MissMunchie's Whole30

[missmunchie]

Oh man. I've been a part of this forum since 2013, when I completed my first Whole30. I've tried and "failed" several times to do another one, but have never been in the right place emotionally and lifestyle-wise to make it happen. I searched for my old threads, to find many of them archived since it's been so long, and several logs that just fizzled when I gave in and retreated back to my old eating ways, ashamed that I once again said I would do something, then didn't.

 

This time, I've made it 9 days with no desire to slow it down (I know the big Day 10 Hump is coming ... and I'm ready for it!). So I feel confident in documenting some of my thoughts so far about my "real" 2nd Whole30. I've noticed so many things different this time around that I have a hard time articulating, but it's made all the difference to keep me committed. Sure, before I would buy the food and do the big ol' weekend cook-up and have my meal plans ready to go. Then stress would hit, I would have an unshakeable sugar craving, I would forget my lunch, fill-in-the-blank excuse would happen and I would plunge into pizza and pumpkin spice lattes saying I would "do better tomorrow." But "tomorrow" never came. But this time, I feel committed to my core. I don't *want* the cookies in the break room. Sure, when I pass by I'm like, "ooh, cookies!" but I know they'll make me feel crappy and more importantly, they will cause me to go off-plan, and I truly don't want to do that.

 

Why do I feel so committed? The big reason is that I'm confident my husband is on board with me. He said in plain words, "I'll support you," and that meant the world to me. Sure, he makes fun when I have eggs and zucchini instead of the family pancake breakfast and bellyaches a bit about the extra grocery bill, but I know he's really rooting for me to stick to it. The other night he offered me a brownie, and I was like, "Honey, I can't eat that right now." He was totally confused at first (I can't blame him; when was the last time I turned down a brownie?) and then was like, "Oh! That's right; I'm sorry! Holy crap, good work on your commitment!" 

 

I'm also posting every meal on Twitter. I feel less conspicuous on Twitter versus Instagram or Facebook, because I have actual friends that follow me on those accounts, whereas I feel with Twitter it's not so in-your-face. My IRL friends will get quite tired of "breakfast of hardboiled eggs, carrots, and almond butter! #whole30" posts pretty darn quick. I feel with Twitter, I still get the satisfaction of a social commitment without feeling like people are forced into it. It's Twitter, just Unfollow me if it sucks that much.

 

Another reason is sort of realized/inspired by an Instagram post by Melissa Hartwig today. For the past few weeks, I've been going to therapy for postpartum depression. Because of therapy, I've been treating a depression that I believe I've been living with for going on 15 years now, and I had no idea I was depressed. I just thought I was a naturally negative person, and that they way I felt was "normal." I didn't realize how unworthy and unloved by myself I felt. And that is a huge component to my commitment - the deep knowledge and understanding that I'm worth it, and that I want better for myself. I want a better life, I want to be healthy. And that's the power I found that I need to stay on track with my goals. And let me tell you, if I had realized that what I felt before wasn't normal and that I could feel the way I do now, I would have ran - not walked - to the nearest shrink and received the treatment I needed. Life is so unbelievable now.

 

 

And now for the little things that I'm doing to make this work. For one, I have two small children, a full time job with a commute, and very little time to get it all done (cramming 32 hours in a 24 hour day, my husband says). Momma ain't got time for fancy meals. And that's okay, not every meal has to be incredible and Pinterest-worthy. A can of tuna in olive oil and some carrot sticks is fine. Toss some hard boiled eggs in one container, some frozen broccoli with coconut oil in another, and there's lunch. I'm making it as easy as possible by keeping it simple. I'm treating it like building blocks: every week I buy 3-4 kinds of protein, 2-3 kinds of fat, and 4-5 kinds of veggies. Grab one from each category, and that's a meal. If I get bored, I treat myself with a steak or some fun seasoning or something. But I'm fueling myself, I feel good about it, and I'm not bored or too hungry yet so I guess it's working.

