Starting today - August 13th!

[bstombaugh]

Hello all,

 

Starting my first ever Whole30 today! I'm not new to Paleo, have been Paleo/Primal for a little over a year but lately have been having more "cheat" days and living more 60/40 than the ideal 80/20. Decided to do a Whole30 after reading the "Moderation Schmoderation" post (http://whole9life.com/2013/08/moderation/).

 

I kind of realized I can keep making excuses as to why I cheat or rationalize unhealthy food choices or I can try something bold like a Whole30 to kick these sugar cravings and start out the school year (last year of nursing school) on the right foot. I must confess, I've been avoiding doing a Whole30 ever since I found out about it because (like many people) I just couldn't imagine not having wine or peanut butter or dairy for a whole 30 days.

 

I'm very excited to start this journey, I'm armed with the Well Fed cookbook and many other Paleo cookbooks, some Tessemae's dressings are on the way and of course, this great Whole30 community.

 

I'd love to hear any tips/suggestions (especially other students or healthcare professionals - 12 hour shifts are rough!) and recipes anyone has to share. I'm trying my hand at homemade mayonaise today and would love to find a great Whole30 ketchup recipe!

[Tracy977]

I have to restart!  I started July 27 but have been doing small cheats here and there.  I'm not giving up on this...so restarting today (NO CHEATING!!) 
 

I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous because I go back to work/school on Thursday and teachers are constantly rewarded/reinforced with food.  I hope to be able to resist all temptations.     Good luck!

 

[peskigirl]

I started on 08/05 but had a bit of a problem... I was doing fine. Had my best friend's birthday on Saturday, I had water the whole time, everyone was drinking beer and pisco sours or mojitos, I was mighty happy with my water, no one was giving me a hard time about it, we were all merrily going CHEERS!!!, and no one looked at me funny for doing so with... water. I loved it. Then the next day, I went grocery shopping. Needed some dried apricots for Melissa Joulwan's Cauliflower Rice Pilaf, from Well Fed (I did it with sweet potato since I didn't have any dried apricots lying around, and well I'm certain it's not the same thing). So I'm at the supermarket, and as usual after the mixed nuts & dried fruits section, I grab one if those tiny "nature's heart" bags, mix of nuts & dried fruits -I didn't even think about it, it was automatic. I saw it as a safe choice since it was mixed nuts & dried fruits, that screamed Whole 30 to me so I didn't even stop for a second to think about it some more. Once I was done with it, I realized it contained peanuts. I was so proud of myself for not having a sip of alcohol at my best friend's birthday party... and this was not a slip up, this was just an oversight, I honestly didn't notice. 

I was so upset about "losing" a whole week and having to start over... I even thought of just ignoring it... but I want to make it right. So I decided to start over from Day 1 (only I forgot to click on the link to restart the Whole 30 daily emails, so today, August 13, is my new Day 1. I decided to try and look at the bright side, I already know how to do this, and this time I will be very, VERY careful, and 100% compliant. 

I will not be posting the pics I had ready from my weekend meals -I really see no point in doing that now that I'm starting over. Plus I will be having all of those meals this week. 

So, today is Day 1 again. Here we go!   

[Katt]

Technically this is my Day 0, but I didn't see anyone else starting tomorrow so if you don't mind, I'll jump in with you guys for support. I tried starting a few days ago, but really didn't give it a fair shot and decided to start over fresh. My downfall is definitely going to be avoiding sugar late at night. I'm hoping to get my son on board when he gets home from his vacation tomorrow night then I'll have some local support, too. What kinds of stuff do you guys make for breakfast? I have the Nom Nom app, I'm gonna spend some time looking at that tomorrow when I should probably be working. I'm not much of a cook though, but maybe that'll change, too. 

[Nelle]

hey bstombaugh,  today is my day 0 but I'm tagging along on your thread.  I'm also a new RN, (3rd career type) and working 12 hour shifts, nights of course.  it is KILLING me food wise, but I love the shift.  I'm actually working two jobs.  One is three 12s and the other is per diem and 8 hr shifts......leaving in an hour.

 

but anyhow....I've done Paleo type plans on and off over the years feel my best when I do.  My son is getting married next February and I'd like to look and feel better when Feb rolls around.

