Day 1 - October 21st

[Greek to me]

Happy Saturday gang! Soon to be day 28!!!!!

Brief post tonight.

Jes-I experience that too. If I have a long period between meals, the I'm hungry within a shorter period of time. Go figure.

Texas/-eggplant dish looks awesome!!!!! Almost bought eggplant today but didn't quite get there.

Ok gang. I mentioned clam burgers. Skip them. I haven't been that sick since before my Shole 30 began.

[Greek to me]

Hey. Gang any of you read day 27 about starting another whole 30 not related to food? I really like the idea of that to keep me accountable in other aspects-even down to flossing. Any of you give it any thought?

[morkkel]

Happy Sunday and Happy Day 28! Wow, just a couple days left. It's empowering to know that I can do something for 30 days and it's really not that long. Greek - I read that too and thought about the TV one. I'm not a huge tv watcher, but do turn it on for background and watch a lot of movies. The phone is probably my weakness. Flossing is a great idea as well! 

 

Yum! I love eggplant, thank you Tex, that's looks great!

[Robert2014]

Greetings comrades on DAY 28!

 

Yesterday I did a workout with a friend in our local park.  After the workout we stopped for a quick breakfast.  I went through the menu with him - "Hmmm, I can't have any of this page, or this page, or the upper and lower half of this page ..."  I was able to zero in on one thing I could eat -- spinach sauteed in olive oil.  I exaggerate a bit -- they would have been more than happy to accommodate menu modifications but we were on a tight schedule.  So, like Popeye the sailor man, I downed my yummy spinach and headed home to load up on my normal egg and veggie breakfast.

 

Wow ... day 29, day 30 and we move forward!

[Greek to me]

Robert-I love the idea!!! Love it. Anyone else in? If so, lets throw out ideas and see if one resonates to start with! Also-I laughed at the veggie burrito and Mom thing. Tonight I'll be experiencing much of the same with my mom. Gotta love them!

Happy day 28!

[jesmarie]

I'm down for more goals!

 

One of my goals for this whole30 was to stay off social media on my phone so I deleted all the apps. And now even if I have a few minutes by myself where I would normally jump on and catch up, I don't it doesn't even cross my mind to anymore. I do things like mediate or balance my check book or send a nice text or make a quick phone call. I enjoy not being a slave to the social media craze and it makes my friends a lot more interesting to talk to in person.

 

Robert - way to stick to your guns yesterday, it's amazing what is on menus with our increased knowledge and renewed eyes. 

 

Another day in class for me! Happy Day 28!!

[JKStarcher]

Hey all,

 

Sitting here with a splitting headache so I thought I would check in while I wait for the Acetaminophen to kick in. If I lay down, it goes away. A few minutes after standing up, it comes back. So, it was either take the meds and accomplish something today, or sleep the day away. I chose drugs. Not really sure what the problem is b/c I made myself a yummy frittata this morning and have been drinking water all morning. Anyway.

 

Friday night's party was nice, but the food was not Whole 30. Long story short, the chef that was supposed to prepare the party food was unable to, so my trainer's sister filled in. The apps weren't terrible...healthier than I would have expected -- just not Whole30. Everything was in little cups...hummus with sliced red peppers or green beans or mini breadsticks, cups of milk or dark chocolate w/ nuts and dried fruit, cheese tortellini, tabbouleh w/ mini bread sticks, little salads w/ caesar dressing at the bottom, and single piece of shrimp w/ cocktail sauce at the bottom. My friend Stacy went with me...stayed for about an hour and a half and then left at 8 to find a restaurant and some food. Later dinner than I would have liked, but we survived.

 

Saturday went okay. Good workout in the morning, but didn't have any post WO snacks handy, or breakfast ready when I got home, so I had to take time to prepare a breakfast. Ate later than I had wanted, and apparently not enough b/c I was hungry again a couple hours later. Spent the rest of the afternoon running errands/shopping. Dinner ended up being off schedule too.

 

And then there's today. I am not expecting it to be on schedule or very productive. Que sera sera.

