Ang's April whole 30

[angshaner]

So, this is my first Whole30 adventure. I have been very excited to start. I have become a pretty good "clean eater" with an occasional treat and "normal" meal. I love my bowl of oatmeal in the morning and my brown rice with meals. I love using soy sauce and honey in recipes and coming up with "clean" treats. I love my cottage cheese with fruit mixed in and my chocolate Shakeology protein shake. Yikes! I'm going to miss all that. But, it's just 30 days right!? I can do anything for 30 days.

I actually have been going without chocolate since the middle of March. I'm going without chocolate for 100 days, that is until June 21st. The reason for this is because I tried it starting January 1st and made it about 60 days and failed miserably. Actually I don't really see it as a fail...60 days without Chocolate!! I'm pretty proud of myself. I really was just disappointed that I didn't go the full 100 days. So, I decided to try again. The only exception is my chocolate protein powder and baking cocoa. If I can't have chocolate then it helps me bypass a lot of treats, because I don't love candy, I just love chocolate. So, If I can't have chocolate then I usually don't want it....usually. It helps me not have so much sugar.

I feel great that I have made "cleaner eating" become a habit. I feel better and have lost some inches because of it. I don't have much weight to lose, maybe 15 lbs. I do want to lower my body fat and become more toned. Last week was spring break though and wow I completely went of plan, no clean eating, just ate and ate junk!! Except chocolate...haha. Maybe it was because I new I would be going really strict for this and wanted one last party! I felt horrible though, just kept feeding myself with food. I think I gained back 5 lbs. Boo!! And I had bad allergies all week. Not sure if that had anything to do with the way I was eating... ?

Anyway, I read about Whole30 a couple weeks ago and instantly wanted to try it. I do notice that I become really bloated if I eat too many grains. I'm interested to see what I feel like without the dairy, grains, and legumes. I think its a great idea to start from the basics and really learn how my body reacts to certain foods. I'm excited to see if I notice any changes. I'm going to journal here to keep myself accountable and also so I can look back and have an accurate account of my first whole30 experience and what I learned.

Day 1- 4/1/13

I'm most nervous about snacking. I'm use to eating 5-6 small meals per day. I feel like I have to eat every 2-3 hours. For years I have had hypoglycemia symptoms and if I don't eat every couple hours I get sick, dizzy, hot sweats, blurry vision, fatigue, etc. I also have come to realize how what I eat plays a huge role in those symptoms. I always eat protein with most of my meals, that's another reason I try to stay away from processed crap. I can't ever eat pancakes or waffles for breakfast or I'll be feeling it soon after. If I do happen to have pancakes or something I pair it with protein and it helps a little. I also have low blood pressure, not sure it it's considered scary low or how that plays in with anything. I have never had a problem with it except for when I have babies. So, if I feel like I need to eat during these 30 days I'm going to eat hopefully I don't end up eating too much.

I'm still waiting on the book to come in the mail. I can't wait to read it and maybe I will be more clear on what's approved and what's not.

So, I have been ready to start....bring on the changes! Here we go!

*pre workout- 1/2 banana, 1 boiled egg white (I don't like the yolks)

I usually workout early in the morning aroud 5:30 am, I did Day 1 of Les Mills Pump (starting completely over after a hamstring injury from running, I'm hoping to get back into running again soon too)

*Breakfast- 3 egg whites, Whole Grapfruit, handful of almonds

*Lunch- sweet potato chunks fried in coconut oil (about 3/4 of the potato) with cinnamon sprinkled on top and 2 boiled egg whites. (I've never liked sweet potato, but this was good! And we have a ton of boiled eggs left from coloring them for Easter, so since it was fast and easy and I hadn't cooked up any chicken yet I just grabbed those.)

*snack- made a cookie sheet full of Kale chips w/ lime juice, chilli pepper and olive oil. Ate them all along with a whole avacado mashed up with lime juice and salt/pepper.

*2nd snack (oops)- handful of cashews and raisins.

*Dinner- Citrus chicken breast and roasted broccoli.

Water- drank 2 1/2 liters

(I also took some fish oil supplements and a multivitamin, not sure if that's good or bad)

I felt pretty good all day. I did feel pretty bloated...either because of the water or because I ate too much. Not sure if this is considered too much.

Okay...on to Day 2...

[Tom Denham]

I view snacks as a failure to eat properly at meals. It is okay to eat something if you are really hungry, but if you are routinely hungry, you need bigger meals with more protein and fat. And rather than eat 2 snacks between meals, you would be better off converting the snacks to a meal.

The Whole9 meal template is an important guide to eating this way that you can have now: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf This information is in the book too, but having it all on one page is very helpful.

