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The Impossible meats could possibly be in now...just got an email saying that "most" peas are allowed. Peas: Yes. Green peas, yellow peas, split peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas are an exception to the “no legume” rule per a rule change in 2020. Pea Protein: Yes. 100% green or yellow pea protein is acceptable on the program. Pea protein is often used by functional medicine providers since it’s gentle even for sensitive patients (those with GI issues or a host of allergies/intolerances) and is considered a “hypoallergenic” protein source. However, many vegan protein blends also include other grains like rice, and/or have added sugar, sugar alcohol, or artificial sweeteners. Pea proteins that also contain off-plan ingredients are NOT compliant.

Happy Day 30 everyone! My break from logging was just from a sense of overwhelm with life, but this experiment has continued and gone pretty well. I'm working my way through Food Freedom Forever and thinking I will continue to benefit from following some of the program rules. I'm not sure I'm ready to be without guidelines. But, I'm looking forward to a slightly less meat-heavy diet, and more flexibility, so we'll see how that works out.

@Tiara1234 I'm the same way - I can binge on some good food, and do it more easily than I can with junk! Home-cooked meal that's absolutely yummy? Seconds, please! Man, only a spoonful left in the dish? That's not even enough to put away... I eat it now, instead! Yes, I totally get it. I know the justifications, and I know the icky feeling that comes afterward because even good food does us wrong when we cram in too much. I found that a few things helped me to work on this habit... 1. I often drink peppermint tea during dinner. This is usually two bags of peppermint herbal tea steeped in about 12-14 ounces water (and obviously without anything to sweeten it). If straight-up herbal tea isn't your thing, you could always do one bag peppermint and one bag black or oolong, and the water ratio is variable (you might like yours stronger or weaker than I like mine). Peppermint works as a mild appetite suppressant, so drinking this while I'm eating tends to help my body step on the brakes. 2. I eat slowly and cut up my food ahead of time. Despite what my husband says about "good manners", I go ahead and cut up all of my food (if applicable) and spread it out on my plate, so it looks like there's more than there is. This allows me to put less on a plate and convince my brain that it's more, before I even get started. I eat slowly so my body can really process and acknowledge what I'm eating, and how much of it, instead of just barreling through and eating 2-3 plates before my body can scream that it's full. 3. Sometimes I'll purposefully eat half a meal now, and save half for a little later. If we've made something I know I tend to binge on, or at least want to binge on (even if I've been stopping myself lately), I'll go ahead and force myself to stop halfway through what I've put on my plate (the first serving!) and set that aside. I sit at the table, talk with my family while they eat, and then determine shortly (15-30 minutes later) whether or not I'm actually hungry enough to eat the rest of my dinner or if I just want to eat because it tastes good and is already on my plate -- if the latter, I cover the plate and put it in the fridge for a snack (or meal) later in the day. 4. If I've eaten recently and know I probably shouldn't be hungry, but I see something I can justify eating (like a veggie tray), I'll grab enough to make a mini-meal (think a boiled egg or small scoop of chicken salad and a handful of celery sticks) and pair it up with a very small serving of coffee (I'll make that a decaf if it's late in the day) or hot tea. If I can't wrap my brain around the idea of a mini-meal, then I know I'm not actually hungry and should probably skip the "snack" altogether, especially if it's one of the things I know I'm liable to overeat. Hopefully something in there might help or give you an idea of how to approach your situation

I've gone back and looked now. And here's what I think: I had already ordered the Step 3 patches, when I was feeling good - and thought I was ready. By the time the Step 3 patches had arrived, and the Step 2 patches ran out ... I was not in such a good W30 place. So = bad combo. It's all just one big experiment, isn't it? Life. It just IS. Also, looking back through my journal - I see that the furthest I've made it so far is 10 days. That was only interrupted by the planned lunch with my employer (I am beginning to cringe at the word "boss" - that's not how we roll - we are a team). So the little tiny baby goal in my mind, for now, is that at some point I'd like to make it to Day 11.

