First timer at Whole 30

[Tricia77]

Well, I'm on day 4 of my first try at Whole 30 program (begin date 1-11-16. Days 1 and 2 were easy as pie! I was made delicious food to get through and had no issues. Day 3 came and went without any problems even when my boyfriend ate chips and my favorite ice cream in front of me (with chocolate syrup on top! I actually cringed inwardly at that level of sweetness). But day 4? I woke up feeling like a truck smashed into me... 15 times! Ugh! I slept in a bit, made myself a "clean out the fridge" breakfast, drank some tea and now I'm feeling slightly better minus my headache. God, it's awful. I'm thinking I'm experiencing a slight delay on the timeline described in the Whole 30 book. But my complaining is making my friends and family second guess the health behind doing this program. I'm trying my best not to let them in. Any suggestions on how to ignore their disapproval? 

 

I'll check back in after a few days! Fingers crossed that I'm still strong!

[HolisticSteph]

Just keep going. Once you get past your slump and you feel 100x better than you normally do, that will be all the proof you need! Believe me, you'll feel it when you get those soaring energy levels. Stay strong!

[Tricia77]

Today is day 5! I'm having some weird dreams that started the eve of day 3. First, that I took a bite of a non-compliant food without realizing it. When I woke up I started analyzing everything I actually did eat and discovered that my mind was just playing games on me! Last night I had a dream about sweets and pizza.. ah! I'm starting to feel the sugar-dragon and the cravings. Small walks, fruity tea, or drinking plain ol water seems to help. Though yesterday I did notice I started snacking on almonds because my coworker was snacking on pretzels. I figured it out pretty quickly (only about 5 almonds in) and stopped that behavior. Also, the "kill all things" is certainly on the horizon. My dog was just licking her lips last night at like 11pm and it woke me up in such a rage! I felt so bad for yelling at her to drink water so I later got up again and gave her some treats. 

 

Oh so last night my boyfriend made me spaghetti squash (which I now realize is not one of the "best" choices of veggies...sigh) with homemade marinara and ground turkey with sauteed spinach (yum!) but on his plate he added some mozzarella cheese AND had bread. He even said, "I'm going to tempt you but..." as he pulled the bread out of the oven. UGH. I need to do some major avoidance of his place when the cravings start kicking in. Yesterday I noticed myself glancing at the bread and trying to convince myself one bite wouldn't be the end-all! Such craziness! I didn't eat that bite though. 

 

I'm trying to stay strong. I have more than just a weight loss goal in mind. My constant headaches, digestive issues, and fatigue are all high priorities for me and I need to just keep reminding myself of that! 

[Krondina]

I feel you 100%! I have all the same issues.

 

Yes, I can benefit from the weight loss but the fatigue, chronic headaches, and digestive issues need to stop. I can do this.

 

YOU CAN DO THIS

 

Do not give up even when temptation strikes. I'm also on day 5 now and feel SUPER energetic cutting out that crap from my diet. I live with my fiance and he IS the sugar dragon and he temps me often. Today, he texts me and tells me about his pizza he ordered and how delicious it is. I know he's going to wash it down with a Dr. Pepper or Pepsi but I cannot let that get me down!

 

Good luck to you!

[Tricia77]

Thanks for the kind words ladies!

 

Day 9 is here and whoa....last night I had the silliest dreams! I think it was part a mixture of seeing commercials and part cravings... I had such a vivid dream about going to a Subway in Japan...but the meats were all vastly different than typical sandwich meat. I remember trying to pick one. And I remember specifically choosing Havarti cheese! Like what? I never even wanted that prior to my whole30 journey! Then there was another dream about taking a road trip to Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Or. Yes, I'm craving donuts but wtf?! So funny. I'm glad I prepared by reading the Whole30 book to know this is not me going insane  . 

