kirbz

Ooh, good discussion! Honestly, I also don't think there are good foods and bad foods. There's simply food. If you've taken the time to learn, you know how different foods affect you. That's the point of Whole30 in my mind. It's learning how food fuels you. From there, it's simply a choice. Knowing how this will make me feel, do I want it or don't I? Even if it makes you feel terrible, it's not a "bad" food because you choose to eat it in a moment that's worth it. But yeah, society applies all sorts of silly judgement and labels and emotions to food. Yes, McDonald's is probably completely devoid of nutritional value but it's delicious and I decided it was worth it and so I ate some. So what? It's simply food and knowledge and choices! I feel like I've read a really good article (or something in one of the books) about this but I can't recall where...

@Laura of The Great White North I never experienced anything on the timeline either, and I come from a background of truly awful eating habits. My body just isn't super sensitive to foods. Which was nice for me when everyone else was feeling hungover or achy or angry. But it did also mean that my NSVs were more subtle. So, maybe you're just a person like me who doesn't have strong reactions to food...

@kristilarson I do think you might miss out on something beneficial if you are overly focused on macros. There's a reason this program doesn't focus on them. You should be learning rely on what your body is telling you feels good and not what a formula or app is telling you. This is meant to be an experiment! That's what I love so much about this program. So, go forth and experiment! Play around with portion sizes based on the meal template and see how you feel in terms of satiety, energy, mood, sleep, etc. And then adjust accordingly. And then adjust some more because it might not always be the same! Once your hormones and everything are stabilized, your body should give you very clear signals as to what is or is not working for you. There are some very black and white rules, but the rest is figuring out what works for you. So don't be afraid to be a little playful and try new things and find something that will be great for you, for the short and long term!

@KaraS Oh wow, I'm so sorry you're having such a rough go of it! You most certainly are worth this though and you CAN do this! You have amazing goals (those grandkids are going to have an incredible, active grandmother for many years to come) and I do sincerely hope this helps you overcome some of the inflammation and pain you've been experiencing. How awful to be hit by a drunk driver just after you were starting to feel better. Perhaps it would be helpful to share a bit about what you've been eating? Sometimes it's really hard to figure out what you should be eating and to get your portions right at first so perhaps we (or the moderators) can at least make sure you're on the best track there to set you up for success! One thing I do when I first start Whole30 is to eat really generous portions. I DO NOT want to be hungry on top of all of the other challenges! I've also seen moderators suggest that you'll feel best if you eat at least one fist-sized serving of starchy vegetables every day! And I can definitely attest to that! Another recommendation is to look for new rituals. We really do have so many food rituals that we probably don't even realize we have! Feel sad > eat food. Feel bored > eat good. Get together with friends > eat food. So, find some other rituals. Find things you can do for me when you normally would have reached for food. Perhaps a good book or a nature walk or some snuggles with the family dog. Perhaps you want to learn a new hobby or paint your nails! It does help to have those things identified in advance so, when you're faced with a situation when you would normally reach for food, you have something else fulfilling to do! Anyway, I'm sorry for your struggles and I wish you the very best!

@Darcy18 I have the Paderno World Cuisine 6-Blade Vegetable Slicer (which I purchased on Amazon) and I really love it! I use it often and am amazed at how easy it is to use and clean up. I received it as a gift from my parents and probably waited six months to use it because I was a bit intimidated and it seemed complicated. But it's not at all and that was totally dumb! It literally takes just a few minutes to prepare my veggies and clean up using my spiralizer!I highly recommend you get one if you are able!

@ebutz27 Thanks for the continued dialogue and thoughtful responses! To answer your questions... 1. No, I have not yet read Food Freedom Forever, though I do own it! It sounds like you would recommend that I actually do that? 2. I don't typically revert immediately back to poor eating habits. And I have been improving over time. For example, my latest Whole30 started in November and I continued eating well for about three months. And then I had Girl Scout cookies and went completely off the rails. And then, I've been having this mentality that I'll start another round of Whole30 "next week" and so I fully indulge in all the things I love but then that's been going on for months now.... 3. I like the idea of setting mini resets around my food freedom choices. Maybe I need a rule for myself that if I make an unplanned, but conscientious choice to eat something totally off plan, I should follow it with a mini reset. If I have a planned choice, I should do one both before and after... I'll check out Food Freedom Forever and see what other strategies I can come up with.

@Laura of The Great White North I have a whole slew of Whole30-compliant products that I love! My favorite dressing is actually Primal Kitchen Caesar! I'd be more than happy to share my favorites if you'd like. Also, the @Whole30Approved Instagram feed has lots of Whole30 approved product ideas. They are generally expensive, but if you have the ability to afford them, they can add so much convenience!

Yes! I really, really recommend that you always, always, always read your labels! It takes just a moment once you're more familiar with the types of ingredients you'll be seeing and it's oh-so powerful to know what you're putting in your body. Because really, it's ridiculous the garbage they put in our food. And don't take anything for granted. I've seen specific products compliant sometimes and not compliant at other times (why do companies make more than one version of a single product?). I've also had an experience where I received an official Whole30 email with a link to "Melissa's Whole30 Favorites" and one of the items was not compliant (that was a fun surprise halfway through my first Whole30). So yeah, always read your labels! It's worth the few seconds to know what you're putting in your one and only body!

