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I found that sugar triggered my sinuses. The very first W30 I did was in the spring and I realized I wasn't taking my allergy medicine any more and I wasn't getting sore throats anymore. So glad you are feeling better.

Day 21 of Round 3... Oh my gosh, I've never felt like this before! I woke up this morning and thought, you know, I'm not craving anything besides nutrients. I feel great. I read most of Food Freedom (ran out of time at the library and will get it again next week if it works out) and kept thinking SOMEDAY I'll be over my addiction (well, I mean not tied to my addiction, really). Today I woke up not thinking of food. It was weird. Is this what a smoker feels when they've kicked the habit? You might be wondering so I'll answer- with the food addiction and my lack of good habits, I was up to 50 pounds over my ideal weight for running long distances. (That's about 2 pounds per inch of height + 10 pounds for my body composition.) I'm now down to only 21 pounds over my ideal weight. While that's a whole lot of pressure on my knees and ankles, that's also very much attainable in the losing weight arena. I will get there now that I've conquered the BEAST. Food addictions are strange because, unlike smoking, we NEED food, just not all the stuff and the quantities that I've had over the past 20 years. I used to be super healthy. 20 years ago I could do 100 pushups without stopping and completed a 50k without training (actually, I did 2, a year apart). I was a coach and was nicknamed GI Jane, though at the time I thought it was horrible. Now, I wish I could go back to that body! Times have changed. Baby came, marriage, real work, life but that's been 14 years in which I didn't have to lose my edge. I took the wrong road and now I'm struggling to find it again. I'm so excited to have persevered enough to get myself back on the healthy food attitude road. Now for the fitness. That's on the way. Thank you to everyone who offers support all the time and especially to Melissa for sharing her knowledge.

It does pass if you can get yourself to that level mentally. A spoonful of ice cream would just make me want more ice cream. I get through my life just fine without ice cream, so why on Earth would I do that to myself? I hate that feeling, so I choose to avoid it. I also don't look at "food" that is not food, and worry about it going to waste. It goes to waste if it ends up in my body. It causes all sorts of havoc on the way through. Again... what purpose does that serve? So much of this is about changing your thought processes. Recognizing that I am an abstainer and consciously making choices accordingly has never made me feel weak or defeated. It is very empowering. We get to *choose* to feel good. Feeling good, and strong, with consistent energy to get through my days & do all I want to do in life (which is a lot) -- now, THAT is freedom.

It's so good to read this discussion as I, too, struggle with these ideas. I find that I go back and forth between needing to concentrate on moderation and abstaining depending on my energy levels and what else is going on. One way isn't working for me 100% of the time. Thank goodness for W30 getting me back to focusing on what's right for me. I'm hoping, praying, keeping my fingers crossed that my needs will be figured out soon and I will be able to sit down with that one spoonful of ice cream and be done. I think I'm almost there. I got Food Freedom at the library. I hope you can, too. Even if the ideas don't work for you 100%, the idea of reading and focusing on your relationship with food might help as it does me. I have/had a horrible relationship with food. I was working at a bake sale lately (thankfully during W30 R2) and saw kids bringing in some slightly unsightly lemon bars. I felt bad for the kids. I wanted to buy them to make the kids feel loved and appreciated. REALLY? Who does that? Then there were some marshmallow treats made with raisins and weird things that I would have loved and I was going to buy those too because they weren't selling quickly. For the first time in my not so healthy phase of life (that I'm struggling to break out of) I passed on both. It was difficult. REALLY difficult. In this situation I HAD to abstain or I would have given in to both and I don't waste food so they would have been consumed by me alone. But most of the time when I'm not tired and not frustrated, I can moderate what I'm eating. I think I need to adjust my moderation levels, though. So much to consider and I feel psychotic having to think about it all the time to stay in check. One day all this will pass????

