Start Date August 1, 2016

[aprilb]

On August 15, 2016 at 11:43 PM, jmcbn said:

This is actually pretty common. When I get this way (as happens from time to time) I either stick with really simple foods like you said (mashed root veg & ground beef with carrots is an old favourite my childhood), or I go for really strong flavours - curries, pickles, hot sauce - things that will really tickle my taste buds. I'm in the hait of sticking to a handful of tried & tested recipes for the most part, so I've found this is also a good time to really mix it up & try something new... Either way we don't recommend skipping meals - plate up your template meal as always, eat a smuch of it as you can (ensuring you get a little of each food group), then wrap up the remainder to eat as soon as you feel able.

And as with everything, this too shall pass!!

I'm really encouraged to hear this!!! I'm on day 27, and have been feeling this for the past week or so. Tonight I'm trying a new recipe for dinner from the Against All Grain cookbook that looked intriguing. I hope that helps.

[Elizabeth3]

I cannot believe I have made it to day 21! I am feeling so good! I have tons more energy, and I feel like I have lost inches based on how my clothes are fitting!!! Thank you, thank you everyone for not letting me quit!!! I'm so glad I didn't! 9 more days to go!!! 

[AmyRosina]

Yay, Day 21. And feeling pretty great actually. Energy, sunny outlook, tummy feels calm (and is flatter). I have a food dilemma and would like advice. We are cooking short trips for dinner and they are simmering away right now. I just took a look at the beef broth I am using, organic salt free beef broth (should be homemade bone broth I know...) and there is honey in the ingredients. Ack! The way I see it I have three options: 1) eat it 2) don't eat it at all 3) wash the sauce of of my pieces and eat dry 

 

THOUGHTS?

[Teach2read23]

3 hours ago, AmyRosina said:

Yay, Day 21. And feeling pretty great actually. Energy, sunny outlook, tummy feels calm (and is flatter). I have a food dilemma and would like advice. We are cooking short trips for dinner and they are simmering away right now. I just took a look at the beef broth I am using, organic salt free beef broth (should be homemade bone broth I know...) and there is honey in the ingredients. Ack! The way I see it I have three options: 1) eat it 2) don't eat it at all 3) wash the sauce of of my pieces and eat dry 

 

THOUGHTS?

Hey Amy! Based on what I've read, added sugar isn't a deal breaker if you have it during the 30 days. Technically bc you know about it before hand, you shouldn't eat it. If it were me, I'd probably just rinse the sauce off as best I could bc I hate to waste it and it's not like you're doing it for the sugar kick. Maybe ask yourself Is it going to bother you (mentally) later? Would you feel better if you just didn't eat it? Hopefully a mod can add some more insight. 

[marolujo]

I am on day 22 of 45 (also known as 9 days since I slipped up and ate tandoori chicken without researching it first so I technically had to start over).  My cravings for trident gum went away and now they are back.  And while I have achieved my goal of waking up earlier so that I can exercise in the am, I have started to feel more drained in the evening.  I wont count last night since I got my period today but even on Friday night, I was pretty ready for the bed after I put my kids to sleep.  I think I have been more focused about eating fat (e.g., avocado, avocado oil poured on my egg after cooking, nuts, coconut cream on occasion) but I am about to go into a 3 pm meeting and I'm afraid I'll have a mid afternoon slump during it.  Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong.  Should I be thinking about this not as day 22 but really it is day 9 since my tandoori chicken episode so I have to revisit the lethargy of the past?  Any insight would be great!

[jmcbn]

@marolujo- read back over what you said about your period, and then consider that in the week leading up to, and for the first few days of their period many women report an increase in appetite, as well as cravings they'd previously gotten over. It's entirely possible that you were eating less than your body required, hence that drained feeling in the evening. Fat is great, and I sing it's praises constantly on these forums, but around the time of your period your body actually needs carbs - try increasing the amount of starchy veg you're having over the next day or two and see if that helps. YOu can always cut back again once your period is done & dusted....

[marolujo]

34 minutes ago, jmcbn said:

@marolujo- read back over what you said about your period, and then consider that in the week leading up to, and for the first few days of their period many women report an increase in appetite, as well as cravings they'd previously gotten over. It's entirely possible that you were eating less than your body required, hence that drained feeling in the evening. Fat is great, and I sing it's praises constantly on these forums, but around the time of your period your body actually needs carbs - try increasing the amount of starchy veg you're having over the next day or two and see if that helps. YOu can always cut back again once your period is done & dusted....

Thanks, jmcbn.  That explains the raging sweet tooth have have always gotten before my period!  It was nothing like it has been in the past.  Guess I should call it a success that I craved sugar free gum and not a box of cookies!  Thanks for the advice, I'll give your suggestion a try.  And fortunately, I managed to make it through my meeting without falling asleep!

