Whole30: Reintro: Dairy

I started out the morning with a glass of kefir. It's not the world's best taste, but I developed an affinity for it while living in Prague. Plus I can get organic full-fat kefir here (though not organic whole milk, which is just weird). After I drank it I felt great. And the gas and super-soft poo stopped almost immediately!

And then I ate some of that so-mild-you-can-barely-taste-it "Gulost" cheese for lunch. It seemed heavier and not as nice.

Who knows what that means? Maybe I should still try to minimize the non-fermented dairy? I don't feel terrible, but I also felt like that cheese was kind of a waste for me. Tomorrow I plan on having more kefir and some yogurt and perhaps skipping the cheese.

And I obviously haven't gone to bed yet so maybe I will put milk in my tea today.

Whole30: Day 30

I did it! I didn't have dairy or legumes or added sugar or white potatoes or grains or alcohol or msg or paleo versions of grain-based treats (read here: banana-egg pancakes).

I feel good, but I feel ready to re-enter some of these food categories. The added sugar hasn't been too hard, actually. It's not hard to say no to someone's cake when I can say "no, I'm doing a crazy diet right now". As I mentioned yesterday, it's about the packaged sauces. And I know they aren't healthy, but the ease of use of a bouillion cube is fabulous.

But tomorrow morning I plan to have milk! And cheese!

And I want to add rice and white potatoes soon, especially in a cooked-and-cooled fashion, as apparently that produces "resistant starch" which isn't digested in the stomach or small intestine, which means that it doesn't send your blood sugar up. This sounds wonderful and magical to me, and also would explain why I don't remember feeling bad after our breakfast eggs-and-rice dish, or after pytti pannu (kind of a hash involving leftover boiled potatoes and various meats).

fried eggs
banana
beef, cucumbers, tomatoes, coconut pumpkin soup, blueberries
cashews, raisins
pork marinara sauce with celery root noodles
orange
tea

Whole30: Day 29

I am almost there! It was a good day, though I think I had too much fruit in the evening (I couldn't resist that pineapple) and am gassy again.

Naturally, I am giving a lot of thought to the re-intro and what I want to start eating again. I really miss dairy and that is my number one priority. And I would like to include rice, especially in the context of breakfast. But otherwise? I don't miss the sugar very much and I feel just fine not having it. I miss the social aspect of a treat now and then, and the idea of not eating chocolate sounds sad. But really on a daily basis I don't miss it. The hardest part of that "no added sugar" rule has been the weird things it has eliminated: Worcestershire sauce, taco sauce, pasta sauce, mayonnaise, fish sauce, etc.

For most or all of those things I could make substitutes by hand. Pasta sauce is easy, of course; it only requires a bit more planning and work. Mayonnaise is easier than I had expected and I think I might continue to do it just because I like the taste. But taco sauce or salsa is not easy to make myself here in Norway because the ingredients are hard to find. And Worcestershire sauce sounds challenging to make and is such an easy way to flavor meat for burgers or in the slow cooker. So I don't want to keep up the no sugar rule for these little things, but I will try to eat less overall. And Kimmo claims he prefers my homemade pasta sauce, so I guess we have to go with that now (and in case you're wondering, the kid and the husband eat it over pasta whereas I usually just scoop it over meatballs or [just lately] experiment with zucchini noodles or celery root noodles).

boiled eggs
chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli
apple, cucumber and tomato salad
pork and cabbage stir fry, tomatoes
pineapple, orange
tea

Whole30: Day 28

This morning the weather was beautiful so we went on a hike. I had Otso in the baby carrier, so going up was quite a workout. We had a picnic at the top of the mountain and then we went back down. On the way down I was feeling wonderful, like people talk about when the talk about the Whole30. What was different? I got some real exercise and I ate only a light lunch. And I am starting to believe that I am eating way too much and snacking way too much to have a really effective Whole30.

