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Anyone else starting July 22nd?


primalamy

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I am about to whine.

 

I'm siiiicccccckkkk. :( :( I woke up with a sore throat and it's become a full on cold. I almost caved and took some Nyquil, but reading the ingredients knocked some sense into me. So I am drinking a hot concoction I made with a nighttime tea blend, apple cider vinegar, ginger and lemon juice, and trying to suck it up.

 

I also took my daughter back to school shopping and even thought most of my current clothes are too big, nothing fit me, so that didn't help my mood any.

 

Trying to be zen. :rolleyes:

 

Breakfast was a burger patty with guacamole and sauerkraut. Lunch was brisket with roasted veggies and chimichurri sauce. Right after work I ate a bunch of pineapple and some more guacamole. Dinner is some turkey with cherry, pineapple bbq sauce and a big fruit salad with pineapple, cherries, blueberries and banana. Normally I wouldn't eat so much fruit, but I am trying to pump myself full of vitamin C.

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Amy - I hope you feel better soon so you can finish this thing n a high note!

Elizabeth - congrats on the smaller size!!

I am all the sudden not thinking that I will lose much in the weight dept, and really I don't think I want to stepon the scale. It will feed the crazy bad part of me that has always been scale obsessed. I have been at peace with my body for the last 30 days, a very very good thing!

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OH YEAH -- WE MADE IT TO DAY 30!!!

 

When we started, I was living the typical American life, subsisting on diet soda, lunch meat and those lunchbox-sized bags of chips you buy in a 24-pack at the supermarket!! I was easy-going before but now my mood is so stable! I am sleeping better, falling asleep very easily and waking up without dragging through the morning like a zombie. I feel more comfortable in the kitchen and cooking/prepping for the week and I'm even thinking about buying my own deli-style meat slicer. It is impossible to find lunch meat that is not riddled with sugar and other unsavory preservatives, so maybe I'll get the slicer and roast and serve my own cold cuts! My mental toughness and motivation has improved, helping me through CrossFit workouts. As a nurse, I prefer to keep my nails short but they have been strong and lustrous, perfect for a mani/pedi! I no longer require a nap every afternoon. GI distress used to be a daily part of my life (had to be the gluten and dairy) but it has vanished. I don't plan to re-introduce gluten into my diet formally (plan to limit it for very special occasions) but I am looking forward to trying some raw milk and yogurt from a local co-op.

 

My new favorite condiment is paleo mayo and I love ghee, too! My favorite day is Tuesday because I make my own burgers on the grill, a tradition I plan to continue. I'm going to make my own slightly sweetened coffee creamer with coconut milk and dates!

 

I have not really missed bread at all -- shocker. I have missed ice cream but only in an obsessed, unhealthy way -- gonna avoid that for a little longer until my brain gets on board. I have really missed Teechino (their website claims to be gluten-free despite the use of barley, due to their roasting and extraction process) since I'm not especially fond of tea but I have enjoyed my wind-down ritual with a cup of Natural Calm herbal tea and reading the Bible at night.

 

I've eaten more vegetables in the past month than perhaps ever in life, and lately a real treat me for is having a salad with olive oil & balsamic dressing, especially if bitter greens are in the mix. I may never go back to slimy supermarket salad dressing.

 

I did not eat a lot of nuts or nut butters or fruit or snacks on our journey: my secret is to only keep raw nuts in the house. They are nowhere near as tempting as roasted, salted nuts and I have no problem limiting quantity with those. I was surprised that I almost never felt hungry between meals and I have NOT had even one episode of those shaky, low blood sugar crashes that used to plague me daily.

 

I enjoyed the cooking and the introspection the most -- learning more about myself while I learned more about food. I think I will miss this forum and the daily support & encouragement the most. I will not miss avoiding dinner invitations because some restaurants make Whole30 impossible or way too tempting. I look forward to getting on the scale tomorrow and checking out my measurements! My next plan, per a suggestion from the Whole30 daily emails, is a "Coffee30" and I am giving up coffee for 30 days. Currently on day 2 and feeling great. I still drink the occasional green or black tea as these have far less caffeine, but I'm curious to see the effect giving up my morning coffee has on my life and my sleep. If it goes well, I may try a "Caffeine30" next and cut it all out to give my adrenals a break : )

 

Looking forward to tomorrow, friends!

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Navygirl - that was fun to read, thank you for sharing!  What a nice summary of your experience!

 

Improvements:

- I lived for 30 days without sugar, sweets, chocolate or any desserts!  I am blown away with myself!  I cannot beleive that I broke my after meal sweets habit, I had a major addiction.

- More energy, more awake and more aware of what is going on in my life.

