etak Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hi all, this is my first "real" attempt at a Whole30. I say "real" because my first "actual" attempt, back in August, was done secretly. I didn't tell anyone I was doing it, didn't seek support from my spouse, friends, or this forum. I snuck whole30 compliant foods and quietly abstained from my BFF/nemesis red wine for nine days, while my spouse merrily ate and drank as per usual. (Funny, now that I think about it, that I felt like I had to 'sneak' healthy foods and habits.) Anyway, I don't feel like I really committed to the program, and that's why I failed at day nine. We had some friends over for dinner, the wine was poured, I had been *so good* for nine days, no-one even knew I was doing a Whole30 anyway... WTH, right? Well this time, I'm seeking support. I've told my spouse, some friends, some family, all of you, and I intend to tell more friends when we have them over for dinner tonight. I know this will be a challenge. I know the wine will be poured, but thankfully now that hubby knows my dietary restrictions he's actually collaborated with me about the menu. I am prepared to explain why I'm not having wine, and I'm not even that worried about it. I've stocked up on my new favorite mocktail - a 'virgin margarita' which is just sparkling water, a tiny splash of OJ and a squeeze of half a lime, (rocks with salt!). I want to succeed! I don't want to click the 'start over' button on day four. I feel strong.. but if anyone would like to offer similar stories so we can encourage each other, I'd welcome them! Thanks for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Annnd, while I was typing this and debating whether or not to post it, I burned the ghee I was making. Oops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeChristina Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I love your "margarita" idea ... I'm going to try it! I think wine is the hardest part for me (Day 7, 1st Whole30). I don't drink it every night, but I always have it with a social dinner. Since the first part of January tends to be less evening-social for me, I hope it will only be a few occasions to pass over the 30 days. You are smart to control the menu instead of going out. Hope it's a great evening for you :-) I haven't made ghee yet, but I may try it. Coconut oil has a big flavor (which I like, but not with everything). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted January 4, 2015 Administrators Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hi etak, it sounds like you are on the right track this time. Wine (and other alcohol) is such a sensitive topic because it can be such a social thing but it's only 30 days and you will still enjoy the company of your friends. Maybe you'll miss having the wine and maybe you won't....but you've made a choice to abstain for a period of time and that is extremely respectable. Have fun at your dinner tomorrow night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 You can do it, backwards-Kate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Just an update... success!! Thanks for responding, everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaya_nicole Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Okay, this is the first online forum I've ever joined but I agree that it takes encouragement from others to make it to the end. I tried to do the Whole30 before my wedding and only got to day 12 before my diet was over, so this time I'm gonna prove to myself I can do it. The food restrictions are hard but luckily I love meat, fruit and veggies so this is right up my alley. I do however find abstaining from alcohol to be my biggest challenge, that makes me sound like a lush but I just want one glass/bottle. Unfortunately I also decided to give up caffeine for the New Year and that hasn't been helping. I'm attributing my constant headache to caffeine withdrawals but I also have to say that I ache all over, which I find really weird. Well keep up the good work! I'll keep checking in here an we'll make to the end. P.S. I splurged and bought the Whole30 daily, I find its pretty helpful to get the daily email for encouragement and I like reporting every day that I make it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted January 6, 2015 Administrators Share Posted January 6, 2015 I do however find abstaining from alcohol to be my biggest challenge, that makes me sound like a lush but I just want one glass/bottle. I don't think that makes you sound like a lush at all. I knew that this Whole30 I would have sadness over lack of red wine for 30 days. It's winter here and dark by 4pm and we almost always have a fire in the fireplace and a nice glass of red wine is just....well....nice. Being alright with not having it is nice too and I'm enjoying all my teas immensely. Whole30 on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 I do however find abstaining from alcohol to be my biggest challenge, that makes me sound like a lush but I just want one glass/bottle. Unfortunately I also decided to give up caffeine for the New Year and that hasn't been helping. I'm attributing my constant headache to caffeine withdrawals but I also have to say that I ache all over, which I find really weird. Well keep up the good work! I'll keep checking in here an we'll make to the end. P.S. I splurged and bought the Whole30 daily, I find its pretty helpful to get the daily email for encouragement and I like reporting every day that I make it through. Oh, yes, I knew