PezCadet Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Why is it that when every I do one of these my life seems to fall apart. Big triggers today. Brother getting an emergency cat scan, niece just broke up with her boyfriend of 6 years and now she has had a grand mal siezure. I just want to go back to bed and pull the cover over my head while I eat all the crap I can get a hold of and climb into a vodka bottle. Not necessarily in that order. To make matters worse I am day 3, tired, and cranky. Taking deep breaths and have my food with me so at this present time I am steaming ahead. But I mean come on really!! How about you treat yourself in non-food ways: maybe schedule a massage, buy something from your Amazon wishlist, or binge-watch some trashy TV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Hi guys and gals. My name is Kait, I'm new here and doing W30 for the first time. I started on Monday. I haven't really experienced the headaches that a few of you mentioned in the first few days. I've had near perfect days so far with some unintentional slip ups. Hoping to correct as the days go on. I'm looking to change my eating habits. I tend to be a grazer throughout the day. I also found myself heavily relying on processed foods that often didn't fill me up. I felt like I was eating all day and still starving. Over the course of the W30 I am looking to discover better eating habits and learn when my body is telling me its hungry versus me thinking I am hungry because its a certain time. I am also looking to focus on general health and hopefully weight loss while powering my body with fuel not food. Welcome Kait so glad to have you. I so understand the grazing. The worst for me is at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Hello! My name is Julia and my husband and I are on Day 4 (started Monday) of our first W30. For the first week, we're basically blindly following the 7-day meal plan from the Whole 30 Book. Almost every recipe requires doubling to serve 2 with leftovers for the next day. The food is all great but requires so much more prep than I'm used to, so we'll probably tweak a lot over the weekend. I'm also going to go join Costco to save some money on meat. A few comments so far: 1) Some of the recipes from the W30 cookbook seem to be way more food than I was expecting. When we did the spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and meat, I was struggling to eat it all. Same thing last night with the brisket, b-nut squash, and giant salad. My husband and I both feel like this and we're usually pretty hearty eaters. The cookbook portions seem very inconsistent - lunches (mexican tuna boats, protein salad) are much more reasonably sized. Anyone else having this problem? 2) I'm happy to say that we haven't been getting much of the headaches, but I'm definitely in a fog. Not sure if it's sugar withdrawal or general sleep issues (we're having a heat wave in CA), but I'm drinking a lot more (black) coffee. 3) I'm allergic to nuts so I've been swapping pepitas for nuts in most recipes. It works really well with the pesto. There are no compliant food bars that are also nut-free, with the exception of the meat bars. I bought a box of Epic Beef Apple and Bacon bars. I was stoked about them but they are actually really gross. I'm going to hunt down some compliant jerky for next week. 4) I have an electric pressure cooker and it's amazing for cutting down cooking times on meat and veggies. I highly recommend it. Have a great day! Julia I have found that the portions are very large too. I just eat until I am full myself. You have to try the no fuss salmon cakes on page 346. Amazing. I only ate 2 patties with a mixed green salad. Where are you in CA. I am in LA. It has been unbearable here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Hi Julia! Welcome! I'm Diana. I'm so glad you've joined us and posted, because I can completely identify with some of your concerns. For example, the meal plan recipes... YES! The portions the book indicates are huge, and I was having a very hard time eating them and still being hungry for the next meal at an appropriate time. It's almost like many of the recipes are designed for entire families (dinners), while others are designed knowing you're eating alone (lunch). My boyfriend and I have walked away from dinner each night totally stuffed with plenty of leftovers. I reduced the portion size on all of my meals just a bit and just have a lot more leftovers than they stated, which has led to not having to cook quite so much, so less of the prep time. Speaking of prep time... I was incredibly frustrated just after prepping for Monday and wasn't sure how I could possibly make it through 30 days. After some thinking, I realized that I really have to make this my own in order for it to work for me. I thought about which flavors I really enjoy together and make plans to combine them in creative ways that also meet Whole30 standards. For example... I really love salmon and asparagus, with some herbs and butter. A very popular meal in my family is salmon, asparagus, potatoes, and a cream sauce. Obviously, I can't make the cream sauce, but I can prepare the salmon, asparagus, and