Allison's Whole 30 Log

[Aliem999]

On 7/5/2019 at 5:32 PM, Emma said:

That family reunion stuff is tough. I try not to draw attention to myself and my husband is good about suggesting we eat at home (when they visit us) which allows us to cook things that work for everybody. But yeah - a reunion and a favorite pizza place and inlaws that you don't feel will get it. Ooof. Is there any chance they would embrace the idea if you spoke candidly about your reasons for being on it? I'm guessing probably not. Your husband on board? Would he help select meal options that allow you to slide by without issues? I don't know - I might just call it a Whole 52 and then try to have a week of semi-clean eating before tightening things up again.  If your husband is on board, other than the pizza place which doesn't have a lot of other options, maybe he'd push for eating out at....steak and salad places??  With my family, I push for sushi restaurants because the rice seems fairly friendly compared to bowls of pasta or hunks of pizza dough and cheese. If I was visiting some of my relatives....woooooey....I think I'd claim some weird intestinal medical condition that is triggered by foods...or an ulcer. I'd lie!  Laughing - I don't know what I'd do!! A Whole60 has such a nice ring to it. But family and relationships are being able to connect with others are important things too. What does your gut say to do?

Yeah. It is in Vegas. 2 of the 4 days are at least one meal at a family member's house. My husband was on board with this at the beginning, but now that I am a over a month in it he is pretty over it. I think I am going to call it at day 45 (maybe 51 depending on how this weekend is looking), but start doing Whole30 during the week and give myself some leeway during the weekends. I will shoot for 4 weekend meals that are compliant. Breakfasts are easy. For the reunion I am just going to make sure we pack a ton of carrot sticks so I can minimize the reunion food that is at someone's home, which quite frankly I do not think is "worth it" and maybe have some things that I would really enjoy while going out.

My husband's family unfortunately is the family that eats poorly, even with underlying medical conditions. For example, my mother in law, who has type two diabetes ate an entire Costco croissant (okay maybe a few bites when to the dog and my daughter) this weekend and goes and gets fast food on the regular. They are also the family that gets insulted if you don't eat their food and just gossip gossip gossip. Also, not drawing attention to myself is a little harder in this situation. He's black and I am well.....not. So I am thinking the training wheels are going to come off early. I think I am still satisfying my main goals for extending it past 30 days anyway, which was getting back in the habit of food prepping and (hopefully) making better choices. Plus I do have a mid Sept weight loss goal that will probably require me food prepping Whole30 meals for the next few months. I would still have around another 10 pounds to go after my September goal. But that number is a little more flexible since it would really be how the mirror looks and not the number.

[Aliem999]

Day 40 (Friday)

Breakfast (8:30 AM): Bacon, fried egg and hash browns

Lunch (12:30 PM): Salad and hot dog

Dinner (6:30): Cauliflower rice in the "fried rice style"

Today I worked from home and dealt with a very unhappy child who stayed up way past her bedtime. Today was not fun, but compliant

 

[Emma]

13 hours ago, Aliem999 said:

I think I am going to call it at day 45 (maybe 51 depending on how this weekend is looking), but start doing Whole30 during the week and give myself some leeway during the weekends.

I think that sounds like a good plan. And it gives you a chance to see how much you slide. I know that once I eat the sugars, I'm sliding down a super steep slope. But learning to reign it in again and start up again keeps things balanced and moving forward and is an important skill.

[Aliem999]

Day 44 (Wednesday)

Got so far behind on these, but I have remained complaint. Monday through Wednesday were pretty much the same so here we go

Breakfast (8:30 AM): chorizo hash (onions, carrots and celery) with guac

Lunch (12:30 PM): green curry with chicken. I added potatoes for some starchy veggies. My husband said that he would pay money at a restaurant for it. On Wednesday I also had some fruit around 3PM.

Dinner (7:30): Cauliflower rice in the "fried rice style" (Monday and Tuesday).  Wednesday I just had hash browns and a fried egg. I really was not hungry. I did not want to not eat, so I made a small version of my go-to. Definitely missing veggies. The hash browns probably had enough ghee in it to count as fat.

