April 1st!!

[HealthyForPNG]

Joleybelle, I roast chickens all the time. Rinse chicken off, pat dry. Then mix compliant oil of choice with plenty of salt, some pepper, and plenty of poultry season (BE SURE TO CHECK LABELS - I have some that is compliant and some that isn't). Rub that pretty mess all over the bird, top and bottom, shove an onion, lemon and carrot in the cavity if I have it. Stick it in the oven at 425 for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the bird. It's incredibly easy and SO YUMMY.

 

DJ, I am right there with you on needing a rule safe haven. I was just nodding my head along with all of your post. I have actually told the few people I've talked to about me doing a pregnant Whole30 that I just honestly have no self-control. I don't want to overdo on sugar, I know gluten is bad for my stomach, I know i feel better when I eat protein at breakfast... But if I give myself a "choice" each time a situation presents itself, I cave, almost every single time. Whole30 has rules. I'm a rule follower. It works. But I am really nervous about "off-roading."

 

On another note, it looks like I will be doing a Whole22. We are about to leave Papua New Guinea to go to Australia for 3 months for the birth of our baby. My friends are throwing me a girls overnight party, which is amazing. On April 22nd. We will be eating dinner, breakfast, and yummy snacks. This is a situation where I feel it is worth it to participate whole-heartedly. But my plan is to stay Whole30 completely up until that night, and go right back into Whole30 on the 24th. I know that the going back to Whole30 will be the hard part, but I want to stick with the program until we get to Australia around May 11th.

 

I'm already gleaning useful information, 5 days in. I've avoiding fruit at breakfast so far. But yesterday I had a banana with my eggs and veggies. I experienced my typical 9am light-headedness and gross feeling. Apparently I need to avoid even natural sugars in the morning to feel optimal. I've had fruit with lunch, dinner, or my evening mini-meal without any trouble.

[kirkor]

On another note, it looks like I will be doing a Whole22 ... But my plan is to stay Whole30 completely up until that night, and go right back into Whole30 on the 24th.

Without a proper reintro it's going to be tough to derive all the benefit of those 22 days. On your girls' day I'd try real hard to avoid the biggest potential disruptors like gluten and soy.

[Debr]

Day 4 done!! How is everyone doing and feeling?? I was a bit dizzy the first day or two but feeling pretty good today!! I am starting to reduce my portions due to feeling full and realizing I will make it to my next meal!! My family (hubby, daughter, sister in law and niece) are all doing it with me and posting to an Instagram acct!

crusinwhole30

if you want to follow our progression!! Let's do this!!!

[Marjanill]

Hi All!  

 

I'm late to the party, but started my first Whole 30 on April 1st!  I started transitioning into the Whole30 ways a week ago today by quitting my diet coke habit (hardest part for me by far) & lessening the milk/sweetener in my coffee each day!  I also gradually started cutting grains & dairy from my meals.  I think this has helped me have less harsh "symptoms" the first few days. 

 

As for a quick intro.....I'm originally from Kentucky & now live in New York.  I'm getting married 5/28.  My reason for doing the Whole30 isn't so much a last minute effort to lose a few pounds before the wedding but more about the fact that I KNOW I feel more confident in general when I'm taking excellent care of my body.  I also have struggled with jumping from diet plan to diet plan & know I need a re-set to get back to the basics of sound nutritional food choices. 

 

The first few days haven't been as hard as I anticipated; however, I did struggle with some lethargy & nausea over the weekend.  It's day four today, and I already feel much better!  

 

I look forward to sharing in this journey with you all! 

Oh, could I relate to the Coke issues. That was a tough one. But I'm now at 35 days without it. It can be done. ;-) I had quite a bit of nausea the first whole 30 for the early days. After I did a quick 7 day reintro (I was a lot more successful with my Whole 30 than I was with the reintro) and jumped back in there was still some nausea the second day, but it didn't last long. Isn't today the "kill all the things" day, according to Melissa's timetable? Didn't have any of that--but it didn't seem to hit me until around the 6th-7th day the first time. According to my husband;-) 

 

I went to the gym today for the first time in several years. I went to a class called Beatz Antique. All older ladies with GREAT music (50's,60's, 70's) and kind of a belly dancing class with no bellies showing. It was great fun. I loved the instructor--a flower child for sure. It turned out to be a heck of a workout on my calves and ankles.

[Marjanill]

Debr, I just followed you on instagram.

[WholeAnne]

I'm just noticing how hard I can be on myself around being on any kind of food plan.  The truth is that I am following the program.  That is a miracle.  I am really trying to stop the self-criticism and perfectionism.  Its bound to backfire on me.  All this because I figured out how to make a whole30 recipe for mayonnaise and then thoroughly enjoyed eating it with tuna!  I am writing this out because it feels vital that I be kind to myself as I follow this food plan and NOT get into being overly harsh or self-critical.  

