March 1st start anyone?

[cookielou75]

What a whirlwind this week has been. I have been spending so much time preparing food that I haven't had time for much else. I felt great on day 5 and 6 but was a little tired and out of it today. Hoping tomorrow will be the start of feeling great all the time. I definitely have more energy lately so that's good.

Has anyone had an onset of back aches? My back gets really sore when I am sick and not any other time but this week my back has hurt so much (including major sciatica problems), I haven't been able to workout. I hope that it's because of the detox and nothing else. I am supposed to be training for a 1/2 marathon. I have a massage and adjustment tomorrow so I hope that will help get the rest of the toxins out and I can be feeling good all over. It's hard my brain and body aren't in sync.

Overall craving wise, I have been super happy with my lack of interest in candy....I had a major sweet tooth before Whole30 and it hasn't been bugging me so far. The one thing I miss is my oatmeal in the morning. I really do not like eating eggs and veggies for breakfast and I am hoping that changes by the end. I have tried sweet potatoes and fruit with my breakfast but it hasn't been a good substitute for me.

I hope everyone who has been sick is getting better and Heather M, I hope your surgery went well!

[kindergartencowgirl]

Hi all

Lacking energy the last couple days. A lot of stress at work; union issues (I'm president of CTA this year), parent conferences, and Spring Fever has hit the classroom - oh my!

I've been so far so good with not snacking, but today I had some almonds after school. The past couple days I have just felt so FULL and not really into eating... have been "irregular" and hate the thought of just piling in more food. Absolutely sick of breakfast too... do not want to see another egg in the morning! Tonight I threw a banana in the freezer and I'm looking forward to a Friday morning smoothie (banana, spinach, coconut milk, spoonful of sunbutter). Last night had coconut flakes and jerky for dinner. Seem hooked on coffee more than usual as well, mostly just trying to stay awake and alert I think!!

And in case this post seems too much of a "downer" - I pulled out some jeans I haven't been able to button in awhile.... at last! Comfortable enough to wear to work today!! *happy dance*

Sending you all a lot of love here as we begin WEEK TWO - how time flies!! Will catch up more later. (((hugs))) Kat

[NewStart2014]

Still here, things are starting to calm down now finally. I did well with my eating today but just feel really exhausted but some how motivated to make changes in a positive way with myself. My best mate has come through her brain sugary doing well, staying postive although having been sick at her stomach and vomiting. I'm sure it's just the medication they gave her for the surgery.

DH and DS18 and I have made up a bit, but I'm determined to make changes to take care of me.

So tired. I just need to get some sleep I think, regroup and get back to the basics.

hope you all have an amazing day and keep up the great work

[HeatherM]

Up this morning at 4am after having fallen asleep at 7pm post dental work. Great sleep and I'm ready to take on Day 8! We are heading into a week-end again which is definitely my danger zone but I don't feel the same anxiety around it that I felt last week. Saturday night will be rough I know but I did it last week and I can do it again. In fact, I can do it better because now I have had practice My goal tonight and tomorrow night is to stick to the program and have a life. Last week I kind of removed myself from the activities where alcohol was involved. This week I am going to get back in to the action but still stay away from the alcohol.

[Laura B.]

Day 8 of my first whole30 - and I'm surprised to say I haven't really experienced any cravings! I had some weird stomach issues the first few days, but my energy levels have been pretty good.

Here are my goals for Week 2 of my Whole30:

-stop snacking(I went from snacking 3 times a day to only once, but I still need to work on it.)

-get rid of the scale! I tried staying away from it like they recommend, but I gave in. Twice. (

-include more carbs from veggies(sweet potatoes, etc.) and eat less fruit

I survived all of my social obligations last weekend, and even managed to eat out last Saturday after my 5K and stay compliant. This weekend is my husband's birthday. He's doing the Whole30 too, which helps, but his family is coming in to town, and I have birthday celebrations to go to for one of my coworkers and my older brother too. My plan to eat before I go anywhere, and bring Whole30 compliant snacks and salad dressing with me.

How's everyone else doing?

[simonec]

What a whirlwind this week has been. I have been spending so much time preparing food that I haven't had time for much else. I felt great on day 5 and 6 but was a little tired and out of it today. Hoping tomorrow will be the start of feeling great all the time. I definitely have more energy lately so that's good.

