August 1 Start Date - Who Wants to Rock This w/ Me?

[esther105]

For those of you on your first W30 who are suffering from headaches, constipation, etc and are wondering whether it's 'normal', this link from the Whole9 Blog might provide some very helpful information.  Actually, it's helpful information for ALL people who are doing a Whole30! 

 

http://whole9life.com/2013/01/whole30-timeline/

Thank you for sharing this! I love this quote:

And it is definitely true that the amount of suck you experience in this phase is directly proportional to the amount of crap you consumed before you began the program.

Clearly, I consumed a lot of crap before beginning the program.

[mrsmcg6306]

@wylandfn - thank you for your kind words!  I am really excited to be taking part in Whole30 and am seeing so many benefits already just one a personal level beyond my coaching and can't wait to see where this takes me/us in the next 30 days.  I am completely against going to a conventional doctor and am all about holistic health and healing.  Sadly, we have become a society so brainwashed by big pharm and corporations.  I am so glad to hear that by switching to holistic methods you are happier! If only more people would jump on your bandwagon!

[WholeBunchOJunk]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the forum, and my first Whole30.  I first heard about Whole30 when I joined a Paleo board a few months ago, but I've been avoiding Whole30 like the plague even though one of my goals is to eat more unprocessed foods.  So, a couple of days ago I made the decision to do it starting Aug 1.  I'm totally unprepared, but fortunately have enough of the right things to tide me over until I grocery shop on Saturday.

 

I have been gluten free and mostly dairy free since 2005, but in the last few months have been ever increasing the dairy...greek yogurt, cheese and cream. And, do eat a lot of gluten-free convenience foods, even though they are healthier options, they are still mostly junk.

 

I successfully took off 50 pounds quite a few years ago, and kept it off for almost 10 years, but the amount of stress in the last two years has done me in and I've gained almost all of that back.

 

I am hugely addicted to sugar...a little seems to beget more which begets a LOT more.  So, I'm really looking forward to ridding my body of the junk.

 

I also have a medical reason to do this...the females in my family are ALL currently pre-diabetic and with my weight gain, I'm a bit concerned about that.  But the main reason is that I have a history of a precancerous tumor near my pancreas, so if I can reduce inflamation, it can't hurt.  And I have HORRIBLE insomnia...like to see if changing what I eat will have any effect on that.

 

I liked Paleo, but never really did it 100%, so I REALLY like the idea of committing to Whole30 for the month of August.  It's just a month, but I have a feeling that it will last much longer.

 

My goals:

 

1.  Better sleep...I'm lucky if I can get 5 hours a night

2.  Reduce inflammation in my body

3.  Get rid of those sugar cravings (did it before can do it again)

4.  Reduce joint pain

5.  Break away from “convenience†foods

6.  Even out blood sugars

7.  Reduce cholesterol

8.  Lose weight

9.  Increase energy

 

Those are lofty goals and some are out of my control, but those are my motivations.

 

My single Whole30 goal is to stick to it for the whole month.  I've got nothing scheduled this month to conflict with it.

[Leroy Brown]

I'm on board!  I did my first Whole 30 in July and I think I did a kick ass job.  I kept myself accountable by taking and posting pics of every single meal.  I am sure this drove all my FB friends insane, so I will not do that this time around.  I decided to go ahead and stick with the program since I feel wonderful and I tried to eat crappy food yesterday, but it tasted horrible.  Trader Joe's is my best friend and I have stocked up on grass fed beef, free range chicken and veggies.  I hear people try to cut back on fruit and I wonder why?  I eat fruit for breakfast almost every day since it is so fresh and in season.  My favorite are sweet and savory blueberry eggs from StupidEasyPaleo.  I am obsessed with her blog and Paleomg as well as Nom Nom.  I am happy to have a support group this time around as I did not figure out how to log in here until today.  I hope to learn from each of you.  Thank you!!