 

I use MFP to track what I eat because with my crazy schedule it would be easy to eat round the clock.  I do need the accountability.

 

So where do you go to school?

[amberino21]

hey bstombaugh, today is my day 0 but I'm tagging along on your thread. I'm also a new RN, (3rd career type) and working 12 hour shifts, nights of course. it is KILLING me food wise, but I love the shift. I'm actually working two jobs. One is three 12s and the other is per diem and 8 hr shifts......leaving in an hour.

but anyhow....I've done Paleo type plans on and off over the years feel my best when I do. My son is getting married next February and I'd like to look and feel better when Feb rolls around.

I use MFP to track what I eat because with my crazy schedule it would be easy to eat round the clock. I do need the accountability.

So where do you go to school?

Nelle - you don't need to track what you eat! Make your 3 (or 4) meals, and only eat those.

Part of the whole 30 is about not tracking or counting, another part is to stop mindless eating. You shouldn't be eating constantly - if you're sticking to the template you shouldn't need to!

[bstombaugh]

Hi all,

 

Great to hear from all of you! Traci977 and Peskigirl - that is so awesome you are re-commiting to starting over! Katt - sugar was weirdly not a problem my first day but the Whole30 timeline says that is pretty typical. I think if you're really needing something sweet some berries and shredded coconut would be a nice treat. As for breakfast - I'm about to eat day 2's today which will be the same as yesterday: scrambled eggs with sweet onions, green peppers and homemade salsa. I'm used to dumping a big handful of cheese on my morning eggs so going without is going to take some getting used to! I anticipate I will grow tired of eggs and will start eating more typical lunch and dinner food for breakfast. I don't have the NomNom app, let me know what you think of it!

 

Nelle - here is a great article about working nights in the hospital and paleo: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/55156756199/surviving-the-night-shift

 

I go to school in Iowa, and I'm also a 2nd career type, went to grad school for Counseling Psychology and decided to become an NP, so I'm back in school. 12 hour shifts are rough, but I was able to do it Paleo/Low-Carb nearly all summer so with a little more planning I think I'll be able to survive. The hardest part is going to be going without diet soda, energy Crystal Light and Advocare Spark - all which I used to caffeinate myself through the shifts. Black coffee is...bleh. Maybe I'll get into tea?

 

I had two attempts at making homemade mayo (anyone else having a hard time without any sauces like ketchup?) and the first one was a mayo fail. I did follow this (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/08/19/mayo-how-to-video/) and was able to make super tasty mayo my 2nd try. In the Well Fed cookbook she uses that mayo as a base to make creamy italian, ranch, sweet mustard and southwest cumin-lime dressings...so I may be able to start eating salads again :-)

 

How did all of your day 1/day 2s go?

[kay2008b]

August 13 is also my day 0!  Restarting today (8/14).  Fell off last weekend after doing 9 straight days of whole30.  I am a graduate student and have been doing paleo since late april (with the typical cheats/paleo treats).  Decided that it was time to really buckle down and try to see some results, as I am working out religiously but not seeing many changes physically due to my diet!  Would love to have the support for the next 30 days   I have a hard time planning and prepping food!

[Nelle]

Nelle - you don't need to track what you eat! Make your 3 (or 4) meals, and only eat those.

Part of the whole 30 is about not tracking or counting, another part is to stop mindless eating. You shouldn't be eating constantly - if you're sticking to the template you shouldn't need to!

 

sometimes I go 30+ hours before I get any sleep, so it just helps to know what day I'm on.  Not tracking so much for macros, but just to keep my internal calendar organized.  Oh yeah....I had breakfast @3AM today, that sorta thing.

 

thanks for the link bstombaugh.....hope to get to it later tonight.

[Physibeth]

sometimes I go 30+ hours before I get any sleep, so it just helps to know what day I'm on.  Not tracking so much for macros, but just to keep my internal calendar organized.  Oh yeah....I had breakfast @3AM today, that sorta thing.

 

thanks for the link bstombaugh.....hope to get to it later tonight.

 

Why are you going 30+ hours before getting any sleep? I apologize if I missed that somewhere earlier. It starts with food but lifestyle matters too. Rather than MFP why not just keep a food log here with the time you ate each meal and what you ate. That is different than tracking calories/macros on MFP and easier too.

