Started 1st November, intro & commitment

[Ysabell]

deleting random half a post lol

[sairzey]

while the ingredients are compliant, the "griddle cakes" are basically pancakes, which aren't ok during your whole 30. just like banana+egg=pancake is not ok either.

 

if you want to quote a post, there is a "quote" option at the bottom of the post.

 

Ok - noted. No more griddle cakes for me... sorry! 

[lgt2013]

Day 15. Had my first food dream last night -- I dreamt my friend brought me a box of 3 french macaroons, my favorite. I had a bite of each one and then told myself I'd save the rest for after my whole30. Which is funny because they are usually one bite treats. I also woke up to a pimple this morning. I usually get one or two during PMS, so nothing out of the ordinary, but I was hoping with the lack of garbage in my diet that I might get by a month without one. Oh well.

[sairzey]

Day 18 - how's everyone doing?

 

I had a bit of a breakfast disaster this morning - I had made up a batch of what looked like a promising recipe, but it was horrible!    I'm sure it was my cooking and not the recipe, but I'm going to have to call it a bad job, chalk it up to experience and bin it! It's a shame because I was counting on that this week, but I can't take any risks at this point in the process. I'll make up a batch of my tried and tested breakfast bake tonight.

 

I'm still waiting for the boundless energy... I definitely have more energy than before W30, but I wouldn't call it boundless.

 

How's everyone else doing? Any advice/tips?

[Karyna]

Hi everyone!

 

So nice to see people from the UK! I am in Wanstead, East London.

 

I started my second whole30 on Monday 11 Nov - am on day 8 and still going strong!

 

As for tapping into good threads - I am always checking the 'View New Content' which shows you what has been recently updated. Hope this helps!

 

Karyna

[Ysabell]

Still going full steam ahead here too I did have a minor food mishap this morning as I tried to cook some sweet potato in my waffle plate to see if it would be quicker (and I love the brown crunchy bits that I had heard would be more of in the waffle plate) but it was a sticky disaster but luckily I had plenty grated up to make the normal hash!

 

Still no boundless energy here but skin seems to be improving slowly with only occasional itchy moments. I am still considering doing a AIP Whole 30 probably in the New year now as an experiment to see if it helps. However I am being mindful of the things I do eat and make sure that I don't overload on the usual AIP culprits.

 

Good tip about the View New Content as I hadn't picked that up yet

[lgt2013]

 

As for tapping into good threads - I am always checking the 'View New Content' which shows you what has been recently updated. Hope this helps!

 

 

I check the View New Content tab whenever I'm bored to see current conversations.

 

 

Day 18, going strong. I had my second food dream last night, but I can't actually remember what I was eating! I just remember thinking that I was going to have to start all over again, as it was something I had been eating through the whole period. Weird. I wouldn't say I have boundless energy, but I definitely have more energy. My afternoon slump is gone, I no longer feel the need for a nap around 2 or 3. And last night I was dancing around in the shower. Also, my PMS symptoms are far far less than usual -- little to no moodiness, NO cravings(!), no breast tenderness, one tiny small pimple that is already gone. The only thing I've noticed is that my sleep is still a little off -- trouble staying asleep, and last night I had trouble falling asleep which is never a problem, but it might be because I went to bed earlier than normal.

 

I have to go grocery shopping, which I'm dreading because I'm pretty broke. It will be mostly produce though (I can't believe I've emptied the fridge of veggies so quickly!). I almost don't want to mention it because I'm afraid it won't happen, but tonight I'm supposed to go over to a friend's house -- her husband is a very avid hunter -- and pick up some wild duck, salmon, and trout. Apparently their freezer is overflowing and they need to empty it out some before the coming waterfowl season! I was talking to them Saturday night, mentioned that I was on a cleanse (I don't always want to explain the whole 30 to everyone), and her husband said he couldn't go a long time without meat. I let him know that I could have plenty of meat, I just tried to keep it to higher-quality, mostly pastured and grass-fed sources. He asked about cost and expressed how thankful he was that he didn't have to buy meat, and that I should come over and pick up some meat. I was like, heck yeah! What's better than wild? He hunts everything -- deer, goose, duck, and he fishes too. Last year he and his hunting group went to Canada and shot over 100 geese. I told my friend that she needs to set me up with one of his single hunting buddies .

[lgt2013]

Day 19, how's everyone feeling? Tiger blood yet?

