Starting 2/26/18 - First timer - Can you say determined?

[ShannonM816]

2 hours ago, DIversity said:

How does that work? Do some coaches work part-time as an "aside" of their regular work? Or full-time?

You'd have to talk to each coach to see how they do it. Some were already working as nutritionists or life coaches, and getting the Whole30 certification is just adding to whatever other licenses and certifications they already had, showing that they understand and support this way of eating. Others may not have been before but want to be able to help people. Some of them may do one-on-one coaching, some may lead groups, some may do in-person and others may prefer just online. 

[Liesje]

Hello all! So curious if all of you could stick to the program?

I got my Whole 30 book today, yay! It is the '30 day guide to total health and food freedom' book. Hopefully will learn a few things.

I'm on day 23 today and feeling good . Lots of energy and less hungry. I have discovered some new recipes and they were all so yummy. 

@DIversity so good you sticked to the program despite you couldnt have those nice tarts!

@Amy Rose what is your breakfast casserole recipe?

[Amy Rose]

I'm still on the program 100%! It is getting easier to stick to this way of eating; it's becoming part of my life now. I love having great food already prepared and waiting for me in the refrigerator. I love knowing that I'm feeding myself quality food. And my body truly loves the feel of clean energy every day. I can feel the difference -- it's as if a lot of toxicity that I was used to has cleared from my system and I am lighter and more in tune with my world.

I will start my weekend cooking tonight. I'm planning on White Chicken Chili again, it was just so good last time. And I'll make some sort of beef-based or pork-based recipe as well. Any recipe recommendations are welcome!

@Liesjemy breakfast casserole (a true life-saver) is from this website:  https://crazytogether.com/easy-delicious-breakfast-saved-whole-30/ 

I make it in a 9X9 glass casserole and after it's cooked I slice it into 12 pieces and refrigerate. I scoop out 2 pieces every morning and microwave until nice and warm.  A tasty and easy breakfast for a sleepy non-breakfast-eater!

@DIversity, I am so proud of you! Leaving a party without breaking your own eating rules is so difficult. I hope you gave yourself a lovely reward for that.

Good luck to everyone this weekend!

[Amy Rose]

Changed my mind! I am definitely making these tomorrow! Chicken Veggie Poppers! Makes me hungry just to read about them.

http://www.paleopaparazzi.com/2016/06/whole30-chicken-veggie-poppers/

[Wing and a Prayer]

Hi All! 

It looks like the last message I entered didn't actually send... dang! Anyway, I have MUCH catching up on this thread to do!!! 

Even though I haven't bee around, I'm still 100% on plan. It's starting to get a little easier, praise Jesus! My friend that started it with me, fell off the first weekend, but that hasn't stopped me. Lol...

I'm so dang busy, it's hard to find time to post on here, but I try to catch up on what others are reading as much as possible, so thanks for keeping up the posting! 

Alrighty, now I'm going to take the time to catch up.

Have a great weekend!!!

Cathie 

[Liesje]

Hi!

@Amy Rose I also eat a breakfast like that about 4/5 times a week. Only thing different is that I bake it in a skillet with a lid on it. I know I ask a lot of recipes, but could you tell me about the white chicken chili?

@Wing and a Prayer good to hear from you! It was a bit quiet on this thread this week, I thought maybe some of us quit. So nice to see you are up and running

I am at the end of day 28: 2 more days to go and then I finished a whole 30! I'm kind of proud of myself!

I found it quite a challenge until now with lots of ups and downs. Good things: Love the food (just a little bit to much meat) and loved the cooking, I used a lot of spices and learned new recipes. Workdays were easy and colleagues were so curious about my meals (and jealous ). Even my hubby started eating w30 the past week.

On the other hand: I have been a bit moody this month. The meals didnt always keep me going for the day and I am hungry sometimes, may have low bloodsugar too. I really try to eat protein, fat and starchy veggies or potatoes most of the meals. I guess I am still losing weight. Eating less calories then before, is probably the cause of my moodiness.

Well, 2 days to go, next time you hear from me I will be in reintroduction!

[Wing and a Prayer]

Hey, @Liesje! You are amazing! Two days left!  never have a problem eating meat. I am carnivore! Lol... 

@Amy Rose, Good job on rewarding yourself! 

@EatingSun, nice to have you on the "team"!

I just made a great pork chop recipe, but my sister took a picture of it on her phone and I don't know how to attach it here. I now have like 5 recipes that I like, that will help me incorporate this into a life change for me. It feels so much more doable to me now! Really a change in priorities though. Grocery shopping and meal prepping have to be high on the list. I hope I can keep up the enthusiasm! I'm kind of looking forward to the next time my son and his girlfriend visit me in Oregon from Texas. I want to show him what a good cook I'm becoming! Ha!!!

Still struggling with eating veggies in the morning. It just turns my stomach a little. I know I could fit them in if I could do a smoothie, but that is frowned on. Luckily, I've rebounded on the egg thing and don't hate having them so much in the morning!

