Starting mon 21 September. Anybody in?

[Magdalena]

It's day # 6 and what a gorgeous day it is! Sunny, crisp and the sky is so blue. So glad I am going to be out and about for most of it.

Hope you are all going strong and are ready to embrace our first whole30 weekend. If like me you have a deeply embedded in your subconscious that you can and you deserve to be more relaxed with food (quantity wise in my case) over the weekend - good luck!

It's going very well in my whole30 world. In a brief:

1. Already can go for much longer without eating. My boyfriend was impressed I didn't get all pissy as due to unforeseen circumstances I missed lunch yesterday. Had a handful of nuts and was quite ok waiting till I get home and have early dinner.

2. Skin looks horrible at the moment. I wonder if it's the recent diary creep coming back to bite me?

3. It felt a bit weird to roast chicken tights at 7:30 am this morning. But they were delicious.

4. Nuts are definitely food without breaks for me. Will finish what I've got and won't buy more. For now.

5. Pret's coffee does not agree with me.

6. I had a dream about whole meal rye bread with emental cheese. I was expecting dreaming about dark chocolate, macadamia nuts and Pinot Grigio, but bread? Haven't eaten even a crumb in months... Very peculliar.

7. Shopping centre food court and chain restaurants - not so whole30 friendly.

8. Eating only highest quality foods is painfully expensive!

I was wondering, is red wine vinegar compliant? Vinegar is but couldn't find any info regarding specific types. Anyone knows? I wand to use it for my braised red cabbage, won't be the end of the world if I can't but would be better if I could.

Also, I can't find any info about where are they sourcing meat from for Costco in the UK? I found line cought cod loin, free range (but not organic) chicken. But how about red meat? Their beef is marked as "scotch" but that's all. Should you know, please share. Many thanks.

Have a lovely day x

[Kathy Fauver]

I started Sept. 21, am on day 5. I eased into the program before the official start date. Looking to improve my height level anxiety, foggy head, achiness, sniffles, & lack of motivation. Day 4 I had already noticed improvements in my health. However, I Ate lunch out with my son yesterday thinking, this shouldn't be too hard, just order a big salad with oil & vinegar.......the waitress didn't get that I just wanted 2 separate things...oil & vinegar. To make a long story short I believe there was sugar in the "balsamic vinegar" because shortly after lunch I was sniffling again! Dang, back to Day 1!! Lesson learned, keep homemade salad dressing in my take along bag.

[Mezito]

I'm doing a check-in and glad to report that I'm doing great! Like Newbie, I've realized that nuts are a no-brakes food for me too! It's awful because I really love that crunchy feeling.

 

Yes red wine vinegar is compliant. Mix it with olive oil, salt, and pepper at a restaurant with salad and you'll be satisfied. In fact, I may make that my new normal from now on.

 

Have a great weekend folks.

[jmcbn]

6. I had a dream about whole meal rye bread with emental cheese. I was expecting dreaming about dark chocolate, macadamia nuts and Pinot Grigio, but bread? Haven't eaten even a crumb in months... Very peculliar.

Also, I can't find any info about where are they sourcing meat from for Costco in the UK? I found line cought cod loin, free range (but not organic) chicken. But how about red meat? Their beef is marked as "scotch" but that's all. Should you know, please share. Many thanks.

If I recall correctly my first food dream was about eating a Chicken McNugget of all things - I hadn't eaten ANYTHING from McDonalds in maybe 5years!

Sorry I can't answer re Costco meat - we don't have Costco here in Ireland. I know that 95-99% of beef in Ireland is grassfed - none of it can be 100% as it's just not possible in the harshest part of winter, but in most cases they are fed dried grass during this time with some necessary supplements. I'd assume Scottish beef is the same given the similarities in landscape & climate.

[kruddock]

I was wondering, is red wine vinegar compliant? Vinegar is but couldn't find any info regarding specific types. Anyone knows? I wand to use it for my braised red cabbage, won't be the end of the world if I can't but would be better if I could.

You are doing great keep up the good work!

Red wine vinegar is allowed, however, make sure you check the ingredients, it shouldn't have any added sulphites or any other off plan ingredients added but it will have naturally occurring sulphites which are okay.

Have a beautiful day!

[Magdalena]

@ Jmcbn Thanks Jmcbn, I would make sense to assume that Scottish meat will be mostly grass - fed but I will research it further just so I know. Anyway I decided to make sure I buy super good quality chicken and offel and eat as good red meat as I can find and afford but I won't obsess if it's not top quality.

@Mezito - glad to see you are doing well and many thanks for clarifying re red wine vinegar.

[Magdalena]

@Kathy - warm welcome! Sorry to hear about your dressing hiccup but on the other hand it's only 5 days, not that long in a great scheme of time. I am sure we can hang on with you here for a bit longer.

