Gwyneth J.N. Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Hello! I will be starting a W30 tomorrow and would love to connect with one or two others. I've been eating way too much sugar and chips for the past few months and need a reset. I completed my last successful W30 in February and since then have remained wheat/gluten/legume/alcohol - free while everything else has crept back in. I especially want to regain my sanity around chips (those damn Lays call out to me!) and sugar. Other goals include getting my gut issues back under control (I stay pretty low FODMAP) and losing the bloat. I've learned over the years that I am an obliger, someone who needs to be accountable to someone else in order to achieve my goals (see Gretchen Rubin's quiz to find out if you, too, are an obliger!) , so I'm looking for an online friend with whom I can be 100% honest and who will support and challenge me as needed. And of course, I would be the same for you. A bit about me...I live in Portland, ME with two teens and a husband who do not eat the same way I do. I work as an 8th-grade teacher and I direct the after-school Drama Club, which is wonderful but surprisingly time-consuming and stressful. I have had three or four complete W30s over the years and many, many, many partial ones ranging from two days to twenty. I also lift heavy weights 2X/week at a strength training gym and walk as often as I can. I look forward to lots of hearty W30 stews, soups, shepherd's pies, etc. and zero candy corn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifreddie Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Hello, I am starting W30 again tomorrow and would love to connect with others as well. I jumped on Gretchen Rubin's quiz and really appreciated the insightful concepts of motivation. I, too, am an obliger and have realized this for some time but wasn't able to put it into words until I heard her video. I have done great on diets when there is some sort of competition/accountability or someone with which to partner. I will be 100% honest and would appreciate the same as well as support and to be challenged. I am a mother of two teen girls, one in college and one a senior in HS and live in Michigan. I am a secretary at a church, husband is a high school guidance counselor. I have no athletic bone in my body but know I need to stretch everyday and work out at least three times per week. I have a membership at the Y but don't seem to get there unless my family or friend invite me to go (again obliger). I have done W30 pretty successfully one time but have had many starts and stops since July 4. I struggle with nuts, and sweets. I substituted fruit for dessert far too often. I like not measuring, weighing, counting etc and just really want to make a permanent lifestyle change. I'm a little techno challenged so... I hope I am doing this right. :-) What do you teach? What kind of support is helpful to you when being accountable to others? Going to do some prep for tomorrow. I find, if I am prepared and have a plan as to what I am going to eat I do better. I just need to stick to three squares per day (reasonable portions) with out snacking. "A dream becomes a goal when action is taken towards achieving it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwyneth J.N. Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 2 hours ago, Winifreddie said: I'm a little techno challenged so... I hope I am doing this right. :-) What do you teach? What kind of support is helpful to you when being accountable to others? You are doing it right! I teach 8th-grade Humanities which is a combination of English and social studies. One nice thing about being a teacher is that everyone brings a lunch so I don't have to deal with eating out during the day. I mostly just like to know I'm in it with someone else, that if I mess up or fail to check in that I'm not just hurting myself, I'm disappointing my friend. For example, over and over again I would set an exercise goal and join a gym thinking that paying that monthly fee would be motivation to get me there. But money doesn't motivate me, people do. Now that I go to a gym where a training partner and coach are counting on me, I haven't missed a single workout in three months. So I'm looking for someone to commit to doing the full 30 days and check in with each other either daily or every other day, even if it's just, "Hi, I made it through the day! How about you?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe P. Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Hi, This is my first time to do Whole30 and I'm starting tomorrow. I live in Norman, OK and I work full time in a library. I'm currently training for a half marathon in late November. I'm anxious to do this program because I want to see how my body handles introducing foods back in my body. A few of my struggles will be not putting stevia in my iced tea, no hummus, no beans and no oats for my overnight oats that I eat Mon-Fri. I have a daughter in college and another daughter that lives in Texas. I live with my husband who does NOT eat like me at all. I trying to find some people who are starting the same day as I am so we can all go through this together. I will look up Gretchen's quiz. Moe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE 123 Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Hello everyone! I am starting my first Whole30 tomorrow, October 1st, and would love a set of accountability buddies! A bit about me: I live in Whistler, BC. 11 years ago I began getting migraines. About 5 years ago, what were infrequent migraines morphed into a daily phenomenon. I've now been off work for 3 years with this debilitating chronic pain disorder and a co-morbid depression. It seems as if I've tried everything