[maxiesemma]

I started April 1 and I'm not having any cravings but every fricking emotion is rearing its ugly head after having stuffed them for so long. However physically I feel great, isn't that ducky. Apparently I am in the kill all the things phase.

[Debr]

Debr, I just followed you on instagram.

[Debr]

Yeah!! There are 5 of us linked to that Instagram page, all posting what we eat!! I think by the end we will be excellent food photographers at the least!

[joleybelle]

The struggle is real in my neck of the woods. On Saturday I was in bed from 1pm til 5pm and still managed to actually sleep thru the night. I felt terrible. Sunday (Day 3) wasn't bad and my boyfriend and I ate really well. But when I got to day 4 I wanted to quit... I didn't plan/grocery shop well enough so I'm almost out of food now and I'm going to have to make a grocery run. I have had a dull headache since day 1 and I'm ready for that to go away. My co-worker brought in some fast food breakfast this morning (my favorite place too) and actually ate it right next to me and I wanted to scream. I'm having a hard time adding a fat into every meal and I'm starting to get discouraged with my grocery shopping abilities. 

[MirandaT]

Oh, could I relate to the Coke issues. That was a tough one. But I'm now at 35 days without it. It can be done. ;-) I had quite a bit of nausea the first whole 30 for the early days. After I did a quick 7 day reintro (I was a lot more successful with my Whole 30 than I was with the reintro) and jumped back in there was still some nausea the second day, but it didn't last long. Isn't today the "kill all the things" day, according to Melissa's timetable? Didn't have any of that--but it didn't seem to hit me until around the 6th-7th day the first time. According to my husband;-) 

 

I went to the gym today for the first time in several years. I went to a class called Beatz Antique. All older ladies with GREAT music (50's,60's, 70's) and kind of a belly dancing class with no bellies showing. It was great fun. I loved the instructor--a flower child for sure. It turned out to be a heck of a workout on my calves and ankles.

 

Marjanill, would you mind elaborating a little on your reintro?  I know it's early, but I'm really curious to learn about how others have handled reintro in the past.  Your workout class sounds like so much fun!  

[MirandaT]

I'm just noticing how hard I can be on myself around being on any kind of food plan.  The truth is that I am following the program.  That is a miracle.  I am really trying to stop the self-criticism and perfectionism.  Its bound to backfire on me.  All this because I figured out how to make a whole30 recipe for mayonnaise and then thoroughly enjoyed eating it with tuna!  I am writing this out because it feels vital that I be kind to myself as I follow this food plan and NOT get into being overly harsh or self-critical.  

Just wanted to share that I can completely relate!  I am my toughest critic.  I gave myself a hard time because I enjoyed eating a small, mandarin orange as part of my meal!  I kept thinking that since it tasted so good/sweet that I shouldn't be allowed to enjoy it.  It's interesting the things we discover about ourselves through challenges such as this... 

[MirandaT]

Day 4 done!! How is everyone doing and feeling?? I was a bit dizzy the first day or two but feeling pretty good today!! I am starting to reduce my portions due to feeling full and realizing I will make it to my next meal!! My family (hubby, daughter, sister in law and niece) are all doing it with me and posting to an Instagram acct!

crusinwhole30

if you want to follow our progression!! Let's do this!!!

I just followed your instagram!  I'm mirandatownsend2.

 

-MT

[kittylin]

Day 3 for me, feeling great, wish all us luck

[LeahD]

The struggle is real in my neck of the woods. On Saturday I was in bed from 1pm til 5pm and still managed to actually sleep thru the night. I felt terrible. Sunday (Day 3) wasn't bad and my boyfriend and I ate really well. But when I got to day 4 I wanted to quit... I didn't plan/grocery shop well enough so I'm almost out of food now and I'm going to have to make a grocery run. I have had a dull headache since day 1 and I'm ready for that to go away. My co-worker brought in some fast food breakfast this morning (my favorite place too) and actually ate it right next to me and I wanted to scream. I'm having a hard time adding a fat into every meal and I'm starting to get discouraged with my grocery shopping abilities.

The struggle is definitely real...you are not alone. I have started going to bed early so I won't be tempted to snack. I find that I do better if I limit my options at first. I don't mind eating the same thing over and over. Try boiling a dozen eggs and cooking a bunch of sweet potatoes. That is my breakfast with some avocado most mornings. I do struggle with my dinner meal because I am the only person doing Whole30 in my house. My husband is the main cook so I tend to eat a seperate meal from my husband and kids. You can do this!!