Thank you, @Amy_Michigan ... and YES ... I have often thought to myself that perhaps I am going to live my life in these "cycles" ~ and that perhaps that is okay. I'm not sure what all of the drivers are behind the shift when it occurs, but I've identified some of them in the post above. There are more. There are things I haven't even talked about here yet ~ just because there are only so many hours in a day, you know? I've been using the nicotine patch since October of last year. I could not believe how unbelievably successful it was for me. In the past, I'd gone cold-turkey, I'd used nicotine gum, lozenges, and drops. I'd even experimented with Wellbutrin, which is supposed to help you quit - but had zero effect in that department for me. I was driving along one day last fall, and thought to myself, "I wonder if you have to have a prescription for the patch?" Being an RN - I feel like I should know everything (lol) - but alas, I do not. So I googled it, and I thought, Holy. Crap. Why did I not think of this before?! It's been life-changing for me. Because I have NEVER enjoyed the smell, the taste, the habit, of smoking. I don't like how it makes me feel about myself. I don't like how it interrupts my life and takes me away from whatever else is going on. It consumes me. Life revolves around when is the next break going to be. It's terrible. That's because the body is going through withdrawal basically all of the time. Our bodies start processing and eliminating the nicotine immediately, so withdrawal begins to occur pretty much as soon as we put out that nasty cigarette. I've lived a double life. I never talked to anyone about being a smoker in nursing school - I didn't go out on class breaks with the other smokers, didn't smoke before going to class, and certainly not before going to clinicals. I still smoke about 1-2/day now, most days, and my new employer and I have never discussed it. I'm not saying she doesn't know or suspect - I'm saying, as far as I know, I've given her no reason to think about it. I don't smoke in my car anymore (Good Lord ... YUCK.) and I have never gone to work with her, smelling like smoke. It's always carefully arranged ~ that's what I'm saying. I usually have one in the morning, before my shower, and occasionally one in the evening, before bed. But back to the patch: You start out with Step 1 (21 mg). I chose from the beginning not to pay any attention to the directions re: length of phases - because I know myself too well, and I decided I would wear this freaking patch for the rest of my life, if that's what I have to do. I even said this to my doctor, and he agreed with me. He shrugged and said, "Some people do." Well, great, because I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do anyway. And he knows this. Lol. So I also did not keep track of how long I wore the Step 1 patches. (It was longer than directed). I moved down to Step 2 when I felt like perhaps I was a tad overstimulated, and that I could do without the extra nicotine. The transition from Step 1 (21 mg) to Step 2 (14 mg) was uneventful. I don't even remember anything about it. Non-issue. Where I'm going with all of this (and if you are still reading at this point, you are a true friend): I moved down to Step 3 (7 mg) recently. I think I was feeling so good on W30 ... and maybe I did feel overstimulated again ... so I thought it was time. I just finished a 14-day box of Step 3 - used the last one on Monday. So I will have to go back now and see if I started to take a nosedive around that time. I think I probably did. Because this transition was noticeable to me. I also started smoking more. 21 mg --> 14 mg is only a reduction of 1/3. 14 mg --> 7 mg is a reduction of 1/2. So yesterday ~ having run out of the Step 3 patches, I grabbed my "emergency" patch from my wallet - which I had put there back in my Step 1 days. I cut it in half - which the instructions say never to do - and so, I had 10.5 mg all day yesterday. And that was good. I've always suspected the whole "don't cut it in half" was a line of crap for them to make more money ... but I wasn't really sure about that, so I just followed the directions on that one in the past. Which means I've probably spent way more money than I needed to. Lol. And if you're STILL reading (!) - I have typed all of this out in an effort to tell myself what I already instinctively knew: I am not ready for Step 3, and my body does not fit into some cookie-cutter program. Perhaps I need step 2.5 and then 2.75 to remain successful. And yes, I know, true success in many people's minds will be nicotine-free. Smoke-free. But what is most important - honestly, the only thing that is important - is that I feel happy and successful. No one else gets to define our successes for us.

