Rockin' a Whole30 - uh...or a whole however many days are in 7 weeks.

[jdkc4d]

For my 6th quest, I am going to try a Whole30. Whoa. This might take some actual commitment on my part. My last few challenges, I have tried to keep it simple. It was an effort to try to get some wins under my belt. Now that I feel I have a few wins, I am going to try for something a bit bigger. In some ways, I think the last 3 challenges, have been leading to this anyway.  My goals therefore are the same as the Whole30 plan:

 

1. Eat vegetables at every meal
2. Don't eat dairy
3. Don't eat sugar/carbs
4. Eat good fats

As a lifestyle goal, I am keeping with my goal from last challenge, an activity every day.  I am also going to continue with the points system I half-assed established in the last challenge with a few adjustments.  

 

• Since I need to be eating veg at every meal, +5 points if I do it. -5 if I don't
• For goals 2 & 3, -5 if I eat those. 
• For goal 4, +5 for good fats, -5 if have those. 
• And continuing from last challenge, +5 points for every 10 minutes worth of activity. I found last challenge that this one really builds up fast especially now that it's getting warmer outside.  

 

Now here is something crazy. I didn't realize that the next challenge was going to start after a week break.  I am starting my challenge today.  That's going to make my whole30 long, as I want to keep it up till the end of this challenge. That's 7 weeks for those playing at home. Like previous challenges, I will put all of the meat of each week into one big long post that I update every week. Seperating it out, I lose track of the points too easily.  

 

Finally, I will be simul-blogging my progress over on the Whole9 forums: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/26541-jdkc4ds-battlelog-liveish-from-the-trenches/ There is also a link in my signature. 

 

 

See you slackers in a week!

[crar4321]

You brave soul, shucking another week onto your challenge! But good for you! I'll be checking in!

[jdkc4d]

Week 1

 

• Day 1: (10)

  • Breakfast: I had 3 hard boiled eggs. What vegetables go good with hard boiled eggs?. The plan was to make scrambled eggs and and in some broccoli and some red pepper. Those 2 just don't go well with the hard boiled eggs. I usually boil up a few eggs on Sunday night so that I can have a fast breakfast during the week. When I looked this morning, that only left 1 egg for scrambled eggs. There is no way I could do just 1 egg. I would be hungry before I got to work! -5
  • Lunch
    • The plan at the end of last week, was to start this week eating Easter leftovers, meat and veg. There were no leftovers, and there wasn't anything really in the fridge. I almost made some cod I have in the freezer, but ran out of time this morning. I'll have to run to the grocery store to grab something for lunch. 
    • I had grilled chicken. 1 chicken boob, 1 chicken wing, a bbq baked potato (cooked near the meat so it tastes like bbq, nothing on it), a banana, & 1/2 an orange. +5
  • Dinner:
    • I'll run to the store for real after work.  Pick up the things I need for the rest of the week. Should have done this over the weekend, but then again the stores were packed with people buying last minute holiday stuff.
    • I made paleo taco salad (ground beef, taco mix, tomatoes, chilies, red pepper), I added some avocado to round it out.  + 5
  • Activity: Fail -5
• Tuesday (5)
  • Breakfast:
    • For Breakfast I cooked 3 eggs over medium (half way between runny and solid) and added a can of green beans. Since I was taking half an avocado for lunch, I threw the other half in this. It was good. Also had a banana +5
  • Lunch
    • The plan is left over taco salad from last night, and half an avocado. +5
  • Dinner -5
    • In addition to taco salad, I also made some paleo chili.  There were a few things I had to leave out because I thought I had them but I didn't. That's what I get for going to the store right after work instead of stopping home first.  I omitted the onion. That might be problematic. I might pick up an onion today, cook it, and dump it in the pot. I reckon it needs to cook for and hour or 2 just to finish blending everything together. I ran out of time last night. In fact, I actually fell asleep on the couch, woke up and turned off the stove. Probably not good, but it was on low and I didn't burn anything down. 
    • I ended up not having this chili.  I didn't get home until late, and then I had to let it heat through. Long before that, I was starving. I ended up having a piece of chicken, and a single hardboiled egg. 
    • The chili recipe turned out way too tomatoey. I think I am going to blend it up and call it tomato soup. If only I had one of those stick blender things. 
  • Activity: 
• Wednesday (5)
  • Breakfast
    • This sounded great before I started making it.  However, it didn't turn out quite as good. 
    • I made scrambled eggs (4) with some red pepper and some avocado.  It was a weird thing. I ate it, but I will not likely have that combination again. +5
  • Lunch
    • Grilled Chicken Boob, Can of green beans, tomato. +5
  • Dinner
    • Grilled Chicken Boob. Forgot my veggies -5
• Thursday
  • Breakfast: I had an apple. Which is totally not a vegetable. -5
  • Lunch: The plan was to whip up some whole30 mayo, and rock some tuna salad. But a vendor came into the office and we got treated to lunch
    • Grilled Salmon, fresh veggies, cesar salad +5
    • I don't know if the cesar salad is technically Whole30, but I'm gonna ignore it. I think its close enough.
• Friday (0)
  • Breakfast: Apple (-5)
    • Ugh. I think I need some breakfast help. Any ideas out there? I am actually getting sick of eggs. I didn't think it was possible. 
  • Lunch: (0)
    • For lunch I brought 4 hard boiled eggs, a can of green beans, and an avocado. 
    • But I didn't eat any of it. lol
    • Instead I went to Jimmy Johns and had an unwich (sub sandwich without the bread) -- It isn't strictly whole30, but it can kiss my ass. Technically this has lettuce (the wrap, the normal lettuce), tomato (which I call a vegetable, screw whatever science says, and hot peppers.  But it also has some kind of dressing on it, and some kind of cheese, so I'm going to say net zero on points here. 
  • Dinner (5)
    • I had some slightly burnt cabbage and peppers, with some not cooked in any kind of sauce super bland chicken. I couldn't even choke it down. Was out of hot sauce. +5
• Saturday 90
  • Breakfast 0
    • None
    • I had a dentist appointment and didn't want to ruin it. Though it turns out I have cavities around where old fillings are. Huh? 
  • Lunch 5
    • I'm kind of proud of this one.
    • Grilled salmon, scrambled eggs, a tomato, and some broccoli. BAM. Mic Drop.  +5
  • Dinner -5
    • I had a pop-tart. EPIC Fail. Obviously this is not whole30. But I am not going to freak out because of a little screw up. I'm not going to be one of these people that starts over all the time. I need wins baby.  Lots of little wins = big wins. -5 for junk food.
  • Activity. (90)
    • I've really been slacking in this department this week. I don't know why. Just haven't been feeling it. But I took today and made up for it. Still working on tearing down the shed so that I can build a chicken coop there. Worked from 12:30 to 4:30 with only an hour break in there. ~ 3 hrs = 3*6 10 minute chunks = 18 ten minute chunks * 5 points = 90 points

