ultrarunnergirl

This morning I made compliant breakfast sausage and tossed in frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and spinach. I topped that with Lizard Sauce. When I don't have Lizard Sauce I stir in homemade mayo instead. Since it takes 5 minutes to make, I always have some! Add coffee & coconut milk, yum!
 
Yesterday I had ground beef, onions, green salsa and avocado with some chopped cilantro from my garden. Heaven! I do usually top my meat and veggies with an egg or two, but it's just as delicious when I am out of eggs.

I'm glad you are noticing quite a few NSVs. A gentle reminder that the program is 30 days, you may not experience your best days until the end. Tiger blood is different for everyone. If you work out regularly, you definitely have a much better chance at it.  Hang in there, you can do this!

Hmm. Do you normally consume coconut milk? Hot sauce? Either one of those could possibly cause a slight reaction. Some folks don't do well with nuts, so the almond milk could affect you. If it doesn't stop soon, I'd stop the almond milk and see if that does it.

I've found that the chicken needs to be *dry* to start. Then give it a toss in some starch...I feel like potato starch may work well here, but arrowroot or one of the other compliant starches could do (hopefully someone else will chime in here! lol). Then into beaten egg, then into seasoned almond meal. It's still occasionally iffy, but usually works. Part of the issue is that in normal chicken tenders, the egg and flour will mush together and make a sort of batter. Almond or coconut meal won't/can't do that. And then we're not deep frying on top of that so it's tough. 

Thanks for the advice! 

Once the cravings finally passed I realized they were probably a result of stress and food boredom. With a little bit of quiet time (and a LÄRABAR) I managed to make it through the evening without quitting

There are a couple of rules that are hard to wrap my had around and this is one of them, but as Madeline says, I'm fairly certain it's about the act of mindlessly eating a bag of "chips" whether they're a bag of Lays, or an alternative such as Bare Apple Chips. This is kind of a SWYPO thing - you're replacing one snack food with another so at the end of the 30 days when you can eat any ingredient again, you still have the habit of eating a bag of "chips" in front of the TV. If you make your own food, you're more aware of what you're putting into your body, even on a subconscious level. Apple chips are fairly easy to make for yourself (recipe: https://www.wellplated.com/apple-chips/), and here's a recipe for banana chips: https://www.momables.com/homemade-banana-chips-recipe-baked/
 
"No commercially prepared chips" is a very clear rule, which makes it fairly easy to comply.  When you ask about them in the "Can I Have ____?" section of the forum, mods will answer with the exact rule because again, it's very very clear cut. That said, no one is going to come to your home/office and rip the apple chips or banana chips from your hands.  Whole30 is a voluntary program - if you follow the rules and guidelines exactly, you'll benefit from it more. If you don't, you'll probably still benefit but to a slightly lesser degree. 

Thanks to both of you for your responses. He isn't questioning my symptoms, is totally supportive of me wanting to avoid certain food groups going forward, and I definitely feel the Food Freedom kicking in. Overall, Whole30 for the win!

You are not eating enough. There's not enough fat in your Meal 1 - add an additional fat source or a little more coconut oil and scrape the fat onto your eggs when you plate them.  If you're having eggs as your protein, you need the number you can hold in your hand (most people can hold at least 4). 
3 oz of meat is a little low - 1-2 palm sized servings is the goal. 
You don't mention how much of each you ate for dinner, again aim to meet the Meal Template suggested amounts.
Also, since you are exercising you probably require an additional pre or post-workout meal. The sweet potato is good but you also want a little protein with it. 
Try adding a little more to your plate and I think you will see a big difference.
You can do this!

I like to have go-to meals that I call pantry meals - meals that take minutes and are made up of stuff I'm likely to have in my freezer/pantry.  It's important to remember that not every meal has to be a big production.  In fact, none of them do.  You don't have to follow recipes, or buy any specialty items if you don't want to.  Your meals can be the most boring, least picture-worthy-on-instagram as you want.
Examples of pantry meals:
Super easy coconut soup:  Bag of Frozen vegetables, can of coconut milk, can of salmon or chicken.  Heat.  Add salt and pepper.  Add curry spice if you want.
Or: Can of chicken or tuna, can of diced tomatoes, add some olives.
To minimize dishes, I also like to make sheet pan meals.  With two racks in the oven, for instance, I'll do meatballs on one rack, and roasted vegetables on the other.  
To maximize time, after doing the two trays above, I'll put another two trays in the oven while I'm eating dinner from the first two trays, and have leftovers available.