- More patient with my children

- Set a better example for my kids with how to eat and take time to eat

- skin is starting to clear (I think I need to go a little longer for this to really get better)

- GI problems all gone - this was the biggest improvement

- I have always eaten a lot of veggies, but in the past that usually centered around salads....I think I had fewer salads in the last 30 days than I have in many, many years!  It was a good break.

- Did not get on the scale, it was wonderful to look to other areas of my life/ body for improvement than just the scale.

- I have always cooked a lot, but often cooked something for my kids and something different for me. I found out that my kids loved the paleo style - they are happy with eggs daily, and don't miss pasta when they get sweet potatoes! 

- Just plain happier, this came around day 10...and now I am used to it, so I don't feel as "happy" as I did early on.

- cut out my gum, mint and mouth obsession - I used to go through about 3 packs of gum a week.

- I ate real meals, on a plate and most of the time sitting down....a big improvement from my grazing all day and standing while eating.

 

 

Areas I could have done better:

- less fruit, I worked to keep it under control but with kids I had to cut it up and serve it regularly to them, so nibbling was too common.  I have realized that my kids are likely getting too much fruit and sugar from the fruit.

- stuck to 3 meals, I had a very hard time breaking up with my morning snacks around 10am.  I did find that having enough fat at breakfast was key - but still, it is a habit I have had since a child and it is just hard to break.

 

Next Steps:

I am going to keep going, but maybe allow wine when we are out at a party - not that I really want to drink it at all, but just because I want to participate.   Gluten and dairy are not worth it - and to be honest, neither are beans, corn or soy!   I am fine cooking without these items - many of these foods are the "filler" that I was obsessed with and ate instead of real meals.  I want to keep focused on real meals and start the WholeFamily30....I want to eliminate the toxic foods from my kids diet to see if their eczema and breathing will improve.

 

way to go team - I would love to keep a thread going somewhere to check in from time to time?

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PrimalAmy, I'm sending healthy thoughts your way.

 

I'm driving myself slightly crazy with thoughts of reintroduction.  I'm back and forth and back and forth.  There are some things I don't miss, but if I reintroduce and don't have a negative reaction it will make meals easier at some point.  AND with every food there is some other food with that ingredient that is a no brakes food for me (I've got a lot of em).

 

I feel like I need to separate corn from the other non gluten grains for reintroduction.  As a child, I was allergy tested and was allergic to corn.  I had allergy shots for years, but feel I should be careful reintroducing that one.  Corn chips and popcorn are huge no brakes foods for me, so if that one doesn't go well, I may be relieved.

 

I made the avocado dressing from ISWF and loved it on my chicken fajita salad AND on my leftover Krabby Patties.  My pickled jalapenos in the fridge weren't complaint so I used fresh and it was still amazing.

 

It's the final day.....make it a great one.

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Thanks for the encouraging words guys! I actually feel even worse today than I did yesterday, but I refuse to give up. I am sipping tea all day and thanks to NavyGirl I remembered I had some bone broth I was saving for stew in the freezer. It is now defrosting in my sink.

 

It's been awesome to see everyone's progress this last month. I am so proud of everyone in this thread. There's no reason we can't keep it going or start another one for the group in the reintroductions area. Let me know what you guys think. I am not planning on do any reintros until I feel better, and even then it will be limited for a while because I have autoimmune issues. I know there are certain foods I will never eat again.

 

I will post my meals and my improvements and things I want to work on tonight. If I'm still awake that is. It's going to early bedtime for me. :)

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Congratulations, all! Day 30 seemed like such a far off date when I began, but boy it went by fast!

I posted my thoughts a couple of days ago... no additions other that one more migraine, but I have avoided 8-9 that I would have had, and I found that my migraine meds work much faster and much better now than I experienced before.

My first reintroduction is my very favorite spice in the world, but it has a little sugar in it. I'm starting there tomorrow. My second introduction will be cheese. Of ALL of the things I could have missed I would have never thought it would be cheese, but that's what I truly do miss the most. I'm still a bit shocked by that one. I don't intend on going back to the sweets, except in special occasions. I find that if I eat a little I have a VERY hard time putting on the breaks, so why start. And at this point I don't care to ever touch a soda again. Coffee may come back in a couple of months, but I want to find out some triggers first. (I think caffeine was compounding some of my triggers, and it makes me crave the unhealthy stuff too).

I also very recently (2 days ago) discovered Perrier water. With some lime slices in it I found it a very refreshing change to straight water. Yeah for finding some great new things!

I'd love to keep following the reintroductions, either here or in another thread. It helps to know what others are experiencing!

