tsp of mine is about the recommendation in ISWF but is less than the recommendation on the package so not sure what to do there.

I'm also still having headaches at night when I go to sleep and sometimes in the morning. I'm concerned this might also be related to the magnesium, since that is the only thing new around bed time. 

I also introduced a daily fish oil supplement with this Whole30, so I'm on high alert about my skin. I can't say anything is wrong, but we're not improving yet either (despite the introduction of daily collagen peptides). 

End of the struggle portion. And now, for an update from our weekend!

Saturday had sweet potatoes, okra, 2-3 scrambled eggs, ranch/red hot, peppers, avocado? Went to the market and then had a fresh peach on the way from there to the dog park. I think Meal 2 was white potatoes, mayo, chicken, zucchini, squash. We ate late but it was delicious. We ended up making dinner only like 4 hours later, but I didn't want to eat too late and screw my schedule all up - we had chipotle pork chops and a salad with arugula, cucumber, blackberries, grilled peaches, grilled onions, walnuts, and lemon vinaigrette (<-- not good  ). I wasn't super pumped about this meal, but it was good and nutritious and light, so all is well. 

Sunday I shoved Meal 1 in my face in record time - 3 eggs, sweet potatoes, peppers, mayo, half a peach? Then I last minute decided to meet a friend at a fitness expo after church, so I had to pack Meal 2 with whatever I could find and then eat on the road. Ended up with 2 HB eggs, guacomole, half a banana, cashew butter, and kale chips flavored with cashews, nutritional yeast, and red pepper flakes - YUM. Went to the expo and did some yoga, took a cycling class, and gathered free stuff from the vendors. I did take a sample bit of a muffin that had compliant ingredients and only later realized that might have been like SWYPO, but I'm just going to move on from that. Then dinner was at my in-laws and they asked us to come over and prep the food, which was weird, but I think everything they gave us was compliant. We marinated chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice and grilled those. Then more white potatoes, and green beans. Not particularly diverse, but they're sweet. They always prep fruit for dessert when we're on the Whole30 (despite having done it and read the books, they don't quite embrace the spirit of the program) but luckily my 3-year-old nephew asked me to play and saved me from myself. Phew.

We didn't do any meal prep this weekend because we can't go grocery shopping until today when we reset the grocery budget, so today is going to be a bit rough. This morning pre-WO was cashew butter (we ran out of HB eggs) and post-WO was one HB egg white (this was the last one). Then for M1 I had 3 fried eggs, sweet potatoes, peppers, and kale chips for breakfast. No official fat here but I was strapped for time and am hoping the cashews on the kale chips count. Haha. Lunch is one chipotle pork chop, green beans, and kale chips. (I am out of mayo and ranch dressing - I don't know what to do ).

As I was thinking about this morning's bloating, I am thinking I might be overdoing it on the potatoes (so no white potatoes on the grocery list this week!) and the nuts (I ate an entire box of cashew laden kale chips in 3 days), but other than that feel like I am doing OK, so really hoping it passes quickly and was not actually caused by something specific I am eating that I shouldn't be. I also think I need to be drinking more water but I PEE SO MUCH ALREADY. This is particularly uncomfortable when I'm bloated, but we'll try. Hoping just to survive the work day and get to the grocery store ASAP. Dinner tonight with be either eggplant lasagna or chicken pesto with zucchini noodles. Whoo hoo!

[Wendy and Frankie]

On July 26, 2017 at 9:30 PM, Delicacious said:

@Mooie I have never heard of adding coconut oil to hot water but I'll try if my throats irritates me today. Thanks! I might see if I can pick up some ginger tea. 

I am just catching up on this forum, so I hope it's not too late for this suggestion, but Celestial Seasonings makes a tea called Lemon Soother that really helps me when I have a sore or irritated throat.  Tastes great, too (if you like lemony flavors).  

