Prairie Dawn

Awesome news about Copenhagen! Sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. I agree with you a hundred percent: in just a few days (less than two weeks!) I already notice some pretty great differences. I also like that you're still trying to reintroduce things so you don't have any surprises while you're on vacation! Have an amazing time!

Congratulations on hitting Day 30! WOOHOO! I've enjoyed reading your logs and it sounds like you've reached some really great conclusions. Love your emphasis on veggies and planning ahead - honestly, this is such a perfect takeaway I'm going to try and remember it for myself just in everyday life!

Well, I've decided to pause my Whole30, just because I'm not really in the right headspace to give it the attention I want to. And when I say that, I mean the GOOD kind of attention, not the obsessive-controlling-worrying-I'm-doing-something-wrong kind of attention, which is where I could feel this going. Even though I've been able to stay technically compliant this week (Day 11!), I feel like focusing so much on what I eat, when I eat it, the amounts I'm eating, and how my eating is affecting me is pulling attention away from my other thoughts and feelings right now, which really need some space. I'm going to focus on taking care of my heart and processing what's been going on. Maybe once I get past the heartbreak and rage and into the growth part of this I'll revisit the Whole30 with more mental availability. In the meantime, let me just say: I've lost a few pounds (probably a combination of Whole30 and stress), and after OrangeTheory last night I actually slept for 5 hours straight - a real NSV for me. I will take it! And if I end up doing a technically compliant Whole30 by default (I don't think I realized just how thoroughly I'd prepped for an entire month), I'll report back here.

Thank you all for your kind words and support. It really does mean a lot. Right now I figure I may as well keep going, at least for the next few days, since basically all I have in my fridge is whole30 food anyway and I don't have much of an appetite. Gonna try and at least do the 3 meals a day, as close to template as I can... I might try the trick of plating a meal, and then eating as much as I can, and then picking it up later if I don't finish it. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that I've stayed "technically compliant" in the face of all this. I'll take it day by day and will remind myself that I have full permission to stop and focus on mental health (thanks @JessFind) if I decide it's not something I can fully commit to. In the meantime, there's plenty of sad movies and long walks with girlfriends to keep me going...

Hi everyone. Technically it's Day 8 for me, but I had some pretty crushing personal stuff happen over the weekend, and I'm not sure I'm in a place to continue the whole30. Strangely enough, I stayed technically compliant in the midst of crisis, but it wasn't in a healthy way. I'm trying to decide if it's better for me to stick it out and continue what I've started, or if that will put more pressure on me emotionally than I can handle right now. I know I'm an adult and can make my own decisions, but I'm genuinely not sure what route would be better for me right now. At this point I am feeling like I may as well continue, only because everything in my house is Whole30 compliant already and I REALLY don't feel like getting out and going grocery shopping. And it's not like I'm craving anything off-plan either: more like my stress levels have skyrocketed and I've lost my appetite completely. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome... I really appreciate everyone's support and participation on the forums!

UPDATE, DAYS 6-7: Guys, the past few days haven't been good to me. Instead of a fun compliant burger dinner at In n Out with my boyfriend of 2 years, I ended up having to break up with him. Long story short, about 6 months ago I found out he'd been cheating on me. We'd just been through an unplanned pregnancy and subsequent loss of that pregnancy, so to find that out kicked the sh*t out of me. It was horrible. Obviously I was devastated by everything. I chose not to break up with him then, because I couldn't face healing from that loss alone. He begged me for another chance, promised to do better, etc. etc. etc. So I did. Things were getting better and it felt like we'd turned a corner. Then on Friday night, I found out he hadn't really stopped cheating, and had been lying to me basically all summer. I can't give him a third chance and ended things; not because I wanted to, but because I knew I had to if I had any shred of dignity or self-respect left at all. I know this is a Whole30 forum to log meals and reactions to foods, and I don't want to get into too much personal life stuff, but I'm putting this out there because I'm not sure if I can continue the Whole30 at this point. Weirdly, I've stayed compliant all weekend, but it hasn't been in a healthy way - my nerves are shot and I'm horrifically sad and so my appetite has been nonexistent. I've basically been surviving on bone broth (think I went through like 2 quarts over 2 days), fruit, tea, and boiled potatoes. I had the wherewithal to whisk an egg into the broth a few times for some protein, egg-drop-soup style, but everything has been turning my stomach. I've been sleeping and crying a lot. I'm not craving anything, really, and obviously I'm exhausted and depleted (I took the day off work today). I want to continue, because I know that it certainly doesn't help how I feel to put less-than-ideal stuff back into my body, but I'm struggling right now. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I try and keep going? I kind of feel like I may as well, but I guess what I'm looking for is assurance that I won't be a failure if I decide to stop and start again when I feel more emotionally stable. This sucks. Thanks for reading.

