I'm so glad there are others starting or already started! (celtia )

I always get more motivated when I've made a public commitment about something, and there are other people joining in!

gah... if I can't have butter can I have ghee?

I've been toying with dropping dairy all together since I am a butter, yogurt, cream and cheese girl and still have some inflammatory issues.
The rest of the Whole 30 I already do with only the occ packet of xylitol.

I'm sure ghee is also excluded as it is a dairy product; however, ghee is a very healthy fat in my opinion, and if made correctly, has no lactose or casein in it, which are the allergenic parts. I will continue to use ghee as I have absolutely no problem with it. I also use stevia occasionally, which is on the "do not" list, and I believe it to be a healthy choice.

I think one could choose to go with the "spirit of the law" rather than the "letter of the law" here and there without doing any great injustice to the program as a whole. That's just my take on it.

I'd like to join in, but have 2 planned cheat days coming up in the next month - my birthday and our anniversary. I'm going to strip my diet right back (having been on holiday for the last week and fallen off the wagon - hard!) and stick to this challenge apart from these 2 meals, though I intend to do a Whole 30 probably for August - September. I'll definitely be hanging around this thread for inspiration over the next month.

Good luck everyone!

I want to share a very positive experience I had at a restaurant today. I started the Whole 30 Challenge today without QUITE thinking things through...I didn't have a lunch packed! I took myself off to a restaurant for lunch and explained to my server what I was up to. She was fascinated, and sooooo helpful with serving suggestions! The chef got in on it, and agreed to cook my vegetables without butter (almost a sacrilege in his eyes, but hey, he was willing!) and took the cheese out of the salad. I had a delicious meal of steak, brocolli, and salad. SUCCESS! Sometimes restaurant staff seem less than willing to help a person out, but these folks were fantastic. Moxie's was the restaurant.

How awesome is that?! Good for you, Sue333

Today I now join the rest of you on this challenge!!

I started this today!

I have found that I'm not quite 100% on board with the guidelines, and I'm also in a mode of weighing myself and food experimentation, so I'm backing away from the challenge. Good luck to the rest of you!

I'm sorry to hear that BlueSojrn, but you have to eat and behave the way you feel is right for yourself. Follow along with us though and cheer us on...if you weren't 100% with the guidelines, you did seem to be about 99% on!

A note to minerva200 who was worried about cutting out butter...minerva, I thought the same thing, but this morning I ate a steak fried in coconut oil. IT WAS AWESOME, BETTER THAN THE BUTTER! I know, I know, it's hard to believe! You really have to try it, if you haven't already. So yummy! I know some people eat coconut oil by the teaspoon full, or put it in their coffee. I haven't tried that.

I'm also worried about cutting out butter... for my mental health I love it so much. I'm also trying to figure out if I have a yeast issue, so either way butter is now out for me for 30 days.

I do the coconut oil in my coffee and it is good in cooking. I also got unrefined peanut oil to use (I'm not sure if it is allowed, but it doesn't say it is not allowed) and I used that to cook a buffalo burger - SO GOOD. Please tell me it is allowed. Please There is a sesame oil that looks good too.

Sue - Thank you for starting this thread

Sorry you're dropping out, BlueSojrn, but I understand not being quite on board with everything yet. I found myself starting to weigh again this week (I'm used to daily weighing), so I think I need to hide the scale.

Kay Bee, I was very afraid of cutting out both butter and bacon because I didn't know what to cook eggs with. I don't like them scrambled with coconut oil (which is what I cook most everything else in), but I tried macadamia nut oil and it works okay. By the way, mac oil makes a good dressing on a spinach salad, too. About the peanut oil, since peanuts are legumes, I'm avoiding it.

The only real problem that I've found with the challenge is that I'm having a hard time getting enough calories. I used to get alot of my calories from dairy, and without it, I have trouble getting even to 1,000 calories. Some days are well under 1,000, but I don't feel right eating when I'm not hungry just to get in more calories. After all, eating just for the heck of it got me obese in the first place!

Good luck to those of you starting today!

Sacrilege... Heresy!

Butter has a distinct taste that I love.

Celtia - Thanks for the reply. Good point on the legume. I'll go get a different oil tonight. I'm with you the coconut oil in eggs is not that great - BUT if you made the eggs with it and then put some cinnamon on them, that might work. Assuming cinnamon is allowed..... might taste like a pancake

Kay Bee, I wasn't the one who started this thread. It was Manaloa! And bonechew, honestly, you've got to try the coconut oil. I was skeptical too, I love me some butter!

I fried catfish in coconut oil. They would have tasted 2X better in butter - IMHO. 3X better in bacon fat.

I won't use butter (gasp, tearful sniffle) for frying any more since I have to give up dairy. But last night I baked off XX lbs of bacon for the drippings.

I will use the coconut oil in the future - it's a healthy fat and I need all those I can find.