Katelyn Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Hey everyone! This is my first Whole30 and I'm on Day 4 right now. I've been using a blog to keep track of progress and meals, but then I saw this forum and thought that I'd like to post here as well! A little background: I have a congenital heart defect. I am missing the right ventricle of my heart and had 3 open heart surgeries before the age of 5. Heart health is my number one priority, and right now my body is NOT healthy! I have an unhealthy relationship with food, especially carbs and sugar. I'm hoping this process will help me to heal my body so that my heart can work as best as possible. I need to 1) reduce my cholesterol a little bit (the bad cholesterol numbers are slowly climbing while the good ones are slowly declining, obviously a problem for heart health) 2) lose weight, at least 50lbs, ideally 70lbs in the long run (this goes beyond wanting to look good/feel good - I need to lose weight to maintain the health of my heart long-term) 3) continue to have good blood pressure Those are all the heart-related things that I need! I'm nervous about consuming so much meat with heart problems, especially after researching a vegan/vegetarian diet for so long. But I'm going to give this Whole30 a try and see what it can do for me. I might even make it a Whole45 or Whole60 if my results are good. I plan to go to the cardiologist sometime this summer for a routine check-up, and would love for my weight to be down, cholesterol levels to be good, and blood pressure to continue to be good. So here's to my first Whole30! Day 3 down, day 4 in progress... http://whole30experiment.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TynCoed Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Wishing you well with your Whole30 Katelyn and looking forward to reading about your progress. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 Here's a recap of yesterday... Day 4 Breakfast: - 3 eggs cooked in olive oil with 1/2 avocado on top - Cup of strawberries and blackberries - Decaf coffee with coconut milk and cinnamon (not bad!) Lunch: - Chocolate chili again, with mixed greens, onions, and avocado on top - 1/2 an apple, two medium carrots * Notes - I've been getting hungry in between lunch and dinner, probably because it's a 5-6hr gap. I need to increase my fat intake during lunch to see if that helps hold me over. Maybe add some extra avocado or some nuts to this meal, or add some olives to my food. Dinner: - Mashed sweet potato with clarified butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg - Beef and veggie soup with 1/2 avocado (once again made by my mom, so no recipe.) - 1/2 cup olives (was still hungry after soup and sweet potato, believe it or not!) - Frozen blueberries Day 4 was not half bad. I was pretty tired, but not compared to the tiredness I would feel while eating mostly grains, dairy, and sugar. Man, I would eat so much food. Butter toast, cheddar goldfish, tortillas with cheese, crackers with processed spreadable cheese...sometimes all in one day. Looking back on what my diet was like less than a week ago, I'm amazing that I'm still going strong on this Whole30 plan. Sure, I miss my grande iced soy lattes and my butter toast breakfast, but I feel so much different. I actually have energy after I eat, whereas I used to feel like I needed a nap after eating. I'm actually full until my next meal as long as I get enough food. For someone who is used to all-day grazing and snacking, it's pretty amazing. So, even though I've been a little tired and cranky, it's nothing compared to how I used to feel. I'm so impressed with everything so far, and it's only been a few days! I can't wait to see how I feel by day 15, 20, and 30. So now it's Day 5 and it's Saturday. I got to sleep in, which was lovely. I have an easy day ahead of me and I plan to workout, clean, do homework, and RELAX. My eating schedule is a little off since I ate breakfast 2 hours later than normal. So, we'll see how the day goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniB Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Good luck and I look forward to reading your progress! You are one day ahead of me in the Whole30...I hope to see you at the finish line, happy and healthy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 Aw great! It's nice to have people doing it around the same time as me! Good luck with your progress as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Chocolate. That's all I wanted today. Milky, delicious chocolate. I made the mistake of going through a paleo cookbook my mom bought me today. The cookbook has loads of great recipes, but many of them are not Whole30 friendly, including the delicious chocolate dishes. After looking at those, all I could think about was chocolate! It was terrible. But, I survived. Day 5 recap Breakfast: - 3 scrambled eggs with pico di gallo on top - Cup of strawberries and blackberries - Coffee with