So, what is my trigger? Basically, it's boredom. The Whole30 emails have suggested a little worksheet where you map out your eating triggers, and mine is most definitely boredom. They suggest that since I'm aware of this, I should find something to do instead of snack (read, play a quick game of something, watch a video on youtube, etc.) because most cravings only last a few minutes. And here is the problem: I spend my day with a baby and a toddler. And it is really stressful and a lot of work to keep both happy and occupied and growing, but that doesn't mean it isn't boring. Playing doctor for the millionth time? Boring. Playing peek-a-boo for the millionth time? Boring. And I can't just get online and do something that I might enjoy like read an article or study up on some database stuff, because then the baby would cry or the toddler would ask me to come play or something. So I grab a snack. How do I express any creativity these days? By cooking something new and delicious.

With this in mind, I would really like to try this kind of experiment again in a few months when I go back to work and have a bit more control over my daily schedule and I'm not breastfeeding all day long (which is another snack trigger, I know). I think I would like to try a modified version, since I am pretty sure that I don't have any physical problems with dairy or potatoes or grains, especially rice. So maybe I could just try to eat low carb but maintain access to things like yogurt and milk and cheese, and only eat rice early in the day when I am most likely to actually use the extra calories?

fried eggs, grapefruit
apple, banana, kiwi
tuna, boiled eggs
beef, salad, carrot/cauliflower puree, broccoli, cauliflower, mayonnaise
pineapple

Whole30: Day 27

I'm so close to the end! Today I was really missing the opportunity to drink juice because my throat has been hurting. I feel like I am not drinking enough and usually sweetening my water with some juice is enough to get me to drink bigger quantities.

boiled eggs, grapefruit
apple, banana
meatballs, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli
cashews, kiwi, carrots
shrimp, broccoli, pumpkin coconut soup
pistachios
tea

Whole30: Day 26

My throat is hurting and has been for a couple of days. Normally I would be medicating with honey in my warm tea and warm juice, but both are outlawed right now. I am definitely missing them!

I did a purge of our frying pans today. The scratched teflon one went to the playroom to be used as a toy. The big cast iron one that is too wide for our burners went in the closet. Hopefully those are healthier choices.

scrambled eggs, sweet potato
cashew
cod in coconut milk, pumpkin, tomatoes, cucumber, fennel
orange, cashews
poached chicken salad, leftover meatballs, carrots
cashews, blackberries, coconut
tea

Whole30: Day 25

I didn't get much exercise today, which is too bad. Last week I was doing a good job drinking enough water and I am not doing a good job now. I'm not sure how best to step that up. Try to drink a glass every hour? I swear that's the thing that makes the big difference between feeling ok and feeling great.

scrambled eggs, beef and cabbage stirfry with mayo
banana
celery, chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, fennel
almonds, celery with garlic mayonnaise
meatballs, celery root noodles, marinara sauce
tea

Whole30: Day 24

One week from today I am going to start the reintroduction. So I am really trying to make this last week a good one! The salad of tomatoes and cucumbers is something I should have done earlier. It's easier to grab and is refreshing and goes with everything.

scrambled eggs
carrots
beef and cabbage stir fry, tomatoes, cucumbers
almonds, coconut
apple, chicken breasts, broccoli blend, sweet potato
blackberries
tea

Whole30: Day 23

I am still feeling good, but still not feeling unstoppable. I was grateful to read a recent blog post about other people on the Whole30 not feeling the advertised "Tiger Blood". Maybe it would be better if I wouldn't eat so much fruit? I don't know (and yes, the dried apricots are making me gassy but my husband is out of town so I figured now is the time to enjoy that while I don't have to worry about disgusting anyone I want to have sex with).

I think I would like to try this experiment again in another year or so when my breastfeeding load is lighter and also hopefully I won't be cooking 3 meals per day for a family of four (okay, three + baby). Right now I just want some yogurt or kefir or something...

boiled eggs
almonds, apple, banana
chicken curry, vegetables, dried apricots, sauerkraut
almonds
chicken curry, tomatoes, cucumbers

The Iron King by Maurice Druon

The Iron King by Maurice Druon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

i enjoyed it. am i jumping on the bandwagon? sure. is it my favorite book of all time? no. but i currently spend my days with a toddler and a 6 month old baby, and this is the first book i have actually read since the baby was born. that's how you know i was excited about it and hooked on the story. my personal time is very limited and i managed to find the time to read this.

