First Whole 30- Starting 10/2!

[hungerlust]

2 minutes ago, halfpint_aggie said:

I'm getting frustrated with my husband.  He's experiencing the "Kill All the Things" Days that the timeline predicts & it just makes him super-fun to be around.

Ugh - that was me on Wednesday! It felt like I was PMSing! Don't tell him that's how he's acting though, I doubt that will improve the situation  At least you have a partner to do it with! 

[halfpint_aggie]

1 minute ago, hungerlust said:

Hi everyone! I also started Monday and can't believe I've done 5 days already! It's strangely been easier than I thought. I have a food and travel blog, and I eat out probably 5-10 times a week if you count lunch. Never thought I would do this, but I don't have any  travel this month which is rare, and trying to reset before I go on vacation in November!  I think the biggest long term change I want to make is eating healthy when I'm at home, and bringing lunch to work rather than eating out. I had headaches the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th day. No headaches today but I tried to workout for the first time (yoga) and I felt kind of hungover! Normally workout 3-5 times per week but today felt sweaty and almost faint. Is everyone else sticking to their normal workout routine? 

Welcome!  This is my 3rd W30 & I haven't actually worked out this week (so awful), but my tennis shoes got ruined & the new ones don't arrive until tomorrow.  But during my first 2 W30s, the workouts were definitely hard in the first week or so.  But somewhere around day 14-ish, my "Tiger Blood" kicked in & I kicked butt at my workouts.  I felt stronger than ever before, could run faster & longer.  It was great!

[halfpint_aggie]

@hungerlust, have you checked out the meal template, including pre/post work-out meal suggestions?  Following those guidelines was simple & made a big difference too.

[laurenmccracken]

@halfpint_aggie maybe they need a group for the husbands on the receiving end of KILL ALL THE THINGS:-D mine might sign up!

 

dont know if food withdrawal, grief, pms or what is my matter, but something isn't right. Hoping for a good night's rest and a great day 6 for me tomorrow! 

[ChrissieMbz]

Good luck, everyone! I am beginning my first Whole30 on Monday. I have been on a weight-loss plateau and have very quickly gained back almost 20 lbs! I struggle with stress and enjoying way too much wine during the week. It is going to be a serious challenge to me but I am excited to start!

[laurenmccracken]

@ChrissieMbz welcome and good luck! I, too, enjoy wine and have found myself with 20+ more lb I didn't have a year ago... this is my second whole30, with my first having been spring 2016 with excellent results. 

I made the crockpot breakfast casserole and for some reason I couldn't stomach it. I used turkey breakfast sausage, sweet potato, carrots, yellow squash.. my husband also forced himself to eat it, and my eat-anything two year old wouldn't even try it. Super bummed to have wasted resources on it. :-( 

[kaydf31]

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone's day 6 is going well. I slept in until 9 this morning, which is really unusual for me, I'm very much a morning person. And I have been sleeping like a baby for the last few days, and while I'm hoping that continues, I would like to be able to start getting up without any trouble when my alarm goes off. 

I just finished putting chili in the crockpot for dinner tonight that will hopefully have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow and later this week. Its my husband's favorite recipe, and since he's been so supportive (although he did say this morning "what made you so grouchy!" ), I tried to keep it as true to our original recipe as possible. However, the recipe calls for two cans of beans, and I didn't really know what to sub for this. I'm going to try sweet potatoes, but maybe someone else has an idea of something else we can try for next time? 

[Brensuma]

I've got the usual headache that comes for me around this time in the w30. Last time I tried the r2 I gave up after having the headache for 3 days. Determined to get through this round!

 Got our grocery shopping done so we're all set for the week! Hope everyone's Saturday is going good!

[ShannonM816]

10 hours ago, laurenmccracken said:

I made the crockpot breakfast casserole and for some reason I couldn't stomach it. I used turkey breakfast sausage, sweet potato, carrots, yellow squash.. my husband also forced himself to eat it, and my eat-anything two year old wouldn't even try it. Super bummed to have wasted resources on it. :-( 

If you still have some left that you want to try to eat rather than wasting, try warming it in the oven, and then serving it with mayo or guacamole or some other dip or sauce that you like. Sometimes the oven will help brown some of the edges for a little different texture, and then hiding it under something yummy can help make it better.

2 hours ago, Brensuma said:

I've got the usual headache that comes for me around this time in the w30. Last time I tried the r2 I gave up after having the headache for 3 days. Determined to get through this round!

