Jump to content

Catherine's Whole60 - This is not about weight loss.


GLC1968

Recommended Posts

Let's get this party started!!

Today I start my Whole60. I've completed two very successful Whole30's but for whatever reason, I have done a lot of 'off-roading' lately. A big part of it is that over the past year, using reintroduction, I've been able to refine the list of things that are not Whole30 approved (or even paleo at all) that don't actually cause me any digestive distress or cause any type of noticeable reactions. While that's great knowledge to have when I'm in a situation that I cannot control, it's a problem when I eat those things repeatedly.

It's easy for me to avoid eating corn, soy or dairy because those things make me feel gross (or pain) almost immediately. It's a lot harder to avoid sugar, gluten (oddly enough) and rice when it feels like my body can handle those things without issue.

The problem is that I know my bad choices are not 'without issue'. Maybe immediate repercussions, but certainly not long term health issues. So I need a longer period than 30 days to really internalize the GOOD nutrition. Hence - my Whole60.

My goals:

1) get past the withdrawal 'hump' without disrupting my marriage ;)

2) get creative with food - don't always fall back on the 'basics' all the time. I need variety to make this a lifestyle, so the best way to get it, is to practice during the Whole60.

3) eat out more - I know this is counter-intuitive but while I do need to cook more at home and a Whole30/60 definitely helps with that, I also need to get better at eating out if this is going to be a lifestyle going forward. We eat out. I need to be able to be Whole30 when I do, even after the 60 days are up.

4) improve shopping and weekly cook-up efficiency.

5) varied exercise, regularly

I did not weigh myself this morning. As much as I have had no problem staying away from the scale during my previous Whole30's, I have to admit that I was super excited to step on it at soon as the 30 days was up. I didn't want to make it about weight loss...but it was. I've got fat to lose, so I can't help but want to lose it. Since I don't want to focus on that this time around, I'm not going to weigh myself at all. I haven't been on the scale since the end of my last Whole30 (early Feb), so I don't really know what I weigh. I think I'm up a little (or maybe it's bloat) since a few key clothing items are tighter, but I know that'll resolve itself soon enough. This is not about weight loss. In fact, I'll say that again...this is not about weight loss. That might have to be my mantra for this Whole60!

OK, that's about it. I may or may not record my food here. I know it gets a little boring to me after a while and I can't imagine that anyone else wants to read about it.

Yesterday I made mayo, salad dressing, guacamole and hard boiled eggs. This morning I made tuna salad and tonight I'll be making a big pot of chili.

And away we go....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How this Whole60 is different from previous ones (besides being twice as long!).

I am not using the Whole30 Daily email. While I loved that feature for my last 30 days, I don't want to use it this time. My reasoning may be considered a tad off, but here it is. When I did my last Whole30, my goal was to keep going on it until I was forced to break it (most likely near 45 days or so when my spring travel started). What happened instead is that I really felt like after 30 days, I was at the END and needed to do something (whether celebrate or try a reintroduction or whatever). I didn't have that same feeling with my first Whole30 and I think that the count down email was the difference. While it's an amazing resource for the first two weeks when things are difficult, I found that the count of days as I approached the end made me feel like something was supposed to happen on day 31. It is entirely possible that I am reading too much into it but I figured that since I wanted to go 60 days from the start, it's better if I just skip it this time around. We'll see how I feel after the first 30 days without it!

I am on my own. This one could be a challenge or it could be a benefit...it's too hard to predict! My first two Whole30's were done with my husband at my side. This time, he's opted out so it'll be just me. He will absolutely still support me and he's looking forward to more home-cooked meals, but when we are both tired and don't feel like cooking, he'll be wanting to order a pizza and it'll be up to me to be strong and stay the course alone. On the plus side, he won't be gobbling up all my Whole30 prepped food when I'm not around! ;)

There are no events. I'm not coming off an indulgent holiday season or heading into a particular big event. I've got nothing that 'brackets' this effort (like a looming travel season for work or a birthday). This Whole60 is happening now because I want it to be now. I want to do this for me and for no other reason.

This is not about weight loss. Yes, I've mentioned this before, but it's true. Prior to both of my previous Whole30's, I'd let things get far enough out of hand that my clothes hardly fit. My choices were limited because I was so overweight. This time, while I still have fat to lose, it's not a priority. My clothes still fit. I'm not doing this now because it's to the 'lose weight or buy new, bigger clothes' stage at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 1: And so it begins!

I just love how I immediately feel better when I start a Whole30. I know that it's not physiological...but it's still a sweet feeling. I feel so self-rightous knowing that I'm eating the healthiest I possibly can for my body. I know that if my days go well, I'll get EVERYTHING I need from my diet and within a few weeks, I'll feel fan-freaking-tastic. I love that there is a huge peace of mind that comes with knowing you are doing something SOOO right for your body.

