higs

Hi team June 4!  Get lots of rest this week and be sure to hydrate well.  If you're anything like me, expect to be groggy and spacey for a couple days.  My experience is that the first positive W30 benefit I experience is deep, wonderful sleep usually after just a couple of days.  And energy and clearheadedness follows a couple days after that.  Have fun!  Welcome to the ride!

Checking in.  Morning all, Day 4 already! I had a 6:00 am workout with my strength coach today, and boy did I feel sluggish.  Like, c'mon, legs!  Halfway through I remembered I'm in the first week of a Whole30.  That would explain it!

Hi gang!
I'm excited and a little nervous to be back here again after quite a long time away!  I've been around the Whole30 block a few times but not recently (are there any old Dirty30-ers around the forum anymore?), and old habits have crept on back.  I'm due and overdue a reset, and I'm looking forward to new lessons and habits and recipes - I've learned something new with every W30, it seems.  This time around, I'm hoping to really nail the pre- and post-workout meals since I never got that dialed in.  And I'm always game for new recipes.  And I'm eager to get back to that blissful, deep, Whole30 SLEEP!!
Starting today with my old familiar "meal one" after a big cookup last night.  Breakfast:  an Aidell's chicken apple sausage (compliant and delicious), roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed white sweet potato with ghee, and avocado.  This meal will fuel me for 5-6 hours and is my favorite meal of the day. Oh, and black coffee.  Never have quite gotten used to that...
I broke my ankle earlier this spring while training for a marathon (stupid pothole) and am now easing back into running after putting on a few pounds after a more sedentary life this spring than what I've been used to.  I'm mentally preparing myself for a sluggish couple of weeks - then ENERGY.
Day 1, here we go!  I hope some peeps out there in the W30 universe will join me for the ride.  Company and support makes so much difference!
 

we were a special group.  wondering how everyone is doing.  are either one of you in touch with our old friends?
 

Higs,  it was the best. 

Awwww.  I sure miss this group of amazing people.  Funnest W30 I ever did.

Day 26.  Last night I really really really wanted a glass of wine, and tonight I know I'm going to be wanting something stronger than that.  I'm trying to strategize getting through an intense period of time while maintaining my Whole30.  I think that's going to be mean a long walk after work tonight, and doing something active and distracting.  And maybe some yoga.
How do you all get through the times when you want to throw in the towel?

Way to go @higs! Thanks for encouraging us along the way. It's good to hear that the bored feeling is kind of typical. I am happy for you that you have experienced so many victories.

Hey everyone!  Day 24 here.  The finishing stretch!  I am in sort of a doldrums phase where I'm starting to get cravings just because I'm getting bored.  Been here before -- I'm reminding myself to stay the course.  So I'm thinking about the "NSVs" (non scale victories) I've had so far:
Sleep like a rock, most nights 8 hours Better mood Increased energy No more late afternoon slumps Night sweats and hot flashes are gone Generally more motivated to do stuff Immune system great:  I haven't gotten the cold going around This doldrum phase for me usually just lasts a few days, and then I'll get past it and re-motivated.  Eyes on the prize, gang!  I'm trying to change gears to think about my strategy for this time next week when the official 30 days are done.
So how are you all?  Hanging in there?  Excited to finish, or thinking about continuing on in some way?  What are you discovering?
Hope everyone's doing great!
 

@CCLaymon, that is great news!  I never knew you were a physical therapist!  How wonderful to find a new PT that is going to help you fix stuff.  I absolutely adore my physical therapist.  What I have trouble with is staying really consistent with doing my exercises, but I have been on a tear lately!
Noted some NSVs as I start off Day 23:  I have not had night sweats or hot flashes since I started the Whole30.  And I didn't catch the horrible plague that all my coworkers seem to have gotten since the holidays.  NSV for the win!

@CCLaymon, that is great news!  I never knew you were a physical therapist!  How wonderful to find a new PT that is going to help you fix stuff.  I absolutely adore my physical therapist.  What I have trouble with is staying really consistent with doing my exercises, but I have been on a tear lately!
Noted some NSVs as I start off Day 23:  I have not had night sweats or hot flashes since I started the Whole30.  And I didn't catch the horrible plague that all my coworkers seem to have gotten since the holidays.  NSV for the win!

@CCLaymon, that is great news!  I never knew you were a physical therapist!  How wonderful to find a new PT that is going to help you fix stuff.  I absolutely adore my physical therapist.  What I have trouble with is staying really consistent with doing my exercises, but I have been on a tear lately!
Noted some NSVs as I start off Day 23:  I have not had night sweats or hot flashes since I started the Whole30.  And I didn't catch the horrible plague that all my coworkers seem to have gotten since the holidays.  NSV for the win!

