Starting September 14th - Accountability

[ShannonM816]

Hello all, I am struggling hard today!!! Had some really sad news at work (a co-worker passed away... by choice)!

 

Not going to lie my first thought was to go eat crappy food and to drink a coke, I just felt like i needed it!

 

I haven't... small victories... but what’s everyone do when they are just feeling down and would rather sit on the couch cry and eat ice-cream... or not eat at all... I have both feelings rolling around in my head right now...

 

Thanks in advance for the support!

 

I'm sorry to hear about your coworker. 

 

I think not being able to eat in response to feelings the way I always used to was one of the hardest parts of Whole30. It meant I actually had to feel those feelings fully, I couldn't distract myself with food. 

 

Some things that might help:

• journal your feelings. If you don't want to keep those thoughts around where other people might read them, write them down and then tear up and throw away those pages, or paint over them, or burn them if you've got a place to do that safely. Sometimes the act of writing things down helps clarify your thinking, and it gets it out of your head so it's easier not to keep dwelling on it. 
• Go for a walk (or a run, if you're a runner).
• Meditate.
• Work on something like meal planning or cooking or cleaning, just something to distract you.

Mostly, though, just take it easy on yourself. I don't know if this was a coworker you were close to or not, but even if you weren't close, this is understandably going to be upsetting for you. Any death within our circle of friends and acquaintances makes us think about our own future, and that's always a little scary. If you were close to this person, that's just adding even more emotion to it.

[kruddock]

Meal 3: thinly sliced baked potatoes, broccoli salad (broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds, onion, raisins, homemade olive oil mayo) with decaf coffee ☕ YUM!!

Just thought I would point out that you missed your protein in Meal 3, bacon counts as a fat not protein, otherwise, you did awesome!

Sorry to hear your bad new too SachaC, did not see the post until further down.

[Cbiggs85]

SachaC that Is terrible. Sorry you're going through that. Good for you for not turning to food.

Had a new recipe for breakfast that was posted a few pages back. It's a mock grits casserole using cauliflower and it's really good! I think I will have to top it with an egg for more protein because I did notice my stomach rumbling midway through the morning. All a learning process!

[r.mckell]

I'm sorry to hear about your coworker. 

 

I think not being able to eat in response to feelings the way I always used to was one of the hardest parts of Whole30. It meant I actually had to feel those feelings fully, I couldn't distract myself with food. 

 

Some things that might help:

• journal your feelings. If you don't want to keep those thoughts around where other people might read them, write them down and then tear up and throw away those pages, or paint over them, or burn them if you've got a place to do that safely. Sometimes the act of writing things down helps clarify your thinking, and it gets it out of your head so it's easier not to keep dwelling on it. 
• Go for a walk (or a run, if you're a runner).
• Meditate.
• Work on something like meal planning or cooking or cleaning, just something to distract you.

Mostly, though, just take it easy on yourself. I don't know if this was a coworker you were close to or not, but even if you weren't close, this is understandably going to be upsetting for you. Any death within our circle of friends and acquaintances makes us think about our own future, and that's always a little scary. If you were close to this person, that's just adding even more emotion to it.

 

SachaC

 

I'm so sorry to hear about that.  Truly.  You never get used to it.  As a teacher of at-risk students I tend to see more needless deaths than most.  Shannon (above) did a great job of covering all things you can do... except one.  Talk to someone.  Vent.  Find a friend, an acquaintence... your cat and spill your feelings.  It's good to talk it out.  

 

As an emotional eater I can TOTALLY empathize with you.  Pain, disappointment and anger are complete triggers for me (when my students have taken their lives I've eaten till I was sick).  But that's all going to change.  With you and me.  

 

Good luck.  We're here for you.

 

R.

[franpflieger]

So sorry for this heartbreaking news SachaC. I second the advice to be very gentle with yourself.

[frogtox]

So sorry for your loss SachaC. Prayers for comfort and peace for you and your coworkers.

 

I was just eating lunch and cracked open a bottle of kombucha. I splurged and bought some at the store, not my regular brand but it sounded good.  I just took a swig and noticed that it tasted really sweet so looked at the ingredients. Sure enough, sugar. I feel poisoned!!     I've read through the re-start rules and it appears accidental sugar intake isn't necessarily a reason to restart, but it's a good reminder to read EVERY label you've never read before.

[kbkinn]

Hello all, I am struggling hard today!!! Had some really sad news at work (a co-worker passed away... by choice)!

