Roll call: November Whole30s!

[Guest Becky1971]

On Friday, I knowingly ate a non-compliant snack and I took the next two days to decide if I should stay the course. I continued to be compliant while thinking it over. I didn't contribute to this forum while deciding.

And I came to this conclusion: It's important for the Whole30 program to stay within the guidelines but there's no need FOR ME to turn away from a feel-good successful week. I don't want to sabotage this effort. Others may disagree - and that's cool.

Congrats to all of you who persever even in the face of unsupportive friends, spouses and kids. For me, it was internal forces trying to throw me off and those can be the hardest to ignore.

I'm with you, just keep it going! I start tomorrow, but as I read the book I already made changes, and even tho I have had food I shouldn't, it doesn't have the impact (migraines and so forth) that it usually does because of the benefits of adding so many more vegies. healthy fat and protein too. so you haven't undone the progress you have made just by one bad snack! 

[SWF]

On Friday, I knowingly ate a non-compliant snack and I took the next two days to decide if I should stay the course. I continued to be compliant while thinking it over. I didn't contribute to this forum while deciding.

And I came to this conclusion: It's important for the Whole30 program to stay within the guidelines but there's no need FOR ME to turn away from a feel-good successful week. I don't want to sabotage this effort. Others may disagree - and that's cool.

Congrats to all of you who persever even in the face of unsupportive friends, spouses and kids. For me, it was internal forces trying to throw me off and those can be the hardest to ignore.

It's a journey not a destination, look at all the things you did in the past week and then continue forward

[SWF]

Pretty good weekend considering we had a birthday dinner, but we ended up cooking steaks instead of going out.
 
Had a blistering workout Saturday and went for a nice 3 mile walk today......tonight we dine on meatloaf.

 

[ladybugger14]

Day 9 is coming to a close and it has been a rough one, but I stayed the course. I have a headache and my child is annoying. And I am so sick of doing dishes! I don't mind cooking, it's the cleaning I can't stand. I have cooked almost every meal, it's the exception of two salads and some chicken soup. Normally, we get take out 1-2 nights and I grab lunch on the go almost every day. Guess we will be saving money!

I'm hoping tiger blood is around the corner! For a boost, I rewatched the video from the day 1 email.

[RachelRoberts2]

Hey Everyone!!! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! I took advantage of a farmers market weekend (before the snow starts to come in the next couple of weeks eeeeek) and a farm stand! I made zucchini pasta for the first time with some ghee and it was amazing! I recommend the veggetti (spiral pasta thingie) for anyone looking for a substitute. Super delicious!! 

 

Hope everyone is looking forward to double digit days in the November Whole30!!

[jgreene]

Hey Chai tea lovers: yummy alternative - Celestial Seasoning Bengal Spice herb tea with coconut milk. Takes me back to India   

Makes me mad at myself for not stocking up on good tea and spices when I was there last month.  I didn't know I would be cooking so much and experimenting with herb teas in the evenings (Not quite the same as a glass of Malbec but surprisingly relaxing).  

 

Keep on walking the walk everyone - we are gonna MAKE it!

[katherineb]

Thanks jgreene, I love the Bengal Spice tea and putting coconut milk in it sounds so good! I agree about the kitchen work, ladybugger14, my hands are still a little pruny from doing the umpteenth load of pots/pans/dishes from all the preparing. 

This is day 7 for me, and I feel pretty great, had a lot of energy for my workout today, but mostly, made it through a Sat night out with the gratuitous glass of wine in my hand (yea me!).

Right now I am taking a magnesium supplement every night, but I will be buying Natural Calm later this week to give it a go.

Another plus is that even though my husband is not participating in whole30, he is really warming up to the idea, as the food is awesome !!

[christaeno]

Made it through the first week!  The kids did not cooperate today so I am thankful for compliant hot dogs.  Though I learned that I do not like beef hot dogs and will be searching out the turkey ones instead.  I also learned today that though I don't find myself craving specific things anymore, what I seem to be missing is the crunch of a chip.  Perhaps I should try baking sweet potatoes for it or I have read that plantains make good chips. I eat plenty of fresh, crunchy vegetables, but it isn't quite the texture I am missing.   I will be trying out that Bengal Spice tea though!  I love water, but it gets a little old when that is all I drink.

