Starting July 29th

[writergirljodie]

Well, it's 4:30pm on day 30. Wow! We made it!! I can't believe the 30 days are up. It really didn't seem to be a full month, did it? I feel pretty good. I feel pretty normal, whatever that means. Maybe it means that my body has adjusted to this new way of eating. I'm not sure. But I do feel good! I'm exhausted, but that has nothing to do with anything except that these boys are wearing me out with home school!! We started last week, so this Monday has been a long one. I'm really feeling like a nap, actually...

 

I stayed on-plan to the best of my knowledge the entire 30 days. There were moments when I think there may have been a little unknown sabotage, but I did the best I could in all situations. I was a label Nazi, but there were a couple that almost got past me. I just hope I didn't inadvertently let any by me. I did snack sometimes between meals, but I stuck with foods on-plan, at least. I learned to make my own mayo and have fallen in love with doing it. That's amazing to me. I've learned to appreciate nights without a glass of wine!! LOL! I've really enjoyed learning some awesome recipes from nom nom and well fed. Those ladies know how to make Paleo taste so good. My whole outlook has changed for the better. I do feel great. I have to say. I can't wait to get on the scale in the morning and see what my final results are. I'm so excited!

 

Is anyone else wrapping up their day 30 yet? 

[gardengirl]

Good for you, WGJ! I'm here on day 21 really wishing I too were on 30! This whole shebang is certainly teaching patience as well as all the other body& mind benefits!

At this moment, I would really, really like a piece of chocolate, but will, instead, make some tea and get cranking with dinner prep! Jent103, that recipe looks so good! I too love her site and haven't yet made a dud recipe from her site. Definitely time to buy the book.

Madscience- thanks so much for your supportive words! I hope your body cooperates with your best intentions soon!

[Gabenick2]

Jent103: I hadnt thought about the sulfites!! gees, another thing I am going to have to really monitor. It's tuff having to eat gluten free and now I will have to figure out what else I am allergic to as well:(

When I first heard PCOS.. I was like,,, are you sure?! I remember covering it in nursing school but originally I never though that it was what I had because the symptoms were not all there. Do you have problems with insulin?

WritergirlJodie: CONGRATS!! what will you be introducing on day 31?

Today is my day 23 and I am feeling lazy and gassy, I think its the broccoli, is anyone else having this issue?

Another day down.... we are so very close!

[writergirljodie]

And for me, it's "welcome to day 31!" I don't know what I'm gonna re-introduce back in...maybe nothing today. I know I will have a celebratory glass of wine this weekend, but I'm gonna stick to just one day a week with the wine. I still have a ways to go before I get to my goal. I've lost 5 lbs in the past 4 weeks, so I've lost 9 lbs overall. That's exciting news! I still have my GI appt coming in September so I wanna see how much more fat I can lose between now and then. The bottom line is I feel so good that I don't want to wreck anything at this point. LOL!! I'm gonna stay on here because I'm gonna stick to the plan for a while. 

 

Everybody keep going!! It's really worth it to get to the other side!! I think I didn't lose as much weight because I was mostly clean already. The two big things for me were sugar and alcohol. I was already wheat and dairy free and ate grains only occasionally. So, some of you who had to give up the grains along with everything else will probably have even better results in that department. But I have to say, the weight loss is only one small part of the equation. I feel so good!!! My energy is up way more than it's been in I don't know how long. I can't believe my strength and stamina during my workouts. That alone has inspired me to do MORE exercise!! How cool is that?? And overall, my whole digestive system feels better. I'm not bloated like I used to be, except when I eat things like cabbage or broccoli! LOL! But that's easily passed and then I'm back to good. The constant bloat is gone. I love it!! After doing this Whole 30 I know now how much of a difference eating the right foods really makes. I'm not as hungry any more at all. I don't get nearly as cranky. And I feel satisfied most of the time with a lot less food than before. My food tastes better. And my cravings are basically gone. GONE!! I love this feeling!! So, just to let all of you know what you can expect...this is AMAZING!!! 

