Sierra Eats to Live!

[Roonster]

Day 0

Yesterday I returned from a two-week long work trip, so it was a fresh slate for groceries. I've started the Whole30 two other times, but I've never finished it.  Work trips have always been my excuse. This time I've planned my 30 days to not go over any travel. While this may be cheating in that it makes my life easier, I am a believer that failing to plan is planning to fail. In my case, expecting that I'll just magically be able to stick to the Whole30 over a trip that I can't plan for is planning to fail.

Today I prepped my food for the week. I'm using Melissa Joulwan's "food plan" (http://meljoulwan.com/2013/07/27/whole30-week-1-food-plan/) for inspiration and guidance.  I hate not having any choice over what I eat, but I also know that, given too many choices, I'll make bad ones.  So here's the choices I'm giving myself this week:

Protein -- Roasted dark meat turkey, hard boiled eggs, ground beef, tuna in olive oil, any other compliant way to cook eggs (I really like eggs).

Veggies -- Raw celery, raw yellow and orange bell peppers, raw cherry tomatoes, raw salad mix (arugula, spinach and lettuce); green beans, broccoli, green bell peppers

Fruit -- Honeydew, frozen cherries, frozen blueberries, oranges (I still have to buy these)

Sauces available -- Mayo, Sunshine Sauce (http://meljoulwan.com/2009/07/21/sunshine-sauce/), Moroccan Dipping Sauce (http://meljoulwan.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/), EVOO and balsamic vinegar

Cooked -- Chocolate Chili (http://meljoulwan.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/), Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup (http://meljoulwan.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/)

 

I'd planned on starting today, but I had some sausage dip leftovers that aren't compliant (sausage with sugar and cream cheese), and I didn't want to just throw it away. Plus I didn't have anything prepped. So I started after lunch even though I'm calling tomorrow Day 1.

Breakfast: None, slept in because of jet lag

Lunch (1330): Sausage dip and a cup of Earl Grey tea

Dinner (1830): Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup and two mugs of herbal tea

Snack (2230): Handful of mixed nuts (cashews, almonds and macadamia)

 

So far so good! Looking forward to Day 1 tomorrow.

 

"Some people are willing to pay the price and it's the same with staying healthy or eating healthy. There's some discipline involved. There's some sacrifices."
- Mike Ditka

[samalope]

I just started again for my 3rd go! You can do it. And it is smart to plan around trips I think. I will be going to a 2.5-day convention in the middle of my Whole30 but I am able to meal-prep before hand and sneak back into my hotel to eat lunch so it will work out.   Can't image trying to be gone longer than 4 days without A LOT of planning first!

[Roonster]

Day 1 -- Done!

Everything went pretty smoothly. Having food prepped takes the guess work out of what I'm going to eat, and I I really appreciate still being able to make choices about what I eat.  For example, last night I got home and really wanted some eggs, so I whipped up one of my favourite "comfort foods" -- eggs over hash browns. I used sweet potatoes mixed with onions and fried the eggs and potatoes in ghee. 

I have been feeling a lot hungrier than normal. I think that's to be expected though, as my body isn't used to eating this way. I woke up this morning to a rumbling tummy, which is strange to me since I've always been a no breakfast person! Still sticking to the three meals a day!

I'm dealing with a lot of stress at work, which is leading to some anxiety. Along with my W30 I'm focusing on controlling things that I can. For example, I'm changing my workouts to the morning, because I know that's the only time I'm guaranteed. I've staked out two times to go to daily Mass during the week, because it's worthwhile and helps with my mental and emotional state. I'm also trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, which is something I struggle with. Right now I'm also getting over jetlag, so I'm looking forward to the improved sleep!

 

Breakfast (0800): Black tea. Two Epic venison sea salt bars after my workout. Quick because I had a dentist appointment.

Lunch (1130): Chocolate Chili with black olives, salad with Moroccan dipping sauce as dressing. Herbal tea.

Dinner (1800): 5 fried eggs over sweet potato and onion hash browns. Water.

"Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me." - Carol Burnett

 

 

[Roonster]

On 19/3/2018 at 6:34 PM, samalope said:

I just started again for my 3rd go! You can do it. And it is smart to plan around trips I think. I will be going to a 2.5-day convention in the middle of my Whole30 but I am able to meal-prep before hand and sneak back into my hotel to eat lunch so it will work out.   Can't image trying to be gone longer than 4 days without A LOT of planning first!

