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Day 10- Ready to Quit!


LindseyWhole30

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Hello Fellow Whole30'ers, 

 

Today is Day 10 for me. I recently posted about Day 8 being my hardest day yet. Over the past several days I've been feeling really crappy- nauseous, tired, grouchy & unmotivated. I haven't seen any changes in my body, other than being bloated. I've tried to add more veggies into my meals & have been trying to limit fruit to 1-2 servings per day only with lunch & dinner. I think I've pegged several fruits that are making me feel bloated, & I'm trying to cut those out, but I love them! Grapes in particular. 

 

I've experimented with several new meals. I'm not a cook & I'm very uncomfortable in the kitchen, about 2/3 of these meals have been a total fail & I end up having to eat something quick & easy. I'm really struggling with wanting to eat anything I've prepared. I had scrambled eggs with spinach along with a side of sweet potato hash browns (one of my semi-fails, they were soft & never got crispy like I wanted); I ate about half then threw the rest out because I was feeling completely disgusted & if I ate one more bite I think I would have puked. Now I'm just feeling nauseous & depressed. I didn't even want to read my daily email this morning, which is something I look forward to. 

 

One of my goals while on the Whole30 was to work out 3 times per week. Before my Whole30, I would go to classes at my gym 2-3 times per week- mostly a cycling class & a weight lifting class. Since I've started my Whole30, I think I've only gone 2-3 times. I've taken my dog hiking & have tried to squeeze in other little things, but I just can't force myself to go to the gym. I'm feeling tired, weak & like I said earlier, a little depressed. 

 

My birthday is June 9th, which will be day 28 & my boyfriends is the 11th, which will be my last day. I'm already getting angry & sad that I won't be able to celebrate with a cake my mom always bakes me or one of my favorite meals. I've completely avoided going out to eat because I don't trust myself in a restaurant. I'm also paranoid that non-compliant ingredients will be in the food & I won't know it. I also have a big vacation planned June 13th; luckily my Whole30 will be over by then. 

 

I'm not really missing any of the foods I gave up, expect chocolate, I miss chocolate. I just feel like my life is being consumed by cooking & preparing. Every night, I go home & cook. Then clean the kitchen. I've already spent a lot of money on groceries, and for the most part I've been eating everything I buy. I live with my parents, who are being fairly supportive; they aren't teasing me or trying to make me eat foods I can't have. But they do keep candy dishes EVERYWHERE. There is one in almost every room, they have junk foods & stuff I can't have all over the place. Tonight I have a few highschool friends coming over for dinner & my mom & I spent forever trying to figure out what to cook that everyone could enjoy & that was compliant with Whole30. It was very difficult. It's tradition to have tacos or fajitas when they come over, so we are making salsa chicken & all the fixin's, but I will have to skip on a lot of the meal & eat something else. 

 

I guess this whole thing is just kind of beating me down. And Wow, sorry, that ended up being really long. I guess I just needed to get some things off my chest! I don't know if I will finish this Whole 30, but I know I will try it again in the future. I have learned a lot thus far, as far as paying attention to what I'm eating & looking at the labels for hidden ingredients I don't want. If I do decide to quit ( :angry:  :(  :mellow:  <_< ), I hope I can avoid diving back into my old ways & use what I've learned the past 10 days & continue to make healthy choices. 

 

I'm open to suggestions to get myself out of this slump! Thanks!

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Lindsey,

 

  First suggestion - buy Well Fed. It really got me through my first whole30. Lots of simple meals, all delicious, and the most helpful thing was the "Weekly Cookup" which shows you exactly how to crank out a bunch of food on Sunday afternoon for the week. Invaluable.

 

  Make sure you are following the meal template for every meal. If you skimp on fat particularly, you'll feel just AWFUL.

It's there to help you. The closer you can follow all the recommendations in It Starts With Food, the better you will feel, and quicker too.

 

  It's tough breaking our old routines, especially ones we associate with celebration with family and friends and traditions. And let yourself mourn that a little. Then think about the real reasons you celebrate - it's not really about the food, it's about spending time with your loved ones. Try to focus on that. It helps.

 

  Celebrate both your birthdays with good healthy food and some sparkling water with a squeeze of lime/lemon in a wine glass. Then have some cake when you're done and ready to re-intro gluten. Just think of it as extending your birthDAYs into birthday weeks!

 

  You can do this, Lindsey!

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Hi Lindsey!