[wylandfn]

I did my first whole 30 last year and blogged almost every day of it. I went to a party and gorged myself on fruit available (thank goodness) and whatever meat I could find and pretty sure that meat was cured with sugar so pretty sure I strayed in that sense but going to a party without drinking booze/smoking cigarettes was such a win that I didn't feel too terrible about it. Doing it again this year, feeling very unprepared for the boredom as I don't have internet outside of my phone or cable to keep me distracted! Hopefully I will be able to distract myself without going to the bar. I know it shouldn't be this difficult, but it is!

 

@laurenislost - This may be a silly question but, is this party you are going to be attending something that you can just forego and do something more fun for yourself instead?  If not and you must or really want to go, I would recommend having a very satisfying meal before the party and drinking club soda w/ a lime or lemon (or if you want to get really cray-cray... both).  Take pleasure in knowing you are making such healthy choices for yourself and that YOU won't be waking up feeling terrible and with that nasty little hangover or bubble-guts feeling the next day!  =)

[laurenislost]

@laurenislost - This may be a silly question but, is this party you are going to be attending something that you can just forego and do something more fun for yourself instead?  If not and you must or really want to go, I would recommend having a very satisfying meal before the party and drinking club soda w/ a lime or lemon (or if you want to get really cray-cray... both).  Take pleasure in knowing you are making such healthy choices for yourself and that YOU won't be waking up feeling terrible and with that nasty little hangover or bubble-guts feeling the next day!  =)

It isn't a specific party that I am going to now, was just reminsicing about last year, should have been more clear! Going to the bar has been a convenient past-time for me lately as my apartment is pool facing, and I abhor the noise of the children and people outside, yes I am a joy when I am not drinking, hah! I use food and drink as a cure for boredom but lately I've taken up hooping and dancing to fill those voids, unfortunately all the movement has really ramped up my cravings for sweets (I may actually just need more calories to support my activity level) Really, eating cupcakes seems more appealing than eating sweet potatoes, too! Haha, I know I am making a bunch of excuses for bad behavior, but I would rather just get them out of the way and then be prepared for temptations later!

[you_surname]

I'm in!  Lovely to "see" you again, wylandfn.

[wylandfn]

I'm in!  Lovely to "see" you again, wylandfn.

 

Great to have you with us you_surname!  =)

[wylandfn]

It isn't a specific party that I am going to now, was just reminsicing about last year, should have been more clear! Going to the bar has been a convenient past-time for me lately as my apartment is pool facing, and I abhor the noise of the children and people outside, yes I am a joy when I am not drinking, hah! I use food and drink as a cure for boredom but lately I've taken up hooping and dancing to fill those voids, unfortunately all the movement has really ramped up my cravings for sweets (I may actually just need more calories to support my activity level) Really, eating cupcakes seems more appealing than eating sweet potatoes, too! Haha, I know I am making a bunch of excuses for bad behavior, but I would rather just get them out of the way and then be prepared for temptations later!

 

__________________________

 

Maybe what you need is to add a little bit more quality fats to your meals? Also, with the increased activity level, you are likely correct in that you should probably take in a few more quality calories to support your activity changes. When I used to have cravings for things like cupcakes and the like, I would try some visualization and reflect back on the words I've read in "It Starts With Food", "The Paleo Solution" as well as "The Primal Blueprint" and remind myself of what that cupcake really consists of ... that would then help turn me off.  It's about empowering yourself and making those decisions to love and respect your body by only giving it quality fuel.  If we want our bodies to be something that we love and appreciate, then we need to return the favor and love it with the fuel we choose for it.  =)

[aliciadunn]

Day 1 of this Whole30 and I am rocking it with you (plural)!!!

 

My goals, in order:

 

1. Improved sleep. I sleep anywhere from 6-10 hours per night. I'd like to consistently get 6-7 hours sleep, feeling rested when I wake up, with continuous energy throughout the day.

