Squiggy52 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Hey Whole9 Community, I am almost finished reading "It Starts With Food" and am currently prepping to start my Whole 30 adventure on February 4th. I am going through many mixed emotions, such as excitement, nervousness, and determination all at once. Anyways, the purpose of this post is to give a quick background of my main concerns for my upcoming whole 30 and some of the MAJOR obstacles I MUST overcome. Armed with the knowledge I've gained through this website and the book, I feel mentally prepared to battle the challenges I am going to face. However, there are a few that I am struggling to figure out how the heck I am going to overcome. First major obstacle- My job requires me to travel. A LOT. In fact, on day 2 and 3 of my planned whole 30 I am going to make a journey all the way down the east coast from Maryland to Florida, much of it while driving. Furthermore, days 4-12 will most likely be living in a hotel during my business trip. So the main problem is that I will have to overcome is how the heck to abide by the rules while traveling??! I know it's tough as heck doing this in the comfort of ones own home, but starting this whole thing one the road is going to be VERY tough. Second major issue- I currently smoke cigarettes. I have been planning to quit and mentally preparing myself to quit for quite some time now. In fact, while reading the "It Starts With Food" I realized that many of the metaphors talking about food addiction can directly be related to nicotine addiction. I know I probably sound crazy but I plan on quitting smoking as I start my Whole 30. Well, I could go on for days but I figured I would just outline a few major issues that I am preparing myself to deal with when my Whole 30 starts in February and I look forward to meeting others who plan to embark on their own journey in February! Wish me luck!! Also, suggestions/comments are much appreciated! -Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Good luck! As someone who is only 10 days into a Whole30, I can offer at least a little advice! Especially when it comes to travelling; been there, done that a little bit on this adventure. 1. Control your meals whenever possible. Staying in a hotel? You'll have a fridge, so find a local grocery store and pick up some food. Almonds (not flavored/coated ones), eggs (if your room has a way to prepare them; there's a post somewhere on the forums on using a coffee maker to boil them), and whatever else is available that you can prepare. That way, you have breakfast and possibly even lunch taken care of so you are out of restaurants for those meals. 2. Scout out the area before you arrive so you can suggest restaurants that will have compliant meals instead of you getting stuck with nothing to eat. Call them (3-4 pm) if you want to see if they can make substitutions for you or cook something a different way. 3. Bring fresh fruit in your car for the drive down. Eat that instead of gas station crap (I mean that literally; the way sugar effects me is quite profound, now that I've been without it, and I don't think I'll be eating much more of it in the future, beyond maybe a bit of dessert that I share with my husband on occasion). As long as you aren't crossing country lines, you should be fine with it. Prep anything that needs it first, i.e. washing grapes and apples, maybe slicing them if you prefer to eat them that way. But try to only eat when you would've stopped anyways and gotten something from the gas station to give you a sugar rush, and try to temper the sugar of the fruit with almonds or cashews. That way you don't end up spiking your blood sugar and needing another rush soon after. That's off the top of my head; hopefully someone with more time on their W30 can chime in too! Good luck with quitting your smoking - I've never smoked, so I can't offer any advice there, other than a good luck! We're here for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted January 31, 2013 Moderators Share Posted January 31, 2013 I don't have time to search for it now, but Dallas and Melissa took a very long road trip and reported on it on the Whole9 blog almost 2 years ago. They detailed what they carried in their ice chest and how they shopped. Check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squiggy52 Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Thank you for responding Tom and MrsStick, Tom- I will look up the post you were talking about as soon as possible, just got done a long day of work. MrsStick- I REALLY appreciate the advice you gave me. I am hoping to stay in a Marriott TownePlace which is equipped with a full kitchen. If not, my back up plan is to bring a george forman (sp) grill along with me so I can cook something along the way. Luckily, all expenses are paid from my company so stopping by a Whole Foods or something equivalent really isn't an issue while I am traveling. I also plan on bringing a big cooler with ice for the times that I simply cannot make it to a grocery with decent fresh whole 30 compliant food. My back up to my back up is to enjoy a nice restaurant dinner that consists of a salad with a TON of veggies and if it is possible a protein (Chicken, Steak, Seafood) that is Whole 30 compliant as far as preparation goes. Its gonna be tough but I'm ready for the adventure. Good thing is that I already enjoy veggies & fruit a lot so my main weakness as far as food goes is carbs. I love pasta and bread a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squiggy52 Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 Okay, I know I haven't been active on here since I last posted. But as I mentioned I have been traveling the entire duration of my first week of my whole 30 which has made it difficult to make a post. However, as I head back up the East Coast on my journey from a sunny and beautiful Florida to a cold and dreary Maryland I'd figure I would update any who may be interested in my progress and how I've dealt with the obstacles of doing a Whole 30 while traveling. As I mentioned in my previous post, my personal whole 30 also involved quitting smoking cigarettes. I am ecstatic to note that I have been tobacco free for 7 days now without any help from nicotine patches or gum! This is a HUGE accomplishment for me and it really has boosted my spirits to get through the whole 30. Secondly, Traveling itself brings many obstacles to being compliant with the whole 30. Luckily, I have been fortunate to find a savior known as Whole Foods. During my time that I couldn't make it to a whole foods I have been able to remain whole 30 compliant by indulging in many salads at various restaurants and ordering proteins that are prepared in compliance with the whole 30. Fortunately, all of the restaurants have been completely fine with making any additions/subtractions I have needed. Lastly, as noted in ISWF the whole 30 is a lifestyle change and NOT a diet. At first I was skeptical on how the heck I could adjust to this lifestyle. However, already on day 7 I can already feel the benefits to this type of lifestyle and I am loving it. My energy level has absolutely skyrocketed! Also, after the first few days of being angry that I couldn't have my weaknesses (Pizza, Pasta, Wings, etc..) I have learned to really enjoy some new food that are starting to become some favorites of mine. Overall, I am very happy with both my mental and physical improvements so far and look forward to the next three weeks of the whole 30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goddesslynne Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Sounds like you're off to a great start!! Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.