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Newbie struggling with first week


KimmM

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I'm doing my first Whole30.  There is definitely a ramping up process for me.  I've been to Whole Foods 3 times and I still don't have enough to eat.  I'm eating hard boiled eggs, fruit, and nuts along with a few other things.  I'm not a big meat eater, so I bought beef hot dogs (non-cured, organic etc.).  I've bought lots of vegetables, but I need to actually cook them and eat them.  Hopefully tonight I will get my act together (another trip to Whole Foods), and this weekend I'll cook something.  I'm considering this week a ramp-up.  Any tips for non-cooks would be appreciated!

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Hi Kimm

I am on day 7.  I find I am eating the same thing for breakfast almost every day and it is definitely getting tiring.  As I am cooking, whatever I am cooking,  I find I don't feel like eating it.  But when I start eating it, I find it is delicious! Like - wow!

My advice is, even if you don't feel like cooking, pick one recipe that you have the ingredients for, and JUST DO IT!  you won't be sorry and you'll feel proud.  Don't just eat scrambled eggs.  If you are not vegetarian, I'd also suggest buying one meat item and trying to cook it.  Maybe some grilled chicken, or the sausage patty recipe?  I did up an easy ground beef crumble, kind of like their shepherd's pie recipe, but without baking it.  I then was able to eat that several meals in a row.  I was just glad I had something to eat, besides eggs.  Today, I did a cast iron cooked salmon and put it over my salad with the homemade mayonnaise dressing.  It was also great!

Good luck, Kimm

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Unfortunately, you're probably going to have to cook some -- but you don't have to pick super complicated recipes. 

If you're okay with eating fish, you can make tuna salad -- canned tuna with either mayo or guacamole, chopped tomatoes, onions, and whatever else you like in yours. These salmon cakes are a little more time consuming but are really tasty, can be made ahead and frozen (so once you try them, if you like them, next time double the recipe and freeze some for later).  You can do breakfast casseroles like this one (or change it up -- include some chopped compliant hot dogs, or compliant smoked salmon, or change up the veggies you put in it -- it's pretty forgiving, really, just make it with stuff you like). You might get some ideas here too -- they all mention meat, but you could pair some of it with hard boiled eggs instead, or with fish if that's easier for you.

If you have taste or texture issues with meat, some of the suggestions in this article may help you with those, if you want to try to include more meat.

 

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Hi, thanks so much for the tips. I found a simple stir fry sauce recipe, so I'm going to try that, and I will also try the suggestions you both wrote here.

I don't want to get bored so quickly. I know it will take some effort, but it will be worth it right?! 

A little more planning and hopefully I won't panic because I have nothing to eat!

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Pinterest has a TON of Whole30 recipes -- some very simple, some complicated. Be sure to check there for some ideas. Meal planning is essential and may seem like a pain at first but it gets easier and makes life during your Whole30 so much better! No one wants to grocery shop everyday!! Good luck!

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I try to keep some things in the pantry so I always have something. 2 super simple meals:

1: Bag of frozen veggies, heat up in microwave. (Make sure the bag doesn't have like peas or baby corn in it.)

Add some coconut milk and a can of salmon (or chicken). Some salt and pepper. Heat it all up.

2: can of chicken, can of diced tomatoes, if you're feeling fancy saute some onions, get it all hot, add some olives. Buy some greens for a side salad.

Remember, meals don't have to be fancy, something you'd serve at a dinner party, or even cohesive. Just protein, fat, and veggies. Make it easy on yourself. Make extra and embrace leftovers. And yes, it will absolutely be worth it!

 

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Thank you for more tips.

I'm still having a hard time.   Nausea the last couple of days doesn't help.  I forced myself to eat lunch (chicken burger, one egg, summer quash and some potatoes), and I feel better.  I had a hard time smelling the chicken burger cooking (Trader Joe's Chili lime).  I doused it with hot sauce to get it down.  I thought I'd like them (bought two packages), but nope.  I hate meat.  I don't want to add beans or soy to get protein.  I'll muddle through.

I will try your suggestions @slc_melissa.  Simple meals with disguised meat will help.

I'm not giving up.

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4 hours ago, KimmM said:

Thank you for more tips.

I'm still having a hard time.   Nausea the last couple of days doesn't help.  I forced myself to eat lunch (chicken burger, one egg, summer quash and some potatoes), and I feel better.  I had a hard time smelling the chicken burger cooking (Trader Joe's Chili lime).  I doused it with hot sauce to get it down.  I thought I'd like them (bought two packages), but nope.  I hate meat.  I don't want to add beans or soy to get protein.  I'll muddle through.

I will try your suggestions @slc_melissa.  Simple meals with disguised meat will help.

I'm not giving up.

'What about fish, shellfish, seafood, eggs?  

