Starting October 14th - anyone want to join me?

[jessicav]

Day 24 for me. I have not had any noncompliant foods. Not even with tons of Halloween candy in the house! I did have four dates once because I wanted to eat candy so badly around Halloween when I was really stressed. I went out to a restaurant for a birthday and had a steak and veggies...no wine!!! I am finally less hungry. My pants feel looser. My hair has stopped falling out!!! My skin looks great.

I have been doing the AIP and totally had ground pepper for the first two weeks because for some reason, I didn't equate giving up nightshades to giving up spices too, dumb! Since then, I have not had any nightshades either. On day 31, my reintro will be eggs. If that goes well. I will reintro nuts. At least then, I will be able to eat like everyone else on the plan. I will have to be careful with the nuts though as it is easy for me to go overboard with them. I don't know about other reintro s...but it will be thanksgiving at that point.

I have been watching this board but not posting...sorry for being a lurker. I'm proud of myself and just wanted to share. It was really hard last week as I was premenstrual. I got through it, although I ate three fruits a day instead of 2 for 4 consectutive days. I'm still pleased with myself and know that I can finish.

[drtracyb]

Nice job jessica v!  Lurking is fine.  Just having a community to share this with makes it easier to bear.

[CGinDC]

JessicaV, I'm premenstrual this week and I've had a challenging couple of days. I haven't had cravings particularly, but I had a frustrating day at work yesterday and really want to open up a bottle of wine when I got home. The irritability is my trigger for having a drink (or three), so it's been tough over the last couple of days.

 

I also discovered that the multivitamin I take has soy in it - so I've been noncompliant this whole time without even realizing it. Why is soy in everything? I don't think there's much there so I don't know what effect it has had on my Whole30, but it is incredibly frustrating nonetheless. I'm very proud of myself that I've stuck to the plan this whole time, it hasn't been easy.

 

I'm starting to get a little nervous about reintroduction - I'll be travelling again so it's going to be hard to manage everything.

[Sandee]

I've been a member of this group since starting on Oct 14, but due to busy schedule don't post much, but have been following.  It's been a great journey so far!  What I want to ask about is that I am in the last few days of the program and am just now seeing things like break outs on my face, improved sleep, fatigue...a lot of things that were mentioned to happen in the early days of Whole30.  Anyone else experience this or know what it means that it is happening so late for me?  

[ThoughtsFromJules]

I too am nervous about reintroduction.  I can say I am NOT ready for it.  I think I have a lot more healing to go, since this is the first week I can say I feel good so far in all this.  I don't know if it is just Whole30 in general finally helping me feel better, or maybe starting up yoga was a good thing, or if eliminating red meat for a week is what did it.  I will try some red meat the next few days and see if there is a decline in how I feel.

 

Sleep is both good and bad, I sleep really soundly (fall asleep easily and have wild dreams which means I am probably entering deeper sleep I think) until about 2am.  Then I lay there, toss and turn and finally get back to sleep over an hour later or more.  I have no idea why that happens.  I started taking magnesium citrate last night, I started with 1 capsule and I will work my way up to the recommended 3 dosage at night.

 

I've been feeling like exercising in the mornings these past few days.  That NEVER happens normally.  I noticed the yoga seems to be helping me some.  I like a gentle warm up in the mornings to get my muscles and joints warmed up and ready for stretching and a nice yoga workout (it's short and modified so I can do the moves but it is a good start).

 

I've also noticed I think I was fudging a little on the giudelines some because I think I ended up replacing a veggie with a fruit sometimes.  So from now on I will make sure to load my plate with more veggies and then ADD fruit to it.  It is helping me feel fuller longer for sure.  Last night I got a little munchy and had probably close to a double portion of nuts, a few too many raspberries, chicken breast, and snap peas.  It was my worst meal for the entire Whole30.  I think it was cycle/hormone related but still it bothered me that I could have been in "auto-mode" more than Whole30 mode.  It was a good reminder to be mindful.  