As I mentioned above, I can get away with eating a lot of off plan food with no immediate repurcussions...but what I tend to forget is that there is a mental toll for doing so. I know they aren't the best choices but I eat them anyway. There is some guilt (not enough to really change my behaviour, unfortunately) but also a lot of worry about 1) missing out on necessary nutrients 2) causing long term damage that is unseen and 3) triggering very bad behaviour (ie binging!).

Now, if only I can remember these feelings come day 61 - 65! ;)

Yesterday I ended up eating some Lara bar in the afternoon at work because I was distracted by my hunger and I hadn't brought enough food with me. When I packed my lunch, I packed what I was bringing at the end of my last Whole30 but back then, I was fat adapted. Right now, I'm fairly certain that I'm not and my spinning head only 3 hours after eating was my indicator.

Today I brought way more food (more than I'll need, I'm sure!) so I should be all set. I also made a list on our whiteboard in our kitchen of all the meals I have ingredients for so that my husband can choose what he wants for dinner. Only one of those meals is a slow cooker meal, so the rest of them can be whipped up after work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 2: Going strong!

I had plenty of food yesterday. I actually ended up bringing an apple home with me because I was too full to eat it with all the other good stuff I had! All in all, day 2 was a good one. Food was spot on and in general, I felt fine.

I went to bed early last night and despite not being tired because it was so hard to wake up that morning. Oddly enough, I fell asleep immediately. I was kind of shocked when I woke up at 3 am because I had to pee. I immediately reached over to see if my husband had come to bed because I didn't remember him doing so and that's very, very strange for me. Sure enough, he was there. Typically, I'm a very light sleeper. I only sleep deeply and soundly when in a Whole30 but I've NEVER gotten to this point so quickly before. It's possible that I'm just tired from other things because it was still difficult to get out of bed this morning but once I was up, I felt great. Who knows? More time will tell, I suppose.

The other oddity (and I accept that I may be speaking entirely too soon), is that I feel fine. In the past, by day two, I'm starting to feel off...either with a headache or some other malady. It's the start of day three and I still feel completely normal. This could be because it hasn't been very long since my last Whole30 and my off-roading wasn't THAT bad (compared to what I did around the holidays). Or, the funk may still be yet to come in which case, I'm gonna regret this post! ;) Kidding.

Last night I had my second Pilates private session. It went well. I've had some lower back trouble for a number of years and it's gotten MUCH worse in the past year. When I had an x-ray done in January, they discovered severe disk space narrowing in two places. I'm fairly certain (and my doc agrees) that a strong core will help with pain. Considering that I've spent the last year of my life either doing nothing or doing it off-balance (I was non-weight bearing on one foot for the first half of the year), it makes sense that it would have gotten worse this year. I tried crossfit, but it was too frustrating not being able to do so many of the movements and I often aggravated the pain without realizing it. That's where Pilates comes in. Very controlled strength building with a strong focus on the core. Plus, my instructor got into Pilates herself to manage back pain 15 years ago, so she knows how to work with my issues. The ultimate goal will be to get back to doing all the things I want to do (running, biking, swimming, crossfit, hiking, kayaking, etc) without pain. I'd also like to improve my posture since I've noticed lately that I do entirely too much slouching! So session two was good and today I'm a little achey in a couple of places, but it feels good...like I worked my body. I'll do one more private session and then I'll probably join the mat classes to save a little money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since I'd like to have some type of record of my food, I'm adding this today. I may not continue if doing so starts to feel too much like 'tracking', but we'll see.

Monday

B: chicken apple sausage and TJ's 'healthy 8' veggie mix sauteed in bacon fat

S: black coffee and a banana

L: tuna salad made with home-made mayo over mixed baby greens and red peppers, clementine

S: coconut lara bar (all I had with me and I was hungry!)

D: carnitas tacos (coconut flour tortillas, arugula, carnitas, guacamole, salsa and red pepper strips) - yum!!

Tuesday

B: chicken apple sausage and TJ's 'healthy 8' veggie mix sauteed in bacon fat

S: black coffee and a banana

L: carnitas over mixed greens and arugula, red peppers, tomatoes and topped with guacamole and salsa

S: 2 clementines, hard boiled egg, handful of cashews

D: bacon, eggs scrambled with sauteed kale and green onions and topped with avocado

1 hour of Pilates

Today

B: eggs scrambled with sauteed kale and topped with avocado, clementine, black coffee

L: carnitas over mixed greens and arugula, red peppers, tomatoes and topped with guacamole and salsa

S: hard boiled egg and an apple

D: wild salmon, sweet potato topped with macadamia nuts and cranberries, mixed greens salad with homemade creamy Italian dressing

planned: 40 min cardio/weight workout (or swim if I can't get the DVD player to cooperate!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 3: This is not about the weight loss.

