BTVS Whole 30 log

[btvs1981]

So i just thought I'd start my own log for a bit of extra accountability and if anyone has any feedback feel free to jump on in! This is not technically my first rodeo but I've never made it past the first week. Various health issues have led me back here though and I'm determined to get through it. What's crazy to me is that I actually love whole 30 food, cooking and generally eating well so I might at times use this log as a bit of a way to figure out where I'm letting myself get derailed.

I am cooking for myself and 3 boys (11, almost 10 and 7) but there are some problems here. My 11 year old has an eating disorder (SSED which is a sensory processing issue) so Whole 30 meals are not an option. My 10 year old is a vegetarian (his choice as an environmentally conscious animal lover), he has been a vego since he was 7 and I've supported his choice. We're now on the way to working together for him to learn how to make his own nutritionally sound vego meals but obviously at 10 he's not making his own dinner 7 nights a week. Then, my 7 year old is a carnivore who already eats manly size servings of just about whatever I put down and if he doesn't eat he goes hungry (not often though). Truth be told I thought option 3 here would be my food philosophy for the kids but life had other ideas. I'd rather not stand making 4 different meals every night plus my own whole 30 breakfast and lunch so if anyone has any experience with this feel free to let me in on anything that works for you. At the moment the best I've got is to make meals for my youngest that are compliant so we can eat together and then cook for the other 2. I also refuse to cook for every meal so I intend to do a lot of leftovers.

The second issue i face with this is that i have a gastric sleeve that was done in 2010. This means that i'm restricted in portion size but given it's coming up on ten years ago I'm not as restricted as someone with a new sleeve. The stomach stretches out over time, the trick is to try not to stretch it out too much. The other thing that happens is that when you have this surgery the hunger hormone is not felt for a long period of time after, how long varies between patients. I have been diligent with food and exercise and am lucky that my stomach restricts well for 10 years post op and I've only just hit regain on weight over the last 12 months. It's my belief that it's the hunger hormone issue for me, I'm starving an hour after I eat. Genuinely stomach rumbling, eat anything, starting to shake level starving. I'd love to see if the whole 30 can make a difference to this but obviously the meal template is out of the question for me. I couldn't consume cups of veges at every meal on top of protein and fat even if i tried. So, trial and error until I work this out. At the moment (on day 4) it seems like I need 4 meals per day and I'm still battling hunger from time to time though it's much less than before I started. I'm managing to get to about 4 hours between meals except between lunch and dinner where I seem to need a mini-meal or I'm ravenous. Again, feel free to jump in if there are recommendations for this issue or if anyone has any suggestions! For context, it's full to the point of slight discomfort for me to have a smallish dinner plate of food at a meal so that's the picture for the below meals. Bigger than a bread plate, smaller than a usual dinner.

I should probably mention that I'm Australian so some of the terms for veges, herbs and measurements might be different! I use quite a bit of zucchini and coriander which I know are known as courgette and cilantro in other parts of the world. Sorry if anything gets lost in translation...

And now, after my super long story - congrats if you got this far! - my log so far - 

Day 1

2 eggs scrambled with ghee, grated sweet potato and zucchini, 1/4 avocado, coffee with 2 tablespoons of coconut milk

Mexican chicken thighs with tomato, onion, zucchini, baby spinach, homemade guac

Zucchini noodles with spaghetti sauce and a few olives 

2L water

Day 2

2 eggs scrambled with ghee, grated sweet potato and zucchini, 1/4 avocado, coffee

Leftover spaghetti sauce with zucchini noodles and a few olives

mini meal - leftover mexi chicken and guac

Salmon pan fried in ghee, sweet potato cooked with onion, mustard seeds, tumeric and flaked coconut, side of baby spinach

2.5L water

Day 3 

2 small eyes of bacon, eggs scrambled with italian herbs, tomatoes and baby spinach

Nom nom paleo spicy tuna cakes (these are the best and I make them into a big slice and cut to serve - so easy and yum) with salsa of tomato, coriander, cucumber and avocado

Currently starving away at 330 in the afternoon. Thinking I'll have the last of the meat sauce from dinner on day 1 and a few olives as a mini meal.