over the years - physio, chiropractor, massage, botox, drugs, acupuncture, etc. I also saw a naturopath for a while, who put me on an elimination diet. I followed the diet half-heartedly (read: did not make a full commitment). At the time, I was in a very busy, high-stress career, and did not make the time necessary to plan and organize how I would commit to the diet. I did my best but I didn't notice an impact on my migraines, so I eventually abandoned the diet. In the time that I've been off work, I've also developed a very bad junk food habit. It turns out that I am an emotional eater! My reasoning is that there are so few things left for me to enjoy, but I can still enjoy/derive comfort from food! This reasoning has led to some weight gain that I would like to reverse. I've read The Whole30 book and like that it is framed as a lifestyle shift - not only in diet, but in one's relationship to food. While I hope that changing my diet will help with my chronic pain, just boosting my overall general health would be a win. A better-functioning immune system and a healthier me will give me a stronger foundation from which to deal with my chronic pain. So my goals: a healthier me, less pain, better sleep, and weight loss. I've never had an accountability buddy before. How does this work? Do we log in here every day to compare notes and discuss whether we stuck to the diet? Thanks for initiating this Gwyneth! De. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwyneth J.N. Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hello, De & Moe! Yes, I think it will work well to just check in here. We can share how it's going, ask questions, share resources, etc. I am excited for tomorrow and I look forward to 30 days of Whole 30 awesomeness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheva Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hello there, I have been in a negative routine lately. Just as DE shared, I'm an emotional eater too and I weigh the most and am the least active I've ever been. I'm so ready for change and I'm excited to challenge myself to do this fully. I'm looking forward to being support if I can and using this forum when I need it. I really enjoyed reading about each of you appreciate that we will hold each other accountable to make change for the better for all of us. Ps. This is the first time I'm doing the whole 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifreddie Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Good Day and welcome to DE, Moe, and Sheva! I am excited to have you all share this journey! I appreciate being able to check in on a daily or every other day basis. I see myself the same way as you Gwyneth J.N. Money doesn't really motivate me as much as not letting others down. I have to say, Gretchen Rubin's quiz really made me think about what motivates me and having a better understanding of this is really helpful in setting up parameters for success. Thanks for sharing that! So, I'm in it with you all for the entire 30 days! I now need to find that accountability for the workout/gym. Any tips on eating out? Next weekend, my husband and I are going away for our anniversary to a little cottage and taking in the fall colors. The place where we are staying has a kitchen so, I'll take our own meals, for the most part, but my husband wants to eat out some. We are going to a Farm to Table festival so I think I'll be able to find some "clean eating" there but just curious about what you all are finding helpful when it comes to eating out? Something I read recently that was encouraging to me and thought I would share it with you: The philosophy of a Japanese word, kaizen, which means continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. Kai = change and Zen = good. Goals: Eat three squares (keeping with the spirit of W30), sleep 7-8 hours (vs 4 hours) per night, exercise for 20-30 minutes each day, have some quiet time each day. I think that about covers it: mind, body, and soul. I am looking forward to being a support and being supported through the next 30 days! Blessings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwyneth J.N. Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Day 1 is off to a great start for me! First I made one of my favorite W30 breakfasts - chicken apple sausage roasted with sweet potatoes, parsnips, and rosemary. It's even better with onion and apple slices, but I am watching out for FODMAPs right now to try and soothe my gut. I made beef stew in the crockpot yesterday and had that for lunch along with some late summer strawberries. For supper, I'll be making pork chops with mashed potatoes (I make them with chicken stock and ghee instead of cream and they're really good) and broccoli. Then with the leftover mashed potatoes, I'll make up a shepherd's pie for tomorrow's supper. During the week I focus mainly on leftovers from the weekend and sheet pan suppers, the easier the better. I never know how tuckered out I'm going to be at the end of the day, so I never plan for a complicated meal. Hope day 1 is going well for all of you, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifreddie Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Day 1 - Started the day with my usual breakfast of egg scramble loaded with spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, basil. For lunch we went out and I got a steak and steamed broccoli. For dinner I went all out (for me anyway) and tried a new recipe of sausage stuffed acorn squash. More work than i normally would like but husband liked it. For veggies I made roasted brussel sprouts and had an apple. It was delicious and filling. Day 2 - I got my nerve up and took a picture of myself for a before and after comparison. I won't be posting this anytime soon (or