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Calling all over 50 folks


Stegner

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thanks, stegner!!! so happy you did this....it was on my list as well  :) ... great that we'll still be keeping in touch in this new phase...

 

my first experiment with re-introductions was to put honey in my golden milk (which i make with cashew milk and which actually tastes wonderful without any sweetener). i felt that after 60 days without any sweets (except fruit) it would be nice to treat myself that way. it was. but after two days (i drink a cup in the morning and cup at night) i noticed two things: 1) it doesn't really make the golden milk taste BETTER...ie it is a not an improvement. it just makes it taste SWEETER, and that masks all the other quite nice flavors. 2) by the third time, the same amount of honey did not taste nearly as sweet as the first time...ie already my taste buds were adjusting and if i wanted SWEET i was going to have to start adding more honey. 3) after two days, i woke up bloated. and i am still bloated. lesson learned. no more of that. plus i don't want my body to go back to burning sugar instead of fat!

 

my next experiment will be with an oxtail stew recipe that calls for 3 tbs of flour as a thickener, and a bottle of porter (along with broth and water) for the cooking liquid. it braises in the oven for 5 hours, so there wouldn't be much alcohol in it by the time it's ready. i think this would more be a test for gluten. i made a VERY successful and tasty bone broth with oxtails and neck bones last week -- that was my second pass at making my own and i was very pleased with the results -- it made a nice solid gelatin. anyway, it broke my heart to discard the meat b/c oxtail stew is one of my favorite things in the world -- so this time i'm going to make the oxtail stew and then use those bones (plus some neck bones) for the broth.

 

as i mentioned on our original thread...i'm not planning on adding bread or pasta or dairy back in in a big way. so i'm not going to do a re-intro of that stuff the way the book suggests. i'll save it for eating out and ONLY when there's  something so tempting it's worth a splurge. and sugar and alcohol are off the menu for good, in the sense of having my bottle of wine or my martinis or eating vast quantities of ice cream etc. that's over. i MIGHT have a treat every once in a blue moon (for example, one of my very best friends is canadian and she makes to-die-for nanaimo bars every christmas. THAT would be worth it!) but in general nope not. and drinking is just off the menu altogether. no "nice glass of wine with dinner." i'd love to be able to cook with wine and beer, though, so i'll see how that goes.

 

so that's my plan, folks. i'd love to hear yours!

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So after my 4th round that ended Jan 31, here's what I'm doing: I'm eating Whole30, but the only difference is if I eat an ingredient off plan, I don't need to hit a reset button. Eating one item off plan doesn't mean I reset, but it doesn't give me permission to eat/drink like I used to either. I eat this way now, all the time, every day, so that's my usual.

I went to a dinner party the other night with some wine drinkers. Gave myself permission to have one glass of wine and had to make it last the whole evening. Here's what I did. They served wine with cheese & crackers before dinner. I accepted the glass, took one sip and set it down. Said no thanks to cheese & crackers. Took one more sip of wine before dinner. Left my glass full all through dinner so they wouldn't refill it. Drank water instead. Then at the end of the meal, I finished my wine while everyone had dessert (brownies & sugar-free ice cream, they have diabetics in the family and this is what they eat  :o ).
So that's how I got through a social event without running off the rails. It wasn't particularly difficult, it just took a liittle bit of planning.

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I like your plans - mine is still evolving but here's what I know so far. Dairy, sugar, alcohol and grains are best avoided, but I can eat less meat and substitute beans occasionally with no ill effects. I had a little bowl of strawberries with a tiny amount of stevia and a plop of thickened coconut milk after supper tonight, and it was just fantastic. I was going to say this hasn't awakened any sugar dragon, but after I wrote that sentence, I licked the bowl. So we'll see how that goes.

Three template meals a day with no snacks, as Xandra said, that's my usual.

Caedmon, I love cooking with wine and beer too - and oxtail stew with a 5-hour braise... I swear I can smell it. And it is making me smile.

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Today is my last day on the job, and tomorrow is the first day of my retirement. I think I have everything in place, I believe I have covered all the bases - but have a serious case of the flutters.

Congratulations on your retirement! I was nervous at first, too, but now I'm so busy I don't have time to think about it.

 

I've add back legumes but it won't be often. I've also added back cheese and plain greek yogurt with no ill effects. And I've add a tiny (1/4 teaspoon) of honey to my tea. That's all I'm adding back. I'm enjoying it.                                       

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I'll bet you're busy quilting - my head is full of ideas right now and I plan to see some of my hare-brained schemes through to completion. That voice in my head that said, "quit fooling around get back to work" is gone.

