Starting Jan 8th, looking for buddies!

[ladyshanny]

5 hours ago, Jennio44 said:

Regarding snacking: I'm on my second Whole30 and now a pro at keeping snacks on hand ... This is what's in my travel bag, desk drawer, and work bag:

small packets of single-serving almond butter and coconut butter; Epic brand bacon bites; dried fruits; nuts; tea bags. 

Those will just about tide me over through anything, plus they're all really portable.

Regarding the chili in the slow cooker ... have you stirred it once, to move everything around? If it's been in there 6-8 hours, it's going to be done as long as your crock pot is working right.

 

Hate to break it to you, but snacking is not recommended on the Whole30. We recommend that you create your meals to last you 4-5 hours, thus negating the need for snacks. Having some emergency food for those meetings that go long or traffic jams is a great idea but hopefully you aren't regularly relying on them.  

[Overeducatedopinion]

21 minutes ago, Rkrzywda said:

Hey there! I've had a really great day! Cravings are starting to subside, hunger is decreasing, and I was able to get out of the house alone, which doesn't happen much these days.

Quick question- what's the rule on sparkling water? I have a zero calorie mandarin orange one in my cupboard. The ingredients say carbonated water and natural flavors. Do we trust "natural flavors"?  Just checking! Thanks! Keep it up everyone!

Good for you  Keep it up!!

[Jennio44]

Nope, no regular snacking. This is just what I keep on hand for emergencies, like long meetings or a plane flight where I can't eat much on the little tray. I have found that I eat A LOT more on the Whole30 during my regular meals, but I don't get hungry in between. If I do, that's what the tea bags are for.

 

[Christineamd]

Day 6 check in! Hope everyone is doing well! 

I made it yesterday through my birthday without going off plan. It was short of a miracle. Instead of celebrating with food and wine like I usually do, I focused on other ways to celebrate. So I got a massage and a pedicure.  We grilled steak at home with a big pile of fresh veggies. It was delicious! My kids got to eat cake (which is still staring at me in my fridge), but I'm going to try to give it away to someone today to get it out of the house. That's just dangerous. 

I had a headache the last two days in the afternoon, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty great. Less bloating. Feel lighter. More energy when I wake up in the morning. And I've had significantly less pain in my TMJ jaw. Score!

[Overeducatedopinion]

Congrats on your good day and happy birthday @Christineamd !!

I just had the best breakfast- there's a mini sweet potato medley at Whole Foods lately; I made a hash with that and buffalo chorizo from wellness meats. I fried an egg on top and had mache lettuce leaves on the side. Omg so good! My appetite has gotten bigger these past 2days. Yesterday I had so many cravings it was torture. My daughter had a quesadilla (and fruit and veg), and the melted cheese was trying to kill me. I made a midnight snack of bacon-wrapped dates, and I did bacon- wrapped bananas too- sooo good!!!!! But I felt bad because 1. Snacking 2. Eating close to bedtime 3. Too much fruit

I did not sleep well. 

I drank about 100 la croix yesterday but the truth is it does not taste of much and I think the sodium content in the water must be high because it does not quench your thirst- it left me wanting more more more. I'll stick with pelligrino or whatever and add my own flavors

With my late start today and spending the better part of an hour making breakfast I'm thinking this is obviously not sustainable when I go back to work; my husband is saying we will cross that bridge when we come to it but I think I should work to make habits now that ARE sustainable 

OK it's a gorgeous day here - off to enjoy it, wishing everyone all my best. 

[Pam Baker]

@Christineamd So thrilled you got a pedicure and message. The non food celebrations are way better. @Overeducatedopinion So sorry yesterday was so hard, but hey you made it through!!! I love LaCroix's but I've been drinking them for some time to get rid of my Dr Pepper habit. 

I was so hungry yesterday too. Ate the biggest breakfast and then a largish salad for lunch, I made olive oil garlic chicken, potatoes hash and fresh green beans for dinner. I also made Whole30 BBQ sauce, it kinda tastes like BBQ but it was wonderful spread on my chicken piece. The only thing last night family didn't have that was compliant were canned gb's. Only a couple of the kids will eat the fresh with me and I cook them in olive oil and salt and pepper. I would say it was a win. 

