KTH1010

I also have to highly recommend Mel Joulwan's cookbooks. They are such great resources, for more than just fantastic recipes -- her meal prep system and info about sourcing food and meal ideas are invaluable. I love her website but have found having hard copies of her cookbooks to be a huge help. They live on my kitchen counter alongside the whole30 book!

11 kids!!! That is amazing! I wish I'd met my husband much earlier, so we could have such a big family I have 3 and people act like that's a ton, ha! I am nursing my 19-month-old, and have been nursing nonstop (often tandem, when I have a newborn) since November 2011, when my first was born. I am with you 100% on the sleep deprivation!!! I will say that I eat white potatoes almost daily and TONS OF FAT (like, more mayo and ghee and coconut cream in my tea than I can even put into words) and those two things are the key to my tiger blood despite crap sleep. This is my third whole30 and I'm feeling the tiger blood already on day 2 and I really do think it's all because I eat SO much fat and carb-rich vegetables. I eat a LOT of salt and protein, too. I have always been crazy for salt and I do not hold back with the whole30. I have only had trouble when I don't get enough fat, though; that seems to be THE number one factor in my feeling great in this crazy mom-to-small-kids life. As for feeding kids what I'm eating, my kids are small enough that they just kind of... get what they get, and often the toddler just sits on my lap and shares what I eat from my bowl/plate. Also meals are SIMPLE here (compliant sausage and fried potatoes with tons of ghee/mayo, side of raw pepper or greens or olives maybe, or ground beef/chicken with chopped veggies and potatoes/sweet potatoes)... lots of one-pan simple things I throw together. Then maybe the older kids eat theirs with a little ketchup, too. But my kids are not picky and unless things are super spicy they'll usually just eat it if it's what I'm serving them... I really hope you feel better soon!

Hi Kirbz! I'm from Oakland and I loooove Tahoe, how wonderful you get to live there year-round. I used to have a brutal and untamed sweet tooth, and it is so much better now. I will say the biggest reason I started the whole30 in the first place was hoping for better/steadier energy and my GOSH does it deliver in that department! However, I found I have to focus on high protein/high fat and low sugar to feel my best. Though white and sweet potatoes seem to be ok for me, and other carb-rich vegetables, fruit tanks my energy like crazy (which makes me sad cause I looove it). In the summertime I'll indulge in local, in-season fruit (think the blueberries in our back yard!) from time to time but overall I feel amazing when I really prioritize eating tons of fat. It's the only thing that keeps me full for hours at a time, too. I am really glad to be on day 1 and just starting this already. How's everyone feeling today?

Breakfast for me was eggs and tomato with tons of ghee, not sure how many eggs as I was eating leftovers. I ate a can of mackerel too (my son loves it so I shared with him). Then a large mug of black tea with collagen (the "collagen peptides" powder) and lots of coconut cream.

Hey! I second the smoothie suggestion. I also make black tea with collagen peptides (a powder that dissolves super easily) and tons of coconut cream, and my kids love to taste it so much that I make a caffeine-free version for them. tons of protein and good fat!

Hello! I am also a breastfeeding mama (I've been nursing since November 2011, when my first was born, which is just crazy to me!), my youngest is 19 months old. I don't know how much protein etc I eat but for me the biggest thing I can recommend is FAT. When I focus on eating TONS of good fat (especially ghee, ghee makes me happy, and I also add collagen and coconut cream to my tea/coffee) I don't get those horrible blood sugar drops and I stay full for hours. I also love homemade mayo. Really low sugar/carb and tons of fat is the way to go for me, I've found. And I work out 4-5 days a week, too

Oh, and I do have the whole30 day-by-day book and I highly recommend it.

Hello! I will be starting on Monday, too. I have completed 2 whole30s and attempted about 3,000 others. So this will be my third FULL whole30 I eat mostly paleo but absolutely binge on dairy (cheese!!!) and I get myself stuck in that frustrating cycle of eating compliant until like 5pm after which I go off the rails like crazy. Then start fresh the next morning and repeat the pattern. I am also weaning myself off caffeine due to severe anxiety/insomnia/general twitchiness (yikes). I have done this before and feel worlds better and I also know that the systemic support of the whole30 will help me tremendously, as I have SO much more energy and feel overall more upbeat and positive when I'm doing a whole30. I'm really looking forward to doing this again. What are other people doing to prepare? I'm cutting out grain/sugars/dairy and eating compliant ingredients for the days leading up to Monday.