We have been busy at work and we have been looking for a place to rent. This weekend we are starting to pack. Hopefully we get the place we applied to. I really love it. It is daunting to try to move in a couple of weeks when next weekend we have a family reunion from Thursday through Sunday and really we are leaving on Wednesday night!

[Aliem999]

P.S. I accidentally weighed/measured today thinking it was already day 46 (i.e. 45 days done). Instead it was day 45.  Whoops! But definitely some more great results! Another 5.2 pounds gone and another quarter inch off of my waist and hips! I tiger blood is hitting again, because I feel like I am in a great mood. Even my husband mentioned it earlier this week. I am also in love with how strong my nails are. I have never grown them out this long and even without them painted (I got a gel mani last week), they were significantly longer and stronger than ever before.

Tried on a dress I was hoping to squeeze into and it still doesn't fit as of a few days ago, but I am heading in the right direction and some of the dresses I bought in the last year are starting to get too big! I was surprised at how not disappointed I was. I am actually a little surprised how much weight did come off in the last two weeks. I was expecting 3-4 pounds. My goal of another 10 pounds by Sept 15 seems very reasonable now at about a pound a week. I have about 20 pounds to lose in total, so the next 10 should not be too hard, but definitely harder than the last 17.8! I would totally love to exceed the goal, but not banking on it.

[Emma]

Your husband said he'd pay money to eat your meal!  That's a pretty great compliment. I do think my family learned to cook by doing Whole30 and every so often we pull off something really good. Congratulations on your tasty cooking!

And congratulations on the weight loss. And the continuing weight loss. It feels so good to have clothes fit more comfortably. And especially congratulations on getting the Tiger Blood again!  You're doing so well!!

[Aliem999]

3 hours ago, Emma said:

Your husband said he'd pay money to eat your meal!  That's a pretty great compliment. I do think my family learned to cook by doing Whole30 and every so often we pull off something really good. Congratulations on your tasty cooking!

And congratulations on the weight loss. And the continuing weight loss. It feels so good to have clothes fit more comfortably. And especially congratulations on getting the Tiger Blood again!  You're doing so well!!

Thanks! I really think it was lack of sleep. Not sure if you read earlier in my diary, but we were having issues with my daughter sleeping because she was not feeling well. I had some tiger blood pretty early on, but it disappeared after not sleeping enough.

I definitely have more weight to go, but I am definitely happier and someone said my face looked like it was glowing last week...got a zit yesterday, but that's my first one. Though I will say my zits don't seem to be food related. I'll go months without them and then just randomly get them for a while. Usually not more than one or two at a time, but as soon as one is gone another one arrives. Some Whole30s I am blemish free and some I have several.  There does seem to be a correlation with stress, but sometimes not. So regardless, if I don't hit my weight goal, I have had enough NSVs to be happy.

Definitely excited to start my food freedom though! I am hoping it sticks better than last time!

[coachmandiep]

@Aliem999 personally, I hardly ever break out.  However, every now and then it happens around that time of the month.  Maybe it is hormonal?  

It sounds like you have some great NSV.  Good luck with Food Freedom!  Just take it one meal at a time and make sure you have your questions prepared to determine if things are "worth it".  Even if it turns out that something wasn't, it's all good.  You have learned something new and can apply that knowledge moving forward.  You've got it!

[Aliem999]

Day 45 (Thursday)

WHooooo! Officially my last day but there is really no reason I won't be complaint today (Friday). I also have not told my husband I am officially done, since I am trying to continue it until next Thursday, so I don't want him to get any ideas :). I'll probably tell him this weekend if he complains about it. hahaha.

Breakfast (8:30 AM): chorizo hash (onions, carrots and celery) with guac

Lunch (12:30 PM): green curry with chicken. I added potatoes for some starchy veggies. Also had some dried mangoes around 3 PM. Didn't really need them, but oh well.

Dinner (7:30): Hash browns and sausage. I was not really hungry, so I had a small dinner. Still not ideal, but sure yummy.

Overall the day went well. I did not have any coffee and besides a little afternoon slump I did not feel like I needed it.

 

[Aliem999]

2 hours ago, coachmandiep said:

@Aliem999 personally, I hardly ever break out.  However, every now and then it happens around that time of the month.  Maybe it is hormonal?  

