Whole30: Self-Care Edition 10/17/12

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 15 (Tuesday, October 16)

Sleep
8 hours

Activity
Sprints! I did the 4-mile loop around the lake: half hour walk at a nice, brisk pace with my heartrate hovering around 120 — then intervals of 30-second sprint + 2-minute recovery walk. Total time: 1 hour.

Kundalini yoga. We had a substitute teacher and focused on kriyas (poses) that involved chanting, so we were basically breathing, chanting, meditating for the entire 75 minutes. I felt suuuuuuper groovy and relaxed by the end. Petfect ending to sprint day.

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, 11:00 a.m.
1/2 cup sweet potato
4 ounces roast chicken (thigh + breast)
2 cups broccoli
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Lunch, 3:30 p.m.
4 ounces roast chicken (thigh + breast)
2 cups zucchini noodles + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil + Penzeys Pasta Sprinkle
1 cup carrots (raw)

Dinner, 8:00 p.m.
4 ounces Italian Roast Pork
1 1/2 cups mashed cauliflower (from Well Fed)
1 cup sautéed yellow squash w/ coconut oil & garlic

Mood
According to Dave, I might have been a little short-fused — not angry, just a bit testy. And now I know why: I woke up with a head full of goo this morning. This is the first head cold I’ve had in recent memory (2 years?!), and so far, it’s sucky.