Starting today July 24th

[Katrine]

Almost through the first day. Yay!

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a great result in 30 days ;-)

 

[Mrsview]

It's my first day too! So far so good!

 

Really looking forward to seeing and feeling the positive changes during my 30! :-)

[patriciaar]

I also started on the 24!

 

This is my first attempt and I am very excited about it! Let's do this!

[Mousecatcher2001]

I too started on the 24th and have successfully completed my first day.  Once thing I really must try harder with is to be more organised and get my self sorted out meal-wise.  I managed to leave for work this morning and left my breakfast in the fridge (omelette with roasted peppers, courgette, tomato, onions) so ended up having to buy something on the way in.  I opted for some prawns with a coriander dressing (think coriadner in N America is called cilantro) and a punnet of raspberries (my favourite fruit).  I am being treated to lunch today by one of my bosses and I have opted to go to a restaurant where I know I will get a good chunk of meat or fish but will forgo the chips for a large salad.  My supper tonight is stir fry peppers, onions and courgette with a large pork chop which I will cut into strips and marinate in some Chinese Five Spice before frying.  I am soooo looking forward to that. 

 

Pay day tomorrow so I will be stocking up on some meat and fish to go in the freezer.  I need a few bits for my store cupboard although some things are quite hard to source here in the UK like coconut flour although I can get flakes, oil etc. 

 

Apart from that I am excited about my next 29 days and am hoping for some weight loss as well as a body that metabolises my food much better than in the past.

[Katrine]

Nice to have such nice company for the next 29 days :-)

 

Your meals sound absolutely delicious, Mousecatcher!

 

I'm pretty sure I'll get a little tired of eggs in the morning myself so I've fried up 1 lb of ground beef with lots of ginger and a bit of garlic and am currently storing it in the fridge. Quite a different breakfast from my normal greek yoghurt with berries.

 

My supper tonight was small chicken meatballs with bits of apple in them along with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Along with fried mushrooms, leeks, zucchini and half a bag of coleslaw veggies (basically a lets-clean-out-the-fridge stir-fry ;-). The rest of the family had the same along with some boiled spelt grains.

 

One of my goals for the next month is to exercise more, and I got one the kettlebell yesterday and I am really feeling that now. Tired!

[Mrsview]

Sounds like everyone had a good first day.  How was everyone's second day?  Mine was pretty good.  I've definitely been experiencing some mood changes as I felt like I had a bit of PMS today.  I was a bit crabby but really couldn't understand why as I got a lot of sleep last night and felt great today.  Hopefully that will pass. 

 

Mousecatcher I'm with you on the whole getting organzied and getting my meals planned out.  I've done a pretty good job so far but I'm certainly going to get sick of eggs for breakfast.  I'm going to try to find a sausage recipe to make. 

 

Keep it up ladies, we can do this!!

[patriciaar]

Hi everyone, day 2 is almost over!!!!!

 

It's been a really two great days for me. I follow a Primal/Paleo lifestyle but I tent to eat to many Paleo treats and nuts, so I believe that Whole30 is going to help me gain control over them! Also, Hubby M. and I are planning on trying to get pregnant again after a miscarriage a couple of months ago and my goal is to manage sweet cravings and of course improve and maintain healthy status. That's my major motivations right now!!!

 

It is so nice to be have this forum to offer support to each other, accountability is very important, at least to me, it truly helps me staying on track of things!

 

Mousecatcher, I hope you got to enjoy your delicious breakfast for dinner that evening! I also need to organize my meals, specially,  when I go out all day! Today, it took me longer than I expected to run errands and by 4pm I was super hungry an at the grocery store (worse time every!) but I found some amazing whole green olives and got a few of them in a container, then I drank some original raw kombucha and I was content with that until I arrived home to dinner!

 

Katrine, supper sounds delicious!

 

A lot of times I have leftovers for breakfast! I cook large meals all the time, for example: I made 2lbs of ground grass-fed beef, I mixed in fine shredded carrots, fine shredded broccoli florets, fine chopped spinach (don't be scared when your patties turn green color!), fine chopped red bell pepper, greated ginger root, lemon thyme and sea salt. It makes about 21 to 25 small patties. I don't cook them all at once because I don't like reheating meats, unless I will take them to go. In the morning I can just cook one and complement with one or two eggs and add leftover veggies as well! or leftover spinach salad (which I make also large batches and keep in the fridge for at least two days). Tonight I am thawing out some oxtail broth with veggies that I made days ago and that will be breakfast tomorrow with a side of spinach salad and avocado!

