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Hello! I'm new to Whole30. I will begin tomorrow and am busy prepping today. I cleaned out the kitchen and made my meal plan for the week. I'm off to the grocery this afternoon. I'm very excited. But looking for a Support Group. My friends and family are tired of watching me try and not succeed. But I'll use this forum for accountability. I'm keeping a promise to MYSELF for the next 30 days!

I did it! My first online forum and I announced my start date! Whew! Quite an accomplishment for this Facebook phobic female. I am super motivated: new foods, new recipes, NSVs - Counting on the Whole30 forum for guidance and inspiration!

Congratulations on setting a date! I found the whole 30 log forum as well as the Whole30recipes on Instagram and the recipes in the whole 3 books a huge help and inspiration. I made a list on my phone with links or page reference to recipes that inspired me so when it was time to grocery shop I had a quick reference on some new and delicious recipes. This kept things a little more interesting than baked chicken and roasted veggies every night. Also if you can take some time before your start to make a couple condiments to aid you in your cooking you will be glad you did. Rather than trying to make them in that first week when you are feeling blah and over it.

I'm having a very up and down time, emotionally, at the moment. I didn't eat my lunch as a meal, just munched the 2 tuna patties separately, and then in a strop decided 'stuff it, I'm having a cookie, this is pointless, you can't even do 30 days'. Went to the work break room, opened the cookie jar, looked at them.... and walked away. I even decided that if I was going to cave on a snack, I could go to the minimart across the road and get a compliant but SWYPO lara-like bar, or a pot of almonds, then didn't do THAT either. My issue is at the moment, I feel crappy and so I have the 'why bother' attitude but feeling crappy is exactly WHY I need to bother. So I'm just going to plug on, one meal at a time.

I have a freezer full of frozen soup which is non-compliant, but my migraines are back causing vertigo with a vicious vengeance and I can't live like this . Round 3 Day 1 will be kicking off Tuesday 28 January. I'll go through to 9 March, because the hubster will be away 29 Feb -9 March so it will be very easy to stay compliant that extra week. Food prep will happen Monday with mayo, chimmichurri, pesto, and at least 2 weeks worth of lunches. Maybe more, it would be great to just have grab and go ready for most if not all of my round. Now to go find my old threads to see what I was eating...

I don't really even know you, either ~ but I will confidently say it is not "just you being lazy". I don't believe laziness is even a real thing. What appears to some as laziness is a symptom of something bigger ... and I don't think anyone is going to change my mind on that. --- Let's think in terms of nature: If we see a bird who remains on the ground as we approach, we almost immediately and instinctively know there is something wrong with that bird. It is not acting on its primal instinct to flee -- because it can't. We are aware that if we see a possum or a raccoon out in the broad daylight -- it is most likely sick. Yes, it could be starving (which is sickness), and yes, it could be fleeing because something just invaded its home ... but the bottom line is this: If a nocturnal animal is out in the daytime ~ something is up. If I get out the dog treats, and one of my dogs remained lying on the floor ... that would immediately set off alarm bells in my head. --- So, I ask you: Have you always wanted to lie in bed all day? Always? That's a rhetorical question. As children, we ran, and laughed, and played. We used our imaginations. We had fun. In high school and college, we could (most likely ~ I realize I am generalizing) eat what we now realize was total shit ... yet we could still manage to go out and have fun with our friends, or go out on a date and enjoy it. If I see a human who wants to -- or feels like they need to -- lie in bed all day, I absolutely do not think "lazy". Humans were not designed/wired to be "lazy". It is the absolutely ridiculous disconnect we have with nature, and the completely artificial, man-made "normal" lifestyle we as humans have set up for ourselves ~ all in the name of Progress. If you look at how rapidly things have changed in recent years ... yet the makeup and the fundamental needs of humans has not ... surely you will see why conditions like anxiety and depression are being diagnosed at an all-time high. @Amy_Michigan ~ I am not pinning blame on you, nor am I saying that you should (or should not) lie in bed all day. I am simply giving you my perspective, in hopes that you will see that you really are on a good path ... you are peeling back layers of your own onion. Love yourself through this, show yourself grace. Think about what those fundamental needs of humans are -- the ones we can see, as evidenced throughout history -- and take stock of whether yours are being met.

