Starting my 3rd Whole30 on June 16! Who's with me?! :)

[katieblue]

Hey everybody! I'm Katie, I'm 26 and from New Jersey, and I have undertaken two Whole30's since February. Now I want to start a third! I saw a lot of improvement in the first one, and had WILD success after the second one, but since I finished, I've started to return to unhealthy habits and I think I might need a longer stretch of taking care of myself to do some better work on myself.

 

I first started on this journey because I have a history of an unhealthy relationship with food. I grew up in a household where we weren't allowed to eat ANYTHING remotely unhealthy, ever; it was a very restrictive environment that was full of empty carbs and little protein. I had a vegetarian mother who believed pasta with marinara sauce or just a plate of roasted vegetables was a nutritious dinner. And we never had sweets or "junk" food like chips or anything in the house. So anytime we were out and were able to have it as a "special occasion", I would pig out like you read about. Obviously, as I got older and was able to grab food for myself, I started in on some pretty bad habits. Fast food burgers, fries, desserts, you name it. I gained some weight and was very unhappy with my body for a long time. That is until about two years ago when I got sick for about a week and magically dropped about 20 pounds. For the first time, I felt like I was actually thin, and like I looked good. All my clothes were big on me, I had a thigh gap, my stomach didn't push over the top of my pants.

 

And I became addicted. I HAD to keep this new body. And it wasn't good enough. I started restricting what I was eating and felt proud of myself when I didn't eat at all. I slowly continued reducing the amount of calories I would eat in a day until it was 600-800. I didn't lose any more weight, but I did lose my period. And then I started to binge. I was so hungry and deprived, that I would return to old habits of attacking junk food with a vengeance anytime it was near me. This went on for a long time, and instead of losing weight, I steadily gained it back and then some. I started to realize, through help from my therapist and my own research, that what I was doing was really, really bad. I tried different approaches to losing the weight, like going low-carb, but I still kept gaining it, even after I stopped the bingeing. I was terrified to stop restricting. I wasn't sure what to do to break the cycle.

 

I found the Whole30 because I work in a library and stumbled across the second book. It really resonated with me, and so in February I started my first one. I live with my boyfriend, and he decided to do it with me. My mood started to stabilize, I quieted my sugar dragon, and I was able to stop obsessively logging calories and weighing myself for a whole 30 days, among many other NSV's! We finished up right before Easter, and on the holiday I totally botched my reintroductions and felt like hell afterward. I also wanted to continue to see improvement in my relationship with food, I still had no period, I wasn't sleeping well and hadn't experienced tiger blood yet, and I'll admit, I had gained more weight while on the Whole30, and was still uncomfortable with this. I started my second Whole30 on April 1st, and finished up with even more success (while starting both a full-time job and being a full-time grad student!)! All my food cravings stopped, my mood was better and more stable than ever, I never snacked or binged at all, and my energy and sleep both improved, I lost the desire to weigh myself at all and stopped caring what the number would be - and I even stopped counting calories in my head!

 

But I still have no period, and I messed up reintroductions again, even though I know how important it is to properly manage them. And now that I have been off of it, I feel my relationship with food slipping back into old habits. I've started weighing myself and am freaking out because I'm the heaviest I've been in my life, and I started logging my food again as a result. I started being mean to myself again, and feel my depression creeping back in, as well as the sugar dragon and other cravings... and I refuse to go back down this unhealthy road. I've seen what it's like to take care of myself and to feel good about myself. Everything is my choice, and I choose to be healthy.

 

So, sorry for the novel - just wanted to be honest here and share what I'm working with and why I'm choosing to undertake a third Whole 30! My boyfriend and I are going on vacation from Sunday June 12 - Wednesday June 15, and I'm freaking out about what I'm going to eat, and I know I'll feel better coming home to eating well and being kind to myself. My big goal this time around is to eat mindfully. I think I starved myself for so long that now that I allow my body to eat, I just go absolutely insane and don't stop until I'm full, pretty much every night at dinner. Breakfast and lunch are portioned out so I have control there, but with dinner, I will have seconds, thirds, etc. And I want to be able to eat until I'm full and then stop, not eat until I'm uncomfortably stuffed.

 

Anyone else on board with this start date?

[Jenarra]

June 16 could work for me.