[Wholepammy]

I did the Whole30 for the month of January.  I felt GREAT!!  Since then I've had very little in the way of dairy, legumes, alcohol or grains.  I have completely cut out sugar substitutes and diet soda which makes me happy.  However, a couple of weeks ago I did succumb to a gluten free chocolate cookie and it set off a week long, intense sugar binge.  I felt like crap and I gained weight.  Thank god I found this thread to join... it came at the perfect time.  I could have been binging for weeks!  Now I'm back on track and feeling so much better even after only 5 days.

For those of you who think it's hard and want to give up - please don't.  You will feel amazing soon.  It is SO worth it. This way of eating is like a personal experiment.  When you figure out what works for you and what doesn't, the results will speak for themselves. I know my weakness is sugar and I have to accept that I can't have it.  It's that simple.

Thanks to everyone on this thread.  I appreciate reading about your experiences.  Congrats to everyone who has made it through day 5!  Only 25 more to go.  We can do it!!

[kirkor]

@joleybelle 3 main tips to keep from feeling overwhelmed:

1) Always make enough food for leftovers. Always!

2) Have at least 2 "go to" meals that fit the template, are easy to make, and are to your taste. Like, I dunno, eggs+spinach+avocado ... or chicken+sweet potato+coconut milk

3) Have some "zero prep" things on hand all the time: canned salmon, compliant sausage, hard-boiled eggs, olives, coconut milk, etc. Things you can just throw down your throat when you get home late after sitting in traffic an extra hour, to come home and find the septic system back up, etc.

[Marjanill]

Marjanill, would you mind elaborating a little on your reintro?  I know it's early, but I'm really curious to learn about how others have handled reintro in the past.  Your workout class sounds like so much fun!  

Well, it went like this: I decided to introduce dairy first. Fine. Except I chose a flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream that caused me to be introducing Dairy/Sugar/Peanut Butter and Gluten all at the same time. Not smart. So when I felt like crud the next couple of days, what was to blame? The dairy, the sugar, the legumes or the gluten?  I have no idea. Really, I just shouldn't have reintroduced any of them since I was going to do a second Whole30, but I wasn't sure about that at the time. Then there was Easter--and I tried to stick fairly close to the plan but since it was a big buffet where everyone brought something different, who knows what I was eating. At this point in time thinking towards the next reintro--I'm thinking that I will mostly keep the gluten out. I will reintroduce fermented dairy, rice and legumes as occasional foods, but mostly continue a Paleo diet. I'm not going to read labels for hidden sugar after that, but I definitely want to keep my carbs way below where they were, so there isn't a big place for sugar there. But I could completely change my mind by April 31st. It's a woman's prerogative, right?

[joleybelle]

The struggle is definitely real...you are not alone. I have started going to bed early so I won't be tempted to snack. I find that I do better if I limit my options at first. I don't mind eating the same thing over and over. Try boiling a dozen eggs and cooking a bunch of sweet potatoes. That is my breakfast with some avocado most mornings. I do struggle with my dinner meal because I am the only person doing Whole30 in my house. My husband is the main cook so I tend to eat a seperate meal from my husband and kids. You can do this!!

 

 

@joleybelle 3 main tips to keep from feeling overwhelmed:

1) Always make enough food for leftovers. Always!

2) Have at least 2 "go to" meals that fit the template, are easy to make, and are to your taste. Like, I dunno, eggs+spinach+avocado ... or chicken+sweet potato+coconut milk

3) Have some "zero prep" things on hand all the time: canned salmon, compliant sausage, hard-boiled eggs, olives, coconut milk, etc. Things you can just throw down your throat when you get home late after sitting in traffic an extra hour, to come home and find the septic system back up, etc.

 

 

Thanks for yalls replies. My main concern is if I meal prep, how long does that food last? Like I was going to prep some pork chops on Sunday to take for lunches next week, will they stay good until Friday?

[MirandaT]

That makes perfect sense to me!  I am really nervous about the re-intro because I tend to be an all-or-nothing type of person!  I will do some research & make a plan!  Thank you for sharing your experience.  

 

Well, it went like this: I decided to introduce dairy first. Fine. Except I chose a flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream that caused me to be introducing Dairy/Sugar/Peanut Butter and Gluten all at the same time. Not smart. So when I felt like crud the next couple of days, what was to blame? The dairy, the sugar, the legumes or the gluten?  I have no idea. Really, I just shouldn't have reintroduced any of them since I was going to do a second Whole30, but I wasn't sure about that at the time. Then there was Easter--and I tried to stick fairly close to the plan but since it was a big buffet where everyone brought something different, who knows what I was eating. At this point in time thinking towards the next reintro--I'm thinking that I will mostly keep the gluten out. I will reintroduce fermented dairy, rice and legumes as occasional foods, but mostly continue a Paleo diet. I'm not going to read labels for hidden sugar after that, but I definitely want to keep my carbs way below where they were, so there isn't a big place for sugar there. But I could completely change my mind by April 31st. It's a woman's prerogative, right?