 

Not sure who else mentioned not having Tiger Blood yet, but I'm right there with you. It might require another 30 days -- or it just may not be in the cards for me. I'm really not sure I can do another 100% Whole30. I'm going to reintroduce grains (gluten) first and see how I react. I already know I'm sensitive to dairy. I can have a sprinkle of cheese on a salad, and a scoop of icecream...but any more than that and the body reacts. Based on cravings that I STILL have, I think sugar will continue to be a threat. I am going to try to keep that limited and under control, but not sure I can eliminate it entirely. We'll see. It's going to be a day-by-day thing.

Re: the "OTHER" 30 day program. For awhile, I've been meaning to do more post-WO stretching & recovery work, as well as a regular yoga practice/meditation. I may try 30 days of 10-15 minutes of yoga/meditation. I think it would be beneficial.

 

Well, I feel the headache finally going away. Time to get off the couch, check the laundry and think about leaving the warmth of my house to brave the windy weather and hit the grocery store for some produce. :/ Today would be a GREAT day for home delivery.

 

Two days to go...here's to a strong finish for everyone!

[Greek to me]

JK -sorry to hear about the headache. I'm even sadder to hear its on your day off when you want to be life productive. . Hope you rallied to enjoy some of your afternoon.

It seems like you all have unique goals. I'm good with that. We could have seperate goals that we are trying to accomplish and use this as a method to stay accountable. Frankly all three of you have mentioned goals I'd like to work on; flossing, stretching, turning off computer and workouts consistently. But one step or two at a time! So I'll pick flossing. Lame but you know, easier to say then to focus on.

I've had a miserable Whole30 weekend. Started by clam cakes. They made me horribly sick. I couldn't figure out why. All I knew was that I felt worse after eating them than I did pre Whole30.

And even though I only ate them for one meal, it seemed to get worse. Bloating and miserable. How is this possible? I'm day 27!!! Possible it is. Thankfully with the help of the forum, I received feedback that I was eating too many ummmm....of things that are harder to digest. Onions, cauliflower, almonds, eggs.

The good news is today I removed onion, eggs and cauliflower. Problem resolved. Phew. Tomorrow I'm going to stay off all three again and reintroduce one at a time.

I felt so miserable that honestly I almost caved. If Whole 30 is making me sick, why keep it? Fortunately I started feeling better before I did cave. But, it made me realize that I need to cap this at 30 days.

So I've been busy planning. What next. I decided that my biggest angst has been my egg intake. So I'm going to introduce three things: steel cut oatmeal, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt. Those three options combined with the occasional eggs will become breakfast staple. My goal is to continue to be as full for as long as I have been on whole 30. Lunch and dinner will continue Whole 30 compliant for the time being. I will keep to the meal template.

Today I'm really missing diet soda. Really missing it. Like I said, I almost caved today. So glad you're all here to keep me accountable!!!

Happy day 29!!!

[JKStarcher]

Ugh...so sorry to read about your bad clam experience, Greek. I can totally understand you wanting to cave yesterday bc of it. Frankly, I've been wanting to cave since Saturday...the whole "it's only __more days, my hives are gone, what's one little bite of ____?"

And I caved... I had "a" bite of the pumpkin bundt cake (husband's bday treat from my mom) that's been sitting in the fridge for the last 2 weeks. Rather, I should say I CHOSE to eat it, bc that's more accurate. I had the usual argument with myself and decided I was going to have a bite anyway. Do I regret it? Honestly, I'm not sure I do...not intensely, anyway. I started this program to resolve my hives. I did that. And I've always had the intention of reintroducing some treats at the end of this. Having gone through these 28+ days, I also now have every intention of keeping up with A LOT of the clean eating. Ultimately, having that one bite of cake was positive in a way. 1) it ended up not tasting as extravagant as my mind had made me think it would and 2) all of my other cravings went away after that. I was so convinced that I was "missing out"...and then I tasted it and realized that my brain was just tricking me. As a result, I've actually dug out all of the treats that I had wrapped up & stowed away in my freezer "for later" and I have relinquished them to my family. Mind you, it wasn't a stockpile of treats.... just a few things that I was afraid to miss out on. In any case, I no longer need them or want them.

With that said, I'm sorry if anyone feels that I let them down. I just want you all to know that I am okay with my decision bc I have faith in where I'm going now.

Hope you all have a GREAT Day 29!

[Robert2014]

Happy 29 everyone!