Has anyone had an onset of back aches? My back gets really sore when I am sick and not any other time but this week my back has hurt so much (including major sciatica problems), I haven't been able to workout. I hope that it's because of the detox and nothing else. I am supposed to be training for a 1/2 marathon. I have a massage and adjustment tomorrow so I hope that will help get the rest of the toxins out and I can be feeling good all over. It's hard my brain and body aren't in sync.

Overall craving wise, I have been super happy with my lack of interest in candy....I had a major sweet tooth before Whole30 and it hasn't been bugging me so far. The one thing I miss is my oatmeal in the morning. I really do not like eating eggs and veggies for breakfast and I am hoping that changes by the end. I have tried sweet potatoes and fruit with my breakfast but it hasn't been a good substitute for me.

I hope everyone who has been sick is getting better and Heather M, I hope your surgery went well!

about the back aches...i had them for about 2 days...i think it was days 2 and 3 or 3 and 4, but i've been fine since...

[simonec]

woo-hoo! week one is under our belts and we are on to week 2! doing great, going strong...going to increase my exercise this week...and today is a Snow Day...so the kids are home and it is snowy outside.

i hope everyone is doing well.

[Nancy Tyna]

Hello! I started on March 1st as well, but so far I've just been a lurker on this forum. However, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. I was doing okay until Monday this week when in the evening my stomach/gut started to hurt. I've been irregular, so I'm thinking that's partly to blame, but I also have Crohn's disease and this was the lovely burning feeling that sometimes accompanies a flare up. It had me up part of the night and I ended up calling off work because I was nervous about eating the next day. I stayed on the Whole 30, however, in hopes it was just part of the process. Sadly, last night I had a similar experience. I could blame it on the Chipotle I treated myself to for dinner, but having similar things happen twice in one week is making me crazy frustrated.

I upped my water intake after the Monday night incident and switched to alternating my breakfast between eggs and a smoothie, which is similar to what I'd been doing before the Whole 30. I'm not sure if maybe I need to add more of something into my diet or possibly eat more in general, but I know that I didn't feel like this before I started the Whole 30. Discouraging. I haven't had any significant improvements so far, either, outside of feeling slightly less bloated. Oh, and I had my first sugar dream last night. I've never wanted cookies so badly!

Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance. It's been truly helpful just reading this topic!

[vtgekko]

I'm now on Day 5. I am still experiencing some brian fog and am so tired. I can't determine if its because of some medications I'm on, the sinus infection I'm fighting or because of the Whole30. I have constant sinus infections and its one of the reasons I decided to do the W30, so sinus infection or not, I'm still staying compliant. I just can't wait for my head to clear and to have some more energy.

I feel better prepared for my weekly cookup for week 2. I found some good recipes that the husband thinks he will also enjoy (he is not doing W30). So I'm just trucking along I guess. We have our nephews birthday party this weekend and I think I'm prepared for that as well, the biggest temptation will be alcohol. My inlaws are some serious alcoholics and I'm rarely not drinking when with them. And yes, that is sad, I know.

My main question is, when am I going to poop? No poop in 5 days and I'm a bit stressed about it. Is there something I can take?

[simonec]

Hello! I started on March 1st as well, but so far I've just been a lurker on this forum. However, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. I was doing okay until Monday this week when in the evening my stomach/gut started to hurt. I've been irregular, so I'm thinking that's partly to blame, but I also have Crohn's disease and this was the lovely burning feeling that sometimes accompanies a flare up. It had me up part of the night and I ended up calling off work because I was nervous about eating the next day. I stayed on the Whole 30, however, in hopes it was just part of the process. Sadly, last night I had a similar experience. I could blame it on the Chipotle I treated myself to for dinner, but having similar things happen twice in one week is making me crazy frustrated.

I upped my water intake after the Monday night incident and switched to alternating my breakfast between eggs and a smoothie, which is similar to what I'd been doing before the Whole 30. I'm not sure if maybe I need to add more of something into my diet or possibly eat more in general, but I know that I didn't feel like this before I started the Whole 30. Discouraging. I haven't had any significant improvements so far, either, outside of feeling slightly less bloated. Oh, and I had my first sugar dream last night. I've never wanted cookies so badly!

Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance. It's been truly helpful just reading this topic!

i'm not a lot of help, but searched crohn's on the forum and here is one link to a discussion on it http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/5841-crohns-can-whole30-help/page__hl__crohn%26%2339%3Bs__fromsearch__1,

there are a lot more...it looks like one of the moderators has had great success with W30 and crohn's. good luck and i hoped that helped some.

[simonec]

I'm now on Day 5. I am still experiencing some brian fog and am so tired. I can't determine if its because of some medications I'm on, the sinus infection I'm fighting or because of the Whole30. I have constant sinus infections and its one of the reasons I decided to do the W30, so sinus infection or not, I'm still staying compliant. I just can't wait for my head to clear and to have some more energy.

I feel better prepared for my weekly cookup for week 2. I found some good recipes that the husband thinks he will also enjoy (he is not doing W30). So I'm just trucking along I guess. We have our nephews birthday party this weekend and I think I'm prepared for that as well, the biggest temptation will be alcohol. My inlaws are some serious alcoholics and I'm rarely not drinking when with them. And yes, that is sad, I know.

My main question is, when am I going to poop? No poop in 5 days and I'm a bit stressed about it. Is there something I can take?

you should check out the troubleshooting section, or search the forum for more info on it, but i would suggest thinking about how many veggies you are getting and the kind of fiber in those veggies...think variety and 2 or 3 servings of veggies per meal. you want to be taking in both soluble and insoluble fibers, so varying veggies and kinds of veggies can help a lot (for example in one day sweet potato and spinach with breakfast, broccoli and red pepper at lunch and carrots and cabbage at dinner, but you can combine veggies how ever you like, just go for variety and at least 2 servings per meal) also are you getting enough water??? those are the first thing i think about if i don't go for a few days.

[vtgekko]

you should check out the troubleshooting section, or search the forum for more info on it, but i would suggest thinking about how many veggies you are getting and the kind of fiber in those veggies...think variety and 2 or 3 servings of veggies per meal. you want to be taking in both soluble and insoluble fibers, so varying veggies and kinds of veggies can help a lot (for example in one day sweet potato and spinach with breakfast, broccoli and red pepper at lunch and carrots and cabbage at dinner, but you can combine veggies how ever you like, just go for variety and at least 2 servings per meal) also are you getting enough water??? those are the first thing i think about if i don't go for a few days.

These are the veggies I'm eating every day, combo of raw and cooked: sweet potato, spinach, romaine, brocoli, celery, cucumber, carrot, orange/yellow/red peppers, onions, zucchini, asparagus and sometimes tomatos. I also drink over 100 ounces of water a day just normally. I"m hoping its just my body being resistant to change.

[hillwalker]

nancy- you might take a look at section on IBD (p237), also the one on "what to expect" (p213) .. I'm novice with this program, but not with the confusing and frustrating Sleuth Work it takes to figure out what's causing xyz .. note that they recommend following autoimmune protocol "especially with respect to nightshades" if you have crohn's ..

vtgekko- note comment re magnesium (p254) - "a regular dose of magnesium [they recommend natural calm] may help that digestive issue" - I can tell you that it works (for me, too well!)

kat13 thanks to your question re favorite teas, I glanced at ingredients in my own favorite and, alas, found .. "soy lecithin" - yikes! and I thought I checked ingredients religiously

so Diana another coincidence! I'm Diane! (twice your age though!)

[NewStart2014]

I'm up and at 'em got the house to myself for a bit. Enjoying the peace and quite.

Eating well this morning -

Breakfast - 2 eggs, 1/2 chorizo, zucchini, onion, black tea and an apple, small handful of nuts.

I think I'm going to take are of myself by doing some creative things.

Hope your day is going well.

[HeatherM]

Good Morning All! Welcome Day 9! My primary demon is alcohol and related snacking. I feel like I've wounded, if not slayed, that demon as of yesterday. Last night I planned and prepared a lovely W30 compliant meal for dinner and I didn't miss takeout a bit. While on my way home from work the old habits kind of kicked in but no cravings so it was easy to overcome. I didn't even feel like having a glass of wine. I did think about it but not in the, gotta have it kind of way. Instead, I thought it's great to know that I'll wake up feeling good tomorrow and take on my Tough Mudder training with gusto. And, that is exactly what I intend to do. Hope everyone has a great day! It's awesome to have you all on this forum, I love reading your posts. Keep it up!

