Newbie starting 1/1

[Greenleesh]

I'm gonna be starting the whole30 on January 1st doing it at the same time as a couple from my church who made it sound really appealing. I don't have a steady job so have low income and am super picky (aka all the compliant veggies I only like raw or dried, and only like a few kinds of meat) and love brown rice. But I love a bunch of the fruits and veggies in bold and the meats I like are all on the list, and I got a few grocery store gift cards for Christmas, so it could work even though it will be tough.

Hopefully it will work out b/c I could use a "body cleaning" and some weight loss (I'm really overweight) if I can just get myself to go to the gym.

[Kirsteen]

Hi. Welcome and good luck with your W30. I can really relate to doing it on a budget, it is possible and i know you say you're super picky but you may well find your tastes change as you go through the W30. I know mine did. I love things now, I never thought I'd like when I started it. Don't be afraid to ask questions here, it really is a friendly and helpful forum.

[30DownBy30]

You know what's funny? I told a friend I was embarking on this Whole30 journey, and she commented that is "Sounds expensive!" Of course, I don't know, because I only did my first round of shopping this evening, but I truly don't think it's more expensive than what I had been doing. Grab a pizza - $15. Drive thru - $8. Fixings for pasta dinner - $16. These are all one-two servings.

Today I bought kohlrabi for about $2. A huge bunch of kale is always under $3 and I get 4 meals out of it. And, so on. I keep an interesting supply of spices, so I feel "adventurous" night to night. My boyfriend used to shudder at anything green on his plate, but now asks me to make lemon thyme kale, or sesame green beans, or even swiss chard! Sometimes literally spicing things up can make previously dismissed choices suddenly very appealing.

Again, I don't really know because I haven't tested my hypothesis fully. But, I think this whole eating is going to work out to be very cost-effective. Not to mention the anticipated reduction of other things we pay for (doctors' visits, aspirin, soda, whatever).

Food for thought

[cpb]

I think you're right 30downby30 - if you think about the meal template, with only a palm size portion of protein at each meal (which is probably less than what most people eat) and then filling up the rest of the plate with veggies (so much cheaper than pre-prepared food!), I believe it is more cost effective ongoing. It may cost a little more to set up (coconut oil etc etc), but that stuff can last a while when used only for cooking (not so much eating out of the jar! ) Good luck with the journeys - enjoy the adventure!