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 10/23/12
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 21 (Monday, October 22)
Sleep
9.5 hours
Activity
Run/Walk. Oh, man! Today was my first day with the new Zombies, Run! 5k training app, and it was awesome sauce. You can read more about it on my Tuesday 10 post. The workout itself was 10 minutes of walking + 10 intervals of 15-second sprint / 1-minute walk + 10 minutes of “free form running” which, despite the name, doesn’t mean running with your arms overhead or with dance steps mixed in (although, how awesome would that be?!). No, “free form running” meant I had to run and walk according to what felt right to my body. It was a great cardio workout and my first step toward reclaiming my ability to run a 5k whenever needed (or when zombies attack).
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, 10:30 a.m.
4 ounces Italian Pork Roast
1/2 cup sweet potatoes
1 cup broccoli
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Lunch, 4:00 p.m.
1 can sardines
1/2 pink grapefruit (I could not be happier that it’s grapefruit season!)
1 large carrot
1 cup cauliflower soup (recipe posted tomorrow!)
salad: 1 cup snap peas + 1/2 lg cucumber + scallions + parsley + 1/2 tablespoon EVOO + 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Dinner, 8:00 p.m.
4 ounces grass-fed short ribs (recipe next week)
1 cup zucchini + 1 cup broccoli w/ 1/2 tablespoon EVOO + Penzeys Fox Point Seasoning
1/2 pink grapefruit
Mood
Great! I got a ton done today, my jeans fit like a dream, and I felt pretty peaceful.
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I love grapefruit, too! I’ve avoided it, though, because I read it inhibited the absorption of some medications–including thyroid meds. Do you have different information? I would love to feel good about eating grapefruit again.
Good Heavens to Betsy Ross! Is there anythign that doesn’t monkey with thyroid meds?!
I’d never heard that, so I did some quickie Google-ing.
LiveStrong says this:
Thyroid Medications
A study published in the September 2005 issue of “British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology” discussed the case of a young hypothyroid woman whose blood thyroxine levels fell following heavy consumption of grapefruit juice. In this case, the patient’s use of grapefruit was sufficient to cause a significant decrease in her thyroxine levels, despite an increase in her medication dosage. The ensuing study, using 200 mL of grapefruit juice three times daily for only two days, showed a 10 percent decline in the absorption of levothyroxine due to grapefruit consumption.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/432531-grapefruits-effect-on-thyroid-medication/#ixzz2A8Y6x37c
Which doesn’t sound too worrisome. Grapefruit juice 3X a day isn’t what I’m doing.
Then I found this from Mary Shomon, who I love:
“NOTE FROM MARY: There is no evidence that grapefruits or grapefruit juice have an impact on thyroid medications. Patients on thyroid hormone replacement drugs are cautioned, hwoever, about the use of calcium fortified citrus juices, as the high levels of calcium in these juices can interfere with thyroid medicine absorption. Also, starting or stopping a high-fiber diet can affect thyroid medication absorption, and so thyroid levels should be tested four to six weeks after starting or stopping a high-fiber diet. Ideally, to ensure optimum absorption of thyroid medications, they should be taken first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, about an hour before eating.”
http://thyroid.about.com/b/2005/10/06/prescription-drugs-can-interact-with-a-variety-of-foods.htm
And here are tips for taking thyroid meds:http://thyroid.about.com/library/howto/htthyroid-drugs.htm
I think 1/2 or 1 grapefruit per day is just fine. At least that’s what I’m rolling with…
Buying grapefruit this week!!!
Back in the day, when I used to drink, I used to love a fresh grapefruit juice with vodka. Just saying.
Is there any better feeling in the world than when your jeans fit well?!
Nope. There really isn’t! 😉
I second this and third this…
Hello. Curious if following the autoimmune protocol is making you feel any different? I am on my first whole 30, day 9. I may do another whole 30 after my first and follow the autoimmune for my hypothyroidism.
BTW I just purchased your cookbook. Cant wait to try out some new recipes next week!! I would this week but I have the week already planned out.
Good luck to you and your health!
A
Congratulations on 9 days of Whole30-ing!
I haven’t felt any difference on the AIP, but at the end of my 30 days, I’m going to do the one-at-a-time reintroduction thing to make sure. I didn’t *think* I had an underlying autoimmune issue because my thyroid issues are a result of having it removed, not Hashimoto’s, etc.
I’ve been doing more reading on the AIP and some practitioners recommend being paleo for a few months before jumping into the restrictions of the AIP. But if you’re doing a Whole30 and then extend it, that could be pretty great. I’m taking my Whole30 to a Whole60 (through November), but I’m stopping the AIP at the end of October.
Great info on reintroduction here:
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/09/reintroducing-foods-after-following-the-autoimmune-protocol.html
Thanks for the info! I’m not missing much so I am planning on sticking this out longer than 30 days.
Just wanted to say– thanks SO much for your caramelized coconut chips recipe. I started the AIP 8 days ago, and I have been craving crunchiness like a madwoman. I might have eaten the entire recipe yesterday, but I didn’t eat the macadamia nuts I was wanting 🙂
Jeans fit like a dream! yessss, and 9.5 hours of sleep=fabulous