 

So sorry that the Whole30 hasn't been a good experience for you so far.  I hope you finish.  But if you don't, you aren't a failure.  I give you a lot of credit for doing it.   I live alone so I didn't have food in the house to tempt me.  I went out to eat once and found it hard too.  I ended up having steak and eggs.  The steak was horrible.  I'm not a cook either.  I kept it very simple.  Basic stuff.  My morning meal was a two-egg scramble with hamburger or turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans and spinach with some olives.  I cooked the sweet potatoes, green beans and spinach ahead so I could just add them in.  Lunch was a tossed salad with all of my favorite stuff and chicken breast and hard boiled egg for protein and an olive oil/lemon dressing.  Dinner was usually chicken, vegies and a few slices of sweet potato with ghee.  I cooked the chicken ahead and put it in the steamer with frozen vegies and sweet potatoes (one pot meal).  I started out using all fresh vegetables but started buying frozen half-way through.  I'm actually still on the Whole30 (this is Day 45 for me).  I stayed on it because I have some health issues I'm trying to fix.  I've had some progress and want to give it enough time to resolve.

 

Think of all of the things you have learned doing this!  I sure learned a lot.  I had some nausea too but it passed.  I wonder why your nausea persists?  Maybe someone could look at your meal record and help you with that.  I read that Days 10 and 11 are the most common days that people quit their Whole30!  I kept that in mind when I hit those days so I wouldn't be tempted to quit.  No wonder you are in a slump with nausea and lack of energy.  Not what you expected I'm sure.  I'm hoping that turns around and that you start feeling better soon.  Everyone is different and your body might just need some more time.  You might consider asking for help from a moderator.  I'll bet one reads your post and gives you some suggestions but if not, I'd go ahead and ask for help.  It can't hurt!

 

Oh and by the way, we share a birthday!  I was trying to think of something special you can have for your birthday that's compliant.  Something that you really like.  Calls for a recipe search!  I hope you have a wonderful birthday Lindsey!  I'll be thinking of you.

 

Laurie 

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Cooking is a critical life skill that our culture supports ignoring. I did not learn to cook until I was in my 30s and living alone for the first time. I bought a cook book and decided to work my way from start to finish. I made it through about 25 entrees before I developed enough recipes to stop feeling as if I needed more. I didn't start cooking seriously again until I was in my 50s. Now my website features over 400 Whole30-compliant recipes. All of them are simple because I don't have the patience to do complicated things. 

 

Failing is part of learning to cook. One of the important things to do is to figure out how to rescue a failing dish. I found that adding a can of tomatoes or tomato sauce could improve most things that had gone wrong. :) Occasionally things just have to be thrown out. My first roasted salmon went in the garbage, tough as shoe leather. My next roast salmon was perfect. I changed my recipe to make failure almost impossible. :)

 

So don't be one of those people who can't cook! Practice until you are good at it. Skills develop quickly and soon you can whip tasty meals up quickly.

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Thanks for your support, everyone! I am definitely going to invest in the Well Fed cookbook. I didn't buy the book It Starts with Food either; but I did print out all of the PDFs they have online. I might have to go to Barnes & Noble tonight & pick these up! I Pinterest a lot of recipes; my mom said last night "Don't you see all those Pinterest fails!?" Haha, so maybe it will be easier for me to have an actual hard copy in front of me with recipes I don't have to modify. 

 

I never really "learned" how to cook. When I lived on my own I cooked a lot, and according to my boyfriend it was all very good. But now that I have all these restrictions, I feel so limited. I'm very clumsy in the kitchen: can't pay attention to more than one thing at once, spill lots of things & dirty LOTS of dishes HAHA. So, the cookbooks will probably really help in this department! I also feel a little lonely cooking, I live with my parents, but a lot of time they either don't eat dinner or eat something easy & quick, they don't like to spend time in the kitchen & so far haven't wanted to eat any of my meals. My boyfriend & I are looking for our own place & he vows that when we move in together he will do a Whole 30 with me. He LOVES to cook & is very good at it. He's already made a few compliant meals for me. So I think once we have a place, I will enjoy cooking much more.

 

I do also need to try to stick with the meal templates better. I'm not cutting out fat. I'm just having a very hard time wanting to eat meat & veggies at every meal. Before my Whole 30, I would have crackers, cheese, hummus, fruit, etc & just kind of snack. I ate like a bird, a little here, a little there. I think that's where some of my nausea is coming in. It's just a lot of my stomach, even though it is Good Food. 

 

Thanks, Laurie, for you kind words! And HAPPY (almost) BIRTHDAY! If you come up with anything delicious to eat, let me know ;)

 

This morning, I was sure today would be my last day. I even texted my mom begging her to bring me some of my favorite chocolate candy to work. And she said "NO! Don't cop out today!". So, I supposed I will make it to Day11! Thanks Mom!