giving up alcohol would be my biggest challenge, too. Alcohol, and also half-and-half in my morning coffee were the two things that I feared giving up the most... but here I am now at the end of day 5 and I'm still alive! I've been really pleasantly surprised at how supportive people are being. At our dinner with friends last night, I happily sipped my virgin margs and my gingerade kombucha (yum!) and as @ladyshanny said above, it was really nice to be OK with *not* having alcohol. I explained to my friends that I was having a "dry January" (I figured explaining the whole Whole30 might be a bit much), and they were so supportive! "Oh, man, I need to do that, too" was the response. Wow, giving up alcohol AND caffeine at the same time - you go! I'm sure the headaches will subside soon. And yeah, I bought the daily emails, too. I was skeptical about paying money for emails but I knew the daily support and evening check-ins would really help me stay the course. We can do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbie2 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 This is my first Whole 30 and yesterday, my day three, was a challenge for me but I did it! Let me tell you the sugar dragon came to visit me in the morning; the caffiene fiend came in the afternoon and the wine queen came yesterday evening. I managed through each of them keeping my mind on the goal of a healthier me and besides, I don't like having those things having control of me. (This is one things I use to motivate me to stay the course.) In addition, I've been crashing around 8:40 p.m. for the past two days. Whole 30 Daily mentioned these crashes so I'm okay with them right now. I'm glad I subscribed to the Whole 30 Daily. It gives me confirmation that what I'm going through and feeling is part of the bigger picture and it's okay. Another thing that seems to keep me motivated is that fact that by following the Whole 30 plan and eating real food my hunger is much more in check. I used to get so ravenously hungry I'd eat whatever was available or nearby including that nasty processed stuff they call food. Cutting out the sugar and empty carbs has help me tremedously. After being on the Whole 30 for 3 + days even with the cravings, etc. I'm feeling better then I have in a long while. The only thing I'm waiting on now is the energy that will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Let me tell you the sugar dragon came to visit me in the morning; the caffiene fiend came in the afternoon and the wine queen came yesterday evening. I managed through each of them keeping my mind on the goal of a healthier me and besides, I don't like having those things having control of me. (This is one things I use to motivate me to stay the course.) In addition, I've been crashing around 8:40 p.m. for the past two days. The wine queen is an evil, evil mistress! I know I'll be battling her along with you all month. And I totally hear you about crashing early.. last night I went to bed at 8:30pm! (Which was actually awesome). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momzilla Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 The wine queen is an evil, evil mistress! I know I'll be battling her along with you all month. And I totally hear you about crashing early.. last night I went to bed at 8:30pm! (Which was actually awesome). Yes, the Wine Queen is a formidable foe. Especially when your other half is still partaking. She's not more formidable than we are, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaya_nicole Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Alright we made it through our first week, congrats! I'm planning on rewarding myself with a manicure today. I plan on giving myself a little reward each week I complete the Whole30. How about you, do you guys have any ideas for good rewards? I have to say I've made it through the headaches and body aches and am embracing this new found feeling of energy and shifting into the 'fat-burning' phase and leaving behind the 'sugar-burning' cycle. But boy those first 3 days were hard on me and I'm glad to be feeling better. I just read the "Clothesmakethegirl" post on cheating and it got me thinking, am I cheating? I'm following the food rules but I will snack, they do say 'If your hungry eat,' and man was I hungry (after checking in with myself to see if it was a craving or true hunger). I try to space my eating out to a minimum of 4hrs, and I'm fiddling with portion size and fat to keep myself satisfied until my next meal but I was wondering how others are doing? I look forward to hearing your thoughts, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I just read the "Clothesmakethegirl" post on cheating and it got me thinking, am I cheating? I'm following the food rules but I will snack, they do say 'If your hungry eat,' and man was I hungry (after checking in with myself to see if it was a craving or true hunger). I try to space my eating out to a minimum of 4hrs, and I'm fiddling with portion size and fat to keep myself satisfied until my next meal but I was wondering how others are doing? As long as you're eating 100% compliant food per the Whole30 rules, you're fine. Yes, if you're genuinely hungry between meals, eat! The recommendation is a mini meal of protein, veg and fat. Fiddling with portion sizes on your main meals is just the thing to do, in order to minimize snacking. Keep it up - nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Yeah, the end of week one! Congratulations, everybody! It's