You've done this before, so may already know this, but be sure you're drinking plenty of water, eating enough, and salting your food. And if it's caffeine withdrawal and you really feel like you can't stand it, you might try unsweetened tea or iced coffee that's watered down a bit and has some coconut or almond milk (I saw you don't like black coffee, but sometimes watering it down or having it cold might make it less bad) for some caffeine, and then wean yourself off it over a week or two, rather than just stopping cold turkey. 

 

5 hours ago, kaydf31 said:

I tried to keep it as true to our original recipe as possible. However, the recipe calls for two cans of beans, and I didn't really know what to sub for this. I'm going to try sweet potatoes, but maybe someone else has an idea of something else we can try for next time? 

You've probably already made this at this point, but if you don't like the sweet potato substitution, next time see what happens if you just leave the beans out (if your husband isn't doing Whole30, you could even cook beans separately for him to add, though they won't taste quite the same). If you aren't instructed to drain the beans before adding them, you may need to add water or broth to the chili, or alternately, if you normally drain the beans before adding them, and the recipe calls for water or broth or other liquid, you may need to cut back on it a bit.

[Brensuma]

@ShannonM816....I havent been hungry and haven't managed 3 meals. So that probably is the reason for the headache. I just can't stand the thought of food in the morning. I like the w30 concept I just can't seem to get more than 1 meal in a day. I've tried smaller meals (lunch and supper) but still can't do breakfast.

[mdraeger]

Hi everyone! (and welcome to the group @hungerlust!) My kill all the things phase was definitely in effect today. And since I had to go grocery shopping, that wasn't great. But I muddled through without yelling at or killing anyone. I did find some compliant deli meat at Whole Foods: turkey, roast beef and turkey pastrami. I made little roll-ups of cut-up cucumber, bell peppers and avocado and had them for lunch with some soup. It was super simple and quite tasty. 

I've had a nice relaxing afternoon and have a nice dinner of this recipe: http://kitscoastal.com/prosciutto-wrapped-cod-with-lemon-caper-spinach/ (minus the capers because I forgot to buy them) with some artichokes that I picked up at the supermarket. It looks simple but a little fancy, so it should be nice. Hope everyone is doing well!

[halfpint_aggie]

@kaydf31, just bulk up the meat in the chili & leave out the beans. In Texas we get very defensive about beans not belonging in chili.   Per the timeline, we are in the "want a nap" days, and it is true!  I have never been a morning person at all, but when I did the W30 before, I got to the point that I slept like a rock all night & then would get out of bed without even needing an alarm well before 6AM. I can't wait for that phase!

@Brensuma stay strong!  Have you tried eating soup at breakfast?  I have a hard time in the morning stomaching the idea of soup. But homemade chicken broth in the morning is good. And after I sip on that for about 30 minutes, Breakfast starts to sound good. 

 

I tried a couple of new recipes recipes at dinner. Made pan-fried plantains, which I can't believe I've never made before. Anytime we are in a restaurant, if there's a dish with plantains, that's what I'm going to order. So I don't know why I never made these at home before. They're definitely going to be included in the regular menu rotation. I also made a chimichuri sauce from NomNomPaleo's Well Fed 2. It was amazing on the plantains. And the baby loved it, she ate it with a spoon. 

[laurenmccracken]

@ShannonM816 it was just the flavor... don't know what went wrong. I saved it, but the idea repulses me so, I think it might just be there til trash day. 

@halfpint_aggie chimichurri is amazing! My kids didn't like it though... 

i had salmon with veggies on spaghetti squash and make a lemon garlic caper ghee sauce for it. It was quite yummy! 

I took pics of my kiddos in the morning, then went to a fall festival at my local nursery. No small feat with two littles under 3 and no other adult. I feel like all I'm doing is prepping and cleanrigg up after meals-- either my kids' or mine! But bit by bit, I'm doing it. 

Tomorrow is a luncheon at church and they're serving spaghetti and meatballs and breadsticks. I planned on making my own copycat meal and taking it with me, but the lemon caper sauce was so yummy, I can't make another sauce instead.... we'll see. That's why I made spaghetti squash so my leftovers would be somewhat similar... 

I had steak last night and boy I missed my old vine Zin! 

Cheers and onto day 7 tomorrow!

