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Starting February 20


MargaretAM

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Margaret,  I read somewhere in the book that a craving lasts between 3-5 minutes (I think that's where I read it.) So, last night when I was thinking about a wonderful piece of cheese to accompany my kale tomato frittata muffin (which was delicious btw) I finished the meal and went outside on the patio to check on one of the horses. The blast of cool air and the silly pony were enough to "flip a switch in my brain." and the cheese went away :)  My biggest challenge is relaxing after work with a glass of wine or two. It is HARD to undo a routine.  I can understand your frustrations with the comfort foods and I know that as soon as the urge hits I'm going to have to "hit back" by doing something different, fast, and easy like walk out to the barn, unload a load of clothes, anything not to sit down and think about it. I imagine it's similar for you when you are in the hospital break area. You're used to being there and doing the same thing and if it were me I'd be stir crazy if I couldn't!! 

 

Another new thing I am trying is Walking Meditation. It's an app on my phone and instead of coming home from work and relaxing with wine and cheese, I change clothes, jump on the treadmill and listen to the mediation for 20 minutes while walking and it changes how I feel for the rest of the evening.

 

Sorry for the long response, I feel your pain in the common area of your workplace.

 

Jennifer

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58 minutes ago, YvonneB said:

I know you're not meant to snack but has anyone got any yummy ideas for snacks on the go that aren't nuts or fruit? Just in case hunger strikes! 

If you know you're likely to be out and about at meal time, it's probably easiest to get yourself a small cooler and just pack a meal that you can stop and eat.

If you're wanting things that will keep well indefinitely in a purse or car or desk drawer at work for emergencies, pouches or cans of tuna, salmon, or sardines -- remember to keep a can opener if you need one and a fork or spoon. Olives -- I've seen them in small single serving pouches. Jerky or Epic bars. If you're out somewhere, you can probably find a place to get a dry salad with just vegetables to have some vegetables if you need a full meal.

 

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23 hours ago, clara912 said:

HI Everyone.  I'm starting my whole30 today too (FEB. 20).  Have lost 55 lbs over the last year doing no grains/no sugars, then drifting over to basically a low carb diet.  Weight loss has stalled and I still have about 20 lbs and inches around the belly to lose.  Have been reading up on whole30 and am excited to do this.  Good luck everyone.  Today is going great so far. :)

I'm in the same situation.  I started low carb July 11, 2016. I've lost 54 pounds & am stalled. I recently joined the gym & have worked out daily for 30 days (treadmill as cardio, abs daily, alternating leg & upper body days). I need to lose 20-30 more pounds with most around my stomach area. I also have T2 Diabetes & am experiencing my lowest fasting blood sugar readings ever since going low carb & adding exercise. I'm concerned about how Whole30 will impact that. I won't be eating fruit or potatoes at all. Also, I have to keep my carbs low. Carbs are carbs when you're T2, regardless of the source. I also drink Plexus Slim every morning. It's not a meal replacement. I've read that it's not compliant & others have said that benefits may be from other changes. But I made no other changes & I sleep comfortably through the night now for the first time in years. My energy level is good & I feel good. So I am still trying to determine how I'll handle that. I'm aiming for March 1 start date. 

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Good Afternoon!  

I also started my Whole 30 on February 20th!  I am very excited about this program.  I have to say I was really surprised learing just how many processed foods I was eating.  I am on this journey to eliminate type two diabetes before it becomes a long term problem.  I am very excited to see what numbers come back after the first 30.  I am also in this to lose weight and be healthy.  I weigh 260 lbs right now.  Planning is absolutely Critical to this program.  I'd love to share stories and swap tips and tricks.  I am honest with myself that this will be a difficult because of my old eating habits.  Good Luck everyone!

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Hi All, 

I am a bit late to the game, but I also started on 2/20 so I hope it is okay if I join this group. 

A bit about me - I'm 26, married, no kids. My husband is doing this with me which obviously helps a lot. I travel a lot for work, but am currently on medical leave due to some serious health issues. I'm hoping Whole30 will help with weight, fatigue, inflammation, pain, and GI issues that I've been having so that I can get on my feet again! Starting out I won't be working out (at this point getting out of the house is a victory), but I'm hoping to start some "mini workouts" (10-15 mins) by the end of the program. 

I've had a few reminders to check ingredients on EVERYTHING. Did you know that even raw chicken can have added sugar injected into it?!?