 

Not going to lie my first thought was to go eat crappy food and to drink a coke, I just felt like i needed it!

 

I haven't... small victories... but what’s everyone do when they are just feeling down and would rather sit on the couch cry and eat ice-cream... or not eat at all... I have both feelings rolling around in my head right now...

 

Thanks in advance for the support!

So sorry to hear! The hardest part of my first Whole30, and one of the reasons I ultimately quite on day 28, was finding out my mom had cancer. You've already gotten such great advice, I just wanted to add that for me talking about my feelings was really important. There were days where I would get so frustrated and say "IF I could just veg out on the couch with some pizza and wine I'd feel ok" which usually led to me talking with my husband about my real feelings about my mom. I think for awhile I was actually able to process my feelings better because I was doing the whole30 and wasn't getting confused by random mood swings and sluggishness resulting from less healthy food choices. 

 

I think the best thing you can do is to go easy on yourself. It can be frustrating to work so hard on Whole30 and still feel moody and sluggish because of the grief. Give yourself some room to feel your feelings and be gentle on yourself. We'll all be here when you need support!

[kbkinn]

I'm so excited that we've made it through the first week! I keep getting surprised by how great I feel. Even when I'm tired, hungry, or cranky, it doesn't feel like the end of the world and I'm able to (more) calmly figure out what to do about it. Seems so simple, but I'm so used to crazy mood swings that I'm shocked when I don't feel awful all the time. 

 

I had a major moment of weakness this morning! I honestly never really noticed until this morning how truly addicted to the scale I was. I don't like to talk much about my first whole30 because it wasn't a true whole30 as I weighed myself the entire time and quit on day 28. This morning, after feeling so terrific about the first week, I had such an intense desire to weigh myself to see if I "really" did have a good week. It took me a good 30 minutes and I had to reach out to 2 of my support partners to talk me off the ledge. I really felt like an addict, like the scale was going to give me a hit of feel good feelings and self confidence for the day. I ended up taking the batteries out of the scale and giving them to my husband for the remainder of whole30. I don't need external validation for feeling good about my body and my choices! Weight loss is only one small reason I'm doing Whole30 and if I think about my overall health and living a long healthy life, really, it's the LEAST important reason I'm doing this. 

[mink_deville]

Hello all, I am struggling hard today!!! Had some really sad news at work (a co-worker passed away... by choice)!

 

Not going to lie my first thought was to go eat crappy food and to drink a coke, I just felt like i needed it!

 

I haven't... small victories... but what’s everyone do when they are just feeling down and would rather sit on the couch cry and eat ice-cream... or not eat at all... I have both feelings rolling around in my head right now...

 

Thanks in advance for the support!

Oh darling I'm so sorry I can totally understand how they would hit you. My advice would also be to write it out. All the time thoughts are in us especially rotten ones they run wild and become bigger than they are. Just take it one step at a time. Sending a big virtual hug xxx

[mink_deville]

I'm so excited that we've made it through the first week! I keep getting surprised by how great I feel. Even when I'm tired, hungry, or cranky, it doesn't feel like the end of the world and I'm able to (more) calmly figure out what to do about it. Seems so simple, but I'm so used to crazy mood swings that I'm shocked when I don't feel awful all the time. 

 

I had a major moment of weakness this morning! I honestly never really noticed until this morning how truly addicted to the scale I was. I don't like to talk much about my first whole30 because it wasn't a true whole30 as I weighed myself the entire time and quit on day 28. This morning, after feeling so terrific about the first week, I had such an intense desire to weigh myself to see if I "really" did have a good week. It took me a good 30 minutes and I had to reach out to 2 of my support partners to talk me off the ledge. I really felt like an addict, like the scale was going to give me a hit of feel good feelings and self confidence for the day. I ended up taking the batteries out of the scale and giving them to my husband for the remainder of whole30. I don't need external validation for feeling good about my body and my choices! Weight loss is only one small reason I'm doing Whole30 and if I think about my overall health and living a long healthy life, really, it's the LEAST important reason I'm doing this.

Well done you! That's a hard won battle. Good for you xxx

[mink_deville]

Hi all,

Day 8 woot woot! A quick question. I was really emotional and tearful and all out of sorts this morning. Going through my head all the crappy things about me. Is this usual? The irony is today was the day o was seeing the Dalai Lama and friends to learn about making our world more compassionate and happy. Internally I wasn't feeling positive but I ate my prepped lunch and reminded myself I'm on a journey.

Also I've got acid reflux. Is this a thing?

