Starting My Whole 30 25th August

[jonny]

Happy Day 16 everyone!

 

I like those drink ideas. I like to drink water but a little variety would be welcome. I haven't had kombucha in a year but I think I might need to to revisit. 

 

I'd say my biggest challenge so far has been sleep. I find that I'm generally pretty tired at the end of the day and fall asleep at pretty quickly. I usually go to bed around 10. The issue is that I wake up at 3 or 4:30 in the morning. Sometimes I can fall asleep relatively quickly but other times I have a hard time getting back to sleep. I'd love to get 8 hours of sleep but I'm getting more like 6.5-7 hours a night.  During the day my energy level is fine and I don't feel overly tired so I guess that is good news. I've been reading some threads about sleep issues here which has been helpful.

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

Jon 

[Dcloakey]

Hey everyonSorry I missed yesterday. I was able to read everyone's post but just couldn't respond. I had to go to the Dr for a severe allergic reaction to a wasp sting on my arm. I'm ok it was a local reaction. Got some cream to stop the itching and icing it for the swelling.

Made my first meal last night from the WellFed cookbook. It was good. Even my picky son liked it. He said for "health food" it was great. Will have it for dinner tonight as I'm on my own tonight. Fixing a eggplant dish tomorrow for me and hubby. Cant wait.

Hope everyone is having a great day.

Dawn

[Comomegs]

Hi everyone!

Hope your day 16 has been going wonderful. Anyone have the tiger blood kick in yet? I'm still enjoying extra energy that is even throughout the day, which is pretty incredible to me. Also still sleeping like a rock.

Sounds like you all are doing well, which makes me so happy. We are all in this together.

Dinner tonight involved the BBQ sauce from Well Fed 2. Make. This. Sauce. It's so delicious and it makes a TON, so I'll have plenty to put on my slow cooker pulled pork that was waiting for me when I got home. All of that went on a sweet potato and it was fantastic. One of my favorite things I've made so far, so I had to share!

Dawn, so sorry to hear about your sting! Glad to hear it's getting better...the itching is the worst!

Jon, it took me awhile for my sleep to even out and I'm still waking up at pretty much six on the dot. I've moved my bedtime back a little bit each night, which seemed to help.

I was so discouraged a few days ago. Thanks to you all who encouraged me to hang in there. It's totally worth it!

Megan

[Tina Marie]

Megan ~ so glad you hung in there !    Jon - good luck with the sleep,,, everywhere I have read says to put down the electronics before bed, have been trying to do that my self and pick up an actual book and not my kindle.    Dawn - good luck with the wasp sting.  I highly recommend immediately putting a baking soda paste on it - works for me every time. A friend got stung at our house - I put the paste on, and after a while it felt better so she washed it off.  It immediately starting stinging and itching again, so the paste went right back on.  I hope your reaction doesn't get worse.   My grandson has horrible reaction to mosquitoes.  He got bit on Sunday near his eye and today his eye is swollen shut.  His dad is allergic to bees so I am hightly encouraging my daughter to get him checked to see if he is allergic too.

 

Had a headache today - at first it was just a slight bother - but by dinner turned a little bit more ugly. & I had a strong craving for ice cream or an ice cold can of Coke.  (I usually can not drink a whole can but just a taste would have been fine for me today)  So instead, I made banana ice cream.  1 banana (frozen) whipped up in my processor, with a splash of almond milk)  - No added sugars, I don't think bananas are on the fruit list because they have a high sugar content but I thought FRUIT...  Exactly what I needed - ok   wanted. 

 

I tried a sparkling lemon mineral water - instantly made me think of Pledge.   Poured a glass over ice... and it is still sitting on my end table - can't get past the powerful lemon flavor.

 

I know it is just trail and error - so I will try something else.  I have tried cucumber water -but it was too "burpy".  lemon water gets boring.  I wonder how rosemary would taste ??  there was a drink with rosemary in that link. Will have to look it up again.