 

Sounds like a few of us had a challenging weekend.  I can join that group -- it seemed like everywhere I turned this weekend I was under assault with temptation -- breakfast with a friend, two dinners with friends, Mexican food with my parents, a school gathering with piles of cookies and everything else imaginable ... it was a looong weekend.  My transgressions included getting a bit too deep into the grapes and a bag of cashews.  But made it through relatively unscathed. I am regrouped today and prepared for the next two days.  Let's not beat ourselves up too bad over a slip here or there.  Going W30 from where most of us were is a huge step forward.

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed our dialogue and hope we can keep it going.  You are a wonderful, supportive group and I appreciate you being there for me.  As far as going forward, it is clear that we all want to continue to making adjustments in our personal life that will make us all feel and live better.  My idea of a group challenge doesn't seem to be workable ... I may want to work on stacking teacups and Greek may want to improve skill in wooden ship carving and JK may want to learn how to knit mittens.  But let's continue to share how we are all doing and what we are focused on.

 

Let's joyfully run (or begrudgingly crawl) through the next day and finish this out one way or another!!

 

Best,

Rob

[mhill0823]

Seems like overall everyone is having a good time. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one having a few rough days here and there!!

Day 29, so here we go!

 

I went grocery shopping yesterday and even knowing that tomorrow is my last day on the whole 30, you wouldn't know it by looking in my cart. All meat, fruit and veggies. I have seriously started to enjoy only shopping the outside of the grocery store and being finished!!!

 

Hope everyone has a great day!

[mhill0823]

Also, I really like the idea of doing a whole30 to take other things out of my life, the social media idea is GREAT! I may have to give that a shot next time.

[Travelin Texan]

Made roast , potatoes ( white hubby, me sweet), onions, mushrooms, carrots in crock pot yesterday.  Normally put can mushroom soup and a pkg dry onion soup mix on top.  Told him we would skip the can soup but I need to read up on soup mix and it had MSG and little sugar I think.  After much discussion, on how we could recreate that "memory flavor" we were seeking,  told him guess could use it and it wouldn't hurt.  He said...."No way woman...you're too close...and if you/we were gonna cheat...it would be with a gallon of Moo-lenium Crunch ice cream not some stinking onion soup mix."  LOL.   Didn't use either, just some spices and turned out yummY.

 

So close...journey on....

[morkkel]

Gosh, tomorrow is it, huh! I love that attitudes - and JK, no one is disappointed in you! As you said, you chose to try it and you did! Good for you! I may have some milk or something tonight and start reintroducing...

 

As for me...I'm excited for our new challenges (should we decide to do them), but am definitely over this whole 30. It's made me crave stuff even more. I think like JK, if I could just have a bite of something or a small greek yogurt or a date (gasp) after dinner, my cravings would cease.I suppose it's cause I didn't have many positive changes...so really ready to be complete with this. I won't do it again. I may lean towards paleo eating, just cause I like subbing veggies for my usual carbs (rice and pasta), plus the recipes have been great. I am so happy that many of you have identified triggers and made true changes during the past 30 days! I just think I bought too much into it (i.e. bought books, cookbooks, daily email, spread the word - like obnoxiously believed in this) so am disappointed it didn't pan out...and I can't see sustaining this while attempting to find out if its the cauliflower or the avocado that makes me recover from my workouts faster. Oh well, what is 30 days in the grand scheme of things.On a positive note, I "met" all of you and found some great new blogs and recipes! 

[Greek to me]

@ JK...you didn't let me down...not in the least.  Just as Morrkel mentioned....we're not here to be disappointed in each other...but to be understanding because each of us is struggling.  The closer we get to finishing, the worse it is for me.  So, if you learned something from your choice, then it was your choice and thank goodness you learned from it! 

 

@ Robert, as usual, you bring sunshine to the cloudy day of Whole 30 - almost there.  Now I can honestly think of it as not one more day, but as 12 more waking hours!  Love this!!!

 

@ Travelin...OH my goodness....this desire to cave is viral.  I'm just sure of it.  Good success and what a great hubby you have.

