NourishingWhole

Day 4 and 5

Woke up this morning and my whole body aches, like when you’re sick. I don’t feel sick, just extremely tired, and sore. Thanks body.

Didn’t get a chance to post yesterday, and maybe I will just do weekends together, I don’t know, we will just see how it goes.

Day 4: 4th of July

We had a busy day of parties.

Breakfast: We went to a church activity, and I brought a whole30 compliant breakfast. No picture, but yummy! I made Against All Grain’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole, from her Meals Made Simple book.

Lunch: We joined up with all of the local in-laws at McDonald’s to have lunch with Mr. Wonderful’s Grandpa. It was fun, the cousins played, family chatted, and I brought my lunch. Chicken salad, lettuce, and some yellow bell pepper strips.

Dinner: We had a little picnic inside. I had made us a fun patriotic dessert, Whole30 style, sweet potato fries, and some hamburgers. I had mine with some bbq sauce from yesterday and guacamole over a bed of spinach.

My fitness pal says I was under my calorie goal, but I might of miss-reported the amount of fruit I at with my toddler.

Day 5:

Like I said earlier, today is Fast Sunday. I chose to fast today for breakfast and lunch.

After church, I had a small lunch. We then went to Palouse to visit Grandpa, and had dinner at the in-laws. I had already started dinner, before he had planned to go, so we took one of my favorite paleo dishes. I think this was my first paleo meals I made, roasted chicken with paleo gravy, also from Meals Made Simple.

Late Lunch: of orange bell peppers, green beans, and some chicken salad

Snack: half a leftover hamburger with green beans and bbq sauce.

Dinner: Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted carrots.

Snack: Apple with roasted carrots. Mr. Wonderful decided to watch a movie at his parents, and I getting hungry, so I ate the rest of the leftover carrots and an apple.

I don’t fast normally, and I think on top of this, it was probably a poor choice. I feel like over all I ate more today, that I would have had I not chosen to fast.

If you wish to follow me on Instagram, follow me @ashlgetsfit. I post a lot here on the blog, but sometimes, a quick picture sums up my feelings better.

July 3, 2015–Hangover or “Kill all the things”?

Day 3! Today is Mr. Wonderful’s birthday, and it was an uneventful day. He went camping last night so he could go sailing early, before it got too hot out. So we started our day a little later than planned.

Also, according to the Whole30 timeline, I should be feeling the “hangover” or the “kill all the things” stage. Not sure what a hangover is, since I have never consumed alcohol before. But this morning, oi! Even after breakfast I was hangry. Feeling good now, and hopefully it can carry over to tomorrow.

Food Log:

Breakfast: Smokey Sweet Potato Hash Browns (I could eat these every day for the rest of my life!!) Bacon, eggs (I hate running eggs, and will only eat scrambled or hard boiled), and green beans.

Brakfast Whole30 Day 3 — Breakfast Whole30 Day 3

Lunch: Chicken Salad over some lettuce and half a bell pepper.

Dinner: Mr. Wonderful requested “real” mashed potatoes. I don’t really like potatoes so we don’t normally have them. He also wanted to smoke something. but it has been so hot, we decided to just grill some chicken instead.

Homemade Whole30 compliant BBQ sauce, grilled some chicken with it, green beans, mashed red potatoes, and some strawberries for dessert.

Tomorrow is a busy day, starting with a church breakfast. So tonight, I made a slow cooker breakfast casserole to cook while we sleep. Extra work, just to stay on track. But it serves 6 so now I have breakfast for the next 6 days, win win!!

Staying under my calorie goal, and not feeling light headed and fatigued like I did last month. Not sure if it is the supplements recommended from my doctor, or whole30.

July 2, 2015–Day 2

Today I was reading through some posts on the Whole30 about taking the sacrament or communion. I am a member of the LDS church. And after I posted my menu for the week last night, I realized this Sunday is our monthly Fast Sunday.

I usually forget, until we get to church.

Anyway, it got me thinking about what, as someone on Whole30, is to do for this religious ceremony. With my past forum experience, I figured the moderators would basically say “Whole30 is LAW! Do not deviate, even for religion.”