potatoes in compliant ways (no parm on the asparagus, only clarified butter in other spots, etc), and then use my leftovers for a VERY tasty omelet the next morning. I also had to make some tough choices about what I wasn't willing to do. The homemade mayo was something I really abhorred after multiple tries and it still not being the right consistency, which resulted in lower quality for several of the meals towards the beginning of the week, so... I'm compromising with myself and am on the hunt for a compliant mayo I can buy at a store locally. I definitely had the fog in a big way on my second day but recovered really well yesterday. I do drink quite a bit of water, though, and have for quite a while, and the book noted that the fog may be rougher for those who drank a lot of soda before (I have very rarely had soda for something like 10 years now). Try increasing water alongside your coffee and see if that helps. Sorry for the lengthy reply but in conclusion... GO OFF-BOOK! You can do this, you just have to make it work for you! Diana So I found this site to condiments and dressings on the whole 30 website. http://www.tessemaes.com/collections/all/whole30-approved . The mayo is not bad. I didn't like the ranch dressing very well. But the french is ok. BBQ sauce is great. Very spicy for me though. I have ordered dijon mustard, ketchup, & yellow mustard. You just need to make sure you stay on the whole 30 section of the site. They have a lot of others but they aren't compliant. So before you add check the incidents to make sure you haven't left the page. The only problem is you have to buy in a pack of 4 or 6. You may be able to call to buy one or 2 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 How about you treat yourself in non-food ways: maybe schedule a massage, buy something from your Amazon wishlist, or binge-watch some trashy TV? Will definitely do that. I am planing on little gifts for myself as I progress through the program. I love kitchen gadgets. So I will be doing that. Massage sounds great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Going to bed early. Have to get up early tomorrow and after the day I have had best to just get in bed. To top it all off I locked my keys in the car. I am very proud of myself that I didn't go off. No fuss salmon cakes w/ tartar sauce (whole 30 recipe), & mixed greens Left over Tandoori chicken, zucchini, and roasted potatoes RX bar, left over steak (2oz) some mixed raw veggies 1.5 oz of turkey, rest of mixed veggies. (Ate this while waiting for my brother. It was emergency food. Thank god. It probably saved me from going to McDonalds) Watercress salad with peaches & prochuito (compliant checked with Whole foods), pistachios, & balsamic glaze. Tomorrow is another day and I am hoping it is better. Huge that I didn't cheat today. Unbelievable actually. Thanks guys for keeping me focused. So glad for each and everyones likes and posts. I'm out....zzzzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klang Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Good tips from everyone! Thanks for all of your posts. Today was Day 3 for me, and it went pretty well. I am not too tempted by sweets, but I definitely miss bread! Our neighbor brought over Lebanese flat bread from his bakery. I made my husband a sandwich then threw the rest in the freezer. I have been sleeping well, but have definitely felt a bit more tired the last few days. From what I've read, it should pass. Had eggs and fruit for breakfast, chicken and carrots for lunch, and steak, and zucchini for supper. No heartburn, which is nice. I didn't have it every day before I started the program, but if I ate something fried, or heavily spiced, I would get it. Even before I started the program, I learned I had to pick off fried coatings on fish, chicken, etc. I'm enjoying learning about new flavor combinations and recipes. I do NOT like sweet potatoes or avocados, so learning to work around recipes that have those ingredients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlbwhite Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Oh my gosh - I had my butt kicked by this on day 2 - fell off the wagon. Tried to have whole30 approved sushi dinner, did not have the right soy sauce and then face planted into a sourdough bread peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home. I am not waving the white flag, but I am rethinking if I can do this while working a full schedule. In my case, it's like a planned illness that I have to be ready for. I was cavalier about prepping. I need a lot more frozen foods prepped and ready - I did not anticipate how lousy I was going to feel. Will see if I can pick this up again - as DAY 1 - very soon. Carry on and let's see if I can catch up! Jeanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidModJenn Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Tomorrow is another day and I am hoping it is better. Huge that I didn't cheat today. Unbelievable actually. Thanks guys for keeping me focused. So glad for each and everyones likes and posts. You get a GOLD STAR for staying on-plan today! *high five* Hopefully things have calmed down and you can enjoy your upcoming weekend. I'm