Real day 10. Going well after the first few slip-ups. Grocery shopped yesterday for the week ahead. Husband made our favorite pan fried cod last night and had with roasted carrots and mushrooms. M1 today was two poached eggs over sauteed spinach and canadian bacon. Eating out tonight but that will be easy-salad with grilled chicken and compliant dressing. Tomorrow is cooking day.

Day 6 coming to a close ... Man, I had "a moment" again this afternoon. Craving that damn Lindt bar in the cabinet. It isn't even that good! I bought those when we could not find Sno-caps ANYWHERE on movie night. The caramel inside had a very artificial taste. I know this. Yet ~ still, it screams to me. Ridiculous. I did have my husband bring me an RX bar from the store ... chocolate sea salt ... and that took care of it. I'm going to just go throw the Lindt bar in the trash right now. It cost like $1. It's not worth the temptation. Today was good & productive. We are finally going to do a cash-out refinance on our house and do some much-needed home improvements. So I spent a lot of time moving furniture, etc. I love that. I love being active! Winter just doesn't offer as much opportunity. So I'm glad we are starting some inside projects.

Yes yes yes! I knew this before my story was turned inside out, and it was anchoring point for me. Knowing the very core things that I would never compromise is what helped me climb out of that pit. One of those was I would homeschool my children, which led me down one of the craziest adventures as a single mom. They told me it couldn’t be done but where there’s a will there’s a way. I also knew my number that I had to be offered in my field to work outside of the home. I’m glad I did because I had a lot of tempting offers, but knowing my number and my reasonings behind that number made it easy to turn down those offers. You don’t know what life will throw at you but you can truly know yourself and what you want out of life and then throw everything you’ve got at that. ah good stuff for a young person to internalize now before the distractions get louder than their own thoughts.

Day 9 Almost a third of the way through! I’m exhausted from running around all day with the kids. Breakfast- 2 fried eggs in ghee and a banana Lunch- Applegate Turkey-Mushroom Blended burger, compliant ketchup, and a few slices of apple Snack- Planters Nut-rition nuts (cashews, almonds, macadamia) Dinner- I gave up for the day and made a smoothie with strawberry, canned coconut milk, banana, and water Currently snacking on a box of raisins with no guilt. Today was a total veggie fail, but tomorrow should be better. Also, I have a double batch of sweet potato basil soup cooking in the slow cooker. I chopped onion AND garlic cloves in addition to sweet potatoes. Go me!

I remember back in 2014 I wrote a message to a moderator that hurt my feelings and I demanded that she delete my whole30 log and and told her I was leaving the site because of how she made me feel. LOL. I was more dramatic at that age.

@Brewer5 I am turning 40 next month and I agree with you, it has been the freaking hard things that have molded me into the person I am. The hard things have made me appreciate the nicer things. I can’t control the ups and downs that life throw my way but I can control my attitude and learning to live above it all. To no longer see myself as a victim but as more than a survivor. I am a Thriver! I am learning to as you put it “live each day to its fullest” such great thoughts and wisdom.