 

Example meals:

• Hardboiled eggs, carrots and celery, almond butter eaten on my commute to work
• My Most Favorite Ever salad of tuna in olive oil, spinach, bell pepper, hardboiled egg, and avocado
• Chicken thighs, frozen broccoli, copious amounts of coconut oil, sweet potato
• Ground beef, zucchini, onion, topped with homemade mayo (the one "food prep" thing I did this week)

 

Lather, rinse, repeat. It's working, and I'm excited that it's working. Which makes me want to do it more.

 

In other "Great Success!" news, I had a catered work lunch last week. I didn't get a chance to talk to the person in charge of ordering the lunch beforehand, so I just ate my packed food beforehand so I wouldn't be tempted by hunger to cave. Since it was a social lunch with some higher-ups at my company, I didn't want to not eat and have to explain why. Fortunately, a green salad was provided so I slowly picked at it plain and left the cheesy chicken panini alone to bring home to my husband. No one noticed, and I had some great lunch conversation that wasn't focused on what I was or wasn't eating.

 

The only bummer is not going out to lunch with coworkers. This was good for me from a socialization aspect (now that I'm not as depressed, I actually like hanging around people), and I feel a little lonely eating my Best Salad Ever all alone at lunch. I need to start finding people to have lunch with, since I'm sure I'm not the only one that packs it every day.

 

Taking it one meal at a time. 9 days down, woot!

 

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

Great post, very positive! Keep it up!

[missmunchie]

Day 12 and I hit a wall. So far, I had been waking up earlier so I can work out and pack my meals before heading off to work. This morning, I had the serious case of the "can't evens." I went to bed sad about some personal stuff, and it just bled into this morning. I actually sat on the couch and cried after my run, when I should have been buzzing with happy endorphins. Anyway, I didn't want to wake up, I didn't want to make food, I didn't want to go to work. Boo hoo, poor me.

Anyway, I pulled on the big girl pants and packed my food. Then I remembered there was going to be a potluck lunch at work. No problem, I'm okay with eating my packed lunch instead. Then the dessert table came out.

Holy binge cravings, Batman. Realize I am the Queen of Sugar (the husband lovingly calls me "Candy Whore") but so far have not had a significant craving. All I can think about is licking the frosting off of every single cupcake, plowing through that box of cookies, and topping it off with a handful from the candy basket. Just writing that out gave me a carb crash and heartburn, which is what would happen if I did follow through.

Feeling the draw of the (not special grocery-store brand) cupcakes, I reached for a Larabar in my emergency stash, which I hadn't touched in these 12 days. Then another. And then another. As I was reaching for my FOURTH Larabar I finally mentally slapped my hand and said, "what are DOING?!?"

What happened? I'm emotional from my rough night last night and I'm used to going to food to get a break from reality. I'm overtired because I've been waking up early to work out despite getting up repeatedly during the night to feed my 4 month old. I'm getting a little board with my "Groundhog Day" meal plan and to be honest I am really sick of hard boiled eggs and raw veggies. I'm in between projects at work and am starting to get bored and antsy.

So tonight I'm going to go home and actually cook a fun dinner; I'm thinking chicken curry. My neighbor makes an amazing chicken stock and he's going to teach me his recipe. I'm going to go to bed when I'm tired (not when I think all the house chores are "done") and sleep in tomorrow. Then I'm going to use the weekend to look up some recipes I've been meaning to try (the chicken cacciatore recipe on the Whole30 blog today caught my eye) and shake up my meal plan a bit.

I had been focusing a lot on food and exercise that I've had to give on sleep, and I'm sure that's making things difficult for me in the background. I'm going to switch my schedule up next week to see if that doesn't help me get a few more hours of rest. Around the hungry baby at 2am, that is!

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

Sleep! So much more important than even getting in that work out. I've had a couple rough nights due to a sick kid and I can see clearly how that impacts my cravings.

I hope you feel tons better after a decent night of sleep

[missmunchie]

So, I wrapped up this last Whole30 on April 25. For those of you keeping score at home, this was only 28 days. Yes, I shortchanged myself. I had a friend's 50th birthday party brunch on Day 29 and decided that I was tired of scrutinizing everything, so I ate as compliant as I could from the buffet but didn't freak if there was sugar in the salad dressing or if the salmon was cooked in canola oil. So I stuck as compliant as I could but decided to give myself a break.