 

I also went through about a 2-week illness a few years ago, and in that I dropped 17# in 10 days. Super unhealthy. But I went through the "food is the enemy" phase you kind of hinted at, the 600-800 calorie phase, and then I started to get legitimately healthy. I was doing 5Ks, 10K, and half marathons for about a year, then tore my ACL during my first marathon, and haven't been able to do a race since. I regained all the pre-illness weight and then some.

 

I am about 10# shy of the heaviest I've ever been, but my "big clothes" are tight on me now, and I hate it. 

 

I'm hypoglycemic, and aenemic, and tired ALL THE TIME. I have a sedentary job where I sit all day. I have compression damage and a herniated disc in my lower back due to a fall when I was 12. I mean, I have ALL the reasons that I have a weight problem.

 

So yeah... June 16 coud work.

 

BTW: This will be my first Whole30.

[katieblue]

Hey, Jenarra! Glad to have you on board!

 

I'm definitely not happy to hear that you understand where I'm coming from (I wouldn't wish this kind of relationship with food on anyone), but it is always nice to know someone is on the same page as you. I absolutely empathize with that feeling of struggling with even the "big clothes" being tight... so frustrating!!

 

It sucks that you tore your ACL and can't run now, too! I think about that sometimes, if I couldn't go to the gym (I'm there 3-4 times a week for strength & cardio combo), and it would be such a blow to the ego, not to mention insult to injury because of all the sitting around and struggling with weight.

 

And congrats on deciding to start a Whole 30!! I don't know if it will fix all your issues, but I will definitely tell you that it will improve your health in some way, shape or form!!

[Laurie]

Katie - I'll do another round with you! 

[Jenarra]

I am really looking forward to having you guys' experience in this, as this is my first #W30. Looking forward to Thursday!!

[Laurie]

Jenarra - I have done many Whole 30 and more than 30 days.  You will get lots of support and love from everyone.  Hope you enjoy your journey with us. 

[katieblue]

Hey, Laurie!! How have you been?! I'd love to be in another round with you!

 

Jenarra, you definitely will find tons of support! We're really good at staying positive! Haha.

 

Do you ladies have any personal goals to get out of this round?

[Laurie]

Hi Katie.  I have been struggling a lot with Steve's death.  It's 7 months and the pain is still very severe.  Now, I am dealing with another awful reality.   My mom was admitted to the hospital yesterday because of severe mental confusion.  She has leukemia, along with other health issues.  I asked hospital oncologist about time and he felt my mom only has a few months to live.  Maybe he is wrong.  Of course, nobody really knows when our time is up.  No so sure participating in a W30 will work right now but I want to try.

[louinthesky]

Hi everybody!

I think I'm going to jump on in with you and start my very first Whole 30 this Thursday as well! I was originally going to start today, but it was an insanely busy weekend and I knew I'd be setting myself up for failure if I didn't take the time to do some serious prep work. Anyways! My name is Libby, and I'm a 19 year old college student here in Washington. I've decided to do the Whole 30 because my first year at college lead to some seriously unhealthy eating habits, a terrible relationship with food, and unfortunately the dreaded freshman 15. Living in the dorms left me with Pop Tart breakfasts, late night McDonalds runs, and way too many popcorn and ice cream movie nights with my friends. While I'm definitely hoping to lose a few pounds or so during this, I'm also looking forward to some non scale victories! I've struggled with chronic headaches for years, and as my eating habits and stress levels get worse, my headaches become more frequent and more painful. I've also been feeling tired ALL the time, so I'm hoping that fueling my body with better foods will help with that. I start my first day of my summer job as a nanny today, so I'm hoping that this evening I'll be able to come back and start planning out some meals for my first week and get an idea of what I'll need to get at the grocery store. I look forward to starting this journey with you all  

[Jenarra]

I'm hoping to get rid of the bloating that's making me look like I have a perpetual muffin top when I sit down.

 

As for weight, I'm not going to look at the scale until at LEAST the 30 days are up. I think I have a *reasonable* expactation to drop about 10# from doing similar programs in the past.

 

I'm pre-starting the next three days with an increase in veggies and protein, and having scrambled eggs for breakfast instead of a biscuit. I'm planning to clean out all the "leftovers" in the fridge in the next few days - nothing major, just some mashed potatoes (with cheese), the last of the bread, etc... and go full clean for Thursday morning. 

