Starting September 10!

[gibster2]

Good morning, everyone! It's Day 13 and I'm still going strong. I never would have guessed that I could survive two Fridays in a row! I simply don't have any cravings - that feels odd to me, still.

Welcome, Brenda! I agree with you about eating healthy, even if it's not always organic or grass fed, etc. I think following ISWF's advice about non-GF meat having the bad stuff accumulate in the fat - and just trimming off that fat - is a giant step to take.

It's funny that you tallk about feeling bloated and full. Last night for dinner, I had sauted tilapia with a side of green beans. I also made tartar sauce with what was left of the mayo I made a few days ago. That's it. And I felt too full! WTH?? THat was a very small meal, compared to my old habits.

amwpillai - Congrats on acing your exam! Slather on that grapefruit chapstick!!

Greg - I used to take G/C supplements. The problem with my condition is the bone spurs that grow on my lower spine - which is what irritates the nerves/muscles in my hip. Not much I can do for that except keep moving - even if it hurts. Believe me, it's much better now than when it started. Move, move, move!

LJG - I'm glad you're hanging in there. I don't feel any BIG differences in my well-being, but sometimes I surprise myself when I think back to how I used to feel after eating too many carbs. That's when I realize that there have, indeed, been some changes. My main improvement is that I don't obsess about food or constantly think about what I will have for dinner. I'm feeling much calmer. Most people wouldn't be able to tell that by looking at me - it's an inner calmness.

Susan - that's a great way of putting it: "normalizing".

Well, folks, I will have my first restaurant challenge soon. A couple of friend of mine and I are overdue for a dinner, and I got an email from one asking when we were going and did we want to do pizza, or what? I will have to email her back and tell her "No, no - not a pizza place!" I'll steer them away from dangerous places, but they will be shocked that I won't be drinking any wine. We are confirmed wine-lovers and the will not believe it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

[amwpillai]

gibster2, I totally get what you're saying about feeling strangely full all the time! I'm actually really enjoying it. I feel like I'm starting to learn what "full" really should feel like instead of what I thought being full was (i.e. stuffing myself until I felt like there was a bowling ball sitting in my guts). The first whole week, each time we'd sit down to dinner I would think "Oh, I will definitely need seconds of this tonight", but each time, without fail, I was comfortably full by the end of the first plate. I sort of feel like I'm learning how to eat again and how "satiated" feels instead of "stuffed".

Day 13! Loooong day on the pediatric floor. Had leftover beef roast and tomatoes for breakfast, roast and green beans for lunch, and dinner was roasted asparagus, a small salad with arugula and tomato, frittata made with mushrooms, spinach, green tomato, and shredded roast (we seriously had a lot of roast!).

I am DEFINITELY noticing a difference in how my body looks at this point. I still have not stepped on the scale, but my clothes are fitting better and I can see my belly getting a little slimmer! I ordered a kettlebell and an instructional video the other day. I'm also gonna fix up the ol' quad skates and start skating again...roller derby made my legs look amazing at one point! I'm excited to start working out again, and now I feel like I have the energy to actually do it and not hate it.

I almost caved and had a beer today! Nine hours of crying sick kids is just a liiiiittle stressful. My husbo is pretty awesome though - when I got home whining for a drink, he proposed that we wait until dinner time and then decide. By the time it rolled around, I forgot all about my craving. I've also been stocking up on lots of different kinds of teas - I'm not a big soda drinker at all, but I love something bitter to sip on. I don't like drinking too much coffee, so tea has been helping with my beer cravings.

We're almost half-way done! Yay!

[no paleo police!]

Still going strong and today is Day 1 of Week 3! I haven't been feeling as much love for the Whole30 for the past few days. I've been congested, especially in the mornings, headachy and a bit of a sore throat on and off. It's probably just a cold but it's increased my cravings for snacking and comfort foods like mashed potatoes and canned peaches. I made chicken soup and it's good but not what I've been feeling like eating. I've been snacking constantly but keeping it to Whole30 approved foods like seasnax, blueberries, tea, hb eggs, coconut flakes, etc. I can't seem to feel satisfied so I just keep on looking for more stuff to eat and nothing satisfies. It's frustrating.

Today I decided to eat two large meals and see if that helps. Steak and eggs with mushrooms and onions for brunch and eggplant pasta sauce over shredded zucchini for dinner.

My weight has been up and down (this is the time when it's dangerous to be weighing!) but I'm not discouraged.

