Mich Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hi, Just about to finish the first day of my Whole60. Woohoo. This is my second Whole'30' and I'm really looking forward to doing it. A bit about me I live in Brisbane, Australia and we are about to go through a heat wave (temperatures in the mid to high 30's) and can you believe that the air conditioning at work isn't working correctly so I am in for a hot week. I work as an Organisational Change Manager - it's a job I have a love hate relationship with although I do know it is probably not my 'calling'. I'm 44ish ...... not really young, not old. At different times in my life have been a junkie about all sorts of different fitness regimes - gym, Bikram Yoga, cycling, tennis, netball. At the moment I am thinking I need something new having piled the weight back on and while I believe that weight loss is predominantly about food rather than exercise do think that there are huge benefits to exercise both mentally and physically. I do want to try Cross Fit and get back into Bikram but want to get a basic level of fitness back first. So I'm starting back with walking and some cycling and will go from there. One of my resolutions for 2013 is to 'Harvest Happiness' by doing more of what makes me happy and less of what doesn't regardless of whether these things are and what other people think I should be doing. So this year will see me spending loads of time near the ocean, reading heaps, taking lots of pictures, reconnecting with old friends and focusing on making sure my existing friends know exactly how much they mean to me. My last Whole30 It was great. I loved it although looking back I was a bit stressed about it. Some of the principles from the first Whole30 stuck with me but I did slide back into being friends with the sugar demon and eating lots of crappy processed foods. The things I pretty much stuck with were no dairy....okay limited dairy, while it doesn't seem to make me feel sick or anything I actually just don't really want it. I've\ had some milk based coffees but am never able to finish them, a little cheese and some ice cream (which I still love). I also massively reduced processed carbs having bread 4-5 times a week for brekky and nothing else on a regular basis. This was a big change from before the Whole30 where I would have bread or something similar 2-3 times a day. This Whole30 (60) I'm looking forward to more energy, better sleeping and also starting to get my weight back on track. Last time I stressed a bit about eating the right amount of fat (not too much, not too little). This I think was mainly as a result of years of conditioning that fat is bad and I must eat low fat. But think I've got past that now and happily add in fats to meals and add enough to satisfy me. I'm also going to make the commitment to not watch TV or read while eating. I have just recently started to do this and find that it makes a big difference not only to the satisfaction of that particular meal but I find I'm less likely to want to eat mindlessly at other times because I know the food won't be as good as when I sit down and focus on really enjoying eating. Todays food was: Brekky 2 x Lamb and rosemary sausages, 1 poached egg, 1/4 avocado, spinach, tomato 1 x black coffee Lunch Chocolate Chili with spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and home made mayo Dinner Lime and Coriander Chicken with Avocado Salsa.........Yummmmmmy. Half a punnet of Strawberries Just editing this to include a 9pm snack of a Spinach and Beef muffin. Was getting a little hungry. Must eat more at meal time Exercise 30 minute walk - with the dog so not too fast but that's okay because I'm pretty unfit. Other News I bought some pancetta today. It is sugar free but not nitrate free. Was a bit worried about the later as I wasn't sure it was compliant but really wanted it as you can't get sugar free bacon in Australia and it might be a good alternative. Searched the forum when I got home and found a post by Robin saying that nitrite is compliant. YAY!!! If you've reached this far, thanks for sticking with me. I have a tendency to be a little verbose but hey that's me. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glimmer Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hi from a fellow Aussie. Good luck on your whole60. The idea of that seems quite daunting to a newbie like myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Thanks Glimmer. Actually starting to rethink the 60 and go for 45 days. 60 is seeming like a big challenge and I don't want to fall off the wagon hard at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Today was pretty good. Stayed on plan but got ravenously hungry at about 3pm. So ended up with a snack of nuts....actually a couple of snacks of nuts. Here was the days food: Brekky - 2 x spinach and beef muffins with mayo (here is where I think the not eating enough started for the day). Mid morning - coffee Lunch - Lime Coriander Chicken, Avo, Spinach, tomato and cucumber Snack - 2 x handfuls of mixed nuts Dinner - Ground beef with cumin and chill, cumin lime dressing (yummo), broccoli and sweet potato. The energy drop this arvo wasn't great, it was followed by extreme agitation and a bit of an inability to relax. This is obviously from not eating enough but also I think because over my 2 week Christmas/New Year break from work I was having an afternoon sugar/processed carb fix. Almost everyday.....Make that everyday and I think my body was used to the sugar hit. More food at brekky and lunch including some sweet potato will hopefully iron this out. Also plan on taking some spinach and beef muffins plus some mayo to work in case I get hungry again and then I will have a perfect whole30 mini meal to eat rather than the nuts. Early to bed for me tonight. Until tomorrow folks. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Quick log for the day. Brekky: 2 x sausages, spinach, tomato,mayo, sweet potato, mayo Mid morning - coffee Lunch - Lime Coriander chicken, spinach, tomato, avocado, cucumber Snack - nuts ...... macadamia and almonds..... too many Dinner - Mince, broccoli mayo Tomorrow's commitment - eat more at lunch so I don't need the mid arvo snack (and eat more nuts then I should Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Another good day yesterday although I got hungry mid afternoon again and also about 2 hours after dinner. Maybe I'm still not eating enough or maybe my bodes insulin management is more out of whack then I thought and just needs to adjust a bit more, I'm not really sure. Either way I'll up my food intake a little until things normalise and will take a mini meal to work today. Food for yesterday: Brekky - beef mince, cumin lime mayo, spinach, sweet potato 2 x coffees Lunch -Spinach and beef muffin, i sausage, ago, spinach, tomato, cucumber, sweet potato Snack - mixed nuts - 2 small handfuls Dinner - 2.5 sausages, spinach, tomato, cucumber. Small bowl of cherries. Snack - boiled egg. Overall feeling a bit better energy wise, sleeping a bit better. Can't wait for everything else that's good that comes with this program. On the not so pleasant side of things I have increasingly had some 'digestive' issues in the last couple of days but that will sort it self out too. Other things I've realised: Sweet potato goes very well with spinach and beef muffins Mental clarity is great....... I love the way this program gives me clarity about what I eat and why, I've been having flashbacks a bit recently (even before this Whole30) about things that I loved in my childhood. Lots of fun memories like eating mulberries off the trees overhanging the oval at school, swinging from the hills hoist, summer fun at the beach with the family, What I've realised is that I miss that sort of fun in my life and that in some ways the sweet, sugary high processed carb foods became a substitute.....trying to add that sweetness back in my life. It's also good to know that while eating high processed foods was a subconscious way of getting that fun back into my life and that to some extent I was at the mercy of the chemicals and low nutrition value of the food I was eating, ie. the more of 'that' kind of food I ate the less likely it was that I actually looked for real fun. Now to add the fun back in a way that doesn't involved food. Oh, last thing, the weird food dreams have kicked back in. Can't remember last nights although I do remember thinking that it was very whacky. For anyone who doesn't know what a hills hoist is, its an old Australian version of a washing line, here is one with some of the fun happening that I was talking about. Have a superb day peeps. Time for me to get moving. Hoping that the bush fires over on Bribie Island (about an hours drive away) are finally over today so the people over there can relax and I don't have the smell of smoke wafting through my house . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glimmer Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Ah the good old hills hoist : ) did you ever tie firecrackers to them on Guy Falkes night? I hear you on the mental clarity, it's nice to be able to think straight. I look forward to hearing what you come up with for non-food ways to have fun. Mine is the gym, that's it..lol..the only time I get to myself really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Haha, Glimmer. No, I didn't do the firecrackers off the Hills Hoist but that would have been fun. Was going to have a beach day today but it is actually a bit too hot with the heat wave we are having. Next weekend it;s on though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Yesterday was another good food day. Still getting hungry mid afternoon so I ate the mini meal I thankfully took to work. Brekky - Beef Mince, spinach, sweet potato and mayo Lunch - 2 x eggs, a sausage, spinach, sweet potato, tomato cucumber, mayo. Mid afternoon mini meal - 2 x spinach and beef muffins with mayo Late afternoon snack - cherries Dinner - omelette - 3 eggs, pancetta, tomato, spinach. Soooo, looking back on my day now I do remember the late afternoon snack of cherries. That was just a habit of getting home and opening the fridge door. Thank fully I chose the cherries (there really isn't much off plan in the fridge that is my food so easy to make a good choice). I don't think i was really hungry though. Gotta watch that habit of walking in the door and looking for food. An update on the pancetta which I mentioned in my first post. It wasn't that great, pretty fatty and not good fat I think so have decided to turf the rest of it. Have a good day everyone. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hot as Hades today so took myself and my Dad off to see Les Miserable which was fab (better than the stage show although I don't really go in for musicals so that's not saying much). Lay in bed until about 10am which was very lazy but a lovely start to my day. As a result of that I didn't get all my meals in but then I didn't go hungry either so it worked out well. Maybe that fat adaption is kicking in. Brekky: 3 x poached eggs, 3 large mushrooms cooked in evoo, avocado, black coffee.....second black coffee. Snack: Spinach and beef muffin x 1 Din Din's: 1 palm size piece of grilled chicken, 1 medium potato cooked in evoo, 1.5 cups of broccoli, half a large mango. Exercise: Nil. Should start that but giving myself a bit of an excuse of it being way too hot. You may have noticed that I have started to quantify my food, this is really just to make myself conscious of how much I'm eating. My protein is a bit all over the place so I want to track it a bit more. Started my weekly cook up today. This required me to put a fan on in the kitchen as I did it in the midday heat. Made mayo (see the pic below), it looked so delicious I could have dipped a spoon in. Recipe is care of Melicious at Clothesmakethegirl.com. Also made spinach and beef muffins. Tomorrow I'll do some salmon and sweet potato cakes and some Egg Muffins (known otherwise as mini quiches). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Few days since I've logged in and not sure I can remember what I ate on Sunday so I'll just say that I don't think I ate enough. I had a couple of mini meals throughout the day and then was a bit hungry in the evening so had roast chicken with pumpkin and broccolini. This was followed by a snack of a salmon and sweet potato cake later in the evening. Grazing is a bit of a habit of mine on the weekend which I'll have to be a bit mindful of. I think the not eating enough throughout the day led to thoughts of sweet, processed treats when I kept putting off having a meal. Not that I succumbed though Yesterday: Brekky: 1 x sausage, 2 x poached eggs, spinach, tomato and mayo. Lunch: chicken, Simple Spring Salad (courtesy of Clothes make the girl)…..followed by 2 x spinach and beef muffins which I had taken along for a snack in the afternoon if needed but which I decided I needed to eat at lunch to fill me up.The simple spring salad was lovely by the way. Dinner: Steak, broccolini, sweet potato. This morning I am feeling like the carb flu has hit me. Feeling a bit fluey…hope it isn't actually the flu. Few days since I've logged in and not sure I can remember what I ate on Sunday so I'll just say that I don't think I ate enough. I had a couple of mini meals throughout the day and then was a bit hungry in the evening so had roast chicken with pumpkin and broccolini. This was followed by a snack of a salmon and sweet potato cake later in the evening. Yesterday: Brekky: 1 x sausage, 2 x poached eggs, spinach, tomato and mayo. Lunch: chicken, Simple Spring Salad (courtesy of Clothes make the girl)…..followed by 2 x spinach and beef muffins which I had taken along for a snack in the afternoon if needed but which I decided I needed to eat at lunch to fill me up.The simple spring salad was lovely by the way. Dinner: Steak, broccolini, sweet potato. This morning I am feeling like the carb flu has hit me. Feeling a bit fluey…hope it isn't actually the flu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Day 10 today!!! So tired this afternoon although not really experiencing carb flu. Tiime to up the starch intake I think as at the moment I couldn't really eat bigger meals. Food for today Brekky - 3 x sausages, spinach, tomato, small amount of sweet potato. mid morning - black coffee Lunch - 2 x salmon and sweet potato patties, a mini egg muffin (veges and pork mince included), basic salad and mayo. Dinner - Chocolate Chili, basic salad, 1/4 cup sweet potato, mayo I seriously love both the chocolate chill and the mayo. I get excited thinking about them . Sleeping overall feels better but dragging myself through the first few hours of the morning. Looking forward to this passing but will pump up the starch to see if it helps. Ciao Bellas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Just writing this first thing in the morning because I am noticing that I am forgetting to include my fruit intake in my log. So just updating now. I had a small hand full of cherries at lunch and then finished them off just before I left work. Why? Because they were there. I was quite hungry though and became increasingly so until I was a bit agitated. I am wondering if the small sugar hit exacerbated my agitation by playing with my blood sugar levels? Also last night about 2 hours after dinner, not really hungry, but struggling to relax had some watermelon, probably about 2 serves. Not a biggie but haven't snacked in a while after dinner. Anyway, just wanted to make sure I didn't forget to log it. Starving now so off to make some brekky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glimmer Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Day 10 already! Awesome. Fruit as a stand alone snack does that to me as well, I have to be careful and have it with meals if I have it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Yeah Glimmer, I think fruit on its own is a no no for me. To be honest the watermelon I had last night didn't really sit well either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 On track food wise again which is great. Definitely sleeping better with less sugar drops later in the day. The sweet potato at lunch helped me stave off hunger for longer although when hunger did hit I was still