coconut milk and cinnamon Lunch: - Qdoba naked burrito bowl with pulled pork, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole - Handful of macadamia nuts and blackberries Dinner: - Leftover chocolate chili with mixed greens, avocado, and onion mixed in - Small cup of orange juice, no sugar added, to drink my liquid vitamins - Small bowl of roasted carrots, parsnips, and butternut squash - Frozen banana Today was my first banana since starting Whole30, and I don't feel great after eating it. Maybe it's just that I ate it after a relatively large dinner, I'm not sure. I think I'll stick to berries and apples for the remainder of the 30 days, though. I also feel like I ate too much. Maybe I'm just full right now, but I feel like I could've eaten less today. I guess that doesn't really matter though. I felt alright today, but I was pretty tired and didn't have enough energy to workout. I'm sure I could've pulled through, but I decided not to. I also discovered that my body really likes having a carb with dinner. I feel really good after I eat it. I hope I'm not eating too many carbs with 1-2 servings of fruit and then a starchy veggie with dinner. I guess that doesn't really matter either! I'm just learning to listen to my body, and right now I feel like my body is saying that I ate too much! My BM are out of whack right now though too, so maybe that has something to do with it. Time will tell! And I love constructive criticism/ideas of how to do things better. All advice and wisdom from the experts is welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 Day 6 Day 6 is great! I've faced a number of temptations today and it's just not that hard. I feel like I've been doing this Whole30 thing forever, and it's making it 10 times easier to say no to naughty foods. Usually, if I feel like having popcorn at the movies, I'll have it. If I feel like getting a starbucks, I'll get it. If I feel like eating chocolate cake, I'll have it. It's all based on cravings and how I "feel" and not on what is good for my body. That is all changing, and it's empowering. Today I went to the movies and avoided popcorn. I went out to lunch (at Qdoba) and made the right choice. I'm having my sister's birthday dinner with family and avoiding the cheesy mashed potatoes, beautiful italian bread, and chocolate cake. What the heck! Who am I? I never thought I could have this much self-control and power over my food choices. Breakfast: - 3 eggs with clarified butter, salt, pepper - Cup of strawberries and blueberries Lunch: - Qdoba again, pulled pork, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole, water (keep in mind, my usual Qdoba choice was a white tortilla burrito with chicken, queso, cheese, sour cream, beans, rice, and guacamole. No joke.) Dinner: - About to eat an AMAZING organic grass fed steak made fresh on the grill - 2-3 pieces of bacon that were used to make cheesy potatoes, my mom left some aside for me - Last nights veggies - roasted parsnips, carrots, and butternut squash - Broccoli I didn't even think about food in between lunch and dinner, and I had a SEVEN hour gap in between! I honestly just can't believe it. I'm so happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 Day 7 - Revelation Maybe this is all psychological, but today I noticed that my down vest (that I wear ALL the time) is fitting a little bit better! It feels looser, especially when I sit down, which is when it tends to feel a little tight. Also, my face/chin looks thinner to me too, which is AMAZING! Again, maybe it's all in my head, but...I doubt it. I think the feeling of clothes fitting and looking leaner is far better than seeing a low number on the scale. There's been days in the past where the scale might read a few pounds lower, but my clothes fit the same and I look the same. So who cares? The only person who sees the number on the scale is me. EVERYONE sees how my clothes fit and how my body looks. I'd take better-fitting clothes and inches lost over pounds lost any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Day 7 Recap Breakfast: - 3 scrambled eggs cooked in clarified butter - Cup of strawberries and blackberries - Didn't have enough fat at this meal, oops Lunch: - 2 chicken sausages - 2-3 cups spinach - a few spoonfuls of fresh guacamole Snacks: - Baby carrots - Chicken sausage Dinner: - Pan-fried beef tenderloin with garlic, mushrooms, and onion on top (oh my gosh, so good...) - Baked sweet potato with salt and clarified butter Day 7 was hard. Probably my hardest day so far. Right when 3:30 hit, I got some serious cravings. The house I work at is fully stocked with cadbury chocolates, dove chocolate caramels, ruffles potato chips, cheddar goldfish, bagels, and lots and lots of delicious cheese. Everything I would want to cheat with was right in front of me. But I didn't do it. Instead, I had some baby carrots, and when that didn't work, I cooked up another chicken sausage and ate that instead. I wasn't super