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Hey everyone, My name is AE, and I am currently on my 3rd Whole30, Day 3! Background information: I've struggled with my weight my entire life, developed incredibly bad eating habits and an eating disorder in my teenage years (binge eater)... My highest weight was 100kg (about 220 lbs) and I was so miserable. I was ashamed of myself and through constant overanalyzing and fear of what others thought of me I developed an anxiety disorder, panic attacks and depression (also runs in the family, woohoo) - all of which went undiagnosed for about 8 years. 2014: Moved to a new country and completed my 1st Whole30 that year... I really felt like a changed person and continued to live this healthy lifestyle, until I met my first boyfriend at the end of 2015/ beginning of 2016... 2017: The relationship was a nightmare (my boyfriend was psychologically ill) and I was constantly stressed out (this did NOT help my undiagnosed mental illnesses by the way, it only made them worse). Ended up back at 97 kg and finally called off the relationship. One month before I moved out of our apartment I did another Whole30. Again, changed person! I continued living a Paleo lifestyle (although reflecting back I think it was a bit too restrictive). 2018: Although I was eating clean and working out, I continued to experience anxiety, panic attacks, and bouts of depression. I went to a pyschiatrist, realized that I have major childhood/family issues that correlated with my eating habits and started seeing a therapist and taking medication. Lo and behold, my issue is that I have this undeniable need to feel wanted and liked by everyone, and therefore I do anything and everything for the people around me and do not put myself first (that's what happens when your parents only love you when you do something for them in return) My thought process went like this... I knew pizza and cheese weren't good for me, yet felt guilty and couldn't turn it down when someone offered it to me, because then they wouldn't like me Yeah, that's a really terrible way to think... 2019: I'm back to around 80 kg, (I don't feel comfortable in my body at this weight) but what bothers me more than the weight is that I haven't found my food freedom. Everything I've learned from Whole30 is quickly forgotten. I haven't quite found MY style. I've been doing what everyone else has wanted for so long, I don't really know who I am at this point. Not this time - with this round, I'm journaling every day and really putting an effort to make changes that I can sustain in the long run... taking the reintroduction phase more seriously by leaving food groups out that I know affect me poorly! I WANT to figure it out so that I can feel good in my body EVERYDAY. I don't care what people want me to eat or drink or whatever... what's good for them isn't good for me and I need to stand my ground. Hence this 3rd Whole30 - well, I'm going to take the wait and see approach, but in my head I'd like to extend it to a Whole60 or Whole75. It takes an average of 66 days to make a habit stick (quoted from The Whole30) and I want this habit of cooking daily to stick! I've never gone "public" (aka written in forums or signed up for community groups) but I feel like this is an important step for my success. I want feedback, I want to hear criticism, I want encouragement! I want to support others in their journey because I know personally how hard this all is! Well, not the Whole30 part.. but the life after. Dealing with stressful situations and not reaching for a candy bar or not mindlessly eating due to boredom is HARD. It takes effort, time, and willpower. I'm right there with you guys the entire way. Thanks for reading my story! Now onto the fun part. My 3rd Whole30: The first few days have been fantastic. My only complaint is that my nose is extremely running and I'm sneezing nonstop. I'm wondering if this is due to a (currently) unknown pollen allergy. My nose has been stuffed up for a month and a half now, but it was never this extreme until I started the Whole30. I will monitor my symptoms and will go to an allergist if it continues getting worse. I haven't experienced any general malaise or carb flu symptoms though, and I was running on pretty much only sugar and grains the past year and a half. Why I feel this round has started significantly better than the first 2: 1. Experience. I knew what I was getting myself into. I read the book in depth again from start to finish. I was mentally prepared for what was to come. 2. Research. A couple weeks ago I started researching for recipes that would help make my meal prepping significantly easier. In the last 5 years Whole30 has become quite a hit, and there is so much information to be found out there! I personally benefitted the most from this post: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/7-staple-whole30-sauces/ The sauces are AMAZING and that is the most important component to a successful Whole30... and now I know I can make better tasting homemade sauces than all those store bought ones that are full of junk my body doesn't need. 3. Mindset. The first 2 Whole30s were about weight loss. That was a bad mindset. It is even written in the book that it shouldn't be about weight loss. I wasn't really focused on my relationship with food - I just wanted to control my eating. I did feel extremely good eating Paleo, but that wasn't my focus. My concern was keeping my weight down. This Whole30 I have a very different mindset. I want to know how food affects me. I want to be able to eat everything that makes my body feel good, and I will. I want to find my food freedom - not focusing on the macros and how much I'm eating, just focusing on whole foods, feeling satisfied and full! 4. Time. I am living with my kids from work (long story, my job needs a post of its own, haha) and am home all day. Sure, I have to entertain the kids, but my teenagers are out most of the day (summer vacation in Germany) and my youngest is in daycare until 4 p.m.. this means I have plenty of time to cook for myself, experiment, go grocery shopping, and relax. I'm not working out currently because I want to focus solely on my nutrition - I might try working out when the tiger blood kicks in, but, until then, it's early bedtime and lots of rest. This weekend I only have the youngest kid at home so we will go to water park in the afternoon on Sunday - I have already planned our snacks and emergency food/water supply stashed away. Having time is really important for Whole30! 5. Confidence. At the beginning of my 1st Whole30, I was worried about cooking so much. I didn't learn how to cook at home. I thought I was a terrible chef. Well, 5 years later, I absolutely love to cook. I've become quite the chef! I'm very confident in my cooking skills and am taking on more challenging recipes to continue improving and growing. I can cook all the basics, and can be more creative this time around! All right, I feel like I've written enough for today. I'll check back in a couple days. Anything you guys have questions about? Let me know, I'm happy to answer Best, AE