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Staying mostly W30 with occasional items I reintro'd without difficulty. But today I learned I cannot buy mint Girl Scout cookies. Some things are just too dangerously embedded with old habits. Thought I could just have a couple. There are just things I can't have in the house.

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I went to the movies last night at a cinema grill, and we ate before going. At the movie, I ordered what used to be a favorite snack: waffle fries.

Later at home, I was doubled over in pain from indigestion and terrible cramping. I may never want to eat french fries again.

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Hope it's okay to join this conversation :) My husband is 55 and I'm 53. Our day 30 was yesterday. This morning we weighed in and he lost 7 lbs and I lost 8. After discussing how we felt (great!) and what we missed (an occasional sweet) we decided to just keep going with clean eating. We are giving ourselves permission to eat an occasional non-compliant when necessary. I found out the hard way this weekend that that will be necessary to keep from having no choice at all, sometimes :( We both did whole30 to break snacking and poor choice habits. Through the past 2 weeks we have talked about all the things we used to eat that really aren't that tasty, just convenient. We are extremely happy with the changes we have and will continue to make. Who says you can't teach and old dog new tricks!

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You are more than welcome to join the conversation, Lorie. I am constantly reminded of how truly awful formerly tempting foods can be. Like this cupcake "present" I was given a while ago. By the time I got it home, the crisco in the frosting had made a big grease spot on the pink box and the smell was indescribably non-food-like. I threw it in the trash because it was unfit for the compost.

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  • 1 month later...

Seems this thread may have died, but I'm going to give it a poke and see if it moves. I've been out of the country for a month and enjoying the travel but anxious to be cooking my own food again. I decided to eat, drink and be merry on this trip, but I am really and truly sick of bread. I love it way less than I thought I did. I'm planning already to load up on W30 groceries on my way home this week.

I follow another forum, on the topic of financial freedom and early retirement called Mr. Money Mustache.com, and found a thread on whole 30! Many of these people are retiring really young, in their 30s and 40s, and seem to be primarily bright, well-educated, independent thinkers who are making their good health a priority... So they can live well and continue to do what they want.

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May I join in also?  I just found this thread and since I am 65 believe I qualify!  I started WH30 on January 6th and after 27 days needed to start over when I discovered my bedtime tea had stevia leaf.  So I hit the reset and after another 30 days decided to keep eating this way with an occasional chai latte.  I did not worry too much about eating out but pretty much continued eating clean but didn't worry about hidden sugar, etc while eating out (not too often).

 

Yesterday had some pizza and half a donut.  Boy, do I feel it today!  The joint aches are back and felt lethargic this morning.  My problem is in two weeks, I leave for Cornwall for ten days.  I don't want to feel bad the whole trip, but also don't want to deprive myself of scones, cream teas, clotted cream, etc!  I guess I'll have to do the best I can.

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Glad you want to join up, LindaC. I had the same dilemma before leaving for Spain, and decided to not deprive myself. Also, I'd knew I'd be eating in restaurants a lot and it's not that easy to control what is placed before you, especially when you don't speak the language well - that part will be easier for you. My skin doesn't look that great and I've had some creaky joints that I didn't have in the US, but nothing terrible.

Enjoy Cornwall. Are you going to be hiking? I've always wanted to do a hiking tour in England.

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No more official W30s for me, but I will go back to eating that way, with variations on the theme when it suits me. I love the strenuous hiking and the sun here - but I'm ready to leave the afternoon tapas and beer at a sidewalk cafe tradition behind. That could get to be a habit.

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Glad to see this thread, I just left a suggestion on the forum for a "over 50" official board. (Or whatever you call the identified sections!)

 

I just started my third whole30 this week, so my focus is on finishing strong, not reintroduction quite yet. I just wanted to say hi because I'm going to be 61 in July and wanted to find my peers! So thanks for bumping up this thread, and I hope to get to know ya'll.

 

Pea

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Congratulations mlb! For me, next steps included staying in touch with other W30 followers. What are your thoughts? 

 

Hello Pea, I'm 59 1/2 and very recently retired. Sounds like you are doing these W30s back to back. I'm curious about the changes you've seen. It may have been better for me to have started this at a younger age, but I'm glad I started when I did. I'm personally convinced that eating this way prevents insulin resistance and all of the bad stuff that comes with it.  I've been traveling for some time, eating in restaurants and generally living it up - I felt okay, but the first thing I did when I got back was fill my refrigerator with vegetables, and the second thing was make a batch of bone broth. I drank a full mug last night before going to bed, a suggestion from a moderator, Tom Denham, for better sleep, and it worked really well.  

