jaskylu3 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Hi, I am one month away from turning 39 and feeling horrible! For the past 2 1/2 years I have been on a downward spiral of eating poorly. When mama eats poorly, so do her children! In my household we have: my husband (overweight), me (overweight), 16 year old son, 13 year old daughter, and 10 year old son. Believe it or not, prior to this past 2 1/2 years our family ate very healthy, and I was able to get rid of stomach issues as well as headaches and allergies. My daughter's allergies are back, as well as her headaches; my headaches are horrible, and I feel nauseous most mornings; my older son (16) is working out and gaining muscle, but he is not eating well at all....mostly carbs! So, I took the plunge to guide us back to a healthy lifestyle...We started May 12, 2014. Here are some issues right now: 16 yr old feels week while working out at gym...should I add more protein???? He is used to mostly a refined carb and protein diet since he started working out. He could lose some body fat, he is not able to though...I think it was the carb intake. 13 year old is super active, almost no body fat and a lot of muscle. She tumbles, cheers, plays soccer. She does not like meat or eggs very much...she is getting lightheaded. What should I add? She's eating fruits, veggies, cashews, almond butter...a lot of these foods! I have a problem getting meat into her...she gags! I am tired!!!!! But I know this is like a withdrawal effect. I am excited...but worried about the kids energy needs! I haven't started my 10 yr old yet....well I have incorporated more fresh fruits. There are no more processed anything ( I hate the stuff anyway). But I have not taken the bread and rice and pasta away yet....Not sure how to handle this. He is allergic to eggs....so I am thinking duck eggs will work for him. My husband is away this week for work. Thank god! Or I may bite his head off....I am very moody right now! He has not started....having trouble with motivating him. The GREAT aspects: We have been planning every meal together (for the past 3 days...lol) We have been talking about the foods as we pack lunches for the next day. The 10 year old is a part of it and is asking more questions about the foods he eats. We are all in this together!!! I am happy to get back to what I enjoy and believe in....clean eating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milbran220 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 WOW... First of all... KUDOS to you! I was reading your post and thinking... I could never manage to be the driving force for a change this big in a family and having to juggle my needs as well as the varying needs of children (all in different stages/activities) and husband that might not be into it. It also made me think of a family that I know who could use a change like this. They only have one child, but I see them struggling between their own health issues and dealing with picky eating habits, financial concerns, etc. So again... I just want to say... KUDOS! You mentioned being tired... I can't see how you wouldn't be tired trying to manage all of that! I am not very experienced at this yet (only on day 3 of my Whole30) but I just wanted to give you a pat on the back and send my best wishes that your husband begins to be more enthusiastic. I was estatic when my boyfriend said he would do the Whole30 with me (initally I just asked him to be supportive of me) so I can really appreciate the impact a life partner has. Very best to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaR Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Hi jaskylu3, I can relate to your problems. I also have three children with all very different dietary needs or wants. My oldest daughter follows the paleo program, my middle daughter is a vegetarian and my son and husband both need to eat so this is what I have started to do with them. I do not know if this will work for you but it has for me. I am also lucky that I have two fridges. Sunday is a big cooking, organizing day for me. I make about 20 salads (bought containers to put them in) and put them in our fridge in the garage. I barbeque if I can if not in the oven, packages of chicken breasts, lean pork chops and once cooled I put them in tin foil individually and put them in the fridge. I also cut up vege and or fruit by the ton and put them in little bags. I also make sure that I have a lot of oranges, apples, bananas, etc on hand to last the week. Since on the Whole30 program, I have made beets, squash and shredded sweet potato ande other things. Then I cook up some ground beef (now-ground pork, chicken and turkey) and make a variety of things with it all. So although I am the only one on the Whole30 everyone has their own style of eating and this benefits everyone. Iif your kids are like mine even though mine are older they will eat what is in the fridge. I do tend to buy seafood also for my daughter who is a vegetarian. I do not know if your daughter like seafood (tuna, salmon, etc). I try to be prepared and although I do buy some junk for them, if things are ready and waiting when they open the fridge that is what they will grab. I hope that this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaskylu3 Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 This is helpful!!! I did not prepare enough on Sunday...thought I did. I am preparing each night and it is not working out well with kids activities! I will take the advice of cutting everything up and having it at their fingertips! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milbran220 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 if things are ready and waiting when they open the fridge that is what they will grab. ^This! I think this is pretty much everyone... if it's already prepared and waiting, I'm much more likely to grab it and not search out bad stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted May 14, 2014 Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2014 Feeling weak in the gym is normal for the first two weeks. You can eat perfect and still feel sluggish as your body learns to burn fat more efficiently and gives up its dependence on carbs. That said, eating plenty of starchy veggies like sweet potato helps over the long run to keep energy levels high. You might try chicken or fish with your daughter if she refuses meat and eggs. Nuts are not an adequate source of protein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 First of all mad props to you for taking control of your family's health and being a driving force! Your oldest son sounds like he needs to eat more starchy vegetables to support his activity level. He should be following the upper end of the meal template at every meal (so 2 palm sized portions of protein by his hand size) and getting his pre and post workout meal in. There is a lot of advice on this topic in the Whole30 for athletes section of the forum as well. He might also want to read this book: http://stupideasypaleo.com/the-paleo-athlete-book/ for more insight on getting the best nutritional support for his sport. If your daughter will not eat even seafood or eggs than I would suggest using the vegetarian shopping list for her needs. She won't get the greatest benefit from the program without animal protein but at least she will get protein which she is getting blessed little of now. Nuts are much more of a fat source than a protein source and eating too many will cause gut irritation for most people. Sounds like your youngest is on a good path to learning from example. I would start maybe offering him W30 style meals and see how he reacts to the change but don't be super strict with it. There is a lot of good advice on the Whole30 with Kids section of the forum. For your own needs, have you started a food log in the Your Whole30 section? We might be able to help you tweek your own diet to get better energy. Lastly I just want to encourage you to get your kids involved in the food preparation process. They are all old enough to do much of it on their own and with so many individual needs you are just going to stress yourself out trying to do it all for everyone. Stress is a major factor in health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaskylu3 Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 Feeling weak in the gym is normal for the first two weeks. You can eat perfect and still feel sluggish as your body learns to burn fat more efficiently and gives up its dependence on carbs. That said, eating plenty of starchy veggies like sweet potato helps over the long run to keep energy levels high. You might try chicken or fish with your daughter if she refuses meat and eggs. Nuts are not an adequate source of protein. Should I have him cut the workouts down a bit at first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaskylu3 Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 First of all mad props to you for taking control of your family's health and being a driving force! Your oldest son sounds like he needs to eat more starchy vegetables to support his activity level. He should be following the upper end of the meal template at every meal (so 2 palm sized portions of protein by his hand size) and getting his pre and post workout meal in. There is a lot of advice on this topic in the Whole30 for athletes section of the forum as well. He might also want to read this book: http://stupideasypaleo.com/the-paleo-athlete-book/ for more insight on getting the best nutritional support for his sport. If your daughter will not eat even seafood or eggs than I would suggest using the vegetarian shopping list for her needs. She won't get the greatest benefit from the program without animal protein but at least she will get protein which she is getting blessed little of now. Nuts are much more of a fat source than a protein source and eating too many will cause gut irritation for most people. Sounds like your youngest is on a good path to learning from example. I would start maybe offering him W30 style meals and see how he reacts to the change but don't be super strict with it. There is a lot of good advice on the Whole30 with Kids section of the forum. For your own needs, have you started a food log in the Your Whole30 section? We might be able to help you tweek your own diet to get better energy. Lastly I just want to encourage you to get your kids involved in the food preparation process. They are all old enough to do much of it on their own and with so many individual needs you are just going to stress yourself out trying to do it all for everyone. Stress is a major factor in health. Where is the section that I can og my food? I cant seem to find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Where is the section that I can og my food? I cant seem to find it. http://forum.whole9life.com/forum/24-your-whole30-log/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted May 14, 2014 Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2014 Should I have him cut the workouts down a bit at first? He can attempt to follow his normal routine, but is likely to under perform for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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