Starting September 14th - Accountability

[KKT]

Day 3 is also surpassingly easy for me!  I was a sugar addict!! ...every meal and snack of the day.  I'm cautiously surprised that my body hasn't had more of a reaction than it has.  Hoping it continues.  I've began to cut out snacks today.  I agree with the comment about going easy on ourselves.  This is a huge change and if an occasional snack on compliant food is what gets you through the day...well then so be it!  You're still staying the course!  I did find my body just sort of forgetting to snack today.  Hope the trend continues.  I really enjoy reading everyones comments.  Good work, ALL!

[Finnsmom]

OH and yes, I have been a scale addict for years.  Since WW in 1999, but only once a week.

 

I admittedly am trying to lose 30-40 pounds (I'm 5'4" and 175 lbs).  I am getting used to the idea that it's not about the number, it's a HARD habit to break, however. 

 

I'm doing my BEST though to look at the bigger picture.  I have read the Whole 30 and am in the process of reading It Starts With Food.  As a cardiology nurse, I GET IT.  Getting it and living it however are just ever so slightly different!!!!

[angledge]

..... I have a 3 year old and a full time job so spending a ton of time in the kitchen is tuff!

 

Any ideas on how to make it easier?! All ideas are appreciated.

Do you have a slow cooker? They are awesome. You can Google "Whole30 slow cooker recipes" & find a zillion ideas. Also, if you have a big one, you can cook 6-10 servings in one prep period. I *love* coming home after work & smelling a slow cooker full of delicious dinner.

 

Here's one of my favorite slow cooker recipes: http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/06/29/crock-pot-mocha-rubbed-pot-roast/

 

In general, I try to never cook for one meal. I'm always putting something into the freezer for an emergency meal, or cooking enough for six people so we can have leftovers twice. Make each prep period in the kitchen COUNT.

[franpflieger]

I so needed the reminders about being gentle on ourselves! Thanks for that. I've been taking my lunch outside this week to get some real air and sunshine (I work in a cube farm). Until now I've always just wolfed down a sandwich at my desk, but taking the time to eat mindfully and being outside is an easy way to be good to myself during this transition.

[mink_deville]

Well done on day 3 everyone. Today's been good but I was craving like crazy watching the great British bake off. Cookies were swimming round in my head but I'd had my dinner and my fruit and just Carried in sewing. Now in bed and feeling hungry even though I had a pot roast. I'm going to ignore it and go to sleep. No headaches as yet or tiredness but I'm not counting my chickens too soon. May well be a false dawn and I'll be in pieces in the morning. A nsv though not brought on by whole 30 but during it So I'm counting it - I got approved f

To be a blogger for the huffington post and my first post was published today yay!

[Mistyfire]

Well done on day 3 everyone. Today's been good but I was craving like crazy watching the great British bake off. Cookies were swimming round in my head but I'd had my dinner and my fruit and just Carried in sewing. Now in bed and feeling hungry even though I had a pot roast. I'm going to ignore it and go to sleep. No headaches as yet or tiredness but I'm not counting my chickens too soon. May well be a false dawn and I'll be in pieces in the morning. A nsv though not brought on by whole 30 but during it So I'm counting it - I got approved f

To be a blogger for the huffington post and my first post was published today yay!

Congrats on your blog!!!!!!!

[Finnsmom]

Day 3 in the bag.

I'm so glad I had the crock pot ready for dinner and no prep for tonight, thanks to the book. Anyone else trying to follow the first week from the book? The hubs will have to clean up the mess tonight and put our boy to bed. I'm beat. But I did it.

Happy Hump Day. 1/10 of the way done with our whole 30 and 1/10 of the way to a better lifestyle!

ROCK ON, friends.

[jdubkc]

Day 3 in the bag.

I'm so glad I had the crock pot ready for dinner and no prep for tonight, thanks to the book. Anyone else trying to follow the first week from the book? The hubs will have to clean up the mess tonight and put our boy to bed. I'm beat. But I did it.

Happy Hump Day. 1/10 of the way done with our whole 30 and 1/10 of the way to a better lifestyle!

ROCK ON, friends.

Way to go Lisa!  I feel lucky that I have a supportive husband willing to clean up as well.  I am following the 7-day plan and am regretting that I did.  WAY too much work for me.  I have a lot of great recipes of my own and can adapt this to our lives a bit better.  There is no way I'm going to make tuna salads etc for lunch.  Or any salad for that matter.  I'm going to have to look up slow cooker recipes and have lots of leftovers I think.  For anyone else reading....I love when you post recipes that you liked.  Tonight I made the veggie saute with red pepper sauce on top.  We all loved the sauce!!

