Lemonzester Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi everyone! I am a Whole30 first-timer, and excited to start this experiment. I cleaned out my kitchen and replaced everything with Whole30 compliant foods, I spent a couple weeks reading about the program before starting, and I'm ready to go! My goals are to: 1) figure out what's bothering my GI system beyond lactose intolerance, 2) find more energy to tackle the several life challenges facing me at the moment, and 3) lose some extra weight to improve my running and yoga practices. I have a major sweet tooth, so I think craving baked goods and chocolate and eating too much fruit is going to be the biggest challenge for me. Plus, the whole eating out thing - sugar and dairy products are in everything! Here's my Day 1 recap. Seemed totally easy, though I did snack, which is not ideal. Day 1 Breakfast: a hash of Applegate Farms Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, a diced apple, and a couple handfuls of kale Snack: dried mango and macadamia nuts Lunch: salad of red oak lettuce, half an avocado, a few slices of roasted turkey breast, cucumber, and balsamic and olive oil Snack: half a banana Dinner: Roast chicken breast, roasted carrots, kale sauteed with garlic, sweet potato I felt too hungry after breakfast, and too full after dinner, so I will try to switch the proportions of food accordingly and add more fat in the morning. I am usually hungry as soon as I wake up, so that should be something I can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 Day 2 Woke up late today, feeling sluggish. I felt icky all day, just out of sorts and headachy. I felt a bit anxious, too, like my jaw had been clenched too much. Actually, I felt headachy before bed last night. Guess this is the carb hangover they talk about. I certainly went to town this past weekend before starting - pizza, bagels, brownies, etc.! Payback time. Breakfast (late): Applegate Organic Sweet Italian chicken sausage, diced apple, and romaine lettuce in olive oil, half an avocado. Black tea and apple cider vinegar in water. Lunch (very late lunch): salad of romaine lettuce and cucumbers in olive oil and vinegar, leftover roast turkey breast and carrots, leftover roasted sweet potato And now I am not hungry for dinner. The avocado at breakfast helped me last 5 hours until my lunch, and now I am just not hungry at all. Drinking some ginger tea. Goals to add: 4) See if this helps my tendonitis 5) See if this helps my depression/anxiety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Day 3 Woke up late again today, feeling groggy and congested. My body hurt less today, and there were no headaches, so that's good. I took a nap in the afternoon and that seemed to help. Still not crazy hungry, maybe I am eating too much protein? Breakfast: Applegate Sweet Italian Chicken sausage, apple, brussel sprouts, half an avocado Lunch: ~1/4 lb 85% grass-fed ground beef in a curry with frozen broccoli and spinach (Thai Kitchen Green Curry) - YUM but so filling Dinner: leftover roast chicken in a salad with leftover breakfast hash and balsamic vinaigrette Side note - why is the 85%/15% grass fed beef like half the cost of the 90%/10% grass fed beef at Whole Foods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Day 4 I was crazy tired today, but had so much to do! I am traveling this weekend and had to prepare food-wise, etc. I bought the Applegate Farms Organic Turkey breast, and was seriously displeased to discover it had carrageenan in it. Scandal! I was able to exchange it at Whole Foods for prosciutto. On the plus side, I have not been bloated or used gas medicine ONCE since I started the Whole30 - amazing! Breakfast: Applegate sausage, kale, and apple hash, with half an avocado Lunch: Leftover roast chicken breast, leftover sweet potato, green salad with balsamic vinaigrette Dinner: Leftover beef and broccoli curry, brought with me to writing group! Dessert: half a banana I have been getting headaches after I eat sweet potato, and want to get to the bottom of it because it's weird! Wonder if this is just a detox thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 Day 5 Travel day! I packed my breakfast and lunch for the train trip down to my hometown, DC. It wasn't too weird to eat cold hash on a train at 7 am. Everyone's been very supportive of my new diet restrictions, which is great. I may even be convincing people to try it by example! Breakfast: Brussel sprout, sweet potato, and roast chicken hash Lunch: big salad withmixed greens, carrot, celery, pear, avocado, and prosciutto Snack: half an apple Dinner: Thai coconut curry with turkey, broccoli, and spinach (red curry paste) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Day 6 Felt okay today, still tired. But my energy is fairly constant - the spikes from sugar highs and lows are already gone! Breakfast: Applegate Chicken and Apple sausage, kale, and apple hash, half an avocado Lunch: leftover curry Snack: blueberries Dinner: salmon with