[MissMamey]

I am so glad that I made it through week 1. There were definitely some challenging times (like when my husband and brother in law made me drive them to Taco Bell, after a late night date...and I hate taco bell but not being able to have it made me want it, lol) but overall I am feeling much better and already can notice some changes in my body that I like. I am going to work on finding better prep so I am not in the kitchen so much next week and I am going to find some new vegetables to go through this week so I don't burn out on the others I was eating. Good job everyone!! On to our next week!

P.S. I really really miss gum!

[dnewc]

@Heather - You are inspiring me! Good luck with your training! I still missed my glass of wine on Friday night, but definitely feel better not to have it, and not to have to think about making a decision about it makes it easy.

I had a really tough week training though. My last 3 runs weren't long but I just felt like there was no fuel in the tank. I started my last run great, it felt like my feet weren't even hitting the ground and my legs felt like springs, but before I finished the first mile I was out of breath and my heart was pounding. I had to keep slowing down and was way under pace by the time I finished my 4 mile goal for the day. I've been reading up a bit on metabolizing fat rather than carbs, and that it takes a while to switch over... maybe that's what's happening? I am trying to train for my first marathon (maybe bad timing for whole30, but a great time for discipline!) I am hoping I can encourage the switch by lower carb higher fat pre-WO snack (if any) and small protein-fat-low carb snack during run. I am supposed to do my long slow run tomorrow and at this rate I'll be lucky to walk it lol.

I've been loving the food. If you haven't tried cauliflower mash yet, you must! And coconut aminos are great for seasoning just about everything. Last night I had poached salmon topped with guacamole, shredded brussel sprouts sauteed with a jalapeno and apple cider vinegar, and pureed butternut squash. Colorful and delicious.

I sure wish I could train my family to put away the open bag of chips when they are done! haha. Chips are my nemesis.

Thanks everybody! Your posts are motivating and encouraging. Good luck with week 2!

[KayJay]

I need some advice on timing and meals. If someone can suggest another forum to post this to, please do.

I work 2nd shift for ten hours, four days a week: 4pm to 2:30am. My typical day schedule is as follows.

• Wake up 11am.
  
• Leave for work 3:30pm
  
• First break 7:30pm (15 minutes)
  
• Lunch break 9:30pm (30 minutes)
  
• Second break 12 midnight (15 minutes)
  
• End shift 2:30am, or sometimes as late as 4-4:30am.
  
• Go to bed between 4 and 5.
  

At work, I can only eat on my breaks and lunch, unless I stop off for a handful of nuts or something. I cannot have food on the factory floor, or in my pockets. The breaks are inflexible (and really 10 minutes but we stretch them out, lol).

I'm having difficulty figuring out a solid meal plan on these days that doesn't include some snacking, because I'm also hypoglycemic (for now, I'm hoping). I drive a forklift, so I need to proactively avoid dips in blood sugar and light-headedness.

Here's my current "meal plan" for work days:

• Breakfast before noon (most days)
  
• Large lunch 3pm to make it to first break (been upping my fat here)
  
• 1st break snack: nuts, carbs, fat
  
• Lunch break: full meal
  
• 2nd break snack: fruit, nuts, sometimes carbs or fat
  
• Haven't had to eat anything on coming home for a few days, so that's good.
  

According to ISWF, I'm not giving my body enough time between meals to get on an even keel with my hunger hormones. But I don't know how to do this on work days. I'm toying with eating heavier at breaks instead of at the lunch break but I'm so limited on time I can't take my time eating.

Any suggestions would be very helpful.

[HeatherM]

KayJay, the only recommendation that I can offer with respect to your schedule is to try to eat larger meals and eliminate snacking. That was a tough one for me to get my head around as well with long working hours but it didn't take me long to adjust and it's so freeing not to have to pack extra snacks as well as meals or to try to fit them in during a busy work schedule. It looks like in order to do that you'd have 6-7 hours between meals (3:00pm, 9:30pm, 3:30am), my meal timing is more like 5-6 hours in between but I think I could make 6-7 work, it would take a bit of time to adjust and it most likely won't be easy since you're used to associating food with those breaks.

