Starting Whole30 on July 18

[Chante710]

Day 8 and FINALLY my energy peaked! I re-read some things in the book and realized I wasn't eating enough! I was sooooo fatigued last week. So I ATE yesterday like I should and I jumped out of bed at DAWN this morning ready to hit the floor running! My workout of choice this morning was dancing for 30 minutes to some old school R&B and then I ate....3 salmon cakes with some mayo (didn't make the tartar sauce) butternut squash soup with kale, a pear, a quarter of a banana and a few pistachios. Lunch was Kale Waldorf Salad (a Whole Foods recipe) but I added some homemade Basic Mayo to the dressing...yummy, some tuna/egg salad and some more soup (can you tell I love soup? It's 95 degrees outside!) and I nibbled on the whole Roasted Chicken (NomNom Paleo recipe) that I took out of the oven for dinner. So Good! 

 

I didn't even break down when my husband and I were out running errands and he got a Butter Pecan Ice Cream and then made me HOLD it while he put his seat belt on! REALLLLLLY!! I do miss ice cream. But nothing tastes as good as being healthy and not experiencing gut distress feels! 

[IronGirlTrixie]

I'd never heard of an "instant pot" - just spent 15 minutes learning and reading on Amazon, sounds awesome! I've always wanted to do pressure cooking but seemed scary. I think i will try this and get one - fun tool and if it makes Whole30 easier, very worth it Thanks for sharing!

Beef stew in an hour. That was helpful since sometimes... I'm a last minute cook. Nom Nom Paleo has a bunch of recipes that uses the cooker. I also like how she uses her time with it. Like she sets it up to cook while they're eating dinner so she only has to dishes once.

[Incandescent]

DAY 8 --- Did anyone else have a rough day of it? Today was the first time I felt truly hungry and I got headaches. Is this a delayed adjustment period? I hope not! 

 

A couple of things may have contributed - my toddler is sick, which is draining. Also I broughleftovers for lunch, and there wasn't as much meat in the dish as I would have served myself had I been at home. 

 

I was also really tired in the afternoon.

[Vickilee51]

Day 8. I felt so much better than I had expected. It's almost 11:00 pm and I'm still awake feeling really great. After working an extra job all weekend then working today( Monday, which is Monday lol) I feel great!!

Already feeling like I'm not " thinking" so much on what I can have and not have. I actually am starting to think this might be a good way to eat all the time and trust me when I first heard about this, I thought, ummmm NO. I'm really hoping that after the 30 days I can just start grabbing these foods automatically.

Thanks everyone for all your tips and meal ideas. I'm kinda a plain jane eater but I've been incorporating some of your ideas into my plane plate and it's working great.

Dinner tonight was Brussels sprouts cut in half roasted in oven with olive oil, then prosuito bits on top,artichoke, spring mix salad, and a little chicken breast. Lovin' It.

NSV- food taste a lot better than I anticipated

Husband stopped eating ice cream and only had what I cooked for dinner tonight

A lot clearer mind, remembered things I totally forgot about last month

Have a great day, God Bless

[Vickilee51]

Day 9. Woo hoo going into double digit numbers tomorrow.

Another great day. Tonight I made the shepherd's pie. Om my gosh delicious. Loving the clarified butter and all the veggies. Never been much of a veggie fan but guess my tastes are changing.

So these are the days that the book says we kinda lose interest and drop off. LETS NOT DO THAT!! Let's keep going strong, I'm sure there are more and more food choices we still haven't begun to look at. Pretty soon they will just be automatic food choices in our everyday lives.

So to all of you starters, July 18th. Keep going strong!!!!

[CaseyP]

Made it to Day 10. Whew!

DAY 8 --- Did anyone else have a rough day of it? Today was the first time I felt truly hungry and I got headaches. Is this a delayed adjustment period? I hope not! 

 

.

Incandescent, my Day 8 was the absolute worst, too! Hang in there. I hope you're doing better.