Hello everyone, I'm new to all things Whole30! I have been reading and researching this approach to wellness for about the past week. I am excited to get started and have picked Monday as my start date. I'm anxious because I have not been able to make good food choices stick in the past for more than a day or 2. I really want (need) for this to work. It's a long story, but I have medical issues that will be much approved by better dietary choices. Not to mention the improved feeling of wellness which no doubt is the best part of this lifestyle. My biggest challenge is that I am at best culinary challenged. I have zero confidence in the kitchen that is realistically based on past experience. I've cut myself, a couple of times severely, in the past chopping veggies and I've set my kitchen on fire once cooking. I wish I was kidding about this because it would be quite funny if it didn't cause anxiety that holds me back. I'm also very practical and like to keep things simple so I can easily become overwhelmed. If you're still reading, well first thank you, I'm asking you to please post anything that you've found helpful in your process with this 30 day plan. It could be recipe/food tips (MUCH APPRECIATED!) or just a light bulb moment you've had in your new mental clarity. Looking forward to reading your replies and other posts on this forum! Kim

Hey everybody! So I discover this forum now, I am a bit late but I started my first whole 30 a week ago. Why? Just because it felt right and that way I had a few days to prepare and not rush into it, and because on january 28 is my 23rd birthday and finishing whole30 and checking any results seems like a good gift, as well as having taken the first of many steps to bettering my relationship with food. It´s been a week so far and I am doing well. How are you? Let me know about you in the comments, or tell me if you´re also in day 7 by any chance I am from Spain and I don´t think here this is a very popular programm xP Cheers. I am looking for some support or anyone who wants to share their experience over here along with mine, even if we are on different days

I have been on Whole 30 but have slacked off since last June. It's time e me to get back into healthy eating again.

Hi everyone, I'm Dana. I am starting today. Whole 30 is not super different from my regular diet but I have always followed an 80/20 rule, not 100%. I have some health challenges and I really want to find out exactly what role food plays. Up until now I have been guessing, which leads to a lot of switching gears and over-thinking everything I choose. I like the reintro idea. I'd love to find an accountability buddy. I don't have anyone in my life who would be good for that. Anyone game?