 

@ Morrkel...we wouldn't be here together if it wasn't for you. I'm not sure that Whole 30 is really "it" for any of us....we're all experiencing issues around it.  In the last few days wondered if I'd feel as sick as I do if I was eating foods I used to before...that were healthy and whole foods but happened to be dairy based, or a cup of steel cut oatmeal or faro.  So I'm equally anxious to get back to some of what I perceive to be more "moderate" eating.  I'm with you in that I've tried recipes and foods I wouldn't have before.  That's a help for sure!  I'm glad you journeyed with us.  Thank you!

 

So as Morrkel mentioned...I'm equally anxious for tomorrow to be the last day.  Some of my great outcomes I KNOW have occurred:

I found new recipes I love, Learned how to make things more flavorful, By abstaining from any processed foods (sugar) and diet sodas (artificial sugar), I allowed my body to begin to detox and balance out the hunger highs and lows.  I'm not craving sweets at the moment.  I have met some great champions to partner with.  I have definitely changed my body composition - but since I didn't weigh myself, I won't be able to put a # on it and I don't want to.  I'm sleeping better (except the clam debacle).  I've learned that I never had any digestive issues with dairy or grains to begin with but artificial sweeteners and sugar are like Meth to a junkie.  AVOID at all costs so I think I need to stay away from them for a while and have a plan should I allow myself the indulgence.  But darn..I really want a diet soda!!!  I am very grateful to find a plan that allows me to feel full without snacking in between meals.  I love homemade mayo more than any other mayo I've had.

The greatest whole 30 gift for me (outside of meeting all of you) has been that I want to work at being my best again.  Before...my sugar laden brain had basically gone into 'who cares' mode.  This is a gift. 

 

I had a friend (used to be one of my personal trainers) who turned me onto Whole 30 to help me kick start.  She's been with me for years on  my fitness/wellness journey and always shared some great wisdom.  For those of you who are interested in know and researching options that may be a bit more moderate...take a look at EPlife.com  You'll get Paleo info..but you'll also get workouts.  If you become a member ($20 a month) you can even submit vidoes of your workouts for critique and feedback.  They also have forums there too.  This is a great option for those of you who don't want to pay for a personal trainer, but aren't quite sure what to do in the gym or maybe don't have a gym to get to.  If Paleo is too intense for some, you can check on Mark's Daily Apple for a little less restrictive Paleo diet.  Loads of options to progress too. 

 

Ok, all, it's the end of day 29!  I know you'll all finish strong and I'm curious to know how you will celebrate your success on day 31 that isn't food related?  I'm going to treat myself to a facial and a movie over the weekend.  Oh and even though we won't be keeping up with the challenge, can we still keep 'chatting' here as we move to the reintroduction phase?

[jesmarie]

I'm glad I stopped in to check on all of you before I went to bed! My goodness, loves! 

 

Greek - I have to admit I welled up a bit with your statement of being your best self. Isn't that why we all tried this? To figure out what that is for us. What it looks like, what it feels like, what it sounds like. Thank you for sharing that it truly hit home for me. 

 

Morkkel - Way to give this 100% even if you feel like you didn't receive as much as you gave out of this program. Excellent job following through anyways.

 

Travelin Texan - Give that husband of yours a high five for me! What an outstanding guy to support you in a positive direction in a time like that. I'm certainly impressed

 

mhill - i'm definitely more on board with your thought process right now. I am extending my whole 30 out about another week or so. with definite plans to stay as close to paleo as my body needs. but i will be trying the introduction phase sometime in december.

 

Rob - Congrats on making it through the weekend and with all of your success thus far. I do hope we all keep in touch, especially as the real holidays start to approach! More parties and outings than normal I like knowing I have a little peace of sanity to turn to when I need it (checking our forum)

 

Jk- my goodness girl! No one is disappointed in you. If you recall my slip early in the program. Your body doesn't know if the sugar you are eating is from fruit or candy… I'm glad you're sticking it out to the end.

 

I do have a random question. has anyone tried to find canned sweet potatoes? if so, have you found any that are not canned with corn syrup and/or sugar? i have been to at least three different stores and so far no go… IF you know the secret brand please fill me in! It would be greatly appreciated!

 

Much love friends, cheers to our success!

[Greek to me]

Farmer's Market Organic Sweet Potato Puree -- 15 Oz

Only ingredient is sweet potato. But you can accomplish the same thing by cooking your own followed by purée.