Oh, @Emma ... no worries! You didn't say anything that offended me. {shrug} Even if you are feeling that way when you post, it does not mean that the feeling will necessarily be radiated through the internet. I have learned that people's words really have way more to do with them, than they ever actually have to do with me. That said: No, I'm not examining your posts for hidden meaning, and micro-analyzing your personality. Lol. I've got a list a mile long of other things/people/dogs/projects that are swirling around in my head each day. And I am trying to live each day to the fullest. I don't know anyone else's ages here ... but I'll just say: I'm 40. Will be 41 soon. There's been a transformation in me over these past few years, that I really could not have imagined when I was active on this forum years ago. It is the result of many factors converging simultaneously ... and I won't get into all of them at the moment. Perhaps later. I do want to say that I was not shaped into stronger and more confident person as a result of everything in life going my way. I've been shaped and molded into the person I am today as a result of things going wrong. And then choosing to do things that were freaking hard. Pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, being willing to take a leap of faith ... and being able to say: "You know what, shadows lurking around that corner? Screw you. And you. And you." --- There was a day when I (thought I had) time to worry about whether my egg+banana+vanilla was going to be considered a pancake, whether I was going to be ostracized for it, whether this meant that I was officially a pancake addict -- but knowing that I was not, and then thinking of the right words to justify sometimes eating this pancake-ish creation I made with my kids. ...Ho-ly. Shit. Yeah. Those days are gone ~ and I say, good riddance.

Day 4 ~ and perhaps this stretch will be longer than I thought. We decided to go to Qdoba on Friday -- Valentine's Day -- for lunch, instead. Since both of our husbands will be traveling for work, we'll take ourselves out for a date. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and feedback. To be clear: I don't believe that pretty much anything is "all in your head" or "just mental" ... and I don't even believe that "will power" is a real thing, or a healthy thing -- not in the way you see most people use the word. That is my point with this thread. I want to get to the bottom of why I make some of the choices I do. If one is cognizant of the triggers, the emotions, the events, that lead to __________ ( <-- insert whatever choices you genuinely regret later) ~ then it is much easier to figure out what can be done to avoid letting it happen again in the future. As an example, I know that I am more successful with eating in a way that is nourishing my body when I have some sort of accountability. Keeping a journal online has always been a BIG tool for me. There's no one else IRL who really understands, or cares to hear it -- but when you surround yourself with others who are like-minded ... there is strength in that. For sure. I once attempted a Whole 30 (years ago) and I gave up completely when I hit Day 11 and I just really, really wanted to have heavy cream in my coffee at Starbucks, to take along with me to my hair appointment. It was my ritual, my tradition, it's what I did every. time. Looking back -- man, that sounds ridiculous ... because I am in no way attached to heavy cream anymore. But at the time, it had a hold on me. It did something for me. I think it might have been calming / caused brain fog. Whatever it was, it was strong ... and I was suddenly like, "screw this, screw Whole 30, this is stupid, I don't even want to do this right now" ... and I walked away. For how long? I can guess: too long. But this time around ~ yes, exactly ~ it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Clearly I've decided to have some non-compliant things along the way, and then I've looked at those choices and examined: How did they make me feel? Were they worth it? I'm in a much better place with Whole 30 now than I was years ago, and part of that is because I've got ladies here willing to take the time out of their busy lives to reach out. Thank you.

OK, so best intentions are worth as much as they're written on. Lunch was at my favourite restaurant, so I just did the best I could, noting that I am in this for long term changes rather than a perfect 3rd round. Skipped meal 1. Lunch was a tapas of kingfish with almond, roasted capsicum and pickled cucumber on a sesame seaweed base (pretty sure this was not compliant), mixed leaf salad with pickled garlic, radish and capers in a chardonnay vinegar dressing (pretty sure this was compliant), and chicken breast in a mojo picante sauce (every recipe I look up for this sauce appears to be compliant, but the chicken was probably brined and so not sure of compliance). It was absolutely delicious, and if there was non-compliance it would be minimal. If I was doing a 'proper' round, I would restart tomorrow, but as this is just me muddling along and trying to take this on as a lifestyle (and because there's no point in restaring because weekend away in 2 weeks will bugger it up anyway), I'll just keep trucking. Noted: I'm not bloated or uncomfortable, so that's good. AND, here's the big thing, I am NOT going to let this convince me I have "fallen off the wagon" and lead to more non-compliance.

