Starting March 12

[asbren13]

I'm still around! Day 23 has arrived! I made the most delicious recipe last night for dinner and just have to share. I made Jay's Baking Me Crazy Paleo Lemon Butter Chicken http://www.jaysbakingmecrazy.com/2016/01/06/paleo-lemon-butter-chicken/. It was so easy to throw together and tasted amazing! I had friends over who are eating normally and thought the chicken was delicious too. 

I will say I am ready to bring wine back to my dinners. Also chocolate. I've started thinking about re-introduction and have decided that I'll be introducing alcohol (and I suppose be more relaxed about added sugars) on my first day since I don't really eat legumes. I think I will definitely carry over eating like this and cooking for myself more frequently, but be slightly less restrictive since that has not helped my food anxiety that much. I do feel like my relationship with food has gotten better. I have realized that when I am bored I want to eat & snack, so now I am going to be more cognizant of *why* I want to eat and if I am actually hungry or just bored. 

[stravajunkie]

Hey, still here...strange twist, we decided to have my son tackle a W30, he is 8, to resolve chronic ear infections and several other complications...it's been a bit of a struggle, and added A TON of work to my life, but we are making progress. I haven't had time to keep up very well with posting here but have enjoyed and learned from the groups continued energy, so thank you!

[andorya]

It is the morning of Day 25 for me. Nice bonus this week-I have so much in the freezer from overcooking the last few weeks that I didn't spend the whole weekend in the kitchen and I haven't eaten anything this week that wasn't reheated (or a fruit). Yes, I do miss the freshly cooked meal, but it is really nice not to cook for a change!

I still suck at exercise, but I feel like I finally have the energy to start being more consistent with this. If anyone has a good resource for a beginners workout plan (not Couch to 5K as my knees rebel at running), please let me know. I need a structured program (kind of like W30) for my exercise plan, then I think I will stick with it as I will have a clearly outlined plan to follow. I have kettle bells, a bike, and some other basic fitness equipment at home. No gym membership. Being successful at W30 so far is giving me the confidence to embark on a structured fitness journey as well.

I have looked a t a few sample plans for reintro. Definitely not starting with legumes or corn or grains. I can live without these for a longer period of time. It is cheese, chocolate and wine for me (not all at once of course)!

Saw this on the W30 fb feed yesterday. Good for a laugh if you are interested: http://kaleandcigarettes.com/tag/whole-30/

 

[elaes]

It's day 25 here. Took a bus trip with my mom yesterday and her quilt guild to the town where Missouri Star Quilt Company is. The town is pretty much ONLY Missouri Star Quilt Company. But there are eateries there that sounded amazing! Apparently the cinnamon rolls are THE best, and people make the trip to this tiny town just to eat their cinnamon rolls. I am very happy to say that I am stronger than my sugar dragon/comfort food demon. I packed tons of raw veggies, a diced avocado, and half a dozen hard boiled eggs, along with a few pieces of fresh fruit for the day long trip. Success!

As reintroduction nears, I realize how much longer I really will be doing W30, just interrupted every third day to perform a science experiment to determine my body's reaction to these foods I've been avoiding for so long. I guess my earlier interpretation let me continue to eat anything that I reintroduced and decided had no discernible effect on my body. Oh, well.

I am starting my reintroduction with dairy, esp. whey protein powder and maybe cottage cheese. I used to consume a LOT of milk and cheese, but not that much any more. The protein powder has been my staple every morning in my protein smoothie. I really, really hope that it doesn't cause any issues.  

Can't believe how close we are!

[GoMommaGo]

4 hours ago, elaes said:

As reintroduction nears, I realize how much longer I really will be doing W30, just interrupted every third day to perform a science experiment to determine my body's reaction to these foods I've been avoiding for so long. I guess my earlier interpretation let me continue to eat anything that I reintroduced and decided had no discernible effect on my body. Oh, well.

 

I'm still here, too!

Elaes, I had the same interpretation too.  Funny.  My husband has stuck with the whole 30 till now, but I am not sure I can get him to do a proper reintroduction...may be only the kind that you and I thought we needed to do.  Wish me luck!

