Jeff's W30 Log for April

[Jeff Fairhart]

Today is my D-Day for starting W30 for the month of April. I first heard of paleo about two years ago when I joined a Crossfit gym. Since then, I have slowly adapted to eating paleo style more often and have seen good results from it. Like anybody else, I do have vices that I would like to conquer and feel that Whole 30 may help me feel in control of it. My goals are:

1) Control my sugar intake. This is mainly my ice cream eating habits, which have taken place almost nightly now. :-( If it is not ice cream, then it is chocolate.

2) Alcohol consumption.....I don't have a problem with this at all. However, it will be interesting to see how I manage it after 30 days of no alcohol. I drink on average 2 to 3 times per week, usually no more than two drinks at a time.

3) No grains, legumes or dairy.....I don't consume much of these either (except the ice cream of course!). The hardest part of grains will not necessarily be NOT eating it on a daily basis but rather not being able to depend on including it in a meal if I choose to, such as having a burger, sandwich, or pizza one day.

4) Label reading....I do this quite often now but it will be important to scrutinize it more than I'm used to. I'm up to the challenge.

5) What do I do for lunch???? My current job allows me the luxury of having a cafeteria with free food. However, it is not typically the most healthy meals. On top of that, the challenge is complicated with the fact that even their salad bars are not consistent with Whole 30 standards. My challenge will be to adjust to taking my own lunch to work. It will be different but totally doable.

In order to reduce the stress of figuring out what to eat, I will plan my meals out for the week. I'll keep breakfast simple, lunch will be either leftover dinner or something simple as well. Dinner I will have more flexibility. I will be keeping a log here as well in order to create some accountability for myself.

Here we go!!

[Derval]

Good luck on your W30!

[Jeff Fairhart]

I would call my first day relatively successful. I've managed to conquer all my vices with the exception of coffee. I found myself drinking more coffee today than I should have. I did keep it all black but I've made a mental note to not turn to coffee as a habit from here on. I did take a couple measurements of my ab and hips as well as my weight. I just want to see what it will be like by the end of W30. They are as follows:

Abs 35"

Hips 38"

Weight 183 lbs

Here is my first day meals:

Meal 1: One banana followed by two eggs, organic cage free, over easy on one sweet potato with half an avocado. I also had a small handful of cashews shortly after.

Meal 2: One chicken breast roasted with coconut butter and lemon slice. Grilled asparagus and zucchini,

Meal 3: Organic burger and one egg, with guacamole I mixed up earlier. I also had a half a sweet potato with it.This was very filling :-)

I did snack on a little bit of cashews between meal 2 and 3. I likely did not eat enough for lunch so that is something I will have to make sure I don't make a habit out of as well. I was a bit short on groceries so I made a trip to the store to make sure I have enough for the rest of the week. I've already made tomorrow's meal for morning and afternoon so we'll see how that goes at work!

Now I'm about to have some decaf green tea. I've checked the label and found no funny stuff on it at all :-)

[Beets]

I had grand plans to cook before going to bed but yesterday was my first day off coffee (bad coffee habit I want to break) and I crashed.

I think a big weekend cook-up is the key. I just started my W30 and Easter squelched my weekend cook-up plans. But this weekend for sure.

And yes I think leftovers for lunch is probably the best bet. Just be sure it's something you really like. I used to work at a place where we could order whatever we wanted for lunch and if the lunch I brought from home was a little too sad I'd eat a burger or Japanese or whatever everyone else was eating.

Good luck!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 2 has gone by quite well. I'm really crediting the fact that I've been slowly eating more paleo the past year for making it easier to do W30. I did find myself needed a little bit of cashews to tide me over between meals. Coffee intake was better today than yesterday but still needs work. My goal is to only have 2 cups of coffee per day.

Meal 1: Half sweet potato, 2 1/2 hard boiled eggs, a scoop of guacamole made from the night before

Meal 2: One chicken breast, grilled asparagus and tomatoes, with a side of a few raw broccoli and mini carrots

Meal 3: I've made my favorite flank steak roulade stuffed with zucchini, orange pepper and spinach. I'll have some butternut squash on the side as well.

I haven't had any sweet cravings just yet. Today also marks the full second day without chewing any gum, another vice of mine!

I'm taking a break from lifting weights to do more flexibility work. I've been getting tight muscles in my back under my left shoulder and my hamstrings as well. I want to spend the month of April focusing on splitting my weight training and flexibility/mobility training more evenly.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Well today concludes day 3 for me. It went fairly well except I did find myself a bit tired after work. That didn't last too long since I had a workout and cooking ahead of me....which I did do indeed!

