Justin91 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Hello everyone, First I want to say, thank you all who have posted and shared your journeys here, you have been an inspiration as well as a valuable resource for our journey as well. I was getting SO much inspiration from everyone here, that I felt guilty that I have not interacted at least to show my appreciation. And once again, I thank you. I will share a little bit of my journey, hopefully not too much as to bore everyone. My wife heard about whole30 from one of her internet friends who claimed that this healthy lifestyle changed her life. I was reluctant at first, but we both agreed we needed to make a major change in our unhealthy lifestyle, and improve the quality of our lives, and for our 6 year old son. So, in the last weekend of March, we cleaned out our fridge and pantry, went shopping with a list based on the whole 30 guidelines and criteria, and On April 1st, our journey began. Since April 1st we have stuck to the program very religiously, and we are going to continue on with a very limited reintroduction after the 30. Some of our results thus far: 1. We have both lost Inches. Clothes fit better, and everyone is starting to notice (I am overweight and have a long way to go). 2. I no longer snore...this is a VERY big deal for us. My wife used to have to sleep on the couch in the living room, and sometimes It was so loud it would wake my son in his room on the other side of the house. Now we get to cuddle close! 3. I no longer have eczema. The patches I have had for years on my calf are now gone...totally gone. 4. My seasonal allergies are much better. I still have the sniffles every now and then, but my sinus headaches are much more infrequent AND less severe. 5. My blood sugar is stable. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year, and my blood sugar level very low compared to what it was. This keeps improving with time. 6. The first week and a half was rough on my energy levels, but this soon passed. My levels have increased tremendously. 7. I no longer have pimples and my skin seems so much healthier. On day 2 or 3, my face broke out (I always get a pimple or two a month), but once this minor break out cleared, my skin has been great. 8. I know we are not supposed to weigh ourselves...but I did here at work today. It has been a pretty significant loss. Keep in mind I have a lot to lose! I am sure I am forgetting some other benefits...Oh yeah, we are becoming a lot better cooks as well! There really has been no negatives. Has it been a challenge? YES! I used to fight over food. Before whole30, I do not remember the last time I ate because I was hungry. Now I am learning my body and when it needs to eat, as opposed to "hmmm, I think some no bake cookies would be good right now." I do take NOW enzymes and probiotics to help get things moving when they slowed down (although I have learned that a little bit of sour kraut goes a long way!) And once again, I thank everyone here, you have helped inspire us as well as pointed us in the right direction when we had questions...all of the answers were right here. Keep up the great work and I look forward to continuing our journey together, Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted April 28, 2013 Moderators Share Posted April 28, 2013 Congrats, and thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhenkin Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Congratulations and thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin91 Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Thanks for the welcome LadyM and lhenkin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlb111 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 terrific report It is so encouraging to hear not only how it is workng for you but also some of the struggles , like loss of energy at times I have been experiencing that today and yesterday and it seems like I have zippo appetitie and not quite sure what to do with that. Your sharing makes this all make more sense. Keep cooking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keianna Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 You have had an awesome journey. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowlove83 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 That is awesome! I look forward to starting next week and can't wait to feel all the benefits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin91 Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Yes jlb111, there was a lot of energy loss for myself, especially for the first week. And your welcome for the report! I realize though that I have left out a few important details after reflecting on what I wrote initially. I have to say, that this journey would be MOST difficult if my wife and I did not tackle this as a team. I painted a pretty positive picture with my first post, and all of this is true, but there were challenges. There were moments where common incidents would flare up some emotion, or we would be quick to nag or complain at each other...simply because we were adjusting. We understood that we might experience this, and realized WHEN it was happening, so we never did have any major meltdowns (although I think that my son was grounded a lot this past month...hmmmm). So, there is an adjustment period. And in some ways I still am adjusting, mostly in my digestive system. My wife did not have as hard a time adjusting as me. The hardest thing for her was giving up Starbucks and Pepsi, now she enjoys coffee with a little coconut milk. She has seen many improvements as well, but when it comes to her having difficulty, she has not