 

This morning's breakfast was a fail though so I ate almost an entire pack of raspberries and a small handful of almonds to get through to my next meal. Not the best options but so much better than being hangry! I may even need to eat my lunch a little early... meh. Today is clearly a mess-up. Food will remain compliant but size and timing are going to be all off. 

 

One note though... today my pants felt LOOSER! Not tighter...I haven't experienced the "tighter" feeling yet... maybe that's just because all my pants were tight to begin with. Le sigh. 

[Tricia77]

DEEP FRIED PRAWNS. omg. What a crazy craving!!!! I NEVER EAT THESE!!! 

[Tricia77]

Help! I'm on day 12 now... still going strong BUT I think I'm either under eating and not producing "waste" or I'm backed up. bleh. gross. hate writing about this stuff. But this is becoming an issue. Last weekend I experienced similar symptoms but then was back to normal the following day up until two days ago. I feel like I under-eat some days but am trying to avoid snacking and eat enough at each meal to feel full. So I can't really add more to my meals. But I really want to use the bathroom!!! I've been consistently having about 64+ ounces of water a day for the last four or five days. Still not a lot of movement though. 

 

Any suggestions? 

[ShannonM816]

Help! I'm on day 12 now... still going strong BUT I think I'm either under eating and not producing "waste" or I'm backed up. bleh. gross. hate writing about this stuff. But this is becoming an issue. Last weekend I experienced similar symptoms but then was back to normal the following day up until two days ago. I feel like I under-eat some days but am trying to avoid snacking and eat enough at each meal to feel full. So I can't really add more to my meals. But I really want to use the bathroom!!! I've been consistently having about 64+ ounces of water a day for the last four or five days. Still not a lot of movement though.

Any suggestions?

For water, aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so 64 oz is great if you weigh 128 lbs.

Could you list a couple of days'worth of food, including approximate portion sizes? Maybe something will stand out that you can change to help.

[Tricia77]

For water, aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so 64 oz is great if you weigh 128 lbs.

Could you list a couple of days'worth of food, including approximate portion sizes? Maybe something will stand out that you can change to help.

 

Thanks Shannon for your reply.

 

I'm still feeling the same even after the weekend. I didn't know I wasn't drinking enough... I'll aim for 75 ounces a day then. 

 

Food wise... here's  quick breakdown of last couple of days, granted... I was away from home all day on Sunday but I did my best.

 

Friday:

B: "non-oatmeal", 2 hard boiled eggs

L: Coconut chicken soup w/ tomatoes

D: 4 oz chicken breast, broccoli, coconut aminos

 

Saturday:

B: egg, 1/4 sweet potato, half an apple, small spoonful of almond butter

L: about 4 oz chicken breast, 1.5 cups of sauteed veggies, and 1.5 eggs smashed with whole30 mayo

D: ground beef burgers w/ jalapeno and onion (about 3 4 oz's worth), sweet potato bites (not even 1/2 a sweet potato worth), broccoli 

 

Sunday:

B: 1.5 eggs, 1/2 link of sausage, 1 strip of nitrate free bacon, two sweet potato bites (about 1/2 a sweet potato with green bell pepper and onion), whole30 ketchup and 3 ounces pure apple juice, 

PWO: banana, small handful of cashews

Dinner: hunk of steak, white sweet potato (half), clairified butter and about a pound of asparagus (seriously.. they took over my plate). 

 

I do some sort of workout every day (if it's just moderate walking I don't tend to worry about eating extra) but if it's weight lifting I know I probably should eat more. I just get so full from each meal as they currently are. I've noticed I'm starting to rely on fruit more than I should to fill my plate. Going to work harder at switching that for veggies this week. And also realized last week I had 5.5 cups of tea that had a stevia leaf listed as an ingredient. I can't believe I did that but I'm hoping to just move forward, hoping I don't have to restart. Haven't found any info on that yet though! 

