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Day 4 and how to know if I should start over...


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Today is Day 4 for me, and I'm faced with whether I should start over or not. Yesterday, I ordered a salad at a restaurant that had "walnut flour fried chicken," which I thought at the time would be compliant. When I started eating it, it seemed a little too light and crispy to be made just with walnuts, but I ate it anyway. I know I should have clarified with the waiter and will try to do that more in the future.

I've had no residual effects (besides guilt), but I don't know if--if indeed the chicken had a minute amount of flour--that should derail me. (I'm also not sure what oil it was fried in.)

Also: I know smoothies are not recommended, but both yesterday and this morning I found myself genuinely hungry and didn't have time to cook anything. I rigged up a smoothie of coconut milk, almond butter, an egg, a banana, and just a small dash of apple cider and vanilla extract. I didn't use it as meal or dessert replacement (it was not very sweet at all), but as a way to get some fat and protein in my system. (Again, I'm fully aware that I should have had something quick on hand, but my failure to plan/verify is not the point or what I need to have questioned here.)

Am I supposed to start over now? If so, this may not be the plan for me. I thought the Whole30 would be a good introduction to "going Paleo." However, I have issues with obsessive thinking, both with food and other issues; it seems to me that obsessing over the smallest details is missing the point of the plan and counterproductive. I realize these details can be legitimate derailers, especially if they are conscious decisions, but these things were not intentional AT ALL and don't seem to have had an impact in any way but psychological.

Help? Would it be better to abandon the Whole30 and just focus on making better Paleo-based food choices? I can't handle the thought of continually tacking days on over obsessive questioning of myself and my intentions and what may or may not be true failures. With my tendencies, my Whole30 would be a very bleak Whole365 or more. And if I end up abandoning, can I get my Whole30 daily money back?

Oh, and forgive me if this is too close to topics that have been covered--I searched as best I could and found a few related threads, but nothing that spoke to my exact situation. The search restriction that requires more than four-character search terms is frustrating!

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Hey Holly,

You're absolutely right, obsessing over every single thing you put in your mouth, especially when they're unintentional is missing the point and is counterproductive to the goals of the W30. That being said, if you were looking for a program to "ease" you into going paleo, you picked the wrong one. The Whole30 is one of the strictest intros out there, and for good reason: it changes lives.

We really want you to hold yourself accountable for your food choices AND to really start being superconscious and aware of what's going into your food. That doesn't mean get neurotic and worry whether every potential contamination of seed oils that falls your way means you have to restart. That DOES mean that you have to be better prepared to navigate the waters, though.

The smoothies aren't great, and really aren't a good source of protein (only 1 egg), but if you ditch the vanilla extract, they're TECHNICALLY compliant and no reason to start over. On the other hand, the walnut flour chicken (which sounds _awesome_ btw), while unintentional, is a big deal. You should definitely restart because of the probable gluten contamination and take the lesson away from it that you need to ask better questions when you're dining out.

You've made very very common missteps here, and they're easy to avoid in the future. Don't give up! It's really not about the minutiae of fretting if you've messed up, it's about the bigger picture of making good choices. In my opinion, you didn't really set yourself up with the tools to make those good choices in the last few days. That's the biggest reason why I would encourage you to consider the last few days kind of a false start, or getting your feet wet. Pick back up tomorrow with a new and better plan to rock your Whole30 with great prepping and planning. Don't sweat the small stuff! We're here for you if you ever need a judgment call...and the forum regulars will tell you that we're generally not nazis about it! :)

(Oh, In regards to the refund, it's not my or any of the other moderator's calls. Send an email to [email protected] and check in there)

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I also made a couple unintentional mistakes. I thought grass-fed butter was okay on the W30 (it seems to be generally accepted in the Paleo world). I also had pure orange juice a couple times (I remembered reading something about occasional juice being okay during W30 but clarified it is only in products that are fruit juice sweetened). I am starting over because I want to do this right. I have health issues I want to correct and don't want to sell myself short on results. Since you are only a few days in, it doesn't seem like a huge setback to start over. You're probably past the carb flu and serious cravings points anyway. Ultimately, you have to decide how much you want out of this program and how much you're willing to put in.

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Renée: Thanks SO much for your thorough, helpful, and supportive response. It's going to be very helpful as I make my choices from here on out.

Kate: I really appreciate the encouragement. It helps a lot. I wish you the best in your restart!

Hopefully I can give this another go with a better plan in place. Thanks again!

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An idea to have around just in case you get stuck being hungry without a lot of time is a few cans of tuna. I buy the sustainable seas kind and throw it on top of some greens when I'm desperate. I don't do this often but in a bind it helps. Also if at some point you have time to make ahead some things like meatballs and freeze them you can just pull them out as needed. Don't give up. Once you get the hang of it it gets easier. It definately is a lifestyle change but the benefits will outweigh the effort soon enough. (I'm only on day 11 and I already feel it!) Good Luck!

Bernadette

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Thanks, Homer!

Bernadette: your reply made me smile because tonight, not feeling like cooking, I found a can of tuna and ate it straight from the can (with some olive oil) and had some carrots straight from the bag. Definitely not ideal, but it worked :). I'm working on having more and better things premade and on hand, though.

What a great community this is! Very thankful I sucked it up and reached out.

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Holly, you really don't need to obsessed. You do need to be prepared and I can tell you have realized that. Really, just simple meats with a lot of veggies and some good healthy fats are what you need. Eat plenty of all of it so you won't be hungry. My dinner tonight was very simple, but filling and satisfying. Two boneless pork chops, 1/2 avocado, home made mayo to dip the pork in and the biggest pile of spinach cooked in ghee in the world. You will love the simplicity and the way you feel. Give it a fair go. I think you'll do great. :)

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