 

Now since I didn't do a proper reintro I want to try again and do it RIGHT this time. I started yesterday June 1 and will stick with the whole 30 days plus reintro.

 

So far so good, except I had a blonde moment yesterday driving home and cracked open a can of those fizzy fruit drinks that had added sugar in it. Whomp whomp. I don't even LIKE those, I was just really thirsty and my husband left it in the car. So I'm kind of restarting today.

 

I didn't go grocery shopping or meal prep on Sunday, so I'm kind of winging it this week until I get a chance to regroup. Breakfast was eaten in the car on the way to an early work meeting:

• Aidell's compliant chicken sausage (I think artichoke and sun dried tomato?)
• a bag of snap peas
• a bag of macadamia nuts and coconut flakes

Lunch was also packed in a flurry based on what was grab-able in the fridge:

• can o' tuna in olive oil
• greens
• half of a watermelon my husband left out on the counter last night
• the olive oil that's available in the employee kitchen at work

Tonight I have planned to cook the cube of grass fed beef with some veggies that's sitting in the fridge, but I might take my husband out for dinner. If that's the case, I'll do my best to order compliant. There's a really good Mexican place near us, I'm sure I can do a salad and some steak fajitas or something.

 

Onward!

[missmunchie]

Some random thoughts as I peruse the forum:

1. I have yet to have a true "emergency food" scenario where Larabars are actually present. If I'm stuck without food, it's probably in my car in the middle of the freeway waiting out rush hour, and if I did plan ahead for a snack I would not have packed a larabar. If anything, "emergency food" would constitute the meager offerings at a social event that are obviously complaint, like just the greens from a salad.

 

2. It breaks my heart when people are frustrated that they're halfway through their first Whole30 and have not noticed any dramatic body composition changes yet. I feel for them; I was disappointed my first time around that I didn't lose as much weight as I thought I should. It took a while for me to realize how freeing it is if I forget the scale, focus on how I feel and how my pants fit, and trust my body to heal itself. I have learned to trust my body to do what it needs to do, not what I want it to do. If I'm not improving body comp from eating whole foods and taking care of myself, that tells me my body is doing other things right now that probably take priority over bikini season. I've abused myself with food for 30+ years of my life, I should not expect my body to turn around from that in less than 30 days.

 

Okay, that's all out of my head now. Moving on.

 

Last night we went out to eat, and I think I did okay ordering plain grilled salmon and steamed broccoli. I just enjoyed going out with the family and didn't really fret about how good my husband's beef brisket looked.

 

I knew that I had to get up early again this morning for a call, so last night before dinner I fried up a pan of grass-fed beef and onions to portion out for breakfast and lunch today. I paired the beef with snap peas and my little coconut/mac nut combo for breakfast, and mixed greens with evoo for lunch. Look Mom, I planned ahead!

 

Tonight is a work dinner, and I volunteered to pick out the restaurant so I could plan ahead and stay compliant. It's a decently-reviewed steak place, so I should be good.

[missmunchie]

Lol, after my revelation about larabars, Whole9 went and released a post on how they are no longer approved, along with other similar bars and snack packs. I think for some people they're just as good as any other food, but for folks like me who are battling sugar dragons and binge tendencies, this is good info. I've binged on larabars for sure on both of my Whole30s, so I'm glad I can no longer use the excuse "but it's compliant" when my husband find me sneaking one out of the stash!

 

In other news, I was slightly bummed to find the can of sardines I brought with me to work were the kind in marinara sauce, which has added sugar. Whomp whomp. I bought it forever ago and just didn't think when I grabbed it out of the pantry this morning, but thought to check the ingredients before I dove in. I do not like sardines, in fact I hate them. But sometimes I feel snacky in the afternoon, and I had been bringing a bag of coconut flakes and nuts but I noticed yesterday I was going for my bag more because I was bored rather than hungry. So I went for a walk instead, and decided to start bringing sardines because if I decide to eat them, it means I'm actually hungry enough to choke down sardines! Then I actually went for the can (because I AM hungry enough it turns out), and now I can't eat them anyway! I think I'll survive until I get home, though

