31 January 2012
Whole30... wrap up
My Whole30 ended a little early. It turned out to be my Whole25. While I was rocking the homemade meals and feeling great, I was getting tired with the restrictions (just having them there, not necessarily wanting to eat anything in particular). I have a sordid history of disordered eating, and it always begins when I restrict things 100%. When there's no leeway, I feel boxed in. I'm an extreme person, and extreme eating patterns don't work well. Day 1-99 I'll be perfect. On the 100th day, I'll go bat shit crazy.
So, while I have worked on these issues for the past few years and have them in check in a good place, I did not want to induce any seeds that might be nurtured by sticking to the last five days "because you have to". Seeing Kevin/the weekend/being in Claremont generally makes me feel like being more fun. Monday-Friday I wake up before sunrise, pack my lunches, run between class and school and home for studying/homework, do the dishes, play with the cats, water the plants... I'm a responsible adult. Come Friday night and boyfriend and sleeping in and no schedule... I ease up a bit. And rightly so! This past Friday, I was at Trader Joes with Kevin, and I really wanted some dark chocolate. I had shopped there countless times over the month and never once gave in. I even had some chocolate squares in my pantry, sitting untouched! I declared Whole30 over! Back to making decisions for myself!
We brought home a few goodies, and I groaned with joy upon my first bite of peanut butter. A few squares of dark chocolate and slices of chocolate cake later, I was satisfied. I'd had my share of sweets, and life was good. Then, I started feeling uncomfortable. Bloatedness, farting, general gastrointestinal unhappiness. I went to bed feeling lousy, didn't sleep well and woke up throughout the night, feeling uncomfortable. I got up on Saturday morning and felt like I'd been hit in the stomach with a baseball bat and also like I had a mild hangover. WTF sugar?!?!?!? Can I not enjoy you even once in a while?
I thought to myself, "What's the most nutritious thing I can eat for breakfast?" I was craving nutrients, goodness, the antithesis of last night's sugar. First thought: homemade chicken bone broth. Second thought: chicken SOUP! I had made some a few days earlier. After a bowl, I felt like my body started healing itself a little. The gas decreased (although continued throughout the day) and my spirits improved. The next day, I tried some dairy. No sugar, for sure, but dairy should be okay. I'm as lactose tolerant as they come. I added some cheese to my scrambled eggs, and later had some spoonfuls of full fat Greek yogurt. Not long after, bloating and farts. It's like a fucking carousel! Coming around again, like clockwork.
It's astounding to me that I could eat these things without side effects before this experiment, and now my body rejects them outright.
Some observations about my experience:
On January 3 and 28, I weighed myself and recorded measurements - girth with a tape measure, and body fat with calipers. I couldn't take two of the seven skinfold sites with calipers without a partner, which I was lacking on January 3, so I unfortunately can't calculate my body fat percentage for either day. The calipers are time consuming and difficult to use accurately, so I'm going to stick with girth measurements.
For sheer body weight, my weight reduced by 1.8 pounds. However, my measurement numbers were impressive. I lost one inch in my waist, hips and chest (each), half an inch around my shoulders and a quarter-inch from around my neck. Even two weeks in, I could tell my waist and hips were a little slimmer. What a great bonus! I wasn't doing this to fundamentally change my body, but I won't say no to smaller numbers.
I love the Whole30's closing statement as people wrap up their month of clean eating. They liken Whole30 to riding a bike with training wheels. It's easy when you can't fall over, but you've gotta get onto a two-wheeler to get anywhere. Having strict rules makes it impossible to fail, but living life is about being surrounded by all kinds of options and making the best choices for yourself. 100% compliance isn't a facet of the real world. It's nice to be able to order something in a restaurant without adding caveats, or be able to go to a party without eating dinner at home beforehand. The genius of Whole30 is that it strips your diet to the essentials, so you know what your baseline is. Then you can add things back in as you see fit. Too much swinging on one side of the pendulum means you know where to go if you need to start back at the foundations. But you feel so good on Whole30 that that feeling becomes your "normal" and I don't want to veer too often from it. I feel too damn good.
