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2nd Time Around Starting Dec 27th


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Hey everyone! I am going to start my second Whole30 on December 27th. I picked this date because it is the beginning of a 6 day vacation from work and I wanted to have a less stressful environment during those difficult first few days. 

I got super sick during my first Whole30 in July. It wasn't related to the Whole30 at all, but I feel like it really impacted my experience. I also did not do the reintroduction at all. I was very much like, It's Day 31 I need to eat all the things!!! All that really accomplished for me was not feeling good and having a terrible flare up of the eczema on my hands.

I am looking forward to this new round and I would love company. I really found the support in the other group helpful and I look forward to meeting you!

Laura

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@Laura of The Great White North Hi! I do better at winging it! I don't like meal planning and I don't love batch cooking. So I tend to just make very simple meals during the week. I'll have a few recipes set aside to try on weekends, but I mostly just eat simple meals such as BBQ chicken with a side of soup and salad. Or pork thrown in with some frozen vegetable and some Primal Kitchen marinade. Or chicken over cauliflower rice with teriyaki sauce. 

How about you? What's your approach? Any favorite recipes or products to share? I have lots if you're interested! :-) 

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5 hours ago, kirbz said:

@Laura of The Great White North Hi! I do better at winging it! I don't like meal planning and I don't love batch cooking. So I tend to just make very simple meals during the week. I'll have a few recipes set aside to try on weekends, but I mostly just eat simple meals such as BBQ chicken with a side of soup and salad. Or pork thrown in with some frozen vegetable and some Primal Kitchen marinade. Or chicken over cauliflower rice with teriyaki sauce. 

How about you? What's your approach? Any favorite recipes or products to share? I have lots if you're interested! :-) 

I was thinking of starting more traditionally on January 1 (or 5th) but I'd like to connect with some people who have done it before, so I'd like to join you and begin on DEcember 27.  I've done two complete Whole 30s and had several false starts over the past four years. I need a total reset -- just had a flare-up of my AI symptoms, plus my weight has been steadily creeping up over the past year. I did my first one in 2015.

I do menu planning, and have for many years, but I always have easy meals for those days when I don't feel like following my planned menu. Our house has very few non compliant foods, but I can always find something, including over-indulging in nuts or dried fruit! I am retired and share life and space with the second love of my life whom I met 10+ years ago. He can eat just about anything, but he's willing to support me in this, AGAIN!

Many of my favorite recipes are from Whole 30 and It Starts With Food, but I also use many recipes from Paleo Mom. The biggest problem I anticipate is eating enough food to not feel hungry, and also to get past my 4:00 pm slump. That's been around for many years, pre-Whole 30, and does not appear to be related to when I eat lunch or what I have to eat. It just is a fact of my metabolism!

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Welcome @Jmb369! I'm happy to have you with us! I focused a lot on meal planning last time and found mixed results. I like the recipes in the Whole30 books and I found a lot of good recipes on the Nom Nom Paleo site. The potsticker stir fry is one of my favorites. I think this time around I'm going to focus on prepping breakfasts ahead of time because that is my most challenging meal. I have 2 teenage boys to herd in the mornings so I rarely have time to sit and eat. I think I'm going to try doing bulk batches of things like chicken and cauliflower rice so I can kind of mix and match throughout the week.  I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. Those darn teenagers and their activities keep us on our toes and so it can be hard sometimes to cook a big or more complex meal during the week. 

My husband has said he is going to join me this time around, which surprised me. He is very supportive but didn't want to participate last time. I'm looking forward to having him with me. I hope he chooses to go all the way through to the end!

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Just a few days before go time! How are you all preparing? To be honest, I found myself thinking of all of the foods that will be off limits and I bought several items.

Part of the reason that I am doing another Whole30 is that I have a very unhealthy relationship with food. I don't have an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia, nor do I think of myself as a binge eater. But food is definitely my drug of choice. I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I celebrate, I eat as a reward for doing something good, etc.

I recognize that I need to make different choices and reframe my vision of the purpose of food in my life. I had started reading Food Freedom Forever during my last Whole30, but I did not finish it. That is one of my goals this time around as well - to finish that book and start to really ask the question Is It Worth It?  

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!!

