Newbie Starting May 12

[Ahavah]

Hello, friends!

I've just learned about Whole30 in the last couple of days, but it seems perfect for me right now. May is a hard month for me, and I'd planned to start a fast today. After learning about Whole30 though, I've decided to give that a try instead! I could really use a food reboot, and I plan to journal so that I can pinpoint what foods affect me how.

 

I've had health & weight issues since having my 3rd baby 2.5 years ago, and now amount of dietary or exercise changes have helped. I'm excited to try a food cleanse, and I hope this will help me make permanent changes for the future even if I don't stick to a paleo diet after. My biggest fear is my tendency to binge on carbs, and I also know I'll struggle with my pepsi addiction, but I've been trying to break it for a while now.

 

I've gone shopping and done a meal plan for week 1 (you can see it here if you like: http://mealplanning.livejournal.com/125047.html ), and today is going to be my prep day. I'm currently working two jobs, although I should be leaving the second one soon. That'll make things easier, I think.

 

Outside of Whole30, I am a writer (working on becoming one by career rather than just hobby), on-hiatus doula, Reiki Master, and home/unschooling mom of 3 girls. We moved from Asheville, NC to SE Missouri to realize our dream of owning a self-sufficient farm. We've excelled at growing rocks and not much else, although I do get a few farm fresh eggs from my handful of chickens and have rededicated myself to gardening this year. I had to return to work after my husband had a back injury, so we pretty much just scrapped last year as far as farm goals. He's doing better now and able to work the farm a bit more while I'm at work, and I've started a small garden and hope to do more after the 2nd job finishes.

 

I'd love any accountability buddies and like-minded friends! Thanks for having me.

[GlennR]

The meals are excellently chosen! They all look so delicious. And I admire your planning for your Whole30.

 

Just one thing, though: snacks are to be avoided during a Whole30. Planning from the start for snacks between breakfast and lunch is therefore not a good idea. The goal is to make each meal large enough and satisfying enough to last you 4-5 hours -- until your next meal. This re-sets your eating habits to the most optimal hormonal rhythm. The rule of thumb is: if you need to snack, that means you didn't eat enough at your previous meal.

 

Making sure you eat enough at each meal takes some adjustment and recalibrating, but you'll get the hang of it quickly enough. Only snack if it's truly unavoidable, and let it be a rare exception instead of the rule in the coming month.

 

Good luck!

[Daniddiva]

Well I wish you success.  Tomorrow will also be my first day and I am excited about this life change. 

[Ausgirl]

May 12 is my first day too!  Already mid-morning here in Australia....

 

I didn't realise I couldn't plan for snacks.  I have made some veggie snack packs which I have brought to work with me.  If I don't eat them before, I will have them as part of lunch.  I am worried about getting hungry at work and not having anything I can eat so I thought that was a better strategy than having nothing.

 

Is having a piece of fruit between meals a no-no?

 

Had a long black instead of a latte today.. was not as bad as I had feared!

[GFChris]

The idea, as GlennR stated, is to get to a place where meals satiate you for 4-5 hours.

 

You don't want to snack out of habit or boredom, nor graze all day.

 

If you find you are genuinely hungry in between meals (hungry = you could eat steamed fish and broccoli), have a mini meal containing a protein and fat.

 

Save your 1-2 daily servings of fruit to enjoy with or immediately after meals only.

[Ahavah]

Thanks so much, everyone! Well, I think snacks will be a necessity for me personally, during the first week at least. I used to only eat one meal a day, a big dinner, but I changed all that when I resolved to get healthier - and when I returned to work. Now I eat 3 meals, and since returning to work after many years off and eating breakfast now, I find that I am always very hungry on my first break at work. If I eat a bigger breakfast, I just get hungry half an hour later or so where I can't get a break. So I plan for that morning snack knowing that my body needs it.

 

Perhaps that will change with the program, but I'm also not really a huge proponent of the 3-big-meals-a-day, especially since I have a problem with portion control and binge eating. I find that smaller meals and a few snacks work better for me. I'm open to change though! Just trying to cover all the bases so I'm safe at work and don't end up buying chips or honey rolls from the vending machine because I'm too hungry.

[GlennR]

Thanks so much, everyone! Well, I think snacks will be a necessity for me personally, during the first week at least. I used to only eat one meal a day, a big dinner, but I changed all that when I resolved to get healthier - and when I returned to work. Now I eat 3 meals, and since returning to work after many years off and eating breakfast now, I find that I am always very hungry on my first break at work. If I eat a bigger breakfast, I just get hungry half an hour later or so where I can't get a break. So I plan for that morning snack knowing that my body needs it.

 

Perhaps that will change with the program, but I'm also not really a huge proponent of the 3-big-meals-a-day, especially since I have a problem with portion control and binge eating. I find that smaller meals and a few snacks work better for me. I'm open to change though! Just trying to cover all the bases so I'm safe at work and don't end up buying chips or honey rolls from the vending machine because I'm too hungry.

 

Covering the bases is fine; as I said, snack if you really, really need to. If you're interested, here's a short explanation of why it is optimal to have three meals rather than four or five.

[GreenThumbGal]

I'm starting today too! Best of luck on your journey!

 

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup - I've been eyeing the recipe myself.

[demilu]

Wow! Your meals look amazing. I'm starting whole30 today, May 12 as well. AND believe it or not- my husband is from SE Missouri as well. We've become northerners, but he sure does miss it.

Husband is doing the whole30 along with me so I already have great support at home but am looking forward to having the resources and accountaibility here as well!

[Ahavah]

Thanks so much, everyone. GreenThumbGal, I was not able to get my zucchini soup made on prep day as I'd planned! It was the one item I didn't get to. I still plan on making it this week, so I'll keep you posted.

 

I did very well yesterday  (day 1) on not eating snacks. Since I didn't have the soup, I grabbed a handful of my backup veggies. Before I left, I felt like maybe I hadn't added enough vegetables, so I grabbed another handful to eat on the road.  I did still get hungry between breaks, but not until 30 mins before my lunch break (at 10:50), so it wasn't that hard to handle. I did have to have another very small portion of my chicken/avocado salad (which is my new favorite!) after I realized that the chili wouldn't be ready until 7:30.

 

I had great energy yesterday, too, but Day 2 has been much harder. I grew hungry very shortly after my first break and grabbed a handful of cashews. Lunch was filling and fabulous, but I had terrible lethargy all day. Guess because I'm used to so much sugar. I had to 'cheat' a little and have a natural, organic fruit leather for an afternoon pick-me-up, as I was miserable trying to make it through the rest of the day. It helped, but I definitely don't want to make a habit of that.

 

demilu - Where is your husband from? We're in Reynolds County. The family is humoring me and trying the dinners with me (not necessarily successfully with everyone), but they're definitely not interested in doing Whole30.