Oooh a planking routine! Love that! I bet you'll see yourself getting stronger really quickly. Congrats on finishing Day 24! You also reminded me that sardines exist - I LOVE sardines and tinned fish in general but always forget those are an option. Going to pick some up on my next trip to the grocery store

@Danna W I feel you on the low energy part of this process. Yesterday wiped me out and my mood totally took a dive. I ended up just kind of mindlessly eating/snacking on compliant things all evening, and it didn't really feel good, physically or mentally. Here's hoping the next few days are better!

Wow, congratulations! Twelve pounds is AWESOME and all those other victories are awesome as well (more awesome, I'd say - totally feel you on the tyranny of the scale). You sound super chill and like you've hit a place where you know stress is going to be a part of life but it doesn't derail you from your goals. It's pretty inspiring to read

Oh man, that local market with all those delicious fall bakery goodies sounds TOUGH. And to be so close to them and so involved... oof! You got this, though! Sounds like Day 4 was awesome for you and you're over the really difficult first few days. It's amazing that you can already see and feel a difference in your body and energy levels. About your zoodles: I find that zucchini gets mushy pretty quickly, what I like to do is just quickly pan-saute them in a very hot pan with some oil or ghee, almost like you're stir-frying them. It only takes maybe 1-2 minutes, just enough for them to warm through. Any longer than that and they start to steam (and get mushy) because they have such a high water content. Also, have you tried spaghetti squash? That's pretty great with marinara and meat sauce too. Keep up the awesome work! Good luck with the bakery treats and the ice cream proximity - you'll do great!

Yay good for you! And congrats on quitting smoking, that's huge! I'm on Day 5 too. Here's to 25 more days!

DAY 5: Okay, so, last night was rough. My mood took a dive in the late afternoon. I stayed tired all day and actually took a nap when I got home from work, and I didn't end up going to yoga. Was kind of down on myself for that as I was on a pretty good streak of being active. Then, I felt like I just ate and ate all night! Looking back on it, it was definitely an emotional eating/eat for comfort type of situation. I had my planned dinner of egg roll in a bowl and then I ate a Larabar as "dessert" (not ideal, I know). Since I had some time on my hands I made this Mexican Watermelon Salad with smoked pumpkin seeds from my new cookbook (https://nomnompaleo.com/mexican-watermelon-salad), and I ate some of that too. And then I just. kept. eating. I probably had at least another full meal from stuff I kept picking on throughout the night. Everything I ate was compliant, but it was too much and it didn't feel good, physically or mentally. Honestly, what I REALLY wanted was a glass of wine. I did sleep a little bit better than the previous night, and I feel overall okay this morning. Not great, but not as tired and down as I was yesterday. Here's today's plan: M1 (7:30am): Sausage, apple, sweet potato hash with 2 eggs. Coffee with coconut milk and cinnamon. M2 (12:30pm): Watermelon salad with shrimp and avocado Snack (not sure I'll need it, but it's there): Zucchini soup M3: My boyfriend and I are going to In n Out! I'm excited about this as apparently there is a Whole30-compliant way to order burgers there (double meat, protein style, mustard only, extra tomatoes, pickles and onions). They only use salt and pepper to season their meat and their pickles don't have sugar. Yay! Activity: My coworker and I usually take a walk after lunch on Fridays. Considering how tired I was yesterday and that I have a hike with a friend scheduled for tomorrow, I think I'll take it easy today and not do anything beyond that. Hoping yesterday was the low point for me and things get better from here.

I gotta say, your Whole30 meals look pretty delicious! Totally understand on the "convenience" foods not always being appealing on this plan. One can only eat so many hardboiled eggs, after all. I think your idea to add a fourth meal is a good one, considering how active you are and that you're not feeling satisfied. Also something else to consider, how is the timing of your meals? Maybe that has something to do with the satisfaction levels. Active from 6:30-9:30 is a long frickin day!

Also on Day 4 today... and I'm TIRED. Feel like I would give anything for a nice creamy latte with a chocolate croissant! Which is not even something I'd normally get, but wow, the things that surface when you're forced to pay attention... (honestly @kirbz reading your post mentioning cookies immediately got me thinking YES THAT SOUNDS GOOD PLEASE NOW haha). Making myself a cup of tea instead and trying to just ride it out, reminding myself that I can get to bed early tonight and hopefully get some good rest. Some days you just have to push through, I guess...!

@Amura I'm also just starting to get back into yoga after taking a break for several months, so things that were once easy for me are now a LOT harder. I've lost a lot of strength and flexibility that i want back! To give you an idea of what a vinyasa is, it's basically this sequence of movements: Imagine doing that a bajillion (ok, exaggerated a bit) times during a class, over and over again. It's seamless if you're used to it, and godawfully taxing if you're not