September 18 start date

[Svmomma]

7 hours ago, dmrob2009 said:

Mike, I totally understand how you feel about food as rewards... and congratulations for getting past a tough moment!  Goodness, my family is bad about the food/drink reward.  I've gotten a double dose of it, as it applies to both sides of my family + my husbands family.  Tonight won't be easy, but you have one success under your belt from last night.  Let that feeling carry you through this evening and I commend you and your wife for socializing whilst doing this.  I've not yet taken that step, as it's so hard to go to my family's favorite Mexican restaurant and bypass the margarita, chips and salsa.  Having said that, you've inspired me to give it a try, at least, in the near future.

Cheers!

 

 

I agree with @dmrob2009 that @Mike5858 you should take last night as a win and know you've got it covered tonight!  Sounds like you're uber prepared too.  My husband and I took the same look at each other last night, after he poured him self a nice cocktail and asked if it's hard doing what I'm doing.  Funny it's seems hard for all of about 2 minutes, then it passes.  Isn't that the typical craving time factor.  I do have to replace it with something though.  Tea, a bath, keeping busy.  I'll be thinking of you all tonight when I head to a football watching party armed with my own compliant food.  Might look up a special something to drink too... think I saw that in the whole30 book.  

[GavinD]

Hey there everyone! I have a day on you, but it seems like no one else started on the 17th. Hope you are doing great... almost one week done. I'm feeling great and hope you all are too  

[Tj V]

11 hours ago, dmrob2009 said:

Woohoo!  You seem to have recovered.  Yay!  Have a great Day 6, Tj V!  

PS. Me thinks I feel the TIGER BLOOD coming on!!!  Had lots of extra energy yesterday.  The whole fam is starting to feel better, in MULTIPLE ways.  

@ the whole Sept 18 group... you all ROCK!  I'm so glad I utilized the forum this time.   It's a tremendous help.  

 

Yay!!! So happy you're feeling the tiger blood already and happy that you are loving the group! I think we have a bunch of great people!! 

[Tj V]

6 minutes ago, GavinD said:

Hey there everyone! I have a day on you, but it seems like no one else started on the 17th. Hope you are doing great... almost one week done. I'm feeling great and hope you all are too  

You can join us if you'd like, @GavinD! Welcome.

[Lauraloveskale]

Hi Everyone! My name is Laura and I just came across the resource but enjoyed reading all your posts because I'm also on Day 6 and started Sep 18th. I've felt very thirsty today and did feel tired going on a run with my husband, I mostly walked and had lower energy to run but seems normal. I'm really enjoying cooking and hope to share and encourage each other. Made a delicious compliant roasted portobello mushrooms with shrimp and bruschetta. If you want to see it, I posted the recipe I found on Instagram -lauraflanraub 

tonight we had lamb meatballs and broccoli and cooking butternut squash has lasted several days. 

I really enjoy kale salad with lemon and olive oil as dressing with chopped almonds. Today I added in chicken and avocado for lunch and some apples. 

The hardest thing for me has been changing my habit of enjoying fruit as a snack  so I'm trying to get myself to change that and eat it more with the meals... anyone else realize they needed to work on that? 

One sort of one fruit option you could have with your meal is apple "chips" - I tried baking apple slices tonight with a little cinnamon on them. Tempted to eat them now at 9pm but maybe a good fruit or snack to have handy for this week. 

Congrats to us all for finishing day 6!!!

 

 

[Tj V]

12 hours ago, Mike5858 said:

Good Day 6 Morning everyone!  I got through a tough moment yesterday, when I thought I might crack.  When my wife and I reconnect at home after work on Friday, it normally means a glass of wine, a vodka tonic, or a whiskey sour on the deck.  Talk about our week, what the weekend will bring, and make that transition from work week to weekend.  It's one of my favorite parts of the week.  Well, last night we just stared at each other for a minute.  "What do we do now?"  We took a deep breath, and started making dinner, and the feeling past.  We don't drink a lot (in my opinion), but we do enjoy a cocktail with each others or friends.  So tonight, the next big challenge.  We are going to a BBQ with some old friends of my wife's.  They all used to work together, and haven't all been together in some time.  Sounds like lots of sweets, non-compliant salads, meat with non-compliant BBQ sauce, beer and wine are on the menu.  We are taking some things we can eat (shrimp with compliant cocktail sauce, a big green salad with chicken and Whole30 recipe dressing), and we will see how it goes.  This is a big part of my relationship with food and booze that I'm working on changing.  I see it as a reward (for a long work week, a stressful day, etc) or a part of a celebration that HAS to be a part of it.  Wish me luck!  Have a great day 6 everyone!

