The Whole30 Experience

Hooray! It happened. As of November 7th, I completed the Whole30 experience. I'm not gonna lie, it was rough going for a while, but at the end I can honestly say that it was a great experience.

Pre-Work

I didn't just decide to do this and start the following day. For once, I put a lot of planning and preparation into this. I wanted to make sure that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it by the book. I read It Starts With Food cover to cover. I actually planned and prepared by shopping and did internet recon of what other's Whole30 experience had been like. If you are thinking about doing it, I can't stress enough to read the book and to plan.

The Basics

No sugar.

No legumes.

No dairy.

No grains.

No alcohol.

No carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.

Recommended that the food that you do put into your body is grass-fed and organic.

Eat three meals a day.

Allowed a pre-workout snack and post-workout snack. 

Limit snacking at all other times.

Don't measure your food.

No stepping on a scale during the Whole30.

Week 1: Initial Excitement with a Side of Bacne

As with anything shiny and new, I was excited and enthusiastic and singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" the first week. I cooked up a storm and didn't mind getting home at 8:00 pm at night and then having to cook dinner and my next day's lunch. Those first few days flew by. By Day 4, I noticed I was having horrible afternoon headaches and that I felt the need to take a nap under my desk. Day 5, I broke out like a hormonal teenager. Sexy bacne and all. I haven't had bacne since...well...I don't ever remember having bacne. Clearly my body was freaking out. I was shiny and greasy. I had to go to Walgreen's and buy an arsenal of Stridex and Clearasil products fit for a pubescent teenager.

Day 5 and 6: I Think I May Have a Brain Tumor

Apparently, my body had become accustomed to my afternoon coffee and snack. It fought me pretty hard. The afternoon headaches were turning into all day headaches. At around 2 pm, I couldn't function. I couldn't even form sentences. Each day I felt worse and worse earlier and earlier. I lived in a constant fog. I felt like a zombie and I was told I acted and looked like I was in a trance.

I wanted to nap all day. There were quite a few dark times at the end of Week 1. Day 5ish I felt flu-like symptoms. I'm told this is the "carb flu" and it's totally normal. Every morning I would drag myself out of bed and swear I had been on a tequila bender the night before. All the side effects without the fun.

Sugar Cravings: I didn't really have any bad cravings the first week. Nothing I couldn't handle.

At the end of Week 1, I attempted to go on a ride on Saturday and a hike on Sunday. Both were a miserable experience. I talked to Smurfs and met all of the Care Bears. Rainbow Brite may have made an appearance as well. I was warned that I should not expect anything out of my body the first couple of weeks. I had the typical, "Nah, that'll never happen to me" reaction. I can work through it. How bad could it be? Well, I couldn't work through it and was awful. It was a humbling experience. I was carrying groceries in and had to take a break in the driveway. A break. In the driveway. I feared I was going to collapse and the bears and raccoons would eat my face off.

Week 2: I Don't Think I Can Do This Anymore

Day 8-11: My Body Hates Me

At the time I thought I was having a flare-up. It never amounted to anything huge or even into the usual symptoms. I think it was just my body getting used to the idea of the Whole30. I was still so tired I felt like I could sleep all day. I tossed and turned all night long the first two weeks. I tried to carry on a conversation with my best friend during Week 2 (who is a neuropsychologist) and she told me I sounded like: A) I've just had a stroke B) I was about to have a stroke C) I was drunk. "I have brain injury patients who make more sense than you. Do you smell burning toast?"

Emotionally: I was a maniac. I felt like crying and laughing all at the same time. I'll admit it. I was a crazy beast.

Physical Appearance: Hot mess. I was told I looked awful and pasty. I thought the bags under my eyes and the general unwell appearance were just something I was seeing and focusing on. Nope. Confirmed.

It took until the middle of Week 2 for me to even start feeling marginally human again. I'm not even talking about during exercise. I'm just talking about normal daily activities (like walking up the driveway without passing out). I attempted to go for a technical mountain bike ride on Day 14 and it was not good. I rode with someone for the first time on that day and she must have thought I was the biggest spaz. My coordination and timing were off. It was like it was my first time on a mountain bike. Cow tipping included.