I am actually only on day 2, since I had to repeat day 1 after having gum on the 14th (and melatonin at night which has stevia) without even thinking!!! This is my 4th whole30 and I am really hoping to finally see some improvement in my sleep. I am, like, the world's worst sleeper seriously. EVERYTHING affects my sleep. I can't even have a conversation that's even slightly emotionally-charged after like 9pm without having severe insomnia! It's so frustrating. I need to quit caffeine but it's been so hard since I can't get on top of sleep enough to feel like I can get past the withdrawal. I posted in the troubleshooting section, but I'll ask here too: does anyone have issues with appetite in the morning? I used to be starving for breakfast within like 20 minutes of waking up, but now I feel like I'm going to hurl even thinking about eating anything except, like, an apple or an RX bar. Not ideal! So, do I make a big breakfast off the template and just force down as much as I can every morning, in hopes my body will get used to it and my hormones will regulate? Hope everyone is doing well!

Hi everyone! So I'm doing the whole30 for Lent. This is my 4th whole30, and each time I do one I feel better than the last time. I am really excited. There's only one major problem for me, and that's breakfast! I used to be starving for breakfast within like 20 minutes of waking, but the last year(ish) I haven't been in the mood for real food at breakfast at ALL. Like, the thought of eggs or meat or any kind of healthy protein or whole30 compliant food makes me want to hurl. Maybe a couple hours after waking up, I am truly hungry. But all I can manage in the morning that's compliant is an RxBar or an apple, neither of which is anywhere near ideal (I will have this with a large mug of black tea and coconut milk). Obviously I know this means my hormones are "off", and I do want to change this habit. So is it best to just manage SOMETHING (even if it's not ideal), or should I make a big compliant meal and just force down a few bites as early in the morning as I can? How would you go about this? I hope my question makes sense! For what it's worth, I'm nursing a toddler, and actually have been breastfeeding nonstop since my first was born in November 2011 (She's now almost 6.5, and I have a 3.5-year-old and an almost 18-month-old). Between the 3 kids I wake up frequently at night, and have battled severe and persistent insomnia since I was a kid, so I do think the frequent sleep disruptions contribute to the appetite issue in the morning. But I've also been waking up a trillion times a night for over 6 years so it's not like this is anything new... Thank you so much for any feedback!

I'll join! I actually just completed my third whole30 on January 30... and immediately fell back into binge-land. The balance just isn't there for me yet and I have consistently disregarded the gradual reintroduction process and just jumped right off that wagon into the world of bread and cheese and sugar. Yikes. I am really looking forward to doing this again!

Hello everyone! So I finished my third whole30 on January 30th and I'm already deep in the land of food with no brakes. The details don't really matter much; the bottom line is I really want to do an extended round, maybe starting in the next week or 2. Whole60? I might start with that and see if I want to continue. Anyone else want to join me?

Hey!! Day 29, I can't believe it. You wanna know what I also can't believe? I slipped today. I woke up this morning with a brutal sore throat and impenetrable fatigue; finally caught the cold my kids have had for weeks. Well, I ordered groceries delivered, including my favorite KeVita probiotic drink, and without thinking opened it and took a sip and could taste right away it is sweetened. Sure enough: Stevia! I can't freaking believe it, on day 29! Oh well, I'm not too upset; it was a tiny sip and of all things, it seems stevia is pretty benign. Still. You gotta laugh. I didn't even THINK! But mostly because I'm so foggy from fighting off this virus. I don't even own a scale, and only step on one at the doc's office, so I wouldn't know if I lost weight anyway, but I do believe some of my clothes are fitting better? Hard to say for sure. And with this cold, I'm not feeling the NSVs I have been. However, before I got sick, I was having AMAZING energy levels all day every day, despite terrible sleep (conquering my insomnia was one NSV I did not attain, but I believe now that I have to eliminate caffeine and be much stricter and more consistent with my wake-up times every day). I am also just happier. "Just" doesn't belong there. This is major. It's winter in Portland, OR and I am miserable for the rainy season every year here (I'm a California girl at heart). Winter has been milder, but I also have been taking it a lot better during this whole30. That's huge! I also just don't have that irritable edge that I have had so often; I feel like a much better and more pleasant wife and mother. I am so hooked on the amazing energy and overall upbeat mood that I am unsure how to do this reintroduction (well I guess I've already reintroduced stevia, haha). I think initially I'll stick with complaint ingredients but not hold back on things like siete cassava chips and simple mills everything (I have a box of flatbread mix I can't wait to use on Wednesday!). I may start with sweeteners; I have a honey-sweetened chocolate bar I want to try... How is everyone else? What is the reintroduction plan for you all?

I'm sorry you're not feeling well! Could you do a modified Whole30, like an AIP version? I think that excludes nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes), and maybe eggs... I don't know enough about it to be commenting really, but that's what came to mind. I hope you feel better!

Anyone else struggling with breakfast? I've had more than one day where I have to force down a hard boiled egg or rx bar (SO not ideal, I know, I know!) cause everything else sounds nauseating! No, I'm not pregnant! Just have such aversions in the morning. Anyone else? Day 23! Can't believe it!