Author Topic: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?  (Read 427579 times)

BCpuppy

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1950 on: February 05, 2017, 03:46:45 PM »
Day5
I'm doing a whole 30 to see if it helps my alopecia since nothing else has really helped.  I may do the AIP whole 30 after the first 30 days if i don't see any improvement; but man, i thought the normal whole 30 was strict?! AIP blows it out of the water!

Just curious...

Has anyone on this thread gone the no-egg no-nightshade route?
Yup.  My GF and I did a full run of AIP paleo with a very gradual reintroduction.  Eggs and nightshades in particular weren't issues for us.  Just mainly milk for her, and almonds and wheat for me.
What did you eat on the AIP?  I look at the suggested diets and they seem a little ridiculous!

Does anyone else feel ridiculously tired when they are starting?  I've been sleeping at least 9hrs at night since day 1 and all I want to do today is take a nap...  I haven't worked out in three days!


Helmet

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1951 on: February 05, 2017, 04:14:49 PM »
Does anyone else feel ridiculously tired when they are starting?  I've been sleeping at least 9hrs at night since day 1 and all I want to do today is take a nap...  I haven't worked out in three days!

I bookmarked this link from somewhere back in the thread, I don't want to comb through 40 pages to figure out who posted it (but thanks!). It sounds like you're right on track based on the timeline:

http://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

In my first round of Whole 30 I was lifting and running regularly 4-5x per week and found I had to up my carb intake to beat the fatigue. If you exercise regularly and the fatigue doesn't pass you may want to examine that.

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1952 on: February 05, 2017, 06:23:49 PM »
One of the things I'm hoping will get better is my fatigue. Should be fun!

I'm still eating down the non-compliant stuff. I should be thoroughly sick of pasta by March 1st.

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1953 on: February 05, 2017, 10:03:26 PM »
What did you eat on the AIP?  I look at the suggested diets and they seem a little ridiculous!
I don't know what sort of "suggested diets" you're looking at, but AIP isn't too difficult.  The main issue with it is that you absolutely definitely need to make 100% of everything from scratch with zero chance for fuckup.  It gives you slightly more leeway than Whole30 in the sugar department as it does allow very small amounts (<1tsp/day of honey/maple syrup/etc).  Eggs and black pepper are by far the most limiting eliminations.  There are a bunch of AIP recipes out there, and barring that, plenty of paleo-type recipes that are AIP compliant or very close to it with minor modifications.  Also, no butter so make sure you have a good source of tallow and/or lard.

Some things we ate on AIP:
http://enjoyingthisjourney.com/aip-beef-tacos/ (this is pretty much the best thing I've ever eaten)
http://autoimmunewellness.com/hawaiian-salmon/
http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/autoimmune-paleo-orange-teriyaki-meatballs/
http://www.grazedandenthused.com/single-post/2016/03/21/Instant-Pot-Maple-Tamarind-Ribs-PaleoAIP
http://www.grazedandenthused.com/single-post/2016/09/26/20-minute-Turkey-Gravy-PaleoAIPWhole30
http://cleaneatingveggiegirl.com/2016/01/12/aip-paleo-avocado-turmeric-chicken-salad/
http://autoimmunewellness.com/oven-roasted-rainbow-carrots-with-orange-glaze/
http://enjoyingthisjourney.com/aip-greek-salad/
http://www.grazedandenthused.com/single-post/2014/08/04/PeachGlazed-Mini-Meatloaves-AIP-Friendly
http://eatbeautiful.net/2015/11/08/lemon-ginger-salmon-paleo-gaps-aip/
http://autoimmunewellness.com/bistro-chicken-salad-garlic-thyme-vinaigrette/

Plus simple stuff like baked bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (lemon, salt, and garlic), lazy steam-in-the-bag vegetables, fruit snacks (as in fruit-as-a-snack, not actual fruit snacks), meatloaf (no breadcrumbs or eggs), simple salads with just romaine, chicken breast, and basic homemade dressing, baked sweet potato fries, coconut milk smoothies, etc.

monkeymind

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1954 on: February 07, 2017, 06:39:18 PM »
Checking in. I'm 1 week post.  I've reintroduced milk (I may or may not be sensitive, the jury's still out) and, this weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed a non-compliant German dinner of schnitzel and spaetzle. No immediate side effects but I was a little tired and I had a 2 day long headache.  I'm just not sure if that was due to the food or circumstances.  Totally worth it!  What I didn't do is drink beer or eat a cream puff the size of my head. 

I'm feeling so much better sticking with whole foods that I'm actually finding it a little hard to be willing to try other things.  It's just easier not to.  This is not the problem I was expecting to have.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1955 on: February 07, 2017, 08:04:23 PM »
I'm feeling so much better sticking with whole foods that I'm actually finding it a little hard to be willing to try other things.  It's just easier not to.  This is not the problem I was expecting to have.

