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I'm on Week 3 now of my January 2016 Whole30 (See Week 1, Week 2, Week 4) and no major revelations this week except reinforcing what I already know – that stress can mess you up pretty badly even if you are eating squeaky clean. I had a pretty stressful/emotional week and ever since Wednesday, when the stressful event occurred, I've had symptoms of adrenal fatigue. For me those are: getting tired in the afternoon, having sugar cravings, and waking up quite a bit while sleeping. To counteract this I made sure I got some really good sleep this weekend, am taking it easier on the workouts for a few days, and making sure I get in some relaxation time and meditation. Hopefully that will be enough to get rid of this blip.
I also noticed this week that my hands were starting to get kind of dry, which is not normal for me. I don't wear any moisturizer so it's not because I stopped using that. To me it's a sign that I'm not getting enough fat. So I upped the fat content of my diet a bit mid-week and I can already tell a huge change for the better in my skin. For me more fat looks like adding some coconut oil and coconut milk to coffee every so often and taking about a tablespoon of olive oil as a supplement each day. I might also add a spoonful of ghee to my nightly chicken stock drink or to a dish I am eating.
And finally one really good thing happened this week. Warning – this is probably more for the lady folk 🙂 That was that I only spotted for a day, and just a teeny tiny bit. If you read my post on my last few months of eating, I mentioned that I was spotting for days and quite a bit. Like a freakin period before my period. So this is a great step in the right direction back to where I had been for a good year after correcting my adrenal issues.
Anyway, on to what I ate:
Day 15:
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Breakfast: fried eggs over leftover apple/potato hash from Day 13 and mixed greens
Lunch: Leftover fish from lunch on Day 14, leftover kale salad from dinner a few nights ago, and a sauce I made up of mayo, curry powder, sea salt, and lime juice since fish tends to dry out when you reheat it.
No snack
Dinner: Indian-spiced pork tenderloin and pear chutney (recipes by Danielle Walker in the Against All Grain cookbook), and roasted brussels sprouts and fennel.
How I felt: decent energy level today but had a hard time focusing. Also had a terrible time falling asleep for some reason.
Workouts: None (though I did start doing my usual 20 pushups against the bathroom sink, 1 minute plank, and random squats throughout the day that I did all winter when I felt low energy).
Day 16:
Breakfast: Leftover beet and orange salad from lunch on Day 14, Suja green juice, and 2 hardboiled eggs. I saved myself time and lots of frustration by buying the pre-peeled organic hard boiled eggs from Costco because I absolutely suck at peeling eggs. Like really suck.
Lunch: Leftover pork tenderloin and brussels sprouts from last night. Again made the curry sauce because pork also tends to dry out when reheating, so rather than choke down dry pork I'd rather have a sauce to dip it all in.
No Snack
Dinner: Hamburger topped with sautéed onions, peppers, and mushrooms and a fried egg, plus grilled sweet potato wedges
How I felt: I was a bit sleepy tired, probably from not being able to sleep the night before.
Workouts: A 20 minute pilates workout from Dailyburn.com and two 15 min brisk walks.
Day 17
Breakfast: Eggs scrambled in ghee, 2 pieces of bacon, and a glass of Suja green juice
Lunch: Leftover chicken breast from dinner on night 15 that I made into a chicken salad with curry powder, mayo, sea salt, raisins, and walnuts over a bed of mixed greens
Snack: A handful of macadamia nuts (no picture – totally forgot).
Dinner: Mocha Pot Roast and leftover squash soup from Day 14.
How I felt: STRESSED. Today I had some stuff happen at work that got me shaking mad and crying. Not a good day for me. So I did a pretty hard workout, a guided meditation, and used some essential oils to get me back on track. But man, how stress can mess you up. Between the hard workout and the stress I needed to snack, which I haven't had to do in over a week. Not sure if I snacked because I was truly hungry or because I just wanted to emotionally, but need to make sure I don't get that stressed again soon.
Workouts: A few short walks and the 15 minute Tabata workout from the Dailyburn.com
Day 18
Breakfast: The last remaining little bit of leftover Indian Spiced Pork Roast and 2 hard boiled eggs.
Lunch: Leftover hamburger, sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and grilled sweet potatoes from dinner on Day 16, plus a Wholly Guacamole pack. And yes, there is a tad bit of sugar-filled ketchup on my burger. My lunch got mixed up with my husband's by mistake and he had put some ketchup on his. So “gasp”, I ate a teeny tiny bit of sugar 🙂
Dinner: Chicken Picatta (using green olives instead of capers since we were out) and broccolette. We roasted the broccolette via this method: Cut the bottom 1/3 off of the broccolette stems, toss with melted coconut oil and sea salt, place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and roast at 425 F for 25 min. Toss with balsamic vinegar (make sure it doesn't have added sugar).