Hi there April Buddies! 2 Days to go. How are people proceeding? How are you handeling the Reintroduction for yourself? Going another round? Switching to Whole30 Vegetarian? Im considering 1. Going another round or 2. Trying Whole30 Vegetarian (Vegetarian has been my leaning in life for 50 years...just don’t like meat much and don’t digest well). 3. Trying Whole30 Vegetarian but reintroducing quinoa. Right now my food supplies on hand are to go another round of “traditional” Whole30. I haven’t quite figured out which aspects have made me feel better and I’d like to get in touch with that, if you know what I mean. I do have cravings and am not currently experiencing Tiger Blood. Too much fruit? Maybe. Hmmmm. So what’s up with the rest of you? I’d love to hear! Be encouraged! We did this thing and we are finishing (or going on) strong! xo Dianne

Haha I've just realised that I've tried to reply to individual posts but haven't managed to add the quotes in the last few so I look like I'm talking to myself! Oh technology! **facepalm**

Andria, what have you been eating in the evenings -- and how close to bedtime? I've recently made a histamine connection, and it can cause symptoms almost like a hangover the next morning. Maybe do some googling of "high-histamine foods" and see if anything stands out to you. Hope you feel better soon.

I just went to Six Flags without eating anything! I’m pretty sure that’s never happened in my life.

First of all, congratulations! 58 pounds in 3 months is a HUGE accomplishment -- as is sticking to Whole 30 eating for that amount of time. Seriously. You have made so much progress ~ don't lose sight of the non-scale victories you've gained. That is awesome. It would be helpful if you list what your typical days look like. That could help with suggestions you might get. The #1 thing that stands out in my mind (which may or may not apply) is that IF you have been eating nuts, nut butters, dried fruits, Larabars, trail mixes -- it may be time to think about replacing some of those items with more protein. They are not very satiating, and they are easy to overdo. Protein, on the other hand, will provide much-needed nutrients and long-lasting energy to help blast you through your days & keep this good thing going. If you are not eating those things at all, it could also be that your body is working through a period of stress or healing, and you just need to stay the course that makes you feel good, and trust the system. It could also be that you've simply reached a point of energy balance, and you may have to play around with the composition of your meals a little bit to shake things up & see what works. In any case, best wishes, and again -- CONGRATS!

3 days to go! Congratulations everybody nearly there! Sinuses finally clear! I wish I knew what I eat off whole30 that causes so much inflammation that it takes nearly 4 weeks clear up... Even going through several reintroductions I haven't been able to identify it. I hope it's not corn.

One of the biggest reasons I decided to do the W30 this time (I've done rounds before in 2016) was to show myself that I can be consistent. Consistency is my biggest struggle. I'll be doing well and then I'll deviate and feel bad about it. I've been doing mindful mediation for a while now and I really think that has helped me to really think through my choices. When I have a craving, my goal is to be mindful and ask those questions that Melissa talks about in Food Freedom Forever "“Do I want it? Is it worth it? Will it mess me up? Am I willing to accept the consequences? Do I really want it?” There are only two answers here—yes, it’s worth it and I really want it, or no, it fails one or more of those criteria." I know that I'm an Abstainer. I do much better when I just stay away from said food. So I'm working on figuring out how I can manage trigger foods and not let it throw me totally off because you know I have to live life. https://whole30.com/2017/04/abstainer-or-moderator/ I also do much better with black and white rules instead of guidelines and that is something I'm working on also. I feel like I've taking the desperation out it. I've already tried to lose the weight (30-40lbs) "quickly" and that hasn't produced long term success. So now I'm just working on becoming healthy. Doing what I need to do to feel good, have energy, less stress and sleep throughout the night without waking up. I now know that if I pursue health, that I will get a smaller pant size by accident. Also I've never done the reintroduction correctly any of the times I've down W30 and I'm determined to do it correctly ALL the way through. I'll be doing the slow reintroduction and I've already planned out the next 30 days. I'll be reintroducing something new every 2 weeks. I know that for most foods I do not have an immediate reaction. It happens over time so I need to give it time. I'm totally OK with that. Here's to the next 4 days and beyond. YES WE ALL GOT THIS!!!!