I hope you are all doing well!

[gibster2]

Hi, everyone. - Day 14 almost done!

I just finished dinner: turkey burger, tomato slices, and a dill pickle. I have a turkey meatloaf in the oven, and I just made garlic mashed fauxtatoes, so I'll have several dinners ready for the week. I also have some shredded pork and cabbage - enough for a couple meals, so I'm pretty much set.

amwpillai - I gave up diet soda years ago, so I don't have a problem there, but I decided to clean up my Keurig and set out all my flavored teas. I decided that will be my treat each evening. I ran out of peppermint tea, tho. Waaaaa....

karabel - hide the scale! I know it's hard, but I used to be a daily weigher and I so want this to not be about weight.

Is everyone ready for the second half? I'm so amazed by my resolve. I've been out of control lately and for the past 2 weeks, I've lost that feeling. It's great!

[no paleo police!]

karabel - hide the scale! I know it's hard, but I used to be a daily weigher and I so want this to not be about weight.

For me it's mostly about weight so I'm going to keep on weighing in. I usually don't weigh myself at all so this is actually different for me to weigh myself several times during the week. It's kind of interesting, actually, how the first ten days it mainly went down and now it's all over the place. I'm guessing that it's normal for that to happen.

I am sleeping and dreaming like crazy. I don't dream about food but things that are going on in my life and it's great to have such vivid dreams and deep sleep.

[LJG]

Good morning all! I am happy to be in Week 3 and looking forward to another strong week. It was a bit more challenging this weekend as I was surrounded by more temptation than usual. We went to Kings Island (amusement park) and were there from 11-5. I did pack a banana however I was not able to eat it as it was totally smashed at the bottom of the bag by the time I pulled it out. Luckily I had a late breakfast and wasn't totally starving by the time we went home. I think ordered pizza for the boys since I was way too tired to cook but headed off that temptation by eating my dinner before the pizza arrived. I am not going to lie, it did look good! We then watched another movie and yes, there was more popcorn. Why does it have to smell soooo good?? Anyway, I stayed strong and was pleasantly surprised that it was not harder to do so.

I hope you are all off to a great start Day 1 of Week THREE!!!!!

[susanm]

Morning LJG and all! Yesterday was tough for me. I was dragging all day on really wanted a glass of wine last night. I pushed through and thankfully had a good night sleep last night! I realized last night I am probably pms-ing which helped me reconcile my crappy mood. Still experiencing allergy symptoms but thankfully nothing major in the last few days.

Really appreciating this forum for inspiration and support! Hope you are all doing well, and wishing you well!

[Greg Pesot]

Happy Monday everybody!!

How'd the weekend go for everybody!

Mine was pretty tough and really needed to be very disciplined to turn down offers for food and beer/alcohol!

Beautiful weekend here in the Northeast which normally translates to a couple of beers or glasses of wine with my wife on the back porch... sat on the porch and had some great conversations but drank unsweetened tea instead of wine! Avoided beer altogether even though there were some great football games on saturday and sunday which also normally equate to a bunch of beers!

Yesterday my wife and kids were going to my MIL's to see her brother and his wife and kids but being that my wife and MIL are 100% Italian, I knew I'd be in for more temptation than I could bear, so I politely declined and stayed home and got some work done around the house.

Woke up early without an alarm on both mornings so got out of bed and exercised and did a few other things.

Still feeling energetic and my clothes seem to be fitting even looser... dying to get on the scale!

Good luck on our day 15!!!

Greg

[gibster2]

Good morning, all! We are half-way to the finish line!

My dinner last night of turkey loaf, and mashed fauxtatoes was so good! It's my new favorite. I stopped at a little farmstand on my way home last night and picked up some homegrown tomatoes, zucchini, and red radishes the size of golf balls! All for less than $4.

karabel - whatever works for you. I found what helped me when weighing daily is to track it on something that will give you a moving average. I have an iPhone app called True Weight which does that beautifully.

LJG - Kudoes to you for saying "no" to the pizza and popcorn!

susan - Good for you - passing on the wine! I'm feeling a bit fuzzy in the morning the last 2 days. I think this is usually the time my sinuses start acting up. But once I'm up for a few minutes, I feel fine. Who knows? Maybe my body is busy fighting off this sinus thing.

Greg - Way to go with your weekend temptations!