My sister just bought the Whole30 recipe book at Costco, and loves it. I'm considering picking one up.

Have a great week, My Friends!!!!

[DIversity]

@Liesje: CONGRATULATIONS! You are whole30! How are you feeling? Would you like to share with us your most important NSVs? How is reintroduction going?

@Amy Rose: Thank you so much! I went out dancing last Saturday until 4am, not having a single drink, but instead being the driver for our little party crew. I felt so good, even though it's hard to resist good Belgian beer.

I am on day 24, wearing a nice dress today and feeling sexy and energetic and healthy. What else to ask for? I cooked my first Bolognese ever yesterday and friends and family loved it (whole30 compliant, of course ). They all had pasta with it and I had simple roasted red beets with it. And you know what? They caramelized in the oven and it tasted like a natural, sugary explosion in my mouth. So sweet that I decided to not have a fruit afterwards. Yum!
Also, I always thought I was a good sleeper but since two weeks, I need a lot less sleep, I wake up from alone longtime before my alarm goes off and I sleep so deeply. Someone could ring the door at 4am, play a trumpet or drums loudly, kidnap the kids, ring the doorbell again and leave ... I would not realize it. My husband says I've never slept that deeply since we know each other (10.5 years). Also, I do sweat a lot less overnight. This must be all due to a better digestion, I guess.

How is everyone else feeling? Any major changes?

[Liesje]

Well hello everyone...... I am on day 31 today! I want to thank you all big time for your support this month! I was really looking forward to your messages and hope that we travel together for a longer time!

I feel really good. I was craving sweet potato and eggs for breakfast, so maybe it wont be so hard to keep on eating like this. I'm exercising a lot more, I'm making that a habit too. And I know I shouldnt focus on weight, but I lost 6,5 kg or 14 lbs this month, yay!

I have made a little plan for myself: The next month I will keep on going whole 30 style, but a little less 'tight'. I will keep on tracking my food.

I am going to add some tempeh, tofu. I have a sushi dinner planned in april and then I am going to eat some rice too (and probably added sugar). And with easter I might eat a piece of bread.  I'm going on vacation on april 13th for a week. When I lost my healthy habits during this month, I will start a whole 30 again on 21 april.

@Wing and a Prayer wish I could see your pics. You made me curious about that pork chop recipe! Ad for breakfast did you try frittata yet? When you put some veggies in the egg, they taste much better (onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes)

@DIversity that beetroot sounds delicious! And really nice your sleep improved

 

Wish you all the best last week and may your victories be great next week!

[Amy Rose]

I simply cannot believe I am on day 29 -- without making any poor decision on any day! I have stuck with a legendarily difficult way of eating and I DID IT! Congrats to anyone who is still with us, and a huge YAY! to @Liesjefor showing us the way!

Some new habits -- serious meal planning, weekend cooking, mindful eating -- will become part of my regular life now. Some new recipes -- white chicken chili, breakfast casserole, liver and onions -- will be staples in my new way of eating.

I have two days to plan my Reintroduction Strategy. Since the only thing I've really missed is wine, I will begin with a glass on Wednesday evening. Then I will eat very clean on Thursday and Friday to see how I feel. Then maybe another glass of wine. I will introduce other foods slowly and carefully to see what affects me and what doesn't.

One weird thing I've noticed: for the last three nights I have had dreams about eating off-plan, and they weren't good dreams. In one, I was eating a handful of Halloween candy corn just because it was there next to me. In another, I was eating a sandwich (boring white bread and cheap bologna - ewww) just because I was in a hurry. Both times I woke up thinking I'd blown my Whole 30 for atrocious food.  What a relief it was just a dream -- but I am obviously worried about the end of this 30 days. Planning and mindfulness will get me through it. Just wish the dumb dreams would stop!

[Wing and a Prayer]

Hi All!!!! 

Decided to start another Whole30! I lost 20, count 'em TWENTY pounds!!!! Crazy! At least I feel better about being hungry sometimes! I realize there are worse things than being hungry occasionally...

Here are the things that have changed for me, keeping in mind that I have fibromyalgia and was in enough pain that I became desperate enough to try Whole30! LOL

• The edema in my legs is gone.
• The pain in my right hip and leg is gone, it's 90% gone on my left side.
• My restless leg is 90-95% better.
• My feet which are so hot at night that I put a bottle of frozen water in a sock in the foot of my bed is 90% better.
• Because of all of these things, my sleep is better.
• My brain fog is so much less!

I'm super excited to have found this program. It may just be an actual life saver for me. I have 60 more pounds to lose. I'm hoping I can stay motivated to keep going, for once in my life!

How'd everyone else do?????

 

Cathie

 

[DIversity]

Hello everyone!

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who made it to day 30!!!!! I am so proud of team 2018-02-26!!!

So good to read about all your weight loss and NVS. I for myself prepared for the reintroduction reading "FFF".
@Amy Rose: I highly recommend you reading this. It prepares you so well and also lets you understand how this program really is a life-changer, not a temporary diet.

