Annie's w30- April- UK

[annabel]

My reasons for doing a Whole 30:

I've been quite poorly since November with constant winter illnesses and just generally exhausted for quite awhile before that. Because of this I've really struggled with getting any exercise in and have gained over a stone since my October half marathon, which makes running even more of a struggle.

I've also had a lot more digestive issues in the last few years and the mouth ulcers that I always had as I kid have also reappeared recently. I'm fairly sure that this coincides with my move from Japan to the UK and a drastic shift in diet. (I was in Japan for 4-5 years. I never ate bread, as the Japanese stuff is rubbish. The only "cheese" I tended to see was the processed slices or those little triangles. And I didn't care much for their sweets or chocolate)

My goals for my Whole 30:

Really just to improve my overall health and the general fatigue that I've been having for ages. And then I'm hoping to be able to effectively identify my food intolerances afterwards.

I'd be lying to myself if I didn't say that I'm hoping to see some weight loss (only because of the excessive amounts of chocolate and alcohol that I've been consuming for the last six months). But trying to convince myself not to be disappointed if this doesn't happen.

Day 1:

Clock change plus a pub quiz meant that I stayed up far later than usual on Sunday night and then didn't get up till gone 9 as April 1st was a bank holiday.

Breakfast (10:00)

-sweet potato hash with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

-steamed spring greens, which I sauteed in ghee with some more salt and chili powder as they were disgustingly bitter on their own.

-2 fried eggs

-pint of water

I should have had a third egg, but had originally been planning to make some bacon as well, but then decided that I didn't actually fancy bacon. And I actually ended up liking the spring greens as part of the dish and wished that I'd done a bit more of them.

Lunch (2:30)

-a huge salad (spinach, carrot, green pepper, yellow pepper and onion)

-tin of tuna

-a handful of cashew nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (not a handful of each one )

-balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dressing

-pint of water

I would have chosen mayo for my fat if I'd had any to use.

Dinner (7:30)

-cod (frozen, steamed in the oven)

-pureed parsnips and carrots (with salt, pepper, homemade chicken stock

-roasted broccoli

-pint of water

I had two cups of green tea: one at about noon (when my husband had lunch) and another at about 4:30. I have a bad habit of drinking tea all day long, so this was really good for me.

[Derval]

looks good! Have a great w30, hope it helps.

[Tom Denham]

Nice start.

Three pints of water is decent, but it might be better to get closer to 4.

[annabel]

Thanks for the comments Derval and Tom.

Day 2:

I left a few glasses of water strategically placed around the house, so managed to get in at least four pints of water for Day 2. And I remembered that I had some mint tea left in the cupboard, so managed to stick to only two cups of green tea. Sleep wasn't ideal, only seven hours, as we'd stayed up later than usual.

I hit a bit of a 3:00 slump, but it's not unusual for me to feel like that at some point during a day. The run did help with that though and I was pleased to have actually made it out the door.

I had a bit of a headache by the time I went to bed and couldn't seem to warm up as well as I usually can once I was in bed. (We've been hovering at about 0 degrees at night here)

Breakfast (7:15)

Basically the same as yesterday- but more spring greens and a third egg. And I replaced the chili powder with cayenne pepper

Lunch (1:00)

leftover chocolate chilli, carrot & parsnip puree, steamed broccoli, half an avocado

(The chilli from Well Fed and the puree was from NomNomPaleo... Interestingly, I didn't love either dish by itself, but they were lush together.)

(3:15) 3 mile jog (35 mins)

Dinner (6:30)

Spinach, green pepper and yellow pepper

tin of tuna

Half an avocado

olive oil, salt and pepper

[annabel]

Day 3:

Didn't sleep the best last night, woke up a few times in the middle of the night with sweats, similar to when I was sick in January with cold/flu I suppose.

Drank plenty of water and three cups of green tea. (I usually drink at least twice as many cups of tea, so I have cut back )

Fatigued again at about 3:00 so took a short walk down to the shops rather than have another cup of tea.

Breakfast (7:30)

2 slices bacon

spring greens

green pepper

mushrooms

2 eggs

(11:15) 2.5 mi jog, followed by grocery shopping and a .5 mi walk home with the shopping

Lunch (1:15)

the rest of the leftover chilli

carrot & parsnip puree

broccoli

½ avocado

Dinner (6:30)

spinach, red pepper, green pepper, ½ avocado, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

coleslaw (cabbage, mayo and mustard)

pork steak

a few pineapple chunks to go with my pork steak

[NMG]

Looking good

[annabel]

Day 4:

8 hours of sleep last night. Cold and dreary, not much desire to do anything for the first half the day, but I did feel a bit better after lunch. I managed to clean the bathroom and hoover the rest of the upstairs and did level one of the 30 day shred as it was a rest day from running. Had my 4 pints of water and several cups of tea to keep myself warm.

