Can I join? I've been eating 100% Paleo since 6/20, so this isn't too much different! I'll just have to stay off that scale! Can I at least weigh when I get home tonight to see where I'm starting at?

Hi PaleoChic! Welcome! Yes try to stay off the scale Get a starting point, that is a good idea!

Just checking in... I am really missing the variability of dairy in my diet right now, but not enough that it will throw me off. Mostly because I LOVE my coffee, but it is just nasty to drink it black even with EVCO so I just quit drinking it. I suspect my morning joe may have been affecting my glucose/insulin levels anyway.

I had to cut out eggs too, I'm pretty sure that was the cause of a nasty psoriasis flare up, I've been off eggs for 2-3 weeks and my psoriasis is nearly gone, getting better every day. **sigh** I miss eggs more than dairy.

That leaves me with pretty much meat and some veggies. That's how I ate for a long time, but in combination with intermittent fasting so I was only cooking for myself 5 times a week. I added in cheese during my pregnancy. Now that I'm nursing a little one I have to make sure I eat enough calories, so that means cooking at least 2 times a day, which I am getting used to. I'm not too crazy about using the microwave, and I eat my meat rare or slightly undercooked so it's not very good reheated anyways.

On a positive note, I feel pretty good. I must have had some belly bloat because my belly seems to have shrunk considerably, I am very happy with that. I am beginning to get more walking in, so I am looking forward to July bringing about more positive changes in my health.

mfish - that's awesome. I haven't tried eliminating eggs to help a spot on my ankle that I've had for years. I think I'll try it.....as soon as finish the coleslaw....

Good luck. From everything I have read, it takes about a month for the body to eliminate the proteins from the body once you quit ingesting them. My wheat allergy started out as a spot on one of my shins. 10 years later, that little spot had "grown" to covering the tops of my feet and around my ankles through my knees, my elbows to halfway down my arms, my wrists and tops of hands, behind both ears, and probably some other places I am forgetting at the moment. When I discovered LC and eliminated wheat, I think it took a good 2-3 months for the rash to fully disappear. Now every time I encounter something that doesn't agree with my immune system I get the psoriasis in my scalp, and most recently across the front of my neck, too. At least it's just food allergies, which I can control quite easily once I figure out what they are.

I had something to say because this place is about sharing experiences. My experience is that making big changes quickly very often leads to failure.I was not looking for an apology.
I think you should have posted a link to where you you copied the Whole 30 stuff from though. It is helpful to people that want to know more and common "netiquette".The reason I found paleo easy for the past 6 years is because I didn't go cold turkey. I eased into it. Just because you don't want to do it that way does not mean that I am wrong in suggesting that it is an easier way of going paleo.Oh stop sulking.
All I'm saying is that there is no need to rush into things. I really don't care.
I have been doing paleo for years. My experience is worth something to somebody that wants to know. Just because people don't like what I wrote, it doesn't mean I shouldn't tell of my experiencesI don't care about looking like an a$$o. There is nothing "non-productive" about posting experiences. I'm not one of those people that just sits back and doesn't bother to warn people of the pitfalls in something just because it might burst their balloon.Yes indeed. All I'm saying is don't rush in.

I should have mentioned earlier that I have found avocado to be an amazing stand-in for cheese. I just started eating them again because the are terribly expensive here in my corner of PA, $2.50 for each one, has been that price now at least 6 months! (the price of avocadoes... I should start a separate thread for that )

mfish,
Avocados seem more expensive this year than I remember. I love them though. I could eat a whole one at every meal if it weren't so $$$

For you non egg eaters, avacado is a wonderful base for smoothies....add some frozen fruit and liquid (water, coconut milk, etc)....nut/seed butter...whatever.

Welcome, PaleoChic The challenge is technically starting on July 1, but a bunch of us began early, so if you need some more "prep" time you have lots of it


It was drinking raw egg yolks that got me into so much trouble to begin with, I do love me a smoothie! I am avoiding all tree nuts for now, although I normally like to eat macadamias and sometimes almonds. The only fruits I eat are berries, I think they would go deliciously with some avocado. Going to have to shop for the coconut milk. From what I've been reading it's the stuff in cans that I want, there's a ton of asian grocers here (and a TJ's) so that won't be a problem.

Most meals I make have to be pretty quick and easy, the last few days I've had salads of romaine, vidalia onion, 1/2 avocado, and ground beef with a drizzle of hot sauce, very tasty. Dinner last night was a burger topped with 1/2 avocado and yellow squash "fried" in EVCO. I cooked the squash slices with salt and spicy paprika till they started browning - so good! I forgot to put onion in with it though, so will eat it again today with the onion fried in.

I am glad to be getting over my coffee addiction. I feel strongly that either dairy or splenda was causing cravings, because I'm not having them now. I am starting to really appreciate [again] every bite of food I put into my mouth, and I am feeling better than before. In that respect, doing this feels like beginning my LC WOE all over again. I must have lost touch with the wholesomeness of my WOE and am glad to have that feeling back again

I am up for this challenge. I have only managed to reduce my dairy to a little cream in my coffee and cooking my food in butter, so this will be a new experience for me. I've got the no grains, no sugar, no potatoes and no legumes thing in the bag already. Dairy is the final hurdle for me. Oh, and booze!

Oblong, welcome to the challenge! Dairy and caffeine were the two daily vices that I wanted to give up with this challenge, and it seems to have worked. I've no desire to back to using them daily after the challenge.

Day 13 for me and still with it. I'm now consciously trying to up my calories and carbs, because, even though I"m not necessarily hungry, I'm lethargic and having trouble lifting daily things. Carrying the 2-gallon dog water bucket yesterday gave me a lower backache, which it shouldn't do. It's taking some real will power not to add potatoes back in for the cals and carbs.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

Celtia,
Have you tried adding winter squashes or sweet potatoes? They're a little more carby.

Thank you for the warm welcome celtia

On top of this, I will be giving up smoking. I don't smoke that much, but it has recently become more of a regular thing than I would like it to be so I've decided to nip it in the bud before it gets out of control.

I'm debating whether or not to give up the tea and coffee too. I've had coffee pretty much every single day for the past few months, I've forgotten that it's a stimulant! I think it's time to give up the coffee

I'm in. I'm glad I saw this post. For the last couple of years I've had a terrible time losing weight even when I LC. I think something in my metabolism is out of whack. This may be what heals it.

I've been cutting back on grains and have almost completely cut out dairy. I eliminated alcohol and caffeine when I developed TERRIBLE sleep issues in March. This seems to me the next step in a progression.