Whole30 First timer

[Cookeez]

Hi. I am planning to start Whole30 on January 1, 2021. 
I will be using the next few days to prepare.

I’m sort of excited. 

[Healthgrab]

Nice, I am excited for you too! 

[Cookeez]

Thank you Healthgrab. Any words of wisdom? Helpful tips?

[LydiaJo]

Keep it simple. I don't make items that take 8 items and 6 spices or have lots of steps. 

[Cookeez]

Thank you. I’m a simple cook! 

[Alyssa444]

I am also doing my first Whole30 starting on the 1st. Huzzah!

[Cookeez]

Thanks for posting Alyssa. We can do this!

[Jaypo]

I am a newbie as well. Starting my journey tomorrow. Cleaning out cabinets and shopping today. 

[CathB]

Happy New Year! Another first timer here.

And here we go... this feels scary 

Made eggs, veggies and avocado for our first Whole30 meal today and can’t stop thinking about candy.

I really want to do this but I’m so scared of all the grocery shopping and meal prepping involved. Hope it will get easier over time.

[christine19]

 

Hello and Happy New Year! I started today. I have completed several Whole 30s, the last time was maybe back in 2015. I have been gluten-free and dairy-free since 2017, so I am hoping this time will be easier just ditching the GF snacks, grains and sugar. Good luck...you can do this! 

[becs]

Happy Day 2 everyone!

I started yesterday, as well. I think this is my third (or fourth?) Whole30 since 2015. My most successful one was in January 2019 - I kept the habits I built alive for over a year, which is 100% because I actually focused on reintroduction for the first time. DO NOT skip that step on Day 31!

For me, meal planning and prepping is absolutely key, and left-overs are like gold. Roast a ton of veggies/potatoes and cook some chicken breast and you can nosh on that for days. Keep pork tenderloins in the freezer that you can pop in the oven for an easy week-night meal. It can be really simple! My routine has become a little more complex, but I like to cook (if I'm in the mood). For example, today and tomorrow I will make: 1) a HUGE batch of NomNom Paleo's Madras Chicken salad, which will be lunch Monday through Thursday; 2) a double-batch of spaghetti sauce, which will be dinner on Monday and Tuesday (will freeze the rest for another week); 3) sausage casserole to eat every morning this week (I do NOT cook in the mornings!); 4) Apricot Lamb Loaf from one of the Whole30 books (Fast and Easy, maybe?) - this one is going straight into the freezer for emergency meals later on in the month. It's a lot of cooking all at once, but once I'm in the groove I don't mind, and having pre-cooked foods is a life saver for me. I will also have ingredients on-hand for two more easy dinners this week.  

My ONLY goal this month is to complete the Whole30. I don't care how much I work out, if my house is a mess, or if i have to go to bed at 7 pm to kill the evening cravings. I'm really excited to get back on track this year.

[Tina S]

Hello! This is my first time in the forum, but my second on the Whole30. My first time was in Oct 2019, just after birthdays and anniversaries and before Thanksgiving. The hardest part for me was eating out at restaurants, which we did a lot. 
 

When it was over, I was able to eat spicy food again, which I hadn’t been able to for 15 years, without getting a heartburn.  My tummy got flatter and I had a “figure” again - lost about 9 lbs.)  I’d been pre-diabetic for years and My A1C went down.

I’ve found that dairy made my nose stuffy so I’ve had to cut back on cheeses and foods with dairy, which I really liked and for my calcium intake.  I grow a lot of collards in my food forest. That’s how I get my calcium these days.

Overall I’ve had a healthier year, but more recently, I’ve been noticing some digestive issues so I decided to do another Whole30 reset and see what happens. 
 

This is my first day. For breakfast, I had a fresh egg from our chicken, cooked with spices, stir-fried collards, half of a pomegranate, and some plain Earl Grey tea. 

I almost reached for my huge bar of dark chocolate, but I restrained. I’m putting it somewhere out of the way. 
 

Thank you for reading. I look forward to the rest of the month. 

 

 

[Cookeez]

Awesome post Becs. Filled with ideas, which I value. Day 2 for me - reminding myself not to think about food like the soft pretzels in the freezer, or even the rice I prepared for the dogs. That’s right, I’m withdrawing from the carbs I’ve gotten so accustomed to. I’m reminded that before long I will no longer have the urge to munch mindlessly. A big realization for me is how much of a “taster” I’ve been (I am stopping that.)

For meal prep, I’ve got an eye round roast that I made and sliced up for several meals this week, and hard boiled eggs, fruit and cut up veggies for emergency small meals or breakfast. Lots of chicken breasts and a couple flank steaks in the freezer too. I wasn’t prepared to be able to eat potatoes for Whole30, so I’m glad for that. Ghee, or clarified butter, adds a great flavor. I’m going to make a spaghetti sauce to serve with spaghetti squash for a couple meals. I’ll be saving some portions of the sauce in the freezer for another time. I don’t think the meal planning is hard - it’s changing the habits of late night or evening eating like popcorn or crackers and cheese that poses a challenge. Berries or half an apple helps with that. 
Happy New Years everyone!

[becs]

Craving the food you cooked for your pups - priceless! The cravings WILL fade. Just trust the process.

I also struggle with evening munchies, usually when I'm watching tv. Doing something with my hands usually helps me (knitting is my go-to activity) - I can't eat while my hands are busy, and whatever I'm doing takes my mind off the cravings. If that doesn't work, I have no problem giving up for the day and going to bed early!