 

I want my thighs to look like muscles again, instead of the goo they have become in the last 18 months since the ACL tear...

 

I may start back on my BodyPump at home again this week, too, if the energy levels can maintain...

 

Any thoughts on pre/post-wo snacks/meals from those of you who have done this before??

[WholeMama623]

 I am starting tomorrow but this seems like a great group to follow. Does anyone mind if I follow along?

 

I can relate to a lot of what you said Katie. I have always been looking for the "perfect" diet. I've counted calories, fasted, slimfast, weight watchers, you name it, I've done it. However, Whole30's have been the only thing that works for me but I struggle BIG TIME with staying on track when they are over. Hoping this will be the reset I need. (this is my 2nd W30.. in addition to a W58 and a W100)

[louinthesky]

Welcome Britt!

It'll be nice to have some experienced Whole 30ers on this thread, since this is my first time through and I know it definitely won't be easy. Congrats on all of the Whole30+'s that you have done, that's so amazing, especially the Whole 100! I'm hoping to be able to stick with this plan for longer than the 30 days, but I'm also looking forward to the reintroduction stage just to see what affect certain foods have on my body. Any advice from those of you who have done this a time or two on how to prepare yourself and the kitchen beforehand?

[WholeMama623]

You definitely want to have some stapes on hand! I always have eggs, oil, compliant coconut milk, and a lot of folks have coconut aminos (but I've never used them!). We find it very helpful to large batch cooking and roast giant batches of vegetables at one time on Sunday! It keep us from having to cook every part of our meal every single night.

 

I know it's not FOOD, but I really love the LaCroix waters. They are bubbly and just the tiniest hint of flavor and I find them very refreshing during my wholes!

 

Day one for me today!

[Jenarra]

Starting on Thursday, as planned... but I also plan to document everything on my WordPress, if anyone wants to follow along: https://jenbreland.wordpress.com/

 

I am a nut about posting photos when I'm on vacation, or when other things come up in life... and this is definitely something I want to give myself accountability for. Feel free to join along and comment or share your daily struggles/plans/progress. Of course, I'll be posting in here, too, just not hourly. ~lol~

 

Good luck to us all, and hopefully I'm prepared... 

[WholeMama623]

Jenarra - That's how I am! I post all of my meals on instagram. I'm sure my friends are going to hate me by the time I'm at the 30 day point.

[Jenarra]

Started this morning on a "last day before Whole30" plan... going to try to soft-start today, but allow slips as needed to gauge how much prep I'm going to need to do to bring meals to work, etc.

 

Started the morning off with a smoked salmon and egg scramble, with a couple of red bell peppers on the side. having coffee with cashew milk sitting at my desk at work. Brought the other half of the scramble to go with a salad (with balsamic only) for lunch. 

 

Dinner will be the leftover steak I made last night, with roasted peppers and whatever green veggie I pick up at the store tonight.

 

Water, water, water... Aaaaaaand here we go.

[liz517]

Katie - I can so relate to your situation. A couple of years ago I severely restricted my calories and lost a lot of weight, but I lost my period and would eat SO much food whenever I could get my hands on it. I didnt have my period back for almost 2 years, and I recently got it back and its been steady for 2 months now. I had to gain a lot of weight to get it back though.. Prior to getting it back, I was eating mostly whole 30 and I was sure I was getting enough food. But I could have been wrong.. I gained probably around 25 lbs before my period came back, and I was also eating just whatever I wanted (this probably wasnt necessary - I wish I had gotten it back eating whole foods).

 

My best suggestion would be to make sure you eat enough and never let yourself get in the "hungry" phase - like where your stomach is rumbling! I think our bodies just need to make sure that they are being fed. Don't restrict your breakfast/lunch to what you think right portions are, make sure you eat enough until you're satisfied! This will prevent you from going all out at night too!

 

Lastly, don't stress out about it! I think once I focused on life and tried to not think about the fact my period was missing, that's when it came back

 

Im also starting a whole 30, I would love to follow along with yall!

[WholeMama623]

I love smoked salmon Janarra... yum!!!!

[Aiden13]

I am on day 3 and feeling great today. The longest I have ever gone is 12 days so I am determined to make it the whole 30 days this time. 