[HarleyMonet]

Hello! I started on September 14th too! So far, I'm not finding it hard and I'm not hungry. I think the most challenging part will be eating out. We do that pretty often.

[ashleydonovan]

Hi! This is my first post here I also started on the 14th! So far so good, but I've had the last few days off with plenty of time to cook. I'm a freelancer, so my schedule is always unpredictable. I believe that is part of my issues with making poor food choices. I'm hoping the Whole30 will instill some discipline and consistency in my life. I travel a lot for work, so I'm constantly eating out or grabbing food on the go at the airport. The next 2 days will be the real test for me! I have a 2 day travel for a work trip. (Just in time for the kill all things phase! Haha) Wonderkng how I will navigate airport meals and finding good food choices at restaurants! Wish me luck!!

[JwUK]

The start of day 4 for me - I had a curious but compliant day 3.  I really resonate with what you say ashleydonovan about the challenges of making good food choices whilst travelling.  I travel loads for work and I attribute the weight gain and poor eating habits i've developed over the last decade to surfing carbs and eating irregularly and too often whilst travelling.

 

Since my first whole30 in May I've worked really hard at planning ahead and taking my first meal with me and working out/planning out what concessions or shops (and what is compliant and good from each of them) there will be on my journeys that day.  It's been a lot of work but  I've narrowed it down to x amount of items from each of the most popular concessions I'll find.  But yesterday it all fell apart - I made an assumption about what would be available - and it wasn't!  There were even a couple of healthy stalls at the station that I was at but each of their dishes had something in that I couldn't eat.  I was also out for lunch with a client that had a largely bread based menu.  The day was okay in the end but my only source of protein was eggs at every meal - that was fine and I managed the veg and fat intakes fine but was very very close to grabbing a whole lot of things that didn't work for the Whole30.

 

Back on a more recognisable whole30 track today, I hope! 

[mink_deville]

Hi all,

 

Day 4 today woot! 

 

The question is I'm not feeling crappy yet and I'm wondering if it comes later for people? I was expecting a headache and rotteness but nothing as yet. Apart from hunger, which I have had some nuts when it's been super bad like before swimming.

 

I wasn't a massive fizzy drink (soda) drinker so maybe that's part of it but I was having quite a lot of junk and sweets and sugar in things so just concerned I'm doing something wrong? Obviously don't want to feel rotten but I do want it to work

 

Rehanon

 

[jmcbn]

 

Hi all,

 

Day 4 today woot! 

 

The question is I'm not feeling crappy yet and I'm wondering if it comes later for people? I was expecting a headache and rotteness but nothing as yet. Apart from hunger, which I have had some nuts when it's been super bad like before swimming.

 

I wasn't a massive fizzy drink (soda) drinker so maybe that's part of it but I was having quite a lot of junk and sweets and sugar in things so just concerned I'm doing something wrong? Obviously don't want to feel rotten but I do want it to work

 

Rehanon

 

It could be that you've replaced the refined sugars with naturally occurring ones, hence the lack of withdrawal - are you eating a lot of fruit?

Or it could be that you're drinking plenty of water, including some starchy veg, and you just lucked out...

If you'd like to post a few days worth of your typical food/liquid intake, indicating portion sizes, along with sleep/activity & stress levels we can take a look and check that you're on the right track.

The snacking on nuts is probably a sign that you're not eating enough.

[mink_deville]

It could be that you've replaced the refined sugars with naturally occurring ones, hence the lack of withdrawal - are you eating a lot of fruit?

Or it could be that you're drinking plenty of water, including some starchy veg, and you just lucked out...

If you'd like to post a few days worth of your typical food/liquid intake, indicating portion sizes, along with sleep/activity & stress levels we can take a look and check that you're on the right track.

The snacking on nuts is probably a sign that you're not eating enough.

 

Hey there,

 

Thanks that's so kind

 

Day 1

 

Meal 1: Frittata from the book, avocado, Meal 2: tuna protein salad with spinach and tangerine, other half of frittata, avocado and banana.  Went to WI meeting and there were snacks so had a small handful of nuts and a tangerine. 