 

Yesterday I'm pretty sure I didn't eat enough. We were out of eggs, so I had my last Aidell's sausage to tide me over until I could run to the store, which I was planning on doing in the morning before work. But I got busy with life stuff, and before I knew it lunchtime was calling. I had my leftovers from the restaurant yesterday (about 6 oz ribeye, roasted cauliflower, 1/2 baked potato with olive oil) and figured it was substantial enough to last to dinner. I got to the city to run my errands, and started feeling just really run down and crappy. I realized I needed to eat, so I hopped into Whole Foods to pick up a complaint snack. $20 later I emerged with prosciutto, guacamole, carrots, and a kombucha because fun. I ate half of it on the bus and had the other half for dinner.

 

Then my husband left for a meeting and I found myself alone at home, which happens very rarely. I ended up on the couch with a few dried mango slices and the last of the prosciutto watching The Big Bang Theory. While I did need some mindless downtime, I didn't need to be snacking. But it's been sooooo long since I actually sat down and watched TV, it felt rather luxurious. I watched for an hour before I felt inspired to do other things. Next time, no snacking, and DEFINITELY no mango slices! 

 

Day 4 is a wrap!

[Noelle]

i hear you on the Larabars. I've overdone it on those not on Whole30! Interesting that they're all named for desserts...

Sorry about your sugary sardines, but I think your plan is awesome. Having something Whole30-friendly but nowhere close to treat-like seems like the perfect definition of "emergency food" to me.

You're doing great. Keep it up!

[Kmlynne]

 

 

Another reason is sort of realized/inspired by an Instagram post by Melissa Hartwig today. For the past few weeks, I've been going to therapy for postpartum depression. Because of therapy, I've been treating a depression that I believe I've been living with for going on 15 years now, and I had no idea I was depressed. I just thought I was a naturally negative person, and that they way I felt was "normal." I didn't realize how unworthy and unloved by myself I felt. And that is a huge component to my commitment - the deep knowledge and understanding that I'm worth it, and that I want better for myself. I want a better life, I want to be healthy. And that's the power I found that I need to stay on track with my goals. And let me tell you, if I had realized that what I felt before wasn't normal and that I could feel the way I do now, I would have ran - not walked - to the nearest shrink and received the treatment I needed. Life is so unbelievable now.

 

 

 

 

You are worth it!

 

I have battled depression for most of my life.  Due to some unfortunate circumstances in my college years, I will not go on meds or go to a therapist (although I have seen someone short term when it gets really, really bad).  In my w30 journey, I found one simple, amazing thing.  When I eat well, when I stay compliant, I feel G.O.O.D.  Not only physically, but mentally as well.  It took being on w30 for months before I realized that my depression was lessened.  It took less than a month being off w30 when I realized that monster was back.

 

Best of luck to you!

[missmunchie]

Day 8! I've made it a week!

 

Weekends for me are the hardest to stay compliant not for food choices, but for remembering to eat! On a work day my meals are pretty scheduled - breakfast  is made and eaten before packing my lunch for work, dinner as soon as I come home. But on weekends I get up, walk the dog, play with the kids, have a couple cups of coffee, then after a few hours wonder why I'm suddenly tired and cranky. Then I realize I haven't eaten and throw something together. Then we run errands and do the "weekend stuff" all day, suddenly it's 4:30 pm and I'm in some mall somewhere and wonder why I'm tired and cranky … duh. On Saturday I had the family go to a burger place (Nathan's) to get lunch because the kiddo was fading for sure. The only thing I could figure was 100% compliant was the "garden salad" - otherwise known as a cup of lettuce with a few tomato slices, if you pick the croutons off. So that's what I did to share in a meal with the family and then I ate a compliant lunch when I got home.