I will have my first restaurant challenge on Saturday. I told my friends most any restaurant will be okay - just no PIZZA! I will NOt mess this up after almost 3 weeks under my belt.

[Greg Pesot]

traffic slowing down on here...

everybody still out there??? How's everybody doing???

gibster2 - you can handle that temptation! Stick to your guns! Have fun!

[amwpillai]

Over half-way done, y'all! Day 16!

Made some chicken curry in the crockpot last night, so we had those leftovers for lunch. Tonight I'm making pesto burgers and brussel sprouts. Tomorrow I think I'll make some meat balls and zucchini noodles.

So far so good! The alcohol cravings have lessened - I would still like to have some, but it's not a physical craving like it was before. No real other cravings otherwise!

Had a big pediatrics exam today, so I'm rewarding myself with some episodes of "American Horror Story" and green tea. Nothing like trashy horror to relax the soul. My kitten got neutered yesterday so I'm babysitting the poor guy until he heals up. Then back to the hospital at 6:30am!

My kettle bell gets here today also! Anyone ever use one before? I got a video to go with it so I don't make a complete

fool of myself. Maybe just partially foolish.

[gibster2]

I have a kettlebell and a couple videos, but I'm wondering if I should find an instructor to get me started with the right form. Don't want to injure myself.

[Monica P]

I've been doing pretty well! I had my first meal out on Saturday and my first meal with friends (same meal). I have to say I did awesome! I normally have wine with these folks and we (my hubby and I) just declined and had water with lemon. We went to a vegetarian restaurant (another first...as in ever! I'm not a vegetarian!) so my hubby and I cooked up some steak before leaving home, put it in a "keep it warm" bag and met my friends at their daughter's volleyball match. Oh the smell of popcorn seemed to yell at me! but I resisted. Before going to dinner, I wolfed down some steak (I know it's not ideal eating but it was only two blocks to the restaurant) and then ate veggies at the restaurant, remembering to make sure they used olive oil and there were no errant sauces. Yeah me!

I too have been doing well with the alcohol. I would like some but it's not the craving it once was. My 4 yo had a bad night last night....just wouldn't listen...my stepson had issues...my hubby is out of town and was pinging me Look I had no wine! Normally, I would have been jonesing to sit down with a glass of wine and relax after getting it all taken care of but I didn't even think about it except to think, Wow, i don't even want wine!

Kettlebells, I've been looking for one to supplement my home gym but they are more than I want to spend given that I am going to join a crossfit gym once my knee heals and the doc gives me the okay. I've only done Kettlebell swings if I remember correctly. Good Luck with them guys!

[no paleo police!]

Hi everyone! I seem to have turned the corner on the wine/alcohol cravings and they are finally gone. Seems like they are diminishing for everyone.

I have a kettlebell and sometimes just haul it around from room to room. There are tons of youtube videos to help you use it correctly, most of them are pretty good.

Finally having my thyroid tested today, feels wonky. I'm getting a speedy feeling, fast heartrate, hot flushes up my back. I'd love it if I could lower or stop my thyroid meds!

My weight has seriously plateau'd so I'm counting my calories. I think I've been overdoing the meat.

I ordered an organic veg and fruit delivery service and my first order comes tomorrow. I'm excited to see what types I'll get and how much. I also ordered a couple of dozen eggs.

That's all for me. I just feel so good that there really isn't a lot to write about.

[amwpillai]

It's Day 17!

I woke up feeling not so hot today. Very tired, and I only could stomach half of my breakfast. I think I was just wore out from the exam yesterday (and thus the smaller amounts of sleep and increased amounts of coffee the few days before). I would have loved to sleep in and recover a little more, but alas, clinical starts at 6:30am. Once I got to the hospital I felt better, and hungry! We had someone crash on the floor today, which is very stressful, but I felt like my new mood and energy consistency really helped me stay calm and focused - another plus that I didn't think about until today.

I've switched to hot tea recently instead of more coffee in the afternoon, which has helped get rid of any headaches and mid-day jitters I was having. Had a leftover pesto burger and brussel sprouts for lunch. Tonight will be meatballs in tomato sauce over zucchini noodles. I think Friday will be my first kettlebell day!

Monica P, glad to hear you resisted the wine after what seems like a really stressful day! My Whole30 buddy and I were very tempted to go for a beer after our day at the hospital today, but resisted. Only 13 more days to go!