Meal 1: Two organic hard boiled egg, half sweet potato, one avocado

Meal 2: One serving leftover roulade from last night, side of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. One small serving black olives.

Meal 3: One patty grass fed burger with grilled asparagus, zucchini, red pepper, mushroom and rainbow chards.

Pre workout snack was a hard boiled egg, post workout snack was a hard boiled egg and half sweet potato. I do take BCAA's before and after my workouts as well. This is the only supplement I take of any kind.

I found myself spending a lot of time in the kitchen this evening. Too much time to be honest. I need to plan my meals better and even cook more one night so I wouldn't have to the next night or so.

Cravings......ah there were some lingering craves this evening. I was itching for some Irish Whisky to take the edge off a long day. I was a bit surprised by this since it wasn't like I drank every night. Perhaps knowing that I can't have it made me crave it more. Either way the point to this Whole 30 is to break my bad habits and gain control of my cravings so I'm determined.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 4.....I slept very well last night and therefore had more energy today.

Meal 1: Two organic hard boiled eggs, a serving of roasted butter nut squash and avocado

Meal 2: One serving wild caught grilled salmon, leftover asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, red chard, and tomato. A side serving of four broccoli and black olives.

Meal 3: One organic chicken breast baked with ghee, roasted butternut squash, half avocado, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Coffee intake was pretty regular today. It is still something I would like to cut in half but I'm not stressing about it either. Surprisingly I haven't had much cravings today. That's a good thing!

No extra exercise for me today except some foam rolling and flexibility stuff. I was actually a bit sore today from yesterday's workout. I may have to make sure I eat more on days where I expect to have a heavy workout.

Now I'll end this on a good note with some green tea :-)

[Beets]

The caffeine doesn't bother you before bed? I used to drink way to much coffee (like, till last week). It had gotten so bad that coffee was making me tired. But still I would be up half the night if I drank green tea before bed.

Yay for no cravings. I woke up (to day 4) and made my daughter a bowl of yogurt and fruit. I wanted to lick the spoon so badly!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Beets, I buy the decaf organic green tea. Typically a little caffeine doesn't keep me from getting to sleep if I'm tired but I don't want to chance it. I hear you on the coffee though. I'm still working on cutting it down.

My son made some Mac n Chez last night. For just a moment, I dreamed about tasting that cheese. But it only lasted about a half second before I came to my senses haha!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 5......everything is going great. I still have some unusual soreness from my workout two days ago. I'm pretty well conditioned and know my limits so it is rare for me to get sore for more than a day. I did do a workout today so I'm going to monitor it. I'm thinking that if I'm still sore or am sore again, I may need to increase the amount of food I'm eating. I do eat until I'm full and use the chart as provided.

Meal 1: 2 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, one avocado, a few strawberries and one orange.

Snack on a handful of cashews between meals

Meal 2: One serving baked organic chicken breast, organic spinach salad with carrots, mushrooms topped with olive oil/lemon juice

Pre workout meal.....half serving salmon with spoonful coconut butter

Post workout meal.....One organic hard boiled egg and half sweet potato

Meal 3: One serving grass fed beef steak, roasted organic broccoli with garlic and spices

Onto day 6 now!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Since I didn't take the time to put in yesterday's log, there will be two logs in today's post.

Day 6

Meal 1: Two organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, small handful baby carrots, one banana and one orange about an hour later

Meal 2: Organic grass fed beef steak, Roasted organic broccoli with garlic and spices

Meal 3: One serving wild caught salmon, grilled asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms

Day 7

Meal 1: Two organic eggs over easy, half avocado, small serving leftover veggies from last night. One serving cubed pinapples

Meal 2: Grilled grassfed ribeye steak over organic spinach salad with baby carrots, topped with olive oil/lemon juice spices

Snack: One organic egg over easy, half avocado (I was planning on this being a preworkout snack but some issues with my kid came up and I was sidelined from getting my workout in today)

Meal 3: Organic hamburger, one organic egg over easy,one half sweet potato,

Overall after one week I feel pretty good. I still feel like I'm getting too hungry in between meals. This is causing me to either snack on some nuts or have a little coffee. Maybe I do need to eat more in my meals but I'm feeling pretty full and I don't want to end up overeating. I'm going to try to increase it a bit but not much more. One thing I do need to get better control of is my black coffee. I did not intend to quit drinking coffee on this plan but I'm finding that I'm actually starting to drink more coffee at times.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 8....Week 2!

