Starting 5/14

[KelliW]

Hi ladies!

@Vguck  I've been sorta on autopilot also.  Chicken salad has been my go to with a side of avocado.  I love having shredded chicken in the fridge so I can use it in lots of different meals.  I am so proud of myself - I've been eating veggies at breakfast!  Never thought I could do that.  I am worried that breakfast will be my downfall after finishing the round,  Eating a bowl of cereal or oatmeal is just so much quicker.

@CaLorraine - congratulations on the NSVs!!

Yesterday at work was a really, really tough day.  I almost let it get the better of me  and almost stopped for ice cream. I also REALLY wanted a glass of wine last night. I didn't do either!!  !  That would be the normal way that I deal with stress.

Last night I made tacos too!  Everyone used tortillas and I used a lettuce wrap.  Boy, it was yummy.  I missed the cheese a bit, but instead piled it with guac, fresh yellow pepper and even cucumbers.

After dinner I had some time, so I made the homemade mayo.  I didn't have mustard powder, so I just put in complaint mustard.  OMG - it is awesome!  So much better than the ones I bought.  I also made Egg Roll in a bowl for my lunch today.  My hubby - who loves egg rolls - loved it!  He was impressed!  Tomorrow I"m going to put a pork shoulder in the crock pot to make carnitas.  I know that will be a family favorite.

My fridge is stocked with fresh stuff.  I can't fit anything else in it.  My kids are eating better too.

Have  a wonderful day!

[KelliW]

4 minutes ago, Vguck said:

r back in for fear my mood swings will return.  However, I cannot imagine no ketchup or any of the other myriad of things "they" add sugar to.  Ugh.  

@Vguck - I bought the Tessemae ketchup and it's good!    I still miss my cream!  Everyone keeps talking about "Nutpods"  I'll have to find them.  Coconut milk just doesn't do it for me.

[Vguck]

@KelliW I have been wanting tuna but scared to make my own mayo.  I will have to try it now.  Don't give up - we are so close! excellent choices in staying strong.  We have made pork shoulder 3 times in the crock pot - it makes a lot and is yummy too.

I will have to try tacos - they are a weakness of mine so I would love to make them compliant while on Whole30 so I know how to when given the opportunity to use the pre-made seasoning.

[Vguck]

I know we can't feed our sugar dragon fruit but I find my habit of wanting a snack around 3:00 has not gone away. Is it acceptable to snack on vegetables- carrots, kale chips, celery sticks... I'm not hungry but the desire to eat is overwhelming. The plus is that I am not craving sugar, just something to chew on (and gum is out too).

[ladyshanny]

13 minutes ago, Vguck said:

 I'm not hungry but the desire to eat is overwhelming.

This is the "relationship changing" part of Whole30 and in my opinion, it is far more difficult than any yes/no food compliance list. 

The trick here is to stop viewing food as "something to do" and more as fuel taken in during regular mealtimes in adequate portions. The rest of your day, honestly, should be food-free. We don't need to graze and no matter what you might be snacking on, it's not in the spirit of Whole30 if you're doing it just for the sake of putting something in your mouth. 

[MeadowLily]

Trix are for kids and snacks.  Snackity habits prop up energy levels temporarily.  They contribute to blood sugar/insulin excursions that provoke another cortisol response.

Snacks can lead to more overeating, leptin resistance, insulin resistance and hunger/energy wild swings UP and down.

The bottomline. Wanting to snack is indicative of hormonal dysfunction. 

[Vguck]

Ha - I finally figured out my 3-4 o'clock hunger.  Typically I get up around 5:30 am and eat meal 1 before 6:30am.   Then I have meal 2 around 11:30 which leaves me hungry around 3 and ravenous at 4.  We sit down to a family meal around 6pm .  Lately I have been eating protein at 3:45 to get me through and then just having tea with my family at dinnertime.  This is not sustainable for life but I think 4 meals is too much.  Is there such a thing as a mini meal?  Please send any suggestion my way.

[ladyshanny]

56 minutes ago, Vguck said:

Ha - I finally figured out my 3-4 o'clock hunger.  Typically I get up around 5:30 am and eat meal 1 before 6:30am.   Then I have meal 2 around 11:30 which leaves me hungry around 3 and ravenous at 4.  We sit down to a family meal around 6pm .  Lately I have been eating protein at 3:45 to get me through and then just having tea with my family at dinnertime.  This is not sustainable for life but I think 4 meals is too much.  Is there such a thing as a mini meal?  Please send any suggestion my way.