[mdraeger]

Howdy! Feeling better today. Last night's dinner was delicious, I highly recommend. This morning, I tried a recipe that I've been meaning to do for a while a shakshuka (https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/shakshuka-kale-sausage-paleo-whole30/) and HOLY CRAP was it delicious. It's also pretty easy and only uses one pot, so it will stay in my rotation for sure. I also roasted some sweet potatoes for a little extra starch/staying power, so it was a very nice Sunday brunch-like morning. I've found having special recipes really makes weekends better on Whole30.

Huge props to you ladies with kids, I'm lucky that the only one who has to eat what I cook is my hubby and he's not picky at all. 

[halfpint_aggie]

It's turned into a chimichurri extravaganza over here. Had it this morning with more pan-fried plantains, fried eggs, and avocado. Amazing breakfast. 

 

For my veggies at lunch I had chopped raw spinach and grape tomatoes, mixed with some mayo and chimichurri sauce. 

 

There's  only a little left, must go buy more ingredients!!!!!

[laurenmccracken]

Ok, I had a success at church luncheon and taking my own food. This is my 5th time attending this church so it's not like they know me or anything. Way to make an impression: catered Olive Garden is not acceptable to me... haha... 

But I took my own spaghetti squash, Italian sausage, zucchini with lemon caper sauce and did just fine. 

I had a ton of good ideas for meals, but my steam is coming out of my sails to create them. My husband isn't home, so just me and the two little kids, and I just don't have the energy right now. Today is day 7. 

Im almost out of eggs, but grocery shopping with the 2 and 4 year old on a Sunday afternoon seems torturous... I don't have a vision for my dinner tonight or my next meals... 

[Betsie_n]

2 hours ago, laurenmccracken said:

Ok, I had a success at church luncheon and taking my own food. This is my 5th time attending this church so it's not like they know me or anything. Way to make an impression: catered Olive Garden is not acceptable to me... haha... 

But I took my own spaghetti squash, Italian sausage, zucchini with lemon caper sauce and did just fine. 

I had a ton of good ideas for meals, but my steam is coming out of my sails to create them. My husband isn't home, so just me and the two little kids, and I just don't have the energy right now. Today is day 7. 

Im almost out of eggs, but grocery shopping with the 2 and 4 year old on a Sunday afternoon seems torturous... I don't have a vision for my dinner tonight or my next meals... 

@laurenmccracken - high-five on the church luncheon win! Social situations are the hardest, but I am realizing that most people just don't care what we're eating: they enjoy the social part of the event, so what's on our plate doesn't matter so much. Your prep was awesome!

Keep things simple when you get food prep fatigue. Ground meat patties are easy and fast, or taco salad or basically any ground meat in a skillet with whatever veggies you have. Sometimes, you just have to go with some simple protein and a baked potato. My go-to is seasoned ground beef in a skillet with cabbage, onions and potatoes - and maybe some other veg, if I have them. It's fast and the hubs loves it so whatever. I can toss some green salad on the plate with some avocado and call it a good meal. Also, don't forget that frozen veggies count, too - and they're incredibly fast to make. Also, some compliant sausage, like chicken sausage, chopped and cooked up with some sweet potatoes, onions, etc. makes for a super fast meal. I tell my hubs that some days are about a nice meal and some days are about getting food on a plate and that's enough. I'm making breakfast for dinner tonight because I cooked all day yesterday for the fundraiser and I'm over it. Pork sausage patties, scramble eggs with green chile and spinach, with avocado on the side - done.

[Betsie_n]

Hi all! Day 7 in progress over here!  Feeling ok, maybe a little cranky and tired, but not sure if it's the W30 or just the busy day yesterday.

So yesterday was the big spaghetti dinner fundraiser. I spent the first half of the day in the kitchen making a vat of homemade marinara meat sauce, then I had to go set up and serve, then clean up. I survived!!

I had an extra hearty breakfast so I'd have energy for the kitchen duties. Then before I went, I had a fairly large lunch even though I wasn't hungry because I knew I needed to be full when I got there or I'd get tired and I'd also get hungry. Just in case, I packed a little bag with a couple of Larabars, olives, avocado, and an apple.  Did I mention there was also a pie auction and amazing homemade desserts and garlic bread to go with the dinner???  I avoided the dessert table and didn't offer to cut and plate them. I stayed in the kitchen serving noodles instead, lol. I am over noodles at this point in my journey, so that part wasn't so hard. What was hard was remembering not to taste test them for doneness - I had another gal do that. When everyone decided to eat during a lull in the action, I dished up a bowl of the sauce and threw some olives in it and was perfectly happy with my meal. I munched on a larabar and apple when I got a little hungry later and was fine! I really didn't mind but I know that if I wasn't in W30 mode I would have definitely sampled a little cake and I wouldn't have been as well prepared. I need to remember to do these things when I'm not in W30 mode.