2. Change in body composition. Last time I did a Whole30, I lost a lot of weight, despite the fact I do not weigh much. I don't really care about the scale. This time, I'd like to strongly focus on reducing body fat and improving muscle mass. I don't do Crossfit. But when I exercise, I would like to feel like my body is lean.

3. Reduced stress and anxiety. Some external factors (namely, my job) often create stress. I am hoping this Whole30 will help me channel my energy positively and re-center. I have learned to be pretty good about this regardless, but I am hoping that this August will be a source of happiness and not frustration.

4. Discover and master ten new recipes that I will be able to replicate in the future.

 

Alright folks let's do this!!! 

[LynnCG]

I started today. This is the second time for me. I did my first last Nov-Dec. I try to eat Paleo most of the time anyway. Just need to lose weight so I start today to be stirctly Whole30. I need the support. I hope this works.

[Melinda]

Today is my first day of Whole30!  

 

I have PCOS, sleep apnea, and lower back problems, which I think are all symptoms of being overweight.  And I'm afraid that if something doesn't change, diabetes is right around the corner.

 

I'm about to transition from a cushy desk job in the corporate world to the very physically demanding job of running a farm, and I need my health.  Plus, I'm only 30-something, way too young for these types of problems.

 

I don't drink and I've never smoked.  My addition is food.  Sweet, startchy food.  My favorites: ice cream, cereal, pasta, bread.  The list goes on, but those are the major culprits.  I think I even have a problem of eating too much fruit.

 

Ironically, I love eating but hate cooking or baking.  I do have the Well Fed book and luckily the recipes are pretty easy (and tasty!), but I am still very reluctant to make a lot of the food.  However, I have a growing list of "fool-proof" recipes that I feel fairly confident about.  Confident that I will have the ingredients on hand, confident that it will taste good, and confident that I'll actually put forth the effort to make it (I really don't like cooking). 

 

To kickstart my Whole 30 experience, I made a big batch of chili last night (following the Well Fed recipe).  I love chili.  And surprisingly, it's not hard to make!  I even followed the Well Fed suggestion of serving it over a bed of baby spinnach (luckily I love spinnach too).  I ate a pretty good size portion for breakfast (BREAKFAST!!  One of the perks of being an adult!) and it was GOOD! 

 

I know I will have many obstacles.  August is not an "easy" month for me, I have a lot going on.  But I'm fully commited.  I think if I can get past the first two weeks then the rest should be a breeze!

[Kelli R]

Hi!

 

I started today too.  I did my first Whole30 back in Jan/Feb and was amazed by my results. I dropped 17lbs. I didn't do my measurements first so this round I'm doing that.  I have slipped back to my old ways (though not as bad) and I feel like CRAP.  I'm done being overweight and feeling gross.  So, my Whole30 is going to be a Whole90, or however long it takes, until I'm happy with my body.  Once I'm done I'm NOT reverting back to the old ways ~ it's NOT worth it.

 

For those of you doing this for the first time my biggest recommendation is PLANNING!!  Set aside time every week to plan & prep your food for the week. It's super easy that way. You'll find you eat high quality, super tasty, and large meals and you won't be hungry.  I ate better on the Whole30 than I had in decades.  I'm super stoked to be starting again.  My body has been craving it.

 

If anyone finds new/interesting recipes be sure to post them.  Variety is the spice of life.

 

Good luck to all!

Kelli

[wylandfn]

I second Kelli's request... If anyone finds new/interesting recipes, please post them!  =)

[missmunchie]

Hi everyone! I decided to start today, too. Well, I'd been mulling the decision over in my head for a few days, and it wasn't until after my (extremely non-compliant) breakfast I decided to take the plunge. This will be my second Whole30. I've started and stopped several times since my first Whole30 in January, but this time I'm going to bust through and finish with no slips or "I'll just start over tomorrows". My only goal is to finish and rock it. Baby steps.

[esther105]

It was a good day for me overall. I resisted eating that last bit of Pizza Hut pizza that my son left over and made it out of Target without eating anything at all. Funny how so many of my bad eating habits are in the form of being the garbage can for my kids' leftovers.