View all my reviews

Whole30: Day 22

I have 8 days left. I made it through the trip, but I'm still not where I want to be in terms of fitness. What do they say does the trick? Sprint workouts. So I need to incorporate this somehow.

scrambled eggs
beef and cabbage stir fry
berries with coconut milk
roasted chicken, broccoli blend, sweet potatoes
rooibos tea

Whole30: Days 20 and 21

We took a trip to Kristiansand to go to the zoo. This was my first time really eating out, and it was challenging and annoying. I am confident there were traces of dairy and gluten and other things in what I ate, but I hope it was minimal.

And at the zoo today there were literally no choices for me: no salad, etc. And it is Easter so all the stores we closed so it's not like I could pick up other snacks. I ate apples and bananas and almonds that we had brought -- not so great for nutrition and blood sugar.

On Saturday I ate:
scrambled eggs, berries, squash, chicken, grapefruit
raisins, carrots, egg, apple
steak, root vegetables, balsamic reduction, scallops, sparkling water

On Sunday I ate:
soft boiled eggs, kiwi, orange, salami, red pepper, cucumber, sunflower seeds, raisins
almonds, apple, banana
dried apricots
sausage, cucumbers in vinegar, sauerkraut

I am really looking forward to reintroducing dairy.

Whole30: Day 19

Some random thoughts on the diet and effects in general:

Raisins made me feel bad because I had a sugar high and then a low.
I love not needing honey in tea.
I love having pasta sauces or curry over vegetables and not rice/pasta.
I miss eggs and rice in the morning.
I miss rice cakes and joining in on the voileipä ritual.
I don't miss chocolate very much at all. This is surprising!
I miss having dairy-based sauces.
My belly is less pudgy and I am happy about that.

We had friends over for dinner and the pumpkin coconut soup (new recipe for me) was delicious.

scrambled eggs, beef, grapefruit
leftover curry, pumpkin
apple
chicken drumsticks, salad, pumpkin coconut soup, roast beets
berries and coconut milk
orange black tea

Whole30: Day 18

I had a good day today. We went to a playdate and Lumi enjoyed some delicious-smelling waffles and I ate some meatballs I had packed with me. I'm getting better at saying no, though I have to say it's easier this month because I can say "I'm doing this crazy diet right now". I'm not sure how that will go when it's just me. Maybe I can keep saying "I'm doing this crazy diet" forever?

I still feel good, and the gas and gross poo seems to have stopped or paused, despite me not really cutting back on fruit. I even had some raisins last night after the blog post and felt fine.

The key is to drink a ton of water and to stay distracted. That is not easy when I'm just home with the kids but if we can keep busy then I don't snack as much.

boiled eggs, grapefruit
meatballs, tomato sauce, banana
cashews, apple
roast chicken, root vegetables, butternut squash
rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 17

I am still feeling good. Not super-fantastic and unstoppable, but good. I felt like snacking a lot today. I am trying to control that, but some days I feel like the priority is to be peaceful and loving with my family and stay within the plan guidelines. The theory is that you should be avoiding snacking, but sometimes I feel like that's the difference between cranky and not cranky.

I do have more solid energy, though, and I've been trying to spend it doing fun roughhousing sessions with Lumi.

fried eggs, leftover roast
orange, almonds, meatballs, apple
hawaiian pork, broccoli
cauliflower, basil curry
orange, raisins

Whole30: Day 16

I'm halfway done! I found one thing I quite like doing (though it's definitely not low-carb, so it doesn't help as such with the weight loss) is cooking a big squash and then eating bits of it with my meals when kimmo and lumi are having bread or rice. For example, for lunch today we had leftover thai curry. I took out the container of cooked squash and added little (not even warm) bits into the curry.