Thanks

[r.mckell]

Hi all,

Day 8 woot woot! A quick question. I was really emotional and tearful and all out of sorts this morning. Going through my head all the crappy things about me. Is this usual? The irony is today was the day o was seeing the Dalai Lama and friends to learn about making our world more compassionate and happy. Internally I wasn't feeling positive but I ate my prepped lunch and reminded myself I'm on a journey.

Also I've got acid reflux. Is this a thing?

Thanks

 

mink!

 

what an awesome opportunity for you to see the dalai lama!  he sold out here in utah in like... an hour!  crazy.

 

we ARE on a journey.  all of us.  i've made it through my tearful part of the W30.  but i'm sure its different for everyone

 

take care of yourself.

 

R.

[ShannonM816]

Hi all,

Day 8 woot woot! A quick question. I was really emotional and tearful and all out of sorts this morning. Going through my head all the crappy things about me. Is this usual? The irony is today was the day o was seeing the Dalai Lama and friends to learn about making our world more compassionate and happy. Internally I wasn't feeling positive but I ate my prepped lunch and reminded myself I'm on a journey.

Also I've got acid reflux. Is this a thing?

Thanks

 

The emotional thing happens to a lot of people. My (totally unscientific) theory when it happened to me was that I couldn't do what I normally do when I have strong emotions -- eat all the sugary stuff instead of dealing with them -- so I had to just experience them, so they seemed a lot worse than normal. If you're not usually an emotional eater, that explanation may not make as much sense for you, but it is definitely a thing that happens to people during Whole30.

 

For the acid reflux, most people find it improves during Whole30 -- and you're still pretty early in it, so it still may before you're done. I rarely get it anymore, but if I have lots of tomato-based stuff, or spicy stuff, it can get worse. If you keep a food log, look back at what you've eaten the last few days and see if you've increased consumption of anything in particular -- nightshades (eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers) are a possible culprit, especially if in trying to get more vegetables, you've really increased your consumption of them. Or maybe you've had a lot more eggs or nuts or coconut recently? It may not mean you need to cut these things from your diet forever, you may just need to limit how often you have them or how much of them you have at one time.

[Mistyfire]

Hi all,

Day 8 woot woot! A quick question. I was really emotional and tearful and all out of sorts this morning. Going through my head all the crappy things about me. Is this usual? The irony is today was the day o was seeing the Dalai Lama and friends to learn about making our world more compassionate and happy. Internally I wasn't feeling positive but I ate my prepped lunch and reminded myself I'm on a journey.

Also I've got acid reflux. Is this a thing?

Thanks

Your thoughts on feeling very emotional reminded me of a Khalil Gibran quote from that intense period of my youth: “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." I do think of that sometime when I feel kind of angst-y and can't put my finger on what's going on. Whether it's the food changes or the Dalia Lama visit, there's a lot going on inside to be processed. It's a journey!

Can't wait to hear about the Dalai Lama.

[never2late]

Ok, I think I am  the "weak" one in the group.  This is my second attempt at another whole30 and I am doing it because I failed to reintroduce foods properly the first time.  Also, I failed  the first whole 30 so it turned into  a  "whole45" .  One thing I did learn was that 30 days wasn't enough for me to end the pain in my joints.   So here comes this past weekend, and what did I do?  Have a little wine.  One glass on fri,  and a  half of glass on Sat. and Sun.  Quite frankly, it wasn't because I was out being social with friends, it was because it was the weekend and it felt good to unwind with the vino.  I am disappointed in myself because it was all my doing...I can't event blame it on my husband.     So now I have to start again, and perhaps be stronger.

 

thanks for listening

[jdubkc]

Ok, I think I am  the "weak" one in the group.  This is my second attempt at another whole30 and I am doing it because I failed to reintroduce foods properly the first time.  Also, I failed  the first whole 30 so it turned into  a  "whole45" .  One thing I did learn was that 30 days wasn't enough for me to end the pain in my joints.   So here comes this past weekend, and what did I do?  Have a little wine.  One glass on fri,  and a  half of glass on Sat. and Sun.  Quite frankly, it wasn't because I was out being social with friends, it was because it was the weekend and it felt good to unwind with the vino.  I am disappointed in myself because it was all my doing...I can't event blame it on my husband.     So now I have to start again, and perhaps be stronger.

 

thanks for listening

First, don't beat yourself up!  Remember the majority on here are first-timers so we don't know any different and certainly will have our challenges too.  Can you just continue on and then put on your calendar that your reintro starts in 30 days?  That way you don't feel like you failed and are just "continuing on".  Then you don't lose momentum.

