W30CoachErinn

Hi Lisa! So happy to have you here It sounds like you are really ready for a big change at this point in life, which is amazing! I am so excited for you! I have completed multiple Whole30's myself and one of the biggest things I have learned is how important the planning and preparation phase is to one's success! If I am understanding correctly you'll be in Las Vegas this weekend for your birthday (Yay! Happy Birthday!), and you are thinking you want to start today and try to begin your Whole30 while in Vegas? I think it is so amazing that you are so motivated and ready to make a change, but I cannot imagine starting my first few days of a Whole30 while in Vegas, or really anywhere besides home and in my own kitchen. If I were you I would personally decide to enjoy the birthday trip (which doesn't have to mean gaining ten pounds or going over the top a every meal, you can still begin practicing being mindful) and then begin once I am home and have had a chance to thoroughly learn the rules of the program, meal plan, prep some food to get me started, and be able to begin strong. I can't imagine it would be easy for anyone (seasoned Whole30 vet/certified coach or whole30 newbie!) to navigate eating out at every meal in Vegas and being sure that every single ingredient, including the oils proteins are cooked in and all of those specific nitty gritty details, are compliant. I wouldn't put that kind of pressure on yourself, especially one days one and two! I know you mentioned you have a weigh in with your doctor on August 6th, but even if you're only at Day 25 or 28 at that time you will still see massive results!! (Although please keep in mind that you're not allowed to weigh yourself during a Whole30, so your doctor will have to keep those results to him/herself until you've completed your round ) I know weight loss is a big goal for you, and many people who come to the Whole30 program, but what makes this program so different (and SO effective) is that it's about so much more than that. It will truly heal your relationship with food and change your habits forever, if you let it! Best of luck in whatever you decide to do...but my biggest advice for anyone and everyone considering beginning a Whole30 is to make sure you have fully read and understand all of the rules and then create a detailed plan (at least for your first week!) and make sure you have prepped ahead of time. Change like this is hard, so everything you can do to fully prepare to succeed is helpful. You're going to do great!

I agree with Jihanna's advice! If you have been able to identify that your cravings picked up because of the date almond butter from a week ago, then I would consider eliminating fruit and nuts/nut butters altogether for at least the remainder of your Whole30 elimination and reintroduction phases. Sugar is sugar is sugar to the body/brain, so if you've been allowing yourself to continue relying on the dried fruit/nuts to get you through those sweet tooth cravings throughout the first 24 days of your Whole30, then it's like you never really gave it up as far as your sugar dragon is concerned. You're so close to the end of your elimination phase and have put in so much work already, it would be a bummer to get to the end and feel like you have a raging sugar dragon you can't control. Best of luck! Finish strong!

I agree with SugarcubeOD, the sesame oil with soybean is not compliant. From what I can tell, the Ancient Nutrition Organic Bone Broth Collagen in the "pure" flavor would be compliant....but from what I see online it is used as a protein powder to add to smoothies (not recommended on the Whole30), water, or almond milk as a supplement. Is that what you plan to use it for? To answer your question from above then, it doesn't seem like this would work at all for recipes that call for actual bone broth, like a soup. For that I would recommend making your own (super easy to do in an instant pot!), or buying a high quality pre-made bone broth like Bonafide Provisions, found in the frozen section of the grocery store. Your Kirkland organic diced tomatoes are compliant I always like to refer back to this helpful guide when I need to double check ingredients like calcium chloride... https://whole30.com/downloads/additives.pdf

Have you read the Whole30 day by day guide or looked at the timeline online? I love both! So helpful in reminding us that much of what we experience during a Whole30 is totally normal. https://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/ In my experience (personally and working with clients) I have found that it is super normal to feel bloated/gassy/heavy/full, at least for the first ten days or so. Typically on a Whole30 we are eating SO much more healthy fat and satisfying veggies than we normally do, and sometimes we experience some digestive distress before it gets better. It's a big change for our systems and it takes some getting used to. My advice would be to stick with what you're doing and just give it some more time. You definitely don't want to cut out all of those healthy fats or under eat. Keep on keeping on!