[angshaner]

Day 2 (4/2/13)

*Breakfast- cut up apple chunks in almond milk with raisins and cinnamon, 2 small handfuls almonds

*snack- 1 boiled egg white

*Lunch- Scrambled eggs, sweet potato chunks fried in coconut oil, 3 turkey sausage patties, 1 pineapple ring

*snack- Salad with cucumber, romaine lettuce, olives, avacado, citrus chicken strips, tomato, sunflower seeds and lime juice + salt/pepper

*Dinner- Blackened Boneless Pork Sirloin Chops with Pork fried "rice" (cauliflower) (grated cauliflower cooked in coconut oil, with garlic, minced onion, coconut aminos, bacon pieces and eggs scrambled in..super yummy!)

I feel like I wake up too early and there are way too many hours in between meals So, I still ended up snacking a bit. I was full after Lunch but it didn't last long so I ended up eating the salad maybe 2 hours later. I need to work on making bigger meals for breakfast I'm just always short on time. Had a bit of a headache this afternoon and felt a little bit of the Hypoglycemia symptoms coming...a little shaky, very tired, hot sweats, etc. After I finally feel full I feel very bloated but almost not satisfied, it's a weird feeling, my stomach feels hungry but bloated...?

I know this first week will be my body transitioning and getting rid of toxins. I haven't had the "carb flu" too bad so far.

[angshaner]

Day 3 (4/3/13

My morning was all over the place and it was a very busy day so I feel like I was kind of eating sporadically.

Pre- workout- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks, 1 boiled egg white

Post workout- scrambled eggs and pineapple chunks

Lunch- Romaine lettuce with chicken salad on top (chicken, avacado, lime juice, salt/pepper) cucumbers, tomato, sunflower seeds and lime juice.spritzed on top.

Snack- almonds and grapes

Dinner- 3 large romaine leaves with flank steak, topped with avacado and tomato like a lettuce taco

Water- I've been drinking about 2 1/2 liters each day. I'm going to try for 3 tomorrow.

Still felt hungry and needed something sweet had 1 1/2 pink lady apples sliced with 3 tbs almond butter. I couldn't stop with the almond butter, it was soooo good with the apples.

Now feel bloated....again that hungry bloated feeling.

I was around a ton of food today, yummy yummy food. I was helping at a funeral luncheon and there was a ton of food and desserts. I was starving at the time too, There was plenty left over that I could have brought some home too, but I did not!! I refrained and feel good. Then "PaPa" (grandpa) had to bring the kids brownies tonight, he loves to give them goodies....oh my!

Not tempted. Everybody had one but me...although they asked me like 5 times. Yay me!

[angshaner]

Day 4 4/4/13

Breakfast- Scrambled eggs (scrambled in coconut oil), 4 pieces of bacon

snack- I ended up putting about 1/2 a strawberry and 3 pistachios in my mouth as my kids were snacking

Lunch- spinach leaves with strawberries, drizzled with a tiny bit of pineapple juice, craisins, & sunflower seeds (I usually like this with little mandarin oranges, but I didn't have any so I drizzled a little pure pineapple juice to try and give it a juicy flavor)

Leftover Blackened Sirloin Porkchop on the side.

snack- 1 apple 2 tbs almond butter

Dinner- Roast Beef with Mashed cauliflower "potatoes" with little bacon pieces on top.

Water- 2 1/2 liters

I feel like I'm starting to get better at the snacking. I'm trying not to snack too much. As long as I eat a bigger breakfast I do okay in the morning. In the afternoon I always feel like I need something or I will never make it through. Still feel foggy, sorta headache, not able to concentrate in between meals...feel that low blood sugar feeling...if that's what it actually is. It's not too bad, seems to be getting a little better.

I forgot to mention that last week I was having bad allergies and I noticed an improvement from Day 1. Not all the way clear, but definitely better with each day.

I ate horrible last week, talk about carb load. My skin was also breaking out last week, probably from all the junk I was eating. I seem to have problem skin, sometimes it's clear, sometimes it's not. It's definitely hormonal and I also notice a change with the things that I eat. I'm excited to see if there is a definite improvement with my skin over the next couple weeks.

[angshaner]

Day 5 4/5/13

Breakfast- 3 boiled egg whites, 3 slices bacon & 1 orange

Snack- had a handful of almonds on the way out the door about an hour after breakfast

Lunch- Roast Beef and a romaine lettuce and spinach leaves mixture w/ chicken salad on top, avacado, carrots, grape tomatos w/ lemon juice, salt/pepper. With a side of pineapple and honeydew melon.

Dinner- Almond flour crusted chicken with Sweet potato casserole. I thought it turned out great. Sweet potatos are still not my favorite, but I will eat them. Family liked the chicken but not really the sweet potato stuff. But, I'm happy that they have been eating most of the dinners so far really well. They are not really doing this with me.

Water- by the end of tonight I will have drank 3 liters today.