There is such thing as a mini meal but if you are getting that hungry 3.5 hours after lunch, try making your lunch bigger. 

I'm confused because your first post about this said that you were not hungry at 3 but wanted to eat out of habit?

Also, what do you mean by eating protein at 345 and then only having tea at dinner? If you are needing to eat mid afternoon and you have protein and fat or protein and veggie to tide you over, it doesn't mean you are to then skip your next meal.

[Vguck]

@ladyshanny Thanks for responding.  I was super confused too so I understand if my post was unclear.  I thought I was just having snack cravings and not hungry but the more I tried not to eat the hungrier I became.  I don't want to fall back into my old habits of snacking so I am thinking I need to change something in order to go from 11:30 to 6pm in a healthy way.

[ladyshanny]

10 minutes ago, Vguck said:

@ladyshanny Thanks for responding.  I was super confused too so I understand if my post was unclear.  I thought I was just having snack cravings and not hungry but the more I tried not to eat the hungrier I became.  I don't want to fall back into my old habits of snacking so I am thinking I need to change something in order to go from 11:30 to 6pm in a healthy way.

OK, yep. What are you regularly eating as breakfast and lunch? If you can give portion sizes as it relates to the template, that would be great. It's possible that you may need to bump up the size of your first and second meals. If you're too light on food it'll be that much harder to get a good 4-5-6 hour run between meals.

As an example, I eat at 530am, noon and 530am with little to no trouble. We are all different and no one exact schedule works for everyone. But most of the "veterans" here can usually go 5-6 hours between meals with no real trouble. If that's something you would like to work on, we can take a look at your meals. 

If you don't want to do that, it is reasonable to have a mini-meal (as described in my last response) to tide you over and then have a proper dinner. If that mini-meal is consistently happening 3 hours after a regular meal though, you have some tweaking to do to lengthen the time you can go between meals.

[pilatesfan]

Wish I could say I made my water quota.  I need to work at that today.  I need that extra push to get through these last days.  A lot I like about Whole 30 but really do miss my oatmeal.  It will probably be the first food I try to reintroduce and see how it affects me.  I had sausage, green beans and a pear for breakfast.  Just couldn't do the egg this morning.  I have an acorn squash I'm going to bake.  I'll probably have half with my lunch and the other half for dinner.  I'm leaning towards salmon for my protein source.  A neighbor gave me kale out of the garden.  She started Whole 30 yesterday.  She said she makes chips with the kale.  Toss with a little olive oil and sea salt and bakes in the oven until crispy.  I might give it a try and then I might just saute it.  As you can tell I'm kind of "wishy, washy" with my menu today.  After watching my husband eat a Bojangles fried chicken breast and a biscuit last night, my flounder, salad. and green beans didn't quite make the mark!  I need to go the grocery store.

Grocery shopping done.  I feel more in control now that I have more compliant choices.  As you can tell, I like variety.

My dinner on Thursday is always a late one as I have Pilates at 5:30.  I will have a mini-snack before I go...a protein and a fat, usually a boiled egg with homemade mayo or guacamole.  Then eat my regular meal as soon as I can get it on the table after I get home.  That way I'm not super hungry and grabbing the wrong thing when I walk in the door.  I'm beginning the think dinner for breakfast might be a new normal for me.  

[pilatesfan]

Walnut crusted pork tenderloin in the oven.  Will have green beans, beets and potatoes with it.  Had to eat a late breakfast (brunch) today.  Omelet with peppers and mushrooms, guacamole and cantelope.  Board is quiet today.  What's everyone up to?  I'm thinking I'll extend my Whole 30 for a few days.  All the children will be home for Father's day so I've got to decide what will be on the menu.  I'm thinking the pulled pork.  Does anyone have a compliant barbeque sauce recipe?  I just didn't care for the one with the sweet potatoes and I'm a sweet potato lover.  

[Vguck]

Day 27!  I am thinking of extending also, although my birthday is June 16 so I am planning on having a slice of cake and then crashing from the sugar.  I guess at that point it will be Whole30 all over again or just trying to find my way.  I don't feel like I have my meal timing under control so I want to stay on plan until I can get control of that and then reintroduce items when the opportunity presents and I feel like it is worth it.  So many NSVs that I don't want to go back.

@pilatesfan We make a delicious marinade of ginger, onion, garlic, ground mustard and a little coconut cream.  It's not BBQ sauce but it is good.