I went to the store yesterday and again today in an attempt to buy more food. Despite all the food I bought, I still feel like I don't have enough to last :-/ I'm beginning to see another side to this Whole 30 challenge...the cost. I don't think I've ever spent so much money on food for just a week. It's all wholesome, organic and healthy but damn expensive. It should be interesting to see what the end result will be in three weeks.

Meal 1 - Two organic eggs over easy, one sweet potato mashed, half avocado, one serving cubed pineapples

Pre workout snack - One organic egg over easy, small handful cashews

Meal 2 - One serving grass fed sirloin steak, one organic egg over easy, half sweet potato

Meal 3 - One slow cooked chicken breast, half sweet potato, one serving baked broccoli

I finally bought a slow cooker. I was so excited I put a whole chicken in. I cooked it way too long and it was all falling apart. Still edible though but next time will cook at lower heat.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 9....I actually had a fair amount of energy all day, which surprised me. I also had less hunger between meals which is a step up from last week when it seemed like I would suffer. I think my body is getting more used to it but I also have slightly increased the amount of food I'm eating as well. I'm happy with day 9!

Meal 1: 3 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, half avocado and one banana

Meal 2: One roasted organic chicken breast, one serving organic baked broccoli, small serving of sliced cucumbers and black olives

Snack: Small handful of cashews

Meal 3: One grass fed rib eye steak, one large serving grilled organic asparagus, zucchini, red and yellow baby peppers, mushrooms and rainbow chard. Plus a half an avocado.

I did an hour of yoga at the gym today....the first time I've been to yoga in over two years. It felt great and I'm planning on going to yoga class twice a week to compliment my workout routine. I need more movement and flexibility stuff and yoga has always been good to me in the past.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 10....whoo a double digit day! I would say today was about like yesterday. I did suffer a small amount of fatigue this afternoon. I took a short nap when I got home from work and I was right as rain. Then I went and did a session of yoga at the gym. I feel great now.

Meal 1: 3 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, half avocado, one banana. (I don't think I will ever get tired of sweet potatoes!)

Meal 2: One cage free organic chicken breast, a big serving of asparagus, zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms. Also a small serving of black olives.

Snack: Small handful of cashews

Meal 3: 8 oz. wild caught salmon with lemon, organic baby spinach salad with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes drizzled with my concoction of olive oil and lemon juice for dressing and one avocado.

That's all I have for today!

[30Canandaigua]

Your meals look awesome! Good Luck

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 11.....It's been a strange day. I actually felt emotionally down the pits for a while. On top of that, I had a birthday get together at this lounge that was sure to test my will. Needless to say, I passed with flying colors and actually came out of it feeling better about myself. I did get to sample a bite of alligator sirloin....a first for me.

Meal 1: 2 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, half avocado, one banana

Meal 2: Organic baby spinach salad, baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, with left over salmon from last night

Snack: Cashews

Meal 3: Baby spinach salad, two chicken thighs grilled, 3/4 sweet potato

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 12.....I've been noticing that I'm more easily irritable as of late. I initially thought I was just having a bad day or something but now I'm beginning to wonder if it is related to W30. Hopefully it will pass.

I have injured my right foot. It is an old chronic issue I have that flares up now and then. So since I was hopping around yesterday, I manage to strain my left knee in the process. So now I'm moving around all weird and slow. I'm bummed out because that means I'm going to have to scale back my kettlebell workouts and heal up. I really wanted to keep going with my workouts that have been going so well for me before W30. Hopefully I will heal quickly.

Meal 1: Same as always...2 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, half avocado, one banana

Meal 2: One organic chicken thigh with lemon, one organic hard boiled egg, spinach salad, side of olives, cucumbers, red peppers, broccoli

Snack: Small handful of cashews

Meal 3: One organic burger with organic egg fried over easy, homemade guacamole, asparagus, mushrooms, red/yellow peppers, zucchini. (I don't think I ate enough vegetables though. It was a pretty small serving).

[Jeff Fairhart]

Here is Day 13.....

Meal 1: 3 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, half avocado, one banana, one mandarin orange

Meal 2: Grass fed burger, organic hard boiled egg, homemade guacamole, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, with a side of broccoli and black olives

Snack: Small handful of cashews

Meal 3: One serving wild caught halibut pan fried with ghee, spinach salad with baby carrots, cucumbers drizzled with olive oil/lemon juice and spices. Also a side of roasted butternut squash drizzled with leaf lard and coconut oil and spices.

Yum!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 14....a full two weeks! I do believe I'll be able to pull this off after all :-) I made a trip to the farmer's market today. Bought a bunch of fish and sweet potatoes. I'm looking forward to eating them in the coming weeks.

