Is going through the Whole30 program after transplantation safe or not? When I started to think about taking this challenge, I did a huge research on this theme. Well, huge might be a too strong word as I didn’t find much information about this specific theme. I found some concerns that eating too much protein might be dangerous for people who have some kidney illness (well I knew this already as I went through this stage in the past) but no evidence of eating a lot of protein after transplantation being dangerous for the patients. Just warning that eating too much fat might be dangerous for their figure as they are taking corticoids which increase taste.

In the last two years I gained almost 7 kilos and lately I was almost constantly feeling tired but couldn’t sleep at night, often had some digestion problems, diarrhea or felt bloated and very bad mood swings. Almost all the symptoms that the creators of the Whole30 program claim might be caused by eating food that is not healthy for you, you are allergic to or sensitive to. I read the whole program to see what rules you have to follow and I decided to give it a try.

Today I have finished the first week so I can already tell what changes I feel. So far I have more energy than I had before I started and also I sleep way better. One of the rules of the program is that you should eat only three times per day which I wasn’t able to follow in the first few days. I had to have two fruity snacks – one between breakfast and lunch and the other between lunch and dinner. From the third day I needed only one snack and from the fifth, I am fine with three meals per day. Interesting is that I don’t feel hungry the whole day and I don’t have any cravings for sweets (and I was used to having something sweet every day) unless it is right in front of me directly attacking my nose with its smell (so preparing snacks for my daughter is kind of self-torturing process).

However, I would be lying if I said that I am not afraid if the program can’t somehow hurt my kidney. I am trying not to eat too much protein but protein and fat are the basics of this program as they keep you feeling full for a long time. So for the next week, I am considering lowering the amount of meat and protein overall and maybe contacting my doctor and asking for a special check.

During the first week I tried to measure my sugar the whole day (before and two hours after each meal) without taking the regular pills reducing the amount of sugar which the blood absorb from the food. I found out that my sugar level was almost normal and so I decided to try to go without them. Will measure my sugar more often now though. Just in case.

Another rule also is that you are not allowed to weigh yourself or measure in any way. Hah, kind of tough for someone who is used to weighing herself each second day. Oh well, a challenge is a challenge with all it takes. So, in the morning of the first day, I did my last measuring. I started with weight of 57.7 kg,

Overall I don’t have any bigger issues with following the meals rules, the biggest challenge is the breakfast though. I am having eggs every day in different variations but I am a bit afraid that soon I won’t be able to eat them anymore. And what would I do then? No idea. Well so far I am still able to eat them so will see what the next week brings.

The only complication was that on the third day I became ill. Nothing serious just some cold with a bit higher temperature and about 15 little but terribly painful herpeses on my lips (the usual thing in my case, unfortunately). So I was staying home (and had more time to prepare all the meals). Tomorrow I am going to work again.

Not sure if it is connected to the food or to the illness (or the terrible weather outside lately) but I am feeling colder. I am wearing more clothes than I usually do and need an extra blanket at night. On the other hand, I see a big improvement in my mood. I am almost constantly in a good mood (might be connected to the better sleep) and sometimes I don’t even believe my reactions. It happened few times that something didn’t go as I wanted or expected and normally I would get angry or started to yell or argue but I didn’t (and I honestly asked myself: “Did you really just say/do this instead of freaking out?”). That’s more than positive!

Here is my meals diary for the first week:

Day 1

  • Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, cucumber, tomato
  • Snack 1: White grapes
  • Lunch: Stewed turkey meat in carrot with boiled potatoes.
  • Snack 2: Banana
  • Dinner: Beef soup with vegetables

Day 2

Exactly the same as on Day 1

Day 3

  • Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with onion made with Ghee, tomato, cucumber, carrot
  • Lunch: Roasted onions, peppers, tomatoes, and eggs ( in Czech we call it “Lečo”) with potatoes cooked in the skin
  • Snack: Apple
  • Dinner: Vegetable salad (few types of green salad, cabbage, carrot) with salmon grilled with dill and garlic

Day 4

  • Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with spinach (they may not seem good, but they were awesome!), cucumber, and carrot
  • Lunch: Roasted onions, peppers, tomatoes, and eggs ( in Czech we call it “Lečo”) with potatoes cooked in the skin
  • Snack: Pear
  • Dinner: Baked chicken leg (without skin), grilled vegetable (zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow pepper, onion), grilled potatoes

Day 5

  • Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 3 slices of Schwarzwald ham, carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, small bowl of raspberries
  • Lunch: Baked chicken leg (without skin), grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow pepper, onion), grilled potatoes
  • Dinner: Vegetable salad (few types of green salad, cabbage, carrot, cherry tomatoes) with shrimps and salmon grilled with dill and garlic

Day 6

  • Breakfast: Scrambled 3 eggs with onion and Ghee, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes, 1/2 red apple
  • Lunch: Grilled salmon with steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot), cherry tomatoes and boiled potatoes
  • Dinner: Baked duck (I have to admit I had a small piece of the skin as well), grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow pepper, onion, sweet potato), boiled potatoes

Day 7

  • Dinner: Baked duck (I have to admit I had a small piece of the skin as well), grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow pepper, onion, sweet potato), boiled potatoes
  • Lunch: Soup made with duck meat and vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, celery, green beans – most of the vegetables mixed)
  • Dinner: Vegetable salad (few types of green salad, cabbage, carrot, cherry tomatoes), baked chicken and duck meat (aka leftovers from previous days), small bowl of raspberries
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