DonnaB

Hey, jkwo. I would recommend checking out the troubleshooting section of the forum, and possibly starting a thread listing a couple of days worth of meals so you can get some help with this. I know on my first W30 it really took some enforced self- discipline to avoid snacking, just because I like food. During the course I discovered that I needed to eat more at meals than I initially thought in order to stay full. Two to three cups of veggies at a meal is a lot! Also - getting those 2 tablespoons of fat at each meal is critical - and that doesn't include whatever fat you use for cooking, because it mostly stays in the pan - unless you intentionally pour it over your food. Now I keep olives, avocado, clarified butter, paleo bacon, home-made mayo, home-made ranch dressing, and EVOO in rotation to make sure I get my healthy fat at every meal. The other major contributor for me is getting enough water. For quite awhile I couldn't easily distinguish between being hungry and being thirsty, so if I was thirsty I automatically interpreted it as hunger and ate something instead of drinking more water. Now I have a 16 oz stainless steel water bottle that I try to fill up at regular intervals, and if I notice a "hunger pang", I stop to make sure I've had enough water before assuming I'm hungry. Doing this has helped me differentiate between true "hunger pangs" and thirst. Hope this helps!

Hey, all. Just wanted to let you know that I did a re-start as of Sunday. On Saturday we had a day trip planned with my daughter and son-in-law, which has been on the calendar to two months, so I didn't want to re-schedule it. The trip included lunch, a brewery tour, and a stop at a cheese factory. I made it through lunch just fine, but the brewery was my downfall. I did some searches of the forum to see how other people have handled similar situations and stayed compliant, and it appeared that the recourse some people used was to do the sampling but just spit it out. Since brewery tours somewhat qualify as a special occasion for us, I just went with it and decided to enjoy it - but I did re-start yesterday, and I'm okay with that. I am already aware from past experience that 30 days is probably not enough to experience the major changes I want to, and that I just do better in general staying as close to the W30 as possible for day-to-day eating. I finally just finished reading ISWF - which I had but didn't finish reading when I did my first W30, and there are a few things in the book that I had not seen posted elsewhere, so this is okay. Praxisproject has mentioned in a couple of other places that she does best when she follows not only the requirements, but the additional recommendations, so I have been reviewing those and looking at how to implement them, too. Now if I can just pry myself out of this desk chair to go and eat lunch away from my desk! I just want to commend all of you for keeping on keeping on. I found after doing my first W30 that it was fairly easy to just stick to the routine for breakfasts and lunches, because I knew that I wanted to eat more healthy in general, anyway, so if that works for you, I would encourage it. Good job, everyone. Hang in there and finish strong!

I'm on the fence about extending my W30. I know from my reading that extending or doing additional W30's can be really beneficial for some people, and I suspect I may be one of those, but the fatigue I've been experiencing is discouraging. While I have a log for this W30 on the forum, I have decided it isn't quite specific enough, so I started another log off-line with more details. I'm trying to make sure I get some starchy vegetables every day, in an effort to alleviate the fatigue, and monitoring my non-caffeinated fluid intake to make sure I'm getting enough to drink every day. Not to complain or anything, but I would like to know WHY taking care of our health can be so difficult sometimes? [sigh! First world problems!!]

Wow! That is a serious piece of equipment! One of my uncles has one a little smaller than that - he uses it to do pig roasts. Ours is more the hobby variety - quite a bit smaller than that, but DH's grandfather had a big smoke "shack" built of brick. He lived in a resort town on a lake,so he would run the trot-line for catfish during the week, then Thursday night start smoking the fish, and sell it to the tourists on the weekends. It was that memory that inspired DH to start smoking, though on a MUCH smaller scale.

MeadowLily - I think you are my hero! My dear hubby has taken up smoking in the past few years, but leans toward caution when it comes to "how long" to smoke different cuts of meat. So far, he mostly does jerky (that we eat fresh or he freezes because we don't like it too tough), catfish, salmon, and smaller cuts of meat, but we have a meat CSA, and every now and then we get a fresh ham roast. I keep suggesting that he smoke it, but so far he hasn't taken the bait - his concern is making sure it's fully cooked. Now - thanks to you - I have a clue how to do this safely. Thanks so much!