[drtracyb]

Drtracy that is amazing that you stayed on plan even though it meant eating the same thing over and over.

 

Thanks.  After a year of whole30s, I have developed a small repertoire of favorites that I rotate through.

 

 

Day 9 done.  Eggs and sweet potato hash for breakfast, antipasto salad at a restaurant for lunch, hamburger and sweet potato fries for dinner.  Apple for snack. We went on a 15 mile bike ride today, so that's my exercise.

[drtracyb]

On Friday, I knowingly ate a non-compliant snack and I took the next two days to decide if I should stay the course. I continued to be compliant while thinking it over. I didn't contribute to this forum while deciding.

And I came to this conclusion: It's important for the Whole30 program to stay within the guidelines but there's no need FOR ME to turn away from a feel-good successful week. I don't want to sabotage this effort. Others may disagree - and that's cool.

Congrats to all of you who persever even in the face of unsupportive friends, spouses and kids. For me, it was internal forces trying to throw me off and those can be the hardest to ignore.

 

You do need to start your count over at Day 1, though.   This is an elimination diet and eating a noncompliant snack cancels out the anti-inflammatory nature of the plan.

 

And, I was in a group over the summer that "there, there'd" so many people for "just a little cheat" here and there, and I can tell you, barely anyone finished their whole30s that month without a cheat.

 

So, welcome back to day 1!

[Dem]

Day 8 done! After a long afternoon out in the cold I was so ready to come home and pig out on junk. But I managed to keep myself busy through dinner time, and I wasn't really hungry even then. I am definitely doing better about not snacking between meals this time. I had trouble with that during my January whole30. I am starting to get a little bored with my food though. Nothing really sounds good to me. I guess that's not the worst thing in the world though.

[halas1]

Hi everyone! I plan on starting tomorrow, November 10th! I did a Whole30 (ok, Whole21) in January, and it was really eye-opening.

 

I'm feeling just as anxious as last time, mostly because of all the mental/emotional stuff that surfaces when you don't allow yourself to numb your feelings or thoughts with food, habits, rituals. 

 

I wish all of us a successful ride this month! Happy to be back with the community.

[Leonie]

Hi Lisa what an amazing woman of integrity you are! you are honouring your daddy and benifiting yourself too.

 

This morning was a bit of a rush- I need to plan better! but I'm still pretty chuffed that I managed to get the beef ribs into the slow cooker, cook brekkie and get to work on time

coming home to the smell of dinner was amazing, all I have to do now is the vegies- sweet potato mash and steamed broccoli.

 

Joy- what a bummer that your fella can't/won't support you- don't you let him stop you taking responsibility for your health. What your doing is making a real choice to be healthy and eat really well- It's so much easier to keep doing what we have been doing for years..... BUT you decieded you didn't want to feel blaghhh anymore.

 

go google such delicious meals that the smell and sight will drive him crazy!!! and you get to stay on your path. try the "paleo foodie" sight for inspiration- easy, fast and totally delicious is the aim of the game

 

cheers all happy researching!!!

[joybedford]

He will eat paleo food and enjoys it, he likes most food, but he doesn't agree with the idea of cutting out food groups. As you all know I am struggling to eat due to jaw pain at the moment and last night I really wanted the roast chicken dinner I had made for my family he suggested pureeing it but I had no compliant gravy and said this to him he said "oh because of your stupid diet", his dad was there and I didn't want an argument but I just said he didn't need to agree just support me. He didn't even answer. I am determined to complete it though I am stubborn and will dig my heels in a the more.

Day 10 here can't honestly say I am feeling a lot better just now due to the pain meds and not being able to eat properly, my jaw still hurts, I still have headaches and I look tired despite sleeping well. Hoping to workout today and see if that makes me feel more human. I need to get out of bed now though and take the kiddos to school. You are all doing really well and welcome to those just joining us.

