Amy's Whole 30 Log Starting July 15, 2019

[Emma]

Same here. I want to be around for my kids. I was pretty alarmed when the doctor told me how high my inflammation markers were - not that I should be surprised because I had lots of symptoms outwardly of inflammation. This process is certainly not easy, but it's a good one to be on and finding what feels right in your body is key. I know Whole30 feels good in my body. An attempt at vegan living did not - probably because I'm allergic or sensitive to so many of the grains and beans that I was eating. I was reading success stories on Mark's Daily Apple last night. He has really embraced a primal keto like eating. It was weird reading it because there are things that overlap with Whole30 and other things that don't such as the limiting amount of veggies that people eat due to carbs. I like my veggie laden plates. One article on his blog was about a keto mediterranean diet which is an idea that more people can grasp because it doesn't seem so red meat, no veggie driven.  It was interesting.  The coconut oil debate. Oh my goodness - people get so fired up and take such sides and flash their credentials, but unless they are able to embrace the good in processes like Whole30, then I ignore them.  

Good luck with the party today. If you eat those fats, proteins, and veggies, you should be okay in the face of the sugar monster festivities. For future parties (post Whole30) you could always make some paleo baked goods which I used to do (and should plan to do again!). It gave me the sweets and the festivities without losing my stride the next day.  

[Amy_Michigan]

I got through the weekend!  I thought about freezing a banana and blending it into “banana ice cream” for the birthday party, but I never put one in the freezer so I just sat there with no cake and ice cream today...but I still had a good time!

[Emma]

3 hours ago, Amy_Michigan said:

I got through the weekend!  I thought about freezing a banana and blending it into “banana ice cream” for the birthday party, but I never put one in the freezer so I just sat there with no cake and ice cream today...but I still had a good time!

Yay!!! That's huge and exciting. Like super exciting! Congratulations!

[Jihanna]

That's awesome, Amy! Parties can be hard, when they fall within round/reintro or if you're trying to hang out close to the compliant line afterward, but that's absolutely awesome that you enjoyed yourself (and the party) without having to participate with food! I'm glad it went well for you!

[Amy_Michigan]

This morning I woke up in pain.  Horrible pain...  My back has limited turning mobility, is stiff, and my side hurts.  My wedding ring finger is swollen and in very bad pain as well so before I left for work I had to take my wedding ring off.  Could have put it on my right hand, but I forgot because I just needed the thing OFF.  Ouch.  I've never had to take my ring off before for swelling. 

Let me go over what I ate this weekend:

Saturday: Potato Hashbrowns and banana for breakfast, Tuna Salad (tuna, romaine lettuce, olive oil, balsamic vinegar), taco salad (romaine lettuce, ground turkey, olive oil, salsa, and chili pepper).  Strawberries.  

Sunday: Red potato hash (Red potatoes & olive oil, and ground turkey), 2 fried eggs with cantaloupe & strawberries, and a salad from Applebees (strawberry balsamic chicken salad which had lettuce, sliced almonds, strawberries, red onions, chicken, and dressing).  Also had black coffee which I haven't had in a while.  

I ate this same salad last week, but I didn't use their dressing.  I used my own.  This time I did use their dressing because we were eating on the drive home from my family's house, and maybe that was the problem.  It is supposed to be a balsamic & a lemon olive oil dressing.  I didn't find ingredients beforehand but I was crossing my fingers it was compliant.  I am going to try to find out the ingredients now.  This pain can't be caused just from sugar.

I think my pain/inflammation could be either caused by:

1.  Applebees food / dressing

2. Coffee (I don't know.. I haven't had it in a couple weeks I don't think)

3. Eggs (The eggs were suspicious... I asked my inlaws about there being no date on the egg package, and they said they got the eggs from a friend with chickens, and that they did research and didn't think the date was important...)

4. Sunlight (I got a lot of sun exposure on Saturday and my lupus could be flaring due to that, but I've never flared this bad after sun exposure before)

5. Stress (My 4 year old son was "lost" for 10-15 minutes on Saturday because when we all went out to the car so we could drive to the park with my mother in law, I was clearing out the seat for 1 minute for my mother in law to sit ...and then looked back and realized my son wasn't in the car!  I had saw him come outside with us and then poof...gone.  We found out after shouting and looking everywhere that he had ran into the open garage of my in-laws house and got into my mother in law's car, locked the doors, and then hid in the trunk.  He said afterwards that he wanted us to take her car to the park... (Also, he sometimes locks car doors for fun).  So random and stressful!