[Countess D'If]

Super duper good luck! Kick its ass!

[CandiRose]

Whole30 is super hard if you arnt organised.

Good luck!!

[Catsandra]

Awesome challenge! I'm on the final week of my whole 30 and loved it! I feel great!

 

My "advice" would be to not feel like you have to stick with breakfast foods for breakfast. More often than not I will have leftover dinner for brekkers. Easy, delicious, and no having to worry what goes with eggs!

[jdkc4d]

Awesome challenge! I'm on the final week of my whole 30 and loved it! I feel great!

 

My "advice" would be to not feel like you have to stick with breakfast foods for breakfast. More often than not I will have leftover dinner for brekkers. Easy, delicious, and no having to worry what goes with eggs!

 

I have a finicky stomach.  It doesn't like a lot of things, especially at breakfast. For example, I have difficulty eating meat in particular beef in the morning. It always upsets my stomach.  Anything greasy or sweet is a problem too. So I can't eat any of the normal stuff for breakfast.  Sausage/bacon/pancakes/waffles -- all of them cause me issues in the morning.  Probiotics help, but I haven't figured out what I can eat my probiotics with yet in Whole30. I used to just dump them in a morning breakfast smoothie, but I didn't finish that half the time.  I am looking for some kind of pudding/applesauce that is paleo/whole30, but I can't really find anything. Before you ask, the gelcap upsets my stomach on the probiotic, so I always break it open and dump the contents into something else. 

[jdkc4d]

Whole30 is super hard if you arnt organised.

Good luck!!

Thanks. I am in theory organized, but I have trouble with making everything a head of time, and then actually wanting to eat it when the time comes. I need to come up with some like backup meals or something. 

[crar4321]

I like your points idea - are you using a certain number of points to decide whether or not you have passed the challenge?