Honestly what really gets me on my work trips is that I usually end up splitting a car with a coworker or two, all of whom are men and want to go to breweries, pubs or BBQ joints. Add that to staying in hotels that don't always have a fridge, and I end up deciding that eating even marginally healthy is an attainable and worthwhile goal! Since craft beer isn't readily available where I live, it's easy to convince myself that I "have to" at least try a sip. (I really enjoy beer tasting, but knew I don't feel great when I drink.)

 

Good luck with your conference! I'm sure you'll do well since it sounds like you already have it all planned out :-)

[Roonster]

Day 2

I woke up early today (4 AM!), but I'm sure it's because I'm still adjusting back to this time zone. I ran for 3.5 mi this morning. I'm satisfied with my workout, because one of my goals is to workout every morning this week, but the run itself was pretty sluggish. The pace was just under 10 min / mi, and I felt more out of breath and like it took me longer to warm up. I'm not sure whether that's due to my lift yesterday, which is a higher rep leg lift, or it being day 2. Combo of both, probably!

As far as workouts are concerned, I'm working with an online coach who comes up with my plan. She specializes in training outdoor athletes, and I'm planning an ascent of Mt Kilimanjaro in August. I know the altitude is an unknown beast of its own, but I'm planning on improving my physical fitness and dropping at least 15 pounds prior to that climb. 

Don't worry, losing weight isn't the goal of my W30, but I won't say no if it happens!

B4 wkt (0515): 2x HB eggs, black tea

Workout (0545): 3.5 mi run

Breakfast (0645): Half palm size piece of turkey thigh, yellow bell peppers, gingered zucchini soup

Lunch (1130): Mixed salad with bell peppers, celery, cherry tomatoes, chopped turkey and sunshine sauce dressing

Snack (1600): Handful of cashews and a Naked juice (not recommended, I know)

Dinner (1900): Pad Thai (http://meljoulwan.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/) topped with fresh cilantro and green onions, and iced tea

I think I ate a lot more today than yesterday, but I didn't snack mindlessly, so it's a win!

Keep calm, W30 on!

-- Sierra

"The food you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy. Those are your options." - Melissa Hartwig

[Annika]

I made Sunshine Sauce this week too! Meh - it was pretty good. I think I might try it with half almond butter or tahini next time. I’m not crazy about the sunbutter. I really like Melissa Joulwan’s ideas about organizing meals (although I’ve never really followed them - but they’re inspiring nonetheless!).

[Roonster]

I've been exhausted the last couple days. I'm guessing it's a combination of new eating ala Whole30 plus a ton of stress at work plus super long hours plus getting over jetlag.  I think I'm coming out the other side, and it's the weekend!

Day 3 -- Done!

More fighting with sleep. I woke up at 0140, and after 45 min of laying there realized I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. I was hungry, warm and generally wide awake (although my eyes still felt tire), so I got out of bed and did some housework.  I headed in and got a lift in the gym before work. This week I attended a class on security of sensitive documents, and it was not enthralling, to put it mildly.  I fought with the head bobs and heavy eyes for a bit, but did resort to coffee for an energy boost.  At lunch I really enjoyed my left over Pad Thai! It made the lunch meeting I had go by much more smoothly and pleasantly.

Breakfast: 4 HB eggs, 2 mugs black tea, bell peppers (yellow, orange and green)

Midmorning (after workout): Zucchini soup, one shot espresso

Lunch: Pad Thai (leftovers) topped with cilantro, green onions and lime, bell peppers

Dinner: Broccoli and turkey sauteed in ghee with salt and peppers

Dessert: Frozen blueberries

 

Day 4 -- Done!

Today the weird sleep schedule is really catching up to me. I'd planned on getting up early to run, but after my alarm went off at 0515, I fell back asleep until 0630.  No time to run! I didn't get a workout in today because work is so busy right now.  It really drives home how essential it is to get my workout done in the morning so that I can guarantee that time. Once I get into the office, there's no guarantee I'll be able to leave until late, and I'm sure I'll be tired, a bit cranky and not particularly motivated to workout in the dark instead of eating dinner.  It's another day where I'm exhausted. All morning I hoped and prayed I could go take a quick nap in my car during my lunch hour, but I had another office meeting / working lunch to attend, so I had to resort to coffee again. I've been trying to cut back on my caffeine intake for this whole year, and this travel / exhaustion / maybe whole30? isn't helping!

Breakfast: Black tea, zucchini soup, 4 HB eggs, coconut water with pineapple

Midafternoon: Coconut cream larabar, apple pie larabar, coconut water with pineapple, black tea, handful cashews

Dinner: Chocolate chili with arugula and sweet potato, cherries

Today is also day 2 of craving "something else" after dinner is over. I think it's my sugar dragon, but I'm not going to lie, I gave in.  I haven't had much fruit, and I don't usually eat tons of it (probably because I'm used to following a low carb diet), but both this evening and the last one I had some frozen fruit after dinner. And it was delicious.  Between my hormones, etc, I think it was a smart choice for me, but I am not going to make this a habit.

