Monkey19 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 I had planned on doing my first whole 30 in January. I started out well and did 5 days straight but broke it after a bad day at work. I've since re-started a couple of times but then keep messing up by eating a sweet for an emotional reason. My fiancé is not doing the whole 30 so I've cleared out the pantry as much as I can. i felt amazing when I did stick the plan and lost a few lbs already but I can't seem to stick with it. I've struggled with binge eating for the past 10 years and as I try the whole 30 I've gotten better at identifying my triggers. (Loneliness [moved to a new place for my fiance], social anxiety, unfulfilled with career choice, as a way to procrastinate, etc) i have to bake for an event this week (I offered to when I thought my whole 30 would be ending on jan 31)which is making me so nervous. I really want to do it for 30 days but I feel ashamed that I've had to re start so many times because I feel like I can't handle the bad feelings when I'm annoyed with work or feeling upset about something. has anyone else had to re start so many times and then finally stuck with it? Any tips? I feel embarrassed and frustrated with myself. I know it's my choice when I mess up but at the same times feel so upset at time I don't know how else to handle the feelings without food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceylc_w30 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Hi @Monkey19, My heart goes out to you. Lots of people struggle; you are not alone. You will find a great deal of support here in the forum. If at all possible, shift into a mindset of doing the program to take care of yourself, instead of beating yourself up when you decide to eat something off-plan. There is no shame in asking for support, and no need to feel embarrassed for using food to try to comfort yourself while you're under stress. It might not feel like it now, but once you complete a round of Whole30, you will have much more control over your cravings and you should generally feel better overall. First, know that there is no such thing as a "perfect" Whole30 (http://whole30.com/2014/01/perfect-whole30/). That said, the "Do I really have to start over" article has the famous Whole30 tough love http://whole30.com/2014/06/really-start-whole30/ as well as a link to some of the free resources the program offers. If you haven't, check out http://whole30.com/new. There is also some good info about stress, loneliness, and anxiety in this article: http://whole30.com/2015/11/home-alone/ In terms of tips, the biggest one for me was Plan and Prepare. I plan out several meals ahead of time, then I grocery shop, and then I prep as much as I can ahead of time (chop, cook, freeze). Getting caught with nothing compliant to eat will derail you very quickly, so avoid that at all costs. Another good tip is to make sure you are eating enough food at each meal. Use the template (http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf) to help make sure you're getting adequate protein, fats, and veggies to feel satisfied. Baking would be tough for me. If you decide to eat some of what you've baked, enjoy it, and then just start your Whole30 after the work event. The program is not always easy, but it is worthwhile. There will be lots of people here to support you. You can do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 big hugs. I got to day 28 of my whole30 in Jan then chucked it all in for a glass of wine. I then restarted on 1 Feb and fell off the bandwagon on day 4 because I really wanted some wine and dark chocolate. so for now I am going to move into "reintro" stage rather than the all or nothing w30 mindset whilst I'm feeling like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmg1993 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 @Monkey19 My only advice is that the pursuit of perfection will always make us feel inadequate because nobody is ever that way. Mistakes happen. The most important thing is that we keep trying, no matter how many times. The only person that is keeping "score" is you and if you can block that mindset it might get easier. When I stop and start a lot, I find the easiest thing to do is take it one healthy decision/meal at a time, which sometimes feels more manageable. And, as @staceylc_w30 says, advance prep and planning really helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey19 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Thank you to all of you for your replies! I appreciate your kind words. I will try changing my mindset to thinking of taking care of myself and taking things one meal at a time. I think I get overwhelmed thinking of doing this for 30 days which may be part of my problem. @foursimplewords28 days is still so impressive- nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc221104 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 If you struggle with thinking 30 days seems so daunting, try to break it down as much as you can. This was a game I played with myself when I was doing couch-to-5k. I would do my bit of running and when I was walking I'd think "I only need to do that x more times, then I'm done!" After a few more, it would be "I'm halfway there! I only need to do exactly what I just did, and I since I already did it, I know I can do it again!" Somehow this mental math was helpful to me, and I imagine it can be applied here as well. First, focus on making it to the end of the week. You can do anything for 7 days, right? Of course you can! Prepare as well as you can by packing lunches and snacks (even though we aren't supposed to snack, knowing you have more than enough compliant food on hand can be helpful mentally). Sit down and map out what you want to eat on days when you aren't working, etc. Think only about 7 days. Don't fixate on how there are more days after those 7. Just prove to yourself that you can do this for one entire week. Then, once there, celebrate (just not with non-compliant food)! You did it! And if you can do it for one week, you can do it for another. You already proved you can do 7 days, so a second week should be no problem. It's just doing something you've already done, so you know it's possible. And again, it's only 7 days, right? You can do anything for 7 days! The trick will be that when you feel like you are going to go off-plan, you will have to motivate yourself to carry on--you just have to get through x number of days so you'll have finished an entire week. If you're on Day 4 and you want to "cheat," doesn't it seem totally possible to hold out and make it 3 more days? It *is* possible. And once you've gotten through those 3 days, you'll feel really successful and proud. I know it can be hard when food has been an emotional crutch. Trust me, I struggle with that as well--very, very much. When I have super desperately wanted it for comfort, I remind myself that I agreed to do this and the pride I will feel at succeeding will make it worth it if I can hold out for juuuuust a little longer. It's hard to remember all of the time, and I have come close to breaking down. Once when I got really close to losing it after a tough day, I got up and got in the shower because I know sometimes that a shower just makes me feel better. Not in the same way that comfort food has, but the hot water relaxes me. And then I did a face mask because I can't eat when I do that, and it made me feel like I was doing something to better myself. Then I painted my nails--can't eat with wet nails, either. Eventually the craving passed, and I started to feel better about myself in small ways because, hey, my skin was smooth and my nails looked pretty. Another time, I just started cleaning. I hate cleaning, but once I start, I feel like I have to finish. And I felt productive, and like I was doing something to better my environment. So, I find things like this to distract myself from an emotional craving. I also tell myself that food will not fix the thing that caused me to want the food. Food doesn't change the fact that I had angry, nonsensical customers screaming at me at work. Or that I had to work unplanned OT, or that our internet was out, or or or. It doesn't solve the fight I had with my boyfriend. Even though I know this stuff, it's hard not to look to food to comfort the frustrations and stresses of life. However, stopping to remind myself that it's just a bandaid and not a cure can be helpful mental motivation. It's hard, and sometimes the motivation to address these cravings and emotional things through other means is just completely is not there. I understand. But the combination of breaking 30 days into smaller chunks so it seems easier, along with finding productive distractions or distractions that make you feel good about yourself can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowflower Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Something that has helped me over the past 4 years is thinking of it as a CHOICE rather than "CHEATING". You have control over what you eat. Make a choice. Cheating is such a negative word. @dc221104 suggested breaking it down into smaller chunks....I like this idea. Maybe a Whole7 would work for you....maybe a shorter goal wouldn't feel so daunting? Then reevaluate after 7 days and see where you'd like to go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey19 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Thank you @dc221104! I like your idea of breaking it down and I am a runner too so can definitely relate to that :). @snowflowerThat is a good idea to think of it as a choice instead. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 http://whole30.com/2014/06/really-start-whole30/ Are you always starting over. ^^^ http://whole30.com/2014/01/whole30-forever/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CateL Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 we've been talking about this quite a bit in the medical forum too. I find not prepping too far ahead helps as i don't want too much food around me that i could binge on (luckily I like cooking) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.