 

I made a waldorf type chicken salad lunch yesterday that was really good!  I made a mixture of chicken breast, grapes sliced in half, walnuts, and a little mayo and a touch of salt, then I put it on a bed of tasty salad greens and tossed around to coat some lettuce with the mayo some.  It was REALLY good and might be my favorite lunch so far.   

 

Life is good, there have been family get-togethers and I just pack what I can eat.  It is only slightly weird for me.  As long as I pack something tasty that I can look forward to that is approved then I don't mind that I can't have the regular dinner much.  I have hope I can actually do this through Thanksgiving (or create a whole30 Thanksgiving menu if we are home as a family).  If I do a whole60 it would end mid Dec.  Part of me wants to be on a Whole30 clear till the beginning of the new year mostly because I like this no wiggle room thing (no cheating) it gives me an excuse to not indulge in all the holiday treats that aren't good for me and will stall my healthy journey.  I have no idea if it will be a reality but what I CAN say is that this Whole30 program is the ONLY thing that has helped me to be able to stay in control and feel hope about my health.  The cravingless state is something I want to enjoy for long term if I can.  I had no idea it could be this easy to lose weight (my clothes are looser and I can see changes in the mirror!) and heal my body.  Don't get me wrong this is HARD in many ways, but it is also so much easier when you don't have to have to much willpower against insane cravings!  I have heard a lot of people say that with gluten it can take 3-6 months to really notice the full effect of it getting out of your system.  So that kind fuels my desire to try for a longer Whole30 journey than just this 30 days.  Is anyone else wanting to extend their whole30?  I think the longest I can imagine is a 90 day, but I might also try just a whole60 then I could try a few paleo "treats" for the holidays which would make for a happier family I think.  It would be easier to survive Christmas if I could have paleo hot cocoa while tree hunting or our special Christmas morning breakfast of our several generation old family recipe of Swedish Pancakes (I can remake them paleo but not whole30), they are like a crepe and we serve them with fresh or frozen strawberries over the top.  At some point I have to learn how to function outside the Whole30 constraints and find a new normal, hopefully pretty strictly paleo.

 

If anyone else in awe of all the food groups they've managed to give up these last few weeks?  I'd have NEVER imagined I'd embark on a food plan that would require so much elimination and that I'd learn to LOVE it too (well at least how it makes me feel)!  Maybe this is just a newbie thing I don't know.  

[ThoughtsFromJules]

Sandee~ One thing that keeps going through my mind during this Whole30 is that as I lose weight aren't toxins being deposited in the system some?  I know toxins are many times stored in the fat stores and sometimes losing weight can cause some symptoms like acne, fatigue, aches etc so I have been wondering about that too.  It might be easier to put up with those frustrating things if we knew it was because we were losing fat! lol   This doesn't seem to be mentioned in Whole30 materials so maybe I am way off base.  I hope whatever is going on for you that it improves and you start to feel amazing soon! 

 

Jessicav~  Sounds like you are doing great and I am so glad you posted!  Good to know we have a few lurkers who are still doing the plan even if they aren't posting much.  

 

Hope everyone has a really strong last few days of this challenge and that you are all seeing results you've been hoping for.  I can't wait for the final day with all the check ins with results!

[CGinDC]

Hi Jules, I totally agree on being a little worried about reintroduction. I think I might be forced to start on it a couple days early, as I'm leaving for Africa tomorrow and it will be difficult to avoid some things while I'm there. But, I think I can manage to avoid gluten, soy, legumes and dairy if I'm careful - and I'm not as concerned about non-gluten grains, so that will be my first re-introduction. The things that will be extra hard are cooking oils/butter. The main benefit I see if that there's not nearly as much use of processed foods there, so I won't have to worry too much about additives/preservatives. And as for Thanksgiving - that should be relatively easy - my mother, sister, and brother-in-law all did the Whole30 before I did and they are all sticking to a somewhat paleo plan post-Whole30. 