For dinner tonight I made crockpot chicken from NomNomPaleo. The chicken was falling off the bones and so soft. I made a gravy from the veges and had it over a big bowl of spaghetti squash. It was tasty, although it could have used a bit more flavor. I want to love my crockpot but I feel like everything I ever make in it tastes like stew. Anyone have any fantastic crockpot recipes they can share?

[MrsRobinson]

Welcome to everyone joining us this time! 

I suppose mine starts tomorrow, I had a mini break/reintro today that did NOT go well so I don't think I need to put my hand on the stove again to know its hot. So I guess I'm going 8/2-9/2, but I'm doing September as well so its all the same glorious battle.

 

This time, these are the things I want to work on:

 

1. By the end of August I want to be able to successfully navigate this trail. In its entirety.
2. I want to continue with my reading and keep writing about my journey.
3. This may seem unrelated, but it has to do with the whole insides matching the outsides thing-- I need to work on my language. I'm a 911 dispatcher and if you have any experience with that...all I can say is that my language has gone downhill and it bothers me. Shootings, police chases, and houses on fire have a way of making you drop f-bombs. Its gotta stop. Call it better stress management if you like.
4. I too want to expand my cooking horizons. I think I made three things in Well Fed last month, I want to make a lot more. 
5. I wouldn't mind losing as much this go round as I did last time. If I can manage that I'll be very close to my goal of losing 100 pounds before the end of the year. Which is absolutely happening.

 

I walked to the farmer's market today and scored some great stuff-- hydroponic lettuce, cucumbers, pattypan squash, gherkins, blueberries, I'm going to sit down and make a meal plan for the week tonight at work. 

Rock on, y'all!

[NaomiI]

I'm in too! =)

Hi everyone! Day 1 and all is good in the world, LOL! Seriously day 1 was very satisfying. Being prepared is really the key for me, no cravings and I feel full. It's 9pm and I'm ready for some decaf herbal tea and then to bed. Good night everyone tomorrow's going to be a great day!

[wylandfn]

It was a good day for me overall. I resisted eating that last bit of Pizza Hut pizza that my son left over and made it out of Target without eating anything at all. Funny how so many of my bad eating habits are in the form of being the garbage can for my kids' leftovers.

For dinner tonight I made crockpot chicken from NomNomPaleo. The chicken was falling off the bones and so soft. I made a gravy from the veges and had it over a big bowl of spaghetti squash. It was tasty, although it could have used a bit more flavor. I want to love my crockpot but I feel like everything I ever make in it tastes like stew. Anyone have any fantastic crockpot recipes they can share?

 

The following two recipes from Melissa Joulwan have become two staples in my house!  They are so versatile!  I use the meat to mix in salads, eggs, alone, over baby spinach, over spaghetti squash, the sky is the limit!  The recipes make up a lot of meat and keeps my refrigerator stocked all week long with both myself and my hubby eating from it!

 

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/10/16/slow-cooker-italian-pork-roast/

 

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/02/23/5-spice-slow-cooker-pork-ribs/ (I can't sing this recipe's praises enough!)

 

I hope this helps! 

[RunnerJudy]

End of Day 1!  I read most of the posts here; so fun to be doing this together.  Guess we are pretty much divided by foregoing coffee or drinking it black.  We make real lattes at our house but I opted for an a.m. espresso  I'm going to get up so my DH can make it for me as he is better at pulling shots of espresso.  I plan on trying the coco milk & coffee in blender for my afternoon cuppa.

 

Today I ate:

M 1:  half of a huge sweet potato & a grilled chicken/apple sausage.  Next time I will add the coco oil to the potato.

M 2:  grilled chicken breast, 1/2 spaghetti squash, roasted red pepper.  Again, I need to add fat because I was starving soon after.

M 3:  marinated london broil (olive oil, balsamic, garlic, S&P, fresh thyme), carrots, eggplant/red pepper/cherry tomato salad.