Interesting day. Nutrition was good and I was compliant, but there was definitely some mental struggle. After dinner, I wanted something sweet. I was cleaning up the kitchen and I kept getting visions of nuts in caramel and I wanted something...even a square of dark chocolate would have been fine. I started to rationalize and question my decision to do a Whole60. Then, as I finished the kitchen and prepared to leave, I told myself I could have a banana. When I realized that I didn't want it, I knew I was not hungry and this was just my inner fat girl telling me to eat sweets. I left the kitchen and promptly got over the craving.

I was sleepy a lot during the day yesterday (and I'm the same way today, despite a reasonable night's sleep!) so I'm going to blame this readjustment period. I also had a mild headache last night but it wasn't a big deal at all.

I do find myself questioning my decision to do this (not just when I want sweets) as I'm finding the 'withdrawals' this time around appear to be very mild. My digestive system has already settled in to a nice pattern and it's only day 4. It makes me think that perhaps this really only needed to be a Whole14 or something and that I could let myself relax a bit after that. Then I remember what happens when I do relax and I think I need to go longer again. I mean, I chose a Whole60 from the start so that I'll completely internalize the fact that I can live this way all the time. The problem I have when I'm not on an official Whole30 is that I justify a lot of random things...and that leads to more things...and then more things...and the next thing I know, splurges come three or four times a week instead of once a month or for special occasions!

Well, no matter what, I'm not giving up now anyway. I'll see this through at least 14 days and re-evaluate. Of course, if this WERE about the weight loss, there would be no question that I should continue. I could weigh myself weekly and just keep going until I get to my goal. While that might keep me on the straight and narrow, it would not be helping me learn. It would just make this a 'diet' and I know how well I've handled that in the past!

Anyway, day 4, underway.

Food plan:

B: carnitas, avocado and salsa in coconut flour tortillas, clementine, black coffee

L: wild salmon, mixed veggies drizzled with olive oil and spices

S: hard boiled egg, clementines, mixed nuts (pistachios, cashews, almonds and macadamias)

D: beef stew with acorn squash, mixed greens salad with olive oil and vinegar

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 8: Tiger blood already?

Oops, I've not been updating here regularly!

Friday -

B: chicken apple sausage and TJ's 'healthy 8' veggie mix (sauteed), black coffee

L: beef stew over acorn squash, clementine

S: apple, hard boiled egg

D: went out - had wild Alaskan salmon topped with asparagus (bernaise on the side) and roasted veggies

Saturday -

B: bacon, 'waffles' - egg and sweet potato cooked in a waffle form. (I ate mine plain, my H put maple syrup on his) Tea.

L: 1/2 a carnitas salad from Chipotle

D: I have no idea what I ate for dinner. I was making chili, so I had a couple of bites of that to taste it but then I just snacked. I know I ate some guacamole with carrots, but I didn't sit down to a real meal because I just wasn't in the mood.

I know the 'waffles' border on SWYPO, so that's why I didn't even top them with fruit or eat them with a fork. I ate them with my hands so that it wouldn't remind me of sweet, syrup topped waffles (one of my favorites). The extras are in the freezer and I may consider using them as a burger bun or something AFTER my Whole30.

Sunday -

B: bacon, eggs with kale, onions and zucchini, melon, black coffee

L: grass fed beef burger on a bed of mixed greens and tomatoes with guac

D: a couple of blueberry sausages and a couple of clementines before bowling, and then I ate the leftovers of my carnitas salad, some berries and a banana afterward.

We went for a 15 mile bike ride on Sunday (leisurely) and then a mile walk to take our dogs to a school yard to throw the ball for them.

Today (planned):

B: sausage, kale and onion frittata, cantaloupe, black coffee

L: beef stew over acorn squash, mixed green salad, banana

S: single serving of cashews

D: Caribbean seafood stew, mixed green salad, berries

All in all, things have been so different this time around. I may still be speaking too soon, but I have hardly had any cravings (though I did almost drool on myself when my coworker pulled out a nice looking sandwich and a diet coke for her lunch a minute ago!), I feel really good and I'm noticing some improvements already. Where are the withdrawals? I felt like crap well into week two on my last Whole30, so why is this one relatively easy so far?

Right now, my digestive system is humming along nicely, my sense of taste is already heightened, I feel calm, I'm sleeping better, my skin is improving, I'm barely having any cravings. It's almost like the 'magic' is already here and it's only day 8. That is hard to believe...I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop...

A couple of weird things to share. First of all, we went to a mall the other day and I had to wait for my husband to use the restroom while standing right next to a Mrs Fields. I stood there, inhaling the lovely oatmeal cookie/chocolate chip cookie smells and imagining that I was eating one with a nice cup of coffee. Then when he came out and we walked away, I smiled to myself and thought, well, that was fun! Huh? I didn't really want a cookie, but a couple of minutes mentally enjoying one was pleasing to me? That's just weird!