Wendy

[Wendy and Frankie]

Emilyelowe,

    I have struggled with bloating and other digestive issues  most of my adult life, and I wish I could say that the W30 will totally fix them, but that has not been the case for me.  Certain vegetables I love, such as onions, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage really cause me a lot of bloating (painful at times).  I suppose if I avoided those culprits and limited myself to veggies that don't bother me, like carrots, celery, lettuce, my tummy would be happier.  However, it's a trade-off for me.  I KNOW if I eat cabbage or sauerkraut I am going to have terrible bloating/gas if I over-do it, so I just try not to eat huge portions of them.  I know I'm weird (how many people do you know that actually LOVE sauerkraut? 

     It sounds like you are doing an awesome job with your meals!  Keep up the awesome work!

 

Wendy

    

[Delicacious]

2 hours ago, emilyelowe said:

@Delicacious Would you mind sharing your lemon vinaigrette recipe? I've seen you mention it and tried one Saturday that was NOT good, so wondering if you do yours any differently. Thanks!

I think I used this but omitted the sugar. I kinda eyeballed the Dijon and olive oil and added more lemon zest.  

 

[SugarcubeOD]

1 hour ago, emilyelowe said:

All right, this is going to be a long one, friends. Day 7 for me (1 week down!!!) but I'm struggling a bit. Sorry in advance to people who don't like to talk about how the body works.

Today I am very bloated. This makes me sad, as this is the primary item I want to get rid of with the Whole30 and feeling this way always makes me super cranky. I've also generally been feeling like I look bigger/puffy/bloated, which also makes me sad. I know this is not out of the ordinary, but I think I was expecting to feel good in my clothes pretty quickly because it hasn't been that long since my last Whole30 and I didn't feel like my off-roading was overly ridiculous. Alas. Looking at the timeline, I may have been right about moving through the stages more quickly, though, as Day 8-9 are called out as the tight pants days. So maybe I am just a little ahead of schedule? The other symptoms on the timeline were also ahead of schedule (almost bit my husband's head off on Day 3 ) so hoping that is it. Time of the month also starts this week so I should probably just expect to be an annoying piece of bloated work anyway.  Possibly more on that in the Ladies Only forum... (random thought: why don't they have a Men's Only?)

I also spoke with a nutritionist at a fitness expo yesterday who said she also struggled with bloating and constipation for most of her life (as have I). She said the biggest gut changer (get it? like "game changer,"  ) for her was fermented foods. So, DEFINITELY looking for recommendations on how to incorporate fermented foods. I can't think of anything I like that falls into this category, so wondering if there is some tricky milder way to do it. She suggested homemade fermented yogurt, which is obviously out. Maybe I should just try a pill probiotic? (#america) Any suggestions you have would be so appreciated! I also need to search this in the forums and check in ISWF  and research kefir and the like. 

This is also frustrating because part of the motivator here is definitely physical appearance for me and these symptoms are making me nervous about calories (stupid, I know, but just let me go on). I'm following the meal template more accurately than I ever have before - much more emphasis on vegetables, paying attention to my meat portions, very little fruit, nuts, nut butters, and having fat with every meal. However, low and behold, even though I know fat doesn't make you fat, here I am going, "Am I feeling puffy and bloated and fat because of the fat!?!!" #facepalm 

Digestion is also abnormal. I started taking magnesium (1 tsp Natural Calm before bed) with this round so I was also expecting this part to go more smoothly. The dosing says that once stool is "comfortably soft," you're probably taking the right amount. So... should I try a bigger dose? 1 tsp of mine is about the recommendation in ISWF but is less than the recommendation on the package so not sure what to do there.

I'm also still having headaches at night when I go to sleep and sometimes in the morning. I'm concerned this might also be related to the magnesium, since that is the only thing new around bed time. 

I also introduced a daily fish oil supplement with this Whole30, so I'm on high alert about my skin. I can't say anything is wrong, but we're not improving yet either (despite the introduction of daily collagen peptides). 

End of the struggle portion. And now, for an update from our weekend!

Saturday had sweet potatoes, okra, 2-3 scrambled eggs, ranch/red hot, peppers, avocado? Went to the market and then had a fresh peach on the way from there to the dog park. I think Meal 2 was white potatoes, mayo, chicken, zucchini, squash. We ate late but it was delicious. We ended up making dinner only like 4 hours later, but I didn't want to eat too late and screw my schedule all up - we had chipotle pork chops and a salad with arugula, cucumber, blackberries, grilled peaches, grilled onions, walnuts, and lemon vinaigrette (<-- not good  ). I wasn't super pumped about this meal, but it was good and nutritious and light, so all is well. 

