Kara's Summer of Whole30

[karacooks]

Day 3

Breakfast: apple, coffee with coconut cream

Snack: V8

Lunch: bell pepper wedges stuffed with chicken salad and topped with avocado

Snack: banana w/ almond butter

Dinner: grilled top sirloin steak; mixed green salad with tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado; homemade dressing of olive oil, garlic vinegar, and Penzey's Sunny Paris

Thoughts: Woke up headachey and tired. Kept up a low level headache thru the afternoon but felt better in the evening. Need to drink more water, esp on the weekends.

[karacooks]

Slept in a little later this morning and so had brunch, rather than breakfast. Eggs in avocado rings and a banana. That was around 11. It's 4:30 and I'm not the least little bit hungry, but I suppose I should have something instead of waiting for dinner at 7 or 8.

[karacooks]

Day 4

Brunch: 2 eggs in avocado circles fried in coconut oil, salsa, sliced tomatoes, small V8

Snack: banana w/ almond butter

Snack: grapes and cherries

Dinner: shrimp salad (boiled shrimp, mayo, mustard, celery, tomato) in bell pepper "boats", topped with avocado

Thoughts: Felt fine today - actually had a good bit of energy and got a lot done around the house. Didn't feel any rage issues but then again, I was alone all day, so there was no one to get on my nerves. Tomorrow I have to go to work, so we'll see if anyone pushes my buttons then.

[karacooks]

Still having a hard time sleeping. I can get to sleep just fine, but I can't stay asleep. I wind up tossing and turning and waking up periodically all night.

Also I have a bit of a scratchy throat and have been coughing up a lot of junk the last couple of days. I don't know if that's Whole30 related or if it's just from the miserable oppressive heat that has been ratcheting up the bad air quality. Could be some of each.

Other than the sleeplessness, the fatigue seems to be past, and I haven't wanted to kill anyone yet, so maybe I'll swim past that phase.

[GLC1968]

I started a few days earlier than you and got to my "I'm gonna kill everyone" phase yesterday (day 11). Go figure! My husband was grumpy the day before I was and he started the same day as me. Guess we are all individuals!

Your shrimp curry meal sounds delicious! I'm going to have to try that one this week. :-)

Keep up the good work!

[karacooks]

Hi! Thanks. I figure I may just be a little late on the Kill All The Things phase. Plus, today started that time of month, so maybe other hormones are in play right now.

Day 5

Breakfast: coffee, smoothie (banana, spinach, coconut milk, almond butter)

Lunch: chili, big salad with walnut oil, vinegar, avocado

Snack: rainier cherries

Dinner: top round stead in tomato sauce, sweet potato fritters

Thoughts: Woke up groggy but felt fine after some coffee. Had plenty of energy all day but crashed hard around 5:30. Cooked dinner, will probably go to bed early.

I loved the walnut oil on the salad today. It has a great flavor. I'll definitely be using more of that.

[karacooks]

Day 6

Breakfast: coffee

Lunch: eggs, leftover sweet potato fritter, roasted broccoli

Snack: peach, almond butter

Dinner: pan fried tilapia, sweet potato rounds, collard greens, salad with radishes

Snack: almond butter, apple

Day 7

Breakfast: coffee, smoothie (spinach, banana, almond butter, coconut milk, crushed ice)

Lunch: big salad with baby greens, cucumber, radish, avocado, walnut oil

Snack: rainier cherries

Dinner: salmon, artichoke, sweet potato rounds, onion, salad w/ radish, olive, and tomato

Some intensely serious thoughts over the last couple of days:

I'm very much struggling with hypocracy in the plan: I see people come down hard on convenience foods, but then in another thread talk about using organic baby food as an easy and fast way to get in nutrients w/out having forbidden foods.

I like the idea of a strict elimination diet, but I see a lot of food guilt around "slips" and "mistakes" that really bothers me. I see a lot of eating disordered type of thinking that is promoted. The idea that if you slip one time, you've totally failed at days or even weeks of eating is bothersome. I get the idea of a "perfect" Whole30, but people who already have guilt issues around food don't need to be told that a teeny tiny slip makes them utter and complete failures.

There's also a cult-like element overall with the paleo/primal/whole30 group and that bothers me a lot. A whole lot. I don't know how to reconcile the idea that I like an "elimination challenge" with the cult-like, guild ridden attitude of the Whole30 crowd.

To be honest, I don't know if I'll continue posting here or not. I'm really doing some serious rethinking tonight.

[karacooks]

Based on my post above, I won't be posting here any more. I have serious moral and philosophical issues with a group that promotes the amount of "food guilt" that this one does.