Day 1 Meals: 

Breakfast: Purple cauliflower hash (cauliflower, peppers, onions) with 3 poached eggs. 

Lunch: Cucumber and carrot "noodle" salad with grilled chicken and sesame oil vinaigrette (I love my spiralizer). 

Dinner: Roasted Garlic Chicken (2 thighs w/ skin) and shredded Brussles Sprouts salad with balasamic vinegar. 

 

Day 2 Meals: 

Breakfast: Kale, peppers, onions, 1 Aidell's chicken and apple sausage and 2 eggs scrambled. 

Lunch: Nom Nom Paleo's Spicy Tuna Cakes (with Salmon instead of tuna because right before dumping in the tuna I read the label and discovered it contained soy and was therefore non-compliant - I already had it at home pre-Whole30). 

Dinner: Beef Bahn Mi inspired salad (lettuce, picked cucumbers, radishes, and carrots, and sesame beef meatballs). 

 

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Ugh... Day 2... I can tell you, it was no Day 1. 

I woke up feeling great, and then had breakfast, and sort of dreaded it.... day 2, and I'm dreading breakfast. I'm a toast with almond butter type of girl, and veggies and meat wasn't cutting it. BUT I ate it.. made myself a breakfast scramble w30 compliant, 2 cups of coffee with coconut oil later and I was feeling good. Headed to work, and the headaches started. I think, no, I know, it was the coffee. I have had issues for years about coffee and have decided that tomorrow I'll got 28 days more without. I think it's the caffeine content.. and I drink so much water, but it doesn't seem to help....SO BE GONE WITH IT!

Lunch rolled around. I made myself a great sounding salad this morning before I left. Now, I was meeting with my mom, and we always do lunch together *out*, but she too is doing w30 with me! SO we had our pack dlunches together. That was a really nice moment actually... nice to know we have each other for support! 

My salad was grilled chicken from last night, arugula, spinach, cucumbers, grapes and 1 HB egg complete with the Dump Ranch from the w30 Book. OK.. Mind you.... this is NOT ranch... it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it could be! I feel the key to this dressing is letting it set up in the fridge overnight, it really thickened up. 

So we finished our lunches and about 1/2 later the nausea and cramps set in. My first thought was the chicken... I had "a feeling" about it last night... Maybe it was the fact that I am pumping so much roughage into my body my stomach and colon can't handle it? Maybe I was missing some complimentary component to this meal? I'm not sure, but, now 6 hours later, I am finally feeling better. I don't have any appetite, but know I need to eat dinner. 

My mood... ugh. It's doesn't help that I am just a brand spanking new Realtor and I'm finding my footing and a room full of optimistic seasoned realtors eating donuts and bagels around me didn't help, but I think the sugar blues were setting in today. I didn't even think I ate that much, but I can tell you, that afternoon sugar rush I always have (a few dove chocolates or the similar) was being missed! I was tired, moody, and just not into it. 

Dinner time, and I am prepping dinner... Roasted potatoes, avocado, and brussel sprouts.. skipping the meat. I never eat that much anyway, and my stomach just can't handle it....  OH and I realized that while I was prepping, I forgot how much I hate washing Tupperware... ugHHH! Am I the only one?? This whole 30 days is Tupperware!! 

Looking forward to my tea and bed... it's been a rough one. But I did it, and I'll keep doing it. 

**To one Margaret (@MargaretAM)  from another Margaret (that's me!) Hang in there. You keep saying this is a lifestyle change.. and it is.. but no doubt you can do it. Think back to something someone said they wanted to do 30 days ago... are they doing it? Look for the positives... 30 days is so insignificant time wise, you've got this girl! A big motivational tool for me, as shallow or bad as this may sound, it just looking around and seeing how unhealthy other people are... KNOWING that you, that WE are all doing this to better ourselves. Better ourselves for our families, for our pets, for our parents! This is for US. You'll do it... just hang in there!! TREAT Yo' SELF to a better future! 

 

this-treat-yo-self-reunion-is-the-best-thing-you-will-see-all-day-1.jpg

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34 minutes ago, MKFish said:

Lunch rolled around. I made myself a great sounding salad this morning before I left. Now, I was meeting with my mom, and we always do lunch together *out*, but she too is doing w30 with me! SO we had our pack dlunches together. That was a really nice moment actually... nice to know we have each other for support! 

