Starting August 11

[cathjm]

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!

 

I use Natural Calm, which you can get on amazon in the UK, I guess it's the same in the States, it's the one recommended on the Whole30 website: http://whole30.com/2010/09/supplements-part-ii/

 

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!

 

That's a shame, good luck on the next 30.  You will at least be more prepared and fingers crossed you should have experienced the worst detox effects so far.

[cathjm]

Day 12!  I had my first eating out challenge last night.  It was very good and very bad both at the same time!  We went out to an Italian place, which luckily had lots of salad options so I could have a chicken and spinach salad, no croutons, no bread and no dressing.  So here's the bad - it was a terrible salad!  Very stingy on the amount of chicken particularly given the number of things I didn't have on the salad.  Got hold of some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which made it better.  I was feeling a bit sick when I got home so after some compliant smoked salmon and prosciutto I felt a lot better.  And now back to sleeping very well.

 

The good thing about dinner last night was that I was able to sit there whilst everyone around me was tucking into floured, fried calamari, bread, pizza, pasta, tiramisu and I didn't really have any cravings or any need to have anything they were having. 

 

In terms of cooking, my husband eats pretty much the same as me but he'll have white potatoes (I'm avoiding these for now), pasta and cheese.  Normally, I'd try some and pick whilst I'm cooking without really thinking about it but this is making me think, for example, grating cheese, if a little fell on the counter during grating then I'd usually pick it up and eat it.  This time, I look at it for a second, think that, oh, I can't have that and put it down again!  That split second is great and hopefully it's training my brain to then think exactly about what I'm going to eat.

 

Hope everyone's doing well and looking forward to the weekend!

[bizzemommie]

Okay, being that this is my very first time doing a Whole 30 (successfully) I have a couple of questions. Please, those with experience, tell me if I'm crazy or what I'm doing wrong.

 **disclaimer, this is kind of on the personal question side**  

 

So,....my breath and urine are kind of not smelling so fresh.  Like I ate a ton of asparagus, ya know what I mean? But I haven't had any asparagus, actually, I wanted to buy some but was afraid to make it worse.  I'm drinking PLENTY of water, eating plenty of other veggies (mainly zucchini because it's my favorite),......could I not be eating enough carbs?  This morning I am eating a little bit of sweet potato with my egg in an effort to balance things a bit, but until now I haven't had any high carb veggies, so maybe that's it.....?

 

I'd love some insight.

 

Thanks in advance! 

[sondrals]

I went Natural Pantry (I assume they're like whole foods but it's our only health food store here outside of a couple isles at Safeway and Fred Meyer) and got some Kombucha last night as I am really struggling with things to drink. I previously drank diet soda and I'm really missing the bubbles, got some La Croix but... I got an icky flavor maybe? It's kind of bitter and gross  . Anyway I got some Kombucha, which is REALLY good, but I only had a small juice glass of it because I guess it can cause some erm... problems.. if you're not used to it. But it fixed my "I can't drink another glass of water ever again thing" and I'm right back to drinking mostly water. 

 

Bizziemommie - I know when you do Atkins, or other low carb diets, you enter into ketosis, which can change your urine and such. I personally haven't noticed anything while doing the Whole30 with the exception of the day I did eat asparagus. So it could be the lack of carbs. Or maybe it's your body getting rid of the toxins? I'm new to this too so that's my only two ideas on it.

 

I made sweet potato "fries" last night, but I just cut up my sweet potato into strips, put olive oil and seasoning on them and baked at 350 for an hour, they weren't crunchy crunchy but they were alright for a bit of a change. I think they could of gone longer in the oven and maybe crisped up more, but I was hungry and tired of waiting. 

 

Still plugging along here, hope everyone else is doing well.

[dana!]

Day 12...almost half way there! Today I feel more energy and a more stable mood. Hope this lasts!

Biggest struggle is making time to prepare meals and to sit down to eat with the busy-ness of work. Also have a hard time thinking of breakfasts that don't include eggs, or having to 'cook'.

Continue to be inspired by your posts! Thanks!

[Jaclynfich]

This evening was very difficult! I have a lot of personal & financial stress going on at the moment and my first instinct was still to eat some junk food toake myself feel better. I stopped at target to get a few things and ended up in the candy aisle I honestly was looking at it to feel better since I knew I couldn't eat it! I was really proud of myself that in the end I didn't get anything but it also made me realize how much I need to be doing whole 30! Having a that kind of reaction to stress is not good! I honestly started whole30 mostly for weight loss but tonight I realized I need it for much more than that.