It sounds like you have some great NSV.  Good luck with Food Freedom!  Just take it one meal at a time and make sure you have your questions prepared to determine if things are "worth it".  Even if it turns out that something wasn't, it's all good.  You have learned something new and can apply that knowledge moving forward.  You've got it!

Thanks! Yeah. I am not sure about the break out cause it is not a certain time of the month or ever consistent. I's guessing some is stress and some is that I touch my face a lot. I changed up my face care routine and that definitely seemed to help, but in the 10+ years that I have tried to figure it out, there really does not seem to be an obvious pattern.

I am most nervous about food freedom just because I am an all or nothing type person. I have had varying success after whole30s and this one and my last one are post baby. So that has really changed things a lot. I failed pretty miserably the last time, but I was also working about 100 hours a week for a month, so I don't really blame myself too much, though I should have done better after things went to normal. That being said I have not beaten myself up over it; I just want to do better.

[Emma]

Wooo-hoooo! 45 Days is pretty sweet! 

[coachmandiep]

17 hours ago, Aliem999 said:

I am most nervous about food freedom just because I am an all or nothing type person.

I hear ya, I am the same way.  I also come from a background of serial dieting.  I am still a work in progress, but what I have found is that I needed to change my mindset.  When I feel that I made a poor decision I do a quick analysis of why it happened.  Was I not prepared (no plan)?  Was I stressed, sad, angry, tired or happy and wanting to celebrate?  Did my day go differently than planned?  Did I keep eating something that wasn't "worth it"?  Once I figure out why I made the decision, I can think through what I will do differently next time. 

I have become better at meal planning and sticking with my plan, not soothing myself or celebrating with food, keeping emergency food on hand, and stopping if the first bite isn't "worth it".  I am the first to admit that there are times that I still make a decision that bites me in the bum, but I now look at it as information.  I have come a long way since my dieting days and am in a much happier place.  I know you can change your mindset as well.  Gather your Food Freedom information, (this phase is ongoing), and create an action plan based on your "data".  As you change your mindset and your habits, your confidence will grow.  You've got it!

 

[Aliem999]

On 7/12/2019 at 10:26 PM, Emma said:

Wooo-hoooo! 45 Days is pretty sweet! 

Thanks!

[Aliem999]

Day 46 (Friday)

Friday was 100% Whole30, which was planned since I had food prepped my breakfasts and lunches for the week....Energy was good but I did get a tall coffee from Starbucks. I was going to get a decalf, but they could only do a pour over and I was trying to get out of there for my morning meetings. Still feeling good!

Breakfast (8:30 AM): chorizo hash (onions, carrots and celery) with avocado

Lunch (12:00 PM): green curry with chicken. I added potatoes for some starchy veggies.

Dinner (7:30): Hash browns and prosciutto. Still not good, but I didn't really prep for dinner and we are light on the groceries since we are going out of town next week for four days.

 

[Aliem999]

Day 1 and 2 (Saturday & Sunday) - Food Freedom!

I was hoping to keep it going, but some good opportunities to practice my food freedom came up. All of my breakfasts and dinners were compliant, but my lunches were not. On Saturday, I had some Pad Thai. I looked through the menu and while nothing was really complaint (i would suspect fish sauce and peanuts at a minimum), something like a curry that would have been very close just did not seem worth it. So I choose the Pad Thai and gave the egg roll to my daughter (Whhhhatttt!!!!! I Seriously did not even take a nibble!) It was so worth it. But I did not eat too much and even let my husband have the next day leftovers. Seriously. This is unheard of for me.

Sunday I had my favorite salad at Mendocino Farms. Not sure on the ingredients, but it does have cheese and very likely sugar, honey, etc. This seemed like a pretty minor off plan meal. Since most of it should have been compliant and they use higher quality ingredients. About half the cheese I gave to my daughter too. Seriously. What is wrong with me. Hahaha. There were several times this weekend that I passed on having "just one bite" of something that was just not worth it to me.

We will see how long this lasts, but I am pretty proud of this weekend. Hopefully after four days in Vegas, I won't revert back to my old ways. Especially since I wont really have much time to food prep for the week after and we are moving that week. Yikes!