Today I woke up a tad hungry but not starving like yesterday, I had the last of my sausage bell pepper frittata and a handful of grapes. I finally used my noodle maker and had chicken and zoodles sautéed in sesame oil and coconut aminos for lunch. I'm a tad nervous about dinner we are going to celebrate a bday with our good friends tonight, dinner at Red Robin, Rogue One and dessert (not sure where) My husband is so supportive with this and has walked out the decision in wether to go or not. I know I can make good choices and not be tempted. I've looked over Red Robin's menu and can get a burger no seasoning and bun, or a salad not dressing. I'm bringing my Tessamaes with me. I will update you guys tonight on our night out. We may skip out of dessert :-)

 

 

[Rkrzywda]

I'm sick with a cold and crabby. Nothing tastes good. Im throwing out food because I made too much and it isn't good enough to freeze. Im not craving any other food, but I'm not enjoying the stress of planning and watching what I eat. Last night I dreamed again about trying to find compliant food in a strange place and then somehow found that I took a bite of a sandwich. So I'm stress dreaming about it. Seriously wondering if this is all worth it with all that I have going on right now. Not throwing in the hat yet, but considering it.

[Mary T]

My name is Mary. I would like to join this group. I  started The Whole Thirty on January 5th.  I have not been feeling good because I am not eating good food. I am 55 and have been having a lot of joint pain. I am feeling very encouraged because since I started this diet I have more energy and my joints feel a little better.

 

[Tatchyana]

4 hours ago, Rkrzywda said:

I'm sick with a cold and crabby. Nothing tastes good. Im throwing out food because I made too much and it isn't good enough to freeze. Im not craving any other food, but I'm not enjoying the stress of planning and watching what I eat. Last night I dreamed again about trying to find compliant food in a strange place and then somehow found that I took a bite of a sandwich. So I'm stress dreaming about it. Seriously wondering if this is all worth it with all that I have going on right now. Not throwing in the hat yet, but considering.

Being sick would definitely make this harder. The weekend is hard too because we usually eat out once or twice and this is a birthday weekend for my son. I find myself thinking,"maybe I should just stop, maybe one week is enough..." I'm trying to observe my thoughts and emotions about food as I am going through this, and when I try to see it as an observer instead of me, I'm noticing a lot of things about myself. I'm seeing how easily I rely on food for comfort or in conjunction with events and interactions. I'm noticing that I don't miss out by not eating what everyone else might be having because I'm present with them emotionally instead of with the food. I can celebrate a birthday without cake.  It's still hard, and each time I want to quit or cheat I have to reconnect with this process and step back from the habits. It's much deeper than I realized, this process. 

[Overeducatedopinion]

@Rkrzywda please hang in there. I was JUST coming on here to say I have so much energy these past couple of days. Instead of laying down looking at the internet I have been reorganizing everything in my house, it's really satisfying. Today I did the garage- normally I would make my husband do that!

@RkrzywdaI spend a looooooong time on real plans figuring out my meal plan, moving things around, checking the shopping list...  Also I'm spending time on websites like nom nom paleo, the whole 30 website, and well fed. I actually get excited about whole 30 meals from looking at these websites. It's a lot of work and time thinking through it all. It is NOT easy but I already know that it's worth it and I hope you'll start feeling that way too.  It might be fun for you to go to a book store and look through whole 30 or paleo cookbooks? Whatever has been easy to eat in your life up to now- find a replacement for it. Like I dunno- if you're always eating cookies then get some whole30 snack bars and eat those instead. Grilling a steak or a burger could not be easier. Use lettuce instead of a bun for your burger... get some good spices and just put a chicken thigh, spices, and ghee in a baking dish and stick it in the oven. Hope this helps  it's worth it!!

 

[Lucky0507]

5 hours ago, Mary T said:

My name is Mary. I would like to join this group. I  started The Whole Thirty on January 5th.  I have not been feeling good because I am not eating good food. I am 55 and have been having a lot of joint pain. I am feeling very encouraged because since I started this diet I have more energy and my joints feel a little better.

 

I started on the 5th too! Still going strong. Hooray!

[evaq]

12 hours ago, Rkrzywda said:

I'm sick with a cold and crabby. Nothing tastes good. Im throwing out food because I made too much and it isn't good enough to freeze. Im not craving any other food, but I'm not enjoying the stress of planning and watching what I eat. Last night I dreamed again about trying to find compliant food in a strange place and then somehow found that I took a bite of a sandwich. So I'm stress dreaming about it. Seriously wondering if this is all worth it with all that I have going on right now. Not throwing in the hat yet, but considering it.

