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Read MoreWhole30: Self-Care Edition 10/14/12
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 12 (Saturday, October 13)
Sleep
8 hours
Activity
WOD!
10:00 time limit: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 reps
box jump
burpees
one-arm db snatch (15#)
I completed the 8th round before I ran out of time. Here are my “burpee legs:”
Hatha Star Yoga. We worked hard today in yoga — lots of holds in various lunge positions that culminated in plough.
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.
Post-workout snack, 8:30 a.m.
1/4 cup roasted butternut squash
1.5 ounces beef roast
Breakfast, 11:30 a.m.
1/2 cup sweet potato
4 ounces beef roast
(I was on the run to do a video shoot with Hilah Cooking, so I ate in the car… no time for proper veggies.)
Lunch, 2:30 p.m.
1 can sardines
1/2 large orange
1 large carrot
salad:
1 large cucumber
1 cup snap peas
3 scallions
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar + fresh parsley
Dinner, 8:00 p.m. — Takeout from Firebowl Cafe
I gambled a little bit and, for the first time in over a week, enjoyed a first meal I didn’t have to cook. Firebowl has a gluten-free menu and the ginger sauce I chose didn’t have any flame icons that indicate heat, so I’m hoping there were no surprise spices in the recipe. It tasted really bland, so I’m pretty sure I did OK. I could/probably should have asked questions about the ingredients, but honestly, I just really didn’t want to have to deal with it. I cut myself some slack and decided to be “good enough,” instead of striving for perfect.
chicken + shrimp w/ broccoli, water chestnuts, carrots
ginger sauce
1/2 orange
Mood
I ran the gamut from super excited (I loved my backyard WOD!) to determined (I will hold his warrior pose with a smile on my face.) to giggly goofball (Video shoot with Hilah Cooking!) to wiped out (I’m pooped; I have lie on the couch and watch Midsomer Murders.). I’ll be glad when monthly cramps are over.
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Hey Mel,
Nice post with at-home workouts. You inspired me to do some short intervals on the water while I was rowing this morning. It sets a great pace and it’s not too much. It makes me feel energized when I get off the water and not exhausted.
P.S. My face looks like your legs when I flipped tires for the first time. For some reason I thought I needed to use my cheek to get the tire up.
Love it! I feel like the dirt is a pretty badass accessory to the outfit, no?
There are THIRTEEN SEASONS of Midsomer Murders! This excites me quite a bit. I’m such a fan of fun Brit-tastic TV and you’ve mentioned them enough that I’m like “Ok, Holly, you must look into this.” And 13 seasons!
FUN!
Perhaps this will by my next TV Power Hour marathon. 🙂
I really love them. Each episode is like a movie, and they’re good sleeping TV, too… you know: watch a little, snooze a little.
I adore the characters, and the villagers involved in the murders are always deliciously horrible people.
Squash, YUM, need to get on this.
Yay burpees! Alas, no burps for me for awhile. Surgery on my triceps last Tuesday and now a cast for the next 8 weeks. So far, still grinning. Will be looking to your blog for fun posts like these (sans cramps).
Oh! A cast! Please tell me your friends are signing it and that there are curse words on it by now.
Hang in there! Sending all good vibes your way!
In theory, the new craptastic gym is open, so we’re making our first trek to the new location tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes!
May I just say: now would be an excellent time for you to try kundalini yogs. No triceps required 😉
Today is day 1 for me. I just completed a 30 day program with no results. It was very disapointing and demotivating. I think I need to heal my AI diseases before I will see results so I decided to following Chris Kesslers 3 step program. i am ranenous today! Did cf and am exhausted to boot. I just reviewed the AI protocol and see she recommends eliminating nuts and many spices all together. I’m wondering why so strict…
Mel, I have a couple of questions. I posted on the Whole30 forum but I think perhaps in the wrong place to get noticed. They are general questions (not Whole30 specific) so I thought I would ask you…
1. In looking for Balsamic Vinegars without added sugars, I found a lot of them labelled “Contains Sulfites.” Then I found a couple of others labelled “Contains only naturally occurring sulfites.” I know that wines have naturally occurring sulfites, and in fact, that’s what enables the subtle varieties of taste (in addition to the variety of grape) and the reasons “organic wines” aren’t especially appealing, because the naturally occurring sulfites have been removed. Okay, so wine AND natural vinegars (not distilled white) are both made from grapes, so it occurred to me that ALL vinegars must have some amount of naturally occurring sulfites in them. Is this true? Are naturally occurring sulfites okay (as opposed to added sulfites?) Also, do you know what “grape musts” are (another ingredient)?
2. I am on Day Six of my Whole30, and our “pep talk” of the day involves SLEEP! I used to sleep in a “Cave Dark” bedroom, but due to my allergies, I need an air filter which glows like the Starship Enterprise at night. I clearly can’t throw a blanket over it, and some of the lights are internal (behind the fan, etc.) so I can’t cover with tape. Is sleeping with an eyeshade an “acceptable” way around this, or is that not recommended?
Thanks for any help on these!
I’ll do my best, but I’m no expert…
1. All I know about balsamic vinegar is what I read in the Whole30 Success Guide, which is “no added sulfites.” I supposed naturally occurring sulfites would be OK.
2. It’s all about doing what you can, not being perfect, so slap an eye mask on your face and call it good. 🙂
I’m interested in the autoimmune mods to Paleo. I have Addison’s and Hashimoto’s (no adrenal glands left at all and minimal thryoid function.)
My life depends on taking artificial cortisol daily. I literally would die without it. Steroids have side effects similar to high cortisol levels. I’m stuck being moody, anxious, having acne, and being unable to lose weight.
I just started reading this blog. I just wanted to reach out and say that I understand “adrenal fatigue” because my body completely destroyed my adrenal glands. It sucks sometimes. Finding energy is hard. I can gain weight on very, very little food from the combo of no adrenals and thyroid. I don’t respond to stress like other people do and I get tired of them telling me to relax when I physically can’t.
You look great. You are doing great. It’s not an easy row to hoe. I’ve looked around your blog a bit and don’t know where you get the energy. Some days I am so tired I can barely sit up. Some days I kick ass, but not nearly as many reps as you do.
Maybe the autoimmune mods with help. Thanks for the link.
Thanks for writing! It really helps all of us to know there are other people in a similar boat of circumstances.
Thanks so much for the support, too!
Best wishes to you for good health and good spirits!