dealing with my first real challenge tonight -- insomnia. Been in and out of bed 3x already tonight, ugh. I read up on some of the possible ways to manage through it while my body's adjusting to this new way of eating... Will try tomorrow and see if they help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PezCadet Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 I stopped by Trader Joe's today for an emergency olive oil run (we need to start buying the big cans from Costco). Normally TJ's is a lot of fun for me, checking out all their weird new items. Today I just skirted around the edges of the aisles to see what I could find that is compliant. It's nice that they sell riced cauliflower. Also their canned salmon and tuna are WAY cheaper than my regular grocery store. I was on the hunt for emergency snacks. Since I'm allergic to nuts, there are not a lot of options for me in that department except those greasy Epic bars. Sadly all the jerky had sugar but I did find a bunch of dried fruit without added sugar including these dried baby bananas. What's the ruling on unsweetened dried fruit - it's ok in moderation? @EJSmadhatter - I'm up in the Bay Area. It's not as bad as LA but we don't have A/C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Hi I finished my first W30 on 20th May and am starting again on Monday 27th June because I've been in sugar free fall for the last 2 weeks and have regained 5lbs. Kate, I've bought spaghetti squash from the Whole Foods Market in Glasgow in the past (sadly don't live in Glasgow, was only visiting from south of the border). I think they're only available in season though as there weren't any in store a few weeks ago. BUT, Whole Foods also stock coconut amino's and sunflower seed butter which I hadn't been able to find anywhere else. Thank you!!! I live in Edinburgh so could have a wee pop over to locate this mystical and magical spaghetti squash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Hello! My name is Julia and my husband and I are on Day 4 (started Monday) of our first W30. For the first week, we're basically blindly following the 7-day meal plan from the Whole 30 Book. Almost every recipe requires doubling to serve 2 with leftovers for the next day. The food is all great but requires so much more prep than I'm used to, so we'll probably tweak a lot over the weekend. I'm also going to go join Costco to save some money on meat. A few comments so far: 1) Some of the recipes from the W30 cookbook seem to be way more food than I was expecting. When we did the spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and meat, I was struggling to eat it all. Same thing last night with the brisket, b-nut squash, and giant salad. My husband and I both feel like this and we're usually pretty hearty eaters. The cookbook portions seem very inconsistent - lunches (mexican tuna boats, protein salad) are much more reasonably sized. Anyone else having this problem? 2) I'm happy to say that we haven't been getting much of the headaches, but I'm definitely in a fog. Not sure if it's sugar withdrawal or general sleep issues (we're having a heat wave in CA), but I'm drinking a lot more (black) coffee. 3) I'm allergic to nuts so I've been swapping pepitas for nuts in most recipes. It works really well with the pesto. There are no compliant food bars that are also nut-free, with the exception of the meat bars. I bought a box of Epic Beef Apple and Bacon bars. I was stoked about them but they are actually really gross. I'm going to hunt down some compliant jerky for next week. 4) I have an electric pressure cooker and it's amazing for cutting down cooking times on meat and veggies. I highly recommend it. Have a great day! Julia HI Julia, Welcome! I also have a costco membership so i'm thinking i might do the same as you! I got a bulk meat pack from a company here and my freezer looks like i've murdered somebody....... if you're wanting some more recipes, i find this website has quite a lot: http://greatist.com/eat/whole30-dinner-recipes that's a list of dinners but there's also breakfasts and lunches on there, just search Whole 30 on the website. other websites like nomnompaleo are good too! have you tried the fishcakes from the book? they're amazing!! Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 How are you all today? I had another terrible nights sleep and also dreamed about accidentally eating soy sauce and butter and woke up panicked!! On the plus side though, i haven't experienced any negative moods and no real cravings. it's the weekend tomorrow so i'm hoping to get some nice rest in (around food prep) and then out for dinner for the boyfriend's birthday tomorrow evening so I will be navigating a menu for the first time. Think if i steer us somewhere where i can get a nice big juicy steak with loads of veggies then that'll do just fine what are everyone else's plans for the weekend?