Starting Jan. 16th!

[snowflower]

6 hours ago, Melissa Shelly said:

Do you know if you need to refrigerator Ghee once you open it?

Does anyone do portions? Does anyone snack? I can’t go from lunch until dinner without food. I’m probably not a good example of meal-eating. 

I made two eggs in ghee with 2 pieces of SF bacon at around 10:30 am. Then I went to play tennis from 12-1:30. Then to grocery store where I had TWO LARA bars (none with added sugar, though).

Now it’s at least 3 hours until dinner……hmmm?

Ghee does not need to be refrigerated.

There's a meal template rather than portions.  Here is is:  http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

I do not snack.  If you need a snack, have a mini-meal with fat, protein and veggies.  This will keep sugar cravings at bay.

Lara bars are not a good snack for me.  They make me crave more sugar and leave me feeling hungry.

If you're hungry eat a mini meal.

 

[Cher1]

Hey Welcome to the new folks on this post.

looks like I'll be opening a whole30 B&B soon! Lol.

the sweet potato chili recipe looks awesome. I'm definitely trying it soon.

i love to cook so if I'm providing some inspiration that's cool. I'd also really love to hear what dishes you all are preparing. I think we all may need inspiration or it's eggs, eggs, eggs. And I made a note that Chipotle is real food!

i talked to my husband about joining me..he's been looking at my meals and I think he's feeling a bit envious. He wants to modify the program and keep a glass of wine, don't we all! For my part I'm sticking to peligrino in a wine glass.

@ksallen I've eaten around food allergies for a long time! If you know the hostess, you may want to alert her in advance (I'm looking forward to your dinner party but I have a couple diatry restrictions right now. Without asking you to prepare special food for me, do you mind if I bring my own? Or, I'm basically eating protein, fresh vegetables and fruits. If you are already preparing that I should be fine.) Then just eat around what is served. Sometimes it helps to eat beforehand. Good luck!

@Melissa Shelly ghee should be kept refrigerated to keep the fresh flavor. I also read some forums on snacks. The advice was to always include your protein and you'll do better. Recommendations were to try to make your snack resemble a meal..protein, vegi, healthy fat. Maybe our moderators and more experienced folks can chip in here for us. I've tried almonds and a small piece of fruit, but there's a lot of natural sugar in fruit.

 

[Cher1]

Day 3 Success

meal 1: grass fed fillet  leftover; jalapeño, sweet red bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, cilantro all pan fried in olive oil (the inside of a spicy western omelette -sans egg). All topped with picante sauce. Yum

meal 2: romaine, crab, artichoke, avocado and kalamata salad. With a carrot and tomato juice.

meal 3: dinner out. Flounder (the restaurant pan fried it for me in clarified butter with spices), baked potato w clarified butter, broccoli ...first time ever not feeling guilty about putting butter on a potato! :-)

 

and we got our walking in today, but the dog was exhausted from two days of chasing ball into the ocean. I practically had to pull him back to the condo this morning  (he's a 100lb lab). Took my husband with me on my second walk --no leash--and left the dog sleeping....

feeling pretty good today, actually.

[Cher1]

On 1/17/2017 at 7:50 AM, huliganjetta said:

I love (good) fat! Avocados, olive oil, nuts. They're my best friends

Maybe think about this instead of fruit snacks?

[Cher1]

Also, I didn't see @snowflower responded earlier to @Melissa Shelly, sorry for the confusion! I refrigerate my ghee. But it's to keep the flavor fresh not required generally. ;-)

[jmcbn]

14 hours ago, ksallen said:

I definitely snack through the day at work. Around 10 am I have my RXBar or an apple with almond butter, then after lunch around 3 or so i'll finish the bar and/or apple! I also keep dried plums (who knew i liked THOSE?!) in my desk, along with dried dates (for a sweet fix) and raisins! 

 

Ok, so you really want to try avoiding the snacks. The idea in leaving that 4-5hr window between meals is to give your digestive system some much needed down time, and to allow your body to tap into it's fat stores for fuel. By snacking (and in particular snacking on dried fruits/fruits & nuts - which are a lot carbier than most people give them credit for) you are topping up your sugar supply providing your body with an immediate source of fuel & preventing fat adaption.

If you really must snack try to make it a mini meal, of at least two of the three food groups, with protein & fat being your best option. So protein & fat, protein & carbs, or carbs & fat. Fruit is always going to be your least effective option.

ANY type of bar is for emergency use only. Snacking is more of a habit than an emergency, and a habit you really should try to break.

