December 2021- Round 2- Player 2 has joined the game!

[StefMonster]

That's right, my other half has decided to reap the rewards of Whole30 starting tomorrow. He saw how happy I am with my mental health and body composition improvements and decided to get in on it. I lost a bit over 10lbs and ~2 inches from my waist, hip, and thigh measurements over the course of about 50 days, and my mental health has improved DRAMATICALLY.

I haven't really reintroduced anything that was off-limits in Whole30, aside from having some butter and heavy cream in my mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. I did reintroduce poultry, pork, and beef as I had been pescetarian when I started my first Whole30 in October. However, I have fallen back into the terrible habit of snacking like crazy (thanks, holiday stress).

This round, I'm really going to focus on fat and protein, and try not to overdo it on carbs and starches. I'm also not going to stress out about missing a meal here and there if I'm not hungry.

Tonight I'm going to try my hand at making breakfast sausage patties from ground pork. I'll also be making chicken protein salad with boiled eggs and curry powder for our lunches the next few days. I'm so excited to be doing this with my partner in crime!

 

[StefMonster]

R2D1

CD20

1st: 3 sausage patties, 2.5 eggs

2nd: 2 frozen pieces of salmon (~6-8oz)

3rd: creamy Tuscan chicken

snack: carrots and ranch

 

I feel like I ate way too much, but oh well. Not that happy about the snacking. At least it wasn't a pound of almonds! I had breakfast around 6am and didn't actually get hungry again until 1 or 2, so that's cool. We had a very late dinner, probably around 8pm, and I was really hungry by then. The chicken was AMAZING. #ThighSquad #TeamThigh #HighOnThighs

Gavin crushed his first day. He turned down cake at work and bar food afterwards. I prepped chicken salad, 2 clementines, and some nuts for him and he texted me at lunch, "This is way more food than it looks like. I can't finish it!" It actually worked out in his favor because he ate his leftovers before meeting his friend after work. He told me it's a weird experience to feel full before he finishes what he's eating, which I can definitely relate to.

I forgot to mention in my Day Zero post that I'm avoiding nuts as much as possible this round. They're clearly addictive for me, and I want to get a handle on that. I'm also drinking my coffee black this round, forgoing the unsweetened almond milk (30 calories per 8oz cup). I just want to see if it makes a difference.

[StefMonster]

R2D2

CD21

1st: 3 sausage patties, 2 eggs

2nd: chicken salad w/avocado

3rd: marinated pork chops

 

Note to self: don't freeze the raw sausage patties. 

Breakfast was difficult to eat this morning. Delicious, but I just wasn't in the mood for it.

I would kill for a coping mechanism that actually works to relieve stress AND isn't harmful.

[StefMonster]

R2D3

CD22

1st: 2 sausage patties, 2.5 eggs

2nd: chicken salad w/avocado

3rd: fajita shrimp w/peppers, onions, and avocado

snack: cherry tomatoes with ranch

 

I was sorely tempted at a friend's house. Carbs/ processed food everywhere! Oreos, chocolate chips, peanut butter, AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!! One of Gavin's coworkers brought in cookies from Costco. Whew, what a day. We stayed strong.

[StefMonster]

R2D4

CD23

1st: chicken salad w/avocado, bacon

2nd: chili, baked chicken thighs with bbq sauce

3rd: ribeye and fried potatoes

 

Went to a chili cookout and the recipes I picked were phenomenal. Everyone loved the chicken. 

I could eat ribeyes every day for the rest of my life. YUM.

[StefMonster]

R2D5

CD24

1st: leftover steak w/ scrambled eggs

2nd: DUCK and roasted potatoes

3rd: leftover roasted potatoes and sausage

 

Last night, Gavin had a dream that he ate Cheetos at the cookout and woke up mad that he had broken Whole30. We had a good laugh about it this morning. 

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT DUCK?! It wasn't that hard to make, didn't need to bake for very long, and is hands down one of the best things I've ever eaten.