That can happen :) Eating whole, good foods can definitely make you not want to go back, which is a good thing, but still a good idea to continue with the reintro :)

Yesterday was "fail" day - we met up with family for bowling, and I didn't bring snacks. Ended up eating a bag of pretzels (wheat!) from a vending machine. We went to Applebee's, and I ordered salmon, broccoli and fries "with no dairy." The broccoli was delicious... I can't help but think they put butter on them (and I must have denied it while eating them...) I also realized this morning that the beef jerky I've been happily chowing on is made with soy sauce (wheat!) so I'm going to have to find some new things to eat.

Just got to get back on the horse, Neo! How are you doing today?

Today is day 30 for us, we celebrated with steak, roasted cauliflower and roasted squash, sooo good!

We don't really have any plans to do a reintro (yeah I know, despite I keep telling everyone to!) But we already have the data. I imagine tomorrow will be very much like today. Am looking forward to having some popcorn on the weekend though :)

How is everyone doing? What are your successes and challenges?

BCpuppy

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1956 on: February 08, 2017, 06:25:05 AM »
What did you eat on the AIP?  I look at the suggested diets and they seem a little ridiculous!
I don't know what sort of "suggested diets" you're looking at, but AIP isn't too difficult.  The main issue with it is that you absolutely definitely need to make 100% of everything from scratch with zero chance for fuckup.  It gives you slightly more leeway than Whole30 in the sugar department as it does allow very small amounts (<1tsp/day of honey/maple syrup/etc).  Eggs and black pepper are by far the most limiting eliminations.  There are a bunch of AIP recipes out there, and barring that, plenty of paleo-type recipes that are AIP compliant or very close to it with minor modifications.  Also, no butter so make sure you have a good source of tallow and/or lard.


Some things we ate on AIP:
http://enjoyingthisjourney.com/aip-beef-tacos/ (this is pretty much the best thing I've ever eaten)
http://autoimmunewellness.com/hawaiian-salmon/
http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/autoimmune-paleo-orange-teriyaki-meatballs/
http://www.grazedandenthused.com/single-post/2016/03/21/Instant-Pot-Maple-Tamarind-Ribs-PaleoAIP
http://www.grazedandenthused.com/single-post/2016/09/26/20-minute-Turkey-Gravy-PaleoAIPWhole30
http://cleaneatingveggiegirl.com/2016/01/12/aip-paleo-avocado-turmeric-chicken-salad/
http://autoimmunewellness.com/oven-roasted-rainbow-carrots-with-orange-glaze/
http://enjoyingthisjourney.com/aip-greek-salad/
http://www.grazedandenthused.com/single-post/2014/08/04/PeachGlazed-Mini-Meatloaves-AIP-Friendly
http://eatbeautiful.net/2015/11/08/lemon-ginger-salmon-paleo-gaps-aip/
http://autoimmunewellness.com/bistro-chicken-salad-garlic-thyme-vinaigrette/

Plus simple stuff like baked bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (lemon, salt, and garlic), lazy steam-in-the-bag vegetables, fruit snacks (as in fruit-as-a-snack, not actual fruit snacks), meatloaf (no breadcrumbs or eggs), simple salads with just romaine, chicken breast, and basic homemade dressing, baked sweet potato fries, coconut milk smoothies, etc.


Thank you so much!
I borrowed "Practical Paleo" from a friend.  In the book, they discuss AIP and have suggested meal plans. I think I was having a temper tantrum with myself. "I don't want to up eggs and spicy foods when I've already have no sugar, wine, bread...".
This first week on the whole 30 really hasn't been bad at all which makes the AIP seem much more realistic for me.

Landlady

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1957 on: February 08, 2017, 02:00:42 PM »
Ahhhh dairy. I missed it and I'm seeing no negative affects so far back on it. Beans were another story, but don't we all get a little GI action with those?

I've reintroduced almost everything at this point, albeit a bit faster than I was hoping. A weekend vacation expedited me into grains territory and dairy at the same time. But now I've stopped grains again and kept dairy up which gives me some data. The single biggest surprise was when I shared a chocolate sundae with my family. About 40 minutes later I was pissy for no good reason and it led to a small fight with my husband. It's not really a treat if it makes you feel bad is it?

I'm giving keto a try now to see where that takes me since I have found that I enjoy high fat foods and I feel more full.

I experienced a small skin break out after my weekend of overindulgence which makes me want to blame it on either grains or my blood sugar bouncing around. I think another month would help me pin this down.

But for now, while I have no vacations or temptations coming up, I'm cutting carbs and going high fat. Whole30 really was an amazing reset.

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1958 on: February 09, 2017, 07:34:16 AM »
Here's my menu for the first two weeks:

Week 1:
Breakfasts:
Steak
Squash soup
Snacks:
Nuts
Fruit
Lunches:
Avocado tuna salad
Chicken avocado salad (greens, jicama, carrots, olives, apples, etc.)
Dinners:
Chicken tangine with stir-fried greens
Oven-baked cod with spring vegetables

Week 2:
Breakfasts:
Stir-fry
Turnip and sweet potato hash
Snacks:
Fruits, veggies, and almond butter
Lunch:
Avocado tuna salad
Salad with chicken and/or salmon
Dinner:
Lemon salmon, salad side
Pot roast -- haven't decided on side. Possibly mashed turnips.

