SarahE Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hi, my name is Sarah and I started the Whole30 this past Monday, April 8th. It's hard in general and I'm tackling the extra emotional/psychological hurdle of eating meat for the first time in 17 years. I read the book, "It Starts with Food" and also have the cookbook, "Well Fed" by Melissa Joulwan. I highly recommend BOTH for newbies. Why? Because although all the information is on the Whole9 website, I found it super convenient to have it in one easy spot. I was a tad overwhelmed with information at first. And, I guess I'm a book person. Biggest lessons learned for me after three days? (1) Eating meat is NOT EASY for me (the texture and psychological aspects are powerful), (2) WOW, preparation is KEY to success (the first day I was exhausted from chopping, cleaning, storing, cooking, blanching, etc), and (3) it's amazing how much food you can eat when it's all "whole food". I've been having a hard time following the protein guidelines of the template because I am paranoid about eating so many eggs and eating meat is still slow going and traumatic at this point. BUT....I'm getting there and am determined to do it! Another reason why I like my two books because they are extremely helpful in guiding me quickly and clearly. Why am I eating meat too? I've read that it can improve my health and I want to see if it makes me feel better. There is sooo much information on the internet - for and against anything and everything. I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist. I decided I could spend my time reading, being overwhelmed and confused, OR I could see for myself by being my own test subject. I do have a blood disorder so I am doing this with "before and after" lab tests (and body measurements too, lol). Will be interesting! I'm happy and excited to have started this journey (and I'm secretly hoping my husband will join me.... no luck with that so far!). I'm off to find some other newbies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabel Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I was a vegetarian for about ten years and then ate very minimal amounts of meat for the next five years or so, so it's been a long process for me to get to where I actually enjoy a hunk of meat. Best of Luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted April 11, 2013 Moderators Share Posted April 11, 2013 Welcome Sarah. I never meant to learn much about food when I met Dallas and Melissa Hartwig in 2010. I adopted them as my subject matter experts regarding food and planned to just follow their lead. However, I wound up learning a lot anyway. It is funny how that can work. You may have already found the Whole9 primer for the meat challenged: http://whole9life.com/2013/02/eating-meat-a-primer-for-the-meat-challenged-2/ but I am offering the link to it just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hi Sarah, I'm in a similar situation. I don't like eating meat or too many eggs. I have read tons of books for and against everything and decided that I should be as open minded about trying this "meat diet" as my husband calls it as I was about trying the "lentil diet." So, I'm making a valiant effort to follow the template and, though I'm not yet seeing improvements in some of the areas I'd hoped, I am enjoying not being hungry all day and I'm hoping the rest will come. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily Chiu Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Guten tag und wilkommen Sarah! Good luck with the transition. I just started on April 8th as well but have been an omnivore all my life. If you're concerned about the cholesterol issue with the eggs, I just posted a link a few days ago to an article which debunks the myth that dietary cholesterol is linked to cholesterol levels in the body. Take a look-see at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dain-wallis/eggs-healthy-food_b_2968318.html. You're lucky being in Germany considering the strength of the bio-market and ability to get not-too-pricey produce and meats and such. With the sausage selection, is it easy to get items that are Whole30 compliant or are you not there yet? While the diet is quite restrictive, I don't find it an issue at all and have not been tempted with anything since the first day. With respect to the modern grocery store and restaurant scene, I find it difficult to eat out as I question all aspects of how the food is cooked. Therefore, I have been eating homecooked meals three times a day for the last 6 days. However as I gain experience of cooking simpler, tastier dishes, the prep and cooking time should shorten. An excellent way to learn faster prep and cooking techniques is from Jamie Oliver, whose 30-Minute Meals and 15-Minute Meals menus and shows (which can be found on YouTube) help. He shows how to use food processor for chopping. Some of his recipes might be Whole30 compliant or easily tweaked to be so. Would love to know your before and after results, especially since you're being medically tested. Viel Gluck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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