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Day 1...overwhelmed and sad


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Hi Everyone,

My husband and I have been gearing up for this Whole30 for a week and today is our first day. I'm feeling EXTREMELY overwhelmed (and a little sad). I'm scared that I won't make something "approved" and then I'll blow it for both of us. I'm wracking my brain and searching the internet for recipes to make morning, noon and night that are good and won't make us hate our lives too much but already I'm feeling stressed out. I've looked at a lot of websites (including pinterest) for easy (and yummy) food ideas but I feel like I'm coming up short because, to be honest, I SUCK at cooking (I burned my paleo approved bacon this morning :mellow:). Soooo any advice or support or anything would be greatly appreciated for our 30 day journey.

 

Thank you!

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Aww, I've only got a few minutes here but couldn't ignore your thread title.  Don't be sad!  This is one of the best things you and your husband could possibly do for your bodies -- celebrate!  Seriously, there is no need to be stressed and sad...  Take a deep breath, step away from the computer...  IMO you don't "have" to search for recipes like crazy, and it doesn't matter if you are a great cook or not.

 

I highly recommend checking out the skillet meals in the book.  You could do skillet meals your entire life if you need to, and never run out of combinations.  Yesterday we were pretty low on groceries, so I threw together what I had:  Cooked 3 lbs. of ground turkey with an entire onion; drained.  Cooked diced sweet potato, bell pepper, apple together in coconut oil.  Added about 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of salt.  When that was done cooking, I put the meat back in and mixed it all together.  Kids and I had this for breakfast, then I ate this for lunch AND dinner also!  So easy.  And GOOD.  Simple.  Really, think "simple" for the first however-many days it takes you and your body to adjust -- and THEN start exploring more advanced and time-consuming recipes, if you want to.

 

(FYI you can cook the veggies in with the meat if you have good grass-fed or pastured meat -- mine was not.  That's why the extra step.  We don't eat a lot of conventional fat, if we can help it.) 

 

I'll check back in later and see how you're doing.  But seriously, have a GREAT day!  Go out for a walk if you can and get away from the computer for awhile.  It will help.  I promise.   ;)

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I would not worry so much about recipes. Maybe have a special recipe once or twice a week to keep things interesting. You can have simple meals too. Grilled meat cooked in a large batch reheats well for quick lunches, you can pair it with salads or raw cut veggies and avocado for a complete meal. Good intentions go a long way also. What I mean is that you are better off Not stressing over non compliance than an acidental slip. Lowering stress is important.

I wonder if it would help to meal plan for the week and write out your intended meals? (That's what I do). But be flexible and always have something you can make in a moments notice. Compliant hotdogs and sausage are always around as well as steamer bags of frozen veggies. You can do it! Hang in there.

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Thank you so much everyone! I do this all the time...paleo or not...I stress about following recipes and junk because I'm just not that good at improvising. I'm going to try to bring it down a notch (like my husband is insisting I do)...he's of the mind that if we just make smart decisions about what to eat then we'll be ok, I suppose I need to stick with that train of thought then my overly anxious one. Thank you again for the support...I still have anxiety but I'll figure out what to do...hell, it's only day 1 and I'm determined to get to 30.

Thank you!

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KISS=Keep It Simple, Sweetie.

 

You don't need fancy recipes to make this work. I have a few tried and true recipes that I love and make every week or every other week, the rest of the time I just cook meat, veg, eat. If you are eating quality, healthy food, you don't need to make it fancy, it will be delicious with a little salt and pepper and oil and roasted in the oven for a while. It almost doesn't matter what it is.

 

I have a few blogs and cook books that I follow. I'm doing AIP right now, so Mickey Trescott's cookbook, The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook has been a lifesaver (and all the recipes I've tried so far are so delicious and SO SIMPLE. Seriously, she has the best meatloaf I've ever had. EVER.) and she has a blog as well, nomnompaleo.com (blog, also has a cookbook out now), theclothesmakethegirl.com (blog, also has 2 cook books called Well Fed and Well Fed 2) plus I follow all these bloggers on facebook and they frequently link recipes from other bloggers that I don't follow as closely.

 

Some of my favorite meals are the simplest. Some roasted veg and squash, pan-fried or grilled meat, maybe some guacamole or a mayo-based dressing. Grilled meat on a big salad is awesome too. a basic vinaigrette dressing is 1 part acid to 1.5-2 parts oil with a pinch of salt. Then you can add other herbs and flavors like garlic, mustard, basil, oregano, anchovy paste, whatever.

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I second what Vian said. Keep it simple! I think it's normal for people to spend days looking up recipes in the beginning. But then you realize you don't have to eat "recipes" three times a day.