After reading some other forums, blogs, and other books I decided to up my fat and starchy veg especially for breakfast and lunch. I have felt a lot better. I've also been less afraid to have fruit as long as its part of a main meal. It's fun and satisfying.

[Betsie_n]

Hi all! Double digits now! Like VickiLee51 says, let's not drop out now due to loss of interest. It's a little quiet here, so I hope everyone is still here! Keep the faith and look forward to continuing to feel better inside and out. At the end of day 10, we're 1/3 of the way done! Woo hoo!

 

I'm feeling clearer and more energetic than I have felt in a long time. Pre-W30 I had a couple of really stressful and busy months at work and home and while I tried hard to keep to my program, I know I wasn't as good as I could have been and I was just worn down and a bit burned out. I feel like I've been in recovery for the last few weeks as things have calmed down and I've refocused on my own health and nutrition. I walk 3 miles every morning, but plan to add in some more exercise starting next week now that I feel stronger again.

 

Update on my husband's Whole 7 He's on day 4 and hasn't died! He hasn't been perfect - I sent him to the store to get avocados and bananas and he admitted to having a candy bar on the way home: "but it was dark chocolate" - MILKY WAY Dark! - ugh, sigh...anyway...then we went to dinner last night and his meal was all good except he had the mashed vs roasted potatoes, so I'm sure there was some dairy in there, but close enough. His heartburn has been better and he actually fixed some eggs and bacon for breakfast today - HUGE because he's been a faster during the day, then a binger during the evenings. I keep explaining the point of eating 3 real meals. Maybe something is sticking??  

 

Our dinner last night reminded me of a good tip - when eating out, seek out Farm-to-table restaurants in your area. You can Google them easily. They typically have much healthier food and menus to start with and they don't blink at weird requests for changes as they are used to working with people with a variety of dietary needs. I live in the middle of nowhere, yet we do have a few excellent local places that offer local ingredients and fresh, scratch cooking - so much cleaner and much better preparations - and it tastes WAY better than your typical chain restaurant food.

 

Stay the course!

Betsie

[LightenUpFrancis]

Hello there and Happy Day 10!

 

To me, the one week marker and Day 10 are big deals for some reason. I kind of like that people say days 10/11 are where you'll want to give up; it makes me very determined to buck that trend.

 

The weekend (so I guess days 6-8) were ROUGH. Not necessarily due to temptations, but I just felt like giant pile of manure. Fatigue, light-headed, malaise.

 

Today's shaping up to be better, other than a headache. But I'm still mightily struggling with meal 1. In fact, I've just had fruit, nuts and coffee the past 2 mornings. Uh-oh (

 

I'm thankful for this board. Love seeing the updates and that we're still in it. We've got this!

[kelleyclare]

Hello everyone!  So I did this whole thing kind of backwards - hanging out with some friends on vacation who had done Whole30 and got really intrigued, did some online meal research the next day, the next day went to the grocery store and made a meal plan and started Whole30 the next day.  Not much prep, and am just now reading the 2 books I downloaded for Kindle.  It's funny how it's turning out to be true for what they say we go through - days 6-8 were awful, I had the WORST headache all day for days 8-9, but am feeling good today. And reading that most people quit on days 10-11 has me super focused to get through these 2 days.  I keep having dreams where I mess up and eat ice cream or popcorn or something - the relief when I wake up and realize I haven't screwed up is so palpable - I'm overjoyed I didn't mess it up  So, onward through this week, halfway there already!  Keep up the great work everyone! Will be half way before we know it!

[AnneLaManna]

Happy Day 10!  I'm still here, still chugging along! I'm physically feeling pretty good, I think I had the carb flu early for some reason! 

 

I'm super thankful for this thread and the emails I've been receiving, it's great to know what to expect! I definitely had some feelings starting yesterday of being a little bored - like, the honeymoon is over LOL   I followed the 7 day meal plan (kind of) to start. But I haven't meal planned/ grocery shopped since then, I've pretty much been living off of the leftovers. So, it's good to know that what I'm feeling is normal and that makes me feel confident that I can get over it. I know that I need to start making my food more interesting and try some new things and that will help as well. 