I also noticed a couple of days ago that my sense of taste is heightened already. I was drinking my morning coffee (same coffee I always make) and I could taste all these complex undertones and stuff. It freaked me out a little at first, but then I just made a point of enjoying it. I am noticing this with other foods too - when I eat something I've eaten only a couple of weeks ago, now it tastes better! Weird!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 9: Headache on the fringes.

Yep, went to bed last night with a mild headache and today it is still hanging around the fringes. I'm not certain it's related to my Whole30 or not, but it's really not that bad at all. My energy levels are really good today. In fact, both yesterday and today, I woke up on my own 15 minutes before my alarm went off. Getting out of bed is getting easier and my energy levels are starting to even out a bit throughout the day, so I'm feeling good. My skin is also feeling smoother and looking better already.

Last night I made Carribbean Seafood Stew from the Everyday Paleo blog. It was good. My H loved it and he doesn't get excited about food all that much, so that was cool. I liked that it was super quick and easy to make but with the cumin and cilantro in there, it tasted more complex. Tonight I'm doing Sausage and Cabbage 'noodles' also from her blog. Another one of my husband's favorites! In fact, when I came home from work yesterday, the first thing my husband told me was that Joe Rogan was now paleo. I had to laugh. My husband kind of has a man-crush on Joe after seeing a couple of interviews with him. I asked if that means that now he'll be sticking to paleo a little closer now and all I got was an 'I don't know, maybe'. He's so cute! (My husband, not Joe).

Today's breakfast wasn't really in the good Whole30 spirit, but since it was my breakfast of choice when I was 'being healthy' before I discovered paleo, I don't think of it as either indulgent or feeding any bad habits. As I am working to make this a full time lifestyle, I'm trying to be as realistic as possible within the 'rules' and sometimes, I just don't want eggs or leftovers for breakfast. I toasted one of the sweet potato/egg waffles I made over the weekend, spread it with a small amount of raw almond butter and then topped it with super thin slices of banana. Then I had blueberry breakfast sausage on the side to make sure it was balanced. It was delicious! And I'm a big fan of these sausages from the "Stuff I Make My Husband" blog. I will definitely be making these again in the future (in probably a double batch).

Today I placed an order with US Wellness meats. We need bacon, so I ordered more of that, some of their breakfast sausage and some of their ground pork. I tried some of their stew meat last time (beef) but didn't like it nearly as much as the stew meat I get from a local farm (also grass fed), so I won't be using them for beef any more. I don't have a good source for pork unless I want to buy a whole side of pig (which we don't have room for!), so they can be my source for good quality pork until I find someone local (I'll keep looking, of course).

Tuesday -

B: sweet potato/egg waffle with almond butter and 1/2 banana, blueberry sausage, black coffee

L: veggie and beef chili over baby spinach

S: 1/2 banana and cashews (maybe)

D: sausage and cabbage 'noodles'

1 hour of Pilates this evening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

glimmer - I had two more this morning - definitely delicious!!

Day 10: The Mope Returns

Yesterday evening and again this morning, I've been blue. I thought maybe I was just emotional about trying to sell our house (I had a few reminders of our farm yesterday so I thought maybe I was having second thoughts) but the 'blues' pervaded more than just my feelings about the farm. I couldn't shake it and it's still hanging around this morning. I re-read my log from my last Whole30 and what do you know...depression like feelings on day 9 or so. Maybe this is a Whole30 reaction for me? If so, I should be feeling better tonight or tomorrow. I'll definitely take note.

For breakfast today I made the 'Jicama Oatmeal' from the blog "Stuff I Make My Husband" and had it with more of those blueberry sausages. I actually quadrupled the recipe since that's the size of the jicama and crock pot I had and it turned out pretty good. I'm not calling it Jicama Oatmeal though. It's more like an apple cinnamon hot breakfast mash. I don't really even like oatmeal and I do like this stuff. My husband was serving himself a bowl when I left, so I'll be curious to see if he liked it. It was a nice change of pace and the smell of it (vanilla beans, apples and cinnamon) was delightful and complemented my Earl Grey tea.

Last night, due to the blues, I wasn't in the mood to cook or eat. I ended up skipping dinner. My H ordered a pizza and honestly, I had zero interest in it. Even the smell didn't do it for me. Odd.

Wednesday:

B: apple cinnamon hot mash, blueberry sausages, hot tea

L: chili on a bed of baby spinach

S: hard boiled egg, clementine (if needed)

D: sausage and cabbage 'noodles'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 11: I can see clearly now, the rain has gone...

