Started yesterday- 4/16

[pixalu]

Hey all,

I'm intrigued by this diet.  I've done grain, dairy, peanuts elimination for a month, I think I can handle this.  My biggest concern is no wine.  I love the stuff.  I have lots of lovely wine at my house asking to be consumed.  Activities with friends revolve around dinners out with wine, wine tasting, wine tasting trips.  And I belong to a couple of wine clubs. So it's not like it's a beverage, it's sort of part of my life.  The rest is easy compared.  I've quit drinking for a month at a time before though.  I guess I can do it again.  Can I go back to my wine after 30 days?

Anyhow I started at lunch yesterday doing the best that one can do at a work cafeteria.  But since I've stopped at the store on the way home from work and picked up better stuff and brought my lunch in to work today.  I hate cooking though and I spent over an hour in the kitchen prepping dinner/today's lunch and making compliant breakfast cookies.  Cooking is also really annoying because 2 of my cats are super pesky when I'm in the kitchen.  So that was over an hour of yelling them to get off the counters and out of the kitchen.  They are naughty.

I've not noticed any health benefits yet.  Well it's only been a day.  But my allergies are still bad. I still have achey joints and my IBS reared it's usual ugly head this morning as usual. 

I haven't felt as compelled to have sugar though.  I have a wicked sweet tooth.  It appears at what I call the "witching hour" at 2:30 every afternoon and lasts until bedtime. You could set a watch my sweet tooth.

 

What I hope to gain from this month:

 

Primarily- Better digestion and relief from my IBS symptoms.  It would be nice to have an afternoon free of painful gas and bloating. 

Weight loss.

Secondarily- Any other health benefits that might come with this way of eating.

 

Expectations:

 

I should lose weight.  This is a more healthful way of eating.  So that's a given.

An understanding of what is triggering the bloating.  It pretty much sucks.  (I'm sure it's not wine causing it though. he he.)

 

Concerns:

Too hard to eat out.

Way too much time cooking. I hate cooking.

No wine.

After 30 days not being able to bring back favorite foods:  Anything dairy.  Particularly cheese and ice cream. Clam chowder.  Oh god I love that stuff. Although I suspect it should be ok since I've eliminated dairy before and was able to reintroduce.

What the heck can I bring backpacking???

 

Me:

44 yo female. 5'5", small frame, 143 pounds.  I would like to lose about 15 pounds and reduce my body fat.  My doctor says I'm not that overweight, but I think I am compared to my younger weights in my 20's and 30's which were more like 120-130 pounds.  I was underweight in high school and didn't break 100 pounds until the summer after my senior year, so 143 to me seems ginormous!

I live in Seattle and am fairly active.  I do a great deal of walking and working in my garden.  As the weather warms up a little more I'll be found kayaking, hiking and backpacking in the summer.  I like to run too, but don't go that often.

 

Anyway, here I go!

Karen

 

[Munkers]

You may want to give the program rules another read through. There's really no such thing as a compliant cookie.

 

From the program rules (link here):

• Do not try to re-create baked goods, junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients. 

 

After 30 days you can start reintroducing foods like dairy and alcohol, but you should mindful to reintroduce these things one at a time and for one day only, then back to the Whole 30 eating style for another day or two to assess how the new foods impact your system. Once you've guaged your reaction, it's up to you to decide how often (if ever) you should consume that food. Even if you do eliminate dairy, you can still have ice cream and clam chowder, you'll just need to explore non-dairy options.

 

It's not absolutely required that you cook while on the Whole30, but your meals will definitely be a lot more interesting if you can devote some time to the kitchen. There are LOTS of quick prep meals out there though to minimize your time in the kitchen. Crockpots are great for this, too.

 

Good luck!

[pixalu]

Oh god.  Just discovered that I've ruined it already. The dried fruit and nuts from Trader Joe's I've been having little bits when I'm hungry between meals contains added sugar and canola oil.  Who puts canola oil on raisins?  Arg!

 

Ok, it's just a little thing.  But still if I'm going to go off plan, I want it to be my choice.  Not some dumb sneak attack. 

