ShannonM816

Nobody here is a doctor, so if you're concerned about this, definitely talk to your doctor about it. It has been discussed before in the forums --if you google Whole30 resting heart rate you can find those previous discussions. Here's one to get you started:

If the peas and barley are just what the animal ate, it's fine. If it's listed in the actual ingredients of the product, it's not. Wine is not okay as an ingredient or to cook with.

You might want to think about why you were having those cravings so you can address that. Were you eating enough? Some days you may need more food, and that is fine, it is okay to eat as much as you need to eat, even if it feels like a lot of food. Or maybe you were stressed about something, and that led to wanting to eat as a coping mechanism -- this is something many of us deal with. Think of non-food ways to deal with future stress, like exercise or meditation or talking to someone or journaling about your feelings. Whatever led you to eat those chocolate chips, figure out some alternate way to deal with that or prevent it in the future, so that even if there is chocolate in the house, you know you don't need to eat it.

Generally, you should aim to go 4-5 hours between meals, so breakfast at 6ish and being hungry around 11 means your breakfast is probably about the right size. If you can change when you take your lunch break, that's probably the easiest solution, but if you work somewhere that that isn't a possibility, a small snack if you need it is fine -- try to have a combo of protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three, just a smaller portion than a full meal. So maybe a hard boiled egg with mayo, or some carrot sticks with guacamole or something like that.

I don't think this has ever been asked about before, but I'm going to go with, as long as you're doing your best not to consume them, it's probably not going to interfere with whole30. It seems like it would be similar to when we've had chefs or bartenders do whole30 who occasionally needed to taste a dish or drink so they taste a bit and spit it out -- there may be some small amount consumed despite your best efforts, but probably not enough to make a difference.

Hi, @proudwmnn -- you're not a pain. This forum is for people to use. If people aren't responding here to your posts, find some of the active discussions going on and join in.

Soy is a legume, so soy sauce is part of the legume reintroduction. Regular pasta typically contains wheat, so it would contain gluten. This article has a good explanation of what gluten is and which grains it is found in: https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/what-is-gluten/. Gluten-free grain options could include corn, rice, or quinoa, or things made from these, so corn tortillas or chips or popcorn for instance.

No. Different coffees may be less bitter. Different methods of brewing can be less bitter (cold brewed or in a french press, for instance). You can add coconut milk or try Nutpods or there are a couple of other compliant creamer options, or almond or cashew milk. But no sweeteners.

Hi, @AnneMarieC.. The best thing you can do to combat cravings is to make sure you're eating enough at meals, aiming to be able to easily go 4-5 hours between meals. Drink lots of water, salt your food enough that it tastes good, and if you're hungry between meals, have protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three.

They're okay. Other options for grab-and-go options that could be eaten quickly and are less likely to keep your sugar dragon roaring include compliant jerky or meat bars/sticks (like Epic or Chomps -- check the Whole30 Approved menu option above for other definitely compliant options, or read ingredient labels to see if the ones in stores near you will work), hard boiled eggs, precut vegetables with mayo or guacamole for dipping, precooked chicken or meatballs, a thermos of soup.

Yes, you should probably wait until your hives have cleared up. Otherwise it will be hard to know if dairy also causes hives, or if it's still just the reaction from grains.

This is a pretty thorough explanation of the range of things people experience: https://whole30.com/2017/01/tiger-blood-101/. But remember that it is different for everyone -- don't spend so much time looking for the results you think it should be that you miss the results that are actually happening.

It's pretty normal for workouts to suffer the first couple of weeks as your body adjusts to this way of eating. As for sleeping, probably it will resolve itself, but it's not a bad idea to make sure you're practicing good sleep hygiene (more on this here: http://whole9life.com/2015/04/mental-health-sleep-1/). It can be helpful to make sure you're having a serving of starchy vegetable with your final meal of the day. Magnesium supplements or epsom salt baths/foot soaks may help as well, some people find that it does, a few people find it has the opposite effect, and if you opt for supplements, don't start with a full dose the first day, work up to it, as magnesium can have a laxative effect in some people. There are a few more tips in this article as well: https://whole30.com/2015/12/whole30-sleep/.

Did you read through this discussion before you posted this? Whole30 asks that you not count calories. Follow the meal template, which you can download here: https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/. Check your ingredients. You don't count calories or fat grams or carbs or anything else.

Don't forget about reintroductions. I'm not sure what you'd get in your poke bowl, but if it had, say, rice and soy sauce, and you ended up with a stomach ache or were more tired after, you wouldn't know which of those items were the issue. And then the drink after work could throw another complication in there. Read up on what to do when you've finished your Whole30 here: https://whole30.com/finished/ .

Good for you! A lot of times, the people around us can be uncomfortable when we make changes -- it makes them reflect on their own choices, and sometimes they're not quite ready to do that yet. You just keep on doing what is right for you.