Those juicy dates people love so much have more sugar than a candy bar, so quite the sugar fix in just one, and they wlll absolutely keep your sugar dragon alive, as well as creating blood sugar spikes & troughs, energy dips, faux hunger signals etc. Try to encorporate fruit as part of your meal (berries on a salad, pineapple in a curry, apple in a salad etc) or eat it straight after your meal so that it has less of an impact on your blood sugar.

Hope this helps

[MC100]

Thanks so much for the posts on snacking, really useful!

I've become aware that I really crave sugar in the mornings. I have not enjoyed or looked forward to having savoury breakfasts. I considered having fruit but then thats defeating the point I think, so I'm trying to go with something like an omelette which seems more palatable than leftovers from dinner. It will be a good habit to shake! 

[snowflower]

7 hours ago, Cher1 said:

Also, I didn't see @snowflower responded earlier to @Melissa Shelly, sorry for the confusion! I refrigerate my ghee. But it's to keep the flavor fresh not required generally. ;-)

I had never heard of refrigerating my ghee!  I googled it to see if I should.  I buy Purity Farms and their website says:  In summer or if your kitchen is very warm, you may want to keep ghee in the refrigerator - it softens very quickly when you take it out - but you don't have to refrigerate.  Keep the cap on when not in use, and always dip into the ghee with a clean, dry, utensil.

7 hours ago, jmcbn said:

Those juicy dates people love so much have more sugar than a candy bar, so quite the sugar fix in just one, and they wlll absolutely keep your sugar dragon alive, as well as creating blood sugar spikes & troughs, energy dips, faux hunger signals etc. Try to encorporate fruit as part of your meal (berries on a salad, pineapple in a curry, apple in a salad etc) or eat it straight after your meal so that it has less of an impact on your blood sugar.

This is SO true for me.  During my first Whole30 I snacked on dried fruit and fresh fruit (always with nuts) but was never able to go longer than 3-4 hours between meals.  I had a couple of failed Whole30s that involved dried mango from Trader Joes.....that stuff is my "crack"....I eat the whole bag and then want to eat everything else in site.  I've been off the dried mango for almost 2 years now.  I walk by the dried fruit section and gaze longingly at the mango thinking about the delicious chewy sweetness, but then remind myself how it makes me feel after I've devoured the bag.  And, NO, I can't limit myself to one strip.  My brain doesn't think like that sadly.  

 

HAPPY DAY 4 EVERYONE.  WELCOME NEW PEOPLE AND LURKERS WHO HAVEN'T POSTED YET. 

@Cher1 I am happy to share some of my recipes with you.  I rarely wing it and am a recipe girl.  Sometimes I tweak a recipe and make changes, but I always write them down and keep track.  I'm a huge fan of Mel Joulwan's cookbooks and have all 3.  (I think we must have the same tastebuds.)  I also like NomNom Paleo.  This: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/105333542218/magic-mushroom-powder-diy-holiday-gift is my favorite recipe from Nom Nom.  It's a dried porcini mushroom spice blend that you make yourself in a food processor.  I put it on chicken drumsticks or wings with a few spashes of fish sauce (marinate overnight) and it's unbelievable.  I also use it on eggs and ground beef.   

I also love these sweet potatoes http://thenourishinghome.com/2014/10/roasted-herb-sweet-potato-bites/  They are super easy to put together because all the herbs/spices are dried.  They are great for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I'm off to Orange Theory Fitness.  Have a great day everyone.

 

[ksallen]

Got it, thanks everyone! I think i'll keep eating an apple w/ a little almond butter each day, since I don't have fruit with any of my meals. I'll keep that in mind regarding the RX Bars - emergency use only...

Regarding the dried fruit, i've only had about a handful of raisins in the past 3 days, 3 dried prunes, and a small handful of the chopped dates. I can't imagine this little bit of fruit having THAT much of an impact. I will say, before this whole30 I was popping leftover Christmas candy throughout the day so, If I do say so myself, this is a HUGE improvement. 

@Cher1 regarding this dinner party -- unfortunately I do not know the hostess that well, so I'm a bit uncomfortable reaching out to her. I highly doubt the main dish will be 100% compliant, so I'm very nervous! Thanks for your advice though! I'm going to discuss it with my husband too and see what he thinks.

I'm making the sweet potato chili as we speak in my crockpot at home! I'll report back on how it turns out! 