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Oh my gosh - I had my butt kicked by this on day 2 - fell off the wagon. Tried to have whole30 approved sushi dinner, did not have the right soy sauce and then face planted into a sourdough bread peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home. I am not waving the white flag, but I am rethinking if I can do this while working a full schedule. In my case, it's like a planned illness that I have to be ready for. I was cavalier about prepping. I need a lot more frozen foods prepped and ready - I did not anticipate how lousy I was going to feel. Will see if I can pick this up again - as DAY 1 - very soon. Carry on and let's see if I can catch up! Jeanne Hey Jeanne, don't beat yourself up! it's really tough doing this and getting a hold on your food choices when they have controlled us for so long! You can do this! if that means picking a more suitable time to do so that works for you then that is fine, you have to be totally comfortable when you embark on something this big! Sending love and support from not so sunny Scotland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidModJenn Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 What's the ruling on unsweetened dried fruit - it's ok in moderation? Looks like it's ok in *extreme* moderation, and should be eaten with a meal. Even unsweetened dried fruit is like a little sugar bomb (drying it concentrates its natural sugars), so if you eat it as a snack it'll mess with your blood sugar because you're not balancing it with protein and fat. Thanks for the Trader Joes tips, I'll have to explore the one near me! Managed to get a few hours' sleep last night after all (whew), and looking forward to a great weekend! I have the afternoon off today, and am going into the city with a girlfriend for a nice lunch and window-shopping. I already looked at the restaurant's menu online, and called them with questions, so I know ahead of time what I can order to be compliant. And tomorrow the hubs and I are grocery shopping for week 2, we're going to make some of the recipes you guys have been raving about! Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Day 4 still feel crappie today. Very tired. Hoping that when I get some tea or coffee in me I will be better. Haven’t decided what. Slept ok. Still getting up several times a night. At least I am not waking up and not able to go back to sleep around 2am. I was able to fall asleep quicker. I am sure some of that is it was not as hot last night. That really helps. Today is my movie day with my client. I take her 2 times per week and it is hard because I want that popcorn, hot dog, diet coke, and/or pretzel. Today I am going get a big lunch in and bring some emergency snacks just in case. Today I also go 3-5 hours with out a refrigerator for my food so I have to figure out how to do my dinner as well. I think I will leave the chicken frozen and that should help keep it. I have a very long day today 8am – 7:30 pm. Hope everyone’s day goes smoothly. And a big thanks for all the support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Oh my gosh - I had my butt kicked by this on day 2 - fell off the wagon. Tried to have whole30 approved sushi dinner, did not have the right soy sauce and then face planted into a sourdough bread peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home. I am not waving the white flag, but I am rethinking if I can do this while working a full schedule. In my case, it's like a planned illness that I have to be ready for. I was cavalier about prepping. I need a lot more frozen foods prepped and ready - I did not anticipate how lousy I was going to feel. Will see if I can pick this up again - as DAY 1 - very soon. Carry on and let's see if I can catch up! Jeanne It happens. I have struggles for a long time. You just pick yourself back up and dust yourself off just like you are doing. I cook up a bunch of ground meat and have a few organic frozen veggies in the freezer. I will also shred and entire chicken and portion it out for meals then freeze it. That has been so helpful. I haven't found a way for me to cook and then freeze veggies that I like. They tend to be too mushy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 You get a GOLD STAR for staying on-plan today! *high five* Hopefully things have calmed down and you can enjoy your upcoming weekend. I'm dealing with my first real challenge tonight -- insomnia. Been in and out of bed 3x already tonight, ugh. I read up on some of the possible ways to manage through it while my body's adjusting to this new way of eating... Will try tomorrow and see if they help. Thanks. Hope you find something that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 How are you all today? I had another terrible nights sleep and also dreamed about accidentally eating soy sauce and butter and woke up panicked!! On the plus side though, i haven't experienced any negative moods and no real cravings. it's the weekend tomorrow so i'm hoping to get some nice rest in (around food prep) and then out for dinner for the boyfriend's birthday tomorrow evening so I will be navigating a menu for the first time. Think if i steer us somewhere where i can get a nice big juicy steak with loads of veggies then that'll do just fine what are everyone else's plans for the weekend?? Unfortunately the weekends are my big work days. Have a great one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJSmadhatter Posted June 24, 2016 Author Share Posted