 

Then Sunday night it was so hot in our house I didn't want to turn on the oven. I had planned on roasting a chicken I had brining in the fridge, but there was no way I wanted the oven turned on for 2+ hours. So I asked my husband to run to the store to grab dinner for him and the kiddo while I scrounged up a no-cook meal from the pantry. This seemed like the perfect moment to eat that can of sardines in olive oil I'd been staring at for weeks. I do not like sardines, as I had mentioned before. But I was very hungry, so I figured I'd use my appetite as a condiment of sorts

 

I made my sardine salad as scrumptious as possible, throwing in an expensive heirloom tomato I'd been saving, ripe avocado, lots of nuts for crunch, and some fresh basil from the garden. Seriously, it was an awesome salad. Three bites into it I started gagging. I could not handle the fact I was eating sardines. I was being ridiculous, I told myself. How could I snarf down tuna straight from the can but can't even eat sardines when they're practically hidden in a ginormous salad? They're just fish. I like fish.

 

Finally, a stroke of genius. You know how you zone out in front of the TV eating "just a few" chips, and before you know it you've downed the whole bag? I decided to finish my salad while the family enjoyed movie night. Sure enough, shortly after the movie started I was scraping the bottom of the salad bowl. Normally I would agree that eating while distracted isn't good for you, since you should break the chains of always being in front of a screen and truly savor and enjoy your meal. But since I was most definitely not savoring nor enjoying my sardines, and given that this was an extremely nutrient-dense salad that I should probably try and choke down, I figured I'd give myself a pass this time. I think I'm going to start eating sardine salads while my family enjoys their popcorn on every family movie night!

 

In other fun Whole30 notes over the weekend, my husband was the sweetest ever on Friday night. He knew I was coming home from work late and wanted to make sure dinner was on the table for me when I got home. He's not doing Whole30 with me, and is always worried he might season the meat or dress the salad with something non-compliant. But he went and googled a bunch of stuff, and ended up serving me ground beef hash with onions and peppers and a huge salad with homemade balsamic dressing. He made sure to run through each and every ingredient with me while we were sitting down to make sure everything was okay. "Oh, I put ground pepper in the beef. You can do pepper, right??" Yes, hunny. You did good <3

 

One of the biggest things I'm noting so far is how much more manageable my sugar cravings are. I was hanging out with my friend touring around our new town the other day, and she was pointing out that there are two ice cream and one frozen custard place off of the main drag. Of course the expected, "Ooh, custard! Let's go get custard!" came up, but I was … meh. It's not that I didn't want custard, but I just don't want to feel crappy after eating it. Especially at work when there are temptations abound (I work in a start-up with a fully stocked kitchen) I just don't want to be bothered with it. Sure, I like cookies. They're great, and I'm glad you're enjoying them. I just don't want to deal with the mental drama and physical discomfort that accompanies my cookie-eating. It's easier to crack open a can of tuna and be happy with life.

[Noelle]

It's not that I didn't want custard, but I just don't want to feel crappy after eating it. Especially at work when there are temptations abound (I work in a start-up with a fully stocked kitchen) I just don't want to be bothered with it. Sure, I like cookies. They're great, and I'm glad you're enjoying them. I just don't want to deal with the mental drama and physical discomfort that accompanies my cookie-eating. It's easier to crack open a can of tuna and be happy with life.

I'm on Day 8 too, and this is exactly where I am with sugar. It all sounds delicious, and then I remember the emotional roller coaster it puts me on. Pass the avocados!

[missmunchie]

My parents are in town! I love it when my parents visit, because my mom did a Whole30 and a 21 DSD a while back, so she totally gets how I eat. This morning she made me breakfast of an egg scramble with veggies and chicken sausage, fruit salad, and sliced avocado.

 

Also, we got a new grill! It's been crazy hot in the evenings in our non-AC house, so I don't want to cook dinner. And I am getting very tired of tuna, microwaved sausage, or cold chicken over a salad. Bring on the grilled veggies! And I whipped up some marinaded chicken last night to test out today for a fancy home barbecue. And I'm super psyched to have another cooking tool in my weekly meal prep arsenal. A stack of grilled burgers or perfectly cooked sausages with the little grill marks on them will really pep up the menu.

