It didn't work for me

[Ms Hedgehog]

Here I am on Day 29.  I am not sleeping better.  I do not have more energy.  My aches and pains are about the same.  While I'm hoping for good news from some blood work I just had, I am so ready for re-introduction.  The major change for me over this month is that I feel even more guilty and angry and resentful than usual.  You even took away the otherwise compliant dishes I enjoy because they use sundried tomatoes  (and no, I'm not going to buy unsulfured ones off the internet for 5x the price.)  I worked very hard to comply with the rules, but I don't have time to comb a 50 mile radius to find sugar free bacon, and I can't afford organic, free range everything.  Also, although my husband eats almost anything and is willing to play along, the picky teen is not, so I'm faced with situations like a delicious pizza on the table in front of me for them, and sad, cold leftovers for me.  I'm tired of being hungry.  I'm tired of desperately craving cheese.  I'm tired of feeling guilty about the supplements my naturopath prescribed for me because some of them might contain trace amounts of non-compliant ingredients.  I feel like I've fallen into a kind of cult where yet another group gets to tell me how I'm just not doing enough.  I did the South Beach diet a few years ago, so this kind of plan is not all brand new, and my sugar intake was already greatly reduced from my previous habits.  I already cooked frequently at home, and tried to prepare healthy meals.  But I just want to go out to eat and actually enjoy my food for a change.  I want to be able to make the same meal for the whole family and have everyone eat it.  I can't do this strict version long term.

[ladyshanny]

Hi @Ms Hedgehog - gosh, I'm so sorry that you're feeling this way.  I read a couple of your other comments and it sounds to me like, through no fault of your own, you might've been trying to do the "perfect" Whole30 or maybe even believed such a thing was possible? 

"Organic free range everything" is not only not required but it's not necessary unless it's in your budget. Many of us, myself included, don't have the means or the access to purchase all the best of the best. 

I understand not wanting to replace all your pantry staples like the sundried tomatoes, but the only recipes that you liked had this ingredient? Sorry, I must be misunderstanding that one.

And finally, unfortunately it's really hard to tell why you haven't experienced any improvement without knowing specifically how you worked the Whole30 during your month. What were you eating and in what quantities? Meal timing? Stress? Sleep habits? Fluids? Exercise? Any underlying health conditions? If you want us to try and troubleshoot this for you, give as much info as you can and we'll see what we can suggest.

[Ms Hedgehog]

Thanks for your reply.  I'm just feeling down about many things lately, and the restricted food, perhaps paradoxically, is making things worse.  I do understand I don't have to purchase everything organic; I got a few things, but just couldn't stomach most of the prices.

I have been using a lot of sundried tomatoes in the past few years.  I like the ones in the jar, from Trader Joe's.  They're affordable and delicious.  Of course I don't use them in everything, but there were two or three key recipes that would have been compliant, but for these.  One was a broccoli salad, with the s-d tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic and balsamic dressing (homemade--easy to comply.)  Another was a dish with spaghetti squash, cooked chicken, garlic, broccoli, and...s-d tomatoes.  Not allowed either.  My "go-to" work lunch used to be chicken chunks (the frozen kind are not allowed--miniscule amounts of sugar, but I could have used leftovers instead), broccoli, pesto (not allowed--cheese) and...s-d tomatoes.  I miss them so much that "sulfite" items are going to be my first re-intro, even before dairy.  I also miss yellow raisins and dried apricots.  I bought some unsulfured dried apricots, but they taste like figs, not even a tiny bit like apricots.  Definitely not worth it.

So what was I eating?  I was able to use or adapt about 5 or 6 recipes from my previous repertoire.  I ate a lot of chicken--roasted, pan cooked, sometimes with compliant marinade.  Fish.  Hamburgers without a bun (really messy...)  salads, meat spaghetti sauce (really "flat" tasting without a splash of red wine) with "zoodles,"  Sweet potatoes.  Some red potatoes, though I don't really like them.  Lots of vegetables.  Nuts, lots of nuts, and fruit.  On the strict phase of South Beach there's no fruit, so I really appreciated fruit.  Occasionally I did have some fruit juice, just to try to get through the day, but I limited the consumption.

Half-way through, I got a terrible cold and felt truly wretched.  No chicken soup for me.  Canned is non-compliant, and I wasn't feeling well enough to make any from scratch.  No one else in the family cooks. (and they were sick, too)  Trying to feed my picky teen while doing this was really difficult.  While I think my teen suffers from too much sugar and carbs, there's only so much I do can about her choices at this point. 

All the way through, I drank lots of water and tea, and sometimes flavored (0 calorie) fizzy water.  I ate regular meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and had some snacks, because I was hungry a lot.  Snacks were usually nuts, olives, maybe a piece of fruit, or some unsweetened coconut chips.