Day 9 B - coffee w/ nut milk; sweet potato-coconut soup; cucumber slices + baby carrots; 2 poached eggs w/ compliant hot sauce S - cup of homemade chicken broth L - tomato-coconut soup; roast chicken; sauteed cabbage w/ sauerkraut + pumpkin seeds S - coffee w/ nut milk; honeydew melon D - salad of radicchio, celery, carrots, 1/2 avocado + vinaigrette (olive oil, acv, mustard); roast chicken; green soup Tuesdays are my Saturdays, which means low-key meal prep. I let a couple chicken carcasses I had in the freezer simmer on low overnight for a soup. I included leftover zucchini, celery, parsley stems, greens that were going a bit grunge-y. Added onion, garlic, cauliflower, rosemary and dried fennel. Pureed the lot. Turned out nicely. Cans of crushed tomatoes on sale so I bought a few. Cooked some onion, celery and bell pepper, added some spices and pureed it all with a can of coconut milk. Not bad! Could use this tomato soup as a base for meat sauce - I might add some ground beef and mushrooms to it at some point.

Well I was always curious about this program, but always found an excuse to not do it. Now that I am trapped in my house for the next two weeks practicing social isolation I decided if this will ever work now is my shot. The thing I am worried about the most is giving up alcohol which should probably tell me something.

My thinking has been so much more clear. I'm sleeping less, and have more energy. Yesterday, I did a rigorous bike ride up steep hills (my bike is electric but still, my heart was pumping hard a lot of the time). Then, a hike. Back home after 4 hours. All this on maybe 6 hours of sleep. No nap. Later, I was writing an article for Medium. The ideas were flowing and I was shocked when I realized it was way, way past midnight. This morning, work up at 6:15 and basta! All she wrote. Still up. Might nap later. Today it's almost one and I've eaten, meditated, gotten the article submitted, cleaned the bathroom and did dishes, and written a bunch of emails. That's an uptick. Another thing--I wrote an article on Medium that blew up. Massive number of views. I can't attribute that totally to the way of eating, but it's part of the picture. That dog-ass, poor me, slump shouldered, take a nap every day thing is sloping off. Oh, I'm 65.

You'd probably go by ingredients, assuming that there's only one non-whole30 ingredient. Added sugar is okay, if there's only one other, like pea protein or whey. If it has multiple non-whole30 ingredients from different categories, you would probably save it for last, paying attention to how you react to those particular categories. If you react very strongly to one of the ingredients, you'll probably also react to the pre-workout, so you may not want to reintroduce it anyway.

Yes, it's fine. Many foods have naturally occurring sugars, which have to be listed on the nutrition info panel -- that's what the 14 grams of sugar listed is from. Whole30 isn't worried about naturally occurring sugars, only added sugars and sweeteners, which would have to be listed as ingredients.

March 14--Did the soup and salad thing again. Getting a bit old. Lunch, huge salad with chicken on top. Olive oil and balsamic on it. Dinner, huge plate of mashed sweet potatoes with coconut oil in them. A from-scratch soup, rich broth, lots of vegetables. After dinner, not full enough so maybe an hour later ate an apple and a carrot, both raw of course. It didn't trigger a binge of eating though the thought crossed my mind. Managed to watch a This Is Us episode, calmly, without restlessly grabbing food. Sadly, I don't believe there's much fat burning and fat reduction in my body. It's got to show up though. Sheer calorie reduction, and bloating foods reduced. Glad I'm not on the scales getting discouraged by the number. Funny thing about the body. I guess if I had shit tons of money, I'd get liposuction and face surgery even though I'm a man and I'm not on the hunt.

This is ok. It's just fruit juice with added probiotics. Like any fruit juice, we wouldn't really recommend drinking a lot of it (see the Can I Have list for the stance on fruit juice: https://whole30.com/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/). Keep in mind, there are no foods that miraculously prevent you from getting a virus. Eat healthy, get enough sleep, limit stress, exercise a bit, wash your hands often (and then use lotion to prevent over-drying your skin if necessary), and avoid unnecessary contact with other people -- these things will be much more helpful than drinking juice.

