Round 3? - Let's try this again - Starting March 18

[samalope]

Hi everyone! I had amazing success last November doing my first Whole 30, see here: https://forum.whole30.com/topic/50148-samalopes-first-whole30-log/  However, I did have one major issue: constipation (and hemorrhoids) for the first time in my life.

I tried a 2nd time in January, and well, things didn't go well. Stomach issues. Stomach cramps every night for a week. I gave up. Also constipation. They are probably related.

Anyway, I have been really stressed lately and been eating like crap. It happens. I need my reset!

This time I am going to test out some things to see if I can get through this smoothly - in every meaning of the word lol.

My last round I thought I had everything figured out - hey, I've done this before. However, I think I got too reliant on a few foods: hashbrowns, bacon, breakfast sausage and those lovely Applegate all beef hot dogs. YUM! They are all compliant but I am wondering if they were doing more harm than good. I am also wondering if they are too fatty or something? I don't know.

I also want to drink more water. 75oz a day.  I didn't try to drink more water on my first 2 rounds, and I think this will help my digestion.

I will be starting Sunday, taking time Saturday to clean out the cupboards and get organized. Happy thoughts!

 

 

 

[samalope]

Day 1

Lunch: turkey chopped salad and homemade italian dressing. I didn't like the dressing much.

Snack: banana

Dinner: salad with shrimp, no dressing, coffee. and later a baked potato and green beans

Snack: clementine

I slept in so no breakfast. I forgot some family was in town so I needed to eat out which made me kind of nervous for the first day. I settled on salad and shrimp with no dressing because it was the safest thing. I was ready to make a second dinner by the time I got home though - so I microwaved a potato and some green beans.

I didn't eat enough for my first day and so I was tired and didn't have enough energy.

I was happy with how colorful my fridge was so I decided to take a picture of it!

Bye bye foods!

First meal of Whole30, I love these chopped salad kits - even if I only use the veggie part (my husband loves the dressing so it is win win)

[samalope]

Day 2

Breakfast - 3 eggs surrounded by green beans

Lunch - Turkey chopped salad with bacon crumbles, Tessamae basalamic vinegarette dressing. Banana and clementine.

Dinner - Sirloin steak, carrots and hash browns. Banana and clementine. 

Evening snack - handful of baby carrots and some coffee

Water - probably around 60oz

I am super tired this evening and I have a headache. Feeling pretty hungry this evening.  Not sure if it is boredom or actual hunger lol. 

 

 

[samalope]

Day 3

Breakfast - 3 eggs and heaps of carrots and broccoli 

Snack - banana (I was starving a couple hours after breakfast! I need more fat? more eggs?)

Lunch - same ol chopped salad with turkey and 4 pieces of bacon D: , tessamae  dressing and a clementine

Dinner - Sou vide Salmon, green beans and potato wedges. Potato wedges were super good! I have never made them before and they were super easy to make. So that is a NSV itself I think! 

Today I felt pretty hungry, still figuring out how much to eat during the day.  But unlike other days when I eat poorly, I actually had energy? I felt like taking care of the dishes and trying something new with dinner. 

Dinner pic! And no that is not a paper plate, it is a plate that was made to look like a paper plate? I do not understand it personally, but my mom got them for me and she was so excited so I have been using them.  I do like that they are melamine! 

 

[Shontay]

Good luck with round 3. This is my first go at it. I'm on day 7 and I'm feeling better than ever...stable energy and I'm dropping pounds. What helped me get through the "detox/headache" phase was starting it on a Friday that way I can stay home over the weekend and not give in to the headaches..which are normal when getting toxins out of your body. You got this!

[samalope]

Thanks for the encouragement! Yes I think starting on the weekend is a lot easier than starting on a Monday. I've always started on Sundays so I can make myself and fun breakfast and have time to cook anything I want at home for the first day. It is smart to start on a Friday for that reason I think

I haven't had too many detox headaches but I have been going to bed an hour early for the past few nights, I need the extra rest I think since I am not hyped up on sugar.