[HealthyForPNG]

Thanks for yalls replies. My main concern is if I meal prep, how long does that food last? Like I was going to prep some pork chops on Sunday to take for lunches next week, will they stay good until Friday?

 

I think most things would be good from a weekend prep to the end of a work week without any trouble.

The benefit of paying more attention to my body is all the information I am learning, already. Yesterday I needed to make the market run, which my husband normally does. So I got up, showered, got dressed, got the kids breakfasts ready, went to the market, came home, and THEN made my breakfast. I felt awful. It was probably a good hour and a half before I had breakfast, instead of my normal 30 minutes to an hour. It really does make a difference. It took an hour after breakfast before I started feeling better.

 

Last night was a great family dinner. I made chicken fajitas, and served them over "kaukau" - they are a local product very similar to sweet potatoes,but not as sweet as what you buy in the U.S. The kids thought it sounded really, really weird, but I encouraged them all to try it. Everyone except my two pickest eaters (my 10 year old daughter and my husband!) loved it.

 

I also had a good talk yesterday with one of my friends, who has been a bit skeptical. "Eat to Live" (meat should be a condiment, low-salt, low-fats) is very popular amongst some of my friends, including this one. We had a good talk. I think she thinks I'm eating way to much protein, and she struggles to understand why something as healthy as legumes would be banned. But when I pointed out how inflammatory legumes can be for some people, she did understand that. I think she also knows how terribly I typically eat. Even though she doesn't understand why I need to be so rigid, I think she can see the positive of me eating so much more real food.

[kirkor]

@joelybelle @HealthyForPNG ya, Sunday to Friday should work just fine, but depending on the dish you might find that freezing a few servings Sunday night and then pulling them out for Thursday / Friday might work better, texture-wise.

Check https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/for the veterans.

[djoyce]

Hey all

 

Day 7 and feeling good.  It is nice to be in "control" again.  No real concerns.  Yesterday I was a bit hungry in the evening and this caught me a bit by surprise.  I never am hungry on the W30.  It was weird to feel hungry!  It was non-activity because it was a busy day at work and I had under 3000 steps in total.  The evening involved watching some of the hockey game and doing some work (in a chair).  Interesting.

 

Then I woke up today with a bit of hunger too?   Again, a complete anomaly for me but i don't mind it ... just weird, for me.

 

Yesterday:

M1 - 3 poached eggs, sweet potato hash (with ground pork & veggies)

M2 - W30 Chilli and quick pickle cucumbers (cukes, vinegar, salt and pepper - left to infuse), small apple

M3 - NY Striploin Steak, Cabbage/Kale salad (EVOO/Balsamic)

 

Today:

M1 - 3 poached eggs, sweet potato hash (with ground pork & veggies)

M2 - NY Striploin Steak, Cabbage/Kale salad (EVOO/Balsamic)

M3 - Shopping so TBD

 

Keep doing the program... It is worth it!

 

Cheers

DJ

[Marjanill]

Interesting, djoyce. I can't see anything in that menu that would trigger hunger. Are you getting enough fat?

 

I noticed that yesterday and today, I was a bit cranky. So, I guess I know for sure now that I hit my "kill all the things" stage on day 7 twice now.  I always WAS a late bloomer. I found myself being a lot more interested in sweet stuff today than I have been in the last 38 days. I blame the Mexican market and BAKERY I was in today looking for some Guajillo peppers to make lizard sauce. Everything looked good. Good thing my husband was there for accountability! ;-)

 

Is everybody still alive out there? I had a hard time even finding this thread. Remember that day 11 is the most likely day for someone to quit. After that, it's downhill. So don't quit just as you are getting to the better part.

[HealthyForPNG]

 

 

I noticed that yesterday and today, I was a bit cranky. So, I guess I know for sure now that I hit my "kill all the things" stage on day 7 twice now.  I always WAS a late bloomer.

 

I've been cranky the last few days too, but I can't be sure if it's the Whole30. I am swamped with paperwork (which I hate) that has to be done before we go to Australia to have our baby, I'm 30 weeks pregnant, and my 2-year old has decided 5:30 is the new wake-up time (and I am NOT a morning person).

I have a headache today, but see above... I'm not really sure what the trigger is.

 

I'm hanging in there, but this weekend has been stressful. My husband forgot several things on our market list Friday, and so for veggies I have... lettuce, greens (that are only good cooked), tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. To last until Monday. Not exactly a balanced diet, but I think I will survive.

Tonight's dinner is Well Fed Chocolate Chili with baked potatoes and avocado. I think it's going to be good, just wish I had more veggies!