No Good Time for a full W30!!

[Amb_Bomer]

I am in love with this program! I haven't  completed a full round yet, although for the vast majority of the summer I ate compliant.  My first attempt was 27 days. Three day short! What is wrong with me? I have felt amazing. But I really want to make a go of a full round of whole 30.  I seriously cannot find a time, even one month, in my schedule until November that not one day or two days or a week I have things going on that would make it very difficult to be compliant. It's very frustrating.  I'm starting to feel a little bit like a failure. It doesn't make me want to abandon the things that I have accomplished over the summer, however I'm starting to doubt my commitment to doing a full round. Has anyone else experienced this kind of frustration? 

[SugarcubeOD]

7 minutes ago, Amb_Bomer said:

I am in love with this program! I haven't  completed a full round yet, although for the vast majority of the summer I ate compliant.  My first attempt was 27 days. Three day short! What is wrong with me? I have felt amazing. But I really want to make a go of a full round of whole 30.  I seriously cannot find a time, even one month, in my schedule until November that not one day or two days or a week I have things going on that would make it very difficult to be compliant. It's very frustrating.  I'm starting to feel a little bit like a failure. It doesn't make me want to abandon the things that I have accomplished over the summer, however I'm starting to doubt my commitment to doing a full round. Has anyone else experienced this kind of frustration? 

What if you just try and overcome the difficulty?  I mean life is always going to have difficult spots and what you're going to eat at a party is probably pretty low down on the difficulty list.  Why not give yourself 30 days where the difficult time is nearer the end and then just manage it?  We have plenty of people on the forum who travel, have kids, take vacations, commute for work etc... that can give you help and support when those times come around... 

[slc_melissa]

It'll probably help to make a list of what would be the "difficult" things and have strategies.

Going to party?  Eat beforehand, bring something compliant, bring your own drinks.

Going to a restaurant?  Call beforehand at a non-busy time and be prepared to eat a salad.  

Traveling?  Look at the resources for traveling

Get stuck at work late often?  Keep a stock of easy go-to things: keep some cans of salmon and olives around, keep some jars of like artichoke hearts and roasted peppers, etc.

 

If you find you already have thought of a plan for when a "difficult" situation pops up, it won't seem like as large of a hurdle.

[Amb_Bomer]

I like the 'put it at the end idea.' That is what I did the first time @SugarcubeOD and I made it 27 days. This time it's a whole week on a business trip at what would be week 2 @slc_melissa with business partners we haven't had face time with in years! Cocktail parties, late dinners, shows...you get the idea. Of course I can't throw caution to the wind with certain things ,like gluten or dairy. Otherwise I'll spend 2 days in bed with a migraine. No bueno!! 

I actually could do a Sept 18 start date with the event, my 24th wedding anniversary, at almost the end. We don't always celebrate ON the date anyway so I could probably convince my husband to wait 3 days to open that bottle of anniversary wine. 

I just really want to complete a full round...for myself! And yes I feel so much better eating compliant as I have been for almost 3 months. These last 3 weeks have really kicked my butt, though. I'm realizing that is probably why I've been more tired. There have been more 'treats' in my diet. Lightbulb moment! Thanks for helping me see that. And thanks for letting me vent all this. While my hubby is supportive (but he can't give up bread or diet soda to do a W30), he gets a little tired of listening to me about this. I get it! So I'm glad to have ones who understand and are willing to listen.

[madness]

I've both done a lot of "difficult" things while on Whole30, as well as "caved" while attempting one. But really, the vast majority of things are completely doable. Here are some things I was able to overcome:

- Many, many parties, picnics, barbecues, etc. Most of the time, people don't notice you aren't eating (or are only eating the raw veggies or something). Have a sparkling water in your hand and just say you are taking a break from alcohol if someone offers a drink and you don't want to get into the explanation.

- Business lunches. These have been somewhat more difficult as you don't want to appear "fussy". Call ahead and make arrangements for something simple. Steak, potatoes and salad. 

- Camping and backpacking. Since I'm 100% in control of my food during these outings, it's completely doable. Just have to think outside the box of the usual foods. I've done a full week in the wilderness on Whole30 and felt great.

- Family dinners. This turned out to be the easiest in my case. We eat at my brother's house once a week and cool together. The first few times I brought my own meal even though he knew I was doing Whole30. I just didn't want to impose (plus my mom also knew I was Whole30 and always tried to prepare something but inevitably used butter or some other "minor" ingredient she didn't think mattered). But he got really into making Whole30 meals and loved that his family had at least one meal a week without the overload of grains (his kids, like one of mine, are carb fanatics)

I overcame all these challenges (and more that I'm probably not even thinking of...). YOU CAN TOO!

[racheleats]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 7:27 PM, Amb_Bomer said:

I like the 'put it at the end idea.' That is what I did the first time @SugarcubeOD and I made it 27 days. This time it's a whole week on a business trip at what would be week 2 @slc_melissa with business partners we haven't had face time with in years! Cocktail parties, late dinners, shows...you get the idea. Of course I can't throw caution to the wind with certain things ,like gluten or dairy. Otherwise I'll spend 2 days in bed with a migraine. No bueno!! 

I actually could do a Sept 18 start date with the event, my 24th wedding anniversary, at almost the end. We don't always celebrate ON the date anyway so I could probably convince my husband to wait 3 days to open that bottle of anniversary wine. 

I just really want to complete a full round...for myself! And yes I feel so much better eating compliant as I have been for almost 3 months. These last 3 weeks have really kicked my butt, though. I'm realizing that is probably why I've been more tired. There have been more 'treats' in my diet. Lightbulb moment! Thanks for helping me see that. And thanks for letting me vent all this. While my hubby is supportive (but he can't give up bread or diet soda to do a W30), he gets a little tired of listening to me about this. I get it! So I'm glad to have ones who understand and are willing to listen.

Sounds like the September 18th start date would be perfect, if the only "problem" you see is your anniversary at the end! Why not go get a couples massage that day, cook a fancy pants meal and make yourself a mocktail? You're absolutely right, the wine can wait 3 days - wine will ALWAYS be there for you, it's not a rule that anniversary = wine

If you do commit to a full round, check back in here - if there's something coming up that is worrying you, ask for advice here! There are tons of people who want to help and want to see you succeed and do this for yourself! You absolutely can.

[Amb_Bomer]

Thanks for the vote of confidence @racheleats It's nice to have a whole community of cheerleaders.