I anticipate using this experience to ground my eating habits with a strict Paleo foundation, allowing for occasional treats. Based on how shitty I felt after eating wheat, sugar, dairy and legumes last weekend, and soy inadvertently the week before, I don't plan on making these things a regular part of my diet. I am so used to the mindset of Whole30 that it will be seamless to continue. Only now, I have the option to choose something extra once in a while. I think I'll do a Whole30 once a year, at least, to "re-set" my system. It really is amazing how awesome I felt. I slept like a rock, had energy within 5 minutes of waking up, felt positive about the day and about life in general, and worked on deeper levels of compassion for others.
For February, I really want to work on the following:
Resources
Mark's Daily Apple
Nom Nom Paleo
Chowhound
Whole 9
Balanced Bites
Gary Taubes
26 January 2012
Day 25
Breakfast: Eggs over easy with sauteed onion, cauliflower and kale, avocado
Mid-morning snack: A few ounces of chicken breast, a hard-boiled egg
Lunch: Chicken and veggie soup
Early evening snack: Salad with sardines, broccoli and spinach, some macadamia nuts, and a cup of bone broth
Dinner: Slow Cooker Beef and Tomato Veggie Stew, roasted brussel sprouts
25 January 2012
Day 24
That workout did me well, except for only getting 6 hours of sleep. Being wired on endorphins at 11pm can do that. However, I got back the first big Microbio test today and - SCORE! - I got an A. That trumps any tiredness.
I sauteed my breakfast veggies in butter today. No side effects to report!
Breakfast: Eggs over easy, with sauteed onion and chard, and avocado
Mid-morning snack: A few ounces of chicken breast that didn't go into last night's soup, and avocado
Lunch: Chicken veggie soup, pecans and macadamia nuts, one hard boiled egg
Dinner: The last of the carnitas over spinach
Munchies: Warm steamed broccoli I cooked up for snacking on over the weekend
In the crockpot now: A variation of this recipe, except with stewing beef. Can't wait to check it out in the morning! I'm also roasting brussel sprouts, for which I proclaimed my undying love in a previous post.
24 January 2012
Day 23
Well, I believe I have come to a juncture. (Is that a word? I just looked it up and yes, it is). I am completely out of both coconut oil and ghee, which I have been cooking with exclusively since I started Whole30 on January 2. On that day organic butter went into the freezer - missing ya, creamy fatty deliciousness.
But now I am out. And coconut oil is expensive. I recently figured out I can buy it on Amazon for more than half what I was paying the cute health food store down the street (my wallet just burst into tears), and I haven't ever bought it at Whole Paycheck because I avoid buying anything other than raw meat at WF.
I could suck it up and go outside in my leggings and Birkenstocks like I thought I would NEVER DO IN PUBLIC and drive to the store. But I am lazy. And buying $50+ worth of cooking oils online feels psychologically crippling, even though I'd pay half that amount for a quarter of the product if I bought coconut oil in a store here. (Just to intersect for a sec: the fact that this is the extent of my life's dilemmas sometimes make me want to vomit. So please, go ahead if you do too). The thing is, I have 5 sticks of butter in the freezer. I even thawed one out the other day, in preparation for this moment. The moment when I had to decide whether to break Whole30 and cook with butter for the sake of my sad, sad, student/part-time worker finances or look the other way and click "Order". Or swipe my card. And I have come to the conclusion that I can't do it. I don't have any disposable income right now. I'm on a strict budget. I'm already getting into student loans for this year that I am taking pre-reqs for grad school (A post is forthcoming). My inner frugalista is screaming, "Use the fucking butter, you fool". My inner OCD is yelling, "BUT THE 30 DAYS AREN'T OVER YET YOU CAN'T JUST STOP EARLY WHAT WOULD THAT MEANNNNNN IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU COMPROMISING IDEALS FOR TWENTY-FIVE BUCKS DRIVE TO WHOLE FOODS RIGHT NOW OR ELSE WHAT WILL YOU DOOOOOOOO".
