Starting 4/1 whos in?

[Intrigante]

Day 5 was OK. Not so cranky. Tired but not too bad. Had hummus with carrots and celery for dinner, forgetting that it has garbanzo beans in it. Not happy about that at all. But, considering that I was in a bar and my table ordered chicken wings, chicken fingers, stuffed potato skins, mozzarella sticks, and booze, I can forgive myself for the error. In the end, I think the most important thing is that I made a better choice than I would have.

[RoseKH]

Day 5 and I'm feeling good. I ate dinner about 2 hours earlier than I do the rest of the week, so now it's 10pm and I'm feeling a little hungry. I'll probably make an herbal tea and see if that helps. I also have a headache, but it feels like one of the sinus headaches that I often get, so I'm not sure if it's really W30 related. A friend mentioned that I seemed "brighter" today, and my sister-in-law noted that she hadn't gotten any "I want to strangle someone" texts from me this week! I do feel much more even-tempered, and my mood has been generally very good. Perhaps it's because I was off from work last week, but often my first week back after vacation is overwhelmingly busy and stressful. I'd like to think that cutting out sugar, and not being hungry (which makes me VERY cranky) are the real reasons for my even, good mood.

A little nervous about the weekend, but I went to Whole Foods tonight, and am stocked up for next week! Have a great weekend everyone!

[Britte Nihart]

Yeah, when I quit sugar/grains in Feb and suddenly upped my veg intake I had horrible digestive issues. It was like a rock in my gut for weeks. Check out digestive enzymes. There is a Whole 9 post about them with brand recs. it'll help! Wish I'd remembered sooner.

Thank you so much for the advice. I will go get some!

I'm on day 6 and have not had nearly as many "detox" symptoms as I expected. Nor as many cravings. I (thought) I was fairly addicted to diet Pepsi and it was my biggest mental hurdle to think of giving up, but I've not had a headache all week and I've honestly only had 2-3 brief moments where the thought of a pop entered my mind, but I quickly dismissed it and forgot it. I'm so surprised!

And I took the kids to a movie last night, where they munched on popcorn and drank pops, then got pizza on the way home... I took a small bag of cashews and got a bottle of water and didn't feel that deprived.

I did do a lot of cooking ahead last weekend, so the fridge was stocked all week with plenty of good food to eat. But, it is now getting rather empty so I'm scouring for more ideas for this weekend and the coming week. Glad to have this site to find ideas and suggestions from others going through the same.

One of the urges I've been fighting more than anything is the urge to get on the scale! I feel lighter, which is such a good thing! But I definitely have a mental thing with the scale and have thrown the towel in on many, many diets because the scale didn't show progress as fast as I thought it should. So, I'm trying to avoid that little white monster in my bathroom until the end of the month!

[Ren Davis]

Starting Day 6 this morning. I love this way of eating and I'm very surprised by that. I'm really enjoying my veggies!

Being starch, sugar, gluten, and dairy free at the moment has had some terrific benefits (I have opted to eat only eat veggies, olive and coconut oil, and lean meats for now). The main one is that I can feel inflammation has gone down tremendously. I have had a very sore shoulder for months now, and this week it was probably at least 50% less bothersome than last week (non-paleo). I also noticed that when walking on the treadmill, I was able to just jump into my routine rather than having to build up speed really slowly (to avoid shin splints and due to lack of flexibility in my ankles).

I feel less creaky and definitely younger than I felt last week! I'm also less moody and more in control of my thoughts and what I choose to say. I love my new 'fat' brain!

One Concern: The first two days on Paleo, my face got puffy, red and kind of tingly for a few hours here and there and hasn't been back since. The fourth day, I put some coconut oil in my orange & lemongrass tea, cuz I read something about ingesting coconut oil before eating 3 times a day (this is not from a Paleo site) to help with weight loss. I tried the tea, it was surprisingly good, but my throat got really dry and scratchy after just a few teaspoons of tea. I stopped drinking it, then about 10 minutes later I coughed up a ball of phlegm, then the dry, itchy throat was gone.

I have read that coconut oil allergies are rare and I've also read that for some people they have to work up a tolerance for coconut oil. I'll be watching this closely, since with so few foods that I'm eating, I know the only food affecting me 'perhaps negatively' is the coconut oil. My symptoms seem mild compared to what I've read for allergy symptoms, so I'm hoping it's just my body working something out or becoming tolerant.