My salad was grilled chicken from last night, arugula, spinach, cucumbers, grapes and 1 HB egg complete with the Dump Ranch from the w30 Book. OK.. Mind you.... this is NOT ranch... it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it could be! I feel the key to this dressing is letting it set up in the fridge overnight, it really thickened up. 

 

I'm so jealous your Mom is doing it with you! That's at least someone to support you, since it seems like your colleagues were not much of a help. I'm also having trouble getting all this meat down. I eat meat very rarely and my apartment smells like roast beef right now after all the cooking I've been doing haha. I get full but it takes a lot for me to get it down, even with delicious veggies and sauces.

I'm going to have to try that ranch! This brings up a question I've been having. What's the deal with sauces? Are they considered the fat of the meal? I made some mayo and I definitely know that would be a fat because it's oil and egg, but what about stuff like the red pepper sauce or the sunshine sauce? Do we need additional fat too?

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I'm starting tomorrow, Feb 23rd, but that's close enough, right? :-) I am already a very healthy eater, but looking forward to really buckling down and hopefully finding the source of some of my lingering health and mood issues. I also experienced a death in the family recently and hope that Whole30 helps bring me a positive, healthy place to focus my energy and emotion.

My husband is not partaking, so there will continue to be trigger foods like CHEESE in the house, which I'm a bit concerned about. But I am the primary grocery shopper and dinner cook, so I'm hoping he'll be forced to halfway comply. :-)

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38 minutes ago, LookyLoo said:

I found this great list - gave me tons of ideas! Lots include fruit and/or nuts, but in combinations I hadn't thought of!

http://www.shutterbean.com/2016/whole30-snack-ideas/

If you're hungry enough to need to snack on a Whole30, that's a sign that you're meals aren't large enough or aren't composed according to the meal template. A template meal should last you 4-5 hours. (Or more.)

Here's the meal template: 

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

If you are hungry before you're next meal, eat a mini-meal of protein + fat and/or veggies. 

Eating fruit, nuts and nut butters for a snack is a good way to encourage sugar cravings, if you have those. :) Whole30 recommends eating fruit, if at all, as part of a meal. 

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46 minutes ago, LookyLoo said:

 

My husband is not partaking, so there will continue to be trigger foods like CHEESE in the house, which I'm a bit concerned about. But I am the primary grocery shopper and dinner cook, so I'm hoping he'll be forced to halfway comply. :-)

LookyLoo and others who have significant others who are not "partaking," 

I am doing my second W30 with my husband, so I haven't had to navigate your situation and I suppose you could say I don't know what I am talking about, but I am going to offer some advice anyway.  

Doing this with my husband was one of the most important  (if not THE most important) factor that helped us succeed.  Obviously this is the best option when taking on the W30.  But even if he had said he wasn't going to take the journey with me, I know he would have given me as much support as possible to help me succeed.  And that means he would eat what I eat IN THE HOUSE.  If he really needs to eat pizza, he's going to support me by supporting our neighborhood pizzeria.  

As the primary cook and grocery shopper too, my policy has always been you can eat what I prepare or not eat, but I am not making you anything special ( I must admit my husband will eat almost anything because his mother was an awful cook!).   

Completing the W30 with non-compliant food in the house is a big hurdle, one you should not be expected to deal with.  You are doing this for you and you need to make yourself your top priority and ask your loved ones to help and support you.  He can handle no cheese in the house for 30 days.  He might even discover he really does like brussell sprouts.  

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Hi All! Checking in before I make my tea and settle in for the night. Generally, I feel really good! Aside from my breakfast being a little too filling today and REALLY craving gum this afternoon, I'm good. Before those of you who had a rough day think I'm bragging or superhuman, know that by time you are feeling great, I will likely be suffering. If this round is anything like my first one, I'm not on track with the general timeline.

I wanted to add to something the wise @ArtFossil said: "If you're hungry enough to need to snack on a Whole30, that's a sign that you're meals aren't large enough or aren't composed according to the meal template. A template meal should last you 4-5 hours. (Or more.)"

I understand the struggle of wanting to snack in between meals, but once you get used to not doing it, there is so much freedom in that! I've found that when I am eating enough during my meals and I want something in between, it's out of habit, not hunger. If you've done diets and calorie counting all your life, it can be really scary to eat the amounts that we are told to eat with each meal on the template but TRUST IT and follow it. I thought for sure I would gain tons of weight with the amount of avacado and ghee I ate...but nope. At the end of the 30 days not only did I lose weight, but I could put a check next to many of the nsv's we hear about as well. Now if only I would have kept it going....but that's why I'm back.

