April Whole 30 group

[KayJay]

Joining everyone here for my Day 34 of a WholeWhatever it ends up being. Glad to see so much actiivity!

My access to organic meats is a challenge here, at least for now, so I called up the grocery 40 miles away to see what they had in stock (I've gotten pretty good stuff from them in the past but they are often sold out). Meat manager confirmed they were low today, suggested a different brand of chicken they did have (Smart Chicken vs. Just Bare), I hemmed and hawed and decided to think about it.

Asked a friend passing through there to pick up eggs and ground beef, though, and when she talked with the manager, lo and behold he gave me a whole Smart Chicken roaster to try for free!

I really really love that store.

Also, I drink single origin fresh roasted coffee, grind the beans myself... I'm a coffee snob and soon to open my own coffee business. So I wish that everyone could experience the utter joy I have every morning when I have my luscious, complex cup of wonderful coffee!

[ljames62]

Started 4/1, so far so good for the most part. Gonna make this happen! Can't wait to see how I feel come day 30.

[jodea]

Day four and my second day of being sick but I don't think it has anything to do with the W30 as there are a lot of bugs going around generally and I had a really busy week last week. So, my body has forced me to slow down and thankfully, feeling crappy has only made me more determined to eat clean and get back to feeling good.

[annabel]

I had loads of energy yesterday (day 3) and deep cleaned the kitchen, went for a run and walked the half mile from the grocery store with my shopping.

But today is cold and dreary and I'm feeling lethargic. I was considering an early lunch, but don't think I'm actually hungry.

[jodea]

But today is cold and dreary and I'm feeling lethargic. I was considering an early lunch, but don't think I'm actually hungry.

This relentlessly dreary weather has a lot to answer for!

[Keianna]

Had my first craving. I don't crave sugar, but I crave crunchy and salty I.e. popcorn, tortilla chips, etc. so anyway, I had some guacamole I wanted to eat, which naturally accompanies tortilla chips. None in the house, I cleaned the cabinets, fridge and freezer, so glad i did. So I cut celery stalk into slices and ate that with my guacamole. Worked wonderfully. Crunchy enough to satisfy and no worries of over eating celery sticks :-)

My husband was challenged at a celebratory work lunch yesterday. Cake, brownies (his weakness), soda, pastries, etc. He ate a bowl of fruit (they did provide one healthy thing) and drank water. Explained he was cleaning his diet up when asked and moved on. So proud of him for resisting especially since this was my idea and he is supporting me.

Three days down :-)

[Michelle13]

Day 1 today! Been doing almost Whole30 for a while now, but found Paleo bloggers that had amazing baked goods. Went way overboard with almond flour and raw honey! Have to get back on track and cut all sugars for a while.

Also traveling this month and need to make better choices when I'm away from home and my routine. Ready to join a wonderful community, accept help and help others.

Thanks for starting this

[mrspodboy]

Beginning day 4, yesterday was a good day, felt better than day 2, I was exhausted and was looking forward to an early night. But my husband made me my after dinner tea, which is uaually tazo refresh, but he made me full caffeine black tea. I was reading something on the computer and absentmindly drank it, half way through I realized what he did. He felt really bad, I was up until 1 am. I am very sensitive to caffeine and have horrible insomnia, also suffer from restless leg syndrome which I think is the root cause of my insomnia. Hping that this whole30 will help with some of my symptoms.

My husband is doing this with me and he felt like he had a food hangover all day yesterday. I have a little more energy today, but very achie. Going to make some mayo, went out back and got an egg (scared the chicke) so I know the egg is fresh and cage free

[cowgirl]

Starting day 3 today. Has been easy so far and excited to snack less. I had been doing basically paleo with legumes but am strict with the whole 30 now. I still have sleep problems and wake up every hour. Will this improve soon? Also , what is everyone doing for exercise. I usually exercise 6 days a week. Does your stamina change?

[Carol Jonker Markusse]

Day 3 has started ok. I was up all night from 9pm to 4am every 25 minutes with a pukey 4 year old. I'm not feeling as awful as I expected I would feel.

I managed to get to the market really early this morning and got my hands on some duck eggs. I enjoyed a 2 eggs omlet with left over ground beef for breakfast.