 

[Amy_Michigan]

So now, based on my last post, I'm going to decide if I am restarting my journey from Day 1 again...   There is no way to tell for sure from the Applebee's website how much added sugar there was in the balsamic glaze, but it was there.  

The website showed the following ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

Salad Mix, Grilled Chicken Breast, Lemon Olive Oil Vinaigrette, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Chopped Red Onion, Balsamic Glaze, Almonds, Seasoning

If my only cheat was a little bit of sugar, I'm probably not going to re-start.  I know what the rules are, but for me it is just a personal decision.  If I ate a piece of bread, drank pop or milk, ate ice cream, or sought out candy or sweets I would definitely restart.  I'll post how I feel tomorrow after some more thinking about it.

 

[Emma]

Oh my  - super scary to lose your kid!  That panic is horrible.  I don't think you should start over, but I'm not a Whole30 coach, but it seems like you were trying to do everything right. I wonder if the stress of the entire weekend added to things also. Visits with family are fun, but underneath it all you there was some stress over staying on track. I think eggs are amazing in how long they stay good and then they get cooked.  Salad dressings are pretty weird. I'm amazed at the grocery store how many are filled with lots of things such as sugar and soy. I googled "Applebee's Allergen Information". The second thing that came up was a pdf from them noting if anything has the main allergens including soy. Their dressings are mostly soy free! There was another thing that came up in a search showing zero sugar for the lemon vinagrette, but it called the other dressing honey balsamic, implying that there is honey in it.  But wow - that's a big reaction from possible sugar. What about your period? Does that ever trigger a flare up. I think my hormones overreact a bit once I start Whole30's and I have more intense premenstrual symptoms - I was SUPER bloated this last time with lousy sleep.  Ugh - It's such a weeding out process trying to find the ONE thing when it could also be a mix of things. I hope the swelling goes down and you're feeling better later. It sure does sound like you are on the right track doing Whole30. Lupus is a beast to deal with. 

[Amy_Michigan]

53 minutes ago, Amy_Michigan said:

5. Stress (My 4 year old son was "lost" for 10-15 minutes on Saturday because when we all went out to the car so we could drive to the park with my mother in law, I was clearing out the seat for 1 minute for my mother in law to sit ...and then looked back and realized my son wasn't in the car!  I had saw him come outside with us and then poof...gone.  We found out after shouting and looking everywhere that he had ran into the open garage of my in-laws house and got into my mother in law's car, locked the doors, and then hid in the trunk.  He said afterwards that he wanted us to take her car to the park... (Also, he sometimes locks car doors for fun).  So random and stressful!

 

Oops forgot to mention the trunk is not a "car trunk".  Her car is a pontiac vibe, so he climbed into the back, which is the trunk, from the back seat.

[Jihanna]

It's entirely possible that it's just a cumulative thing -- high child-related stress, coffee when it's not "normal" anymore, way more sun than usual, possible sugar intake, plus anything else that was just outside the norm for you that could've piled it on.

About the eggs... here's the thing -- how long they last depends on how they're cleaned and how they're stored. Freshly laid eggs have a "bloom" layer covering them, which protects them from bacteria; cleaning the egg with a dry cloth leaves the bloom intact, but washing it (or cleaning with a wet cloth) will remove it. If the bloom is intact, they're generally considered safe on the counter for up to a month; if it was removed by cleaning, then it's safer to store them in the fridge instead. If they're refrigerated at any point, they shouldn't be stored at room temp after that. Refrigerated eggs are "good" for several months. Any egg will taste better when it's fresher than it will after it's been stored for a month, though, regardless of the storage method.

Hope that helps a bit  We've got a friend who has a little coop and occasionally gives us eggs, which thankfully come very clean straight from the nest, so our store-bought eggs are kept in the fridge and her fresh ones go on the counter until we're ready to use them.

[Amy_Michigan]

Day 14 and Day 15

Thank you @Jihanna and @Emma for your helpful advice and support.  It really helps to read your take on things.

