Whole 30 Starting September 24th, 2013

what is whole 30???

Hey, I just started my whole 30, today is the end of day 4. I would love to have some whole 30 friends on here

I am on day 4 of Whole 30. My Crossfit box is doing this nutrition challenge. My boyfriend is also doing it with me, along with a couple of coworkers and friends. Food preparation is key. Breakfast casseroles will save you time. Also, cauliflower "rice" is a lifesaver! My boyfriend couldn't fathom giving up rice, so we found a recipe for cauliflower "rice" and it is AMAZING! The recipe is below. What helped me is planning my food a week before I started the challenge. I looked up recipes, went on Pinterest, and also bought a Paleo cookbook. The challenge sounds restrictive, but you will be surprised at how much you are eating throughout the day. My boyfriend is loving how he can be creative with cooking and it's fun trying to find an alternate food from what you are use to eating. I also found that reading everything I could about sugar and watching documentaries really helped me not to want sugar. I do recommend watching "Hungry for Change" on Netflix. It is an eye opener. Good luck with the 30 day challenge! You can do it! I can't say it enough but FOOD PREP IS KEY!!

Cauliflower Rice
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Rinse cauliflower and break away from main stem in large chunks.
2. Using a cheese grater, grate the cauliflower to a coarse texture(approximately the size of rice grains). You can use a food processor too, just pulse it until you get the right texture.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
4. Saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is relatively translucent.
5. Add in the cauliflower rice and continue to saute for 4-5 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
**Serves 2
**You can modify this recipe to your liking.

I'm semi doing it right now, and I will start in earnest on Oct 1 with my daughter. I have been counting calories with MFP. Will you continue to count calories? I'd love to be part of a group if we can get one going.

I have attempted it twice, but never made it past 2 weeks. I have been wanting to try it again, especially since "complete the whole 30" is on my list of things to do before I turn 30. I definitely notice an amazing difference in the way I feel when I eat according to their rules. It's amazing. I am hoping to start again on Oct 1st.

The first and most important goal to completing the Whole30 is to change the way I view food so that I can change my emotional eating habits. Second, I struggle with headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, lack of energy...even when I was trying to eat better and in the gym 3 times a week, I still wasn't seeing as much progress as I wanted. I think I have some food sensitivities and I am hoping to become more aware of those. Third, I would really like to lose some weight and be in better overall shape.

I had egg cups with spinach and prosciutto for breakfast, apples with almond butter, carrots, and sea snax (seaweed) for lunch, an uncured grass fed beef hot dog on a Japanese sweet potato bun with roasted bell peppers for dinner I packed tuna for lunch but it didn't seem appetizing so I ate the other stuff.

I plan to work out at least 3 times a week....but probably not too much this week, because I know days 3 and 4 are going to be really rough for me.

Edit** Oh and I weighed myself today for a baseline and I was 154. I don't plan to weigh myself again until my 30 days are up.

I'm starting tomorrow. I'm in need of hitting the reset button on my food choices. Trying to focus on lots and lots of veggies and not too much meat.

And full disclosure, I am taking the (Canadian) Thanksgiving long weekend off. While I'll continue to think about food choices, there is no way I can make it fit with my current plans.

Just made a big taco salad by cooking bison with red chiles, onion and salsa verde. Chilled and added to to a bowl of raw red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, olives, mixed greens, avocado, red pepper and lime juice. Already looking forward to lunch.

Google "carb flu", it's a common symptom --- you'll get through it!

Ahhh... Thanks! Well hopefully I'll be the kind of person who snaps out of it in a few days rather than a few weeks...

For me it starts at about day 3 or 4 and only lasts a day or two, so maybe it won't be too much of an issue for you. It makes me want to sleep alllll day! Ugh! The link below is an interesting read....

http://www.gnolls.org/1984/the-science-behind-the-low-carb-flu-and-how-to-regain-your-metabolic-flexibility/

I'm also starting Whole 30 tomorrow just for fun and to see how I like that style of eating. So far I've plotted out a bunch of recipes for the week that are simple and pretty close to what I eat anyway - I'm not a huge fan of breads/ pasta/ etc and especially dislike dairy products, so I'm doing it to see if it "fits" me more than because I think it's "clean" (I dislike demonizing food into "unclean/dirty" and "bad" categories) or because I think everyone should eat that way. I have done some research and honestly don't think I'll be all that strict past the 30 days, but it's basically an experiment to see how I like it.

I already know my big thing is going to be my morning coffee. I do NOT like it completely unsweetened - I usually put a packet or two of Splenda in there - but maybe I'll splash some almond milk in there and see if that makes it better.