@Rkrzywda Aw, I'm sending an extra dose of good vibes your way! You're sick *and* you're in your first week of whole 30. Double yuck. Which means you're basically in the worst kind of mental and physical hangover. Frankly, it's near the end of week 1, I feel like my body is throwing an all-out tantrum and it's like trying to rationalize with a 2 year old. It stubbornly wants candy, pasta, chocolate and pancakes and I have to threaten it with a time out or a round of burpees if it doesn't settle down. But I *know* it gets better.

Try to remember why you wanted to do whole 30 in the first place. Are you seeing or feeling any positive differences? Is there anything comforting or pampering that you can do for yourself that doesn't involve cooking or food?

[Kathy Jackman]

I started Whole30 January 9 also. I would love to be part of group. I am not sure how the forum works, so hopefully will be able to participate. This is my first time, and I am kind of intimidated by it. Also quitting alcohol at the same time. It's a stretch, but I am determined for health reasons: digestive disorders and fatigue make life kind of hard. I'm ready to be free! Best of luck to us all!

[Pam Baker]

1 WEEK DONE 

Welcome new members  @Rkrzywda so sorry you are feeling so blech  Hoping you are moving into an upswing and ready to conquer this again soon. 

I keep reading the timeline looking for what's coming next in the way I feel. My body felt "heavy" around day 3-4. 5-7 I've felt more constipated because for the first few days I ran to the restroom constantly, but it's not the case really. I am noticing more sleep. My Fitbit is happy  

I have to share my Red Robin experience. I double and triple checked things. I had a wedgie burger; all beef patty (no seasoning and I could tell), avacado, tomato, onion, pickles, between two pieces of lettuce. Now I'm sure it wasn't grass fed, the lettuce was iceberg. I brought mayo in a lil container. but I feel as though I conquered that night. Thankful I had a friend that ordered the same as I and made her husband order it too. They are doing a less strict version. 

Now Saturday I'm not sure I had enough veggies. Breakfast was 3eggs, bell peppers and homemade sausage. I could only eat half. I also had some pineapple. I helped sign ins at our local ball fields for little league, so I brought bell peppers and carrots to munch on. Ate a chicken salad salad hubby brought up to me when he brought our son for tryouts. The sweet president kept telling me there was food in the umpire room, sausages and chick fil a. I didnt even go look. I was hungry when I got home and heated up a couple compliant hot dogs, put relish and Whole30 ketchup on them. Dinner was a lil harder. My family isn't doing this with me, I made clarified butter-SCORE! What a process! Anyway, on the menu eggs, potato hash, bacon (compliant and non compliant), homemade sausage, and the fun part (which isn't too hard for me I'm not a fan) French Toast. I usually have one because it's got syrup what's not to like about that. But I again had victory and it wasn't hard. 

Im going to get a lil "religious" and give Glory to God. I have looked over this program and prayed about it for months. I really believe this journey is my healing in so many ways. I'm ready to be done with food that hurts me, physically and guiltily.  I want health and freedom. And I know God is helping me through it. 

Praying you all have success and freedom as well! 

[Christineamd]

@Rkrzywda I'm so sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Hope you are feeling a bit better today. 

@Tatchyana I know exactly what you mean. This has been eye opening for me as well and I'm seeing how much I used food and wine as a "reward" system. A reward system ending in guilt, bloating, fat and hangovers. yuck! 

@Overeducatedopinion I just signed up for real plans! excited to play around with it and find some good recipes. I'm getting extremely tired of sweet potatoes and chicken sausage.  

@Pam Baker Congrats on conquering the red robin dinner! Keep up the great work! 

[Kathy Jackman]

Last night, I just got tired of food. I don't want to be hungry. Anyway, I am, so I must eat, so I had some turkey soup with lots of vegies. I am not so great with the spices, so it was very boring. I need to try some recipes, but kind of tired so don't really have the energy. I've been sleeping better since I started this diet, but I'm tired during the day too, so not waking up feeling refreshed. Then this morning, I woke up at 5 and couldn't get back to sleep. Went to a 8:30 yoga class, and I felt so strong and good. Came home, and that was it -- no more energy and my throat is sore which tells me that my adrenals are tired. I will get over this, I'm sure, but wondering how long it will take. @OvereducatedopinionThanks for the inspiration! It helps to hear others are doing well.

@Pam BakerAlso what hot dogs are compliant? I have some Hebrew Nationals. I have also really prayed over this whole diet thing. I need faith to stay the course; willpower just doesn't do it.