 

I may have some exciting news, but it's possible I'm being a little premature about it. I ordered curcumin capsules and good quality fish oil on the recommendation of a few people here who also have inflammation issues (I have arthritis that affects my spine and SI joints). I really wanted to stop with the NSAIDs because of what they can do to the digestive system, and I didn't think I'd get the full benefit of the Whole30 if I still have NSAID-related damage. At the beginning of this week I cut my NSAID dose in half to see what would happen - and about 2-3 days later the inflammation started to kick back up. My curcumin and fish oil arrived last night, so I've taken two doses of it so far. And my back seems to have calmed down a bit. There's still some pain, but I'm hopeful that this is a step in the right direction. Fingers crossed...

[ThoughtsFromJules]

I reintroduced red meat this morning after 8 days off of it, as suggested by my Dr for arthritis pain to see if that is what was causing it.  We had some tasty venison tenderloin for breakfast this morning.

 

Oh and last night I made the roasted butternut squash recipe again, OH YUM!  I think butternut is my favorite squash of all time!  Even the kids ate it, (they don't love it but they ate squash which is huge!)  I even have some leftovers of it that I am pretty excited about.  We also made a lemon chicken slow cooker recipe last night that was a hit.  I love that we are finding new family favorites and expanding our tastes for new ways to cook our regular foods.

 

I was looking at my normal recipe books wondering what I should do with them all.  So many involve dairy, flour, sugar etc.  Part of me wants to pack them up for a year and if I don't use them get rid of them eventually.  I want to start fresh with a binder of all our favorite Whole30 and paleo recipes.  I've been wanting to have an organized recipe collection for years so maybe now it will be easier than ever...because I won't have to transfer many of my old recipes to a new format I will just print and copy my favorites from here on out.  

 

I am still in shock at what a HUGE change I've been able to make in how I feel and think about foods.  I think I like the organization of it too, many people complain about having to prep foods so much but I needed this sort of plan to get back to my organized cooking life so my husband has easy stuff to pack for lunches and so I pack my meals when out and about too.  We don't eat out at all now.  Budget wise, I think we spend less on food now; #1 because we aren't eating out, #2 because I am not shopping the cereal isle and buying flour and sugar, buying tons of dairy etc.  It at least evens out in the grocery dept of the budget, it helps we already have most the protein in our freezer in bulk.

 

I suppose it helps that our family is pretty adept at the hunter gatherer lifestyle already.  We are getting ready to butcher a hog this week in fact, as well as making homemade canned applesauce.  We love to pick berries as a family and do the whole U-Pick orchard experience each year.  I like to can foods and dry stuff from our big garden each year.  So I think this will be a realistic eating transition for us if we want it bad enough.

[SaraRuns]

Day 29 and it has been awfully quiet in here.  I hope that means that everyone has settled in and the last few days are going easy!

 

For me, the food has settled down and it is pretty much routine at this point.  I'm still trying out some new things.  The last two weeks have gone really fast.

 

I'm definitely looking forward to reintroducing dairy on Wednesday.  Not 100% sure where I'll go from there, although I will probably have a glass of wine on Friday at a neighborhood girls night out.  I'm a little nervous about jumping on the scale on Wednesday.  It is hard for me to believe that I will have actually made it 30 days without getting on the scale!

 

Here's to a good last two days for those of us that started on the 14th!

[ThoughtsFromJules]

I admit I am struggling a little the last day or two.  The cravings have snuck back a little and I want more fruit and nuts than I should be eating.  Grrrr.  I am still eating approved foods, but I find I am hungrier more often and it feels like old eating patterns want to crash back in on me.  This is VERY frustrating to me, so this morning I skipped the fruit with my breakfast and took a little time to saute some onion, mushrooms, garlic and Aidells sausage and had three more veggies with it for breakfast.  So far so good with that meal in that I feel satisfied and it's been two hours.