@ebutz27 Thanks for the response! I definitely find myself coming back to those "whys" on a regular basis and they're very powerful for me! I guess what I'm struggling with the most is how to make this a lifestyle change. I know I can do Whole30. I've done it several times, including longer variations. What I don't know is that I can sustain a long-term lifestyle change. I'm an all-or-nothing person and I revert back to very, very poor eating habits eventually each time. Which is kinda what has me debating whether I should make this a Whole30. You see, I have a trip on Sunday where I will be traveling to a place with the best dessert I have ever had. I really want to have that dessert. So, is it better to commit to this Whole30 and not partake? Or is it better to build food freedom skills, have the dessert, and then return to the way I want to eat for the long term? Because that dessert would most definitely be "worth it" in any context! It's in a place I rarely travel and it is amazing. I'm kinda leaning toward the food freedom skills being the more important thing to focus on here...

Hello everyone! I started ... something ... today. I'm not sure yet if it will be a Whole30 or a mini reset. I've completed two, complete Whole30 rounds and have done several other mini resets and partial rounds. I've done formal reintroductions so I know what foods do and do not bother me. But, I have been eating terribly and feeling terribly and want to get back on track. So, here I am! My goals are two-fold. First, long-term health. I love the outdoors and aspire to be that 80-year old women out hiking a hard trail later in my life. Second, sustainability. I'm still trying to figure out a way to eat this way and make is sustainable so it becomes a long-term lifestyle change. So, I'll be going with very simple meals and focusing on what would be realistic for a lifetime of healthy eating. Anyway, I hope you don't mind if I join you, even if I'm unsure whether I will do the full 30 days. I have a business trip, a three day backpacking trip and a full week long camping trip during the next 30 days. But it's actually the business trip that has me most wary. I've done and know I can do camping and backpacking on Whole30. So, I'll see how I'm feeling after a week and re-evaluate my aspirations for a mini reset or a full Whole30.

Whole30 only cares about the Ingredients List, not the Nutrition Panel and the corresponding grams of sugar. So, in the examples you listed above, the only one that would be Whole30 compliant is the Chicken Egg Yolks and Apple Bar because that's the only one with compliant ingredients. The Bison Bacon Cranberry Bar is not compliant because it has brown sugar. The Organic Beef Jerky Bar and Uncured Bacon and Apple Bar are not compliant because they have honey. I hope that helps. In general, the Ingredients List is what you should be looking at!

@Vincydms Yes, you will be much better off if you learn to think of breakfast as just another meal. I love leftover BBQ chicken, steamed carrots, and guacamole for breakfast. I've come to enjoy pretty much any type of meal as my first meal of the day, though I do sometimes struggle with vegetables. That being said, here's my favorite... I love scrambled eggs (with a splash of coconut milk and cooked in ghee), bacon and soup! Soup is a super easy and palatable way for me to get vegetables in in the morning. Here are the three I rotate on the regular (listed in order of my favorites): Golden Cauliflower Soup: http://meljoulwan.com/2012/10/24/golden-cauliflower-soup/ Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup: https://meljoulwan.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/ Roasted Carrot Caraway Soup: https://meljoulwan.com/2017/10/07/roasted-carrot-caraway-soup/

I didn't necessarily think this article represented a new guideline either. I remember reading it when I received a Whole30 email several months ago when the article was written . And frankly, I kinda dismissed it because it didn't fit into my understanding of the Whole30 framework. But, based on various threads here on the forum, it feels like maybe it is intended to be the new guideline... For example, the moderators have indicated that there are plans to update the meal template to align with these guidelines. Which sure makes it sound like they're the new pre- and post-workout guidelines. Also, the moderators referenced a statement from Melissa Urban on this topic (see the second post here https://forum.whole30.com/topic/56912-pre-workout-meal-confused/), though I'm not sure where it came from: First, the ISWF pre-workout recommendations were created back in 2010. Exercise nutrition best practices are always evolving, which is why we reached out to an expert in the current science; an RD who works with clients on a daily basis. We asked Paul to explain more his rationale on eating carbs pre-workout: "Eating carbohydrates before a workout will provide the muscles with readily available fuel--taken from the blood and sent wherever it's needed, which is faster and easier to access than digging into stores glycogen. Plus, depleting glycogen levels set off fatigue sensors in the body – and we want to avoid that happening mid-workout." The Whole30 books aren't being updated with this information at this point (book updates are a HUGE process), so please refer to the most current post for your best pre- and post-workout strategies.

You could still very much do a sandwich-ish concept like this: http://www.thedefineddish.com/how-to-make-perfect-collard-green-wraps/. You could make a nice salad like this: https://www.foodiecrush.com/grapefruit-avocado-fennel-salad/. Or you could make a nice salsa like this: https://cookieandkate.com/avocado-peach-salsa-recipe/.

You make another great point. I'm probably not necessarily going to find advice on fueling strategies for something like 10 hours of hiking here. :-) I'll probably have to figure that out for myself or rely on other research. Thanks for sharing the link. That article was very interesting. I'm also reading a book called Training for the New Alpinism, which includes information on nutrition and fueling (which I haven't gotten to yet). Hopefully that advice won't be mutually exclusive of Whole30 and I can follow their advice while aligning generally with Paleo/Whole30 foods. :-)