A Dad must lead - Our family's whole30

[NicholsFam 63]

10-10-2012 - I was thinking about how I have gained and lost the same 30-40 pounds over the past 20 plus years and was desperately looking for a way to stabilize my eating and change my lifestyle. Not only that, after starting a family later in my late 30's, I want to be around for my daughters and my love, my wife. Shortly thereafter, I got an email from a trainer friend, talking about the great successes of his team and recommending that we look at whole9life. I got the book, read it in two sittings, about 5 hours and told my family that we should do this. My wife's response - "Are you cooking?", my answer YES. Our girls' response, sure Daddy.

10-13-2012 - Day 0 - I ordered the e-book Eat Well and planned out our menus for the week, shopped and cooked for the week. The girls were a tremendous help, cooking and writing out a plan for each meal.

10-14-2012 - Day 1 - The day went pretty well, no major issues, only a slight headache just prior to dinner and at about 8pm. I think both were from insufficient water intake. Family did well.

We are all in this together and even though our girls are 9 & 7, they understand.

Thanks for listening.

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 2 - Rough night sleep, both girls had nightmares and didn't get a full sleep. Everyone woke up with a headache and ready to eat. I fixed a spinach frittata, which we all enjoyed and the girls had a couple of red grapes. Coffee was easy for me, I always drink it black. Vicky(wife) is adjusting to black coffee. Lunch went well. I had leftover tilapia, green beans and squash/brussel sprouts. I never thought I would enjoy the brussel sprouts.

Had my first test of the day - A coworker offered some pretzels, something I would regularly eat out of boredom, and I was able to refuse, politely.

More, when I get home...

Thanks for listening.

[Nancy H. 158]

Scott, you are really to be congratulated. You saw what needed to be done and you too the reins and did it. I am so happy that the entire family is doing this with you. And you even refused pretzels on day 2. That is something.

The headaches will dissipate. Just remember to drink lots of water and get your fats in. That will keep you all full.

I will be anxious to see how everyone get along.

[Kirsteen 2123]

Fantastic to see a whole family doing it together. You're setting such a brilliant example for your two girls. I really wish I'd known about this years ago. My daughter's 27, son's 24. Neither are the least bit interested in this way of eating. Good luck on your journey

[Susan W 3551]

Absolutely wonderful. Make sure you are all eating enough. If you are used to the old "graze and eat 6 meals a day", it may seem daunting when you see how much food you need to eat.

Also, for your wife, Cream of Coconut. Some people like to use the full fat and just skim the thick cream off the top when it separates, some like to shake the full fat and pour it out of the can and others like to use the light coconut (I do) because it's thinner. It's kind of a to each his own thing because I have tried all of the above and just landed on the light coconut. I can also buy it for 99 cents a can at Trader Joes, so that makes it easier.

[br5532 27]

Great to hear your story. Thanks for sharing your reasons and purpose. I think its amazing you have the whole family involved. As a group you cannot fail. No matter what you do and what you learn it will all be a success.

I am about to join my wife on her whole30 and roll mine into a whole60. We'll be around the forum board. Hope the family does well.

Best of luck.

[JennyH 25]

So awesome you're doing it as a family. The weight yo-yo is so common - I really think Melissa and Dallas have got the fix - best wishes!

[NicholsFam 63]

THANKS for all of the support and great words, I appreciate it.

Day 3 - Better sleep for the girls, the youngest came down with a GREAT attitude this morning! Last night the girls and I had a great conversation about why we were doing this as a family. One of the things I mentioned was that it would help Mommy & Daddy to have better mood control and not be as grumpy. With that, our oldest gave a fist pump and said, "YES!" More reasons and purpose. I can also see how sugar addiction has affected our family and the need to change it NOW!

Meals went well. The weekly preplan/cook from "Eat Well" has really made this easy and I have started to calculate how much money we are saving from not purchasing 4-5 sodas, per adult, per day. I think we are going to donate the amount saved to a Christmas offering this year.

Thanks for listening.

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 4 - Hard sleep, however everyone woke up TIRED. The meals went well yesterday and we were able to be out at dinner time, arriving home later without any major incidents. We made sure we packed some carrots and avoided the temptation of soft pretzels, candy and sodas at the event we were at, sticking only with water.

[splash883 35]

NicholsFam:

Fredericksburg! I'm down in Chester! It's good to see another Virginian here!

Good job on staying the course. I know all you need is more advice, right? Make sure you also have enough protein per person. I'm a huge protein advocate since I've seen the affects of not enough.

Hang in there and way to lead the pack!

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 5 - Tough day yesterday for Mom. The girls were constantly asking why they could not have the sugary things that they had before. Fortunately, they were strong and understood what Mom had to say to them. Vicky is amazing. She spends all day with the girls, teaching them and guiding them. I can see the seeds of greatness, integrity and character starting to bloom that Vicky has fertilized on a daily basis.

Everyone is beginning to fully embrace Whole30 and we are ready for the weekend to explore addition variety in our menus. I'll be adding some sauces and vegetable choices.

Thanks again everyone!

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 6 - GREAT DAY yesterday. We found a homerun meal for the girls. Spaghetti squash with meat and Italian sausage spices from Eat Well. They loved it. This morning our youngest came bouncing down the hall at 7:00am with a smile on her face, ready for the day. We have been cautiously optimistic about our future days as a clean eating family.