hungry, but I knew that if I didn't eat SOMETHING, I was going to cave. I would've had some fat, but there was nothing in the house besides flavored almonds, which are loaded with crap. THEN I went to a birthday party where they had homemade snickers bars, raspberry pie, and delicious lattes. Again, I avoided temptation even though everyone was telling me to "just try the pie." I didn't do it! It was really hard. I don't especially love pie, but man, those chocolaty caramely delicious snickers bars were calling my name. It's strange because I actually didn't eat that many "sweets" before Whole30. My drug came in the form of carbs, and lots of them. Bread, bagels, crackers, chips, pasta, you name it. Now all I want is chocolate. I guess my sugar dragon hasn't given up yet; he's trying everything he's got So today is day 8 and I can't believe I've made it a whole week. I feel like I've been doing this forever! I'm going to give black coffee another go today. I have a friend who said that he just took out his spoonful of brown sugar from his coffee. He's a nerd, and added up how many calories that spoonful per cup was giving him. He calculated that by just eliminating that spoonful, he eliminates 5 days worth of calories for the year. 5 days! I know we don't worry about calories here, but that's a lot of calories worth! Just from a spoonful of sugar every day! It makes me wonder how many days worth of eating I am eliminating by cutting out all of it. So here we go, the start to a new week of Whole30. I was encouraged by the newsletter this morning, which said that usually it gets easier from here. I'm not expecting that I won't have any hard days, but I'm glad that I'm getting the hang of this and doing my body a world of good. - K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KelBelle Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Today is my Day8 as well. "What the heck! Who am I? I never thought I could have this much self-control and power over my food choices." made me laugh out loud at my desk because I have been feeling the same way! Seeing my coworkers with cookies, sweet and salty M&M mix, delicious pizza, etc. and not even thinking about eating any of it - I have NEVER not given in to the feeling of I WANT THAT COOKIE. Thank you for sharing your experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Aw thanks KelBelle! It seems like there are a few of us that are around the same day! I like it. Today has been really good so far! All those cravings from yesterday seem to be long gone. I'm kind of tired and have a slight headache. I only worked out for 20 minutes instead of 30-45, which is fine. As long as I'm doing something. I'm in the middle of a crazy blizzard in Wisconsin right now, and I'm longing for the day that I can walk by the lake and ride my bike again. Walking on a treadmill just doesn't do it for me. But it's better than nothing. Day 8 Breakfast: - 3 scrambled eggs cooked in clarified butter (I'm getting pretty tired of this) - A little less than 1/2 an avocado - Strawberries and blackberries Lunch: - 3 hard boiled eggs - about 1/4 avocado - baby carrots Dinner: - Leftover panfried steak, remade the mushroom-garlic-onion sauce - Butternut squash cooking in the oven right now - Probably some olives, avocado, or nuts I've been skimping on the fats lately. Not because I'm trying to, because I know fats are incredibly important. I'm just bored with my choices! I always use clarified butter which I still like. But I'm getting reeeeeally tired of avocado. I don't eat too many nuts, because it's too easy to overeat them. The absolute most I have in 1/4 a cup a day, but I usually try not to. I'll try throwing some olives in the mix and see if that helps. Otherwise if worse comes to worse, I can always take a tablespoon of coconut oil. Do you guys ever get sick of eating the same ol' fats every day? What's your solution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaseyD Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 You're rocking this! As for your fats question, I am a big pastured animal fats person. I like eating fattier cuts of meat and cooking with tallow or lard. But, I am also a big fan of coconut oil and avocado, so I don't get tired of those. You might try switching up breakfast with leftover dinner or try a different meat. I have unfortunately discovered that I can't eat eggs, so I eat all kinds of different stuff at breakfast like ground meats, chili, or even fish. My breakfast standard is actually spinach and onions cooked in coconut oil. :-) Also, I'm big on eating carbs at dinner. I find that I do well with no fruit or potato at breakfast, but a lot of fat; a good sized lunch with loads of veggies and maybe a little fruit, and then leaner meat but something like sweet potato or winter squash with dinner. Keep at it and I bet you'll find what works the best for you! Great job so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Thanks, Casey! Those are some great