Amy Rose

** Note to self - a half slab of ribs plus two sides of broccoli makes for a wonderful lunch plus plenty of leftovers for a second meal -- genius! Also, this is an expensive choice and should only be relied on in an emergency.

Well! That was a serious off-roading experience! It's been days -- many of them -- since I have eaten on plan. As a matter of fact, I cannot even remember how I got off track. I was sick with a bad cold for some of that time, but that wasn't the reason. But it doesn't really matter -- I'm back now. So, a restart is in order. Today is day ONE. I am totally unprepared -- no food in the refrigerator, no lunch packed today, no idea what I will cook tonight for the rest of the week. It's sort of like showing up for a party and the entire venue is empty. All I have to rely on is my experience with Whole 30 and my memories of what has worked -- simple hearty flavorful food, prepared with care and eaten with the peace that self-care can bring. I'm tempted to skip lunch because I didn't bring anything to work with me and finding a healthy choice is a hassle. But I know if I do that -- I will be starving at dinnertime and I will make awful choices. So, lunch -- sushi, with no rice? or ribs -- mmmm, love those! I can get a full slab as a takeout item, then eat what I want and take the rest home -- brilliant! The online ordering is all delivery, but I want to pick it up. I'll just have to walk down and decide there. This is a great restart!

Well, I got through the weekend on-plan, so Yay, Me! Now I'm facing a very stressful Monday at work with an unexpected emergency workload that will crush my entire workweek. This is the point at which I normally go out and score a large amount of M&Ms (or caramels, or other small candies), then eat them all day while slogging through the mess in front of me. But I won't be doing that today. I will just breathe deeply, focus on the work. and calmly tackle the problem step-by-step. I will make some fabulous hot tea (yes, I know it's summer but this is still comforting) and I will do my best work until all the issues are fixed. **sigh** And I will remind myself that chocolate doesn't really fix anything.

My first Whole 30 was in March of this year, and it was a huge success. I was blown away at how much I learned about my own body -- what it loves, what it absolutely hates, and what it tries to deal with when I feed it weird things. Subsequently, I have removed all legumes and all dairy from my usual food list. I have relegated grains (but only the very freshest breads) to "uncommon" status, and I have been avoiding most added sugars because my body just wants more more more more more and there's no end to that. But I've found myself eating more of these supposedly uncommon foods this summer. The last straw was when I ate ice cream cones four days in a row. The dairy/sugar/grain combo just messed up my system to the point that I have rushed back for a Whole 30 to reset my eating and attitude. Having already learned about food prepping on the weekend, and how important sleep is to the process, and how I need to make my food choices the #1 thing every day -- I believe this second Whole 30 will be a smoother than the first. After only eight days, I've already noticed my body has eased back into its feel-good traits: I'm mentally sharper; I'm at peace most of the day; digestion and elimination are top-notch; there is no afternoon energy slump. I am watching closely to see any new reactions to clean eating. It really is a miracle worker! At the beginning of this second go-around, I joined a conversation here of people that started on the same day. But that forum has gone quiet. Instead of losing the few posts I already made, I've transferred them here: Posted August 16 I started on August 15th as well. This is my second Whole 30 -- my first was in March and I learned so much about what my body wants and needs to be happy. Most of those lessons stuck with me, but I have recently lost my way. I can feel the difference that poor choices make, and I'm using this Whole 30 as a way to refocus myself on health. Posted August 17 I've been feeding myself well and planning my meals ahead of time. Lunches so far have been a couple hard boiled eggs and an avocado, which is surprisingly filling long-term. With some blueberries for dessert, I feel like I'm treating myself. Dinner is seafood and veggies, since I have both in the freezer so it's the same as free food. Also, seafood is my absolute favorite and here I am again -- treating myself. I figure the first week will be the toughest so I deserve wonderful food right now. I've also been very careful in the evening, my prime snacking time. For the last two days I've just made a large cup of hot tea (Bengal Spice -- the best!) and gone to bed early with my iPad and two little dogs for company. This helps to keep my mind busy, plus I'm too lazy to get up and go find a snack once I'm curled up in bed. Posted August 21 As a naturally lazy person, food prep has been my toughest part of the Whole30. But once I realized how easy my dinners are (and my daily lunch-packing), I have warmed up to pre-prep. What have you been making ahead of time? I'm always on the lookout for new great recipes. My favorite right now is meatballs and marinara sauce made in a slow cooker. The sauce is excellent, as are the meatballs, and it makes a LOT. Here's the recipe: https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/paleo-slow-cooker-meatballs-whole30/ My weekend was up and down -- Saturday was one of those "Kill Everything" days, but it helped that I knew the feelings were temporary, so I just hung in there. By Sunday I was back to my usually smiling self, and glad I didn't screw up the day before.

Day Seven - I am holding to this eating plan completely with very little difficulty. Since my usual diet excludes grain, legumes, and dairy the only real issues are sugar and alcohol. One new thing: I've had to limit my grape consumption (it's Scuppernong season in the South) but that's just seasonal. Next will be figs, which are also really hard to limit -- gotta love fruit in season! But my typical "Eat ALL the Fruit!" attitude probably isn't the best approach. So far the NSVs I've noticed are: my stomach bloat has disappeared, my digestion is calmer, and I don't have an energy dip in the afternoon. All great things! How are you doing so far?