Mike

PS:  TjV sorry to hear about your Uncle.  Thoughts and prayers sent your way.

Thanks so much, @Mike5858!!

[AH117]

Day 6. Saturday night.

Food wise, I'll say we're doing pretty good. We're following this plan, roughly: 

http://realsimplegood.com/whole30-meal-plan-complete-recipes-shopping-lists/

"snacks" have been minimal-- homemade sweet potato fries, olives, and fruit, mostly in the evenings. We bought some Lara bars (compliant), but my husband is into them more than I am... I'd like to lose a few pounds by the end, hopefully, so avoiding them if possible. Meals have been fairly large, protein-filled, and have kept us full, mostly. I think this coming week I might seek out some "lighter" type meals (i.e., we had crock pot beef stew for most lunches this week - filling but HEAVY!) 

I think the first two days, we were really pumped about following the plan-- the new recipes, learning the ins-and-outs, etc. Days 3-5, I was a bit grumpy, but other than that-- no real "side effects" along the lines of headaches, nausea, etc. We were really pretty healthy eaters before (minimal gluten, sugar), but we were BIG cheese eaters with lighter meals and lots of snacks,  and we love LOVE our evening wine/beer relaxation time. 

This week, I've managed to keep busy enough not to really miss our past "treats" -- we've been sitting down with kombucha in the evenings instead, which is surprisingly refreshing and a passable evening fizzy "fun" drink -- sometimes seltzer, no matter how many "tastes" just plain gets old and boring. 

So-- the first weekend "on plan." It's going OK, but I think I'm fighting a bit of boredom / why are we doing this / habit changing drudgery. 

Getting through it... onwards and upwards to week 2.

 

 

 

[Tj V]

5 minutes ago, Lauraloveskale said:

Hi Everyone! My name is Laura and I just came across the resource but enjoyed reading all your posts because I'm also on Day 6 and started Sep 18th. I've felt very thirsty today and did feel tired going on a run with my husband, I mostly walked and had lower energy to run but seems normal. I'm really enjoying cooking and hope to share and encourage each other. Made a delicious compliant roasted portobello mushrooms with shrimp and bruschetta. If you want to see it, I posted the recipe I found on Instagram -lauraflanraub 

tonight we had lamb meatballs and broccoli and cooking butternut squash has lasted several days. 

I really enjoy kale salad with lemon and olive oil as dressing with chopped almonds. Today I added in chicken and avocado for lunch and some apples. 

The hardest thing for me has been changing my habit of enjoying fruit as a snack  so I'm trying to get myself to change that and eat it more with the meals... anyone else realize they needed to work on that? 

One sort of one fruit option you could have with your meal is apple "chips" - I tried baking apple slices tonight with a little cinnamon on them. Tempted to eat them now at 9pm but maybe a good fruit or snack to have handy for this week. 

Congrats to us all for finishing day 6!!!

 

 

Welcome to the group, @Lauraloveskale! Yes I struggle with fruit as a snack too. Sometimes though if I just have a couple grapes, it takes away cravings. Mostly I try to limit it to meals though. 
On to Day 7! What? Almost a whole week down? Yes!

[Tj V]

3 minutes ago, AH117 said:

Day 6. Saturday night.

Food wise, I'll say we're doing pretty good. We're following this plan, roughly: 

http://realsimplegood.com/whole30-meal-plan-complete-recipes-shopping-lists/

"snacks" have been minimal-- homemade sweet potato fries, olives, and fruit, mostly in the evenings. We bought some Lara bars (compliant), but my husband is into them more than I am... I'd like to lose a few pounds by the end, hopefully, so avoiding them if possible. Meals have been fairly large, protein-filled, and have kept us full, mostly. I think this coming week I might seek out some "lighter" type meals (i.e., we had crock pot beef stew for most lunches this week - filling but HEAVY!) 

I think the first two days, we were really pumped about following the plan-- the new recipes, learning the ins-and-outs, etc. Days 3-5, I was a bit grumpy, but other than that-- no real "side effects" along the lines of headaches, nausea, etc. We were really pretty healthy eaters before (minimal gluten, sugar), but we were BIG cheese eaters with lighter meals and lots of snacks,  and we love LOVE our evening wine/beer relaxation time. 

