Starting August 11

[MEJ954]

I'm having dreams too about eating non compliant foods and freaking out. It's kind of funny!

I feel great...like I have too much energy and can't focus! I started a new job so it might be stress/adrenaline/Whole30 that's giving me energy. I'm going to up excercise and see how I feel.

New found food:CURRY! Love it-coconut milk, curry paste, protein and veggies-super easy

Keep up the good work everyone!

[Megsymoo]

Thanks Amy... Yes I think with my history of addiction to sugar, carbs, pot, alcohol... It's all coming out and I need to be patient with myself... My 'feel good' or 'relax' was smoking pot or cigarettes or having a beer or three or wine, even though I was still implementing yoga, walking and other healthy pursuits into my life... So I think it's going to take my mind some time to adjust to a purely 'clean' state... I just remembered that last October for two weeks I was in Thailand doing 4 hours of yoga a day with healthy, although not restrictive, eating.... I was extremely emotional ... Almost bipolar like... So must be the detox. Thanks for your support.

quote name="Whole Amy" post="222862" timestamp="1408386403"]Megsymoo, you can condition your mind/ body to get all of its "feel good" hormones from food and when you take away the primary foods that give those to you it can leave you in the dark, unless....you cultivate new tools!   Two things that help me:

1) What do you like to do for fun?  Hike, read, pet your dog, play piano, teach someone somethink you know, walk in a park, sightsee.  try to do something every day that is fun and makes you smile.

2) Can you find something that you like about your life?  I find that when I can focus on even the small things that are going well in my life I am much more at peace.  When I don't have that mindset it is way to easy to get bogged down in all of the "stuff" of life and not having all of the shiny, flashy things that come through my mind each day. 

 

Hope that helps a little - please know that your body is going through some major shifts...it will get better!!!

 

amy

[praxisproject]

It all gets better soon, the first 7-10 were the roughest for me too The food dreams do stop, they were so weird for me.

 

It's worth trying different brands of coconut and even the same brand from different stores (in case they have old stock). I have no trouble with the Ayam brand, but I avoid the ones with things other than coconut, water and guar gum (and I avoid the guar as much as possible).

[Leila88]

Thanks... I thought it might have been the sugar... How long did it last for??? Ive just finished day 7. And why have I had no cravings for sugar?? Now that's really weird!

 

 

A few weeks if I'm honest. The sugar in my diet had started to creep back in since quitting the first time in the form of fruit, dark chocolate and sauces but cutting it out the second time hasn't resulted in any of the emotional side-effects, so at least you know this will be a one off! The fact that you're not craving is unusual - but a total blessing! Should make life a bit easier for you

 

I'm on day ten now and really feeling great, still a little bit bloated after eating but it's getting better. I've cancelled a trip away with the girls this weekend, not just because I don't want the temptation of pimms and rubbish food but also because these 30 days have kind of turned into a mental detox for me too, the past few years of bad relationships, family issues and taking on too much at work have left me pretty drained and that's something that really became apparent in week one. The next few weekends are going to be spent at bikram yoga, sleeping, cooking, eating, the odd pampering session and getting used to my own company again! 

 

I'm finding it incredibly theraputic. Sleep still not great though, hard to switch off. Does anyone have any tips?

[MEJ954]

Aha!!!! My coconut milk/cream is rancid!! I I bought the expensive ayum brand!!! http://www.tiana-coconut.com/products/dr-bruce-fife-on-quality-and-coconut-oil-prices/

How can you tell if it's rancid?

[Ashley McCormick]

I dropped our dog off at daycare on Friday, they had cookies on the counter, I almost inadvertently grabbed one, just because it's what I always do, but I stopped myself. Shopping Saturday was a bit like torture, the samples people at Costco acted like I was being rude by not taking any and the whole place smelled like pizza, the store smelled like donuts, the only place that was safe was the health food store, I got almond flour and coconut milk. We made green curry coconut shrimp for dinner, it was good, but I've never had curry before so maybe not the best of meals. I was going to try frying the remaining shrimp tonight, thought I'd dredge them in egg and almond flour and fry them in ghee? Maybe.. not sure how that will work. I'm struggling with meal ideas, I'm an ok cook but I tend to eat whole items rather than make soups and such. Having a hard time with salads, I really want salad dressing, ate an entire cucumber on my salad today with some olives.. still didn't make it great. 

