Official 1/1/13 Start Group

[CupcakeNinja]

Some tiny successes this weekend!

1) I hosted a dinner party with a totally compliant dinner (sadly, I did not take a picture), but also made angel food cake for my Dad (it was his 63rd birthday) and did not have any, did not lick the beaters, nothing. That was my first time making something I couldn't eat while on the Whole 30, so it was a test of will. Also, my Dad (who is a relative health food nut since overcoming a triple bypass heart surgery 13 months ago) LOVED the dinner: butternut squash ginger soup; salad of mixed greens with carrots, cranberries, and pistachios; roasted garlic and chicken; zucchini "noodles;" and steamed orange and yellow carrots. The food was a hit with everyone except my Mom who - get this - didn't even try it. She had two bites of soup, some salad, and a piece of chicken as big as my (tiny) thumb. Then she was all, "Oh, I couldn't eat another bite," and proceeded to fill up on wine. She is staunchly anti-veggie. She's also prediabetic. Who wonders why?

2) I ate at someone else's house (albeit anxiously). My Dad made fish stew and a salad - he also made rice we couldn't eat, but we knew that going in - and I grilled him three times about the ingredients and I'm 99% sure we remain compliant unless he hid something or forgot about an ingredient. That was a victory for me.

3) Last night is the first night I didn't get up to pee! I still woke up periodically, so my sleep problem isn't fully solved, but not having to get out of bed was great.

4) Yesterday I made a compliant pumpkin spice "latte":

• 1:1 ratio coconut milk and coffee (1 cup each is what I used)
  
• 1 T pumpkin puree (canned is fine, as long as it's just pumpkin in that can)
  
• 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice mix (cloves, ginger, nutmeg, & cinnamon)
  

Blend (using a hand blender or the Magic Bullet) until smooth. You can add espresso shots, also (which is what I did since I was meeting a friend for coffee at Starbucks - I brought my pumpkin spice base and added the shots so Starbucks wouldn't kick me out for not having anything.

It was good! Not as sweet as the traditional ones (because you leave out the 1 teaspoon of sugar you'd otherwise add), but tasty and nice!

Happy Day 21! The home stretch is here! I'm with those of you wondering when we're supposed to totally feel better - where's my tiger blood stage???

[Contessa]

Some tiny successes this weekend!

1) I hosted a dinner party with a totally compliant dinner (sadly, I did not take a picture), but also made angel food cake for my Dad (it was his 63rd birthday) and did not have any, did not lick the beaters, nothing. That was my first time making something I couldn't eat while on the Whole 30, so it was a test of will.

Wow, sounds scrumptious! Well done! I'm so glad your dad really liked it!

And that recipe for the 'latte' sounds genuinely incredible. Nice work, hacking Starbucks!

Every off-plan food sounds incredible to me today. My boss was just down the hall, eating fistfuls of potato chips. The crunching really got to me. I salivated through his entire bag of chips. I was tempted to run into his office, bonk him on the head and grab the bag. Instead I just put on my headphones and listened to a really loud song. I'm really glad he's done eating now.... and I'm glad to still have a job.

Yes to the home stretch! I'm glad. Gotta admit... I was hoping the cravings would be a little milder by now!

[dukunbayi]

On the days I teach in the lab I cannot stomach eating meat at work (we dissect and the smell and just the association)

This cracked me up . My work gets rather raw, too, so I can totally empathize! I'm thinking soups might mitigate some of the associations. What do you think?

[dukunbayi]

Some tiny successes this weekend!

They sound like huge successes to me! Strong work, Cupcake!

[NatPatBen]

4) Yesterday I made a compliant pumpkin spice "latte":

• 1:1 ratio coconut milk and coffee (1 cup each is what I used)
  
• 1 T pumpkin puree (canned is fine, as long as it's just pumpkin in that can)
  
• 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice mix (cloves, ginger, nutmeg, & cinnamon)
  

Blend (using a hand blender or the Magic Bullet) until smooth. You can add espresso shots, also (which is what I did since I was meeting a friend for coffee at Starbucks - I brought my pumpkin spice base and added the shots so Starbucks wouldn't kick me out for not having anything.

That sounds SUPER good!