 

I have noticed with the cravings also came bloating, severe stiffness, and a bad mood.  I am frustrated that when I am so close to the 30 day mark I am not feeling good (after a glimpse of feeling better and having some energy).  I know it is likely something I am eating, maybe almonds (I had apple with almond butter 2 days in a row with a couple meals and I hadn't had almonds in over a week) I also didn't have eggs for about a week and then had them again a couple days ago.  I know it is a puzzle I CAN figure out if I try hard enough and pay enough attention I just find myself feeling cranky about it....that after removing all these major food groups it still isn't enough for me to feel really well!  I honestly feel pretty ticked off about that and I think as soon as I allow myself to FEEL that and maybe throw a little fit about it then I can move past it and do what I need to do to find the problem food.  Mr Dr appointment is tomorrow, I will get the results of the arthritis blood panel he did on me, and I will give him the results of the TH1/TH2 challenge and how it affected me.  I hope to get some answers tomorrow.

 

The cravings and bloat could just be hormonal but I doubt it is the sole reason.  I am still determined to extend my Whole30 at least a little ways past the 30 days at least to get back to feeling slimmer and back to where the energy was building daily.   I am still scared of the big bad world outside the Whole30 even though things aren't going so well at the moment.  I honestly feel like EVERY other time I've tried a plan and it may or may not have worked for a little while in the beginning, then it stopped working a few weeks into it.  I am praying that Whole30 isn't the same in that regard.  There seems to be a lot of emotional triggers this week, old patterns trying to creep in and derail me.  I hate the feelings the bring up and how hopeless I will feel if I have to battle cravings day after day again and the loss of hope that finally I found the peace with eating I was praying for.  It is easy to keep eating this way when you FEEL the changes and can see them in the mirror and you are free of cravings on a daily basis!  It is much harder to feel like eating this way is worth it when you are once again bloated (for what feels like no reason) and your face is broke out like you ate pizza and cereal everyday and your mood is cranky.  It is really hard to stay focused and like it is all worth it, when you feel that way and when cravings are whispering to you with a quick fix.

 

Maybe I won't have a choice but to try the AIP.  As much as I didn't want to have to go that far I might just have to.  I don't want to bring the group down with this post, I wanted to have an amazing success story to inspire others (it just hasn't happened yet).  I need to look over my supplements and make sure none have bad ingredients.  I think my Vitamin d3 has bad oils, anyone know where I can find compliant Vitamin d3?  I started fish oil a week ago, but obviously I don't feel better.  I will hang in there, keep trying and pray I can turn this thing around to where I feel like I am feeling better each day at least.

[ThoughtsFromJules]

Quick update to say I managed to eat really well today! No fruit and the only starchy thing I had at dinner was spaghetti squash (very good btw). I ate only 3 meals and made sure to include plenty of fats with each as well as more veggies than before. So even though I started out struggling today, I managed to do my very best on eating anyway. Cravings are calm again.

[SaraRuns]

Quick update to say I managed to eat really well today! No fruit and the only starchy thing I had at dinner was spaghetti squash (very good btw). I ate only 3 meals and made sure to include plenty of fats with each as well as more veggies than before. So even though I started out struggling today, I managed to do my very best on eating anyway. Cravings are calm again.

 

Jules - That is awesome, so glad you managed to turn a bad day into a good day!

 

Day 30, Ladies!  Hard to believe, but here we are.  

[jessicav]

Tomorrow is my day 30. I ended up getting weighed today at my endocrinology appt. I was sad. I certainly feel slimmer but the scale says its not so. Oh we'll, I can totally see why it's not a good idea to weigh yourself the whole time...it could potentially destroy any progress. Luckily, I see improvement elsewhere. One more day until I get to eat a new breakfast I've never been so excited to eat eggs!

[aventurine]

My Day 30 is tomorrow. Sorry for being more of a lurker, but I've been juggling a lot over the past month...

 

The one thing I have not been good about is staying away from the scale...wish I had lost more weight. At the same time, I actually like that the program is not focused on this as a primary outcome, or else I probably would not have even done it..."diets" and I don't get along. Next time I do this, I will try to do better with that. Yes, I said "next time," as I'm so excited about how this has gone for me otherwise!

