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Almost40, First Whole30


learning40

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Tomorrow will be my Day 1. 

I am trying this after years of up-and-down success getting my sugar cravings under control and keeping healthy eating on track. For the last two years, I've been pregnant or nursing and have let myself indulge too much.  I'm turning 40 this year, and I'm ready to reset and put myself in a position to make this next decade my best. 

Encouragement, advice, and success stories are welcome. Thanks in advance!

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Good for you!  I did my first WH30 several years ago for 90 days and it was a success.  Although about 21 days in I discovered my Yogi bedtime tea had stevia which is not allowed.  So for the rest of the time, no bedtime tea with stevia!

It isn't hard to eat this way but it does take planning.  In the beginning, it seemed like I was in the kitchen ALL THE TIME!  But after a bit, it smoothed out when I found the recipes I liked and could prepare quantities of food.  I always had on hand some items that could be prepared in a hurry or for those nights when my husband wanted pizza.  Think applegate nitrate and sugar free hot dogs with vegetables or baked potato.  Breakfast casseroles helped also.  In the beginning, I made this one often since it would last almost all week.  https://crazytogether.com/easy-delicious-breakfast-saved-whole-30/

Good luck! There is great support on the forums.  I'm sure having young ones (or one) will make it a bit more challenging but you can find a way.

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Hello!  I have found that completely eliminating all my weakness foods is the only way to change my habits.  If I try to keep them in but watch my portions, that never works for me.  The Whole30 is probably the reason I am not 100 pounds more today, because whenever I lose control with food and see the scale climbing for awhile, I know I can go back for a Whole30 "reset" and not only does it help change my habits, but it has also helps me kickstart weightloss.  I have lost between 6-10 pounds every whole30 I have been on, and then stayed paleo for awhile after my whole30s.  For me it is always going to be a rollercoaster, and I'm going to eventually go back to the standard american diet way of eating, but at least I have some of the skills I developed during the whole30 to help me have more awareness of the foods I am eating.  I usually don't go down the wrong path for too long before I correct myself.

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9 hours ago, learning40 said:

Tomorrow will be my Day 1. 

I am trying this after years of up-and-down success getting my sugar cravings under control and keeping healthy eating on track. For the last two years, I've been pregnant or nursing and have let myself indulge too much.  I'm turning 40 this year, and I'm ready to reset and put myself in a position to make this next decade my best. 

Encouragement, advice, and success stories are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Wow! I could have written this post back in December.  I just finished my whole 30 and I’m working on reintroduction.  I turn 40 in March and my baby self weened in December.  This past 40 days has been an incredible journey and I have learned so much about myself.  I have experienced a lot of healing too.  Lean in to the boards here, you will find a lot of support.  Listen to Melissa’s podcasts and get a copy of food freedom.  That book is amazing!  Check out recipes on pintrist and instagram these have kept meals fun and fresh.  Also there are lot of good meal ideas in the whole 30 logs.  Best of luck to you and hope to be seeing you around the boards.

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17 hours ago, learning40 said:

Tomorrow will be my Day 1. 

I am trying this after years of up-and-down success getting my sugar cravings under control and keeping healthy eating on track. For the last two years, I've been pregnant or nursing and have let myself indulge too much.  I'm turning 40 this year, and I'm ready to reset and put myself in a position to make this next decade my best. 

Encouragement, advice, and success stories are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Hi @learning40! Welcome to your Whole30 journey! I turn 40 in March and since starting my Whole30 journey a couple of years ago, I feel better at almost 40 that I did at 30! This forum is a great way to get advice, ask questions, and stay connected to others on their own Whole30 journey's, too.

There is so much to share with you, but one piece of advice I would like to offer is to start a journal during this process. You can use to keep track of cravings, monitor how you are feeling, track NSV's, and start to see if there are any patterns in your behavior/moods. Even before the reintroduction phase you will start to learn a lot about your body and how certain foods fuel you or do not. It can be a great way to keep track of favorite meals or keep a list of meals or recipes you would like to try!

One other piece of advice I would give is to keep it simple. You do not have to make complicated meals, drive to 5 stores to buy all of the things, or force yourself to eat foods you despise. Some days good enough is good enough, like compliant hot dogs and mustard on a bed of cabbage. ;) Not fancy, but compliant and filling!