Sunday I shoved Meal 1 in my face in record time - 3 eggs, sweet potatoes, peppers, mayo, half a peach? Then I last minute decided to meet a friend at a fitness expo after church, so I had to pack Meal 2 with whatever I could find and then eat on the road. Ended up with 2 HB eggs, guacomole, half a banana, cashew butter, and kale chips flavored with cashews, nutritional yeast, and red pepper flakes - YUM. Went to the expo and did some yoga, took a cycling class, and gathered free stuff from the vendors. I did take a sample bit of a muffin that had compliant ingredients and only later realized that might have been like SWYPO, but I'm just going to move on from that. Then dinner was at my in-laws and they asked us to come over and prep the food, which was weird, but I think everything they gave us was compliant. We marinated chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice and grilled those. Then more white potatoes, and green beans. Not particularly diverse, but they're sweet. They always prep fruit for dessert when we're on the Whole30 (despite having done it and read the books, they don't quite embrace the spirit of the program) but luckily my 3-year-old nephew asked me to play and saved me from myself. Phew.

We didn't do any meal prep this weekend because we can't go grocery shopping until today when we reset the grocery budget, so today is going to be a bit rough. This morning pre-WO was cashew butter (we ran out of HB eggs) and post-WO was one HB egg white (this was the last one). Then for M1 I had 3 fried eggs, sweet potatoes, peppers, and kale chips for breakfast. No official fat here but I was strapped for time and am hoping the cashews on the kale chips count. Haha. Lunch is one chipotle pork chop, green beans, and kale chips. (I am out of mayo and ranch dressing - I don't know what to do ).

As I was thinking about this morning's bloating, I am thinking I might be overdoing it on the potatoes (so no white potatoes on the grocery list this week!) and the nuts (I ate an entire box of cashew laden kale chips in 3 days), but other than that feel like I am doing OK, so really hoping it passes quickly and was not actually caused by something specific I am eating that I shouldn't be. I also think I need to be drinking more water but I PEE SO MUCH ALREADY. This is particularly uncomfortable when I'm bloated, but we'll try. Hoping just to survive the work day and get to the grocery store ASAP. Dinner tonight with be either eggplant lasagna or chicken pesto with zucchini noodles. Whoo hoo!

Okeedokee - moderator hat on... first, commercially made chips of any kind (including kale chips) are out... sorry... 

You may also want to stay away from nuts/nut butters while you're figuring out your bloating because they're notorious for bloating and gut disruption.

About the bloating; are you eating a lot of raw veggies or lots of crucifers? (brocolli, cauliflower)? Raw lettuce greens can cause bloating too, apparently romaine is a huge culprit for some people.  You mentioned water but are you drinking 1/2oz per pound of body weight?  Do you salt your food?  I do notice the high end of fruit servings and nuts appeared a few times over the weekend... maybe try and cut those down and see how that goes

For the Natural Calm, ya, you can't really overdo it with that stuff... I mean you can give yourself diarrhea by going overboard but it's not going to harm you... so increase by another half a tsp and see how that goes... keep increasing each day or couple of days until your stools are soft and comfortable to pass... natural calm shouldn't give you a headache... feel free to take advil or tylenol to combat the headache.

As far as probiotics, how about raw saurekraut (very easy to make yourself too so you can control the flavor), kombucha, kimchi if you can find a compliant one... you can use water kefir (coconut water is a popular one) if you can find it as well. 

The fact that you're on your period is probably most definitely playing into your bloating... It's probably not more bloating that what normally happens, but combined with maybe too much nuts and a more aware frame of mind around your body during Whole30, you're noticing it more... ride that one out... (There's no Men's Only forum because there isn't anything really that is going to happen to a man during that they'd need a semi private area to share... also, even if they did find that they had breast tenderness from hormonal changes, it's quite unlikely they'd tell us anyway... but if men requested a semi private forum like we have for women, it's not unlikely that we'd give it to them... there's jsut been no need or request so far  )

Okay Moderator hat off - good for you for making it through the weekend even tho you feel yucky!  Eggplant lasagne sounds amazing... if that's waht you're having for dinner, I"ll be right over - I have my own fork!

