littleg

Hi, @littleg! Good to see you, too! It sure is a different place around here than when I used to be a regular years ago. You're a certified coach now? Awesome! Whole30 is still simply the best thing. I'm sure as more people copped onto it, the social media activity has shifted to IG and FB and such. But I still am fond of the forum and all it offered me when I was just a pup starting out. 
Good for you for coming back to being well fed and nourished in every way with W30. Enjoy!

Hi LadyM!  Nice to see a familiar name around here :)  Day 77... what a great feeling!  And all that movement - how awesome!  I sure hope you don't end up locked down again  
 
After a 3-4 month stint with "mostly" carnivore I've decided to go back to what feels more nourishing and do a W30.  I popped into the forum for the first time in almost a year... and... wow, cobwebs :)  I used to love this place and the support!  And I find it so useful looking back at my old logs... Anyway, just wanted to say hi because your name was the only one I recognized

@hollysmokes I hear you on commutes being motivation crushers!  Do you have an active job that you got 8600 steps with a 10 hr work day and hour commute? 
How did you feel on day 3?  Your meals look great for variety and veggies and even fermented foods   It looks like some are missing added fat though - are you finding that you are full and satiated?  I just don't want to see you crash because you aren't getting enough.  It is always easy in the beginning when motivation is high but small deficits each day can sneak up on you down the road...
I hope day 4 is going well for you!

@Coffeelover99  It sounds like you've recognized that a little bit of balance goes a long way!  There was an instagram post today from Renaissance Periodization about how there are up to 11 meals between Thanksgiving and New Years that could be "problematic".  But so many people are like: screw it, it is the holidays, I'm eating whatever.   This post really resonated with me because I'm definitely in the f-it camp and this perspective really highlights how just a handful of meals shouldn't be the reason to throw all self-restraint out the window.  I remember reading a statistic once that most "annual" weight gain actually occurs during the holidays (and is just never lost) and accumulates year after year.  But that doesn't have to be the case if people approached it more like it sounds you are

What did you reintroduce first?  Have you reintroduced sugar yet?  If the craving came *after* you reintroduced sugar in a different form that might tell you something about where your chocolate cravings are coming from (sugar often begets sugar...).  
Also, check out this post   Like Shannon says, if you want to reintroduce chocolate on a specific day I'd skip the TJ caramels - they likely have a bunch of other ingredients (I'm assuming, I could be wrong).  If you are a TJ fan they sell these dark chocolate batons that have just 3 ingredients and come in a fairly normal sized portion (vs a full 100g bar).  That is actually my go-to for when I want some chocolate!  I don't know about See's but lots of chocolates have soy as an emulsifier so keep an eye out for that.  And go for the darkest you can enjoy!  TJ also sells a 100% bar - Montezuma's something or other but you *really* need to like dark chocolate to enjoy that
https://forum.whole30.com/topic/43287-chocolate-when-to-reintroduce/

And this is my second favorite quote of the day.  I don't want to cheat my way through the entire season, but I plan to have a no-rules (or guidelines) day on 12/25!  Including the big chocolate-peanut butter Reece's tree Santa always puts in my stocking!

Day 20. Saturday, November 30.
When I was first starting, a lot of my mental energy went into thinking about the program, and it was easier to journal. I actually really like doing this, which is funny, It is one of those activities that is recommended for a 'happy' life, like sleep, giving, meditation. I never tried journaling because I disliked keeping a diary when I was young, but it is very different as an adult. Regardless, I am noticing that because the diet is not in my head as much, I don't remember to come into the forum until I am getting ready for bed, and I am tired. This doesn't really leave any time for reviewing the day, which is what I like best about it. Going forward, I think I will try and make journaling a scheduled part of my day, instead of trying to squeeze it in. 
No restless leg issues. 
M1: Creamy Tuscan Chicken, twice-baked potato
M2: 4-hour salad
M3: Creamy Tuscan Chicken, twice-baked potato. That's the last of it.
 