@jmcbn thank you for the pwo and fruit explanations. Very helpful! 

@MargaretAM this is so possible....you are going to slay it! Once you start to feel great, you will be more motivated to stick with it. Just remember all the great things that are coming! It may sound hokey, but try positive self talk or affirmations. Also, something that always inspires me is a Tony Robbins clip you can find on YouTube...it's about the stories we tell ourselves. Sometimes we need to change that story. But I know you can do this....and I'm willing to bet you've done things in your life that are way harder than this. Don't make it bigger than it is and overwhelm yourself. (Coming from someone who is really good at doing that to herself, so I get it!)

I hope you all have a great night!

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ArtFossil - I appreciate the input, especially from an "Advanced Member." However not everyone's chemistry and body are the same. I cannot stomach a meal of the size on the template. I am also sensitive to meat and need to go slowly. I've found in my many years of clean, balanced eating that adding small, non-sugary, non mindless-eating snacks once or twice a day is very helpful in keeping my blood sugar stable and my mood up.

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2 hours ago, LookyLoo said:

My husband is not partaking, so there will continue to be trigger foods like CHEESE in the house, which I'm a bit concerned about. But I am the primary grocery shopper and dinner cook, so I'm hoping he'll be forced to halfway comply. :-)

That will be tough, but you can do it! I live in Madison, WI so avoiding cheese is difficult and after my first Whole30 I found out that I don't tolerate dairy well so have been dairy free since December (with a few occasional indulgences when not on Whole30). 

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38 minutes ago, LookyLoo said:

ArtFossil - I appreciate the input, especially from an "Advanced Member." However not everyone's chemistry and body are the same. I cannot stomach a meal of the size on the template. I am also sensitive to meat and need to go slowly. I've found in my many years of clean, balanced eating that adding small, non-sugary, non mindless-eating snacks once or twice a day is very helpful in keeping my blood sugar stable and my mood up.

Some people start slowly on the template and eat what they can, eating "around the plate"--I.e. protein, fat and veggies. Then they eat more of the meal later. 

And remember that the template size is based on your size: your palm etc. Plus, you can eat eggs and fish as well/instead of beef and other meats. 

You might give it a try. :) There are benefits in terms of leveling out your hormones and becoming fat adapted to eating three meals a day, unless you have medical conditions that require another approach, of course.

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On 2/21/2017 at 3:26 AM, dtaug93 said:

Hello! My name is Demerie and today (Feb 20th) marks Day 1 for the Whole30 challenge. I've been on a downward spiral and have gained some lbs over the second half of 2016. I'm hoping to feel great about myself for a vacation in late April, as well as find a trigger for my chronic migraines. 

My boyfriend will be closely following the Whole30 for the most part with me, and I've read through almost the entire Whole30 Guide book, but am feeling quite nervous about the sugar "withdrawls" these next few days. 

Best of luck everyone and Happy Monday!

Hi Demerie, Sugar cravings was one of my biggest concerns going into the W30, too :) I kept eating after dinner 2 nights ago (day 2) -  carrot, celery and cucumber sticks with homemade tahini dipping sauce and ranch dressing followed by an apple, coconut flakes and cashew butter! yesterday I had coconut flakes in the late afternoon but I've increased my fat intake to try and curb these snack attacks - had nothing after dinner last night - yay me! I was going to try swishing coconut oil around my mouth, but would rather try and get the proportions right to deal with the cravings before they hit...

How are you going with the dreaded sugar cravings?

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HI everyone!  We've survived Day 2 .... woot!  I didn't have a bad day today .... I guess I'm a late bloomer .... perhaps my withdrawals will start tomorrow?  I was a sugar hound so they've got to start sometime, right? :)

Breakfast - tangelo and a breakfast scramble

Lunch - leftover chicken on a bed of mixed greens, red bell peppers, green onions and a smidge of Tessamae ranch dressing

Dinner - also leftovers .... from last night's dinner ... chicken and cauliflower mash (which the bf added a potato to so fill it out so we both could have some).  Plus some green beans.

We also cooked up some of the Thai soup from the book so I could have something different for lunch tomorrow.  I'm concerned it won't be enough protein though (only two leftover chicken thighs to throw in for what will probably be four portion sizes). 