Dinner will be the salmon as at day 2. 

 

[ShannonM816]

It is absolutely okay to have more than three meals a day. That's a recommendation, not a rule, and it's meant for average people who can eat the size of meals the template recommends. You should focus on having a mix of protein, fat, and vegetables each time you eat, but adjust the meal sizes to work for you. If four meals works, great, but if you need more, that is also fine.

[BabyBear]

Although I personally do not have experience with that surgery I have had friends who do.  You are right you cannot possibly eat the size meals recommended in one sitting.  Have smaller portions in similar ratios and you will probably have to many more of those mini meals throughout the day to get enough nutrients.   If you are having half the recommended meal size then you may be looking at eating 6 mini meals rather than 3 regular meals. Listen to your body, communicate with yourself and don’t be afraid to make it a plan that works for your situation.

I can speak with confidence to the situation with your boys.  I have three boys 13, 11, and 1yr old plus a 17 ye old bonus son.  I do not have the mental fortitude to be a short order cook.  However my 13 year old has certain things he just can’t eat due to sensory issues, my 11 year old has 12 different food allergies 6 of which are anaphylactic (eggs being one of his greatest nemesis). The 1 year old eats pretty much anything I’m eating as long as his teething isn’t interfering.  I make my plans for me ask my 13 yr old if any of that interest him, take into account any part of the meals that my 11 yr old cannot eat and go plan accordingly for portion sizes.  If it’s something they don’t want/can’t eat they are welcome to fix their own food either before or after I cook my meal.  I keep plenty of stuff on hand that they can make and enjoy.  We’ve been doing cooking lessons on food that they want to learn how to cook.  So that helps a lot!  My 11 yr old will also help prepare batches of muffins, breads, chicken nuggets, etc that fit his dietary need that we keep stocked in the freezer for him.  I always ask before I finalize my shopping list if they are out of anything or would like me to get anything in particular.  I don’t mind getting food not on my list if they are willing to fix it.  They did surprise me the other night when I made steaks potatoes and grilled pears by taking me up on my food offer, and then asked for seconds (which was suppose to be my lunch) how could I say no.  My boys have been making their own food if they don’t like what I had planned or if my work was too demanding for me to cook for about 5 years now.  Batch cooking/prep work for  kid approved food is a life saver!  Get them involved.  They may surprise you and make you dinner one night.  I know my boys have done this more than once for me when deadlines were ticking.

[btvs1981]

Thanks for your input guys, I appreciate it. Not struggling too much overall, I've got a meal plan happening for the week so I'll see how it works out. I seem to be tracking ok o the hunger front with the 4 meals but I'm worried I won't be getting enough nutrients because of the size of them. We'll see. I'm trying to add fats where I can (they don't take up much stomach room) in hopes of getting my intake of food right for me. 

Day 4

2 eggs scrambled with ghee, tomato, onions, and baby spinach. Half an apple with almond butter

Spicy tuna cakes from nom nom paleo with cucumber, tomato, avocado and olives

Handful of nuts and coconut flakes (should have been a mini meal but I've had trouble facing food at all today so did what I needed to do)

Paleo butter chicken cooked with sweet potato, capsicum, onion, carrot and served with a mix of cauliflower and broccoli rice (amazing!)

[btvs1981]

Day 5 down - not struggling as much with hunger but it seems to be fluctuating. That said, emotions have been rough today. I'm snapping like it's TTOTM and it's not even close. I'm also dizzy and tired. Expect this is all normal! Ill keep a track to see how it plays out.

40 Aprons Paleo Zuppa Toscana (i love a soup for breakfast!)

Apple with almond butter

2 eyes of bacon, 2 eggs with ghee, grated sweet potato, zucchini and baby spinach

Paleo butter chicken with veg and a cauli, broccoli rice mix

[ShannonM816]

Tired is pretty normal the first few days, dizzy is not. Be sure you're salting your food and drinking enough water, but if it continues you may want to talk to your doctor.