I've just jumped in to find this thread very active. Looks like I've got some reading to do! Hope everyone is feeling better than last week.

[AC03301]

Hope everyone is doing awesome!! It's the start of Day 6, a bright and absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning. Been up since 6:30 just because!! It's awesome. Took the dog I'm dogsitting on a 2 mile trail walk and sitting down to breakfast now. Successfully navigated our local mexican restaurant yesterday afternoon with some friends..aka sat and socialized while drinking Ice water with lemons and limes instead of the $2.75 big beer or the $3 Sex on the Beach specials :\ hahaha but it felt amazing to walk out of there unshaken. What really helped was knowing I had a crockpot full of Whole30 chili waiting on me at home.

Stay strong over the weekend and think about the awesome benefits a lot of us are already feeling!

[Intrigante]

Today is a really bad day. I woke up with a headache and I'm cranky. Had to run to SI to pick up my boyfriend's daughters so no breakfast. Lots of drama so I'm really angry. Now stuck at their stupid dance class so no lunch. Probably wont get to eat until I get home at 4 pm. No coffee, a lot past hungry, and angry as hell. Not a good combination. I guess I will have to deal with it. Probably will be angrier if I eat something bad.

[LydiaL]

I have a Whole 30 dilemma. I've been invited to a Christmas in April party next Saturday and am debating whether to go. One of the invitees is a woman in my group of friends who convinced some of my other friends that I was "crazy" and had food issues because I went on a 30 day elimination diet last summer (and discovered that I felt 100% better after eliminating soy). At one point, she told me that my gluten and lactose intolerances (diagnosed by a Doctor over 12 years ago) were all in my head and I am just not handling stress properly. Because of this, whenever I mention anything food related eg: paleo diet, whole30 etc... some of these friends get all thin lipped and weird with me. Needless to say I am not getting a lot of support with my life style change. This "friend" in question has her own food/drink issues including claiming to have a gluten intolerance while drinking copious amounts of beer and snacking on wheat thins. She is also a sometimes vegetarian...ie.vegetarian when it suits her. Plus I think she may have her own problems with binge drinking but I'm not sure if this is something I should bring up.

At this point I am waffling between going to the party and hoping that this woman doesn't call attention to what I am not eating and drinking or just not going. It is a pot luck, so my other choice would be to bring a Paleo dish that is so delicious that everybody is really impressed and no one notices that I am not eating/drinking the stuff that is not Whole 30 compliant. Or I could play the diabetic card which people tend not to question. Or I could get better friends. I am meeting 2 of the friends for drinks tonight (I am planning on soda water with lime) so I was debating whether to bring it up with them.

Sorry...I'm whining but if anyone has any suggestions or awesome Paleo potluck ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Intrigante]

I have a Whole 30 dilemma. I've been invited to a Christmas in April party next Saturday and am debating whether to go. One of the invitees is a woman in my group of friends who convinced some of my other friends that I was "crazy" and had food issues because I went on a 30 day elimination diet last summer (and discovered that I felt 100% better after eliminating soy). At one point, she told me that my gluten and lactose intolerances (diagnosed by a Doctor over 12 years ago) were all in my head and I am just not handling stress properly. Because of this, whenever I mention anything food related eg: paleo diet, whole30 etc... some of these friends get all thin lipped and weird with me. Needless to say I am not getting a lot of support with my life style change. This "friend" in question has her own food/drink issues including claiming to have a gluten intolerance while drinking copious amounts of beer and snacking on wheat thins. She is also a sometimes vegetarian...ie.vegetarian when it suits her. Plus I think she may have her own problems with binge drinking but I'm not sure if this is something I should bring up.

At this point I am waffling between going to the party and hoping that this woman doesn't call attention to what I am not eating and drinking or just not going. It is a pot luck, so my other choice would be to bring a Paleo dish that is so delicious that everybody is really impressed and no one notices that I am not eating/drinking the stuff that is not Whole 30 compliant. Or I could play the diabetic card which people tend not to question. Or I could get better friends. I am meeting 2 of the friends for drinks tonight (I am planning on soda water with lime) so I was debating whether to bring it up with them.

Sorry...I'm whining but if anyone has any suggestions or awesome Paleo potluck ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Personally, I'd avoid it. I refuse to explain myself and would get pretty nasty with people who are paying attention to what I eat. It sounds like this person isn't really a friend to you. Why put yourself in an uncomfortable position?