 

In Solidarity, J

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Planning to stay in touch, too! 

 

Congratulations mlb! For me, next steps included staying in touch with other W30 followers. What are your thoughts? 

 

Hello Pea, I'm 59 1/2 and very recently retired. Sounds like you are doing these W30s back to back. I'm curious about the changes you've seen. It may have been better for me to have started this at a younger age, but I'm glad I started when I did. I'm personally convinced that eating this way prevents insulin resistance and all of the bad stuff that comes with it.  I've been traveling for some time, eating in restaurants and generally living it up - I felt okay, but the first thing I did when I got back was fill my refrigerator with vegetables, and the second thing was make a batch of bone broth. I drank a full mug last night before going to bed, a suggestion from a moderator, Tom Denham, for better sleep, and it worked really well.  

 

In Solidarity, J

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This is the kind of morning when everybody and their dog wants to be outside. While I was traveling I resolved to really get to know the trails in my immediate area, so that's what I'm doing today.

This is my 4th day back at home and back to my normal diet - and already I notice deeper sleep and a greater sense of calm and well being while awake. I don't know exactly why that is, but I have read that higher insulin levels can cause insomnia. Travel causes me some anxiety, but I may have intensified that with bakery-hopping.

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Hi! I squeak in the door at 51! Since hitting 50, I've had more and more health issues. After falling downstairs and hitting my head hard 2 months after my 50th birthday, I spent a good year with concussion symptoms that threw me completely out of whack. When my head was able to take exercise (even gentle yoga would cause intense wooziness), I dove in too quickly and ended up with a torn meniscus. I had underestimated the breakdown of my body during my recuperation and also put on 15 pounds. So another few months in rehab with the knee injury. I got pretty lazy, fat, and depressed.

I am a counsellor and knew my way out was by resolving my underlying emotional issues. Working through some cognitive behavioural therapy processes, I found W30 during my research of healthy eating plans. It fits in nicely with the CBT framework. I am on day 14 of my first W30, and have been 100% compliant with very few wavering moments. I have yet to see any mind-blowing physical improvements, but I know there are subtle ones that will positively change my body and life. My skin is so much better and my eyes are clearer. My energy is steadier, although the the time I have the most energy is when I need to sleep! Oh, my sleep is worse than pre-W30! Such a disappointment for me. And constipation is a nightmare. Trying magnesium, kombucha, and flax seed. Nothing is working. I used kefir before, and it was my answer. Can't find coconut kefir anywhere in my area, but would love to try it. Looking for water kefir starter to make my own, but no luck yet. As I've had my gall bladder removed, I'm going to try ox bile to improve digestion of all the fat I'm now eating.

The mind-blowing improvement I have noticed is my lack of cravings and ability to completely disregard my favourite simple carb triggers when others are eating them. Also my improved relationship with food. I used to just grab what I craved and shove it in. Now I lovingly buy, clean, prepare, and cook my food and thank it for nourishing me.

I feel like I've gained weight and my blood pressure hasn't improved, yet. I'm keeping faith that this can only improve my health and focusing on potential NSV! But at 43% body fat, my weight/body composition has to improve eating this way, right???

At this point in my life, I'm not sure if menopause is causing many of my physical, emotional, and cognitive issues. I'm sick of hearing, "well, old age sucks"! My mother climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at 70! People think I'm in my late 30's. I want to be healthy and vibrant for decades to come. I believe W30 and W9 are my friends to help me do that.

I think I will be continuing and doing a W60. And then only eating non-compliant foods once in a while. I don't miss anything, and I know I'm a simple carb addict. I don't want to be afraid of simple carbs, but I don't need them in my daily diet.

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Menopause is the promised land. Menopause returns you to how you felt when you were 8 years old and unstoppable. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Perimenopause, however, was a tough time in my life, and I had back pain and anxiety/depression that seemed to come out of nowhere. I feared it would never go away, but it did. Good luck, Kaelisan. Sounds like you're headed in the right direction.

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I'm having some reacclimation difficulties. I hate to admit that, because things went really well when I first returned from a month away from my home and usual routines. My difficulties are again, snacking after dinner. Last night it was a bit of chocolate leading to some toasted pumpkin seeds leading to some gelato and not surprisingly, I did not feel that great this morning. Tonight, I'm having a walk and a bath after dinner. The only thing that works to end this habit is not to give in to the craving, for weeks and weeks and weeks, until it goes away. That doesn't sound like much fun, but the payoff for this one behavior change has been huge for me and I'm not giving it up. Grrrrr.

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