a big deal! I've been trying to give myself a little pat on the back each morning when I wake up - good job, self! You did it! It's such a nice change from the self-loathing I used to wake up with. So here are some observations/questions I've come up with over the last week: 1) My wine queen seems to come to visit at around 3pm every day. She messes with my brain, tries to convince me that I don't *need* to be doing the Whole30. She tries to scare me into thinking I need to go buy a bottle after work because... because what? I'll be bored otherwise? I won't 'enjoy life' without that little buzz? Now that I'm typing it out, her argument just doesn't make sense. Usually when this happens, I get up from my desk and take a walk outside. I try to breathe deeply, enjoy my surroundings, and remind myself of WHY I'm doing this - one of the main reasons is to reset my relationship with alcohol. These visits from the wine queen are EXACTLY why I'm doing this. 2) These 3pm 'downs' also tend to lead to fear (nay, terror) and depression. Terror that my progress is fragile, and as soon as I'm "allowed" to have a glass of wine again, I'll just immediately fall right back into my old habits and all my hard work will be for naught. This leads to depression at the thought of being my old self again. But I just have to remind myself - it is only day seven. My progress probably IS fragile, at this point. This is why the program is 30 days, not one week. Hopefully by day 31, my new habits and preferences will be firmly enough cemented that regression won't be such a worry. 3) I've discovered GT's Gingerade kombucha. http://synergydrinks.com/index.php/products#enlightened-kombucha/enlightened-kombucha-gingerade Frankly, I cannot believe this stuff is OK to drink, because it is so good. I keep it to just half a bottle per evening, with dinner, but it keeps that wine queen away very, very effectively. And it's apparently really good for you. But of course, it's leading to another fear - am I just replacing one psychological dependence with another? Am I going to become 'hooked' on kombucha and my virgin margaritas? And is that OK? Am I really making a change in my habits? 4) Last night I dreamed that I ate a huge bowl of cheerios and milk. This is odd, because I almost never ate cereal prior to my Whole30. I got so upset in my dream that I woke up nearly in tears! It took a few minutes for me to realize that it was 4am, it was a dream, I had NOT actually eaten the cheerios, and it was all going to be OK. 5) As for snacking, if I find that I'm truly peckish, I've been trying to find protein to snack on, instead of fruit. Hard boiled eggs are one of my favorites. I plan to make some of these salmon cakes, too, as another easy go-to snack: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/11/10/oven-fried-salmon-cakes/. Nom Nom Paleo also has a delicious, similar recipe: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes. So anyway. Sorry to be so wordy. Just some things I've observed over this week one. Keep up the good work, everyone! I hope we all keep checking in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeChristina Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thanks for sharing the recipes! I'm starting day 11. Not many cravings (which surprises me). However, like you, I'm already worried about the "after" phase. Will I keep up this amount of cooking? Will one glass of wine knock me off the road? Can I feel satisfied with one glass of wine? Can I ever have grains and not start craving sugar again? My intention for doing the Whole30 is to see if certain foods are causing my stomach issues (just annoying problems, nothing serious) AND (almost more importantly) figuring out a healthy way to eat "normally." I tend to overeat for a few days, diet strictly for a few days to even things out. I don't want to be on the roller coaster. It's not fun, not healthy and too much work!! But ... I enjoy social eating and drinking. Don't want to give that up. Guess it is a learning process. On a plus note ... never thought I could so easily give up cheese. Don't miss it (yet). Maybe because I can't have it's fabulous partner in crime - wine?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 The food dreams continue... last night I dreamt that I 'accidentally' ate an enormous spoonful of peanut butter. It took quite a while to convince myself that I hadn't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaya_nicole Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I also cheated in a food dream last night with beer and chocolate cake, at least those are things I truly love. Way to go subconscious! And I just put Nom Nom Paleo Asian Short Ribs in the slow cooker, I'll let you know how they turn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeChristina Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I just marked that recipe to try. Let us know how they taste!! Did you keep them as one rack and just "weave" them standing up in the crockpot? I was a bit confused. Also, did you broil first? Recipe said either way ... I was planning to skip it (easier the better for me). Sorry for 20 questions! I have Nom Nom crockpot chicken with gravy cooking now. Smells awesome!!! Made her spicy fish cakes earlier this week- so good too! I'm thinking about buying Well Fed cookbook. She has tons of recipes on the blog, but I like having an index to look through. Does anyone own it and do you think it's worth buying? My only food dream involved hubby wanting to renew wedding vows ... which I told him was stupid ... until I got to the room of wedding cake samples. I went from table to table (cake is one of my favorite things!). Best dream!