1-12-2016 Start Date

[instrumentofpeace]

I have the soup alone. I add extra healthy oil and healthy protein, and I think that fulfills my palm of protein, thumb of fat, and lots of veggies. The vegetable soup recipe that's my favorite has carrots, spinach, celery, green beans, parsley, thyme, paprika, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and broth. So soothing.

I made a couple of frittatas the first week. Need to do that again. Wish I had some healthy sausage for that.

[Mitso874]

I thought I would give you all an update:

I'm Doing great! I've been following this "diet" and not cheating at all (except when I had to weigh myself at the doctor's office the other week). I can NOT believe that I've been sugar (and other sweetener) free for this long!!! All my friends, family, and co-workers are amazed that I'm able to keep away from sugar. :-) I'm feeling much lighter when I run now, and I can really feel and see my muscles coming back in my legs, abs, and arms!

I will say I had quite a LOT to eat over the weekend because I was staaaarving since I did a 5 mile (very steep) hike, 8 mile run, and lots of intense yard work (tilling, raking, digging, pushing dirt, rock sifting, etc). But I stuck to all healthy, whole 30 foods no matter how tired I felt and wished I could have something fast like chips or frozen (gluten free) mac n cheese. This weekend I plan to do a 9 mile run, 13 mile (not so steep) hike, and more yard work so I'm going to make a bunch of meals ahead of time so they're ready for me when I'm exhausted! :-)

My boyfriend has been at home, sick this week so last night he decided to have dinner ready for me when I got home since he was feeling better. He made curried chicken salad in a papaya bowl (Using Whole30 approved ingredients of course). And it was sooo nice to be able to come home from work, take the dog for a run, shower, and then just eat without having to prep/cook/bake! I did grab some leftover baked zucchini to to go along with it. :-)

I've been thinking of what I'm going to do after these 30 days. I figure I'll stick to Whole30 eating mostly, but I do want to add cheese and corn back in. I'm just worried that once I start adding things in, I'll go over board or just keep adding things back in until I'm back to the unhealthy state I was in before starting this. :-\ But I'm going to do my best! I figure if I've been so strict with myself this long, I should be able to keep a healthy diet after even with a few no-nos. I only plan to have cheese every once and a while, like for parties or special occasions... not every day like I was doing. And adding corn back in only for BBQs when I want a grilled corn on the cob or home movie nights (I'll make my own popcorn w/ very little clarified butter).

I am planning to make some dessert on Valentines day since we'll be done with the Whole30 by then, but I found a couple yummy sounding recipes that are healthy (and ALMOST Whole30 compliant... except for vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and the whole "Do not re-create junk foods" thing) so I'm going to make Flourless Brownies (only ingredients are bananas, Almond Butter, and Cacoa powder), and Dairy-Free Chocolate Cherry Hazelnut Ice Cream (made with coconut cream, dates, coconut milk, cacao powder, vanilla extract, bing cherries, and hazelnuts). We'll have these desserts after a healthy dinner (not sure what yet). I know they will be sweet, but at least there's no added sugar or processed junk. I'm also looking into other easy to make desserts, sides, main dishes, etc that would work for potlucks or parties so I am always prepared to have a healthier option when events come up. I feel holidays and parties are the hardest for me so it'll be good to be prepared!

Oh, and last Saturday I went to my friend's 34th birthday party and didn't have time to eat dinner before going. Luckily they had a bunch of veggies, meats, seafood, and fruit out (along with the usual cheese, crackers, chips, etc). It was really funny though because my boyfriend, myself, and 2 friends who were trying the paleo diet were the only ones eating anything so all the healthy stuff was gone quickly and all the junk was left... the party throwers made a comment about how they've never had/been to a party where the healthy stuff was a bigger hit than the junk! Haha!

Anyways, I'm curious how you all are preparing for post Whole30? What are you going to add back in your life? Have you thought about what you'll bring to potlucks/parties? Or how you'll make special occasions (like holidays) a bit healthier? I'm so glad I decided to do this AFTER the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year holidays because now I have plenty of time to come up with yummy healthy recipes for those holidays! And I think I'm going to do the Whole30 twice a year from now on, once mid summer and once in the beginning of the year. Just to keep myself on track.

[CherylS67]

I've been thinking about reintroduction too.  I don't even miss the sugar or the gluten.  I am going to do the proper reintroduction, because I don't want to waste these 30 days.  My first day I am going to have peanut butter with my breakfast and a glass of wine with my dinner.  I will then eat whole30 for a day or two, then maybe try rice or corn for a meal then eat whole30 a couple of days.  I'm worried about reintroducing dairy and gluten so I may not bother with them. 

 

I had huge GI issues, serious medical issues, I wasn't absorbing iron or fats and other nutrients.  I have had treatment resistant anemia for 6 months prior to the whole30.  My GI doctor ran a blood count on me 10 days into my W30 and my hemoglobin was at a normal place for the first time in 6 months.  My iron and ferritin were still low, but it was the first improvement.  I work at a children's hospital and my friend who is doing W30 with me is a nurse practitioner in the hematology/oncology clinic and she invited me to a resident lecture on anemia.  I learned today that anemia can begin to resolve quickly, so improvement after 10 days is very likely.  I believe my small intestine was probably leaky and damaged therefore not absorbing and I'm blaming gluten.  I'm going to get my doctor to run another blood count when I'm done with the W30 to see if it's better.  My bowel symptoms are gone.  