lemon and olive oil, sweet potato, and broccoli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Day 7 So tired! Took a 2 hour nap this evening, and then went to bed. No more headaches from sweet potato (or whatever it was), but now I am worried that eating essentially one sweet potato and one apple a day is too many sugar/carbs. Hmm. Breakfast: Applegate Chicken and Apple sausage, kale, apple hash, half an avocado Snack: banana Lunch: leftover curry Dinner: mixed greens salad with salmon, cucumber, celery, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, baked sweet potato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Day 8 Still totally tired. Another nearly 2 hour nap today. Breakfast: Applegate Chicken and Apple sausage, kale, apple hash, half an avocado Lunch/dinner: Ground turkey stir fried with bok choy and white vinegar, sweet potato Snack: handful of macadamia nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Day 9 Travel day part 2! Worked pretty well, except I had NO FOOD in the house when I got home and had to forage for nuts and dried mango before I could go to the store and get ingredients for a real dinner late - not ideal. I have been having these CRAZY dreams (as predicted by the timeline!) of non-compliant foods - mostly cake, I'll admit. Delicious, delicious cake and frosting. These are generally anxiety dreams. In them, I feel so guilty and terrible that I've ruined my Whole30, and it feels totally real. When I first wake up, I have to adjust to reality and understand that I have not eaten a brownie. A couple nights ago, it was eating a brownie by mistake at a party - nooooo! Then, last night, it was, like, accusatory, and in astonishing detail! I dreamed that my brother brought a platter of different slices of cake - carrot, german chocolate, etc. - all arranged around one mini chocolate cake with a ganache layer and covered in plastic wrap. I was so angry that he had brought this non-compliant food that I smashed the cakes with my foot! So bizarre!! Breakfast: Applegate Chicken and Apple sausage, bok choy, apple hash, half an avocado Lunch: mixed greens salad with celery and salmon, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, baked sweet potato, slices of pear Sad Dinner: handful of macadamia nuts, scoop of coconut oil, and a lot of dried mango Dinner part 2: mixed greens salad with Applegate Turkey Balogna and red wine vinegar and olive oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Day 10 Woohoo! A third of the way through! I felt very good today - lots of energy. My meals were a little sad in the protein department, though, due to lack of preparation. Like, eating an entire package of turkey balogna sad. I learned my lesson and spent a good part of yesterday prepping for the next few days. Breakfast: Artichoke and Garlic Chicken sausage, beet greens, and half a pear hash, half an avocado Lunch: 3 slices turkey balogna, mixed cooking greens (kale, chard), boiled baby beets, roasted cauliflower with lemon (yum!) Pre-WO: a slice of turkey balogna, a handful of macadamia nuts Post-WO: 2 slices of turkey balogna Dinner: 3 slices of turkey balogna, salad greens, half a roasted sweet potato My evening yoga class makes it difficult to eat on my normal schedule, and I ended up eating dinner at almost 10 pm. Not ideal for then falling asleep by midnight. In the future, I will try to bring a post-WO protein portion with me and have a meal ready to be eaten as soon as I get home. Also, beets make your, um, elimination WEIRD. Just saying. I thought I had something seriously wrong with me until I realized that the red dye of beets carries through the digestive track... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Day 11 Felt anxious all day today because of a networking call that never happened. But, I also felt pretty good when I finally got to hang out with friends, and also when volunteering. Have you ever tried to explain what a leprechaun is to an English language learner? Breakfast: chicken sausage, baby greens (kale, chard), diced apple, half an avocado Lunch: Pear-Ginger marinated sirloin steak, salad greens, roasted sweet potato Snack-ish: Then I just ate a bunch of dried mango because I felt like it. I was stress-eating, for sure. Something to think about next time I crave something sweet. Dinner (packed to eat at friend's house): roasted chicken thigh, roasted cauliflower with lemon, salad greens. This was delicious, but I suffered my first indigestion of the Whole30 afterwards. I think it was because I didn't adequately keep the chicken cold while transporting it, and bacterial growth happened. I need to get more ice packs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 16, 2013 Author Share Posted March 16, 2013 Day 12 Felt anxious again because of work-related stuff, but clear headed. Also, I think I have residual mild food poisoning, because my stomach still feels a bit icky. I am taking probiotics and hope that might help. Breakfast: chicken sausage, TJ's