Laura 

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@Jmb369 Welcome, we’re happy to have you join us! I’m curious about your comment that your biggest challenge will be to not feel hungry. Is that normal for you on Whole30? Do you eat fat with every meal? I’ve found that’s the biggest key for me to feel my best! Which is hard because we’re so indoctrinated that fat is bad! I also tend to eat A LOT of potatoes on Whole30. Sometimes for every meal... LOL. I’m pretty active though. 

@Laura of The Great White North I can definitely relate to your relationship with food. I didn’t really realize how many food rituals I had until I did a Whole30. For me, there are a lot of rituals around exercise and the mountains. I eat a candy bar on the summit as a reward for my efforts. I eat cheese, crackers and salami when I go camping because that’s just what I do. I always take Peanut M&Ms backpacking. I honestly didn’t even realize I did that stuff. So I’ve really had to re-frame my thinking around “rewards” for exercise. Because isn’t that just kind of a stupid idea anyway? Why do something so good for your body and then sabotage it with something so bad?

I honestly haven’t done anything to prepare. I’ll probably stock up on BBQ sauces, dressings, and other condiments here pretty soon. Those are key for my quick and easy meals. I’ll also probably stop by Costco to load up on stuff like potatoes and avocado. But, that’s about it. 

I’m doing this because I need the outdoors for my mental health. Going outside is going to church for me and I want to be able to enjoy my beloved mountains in an active and healthy way until the day I die. I’m not on a path to do that and it needs to change now. 

I also have had Food Freedom Forever for a while now, but have not yet read it. I think I’ll make a commitment to doing that as well! Maybe that’ll be the difference for making this a long-term lifestyle change this time around (which I’m typing as I eat Captain Crunch and milk at the dinner table). 

Happy holidays to you all!

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Tomorrow is the day!!! I'm planning a pretty simple breakfast and then grocery shopping! I already have ingredients for Nom Nom Paleo's Kalua Pig recipe so that is what's for dinner. I also saw a chicken bacon ranch recipe on Instagram today so that will be on my list too. Have you ever made cauliflower rice and then frozen it? I'm thinking about doing that but I don't want it to get all watery and mushy. I'm a little scared this time around but I think it's because I'm coming to the table this time with some deeper intentions. Yes last time I said I wanted to heal my relationship with food but I ended up focusing so much on healing my body from the nasty sinus/respiratory/eye infection I got that the deeper psychological issues got pushed aside. I will sit with my feelings. I will allow myself to be uncomfortable. I will ask myself Is It Worth It? 

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I know, it came so fast! LOL, I found myself surprised on my walk this evening that the 27th was tomorrow! Oh boy!

I tend to eat very large portions my first couple of days on Whole30 to really set myself up for success. I don't need to be hungry on top of everything else! So, I'll have my favorite breakfast of spiralized sweet potato/regular potato, three over-easy eggs plopped on top and some bacon. Yum! 

I plan to try this recipe for dinner: https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/scallops-with-lemon-butter-sauce-and-herbed-cauliflower-rice/. Not sure on lunch yet. I'll probably go to a Pilates class in the morning and I'll definitely be hitting up the grocery store tomorrow too. I'll also be placing a Thrive order tonight for more sauces and other "essentials" for me.  

I have not tried freezing cauliflower rice. But I buy it frozen from Costco. It's reasonably priced and the larger bag comes with four smaller portioned bags inside. Either way, I heard that cooking from frozen (rather than letting it thaw first) is key to it not being mushy. I find that definitely true for the Costco frozen stuff. It cooks up nicely when I just dump it straight into the pan and cook it. 

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Happy Day 1!! I'm calling today a success! The biggest critique I have for myself today is that I probably won't have enough time between dinner and bedtime. I didn't realize what time it was and got the pork in the instant pot kind of late. But oh my goodness, dinner was soooooooo good! I made the Instant Pot version of Nom Nom Paleo's Kalua Pig recipe. I could eat the pork all by itself but the cabbage and broth really take it to another level. 

I have Christmas with my in-laws tomorrow. I'm a little nervous because I don't want anyone to be upset that I'm not eating everything. But i also made a complaint dish and I'll be bringing a veggie tray too. I'm probably nervous for nothing. 

I hope everyone else had a good Day 1 too!! See you tomorrow!

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Hello everyone! I just started my first Whole30 today. Thanks to @kirbz for pointing me to this thread to join you all a day behind!

