Day 8- Worrying

[kerrigan16]

Hey everyone! I'm on Day 8 of my first Whole30. So far I have been feelings okay, nothing too glamorous or awful. I have been worrying though because I am constantly thinking about all of the things I can't have and can't wait to eat them when this is over. I am not liking how much time I have to spend in the kitchen and I feel like I'm eating the same things all of the time. Help. I want to feel great and like I'm doing something good!

[ShannonM816]

Sometimes it helps to reframe the "can't have" to "I'm choosing not to have right not" -- because honestly, no one is forcing you to do this, you are choosing to, and you're an adult and could choose not to if you wanted to. So, you're choosing to do Whole30, which means you're choosing not to eat desserts or bread or cheese or have wine or other alcohol. Remind yourself why you're doing this -- are there aches, pains, or other symptoms you're trying to clear up? Are you looking to improve your sleep? Are you just choosing to do this because you think it sounds like a healthy thing to do and you just want to see what happens? Whatever your reasons are, write them down somewhere, and when you start thinking you want to quit or want some off-plan foods, refer back to your list to remind yourself why you're choosing to set those foods aside for 30 days.

If you feel like you're eating the same things all the time, go look for new recipes, new types of vegetables, new spice blends, even something as simple as a new sauce to dip your vegetables in or pour over your meat can change up the flavor. There are lots of recipes on Mel Joulwan's site, most of them Whole30. All of the recipes on Whole Life Eating are Whole30. Nom Nom Paleo, Stupid Easy Paleo, or the Whole30 section of Stalkerville have options as well, just pay attention to the recipes and make sure they're compliant. Some people are finding Real Plans helpful for meal planning.

For time in the kitchen, it will get better -- you'll get better at meal planning and meal prep and it'll go faster. I haven't figured out how to make the dirty dishes clean themselves yet, though .  Read through this description of a weekly cookup and see if it gives you some idea for pre-prepping your food. Even if you don't want to do a week's worth at once, or even if it sounds like it'll be too much eating the same things over and over, there are things you can do to help make it easier throughout the week. Chop vegetables as soon as you get them home from the store, roast extra vegetables when you're roasting some for one meal, boil hard boiled eggs by the dozen so in a pinch, you can grab them as your protein if you don't have the time or energy to cook something else. Grill or bake enough chicken for several meals -- you could season them differently, or you could season them fairly simply with just salt and pepper and then make dressings or sauces to go on them to change up the flavors.