a bit agitated. Please god this will pass soon. Last couple of mornings I have stared my brekky in the face and not really wanted it. I have ended up eating it with no real trouble but am almost put off by the thought of eating it despite being hungry. I don't think this is because of what I've made but not sure what the cause is. Food for today: Brekky - 2 x poached eggs, 1/2 avo, mushrooms, black coffee Lunch - Chocolate chill, 1/2 cup sweet potato, basic salad, mayo, handful of lychees Dinner - Pork chop, steamed broccoli and carrots, mayo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 So I've been offline for a couple of days enjoying my time away from a computer. Back on today which is DAY 15 . So excited about doing this at the moment. I am definitely sleeping better although I do need to decide more often not to watch TV in bed (this really isn't conducive to a good night sleep). I think the Whole30 is helping me realise this (and a whole lot of other things) by removing the energy/blood sugar swings and the dulling of emotions which I used to have and which really clouded by thinking and actions on a whole range of things (even if only subtly). Last week I dragged myself through the morning until I had my coffee ...... this morning I was better. Still not perky but not so tired nor did I have so much trouble concentrating at work in the morning. Some of my clothes are also feeling a little looser. I seem to be lasting to the next meal time a bit easier without getting hungry in the late afternoon. I would like to get to the point where I can last more than 5 hours though but I am sure it will come. I am glad I have committed to 60 days this time around. Because of my extensive (shall we say) dieting history I think some things are taking a bit longer - this is evidenced by some digestive or you could say ongoing bowel (eek - I said bowel) issues that I am having - it's nothing major but I am not in a good routine with it yet. One of the indications I think that things have definitely changed for me will be that this particular aspect has settled down. One of the things I think that is helping me with the Whole30 is that i am really totally committed to it. I am pretty much trusting that good things will come out of it. The program just makes sense. One of the things I have noticed is that previous diets had an undercurrent of restriction and punishment about them. You ate too much and now you have to diet DIEt, DIEt. I know Whole30 is restrictive but it truly doesn't feel like that to me. I am so much more satisfied after a meal than I think I have ever been in my life and that for me is a fantastic thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glimmer Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yep. Food is awesome : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Food log for Day 15 Brekky: 1.5 palms of Pulled pork and broccoli and spinach Lunch: 3 x salmon and sweet potato muffins, 2 large handfuls of spinach, 5 cherry tomatoes and 6 slices of cucumber and small amount of yellow capsimum Dinner: 1.5 palm serves of pulled pork, broccoli, carrots (roasted with spices) Late night snack (even I was still full) - punnet of blueberries and small handful of roasted pecans.....This left me feeling bloated and uncomfortable as I was still a little full from dinner. Big lesson there. Didn't sleep at all well either. Hmmm, saw something that said that if you get craving for food at night it could just be because you are tired and you should go to bed. So simple and I think true for me last night. Day 16 Brekky: 1 x chicken lemon myrtle sausage, 1 x mini muffin wrapped in proscuito, half a handful of spinach, couple of florets of broccoli, 1/2 medium sized roast carrot and Black coffee. Mid morning - black coffee Lunch - 2 handful mix of mixed lettuce and rocket, liberal amounts of parsley, drizzle of avocado oil, small handful of roast pecans, green apple, 1.5 palms of pulled pork. Dinner - comfort noodles from Clothes make the girls including 2 eggs and 2 medium sized zucchinis, 1 palm of pulled pork (it is ridiculous who much I love the pork). Seriously roast pulled pork where have you been all my life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 So I've gone from being all excited yesterday to feeling a little frustrated. I often feel bloated and a little constipated (which I've put a query about in the troubleshooting section). I also haven't had any jumps in energy. In my last whole30 I didn't get big energy shifts although definitely my energy levelled out and I wasn't routinely tired which is fab. This time around I am doing 60 days because I did feel my body didn't quite get into the swing of it last time within the 30 day time period. I was also a little stressed about it last time about all the prep and getting everything 'right'. I am much more relaxed this time around which is great. Anyway, I am just having a whinge, still feeling totally committed and know that it is worthwhile. I also think as my clothes have become a little looser I have start to think about weight loss more and this is probably playing into my mood a bit. So I think I need to go back to the goals worksheet that is distributed with Day 0 of the Daily emails. I haven't used the emails this time around (I subscribed with the last Whole30) but I don't want to go down the route of focusing on weight over other goals as I know this won't be constructive