[Alicia C]

Day 22 almost over and I am still here along with my husband.  I had some difficulties eating out this weekend as I was getting frustrated asking the server what felt to me like a "million" questions about what was in each dish.  This really stressed me out - I made it through it, but really don't want to repeat that again.  Just saying.....

[AbbyQ17]

Welcome to Day 23!! Just wanted to report in on a few things...one, I hosted a cookout at my house on Sunday afternoon, and was successful in remaining compliant! I think the hardest thing was to not "graze" on the chips and salsa, etc., that was sitting around, like out of habit. But I happily ate my burgers on lettuce, and I made up a cucumber, tomato and red onion salad that was on the Whole30 Recipes instagram feed a few months back, then had some watermelon as well. Was gonna make potato salad, but ran out of time.

AND...I had my date last night! We ended up going for sushi, and I totally smuggled in a container of coconut aminos to use, hahaha. I ordered a cucumber wrapped roll and an avocado salad, and just had them hold all of the sauce. Not gonna lie, wasn't quite as enjoyable as usual, but it was still pretty good, and the date went well! I don't think I scared him off with my coconut aminos, and there will most likely be a second date. 

I still keep having the dreams where I think I've slipped up, about every couple of days. I guess if this is the worst thing I'm going through, it's really not that bad. The dreams seem so real, I wake up feeling so upset and disappointed, and when I realize it was only a dream, I am so relieved!!

We're in the home stretch, guys...only one week to go, can you believe it? Of course, there are a few of us who will be soldiering on, but this is a great accomplishment! I can see my GoPro coming!!! 

Have a great day guys!!

[Betsy Watson]

Day 23!! In the beginning I was not sure I was going to last all 30 days but I have really started to enjoy all the new recipes I have been making. I am starting to feel great every day and have more energy throughout the day. My clothes have started fitting looser which is a great feeling. Good Job to all those who have stuck with it and also to you who at least tried. I tried to get several of my friends to do this with me and they would not even try. 

[efox]

On 8/12/2016 at 7:55 PM, Rhiannon_79 said:

Hello,

My first day was Aug 8th and so far (I'm at day 5) its been WAY easier than I anticipated. I've been waiting for the 'boom', sugar cravings, but so far so good. The preparation and cooking is a lot but its teaching me SO much about clean eating, that I thought I already knew. I have been yo-yo dieting my whole life and have a terrible relationship with food, so this diet is everything I have needed for a long time. I am excited, hopeful but a little terrified I am going to mess it up. All mental torcher, hopefully this will help me have more of a healthy thought process towards eating and food. My biggest struggle is thinking I am eating a lot of calories, I have been counting what seems like forever. Which never worked for me because I would crash and burn on the weekends and undue all my weekly progress. I live the strictness of this program, its best for me as I am all or nothing. Anyway blabbing on lol. I am excited to be apart of this program and cant wait to see what this kind of eating does for me!! Good luck everyone!!

You sound like me! I actually enjoy not counting calories on this program! I can now enjoy my food without worrying!

 

[efox]

6 hours ago, AbbyQ17 said:

Welcome to Day 23!! Just wanted to report in on a few things...one, I hosted a cookout at my house on Sunday afternoon, and was successful in remaining compliant! I think the hardest thing was to not "graze" on the chips and salsa, etc., that was sitting around, like out of habit. But I happily ate my burgers on lettuce, and I made up a cucumber, tomato and red onion salad that was on the Whole30 Recipes instagram feed a few months back, then had some watermelon as well. Was gonna make potato salad, but ran out of time.

AND...I had my date last night! We ended up going for sushi, and I totally smuggled in a container of coconut aminos to use, hahaha. I ordered a cucumber wrapped roll and an avocado salad, and just had them hold all of the sauce. Not gonna lie, wasn't quite as enjoyable as usual, but it was still pretty good, and the date went well! I don't think I scared him off with my coconut aminos, and there will most likely be a second date. 

I still keep having the dreams where I think I've slipped up, about every couple of days. I guess if this is the worst thing I'm going through, it's really not that bad. The dreams seem so real, I wake up feeling so upset and disappointed, and when I realize it was only a dream, I am so relieved!!

We're in the home stretch, guys...only one week to go, can you believe it? Of course, there are a few of us who will be soldiering on, but this is a great accomplishment! I can see my GoPro coming!!! 

Have a great day guys!!

Way to go on the date! I have been having food dreams to so you are not alone. I bit into a brownie and spit it out, then another dream I ate chocolate. It felt so real! I was really happy it was just a dream when I woke up. I can't believe we are in the homestretch. 

