Starting May 11th

[bricky]

Yup, did not venture off anywhere else...same old, same old...I couldn't even eat any lunch and still haven't been able to stomach anything regardless of what it is.

What reaction did you have to dairy prior to W30 - did you expect that it was a problem?

[bricky]

Hi Everyone

I am back!!! I was feeling sooooo good and then out of the blue on Saturday my daughter and I had a huge argument over the phone ... she was so upset and I did not even know ... anyway that is another story ... during the tirade the first thing that crossed my mind was cigarettes ... then I thought alcohol ... but thankfully I did neither - had a good cry though. Luckily I had the final Reiki session on Sunday and they did a healing for me and I feel good again.

 

Mcki wonderful photos you look gorgeous, well done. Init2winit I see you are scared of the sugar dragon and Sophia you also asked about trigger foods - i did have 3 chocolates after we went out for dinner on Friday night - I had a couple glasses of wine so not sure if that is why I had the chocolate ... but happy to report that I have not had any more and not missing it. I am however eating dates - I made date and seed/nut balls.

Nicki - congratulations what great results.

Jmn ... so close now

Debz I am so jealous of your garden - I do not have a green thumb at all I wish I could grow herbs and veggies. How do you make your tea - just pour hot water over the freshly picked leaves?

 

I have been W30 for last two days not quite ready to reintroduce just yet. Made a huge batch of choc chilli today. Might try to reintroduce something on Thursday - perhaps dairy because I bought some yogurt the other day - I used to have a yogurt for breakfast before starting this - I am a little apprehensive though after reading peoples responses to dairy and I know that when I was a baby they had to feed me goats milk ... so we will see.

 

It is great so many are still on this forum - wonderful. Have a good day everyone - I am off to bed ....

[mcki0133]

Way to go, NickieChan!!!! Awesome results!

 

Bricky, the doctors told me in the past that I have a dairy allergy but I never thought it was an issue because I didn't "feel the symptoms" -- I have always had issues with weight, inflammation, and digestion but never correlated it with dairy... I had to test it for myself and once I took everything out for 30 days, BOOM...there they were! Crazy.

 

I have been offline for the weekend, we went to the lake and enjoyed the sunshine! I packed my food and knew it was going to be a tougher time than before... stayed on plan but noticed I wasn't as "strict/specific" as usual. I did have a drink - but, my body didn't feel bad at all after that.

 

I read an interesting article today about the "Biggest Fitness Secret" - It basically said that your daily habits and routines create your body. The things we consistently do on a daily basis determine our body's shape, strength, and stamina. Nothing else matters as much as those daily habits. The problem is that many people have bursts of fitness motivation...we want to eat clean and workout hard for a short time, but then the motivation wears off and we go back to our "real" daily habits that give us comfort and security. It said that your only focus when shaping up your body should be to make and keep a handful of healthy, daily habits. When these become your comfortable routine, you've hit health and fitness gold.

 

This made me think...over the last 30+ days, we've all made Whole30 our daily habit...it's becoming comfortable and secure...just think of the other things we can now incorporate into our daily routines to continue on reaching our health GOLD! Maybe it's a daily walk in the morning, resistance training in the evening, daily water drinking or green tea, etc. I have to get working on my own personal list of daily habits to incorporate into my routine...because sitting on the couch shouldn't be on!! Oops

[Fityaya]

Hi Bricky,

You mentioned that there is a communal whole 30 coming up. When is it? I would love to do it then.

TIA,

Julia

[init2winit]

Kombucha. Coconut oil. japanese sweet potatoes. fried eggs. pork burgers. cauliflower. franks hot sauce. those are my simple faves.

 

INIT: cornbread was at the top of my reintroduction list too! i was really craving it. so smart of you to make it minus the sugar! how'd it go?

 

And JEANIE - not eating the cupcakes.... i never thought i'd be the person who didn't eat the cupcakes (frankly, still can't conceive of being that person), but when i think on the dinner party last night, and my reaction to the chocolate cake, well, i can finally articulate a no limit food: sugar. specifically sugar + carby (or starchy?) combinations, like carrot and zucchini cakes; chocolate covered pretzels in ice cream, etc. I can't stop, and I'll eat way past the breaking point. during whole30 i had no sugar cravings at all, but once that cake passed my lips, game over. 