[btvs1981]

I'll keep an eye on it. I often suffer with iron deficiency anaemia and this is usually one of the signs that I'm running low along with the tiredness. Probably bloods and an infusion will be in order. 

Day 6 

40 Aprons Zuppa Toscana with some cauli and broccoli rice thrown in

Handful of cashews, blueberries and coconut flakes (I was out and threw a baggie of this in my purse before I left to let me get home for my lunch rather than risk eating out)

nom nom paleo spicy tuna cakes with avocado, tomato, cucumber salsa

Shepherds Pie with cauliflower and carrots (meat mix also had, onion, celery, carrot, capsicum, zucchini in it and I have enough for lunch leftovers - winning!)

[btvs1981]

Summing up my day: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I wish! 3 kids to see to. Got through it though. 

40 Aprons Zuppa Toscana with cauli broccoli rice thrown in, coffee with a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk

Leftover Shepherds Pie with salad including avocado

Handful of cashews, blueberries and coconut flakes before yoga

Potato fritatta with mixed veg (this was boring and I didn't really enjoy it which is making me feel bummed rather than satisfied and has me wanting to rifle through the cupboard and fridge even though I'm not physically hungry)

[btvs1981]

Day 8

The usual Zuppa with veg rice thrown in and then coffee

2 eggs scrambled with ghee and grated sweet potato, zucchini, capsicum and a half an avocado

Handful of cashews, blueberries and coconut flakes at the movies to get me through until I get home for dinner

Pork and fennel bolognese (packed with a full skillet of veg so I'll have a couple serves left over) on zucchini noodles with a half dozen black olives

[heb2014]

@btvs1981 and @BabyBear - thank you so much for being honest about your children's sensory issues with food. I almost cried when I read your posts - we are suspecting our 5yo daughter has SPD, particular because of clothing and some other issues; she is a good eater, but she does have some issues there too. Anyway, I just called her pediatrician today to set up an appointment to talk about her sensory issues and then read this. <3 

 

[btvs1981]

@heb2014 For what it's worth (and your experience might be different!) you'll likely need to really stand your ground and it might take more than one practitioner before you really nail a diagnosis and option for treatment. There are some, old school I suspect, who still refuse to acknowledge SPD especially as it relates to food - they prefer to write it off as a fussy child. I had this for years and was repeatedly told to starve my child to bring on enough hunger to break the cycle - even if it meant he ended up on an iv in hospital. He'd eat eventually. Needless to say this did not fix the issue, now did we stay with that Dr! Treatment is still very tough and I don't think its made a lot of inroads but this is often the case with sensory issues. Kids with sensory issues often turn out to be deep feelers, loads of empathy, very clever and aware kids. I wouldn't change it because it's him but as a Mama it's hard to watch, so I get it and there are others out there going through it. Say what you need to say and don't let anyone dismiss a Mama Bear!

[btvs1981]

 

Day 9

Pork and fennel bolognese and a handful of olives

Coffee with coconut milk and a handful of nuts, coconut flakes and blueberries

Lunch Out - very scary but I did my best! Found an organic restaurant that had a primal plate - grilled chicken, smoked salmon, poached egg on grilled kale and broccolini served with olive oil basil pesto (no cheese - I checked!) This seemed like a compliant meal and I asked the questions I could think of but I guess I can't be totally sure? Anyone have any advice on this?

Dinner - Pork and fennel bolognese with sweet potato mashed with ghee

Day 10

Leftover pork and fennel bolognese with 2 scrambled eggs and a handful of olives

Tuna and sweet potato slice and half an avocado - coffee with coconut milk

Salmon tray bake with garlic, jalapeno, tomato and potato - 5 strawberries

[btvs1981]

I've missed a couple of days but I'll catch up yesterday and today that I can remember.