 

This is not a diet. That is the truest thing I've ever said about a diet. This will be my lifestyle choice from now on. I'd rather be 95% compliant to the whole 30 program and have a couple of days where I indulge than go back to the way I was eating before. I love not having sugar in all of my foods. I hate the way grains always made me feel. I never feel sick after I eat anymore. So, this is it for me. 

 

Thank you to Melissa and Dallas for this awesome program. It was tough in the beginning, but it's been a wonderful journey so far! I'm really excited about the months to come. I wonder how much better my results will be by the New Year? How exciting!! 

 

Have a wonderful day, everyone!! Keep up the amazing job!!!

 

Now, I'm off to check out some more recipes from nom nom and well fed. Guess I better go buy those cookbooks of theirs!! 

[jent103]

writerjodiegirl, that's all so awesome! Congratulations! We'll be with you in a week!

 

Do you have problems with insulin?

 

Yep - that's what got me to do Whole30. I'm insulin resistant (diagnosed only because they know it's related to PCOS), and though my blood sugar has been normal for years thanks to some combination of the metformin I'm on and me changing my diet ten years ago, this made so much sense to me that I couldn't not do it. Even though I was mad about it. The metformin I went on in 2000 helped keep me from gaining more weight - at the time I was doing what I thought was healthy (exercise, reasonable calories) and was still gaining a little bit every year. So frustrating. I was 213 pounds at that point. In 2003 I started working out again and cut a ton of processed food, refined flour, sugar, etc out of my diet and started eating vegetables other than carrots (have I mentioned that I'm a recovering picky eater?). Over three years or so I lost about 55 pounds and have kept that off since, but still carry extra weight around my middle - classic PCOS and also the least healthy place to have it! I'm healthy, numbers-wise, but I would love to be off my meds and lose the belly fat. If some of the unwanted hair would tone it down, that would be an excellent side effect.

 

For those of us on the original schedule - only one week to go!!! Y'all, I finally started feeling good. I'm not sure I'd go so far as tiger blood just yet, but I have more energy and boot camp hasn't sucked this week!

[Lees96]

Good morning, 7/29ers.

 

Not a whole lot to offer this morning.  I was very frustrated yesterday.  I just felt like my clothes are still not loosening up.  I got discouraged.  Not enough to quit because I like eating this way and want to continue on especially with all the great recipes out there still to try and with how great I feel. So glad I'm not the tired victim of sugar and white flour. I know that I'm not going to lose 40 pounds in 23 days.  I think exercise would help.  I joined a weight loss challenge at a local gym that I love. It starts Sept. 9th.  They do kettle bells and circuit classes so I am hoping to start doing all that stuff that y'all are doing.  I think that will make a big difference.  I took out some ground beef this morning as well.  I've been eating these brats I got at Costco.  They are compliant and they are very convenient.  But maybe they are too much.  I don't know.  

 

Have a great day everyone!!!  We are so close!

[jent103]

Hi Lees! I'm sorry about the frustration yesterday - I know we've all had those days. I think there are so many stories of "magical transformations" during Whole30s that at least for me, it raises my expectations even if I try to manage them! But you're feeling good, which is a huge thing.

 

Exercise always helps me - I started my boot camp 2.5 years ago and I haven't really lost weight because of it, but it does make me feel strong and appreciate my ability to move (even if it's not as fast as everyone else!). I think that will help you feel even better!

 

Less than a week to go, y'all! It's been quiet around here... kdegar, colandlala, everybody else, are y'all still with us?

[colandlala]

Hey Everyone!