 

So i ask you: had you already stopped eating sugar prior to this whole30, or is this a new beginning for you? Has anyone else found this to be the case for them as well, and what was the process like of cutting out trigger foods that you found yourself fiendishly uncontrollable around?

St. Sophia - the reintro of non-gluten grains through cornbread seemed to have gone just fine. I don't think I experienced any sort of negative reaction. I'll continue to see how I feel for the rest of today and tomorrow but so far so good. I did freeze the rest of the cornbread to make sure any temptation to eat more was off the table. It was really good, even without the added sugar. It still tasted sweet to me, which I'm sure is because of my changing taste buds. 

 

Prior to W30 I had done the whole eat well for 5 days in a row and then allow myself 2 cheat meals on weekends. These were usually always in the form of sweets. I would spend all week obsessing over what I was going to eat for my cheat meals and then I would be sad when they were over. This was a cycle for probably a good year. Then I started making desserts at home with "healthy" thing (dates, fruit, nuts, even cookies with beans as the base) and incorporating those daily. Just feeding that sugar dragon even more! So, W30 was definitely a starting point with me and "no sugar." After about a week into W30 I noticed my cravings had subsided and even fruit started to taste overly sweet to me so I only at a little bit if I had it. 

I know sugar is something that I still have to watch myself with so I don't fall back into old habits and patterns. It's something I'm committed too but I also feel like being on the W30 did shift my brain and my thinking. Not incorporating and scheduling "cheats" is def a game changer for me. If something special comes along, I will go through the motion of deciding if it is worth it or not and, if it is, I will enjoy it guilt free and then get back to my normal lifestyle of eating whole foods. This is the plan anyways! 

[JaneBerkin]

Congrats NICKI - what a great victory!

 

MCKI - love that article about daily habits, so true, so true. for our bodies and our minds right? what we focus on is who we are. i can write that here, but can i live it? that's a whole other story thanks for posting!

 

and INIT - thank you for writing that. it helps to read about others going through the same thing/ facing similar challenges. sounds like whole30 really did a major (although subtle) mind shift for you re: the role sugar played in your life and how we make these mental games with substitute healthy cheat foods. i always thought i understood that before -- shied away from vegetarian faux meats, gluten-free imitation items, and esp meal replacement bars which i think can be helpful but are also a steaming pile of marketing horsesh*t pardon my french for making people feel comfortable with basically eating candy bars -- but hearing how you actually did the 5 on 2 off and being for the most part healthy, but feeding the sugar demon in "healthy" ways, i can see how we can play tricks on our own minds without coming to terms with what we are actually doing. I did the same with how i used fruit. and when i cut down my intake of fruit of the whole30, it was a game changer. i'm not anti-fruit. but there's a difference between enjoying it, and "using" it. 

[Debzella]

Hi, it's been a few days. Working weekends is simultaneously great and awful. It is Day Who Knows? I am just going to keep eating this way forever so it doesn't really matter. Somewhere around July 4th should be my second 30 days. I'll do the math when it gets closer. 

 

Duckmama - sounds like you've found out a lot through this process. Way to go.

Mcki - I love that theory, that what we do in life shapes what we look like. I believe it. That's why short-term fixes never work. It's what we do every day that makes a difference. Well said.

Bricky - For herbal tea, I just take between 7-10 leaves for one cup of boiling water. I crush the leaves a little before pouring on the hot water, to release some of the fragrant oils. Mints are easy to grow. They'll take over your garden, and your yard, and your neighbor's yard. I only grow indestructible things, because I've learned the hard way that I'm not much of a gardener. The herbs just do their thing without any encouragement from me. lol.

Jeanie! Yes! You are the anti-cupcake terminator!

NickieChan and Init - I'm reading and learning through your experiences.

CC - Your tiger will return. 

 

Today's breakfast - 3 soft-boiled eggs. A little light, but I wasn't feeling very well over the weekend.

Lunch - Leftover grilled steak, leftover sauteed butternut squash and ripe cherries.

Dinner - Grilled pork chop, homemade potato salad with homemade mayo, and a yet-to-be determined vegetable.

 

Okay, off to make the potato salad! 

[jeanie793]

St. Sophia,

I was paleo (plus dairy) for almost two years until I went astray last fall and became sugar addictive again. I knew the benefits of this lifestyle so that's why I did the W30, to break my addiction and get back to feeling really good and achieve food freedom. But I am an addictive type, so it's all or nothing for me or that sugar dragon will take over again. I will definitely have a sugary treat every now and then but I know I have to stay away for now or I'm right back to addiction.

