Is anyone doing The Whole Thirty?

southerngirl_2

Hi Gilly and Flissh,

I'd never heard of the whole30 until I came across this thread and after looking at the link I'm quite interested to give this a go. For awhile now I've been feeling tired and bloated and I think the whole30 could be just what my body and mind needs!

I'm going to use the next few days to make the following small changes
- giving up milk in my coffee
- no eating after 7pm
- no grains
- no added sugars or alcohol

I already eat lots of salad/vegetables and very few carbs so by next week I will also omit dairy.

So do I have this right - breakfast, lunch and dinner should aim to be protein (1-2 portions the size of palm), 2 cups of vegetables/salad, small portion of good fat i.e 1/2 advocado?

Found this site which had some great meal ideas if anyone needs inspiration

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/16824406467/the-whole30-recap-every-single-day

Look forward to joining you next week and will post my meal plans.

Southerngirl

flissh

Welcome Southerngirl.

flissh

Gilly, I do try to eat healthily, but find I lack will power a lot of the time. Especially with things like alcohol and carbs. Don't really eat crisps and biscuits and stuff like that.

Gillby1

Yay Southerngirl! You both sound like me - eating healthily most of the time, but need a really healthy month to find out how much difference it will make to your wellbeing! I was already avoiding wheat and gluten, and eating well generally, but my sweet tooth had crept back in and I was eating too much dairy. I really hope it makes a difference!

Having said that, am feeling pretty blah today. Breakfast was nuts, seeds, coconut flakes and banana chips in coconut milk, and I ate it because I needed the food rather than because it tasted good. I do miss the strong flavours from more processed foods, but I hope my taste will adjust by avoiding them?

Good luck with today, both!

Just_a_Girl_2

Gillby1 wrote: »

Thanks Just a Girl. The cereal looks great, and thanks for the meal ideas as i'm off to the shops tomorrow to stock up on stuff....

Did you fell any different at the end of the whole 30? More energy, sleeping better, etc...?

Flissh, you're doing really well! Did you eat fairly healthily anyway, or is this a real change for you?

Day 4

Breakfast: Homemade 'sausages' (pork mice and herbs in sausage shape to fool the kids!) with mushrooms and spinach. Berries.
Lunch: Chicken thigh plus huge salad with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
Dinner: Lamb steak, grilled asparagus, chicken leg. More berries and nuts.
Snack: Banana

I felt fine this morning, but am going to have to increase my portion sizes as feeling hungry all afternoon and now have another huge chocolate craving. I keep thinking about all of the lovely things I want to eat, and it's worse than yesterday!! Am going to have another coconut milk coffee to see if that helps. Pretty irritable today, but still fairly energetic (thank goodness, as I had a full day at work plus my two boys to feed, bath and wrestle in to bed!).

Am planning to eat lots of seafood tomorrow, so off to look for some fish stew recipes.

Gilly

Yes, I felt a lot better!

I added dairy produce back in as I found I can tolerate that pretty well with the exception of milk/ice cream - I only have those in moderation as they give me an upset tummy.

But high fat dairy is a regular feature - double cream, butter, cheese, full fat Greek yoghurt.

I also consume white rice (that has been pre-soaked) as a source of starch on my training days - I lift very heavy weights and find I get a better carb load from rice than potatoes.

Apart from that, I still follow the same principles and have done for 2.5 years - best thing I did and never going back

Gillby1

Just a Girl, thanks for your post. I'm finding it really difficult today, and that's just what I needed to hear! I just saw a picture of a chocolate bar online, and could happily have licked the screen!!! How did you re-introduce dairy? Did you do it gradually?

Even better, after thinking it was Day 4 today, I've just realised it's actually Day 5! I'm definitely a bit foggy-headed today. I'm missing dairy the most, which is unsurprising, as I have probably had several servings of dairy products almost EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!!!

Day 5

Lunch: Saut!ed spinach and bacon with chicken thigh and almond 'satay'. Berries.
Dinner: Thai-style sole with asparagus, broccoli and spinach.
Snacks: Almonds and raisins - small handful
Coffee with coconut cream and cocoa. Mango.