[Tricia77]

Day 22 and omg...feeling great! Been working on my FODMAP stuff and eating more (yesterday I tracked calories finally and found out only had like 1100! and worked out for an hour of high intensity! yikes!). Anyway... I was thinking about V-day coming up and the plans I've made...we're going to a local brewery. The idea of beer is churning my stomach! I read the menu too to find alternative options and I read through some of the pizzas...usually my mouth would start watering or I'd start craving it but not this today! I'm strong today! I think I picked out a spinach salad I'm going to eat (sans the cheese and balsamic dressing on side!). And if I'm able to handle, I'll have a little beer....because I know I USED to like it and it's pretty special stuff... everyone stands in line for hours to get it! But who knows... if I get there and want to eat ALL THE FOOD then maybe I'll nibble on my boyfriend's choice. No pressure. Just going to see how it goes. 80/20 is my goal unless the anything really throws me back into the headache/stomach ache/fatigued zone! 

[Tricia77]

So... I really really badly want to weigh myself! I'm NOT going to be ahhh! Some moments I feel like I'm still in the 150's range but then I stand up and feel the looseness of my pants and realize i must have lost some weight. i don't want this to be about weight but i feel like since no one (besides my bf) has commented that maybe I'm doing something wrong? gah. just having a bad moment I suppose. 

[ShannonM816]

Thanks Shannon for your reply.

 

I'm still feeling the same even after the weekend. I didn't know I wasn't drinking enough... I'll aim for 75 ounces a day then. 

 

Food wise... here's  quick breakdown of last couple of days, granted... I was away from home all day on Sunday but I did my best.

 

Friday:

B: "non-oatmeal", 2 hard boiled eggs

L: Coconut chicken soup w/ tomatoes

D: 4 oz chicken breast, broccoli, coconut aminos

 

Saturday:

B: egg, 1/4 sweet potato, half an apple, small spoonful of almond butter

L: about 4 oz chicken breast, 1.5 cups of sauteed veggies, and 1.5 eggs smashed with whole30 mayo

D: ground beef burgers w/ jalapeno and onion (about 3 4 oz's worth), sweet potato bites (not even 1/2 a sweet potato worth), broccoli 

 

Sunday:

B: 1.5 eggs, 1/2 link of sausage, 1 strip of nitrate free bacon, two sweet potato bites (about 1/2 a sweet potato with green bell pepper and onion), whole30 ketchup and 3 ounces pure apple juice, 

PWO: banana, small handful of cashews

Dinner: hunk of steak, white sweet potato (half), clairified butter and about a pound of asparagus (seriously.. they took over my plate). 

 

I do some sort of workout every day (if it's just moderate walking I don't tend to worry about eating extra) but if it's weight lifting I know I probably should eat more. I just get so full from each meal as they currently are. I've noticed I'm starting to rely on fruit more than I should to fill my plate. Going to work harder at switching that for veggies this week. And also realized last week I had 5.5 cups of tea that had a stevia leaf listed as an ingredient. I can't believe I did that but I'm hoping to just move forward, hoping I don't have to restart. Haven't found any info on that yet though! 

 

I'm sorry, I'm just now seeing this. I think you're not eating enough in general, and definitely you could eat more vegetables. It looks like you're feeling better now, but keep in mind that with every meal, we want you to have 1-3 cups of vegetables, with three being best. (Also, just to note -- to track one day just to see where you're at is not too big a deal, but we really don't want you to feel like you have to track all your food. There's no way those tracking programs know what's optimum for you to eat. Work on making your meals meet the meal template. If you're hungrier than that, eat more than that, but try not to eat less than the minimum on the template.)

 

Protein servings should be 1-2 servings the size of your palm, that's the length, depth, and height of your palm -- it's hard to know if the portions you have listed meet that or not, but that's what you should be aiming for. When eggs are your only protein, a serving is as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand -- which is probably three or maybe more. If you don't want to have that many at once, include some other protein.

 

Don't be afraid to add fat -- it's what will help keep you satisfied between meals, plus it's good for hair and skin and brain function. Cooking fat often gets left behind in the pan and not consumed, so drizzle some extra oil over your veggies, or have some mayo to dip them in, or have avocado or olives.