My frugalista is more concise. She's also more caustic. She wins.
Plus, I'm being completely unproductive tonight after busting my ass for three days studying for a Microbiology exam that was this morning. I can tell its one of those nights where I don't do any schoolwork... and do all the other things I need/want to do to feel complete. Tomorrow I'll pick up work again. So, I should go to the gym. I've had to cut back to 2x/week since I started being a student and part-time employee, and if I'm going to fuck around all night I might as well go do the thing I like to do when I take a break from studying. Put on my sexy Spandex workout pants and unsexy smelly black t-shirt with the birds on the back, pick up and then drop heavy things, while inadvertently moaning in a quasi-sexual manner that probably confuses the wiring of the male meatheads lifting nearby.
Breakfast: Eggs over easy, sauteed onion and chard with avocado
Mid-morning snack: A hard-boiled egg, steamed broccoli, avocado
Lunch: Spinach salad with canned sardines and sundried tomatoes drizzled with lemon (an amazing meal), also some macadamia nuts and an orange
Dinner: Carnitas over sauteed kale (this time, with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro!)
On the stovetop: my amazing Chicken Veggie Soup with homemade broth. Last night I put a whole, salt-and-pepper rubbed chicken in my crockpot with half a cup of water. This morning, I awoke to an amazing aroma, separated the meat from the bones and skin, chucked the skin, stored the meat in the fridge and put the bones back into the crockpot. Covered with water, the broth simmered all day. When I got home from work, I sauteed several pounds of onion, carrots, celery and garlic in coconut oil on low for 20 minutes so they got all soft and caramelizy, added dried Herbs de Provence, basil, salt and pepper, then added the chopped up chicken meat (equaling about 1.25 lbs). While letting the whole mess cook for a few minutes, I strained the broth and into the pot went 2 quarts. The soup is basically done at this point, but to make myself feel better I brought it to a boil and then turned it to a simmer for 10 minutes to let the components come together gastronomically. Or something. It took 24 hours but actual labor time was 30 minutes total. It will feed you for several days, and the goodness that is mineral-rich bone broth, organic meat (because you don't want a side of hormones and antibiotics) chicken meat and warming, nutritious vegetables... I wouldn't be surprised if it heals one from the common cold. I could make this soup every week. Sometimes I do.
Now, to the gym.
Edit: 10:29pm
Post-workout snack: Small cuppa soup.
I thought of a great way to feel better about having to start consuming butter before the Whole30 experiment is over. I've been eating one piece of fruit on most days, and almost always tangerines or oranges as they are in season and thus cheap. Considering I used to be a fruitavore who seriously ate 3-4 servings of fruit a day and considered it healthy, one a day with no other sugar of any kind being consumed at all is an amazing place to be in. As I've mentioned before, I believe I am wired to be affected by sugar and carbohydrates more acutely than most. I have not ever in my life, (that I can recall) willingly not eaten any sugar of any kind, including fruit, for any period of time. Even this past summer, when I first tried avoiding sugar and starchy carbohydrates and grains, I still ate some fruit. So - since I'm re-introducing dairy in the form of butterfat (which is the least insulinogenic form of dairy as its 98-99% fat/water and there is hardly any milk protein), I thought it would be a nice trade to forego fruit for the last seven days. And that's exactly one week! I love when things round off nicely like that. So hello butter, goodbye fruit. I'll be interested to see how sweet fruit seems after a week of abstinence. I have a feeling that no fruit - the last of my post-meal sugar indulgences - is going to have more of an impact (positively) than is adding back in a little dairy. My stock is Northern European farmers, after all. My lactose tolerance is impeccable.