D1R2 Hello my name is Elissa ! I completed my first whole 30 in January of 2016 and I had never felt or looked better. I stayed fairly on track most of 2016. After some life changes and challenges in 2017 my eating habits went downhill. I currently battling anxiety and depression and have never weighed more than I do today. I am bloated, uncomfortable and my face and body feels all over swollen. I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night without waking up. I have decided to commit to at least 30 days of the whole 30 program because I want to feel good again. My appearance and how I feel as resulted in a loss of confidence and I am striving to regain that confidence. I am hopeful that by posting in the forum I will gain support from other whole 30 participants and I will stay motived and committed to the program. If any of you are willing or would like to help me stay focused on the journey I would really appreciate it. During my first whole 30 I belonged to a facebook group. We posted daily and it really helped me stay on track and be accountable for my action.

Hi Everyone! I am beginning Whole30 today, May 7th, 2018! This is my first Whole30 and I am hoping there are others out there who can connect on here as well! I know lots of people started May 1st. Would love to connect with you too! Here's to a great first week (or second for some of you!) Let's keep each other motivated and show love and support! Best, Laura

I tried searching the group without much luck. I have had a few people approach me about leading a group. I've done this once successfully so I know it can be tough for some people and easier for others but beyond that... I'm wondering how best I can lead them?

Hi, I started Whole 30 today. I live alone. I just made my first (yum) breakfast. I realize I'm confused. On the one hand the book says for the Spinach Frittata recipe, "Serves 2." (Frankly for ALL the book's recipes it serves 2.) On the other hand the book says to save half for tomorrow's leftover meal. Soooooo, funny question: since I sliced the entire Frittata in half and ate half for breakfast, did I just eat 2 servings or 1? I am unclear if I should 1/2 or 1/4 all the recipes I make, since I am only one person - OR - keep them as is and always eat half of what I cook and save the other half for the left over next day meal. I know and get we are not counting calories etc. I want to ensure that I am not overeating, or eating for two. :-) Clarity is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I am on day 19 and had a rough day 18. I am doing the whole30 to break a huge sugar addiction and to stop binge eating. I wouldn't say the first 17 days were easy, but I never had the urge to binge ...until day 18! and then it was on! the incredible and (almost) unavoidable urge to binge reared up! Instead of devouring all of the high sugar and carb foods I would've normally eaten, I inhaled f our apples with almond butter and then four (little) boxes of raisins. It was the way that I ate all of this that was discouraging because that is how i have binged on so many other junk foods so many times before. So, I was discouraged AND having more urges to give it all up and binge on chocolate and everything else! I had even talked myself into the sad fact that it was going to happen. Luckily, I had to get in the car to pick my daughter up and i texted my husband (my support guy), 'I want to cheat!', and then took a hot shower. Miraculously, my urges went away quickly! and i am so thankful that even though I had those incredible urges, they went away and i was able to check mark the box in my whole30 journal that I completed day 18. This is such a HUGE NSV for me because normally when I get the urge to binge, the ONLY way to get rid of it is to eat and eat and eat until I am sick to my stomach. To most people, that may sound ridiculous and absurd, but those urges just overtake and it's like a completely different person is binging! I am wondering and hoping that this whole30 has helped my body and my mind to better cope and resist those violent urges! I know having a support system in my home definitely helped, but I was also amazed that once I distracted myself and also reminded myself of what a binge hangover feels like, I was able to, for the first time in such a long time, wake up in the morning so grateful that I didn't give in! Hoping this post gives someone else some encouragement:)

I am going to Sundance Film Festival for 4 nights, I have to go for work, but I want to stay committed to my January Whole30 the whole time. I’ve never been to Sundance but have heard stories about it being a huge weeklong party: drinking and staying up late, shmoozing, eating out, drinking, drinking and more drinking. Ack! Anyone been to Sundance on Whole30? Anyone going to be there this weekend and want to check in with me? Would appreciate all the help I can get.