How food makes me feel post-Whole30

Since I’ve been done with the Whole30 for roughly two weeks, it’s about time I do an update on how I feel.

First of all, the reintroduction phase was interesting… to say the least. Here’s what I’ve learned about how different foods affect me:

Dairy: Mostly bloating, gassy-ness, and general discomfort in the gut. It’s when I eat dairy that I notice my stomach sticking out a bit further than it should (think preggers). Red Mango didn’t seem to affect me as badly though.

Grains: Feel fuller faster and mild discomfort. Not as much as dairy, but doable. I don’t hate myself after like I do with dairy. But I do get really tired after eating grains.

Legumes: Just grossness that I’d rather not get into. Let’s just say it’s bad.

Soy: Kind of makes me sick to my stomach, hot/cold flashes and I feel like punching someone.

Alcohol: Felt fine for the most part, just couldn’t sleep worth a damn.

Cookies: For the first week, it was OH, THE PAIN! Both in the gut and the brain. After having a few cookies though, it dialed down to discomfort and hot/cold flashes. And it depends on the kind of cookie.

Cookie dough: I felt fine. Weird how that worked. If anyone could explain this to me, that would be awesome.

Chocolate: Didn’t feel a thing. Then again, chocolate is magical. ;)

—

Up next is a recap in photos including some of my meals and before/after photos. I’m debating if including Before/After should be debated… haha. There was a difference, but whether or not I want to share me in a photo with a sports bra on and spandex shorts on the internet.

Reintroduction – Aversion Therapy for Cookies

Remember how I talked about how I wanted a cookie throughout much of my Whole30?

Well, today I had my very first cookie. The Neiman Marcus Million Dollar cookie. I had about five minutes of enjoying it’s lusciousness before it happened.

Oh, dear God. If I thought the Whole30 was hard at any point, I take it back. All of it. I take back wanting a cookie for that whole time.

Why? I legitimately feel like I swallowed a million dollars. My stomach is painfully churning, and is super bloated, and because of that my head is really fuzzy. After ONE cookie! In short, I feel like absolute shit. That’s a contender for the Understatement of the Year.

I think it was the butter. Or the shavings of Hershey chocolate bar. Or the chocolate chips. Either way, my stomach is totally hating right now.

So what do I do with these amazing cookies that my mom made me?

I’M GIVING THEM AWAY. As good as they are, I do not want to feel like this. I don’t know who ever would!

Because, even though this was the delicious Million Dollar recipe, the nasty side effects are a witch with a capital B.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to track down some Tums. And cry. :(

Days 28 – 30 of the Whole30 & Reintroduction

If I didn’t have to pull late nights this week, I imagine it would be easier. But alas, I’m done with the Whole30.

The last couple days got to be hard, but a lot of that was because of an intense daily schedule, not enough sleep and not a lot of time to prepare meals. So I ate out quite a bit. Luckily, there are a couple restaurants that are easy for me to eat at. Except I did resort to eating the veggies and chicken breast off of a Burger King grilled chicken sandwich one night, bun left untouched. That’s between you and me though… shhhh!

I was in a rush, okay?!

Onto other things…

It’s now time for me to start reintroducing foods into my diet to see how they affect me. Today I’ve been doing grains/breads/starches. They are virtually all the same food group.

First observation: I’m sticking with eggs for breakfast. Cereal in almond milk doesn’t cut it and it leaves me hungry 90 minutes later. Eggs keep me covered for 3-4 hours.

Second: I think I need to keep up mostly a Whole30 mentality and meal plan with just the addition rather than the full substitution of a meal, like with the cereal. That equals a very satisfied girl.

Third: I’m not feeling bloated per say, but I can tell my stomach feels different with grains in my system again. More of a full that doesn’t go away.

And fourth: my energy was shot to hell at 9. Don’t know if that was because of 6 hours of sleep last night or the grains… Either way, I can’t function like that.

Onto day 2 of reintroduction tomorrow!

Day 25 – 27 of #Whole30 ~ Is it over yet?

One thing that the Whole30 timeline doesn’t mention is the couple of days near the end where the only thing on your mind is, “When will this be over?”

I don’t know if I’m just one out of a million, but I’m ready for the Whole30 to be finished. I’m feeling good, eating well, sleeping better, and my clothes are either fitting much better or falling off my behind… but now the pressure of cooking every meal is just getting tiresome. While it’s been awesome, I’m going to need some more convenience in the next month because of an insane work and rehearsal schedule. When you only have an hour between getting home and having to leave for rehearsal, it’s hard to put together a meal that isn’t simple with short prep time. My variety is in short supply… that’s not exactly a recipe for long term success. I’m not saying I want to resort to processed foods (ew!), but I’d like to be able to eat things that don’t require a whole shebang to prepare. Like an almond butter and jelly sandwich.

The thing is, I still want to eat well! If this month has taught me anything, it’s this: you really are what you eat. And in that, if you’re eating wholesome, fresh and non-processed foods, your body works in top notch form without much effort. That’s basically the whole premise of It Starts With Food. PS: That book is definitely worth a read.