Day 25 has found me a bit on the tired side.  I did work out harder over the weekend than I had been able to pull off for the last couple of weeks, so I am hoping it is just a natural recovery time for me.  Fingers crossed!

For those interested, this is what hubby and I decided for our reintroduction:

Wine
Dairy
non-Gluten Grains
Legumes
Gluten

I have it on the calendar to reintroduce using the 3-day protocol, but I plan to play it by ear whether I actually reintroduce something or not, especially after we get to Dairy (we miss wine and cheese most from our diets, so those are in first - I don't really care if I ever re-introduce legumes...)

[alexd8]

Day 25 going here! After week 1 I was nervous I wouldn't be able to finish the program at University because of my bad eating out habits and just overall low self control, but I am still going strong and so proud of myself! I'm glad I was honest with the people I live with because they've been such a great support just like everyone here in this forum!!! You guys really push me to keep going--I can almost see the end! 

I've noticed how much more energy I have at the gym and I workout harder and better! My acne is slowly going away after cutting the amount of nuts/fruit I've been eating and my bloating has gone down too.

Today I cooked: onions, peppers, and sweet potato with olive oil in the oven so I can have leftovers and I sautéed garlic and broccoli with coconut oil which I'll also have leftovers. Can't believe how much I've learned to try new foods and cooking methods. Nervous for the re-introduction phase because I've just been loving life on the Whole30! 

[elaes]

It's day 26 here. It seems surreal that we're so close to the finish line...that isn't really a finish line. I have weird comfort food cravings again today. Mostly involving butter, sugar, or bread....or pasta. Headed outside to work in my flowerbeds...I've gone over to the pantry and fridge to just peer inside several times already. Need to get my attention diverted from food. I'm making burgers, roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato fries for dinner. Sounds really good.

[KYputerlady]

Day 26 is in the books, I got some antibiotics yesterday because my allergies were not getting any better and I was coughing so much I was not getting much sleep. I got the most sleep last night that I've had since I started Whole30. I'm in bed for over 8 hours every night but usually only register 5 to 6 hrs sleep on my Fitbit. Last night I had over 7 hours of sleep! Going to read about the re-intro to decide what I want to try first. I fixed a turkey breast last night that we are eating on. I think I'm learning to distinguish between cravings and actual hunger. So excited to be this far in our journey! I love reading everyone's posts.

[elaes]

Day 27 is winding down. At a conference all day and dinner out tonight. I ate from the salad bar at Jason's Deli for lunch, and I believe/think/hope that everything was uncontaminated with non-compliant ingredients (ate the hard-boiled eggs there for my protein). Tonight was at Chick-Fil-A with a bunch of folks from the conference that met there. I had grilled chicken nuggets and a side of fruit. When I got home I asked my oldest teenage son, who works in the kitchen at the Chick-Fil-A near our house, if they used oil to grill the chicken. He said yes, it's canola oil. So there's a flub up on my part, but I'm NOT starting over, especially since I'm so close to re-introduction anyway.

Okay, so when the W30 is officially over and reintroduction begins, do some restrictions (like not using W30 compliant ingredients to make pancakes, muffins, etc.) go away, or do we keep plugging away with all the same rules we've been using up to this date? Not necessarily wanting to make anything...just wondering.

Just a few more steps/days to the finish line!

 

[SugarcubeOD]

1 hour ago, elaes said:

Day 27 is winding down. At a conference all day and dinner out tonight. I ate from the salad bar at Jason's Deli for lunch, and I believe/think/hope that everything was uncontaminated with non-compliant ingredients (ate the hard-boiled eggs there for my protein). Tonight was at Chick-Fil-A with a bunch of folks from the conference that met there. I had grilled chicken nuggets and a side of fruit. When I got home I asked my oldest teenage son, who works in the kitchen at the Chick-Fil-A near our house, if they used oil to grill the chicken. He said yes, it's canola oil. So there's a flub up on my part, but I'm NOT starting over, especially since I'm so close to re-introduction anyway.

Okay, so when the W30 is officially over and reintroduction begins, do some restrictions (like not using W30 compliant ingredients to make pancakes, muffins, etc.) go away, or do we keep plugging away with all the same rules we've been using up to this date? Not necessarily wanting to make anything...just wondering.

Just a few more steps/days to the finish line!