23 January 2012
Day 22
I felt off all morning until I had two meals. I still had a few smelly farts today, which is (I believe) residual from last night. Seriously, no smelly farts at all for three weeks. Its not my food that's doing it.
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sauteed zucchini, cauliflower, sundried tomatoes and Southern greens
Mid-morning snack: The last bites of breakfast, plus a handful of cooked shrimp and broccoli from Kevin's dinner on Saturday, and some avocado (completely random)
Lunch: Eggplant Melanzane
Afternoon snack: Beef bone broth
Evening snack: 4 oz canned salmon, hazelnuts, an apple
Late dinner: Carnitas with sauteed kale
22 January 2012
Day 21
Whipped my ass at the gym with free weights last night. Feeling it just a little today. It's all good.
Brunch: Scrambled eggs, sauteed onion, grape tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, and spinach, an orange and some pecans
Afternoon snack: The last of the veggieful pork meatloaf, and Eggplant Melanzane, an apple
Dinner: Chipotle, Paleo style: Chicken, fajita veggies, lettuce, salsa and guacamole. Despite the meal being Whole30-compliant, I was soon subjected to smelly farts and slight gastrointestinal discomfort, which is always a bad sign. A quick perusal on Chipotle's website shows that both chicken and fajita vegetables are cooked in highly refined soybean oil. Yuck. And crap. I plead ex post facto. Or being ignorant until after the fact.
I've eaten that exact meal before and not felt anything afterwards. Now that I'm three weeks on Whole30 without any grains, legumes (soy is a legume), dairy, sugar, caffeine and only homemade food... it's interesting that soy, a relatively minor ingredient in the meal, can have such an effect. It's not like I drank a glass of milk - an adverse GI reaction wouldn't be unsurprising. I guess this highlights how desensitized our bodies are to industrial foodstuffs. Its only when we take them away that we notice how negatively they affect us.
21 January 2012
Day 20
Two-thirds of the way though Whole30!
Lunch: Meatloaf squares, roasted brussel sprouts, avocado
Snack: A bit of Eggplant Melanzane, two tangerines
Post-workout snack: Two hardboiled eggs, a cup of beef bone broth
Dinner: Carnitas over sauteed Southern greens and broccoli
20 January 2012
Day 19
Feel so much better today. Sleeping 9 hours can do that. Plus, its Friday night. Best night of the week!
Breakfast: Eggs over easy with sauteed onion, zucchini, spinach and avocado
Lunch: Meatloaf squares with roasted brussel sprouts, a hardboiled egg with a bit of avocado, a cup of homemade chicken broth
Snack: Pecans
Dinner: Eggplant Melanzane - my fave! Ground beef, roasted eggplant, stewed tomatoes, lots of garlic and basil and onions. Also, an orange
Late-night snack: Few bites of Eggplant Melanzane, macadamia nuts
19 January 2012
Day 18
Not enough sleep last night, big exam today - went well, but the rest of the day I suffered for it. Going to bed right now, at the ripe hour of 9pm.
Breakfast: Sauteed zucchini, grape tomatoes and Southern greens with hardboiled eggs and avocado
Lunch: A few bites of meatloaf, and later a big salad with sardines and lemon dressing
Dinner: The last of the Liver and Onions (and Bacon and Mushrooms) with chopped tomatoes and kale. I'm honestly happy its gone - it was a meal I had to work on eating - and I don't think I'll be buying liver anytime soon.
18 January 2012
Day 17
Half way through the work week! I love Monday holidays.
I've been on an avocado kick this week. Every day. Mmmmmm.
