Starting May 16

[ShannonM816]

Day 2! Headache at around the same time as yesterday 4:30 p.m. And am hungry right now! Fighting the food fight. Wish me luck I have birthday party tomorrow. Hope I can make it!

 

If you're truly hungry (as in something bland like plain fish and steamed broccoli sounds good), eat. You don't need to be hungry. Just have a mini meal of protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three.

[Karen]

My meals yesterday were really satisfying!

Sweet potato hash with magic sauce (oil with lots of herbs - my coworker smelled it and loved it!), a few grapes and cherries (left out at work, the only complaint treat I've seen). I had to eat later as o had to fast for a blood test.

Leftover tenderloin and complaint mashed potatoes with more magic sauce.

Lamb pops with asparagus and a handful of nuts.

Today - more hash, a salad for lunch, and fajitas for dinner.

What's on deck for everyone today?

[Knappo]

Ok.  Day 2 was fine except for the headache, but I can tell that Day 3 is going to be more difficult.  Ate my scrambled eggs with avocado and salsa (so tasty!) with a little pineapple on the side.  Had my black coffee.  Want very badly to go back to bed.  

[ColoradoGirl]

Hey all...I woke up feeling ok...drank some coffee...and bam, headache again :'-( Maybe I need to cut the coffee??? Had my frittata and pineapple for breakfast. Now dinking some carbonated water to deal with the headache and a bit of stomach ache. Blah :-p.

[ColoradoGirl]

Ok. Day 2 was fine except for the headache, but I can tell that Day 3 is going to be more difficult. Ate my scrambled eggs with avocado and salsa (so tasty!) with a little pineapple on the side. Had my black coffee. Want very badly to go back to bed.

I just want to go back to bed too! I feel awful :-( Did I really eat this poorly before this?? Umm...probably :-/

[ashley54]

Day 3 was challenging for me. I still had a headache and overall felt kind of run down. On top of that I started to notice I'm more irritable. Hopefully that wears off soon, as a huge part of my job is dealing with people and their problems. Food wise I have found that I have not been as hungry as I used to be and that my 3 meals are very filling without any snacks which is great because snacking in general was my food without brakes...any snacks were risky. My new challenge is that my fiance and I are going camping (in a cabin) this weekend so I have been working to plan compliant meals and ideas for emergency snacks/food in case something is bad or gets burnt on the fire. So far so good. Hope everyone else had a good day 3!

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[AngelEyz]

Good evening everyone. Thankfully, I managed to ditch the headache midday yesterday, and it didn't return today. I'm really not looking forward to the irritable/tired phase of this journey...I'm in the middle of a job search so while it's logistically possible to sleep all day it's not in my best interest... physically, socially or emotionally. I'm doing okay so far from a food perspective. After two days of scrambled eggs, I baked a Breakfast Pumpkin Custard last night and had a hearty bowl while the dogs were eating this morning. I'll make it again for sure, but probably add a bit more cinnamon or nutmeg. It was interesting and kept me satisfied through a Costco run with all of the temptations therein. For lunch I topped leftover Garbage Stir Fry (linked in my post yesterday) with a fried egg. Yum! And dinner was Baked Salmon with Avocado Salsa -- another keeper, though I may add roasted jalapeno to the salsa next time.

 

[Knappo]

Hi,

Day 3 went really well, although I did sneak in a nap in the afternoon.  For dinner, I had a hamburger patty topped with onions fried in 1 T clarified butter.  Too much fat?  It was so delicious that I feel that it MUST have had too much fat!  Giant salad and mixed roasted veggies accompanied.

 

Today, day 4, I found some Whole 30 approved bacon at Whole Foods, and fried three strips with two fried eggs.  I've had protein salad every day since Day 1-- perfect for a quick lunch.  Along with green beans and pepper strips, it's really satisfying.  Dinner will be baked salmon with salad and sweet potato.

 

The only thing I'm missing is my dear departed Diet Coke.  I wonder if I'll ever stop craving something sweet to drink.     