Day 13

2 rashers of bacon and  2 eggs

Leftover salmon

BBQ pork and salad with avocado and baked potato

Day 14

Egg scramble with bacon, tomatoes, spinach and homemade pesto

No lunch as I was out so I just had some blueberries, almond butter, cashews and coconut while on the run. I'm finding im not very hungry or interested in food at the moment. I just don't seem to need it and each meal is taking me through at least 5 hours and even then I'm not really starving but I figure I better eat something.

Paleo running momma cream tuscan chicken on zucchini noodles and a nectarine

[Shani_SWP]

Hi @btvs1981

I saw your other post. It seems like you're eating a lot of fatty protein and fat with not a lot of colorful vegetables. Is this because you aren't hungry? Protein = 1-2 palm sized portions, and then you fill the rest of your plate with vegetables.  Just focus on your portion sizes and getting in a mix of proteins, veggies and fruit. If you're not hungry, stay on the 1 palm sized portion. If you exercise, you might feel hungrier so go for 2 portions. Unless you're an ultra-marathoner or cross-fitter, most people don't need the pre and post workout meals (unless you're hungry, then have one)

Meal template: https://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

[btvs1981]

Day 14 - still not hungry really at all. I can try and knock back the protein and fat portions to see if that helps but I can't go anywhere near eating the template size meal in veges. My meals might look light on in veg but because of my stomach volume I find it easier to cook a huge skillet of veges down into anything I make, that way my stomach can fit it in and it's not hard on digestion because they're well cooked. Then I have another veg or two as a side so I'm really unable to fit in more than that. I'm also adding at most one serve of plated fat per meal (sometimes none if I don't feel hungry enough and the meal had fat for cooking). I guess I'm not sure how to modify to get it right? Anyways, onwards....

Bowl of the 40 Aprons Zuppa Toscana with some broccoli and cauli rice thrown in when I finally felt like eating at about midday

Leftover bolognese sauce with spiralised zucchini and sweet potato

[Shani_SWP]

Maybe work on half portion sizes more often if you can't physically eat that much. 5-6 mini meals versus 3 full meals. This is your 30 day experiment so you have to work to find what works for you. DM me if you have more thoughts/questions!

[BabyBear]

Keep up the good work.  If it’s any consolation Day 14 and 15 I struggled with being full and it affecting my appetite and I don’t have the challenges you face.   Keep working at it and you’ll find what works.  Today my day 16 my appetite came back and so has my hunger cues.  Along with some much needed energy.  You’ve got this and you are doing great!  I’m cheering you on.  We are half way there!!!!

[btvs1981]

Day 16 (I keep getting them out of whack on here but I started 2 Jan so this must be 16!)

My hunger is very happy on the 2 meals and a cup of coffee with coconut milk in between. I don't feel the need for anything else but I'm aware that this can't go on forever as I might end up missing out nutritionally. I'll keep tracking for another few days in hopes hunger comes back. I'm also going to up the exercise now that I'm feeling better and see if that makes a difference.

Leftover tuscan chicken skillet on zucchini noodles with cauli and broccoli

Coffee with a couple of spoons of coconut milk

Seared salmon with tumeric sweetpotato, spinach, onion and coconut flakes

[btvs1981]

Day 17

Coffee with coconut milk, banana with almond butter - trying to see if just eating something would trigger my hunger to come back, nope but I did manage to spike my blood sugar to the point of sweating and feeling disgusting with this meal - yuck

Bolognese sauce with saute potato, sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower plus a few olives

Homemade chicken soup with zucchini noodles

[BabyBear]

Stopping in to see how you are doing?  

[btvs1981]

Thanks @BabyBear for your support! I appreciate it. I'm still in roughly the same spot though but it doesn't feel bad. I'm just not experiencing a heap of hunger. I have an appointment with my GP this week anyways so I'm going to check in on the food situation and get their advice. I don't want to end up without enough nutrition going in. Part of the aim here was actually to get my metabolism going again. I'll check in with what she says and go from there. In the meantime...