My little daily exercises I do (pushups, crunches, etc) are getting easier and I find myself not just getting through it but adding reps for the hell of it. This is also because I started doing them on the living room rug next to Otso and he seems to like it.

I feel like I ate well today. I happened upon a delicious vegetable mix for dinner. It made a great base for meatballs and tomato sauce.

fried eggs, orange slices
hard boiled egg, mayonnaise
curry, squash, carrot
apple
meatballs, leek-parsnip-zucchini pan fried, tomato sauce

Whole30: Day 15

I have very mixed feelings right now. The past couple days I have felt good. Not amazing, but good. And as predicted by the Whole30 Timeline, I am interested in foods I'm not normally interested in (old favorites, gluten-filled things like cereal). But I still haven't solved the problem of gassy vs. not gassy. The thing that I remember about doing the South Beach Diet with my stepmother back in 2007 is that I was not gassy for basically the first time in my life. I remember being surprised that without the food pyramid's base of "essential" fiber from grains I was actually pooing better than ever and not farting. So I expected similar results now. But it's the opposite! I'm having smelly gas and unpredictable poos. I could cut out the fruit entirely but that seems dumb from a long term perspective and also I am scared of missing nutrients like vitamin C because I'm not having a multivitamin now (due to starches and other random things in the pill). Ordinarily I would just go for it but I'm trying to be especially careful given that I am breastfeeding Otso for 98% of his diet.

I am very curious about the re-intro. I believe I will start with dairy and hopefully the yogurt and kefir will help get me back on track.

boiled eggs, half kiwi
apple, sauerkraut, mayonnaise
chili, squash
cashews
hawaiian pork with salad
berries and coconut milk

Whole30: Day 14

I am feeling okay, but not wonderful with "boundless energy" as advertised. I do feel overall good, but right now I am just a little stressed about meal planning. This week is Easter and the Norwegian grocery stores are closed for 5 consecutive days. I am panicking, thinking about what if I run out of eggs or meat or something.

scrambled eggs, chicken
cashews, hardboiled egg
salmon in coconut milk, squash
orange
vegetables and chicken curry
rooibos tea, black tea

Whole30: Day 13

I felt sluggish and really hungry this morning. I have been really trying to minimize fruit to see if it helps with the gas, and now I have that low-carb fatigue.


scrambled eggs, chicken
berries
chicken wings in bbq sauce, salad
hard boiled egg, cashews, apple
roast beef, carrots, beets, turnips
rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 12

I stayed up too late last night and today I was sleepy.

I tried to minimize fruit today (except for the peach halves with tuna on top which sounded gross to me but was delicious) and it may be helping with the gas. I am eating too much, but mostly because I like the taste of what I am eating. I did the whole30 worksheet on day 7 and wrote that I eat when I am bored and that's definitely true. I am at home with the kids and I can't just tune out and read a book or listen to a podcast or other things I would normally do when I am bored, but somehow it feels like food preparation is "legit" and therefore I can step aside from the repetitive play and do something for "myself". Maybe what I need to remember is that it's not really benefiting me in the long run. Maybe I should instead chop vegetables to use for later?

scrambled eggs with chicken
peaches with tuna (sounds gross but was actually delicious), meatballs, carrots
pistachios, berries with coconut milk
spicy slow cooker meat in lettuce wraps, tomatoes
rooibos tea, digestion tea

Whole30: Day 11

Still feeling good, but still feeling gassy. So the plan is to cut out fruit sugars, which is intimidating. I have really been enjoying sharing oranges with the family (Lumi just started appreciating them) but I am going to try to do without for a couple of days and see if it improves the gas.

orange, boiled eggs
almonds
beef and cabbage stirfry, sweet potato
cashews, sauerkraut
pork chops, zucchini
blackberries, coconut milk

Whole30: Day 10

It was a good day, with lots of energy (so the Whole30 is living up to the hype so far). I even fed the baby then got out of bed at 6:00am to do hill sprints. My skin is still looking worse, but hopefully that will clear up soon.