 

Tomorrow it is suppose to be storming here - so no farmers market for me.  Need some fresh cauliflower (stores are so expensive), cukes, tomatoes, peppers.

Have to work again on Saturday - so will miss that one too.  I need to really get my self more prepared for lunch/dinners.  I think scotch eggs will be on my list to make, and shephards pie.

 

Day 6 almost done - had taco salad for dinner.  It is so nice to feel full after eating, not wanting 2nds of anything.   Did not have any desire to snack today- which usually I do when it is my day off.

 

Well - have a good one everyone

T

[wholedlyon]

Hello Day 17

 

Hope everyone had a good day yesterday.

 

Tina, I think it’ll be e a bit of trial and error to find flavoured water you like. I’ve tried cucumber water before and found it refreshing but I think it had been in the fridge for some time before serving.

 

I hope you headache has gone and you can get back to feeling awesome.

 

We have monthly farmers markets in my area and have one next weekend which I hope to get to. I love the scotch eggs in Well Fed, they taste better than the shop bought ones in my opinion. I like to use the Italian option instead of the main recipe quoted.

 

Jon, getting a good sleep can be an art form at times. The problem is modern life is full of stuff which makes a good sleep harder. Mark Sisson did a great article about hacking sleep, there were a lot of things we could do to improve our sleep quality.

 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-manufacture-the-best-night-of-sleep-in-your-life/#axzz3CtJ1pEUC

 

I think I need to look over this again too, particularly the get up when you wake up advice. I feel like I’m wasting the time before I go to work by snoozing.

 

Dawn, how are you feeling today? I hope the treatment for the allergic reaction has helped. Do you have a recipe for the eggplant dish? I’m keen to try different vegetable dishes and would love suggestions.

 

What did you make from Well Fed, what are you planning next?

 

Megan, Glad you are doing well and stuck with it. Along the 30 days there will be times when we all feel like you did but we are stronger as a group and will help each other through.

 

I made the BBQ sauce on Sunday too, it is brilliant. I had to make my own apple sauce as I couldn’t find a compliant one in my local stores. I’ll be having pulled pork for dinner tonight too.

 

I’m generally feeling good today. My stomach feels strange. I don’t know whether it’s good or bad, it just feel different to normal. I’ll see how it goes today.

 

Wishing everyone a great day.

 

We Can And Will Do This

 

David

[jonny]

Day 17! Way to go all!!!

 

David thanks for the article. I sleep a lot better last night and am feeling recharged today. I still woke up a few times but I feel right back to sleep which isn't always the case. I've been trying to go to bed earlier and reading before I close my eyes. Sometimes I only make it 10 min and then I pass out.

 

My wife has been suffering from a low grade headache all day yesterday but she attributes it to not drinking enough water so she is on a mission to make sure that she drinks more fluids. 

 

Megan we did a pork roast in the crock pot yesterday and I can't wait to have the leftovers with the WF2 BBQ sauce for lunch today.YUM!! We've used the crock pot more in the last two weeks that we've used it in 2 years. 

 

We've found some interesting ways to use cauliflower in WF2. The basic cauliflower rice was really good with some grilled salmon. I live in the Washington and Salmon is kind of a staple meal around these part. 

 

My wife makes an amazing Kale salad. You may not be a big kale fan but I recommend giving this a try. The original recipe came from here. We now don't include the cheese. 

 

1 bunch Italian Kale

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup dried currants (we've also used unsweetened raisins or dried cranberries)

1/2 diced apple (3/4 cup

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

 

 

1. Be sure to choose a large bunch of kale (or two small ones) or the salad will be overly salty and over-dressed.  By large, I mean 16-20 leaves that are at least 12" long.
2. De-stem kale by pulling leaf away from the stem.  Wash  leaves.  Spin or pat dry. 
3. Stack leaves, rollup and cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade).
4. Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, massage salt into kale with your hands for 2 whole minutes. The volume of the kale should reduce by about 1/3.
5. To toast seeds, put in a dry skillet over low to medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until they change color and give off a nutty aroma.
6. Put kale in a fresh bowl and discard any leftover liquid. 
7. Stir onion, currants, apple and toasted seeds into kale.
8. Dress with oil and vinegar and toss.  Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary.