Heidi, that is one of my techniques, too, to force me to get up and move. We also have a filtered hydration station that is down a long hallway from my office, so I try to take a couple of walks each day to refill my water bottle. :-)

sarahAwright - please report back on what you thought about the brined chicken. I'd be interested to know if it's worthwhile to do that. Usually when I do a whole chicken I do it in the crockpot similar to this recipe (I leave the skin on and vary the seasoning according to our preferences). It generally turns out pretty good - the first time I did it hubby said "that's it - we're never buying another rotisserie chicken when we can make them at home and they taste this good!". I'm just curious what difference the brining will make. [TMI alert - mucous discussion] Woke up today with more mucous than I've had for a few days, which made itself felt from the time I woke-up this morning and especially when I was out walking the dog. I suspect it could be related to a dust/mite allergy. And I was so looking forward to a day at home and time for quilting tomorrow! I guess I will be doing some dusting and a thorough vacuuming first, though. I have long suspected that the mucous may also be related to dairy and/or wheat sensitivities. Hence, my plan to do the re-intro's after this Whole30 very carefully, but need to reduce the dust content of my home in order to really get a feel for the cause - Arghhhh! :-) Is anyone else experiencing occasional bouts of fatigue? Sometimes I feel pretty good, and other times I just feel like I want to crash or at minimum - my energy levels dip. During my first W30 I never really reached the "tiger blood" phase. And really, I'd just be happy to have more consistent energy levels throughout the day. Some of it may be related to quality/quantity of sleep. The first three nights this week sleep was in short supply - two nights due to schedules, the third night due to a bout of night sweats (yes, I'm ALSO in perimenopause, so some of these symptoms could be related to that, too) that woke me up at 3:30 am, and wasn't able to fall back to sleep. Last night I slept extremely well and got a little more than 7.5 hours of sleep before I woke-up naturally. I felt "good" as I went through my morning routine to get to work, but by the time I actually arrived at work, I wasn't up to walking up the two flights of stairs to get to my office, so took the elevator. My job is sedentary - I sit at a desk most of the day - and I have to be very intentional to not allow myself to sit and stare at the computer screen all day, but to break it up with various activities that require me to move around. On Monday I managed a short run to get some exercise in, but on Wednesday I was so tired when I got home from work, and had an evening commitment, so I ended up taking a nap instead of exercising as originally planned. Right now I feel pretty good, and am hoping I'm up for a short run when I get home from work, but we have a birthday party to go to, so time between work and the party will be short, and it's my night to cook supper. I do know that I ran on short nights sleep for a couple of years up until a year ago, and have been trying for the past year to re-adjust my scheduling priorities so I can get eight hours of sleep every night - but even when enough time is allotted to get 8 hours of sleep, my body doesn't always STAY asleep. We've added a magnesium supplement to our evening dose of vitamins, and that does seem to help, but recently ran out, so I need to order more. Sorry if I'm rambling - I'm just trying to provide enough information so if anyone has ideas or sees something else that could be tried, they could suggest it. Any feedback or questions would be helpful. Thanks!

Jkwo: You are not alone with the cravings! DH made popcorn last night - one of our typical Wednesday evening rituals when not on W30 - and I really wanted some. I realized that I wasn't hungry - but I just wanted some because of habit and I like popcorn. And, no, I haven't experienced any changes in body composition that are apparent to me. The 10 lbs that I gained over the holidays are not giving up easily - and clothes are still just a little tighter than what is comfortable. Right now my biggest goal is "healthy" and hopefully with that will eventually come a healthier weight, as well. HeidiAlexis: Yes, MJ's chocolate chili is in her first Well Fed cookbook - that's the only one of hers that I have, but I was scoping it out a couple of days ago thinking I want to try it. Maybe this weekend. Oh, and are you being careful to get enough fat in your Meal 1 and Meal 2? That is what seems to make the difference for me to be able to get from lunch to dinner without snacking. I "think" (and that's a BIG "think"), that I'm finally starting to be able to gauge when I'm actually hungry, but I really have to make a conscious effort to tune in to what my body is telling me at any given point in time. For instance, I had a long stretch when I was ravenous the minute I walked in the door from work (1 to 2 hrs before dinner time) and wanted to eat everything in sight. At this point, I've been eating compliant for breakfast and lunch for long enough (I never really stopped doing that after my first W30) that I'm no longer starved when I get home from work, but occasionally I still find myself going to the fridge or the pantry to look for something to munch on. When it happens, I stop and think, and it becomes apparent that I'm NOT hungry, I just want something because I LIKE munching. That's one hobby that I will be happy to give up.