Day 21. Sunday, December 30.
No restless leg issues. 
M1: salmon, butternut squash, roasted cabbage
M2: 4-hour salad
M3: Paleo Zuppa Toscana

Thanks for the recipes!  
In terms of ginger and stuffiness... My mom did it, her mom did it... so now I just do it too  If you like science maybe you'll enjoy this.  Maybe it is the anti-inflammatory nature that helps?  
I think one of the most useful things about journaling is what you just noticed.  It reminds you to pay attention to some of the less obvious changes that might result from a nutritional change!

Saturday Nov 29 Day 8:
Sleep: 7h 50m + 1h 55m awake= 9h 45m in bed
M1: 3 fried eggs, 2 sliced Pederson's bacon, fermented radishes
M2: brunschweiger, broccoli and ranch
Made a "syrup" with cherries macerated in ACV to add to soda  for a drinking vinegar-style drink. Yum!
M3: NomNompaleo's cream of mushroom soup and some slices of prosciutto
Steps: 4461 but got a lot done; it just didn't require much movement, sadly. Made fire cider and sorted through (and got rid of) 5 binders of recipes as part of the Mins Game! Yaaay!
Feeling really good and was totally stoked to have something delicious to drink. Didn't miss having a beer while we watched the ballgame at all and made sure I wasn't hungry so I wasn't tempted to eat bar food. It had been a dreary, rainy day so it was good to get out of the house, run a couple of errands and socialize for a bit. Need more steps and more vegetables!

It would be great for the three of you to go through this together!  My best W30 was when there was a thread of 4 of us going through together!

Thanks for the recipes!  
In terms of ginger and stuffiness... My mom did it, her mom did it... so now I just do it too  If you like science maybe you'll enjoy this.  Maybe it is the anti-inflammatory nature that helps?  
I think one of the most useful things about journaling is what you just noticed.  It reminds you to pay attention to some of the less obvious changes that might result from a nutritional change!

Can you eat avocado?  My husbands tuna method is often 1/2-1 baked sweet potato mashed up, can of tuna, 1/2-1 avocado, dried shallots and mustard.  It is surprisingly good  
Totally not telling you to go against medical advice but if you used just the egg yolk that would make almost a full 2 cups of mayo... so you'd be getting like 1/15th of an egg yolk per serving... Only you know how bad your sensitivity is but sometimes the poison is in the dose so just food for thought.  

Well, don't let anyone tell you that you haven't planned and thought this through!  
 
Here are a few more breakfast ideas: 
https://whole30.com/melissas-chicken-hash/  
https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/maple-blueberry-turkey-sausage-breakfast-patties/  (leave out the maple)
Sweet potato toast is good too... just make sure to have some protein and vegetables with it.  
Without onion and garlic it is tough to follow recipes as written.  I follow a low FODMAP diet (and thus no onions and garlic) and tend to just make recipes without them.  
Some of the things I routinely do for meal 1 are:
Cranberry turkey burgers (turkey, poultry seasoning, some shredded zucchini for moisture and fresh cranberries) with homemade cranberry/strawberry sauce and mayo.
Asian turkey burgers (turkey, coconut aminos, diced pepper, fresh cilantro, fish sauce) with a side of veggies dipped in ginger/coconut amino flavored coconut milk.
And lately, at work because it is easy to eat in small bites, diced left over steak with raw chopped red peppers with mayo.  
I know regular mayo is out for you - I haven't tried the egg free kind.  Is the egg allergy a super-legit allergy?  I'm just wondering if it is the egg white that you could be allergic to and could try a W30 mayo made with just yolk. 
I always eat my eggs for lunch so I always have egg-free "breakfasts" so it is possible

Breakfast is just Meal 1. There's no reason you have to go near an egg. Some of my favorite Meal 1s are tuna salad (with homemade mayo) or compliant hot dogs with lots of mustard and sauerkraut. Steamed frozen spinach supplements both. Plus, you have a potentially endless supply of leftovers from dinner . . . .

