My first whole30... so much cooking!

[smoore]

I bought It Starts With Food yesterday, and got to the "Start Now. Right. Now" page about 8pm last night and decided to sleep on it.

I've been completely off sugar for 3 years. Also mostly off grain and fruits, too, because I find that anything over 45 net carbs in a day causes my rosecea to flare up. I was already one of those folks who sauteed in Coconut Oil, ate 6 cups of steamed veggies a day drizzled with EVOO, brewed my own kombucha. But I'm not 100% off grains, and I've been eating a lot of beans. And cheese (I have a cheese dragon!). And drinking a diet coke or a beer here and there. And getting some flare ups and red puffy eyelids despite good sleep.

So, yep, Whole30 time. First thing this morning I cleared the "No" stuff out of the kitchen - for me that was mostly beans/tofu and artificial sweetners. When I was done all that was left was a small bag of almonds and bottle of vinegar. Everything else was non-compliant!

Today has been a shop-a-thon followed by a cook-a-thon. I'm not at all used to cooking (or eating) so much meat -- I'm used to just letting restaurants cook my occasional meat and eat veggie at home most days. I feel "behind my hunger" cooking-wise. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it and catch up soon.

'Skinflammation' (which I track daily since my goal for this Whole30 is to understand it better): red eyelids, moderate rosecea.

Breakfast: My usual onion-veggie-egg scramble with 3 eggs instead of 2, and some avocado on top.

Lunch. A can of snazzy compliant sardines atop some salad mix, EVOO, avocado, cashews. It was late before I got a chance to eat lunch. I was hungry, and didn't have any cooked meat on hand, and so probably ate too many cashews.

Dinner: Chocolate Chili from the Well Fed book (came out delicious, wow), atop spinach. Steamed Cauli on the side. I roasted some spagetti squash, too, but decided to skip it because it seemed quite carb-y to me when I tasted it after it came out of the oven.

[Sarah Maren]

Welcome! Glad to hear day one was a success.

Chocolate chili is THE BEST! When I make a pot it usually gets put on EVERYTHING for 3 days straight!

[smoore]

Thanks Sarah. The chili was really great, and it will be again at dinner tonight. But I find I'm not fixating on it like I do when there's a piece of cheese in the fridge. It's not calling my name, whereas I'm on a first name basis with the cheese. Progress, I think!

Day #2

Woke up well rested and feeling great, but that's been the case for a couple weeks now.

More about me: I'm 55, and about 50 pounds overweight. My past year was exceptionally crisis-filled and stressful. I lost control of my diet (I delegated my food to an unenlightened family member), exercise slipped a lot, my sleep was so disrupted due to mega-worry that I averaged maybe 4 hours a night.

I'm out the other end of the crisis now (yay!) and sleep, diet and exercise are all getting back on track again. In the past month I've lost 5 of the 12 pounds I gained last year (not dieting, just back to eating like I normally do). I'm on a two-week break from work so I'm taking time to 'pamper' myself with a Whole30. Sure I'm giving up cheese and beer -- both of which are 'significant' foods for me (I grew up in Wisconsin... coincidence? ;-) -- but I like meat too, especially the fancy stuff I'm buying now.

Skinflammation: Worse today. Red eyelids, rosecea, and a brand new scaly patch (seborrheic dermatisis) on my forehead, bleah.

I blame the 1/4 cup of spagetti squash I had yesterday. I've done elimination diets in the past and high starch foods have been a reliable trigger for the scalies. I could be wrong about the spaghetti squash, but for now I'll move it (and all winter squash) off my Whole30 menu. I'll retest it after my 30 clean days are up.

B - Onion, veg, and egg omelet w/coco oil and avo. 2oz of homemade berry Booch. Cuppa coffee.

L - Pad Thai from Well Fed, over broc + zucch julienne, 2oz storebought hybiscus booch. cuppa green tea.

D - Chocolate Chili with carrots, kale, green cauli, olives and pistacios.Camo/mint tea.

You know this "so much cooking" thing in the title of the thread... I think it's 75% it's self-inflicted. It took me over an hour to make lunch, and I'd already cooked the chicken. My kitchen looks like a bomb went off.

[smoore]

Day 3

My sleep wasn't perfect... I overdid the kombucha yesterday, trying to find something to drink in the place of diet coke. I was bloaty and uncomfortable all night. Skinflammation is a bit better today!

A weird thing happened yesterday afternoon. Suddenly I was very tired. Not just drowsy, like someone hit the OFF switch. I stumbled to bed and woke up 2 hours later freezing cold despite having daytime heat (70F), all my clothes, all the covers and my winter comforter on. I got up and jumped a bit on the rebounder to warm up. Mentally I was fuzzy for a couple more hours, then completely back to normal. I've never experienced anything like it before!