[Jim4884]

1 hour ago, emilyelowe said:

All right, this is going to be a long one, friends. Day 7 for me (1 week down!!!) but I'm struggling a bit. Sorry in advance to people who don't like to talk about how the body works.

Today I am very bloated. This makes me sad, as this is the primary item I want to get rid of with the Whole30 and feeling this way always makes me super cranky. I've also generally been feeling like I look bigger/puffy/bloated, which also makes me sad. I know this is not out of the ordinary, but I think I was expecting to feel good in my clothes pretty quickly because it hasn't been that long since my last Whole30 and I didn't feel like my off-roading was overly ridiculous. Alas. Looking at the timeline, I may have been right about moving through the stages more quickly, though, as Day 8-9 are called out as the tight pants days. So maybe I am just a little ahead of schedule? The other symptoms on the timeline were also ahead of schedule (almost bit my husband's head off on Day 3 ) so hoping that is it. Time of the month also starts this week so I should probably just expect to be an annoying piece of bloated work anyway.  Possibly more on that in the Ladies Only forum... (random thought: why don't they have a Men's Only?)

I also spoke with a nutritionist at a fitness expo yesterday who said she also struggled with bloating and constipation for most of her life (as have I). She said the biggest gut changer (get it? like "game changer,"  ) for her was fermented foods. So, DEFINITELY looking for recommendations on how to incorporate fermented foods. I can't think of anything I like that falls into this category, so wondering if there is some tricky milder way to do it. She suggested homemade fermented yogurt, which is obviously out. Maybe I should just try a pill probiotic? (#america) Any suggestions you have would be so appreciated! I also need to search this in the forums and check in ISWF  and research kefir and the like. 

 

I saw sugarcube's suggestions about fermented food, and if I were in your shoes (I'm sure my feet would be pinched haha) I would try that first.  Failing that, years ago, when I was having digestive issues and had no intention of changing my diet (#facepalm haha), I used this successively: https://enzymedica.com/collections/digestive/products/digest-basic-probiotics  Seems to be more enzyme focused but does have probiotics, and it helped me a fair amount.  I have not checked the ingredients for compliance.   Another option, I've not personally used, but have used (and been satisfied with) other products from Dr David Williams, is this: https://www.drdavidwilliams.com/probiotic-advantage-cranberry.  (oops, just noticed this one has maltodextrin which is non-compliant, right?  sorry...)

Best of luck!

[emilyelowe]

I forgot! I do have fat in my lunch! - the pork chop is in a coconut based sauce, which I just promptly poured AAAALLL over it and the green beans.

[emilyelowe]

1 hour ago, Wendy and Frankie said:

Emilyelowe,

    I have struggled with bloating and other digestive issues  most of my adult life, and I wish I could say that the W30 will totally fix them, but that has not been the case for me.  Certain vegetables I love, such as onions, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage really cause me a lot of bloating (painful at times).  I suppose if I avoided those culprits and limited myself to veggies that don't bother me, like carrots, celery, lettuce, my tummy would be happier.  However, it's a trade-off for me.  I KNOW if I eat cabbage or sauerkraut I am going to have terrible bloating/gas if I over-do it, so I just try not to eat huge portions of them.  I know I'm weird (how many people do you know that actually LOVE sauerkraut? 

I react similarly when I overdo it on the leafy greens, also, which is why I started taking the magnesium to try to supplement some of those nutrients. I LOVE peppers and potatoes way too much to ever let them go, so I really hope they are not the culprit!

[emilyelowe]

Thanks, @SugarcubeOD! I definitely wondered this morning if that last bit of cashew butter I had this morning pushed me right over the edge into Bloat Town, as the truly painful bloating didn't start until I was getting ready for work today.

I got the chips from the farmer's market, so I guess I thought they were OK. I mean I didn't make them myself, but I bought them from a lady in a tent who doesn't have a store front to sell them out of, so I guess I hadn't defined that as "commerical." Probably safer to stay away anyway, though, as it's easy to overdo it. 