[mrsrooddog]

Day 23 is in the books! Less than a week to go! I still haven't made up my mind if I'm going to continue for another 30 days or not. Maybe I will try reinto and see how that goes, then decide if I want to do another round. I haven't dealt with any withdrawals or detox symptoms. I was really hoping this would help with my sleep (I've always had such a hard time with sleeping well) but because I'm drinking so much water, I have to get up a couple of times to use the bathroom, grrr! My cough is pretty much gone, thankfully, so I'm ready to start adding some exercise to my routine. I don't think I've lost much, if any, weight, which is a bummer, but I definitely don't feel bloated anymore which is so wonderful. One major success: I hosted a Norwex party for my sister on Saturday who is a consultant (she's super generous and offering half her commission from this party to our adoption fund, woohoo!) and there were so many delicious looking goodies, including my mom's yum-o lemonade fruit dip. I soooo wanted to eat a chocolate chip cookie or dip some strawberries in that dip, but instead, I drank water and enjoyed a few strawberries on their own. And I sent all the extra food out the door with my mom! I didn't want that stuff in my kitchen, calling my name, especially after a long shift at the hospital which I knew I was going to have on Monday (why are Mondays so insanely busy in the ER???) Another NSV I've noticed, my  nails are growing like crazy! Okay, I'm rambling; I'm just so proud that I've made it this far! 

[ebagshaw]

I'm in London so I'm two meals in to day 24! I wasn't entirely convinced I'd make it this far but it's actually been easier than I thought it would be - mostly because I discovered the wonders of meal prep and have gotten into the routine of bringing my lunch into work everyday!

My sleep is a little better but not sure I've quite had that Tiger Blood feeling just yet. I don't feel bloated or generally heavy and sluggish anymore, which is amazing. I feel like my clothes fit better and maybe I've lost a little of weight but don't think it's enough to get me to my goal yet. I am slightly worried this is a bit of a placebo feeling though and I'll get on the scales and/or measure myself and discover that actually nothing has changed. 

On a more positive note, I don't miss pizza or much of the crap I used to. I saw a pizza last night and realised just how beige and disgusting it actually looked!

[Elizabeth3]

6 more days to go!!!! So proud of everyone!!! 

[AmyRosina]

Day 25!!!! My husband and I have stuck to this with several challenges so far. And I feel great. And Im starting to get "scared" about reintroductions which I feel silly about. I just like having almost zero cravings for things and eating so much good food. Im a little exhausted about being SUCH a stickler about things but I am getting very used to eating this way. Unfortunately I dont think Ive lost much weight, if any. But I was in a good place to begin with (just would like to shave off a few).

Hardest challenge this week: seeing a movie with my two kids and passing buttered popcorn back and forth between them. It did smell good...but I ate pistachios instead

[Kannk]

Day 26 here we come!  In anticipation for an upcoming b-day party at a restaurant I called ahead to ask my questions. Burger cooked on a grill - no added oil/butter combo. Check. Nothing added to the burger except a spice mixture. Check. Hmmmm. I asked if there was anything other than spices in said mixture.... like MSG? The man said he was "pretty sure" there wasn't. I nicely asked if he would be willing to check to make sure. He returned with the answer.... yes it does contain MSG.  I have found it easier to call ahead at a non-busy time to ask questions. It alleviates my anxiety about what to (or not) eat. Even if it's just a veggie salad and sneaking in my own dressing, I know ahead of time. Here's to us on the final stretch!! Congrats all!

[Tabithabea]

4 more days left of our whole 30 and let me tell you I never thought I'd make it this far.  I too am having a little anxiety about reintroducing.... I've actually decided that for now at least my main reintroduction is going high quality grass feed dairy... I really miss my cheese... Haha but I've learned a lot and I really enjoy the way I've been eating. my challenge continues to be trying to find the time to prep all this damn food. But chipotle and whole life eatery have been there for me when I get overwhelmed. I've lost what I think is quite a bit of weight my tummy is significantly flatter even right now in the climax of my period bloating! That's the first thing I'm going to check. But yeah I'm thinking of doing a whole 45 with the last 15 days including dairy. After that I think I'm just gonna let life happen when it happens but eat this way most of the time in my own private life. Good job making it this far everybody and good luck on your last days! 

 

 

[AbbyQ17]

10 hours ago, Kannk said:

 I have found it easier to call ahead at a non-busy time to ask questions. It alleviates my anxiety about what to (or not) eat. Even if it's just a veggie salad and sneaking in my own dressing, I know ahead of time. 

Kannk, I did the same thing before I went for sushi Monday evening! I called the restaurant beforehand and asked if they carried coconut aminos (they didn't), and whether their ginger dressing contained sugar (it did). But it made it so much easier to make the right decisions when I got to the restaurant!