B- egg, prosciutto & veggie scramble. Side of mustard greens w.EVOO. Black coffee. Skipping the 'booch this morning ;-)

L- Beef/carrot/yam stew with Sunshine sauce and cilantro mixed in (yummy!), asparaus w/EVOO

D- Chicken thigh, asparagus, avo, EVOO. 1oz lavender kombucha on the rocks!

[art cabana jojo]

i have a cheese dragon too... i think all i need for perfect heaven would be hard cheese... crusty bread a glass of red wine and a big square of dark chocolate... (i have a chocolate dragon too)... oh and a wine dragon... the bread isn't a dragon... just a little naggy yappy puppy from time to time... good luck to you.. i am starting my first whole 30 in the morning!

[smoore]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a cheese dragon, Art!

Day 4

I started the day under the kitchen sink, cleaning out the trap. It turns out my disposal is not up to the challenge of my W30 cook-a-thon. New one on the way (yay Amazon), we'll see if I'm up to the challenge of installing it.

Very bad night's sleep last night. I had that sudden drop in energy in the afternoon again and napped... for 4 hours, oops. My normal sleep pattern is definitely disrupted and I'm fuzzy headed today. Skin is worse too, probably the yams from yesterday. Yet another carb-y food off the menu for my W30.

B - Egg, onion & spinach scramble. Black coffee. 1 oz booch.

L- Choc Chili, mess 'o kale dressed with coconut oil and meat

snack - tail end of the Choc chili, broccoli, ghee, cashews. Green tea.

D- De-yammed beef stew, chic thigh, broc & kale, ghee.

[smoore]

Day 5

Got my sleep straightened out yesterday, back on my normal schedule. Skin: no improvement.

I'm trying not to worry, but it seems like I'm gaining belly fat (not good since I'm already overweight). I've stayed away from the scale but my pants are getting tighter, and I don't think it's bloating (post-meno, no gas).

Am I eating too much? Dunno. It sure seems like a lot but I've (mostly) been able to avoid snacking and when I wake up in the morning I'm in ketosis. One thing I'm sure of is I'm not drinking enough water yet to make up for the fluids I would have gotten from soda before. So for now I'll focus on more water and hope something in my body turns the fat gain around. =/

B- Egg, onion, & veggie scramble (ghee, not CO). Avocado, prociutto. Black coffee.

L- Beef stew, broccoli, cauli, avocado, nuts (cashes & pistachios). 2oz booch.

D- Chicken w/roasted salsa verde, broccoli, mashed cauli. 2oz booch

[smoore]

Day 6

Drank lots of water yesterday. Good sleep =) skin unimproved =/

I'm trying hard not to FREAK OUT about the incredible rate of fat gain. I'm not measuring or weighing, but I can barely zip pants that were comfortably loose a week ago. It's not bloating (I'm post menopausal, prolly 7 years since I last spotted). It's not gas. My belly looks and feels fatter. Even my bra is starting to get too tight!

It's just been five days, can't imagine what size my pants will need to be after 30! :( :(

B- Egg+veg scramble w/ roasted salsa verde. Avocado, black coffee.

L- Steak, mustard greens, cashews. Kombucha.

D- Homemade chicken sausage, mashed cauli, broccoli.

[smoore]

Day 7

Good sleep =) skin: worse =(

Waterdrinking solved: I've started adding a splash of gingerade booch to it, and I'm drinking at least 64 oz/ day now.

I'm still worried, and stumped about the fat gain. I'm going to try eating smaller meals (still W30 mealplan balanced), and just try to live with the hunger in between.

B- Homemade chick sausage w/ salsa verde, avo, spinach. Black coffee.

L- Chicken, salsa verde, brussels sprouts, cabbage salad.

D- Tilapia, cauli, cabbage salad, EVOO.

[Marcia]

Hi Susan... wish I could help you out with your dilemma. I am no means an expert, but if I were you I'd give it more time before you start cutting down your meals... this is only day 7... not much time really. Your pictures don't look like you're overeating. Wish the moderators were a bit more helpful in these cases. Maybe you could private message one of them and ask them to read your journal and get their opinion or introduce yourself here and ask for help. Good Luck and hang in there!

[martihana60]

Hi! I'm enjoying your log. I'm on Day 13 (woo hoo!) and I do remember feeling puffier for the first few days, but that has lessened. I note a few posts back you mention seborrheic dermatitis. Me too! And attempts to improve my nutrition have traditionally made it worse. This time is no different.

Just throwing this out for you to think about: Are eggs a problem? I've been fighting chronic sinusitis for decades. It has improved on W30, especially for the first few days. I avoided eggs for a day and a half, and then when I went back to them, the sinus problems seemed to get just slightly worse.

Best wishes for your 30 days.

[smoore]

Thanks for the kind thoughts and suggestions.

Marcia, I did cut my meals down yesterday -- but still the same balance as the meal guide recommendations. I was hungry right before the next meal, but not too bad. Actually it's a bit closer to the amount of food I normally eat, and I didn't snack. So I'll try to stick it for a while and see how it goes.