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but canola oil is the least of the problems with the grilled chicken nuggets from there.  They're loaded with four different kinds of sugar, corn starch and soy   It's still your choice if you start over but I had to bring this to your attention.  (also, for those reading, if you're eating out, canola oil is fine as a last resort but not approved for use in your own kitchen or in products).

As far as when the Whole30 is over, you get to make your own WholeElaes rules... if you want to allow swypo baked goods, you can... During reintro you would want to steer clear of these because you only introduce one thing, keeping the rest of your plate Whole30... then put that thing away and move onto the next thing keeping your whole plate Whole30.  Paleo-fied baked goods generally would have more than one 'thing' in them so they wouldn't work for the way intros are supposed to go.

[GoMommaGo]

Well, I finally had "the dream" last night.  Only having "the dream" was actually part of the dream!  I dreamed that I dreamed (!) that I had finished a monster mountain bike ride with friends.  One tossed me a gummy worm, and I devoured it without even thinking!  Then came the chocolate chip cookie. Down the hatch.  On day 28!  Oh, I was so distraught....and torn as to whether or not to start over.

Fortunately...a dream within a dream.

Day 28 dawns, and we are still going strong!

 

[andorya]

Just finished my meal planning for the next week. Day 28 today. We are almost done! I spent a good deal of time this morning looking for new recipes because I am getting bored! There are so many resources out there, that really, it is my own fault that I am getting bored. I am still using Real Plans to meal plan, but I find myself deleting the majority of suggested meals and adding in things that actually look good to me. I won't be signing up for another month, but it was great to save time in the beginning. I'll be using Plan To Eat in the future as it is cheaper and provides me with the meal planning tools I need. 

People are noticing that I have lost weight and my pants are fitting better. I am curious to know how much I have lost, both pounds and inches. However, if the scale dissapoints, I'm not going to forget that I feel sooo much better than I did when I started this. Tomorrow, I am going to start this 30 Day At Home Workout Challenge (Insired By Crossfit).  I know I can do it, because I have almost made it 30 days with no wine, chocolate, cheese, or bread!

For my reintro next week:

Tuesday April 10th: Dairy.  Oh how I hope I don't have any issues with this, because I really miss cheese)!!

Friday April 14th: Alcohol. This will be a white wine as I already know I should avoid the red.

I am thinking I will add non gluten grains and then grains next, but I might add in legumes as I am going to a party at a Mexican Restaurant next Friday. Might be nice to eat beans.

Hang in there everyone!  

 

[asbren13]

Day 27 here. I am also getting very curious about my weight and measurements. I didn't do this for weight loss so even if I gained weight (which I don't think is likely), I wouldn't be disappointed. I am also trying to plan my reintroduction and I am so nervous. I did this sort of on a whim since I am always tired. I feel more energetic on whole30, but I don't know if it's just a placebo effect or avoiding certain food groups. We shall see. I haven't really noticed any differences in my exercise routine, which I found a little surprising. I would have thought with potential higher energy I would find my workouts easier or something, but they felt the same. I know I still have a few days left, but I would be surprised if I feel any differently over the next couple of days.

I know the reintroduction period is introducing an item and waiting two days, but part of me is thinking that if I don't notice any ill symptoms on the second day, maybe introducing the next food group. I don't want to rush through reintroduction, but I have plans the next two weekends where I would ideally like to be able to participate in. Who knows how I'll feel in the moment though. For all I know I could realize I have zero desire to really eat/drink different things. I can't wait to hear how everyone else's reintroduction periods go! I am so proud of all of us. We are some badasses. 

Tonight I am thinking of making chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, and green beans. I want to shake things up and I feel like I haven't had chicken in forever (like 36 hours) and I want to eat my sweet potatoes in a different form than just mashed or baked. 

I also used Real Plans, but I don't think I will be continuing. I ended up using recipes in the cookbook or found online. There are so many great online resources! I feel like I discovered half of them by accident. 

[alexd8]

Day 28 is in the books for me!