[Debzella]

St. Sophia, I forgot to comment on your dinner party experience... it sounded like a dream of fantastic food, wine, desserts and friends. What a great experience that must have been.

[swithy]

Hi everyone! First off, congrats to everybody who made it or is still going... great job! I've been away on vacation/road trip since Day 25, and just got back last night. I finally caught up on all the posts, and want to share my observations so far. Long post....

 

1 - this is the first vacation where I am pretty sure I did not gain any weight. Whenever I go anywhere, I always make it about finding the best local food of that place and stuffing myself silly. This time, I prepared by packing the car with tons of compliant food, and only ate out a couple of times. The trip was about the journey this time, not about food. Huge victory for me. 

 

2 - because I was staying in hotels and lodges without scales, I didn't get to weigh myself at the end of the Whole 30. Here's where I admit I did weigh myself during W30, once a week, because of a class I take at the gym that tracks our weekly measurements. So I had an idea how things were going, but these last 11 days without a scale was an important thing to go through, because I finally had to pay attention to all the other stuff. Like how great my clothes are fitting, how my double chin has shrunk, how I just bought some pants a size smaller, how I smile so much more, etc. 

 

3 - I have reintroduced legumes and dairy so far, and decided that that's it. First, with legumes, it felt so forced. I bought bean dip and hummus from a healthfood store and didn't like the taste of either, and I just felt like I was eating them for the sake of the reintro. So I tossed them and I didn't have enough of either to cause any reaction. The next day I had white bean hummus from a restaurant that was delicious -- so I think I learned not to have all foods just cause I can, but try to have them when it feels important/appropriate/special. Minor reaction--stinky farts. 

 

4 - Dairy. OMG no. Yesterday I decided to go for it. That was after visiting a creamery on Day 30 where they make one of my favorite cheeses and not eating any of the samples! So I held out, and wanted to make my reintro day count. My plan for the day was to have a little milk in coffee (which is something I don't ever usually do, even pre W30), some of that cheese I bought at the creamery, and ice cream. Well, I didn't make it that far. The milk in the coffee didn't really bother me, but I had barely 3 sips. At lunch, I had some creamy caesar dressing and I think that was ok. But then at a drive-thru Starbucks, I decided to get a mini frappuccino. I have still not recovered. I immediately got nauseous and since then have had diarrhea 5 times.  I tried one bite of cheese at dinner and got sick all over again. Never made it to the ice cream. 

 

Question: Has anyone who reintroduced dairy been ok? Seems like it's the most volatile of foods.

 

Next weekend I am supposed to go to a big ice cream tasting event, where the best local ice cream shop makes 24 new flavors and we sample and vote on our favorite for them to start selling. I bought tickets and I will be devastated to miss it, but know there will be a terrible price....

 

5 - I think I'm going to skip reintroducing grain (gluten and non), because I don't want to break the seal, so to speak. Pasta and pizza were foods without brakes for me, and the longer I wait to have those grains, the farther I can get from the carb-dragon. 

 

6 - Pre W30 I was down to alcohol only one day per week, and I'm going back to that. So far, no issues. Though it took me tasting 5 white wines before I could order one that wasn't too sweet for me. So that's different. Sugar hasn't been an issue yet, but I've had very minimal quantities (other than that lousy frappuccino). 

 

7 - Weighed in this morning finally, and after 36 days of Whole 30 plus one nasty dairy day, I am down 15 pounds! Woohoo! I obviously was not supposed to be eating all that cheese before I embarked on this. And all the candy and cakes and cookies. Man, I was really eating not well before this. I'm excited to keep it going. 

[swithy]

Inspired by Mcki, here's my before and after. The one on the left is from about 2 weeks prior to starting the Whole 30. The one on the right is from just now. 

Do you see a difference? (Besides the hair color?)

[init2winit]

Swithy!! HUGE difference!! Your face is a completely different shape. 

 

I haven't introduced dairy yet and I'm thinking about skipping it for now because, like you said, I have yet to read where anyone said they had a great or no reaction to dairy. I barely ate it before so there's no need to put it in my diet. I know there will be a day when I will eat some delicious ice cream and, like you, I will just prepare for the consequences! 