I'm trying to think of how I can make it! I don't know how to use the coffee maker at home (it's for when my family spends the night) as I only drink coffee at work from the Keurig machine.... and I can't bring a magic bullet to work. Maybe I can blend the pumpkin & coconut milk & pumpkin pie spice at home the night before, freeze it, and the next day at work, add hot coffee which will melt it and the whole thing will blend? I'm skeptical but will give it a try.

[CupcakeNinja]

Nat - you could probably just blend the coconut, pumpkin and spices the night before (or that morning) and put it in the fridge - nothing in there should go bad overnight if refrigerated - and then add coffee at work. That would make it more like a creamer.

I forgot to say I heated the coconut milk up first when I made mine - I just nuked it for about 1 1/2 minutes.

Every off-plan food sounds incredible to me today. My boss was just down the hall, eating fistfuls of potato chips. The crunching really got to me. I salivated through his entire bag of chips. I was tempted to run into his office, bonk him on the head and grab the bag. Instead I just put on my headphones and listened to a really loud song. I'm really glad he's done eating now.... and I'm glad to still have a job.

Yes to the home stretch! I'm glad. Gotta admit... I was hoping the cravings would be a little milder by now!

ME TOO. I am having another KILL ALL THINGS day today and I think I would hurt someone for some junk food. I want chocolate so badly I could cry. Or a cookie. There are some ten feet from me, with chocolate on them. It's SO HARD to resist today.

Luckily, I have a dentist appointment this evening after work, so that's helping my mood.

[Sportymom13]

Ugh!!!!! I had boundless energy during the 'kill all the things phase', just a little grouchy, magically got my period, dreamed of pizza but no real cravings. It was AWESOME. I was a new person!

But while I should be Tigerblood woman at this point, I'm more like DarkChocolateBlood woman. And if I don't get some in me soon, I'm going to fall into a hypochocolate coma.

I "treated" myself to half a pomegranate after dinner for 4-5 days in a row until I ate my last one Friday night. Did I create this monster by doing that (I mean COME ON, really? My big thrill of HALF a Pom a day may have messed me up bad?!?!). Did I say I'm grouchy too? And my job is so flipping dull I want to scratch my eyes out?

[christine19]

OK I have a major issue and I need some guidance. I have not eaten out once since starting this on 1/1 and on Tuesday evening I have a dinner job interview. Yup...that's right, an actual job interview over dinner and I have to drive 3 hours to get there first. (P.S. I lost my job in September). Anyway, then I stay overnight in the hotel and must deal with the hotel breakfast and potentially another interview during that meal! Of course, breakfast is an easier meal to be compliant with. So, do I just do my best and stick to chicken or fish and veggies without looking too 'high-maintenance' to my potential boss and asking the waiter too many questions and hope it's compliant enough even though it may not be? I have no control over the restaurant choice or any idea where it is at this point. Or, do I chalk it up to being non-compliant, and start day 1 all over again when I get back home? If it's the latter choice, then I can finish the night off with a glass of cabernet.

[Cathi Twill]

I got a really bad chest cold suddenly yesterday and ever since I have been really hungry. I think my problem is that I am at the end of the week for fresh food so fewer choices in the fridge so my meals have been kind f boring. It's making me rethink continuing after the 30 days because I'm really missing a few dairy products. (cheese, greek yogurt).

I was reading Paul Jaminet's book. He seems to have a lot different ideas about paleo than we do over here. Anyone tried his program, with the safe starches such as rice? Any thoughts?

[NatPatBen]

OK I have a major issue and I need some guidance. I have not eaten out once since starting this on 1/1 and on Tuesday evening I have a dinner job interview. Yup...that's right, an actual job interview over dinner and I have to drive 3 hours to get there first. (P.S. I lost my job in September). ...

Wow. That seems really rough. Maybe for dinner have a big salad with grilled chicken, and either ask for olive oil & vinegar & lemon to top it, or bring your own dressing. That shouldn't come across as too high-maintenance.

I was reading Paul Jaminet's book. He seems to have a lot different ideas about paleo than we do over here. Anyone tried his program, with the safe starches such as rice? Any thoughts?

I'd never heard of it before, but just checked out the website. From only looking at that one page, there seems to be a lot of overlap as to what one can/can't eat with his Perfect Health Diet and Paleo (sweeteners & rice jumped out as the big differences). For me, personally, rice isn't even a small temptation, so I can easily leave that out. But at some point, I probably will bring stevia back into my life for coffee purposes.