So this food template thingy .... some of you have mentioned it today ..... I get the protein sizes and all you can eat veggies .... but what's the deal with the fats?  If I use olive oil for cooking .... no avocado with the meal??  Or since this Thai soup has coconut milk in it .... no other fats with lunch tomorrow?

 

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8 hours ago, xfrapgirl said:

So this food template thingy .... some of you have mentioned it today ..... I get the protein sizes and all you can eat veggies .... but what's the deal with the fats?  If I use olive oil for cooking .... no avocado with the meal??  Or since this Thai soup has coconut milk in it .... no other fats with lunch tomorrow?

The fat is how much fat you're actually eating. So if you just use olive oil for cooking and most of it stays in the pan, go ahead and add more fat to the meal. For the coconut milk, a serving is considered 1/4 - 1/2 of a can. So if your soup is four servings, does it have a least a full can of coconut milk in it? If not, have some fat (maybe some olives or avocado) on the side. Obviously there will be times when you can't just tell exactly how much of the fat is actually making its way onto your plate, so the important thing is to base it on how satisfied you are. Can't wait 4-5 hours for the next meal without feeling absolutely starving and hangry? Have some more fat next time. 

I hope this helps! :)

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DAY 3

Morning All:

Appreciate all the ideas and encouragement from my post yesterday.  I am totally committed and know I can make the 30 days.  The problem is when I project how I feel now into how I will feel 30 days from now (and the rest of my life). That's what was getting me down.  It is hard to trust that some form of *magic* (ok, science) will happen in these 30 days and that I will be on my way to food freedom.  I believe in it...just for the rest of you : )

Word to describe yesterday: EXHAUSTED.  Seriously dragging all.day.long.  I have a long day ahead today and a workout so I hope it is a little better.

I am doing a pretty good job keeping myself full and not having snacks.  I realized that I am a "grazer" throughout the day.  That is another hard habit to break but I am very intrigued by the idea of teaching my body to use fat for energy rather than giving it constant fixes of quick energy.

Just tried coconut mil

I just tried coconut milk rather than oil in my coffee this morning.  Both are satisfying me and I am not missing the dairy.  

@MKFish how are you doing today?  Glad to know there is another Margaret on here!

Be well today everyone. 

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Hello everyone! I'm late to the party... my official start date was yesterday 2/21. I have seen success stories among my friends who have tried Whole30, so I got a roadtrip out of the way and dove headfirst into my first Whole30! I read as much as I could without buying the books (I will eventually), did a partially-compliant Day 0 (hoping to avoid the worst of the dreaded Hangover phase) and completed Day 1 yesterday.

I'm fortunate to work/live with my mother who is also doing Whole30 to hopefully address several health issues, including pre-diabetes and dependence on Ambien to sleep. My boyfriend is also doing it with us, although as a weightlifter, so his meals are going to be very different. At least he won't be eating blocks of cheese in my face. ;)

I'm not planning to do serious workouts during Whole30, but I will keep my goal of 10,000 steps per day. We have horses and lots of dogs so that's usually doable. We spent a little $ on compliant mayos, dressings, and oils. I predict we will be in the grocery store every few days restocking... 3 people on Whole30. Oy. It will be nice to tackle this together, the only speedbump I see ahead is my boyfriend's son who would rather starve than eat a vegetable, so 2 weeks of my first Whole30 will have kid food temptations. But we started on an off-week, so I will have 7 whole days of resolve built up before he comes home. Except that puts us in the middle of Kill All The Things/Nap Time... :o

I'm enjoying reading through the forum and seeing the support for everyone - coconut milk in my coffee was a SHOCK that I am now used to, and it helps knowing that we are not alone in these revelations. Best of luck to everyone!

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Hi BritNicki! 

Horses and dogs are a pretty good workout :) I can relate. My teenage daughter isn't participating but over the last three days she has gotten curious and even ate a few of the same things like kale tomato frittata muffins, buffalo spicy chicken, and taco meat with scratch made seasonings. I think she secretly likes seeing me in the kitchen way more than I ever would have been, and wondering what kind of weirdness I am going to create. 

If you or anyone else has some suggestions for delicious "drinks" that could be sipped in the evening as a low calorie "mocktail" I'd love to see them. I have mint and ginger root and a juicer. There has to be some concictions that are not sweet but are interesting   

Jennifer

 

 

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