 

Other than my salad at Sesame Place - I haven't eaten out at all yet. I'm not afraid of ordering or asking questions about the food - I'm just afraid that the chef isn't going to care and cook with non-compliant food and not tell me!!  There really aren't any "farm to table" restaurants that I know of in my immediate area.  I'm thinking about maybe going to a local/nice seafood restaurant this weekend though and see how that goes. 

 

Also, I've been getting emails of everyone's post on this thread! So even though I may not login and post, I'm still seeing everyone's messages and it has been very helpful!!

 

Have a great day everyone!

[IronGirlTrixie]

Today's shaping up to be better, other than a headache. But I'm still mightily struggling with meal 1. In fact, I've just had fruit, nuts and coffee the past 2 mornings. Uh-oh (

 

That incredibly off balance meal could be causing your headache.  Is it just hard for you to eat in the morning or you can't find something?  If you think of it as Meal 1 as opposed to Breakfast, it might help.  Sometimes I do a 'backwards' day.  Where something I would typically have for dinner would be breakfast and breakfast would be a dinner.  Although, it doesn't matter.  Food is fuel for the body.  That's it.  Get what ya need and keep moving.

[IronGirlTrixie]

Other than my salad at Sesame Place - I haven't eaten out at all yet. I'm not afraid of ordering or asking questions about the food - I'm just afraid that the chef isn't going to care and cook with non-compliant food and not tell me!!  There really aren't any "farm to table" restaurants that I know of in my immediate area.  I'm thinking about maybe going to a local/nice seafood restaurant this weekend though and see how that goes. 

 

If I think the restaurant isn't going to get it right... I tell them I have allergies.  Usually, they tighten up but you'll at least know that they wouldn't put something in there that you'd react too.  They don't want that in their shop.

[YogaKarmaGrace]

Hey gang, today was day 10 and the 2nd week.  I'm feeling some of the feels of the Whole 30 big time over the last few days.  Sunday evening, I didn't feel well.  Yesterday wasn't so bad until later in the evening when I got a headache.  Woke up during the night with a horrible migraine and felt just yucky all day today.  I'm feeling better this evening but I'm not sure of those feels were part of the Whole 30 woes or if it was just one of those things.

 

So far I've been successful in my W30 eating habits and am feeling better and better about this lifestyle.  Saturday I ate out for the first time at a restaurant here in Texas, Houlihan's, the waiter was very patient and kind and fixed us what we needed and I felt confident that they did exactly what we requested.  We changed up the zoodle bowl they had on the menu and the chef was also very accommodating.    We felt pretty good about making a few changes. 

 

I've not had any cravings or any severe reactions except for the headaches.  I continue to workout daily.

 

Have of you experienced any weird affects from this way of thinking?  What do you all eat pre and post workouts?  I do strength training, 4 days a week and I swim laps 2 days a week for my cardio.

 

Tell me how you all are doing?    

[IronGirlTrixie]

I do a lot of dancing up to 9 or 12 hours. Sometimes more sometimes less. I find that the spicy tuna cakes (made a little less spicy) are the best recovery snack I can make. I admit to not having many but have tried a few. I also have a sweet potato a day to help with recovery as well as a protein.

I hope that helps!

[IronGirlTrixie]

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes

Sorry, I forgot to post the recipe.

So I'm stressing today at work and my usual go to is some sort of chocolate or snack. I'm trying to not do that and have gotten a soda water telling myself it's a mixed drink. Any suggestions to get your mind away from thinking over and over on a topic so it stops stressing you out? Do you don't off-road. I have no plans / intentions to. But there's got to be a way to shut this off without food.