 

Thanks again you guys, I'm feeling better. Although, I am very hungry considering I threw most of my breakfast away. But I will make it to lunch & hopefully I'll be hungry enough to enjoy my HB eggs, brussel sprouts & cucumbers -__-

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I didn't start cooking in earnest till my mid thirties. I still feel I'm sometimes a klutz in the kitchen. But I'm getting better over time. Anyone does who works at it. Good luck the rest of the way!

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Also get the Nom Nom book!

I find all the time in the kitchen hard and that's coming from someone who cooked a lot previously and enjoyed it. It's hard work. I am day 12 and also don't feel different and have been unwell to boot... But sticking with it :)

It's normal to have good and bad days. I also get the daily emails which I have found helpful.

Good luck!

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Do you think that there's a specific food that's making you nauseous? Or perhaps a food aversion - something you're forcing down anyway - sometimes, just the thought of eggs makes my stomach roll!

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I'm not sure. My guess is right now that it's reheating all these eggs. Even right now, the thought of microwaving another egg makes me sick. Hopefully I can spend some time this weekend regrouping & prepared. I thought I was prepared by making several staples to eat all week, but I don't think that's going to cut it. I think I'm going to have to sit down & plan day by day. Hopefully I can stay compliant while doing that.

I had a successful dinner, I ate the meats, salsa & guacamole & skipped the tortillas, cheese, beans & rice. And that was okay with me- it was a delicious meal. The the chocolate chip pie came out. I actually cut myself a piece & my friend took it out of my hand. Even though I was full, it looked so good. I had some watermelon instead, even though I shouldn't have had anything else.

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Hi again Lindsey!

 

Such great comments.  I just wanted to add one more thought.  Be sure and get out in the sunshine for a bit each day.  This will help get you out of your slump.  I was quite depressed earlier in my life and a doctor gave me this advice.  It really does help.  10-15 minutes a day.  Doesn't take much to see improvement in the mood.  

 

I smiled when I read people's comments about cooking.  I'm actually interested in cooking now, I'm just not very good at it.  It's so true that you have to just jump in and try (and fail) to be a good cook.  Most of the people I know who are good cooks don't fear trying new things at all.  I'm working on that.  Since it's just me, I don't have to worry about serving crummy food to someone else!  I think you'd love WellFed 1 and WellFed 2 cookbooks.  So much fun to read.  

 

Laurie

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Lindsey, you are a ROCKSTAR and doing so well!  You have a lot to be proud of.

 

I woke up feeling that way, too (I'm on Day 9), but I have done this before and knew to get on the blogs and read success stories, others who are struggling, and find a new recipe.  Sometimes, it helps just knowing you are not alone. :-)

 

Tough love time: this is your food fighting back, and it suuuuuucks.  But, we are worth the investment in our health, and life is never going to make something like this 100% convenient.  Your birthday gift to yourself in sticking with this is worth more than a bite of any cake or any drink- you CAN do this.  Look how many people believe in you!

 

Soft love time: It's best to drop the paranoia.  If a non-compliant food sneaks in against your best efforts, chock it up to the knowledge category, avoid it moving forward, and check with the moderators to get their opinion on an extra day or two, if needed.  You have not failed.  The benefits are still there.  This is not about perfection for perfection's sake, it's about changing your relationship with food and giving your body a reset.  Exchanging one unhealthy preoccupation (skinny, "low fat", etc.) for another ("OMG! LECITHIN!  NOOOOOOOOOO!") isn't productive for your brain or body.  At the end of the day, you measure success by your own standards, and you are stronger than you know.

 

I don't know if any of that can be considered an official Whole30 approved message, but it's just my two cents.  :) Feel free to private message me any time, I am happy to be an accountability buddy.

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Remember 2 things, if nothing else:

 

1. You are AWESOME for loving yourself enough to help yourself with a Whole30.

2. Cooking is not what you see on TV on cooking shows. At minimum, it's applying some heat to food.  Everything else is just decoration of enhancement.

 

I don't "know how to cook" either, but this is where a cookbook and an engineer's attention to detail helps me: I can't "create" much on my own, but I can follow a recipe.  Well Fed, Nom Nom Paleo, and the others mentioned here all have recipes which are straightforward, and they give you enough help that it's easy to step through.  I love NNP because she gives pictures along the way so I can check that I'm not screwing up too badly.

 

For breakfast, you might want to try "scrambling eggs" into a different shape.  Egg muffins are basically scrambled eggs (the prep is the same) but baked (and, IMHO, way more pleasant reheated than actual scrambled eggs).  I also have started like egg salad in the morning, especially now that it's warm(er) out, and that's easy to make in bulk.

 

You can do it! 

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