I find myself looking for fruit a lot. Is this normal? I had some cantaloupe with breakfast this morning. I know the rules say go easy on the fruit, but I'm thinking I'd rather have a handful of grapes than cave and climb into the easter chocolate.

[Helgahelga]

Hello! I am joining from México! This is my first W30 and I hope I can make it. I started April 1st and so far so good. I have been really enjoying my meals and today I will have lunch at my mother-in-law's. I am bringing my own food, I want to stay compliant.

[Helgahelga]

Oh Yeah, I love to bake and last night I dreamt I was baking chocolate chip cookies. My mind is paying tricks on me.

[Egre4926]

Helgahelga - this is exactly what happened to hubby last whole30. He kept dreaming about food & eating it, then would wake up feeling guilty about what he'd "eaten" lol this too will pass!

Day 4 here, and other than 2 days of major headaches (I loooove being a woman!!!!!), I have noticed my energy levels are more sustained - no more afternoon nana naps!!!!

Yesterday's menu:

Meal 1/PWO : leftover roasted 1/4 sweet potato (in chunks) & 1 roasted beetroot (beet) reheated till warm & cooked with 2 eggs on top

Meal 2: Chicken salad with mixed greens, cucumber, beetroot, carrot, tomatoes, zucchini, kale, sweet potato & butternut squash/pumpkin with an olive oil & balsamic dressing

PreWO: 1/2 a chicken apple sausage with a handful of macadamia nuts

PWO: 1/2 chicken apple sausage - didn't eat any carb veggies as ate quite a lot in my lunch

Meal 3: This seafood curry (minus the sugar) http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/17162/seafood+malabar served with this eggplant/aubergine curry http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/28454/eggplant+kasundi (without the veggie oil - in fact didn't fry the eggplant at all, just cooked it in the spices & tomato mix till it stowed down) - was very yummy!!!!

[Jeff Fairhart]

Day 4 here and all is going well. Yesterday while I was walking home from work, my thoughts trailed to craving a bowl of Wheaties with sugar and cut up bananas. Very weird since I haven't had that combination for at least 20 years! Hell I forgot there was even a cereal called Wheaties! Nonetheless the rest of the evening went off without a hitch. I had already been eating more and more paleo for the last year so I'm crediting the change in eating patterns to lessening the blow of what some people go through in the beginning of Whole 30....so far.

[RoseKH]

Wondering if my experience is normal. I haven't had any of the energy crashes they mention in the emails, or food cravings that were uncontrollable. I also haven't felt a need to snack. I am eating compliant foods from the Nom Nom Paleo app three times a day and feeling okay. Am I in for a rude awakening soon, iris it possible to slide pass the ugly phase?

I feel the same way! I keep wondering if I'm doing something wrong, and waking up in the morning, expecting to feel horrible...but I was well prepared (read the book, shopped and cooked last week when I was off from work), and I live alone, so I haven't had to prepare meals for anyone else, and there is NOTHING in my house that is non-compliant...well, ok, my niece and nephew's Sponge Bob ice pops...disgusting! I actually feel really good, and am hoping it continues!

[RoseKH]

I still feel great! Other than a bad headache Tuesday night and being tired yesterday afternoon, I've had no negative effects. The best part is that I can go from lunch at about 3 to dinner at about 8 without feeling hungry! I used to be starving at work by around 5, and knowing that I wouldn't eat dinner for about 3 more hours made me so miserable. I'd wander back to the snack box, or the table where people leave all of their leftover desserts that they don't want in their houses, and go nuts! Now, I don't even think about food until I am driving home and realize...I'm not starving!

The hardest part for me has been giving up my flavored coffee with flavored creamer. I love Wawa's flavored coffee and creamer, so for the first 2 days of my W30 I got Wawa regular coffee and put coconut milk in it, and did not like it AT ALL. Tuesday night I bought Newman's Special Blend K-cups (fair trade certified.) It is really good with just coconut milk. A suggestion for those who are having a hard time with the coffee thing.

I'm picking up a new foster dog this weekend, so things will be a little hectic around here (I already have 2 dogs.) I'm thinking of heading to Whole Foods tomorrow evening so I have what I need in the house before the chaos hits!

[Beets]

Dinner- shrimp green curry with coconut cauliflower rice and a banana.