[CaseyP]

Day 12 - I dreamed last night that a colleague was making chocolate chip cookies for some kids. I agonized through the whole process and finally reached in and took the last half a cookie - warm, gooey, chocolate dripping all over my fingers and running down my arms!!. Someone else offered me cheese but I calmly explained why I could not have dairy, then suddenly realized tiny piece of Cookie was full of sugar and wheat! I thought of cheating and not telling but decided to start over. What a relief when I woke up and knew I was still going strong!

In my awake life I feel like Whole30 has taken over my whole life ..... I hardly have time for at-home chores other than shopping chopping cooking cleaning kitchen!!!!!

This video of Melissa talking about stress is keeping me motivated: http://youtu.be/2gJO0xeBrnc. I see that even though eating this way can cause stress, the nonnutritious and possibly allergenic foods I would eat otherwise are a greater stress to my whole system. I think the video also helps only explain why so many of us are struggling about now, as our systems adjust. If you haven't seen it, its a good listen.

Happy shopping chopping cooking everyone!

[CaseyP]

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes

So I'm stressing today at work and my usual go to is some sort of chocolate or snack. I'm trying to not do that and have gotten a soda water telling myself it's a mixed drink. Any suggestions to get your mind away from thinking over and over on a topic so it stops stressing you out? Do you don't off-road. I have no plans / intentions to. But there's got to be a way to shut this off without food.

. I drink soda water pretending its a Coke!!

But seriously I know what you're talking about.... since starting whole30 I have been doing a little research on the mental/emotional aspects of myself that my carb addictions had been hiding and are now blowing up in my face. Especially how to "shut off" troubling thoughts and feelings with nutrition instead of the sugar I used to "control" (haha) them with, and I've found two amazing things. First is amino acid supplements.... I've found significant relief with GABA supplements among a few other's... and in just a few days. Of course that's just me and you need to find out what would be right for you, but start with http://moodcure.com - there's some questionnaires and basic info there - and then Google GABA along with something like 'obsessive thoughts'. Sugar first of all fried our neurotransmitters, and then substituted for the real thing for so long that we have to get them to remember how to work right.

The second is making out loud declarations of truth... Take the obsessive thought, say aloud what you're really believing about the situation which is probably silly once you hear yourself say it out loud, so laugh at it!! Then, find a truth statement that contradicts the lie and practice saying it out loud to yourself until the crazy-making thoughts bow. Not always an easy task but it does work.

Good luck.

[HeatherFields]

Happy day 11 everyone! I finally found time to post inbetween food shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning. Feels like a lot of work, but so worth it! Once I got past the egg hump and experimented with more recipes I felt a lot happier. 2 days of sweet potato, mixed veg and sausage hash for breakie...so good. Tonight we made the stir fry from the Whole30 book and it was delish. I seem to be ok with salads for most lunches (with chicken, fish, or egg), as long as I keep dinners interesting. My boyfriend and I cook most things together, so the team effort does make things a bit easier at times. Sending out positive vibes as you all prep for day 12!

[Betsie_n]

TGIF everyone! We're nearly through week 2! How's everyone doing? Ready for the second weekend?

 

Things are going well here. I feel good and I'm sleeping great. Ready to add a little more exercise in starting Monday. I can't say I'm really missing any of my non-W30 foods, but we do have an upcoming big social event on 8/13 that will include much drinking and I'm feeling a little sad I won't be able to imbibe with friends for this end of summer party. I'll be ok, but I am wishing for better timing of my W30 this year.

