LucieB

You think you have a mouse and plan to set a trap, but what to put in the trap? The usuals are peanut butter or cheese. One bait site suggests: bacon, bird seed, oats, butter, chocolate, pet foods, marshmallows, candy, raisins, small chunks of “Slim Jim’s” jerky That mouse sure as H#LL ain't getting my good butter or bacon! Don't think the dog will mind helping with the rest of the peanut butter jar. Although now thinking about it, the mouse is hanging around the bag of dog food....

More of a "been living Whole30 style" for long time observations-- New person at work asks where vending machines are. I've worked there 9 years. I couldnt answer with certainty. Turns out vending machines are by the elevator. Not the stairs, my usual mode of transport! And when mom asks why I use bank lobby instead of drive up. Banks have drive ups? Can I ride my bike through there? And, when Siri FINALLY figures out it is FODMAP not God map, polyols not polyps, and fructans not fry tans. She's like that unsupportive friend sometimes lol!!

kirkor - you beat me to it. Yes praxisproject is right in that there is an important biological window during which the right foods can really optimize the results. And I fully agree -- missing a few of the pre/post WO meals might be OK, but don't do it regularly. Which is why I phrased it as "in a pinch just do your best". But like kirkor said, some people trying to follow the Whole30 get overwhelmed and have that 'analysis paralysis' that keeps them from moving forward. I will stress that it is a challenge, it's only 30 days, yes you might screw up and no it might not be perfect. I encourage people to do the best you can, especially when it comes to moving on after your Whole30. And YES -- HANGRY after an hour. Sometimes I have looooong workouts! I've found that if I wait too long to eat afterwards, I'm temperamental, unbalanced, unsatisfied, and munchy the rest of the day. Might not apply to someone doing a 1hr workout, but it certainly applies to my long sessions. I used to think it was just a product of a long workout. Nope, it was a failure in my postWO nutrition. A Whole30 lesson!

One of my favorite quotes, hanging on my fridge sometimes even, is "If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse". I'd like to help you find a way... An appropriate post WO meal has protein and starch, but little/no fat. For me it's usually a piece of chicken breast and a small cooked potato. What I typically do is when preparing other meals I'll set aside a few portions of protein that don't have the sauces or fats added to them yet. That way they're more finger-friendly. Super easy to nuke a potato, or bring a few bites of steamed butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, etc. But don't skip the meal because you don't have the perfect foods, in a pinch just do your best and eat something along those lines. A little fat at this time won't undo all the benefits of eating some protein and carbs. I do not eat while driving, instead I take the time to reward and refuel by body after a workout, whether that be in the car, at a bench or curb outside the gym, or stretching out on the floor after a shower. I take the time to review how I feel, how the workout went, how good my body did, make a mindful transition to the next phase of my day, and enjoy my food. It seriously only takes about 2 minutes to eat like this. The 30 minutes rule is not hard and fast either. Don't think of it as a window slamming shut, but rather a window that closes over time. I sometimes miss the post WO if I know I'll be eating a full meal shortly. But to skip the post WO meal and wait for your M1 an hour later will leave you hangry, underfueled, and set up for overeating later on in the day. No Bueno! lucie

"What's the point in spending a lot of time at the gym or being active, if we're not going to give the body proper nutrients?" ^THIS. We hear this a lot here-- that someone will spend hours working out but has "no time to eat", "I'm in such a rush", "I have to eat in my car", excuse-excuse-excuse, so they have to eat Convenience Foods. If your priority is to build muscle mass and do it in a healthy way, why undercut your effortss? Regarding the egg white powder: A few years back I tried plain egg white powder because it was "technically compliant". YUCK. It was clumpy, gooey, disgusting. Threw it out.

