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Some encouragement for those who didn't see what they wanted the first round. <3


katieblue

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I'm so excited, I completed my second Whole 30!  Me - the former depressed, restricting then binge-eating, self-destructive sugar addict. I managed to take really good care of myself and turn so many of the patterns around for sixty [nonconsecutive] days. That is awesome. AWESOME! I feel PROUD of myself. Especially because during this one I had such a crazy upheaval of changing jobs into full-time employment and full-time school demanding constant attention and somehow I still managed to make it through. :)

 

Curiosity did get the better of me, so I did get on the scale when I woke up... and I lost two pounds this round! By eating as much good food as I wanted!! My body must be starting to regulate itself and get used to having enough food again, which is a HUGE NSV, and brings me to my list:

 

Non-Scale Victories:

- Got into an almost automatic routine of cooking prep with real life, including schoolwork, and found it is totally manageable [albeit difficult, it can happen!]

- Swallowed my pride and asked my boyfriend to help with food shopping, and he was happy to [read: improved my trust in him/our relationship]

- My boyfriend and my therapist both agreed that my mood has completely stabilized - I haven't had a "down" day in so long, in spite of all the stress!

- No snacking whatsoever. Not once.

- I only had one night where I felt cravings to binge, and I didn't do it!

- Control over my [occasional, fleeting] cravings. What used to be daily sugar cravings has become maybe once or twice a week, and they are so brief. I don't miss sweets or want dessert. It's my birthday on Friday and I don't want a cake. The dragon is sedated!!

- I discovered kombucha, and that when I have it with a meal it does not affect the sugar dragon, and it is DELICIOUS!

- On that note, I also found several more amazing, easy recipes that will go in the rotation and kept the freezer stocked!!

- I stopped counting calories!!! Even in my head. I have no idea how many I eat in a day. And that feels so freeing!!

- I didn't even want to get on the scale after the first week or so. I really, sincerely have stopped caring what I weigh.

- A sincere, heartfelt desire to continue eating this way and caring for myself.

- Even with allergy headaches and no sleep and anxiety over everything, the rest of my body physically feels great!!!

- Confidence!!! Not only do I feel strong and capable because I managed to do this twice, but I FEEL like I LOOK good, too!! I actually took a picture of my "after" results and sent it to my gym buddy. I haven't let anyone see my stomach in I can't remember how long!!

 

So what I want to tell you, is this: I know I see a lot of people get discouraged when they don't lose weight or fit in clothes differently or anything after completing a Whole 30. Here's my advice: Keep going. Sometimes your body just needs more time. Especially if you were unkind to it for a really long time before you got into this program. It took me two Whole 30's to get to the place I'm at. After the last round, I was better, but still psychologically tripping myself up. I gained a few pounds and freaked out and binged out on Easter. But this time? I feel confident that wouldn't happen the same way. Sure, there are still some things that I would like to see change/improve, and I plan to really continue eating the same way because I love the way I feel and I know that it will only keep getting better. Just keep at it. Your focus will shift away from the weight as you start seeing the other changes. Your brain will function differently as you keep it away from sugar and keep the dragon asleep. You will see positive benefits, sometimes you just have to be a little extra patient and find some trust in yourself. :)

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you!!!!  I am in day 11 of my first journey, the food stuff not the problem but struggling emotionally with this.  I am attributing that to the hormonal changes due to not eating processed food. Its a real challenge. 

I am looking forward to feeling better both physically and emotionally. 

 

Your blog has helped a lot today!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm on Day 18 and feeling very discouraged! I feel that all of my extra time is spent chopping and cooking. And this is someone who likes to cook and previously would cook dinner at home at least 6 nights a week.

 

Breakfast is still hard for me because I cannot eat eggs. Because I cannot eat eggs, I cannot eat mayonnaise, which is another problem. I had planned to make chicken salad and tuna salad on nights I didn't feel like cooking. That is out the window.

 

On top of that, my clothes are tighter now than they were last week.

 

This week I ate leftovers for breakfast, and that was somewhat helpful, but I am really tired of meat for breakfast. (Before Whole30 I would eat just overnight oats.) And I feel I have to stuff myself to keep from being hungry between meals. (I know. I need to eat more fats. Just trying to figure out how.)

 

There are only a couple of good things so far:

1) During yesterday's hill workout with my racewalking friends, I had more energy than I did last week. (I included half of a huge sweet potato with butter at lunch.)

2) I am having fewer gastric issues. No stomach aches after eating. Much less gas. No food-caused intestinal distress.

3) I am not craving sugar like I did last week. Reducing the amount of fruit I ate helped.

4) I'm typically not hungry after dinner, so I'm not snacking at night.

 

Today I'm going to buy some coconut and try to work that into breakfast. I'm going to get coconut water for this weekend's long mileage, too. (8 miles planned.) I have a half marathon in August and I want to try some things out on my longer mileage days.

 

I was trying to adjust how I used to cook with new ingredients. I thought it would be easier for me to continue making chicken and pork chops for dinner, but adjust the cooking methods and sides. But I am so tried of spending so much time on breakfast and lunch preparations. (I've been eating big salads for lunch with various proteins -- chicken, tuna, pork, salmon today -- and different homemade dressings.)

 

Anyway, I probably just need to vent. When I look at the postiives, it isn't as bad as what I was thinking.

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I'm on Day 18 and feeling very discouraged! I feel that all of my extra time is spent chopping and cooking. And this is someone who likes to cook and previously would cook dinner at home at least 6 nights a week.