 

As for sugar, if I keep gluten out of my diet, I will avoid cakes, cookies, and crackers.  I don't plan on going back to candy, except really dark chocolate if the mood hits.  If it turns into a no brakes issue I will stop.  I will eat packaged sauces and dressings, but I plan to make many of my own, using honey instead of sugar.

 

I'm doing another round in March, my friend and I have had such great success that people at work want to do it.  Before my next round starts, besides wine and occasional chocolate, I plan on sticking close to the plan.  I will also eat out and make good choices, but they may not be W30 choices (my standard chipotle order is normally salad with fajita veggies, double chicken, corn salsa, mild salsa, guac no dressing).  I miss that.

[Mitso874]

 I believe my small intestine was probably leaky and damaged therefore not absorbing and I'm blaming gluten.

 

Have you been tested for Celiac Disease? If not, it might be something you should look into. But if you do get tested, you'll need to be eating gluten for a while before the tests can be done. If you have Celiac, you might have to be more cautious than those who just have a sensitivity. Which means you'll probably have to replace all your non-stick pots and pans, cutting boards, toasters, plastic and wooden utensils, etc. Which is very expensive so only worth it if you really have Celiac.

But you sound a lot like me before I was diagnosed. I wasn't absorbing nutrients either and  my liver was struggling, muscles were deteriorating, I had hypothyroidism, gastritis, etc. I felt sick constantly and could not stay awake. But all that went away after being completely gluten free (including minute amounts from cross contamination). I can't even have foods that were made in the same facility as gluten without getting sick.

But it's great that you're doing well on the Whole30, I hope you continue to improve!!

[jolong]

I've been thinking a lot about reintroduction also. I started a day later than you guys so my day 31 works out perfectly to be next Friday...Just in time for a glass of wine! I plan to follow the reintroduction as closely as possible, but it will have to be a speedy one for me because I have a conference to go to the next week. I think I will try to stick closely to a Whole 30ish diet, so I will probably just take things as they come. Considering my weakness with Doritos, which I haven't had for 26 days, I will probably stay away from grains for the most part.

This has been such a great experience for me that I also plan on doing another round, either in April or May, depending on how things fall into place on my calendar. I'm sure my husband won't be looking forward to this again!

I am happy to share that I did survive my biggest food challenge the other night...book club! Our book club is named Sweet Connections for a reason! We always partake of a luscious dessert after discussing our book. But luckily a snowstorm threw our plans off kilter because the gal who was bringing dessert couldn't make it so we had to substitute it with a premade frozen dessert from the store. Something that I did not have a problem passing up at all! I did bring myself a hard-boiled egg and an apple with some almond butter for a snack, and didn't even feel tempted to sneak a bite of the dessert! I know a week after my introduction I plan to go to a birthday party where there will be a cake that will be worth it!

[dfox]

I'm feeling much lighter when I run now . .  .

I ran 11 miles Sunday, including 3 miles of hill work, and I felt great. I've noticed in the past that I don't get as fatigued when on a gluten free diet. With Whole30 one thing I consistently notice is that while I may be sluggish at times when I start my run, I don't tend to get more tired as I pile on the miles, and recovery is quick. That alone is reason enough to avoid going back to gluten and sugar after my 30 days. I will be adding in corn, rice, and beans, right off the bat since I know already that those foods don't affect me adversely. Whole foods are good for me.

 

Mitso, as an athletic person on this diet you might be interested in a December Runner's World article about a High Fat Low Carb experiment. I liked the article, but would like to have seen a better conclusion. http://www.runnersworld.com/diet/can-eating-more-fat-make-you-a-better-runner

[CherylS67]

I started a day before you guys, so I'm on DAY 30!!!!  I am so happy and feel so good.  I'm going to start reintroduction tomorrow with added sugars.  I'm getting a salad from chipotle at lunch with chicken, chicken, fajita veggies, and guac.  I need to see what is non compliant about the chicken and fajita veggies.  I'm planning on a glass of wine with my W30 dinner.  I watched the reintroduction video Melissa Hartwig posted on the Whole30 FB page last night.  I was contemplating staying W30, but I'm going to take Melissa's advice and take my W30 training wheels off and try to do this on my own.

 

I've not run this whole time.  I have chronic anemia and while I feel that it has improved, my muscles fatigue easily and I can't seem to go long running without a break.  My muscles recover quickly, but when I keep running they don't get the chance.  I'm hoping it's the anemia and that it will improve, especially since I have a half marathon coming up in April and 2 in May.  I will run/walk my half if I need to, because this is all a process.

[Mitso874]

Mitso, as an athletic person on this diet you might be interested in a December Runner's World article about a High Fat Low Carb experiment. I liked the article, but would like to have seen a better conclusion. http://www.runnersworld.com/diet/can-eating-more-fat-make-you-a-better-runner

Thanks! I'll check it out!

[jolong]

Congrats to all you guys that are on Day 30! I'm a day behind you so that will be me tomorrow...I'm so excited! It's hard to believe that I have gone 30 days without Doritos! Seriously, that has always been my downfall. So I'm thinking when I am done with this I will just stay away from grains.

I'm thrilled to share that my hot flashes over the last week have really calmed down too. This has been such a great experience I'm already planning to do it again in April or May...depending on how things fall with the calendar.

Great job guys!