Yes, I'm still here, hanging on.  I had a wedding on Saturday night followed by 3 days of quaint beachy town vacation time.  THIS was difficult.  I made it through and stayed on plan the entire time.  I really wanted to have some of the non-compliant, wonderfully smelling foods, but it just wasn't worth it for me.  To boot, I even had people telling me it was ridiculous and I should eat something or have a drink.  They didn't seem to let up all night. This was very upsetting to me considering I am doing this to get healthy and to ultimately get pregnant.  Most people don't realize when you are struggling with infertility and since I don't bring it up, they just don't understand why I am being sooo strict.  It was an eye opening experience to say the least. 

 

This experience taught me that even "special" occasions can be dealt with differently.  This realization coming from someone who would consider a Friday night after along work week, excuse enough to call pizza and beer a "special occasion".  As if I deserved the awful food for some reason after having a rough week.  It's just so counterintuitive now. 

 

I would have to say that the past few days have been the most difficult ones for me to get through on this 30 day journey.  I am looking forward to getting back to my regular routine.  After the awful night of "friends" trying to get me to go off plan, I escaped to a quite little place to catch up on my 7/29 forum posts to help keep me motivated.  Thanks for that.

[kdegar]

 

Less than a week to go, y'all! It's been quiet around here... kdegar, colandlala, everybody else, are y'all still with us?

I'm still here! While I"m staying as close to the template as I would like I'm still eating Whole30 compliant. It's not even an issue any more, it's just normal! I keep reading everyone's posts on my phone but just haven't had time to respond...I'm still trying to figure out how to manage my time with school back in, a new prep (I switched from chemistry to Marine science, a course i've never taught before), two toddlers and coaching. As I write this I'm scarfing down dinner (I know, I should take the time to enjoy it)--although it's 2 burgers and some raw carrots, between school and our first meet. AHH!Anyways, my energy level is pretty good! i am definitely sleeping better and overall I just feel better.I'm so glad everyone has stuck through it all. I couldn't have done this without each and every one of you!!!

[jent103]

colandlala, being out of town with a group of friends was one of the worst parts for me too. Way to stick it out - we're so proud and glad! And kdegar, way to stick with it - I know the start of the school year is crazytown.

 

This experience taught me that even "special" occasions can be dealt with differently.

 

Me too! And what I'd consider "special occasion" food has changed.

 

6.5 days to go!

[gardengirl]

.... Tonight I ate (for my second fruit and fat since I had none at dinner) some blueberries mixed with coconut cream. Holy cow, it feels like I'm dancing in dangerous territory, since it feels so dessert-ish and I ate it right after the "main deal"; but only because I wanted to eat dinner with the family and didn't get it put together before it was time to eat. No need start over, RIGHT?!?!

[Gabenick2]

Lees; Don't get discouraged, this has been my 3rd attempt at the whole 30 and I have been eating like this since end of may with 2 cheats in between and had to re-start it again and again. I am just now seeing the BIG difference in my clothes, my friend lost 30 lbs but it took her 6 months. You will get there:)

I am off the steroids finally but I was dragging butt bad yesterday and today, I had such great energy when I was on them and thought OK this is the tiger blood, but I'm afraid it was the steroids:( I felt that I needed to take a nap these last 2 days.

Today I finally tried the planet albacore from costco, it was very good and the home made mayo is the best!

What is coconut cream and where can I get it? I have read about it on nomnompaleo site.

4 more days and I am done!! I will continue to eat clean but will add wine and half and half.

[gardengirl]

@Gabenick2: I got a can of coconut cream at Trader Joe's. I'm glad I only bought one can (although I only used about a tablespoon or so tonight), as I can easily see this as food with no brakes and a heavy foot on the accelerator for me, especially when paired with fruit... but yum!!

I like how many posts are ending with what we plan to (soon!) add back in; such an easy decision that is! A very happy end of day 23 for me.

[Lees96]

Good morning, everyone!  Great posts all.  Thank you so much for all your kind words about my not so stellar day the other day.