@kruddock - thanks, I think we are all doing pretty darn good!

Whole30 Lesson #4 - crusting fish with almond flour it's a very messy business

[allyson_whole30]

Day 6 off to a good start, sweet potato, fried egg, berries and a few nuts! Cinnamon in my coffee has helped my mornings tremendously! 

 

Had to go to Wal-Mart yesterday to get something for my little sister and found myself wandering around the cereal isle feeling verrrry "kill-all-things" ish. I keep thinking to myself "We are NOT going out like this! Not over Cinnamon Toast Crunch!" Got in the car, put on a good song, took a breath and felt better.

 

Remembering to take it one day at a time and not overwhelm myself with the idea that there are still 24 days to go.. 

 

I'm in college and that means weekends look like eating crap at odd hours and letting my good eating . Staying in to study today so there shouldn't be a huge temptation. 

 

Hope everyone is still doing great! 

[jennieguiol7]

Day 6 is good for me too. Heading out for bike ride. I see no more withdrawals for anything I am deleting for my diet. Grabbing fruit in evening, and as emergency I will pop a couple of black olives, can says "nothing but olives and sea salt", hope that is ok. I am surprised by my being able to conquer this, as it is cutting off so many things I used to enjoy. Certainly doable!

[Lainey]

Hope it's okay if I join this thread, I started on the 19th! Plugging along .... I am mainly doing another Whole30 to see if it has any effects on my allergies and asthma.

[Squasha]

Day 6. Got good sleep last night after a few nights of poor sleep. So I felt good when I woke up, but the fatigue hit after breakfast. I wanted to go easy on the potatoes in this whole 30 round, and I had some for dinner tonight. Usually they seem to contribute to bloating , but I've been taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before dinner. It seems to help digestion. Right now I'm enjoying a fizzy water as my family is at Oktoberfest. I've been turning events down; for now I find it easier to avoid some social events.

But you know what would be awesome? A Whole 30 resort and spa. A place we could go for a month where the "Whole 30 chefs" would cook for us, there would be hiking, swimming, tennis, basketball, stretching, napping, biking, massages, etc.! And the government could pay for it.....out of some kind of "investing in wellness" budget.....LOL!!!

[Magdalena]

Good morning on day #7,

@rockinrain - government subsided whole30 retreat, what a great idea! Made me smile.

@lainey - hello and welcome. How many whole30s have you done before? Hope this one will help with both of your health issues.

@jenniguiol7 - agreed! Totally doable!

@allyson_whole30 - well done walking away from the triggering situation!

My breakfast choices are getting even more bizzare, I had a reasonably sized portion of leftover oxtail stew this morning I am going to do crazy intense workout in just over an hour and I hope it will stay with me. Still not convinced I like eating breakfast.

Love Sundays and roast dinners, today we will have chicken with roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, braised red cabbage, spring greens and Brussel sprouts, I never liked gravy so I don't have to make it compliant, will prepare it as normal for my boyfriend.

How about doing one week wrap up later today? If you want to play take a moment and think about the week, how has it been and what have you learnt from it. Why not share in categories:

This week's non scale victory:

Best moment:

Worst moment:

Valuable lessons) of the week:

Best food I've eaten this week:

After one week on whole30 I am grateful for:

To benefit from the program even more, next week I will:

I will do mine in the evening.

Happy Sunday x

[jmcbn]

Day 6 is good for me too. Heading out for bike ride. I see no more withdrawals for anything I am deleting for my diet. Grabbing fruit in evening, and as emergency I will pop a couple of black olives, can says "nothing but olives and sea salt", hope that is ok. I am surprised by my being able to conquer this, as it is cutting off so many things I used to enjoy. Certainly doable!

Be wary of eating fruit on its own as this will continue to feed your sugar dragon - find some non food related distraction for the evenings,like crafting, puzzles,  or colouring in and save the fruit to be eaten with or as partof your meals...

[Lainey]

rockinrain ~ I went to an out of town spa retreat many years ago (I was 15 at the time...too young to appreciate it)! It was a trip that my Nana had put together for the women in my family. It was in Arizona at a place called Canyon Ranch, and it sounds almost exactly what you described!!!  it would have been much cooler if it was subsidizied though! I would love to go back as an adult... maybe one day! 

 

Magdalena ~ Thank you for the welcome! This is my second official Whole 30, but I've done a few Whole15's since my first Whole30 in 2013.  I've fallen off the wagon and decided it was time for another reset! I'm not much of a sweet person or a dairy drinker, but chips and salty foods are my weakness! I've realized that I just feel so much better all around when I do not eat grains at all. My seasonal allergies and asthma have been terrible lately and I specifically wanted to try another Whole30 to see if the non-healthy foods I've been eating lately have a correlation to them. I'm not going to lie, I would not mind dropping a couple of pounds in the process, but it is not my main motivation {and I think that will help me succeed}.