I generally have a variety of two things for each meal/week so I don't have to eat the same thing two days in a row but I also don't have to buy a ton of different ingredients.

If I need a dessert, I can have a fruit smoothie or a frozen banana or something similar.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1959 on: February 09, 2017, 08:41:03 AM »

I'm giving keto a try now to see where that takes me since I have found that I enjoy high fat foods and I feel more full.

You are quite lucky to not have any adverse reactions to dairy, if I could handle it, I'd have gone full keto a long time ago. I think someone was doing Keto without dairy, but I would find it way too restrictive.

Mezzie - Looks like a good plan! I will say though:


If I need a dessert, I can have a fruit smoothie or a frozen banana or something similar.


Part of the idea is to break cravings and habits, and (Whole 30 police here) they don't want you "drinking" your food.  Just figure I should mention it because lots of bloggers and people who do whole 30 tend to include smoothies, that's got to be a choice you are going to make or not.

Dinner last night was pretty simple, sausages with roasted cauliflower, squash and cabbage. Definitely starting to be a challenge with finding edible looking greens in the store right now, I'm over winter. This morning I got up and took my damn Vitamin D (I swear if I was on a medication I'd have to take every day or I'd die, I'd last a week!)

Oh on that note - take a look at any vitamins and supplements to make sure they are compliant!

Landlady

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1960 on: February 09, 2017, 10:24:25 AM »

If I need a dessert, I can have a fruit smoothie or a frozen banana or something similar.


Your menu looks amazing! I too made smoothies the first 3 weeks as a dessert substitute. It took me that long to truly kick the craving for something after dinner. What got me over the hump was eating dinner leftovers when I felt that craving. It was a little weird feeling at first to essentially have a second, smaller dinner, but it worked for me. Now I don't crave a dessert, I crave dinner leftovers or a spoonful of cashew butter.

In a non-mustachian moment I ordered lard, tallow and duck fat online yesterday so I can experiment with different healthy fats in my cooking. It's pricey, but everything is pasture raised from this supplier: http://fatworksfoods.com/

In other news, I busted my ACL on the ski slopes over the weekend. Yet one more reason to gain control over inflammation and work on building strength in my legs and glutes. Sigh. Getting old is tough on soft tissue.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1961 on: February 09, 2017, 10:37:00 AM »

In other news, I busted my ACL on the ski slopes over the weekend. Yet one more reason to gain control over inflammation and work on building strength in my legs and glutes. Sigh. Getting old is tough on soft tissue.

aww bummer :( Hope you are not out for too long!

Duck fat is all sorts of amazing! Occasionally frozen ducks go on sale here, and I always stock up because the amount of just fat I can get off one bird works out to about 1/4 of the cost of buying just the fat - and all the meat and stock I get from it is an extra bonus :)

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1962 on: February 09, 2017, 02:16:46 PM »
I only have dessert cravings during PMS, and not every month, but they're rather intense when I do get them. I figure it's best to be prepared with something satisfying that fits. I did read the no-dessert thing in the book (and what seemed to be a rather vitriolic rant against banana pancakes :p), but if I'm doing this to find out if I can live with less pain, I see no reason to torture myself the one or two days during this experiment that I may actually feel unsatisfied.

I wouldn't be able to have much of a smoothie anyway as I am sensitive to coconut milk and hate almond milk. We're talking 4-6oz tops.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1963 on: February 09, 2017, 02:42:14 PM »
It'll be interesting to see how this eating style affects cravings and hormonal goings on for you.

It's hard to get that data after only a month, but I know for certain even small amounts of sugar have a HUGE impact on mine. I use to be the lose three full days a month curled up in a ball type of pain, huge (suicidal) mood swings. Not sure if it is the lack of sugar for those things or just getting more nutrients in general, but these days I get barely any pain or mood dips - but if I have an increase in sugar and they all come back.

BCpuppy

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1964 on: February 11, 2017, 08:30:05 AM »
So today is day 11. The last several days I've been feeling great; exhaustion is gone, back to working out regularly.  My skin for once looks amazing.  Ppl that don't know I am on the whole 30 have been complimenting my skin.  I have been feeling soooo great that I made the mistake of stepping on the scale today.... I HAVE GAINED 2 LBS!!!
What am I doing wrong??

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1965 on: February 11, 2017, 09:11:38 AM »
I doubt you're doing anything wrong. You mentioned getting back into working out regularly. If I take even a week off, I can gain up to 2-4 pounds just in water retention when I start working out again. (I enjoy it because it looks like my muscles got bigger even though it's 100% water retention.) I also fluctuate +/-2 pounds over the course of a month and about 6 pounds over the course of a day depending on what I have for dinner. Two pounds at a random check doesn't really tell you anything.