 

Have a great day!

 

Jon

[Tina Marie]

jon - I will have to try that recipe - have been wanting to try kale.

 

I'm getting more creative with my food - funny how things taste differently.  I morphed my hash of sw.potatoes, pork & onions into my dinner. added a little apple, and coconut milk and put that on top of cauliflower rice, with a side of roast brussel sprouts.  YUM.

 

No headache today, so that is good.  Overall - don't really feel any change.  I'm the only one I know that has done this, and it is a little hard doing it by myself, but am certainly going to stick with it.   I have my dad's birthday get together to get through and then a couple friends and I are going out for dinner.  friends dinner will be the easy one - going to a steak house.  My dad's that is another story- I can get around the cake/dessert ( as long a no one is looking) and there is always a meat and potato and a veggie, so it maybe ok.

 

Bought a beef roast - will morph that into bbq beef - from everyone's opinions  I must try the BBQ sauce !!  I am going to cook some jicama in the crockpot so that I can make American fries and/or "potato" salad.   Bought a rutabaga and a parnsnip.  I read that you can shred the rutabaga and make it like hashbrowns. and the parsnip - will roast with my sweet potatoes.

 

Well - I have to go clean the kitchen before I can get the roast and jicama in crockpots.

 

will check in to see how everyone is doing.

 

T

[Comomegs]

Hi all!

Jon, that salad sounds amazing. The bag of kale in my fridge just got way more exciting!

Kept it simple tonight and did a steak, mashed sweet potato (I throw in a little coconut milk for creaminess) and grilled asparagus. It's definitely becoming easier to throw meals together as the 30 days goes on, though somehow the pile of dishes stays pretty big

I felt a little tired today, but I attribute that to a rainy day and maybe not getting quite enough protein yesterday.

Tina, we're all here for you! I'm the only one in my life (with the exception of a friend who is about two hours away) who is taking this on, but we're all in this together. The more you can know ahead about the places and things you'll be eating, the better. I've found that just looking at a menu ahead of time makes everything go more smoothly.

You are all rock stars and I'm loving sharing this journey with you!

Megan

[wholedlyon]

Hello Day 18

 

Jon, what a difference a good night’s sleep makes. The Kale recipe sounds great, will give it a try if I can find the ingredients. Kale isn’t always available here in UK.

 

Have you been drinking enough water is the first question my chiropractor asks if I report headaches. My friend used to put 5 rubber bands on her water bottle and removed one each time she finished the bottle. By the end of the day there were no bands left on the bottle and she had kept well hydrated all day.

 

I’ve been making at least one crock pot meal a week since starting and I love that you can throw in a bunch of ingredients and leave it till the end of the day and it tastes awesome.

 

Tina, the results will come. Each person’s journey will have a different timeline but rest assured you will feel better. Other than in the forums, I know no-one else who is doing a Whole 30.  We’re here for you!

 

Megan, you’re doing great. I’ll need to try the sweet potato mash with some coconut milk.

 

Hope you all have a great day.

 

We Will Do This!

 

David

[Dcloakey]

Hi Everyone.

Sorry I haven't been on. Was busy cooking yesterday and watering the orchard. I made the Italian sausage eggplant and velvety butternut squash. It took longer to cook than I had planned, but it was really good. Today I'm just feeling down. Don't know why other than it's gloomy outside and starting to sprinkle and I'm still watering the orchard and have to go attack the weeds that's taking over my land. Being in New Mexico we have a very invasive plant that has stickers on it that get caught in your shoes and your skin. They hurt really bad. Roundup kinda works but I have 21/2 acres so it takes a lot of spraying.