ever). :-) I started the day with my usual egg scramble and for lunch I'll have left over sausage acorn squash and planning to have chicken salad for dinner. I baked and shredded chicken yesterday to make up a salad and to throw in other dishes. I also prepped some veggies, hard boiled eggs, baked bacon, and fried up some ground beef and onion for later in the week and my long weekend away. I find I do better if I plan ahead. I have to say, I feel much better already, no bloating or stomach aches at night. I only got six hours of sleep last night but that is an improvement from my usual four. Went for a walk with my husband for exercise and spent some quiet time by myself. Looking forward to hearing how your day/week is going! I just noticed your sheet pan suppers suggestion. I'll have to check this out and see if I can incorporate these into my meal plan. Question: I don't know what FODMAPs means? Thanks for checking in! Have a great day!! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAnewbie Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hey there! I want an accountability buddy too! I started Oct. 1 and have completed rounds very similar to you... two full successful rounds, several starts and stops from 2-28 days, and I have got to get my sugar addiction under control. I eat my emotions and bury them deep so I have no idea even why Im eating my emotions until days later. So... that said I do best when I have food "rules". One sandwich or one piece of cake leads to chips, and cookies, and beer, and... you get it. I do a bootcamp workout four days a week and typically we are lifting. I love weights. The last whole round I did in conjunction with crossfit and saw dramatic physical and emotional changes that month. Whole30 is awesome but it does take determination. I am determined and ready. Glad to be here with all of you doing it this month! Day 1 - yesterday was easy peasy but I didnt do the three full meals I should have becuase breakfast was so late. Breakfast (ate late) - 1/2 lemon in water, two eggs, 1/2 avocado, kale, tomatos, coffee/kalifa almond milk Lunch - banana and almond butter Dinner - Kalua style pork from NomNomPaleo, 1/2 can olives, and cabbage steamed with beef broth yuuuuuum! Today - PWO - few bites of pork PostWO - few bites of pork, water Breakfast - two eggs, 1/2 avocado, kale, tomatos, coffee/kalifa almond milk Lunch - leftover pork/olives/cabbage and cucumbers and mayo DInner - will be Asian meatballs from NomNom Paleo, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, olives, tessemae's zesty ranch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwyneth J.N. Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Love Nom Nom's Asian meatballs! A favorite recipe. I nearly stopped at The Holy Donut on the way home. Hugely stressful day, hard to keep things in perspective given the mass shooting and it's easy to get a case of the "F-its" when I'm feeling upset. But I knew I'd be logging in as soon as I got home so I kept on driving. Breakfast was kale sauteed in bacon with 2 eggs. For lunch, I had leftover beef stew and carrot & celery sticks. When I got home I had two dates and a cup of tea. Dinner will be shepherd's pie. First, though, I'm off for a walk in the woods to ease my mind and center myself. No Facebook for me tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheva Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Gwyneth,Great job for not stopping at the Holy Donut and have a great walk in the woods, that sounds lovely! I also love that you're doing a Facebook detox, I'm feeling inspired and will do that too. Thank you for that! Day 1 was pretty easy for me, I went to Costco and stocked up on tons of whole30 approved foods :), my fridge and freezer are full. Cooked a whole bunch and have been feeling good. Today at work has been bit tricky because there is so much temptation of sweets and even the "healthy bars." Cheers to all of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe P. Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 RHello Everyone, i had a great first day of W30. I did a lot of shopping and then spent the afternoon cooking. I had a similar meal to Gwyneth's, for lunch I also had a chicken, apple sausage that I heated up in a pan and made guacomole to go with it. I made a lot of food today and I'm really tired now. Actually, while I'm typing this I'm watching the Halloween Baking Challenge on the food network channel and I'm hungry. I did have a little dessert of unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon on top. I found a good website, pretenditsadonut.com She has W30 recipes and a cute tracker sheet that you can print off and color in how each day was for you. I'm not sure how the eating out will be for us? I have to go to a luncheon on Tuesday. There will be many people in the room and we will be served a plate. I'm thinking that I won't be able to eat it so I'm going to bring an Epic bar, some nuts and fruit. I don't know if I'll eat it at the table or not. i loved the Japanese quote. Winifreddie! I hope everyone has a great Monday and day 2. Moe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe P. Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Good Monday evening everyone, I was looking for my post from last night and couldn't find it. I finally figured out that it didn't send because I had an emoji in it. Today was a good, easy day. I ate the food that I made yesterday. I didn't portion my dinner meal well because I ate 2 bowls of my pot roast and felt really full when I finished. Where would I find a Nom Nom Asian meatball recipe? Be strong everyone! Moe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifreddie Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Good Tuesday D3 morning! Yesterday, after I checked in, I got the sugar withdrawal headache. I am anticipating another one today. Same type of head ache that I had when I gave up coffee. I went for the walk with a friend even though my hip/leg is giving me trouble. I feel I need to move! Stuck it out even with the head ache. I would have grabbed some soda or ice cream but didn't. I am determined! Have a great day and stay the course! Blessings, Winifreddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAnewbie Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hi Moe -- meatball recipie is here: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/39832097367/whole30-day-6-asian-meatballs I subbed onion for shallot and portabello for shiitake, otherwise followed as instructed. I woke up craving one. They are sooo good. I have brought a loaded salad into a banquet setting before. I just tell the waiters, no thank you and put my stuff on the table. That will allow you to eat a normal lunch with others, and it sparked some conversation about Whole30. D3 for me. Im doing bootcamp tonight. Dragging a bit. achey head, sore muscles, waves of body heat... general blah but not too bad. Working all day. Breakfast - 2 eggs, 1 zucchini, slices of sweet potato... all fried in coconut oil with some more drizzled on top. Coffee with kalifa. Lunch - meatballs? salad, oil? - TBD Dinner - salmon, cauliflower, olives? - TBD Whole 30 tasks today: take meat out to thaw for tomorrow... hit the store for avocado... choose one recipie online/buy ingredients and try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAnewbie Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Oh Gwyneth - I'm an obliger too. I also tested high for upholder and questioner but I am definitely not a rebel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michellewantstorun13.1 Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hi all - I hope it's not too late to join, but here I go... My name is Michelle, and I'm a married mom of 2 little boys. I live in the North Woods of rural Wisconsin, and I work crazy days as a Hospice RN. I love my job, stressful and emotional as it may be. I have done the W30 previously, and had amazing results. Then I rebelled. Per Gretchen Ruben, I am a Rebel. LOL. I would've never thought. I rebelled against having to do anything that Melissa Hartwig suggested, even though she brought me great results previously and by all accounts seems like an a fantastic human being. But, as a Rebel, I guess I was destined to rebel at my own expense. So, here I am. I have been gradually throwing things out of my diet for the past few weeks, so hopefully there won't be any huge energy slips or side effects. I am also a runner and a yogi and want to keep up the energy to do both of those things. I love listening to podcasts while I'm driving around, and am wondering if anyone has any W30 related podcasts that they like? I like thefatburningman podcasts, but he's pretty much the only one I've found. Here's my food plan for today: M1: bison, carrots and ranch dip (nomnompaleo recipe), pumpkin bake M2: leftover sauerkraut and sausage (homemade from Mel Joulwan's recipe), probably a salad to finish up veggies in the fridge M3: Not sure... probably left over roasted red-white-and-blue potates and leftover chicken. I cooked a lot yesterday, so I've got lots to eat up! For drinks during the day, I'm working on actually drinking water. I had my usual coffee with nutpods French Vanilla (yum!) and will have Kombucha in a wine glass while cooking dinner, because I love it and it makes me feel fancy. Best wishes y'all! Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwyneth J.N. Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 Welcome, Michelle! Glad to hear everybody's rocking it still. I am having a tougher day 3 than I would have expected but again, knowing I would be checking in here made a big difference. I love podcasts, too. I really like one called "Balanced Bites" for when I am not doing a Whole30 -- they take a balanced approach to Paleo/ancestral eating, beauty care, etc. That one is Liz Wolfe of Eat The Yolks fame and Diane Sanfilippo who wrote Practical Paleo. The only problem is that they will say things like, "It's OK to have nachos once in a while," which to me means I can eat nachos every day forever. So I sometimes don't want to listen to them when I am in hard-core abstaining mode. The other one I like is called "Harder To Kill" which is Steph Gaudreau from the website Stupid Easy Paleo. She's a W30 fan, strength trainer, and all-around bad-ass. Enjoy your fancy kombucha! My food today is on-point but too boring to post about, so until tomorrow!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe P. Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 5 hours ago, Gwyneth J.N. said: Welcome, Michelle! Glad to hear everybody's rocking it still. I am having a tougher day 3 than I would have expected but again, knowing I would be checking in here made a big difference. I love podcasts, too. I really like one called "Balanced Bites" for when I am not doing a Whole30 -- they take a balanced approach to Paleo/ancestral eating, beauty care, etc. That one is Liz Wolfe of Eat The Yolks fame and Diane Sanfilippo who wrote Practical Paleo. The only problem is that they will say things like, "It's OK to have nachos once in a while," which to me means I can eat nachos every day forever. So I sometimes don't want to listen to them when I am in hard-core abstaining mode. The other one I like is called "Harder To Kill" which is Steph Gaudreau from the website Stupid Easy Paleo. She's a W30 fan, strength trainer, and all-around bad-ass. Enjoy your fancy kombucha! My food today is on-point but too boring to post about, so until tomorrow!! Hello everyone, Day 3 