JohannaE

Since I will be doing a Whole30 on Valentines Day, I've been looking for good places to eat out. One that caught my eye is Fogo de Chao, but I am concerned about how the meat is prepared since it's not made to order. Has anyone had a conversation with a manager about whether the meat is brushed with butter, and if so if it's clarified, and which of their marinades contain any added sugar or soy? I'm hoping to figure out what cuts of meat I can have, and whether it's worth going.

Thanks for the literature. I'm well-read on the matter, and know that for most people dietary cholesterol is not a villain. For most people, sugar is a much bigger deal. However, there is a subset of people known as "hyper-responders" that do respond to dietary cholesterol; like high cholesterol itself, this is genetic. I am concerned, given my genetic history of high cholesterol, I may fall into this group.

I had my cholesterol tested as part of my annual this past week, and it was even higher than normal! This definitely has me questioning my plan to stick to 80/20 paleo moving forward - instead, I'm considering cutting out some of the eggs and red meat and adding in legumes and whole grains. Health is #1.

Yes! Most definitely. I hope you enjoy the meals as much as we did!

I feel you on this one! Every time I've done Whole30, I've kept up the paleo diet for a while and then slowly the old habits have come back. I still think in the scheme of things I'm a pretty healthy eater (I'm pretty good at asking myself "is it worth it?", but I'd like to see what my body would do if I make paleo a longer term lifestyle. I actually wrote down rules I'd like to try to follow post Whole30 yesterday, that I'm hoping are ones that can be sustainable long term. Eat paleo 80% of the time (paleo - not Whole30! I will not be asking about ingredients at restaurants, and will allow some "SWYPO" items and certain added sugars in my home): -4 meals a week that aren't paleo (I'm not talking disgusting binge cheat meals where I stuff myself full, just allowing non-compliant ingredients) -Drinking more than 1 glass of red wine counts as one of these 4 meals -Dessert or a treat more than one square of dark chocolate a day counts as one of those meals -Maintain "no snacking" rule -Drink (more than 1 glass of red wine) no more than 2 days / week -Permanently out of my diet: sugar-free maple syrup, fake protein bars like Quest Is this sustainable? Has anyone tried anything similar?

Today I had my first serious sweets FOMO. Today we had our monthly bake off at work, and a colleague brought the most amazing looking cinnamon toast crunch cake, make with cinnamon cereal milk, cinnamon toast crunch brittle, and cream cheese frosting. Store bought doughnuts, cookies and baked goods don't appeal to me one bit - I've honestly never understood why you'd waste the calories - but I am a sucker for homemade... especially when it's my favorite childhood cereal as a cake! But I suppose I escaped the 3:30pm sugar crash and 500+ calories, so that's a win!

I made it through the NYC weekend without cheating, although let me tell you a glass of wine sure sounded nice! Questions and explaining at restaurants definitely detract from the dining out experience, and sometimes makes me wonder why I impost restrictions on myself to begin with - it's not that I want bread, or fries, or cheese, but making the chef make substitutions to avoid a little cooked down wine at a French restaurant just feels arbitrary. Apparently food boredom is normal around this time. I've experienced a little bit of it - especially around breakfast and when eating out, when options are fairly limited - but overall I'm excited about this week's meal plan. Keep it up through this final stretch, y'all!

This weekend will be the most challenging for me. We're headed to New York City (to see Hamilton!), where there is so much food (bagels!) and so many friends who want to grab a drink! We've found a couple great places for meals that I'm actually looking forward to, and are going to make it a lower key weekend than we likely otherwise would. I do take satisfaction in knowing that it will surely be a healthier weekend than it otherwise would have been!

Seven pounds in a week? Did she cut off an arm?

You can do it!!! Buffalo wings sound amazing. Thank goodness for Frank's. I also love these bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer!

I used ground fenugreek and it was awesome.

Don't beat yourself up. You've rocked it for 15 days! I personally wouldn't start over. You used the coconut milk twice and you had no idea it had small amounts of sulfites in it. Honestly, I would guess that most people who do Whole30 mess up a couple times without even knowing it - especially if they eat out even once. Ditch it, buy some coconut milk without sulfites, continue on your way and pat yourself on the back when you finish your Whole30 in 15 days. If it makes you feel better to do another 15 days without sulfites, go for it!

Almost halfway! I did a TON of cooking over this long weekend. This chicken tikka masala was a winner! I used chicken thighs rather than breasts because they're cheaper and I find them to be more flavorful. Here's my meal plan for week three.

I've been sleeping horribly the last few nights! I have a fitbit that tracks my sleep time, and I always make sure I have 8 hours in bed, but have only been sleeping for about 6.5 of them. I fall asleep fine, but then wake up with restless legs. I've never been a good sleeper, but it's definitely been worse these last few days!

A new pan

https://whole30.com/2015/01/rules-recommendations/

I use this product in limited quantities, as it was much more economical than purchasing avocado oil and making my own mayo. Since I use mayo very rarely, I decided that this falls well within the rules, which state: "limit your use of the others (like safflower, sunflower, canola, grapeseed, or sesame) at home, while not specifically excluding them on the program. That means don’t use canola as your primary cooking fat in your own kitchen."

Yeah, it's canola oil. Canola oil is recommended in limited quantities at home, but not banned. I certainly don't use it as my primary cooking fat, but for a small quantity as a garnish for a recipe once in a while, I'm not too worried about it. From the rules: "Encourage you to limit your use of the others (like safflower, sunflower, canola, grapeseed, or sesame) at home, while not specifically excluding them on the program. That means don’t use canola as your primary cooking fat in your own kitchen."

Welcome to "the hardest days" y'all. I woke up this morning and really did NOT want the breakfast I had prepped. I've officially hit the breakfast rut. While my breakfasts haven't been the same everyday and I think I do a pretty good job of keeping my menus "fresh", they usually incorporate some combination of sweet potato, egg, brussels sprouts, avocado and meat. Anyone else experiencing a food rut?

Trader's Joe brand! It's their organic one.

This is disappointing - We want to provide a quick update on our Whole30-friendly menu items. Unfortunately upon further review, our food and beverage team has removed our Winter seasonal Raw Beet + Dill Salad and Spicy Turmeric Tahini dressing from the list. We sincerely apologize for the oversight and appreciate your understanding! If you have any additional questions please let us know.

Trader Joe's.

I've tried the Tessamae ranch. It's okay, but I honestly don't love it. If you're expecting ranch, you won't get it. Tastes like coconut milk with herbs.

How much is a lot? I usually have 1/4 avocado with just about every meal

I was going to make homemade mayo this week, and then I got to the store and found that avocado oil was $8.99 and a huge thing of organic compliant mayo was $3.99. I had no shame in taking the easy way out this time!