 

In the woe-is-me notes, I've struggled this week with eating enough. I have to constantly remind myself "Put Emily First," or I get absorbed in work or taking care of the kiddos and before I know it I'm super ravenous hungry. And I've been getting migraines which I am certain are related to not eating/drinking enough. Yesterday I had just two eggs for breakfast while pouring over emails on the computer, then I heated up a lunch to take with me to the city for my appointments only to forget it at home. I was feeling awful running about Market street so I stopped in the city Target and grabbed some hardboiled eggs and a big ol' water which really improved my mood and feelings.

 

This was also the night my husband and father bought the grill, but they came home at 7:00 saying, get some food ready for a barbecue! So my mom and I ran to the store and got a bunch of grass-fed burgers and grilling veggies. We got home at 8:00 with the grill still being assembled. The boys didn't finish putting it together until almost 10:00! So we didn't eat dinner. I did snack on some carrots and guacamole while waiting, but it wasn't dinner. So I didn't eat much yesterday.

 

I'm noticing that I don't have a problem with food choices anymore; I have a good grip on typical meals and how to throw stuff together. I'm struggling with actually sitting down and EATING. I'm delaying and skipping meals more than I should, either because I didn't plan and I get home late, or I just am "too busy/tired" to cobble up a plate. So my goal for the next few days is to EAT WHEN IT'S TIME TO EAT and not get distracted or eat a mini-meal to hold things off when I'm really ready for a real one (I'm looking at you, weekend mornings during my "clean all the things" rampages). I have reminders set up on my iPhone to tell me, "I AM Whole30!" during mealtimes, so I should use those as a cue to stop and eat if I'm hungry and I haven't eaten yet.

 

I'm also really trying to get in 9 hours of sleep. It's nearly impossible! It basically means I don't really get to hang out with my husband, since after work we get busy with dinner/kid/life stuff, and by the time the kids are in bed, so am I. Then I'm up with the baby once or twice during the night, then I can't sleep in because I have to be up once the older kid and our 6-month-old puppy are up with the sun so I can begin the day again. It's tough trying to balance it all in. My mantra continues to be "take care of me first," and when I remember that if I'm not healthy I can't help anyone else, it helps alleviate all of that "mom guilt" we fall into.

 

See you after the weekend!

[missmunchie]

Starting again today, July 6th! I crashed and burned with my parents' visit. Too many temptations, and I wasn't eating enough. Bad combo. Follow the meal template, that's my new mantra. A can of tuna is NOT a whole meal!

 

This morning was scrambled egg and sausage in coconut oil, and I put coconut milk in my coffee. I nuked some frozen broccoli to eat with it but totally forgot it in the microwave. D'oh. Next time, I will try not to begin my meal until ALL of my food is cooked and ready.

 

I didn't have time to pack a lunch, so I went to the grocery store to pick up a can of tuna, a bag of mixed greens, and avocado, and a lemon. I made a salad with 1/2 the lemon for dressing, then I used the other half to make some lemon tea to thwart my afternoon sugar munchies. It worked!

 

At home we have some chicken prepped either for oven or grill (depending on how hot it is inside) and another bag of broccoli for a side. I do need to hit up the grocery store for more food since I ate the last of the eggs this morning. I'm contemplating what other fun food I should get for the week. I have to get stuff that is either no-cook or can go on the grill since it's usually too hot in the house to turn the oven on in the evening. Mornings are no problem heat-wise, and I have been known to roast a whole chicken in the early morning before work to have ready for dinner, taking advantage of thermodynamics

 

In other food news, I want a spiralizer. I almost bought one a Sur la Table the other day, but it was $30 for a little hand-held model that will probably give me hand cramps. Anyone have a spiralizer recommendation that toes the desirable line between affordable and durable?

[missmunchie]

Back in it again! I did complete a full Whole30 in August, but I didn't journal it for some reason. But it was spectacular. And immediately after Day 30 my husband and I left for a week in Alaska on Day 31. I knew it was coming, and I stayed pretty compliant on the road (except for beer. All the beer, and so, so worth it) but I didn't do a proper reintro like I wanted to. But I hit Tiger Blood on like, Day 5 and it was amazing. I was "sparkle-good" as I call it. Such a fantastic experience.