But that is not the case.

Communion and the traditions of religious practices are exempt from Whole30 rules, much like a doctor’s orders trump Whole30 rules.

FROM A MODERATOR! Two great things here.

I don’t have to figure out some compliant “bread” for sacrament on Sunday.
Doctor’s orders trump the mean ole moderator. I was beginning to feel like my Whole30 wasn’t a true Whole30 and that maybe I was being a brat. (I am not getting my way, so I am going to just run away, brat.)

Food Log:

Breakfast: Green Eggs, it was hard to stomach this morning so tomorrow I will have to figure something else out. Here is a lovely cell phone picture for you of it.

Lunch: I had yesterday’s leftovers, added some more chicken salad, and had some carrots and paleo ranch. No picture of lunch today, you got one yesterday. And hopefully you know what carrots and ranch look like.

Funny story for you about lunch, I set my salad down to go and get my carrots and Mr. Z decided to help himself to some lettuce. That kid loves his leafy greens!

Snack: Apples and Almond butter. At 4 I started dinner, and was hungry, so snack time! I have some almond butter, and choose that over some sunbutter I have. Bad choice. I kind of hate almond butter. It is like super sweet peanut butter.

Dinner: The boys had pasta and meatballs, I had, leftover Bacon Wrapped Pesto-Stuffed Chicken, over some leftover green beans from last night and pasta sauce.

Overall, today has been fine, under calorie goal. I am hungrier than yesterday, and a little more crabby than usual. I do have dull headache that started about dinner time, and I figured it was because I haven’t been as good on my water was I was yesterday. Hopefully, tomorrow isn’t too bad, as it is Mr. Wonderful’s birthday!

Week 1 Menu

I thought it would be something readers would like to see, so I will post my weekly menu with recipe links if available.

Week One: July 1st to July 5th

Wednesday, July 1st
Breakfast: Green Eggs
Lunch: Chicken Salad and lettuce
Dinner: Pesto-Stuffed Prosciutto chicken

Thursday, July 2nd
Breakfast: Green Eggs
Lunch: Chicken Salad and lettuce
Dinner: Pasta Night

Friday, July 3rd (Mr. Wonderful’s Birthday!)
Breakfast: Green Eggs
Lunch: Chicken Salad and lettuce
Dinner: Barbecue Chicken, Mashed potatoes, Oven Roasted Carrots

Saturday, July 4th
Breakfast: bacon eggs, sweet potato hash
Lunch: Chicken Salad and lettuce
Dinner: Hamburgers, Sweet potato fries, Strawberries, bananas, blueberries

Sunday, July 5th

Breakfast: Overnight Breakfast Casserole
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Roasted Chicken with thyme gravy ad roasted vegetables

July 1, 2015–Day One!!

Last nights plans to get a bunch of prep done, kind of fell apart. Today, hasn’t been awful, but it has gone as smooth as I had wished.

I wrote a little history for you, so check out the ABOUT section.

Also, this post is going to be a two parter. First, I will do my food log, and then I will share with you some details on why I am doing this, that part will be a little, umm, TMI. I will let you know, so if you wish, you can stop reading.

One rule, for Whole30 is no stepping on the scale or body measurement for the duration of the 30 days. Today, I weighed in, for a reference point, 208 pounds.

Food Log:

Breakfast: I like to call this Green Eggs; spinach, onions, and zucchini saute in EVOO with salt and pepper. Scramble in two eggs. Serve with some salsa. Now, I took pictures, but for some reason I only have a picture of lunch today.

Lunch: Chicken Salad over a bed of Lettuce. Chicken salad is based off of this recipe. (I wasn’t feeling well, and didn’t finish it, and saved the rest for a snack if needed, and I didn’t need it.)

Dinner: Green Beans, Bacon wrapped Pesto-stuffed Chicken (Original recipe is Prosciutto Wrapped, but I couldn’t find a compliant prosciutto.) I am sad I don’t have a picture of this for you, as it was yummy!

Under my calorie goal, especially since I only ate about ¾ of my lunch.

I did wake with a headache after after lunch I couldn’t get it to go away so I took some excedrin.