[ExAstrisScientia]

Hey all, can I join in this thread too?  I started yesterday (8/14) and would love to have a little support group.  As it is I've been keeping a "journal" of sorts where I can jot down how I'm doing, meals I've eaten, what I'm feeling, and the like.  Oh, and my mom is doing it with me (she lives across the country, so there is a lot of emailing and texting back and forth), which is pretty nice.

 

I'll take the time to do a quick little intro I'm a nerdy 20-something stay at home mom to two nerdy kids, 8 and 4 respectively, one kitty, and married to a nerdy airline pilot - as such, I go it alone with the kids a lot of the time.  This will prove to be interesting as they are not doing it with me and I still have to prepare "regular" meals for them (although, in fairness, they do eat rather well as far as that is concerned, but it prevents me from ridding the house of temptations, unfortunately). 

 

Pre-W30 I ate what I consider to be "pretty well"... I ate tons of veggies, some meat, lots of eggs, limited sugar (mostly unrefined sweets), but I did enjoy my grains and legumes, grassfed butter, and I love love love a good craft beer (or two, or three...).  That said, I'm still suffering from some issues that I'd like to see resolved (digestive upsets, bloating, skin issues, and fatigue), and am excited to see where W30 takes me.  Glad to be here with everyone!

[bstombaugh]

Welcome ExAstrisScientia and Kay2008b,

 

I'm with you on the craft beers. We are going to a jazz festival tomorrow night and the whole thing is centered around everyone eating delicious street food and drinking beer. It will definitely be my biggest challenge yet with the diet. Surprisingly I haven't had any sugar cravings (I previously ended my days with dark chocolate) and it's so strange...I'm wondering when it will happen! So far all my meals have been pretty good, I made sweet potato hash for the first time ever today and it was delicious, makes not dousing my eggs in cheese not so bad.

 

Kay - I know what you mean about no results without changing your diet. I've been working with a personal trainer since May and I've become stronger and in better shape but haven't seen magical losses or huge changes despite lots of exericse, and I'm guessing it's all nutrition related. Too much sugar + carbs. I'm hoping to really see some results from this Whole30 :-)

[peskigirl]

Wow, more of us, yay!

Day 3 has been lovely for me. Hey bstombaugh, I also had sweet potato hash for the first time this morning and loved it! I am documenting every meal (not counting calories though, just taking pics -I'm such a geek, LOL).

ExAstrisScientia, I enjoyed a lot your intro!

May we all have an awesome Day 4 (or day 2!).

[ExAstrisScientia]

Hi again!  I'm on my Day 3 and I am actually feeling pretty great so far, despite going to bed stupidly late last night.  My body woke on its own half an hour before my alarm, and despite a very initial "hangover" feeling, I've been peppy today. 

 

Right now I'm eating my lunch - huge salad of romaine leaves with chopped cuke, olives, a few toasted walnuts, and a hearty scoop of some tuna salad I made last night.  I made a balsamic vinaigrette to go with it (balsamic vinegar, evoo, compliant dijon, s+p),., after I sat down and inhaled half a dozen bites, I thought to look at the label on my vinegar.  It says "Wine vinegar (contains sulfites), concentrated grape must, caramel color.  Hmm.  I know sulfites aren't "allowed", but I also know that they are naturally occuring in some things (for example, the digestive enzymes I take have sulfites from the papaya seeds, and I read on a different thread on the W9 forum that they are still considered compliant).  Also not sure about the caramel color.  I wasn't even thinking when I dumped it in, except "Vinegars are allowed as long as they don't have added sweeteners, etc".  I'll be pretty annoyed if this screws me up

 

Anyone have any insight?  Or should I post this elsewhere?

[peskigirl]

OK I found a thread on this:

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/12128-almost-all-vinegars/?hl=%2Bvinegar+%2Bsulfites#entry126012

 

This is what a moderator said:

"Yup, no malt vinegar, no vinegars with sugar, and no vinegars with sulfites in the ingredients list. Those with the language 'contains naturally occurring sulfites' are acceptable."

 

So I would assume that if the label reads "naturally occurring", then you're good. I would double check with either an advanced member or a moderator if I were you (this is my first Whole 30 too).