I started the Whole30 because I had terrible acne around my chin and although I know hormones contribute the most to this area I knew my eating habits had to be contributing as well. Also, after being a competitive swimmer for almost 12 years and retiring from the sport when I got to college it was hard to adjust my eating habits even though my metabolism started to slow down. In turn I gained fat around my waist and really struggled with my self-confidence the past 2 years. Over the summer I lost some weight because I was constantly out and about teaching private swim lessons and ate barely 3 times a day when I was on the go so I never established healthy eating patterns even though I lost some weight. I came back to my university in the Fall for my 3rd year and gained back most of the weight within the first semester. After my dad telling me about how he was doing the Whole30 and reading about the health benefits internally and externally I figured this was something really cool to try since I wanted to combat both my acne and my weight. I am so proud of myself for pushing through these last 28 days. My acne is almost gone (just some scarring which I know will take time to heal) and I have received so many compliments on my appearance. Even though I haven't weighed myself and I am excited to learn how much I lost I am more happy that my self-confidence is at an all time high and I recognized how I don't need to eat any of the foods I was eating prior to the Whole30 to feel good. I finally feel like I have learned to take care of my body. In the next 2 days I am going to figure out how I want to do my re-introduction, but regardless I will probably only eat some non-compliant foods occasionally. I love eating clean and giving my body the foods it deserves, but I will slip some chocolate chip cookies in there once in a while. That's what life is all about

I also realized I always used to look at the Whole30 timeline to see what is "happening" to my body, but I totally forgot about it! Whole30 has become my life and I love the support from all of you!

Keep pushing the next 2 days!!!!!! 

[alexd8]

Question: Maybe someone can help me out, but if I want to re-introduce condiments like mustard, ketchup, or mayo what day would I do that? When I'm testing sugar?

[jmcbn]

1 hour ago, alexd8 said:

mayo

A lot of cenvential store bough mayo's such as Hellmans will have soy in them so really it's a metter of reading the labels and seeing where they'll fit within your reintroduction plan. Ketchup would be fine on sugar day.

[nanners]

One more day after today! Yay. So hubby and I have decided to start with dairy. I dont know after that. He is happy that his sugars are down. But another thing for him and sorry if this is too much information. He was at time having explosive diarrhea which we could never figure out what set it off. He has a cirrhotic liver so assumed it was because of that or protein. It has not happened once during the whole 30. So I am hoping to go thru reintroduction slowly enough to figure out the cause. We dont drink so one thing off the list. I had a problem with kidney beans first round. I will not be going back to regular mayo even though we have 2 jars in the cupboard. I dont know if he will.

[elaes]

Hmmm...interesting to note other additives in the grilled nuggets from CFA. No reaction from any of that personally, and I've been on plan otherwise, so I feel confident in finishing out this W30 as planned and beginning reintroduction on Tuesday. Please no judgement from all you W30 purists out there.

My knee still feels great, virtually pain-free. Skin is still clear, amazing since my cycle started again yesterday. I might start my reintroduction with stevia and erithritol. Just a bit in herbal tea. I've heard some folks have a reaction to these sugar alternatives. I know that they are not really W30 approved, but I'm comfortable with the research that I've done on them, as long as I don't show any negative reaction to them at reintroduction.

I can't believe how far we've come...only one day left!

[SugarcubeOD]

3 minutes ago, elaes said:

Hmmm...interesting to note other additives in the grilled nuggets from CFA. No reaction from any of that personally, and I've been on plan otherwise, so I feel confident in finishing out this W30 as planned and beginning reintroduction on Tuesday. Please no judgement from all you W30 purists out there.

My knee still feels great, virtually pain-free. Skin is still clear, amazing since my cycle started again yesterday. I might start my reintroduction with stevia and erithritol. Just a bit in herbal tea. I've heard some folks have a reaction to these sugar alternatives. I know that they are not really W30 approved, but I'm comfortable with the research that I've done on them, as long as I don't show any negative reaction to them at reintroduction.

I can't believe how far we've come...only one day left!

No one here is going to judge you (or they better not anyway).  We're all adults here and you get to make your own decisions.  That said, soy is a huge gut disruptor so my advice would be that if you can, hold off on soy reintro (if you were planning on doing it at all... I never did as I never plan to consume soy) for as long as you can.  It's pretty high up there on the ingredient list of the chicken nuggets so it wasn't a minimal amount ingested.