[praxisproject]

Noelle - You can do it! Unlikely to find it in a cafe, but you can have a coconut oil "latte" aka bulletproof coffee (you can also make it with ghee, but with my ghee, it tastes weird). Coconut milk or cream is pretty good too, just check it's compliant and avoid adding dates (which are compliant, but getting into SWYPO territory if you're a coffee fiend). Clothes Make The Girl has a chilli recipe which has chocolate in it I also highly recommend taking K2 supplementation (not the same as Vitamin K), Vitamin D3, Vitamin A, , Vitamin C, Magnesium and Omega 3 supplementation if you can. Don't take any calcium supplements. Bone broth, liver and gelatin would be beneficial too, for maximum repair capability. Avoid PUFA oils as much as possible. If it's available, a CT scan will give you a better picture of your aorta than an x-ray.

 

coloradoharts - yay! I felt the same way when my arthritis disappeared! You're not the only one with a reaction to Natural Calm: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/14700-natural-not-so-calm/ others have found alternate brands/forms to skip the side effects. There's also a great post in there about calcium and muscles.

 

Skoshi - yum! bacon wrapped scallops!

 

EAH - Good for you for sticking with it Just like quitting smoking, if you keep at it, you get better at it Make a note of what tripped you up and think about how you were feeling before it happened, it'll help you be prepared for the same situation next time.

 

Ladybugger - Hang in there, it gets better!

 

jgreene & katherineb - Be careful with Celestial Seasonings, a lot of their teas have soy lecithin in them now. If yours does, don't panic, you don't need to restart, but it's best to avoid it as those who are soy or GMO sensitive may get sub-optimal results.

 

christaeno - bake some crispy-outside potatoes in duck fat or goose fat I love sweet potato but it doesn't get as crunchy as it's a little lower in starch.

 

2babies2kidsmom - sounds like you need some new recipes! Got any you've been meaning to try, but never have?

 

Joy - Hang in there, you're doing great! Your body has a lot going on at the moment, it needs all the good nutrition it can get  

 

Everyone - I threw a few slices of fresh strawberry in my mineral water today, so good! Silly me, I haven't done that since my last Whole30.

[susanleona]

Hi guys, 

 

Offically Day 1 for me today but I have been behaving and off sugar since last Thursday.  As I'm off work today, I made some Thai Red Chicken Curry, homemade Pork Sausages,  Homemade Beef Burgers, and a Ragu Sauce that I'll have with Courgetti.  Thrilled to have all the COMPLIANT family meals in the freezer and ready to go! 

[Dem]

Praxis, I do have two recipes I want to try but I am lacking ingredients. I wish it was easier to find compliant bacon and sausage. I guess I'll give US Wellness meats a try.

Another food dream last night! This time it was mashed potatoes and gravy, which I don't even care for that much. I'm thinking these food dreams are another type of anxiety dream, at least for me. I only notice the food after I eat it in the dream. If you have food dreams, is it always about eating the offending food? Or is it just that you see it and want to eat it?

Happy Monday everyone!

[pfair]

Day 5/25

Still hanging in. Small sugar poke last night but just ate some real food and it retreated.


Hope you all have a safe and positive  day.

[SWF]

Interesting, I bought some organic eggs yesterday and noticed when cracking them this morning that the shells were much tougher/thicker than the store brand eggs and believe it or not they really taste better. Wow not even 9:00 am and I've already learned something today........

[found.in.nature]

Hey everyone! Happy Monday!

 

I cannot tell you how excited I am for this week. I'm already feeling some pretty big improvements and so excited to see what another week will bring. I heard so many of us say that weekends were always the toughest to stay on track. How did everyone do this past weekend???? I was so proud of myself for getting through an entire weekend and totally staying on course and eating meals as I had planned. I definitely had my temptations but I thought of the BIGGER and BETTER picture. I think today is Day 9 for me....I'm really not concerned with the number of days anymore. But I'm feeling great and I know I've already lost a couple of pounds which feels nice. I've had a couple 6-7 miles runs in the past few days and they felt pretty amazing. Before I started Whole30, I had a lot of stomach issues which foods upsetting my stomach, bloating, etc. I haven't had that in 9 days. I don't remember the last time I've ever gone for a stretch that long. And I even eat well for the most part anyways. Amazing what whole, real food can do for the body. 