I reintroduced legumes yesterday by adding beans to my breakfast and having hummus with carrots as a snack. I also had miso (soy) soup with my dinner as a side. My gut reacted HORRIBLY which really shocked me! I always thought of legumes as being heathy and lived off hummus before this Whole30 but jeez... that gas was not healthy. I’ve decided not to reintroduce dairy or gluten at all as I know how awful they make me feel and I’m not interested in any more unhealthy belly days. That being said, I think my overall diet from here will be Whole30 but including nongluten grains, and alcohol one or two nights a week. I’m excited to have rice/oats back in my diet! I’ll allow myself exceptions eventually but I want to read Melissa’s Food Freedom book first. I’ll continue to log any struggles or successes but in an effort to make this more of a lifestyle than a Whole30 I’ll chill on my updates. Good luck to everyone, and again thank you to everyone who reached out and made this a great whole30!

Ladies, I appreciate your understanding and commiseration. I'm not using this as some kind of excuse to completely derail -- you all know how well I was doing yesterday before this happened. This is why keeping a journal and having support/accountability is so important. So I'll just evaluate my findings here: woke up with a headache and could feel fluid in my left ear before I even opened my eyes - it's almost always my left ear - this is classic bad sign for me woke up with my entire lower back aching - I can't tell you when was the last time I felt this - many months - so possibly more related to sleeping 9 hours after: passed out at 10 pm without doing all of the things I normally do before bed ~ just ridiculously exhausted --- I could say a lot -- a lot -- on the subject of anxiety, panic attacks, and IBS. I could probably write a book ~ and I have thought about it. I have a lot of books in my head, actually. I have spent the last 18+ years - since the birth of our first son - actively researching, experimenting, theorizing, contemplating, reading, trying ... {fill in some more action verbs here ~ you get the idea}. With nutrition, I've been everywhere on the spectrum from SAD to carnivore. I think the only thing I haven't done is vegan ... and I won't. Not because I have such a strong love, craving, desire of meat ~ but because I know how much better I feel on a higher, meat-based, protein diet. It's a personal truth, and one that is not going to change. --- But for today, I'll save the book. There is one important thing I want to say, and it's taken me a really long time to get here: Love yourself for who you are. Don't dismiss that as some cheesy tagline. Seriously. Think about it. I almost shit my pants in the carwash with my husband yesterday. Do you know how that could break someone ... just make them never want to leave the house again? But no. NO. I've been there, done that. I am stronger than that. Life is short, and I have a lot of things I want to accomplish. So laugh with me about that. Because I'm smiling right now. It's a new day ~ and I may have woken up feeling like poo ~ but I woke up.

Day Two: Last night was a doozy! I was all excited to sleep well and my daydreaming as I lay in bed was all about my plans for Sunday (wake up, run in to work, go to the gym, run by the grocery store) and I was enjoying the positive energy.....and then the dog kept me up. She kept barking and running around. There was somebody or something outside (it could be a mouse and she'd be on high alert) so I didn't really fall asleep well till about one and then I was up at stinking 6:30 when all the dogs greeted me good morning (because I'm usually awake by then). And now, my plans from last night feel so difficult. I justified making coffee and sitting by the heater instead of getting in the frozen car by saying it was more important to do this. Ha. I don't think so, but I do like checking in in the morning and evening. I suppose this way I have a better chance of cooking breakfast. My issues these days (good to recap them so I remember why I'm here): Sharp pains in knees while sleeping Knees are inflamed enough that I am now being careful on the stairs again Feet hurt from osteoarthritis Not getting stuff done Gassy Bloated Up ten pounds (my scale says 160 - the gym says 165 - I'm going with mine) Mildly depressed Stresses and anxious Hot and cold at night when sleeping My residual good stuff from my healthy eating (July 2, 2019 - December) Excited about summer plans and travel (instead of anxious and hesitant) Clothes that fit and hang on my body instead of tightly hug I like my face and haircut in the mirror (the haircut takes some money to maintain) I actually enjoy a big bowl of frozen veggies microwaved with healthy fats and salt I'm still down 30 pounds (I'm down 55 from September 2018, 30 of which was the last six months) I feel more confident I feel better about myself at work My inflammation markers went down from critically bad levels to good levels (hopefully after this past month they're still lower) My sugar levels went down as well as some test that can see the sugar coating on your red blood cells to determine your overall sugar levels for the past few months - they looked good too I was HAPPY avoiding anything with canola oil, wheat based stuff, and weird ingredients There's probably more for both those lists. One would think it's pretty dang obvious that focusing on what I eat has pay offs well worth the effort. So fascinating how I have to keep testing that theory again and again, though thankfully this time not too much time elapsed before I caught myself. And even just one day of cleaner eating made a difference. I was peeing left and right yesterday, probably because i didn't have a load of processed crap sitting in me absorbing all that liquid. By evening my face looked better in the mirror. If only I'd been able to sleep! Onto today....eggs and squash, frozen veggies, spaghetti squash and meatballs for dinner....there are options...not the most exciting, but there's no starving going on.