I made pancakes this morning with bananas, egg, coconut flour, ground walnuts and then blueberries and pecans on top with some butter; and bacon. It was yummy, and I had some left over for tomorrow. I think every day I will try to identify a victory, and that will the victory of the day. A little/lot short on the vegetables, but there's always the turkey soup which I've just gotta figure out how to give some flavor besides salt and pepper.

I decided that 2017 I must get healthier. I just turned 60, have a 7-month-old grandson, and a really good life except for chronic pain and fatigue. I've been to so many doctors and tried so many supplements that I could probably have bought a really nice car or even a house with all the money. I am grateful that I have a decent job. Anyway, I had two different appointments with functional medicine doctors, have already seen others. Finally, I just decided to cancel them. I will do this diet, give it a chance, before I see any more doctors. Chiropractic once a week and massage trades are it for me for now. That means total commitment to the Whole30. It must work!

Thanks for being there, fellow Whole30ers! Hope your days are going well!

[Pam Baker]

@Kathy Jackman The Applegate Farms all beef hot dogs. And Mavericks is a new company name I've seen, they even had grass fed ground beef and hot dogs. I will be praying for you to have a strength beyond yourself to do what is right for you. 

[Pam Baker]

Today was mostly a leftover day for me. Breakfast was my leftover egg scramble from yesterday and pineapple. I also had a glass of Kombucha. Lunch was peppers and Carrot slices and bacon. I wasn't that hungry. Dinner I had some leftover chicken and zucchini noodles that I added more noodles to. A very light day. But the zucchini noodles hit the spot tonight. Blessings til tomorrow 

[Kathy Jackman]

Forgot to mention, I have had pretty bad headaches predating this Whole30 run, one of the reasons I decided to do it. They started almost 2 years ago when I had a bad bronchial-flu type cold. It comes and goes, and I have been getting lots of bodywork for it as it's cranial tightness is what seems to be happening. Yesterday morning, woke up with a extra-special bad one, and I drank 25 ounces of water, did an enema, and lo and behold, it went away. I think I may be dehydrated a lot even though I drink lots of water. I am making sure I drink more than the 2 ounces per pound of body weight. Maybe it's my large intestinal challenges that cause me to need more water. Very happy to have kicked the headache this weekend. Tomorrow I go to my weekly chiropractic visit, hoping that takes me past this headache hump.

I really appreciate all the food suggestions. @Pam Baker looking to getting Applegate Farms hot dogs. I found some really good real fermented sauerkraut at Costco. Makes for a quick and easy meal with the dogs. Thanks for the prayers too.

[Overeducatedopinion]

Welcome @Kathy Jackman and greetings all. I made the Asian meatballs from nom nom paleo today and they are really good! We did a pork shoulder Cuban style in the slow cooker and that was really good too. We had it with simply-baked spaghetti squash with a little ghee on it. I put most of the meatballs in the freezer for another time. (Even my 6-y-o ate the meatballs). My favorite easy quick lunch remains lettuce cups. I had leftover scrambled eggs, leftover cubes of sweet potato, and I put them in the lettuce cup with bits of fresh mint, cucumber, scallion, and jalapeño. Those were also leftover from an earlier round of lettuce cups - just in a ziplock in the fridge. Man it's just so good. I didn't need to put anything on it- just the quality of the ingredients and the freshness coming through. However it has not all been rainbows and unicorns - my ear is bugging me a lot today and I had this impatient feeling like "Am I still not at my ideal weight? Am I still not in perfect health?" (Ha).  The energy and motivation continues and I've moved beyond kitchen drawers and garages into closets!! Salvation Army better bring a big truck. I'm also sleeping like a baby. Looking at the whole30 timeline always helps me feel better about where I am- it expects to you to feel like a grumpy failure on days 9-10, ha. 

[Christineamd]

Hi everyone! Day 9 check-in time. I've had like 0 energy all weekend and spent the majority of the time in bed. Hope that it picks up today, although now I'm worried about feeling like a "grumpy failure" @Overeducatedopinion , haha. One thing I'm able to do now on W30 that I haven't been able to do in a long, long, LONG, time...is wake up at 6AM without feeling like a truck ran over me. I used to always be an early to bed / early to rise kind of person, but fast forward 10 years and 3 kids later and mornings became dreaded. Now if I can just sustain my morning energy throughout the day. Maybe I need to better balance my fat intake with each meal. I'll try to work on that today. 