Hey! If you want salad dressing, have you checked out: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/category/recipes/sauces/ ...She has a ton of whole 30 compliant recipes (she wrote well fed and well fed 2) I'm sure you might be able to find some type of dressing that might satisfy your needs! Hope this helps!  

[Hbombdiggity71]

Ashley, my favorite salad dressing is just vinegar and oil, salt/pepper and a little thyme in a shaker.  I use balsalmic or red wine vinegar.  

[cathjm]

Day 10!  I'm feeling good, energy levels are back up to normal but no massive increases and I am finding I have a little slump at about 3pm, which is not really normal for me.  I have cut out coffee as I can't stand it without milk and sweetner but I am having black tea and matcha green tea so having a bit less caffeine.

 

I'm not really feeling too hungry between meals although I have a bit extra before and after working out.  I put my trousers on this morning and they were a little loose!  Happy days!  I haven't really experienced much bloating, which is good.  I think that because I've been following a largely paleo + dairy diet for a while my digestion is coping relatively well.

 

I'm finding it incredibly theraputic. Sleep still not great though, hard to switch off. Does anyone have any tips?

 

Finally, last night was the first time in about a week where I've managed to go to sleep pretty quickly after going to bed.  I've been using Natural Calm, the magnesium citrate supplement as I've been getting quite bad muscle soreness, which has finally gone away too.  I think that it's also helping with digestion.  But I guess keep going with looking after yourself, yoga etc and it should get better.

 

Hope that everyone is having a good week, keep going!  After today it'll be a third of the way through!

[cathjm]

Hey! If you want salad dressing, have you checked out: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/category/recipes/sauces/ ...She has a ton of whole 30 compliant recipes (she wrote well fed and well fed 2) I'm sure you might be able to find some type of dressing that might satisfy your needs! Hope this helps!  

 

Ditto, the homemade mayonnaise is amazing!  Once you try it you'll never want the processed, filled with sugar and other rubbish again.

[Hbombdiggity71]

Day 10 - A third of the way through.  Feeling great and learning lots.  I woke up a little early this morning to make eggs.  I don't particularly like eggs but I was not getting enough protein in my 1st meal.  I already feel like I have so much more energy today.  I would never have believed this outcome if I were not living it.  I'm super excited to make one of the ketchup-type sauces tonight to use with the some of my meats like a bbq sauce.  I'm ready for some compliant sauces after the posts from yesterday and feel up to the challenge of making my own.

[Whole Amy]

Whoo hoo, a third of the way there!   Feeling pretty good, but still not sleeping very good.  I have a lot on my mind lately so I know that is the real problem.   Made some fab flank steak last night with tomatoes from the garden, and sauteed red cabbage.  Yum dinner!

 

Today's menu:

B - kale, eggs, avocado, banana

L - steak, salad, avocado and cashews

D - chicken strips, coleslaw with sunbutter dressing, maybe some fruit

 

I am finding this time around the whole30 is easier, maybe because I know what to expect?

[bizzemommie]

Okay, I am sleeping like a rock! Yet, I'm not exhausted.    I have plenty of energy for each day, my cravings are few and far between (oh that cheese... ) The one thing I definitely need to do is invest a little more time to get some good recipes. *Thank you for the link for sauces ladies.   I'm feeling good about the journey I'm on, and knowing y'all are here for me to touch base with has been a huge support for me, so thank you! 

 

Keep up the good work everyone!  

[SamanthaBrit]

Hi everyone, sorry some of you are struggling but sounds like this is the detox bit & the magic will come soon!

I found I feel a bit better if I don't go too low on carbs, so I make sure I have some fruit everyday & some potatoes/sweet potatoes, and by also having some nuts/seeds & lots of water it helps prevent bloating/constipation!!

I was at V Festival (UK) this wkend & managed to eat better - had an ostrich burger & a bison burger!!

Keep going everyone - we're 1/3 of the way there

[sondrals]

What'd the ostrich burger taste like?! I've had bison before, it's pretty common here, but not ostrich! 