[samalope]

Day 4

Breakfast - woke up late, banana only! Big mistake. coffee

Lunch - same turkey chopped salad with bacon, tessamae dressing. Coffee

Dinner - 3 eggs, and some baby carrots, a few leftover potato wedges and 2 clementines 

I was starving for dinner when I got home, so I quickly made some eggs and scarfed them down. I guess that is what I get for skipping a meal. I also made some chicken for lunch tomorrow, for my salaaaad. 

Funny that I said in my last post I haven't been very headachy, because today I had the worst headache after work! Good food fixed it though! again, that is what I get for skipping a meal. 

I don't know if I ate a single salad in my last round, but my husband found these great chopped salad kits from Dole and I really enjoyed them! They make eating a salad very easy lol. Maybe it is the small bites. That was a month ago and I decided I really liked the veggies in them so I thought I'd include them in my meal plan. 

Speaking of meal plan. Or maybe lack thereof. Last time I did Whole30 I meal planned like crazy every Sunday night. It worked for me then. However I just have been winging it this round. I looked at what was on sale at Kroger and went from there. My husband is very adamant that I keep the spending low lol. 

Next week I would like to make beef stew or some Thai food.

[EllieHH]

Hi!  Just wanted to say "go you!"  I am impressed at your dedication.  I am a first timer and did all the planning stuff which I think helped me, but as I've gone along I've gotten closer to winging it and it's gotten really easy now that I skip 80% of the grocery store (which I find hilarious...).  Our food has gotten very colorful (thanks for the shout out) and my husband (who is doing W30fordinneronly) has commented so many times on us eating things we've never eaten before.  I figure, what the heck...I had never bought fresh beets in my life (for example) but obviously people eat them, so...why not?  It's been a good experimentation.  

I love the banana only/big mistake - totally agree.  Who knew fruit was so sugary - I almost can't do it at breakfast at all or I'm all wired (okay, maybe the coffee is also at play there).  One purchase that has been a great one is one of those big clear boxes of "baby greens" mix - man, I eat that stuff all kinds of ways.  It is a total lifesaver on lunch (just put whatever random leftovers I have on top of it and DONE).  Tossed some in a skillet with some c. butter this morning and had 2 eggs on top - lovely.   Anyway, welcome back and thanks for letting me ramble on your page! (and I haven't even had any fruit tonight)

[samalope]

Day 5

Breakfast - 3 eggs, green beans and banana. felt good with this amount of food.

Lunch - a big portion of chicken that I cooked last night in a chopped salad with bacon bits and tessamae dressing

Dinner - half of a large chicken breast in the skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper, carrots and green beans.

I was super hungry after 2 hours so I came home and had a couple of eggs. 

Yesterday was OK, I was really hungry after awhile after dinner and was cranky, so as soon as I could I made some eggs and that helped me out.

@EllieHH  I will have to try some different greens mixes - I really like the chopped salad ones I've been getting but I will probably get sick of that soon if I don't change it up.

 

 

[sweetcee]

@samalope do you have a Trader Joe’s? Their cruciferous crunch salad is amaaaazing! I don’t have a lot of salads (I do better with cooked veg), but that is my 2nd favorite. Personally I just love baby spinach and have been going through it like wildfire.

[Annika]

Hi @samalope - hope you don’t mind me butting in with an opinion. I read over your log and was immediately struck by the lack of fat in your diet. I suggest making sure you are eating an amount of fat close to the recommendation in the meal template. Add some almond butter to your banana, some avocado to your salad or your plate of eggs, make a mayo-based sauce to go with your veggies. Just having fat to cook in, or just salad dressing, isn’t enough fat in a meal. Fat is very satiating and should help with getting hungry later. We have been conditioned to avoid fat, so sometimes it’s hard to shift to a mindset of deliberately adding fat!

[Roonster]

Hi @samalope! Congrats on one week, and I hope your next week goes well! I wanted to say hi so that I didn't feel too much like a stalker / lurker

[samalope]

I usually post the morning after but this weekend I was busy and missed it!

