April Whole 30 group

[TiMANimal]

Day 9. No cravings but for some reason a doughnut commercial can make me really want a doughnut. Still lethargic and tired most of the day. Haven't really done any carb dense veggies yet, about to add a bit of sweet potato a couple times a day. Haven't gone off plan at all. This weekend will be a test as I am going out of town to an engagement party. Not only is it travel but also a large party for a good friend. No alcohol and steering clear of delicious Chicago style treats may make me a little crazy but I full plan to stick to my plan. Already made a list of what and when to while there. Bar friendly ideas and found a whole foods store 3/4 of a mile from my hotel! Pumped about all the positive changes I feel and see and therefore nothing will distract from my 30 days, perhaps 45 or 60 even

[mrsjessica]

Hello! Just finished my first W30 (yesterday actually) and am already back for more fun I'm starting up again on the 15th, but wanted to stay committed to something for this "week off" as I plan for the second. From the first I've learned how important meal prep at the weekend is, that I always need to drink more water, and that while I will probably never not want wine/beer with dinner, I can comfortably go without for 30 days at a time

I'm also getting back into running for some races this season so now I'll learn about W30 + distance running. Nice to see so many people doing so well!

[Dfroehlich]

Hanging in there so far, but having trouble with dizzy spells. I read elsewhere on the forum that this is probably because I need to increase my starchy veggies. Guess I am going to have to learn to eat sweet potatoes!

[RoseKH]

I thought about the toothpaste/mouthwash issue, but since I'm not swallowing it, and refuse to have bad breath for 30 days, I'm not going to give it up!

My 2 cents on the "cheating" issue: If you want to cheat, then cheat, BUT, if you don't start over, don't call it a Whole30. You can clean up your eating and improve your health, but unless you give yourself a full 30 days to discover the benefits of this plan AS WRITTEN, you are not doing a Whole30. Considering how great I feel 1/3 of the way through, I strongly encourage everyone to stick it out!

Today was kind of stressful. I didn't sleep well last night, which I usually do. I think it was a combination or ordering a large (black) iced coffee yesterday morning that took me ALL DAY to drink, and knowing that I had to take my newly rescued beagle to the vet for his neuter appointment today. I woke up tired, but it passed pretty quickly, and I resisted the urge to have more than 1 cup of coffee. Later in the day, I heard from the vet that they needed to do some extra tests to rule out pneumonia, so I was nervous waiting on the results. However, I NEVER thought to turn to the snack box at work, and I was able to focus on work without obsessively worrying.

My Marty the beagle is fine and will be home tomorrow, and I've successfully completed Day 10

[annabel]

I made Bora Bora meatballs last night (from theclothesmakethegirl) and I reckon they would make an excellent portable meal... not that I can try it out, we ate all the ones that I made-- I was short on several of the ingredients, so only made a quarter of a batch.

I definitely have no sugar dragon.-- I even made my husband flapjacks (similar to granola bars, only far nicer) yesterday. I did make sure to time my lunch with sweet potato and a couple strawberries to coincide with the baking time, just in case.

I think that I was only eating as much sugary snacks as I was to combat fatigue. Now that I think about it, my sugar consumption increased dramatically when I stopped drinking six Starbucks coffees a day.

[Michelle13]

Day 8 for me! Made it through a week and finally feeling like I hit a stride I can handle for the whole 30 days.

The first few days were a bit rough because I gave up snacks, followed the program to a T, and felt uncomfortable and full. I think I was overeating at meals because I was famished due to no snacks. I work out 5-6 days a week (running, boot camp and/or tennis) often times 2x in one day. Although I was doing pre-workout/post-workout meals, I was still starved at meal times. Maybe my mind was starved?

Anywho, I've gone back to 3 squares a day (less food), with a snack if I'm feeling hungry (protein and veg or fruit) and feel much better. My workouts the last couple of days feel great, much better than the first couple.

Anyone else having a similar issue with workouts/hunger/snacks?

Have a great day everyone!

[Jenna Marie]

Okay, Its my Day 11. I have now had 2 episodes where I overindulged on Almond Butter. This makes me believe that I am treating almond butter as a dessert. Therefore, I am eliminating almond butter from my diet for the remainder of the Whole30 in an attempt to kick this bad habit.

[Dfroehlich]

I have some questions about olives. I have come across them a few times while reading up on whole30. Are they counted as a fat? A veggie? What kind of olives are allowed? Where I live, the only kind I can find are jarred stuffed green olives or canned black olives. I suppose I could put them on my salads, but was thinking maybe the jarred kind might work as a good on-the-go snack for the weekends we spend sitting in the gym at our daughter's gymnastics meets. Thoughts?