[ExAstrisScientia]

Bleh, it doesn't say anything about "naturally occurring"... this is so disheartening, considering how good I was feeling about all of this.  On that topic, where would someone find a balsamic vinegar without sulfites?

 

How is everyone else doing?  What are we all having for dinner tonight? Myself, I'm going to cook some chicken sausages (yes, I definitely read the label on these) roast some cauliflower, and chili spiced sweet potato wedges.  I feel like it needs something else but I can't think of what.  I definitely eat a lot more in a sitting now that I'm not grazing all the time.

[ExAstrisScientia]

I just came across this thread by happenstance: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/12666-confused-sulfites-in-balsamic-vinegar/

 

What I'm taking away from this is that I don't know whether the sulfites in my vinegar are natural or not, but I'm just not going to take the chance, and refrain from eating any more of it from now on.  I'm also going to consider my one-time accidental consumption of a reasonably small amount (it was maybe 1Tbsp) to NOT set me back to day one, because... no.  I'll be much more careful at reading labels (you know, even more than I already do) from now on, though.

[peskigirl]

Same thing here with the eating habits! Now I'm eating so much more than I used to because I'm no longer snacking (OK that might be a lie -I *try* not to snack in between meals anymore. But sometimes I snack on almonds or pecans. I will try to snack on protein too since that's what ISWF recommends).

 

For me, breakfast today was Well Fed's "Chocolate Chili" (made with chicken though, not ground beef), beet/kale/celery soup (with a slice of ginger on top for extra nutrition), and a side of Well Fed's "Velvetty Butternut Squash". Since I only had 2 squashes, I did it 50-50 with sweet potatoes -it was real nice. 

 

Lunch was OMG good: massive salad with chunks of chicken, and a side of guac & "Velvetty Butternut Squash".

 

Dinner will be squash cream (my fav cream, this is a peruvian squash called "loche", it's yellow and the taste is mindblowing!), and not sure if I'll have chicken or eggs for protein, I'll have to see what I'm in the mood for. Can't wait to get out of the office to go hang out in my kitchen!! 

[ExAstrisScientia]

Wow, that chocolate chili sounds very intriguing.  I'm definitely bookmarking it to try later, thanks!

[bstombaugh]

Hi y'all, please feel free to post links to recipes of anything you find tasty, it would be much appreciated!

 

Personally, I wouldn't start over with the accidental consumption of sulfites. My husband put 1 tsp of soy sauce in the Shepard's Pie we had the other day, found out after and thought - that 5ml soy sauce spread throughout a whole casserole is just not worth me starting over. I'm guessing the starting over has more to do with making intential bad choices like a brownie, grilled cheese, beer, I mean I know they say the cream in your coffee and licking the spoon, but those, however small, would still be intentional. Just my take on it, and now I'm trying to be a diligent laber reader as well :-)

 

Tonight I made Paleo Bolognese, and I can honestly say it is the best meat sauce I have ever made, I served it over "zoodles"/zucchini noodles. Zoodles were...interesting...maybe my brain couldn't get over the fact it wasn't spaghetti, I'll give them another go and try stir-frying them or something.

Bolognese sauce: http://balancedbites.com/2013/03/easy-recipe-spaghetti-squash-bolognese-practical-paleo-ideas-for-replacing-pasta.html

Zoodles: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/5695132949/zucchini-spaghetti-zoodles-meatballs

 

I'm about to head off to the street jazz festival, I bought a 12 pack of those La Croix sparkling waters and although it wasn't sweet like soda (I've never tried them), it'll be something to drink there besides plain water.

 

How is everyone's day 4/5/x going?

[GFChris]

Bleh, it doesn't say anything about "naturally occurring"... this is so disheartening, considering how good I was feeling about all of this.  On that topic, where would someone find a balsamic vinegar without sulfites?

 

How is everyone else doing?  What are we all having for dinner tonight? Myself, I'm going to cook some chicken sausages (yes, I definitely read the label on these) roast some cauliflower, and chili spiced sweet potato wedges.  I feel like it needs something else but I can't think of what.  I definitely eat a lot more in a sitting now that I'm not grazing all the time.

I found two possibilities for compliant balsamic vinegar in my local Whole Foods. one was by Newman's Own and the other was by bionaturae.