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If it's a texture thing,canned chicken purees really well into soups. (specifically canned, something about the canning process seems to alter the texture so it shreds/purees well. I'd recommend trying to blend some broth and chicken, then use that to cook soup with some nice hearty vegetable chunks in it.

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Well, Kim, I'm four days into this myself. I'm a pretty competent cook and solidly carnivorous ( but I hate eggs), so I'm sort of the exact opposite of you, but you seem so distressed that I just had to reach out and offer you some support.  

Like you, I find that after I cook something, I often don't want to eat it, but if I just put it away and wait until I'm hungrier, it goes down ok.. I'm having a hard time not eating fruit as a fallback, but when I do, I pour full fat coconut milk on it for some fat (and because it's amazingly yummy and creamy and surprisingly satisfying) and I'm also trying to work with some foods my family is accustomed to. We've been eating pot roast with potatoes and carrots, deconstructed tacos, fajitas on lettuce leaves instead of tortillas, tuna and turkey wraps, and deviled eggs...

What I'd really give my eye teeth for is CONDIMENTS- ranch dressing, ketchup, barbecue sauce, miracle whip...   I mean, I know there are recipes in the book,  but they still taste weird.

Anyway, consider yourself hugged!

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Hi @Idahobaker thanks for your reply. The coconut milk with fruit idea is a good one. I am definitely hungry because I'm not getting enough fat with meals. 

I'm doing better after a really tough weekend. I cooked a steak and a lot of food last night. Hot sauce helps to disguise meat. 

I'm spending a lot of money though, so I need to work on that. 

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I like the idea of adding coconut cream/milk into dishes to add the extra fat, I will try that tonight to tame a dish - chicken thighs in tomato passata sauce, a little complient curry paste could be a good addition too. Leftovers are the greatest!! :-)

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Ugh, I'm having the hardest time.  I thought I was getting into a groove, but it's more of a rut.  I have been lightheaded for almost 2 weeks;  I don't think this is normal.  A few days seemed ok, but it's not going away.  I'm not losing weight either, so I don't think I'm under-eating.  My mom said, "Oh, I don't think you should be eating so many eggs.  That can't be healthy."  I am really sick of relying on eggs to get me through.  I've had a few temporary fixes, but it won't work long term.

I also don't understand the concept of reintroducing foods that are so bad for us.  An entire book about how these food groups and additives are poisoning us, then we reintroduce them.  I don't get it.

I'm eating yogurt today.  I need to.  I don't feel good, and I don't like the food at all.

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2 minutes ago, KimmM said:

Ugh, I'm having the hardest time.  I thought I was getting into a groove, but it's more of a rut.  I have been lightheaded for almost 2 weeks;  I don't think this is normal.  A few days seemed ok, but it's not going away.  I'm not losing weight either, so I don't think I'm under-eating.  My mom said, "Oh, I don't think you should be eating so many eggs.  That can't be healthy."  I am really sick of relying on eggs to get me through.  I've had a few temporary fixes, but it won't work long term.

I also don't understand the concept of reintroducing foods that are so bad for us.  An entire book about how these food groups and additives are poisoning us, then we reintroduce them.  I don't get it.

I'm eating yogurt today.  I need to.  I don't feel good, and I don't like the food at all.

If you've been lightheaded, you probably either aren't eating enough or aren't eating quite the right mix of stuff. A lot of people skimp on the fat, for instance, due to a lifetime of thinking it's bad for them, but it's important to have fat at each meal, generally a serving or two in addition to any oil you cook in. Or some people believe whole30 is supposed to be low carb, so they never have starchy vegetables, but would feel better with a serving of potato or sweet potato or other starchy vegetable each day. Sometimes people neglect salting their food and that can also contribute to light headedness.

As for reintroductions, you don't do them so you can go back to eating those things all the time. You do them to know how you react to certain foods, so that you can use that information to help you make choices when you're in a situation where you don't have as much control over your food. If you find that having gluten makes your skin break out, you may not have sandwiches for lunch every day, but if someone bakes your favorite cake from scratch for your birthday, maybe you decide the skin breakout is worth it to have a piece of that. Or maybe you don't. But you're deciding based on your knowledge of the consequences of that action.

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Hi Shannon,

Thank you for your response.  I have been eating lots of potatoes and fruit, more than I should.  And I use lots of salt.  I couldn't eat all the eggs without it.  I can't eat more than two eggs, which isn't enough.  I'm still stuffing myself though, more like forcing it in.  As for the fat, I'm really trying but I can't stomach it.  I dipped a hard boiled egg in olive oil and salt, and that was good, but I only did it once.  The Whole Foods organic non-cured grass fed beef hotdogs are like a mouthful of grease.  It's really turning me off.  I've been substituting lots of nuts instead, which I know isn't right.

Thanks for clarifying about the reintroduction too.

I need to rethink.  I will definitely use a lot of what I've learned to make my food choices in the future, but I don't know what I'll do overall.

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