Martihana -- For me a 100% reliable trigger for the seborrheic dermatitis has been too much carb, especially the dense ones. When I eat something with sugar, potatoes, bread or rice I'm guaranteed a flare up, and the more I have the worse it is. But that doesn't mean there isn't more than one trigger and, TBH, I've never tested eggs. I've been eating one for breakfast daily for a few years, now I'm eating 2-3. Good tip, I'll try egg-free for a couple days and see how it goes... after I use up the batch of breakfast sausage I made with an egg.

[smoore]

Day 8

sleep good skin: better, about the same as Day 1

Continuing with a bit less food volume today. BTW, I include a fork in my photos for scale, since I use different sized plates depending on my mood and what's clean. It's 7" (18cm) long.

B - tilapia w/salsa verde, cauli w/EVOO, Avocado. Black coffee.

snack -- sunflower seeds

L - Chicken thigh, red cabbage salad

snack - prosciutto, herbal tea.

D- homemade chicken sausage, green beans, cabbage salad, avo. 2oz booch.

[smoore]

Day 9

Sleep good, skin: same as yesterday.

The "less food volume" came back to bite me yesterday. I couldn't make it to the next meal without snacking. So I'll be upping my portions back to the previous, no-snacking size.

I 'went back' to work yesterday (I'm a consultant and do most of my work from home), and got my first diet coke craving as I was trying to focus on a tricky analysis. Ugh. I even spent time considering whether I really could do my work during a no-diet-coke W30, but then the doorbell rang. A package containing the fancy herbal teas I'd ordered from Peets. Talk about serendipity! I made tea and coaxed myself into working mindset, sans diet coke. I wish I could say I felt the huge uptick in energy and mental clarity so many folks feels after a couple weeks of W30, but I'm not there yet. But I got my work done without diet coke, and that's a victory.

B- Hamburger patty w/salsa verde, zucchini noodles w/onion + sesame. Black coffee.

L- Lamb, mashed cauli, cabbage salad. A few oz of carbonated water. 3oz kombucha from a new batch... really good!

D- Chicken thigh, mashed cauli, sunflower seeds, olives, herbal tea.

[smoore]

Day 10

Sleep - good... until the snowblowers started up at 4am. Skin -- better today! Perhaps the best so far.

Yesterday was a good day. Back to standard portions sizes and eating W30 style seemed easy again. Made mashed cauliflower, and it was a nice treat for a snow day.

B- Egg, onion and veg scramble w/ salsa verde. Black coffee. 2oz booch.

L- Lamb, broccoli, cabbage salad, olives. Cacao+hot water.

snack - chick thigh, hazelnuts

D- Burger patty, kale, spinach w/EVOO. Sparkling water.

[xacerb8]

I have rosacea, too, though it's pretty mild. I'm hoping that this Whole 30 and the subsequent permanent changes in my diet will help. I'm tired of always looking like I have a sunburn!

[smoore]

On my best days my rosecea just looks like a sunburn. Most days there's a bright red 2" stripe down the center of my face!

[30Canandaigua]

OMG, THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON OUT THERE BESIDES ME THAT IS IN AN EPIC BATTLE WITH THEIR EYELIDS!!!!

Sorry for yelling.

Ahem, Let's start again.

I'm sorry to hear of your eyelid issues. I have been battling my eyelids for 3 years. I finished my first whole30 in January and started my second on Feb. 15th. I am not going to post my whole life/eyelid story here, but feel free to check out my logs :)

I WILL share two things:

#1 I didn't REALLY see a difference in the pants until around day 15-20

#2 I am winning the battle with my eyelids {{Insert happy dance/ truffle shuffle here}}

[smoore]

Pants and eyelids? OMG, I'd be happy with an improvement to either. Thanks for the encouraging news

[smoore]

Day 11

(My workaround for the editor wonkiness - copy/paste newlines from notepad - ugh!!)

Sleep: bad, skin: also bad

Dunno why, but my body is feeling "off" today. My sleep was disrupted, and I woke up feeling nauseous. I guess I'm coming down with a bug.

B- Egg, onion & veg scramble. Avocado. Black coffee, booch.

Snack - chicken thigh (lunch will be late today due to work meetings)

L-Lamb, broc, cauli, EVOO.

D-chicken thigh, curried kale

[smoore]

Day 12

Sleep: good, skin: bad

B- Homemade chik sausage w/ a fried egg, kale w/ coco milk, avo. Black coffee

L- Chick thigh, broc, cauli, EVOO. Coco water.

D- Beef stew, spinach, zucchini.

[smoore]

Day 14

Still no 'progress' at all in my W30. No energy gain (actually it's a lot less than before), no improvement in my skin. On the down side, probable weight GAIN.

To be fair, I gave up sugar and dense carb foods a few years back and that did change my body a lot. But it's far from clear that this is better for me than the mostly vegetarian low carb diet I was eating before. =/

[smoore]

Day 17. Soldiering on w/ w30... still no improvements to report.