Yes. I 100% hear you on this. I managed one -- just straight up, Whole 30 in April 2014. There was so much "new". Our family had discovered Paleo, really got into it, and pretty much stuck with it since 2012 ... but this was different. This was just me. This was a solid 30 days. And this gave me some hard lines not to cross. Also -- the forum! ...Oh, the glorious forum. I made some real and lasting friendships here. Three of them turned out to be nurses ... and no, I did not become a nurse because of them (in fact, one of them really strongly urged me not to do it, haha) but what a fantastic thing it was to have those ladies around the country, whom I could reach out to for support. I managed another -- and I'd have to go back and look at the dates ... and to be honest, I just don't want to. It feels like a lifetime ago. Anyway ~ in that second successful Whole 30, I cut out all nuts and seeds. That was a pretty huge deal for me. And it went really well. But you see what I'm saying ... it still had that element of "new" because I was putting a twist on it. Somewhere along the line, I discovered Keto -- this was WAY back, before it was cool, before it was everywhere, and when the majority of people still thought you were going to die. Lol. Well, I didn't die. In fact, I felt really, really good ... and I thought I'd probably found my way of eating for life. I spent a crap-ton of time reading books and doing research about Keto for cancer. The abnormal Pap smears that had been plaguing me for years, causing me to have to go back for them every 6 months, have a biopsy of my cervix taken ( <-- okay, NOT fun), and have just a lot of underlying stress, anxiety, worry .............. YES, that all finally ENDED after I switched to a Keto diet. Some will say: coincidence. And to that I will say: bullshit. When we are down, and not on the best path, we don't like to think about the power of our choices. It is an enormous responsibility, and many don't want it. Aren't in a good place to handle it. But I felt good, and I was empowered. This was not the first time -- not by a long shot -- that I had taken hold of the reins and turned a health condition around for myself or one of my family members or friends. But it was by far the biggest. Still, Keto -- even at that time, before all of these new junk products and shit marketing came out -- could be pretty loosely defined and dirty. So my third successful Whole 30 was my own version of Keto Whole 30. It was not endorsed or supported by the Whole 30 staff, and I would venture to say I was not the most popular person on the forum at that time. It was never my intention to de-rail anyone or discredit the program, which had brought me so much success and happiness. I only wanted to share that within a Whole 30 we still each have unique needs. Some may thrive on way higher-carb ... and some may thrive on way lower-carb ... and that's okay. We are individuals, and there is no cookie-cutter. All of this to say: Each of my successful Whole 30's had that first-time excitement ... or some degree of it. And I also had the support of friends on the forum each time. That is powerful. Even if you know there is ONE person out there in this big old crazy world who cares and is checking in with you ~ that can be huge. The other day when I was feeling lost and frustrated, @BabyBear helped bring me back to my senses. So @Amy_Michigan ... I'm here for you. And anyone else who wants to join in ~ please, feel free. Just know that I'm not out there wandering around the forum these days, like I used to be. So if I don't come and comment on your discussions, it certainly isn't because I don't care. It's because I'm up to my crying, stinging eyeballs in my own onion right now. That's all. I hope you all have a blessed, beautiful Sunday. Let's make the most of it!