 

I'm going to attempt to make homemade mayo this weekend I think, wish me luck!

 

I feel ok, not great, not bad, just ok. I feel like i have more energy but I'm still kinda tired as I have a hard time falling asleep at night. It's also light out until after 11pm here now so, yeah, that doesn't help much. 

 

I make a mix of veggies with my first meal, I always include a little sweet potato, I haven't ever actually just eaten sweet potato alone though, and while I know it says we can have white potatoes, I've stayed away from them, I have this irrational fear of eating the potatoes for some reason. Been staying away from a lot of nuts because I can mow through a bag of nuts in one sitting if I let myself. 

 

I was kinda shocked to see today was day 10, it feels like we just started this!

[Penelope]

Today was my first day back to teaching ...23 adorable first graders (adorable until one went under the desk in defiance) I'm on day 8 and feel great. I've been off coffee since I can't drink it black but did try tea today. I really haven't been that hungry but I've also been too busy to eat and have to force myself. I'm not sleeping too well. I wake around 2 w wiggly legs. I saw some blog about random leg spasms (or something like that) I feel like I need to do the splits in my sleep. I'm usually up around 2 then move to the couch and sleep from4-6. Frustrating- some of this May be work related but I remember this happening early on last time. Shocked I'm not a zombie!

 Sondrals- I made mayo (pretty good just go SLOW when adding the olive oil!) still trying to find an olive oil I like tho. also I made some crunchy sweet potato fries. May not be the healthiest choice since I used a lot of coconut oil. It's a good treat for non paleo folks too! All I needed was sweet p, oil, and arrowroot powder.

Good luck,

[Whole Amy]

Penelope, the fries sound great, I have arrowroot powder but don't know how to use it, did you just dredge the potatoes in it?  oil first? 

 

I am doing ok, having some massive cravings - I think they were brought on by grapes.  High sugar fruit has always done this to me....I won't be having them again for a while.  Not worth it.

 

The next 20 days I don't have many social things so I am hoping that helps me stick to the end!

[sondrals]

Penelope - Thanks for the tip! I'm really hoping mine turns out. Did you use a blender to make yours? I found a recipe for "ranch" dressing that I want to try with homemade mayo, all compliant ingredients. Plus my mom makes this cucumber salad with mayo, she uses sugar but I'm going to try omitting that and see if it's still as good. I wanted to make some sweet potato fries this weekend. 

 

I feel SO good right now, I've got so much energy it's scary sort of. Though I've been taking walks and my legs feel like lifting lead, I guess that's pretty common though, I looked through the other boards and I guess it happens to people a lot when they try to exercise. Or it could be that I'm just out of shape too  . We are headed into fall here, so I want to get out as much as I can before the snow flies in a month or two. 

 

Woke up this morning to my fiance' cooking himself a grilled cheese, and I didn't even want to kill him, that's progress right?! I was a little miffed he left the cheese sitting out on the counter like a beacon begging me to cheat, but I didn't! Overall he's been supportive, he just is stubborn and thinks he can't give up bread or cheese, so he's doing most of it with me, but adding bread and cheese.   I guess at least he's not eating total junk food, so that's a plus. 

 

I have to admit though, if I never see another dirty pot, pan or plate again it'll be too soon. I am SO sick of doing dishes, I hated doing dishes even before this but holy smokes do I create a lot of dishes. We actually bought another set of forks because we're going through them so quickly. Also, our fridge looks like a war zone, it's packed full of veggies and every time we open the door more stuff falls out. We have also run out of containers to put my food in. So we have to get another set of that also. I stuck my leftover olives in a small mason jar last night because we were out of plastic containers. 

 

Hope everyone else is doing well.

[Megsymoo]

Hi everyone... End of day ten. Still depressed, emotional, moody and hoping it will pass soon. Starving the last two days no matter how much I eat! I have a virus too but it's only mild thanks to my healthy eating I think... Is keeping the worst at bay..

Have not noticed any positives about this at all yet... However, tonight when I was brushing my teeth I noticed that two teeth which have been partly decayed for years, as confirmed by my dentist and obvious with brown discolouration are white again!!!!! Unbelievable! After just ten days on this diet!