 

I'm not sure what no-oatmeal recipe you're using, but they're usually very heavy on nuts, which can be hard on your digestion, so if you do have any more issues, you might want to skip things like that. We'd really prefer you got out of that "breakfast food" mindset anyway, and were open to eating anything at your first meal of the day that you'd eat at any other meal. It takes a little getting used to, but gives you so many more possibilities, like just grabbing last night's leftovers to eat if you're in a hurry, or just having something other than eggs when you get tired of them.

 

Definitely watch the fruit -- try to limit it to not more than two servings a day, and don't let the fruit push the veggies off the plate, you want it to be in addition to that 1-3 cups of veggies.

 

 

Oh, and definitely stay off the scale. If your pants are feeling looser, and you're feeling good, that's what's really important. That number on the scale doesn't tell you anything other than your relationship with gravity.

[Tricia77]

Day ... oh shoot, I don't even know what day it is. Oh day 26! Woohoo! 

 

NSV: I noticed my hair feels thicker and looks fuller... ain't that nice! Pants still lose, digestion is doing better (but that may have something to do with staying away from high FODMAP foods and taking an enzyme before meals with heavy meat or veggies. Is that allowed? Enzymes? Hope so!

 

Headaches have been nearly nonexistent with the exception of my Invisalign headaches (I can tell the difference!) and dehydration headaches. My fatigue has definitely subsided as my sleep has improved significantly. 

 

My worries are starting to creep in re: how to live life after Whole30. Some moments I'm like EAT ALL THE FOOD... can't have that cake now? I'll freeze it for after my challenge! ugh!!! I hate the mentality. Yes, I literally just said that to my coworker then changed my mind and said I don't need that cake and I'm not going to take a slice home. Cappuccino cake SOUNDS good but it's not going to be the end of my world if I don't have some. I've decided to take it day-by-day and keep the 80/20 rule in mind! 

[Tricia77]

I'm starting to plan my reintroduction strategy and I'm filled with anxiety... my stomach even began to flip flop. I need to reread the reintroduction instructions from the book but a mere little line in another forum topic said the item we plan to reintroduce should be reintroduced into each meal of that day. Many things scare me about this. For starters, does all dairy affect me the same? Should I just stick to "cheese" on day 1... or cheese and yogurt... ahhh. I've felt in the past that milk definitely throws my stomach for a loop but cheese and yogurt seem to be alright.  Second, that much exposure to things that used to throw me off the deep end is haunting me. How can I keep in control? And finally, how much do we reintroduce? Just a single serving as shown on the package? How will I know that that is enough to affect me? 

 

Feb 10th- Day 1- dairy - I'm thinking just cheese, yogurt for this day. 

 

Feb 14th- Day 5- grains- I'm going out this day so it will probably be in the form of pizza dough. If the cheese didn't affect me, I may include that too. In the morning I'll have a small piece of toast with one of my usual whole30 breakfast options.

 

Planning to give the grain reintroduction a couple extra days to see how my body reacts.

 

Feb 20th- Day 11- perhaps I'll try alcohol on this day. Thinking just a glass of wine or perhaps 1 beer instead. 

 

Feb 24th- legumes. I really don't think I have a problem with these but I want to make sure!

 

Feb 28th- sugar... ahhh the scariest one of all. I think I'll stick to honey, maple syrup or agave... no cake or anything like that!

 

Feb 3rd- reintroduction is done... so I'll be looking over all my notes and seeing what worked and what worked and what didn't. I'll also be weighing myself again at this point but going to try my best to avoid weighing during the reintroduction at all. 

 

Feb 3rd and on will be focused on whole30 compliant eating but may include, very minimally, some items above that didn't throw my head spinning or my gut into spasms. 

 

Hope this works! Feeling better to lay it out but omg, still anxious. eeeeeks.