jillian

I agree with Tom and Miss Mary. Try to find a good therapist to talk with in conjunction with feeding yourself plenty of nutrient-dense real foods. Also, with your past history of drug addiction it's probably not a stretch to assume you have delicate brain chemistry - good levels of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins are critical in your healing process. So DO NOT SKIMP ON STARCHY CARBS. Eat them at every meal - yes, every meal. You may gain a tad more weight to begin with while you heal (you may not - I eat starchy carbs all the time and I haven't gained any weight) - but isn's this better than living in a mental hell?

Hmmm ... About 20 or so days into my 2nd whole 30 I started experiencing some tremendous stomach pain - I think my gallbladder became a bit sluggish. It was as if after 20 days of eating lots of fat my gallbladder finally said, "hey, I need a little help here!". I took some fresh beet juice and a shot of apple cider vinegar and the pain went away in 20 minutes. I'd say the pain would come each day for the last week or so of my Whole30 (especially after eating nuts, coconut oil or avocado) and I would either take digestive enzymes or take ACV and the pain would subside almost immediately. Just something to keep in mind if you keep experiencing pain after ruling out the salmon or canola oil. Just an fyi - Whole30 didn't cause my stomach pain. I originally experienced this pain a long time ago after a stretch of eating a vegetarian diet. I was told that I messed up my bodies' ability to produce bile and digestive enzymes by eating a low-fat, low-animal protein diet. It was a long road to recovery. I'm sure I'm not at 100% but I think the Whole30 has done a lot to restore health to my digestive system.

Jaclynalyse - how much starchy veg are you eating each day? Sounds to me like you need to stimulate an appetite and I've always noticed that I lose my appetite and get nauseous if I go too many days without any starchy carbs. Just a thought. In general, sounds like you need to eat more - and more vegetables! @avondarcye - you can make it with grassfed ghee.

You're no longer hungry all day, every day since starting the Whole30? You can go 4-5 hours between meals without hunger? Then it sounds to me like you're getting plenty of fat at each meal. However, if you're hungry between meals, then it may be worth having some extra fat with breakfast. Do you drink coffee with breakfast anyhow? If you don't already drink coffee - I'd recommend not starting the habit. Otherwise, cheers!

Cake Police!!

My favorite way to pack a hot lunch is this 16oz food thermos linked below. It keeps things hot for hours. Make a big batch of chocolate chili and you'll have lunch for more than a week. You don't have to fuss with reheating it - lunch is ready to go. http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Stainless-King-16-Ounce-Midnight/dp/B0017IFSIS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Z0P8X1QCP1M7HGEWR2D

@ cadarad - yep, that is correct.

My guess - you really need starchy veg right now - like at every meal. Give it a try. I had the same problem during my first Whole30 right at the very end. I was so down and negative that my boyfriend was a bit freaked out by it (totally unlike me). Then I had a lot of squash and sweet potato with my meals - and I felt like a different woman.

I hear you. I have a small kitchen. However, making room for a food processor has been a lifesaver (knucklesaver?). I put off getting a food processor for quite some time and finally gave in about 6 months ago. I use it ALL. THE. TIME. It's great. I shred 4 giant sweet potatoes at a time and store the shredded potato in the fridge. Almost every time I make a meal, I toss a generous handful of shredded sweet potato into a pan. I swear I paid less than $100 - but here's the one I got from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005OAZ3/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

How do you feel when you eat 3 sweet potatoes a day? Is your energy steady? Mood positive and upbeat? BMs regular? If so, keep doing what you are doing. Don't fret about what you are eating (so long as it's Whole30 compliant, of course). Instead, focus on how you are feeling. I have found that if I restrict starchy veg then I will hold onto weight - restricting carbs for me is a stressor. That said, there may come a day when you naturally just start eating a bit less than 3 sweet potatoes a day - and that's okay, too. Don't overthink it. I oftentimes eat 2 sweet potatoes a day for months on end and I haven't turned orange yet ...

I'm Catholic. I was taught that you can take the wafer and/or the wine for communion. Most people in my church would take the wafer and skip the wine. Perhaps you can take the juice and skip the wafer for the next 30 days? Sugar in the juice isn't the best, but gluten is potentially much worse.

Hold your nose and down a shot of espresso (just be sure it's not too hot!)

I would like to include more offal in my diet and think it's best to start with some tried and true recipes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I just saw uncured, SUGAR-FREE bacon stocked at my Whole Foods for the first time this past weekend...

What day are you on?