Day 3 -- Need Encouragement & Advice

[dawndblue]

Ok. I'm on day 3.  So far so good with the eating.  I don't yet miss the things that I thought I would miss.  And I'm happy to report at 1:00 pm I do not YET want to KILL ALL THE THINGS -- even my co-workers and I typically want to kill them on a normal day.   So this is good -- for everyone

 

Here is my biggest frustration...  I thought that part of the program is to break our unhealthy relationship with food.  Yet, since the day before I started to program I feel like food has been consuming me -- prepping, planning, cooking, cleaning up after.  It takes A LOT of time and I am not comfortable with the amount of space that food is now taking up in my life.  It feels like that is ALL I am able to think about/act on   

 

What am I doing wrong?  I planned our meals through breakfast on Saturday.   I shopped according to the meal plan.   I did as much prep as I could on Sunday in preparation for our week.  Maybe it will get better from here as my next 2 dinners are crockpot meals.  

 

Any advice on how to be mindful without letting it consume me is much appreciated.

[ladyshanny]

You're not doing anything wrong. If Whole30 and cooking/planning is a big departure from what you were used to, consider that this is like a new hobby/talent and it will take up lots of time in your mind/life.  That does diminish. You get streamlined in your prep, you develop standard recipes/throw together meals that work for you and you get good at them. You get used to quickly going through the list in your head to make sure your items are compliant.  This is all practice and yes, it takes time and mental energy.  

 

This time and mental energy is a completely different thing than having an "unhealthy relationship with food".  The things we are trying to help people re-learn are: not eating when not hungry, not eating just because it's there, being mindful about what they put in their mouth, eating for nutrition not comfort/emotion, eliminating reliance on carbs for energy, eliminating the desire/need to have a sweet to wrap up a meal/day, rewarding with food, viewing foods as morality, judging oneself as "good" or "bad" based on what they chose to eat.  Those are some of the unhealthy behaviours that you may work to change.  Having extra focus on a new program at the beginning of the first week is not unusual and shouldn't really be fearsome.  It just means that you are dedicated and want to get it right!

[ladyshanny]

Please also know that the fact is, dreaming up meals, buying the food, preparing, cooking, eating and cleaning up does take time. Unfortunately we live in a society that doesn't place value on the work that goes in to properly nourishing ourselves.  Unfortunately we live in a society that wants us to cram 26 hours of work/chores/tasks into 24 hours and that means that we are vulnerable to the idea that fast food, ready made food and all the frankenfoods make our lives better and allow us to do more.  Really what we need to do is slow down, put a priority on feeding ourselves and our families and know that the food manufacturers don't give a rip about you and the quality of your life/health.  They just want your money.  You know better!

 

Although you will get faster at it on average, it does take longer to feed yourself healthfully than it would to run through a drive through or put a frozen pizza in the oven.  

[Stegner]

You can make a huge variety of compliant salads and stir fries with containers of washed and chopped vegetables, precooked meat or cans of compliant protein, tuna, salmon and chicken, and some homemade zippy sauces. You open the frig door, gaze upon the bounty, and improvise.

[Staggolee41]

The advice above is very much on point! I wanted to add that this is something I felt very strongly in my first week. I was overwhelmed and frustrated, and my boyfriend was, too! All of my time was consumed by it. I thought, surely this isn't right. Surely, I am doing something wrong to eat so much time trying to eat well.

