Whole 30 recommitment-Day 1 and 2

[katieisrunningcrazy]

So, after doing a pretty successful (minus major digestive upset :/) Whole30 in January, ive decided to do a recommitment to the plan. Since the beginning of February, ive been compliant-ish in terms of my post whole-30. Ive been kinda paleo, lets say, adding in agave maybe once a week, having a little maple syrup here and there....a small chocolate pancake last week, half a piece of naan....Basically, not following to a T. Those foods left my head feeling fuzzy and achey, and my sinuses flared up pretty instantly. Also noticed my skin going kinda weird on me. So I am recommitting!

Me: 25 year old full-time chef, soon-to-be full time student, volunteer work about 8 hours a week. I also lift weights. Wouldn't call myself a powerlifter, but I am training to get stronger to hopefully compete by the end of the year, or next year in February. I do heavy weight lifting and some sort of high intensity cardio at the end of my sessions for my workouts. On off days, I walk or do yoga.

Day 1:

M1: 3 eggs scrambled in 1 T butter with spinach, onion; half an acorn squash with cinnamon; coffee with TJ's light coconut milk

Nibbled on pineapple at work (~1c) and corned beef (~2 oz)

M2: Can of tuna with homemade avocado mayo, mixed greens, cucumber, hot sauce; sweet potato, carrot and turnips roasted in olive oil.

Pre Workout: Half an orange

PWO: 1/3 can tuna with avocado mayo, 1/2 c sweet potato

M3: Chicken Cashew Coconut Turmeric Curry with Broccoli and Red Peppers (~5 oz chicken, 1 c sauce)

Day 2:

M1: 3/4 c egg whites scrambled with tomatoes, spinach, onions, 1/4 avocado. Brussel sprouts roasted in olive oil and balsamic, asparagus; Half an apple

M2: Leftover chicken cashew coconut turmeric curry (~3 oz chicken), TJ's Harvest Hodgepodge frozen veggies (~2 c) and 3/4 c sweet potato.

M3: 1/4 lb grass fed organic ground beef patty with greek seasoning, guacamole, sautéed kale with balsamic, 1/2 c sweet potato

Day 3:

Just made tupperwares, so the plan is:

M1: 3 scrambled eggs with ground chicken thigh (~2 oz), zucchini, squash, spinach, onion. 1/2 c sweet potato

M2: Leftovers: little less than ~1/4 lb grass fed organic ground beef patty with guacamole, ~2 c frozen veggies and leftover kale.

No dinner plans quite yet, ill think about that later...

I did well with the previous W30, the only things I really find myself missing or craving every once in a while is bread and granola....I want the crunchy! I thought I would die without chocolate...as did everyone else I know! But I am in fact living scientific proof that you can go without chocolate for a month...or longer! Haha!

Anyway, more to come soon. Critiques or suggestions are welcome

[Tom Denham]

The food you eat before a workout is supposed to send a signal to your body to release energy, so the Whole9 recommends some protein and fat. Something like a boiled egg or two, some nuts, etc. An orange is not a good signal food and the fiber from fruit can be an issue.

After a workout, your body needs lean protein. Adding fat to the post-workout meal slows digestion, keeping your muscles from eating as fast as would be good, so it would be good to skip the mayo with a post-workout meal.

I add nuts for crunch to lots of meals. My signature meal is wilted greens with some kind of meat - ground beef, pulled roast beef, etc. A closed handful of dried cranberries and a closed handful of cashews make a nice addition. I began to enjoy liver and onions more when I began to add a handful of cashews to the mix. Note: I make liver and onions with a can of spicy diced tomatoes, so it is really liver, onions, tomatoes, and cashews.

[Thing T. Thing]

hi katie!

i´m absolutely with you when it comes to missing the crunchy !

have a nice day!

[Evelyn Benchimol]

Hi Katie! Good on you for doing it again! I am in the middle of my first W30.

After my first week a few ppl pointed out some mistakes I was making. Someone who's more experienced (Tom the moderator helped me) might be able to help you more but I will just point out a couple things that made me go ? I may be wrong here but maybe check with someone else to be sure...