This week, I've managed to keep busy enough not to really miss our past "treats" -- we've been sitting down with kombucha in the evenings instead, which is surprisingly refreshing and a passable evening fizzy "fun" drink -- sometimes seltzer, no matter how many "tastes" just plain gets old and boring. 

So-- the first weekend "on plan." It's going OK, but I think I'm fighting a bit of boredom / why are we doing this / habit changing drudgery. 

Getting through it... onwards and upwards to week 2.

 

 

 

Hang in there, @AH117! I just got back from shopping and I was a bit hungry and I wanted to eat all the things! I made it through though, so that's good. Not drinking enough water for me...gotta get on that better. Happy Sunday to everyone.

[Lauraloveskale]

Thanks for the warm welcome @Tj V!! 

You are right- I've found that 3 green grapes definitely stopped the craving today. 

Yes, onto Day 7!   

[Lauraloveskale]

Question for any of you... is there an app for accessing this forum? I'm just on an internet browser on my iPhone. Conputer or iPhone is fine just was wondering what the rest of you are doing 

[kirbz]

So, maybe this is way too early to be thinking about this (and please do feel free to tell me so), but have you guys thought about what you want your long-term eating habits to look like after this? I'm a planner. This has literally been in the works for over a year. I've read all the books, bought all the cookbooks, read the forum, and generally just prepared for this for a long time. But, somehow, I never really thought about what I wanted for the long term. I know I want to finish this. I know I want to do a careful and structured reintroduction so I understand what foods bother me. But then what? I never thought about it and I don't know what the answer is... This lifestyle is very, very expensive and very time-consuming. I'm not sure it's sustainable for me. And I'm not sure I want to live a life without Rocky Road ice cream and chocolate with almonds. But maybe I just haven't been doing this long enough to no longer want those?

I've kinda strolled through my first week with no significant struggles, but have been having more cravings the last day or two and am starting to waver a tiny bit in my commitment. Anyway, I'd appreciate any insights you have! Thanks for all the support and kindness offered in this group!

[Tj V]

10 hours ago, Lauraloveskale said:

Question for any of you... is there an app for accessing this forum? I'm just on an internet browser on my iPhone. Conputer or iPhone is fine just was wondering what the rest of you are doing 

I've not heard of an app for the phone...not saying there isn't one, but I've not seen it. I access 99% on my computer, but have used my phone a time or two...it's def different.

[Tj V]

7 hours ago, kirbz said:

So, maybe this is way too early to be thinking about this (and please do feel free to tell me so), but have you guys thought about what you want your long-term eating habits to look like after this? I'm a planner. This has literally been in the works for over a year. I've read all the books, bought all the cookbooks, read the forum, and generally just prepared for this for a long time. But, somehow, I never really thought about what I wanted for the long term. I know I want to finish this. I know I want to do a careful and structured reintroduction so I understand what foods bother me. But then what? I never thought about it and I don't know what the answer is... This lifestyle is very, very expensive and very time-consuming. I'm not sure it's sustainable for me. And I'm not sure I want to live a life without Rocky Road ice cream and chocolate with almonds. But maybe I just haven't been doing this long enough to no longer want those?

I've kinda strolled through my first week with no significant struggles, but have been having more cravings the last day or two and am starting to waver a tiny bit in my commitment. Anyway, I'd appreciate any insights you have! Thanks for all the support and kindness offered in this group!

Hi @kirbz, my Mom, Sister and brother in law are talking about strict Paleo or more likely Primal after this is over. We are also talking about continuing this until Oct. 15, which is when my nephew gets married. Have you ever checked out The Primal Blueprint? It's much like this and Paleo, but less restrictive. If you're interested in checking it out, look for Mark's Daily Apple, online. Then look for Primal Blueprint 101 once you're on there. See what you think. I don't think you're gonna find any "healthy" eating plan that allows Rocky Road, but we have to chose our battles. For myself, I'm trying to get past the mindset of allowing those indulgences on a weekly or twice weekly basis. That's how I got in the trouble I'm in. My mom has had a quadruple bypass and has diabetes and metabolic syndrome. My Uncle, who is currently near the end of his life has the same issues. What I do now might change those outcomes for me. 
Sorry to be such a downer here, but those are the thoughts that run through my head along with the cravings for candy, cakes, cheese, soda, coffee mate, etc. It's such a battle! Then I have the little voice in my head that says, "hey, you only live once! Why not eat what makes you happy?" Well, it makes me happy, true, but it also makes me unhappy when I can't breathe when I bend over and none of my clothes fit. Then what's gonna happen when I'm 70? Same things that happened with my Mom and Uncle? It's truly a battle. Even now, I don't know who wins. 