 

I have PCOS and a strong family history of diabetes, have been insulin resistant for years and was edging into diabetic territory at the beginning of my Whole30. A primary motivator for me is that I don't want to have to go on meds. Over the course of the Whole30, my fasting blood glucose dropped by about 30 points--still on the low end of the pre-diabetic range, but what a dramatic improvement (does anyone know if this will continue to improve or if it's likely to stay where it is after a month?). My post-meal levels are within normal range!

 

Related, it's also been shocking to me that I'm able to go at least four hours without needing to eat something. This has never happened!

 

I've also been going to bed earlier....still not early enough, but a couple of hours earlier than usual.

 

Also, I have an extremely high-stress job. I won't say I wasn't stressed at all, but was definitely less stressed.

 

I've been feeling for awhile that a plant-rich paleo diet is best for me, but I was having a really hard time "cutting down" on grains, dairy, sugar and legumes. I knew I needed some structure in cutting them out to see how I'd really feel without them, and the Whole30 was definitely that structure for me.  Going forward....I'm planning to ditch the grains and sugars, except for truly special things on truly special occasions (perhaps a grain-free treat on holidays, and the amazing pizza I get a couple of times a year. I'm leaning toward avoiding most dairy, but am considering trialing the pastured butter I usually use to make my breakfast eggs (I tried to like ghee, but was just not a fan with the eggs), as well as soaked legumes (but am going to keep a close watch to see how these may affect my blood sugar.

 

If I weren't pescetarian, I'd probably not even try the legumes. I've been toying with adding organic chicken (not sure pastured is within my budget!) to my diet, because one can only eat so much fish and eggs, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Melissa recommended the AIP for PCOS, but cutting out eggs is pretty impractical if your only other source of protein is fish. One can only eat so much fish!

 

But mostly, I'm thinking of trying to maintain this style of eating as much as possible. Allowing myself a little leeway (within reason!) to enjoy Thanksgiving and a holiday party with friends, but I'm already thinking about doing another Whole30 at the end of December...not even to "make up" for eating poorly over the holidays, but because it's been so good for me, and I want to delve further, maybe even 45.

 

My husband has been supportive of my Whole30, but I still am not looking forward to telling him I plan to try to mostly stick with it!

 

What else? I sort of wish more people had noticed a change in me, wish for some external validation, but I guess it's up to me!

[ThoughtsFromJules]

Finally got the blood results from the Dr today.  Turns out I have gout.  My Uric Acid levels were really high and he said I probably have a chronic case rather than an acute case of gout.  It makes sense, my one foot always hurts and I never knew why.  Even had it x-rayed because I thought it was broken once.

 

So the standard advice is eating less meat, more dairy and legumes for the protein.  No wonder I've been hurting so bad during this Whole30!  I've been eating way more meat than before and it is no wonder my pain seemed so persistent.  

 

So with all that being said....now what?  I planned to keep going with my Whole30 to a Whole45 or 60.  I feel like everything I thought I knew is wrong and I honestly don't know which way to turn.   There is actually a lot of conflicting information on how to eat for gout!

 

Here we have Mark's Daily Apple saying Primal/Paleo could still be the way to go:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/gout-primal-paleo-diet/#axzz2kUxKwy9v  Then we have the MayoClinic plan (the one my naturopath recommended for me to follow) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gout-diet/MY01137.

 

Does anyone else on here deal with gout?  Mine appears to be a chronic and ongoing rather than an acute one that is super painful but only lasts a few to 10 days in length.  My uric acid levels were 10.7 and The normal range is something like 3.5-6.6 or something like that.  I read in that first article I linked that higher uric acid levels can also happen with rapid weight loss as well (which I had lost like 10lbs in 2 weeks according to the Dr scales when they weighed me). 

 

Anyway, help!  Now what?