 

I stopped by my friends house last night -- 2 venison roasts, 2 venison steaks, 2 small whole ducks, and 2 trout fillets -- should keep me fed for a couple weeks . Now I just have to find some recipes for that venison!

[Karyna]

I'm on Day 9 and another day without exercise as I am still sore from my fall down the stairs yesterday ... I found quite a few BIG bruises so I decided to give it a rest today. And I am quite tired actually... no tiger blood here yet.

Today was also an off site team meeting and the staff at @wallacespace in Covent Garden were so accommodating of the whole30. Amazing!

M1 - omelette and strawberries and cashew nuts and Brazil nuts and coffee w/ coconut milk
M2 - grilled lemon chicken, spinach salad, avocado, banana and cashew nuts
Snack - dried fruit, strawberries and cashew nuts
M3 - pulled pork, lettuce and cashew nuts

Okay I went a bit overboard on the cashew nuts today AND I snacked when I knew better.

How is everyone doing today?

 

[sairzey]

Day 20, for me and still doing ok. After my recipe disaster at the weekend, I've stuck to more tried & tested things, but it does mean I'm a bit bored. But with 10 days to go, I want to try to avoid any slip-ups at all costs.

 

Karyna - your lunch of lemon chicken, spinach and avocado sounds lovely - I might try that.

 

How is everyone else doing? Any great recipe recommendations (for a non-fish-eater)?

 

Sarah

[lgt2013]

Day 20, forces are conspiring against me today! I slept poorly last night, probably because I had a cup of decaf last evening (did you know decaf still has a little caffeine in it?). I was up a couple of times and had trouble getting back to sleep. And of course poor sleep = carb cravings for me; someone on TV was eating a cupcake and I started salivating. Then a fast food commercial and more cravings. Oh, and it's cold and rainy outside, which makes me want to do little else besides watch TV and eat carbs. So right now I'm having a cup of mint tea to tide me over until dinner. I WILL NOT CAVE!

 

Karyna, I love your picture collage of your meals; if I had any mind for tech, I'd do the same every day!

 

Sarah, have you checked out nom nom paleo? She has a lot of great recipes and a dedicated whole 30 section. I particularly like the "garbage stir fry" -- I've used both ground beef and ground lamb with it.

 

 

~Liza

[Karyna]

I'm up super early today (day 11) to start my workout. Can't wait!

 

Here's yesterday's update...

 

Day 10 (Wed 20 Nov)

I did manage to exercise today and it felt great! Loved the HIIT workout in TurboFire! I am also noticing my energy is quite consistent throughout the day which is good!

PreWO - hard boiled egg
PostWO - chicken and sweet potato chips
M1 - breakfast casserole and spinach salad with coffee with almond milk
M2 - grilled salmon, sweet potato mash, sautéed kale and burnt broccoli, banana and cashew nuts
M3 - prosciutto wrapped chicken stuffed with spinach and artichoke, sautéed kale, cashew nuts and dried fruit
 

lgt2013 - I put up pictures on instagram and I just copy and paste into here! For me, having a picture food diary is almost as good as tracking.

[lgt2013]

That prosciutto-wrapped chicken looks so good, I might have to try it!

 

I had roasted wild duck for dinner last night -- a lot gamier than duck in a restaurant. But it is good protein that I got for free, so I can't complain.

 

Karyna, I'm doing Beachbody's T25 and I'm loving it. Shaun T is one of my favorites. I've never done a Chalene workout, I heard they're really good too.

[lgt2013]

One week left, how's everyone doing?

 

I had dinner out last night for the second time on Whole 30, not too challenging (except declining the chips and salsa), but I forgot to add a fat to my meal. I had fish with a citrus salsa and steamed veggies (zucchini and chayote squash). I should have asked for guacamole or avocado. But I didn't feel hungry after. 

[Ysabell]

Those food pics look amazing

 

Day 26 here, still clinging on - I am very conscious that sometimes I am not fully template (sometimes not the full 3 cups of veggies) but happy I have been compliant (if that makes sense).

 

I have seen an improvement in my skin condition but its still experiencing times of itching. I am definitely going to do a specialised W30 in January - probably excluding the items mentioned on the histamine and AIP shopping list, possibly even the FODMAP as well because OH has a clear issue with high FODMAP foods. It will be strange losing the Clarified Butter and eggs but manageable for 30 days I think!