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Day 1 went pretty well. There was a lot going on today, so the advance planning came in handy even if I didn't follow it exactly.

Breakfast was two hard-boiled eggs and while I had planned to also have apple and a bit of almond butter with it, there wasn't time for that so I had a couple carrot sticks of my own while I was packing lunches.  I still meant to eat some fruit, but didn't really get a chance until close to 11,  when I grabbed a banana.

I had plans with colleagues for lunch so ordered a cobb salad with no cheese and no bacon, and replaced dressing with some squeezes from two lemon slices. It was plenty of food and I only felt a little bit of the afternoon drag. 

Dinner got pushed back on account of multiple kid meltdowns but some almonds and a couple more carrot sticks got me through until I could prepare baked salmon, cauliflower rice, and some greens. 

On the whole, today felt manageable. I listened to a couple of Melissa's podcasts while commuting (thanks for the tip @BabyBear!).  I'm not expecting that feeling to last, but it's nice to feel some positive momentum. I appreciate the advice you all offered!

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Day 2 was ok. I felt good when I thought about how I physically felt but nonetheless found myself feeling blah and struggling a bit in the afternoon. 

Breakfast was eggs fried in coconut oil over arugula. Lunch was sweet potato with ghee and chicken apple sausage. Dinner was ground beef over onions and bell peppers with avocado. The food was all tasty but it wasn't as "comforting" as my default choices. I instead turned to walks or time outside, water or a few minutes of reading a good book to get through.  

I can do this...but it turns out the planning and if/then approach makes a big difference, so I need to keep that up.

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Day 3.  It was successful, but I definitely struggled a little...partly from boredom, and partly because I am afraid of it getting harder as the days pass. I don't feel hungry, so I feel some combination of guilty and a little frustrated with myself that I miss my old, unhealthy ways. 

Breakfast was apple and almond butter with a hard-boiled egg. Lunch was leftover salmon with avocado, tomato and arugula with tessamae's avocado ranch. Dinner was Buffalo Chicken salad. I think maybe it was a bit too much greens, though.  I feel a little bored.

I also went to an event tonight at a wine bar and successfully resisted snacks and wine there without too much effort, so I'm giving myself a pat on the back and trying to remind myself that this really isn't that hard, it just takes some time to disrupt old habits and create new ones....which, of course, is the whole point.

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@learning40 take heart the days will get easier and take less mental effort to stay compliant.  It will begin to feel natural if you keep putting in the work now.  I remember feeling like how on earth is living like this going to be sustainable for me... all I do is think about food, cook food and eat food.  There didn’t seem to be time or space for anything else. Until there was, food stopped occupying every thought and ounce of my energy.  Space opened up along with energy for more things to be done and considered.   I remember towards the end how easy living like this was feeling.  

You are in the trenches laying the ground work for a successful life of food freedom.  

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Oh, Day 4.  I was supposed to want to Kill All the Things, but my toddler apparently beat me to it. He's teething and has been sick and basically needed to scream or be held (or both!) every waking minute until after lunch, so that was that. Fortunately for both of us, I found myself feeling pretty good. I made my first mayo last night and found today that despite a lifetime of refusing to eat mayo in nearly any form, I actually don't mind this recipe. (I'm pretty sure it was 1980s-formula Miracle Whip that put me off of it all those years ago.) Anyway, today's meals:

B: Scrambled eggs with salsa and avocado
L: W30 protein salad with chicken, celery, grapes, pecans and mayo, plus some extra celery with almond butter
D: Turkey and cauliflower meatballs with butternut squash veggie spirals, grape tomatoes and a little fresh parsley. (I enjoyed this meal a lot more than I expected to, but my absolute favorite part is that all three of my children ate the meatballs without complaining...though the toddler did pick it up, look at it, proudly announce "ball!" and throw it across the room. But after I gave him one in pieces, he ate it.)

 

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Day 5 was good again. I'm enjoying cooking...such a new feeling for me. 