mentioned any...however she is a lot tougher than I am I hate to admit. I think she is getting tired of hearing me talk about my BM's, or lack thereof (sorry about the TMI). Anyways it is a challenge no doubt, BUT, the positives have outweighed the negatives by far. I also have had moments with zero appetite. It was when I was eating a lot of salads...Did i mention i can not stand vinegar! I was eating a lot of salad greens with just a little fresh lemon juice and olive oil. So We started mixing things up a bit. Meals like Blackened tilapia pan fried in a bit of coconut oil and served with homemade olive oil tartar sauce served with grilled asparagus or broccoli; grilled chicken wings with grilled squash/mushrooms and tomatoes; or maybe a whole baked chicken served with carrots and a side salad. You will spend a lot of time in the kitchen and shopping. We have become very efficient in this area, we have had a lot of practice. But I need to say also, this experience has brought my wife and I closer together. Just realized I was rambling... Thanks for the welcome and let me know what is the solution for your loss of appetite. Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin91 Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Thank you keianna! Rainbowlove83 thanks! You are about to begin a great journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa1967 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Congrats on your success! How did your 6yo react (aside from the grounding)? What kinds of things did you include in his lunches? I have a 7yo and was telling him about it yesterday. He seemed to be on board with the idea, but the reality may be a little different. I did go into the stuff he couldn't have-mac and cheese, bread, brownies, but that it may help with his allergies and the "wheezies" which is his intermittent asthma. It's nice that you do this as a family. I'd like everyone to be on board, but I don't think my husband is too keen on the idea (no beer!). I gave up wheat for lent and I really noticed the difference when I reintroduced it-inflammation and heartburn during the first week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin91 Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Congrats on your success! How did your 6yo react (aside from the grounding)? What kinds of things did you include in his lunches? I have a 7yo and was telling him about it yesterday. He seemed to be on board with the idea, but the reality may be a little different. I did go into the stuff he couldn't have-mac and cheese, bread, brownies, but that it may help with his allergies and the "wheezies" which is his intermittent asthma. It's nice that you do this as a family. I'd like everyone to be on board, but I don't think my husband is too keen on the idea (no beer!). I gave up wheat for lent and I really noticed the difference when I reintroduced it-inflammation and heartburn during the first week. Thanks! we work on it as a family, but my son has brought some challenges with the whole 30 lifestyle. My wife are on the whole 30 very strictly. We have our son on a pseudo whole 30 (I know there is no such thing...). I guess we wanted to make sure this was going to be a successful lifestyle before we put our son on a total different eating habits, many of them he would hate (he is already a very picky eater). We are weening him off of a few things slowly. I am not too sure if how we are handling his situation is the right way or not, but we are taking it step by step. I have to say that ever since my son was born, my wife has done a great job of bringing in whole foods into our house. Fruits, veggies organic milk and she would buy organic whenever possible. Our son's typical breakfast would be a boiled egg and oatmeal or one or the other. He does not have a weight problem but could very easily slide there if we let him eat what he wants. He still will eat some grains for breakfast, and some milks. He eats some yogurt. And for lunch it will be a turkey sandwich or occasionally a peanut butter sandwich (as soon as the peanut butter is gone we are giving him almond butter). Now for supper, he will eat what we eat, no exceptions. We try to make some things he will like, but we also include something that he could not stand, BUT we make him eat just a little of what he does not like to consider his dinner "finished". For instance he could not stand sweet potatoes, but now he does not complain too much. Last night my wife attempted making whole 30 compliant baked chicken nuggets (his FAVORITE "normal" food), and a compliant sweet mustard dipping sauce, but it was a no go. The texture and flavor was just wrong. So I felt really sorry for forcing him to eat it when my wife and I were struggling to consume it ourselves. Dinner time can be a little stressful, but we are working at it. The transition as we are doing it with our son is going nicely, but slow. As for lunches I need to talk to my wife about specifics. I do know the first few months of school he was buying his lunch there and it turned out to be pizza 4 days a week!!!! Really healthy! One of the major problems I think we are going to have in the future, once we have our son with us 100%, is that at ANY family outings we go to there will be very few if not any compliant foods available. I am not going to avoid family functions or attempt to criticize everyone by bringing our own "brown bag" food. So this is going to be a challenge. How does everyone else handle these situations? How are you handling specific foods with your son now you are on the whole 30? My apologies for being so windy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.