I brought my non-W30 hubs home a meal, and some extra cake slices - yeah, I'm that nice I stared at the cake on the counter all day today, but he wanted me to tell you all that he wanted to stop torturing me so he finished it all up, lol. He knows his diet is fairly horrible, but I know that it's my decision to eat differently and it also has to be his. His bad knee hurt earlier and he wondered if it's because of the pasta and cake and bread he ate. Yep, probably so, dear I tell this story because I've been doing this for 4 years and it's been a push and pull between us. He does know better and does the occasional W10 with me, but I've had to come to peace with the fact that I am an adult and I have the power to eat or not eat whatever he's eating. He has choices and so do it and it's not his responsibility to keep the house clear of food that I might eat. I do put things out of view as much as possible and from there it's all on me to decide what to do with it. 

Onto week 2! Remember to keep it simple and don't over-complicate your meals if this is all new to you!

Betsie

[Betsie_n]

5 hours ago, mdraeger said:

Howdy! Feeling better today. Last night's dinner was delicious, I highly recommend. This morning, I tried a recipe that I've been meaning to do for a while a shakshuka (https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/shakshuka-kale-sausage-paleo-whole30/) and HOLY CRAP was it delicious. It's also pretty easy and only uses one pot, so it will stay in my rotation for sure. I also roasted some sweet potatoes for a little extra starch/staying power, so it was a very nice Sunday brunch-like morning. I've found having special recipes really makes weekends better on Whole30.

Huge props to you ladies with kids, I'm lucky that the only one who has to eat what I cook is my hubby and he's not picky at all. 

@mdraeger I've been so meaning to make a shakshuka! I think I'd love it, too! Thanks for the reminder and recipe!

22 hours ago, Brensuma said:

@ShannonM816....I havent been hungry and haven't managed 3 meals. So that probably is the reason for the headache. I just can't stand the thought of food in the morning. I like the w30 concept I just can't seem to get more than 1 meal in a day. I've tried smaller meals (lunch and supper) but still can't do breakfast.

@Brensuma - how's the headache today? Hang in there - it will get better! But, yes, more water for sure and try to get more food in, even if it's not so much a "meal" - I know W30 advocates 3 meals, but if that's not working for you yet, you may need to graze a bit. Just make sure you're getting some protein and fat in each time you graze. You might also be having some serious carbflu, so add more carbs in to get over hump - have a sweet or white potato or some squash to increase your carb intake for a few days.

[laurenmccracken]

@Betsie_n words to live by! Thank you for your meal suggestions! I thawed some ground beef to have on hand for tomorrow, and I have sausages I forgot about. I love what you said about personal responsibility for your own choices! Bravo!! Great job yesterday at the fundraiser!! It's so easy to munch mindlessly at things like that! Here is to week 2, day 8 tomorrow! 

 

[gingrica]

I started 10/2 also! So far so good. In fact I just survived 4 days of camping AND one afternoon at the fair! While everyone else was stuffing themselves with funnel cake and fried Oreos I ate apples with almond butter and hard boiled eggs I brought with me. At first I was feeling sorry for myself but then afterwards everyone else was feeling sick and felt great.  Avoiding the tequila and s'mores later was challenging too. I ended up going to bed early, got a great night sleep and woke up early. Everyone else was dragging and hung over. Not feeling so sorry for myself after all!

[mdraeger]

16 hours ago, Betsie_n said:

I've been so meaning to make a shakshuka! I think I'd love it, too! Thanks for the reminder and recipe!

DO IT! You'll be so happy that you did! I found compliant chorizo at Whole Foods, but I'm sure it would be good with just about any kind of sausage.

Happy Day 8/start of Week 2 everyone! I successfully navigated my Sunday afternoon volunteering at a "swim-a-mile" fundraiser. (No, I was not swimming a mile. ) There was a bunch of delicious food, including a possibly compliant kale salad (no ingredients list, so I didn't risk it.) I brought myself a little cooler with lunch meat, bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes and some olives, so I munched on that instead. Does anyone else marvel at the less-than-healthy food choices you would have made had you not been on the W30? I know I do!

