LTIrish14 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 *Official start date: 1/2/2013* Hi all! I posted a shorter version of this on another forum topic here, but only just found the "My Whole30 Log" section, haha. My name is Laura and I am a first year graduate student/class of 2012 alumna at Notre Dame (Go Irish, beat 'Bama!). I just finished up Day 2 of my first Whole30, and it feels amazing! Over these first two days, I ate ground beef, grilled chicken, lots of leafy greens, tomatoes, eggs, and the compliant Chipotle carnitas salad with lettuce & mild salsa & guacamole when my family decided to eat out for dinner on Day 1! There was so much of that salad that I was only able to eat half last night, and saved the rest for lunch today Going to the grocery store this afternoon was such a confidence booster when I could simply pass through the aisles and only feel disgust at the sugar/lactose/grain monstrosities I had been succumbing to pre-Whole30, although I was quite surprised at just how many foods I'm (happily) having to cut out of my diet in order to be truly Whole30 compliant! It's an adventure, though. Another note--the forums here have been an absolutely incredible resource--I read them every chance I get, for recipes, motivation, and for answers to all my newbie questions--and if anyone has advice for living Whole30 while on a shoestring grad student budget, I would be so grateful!! Thanks so much, so excited for Day 3! Take care, Laura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Day 3 is off to a great start! Went for a 4 mile run (despite the 27 degree weather) and had a plate of scrambled eggs--I know, no veggies, but I had to make do with what was available--my family is staying in a hotel and hardly anything at continental breakfast is Whole30 compliant! My dad and I are heading to the nearby Trader Joe's in a few minutes to stock up on vegetables, meat, and coconut milk, so my lunch and dinner will be much, much better (and more filling). Also relevant to my Whole30 challenge: my choir at Notre Dame is going on tour to Erie, NYC, Connecticut, and Boston this upcoming week, so I'm really having to plan ahead for Whole30-compliant travel foods in order to avoid the deluge of sugary snacks, sandwiches, and granola bars that come with traveling by bus with a bunch of college students. I relish this challenge! Hope everyone is having a great day so far!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrayS Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Hi Laura! It may be too late to get them for this week but you may want to look into ordering some Primal Pacs, great snack food! Someone here on the forum mentioned them and my husband got some for me for Christmas and now I keep one in my purse. Great for when you are traveling, or just for dealing with time crunch/lack of planning situations that we all find ourselves in from time to time. http://www.primalpacs.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Claydon Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I started my adventures with whole 30 when I was in grad school too (back in 2010)! What an awesome time to make big changes for the rest of your life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Hi Laura! It may be too late to get them for this week but you may want to look into ordering some Primal Pacs, great snack food! Someone here on the forum mentioned them and my husband got some for me for Christmas and now I keep one in my purse. Great for when you are traveling, or just for dealing with time crunch/lack of planning situations that we all find ourselves in from time to time. http://www.primalpacs.com/ Wow, thank you so much!!! Those Primal Pacs sound amazing--you're right, I probably won't be able to get them in time for the choir trip, but they'll definitely come in handy for those long days in class once the semester starts in mid-January! I started my adventures with whole 30 when I was in grad school too (back in 2010)! What an awesome time to make big changes for the rest of your life! And Megan, it's awesome to hear that other grad students have done this before--it's so motivating! What did you get your masters in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Day 3 Update: I took the plunge and went to Trader Joe's for the first time ever, and came out with a small bag of broccoli florets, a bag of sugar snap peas, canned chicken, Applegate roast beef, a small amount of raw cashews/macadamia nuts, canned light coconut milk, almond butter, compliant dried dark cherries and these New Zealand apple rings & flattened bananas someone had mentioned elsewhere on the forums. They're also things that my family doesn't mind eating, either, so at least I'm not alone! I had a tiny taste of the almond butter since everyone has been raving about it, and after three days of Whole30 it tasted *so* rich and delicious--definitely keeping that one away until later in the month! I'm really trying to stop myself from falling prey to the concepts of "dessert" and "treat," or "paleo-ifying" regular dessert foods...at least for the next 27+ days, so any dried fruit/nuts will be consumed in very limited portions with the rest of my Whole30 meals. I know the moderators tend to stress this, and don't want to be a trouble maker! I only have a day left before going back to Notre Dame, so I didn't want to buy anything too perishable--just enough food for lunch and dinner today and breakfast tomorrow that doesn't require a stove, and things I can bag up for all the traveling I'll be doing over the next 8 days. Does this sound like I'm on the right track? I scoured the forums to see what was compliant at TJ's, so if I've made any mistakes at all they're out of my own newbie ignorance, haha. Thank you for all your support and encouragement!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackolantern Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 You can also mix and match those dry goodies to make your own primal pacs -- I always keep one in my car in case of emergencies. I love jerky, cashews, coconut flakes and dried cherries. (All unsweetened, of course.