Stepford WASP Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I came here to do a Whole30, but I may end up committing to a more extended term. Let's just say the come-to-Jesus moment on the scale was no cause for celebration, but at least I have tangible stats against which I can measure progress. Today is Day 1. I eased into my WholeN this weekend, primarily so I wouldn't be a zombie at work today. I wasn't 100% compliant, but I ate far less carbage than I had been, and I sipped my last latte yesterday morning. The Viking is joining me, so that means I have a great support system at home. My hormones are screaming WTF—where's my carb-induced coma? Sleep the past two nights has been extremely restless. I had difficulty falling asleep both nights, combined with numerous, intermittent wakeups—and this was after taking pre-bed supps of 500mg phosphatidylserine and 1200mg magnesium. Didn't work. This morning, I have consumed 2 shots of black espresso and ate grilled salmon. I can't quite stomach chomping on veggies this early, but I assume my hunger will improve as hormones start to level out. I'm feeling a little distracted and brain foggy, but it's time to focus on work. Good luck to everyone, especially the 1/7 starters! I'll check your logs later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca30 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Tip on getting veggies in the AM...make a blended soup. Then you can slurp it from a mug! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa@SwissPaleo Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Dear Stepford, You crack me up! I think I'd like to hang out with you in real life if I knew you. I'm drinking it black, too. Congrats on starting your first WholeXXX. I'm in it for 100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Mmmmm, soup. Great idea, thanks. Lisa, you're very kind. I feel an instant kinship with everyone here, and I look forward to getting to know you all better. Well, I made if clean through day 1. I finished meal 3 a half hour ago and my stomach feels warm and very GURGLY. This must be what digestion feels like, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Day 1 wasn't so bad. I slept better than the previous two nights; I even woke up 10 minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off, though I wouldn't have minded another hour or two in bed. I had a couple "off" (translation = poor me) moments last night, specifically when subconscious ruminations bubbled to the surface and planted the typical seed of thought in the forefront of my brain; the one that says, "Mmm, what can I eat now?" Such thoughts almost never meant protein and veggies but The Other Stuff—evil things that come in bags and boxes. It was surpringly easy to gently push the thought away. I don't eat like that anymore. I'd rather have healthy hormones than Hostess Ho-Hos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Gaaah. Lest I become too self righteous over how effortless this feels, I just read the Whole30 timeline. It's a good thing I'll be working at home at the start of My Evil Daysâ„¢, when I can safely and privately gnash my teeth and hurl epithets at the moon. I also just noticed the teensiest headache starting in the center of my skull, which promises to become the hobnailed jackboots of a million tiny soldiers in a marching band. Bring it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca30 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 To clarify, I am not liking the headache, rather the fantastic description! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Day 3. This morning I woke with a throbbing headache. As I lay still, wishing away the relentless pulse in my temples, it occured to me that if a 1000W light were attached to my head, I could guide ships in to port. A temple headache tells me it's caffeine related, no surprise. After eliminating Stoneyfield Farm milk (the only brand that frothed in my frother) and switching to black espresso, I've cut back on caffeine consumption by one third. I wasn't snorking down that much to begin with, but I am sensitive to it. If, after finishing these last sips of my double lungo, I feel a burst of energy, I'll need to start babying my adrenals, which means additional lifestyle changes outside diet. I'd be surprised if they weren't already sputtering; surely they have been chronically elevated to drive down high blood glucose levels. Here are some of my observations at the start of my third day into this new way of eating: Black coffee is starting to taste good. I am not nearly as thirsty throughout the day as I had been before starting this Whole30. More fresh veggies means more water available to my system. I am trying to develop a taste for green tea. So far I am underwhelmed, but I am counting every cup I drink as water, since the caffeine levels are ~15mg, and I reuse a tea sachet for the second cup. I walked down (not up) 10 flights yesterday, and it left my legs like jelly. I am surprised that today I feel DOMS. I am so out of shape, and I used to regularly climb mountains on weekends. My head feels like it's stuffed with muslin, peoples' words sound like they are enveloped in cotton, and I am distracted by the smallest thing. My nose is congested, but I do not have a cold. I am also having nose bleeds. I wonder if my sinuses are purging. I've become better at problem-solving games, where I can more clearly identify patterns. Mornings are not my best hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 To clarify, I am not liking the headache, rather the fantastic description! Thanks, Rebecca. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terez Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 "Carbage" and "My Evil Daysâ„¢"!! Interesting observation about problem-solving games and identifying patterns. I noticed that I became a lot better at Scrabble recently -- which was the first time I'd played it after eating clean for a while. On the green tea, I find I need to steep it a really short time. Less than two minutes; sometimes just one minute. Finding a "good" one really makes a difference. I was lucky to find one I liked early on (Bi Lo Chun, and my review is at the bottom of that page). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshacklett Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I've been having nose bleeds too! I thought it might be the dry air in our house, but maybe it's related to Whole30. Just as long as they don't stick around.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 On the green tea, I find I need to steep it a really short time. Less than two minutes; sometimes just one minute. Finding a "good" one really makes a difference. I was lucky to find one I liked early on (Bi Lo Chun, and my review is at the bottom of that page). That's a great review. It seems I have been steeping too long, as I leave the bag in my cup so I can use it a seond time—not because I am cheap but because I don't want excess caffeine, and I tend to drink the tea late afternoon. I'll pop the bag out into a plate instead. I've also got some white jasmine tea. I am super excited to try that one. Last time I went on a tea bender I couldn't smell (complete anosmia for >5 years), so the taste and scent of non-black tea was too subtle for me to enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 I've been having nose bleeds too! I thought it might be the dry air in our house, but maybe it's related to Whole30. Just as long as they don't stick around.... Interesting. I wasn't blaming the change in diet as much as suspecting a combination of Rhinocort AQ spray combined with winter, but I also feel like my body is purging. I had previously lost my sense of smell because of polyps in my sinuses, which were a direct result of allergy-induced inflammation. So I am on a lifelong prescription of very low dose steriodal spray for my nose ... or am I? I would be overjoyed to discover I could stop being a slave to my allergy meds. Meanwhile, if the bleeding doesn't stop, I will try a neti pot. The salts should help heal what's going on in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melelina Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hey there! I do exercise regularly and yet right now, I am so stiff and sore it is crazy! So don't feel too bad about the DOMS. I am guessing it has something to do with what we are eating (or not eating). I hope your headache goes away soon! I am a January 7 starter too. I walked down (not up) 10 flights yesterday, and it left my legs like jelly. I am surprised that today I feel DOMS. I am so out of shape, and I used to regularly climb mountains on weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hi Melelina, I actually like DOMS in a sick, weird, felt-flagellant kind of way. Headache is still hanging about, but I have faith it will be over by the weekend. I am surprised I don't have worse carb flu. But then, I've never experienced a hangover either, and I certaily should have! Some parts of me are bulletproof, I guess. How's your Day 3 going? I'll have to look for your log. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glimmer Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 DOMS are good..they mean you are working something : ). Hang in there, the headache will go and you will feel better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Day 4 seems right in line with my Daily message, as I had my first food dream last night. In the dream, I was eating cake (I don't even like cake) out of a small Blue Willow bowl, standing in front of the kitchen counter. Because everyone knows if you stand near the sink, calories don't count. Other stuff: Headache is gone. I had a little extra carb with my dinner last night. Maybe it helped. I woke up with empty sinuses. My head seems to be clearing. I know this is supppsed to be the start of grumpy days, but I feel fine, in fact better than I did when I was carbage dosing. Body is almost finished purging excess water, as I'm making fewer trips to the loo. I'm starting to sleep more soundly. I definitely need more of it, though. It's unusual for the alarm to go off and not hear it; usually I am already starting to come out of sleep. It's challenging to get to bed earlier in the evening when wake time is 3:30 AM, but I must do what I need to do, even if the rest of the world hasn't eaten dinner