[LJG]

Happy day 17 Team September 10! Things continue to be the same for me. I can't really say I notice any difference. I am typically calm during the day at work anyway and unfortunately my kids can still drive me to insanity just as easily today as 17 days ago. But that is o.k., I am not wavering and am committed to giving it a good 30 days to see if I can reap some benefits. I have felt guilty today because I totally gave in this morning and weighed myself. It had been around a week, which is 6 more days than normal for me, so I guess cold turkey with the scale is even harder for me than cold turkey on the sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, etc. Very sad when I say it that way... I am not sure I can say I will not weigh again since the other benefits continue to elude me. I am extra tired today and am very much looking forward to 9:00 to put my kiddos to bed and crawl under the covers myself.

Cheers to everyone for making it through this far and here is to a smooth and successful 13 more days!!

[gibster2]

Monica - Good Job on your restaurant foray!

karabel - One thing I found that helps me is the Meal Planning Template on this site. I have it displayed on the refrigerator door. I find the portion sizes illustrated really keeps me from "over-serving" myself.

amwpillai - I find I feel much calmer lately. I think some of that is due to the fact that I feel in control of my eating habits - for a change.

LJG - I hear you on the scale issue. That seems to be the hardest part for me these days. LOL

I've been feeling kind of groggy the last couple of mornings when I wake up. I seem to be sleeping sounder, but I wake up around a half hour before my alarm (which is way too early), but it seems the earlier and sounder I sleep, the earlier I wake up. But, I'm not going to complain about it - just an interesting observation. I have noticed a difference in how my clothes fit - which is a good thing.

[no paleo police!]

Thanks for telling me about the meal planning template, Linda. I'm going to go find it and put it on my fridge too. I used fitbit yesterday to keep track of my calories in and expended and came out under so I should be losing weight. Still the same this morning though. Maybe I should take a break from the scale for a few days. It's great to weigh yourself every day if you keep seeing a loss but frustrating when it stays the same or shows a gain. I'll put it in the closet for now.

[amwpillai]

Day 19!

Still doing well! Made some chicken breasts with cashew cream and roasted carrots with tomato slices for dinner. Got up and made breakfast for the husbo and I this morning. Right now I'm using my day off to crash before clinical tomorrow! I've been feeling quite exhausted, but I don't fee like it's from the food - my schedule got a lot busier and intense around the time I started Whole30. In fact, I'm probably a lot less tired because of my diet than I would have been running on junk.

Gotta do some cleaning and then going to use my kettlebell for the first time. After today, we're 2/3 done!

The great tea experiment is going pretty nicely! I haven't felt the need to run out for a coffee today, and have cut down in general otherwise. So far we've acquired Lapsang souchong tea, sage blackberry, double green matcha, "Get Relaxed" rooibos tea, "Sleepy Time" chamomile, and regular ol' black. Lots of choices when I need something to sip on. Kind of feels like being pampered just a bit!

Hope everyone is doing great! Happy Day 19!

[no paleo police!]

Amwpillai, I drink a ton of tea and those sound good! I'm planning on going organic with my teas as soon as I find a less expensive store to buy them in. Maybe Amazon but I have to buy bulk there. My favorite is Tazo Refresh, it's peppermint, spearmint and tarragon. They don't make an organic version so I may mix it up myself at NewLife Health Store. Your Sage-Blackberry sounds delicious!

My first organic produce box was delivered yesterday and it looks great! In it was a large savoy cabbage (making this: Recipe: World's Best Braised Green Cabbage | Nom Nom Paleo ), a bunch of carrots, a bag of pluots, grapes, green beans, onions, garlic, red lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 2 avocados, bunch of bananas, green pepper, cucumber and 2 dozen eggs. I may have to supplement the veggies by the end of two weeks but I think it's a great deal and I'm very happy. The pluots are amazing, I've always wanted to try them but they are too expensive at the grocery store and not organic. I love trying new foods.

I am feeling great except for sinus problems that have plagued me my entire life. My nose (and probably my sinuses) are just so much scar tissue inside now and ugh, enough said about that.

I have a lunch date today and my friend sounded like she was unsure of my choice of restaurant, which is Chipotle. I chose it because I know I can get meat and veg there without any special ordering.

Have a great day!

[susanm]

Sounds great Karabel. I've been thinking about ordering one of those boxes, but I can be such a picky eater. I tend to eat the same things over and over till I am sick of it and have to find a new thing.