[Roonster]

Day 5 -- done!

I'm proud of myself today. I made several decisions, and I stuck to them! First, I spent the afternoon moving furniture around my office. I had a jerry rigged stand up desk, but I found another actual stand up desk in another office, and I spent the afternoon disassembling and reassembling my desk over there and moving the stand up desk to my cube.  I'm excited, because now I can choose to stand or sit, and because now there's enough room for me to fully use my mouse and keyboard!

At lunch time, my boss announced that we were going to have an office "wine and cheese" get together towards the end of the day to say goodbye to a coworker who's transferring to a new job. I sat through two hours of wine and cheese, and didn't have any! I had some olives left over from lunch, so I munched on those along with my water bottle, and really enjoyed it. 

Breakfast (0800): Handful of cashews and 2 mugs of black tea

Lunch (1300): Celery, Black tea

Midafternoon (1600): Black olives

Workout: Training lift

Dinner (2000): Wilted spinach salad with celery and tuna, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice salt and pepper. A couple slices of honeydew melon.

 

Day 6 -- done!

It's my first weekend day on whole30, and things went well. I braved eating out, which I was really nervous about. A friend invited me and my best friend to meet him and his wife for drinks and dinner. I passed up the drinks and stuck with fizzy water. We had sushi for dinner. I wasn't sure what had soy in it, and I don't know how to ask that question in Italian, so I just stuck to sliced sashimi. I figured that the plain tuna, salmon and white fish were all compliant and enjoyable! My best friend is the one who I've told about doing the whole30, and she helped sort of brush off my strange diet choices as a "detox." We both know it isn't that, but it helped me avoid having to explain everything, which I was grateful for.

Breakfast (0900): 3 mugs of black tea, 1/4 of a frittata I made (1 onion and 1 green pepper sauteed in coconut oil, 8 eggs, ground beef, black olives) topped with sliced cherry tomatoes

Lunch (1200): Iced tea, 1/4 frittata

Workout: 4 mile run

Midafternoon snack (1730): Honeydew melon (a bunch, to keep me from being starving and making bad choices at dinner)

Dinner (1930): Salmon, tuna and white fish sashimi

Snack (2330): Two handfuls of mixed cashews and almonds, frozen cherries with unsweetened cocoa powder

I also walked to and from the restaurant, which is about a mile and a half each way. Plus it's 150m of stairs on the way back up!

I need to figure out a couple things, I think.

1. What do I tell people if I don't feel like explaining everything? I'm secure in my choices for me, but I am still very sensitive about food and don't want to have to explain myself to everyone and open myself up to criticism about my diet. All I know is that I was getting less healthy, and I'm trying to change that.

2. I've been leaning on fruit as a dessert, or comfort food, or sugar, or whatever you want to call it. I'm not usually a dessert eater, so this is unusual for me. Why am I doing this now?

3. All day today I've had strange stomach cramps. It's not nausea, and it's not female cramps. I'm not sure what it is. I need to figure that out as well, and if it continues tomorrow, I'll do some research. If it's still there on Monday I'll go to the clinic for sick call and ask a doctor. There's nothing I've eaten that's new or unfamiliar, so I don't think I've discovered some sort of food intolerance that I didn't know about...

Sierra

 

“The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit.” -- Gretchen Rubin

[Roonster]

Thanks for sharing the elevator speeches on Whole30 @Annika I'm absolutely going to take some time today to sit down and write out my elevator speeches and personal reasons for Whole30ing.

Today is food prep day. Last week I made more food than I needed, so I have some leftovers. I'm still following the same principles from Mel Joulwan, but not her "food plan" this week, as it didn't look as good or as feasible as what I can come up with.

Bear with me since I haven't gone food shopping yet, and I'm figuring this out as I go.

Leftovers -- Roasted turkey dark meat (2 portions), ground beef (2 portions); chocolate chili (2 portions)

Protein -- Turkey protein salad with cranberries, apples and walnuts, ground beef, Mississippi roast (https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/slow-cooker-mississippi-roast-paleowhole30/), hard boiled eggs, tuna in olive oil, any other compliant way to cook eggs.

Veggies -- Green beans, broccoli, frozen broccoli, frozen brussels sprouts; Raw veggies to make salad and snack on based on what's at the store (bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, spinach, lettuce, arugula); sweet potatoes and squashes if available.