 

After that first week, I learned a few things:

• Prep gets quicker with time (as you get better at it)
• Meal planning and grocery shopping get quicker as you get familiar with the recipes (I can easily build a meal plan and shopping list in my head now; definitely could not have done this before Whole30, and I think the process took me 3 hours on that first Sunday, if I remember correctly)
• You'll learn what compromises you're okay with making (this doesn't mean compromises for off-plan stuff; I learned that I can buy a jar of compliant red sauce much more easily and cheaply than I can make it myself, and I will still enjoy it with my spaghetti squash... I also learned that I am TERRIBLE at homemade mayo and shelling out some extra cash to buy the compliant stuff at the store was well worth the saved hours and eliminated frustration)

Anyway, I really hope - for your sake - that this frustration goes the way mine went and peters off. You might try making a large batch of something like soup or a crockpot meal and freezing portions for those times you're at your limit and just can't cook for one more minute that day. I wish I'd done this, as when I hit my breaking point, I went to Chipotle (still had a compliant meal), and that was more expensive and less healthy for my mental approach to this plan than eating prepped food I'd made myself.

 

You can do this! It is - YOU are - worth it!

[dawndblue]

Thanks for the responses so far.  All very helpful!

 

Staggolee41 -- THANK YOU!  You are a star!!! S o good to know that it's not just me and that someone else felt the same way in their first week.  Oddly, I thought that I was eating well before starting the program.  And I mostly did.  Very few grains (if any), lots of protein and fresh veggies. I've been spiralizing any veggie I can since January.  But I also used lots of convenient dairy foods -- cheese, yogurt, etc. and short-cut items (dressings, cheese again, soy sauce, etc) made it much easier.  I haven't eaten fast food in probably a year and you'd rarely find me throwing any kind of prepared food in the oven for a meal (or a snack). However, I must say -- THANK GOD for Rao's marinara sauce.

 

Anyway, thank you.  I'm sure it will get better.  I appreciate your words of wisdom as someone who felt the same way and lived to talk about it.

[ExAstrisScientia]

I went through the same thing when I first started, too.  

 

When I began Whole 30, I was coming from a background of moderately disordered eating... I ate "mostly paleo", but I was really restrictive and controlling about it.  So when I felt some of those same obsessive feelings coming on once I began the W30, it was a little bit disconcerting and I thought maybe this wasn't for me after all.  I got through it, and now I've come to a place where I actually enjoy the process because I'm preparing food that is really nourishing to my body, and I feel great when I eat it.  Taking the extra time for my health makes me feel satisfied... hard to describe, but I hope you understand what I mean!  

 

I do a lot of weekend batch cooking (as do a lot of Whole 30'ers).  Saturday is my big shopping day with the farmer's market (we have a CSA share we pick up weekly) plus the grocery stores.  Then I get home, put it all away, prep things that need prepping, and spend Sunday cooking.  I'll roast a whole chicken, make a double batch of salmon cakes, a pan of mini-fritattas, and a couple sauces.  Chopping any veggies I know I'll be using in upcoming meals is also helpful, if I have the time and motivation!  I don't do this all in a row, by the way... I've gotten more efficient at it so I spread the tasks throughout the day, and take breaks in between so I don't feel like I am on my feet for hours in a row, tiring myself out.

 

I've also been using a lot more frozen veggies than I ever did previously.  That can speed things up so much, because most of the work (washing, chopping) is done for you.  One of my favorite breakfasts is tossing into a pan (with ghee): leftover roasted chicken, 2 cups or so of frozen green beans, and about 1/2 cup pico.  Stir fry it all up, then top with avocado or a tasty homemade sauce for extra fat.  Takes just a few minutes using the frozen veggies.

 

I like what ladyshanny said about considering it as if you're learning a new hobby or skill.  At first, it feels awkward, and takes up a lot of space in our minds as we work to master it (even dream about it at night!).  But stick with it and eventually it really will become second nature.  Good luck!

[Oralia Acosta]

It DOES take time to shop, prep and cook!  Most people don't realize this!  I am a personal chef and it still takes me time!  Just remember, the minute you go out to eat, you are out of the Whole 30, and if you are sensitive, you will more than likely get sick!  So you really need to consider what your values are for your life and your health.  Additionally, once you know what the staples you need are, you can stock them in your house, additionally once you get familiar w/what you like, you can use the same recipes over and over.  And, once you get really good, you can modify the recipes to stay paleo/keto!