southern greens mix, diced apple, half an avocado Lunch: leftover steak, salad greens, roasted sweet potato Dinner: turkey balogna, salad greens with cucumber and olive oil, roasted sweet potato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 Day 13 Today, I woke up without an alarm, just when I wanted to! I felt really good. Also, my breakfast satiety signals really kicked in, and I ended up not finishing my plate for the first time! I packed the leftovers for later. Then, my planned meals kind of fell apart: the chicken thighs I had cooked earlier in the week went bad in the fridge, somehow! I was so disappointed and didn't have any non-frozen alternatives, so just sat in hunger. Then it started snowing outside, which plunged me further into despair, and I just felt sad about all the delicious baked treats I could not enjoy for another two weeks, at least. Especially, Green & Black's 85% Dark Chocolate bars, my pantry staple. YUM. I am so, so sad I can't have that right now. I ended up eating more turkey balogna for lunch, and decided to go for my first meal out at the Whole Foods salad bar. I also got myself a couple of treats (kombucha and blueberries) at the store. It all ended up fine, but it was certainly a struggle of a day. Breakfast: chicken sausage, TJ's southern greens, and diced apple, half an avocado Lunch: handful of macadamia nuts, handful of olives, 3 slices turkey balogna, coconut curry with frozen broccoli and butternut squash Dinner: Roasted turkey breast with herbs, mixed greens salad with haricots verts, radishes, tomatoes, and olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Whole Foods salad bar, kombucha, a cup of blueberries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Day 14 Woke up bright and refreshed again today. Awesome! Same thing happened with satiety at breakfast: I saved the rest for another time. It was a cookfest today - I made Bora Bora Pork Fireballs and Sunshine Sauce, roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes, and browned some ground beef. My fridge is fully stocked and ready to go. No more hunger crises! Breakfast: chicken sausage, greens, diced apple, half an avocado Lunch: Bora Bora Fireballs (yum!), Sunshine Sauce, and salad greens Pre-WO: 1/3 of a slice of roasted turkey Post-WO: remaining 2/3 of the turkey Dinner: leftover curry with ground beef, more blueberries I really need to start mixing it up at breakfast. The hash is delicious, but I am starting to get bored with it... I also want to try to eat fish once or twice a week. Goals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Aaaaack sugar dragon cravings!!! They will not go away, and I am afraid I fed them with blueberries and with dried mango slices the past few days... Bah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Day 15 Major sugar dragons... major. Left me whimpering. I read the forum posts about it and learned that you are supposed to feed cravings with protein and fat, so I tried that (after feeding them with dried mango... food with no brakes, apparently!) and it was alright. Breakfast: chicken sausage, brussel sprouts, and diced apple hash, half an avocado Lunch: leftover Bora Bora Fireballs, Sunshine Sauce, roasted sweet potato with coconut oil, salad greens Dinner: wasn't feeling super hungry, so I just had the small leftovers from my breakfast hashes. Then I gorged on dried mango. Felt guilty, and then had a couple of slices of turkey balogna and a spoonful of sunflower seed butter. Lesson learned! Even if I don't feel hungry, just put the right food in front of me! I also had major anxiety today about work stuff, and I think my cravings are related to my anxiety. I have always comforted myself with food, and that is a tough habit to break! I am trying to replace food with sleep and other relaxing things. Today I spent some time reading a book instead of raising my anxiety jumping aimlessly around the internet. Any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 Day 16 Feeling alright today, good energy all day. Breakfast: ground beef with TJ's Southern greens, diced apple sauteed in coconut oil (yum!) Lunch: Bora Bora Fireballs, Sunshine sauce, sweet potato with coconut oil, salad greens Pre-WO: a few coins of chicken sausage Post-WO: same, with blueberries and a spoonful of sunbutter Dinner: chicken sausage, roasted parsnips, salad greens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Day 17 Felt really strong in yoga today, and I'm sleeping really well. I felt a bit bloated, thought - I think it's the parsnips! Breakfast: chicken sausage, beet greens, diced apple, half an avocado Lunch: No-Fuss Salmon Cakes from ISWF (delicious!), salad greens Pre-WO: spoonful of sunbutter (I know it's not protein, but it's what I felt like eating, so I did it) Post-WO: so close to dinner that I just skipped it Dinner: mixed greens salad with pear, celery, cucumber, parsley, turkey balogna, and balsamic vinaigrette, a bunch of dried