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs + some leftover eggwhites, sauteed zucchini, mushrooms and spinach, avocado
Mid-morning snack: Hardboiled eggs with avocado, cucumber slices --> I made mini sandwiches with cucumber slices as "bread"
Lunch: Emergency Protein from yesterday - sauteed sausage and veggies
Dinner: Last night's Liver & Onions, except with the addition of some diced tomatoes and over sauteed kale - really helped with the flavors! (I'm determined to bring liver into my repertoire, even if only once in a while)
Post workout-snack: two squares of meatloaf (see below)
Tonight to be ready-to-go meals in the fridge, I made a variation of this awesome-looking meatloaf and roasted some brussel sprouts. I LOOOOOVE roasted brussel sprouts. They taste a little like popcorn (seriously, try it).
17 January 2012
Day 16
Breakfast: Eggs over easy with sauteed zucchini, spinach and kale, avocado and salsa
Mid-morning snack: Two hardboiled eggs with avocado
Lunch: Emergency Protein with sausage, onions, carrots and Southern greens, an apple, some nuts
Dinner: Liver and Onions (and Bacon and Mushrooms) with a crisp green salad with lemon dressing, tangerines, nuts
16 January 2012
Day 15
I miss cheese!
Brunch: Scrambled eggs, sauteed red onion, zucchini and Southern greens, avocado
Afternoon meal: Salad with mini shrimp, two tangerines, macadamia nuts
Dinner: Grilled chicken, asparagus and zucchini, pineapple slices, an apple
15 January 2012
Day 14
Two weeks down!
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms and kale, avocado
Lunch: Last bit of pork chops and braised cabbage
Snack: Salmon lettuce wraps with cucumber and celery, two tangerines, macadamia nuts
Dinner: Coconut lamb curry with zucchini and cauliflower, one tangerine
Study snack: Apple
14 January 2012
Day 13
I think Saturday is the best day of the week.
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sauteed zucchini, roasted bell peppers and sundried tomatoes, avocado
Lunch: Curried sardine patties, a few bites of roasted pork chops and braised cabbage
Dinner: Slow cooker chicken and veggies
Snack: Chicken broth
Evening study meal: Coconut lamb curry, pecans, two tangerines
13 January 2012
Day 12
Friday! Three-day weekend! So many exclamations!
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sauteed onion and zucchini, salsa, avocado
Lunch: Slow cooker chicken, slow cooker veggies, braised cabbage
Early dinner: Curried sardine patties, and then a few bites of last night's roasted pork chops and braised cabbage
Post-workout meal: Coconut lamb curry with cauliflower and zucchini
12 January 2012
Day 11
Today I had a Well Woman exam at my OBGYN and drove to two labs to have multiple vials of blood drawn to test my hormone levels (among other things). I specifically requested a hormone panel because I am interested to know where they are. My last hormone panel was from five years ago, so its definitely time to see what is going on and if anything has changed.
Today was the last day of Microbiology for the week... now to study hard ALL weekend! I'm quite excited that Monday is a holiday - more time to work on Micro and Chem. I'm more of a nerd now than I was in college. Something about really wanting this!
Another good thing about this weekend: Kevin returns to Southern California for the start of his third-to-last semester! It will be two weeks since we last saw each other... nothing crazy, but always nice to be together again.
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sauteed zucchini and onion, salsa and avocado
Mid-morning snack: 1.5 turkey meatballs
Lunch: Turkey meatballs with tomato eggplant sauce
Dinner: The same as lunch (finished them off; SO GOOD!), a tangerine
Evening snack: Bowl of homemade chicken broth
Late-night study snack: A few bites of Dad's Pork Chops and World's Best Braised Cabbage
11 January 2012
Day 10
After a tough day yesterday, today was much better.
Whole30-wise: I'm into double digits! This is easy - its eating clean with absolutely no exceptions. Usually I eat clean... with occasional exceptions! When I want to make an exception (which has only seriously come up once so far, due to high stress/anxiety), I lie on the floor with my legs up on the bed or sofa, and breathe deeply for 5-10 minutes. I find that being horizontal rather than vertical helps me calm myself more effectively than if I sit crosslegged. Bonus: Then I just start meditating.