[Elkerster]

Hi Folks,

 

I stated May 17th but am just now getting a chance to get on the forum. Anyone mind if I jump in on this group?

[Karen]

Hi Folks,

I stated May 17th but am just now getting a chance to get on the forum. Anyone mind if I jump in on this group?

Go for it!

I have way too many leftovers in my fridge. I prepped too much. But, better to have too much than not enough I guess.

I'm doing pretty good. I've done several of these, none successfully since I got married in September, though I've tried. Too much stress. I'm hopeful this time around. I have good reasons to stick with it.

Overall I feel pretty good. Sluggish and I'm slurring my words more the last few days, but there are reasons bigger than the whole 30. We're hosting a party this weekend. Most things I prep will be whole 30 compliant so I'm not too worried. I might have pressure to bake a cake (husband and stepdaughter's birthday) but I don't think I could do that without temptation. I might just buy something - but small enough that it'll be gone after the party.

How's everyone looking going into the weekend?

[ashley54]

Day 4 went ok...definitely still tired and irritable. Had a bit of a mishap with my lunch but I planned well and got through it. I'm really looking forward to camping the next 3 days after making a wonderful whole30 complaint meal plan for me and my fiance. Keep up the good work everyone!

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[AngelEyz]

I didn't kill anything today, and I'm rather happy to report I wasn't tempted to. I hope that trend continues... the irritable and exhausted phases are the two that concern me the most. My food today was largely leveraging leftovers... pumpkin custard for breakfast, garbage stir fry with fried egg for lunch. We roasted a pork tenderloin for dinner using this recipe -- one of the things I'm loving about the Whole 30 is the opportunity to explore my abundant spice collection! There's a lot of flavor out there BESIDES sugar, for sure. I paired the tenderloin with a coleslaw made with homemade mayo and apple cider vinegar, and a hasselback baked potato.

 

I'm somewhat concerned about the coming weekend -- we're going to attend an annual Greek Festival either tomorrow night or Saturday, and I'm at a bit of a loss for what I will be able to eat. I'd appreciate any input you all have.

 

Bring on day 5!

[Mglawe]

Hi all!

I haven't been able to post since day 1 but have been having the same symptoms as everyone else: headaches, irritability, feeling sluggish, etc. My meals seem to be keeping me full until it is time for my next meal. I work as a server usually at night and have found that I have about 6-7 hours between meal 2 and 3 which has been a little challenging. Is it better to have a snack in between those meals rather than being hungry? Im definitely getting sick of the left overs I prepped at the beginning of the week so I am going to try to have a little more variety in this coming week. Loving everyone's meal ideas! 

[abbyn]

Hey Knappo- first of all that burger with onions sounds delicious! Doesn't sound like too much fat to me but I'm not a mod, but one thing I love about whole30 is being able to eat and enjoy lots of healthy fat! Another thing I wanted to add is that years ago I was a true diet coke addict, I had one every afternoon at my office job (and sometimes again at night!). My mom had some health issues and I wanted to encourage her to drop her diet coke habit so I tried doing the same. I switched to unsweetened iced tea with lemon, then seltzer (this was long before La Croix was even trendy!) and then water with lemon or lime and I haven't had a diet coke since 2012. I think it's a noble and worthwhile habit to break! If you, like me, took a "break" with a diet coke, try getting a cup of tea, that really helps me feel like I've had a little break in the afternoon.

 

Hi to everyone else! This is my 3rd whole30, I've tried and failed many times to do a third round after successfully completing 2 rounds in the summer of 2014. I got pregnant, and then had a newborn who is now 1 so I hope I can make it all the way to 30 days and beyond this time! I loved having the community of the forums during my first rounds but now can mostly be found on instagram as @bluegrass_whole30 since it's easier for me to keep up with- there is an awesome whole30 community on instagram (an account I just found @dirtygirlscleaneats posts meal plans and recipes every week in sync with our start date!). 

My kids need some attention. Hope it's going well for everyone. 