 

Fast forward a few months, and a ton of life stuff has knocked me out of it. Family stress, job stress, throwing a birthday in there, I'm a ginormous stress ball and something's gotta get fixed now because I can't live this way anymore. So I'm going back to therapy, and I'm focusing on the basics - food, sleep, and exercise. I am putting me first before everything else until I can get back in control. This means eating Whole30-ish to get through the holidays, where I will start the January Whole30 with literally everyone else on the planet it seems. Slowly I'll figure things out and dig myself out of this stress pit I've built up.

 

To prep for our January Whole30, we're working through getting rid of all the non-compliant food in the kitchen. My roommate is on board with doing the Whole30 with me, but my husband isn't which is just fine. He just wants to get rid of the junk and do his "drunken caveman diet" (loose paleo with dairy and alcohol allowed) which is close enough to my goals. I'm getting back in the habit of making breakfast every morning, which is something I totally drop when I'm not Whole30-ing since getting up early to make a veggie frittata is soooooo much harder than grabbing a breakfast sandwich and fill-in-the-blank drive thru on the way to work. That's always my biggest hurdle, so I'm fixing it now. I haven't experimented yet with prepping breakfast the night before (pre-cut the frittata veggies or making egg-n-veggie "muffins") but I might try that if I find some time in the evening.

 

For exercise I'm keeping it simple with walking, hiking, and a little kettle bell training right now, but I just signed up for Crossfit so I'm really looking forward to that! It's as much for the community aspect as the working out, I'm looking forward to meeting like-minded people at the gym. Maybe some of my future Crossfit buddies will be doing the January Whole30 too!

 

Getting optimistically "frexcited"!

[ArtFossil]

I'm getting back in the habit of making breakfast every morning, which is something I totally drop when I'm not Whole30-ing since getting up early to make a veggie frittata is soooooo much harder than grabbing a breakfast sandwich and fill-in-the-blank drive thru on the way to work. That's always my biggest hurdle, so I'm fixing it now. I haven't experimented yet with prepping breakfast the night before (pre-cut the frittata veggies or making egg-n-veggie "muffins") but I might try that if I find some time in the evening.

 

missmunchie, why not just make the frittata ahead of time? That's what I did on my Whole30 and I'm going to keep that up post-Whole30. I just cut it into portions and then I can grab a portion to either eat at home or take to school on the days I teach.

 

Also, at least half of my breakfasts are leftovers from dinner. Again, super easy to grab and go (as are hard-boiled eggs which I also batch cook.)

[missmunchie]

Thank you for the suggestion, ArtFossil. I've tried making the frittata ahead of time before, but find I really don't like cold eggs. I've also done a bag of hb eggs and raw veggies for quick on-the-go that works, but gets a little monotonous after a while. But there are other quick protein options for breakfast I haven't really explored yet (compliant lunch meat, Aidell's sausages, etc) that I should try when eggs get boring. And there are NEVER dinner leftovers at my house! I definitely do the dinner leftovers if I have them!

[missmunchie]

So hungry! I've been doing some Whole30-ish eating to prep for the big 1/1/16 and although I feel stuffed to the gills after my meal, about an hour later I'm ravenous. Thinking I need to eat more fat? I'd like to get this dialed in before embarking on the January festivities, when I will not have the option to heat up a corn dog at 8:30 pm because I just had dinner and my stomach is growling

 

I *may* have planted the see to get my husband to join in the fun. Maybe. We'll see. He's not convinced dairy is a thing, and thinks the program is stupid restrictive. I argue that yeah it is, but it's only for 30 days so suck it up? But I may win him over with the fuzzy-feelings "will you support me" approach. I just know how sparkle-good I feel eating W30, and he has never felt that good before, I'm sure. 

[ShannonM816]

So hungry! I've been doing some Whole30-ish eating to prep for the big 1/1/16 and although I feel stuffed to the gills after my meal, about an hour later I'm ravenous. Thinking I need to eat more fat? I'd like to get this dialed in before embarking on the January festivities, when I will not have the option to heat up a corn dog at 8:30 pm because I just had dinner and my stomach is growling

 

I *may* have planted the see to get my husband to join in the fun. Maybe. We'll see. He's not convinced dairy is a thing, and thinks the program is stupid restrictive. I argue that yeah it is, but it's only for 30 days so suck it up? But I may win him over with the fuzzy-feelings "will you support me" approach. I just know how sparkle-good I feel eating W30, and he has never felt that good before, I'm sure. 