Day 18

Chicken soup

Leftover bolognese sauce (wasn't hungry here at all but ate something, was very hungry 4 hours later at 5 in the evening so I just made the next meal dinner)

Salmon salad with avocado

Day 19

Chicken thigh grilled with cinnamon and 5 spice, large slaw salad with avocado and grilled nectarines

Coffee with coconut milk

Zuppa Toscana with added broccoli and cauli rice

Day 20

Coffee with coconut milk

Zuppa Toscana with added broccoli and cauli rice

Egg scramble with mushroom, spinach, tomato, onion, capsicum and homemade pesto with crispy bacon thrown in

[btvs1981]

Day 28 

Coffee with coconut milk

Bacon, egg and vege scramble

Homemade san choi bau with lettuce from the garden and avocado

Day 29

Coffee with coconut milk

Bacon, egg and vege scramble 

Pumpkin, sesame and cauliflower dahl with coriander

Leftover san choi bau with lettuce from the garden and avocado

Many days behind on the log but catching up on what I can remember. Still lacking in hunger a lot of the time but if I stick to the two meals I seem to be hungry enough to eat both of them. My Dr isn't particularly worried about this and is pretty happy with the amount of nutritious food I"m taking in given my sleeve. She did suggest really sticking to the eat within an hour of waking rule to try and boost my metabolism and to increase activity where possible for the same reason so those are my goals now that I have that info. I did come back super low in iron and B12 so I'm due for infusions for the iron and injections for the B12 so hopefully that will fix any other issues. 

[BabyBear]

13 hours ago, btvs1981 said:

I did come back super low in iron

You may want to look into beef liver capsules.  When I was prego my iron levels dropped drastically.  After doing some research and determining there was no way I could choke down liver I found reputable supplier of grass fed beef liver capsules.  They made a world of difference in my energy levels.  I took them every few days and figured out what worked well for me.  I had great iron levels the remainder of my pregnancy and even post baby.  

I am so glad to hear you are still going strong and you had positive feed back from the Dr.  What’s your plan fo after the whole 30?  Do you plan on doing a re-intro?

[btvs1981]

@BabyBear LOL definitely not on the liver! Capsules might be a good idea though and that's something nobody has suggested yet. I've booked an appointment with a naturopath/dietician that my GP recommended so I'll run it past her and see what she thinks. I'd like to not have to have iron infusions several times a year as per the current suggestions if there is another way to deal with it ongoing.

I've been giving post whole 30 life some thought - I'm scared! What if I suddenly just go bananas? I don't think I will but it's still a thought. I've read and re-read the reintro info in It Starts With Food and Melissa talks about not needing to test out the things that you're not really missing. I'm not struggling with grains, dairy, alcohol at all but I'd like to see if I can tolerate some legumes (maybe just once a week or so) as that would make my home life easier. My vego son and I could then have a meal together each week where we eat roughly the same thing. I'd just have a grain substitute. So right now that's where I'm thinking I'll start. Not sure after that! I know it's unrealistic to go Whole30 all the time so I guess some other things I might decide to be ok with are things that pop up in recipes I've been missing. Mainly a little tamari, honey, peanut butter, that sort of thing. What I do really love is the construction of whole30 meals, the focus on whole and satiating foods and the complete lack of reliance on recreating baked goods and snacks so I plan on keeping all of that. It's helped so much. 

Can I ask about your experiences? Have you done a whole 30 before? What did you reintroduce/not reintroduce? Favourite NSVs? Only if you don't mind sharing :-)

[BabyBear]

I have not done a whole 30 before, this is my first time.  I too have poured over the re-introduction information.  I started reading Food Freedom last week and it has been so eye opening and has helped alleviate so much of the anxiety I felt when I thought about leaving the safe yet confining rules of the whole 30. Knowing that Melissa did not design this to be a whole 365 not does she want anyone to remain in a whole 30 indefinitely was freeing to me.  Knowing that I can take the reins armed with practical tools to guide myself through my food choices is powerful!  It feels very daunting but so didn’t the whole 30 before I began!    

My favorite NSV is when my boys have told me on different occasions how proud of me they are and how much they have enjoyed the new recipes we have introduced.  Also all the emotional healing I have experienced through this process.