[Megsymoo]

Hi Everyone... day 12 - I'm quite unwell with a virus... its hanging on and I have felt utterly exhausted for three days now... I start full time work in a demanding job on Monday so I really hope I'm better by then. Still feeling very depressed and incredibly anxious ALL THE TIME.....seriously - ALL THE TIME - its horrible! Exercise and relaxing activities don't seem to relieve it. Ive just started taking my vitamins again so hopefully that will help. I'm really very anxious and easily angered??  I can't see my naturopath until the 11th September so really hoping it passes.

 

Good news is my stomach is finally starting to settle down after months of severe bloating... planning on making some sauerkraut this weekend so i can have some more good bacteria in my gut.

 

Hey Aussie people - did you see the last two Catalyst shows on the ABC? My all time favourite factual show - it was all about gut health and how it impacts our immunity and mental health - they talked about the same stuff as the book "It starts with food'. I was watching it with my father saying 'See! that's why I'm doing the whole 30!" By the way - I already know that this is going to be at least a whole60 or 90 for me.... the only things I'm finding difficult are the massive amounts of money I'm spending on food, the time it's to prepare food and the emotional mess Ive been since I started.... a few odd cravings but nothing full on...

 

I'm also finding recipe hunting too overwhelming at the moment.... I guess I want it all there, laid out for me....when I find a recipe I want to make it often comes with the problem of finding ingredients I dont have and cant find or making extra ingredients which takes even more time... so I haven't made a single recipe...Ive just been throwing stuff together that's compliant.... its getting pretty boring though... I find the internet overwhelming so am thinking of going and buying Well Fed.... but not sure if I should buy that of an autoimmune protocol book??

 

I have Hashimotos thyroiditis (Plus leaky gut, PCOS, endometriosis and very high blood pressure) and I have done extensive research on this... this is the first time Ive been able to stick to a regimented healthy eating plan since I was 20 - 17 years ago! So I'm proud of that and think that as people have mentioned... perhaps I'm going through a major detox and that explains my emotional mess. I suspect that I will be at least gluten and dairy free for life after this - perhaps even grain free.... although I hope to be able to reintroduce quinoa which really made me feel good. I have managed to avoid meds so far (except BP pills) and now my Thyroid antibodies are down to 200!! (From 1800 eight years ago) I am going to get tested again in three months after this cleanse and see if my antibodies have dramatically reduced - I hope so!

 

So, whilst I feel like crap... I am trying to stay positive and see the light.... like they said..... there are things that are much harder to do than this.... I guess we all just need to remember a tough time we got through like giving birth, or having a near death experience... every time I feel exasperated I remember that I'm lucky to be alive and to appreciate every moment I have. Remember your blessings

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I really enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the fabulous effort!

[praxisproject]

Megsy - I have both Well Fed & Well Fed 2, they're both great. If you're not doing AIP yet, I'd get a regular cookbook.

 

You can also save a bit of money getting the Kindle versions (don't need a Kindle to read them), but they don't come with the pretty pictures.

[Megsymoo]

Megsy - I have both Well Fed & Well Fed 2, they're both great. If you're not doing AIP yet, I'd get a regular cookbook.

 

You can also save a bit of money getting the Kindle versions (don't need a Kindle to read them), but they don't come with the pretty pictures.

Thanks! Yes I downloaded the 'It starts with food" on my ipad mini - but I find it difficult and annoying trying to read recipes from there and havent worked out a way to print... think Ill go grab the book this weekend so I can prep for the following work week. Thanks PS - but are there items in there that you have had difficulty obtaining in Australia?

[MEJ954]

Glad to hear everyone is hanging in there! I'm feeling very tempted to eat carbs and sugar. My husband has been supportive and helps me see the big picture and benefits of sticking to the plan. I'm hoping this journey will help with my infertility and high blood pressure.

Anyone give up or plan on giving up coffee/caffeine?

I only have one cup in the morning, but I'm thinking of slowly reducing my caffeine intake next week.

[sondrals]

I had my first food related dream, I was eating a donut with cheese on it (is that even a thing?!?). I was on my last bite and it dawned on me I couldn't have it so I threw it down and started crying. Talk about a weird dream!