 

Mrsview, I am sure your mood changes will pass soon, it could be that your body is adjusting to clean eating habits believe it or not it is total shock when our bodies are not used to that! or it could just be PMS like you mentioned but it will be improved when bad stuff is ditched out from our diets!

 

All right, time to go to bed! Good night ladies.

 

We are doing great!

[Mousecatcher2001]

Yes we are doing great and I have quite surprised myself that I have not binged on any sugar.  As I said earlier, I got taken out for lunch yesterday.  I went to the restaurant and was torn between two meals: scallops with pancetta or kangeroo steak with triple cooked chips.  I went for the kangeroo steak which I have never tried before and was absolutely delicious so I would recommend anyone to try it if you can get hold of it.  I forgo the chips and had a large salad instead with a couple of teaspoons of vinegarette dressing.  It was a lovely lunch and I felt quite full. 

 

Had a stressful afternoon at work as I was under a lot of pressure to get things done and feeling a bit sorry for myself, a bit weary and wanting to go home ... an email came round from some others in my group that there were doughnuts and biscuits and to come and help ourselves.  EEEEKKKKK!    Thankfully I avoided going anywhere near them and just got on with my work.  I was very relieved later when I walked past where these tempters were to see that they had all gone.  Phew  .  I went home had my pork chop and enjoyed my evening.

 

Like the ideas of doing some mince or meatballs for breakfast.  I am too going to get thoroughly sick of eggs for brekkie.

[Katrine]

Finishing up on day three in a few hours. And am I glad it's weekend soon! I feel at least 80 about now having sore joints, aching muscles, a slight headache and being really tired. Maybe it's the extra training with kettlebells on day one that is coming back with a revenge now or perhaps it is the hungover feeling mentioned on the whole30 timeline? In any case, I am planning to get a lot of sleep tonight!

 

Patriciaar, thanks a lot for the recipe for meatballs/patties. I have to give those a go soon! 

 

Mrsview, your mood swings could be a little early version of day 4-5 on the timeline? I hope you are feeling better today :-)

 

Mousecatcher, Mmmmm kangaroo sounds great. I've never tried but I'll be sure to give it a go the next time I come across kangaroo meat. It will be a bit hard at my work as well to steer clear of afternoon cake, whole day sweets and the occasional ice cream that my co-workers bring. Honestly, they can come up with the smallest reasons to celebrate with something sugary!   But at least there is always a plate of fruit, so I am pretty confident that I'll be fine. 

 

Looking forward to hearing from you all

[patriciaar]

Day 3 is over!  It was another succesful day!

 

I am learning how to eat pre and post workout snacks, but it is kind of complicated for me. Before Whole30, I practiced Intermitent Fasting and I would workout in the morning in fasted state, my body really likes that and I've never had a problem with it. Now, in this program, I cannot do that. It is not that I am not hungry, it is that I am used to eat my first meal between 11am and noon after I finished workingout. Today, was the first day I had a pre and post meal. I felt fine and it didn't affect my performance, but I am still scared of eating starchy carbs (sweet potatoes) just as scared as many people are when they are told to increase their fat intake. Sweet potatoes are really a candy to me since I really don't eat much sugar anymore, the same is about carrots, specially when they are roasted, so when I eat many of those I start craving them. Ahhh, I need to learn to control myself in that sense, the same happens with fruit. That was one of the reasons I stop eating them all. But I believe I reached a plateau in my weight loss because I eliminated all type of good starches and some fruit. I hope that whole30 will help me to reintroduce them into my diet in a well and controlled manner.

 

I am so glad we are all together in this great path!

 

@Mouscatcher,  I have never had kangaroo before, I sure will try it if I ever have the chance to do it!

 

@Katrine and Mrsview, I hope you ladies are feeling better!

 

Whising you all a fantastic day 4!!!

[Mousecatcher2001]

Day 3 over thankfully.  I had the most awful headache all afternoon which obviously my body complaining about the lack of carbs.  I decided to have an early night and sleep as much as I could.  Still got a headache to start Day4 which is a bummer but hopefully it will go soon once I have got used to all these lovely whole foods. 

 

I had a disaster with my lunch yesterday as it had leaked out of the container into my little cool bag and there was more of my bolognaise sauce in the bag than in the container!  I ended up having to visit the canteen to see what was on.  As it was Friday there is always fish and chips so I thought I would a piece of unbuttered fish with some veggies.  No unbuttered fish  so I had some pork sweet n sour which is not fully Whole30 but I did not eat the pineapple pieces and I had that with a load of steamed veggies.  In the evening as my headache so bad, I decided just to have an omelette for supper.  I was going to have a lamb kebab (lumps of lamb, onion, peppers laced onto a skewer and grilled (or BBQ)) but I could not be bothered!