[yelpats]

Starting my second round tomorrow, excited to have some people with me )

I completed my first round May 25 and let me tell you, it's a slippery slope after. 

However, I felt AMAZING!

I didn't follow the reintroduction as you are supposed to and have eaten all manner of terrible things. 

Excited to get my mojo back. 

[louinthesky]

Just got back from the grocery store, finally feeling ready to start this tomorrow!! I got some coconut oil, lots of fruits and veggies, some ground chicken, eggs, and a few other things. Tomorrow should be fairly easy, as I don't go to work until late afternoon, so I'll have plenty of prep time in the morning. Hooray to those who started in the past few days!! I can't wait to start my journey tomorrow!

[charityb268]

I started yesterday, first timer!!! Im stoked. I can't wait to see what it feels like to FEEL good.

[katieblue]

Hey, ladies!!

 

Wow, I just got back from vacation and I'm so excited to see so many of you on board with me for this round!! I'm so thrilled to take this journey with you - I know you're going to get some amazing results after 30 days!

 

We're officially kicked off today!!

 

I tried to eat as many veggies as I could with my main dishes while on vacation, so I ordered lots of salads, but I also ate lots of things I wouldn't normally have, like I split a piece of blueberry pie with my boyfriend (we were in Maine) and we had ice cream one night. And I had fries as my side and some gorgonzola cheese on one of my salads, and I know dairy bugs me out. But I brought my own green beans and tomatoes to have with my breakfasts and never went totally insane or binged out - so with any luck I won't have too terrible of a detox!

 

Laurie, I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. That’s really sad and terrible, and I know you already were struggling with the loss of Steve. I admire you for persisting in trying to take care of yourself. You know I’ll be here to support you every step of the way!

 

Libby, nice to meet you, and props to you for wanting to do this as a college student! I’m a grad student myself and it’s really challenging to balance it all, but you can totally handle it. You’re so right about the prep work – it’s really helpful to have stuff made in advance! I know every weekend I make sure I have enough to get me through each week. This generally means chicken to throw over salads for lunch, and salad dressings or condiments like ketchup or mayo or BBQ sauce if needed. Also, any recipes I make, I usually double them, so I know I’ll have leftovers and I stockpile a lot of protein in the freezer and then only have to worry about making some simple sides when I defrost them, like sautéed kale or roasted sweet potato or cauliflower or something. I really hope that your headaches and energy will improve along the way – I know it took me two Whole 30’s to get tapped into the Tiger Blood they talk about, but I also know a lot of lovely ladies who found it in the first round!

 

Jenarra, you will definitely be able to get what you want! I know I actually got more bloated at the beginning of my first round, but it dropped off toward the end when I figured out I have a sensitivity to FODMAPs and was eating way too many of them! As for pre & post workout snacks, I usually have one egg before workout (or I just work out fasted if it’s early in the morning), and afterward I’ll have a homemade turkey sausage as my lean protein. I don’t usually need any carby veggies or anything, but I know some people do.

 

WholeMama, it’s fabulous to have you on board, regardless of when you started! The more support, the better! I’m totally with you; Whole30 is really the only thing that can totally change my mindset and attitude! I hope you have an amazing round this time; my second Whole30 was so much better than the first round, and the first one had been pretty great too!!

 

Liz, I’m sorry that you can relate because it’s a crummy situation, but I think it’s awesome to hear that you’ve gotten your period back! Thank you for the advice; I’m definitely planning on trying to be mindful this round. That has been the biggest challenge for me, because I’ve messed with my body’s hunger cues with the bad eating cycle. I’m hardly ever hungry at all, especially for dinner, so it’s hard to tell when I’m full if I’m starting from full! But I am determined and will not give up!

 

Aiden, you can do it!! We’ll be here to cheer you on through all the days!

 

Yelpats, I definitely agree that it can be a slippery slope afterward! Like I’ve said before, my second round showed even more improvement than the first one, so I bet you’ll feel even better than you did after the first one!

 

Charity, you DEFINITELY will know what feeling good feels like! It might be rough at first, but I promise you will get there if you hang in!

[WholeMama623]

It's day 3 for me today! How is everyone coming along?

[Aiden13]

I am on day 4 and I feel like I have been hit by a train. Pressure headache all morning. I will push through though. Hope everyone else is pushing through too!