7:30 2 eggs, bacon, spinach, mushrooms, smallest sweet potato ever

1:00 carrot & parsnip puree, pork steak, coleslaw and pineapple

6:30 salad (spinach, green & yellow pepper, onion, tomatoes), spag bol (minced beef, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and frozen peppers)and zucchini noodles

Day 5:

I went up to bed to read at about 9:00 last night, woke up briefly at about 6:15 when my husband got up, but ended up falling back asleep and sleeping till about 10:00. I woke up with a bit of a headache and brain fog, but eating breakfast has sorted that out. Comparing yesterday's food diary to other days I think I could have done with a bit more starchy food and an avocado.

10:30

scrambled eggs (1 egg & 2 egg whites-- leftover from making mayo), frozen peppers, onion, mushroom and tomatoes

sweet potato

½ avocado

[annabel]

Dinner tonight was the same as last night.

Only managed two meals today, I'm not sure if i should have tried to squeeze a third one in, but I wasn't particularly hungry today.

My husband went to the pub and then brought home food from the chippy. The chips smellt lush, but I had no desire to eat any.

Before I started my Whole 30 I was convinced that I had a serious sugar dragon as I've probably been getting half my caloric intake from biscuits, sweets and chocolate over the last two months.

But even though we have chocolate and sweets in the cupboard, they're not at all tempting. And I haven't yet contemplated walking down to the shop for a chocolate bar.

[annabel]

I've been getting plenty of sleep (between 8-9 hours) and I've been less hungry over the weekend. Probably managed more than 4 pints of water each day, as I was rationing the tea. (I hate going to the supermarket on the weekend)

Day 6:

breakfast: 3 fried eggs, spinach, mushrooms, 1 small sweet potato

lunch: salad (spinach, green peppers, onions, tomatoes), 1 tin of tuna (with mayo), ½ avocado

dinner: omelette, salad, sweet potato fries (fennel, coriander, chili flakes & oregano)

Day 7:

breakfast: thai curry soup w/ fish, peppers & spinach and a couple pieces of leftover sweet potato

lunch: roast chicken, ½ avocado, sweet potato and broccoli

dinner: swede & onion hash, 3 fried eggs.

I tried going out for an hour's run on Day 7 and conked out after about 35 minutes, so I either needed more starchy food at breakfast or a pre-WO meal.

[annabel]

Day 8:

Slept really well last night and woke up a couple of minutes before the alarm (6:30) and have been trying (fairly successfully I think) to have a pint of water first thing in the morning.

(7:30) Thai curry soup- left over chicken, peppers, cherry tomatoes, a few chunks of pineapple, spinach

(11:45) Snack- small sweet potato, small piece of chicken & ghee. I needed a bit of something after my trip to the supermarket as the half mile uphill walk home with the shopping did me in today and a mini meal seemed like a better option than an early lunch (Especially considering that I'll be out at the pub tonight for a Skittles match)

(2:00) Zucchini noodles, cabbage and leftover spagbol

(6:30) Whitefish, salad (spinach, purple cabbage, tomatoes, onion, green & yellow pepper) and roast swede (with the same spice blend I use on my sweet potato fries). The swede was tossed in olive oil and I drizzled a bit of olive oil and apple cider vinegar on my salad.

[annabel]

Day 9:

About 7.5 hours of sleep as I didn;t get in till 10:00 last night, but feeling more refreshed than I have on other mornings. However, I was completely disinterested in food this morning and delayed my breakfast till I'd been up for about 90 minutes.

(8:00): Omelette (two egg whites & one egg) with bell peppers, tomato, onion & spinach and 2 slices of bacon. It made be incredibly happy to remember that I'd bought more bacon and I've never been a big fan of bacon.

(1:30): Thai curry soup with cabbage, swede, tomatoes, pineapple, bell peppers and leftover chicken. And six raspberries.

It's been years since I had a raspberry and I haven't eaten them regularly since I was a kid and we used to pick them off the raspberry bushes in my nan's back garden. I've been bypassing the cupboard full of sweets, chocolate and biscuits without even noticing them there, so I have no concerns with adding a bit of fruit to my meals this week.