@Laura of The Great White North and @kirbz - I really relate to what you both said about healing your relationships with food. I have a history of eating disorders - previously it was more restrictive but I have had awful problems with binge eating/purging this year. It really hit home what you said about rituals with food and it being "mandatory" for certain events. I feel like it's impossible to socialise or celebrate with people without it involving drinks, a nice meal or going for coffee and cake and I really hope Whole30 nips that in the bud for me and helps me connect with people without food being part of the picture. Also, I have been going through a long-term break up for just over a year and trying to learn to spend time alone. I think I have realised that I have been using food to "fill the time" when I am lonely or don't know how to entertain myself and also as a way to "treat myself", e.g. going for a cookie and hot drink in a coffee shop because I felt I was going through so much that I deserved a pick me up and it was a "nice thing to do". So much to unpick and I hope that having some rules in place and a bit of tough love will bring me back to the right path.

I've done okay today so far; I've had some Nom Nom Paleo egg foo youngs with smashed avocado for breakfast and lunch, been to the gym and gone for a long walk so I've made a good start. Hope everyone else is doing okay. 

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Welcome @littleyellowdiary, we're happy to have you! It really is crazy how we associate food with different types of events and struggle to do those things if we can't have the food ritual! It's definitely a huge struggle to socialize on Whole30 and to be honest, I just really don't. But that's kind of crappy so maybe I should venture out a bit on this round. I do think it helps to replace the old rituals with new ones. I can also relate to the recent breakup. I ended a six-year relationship in October and am still learning to redefine myself and how I spend my time. I have a pup and he's kind of become the center of my life. I'm so grateful for him. I've also fallen in love with reading again. I forgot how much fun it is to get lost in another world. And I've also started reading inspirational and "self help" types of books and I'm loving those. Who knew you could learn so much about yourself from a book!? I'd always read for pleasure before so this whole reading-to-learn thing is kind of new and I love it. And, of course, going into the mountains is always healing and beautiful for me. I wish you the very best as you re-learn what makes you happy! 

@Laura of The Great White North Congrats on Day 1. It sounds like you had a super successful day so don't critique it too much! That Kalua Pig recipe sounds delicious! I tend not to eat Nom Nom Paleo recipes very often even though I know they're delicious (my regulars are Paleo Running Momma and Mel Joulwan)! Maybe I'll try that one soon! How did Christmas with the in-laws go? 

So far so good for me. Though I'm already over the volume of dishes... LOL. 

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Good morning everyone! @littleyellowdiary I am so happy to have you join us! I too am noticing the food rituals. I think I was most surprised about wanting to stop for a coffee while I was doing my grocery shopping on Friday as well as how mindless I snack while prepping food.  Fortunately I was snacking on veggies as I made the veggie tray for Christmas, but it made me think of all of the times I must do that on a regular basis. 

Christmas at the in-laws went very well. I brought my veggie tray and the on-plan buffalo chicken salad and ate that. I won't lie, I deliberately kind of sat away from everyone so that they wouldn't really notice that I wasn't eating the lasagna and garlic bread and cookies. I looked at the cookies and the pie and ice cream rather wistfully, but it was easier to stay away from than I thought it would be. 

I've been doing some journaling this time around and I feel like I am digging into the nitty gritty of how and why I misuse food in my life. I agree with you, @littleyellowdiary, it's a lot to unpack. And a lot of my baggage comes from my previous marriage which was a very unhealthy one. I lost my best friend 4 days after that wedding and then a few months later we moved to a town where I didn't know anyone. I was very lonely and still very sad about the loss of my friend and I definitely see that I used food as comfort. We didn't have a lot of money and so it was the one acceptable thing I could spend on where it didn't seem like I was being selfish with my wants. It's amazing how much emotion and meaning and history can make it's way into your dinner!!!

Day 3 is off to a good start. I made an egg and veggie scramble with two slices of on-plan bacon along with my coffee. We're trying a szechuan stir fry tonight and I'm going to use the cauliflower rice made yesterday.  I am also going to check out those two places for new recipes @kirbz. I like looking for new things to try. 

@Niya and @Jmb369 how is it going for you?

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Thanks for the welcome guys.