Focus on the fact that you're feeling great. :)

monkeymind

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1966 on: February 12, 2017, 07:31:31 PM »
I'm almost two weeks into reintroduction and I've definitively determined that I am sensitive to milk.  I seem to do OK with cheese but plain old fresh milk does not agree with me.  I'm going to try yogurt tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.

I made garlicky sauteed beet greens with roasted beets and balsamic vinegar (and I added some goat cheese since I'm reintroducing cheeses).  Delicious!  That was dinner.  At the end of this week I'll be throwing caution to the wind and testing out wheat and gluten with homemade pizza for a special occasion meal, but I'll be right back on the horse after that.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1967 on: February 13, 2017, 08:48:03 AM »
Day 19. Bathroom woes continue. This was actually one of the worst nights (gas, bloating, etc). Worried that EGGS are my problem, as they've been a constant (every day breakfast) throughout, and yesterday I had 2 hard-boiled eggs at lunch. I thought maybe coconut oil, but I actually had very little yesterday.

I just responded in your other thread that it might be the coconut oil...why don't you try a couple of days without eggs?

This is a good breakfast I have been making: http://www.paleostateofmindblog.com/blog/grain-free-oatmeal I've been doing ti with sauteed apples and raisins. Super yum.

I'm almost two weeks into reintroduction and I've definitively determined that I am sensitive to milk.  I seem to do OK with cheese but plain old fresh milk does not agree with me.  I'm going to try yogurt tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.

I made garlicky sauteed beet greens with roasted beets and balsamic vinegar (and I added some goat cheese since I'm reintroducing cheeses).  Delicious!  That was dinner.  At the end of this week I'll be throwing caution to the wind and testing out wheat and gluten with homemade pizza for a special occasion meal, but I'll be right back on the horse after that.

Crappy about the milk, it seems to be a bad one for so many :( But if you can tolerate cheese well,t hat would be AWESOME, your beets sound delish!

I doubt you're doing anything wrong. You mentioned getting back into working out regularly. If I take even a week off, I can gain up to 2-4 pounds just in water retention when I start working out again. (I enjoy it because it looks like my muscles got bigger even though it's 100% water retention.) I also fluctuate +/-2 pounds over the course of a month and about 6 pounds over the course of a day depending on what I have for dinner. Two pounds at a random check doesn't really tell you anything.

Focus on the fact that you're feeling great. :)

+1 to all of this :) One of the reasons you are not supposed to weigh yourself during whole 30. Weight can fluctuate wildly, especially if you are detoxing. Much better to go with non-scale measurements to keep on track.

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1968 on: February 13, 2017, 09:33:49 AM »
I'm almost done with all the GF pasta, nearly done with the butter and soy milk, and I just put some beans in the crockpot. This grocery trip I'm only buying compliant items with the exception of eggs (one month without them will be long enough). I'm going out to breakfast with my husband on a rare morning we're both off (thank you, Lincoln); I've decided not to hold back when he wants to eat out this month since there will be two months of saying no.

I've frozen some emergency compliant foods for quick emergency meals: chicken, broth, etc. I'll continue doing that so I'm not stuck.

I think my GF flours should keep for the reintroduction phase, so I'm not eating those down. I'm just going to put them way in the back of the pantry.

Just over half a month to go. I want to make my Week 3 & 4 menus and shopping lists for each week before the start day.

It's warming up, so I'll mostly want to eat fruits and veggies anyway.

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1969 on: February 13, 2017, 07:52:29 PM »
Dropping in. DH and I, but not the kids, are going to take a stab at this starting Feb 14. We have one more day of non-compliant lunches that we want to eat up first. We've never done this before but we have dialed back sugar and caffeine consumption recently.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1970 on: February 13, 2017, 08:07:20 PM »
Dropping in. DH and I, but not the kids, are going to take a stab at this starting Feb 14. We have one more day of non-compliant lunches that we want to eat up first. We've never done this before but we have dialed back sugar and caffeine consumption recently.

Welcome, Mongoose! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you!

monkeymind

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1971 on: February 14, 2017, 05:15:57 AM »
Landlady, I'm wishing you a speedy recovery.

Mezzie, I'm so impressed with your preparation and organization. I was nowhere near as ready as you'll be.

Neo, I hope you quickly find the offender and get back to normal. Kudos for sticking with it even through these challenges.

swick, thank you for your constant presence, encouragement, and advice for everyone on this thread. You're much appreciated.

Mongoose, welcome! You can do this and, once you have, I'm sure you'll be so glad you did.

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1972 on: February 14, 2017, 07:38:51 AM »
Dropping in. DH and I, but not the kids, are going to take a stab at this starting Feb 14. We have one more day of non-compliant lunches that we want to eat up first. We've never done this before but we have dialed back sugar and caffeine consumption recently.

Welcome, Mongoose! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support you!

I meant Feb 15. This feels like a looming cliff. Chocolate and I have a very dysfunctional relationship. I don't even like the taste...ugh. Tomorrow...