Yesterday/Day 14 was my painful day.  For breakfast I had 2 mandarin oranges and a banana.  All day I sipped on green tea I made with my portable tea kettle, crossing my fingers that would help with the inflammation/pain I was feeling.  For lunch I went to the health food store and bought some Rx bars and some grilled chicken breast that they make at the store.  I ended up eating an Rx bar & 2 huge chicken breasts for lunch.  That was a lot of meat and it was super filling.  Since I didn't eat lunch until 2pm, I didn't feel like eating supper, so I just had a cup of frozen blueberries.  Probably my worst day of the Whole30 for veggie intake, but sometimes you just push through and do your best.

I'm not on my period (haven't had it yet during this Whole30), but I know it should be coming soon.  Not looking forward to that.  Usually I get PMS-moodiness and start online shopping more and that is how I know it is almost here   I should just put it on a calendar.

Today/Day 15.  My ring finger is still swollen and sore so I'm not putting my ring on yet.  I walked a bit yesterday and did some stretches last night hoping my back would feel better today and it has improved a little.  Today for breakfast, I had a banana and an Rx bar.  I went back to packing my lunch, but I was too lazy to actually cut vegetables or cook anything which means I'm letting lettuce go bad in my fridge .  I packed a bag of baby carrots, ghee, 2 mandarin oranges, an apple, la croix sparkling water, and a bottle of unsweetened black tea.  My plan is to get more grilled chicken breasts from the health food store today and maybe drizzle a little ghee on it for my fat and to make it less dry.  I have more butternut squash noodles in the fridge, but no ground meat cooked yet, so I have to figure out dinner still.  I either have to email my husband to take meat out of the freezer, or let my noodles sit another day and maybe make tuna patties instead and eat with prepared frozen vegetables.  I'll figure it out!  

Happy Whole30ing everyone!  Another day to tackle which brings us closer to improved gut health and overall health.

 

 

[Emma]

Oh, it sounds miserable and it must be so hard to not know what will help it pass. I know when I get really sick, I can only eat red meat or rice. Everything else triggers horrible reactions and I know I can't eat the eight hours before bed or I'll have a reaction at bedtime. It's crazy how sensitive my body gets. The thing I haven't tried that I feel might be calming in a stressed system is bone broth (purchased at the grocery and reheated). Or maybe a sweet potato microwaved and eaten plain. I can't eat the fruits at all because they just trigger my system more :/

I so hope you start feeling a little better.

[Amy_Michigan]

2 hours ago, Emma said:

I can't eat the fruits at all because they just trigger my system more :/

I wish I could be like you and lay off the fruits a bit!  I am just trying to get through the day ...which resulted in filling up by tummy with fruit, but I'm going to try to plan better for tomorrow!   I have sweet potatoes at home so I'm going to use them up Wed & Thurs.  I also have bone broth from the store I am going to warm up tomorrow morning.  I keep forgetting about it.  Thanks for reminding me!

Lunch today- My health food store was all out of prepared chicken breast.  So I ended up buying Bubbies pickles and Applegate Farms Turkey Breast.  I put a bunch of ghee on a stack of turkey, stuck a pickle on the ghee, and rolled it up.  SOOOO delicious but not filling at all.  I think I'm going to finish the entire package of turkey breast because I am SO hungry.

[C.B.]

On 7/22/2019 at 7:24 PM, Amy_Michigan said:

think I'm going to start seeing a therapist for the first time in my life to help me deal with some anxiety I feel at work.  I don't know, maybe it will help with other things too, like people relationships and my relationship with food ...not exactly sure at this point.  Probably won't be about food since most likely going to just talk about anxiety.  But I guess it could be related, who knows? 

I went to see a therapist for the first time ever last month and I can only recommend that you give it a try! Being able to be open and honest about my relationship with food in a safe space was a game-changer and she provided some actionable tips on how to heal. To your point about not quite knowing what will come up, my reasons for booking an apt was to discuss food but we ended up going over depression and how they are related. The experience has made me more curious about mental health and food, and I think it has been beneficial to have my therapy and Whole30 journeys side by side. 

[Emma]

10 hours ago, Amy_Michigan said:

I put a bunch of ghee on a stack of turkey, stuck a pickle on the ghee, and rolled it up.  SOOOO delicious but not filling at all.  I think I'm going to finish the entire package of turkey breast because I am SO hungry.

Oh my gosh - I laughed out loud. As I was reading your food description, I was certain you were gonna say it was horrible and then you said it was SOOOOO delicious.  It sounds atrocious, but I might just love it as well. It's got the salt and the crunch that I love. I ate turkey slices wrapped around greens the other day with some lemon garlic olive oil and it was SOOOO good. Not too far off from a pickle.