[drtracyb]

Interesting, Jules.  At least you have a diagnosis so you know what you are dealing with.  It doesn't seem that you have to stop a Paleo diet if you don't want to, you just have to be careful what types of protein you put in your body, and how much.  Don't need to add in dairy unless you want to.

[ThoughtsFromJules]

After hours of research I keep stumbling onto some information about linking gout to Insulin Resistance (which I was told I have, or am borderline on years ago).  It states that after losing quickly the uric acid levels will rise, makes sense I lost 10lbs in the first 2 weeks of Whole30 and had my blood drawn at that point.  If my levels are 10.3 and normal would be a 5.  Eating low purine foods and adhering to a strict gout diet it is said to have an effect on uric acid levels of only 2 maybe 3 points (still wouldn't bring me into a normal range).  However if I can treat the underlying Insulin Resistance WHILE I also treat gout, and I lose more reasonably per week I should be able to reduce the gout and gradually get healthier right?  http://www.nemechekconsultativemedicine.com/?page_id=1364  This article makes the most sense to me and seems to apply to me more than any other article on gout.  It also seems like I could keep going with a modified paleo plan as well!

 

So that leaves me to the decision that continuing a whole30 longer at this point wouldn't be wise, #1 it would be difficult to lose more slowly and gradually to reduce gout flare ups (such a problem to have right?  It's just I don't want to be in this much pain when I lose weight), and #2 it would be hard to enjoy a whole30 on low purine foods (although probably easier than AIP).  

 

Anyway I learned a lot on this Whole30, for sure, it is what ultimately led me to a diagnosis of gout and helps me move forward from here.  I honestly wish I'd have felt better, pain wise, but at the same time I lost weight and learned how to better balance my meals so the cravings stay at bay!  Just getting rid of the cravings was worth it!  I did lose weight too, I lost 12 lbs in the 30 days and feel much better about myself and I still have hope I can get the weight off.  I have about 60 more lbs to go to be within my healthy range but I am pleased with this progress.

 

Measurements Results!!

Waist~ 1" smaller now

Hips~ 2.5" smaller now, surely that was a measuring error the first time?!!!

Bust~ 3/4" smaller now

Pecs/Under Arms/upper chest~ 1" smaller now

Arm~ R .75" smaller L .5" smaller

Thigh~ 1.75" smaller now (right thigh)

 

I seem to have lost on my lower body more dramatically.  I am a person that gains weight all over pretty evenly for the first 40+ lbs, then of course after that it mostly goes to butt, stomach and back! lol

 

I am pleased with the visible results, I am still inflamed with the gout and so there is some swelling and inflammation in places that isn't helping my results, but I'd say Whole30 did do some amazing things in only 30 days.  I wish I could have felt better during it, but I have to remain thankful that it helped lead me to a diagnosis so I can move forward more specifically and hopefully find relief from the pain and inflammation symptoms too.

 

My acne isn't better, pretty much the same when I look at the entire month in review.  There were a couple days I thought it was better but it is pretty well the same.  I was hoping for results there, but who knows, having inflammation might affect that more than I knew.

 

I am going to keep going with extremely reducing sugar/refined carbs of any kind.  I will reintroduce dairy, mostly cheeses and yogurt and not so much milk.  Since I will be reducing some of the purines (red meats especially) I will want additional protein sources to choose from.  I will watch for a reaction closely and ensure that dairy isn't an issues for me.  I will continue to load my plate with large portions of veggies and I will limit fruit to 1-3 servings per day with my meals to help slow down the natural sugars in my system from rising blood sugar.  I still have a lot to learn about eating for insulin resistance AND gout, I imagine there will be a lot of tweaking for the next couple months. I have an appointment in 2 months.  I am also on some immune system supplements to even out my immune functions, which didn't help the gout flare up.  By re-balancing those things I should start feeling better soon.  