[Knappo]

Hi Day Fivers,

Abbyn, thanks for the Diet Coke advice.  I've known I need to give it
up for a long time, that everything you read is true---it does cause
bloating, increased hunger, etc etc.. But it's been a part of my day
(and evening) for so many years.....  I stopped drinking alcohol ten
years ago, and my diet coke has been my "treat" when my husband and/or
friends order wine.  But exchanging one addiction for another has not
served me well at all.  Being prone to sugar addiction, my dragon just
is a little fiercer than a lot of yours.  I can still beat him!

My day today has been good, food wise, but I'm still super irritable.
I actually told the fishmonger at Whole Foods that I might have kept
the piece he'd cut that was too large if he'd been a little nicer.
OMG.  I am now THAT old lady??

Anyhow, next time I go there, I will apologize to him-- if he didn't
quit the job in hopeless shame.    

Good luck on the weekend, everybody.  We WILL make to Monday!

[Carebearmama79]

I am a little late to the game here. My husband and I started on Monday. So far I have been on plan and doing well. The hangover has been bad for me as I have a huge sugar demon living inside of me lol. I still have a minor headache each day. I am hoping this will disappear quickly. I was in charge of the our children's School Carnival yesterday. I packed up my steak salad with salsa as dressing and turned down the fried foods and cotton candy and soda. It was hard, but I stuck to it and surprised myself. I am hanging at home with weekend so it shouldn't be a challenge. I went to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's today. I got the Whole 30 compliant dressings and mayo to make this week a little simpler for salads and things. 
 
Good luck to everyone this weekend. I know they can be the hardest some times. 

[AngelEyz]

Okay, day five here and the cravings have kicked up a little... I can't identify what I want to eat, but I am famished. Since I can't identify it, I'm drinking a lot of water. I am proud that I have not yet felt the urge to kill all the things, even though one of the things just blew through a sleeve of thin mint girl scout cookies and a bit glass of milk in front of me. I was surprised that I wasn't really tempted. I'm STARVING. But not for girl scout cookies. I'll call that today's big victory.

 

I started today with a fried egg over Spicy Yellow Indian Cabbage. With another dog show occupying our mid afternoon, I packed a mason jar salad with leftover pork tenderloin, cucumber, avocado, greens and a homemade vinaigrette for lunch. Dinner was a beef burger with saurkraut and the last of the whole foods asparagus/portabello mushroom salad.

 

Is anyone else noticing an increase in gas pressure? I'm hoping that means my insides are healing...

[ShannonM816]

 I work as a server usually at night and have found that I have about 6-7 hours between meal 2 and 3 which has been a little challenging. Is it better to have a snack in between those meals rather than being hungry?

 

Definitely have a mini meal between meals 2 & 3 if you need to -- try to have a combo of protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three. Leftovers could work, or a hard boiled egg, some mayo, and some carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, bell pepper, or other easy to eat vegetables.

[ShannonM816]

Okay, day five here and the cravings have kicked up a little... I can't identify what I want to eat, but I am famished. Since I can't identify it, I'm drinking a lot of water. I am proud that I have not yet felt the urge to kill all the things, even though one of the things just blew through a sleeve of thin mint girl scout cookies and a bit glass of milk in front of me. I was surprised that I wasn't really tempted. I'm STARVING. But not for girl scout cookies. I'll call that today's big victory.

 

I started today with a fried egg over Spicy Yellow Indian Cabbage. With another dog show occupying our mid afternoon, I packed a mason jar salad with leftover pork tenderloin, cucumber, avocado, greens and a homemade vinaigrette for lunch. Dinner was a beef burger with saurkraut and the last of the whole foods asparagus/portabello mushroom salad.

 

Is anyone else noticing an increase in gas pressure? I'm hoping that means my insides are healing...

 

When eggs are your only protein source, have as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand.

 

Don't forget to add fat to your meal, in addition to the fat you cook in, since a lot of the cooking fat stays in the pan and isn't consumed.