We're still pretty budget restricted so I foresee lots of less expensive vegetables, omelets, and homemade soups. That is my biggest concern...grocery spending can't rise. Oh, and I can't do coconut oil as I have a weird reaction to it.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1973 on: February 14, 2017, 10:37:30 AM »

I meant Feb 15. This feels like a looming cliff. Chocolate and I have a very dysfunctional relationship. I don't even like the taste...ugh. Tomorrow...

We're still pretty budget restricted so I foresee lots of less expensive vegetables, omelets, and homemade soups. That is my biggest concern...grocery spending can't rise. Oh, and I can't do coconut oil as I have a weird reaction to it.

This had me concerned when I read it in the UFF thread. Overall, if you eat this style longer term, the prices even themselves out as you learn what you do and don't like, where you can source ingredients and such, and the money saved because you tend to eat out less, also, I have spent WAYWAYWAY less on medical stuff, and I'm in Canada. Unfortunately, those savings aren't immediate, even if they are lasting.

But if you are on a really tight budget, it can get tricky.  Larger sizes of meat are your friend, doing a whole chicken at a time, a big pork roast Nomnom Paleo's Kahlua pork is a favorite, and I never bother using the bacon.

I don't know where you live, but checking out liquidation stores for veggies can net some good deals. Tami gets all her organic fruits and veggies for pennies at a liquidation place because they may be imperfect or only good for a day or two longer. We don't have anything like that around here and I get so jealous seeing her hauls :)

We tend to bulk up a lot with sweet potatoes as they are filling and fairly cheap. Eating "in season" still helps a lot. Also being adaptable with the recipes you are making. 

Everyone! Time to share your tips! How do you keep eating costs down while doing whole 30??

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1974 on: February 14, 2017, 10:48:03 AM »
Ah yes. The ugly food section. I have that in every grocery store, and it's only bit me in the ass once. I always try new things, and the Asian Market in my area had bittermelon in the ugly food section. Um, it turns out those things are disgusting...and surprisingly bitter. :)

And using squash type thing as a base is a great way of making food go longer. We use baked Mexican Squash (and plantains sometimes too) put through a food processor to thicken up curries. It makes it go a lot farther, and then you don't need stuff like rice to bulk it up.

Oh, and Baba Ganoush for eggplants (which were in the ugly food section last week! 2lbs/$1 of Philippine Eggplant).

ketchup

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1975 on: February 14, 2017, 11:07:16 AM »
Everyone! Time to share your tips! How do you keep eating costs down while doing whole 30??
Cheap meats, cheap produce, cheap cooking fats, cheap spices.  Minimize anything else.  Minimize or don't buy any specialized fancy stuff (almond flour, cashew butter, etc.)

Cheap meats come from picking out what tends to be cheaper (bone-in chicken thighs, ground pork, beef liver, etc.), and adapting with/stocking up during sales.  For chicken, go skin-on, bone-in.  It tastes better, and you get a lot more calories for your dollar.

Cheap produce comes from the same mindset, but also shopping in-season and remaining adaptable.  Make cheaper vegetables more often.  Eat lots of cabbage, onions, and carrots.  Only buy berries and the like when they are cheap (that usually means they're more fresh, too).  Buy the greens in heads or bunches and cut it up yourself (those pre-cut/pre-washed salad mixes are usually rather silly when you run the numbers).  Be more selective about fruit in general; fruit is expensive.  Blackberries might be on sale for $0.99 with the raspberries right next to them for $4.99 (witnessed this yesterday).

Cheap cooking fats come from buying in bulk and sourcing correctly.  If you can find a source of local beef suet or pork back fat, you can render your own tallow or lard really easily and super cheap (like 20% the cost of buying it).  Olive oil and coconut oil are stupid cheap at Costco.

Cheap spices come mostly from buying in bulk.  Figure out what you use the most of and find those in bulk.

BCpuppy

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1976 on: February 14, 2017, 12:30:50 PM »
I doubt you're doing anything wrong. You mentioned getting back into working out regularly. If I take even a week off, I can gain up to 2-4 pounds just in water retention when I start working out again. (I enjoy it because it looks like my muscles got bigger even though it's 100% water retention.) I also fluctuate +/-2 pounds over the course of a month and about 6 pounds over the course of a day depending on what I have for dinner. Two pounds at a random check doesn't really tell you anything.

Focus on the fact that you're feeling great. :)

Thanks! Makes me feel better:)
 I'm supposed to be weighing myself weekly as part of a research study but I might skip this weekend.... it was just so demoralizing! Focusing on how great my skin looks and how I feel. *Focus focus*

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1977 on: February 14, 2017, 03:43:56 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions. We might not do the "official" thing as I understand it and eat until full and end up restricting portions if we have to. We have double the grocery budget that we did a little over a year ago so this feels extravagant to us....except we are already 100% gluten free and my kiddos have appetites (and not even close to being teenagers.....AACK!). We can get inexpensive olive oil and that is what we cook with already.