I did try cooking my eggs another way today and those turned out to be tasty. Finally feel safe enough in my cooking skills that I can experiment more!

Only a couple more days!

Day 22 – 24 of Whole30 ~ Getting there…

Oh, goodness. I can’t believe I have less than a week left of this.

I think that stomach thing from the other day has thrown me off. I haven’t quite been the same since. I’ve still been doing well on the food (nailed making the perfect tender chicken last night), feel like I’m eating eggs far too often (every morning), and getting different kinds of veggies to try making (brussel sprouts are next on my list). But my energy has been iffy, no thanks to a jacked up sleep schedule.

One good thing: that big batch of food I bought last week is still around! I still have a little chicken left, the steak, sweet potatoes, onions and part of a pepper still around. Maybe I went out to eat too much… haha. That could be it.

Interesting though, I don’t find myself missing a lot of foods. It’s more of a “Oh, that’s right in front of me at this very moment. It looks kind of good, but I don’t need it. I’m eating delicious foods that I know are good for me.”

Now I’m not going to go crazy when this is over, but there are a few things that are must-haves. Red Mango is one for my dairy re-introduction day, and cookies. Must have cookies.

My mom has promised me Neiman Marcus million dollar cookies when I finish. I know I shouldn’t “reward” myself with food, but if I’m indulging in a cookie when I’m done with the Whole30, I want a damn good cookie. Neiman Marcus fits the bill perfectly. Have you tried these cookies? They are seriously amazing.

Okay, enough about tantalizing foods…

The Whole30 email today dealt with going green when it comes to things we use to clean the house and put on our bodies. It’s definitely given me something to think about. It could be a fun project when I move into my own place in a little over a month. :)

Day 20 – 21 of #Whole30 – What the preggers?!

You know how last time I talked about how eating well generally makes you feel good?

Well, I don’t know what was in my dinner last night, but somehow I ended up with a distended stomach. I seriously got home, looked in the mirror, and thought I looked like I could be near the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. It was terrifying! I didn’t feel ill or anything; no bloating feelings, nothing. This morning I woke up and my belly was back to normal–even flatter than usual since I got in my Pole workout this week (yay!). Strange? You bet your bottom.

My friend and I went out to dinner last night to one of my favorite restaurants in Salt Lake City–The Copper Onion. The food is local, fresh and it’s all delicious. I eyeballed their Cast Iron Mary’s Chicken, which came with sweet potatoes, olives and kale. Our server informed us that the chicken is organic, free range, no antibiotics, and basically everything that makes it a gold star food when it comes to the Whole30. I requested that they cook it without butter and wine, and they happily obliged (though the guy who brought us the food made a little joke saying “extra butter and extra wine”… I wanted to slap him because that’s so not funny right now). And it was divine! The chicken was absolutely perfect, even the bones didn’t bother me. And the sweet potatoes tasted really nice (wish they gave me more of those!). Any restaurant that can get me to eat olives is definitely a good one. The mushroom side we ordered was good too, but there was nothing in it that could have triggered the stomach to bloat that bad.

Now I don’t know what caused the whole pregger stomach and what I should avoid to have that not happen again. Weird right? What did I do wrong? :S

Other than that little mishap, things are great! I’m feeling good, though my sleep is lacking since I haven’t been getting to bed until midnight. Early night for me tonight for sure. I’m also sore from my workouts that I was able to get in on Sunday and Monday. I haven’t been able to workout as much as I would like since rehearsal and work take up so much time, so it was nice. Now I just hurt, haha. It’s a good ouch, but it still hurts!

What’s the strangest reaction you’ve ever had to food? Do you know what caused it? 

Day 17 – 19 of the Whole30 – Sticking with it!

This weekend, there seems to have been a shift in my experience with the Whole30. Things have been a roller coaster, for sure. First couple of days were good, then a week was awful because of exhaustion, and this last week was going great (until Friday, that is).

Now… I feel like I could eat this well for a lot longer than 30 days, and that I want to. I’m feeling good, eating delicious foods that I know are good for me, my energy and focus is getting better, my body feels awesome (not to mention, trimmer)… things are just good all around!

The only place I’m running into trouble is when I go out with friends. Last night, I went to see a concert with one of my great friends and one of his other friends. They wanted to go get a treat after the show. And of course, they all wanted ice cream. And for reasons beyond me, I just happened to be hungry. It sucked because my friend was my ride, and I couldn’t just leave. I couldn’t eat anything at the diner. All of it, and I mean all of it, was not fit for my Whole30 experience. So I guzzled water, the odd man out.

So when I can re-introduce foods I’m curious to see how each different food group makes me feel. I’ll need to document that well, so I know what affects me adversely.

No meal rundown today… but I’m making turkey again tonight with red bell peppers, onions and magical-ness. ;)

Have you noticed how different foods make you feel? Do you not eat certain things because of it? 

Day 16 of the #Whole30 – Focus!

Focus on the door, Otis, focus on the door!