Hi Darcy18! Sounds like you are in the perfect place! Good luck with your Whole30 journey...there are lots of people starting the 8th! It sounds like with your personal health history that you shared that this is going to be a fantastic change for you

Hi Liz! My name is Erinn and I loved reading your post because it SO resonated with me! Not every single detail of our stories is the same of course, but I could feel the sense of urgency through your post to finally make a real and lasting change, and that's exactly how I felt when I began my first Whole30 journey in October of 2017. At the time I still had about 15 pounds of baby weight to lose (my son turned one and I stopped nursing him the day before I began my first Whole30). I was always exhausted, had bad acne at age 26, low energy, frequent headaches, mood swings, zero motivation to move my body/exercise, bloating, gas, etc....and I knew somewhere deep down that what I was eating was contributing (causing!!!) all of these yucky symptoms, (OBVIOUSLY), but I could never hold on to that truth long enough to make a real change...I think because that would inevitably require me to face my unhealthy relationship with food as reward and as my number one coping mechanism, and because acknowledging that would mean that I would also have to admit that I actually had control over how I felt. That if I really wanted to feel better I could, by changing the food I put in my mouth. I totally 10000% hear ya when you say you enjoy a glass of wine or beer with friends, that you love baking and eating all the yummy treats, and that you enjoy treating yourself during that time of the month. Before I ever did a Whole30 I had friends who were very disciplined about what they ate and very aware of what did and didn't make them feel their best...and my attitude was always to be on the defense and make snarky remarks about how that was good for them, but I like to ENJOY life and not deprive myself of everything delicious and good in the world, like cheese/3 glasses of wine/ice cream/oreos/pizza etc. What I didn't know at the time was that there are much more effective and nourishing ways to show ourselves love, care and compassion and to enjoy connecting with other people or celebrating a special event than just with junky food that makes us feel awful later! Anyhow, I could go on forever! I just wanted to pop in here and say you are exactly where you need to be. No matter how many "diets" you've tried and failed before. No matter what your friends or family might think about your decision to successfully complete a Whole30 this month. No matter how difficult some days will inevitably be, or how many times your have to reach out for support here. No matter how difficult it is to discuss your issues (rather than "suffer in silence") or be honest with yourself about how you've used food in unhealthy ways in the past.... regardless of any of that.... you deserve to be here, you deserve to invest this level of energy and care and attention into yourself and your health, you deserve to be ruthlessly committed to your goal of successfully completing your Whole30 this month no matter what push back you may get from others (or yourself on a hard day). You CAN do this. And WHEN you do this, I promise you won't regret it! The Whole30 program literally changed my life. It started with food, but the momentum it generated for me to make other significant changes in my life is just unreal...as I know many other people have experienced as well. So don't give up! Grab a copy of the Whole30 day by day guide to keep yourself accountable, or pop in here each day and reach out for support when you need it! I am so excited for you and this amazing, important, transformative journey you're about to experience. It will be the best thing you ever did for yourself.

Isn't the universe funny!? You get yourself to the gym and then it's closed! How annoying. I am sure that was frustrating but I'm glad to see you came up with a plan B for yard work and stretching. There's always tomorrow for the gym! How did sticking to your Whole30 commitment on a holiday go for you? I think eating a lot of similar meals, especially at the beginning of a Whole30, is super common. Survival! Right?! But as I am sure you know from past rounds, boredom will inevitably set in (probably for you and your kiddos)...so when you're meal planning for next week try to throw in a few simple, new recipes/flavors/veggies etc to keep yourself interested! So glad you're feeling well so far...so interesting about the coconut oil! Good luck on day 4!

