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Looking for a buddy for the August Whole30


Cassie M

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Hello!

I found this website last week (as recommended on Mark's Daily Apple) and am looking forward to starting the Whole30 challenge for the month of August ... but I'm going to need a buddy or two!

I ate about 80% Paleo/Primal for the month of June, so I know I'm capable of setting a plan and sticking to it. But I also know how hard this will be (it is called a challenge, after all!) so can do with some motivation along the way - and will happily provide some for you, too!

Are there any other newbies out there looking for an online buddy?

Looking forward to August!

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me, too! just ordered the book, totally new to paleo, signed up for the archive of the paleo summit to jumpstart my learning curve - glad to have a few other newbies with me here, though sounds like you both at least have some experience. to our success! victoria :-)

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Me too!! I am really looking forward to doing the Whole30. I have been primal about 50% only and want to clean that up to 100%! We can do this, it will be fun to have people to motivate each other! I look forward to getting to know all of you!! Jen

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Hi Cassie M, I'm a newbie too and looking for all the support I can get. I'm in! I'm similar to you, been eating about 80% paleo since the beginning of June. I have removed grains and sugar before (but not honey) and besides calming my ulcerative colitis symptoms (which was worth it in itself) didn't see many changes in my body. I'm looking forward to sleeping better and having more engergy.

Best of luck and see you in the forum! -Megan

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I'm in for an August 1st start for Whole30 #2.

I did my first Whole30 in February and had good results. My abs looked great. It wasn't hard after the first few days. I kept it simple by always having cooked chicken, ground beef and hard-boiled eggs in my fridge, plus canned sardines in the pantry. Add some fresh and frozen veggies and fruit and you are good to go!

But then post Whole30 31 I ate non- Whole30 approved stuff. And then more of it. Unfortunately it didn't make me feel as lousy as many people say it does when they reintroduce certain foods. I wish I felt horrible from eating grains and dairy but the immediate effect is just not bad for me which really bites. Gradually my diet has deteriorated and my weight drifted up and I feel bloated from the crap diet I had on my vacation last week.

So it's back to basics starting August 1st. I already felt pretty good before my first Whole30, although I didn't have the dramatic improvement in the way I felt that many people describe. But I am ready to feel better than I do today so I plan to finally read ISWF (pre-ordered the book and got it mid-June but haven't read it yet...) and get my pantry ready for my official start of Whole30 #2. I sort of started several times since March but never committed to doing it like the first time so it just didn't work. But now IT IS TIME!

Good luck everyone. We can do this!!!

P.S. My family is not on board with eating Paleo but the better my diet the less grain and dairy they have because I prepare better foods for them. They like chicken and steak and veggies but they love their pizza too and I can't force the change on them. Hubby is a grown man that can decide for himself what he chooses to eat. :) Our kids are 4, 6 and 8. If I can get them 80% Paleo that would be good enough for me. My overall goal is to increase their Paleo choices and reduce the frequency of a lot of the other stuff over time.

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We are very much alike, both in our attitude to our families eating and how eating w30 (or not) effects us.

I never felt lousy eating "normally" and I don't feel super dooper woweee eating W30 but I do know that it is a helluva lot healthier for me and I have found a way of maintaining my health & weight that doesn't involve weighing & meauring every morsel.

have a great w30

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Can I jump in too, I'm also starting on the 1st August.

I've been mostly paleo since April 2011 but more & more slips have crept in (still gluten free always though so I told myself it was not so bad!). I want to get back on track and stop eating the rubbish.

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My paleo journey started with a blog on weight maintenance (Refuse to Regain). Dr. Barbara Berkeley follows a paleo diet. After years of reading her blog, I decided to check it out. I started with Primal Body/Primal Mind. Then I checked out Mark's Daily Apple and bought his book The Primal Blueprint and 90 Day Journal. From Mark's Daily Apple, I jumped over here to check this out. I also plan to start the Whole30 in August but I have a girls' weekend the first weekend of August and a wedding on August 11. I hate to say it but I don't think I can start with these two big events at the very beginning. So I am starting on August 12. I have totally removed grains from my diet for the past two weeks. Still struggling with my morning coffee with half & half, and nightly glass of wine, but plan to go Whole30 100% on August 12.

May I join you all?

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I'd like to join ya'll for my first Whole30! I got here by doing the Slow Carb diet for about six months. I lost weight and overall felt really good, but the cheat days were bringing me down. I would always have a post-cheat day hangover. So I started looking into switching to Paleo, which led me here. I just read ISWF and the Well Fed cookbook and I'm so excited!

I have been "cheating" for the whole month of July so I feel pretty gross. I'm ready to completely kick my sugar cravings - no once-a-week binge required!

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JoyfulSusan - I think you are wise to commit to the Whole30 100% after those events. It's not impossible to do a Whole30, but it is a bit of a challenge in the beginning. I am beginning August 1st in anticipation of the stress surrounding the start of school mid-August for my kids, plus too many trips out of the vacation ended up leading to many poor food choices so I just don't feel great anymore. I have a wedding to attend mid-September so my Whole30 will be completed and if I choose to have a glass of wine, I will be able to enjoy it then. Hoping to improve my body composition and get a bit more sculpted before all those wedding photos since its a family member getting married!

I am less concerned about my Whole30 than I am with my post Whole30. I slowly let poor food choices creep back in to my diet by returning to old habits and just being lazy about preparing good whole foods. I am planning to stick to mostly Whole30 foods after this next one. It really is a great way to eat and take care of your body.

P.S. I thought I would never enjoy black coffee but I did after just a day or two once I tried. Coconut milk is also good in coffee but I won't do that every day for my Whole30. I have been back to adding a splash of milk to my coffee since April but will cut it out again next week. Old habits die hard in my world!!!