 

colandlala - Too bad about your "friends", that sucks.  I have some in-laws, and my husband sometimes for that matter, who think this is a crazy way to eat and live and they make fun of it.  It's tough because then my mind agrees with them and I am back eating pizza and waffles and donuts and tipping the scale at 202.  I pray.  That's how I get through something like that.  I pray for them and I pray for me to have the strength to get through it and perservere (sp?).  That always helps.  Plus on top of it all you are doing this to help with your infertility.  I can only imagine how hard that must be anyways.  I love how you got through it though.  You did it.  "Special occasions" are a trigger for me and my eating.  weddings, funerals, vacation, parties, holidays, a long work week, etc.  We used to go on 3 week camping vacations and I told myself that I could eat whatever I want on vacation.  Well, I would gain back a lot of weight in 3 weeks and then not be able to get back on board when I would get home.  So, good job.  That is not easy and you got the double whammy - special occasion and unsupportive folks around you - but you did it!!!!  The forum helps a lot, I know.

 

Kdegar - marine science!  Holy cow!  How cool is that?!!!!  And you switched from chemistry.  Very impressive.  My husband is a scientist and he amazes me.  All of you scientists amaze me.  You have a full plate, my goodness.  Keep it up!  We have 16 more days to go.  We can do it.

 

I have to admit something here.  I have never read ISWF.  And, I also have to admit that I am not sure what the template really is.   My secret is out.  I learned about this from a friend of mine and went to the website and got the basic layout of it off that.  You know, all the things I can't eat.   Maybe that is why I feel like i'm not   really doing that great.  Maybe I'm doing something wrong?  Gardengirl mentioned eating her second fruit and fat - I don't even know what that means.  I am having coconut cream (I just get at my local CUB FOODS store in the Asian food aisle) and coconut milk in my coffee every morning but am I supposed to be measuring it.  One of the things I like about this is that I don't have to measure but maybe I am doing this wrong.  I mean, for lunch yesterday I had sweet potatoes and two compliant brats and a salad with homemade avocado balsalmic vinaigrette.  I pretty much had the same thing for dinner.  But mid-day I stuck a frozen banana in the cuisinart with frozen blueberries and pineapple and had that for a snack.  I know we are not supposed to be snacking but I am going through our whole house and getting rid of crap so we can have a garage sale next week and I just wanted something to get me through the afternoon...good idea?  or not?  Maybe I should just shut up and read the book...?

 

Love you guys - could not do this without you!!!!

[amberino21]

Lees, I haven't read the book either!

It got delivered yesterday, on day 42....I managed without it though and got all the info I needed from the sites!

Here's the template it'll give you a guide to portion sizes.

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

Your whizzed up snack wasn't ideal - kind if paleofied ice cream....and doesn't fit the protein/fat/vegie template your actual meals sound good though! If you're meeting the template guidelines really well you probably won't need the snacks.

[gardengirl]

Lees, you mean you haven't read the book, obsessed about the meal template, checked out the various shopping lists..... All thousands of times in the past month or so? So, yeah, there is a down side to all of this, depending on your need for constant fact checking! I have found simplicity in both the template and shopping lists (especially the black vs. green) as well as all that is available on the forum.

They are, I found, to be kind of hidden on the site. Go to the top of the page and click on "our book", the scroll down. There you'll find more links than perhaps you will ever need! Mini meals may be your new friend!

And no, I don't measure anything, just check out my hand for a reference. (Template reference)

[jent103]

gardengirl - no way would I start over! It's not like you went into the meal planning to have "dessert." I'm intrigued by this coconut cream too - does it taste like coconut (I'm guessing yes)?

 

Gabenick, maybe your body is just still coming down from the steroids? I hope you feel better soon!