I feel like no one ever gets my Bill Engvall reference whenever I say that. But then again, I’m not entirely sure what he’s supposed to be referencing there…

Anyways! I just realized that in the past week, when I really focus on something, I am like Edward Scissorhands chopping up those bushes into animals. I get stuff done fast! Well, it’s not like I don’t usually get stuff done, but now I just whiz right through my tasks. I’m finishing books faster, my work projects quicker, picking up choreography at play practice super fast. So when the time comes when I have nothing to focus on, I actually feel my brain fly the coop until the next thing comes along. It’s weird… Positive side effect of the Whole30? No idea. And I’m not sure how I feel about it. Good thing on the productivity side though.

• Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with pico de gallo, coffee with almond milk
• Lunch: spinach, shredded carrots, canned pre-cooked chicken, strawberry balsamic (soooo good!)
• Snack: almonds
• Dinner: Zupas nuts about berries salad, no dressing, with a small bit of chicken… Such a rip off, btw

How I feel:
Over all, very well! Feeling good for the most part. My sinus infection is practically gone; I just have the phlegmy cough left to fight off and my voice is workable so I can be ready for my Les Mis audition tomorrow! So excited. Skin is dry since I’ve been walking outside more the past couple days though. It’s too stinking cold and dry. Looking forward to cooking a meal for two tomorrow! :)

Nighty night!

Day 14 & 15 of Whole30 – Halfway through!

Somehow I missed the boat that lentils were legumes and now I feel really bad. You know that soup I thought was Whole30 compliant? Not so much. It was a lentil soup. Because of the sinus infection, I only bought two cans–one eaten Monday, the other last night. These aren’t Whole30 friendly! And I didn’t realize it!

#shameonme

However, when I assessed how I felt after. I didn’t feel bloated, but I did feel comfortably full. I was stunned a soup could do that. My energy hasn’t changed or anything. I don’t think it made much of a difference… so I don’t have to start over, do I? Thoughts?

On Monday though, while catching up on my favorite shows on my iPad, I used the 90 second commercial breaks to punch out some pushups and bicycle crunches. Since I haven’t worked out in ages, I expected to be sore. Nope. Absolutely nada soreness. Thanks to Whole 30? I think so!

And sleeping… oh my gosh. It doesn’t matter if I go to bed at 10 or 12; when my Sleep Cycle alarm rouses me (best alarm app ever!) I’ve been tempted to press the green smiley icon for “how I feel.” Then I think to myself, no, I want more sleep… but my body refuses to listen! As soon as those pretty tones wake me up, I’m up. It both sucks and is awesome–it’s weird. And my sleep quality percent is consistently high now too. (You can check out Sleep Cycle here… you’ll love it, too, I promise!)

So I guess I’m seeing some cool positive side effects already from doing the Whole30! I’m down with that.

Day 14 meals

• Breakfast: 3 egg omelet with red bell peppers
• Lunch: apple, spinach, shredded carrots, topped with garlic beef I made at my friend’s over the weekend (delish btw)
• Snack: cashews
• Dinner: that not-so Whole30 compliant soup and a tablespoon of almond butter, Lara Bar for treat

Day 15 meals

• Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs and an apple
• Lunch: Cafe Rio tortilla-free tostada chicken salad with only guacamole and pico
• Dinner: lamb, red bell pepper and sweet potato topped with coconut oil
• Late night snack: almond butter… What? I get hungry right before bed!

Oh, and I can flip an omelet on a pan without it flying away from me. Master cook in training!

So things are starting to look up! Yay! :)

Day 13 of Whole30 – Sicky Sinner

Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned.

I’ve been sucking on Halls cough drops (damn sinus infection). They have stuff in them that I’m technically not supposed to be ingesting during the Whole30… but if you had my cough, you would totally understand. Halls are the only ones that work. One or two and I’m good for a few hours. With other brands, like Ricola, they are like candy, don’t work and aren’t on the Whole30 either. So pardon me for wanting something that actually works on my throat.

Not only that, but the vegetable soup that I found that I thought was Whole30 compliant really wasn’t. I realized that when I poured it for lunch and saw potatoes in there. Granted, the can said organic potatoes (and my eyes somehow missed that part), but still… not supposed to eat potatoes. But I brought nothing else for lunch, so what did I eat? The soup.

Sigh… curse being sick. Of all the times for me to fall ill, it just happens to be during a time when I can’t eat real chicken noodle soup. Figures.

I met a friend for dinner and he said that he’s reading It Starts With Food right now! That’s the book behind the Whole30, the science, the plan and everything. He says he’d like to try it soon. It would be cool to have another friend doing something like this. :)

Meal rundown…

• Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs & an apple
• Lunch: Vegetarian soup
• Snack: almonds, strawberries and pineapple
• Dinner: CPK chicken salad (avocado, slivered almonds, beets, hard-boiled eggs, dried cranberries, etc)

How I feel:
Body feels good, again, aside of the sinus infection. Strong drugs are kicking it out, but the coughing stage seriously sucks. This time the coughs hurt worse than they sound… and that’s saying something. That means they hurt like a beast. My tastebuds are certainly perking up at different flavors, and I feel like I’ve tasted some amazing things through this already.

Still waiting for that cookie though… ;)