OK, that's not true. It's still raining. But, my blues are gone, so I'm feeling sunny on the inside! (yes, I realize that sounds ridiculously dorky - it makes me sound like an older, grey haired hippy lady living in Portland, OR and growing herbs on the deck...Oh wait. that is me! :P Though, I'm no hippy.)

Yes, that first paragraph was a bit off kilter. That's ok. I'm in a good mood. I feel better, I ate avocado for breakfast and my coffee is really delicious this morning. Life is good.

B: sausage, kale, onion frittata topped with avocado, melon, black coffee

L: sausage and cabbage 'noodles', clementine

S: (if needed) hard boiled egg, apple

D: chili, mixed greens and tomato salad

Last night I received a new cookbook that I ordered. It's this one:

http://www.amazon.co...ow+cooker+paleo

It's a beautiful book - hard cover, nice photography and high quality pages. I browsed a few recipes this morning and the first 5 I looked at were Whole30 compliant. I brought it with me to work so that I can read it more in earnest at lunch but I'm excited to start cooking from it!

I'm thinking of asking my husband if he'd like to join me for the second half of my Whole60. I'm a little worried about how his eating habits have deteriorated. Last night, I teased him for eating all my strawberries in one sitting and he said 'let's go to the grocery store and buy more'. I was already in my PJ's, I was cooking stuff, and our fridge is so full that we are leaving a lot of veggies and fruits on the counter and he wants to buy more? He originally said 'yeah, I need other stuff, too' and when I mentioned how full the fridge was and asked if he really needed to go, he thought about it a bit and then said 'no'. I have a feeling his initial desire was to buy more cookies and/or crackers which he just ran out of. I don't want to nag so I don't say anything, but he's moved from eating crap food to eating high quality crap food (ie, organic, gluten-free, processed crap is still processed crap, right?). Ugh. I'd love to get him back to eating real fruits and veggies on his own (not just when I put cooked ones in front of him).

Plus, having him with me for the last 30 days will be good incentive for me to stick with this all the way through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 12: Or day 1?

Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary. Yesterday, my mom and dad sent us a lobster dinner for two from Legal Seafood! This included two large lobsters, two crab cakes, clam chowder and two servings of Boston cream pie. We put the crab cakes and clam chowder in the freezer for later, but we had a spectacular lobster dinner with drawn butter and followed it up with Boston cream pie. We worked together to cook it all (including roasting a big pan of veggies, too) and then had fun making a lobster mess together. It was a wonderful evening and that pie? Worth. every. single. bite.

I had made that decision earlier in the day. I was not hungry. I was not craving anything. My sugar dragon was no where in sight. I made the choice to share something special with my husband on our 10th anniversary. I picked the item from the things shipped to us that I thought would feel the most 'special'. No regrets.

Today I am super glad that I put away the other non-compliant stuff. Had we indulged in the entire meal, I don't doubt that I'd be feeling really, really crappy right now. Instead, I feel fine. In fact, after a lovely, compliant breakfast, I feel better than fine. I have no cravings (so far) and no digestive distress.

Considering that this is a Whole60 with the main purpose of helping me learn to banish my sugar dragon, I'm not really going to 'start over'. I already know what 30 days of clean eating feels like - I've done it twice. I also already know what types of foods are most upsetting to my body (one of the reasons I felt somewhat justified in indulging last night - I would not have done that with a brownie sundae or something!). The count of my days doesn't really matter to me so I'm just moving forward. If I need to, I can easily add 11 days to the end of my original end date if I feel like I want a perfect streak (but really, perfection is not the end goal either).

Today I am right back on track.

B: sausage, kale, onion frittata topped with avocado, melon, black coffee

L: lobster (leftovers!!), roasted veggies, blueberry sausage, apple

S: (if needed) hard boiled egg, clementine

D: seafood marinara over zucchini noodles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 15: Feeling Fabulous!

I've had a GREAT weekend! Let's recap the things that are making me so happy right now.

  • I had a lot of sugar thoughts and cravings this weekend but I did not cave. In fact, they weren't all that strong...just persistent. Now they are gone.
  • I did a 20 mile bike ride with my husband on Sunday and I wasn't tired and I wasn't sore. I'm slowly getting back in shape!
  • We bought a bunch of awesome food this weekend AND received our US Wellness shipment, so we are STOCKED!
  • Our house is wonderfully clean. Our realtor came over on Sunday so we spent a couple of hours together cleaning the whole place and now it makes me smile again!
  • WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!! We've had our old house on the market for a little over two weeks and we accepted an offer on it yesterday. Happy Dance!
  • And last but not least, I'm feeling really, really good. I am fairly certain that I've now made it through the sugar dragon storm brought on by Thursday's indulgence and I'm proud of myself for sticking to the clean eating all weekend. I feel fantastic. Vibrant, even. I feel like dancing in the kitchen. I feel like rolling down a grassy hill. I feel like my puppy acts every morning when we let her out of her crate - super thrilled just to be alive!