 

It looks like you might be pretty heavy on the cabbage -- it's one of the cruciferous vegetables along with things like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, and those are pretty well known to cause gassiness. If you're eating a whole lot more of those vegetables lately than usual, you might want to leave them out for a few days and see if that helps, and then pay attention to how you feel when you do have them going forward to get a feel for how much you can have at a time before you start noticing that coming back. 

[Karen]

I had dreams last night that I cheated! I don't think it was anything over the top, but still kinda funny. I don't remember dreaming during past whole 30s.

I'm having about 15 people over today for a birthday party for my husband and stepdaughter. Only a few things will be non-compliant - cake, chips, hot dogs, some condiments, and buns. I've got burgers, smoked pork, fruit salad, potato salad, veg & dip, watermelon, and compliant fixings for the burgers. All are homemade so I know what goes in them. I'm not really tempted to cheat as I have plenty of alternatives. Should be a good day!

[AngelEyz]

Thanks for the feedback Shannon. I've added a rule -- if I can't identify what I want I'm not eating, and that got me through the later part of last evening. I hadn't considered that my breakfast was a bit lighter in protein than usual this week. And I figured the increase in cabbage might be the culprit -- it was on sale this week and I really enjoy it. It's gone now, so I'll be focused on other veggies for the next couple of days. Thankfully it was never *uncomfortable* pressure, but it was a change and I'm trying to be aware of the changes my body experiences.

[Carebearmama79]

The cravings hit me really hard yesterday.I kept opening my pantry and looking around for something sweet knowing I couldn't have it. Luckily I cleared out my pantry of all things I can't have before I started. That was a life saver. As I stood there looking at nuts, and then the fridge looking at other items I realized I didn't want them so I wasn't really hungry, I was just having a sugar craving. Felt good that I was able to identify the craving and that I wasn't really hungry and went outside to keep busy and find something else to do to change my mind track. 

 

This morning I tried coconut cream in my coffee as I haven't had coffee all week and the headaches have been pretty bad. It took the bitter edge off coffee and made it drinkable and my headache is finally going away. 

 

Have a great weekend all!

[AngelEyz]

Good for you Carebearmama!

 

I had a pretty good Saturday, all things considered. Another dog show (our girl did well), another mason jar salad/bowl to the rescue. I've been seated by a snack bar that produces garlic fries by the pound... after three days I can't even stand the smell. I also politely declined the cookies, donuts, and cheese tray passed around across the course of the day. We got home later than we planned, so I was glad we had two leftover hamburger patties I'd seasoned and refrigerated last night. A burger, a half of an avocado, and cucumber/tomato salad was dinner.

[Karen]

Our party was a success! The roasted red pepper sauce was the hit of the day and it was amazing on my bunless burger with homemade mayo. I prob had too much fruit salad but I'm ok with that. It was one day.

[Knappo]

Day 7!  In some ways, I can't believe it's here already.  In other ways, I feel as though I've been eating this way for a very long time.  I tried to have leftover fish and veggies for breakfast yesterday and actually gagged.  So that is not going to be a staple for me.  I will stick to eggs until I can come up with something else, I guess.  I've read some people are eating "pumpkin custard?"  What is this and where can I fine the recipe?  Sounds like a breakfast thing to me.

 

Otherwise, the day was fine.  I spent some time in the kitchen in the morning, making a batch of salmon cakes for lunches throughout the week.  Also made a new batch of protein salad and some balsamic vinaigrette.  For dinner last night, I cooked a pork roast which we had with unsweetened applesauce, roasted potatoes, carrots, and asparagus.  

 

I haven't had too many cravings-- I think they are still in my future.  My diet in the weeks just prior to starting the Whole30 was so sugar and carb loaded that I think my body is still breathing a sigh of relief.  It will wake up and go, "Wait.  You haven't fed me sugar in a week?  Well, now.  I object!" fairly soon.

 

I've subbed my diet coke for unflavored seltzer and actually am enjoying it-- very refreshing.

 

Have a good week, everybody!