 

You could list some examples of what your meals have been like, and we could give you more useful feedback about portions and stuff, but in general, if you feel full right after eating, but then hungry shortly after, adding fat is probably a good place to start. Also, if you're having a lot of raw vegetables rather than cooked, especially if you've having salads with lots of leafy greens but not other vegetables, sometimes those just don't seem to keep you full as long. That doesn't mean don't have those things, but try to have a mix of cooked and uncooked vegetables. If you're doing salads, add denser vegetable in addition to your leafy greens -- I like beets or roasted sweet potato chunks in salads.

[ArtFossil]

Thank you for the suggestion, ArtFossil. I've tried making the frittata ahead of time before, but find I really don't like cold eggs. I've also done a bag of hb eggs and raw veggies for quick on-the-go that works, but gets a little monotonous after a while. But there are other quick protein options for breakfast I haven't really explored yet (compliant lunch meat, Aidell's sausages, etc) that I should try when eggs get boring. And there are NEVER dinner leftovers at my house! I definitely do the dinner leftovers if I have them!

Oh I never eat the frittata cold! If I'm not going to be near a microwave, I just heat it up before I leave the house and wrap it in foil.

[missmunchie]

Major life stuff and drama since Wednesday. Ending close relationships is tough, that's all I have to say about that. Landed face-first in ice cream and pizza. Picked myself up this morning with some turkey lunchmeat and a spoonful of almond butter before workout, then a couple of scrambled eggs and homemade sausage on the road. I had a handful of almonds midmorning to stave off the munchies, then lunch was my favorite margarita salad at the local Mexican place. They put huge spears of fresh jicama on it and it makes me happy dance. I took off the cheese and beans, but left all the veggies, meat (carne asada today), and dressing since it's just lemon juice and olive oil with oregano. Dinner will be a whole chicken my husband will cook up while I'm driving home, the best way to cook really! I'm not being super diligent about everything, it's just a practice round to start finding replacements for my non-compliant go-to meals. I think once the whole30 actually starts I'll be more comfortable just ordering my salad plain and cracking a can of tuna and some homemade dressing on it. The ranch recipe from the Whole30 book is amazing.

 

It's a Monday. Hit it hard.

[missmunchie]

I had a fun week of indulging over Christmas, so now I'm brushing off the cookie crumbs and getting back into the game. I'm still committed to starting on January 1, despite the fact that we've just been invited to stay at a remote cabin in the woods over the weekend … lol! No electricity, internet, cell reception, or grocery stores for 50 miles! I'm going to have to plan and pack all of my compliant food since I don't know what will be available for me when we get there. We arrive New Years' Eve, so I'll have one awesome meal with our hosts and plenty of alcohol, then it's W30 all the way the rest of the weekend! I'm not super worried about it, because the point of going is to hang out in the splendid, remote nature with our friends, and I can enjoy that with my lemon tea if everyone else is having hot toddies.

 

One thing I am worried about? Convenience foods. They have suddenly become a staple in my life. I did without them for so long, that the one day my husband said, "let's just order a pizza" or when I realized that grabbing a breakfast sandwich at Starbucks was way faster than cooking a frittata at home, it's like game over. Crap food takes so much less time, and not having time is stressing me out so much. I have to get in a better mindset for this to work; crap food is faster, but healthy food makes me feel better. What's an extra 20 minutes in the morning cooking eggs if it means I don't have an energy crash at 3pm? Maybe I can instruct DH how to cook dinner so I don't have to do it with two small humans screaming near my feet and climbing up my legs the whole time. And I can totally use that downtime in the evening between dinner and bedtime to prep the meals for tomorrow as long as I can get DH to crowd control the small humans for me. It all comes down to time management for me. That, and maybe letting go of a little control and letting DH cook dinner for me!