Breakfast: Pot roast - the meal that just keeps going
Mid-morning snack: 2 hardboiled eggs, 1.5 turkey meatballs, some avocado
Lunch: Salad with sardines, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, sundried tomatoes, and olives with the usual lemon dressing
Early dinner: The last bit of the pot roast (sad face)
Post-workout meal: Slow cooker chicken and veggies, two tangerines, last of the beef bone broth
10 January 2012
Day 9
Already looking forward to the three-day weekend.
Breakfast: Eggs over easy with sauteed zucchini and greens
Mid-morning snack: A turkey meatball and a hardboiled egg with a bit of avocado
Lunch: Pot roast with a green side salad
Dinner: Turkey meatballs with tomato basil eggplant sauce
09 January 2012
Day 8
Today was my first day of Microbiology (a 5-week intersession at the local community college). It seems like it will be an interesting class, but on top of my online Chemistry 1 course, I've got my hands full. The Chem class is self-paced, though, so there aren't any deadlines other than having to finish it by April.
8am-1:15pm Microbio
2pm-5:30pm Work
7pm-bed Study
This is my schedule Mon-Thurs for the next five weeks. On Fridays I will work for part of the day and hopefully also have a regular volunteer activity in Nutrition (working on this).
At this point, Whole30 makes my life simpler. Figuring out what to eat and take to class/work is easy. It's kind of nice not to have so many options.
Breakfast: Eggs over easy with sauteed mushrooms and Southern greens
Mid-morning snack: Two turkey meatballs, a hard-boiled egg, avocado
Lunch: Salad with broiled lemon dover sole, the last little bit of Mexican Pulled Chicken Stuffed Roasted Peppers filling
Afternoon snack: A cup of delicious bone broth
Dinner: Pot roast over sauteed kale, two tangerines
08 January 2012
Day 7
One week of Whole30 down! Only... 75% left to go...
I took pictures last night of how I made my delicious pot roast, but I'm too lazy to post them now. Maybe tomorrow.
Breakfast: Omelet with spinach, bell peppers and onion
Lunch: Pot Roast, two tangerines
Snack: Pecans
"Dinner": snacking on turkey meatballs, hard boiled eggs, steamed broccoli, bone broth
07 January 2012
Day 6
Almost one full week on Whole30! I must say, it's not been very hard. Perhaps because I had already eliminated grains legumes, and sugar (well, trying hard with that one...). Cutting dairy and caffeine really isn't a big deal after the others.
I went on a long walk around my neighborhood today sorting things out in my head, and when I got home I still had it in me to whip my ass at the gym with Workout B of the weight lifting program I'm on. It put me in a good mood, and who doesn't love the burn of 72 Bulgarian split squats?
Breakfast: Last piece of broccoli egg pie, leftover piece of roasted chicken (a thrilling meal)
Lunch: The other Mexican Pulled Chicken Roasted Stuffed Pepper, and most of the extra filling, with avocado
Post workout snack: two hard-boiled eggs
Dinner: Broiled dover sole with roasted carrots and broccoli
I made turkey meatballs AND put a pot roast in my crockpot tonight. Love waking up to the smell of yummy food ready to go.
06 January 2012
Day 5
I tossed and turned for the first hour of trying to fall asleep last night, but once I was asleep I slept really well and feel much, much better today. Maybe I can even manage another lifting session tonight, to break the monotony of Chemistry.
In one of my dreams last night, I ate something delicious and sugary... it looked like an eclair, from my hazy memory. I was so disappointed in myself for breaking only 4 days in. Then I woke up and realized, it was just a dream! No eclairs consumed.
The previous night, I had a dream in which Kevin gave me candy, which I willingly consumed. However, I remember blaming him for tempting me. Adam, Eve and the forbidden fruit.
I find it interesting that sugar is manifesting itself in my dreams only 4 days since I decided not to consume it.