June 24, 2016 Looks like it's ok in *extreme* moderation, and should be eaten with a meal. Even unsweetened dried fruit is like a little sugar bomb (drying it concentrates its natural sugars), so if you eat it as a snack it'll mess with your blood sugar because you're not balancing it with protein and fat. Thanks for the Trader Joes tips, I'll have to explore the one near me! Managed to get a few hours' sleep last night after all (whew), and looking forward to a great weekend! I have the afternoon off today, and am going into the city with a girlfriend for a nice lunch and window-shopping. I already looked at the restaurant's menu online, and called them with questions, so I know ahead of time what I can order to be compliant. And tomorrow the hubs and I are grocery shopping for week 2, we're going to make some of the recipes you guys have been raving about! Yay! Great planning ahead on the restaurant!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateRT192 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Unfortunately the weekends are my big work days. Have a great one Oh no! Well I hope your shifts aren't too bad and that you start to feel less tired soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 what are everyone else's plans for the weekend?? Jealous of your juicy steak! I'm going to a baseball game (GO RED SOX) tomorrow, so while I'm extremely excited about the game (we have tickets 8 rows back from home plate), I'm concerned I'll get super hungry and won't have compliant food nearby. I found a few helpful suggestions online (ladyshanny recommended checking Google for "Whole30 picnic"), but most of them are meant to be eaten within 4 hours of being made. I'll just be getting to the area where the game is 4 hours after leaving home. I did scan through the ballpark restaurants and found one that's in a section near where we're sitting that sells salads, so I could just take my own balsamic vinegar and get a salad. I'll just be going, then at the game, then coming home for about 12 hours, so I'll need more than that. I really don't want to scrap five days of compliance for this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Rolling into Day 5 - had an easier time getting out of bed this morning, but the persistent low-grade headache is back. Looking forward to having some time this weekend to try new things and do some more detailed, un-rushed grocery shopping, this time taking the book under advisement (but more focusing on what things I want to have in bulk hanging out in the refrigerator ready to go). Breakfast - Ground beef, tomato and avocado slices, one hard-boiled egg Lunch - Garlic butter chicken breast, two hard-boiled eggs (hoping this will last me a bit longer, since I can't eat until 8:30 after lunch), baby spinach with balsamic vinegar, green beans with shredded carrots Dinner - Salmon with herbes de provence, asparagus, and haven't decided what else (maybe potatoes?) NSVs so far - No Tums, my ring is coming off my finger more easily, obvious change in clothes fitting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Oh my gosh - I had my butt kicked by this on day 2 - fell off the wagon. Tried to have whole30 approved sushi dinner, did not have the right soy sauce and then face planted into a sourdough bread peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home. I am not waving the white flag, but I am rethinking if I can do this while working a full schedule. In my case, it's like a planned illness that I have to be ready for. I was cavalier about prepping. I need a lot more frozen foods prepped and ready - I did not anticipate how lousy I was going to feel. This isn't easy, and you have a tough schedule. I know you can do it, it just requires a lot of prep. I found some pre-portioned frozen chicken breasts and salmon fillets, so all I have to do is pull those out of the freezer and throw them in the oven with some cooking fat, salt, pepper, and whatever spices I want to add. I also sliced up some vegetables I like to add to a variety of things and have those ready to go in my refrigerator, in case I need to add something to a dish. You can also check for what your local store has prepped - my local budget-friendly grocery store has prepped foods of different varieties ready to go, like shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, chopped onions and celery, stir fry mixes of peppers and whatnot, etc. Don't beat yourself up too much. The tragedy is not in falling... it's in failing to get back up. You're already focused on the next step. You can do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staggolee41 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 I have the afternoon off today, and am going into the city with a girlfriend for a nice lunch and window-shopping. I already looked at the restaurant's menu online, and called them with questions, so I know ahead of time what I can order to be compliant. And tomorrow the hubs and I are grocery shopping for week 2, we're going to make some of the recipes you guys have been raving about! Yay! You go, girl! That's awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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