 

I hope everyone had a good Day 3 - onwards and upwards!!

[Katrine]

Day 4 coming to an end :-)

 

Actually it's been a pretty good day all in all. Just a little stiffness left in my joints hoorah!

 

I had a homemade, really tasty tuna salad for lunch (tuna, homemade mayo, capers, spring onions) along with summer cabbage, carrots and a hardboiled egg. Dinner: Pork chops in tomatoes with spaghetti squash from the garden (It's impossible to buy those in super markets around here so I keep an area of the garden reserved for those. Really love them!)

 

Patriciaar, sounds like hard work to change your breakfast habits. A while back I used to run every morning really early and I just couldn't do it with anything in my stomach. I had to wait with breakfast until I got home. But I was usually home by 8 a.m. so it didn't change my breakfast schedule much. As for fruits, I am not really used to eating much either - but right now, just half a peach tastes so sweet already and I really enjoy every little bite! I hope you find a way to enjoy a little fruit once in a while again :-)

 

Mousecatcher, aww man. That sounds like a messy day. I do hope your headache has cleared up today and you had that lamb kebab (MmmMMm I love lamb!).

 

I hope you've all made it through day 4 without too many obstacles

[Mrsview]

Ok ladies I need your help and encouragement really badly right now!  Just a heads up this could get long. 

 

Before I started the Whole30 I hd been battling digestive issues for probably 5+ years.  I do not have Celiac's Disease but I am Lactose intolerant.  So I cute milk completely out of my diet and limited other dairy intake.  I've tried probiotics which I know was good for my system but never really fixed my digestive issues.  I have also been battling anxiety and panic attacks for the past 4.5 years. I have chosen not to take medication for it because I ended being allergic to one type they tried to put me on and the other kind made me feel even worse.  So I opted for therapy instead.  So I delt with the anxiety and stress off and on for the past 4.5 years.  I didn't have any attacks or issues for almost a year and a half because I got pregnant with my son and was in pregnancy heaven and new mommy heaven during that time. 

Anyway my son is now 14months old and this past April I started having panic attacks again.  My anxiety and stress became worse until it just compounded itself and I knew I needed to make a change.  My digestive issues certainly have not been helpful in managing my anxiety and stress and I know I have a negative self image right now.  So I came across this website, looked at all the info about the whole30 and even read the book.  Made the decision that this could be a good thing for me as I have a horrible relationship with food.  I was eating a lot for comfort because of my stress and anxiety.  I'm not horridly overweight but I definitely am not happy with my weight either and more so my eating habits. 

 

So I started this week both on the Whole30 and joining a gym to get more exercise (which is a very good thing for people with anxiety).  I don't know if it's too much at once but I'm about ready to throw in the towel and say I can't do this.  I've had panic attacks everyday since I started the program sometimes even multiple in one day.  I'm exhausted, especially this morning.  My son did not sleep well last night and so I've barely gotten any sleep.  My emotions are all out of wack because I'm sleep deprived and hungry and tired all around of dealing with these attacks.  I'm really hoping that they are happening because of the changes happening in my body but I also hope they subside soon or I'm not going to have the strength or willpower to keep doing this. 

 

Thanks in advance ladies for all the love and support.  I could really use some right now so that I don't feel like I'm going crazy.  I know in the book and on here that they said it could get worse before it gets better and I'm hoping that this is my worse and that it's going to get better very soon. 

 

Lots of Whole30 Love to you guys.  Hope you all had a good day #4. 

[Katrine]

Hang in there, Mrsview!

 

I'm so sorry to hear you are going through such a rough patch. I can only imagine how horrible it must be to suddenly be stricken by panic or anxiety - seemingly without any reason. Did the therapy help you? I hope you have been examined thoroughly at a doctor to rule out any physical reasons for your condition. Perhaps an overactive thyroid or ..?

 

I hope you have someone close to you to help you out. A husband or boyfriend perhaps. 14 months old toddlers can be quite the handful! I have a son turning 2 years in 14 days and a 7 year old daughter. I have SO been there with the no-sleeping thing. You really turn into a zombie after just a few nights without sleep. I've heard it is used as a particularly cruel form for torture. Sleep deprivation, that is! But if you just hang on tight in there, it WILL get better! Pretty soon, I'll bet. Btw both my children didn't sleep through the night until it was discovered that they had problems with water in the inner ear. So it was very uncomfortable for them to lie down in a horizontal position. Both had a tiny drain put in when they were around 1½ years, and that helped a lot.