All good suggestions! I have the cookbooks, but right now not the time to look at them. But....I can certainly pull up a few tried and true recipes in my head and I can pick up some of those ingredients on the way home tonight and that will help. The measurements is a good one. I was thinking I should have weighed myself this morning. I'm not going to bother with measuring body parts because I never keep track of those numbers, but also because I get to see the difference with the clothing or in my belt (ha - maybe I'll write today's date on the back of my belt where it's currently latching. And, as for a perfect Whole30....yeah, I'm just trying to get over the mountain. I have no need to be graceful or look good. I'm cool stumbling and crawling and panting up the path!! I don't care how much I eat as long as I manage to avoid the things that draw me in. It's all about avoiding temptation! And temptation is being avoided! At work today, I saw some salted caramel chocolates. I think I had six or seven of them yesterday. Six or seven! What kind of craziness is that! I would have even eaten more except that they weren't mine. It's so bingy - or at least the motivation behind that weird eating. So today I saw them and wanted one....but I didn't. Yay for me. But then later when I was at the store, there was some popcorn being passed out and I thought, "Yay!". I ran over, got a bag, popped some in my mouth, and then totally realized that I'd forgotten what I was doing today!!! I spit out what was in my mouth and gave away the bag of popcorn to somebody else. Funny to me how I actually forgot what I was doing. I saw food and I went to go get it. Funny too that that feels like food freedom - except that it's a different kind of food freedom - one that right now I can't test out. So now it's late afternoon and I'm back at work and I have a bunch of projects to do - so many that I just feel frozen. I can prioritize and have two that are both Most Important, but behind those are even more. Ahhh it's all so much and I don't want to work tomorrow. And none of it will go away till I just do it. THIS is another reason I'm back here. And this forum HELPS!!! It makes me remember and stay focused and I love seeing what others are doing. Day One is not over yet, but so far, I'm still here. Thank goodness!

Thanks guys!! Good to hear I'm not alone in this. I'm actually very proud to have defeated that urge to screw things up so early on. I don't even LIKE the work cookies. Bigger and better victory - got through Friday night with my wine drinking husband without so much as a craving! Dinner was delicious, I had sparkling water with fresh lime, then a pot of tea. I'm still having a small handful of nuts of an evening, but in the grand scheme it's going just fine. Meal 1: 2 egg omellete with leftover diced roast lamb, roasted pumpkin and sundried tomatoes, with 4 spears of broccolini. Not sure for the rest of the day, we need to grocery shop and I have nothing to do today so I might do something elaborate for dinner.

Newbie here! Ready to start Feb. 1st, also. I know I will need the support of this forum to help me stay determined to finish what I begin. Thanks in advance for your encouragement.

I forgot to mention... in an effort to help me de-stress and help me with the mild depression I get during the winter due to so many cloudy days... I am going to use the budget I used for eating out and picking up starbucks for...are you ready!? Massage and Facials!!!! Why didn't I think of this before? I think I have enough for 1 facial per month and 1 massage per month in my budget.

Good luck @cblarson. I think the best tip I can give is "be prepared" - it's so much easier to throw meals together and deal with the unexpected if you've done some work in advance! I heated up a pre-baked sweet potato to have with some defrosted pork chilli for lunch today. Thank you, me from the past!

@kirbz and @CNW I can explain the salami thing (as a salami maker!) - Salami is a fermented meat. It isn't cooked, it is aged and fermented. If it isn't fermented properly, it just rots and (at best) goes off, while at worst it can create very toxic bacteria. The key ingredient to kick starting a ferment? SUGAR! There's simply no other way to kick off a ferment. In fermented products like sauerkraut and fermented veg, there is enough naturally occurring sugar to kick off the ferment, but meat has 0 naturally occurring sugar, so it must be added. So while there are chomp sticks and some rare products which claim to be salami and don't have sugar, they're actually more of a jerky product (dehydrated and preserved with salt) than a salami. I have wracked my brain on how to make compliant salami and have come up absolutely blank. It just can't be done, and still be a salami.