I really, really, really miss my unsweetened almond milk in my coffee.

[StefMonster]

R2D6

CD25

1st: bacon and eggs

2nd: skipped, oops

3rd: marinated sirloin

snack: sweet potatoes fried in ghee

 

WHEW PMDD is kicking my butt. On the verge of tears all day, self loathing, etc, etc. I de-loaded on my lifting workout by about 20-25% today and will probably do so all this week. Gavin said he was feeling irritable and grumpy most of the day.

I'm really struggling with body image lately.

[StefMonster]

R2D7

CD26

1st: sausage and eggs

2nd: chicken thigh

3rd: shrimp curry

snack: leftover chili

 

I'm going to be so glad when this hunger subsides. Also when I get used to the fact that coping mechanisms are a lie so my body/brain will quit craving carbs in response to emotions.

[StefMonster]

R2D8

CD27

1st: bacon and eggs

2nd: skipped

3rd: chicken cacciatore

 

///distressed screaming///

 

[StefMonster]

R2D9

CD1

1st: sausage and eggs

2nd: chicken salad

3rd: pot roast

 

Caught some awesome sales on meat at Kroger. Might actually die from these cramps though.

[StefMonster]

R2D10

CD2

1st: shredded pot roast w/eggs

2nd: chicken salad w/leftover pot roast

3rd: Tuscan chicken

 

 

[StefMonster]

R2D11

CD3

1st: eggs and sausage

2nd: chicken salad and pot roast

3rd: 2 baked chicken thighs

[StefMonster]

R2D12

CD4

1st: umm...

2nd: well, you see...

3rd: salmon and fried potatoes

 

It was a busy day full of welcome distractions. Not enough distractions.

[StefMonster]

R2D13

CD5

1st: bacon and eggs

2nd: pot roast w/veggies

3rd: pork steaks

 

I'm still really missing almond milk in my coffee. Definitely still missing nuts and the occasional fruit, too. Ugh, emotions are hard.

On a brighter note, I'm never buying pork chops again while those fatty pork steaks exist.

[StefMonster]

R2D30

 

I haven't really been keeping up this log (obviously lol), but we've been trucking along. Going without almond milk in my coffee has been HARD. I found out that I can't moderate sunflower seed butter, just like I can't moderate other nut butters. Oops.

I've been eating fewer plant foods this round in general, but leaning heavily on root vegetables. I'm not sure if I have a nightshade issue or if I'm just reacting to the carbs, but something is causing inflammation. I'm waking up puffier in my hands, feet, and eyes these days. I'm going to be addressing that next month.

Since late October I've been doing the Stronglifts 5x5 program. I've done it on and off in the past with varying results, but this time I've been pretty impressed with myself. All of my lifts have increased dramatically. I've finally started plateauing in most of them. However, I'm not going to start pushing myself too hard yet. I got a minor injury from bad squat form a few weeks ago and it kind of scared me off of adding weight to my lifts each session. It's hard, but I keep reminding myself that my body has been going through A LOT of changes these past few months and I shouldn't overstress myself.

My husband has done SO WELL. I can't wait to see how much weight he's lost- it's got to be at least 20lbs. He doesn't have my addiction issues with sugar and carbs; his issues are boredom eating and overeating in general. Those issues were instantly eradicated on Whole30 because of the high fat content. He's constantly been amazed that he often can't finish meals and feels completely satisfied.

I'm smack in the middle of PMDD so I won't be weighing myself for a week, at least. I did cheat earlier in the month and weighed myself several times. I don't appear to have lost any more weight since Thanksgiving. I suspect the potatoes and nuts/seeds are to blame, haha!

I may update this log one more time with my husband's results. Onward and upward!

[StefMonster]

Results: I was off on my estimate of how much weight my husband lost. FIFTEEN POUNDS! That's still amazing. And he did it all without counting calories or being hungry.