FitAndFabForever

I'm starting my fourth - mainly to re-calibrate my eating as I've been including cozy comfort foods again and it's time to get back to basics. This time even though it's not encouraged in the Whole 30, I'm intending to be mindful of my portions but without going crazy with it. Just wanting to pay attention to those serving sizes. As I get older I can't eat the same without it showing on my hips and belly. :-) Look forward to the companionship during this shared experience. It helps!

Hi Asharn, I was eating as a vegan before starting the Whole 30 and so I can relate. Personally at first I found it hard because just the idea of my eating meat made me gag...despite having previously been a perfectly fine carnivore before turning to plant based foods. So I didn't want to cook raw meat so I found lots of pre-cooked meats at Trader Joe's. In the cold section (where they have cheese and so on) I found grilled chicken breasts, grilled chicken patties and spicy sausages all precooked. One version of sausages has no added sugar. Once I adjusted, in the frozen section they have Chilli-lime turkey burgers. Trader Joe's also has bags of frozen chicken breasts and thighs, salmon, tilapia, etc. Really easy to prepare (don't have to chop anything before cooking). There are probably lots more options elsewhere but TJ's is still my fave stock up place. Hope this helps a little. I'll be starting on 11th as well - tuning in on the other group.

Hi fellow Whole 30'rs! I just turned 56 three days ago. Yay! I've enjoyed hearing from others around my age as well as those who aren't.. I successfully Whole 30'd last summer. I am pretty healthy generally but since last year I've lost family members & started self-soothing eating lots of cookies. I was fine with it 'cause I planned to Whole 30 the habit & take the belly off later. That time is now. One problem I had during the last Whole 30 though, was a healthy sweet tooth: ie. Lots of sweet potatoes, roast veggies, butternut squash, berries...& other sweet but nutritious foods. In every meal & I began craving them as well! Red flag. If anyone has suggestions on how to Whole 30 without this problem I'd love to hear feedback. And suggestions of other non-sweet carbs, because it could've been a carb craving thing. Meanwhile glad to be on this one month journey with you all. The forum contributed greatly to my success last year & I hope it'll be the same this year. Blessings.

I'm sorry to hear the 30 day Daily Emails package is going away. Although they had so much information I didn't read all of it, I enjoyed seeing each one pop up daily and loved checking off at the end of the day. The cheering squad that popped up after saying you'd done another day successfully always made me smile and feel "YES I did it!". Some of the entertaining videos that accompanied it made me laugh out loud. That alone was worth the entire set of daily emails. I wish it could be automated so that it would be easier for them to send it out. The journal has most of the info, but nowhere near as much as the emails. I hope they bring them back and set it up so you can start from scratch with the emails if you have to start over.

I started using the Day by Day journal, and love that it combines the email encouragement with other info in one journal book. But then had to start over :-(. Does anyone have any ideas on how to start over while still using the journal book? It only goes Day 1- Day 30 so unless you do it perfectly the first time, it's hard to know how to use it. I temporarily glued copies of the log pages over the pages I'd written in. But this isn't a good solution. Any ideas anyone?

I started with "It Starts with Food". It explains the reasons as well as the program. Then I borrowed "The Whole 30" from the library. It has lots of FAQs and tips and some nice recipes. Also, I found the forums to be most encouraging, (and not necessarily with those starting on the same date as I). Just started in a thread I liked and kept going following a group which helped me stay the course by hearing people share their experiences. Plus Moderators will often chime in and answer questions or offer encouragement. I also signed up for the $15 Daily emails. At the end of each day you check off that you completed another day and a cute or goofy message pops up. I personally loved that! I'd smile every time. All you really need though, is on the Whole 30 website: https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/ Lots of lists and instructions are on the site. I printed some out and pinned them up in the kitchen. Especially the one showing the portions - easy to follow but I sometimes need reminding. Here are all the print outs. https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/ That's more info than you asked for but hope it helps. All the best.

I'm so glad you guys are here. I feel more motivated. Thank you for being here.

Me too. I add a colorful (red/orange) veg like steamed sweet pot/red bell pepper to the pan, and I'm so happy. Yum! I know this is an old thread....but still so helpful.

Good luck! I'm starting too.

Thanks. I think I might join you. Just wanted to say hi. More later.