 

David, your planning on doing the W30 again, Right? I'm planning on making it a W60. I need to loose quite a bit of weight and a lot of inches off my stomach.

 

Jon, glad your getting your sleep figured out. I still haven't had a great night's sleep. Guess that's what happens when you have guard dogs that bark when people get to close to your gate.

 

Tina, your not by yourself. You have all of us here! I'm pretty much alone too. My friend is suppose to be doing it with me, but she is so busy that I don't get to talk to her much, so.....

 

Meg, I feel like you did yesterday. Maybe it's not enough protein instead of the weather or it's both....not sure.

 

Anyway I need to get out of this mood and get busy. I have meatballs to make, tomorrows dinner, and BBQ sauce for the pulled pork that I'm cooking on Sunday. Hope  everyone is having a great day and sticking to the program.

We can and will do this

Dawn

[Tina Marie]

WHOOT  WHOOT   today is the 1st day - no hunger pains what so ever !   made it to every meal without feeling like I was starving (ok  still at work so have 1 more meal - but not hungry yet !)

 

back to work - check in later

[Tina Marie]

day #8....  Made it all day - I had read that it can take quite a while to get to having just 3 meals, with no mini meals. I would like to think that it will be like this the rest of the way, but I am not counting on it. Maybe I am eating too much ... ? but I am not stuffed when I am done eating, have been trying to listen to my body and stop eating when it tells me to. Lunch I even left some in the dish.
Meal 1, eggs over hash (sweet potatoes, onions, roast beef)
Meal 2, roast beef over cauliflower rice, brussel sprouts, onions - med banana
Meal 3 roast beef over bed of spinach, salsa (found some w/out sugar !), chipotle mayo, black olives.

I made a batch of cooked jicama. Going to give it a try to make jicama American fries. So I think that might be for meal 1 tomorrow.

Need to roast up more sweet potatoes, onions,carrots & the parsnip and the rutabaga. Not entirely sure about roasting the rutabaga, but I have added it to roasts, and soups.

I am waking up easier in the mornings -and am seeming to sleep better too.

I have to say there were ZERO craving today, didn't even think twice about not eating. I was going to have a cup of tea, there was supposedly no added sugar but there was soy - so I couldn't make my self drink it. I had some yesterday but it didn't rock my world so why waste any calories

I have basil that needs to be harvested - cuz it is now getting much colder and I don't know how much longer it will last outside. Tonight is suppose to be in the 40's so I brought the container in for the night. I think I will make the basil/walnut pesto recipe in Well Fed. I have already dried a bunch, and have enough to fill another spice container. I don't think it would continue to grow over the winter because I don't think I have enough light coming in.

Then I will get a zucchini to make some noodles to have w/ my basil/walnut pesto. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

That's my story and I'm stickin to it !

          

[Tina Marie]

OHH  Man  I am tired !!  Can't stop yawning.. ( hope the clients don't mind !! LOL)  almost made it to lunch - but I did have a banana about 1 hr prior -  and I'm ok with that.  Maybe I should have eaten that banana about 1/2 hr ago - maybe I wouldn't be yawning.

[Angels_On_Fire]

Hello, everyone,

 

I started August 25th as well. I feel like it is going well so far. I have actually lost track of what day it is so I feel that is a good thing. My partner isn't doing the whole 30 so I find that I my self control is tested everyday, but so far so good. I even snuck in a few Whole 30 compliant meals to him for dinner and he couldn't even tell. The only thing that I have really noticed so far is that it isn't "convenient friendly" and requires a lot of planning. I have started to cook numerous chicken breasts on my day off so that I have some for lunches for the week. Breakfast is usually am omlete, fried eggs, or frittata. I have made my own mayo, and zucchini fritters (which were more work than they were worth but they tasted good with lemon mayo), and as a treat I have apples and almond butter (only occassionally). I am a big fan of "stir fry" type meals flavoured with fresh garlic, ginger, basil, and peppers with chicken and broccoli, and I usually make enough for lunch the next day!  I think the hardest thing for me has been the lack of convenience, one day I forgot my lunch at home and it was an absolute nightmare to find something that I could eat and that was healthy. I also found that eating in any type of restaurant is quite difficult.

