Made it through day 1! Who else started today?

[Anne T]

Hi All,

 

Made it through day 1. I don't think it was picture-perfect according to the Whole 30 guidelines, but it was compliant in all foods eaten.

 

It's going to be a challenge for me to get the protein up where it needs to be, and not to gorge on fruit. I did try Zoodles for the first time today - but think maybe I need to cook them? 

 

Anyway, I'm determined to make it through these next 30 days. I have to; gotta turn my health around. 

 

I'm NOT good at trying new foods, so this is challenging for me. 

 

Will try to hang here, but if I don't check in every day, know I'm cheering everyone on!

 

 

[fboersma]

Me! (Started yesterday, that is)

I've tried a few new foods already, and haven't been disappointed. Go for the challenge! I think coconut milk and avocados might be my new favorite foods. I made "cauliflower fried rice" with added ground turkey, olive oil, veggies... it was good! Also, have you tried spaghetti squash? I LOVE it, even more than pasta, actually.

Anyway, I'm cheering you on, too, Anne!

[SandyEva]

Me too! Started 8/16.  I did have a snack before bed.  I made a note to really think about whether I was truly hungry or if it was a habit. I'll have to keep an eye on that if it happens again.

 

I actually made my own mayo yesterday!! That was my big first experiment. I think it was pretty successful! mixing it with chicken, cashews and grapes and served on big pile of romaine for lunch today.

 

I could use as many cheerleaders as I can get!

 

sandy

[Anne T]

Hey guys - thanks for the cheerleading! I am struggling a bit to figure out what's "compliant" and what's not. Obviously I want to do it right and not cheat, but I don't want to get so fixated on the rules that I blow it. 

 

I'm frustrated that my gag reflex has kicked in twice now - once with zoodles, once with a cold hard-boiled egg. Gonna make it hard to keep eating the new foods when my body & brain rebel! I'm hoping that gets better as I go along. 

 

I know we're supposed to eat 3 meals a day, preferably no snacking, and have those meals be: protein, lots of veggies, occasionally fruit, and good fat. 

 

But they also mention larabars and rxbars, etc, and how much fruit is too much fruit? 

 

Anyway, been mentally and physically foggy today. i DID have a chocolate coconut larabar at the store, but it didn't have sugar in it - it had the dates, but from the literature, an occasional larabar as "emergency" is deemed ok. 

[ShannonM816]

Hey guys - thanks for the cheerleading! I am struggling a bit to figure out what's "compliant" and what's not. Obviously I want to do it right and not cheat, but I don't want to get so fixated on the rules that I blow it. 

 

I'm frustrated that my gag reflex has kicked in twice now - once with zoodles, once with a cold hard-boiled egg. Gonna make it hard to keep eating the new foods when my body & brain rebel! I'm hoping that gets better as I go along. 

 

I know we're supposed to eat 3 meals a day, preferably no snacking, and have those meals be: protein, lots of veggies, occasionally fruit, and good fat. 

 

But they also mention larabars and rxbars, etc, and how much fruit is too much fruit? 

 

Anyway, been mentally and physically foggy today. i DID have a chocolate coconut larabar at the store, but it didn't have sugar in it - it had the dates, but from the literature, an occasional larabar as "emergency" is deemed ok. 

 

You're right that a bar (larabar, epic bar, rxbar, or anything like that) is acceptable in an emergency. Many people would like to see them banned from Whole30 completely because too many people will choose them over real food.

 

For best results, limit fruit to about two servings a day, where a serving is a closed handful. It's understandable that in the summer, when fruit is in season, you might have a little more, but be sure that you don't let fruit push the veggies off your plate. You never have to eat fruit, you can get everything you need from vegetables instead.

 

I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with your gag reflex. What did you eat prior to Whole30? Is there anything that you used to eat that is Whole30 compliant? If there is, focus on those things and add new things slowly, as you feel comfortable. Or you might want to try to figure out what the things you can eat have in common -- are they soft? crunchy? covered in sauce? Then you can try to find Whole30 foods that are similar.

 

The mental and physical fogginess could be a result of not eating enough in general, not eating at least one fist-sized serving of starchy vegetables each day, not drinking enough water, or not salting your foods. If you want to post a few days' of your food and water intake, including approximate portion sizes, over in the Troubleshooting section, we could give you some feedback and see if there's anything that looks like it might be causing that.

 

If you're not sure you've got all the rules down, you might start with the articles linked here. The most important things to know are probably the Rules and the Meal Template. 

[Anne T]

Thank you, Shannon. I think the fog is just sugar withdrawal. 

 

I appreciate your wonderful feedback. As to the gag reflex, it's mostly a mental thing, I think; I've always had a hard time with new foods, even ones I WANT to like (like most vegetables). I just have to do new things slowly - and now I know perhaps not a whole cold egg, but the same egg at room temperature, or chopped up in a bed of lettuce. 

 

I did have a Larabar two days in a row (yesterday at church when everyone else was eating pasta, today at grocery store) - I was glad I stayed technically compliant, but I can see where they could become a temptation (I have at least TWO Sugar Dragons, I'm sure), so I shall refrain from them as a daily habit. 

 

It is possible I haven't eaten enough - some of it will take time. I have a hard time with the idea of meat and veggies for breakfast, but as with the new foods, I think if I persevere long enough, that will lessen. It has to, because I'm committed to this and I'm going to do it - and I'm not going to do it by eating Larabars and making my beloved fruit smoothies.