[torena]

I don't know about y'all, but I was planning on doing a Whole45 or a Whole60, but now I'm about ready to give up.

I started with goals of weight loss and to get rid of my semi-regular migraines, but now I find myself in too-tight pants and with pretty bad headaches EVERY DAY and totally exhausted all the time. I'm on day 21, when am I supposed to see results? I haven't cheated once. Yes, I've had a Larabar in emergency situations... maybe twice a week. I'm an event planner and restaurant reviewer (I've cut down my eating out to 3x a week at risk of my job), so this diet is beyond tricky for me and I'm just not willing to stay on it without some great results. Has anyone out there completed a Whole30 "successfully" and yet been totally disappointed?

Some of this is highly individual. I read somewhere on the forums that if we'd see results at day 21, then it'd be called a Whole21. Some people do have to go longer than 30 days (they mention that in ISWF) though and I suspect I will be one of those. I've been behind in some of the markers on the timeline. I'm doing really well with my food at least but I am having a really hard time mentally. Beyond the Whole30 is a lot of trial and error and reintroducing foods. There's a wide variety within Paleo. I have a friend who eats legumes every so often, rice and dairy on a regular basis because being strict (like a Whole30) gave her a lot of gut issues. I've begun reading more about low carb. It's been mentioned by Mark Sisson, Robb Wolf, and Diane Sanfilippo about lowering carb intake to achieve weightloss/optimum lean mass. My pants have not changed in 22 days. I had a killer headache last week that lasted for 2 1/2 to 3 days that I attributed to detox. Are you drinking enough water?

Thanks for sharing the link. I haven't paid enough attention to know about my energy levels after eating carby veggies/fruit, so I'll start paying more attention to the times when I feel huge energy spikes (only happened a few times on this Whole30 so far) & think about what I ate leading up to the spike. I DEFINITELY know that sleep plays a major factor in my energy levels.

Time for my confession. This weekend, I had my first (and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th) Lara bar!!! They were on sale at Kroger for $1, so we tried several flavors. Now I know that my sugar dragon has not died and I will do myself well not to buy multiples. What I can see doing with the Lara bar is having it as a once/week treat on Saturday when I do the major grocery store shopping. The key will be to only buy one each weekend.

Those Larabars are *addictive* for me. I used to buy them with Amazon's subscribe and save and we'd polish them off so quickly. I was keeping one in my purse for emergencies but I found I couldn't stop thinking about it when I was in the car, so now I just keep a can of sardines and a fork.

OK I have a major issue and I need some guidance. I have not eaten out once since starting this on 1/1 and on Tuesday evening I have a dinner job interview. Yup...that's right, an actual job interview over dinner and I have to drive 3 hours to get there first. (P.S. I lost my job in September). Anyway, then I stay overnight in the hotel and must deal with the hotel breakfast and potentially another interview during that meal! Of course, breakfast is an easier meal to be compliant with. So, do I just do my best and stick to chicken or fish and veggies without looking too 'high-maintenance' to my potential boss and asking the waiter too many questions and hope it's compliant enough even though it may not be? I have no control over the restaurant choice or any idea where it is at this point. Or, do I chalk it up to being non-compliant, and start day 1 all over again when I get back home? If it's the latter choice, then I can finish the night off with a glass of cabernet.

What I read Tom say (one of the mods) is that if you're going out to eat on plan to the best of your ability. If I were you I'd get a grilled item with a salad and ask for olive oil and vinegar or lemon. Many people are health conscious these days and I don't think doing that option without asking a bunch of questions will make things awkward and it will keep you on plan just the same.

[christine19]

What I read Tom say (one of the mods) is that if you're going out to eat on plan to the best of your ability. If I were you I'd get a grilled item with a salad and ask for olive oil and vinegar or lemon. Many people are health conscious these days and I don't think doing that option without asking a bunch of questions will make things awkward and it will keep you on plan just the same.

Thank you torena and NatPenBen -- I will do my best! After sleeping (not much) last night, I woke up deciding it's not worth it to slide into a glass of wine!!!