 

This week's non scale victory: Sleeping better throughout the night!

Best moment: Waking up and feeling refreshed
Worst moment: The headaches... but I think I am past the headache stage, FINALLY
Valuable lessons) of the week: Need to make sure to drink as much water as I can
Best food I've eaten this week: Steak and veggies, Whole30 buffalo wings
After one week on whole30 I am grateful for: The knowledge that I learn from this forum!
To benefit from the program even more, next week I will: Drink more water

[Flygrrl]

Ok. I'll play:

My size X work pants are hanging on me. My original size X+1 are like drapes now. I have size X-1 as motivation and they fit almost perfectly.

Just making up my mind to do this. That's all it takes. I'm a big girl. I don't have to answer to anyone but myself. I'm Way too old to worry about peer pressur or what others think. I'm the only one I have to answer too. That being said, Then resisting a glass of wine 2 weekend nights in a row while home alone and relaxing.

Last week flying with a headache and feeling hungover. Not good.

Becoming more aware of How much nibbling I was doing and how things sneak in and add up

Last night I cooked pork loin rolld in almonds and sweet potato mash from the W30 cookbook for my parents.

Grateful I have this week off from flying to be able to be home to prepare my meals, just sleep normally ( like at night, consecutively, in a bed and the same bed) and not travel and worry about food.

Hopefully increase my exercise as my energy returns. Have been very careful NOT to over do as to cause exhaustion and cravings for energy. I need to keep my energy ins and outs in balance to stay in control.

And I AM most definitely in control.

Ciao

[allyson_whole30]

Brilliant thank you will try this weekend. Do you used fresh or cooked spinach?

I have to say you lost me a bit at the shaved sprout bit! I don't mind the taste (tho my kids are not fans. Hating brussel sprouts is a UK christmas tradition) but there's not much to shave! How you just not end up with bleeding stumps of fingers??

I buy them pre-shaved at Trader Joe's! You can put them into a food processor for a quick chop and enjoy as well. Have you tried them oven roasted with Balsamic? YUMMM

[allyson_whole30]

This week's non scale victory: Stomach bloating = gone!

Best moment: Resisting cookies at a football tailgate despite the nagging of my friends that "just one wouldn't hurt". We were NOT going out like that!
Worst moment: Today (Sunday)... did not think through my day and ended up eating random compliant food at random times. Not a real "meal" structure. 
Valuable lesson(s) of the week: Prep, prep, prep! I felt so weird making a pound of ground turkey last Sunday and had no idea what to do with it, ended up eating it all this week when I needed a quick protein! Plan, plan, plan! Think through my day the night before to figure out what/where/when I'm going to eat
Best food I've eaten this week: Zucchini Noodles with Garlic Marinara, Ground Beef and Bell Peppers   
After one week on whole30 I am grateful for: The ability to eat as much good food as I need to!
To benefit from the program even more, next week I will: Think ahead and eat more veggies!

[Magdalena]

Good morning on day #8.

 

Well done us for rocking through week one. I know, it wasn't pretty at times, but we made it.

 

Yesterday didn't go according to plan and we ended up eating dinner quite late. Cleaning after and getting ready for today took ages. I was exchausted, like falling asleep on the sofa 20 minutes into the movie exchausted. I woke up at 7, rested and an hour before alarm!

 

This week's non scale victory: Improvement in joint pain, eating breakfast, no snacking/grazing, eating only at the table.

Best moment: Very positive internal dialogue whole week, having a very comfortable feeling that my body, my brain and my heart are on the same mission. Everything seems to be aligned.

Worst moment: Couple of times I ate beyond comfortably full up to the almost stuffed point. Something to look into.

Valuable lesson(s) of the week: Community support matters a lot, never done forums before but I am glad I joined in.

Best food I've eaten this week: Zoodles with bolognese sauce, roast dinner last night (chicken and the works minus white potato)

After one week on whole30 I am grateful for: Finally deciding that I can not outsmart my body. Accepting that "mostly" doesn't work for me, I am grateful for newly developed curiosity to see what will happen if I truly and 100% commit to the reset process.

To benefit from the program even more, next week I will: Eat more mindfully, schedue my meal times a bit better so I eat dinner earlier.

 

Have a great day x

[Kathy Fauver]

Britgirl, I am not hungry between meals at all. I think it's because I'm adding the fats to my meal as suggested.

[Kathy Fauver]

Oh so tired off eggs! Never cared much for them before whole30....dont know if I can gag another one down. Im eating leftover dinners for breakfast and that's okay. But when I don't have leftovers, im at a loss. How to disguise an egg? Breakfast ideas please!