Dinner tonight is: chilli with carrots & green pepper cooked in the chilli and sweet potato, broccoli and 1/2 avocado.

[loubee]

Glad to see it's going so well so far and excellent news about bypassing the cakes and sweets - I've been finding it really tough to do that but am winning the battle!

[annabel]

Glad to see it's going so well so far and excellent news about bypassing the cakes and sweets - I've been finding it really tough to do that but am winning the battle!

My husband wants me to make him flapjacks today. He's working long hours this week and next, and I'd rather make him flapjacks than have him buy chocolate bars in the canteen all week... but I think I'll wait till about half four to make them.

[annabel]

Day 10:

Slept well last night and got up quite easily and felt quite keen to do a 5-mile run.

Breakfast- 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of bacon, mushrooms sauteed in ghee on a bed of spinach. Handful of raspberries.

Pre-run meal: egg & pumpkin puree baked with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. With some extra cinnamon on top as it was a bit bland.

Lunch- Soup with homemade chicken broth, chicken, carrot, cabbage, mushroom and onions. Roast sweet potato. Two strawberries.

Dinner- Bora Bora Meatballs (theclothesmakethegirl), salad with spinach, cabbage, onion, peppers, carrot, celery, tomato and a handful of cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Roasted swede.

[annabel]

Day 11:

b: 2 fried eggs, with sweet potato, spinach (cooked), mushrooms, raspberries

l: leftover spagbol w/ zoodles

d: omelette, sweet potatoes (with skin), salad

3 tiny mouth bumps have appeared on the inside of my mouth, not really ulcers. (first one on day 11, two more on day 12)

Day 12:

B: tin of tuna, celery, carrot, mayo, grapes & strawberries

L: tomato coconut soup (tomatoes, broth and coconut cream) & chicken salad (mayo) w/ grapes and 2 or 3 walnuts

D: taco meat, spinach, onion, tomato, sweet potato

---------

I've begun to realise how out of whack my portion sizes were before I started this. I probably would have had twice as much meat and a big pile of rice (rather than the sweet potato) with my "taco rice" dinner.

I also just realised this morning (though have kind of noticed it the last few days) that I'm waking up so much better than I used to. I'm horrible in the mornings, it takes me forever to actually wake up (I kind of thought it was because I can't see without my glasses)

And you wouldn't believe the number of times I've tried to brew coffee without water or coffee grounds (or forgotten to turn the machine on).

[annabel]

Day 13:

B: ½ tin of tuna, mayo, celery, cucumber, grapes. Small bowl tomato & coconut soup

L: 2 slices of bacon, 2 eggs, sauerkraut, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, strawberries

D: same as lunch, 1 hard boiled egg, spinach and onion. A couple of walnuts.

Day 14:

B: breakfast casserole (abt 1 egg & 40g of pork in the portion I had, plus some veg), 2 slices bacon, sweet potato, broccoli

L: spinach, onions, bell peppers, carrot, grapes w/ breakfast casserole (2 eggs & 60g pork)

D: shepherd's pie (theclothesmakethegirl) w/ carrots and broccoli on the side. --I'll use a variation on http://www.bbc.co.uk...ottagepie_14505 next time. I think a proper British recipe will give me more of what I expect out of cottage/shepherd's pie.

[annabel]

Day 15:

B: leftover shepherd's pie

L: salad w/ breakfast casserole

D: 3 egg omelette (small eggs were all they had this week), a slice of smoked German ham (Morrison's) and a salad

Breakfast was smaller than normal, with less veg, but it still held me over for about 5 hours, so I guess it was big enough. I had to go up to the local college for a numeracy and literacy test and an “interview†for the course I want to start in September. I took a snack along with me just in case I needed something to tide me over as I'd had an early lunch and wasn't sure I'd be home for my normal dinner time, but there was no need for it.

[annabel]

Day 16:

B: shepherd's pie and broccoli (frozen)

Snack: a few dried cranberries, almonds and cashew nuts. I don't like nuts (except on salad) so only had 3 or 4, but needed a funeral appropriate snack

L: breakfast casserole, cabbage, carrot, red & green pepper w/ sunbutter & coconut milk dressing, strawberries

D: steak, sweet potato, carrot (roasted with ghee, cumin & cinnamon), broccoli

I'm glad to have passed the halfway point on this, I'm getting a bit bored of thinking about food all of the time.