suggestions. Day 9 Breakfast: - 3 eggs, sunny-side up, in clarified butter (loved! better than scrambled) - Cup of strawberries and blackberries - Black coffee Lunch: - Grilled shrimp, cooked in olive oil, salt, and pepper - 1/2 avocado - baby carrots Dinner: - Chocolate chili with mixed greens, onions, olives, and avocado on top (best meal I've made so far) Another day done. I'm already excited to start reintroducing. Not because I'm craving, but because I keep having to postpone social situations, and it's annoying. I've been asked a few times to go to sushi, and I just can't go because there's nothing there I can eat. First reintro food item: white rice! Haha. I just want my avocado roll and vegetable roll again. I don't miss bread at all, which I'm surprised about...it's what I ate the most of before Whole30! It's only been 9 days....ahhhh....21 more days to go.... I need to eat more vegetables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 I almost gave up today. I was SO close. I was sitting with some friends and they were eating chicken and rice soup, and all I wanted to do was join them and eat it too. Then they were eating my favorite cadbury chocolates, and I was so desperate to have some! Everything within me said, "Do it. No one will know. You can have some while you're alone and taste how amazing it is, and no one will ever have to know you cheated. You don't have to tell anyone, and then you'll know if chocolate bothers your stomach. You don't need to wait until the end to reintroduce chocolate..." Ahhhh!!! I'm not lying when I say that the temptation was overwhelming. I was so close to cheating. Instead, I had A LOT of water and some kombucha. The craving is gone now, and I'm so happy I didn't give in. I want to make this until the end without cheating, and I know I can do it. I will do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Katelyn, so awesome you stood strong. Just remember that if you go off plan, you only cheat yourself out of a full 30 day experience. Peer pressure is tough. Even if it's just visual peer pressure. I think when you exercise your "no" muscle, it just gets stronger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista Billows Rodriguez Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Good for you for not giving in! That sugar dragon was trying really, really hard to derail you and you faced it and now you're stronger for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Wow! I haven't posted in a few days. I'm on Day 14 now and I'm ready for this to be over haha. I have so much going on right now that having to cook and plan meals is just not a priority. I've still been eating Whole30 compliant, but my meals just aren't as extensive as they were at the beginning. I'll try to get back on track this week, but it might be just as crazy. Yesterday (Day 13) recap: Breakfast (no time to cook) - Blackberries - Banana - a few nuts Lunch: - Qdoba pork, lettuce, salsa, guacamole - Orange juice, no sugar added (to mix with liquid vitamins) Dinner: - Chocolate chili with avocado and olives - 1/2 sweet potato So I still need to up the vegetable intake. I'm just not eating very many. Bleh. 16 days left. I'm not seeing or feeling many changes yet, so hopefully that is to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Day 14 (I have questions at the end! Help!!!) Breakfast: - 3 eggs cooked in olive oil - almonds - apple Lunch: - 1/2 avocado - Squash soup - No protein there was no protein in the house that was Whole30 approved Dinner: - Bacon - Turkey Burger - Asparagus - 1/2 Sweet Potato Snacks: - Kombucha - Carrot cake Larabar Obviously, I got pretty dang hungry from not having a proper lunch. I guess that's what happens when I skip the protein! So I had the larabar. My first one. Holy crap...so good. Question: If I'm eating a fattier piece of meat, such as bacon, do I need extra fat besides that? Bacon is pretty fatty and greasy, and I'm not sure that I feel like I need MORE fat on top of that. Question: I need to start working out. I don't really understand the "extra meal" stuff for working out. If I work out before breakfast, do I need to eat something first, or eat after? Should I split up my breakfast before and after a workout instead of just eating all of it after? And if I workout in the afternoon, should I have some extra protein after? My workouts will definitely not be crossfit-style intense, but I'll workout between 30-60 minutes and I know it will increase my hunger. What do I do! Can I have a larabar or something after I workout? Yummm. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Day 15 - halfway done! This morning I didn't have time to make breakfast, so I had a "blueberry muffin" larabar and some strawberries and blackberries. I had that about an hour and a half ago and I'm already STARVING. Oops, bad idea I guess. I'll stick with my eggs and avocado for breakfast from now on!