[Topaz]

HI bstombaugh!!!

 

I started Aug 12, but!  I just graduated nursing school, and started working 3 12s a week this summer in ICU.  I'm an 'extern' right now, but will be transitioned to RN next month.

 

And yeah, I hear 'ya on the 12 hours shifts.  People are laughing at all the food I'm bringing in!

 

For this week, I worked Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  So on Sunday, I cooked up a few things from the cookbook Well Fed.  I made the zoodles and cucumber salad.  I have antiobiotic/hormone free chicken from Trader Joe's that is basically heat up and eat, and you can throw it into anything.  I also made a type of 'frittata' for breakfast...sauteed a bunch of veggies, poured in three eggs, and let it cook on low.  The I cut it in half and took it for breakfast with some fruit.  So I'm packing breakfast, fruit, and some type of salad with protein for lunch, with an emergency compliant Larabar for a snack if needed (because lunch doesn't always happen!) along with apples/almond butter, too.  Not *not* compliant, and really...unless you have worked 12+ hours on your feet, you can't look at me and say 'no snacks!'.    On Thursday, I actually left work not feeling ravenously hungry, which is progress!  If I come up with any more 'tricks' I will definitely share!

 

One are I know needs improvement is water consumption.  We can't have our water bottles with us (it isn't JCHO compliant), and having to walk to the break room to take a swig isn't something that can always be worked into my day easily.  

[ExAstrisScientia]

I found two possibilities for compliant balsamic vinegar in my local Whole Foods. one was by Newman's Own and the other was by bionaturae.

 

Thanks for the recommendations!  The nearest Whole Foods to me is an hour and a half away but I'll look at my local health food store. 

 

This is my day 4 and I am feeling alright.  Has anyone else been having really weird dreams?  I feel like every single night I've had very vivid, random dreams that leave me going "wtf?" when I wake. 

 

I had a really big breakfast this morning after I got back from the farmer's market (Saturday mornings are always my favorite breakfast days)... two fried eggs in ghee, "creamed" kale (made with coconut milk), and roasted cherry tomatoes.  I also had black tea and a sliced peach.

 

Oh, something else I wanted to mention here... last night when I was going to bed I felt pretty awful.  I was getting hot flashes followed by chills... I'd start sweating, but when I kicked the covers off I would freeze.  My heart kept pounding, too.  What's up with that?  It almost felt like a fever, but I didn't have one.  I will say that my cycle started this morning so maybe it was some kind of weird hormonal thing, but I've never experienced it before so I'm not sure what would have caused it.  I've heard of people experiencing other types of hormonal swing symptoms on W30 but since I'm so early in the program I didn't expect something like that.  Maybe it's a fluke?

[ExAstrisScientia]

I endured some really KILLER cravings last night for ice cream (which I didn't even eat very often at all, pre W30!).  I wanted to kill for a pint of B&J's but I endured, and ended my night off with herbal tea.

 

First thing I do this morning after breakfast?  Bake some chocolate chip cookies (for my mother-in-law, today is her birthday).  Oy...

[bstombaugh]

Welcome Topaz,

 

I feel you on the snacks sometimes - being that active during a shift just makes me hungry between meals.

 

When I wake up tomorrow - I will officially have finished one week of Whole30. That is pretty cool and something I wouldn't have imagined I could do just a few weeks ago, so cheers to all of us :-)

 

So far I have had maybe one craving for sugar, so I know it's not the best, as we aren't supposed to eat fruit alone - but I had fruit salad and got over it. I also bought the La Croix sparkling water and it is definitely getting me over not being able to drink any soda or crystal light, I got the Cran-Raspberry flavor, anyone else tried any of the other ones?

 

Wanted to share a recipe for Paleo Ketchup that is as close to the real thing as you can get and very easy and cheap to make:

http://notinmoderation.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/nailed-it-ryan-wilders-wicked-easy-paleo-ketchup/

 

@ExAstris - I haven't had any weird dreams, but I've read that is common. Have you noticed your sleep improving at all? And that is a weird flu like symptom you noticed with the chills, have you heard of Candida die off? I've heard that process can mimic the flu, and it happens during a Whole30 because of the reduction of sugar.