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Congratulations everyone!!! We did it!! I can't believe it.

I know weight isn't the main goal, but I couldn't wait to get on the scale today. Down 7 lbs, and my hubby lost 11 (of course!) . I'm calling it a success considering we hardly exercised-- it took us a while to get used to new energy sources.

I know we're supposed to take reintro slowly, but a pizza and wine will be calling me tonight- dinner with friends. The rest of the week I am going to try just adding other food back in slowly.

Congrats everyone!!!

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Yes, congratulations to all!  And thanks for the inspiration and support - it has really carried me through.  I do expect to maintain the general eating plan - a tighter approach to paleo than I was doing before.  That's really just to say that I started out tight and gradually got sloppy - the W30 really reminded me that I can find the discipline I need to do what is right for my body. 

 

Good journey!

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I am about to whine.

I'm siiiicccccckkkk. :( :( I woke up with a sore throat and it's become a full on cold. I almost caved and took some Nyquil, but reading the ingredients knocked some sense into me. So I am drinking a hot concoction I made with a nighttime tea blend, apple cider vinegar, ginger and lemon juice, and trying to suck it up.

I also took my daughter back to school shopping and even thought most of my current clothes are too big, nothing fit me, so that didn't help my mood any.

Trying to be zen. :rolleyes:

Breakfast was a burger patty with guacamole and sauerkraut. Lunch was brisket with roasted veggies and chimichurri sauce. Right after work I ate a bunch of pineapple and some more guacamole. Dinner is some turkey with cherry, pineapple bbq sauce and a big fruit salad with pineapple, cherries, blueberries and banana. Normally I wouldn't eat so much fruit, but I am trying to pump myself full of vitamin C.

Fresh Garlic, ginger, lemon and chillis are my go to cold-crusher! I usually make a stirfry with those and loads of green vegies and piles of fresh herbs

Hope you feel better soon :)

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Happy Day 31.

I had a kale, onion, green pepper egg muffin with a honey Greek yogurt. I used to love that yogurt....but the texture wasn't satisfying to me today.

Amy, if possible let's just keep this thread going with our reintroductions or continuation?

I lost 8 pounds. (I had lost 5 on Day 10 when I weighed). This truly amazes me, because I was never hungry and I ate delicious food every day.

My improvements:

decreased high blood pressure meds 75%

eliminated oral antibiotic (for acne)

eliminated antidepressant

I had been thinking about starting the low histamine plan on day 31, but have decided to follow the reintroduction protocol from ISWF. I see another Whole30 in my future though.

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Good morning!!  I have been thinking of today as D-Day : ) and the results are in!

 

I am down 5 pounds, lost 3 full inches from my waistline and 1.5 inches from my hips.

 

No more GI distress and I wake up ready to go for the day! Hooray!

 

I am still having some issues with histamine-rich foods. I thought I was allergic to avocado and had some allergy testing done last year, but everything was negative. The doctor said my symptoms were consistent with histamine sensitivity and I should avoid avocado and other histamine-rich foods if they bothered me. At the time, avocado was the only problematic food and fairly easy to avoid but I've been eating so many new fruits & veggies lately that I found some new bothersome foods. The pineapple I ate on the bacon-mushroom burger really made my stomach burn last night, probably because bacon and mushrooms are also loaded with histamines!  Any one of these on its own seems to be fine, but the cumulative effect of various foods hit my stomach hard. Not sure if I'll ever be able to dodge the histamine sensitivity but I am grateful that the Whole30 has made me more aware of what I'm eating and how it is affecting me.

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We did it!! Congratulations!

30 days really can change your life.

My positives:

- being able to conquer the sugar dragon

- in control of my emotional eating

- trying so many new, delicious foods

- cooking often and loving it

- feeling & looking thinner

- more energy

- CONFIDENCE

- losing 8 lbs!!!!

I can't think of any "negative" things. I am a little nervous about reintroductions but am going to take it slow. Going to restaurants and social situations will be a little difficult but i will need to plan ahead like I've been doing all month and I will be fine. My biggest challenge will be keeping the sugar dragon away....I'm feeling really strong right now though.

Looking forward to checking in and hearing everyone's continued success!

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Happy Day1 post-W30! LOL

 

It's so great reading everyone's reflections and thoughts about this experience and where to go from here.