B: Eggs with salsa and avocado (again...I woke up very hungry and it sounded so good)
L: Sweet potato and chicken apple sausage (this is a go-to and lunch was late because, life), and celery with almond butter
D: My husband and I fixed a Valentine's dinner of steaks he grilled, green salad and cauliflower mash from the Whole30 book, which was so much tastier than I expected. 

I also made the sweet potato soup from the book today, and I'm really looking forward to enjoying that this weekend. 

I still feel good, and today was easier than I thought it might be with the sugar-centric holiday happenings. There are some signs that my body is adjusting to the new regime, but no terribly uncomfortable symptoms. All in all, I'm still just really glad I decided to take on this experiment.

On Tuesday, we're going skiing so that will be a whole new set of challenges but I'm planning ahead and think it will ok. We're driving and renting a house, so I'm hoping we can avoid eating out for the most part. My husband is really supportive and on board with customizing our family trip, but I'd still happily take any travel tips you want to offer!

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When I had a trip in January during my whole 30 I did not have access to a kitchen just a small fridge and microwave.  I prepped simple foods that would be a quick grab and go.  And also had three dinner meals that I could heat up in our room.  I also packed some snacks just in case.  It was a work weekend vending with my hubby and it is always long hours and no chance to get away to get real food.  So to avoid succumbing to ordering pizza I planned snacks.

here are things I brought

egg cups loaded with sausage and spinach, veggies tray with carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower and ranch for dipping, box of mixed green salad, chicken salad.  I cooked up bacon and brought along compliant deli turkey and some lettuce leaves to make roll ups.  Mayo, mashed avocado, ranch and a raspberry dressing in little containers for added fat.  I used left overs I like for the meals.  I also had grapes, clementines, and pistachios for snacks as well as RXbars and beef sticks.   So maybe some of my foods will give you a spring board as you plan for a terrific holiday away.  Definitely have a plan to avoid lodge snack foods, or find out if they offer anything compliant before you leave.

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Day 6 was successful. I battled the sugar dragon a little in the afternoon, and I'm surprised that hasn't happened more. I fought through it with some compliant snacks and reminding myself that I actually feel so much better when I'm not putting that stuff in my body. 

B: Eggs, salsa, avocado (again...the fresh salsa just makes this so good)
L: Leftover cauliflower mash and a turkey burger patty
D: Halibut with citrus ginger glaze and sweet potato soup

I had good energy (especially after sleeping in this morning) and my mood was good other than the cravings in the afternoon. 

@BabyBear- Thank you for the travel tips, much appreciated!

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Wrapping up a full week now. I struggled a little this evening with wanting to find something sweet after dinner, but I think that's part of recognizing how many bad choices have become habit/default behaviors. I was also kind of weepy and extra hungry today, and wanting sweet stuff is typical for me every few weeks...so I suspect this is all connected. The good news is I stayed on track today, and hopefully this phase will pass quickly. 

B: Fried eggs over grilled onion, red peppers and potatoes. I was very hungry when I woke up and needed something different for breakfast today. This was very hearty and satisfying. 
L: Salad with chicken and avocado; Tessamae's avocado ranch; celery and almond butter; honeydew.
D: Salmon with roasted cauliflower and broccoli; watermelon.


 

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I feel asleep early last night so posting for yesterday (Day 8) here:

B: Eggs with spinach, salsa and avocado
L: Salad greens with plain fresh crab meat, tomato, radish; lemon juice as dressing (best I could do eating out)
D: Leftover sweet potato soup and chicken apple sausage. 

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Day 9: We finished packing and hit the road. So far, so good:

B: Eggs with spinach and avocado
L:  Fridge-clearing salad: spinach, riced cauliflower, halibut, tomatoes and lemon juice
D: W30 chili and sweet potato

Somewhere in there I had some fruit and cashews when it was clear dinner would be late...but on the whole, it was a good day. My mood wasn't the best, but I think that's mostly just getting a function of getting a family out the door on a road trip. I've got a plan for tomorrow, so I think I'll be able to stick with this experiment through the trip. 

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I made it through Day 10. Hooray!

I'm feeling a little bored, and my lunch was kind of pathetic but I didn't touch my emergency larabar, so that's something. 