I'll be anxious to see how you progress Jes! I'm sticking with the plan except for breakfast which I'll add one of three things too: yogurt, cottage cheese or oatmeal. My hope is to get through Christmas on this slight alteration. Looking forward to hearing how it goes for all of us!

[morkkel]

I love reading all this - Greek, your sentiment exactly - to our best selves and finding the balance between a happy life, a healthy diet, and hard work! I am excited to add back some clean eats. Plus, this time of year, I love baking - but experimenting with healthy baking, so really looking forward to trying some paleo desserts! I really do enjoy being in the kitchen, plus meeting you like minded people has just been great! Thank you Greek for the tip on the website!

 

We are definitely keeping this forum up until it fizzles out. I don't know if I could go a week without Roberts positive attitude, Greeks active listening, Tex's recipes while traveling (still amazed and motivated by that every day), Hills fun expressions - I can literally read your happiness as you type, JKs "live in the moment and making sound decisions" attitude (seems so similar to mine - but I'm more spastic than you), and Jes's caring way - I love being called Loves, friends, and your little "xo" as the signature Jes! I like this forum. It's good people. Have a great Tuesday - Day 30!

 

P.s. Tomorrow I have a date with Hot Sangria. Possibly not the best thing to reintroduce right away, but Yum!

[JKStarcher]

Congrats everyone! You're a great group of people to have gone through this process with...thanks for the support, the knowledge, the commiserating, the understanding, the recipes, etc.

 

[zeliya]

Thank you! congrats everyone!!

[Robert2014]

Happy 30 to everyone!

 

Enjoyed reading everything above -- thanks for sharing all.

 

As for me, this has been a fantastic experience.  I feel wonderful, have definitely stripped off a layer of chub, my workouts are stronger/faster, I am no longer sore the next day after a hard workout, I sleep better, and I have slayed a few dragons along the way. Three months ago I would have never thought I could go 30 days without dairy (cheese and milk), sugar, or alcohol (red wine).  Now I don't miss them.  And it is nice to see people I haven't bumped into in a couple of months and have them say, "
Whoa, what have you been up to?"

 

Like all of you I expect I will begin coloring outside the lines a bit.  But I now know what works for me.  A homebase that I can hold to.

 

Out of curiosity, I got blood drawn for lab results this morning (cholesterol etc.).  My numbers have been pretty good but I was curious how much, if any, the numbers have moved.  I realize that this process is more about how I feel, look and live but I am intrigued about how this brief lifestyle change may impact the numbers.

 

Yes please, let's all check in as we reenter the real world.  Wishing you all good decisions and healthy living!

 

R

[mhill0823]

Happy 30 to everyone!!!!

You guys have been amazing to go through this process with!

Congrats on such a great success to each of us!!

[Greek to me]

And DONE!!!

Robert-let me know what you learn about your numbers.

@ all: a HUGE thank you for being here with me and sharing this experience!!!

Good strength keeping the dragons at bay and reintroduction for those that plan that.

[Robert2014]

Gang - I jumped on the scale today.  186.4# on Day 1.  171.6# on Day 31.  A 14.8# drop.    

[JKStarcher]

#hellyeah Robert!!! Nice!!

 

Down 8lbs myself...frankly, more than I thought it was going to be. I get my measurements & body fat % taken on Saturday, so I'll have more official numbers then. Still no hives, as well. I'm happy with that. Seeing that # on the scale has renewed my motivation...I'm going to reintroduce a few things (like bacon w/ sugar every so often b/c it's too hard to find it without nitrites, nitrates AND sugar)...but probably won't add back in very many grains. If I have any desserts, they will be paleo-fied (sweetened w/ dates, honey, etc. and subb'd w/ almond meal or coconut flour, etc). Non-paleo desserts will be strictly limited b/c I don't believe my sugar dragon has been slain yet. Bruised a little, but that's not good enough.

 

My friend Stacy has also seen her own improvements and says she plans to continue on as well. All in all, a very good learning experience! BIG HUGS everyone!! Enjoy your Day 31 in whatever way you choose. Tonight I am having a piece of grain-free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened (w/ medjool dates) dark chocolate pie that I made for my friend & I to celebrate.