 

Liquid: 2 black coffee, 1 black tea, 2litres of water

 

Activitiy: 7 miles of cycling

 

Day 2

 

Meal 1: Scrambled eggs, avocado and salsa Meal 2: tuna protein salad, avocado, red pepper, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, banana  Meal 3: Seared chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage slaw with cashew and sesame, red pepper mayonnaise, a few raspberries and blueberries

 

Snack mid-afternoon: about 6 cashews and a tangerine

 

Liquid: 2 black coffee, 1 black tea, 1 coffee with coconut milk, 2 litres of water

 

Activity: 6 mile cycling

 

Day 3

 

Meal 1: 2 compliant pork sausages, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms fried Meal 2:  Seared chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage slaw with cashew and sesame, red pepper mayonnaise, banana Meal 3: pot roast - beef, carrots, onions, butternut squash, blueberries and raspberries

 

Snacks: Before swimming brazil nuts and naked bar

 

Liquid: 2 litres of water, 2 black coffee, 1 coffee with coconut milk

 

Activity: 8 miles of cycling and 1 hour open water swim training

 

I'm very busy at work at the moment but feel okay and I'm sleeping like a log, which is typical of me but definitely feeling not as sluggish when I wake and less of an afternoon slump apart from the slightly rumbly belly last couple days.

 

Thanks in advance

[Cbiggs85]

Home from work with a massive, congested cold today. Boo. I have a feeling I will have to force myself to eat my planned 3 meals today as eating just doesn't sound appealing. I've only been able to get to the gym once since starting Whole30 thanks to this cold but I'm trying not to beat myself up over it as I know my body needs rest to get over this thing.

[GFChris]

Hey there,

 

Thanks that's so kind

 

Day 1

 

Meal 1: Frittata from the book, avocado, Meal 2: tuna protein salad with spinach and tangerine, other half of frittata, avocado and banana.  Went to WI meeting and there were snacks so had a small handful of nuts and a tangerine. 

 

Liquid: 2 black coffee, 1 black tea, 2litres of water

 

Activitiy: 7 miles of cycling

 

Day 2

 

Meal 1: Scrambled eggs, avocado and salsa Meal 2: tuna protein salad, avocado, red pepper, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, banana  Meal 3: Seared chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage slaw with cashew and sesame, red pepper mayonnaise, a few raspberries and blueberries

 

Snack mid-afternoon: about 6 cashews and a tangerine

 

Liquid: 2 black coffee, 1 black tea, 1 coffee with coconut milk, 2 litres of water

 

Activity: 6 mile cycling

 

Day 3

 

Meal 1: 2 compliant pork sausages, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms fried Meal 2:  Seared chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage slaw with cashew and sesame, red pepper mayonnaise, banana Meal 3: pot roast - beef, carrots, onions, butternut squash, blueberries and raspberries

 

Snacks: Before swimming brazil nuts and naked bar

 

Liquid: 2 litres of water, 2 black coffee, 1 coffee with coconut milk

 

Activity: 8 miles of cycling and 1 hour open water swim training

 

I'm very busy at work at the moment but feel okay and I'm sleeping like a log, which is typical of me but definitely feeling not as sluggish when I wake and less of an afternoon slump apart from the slightly rumbly belly last couple days.

 

Thanks in advance

On the water, 2 litres = ~66 oz. That would work if you weighed 132 lbs, otherwise, we'd recommend drinking more water.  Our guidance is 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of body weight, daily.

It's hard for me to tell your portion sizes, but given the snacking, I'm guessing they're not big enough.  You want to build meals that satiate you for 4-5 hours.  

- When eggs are your sole protein, the serving size is the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand without dropping them. For most folks, that's 3-4 eggs.  Otherwise, the protein serving is 1-2 palm sized amounts, where a palm is the length, width and thickness of the palm of your hand.

- The recommended portion on veggies is 1-3 cups a meal. You'd need to eat a LOT of salsa to get there, so add more veggies in that case.

Drop the nakd bar. Bars are emergency food only on a Whole30 (e.g., you're stuck in horrible traffic that's causing a delay between normal meal times).    The recommended pre workout meal is protein and fat. Nuts are a fat on a Whole30.

Your statement about going to a meeting and there were snacks so you had them raised a flag for me.  Were you hungry or did you snack because the food was there?  

I'm seeing a lot of nuts. Nuts are to be limited as a fat source on a Whole30, so you may want to consider paring back a bit, especially where you mention a "rumbly belly." Nuts can cause digestive distress for some.  Along the same lines, raw veggies can also cause digestive distress, so you may want to switch to all cooked veggies and see if that helps you.