Fruit -- Depends on what's available, but probably some frozen berries and some citrus fruit.

Sauces available -- Mayo, Sunshine Sauce, Moroccan Dipping Sauce, EVOO and balsamic vinegar

Yay for food prep! I love cooking, and last week I was really grateful to Sunday Sierra for all the work she did in deciding what I was going to eat all week. It absolutely keeps my stress down and makes my lunches and dinners easier!

Sierra

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best."  --  St. Jerome

 

[Roonster]

Day 7 / Week 1 -- Done!

Today I've been struggling with the feeling of actually having finished the first week of Whole30. I keep thinking back, looking over my food log and generally just feeling like something is wrong. I've been so used to lying to myself that my diet is "healthy" that I don't know how to understand that the past week I've both eaten a healthy diet and stuck to something that I said I'd do 100%. It feels amazing, and it wasn't even difficult!

I've read Melissa's post on the topic, and I've been researching some of Gretchen Rubin's ideas on Moderator vs. Abstainer. I am 100% and abstainer. I can and always have been good at following rules, even if they're arbitrary, so long as I decide to do so.  It also fits with Gretchen's Four Tendencies. I'm a Questioner, who is someone that internalizes everything and operates from internal motivation. I've never been good at following what someone else tells me to do or recommends for health UNLESS I've decided either that what they say is right (I internalize the information), or I've decided that they're very trustworthy and worth listening to (I've internalized the relationship). Suffice it to say, that, as an Abstainer and a Questioner, the Whole30 is great, because the rules are black and white, and I've internalized the program.

Breakfast: Nothing. I slept in (forgot about Daylight Savings Time) and was almost late for Church.

Lunch (1330): Black tea, 1/4 of the frittata I made yesterday. A bunch of raw bell peppers (green, yellow and orange).

Snack (1730): Handful of macadamia nuts, coconut water.

Dinner (2030): Chocolate chili with green beans.

I also taste tested the foods I was making for the week, so I had a couple bites of butternut squash and beef roast, as well as a stalk of celery.

I only had a couple stomach cramps today, and they were very brief. I have had rumbly bowels, though (TMI, I know). I typically supplement with Magnesium because of the brain, muscle, nerve and female health benefits, but I think I'll leave it out for a couple days. It has some natural laxative effects, and those could be adding to my gut adapting to the massive amounts of fiber I'm eating and resulting in my symptoms. I know that coconut water can also be a natural laxative, so I'll cut back on that as well.

Changes from my proposed meal prep above: I froze the ground beef last week, so I left it in the freezer. Instead, I bought some chicken thighs, since I've been looking for a lean protein source for after workouts in the morning, and I think chicken is more palatable than ground beef. I also may have over cooked my roast. I've only made this recipe in a crock pot before, but I no longer have one, so I made it in the oven following some directions I found online to convert slow cooker recipes to dutch oven. It seems a little dry. I deglazed the dutch oven with some chicken stock and added that to the meat, so hopefully it'll be a bit moister tomorrow. I haven't made the turkey protein salad yet, but it's on my list for tomorrow. I may make it half turkey, half chicken. I ate the green beans tonight, and there was no fresh spinach at the store, so I bought frozen instead. I also bought frozen mustard greens and may try a frittata with those for my breakfasts for the rest of the week.

Making sure I have enough fat in my meals is my goal for this week.

KCW30O!

Sierra

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet." -- Fran Lebowitz

[Roonster]

Day 8 -- doneish

Don't get me wrong, I ate completely compliantly today, but I fell into the snacky snack snack habits of my past rather than eating meals. Also, in the afternoon, I was stressed and felt "hungry." I failed the steamed fish and broccoli test, ("I don't want these HB eggs I have, but I'd eat a Larabar!") and I totally gave in to my sugar dragon. Two larabars, a handful of cashews and a banana later, and I wasn't hungry at all for dinner. I did eat some macadamia nuts once I got home, as well, because my salt dragon was coming out.

I'm going to look at it as a learning experience. Did I mess up? A bit, but there's no such thing as a perfect whole30. I've stayed on plan, and that's what matters. Onward and upwards!

[AlyMcF]

I've totally had days like this and today was one. I started snacking at 9:45am and never really stopped. Well, tomorrow is another day, and another opportunity to eat three proper meals, I guess!