Meal 1: Three organic eggs over easy, half sweet potato, half avocado

Pre workout snack: Small serving of shredded chicken meat, small handful cashews

Post workout snack: One egg over easy, half sweet potato

Meal 2: Half serving wild caught halibut, one hard boiled egg over spinach salad

Meal 3: Grass fed steak, a serving of roasted butternut squash, asparagus, and yellow peppers.

I actually made some guacamole to go with my steak and it just now dawned on me that I completely forgot about it :-( Oh well, more for tomorrow!

[Jeff Fairhart]

I was a bad boy yesterday.....I didn't log in my meals :-( So rather than rack my brain trying to remember exactly what I had, I'll just start with today's log. Rest assured, yesterday's meals were all W30 approved, no cheating at all :-)

Here is Day 16.....

Meal 1: Three cage free, grain fed eggs hard boiled, half sweet potato, half avocado, one banana

Meal 2: Two baked organic chicken thighs, a hefty serving of baked broccoli sprinkled with coconut oil and leaf lard, three grilled asparagus

Snack: Small handful of cashews

Pre workout snack: A small piece of slow cooked roast

Post workout snack: Half sweet potato

Meal 3 (eaten right after workout): A serving of grass fed slow cooked roast, a hefty serving of roasted broccoli and asparagus

I'm still finding myself having cravings. Not really so much for sweets but for some Irish whisky. I never really drank much before starting this but I did indulge in a drink or two to relax in the evening at times. Funny that of all the things to miss, it is actually whisky. Go figure.

This evening's workout was a ball buster. Thirty minutes of kettlebell turkish get ups and swings, nothing else....straight through. It feels great though!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Here is Day 17.....and it's been a very good day. First for my meals...

Meal 1: Three organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, half avocado, one banana

Snack: Small handful cashews

Meal 2: Small serving of leftover roast, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, with a side of raw broccoli, olives and cucumbers

Meeting snack: Lucky for me there was some healthy options there. Asparagus, mushrooms, and olives

Meal 3: Grilled wild caught salmon, asparagus, zucchini, and roasted acorn squash

Today was a good day for me because after three months of waiting for the boss to make up his mind, I was finally chosen for a promotion in my department. I'm very excited about this and my will is stronger than ever!

[Susan W]

Just caught your log today. Big congratulations!!"

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 18.....I noticed something while I was walking through the grocery store today. For the first time in a long time, I didn't have a craving for chocolate or ice cream! Usually I have to force myself to walk past the ice cream or chocolate section but this time, I didn't even care. Plus I have had a lot of energy for the last two days. I have cut back the amount of coffee I drink, which I think is a contributing factor in this.

Meal 1: Three organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, one banana

Snack: Small handful of cashews

Meal 2: One serving leftover grass fed roast, serving of roasted acorn squash, side serving of cucumbers, raw broccoli, baby carrots and olives. I was real full afterwards!

Preworkout snack: Small piece of roast

Postworkout snack: Half sweet potato (Protein was in meal 3, which was consumed soon after workout)

Meal 3: Organic hamburger patty, one organic egg over easy, guacamole.

I went to yoga after my meal. It dawned on me as I am typing this that I totally did not eat enough for the third meal :-/ I have to remind myself to eat more next time.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 19....Nothing new to report. Just a bunch of W30 healthy eating is all ;-)

Meal 1: 3 organic hard boiled eggs, half sweet potato, scoop guacamole, one banana

Snack: Small handful cashews

Meal 2: Grass fed burger, baby spinach salad with cucumbers and baby carrots. Small side of raw broccoli

Snack: Small handful cashews

Meal 3: Grilled halibut, roasted butternut squash drizzled with leaf lard and coconut oil, grilled asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms.

[Jeff Fairhart]

Here is day 21....energy levels are very high today. One thing I've noticed is that I wake up earlier and surprisingly alert. I'm not used to waking up easily like that. Actually I'm waking up a little too early!

Meal 1: Three cage free eggs over easy, one sweet potato, half avocado

Meal 2: Organic baby spinach salad with baby carrots, cucumbers, half avocado, drizzled with olive oil/lemon juice. Two organic chicken thighs baked.

Meal 3: Salmon, prawns, roasted organic broccoli, arugula salad

Here's the thing about meal 3...I went to a friends for dinner. I told him all about this W30 thing and it was only after we ate that he was all like "whoops, I forgot I put a little brown sugar on the salmon and shrimp". :-/ So I'm like "Great"! So here is my first Unintentional slip...21 days in. I don't consider it a big deal but still, I was a little bummed about it. I mean I've been avoiding chewing gum for 21 days just because it contains a little sugar and now this. Lesson learned....inquire more if eating at someone else's house.