Tiger blood, baby.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh yeah...the food. I'm not going to recap the weekend because frankly, I can't really remember and I don't want to take the time to wrack my brain to get it all down. I was 100% compliant though. I did make some banana muffins yesterday with 4 brown bananas (before they dissolved into liquid on my counter top!), and tasted one of them. The recipe was sugar/sweetener free, so even though they would definitely be considered SWYPO, I don't think eating half of one to make sure it tasted good (new recipe) was a slip. I froze half the batch and the other half is for my husband.

Today (monday) -

B: sausage, kale and onion fritatta topped with avocado, fresh pineapple, black coffee

L: sausage and cabbage 'noodles', clementines

S: (if needed) hard boiled egg, banana

D: chicken and veggie stir fry with 'the best stir fry sauce ever' from Well Fed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 16: This is not about the weight loss.

Yesterday, I did not need my afternoon snack though I did grab a handful of mixed dry roasted nuts as I prepped dinner. Today I've packed another snack, but I'm expecting not to need it again. That is, unless I can't eat my lunch. I brought left over chicken stir-fry for lunch but last night, it was almost too hot for me (spicy). If those flavors have intensified, I won't be able to finish my lunch and I'll probably eat my snack then as well. We'll see.

Tonight for dinner we have a roast in the crock pot. I just followed the directions on Tom's website (and we have the same slow cooker) so we'll see how it turns out. http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-chuck-roast/ I started with a different roast than he did but I *think* mine is a good one, so it should be ok. I hope I'm not ruining a roast that should be done as rare roast beef or something!

This is not about the weight loss. I need that reminder today. Two weeks into this and I don't feel much slimmer at all. By this time in previous Whole30's, I was already down quite a few pounds. This time, not so much. I know I wasn't horribly bloated at the start of this one like I was before, so there is less water weight to lose, I suppose. I'm feeling so ridiculously good now that I really don't want the fact that my skirt is still tight on me today to be a discouragement. This Whole30/60 is REALLY different from previous ones. I'm at the 'tiger blood' stage much faster than previously and yet I don't feel the weight loss as quickly either. Eh...tiger blood trumps weight loss anyway! ;-)

Tuesday

B: blueberry sausage, hot jicama mash with sliced strawberries, black coffee

L: chicken and veggie stir-fry, mixed berries

S: (if needed) hard boiled egg, clementines

D: crock pot roast beef, roasted asparagus, cauliflower mash (I think)

1 hr of mat Pilates

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 17: Back pain = Frustration

Ugh. My lower back is killing me again. It may be my bed...we have a new one to be delivered on Friday. It may be digestive...it often gets worse before a large bowel movement or during my time of the month. It may be just that I have severe disk space narrowing between L5 and S1 (though, I'm not convinced that's the cause). It may be because I've spent the last 8 or 9 years protecting my back by using my hands or my hamstrings to do all back related bending and such, so it's super weak. I don't really know. I saw a bunch of doctors last month and I didn't learn much. It's just frustrating when the pain limits the things I can do when I otherwise feel so good.

Tonight I'm going to go for a run. I'm planning on a 2 mile route. I'll run/walk it since I haven't been properly running since Christmas and I'm not sure how much my foot will be able to take. It feels good today even though it was bothering me enough last night to make me skip Pilates.

While this Whole60 is not about the weight loss, I did make some observations yesterday that I need to come clean about. I've picked up a few bad habits and in the interest of building a healthy lifestyle that I can sustain for the long haul, I need to correct them. Additionally, I'm sure they have something to do with the lack of weight loss.

1) I'm snacking when I'm cooking. Sometimes nuts, sometimes plantain chips, sometimes raw veggies...whatever it is, the habit needs to stop entirely. It's not that I'm concerned about adding calories or ruining my appetite...but it's totally mindless and I want to get away from mindless eating in all it's forms.

2) I'm eating some meals in front of the TV. While I'm not actually watching the show most of the time, I'm still in the living room. I do it so that my H and I are eating together, but he (and I) can certainly take 20 minutes away from the TV to sit at the kitchen table. There is way too much opportunity for mindless eating when doing it in the living room with the TV on.

3) Snacking at work due to boredom or the desire to procrastinate. I'm using food to put off things I don't want to do or as something to 'entertain' me at work. Yes, it's Whole30 food that fits the meal template because I planned it that way...but I'm not eating out of hunger but for other reasons. It needs to stop.