Could you tell me how you made your curry? I tried one with beef (chuck) and it got insanely greasy when I heated it the next day. I was kind of making it up as I went along, combining a few different recipes (husband doesn't like curry so I didn't want it to be too spicy). I feel like the coconut milk made it greasy--if it'd been just the fat from the beef it would have separated. Or maybe not. Thanks!

[suzaloo]

I love reading everyone's stories! It is great to hear from people in the same situation and what they are experiencing.

[Beets]

I find myself looking for fruit a lot. Is this normal? I had some cantaloupe with breakfast this morning. I know the rules say go easy on the fruit, but I'm thinking I'd rather have a handful of grapes than cave and climb into the easter chocolate.

Sorry for the multiple responses. I'm on my phone but wanted to respond to your thoughts about fruit. Eating something sweet (grapes) to satisfy a sweet craving won't help you kick a sugar habit. You want fat and protein. If you are eating grapes when you want something sweet, you are keeping yourself that dopamine cycle described in ISWF. Crave, surge of good feelings, eat, surge of more good feelings, brain wired for more sweet cravings.

The only way to beat sweet cravings is to starve them out completely. If you are really craving a lot of fruit I think, judging by what I've read on the forum and my own experiences trying to quit sugar, you might want to lay off the fruit for a few days or at least only eat it with a meal. It's not suggested to eat fruit on its own during a W30 really at all.

So when the cravings get bad, eat a piece of grass-fed meat with some veg--the same thing you'd eat for a meal but in smaller proportions. And chuck the Easter candy! I let my kids eat their small baskets and told my husband he had 12 hours to get his toffee out of he house.

[KayJay]

Kale chips.

'Nuff said. (Hubby loved them, wow!)

[annabel]

I probably should have gotten up this morning at 6:30 when I'd first woke up but, since I'd already made my husband's lunch last night, I decided to stay in bed for a few minutes and see if I fell back asleep.

And I slept for another 4 hours. I'm all groggy now from too much sleep and have a headache . Hoping the headache passes after I eat some food. And I hope that my body needed the sleep and I wasn't just being lazy.

[Beets]

Staying in bed till 10:30 sounds like a dream come true! You probably needed it while your body adapts to burning fat instead of sugar. Just try not to stay up late tonight and get your sleep all out of whack.

I can never nap in the day but I napped yesterday (my day 3) while my toddler napped. It was lovely.

[mrspodboy]

day 5, my joints are screaming, is this normal? especially my knees. had a horrible night sleep. could not fall asleep, then tossed and turned all night. i am trying to just got to bed at aound 11, i am accustomed to falling asleep with the tv timer on and then it shuts off, been trying to break myself of that habit, but after an hour of tossing and turning i put the tv on, fell alseep around 1 - 1:30. up at 6:15. kinda use to living this way, but i know it is not good for me.

i am not very hungry when i wake up, when i sleep poorly i always wake up feeling a little sick so that might attribute to me not feeling hungry. not really having any cravings, watched a cooking show while not sleeping and they made peanut butter cookies, an absolute favorite, i am a total peanut butter addict, and i did not crave one.

hopo everyone has a compliant filled day

[TiMANimal]

I started April 2nd, sorry to be a lazy day behind A lot of interesting topics in here, I see others concerned with children as well. I have a 9 month old. I do worry about her future as an eater and how to intelligently approach healthy eating habits for her. Going through this process I believe will give me the parental edge in helping her achieve a lifelong commitment for herself concerning her dietary choices. So far my 30 have been fairly easy with some insights to my own habits already coming to light. I am pumped about the remaining days of "My experiment" and my new respect for food and its purposes. Nice to meet you all!!!

[Jessica Reagan]

Happy to hear everyone is doing well! I can't believe so many of you jumped on board! Day 5 over here and doing well. I remember the first week was easy last time and the second week came and I hated everyone and just wanted some freakin chocolate. Hope it goes a little more smoothly this time! I just booked a trip to Ireland on May 4 so I'm excited to look and feel better before I go! No one wants to look tired and puffy in their vacation pics

Took me to day 5 but I finally motivated myself enough to work out! I did some strength, cardio, and ended with some yoga. I feel so awesome! Ready for a breakfast of broccoli, sweet potato, bbq chicken, steak leftovers. Then I'm going to get busy on a spice rubbed pot roast going in the crockpot for dinner. Yum, Yum!