 

As for me, my two daughters have been doing this for 16 days now and I will be staying on track with them until their 30 is finished. I have a very strong feeling that this will be our new norm, however. My youngest went to a sleepover last night and asked me to make her two eggs that she could add to the carrot sticks and almonds that she was taking so she had "her food" today! She's 11, btw and I think this has been a HUGE change for her. She has some severe GI issues and this has helped so much already. She's eating better and eating less. (She was a junk food junkie to the 10th degree!) It's been WONDERFUL planning our meals together each weekend - working together in the kitchen on food prep and meals. Even my mom is coming around to the way of thinking (and borrowed my Paleo book last night!). She just moved to our town/state a week ago and has been eating dinners with us. Even she says how much better she feels and when she had some chips and a bologna sandwich (that she had been craving) at her home she felt horrible and had the toilet trots (sorry - TMI I know!)

 

In essence - this is my new way of eating. It is great to know that if I am out (or home) and want a glass of wine I can have it. But even the wine I had been looking forward to this evening is now no such a priority or interest. I didn't take my measurements this morning, but I did weigh and lost 8 pounds on the W30! And like others said, I really haven't been exercising very much (not NEAR what I was before the W30) as I got used to the body fueling difference. :D

 

Love the idea of keeping this thread going as we reintroduce and continue our journeys forward! This has been so great!

 

Jen

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We did it!!!!

I made it through yesterday, thank goodness. Breakfast was chicken with stir fried veggies, guacamole and sauerkraut. Lunch and dinner were brisket and veggies.

 

The good:

  • I lost 15 pounds! I am down a total of 32 pounds since May 28th.
  • My moods are so much more stable.
  • The psoriasis on my scalp is almost gone.
  • I haven't had a single hidradenitis suppurativa flare up.
  • I cook so much more than I use to and we hardly eat out anymore.

Things I want to work on:

  • My stress levels. I need to exercise more and start mediating.
  • Exercise. I need to get some almost every day, even if it's just a walk around the neighborhood.
  • Sleep. I still have trouble falling asleep at night.

I am going to start an reintro thread in a few, so everyone feel free to post their experiences there.

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Wow team - some major weight loss, 15lbs PrimalAmy, that is unbelivable! 

 

I did not have any weight loss - I think it also could be the time of the month as well (that has been very delayed because of Whole30) so once the bloat goes down I might have lost something.

 

I am starting up another whole30 with some new goals - no reintroductions for me for a while ;)

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Whole Amy - very small weight loss for me, just 3lbs!  I consider the change in eating habits the key piece here, and know that some bodies (that would be mine...and maybe yours??) go very slowly in terms of weight loss.  Slow is fine.  If we are off sugar and other empty calorie eating you (and I) will lose the weight we need to.  Take heart!

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Dairy is out for me....forever. I followed the protocol as stated in ISWF and an hour after eating a scoop of icecream felt like bugs were crawling all over my skin. The itching was intense. I took a benedryl and that helped. I needed ANOTHER benedryl a few hours later. I slept fine, but woke early with a scratchy inflamed throat and burning/itching eyes. I guess I'm allergic to milk.

My stomach is fine!

So now I wait 2 days and try something else? I'd love clarification on the reintroductions.....do you just add the food on 1 day and then wait 3 days to add something different? Obviously, I'm not having any more milk today, but if I didn't have a reaction would it be okay to eat that food for all 3 days? Or do you need 3 clean days before another reintroduction? Does that make sense?

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Snowflower - I think you are supposed to keep the Whole30 plan for 10 days but just add the items individually.  So day 1 - add dairy and keep everything else whole 30.  Day 4 add grains - and keep everything else whole 30 (no dairy).   Day 7 test soy etc.    I think the reason is because after the whole 30 the goal is not to go back to eating all of the things that you cut out for the last 30 days, but to learn how they impact your body.

 

I am on day 2 of my second round....VERY different from the first time around since I am already "over" sugar and my overcarb consumption ways.  I am motivated this time to break my dependance on nuts and fruit.

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Today I re-introduced my old friend Teechino : ) it is a sort of coffee-like beverage made with roasted nuts and dates and also barley -- though their website claims it is gluten-free because of the roasting/brewing process or whatever. I'm not that fond of tea and I need to break up with coffee for awhile, so the Teechino fits the bill for tasty, caffeine-free hot beverage. No issues at all despite drinking it with meals today.

I'm still holding out for some raw milk and other unprocessed dairy for that particular introduction...a little hard to come by in NJ but I am working on it for next week to progress with my re-introductions! In high school I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance so a bit of raw milk every now & then is probably my best option. Surprisingly I have not missed milk or butter or yogurt one bit. Ice cream is another story!

I have been reading more & more about low histamine foods and really wonder if all my previous GI issues are related to that. Duh. i did have allergy testing in Germany and was advised to avoid histamine-rich foods when all the tests were negative but I never thought anything of it since avocados were the only food that seemed to bother me. Or so I thought before the Whole30!! Very interesting!

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