Last night's sleep was interrupted by a huge windstorm blowing a crawlspace door open and scaring the daylights out of my husband and I. It also blew in a bunch of smoke from a near by wildfire, so I woke to not only a strange scary noise, but also the smell of smoke. Let's just say, going back to sleep took a looooonnnnnnnggggg time. Prior to this, I'd decided that starting this week I was sticking to a one-cup of coffee only rule. (I do cold-brew coffee and it's crept up to two good-sized glasses a day. Mostly to cover sub-optimal sleep.) I stuck to my guns and so far it's been okay. 

Have a great day!

[Betsie_n]

2 hours ago, gingrica said:

I started 10/2 also! So far so good. In fact I just survived 4 days of camping AND one afternoon at the fair! While everyone else was stuffing themselves with funnel cake and fried Oreos I ate apples with almond butter and hard boiled eggs I brought with me. At first I was feeling sorry for myself but then afterwards everyone else was feeling sick and felt great.  Avoiding the tequila and s'mores later was challenging too. I ended up going to bed early, got a great night sleep and woke up early. Everyone else was dragging and hung over. Not feeling so sorry for myself after all!

@gingrica - welcome to the group! What an amazing accomplishment to camp AND go to a fair during the first week of a W30! Congratulations   It does help to realize how much better you feel compared to others, doesn't it? That has been my best motivation to keeping to a fairly strict paleo lifestyle for 4 years - now that I know what good feels like, I don't want to feel bad anymore and I try to ask myself if it's worth it. Sometimes it is, but most of the time it's really not. 

 

1 hour ago, mdraeger said:

DO IT! You'll be so happy that you did! I found compliant chorizo at Whole Foods, but I'm sure it would be good with just about any kind of sausage.

Happy Day 8/start of Week 2 everyone! I successfully navigated my Sunday afternoon volunteering at a "swim-a-mile" fundraiser. (No, I was not swimming a mile. ) There was a bunch of delicious food, including a possibly compliant kale salad (no ingredients list, so I didn't risk it.) I brought myself a little cooler with lunch meat, bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes and some olives, so I munched on that instead. Does anyone else marvel at the less-than-healthy food choices you would have made had you not been on the W30? I know I do!

Last night's sleep was interrupted by a huge windstorm blowing a crawlspace door open and scaring the daylights out of my husband and I. It also blew in a bunch of smoke from a near by wildfire, so I woke to not only a strange scary noise, but also the smell of smoke. Let's just say, going back to sleep took a looooonnnnnnnggggg time. Prior to this, I'd decided that starting this week I was sticking to a one-cup of coffee only rule. (I do cold-brew coffee and it's crept up to two good-sized glasses a day. Mostly to cover sub-optimal sleep.) I stuck to my guns and so far it's been okay. 

Have a great day!

@mdraeger - congratulations to you for surviving your fundraiser with your prepared food. Wouldn't it be nice if we could learn to raise money without junk food having to play such a big role? I do marvel at the less than healthy choice I might make when not in W30. I've gotten in the habit of having tiny bits of the bad stuff, telling myself it's less bad than eating a whole serving, but I must get it through my head that those bites add up over time and still cause issues in my system. That's my main goal for this round of W30 - learning not to have so many bites

Are you near Santa Rosa, CA? I have friends there who were evacuated last night. It looks like a horrible situation! Very scary - I hope you are far from it, though I know the smoke can be very annoying. 

 

[laurenmccracken]

I have a sick-ish kiddo...'two hours at he doctor and there's "nothing wrong"... except she's pulling at her ear, coughing, sounds like a percolator...etc... kids were hungry so we went to In N Out... I asked a lot of questions. I got a protein style, with grilled (no oil!) onions, regular onions, extra tomato, double patty ....  I ate anyway... gotta step up the game for dinner though. I over cooked my breakfast and that wasn't good either... 

[mdraeger]

3 hours ago, Betsie_n said:

Are you near Santa Rosa, CA? I have friends there who were evacuated last night. It looks like a horrible situation! Very scary - I hope you are far from it, though I know the smoke can be very annoying.

I'm in Oakland, about an hour away. There was also a wildfire closer to us in Berkeley, which is why I think the smoke smell was so strong last night. It was really disorienting to have all of it happen in the middle of the night. But I'm counting my blessings, my friend in Napa woke up at 2:30 to the power being out and able to see flames from her house. She and her family are fine, but she has stuff packed to evacuate if need be. That is definitely much harder than anything the Whole 30 is going to throw at me!