Hi, all. Survived the weekend and stayed with the program! Yay! I did notice some fatigue, but checked the timeline, and remembered the same thing happened on my first W30 at days 6 and 7. I did manage to do a mini-cook-up yesterday so I have a few things prepared for meals this week. I made kalua pork for dinner last night, and have leftovers for other meals this week. I also baked some chicken thighs, turkey/blueberry muffins and home-made pork sausages, and baked a couple of sweet potatoes so I have them for a easy option to add a veggie to my breakfast. I also put my own spin on MJ's golden cauliflower soup, so I have that to take to work for my lunch. All this talk about working out is inspiring me to want to go for a run when I get home from work. That counts, right? I really appreciate reading about how everyone is doing. It helps to stay motivated. Happy week two!

On to day 4! How is everyone doing? Yes - I am in the "doing W30 by myself" club. DH and I did our first W30 together, but he is not doing it with me this time. However - he is a good sport and will eat whatever meals I fix, but probably with an added slice of bread. He lost quite a bit of weight on our first W30, and needs to not lose any more. He also is not able to eat big meals, as he had stomach surgery several years ago for GERD, so really - I'm okay doing this on my own this time, and he is supportive of me doing this, even if he isn't, so he is trying not to make it more difficult for me.

Hi, DarDar. Another option for EVOO and garlic salt (actually, I recommend granulated garlic, as you're not paying for the salt, and I prefer the texture to that of garlic powder) is to order from Azure Standard. I have been able to find several items from them that are compliant. Here are some links if you want to check it out: EVOO and granulated garlic. Hope you find items that work for you! :-)

I would suggest checking out Nom Nom Paleo for ideas. She has some good ones that are compliant. On my first Whole30 I made her Kalua Pork in a crock-pot. It was fantastic, and has made it into our meal rotation.

Hi, all. I'm planning to start my second Whole30 on February 15th, as well. Initially I had intended to start on January 2nd, but when I started doing some research, I learned that the second Whole30 is the one that most people find most difficult, and since I had a couple of multi-day social functions, opted to delay. DH and I have plans to go out for dinner on Valentines Day, so I decided the day after would be a good time to start. My breakfasts and lunches are still pretty compliant (well, except for the sugar-cured bacon - Paleo bacon is pricey!), so it's mainly dinner that I have to think about. I didn't lose any weight on my first Whole30, but think that is due to some health problems. I'm in peri-menopause, and in Spring 2015 the hot flashes where non-stop. However, within a few days of starting my Whole30 on June 1, 2015, they stopped completely. One thing I wasn't careful about that I intend to do differently this time is reintroductions. I'm hoping to discover specifically the items that cause any type of reaction for me. Anyway - nice to meet all of you. Looking forward to getting started on Monday! :-)

@ Crimsann - the Nah-an sounds interesting. I might have to try that. I'm thinking of doing chicken salad wraps to take with us on our trip so we don't have to buy airport food. Do you think they would hold up for that? We went out to eat last night to Outback (we had a gift card to use). Ordered the prime rib and lobster, and both were pretty good. The baked potato was slathered in butter, sour cream, and grated cheese, so plenty of dairy, so woke up somewhat congested this morning. Speaking of morning - it really sucks when the day starts at 3:30 am. Woke up to a nightmare, and couldn't fall back to sleep. I think the alcohol might be a contributing factor. Hate to say it, and wish it wasn't true, but it does seem to disturb my sleep. Definite motivation to limit it on the cruise. Nine days and counting!

@ Vozelle - nope - haven't reintroduced legumes, yet. Thinking of doing so yet this week, as I have some garbanzo beans in the freezer for making hummus. I'll let you know after I try it. Mentally, I seem to do better the more compliant I eat, but that hasn't stopped me from having a few pieces of cheese or a few crackers, but I just don't seem to crave them like I once did, so a few is enough. I'm beginning to understand how Melissa Hartwig can eat just one bite of something and stop. The first bite or two are the only ones that taste good. After that, meh! Right now I'm working on finding out just how much I need to eat to be full. This is motivated by the fact that I only lost one pound during my W30, but I really didn't try to moderate my eating much. Now I'm just trying to tune in and take note when I'm full and stop at that point. One thing that is nice - getting into the 3-meals-a-day routine and avoiding snacking. As long as I make sure there is healthy fat included in my lunch, I no longer have a problem getting through until dinner to eat again. I also appears that sugar is really the bad boy when it comes to my hot flashes, so am paying close attention to where it shows up in my diet, and being very conscious of whether or not it is "worth it." Small victories - but I will take them where I can get them. :-)