[Username]

Olives are a food! I love putting olives on my salads along with some homemade kimchi to "wet" the salad a little. I'm sure you could bring some as a snack if you are so inclined but I would also make sure to try and include some solid protein with that snack as well.

[annabel]

Olives are considered a fat. http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

Olives are definitely a great portable fat source for your meals, but you should probably consider having a meal rather than a snack if you're out all day.

[mrsjessica]

Agreed. They're a fat and can be combined with all sorts of things. We really like chicken with olives and preserved lemons and olives as part of a tapas-style meal - olives, sliced raw veg, grilled chicken strips, salsa and avocado dip. Both green and black are great, just make sure to check the ingredients - they sneak all sorts of junk in there.

[Maria Stathakis Ping]

I started April 1st. My local running group is doing it too so it's nice to have online support and IRL support. I'm on day 11 and don't feel the slightest bit different. If anything, I feel worse. GI upset, lots of bloating, sluggish. I also run a few days a week and walk a lot too. I'm not at all overweight, 5'2", 122lbs and 25% body fat. But I was hoping to lose 7 lbs of leftover baby weight. Note, "baby" is going to kindergarten in the fall

It's been surprisingly easy so far except that i'm dying for a glass of wine! But cutting out grains was shockingly easy and I previously had given up dairy. I shop at Whole Foods so meat is all grassfed/free range and same with eggs. Mostly organic vegetables when available. I'm using coconut oil EVOO to cook with mostly. Making Nom Nom Paleo's zoodles and meatballs for tonight. For lunch today I had leftovers, chicken thighs, carrots, green pepper, onion cooked in CO.

What am I doing wrong?

[aliciadunn]

Hi all - just wanted to introduce myself and say hello. I started my first Whole30 on April 1 but just stumbled on this group. I have gradually gone Paleo over the last year or so and really ramped up in 2013 (after finishing ISWF in December 2012 - what an eye opener).

Overall, I have had a positive Whole30 experience so far! The best benefits for me have been the higher levels of energy during the day and a restful sleep at night.

For me, it wasn't difficult to "give up" certain foods - I don't have much attachment to sugars or junk and I naturally really like vegetables and meats (and fats) anyway. What has been tough is sticking to Meal 1, 2 and 3 during the day. I typically didn't each much for breakfast or lunch before. Since I also gave up coffee and caffeine for this Whole30 (I wanted to break the chemical dependency), coupled with eating early in the day, I can see my metabolism adjusting.

I live in Virginia and know some Paleo folks but no one else is doing Whole30 right now. I'm glad I found you all!

[aliciadunn]

Hi all - just wanted to introduce myself and say hello. I started my first Whole30 on April 1 but just stumbled on this group. I have gradually gone Paleo over the last year or so and really ramped up in 2013 (after finishing ISWF in December 2012 - what an eye opener).

Overall, I have had a positive Whole30 experience so far! The best benefits for me have been the higher levels of energy during the day and a restful sleep at night.

For me, it wasn't difficult to "give up" certain foods - I don't have much attachment to sugars or junk and I naturally really like vegetables and meats (and fats) anyway. What has been tough is sticking to Meal 1, 2 and 3 during the day. I typically didn't each much for breakfast or lunch before. Since I also gave up coffee and caffeine for this Whole30 (I wanted to break the chemical dependency), coupled with eating early in the day, I can see my metabolism adjusting.

I live in Virginia and know some Paleo folks but no one else is doing Whole30 right now. I'm glad I found you all!

[Keianna]

@Maria, you may not be doing anything wrong. I haven't had any negative effects at all and I follow the plan closely. Maybe the GI and bloating is from too many nuts or the sudden increase in fiber if you didn't eat a ton of veggies before. Also lots of broccoli can give you problems.

[whitjm5]

Started my Whole60 on 4/1. Finally started a food log on the forums, too. Feeling great. :-)

[LadyM]

I started my first Whole30 on Tuesday, April 9. Successfully finished day 3. Glad to find there's a whole gang of April folks. I'll check in now and again. Let's do this!

[Emily Olson Knight]

I'm just finishing Day 4 of my first Whole30.

You can read why I wanted to do it here - http://www.familylifeinlv.com/2013/04/menu-plan-monday-whole30-week-1.html

I have to say I am feeling pretty good already. I have had a few headaches, and maybe been a little crabby today, but the voice screaming at me to eat some darn sugar already is getting quieter and quieter.