Alright, here’s that TMI part that if you don’t want to you can stop here. I am warning you so now you can’t complain that there was no warning.

Some days, my IBS will flare. Usually, I can tell, and can get to a bathroom in time. In college, I carried a change of clothes and wipes for if, heaven forbid, I couldn’t make it.

With all of these changes I have been making these flares have been fewer, but every now and then they come out of nowhere.

Today, it happened. After lunch, I could feel it coming, and I am arguing with my 2 year old to get into his carseat, thinking, “If you just get in you seat, RIGHT NOW, I can make it home.” Nope. I shit my pants in the parking lot. And more is grumbling on down.

I start to panic, I am in the next town, and embarrassed. What am I supposed to do?! Luckily, I was at a place where I could get to a bathroom to let my gut finish expelling itself. I pick up Mr. Z run inside, and take care of business. I call Mr. Wonderful, cause, really, after 6 years of this he can always turn this into a laughable situation.

“I need you to come save me.”
“What do you mean? Lunch meeting is starting and it’s lasagna!”
“I am really sorry, but I need new pants, NOW. And… I am in Moscow.”
“Seriously!”
“Yes! I pooped my pants”, I whisper.
“Oh! On my way!”

After he brings me pants, he says, “This is great birth control, maybe we shouldn’t solve it.”

Usually, grown adults can control their bodily functions. This isn’t something, I should have to deal with. Honestly, if I can get this fixed, and I stay at 208 pounds. I will be happy. Yes, weight loss is a goal, but truthfully, health is my overall goal.

June 30, 2015–I haven’t even started and I have learned so much.

The first thing that I have learned is that the Whole30 forum isn’t for me. I personally have a hard time with negativity, “tough love”, and criticism. Yes, I am an adult, and no I don’t need to be coddled. Maybe if it was said, “Calorie counting is not part of Whole30, while your doctor has asked you to do that, we discourage it” And a link to the rule that explicitly states No Calorie Counting, cause I couldn’t find one.

I hate how text on the internet can be so misconstrued.

I want a support network, and so I have started this journal of sorts. I am a terrible blogger! My family blog hasn’t been updated since March 2013… but this is going to be a journal for me to talk about my success, and work out issues and frustrations.

Comment and participate with me on this journey, but please be kind!
I have also learned that some foods I just assumed to be compliant are not! Peas, yup, no frozen peas, green beans are allowed. Also, I was hoping that lemon juice was, but only fresh, the bottle stuff has sulfites in it.

No Peas

No Bottled Lemon Juice

I am trying to take today to prep for this next week. I do not want to crash and burn in the first few days.

Today’s prep list:

Make Chicken Salad for Lunches
- Make Mayo
- Boil and shred chicken
Cut vegetables
- for breakfasts
  - Bag for easy mornings
- for lunches
- for dinners
Double check everything is ready for tomorrow
PULL OUT CHICKEN
Make Pesto

June 29, 2015–Grocery Shopping day

Last night, after I posted my first “journal entry” on the forum, I got an almost instantaneous response. At first I was, “SUPPORT!! Somebody either resonated with what I said or they just want to give me a high 5 for taking the huge step of committing.”

But that was very short lived.

I am using this part of the forum as a “Journal” of sorts. The first post in this forum even stated that it is to used this way and that “We will only comment when asked, or if we feel that significantly unhealthy or dangerous behaviors are taking place.”

I did not expect to have my first comment feel like a slap on the wrist. (And that is probably not what the moderator was going for)

It has turned me off a little. No scratch that, A LOT!

As someone struggling with body image issues, food issues, and low self-esteem, telling me that I am doing something “BANNED” from the whole30 rules, was hurtful.

Now, I am not saying all this because I am mad, I am saying because this is how I feel (I am not mad, ok, shocked and discouraged, yes). There is a reason why I waited until this evening to respond. I talked to my husband, and some friends that have done whole30 before, and I took a step back and tried to look at it through a moderator’s eye, and I searched to see if counting calories really was banned. Not to prove him wrong, but to learn.