 

Lees, I think gardengirl's "second fruit and fat" was just meaning a second serving of fruit for the day and the fat she needed with her dinner. Generally, the book recommends 1-2 servings of fruit per day max, and of course fat at every meal. Personally I thought the book was really helpful, because for me, knowing the science behind all these "rules" really helps me stick to them. But that's just me. The Hartwigs have said somewhere on here that what you need to follow the program will always be free on the site! (If you do buy the book - I think it would be better in paper than on a Kindle or something. I got it on my Nook because I wanted to read it before I started and didn't have much time to find/order it, but some of the meal planning stuff especially is hard to format electronically.) I don't think you're doing anything wrong based on what I've read though, but maybe a little more variety would help out at least mentally? For me, I keep telling myself that I've had 30 years to mess up my insulin and leptin, so 30 days is not going to completely fix it.

[DubyaWife]

Day 22 and still going strong!  And with no caffeine! 

 

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, weekends get busy and then I'm so full of tiger blood that I'm just getting shit done.  Seriously, I've been productive as a mofo. 

 

The digestion issues have lessened (although not gone away).  Now I just have issue with having a bit of constipation. 

 

Cravings aren't bad besides just mental cues where my brain says "you want this."  

 

Last week is coming up and I'm excited to have truthfully be able to say no slip ups..  I've made a list of things I want to eat after I'm done. ha!  I figure I'll give myself a week off of just all of it to breathe and then continue to have a paleo/healthy diet as normal. 

 

How's the rest of the 29ers?

[Lees96]

Thanks you guys for all the tips.  I had already downloaded the template but I guess I didn't really know it was the template so I have been doing it.  Some days I have 2 or 3 fruits but for the most part I haven't been snacking at all.  Today I've had two meals with no snacking.  I'm probably eating too much fat.  Will work on those portion sizes.  

[jent103]

DubyaWife, that is awesome. I'm hoping to have a little tiger blood this weekend - I gotta get some stuff done! Including making this with some farmers' market peaches... it kind of looks amazing.

 

nomnompaleo.com/post/56702305894/peachy-pork-a-bobs

 

Lees, good luck switching it up a little!

 

I got in late last night because I went to a concert. I was ravenous when I got home, so I had a slice of roast beef, a banana that was about to go bad and some roasted almonds. I'm telling you, you get used to the most random combinations of food on the Whole30! Didn't get as much sleep as I'd like last night, but hopefully I'll have a good weekend as far as that goes. Lots of cooking - I got some short ribs in my CSA box too, so I'm going to cook those in my slow cooker, cook that pork recipe, and make some more frittata muffins for breakfasts. And y'all, this will be my last weekend of Whole30 meal prepping!! (not that I intend to go off the rails later, of course, but it's kind of hard to believe!)

[sisaacson4]

Hey Gang! Doing a bit of traveling this week. More control over my environment than the the hard boiled hotel week from hell. Staying with family, just doing my thing. Made Carnitas for them last night, they raved, now if only they would have joined me on the butter lettuce instead of eating them in tortillas.

The day was crazy, been in and out of their house all at different times, so I just make something for myself when I can. They usually eat at like 8:30 - 9:00. By then I'm famished! Just finding my way through.

Had to have the "just one tiny little sip" discussion last night, but made it through. We have almost kicked this things a%%!

[gardengirl]

Hi all! I am loving just being in this closing stretch! We are really almost there! I have successfully managed three out of town trips in the past 27 days, made cookies and somehow made it through the two bewitching "hours" (3:45 - dinner and post dinner until bedtime) every day. Could it be that the chocolate/ snack dragon has been slayed? I do have some fear about reintros with respect to timing more than specific foods. But... I think as long as I stay true to the template (with more looseness around some ingredients found in tiny amounts.... unless they produce unpleasant side effects!) which I'm hoping will help to curb the need for snacking.

I finally made Melissa's mayonnaise yesterday- oh my gosh; it is really good! My food processor has a tiny hole in the plunger piece, so it trickled the olive oil in at the perfect rate, making it so very easy to make. Thank you garage sale gods, for sending it to me! I'm going to spend today finding ways to use up all the food that is exploding out of the fridge and prepping for the first week of school.