Whole30 in and of itself is an elimination diet, with the purpose of reaching a baseline from which to test foods and/or food groups to see if there are sensitivities which should be considered when making informed food choices going forward. Ideally, one also does an amount of "deep work" to deal with the psychological relationship to food, as well. Melissa's note about not experiencing Food Freedom is undoubtedly based on the idea that one does NOT plan to follow a continuing food plan that's quite as restricted as Whole30 is. To make those informed food choices, however, you have to do reintroduction. If you're on Day 51 of Whole30, then you're still on round 1 A second round would be when you've done reintroduction and gone forward, hopefully starting to discover what your Food Freedom looks like, and then return to do another reset of some length. That said, there's no reason why someone couldn't choose to follow the Whole30 guidelines or something close to them for a longer period of time. Paleo, for instance, is incredibly close to Whole30 but has a bit more flexibility because you're building a lifestyle (not following a diet/elimination program). In all honesty, I wouldn't suggest trying to stick to Whole30 forever. Instead, move forward step by step as you build a "WholeMe" type of plan. That's where the Food Freedom is, and "WholeMe" can be no grains, no gluten, no legumes, no dairy, etc. if that's what works best for your body... but leaves room for enjoying those foods occasionally if you deem it "worth it" based on what you know about how your body reacts to those foods. If you find yourself off the rails too far and making what you consider to be poor food decisions too often, then go strict Whole30 again for a while to reset your body and your mindset

Eggs, veggie patties, mushroom burgers, etc. Nutritional yeast is often used in vegetarian diets to increase protein values, and it mixes quite well into broths, scrambled eggs, any mashed veggie blend, etc. Hemp seeds are a good meatless protein source that can also be added to foods. Here are a few links that might be helpful (just remember to skip any honey/sweeteners, if they're listed): https://blog.paleohacks.com/veggie-burger-recipes/ https://lexiscleankitchen.com/paleo-veggie-mushroom-burgers/ https://momfoodie.com/paleo-veggie-burgers-gluten-free/ https://nomnompaleo.com/post/5568966009/egg-foo-young-ish-spinach-egg-ham-coconut Good luck

I'm eight days in, just slayed the sugar dragon, feel like the hardest part is over. Getting the urge to step on a scale but won't. Just wanted to introduce myself. Feeling great today hope you are as well.

3/9 Reset Day 4 3:00am get up to work for a couple more hours. Hubby offered to take DS17 and DS13 to their classes today if I would get a couple more hours of sleep. I agreed and turned of the computer at 5am 7am up to get everyone out the door and start work. 9:45 M1 LO sausage and peppers DS11 heated up some food for me while I worked because I was getting Hangry. I will instruct him later on this morning on roasting a chicken so we can have roasted chicken for lunch. I’m remembering now why I got addicted to soda and energy drinks this time of the year. 1:15 M2 - roasted chicken with mixed greens drizzled wit W30 CFA and two strawberries My DS11 used the whole 30 cook book recipe and made a whole roasted chicken for lunch with my supervision (me sitting in the kitchen with my nose in my computer working). He also made sure I had veggies he decided on salad and he made it pretty with a couple of strawberries. And he used my compliant dressing. He is such a sweet boy and so observant and conscientious on the foods others eat and enjoy. I think that is part just his nature and part his allergies and how they cause him to be ultra aware of others food needs. It was such a huge blessing to have a delicious meal prepared for me while I worked. Yeah I think I’m gonna keep this kid of mine! 8:00 M3 - Beef stroganoff recipe from Mary’s whole life. Butternut squash “noodles” roasted vegetable medley. My DS13 and DS11 helped in the kitchen making dinner tonight. It was slow going but so good. They also made onion rings that were gluten free, egg free and dairy free. They made them in the air fryer and even my hubby said they were decent. I did not try them, but I’m also not a huge fan of onions and they were not W30 compliant. My 11DS with the multiple food allergies LOVED them. That kid loves food! My 13DS was horrified to learn what all was in the stroganoff as he constructed the recipe. It’s not earth shattering to normal people mind you. But he still ate it and decided it was still really really good. Well I survived another day of taxes and no vices. So I think I shall celebrate by doing more taxes. Water 85 oz- a slight increase but I can still do better. Comp vs Non Comp in March 6:3 NSV - teen boys are learning to cook from scratch delicious wholesome meals -I have had the energy and ability to cope in the midst of a lot of work stress -I am down another belt whole

