greenhm Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Hi all, I am planning on starting my first Whole 30 on February 1st, but I thought starting to join in on some of these forum discussions would be a good motivator to start feeling like part of the community. I would have done this starting January 1st, but I'm going to Mexico for a friend's wedding mid January (first time travelling there too) and so I think starting this afterwards would be better . A little about my health journey: I was first introduced to Paleo when I joined a CrossFit gym back in 2012, but admittedly at the time it was mostly because I wanted to join in the 3-month challenge my new gym was doing (as opposed to coming across it on my own or something like that). But I experienced a ton of positive changes to my mental and physical health, including weight loss (inches more than lbs, since starting CrossFit meant I was adding muscle), better skin, no cravings, no migraines, no bloating and other not-so-fun digestive stuff, no mood swings or crazy energy ups and downs...I felt good! Unfortunately once the challenge was over some of my bad habits returned and my diet has been a bit imbalanced ever since (not to mention, I gained the weight back). Over the last 4 months I've really dived in to the research and taken a more concrete interest in my health, beyond just weight loss. I came across the book "It Starts With Food" and also have been doing a lot of research about gut health, hormones, auto-immune conditions, the psychology of eating, and lots more! I have been noticing that there are a lot of responses to food and stress that my body is trying to tell me. I'm bloated, I get acne, mood swings, yeast infections, inconsistent energy/motivation/sluggishness, headaches and other aches and pains in my body, my performance in the gym is not as good either, and it sets up a negative cycle to my self-esteem where I feel I'm not moving forward. I think anxiety and depression are largely due to food in my case as well. Currently I'd 'label' myself as Paleo (90%) but I'm thinking that 10% has been keeping me from feeling my absolute best. I'm hoping that by doing a Whole 30 it'll help me figure out which foods need to be 100% out of my diet and which things I can tolerate. I think the biggest challenge I face is my addiction to sugar. Sugar is in EVERYTHING! Cutting out bread was not nearly as problematic as has been sweets. Right now my cravings would be for sweet treats and fast 'comfort' food. I am also aware that my relationship to food is highly emotional and I'd like to make that a more healthy relationship. Learning more about how food effects physical and psychological health (the science behind it, and my own experimentation) has been a turning point. I do find it difficult at times to tell if a response is 'normal' or a sign that something is wrong, which is also why I think doing the Whole 30 would be helpful for me. Those are my thoughts for now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary T. Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I was so excited to hit multiple PR's after I went Paleo. I totally backslid with my diet in December but am excited to hit more PR's in January - that is one of my biggest motivations with Whole30! I totally agree that that 10% off Paleo is killer. For me its potato chips, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes ... I can't even think about white potatoes this month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 2, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 2, 2015 I never thought I'd get over my destructive sugar addiction, but Whole30 did it. You've come to the right place. Welcome! FTR, potatoes (though not chips or traditional mashed with all kinds of dairy, of course) of all kinds are now allowed on Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhm Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 I was so excited to hit multiple PR's after I went Paleo. I totally backslid with my diet in December but am excited to hit more PR's in January - that is one of my biggest motivations with Whole30! I totally agree that that 10% off Paleo is killer. For me its potato chips, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes ... I can't even think about white potatoes this month! Absolutely! That's definitely a motivator for me, too - eating to perform. I keep track of my 1-R and 3-R maxes mostly, as well as times for Benchmark WODs. I can't have chips in the house or I'll eat them. But there are also foods that don't tempt me at all since going Paleo that I thought might be hard to adjust to eliminating, like most dairy (used to LOVE yogurt...don't even give it a second thought any more). I think back to when I started Paleo and thinking "oh my God, what will I do for breakfast!?!" I remember breakfast was mostly dairy and grains - I'd have a bagel and cream cheese or a yogurt with some fruit or skip breakfast quite often. Now breakfast is one of my favourite meals! I have gotten really creative and found tons of inpiration through Instagram, Pinterest, Whole30, Paleo blogs, etc. I don't have the same craving for white potatoes as you do, but I can relate to that feeling with other foods for sure!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhm Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 I never thought I'd get over my destructive sugar addiction, but Whole30 did it. You've come to the right place. Welcome! FTR, potatoes (though not chips or traditional mashed with all kinds of dairy, of course) of all kinds are now allowed on Whole30. Thank you ! I feel like I'm in a good place to start a Whole 30 because I've experimented a lot, done a lot of trial and error, and become more comfortable with the 'rules' of Paleo and cooking my own meals - whereas I think for me it'd be more intimidating if I were going from a standard N.A. diet straight to this program. I have learned to enjoy cooking for probably the first time in my life! So I think that the first part of my journey has prepared me to embark on this next part I tend to start having cravings for sugar or snack-foods at night, which from some things I've read may speak to some adrenal fatigue and my cortisol/circadian rythm being out of whack. Out of sight, out of mind works otherwise...and now I'm not being bombarded by holiday parties and going between multiple places for meals...but ya, that night-time piece is still there. Also alcohol - I've cut back to drinking wine and drinking vodka with club soda and a wedge of lemon and lime on occasion - but cutting this out completely (even the ones used in cooking or found in food!) for a full 30 days will be an interesting psychological experiment for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary T. Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I never thought I'd get over my destructive sugar addiction, but Whole30 did it. You've come to the right place. Welcome! FTR, potatoes (though not chips or traditional mashed with all kinds of dairy, of course) of all kinds are now allowed on Whole30. Thanks LadyM - potatoes are totally nixed for me because they're a trigger. I feel like we all have something wacky we crave! Mine just happens to be silly white potates which I do not need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliawholesomething Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Thanks LadyM - potatoes are totally nixed for me because they're a trigger. I feel like we all have something wacky we crave! Mine just happens to be silly white potates which I do not need. Ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted January 3, 2015 Moderators Share Posted January 3, 2015 Good for you for knowing yourselves and responding to your particular needs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhm Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 A work in progress for me, it feels like . Ordered the newest version of "It Starts With Food" Looking forward to getting it in the mail next week !!! I have lots of time to go through it before I start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhm Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Books came in the mail yesterday - "Eat the Yolks" which I've already cracked into (hehe, pun intended) and "It Starts With Food" My intention is to get through both books before starting my first Whole 30 on February 1st! I have been digesting the forum and the website, as well as posts on Facebook (articles, recipe ideas, etc.), so I feel like I've got a good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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