[dmrob2009]

1 hour ago, Tj V said:

Hi @kirbz, my Mom, Sister and brother in law are talking about strict Paleo or more likely Primal after this is over. We are also talking about continuing this until Oct. 15, which is when my nephew gets married. Have you ever checked out The Primal Blueprint? It's much like this and Paleo, but less restrictive. If you're interested in checking it out, look for Mark's Daily Apple, online. Then look for Primal Blueprint 101 once you're on there. See what you think. I don't think you're gonna find any "healthy" eating plan that allows Rocky Road, but we have to chose our battles. For myself, I'm trying to get past the mindset of allowing those indulgences on a weekly or twice weekly basis. That's how I got in the trouble I'm in. My mom has had a quadruple bypass and has diabetes and metabolic syndrome. My Uncle, who is currently near the end of his life has the same issues. What I do now might change those outcomes for me. 
Sorry to be such a downer here, but those are the thoughts that run through my head along with the cravings for candy, cakes, cheese, soda, coffee mate, etc. It's such a battle! Then I have the little voice in my head that says, "hey, you only live once! Why not eat what makes you happy?" Well, it makes me happy, true, but it also makes me unhappy when I can't breathe when I bend over and none of my clothes fit. Then what's gonna happen when I'm 70? Same things that happened with my Mom and Uncle? It's truly a battle. Even now, I don't know who wins. 

Planning is good!  I'm going to add to this.  DH and I have both had a great deal if success on the Primal Blueprint, to the point of inspiring a few other people to buy the book and do it themselves.  It is a great plan... a really, really great plan.  Pros - endless energy, no inflammation, no cravings as long as you stay away from the bad stuff.

Cons- it's as expensive as Whole 30.  Its as time consuming as Whole 30.  If you are a food addict like I am and your leptin is all screwed up as a result, you will likely fall off the wagon and have difficulty getting back on.

I got down to my goal weight on the PBP and stayed there for about a year.  All it took was to start adding Boulder Canyon chips into the mix here and there... and then it started coming back on.  I did not gain it all back because I've always maintained the habits, but I'd eat far too much  of foods that you are supposed to seriously limit, (i.e. dark chocolate, nuts and cheese).  

Now to my point.  I've been following the wellnessmama.com online for years now.  Great website, btw.  At any rate, she's a proponent of the PBP, paleo eating, etc. and she has struggled to get the weight off and keep it off for years.  She just recently tried a program called Bright Line Eating and she's had huge success.  I just purchased the book, but here is a link to the website

http://foodfreedom.brightlineeating.com/ff17-video-1/

If you decide to have a look, make sure to take the short little quiz first.  I scored a 10, meaning that my leptin (the "I'm full and have enough fat stored so I can quit overeating now") hormone is all jacked up due to insulin blocking the signal that it sends to my brain and needs rewiring.

In short, I'm using the principles from both programs.  I'm ready to lose it and keep it off for good.  This Whole 30 is my primer to get my body ready for it.

Sorry about the novella!  

[Tj V]

4 minutes ago, dmrob2009 said:

Planning is good!  I'm going to add to this.  DH and I have both had a great deal if success on the Primal Blueprint, to the point of inspiring a few other people to buy the book and do it themselves.  It is a great plan... a really, really great plan.  Pros - endless energy, no inflammation, no cravings as long as you stay away from the bad stuff.

Cons- it's as expensive as Whole 30.  Its as time consuming as Whole 30.  If you are a food addict like I am and your leptin is all screwed up as a result, you will likely fall off the wagon and have difficulty getting back on.

I got down to my goal weight on the PBP and stayed there for about a year.  All it took was to start adding Boulder Canyon chips into the mix here and there... and then it started coming back on.  I did not gain it all back because I've always maintained the habits, but I'd eat far too much  of foods thta you are supppsed to seriously limit, (i.e. dark chocolate, nuts and cheese).  