[Comomegs]

Greetings from Day 19!

I haven't been very tiger blood the past couple of days. Not as much energy and getting tired more easily. Going to look closely at my meals and try to figure out where I may be lacking. Ready for that energy to come back!

Also my appetite is way more voracious than it was the first couple of weeks though I'm still eating plenty of food. Just part of the process I guess!

Hope your Fridays have been lovely!

Megan

[Dcloakey]

Hi Everyone,

Doing pretty good today. Made BBQ pork chops, cucumber salad and spaghetti squash for dinner tonight. The BBQ sauce was ok. Miss my Baby Rays sauce. But when your cutting sugar that ones full of sugar. Kinda tired tonight. Had good energy today, just always tired at night.

Hope everyone has a great weekend

We can do this

Dawn

[Tina Marie]

I was just re-reading  Can I have...  and it says my Banana ice cream  is a no - no... just substituting -  which makes me sad.  I wanted something cold and soothing.  I didn't think it would hurt, it is all natural sugar.  I understand the reasoning.....  

 

I just re-read it ...  my banana ice cream is just bananas and a splash of coconut.. not a paleo ice cream -  so think I am fine !!  wheew

[Tina Marie]

Hi Everyone .. you all must be having a great weekend ... no one has been on.

 

So I must be saving some calories from going down my gullet.  I was making my daughter a omelet with maple syrup/brown sugar ham.  ALMOST put a piece in my mouth. It smelled so good.  Then I remembered... added sugar. No bacon for me either.   

M1 was eggs over another sw potato hash.

 

Not sure what the other meals will be.  the Pad Thai out of Well Fed, but instead of chicken, will use pork loin. I will then use the pork loin for another meal/lunches.  It is really good marinated in cumin, coriander, curry, garlic and some oj, pineapple or apple juice.  Which I think is compliant.

Also going to make shephards pie - I guess it is Cottage pie because I will be using hamburger - not lamb.

 

1 NSV -  I was able to drink white/green tea infusion with NO SUGAR-  maybe I'm starting to beat the sugar dragon ??  I drank it warm this morning - and then when it cooled off - poured it over ice, added a little lemon and it is totally drink able.

 

Made another batch of mayo - this time used apple cider vinegar instead of lemon. We will see how it goes.  had to use some EVOO cuz I only had 1 cup of the extra light left.  Made it in the blender this time - way less mess. 

 

I thought I could make the sunshine sauce - but my rice vinegar is seasoned. and my almond butter has some evaporated cane syrup in it... so no Sunshine today.   I worked yesterday and I don't have the time to go to the store today - have too much to catch up on. 

 

Hope to hear how everyone's weekend has been.

[Comomegs]

Happy day 21 everyone!

I really cannot believe we've made it three weeks! I'm feeling my energy I was lacking the past few days coming back, which is much needed as I head into a busy week.

Made it through yet another football weekend of tailgates and concession food and still stayed compliant! Food is also all prepped and ready for the final full week! Lots of veggies cooked, sweet potatoes roasted and sauces made.

I'm going to have to make the Bora Bora fireballs again this week from Well Fed...they're just so good! If you whip up a batch, make sure you have some sunshine sauce for dipping

Hope you all had great weekends and are feeling good about hitting the home stretch!

Megan

[wholedlyon]

Hello Day 22

 

Haven’t been around a computer all weekend so didn’t get on to do any updates. I hope you all had a great weekend.

 

Dawn, I plan to continue with the Whole 30, I have a lot to lose and I plan to go as long as I can. I guess going to 60 days would be a good next step.