- No dairy allowed so you should fry your eggs in coconut oil instead(or olive oil, ghee, or pastured animal fat)

- Not sure fruit is the best pre w/o snack and doublecheck about having fat in a post w/o meal.

- Fruit shouldn't be a snack as it can waken sugar dragons

Oh if you're missing granola, I just made some paleo ones for my kids. All 3 recipes called for honey but I'm sure they can be made without it and still be ok. One was 4c pecans (soaked overnight then chopped in food processor), 2c applesauce, 1/4c honey (omit), and 1/2t salt... mix together and dehydrate for 12-24hrs or bake at 170 for 3-4hrs (i think). The other was a mix of nuts (almonds, macadamia, pepitas - again soaked overnight then chopped up), coconut oil, honey (omit), pumpkin puree, spices, shredded coconut, all mixed and dehydrated. Not sure how this one would turn out because it called for more honey and I don't think that without it it would have enough wet stuff, maybe sub with applesauce or more pumpkin. Anyways.... maybe you can experiment with some "paleo granola" recipes and see what you can come up with.

I had a KILLER chocolate craving the other day.... don't think it's the sugar, cause i only like the 80%+ dark chocolate, the real bitter ones but man was that tough!

Good luck!

[Evelyn Benchimol]

COOL just saw Tom replied to you! He confirmed what I said.

[katieisrunningcrazy]

Thanks for the comments! I had half an orange pre workout because I was getting hungry, and I normally cant eat anything about an hour and a half before I workout otherwise I just feel crappy. The half an orange was just something small that I grabbed on the way out the door. Sundays, the gym closes early, so waiting after eating wasn't an option. The PWO meal was just what I had already made on-hand to munch real quick before getting ready for dinner. Usually ill make a snack for me and the boyfriend, but he wanted a protein shake with milk, peanut butter and whey protein :/

Just to "clarify", I always clarify my butter

Im trying to eliminate most nuts from my diet, as they caused me problems during the first W30, both with digestive issues, and with over-snacking issues :/

In the future I will ideally have more protein on hand than just leftover tuna (I always, always have sweet potato or yams cooked in the fridge ) As far as preworkout, i've discovered that I just don't do well with food before a workout, so ill time my lunch right so that I wont be hungry right before the gym.

Im thinking ill try soaking and dehydrating some nuts, see how I do with those.

This questions for Tom, mainly: in terms of amount of food, am I eating enough?

[katieisrunningcrazy]

Day 2 Dinner: Greek chicken breasts with sweet potato, brussel sprouts and carrots roasted in olive oil, balsamic, herbs.

Day 3: M1:3 scrambled eggs with brussel sprouts, onions, spinach, avocado and hot sauce; 1c butternut squash with cinnamon

Snack: orange

M2: ~3 oz greek chicken, 1c sweet potato, roasted brussel sprouts and carrots in olive oil and balsamic. Handful of mixed nuts and dried fruits, 1/4 apple

Workout: Deadlifts, bench, hip thrusts, rows, farm carries, Turkish Getups

Post Workout: 1/3 c sweet potato, brussel sprouts, carrots, ~3 oz greek chicken

M3: ~3 oz Chicken, 5 small shrimp simmered in coconut cream and spices, bell peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms. 1 medium apple baked with cloves and cinnamon, 1 T almond butter.

Day 4: M1: 3 scrambled eggs with thyme and pepper cooked in 1 T olive oil; 1/2 bag TJ's harvest hodgepodge frozen veggies' 1/2 c sweet potato; 1/4 medium avocado

snack (because M2 wont come until around 2, and breakfast is around 7 am) Carrots, Kale, 1/4 avocado, cucumber, almond milk, 1/2 tangerine

(I know, needs protein...ill make up for it )

Slowly adding in more nuts after avoiding them for a little bit, ive found that as long as I don't eat too many of them, my insides seem to be less mad at me Also I think before, I was snacking on too many nuts and fruits, so I was getting too much fat, sugar and fiber...Although I lost weight, so im trying to replace the extra calories from those with some more proteins or veggie carbs. I notice a huge difference in my recovery from workouts when I don't eat enough.

Hope everyone has an awesome Thursday!