Now to my point.  I've been following the wellnessmama.com online for years now.  Great website, btw.  At any rate, she's a proponent of the PBP, paleo eating, etc. and she has struggled to get the weight off and keep it off for years.  She just recently tried a program called Bright Line Eating and she's had huge success.  I just purchased the book, but here is a link to the website

http://foodfreedom.brightlineeating.com/ff17-video-1/

If you decide to have a look, make sure to take the short little quiz first.  I scored a 10, meaning that my leptin (the "I'm full and have enough fat stored so I can quit overeating now") hormone is all jacked up due to insulin blocking the signal that it sends to my brain and needs rewiring.

In short, I'm using the principles from both programs.  I'm ready to lose it and keep it off for good.  This Whole 30 is my primer to get my body ready for it.

Sorry about the novella!  

Great information, @dmrob2009! I'm gonna check that link out. I subscribed to Wellness Mama for awhile too, but it was expensive as well and time consuming. So many rules it seemed. At any rate...I guess that's why junk food is so cheap and easy huh? I'm checking in to what you said about Bright Line Eating and PBP combo though. That sounds good. As for expense on PBP....we simply cannot afford grass fed beef or bison, so we just do the best we can. In the end, that's all you can do, right?

[Mike5858]

Happy Day 7 everyone!  Well, I got through the first opportunity to socialize last night.  My wife and I went to a BBQ with about 12 people she used to work with.  Lots of landmines (non-compliant foods) everywhere, but we got through it without cheating!  We brought some stuff we knew we could eat, and there was smoked brisket and turkey there with the BBQ sauce on the side (thank goodness), so we didn't go hungry.  The hardest parts were when we first got there and were offered a drink, and asked for water. That was weird, and before eating we sort of split up "boy/girl" and all the guys were having a beer.  Luckily (or easier) for me, these are the husbands of my wife's old work friends.  I knew them, and we are friendly, but it's much different than hanging around with MY friends or OUR mutual friends and trying not to have a beer.  I take my hat off to my wife Joanne who did not have anything but water, while her old work friends were drinking wine and margaritas.  She did great!  The other big test, was when desert was put out (I won't torture you with the list of goodies, but there were many).  Joanne and I did not waver, and passed.  Thankfully, no one asked about why.  We were at this party from 5-9:30pm, and after we said our goodbyes, we "high fived" each other in the car for sticking to the program.  I won't lie, it was tough, but we know we can do it.   I hope everyone has a great day7!  Just think, we get through today and we've completed a week!  Good for us!

Mike

[dmrob2009]

Nearly a week in, folks!  Is everyone hanging in there?  I thought I was approaching tiger blood yesterday, but it was a false alarm.  I am feeling pretty good, much better than when I started on Day 1, but something is still missing.  Not too much motivation for projects and chores yet.  Sigh.  Hopefully soon!  Here's to a successful day seven and and awesome week 2 starting tomorrow.  

@AH117 Yeah, we're in that phase of "I dream of (insert favorite junk food).  It will pass!

[dmrob2009]

4 minutes ago, Mike5858 said:

Happy Day 7 everyone!  Well, I got through the first opportunity to socialize last night.  My wife and I went to a BBQ with about 12 people she used to work with.  Lots of landmines (non-compliant foods) everywhere, but we got through it without cheating!  We brought some stuff we knew we could eat, and there was smoked brisket and turkey there with the BBQ sauce on the side (thank goodness), so we didn't go hungry.  The hardest parts were when we first got there and were offered a drink, and asked for water. That was weird, and before eating we sort of split up "boy/girl" and all the guys were having a beer.  Luckily (or easier) for me, these are the husbands of my wife's old work friends.  I knew them, and we are friendly, but it's much different than hanging around with MY friends or OUR mutual friends and trying not to have a beer.  I take my hat off to my wife Joanne who did not have anything but water, while her old work friends were drinking wine and margaritas.  She did great!  The other big test, was when desert was put out (I won't torture you with the list of goodies, but there were many).  Joanne and I did not waver, and passed.  Thankfully, no one asked about why.  We were at this party from 5-9:30pm, and after we said our goodbyes, we "high fived" each other in the car for sticking to the program.  I won't lie, it was tough, but we know we can do it.   I hope everyone has a great day7!  Just think, we get through today and we've completed a week!  Good for us!

Mike

!!!!!!!!!!!!!WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!

[dmrob2009]

13 minutes ago, Tj V said:

Great information, @dmrob2009! I'm gonna check that link out. I subscribed to Wellness Mama for awhile too, but it was expensive as well and time consuming. So many rules it seemed. At any rate...I guess that's why junk food is so cheap and easy huh? I'm checking in to what you said about Bright Line Eating and PBP combo though. That sounds good. As for expense on PBP....we simply cannot afford grass fed beef or bison, so we just do the best we can. In the end, that's all you can do, right?