Stephiej - thanks for thinking it through and replying. Sometimes we provide feedback and *poof* the OP is gone! Your reasons for trying the protein powder make sense in a way. But some considerations. The money is already spent, you won't gain money back by consuming it. Sure, the food you buy as a replacement will be the added cost, but a few sweet potatoes, cans of tuna, or chicken doesn't cost that much. What Brewer5 said- change your definition of convenience. I like it! Convenience foods got many of us into the sub-optimal health situation we were in before Whole30. One goal of the Whole30 is to help with that redefinition. One thing I do to save time is prep extra servings of a recipe and make it specifically for pre or post workout. So if I'm making a chicken dinner, I'll leave a few portions out of the sauce/fat/spice and leave them plain. Microwave a potato, throw them in a container to have ready after a workout. That way there's no 'extra' time involved. And without the extras on the chicken, it's pretty finger-food friendly. You are post-Whole30, you can do whatever you want with the protein powder, but to make it the first thing you excitedly jump back into...you can do better You've put some good thought into this, just keep thinking, you can find alternatives to test and see how they do for you. Then think about the powders again.

"I was wondering your thoughts on these" Oh I suppose they are "healthy", but they're not really healthy. Get the difference? They might be "healthy" as marketed, that's what the company will tell you so that you'll buy this stuff and consume it. But is this a good choice of food for anything? No. (Hey, you asked). First though, can you say WHY you want to go back to using protein powders? Are your muscles wasting away? Are you not recovering from workouts? What draws you to these foods products? I can tell you as an ultra-distance athlete who thinks nothing of running 20-30 miles in one day, will train for 15-20 hours a week, races in 12+ hour races -- that even though I don't consume products like this I'm not wasting away, I don't have vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and I recover as expected eating real food. So I don't expect that's what's happening to you. These are products that are being marketed to you. They are chemically formulated to make make them taste good, have proprietary ingredients to make you feel full (added fiber), over vitamin'd and mineral'd so they seem like a worthy investment, and are labeled with trendy works like "fat burner" to catch your attention. These products aren't designed with your health in mind. They are designed to make money for the company. Were it me, I'd rather lean out and burn fat by starving until my next meal after my workout, instead of refueling my hardworking body with this stuff. I am a former protein powder junkie, I'm speaking from experience. I realized I was consuming these for the creamy flavors, not for my nutrition. So ask yourself and be honest, why after 30 days of eating clean do you want to eat these? So if after reading this you're still determined to re-introduce, this is not a good way to go. With these powders you're reintroducing corn, sugar, dairy, various fibers, fructose, gums, flavorings, and who knows what else. Were you to have symptoms afterwards, there would be no way of knowing what caused it. You'd be better off reintroducing these items individually. lucie

Similarly, I've heard "You say you don't eat dairy, but you're eating mayonnaise".

OK we're off the post topic, but why the fixation on just tuna? I skip the tuna and go for canned salmon, mackerel, oysters. Maybe I'm missing something about the tuna? I love added bonus of calcium from the bones in the mackerel and salmon, too. My stores in the midwest sell full big cans of these for just $2-2.50.

Friend bought some yogurt covered raisins and offered me some, then said "oh I'm sorry, I forgot, you don't eat dairy". Then followed that with, "I eat them for the calcium from the yogurt." Ingredients: yogurt coating: sugar, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, nonfat milk powder, yogurt powder (contains nonfat yogurt powder and sodium citrate), color added, lactic acid, lecithin (an emulsifier), and vanillin (an artificial flavor). Raisins: tapioca dextrin, dextrose, whey powder, powdered sugar, confectioner's glaze. Probably more calcium in the raisins alone!

Sorry but that vuka drink is certainly not the "intelligent energy" as described in the site. Vitamins, salt, and questionable extracts dissolved in water to "Perform at peak levels"? Marketing gimmick. And not 'natural'. Besides, how does zero calorie equate to energy drink? Again sorry if you love it. But I hate seeing stuff like that suggested, especially here in my fave Whole30 forum. You don't need stuff like this. Drink water. Eat real food.