- Kathryn

[ksallen]

Also, has anyone ever done the Sun Basket Paleo food delivery? https://www.sunbasket.com/menu/ 

Unfortunately in my area we do not have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or anything resembling a "whole" foods store, so it has been hard to sourcing all of the foods I need. Luckily we went out of town last weekend and I stocked up at Trader Joe's and Harris Teeter.

@snowflower - I bought the dried mango from Trader Joe's and LUCKILY I'm not a huge fan of it so I think I'm going to give it to my mom who LOVES mango. I do like the dried banana one (but only for a treat!). 

- Kathryn

[Mountain Girl]

Ok, since snowflower called out "the lurkers who haven't posted yet...."

I started Monday as well.  We eat pretty clean and other than missing stevia in my coffee I haven't struggled much. My husband and kids are very supportive but are not participating. In fact, I do not know a single person who is or has done this...so this forum is pretty much my support. I cook dinners for my family and they have loved the food so far. So far it feels like a lot of kitchen time, and I feel like I am constantly thinking about food...not like cravings, just what do I need to buy/do/prep for the next meal/s.  But I am realizing that is more because I have been trying to follow the week 1 sample menu pretty closely. I am trying lots of new recipes and it is more time consuming. But I am trying now to simplify some.  Leftovers are the biggest time saver I have found..and redefining breakfast as meal 1 and open for anything I found freeing (hubby, not so much....he thinks it's weird). 

So, here's my first real question/help request.  If I could just stay home and cook, this thing would be a piece of cake, but I know I can't be a hermit for 30 days.  We are heading to the lake this weekend with another couple (our closest friends).  I am not worried about food.  They will bring tons of junk food...but seriously I am having no trouble right now passing that up.  I didn't eat much sugar before and four days of this has any lurking dragon pretty much under control.  BUT they will all be drinking this weekend, and THAT is likely to be a huge obstacle for me.  They all know that I am not drinking right now, and I know my hubby willl be supportive (but he will still drink). But if I show any signs of weakness, I am afraid they will "pounce"...especially after they have had one or two themselves.

Suggestions? Strategies?

In my whole30daily email today they talked about strategies to fight cravings...and I guess peer pressure would be similar (except they say cravings only last 3-5 minutes). But I built my list of distraction tactics, but they pretty much all involve leaving or at least disengaging with the temptation which may not be appropriate this weekend. I don't want to be rude, AND it's supposed to rain a lot. Anyway...any suggestions would be helpful.

PS. can somebody tell me how you guys insert the blue highlighted @so and so when you are addressing someone in particular's comment? I can't figure it out.

 

[Saritawho?]

Ha!  I'm a "lurker" who started on Monday too and I'm the only one I know currently on the program, so I'm definitely thankful for this forum!

I have a request for some help - I'm nursing my five month (almost six month) old daughter and working full time means I have a love-hate relationship with my pump.  Since starting on Monday I've seen a significant drop in my supply, despite drinking lots/the same amount of water before I started and I've been having to steal from my freezer stash to make up the missing amount from her bottles while she's at 'school.'  Any tips for what I can try to ensure my supply stays up to par while staying compliant with the program?  It also happens to coincide with my daughter attempting to sleep through the night (so yay for more sleep for everyone...boo for dwindling supply).   Any previous nursing Whole30ers out there have some advice?  Or maybe one of the nurses I've seen post?  

I'm doing the program to slay my MAJOR sugar dragon (I've named him Beauregard).  Beau tried to rear his head Monday night after I got the kiddos (my oldest just turned two on Sunday...and I wanted to enjoy his birthday, hence the start date on Monday) to sleep and it made me realize that has definitely been an outlet for me...I have a moment to 'myself' and I was turning to some combination of sweets and popcorn to treat myself to a peaceful time before bed.  Am happy to say he was 'slayed' with a La Croix for the evening and so far he has been content to hibernate.  Am sure he'll pop up at some time during this journey and am glad to have y'all to help out!  

PS - @Mountain Girl, you can get the blue highlights by typing @ followed by the person's name...a list will pop up and you can select the right person to tag.  :o)  

 

 

[alikoala65]

Welcome @Mountain Girl and @Saritawho?. This to is my only support I am doing this by myself and have come to enjoy reading everyone's post. I have 3 daughters who are in early 20's who live with me.  I have told them they are on there own for the next 30 days.( I think it is a good test for them to see if they can cook). So far they are not suffering. Today is day 4 and wow I am already struggling with the cravings. That damn sugar dragon! I made a instant pot recipe from "skinnytaste" website for dinner last night. she has some recipes geared towards whole30. It was an Italian pulled pork that I put over 'zoodles". Here's to another day down and 26 to go. We can do this!