[Amy_Michigan]

I think it might be getting closer to my time of the month.  I can't prepare anything.  I can't pack anything.  The last thing I want to do is even get off my butt and grocery shop.

To finish off my food log for yesterday, I decided to bake up 2 small sweet potatoes for dinner and I devoured them.  I also had a messy, ugly tuna patty which consisted of a can of tuna, 1 scrambled up egg, some almond flour, salt, and pepper.  I didn't even feel like snacking last night so that was good.

Day 16

Breakfast was some compliant hasbrowns.  Yeah, I know I'm lazy.  Lunch was an Rx bar and 2 packets of baby food.  Yes, baby food.  It is called Happy Baby "Apples, Kale & Avocados".  It is organic, and it is "supposed to" consist of 1/2 of an apple, 1 cup of kale, and 1 tsp of cubed avocado.  I ate 2 (4 oz) packets.  It is actually not bad tasting.  Just ODD.    I need to find some protein but maybe I'll just get through the day and get my protein with my ground beef I have in the fridge for dinner tonight with my butternut squash noodles.  Failing at the meal template, but all I can do is plan to do better tomorrow.

Forgot to mention above:  Yesterday, I decided to go in to see my doctor about my back/side pain. I've had it two days and I have realized it is mostly localized to my upper right side under my ribs.  WebMD said I should go to the doctor, so I went.  I did a urine sample and my kidney is fine.  They also did a blood test, but I think they were only doing my routine physical labs.  They said 2 days is too early to investigate the unlikely conditions with my organs on my left side but that if it got worse to come back in.  She said my pain was most likely "musculoskeletal" related which I took to mean I pulled something, but for some reason I didn't ask what that actually meant.  I'm supposed to take ibprofin and apply heat to make it go away sooner.  Otherwise, she said it will probably go away on its own eventually.

[Amy_Michigan]

Ugh, I hate that I can't go back and edit after a certain time.  My upper LEFT side is what is hurting.  Not the right.  Whatever...

[Amy_Michigan]

Well, my butternut squash noodles went bad in the fridge.    They were slimy and gross so I made potatoes instead to have with my ground beef.  I also had a banana and 1\2 of an avocado.  Full and satisfied for the night.  Who is watching the debates? I’m trying not to forget.  If I watch tonight I’m probably going to eat a cup of frozen blueberries as my popcorn haha.

[Amy_Michigan]

The end of Day 16 I watched a little bit of the debates and it was all choppy because I was trying to live stream on CNN.com but I was only using wifi and not a wired connection, so it kept cutting out.  I didn't snack last night, which was a win.

Day 17

Today is my first day of therapy and I keep thinking I have to make a plan about what I want to talk about but I have absolutely no idea.  I don't want to talk about Whole30 right off the bat because even though this is on the front of my mind every day, I think it will seem a little obsessive and I don't think someone who hasn't done a whole30 would really understand that mindset.  I think talking about work will be stressful and cause me even more anxiety.  So maybe the therapist will figure out a way for us to talk about relationships with people instead of things that stress me out like my job and whether I am doing my whole30 perfectly LOL.

I packed a very good lunch today.  I packed a salad (romaine lettuce, chicken breast that my husband cooked yesterday [YAY], tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado, and evoo/vinegar).  I still have carrot sticks to eat in the fridge at work too.  So YAY for not having to leave work to try to find compliant foods in the middle of the day at the health food store.  And no baby food today LOL.

One thing I didn't plan out was dinner... I forgot that I'm not going home until after 8 pm tonight because my appointment is at 7pm.  So that is one thing I will have to brainstorm today.

[Emma]

Wow - Day 17 and a Big Day. That's exciting (and stressful) that you're going to therapy. Maybe stay focused on your reason for going?? I don't know what I would do. There's probably a garbage dump load of stuff that would want to all come pouring out of my mouth in one big vomit of words. Hope you like your therapist and I hope he/she knows how to ask the right questions!!!!

The baby food thing is funny, but rather brilliant.

Congratulations on PACKING a lunch. It should be easy, but it's not. And your husband cooked the chicken! Super yay!!

[Amy_Michigan]

PMS + 1st day of therapy = crytalked the whole time.  Lots of tissues.  I talked so much I don’t know if there is anything left to talk about. haha  I’m going back next week though.  We’ll see... I did touch on the fact that I’m trying to get healthy now...felt like I should say something positive about myself after bringing up my life issues.