for me. Watch this space for some goal setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 lol I am totally in love with pulled pork, a friend joked that "is that ALL you eat? you're always talking about it" lol More fat should help keep everything moving. Don't be afraid to up it when it comes from good sources. I've even been at 85% and it's worked really well. The bloated will come from the other symptom, so cure the second one and that one should be gone too. The emails are good for the "click here if you've stuck to it" part, it's very TinyHabits.com (sets positive results in your brain for achievements). I'm also in Oz and have a lot of weight to lose, if you'd like to compare notes. I recently had a DEXA scan to find out my body composition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 I'll definitely be doing the pork again. So good. I reheat it in the juices which is divine. I am going to uptake my fat intake. Now that I think about it I may have unconsciously reduced the amount. I also picked up some digestive enzymes to help me sort it out too. I'm glad I decided to do 60 days this time as I think it'll take a while for my body (and mind) to adjust. I had a Dexa scan a couple if years ago not sure I have the results still. It would be interesting to see if after eating this way for a while. Your body composition changed. Would definitely be good to chat. I'll inbox you. Tks for the info on TinyHabits. It looks interesting and I think I'll give it a go. Here's my suggested link http://psychologyofeating.com/. There posts on Facebook and blogs are helping to change the way I think about food, eating, body etc. It helps me remember health is not about the numbers but about overall well being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Prior to this I was doing Primal-ish about 85% fat (Phinney method, measured protein by lean body mass) - great book, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance My problem has always been fuel, I eat to fuel. Being sick drastically alters my blood sugar, something I can now actually predict based on my numbers. I have a number of chronic health problems, so sickness is a regular thing I need to manage. I've been sick twice during my Whole30, but only 1 day off work and recovering much faster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 That's great to hear praxisproject (your recovery time). You must be on your last week just about. Not long to go. YAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Breaking news......the digestive enzymes are working. Still a bit bloated and uncomfortable after eating but not nearly as bad as earlier in the week and that's only after 1 day of taking them. Thank god for that. Also, meant to mention earlier in the week that my little reward to myself at the end of week two was some basic kitchen implements - measuring spoons in groovy colours, measuring cups and a garlic press. I've been getting by just fine without these but it is much easier cooking with them. Food for today: Brekky: 1 x palm serve of pulled pork (last bit), broccoli, carrots, avocado, black coffee Mid morning - black coffee Lunch: 3 x sweet potato and salmon cakes, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, yellow capsicum, half and avocado. Drizzle of olive oil. Dinner: 1.5 palms of lamb chop (scrummy), roast mushrooms and carrots (cooked in loads of oil), broccolini, small bowl of cherries. Made a double batch of mayo tonight, this will definitely help with my fat intake especially since I need to eat it all before the 1st Feb (the expiry date for the eggs). No problem though, I am sure I'll make it. Looking at recipes for next week already and just have to share - I have quite a bit of chicken I want to eat. Here is what is looking is like is on the menu (Chook Week): Crispy nut and herb fried chicken - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/crispy-nut-and-herb-fried-chicken-with-creamy-avocado/#axzz2ItA1N5ir Grilled chicken with Rich, Raw & Creamy Paleo Cilantro Sauce - http://www.whatrunslori.com/2012/05/raw-creamy-paleo-cilantro-sauce/comment-page-1/ Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa One of my all time fav meals - http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cilantro-lime-chicken-with-avocado-salsa-10000001886432/ Bacon and Egg Muffins (I'll use pancetta rather than bacon though - this is going to be my brekky's for part of the week - http://www.katiekdid.com/2011/12/29/a-post-crossfit-snack/ Lamb Chops Pork chops. This should clean my freezer out of meat - which is great. I am loving the feeling of getting through all my bought food and having an empty fridge/freezer ready for the next shop Also, on some random news. One of the benefits I have discovered from doing the Whole30 is that yesterday we went out to lunch for a colleagues birthday. I had bought my lunch to work as i knew where we were going was not going to be able to supply compliant food (chinese restaurant). I had my lunch when everyone left the office to go the restaurant and then met them for a drink (sparkling water). The benefit? I've never really liked chinese food and the whole60 gave me the perfect excuse not to eat it. I also had a couple of reports that the food was only so so. Bonus for me! A bit of a ramble today, may or may not be more rambles tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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