For those who want to quit...

[laurajfrog]

Don't do it!  I completely caved during birthday festivities last night.  I feel so guilty today.  I'm also frustrated because I feel like I "wasted" 14 days of clean Whole30 eating.  This is my second whole30.  I did one in January of 2014, so I know I CAN do it. I was feeling frustrated and I had a rough day.  I let all this get to me instead of finding something else besides food to make me feel better.  

 

Now, my question is:  When people "fall off the wagon" and re-start, do they usually end up finishing?  Or should I take a break and re-focus before I start over?  My previous whole 30 didn't require a re-start at all, so I'm in new territory here.  

[LadyM]

I don't know if there's a "usually" in this scenario or not. I guess I would suggest you ask yourself about your commitment and motivation at this point. Can you let go of the guilty impulse to beat yourself up and refocus on all the reasons why a fresh start and new set of 30 consecutive days is priority for you? Or do you need to take a little time to process your emotional eating patterns before getting back to it?

 

If you do decide to take some time to get there, I would encourage you to use the time to return to the template rather than further going off the rails because you can. That, I think, you would regret terribly.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

I haven't been in your exact circumstances but I think I'd dive back in before I lost my desire and used one off plan meal to become a week long bender.

don't think of the last two weeks as wasted, you still have your body 14 days of nourishment and it thanks you for that. Take some time to evaluate why you ate off plan, you don't mention but whose birthday was it? Did you feel peer pressure? Had you been facing temptation after temptation lately? I do feel like there is a limit to my will power! Don't beat yourself up, guilt will not help you achieve your health goals. Be kind to yourself today

[ShannonM816]

14 days of Whole30 eating isn't wasted -- every day you eat healthy food makes you healthier, so that was 14 days of getting healthier.

 

As for whether you should take a break and refocus or start back immediately, I'd say keep in mind that the longer you aren't eating W30 style, and the further away from W30 style eating that you get, the harder the first few days on your next W30 will be. If you just had one day off, it's probably not going to be too bad, no matter how much cake or whatever you ate. A week of eating bread or sweets or whatever will be harder.

 

I would say you should probably sit down and think about why you went off plan, and how you can address that in the future. Were you hungry? Make sure next time you go to a party, you've eaten beforehand or bring compliant food with you. Were you stressed? Figure out a better way to deal with the stress -- that might be talking about it, or journaling about it, or exercising, or meditating -- whatever helps you to feel better when you feel stressed. 

[laurajfrog]

It was my son's 9th birthday.  I made him a lemon layer cake that took forever, but it was just what he wanted.  I home school my three kids and they were being difficult all day.  I was emotionally spent (as I am many days).  I should have focused on something else....but the lemon cake won.  I woke up this morning and have been eating on plan all day.  I had some GI distress, but otherwise I feel okay.  I'm hoping just to hop back on the wagon and go.  I've been having a hard time with wanting to snack at night.  Any ideas for that?  I feel like I'm eating a good amount of fat during the day.  Does anyone have a favorite tea they like in the evenings that tastes good without anything in it?

[GFChris]

If you're having a tough time with night time snacking, you may not be eating enough during the day. Can you post a few days worth of your food log with portion sizes, water consumption, exercise, and any pre/post workout fuel? We can give you feedback on any possible tweaks.

[laurajfrog]

Yesterday I had a veggie (mushroom, onion, pepper, spinach) half an avocado and compliant sausage filled two egg omelet for breakfast.  I had a little coffee with coconut milk, but I didn't drink much of it.  I did my workout and then worked outside in the yard.  I was starving by the time I had lunch.  I had a whole bag of frozen veg. (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) with three homemade meatballs with spaghetti sauce over the top of it.  I was still hungry so I had an apple and almond butter.  I wasn't hungry for a long time after that so I made myself another omelet like the breakfast one for late dinner.  I didn't have any trouble in the evening.  Maybe I should be eating my evening meal later?  I had water with each meal.  

 

I didn't eat after my workout.  That's probably a problem.

[MTNan]

I try to deal with night snacking with a cup of tea. Brewing is a nice ritual, and it gives me something to sip on while the kids nibble their bedtime snacks.

[ultrarunnergirl]

You may need more food than you think. Eat heartily at each meal, especially fat. Keep experimenting as you go. It may need to be a LOT of food, more than you may feel comfortable tucking away. I have to take in a huge meal to make it 4 - 5 hours.

[GFChris]

Yes, I think post workout fuel would have helped on the sample day you listed.

When you say you had water with each meal, how much water, in total, do you get in throughout the day? You want to aim for 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of your current body weight, daily.

[AuntJane]

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