[Aliem999]

On 7/11/2019 at 10:24 AM, Emma said:

Your husband said he'd pay money to eat your meal!  That's a pretty great compliment. I do think my family learned to cook by doing Whole30 and every so often we pull off something really good. Congratulations on your tasty cooking!

And congratulations on the weight loss. And the continuing weight loss. It feels so good to have clothes fit more comfortably. And especially congratulations on getting the Tiger Blood again!  You're doing so well!!

Also found out that my almost two year old also liked it too! I am not too surprised, because she is a pretty adventurous eater but it was definitely a new flavor profile for her since it think we have only had Thai food a few times since she was born and none of those times she has come with us and had never had a Thai curry before.

[Emma]

12 hours ago, Aliem999 said:

What is wrong with me. Hahaha. There were several times this weekend that I passed on having "just one bite" of something that was just not worth it to me.

We will see how long this lasts, but I am pretty proud of this weekend.

You should totally be proud of how this weekend went!!! Keep it up and you'll be able to slide right back into another Whole30! I wonder what it will be like in Vegas. I can totally imagine some great prime rib and veggies (cooked in butter) as options, but it's such a big and varied place and I only have memories from years ago. Kudos for your weekend!!

[Aliem999]

Day 3 of Food Freedom!

Back to Whole30 eating today. Went pretty well. Making choices does seem to be easier this time around. I am sitting in a room of snacks and still have not been tempted. Whoot!

Breakfast - Hard boiled eggs and strawberries with coconut

Lunch - Pineapple slaw (so good), hot link and roasted potatoes

Dinner - Just hash browns and a fried egg. I really don't have too much food at home and we are leaving town soon so I am not trying to buy more stuff....

I have some "better for you" snacks for my trip. We are planning on shopping for breakfast stuff when we get there, so that  will be nice for one compliant meal a day. I definitely will be having several non complaint meal. We are eating at a bowling alley (eye roll) and a BBQ place. I could probably do something complaint at a BBQ place if they had a non sugar rub, but I do love BBQ and the place we are going is supposed to be really good. I might try to pick better sides (thinking like slaw and fries. yes fries are definitely not complaint, but at least they should have minimal ingredients. i will just make sure I don't over eat them) and have like a bite or two of things like mac and cheese. The breakfast place they have picked out should be interesting. Judging on the website, it think about 60% of the people going to the event are not going to like the place so that should be interesting. The menu seems like a nightmare for a Whole30. Even for breakfast. Their fruit plate has marshmallow sauce. WHAT?!?! The omelettes don't seem terrible though most are covered in some sort of sauce like hollandaise or meat sauce. Double What?!? I do love eggs Benedict and for me that may be "worth it", but I was reading the reviews and some were great and some were bad. To me, that is likely not "worth it" anymore and I may just try to be compliant or maybe fairly complaint, just with cheese. Over eating is definitely something I am going to have to watch out for. We are also likely going to a pizza place. Their pizza is soooo good. Definitely "worth it" but I will make sure to just have one slice and mainly eat salad. To me, the food freedom is so much harder.....My main goal is just to be happy with my food choices. I hope to be at least 50% complaint (maybe not number of meals but at least what is put on my plate) and I hope I don't gain enough to put me back in the 150s. I am very happy finally breaking into the 140s and would like to stay there.

Side note - when I was packing, I tired on some dresses that I have not worn since my early pregnancy (well and for like two months before I went back to work and had time to make good food and move more) and several (not all) fit! Some were even packed. Sooooo happy. Even though I have not lost much around the arm area, they also looked more shapely, if that makes sense, so YAY! I am feeling very empowered!

[Emma]

Marshmallow sauce! I'm laughing because I've never heard of such a thing. Good luck to you navigating and don't beat yourself up. I hope you have fun and enjoy yourself and that we see you next week right back here!!

[Jihanna]

I've enjoyed reading bits and pieces of your log, and am so happy that you've completed this most recent round and are able to enjoy your Food Freedom! I definitely enjoy reading about experiences and foods people enjoy post-round.

So please don't take this the wrong way, but...

