SusanB.

Ha ha ha - I've posted in this thread before, but this month it was just crazy. I have PCOS and I'm on the 24-day BCP that has left me with a minimal period for the last few years. A day of spotting, really. No cramps, no PMDD. This month, only a week into my 30, it was insane. I haven't bled this much in years. And the accompanying cramping was crazy! My totally random though? Cutting out soy means I'm not getting the phytoestrogens. But who knows. It's not a source of worry right now - although if it's going to continue like this (and I consider "like this" to be that I'm not getting the PCOS-mitigating effects of the hormonal BC), I might as well get off the hormones and try an IUD.

Reading through this thread, because these feelings are familiar! The last times I've done a 30, I've definitely experienced the nausea, the feeling like I had to force food down - even when it was delicious. I have always chalked it up to adjusting to more protein and fat, and off of the tons and tons of simple carbs and dairy that I had been eating. I guess the good news I can share is that these feelings did eventually resolve themselves - but it took a while. Three weeks, I would say? But when I start a 30 now, I can remember that a) these feelings pass; and b ) I will eventually feel so much better overall that I know it's worth sticking it out. Thank you, @ladyshanny, for mentioning this - it had never occurred to me that it's hormonal! Getting my hormones better regulated is one of my prime motivations for staying on-plan.

I have to laugh as I review this. This thread changed my life! 1) my go-to weekday breakfast (at the office) is now two Spicy Tuna Cakes and a big mug of vegetable soup - whenever I'm trying to be on-plan or even just "eating better". 2) the Nom Nom Paleo app has some of my all-time favorite recipes. 3) I finally got a copy of Well Fed from my library, and have learned so much between the book and following Melissa in various media. So thank you again, all. Great suggestions.

Oh hey! I'm just finishing up consuming our first batch. Second batch is in F1. Adding a little blueberry and some ginger when we get to F2. Last batch we did one plain, one with a little ginger, and one with some bing cherry. All were pretty delish.

Fairly familiar - like many people with disordered eating patterns, I have made it a life-long habit to read up about diet and nutrition and gather as much information as possible. I was doing fairly well, physically, following the Primal plan - less-strict Paleo, allowing for dairy and for 80% success to be considered successful. But mentally, it was difficult - having to think so much about what I could and couldn't do in terms of trade-offs was exhausting. I think that's why I like the Whole30 so much: no leeway. But yes, no matter how I slice it I do feel better when I eliminate sweets, processed foods, and grains. All the rest is just different ways of dressing up the same facts.

Ooh, I'll check those out!

@SpunkyBug, I like your rules. Given that I work best with bright lines and not too much leeway, I'm going to do my best to write them out so I can't pretend that one rule or the other isn't really a rule or something (I would totally do that). ...as soon as I get home from the conference I go to tomorrow night.

You know, I hadn't thought of it that way: I've laid out my rules. I like that. This is the exact kind of thing I needed to hear - a reminder about riding my own bike. Thank you. I will continue to look at my calendar and try to find a time for a proper 30!

I have done two successful 30s in the past, and intended to do another this January. Never did get reintroduction right (only got to dairy and rice, which were both OK as far as I could tell), so I was hoping to make it this time. Unfortunately, life had other plans. Practical considerations (with houseguests, travel, illness, and attending a weekend-long conference in a hotel that doesn't have mini fridges in the rooms) got the better of me. I have come to a peace and moved on without getting too discouraged. Picked back up where I left off each time, when I was able. The extraordinary stresses of trying to remain compliant in the above situations were just too much for me to work with - and I know myself and my propensity to throw the baby out with the bathwater (do people still say that?) when I'm discouraged that I can't do something "perfectly". I am 43 and contending with a lifetime's worth of disordered eating, if that makes any difference. I've come to the conclusion this time around that I need to maintain the enormous changes I've instituted - in terms of cooking my own meals, eating template-balanced meals, bringing proper meals to work, avoiding sweets and processed foods. Those parts of this process are not something I should give up - not after 30 days, not really ever. I understand that half-assing it is not Whole30. One of the things that speaks to me the most about this program is that I take to its black-and-white nature. I maintain that what is doable for me at this moment in my life is that I can stay compliant when cooking my own meals. I can attempt to make the best choices I can when that is not an option. I can choose to get right back on program after any deviation. This is approximately one billion (give or take a million or two) times better than the food choices I have been making for years, and I think that this approach will serve me. Here is my question (sorry, I'm long-winded by nature): how should I handle things when I know I'm in it for less-than-30? I guess it's a question of strategy: do I treat these periods as "whole 10" or something similar? Do I consider myself off-plan and not count days at all? I understand why 30 is a significant number, and I do very much intend to get to 30 and nail the reintroduction this time - but looking at my calendar I don't see an upcoming stretch of days in the foreseeable future. My knee-jerk reaction is to say [expletive] it and go back to my horribly terrible no good very bad S.A.D. - and I certainly don't want to do THAT.

Here's a question - and I am a master excuse-maker in ALL areas of my life. My psychiatrist even told me I need to start using "yes, AND" as opposed to "yes, but" *Eating post WO meal at the gym or in the car. If I'm going to be eating within 30 minutes of exercising, then I have to do one or the other. Is there a list of good examples of appropriate post WO meals that can be eaten in the parking lot? To complicate matters, my workouts are early-early morning - before M1, which I typically have when I get to the office (45-60 min post WO, minimum).

I needed a portable breakfast, since I eat it at work M-F, and someone suggested the Spicy Tuna Cakes from Nom Nom Paleo. I am not exaggerating to say they changed my life. Tuna cakes, vegetable soup (these days carrot-cardamom, also from Michelle Tam, or roasted tomato), and some olives or avocado for a little fat and I'm a happy camper. If you don't like things too spicy, moderate with the crushed red pepper as opposed to the jalapeno. The jalapeno adds a really nice "green" taste to the mix. http://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes

Oh! Next time I have some bone broth, I'll give it a try. Thanks for the hint.

Do you mean the zucchini one from Melissa Joulwan? I love vegetable soups, but made that once and it was just...I must have missed something because it was not nearly as good as I've come to expect from her recipes. Been meaning to try again - good reminder, thanks.

Had my annual gyno visit today. Doc completely unconcerned with mid cycle spotting, told me that if it bothered me and/or there was cramping that I should talk to her and we would change my hormonal BC. For reference, I'm on Minastrin - a 24-day BCP recommended for women who have PCOS. Previously I had been having 1-3 periods a year, each lasting about a day or two. Last six months (unrelated to diet, since there were no changes until January) I've been having one every month. And since I started on the 30, I've been spotting mid-cycle and my periods have been longer. Doctor was very happy with my general health - diet and exercise. Reminded me to make sure I was eating veggies that were high in calcium if I stay off dairy (I'm 43, so she's worried about bone density). Told me to stay eating this way and have my bloodwork done in a few months for thyroid, cholesterol, glucose. Apparently dietary changes take about six months to show up in your labs.

If I had white potatoes in the house? Would have definitely gone in that direction. But too sick to go find any, and didn't have someone available to bring me groceries until after I had passed the saltines threshold. Honestly, I feel like my guts recovered quite quickly, all things considered. I'm crediting the fact that I had been eating healthily when I got sick - no sludgy processed foods corrupting my poor insides.