 

I'm happy I am now including Kefir and Kombucha each day (even if it is in a smoothie which is in addition to template breakfast) as I think it is helping OH and son greatly. One of the first add backs in December will be raw milk (predominately for son I think) as I hope that will be easier with the kefir as my coconut milk one just gets too thick! When I did an elimination type diet previously the raw milk seemed to have no negative effect so it will be interesting to see if the same applies now.

 

Hope everyone else starting on 1st are still going well as this has been a very quiet board

[sairzey]

Hi Ysabell (and everyone!)

 

It is a pretty quiet board and I'm sorry that I haven't posted more regularly, but I'm still clinging on in there, like you! Day 27 and the end is so close! I'm also very conscious that I have not been fully 'template', but very pleased that I have been compliant (yes, it makes sense).

 

One minute I'm so excited for this to be over, the next I'm scared about life after W30! Anyone else feel like this?

 

I'm looking forward to having a treat and glass (or two) of wine this weekend, but I'm terrified of gaining back the weight that I may have lost and ruining any hormonal re-balancing and reduction in systemic inflammation. But I also cannot wait to get on the scales and find out how much weight I have actually lost. I know the programme is not all about weight loss, but that's the most visible benefit for me (and was my main goal).

 

Would love to hear how everyone is getting on and how you're feeling about life after 30th November!

 

Sarah

[lgt2013]

Hi all,

Day 28 and Thanksgiving here in the US. I actually did a mock-up dinner last night, really the only challenge is cranberry sauce. I made the Whole 9 recipe with apple juice and dried figs, it's really good. I don't miss all the sugar. Of course, I am 28 days without sugar at this point, so I assume the regular stuff would be icky sweet to me now. I think what I'll miss most today is wine!

 

I am also struggling a little about life after Whole 30. I will actually be going 39 days since I am flying to visit my parents and friends on day 40. I have one off-plan meal planned (fried clams -- it's gonna happen!) and will have drinks at least two nights while I'm there. My goal is to stick to whole 30 as much as possible and off the sugar, but not as much a freak about ingredients when I eat out. I really hate the inquisition at the restaurant. I think it's good enough to do protein and veg for dinner out without grilling the server about what kind of cooking oils and is there any sugar or soy in the sauce. I'll just stick to diary and gluten free.  I've been off the dairy for a long time now, so that isn't really challenging.

 

I am dreading the scale -- I don't feel like I've lost weight. But I do see other benefits, battling the sugar dragon was a big one, so it has been 100% worth it.

 

~Liza

[lgt2013]

Day 29, almost done! I had the craziest food dream last night -- cheese tortellini in a cream sauce! That's something I wouldn't even have eaten before my whole 30 (I've been off dairy for a long time). So weird to be having food dreams this late. Maybe it's because I was feeling the deprivation hard yesterday -- no stuffing, no pumpkin pie or apple pie, no glazed ham. I'm over it now, but I will definitely plan my next whole 30 around Thanksgiving next year! I had planned to take home a slice of pumpkin pie to have on Sunday with my coffee, but I decided against it. Still planning to go a whole 39.

[lgt2013]

Day 31, how did everyone do?

 

I got on the scale this morning, only lost 1.5 lbs. That sucks. And yesterday the sugar dragon was back with a vengeance. Someone made cupcakes at work and I was extremely tempted, I even thought about taking one home to have today. I didn't, but for some reason it was a lot harder to resist than it had been the rest of the month. I don't plan to do any reintroductions yet -- alcohol and sugar are the only things I really want, and I think it's best for me to continue to avoid them for a while. I may need to get back to counting calories for a while though, because I think I just eat too much at meal times. Outside of breakfast, all food is food with no brakes for me. My energy levels were higher mid-month than they are now. Yesterday I was actually really fatigued in the afternoon, felt the need for a nap, and yawning constantly.

 

Oh well. I'm sure there are internal benefits, it's just hard to see them right now. I'll keep at it for a while, mainly because I don't like feeling like a slave to the sugar dragon. I will add alcohol back in soon though.

[GFChris]

Day 31, how did everyone do?