[jeanie793]

Hi Bricky,

You mentioned that there is a communal whole 30 coming up. When is it? I would love to do it then.

TIA,

Julia

It's July 1st Julia. Good luck!

[jeanie793]

The only dairy I've had is 2 servings of Greek yogurt, an ounce of mozzarella, and an ounce of sour cream. Not all at the same time LOL! No reaction. But I've never had dairy issues.

Besides the above, since day 31, I've had one glass of Pinot Noir. And every morning a tiny tiny sprinkle of Stevia in my coffee (it's like fairy dust!)

I've had no reaction to anything, but haven't had a lot. Maybe that's why?

[ShannonM816]

Question: Has anyone who reintroduced dairy been ok? Seems like it's the most volatile of foods.

 

 

I didn't have any particularly volatile reactions to dairy back when I did my first W30 and reintroductions -- although, to be fair, I didn't drink a glass of milk or anything. I can do half and half or heavy cream in coffee, butter, cheese, or ice cream, or even Starbucks drinks with little to no obvious reaction. However, when I went back to W30 eating plus half & half in my coffee every morning, it didn't take but about a week to 10 days before some aches and pains I'd had before that had gone away during my W30 came back, so it's still definitely not good for me.

 

Definitely lots of people do have strong reactions to dairy, but not everyone. For people worried about it but wanting to reintroduce, start with small amounts, and go with cheese or kefir or yogurt or butter, not just straight up milk, as those are less likely to cause problems. And maybe plan it on a day when you don't have to leave the house.

[jeanie793]

Swithy,

your face is more defined, and very noticeable! And your hair looks awesome too :-)

[bricky]

Hi Bricky,

You mentioned that there is a communal whole 30 coming up. When is it? I would love to do it then.

TIA,

Julia

HI Julie

I read about it in a newsletter and unfortunately I can no longer find it - must have hit delete  They were advising of an upcoming whole30 challenge but did not give the date - more info comingPerhaps one of the moderators can fill us in?

[bricky]

Inspired by Mcki, here's my before and after. The one on the left is from about 2 weeks prior to starting the Whole 30. The one on the right is from just now. 

Do you see a difference? (Besides the hair color?)

wow - looking fabulous

[bricky]

Hello everyone

Well here I am still licking my wounds.

I have not been posting my meals but they have been chocolate chilli, sweet potato with most meals, lots of baked vegs, BBQ lamb chops with homemade BBQ sauce and a big salad with home made mayo, chilli lime shrimp, boiled eggs, avocado and tonight I am cooking slow cooked pork loin in a tomato based sauce which I will serve with sweet potato vermicili. These have kept me in leftovers for several days  made some breakfast muffins yesterday but missed meal 1 today - just can't quite get out of this slump - feeling that I am not in a place to reintroduce as planned as I need to deal with the emotional stuff first, Made some date and seed balls tonight with unsweetened cacao - so nice just had a little one.

Interested to know if any foods are really going to bother me as I was not aware of food related symptoms before (at least I did not make the connection) - ahhhh if only dealing with emotional turmoil, misunderstandings and miscommunication were as easy to manage.

[bricky]

Hi Bricky,

You mentioned that there is a communal whole 30 coming up. When is it? I would love to do it then.

TIA,

Julia

Hi again Julia

Ask and you shall receive!

Look what just dropped into my inbox - I am not sure whether I can join as I am in Australia and I do hope I am not doing something I shouldn't by sharing this here:

 

Wholesome #19

 

Get Ready for the July Whole30!

 

A few times a year, we run "official" Whole30's; site-wide sponsored events involving our whole community. Since the very first Whole30 ever was July 1, 2009, we figured we'd keep the tradition going, and run another official Whole30 program starting Wednesday, July 1st. And since you've all had two months to comb through The Whole30 (our NEW Whole30 guide and cookbook) to help you prepare, the timing is just perfect.

We'll be featuring resources on the Whole30 blog to help you plan, prepare, and succeed with your July Whole30, including a Canada Day/4th of July/Bastille Day recipe roundup hitting the blog in late June. (Yes, you can Whole30 on a holiday--let us show you how to celebrate in style!)

We've also got some sweet giveaways from our Whole30 Approved partners just for showing us how you're using The Whole30 to help you plan, prepare, and rock your July program. (Contest details to follow in the next edition of Wholesome.)

