i want to join but feel really confused.

[tal]

hey,

so im 25 years old male from israel.

for the last 8 years, i had and still have extreme fibromyalgia pains all over my body.

my life has stopped ever since and although i tried countless treatments, most of them were easy as "take a pill". nothing as extreme as diet change but i feel its key here.

i tried going paleo almost 2 weeks ago, and although i started cooking myself, mostly stir fry dishes which are cool, i failed to deal with cravings as i was and still am pretty much addicted to sweets.

after a few "not so sure if there is gluten but sure is dairy" tries, i gave in and ate gluten yesterday.

 

i really want to feel better, but along with my adhd im very confused.

it will be very hard for me in israel to get the natural grown meat, so decided to do it with regular store bought meat. not optimal i know but still, im trying to give myself less excuses to quit.

im just not sure how to approach it.

i want to cook as little as possible, and use many leftovers/other techniques for now, as its hard for me to stand for long period of times.

i failed to make the right grocery list, and went and spent money unproportionly. i failed to think ahed of what to do with the cravings.

 

i dont want to eat fancy things(plus have no oven now) which will make me lose motivation, im also not sure if i should start with regular 30, or go with the ai. i mean i cant deal with regular paleo for now, how can i deal with cold turkey ai?)

guys, i really really need an advice.

im trying to find close partners here in israel but its very hard.

thanks,

tal.

[missmary]

you can do this, tal. stir fry dishes are great: think meat and vegetables, with a little fat. It doesn't have to be complicated or fancy. I would suggest starting with the regular whole30. After 30 days of this, it will be easier to see if ai might help, and easier to transition to ai at that time.

 

I hope you start feeling better quickly!

[melbournegirl]

What I used to do Tal to minimise cooking was to shop for and cook 3 serves of three different meals all on one day. Then with a few random meals like salad with tinned tuna, or bacon and eggs etc I would be covered for 4-5 days. So to start, choose three meals you like that are easy to cook and shop for. One could be your stir fry, another could be similar to a stir fry but use ground meat and chop your vegies smaller - this is a good breakfast or lunch option. Another could be an egg dish like a vegetable egg hash or frittata or salmon patties etc. Then you can rotate which you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the next 3-4 days. If you cant manage so much cooking in one day, spread it out over a few days but make four serves each time and freeze half. Hope it goes well for you.

[tal]

and then do you freeze it for those 3 days or refrigirae? also how can i know the amount for 3 servings?

i have a very small mini oven so a pan would not fit for the fritata.

how long can i put cooked meals in the refrigirator?

[KarenAbroad]

Tal, I used to buy organic beef from Teva Market at Rabin Square. This is pricey, but important. Then, I bought cheap, delicious veggies from local place at Ivn Gvrol and Jabotinsky. Awesome quality, nice people and excellent prices - best in town. Tahini is Paleo and Whole 30, but use sparingly. I could eat it nearly with every meal! The meat should be good for three days, which is fine, because you make 3-4 servings.

I reccommend searching Paleo ground beef and Paleo chicken recipes to find some easy things. Here while visiting US, I have found great deli turkey that I've eaten with avocado slices and salsa. It was so good.

Pinterest is a good spot to search for recipes quickly, because it's driven by visual sorting.

Batzlcha!

[KarenAbroad]

The diet should help you with sleep, too! (It's 5am there now!)

[percypat]

Tal, do you have a freezer?  Would buying a slow-cooker be an option for you?

 

I think a slow-cooker could work well for you as you don't have to look after it which means less standing up - ingredients go in, and then you leave it until it's done.  Then you could keep some portions in the fridge, and freeze the rest which means less cooking later.  I cook things like pulled pork and then fill ziplock sandwich bags with a serving each and pop them in the freezer.  Let me know if you get one, and I can send you a bunch of recipes and links to recipes I've used.

 

Store bought meat is fine.  Obviously grass fed/organic is optimal, but you will be eating much healthier this way, even if you buy everything from the supermarket.  Better doing that than just putting it off!

 

You can do it Tal.  Ask all the questions you need to, you will find plenty of support here!