[HeatherM]

Happy Day 10 Everybody! I managed to do some socializing this week-end and stay on plan, this is a big win. I am finding that I get very irritable in the evenings when my husband is sipping wine and I'm not. I'm sure I'll get over this but it must be awful for him. I'm sure he's enjoying the built in designated driver, hopefully one offsets the other. Yesterday I had planned a Tough Mudder workout but my body was sore and I decided to enjoy the sunshine and make it an active rest day instead with a walk outside. My body feels like it has recovered some but the time change has definitely messed me up. I only slept 5 hours last night. My goal is to tough it out today so that I can quickly get back on a regular schedule. I have 4 days until Spring Break Vacation and I am SO looking forward to a break, though a little nervous about staying on plan.

[simonec]

missmamey- i've heard mention of weekly cookups, where people do the majority of their cooking on one day, then just heat foods up, or make additional foods that require less work during the week. i'm thinking of giving it a try myself. i shop on tuesdays so was thinking wednesday could be my big cooking day.

kayjay-it's tough when you work odd shifts (my mom works three 12 hour night shifts a week and my uncle worked similar hours to yours for a long time) but i agree with heatherm about larger meals and eliminating or minimizing snacking...instead of snacks can you do a light meal before bed? also consider adding more fat to your meals...i find that more fat means i stay full longer. good luck and you can always post to the troubleshooting section to see if you get any more advice from people there.

[simonec]

ok...so the sugar dragon reared his head today and i had to show him who's boss sugar dragon: "you want sweet coffee, yes? don't you want to add 2 dates to that coffee?" me:"no! how about i add a little extra coconut oil to my coffee. HA! take that sugar dragon!"

hehe...happy to say after breakfast sugar dragon was whimpering in the corner.

i hope everyone else is doing great! it's the second sunny day in a row here...supposed to be nice and warm again as well.

[dnewc]

So the fat burning experiment was interesting. I went out for my 9 mile run on just coconut milk and coffee. I went really slowly (10:20 min/mi) and felt just fine. I even upped the pace in a rookie move at mile 7, then felt so good I thought I would throw in a short sprint. NOT a good idea. I was so light headed and a little queasy afterwards I had to slow way down again to finish mile 9.0 ....

Based on my results earlier in the week I was feeling pretty discouraged, but today I feel pretty good - or it seems doable so long as I avoid getting too carried away.

@simonec re: sugar dragon - You are my hero! I actually made a special trip to the store just to get some raisins and a Lara bar (these are dangerous - I just had 1/2 after my run today!).

[KayJay]

Heather and simonec, thanks. My body is reacting great to the Whole30 program, and I'm not having any difficulties -- loads more energy, more alert, clothes getting very loose. I do want to eliminate the "snacking" at some point, as I realized this week that except at the first break 7:30 I'm not feeling hunger signals. At 7:30 I definitely am, and I'm no longer light-headed prior to that break, so yay!

I'd eat after i get home, but a) I feel like I spend all my free time on work days cooking and prepping (fixing that), and I just read in the book that it's better to not eat for a few hours before bedtime. Dilemma, dilemma. Wait, I know! I need a new job!

I'll post this to the troubleshooting area, thanks for the idea.

[NewStart2014]

Hi all,

So the fat burning experiment was interesting. I went out for my 9 mile run on just coconut milk and coffee. I went really slowly (10:20 min/mi) and felt just fine. I even upped the pace in a rookie move at mile 7, then felt so good I thought I would throw in a short sprint. NOT a good idea. I was so light headed and a little queasy afterwards I had to slow way down again to finish mile 9.0 ....

Wow you inspire me! re: 9 mile run!

Day 11 here (minus 2 days when I went Paleo)

I am feeling much better emotionally and physically I'm starting to regain some of my strength. Yesterday (Day 10) was a very good Whole 30 day where I ate everything whole 30 and I just took care of myself by resting and purging some things from my house that were annoying me.

Today I've set myself up with excellent opportunities for the rest of the week to eat Whole 30 as well as packed myself a good Whole 30 lunch. I'm starting to reign in the morning tea and afternoon tea snacks of nuts and fruit but I am having them at my meal times. I think that's ok. What do you all think?

I'm off to work today and hope that you all have a great day too!