Once items are re-introduced at the end of your Whole30, it doesn't matter if they're W30 approved or not until you embark on another Whole30 (if you do).  So stevia in tea, if it doesn't react for you, is going to be part of your WholeElaes plan and is totally fine as long as you're totally fine with it.

[elaes]

Thanks! I don't eat any soy (on purpose anyway), but it sure seems to get added into a lot of things anyway. Not planning on reintroducing that one.

[SugarcubeOD]

1 hour ago, elaes said:

Thanks! I don't eat any soy (on purpose anyway), but it sure seems to get added into a lot of things anyway. Not planning on reintroducing that one.

Just keep checking your labels with that one after you're done... it's what I and my sister and a whole bunch of people on here do... I"m pretty lax on small amounts of just about anything but a speck of soy makes whatever it is an absolute no.

[River30]

Hi there! @MtnGoat I know, ive been one of those people who have stopped posting regularly! Sorry! But still going strong here on Day 28... and planning to continue longer than the 30 days (with a one-day break for Easter). 

Today we had a brunch out with friends and then dinner out with another group of friends -- both times it was so easy to resist the wine and drinks, and I actually find it easier to eat out than at someone's house, or even at home -- because, menus! 

The number one reason I went on the W30 again (and at this specific time) was my seasonal allergies, which are worst in the springtime. Last w30 was like a miracle -- my reactions completely disappeared, at a time when normally I am shackled to my Claritin D. 

I'm thrilled to say that it's working again this time!! On Friday, I walked right through a literal gauntlet of lawnmowers, grass blowers, tree trimmers, etc, in front of my building, and not a single sneeze or tingle in my eye. AMAZING. I am so curious to know what the actual culprit is... some of my research has suggested it could be the histamines in fermented foods like cheese and wine ... but other sources have said gluten is the trigger. Either way -- I'm dreading the reintroduction phase and don't want my symptoms to come back, but still would love to know for sure what the connection is for me. Anyone else in the same (allergy) boat?

[alexd8]

Day 29 complete!

So after thinking about reintroduction I think I'm going to follow this schedule:

Tuesday (Day 31): Sugar--brownies/candy/chocolate *Obviously not pigging out, but just enough to have a reaction if any. I've really missed choco chip cookies. 

Friday: Gluten--bread, muffin, that sort. I figured this would be good since I'll be home for easter. 

Monday: Dairy--Ice cream, yogurt, cheese

Wednesday: Non-gluten: rice or chips

Saturday: Legume--beans, peanut butter

 

I might switch one of the days for alcohol depending if I have the opportunity to go out with friends. 

Can't believe tomorrow is the final day!

[SugarcubeOD]

2 minutes ago, alexd8 said:

Day 29 complete!

So after thinking about reintroduction I think I'm going to follow this schedule:

Tuesday (Day 31): Sugar--brownies/candy/chocolate *Obviously not pigging out, but just enough to have a reaction if any. I've really missed choco chip cookies. 

Friday: Gluten--bread, muffin, that sort. I figured this would be good since I'll be home for easter. 

Monday: Dairy--Ice cream, yogurt, cheese

Wednesday: Non-gluten: rice or chips

Saturday: Legume--beans, peanut butter

 

I might switch one of the days for alcohol depending if I have the opportunity to go out with friends. 

Can't believe tomorrow is the final day!

On sugar day, are those brownies going to be a paleo brownie hack or real life brownies?  Make sure that they don't have anything in them off whole30 other than the sugar   Sounds good tho and I like the plan with the exact items of each group that you're having!

Also, bear in mind that you may feel fine by the third day to add something new but if you had a reaction and still feel iffy, Whole30 it up until you feel good again so the next thing you test is starting on an even keel.

[alexd8]

17 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

On sugar day, are those brownies going to be a paleo brownie hack or real life brownies?  Make sure that they don't have anything in them off whole30 other than the sugar   Sounds good tho and I like the plan with the exact items of each group that you're having!

Also, bear in mind that you may feel fine by the third day to add something new but if you had a reaction and still feel iffy, Whole30 it up until you feel good again so the next thing you test is starting on an even keel.

Thanks for the catch!!! Will make them paleo besides the sugar part or maybe just skip until after re-intro is done! Thanks for the tips ❤️