This is what I learned, whole30 is about PORTION CONTROL, and changing the way you look and act about food. Licking out the sunbutter jar because you can have those extra 100 calories, is not whole30.

I get that.

I am working with a doctor, specifically for losing weight and healing my gut issue. She gave me specific guidelines to follow ALONG with the whole30 rules. I am going to be following that prescribed plan.

If that means I am not doing a “true whole30” to you, then that’s ok. I bet your whole30 doesn’t look like mine either.

Now, no more talk about calories and he said she said. (I will also try to refrain from talking about calories and macros throughout the rest of this whole30 journey.)

Grocery shopping today! Last week I made a menu; breakfast, lunch, dinner and optional snack when needed. I wrote out every single item that I would need for all those meals. I check off ingredients I already had, we went to Costco to stock up on a few things. And today, I went to get everything else.

Out of my list there were 2 things that I couldn’t find a whole30 compliant option: Fish Sauce and Pancetta. Only brand of fish sauce I could find was carried at my local food co-op, and had sugar. Looking through the forums, I hear that an Asian market might be a better option. We have one, I just haven’t had the chance to go to it, ever.

As for pancetta, usually the co-op has a couple of brands, but they were out. And I wasn’t too surprised that the second ingredient in the only brand I could find at the grocery store was sugar.

So, my options are, just not use the fish sauce, or go check out the asian market. And for the pancetta, just substitute bacon (I have compliant bacon!).

June 28, 2015–Preparing for my First Whole30

It is currently 103* F outside and about 85* inside. I am sitting planning to start my first whole30 on Wednesday, July 1st. It going to be a bit of a challenge, (my sister is getting married July 11th and we will be traveling for 4 days for it), but I am going to do it.

I feel like for years now, I have postponed doing something for me. I am tired of being tired, fat, low to no self esteem, and the gut issues, completely over those.

I am currently seeing a new doctor to hopefully fix my gut, but I know if I really want to fix it, I can not eat pop tarts and bon bons forever.

I try to eat Paleo, but it is hard, I love FOOD. I eat, because I want to, because I am bored, because my gut hurts and maybe it will help.

Whole30 for me is going to be difficult, I know I will have days where I will hate it, but I am hoping that by August, I am feeling better.

What my Whole30 is going to look like:

1500 Calories a day
40% fat
30% carbohydrates
30% Protein (this outline is doctor prescribed for me as I am trying to lose weight)
The first week I am not planning on doing any exercising, and will re-evaluate for week two.
Menu planning on Sunday, grocery shopping on Mondays.

What scares me about Whole30?

SUGAR. SWYPO foods. No sugar and SWYPO foods, scare me. I never really realized how much sugar I eat until I went paleo in January. All I have wanted to do is recreate “normal”” sugary treats to “paleo-ified” sugary treats. Heck, I even read labels at my local health food store and justify a non-paleo ingredient or two for a convenient treat.

SWYPO foods, I love bread. And I have found a couple paleo bread recipes that have helped curb my desire to just throw my hands up and buy some cheap white bread and eat the whole loaf.

I am a binge eater. Something that I have always known in the back of my mind, but it was until recently, that I have really been able to say it. This is another thing about Whole30 that scares me. I am afraid that my habits are going to be hard to overcome. I am hoping that having a strict outline of NO foods will help to keep me strong so I can overcome my natural man tendencies.

What do I want to achieve through this Whole30 journey?

Weight loss, duh!

I want to prove to myself that I am not my Mother. It will be 3 years ago, July 15th, that I got the wake up call of a lifetime. My mom, died of a heart attack at age 56. I was 10 weeks pregnant with our now 2 year old, and all I could could was hold myself together for our long awaited baby. After he was born I had some post-partum depression, and climbed my way out, by looking at everything that I could change so that I WOULD NEVER become my Mother. She died at over 400 pounds, type II diabetic, and as someone who had lost all hope.

I have not lost my hope, I know that I can and will overcome my genetic history. It is why we went gluten free with a 6 month old. It is why in January we went Paleo. It is why today, I am going to do Whole30. It is why I went and found a new doctor who believes me that do have some sort of gut issue, and is supportive of me taking control of my gut, health, mind, and spirit.