 

You are always welcome here and remember we learn a lot from those more experienced.  Best of luck and remember all that you have gained up to this point!

[jdubkc]

Ok best meal tonight.  First, this is my family's favorite recipe.  Tonight I omitted the shrimp and had the veggies as a side.  I made the hoisin/soy sauce mixture for half of the family.  In a separate pan I made mine with a mixture of vegetable broth/Coco Aminos/Teriyaki Coco Aminos.  First time I have tried them, and I loved it!  

 

Served it with Whole30 pork chops with pineapple on top.  Awesome!

 

 

ASIAN ZUCCHINI NOODLE STIR-FRY WITH SHRIMP

yield: 4 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 15 MIN

 

cook time: 15 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 medium bell pepper, sliced

1/2 cup shredded carrots
2/3 cup sliced red onions
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 medium zucchini, cut into noodles (use a spiralizer)

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch. Set the mixture aside.  Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and and heat it for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the shrimp to the pan and cook, stirring as needed, until the shrimp are cooked throughout and pink on all sides, about 3 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and then transfer them to a bowl, leaving any liquid in the pan.

Increase the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then add the bell pepper, carrots, red onions and snow peas and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables are crisp but tender. Add the prepared sauce and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Return the shrimp to the pan, stirring to combine, then add the zucchini noodles and cook, tossing to coat, for 1 minute. 

Transfer the stir-fry to serving plates, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately. 

[GFChris]

Ok best meal tonight.  First, this is my family's favorite recipe.  Tonight I omitted the shrimp and had the veggies as a side.  I made the hoisin/soy sauce mixture for half of the family.  In a separate pan I made mine with a mixture of vegetable broth/Coco Aminos/Teriyaki Coco Aminos

Hi there.

Checking: did you use Coconut Secret's Teriyaki Sauce? If so, I'm sorry to tell you that product is not compliant.http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/21823-coconut-secret-teriyaki-sauce/page-2#entry293877

[mink_deville]

Ok, I think I am  the "weak" one in the group.  This is my second attempt at another whole30 and I am doing it because I failed to reintroduce foods properly the first time.  Also, I failed  the first whole 30 so it turned into  a  "whole45" .  One thing I did learn was that 30 days wasn't enough for me to end the pain in my joints.   So here comes this past weekend, and what did I do?  Have a little wine.  One glass on fri,  and a  half of glass on Sat. and Sun.  Quite frankly, it wasn't because I was out being social with friends, it was because it was the weekend and it felt good to unwind with the vino.  I am disappointed in myself because it was all my doing...I can't event blame it on my husband.     So now I have to start again, and perhaps be stronger.

 

thanks for listening

Hey there,

 

You're not weak at all.  The fact that you're even trying at this makes you very strong. I had so many false starts when I wanted to train for a marathon.  I got there in the end but it was a real journey.  The fact that you even want to make your body the best it can be makes you awesome One day at a time.

 

I was so desperate for a cigarette yesterday that I went outside and sucked on a pencil on my porch.  I didn't have the cig though so I don't care that I probably looked really mad lol!

 

xxx

[mink_deville]

mink!

 

what an awesome opportunity for you to see the dalai lama!  he sold out here in utah in like... an hour!  crazy.

 

we ARE on a journey.  all of us.  i've made it through my tearful part of the W30.  but i'm sure its different for everyone

 

take care of yourself.

 

R.

 

 

The emotional thing happens to a lot of people. My (totally unscientific) theory when it happened to me was that I couldn't do what I normally do when I have strong emotions -- eat all the sugary stuff instead of dealing with them -- so I had to just experience them, so they seemed a lot worse than normal. If you're not usually an emotional eater, that explanation may not make as much sense for you, but it is definitely a thing that happens to people during Whole30.

 

For the acid reflux, most people find it improves during Whole30 -- and you're still pretty early in it, so it still may before you're done. I rarely get it anymore, but if I have lots of tomato-based stuff, or spicy stuff, it can get worse. If you keep a food log, look back at what you've eaten the last few days and see if you've increased consumption of anything in particular -- nightshades (eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers) are a possible culprit, especially if in trying to get more vegetables, you've really increased your consumption of them. Or maybe you've had a lot more eggs or nuts or coconut recently? It may not mean you need to cut these things from your diet forever, you may just need to limit how often you have them or how much of them you have at one time.