[KarenAbroad]

We Israelis don't get pork often or easily, even if one chooses to eat pork. I grew up on pulled pork in the South long before converting to Judaism and moving to Israel, but I don't eat it now. Are there other meat recommendations for Tal?

[tal]

Tal, do you have a freezer?  Would buying a slow-cooker be an option for you?

 

I think a slow-cooker could work well for you as you don't have to look after it which means less standing up - ingredients go in, and then you leave it until it's done.  Then you could keep some portions in the fridge, and freeze the rest which means less cooking later.  I cook things like pulled pork and then fill ziplock sandwich bags with a serving each and pop them in the freezer.  Let me know if you get one, and I can send you a bunch of recipes and links to recipes I've used.

 

Store bought meat is fine.  Obviously grass fed/organic is optimal, but you will be eating much healthier this way, even if you buy everything from the supermarket.  Better doing that than just putting it off!

 

You can do it Tal.  Ask all the questions you need to, you will find plenty of support here!

 

well, i can sure think about buying one. would 6.5 litre be enough? tommorow i may go and buy a cooker and some ziplock sandwich bags.

the thing is, im very bad with money organizing, so before i notice i may spend much more then i have.

[tal]

We Israelis don't get pork often or easily, even if one chooses to eat pork. I grew up on pulled pork in the South long before converting to Judaism and moving to Israel, but I don't eat it now. Are there other meat recommendations for Tal?

 

karen how much did you spend on food monthly while here? well, you can find pork in tiv taam and i guess some russian dellis...

i will go tommorow to see eden teva prices, but i feel i wont be ably to handle this.

 

would you and the rest help me figure out how often should i buy each ingridient?

first meat, should i always do one big buy, for example two hundred shekels(not organic( so it may last for some time and just freeze it?

how often should i buy vegtables?

i went to the grocery store with no prior thinking, spent 240shekels(sixty dollars( and was left with a few seasoning botles a few days later. lol. 

i really need help with the planning.

[Moluv]

Tal- going off gluten, then all grains and sugar for w30 has been the best thing for my ADHD ever. Diet changes have given me more focus than meds ever did. Just keep it simple to start with and once you start feeling better youcan get fancier if you want. Best wishes!

[GoJo09]

You might do better to choose the recipes that you're going to cook, make your grocery list, and then go shopping, rather than just going to the shop and buying random things. Then you can have your big cookup and be set.

 

I try to only shop once a week, because every time I go to the supermarket I end up buying things I hadn't planned to!

 

So if you get a slow cooker, pick one recipe that you will make in there; pick all your vege for stir fries that you want to eat for the week and then prep all that when you get home from the shop; split your proteins up into meal size servings. Eggs are nice and easy and cheap and don't require much effort at all. I try to buy marked down meat when I see it, but if you're new to cooking that might result in you ending up with meat you have no idea what to do with!

[percypat]

6.5 litres is fine!  And it doesn't have to be pork, you can cook beef in there and even roast chickens in it and then use it to make broth from the leftover bones.

 

One of the great things about slow cookers is you can buy cheap cuts of meat - they become very tender with slow cooking.  Good for the budget, after the initial outlay of buying the appliance of course.

 

If you like fish, tinned salmon, sardines and tuna are very good, cheap and healthy sources of protein, which don't require much preparation.

 

 

You might do better to choose the recipes that you're going to cook, make your grocery list, and then go shopping, rather than just going to the shop and buying random things. Then you can have your big cookup and be set.

 

________________________

 

 

Absolutely agree with this: plan meals for a set period of time (I do it weekly but you could do 3-4 days if that's less intimidating and you don't mind shopping a bit more often) work out exactly what you'll need and stick to the list when you go shopping.  You can always tweak recipes so that you don't have to buy heaps of different seasonings, so keep that in mind instead of feeling like you have to buy them all.

 

And if it's helpful, here is a list of my absolute must-haves.  With these fats and seasonings, I can make any meat and veggie combo tasty: coconut oil, clarified butter, salt, pepper, oregano, chilli powder and lemon juice.