@CCLaymon, that is great news!  I never knew you were a physical therapist!  How wonderful to find a new PT that is going to help you fix stuff.  I absolutely adore my physical therapist.  What I have trouble with is staying really consistent with doing my exercises, but I have been on a tear lately!
Noted some NSVs as I start off Day 23:  I have not had night sweats or hot flashes since I started the Whole30.  And I didn't catch the horrible plague that all my coworkers seem to have gotten since the holidays.  NSV for the win!

Day 3:  not a re-intro, but an intro:  I roasted rutabagas for the first time and I'm eating them for breakfast with a chicken thigh.  Hey, they're not bad.  Thumbs up for new starchy veggies.  I love me some starchy veggies.

@Laurie, I am here and on Day 21.  I just dusted off my old reintro thread from way way back and will probably start transitioning my postings to that thread.  I'm starting to turn my attention to what comes next.  Similar to you, I've working on setting goals in 3 month increments this year, then doing a reassessment.  Jan-Feb-March for me is about setting a really solid foundation for the rest of the year.  I'm doing a Whole30 + some very focused slow reintros for much of that time while otherwise maintaining mostly Whole30 eating, plus I'm trying to return to running and also trying to get yoga in twice a week.  In March, I'll reassess how I'm doing and make whatever adjustments are needed.  Your garden walking group sounds really interesting.  I just love Japanese gardens.  Such beauty!  For me, getting up into the mountains has a similar effect.  I feel better as soon as I'm out in the wilderness.  Big hugs to you.
Good luck everyone!

@michelle123 , thank you for sharing!!  That is awesome.  High fives to you on all your successes! 

Ok so today is Monday and being a long weekend for me I cooked all weekend and boy I'm tired...lol.  Friday night started my bone broth and let that cook through most of the day Saturday.  Took all the meat off the short ribs for vegetable beef soup the next day and froze 1 quart in the freezer.  Sunday, I made a double batch of mayo and poached chicken breasts and made chicken salad with organic red seedless grapes, onion celery, and walnuts and added the homemade mayo, and of course had to taste it and yummyyy!!!.  Then the next thing to tackle was the soup with bone broth.  Saute'd onion garlic and celery in olive oil, then added can of organic tomatoes, frozen spinach, peas and carrots and some white potatoes, viola vegetable beef soup.  Today being Monday I didn't want to but forced myself to make my breakfast salad consisting of hard boiled eggs, avocado, tomatoes, onion, fresh lemon juice and compliant chicken apple sausage saute'd and fresh basil chopped up in it, another yum!  Weekends are usually my prep for the week so I have breakfast salad and cut up cantelope for a few days, chicken salad for a few lunches or dinners whichever my heart desires.  I find prepping on the weekend makes the week go so much easier!  Then I got thinking in my head (scary thing lol)  Someone should open a whole30 café!  a pipe dream maybe but a thought because this way of life is becoming so popular!!!  Hope everyone has a GREAT week and thanks for being a great support group for me!

@Laurie, I am here and on Day 21.  I just dusted off my old reintro thread from way way back and will probably start transitioning my postings to that thread.  I'm starting to turn my attention to what comes next.  Similar to you, I've working on setting goals in 3 month increments this year, then doing a reassessment.  Jan-Feb-March for me is about setting a really solid foundation for the rest of the year.  I'm doing a Whole30 + some very focused slow reintros for much of that time while otherwise maintaining mostly Whole30 eating, plus I'm trying to return to running and also trying to get yoga in twice a week.  In March, I'll reassess how I'm doing and make whatever adjustments are needed.  Your garden walking group sounds really interesting.  I just love Japanese gardens.  Such beauty!  For me, getting up into the mountains has a similar effect.  I feel better as soon as I'm out in the wilderness.  Big hugs to you.
Good luck everyone!

Thank you Sugarcube I actually tried a Whole30 once before but failed. I was registered here under a different username and I made a new account this time because I was embarrassed that I didn't make it the last time. However, I remember you and you were very supportive then and your support meant a lot to me then. I know I am going to do it this time. Just wanted to let you know that the work you moderators do makes a difference. I didn't succeed that time because I wasn't quite in the right place, but nevertheless your support brought me back to try again and this time I am succeeding.

@michelle123 That sense of calm is what I felt too on my first Whole30.  Like food was finally not in charge and I could hear other thoughts in my head since the din of the food conversation was quieted.  I know there are a lot of people that have felt that too but may not have been able to put it into words so thank you for sharing and congrats on your weekend!!!