[torena]

Y'all, I am having some random anxiety today. I had a bad dream involving my kids last night. My husband dressed up a bit (and even put aftershave on) because the company that is buying his company sent their VPs today and my brain is trying to convince me that he's dressing up for another woman. Even though he's complaining to me on IM that he's feeling underdressed compared to the other folks in his department. I was anxious as my daughter left with Daddy for the bus today. I don't know what is going on. It could be PMS. It could be that the Whole30 has done enough work that my thyroid meds are taking me into hyperthyroid territory. It could be that I'm drinking too much coffee (I am up to 2 cups a day, crap, I need to stop drinking it) and subsequently I am dehydrated. I got an hour extra of sleep last night but was up in the middle of the night and unable to sleep for about 45 minutes.

What's weird is that when I don't have the anxiety I feel really good, haha. I feel like I truly am nourishing my body to the best of my ability which is more than I can say I've done the rest of my life. And that's motivation enough for me to want to continue. I'll be doing a 21 Day Sugar Detox come March 1 and I'm going to try to get my husband on board. Since she's got options on level 1 that will allow him to eat without feeling punished it'd be good to do for him.

[NatPatBen]

CupcakeNinja: I tried the pumpkin latte. It's not for me.

Yesterday after work, I had a meeting at one of our other locations (near my house). Since I was driving (instead of bus) from the close location to home, I grabbed a cup of coffee (literally, and coincidentally, exactly one cup) before I left the office. Got home, mixed the cup of coffee with a cup of coconut milk, added about 2 T canned pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice. It tasted too much like coffee to me. So I added 1/3 banana and about 1 date, chopped and blended again. Still too much like coffee. I added more coconut milk (just the more solid, fatty part) and that helped dilute the coffee taste to where I could drink it. I froze half and put the other half in the refrigerator overnight. This morning, I poured the refrigerated part over the frozen part & carried it on the bus that way. It's 1.5 hrs later and the frozen part is still frozen, so I guess it'll be a treat later.

If I make this again, I'll probably use 1/2 cup coffee (or even 1/4) to 1 cup coconut milk since I'm not really a coffee fan (unless it's sweetened with tons of creamer).

Cathi Twill: In thinking about it more, I do like that the author calls rice a safe starch. After my 30 days is up (this weekend, since I started on Dec 27!), I will continue to cook paleo-style BUT I will add rice for my husband (who loves rice). He just eats way too much meat when there is no rice, so the rice will really help our grocery bill.

[kikiatlanta]

@Christine19: stay on it! I have found that the Whole30 is actually a great topic of conversation. People are really interested in what it means, how it's working, and are impressed by my resolve to stick with it. Your (hopefully future) boss might be impressed by your commitment to it, and how that might translate to your commitment to your job. Use it to your advantage!

[dudeascending]

I've found that adding in some starch (sweet potatoes and chestnuts) has really helped my mood and energy levels. If you're sugar-crazy, make sure you only make enough for one serving--I can eat chestnuts until I burst.

[Run4fun]

Thank you torena and NatPenBen -- I will do my best! After sleeping (not much) last night, I woke up deciding it's not worth it to slide into a glass of wine!!!

Best of luck, Christine! Let us know how it goes!

[CupcakeNinja]

NatPatBen - LOL, yeah, I guess if'you don't like the taste of coffee, it makes sense you wouldn't like that! I *do* like the taste of plain old coffee, so that's why I like the "latte" - it just lets me have a different flavor with my coffee. No worries, and good luck experimenting to make it your own!

I have big news: I slept through the night last night. (I know!!! Huge!!) BUT, I woke up this morning with a headache. WTF? So frustrating. I know my hormones are wreaking havoc with me. I'm drinking the same amount of water as always (at least 26 oz - the size of my water bottle - at work, and probably about two more pint glasses at home), I've cut waaaay back on coffee, I feel like I'm eating enough. But I'm tired today (despite the sleeping success) and have this pesky headache. Grrrr.

christine19 - I agree with kikiatlanta! Make it a strength!! And good luck!

[Run4fun]

First night of food dreams last night. And so many of them, including one where I was "sweetening" my tea with sugary lemon drops. Cracks me up!