Not a lot of raw veggies, other than the salad Saturday. And the only cruciferous was the broccoli maybe 2-3 times last week? So I don't know if that's a lot. In the past I've eaten a lot more cauliflower than that without symptoms, so I don't think that's it. I rarely ever drink enough water over the weekend, so that's very likely a contributing factor. I salt my food when I cook it - salt and pepper goes on almost everything I make. Are you thinking too little or too much?

Good to know about the Natural Calm, that definitely makes me feel more comfortable about playing with the dose.

I will have to look into the coconut water kefir situation. I don't even know what it is or what my options are, so I will do some investigation. Thanks!

[emilyelowe]

1 hour ago, SugarcubeOD said:

(There's no Men's Only forum because there isn't anything really that is going to happen to a man during that they'd need a semi private area to share... also, even if they did find that they had breast tenderness from hormonal changes, it's quite unlikely they'd tell us anyway... but if men requested a semi private forum like we have for women, it's not unlikely that we'd give it to them... there's jsut been no need or request so far  )

It was just a rhetorical question - I'm not worried about our Whole30 men or anything.  Although the point that they probably wouldn't tell anyone about those sorts of symptoms is a really good point. Haha. 

[emilyelowe]

Thanks, @Jim4884! I like to know about products that other people have used/liked, so I appreciate the suggestions! I can always continue to experiment in my Food Freedom if the W30 doesn't get me all figured out.

[emilyelowe]

It looks like water kefir grains have sugar in them. Is this somehow allowed or do I need to find ones without it (and is that even possible)?

Thrive Market Water Kefir Grain mix

Coconut water kefir recipe

Just making sure I know what to look for while I am cruising around the interwebs. I will go poke around in the rest of the forum too. 

[emilyelowe]

16 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

I got the chips from the farmer's market, so I guess I thought they were OK. I mean I didn't make them myself, but I bought them from a lady in a tent who doesn't have a store front to sell them out of, so I guess I hadn't defined that as "commercial." Probably safer to stay away anyway, though, as it's easy to overdo it. 

I feel like this sounds rude and that's not how I meant it. I appreciate the call out and clarification. I definitely feel like this  when I read your advice, @SugarcubeOD. 

[SugarcubeOD]

8 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

I feel like this sounds rude and that's not how I meant it. I appreciate the call out and clarification. I definitely feel like this  when I read your advice, @SugarcubeOD. 

I didn't take it as rude at all, don't worry   I do love the  tho

[emilyelowe]

18 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

It looks like water kefir grains have sugar in them. Is this somehow allowed or do I need to find ones without it (and is that even possible)?

Thrive Market Water Kefir Grain mix

Coconut water kefir recipe

Just making sure I know what to look for while I am cruising around the interwebs. I will go poke around in the rest of the forum too. 

I think I found my answer in this thread. Sounds like I am OK as long as the sugar has been fermented and isn't added after the fact. Definitely looking for pre-made at the grocery today and will maybe order the grains if I can't find it. 

[diamonds422]

Hello everyone! We survived the weekend with my parents at the beach! Friday night I was tense and cranky, since that's when we usually go out to dinner at the seafood restaurant nearby. My husband and I stayed home and grilled out. It was really nice. Saturday morning was more relaxing and from then on it was a breeze. We had a great time and I'm really proud that we did it. I'm so glad I didn't make us stay home!! That definitely would not have been in the spirit of the Whole30. Thank you to all for the words of encouragement. They were very helpful!

The weekend's leftovers are officially gone. Yesterday I made the Well Fed eggplant and Italian sausage strata. I haven't tried it yet, but that's dinner tonight. But holy heck, that Italian seasoning mix from the book is A++++. I tried a couple of nibbles of the pork while assembling and WOW! It's spot on. Can't wait to eat that tonight. I think I'll have a simple spinach side salad with some balsamic vinaigrette...we might still have some of that. Man, I love that balsamic vinaigrette recipe from the Whole30 book. Wouldn't change a thing! Using good-quality balsamic makes a big difference. 