Had my chicken salad for lunch and for supper I had 2 fried eggs ( in olive oil) with 1/2 bag of steamed cauliflower/broccoli/carrots (with coconut oil.)  Then some blueberries.  I didn’t eat supper until 8:30pm.  I had black coffee at 630, before my 7pm appt, —It encouraged all my talking but it wasn’t the smartest idea.

 

[Jihanna]

There's more to talk about. Trust one who's been in years of therapy and recovery programs, there's always more to talk about

((( hugs )))

I did coffee before breakfast today, too, and I'm regretting it. I woke up with a headache, which is WHY I did it, but now I'm just nauseated and dreading the thought of food... so, ugh. Monthly junk affecting me here, too. I keep wanting to cry, then reminding myself that I need to focus on doing things today, not curling up in the bed to die!

[Emma]

11 hours ago, Amy_Michigan said:

PMS + 1st day of therapy = crytalked the whole time.  Lots of tissues.  I talked so much I don’t know if there is anything left to talk about. haha  I’m going back next week though.  We’ll see... I did touch on the fact that I’m trying to get healthy now...felt like I should say something positive about myself after bringing up my life issues.

You're trying to get healthy in so many weighs than just nutrition. You went to see a therapist. Really, how cool is that. You're addressing things from all sorts of angles. Glad you went and you cry/talked and that you're going next week. This is your time and you're doing it!

[Beckha99]

16 hours ago, Amy_Michigan said:

PMS + 1st day of therapy = crytalked the whole time.  Lots of tissues.  I talked so much I don’t know if there is anything left to talk about. haha  I’m going back next week though.  We’ll see... I did touch on the fact that I’m trying to get healthy now...felt like I should say something positive about myself after bringing up my life issues.

Had my chicken salad for lunch and for supper I had 2 fried eggs ( in olive oil) with 1/2 bag of steamed cauliflower/broccoli/carrots (with coconut oil.)  Then some blueberries.  I didn’t eat supper until 8:30pm.  I had black coffee at 630, before my 7pm appt, —It encouraged all my talking but it wasn’t the smartest idea.

 

I haven't been back to therapy for years. I know I need to, but finding the right therapist always is tough. When I did go years back, it made me feel like I wasn't actually totally nuts. It was a good validation of some of my thoughts. Awesome job Amy! 

[Amy_Michigan]

Day 19

Thanks, Beckha and Emma.  It has been hard so far this weekend with my period, but my husband made another whole chicken (and since I picked up some Whole30 compliant mayo from the health food store yesterday), all I had to do was cut some chicken and add some chopped tomatoes, mayo, and salt/pepper for my chicken salad lunch.  I loved it.  Easy peasy.  He also picked up some ground turkey for me so I will probably make some turkey meatballs or patties tonight with a side salad.  

I'm getting thoughts about ending after 3 weeks instead of 4 since I'm so close and I feel like I've broken bad habits (eating out every day and grabbing donuts/baked goods).  But if I ended at 3 weeks, what would I DO?  There is nothing I need to cheat for next week... so it is just silly thoughts for no reason.  Since  I have healthy food around, the whole30 isn't that hard anymore.

[Emma]

1 hour ago, Amy_Michigan said:

Day 19

Thanks, Beckha and Emma.  It has been hard so far this weekend with my period, but my husband made another whole chicken (and since I picked up some Whole30 compliant mayo from the health food store yesterday), all I had to do was cut some chicken and add some chopped tomatoes, mayo, and salt/pepper for my chicken salad lunch.  I loved it.  Easy peasy.  He also picked up some ground turkey for me so I will probably make some turkey meatballs or patties tonight with a side salad.  

I'm getting thoughts about ending after 3 weeks instead of 4 since I'm so close and I feel like I've broken bad habits (eating out every day and grabbing donuts/baked goods).  But if I ended at 3 weeks, what would I DO?  There is nothing I need to cheat for next week... so it is just silly thoughts for no reason.  Since  I have healthy food around, the whole30 isn't that hard anymore.

Thinking of only doing three weeks instead of four - ha - don't do it don't do it. step away slowly from that thought process. (Though I get it!!!!) It's nice that your husband is chipping in a tad amount. That helps the process. I keep catching myself almost licking my fingers when I'm making the kids their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. ooof - it's rough reaching for a paper towel instead.

We are doing well.