I'm also happy that I haven't noticed a drop in my breastmilk as I am ebfing my 4 month old son.

So what has been everyone's favorite meal they've made so far? Or maybe your go-to meal?

[whitjm5]

I'm just finishing Day 4 of my first Whole30.

You can read why I wanted to do it here - http://www.familylif...e30-week-1.html

I have to say I am feeling pretty good already. I have had a few headaches, and maybe been a little crabby today, but the voice screaming at me to eat some darn sugar already is getting quieter and quieter.

I'm also happy that I haven't noticed a drop in my breastmilk as I am ebfing my 4 month old son.

So what has been everyone's favorite meal they've made so far? Or maybe your go-to meal?

Everything in "Well Fed" by Melissa Joulwan is outstanding. Her "best chicken you will ever eat" actually is. :-)

And isn't it nice to be able to ignore that voice that used to scream at you?

[mrsjessica]

Getting ready to start on Monday. I've had a few days off now and honnestly am looking forward to starting again. I'll be mostly compliant until then as other foods - mainly sugar I suspect - have made me feel horrible. I didn't experience carb flu or cravings during my W30, but I have been sick as all get out the past few days. I didn't really re-introduce because I planned on starting up again, so I've just had a few things as they come up. Ugh. As bad as it's been though, I'm almost glad that it's obvious I can't eat those kinds of things as casually as I used to, even after only 30 days. I always thought I had a bit of an iron stomach, but appearently no longer! I'm gathering up new recipes as well, so feel free to pass along your favorite so far!

[mrsjessica]

So when I was starting to get achy hips and heard about whole30, I already had an animal experiment to prove that it works.

I just love that your black-bean-eating kitty helped you learn about nutrition What a sweet story!

[Username]

That is a great story!!

I haven't really made anything too creative just yet. So far I generally just sautee up some vegetable and then cook some chicken, bbef, or fish (there is almost always kimchi in whatever I make haha). I burnt some broiled eggplant (it was still delicious) and will try again later this weekend after i get a madoline slicer. I also made some herb tossed spaghetti squash the other day that was pretty darn good. I think once I get passed my W30 I will look at finding more creative recipes that I can experiment with.

[nramsay]

Hi everyone - I'm on day 11 and feeling pretty good so far. Have noticed the jeans are a little looser this morning which is very encouraging (although how much of that is my imagination I wonder?)

The only issue I have with whole30 is that I live on a tiny island in the caribbean and pretty much everything is shipped in from the US. I buy organic eggs, however fruit, veg and meat is not only extortionate, it will go off after a day in the fridge which is most frustrating. I eat as clean as I possibly can but unfortunately I can shop around for decent grass fed beef because there isn't any!

Those frustrations aside and despite being paleo for more or less 18 months, I reverted back to the SAD during the course of training for the Miami marathon in January. 7 months of intense training, along with working full time, studying and running around after a toddler meant that I just couldn't maintain the paleo way and couldn't keep the calories up. Of course, reverting to the SAD, meant my weight has crept up since finishing the marathon and I found myself bloated and lethargic. I'm not really overweight but feel much better with a few pounds off and I want to get back to only putting good food into my body.

Anyway, I figured the things I would miss most are dairy but haven't missed milk in my tea in the slightest, nor (shock horror!) do I miss my nightly glass of red wine which I thought would be horrendous.

Otherwise, am really enjoying the strictness, I work very well with boundaries! I have limited all fruit except in a morning green veg juice (Callaloo, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Lemon, Ginger) and only have sweet potatoes around once a week. So far so good.

Only downside is that I'm currently waking up in the morning feeling hungover and I have no idea what to attribute that to - it's most bizarre, I feel fine once I"m up and about but upon waking, I feel groggy. I also have a pretty sudden dip in energy levels in the afternoon and I've been eating a handful of sunflower seeds and/or some avocado to combat it but I definitely don't feel like I have bundles of energy yet. Anyone else have this?

[suzaloo]

Help! My resolve is wavering. I'm on day 12 and wondering if it is "worth it" I don't feel any different really - I never went through the "hangover" phase or the "kill all things" phase. I am having serious cravings though - All I want is a big fat bagel, or piece of chocolate cake - or some chicken lo mein. I have a friend I am completing this with a friend - so I don't want to go "off plan" until the 30 days are up . I feel lie now is so much harder than the first week!

[pjena]

Suzaloo - I'm not feeling different, either. It's frustrating, but I committed to 30 days, so I'm just going to keep at it and give it more time. We're almost 1/2 way through. We can do it!