 

I am a little sad I won't be moving forward with a Whole45 or 60 like I planned, but I think I have a good direction now for treating the gout in a couple different ways. I will reintroduce dairy today in the form of a small portion of cottage cheese for breakfast with my normal veggies, an egg or two, and possibly a small serving of fruit.  At lunch I plan to have plain yogurt with a little vanilla and stevia to bring it up to edible, topped with frozen blueberries a large salad with 1 oz of cheese cubed on it for protein.  That should be plenty of dairy to cause a reaction if I am going to have one.  For dinner I will have meat of some kind with normal veggies ratio.  I think the secret is to keep those veggie servings high for one thing and overall carbohydrates (especially starchy) pretty low!  If I have a reaction to dairy I am going to have to rethink the whole plan for eating for gout and try to find other resources to help me manage and still be able to eat some form of protein.  

 

I ran across information on T-Tapp type of exercise.  It seems like it might be a good fit for me with it's focus on hormonal health and the lymphatic system so I ordered the basic workout and will give that a shot to help with the weight loss/health journey.  I will also be taking more walks and I will continue to do light yoga/pilates moves that are altered for my limited range of motion while inflamed with gout...later when I am more pain-free I can take things further.

 

I can't wait for everyone's results!  I feel like a bit of a downer not having an amazing success story but I cheer you all on and know Whole30 is likely to give everyone participating measurable results to report in one way or another!

[SaraRuns]

I can't wait for everyone's results!  I feel like a bit of a downer not having an amazing success story but I cheer you all on and know Whole30 is likely to give everyone participating measurable results to report in one way or another!

 

Jules - I'm glad you have gotten some answers and I hope you find a path that will lead to some healing. And I don't think you are a downer at all, you are speaking about what is happening to you, that doesn't have to be all sunshine.

 

 

W31 - Hard to believe I have made it through.  At this point, it seems to have flown by.  I have detailed all my results in my log and I've started a post W30 log to at least capture my reintros.  I would say my biggest success is not feeling like the first thing I need to have is a glass of wine.  And I'm not running away from the program.

 

I am down some inches and 3 pounds.  It isn't the big drop I would have loved to see, but I am satisfied.  I know this isn't necessarily a weight loss program.

 

I didn't get the huge energy jump that a lot of people seem to get.  Is that stress, is it sleep, is it something else entirely?  Or is that just not meant to be for me.

 

As I said in my log, I do think that eating real, whole food (and fat!) does make sense to me and I intend to carry that forward.  Hope everyone found some measure of success on their Whole30!  

[ThoughtsFromJules]

I didn't notice energy improvements, aside from a few days sprinkled here and there that I felt like tackling small projects more than before but the next day I was back to tired again.  I wonder why the energy wasn't through the roof for you either?

[SaraRuns]

Jules - I'm not sure what to say about the energy.  My guess is that it definitely  has something to do with my allergies.  And maybe I'm just one of the unlucky ones who doesn't get that huge energy burst?

 

I expected a few more posts in here, I guess we lost some people along the way.

[Jewel]

Hey guys!  

 

I apologize for not posting more.  I've been keeping up with everyone's progress & thinking about posting, but then something always distracts.  I've been journaling my food & days on my blog, although I'm pretty behind with that too.  

 

Plan for me was to at least go to 32 days because the 2nd day I put milk in my eggs out of habit.  I think this is day 32.  It doesn't seem very climactic for me.  Perhaps that's because I haven't been posting here as much as I should have or writing as much as I should have.  Or it could be because this really seems like a lifestyle for me now.  I'm enjoying the confidence that I'm eating healthy & therefore caring for myself & my family.  I will extend this longer because I have lots more belly to lose.  

 

I don't have any cravings or I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.  The biggest struggle for me has been not quality tasting my restaurants' food at my catering events.  But I have a pretty supportive & intelligent team that has picked up my slack in that area.  Not sure when, but I will eventually begin tasting the meat/seafood/veggies/fruit that my restaurants prepare - despite any non-compliant oils or butter.  