My new jeans I bought a few weeks ago no longer fit I had to go get one size smaller. I have so much energy and feel so good that I can hardly believe it. Still struggling a bit with craving for sugar, mostly I want a soda. But overall I am doing good.

Hope everyone is doing well.

[Megsymoo]

I finally had a food dream last night too. There was cake and I knew I couldn't have it - and that was that.... does this mean my conviction is holding out in my dreams too? Seriously - I am a 'gonna' person - gonna do this and that and I never do.... ot I start something and then dont finish it.... so for me to get through nearly two weeks with no alcohol, sugar etc is really incredible! Im not worried about waivering.... exciting stuff Ive also been having just one or two max coffees a day... I am very sensitive to it and wonder if I should quit altogether (though its my one indulgence that i enjoy) I also started 'pulling' this morning with coconut oil.... if you are on facebook check out mindbodygreen - i LOVE their posts and find out so much information about natural health and wellbeing on it - there is also a website...

 

My depression and anxiety are lifting - yay! Just in time for the start of a new job tomorrow! Im still sick but will be well enough to work... been coughing up monsters - perhaps its my lungs getting all the crap out from years of tobacco and marijuana smoking Tomorrow is day 14 - the half way mark!

 

Enjoy your Sunday

[SamanthaBrit]

It's great to hear you're starting to feeling better Megsymoo I feel for you with the anxiety & anger etc. I felt like this several months ago, very hard to explain to others, the Dr said it was 'extreme PMS' but as my monthly cycle was messed up it lasted for weeks at a time!! She said the pill would help - it has, but more hormones wasn't my preferred option!

Anyway, that ostrich burger I had tasted like lamb - v nice & apparently it's v healthy meat!!

Well I've been struggling a bit the last few days - wanting treats & constantly feeling hungry. Bit of a binge last night - ate a whole bag of nuts (big bag!) & crackers (made just from seeds)! I'm sure this should hav hurt my stomach as was so much but I couldn't stop!!? Hav been gettin enough fat so I think it's a hormone thing - it feels same; every few weeks I get insecure about everything, anxsty (not as bad as I used to) & want to eat loads, & couldn't care less!! Very self-destructive really. Anyone else get this?? Usually I'd dive head first into a sugar-fest (chocolate, cakes) or pizza, icecream etc so I'm pleased I didn't do the sugar thing - & thank god I don't now have the ''sugar hangover' to deal with!!!! But I also know the W30 is about not snacking, overeating/bingeing etc - so does this mean I've failed the W30?? I actually couldn't do it if I had to start again!! :/

[praxisproject]

The two things which I really wanted and couldn't get immediately were coconut aminos and sunbutter without sugar. Coconut aminos seem to be a lot easier to get now, but watch the brands, some of them are not Whole30 compliant! (I get Coconut Secret brand - avoid the niulife it's got piles of sugar in it) When I found sunbutter without sugar, I found it everywhere, so I'm not sure if I was looking in the wrong places. The one I found was organic, Ceres brand. The supermarket brands all had sugar or other nasties. Oh and when they say "chile powder", they don't mean Aussie "chilli powder" which is made only with chillis, there's recipes for making your own online, but I found Simply Organic brand at my health food shop.

[clarissa]

Hi all

 

Well I've made it to Day 14 and I am very happy about it.  I certainly feel as though I have lost a bit of weight - not feeling tiger blood but feeling like doing stuff and not lounge about which is a good sign.  I had a bad flu for about 8 days of this though so only expect things to pick up this week.

 

Something very annoying happened last night.  We went to some friends for dinner, when we were invited I explained what I was doing and offered to bring my own food.  I was assured that it wasn't necessary and that they would have something for me.  First up was some chicken wings and drumettes - I saw them go into the oven and asked "is that just plain chicken" - the answer was yes.  When the came out some hot sauce was poured over (I checked the bottle and it was compliant) so I tucked in.  After eating four of them I commented they were very crunchy and had they put coconut oil or something on them.  No, we covered them in flour was the answer.  OMG I was soooo cranky.  It really put me in a difficult situation as I was very very annoyed but really only have myself to blame - need to be responsible for everything I put in my mouth.  I really stressed out about it but have come to the conclusion that it would have been less than a teaspoon of flour so am not going to start back at Day 1.  I am also not going to go to anyone else's house for dinner until this is done!