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Day 4 has gone without a hitch so far! Eggs for breakfast before the airport, then a small bag of dried fruits and nuts that I nibbled on while the flight attendants came around with all the cookies, pretzels, and soda on the two planes I had to take. Mildly surprised that I had the willpower to avoid all the airport food! I have three hours of rehearsal soon, so an emergency Lara Bar has come in handy. Dinner will be much better--chicken, sweet potato, and frozen vegetables! The fact that I've been so disciplined for four days straight now is very encouraging (and unprecedented), and whatever cravings I've had are tempered by the knowledge that I'd have to start all over again tomorrow if I try to sneak anything! Someone once said: "What you eat in private shows in public," which is so true. Thank you for all your help and encouragement!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Claydon Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 And Megan, it's awesome to hear that other grad students have done this before--it's so motivating! What did you get your masters in? I got a masters in Accounting/Auditing...exciting stuff right there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 I'm sorry for not posting in the last few days, choir tour has been quite the whirlwind trip, and I have only an iPhone to rely on for Internet access! It is Day 8 already, and I have been able to successfully navigate through multiple catered dinners by modifying the meals to be Whole30 compliant--baked chicken for 40 people? Took off the skin and just ate the meat. Salad covered in cheese and chickpeas? Picked off every shred of cheese and avoided the chickpeas, and used olive oil instead of the myriad of terrible dressings they had available. Meals in NYC were trickier, but I was able to modify a dinner at a fancy restaurant--grilled fish, figs, sugar snap peas, with a side of grilled asparagus and olive oil instead of mashed potatoes. Totally avoided the bread basket, which was a huge accomplishment, because bread has been my downfall for years!! Then went to a pub to watch the National Championship game with a bunch of ND fans, and instead of cheating and having a drink, I ordered club soda with a lime wedge, and didn't feel like I was missing out at all. Read that tip on the forums somewhere, so thankful!! Catered dinner by a parish in Connecticut last night was tough, because the only two food choices were biscuits slathered in a beef stroganoff, and a vegetarian salad already covered in balsamic vinaigrette. Of course I chose the salad, and prayed fervently that the dressing was compliant! I was so proud of myself for not feeling any twinge when walking past the huge dessert table of brownies and cookies and other powdered sugar confections--I think that's when I really realized that I could truly succeed in this Whole30 challenge!! Traveling for the first 11 days of my first ever Whole30 has been an unusual start, but if I can stay strong through this, I am confident that I will be able to make it through the next 20+! Thank you everyone!! The forums are a great source of accountability for me, especially while traveling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Day 13: Wow, it's already Day 13! I feel so much better now that I've finally stopped traveling, the constant stress of having to modify every meal on the road was getting exhausting. After grocery shopping yesterday, I have the right type of foods to help me stay on track--sweet potatoes, eggs, broccoli, spinach, carrots, green beans, shrimp, salmon, beef, chicken, etc. It's such a relief! There's no Trader Joe's in my town, though, which is a bummer...anyway, just thought I'd log that grocery shopping trip; last night's dinner was sweet potatoes and eggs, while breakfast today was olive oil-sauteed shrimp and green beans. Meeting someone for lunch today so I'll have to modify whatever I get, but now I feel like a pro! Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 P.S. if anyone has suggestions as to how I should improve my meals, I would really appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 It would make easier reading if you bullet-pointed your meals ifykwim but reading back I would say that your meals look a bit small, but well done on doing your upmost to navigate those difficult situation! Just keep referring to the meal planning template for every meal & you won't go far wrong, keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTIrish14 Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Sample of what my daily meals have been like for the last few days (it's Day 20 now and still going strong!). Please let me know if this sounds off-template: Breakfast: 2 eggs, broccoli/spinach/asparagus, beef/lamb (sometimes I'll add a sweet potato instead of eggs). Lunch: I'm often so full from breakfast and don't have enough time between classes that a Lara bar tides me over until dinner, or I eat a couple hard-boiled eggs instead, or have a handful of almonds and New Zealand dried apple rings from Trader Joe's. Dinner: Sweet potato, asparagus/broccoli/sugar snap peas, lamb/pork steak/shrimp/fish. Tonight's dinner was scrambled eggs, garlic shrimp, and chopped asparagus...yum!! I have some butternut squash that I'll cook later this week, so I'm looking forward to that as well Also, I switch the protein combinations up a lot so I don't get bored! I haven't gotten tooo adventurous with spices yet-- I've been relying on salt, pepper, olive oil, and minced garlic to flavor the meat and vegetables, and I sprinkle cinnamon on top of my sweet potatoes...but this is still a million times better food than I've ever cooked before! Thank you Whole30!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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