[Kirsteen]

Tal, I so feel for you but you can  do this and it will help. I have ME, which is similar to fibro in several ways and I can't stand for more than about 10 minutes at a time and I'm on a limited budget and can't afford all pastured organic meat and veg. It's quite possible to do it without.

 

There's been some great advice above, some things I do, are when I cook ground beef or chicken portions for instance, I cook several pounds at a time and then freeze it in individual portions. I buy a lot of frozen veg because it saves the effort of preparing it. When I'm cooking green beans or cabbage or sweet potatoes or any veg really, again I'll cook a whole pile at once and store that in the fridge. Then when I'm too crashed to cook, I just pull some protein from the freezer, some veg from the fridge and throw it in the pan with some fat and heat it all up together.

 

I also eat a lot of salads, to save cooking and I always have stuff on hand I can eat if I can't stand at all. For me that's tinned tuna, an avocado and tinned green beans or a pile of lettuce. It's not ideal but several times it's got me through.

 

It can seem a lot to do but just break it down into steps.

 

1. Decide what you want to eat for 3 meals each day for the next 4 or 5 days, keep it simple

 

2, Work out how much meat you eat at each meal, for instance if you normally eat 6oz of ground beef at a time and you want 4 meals then you need to buy a pound and a half etc.

 

3. Have a look round the shops or market and buy what's the cheapest type of meat and veg because it will take practice before you're buying the right amount, so you want to make sure you have money left so, if you run out you can buy more.

 

Keep asking questions, we'll all try to help and i would really suggest a regular W30 first, then, if you feel you need it, you can go onto the AI protocol but I found just the W30 really helped the pain. good luck and let us know how you get on

[melbournegirl]

Remember the template helps you figure the amount needed for meals. 1-2 hand size protein portions which as Kirsteen says works out to around 150g as a minimum depending on your size. 1-2 thumbs of fat is about 1-2 tablespoons and for veges well I go for at least 2 cups as I like my veges. Therefore for a 3 serve meal aim for at least half a kilo of meat, 6 cups of raw veg and 3 tablespoon of fat for one person.

[tal]

well, i just bought myself a simple slow cooker...

i want to start the challenge soon, but need some preperation for it.

i would really appreciate if anyone can help me make a few meals ideas, lets say for a week even in private and ill buy the groceries.

i have the new slow cooker and a regular pan. only mini oven.

 

also-i have to do something with the sweet craving, as when i finished shopping the cooker, i felt a big urge to buy kinder chocolate which has no gluten but sure is dairy/soy. damn.. at least i throw out half the package. im not angry at myself but understand i have to take drastic measures to treat my pains.

[GoJo09]

I would make this chilli in your pan (it's really easy, and even though it takes 2 hours, there's not much hands on time http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/ Then you can freeze half and have that in the fridge for 3 meals. And then just prep some vege to go with it that you can quickly steam before eating (I like to have it served on a pile of steamed bok choy with half an avocado on top).

 

I just have eggs of some variation for breakfast every morning because they're easy - so I chop up a giant pile of silverbeet, leeks, broccoli and have that in containers in the fridge ready to go (use whatever vege is in season and you like), then I just saute the vege every morning in some coconut oil and have either fried eggs beside it, make an omelette and stuff with the cooked vege, or beat the eggs and pour them over the vege and make a scramble.

 

And then in your slow cooker, do a chicken stew or curry. This one looks good (haven't tried it) http://paleomg.com/enchilada-chicken-stew/ or this one with chicken or beef http://nomnompaleo.com/post/7118904494/slow-cooker-thai-yellow-curry-with-grass-fed-beef (this has non-Whole30 compliant ingredients, and she uses some fancy stuff I don't have like coconut aminos, so if you're not confident subbing things out, then pick something else). Just Google Paleo slow cooker and whatever protein you feel like.

 

With a few easy stir fries thrown in, that should get you through a week without too much thinking or effort. Just jump in and get started - if you stuff up it's not the end of the world, you'll still be better off than if you hadn't started at all.

 

Oh, and with the sugar cravings - that's something you'll just have to white knuckle through. But if you're eating enough, especially enough fats, you'll be much better off - nothing feeds cravings like hunger!