Also if one is really struggling, they have a Daily email thing for $15. I signed up and it was SO worth it. Daily newsletter/letters that really explain things, encourage, entertain. I didn't read everything but it's always available to me to read at any time. Their final pop up page every day always got me smiling. Here's a link to a sample email they've made available. https://daily.whole30.com/email_sample.html I also found writing here with others who'd started the same day, really helped too. The moderators are great.

JoeS, hang in there. It gets better, then worse, then way better. It's worth it. Think of it as the withdrawal stage. It's normal. Stay strong. Hope this article helps: https://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/ Just remember to follow what ShannonM816 has written above. The water flushes out the toxins faster. I found it helps to keep a full jug of water on my desk, and fill it at least twice. Or marking off when I drank a glass of water - aiming for a glass every hour from 9am-4pm which equals 8 cups of water (recommended average in health circles). Keep reaching out too. And find similar forum entries. You aren't alone.

Hope it's going better with the sugar kicking and some yukky days and in general? For me, I think I'm doing better - Butternut squash doesn't call me as loudly as sweet potatoes so I'm sticking with that for a bit. But...I think I'm not including enough starchy carbs - my legs get tired when I don't eat enough of them. As a result, after an energetic zumba class one day, I found myself demolishing those "Root veggie" chips which have some sweet potatoes in there. I've been a bit lazy about planning and preparation and didn't have enough breakfast meat (I always add a sausage or turkey burger to my eggs for breakfast. When I don't eat meat with the eggs, I get hungry earlier and crave carbs (quick energy). If I'd prepared, I'd have had a post-workout meal ready as described on the Meal Template page. Btw, if anyone's interested and hasn't seen this, here's a link to what to expect on the Whole30. While mine didn't follow the timeline, some of the experiences were true for me and it was a relief just to know the process is usually a simple straight line.. https://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

Hi All, I just finished my first Whole30 end of June and I think it's wonderful. I'd already planned to do another one because 1) I still don't have the eating style down pat, and need practice while being accountable, even if I'm the only one who knows. Also I found myself enjoying and relying on all the sweet potatoes a bit too much - which led me to believe my sugar cravings haven't been sorted out. I want to investigate that a little bit further just to make sure. I started yesterday June 14th. In between the two Whole30's I consciously indulged in my fave almond croissant, and mocha-almond ice-cream from my fave ice-cream place. Yesterday I was near the ice-cream place and in order not to be tempted on my first day, I chose to walk a long way in the other direction and eat my pecans. Having them made me more tired than usual which is good to know. I look forward to doing this second Whole30 with you guys, and to try some new recipes. (I was eating like a vegetarian and before that like a vegan, for a few years, so it's a major switch to cook meat again. I stocked up on healthy, delicious Whole 30 compliant meat products from Trader Joes so I wouldn't have to handle raw meat with my hands much; and now would like to graduate to cooking ideally grass fed, while keeping the Trader Joes burgers and chicken as backups in my freezer. I highly recommend them). My veggie intake shot up because I didn't have to worry about the meat, just focused on making abundant and delicious veggies. I have so much more energy, am a nicer person (seriously! I am. Ask my teen son), and my waist definition is back. The jeans are almost falling off! I hope these gifts of the Whole30 will continue though I still have some issues to sort out. I'd love to hear others' experiences. Blessings.

Thanks. I wasn't thinking of living on a liquid diet - hah - I'd starve. Just that my belly flattened drastically when I stopped eating beans and chickpeas. Then it started to expand a bit. I thought it'd get smaller again, but not so far. The back of my waist has been losing it's cushiony feeling, and jeans might be looser, but belly seems happy to stick around a bit longer. The idea that I CAN have a flatter belly is appealing. I'll take your advice though. Stick with the program and do it faithfully. As they say "trust the process." Regarding the protein, "Pacific" brand, Organic Chicken "Bone Broth" has 9 grams of Protein per cup and 4 cups per container. That's 36 grams of protein for the day which is better than nothing - I thought. I want to be clear that this is NOT true of their 'chicken stock' or 'chicken broth' which have added sugar and less protein. Here's the info below in case it's of interest. (Hope it's ok to stick it in here). It tastes bland - perfect for an unhappy belly. A friend said it would be hydrating, and help replace fluids and electrolytes lost due to diarrhea. I just happened to have bought it - my first bone broth - that very day.