I ate:
scrambled eggs, apple
meatballs, vegetables, hard boiled egg
almonds, cashews, orange
chicken basil curry, asian vegetable mix
rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 9

I think I did much better today. My snacking and portions were more controlled. For some reason, I was really wanting juice, though.

boiled eggs
chili, meatballs
almonds, cashews
roast chicken, sweet potatoes, root vegetables
rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 8

I was ravenous today. I felt like I couldn't eat enough. Or drink enough water. Though the menu looks pretty familiar, the quantities were much much bigger.

scrambled eggs
hard boiled egg, mayonnaise, apple slices
leftover beef roast, squash, carrots
cashews
beef and cabbage stir fry, zucchini
melon, coconut
rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 7

I feel a bit sluggish, as the program promises. I went on an afternoon walk with Otso just to get him to sleep but I felt hungry and thirsty most of the day.

We ate well -- I tried a new salmon dish and it was a success.

fried eggs, leftover fruit salad
salmon baked in coconut milk, sweet potato
cashews, pork
salad with chicken
honeydew melon
rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 6

Feeling pretty good, but still gassy. I am having the most trouble with the little things that didn't seem important to me before. The huge amounts of tea with honey and milk? Not a big problem and though I miss it a little, it hasn't been too bad. But on the other hand I am resenting not being able to take a sip of Kimmo's wine to taste it, even though I am not interested in a full glass.

My snacking urges are declining in the morning, but in the afternoon I am ready to eat a big meal by 16:00. Maybe a planned snack? I'm not sure what the solution is here.

We had a delicious dinner: the first grilled steaks of the spring!

breakfast: boiled eggs, mayonnaise
snack: pork
lunch: roast beef, squash, roast beets, broccoli mix
snack: pistachios, fruit from fruit salad
dinner: steaks, fruit salad, lettuce salad
other: rooibos tea, chamomile tea

Whole30: Day 5

Still feeling good, though not as skinny as I'd like. And still crazy gassy, even though I avoided dried fruit all day. I shared only 1 orange and had 1 apple. I googled a bit and one suggestion was a probiotic. I will need to look into that.

I made "pasta" out of strips of zucchini. It was okay, but not really worth it. I'd rather just have the meatballs and tomato sauce. Maybe it works more for other pasta-ish dishes.

Food:
breakfast: scrambled eggs with leftover beef and cabbage, mayonnaise
lunch: curry, broccoli, hard-boiled egg, apple
snack: almonds, cashews, sweet potato
dinner: meatballs and marinara sauce with zucchini noodles
dessert: berries and coconut, orange
other: rooibos tea

Whole30: Day 4

Today is supposed to be part of the "kill all the things" phase, but I wasn't feeling grumpier than usual, that I noticed. I feel overall pretty good, though I am pretty gassy.

fried eggs, homemade mayonnaise
almonds, apple slices
roast chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli mix
cashews, almonds
beef and cabbage stirfry, zucchini
orange
rooibos tea

Whole30: day 3

I am feeling good today! And I made my own mayonnaise. I am weirdly gassy, too. Maybe that is the fault of the raisins?

scrambled eggs

hard boiled egg with homemade mayonnaise

Thai curry

cashews with raisins, orange

salad with leftover chicken

berries and coconut, orange

Whole30: Day 2

I ate:
breakfast: soft boiled eggs
lunch: roasted chicken, root vegetables, butternut squash
snack: almonds with raisins
dinner: olives, carrots, parsnip hummus, chili
snack: orange

I drank rooibos tea and lots of water.

Both kids are under the weather so we had only a short walk to the grocery store, plus a few pushups and whatnot at home.

I am feeling fine. A little headache today (no doubt due to missing my tea), but otherwise I am not seeing the "hangover" promised by the timeline. I hope that is a good sign!