Dave and I are in a small trough of rest between my parents' visit to Prague and our upcoming trip to Venice—where we'll explore for...
Read MoreWhole30: Self-Care Edition 10/8/12
From October 2 through at least October 31, I’m documenting my Whole30 and autoimmune protocol, including the when, what, where, and how much of my sleep, activity, food, and mood. Although I follow the Whole30 guidelines 90% of the time anyway, I’m going all-in for the next 30 (or maybe 60) days to give my body a chance to stabilize after enduring adrenal burnout and a thyroid medication experiment.
As Melissa and Dallas of Whole9Life are good at reminding us, context matters, so if you’re not familiar with my checkered past, you might want to read these previous posts:
- A Healing Experiment: to deal with adrenal and thyroid issues
- The Thyroid Experiment and Update on the Experiment
- Weight & Body Image Stuff: I Love My Body and Why is Thinner Better?
- N=1: or why self-experimentation is a pain in the butt but the only option
Not familiar with the Whole30? Learn all about it here and get extra help with the Whole30 Daily.
Not interested in the Whole30? Don’t sweat it! I’ll be posting other stuff like recipes, workouts, and other adventures, too.
Whole30: Day 6 (Sunday, October 7)
Sleep
8 hours
Activity
Does cooking count?
Food
I’ve found my appetite is less ravenous, and I feel better if I eat in a 12-hour window — usually between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. so I can stop eating about 2-3 hours before going to bed — and don’t snack between meals or before bed. Because I’m on a mission to lose weight/body fat, I’m measuring and tracking my food right now; all quantities are cooked unless otherwise specified. I’m also following the autoimmune protocol. I train in the morning, so breakfast is right after my workout.
Breakfast, 10:00 a.m.
1/2 cup roasted sweet potato
4 ounces roasted pork shoulder
3/4 cup broccoli
1 teaspoon coconut oil (I had a little less added fat because the pork shoulder is quite fatty. YUM!)
1 1/4 cup cauliflower soup
Lunch, 3:00 p.m.
4.5 ounces roasted pork shoulder
1 large carrot
1/2 apple
big-ass salad:
1/2 head lettuce
1/2 extra-large cucumber
Penzeys Foxpoint Seasoning + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dinner, 8:00 p.m.
big-ass salad:
4 ounces roasted chicken
1/2 head lettuce
1/2 large cucumber
1/4 sweet onion
1 cup snap peas
Penzeys Pasta Sprinkle + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
small orange
Mood
Today was an odd mix of cocooning and industriousness. I stayed in my pajamas all day (!), but I did a bunch of writing, worked with Dave to take photos for some exciting blog posts this week (new recipe!), and dealt with a bunch of annoying stuff like packages for shipping and straightening up the house. My energy was pretty good, although I have to admit, I wanted to take a nap today, just because I wanted to snuggle in bed, not ’cause I was really sleepy.
Song of the Day
The Riff Off from Pitch Perfect
We saw Pitch Perfect last night, and it was a crazy-fun time. The audience clapped after the musical numbers, and there were some shockingly funny moments. It’s hard not to love this:
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Hi,
Thanks for posting your latest whole 30, its going to be excellent to see what a real person ACTUALLY eats daily ;O)
I’ve read a few paleo books, but I find breakfast a real difficult 1 to get my head around.
I wondered though – as you eat almost perfect most of the time, why do you even need to do a whole 30 at all?
Also I have just bought Well Fed and wondered why I am not seeing your fantastic recipes being used in your own diet?
Thanks for the inspirational blog :0)
Hey, Jason! It helps if you think of breakfast like any other meal or snack… try some protein + veg or soup or chili… it’s awesome!
The reason I’m doing a strict Whole30 is because I just switched my thyroid medication and I’m trying to control all other variable while we see if this medication and dose (1) help with my energy levels and (2) help me lose some fat I gained the last two years of adrenal burnout and thyroid woes. For me, the Whole30 is less about discipline and learning about my eating habits — which I definitely experienced in my previous Whole30s — and is more about really taking care of myself through this health transition.
There are a few reasons you don’t see a lot of my Well Fed recipes on my blog right now. The first is that I’ve been really busy, so just cooking some raw materials and making Hot Plates is faster/easier. Also, I’m following the autoimmune protocol, which means eggs, nightshades, and most spices are out for the month — which means many of spicy recipes from Well Fed are out of the months. Finally, we’re starting work on Well Fed 2, so I’m testing those recipes — which means I don’t have a lot of time to make old recipes right now.
Thanks for commenting!
Hey Mel, love your blog! This is the first time I’ve ever posted here. I’m really loving your daily reports. Today is day 1 for me of cutting out the crap! I’ve been eating Primal for a year and a half, but have fallen into the bad pattern of too much junk on the weekends: popcorn, dried fruit, eating out where there is sneaky sugar. All of these things in and of themselves are not terrible, but I have found that two days of junky eating add up and I spend the first half of my week feeling like crap. Why do I do this to myself?! Anyway, I look forward to seeing your progress. Also, I actually found your blog when I was searching Wendler’s 5/3/1 program. I am in my second week of that program and was wondering if you’re still doing it? I’m a former CrossFit junkie, but was kind of getting burned out on it. I am enjoying the two days a week of heavy lifting and then just kind of doing whatever the rest of the week. Anyway, good luck to you!!
Congratulations on tightening the reins on your eating — those “little treats” DO add up… and isn’t that annoying?! 🙂
I love 5/3/1 and we are still doing it but… our gym relocated and has been closed for 2 weeks. I think we’ll be able to get back to our routine tomorrow. And I really miss it, so I’ll be glad to get back under the barbell.
Thanks for clearing that up for me Mel, I remember in my old bodybuilding days that sticking to just the raw ingredients made things much easier to monitor.
After having my gall bladder removed a year ago I’m still nervous about going full paleo & still have some white rice now & then. & a few other bits. I have read soon much about the benefits of eating whole grains and low fat, and it seems to have the science to back it up and so many follow it. Paleo just seems against the grain and I am concerned the high fat will basically do something bad like kidney stones or something, I really don’t want to go through anything like he gall bladder again, that’s for sure!
Thanks for sharing your life and findings on line for us and good luck with the meds.
Sorry about your gall bladder. I wonder if my thyroid and your gall bladder are hanging out together somewhere, having a drink and mocking us 😉
Stacy at Paleo Parents also had her gall bladder removed. Her posts might help you feel more comfortable with paleo.
http://paleoparents.com/featured/how-to-enjoy-bacon-without-a-gallbladder/
http://paleoparents.com/featured/stacys-new-protocol-and-mantra/
Good luck! Stay in touch!
Hope not, my surgeon said my gall bladder was a stinking mess! His words! Better out than in I guess ha…
I’ll go check out those links, thanks for doing that for me.