We have a walk through of the house tomorrow morning and are scheduled to close on Thursday. The stress-related food cravings have diminished significantly. They're not gone, but they're not distracting like before. 

Onward, team!

[Delicacious]

@emilyelowe Probiotics wise, I find that the capsule ones tend to contain compliant ingredients as compared to the sachet or chewable pills. I use LactoGG - it's made in US but I think it's by a Hong Kong company. Compliant ingredients. I've yet to find a compliant kimchi. I might end up making some myself. As for Kale chips, it's pretty easy to make them in the oven. I prefer sautéed Kale but my kids love this recipe for kale chips. 

@Wendy and Frankie Thanks for the suggestion! I don't think I can find that brand, but I'm looking out for compliant lemon ginger tea.

@Jim4884 Thanks for the suggestion of using avocado oil for mayo! I whipped up a quick batch this morning and it was amazing!! I used the immersion blender too. No bitter taste. Score!

@Laurie How have you been? Haven't heard from you the past two days. Hope you're feeling better. 

Day 7 morning for me. Some bloat yesterday night and tummy upset. Had a yummy breakfast - made spicy tuna cakes yesterday night for freezing and had some for breakfast as well with spinach and avocado. Lunch later is a burger patty with lettuce, tomato and my homemade mayo.  Have a great day everyone!

[SugarcubeOD]

Well my meal planning went a bit sideways this week when I realized (after I purchased the snapper!) that I took out over a dozen chicken breasts (why they were even in my freezer is beyond me; I don't eat chicken breasts for the most part).  I also accidentally took out two pounds of turkey instead of one each of turkey and pork, so no larb, no ceviche... it's all poultry all the time around here this week.

I sauteed the turkey with a pound of julienned mushrooms and stuffing spices (sage, thyme, rosemary) and then threw the bottom of a bag of dried cranberries in.... that gets sauteed up with veggies in the morning and an egg on top.

For the millions of chicken breasts, I smeared (what a lovely word!) them with mustard and then rolled in dukkah and baked.  I've been making chicken salad with them... I can't say it's my best creation but I honestly think it's because they're bland old chicken breasts and I"m much more used to eating thighs and other more flavorful meats... The dukkah turned out greatkah ( @ladyshanny) - I'll bring you some on Saturday  .

I had to clear out some room in my deep freeze last night to make room for the blueberries and the snapper I had to freeze thanks to the chicken breasts... I gave 7 pint jars of chili, stew and soup to a girlfriend of mine and I have 5 jars of chili going to @ladyshanny on Saturday!  There's still SO MUCH premade food that I honestly can't wait for fall so I can have chili and stew again!

[ldmcniel]

I've been skimming through posts, but I just wanted to jump in with an update on me.  I'm on day 5. The first few days I REALLY struggled with energy. I had a massive migraine on day 1, most likely from cutting out caffeine on top of everything else (I get headaches really easily too...). The next couple days, I just had NO energy. It sucked. I think I figured out why though. Aside from it just being the beginning, I wasn't adding enough fat into my meals. My go to fat is usually avocado (so if anyone has suggestions on others, please let me know!), and none of my avocados were ripe. Now that I have ripe avocados, I'm feeling much better! I think yesterday was the first day I didn't get a headache, but I got one today. I think that was more from a stressful drive than food though. I also was having some pretty severe aches in my hips on day 3 & 4, which I wasn't expecting since most of my aches and pains went away almost immediately with my first round. I THINK that was happening because I was having too many natural sugars (mainly lara bars...because I've sucked at making sure I have food ready to go this week). Today I've made sure I didn't have any fruit at all, and I feel much better. So now I know to limit even the natural sugars. 

My mood has been pretty crappy. I need to look at the timeline again because my first round I followed it pretty much to a T. I've been very moody and snippy with my husband...which I hate, and my primary motivation for doing the whole30 (and maintaining it) is my mental health and emotional status. So, hopefully that gets better.  

It has been great having breakfast prepped already. I made a breakfast casserole the night before day 1, so I think I'll do that again. It makes it so much easier to feed my toddler monster too.