I am not remotely hungry, but i really, really, really want to eat something ice-creamy-chocolatey-gooey. Will the cravings ever go away??? I have also been very irritable and short tempered all day. Grrrrr.

Flissh - how are you getting on?

Gilly

Gillby1

This may explain my horrible temper...

http://whole9life.com/2013/01/whole30-timeline/

flissh

Gillby1 wrote: »

This may explain my horrible temper...

http://whole9life.com/2013/01/whole30-timeline/

That just about explains how I'm feeling. It's day three and I feel like i've got a hangover.

Food was okay today.
Breakfast scrambled eggs
Lunch vegetable stack, took the cheese off :-( & salad
Dinner pork steak
Snack nuts & strawberries.

I tried coconut cream in coffee, Hmmmmm, not completley sure about that. But bought some nice lemon & ginger tea.

It's Friday night and I could do with a beer.

Gilly, I'm not hungry either, but really want something yummy to eat.

Keep up the good work:T

Gillby1

Day 6

Pretty fed up, today. Switching between feeling full of energy and falling asleep on my feet. Might have an early night! Still, I'm one fifth of the way through, and the time is already passing quickly!

Breakfast: Coffee with coconut milk, chicken drumstick, prawns, berries and a peach.
Lunch: Bacon, egg, tomatoes and mushrooms.
Dinner: Roast pork (including lots of crackling - amazing!), roast sweet potato, broccoli, carrots.

Today I felt I needed a real boost, so I made some new snacks - sweet potato crisps (using coconut oil, salt, cumin, chilli and paprika, roasted in the oven), and a snack bar (basically almonds, dried cherries, ground flaxseed and a couple of dates chucked in the blender then shaped. This should last for a few days!). I also made a 'chocolate mousse' for pudding, after googling a few recipes. Amazingly, even my OH and both kids loved it! I blended about 6 lightly soaked dates, 100mls thick tinned coconut milk, a tsp creamed coconut and tsp coconut oil (to help it thicken), and a few teaspoons of cocoa powder, then mixed with an electric whisk and chilled in the fridge. You can vary the thickness of the mouse by adding more or less coconut milk, and I will use more next time as it set quite firmly after 30 mins in the fridge. There was only enough for a small ramekin of mousse each, probably only 2 tablespoons each, but it was obviously so rich that that was more than enough.

Does anyone have any good stuffed aubergine/pepper recipe ideas? I have some turkey mince to use, and lots of veg!

Flissh - I hope you're feeling good!

Just_a_Girl_2

Gillby1 wrote: »

Just a Girl, thanks for your post. I'm finding it really difficult today, and that's just what I needed to hear! I just saw a picture of a chocolate bar online, and could happily have licked the screen!!! How did you re-introduce dairy? Did you do it gradually?

Even better, after thinking it was Day 4 today, I've just realised it's actually Day 5! I'm definitely a bit foggy-headed today. I'm missing dairy the most, which is unsurprising, as I have probably had several servings of dairy products almost EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!!!

Day 5

Lunch: Saut!ed spinach and bacon with chicken thigh and almond 'satay'. Berries.
Dinner: Thai-style sole with asparagus, broccoli and spinach.
Snacks: Almonds and raisins - small handful
Coffee with coconut cream and cocoa. Mango.

I am not remotely hungry, but i really, really, really want to eat something ice-creamy-chocolatey-gooey. Will the cravings ever go away??? I have also been very irritable and short tempered all day. Grrrrr.

Flissh - how are you getting on?

Gilly

Stick with it Gilly! I bet by the time you're half way through, you'll be feeling awesome. I only planned to do it for 2 weeks, then changed to a month and have never really stopped.

Sure, I added in full fat dairy and rice but the rest of the principles I still follow.

I added the dairy back in gradually. I found the high fat stuff (cream, yoghurt, cheese) didn't upset my tummy and in small amounts, neither does full fat milk (I only drink unhomogenised Jersey milk) or ice cream but if I overdo it, it gives me an icky tummy.

I used to only have sweet potatoes on training days but found it was too difficult to hit my required carb intake. Then I read about pre-soaking white rice, which reduces what few anti-nutrients are left in and it's been my preferred source of starch ever since. I cook it in chicken stock which gives it a beautiful flavour.

Do persevere, it will get better, I promise!