 

[jmcbn]

Hey there,

 

Thanks that's so kind

 

Day 1

 

Meal 1: Frittata from the book, avocado, Meal 2: tuna protein salad with spinach and tangerine, other half of frittata, avocado and banana.  Went to WI meeting and there were snacks so had a small handful of nuts and a tangerine. 

 

Liquid: 2 black coffee, 1 black tea, 2litres of water

 

Activitiy: 7 miles of cycling

 

Day 2

 

Meal 1: Scrambled eggs, avocado and salsa Meal 2: tuna protein salad, avocado, red pepper, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, banana  Meal 3: Seared chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage slaw with cashew and sesame, red pepper mayonnaise, a few raspberries and blueberries

 

Snack mid-afternoon: about 6 cashews and a tangerine

 

Liquid: 2 black coffee, 1 black tea, 1 coffee with coconut milk, 2 litres of water

 

Activity: 6 mile cycling

 

Day 3

 

Meal 1: 2 compliant pork sausages, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms fried Meal 2:  Seared chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage slaw with cashew and sesame, red pepper mayonnaise, banana Meal 3: pot roast - beef, carrots, onions, butternut squash, blueberries and raspberries

 

Snacks: Before swimming brazil nuts and naked bar

 

Liquid: 2 litres of water, 2 black coffee, 1 coffee with coconut milk

 

Activity: 8 miles of cycling and 1 hour open water swim training

 

I'm very busy at work at the moment but feel okay and I'm sleeping like a log, which is typical of me but definitely feeling not as sluggish when I wake and less of an afternoon slump apart from the slightly rumbly belly last couple days.

 

Thanks in advance

Your meals don't actually look too bad, so you may well have just lucked out, although it's hard to tell portion sizes from what you've listed. That said the fact that you've had a snack each day confirms that you are not eating enough, so a couple of pointers for going forward:

The nakd bar is for emergency use only - like, you're on the titanic, it's going down, and you're about to spend the next 8hrs clinging to the side of a life raft emergency. It's compliant yes, but it's the closest thing you'll get to a candy bar on a Whole30 so avoid, avoid, avoid...

If you TRULY need to snack, through hunger rather than boredom or habit, you should aim to hit at least two of the three macronutrients - protein, fat & veggies. Fruit should be limited to 1-2 fist sized servings per day, with or as part of a meal.

For preWO aim for a lean protein and a fat - think hard boiled egg, or something like chicken & mayo/guac/olives

For postWO aim for a lean protein and an optional starchy carb - sweet potato & chicken is the favourite but there are lots of options. No fruit for pre or postWO as it restores liver glycogen stores and no fat for postWO as it slows down absorption of valuable nutrients.

Nuts & seeds are a fat source on Whole30 and should be used in moderation - maybe every few days, but certainly not every day. You may feel fine now, but I can pretty much guarantee that if you continue to eat them daily you'll soon be dealing with bloating, and digestive issues.

Eggs, when they are your only source of protein in a meal, should be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand, which is 3-4 for most females so that frittata should have had at least 6 eggs (seeing as you ate it in 2 sittings), and your scramble should have had 3 in order to meet the template.

Finally, fat is your friend - don't skimp on it.

[frogtox]

Big hugs CBiggs... I hope you feel better soon. I usually try to take zinc when I have a cold, it helps a ton. Not sure whether zinc tabs are generally whole30 compliant, but remember taking some last time. 

 

Mink, I didn't start feeling badly on my last go-round until day 5-6, then the dreaded 'carb flu' set in.. then I was stabby for a few days.. then felt like superwoman.  

[KKT]

 

Hi all,

 

Day 4 today woot! 

 

The question is I'm not feeling crappy yet and I'm wondering if it comes later for people? I was expecting a headache and rotteness but nothing as yet. Apart from hunger, which I have had some nuts when it's been super bad like before swimming.

 

I wasn't a massive fizzy drink (soda) drinker so maybe that's part of it but I was having quite a lot of junk and sweets and sugar in things so just concerned I'm doing something wrong? Obviously don't want to feel rotten but I do want it to work

 

Rehanon

 

 

I'm in the same boat, so excited to hear the responses to your meal posting.  I probably eat 1 piece of fruit a day.  I really am doing well, but completely lost it at my husband last night over a very very small thing   Guess I am maybe feeling some effects. Kill. All. The. Things.  I was tired tired last night and still sleepy feeling this morning, but hoping it won't affect me too badly!

[River30]

Yikes - this is going to be harder than last time -- especially with weird pregnancy food aversions and exhaustion thrown in. Before I was pregnant, I sometimes ate eggs for two meals a day and looked forward to fish, chicken, grassfed beef.... but these days it's hard to even think or look at those foods. My beloved eggs gross me out, and all I want is fruit...

