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Meli's log


meli22

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Day 18

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; tomato-veg stew w/ ground pork; 1/2 avocado; sauerkraut
  • L - green soup; 2 pollock fillets w/ homemade mayo; sautéed cabbage, bok choy & celery w/ a poached egg
  • D - tomato-veg stew w/ chicken; baby carrots, cucumber & sugar snap peas; green olives
  • aaaaand a second bowl of tomato-veg stew, for "dessert"
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Day 19

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; 2 pollock fillets w/ mayo; green soup; sugar snap peas + cucumber; sauerkraut
  • L - tomato-veg stew w/ chicken; last of the sugar snap peas; Moroccan olives; sauerkraut
  • S - 2 scrambled eggs
  • D - 2 bowls of tomato-veg stew w/ chicken; sautéed cabbage with mayo 

 


Ok: I'm definitely getting bored with my food at this point and will be going on a grocery run tonight. I'm craving crunchy raw vegetables.

I think the second bowl of stew at dinner was a comfort thing and not a hunger thing. I feel overly full but kind of wanted to feel that way so I could just lie down and be warm. At least it's an improvement over eating a giant bag of pretzels for dinner (which I was doing... somewhat regularly... in the fall). Surprisingly, aside from a couple blips I've had no salt or sugar cravings.

Physical changes I'm noticing: looking in the mirror I can see that I've lost a few pounds (maybe 3 or 4?) and the psoriasis on my hands has cleared up completely!

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Day 20 

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; green soup w/ drizzle of fish oil; tuna w/ mayo, parsley, celery, scallions, cucumber; kalamata olives; sauerkraut
  • L - roast chicken w/ skin; 1/2 (smaller?) portion of acorn squash soup; celery sticks & baby carrots; sauerkraut
  • D - cabbage-onion "hashbrowns" w/ 2 eggs & hot sauce; last of the tomato-veg stew w/ chicken

 

Feeling great, loads of energy today :)

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Day 21

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; spicy squash soup; 2 hardboiled eggs w/ mayo, parsley, capers, celery + kalamata olives; sauerkraut
  • L - chicken soup; 1/2 avocado
  • D - sautéed savoy cabbage, mushrooms + celery; steak; green soup drizzled w/ fish oil; sauerkraut
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Day 22

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; chicken soup w/ 1/2 avocado; cucumber; sauerkraut
  • late-morning coffee w/ nut milk
  • L - carrot soup; 2 hardboiled eggs w/ mayo, parsley, celery, capers, kalamata olives
  • D - steak; molokhia; vegetable soup w/ drizzle of sesame oil; kalamata olives; sauerkraut
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Day 23

  • B - 2 x coffee w/ nut milk; chicken soup w/ 1/2 avocado; cucumber; sauerkraut
  • S - vegetable soup w/ drizzle of sesame eating
  • L - carrot soup; sardines w/ mayo, parsley, celery, capers, kalamata olives, scallions
  • D -  2 x bowls of vegetable stew w/ ground beef; molokhia

 

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Day 24

  • B - 2 x coffee w/ nut milk; chicken soup w/ 1/2 avocado; cucumber; sauerkraut
  • L - coconut-squash soup; sautéed savoy cabbage & green beans w/ ground beef; sauerkraut
  • S - carrot soup
  • D - sardines w/ mayo, scallions, parsley, celery, cucumber, kalamata olives; molokhia; sauerkraut
  • cup of almond milk w/ turmeric & cinnamon
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Day 25

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; chicken soup w/ drizzle of sesame oil 
  • L - carrot soup; 3 hardboiled eggs w/ mayo, parsley, scallions, cucumber, kalamata olives; sauerkraut
  • D - chicken thigh w/ skin; zucchini noodles w/ tomato sauce & Moroccan olives; cucumber
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Day 26

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; carrot-coconut soup; cold roast chicken; sauerkraut
  • L - zucchini noodles w/ cold roast chicken, compliant tomato sauce, Moroccan olives & 1 hardboiled egg; sauerkraut; squash soup
  • afternoon coffee w/ nut milk
  • D - vegetable soup w/ chicken; zucchini noodles w/ tomato sauce, roasted eggplant, parsley, scallions & Moroccan olives; cucumber

 

Time is flying! Can't believe it's been almost 30 days. The last week has been very stressful, with everything that's been going on in the world as well as major life changes, but I'm proud of sticking to the plan regardless. Despite not sleeping well, my energy has been good. I've had no desire to do any emotional eating, which is amazing given it's such a deeply-ingrained stress response for me.