How I felt: Physically tired after my workouts yesterday and this morning but not all run down like I did the last time I did a hard cardio workout. So I will see if I can start incorporating them a little more frequently (I worry because every time I do I either get sick or feel super run down, so my immune system doesn't seem to love them. Ah, what doing 3 Ironmen triathlons will do to your body… Hence why I tend to stick with more “gentle” options like Pilates and Yoga”). I did notice a bit of tiredness right after work, which is exactly when my fatigue would set in when I had adrenal fatigue, so will keep an eye on that though. Think it's more due to yesterday's stress and emotional output rather than the hard workout, but yeah, will keep an eye on that to make sure it doesn't continue.
Workouts: A harder flow Yoga workout on Dailyburn.com that I literally only got half way through. It was meant to be more for legs but after about 3 minutes straight in Downward Dog my arms were burning and shaking so badly that it was all I could do to finish 16 minutes of the workout, much less the entire 35! Hmmm…. Apparently need to keep at this. I find it so interesting that Yoga can either be so relaxing and feel so good or can really be a freakin tough workout! Also did two 15 minute brisk walks.
Day 19
Breakfast: The last of the leftover hamburger, sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms from dinner on Day 16, a Wholly Guacamole pack, 2 hard boiled eggs, sauerkraut, and decaf coffee blended with coconut milk and coconut oil. I'm not sure the blended coffee drink is really in the “spirit” of Whole30, but I really think I need some more fat in my diet. I don't wear moisturizer on my hands and since I implemented a higher fat diet I have never needed to, but I have noticed my hands starting to get a bit dry. And I also oogle at and crave the sticks of butter I see in the fridge at work, so yeah, thinking I need more fat. (If you recall, in week 1 I ate snacks that were mainly fat and protein based, but now they I don't eat them I am not getting in as much fat.). I will also probably take a tbs of olive oil each day as well (I take it straight, like a shot).
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Picatta and broccolette
Dinner: Larkburger Turkey burger and leftover squash soup. We have a Larkburger near my older son's after school care and both my husband and I didn't feel like cooking after such a stressful week, so we decided to get Larkburger. They all had fries but I was good and just had leftover soup with my turkey burger. We brought it all home and sat in front of the tv on a blanket and watched a movie – something we call a “micknick” and a special treat for the kids.
How I felt: I felt good, energetic, and focused in the morning but around 3 the tiredness started to set in again. A bit concerning since it had happened yesterday. I'm hoping a good night of sleep will take care of this.
Workouts: The Gaiam pilates workout with Ana Caban. Well, 20 minutes of the dvd that is – I didn't have the stamina to complete it today as my abs were burning so much that I was in pain! So instead of pushing through like I would do in the old days (aka the days that caused me to wind up with all these adrenal issues) I simply decided to spend the next 10 minutes gently stretching. It also shows me that since I couldn't complete either today's nor yesterday's workouts that my hard workout on Wednesday has affected me more than I thought. I'll still continue to pursue the harder cardio efforts, but again, I am not going to push through and instead will allow myself PLENTY of recovery time. I see some relaxation type yoga in my future. Also did two 15 minute brisk walks at work.
Day 20
Breakfast: A scramble of eggs, red bell peppers and ground beef and topped with avocado and cilantro. Plus my weekly cup of caffeinated coffee. I also added some Cholula hot sauce after I took the picture.
Lunch: We had lunch while watching the rodeo at the National Western Stock Show in Denver today. We had Applegate Farms hot dogs and Inka Plaintain Chips. My husband grilled the hot dogs at home before we left and then we just kept them warm in a Lunchbots thermos.
Snack: i didn't take a picture as we were busy walking around the Stock Show, but I had a Cashew Cookie Larabar. The hot dogs didn't fill me up as much as my usual meals did, so I was starving by 2.
Dinner: Boneless pork chop seasoned with Primal Palate Adobo Seasoning and then grilled, and green cauliflower roasted and tossed with pine nuts, dried apricots, green olives, and raisins.
How I felt: Today was much better than the last 2. I was tired in the afternoon, but that I think was more due to all the walking around at the Stock Show rather than emotional/adrenal exhaustion. It was 60 degrees here today so when we got home I sat outside in the sun for a few minutes and felt fantastic after that.
Workouts: None – but spent a few hours walking around the Stock Show.
Day 21
Breakfast: A bacon and sweet potato hash topped with 2 fried eggs and avocado.
Lunch: Leftover pork chops and cauliflower
Dinner: Chicken Strips from the 21 Day Sugar Detox cookbook and roasted green beans ( we just toss them with avocado oil, roast them at 425 for about 35 min, and then toss with fresh lemon juice).
How I felt: I slept a bit better last night than I had been so I felt pretty good today. However, all my efforts to remain unstressed and peaceful were erased while watching the Broncos vs Patriots so we shall see how that affects me the next few days.(Go Broncos!!).
Workouts: None, unless you call jumping out of my seat repeatedly during the game a workout.
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