[Roonster]

Today is catch-up day. I intended to type up entries in this log everyday, but this past week or so has been so crazy busy that it's all I can do to just eat, sleep, get a workout in and go to work.  In case anyone is wondering, I keep a paper food log. I've been doing this for a while, and I keep it on paper because I like the accountability of knowing what I've eaten, but I hate how almost all food tracking apps then also require you to input quantities and track macros, calories, etc. I also am not allowed to have my phone with me at work (classified workspace), but I can always have my notebooks. I'm one of those crazy people who carries around a huge traveler's notebook of a planner, notebook, food log... the list goes on.

Day 8

Morning run: 3 miles, 30:34. Interval run with 5 min warmup, then 7* (2min on, 1 min off) then 5 min c/d.

Breakfast: 1/4 frittata I made on day 6, coffee with coconut milk. Throughout the morning I had two shots of espresso.

Lunch: Chocolate chili, raw celery

Afternoon snacks (Spread out as I snacked my way through the day): 2 coconut cream larabars, 2 handfuls of cashews, banana, 2 handfuls of macadamia nuts

Dinner: Nothing. Just snacking.

 

Day 9 -- Done!

Whole30 Day by Day has today set as the day to perfect my elevator pitch. I've thought about it, but so far haven't come up with a good one. When I do, I'll be sure to capture it for future me!

Morning workout: Training lift with dynamic warmup and stretching after

Post-workout: Epic salt and pepper venison bar

Breakfast: 3 mugs black tea with coconut milk, butternut squash

Lunch: Mississippi roast, salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives) with olive oil, banana, coconut water with peach and mango

Dinner: Chicken thigh, 4 bananas, sun butter

I noticed today that I have been eating a lot of fruit. This is partly because I bought a lot of fruit last weekend and need to eat it before it spoils. However, I am making an effort to not prioritize fruit over green veggies. As I increase my fruit intake, my veggies are going down, and that's not preferable.

 

Day 10 -- Done!

Today was a horrifically busy day at work. I didn't expect to have to stay late, so I didn't pack enough food for a late day. The snacks I have at work are mostly larabars, nuts, Epic bars and fruit, since this is what I can get at our mini-mart and what stays pretty well. I intentionally was trying to cut down on my nut consumption and not use fruit or larabars for a sweet pick-me-up so I was stuck.  I ended up staying late and didn't get home until 10 PM. I wasn't very hungry then, and I just wanted to go to sleep, so I went to bed without eating dinner. Not the best, but in many cases prioritizing sleep over food is difficult for me, so I think this was a psychologically healthy decision for me.

Breakfast: Black tea with coconut milk

Lunch: Mississippi roast, raw celery, apple, iced tea

Afternoon: 1 shot espresso

"Dinner": Orange, cucumbers

 

[Roonster]

Day 11 -- Done!

Today was a challenge for me. This week was so busy at work because we had four visiting experts who were here to conduct a planning conference. I did not have much time to work during the day, so I stayed late and grabbed food as I could throughout the day. This evening, a coworker scheduled dinner with these visitors at a highly recommended local place. (I live in Italy, so all "local places" are Italian.) I am comfortable with the idea of eating Italian food (or food, as it's called here). My rules for eating out in Italy are:

1. No fried food, because it's always breaded, and I don't know what kind of oil they use.

2. No pasta, for obvious reasons.

3. No cheese, which is actually easier done than you'd think.

Unfortunately, the place operates on a set menu, which I didn't know until we arrived. Not drinking was the easy part, although the wine smells were intoxicating.  The food all appeared delicious, and the waiters didn't understand the concept of not bringing out the courses. (It doesn't help that this was day 11, which is apparently the most likely day for people to give up on whole30.)  I ended up being served all the courses, and, because it was a set menu, there were no alterations allowed. I ate the appetizers that were compliant -- a pork roll stuffed with broccoli and greens and some roasted eggplant with tomatoes. I picked all the meaty bits out of my pasta after I decided that the sauce seemed compliant. The main course was steak with roasted potatoes, which was easy, and I passed on dessert. However, after dinner, despite the fact that I did the best I could, I was plagued by doubts and that negative voice that keeps telling me that I can't actually do this for 30 days.  Was there added sugar in the sauces? Did any of the food have butter in it? Realistically, there's no way for me to tell, and I didn't notice any negative side effects, so I must press on and not let one dinner derail me.

As I work at this process, I begin to realize that the real food demons are in my mind. I beat myself up; I use food as a reward; I use food as a weapon against myself. I battle with desires to not be "high maintenance" in social settings. I don't want other people to question my food choices or think that I'm picky. I don't want to eat things I don't want.