3/7 Reset Day 2 3:30 up with the baby. And having trouble falling back to sleep 8:00 up with baby alarm. Time to get my day moving. Got baby fed and settled. Diapers rinsed and in the wash. Now onto breakfast. 10:00 M1 - 2 egg omelette with basil, spinach, baby kale, tomatoes cooked in bacon fat. 5 NS sausage links. 1/2 c strawberries When I went to toss diapers in the wash I found someone had left us 4 containers of strawberries. I suspect it was our mail guy. He’s always bringing us stuff like that. In the fall it was large brown bags of the most delicious apples! I was so glad because I had bought strawberries that looked and smelled amazing from Walmart (I never buy produce from Walmart and I was reminded why). Every single strawberry in the Walmart pack was nasty rotten on the inside. Like brown and putrid. Couldn’t even salvage them to make compote. So having the gift of beautiful sweet non rotting strawberries was a delightful addition to my morning. Dishes done and kitchen is ready for hubby to build skates. I’m glad he’s feeling better and able to work again. I’m going to track how many compliant days I have in March just as way to keep things in perspective and to identify any potential slides before they find me neck deep in pizza and sundrops or cookies lil Debbies and popcorn. Ugh speaking of little Debbies… my parents were given about 8 cases that’s anywhere from 15 to 20 boxes per case. They begged me to take some home. So I only grabbed the ones I knew my hubby would like, which coincidently I don’t like. My 13DS also loves them so hubby and my son were thrilled. I grabbed like 6 boxes… it will take the guys months to eat that many snack cakes so I may freeze some just to see if they stay fresher that way. Who knows. 12:45 S1 - 1 banana, 1tbs almond butter, 1 Tbs coconut flakes, sprinkle of cinnamon I was starving and still over an hour out from being able to stop and make lunch for me. This snack was quick and easy and quieted my hunger long enough to allow me to get to a stopping point 2:15 M2 - aidells chicken apple sausage sautéed with red and orange bell peppers and some matchstick carrots in ghee and a little coconut aminos. Steamed snap peas ghee on top upon serving. Ah lunch hit the spot and rectified my ill mood. I’m keeping dishes done as I go to help my mindset a little. One less thing to worry about while I’m bunkered down with tax stuff. Maybe tomorrow I will have an opportunity to put a menu together for next week and pull some tasty new recipes. Impromptu clean out the fridge… I had all the dishes done and extra space in the dishwasher so I cleared out the fridge, it wasn’t much. I did those dishes and started the dish washer. Then I decided to go lay down for 30 min. It helped reset my very fatigued stressed out brain. Hubby offered to take us to dinner… so when I got up I got everyone ready and whipped up a batch of 40aprons.com chick-fil-a sauce to take as a dressing for a salad. Oh this stuff is so good! I’ll probably drizzle some on some steamed veggies too. 6:00 M3 - grilled chicken breast steamed broccoli and cauliflower salad with tomatoes, W30 CFA sauce. I used about 2 Tbs of the sauce but I put it on my salad my veggies and my chicken. Talk about taking the dinner up a notch. Yum! Baby was very animated tonight. Definitely not a quiet dinner, I had my hands full but all in all it was a nice dinner out with the family. I am headed home to a clean kitchen and work. Logged 75oz of water today. Not the 100oz I was aiming for but it’s better than I have been doing. Slept from 10:00-11:30 worked until 3:30 am. Watched a little TV with hubby and cuddled went to sleep around 4:45. Compliant vs non compliant days of March 4:3

Sat. March 7 Cravings are letting up, though had a moment of peering in the fridge and desperately wanting a big hunk of cheese. Salad for both lunch and dinner. On-plan. Frypan cauliflower for dinner with garlic and seasoning. Was stuffed last night after dinner, and no cravings later. None at all. Having to do this within the context of problem foods. My wife is not on the diet, and she's buying cheese, cooking grains and pastas. Last night. millet cooked like a polenta with goat cheese on top--I cheated and politely ate one bite, but steeled myself and put the leftovers away. This is much more difficult than being on the same plan together, preparing our stock of food, and supporting each other. But, much of the problem has been letting myself go down the path of her diet--which is healthy for her and is working for her--but leads to binge eating and problems for me. I have to find the strength within to take care of myself and let others be --without anger or resentment or making a big deal out of it. It's very much like trying to quit drinking and having a housemate who keeps booze in the cupboards and who might offer a glass of wine, saying "oh, I thought you were off hard liquor. A little wine won't hurt. It's good for you."