I "only" lost 4-5 pounds but I've been a healthy eater and I've been doing lots of sports since I can think. However, my % body fat is always high (> 25 %) though I am really not big or tall at all.

My sleep changed massively for the better and my skin turns out to me a lot more smooth. Also, people get to make me laugh more easily. No cravings at all, I guess that's the best NVS I could hope for. But we'll see once the Sugar Dragon is waking up.

So, I wanted to start with sulfite-free wine yesterday. My husband promised me that we would have some at home, just to realize later on that we didn't. So, I introduced bread yesterday, full-gluten bread because that's what I missed the 2nd most. I know, it's not good to start with gluten or dairy right away but I'll keep good note on what changes now (mood/skin/sleep etc.). I'll be sticking to whole30 today and tomorrow again and then introduce alcohol on Saturday.
As far as the gluten goes, I had a bad mood last night, very bad, but no physical signs of distress.

Keep it rollin'!

 

[Liesje]

Hey girls! So proud of you all @Amy Rose @DIversity @Wing and a Prayer well done! And how are you dealing with reintroduction or going further on whole 30?

In the last 10 days I kept on eating 'whole30 style', I kept on cooking and eating 3 good meals a day and ate nothing in between. That really works good for me and I like eating warm for breakfast and leftovers for lunch. Didnt eat a single cookie or sandwich.

I also ate hummus and vegetarian sausages (soy). Eating hummus really made my mood a bit better (i was moody during the whole30 days).

2 times people served me things out of my plan: fried fish (I ate it all!), second time spaghetti (I ate a bit of it). Never had any body issues, but I never had these problems before. After these meals I just went back to the program. 

This week I baked 50 chocolatechipcookies to share with friends and colleagues and I didnt eat any of it, just didnt feel like eating lots of sugar.

And last thing: I drank a few beers. 

I must say, I am quite happy that I can keep everything in moderation, I dont eat sugar and I dont overeat myself. Hope to continue like this.

[Amy Rose]

My total weight loss was 9-1/2 pounds for my first Whole 30. YAY, ME!

I changed my reintroduction plan after I read all the warnings about starting with wine. But since I wasn't interested in legumes or dairy or sugar, I started to cautiously eat bread to see how my body reacted. Surprisingly, I had no physical symptoms but I did notice a new craving for chocolate (weird). I chose my bread wisely to maximize the enjoyment factor -- fresh baked bread one day, a fresh bagel the next day, and some perfect sourdough for a tomato sandwich (heaven). Saturday night I had some Sangria at a party and that was nice but not life changing. On Easter I had a couple chocolate/caramel eggs which I had been hoarding for three weeks (they really are my favorite). Sunday evening I had a bowl of ice cream but it was just too sweet -- I threw it away. If y'all knew me better you would be fearing for my sanity right now, but I swear I'm OK -- my tastes have truly changed.

OK -- now I'm starting a second Whole 30. Yep, I have enjoyed the food and the weight loss and especially enjoyed the way I felt on a daily basis. The few days on Reintroduction didn't show me much that would draw me towards an expansion of my food groups. I'm just going to do it again.

A huge Congratulations to @Wing and a Prayer, @DIversityand @Liesje -- you have all been wonderful partners on this journey!

[Liesje]

Hi everyone! How was Easter for you all? Did you have a good time?

@Amy Rose so you are starting again? 

And @Wing and a Prayer and @DIversity how are you?

I found these festive days quite a challenge. I love baking and I miss it, and also miss eating baked goods offcourse. So, for easter I baked and ate applepie and homebaked bread and scones (couldnt stop eating ).... and today I`m trying to go back on track.  I`m fighting the sugardragon and forcing myself to eat no leftovers. 

Well, thats it for today, I might take a warm bath and go to bed early. See you around!

[DIversity]

Hi everyone,

I started my reintroduction with plain baguette bread and apart from a little bad mood, nothing happened. Then came Easter and I had it all: wine, beer, chocolate - you name it. Skin outbreak afterwards and, as to be expected, I have no idea if it's due to the sugar or not. So, during the last days, I kept a couple of days clean eating and then have a day or two where eat sugar and other things.
But to sum it up: I scheduled a 2nd whole30 for after the summer holiday and then have a proper reintroduction. Because yes, it is important. But overall, apart from my skin worsening, I don't see any other side effects. Obviously, my sleep is less good when I drink alcohol. But other than that ... nothing.

You've been all so good! Congrats on that!

[Wing and a Prayer]

Hi Folks! 

After about week 6, I went to the movie and got both popcorn and a diet Coke. I about died that night! My feet burned that night in bed and my hips and legs both were in so much pain. I couldn't believe how fast I was affected. I'm not sure which treat it was that did that to me, but I'm in no hurry to try either one again. 

It's clear that for me, I need to stay on this. I've reintroduced some shredded cheese, that I seem to be tolerating. I've also gone out for curry a couple of nights and haven't been overly bothered. But for the most part, I don't have a good enough excuse to go back to my normal way of eating. 

I'm so grateful for this experience. I need to write to the Hartwig's and thank them!!!