Absolutely! And yes, accountability is SO important in staying the course during a Whole30. I've done Whole30s solo and also with the support of a friend and group and holy cow it is so much easier and more enjoyable when you have someone or some way to "check in" each day. I loved reading your commitments for the day, I think planning ahead is really important and valuable (I try to do it each day morning as well just to keep me focused!)...however, you totally beat yourself up about how well you met those commitments when you wrote your update for Wednesday evening! GIRL! Give yourself some dang credit! I always tell my coaching clients, your ONLY job is to eat Whole30, period. Everything else is a bonus. Snacking is understandable, especially so early on in your program. Is two fruit and nut bars ideal? Probably not. But was it Whole30 compliant and a better choice than popcorn? Heck yeah! So celebrate that little victory and be proud of yourself for sticking to your Whole30 commitment for the day! The meditating and stretching and personal to-do list stuff is all great, and I know some of it (like yard work) is just necessary life stuff you have to do at some point, but try not to pick apart every single thing you do/don't get a chance to do perfectly. Whole30 is hard enough all on its own. If you're eating Whole30 food then you are killing it (in my opinion ) As far as not having a plan for lunch and not always having leftovers, I think that is super common when you're feeding not just yourself but your whole family. I would suggest continuing to eat the same dinner you prepare for everyone else so you can all enjoy that family time together and you're not having to cook two separate meals. The fact that there are no leftovers is a great sign that it must be tasting delicious!! What I personally do for lunches when I am Whole30ing is try to batch cook/prep a few easy things at the beginning of the week (or once on Sunday and once on Wednesday) that I can then grab for lunch each day and throw together easily if I don't have leftovers from the night before. For me this looks like always having a batch of hard boiled eggs on hand. I like to eat them with Whole30 mayo (healthy fat!) or some guacamole/avocado. I'll make a big batch of Whole30 compliant chicken salad (you could also do egg and/or tuna salad). I'll eat this on lettuce cups or put a scoop on my salad. Speaking of salad, I always have lettuce and some veggies (bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber etc) washed/cut up/ready to eat so I can easily throw a salad together....and then just add some leftover protein, my chicken/egg/tuna salad, or sometimes I will just quickly cut up and sauté a chicken apple sausage or some other easy protein option to add on top. Compliant deli meat is another good option to have on hand. Another idea that might work for you if you don't mind eating the same thing a few times is planning an extra meal or two for the week, and cooking it just specifically for you to eat at lunch for a few days. I often do this with soup, chili, crockpot meals, and casserole type dishes. Whatever you decide to do, I think your point about having a meal plan is SO right now. "Fail to plan, plan to fail" right?! Can't wait to hear what you plan to do for lunches going forward. Yay for completing another day successfully! You're doing it!! (And woohoo checking in on the forum rather than drinking a glass of wine!)

Congratulations on finishing your Whole30! That's amazing! It looks like you have experienced so many NSV...yay! Are you starting a systematic reintroduction today? I can't stress enough how valuable and important it is to follow through with the reintroduction period...that's where the gold is in terms of really learning how certain foods affect you. You mentioned so many positive results you've seen, it would be great to experiment with reintroducing different foods and see how they each affect your energy, cravings, ability to stay focused and clear, etc. You may also find something that makes your breakouts worse... I know weight loss is a big goal for many people who take on a Whole30, but I want to encourage you to not lose sight of all of those NSVs and what the program has taught you about your relationship with food and listening to your body. It's easy to jump back into the diet mentality and scrutinize things like salad dressing and counting calories...resist the urge You've come so far! Keep working on your reintroduction and food freedom (ps...have you read Food Freedom Forever? I highly recommend it!! It helped me so much and just really made the idea of true food freedom more accessible and tangible for me ).

I definitely agree with what Jihanna had to say! If you've been "technically compliant" but getting by on nuts and fruit then you likely haven't played that sugar dragon at all (which is probably why you didn't experience the headaches/sugar withdrawals just about everyone does!). If you aren't feeling better overall it could definitely be because your meals aren't balanced, like she said. I'd refer to the Whole30 suggested meal template and make sure that your all of your meals include protein and healthy fat. Can I ask what an average day has looked like for you as far as what you're eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Eating too little could also be the problem. If your body is in starvation mode you'll definitely not be reaping the tiger blood benefits.

Hey Emma! I read your recap of Day One and I just wanted to say congratulations on completing your first day! It sounds like you did exactly what you were supposed to do...you stuck to Whole30 the entire day! That's something to celebrate! Give yourself some grace when it comes to snacking. No one is perfect, and you took the time to reflect on it after the fact. You chose a Whole30 compliant choice over beer or wine, I call that a win! Change is always hard. But you're doing it! I could so relate when you said that you wanted to exercise and planned to go the night before but then didn't get up in time etc. That was me for so so long. I had the best of intentions, but I didn't plan for success. Can I share what finally worked for me? I definitely agree with prioritizing sleep, so I finally realized that if I wanted to get up an hour earlier to get to the gym...I had to go to sleep an hour earlier! (Obvious, I know...but it took me a long time to put that into practice!) I also realized that I was way more likely to follow through on my gym plans if everything was ready and laid out ahead of time. So I started filling my water bottle and sticking that as well as my pre-workout snack and prepped breakfast in the fridge the night before so it was ready to go. I laid out my workout clothes and shoes, had my outfit for work ready to go, coordinated with my husband so that he would stay with my son until I got back, and set my alarm. All of this simple prep work, combined with getting to bed earlier, made it so that I literally had no excuse NOT to go when my alarm went off in the morning. Most of us go out of our way to keep commitments we make to our partners, kids, friends, family etc...but we don't think twice about bailing on plans we've made with/for ourselves. The biggest thing my first Whole30 taught me was that I CAN keep a promise to myself. Whether it's successfully completing a Whole30, going to the gym when I said I would, keeping the plans I made with myself to take a bath or go to yoga or spend ten minutes meditating...it's so, so important that we keep the promises we make to ourselves. Doing so helped me build so much confidence in myself and my ability to finish what I start and take myself seriously! Anyhow....sorry for the long rant I hope some of it was helpful for you. I want you to know I am cheering you on from afar and I know you can do this! One day, one meal, one bite at a time! Don't break this Whole30 promise to yourself. You are worth it!