Another NSV I noticed this morning...I was putting on one of my belts, and realized I was able to buckle it one hole tighter than normal! Yassss!!!

Have a great Friday, guys!

[Elizabeth3]

On August 26, 2016 at 5:03 AM, Tabithabea said:

4 more days left of our whole 30 and let me tell you I never thought I'd make it this far.  I too am having a little anxiety about reintroducing.... I've actually decided that for now at least my main reintroduction is going high quality grass feed dairy... I really miss my cheese... Haha but I've learned a lot and I really enjoy the way I've been eating. my challenge continues to be trying to find the time to prep all this damn food. But chipotle and whole life eatery have been there for me when I get overwhelmed. I've lost what I think is quite a bit of weight my tummy is significantly flatter even right now in the climax of my period bloating! That's the first thing I'm going to check. But yeah I'm thinking of doing a whole 45 with the last 15 days including dairy. After that I think I'm just gonna let life happen when it happens but eat this way most of the time in my own private life. Good job making it this far everybody and good luck on your last days! 

 

 

I feel the same way! I'm going to reintroduce dairy, and probably keep it! My stomach has been a mess throughout this whole 30 so I'm thinking I need the probiotics in dairy. I've been taking a probiotic, but it doesn't seem to help. Other than that I'm sticking with whole 30! 

3 more days to go everyone!!! We got this!!! 

[Elizabeth3]

Day 28!!!! Only 2 more days to go!!! 

[efox]

Day 29!!! Way to go everyone!! Who is still going strong? I am so proud of myself for fully committing to this program! I feel so good! I don't want to stop and want to continue till I reach my goal. Do you guys know if it is ok to postpone the re introduction? 

[AbbyQ17]

32 minutes ago, efox said:

Do you guys know if it is ok to postpone the re introduction? 

Efox, check this article out here: http://whole30.com/2014/09/dear-melissa-slow-reintroduction-roll/

 I think everyone's journey is different, and some need longer on the program than others to get things working at a more optimal level. The article definitely puts it more eloquently than me  Personally, I am going to be continuing my Whole30 journey into a Whole55; I'm leaving October 5th for Tulum, Mexico, and will start the reintroduction process 10 days before I leave. Pretty sure I'll be eating mostly healthy foods while I'm there (it's a yoga retreat), but definitely don't want to put myself in a position where I muck up the reintroduction protocol, and my wonderful 55 day experience be somewhat wasted. I'm curious, what goals had you set for yourself prior to starting?

Great job everyone on reaching day 29! Honestly this go-round has been much simpler than my first two rounds of Whole30, and I attribute that fact to two different factors: one, I've been much more planned and prepared each week as far as meals and recipes, and two, I dumped the boyfriend I was with during the first two rounds  family and friend support makes a huge difference!!

[Neftes]

35 minutes ago, efox said:

Day 29!!! Way to go everyone!! Who is still going strong? I am so proud of myself for fully committing to this program! I feel so good! I don't want to stop and want to continue till I reach my goal. Do you guys know if it is ok to postpone the re introduction? 

I am still here and counting down the day until my pizza and wine date (9/9).  I was working on my reintro plan yesterday and have decided to save dairy (a problematic food) for the last step and sugar the step before last.

You can definitely postpone the reintroductions.  An article I read yesterday stated that you can even just keep out problematic food types if you know they are problem causing. Great job!

I know we've all talked about the NSVs (which I'll complete the checklist on Tuesday night), but I cannot wait to weigh myself on Wednesday!  

Well done to everyone who has powered through the temptations, desires, and mood swings.  I hope you had more positives out of this experience than negatives...like myself.

 

[mrsrooddog]

Oy, it's been a rough few days. On Saturday I woke up with terrible abdominal pain and I've been feeling incredibly sick ever since. It seems to be worse after I eat but I'm trying to force myself to stay on plan, even though I don't want to eat anything. Has anyone else experienced intestinal stuff near the end of a round or heard of anyone who has? Up to this point, I had not experienced any of the symptoms described (withdrawals, hate all the things, carb flu, etc). I'm wondering if it's W30 related or if I caught some nasty intestinal bug (I do work part time in the Emergency Department so who knows what I come into contact there!). If it's W30 related, I'm considering extending my round to see if it clears up. Regardless, I'm pretty sure I'll continue to eat this way moving forward and do my best to plan for the unexpected and allow myself treats, like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, every once in a while but not as a rule. I'm disappointed I never experienced tiger blood; I was really looking forward to that! I'm also looking forward to weighing myself although I'm not very hopeful; I don't think I've lost much, if any, weight. Trying to get into the mindset of focusing on the NSV gains.