Hi Andria, It's not super normal, no. It might be something unrelated to Whole30. We're still in the tail end of flu season, so maybe you're trying to fight something off? Other thoughts could be a physical manifestation of your brain being burned out on the whole process. This happens to me every now and then. I'm just so OVER planning and cooking and thinking about my food and what considerations I have to make for the rest of the day...I'm just mentally exhausted. could be something like that? Too many variables here to really put a finger on any one thing, but have some tea, maybe some compliant digestive support? Or just hang in there for 4 more days and start tinkering with reintro?

This is 100% marketing and you're too strong to fall victim. If the flavors were 'that' good, they wouldn't be discontinuing them so they're probably not worth it anyway

Insta is a great idea! I'm BrownstoneBabe. Added portraitrachel Thanks for the other IG handles! (paleorunningmomma, therealfoodrds, livinglovingpaleo, melissa_hartwig, whole30approved, whole30recipies, whole30, and thewholesmiths.) Organizing all handles in this one place. **Speaking of...Does anyone want to start a FB group? I could start it. Even if it's just for this month, it might be easier than here. Let me know your thoughts. Marj Kleinman on Facebook.

Day 7!!! One (almost) complete week. Just need to make it 11 more hours... I feel pretty good that we're still going strong ladies! So the chicken coconut curry recipe is pretty amazing (assuming you like curry). I also tried a handful of shredded coconut with red grapes yesterday, which was really tasty as well. I was just chatting with my four year old. He was telling me that he wanted to help me make dinner tonight, I told him that he could help me smash the potatoes. He is insisting that we have pizza instead. He and my husband are going to visit my in-laws this weekend. I'm going to stay home with my other son. We would all go but my in-laws house is literally the land of temptation. I don't think I would make it through the trip. Lucky for him he will most definitely get his pizza there. Lulu - you seriously need to talk to those chickens. I'd say I'm averaging 4 or 5 eggs a day. It would seem unfair to have 28 chickens and still be buying eggs! rusrach - I hear you on the constant pooping - I'm the same way. Not ideal. I'm hoping that stops once we get through the days 8 and 9 enzyme adjustment.

I won't be doing any running either... But heck yes to a celebratory glass of wine!! I'm also feeling better today, maybe because of the commiserating! I've had a slow morning at work and have been browsing the "Dear Melissa" pages suggested by a moderator. I've found this one ( https://whole30.com/2016/08/sugar-dragon/ ) to be really helpful in re-thinking my battle with the dreaded, vicious Sugar Dragon, and also in re-thinking life after Whole30. This isn't a diet, and it's not about restriction - it's changing habits from the inside out and changing emotional relationships with food. This is only THIRTY days going up against a LIFETIME of emotional and habitual associations with food. I also printed out the Off-Roading Map ( https://whole30.com/downloads/off-roading.pdf ) , and if I have to pull that out every time I have an "unhealthy" food choice, then I will. @Let's Dooooo It! mentioned earlier that "Availability does NOT equal necessity." And that's the truth. I need to think more in terms of the empowerment I feel when I make good choices for my body, rather than feeling sorry for myself when I'm "unable" to have something. If I expect my brain to throw tantrums over what I can't have, I'll be better prepared to handle it.

This is sort of where my wife is, still struggling a bit. I think if she was able to put cream in her coffee she would be a lot happier. She to is hanging on by a thread, mostly in part because i'm doing it with her. She's waiting for me to give the word, but I won't do it. I keep telling her we're almost there. We don't plan on changing our diet much from what we learned on Whole30, it's been a great leaning experience for both of us. Hang in there, we almost made it!!

Day 26 ... Tiger Blood dipped a bit, but still going strong. I Increased my steps on the fitbit, 4,000 and my morning runs have improved. The diet has been in autopilot and still maintaining all the correct foods. Some cravings, but they seem to get easier to dismiss. I can relate with you @suzannes about "Kill all the things", I've been good but could easily lose my temper, been catching myself before the words actually come out of my mouth. . I did break out the scale, was curious. I try not to let the numbers drive/ bother me. I feel good, my clothes are looser, belt moved a notch, maybe another one soon, look thinner, but the scale didn't move as I thought it would. That's alright, I feel really good. My goal was to restart my metabolism and I think I've done that. Only a few my days to go!!! Stay strong everybody!! We've come so far, only a little bit to go!!!