Welcome, @RegiC! I feel your pain on the food prepping. As a naturally lazy person, that has been my toughest part of the Whole30. But once I realized how easy my dinners are (and my daily lunch-packing), I have warmed up to pre-prep. What have you been making ahead of time? I'm always on the lookout for new great recipes. My favorite right now is meatballs and marinara sauce made in a slow cooker. The sauce is excellent, as are the meatballs, and it makes a LOT. Here's the recipe: https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/paleo-slow-cooker-meatballs-whole30/ My weekend was up and down -- Saturday was one of those "Kill Everything" days, but it helped that I knew the feelings were temporary, so I just hung in there. By Sunday I was back to my usually smiling self, and glad I didn't screw up the day before. Good luck to everyone on this journey.

Day Three and I'm doing great. I've been feeding myself well and planning my meals ahead of time. Lunches so far have been a couple hard boiled eggs and an avocado, which is surprisingly filling long-term. With some blueberries for dessert, I feel like I'm treating myself. Dinner is seafood and veggies, since I have both in the freezer so it's the same as free food. Also, seafood is my absolute favorite and here I am again -- treating myself. I figure the first week will be the toughest so I deserve wonderful food right now. I've also been very careful in the evening, my prime snacking time. For the last two days I've just made a large cup of hot tea (Bengal Spice -- the best!) and gone to bed early with my iPad and two little dogs for company. This helps to keep my mind busy, plus I'm too lazy to get up and go find a snack once I'm curled up in bed. Let us know how your Whole 30 is going so far @jillylane, @____Emily____, @nanners, @livvie2012 and @Mebb

I started on August 15th as well. This is my second Whole 30 -- my first was in March and I learned so much about what my body wants and needs to be happy. Most of those lessons stuck with me, but I have recently lost my way. I can feel the difference that poor choices make, and I'm using this Whole 30 as a way to refocus myself on health. It's great to have company on the journey. Good Luck to all!

I've truly embraced the habit of weekly meal prep, so much that if I would look in the refrigerator and NOT see an array of containers with colorful food choices -- I'd know I was having a nightmare. A daily breakfast of protein & veggies is a basic part of my life now. And I've turned my back on all things dairy -- it's not worth the suffering.

Congrats on all your new food adventures, @Mama Pajama! You are rocking this new lifestyle! Check out InstaPots if you don't have one yet. On my last Whole30, I promised myself that I would buy an instapot when I reached my 21-day mark and I was thrilled when I got it (on sale even!). It speeds up cooking, and provides even more food adventure for former non-cooks like me. Plus, there are some great Whole30 Instapot recipes on Pinterest.

About breakfast -- this week I planned to fry up some eggs each morning with bacon and veggies, but every morning I opened the refrigerator and thought, "Hey, beef and tomatoes! That looks great!". So that's what I've been eating for breakfast and it keeps my tummy happy and full for six hours until a late lunch. Then my lunch keeps me well fed until later in the evening when I have just a bit of meat and veggies around 7:00. The beef & tomatoes recipe is one of my favorite Sunday-prep things: just a pound of ground beef, browned, plus a can of diced tomatoes, a can of quartered artichokes and pepper, garlic salt and onion salt. Simmer on the stove for half an hour or so and store in the 'fridge -- makes four nice meals. You can skip the artichokes or add more veggies to your own liking, too (mushrooms work great).

I feel your pain, @LIEvans! I showed up at the office this morning and the water had been turned off (someone's working on it somewhere). This means no coffee for me. Perhaps I should explain a bit more -- THAT MEANS NO COFFEE!!!!! I am trying to be civil about it, but I would prefer Total World Destruction to this. Being nice to people just makes it worse. They have chosen a poor day to get on my last nerve, to be sure.

Well, despite my good intentions – I made mistakes over the weekend. Not huge ones, just small poor choices because i wasn't paying attention. I considered just overlooking them and forging on as if nothing had happened. But NO – that is not the Whole30 Way! It’s everything or nothing. Period! I will own my mistakes, and I will restart today. I will remain 100% compliant and do this right. I have a full refrigerator of good food (Sunday is my prep day) and I am ON IT! Also, I’m practicing mindful eating and it has already changed the way I feel about the foods I eat. It allows me to truly taste each bite and appreciate the differences in texture and temperature between veggies and meat and fruit. I’m surprised by the experience, and I’ve found I stop eating sooner when I am truly paying attention. Good luck to everyone. Get lots of sleep -- that's my secret to juggling everything in life and in the Whole30.

Thanks so much for this recipe @Crimsann! I hadn't seen this one before, and I'll add it to my prep plans for the weekend. My favorite recipe is this breakfast casserole, since you can add whatever veggies you have on have on hand and then easily heat up a great breakfast every day of the week: https://crazytogether.com/easy-delicious-breakfast-saved-whole-30/ Good Luck to us all!

Hello, all! I am starting my second Whole 30 today, and pretty pumped that there are so many of us to help each other along. I am 62, healthy, and generally very happy with my life. I'm living in beautiful Greenville, SC with my husband, two dogs and two guinea pigs. My four kids are grown and on with their own lives, so I get to concentrate on myself again. My first W30 was in March of this year. It made such a change in the way I felt physically, mentally, even emotionally -- I have to continue! The focus for that first Whole30 was, "I need this healthful change to my life so I can continue my life adventure." I think I'll keep that theme again, and expand my changes into meditation and some added movement this time around.