 

My husband is doing pretty well with his W7 experiment, too. He's been having (and even making it himself!) breakfast and lunch (more or less) and he admits to feeling better. He's learned to make his own smoothies for dessert (I know, not a great late night snack, but it's not cookies and chips, so we're going to approve it!) He only committed to seven days, but he claims that come Sunday, he wants one treat and then will carry on. I think that would be an ok compromise for him and I hope he continues to notice the positive effects

 

I listen to a lot of podcasts while I'm working and many are Paleo-focused, which is where I've learned so much about real nutrition over the past couple of years. Thought some of you might also be interested in checking some of those out, also. Just go to iTunes and search under podcasts. My favorites are:

• The Paleo View - I HIGHLY recommend you go listen to episode 205 today! They had Melissa Joulwan from Well Fed on talking about how to deal the heavy cooking load of the Paleo lifestyle. She and the hosts have excellent tips to simplify your cooking times.
• Balanced Bites
• Low Carb Conversations
• Primal Blueprint
• Paleo Women Podcast
• Phoenix Helix
• Robb Wolf - the Paleo Solution

Keep on keeping on - and check in here, so we know you're still in the game!

Cheers!

Betsie

[jenmidge]

Hi all,

 

What's everyone prepping this weekend for week 3?

I was going to make Bora Bora Fireballs (Well Fed 2) and Pork Carnitas (W30), but maybe too much pork. ?

 

I've settled on Herb Salad and Coleslaw for the veg, plus the inevitable sweet pot's of course.

Has anyone tried the Egg Foo Yong recipe from Well Fed 1? I am wondering what it's like cold for left overs.

 

Keeping the faith.  

[Chante710]

Hi all,

 

What's everyone prepping this weekend for week 3?

I was going to make Bora Bora Fireballs (Well Fed 2) and Pork Carnitas (W30), but maybe too much pork. ?

 

I've settled on Herb Salad and Coleslaw for the veg, plus the inevitable sweet pot's of course.

Has anyone tried the Egg Foo Yong recipe from Well Fed 1? I am wondering what it's like cold for left overs.

 

Keeping the faith.  

Sounds Yummy! I was thinking about making Egg Foo Yong this weekend also. My plan for the week so far includes Pad Thai with chicken from Mel Joulwan, Thai Basil Beef, Liver and Onions (you either love it or hate it I love the pastured beef liver they sell at my local farmer's market) Indian Curry with Mango and Cod Packets with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes. What are people eating for quick and easy one pot meals?

[Betsie_n]

Sounds Yummy! I was thinking about making Egg Foo Yong this weekend also. My plan for the week so far includes Pad Thai with chicken from Mel Joulwan, Thai Basil Beef, Liver and Onions (you either love it or hate it I love the pastured beef liver they sell at my local farmer's market) Indian Curry with Mango and Cod Packets with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes. What are people eating for quick and easy one pot meals?

Hi - I like my crockpot for one pot meals. I have short ribs in it right now!

One of my weekly standards is this Sicky Chicken recipe: http://www.creativelydomestic.com/2009/10/slow-cooker-sticky-chicken-drumsticks.html

It's so easy and you can use any spice combo you like (throw it in a zippy bag with the chicken drumsticks and shake it up to easily coat. I cut up sturdy veggies and place on the bottom, dump the chicken on top and done. Cook on low 5-7 hours depending on your crock. Non-paleo peeps will enjoy it, I promise and the chicken isn't soupy because it sits on top of the veggies.

 

Another standard for us is Nom Nom Paleo's Kahlua pork. You can make a ton and it will last you for days and days - and you can make different dishes with it.

 

Not a crock or on pot meal, but I also love meatballs and there are a lot of Paleo options for W30. Nom Nom has an Asian meatball recipe (paired with Well Fed's Sunshine sauce is the bomb!) and Paleo Mom has a Swedish meatball recipe that we also really like. I'm hoping it will cool off next week so I can use the oven to make some meatballs. No AC here, so I'm mostly cooking on the grill or crockpot right now

 

I have meant to make Egg Foo Yong for forever - let me know how it turns out!

Betsie

[MonicaJ]

This is HARD.    Not seeing or feeling any changes. And all the cooking and cleaning leaves me with no energy to try new and exciting recipes, so things are getting very boring and tedious. My husband is still on it, without cheating, but he is very much focused on everything he wants to eat again as soon as this is over. I'm hoping at least he starts seeing some non-scale victories that make it all worth it for him. But I'm afraid of reaching Day 31 with zero changes. I'm determined to get there either way, though!