was very good for me. I think I did have some extra energy this afternoon. I've had a lot of meat in the last 3 days and I don't usually eat much meat. I will be making the Nom Nom meatballs this weekend. I have so much food here from my huge shopping haul on Sunday I feel like I could feed all of you. Be strong everyone! Moe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifreddie Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Good Morning D4 Wednesday! I am so glad to be checking in and knowing I am accountable has been keeping my mind on tasks. I meant to check in last night but life got in the way. Stress of the day would normally drive me to food (particularly sweets) but knowing I am going to be checking in with you all has been helping my self talk. My daughter says to keep you day, not letting the stress of life take it hostage. I far too often have the "what the hay" attitude and say to myself, "Well, you screwed up. You can start tomorrow or on Monday," only to indulge and give into the cravings. But tomorrow or Monday is a repeat of today... No more! I am reminding myself of how terrible I feel when I indulge and feed my sugar dragon and replacing it with positive self talk about how good I feel when I am eating clean! I've been learning about creating new pathways in our brain which in turn change our lives. I just ran across this article http://www.jenniferhawthorne.com/articles/change_your_thoughts.html We humans, it seems, have anywhere from 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. But according to some research, as many as 98 percent of them are exactly the same as we had the day before. Talk about creatures of habit! Even more significant, 80 percent of our thoughts are negative. For years, it was thought that the brain was fixed and immutable—that we were stuck with what we were born with in terms of our hardware and its abilities. Then came research to show we were wrong, including Sharon Begley’s book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, which offered ground-breaking documentation to support the idea that we can even change our brains by changing our thoughts. The results are staggering. These breakthroughs in our understanding show it is possible to “reset our happiness meter, regain the use of limbs disabled by stroke, train the mind to break cycles of depression and OCD, and reverse age-related changes in the brain.” So, as the old saying goes, "Take captive every thought!" M1 - Egg scramble loaded with veggies M2 - Paleo Chicken Salad with Dates and Walnuts (one of my favorite from Paleo Running Mamma https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/paleo-chicken-salad-whole30/) and apple M3 - Trying new recipe: Rosmary Balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken with Bacon and Apples (and Brussel sprouts) http://www.wholesomelicious.com/rosemary-balsamic-sheet-pan-chicken-bacon-apples/ Blueberries/raspberries Then, preparing for the weekend away... A real challenge for me to stay on task. So, Keep Your Day! Blessings, Winifreddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwyneth J.N. Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 Great day today. I had to go in for some blood work and ended up taking the whole day off (if I have to get a substitute teacher I might as well take the whole day - subs hate working half days). I had kale, sausage, and potatoes for breakfast, then went to the gym and had a killer workout. Lunch was a big salad with steak and a poached egg at my favorite diner. Supper was leftover shepherd's pie. I hear you, Moe -- So. Much. Meat. I find that eating lots and lots of veggies helps with that. Winifreddie, thanks for the link! Will definitely check that out. Understanding how my brain works and how to use it to achieve my goals can be life-changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe P. Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Happy Wednesday evening! I had a great day and I hope everyone else did, also. A friend of mine told me about a good website for W30, it's .themovementmenu.com. She has some really good recipes. I must share with all of you that I have had a bowel movement everyday since starting this plan and I'm not a regular kind of gal. This has been a good thing for me and really makes me think about what I was eating, that I thought was very healthy????? Have a good evening, Moe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifreddie Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Good Morning D5 Thursday, Yesterday was a little stressful at home and work. I was running errands and hungry so had a Lara bar to hold me over. Too much like a cookie... But still W30. Confession, ate some extra bacon at the end of my day - stress eating... So I felt like I had, more like, three meals with two snacks. But, I still woke up hungry so... Trying to listen to my body but know this isn't good when trying to retrain my brain. M1 - the usual egg scramble M2 - egg salad on a bed of lettuce/blue berries/raspberries M3 - Chicken salad (my family is going out to Panera but I'm taking my own meal) So glad for the long weekend away. I've planned some meals to take so I can stay the course. My clothes fit a little looser today. :-) I slept only 4 hours last night. :-( So, still working on that. I think I want to eat to "give me more energy" when I am tired. Mostly I just want to eat. Trying to drink my water instead and wait the 15 -30 minutes for the desire to go away. I like the tip - if you want to eat a fish and broccoli then you are probably hungry, if you want to eat a cookie, then probably not so hungry. Keep your day! Blessings, Winifreddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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