It's not uncommon at all. Sometimes it can be from hormonal imbalance and sometimes it can be from the nutritional density of the Whole30 foods if the person came from a less whole foods approach. Also, lack of appetite begets lack of eating which further begets lack of appetite. It can be quite the circle because the further you go along the more nauseous and unwell feeling. Try and make palatable meals and eat them every 4-5 hours until your signals regulate. It shouldn't take too long. Having the first meal within an hour of waking will also help quite a bit. If you're only eating a bit, prioritize protein, veggies and fats and leave off fruits.

A lot of people find that doing something relaxing/self-care helps. So if you're used to having that wine while sitting and catching your breath, still take that time for you to sit, do nothing or maybe call a friend or something else that feels indulgent/gives you permission to NOT be doing something productive.

Hi Becky,
Same!  It's sure a tough habit to kick.  My daughter is also doing a Dryuary, which will help, and my neighbors, who I have drinks with fairly regularly (we're on a trivia team at the local pub).  
Since better sleep is high on my list of NSV's I'm looking for, I plan to turn in earlier than my normal for the next 30 days.  Maybe a longer bedtime routine, including some nice self-care (i.e., face mask, bubble bath, pedicure - not all on the same night !).  And yes, herbal tea or Pellegrino with a slice of lime or cucumber are my go-to alternatives to wine.   
We got this.  Cheers ---- wait no ... I guess, just have a good night!  
Ann

This is a Whole30 Forum, and we ask that you stick to the framework and rules of the Whole30 when supporting people here. This is not the place to discuss non-Whole30 topics (ie how to make paleo pancakes, recipes for alcoholic drinks,  weigh-ins, etc) - there are many other forums for that.
We specifically ask participants to NOT weigh themselves and NOT count calories. We believe that weight loss that occurs within the program is largely a result of changing one's relationship with food and eschewing diet mentality. 
 

Jim,  
  Yes, the Whole30 program is absolutely backed by science. The scientific evidence is heavily concentrated in the book It Starts with Food.  You can also look through any of the free resources on the whole30.com website. Here's a good place to start: http://whole9life.com/category/manifesto-series/
  The program has you eating recommended amounts of protein, vegetables, fruit and fats. It's all whole, real food, and there are no nutrients you're missing by forgoing bread, sweets, etc.

Restarting is always your decision. I would say, your body doesn't know whether you ate something on purpose or accidentally, it just knows it got something that clearly doesn't agree with it. 
If you don't want to commit to restarting right now, keep going, and when you get closer to day 30, think about whether you might be okay with adding nine days so you have 30 straight compliant days. When you get further in, you may feel like adding more days is not a big deal.
As for eating out, what I would say is that you are totally worthy of getting foods that will not make you sick. Learn to speak up. You can (and should) be nice about it, but you can be assertive and also nice. Stop the guy before he puts your food on, and remind him to clean the grill well. Or ask if he can do yours first to avoid cross-contamination. If you notice something wrong, say something. And then tip well, that goes a long way to offsetting anything the waitstaff may have grumbled about. 
When you're going to be dining out with others, suggest places you know work for you, or call beforehand and ask what you can order, or if worst comes to worst, eat before you go and just have salad 9r a cup of coffee while you enjoy everyone's company. 

I'm sure one of our moderators will chime in...but I would restart for sure! You committed to the process of a 30-day reset. You didn't mean to have something off plan, so you know you got this! It can only help! This happened to me when I ate some sundried tomatoes that i realized after had sulfites. I restarted. I want the full benefits of every bit of research I do. I also have a disease that i manage and it was important to me to the program as intended to reap the rewards forever. Hope this helps 

When you first make changes to how you eat, it is not uncommon to lose a lot, really fast, and then have weight loss slow way down. That doesn't mean you won't continue to lose, just that it will be slower. But, if you do things that make you healthier,  your weight will get to where it's meant to be. So if you're pretty happy eating this way, keep eating this way, and look at other factors that go into being healthy. Exercise and sleep are probably the biggest two along with food.
Exercise doesn't have to be going to a gym, it can be anything that has you moving more. You talk about regaining mobility, so if you currently cannot walk or stand, check the internet for things like chair yoga or chair exercise. If you can walk or stand some, do what you can do. Dance around your kitchen as you make food. Whatever gets you to move more than you currently do.
For sleep, work on getting eight hours of sleep each night. 
Food wise, please don't try to game the system by not eating enough, it's not a good solution long term. Your body needs proper food in the right amounts to function its best. Weight loss is not something that happens quickly, you're just going to have to consistently make healthy choices and let it take as long as it takes.