So I am starting tomorrow and today is my day 0. I have been avoiding this for a very long time. I have started and stopped many time. Now I just really need to buckle down and get myself healthy.  I am modifying my whole 30 to exclude my allergies items: almonds, cashews, pecans, poppy & sesame seeds, eggs, onions, garlic, seaweed, bananas, pineapple, tomatoes, watermelon, figs & kiwi. So that means no protein bars at all. My new emergency food is baby food that is compliant since I can keep it in my trunk and I don’t have to keep it cool. 
My doctor is not happy with me because I have not been following his instructions. He is very concerned because of all the inflammation I have from the test results among other things. I am working on getting the 3 meals a day but I am concerned at night because I sometimes can’t sleep because of my low blood sugar. That is the first hurdle to get through a night and not have to eat before I go to bed which has become a habit. Let’s get real her it is more of a binge than a meal. 
I have taken my measurements, weight and pictures. I purged my cupboards today and went shopping. This week I am doing chicken, pork, turkey, steamed broccoli, cauliflower fried rice, a veggies soup of zucchini, green beans, celery and parsley, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, salads and cole slaw. All the meat is already made so I just need to do the veggies. 
Reason whyWhole 30:
Heal my gut and digestion (leaky gut) Heal insulin resistance Reduce inflammation  Have better energy Sleep better Get off Blood Pressure Medicine Improve My Allergies Symptoms and Get Off All Allergy Medicine My Goals are to:
Take one meal and day at a time to stay compliant. Do some kind of movement: PT &/or walking Clean the kitchen after each meal/food prep  
Create your if/then:
If I am stuck late at work/in traffic/at a game then I’ll have protein/veggie & fat (baby good or canned meats) or grab a protein burger or get a salad at a salad bar
If I am at happy hour and offered a drink then I’ll say no thanks, I am sober and have a soda water
If there is nothing compliant at a party, then I’ll get the extra emergency food that I brought in my car. I can also eat before I go. Or end up leaving early if no food and too hungry.
If I am tempted to go out for breakfast to eat and read a magazine then review my reasons why then make sure I have enough protein and fat in my meal. Read helpful excerpts from the book. This isn’t hard, cravings leave in 3-5 mins. And remember I truly am the one in charge, not my cravings, would I let my an infant eat cookies and drink Diet Coke?  
If I am waking by non-compliant food at work, then I think of my reasons why and keep walking by. Eat down in the closed restaurant so I am not by the food. Also don’t walk in areas that has the bad food because you really don’t need to be up there anyway.
If while working the kid’s movie event I get pizza, chocolate, etc on my hands then wipe it off with a napkin. I need to get into the habit of this in my life instead of licking my fingers. This has definitely been the cause for me to have to restart. Also make sure I have compliant snacks so if I am hungry, I have something to eat.
 If I need to grab a bite to eat because I didn’t bring enough food, then find a compliant place to go. Ie grocery store salad bar with can of tune or salad at another non-fast food restaurant, etc. side note take extra food for the day (compliant canned tuna or chicken, some extra veggies sticks, fruit, nuts, etc.)
If invited out to lunch, then scope out the menu beforehand for compliant foods. Let the person know what I am doing as well. 
If invited for dinner, then find out what’s on the menu and offer to bring something compliant. Make them aware of my allergies. If not
I am going to be keeping my food log and day by day here instead of going to the food log section because it is moderators are her. Anyone want to join me I would love to hear from you no matter what day you are on.  

Day 7: Opt Outside Friday!
Sleep: 5h 57 + 1h 32m awake= 7h 29 min in bed so a little low on sleep because we went to bed so late but feeling good even if a little tired. Planning a low key day!
Lazy and reading so didn't get around to M1 until it was almost time for M2 so just skipped it.
M2: burger and slaw w fermented peppers
Did a 3 mile hike and had a Chomp's stick, some coconut an a few dried blueberries as a post workout snack
M3: small ribeye and the last of my creamed kale from Thanksgiving
Steps: 11,002! Trying to stay >10K for all 4 of my days off but the weather Saturday is supposed to be awful so I'll have to figure out how to make that happen.