I am continuing my Whole30 because I do believe the idea of an elimination diet where you then slowly add things back in and see how your body reacts is a sensible plan, especially for people who are learning new ways of eating. I just won't be talking about it here. Anyone who is interested can follow my log here: http://anotherdietforum.com/forums/showthread.php?312-Whole30-Summer-2012

I wish everyone success on their Whole30s.

[Adagio]

Day 6

Breakfast: coffee

Lunch: eggs, leftover sweet potato fritter, roasted broccoli

Snack: peach, almond butter

Dinner: pan fried tilapia, sweet potato rounds, collard greens, salad with radishes

Snack: almond butter, apple

Day 7

Breakfast: coffee, smoothie (spinach, banana, almond butter, coconut milk, crushed ice)

Lunch: big salad with baby greens, cucumber, radish, avocado, walnut oil

Snack: rainier cherries

Dinner: salmon, artichoke, sweet potato rounds, onion, salad w/ radish, olive, and tomato

Some intensely serious thoughts over the last couple of days:

I'm very much struggling with hypocracy in the plan: I see people come down hard on convenience foods, but then in another thread talk about using organic baby food as an easy and fast way to get in nutrients w/out having forbidden foods.

I like the idea of a strict elimination diet, but I see a lot of food guilt around "slips" and "mistakes" that really bothers me. I see a lot of eating disordered type of thinking that is promoted. The idea that if you slip one time, you've totally failed at days or even weeks of eating is bothersome. I get the idea of a "perfect" Whole30, but people who already have guilt issues around food don't need to be told that a teeny tiny slip makes them utter and complete failures.

There's also a cult-like element overall with the paleo/primal/whole30 group and that bothers me a lot. A whole lot. I don't know how to reconcile the idea that I like an "elimination challenge" with the cult-like, guild ridden attitude of the Whole30 crowd.

To be honest, I don't know if I'll continue posting here or not. I'm really doing some serious rethinking tonight.

I thought long and hard whether to bother to reply to this post.

Then I went back and read the testimonials from people whose lives were changed by Whole30.

I am sorry that you feel the way you do. Here is my take on it:

1. The way I see convenience foods are that they are prepared/packaged foods that contain fillers, preservatives and not so nourishing things that people reach for to replace whole foods. It is a habit that all of us have. Going on Whole30 helps us to break this type of habit and think about eating whole foods in their original state.

2.To use your example: Although some posted here about baby food being a "convenience food", I don't see it the same as a powdered lemon/sugar packet. A jar of baby food contains pureed veggies or fruit. It's a whole food that's been pureed and put in a jar. There IS a difference between the two. I don't think anyone here who is serious about the Whole30 method eats baby food regularly, and if they do, they're not really following the plan.

There are many types of diet/eating plans out there that allow for "cheats" or "slips" - whatever you want to call them. I'd venture a guess that many people here doing Whole30 have been on those diets before. Whole30 has been successful for many because it is not like a weight-loss diet. It is a strict elimination diet. Strict elimination diets are just that. You MUST eliminate certain foods 100% for it to work. This type of diet is not for everyone, and the timing of it has to be right. If folks have guilt issues about food and cannot handle doing an elimination diet, then perhaps it is not the right time for them to try it. All elimination diets are extremely strict.

I've been around the Paleo/Primal online community for a long time. Yes, there are some folks who are over-the-top enthusiastic about it, but I really do not see this on Whole30.

Melissa and Dallas have developed a method and written a book in which they hope will help people regain vibrant health. That's why the book is entitled, "It Starts With Food." Their method works for many people. Because Whole30 is based on grain/sugar/legume/dairy free eating that WORKS for many people, does not mean the people who believe in this way of eating are fanatics. Rather, MANY OF THEM GET SICK when they eat grains, sugars, etc. They cannot "cheat!" If you'd like to call that fanatical, then that is your choice.

You mentioned a couple of times in your posts that you think that Paleo eating is a fad. Perhaps for you it is, but for the thousands of people who have been sick for years and are finally starting to feel better, and perhaps finally lose weight if they want/need, it is a for-life change and choice, and has nothing to do with fads.

Edit: So sorry to rehash this. I just now saw the mods posts on another forum about ending the conversation. It will not happen again.

[kayell]

Kara, are you sure you haven't just hit the Kill All The Things phase? Might be worth taking a few days and then reconsider.

I won't say anything else on the issues above.

[karacooks]

Nope. No phase. I'm done.

You're welcome to join me on my supportive forum where there is no hypocrisy.The mods here are hypocrites and encourage disordered eating and disordered thinking about food.

I'm done here.