Hello everyone, it is good to hear everyone's updates. I just got back from spending the weekend at my brother-in-law's, and my mother-in-law was visiting as well. Such weekends are usually filled with every imaginable form of food and alcohol, plus a great deal of family drama/stress, so I was quite nervous about it, and likely wouldn't have even planned to Whole30 right now if I had known this event would be taking place, but it all got planned after I'd started. Here I am, the weekend is over, and I'm still compliant!  *Happy dance* This experience has taught me so much that it is hard to even sum it up. I learned that I don't have to eat no matter how much someone else wants me to; that I can hang out with people that are eating rich, sugary foods and enjoy their company without feeling either resentful or self-righteous; that I can go to a coffee shop and enjoy a small black coffee; that I can survive feeling a little awkward and self-conscious as I apologetically explain why I'm going to eat my own weird little meal but that everyone can handle it and if anything, they react with curiosity and even a little envy (they all want to lose weight too) and don't actually ostracize me; that I can look at previously tempting foods and actually feel relieved that I don't have to eat them. I am so buoyed by this victory, that I am convinced now that I will make it rest of the 30 days. Not only that, but I'll probably keep going, because I truly am starting to feel a sense of freedom for the first time in about 22 years. When I was about 18 I developed an eating disorder, and although I overcame some of the destructive behaviours- either rigid control or its opposite, the complete lack of all control followed by purging- eventually, the way I had to heal from those things was to allow myself to eat all foods without restrictions for many years. This ultimately led to a really unhealthy, pretty standard north American diet and of course a lot of weight gain. Over the years I've tried lots of ways to lose weight but I never stuck with any long enough to make much progress. With this, I am starting to feel just a sense of calm coming over me. It's kind of hard to explain but definitely something new. I'm not thinking about food all the time, I'm not trying to fight the desire to give up and eat "bad" things, I just feel rather peaceful about it all and really, think about food much less than ever before.
Sorry for the novel  but I wanted to share.

@access2003, I did legumes first on one of my Whole30's (one where I actually tried proper reintros!).  No ill effects.  What I did find, though, is that the beans seemed to push the veggies off my plate.  The more beans I ate, the fewer the veggies.  I'm not sure why it worked that way for me, but that's what I noticed.  Legumes are definitely something I'll add back in here and there, though.
I'm starting to think about rents, too. I want to start with dairy this time -- vey minimal.  I have a suspicion that dairy makes me sad, and I want to test that theory.  I plan to keep basically on a Whole30 and try dairy in limited quants for at least 2-3 weeks so I have a pretty good feel for the effect.
I ran my first 5k of the year today - actually walked most of it but it was great to get out.  It was 9 degrees with the windchill and very icy!  Fun though, and inspiring to get after it.  How is everyone else doing?

@Laurie, I am here and on Day 21.  I just dusted off my old reintro thread from way way back and will probably start transitioning my postings to that thread.  I'm starting to turn my attention to what comes next.  Similar to you, I've working on setting goals in 3 month increments this year, then doing a reassessment.  Jan-Feb-March for me is about setting a really solid foundation for the rest of the year.  I'm doing a Whole30 + some very focused slow reintros for much of that time while otherwise maintaining mostly Whole30 eating, plus I'm trying to return to running and also trying to get yoga in twice a week.  In March, I'll reassess how I'm doing and make whatever adjustments are needed.  Your garden walking group sounds really interesting.  I just love Japanese gardens.  Such beauty!  For me, getting up into the mountains has a similar effect.  I feel better as soon as I'm out in the wilderness.  Big hugs to you.
Good luck everyone!

Day 21 here on Whole30 # whatever... I have lost count!  I think I did two W30's in 2016 but STILL have not quite gotten things dialed in.  Every Whole30 I learn a bit more about how to have a successful W30 -- but I haven't yet managed how to make the changes I want to keep sustainable.  
So, Day 21 and I'm thinking again about my reintro plan.  I want to do it sloowwwwwwly.  I have been considering this Whole30 as an intro, a kickoff to a longer more sustained process.  So, rather than finishing up in 9 days, I'm trying to turn my attention to gearing up for a start of a new focus.  My slow roll plan involves basically staying on a Whole30, but start adding some very minimal dairy, which is the only thing I'm missing right now.  I want to try a sprinkle of cheese in my salad and see how that goes.  Somewhere along the way I became suspicious that dairy makes me sad, so I want to test that theory.
After a few weeks I'll reassess and perhaps try to add in something else if I'm missing it.  Rice, maybe.
In the meantime we are socked in with snow and ice and my car is stuck.  Luckily a friend with a 4 Runner was able to take me to work last week and I got to hit up the grocery store, too - I was nervous I'd run out of meat and veggies.  Today I'm making elk stew for the week ahead.