Breakfast: Eggs over easy on top of sauteed mushrooms and Southern greens, herbal tea
Lunch: Chicken veggie soup, broccoli egg pie
Snack: Last bit of chicken veggie soup, broccoli egg pie, handful of pecans, two tangerines
Dinner: Mexican Pulled Chicken Roasted Stuffed Peppers - DELICIOUS
A crockpot meal...
Stuffed into bell peppers and roasted in the oven...
And eaten with creamy avocado...
Not pretty, but soooooo good.
05 January 2012
Day 4
Fatigued all day from lifting hard last night. My body wanted to sleep forever. I managed to watch the lecture and complete most of my Chem homework, though. Also, no cravings or headaches today.
Breakfast: Eggs over easy over sauteed zucchini and kale with salsa, herbal tea
Lunch: Big green salad with sardines and my usual lemon dressing
Snack: Chicken veggie soup
Snack: The last bit of Paleo spaghetti beef bolognese, and some macadamia nuts
Dinner: Broccoli egg pie (crustless of course), a bowl of chicken veggie soup, and a tangerine, and herbal tea before bed
04 January 2012
Day 3
Today was a good day. No headache, and the lone sore pimple is clearing up after I stupidly tried to pop it last night and just made it worse.
I also started a new weight lifting routine. Last September I finished New Rules of Lifting for Women, which took me the better part of 9 months, with a 1-month break in the middle. I really liked Alwyn Cosgrove's workouts and definitely swung it with the guys in the gym. I read what other women had been doing after completing NROL4W, and many said they went on to do the "man book". So, I spent about 2 months working through the "Break-In" phase of New Rules of Lifting (for Men), as there were some stops and starts at the beginning of getting settled at my new gym during the craziness of October and November. (I even made it to the gym in Scottsdale three times last week while home or Christmas, using the travel privilege that comes with my Golds Gym membership - one perk of a corporate system.) I now feel like I've got Break-In down solid, and its time to get into the meat of the workouts. So tonight I braved the gym with all the new January Joiners starting on their New Years Resolutions, and got to work.
Squats, cable seated rows, supine hip extension, dumbbell shoulder press, walking lunges and swiss ball crunches. Phew! I wonder how sore I'll be on Friday.
As for food, still going strong.
Breakfast: Eggs over easy on top of sauteed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and Southern greens
Lunch: Paleo "spaghetti" beef bolognese
Snack: Roasted chicken breast, pecans, tangerine
Dinner: My amazing nourishing chicken veggie soup with homemade broth
Post-workout meal: Paleo spaghetti beef bolognese
03 January 2012
Day 2
Whole 30: Day 2
I developed a mild headache around lunch time which persisted all afternoon. I've been without any caffeine for 3 days so I don't think its that... maybe sugar withdrawal (its been 48 hours)? In any case, headache seems to have dissipated.
The photos I took were just too crummy to post... however, if I get a good one, I'll put it up.
Breakfast: Fried eggs with sauteed cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and kale; herbal tea
Lunch: Same as last night's dinner - Butter Chicken over sauteed Southern greens
Snack: Salad with romaine, canned sardines and cucumbers with apple cider vinegar/olive oil dressing; handful of pecans, and herbal tea
Dinner: Paleo spaghetti bolognese (julienned zucchini with ground beef and tomato herb sauce)
02 January 2012
happy new year! ringing in a challenge
Happy New Year!
To start the year off on a good foot, I'm participating in Whole30 with thousands of people around the world. Apparently an American embassy in Djibouti, Africa is participating. The website for Whole30 is down as I write this (due to traffic overload) but Whole30 is basically a 100%, one-month commitment to the Paleo/Primal way of eating. This is following a diet that is similar to that of our Paleolithic ancestors, to whom we are physiologically identical. There is lots of research and interesting articles to read if you're interested, but I'm here to write about my experience with Whole 30: January 2-January 31, 2012.