The post-W30 log area might be a better place for us to read about those continued experiences, though. That section allows us to continue our logs (and continue to get feedback) without talking about eating non-compliant foods in this section (for Whole30 logs)... since reading a W30 log about eating cheese could be confusing to someone newer to the program (or forum).  

[Aliem999]

6 hours ago, Jihanna said:

I've enjoyed reading bits and pieces of your log, and am so happy that you've completed this most recent round and are able to enjoy your Food Freedom! I definitely enjoy reading about experiences and foods people enjoy post-round.

So please don't take this the wrong way, but...

The post-W30 log area might be a better place for us to read about those continued experiences, though. That section allows us to continue our logs (and continue to get feedback) without talking about eating non-compliant foods in this section (for Whole30 logs)... since reading a W30 log about eating cheese could be confusing to someone newer to the program (or forum).  

Totally get your point. I really like keeping one log so that I can go back to it without having to find several different logs. I think I am also keeping within the forum guidelines posted by Melissa (included a snippet below and point 3 does address it) and have seen several other logs that have included mini resets, reintroduction (there is a separate forum for that as well), food freedom and people that say they are eating whole30, but clearly have missed the mark.  I think I have been doing a decent job of labeling non-whole30 meals and have been making it clear that the last few days are food freedom. If you don't think you I am making it clear enough, let me know and I can change things

"Two, these logs will no longer be moderated by the Whole30 team. They are your personal "diaries," and as such deserve the respect to remain your own form of expression, within our general guidelines. (Verbal abuse, profanity, or any sort of disrespectful conduct is never tolerated on the boards, regardless of where it is posted.) We will only comment when asked, or if we feel that significantly unhealthy or dangerous behaviors are taking place.

Three, if you choose to post non-Whole30 meals as part of your log, or go off-plan on purpose, we gently encourage you to make this clear in your log. This will help avoid confusion on the part of those new to the program. This isn't mandatory, but we are asking you to help us keep the boards clear and easy to use for all, especially those new to the Whole30.

Finally, for all browsing these logs, know that you have no guarantee that every meal or food posted here is, in fact, Whole30 compliant. Read these logs like you read your labels, and when in doubt, ask/search/read to determine whether something posted in a personal log does, in fact, fit the Whole30 program."

[Aliem999]

Day 4 of Food Freedom! (Tuesday, Whole30 Eating)

Ate Whole30 today (and plan to Wednesday too with a similar menu). I really do feel better eating Whole30.

Breakfast - Hard boiled eggs and strawberries with coconut

Lunch - Pineapple slaw (so good), hot link and roasted potatoes

Dinner - Just some of the slaw. I really was not hungry. I am not sure why. I did not snack or anything. I figured it was better to eat something than nothing at all.

Not sure if I have time to post this weekend, which is probably good since I suspect all of the day will be off plan in at least some aspect. But I would like to still provide an update on how the weekend went, how Whole30 affected my food choices, etc. on Monday. I really want to keep up the progress and still need to figure out how next week I am going to go back to Whole30 eating, with essentially no prep time. I have some hard boiled eggs ready to go for next week's breakfasts (purchased pre hard boiled and sealed airtight. If I did them myself for next week gross!) I also have pre cooked hotlinks for lunches. Ideally I would like to crisp them up before eating them, but I guess they can just be microwaved for Monday. Maybe I will just stop at Trader Joe's on my way to work for some salad mix or something and just grab coconut and salad dressing from home. It would be a pretty sad Monday food wise, but at least it would be compliant. I likely would need some sort of starchy veggie cause I definitely do better when I have my serving no later than lunch.

[Aliem999]

15 hours ago, Emma said:

Marshmallow sauce! I'm laughing because I've never heard of such a thing. Good luck to you navigating and don't beat yourself up. I hope you have fun and enjoy yourself and that we see you next week right back here!!

I know right! Even before doing my first Whole30 5+ years ago I would have laughed at that. Who is eating that for breakfast? Maybe on a dessert menu, but it was like the first item under their breakfast house specialties. I hope someone from my group gets it so I can see how insane that "breakfast" dish is. It's literally sugar on sugar! I don't think I would have ordered it when I was pregnant and experienced my first sugar dragon!