 

Breakfast is still hard for me because I cannot eat eggs. Because I cannot eat eggs, I cannot eat mayonnaise, which is another problem. I had planned to make chicken salad and tuna salad on nights I didn't feel like cooking. That is out the window.

 

On top of that, my clothes are tighter now than they were last week.

 

This week I ate leftovers for breakfast, and that was somewhat helpful, but I am really tired of meat for breakfast. (Before Whole30 I would eat just overnight oats.) And I feel I have to stuff myself to keep from being hungry between meals. (I know. I need to eat more fats. Just trying to figure out how.)

 

There are only a couple of good things so far:

1) During yesterday's hill workout with my racewalking friends, I had more energy than I did last week. (I included half of a huge sweet potato with butter at lunch.)

2) I am having fewer gastric issues. No stomach aches after eating. Much less gas. No food-caused intestinal distress.

3) I am not craving sugar like I did last week. Reducing the amount of fruit I ate helped.

4) I'm typically not hungry after dinner, so I'm not snacking at night.

 

Today I'm going to buy some coconut and try to work that into breakfast. I'm going to get coconut water for this weekend's long mileage, too. (8 miles planned.) I have a half marathon in August and I want to try some things out on my longer mileage days.

 

I was trying to adjust how I used to cook with new ingredients. I thought it would be easier for me to continue making chicken and pork chops for dinner, but adjust the cooking methods and sides. But I am so tried of spending so much time on breakfast and lunch preparations. (I've been eating big salads for lunch with various proteins -- chicken, tuna, pork, salmon today -- and different homemade dressings.)

 

Anyway, I probably just need to vent. When I look at the postiives, it isn't as bad as what I was thinking.

Hey fastwalker - sorry to hear you're feeling discouraged...

I'd give you a gentle reminder that this is a 30 day program and many people don't see real results until the final stages. That said I think that's a great list of NSVs you've got right there!!

Re the mayo - there are egg free mayo's out there if you google - most of them will contain avocado if you're okay with that, if not, here's a link to two without.

Breakfast is a struggle for a lot of people so don;t beat yourself up. Personally I do one large batch cooking session at the weekend - I make 3 protein options (maybe a whole chicken, marinated chicken thighs & a pork shoulder for example), and a variety of veg dishes (say a pan of sauteed mixed kale & courgettes, a tray of roasted Mediterranean veg, a tray of roasted mix root veg, some boiled baby potatoes - skins on, good hot or cold), and then I keep a selection of salad veg, eggs, & fish and I just pick a protein source for each meal & then mix & match around that, adding my fat at the end. Keep it simple and it's much more sustainable...

Hope this helps.

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Thanks! That is helpful. I am used to batch cooking on Sundays, it is just harder now because I'm not sure how or what to fix yet. I have a lot of cooked chicken in the fridge. I just have to figure out more creative ways to use it.

 

I'll try one of the other egg-free mayos. That alone will probably help my attitude.

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I definitely think there is a lot of value in just venting when you get frustrated - this is an emotional journey, too, not just a physical one!

 

Jmcbn gave you lots of good advice there, and just to add to it, don't give up!! You seem to focus a lot on what you can't have, but try focusing on what you can. The options are nearly infinite! Sure, not being able to eat eggs is hard, but there are so many different protein options you can try! For breakfast, have you tried making your own sausage? That can feel more like breakfast and you can make a big bulk of it and freeze it and then microwave it each morning so it's easy. Plus, there are lots of ground protein options, as well as different spice combinations, so you can vary it a lot! Just pair it with your choice of veggies and toss them in some fat and you'll be good to go. :) I personally love green beans in ghee or with a big handful of olives, sometimes also tossed with diced tomato or I'll just slice the tomato and keep them separate with some salt and pepper! It's not an overwhelming flavor in the morning and it's just delicious. 

 

You have LOTS of options - I know it is time consuming but I promise you'll get better at it and it will become second nature. I'm in the middle of my third Whole30 right now and it just comes naturally.

 

You'll get there!! :)

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Thanks for the encouragement!

 

This is Day 20 and I do feel much better today. I had an 8-mile training walk with friends, so made sure to eat a large sweet potato with butter last night with dinner. I ate an Epic bar before the walk.

 

I'm experimenting with what to carry during an August half marathon for electrolyte replacement. I also typically pop a couple of Clif Shot Bloks during races, so I need something to replace those, too. So I carried coconut water and one date filled with almond butter.

 

The first few miles were good. We kept to an easy to maintain pace, and I felt normal. I sipped the coconut water with mixed results. It actually made me more thirsty, and I ended up drinking water at a water fountain to quench my thirst.

 

At mile 6 I ate the date and almond butter. It was so easy to eat and I immediately felt like I had more energy. (Shot Bloks always did that for me, too.) I felt so good, I accidentally started making us walk too fast.

 

So, my energy is back, and I could have walked the 8 miles without the date or coconut water. I felt good after the 8 miles and I think I could have walked either farther or faster (Not both, yet.) But like I said, I'm experimenting, so I have to start trying things now. I thought about carrying sweet potato, but I think that would be much harder to carry and eat during a race.

 

I'm still feeling thick around the middle, but my husband says he doesn't see it, so it might just be my imagination.

 

I'm going to try making sausage tomorrow. And I am trying to make things easier by having things like raw baby carrots and celery with meals.

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