There may be others, but these are the three that immedately come to mind. I'm going to spend the next week or so focusing on stopping these bad habits. Next week, I can add more if I discover them! ;)

Wednesday

B: chicken apple sausage, hot jicama hash with half a banana, earl grey tea

S: (sort of) black coffee

L: leftover roast beef, big container of steamed mixed veggies drizzled with olive oil and seasonings

D: marinara meat sauce over spaghetti squash, mixed greens salad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 18: Improvements

One day after I mention that I don't feel like I'm dropping any fat and I wake up feeling slimmer. Go figure. I'm not sure there really is any difference happening and it's probably all in my head. I like today's feeling better than yesterday's though!

Last night didn't turn out quite like I'd planned. We had to make a run out to our old house in the country to mark where the septic was for an inspection today, so I didn't get to run and we ate out instead of doing the spaghetti squash (which we will have tonight). I chose Chipotle for dinner, so I had a carnitas salad as usual. I typically ask for some of the medium salsa in a container that I put on as dressing on my own. This time, they forgot to give me the container (or it went into someone else's bag) and I didn't want to battle the huge crowd at the counter/register for another one. I ate my salad without it and it really tasted like a totally different salad! I completely enjoyed it as a 'change of pace'. Amazing what a difference a 1/3 cup of salsa can make when one's tastebuds are working as they should. ;)

Tonight I have Pilates after work and then I *think* we'll be going bowling tonight. I could use the practice!

Thursday

B: chicken apple sausage, hot jicama hash with banana, black coffee

L: sausage and cabbage 'noodles', clementines

S: (maybe) hard boiled egg

D: marinara meat sauce over spaghetti squash, mixed greens salad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 19: Crying and smiling...what gives?

Last night was crazy. I had a good Pilates class. It was my first mat class and it was challenging in some parts and enjoyable. I'll definitely keep doing those! Anyway, I came home in a reasonably good mood and finished cooking the dinner my husband had started. Everything was ok until I went to open the fridge and his chai tea carton was on it's side and pouring into our fridge. I was pissed because he had to have put it in a very unstable spot for that to have happened! I spent time cleaning it up and it just set me off. I was super pissy after that. Unfortunately, my poorly misguided husband thought that to cheer me up, he should heckle, tease or poke fun at me. WRONG. By the time I was in bed and trying to sleep, I just started to bawl. I cried hard for a few minutes and then fell asleep. Go figure.

This morning, I felt better...more even keel He did apologize, so that was nice. And then by the time I'd gotten out of the shower, I was bouncing around on cloud 9 again. Weird! Maybe that was just a weird fluctuation in hormones or something?

It's Friday, it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend and we get our new bed delivered tonight. What's not to be happy about?? :)

Yesterday I ended up not eating my planned lunch because I'd forgotten my Pilates clothes and had to run home at lunch to get them. I scarfed down another chicken apple sausage and an apple with almond butter before rushing back to work. The good part about that is that it meant that my lunch was already packed and waiting for me today!

Friday

B: chicken apple sausage sauteed with TJ's healthy 8 veggie mix and topped with avocado, black coffee

L: sausage and cabbage 'noodles', clementines

D: salmon, asparagus and maybe cauliflower mash (or maybe just a salad)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Krista, thanks!

Day 22: Three weeks down!

It has been a crazy weekend. The weather was spectacular. It was the first weekend that we didn't have to drive out to the farm (that we are selling) in ages and it felt like we had tons of time! We bowled both days, went for a longer bike ride on Saturday and took the dogs to the park. On Sunday we did our grocery shopping and I cooked a few things (not enough, but more on that later) and I planted a bunch of stuff. I planted herbs in pots at home and then I drove to work and spent about a hour or so working in my bed in our community garden. I weeded it, filled in the animal tunnel :wacko: , and then planted kale, swiss chard, cabbage, peas and marigolds. It's probably a bit too early for marigolds, but oh well. I should have bought and planted onion starts too, but I didn't. I can't believe that we had two lovely days - 70's, sunny and dry. So, so, so unusual for our area in March, but I'll take it!

Whole30-wise, things were only OK. I didn't eat anything non-compliant, but I did a lousy job of following the meal template. I also found myself craving stuff. I seriously wanted sugar and carby things both evenings. I didn't have them, but the cravings were real. My plan is to spend some time this week cooking up more stuff to have on hand that will easily fit the template. This means, having more pre-cooked protein on hand and more veggies ready to grab.

Monday

B: eggs scrambled with greens, scallions and bacon, sausage patty, a piece of sweet potato, black coffee

S: banana with almond butter

L: chicken apple sausages, steamed mixed veggies drizzled with olive oil and seasonings

S: hard boiled eggs (if needed)

D: salmon, lobster tail, mixed steamed veggies, fresh pineapple

Biked to work today (12 miles total)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How is your back? I deal with back problems and it seems like when I start doing things that will help my back (yoga or, in the past, Pilates) I'll go through a phase of it hurting more for a bit. I get really frustrated but then it feels stronger.