Friday Day 6- eggs and veggies, leftover chicken with salad and tessamae dressing, honestly can't remember what dinner was lol

Saturday  Day 7- eggs and hashbrowns in coconut oil, italian sausage and broccoli and carrots, steak and carrots and broccoli or dinner. I am pretty sure I ate an entire cantaloupe at my moms house (a trigger place for me for emotional eating - working on it)

Sunday Day 8 - breakfast: eggs and broccoli sprayed with coconut oil, lunch: italian sausage and potato wedges, dinner: chicken on salad with lemon juice, like 3 clementines and an apple while friends were over for DnD (yes I am a nerd )

This weekend was very emotional for me - not in a bad sense but in the sense that at every twist and turn I seemed to be wanting to reward myself for food.
My husband and I are house shopping and found one we really like, so we are placing an offer on it - I want to eat to celebrate! Also eat because I am nervous about all that could go wrong with the offer, the inspections, etc... Instead I took a nap LOL
I went to visit my moms: She always gives my sisters and I sweets and treats and other stuff when we visit, it really is her way of showing affection. I brought my own cantaloupe and ended up eating most of it D:
My husband and I went to church together for the first time in a long time: Lets celebrate by getting lunch! Oh wait, no, not worth the hassle of eating out.
Played DnD with friends: everyone brings snacks, so I should have something to snack on too! I probably ate too much fruit then.

I am so glad I am doing this during a stressful time in my life - house hunting is crazy and fun but mostly frustrating for me. The highs and lows of excitement to dissapointment are difficult to handle and I am just glad that I have a stable diet right now instead of gorging on and processed sugary thing I can get my hands on ---which ultimately makes my mood spikes A LOT worse. I don't know how I'd be handling this otherwise.

I am on Lexapro for depression and it has been giving me terrible night sweats, but for the first time in months I haven't had any. Wonderful NSV!!!

 

[samalope]

On 3/24/2018 at 10:11 AM, sweetcee said:

@samalope do you have a Trader Joe’s? Their cruciferous crunch salad is amaaaazing! I don’t have a lot of salads (I do better with cooked veg), but that is my 2nd favorite. Personally I just love baby spinach and have been going through it like wildfire.

The closest one is an hour away unfortunately Sounds yummy tho!

 

 

On 3/25/2018 at 8:56 AM, Annika said:

Hi @samalope - hope you don’t mind me butting in with an opinion. I read over your log and was immediately struck by the lack of fat in your diet. I suggest making sure you are eating an amount of fat close to the recommendation in the meal template. Add some almond butter to your banana, some avocado to your salad or your plate of eggs, make a mayo-based sauce to go with your veggies. Just having fat to cook in, or just salad dressing, isn’t enough fat in a meal. Fat is very satiating and should help with getting hungry later. We have been conditioned to avoid fat, so sometimes it’s hard to shift to a mindset of deliberately adding fat!

I don't mind at all! Actually this has been on my mind lately to consciously add more fat.  I know this is terrible, but I am not a huge fan of avocado! I do love homemade mayo tho, I need to get back in on that.

 

17 hours ago, Roonster said:

Hi @samalope! Congrats on one week, and I hope your next week goes well! I wanted to say hi so that I didn't feel too much like a stalker / lurker

Thanks so much!

[sweetcee]

1 hour ago, samalope said:

 

On 3/24/2018 at 10:11 AM, sweetcee said:

@samalope do you have a Trader Joe’s? Their cruciferous crunch salad is amaaaazing! I don’t have a lot of salads (I do better with cooked veg), but that is my 2nd favorite. Personally I just love baby spinach and have been going through it like wildfire.

The closest one is an hour away unfortunately Sounds yummy tho!

 

On 3/25/2018 at 8:56 AM, Annika said:

 

I don't mind at all! Actually this has been on my mind lately to consciously add more fat.  I know this is terrible, but I am not a huge fan of avocado! I do love homemade mayo tho, I need to get back in on that.

 

Bummer on the TJ’s! It’s just shredded kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, @samalope, so you could probably make yourself. Just easier to buy. 

I am allergic to avocado, so I feel you on that. I’ve been eating a ton of olives and coconut shreds, and that’s been helpful. Also dousing my greens in ghee!

[samalope]

Day 9

Yesterday didn't go well

Breakfast - 3 eggs, burnt my carrots in the skillet and picked through them to try to eat some.