[jmcbn]

44 minutes ago, Saritawho? said:

I've seen a significant drop in my supply

How many meals are you eating?

Nursing mums should be eating x4 meals a day (or at the very least x3 plus a generous mini-meal), and maybe sipping on coconut milk throughout the day too to keep up your supply.

Are you including starchy veg in at least one meal per day too?

[snowflower]

1 hour ago, Mountain Girl said:

BUT they will all be drinking this weekend, and THAT is likely to be a huge obstacle for me.  They all know that I am not drinking right now, and I know my hubby willl be supportive (but he will still drink). But if I show any signs of weakness, I am afraid they will "pounce"...especially after they have had one or two themselves.

Suggestions? Strategies?

How about kombucha?  Or San Pellagrino with some fresh limes?  I feel like holding a glass with something "special" eases that feeling that I'm the only one NOT drinking. This has worked for me.  

52 minutes ago, Saritawho? said:

I have a request for some help - I'm nursing my five month (almost six month) old daughter and working full time means I have a love-hate relationship with my pump.  Since starting on Monday I've seen a significant drop in my supply, despite drinking lots/the same amount of water before I started and I've been having to steal from my freezer stash to make up the missing amount from her bottles while she's at 'school.'  Any tips for what I can try to ensure my supply stays up to par while staying compliant with the program?  It also happens to coincide with my daughter attempting to sleep through the night (so yay for more sleep for everyone...boo for dwindling supply).   Any previous nursing Whole30ers out there have some advice?  Or maybe one of the nurses I've seen post?  

I am a nurse AND I have been a volunteer breastfeeding counselor for 16 years!  I would recommend eating AT LEAST 4 meals a day and include starchy carbs at at least 3 of those meals.  See if this makes a difference in supply.  If it does, you could try taking them out of one meal and see how that affects things.  Also...do you have anything else different going on?  Any illness?  Any new supplements?  Any new medications?  Are you working out differently or more than before?  These things can all have an affect, as well.  Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like to talk more or troubleshoot.  There's also a thread here for nursing moms that you may find helpful.  You actually need MORE calories while you're nursing than when you're pregnant!  

[Angela090405]

It's going to be amazing and there are so many people here to help you when you're skeptical of your will power. You can do this, 30 days, it'll come and go whether you take on this empowering journey or not. Let's have a great story after 30 days! I started January 1st but after a couple set backs I am reseting as of today so this is my new day 1. My 11 year old daughter was so disappointed in me for not following this program to the T. I vow to do it right this time.

 

[Cher1]

@snowflower porcini mushroom powder use in a fishy sauce....oh boy can I have some fun with that. Marinated Ginger beef with cauliflower rice comes instantly to mind. I'm a creative cook. I'll look at a base recipe or ingredient and figure out what to make.

@alikoala65 and Italian pull pork (or beef) 0ver beet 04 butternut squash noodles? Sounds like a winner. (I'll have to check out zoodles)

[kpenrod1]

I also started on the 16th! - I just saw this thread and thought I would join along since we're all on the same 30 day track!

I have had digestive issues ever since I was a senior in college. My doctor had me try a whole bunch of stuff and he couldn't figure out what the problem was. In the end, he settled on a gluten intolerance (tested negative for celiacs) since it seemed that when I cut out gluten it was the only time I didn't have cramps and felt normal. But even then I still had days where I just felt like crap all the time. So I am hoping that the Whole30 can help me get back on track and help me with my food demons as well!

So far so good, I did hit the "hangover days" those were terrible. But I am starting to feel a little better.

It's so hard not to want to snag a bag of chips and snack all day. My job has a huge snack area so we have stuff everywhere. Plus chips are one of my no brakes foods for sure. 

[Mountain Girl]

34 minutes ago, snowflower said:

How about kombucha?  Or San Pellagrino with some fresh limes?  I feel like holding a glass with something "special" eases that feeling that I'm the only one NOT drinking. This has worked for me.  

1. Good idea. I had thought of a LaCroix with lime (I saw on website they are approved). 2. What is kombucha? (And how do you pronounce it? I had never even heard of it until I encountered whole30. I googled it and the descriptions always said "sweetened". I did see some at earthfare this week.  How can you tell if it is compliant? I was kind of in a hurry and only looked at one. The first ingredient was  kombucha and everything else looked compliant. 

Oh, and @Saritawho? -- thanks! 