I feel fairly confident that we can get in a lot of eggs (we only by local, pastured due to intolerance to bulk processed/stored eggs). And I'm not going to try to go with grass-fed or pastured meats this time around. Those are very pricey around here. But we have good sources of relatively inexpensive meats plus a fully stocked meat freezer. I get queasy if I eat very much meat or eggs at once though. Not sure what's up with that. And we looooovvveeee veggies! I seriously just adore steamed, stir-fried, and baked veggies. Hopefully the desire for those will last the whole month.

We haven't been spending any on medical so (un)fortunately, no savings there...but an improved diet should save over the long term. And we rarely eat out either. We'll get it figured out though.

Thanks again...tomorrow is Day 1 (cringes at the thought of no chocolate).

horsepoor

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1978 on: February 14, 2017, 04:53:55 PM »
Luckily potatoes are W30 approved now.

A baked potato topped with a meat sauce can be a pretty nice dinner. Make it a "taco" potato with ground beef and salsa, etc.

Cabbage is cheap this time of year, and very versatile. I like to simply roast it on a sheet pan with oil, salt and pepper.

Roast large amounts of veggies at a time to save on electricity as well.

Use more cooking fat than usual to increase calories in your veggie dishes.  Capture fat from meat to use for other cooking - example, put veggies under a chicken in the oven so they capture the drippings.

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1979 on: February 14, 2017, 07:03:06 PM »
Ah yes. The ugly food section. I have that in every grocery store, and it's only bit me in the ass once. I always try new things, and the Asian Market in my area had bittermelon in the ugly food section. Um, it turns out those things are disgusting...and surprisingly bitter. :)

And using squash type thing as a base is a great way of making food go longer. We use baked Mexican Squash (and plantains sometimes too) put through a food processor to thicken up curries. It makes it go a lot farther, and then you don't need stuff like rice to bulk it up.

Oh, and Baba Ganoush for eggplants (which were in the ugly food section last week! 2lbs/$1 of Philippine Eggplant).

I LOVE bittermelon, but you do need to know how to prepare it. Bittermelon soup is my go-to comfort soup. Sooooo good!

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1980 on: February 15, 2017, 10:23:12 AM »
Ooooo! They added potatoes? My month is looking up. Potatoes are cheap and easy. Thanks!

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1981 on: February 15, 2017, 08:45:19 PM »
Day 1: as usual when I try to do something for myself, everything else seems to explode. I got "breakfast" of eggs and sweet potatoes at 1:30 pm and dinner of chicken and vegetables at 9 pm. I hope this won't be a trend for the next 4 weeks. I did manager to get some groceries, mainly more vegetables. Hopefully I'll have time soon to cook up a batch.

I read wanna chocolate at a beer...long, hard day, but I'm persisting (yeah...woohoo...1/30 of the way?),

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1982 on: February 17, 2017, 05:36:22 AM »
Day 2 was awful. Headache, starving...staggering along. I'm pretty sure that the kids gave me their cold/flu.. Hopefully this will improve.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1983 on: February 17, 2017, 08:48:40 AM »
Day 2 was awful. Headache, starving...staggering along. I'm pretty sure that the kids gave me their cold/flu.. Hopefully this will improve.

You can do it, Mongoose! The first couple of days are the hardest, especially if you have sickies in the house. Power through, you got this! And come complain as much as you like here, we've all been through it :)

Last night, I asked my wife what to do with a can of coconut milk. She said "Make hot cocoa!" Heated it up, added vanilla and cocoa. Yummmm! This morning, I repeated the process, but added the concoction to the "oatmeal" swick suggested. Yummmm!

Chocolate nope-meal would probabaly be pretty tasty! I have no problem (personally) using cocoa as long as it doesn't create cravings. I think (technical Whole 30 Police) would say it might be bad to have it hot chocolate style if it feeds into your cravings or regular habits you may be trying to break. When I'm not on an actual round, we do have "Healthy Hot chocolate" at our house which is pretty much the same - once your taste buds adapt you don't miss or need the sugar in it.

Another use for a can of coconut milk is a quick Thai curry. Most Thai curry pastes are compliant (double check) It lasts FOREVER in the fridge. Melt a little coconut oil, add a dollop of curry paste, let it sizzle, add any protein you like, add veggies (and blend of fresh or roasted will do. I'm partial to a roasted eggplant and beef curry), stir in a can of coconut milk. Serve over caulirice, zoodles, spaghetti squash, other veggies, noodles, roasted sweet potatoes....

We always have stuff on hand to make this, and it helps use up whatever odds and ends happen to need using up. It's super quick too so good on those nights where you just can't handle the thought of something complicated.

Updates: Didn't really do a reintro (I don't know how many whole 30's I've done the last year and a half, so know how stuff affects me) Had some beans on my taco salad last night, otherwise still pretty much sticking on plan.