Have you seen Chipotle's web site?! Under Allergens and Special Diets, click on Special Diets and there is a Whole30 column! Sorry if this isn't new news, but it was such a wonderful thing to see for me. I would not have known if sugar was a part of any seasoning/marinade and probably not joined in the Chipotle dinner with friends. Instead, I just went down the list and ordered the approved ingredients!

Sometimes, even tho we have weight to lose, our bodies prioritize other healing over dropping pounds. It can be disheartening to have done the entire program and not have visible results but I honestly encourage you to find other results... is your skin better? Your sleep better? Cravings diminished? How's the depression and anxiety? One thing that you might also consider is that stress hormones can impact your ability to lose weight and if you've been stressing this entire time about losing xx pounds, you could be actually working against your own body chemistry. Stay the course, eat three template meals a day and believe that choosing health will make you healthy... Also, on that note, if you have been under-eating in an attempt to hack the program and restricting to count calories, it's VERY likely that you've done yourself a disservice... when you restrict calories and food, you put your body into survival mode and it does not drop weight when it thinks you're in a famine. If you would like to know more about whether this could be what's going on, feel free to list out a few example days of what you've been eating including portions etc... and we can have a look and see. I know it seems counter intuitive to eat more to lose weight but you want your body feeling safe and nourished so it knows that sufficient food is coming again every 4-6 hours...

I am super super super new to this but I do know something about anxiety and depression. Whole30, for me, is meant to help me those two things. I think your anxiety towards weight loss is potentially causing you to keep on weight if you have found you didn't lose weight. Instead of using that as a guide, let me ask you this - do you feel better? Did you prove to yourself that you can tackle something that requires commitment, dedication and an understanding of your own body and needs? I can answer that second one for you because you are on day 29 - yes, yes you did and it looks like you have kids so kudos on the double whammy. all you need to know is that you got your health in a better spot. If it does not result in weight loss and you actually do need to medically lose weight then your next step is a doctor and explain what you have done to try to adjust your health. Chances are the doctor would not have supplied any medical modifications until your food intake was adjusted anyways so you eliminated a step 1. My husband has sleep apnea brought on by weight gain, he did Whole 30 and while it helped other things it was not successful in weight loss or sleep apnea however, the doctor praised his health and set him up with the sleep study which then resulted in the fact that all were connected. One very quick surgery later on his nose and boom he actually lost weight and is sleeping like a baby. You could try fasting but again - whole 30 is meant to make you feel good regardless of weight loss so you need to focus on how you feel internally and the badass-ness you've accomplished!

Chick-fil-A naked chicken bites. Take a bottle of the primal salad dressings. Get salads but use your own dressing. Gas stations often have boiled eggs, and nuts and fruit. That’s my idea. I like taking cutie oranges on trips.

The calendar is just a general guideline. Some people follow it exactly, some not at all, and some follow parts of it bit not all of it. Eliminating some items before you start can make a difference in the symptoms you feel or put you a little ahead of the timeline.

That's what I thought! Just realllllly missing my bacon.

I'm not sure why the order is different in the book and on the website, but it really doesn't matter what order you use, the important part is to go back to whole30 eating for at least two days between different categories of foods, more if you have a reaction that lingers for more than two days. The point of reintroducing foods is to help you decide what foods you want to include in your regular diet going forward. If you love cheese and are okay with not feeling great after you eat it, it may be worth it to you to have it sometimes. Whole30's position is that none of the foods that you've left out for the last 30 days are ever truly good for you, whether you have a noticeable reaction to them or not -- but it's also understood that food is not always simply fuel, that there are emotional and cultural influences on what we eat, and that we are not always going to only eat healthy stuff 100% of the time. If you haven't read it before, I suggest you look for the three part series on the whole30 blog titled, Dear Melissa: What do you eat? It's a good explanation of how she has discovered which foods are worth it to her and which aren't.