I eat a lot of burgers (meatcakes we call them in our house) and sautéed cabbage or with salad or whatever l/o veggies I have. You can always grab a grassfed hot dog or a can of tuna w homemade mayo. Mash an avocado into a can of sardines with a squeeze of lemon. Salad w basic homemade vinaigrette (or just avocado, OO and lemon juice and salt shaken in a jar).

Having a few nice spice blends is handy to make something simple seem exciting. I'm on AIP so I'm off most spices. I LOVE smoked salt. Smoked salt on a gf burger w some garlic or onion powder: yum. I also use a ton of ginger on my sautéed veggies. (Nom mom has the best cooking tip: freeze the knob of ginger then microplane/grate. Mmm.)

I generally make one big piece of meat I can eat all week (like a big brisket or pork butt) for breakfast and lunch and fill in simple stuff around that. We also eat a lot of chicken thighs (basic, inexpensive, just pan sear then throw in oven, even yummier if you cook veg along w thighs a la Tom's skillet meals) and at least one whole roast chicken a week (mostly for the carcass for bone broth).

I hardly ever make "recipes." I've found a few I like and I don't veer much from it. Seems a little boring but it's also easy and takes the frantic recipe searching out of the equation. Plus it gives me freedom to think about something besides food!

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I wouldn't worry too much. I had intended to make all sorts of different stuff so I wouldn't get bored with my food but ended up liking some stuff so much that I pretty much eat it once a week (meat sauce with 'zoodles' or spaghetti squash, grilled steaks, grilled chicken on salad, baked fish with lemon and dill, roast chicken...). I try to mix it up with my veggie side dishes though. After you get used to the confines you start to explore new compliant foods a little as well which is fun, but a lot of times I'm too busy so I go with the usual comfort recipes that I don't need any brain power to make. 

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I am into my second week and have quickly found that simple is best.

 

I cook a large amount of meat (ie first week, cooked 3 lb ground beef with onion, second week pork butt in crockpot) and kept it in the fridge.  Then I just pulled it out and threw it in the skillet with some veggies, sauteed and was done. 

 

Other easy "go-tos":  boiled eggs - I always have a dozen or so in the fridge - pair these with some guac (fat) and veggies (raw or cooked) and you have an easy fast meal.

 

I am brand new to paleo (former vegetarian) and the books Well Fed and Well Fed 2 as well as nomnompaleo.com have been hugely helpful. 

 

Keep it Simple and stay with food that you are comfortable with before starting to explore new things!

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Cooking is about confidence.  Keep practicing, and realize you will make mistakes and that is OK.  There is a cook inside of all of us.  No need for complicated recipes at all for the next 30 days.  Yes, it might be boring but the stress of perhaps being noncompliant will lessen if you stick to a few ingredients.  Nothing tastes better than a good chicken breast with sea salt and pepper in my opinion!  Who needs the sauces and rubs and marinades?  Save those for later.

 

Focus instead on whole foods and clean taste.  Baked fish one night; squeeze a lemon over it and sprinkle with sea salt.  Baked or grilled chicken breast with sea salt/pepper.  Steaks on the grill.  Yum.  Google bean free chili recipes.  They are often as easy as browning some ground beef, adding a few cans of tomatoes and spices.   Toss asparagus in some olive oil, put on a parchment or tinfoil lined pan and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  I say sea salt is my best friend.  Use it everywhere.

 

Get the man in the house involved, too!  Make mistakes together... spread the wealth.   ;)

 

Can't wait to hear how you are doing!  Don't be sad.  

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Don't let recipes get you down! Not every meal (or any meal really) needs to be a complicated masterpiece, it just needs to taste good and follow the meal template.

Try to find a couple different spices that you like and keep them handy to add flavor to basic ingredients - no recipe needed!

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A great help for me was getting a good cookbook and just trying things out. I started with Well Fed- and it has a lot of tips and tricks to help out- especially on a Whole30. The recipes are fairly simple, and it has lots of ideas for meal planning- a weekly cook-up so you have all the ingredients on had and ready to go for the week. The Hot Plates are a lifesaver- meat, veggies, sauces, etc. that you can mix and match using the items from the weekly cook-up. The rest of the recipes are intended so you don't get bored- or want something a little different. 

 

The author of Well Fed's blog theclothesmakethegirl.com has many of the recipes in the book- so you can try them out to see if it looks like it is something that appeals to you before buying the cookbook. 

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Thank you so much everyone! I do this all the time...paleo or not...I stress about following recipes and junk because I'm just not that good at improvising. I'm going to try to bring it down a notch (like my husband is insisting I do)...he's of the mind that if we just make smart decisions about what to eat then we'll be ok, I suppose I need to stick with that train of thought then my overly anxious one. Thank you again for the support...I still have anxiety but I'll figure out what to do...hell, it's only day 1 and I'm determined to get to 30.