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Thanks for the reply jhmomi! I tried coconut milk in my coffee, which I thought was just yummy, then I discovered it was the wrong kind of Coconut Milk--in the dairy case with sugar in it. No wonder it was so yummy. Starting Aug. 12, I will just have to go back to black.

P.S. My brother and his family live in Avondale Estates, if you are familiar with that part of Atlanta.

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JoyfulSusan - I am so jealous your brother is right there near the DeKalb Farmer's Market. I used to LOVE going there but never lived that close. I was in Stone Mountain off Memorial Drive 20 something years ago and now I am in East Cobb so technically I should have listed my hometown right now as Marietta... :) I do have Whole Foods and Tader Joe's within 2 miles of my house so I can't complain too much. The DeKalb Farmers Market is just a really cool place. If you haven't ever been, check it out next time you are here. It's a bit of an experience just to go there. So many unusual things! :)

Try the canned coconut milk in your coffee. I get mine at Trader Joe's. Love that place too. It's a bit of a treat and a change from black.

Speaking of treat, I just snacked on some smoked whitefish I picked up at Whole Foods a little while ago. So yummy. But then I followed it with some trail mix - peanuts and M&Ms included. I had a little handful and threw the rest in the trash. Why is it so hard to say NO to things we KNOW aren't good for us? :(

Welcome Shannon! I just passed through Indianapolis on Monday. I was in Chicago visiting my brother and headed back home that day.

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Welcome jhmomi, jenmer, joyfulSusan, and shannon!

Making a commitment like this - "announcing" it online and to our friends/family, preparing mentally (not to mention cooking up a storm!) and looking for support is a big first step! I'm still a bit fearful and know there will be days when I wonder what the hell I signed up for, but I'm so happy to have found so many others in the same boat!.

Looking forward to a great W30!

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Me too please! I'm glad there are so many beginning this journey together!

I'm using the Whole30 Daily to clean up what I've been doing over the past 10 days. I was still using a sprinkle of cheese n my omlettes occasionally and had snuck in some sweet potato chips that had some corn flour in them.

Also In the beginning (maybe the first 3days) I was using (what I read last night as) compliant foods to replace my old junk food. Coconut Milk Smoothies with tons of fruit in them to make "dessert"... so while I did go 10 day w/o sugar (say what?! way to go girl!!!) I felt I was doing it all on a slippery slope....

Sooooo.... Yesterday when I saw a tweet about the Daily I decided AHA! ==> I'm gonna begin again! Relief. Followed by... well I may as well fall off the wagon all the way since I'm starting over. (Such stinkin' thinkin' )... and while I didn't grab the sleeve of thin mints secretly hidden in the back of the freezer, I did slather some raw honey on a piece of gluten- free toast. And then a second. Ugh.

And so today will be day zero for me with regards to my Whole30 Daily but I'm gonna try to use it as my lift-off day and be compliant instead of using it as a "last supper day"...

Like someone mentioned earlier, my family (hubby, 2 kids ages 10 & 11) eats regular too, so I'm still preparing theirs as I always have but giving them better and more Paleo choices. :)

Thanks for letting me go on & on... Just re-read this and will c&p it to my whole30 journal as well. Wow I cheated more than I realized and didnt even realize it until I wrote it down.

Here's to our journey together!!

Maggie

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Yes, I never thought I'd be able to drink black coffee either. And it has a lot to do with the coffee. I found that I drink far less now but it's a much greater quality. And the better the coffee the less I am using it. I'm finding I'd rather have some coconut water or lemon water. ISWF was a birthday gift and a nudge to stop talking about change and become the change.

I'm finding time management to be my biggest obstacle right now. I work a full time job and have a second job as a yoga teacher. So I need to "show up" and be fully there for my classes. I also help care for my two ailing parents - another incentive. So I'm usually on the go. Just sitting down to a movie is a decadence. I like to call myself a single mom of two, they just happen to be 67 and 64.

Looking forward to the Whole 30 official start!

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Shannon - You do have challenges with your busy schedule! I am not working right now and I am married, but I did work as recently as last fall as a hospital RN on night shift while raising 3 small children (now they are 4, 6 and 8).

Planning ahead is key especially for me since I don't really love to cook! Here are just a few suggestions of the things that help me most. Most of this prep could be done in a few hours on the weekend...

1. I keep containers of cooked chicken and ground beef in my fridge ready to turn into a quick meal with minimal effort, as well as hard-boiled eggs.

2. Fresh veggies are great, but I also keep several bags of frozen ones on hand for convenience. Frozen burger patties, precooked shrimp and Applegate chicken and apple sausage are also nice to have in my freezer.

3. I prepackage protein and veggies in small containers and keep on a shelf together with the HB eggs as grab and go fuel. Chicken breast, baby carrots, cucumber or celery slices, grape tomatoes, etc. You can always grab one for a snack at home too. No excuses, right?

4. Mini boxes of raisins and individual bags of raw almonds (I love my Trader Joe's) are great to keep in your purse and car for emergency fuel.

5. One crockpot dish a week like stew or spaghetti sauce (great with spinach, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) makes like easier. I eat it several times and freeze a couple of portions for future meals.

6. Frittatas are awesome. When I bake chicken, I prepare a frittata with all the seasonings and veggies that sound good to me that week. I make it with about 8 eggs and cut into 4 generous portions and keep in the fridge for snacks or breakfast. They are great hot or cold and easy to grab on my way out the door. I tried egg cupcakes but they just aren't the same. Love my frittatas.

This is pretty basic stuff most of you probably already do, but it helped me to review it just now as I gear up for my Whole30... :)

Can't wait to see everyone else's ideas!

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