During reintroduction I don't think I'll discover any unexpected food intolerances. Before starting this process I ate fairly healthily, except for the occasional off-the-tracks crazy binge day(s). Overall, I didn't eat many processed foods, many refined carbohydrates, bread, desserts, fruit or even legumes. I did eat a lot of dairy, but I've done elimination periods for dairy before and never noticed any changes. My point is that I want to learn to be in control of my eating and not the other way around. Having the whole30 rules has given me the ability to say "no" to food, drinks and events in situations in which I would have felt pressured to eat something I didn't really want or to drink more than I enjoyed. Figuring this out is my biggest NSV so far, and it was totally worth the discomfort I felt at dinner tonight to get to this point.

Prioritizing my eating has also helped me to prioritize other parts of my health, such as working out. I've been much more consistent with getting workouts in, and I can already see changes in my muscle tone and body because of these two things.

Breakfast (0730): Black tea with coconut milk, banana, handful of cashews

Lunch (1200): 2 chicken thighs, butternut squash, raw celery, iced tea

Snack (1800): 2 bananas with cashew cookie coconut butter

Dinner (2000): Pork roll, egg plant with marinara, mortadella, steak, roasted potatoes, acqua frizzante

Ciao, amici!

Sierra

 

"The better you know yourself, the better your relationship with the rest of the world." -- Toni Collette

[Roonster]

Day 12 -- Done!

Today is Good Friday. As a Catholic, today is a day of fasting and abstinence, which I followed (one full meal, two small snacks). My meals will not be in accordance with the meal template, because I'm not eating full meals. My faith is the most important thing in my life, so I won't compromise it for a way of eating.

"Breakfast" (1100): Coffee with coconut milk, raw bell peppers.

Lunch: None

Workout (1730): Training lift

Post-workout snack (1900): Two handfuls macadamia nuts, coconut water

Dinner (2000): Sweet potato topped with 6 fried eggs and ghee.

I still need to emphasize getting green veggies into all my meals. That will be my focus for tomorrow and all next week.

I hope you all had a blessed Good Friday,

Sierra

 

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.'" -- John 11:25-26

[Roonster]

Here's my Holy Saturday Breakfast/Lunch!

Frittata made with 5 eggs, 12 oz frozen spinach, one yellow onion and EVOO; a whole avocado and a dozen halved cherry tomatoes; two sliced oranges. (They were getting moldy, so it's time to eat them!)

I didn't manage to eat it all, so I have leftovers for tomorrow morning

 

[Roonster]

Day 13 -- Done!

I hope everyone had a blessed and restful Holy Saturday! I spent the day getting my apartment cleaned up, and I got to go on a long run. It was an awesome day.

Breakfast (1100): Banana, water, black tea

Lunch (1230): Half my frittata, half an avocado, cherry tomatoes, black tea

Workout (1730): 6 mile run, 50 min

Post-workout (1830): Epic venison salt and pepper strip

Dinner (2230): Mississippi roast, raw bell peppers, two oranges, two bananas with coconut butter (very dessert like, I know)

I went to the Easter Vigil tonight which is my favorite Mass all year long. There's something about starting with the fire, having Mass at night and the way the whole story from the beginning of Genesis through the Resurrection is told that is magical and speaks to my soul.

 

Here's a part of the Exultet, which is sung at the beginning of the Easter Vigil:

"O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.

Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.

Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.

May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen."

 

Sierra

[Roonster]

Day 14 / Day 0

Why did my numbering scheme change? Because I ate non-compliant food today.

Today is Easter, and I was invited by my friend who is from Nigeria to join his friend's congregation (he is a priest) for their celebration of Easter. I was raised in a big Irish-Catholic family, and Easter has always been a big holiday for us, so it is a little lonely being so far away from home. I decided that I would rather go to this Easter celebration than be home alone, even if that meant I'd end up eating non-compliant food.

"How is that possible? No one is forcing you to eat anything!" You're right, but it would have been very rude to refuse some of the traditional foods used to welcome guests (such as Kola nut, which is served with peanut butter). And I found out after eating it, that the sauce that was served with the Kasava was made from lentils. I did enjoy the wine all on my own.

I've decided to continue my whole30, but only as it pertains to my taking 30 days to fix my relationship with food. Because I know that I need at least a full 30 days of eliminating potential aggravating foods from my diet before I can reintroduce them and determine my reaction, I will extend the elimination portion of my whole30 out another two week. I'm doing a whole45.

From now on, you'll see two days labelled at the top. The first is the day I'm on mentally / emotionally. The second is the day I'm on for my elimination. So Day 15, here I come!

Buona Pasqua

Sierra

 

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." -- St. John Paul II

[Roonster]

Day 15 / Day 1 -- Done!