Diet wise, I'm getting a little tired of eggs, chicken sausage and sweet potatoes. I bought the Real Plans meal planning for a month in the hopes of changing it up, but so far the recipes don't look appealing- and you have to pay extra for recipes from Nom Nom Paleo and other bloggers. Ugh. I just want some easy meals this week. I may do the shredded chicken in a crock pot and recycle that over a few meals- like some lettuce cups (or tacos for the kids), salad, etc. 

@Overeducatedopinion which lettuce do you find makes the best cup for the lettuce cups? 

What is everyone else's favorite quick "go-to" meal?

Hope everyone has a great day 9! 

[Overeducatedopinion]

@Christineamd I've been using butter lettuce- it's soft enough to wrap with - but I could also see romaine or iceberg used as more of a "boat" than a cup. You could also try collard greens. I'm sorry you don't like the real plans recipes. What about something like chicken tikka masala? The Cuban pork we made was from there. It's easy to import recipes from other sites. Go into recipe box and I think there's a button for import recipe and then you simply copy and paste the URL into the window there. With nom nom paleo if you try to do that, the ingredients go in fine but the instructions you have to type in manually- something about the way she formats her website prevents those from going in properly. Hope this makes sense. Real plans has people available to webchat 24/7 for help and advice. Maybe you could chat with someone for recipe suggestions more to your liking. I hope it can work for you. Even my husband loves it. It divides your shop in list into areas of the store, which makes it easy for him to do the shopping. Do you like sushi? What about getting some seaweed wraps (nori) and making hand rolls with cooked shrimp, omelette, and/or avocado, cucumber, bell peppers... there also thus roulette function on real plans- go to meal plan and click on a wedge shape in the upper right. It will suggest something and you can choose thumbs up or thumbs down and keep going through options until you find one you like. Good luck, hang in there. 

[evaq]

@Christineamd I sympathize about feeling like you never leave the kitchen because you're always cooking vs the challenge of finding/eating tasty food. I tend to like making things in batches ie. enough for 3-4 meals but then I vary M1, M2 and M3. So breakfast is a baked casserole of eggs, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato with a little bit of compliant sausage. Lunch is salad w kale, broccoli, radicchio, brussel sprouts, chicken, avocado, clementine topped with whole 30 ranch. Dinner is Well Fed chocolate chili. I essentially eat the same meal for 4 days but there's enough variety between each meal that I find it satisfying. 

The key for me in cracking the whole cooking and food dilemma is finding enough textures, flavours, and healthy fat so you don't feel deprived. Sometimes I really want something sharp so I'll make an extra zippy oil and vinegar dressing. Sometimes I want some spice/heat so I add jalapenos. You get the drift. One of my fave go-to meals is Mel Joulwan's Chocolate Chili + a nice big salad. I top the chili with sliced avocado and a squeeze of lime. I'm obsessed with it.

http://meljoulwan.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/

Hope you have a better time finding your food goove. It gets easier and you pick up more tricks as you go along. Good luck!

ps. Michelle at Nom Nom Paleo has lots of recipes you don't have to subscribe to; ditto Mel Joulwan at Well Fed. You just need to take the time to browse through their websites.

[Overeducatedopinion]

i had a tube put in my ear yesterday to hopefully stop the ringing, but it feels like it's made it worse. I feel very uncomfortable, and anxious about my hearing. It is actually so stressful. I feel like the wind has been taken out of my sails. Also my husband is out of town today-Thursday and that has always been a time when I make bad food and drink choices. So please wish me luck, if I can get through the next couple of days that will be really great. 

[Pam Baker]

Yes yes, leaving the kitchen seems to be a luxury these days. 

This morning I made egg muffins with bacon and bell peppers. I need onions. lol I'm not a cooked spinach person so the only thing I think to put in my eggs with a meat. I have breakfast for the next few days. I prepped lunch so that I wouldn't be scrambling for it. With homeschooling I tend to be the last to eat and the kids are bugging me about what's next  Dinner I'm using the leftover roast from last night to make the Ragout pg 47 of the Whole30 cookbook. 

As far as how I'm feeling. I'm feeling bloated and fatter that usual. I realized that I've been eating too much in my meals. I was so hungry the first few days that I wonder if I overdid it. Yesterday I was sooooooo tired even after a good 7 1/2 hr night. Today I seem to have more energy and clarity.