[Countess D'If]

I have a finicky stomach. It doesn't like a lot of things, especially at breakfast. For example, I have difficulty eating meat in particular beef in the morning. It always upsets my stomach. Anything greasy or sweet is a problem too. So I can't eat any of the normal stuff for breakfast. Sausage/bacon/pancakes/waffles -- all of them cause me issues in the morning. Probiotics help, but I haven't figured out what I can eat my probiotics with yet in Whole30. I used to just dump them in a morning breakfast smoothie, but I didn't finish that half the time. I am looking for some kind of pudding/applesauce that is paleo/whole30, but I can't really find anything. Before you ask, the gelcap upsets my stomach on the probiotic, so I always break it open and dump the contents into something else.

Can you put them in tea? Or would that give it a taste?

[jdkc4d]

Can you put them in tea? Or would that give it a taste?

Tea?! Yuck. Tastes like leaf water.

[jdkc4d]

I like your points idea - are you using a certain number of points to decide whether or not you have passed the challenge?

 

Not really. Mostly I am keeping track of points over a week, and then I can compare weeks over the course of the challenge. Really, I just see how many points I get in a particular week, and then see if I can beat that number of points the next week.  I did this in the previous challenge too.  Throughout the points stayed relatively even, however in the last week due to some volunteering and then some yard work, they got blown way up.  I don't know if I'll beat that number this week, but I'll find out.

[jdkc4d]

This week I got 110 total points. I missed out on some free points I could have gotten from doing any activity during the week. My first week of whole30, wasn't a mega success. There were a few hangups, but I'm not going to let that stop me. Let's see how week 2 ends up. I definitely want to see those points go up. 

 

• Sunday 70
  • Brunch 10
    • 4 eggs over medium, green beans, whole avocado, apple, handful of sunflower seeds +5 for the veg, +5 for the avocado
  • Dinner: I had 1 bite of a really not good pork chop.  I spit it out.  I was busy doing other things, and didn't realize it.  Ended up not really eating anything for dinner. Don't know if thats good or bad
  • Activity 60
    • Mowed the front yard. It was a beast. The grass was about a foot tall, with all the rain we have had lately. On top of that I think I have some moles, and when they ran the gas line to the house last fall, they drove some kind of machinery over the lawn.  There are 4 horribly placed ruts on one side of the yard. I pretty much had to pick up the damn mower every 3 feet to get through them. Usually it takes an hour, today it took 2. 60 points
• Monday 15
  • Breakfast: I picked up some "breakfast steak" I think its just some really thin steak.  It cooked like crap in the aluminium pan I used.  I have one more left. I'll try cooking it in cast iron. Let's be real, cast iron is the best.  Had this with some broccoli (+5) and some unsweetened applesauce so I could have my probiotic. Hopefully that will be enough to keep my stomach in check.
  • Lunch: I had some taco salad (meat, taco mix, onion, red pepper) and an avocado. +5.  I had this a couple of times last week, so I knew it would be good. That said, about 3 hrs after lunch I got some major league acid reflux.  Felt like crap. Thought about going home early even. But I only have 45 minutes left to go, and traffic is going to suck cause its opening day in STL.
  • Dinner: Green beans and chicken boobs. A dinner of champions. Also had some mango slices. +5
• Tuesday 40
  • Breakfast: 2 Hard boiled eggs -5 for no veg. Ugh. 
  • Lunch: Grilled buff chicken boob, green beans. +5
  • Dinner: I had some beef & broccoli.  No rice or anything. It was a recipe I found on Paleo Leap. +5
  • Activity:
    • I rocked 12 minutes on the bike while reading a book. I didn't even notice that the time was almost up. Usually I am checking every minute or two. +5
    • Mowed the back yard. Took about an hour +30
• Wednesday 10
  • Breakfast: Steak and asparagus, cooked in cast iron in clarified butter. Yum yum.  +5
  • Lunch: Taco Salad +5
  • Dinner: Buffalo Chicken. Fail, no veggie -5
• Thursday
  • Breakfast
    • I've had it with eggs.  Whole thirty may as well be called the egg diet. Ugh.  Both days this week that I had steak for breakfast, while it totally agreed with my tastebuds, my stomach had other things to say. So beef is out of the question for the AM. 
    • I woke up today in F*$% the world type of mood. Ended up eating a donut at work. -5
  • Lunch
    • Was planning on finishing the taco salad off for lunch.  That would have been a good +5, but alas, it was not meant to be.  As lunchtime rolled around, my boss comes in and says, lets go.  We ended up going to Red Robin for lunch...yum.  Had the one that has bbq sauce, fries, and a bottomless lemondade. It was good. -5
  • Dinner
    • The plan is to get back on track for today...if that's even possible at this point.  I have some salmon in the freezer, and that should go well with the asparagus thats sprouting in my garden. That and a long walk would really round out this day. 
  • Activity
• Friday
  •  
• Saturday
  •  

[jdkc4d]

Going back up and re-reading what I wrote for my points scoring, I realize that I haven't figured points for any of the good fats. For a moment I thought about re-calculating all the points from week 1, but instead I'm just going to skip that and try and score properly this week. 