mango Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieisrunningcrazy Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Just a tip for when your sugar dragon comes roaring- if you had your protein, had some fat, still having a crazy craving...try some shredded unsweetened coconut, or unsweetened coconut chips (WF bulk section) or coconut butter/manna. I use Lets Do Organic shredded unsweetened coconut flakes, put em in a food processor for about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides every few minutes. Turns into this wonderful coconut awesomeness. A spoonful of that generally calms the craving, and its a good fat that keeps you satiated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Oh my, that sounds delicious! Thanks so much for the tip, @katieisrunningcrazy! Those darn sugar dragons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Day 18 Oh man, I felt down today. It's a tricky thing, depression. Some days you are fine and some days you are not. This is a period of being stressed out and I was very tired. I tried to take care of myself and take it easy. So I picked out some new recipes and went shopping for the ingredients, spending a ton of money in the meantime - but it will all work out, I'm sure! Then I watched 3 episodes of my new favorite show, Bunheads. Breakfast: chicken sausage, brussel sprouts, diced apples, half an avocado Lunch: salmon cakes, salad greens Snack: handful of macadamia nuts, little bit of dried mango Dinner: Pernil (pork) from Whole foods, sauteed TJ's power greens, pint of blueberries After-baking taste tester snack: Paleo banana bread (to use up my old bananas). It was ok, not amazing. Maybe I needed less old bananas. I'm also getting a bit sick of eating animal protein at every single meal. I was an occasional meat eater previous to this - definitely an omnivore, but more of a greek yogurt every day aficionado. I am going to try to mix it up with the new recipes, and I might try having my dinner meal be Whole30-vegetarian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 Day 19 Felt pretty good today, until I got a tension headache. Breakfast: chicken sausage, sweet potato (YUM), brussel sprouts, half an avocado Lunch: leftover salmon cake, salad greens, leftover parsnips Pre-WO: half a Larabar (yes I know...) Post-WO: other half, plus a slice of turkey balogna Dinner: Bora Fireballs, Sunshine Sauce, sauteed TJ's Power Greens, cucumber sticks (delicious dinner) I also made the Olive Oil Mayo from ISWF/Melissa Joulwan's blog for the first time today. I used a stick blender, and it was foolproof - it came together in like 5 seconds! Now I can have tuna salad! We'll see if this becomes a mainstay... I am generally averse to eggs, and this is basically a whipped raw egg. It was pretty good when I taste-tested it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 Day 20 I felt really good today. I have been sleeping really well, like 9 or 10 hours a night. I also successfully ate out at a restaurant - though I did just eat sauteed broccoli raab. I hate calling attention to myself, and have avoided eating out so that I can in turn avoid being "that girl" and asking the waiter a hundred questions about the food. It went fine, this time. Broccoli raab is one of my favorite vegetables. But it cannot be denied that I have trouble digesting it. It's going on the list with parsnips and peppers. Breakfast: chicken sausage, sweet potato, greens, half an avocado Lunch: Chocolate Beef Chili, half an avocado Dinner: totally delicious Tuna Fish Salad, with homemade mayo, sweet potato, broccoli raab, blueberries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Day 21 I felt very good again today. I woke up after just 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Kinda weird for me, but I felt fine. Breakfast: chicken sausage, diced apple, greens, half an avocado Snack: handful of macadamia nuts (Very late) Lunch (like, 6 hours after breakfast): beef chili and half an avocado Snack: a pear Dinner: Bora Fireballs (last ones!), sunshine sauce, cucumbers and mayo dip, blueberries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonzester Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Day 22 I felt great today, at least when I woke up. I had so much energy. I had forgotten to get stuff for breakfast, so I left the house before noon and went to the grocery store. Later in the day I took a nap, even though I felt like I had slept enough. The negative about today was that none of my food went that well today. It was just okay, not great. Breakfast: chicken sausage, sweet potato, TJ's Southern Greens, ghee, half an avocado Lunch: tuna fish salad, blueberries Dinner: blueberries, raisins, arugula, roasted cauliflower, and a somewhat failed Rogan Josh - it was simmering too high and burned. I also put too much salt in. I rescued the (expensive, grass-fed) lamb meat by rinsing it in water. Let's hope it's edible as leftovers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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