 

Megsymoo - I did see Catalyst, was fascinating wasn't it.  Also on Radio National on Friday there was a story on the obesity pandemic in Australia and the role processed food play in this.  There certainly does seem to be a national conversation starting about the need to revert to a whole food diet.  We're clearly leaders of the pack!!!! Best of luck with your new job tomorrow.

 

I have Hashimoto's as well. I am on medication and trying to avoid having to up my dose is one of the reasons for doing the Whole 30 - I have to have my bloods done a week or so after I finish so it will be very interesting to see what they are.

 

I have been posting many of my meals on Instagram - you can see most of them at #whole30australia if anyone needs some inspiration.  I do love cooking so have been doing lots of different things.  My husband is in seventh heaven and wants this to go on forever.  I think I could do it but not without wine!!

[cathjm]

Day 14, almost halfway through!  And whilst I've been having quite vivid dreams, last night was the first time I had a food dream, sounds like everyone else.  My dream was about eating crumpets covered with butter and it felt so real!

 

@Megsymoo, my food prep lifesaver was Mel Joulwan's Week 1 and Week 2 food plan, she has the shopping list and step by step process for pre-preparing all the food that you need for a week to cut down on daily cooking:

 

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/07/27/whole30-week-1-food-plan/

 

@SamanthaBrit and @clarissa, I found this link on the Whole9 website about not having perfection on the Whole30: http://whole9life.com/2012/12/the-january-whole30-progress-not-perfection/%C2'> Just use each experience for continual improvement.

 

It's a bank holiday tomorrow and going to a barbeque so I'm bringing homemade guacamole and homemade burgers so I should have lots of choice.  But otherwise, just getting the prep in for week number 3, hope everyone's having a good weekend!

[Penelope]

Sounds like you are all doing pretty well! I am on the hunt for natural calm magnesium but did have a full nights sleep for the first time in a while ( one potty break) last night was a dinner out w/ extended family to celebrate the August birthdays (me being one of them) and I'm pleased to say it wasn't too hard ..had a bun less burger (hope there wasn't non compliant seasoning in it!) and then watched everyone dive into a scrumptious looking homemade Oreo mousse pie. It did help when my husband mentioned that Oreos can damage car paint if left on for too long (he learned from his childhood days)

I am on day 12 now and feel pretty goo ( May have period coming cause a little crampy) I stopped coffee 15 days ago since I'm addicted to creamer. I've had tea for a change in the morning and don't love it but I am noticing my tastebuds are more heightened so I am trying to really appreciate the light natural flavors I used to mask w creamer or Splenda.

What are coconut amines used for? I haven't bought any yet since I don't see them in many recipes...is it like a soy sauce or something?

[cathjm]

@SamanthaBrit and @clarissa, I found this link on the Whole9 website about not having perfection on the Whole30: Just use each experience for continual improvement.

 

Just realised the link didn't paste:

 

http://whole9life.com/2012/12/the-january-whole30-progress-not-perfection/

 

What are coconut amines used for? I haven't bought any yet since I don't see them in many recipes...is it like a soy sauce or something?

 

Coconut aminos are a replacement for soy sauce after I saw praxisproject's post I panicked as I wasn't sure which I was using but happy to say that it is Coconut Secret and I get that and Natural Calm off Amazon.  They're quite pricy but should hopefully last a while.  At least long enough to get through 30 days.

[sondrals]

Day 15!! Halfway there! Well, yeah, except I'm probably going to end up doing a Whole 45 or 60 just because I think I'm going to need at least that long to break my bad food habits. 

 

I feel GREAT, most the time. Occasionally I have a mini tantrum about not being able to snack or have what I "want". Funny thing is my fiance looked at me yesterday and asked if i could have anything I wanted what would it be. I couldn't think of anything, none of my normal junk food really sounded good at all. I did end up having a 4th mini meal last night because I was feeling a bit hungry, so maybe I just wasn't eating enough.

 

I am now enjoying shopping, looking at all the veggies and we've started going to the farmer's market. I got green beans, something called a butter squash (it looks like a zucchini but is more beige colored, I don't THINK it's a butternut squash either, so I really have no clue what it is but it's good), some Asian purple sweet potatoes (they're white on the inside!), heirloom tomatoes and purple heirloom carrots. We've only got a few weekends left before they'res no more farmers market so I am going to miss that. 