 

I'm hungry now but will make it until morning.  I do count calories and this was just over 1,000.  Adding healthy fat will put me in a good range for me.  I need to lose 30 more pounds, down 15 since January.

 

I've been GF for 10 or so years but am definitely a slave to the sugar dragon.  Gave up grains and white sugar for the new year when I lost the 15 but pretty much started inhaling maple syrup and honey so it's time for tough love!  The dairy is what kept me from starting the Whole30 in January.  I'm ready now.  These extra pounds have slowed my running pace way down.  not cool.

 

@MrsRobinson  That trail looks awesome!  Thanks for sharing that REI site....going to check it out for local Jersey suggestions.  I'm getting bored with my local park.

 

Here's to day 2 everyone!  

[MrsRobinson]

As far as crock pots are concerned, I prefer to do meat in the pot and roast vegetables separately so they don't get anhiliated and mushy. Though when it was 96 degrees with a Real Feel of Kill All The Things it all ll went in there because I was not putting the oven on. I ruined one chunk of grass fed rump roast in the crock pot, it was like a jerky doorstop. Lesson learned, there.

[amberino21]

. Im on day three and have an intense headache. I wonder if that is common when starting out? Tempted to take some Advil but I think I'll ride it out.

Completely normal (sorry) ....eating starchy carbs may help a little?

[Malfaitrice]

I'm still on vacation, so I haven't really settled into my normal routine yet... Trying to eat at least three meals per day, but when you wake up at 10, it tends to be only two.

 

Need to go grocery shopping again today, forgot how intense and expensive it was to eat nothing but great food!

Being limited to the size of my bike basket is however good to keep me from over-buying and then having to eat the same thing for a week! This time around I'm aiming for a more balanced meal planning, trying to get a larger variety of things on my plate than what was possible in January (limited fresh produce, me buying things in bulk etc meant I sort of rotated the same things on a weekly basis).

 

Oh, and does anyone have a good recipe for a summery type of soup - not containing chicken or beef (a challenge, yes I know...)? I love soups and usually eat gazpacho on really hot days, but the nutritional value (and lack of protein and fat) of that is too low for me to accept it as part of a whole 30... All I can think of are pea soups, but that's obviously not ideal either!

[mcdgg]

Hi I started yesterday and so far so good.I have given up grains before without too much of a problem but my challenge is dairy, but I figure I can do this for 30 days!

Gina

[lexes42]

Successfully navigated Day 1! A few potholes in the road, but I successfully swerved.

 

As expected, my mind did come back to 'I'm not doing this right / perfect / good enough' even before anything has gone wrong.  I thought I hadn't cooked enough ahead of time, I hadn't written out my goals yet, I'm eating the same thing almost for breakfast and dinner, I've already had two pieces of fruit, ACK! blah blah blah

 

I bought a handful of dried apricots at Wegmans on Wednesday to throw into a curry chicken recipe.  I had eaten dinner early-ish because I had to go to a work  happy hour from 6-7:30 and I didn't want to be hungry.  I got through the happy hour with sparkling water I'd brought my self and successfully navigated the commute home and walking in the door without automatically walking to the pantry to eat something.

 

But before (early!) bedtime  I was burping salmon fishcakes (my dinner) and they were really better the first time.  So I used that as an excuse to eat those damn dried apricots.  It was sneaky a sugar craving I think because they were reallllly good.  This made me realize that the few items in the house that didn't make it thorugh the first cull (shredded cheese, fancy cherry preserves) must be evicted today.  I might find a way/rationalization to find them and eat them.  Stupid Dragon.

 

@esther105 - finishing my daughters crappy leftovers is what put me back on the road to overweight.  I had lost all my pregnancy weight... but I lived in London.  When I returned to the US she was a toddler and I started grazing along with her and finishing her mac and cheese.  That plus America's huge portion sizes put me back on the metabolic syndrome train.  So I am SO IMPRESSED you made it through Target without succumbing to the pizza hut crusts (been there).