Well you've got a few years under your belt then!  I didn't realize that. 
That sausage looks like it must be somewhat regional - I don't recognize the names of any of the stores that carry it. 
But... if you like cooking - this is my go-to for liver.  And I hate liver.  https://autoimmunewellness.com/bacon-beef-liver-pate-with-rosemary-and-thyme/
I made this in a cooking class and even the 3 year old in attendance scarfed it down!  I think it is funny that once you start feeding your body things besides muscle meat and processed carbs sometimes it tells you what it needs and you can actually hear that message.  There will be days where all I want to eat is this liver (I go through this with sardines and smoked oysters too) - when those cravings come I honor them for sure
 
 

Glad to hear the fat is in there... so many people end up just doing low carb/high protein/low fat when they start eating "healthy" and that can lead to not feeling too great.   Is brunschweiger liver sausage?  I had to google it  
Have you heard of pak dong?  There is a a local fermenter that makes it and sells it at farmers markets near me.  Oh my gosh.  Best stuff I've ever had.  I tried to make my own and it didn't work but if you are good at this kind of stuff maybe you'd like it.  It does have sugar so you'll have to wait til post W30.  https://amandanicolesmith.com/pak-dong/
I've been doing low FODMAP lately for IBS and garlic is a no-no... and I miss my fermented foods!  The only one I can eat now is my plain salt/cabbage sauerkraut.  Oh and ginger carrots, but I miss my pak dong

Just an FYI on the recipe... it calls for a lot of coconut oil.  I think 1/2 cup?  Anyway, I use like 1 tbsp   I know pates often have a lot of extra fat added to them so if you are looking to mimic that super smooth mouth feel you may need it... but taste along the way.  
 
Nice job making it through a W30 over a holiday.  I always wished I had a group of friends that would want to do a W30-esque holiday meal.  My friends/family are all about eating things out of boxes with margarine so unfortunately not going to happen any time soon 

@littlegI love this, it’s so true. Thanksgiving is over, leftovers are almost gone and I’m ready to get back on track. No reason to wait until January, and my body is confirming that!

You've got a month to get ready!  What are some of the biggest changes you'll have to make for a W30?  Maybe we can give you some ideas/tips!

OH MY GOSH!!  I just got back the medical summary from our yearly health screening at my workplace.  I AM AMAZED!!  For the past 5 years I've been actively losing weight, exercising and eating better.  Each year my results have improved, but the jump in results this year is nothing short of miraculous!! 
I'm lucky that my glucose has always been good.  My blood pressure was controlled by medication prior to 3 years ago when I lost just over 100 lb. and was able to discontinue it.  Since then it has been in range and holding steady.
But this is the great news: 
HDL (good) cholesterol is up 5 points.
LDL (bad) cholesterol is down 14 points.
Total cholesterol is down 11 points.
Triglycerides are down 17 points.
ALL my numbers are in the green/optimum range!!  (Except BMI...   Still working on that one.) 
THANK YOU, THANK YOU WHOLE30!!  I AM SO HAPPY!!  I was genuinely worried that all the meat and eggs I had been eating lately might have a negative impact on my health screening results.  Silly me!!  REAL FOOD is the answer! 

If you live near a Whole Foods they Sell Life-flo brand topical magnesium and if you keep your receipt you can return it if you don't find it helpful.   I've taken oral magnesium for years and really find the topical helps with the cramps more.  It burns when you put it on so I spray it on the soles of my feet and then stick my feet into plastic bags for 20 minutes But it is worth the trouble for me... and I'm pretty lazy
Hope you start to feel better soon - any access to good chicken stock? 

Hi Amura!  It is interesting how one's perspective changes with information and experience   I'm just wondering... what is your "ultimate" goal?  You have a lot of really great guidelines which will certainly help you have a more nutritious and hopefully gut friendly life.  I'm wondering though if a few "rule" might help since you said you do well with clear boundaries.  Like, if work treats or too-many-special-occassions are the problems make quantifiable rules around them.  "I will only eat treats at work once a month" or "I will enjoy a meal in a restaurant only 2 times a calendar month"... things like that.  It is something that has been really helpful for me.  I'm a nurse and the hospital snacks are: packs of cookies, ice cream, gingerale (those are supplied by the hospital, you know, the place trying to make people healthier ).  The foods brought in by others I'm sure you can imagine.  ER nurse recognition week was 10 half gallons of ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream etc.  There was practically no room in the fridge it was so full of sundae toppings!  Anyway... lots of temptation is my point.  And my issue has always been sugar so not easy for me.  So I have a rule: I will only eat food at work that I bring to work with me or purchase in the cafeteria from the salad bar which must be meat, raw veg or fruit.  I just don't break that rule.  And it has really been helpful for me to reign in a history of off-the-rails eating at work.  Anyway, just food for though