 

Anyhow, I had these on hand before I started. I'll make sure to have compliant nuts and dried fruit going forward.  Trying to go easy on the dried fruit anyhow.  I'm not going to fool myself about the sweet tooth.

[pixalu]

Yep, I read the rules.  I'm not trying to create a sweet cookie, but a food item that I can grab on the go that has protein, is interesting and quick.  It's made of sunflower butter, flax and hemp meal, coconut, cocoa nibs and a few raisins.  I made my own sunflower butter.  So it's just roasted sunflower seeds (roasted myself) and a little coconut oil.  Other than the raisins it's salty and nutty and yummy.  Really a savory item.  And it's shelf stable and portable.  The only real "cookie" ness is the shape and texture.

 

I'll explore some quick cook stuff.  Luckily I have a bunch of the "cookies" all ready now and I cooked extra chicken breast last night.  So I think I will have a chicken taco salad.  I make my own taco seasoning anyhow, so I know what's in it.  A little fresh avocado and pico de gallo with chicken and greens.  Oh yum.  Can't wait.  I love tacos.  Maybe I'll make some guac.

[ladyshanny]

Yep, I read the rules.  I'm not trying to create a sweet cookie, but a food item that I can grab on the go that has protein, is interesting and quick.  It's made of sunflower butter, flax and hemp meal, coconut, cocoa nibs and a few raisins.  I made my own sunflower butter.  So it's just roasted sunflower seeds (roasted myself) and a little coconut oil.  Other than the raisins it's salty and nutty and yummy.  Really a savory item.  And it's shelf stable and portable.  The only real "cookie" ness is the shape and texture.

 

I'll explore some quick cook stuff.  Luckily I have a bunch of the "cookies" all ready now and I cooked extra chicken breast last night.  So I think I will have a chicken taco salad.  I make my own taco seasoning anyhow, so I know what's in it.  A little fresh avocado and pico de gallo with chicken and greens.  Oh yum.  Can't wait.  I love tacos.  Maybe I'll make some guac.

There is no protein in this cookie as far as Whole30 is concerned and certainly not enough for an adult human to start their day.  Your addition of cocoa nibs to a baked item is against the rules.

 

Whole30 is as much about changing your relationship with food as changing what you eat.  We want you to be eating protein from animals (eggs, meats, seafood etc), vegetables and healthy fats at three meals per day.

 

I understand that starting out there may be a few hiccups as you get used to our protocol but I would really encourage you to freeze those cookies for after your Whole30 and instead, move towards the template (linked below).

 

Also, as a side note, you may be surprised what effect wine has on your body.  For me it causes intense sugar cravings the day after and sparks profound seasonal allergies the next day also.  So....it could be part of your bloating issue?

[pixalu]

I did read that 100% pure cocoa is allowed.  Nibs are chips instead of powdered.  Same thing.

 

Believe me I read the whole website.  Some parts twice and three times.

 

And I didn't eat it for breakfast.  I had eggs.  Boring eggs with no cheese or milk to make them fluffy.  It was a hockey puck of an omelet.

 

I came here  for support, not to be criticized.  Especially since I'm hungry and that makes me very very cranky.  So now I'm in a bad mood.

[ladyshanny]

I did read that 100% pure cocoa is allowed.  Nibs are chips instead of powdered.  Same thing.

 

Believe me I read the whole website.  Some parts twice and three times.

 

And I didn't eat it for breakfast.  I had eggs.  Boring eggs with no cheese or milk to make them fluffy.  It was a hockey puck of an omelet.

 

I came here  for support, not to be criticized.  Especially since I'm hungry and that makes me very very cranky.  So now I'm in a bad mood.

I apologize that you are feeling criticized, that is not our intent at all. Since you called them "breakfast cookies" in your first post, I wrongly assumed that it was something you were eating for breakfast.

 

100% pure cocoa is allowed when using it as a spice (eg, in chili or as a chicken rub) but not when adding it into something baked, sorry.  Since you admittedly have a sweet tooth, those cookies, whether sweet or not, could be keeping your sugar dragon just alive enough to be causing you issues.  