That is all you can do!  We recently started buying grass fed beef by the quarter cow.  It's cheaper if you can find someone to go in with you and definitely cheaper than buying by the each in the store.  And a note on Bright Line Eating... I'm going to use the book which I purchased on Amazon, as boot camp online is $497, which I cannot currently afford.  

[Mike5858]

I'm not doing the grass fed beef thing right now either.  I try to get pastured or free range chicken, and pastured eggs (if they are on sale), but the grass fed stuff is just too expensive to justify right now.  I'm going to see what I can source locally and maybe like dmrob2009 mentioned, buy it a quarter cow at a time.  I'll have to wait until we move into the new place in October so I can buy a freezer, so it's more of a long term thinking thing for me right now.  

[Nancy61]

Saturday was a tough day for me and my husband but we made it through.  We decided since the weather was perfect to take a drive to the beach (Jersey Shore).  What to pack instead of our usual Pringles, Twizzlers and Sandwich from Wawa?  I went to our local butcher, order 1/2 lb of turkey breast (compliant), brought a small tupperware container of whole30 Pesto recipe and some olives and that's what our cooler consisted of.  We dipped our turkey breast in the pesto and munched on some olives.. all i can say is it really helps when your partner is with you 100%!  Have a great Day 6 everyone

[Nancy61]

I mean Day 7!!  

 

[tayrex03]

@Mike5858 @Nancy61 @dmrob2009 That's awesome! Way to go both of you  I did my first night out with some of the girls last night. Thankfully, I did 90 days sober last fall (gave myself a bit of a reset and focused a lot on goals that seemed to always get pushed to the wayside when people asked me to go out); so when one friend said "You're not drinking again??" I simply responded with "No." The harder part for me was the giant bowl of popcorn in the middle of the table at the bar. 

Congrats on day 7 to everyone else. Anyone else having food dreams? I used to get these in college when all I ate was fruits, veggies, energy bars and granola, mainly about ice cream. Last night it was sweet potato fries, first dream I've had about food. Thing is, I woke up and thought... I don't even want sweet potato fries. Instead we finished off the leftover crab stuffed cucumbers we made for dinner last night. Now what I really want is to chew a piece of gum while I go for a run this morning. Which isn't all that bad of a craving, that's just a habit I've had for 8 years!   

[Lauraloveskale]

11 hours ago, kirbz said:

So, maybe this is way too early to be thinking about this (and please do feel free to tell me so), but have you guys thought about what you want your long-term eating habits to look like after this? I'm a planner. This has literally been in the works for over a year. I've read all the books, bought all the cookbooks, read the forum, and generally just prepared for this for a long time. But, somehow, I never really thought about what I wanted for the long term. I know I want to finish this. I know I want to do a careful and structured reintroduction so I understand what foods bother me. But then what? I never thought about it and I don't know what the answer is... This lifestyle is very, very expensive and very time-consuming. I'm not sure it's sustainable for me. And I'm not sure I want to live a life without Rocky Road ice cream and chocolate with almonds. But maybe I just haven't been doing this long enough to no longer want those?

I've kinda strolled through my first week with no significant struggles, but have been having more cravings the last day or two and am starting to waver a tiny bit in my commitment. Anyway, I'd appreciate any insights you have! Thanks for all the support and kindness offered in this group!

 

@kirbz

I have been thinking about the long term, too, and the reintroduction phase. What helps me the most is asking myself, why am I doing this, and really come up with those reasons and read the success stories. For me, I am 28, and my husband is 34, and we are trying to start a family. We had a miscarriage and a partial molar pregnancy so for me changing my lifestyle and eating to see if it will help us have a baby sooner is a no brainer. Have you read the success stories section? People have really good results when they plan to change their lifestyle. I agree it is very time consuming but I'm planning on doing the reintroduction phase, too. Already I feel my relationship with food and my body has changed and I'm viewing all this food as more nourishing for my body and long term health. Do you have anyone in your family going through something even harder? That always inspires me. My uncle is in his 50s and battling stage 4 colon cancer... I figure that changing what I put in my body now will only do me good down the road. Don't know if this is helpful at all, but hope so! Hang in there and celebrate the small wins and master your WHY! You can do this! The sweet withdrawal will pass