I'm back in the saddle again. I didn't prep food very well this week, because I over purchased the last two weeks, so these next couple days will be mostly leftovers and scraped together meals. Not perfect, but I have enough compliant fixins to get through until Wednesday night, when I'm planning on cooking again.

It was a rough day at work. I'm not a person to have a case of the Mondays, but today started off rough (poor nights sleep) and then got worse. I woke up late, so I didn't get my morning workout it. I've made it one of my whole30 goals to establish a morning workout routine, because I know I won't get the time during the day or have the motivation at night. Then I spilled a whole can of coconut milk all over my kitchen and myself! Luckily, traffic was really good (it's an Italian holiday), but I still arrived a bit late to one coworker asking me what to do on another coworker's project. Mamma mia!

Long story short, I did get my workout in late this morning, which I count as a win! I also ate completely compliantly, and I'm settling down for my upcoming Italian lesson with a mug of tea instead of a dessert or fruit and coconut butter.

Breakfast (0730): Black tea with coconut milk

Workout (1025): 1.5 mi jog, training lift, stretching

Lunch (1145): Salad greens topped with chicken thigh, two HB eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and Moroccan dipping sauce dressing.  I sipped on a coconut water with pineapple for the next hour or so.

Dinner (1830): Sweet potato and onion hash, 5 fried eggs with all the ghee I fried them in. Herbal tea.

Water at work: 2L

Last night I also went through and realized that the magnesium supplement, omega 3 supplement, calcium supplement and multivitamin I was taking for the last two weeks all have either soy (mg and omega-3) or rice starch in them! I'm glad I checked before I embarked on this next step!

Later, gator!
Sierra

"True discipline is really just self-remembering. No forcing or fighting is necessary." -- Charles Eisenstein

[Roonster]

One other thing I wanted to do is record in here some of my entries from the Whole30 Day by Day book. I'm not going to copy the book out, but I like recording stuff, and I don't like writing in books that I think I may use again so... 

What went well today: See above.

What could have gone better: Also covered above.

What I'll do tomorrow: Meal plan for this coming week including making my shopping list for Wednesday.

Today's Extra Credit: Breakfast -- Tea with coconut milk and two HB eggs after workout

Lunch -- Salad greens with chicken thigh, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, two HB eggs and Moroccan dipping sauce dressing plus bell peppers.

Dinner -- Chicken thigh, sweet potato and onion hash with some pecans and apples in it.

Energy (4 -- very sleepy in the afternoon); Sleep Quality (4 -- slept through alarm, but didn't get enough); Cravings (4 -- craved sweets when I was sleepy).

NSV: Less reliance on the scale; Healthy strategies to deal with cravings.

-S

[Roonster]

Day 2 -- Done!

What went well today: Got my workout in. Went to the grocery store and stocked up on swiss chard and julienned zucchini which I incorporated into dinner.

What could have gone better: Got a little snacky this afternoon and had two Larabars.  Workout was pretty rough.

What I'll do tomorrow: Prep for the rest of the week. I have a roast in the oven for tomorrow, so that should take care of protein!

I completed my workout today, but my legs were super tired. It was supposed to be 6 sets of sprints, 3 min on and 1 min off. The first one was rough, but I expected that because it usually takes me a bit to get fully warmed up. The second and third were OK, but for numbers 4, 5 and 6 it was all I could do to finish it at a slow or regular speed. I stretched and upped my carb intake today, so we'll see about tomorrow.

I'm struggling with breakfast. I'm not a breakfast person, and I tried to choke down breakfast for the first two weeks I did this, but the last couple days I have only been having tea and coconut milk. This usually tides me over until lunch, which isn't supposed to happen. On the flip side, I'm not hungry at night, so maybe my hormones are ok?

Breakfast (0645): Black tea with coconut milk

Workout: Sprint workout (running)

Post workout (1000): 2 HB eggs, handful of cashews, coconut water with pineapple. Black tea.

Lunch (1330): 2 chicken thighs, salad (greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives) with Moroccan dipping sauce dressing

Snack (1600): 2 apple pie larabars

Dinner (2200): 4 fried eggs on sweet potato, onion and zucchini hash browns (made with one extra egg). Herbal tea.

I am still drinking a lot of tea and caffeine. I need to work on cutting that out past lunch time.

Energy (5-6, felt about average); Sleep Quality (7, just need to work on getting up in the morning rather than snoozing); Cravings (4, cravings for snacks in the afternoon which I gave into)

NSV: Becoming more consistent with exercise; practicing mindful eating.