Hope this is the case for you. Also, I find it's sometimes hard to distinguish between back pain and back soreness from the Pilates work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Beets! (I love your screen name!)

I should have posted an update on my back - thanks for the reminder!

It's much better. Our lovely new bed was delivered on Friday afternoon and I was soooo excited to go to bed Friday night. I slept like the dead and woke up to MUCH less back pain. The pain was still there and it still needs to loosen up a bit after waking...but it was markedly improved. In fact, it is improving every day that I sleep on that bed and get in good, quality exercise.

You know if you hold out a pair of pants in front of you to step into the legs? Yeah, I can't do that. I can't bend down far enough AND hold myself up to get even the first leg in without pretty bad pain. Every morning when I put on my 'dog walking' jeans, I gauge how close I can get. Maybe someday, I'll be able to just put my pants on without having to think about it! (The small things that would make me happy!)

I'm also on day 27 of taking Glucosamine Sulfate on the recommendation of my doctor. I've read that it takes a month or more before one feels improvement, so I'm still hoping that helps somewhat. We'll see. The jury is still out on this one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 23: ANOTHER good day!!

Though, this one could be because I *finally* got my hair a much needed cut this morning! :-) I'm feeling really good and really positive. For the past 5 meals, I've tried to focus on eating more so that I don't get the urge to snack so much and it's going well. I definitely think the past few days were a bit of an anomoly. Part of it was likely the fact that it was the weekend, but it may also just be a stage. Other people who started when I did mentioned a struggle on days 20 - 22 as well, so perhaps I'm just past it now?

I know this is not about weight loss, but today I thought I looked a little slimmer as I was getting out of the shower, so I tried on a pair of work pants that were too small when I started. They fit now. I almost feel guilty that I'm happy about it but then I have to recognize that I might still WEIGH the same. I don't really know. All I know is that I'm a little smaller so that my clothes fit better and that is definitely something to celebrate! I mean, I've got quite a few things that I still cannot wear (or wear comfortably), so once I can, my wardrobe will expand for free and who doesn't love that? :)

We are in the market for a new car and I'm having fun visiting the different dealers and checking out new vehicles. All the other times I've bought a new car, I knew what I wanted and I beelined it for that car/dealer. This time, we know what features we need and there appear to be a number of vehicles that will fit it, so we get to shop around. It's kind of fun!

In fact, I was about to suggest that we hit another dealer tonight and that i'd skip my Pilates class when I heard from my instructor about the class. Now I have to go and really, that's a good thing. The car dealers will be there tomorrow night, too! I also need to do some cooking tonight. We are having salmon that I need to cook because it's already defrosted (we ended up going out last night - where I ordered salmon anyway!), I have some chicken wings I bought to try out my new Tessamae's sauce that I need to cook (or freeze), and I bought the fixin's for roasted jalapeno sauerkraut from "Practical Paleo" and I'd really like to get that cabbage out of my fridge to give us a little more room!

Tuesday

B: sweet potato waffle with almond butter, 1/2 banana, sausage patties, black coffee

L: pot roast, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad with cracked pepper dressing

D: salmon, asparagus, green salad, fresh pineapple

Only 1 week left in my first half!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 24: Business as usual.

Last night we cooked the salmon and I made mayo, but I didn't get to the wings or the sauerkraut yet. Those will have to wait. I hope I have time to do them tonight! Last night was a little odd. I got home from work and we cooked dinner but when I went to eat, I wasn't very hungry and my stomach was making a huge racket. It felt fine, it was just loud before I'd even eaten anything. Then this morning, I had serious back pain then cramping and then diarrhea. Odd. It must have been something I ate, but for the life of me, I can't imagine what. I seem to be ok right now though so we'll see.

Pilates at 7:30pm messes with my eating schedule. I don't want to go to class full, but I'm too hungry to eat afterward (and that would be too late anyway). I ended up just eating half my dinner and then I had some fresh pineapple after class. It was OK, but for from now on, I'm going to try to make the 5:30 class instead. That just leaves me with what feels like way more evening time to accomplish things.

Tonight after work I'm going to try a quick run. We'll see how that goes. I think I'll map out a 2 mile loop or something and then see how much actual running I'll be able to do. After that, we'll be doing some car shopping so I expect we'll eat out. Maybe Chipotle. Tomorrow after work my H and I are both bowling in a tournament, so I suppose we'll be eating rather late. I'll have to keep that in mind and make sure to prep something for when we get home.

Wednesday

B: sweet potato waffle with almond butter, 1/3 banana, sausage patties, black coffee

L: tuna salad on a bed of greens, red pepper and celery, clementines

D: probably a carnitas salad at Chipotle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...