 

I hope you'll get some sleep soon and make sure to get something really good to eat. Enough meat and enough good fats at your meals. You need all the nourishment you can get to get through this. And lack of sleep tends to trick the body into craving ... demanding .. sweet things. I guess it thinks that with be the short-term energy-boost needed to get though just a tiny portion more of the day. But you get twice a tired 15 minutes after eating the sugar. In my experience anyway.

 

All the best,

Katrine

[amstone7]

Hello,

My name is Ann and I also started on 7/24. I browsed through the forum to find some companions with the same start date. I would love to join your conversations.

Week one has been a whirlwind of shopping, cooking, packing food for work and trying to walk for exercise. 

It has been so busy that I haven't had much time to be craving and I've asked three friends to be my accountability partners as I don't mind letting myself down but I'm loyal if I think I may disappoint someone else!

I really miss my friend cheese and my morning coffee creamer. I've switched to green tea which is fine, but I still miss coffee and struggle with drinking it black.

I'm scared to eat out but next week I have all day meetings and need to eat out for lunch. At work (I'm a nurse) I bring food from home. I love salad when out to eat but afraid of the salad dressing and I don't want to eat it without.

Thanks for listening and happy day 7!

[GFChris]

Bring your own compliant salad dressing, if possible, when you eat out. A lemon wedge squeezed over a salad works as well.

[Mousecatcher2001]

Sorry I have not been around as I have been having a few router problems and couldn't stay connected to the internet GRRR!  Now all is OK - well I hope so!

 

Welcome Ann - I take my own lunch to work and not enough money in my purse to buy anything else so I have no choice but to eat what I have taken.

 

Mrsview - I do hope that you have not given up.  I too am finding it very hard as I have binge eating disorder and all I think about is food, what I am going to eat, what booze I can have etc.  Heck I even think about food I have not yet decided to eat - if you get my drift.  It must be very hard for you having to look after children.  Don't be too hard on yourself with regard to the gym.  We are transgressing and we need to take things slowly including our exercise routine.  I have taken this week off from holiday as I know that things were going to be tough and I was going to be tired etc.  We are here for you when you need us (well, I wasn't as I couldn't get online but you know what I mean!)

 

I am still getting adapted to the eating plan and have had a headache for a number of days now and feel irritable and grouchy.  I know things will take a while but please can they get going!  I have done well over the last few days but it has been a white knuckle ride.  My headache is driving me bonkers and I am eating well, drinking lots of water and doing light exercise.  Well today I did a bit more heavy exercise - digging in the garden - in the hope that the exercise will get rid of my headache but I still have the darn thing. 

 

I am going to have an early night tonight and hope that I sleep a bit better so I will "see" you guys tomorrow.

 

Kathryn x

[Katrine]

Hi Ann

Very nice to have you along!

My first week has been easier than I'd feared. Due to the summer vacation I have had to bring my own food from home to work. But next week the cantina will be fully functioning again so it will be interesting to see what I can choose each day while sticking to clean whole food. I've stocked up on paleo jerky. Hope that is enough.

 

I've cut down on coffee as well. From 5-7 cups a day to just two early in the day. I drink 2-3 cups of tea instead during the day. Mostly herbal teas. I hope you'll get used to the taste without creamer. But I can imagine it take a lot getting used to!

 

Its a really good suggestion to bring your own salad dressing. Or if you like lemon/vinegar with olive oil, you tend to be able to get that at most restaurants?

[Katrine]

Great to hear from you again, Kathryn!

 

Glad to hear that you are doing good - but I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with headaches. Did you quit or cut down on coffee as well? I am pretty sure your headache WILL vanish eventually when your body starts adapting to the new food. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll feel a lot better tomorrow!

[Mousecatcher2001]

Katrine - thanks!  No I don't drink coffee but I expect my headaches are due to a lack of sugar as I eat (or used to eat) lots of crisps and drink lots of wine and cider so I expect my headache is because I am not doing either of those things.  Funnily enough I very rarely got headaches when I drink alcohol!  I think it is because my body is very sugar adapted and it is taking the lack of sugar very hard.  I know that my headaches will go one day but I may take longer to be completely sugar free than other people.  I have a great deal of weight to lose and have been eating and drinking unhealthily for about 30 years so things are not going to happen over night.  The good think is that I have not cheated and am sticking to it although my headache tonight is so bad that I did not feel like eating.  I don't want to skip meals as I will end up binging. 