[Intrigante]

One Concern: The first two days on Paleo, my face got puffy, red and kind of tingly for a few hours here and there and hasn't been back since. The fourth day, I put some coconut oil in my orange & lemongrass tea, cuz I read something about ingesting coconut oil before eating 3 times a day (this is not from a Paleo site) to help with weight loss. I tried the tea, it was surprisingly good, but my throat got really dry and scratchy after just a few teaspoons of tea. I stopped drinking it, then about 10 minutes later I coughed up a ball of phlegm, then the dry, itchy throat was gone.

I have read that coconut oil allergies are rare and I've also read that for some people they have to work up a tolerance for coconut oil. I'll be watching this closely, since with so few foods that I'm eating, I know the only food affecting me 'perhaps negatively' is the coconut oil. My symptoms seem mild compared to what I've read for allergy symptoms, so I'm hoping it's just my body working something out or becoming tolerant.

I'm not a doctor, but it sounds like an allergy to me. Food allergies can be dangerous, especially since it seems to be affecting your throat. I would avoid it.

[Intrigante]

Today was just filled with drama. I caved in and had coffee with Splenda and half & half. I don't know if it was bad coffee or if my taste buds changed in 6 days but it was nasty. I had a little less than 1/2 cup before I decided that it wasn't worth it. A veggie omelet and a fruit cup took care of the hunger. Treated myself to a copy of Well Fed. Going to heat up left over soup and try to relax by watching a Shameless marathon. Tomorrow will be better.

[Heidi Poulson Bennett]

Hello! I started my first Whole30 on April 1st with the rest of you, but I'm just now joining the forum. I felt really good for the first 5 days--no withdrawals at all, surprisingly--but now it's catching up with me. Since when have I been the cranky parent? And although I wake up a whole lot less groggy in the morning now, I'm ready for a nap in the afternoon. Still not sleeping through the night, though. And I was less than enthusiastic looking at my plate of meat for dinner tonight. It tasted fine, but when I'm tired like this I just want the convenience of a bowl of cereal.

It doesn't help that my husband and son aren't doing it with me, so they're eating crackers and cheese and popcorn and peanut butter sandwiches. So while I haven't fallen off the wagon yet, it's starting to get hard. Will you be my support group?

[AC03301]

I have a Whole 30 dilemma. I've been invited to a Christmas in April party next Saturday and am debating whether to go. One of the invitees is a woman in my group of friends who convinced some of my other friends that I was "crazy" and had food issues because I went on a 30 day elimination diet last summer (and discovered that I felt 100% better after eliminating soy). At one point, she told me that my gluten and lactose intolerances (diagnosed by a Doctor over 12 years ago) were all in my head and I am just not handling stress properly. Because of this, whenever I mention anything food related eg: paleo diet, whole30 etc... some of these friends get all thin lipped and weird with me. Needless to say I am not getting a lot of support with my life style change. This "friend" in question has her own food/drink issues including claiming to have a gluten intolerance while drinking copious amounts of beer and snacking on wheat thins. She is also a sometimes vegetarian...ie.vegetarian when it suits her. Plus I think she may have her own problems with binge drinking but I'm not sure if this is something I should bring up.

At this point I am waffling between going to the party and hoping that this woman doesn't call attention to what I am not eating and drinking or just not going. It is a pot luck, so my other choice would be to bring a Paleo dish that is so delicious that everybody is really impressed and no one notices that I am not eating/drinking the stuff that is not Whole 30 compliant. Or I could play the diabetic card which people tend not to question. Or I could get better friends. I am meeting 2 of the friends for drinks tonight (I am planning on soda water with lime) so I was debating whether to bring it up with them.

Sorry...I'm whining but if anyone has any suggestions or awesome Paleo potluck ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I just wouldn't go. On one hand, I'm stubborn and would think "There's no way in this world I'm going to let these people run me away from a good party" But then I would think "No. I don't even want to go if people are going to be ugly to me"...

I'd say just don't go. People who aren't supportive of your personal goals and decisions and immediately turn into a firing squad are just not good company to keep. Good luck!! And happy END of Day 6. WOOT! Made skewers today by the way. Chicken chunks, pineapple chunks, bell pepper pieces, and zucchini slices and red onion bits all thrown on the grill. SO GOOD. I didn't even need any seasoning.

