Hi Dodi, you didn't mention if you're seeing any rising at all, but if your starter is still just bubbling and not rising, then you might want to consider trying the once a day feedings with the  2:1:1 ratio (starter:water:flour, by weight). However, I'd recommend sticking with your 50/50 whole wheat/AP flour when you do this. When you're this far into the process I don't see the sense of starting over, and it may just take a few tweaks to bring you over the finish line. 

Once your starter is rising predictably (twice), you'll want to switch back to twice a day feedings (which will further promote the yeast). At that point you can also increase the percentage of water/flour to line up closer to the 1:1:1 ratio we recommend in our sourdough starter recipe. Keep in mind that ideally you want to replenish (feed) your starter when it's at its highest point of rising, or just beginning to fall (which keeps yeast activity more vigorous). Allowing the starter to fall significantly between feedings can ultimately lead to sluggish yeast. 

If it's very warm where you live and your starter seems to be peaking very early in the process, it can sometimes be helpful to offer your starter a relatively larger feeding, which it will take longer to consume and ferment. This can allow you line up your twice a day feedings closer to the peak. For example, you might want to try a 1:4:4 ratio of starter:water:flour by weight. And don't worry, a "relatively larger feeding" doesn't have to mean using up more flour, since you can reduce the amount of starter relative to the water and flour. For example, a 1:4:4 feeding might look like 28g starter + 113g water + 113g flour. 

Once your starter is rising predictably with the twice a day feedings then you're ready to start baking bread, but I wouldn't worry about using your discard in the interim. I mostly discourage using the discard during the very early days of starter development when your starter can be working through some pretty funky smelling bacteria. On the other hand, whatever you put the discard in is going to be baked, so it's unlikely to cause harm to anyone. If your discard looks and smells good, then it should be fine to use. 

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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