I'm sitting about 137, down from 142 when I started this round. So 85 lbs lost in total and about 2 more to get to my goal weight which is in the middle of a healthy BMI for my height. I think I'm at the point where if I want to drop any more weight, I'm going to have to up my exercise (which has been non-existent this winter, other than daily walks with the pups)  The bright side is with my weight finally starting to stabilize I can hit the thrift and find some clothes!

SAD is hitting me HARD this year, so trying to find some ways of dealing with that, Vitamin D and getting the light that I can. Mix that with a severe need to wander, if I disappear, I went someplace warm :D

How is everyone doing? Updates? Wins? Challenges?


swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1984 on: February 17, 2017, 09:35:16 AM »
Cocoa is from a legume. I verified that coffee "beans" are actually fruit seeds, whew :) So on that count, I imagine it's already not recommended. Of course, I don't really have a "hot cocoa" bad habit, but I want one. The only really bad habit I can point to pre-whole30 was eating 23 bowls of cereal between dinner and bedtime :) So that's a big change already. I usually do have some berries and maybe dried fruit as "dessert" after dinner, but I'm usually quite satiated.

I have not weighed myself in months, but I think I was around 215-217 before starting Whole30. Looking in the mirror, I would guess I'm in the 210 range now.

The Hartwig's take on cocoa: http://whole30.com/2013/12/great-cocoa-debate/

23 bowls of cereal?? Please say it wasn't sugar-sweetened...I think that change alone would make for some HUGE least benefits!

What have you been doing in the evenings when you would be eating cereal?

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1985 on: February 17, 2017, 09:51:05 AM »
Hopefully it's clear that behind sarcasm, my second language is exaggeration! Usually ~1 bowl. Anything up to and including Lucky Charms...

I'm a reformed cereal junkie, so 23 bowls is ALMOST believable for me ;) And I know people who will eat cereal for every meal if it is in the house. 

Cool that you have found something to do in the evenings!

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1986 on: February 18, 2017, 06:41:55 AM »
I'm feeling lucky that I have hated cereal my whole life. Grasping at anything. The flu/cold/whatever-it-is is distracting me from everything else at least. I need to muster enough energy to make myself some chicken vegetable soup sometime today. Husband is eating cereal for breakfast...which I'm taking to mean "I'll do this if it's prepared but don't have time to deal with it myself." And that's ok.

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1987 on: February 19, 2017, 05:29:50 PM »
Will have to try again when horrible sickness is gone. DH is sick too. We barely have the energy to make everyone meals...which are currently whatever is fastest. Ugh.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1988 on: February 19, 2017, 07:45:37 PM »
Will have to try again when horrible sickness is gone. DH is sick too. We barely have the energy to make everyone meals...which are currently whatever is fastest. Ugh.

Awww focus on getting better, Whole 30 will be here when you are feeling up to it. Take care and feel better!

A decrease in body fat is a good thing, neo!

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1989 on: February 20, 2017, 09:50:27 AM »
Whipped up one of my "What's in the fridge?" meals this morning that I can definitely repeat during Whole 30.

Sauteed half an onion and a handful of chopped sage from the garden in olive oil, added a couple sweet potatoes and a jar of homemade chicken broth. Added some salt and, voila -- yummy and satisfying sweet and savory breakfast for a cold rainy morning.

:)

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1990 on: February 20, 2017, 10:09:34 AM »
Whipped up one of my "What's in the fridge?" meals this morning that I can definitely repeat during Whole 30.

Sauteed half an onion and a handful of chopped sage from the garden in olive oil, added a couple sweet potatoes and a jar of homemade chicken broth. Added some salt and, voila -- yummy and satisfying sweet and savory breakfast for a cold rainy morning.

:)

That sounds delish!

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1991 on: February 20, 2017, 05:52:52 PM »
So... weighed myself this morning. 203.0 lbs. Apparently lost ~14 lbs in 25 days.

So how are you feeling otherwise? If you have a lot to lose, the weight comes off pretty quickly at first when you shift to whole 30 style eating. More important than the weight though, is how are you *feeling* Are you getting enough calories to keep your energy levels up and feeling good?  How are you doing with your blood sugar and other metrics you are tracking? Have you noticed other non-scale victories or has anything concerning come up?

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1992 on: February 20, 2017, 07:09:42 PM »
Back in. I just didn't want to be the most horrible sick person ever by demanding specific food. Only strayed for a couple of meals and wasn't eating much anyway. Food prepared for tomorrow and lunches already. :-)

Mongoose

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1993 on: February 23, 2017, 07:20:38 AM »
This is super challenging when one is away from the house a lot, often randomly. Oh well, I may not make 100% compliance (thus disqualifying it from being a true Whole30) but I'm learning a lot.

SuperSaver

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1994 on: February 24, 2017, 09:01:58 AM »
I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. I'm on Day 4 actually. I was trying to catch up before posting but only got to page 14.
Brief intro: 26, female, engaged to a supportive dude. 5 ft. 184 lbs. I suffer from lactose intolerance, non alcoholic Fatty Liver and IBS.