Are You In?

If you want to participate in the July Whole30, here's what you do. (Note, all of these steps are totally optional. You can always just say to yourself, "I'm in," poke around our website for resources, and start your program on July 1st. We just think it's way more fun and effective if you do it as part of our huge, supportive group!)

• Review your copy of The Whole30. We'd recommend reading at least the program rules (page 13), our Getting Started guide (page 17), and the newly expanded Whole30 Timeline (page 32) to get you off on the right foot. You could also peruse our extensive FAQ (starting on page 53), or use our Whole30 Program Guide Index (pages 410-415) to look something up as you go.

• Join our Whole30 Forum and drop a comment on the July 1st thread in the "Join the Whole30" section. (We guarantee someone will start one between now and then--but if you're the first one there, go ahead and post!) Finding a Whole30 buddy and connecting with others on the same day as you can give you extra motivation and accountability to succeed.

• Sign up for the Whole30 Daily by June 30th. Our daily emails will provide you with resources, tips, previews of what's to come, and all the accountability you need in the form of an "I did it!" button at the end of every email.

• Follow us on social media (Instagram @whole30, @whole30recipes, Twitter @whole30, Facebook /whole30) to stay connected with us and all of the resources, fun, and encouragement we'll be offering throughout the month. 

Join Us!

So grab your copy of The Whole30 and get ready for our site-wide official Whole30, starting July 1st! We look forward to supporting you throughout the month, and seeing your life-changing results when August rolls in.

[mcki0133]

SWITHY - AWESOME RESULTS! You look great!! WHOOP WHOOP!!

[ShannonM816]

 I am not sure whether I can join as I am in Australia and I do hope I am not doing something I shouldn't by sharing this here:

 

 

Everyone is welcome to join in, no matter where you are in the world. All an official W30 really means is a regular W30 that everyone is invited to start at the same time. (Or as close as you can get, given the different time zones -- so just start yours when July 1 starts for you.)

 

Also, I'm pretty sure sharing the info from the Wholesome newsletter is fine -- it's not paid content and is available to everyone.  (sign up here if you don't already get it). 

[ladyshanny]

Inspired by Mcki, here's my before and after. The one on the left is from about 2 weeks prior to starting the Whole 30. The one on the right is from just now. 

Do you see a difference? (Besides the hair color?)

HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!!  

[mcki0133]

Everyday, I still get so excited to log into the forum and see all the posts and progress After our Whole30 was completed, I feel like I was doing OK with food choices but being way more lenient than I should've. Whether it was going out with friends or to dinner with my hubby, I wasn't making the best choices possible...still better ones that I made in the past, but after I was feeling so good...I almost feel like it was starting down the slippery slope back into my bad habits. With that being said, I'm going to start my 2nd Whole 30 today. Buh-bye to the liquor, dairy, sugar, grains/gluten, etc. If I have or know I'm on a plan, I'm less likely to give myself free reign over my decisions.

 

Also, wanted to let you guys know that I tried something new last night -- we went out to dinner for a friends birthday and had BONE MARROW. I've heard that this is one of the best things you can eat for your body. Although it has a high fat percentage, they say it helps with building immunity, repairing wounds, helps digestion and the list goes on...It wasn't the "best" tasting thing I've ever had, but it was uncanny to me that I was willing to try something new and branch out. It was also extremely odd for me, because I'm a cancer survivor and actually had a BONE marrow transplant when I was 16....so surreal. CRAZY.

 

Here's to W30#2 D1!!

[CCGraves]

I know we have some Chicago Blackhawk fans on here - so congrats! I'm from Cleveland and a HUGE Cavs fan so we're really hoping for a win tonight in Cleveland!!! Go Cavs!!!!

During the actual Whole30, I never got sick of eggs (thankfully)! But today I was ready to barf (well, not really) as I was eating my eggs. I know the high & mighty timeline mentions something about ready to scream if you see another egg - well I'm feeling like that now. I know "they" suggest mixing up Meal 1 and eating soup or other meat & veggies, but all I wanted was a frickin' doughnut! However, I realized that the doughnut would soooo not be worth it. 

Anyone else feeling sick of eggs? I need suggestions!

 

Sounds like everyone else is doing very well but feeling the struggles of off-roading. It's definitely way easier when you have the rules of W30 to fall back on.