[Teros]

Having done 3 whole 30s; they are intense.  It depends on how healthy you were prior to starting one. Some people have told me, "Yeah, I didn't notice a big change."  Well they weren't eating take out and candy 3-4 times a week; so they didn't have an intense detox period.

 

Props to you.  Good luck and have fun. It made a huge difference in my life.

[Shello]

nice looking challenge.  You've really stepped it up this time.  Looks like you're doing pretty well after the first week.  Some hiccups are expected. 

 

I really like asparagus with eggs, especially if you make them a little soft boiled.  YummY.  if you make it in the morning it takes like 5 minutes under the broiler.  Although I think your biggest hurdle will be finding foods that don't unsettle you.  

[jdkc4d]

nice looking challenge.  You've really stepped it up this time.  Looks like you're doing pretty well after the first week.  Some hiccups are expected. 

 

I really like asparagus with eggs, especially if you make them a little soft boiled.  YummY.  if you make it in the morning it takes like 5 minutes under the broiler.  Although I think your biggest hurdle will be finding foods that don't unsettle you.  

 

Yup, plus finding things that aren't eggs to eat for breakfast. I like eggs, but I just can't eat them every day. 

[Shello]

How about not just plain eggs?  How would you feel about browning some meat (turkey sausage, chicken, whatever) and then adding whisked eggs to it to make a scramble or something quiche-like?

 

Although just some grilled chicken and some fruit sounds yummy for breakfast too.  

[jdkc4d]

I'll try it.  I am looking forward to melon season. Some mixed melon would be good. Mmmm....watermelon....drooool. 

[stealthstitcher]

 

• • Breakfast: I picked up some "breakfast steak" I think its just some really thin steak.  It cooked like crap in the aluminium pan I used.  I have one more left. I'll try cooking it in cast iron. Let's be real, cast iron is the best. 

 

Yeah! Having decimated a crock pot and a stoneware casserole dish this week, I have decided I shouldn't touch cookware that isn't cast iron. Maybe I should just get cast iron plates, bowls and cups too. Also, everything tastes better cooked in cast iron and if it's well seasoned, cleanup is easy.

I actually kinda miss Whole30, so I'm a bit jealous.

[Zahira]

What about a chicken stir fry for breakfast? I also think doing some different veggies with your eggs could help change it up a bit. And spices! Use them liberally! A Whole30/Paleo breakfast I really like is some shredded sweet potato fried up in a little coconut oil. When one side is done, turn them over, crack your eggs, I use two, on top and put a lid on until the white are done, and the yolk is to the doneness you like. Then, scoop into a bowl, add whatever and enjoy! My daughter also had made something she found on Pintrest or something, called a protein pancake which was just eggs and mashed banana. They weren't half bad, but they may not be strictly Whole 30, as they could be considered "sex with your pants on" food.

[jdkc4d]

I found a beef/broccoli recipe I am going to try for dinner tonight. It calls for Brussels sprouts, which I have never had before. Wish me luck: http://paleoleap.com/beef-and-broccoli-stir-fry/

[Zahira]

Brussels Sprouts are great, when cooked right. Roasted with olive oil in the oven, they are great, and adding bacon makes everything better! I hope your recipe turns out, it looks good.

[jdkc4d]

Brussels Sprouts are great, when cooked right. Roasted with olive oil in the oven, they are great, and adding bacon makes everything better! I hope your recipe turns out, it looks good.

 

Well cooking them on the stove apparently was not the right way to cook them.  I was hoping they would soften, but they never did. In the end, I just threw them away and ate the rest of the stir fry.  Which was good, but I think next time I need to cut the meat smaller and add some carrots or something.  It was kind of mushy. 

[jdkc4d]

Yeah! Having decimated a crock pot and a stoneware casserole dish this week, I have decided I shouldn't touch cookware that isn't cast iron. Maybe I should just get cast iron plates, bowls and cups too. Also, everything tastes better cooked in cast iron and if it's well seasoned, cleanup is easy.

I actually kinda miss Whole30, so I'm a bit jealous.

 

Re-seasoned last night and cooked the steak for breakfast this morning.  It was so good...I was sad I had to brush my teeth...