[Mezito]

Good morning folks. Weekend went great and it gave me some downtime to process my relationship with food. I've learned that I think too much about food - what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat - that I've made something simple, like eating, into a mental game that gets exhaustive; so over the weekend I prepared and cooked proteins so I won't worry about them until Thursday. Also, my relationship with food mirrors other areas of my life that feel out of control, and this diet has made me believe that if I can say no to sugar, carbs, and dairy - then I can say no to some destructive vices I have entertained for too long. In the end the Whole30 may not only clean up my body but it may also clean up the toxicity of my soul and that has been an added benefit.

 

Glad to be starting week 2 and feeling great! One quick question, my appetite is starting to go down and I'm feeling full with smaller amounts of food. Anyone experienced that so far?

[belove41]

Starting off the 2nd week feeling fantastic!  I found that it was challenging to keep to a regular meal schedule as well over this past weekend.  We had outdoor yard projects that kept us very busy throughout most of Saturday.  While we didn't have a structured meal 1 or meal 2, we made sure to have some protein and veggies in the morning, and 'snacked' on carrots, grapes, and olives throughout the day when we got hungry (also lots of water!).  After a long day of hard work, all I wanted was to have a nice relaxing night of pizza and tv.  The compromise was 'meat-zza'...with the crust being that of seasoned ground beef, topped with seasoned tomato sauce, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, olives, and a couple bits of pineapple.  Very satisfying and hearty...and most importantly, curbed that craving for the 'unhealthy' version that was initially wanted!

Yesterday was spent prepping.  We made another frittata for quick and easy breakfasts...eggs, steak, bacon, spinach, onions, green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and shredded brussel sprouts.  This has made meal 1 very easy, filling, and keeps us satisfied well on to meal 2, with no temptation to snack.

The hangover feeling is pretty much gone now, and it's easier and easier to say no to all of the unhealthy foods that were such big temptations for years.  My sweet tooth with probably never fully disappear, but Whole30 has really helped already, in how I view food, and not using food as a form of 'treat'.

 

I hope everyone has a great start to week 2!

[kruddock]

Week 1 went well with its ups and downs. I am very glad to be onto week 2.

This week's non scale victory: Self control with my eating habits, especially on the weekends. I was very close to snacking on compliant food (plantain chips) on Saturday night because I was hungry but I thought about it awhile and opted for a mini-meal of kale salad and turkey sausage instead which was way more satisfying than plantain chips would have been.

Best moment: I received 3 compliments at work on how fit I look (I'm on my second Whole30, guess I didn't lose too much ground).

Worst moment: I broke down on Sunday and drank a cup of coffee, which I had cut out since day 1. It immediately gave me intense stomach cramps. I don't know if this is a restart but I do not need to cut it out for the full 30 days to know that coffee is not my friend. A reintroduction of coffee will not be necessary.

Valuable lessons of the week: Try not to go overboard on doing more food prep on Sunday then I need to, it stresses me out.

Best food I've eaten this week: thinly sliced perfect steak with mayo/Dijon dill mustard

After one week on whole30 I am grateful for: all the support I have at home when I'm on the Whole30 plan

To benefit from the program even more, next week I will: drink more water and get more sleep

Have a great Week 2 everyone! :D

[allyson_whole30]

Good morning folks. Weekend went great and it gave me some downtime to process my relationship with food. I've learned that I think too much about food - what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat - that I've made something simple, like eating, into a mental game that gets exhaustive; so over the weekend I prepared and cooked proteins so I won't worry about them until Thursday. Also, my relationship with food mirrors other areas of my life that feel out of control, and this diet has made me believe that if I can say no to sugar, carbs, and dairy - then I can say no to some destructive vices I have entertained for too long. In the end the Whole30 may not only clean up my body but it may also clean up the toxicity of my soul and that has been an added benefit.

 

Glad to be starting week 2 and feeling great! One quick question, my appetite is starting to go down and I'm feeling full with smaller amounts of food. Anyone experienced that so far?

I am feeling a similar way (regarding appetite)! I am really not hungry between meals, even going 5-6 hours without noticing any hunger. Not sure if it's been due to the crazy business in my life or whole30 is really keeping me full. Does it mean I am eating too much at meals if I don't get hungry?

[ATL_Jen]

Hey!! Work is in a busy season, but I just want to say hello and say I'm still with y'all. Day 8 and trucking along. I REALLY missed some of my normal football-related "treats" this weekend. I don't even really love beer, but I was dying for a beer and something chip-like for the games. It's so weird how food gets all tied up with certain activities and we can't even separate them sometimes. I'm glad that a big part of the Whole30 is being mindful about those food relationships. 

 

My biggest bad habit right now is too much fruit. I know it's only feeding the sugar dragon. :/ The thing is, there are some fruits (apples, peaches, bananas) that I can totally have in minimal amounts, and others (grapes, citrus, figs) that I could eat until I explode and still want more. Ah, fruit. 

 

Have a good day, everyone!