[Megsymoo]

It gives you a weird feeling, kind of scratchy burning, in the back of your throat... See the links on my posts where I mention coconut

How can you tell if it's rancid?

[Megsymoo]

These posts

Hi everyone... I found this article.. I've noticed that when I have coconut cream in any drinks that my throat feels weird.. Uncomfortable.. A doc a few yrs ago suggested I might do well on the fodmap diet... I love coconut and don't want to give it up!! I am also concerned about bpa... I didn't know it was in canned goods... I wonder if there are any brands in Australia that are bpa free?? I wonder if I am reacting to the coconut cream/milk... The water seems fine.

http://chriskresser.com/3-reasons-why-coconut-milk-may-not-be-your-friend

I might skip all things coconut for a few days and see how my gut goes. Does anyone else have an uncomfortable feeling in their throat after consuming coconut milk or cream??

  

Aha!!!! My coconut milk/cream is rancid!! I I bought the expensive ayum brand!!! http://www.tiana-coconut.com/products/dr-bruce-fife-on-quality-and-coconut-oil-prices/

  

How can you tell if it's rancid?

[sondrals]

hmm, I felt like I was getting a cold after eating mine, wonder if mine could be rancid too?

 

It gives you a weird feeling, kind of scratchy burning, in the back of your throat... See the links on my posts where I mention coconut
 

[Ashley McCormick]

 My cravings yesterday (Day 10) were out of control. I stayed on track though, but did have a little snack after my workout.  Today (Day 11) though it is a lot better. I had a crazy food dream though the other day...I was at a buffet and every food I loved was there: Chinese, pizza, Mac and cheese (I don't even really care for mac and cheese)....I woke up feeling like I cheated and upset because I was going to have to start over. AGAIN. It was super strange! 

[praxisproject]

Leila: I used to be an insomniac, establishing good sleep hygiene is really important!  http://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene I'll add a couple of others: avoid artificial light exposure close to bedtime, this messes with your body clock, especially backlit devices which are far brighter than the sun. Some people also find Vitamin D at night can be disruptive, if you do, you can switch it to the morning.

 

Tessemae has some Whole30 compliant dressings, if you can get them where you are.

 

Penelope: your restless legs need some magnesium! I suffered for years with them, but some new science has finally proven the cause!

 

Ashley: my first Whole30, I had a dream I ate some wooden furniture, it really freaked me out lol the dreams do go away

 

I have to say, the messy kitchen gets better too. It's been many months since my first Whole30 now, but I have learned how to do the same stuff, but make less mess. I really learned new ways to cook. Give it time, it's the same with labels, it's a lot quicker for me now, especially when I know which brands are "don't even bother picking it up to read" cos they're always full of crap.

[Penelope]

Ok.... I am an idiot with technology! I tried to cut and paste the sweet potato fries but it's bookmarked on my iPad so I am pretty sure this link is for me only.....

Crunchy sweet potato fries! » Stir It Up!

stiritup.me/?p=4086

I suggest just looking up crunchy sweet potato fries and put stir it up in browser....so easy! My only dilemma was preventing them from sticking to the pan (and I rubbed coconut oil on pan and flipped them half way thru) either way they were YUMMERS! Let me know if you find a better way

Praxi- thanks for magnesium tip. I've read many people use this for sleep. Is there a non pill form? Is it like a vitamin? I will look into it ( I'm so not a pill person tho so a natural form would be great!). Sleep sure is a nice thing--- especially I disturbed sleep!

Finally hitting the double digits tomorrow- day 10 woohoo! That's the furthest I've made it so I am eager to cover uncharted territory.

Happy Friday! I can finally have some time to plan a meal and grocery shop again ....maybe I'll even go to the gym.

P

[AnnaV30]

Well, I'm out on this one.  Have to restart on Monday.  I was doing so well but it was the tuna that got me.  I wasn't thinking when I opened a package of tuna and ate it.  When I looked back at the ingredients list I saw there was sugar added along with a bunch of other crap.  Who puts sugar in packets of tunafish?  At least the next round I'll pay more attention to reading the ingredients list on stuff that appears benign.

 

Joanie

 

Best of luck to the rest!