Although I do really need to lose some weight, I did this plan to try to address my borderline blood sugar, cholesterol, and liver function issues.  I will find out the results of the blood work soon.  I don't get nearly enough sleep (usually around 6 hours) and it's not quality sleep.  I have a lot of responsibilities, and am feeling discouraged about the world in general.

I have done an elimination diet before, too, and didn't really see much difference during or after.  I'm not expecting miracles now, either.  Probably the best benefit was to break the habit of frequent desserts (not that they were elaborate) and stopping diet soda.  I find I'm really craving dairy and wondering if my calcium is low.

Well, that wasn't very well organized, but I think I answered most of the questions.  There's no way I'm going on to 45 or 60 or 90 days on the strict regimen.  There's just nothing to eat.  Some of the principles I will try to continue to incorporate, but that's probably the best I can do.

[racheleats]

17 hours ago, Ms Hedgehog said:

Thanks for your reply.  I'm just feeling down about many things lately, and the restricted food, perhaps paradoxically, is making things worse.  I do understand I don't have to purchase everything organic; I got a few things, but just couldn't stomach most of the prices.

I have been using a lot of sundried tomatoes in the past few years.  I like the ones in the jar, from Trader Joe's.  They're affordable and delicious.  Of course I don't use them in everything, but there were two or three key recipes that would have been compliant, but for these.  One was a broccoli salad, with the s-d tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic and balsamic dressing (homemade--easy to comply.)  Another was a dish with spaghetti squash, cooked chicken, garlic, broccoli, and...s-d tomatoes.  Not allowed either.  My "go-to" work lunch used to be chicken chunks (the frozen kind are not allowed--miniscule amounts of sugar, but I could have used leftovers instead), broccoli, pesto (not allowed--cheese) and...s-d tomatoes.  I miss them so much that "sulfite" items are going to be my first re-intro, even before dairy.  I also miss yellow raisins and dried apricots.  I bought some unsulfured dried apricots, but they taste like figs, not even a tiny bit like apricots.  Definitely not worth it.

So what was I eating?  I was able to use or adapt about 5 or 6 recipes from my previous repertoire.  I ate a lot of chicken--roasted, pan cooked, sometimes with compliant marinade.  Fish.  Hamburgers without a bun (really messy...)  salads, meat spaghetti sauce (really "flat" tasting without a splash of red wine) with "zoodles,"  Sweet potatoes.  Some red potatoes, though I don't really like them.  Lots of vegetables.  Nuts, lots of nuts, and fruit.  On the strict phase of South Beach there's no fruit, so I really appreciated fruit.  Occasionally I did have some fruit juice, just to try to get through the day, but I limited the consumption.

Half-way through, I got a terrible cold and felt truly wretched.  No chicken soup for me.  Canned is non-compliant, and I wasn't feeling well enough to make any from scratch.  No one else in the family cooks. (and they were sick, too)  Trying to feed my picky teen while doing this was really difficult.  While I think my teen suffers from too much sugar and carbs, there's only so much I do can about her choices at this point. 

All the way through, I drank lots of water and tea, and sometimes flavored (0 calorie) fizzy water.  I ate regular meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and had some snacks, because I was hungry a lot.  Snacks were usually nuts, olives, maybe a piece of fruit, or some unsweetened coconut chips.

Although I do really need to lose some weight, I did this plan to try to address my borderline blood sugar, cholesterol, and liver function issues.  I will find out the results of the blood work soon.  I don't get nearly enough sleep (usually around 6 hours) and it's not quality sleep.  I have a lot of responsibilities, and am feeling discouraged about the world in general.

I have done an elimination diet before, too, and didn't really see much difference during or after.  I'm not expecting miracles now, either.  Probably the best benefit was to break the habit of frequent desserts (not that they were elaborate) and stopping diet soda.  I find I'm really craving dairy and wondering if my calcium is low.

Well, that wasn't very well organized, but I think I answered most of the questions.  There's no way I'm going on to 45 or 60 or 90 days on the strict regimen.  There's just nothing to eat.  Some of the principles I will try to continue to incorporate, but that's probably the best I can do.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but why did you choose to do a Whole30 in the first place? What attracted you to the program? You said it was to lose weight and address some other issues, but it just sounds like you aren't super excited about the program or following the rules...of course that is fine, you're an adult no one is forcing you to do this, just maybe it's not right for you.

I totally understand getting frustrated at the rules, but they're the rules of the program - if you don't like them, don't do the program! It's not a cure-all for everything for every single person - it's very clear that the purpose is to eliminate certain things for just 30 days and then re-introduce them. You're not meant to eat this way (following the whole30 rules) forever, the point is to eventually figure out the perfect diet for you. Maybe you think sulphites don't affect you, but for example what if you eliminated them and found that your mid afternoon headaches were gone. Then, you re-introduced the sun dried tomatoes with added sulphites and the headaches returned? You might decide to keep eating them, but maybe it wouldn't be worth it to you and you'd find another brand without the added sulphites (or make them yourself!).