Thank you!

So - your husband is right.  Chill out about the details, and then chill out some more, and when you feel like you're almost comatose, you're about halfway there.  :lol:

 

Just remember how easy this is: eat a palm or two of meat.  Also eat 2-3 cups of vegetables.  Also eat a thumb-size (or more!  woot!) portion of fat.  Do this three times a day.

 

Do that thirty times.

 

Done!

 

I'm not saying it has to be THAT simple, but it surely can be!

 

Eat up and enjoy the simplicity.  Whole30 takes a whole lot of stress off your plate - literally!

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Hi Everyone,

My husband and I have been gearing up for this Whole30 for a week and today is our first day. I'm feeling EXTREMELY overwhelmed (and a little sad). I'm scared that I won't make something "approved" and then I'll blow it for both of us. I'm wracking my brain and searching the internet for recipes to make morning, noon and night that are good and won't make us hate our lives too much but already I'm feeling stressed out. I've looked at a lot of websites (including pinterest) for easy (and yummy) food ideas but I feel like I'm coming up short because, to be honest, I SUCK at cooking (I burned my paleo approved bacon this morning :mellow:). Soooo any advice or support or anything would be greatly appreciated for our 30 day journey.

 

Thank you!

I had your same anxieties at the start, but I found that reading labels and just cooking lots of veg and protein with easy flavor enhancers in the way to go.  Also, if you are in an area with a lot of ethnic grocery stores, try stopping in one to pick up some variety foods.  Americans are known for all sorts of crazy additives, so a lot of the important brands of packaged spices and sauces (we found a GREAT curry paste!) have all W30 compliant ingredients.

And if you need some websites with great recipes, Nom Nom Paleo has a great list of W30 recipes.  She's a working mom, so all of her recipes are realistic to cook, with a lot of great slow cooker options out there too.  Here's all the stuff tagged Whole 30

http://nomnompaleo.com/tagged/Whole30

 

You'll totally do fine.  It's a lot easier than you think, once you get used to it.  And think of it this way, if you are a bad cook now, you probably won't be at the end of day 30 because this is also like a crash course in cooking techniques!

 

Keep it up and stay strong!

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I'm pretty new to the whole30, but not new to eating whole. I've actually stayed away from recipes in general recently and found it much less stressful!  I've just put whole foods together that sound good. I'll usually pick a protein and then add as many vegetables as I can. Like tonight I made a steak and then cooked a bunch of veggies that were in my fridge like broccoli, cauliflower, edamame. Super simple and it was super yummy!  It takes a while to get used to eating this way, but you'll start learning what combinations you love - it's a process, you'll get there!

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(Jen - edamame is soybeans - not Whole30 compliant.)

 

I agree with combining foods that sound good together rather than stressing over recipes.  In fact, I found recently that in following some sauce and dressing recipes from cookbooks, I was really just repeating what I was already putting on/in my food.  Some of this stuff just sort of happens as you eat whole foods longer.

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I agree with keeping it simple, especially at the beginning.  I normally have things like baked sweet potato with tuna mayo, salads with chicken and avocado, a piece of fish pan fried with veggies, the list is endless and not complicated.  I am a bit rubbish in the mornings so I made mini omelettes in muffin cases which I eat on the go and I make sure I put some meat in there and a few different kinds of veggies. I also post everything I eat on my Instagram if you are stuck for ideas, link below.

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I take my normal meals and make sure they are compliant. For example last night I made Nom Nom Paleo's baked chicken a la Julia child. You will have to substitute ghee for butter but I think everything else is compliant. I tossed some carrots onions and sweet potatoes and they all cooked together. It was so good. Now I have leftovers for lunch and bones to make broth. I make meatballs and tomato sauce, all from scratch ( canned tomato sauce may not be compliant). I serve this over spaghetti squash or zucchini. How about Applegate Farms Natural Beef hotdogs? Homemade hamburgers? Steaks on the grill. Good Luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Everyone,

I gotta say...I'm not doing all that great (God, I'm sorry I'm complaining SO much!). In addition to being sad and overwhelmed I now feel angry. I find myself not really eating much during the day (banana, hard boiled egg, black coffee in the AM, nuts throughout the day or some fruit and then normal protein, fat, veggie for dinner) because I just don't want to be bothered (apparently I'm also incredibly lazy) and I'm really bored and frustrated with all this food. So in addition to supposedly expunging the badness of my body, the badness of my character is also coming out.