Lunch - got busy at work and skipped it

Dinner - ravenously ate 2 sausage links and hashbrowns then went to bed with a migraine (I wonder why?? ha) 

Stress caught up with me yesterday. Today will be better.

[samalope]

I am on Day 10 today. I keep telling myself... 30 days to go.

Last time I completed the Whole30 I did not do a proper reintroduction. I did a couple days but I didn't realize I still have to stick to Whole30 the 2 days after each reintroduction day. That threw me off for some reason and I wasn't prepared.

I am going to get the most out of this Whole30 and really look at how food effects me.

[samalope]

Day 10

Breakfast - 3 eggs and broccoli (I didn't eat all the broccoli, I was in a rush as always!)

Lunch - steak strips and chopped salad with tessamae dressing (didn't want to eat the steak but I did anyway)

Dinner - breakfast for dinner, 1 egg, 4 sausage baby links, carrots and hashbrowns

Today was ok. Energy levels were good throughout the day, didn't come home hungry.

My husband and I are waiting to hear back with our offer on the house we want is accepted - it is a foreclosure but they said we should hear back within 2 days (by Wednesday morning). I just wanna know one way or another!

I went to the mall after dinner with husband and it was weird to not get food while I was there. Usually I wanna get a slice of pizza at Fabio's or some ice cream or a mocha frappe. GAH!!!

 

[samalope]

Not food related but I just found out we won't hear from the bank about the house we put an offer on until next Wednesday. Lord help me!
 

I would normally comfort myself by getting some chocolate somewhere but I think I will just have to manage it some other way.
I noticed I take a lot more long baths when I am doing Whole30 as a way of self-soothing. Might have to enjoy one when I get home today.

[samalope]

Day 11 -

Breakfast - 4 baby sausage links (been waking up late, actually made these at work)

Lunch - 5 baby sausage links and chopped salad with tessamae dressing

Dinner - 1 Italian sausage, green beans and hashbrowns

 

Today is Day 12 and I skipped breakfast. I couldn't get out of bed.

I am almost out of protein and need to go grocery shopping tonight. zzzzzz

 

[samalope]

Day 12

Skipped breakfast

Lunch - 3 sausage links and chopped salad with tessamae dressing (kinda ran out of food D:)

Dinner - Rotisserie chicken, hashbrowns, green beans

HOLY CRAP I FOUND A ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AT KROGER WITH NO ADDITIVES!!! 10 bucks but worth it, it was huge. Omg it smelled so good in my cart while I was doing the rest of my shopping.

Today (day 13) I am going to attempt SPAGHETTI SQUASH.

[sweetcee]

I love spaghetti squash! Don’t know how you plan on making it. But I find that it’s much easier to cut in half if you microwave it for a minute to soften it first. I hear you can make one whole in the instant pot but I haven’t tried yet.

[samalope]

10 minutes ago, sweetcee said:

I love spaghetti squash! Don’t know how you plan on making it. But I find that it’s much easier to cut in half if you microwave it for a minute to soften it first. I hear you can make one whole in the instant pot but I haven’t tried yet.

I have an instapot and was thinking about trying it, but also I was thinking about just cutting it in half and baking it in the oven. It is just *sooo* much work to get the instantpot out of the cupboard! (Joking but kind of not LOL)

[samalope]

I ended up making the spaghetti squash on Friday and it went great! So yummy. I made homemade pasta sauce, too.

Easter went ok, I had pot roast, green beans, and fresh fruit and veggies. And deviled eggs that were made with my homemade mayo! It was actually harder than Thanksgiving though in terms of saying "no thanks" to foods. It was because of the chocolate. I am such a chocolate fiend LOL. Thanksgiving is more for fruit pies which are easy to pass up. But dang... those peanut butter eggs are difficult to decline.

 

 

[sweetcee]

I bought myself one peanut butter egg (my favorite as well!) which I will try after reintros are done. It’s been on my counter since Friday- I’m shocked it’s lasted this long, but even though I love them, I don’t crave it. Remarkable what w30 can do for you! Kudos on making it through a tough day.