I also find that when I stick to 3 meals a day I get to anticipate my next meal, and it becomes more of a pleasurable event. I prefer this to grazing. For a long time the thought of limiting myself to 3 meals a day triggered a fear/scarcity response in me which would lead me to binge. Now I've learned that if I reassure myself that I can always eat more, I relax, and this has been so helpful in regaining my hunger / fullness cues. Having gone on my first diet at age 8 I'd been dieting, or in a binge/restrict cycle, for 30 years. This is the first time I feel like I'm eating in a more balanced, healthy way. I'm still restricting foods but I'm not restricting portion sizes and this is at least a step forward for me.

Another change I'm noticing is that my desire to lose weight has sort of fallen away. I will not be stepping on a scale at the end of my whole30. The number on the scale is irrelevant because I feel so much better. Not to mention that it's a number that tends to fluctuate a lot anyways and that's normal and healthy. That leads me to ask myself what is more important: being as thin as I can possibly be or feeling healthy? About 8 years ago I was able to reach my desired weight through intense food restriction and exercise and, looking back on it, not only was I unhappy at that time but I was also depleting my body of nourishment, which set me up for some health issues down the road. I'm finally starting to feel better now, almost a decade later. A definite NSV.

Should also note: the only things I'm really excited to re-introduce are BEANS and LENTILS! I can't wait to eat beans again :)

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Day 27 

  • B - 2 x coffee w/ nut milk; carrot soup; roast chicken; cucumber
  • L - sautéed savoy cabbage, green beans & eggplant w/ 1/4 large avocado; 3 hardboiled eggs w/ mustard, parsley, scallions, capers, kalamata olives; sauerkraut
  • D - roasted acorn squash w/ green dressing; 1/2 beef liver; broccoli soup
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Day 28

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; 3 scrambled eggs; 1/4 large avocado; broccoli soup; sauerkraut
  • L - vegetable soup w/ chicken + fresh mint; roasted acorn squash w/ green dressing
  • S - broccoli soup
  • D - baked sweet potato; beef liver; handful of big green olives; sauerkraut; cucumber slices
  • kombucha for dessert :)
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Day 29

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; vegetable soup w/ chicken; 1/4 avocado; sauerkraut
  • S - poached egg; mid-morning coffee w/ nut milk
  • L - vegetable soup w/ seafood; garlic-sautéed greens; handful of green olives; cucumber; glass of kombucha
  • D - broccoli soup w/ 1/4 avocado; oily smoked trout w/ mustard, capers, celery, cucumber, kalamata olives; sauerkraut
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Day 30

  • B - coffee w/ nut milk; vegetable soup w/ seafood; 1/4 avocado; sauerkraut
  • L - garlic-sautéed greens; 2 scrambled eggs; cucumber; handful of big green olives; broccoli soup
  • S - tuna w/ olive oil
  • D - 2 bowls of vegetable soup w/ seafood + drizzled w/ olive oil

 

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Yay! All done! So, making a comparison to how I felt when I started the program, here's what I've noticed:

  • The psoriasis on my hands is completely gone. The psoriasis on my back and neck is still there, haven't noticed much of a difference. 
  • Digestive issues are gone.
  • Energy is now consistent and HIGH - I no longer get those 3pm slumps. I definitely got the so-called "tiger blood".
  • Incredibly (and this is the biggest NSV) I have not felt the desire to binge or do much emotional eating despite all of this insanity. Twice I think I ate a slightly larger dinner out of a need for comfort, but that was it. The fact that I was laid off from my job and was able to stick to the protocol was HUGE. Also, the cravings for sugar and starch that have plagued me have totally disappeared. 
  • Sticking to 3 meals a day has really helped me tune in to hunger cues. My panic response to feeling hungry has improved dramatically. I feel like I'm emotionally healing from years of dieting. I'm still figuring out how to stop when I'm full, but I've become a bit more conscientious around this. 
  • My relationship to coffee hasn't changed. Ah well! I think amidst so much change I needed to hang on to one comforting thing. I can tackle this at a later date :)
  • I've lost a total of 4" and can now fit easily into pants that were too tight a month ago. 

I feel fantastic! 

I think my habit of eating fermented foods (sauerkraut) every day was key to aiding those digestive issues and I'm going to keep this up. 

I'm really surprised to find that I don't miss eating fruit at all. I just don't crave the sweetness. I don't miss nuts either, and that was something I used to eat almost every day (would always snack on almonds or walnuts). I also haven't been craving bread, noodles, or pretzels - which are things I would typically binge on. 

I'll be continuing with a post-whole30 log, as I find keeping a structured eating plan very helpful during this stressful time. My goal is to incorporate lentils and beans into my diet while still in self-isolation. Once this period lifts and we're able to socialize again, I plan on having a beer! A lot of my friends are amazing cooks and when we're able to hang out again, I plan on eating with them no matter what it is, but sticking more or less to whole30 on my own. Once I'm able to return to the gym and increase my activity levels I plan on re-introducing a bit of fruit into my diet. We'll play it by ear. 

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