As I've simplified my eating decisions this past three weeks, I've also started decluttering and simplifying my personal belongings. It's so freeing to load up the car and drop off several bags of clothing, shoes, books, etc. at Good Will. I find that I've extended my healthy attitude beyond food to consider other ways to be healthy, whole, and happy. The bonus is that my energy level is so high. Pre-Whole 30, I wouldn't have had the energy to accomplish so much in a day. I'd drag my butt home after work, get dinner together, and veg for the evening until bedtime. Now I'm tackling a project or two in the evening after a crazy busy day at work....and this weekend, I cranked out about 3 days of chores/projects in about 1 1/2 days and still felt like I had energy to spare.

Still sorting out my feelings for what Post-Whole 30 will look like. I want to lay out specific goals as I did before my Whole 30 began but haven't settled on what those will be. As we start Week 4 today, I am so thankful for changes in mind and body that I've experienced. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to continue to feel as I do today......so I think sticking pretty close to a Whole 30 regimen will make sense to me over the long term.

[NatPatBen]

They don't make it easy at work.

I was just in the kitchen heating my lunch (chocolate chili & spaghetti squash) and refilling my water jug... and my eyes kept going to the platter of brownie / ooey gooey bites. Now, I can resist brownies pretty easily, but that ooey gooey is my FAVORITE! I have stories going back through high school and to early family memories regarding ooey gooey.

Anyway, I rebuked the satan in those sweets and ate my Whole30 lunch.

[CupcakeNinja]

I STILL have a headache. In fact, it's worse. I ate extra at lunch, just in case that helped. Now I'm light-sensitive and the headache is raging. I'm not prone to migraines, so I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm drinking water like a champ and I think I had some salt in my lunch to try and retain that fluid... this afternoon is going to be ROUGH at work if it continues like this.

In potentially related news, my cycle surprised me today, which never happens because I'm on the pill. But I'm a day earlier than normal. Maybe the headache is related to that?

Good work, NatPatBen! Solidarity!

[Shubert]

I need to rant a little bit. Its nice to see that other people aren't hitting their "tiger blood" stage yet either. I'm on day 21 and I haven't had more energy than usual. In fact, after my pulled pork and sweet potato lunch I got tired! I am also having such stressful dreams, mostly about cheating on my diet. I haven't noticed a change in how my clothes fit and I am having pretty bad food cravings. What I wouldn't do for some donuts. But like someone said, its called the Whole30, not Whole 21. I am still planning on re-introducing gluten and dairy right after my 30 days end, but most likely will dive right back in and want to start a Whole100. I love that I am taking care of my body and only putting real food into it, even if I haven't felt the amazing change yet.

Also nice job @natpatben! Work treats are tough.

[NatPatBen]

@ CupcakeNinja: I've been getting more headaches than usual during this Whole30, as well. Supposedly one cause of headaches is a low level of magnesium. I have some Natural Calm at work that I'm taking right now to see if it will ward off the headache I can feel wanting to express itself.

[Contessa]

I STILL have a headache. In fact, it's worse. I ate extra at lunch, just in case that helped. Now I'm light-sensitive and the headache is raging. I'm not prone to migraines, so I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm drinking water like a champ and I think I had some salt in my lunch to try and retain that fluid... this afternoon is going to be ROUGH at work if it continues like this.

So sorry to hear that the headache is still clinging! There is nothing that makes me feel so stabby as a tenacious headache. All this plus the cravings and the dentist appointment you had to go to last night... ay yi yi. I really hope you get a nice turnaround soon.

[Renee Lee]

OK I have a major issue and I need some guidance. I have not eaten out once since starting this on 1/1 and on Tuesday evening I have a dinner job interview. Yup...that's right, an actual job interview over dinner and I have to drive 3 hours to get there first. (P.S. I lost my job in September). Anyway, then I stay overnight in the hotel and must deal with the hotel breakfast and potentially another interview during that meal! Of course, breakfast is an easier meal to be compliant with. So, do I just do my best and stick to chicken or fish and veggies without looking too 'high-maintenance' to my potential boss and asking the waiter too many questions and hope it's compliant enough even though it may not be? I have no control over the restaurant choice or any idea where it is at this point. Or, do I chalk it up to being non-compliant, and start day 1 all over again when I get back home? If it's the latter choice, then I can finish the night off with a glass of cabernet.

Ugh! I would just do your best! Maybe if you have the chance, email the recruiter and mention your restrictions (briefly) and suggest some fares that would be easiest for you to deal with? (Like a steakhouse)

Otherwise, even if you wind up at an Italian restaurant, you can still have salads!