Staggered start

[beanhead72]

Hi. I am looking at starting the Whole30 in December (after thanksgiving). I am currently breastfeeding and constantly hungry but eating junk just because I need quick food and I'm not a big protein eater before I get "hangry." Can I do a staggered start with my husband? I am very worried about Day 3 and the wanting to kill feeling. I stay at home and not sure I can be hungry and angry/hungover feeling without losing it along with my husband. Has anyone gone through this? Did you and your spouse start on the same day or will staggering the start with the "bad" days? Did you just deal with those days or are there anyways to not lose it?

[ShannonM816]

I can't really answer for the spouse part (although I would say, would you be better off with 4-6 days of one grumpy person at a time, or 2-3 days of two grumpy people at once? There's no right answer here, but which would work better for your family), but I can tell you that moving toward Whole30 eating as much as possible now, will help make those first few days less bad. So, to the extent you can, start making your meals look like the meal template (and as a nursing mom, you need to plan four template meals, not just three), and start giving up grains and added sugar. I get that Thanksgiving day will not look like this, but do the best that you can. 

 

In addition, I would note that you should never be hungry on your Whole30. If you are truly hungry, eat -- but for best results, try to eat a mix of protein, fat, and veggies, and definitely not just fruit on its own, which can feed sugar cravings, mess with your blood sugar, and ultimately leave you even hungrier.

 

I'd suggest cooking ahead as much as you can so you have easy-to-grab food in the fridge. Make up some hard boiled eggs, a batch of mayo, a frittata or breakfast casserole, bake some sweet potatoes, roast a variety of other vegetables, make some soup. When you do cook a meal, cook extra so you'll have leftovers the next day. Many nursing moms find it helpful to keep olives on hand to eat between meals for extra fat, or they might drink coconut milk. You could also do guacamole or just fresh sliced avocado. I'm not sure where you are, but there's a brand of premade guac called Wholly Guacamole that makes some compliant versions, at least around here -- read your labels, though, they make some that are not. 

[beanhead72]

Thanks Shannon. I am in San Antonio so I know that guacamole well That's a good idea. I have been looking up frittata recipes already. We have chickens so I know that eggs will be my protein in the mornings, but it's hard when I have to leave early. I appreciate your suggestions and the fact about the number of days versus the staggered start

 

I bet that's why I am always still hungry. I tend to just fruit as a snack.