 

If you're hungry, we encourage you to eat.  Especially at the beginning you'll be tweaking your meals as you go to ensure that you can make it 4-5 hours.  If you're hungry between we recommend a mini meal of at least protein and fat but ideally also veggies.

[pixalu]

I know that cocoa nibs are not at all sweet, so I don't see it the way you do.  Sorry.  The coconut and raisins are more of a trigger to be honest.

 

Just had lunch and I'm pretty much still very very hungry.  Gonna be a long day.

 

Lunch-  Cup of greens mix (the hearty stuff, like kale and chard), celery, 1/2 small apple, 5 grapes halved, the palm sized amount of chicken recommended and vinaigrette I made myself with hazelnut, olive oils and white wine vinegar. 

 

I do have pretty small hands...

[ladyshanny]

I know that cocoa nibs are not at all sweet, so I don't see it the way you do.  Sorry.  The coconut and raisins are more of a trigger to be honest.

 

Just had lunch and I'm pretty much still very very hungry.  Gonna be a long day.

 

Lunch-  Cup of greens mix (the hearty stuff, like kale and chard), celery, 1/2 small apple, 5 grapes halved, the palm sized amount of chicken recommended and vinaigrette I made myself with hazelnut, olive oils and white wine vinegar. 

 

I do have pretty small hands...

 

I really hope you don't take this as criticism because it's truly not meant that way.  But your lunch was nowhere near large enough. Salad greens, even kale and chard, are generally going to be chewed down into nothingness.  If you are going to eat salad greens for a meal you need to be eating absolute heaps of them....like out of a huge mixing bowl. (I take my salad to work in my largest serving bowl and other folks on here eat their salads out of former mixing bowls).  

 

Honestly, Whole30 is not at all like anything else.  We really want you to eat. If you are hungry following your lunch, eat more.  Another serving of chicken, some extra fat (olives, avocado etc) and try adding some cooked veggies to your salad.

[Munkers]

The palm-size portion of a protein is the minimum requirement. If you're still hungry after you finish your lunch, then have more veggies, more protein, and more fat. It'll take some trial and error to figure what it takes to keep you full, but your goal should be, at minimum, 2-3 cups of veggies (fruit doesn't count toward this goal), 1-2 palm sized portions of protein, and 1-2 servings of fat which would be measured by the size of your thumb if consuming olive oil or other liquid fat OR a closed handful of nuts (but don't rely on nuts as your fat source) OR a heaping handful of olives or unsweetened coconut. Or mix and match your fat sources to get 1-2 servings worth.

 

This really is not intended to be a miserable experience. Challenging? Yes. Mindfulness is always a challenge. Trial and error is a challenge. You might think that some of the rules are frivolous or not worth it, but they truly do help. I've learned that if I skimp on veggies (or fill up on fruit instead) then I'll always be hungry, even if I have plenty of protein and fat. Same for if I load up on vegetables and meat, but don't have the fat. I may feel uncomfortably full and bloated, but I'm not satisfied and my body still wants more food because it needs the fat.

 

Ask yourself this: why did you choose the Whole30 over another style of eating? Has what you tried in the past helped you to meet your goals? I'd guess probably not since you're now coming to the Whole30. Trust the process and give it 30 days of faithful effort. Ultimately, you're an adult and it's up to you what you want to eat, but don't say that you're going to do a Whole30 and then toss the rules out the window. You can guarantee yourself a miserable road if that's the way you tackle the issue.

[pixalu]

ladyshanny, you are right.  But sadly I'm at work so I can't get more food and the one snack I had here contains items not allowed, unbeknownst to me until this morning. 

 

Munkers:

Who said I was "tossing the rules out of the window?" 

Oh my gosh seriously.  What I'm going to toss out of the window is this forum. 

 

I think I will not come back here.  I can follow the plan on my own. It's hard enough to do a plan like this without comments from people here that are criticisms and accusations on every single thing I post.  I came here for support and encouragement.  Not to get utterly pissed off.

 

Now I'm going to go back to having low blood sugar and feeling guilty for eating a tangerine as a snack, because of everyone here.  A tangerine!  Sheesh they are good for you!  My doctor would flip out if she read this.  For shame.