[annabel]

Day 19:

B: salad, ground beef w/ paprika & cinnamon, sweet potato, dried cranberries, walnuts

pre-workout snack: 1 hardboiled egg

L: salad, tin of tuna, ½ avocado, red pepper, carrot, 4 olives, 5 grapes

D: salad w/ 1 hardboiled egg and Morrison's smoked German ham, 3 olives, small apple with less than a tbsp of sunbutter

I didn't keep very good track of my food on Day 17 & 18, but it was all compliant and followed the meal template.

I have swede, butternut squash, eggplant and courgettes to be used, so tomorrow should be more exciting than salad. But, I tend to want simple food like soup and salad on days that I run. I struggled a lot on the last mile of my five mile run, but it was a lot hotter than it's been recently and I really need to lose at least a stone (14 lbs) to make running easier for myself. (I don't think I've lost any weight yet on the Whole30, despite the lack of beer, wine, hobnobs and Cadbury chocolate bars.)

[annabel]

Day 20:

B: spring greens sauteed in ghee with chilli powder, mushrooms, 2 fried eggs, 2 strawberries

L: eggplant, red pepper and mince sauteed in coconut milk w/ red curry paste on top of spinach

D: Whitefish, kale (finally back in stock at the supermarket), ratatouille (tomato sauce, eggplant, zucchini & red pepper) and sweet potato chips (fries)

Extra ratatouille, so will have it with eggs for breakfast tomorrow. My husband is working tomorrow, so I might try to do a bit of a cook-up if I can fit it in around my 6½ mile run and watching some of the London Marathon.

[annabel]

Day 21:

Went for my 6 ½ mile run first thing and didn't have a pre-workout meal. I need at least an hour after eating to run and I didn't want to wait that long to go out.

B (8:30): 3 egg omelette cooked in coconut oil w/ leftover ratatouille and spinach. I was still hungry and after about half an hour I had a small apple with a bit more than a tablespoon of sunbutter.

L (2:00): salad (usual salad, but with some beetroot today) w/ tin of tuna, avocado and 2 strawberries.

D: (7:00) a modified version of nomnompaleo's Asian Ground Beef, Mushroom & Broccoli slaw lettuce cups. (I don't know what broccoli slaw is, so just added in broccoli and some leftover cabbage that I had in the fridge and I just left out coconut aminos as they didn't seem worth the expense)

[annabel]

Day 22:

B: 2 eggs, spinach, tomatoes

snack: apple w/ sunbutter

L: leftover lettuce wraps, sweet potato

snack: dried apricots

D: bora bora meatballs, salad, swede

Felt absolutely rubbish all day with bad menstrual cramps, didn't feel much like eating, thus the snacks. Mini meals would have been better, but I just couldn't be bothered with them.

Day 23:

Was up at 6:30 this morning and made my husband's lunch. Still in a lot of pain, hot flushes (despite a temperature of 36) and really light headed. So, I had a cup of tea, went back to bed and slept till about 11:30. Not particularly hungry, so decided to just stick to mini meals for the day.

1^st meal: last bits of the lettuce wraps.

2^nd meal: ginger zucchini soup , 3 bora bora meatballs and a satsuma

3^rd meal: likely to be tuna mayo, carrots and bell peppers.

[annabel]

Day 24:

B: omelette (2 egg whites, 1 egg), 2 slices bacon, kale, tomatoes and mushrooms. Coconut oil

L: 4 borabora meatballs, zucchini soup, satsuma

D: pork steak, mashed swede (w/ghee, cumin, ginger, turmeric & mustard seeds), pineapple, broccoli

I had a snack of a nakd bar mid-morning when I was stressing out over an online assessment test that I had to do. It was either that or a piece of chocolate cake. Apple and sunbutter is my preferred snack

Small lunch today, but still filling enough to last me till dinner at 7:30 (5-6 hours).

Canker sores are gone (lasted 10-11 days).

[annabel]

Day 25:

B: leftovers: mashed swede, 6 meatballs, steamed kale

L: chilli (freezer), ½ avocado, broccoli

snack: nakd bar and hard boiled egg (didn't realise dinner would be late when I timed my earlier meals)

D: chicken curry with bell peppers on a bed of steamed kale and roast butternut squash. ½ avocado

I'm craving sweets a lot more this week than I have any other week, I'm also a lot more stressed as well, so it's hard to know what to attribute those cravings to.