Whole30: Self-Care Edition 11/1/12

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 30 (Wednesday, October 31)

This is the last recap of my Whole30 + autoimmune protocol. WOOT! Now it’s time to re-introduce the forbidden foods and see what’s what. More on that in my next post. For now, here’s what my last day looked like. Vegetables were missing in a big way.

Sleep
8 hours

Activity
Strength training! YAY! Heavy deadlifts and overhead press, plus a cashout of more deadlifts, presses, and overhead squats. It felt really good, and I had tons of energy all day, despite my lingering headcold.

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 .5 ounces pork chop
2 cups broccoli w/ 1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 cup sweet potatoes
I stir-fried the whole thing with 1/4 teaspoon ginger, garlic powder, and a tablespoon of coconut aminos. Awesome.

Lunch, 2:00 p.m. – Thai food in a restaurant
I’m a little ahead of myself since it’s Day 30, but I started re-introducing hot peppers via some red curry.
salmon in red curry sauce (no veggies, unfortunately)

Dinner, 8:00 p.m.
Vampire Fighting Pork Stew
pink grapefruit

Mood
Awesome! I love Whole30-ing, and I honestly could not be happier that my autoimmune experiment is over. Look for a big post soon on what I learned from the experience.