I just don't like this...my real only saving grace is when I look in the mirror wishing I could look a little better, I remind myself that everything I'm eating is clean, which is great...but other then that I don't feel so hot. I know I'm complaining waaaaaaaaaay too much (and I'm sorry)...I know that there are MANY people out there who are a hellava lot busier then I am and are still able to make the time to do this right so I shouldn't b*tch and moan like this but I just needed to vent.

Thank you for the support!

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Hi Everyone,

I gotta say...I'm not doing all that great (God, I'm sorry I'm complaining SO much!). In addition to being sad and overwhelmed I now feel angry. I find myself not really eating much during the day (banana, hard boiled egg, black coffee in the AM, nuts throughout the day or some fruit and then normal protein, fat, veggie for dinner) because I just don't want to be bothered (apparently I'm also incredibly lazy) and I'm really bored and frustrated with all this food. So in addition to supposedly expunging the badness of my body, the badness of my character is also coming out.

I just don't like this...my real only saving grace is when I look in the mirror wishing I could look a little better, I remind myself that everything I'm eating is clean, which is great...but other then that I don't feel so hot. I know I'm complaining waaaaaaaaaay too much (and I'm sorry)...I know that there are MANY people out there who are a hellava lot busier then I am and are still able to make the time to do this right so I shouldn't b*tch and moan like this but I just needed to vent.

Thank you for the support!

 

I'm really concerned about how you're feeling about all this. The restrictive nature of the program does sometimes worsen existing problems regarding food. So I'd like to suggest -- delicately -- the possibility that this might not be for you

 

You can just try to eat relatively clean for now (as you've been doing), don't beat yourself up if you stumble, and more importantly, remove some of the pressure from yourself. If it helps, think of it as practice for when you do feel ready to take on a Whole30.

 

And more than anything, I think what you have been describing speaks of deeper emotional issues than just your relationship with food. I hope there are people you can go to for help in dealing with these.

 

Whatever you decide, I wish you luck!

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Take a deep breath, read the book (It Starts with Food ) again and start over..  You'll be eating good protein, great veggies, Fantastic fats and some fruit..

Follow the directions and read along the time line of how you might be feeling.. But most important read the book again. It will make 

things really clear and you'll be that much more prepared and ready to tackle it the proper way.  Good Luck~

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I agree with the other responses... you are not following the program.  You are not eating properly all day, therefore your body is not getting what it needs, therefore you are going to feel like crap because... you are not following the program.  :(

 

Definitely read the book if you haven't.  RE-read the book if you have, when you are ready, and take notes.  Highlight things if you want to.  Print things out from the site and hang them all around your kitchen if you need to... but when you decide to do a Whole 30, you have to follow the rules for it to actually work.

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Boy...that's a bummer.

Well I guess I'll try again June 1 since I have some once in lifetime events coming up soon (graduation from graduate school and 1 year anniversary with my husband).

Thank you for all the help and support.

GlennR, although I do appreciate your advice I don't believe it was necessary to say anything about "deeper emotional issues". To be honest I just enjoy eating things that aren't necessarily healthy for me...and the fact that I haven't been able to eat them just made me a little down and frustrated...something that I figured was a normal emotional response. And it appears that my anxiety about following the Whole30 properly was warranted since I apparently have not been doing it correctly for most of this time. Again, I am truly grateful for the support but maybe next time there could be no mention of my emotional stability...about food or otherwise. It is not incredibly constructive and doesn't make me feel any better about the situation.

 

Thanks again everyone

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I'd have to disagree that you need to start over. I think there is a learning curve in the first week or so and as long as you didn't eat non compliant food then you can continue. Learn from your experiences these past few days and try to make improvements along the way. Cutting out offensive foods has merit too and you are still riding your body of these things. Work towards three proper meals and when you get there, re-assess how your feeling. Maybe you will decide to have 30 solid days of 3 meals each day or maybe you won't but still work at it one day at a time.

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Boy...that's a bummer.

Well I guess I'll try again June 1 since I have some once in lifetime events coming up soon (graduation from graduate school and 1 year anniversary with my husband).

Thank you for all the help and support.

GlennR, although I do appreciate your advice I don't believe it was necessary to say anything about "deeper emotional issues". To be honest I just enjoy eating things that aren't necessarily healthy for me...and the fact that I haven't been able to eat them just made me a little down and frustrated...something that I figured was a normal emotional response. And it appears that my anxiety about following the Whole30 properly was warranted since I apparently have not been doing it correctly for most of this time. Again, I am truly grateful for the support but maybe next time there could be no mention of my emotional stability...about food or otherwise. It is not incredibly constructive and doesn't make me feel any better about the situation.

 

Thanks again everyone

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