[SugarcubeOD]

21 minutes ago, ldmcniel said:

I've been skimming through posts, but I just wanted to jump in with an update on me.  I'm on day 5. The first few days I REALLY struggled with energy. I had a massive migraine on day 1, most likely from cutting out caffeine on top of everything else (I get headaches really easily too...). The next couple days, I just had NO energy. It sucked. I think I figured out why though. Aside from it just being the beginning, I wasn't adding enough fat into my meals. My go to fat is usually avocado (so if anyone has suggestions on others, please let me know!), and none of my avocados were ripe. Now that I have ripe avocados, I'm feeling much better! I think yesterday was the first day I didn't get a headache, but I got one today. I think that was more from a stressful drive than food though. I also was having some pretty severe aches in my hips on day 3 & 4, which I wasn't expecting since most of my aches and pains went away almost immediately with my first round. I THINK that was happening because I was having too many natural sugars (mainly lara bars...because I've sucked at making sure I have food ready to go this week). Today I've made sure I didn't have any fruit at all, and I feel much better. So now I know to limit even the natural sugars. 

My mood has been pretty crappy. I need to look at the timeline again because my first round I followed it pretty much to a T. I've been very moody and snippy with my husband...which I hate, and my primary motivation for doing the whole30 (and maintaining it) is my mental health and emotional status. So, hopefully that gets better.  

It has been great having breakfast prepped already. I made a breakfast casserole the night before day 1, so I think I'll do that again. It makes it so much easier to feed my toddler monster too.

ARe you sure you're eating enough?  You mention not eating enough fat (btw, coconut, mayo, pesto, mayo based sauces, olives, oils, salad dressing - all good fat if the avos aren't cooperating!) and you've said your mood is pretty crappy.... that's not unusual for the first week but lets just make sure you're eating enough... sometimes when we do a second Whole30 we think we remember what it's supposed to be on our plate but that can get skewed so have another look at the template and make sure all your meals are matching... food prep is key and larabars are for emergencies only... besides the fact that the sugar seems to bother you, they're not really real food and not a suitable replacement for proper meals

[SugarcubeOD]

So... one of my goals that I listed further up this thread was to quiet the noise in my head... I was tryiing to figure out today what the 'noise' was because I noticed it's getting quieter... for me, it's a constant conversation in my head about what I eat (when I'm eating things that don't make me feel good).  Knowledge is kind of an annoying thing sometimes because even when you're eating the item (whatever your particular item is, mine is ice cream) you KNOW that it's going to make you feel like crap... 

The noise is this:

You're such an idiot, why would you eat that? I can eat whatever I want. I deserve it. You deserve to be healthy and feel good. You're a loser.  You have no self control. You have LOTS of self control you just DECIDED to eat it.  It wasn't a DECISION if I ate an entire pint of ice cream, that was a compulsion... 

This is played in my head at about a thousand miles an hour... no wonder its noisy in there.  And I don't want anyone to tell me I'm not an idiot or a loser, I totally know that... I"m awesome!   But when the script gets going, getting a big push from unhealthy food, it's got a mind of its own!

Anyway, that was my epiphany today.  I don't have the answer to how to get to true and long lasting Food Freedom when 'worth it' means you also let emotions weigh in on the worthiness of something... oh the joy of being an emotional eater! 

The Face Invaders have moved to the stage where it feels like getting hit in the face with an axe, so I"m not thrilled at the moment but Day 8 is in the bag so that's something to celebrate!

[Jim4884]

53 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

The noise is this:

You're such an idiot, why would you eat that? I can eat whatever I want. I deserve it. You deserve to be healthy and feel good. You're a loser.  You have no self control. You have LOTS of self control you just DECIDED to eat it.  It wasn't a DECISION if I ate an entire pint of ice cream, that was a compulsion... 

This is played in my head at about a thousand miles an hour... no wonder its noisy in there.  And I don't want anyone to tell me I'm not an idiot or a loser, I totally know that... I"m awesome!   But when the script gets going, getting a big push from unhealthy food, it's got a mind of its own!

Sugarcube, let's keep the noise in your head from ever meeting the noise in mine, or the resultant cacophony will be unbearable!  Glad to hear its getting a little quieter, over the years mine has finally learned to take a break or listen to reason now and then too...

