Time to start my first Whole30 :)

[kahrani]

Hi guys,

Well I'm pretty new to this but have been reading a lot about paleo eating over the last week and when I found Whole9life I felt that this was something I really wanted to try. I'm Clare and I live in New Zealand (but a British immigrant). I've been feeling pretty awful lately with stomach issues and general exhaustion (I used to think it was the 12.5hr night shifts every other week but I've cut them down to one run a month now and I still feel exhausted all the time...) My mum gave up gluten last year and is feeling and looking a lot healthier and I am beginning to wonder if that is part of my problem too. I am already lactose intolerant - have been ever since I was a kid and we sold our goat farm and switched to cow's milk. - so most dairy is already out the window for me anyway. I'm actually not a diet person, I've never really done any kind of dieting before, as I've tried to eat 'healthily' instead - which is why I like the fact that W30 isn't a diet. Lately though with my and my fiance's schedule, take-aways and comfort food have featured way too much in my diet. Lack of exercise is a big problem for me because of my work schedule - have no routine at all really, so I always find exercise hard to motivate and stick too. Lack of sleep is also a big thing for me, which I'll try to work on too...

I am a keen gardener and usually grow almost all my own vegetables anyway - not something I have seen mentionned on the boards much? Although I've had to go to the market and buy extra stuff because I definitely don't have enough for this challenge in my garden right now! Also a little sad that I won't be able to eat my homegrown potatoes and peas but I guess my relatives and neighbours won't mind taking them off my hands!

I think one of my biggest challenges will be getting my fiance on board with all this - he says he wants to do this too and will eat what I eat, but he generally does a lot of the cooking (I grow it, he cooks it) and he's been a bit rubbish about looking at food labels etc and generally paying attention to what can and can't be eaten "Darling, I've made you a paleo style dinner of beef and spinach stir fry, soy sauce is ok right?" Er, no. "I'll just add some lime juice to this chicken marinade" and gets out the bottle of lime juice from the fridge that has preservatives in it.... sprays things with Olive Oil Spray (butane) etc! Argh! Would be a lot easier if we lived together as I've cleaned out my kitchen and this stuff won't even be an option - but as yet we don't. Oh well, guess I'll have to be in charge of the cooking too! Tomorrow (10th) is my official start date although I've been trying to eat more paleo since yesterday to ease me into it a bit, while I start meal planning and buying the right foods, and get over my last night shift for the month. I had my doubts I would even be able to find things like coconut aminos in my little corner of New Zealand but it was surprising what the whole foods shop had for sale. And the organic pork shop next door has sent off my order for nitrate-free sugar-free bacon so will be looking forward to that - they even had some paleo friendly sausages which I thought were tasty, but fiance didn't like them! He is much more of a 'food snob' than I am, yet he eats more rubbish than me too - he's already dreaming about sausage rolls and we haven't really started yet. (Geez I kinda hope he doesn't suddenly become more active and join the forum and see what I just wrote about him - I love you honey!)

I have realised that there is only one place in my house where there is not compliant food stored and that is my earthquake/disaster survival kit. I can't actually remember what I put in there, so I don't want to look now, and hopefully I won't get too desperate to crack it open. Perhaps I should put it in the garage. Earthquake risk is low here, but then they used to say that about Christchurch too.

Right off to do some more meal planning, which I think is going to be key to this challenge!

[Sarah Hollenbeck Baca]

You can do it! You will feel amazing! Your sweetie will get trained and you'll both feel great!

[kahrani]

Thanks for the encouragement Sarah! Day 1 is going well so far! Also had my introductory session at the gym - felt a little guilty about lying to the trainer about what carbs I eat, thought I'd sound a bit odd if I said I was cutting out all breads etc when she was going on about the importance of it...