 

Tina, I’m glad you’re starting to get better control over your hunger and cravings. It’s a relief when food doesn’t occupy your mind all the time. The boundless energy will come eventually; you just to stay on track.

 

Angels, glad you could join us and happy you’ve made it this far. I am in a similar position, I’m the only Whole 30’er in the house and its hard. At the weekend I was at my mothers for her birthday. They were enjoying all the normal birthday foods and I was eating a meal I prepared for myself. It was hard but I knew it was the right thing to do.

 

Leaving the comfort of your kitchen can be difficult, I find the protein is the hard part but have so far managed to arrange outings between meal times. We definitely have to plan for protein.

 

Megan, glad you’re getting your energy back. I also had a healthy appetite over the weekend too. I think I could have eaten steak every meal, and almost did.

 

I’ll need to check out the sunshine sauce and Bora Bora meatballs.

 

Hope everyone has a great day.

 

We Will Do This

 

David

[Angels_On_Fire]

Hello everyone,

 

It looks like you all had a lovely weekend! We are all officially in the home stretch! I noticed a lot of you found your energy lacking so I thought I would share my findings. I am a pretty active person and I usually go to the gym every morning at around 5 a.m., exercise has been a good way for me to wake me up (because I am not a coffee person) but sometimes I found I would hit a wall in the afternoon. So to fix it I try to make sure that I get enough sleep at night and when that is not possible I just up my protein. I found switching a 2 egg omlette for a 3 egg one took me right through to lunch and for lunch I would usually have some variation of a chicken breast on salad and I made sure I added in avocado, and this seemed to help with the afternoon lag that I was experiencing. So I would say if you aren't exercising, you should be even if it is just a simple walk at lunch, and up your protein! Also dark leafy greens are good for ensuring that you get the nutrients you need with that protein! And if you are eating a lot of chicken maybe switch it up for some beef so that you get some extra iron because maybe your iron is low too? I had a salad with fresh tomatoes, homemade guac, homemade salsa, some sliced steak an it was to-die-for!

 

Best of luck everyone.

 

~Chantelle

[Angels_On_Fire]

Hi Megan,

 

I also noticed that you had said that your appetite was way more vigorous on day 19, I have noticed since starting this thing I have a complete disinterest in food, or just an overall decrease in appetite. Was this case for you through the whole thing or just a couple of days? Obviously I get hungry but not like I used to. And sometimes I find that I am forcing myself to eat because I realize my calorie intake is low.

[Comomegs]

Hi Angels!

 

I definitely had very little appetite from day 3ish though just a couple of days ago. I would especially find at breakfast time that I was just not into it. Finally a few days ago, I surprised myself by finding that I was enjoying breakfast! There are just so many adjustments your body is making that I think that this can just come with the territory. I kept following the template and stayed steady. Hopefully yours will be back soon!

 

Megan

[Angels_On_Fire]

Hi Megan,

 

I think maybe it is because I haven't been in the habit of eating breakfast and maybe the decreased appetite is just my body satisified with the food that I have ate. Nice that you have stuck to the template. I find it is quite a habit now to eat whole30 style, I am tempted to do it longer than 30 days.

[wholedlyon]

Hello Day 23

 

Chantelle, my appetite for food has changed dramatically over the past 23 days. I don’t think about food as much as I used to or perhaps food isn’t my answer to everything now.

 

Over the last week I’ve found my appetite has grown but I’ve been able to manage that with bigger portions (mostly increased protein) during normal meal times. I have had the occasional snack on occasions where I don’t get to eat my meals at the normal times.

 

I generally find after getting home from work I’m not too fussed about dinner. I think about skipping but realise that (based on pre whole 30 experience) I’ll be more likely to eat crap later in the evening.

 

Megan, I’ve definitely turned into a breakfast person too. I find I have a large breakfast and relatively small evening meal.

 

We’re getting closer to day 30 now, what are you guys planning on doing on day 31 and onwards?

 

We Will Do This!

 

David