@kirbz although the Whole30 will make it tough to socialise I hope it makes me a bit more assertive. I find so often that I go out and I let myself get swept up in other people making decisions for me. I really can't say hand on heart that anyone is putting pressure on me to eat or drink anything I don't want, but I let the social expectation get on top of me and I end up having things I didn't intend to. So I hope this will be a reset and a good "excuse" to say no and get that control back. I am so jealous of your pupper. I would love to have pets but my lifestyle and living arrangement doesn't really suit it at the moment. But I am with you on reading. I went to the charity bookshop today to treat myself and... would you believe, the Nom Nom Paleo book was there for £5! It was obviously fate! I see you are based in Tahoe, is that as in Lake Tahoe? If so, what an incredible place to live - I bet you can go on some wonderful hikes. 

@Laura of The Great White North Oh I am so sorry to hear about your best friend. That must have been a terrible time. It sounds like you are putting lots of work in to healing your relationship with food so good for you and I wish you all the best on your journey.  The Szechuan stir fry sounds good. I have some Szechuan peppercorns in my cupboard gathering dust. Do you have a recipe?

I am on Day 2! Last night I made bubble and squeak - I don't know if you have that in America! - but I stirred through some ginger and some chaat masala spices. I had it with some leftover Christmas turkey. I had the last of my Nom Nom Paleo egg foo youngs with avocado for breakfast and for lunch I made a kind of pesto from herbs, toasted almonds, olive oil, and lemon juice, and I had that with canned mackerel, some olives and a big salad. I picked up a beef rib roast yesterday and I am cooking it at the moment so I will have lots of meat for the fridge and freezer. Feeling okay so far and positive about having a "project" and hopefully feeling much better by the end of the month. 

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@Laura of The Great White North @kirbz @littleyellowdiary Just checking back to say I made the decision to begin on January 6, in stead of December 27. I was simply not mentally ready, plus we host a holiday Open House every year on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. I was mostly compliant, but "mostly" is good enough only for Food Freedom, not for doing a Whole 30. The extra ten days to prepare will make it easier for me. And yes, I do eat plenty of fat. I suspect the hunger pangs come from shifting the proportions of macro nutrients. You three (four) or doing great. Keep it up!

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@Jmb369 well done for listening to yourself and not piling on the pressure when you knew it would be tough for you. I bet you will smash it in January.

I went over to a friend's house last night so four of us could play board and card games. I took a tupperware of leftovers and drank water. I felt a bit awkward a couple of times because the guy was putting away his beer or chocolate or whatever and didn't want me to feel bad about not having any when actually I didn't mind. I didn't want to feel like I was ruining anyone else's fun. But generally I had a good night. 

I am just heading off for a long walk with a friend. I have almond butter sachets, olives, a banana and some toasted nuts in my bag as I don't think I'll find a compliant lunch today. I hope that's okay and that I deal with the unpredictability of not having a regular meal. I have ASD and always work better with a plan. 

Hope everyone else is getting on okay. 

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Hello from a rather wonderful Day 5! @littleyellowdiary I think what you packed sounds great! It's better to be prepared than not and as long as what you packed is within the guidelines, you're doing a great job. I have heard of bubble and squeak but I haven't ever eaten it. How do you make it?

I tried a new recipe last night. It was a chicken bacon ranch skillet with brussel sprouts from Beauty and the Benchpress. It was very good and even one of my kids and my husband liked it. Tonight I made sweet potato chicken fajitas from a recipe on Buzzfeed. I just left out the cheese. I also prepped some breakfast food. I am the worst at eating breakfast so I want to make it as easy as possible. 

I seriously felt so good today! The sun was out for the first time in a couple of days which I'm sure helped! I'm noticing that when I start to feel good physically and mentally I want to take better care of myself in other areas too. For example, I get more excited about makeup and doing my hair when I feel good. I'm a pretty low maintenance girl so those items are usually on the bottom of my list of things to worry about. But I seem to have the extra energy to worry about it now. So I bought myself a  new nail polish and I'm going to give myself a pedicure tomorrow!

I hope things are good for all of you! I hope you have a great time tonight with whatever you do to ring in the new year/decade!

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45 minutes ago, Laura of The Great White North said:

when I start to feel good physically and mentally I want to take better care of myself in other areas too. For example, I get more excited about makeup and doing my hair when I feel good. I'm a pretty low maintenance girl so those items are usually on the bottom of my list of things to worry about. But I seem to have the extra energy to worry about it now. So I bought myself a  new nail polish and I'm going to give myself a pedicure tomorrow!

I love this!  That's a NSV, for sure!  

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