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 Well, I got my period a week early today (sorry gentlemen.) Not happy. Also, my digestion is just sucking. Also not happy. My body is freaking out! And I've been ravenously hungry today. Period, maybe? Ugh. Breakfast: Larabar Strawberries and blackberries (won't be doing this again...too much sugar, not enough protein. Was hungry 1 hour later.) Lunch: Hamburger patty Mixed greens Avocado Asparagus Dinner: Baked chicken breast Butternut squash Avocado Carrot Evening snack: Larabar Totally had 2 larabars today. Oops. It's after dinner and I'm still completely hungry. I ate the carrot a while after my meal, and had the larabar a while after that when I was still hungry. Not the best day for my body. Time to sleep. Day 15 - halfway day - complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Alright, it's Day 17. I feel like I've got the hang of this eating thing, so it's time to focus on exercise. Considering that I actually have the energy to exercise now, why not do it? Here's my plan: Wake up and enjoy a 30 minute brisk walk; nothing intense or difficult, but enough to get my heart rate up a bit. Go to the gym after work - - Elliptical 10 minutes - Weights 10 minutes (legs on day 1, arms day 2, legs day 3, ect.) - Elliptical (or bike/treadmill) 10 minutes - Weights 10 minutes - Elliptical 10 minutes - Stretch That's my plan. I'm not a "newbie" when it comes to the gym; I've worked with a personal trainer so I know I little bit. But I'm definitely no expert, so advice is welcome! I don't really understand the science behind working out and eating to fuel your workouts, so anyone who could help me with that, please do! I'll throw in some ab exercises here and there, but I'd rather do my ab work at home, considering that I don't really like the ab machines at my gym. Crunches are more effective to me. I also have P90X and the "Ab Ripper" dvd is a GREAT workout and only takes like 15 minutes. I have a bit of a random work schedule (I'm a nanny, so I'm on call all the time). So for days I can't make it to the gym, I'll do the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels (which kills me) plus some extra cardio. I'll plan on doing this AM walking/PM gym routine 5-6 days of the week. Sunday will be a rest day, and I'll workout M-F and occasionally on Saturday, depending on my schedule. I'm excited about this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 I can't believe I only have 10 more days of Whole30. I have NO idea if I should start to reintroduce on day 31 or if I should just keep going for a while longer. I feel like I've "slayed the sugar dragon," but then again, I haven't tested it. Though my cravings are pretty much completely gone, so that's good. I've eaten bacon like 5 days in a row. I hope that's okay. Tonight, my dad is grilling on our Big Green Egg (it's awesome) so I'm going to have him cook me some chicken, fish, and hamburgers to last me through the week. So excited about that! I'll maybe even have him throw some asparagus and sweet potatoes on, just to have those cooked and taken care of. It'll be nice to have food ready for a couple of days. I feel really great. People have told me that I look thinner. I feel thinner, though I'm not sure if I am. But I do feel smaller, and that's a great feeling. I've been sleeping well and waking up easier, which is great too. I'm just starting to workout and am really enjoying it. It's nice to even have energy to workout in the first place. I don't really miss anything. I had a piece of bread and wine at church this morning for communion, and I didn't really care. The bread didn't taste great and neither did the wine. I was afraid that I would want more after tasting that lush, white piece of bread. But nope. Didn't care. What a great feeling! I was happy to come home and have a good meal while the rest of my family ate sub sandwiches. My food was way better If I do reintroduce, I only want to introduce real food. Full fat greek yogurt and organic cheese to start. I do want to try white rice because I love eating sushi. My sushi place has an amazing avocado roll, a salmon-avocado roll, and a vegetable roll. Definitely ready to eat some of that again! Anyways, any tips on reintro would be nice. What was your experience with reintroducing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Well, it's day 27! I feel great. Except that I ate out last night and my food must have been cooked in soybean oil or some other type of non-Whole30 oil, because my stomach hates me. I've had stomach cramps and weird BMs since I ate it. I didn't ask what kind of oil my veggies were cooked in - I just shouldn't have gone out to eat, because I refuse to be "that person" at the restaurant. I'm fine to ask if there's dairy in the sauce, stuff like that. But what oil is this cooked in? Nope, not asking. So no more eating out for me! (until I'm done, anyways). Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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