 

[ArtFossil]

27 minutes ago, Vguck said:

Day 27!  I am thinking of extending also, although my birthday is June 16 so I am planning on having a slice of cake and then crashing from the sugar.  I guess at that point it will be Whole30 all over again or just trying to find my way.  I don't feel like I have my meal timing under control so I want to stay on plan until I can get control of that and then reintroduce items when the opportunity presents and I feel like it is worth it.  So many NSVs that I don't want to go back.

@pilatesfan We make a delicious marinade of ginger, onion, garlic, ground mustard and a little coconut cream.  It's not BBQ sauce but it is good.

 

Vguck, if you've done a Whole30 before, with a systematic reintroduction, ignore what I'm about to say. But if you haven't, don't eat the birthday cake (gluten, sugar, dairy and ???) and waste your 30 days! Do your reintroductions! You need 30 days of Whole30 eating to be able to do these reintroductions and they are really invaluable in getting the information you need to design your own eating plan that works for you going forward.  You may intend to do another Whole30 after your birthday, but what if circumstances prevent you?

Yes, I'm a reintroductions cheerleader, but that's because I know how valuable they are.

They are more important than the 30 days . . . .There will be lots of birthdays and there can be lots of cake in your future, but don't waste the opportunity to learn exactly how the foods you eliminated affect you by reintroducing them and observing the results. It takes work to get those 30 days of compliant eating.

Most of the people who come back to the forums to start a Whole30 again because they were unable to sustain the benefits they got from their Whole30 (and were back to where they started, or worse) did NOT do reintroductions.

[kirkor]

4 hours ago, Vguck said:

I am planning on having a slice of cake and then crashing from the sugar

Why? 

[MeadowLily]

This is why I eat fruit with a protein.  Always.  

I can't for the life of me see the benefit of eliminating fruit for 30 days and on Day 31, the desire for sugar is so great that it dissolves into cake or cookies or donuts.

Giving yourself permission to eat a piece of whole fruit which is compliant, contains fiber and enzymes won't cause an insulin excursion like all bakery items do. Having a piece of fruit with a protein would take this edge off.  Adding a tad of fat with the fruit and protein would make it even better. 

It could be just enough to help you surf this urge and you won't need to start all over again. Over-restriction begets cravings. Reasonable restriction...everything that's allowed on the Whole 30 shopping list works for me.

[KelliW]

Happy Saturday night.

Today was one of those typical hot days where you just want to have some ice cream or a beer.  We went to a cookout and I had neither!  I brought my own La Croix, had a hamburger with guac and mustard and fruit and veggies.

Yesterday I worked for hours and hours outside, so I was really hungry today.  I ended up eating 4 meals instead of 3 so I could keep up with the hunger. I am trying to drink a lot of water right now because I want a bowl of fruit.  Need to stop the sugar dragon.  I probably have been eating too much fruit, so I'll have to watch it.

I went dress shopping today for a wedding we are going to next week.  It wasn't as terrible as it has been in the past.  I actually found a dress at the first place we went.  Amazing!

Off to bed.  I've been really tired today and don't want to let that ruin my 30!!

[KelliW]

I found the BEST creamer.  I heard about Nutpods from the FB page/group.  They are not in my area, so I splurged and ordered them from Amazon.  OMG - They are like regular creamer!  This is one of the things I've been missing the most!

I'm not a Starbucks person, but drove through this morning and ordered a Cold Brew, black. (This coffee isn't as bitter as their regular coffee). When I got home, I opened the first container and YUMMM!  

@MeadowLily  Thanks for the advise with the fruit.  I usually cut up strawberries and add blueberries and walnut pieces so I can have some of the protein and fat.  I've been feeling guilty snacking on the fruit.  I don't want to feel guilty about fruit, so I'm hoping this is OK.  I'm a little hypoglycemic so I have a hard time not having a snack during the day.

Have a great day!

[ArtFossil]

36 minutes ago, KelliW said:

I found the BEST creamer.  I heard about Nutpods from the FB page/group.  They are not in my area, so I splurged and ordered them from Amazon.  OMG - They are like regular creamer!  This is one of the things I've been missing the most!

I'm not a Starbucks person, but drove through this morning and ordered a Cold Brew, black. (This coffee isn't as bitter as their regular coffee). When I got home, I opened the first container and YUMMM!  