 

Today I fried some steak strips and mushrooms and sprinkled on some Lebanese spices for a bit of kick.  For lunch I had some belly pork slices covered with Chinese 5-spice and some courgettes roasted in the oven.  For supper I was not very hungry so had some berries with coconut slices.  I also ate a nectarine.

 

I have decided to weigh myself tomorrow as I think I have lost weight and this will spur me on.  If I have not, then I will try harder.

 

I hope you all had a great day 7.  I am off for my early night. xx

[amstone7]

Thanks for the welcome messages. Excited to be done with 7 days. Sometimes I haven't made it past day one. 

[amberino21]

Katrine - thanks! No I don't drink coffee but I expect my headaches are due to a lack of sugar as I eat (or used to eat) lots of crisps and drink lots of wine and cider so I expect my headache is because I am not doing either of those things. Funnily enough I very rarely got headaches when I drink alcohol! I think it is because my body is very sugar adapted and it is taking the lack of sugar very hard. I know that my headaches will go one day but I may take longer to be completely sugar free than other people. I have a great deal of weight to lose and have been eating and drinking unhealthily for about 30 years so things are not going to happen over night. The good think is that I have not cheated and am sticking to it although my headache tonight is so bad that I did not feel like eating. I don't want to skip meals as I will end up binging.

Today I fried some steak strips and mushrooms and sprinkled on some Lebanese spices for a bit of kick. For lunch I had some belly pork slices covered with Chinese 5-spice and some courgettes roasted in the oven. For supper I was not very hungry so had some berries with coconut slices. I also ate a nectarine.

I have decided to weigh myself tomorrow as I think I have lost weight and this will spur me on. If I have not, then I will try harder.

I hope you all had a great day 7. I am off for my early night. xx

Do not weigh yourself!!! The point is to not need a number to fascinate yourself on.

Are you eating starchy carbs? The meals your just wrote about (besides dinner not fitting the template) don't suggest so - this will have a huge impact on your headaches/brain fog. Especially in the first few days, I felt rubbish unless I'd had carbs

[Katrine]

I hope everyone had a good start on week 2

 

I hope you are feeling better, Kathryn. I really think it is much better to focus on how you look and feel instead of what the scale might tell you. And Amberino21's advice with increasing the carbs sound really good. Might be worth a shot?

 

Best wishes to you all ;-)

[Mousecatcher2001]

Hello everyone

 

Thanks for the replies.  I did weigh myself and I have lost a few pounds but you are right Amberino I shouldn't be doing that.  I still am having headaches despite adding some sweet potatoes to my diet.  TBH, I am not feeling too great as my sleep patterns are disrupted (it is very hot in the SE England at the moment which is not helping - 33c at the moment), I feel tired, I don't want to cook as it is too hot so am existing on meats that I have cooked, bits of salad and eggs.  I know this is not enough food but ennui has set in.  I was hoping to feel a bit better by now and reaping some of the benefits of clean eating.  Mind you I said it myself in an earlier post that it has taken me many years to get into the state I am in so it won't happen overnight.  At the moment, I am resisting the urge of an large ice cream which I cannot get out of my head.  I don't even eat a lot of ice cream so I don't know why I am thinking about that!

 

I think a few nights of good sleep will help me but I am having such crazy dreams which are unsettling - maybe this is me craving carbs in my sleep which is an interesting thought - and I wake up more tired than when I went to bed. 

 

Still onwards and upwards

[Katrine]

Kathryn, with all the heat and lack of sleep ... I was wondering, do you get enough to drink? Water, that is!

I get terrible headaches myself if I forget to drink. And I know I am really bad at remembering water during the day, so I've introduced a couple of routines with a glass of water preferably once an hour, and a large cup of thin green tea in the afternoon. It helps SO much. I even believe I think clearer and feel like I have more energy. Just a thought.

 

And the ice cream could be your poor tired sleep deprived body insisting on getting some sugar right now! I hope water might do the trick and the heat will subside a bit. I thought it was bad enough here in Denmark, but it is not until tomorrow they've promised 32C. Not looking forward to that. Humidity being really high as well.

 

I personally actually feel pretty great already. My jeans are much looser than they were little over a week ago, and the pain in all my joints and muscles are slowly vanishing. Which was pretty much my biggest motivation for doing the whole30 in the first place

 

My own biggest problem right now is sleep. I just always seem to be at least two hours short of time each day! So I always end up heading for bed way too late (maybe 11:45 pm. And I need to get up at 5:45 am. Hmm!)