[Jenn1256]

The eating has been manageable so far.  I do agree with that other person who posted that she feels like she is always supposed to be prepping or cooking something.  I have been following the week one meal plan too and hope that when I create my own next time it will be a little easier.  Hope to double a few recipes this weekend too to help out.  Also thinking about looking for some Whole 30 compliant salad dressing and mayo that isn't too expensive.  Does anyone have recommendations?

My biggest issue so far is that I am really having trouble falling asleep.  I have had insomnia before so it's not a totally new thing but its been awhile and it seems to coincide with when I started the program.  Wondering if there is a connection?  Has anyone else experienced this?  It's awful to be sitting awake for hours!  Any tips or ideas on how to help?  I have decreased my caffeine but not eliminated it completely.  

 

Thanks!

 

[SugaD]

Hi All!  I also started as a newbie on Monday with my husband.  For me - I've been having stomach pain for a while and am hoping to find a cause and for my husband, he is here to support me and hopefully kick start some weight loss.

Things if have noticed so far:  no really strong cravings (I am fairly disciplined.  I run every day and have completed marathon & half marathons) but I MISS sugar.  Mostly it has made me sad these last few days.  I even cried over my black coffee yesterday.  Cream & sugar is a comfort.  Also I have noticed my runs are harder.  I know both will get better as the days go on.  Food wise I feel we are doing well with our prep.  I admit to having a prepared bar (Lara or Epic) once a day.  But I still feel successful and each day I attempt the finer points of the program.  I work long days, all meals eaten outside of the home 2/3 days a week.  And so far I have found almond butter palatable for pre work out at 5am.

Good luck everyone!

[Saritawho?]

Thanks guys for the tips! @jmcbn & @snowflower  

I probably am lacking in the starchy vegetable department, so I will get that started tonight with supper!  And I have been trying to stick to just the three meals with minimal snacking...so I will throw a mini-meal in starting tomorrow (am at work and there isn't a convenient place to get Whole30 approved items if I don't bring it with me).  And I'll give the coconut milk a whirl.  Hopefully by Monday things will be back to normal on the milk front!  

[Sunflour]

6 hours ago, MC100 said:

I've become aware that I really crave sugar in the mornings. I have not enjoyed or looked forward to having savoury breakfasts. I considered having fruit but then thats defeating the point I think, so I'm trying to go with something like an omelette which seems more palatable than leftovers from dinner. It will be a good habit to shake! 

This was true for me too. It was a major habit to break/reform. I tried on a previous Whole30 to keep the grain-free cereal I would have outside the programme, which had some (not much) dried fruit chopped into it, and I'd have with a banana. I mean, it's a good time in a bowl, but it fed my sugar dragon in the worst way, and I had a really tough time passing on the cakes and chocolates that seem to always be passed around my office. It's been much easier since I've gone savoury for breakfasts. 

First non-scale victory for me last night! I was eating dinner, realised I was full... And stopped eating! Lol! I mean, that does sound crazy when I write it, but I'm usually an inveterate plate-clearer. My two young kids just stop when they've had enough. Like, there could be half a mouthfull there and they've had enough, so they'll stop. I never say anything about it as I don't want to create a new generation of plate-cleaners... I just sit back and watch in admiration. I want that. 

Meals yesterday: leftover garbage stir-fry (Nom nom paleo), with mayo and hot sauce, omelette with salsa and mayo, and baked chicken thighs with sweet potato hash, with mayo (I just realised I need to mix up my fats...) and the wonderful magic mushroom powder from nom nom paleo that I think others have also discovered. 

Onwards and upwards!

[pammelasue]

Another lurker here!  I started Monday as well and the cravings on day 4 are killing me.  We have a dozen donuts & 1/2 dozen chocolate chip muffins in the breakroom so I have been avoiding going in there.  My office is also next to an all-you-can-eat candy buffet in the boardroom.  It hasn't been too bad until today and the donuts are calling my name...loudly!  I am going to continue to ignore them though!  

I've been putting coconut milk in my coffee though and enjoying that.  Even cut back to one cup a day!!!    So that's something, right?  I'm also more of a grazer than a meal-eater so not having snacks has been tough.  I'll survive though!  

[Mountain Girl]

@Jenn1256 I have found the primal kitchen mayo, but is ridiculously expensive. Trying to master the mayo but haven't succeeded yet. Also, I have had sleep issues for a long time. In fact, better sleep is at the top of my list of non scale goals. It's only 4 days in, but it's definitely worse, not better. Would also love to hear from anyone who has experienced this or who saw improvements. 

@Sunflour Isn't it just the coolest when we actually learn FROM our kids? I loved what you wrote!