 

This morning for meal 1, day one, I had a tiny bit of chicken from dinner leftovers last night, some spinach, a pear, and an orange. Ugh. Don't know what I'm going to do to get lunch down since I think I've already used up my fruit allotment for the day! Did I already fail at this thing? 

 

I started re-reading my Round 1 W30 emails from earlier in the year and have started to get excited about the next month, though. I'm looking forward to cooking new things and bringing more veggies back into my life again. 

[mcf914]

I also have problems avoiding snacking. I have a really hard time distinguishing between genuine hunger and just a desire to snack/boredom. I've definitely snacked on some nuts and fruit the past 2 days, but I'm trying to work on my mindfulness and cut back to only eating when I'm truly hungry (one of my big Whole30 goals). 

 

Any other scale addicts here? I honestly think the biggest struggle I've had over the past 3 days has been not weighing myself. I realize how ridiculous that sounds when I say it out loud, but it's definitely true.

 

Positives so far: I slept way better last night and I feel more refreshed (despite this day 3 "hangover" headache!)

I also have the urge to weigh myself, which frankly is weird because I usually avoid the scale.  I feel like my face looks thinner (probably because of less bloating more than actual weight loss - it's only been 4 days after all), and I want proof!

[mcf914]

Way to go Lisa!  I feel lucky that I have a supportive husband willing to clean up as well.  I am following the 7-day plan and am regretting that I did.  WAY too much work for me.  I have a lot of great recipes of my own and can adapt this to our lives a bit better.  There is no way I'm going to make tuna salads etc for lunch.  Or any salad for that matter.  I'm going to have to look up slow cooker recipes and have lots of leftovers I think.  For anyone else reading....I love when you post recipes that you liked.  Tonight I made the veggie saute with red pepper sauce on top.  We all loved the sauce!!

 

In the vein of recipe sharing, here is a recipe I've been loving - Mango and Avocado salsa, which I have been eating for dinner with pan seared salmon, as she suggests.  DELICIOUS.  And something I would have eaten pre-Whole30, so it doesn't seem like too much of a shift.  http://nomnompaleo.com/post/56076300574/mango-avocado-salsa-on-pan-seared-salmon

 

For lunch the past few days, I've modified this recipe for Sonoma Chicken with pecans and grapes ever so slightly (no honey in the dressing, using the mayo I made with Melissa Joulwan's recipe in the dressing, and no croutons in the salad) and it's a keeper.  (It's not a chicken salad, as the name suggests, but rather a green salad with grilled chicken.): https://www.hellofresh.com/recipe/detail/558c6098f8b25ed40e8b4567/sonoma-chicken-salad-with-pecans-grapes-and-garlic-croutons/

[MKLeonard14]

Happy 4th day, everyone!  Here are a few of the recipes I've made over the past 4 days.  I loved ALL of them and they were mostly easy, but the eggs in a nest took quite a bit of time.

 

Paleo Ketchup - http://www.jaysbakingmecrazy.com/2015/04/07/paleo-whole30-ketchup/

 

Potato Salad - http://yumgoggle.com/whole30-potato-salad/

 

Sweet Potato Chili - http://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/2014/09/24/paleo-sweet-potato-chili/ - this is a FAVORITE in my house!  I couldn't find W30 compliant beef stock, so I used plain water and it was still delicious!

 

Eggs in a Nest - http://www.ourpaleolife.com/2015/01/eggs-nest/

 

And I have to ask, has anyone been drinking Kombucha?  I tried it for the first time yesterday and it's my new favorite thing on the planet.  I'm curious if there is any restriction on drinking this?  Like only with meals, or as a midday treat, etc.  I drank 1 bottle (16oz) yesterday between breakfast and lunch and the same today.  I hope this is ok...please let me know if it isn't!

[MKLeonard14]

I also have the urge to weigh myself, which frankly is weird because I usually avoid the scale.  I feel like my face looks thinner (probably because of less bloating more than actual weight loss - it's only been 4 days after all), and I want proof!

I'm with you on the thinner face.  Feels awesome regardless of whether it's water weight or actual weight loss! 

[mcf914]

On the water, 2 litres = ~66 oz. That would work if you weighed 132 lbs, otherwise, we'd recommend drinking more water.  Our guidance is 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of body weight, daily.

 

Wow I had no idea I was supposed to be drinking that much water.  Let me go refill my water bottle...