I forced myself to not snack this afternoon. I felt ok. A little tired when I woke up today. I didn't get my exercise in, I'm kind of taking it easy this week with the exercise. I still feel a little blurry, foggy...whatever you want to call it. Even just 30 minutes or so afer meals. I feel full but foggy in the head...if that makes sense. I'm hoping that improves by next week.

Yesterday I was VERY irritable. Trying to teach in the afternoon was miserable. I didn't feel that bad today other than the tiredness which isn't too far from how I normally feel and the foggy head.

I feel full and satisfied tonight in my tummy. I haven't had any cravings for sugar and goodies and they have been all around me everyday. I finally recieved the book "it's starts with food" yesterday so I started reading it last night. I'm on chapter 6. Hoping to finish it this weekend if I get sometime.

Tomorrow is going to be interesting as I won't really be home all day. We will probably have to grab something to eat as we will be in another city. Trying to figure out what to do and what I could eat that will be approved.....?

[angshaner]

Day 6 4/6/13

Breakfast- scrambled eggs cooked in coconut. Strawberries, blackberries, banana slices, unsweetened coconut flakes and walnut pieces on top. Yummy!

Lunch- Roast Beef, honeydew melon and almonds

Dinner- at Golden Corral since we were out of town. I had a Steak and salad with cucumber, boiled eggs, carrots, olives and lemon juice squeezed on top. I'm hoping the Steak wasn't cooked in anything bad I had 2 plates with the same exact thing. It seemed like the safest choice and my lunch wasn't that big so I was starving by this time. And I wasn't even tempted with any other foods or dessert...What?! Crazy! I usually forget everything and just eat like crazy at this place. It's great to feel in control!

I'm proud of myself because we were gone all day, I made sure I had roast and things to snack on at lunch time or just in case. We were at Soccer games all day so I just kept those things in the cooler and we didn't go eat anything until dinner time. It was a little bit of an early dinner time and I didn't eat anything the rest of the day. I did get a bit of a headache and blurry eye feeling in the afternoon but I reallly didn't feel that hungry for a while.

[angshaner]

Day 7- 4/7/13

Breakfast- scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil. Strawberries, banana, kiwi, blackberries, unsweetened coconut flakes and walnuts on top. I had to have that again because it was soooo good!

Lunch- leftover steak and sweet potato casserole...the casserole tasted better today than it did the other day!

handful of cucumbers, carrots, olives and then celery with almond butter.

Snack- a few almonds

Dinner- leftover chicken (cooked with almond flour) and some more sweet potato casserole and one bit of a pineapple chunk.

I'm feeling good so far. Still have a bit of the headache and blurry eye thing going on between meals and such. It's not too bothersome though, just hoping it passes. It's just something I'm use to happening when I go so long between meals, but usually I'm also really starving and shaky (when I'm not following whole30) And I'm neither of those.

I'm half way through the book. It is so fascinating! It almost makes me not want to ever eat grains, dairy, legumes or sugar again. But, I know that's not really reasonable. Wen't to visit my parents tonight and my mom was just finishing up getting dinner ready and it did look really good. She is a good cook. My whole family ate some and I just drank my water and visited with them at the table. A little uncomfortable. She also offered dessert which looked yummy, but I really didn't want any. I passed and just waited until we go home so I could fix me up some dinner. Glad that I have leftovers in the fridge so I could warm me up something real quick. I probably should have had a better variety of veggies today, but I just grabbed what was fast and tasted good. I don't mind repetition in my foods either. I could eat the same things for breakfast every morning and be fine.

I started that" fun time of month" that comes every month on Thursday and it's wierd because usually I want to eat and eat when that happens. I haven't had cravings or anything and other than being cranky on thursday I haven't been since. Maybe that is why I was also eating like crazy last week and why I felt bloated at the beginning of this week. But, I also started 5 days early which is unlike me....so, hmmmm...not really sure what that is all about. I do feel like things have been wierd with my hormones the last few months though, so maybe it's all starting to get back on track again. Sorry if that's just too much info. I want to know all the details for my records

Fruits are tasting so sweet to me and veggies are tasting awesome. I really am loving the food and don't feel deprived at all. I love that I feel in control and not having crazy cravings for sweets. I'm feel great that I truly am giving my body ONLY what is good for it and nothing else. Oh and I couldn't help it, since I finally wasn't feeling bloated anymore I could tell a tiny bit of a difference in my body and I stepped on the scale...oops. But, I lost 7 pounds!!! What? That's crazy. I didn't think it would be that much at all in the first week. I have been taking it easy on the working out. Usually I'm a workout fanatic. Having a hamstring injury has made me take a step back. So, I'm wondering if when I start gaining some of my muscle back if the weight will go up a bit. We will see. I'm hoping to workout a bit more this week. And I WILL NOT weight myself again until the very end. Can't wait to see what happens.

Week one has been a success!!

[angshaner]

I'll probably continue my journaling on my blog: www.sparklesandbugs.blogspot.com. Seems easier for me to do everything all in one place