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etak Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 Was just going to check in and see how everyone was doing! Day ten!! Going strong here, though for some reason yesterday was my hardest day yet... battled some strong demons, but I was able to talk to myself (a lot, out loud... probably looked like a crazy person) and emerged successful! WholeChristina, I don't own Well Fed (1 or 2), but I did just pick up her new magazine version at Whole Foods. I think it contains a lot of the same recipes as the books, and there is a table of contents at the front listing them all. Can't say whether it was a worthwhile purchase or not, but I look forward to leafing through it. And since you guys are cooking some Nom Nom Paleo stuff, let me plug one of my favorite recipes of hers, Slow Cooker Kalua Pork. OMG. I have made this several times, usually on Sundays, and then I have delicious porky goodness to make into meals or snack on all week: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig And I love this one as well: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/4207543396/damn-fine-chicken Marinade in the morning, cook at night, sooo delicious. Also makes for great leftovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaya_nicole Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I just marked that recipe to try. Let us know how they taste!! Did you keep them as one rack and just "weave" them standing up in the crockpot? I was a bit confused. Also, did you broil first? Recipe said either way ... I was planning to skip it (easier the better for me). Sorry for 20 questions! Unfortunately this recipe didn't turn out that great. First off its very expensive, I halved it because I didn't want to pay $60 for a cut of meat. I did brown the ribs individually and then aligned them w/ the bones vertical in my slow cooker. I found the ribs to be very fatty and the flavor was just okay. On a high note I made her veal meatballs last night and they were soon good. Hope that helps. Thanks, Nicole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeChristina Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Thanks Nicole! Glad to have the feedback. Think I will pass at this point ... I was thinking of the expense too. Doesn't sound worth it when there are lots of other recipes to try. Seem to see a lot of people recommending Well Fed's Bora Bora Fireballs. I don't eat pork (it upsets my stomach) but I'll try these with beef instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted January 14, 2015 Administrators Share Posted January 14, 2015 Seem to see a lot of people recommending Well Fed's Bora Bora Fireballs. I don't eat pork (it upsets my stomach) but I'll try these with beef instead. Having made these, I think you'd be better off subbing either ground turkey or ground chicken for the pork. Beef is going to overpower the flavour profile that the recipe is trying to build. They'd still taste alright but a lighter meat might work better for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliElmer1 Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Love this Thread! I am on Day 5! 2nd attempt and I have done the same- told family friends and co workers! I am determined. I had my first night eating out last night- did good - Tuna ceviche and a dry salad with steak radish, jicama and avocado. No 'rita's but def want to try the virgin "rita" you mentioned. I did feed the sugar dragon though when I got home- spoonful of sunflower seed butter Not good! I need to get that under control and I should have reached for water or tea. I am nervous heading into my first weekend. But I have to say I am feeling pretty good- bloated- I am almost questioning- I am doing everything correct? Ha. I have been using Well Fed 1 and 2 and Nom Nom. Already have my list and recipes for week 2. Really working on breakfast meals and I lacked on that this week and found myself hungry right after I got home from work. But I did eat chicken and veggies or chili. If you have Nom Nom Paleo- def suggest the Roasted Chicken in the crock pot with the homemade gravy. Gravy is SO good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaya_nicole Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 We made it thru week two!!! And oddly enough I'm enjoying this. I feel like things are settling in and the diet doesn't feel so restrictive at this point since I am no longer fixated on what I can't have (however I do have to admit that my strongest cravings are for: cream in my coffee, oatmeal, beer, and pancakes). I feel like I have my body back, my notorious digestive issues have all but disappeared and (this is my FAVORITE) my late afternoon brain fog is GONE! I'm still not going out much, I'm afraid to eat out because I won't have total control over my ingredients but I did go to a bar last night and not drinking was pretty easy. My last complaint is all the cleaning that goes along with eating a whole diet, yes I've always dreamt of eating like this and beyond the whole30 this is something important to me but I live in a tiny SF apt without a dishwasher and the dishes are never ending!!!!!!!!! Hope you're all doing well and staying strong, we're half way there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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