Also, there are TONS of recipes and meal ideas out there, so saying there is nothing to eat just isn't the case. I found a lot of new foods/ingredients that I hadn't considered before, you just have to be willing to try new things. Again, if you simply don't want to that it's completely fine for you and your context, but making such a general statement that there is nothing to eat isn't true.

 

[littleg]

It sounds like the past 30 days were tough for you.  Sorry that was the case!  I just am going to throw out a few ideas that you can take or leave

1. Family food - in our house hubs eats what I make or he makes his own thing.  I don't know how things work in your house but is your daughter old enough that if she doesn't want what you make she can make her own meal?  Hubs often eats what I call "paleo plus" - if I make burgers he may have a bun, if I make sauce he may have noodles, things like that but the "main" meal is the same.  If I make spaghetti sauce I'm not making garlic bread, pasta, etc to go with it - I'm making my sauce and zucchini/sweet potato noodles and that is it.  If hubs wants extras that is up to him.  

2.  It sounds like you didn't like a lot of the food you made because you were trying to adapt your usual recipes.  I totally get this!  Mom's sauce isn't going to be mom's sauce without the red wine... but there are lots of other sauces out there that may be worth a shot!  W30 is always a time for us to try *new* recipes - you might have found some you really liked.

3.  "Lots of nuts" is often an indication things were not as well rounded for meals as they could have been.  Snacks should be template based and ideally you don't need them.  Maybe more fat/protein/volume at meals would have helped you "need" fewer nuts?  I'm 5'2" ~130 lbs... meal 1 for me today was 3 jumbo eggs cooked in duck fat (maybe 1/2 tbsp), 1/2 bag frozen spinach (so 8 oz), and 2 big handfuls of some onions and peppers I pan fried in coconut oil a few days ago with a side of mayo (1-2 tbsp).  Point being: a decent amount of food.  Kept me full for about 5 hrs.  

4.  You said you aren't going to continue.  Which is fine.  You are an adult and can totally make that choice.  But as you go forward - especially with a goal of normalizing blood sugar and liver function... think about why your "go to" chicken chunks have sugar in them... and if maybe you could make your own chicken soup on a rainy day and freeze some for the next time you are sick so you don't need to eat canned food.  In my opinion so much of one's success about the W30 is "buying in" to the idea that "food is medicine".  And if you don't just feel that... well than W30 is tough because, gosh, it is restrictive and so.darn.time.consuming.to.cook.so.much.  BUT if you truly believe that you can heal yourself with food I think there is a mind shift that suddenly makes the effort worthwhile.  At least that is why I make the effort to eat paleo most of the time because I truly believe eating food - from the ground, trees, animals, ocean, etc and not food that has to make its way through a factory first is truly the best thing I can do for myself and my family.

 

Anyway, however you decide to go forward I hope you have some success with the biomarkers you are hoping to change!

[MeadowLily]

https://whole30.com/2017/09/whole30-reintroduction-help/

What would Melissa say?  ^^

From what you've shared it is time to reintroduce. You are correct. You shouldn't try to wrangle around with it for 45, 60 or 90 days. 

[Ms Hedgehog]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.  I guess my discontent is due to a combination of not liking to be told what to do, and not getting the miraculous results the book seemed to promise.  Plus, I like my old standard recipes!  I have discovered a few new recipes and ideas for eating, and I'll continue to seek these out.  I appreciate that the effect of the program has helped me "re-set" my eating plan.  One really positive thing I will take away is giving up diet pop.  I also have broken the habit of dessert every day.  I will be incorporating many of the principles of Whole 30 into my life.  But the reality is that strict adherence just doesn't fit into my life at this time.  As I reintroduce, I will note which items seem most problematic.  Those will be reduced, or perhaps eliminated; we'll have to see.  The program was a good jolt to my system.  Now I need to figure out how to live in the real world again, and for me, at least, that includes eating at restaurants sometimes.  Best of luck to all.

[racheleats]

On 10/8/2017 at 3:25 PM, Ms Hedgehog said:

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.  I guess my discontent is due to a combination of not liking to be told what to do, and not getting the miraculous results the book seemed to promise.  Plus, I like my old standard recipes!  I have discovered a few new recipes and ideas for eating, and I'll continue to seek these out.  I appreciate that the effect of the program has helped me "re-set" my eating plan.  One really positive thing I will take away is giving up diet pop.  I also have broken the habit of dessert every day.  I will be incorporating many of the principles of Whole 30 into my life.  But the reality is that strict adherence just doesn't fit into my life at this time.  As I reintroduce, I will note which items seem most problematic.  Those will be reduced, or perhaps eliminated; we'll have to see.  The program was a good jolt to my system.  Now I need to figure out how to live in the real world again, and for me, at least, that includes eating at restaurants sometimes.  Best of luck to all.

This is exactly the point of the program - it's just 30 days and then you figure out how best to proceed for yourself afterwards. Looks like you know exactly what to do - remember it's not meant to be whole365!