[LRM]

Hi Tal - I live in a small apartment and hate to use my regular oven. In fact, I use my oven for storage and cook a lot with my toaster oven (aka mini oven). I like things simple, so I do the following twice a week:

Roasted Chicken: 2 chicken breasts (with or without bone). Put in small roasting pan, add salt, pepper, olive oil and a little paprika. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for one hour at 400 degrees F. Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, this typically lasts me 3-4 meals. I frequently chop up a few ounces and put it in a salad.

I also use my toaster oven to bake a bunch of sweet potatoes at one time. It can hold 5 small-med sweet potatoes. Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Roasted veggies: Same recipe as above. Roast broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, or a combination of any veggies you like. In a pan, add olive oil, salt, pepper and other spices you like. Roast for 30 (ish) minutes at 400 degrees. Roast up enough for a couple of meals.

During the week, I also broil a small steak or burger in my oven. I will also make a batch of chili in the slow cooker. I keep salad greens, tomatoes, avocados, and eggs on hand at all times.

It takes a little practice to decide what you need, but once you figure it out, it becomes pretty easy. As you can see, I prep the same few things each week and then work around what I have. I'm not an adventurous cook so this works well for me. Also check out Moderator Tom Denham's blog - he's got some good recipes there. And check out the recipe section in the forums too. I hope this helps. Good luck. You can do it.

[tal]

so guys, thanks to your advices, im planning on starting the challenge real soon.

yes, those last few days i craved things i shouldnt have, and bought stuff with money i dont have to ease this craving (: but i knew something better is coming.

 

i bought the slow cooker, and thought about 4 recipes for the week:

 

chicken stir fry(with broccoli, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms)

some ground beef recipe-maybe a simple chili

cheap beef meat in slow cooker(got a nice recipe with tomatos)

chicken thighs in slow cooker.

 

i decided to make 2 for the first 3 days and then the other 2 after that and not all at once.

 

also i decided, twice weekely(or as needed) to do slow cooked vegtables(on fast, 3-4 hours), thosr are:

zuccinis

sweet potatoes

carrots

buttersquash

garlic

 

should i do it seperately or the just add to the thighs cooking?

really really out of the blue, those are the amounts i thought about for the week:

700 gr chicken breast

1.2 kg ground beef

1 kg cheap beaf for the slow cook

5 pieces of chicken thighs.

 

are those amount too much for one person?

for breakfast i thought about buying 2-3 tuna cans, and change between tuna and eggs or even some of the premade dishes with some cooked veggies.

although im doing a pretty regular version and not ai for now, i dont wanna eat eggs all the time.

i also decided to eat as little nightshades, although 2 of the meats do include chopped tomatos. not gonna touch egg plants and bell paper but i guess i will use paprika and chili.

im affraid that using them will really halt my pain improvment, and so does the eggs.

 

after ill get your advices, i will write a full week menu, and will get to work even tommorow. i have a tight budget, so if you believe the meat amounts are overly inflated, would appreciate to know and save money.

thanks for any help,

tal.

[percypat]

Hi Tal,

 

I think those look like good recipes and I think those amounts look pretty good  Remember you can freeze things if you feel you have too many portions and use them the following week which will bring your next shopping bill down.  

 

Having tuna and eggs for your breakfasts is a great idea.  And you can also have them for any lunches or dinners where you don't feel like cooking or haven't got leftovers ready.  If you're trying to keep your egg intake low, tinned salmon and sardines will give you some variety so you don't get tired of tuna.

 

I haven't roasted vegetables in my slow cooker but a google search says it can be done so go for it!  And I've seen recipes putting chicken and vegetables in at the same time.  Try doing it both ways and report back which is better

 

I think you're going to do just fine!  Make sure you start a log in the Log Forum so we can all cheer you on!

[praxisproject]

Sounds like you have a good plan Tal! Go for it!

[tal]

so im gonna start tommorow and here is my log

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/11107-so-it-begins-fibromyalgia-126/

wish me luck, and your welcome to comment there.