 

Still tired of doing dishes :-) 

 

Never got around to making mayo, but I'm not a big mayo eater anyways so I was worried it might be a waste on me. Found a salsa that has no sugar so been making taco salads and using that instead of dressing. And loading it up with olives, that helps. 

 

Hope everyone else is hanging in there and doing well

[Ashley McCormick]

Sounds like you are all doing pretty well! I am on the hunt for natural calm magnesium but did have a full nights sleep for the first time in a while ( one potty break) last night was a dinner out w/ extended family to celebrate the August birthdays (me being one of them) and I'm pleased to say it wasn't too hard ..had a bun less burger (hope there wasn't non compliant seasoning in it!) and then watched everyone dive into a scrumptious looking homemade Oreo mousse pie. It did help when my husband mentioned that Oreos can damage car paint if left on for too long (he learned from his childhood days)

I am on day 12 now and feel pretty goo ( May have period coming cause a little crampy) I stopped coffee 15 days ago since I'm addicted to creamer. I've had tea for a change in the morning and don't love it but I am noticing my tastebuds are more heightened so I am trying to really appreciate the light natural flavors I used to mask w creamer or Splenda.

What are coconut amines used for? I haven't bought any yet since I don't see them in many recipes...is it like a soy sauce or something?

Hey Penelope, Coconut Aminos can be used as a substitute for soy sauce. I have a small container of it, and honestly, don't really use it that much unless I'm making quick stir-fries and/or paleo BBQ sauces. 

 

As for the natural calm, I just got it and love it! I bought mine on Amazon using amazon prime, here is the link in case you want to use it: 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GJOZWE?ie=UTF8&tag=whole9-

20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000GJOZWE

[Ashley McCormick]

Congratulations everyone on making it halfway! 

 

Does anyone have any soup and or other recipes that are easy on the stomach?

 

...I've caught a weird stomach/cold combo virus, and I'm trying to stick to the whole 30 but can't really think of any ideas and would love any input! 

[VolChick]

So excited that the hubby and I have made it half way. We have both decided we like the way we are feeling and will continue as long as we can. Glad to see others are having some of the same struggles with cravings, but they are definitely fading!

[cathjm]

Halfway there and thinking about how to do re-introduction.  I was tempted to extend another 10 days as on the 41st day my friends are treating me to lunch for a belated hen do as they couldn't make the original one before I got married earlier in the year.  However, I think that if I do that I'm going to overdo the lunch, feel terrible and derail all I've worked towards.  My intention is to keep eating like this for the most part so a 10 day reintroduction of dairy and non gluten grains is the plan.  I'm really interested to see what they taste like after 30 days as my taste buds have changed, fruit definitely tastes sweeter.

 

I was compliant at a barbeque yesterday by bringing my own marinated chicken, homemade burgers, homemade guacamole, homemade mayonnaise, carrot sticks and sparkling water!  They had some lettuce that I was able to wrap my burgers in.  I'm really lucky as everyone there was really supportive.  However, I think that I overdid it a bit on the fruit over the weekend so just need to keep an eye on that.

 

Anyway, today I feel really hungry, going to have to include some sweet potatoes in my dinner as I had a tough abs session in pilates at lunch.

 

Hope everyone's having a good week, just think, this time in 2 weeks will be Day 30 (I have the days marked out in my calendar!)

[Hbombdiggity71]

Day 17 - My morning blood sugar was down almost 50 points from before I started.  This is awesome.  I can't wait to get on the scale on Day 30 to see what the results are for me.

[sondrals]

Day 17 - My morning blood sugar was down almost 50 points from before I started.  This is awesome.  I can't wait to get on the scale on Day 30 to see what the results are for me.

 

Wow!! That's great!

 

I'm excited about the scale, I know I've went down 1 pants size since I started, but I'm trying not to focus on the number on the scale anymore. I'm afraid if it's "not enough" in my mind, I'll be discouraged and not want to continue eating this way. So I'm not even sure I'm going to weigh myself on day 30. I'm also probably going to extend to a Whole 45 or 60, I want to make sure my new ways of eating become habits before starting to reintroduce things. 

 

I've caught a cold this week, feeling under the weather but still managing to stick to it. Threw some bone broth in the crock pot last night, it should be ready tonight, so hopefully that turns out and i'll have something nice to sip on to sooth my throat.