Any sort of effort that made my HR rise would cause a hot, sick feeling to come over my body. It was a bonk, but worse. An uber bonk that could not be staved off or remedied by a sports drink, gel or bar. I had coconut water. Coconut water. I know, I know. People sing it's praises and love it. I've never been a big fan, but I was trying to learn to love it. Larabars are allowed if totally necessary during exercise. Larabars didn't make me feel any better.  Day 14 was the first day I wanted to go off plan and have a Gu or CarboRocket. I felt just bleeping awful on the bike and it was getting depressing. I remember coming home and eating, not even showering and passing out on the floor.

At the end of Week 2, my complexion finally decided to calm the hell down and I no longer felt like the reflection off my face would blind an innocent bystander and I stopped regularly mopping my face with oil absorbing sheets.

Joints: I wake up every morning like the Tin Man. If it's cold outside, even worse. I noticed I wasn't waking up so stiff and sore. My joint issues in general felt better.

Week 3: Yay for Sleep and Not Feeling Like I'm Having a Psychotic Break!

Towards the end of Week 2 and the beginning of Week 3, I consistently slept like the dead. The afternoon headaches and general crap like feeling was gone. I actually was starting to feel good all day long. I noticed that I didn't have those energy crashes throughout the day and I felt consistently good all day.

At the end of Week 3, I finally had a decent ride where I felt good. 3+ hours of feeling really good. Fueled only by coconut water.

Week 4: If I Can Stay on the Plan This Week, I Have No Excuses

I felt really good. My joints were starting to feel better and I didn't have any pesky headaches. Skin was back to normal or better.

Superstorm Sandy Happened: No power, no water for my last week of the Whole30. It looked like my Whole30 was going to be stymied. It wasn't. Luckily, I had planned for a zombie apocalypse and I was able to finish it. I had made it that far and there was no way I was failing. It wasn't pretty at times, there may have been more Gourmet Grassfed beef jerky than I care to admit for a day or two until stores were opened again, but I made it.

Despite all of the chaos, I was feeling good. I was even was waking up feeling pretty peppy, which has rarely happened. My joints felt better and overall my energy level was consistent throughout the day. Even though I was not able to take a shower for days, I was told by witnesses that I looked healthier.

Finger Nails: I could be imagining things, but I swear my fingernails were growing like crazy. 

After

Weight: This is not intended to be a weight loss diet. I was really good and did not weigh myself the first two weeks. Then curiosity go the best of me. I guess if this is the worst and only cheat on the plan I had, I can live with it. The first two weeks I dropped 7 lbs. I then proceeded to gain back 3 lbs. in the last two weeks. I blame my new addiction to macadamia nuts. It's to the point that the $$ I spend on macadamia nuts on a regular basis could now be classified as a "habit".

Still my favorite staples:

I have to admit it feels a little odd now that it's over. I imagine this is a little like what an addict goes through after getting out of a 28 day program. I still haven't added much back. The first day they suggest that you add back dairy. I tried some half and half two days after the Whole30 (technically I did the Whole32) and ate a Halloween size Kit Kat bar which, sadly, didn't taste so awesome. After that, I really didn't try anything else. It has been working so why fight it? I can't say that I really miss anything in particular. Sure, I get random cravings. Nothing $10 in macadamia nuts can't fix. And if I really, really want something, I'll eat it.

I feel better and I think it is working for me. Am I going to start preaching about the paleo/Whole9 life and how certain foods are "evil"? No, that's not my style. Different things work for different people. If you ask me I'll tell you about it, but by no means am I going to start shoving it down people's throats.

That's all for now. It took me long enough to put that together. It's a lot to wrap my head around. There most likely will be another post because I have so much more to say. I didn't even touch on the food...

The "S" Word

Staff meeting Monday. Since it is my birthday this week, a co-worker made me a birthday cake. Batman. What else?

I hear it was tasty, too. Unfortunately, I couldn't participate in the cake eating. Although the Whole30 is over, I'm still trying to stick to it. I had one of my most positive rheumatologist visits to date and even my doctor said I should keep it up. I haven't had an appointment in 10+ years where I haven't had ANY ulcerations in my nose, mouth or eyelids. I was clear. CLEAR. Whole30? I don't know for sure, but it's worth staying on the path. I still have to do a Whole30 experience post. For those of you who are curious and have been asking I will have it up soon. It's a lot to process.