Sierra

[sweetcee]

Breakfast is hard for me too. Protein is fine but a lot of things I can stomach later in the day are not ok in the morning. I’ve been doing a carrot soup with sausage patties I make, and that doesn’t make me sick. I know I have to eat (I’m up at 5 and I have zero breaks between 7:30 and 1:00 at work, so it’s eat or suffer), so I have been working to make options I can handle. I find I am way more hungry when I don’t eat an adequate breakfast. Maybe that would make you less snacky?  

Your hash browns sound delicious!

[GoJo09]

Since you're at a point where you are feeling comfortable with the foods, you should look at changing your post-workout snack to a protein and starch (they recommend no fat, as it slows protein absorption). So maybe a bit of extra chicken and some sweet potatoes? And then have your HB eggs with some vege and nuts instead of the Larabars in the afternoon. Or you have a super long time between lunch and dinner quite often, so just plan to have an extra meal in the afternoon - that way you have no excuse to "snack".

Good work on the sprints - they're always more enjoyable than long runs, for me!

[Roonster]

Day 3 -- Done!

Breakfast (0700): Black tea with coconut milk, raw bell peppers, two HB eggs

Lunch (1230): Mississippi roast, raw bell peppers, black tea

Snack (1600): Coconut cream larabar

Workout (1900): 50 min on stair machine with 12lbs weight vest, 42 spm

Dinner (2130): Sweet potato, onion, zucchini, arugula, ground beef all cooked in ghee. Tart cherries on the side.

NSV today of thinking about myself as more athletic and more healthy. Whole30 is helping me see myself differently. I'm a person who works out. I'm a person who eats healthy, whole, real foods. I'm a person who can say no to alcohol, cheese, snacks and desserts!

On 4/4/2018 at 12:25 AM, sweetcee said:

Breakfast is hard for me too. Protein is fine but a lot of things I can stomach later in the day are not ok in the morning. I’ve been doing a carrot soup with sausage patties I make, and that doesn’t make me sick. I know I have to eat (I’m up at 5 and I have zero breaks between 7:30 and 1:00 at work, so it’s eat or suffer), so I have been working to make options I can handle. I find I am way more hungry when I don’t eat an adequate breakfast. Maybe that would make you less snacky?  

Your hash browns sound delicious!

@sweetcee thanks for the recommendation! I made zucchini soup that I was having for breakfast two weeks ago, and it was tasty, but I still had to psych myself up into eating it, and I still was low on protein. It's not the fat or carbs that I struggle with in the morning. It's just that I haven't found a cold protein that's appetizing. Maybe I'll start just eating Epic bars in the morning, since they're the best sounding.

10 hours ago, GoJo09 said:

Since you're at a point where you are feeling comfortable with the foods, you should look at changing your post-workout snack to a protein and starch (they recommend no fat, as it slows protein absorption). So maybe a bit of extra chicken and some sweet potatoes? And then have your HB eggs with some vege and nuts instead of the Larabars in the afternoon. Or you have a super long time between lunch and dinner quite often, so just plan to have an extra meal in the afternoon - that way you have no excuse to "snack".

Good work on the sprints - they're always more enjoyable than long runs, for me!

@GoJo09I actually struggle to get my pre-workout snack into the allotted 30 min time frame anyways, which is why I usually add some fat.  I keep forgetting to throw an Epic bar into my bag, but honestly I think it's a little gross to eat in the locker room at the gym anyways...  You have a good point about the meal in the afternoon. The thing is that I'm not actually hungry. I thought about it today when the snack attack hit and realized it mostly happens when I have had a busy day, very little to no down time and I know I'm going to have to work late. I'm pretty sure it's my brain begging me for a break! I just need to figure out how to give myself that break without eating.

Sierra

[Roonster]

Day 4 -- Done!

I decided to take my rest day today, because my muscles have just been tired. Whole30 has helped me start changing my self-image. I've started to see myself as one of the people who works out every day and eats healthy, real, whole foods, rather than one of the people who struggles through and never has time for any of it. It's amazing what a change in mindset can accomplish! That said, I'm not suffering from DOMS, but I do think my body needs a little time to rest and recover, especially since I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep.

Breakfast (0700): Black tea with coconut milk, apple, three HB eggs

Lunch (1100) Mississippi roast, shot of espresso. I ran out of time and didn't get to eat my salad.

Snack (1600) Coconut cream larabar

Dinner (1900) Sweet potato, onion, arugula, ground beef cooked in ghee. Two eggs scrambled into the mix.

NSV: Starting to ID what drives me to want to emotionally eat.

 

That's it for now as I should prioritize sleep over typing

Sierra