Is this normal? I hope so!

Have a great day everyone!

[Nancy H. 158]

You may have read on these threads about the positive mood changes.

It sounds like it is already happening with your girls.

YEAH!

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 7 & 8 - The meal planning and options are getting easier and we made it through two major hurdles, a day out on Saturday where we packed a cooler and also found compliant food at a convenience store, eggs, carrots, celery. The second hurdle was a kids birthday party. The girls were offered cake and said that they weren't allowed to have it because our family changed how we eat. The other kids were super and asked if they could have a cupcake instead. (LOL) Our girls said, no thank you we brought our own surprise, something our Dad made us, berries & coconut milk. The girls are so amazing for 7 & 9,

I cooked everything except the fish for the week. Week 2 is going to be even better!

Thanks everyone

[1Maryann 1314]

I'm really enjoying reading this. What a wonderful gift you are giving your children.

[NicholsFam 63]

@1Maryann, Thank you.

The community support is great, I appreciate it. One major thing that Vicky and I have noticed is that our youngest is not asking for food during the day as often. It used to be an hourly occurence. Now we need to work on the questions of "Am I EVER going to be able to have, cake, candy, icecream, etc. again?"

Little by little. Day by Day

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 9 - Another great day. It may sound repetitious, but its true. Prior Planning Produces Positive Performance.

Making our meals each week (another plug for 'Eat Well'), in advance has made the transition and the daily activities much easier. Last night, I involved the girls in a surprise new addition, Kale chips, and they loved it. They are excited to bring the chips to their homeschool co-op today as their snack. This has been the one day that we have allowed them a "snack" as their friends are snacking. Last week it was toasted coconut chips. I woke up this morning at 0545 wide awake and ready for the day. Vicky is noticing the changes in my face/abdomen from the Whole30, :-)

Choose to make it a great day!

[JennyH 25]

Ohhh it's been way too long since I've had some kale chips - awesome idea for the kiddos!

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 10 - Passive/Aggressive Behavior

Vicky and I started to see the trends of rebellion in passive/aggressive behavior in the girls. It was interesting. During the day, they were with some friends and they shared their Kale chips with them, a big hit. However, when they got home and were ready to eat dinner, I heard, "I'm full" their passive way of going on hunger strike for sugar. Be not dismayed, the parents stood strong and the girls are learning that we are in this for the long haul, not only for our health, but for theirs as well.

Vicky and our eldest are going horseback riding this weekend, so I will be looking at what the lodge has to offer and supplementing where necessary. Another win was that Vicky was able to meet a friend for dinner last night and order food that was Whole30 compliant. Wood grilled salmon and steamed vegetables.

To quote an old ad, "Thank you for your support."

[megmac 539]

NicholsFam! You are giving me new inspiration to work on this with my 10 year old. I really wasn't convinced it could be done. Thank you for sharing!

[Heather Robertson 39]

Keep up the good work! Doing this as a family is fantastic.

[NicholsFam 63]

NicholsFam! You are giving me new inspiration to work on this with my 10 year old. I really wasn't convinced it could be done. Thank you for sharing!

The way I look at it, I am responsible for the care and well being of my children until they are adults and, oh yeah, I buy the food.

Harsh to some, but in reality they will thank me later for the habits that they form now.

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 11 - Holding strong and avoiding bad choices. The girls came and asked if they can start to help making meals! Working with the foods we have pre-cooked via Well Fed and Nom Nom Paleo, Vicky and I will be giving them the responsibility of making Meal #2, #3.

Also, our oldest will be selecting the menu for her camping trip this weekend and packing all of her food. She has already decided to make Kale chips and toasted coconut to share and then will be roasting apples and pineapple over the campfire on Saturday.(Picture proud Dad here)

Our youngest will be going with me to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning to do our weekly grocery shopping and then help Dad cook for the week.

Thanks for the encouragement, we are staying focused!

[Renee Lee 1907]

I love this log. So glad you guys are doing well!

[NicholsFam 63]

Day 12 - A move toward independence.

Today the family took a step into embracing the Whole30. Vicky and both the girls started asking for specific items with their meals and they were healthy choices. Also, they started to plan menus on their own. I enjoy cooking, serving and leading the family, but it makes a HUGE difference when everyone is involved.

One of the small wins was when E our eldest said that she would like to have 'Dad's Famous Sausage Patties' (Thanks Melissa @Eat Well) as part of her Meal #1 everyday. They are not that difficult, just a mix of Beef, Veal & Pork from Wegman's with the Italian seasoning mix from Eat Well.

I would expect that many that read this think, 'Wow, this is going great for them as a family, Why is it so hard for us?' Truth be told, it is a challenge and everyday we have temptations, donuts, candy, pretzels and cake in the office, candy, cake & cookies at school, Vicky home without a support (me), BUT we CHOOSE to overcome them and focus on the wins, the positive.

One of the wins came this past Sunday. R our youngest told her Sunday School teacher that she wasn't allowed to have sugar/candy at snack time, so they said that they would bring a small piece of fruit for them each week. How awesome is that!

One last thought for today. A good friend of our said, "Can't is equal to unwilling." We are doing this, we are making, positive, healthy choices for our families, a great example for those we influence and most importantly ourselves.

Have a great day, choose to!