You're absolutely on the right track! Reading your response made me think about how reintroduction provides an opportunity to pay close attention not just to how food affects us physically (bloating, tired, skin reactions, etc) but maybe even more importantly -- how it affects us mentally and emotionally (cravings, anxiety, feeling depressed, feeling out of control, guilt, shame, etc.) It is super hard to lean into that process in the moment and really be present and willing to be honest about that with ourselves, but I think it's so valuable!

Hi Laura! Congratulations on deciding to start a Whole30 in July! If you stick with it until the end the process can truly transform your life, I am so excited for you! SusanMarks had some fantastic tips, so I second all of those! In addition, I always stress to my coaching clients to go into the experience thinking of the 30 day elimination as just phase ONE...it's not the end! As you mentioned, in order to see a lasting change we have to truly change our relationship with food, not just what we put in our mouth. Part of that requires that we take the reintroduction period after our elimination seriously. I can't stress enough how valuable it is to take your time in systematically reintroducing the things you've eliminated, and paying attention to how each makes you feel, starting on day 31. Do not skip this part! Once you know how individual foods/food groups make you feel physically/emotionally/mentally it becomes much easier to make conscious, informed, and deliberate decisions about whether or not those foods are worth bringing back into your diet and if so, in what quantities/how often. Have you read Melissa Hartwig Urban's book Food Freedom Forever yet? I absolutely love it and I think it is one of the most helpful resources available and definitely worth the investment...or borrowing from a friend/the library! It gives so many real-life examples and tangible tips for navigating food freedom and life after Whole30 and is just super inspiring. Highly recommend reading that one during your Whole30 so you can begin to see the big picture and what's possible with food freedom! Finally, if you expect something to suck, it probably will There is no doubt that completing a Whole30 is HARD! It's normal to feel a little anxious before you begin, so I totally understand that you're dreading it AND looking forward to it at the same time. Change is always difficult. But try to go into it with a positive attitude and LOOK for blessings along the way, things to be grateful for, reasons to be PROUD of yourself, and non-scale victories (even the teeny tiny ones!) each and every day...I think you'll be surprised at how joyful the experience can be depending on your perspective. Headaches from sugar withdrawal on days 2-3 mean IT'S WORKING! Your body is already responding to the big changes you're making. Woohoo! Digestive "issues" around the beginning of week 2? Unpleasant, but a sign that your body is flushing out all the junk! YAY! Just take things one day at a time and remind yourself that nothing worth having happens overnight. Food freedom is a process and healing our relationship with food takes time, but it is so worth it.You are worth it. Best of luck! You're going to do great!

First off, congratulations on finishing your Whole30! Congrats! You can reintro in any order that you wish, and go as fast or slow as you'd like within each category! I have had clients who have reintroduced gluten first for various reasons. I think if you reintroduce gluten as soon as you feel "back to your Whole30 baseline" after the legumes you reintroduced today (so maybe you'll feel ready by Wednesday or Thursday after returning to Whole30 tomorrow, possibly longer) then you should be okay for your weekend away. Gluten is definitely one that often gives people some unpleasant side effects, so as Shannon said above, if you're not dying for it then it may be worth waiting until after your trip! Another idea would be to reintroduce gluten free grains like rice/quinoa/corn etc next...but save gluten itself for after your trip. The reintroduction outline suggested in the book is a great example, but doesn't have to be followed exactly. You could choose to reintroduce in whatever order makes most sense for you and your context this weekend. Best of luck!

What a bummer! I have felt that way after using too much ghee as well...I usually just use a touch of avocado oil to cook my eggs in now. That seems to work better for me. Did you lay the bacon on a paper towel for a second before placing it into your container? That should help soak up just a bit of the excess grease. I definitely think it is important to start your day off with protein + some healthy fats....so don't get discouraged that today was a bit off, you're on the right track! Switch it up tomorrow and see if less ghee or a different oil helps. You could also try hard boiled eggs (possibly with a dollop of whole30 mayo), some sliced avocado, and bacon/sausage instead and see how that feels. Good luck!