[Ren Davis]

Today was just filled with drama. I caved in and had coffee with Splenda and half & half. I don't know if it was bad coffee or if my taste buds changed in 6 days but it was nasty. I had a little less than 1/2 cup before I decided that it wasn't worth it. A veggie omelet and a fruit cup took care of the hunger. Treated myself to a copy of Well Fed. Going to heat up left over soup and try to relax by watching a Shameless marathon. Tomorrow will be better.

Thanks for your input regarding a possible coconut oil allergy (not quoted here). I think I just don't want to be allergic so badly, but you're right that it's just best to stay away and not risk it. I have other healthy fats I can use instead. Sorry to hear you've had a less than calm day. It sounds like soup and comedy is a perfect feel-good solution. Hope tomorrow is better.

[Ren Davis]

I went to a market today and saw a booth selling Camelina Oil and the guy there gave me a bottle for free. It was very unexpected and generous! Since it looks like coconut oil is a no-go for me, I'll use the Camilina Oil to fry with since it has a high smoke point.

I also went to Whole Foods and purchased meat and eggs for the week. It was so exciting buying organ meats and dark meat!! I am a huge fan of chicken gizzards, hearts, and dark meat. After eating countless meals of boring chicken breast that was too dry half the time, I am so excited to eat this food! I also bought a bunch of veggies. So tomorrow is prep day.

I was unprepared with my food today, so ate out twice. I opted for Asian food both times since it is easy to get meat, oil, and veggies. What I should have opted out of was the noodles, for some dumb reason I thought they were rice noodles, but later looked online and they contain gluten. I'm sure the oil wasn't the best either. I suspect there will be a bit more of the live and learn to come, but I'll at least not beat myself up about it. I could have eaten much worse things in that situation. I just need to make sure I remain prepared in the future.

I'm exhausted today, and I think the food has a lot to do with it. After the market, I took a 3-hour nap, then shopped for a couple of hours, ate, and I'm ready for bed now, just 4 hours after my nap. Goodnight everyone.

[LydiaL]

Personally, I'd avoid it. I refuse to explain myself and would get pretty nasty with people who are paying attention to what I eat. It sounds like this person isn't really a friend to you. Why put yourself in an uncomfortable position?

Good point. Not sure why I should waste time with people who are jerks to me. I did get a few snide comments last night when I met a few of these girls for drinks (from someone other that the lady who started all of this nonsense), but it turns out that the host of the upcoming party has actually tried to do a Whole 30 before and "didn't make it" and is really impressed that I've made it this far. She also offered to send me a bunch of Paleo recipes. I'm still not 100% sold on the party but its nice to know I have at least 1 supporter.

[Kirsteen]

I was unprepared with my food today, so ate out twice. I opted for Asian food both times since it is easy to get meat, oil, and veggies. What I should have opted out of was the noodles, for some dumb reason I thought they were rice noodles, but later looked online and they contain gluten.

Hi, sorry you were glutened. Forgive me if I'm jumping in here but i'm a bit confused. Because all grains are out on a W30, even if they had been rice noodles they would have been equally non-compliant.

[Keianna]

I wanted to make a suggestion. Seems a lot of people are struggling because meals are getting boring and they haven't planned well for the day or week. I wanted to suggest getting the app from Nom Nom Paleo. She has a 30 day Whole30 menu, step by step photos and directions, a grocery list and the food is very very good. My husband and I had a great week of food, that was relatively easy to make and had enough for leftovers. I really feel like this is an eating planning that requires planning. I picked all the meals for the week, made the grocery list and then wrote all the meals on a whiteboard. I crossed off each meal as we made it. I picked up a new cookbook from the library, Practical Paleo, and will be making all our meals from there this week.

I figure if the food is varied, well seasoned and tasty, then I won't be focusing on what I can't have because I will be enjoying what I can have. It worked this week.

[Keianna]

Good point. Not sure why I should waste time with people who are jerks to me. I did get a few snide comments last night when I met a few of these girls for drinks (from someone other that the lady who started all of this nonsense), but it turns out that the host of the upcoming party has actually tried to do a Whole 30 before and "didn't make it" and is really impressed that I've made it this far. She also offered to send me a bunch of Paleo recipes. I'm still not 100% sold on the party but its nice to know I have at least 1 supporter.

Your food is your business. Find a recipe this week that you love and is tasty and bring it to the party. Say you are trying to cleanup your diet and make healthier choices and that you hope they will support you doing what is best for your body. And then move on. Don't feel the need to explain your decision to another person (who isn't your parent or spouse) and don't let the food police from you off from an engagement you want to attend. I hope you have peace with whatever you decide.