@MeadowLily  Thanks for the advise with the fruit.  I usually cut up strawberries and add blueberries and walnut pieces so I can have some of the protein and fat.  I've been feeling guilty snacking on the fruit.  I don't want to feel guilty about fruit, so I'm hoping this is OK.  I'm a little hypoglycemic so I have a hard time not having a snack during the day.

Have a great day!

The recommendation is if you need snack make it a mini-meal of protein and fat and/or veggies. That protein (and nuts are a fat on Whole30, not a protein)  will do you a lot more favors than the fruit and nuts.

And also tweak the composition of your meal and make sure you're eating enough so you can go 4-5 hours. The goal is 3 meals, no snacks, adjusted for strenuous work, crazy schedules, medical conditions, breastfeeding, etc. 

[MeadowLily]

Whole 30 doesn't advocate fruit snacking. It should be eaten at the end of a meal.  I don't eat fruit between meals or by itself.  Nuts are fats and I use them incorporated into a dish.  I use fruit as a condiment and nuts for a decoration.

I stop and ask myself...What would Melissa do. I've read many, many of her posts and manifestos, answers to other people's questions. Fruit, nuts and nut butters should not be used as a meal replacement.  They should add to - but not be the main attraction. 

If Melissa eats fruit in her omelettes,  I can do that, too.

I add my fruit to my tuna fish or salmon.  I'll throw a smidge of nuts in with my tuna and homemade mayo.  Toss all of that over some fresh greens or into roasted vege.  I don't eat fruit alone because doing that will spike your blood sugar.

Reasonable restriction = allowing myself the approved foods on the shopping list in the manner prescribed in ISWF.  Over-restriction would've never worked for me and I would've fallen by the wayside a long time ago if I dialed all of my food down into about two or three items.  Variety keeps me tooling along.

Always eat your fruit with protein. 

[CaLorraine]

So I've kind of been flying by the seat of my pants with making meals the same day instead of cooking a lot of things ahead of time. Well it's just about burned me out! Understandably so. Lol anyway, What are you guys doing as far as prep? I've heard about batch cooking but never done it before. What are your tricks of the trade so I can lose the burned out feelings with cooking? 

[kirkor]

Crock pot is my best friend -- prep/cook once and get multiple meals.
Other batch-style stuff I do is grill or bake multiple chicken thighs at once.  Also make lots of hard-boiled eggs at a time so I have them on hand throughout the week.
I batch prep stuff for cooking later too, so kind of a hybrid batch/immediate cook ... so like I'll dice a bunch of zucchini and then cook portions of it as needed.  Also I'm a huge fan of frozen broccoli and cauliflower.  They can be steamed as-is if you're pressed for time, or roasted if you have a little longer time and want more flavor.

[pilatesfan]

I boil a dozen eggs at a time as they are a quick portable source of protein.  These last two weeks we've grilled enough meat to last several days.  Pork butt in crockpot is good for several meals.  Double soup recipes.  I always have salad makings available.   I usually have chicken cooked and homemade mayonnaise for a protein salad.  Canned tuna for standby although it's not my favorite.  Bake sweet potatoes in large batches.  They freeze well and can be defrosted and heated in microwave.  It has gotten easier.  The first week it seemed like I spent all my time in the kitchen!   

[KelliW]

I too use my crock pot a lot!  Ove the weekend I will cook chicken breasts or a big pork shoulder and then shred the meat.  It can be used in tacos, with Tessamae's yummy BBQ sauce, on baked potatoes, on salads, etc.  I also use a lot of frozen veggies or throw together a salad.  I bake 12 eggs for 30 minutes at 325 once a week for my breakfast.  I'm going to make more tonight so I can have egg salad tomorrow.

It's day 28!   Look at the attached calendar - "Day 28 is as good as Day 30, right?"  I've got to keep going another 9-10, but I've started reading the re-introduction portion.  I think that will be the hard part!

Yesterday my family and I went to see Wonder Woman and it was the first time I didn't order anything at the food counter!  My family had popcorn and candy, and I sat there (a little jealous) and just watched the movie.  Part of me feels powerful when I can resist to the temptations!  I hope that continues.

We are going to a wedding in the middle of nowhere this weekend, so I'm nervous about how to eat.  Of course there will be cake, punch, and I have no idea what the menu is.  I will need to be very careful and maybe bring my own food.??  UGH!

[KelliW]

Me again - I just thought of something.  We will be in the car 12 hours and our trips are when we splurge on sugary snacks and chips.  I'm going to have to come up with a plan to keep my hands busy.  Lots of reading I guess.  

Any suggestions?