Your dizziness may be from not having enough salt. If you were eating a lot of processed foods before you started your Whole30, your sodium intake has been greatly reduced and that can make you dizzy. When it happens to me I lick my finger, dip it in table salt and then lick it again. I usually do it a few times and it always helps me.
Whole30 will get your hormones aligned if you stick with it but it takes a little bit. Right now your hormones are all wonky and that may be why your period is early even though you’re on the pill. That’s probably also the reason you’re not hungry in the morning. If you stick with it you’ll start waking up really hungry (happened around day ten for me) and that’s one way you know your hormones are starting to align. 
Lastly, there is no failing a Whole30. You decide to start it and you decide whether you finish. It doesn’t make you a failure if you don’t finish. It makes you human. I started my first Whole30 in July 2017 and ate ice cream on day five. I started again the next day and again lasted five days. Third time was the charm for me and I was able to go all 30 days. I wasn’t a failure the first two times - just a human who really liked ice cream.

Thank you -- ate much more today.  It was difficult to eat that much (3 eggs, plus veggies) but I was not hungry between meals and my shakes have disappeared.  Thanks for your feedback!
 

I will say that it seems to be improving! Glory! 

You're right, whether or not the alcohol would cook off is definitely not the point, and it's good that you realize that even if he didn't. The point is simply that we don't use those types of ingredients during Whole30, plain and simple. That's the bad news.
The good news is that you're already planning to extend your experience, and based on current progress extending to even just 45 days would provide 30 whole days of compliance (assuming no other off-plan stuff happens). I'd maybe mark the first day post-beef in the calendar or food diary so you know when you've moved away from that, but otherwise allow yourself to breathe and progress normally. It's entirely possible that there won't be any ill effects, but it's also possible that there would be (and taking note of any symptoms and such would be a great idea even in times when you're not trying to determine if something caused a problem).
The hard news is that if your husband is doing the cooking and shopping, he's going to have to read labels. If you were doing the cooking and shopping, you'd need to read labels to make sure your "already-approved" items are still approved, and he'll need to do the same. Alternatively, if you've got a local place you'd shop at that does online ordering, he could give you his list and you could put the order in (checking ingredients online, as needed)... but it would definitely be best if he'd take ownership of it, because it means that he knows what is and isn't allowed and is going to make sure you're getting what you need.
Regarding the waste of food -- anytime I've been on round and realized something wasn't compliant after already cooking, I've either allowed others in the family (who weren't on round) to eat that or I've stored it in the freezer for use after my Whole30.
Good luck!

If it's something that has always caused an issue for him, then he should probably avoid them. It's something he can certainly discuss with his doctor, but it could be something as simple as a sensitivity to leafy greens (though there's potential for other issues that seems less likely if these are the only things that cause problems). I'd suggest that there's no need for him to be miserable just to test whether or not this will improve within the framework of Whole30, though it could be that you could test cooked greens during reintroductions to see if those give him the same type of symptoms that he experiences with salads.

We don't recommend Magnesium Oxide - if you take it you can have some unpleasant side effects. Better option is Magnesium Citrate - Natural Calm is a popular option and comes in powder form. Capsules are tricky and as you see have a number of additives. It's technically compliant.
 
Here is a handy list of acceptable and unacceptable additives. https://whole30.com/downloads/additives.pdf

Mel Joulwan (author of the Well Fed cookbook series) has a recipe for pan-fried sardines that is absolutely amazing! It's super fast to prepare and oh-so-good. I do struggle a little bit with uncooked ones directly from the can, but these fried ones are phenomenal! I could eat them every day!
Sadly, it's not one of the recipes she has online. But, if you have her cookbooks, check it out! Though I can't remember if it's in Well Fed or Well Fed 2.... 

I love giant salads, and I find myself craving them more now...I am a HUGE fan of canned wild caught sardines (I am waiting for the next Costco deal that they run on the Season Brand Wild Caught Sardines). Sardines are arguably one of the world's healthiest and nutrient dense food sources. I just love them. Fortunately for me I can get by the smell (although I tend to avoid bringing them to work to spare my co-workers). But several handfuls of salad greens topped with sardines, salt, pepper, balsamic, avocado, and olive oil just hits the spot!!! And it takes under 1 minute to prepare....what REALLY takes it over the top is adding citrus - today I did lemon juice and slices of grapefruit topped with some paprika and cayenne for heat. I know...the flavor combo sounds odd...but don't knock it until you've tried it!!!
Comment back here if you're a sardine lover!!! Sardines unite!