 

I got on the scale this morning, only lost 1.5 lbs. That sucks. And yesterday the sugar dragon was back with a vengeance. Someone made cupcakes at work and I was extremely tempted, I even thought about taking one home to have today. I didn't, but for some reason it was a lot harder to resist than it had been the rest of the month. I don't plan to do any reintroductions yet -- alcohol and sugar are the only things I really want, and I think it's best for me to continue to avoid them for a while. I may need to get back to counting calories for a while though, because I think I just eat too much at meal times. Outside of breakfast, all food is food with no brakes for me. My energy levels were higher mid-month than they are now. Yesterday I was actually really fatigued in the afternoon, felt the need for a nap, and yawning constantly.

 

Oh well. I'm sure there are internal benefits, it's just hard to see them right now. I'll keep at it for a while, mainly because I don't like feeling like a slave to the sugar dragon. I will add alcohol back in soon though.

Sorry you're disappointed in your results. You did lose weight vs. gain weight. Did you take measurements or photos before and after? Any other positive results?

 

Before you go to counting calories, consider posting 2-3 days worth of your typical food log, including portion sizes, and the average number of hours of nightly sleep you get. Maybe folks here can make suggestions on changes that would help?

[Ysabell]

Oh Liza thats a shame you didn't see the results you hoped but a week ago you were seeing the positive results so that may be worth re-reading as often we can forget the changes that have happened as the weight overshadows it all. Strange as it seems it is often that we eat too little rather than too much when we eat real food. Hopefully you can post some things and the experts can offer some suggestions.

 

I finished with a 6lb loss, there is improvements with my psoriasis but I think the AIP would help, I am dropping nightshades as those seem to show the most reaction. I have raw milk coming on Wednesday which we are going to use for our Kefir - I will closely watch how that goes. I also have a continuous Kombucha kit on its way too so plenty of probiotics for the family! Ultimately I don;t feel I did the template 100% correctly as I struggled with the veg but it was a massive improvement on my normal veg consumption - I will still endeavor to get the 3 cups in per meal!

 

Thanks for the support and hope to catch you all on another round!

[lgt2013]

Sorry you're disappointed in your results. You did lose weight vs. gain weight. Did you take measurements or photos before and after? Any other positive results?

 

Before you go to counting calories, consider posting 2-3 days worth of your typical food log, including portion sizes, and the average number of hours of nightly sleep you get. Maybe folks here can make suggestions on changes that would help?

Thanks for commenting, I actually started a post whole 30 log so I can see what is keeping the weight on. I didn't do measurements or photos at the beginning of my w30, but I took some in June before I started an exercise program. I honestly don't care what the scale says, as long as I can fit back into my clothes (I gained weight from Aug to Oct from letting my eating habits slip -- the main reason I started the w30). They aren't as tight as they were when I started, but there's still plenty of muffin top .  I sleep plenty, normally 7 hours naturally, 8 or 9 if I had a particularly active day. (I don't need to get up early in the morning, but I usually wake up around 6:30-7:00 without an alarm.)

 

 

Ysabell, that's great that you saw such good results!

[GFChris]

Thanks for commenting, I actually started a post whole 30 log so I can see what is keeping the weight on. I didn't do measurements or photos at the beginning of my w30, but I took some in June before I started an exercise program. I honestly don't care what the scale says, as long as I can fit back into my clothes (I gained weight from Aug to Oct from letting my eating habits slip -- the main reason I started the w30). They aren't as tight as they were when I started, but there's still plenty of muffin top .  I sleep plenty, normally 7 hours naturally, 8 or 9 if I had a particularly active day. (I don't need to get up early in the morning, but I usually wake up around 6:30-7:00 without an alarm.)

 

 

Ysabell, that's great that you saw such good results!

ok. So you gained weight over 3 months: it's very unlikely that all would come off in one month.   I encourage you to keep up your Whole30 eating for the next couple months and see what happens.

[sairzey]

Hi all

 

Sorry for not posting for a few days. I ended my Whole 30 with a weight loss of 3.2kg, which is 7lbs. It wasn't quite as much as I was hoping for but I did measurements before and after too and those were pretty dramatic!

 

However, I did go on a bit of a splurge at the weekend and I'm feeling bloated and 'sick' again! It just goes to show how great clean eating makes you feel. So, I plan to continue with at least a paleo diet (if not quite as 'strict' as W30) Monday - Friday, with a slight relaxation on the weekends. I plan on continuing like that until after Christmas. Then I'm definitely going to do W30 again in January.

 

Hope everyone else is ok and sending lots of healthy & happy thoughts.

 

Sarah