Hi, @sunsett. Hang in there, the first week or so can be pretty rough, especially if you were eating unhealthy stuff before. If you have a counselor or therapist or even just a regular doctor you feel you can talk to, be sure you keep in touch with them about what you're doing and how it's going. While Whole30 has helped some people who are dealing with disordered eating, for other people they've found the rules and the focus on food made their condition worse. We definitely don't want that to happen. Here's something Melissa wrote about Whole30 and eating disorders that might be helpful for you: https://whole30.com/2014/06/dear-melissa-eating-disorders/.

Reactions could possibly last a few days, but the fact that it's still getting worse makes me think there's probably something else going on here. I'd definitely check in with your doctor -- as @ArtFossil suggested, possibly a dermatologist would be a good idea, but even just your regular doctor can probably help, or refer you to someone else if they can't. Have you changed anything else in the last week? New detergent, body wash, shampoo, lotion, air freshener? Or decided to try some new food that is Whole30 compliant, but is new to you?

Hi, @hunti_bee. There have been lots of discussions about alcohol here in the forum -- you might want to take the time to read through them and see if anything resonates with you. Google Whole30 alcohol, or whole30 forum alcohol, for more. In general, remember that time with friends ought to be focused on the people, not the food or the alcohol. You are still you, and you are still just as much fun without alcohol as you are with it. If you're at events where you just want to have something that looks like a drink in your hand, go order at the bar and ask for sparkling water or club soda with some lemon or lime or I've even heard of people asking for olives. You don't necessarily have to announce to a whole group you're not drinking. If you're at a restaurant where the table orders a pitcher of drinks or a bottle of wine, it may be more obvious, but don't dwell on it -- have a quick answer for what you're doing if someone asks, for instance something like, "I'm trying this elimination diet because (I have been having trouble sleeping, or had this weird skin rash, or had some digestive issues, or whatever applies for you that you're comfortable saying)." Then just change the subject -- ask them how their week was, or about their kids, or about a big project they've been working on, or whatever. Something open-ended to get them to talk about themselves and change their focus. It'll probably feel weird the first couple of events with no alcohol, but you can definitely do it.

Reintroductions are when you add back in foods that you've eliminated for the Whole30 to see how you react to them, so you can use that information to decide if they're worth having going forward. If you go to this link, there's information about what to do after your whole30 ends, including a link to more on reintroductions: https://whole30.com/finished/

There is no such thing as breakfast food. There's just food. You can eat any of it at any time. Leftovers make a great breakfast, especially when you're in a hurry. Soup is nice on cold mornings. Meatballs or salmon patties/cakes are easy to make ahead and heat up or even eat cold in the morning. Here's a past discussion of non-egg breakfasts people actually ate:

Can you give us a day or two of typical meals, including approximate portion sizes and specific vegetables? That might help us see if there's something obvious you might need to tweak to get better results. In general, be sure you're drinking plenty of water -- aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120-lb person needs at least 60 oz. Be sure you're salting your food. And be sure you're eating enough -- follow the meal template, remembering that it represents a minimum amount you should be eating each day. (download the meal template here: https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/.) So 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein the length, width, and height of your palm, 1-2 of the fat servings listed in addition to what you cook in, and then fill your plate up with vegetables, 2-3 cups at each meal at least. Be sure you're having at least one fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable each day (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, rutabagas, plantains, or winter squashes like butternut or acorn squash), and it's okay to have more than that. Starchy vegetables often help with things like feeling down or anxious, so for a few days, have a serving at two or even all three meals and see if you feel better -- you can slowly cut back if you don't want to eat that many each day. Continue to eat other types of vegetables as well. Whole30 can affect hormones, so some changes in menstrual cycle isn't unheard of. If you're concerned, definitely talk to your doctor, but people who stick pretty close to this way of eating generally find it evens out in a couple of months and that many of their pms symptoms improve over time.

@Megan Rudisill it could be that you didn't consume enough of them -- try to have a serving size that you'd normally have if you were going to include those foods going forward. Remember that during reintroductions, even if you had no reactions, you still don't have those foods again until you're completely done with reintroductions. As far as whether they're okay to add back, you'lll still want to pay attention over time. A lot of times even if an occasional serving of something is fine, having it regularly can still ultimately cause a reaction. So if you choose to add back foods that you didn't react to during reintroductions, pay attention to how you feel, and if you start feeling less good than you did at the end of your Whole30, go back to Whole30 until you're feeling good again and then cut back on how often you have those foods going forward.

Hi! We have several people around the forums from Australia I think -- I know we have had in the past. If you google Whole30 Australia, you should find past discussions, but here's a big one full of shopping tips that might be helpful: It started a few years ago, so some of the earlier posts may be less relevant now, but it continued on even into this year, so hopefully some of it is helpful.

Hi there, @smcfad -- that sounds miserable, I hope you find some relief. Just a note, in case no one has mentioned it (but surely your doctor would have) -- people with latex allergies can also be allergic to bananas and avocado and some other foods -- here's an article with more about it, or google latex allergy cross reactive foods to find more: http://latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food.