 

 

Your thoughts on feeling very emotional reminded me of a Khalil Gibran quote from that intense period of my youth: “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." I do think of that sometime when I feel kind of angst-y and can't put my finger on what's going on. Whether it's the food changes or the Dalia Lama visit, there's a lot going on inside to be processed. It's a journey!

Can't wait to hear about the Dalai Lama.

Hi all,

 

Thank you so much for your kindness I do think this is having a huge effect on me.  I think definitely the sugar is coming out of me, hormones and resetting and so on but also I think this is a huge part of the journey to the best me I can be I want to be really strong and well before I go away travelling and I've been implementing a lot of positive change.  So I guess with any shake up there'll be a bit of disorder until it settles.

 

The Dalai Lama was amazing so funny and so kind.  The other speakers were also so inspiring.  There was an American neuroscientist who talked about the plasticity of the brain and when we are kind and compassionate it lights up parts of the brain that make us both happier and healthier.  There was a huge focus on being kind and gentle with ourselves too and I think that's a good lesson for us all.  We are on journey and it doesn't matter how long it takes the fact we are doing it is so positive. 

 

Lots of love and kindness,

 

Rehanon xxx

[KKT]

Day 9!  

 

I think I'm just hitting the "symptoms" late.  My head has been throbbing the last 2 days and in general, bloaty and uncomfortable!  I read the timeline again and maybe it's the standard "For the love of Gosling, my pants are tighter!" phase.  Here's to hoping this is short lived.

 

I've been trying to view this as a sort of a fast.  Mindfully trimming what I eat to make room for something bigger in my life.  There's no need to obsessive over food and live from snack to meal to snack (what I was doing) when there's a much bigger picture to take in.  

 

Loving the Kindness posts 

 

 There was a huge focus on being kind and gentle with ourselves too and I think that's a good lesson for us all.  We are on journey and it doesn't matter how long it takes the fact we are doing it is so positive. 

 

 

 

I just finished the book "For the Love" which has a huge focus on kindness and I'm also smitten with these: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/af/89/b7/af89b73f194d30389db63a14b349103e.jpg Totally a reward for sticking with this! (I'm not affiliated with that product at all, so hopefully it's ok to post..just thought it fit well with the sentiment of many members of this group!)

[Cbiggs85]

KKT I love what you said about taking the focus off living from snacks to meals and taking in the bigger picture of the day. I was worried about cutting out my snacks and becoming too hungry but adjusting meals to ensure they are large enough with enough protein, veggies, and fat has truly been an eye opener.

Yesterday for dinner I just threw some ground turkey, butternut squash, and zucchini into the pan with some ghee and added coconut milk and TJ's bruschetta sauce. Then I topped it with 2 fried eggs. It was a HUGE plate of food but I didn't feel guilty eating all of it because I looked at it as having to last me 12 hours until breakfast AND every bite was so healthy that I just felt good eating it.

[kbkinn]

I'm also really loving all the kindness posts! When I boil it down to the basics, that's really why I'm here doing the Whole30 in the first place, to be kind to myself and learn how to treat myself well for the rest of my life.

 

KKT, your comment about living snack to snack is so spot on for me! I love your mindset. I was calorie counter for a long time and constantly thinking about what I was going to eat next and how that was going to fit into my day. I love how much mental space the W30 has freed up. 

 

I'm feeling a little bloated and gas-y today, so I think I'm going to stick to stretchy pants haha! I'm trying very hard to be mindful of negative thoughts and trying to stay positive. I know this is just a phase and it will be over sooon! I'm a little bummed because I didn't really experience the "for the love of Gosling" stage last time, but hopefully it will pass quickly! We're almost 1/3 of the way through! I think it's going by more quickly than I thought it would.

[franpflieger]

I'm a little bloated today also. My appetite seems to have taken a dive, so I'm eating because I have to. Very different for me--I'm usually ready for the next meal. Feeling fine otherwise and the forum is really helpful. I'm all for kindness, compassion, and gentleness (especially with ourselves while we're trying this new thing).

[frogtox]

:confession:

 

I'm missing most what I thought I would miss most: my after work cocktail (or wine, or beer) with my husband. It helps me feel more connected to things at home and helps me change gears from working professional to mommy. If I'm honest, I can give up sweets all day long. Salty greasy snacks, a bit harder. But giving up alcohol is tough. I've been substituting with a wine glass filled with iced grapefruit LaCroix with a lime wedge. I do hope this journey helps me develop healthier habits, including this one.