 

I hope everyone else is doing feel. The tiger blood is on the way for us all. Hang in there and rely on the support of others that can pick you up when needed! Much love to my fellow Whole30ers!

[jgreene]

 

 

jgreene & katherineb - Be careful with Celestial Seasonings, a lot of their teas have soy lecithin in them now. If yours does, don't panic, you don't need to restart, but it's best to avoid it as those who are soy or GMO sensitive may get sub-optimal results.

 

 

No soy lecithin in the Bengal Spice (although I do see it in some of my other CS herb teas).

 

You guys - try this! By FAR the best crispy savor snack I have found.  The coconut flakes/ribbons  (I used cocout ribbons) get really crispy and savory.  

 

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/12/31/savory-paleo-snack-mix/

[ColinB]

Day 15 today. 

 

Finally "roll calling in" after listening to podcasts - Robb Wolf, and anything with Loren Cordain, the Hartwig's, Paleo Runner, Etc. 

 

Colin

Scio, NY

 

First couple of days were the typical hangover, and then I spent the first week trying to figure out what to eat - I mean there is all kinds of info, but trying to put it all together mentally, get to the store, find out what is available and fresh, and buy it and prepare it takes some time. but I think I have the hang of it.  

 

Been eating right for the most part, but trying to get the right balance to stop the snacks. (walnut and almond and dried cranberry trail mix). AND to stop the evening snack craving. Which I am positive is just a craving and not a necessity. My goal this week is to quit the after dinner (before bed) snack (frozen blueberries and raspberries). 

 

I spend 3 hours a day driving (work is 67 miles away), and stopping the snacking while driving is also tough. 

 

Doing the whole 30 to clean up my eating habits and help with blood lipid levels which I have a familial history with. Also to help with my fitness, and running pace. Start burning more fat vs carbs.  

 

Enjoying the challenge so far. Not too bad.  The cravings seem to be increasing some.  Not necessarily for sugar per se, but definitely the fruit craving, which is honestly the same thing I guess. 

 

Glad to read your posts, and everyone kick butt! 

 

Colin

[IAmAndy]

After a great weekend of Whole30 and Crossfit, I finally managed another blog post. http://totheboxandback.com/day-10-whole30/. Does anyone else blog their efforts?

[angledge]

Hey all! I made it through the weekend & I have today off work so I'm about the head to the grocery store & then start on some prep.

 

I went out to dinner last night for a belated birthday celebration & had a delicious meal! However, they served an amuse bouche that definitely had some creamy cheese in it. Other than that one half-bite, the meal was entirely compliant - and DELICIOUS. Colt and Gray in Denver for the WIN.

 

My partner stepped UP this weekend on the cooking. She made breakfast Saturday & Sunday, then went cooking CRAZY on Saturday. She made a giant pot of gumbo z'herbes (chicken bone broth, 5 heads of greens, one ham hock --> a nearly infinite supply of delicious bowls of health). Then she also slow-roasted a pork butt (12+ hours in the oven at 180 degrees F). The house smelled incredible towards the end. Today she's making compliant BBQ sauce & we're going to have pulled pork! I'm going to make sweet potato wedges & cole slaw. Dinner is going to ROCK.

 

I'm feeling pretty good today - I'm a little worn out from having a house guest for four days, but she's leaving tomorrow morning & I can hang in for one more day. We've been going hiking nearly every day which certainly has contributed to the tiredness.  But also I'm a big-time introvert & I've had no time alone. This morning I am sitting on the sofa with NO-ONE else in the house & let me tell you, it is restorative. 

 

Glad to see everyone's check-ins & great progress! We can make it through Days 10 and 11, together!

[angledge]

jgreene (and everyone else), here's my mama's spaghetti sauce recipe: 

 

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/23118-mamas-spaghetti-sauce/?p=243821

 

Mangia!

 

 

Tips for preparing spaghetti squash - don't be worried that you will overcook it, it's nearly impossible. Here's a good article on the topic: 

 

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-178036

 

My 3-lb. squash needed 50 minutes at 400 degrees F to seem fully cooked. I considered it fully cooked when it was EASY to draw a fork through the flesh to make the little spaghetti-like strings.