Oh my, @suzannes! I wonder if the same thing can happen in menopause! Sleepy, weepy, and creepy as of late! Went from Tiger Blood to who is that???? You have my sympathies! I’m in agreement as usual with you in May. May be slightly my own version due to wedding feasts for my niece, with few options, from what she’s chosen...wine, pizza, and pies!!! Yikes, plus my son is coming. I refuse to just bail though! Other than my recent Monster Woman, it’s been very, very, good! How is everyone else? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you! You are all too special to me!

Congrats on sticking with it! You can do this! Do you have the Whole30 Day by Day? I've been reading and doing some journaling every day and I really think it helps. My IG user name is portraitrachel (mostly pics of my cat lol) - I think I found you on there. I'm following paleorunningmomma, therealfoodrds, livinglovingpaleo, Melissa (of course), whole30approved, whole30recipies, whole30, and thewholesmiths. Are your chickens behaving today?

Retirement party cake. Went downstairs, hugged the retiree and got out of there... Didn't feel tempted...but didn't wanna push it...

Easier said that done and easy for me right now to "preach" to you because I'm in an ebb of stress. But when you can't remove stress altogether you put focus on all of the other things. Get enough sleep. Get moderate activity (walk the dog etc, nothing high intensity). Eat whole, nutrient dense foods. Take as much time for yourself as you can to decompress. So you can't get rid of stress but you can remove all the other "stressors" on your body which means that your body is much more able to cope with whatever stress load you have at the time. As Melissa teaches, you have a health bank account. If all you are ever doing is making withdrawals (low quality or short sleep or poor nutrition/high anti-nutrition such as sugars/grains etc or no activity along with whatever high stress you have) your health account gets depleted. If you have to have the high stress making withdrawals for a period of time that's fine but make deposits with the good nutrition, good sleep, gentle activity, good self dialogue etc).

This was certainly informative. Thank you so much! I was under the impression that when your body shifts from burning sugar to fat for energy, that the process itself was ketosis. Shows you how much I know... Beginning this journey is the best thing that I've done for myself. I knew that it would be tough as I am also dealing with some stressful situations on top of trying to eat properly, but I had to commit. I did speak to my doctor, and he actually suggested that I come off of some of my medications before beginning the Whole 30. So I've solely been testing after each meal, taking a long acting insulin and Januvia. I've already been able to cut out two medications completely since my sugars have been within normal with my meal choices. I have only had night spikes. To say that I am psyched doesn't even begin to explain it. I had set up an August 1st start date, and then 5 days prior found out that my dog has lymphoma and that I would be needing to bring her to Raleigh for treatments every week. That would leave me having to drive up there and then stay there all day, then drive home. I didn't think I'd be able to handle the stress as well as follow my meal plans, but my husband was really supportive. My dear husband that up until August 1st barely would eat a vegetable with his meals. I am so proud of him and the changes that he is making himself! Not only have I felt like following the Whole 30 has helped me deal with my stress and give me something else to think about, but the foods that I was eating previously did nothing to make me feel better about myself. Foods that I have been shoveling into my mouth with abandon since my daughter passed away 20 years ago at the age of 16 months old. I know that it sounds silly since I am only on day 11, but since starting I feel like I am doing something good for myself for the first time in such a long time. I've been living in a fog of depression and self loathing that was fueled on by comfort foods, and I feel as though that fog is finally being lifted. I apologize if that was all TMI. I have been so stinkin' emotional since I began, and not in a bad way.

It may be part of the healing detoxing process.... Your liver and kineys are flushing out waste and need more water to do this. You also don't hold as much water when you have less carbs o maybe your body wants a higher reserve...

thanks so much for this post! I am on my first whole30 ever (or whole100 if I have my way) and have started to stress out a little bit today. I was actually upset with myself for having 3 pieces of fruit and cashew butter on two different occasions. did I stick to the rules? yes. could my food choices have been better? yes. did I drink diet coke and have cookies for breakfast like I did a week ago? nope. so that is success. I don't want to get discouraged and worry about how I can cook my veggies/meat/whatever.