I've been meaning to write an update on my food explorations and haven't gotten around to it, but I've been eating "Paleo" since August, when I read Good Calories, Bad Calories, the book that changed my life. However, I'm very dairy-tolerant, so I continued eating cultured and/or fatty dairy products (i.e. butter, cheese, cream, but not fluid milk) and, unfortunately, some sugar - in the form of super dark chocolate, and the occasional non-Paleo dessert. And then then, "the holidays", happened, which basically span Halloween through New Years. Sugar is certainly my vice. I haven't eaten bread or rice or pasta in months, and would gladly avoid them for the rest of my life if I could eat sugar every day without consequence. When I resolve to not eat white sugar, I eat large amounts of fruit to compensate - which isn't good for my system either. I used to eat large fruit smoothies daily, and consider it healthy! I pose The Primal Parent's interesting question: when were blenders invented, and how much fructose did our Paleo ancestors consume in one sitting? I've dialed down my fruit consumption over the last few months.
I've read some interesting stuff about PCOS/hormone imbalance/insulin resistance and the more I read, the more I believe that those of us with crazy sweet teeth are genetically predisposed to have endocrine issues. Or maybe its the other way around? All I know is that sugar affects me like a drug, and its a poison that slowly deteriorates our health and bodies. I've previously posted articles and videos that highlight this research.
In today's world, living without touching sugar for one's entire life is probably not feasible. But one month, with support from other people? I think it's doable. I actually was living sugar-free for over a month this summer when I was concerned about my menstrual cycle being affected by even small amounts of sugar, and after a while being sugar-free was easy. This time, however, I'm not only avoiding sugar - I'm also not consuming any grains, legumes including beans, peas and peanuts, starchy fruits and vegetables, including pumpkin, butternut squash, and banana, dairy products except for clarified butter (ghee), or caffeine from coffee or black tea. Its easier to say what I will be eating - meats (as much organic as possible), fish and seafood, eggs, vegetables, nuts, and a small amount of seasonal fruit. I'll be cooking with coconut oil and occasionally ghee (clarified butter). See Whole30 for why ghee is different than regular butter.
The challenges I foresee include a lack of planning ahead which leads to poor decisions, a lack of variety due to a lack of planning ahead, and feeling trapped or boxed in with the black-and-white Whole30 rules. To address these, I'm allowing myself to purchase whatever foods I want that are Whole30 compliant. My grocery bill is not an issue this month. I'm also going to be planning recipes a day or two in advance to ensure leftovers for lunches and snacks. I've got a new cookbook for Christmas that is all Paleo, and there are lots of Paleo resources on the internet. I can't do anything about the boxed-in feeling other than work on deep breathing when I'm feeling overwhelmed or constricted, and know that this is a 30-day challenge - its not forever. I'm following Whole30 people on Twitter and on blogs, so the collective support of everyone who is doing this together at the same time provides a morale boost as well.
I also plan to do deep breathing/meditation for 15-20 minutes every day. This, along with finishing Chemistry, starting Microbiology, reducing my work hours to part-time and continuing to lift weights 3x/week... it's a lot to happen at once. I hope that with the support of the Whole30 crowd, being accountable to this blog and wanting to succeed at my goal, I will complete Whole30 and settle into a daily meditation routine. I guess you could call these my New Years Resolutions... or at least, my January resolutions.
I'll be posting a log here every day of what I eat - another accountability measure. I hope to post pictures of the majority of things I make. Remember when this used to be a vegan food blog back in 2006?
So, without further adieu:
Day 1 - January 2
Brunch:
Carnitas plate from Cactus restaurant in Oakland before flying home - carnitas, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and grilled veggies
*Huge plate, and I ate it all - damn you brunch! Too much food.
Snack:
Macadamia nuts, herbal tea
Early dinner:
Sauteed veggies (zucchini, jarred roasted red peppers, and kale) with three fried eggs
Late dinner:
Better Than Butter Chicken from Everyday Paleo over sauteed Southern greens, and a tangerine