LAST 12 DAYS AND COUNTING

[Ariane]

Ok.  I'm gonna be honest.  These last 18 days have been a roller coaster ride.  Some days I'm all for the Whole30 business and some days I want to poke my eyes out with a dirty needle cause I'm so bored of eating the same food groups.  It's gotten so bad that even my NSVs aren't enough to cheer me up and pull me out of this slump.  I'm beginning to think the results aren't worth this much trouble and torture.  On the flip side, I still am determine to finish but would like some suggestions for how to pull through.  Would also appreciate any recipes that will get me excited about eating again.  I'm such a huge foodie and I think the hardest part about this is that prior to even going into this, I already have a list of my "worth it" foods and never felt guilty about eating them cause I know what I like and I know how to limit myself.  So that's why I'm asking myself "Why am I doing this again?"  I know yes for health reasons but I don't think I ever had a problematic relationship with food.  Or maybe that's just my opinion but I really do.  I feel like I'm going crazy!  Is this normal?  Please tell me it is and that this too shall pass!

[J9er]

Wow, sorry you're frustrated. 

Asking yourself why you are doing this, and thinking if answers a little deeper than "health reasons", might be a start. Are you interested to see how your body reacts to certain foods once you reintroduce them - maybe you're sensitive to something you're not aware of yet? Of course there are people who don't have a bad relationship with food, but I wonder if you press on, if you will come to some realizations you haven't had before. 

The program is 30 days long, and it's not easy.  But it is 30 days, not 18, so perhaps it might take a little longer for you to really start noticing the NSVs etc. You should be proud of how far you've made it! You have less time left than when you started!

As for "eating the same food groups", are you changing up your meals? Have you googled Whole30 recipes for some new ideas? Or follow Whole30 on Instagram if you have it, there are guest posters who post new recipes daily. 

www.meljoulwan.com - Mel has some batch cooking templates that might help you with variety? There are so many recipes out there, google will be your friend here. Nom Nom Paleo blog is another great resource for Whole30 meals, among many others. There is a 'cooking' and 'recipe' section right here in the forum you could also check out. 

 

[ShannonM816]

It's pretty normal to have some food boredom at some point in your Whole30, so maybe that's all that's going on here.

What kinds of food do you normally eat? Have you tried to find Whole30 versions?

I second @J9er's suggestion to look at Mel Joulwan's Well Fed site. These comfort noodles are good, I love green beans prepared like this, this is a great chicken recipe, but even if you don't try it, try the Moroccan dipping sauce at the bottom (I use parsley, not cilantro, but I'm sure either is good), pad thai is really good.

Nom Nom Paleo has good recipes too -- not all are Whole30 but many are, or can easily be converted. Whole Life Eating is all Whole30 recipes. Stupid Easy Paleo has some Whole30 recipes, there's a Whole30 section of Stalkerville. I have a Pinterest board of recipes I've pinned, I haven't tried them all, they're just ones that looked good to me. 

If nothing else, try some new sauces or dips -- it's an easy way to up your fat (most of the time, although obviously something like a marinara can be a great sauce, but not a lot of fat to it), it changes the flavor of your food so it's less boring, and it's less complicated than finding a whole new recipe -- grill some chicken or fish, cook some steak or a burger patty, and then just pour some sauce over it. Here's a few to get you started: here, here, here.