In other good news, the knee feels good. I've been out trail running and hiking and navigating Superstorm Sandy's trail reroutes. And with all of this good news there of course has to be some bad news. The wrist. The wrist was getting better after my initial cross practice crash and then I hurt it again flipping a bag of ice over my shoulder during Sandy. Something went "SNAP". I went into my usual denial that it would heal up. Not happening. Saw a doctor last week and he thinks it's torn cartilage/ligaments. I have an appointment with another specialist on Wednesday. I'm hoping that it will just be a splint. I would even take a cast at this point. I'll be good. I swear. I just don't want to hear the "S" word.

I don't like that word.

Back to Normalish

Things are finally getting back to normal for us. Power and water are back and the water trucks are being taken away. That means good news for the neighborhood. 

There is one good thing that came out of this. My fridge has never been so clean. That was probably one of the nastiest cleaning jobs I've undertaken in a while. Half filled gel flask count: 9. I'm sure they were all festering with bacteria and funk. The best part is one had leaked and they were all cemented to the fridge. Damn, we are gross. They all got the boot. The bottom of the vegetable drawer is always a questionable place and this time it did not disappoint. Dry heaves. There's always some identifiable mush or a cucumber that has turned to liquid at the bottom and inevitably spills or gets on me and in my hair. The fear of liquefied veggies rivals that of expired dairy products.

I'v been staying away from the bike (or trying to) because of my little whoopsie a few weeks ago when I launched myself at speed into an uphill rock garden and landed with full weight on a bent left knee. It felt okay yesterday during a pre-work snow/slush ride. There's still a little pain when stand. I could still kind of walk up and down stairs this morning and so it's on the up and up.

I don't foresee me doing Cathedral Pines. It's not in the cards. Pushing around a big gear for 6+ hours is probably not a wise choice. I don't want a knee to ruin my winter... and then the spring and then the summer.

Planning on another singlespeeding endurance season for 2013.

I must go into it with a happy body.

Oh yeah, Whole30 completed. More on that later...

After

It's been an interesting week to say the least. We've had no power since Monday night and because we have a well that means no water. We are actually fortunate. The house is fine and we have a wood stove so we are warm. There are many who were not so lucky. Lots of people have no heat and there are a lot of houses that had major damage done. I can't even fathom the devastation done to the shore.

Common sight

We finally saw power trucks for the first time yesterday when we ventured out to get water. Rumor has it we'll have power by Friday.

Finally, power trucks have arrived

I'm one of the fortunate few who can work from home. With car chargers for the laptop and my phones, a wireless card and a vpn token I'm set. I didn't have to drive into work. I tried earlier in the week and sat for 45 minutes plus in traffic. It wasn't worth the gas, so I came home. The gas. Holy shit. People are sleeping in their cars in line at the gas stations waiting for deliveries. The lines are insane. There are only a handful of stations around here and relatively lots of people so it adds to the craziness. Lines of people with gas cans as well. If you don't have a lot gas, you can't really drive around looking for it.


These are stashed a few places around town for access

 Yesterday, I had my first real shower in 5 days at the West Milford High School. It was delightful. As fantastic as it was, it was also one of the creepier experiences I've had as of late. There were a bunch of women who had showered and were getting ready to leave as I got in the shower. I was then alone and and left with only a generator powered spot light in a creepy girls' locker room shower. All I could think about was that I was in some high school slasher flick.

So we're fine. I may die of boredom, but we're warm and have food. If I wasn't busted I would definitely have been out biking or hiking every day. My knee is angrier than ever and I still can't squat, sit, go up or down stairs without extreme pain. This dumbass also tweaked her wrist again carrying in water. Just when it was on the mend, too. It could be worse. We're alive and our house is still standing, so I'm not complaining.

Much like those who post about politics10 times a day, I have also blocked or unfriended on fb people who are complaining about not having internet access or cable yet. Seriously? Where are your priorities people? Get a fucking brain in your head. Some people lost everything and are living in shelters.

We're off to get water and shower again. Hopefully, I will not fall victim to an escaped mental patient with a butcher knife and a vendetta against high school girls...