[LydiaL]

Your food is your business. Find a recipe this week that you love and is tasty and bring it to the party. Say you are trying to cleanup your diet and make healthier choices and that you hope they will support you doing what is best for your body. And then move on. Don't feel the need to explain your decision to another person (who isn't your parent or spouse) and don't let the food police from you off from an engagement you want to attend. I hope you have peace with whatever you decide.

I agree with this 100%. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that the people who are criticizing my lifestyle choices may have things that they are feeling bad about with regards to their lifestyle choices (ie: eating ice cream every night). I figure if I go and bring an awesome dish, I will have something awesome to eat. I may even share it if I feel so inclined.

[Ren Davis]

Hi, sorry you were glutened. Forgive me if I'm jumping in here but i'm a bit confused. Because all grains are out on a W30, even if they had been rice noodles they would have been equally non-compliant.

Thanks for the sympathy over my blunder. The comment regarding thinking they were rice noodles was not to say I thought they were on plan, just that I thought they didn't have gluten. I know I was "bad." I just thought I was being less bad with rice noodles.

[ShellPT]

Thank you everyone for your input on the wedding I attended yesterday. I was amazed at the food served, that was non-compliant. I did the best that I could and had grilled veggies and roasted beef. My stomach felt odd after eating it and makes me wonder if something about the meat was non-compliant. I drank water all night and completely avoided the dessert table. Luckily I did eat prior to attending so I wasn't starving.

I think I figured out why I was cranky and tired this week! I came down with a head cold yesterday. I am completely miserable today with a headache and stuffy nose. I usually take some over the counter decongestant and Zicam but looking at the ingredients, they don't seem to follow the program. I will have to search through the forum to see what the best options are for a cold. I have been drinking plenty of water and have bone broth made that I will have for lunch. Any other suggestions?

Heading into week 2! Congrats everyone!

[Kirsteen]

Thanks for the sympathy over my blunder. The comment regarding thinking they were rice noodles was not to say I thought they were on plan, just that I thought they didn't have gluten. I know I was "bad." I just thought I was being less bad with rice noodles.

Hi, I suppose gluten could be worse for some people if they're intolerant to it By the end of your W30, you'll be able to tell on reintroduction if this is the case with you. Of course all grains are totally out during a W30 so it's lucky you weren't too far into it, it's not too many days to have to add on

[Peanutgirl61]

Hi everyone - I'd like to jump in with you all. I started on the first also. So far haven't fell off the wagon but I've been really sick. (Not related to whole30 I have bronchitis, an ear infection and tested positive Friday for the flu - I know right? I am sure missing my traditional comfort foods! I saw somewhere on here someone mention an app for nom nom paleo that has a whole30 menu plan on it. Do any of you know about it - I could only find one app by them and the description doesn't say anything about the whole30 I hate to buy it and then not be able to use it right now. If you know anything about it I'd appreciate advice. Some thing I need to tweak is I think I'm being too liberal with fruit so I need to cut that back this week - might be why my carb cravings haven't really been too strong.

Glad I found you all have a great evening!

[JJB]

Hi everyone - I'd like to jump in with you all. I started on the first also. So far haven't fell off the wagon but I've been really sick. (Not related to whole30 I have bronchitis, an ear infection and tested positive Friday for the flu - I know right? I am sure missing my traditional comfort foods! I saw somewhere on here someone mention an app for nom nom paleo that has a whole30 menu plan on it. Do any of you know about it - I could only find one app by them and the description doesn't say anything about the whole30 I hate to buy it and then not be able to use it right now. If you know anything about it I'd appreciate advice. Some thing I need to tweak is I think I'm being too liberal with fruit so I need to cut that back this week - might be why my carb cravings haven't really been too strong.

Glad I found you all have a great evening!

Check out her website before you pay for anything (nomnompaleo.com). All of the recipes are available for free there. You still have to watch the ingredients because sometimes she uses cheese and maybe butter, but the recipes are mostly W30-compliant.

[Keianna]

The app has Paleo recipes and inside the app is a 30 day Whole30 menu. I tried 8 dishes this week and enjoyed them all. The app has recipes that aren't on her site and is nicely organized in categories with a shopping list. Sometimes I prefer convience over scouring the web.