when I am crawling into bed around 7:00 PM. My eyes felt heavy driving to work, and I am not exactly feeling perky right now, so I'll baby myself tonight, maybe even take a warm Epsom salt bath before bed. It's not diet that has the potential to undo my progress but poor sleep hygiene that causes other bad things to happen. For dinner last night, I sauteed onions and green pepper until almost caramelized. I then added grass-finished ground beef and stirred until no longer pinl. to the scramble, I added a half jar of strained capers and then dumped a 10-ounce bag of organic frozen collard greens onto the lot, covered with a lid. and let simmer for a half hour on low heat. Finally, I served it in a bowl (the same Blue Willow bowl I dreamed about) with cholula sauce. Taste explosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 An amusing afterthought. The Viking, whom I thought would never give up coffee with cream and Davinci's caramel (Splenda-sweetened) syrup, has not only gone black but is suddenly concerned about eating oranges and beets. In fact, this man, who showed absolutely no interest in a paleo way of eating and begrudgingly went along because I do the cooking, is about to turn into the Whole30 Dictator. I can tell he's getting a little competitve. I don't mind at all because I am competitive too, so trying to one up each another's compliance will only ensure we stick to it. Or else knives will come out, it's tough to say right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hilarious! Also, your user name makes me chortle every time i see it. (yes, specifically a chortle. not a snicker nor a chuckle) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 I know exacty what a chortle is because I do it all the time! It's kind of a cross between a guffaw and a hoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Day 5 Am I compliant? I am so. Not. Hungry. I know I am not eating enough calories to maintain a healthy metabolism, but I am trying to at least eat adequate protein at each meal. My veggie consumption was waning until I realized I didn't have to eat raw salads every day; nay, I could eat more soothing stuff like well-cooked gee-y cauliflower and mashed squash and sweet potatoes. And applesauce. That there is sick food. Yesterday, the Viking made an epic trip to the supermarket, and last night my big box of PreMade Paleo dinners arrived. I hope I have enough energy to do a major cook-up this weekend. This morning: I had my first nightmare in years, maybe decades. A man was trying to kill me on the sidewalk outside my office, and he couldn't just do the deed and get it over with, no. He had to GROWL as he attacked me. The dream was so bad, I woke myself and the Viking with my wimpers—because everyone knows that in bad dreams you lose the use of your voice and legs. It's funny now, but it was not funny at 2AM. My adrenals practically jumped out of my body. I intended to get 8 hours sleep, but I had to get out of bed early because of pain in my hips. It's looking more and more like I need an autoimmune protocol, dammit. I ate macadamia nuts and nightshades yesterday, and today I am wheezing. When I got up, I had King Tut Brain. What is King Tut Brain, you ask? It's when your brain feels like the last dried-out raisin rattling around an empty Sunmaid box. I forced myself to eat, and then I had black coffee, and then I felt moderately human, which was much better than I felt at 5AM when I was contemplating calling in sick at work. I actually feel hungry for lunchies. Onward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melelina Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I didn't feel hungry at all from Wednesday night (Day 3) until this morning. Today I have my appetite back. It is kind of weird how our signals are changing. Trying to interpret them is a bit of a challenge, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 It certainly is challenging! I have worked up such an appetite the last hour, my cat is starting to look juicy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Is this really Day 7? I feel fantastic. I am sleeping better and longer. I don't have a surplus of energy yet, but my butt isn't dragging by early evening, and that nagging lower back pain has vanished, as have the creaky knees. Mood is stable, mostly up. No real cravings to speak of. No out-of-control hunger. Right now I am doing the weekly cook-off. I have stew beef in one crock pot, a brisket in another (corned beef/sweet potato hash with leftovers!), and ground beef in the skillet. I'll be using the food processor to make short work of all the veggie chopping soon. I am so glad I decided to take this journey. Even the Viking is enjoying planning meals and wants to help in the kitchen. UNPRECEDENTED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepford WASP Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 It's getting easier, and I am loving my menu plan, but I had to reign myself in from snorking back an entire can of Whole Foods full-fat coconut milk. The desert demon lurks fiercely. I shall slay her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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