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

7 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

So... one of my goals that I listed further up this thread was to quiet the noise in my head... I was tryiing to figure out today what the 'noise' was because I noticed it's getting quieter... for me, it's a constant conversation in my head about what I eat (when I'm eating things that don't make me feel good).  Knowledge is kind of an annoying thing sometimes because even when you're eating the item (whatever your particular item is, mine is ice cream) you KNOW that it's going to make you feel like crap... 

The noise is this:

You're such an idiot, why would you eat that? I can eat whatever I want. I deserve it. You deserve to be healthy and feel good. You're a loser.  You have no self control. You have LOTS of self control you just DECIDED to eat it.  It wasn't a DECISION if I ate an entire pint of ice cream, that was a compulsion... 

This is played in my head at about a thousand miles an hour... no wonder its noisy in there.  And I don't want anyone to tell me I'm not an idiot or a loser, I totally know that... I"m awesome!   But when the script gets going, getting a big push from unhealthy food, it's got a mind of its own!

Anyway, that was my epiphany today.  I don't have the answer to how to get to true and long lasting Food Freedom when 'worth it' means you also let emotions weigh in on the worthiness of something... oh the joy of being an emotional eater! 

The Face Invaders have moved to the stage where it feels like getting hit in the face with an axe, so I"m not thrilled at the moment but Day 8 is in the bag so that's something to celebrate!

Thanks for posting this SugarCubeOD! It reminded me that I had a very similar track playing in my head before the whole30. Thinking back on it, I haven't had any of those thoughts in a while. Huge NSV for me! 

Something that has helped me quiet the track in my head: Brene Brown (who is one of my favorite speakers and authors) talks about the difference between shame (I am bad) vs. guilt (I did something bad). When we use shame in our self-talk, there's no growth and nothing to learn because that's just the way things are, "I am bad, end of story". When we use guilt, we can analyze the situation more logically and perhaps learn something. I firmly believe that everyone is doing the best they can given their circumstances and level of knowledge, so what was it about the circumstances that caused the bad decision? Looking at my food choices that way has really helped solidify why I off-road and has helped take the emotional aspect out of it when I do off-road, which has made it easier to jump right back to eating the way that makes me feel good.  

[emilyelowe]

16 hours ago, diamonds422 said:

Hello everyone! We survived the weekend with my parents at the beach! Friday night I was tense and cranky, since that's when we usually go out to dinner at the seafood restaurant nearby. My husband and I stayed home and grilled out. It was really nice. Saturday morning was more relaxing and from then on it was a breeze. We had a great time and I'm really proud that we did it. I'm so glad I didn't make us stay home!! That definitely would not have been in the spirit of the Whole30. Thank you to all for the words of encouragement. They were very helpful!

The weekend's leftovers are officially gone. Yesterday I made the Well Fed eggplant and Italian sausage strata. I haven't tried it yet, but that's dinner tonight. But holy heck, that Italian seasoning mix from the book is A++++. I tried a couple of nibbles of the pork while assembling and WOW! It's spot on. Can't wait to eat that tonight. I think I'll have a simple spinach side salad with some balsamic vinaigrette...we might still have some of that. Man, I love that balsamic vinaigrette recipe from the Whole30 book. Wouldn't change a thing! Using good-quality balsamic makes a big difference. 

We have a walk through of the house tomorrow morning and are scheduled to close on Thursday. The stress-related food cravings have diminished significantly. They're not gone, but they're not distracting like before. 

Onward, team!

Congrats on the weekend win!

I'm definitely going to have to try those recipes now.

And I love the spirit of "Onward team!" 

 

[emilyelowe]

13 hours ago, Delicacious said:

@emilyelowe Probiotics wise, I find that the capsule ones tend to contain compliant ingredients as compared to the sachet or chewable pills. I use LactoGG - it's made in US but I think it's by a Hong Kong company. Compliant ingredients. I've yet to find a compliant kimchi. I might end up making some myself. As for Kale chips, it's pretty easy to make them in the oven. I prefer sautéed Kale but my kids love this recipe for kale chips. 

Thanks for the suggestions!