 

SaraRuns & Jules - I too didn't notice any surge of energy, but for me, I think that has something to do with the amount of sleep I'm getting - not enough.  That's what I could improve in the future - as well as more exercise.  The Whole30 Daily emphasized strongly the importance of sleep & they also explained that the surge of energy often comes much later for some people because they need more time to reset.  Hope that helps.

[ThoughtsFromJules]

Good to hear from you Jewel, glad you were able to complete the 30 days!  Even better that you want to keep going, good for you!  

 

I have reintroduced small servings of dairy into 4 meals so far, as well as small amounts of stevia in a greens drink I like.  So far only colby jack cheese in 1oz portions and 1/2 cup portions of cottage cheese.  Still eating very well, making myself have 2 portions of veggies at each meal, only after I eat those can I even consider a SMALL piece of fruit in up to 2x day.  That seems to be working well, the weight is still dropping even after reintro of dairy.  I have to say I am THRILLED to still be losing weight after Whole30 is over, I am down 14 lbs now!  Granted I had a LOT to lose so that explains a lot, I have 60 more lbs or 5 more sizes to go to my main goal of 165lbs or size 12 whichever comes first.   I am particularly excited about getting out of plus sizes and into normal sizes where clothes are cheaper and have more selection and styles that look decent!  I've been in plus sizes at least 12 years now...I am ready to be done with them, I don't feel like myself in those styles of clothes.

 

I will give it 2 more days of only dairy as a new component, then I will likely try beans and peanut butter (natural, no sugar kind).  While beans aren't way up on the list of things I gotta have taste wise I need more options for low purine proteins since with the gout diagnosis I am trying to add in more plant proteins and less meat types.  I still will have meat at least once per day a 4-6 oz portion daily.  I am going to give the gout recommendations a fair shake to see if they will resolve my pain and still try to stick to many of the Whole30 principals to enjoy less cravings and more health benefits.  I am on day 2 of eating many less purines and I already notice I am feeling a little less pain in the joints, I am not sure how much of that is the effect of the immune supplement he put me on, or that I started eating tart cherries (highly recommended for gout) and how much relief is purely from diet.  I am happy for ANY level of relief however it came about!

 

I am still not craving things, wahoo!  I was really worried about that.  I think the servings of coconut oil with most meals has really helped me feel fuller longer and not get cravings.  Plus, I find it soothing to sip on a travel mug of hot tea with coconut oil in it.  

 

At this point I feel like I could severely limit if not completely avoid grains long term.  I think the only thing I might want a couple times a year would be gluten free pizza from our local pizza place because it is really good!  The other thing I'd like to have is canned or frozen corn in my favorite taco soup recipe or a toastada shell for tasty toastadas with lots of tasty healthy veggie toppings.  I have also been relieved to have my Greens 8000 original flavor, it is my favorite pick me up drink, it gives me a little boost of energy and I've missed it dearly these 30 days!  It only has stevia in it to sweeten it and it tastes really good.  I cut it out due to the small amount of stevia in it to be doing a legit Whole30.

 

I am excited to see results rolling in, I thought we'd be crowded with results posts on day 31!  Glad to see a few are still at it and doing the plan and learning from their bodies.  I have really appreciated having this forum category to support me, thanks everyone for putting up with my lengthy posts, I get chatty and writing about things helps me sort out things.  I hope we get a few more posts of results, this was a pretty large group at one time!

[amberino21]

Jules - just checking that you're only having dairy on one day? It seems like you're having it over a few days?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but your reintro should be to have the reintroed food at every meal on one day followed by at least 2 compliant days to gauge any reactions. If you have bad reactions to a group, don't reintro your next thing until you feel better

[ThoughtsFromJules]

Ohhhhh. I reread the chapter on reintroduce and didn't catch that I was only supposed to reintroduce on one day then go back to Whole30. Is that how most people do it?

[SaraRuns]

Jewel - Sleep could be an issue for me, although I've gotten more sleep on the W30 then I have in a long time.

 

Jules - I've been doing it as Amber and the book suggest.