Is anyone feeling the burst of energy? I feel good but nothing phenomenal. I still have allergy symptoms however I notice my digestion is much better which is great, I'll take it. Starting to think about what I might do differently when the 30 days is over.

Hope you are all doing great - would love to hear about what you feel is improving based on this way of eating!

s

[LJG]

Happy Day 19! I too have been drinking different Teas. I picked up a peppermint over the weekend that I saw a Moderator say on some post somewhere was ok and I find that it helps ward off the need for gum at work. Karabel - I too am intrigued about your organic produce box. Where did you order it from? Did you have to be home for the delivery?

Susanm - although I don't feel like my world has changed (yet... still hoping for it to come), I am very glad I did this. Reading the book ISWF really opened my eyes and although I found it made sense while reading the book, I still could not fathom that if I turned in my low cal / low fat diet (mainly frozen meals and lite soups), that I would lose weight, I am astonished at the results I can physically see in my body. Honestly, my legs look better! I have lost weight before and never noticed a difference in the dimples in my legs (sounds better than cellulite) but I can see a difference. That is amazing! And while I am still hoping to rid myself (or lessen) the pain in my hips so I can once again enjoy running, the benefits to-date have been worth it. I am enjoying what I am eating and for the first time in my life, I don't mind cooking so much because my food tastes SO GOOD!!!! I am really digging the fact that all the fat I am eating makes me always feel like I have chapstick on too I am glad it's day 19. Not too early in the process and not near enough to day 30 that I start to panic and have to decide if I am going to re-introduce some foods yet.

Happy Friday and I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

[Monica P]

Feeling great! I've been sleeping better but that did start before I started the W30...had knee surgery and then I start sleeping through the night. Go figure. But it has been nice.

For dinner last night, I made spicy sauteed shrimp, eggplant for me and bell peppers for the kiddo (not enough eggplant to go round) and a salad with homemade dressing. It was super fast and super yummy.

As for after the W30, I really plan on sticking with this with the once in a while exceptions. I do love pizza and hubby is going to the only town in my state with a good pizza joint the day after my W30 ends. Yeah I'll be on that ride. But it will be a once in a while (long while) thing as I can't always go with him and he doesn't go that often. Wine occasionally....okay probably on the weekends but that will probably be my biggest foray away from it. I don't have a lot of desire to eat grains or carbs or sugar. Maybe dairy once in a blue moon in the form of ice cream. Like someone else said, I love the food and the flavors and don't see a big reason to change it on the whole.

I can't believe I have to start planning for practice Thanksgiving! It's going to be Nov 3 and while our Turkeys are organic/pastured most of the rest won't come anywhere close to W30! Oh well, it's one meal.....a really large meal...but one.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[gibster2]

Good morning, all! Thought I'd sneak in here real quick before I start my errands.

Still going strong - can't believe I've made it through 19 days!

karabel - scale-frustration results from a calories-in/calories-out mentality. In all my research, this mantra just isn't so - as you can tell from your calculations. I'm feeling better about the scale-avoidance. I used to be a CSA subscriber, but since it's just me, even the smaller size box was just too much. It was real convenient (delievered to my office). Before that I belonged to one where I had to drive way out of my way to pick it up. I may look into the work-delivery one again, tho.

amw - Hope you had a great day off!

susan - no big burst of energy here. But I do feel very calm and content. Sweet!

Monica - I'm with you. After W30, I'm going to stick with it. My occasional glass of wine will be an exception.

Well, tonight is my dinner out with the girls. We're going to a steak and seafood place. The menu is very doable.

Have a great day!

[susanm]

Howdy Sept. 10ers. Doing a mega cookathon today. I butchered a chicken which is slow cooking (making nom nom paleo's chicken and gravy), just finished a new batch of ghee, and baking a spaghetti squash, for which I'm making a ground beef/tomato sauce. Whew.

I'm wondering what everyone's favorite whole 30 meals are thus far? Mine are -

B'fst - ground turkey and apple cooked in ghee, with cinnamon and nutmeg, steamed zuchinni or raw carrot as veggie accompaniment

Lunch/dinner - Sauteed chicken livers and onion (in ghee) or sauteed chicken tenders dredged in almond or flax meal and spice, spinach, and avocado.

Hope everyone's doing well. I had severe allergies yesterday and decided I'm going to see an allergist. Medication and eating proper food is not helping. However, aside from that I'm doing well, and I'm sleeping much better!

Take care all,

s