I was eating more plant based so upping my meat and fat consumption is delicious. I was a huge soda drinker but I'm doing fine. days 1-3 were fantastic. I ate lots of good food and water. I don't drink coffee so I tried green tea on day 2. It tasted kind of OK hot but gross cold. So far I have had very stable energy all day, a stable mood all day and sleep pretty deeply although I have so much energy I've been falling asleep a bit later than usual.

I have the whole 30 book and went to stock up on compliant food Monday (and had a good bye panera bagel with cream cheese). Overall I feel lighter and less bloated although I noticed my fingers got a bit puffy.

I'll post more when I'm not on break, just wanted to join you inspiring folks!

edit: typo and paragraph form.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2017, 04:03:43 PM by SuperSaver »

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1995 on: February 24, 2017, 09:34:05 AM »
Welcome, SuperSaver!

Sounds like you have quite a few issues you are dealing with, hopefully doing Whole 30 will help, it sounds like you are off to a great start!

Mongoose - Eating out of the house and adapting your lifestyle is one of the hardest parts. Bringing your own food, trying to find whole 30 places to eat, or adapting on the fly can be tough. One day/step at a time and doing the best you can. You are making positive changes and new habits and that is what counts!

How are you doing, Neo?

I had an interesting experience wth some brown rice pasta. Was doing a spring clean yesterday and found an open bag, that we haven't touched in MONTHS. We aren't currently doing an official whole30, so figured I'd use it up. withen about 10 minutes of eating it, I went from feeling pretty good and having a conversation with my hubby to falling asleep sitting up in the chair, literally mid-conversation. Like my body shut down everything other than the digestion function. It was super weird. Ugh, back to Wole 30 eating for me!

10dollarsatatime

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1996 on: February 24, 2017, 11:06:09 AM »
So.  I haven't started re-intro yet.  I'm going on week 7 right now.  But I feel I'm still having food/digestion issues.  I did come to the conclusion in the past week that peppers are an issue for me.  (Totally explains why fresh-mex always makes me sick!  Also means it's a possibility that I don't actually have issues with avocado.  I just always ate it as guac, which has peppers in it.) 

So now I need to decide if I'm going to go full AIP for a month.  I should be finished with both my tomato based batch recipes by Monday, so I'm thinking I'll start next week.  Will have to come up with a different breakfast.  I've been eating eggs and spinach.

swick

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1997 on: February 24, 2017, 11:16:08 AM »
So.  I haven't started re-intro yet.  I'm going on week 7 right now.  But I feel I'm still having food/digestion issues.  I did come to the conclusion in the past week that peppers are an issue for me.  (Totally explains why fresh-mex always makes me sick!  Also means it's a possibility that I don't actually have issues with avocado.  I just always ate it as guac, which has peppers in it.) 

So now I need to decide if I'm going to go full AIP for a month.  I should be finished with both my tomato based batch recipes by Monday, so I'm thinking I'll start next week.  Will have to come up with a different breakfast.  I've been eating eggs and spinach.

Would some version of Nope-meal work on AIP? I'm not really familiar with all the rules, but it is a very customizable recipe you can add/take out anything you want as long as you can have the coconut, chia and flax. I would probably go right into AIP and save all the reintro for the end of it, more time to clear your body out and you won't have to clear out whatever you reintroduce.

We have found we actually like the nope-meal cold better, so we have been making a big pot and it lasts the workweek. http://www.paleostateofmindblog.com/blog/grain-free-oatmeal

ketchup

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1998 on: February 24, 2017, 01:34:36 PM »
So.  I haven't started re-intro yet.  I'm going on week 7 right now.  But I feel I'm still having food/digestion issues.  I did come to the conclusion in the past week that peppers are an issue for me.  (Totally explains why fresh-mex always makes me sick!  Also means it's a possibility that I don't actually have issues with avocado.  I just always ate it as guac, which has peppers in it.) 

So now I need to decide if I'm going to go full AIP for a month.  I should be finished with both my tomato based batch recipes by Monday, so I'm thinking I'll start next week.  Will have to come up with a different breakfast.  I've been eating eggs and spinach.

Would some version of Nope-meal work on AIP? I'm not really familiar with all the rules, but it is a very customizable recipe you can add/take out anything you want as long as you can have the coconut, chia and flax. I would probably go right into AIP and save all the reintro for the end of it, more time to clear your body out and you won't have to clear out whatever you reintroduce.

We have found we actually like the nope-meal cold better, so we have been making a big pot and it lasts the workweek. http://www.paleostateofmindblog.com/blog/grain-free-oatmeal
Nuts and seeds are out on strict AIP, FYI.

Mezzie

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Re: Whole-30 info thread and awesome group. Want to join us?
« Reply #1999 on: February 24, 2017, 07:43:51 PM »
Just a few more days until I start. I've eaten down nearly everything that's a problem.

Jury duty this week will make lunch planning interesting. I don't want to lug around a big lunchbox on the train, but I may have to.