 

P.S. There has been one unexpected bonus: My mother seems genuinely interested in it! She's discussed it at length with me the couple times I've seen her over the past few weeks. At first, I thought she was just making cooking small talk, but she was often connecting it with her own food choices ("Oh, I love eating XYZ! I could do that") and appreciates the fact that it's protein/fat focused rather than veggie or general deprivation. She cooks some fantastic unhealthy comfort food and is the source of my family's general aversion to vegetables, so a Whole30 would be very difficult for her, but that means she would also see the most benefits. So I'm gonna try to go cook some compliant stuff at my parents' house soon (if only to have some help with the cooking and cleanup, haha) and maybe join them on their own Whole30 in the future!

[jenmidge]

This is HARD.    Not seeing or feeling any changes. And all the cooking and cleaning leaves me with no energy to try new and exciting recipes, so things are getting very boring and tedious. My husband is still on it, without cheating, but he is very much focused on everything he wants to eat again as soon as this is over. I'm hoping at least he starts seeing some non-scale victories that make it all worth it for him. But I'm afraid of reaching Day 31 with zero changes. I'm determined to get there either way, though!

 

P.S. There has been one unexpected bonus: My mother seems genuinely interested in it! She's discussed it at length with me the couple times I've seen her over the past few weeks. At first, I thought she was just making cooking small talk, but she was often connecting it with her own food choices ("Oh, I love eating XYZ! I could do that") and appreciates the fact that it's protein/fat focused rather than veggie or general deprivation. She cooks some fantastic unhealthy comfort food and is the source of my family's general aversion to vegetables, so a Whole30 would be very difficult for her, but that means she would also see the most benefits. So I'm gonna try to go cook some compliant stuff at my parents' house soon (if only to have some help with the cooking and cleanup, haha) and maybe join them on their own Whole30 in the future!

 

Oh dear  are you drinking plenty of water? I feel tired and lethargic if I don't get enough litres in. I think we're meant to drink half a fl oz for each pound of body weight. As we are each unique, the affects of W30 will be different for each of us. The condition of my nails actually gets worse during W30.

 

Meals don't need to be complicated to be delicious. During my first W30 I relied heavily upon protein salads. On the weekends I would roast a whole chicken and every few days, I'd make up a huge container of salad with roughly torn romaine leaves, sliced cucumber, radishes, blanched green beans and broccoli. I added sliced strawberries before eating and drizzled over balsamic vinegar. I even had this for breakfast a few times. 

 

If you're feeling a bit blue, high carb root veg are recommended. I usually add a sweet potato to M3 every day but some people post that they need to eat root with each meal, to keep their mood up.

 

Keep posting

[jenmidge]

Sounds Yummy! I was thinking about making Egg Foo Yong this weekend also. My plan for the week so far includes Pad Thai with chicken from Mel Joulwan, Thai Basil Beef, Liver and Onions (you either love it or hate it I love the pastured beef liver they sell at my local farmer's market) Indian Curry with Mango and Cod Packets with Roasted Veggies and Potatoes. What are people eating for quick and easy one pot meals?

After the weekend, we'll have to compare notes on our Egg Foo Yong experiences

I always have white fish fillets in my freezer, coconut milk in the cupboard and sweet potatoes, so when I've run out of pre prepped meals, I often put frozen fish in a bit coconut oil in a saute pan, pour over coconut milk mixed with curry power and add sweet potato noodles (I use a julienne peeler). I add a few chopped apricots for sweetness and kale, broccoli or green beans if I have them. I wouldn't serve this to guests but it's okay for a meal in a hurry and only takes 10 minutes from start to plate.

 

If I really don't have the time or energy to cook at all I will mix a tin of tuna or salmon with mayo, sweet potato and sometimes avocado and a sliced scallion. Eaten from a bowl with a spoon, it's my friday night comfort food when I've had a difficult week at work.