B: Hard-boiled eggs, banana, a spoonful of almond butter. 
L: Ugh. What I could do at the lodge...uninspiring but compliant beef patty on lettuce, then some more salad greens (with apple cider vinegar only because there was no oil at the salad bar?); a couple of almonds. Tomorrow, I'll bring my own dressing at least.
D: Pleasantly surprised by the Chipotle Whole30 Bowl.

So yes, I'm getting a little bored with the choices I have at this point. But I feel good and realize that but for this effort, I'd be eating all kinds of crazy stuff while away from home. Plus, my knees felt so much better today than the last few times I skied, so I'll count that as a victory, too. And since the book says people are most likely to quit on Day 10 or 11, there's some new confidence that comes with staying on track today. I'm less worried about tomorrow since I have more of an idea what to expect and we went to the grocery store. If my littlest person will just sleep all night, I think tomorrow will be a great day!

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Hurray for Day 10!  You did great navigating the lodge food!  I found the more confident I became in my food choices the more creative my mind became with restaurant menus and my food and experiences gradually became much more interesting.  Keep up the good work and enjoy your trip with your family.

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It's Day 12, and I'm still here. Didn't get a chance to check in last night, but I'll try to remember Day 11 as well.

Day 11:
B: Sweet potato and poached eggs (a new cooking effort, as I realized I forgot to pick up compliant oil and I need a break from boiled eggs); apple with almond butter.
L: Same sad beef on lettuce. I took dressing with me to get a real salad, but we ended up eating halfway up the mountain away from my bag.
D: Compliant chicken sausage with riced cauliflower "risotto" and baked potato with ghee; almonds.

Day 12:
B: Poached eggs on leftover potato
(Larabar a little later in the morning...I was hungry and lunch was late.)
L: Chicken apple sausage and sweet potato; fruit.
D: Taco meat, peppers and onions with avocado and greens.

I'm definitely struggling a bit...more than once today I've contemplated calling this experiment successful enough and moving on to more familiar comfort foods while traveling, but I'm going to stick with it. It was just a week ago I was really enjoying cooking and trying new meals, so I think the takeaway is that the hard part is being away from home and I'm just facing being in an environment where food is often part of the fun experience. So it's good for me to fight through that, and the whole family ate better tonight since I didn't give up. Doing a better job of feeding the family is a big motivation, so I'm going to keep that in mind. We will be home in just two days, and I hope it will be easier again there.

 

 

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Such an awesome job of staying compliant on a family vacation on some of the hardest days... seriously it seems a lot of people are ready to walk away somewhere between day 10 and day 15 but those who don’t are so glad they didn’t, I’m one of them.  You can do this.  Food will be fun again once you get back to your own kitchen and can play with food again.

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Day 15 - I'm back, and have to acknowledge that I slipped up a bit at the end of our trip with eating out. I thought I ordered a reasonably safe meal, but it wasn't, and then I was discouraged and had a couple other indulgent bites. I know the rules say start over at this point, but the idea of doing that would cause me to completely give up, and I don't want to do that. I'm going to continue now with the recognition that maybe I don't get the full benefits of 30 totally clean days. One thing I'm learning is that I feel a lot better eating this way but I do need the structure of the program to keep me on track still. I'm looking forward to cooking again, getting familiar with the benefits of doing this program without being bored with the same meals repeating as I was after those days away.  Today was good but not perfect---I had a long work day and haven't been to the store yet.

B: Chicken Apple Sausage
L: Salad with roasted veggies, no dressing. 
D: Burger patty with grilled onions and mustard on lettuce;  celery and nut butter.
 

So, onward and upward. 

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@learning40 just keep swimming swimming swimming.  Keep moving forward.  If you plan on doing reintro of unknown foods, which I highly recommend, then just add the days onto the end before reintro.  The biggest reason for starting over if you slip is scientific.  It takes around 4 weeks to completely remove all inflammatory markers from the blood, of you slipped then you possibly reintroduced additional inflammatory foods which means more inflammatory markers to clean from the blood stream.  Do pay attention to how you feel.  The good news is if it wasn’t a lot or a huge indulgence your timeline will not necessarily start back over at the beginning.  You’ve already made it through most of the hard stuff, I hope it will be smooth sailing for you when you arrive home.  

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