I had a bad reaction last night to what I'm guessing was the turkey burgers from Costco- such a strange thing to have such bloating, gas and general yuck yuck yuck feelings which lasted all night and into the morning (when that used to be the "normal" reaction to most meals). The ingredients read as all compliant: white turkey, kosher salt, rosemary extract and black pepper. I cooked them in olive oil. Hmmmmm.... Any ideas?

[kdegar]

HI all,

I am finally sitting down to make a post that I am dreading....I fell off the wagon     We had an all day swim meet yesterday (8am-545pm) and they ended up running the boys and girls simultaneously which meant us coaches got a whopping 5 minute break.The options for lunch were fruit w/ hot dog or fruit w/ ChikFilA chicken nuggets. I had fruit and 5 chicken nuggets....sigh. I will say that I had leftovers packed but had no time to reheat them and we couldn't have food on the deck. I hate that I had made it this far and then ended up eating off template BUT---in the 23/24 days that I did the program I have seen differences in my shape, my energy and my overall health. I will not be starting over on day 1 at this point. With a couple more big swim meets coming up I just don't think that i can stick to it. However I am going to continue to eat clean! I will be adding a dollop of creamer back to my coffee and a glass of wine once or twice a week but otherwise I'm sticking to it. I've enjoyed my food and the changes I've seen. Just one meal off plan and I was completely bloated this morning. I put in way too much work to get a flatter belly to blow it on chicken nuggets. While they are delicious I am much happier with the daily flatter belly than a few minutes of fried food yumminess. I have enjoyed this trip with you all and will continue to watch and wish you luck! I will be starting a new whole30 after swim season is over so if anyone wants to start at the beginning of October I'm with you!!

[jent103]

sisaacson, that is great! I was telling my brother yesterday about the food I've been making, and he said he and his fiancee both think it sounds delicious. I said that's because it IS. I think showing my family how great the food is goes a long way toward convincing them that a) this is not some fad and it can be a great way to live. I hope my parents pick up on that.

 

gardengirl, I'm SO glad you said that about your food processor - mine has a hole too and I never even noticed! Amazing. This will make mayo even easier. I'm so glad you tried it! I used apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice in mine yesterday and liked it even better. We were always a Miracle Whip family, and this gives it a nice little zing kind of like MW. I have no idea on the burgers - maybe something in the rosemary extract? Or just them being processed?

 

kdegar, that's a bummer, but it sounds like you did the best you could! That's a tough situation to handle. At least you got a few good weeks in and know it's worth it to stick with this long-term! We'll be cheering you on in October too.

 

Two more days for those of us on the original schedule - so close!

[sisaacson4]

I found a pic on FB today that epitomized my evening last night. It was an instructional diagram for the step by step of self administering a suppository only the title was "What You Can Do With Your Opinion".

I attended a cycle cross race yesterday, my uncle is on the team and I went to support his event. Afterwards we went out for dinner. Mexican, not hard to resist but the constant focus on why I wouldn't partake in one little birthday shot. On and on and on. My uncle asked me to explain to one of his teammates what I was up to.

Before I could finish my sentence, he pounced. "You can't expect to change everything in 30 days, it's a lifestyle change."

"I know, I've worked very hard for 2 years to lose 60 pounds, ensuring its done in a healthy way so that I can kee-"

"But the change can't be seen as temporary, it has to be a change in the way you live."

"I appreciate your concern, as I said, I've got this."

"You can't go around expecting to eat like me....I'm going to have to ride 50 miles tomorrow to work off this dinner, but that's the kind of commitment you have to have."

I saw him at different points throughout the day, beer in hand, Jimmy Johns, 3 margaritas, a shot of Patron, 2/3 a baskets of chips, his entire dinner, sampling of the meal of the person next to him, and across from him and half of a cinnamon sugared fried tortilla with whipped cream. Did I mention he didn't race?

"I said, I've got this."

Wanted to say it'll take a heck of a lot more than 50 miles to work that out.....but turned and started a conversation with someone else instead. Mentally flipping him the bird. Mentally, I swear.