Jump to content

Starting Saturday 5th March in UK


SharynF

Recommended Posts

 He goes out to eat a lot and is going to have a huge culture shock when he gets back here and finds such limited restaurant choices.

 

 

Exeter is quite lucky with it's range of restaurants and cafes. He could have chosen a lot worse - but it's expensive to eat out here. Maybe he will change his habits in a new country. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 238
  • Created
  • Last Reply

So, this is day 11 for most of you and me as well. How are you doing?

@drtracyb: Did you make it through your dreaded day #10? I hope you did.

Only today I have discovered that I'm supposed to go without snacks. Well, somehow I overlooked that. I will not start over though because that's not a hard rule. I will just start integrating that tomorrow. I already know that my husband won't be happy about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok. So I guess I overlooked pages 2 and 3 of this thread before posting. I apologize for my ignorance.

I'm glad you gals made it. I remember living in the UK (Newcastle). I loved life there.

 

It's a bit harsh of your husband to find your cooking disgusting. I'm glad mine isn't very picky and so frugal that he would rather eat somthing he doesn't like than throwing it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok. So I guess I overlooked pages 2 and 3 of this thread before posting. I apologize for my ignorance.

I'm glad you gals made it. I remember living in the UK (Newcastle). I loved life there.

 

It's a bit harsh of your husband to find your cooking disgusting. I'm glad mine isn't very picky and so frugal that he would rather eat somthing he doesn't like than throwing it out.

 

Hey - welcome to this thread. The more the merrier. Tracy and I could run out of things to talk about by the end of the month!! I am lucky too that my husband eats what I cook without complaint. I doubt we would have made it to the wedding if he had been picky! 

 

Where are you from? I wouldn't worry about the snacking as long as the food was compliant - although there is a protocol for snacks to follow the meal template. You need to eat more at mealtimes if you are hungry enough for a snack - break that habit!!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey - welcome to this thread. The more the merrier. Tracy and I could run out of things to talk about by the end of the month!! I am lucky too that my husband eats what I cook without complaint. I doubt we would have made it to the wedding if he had been picky! 

 

Where are you from? I wouldn't worry about the snacking as long as the food was compliant - although there is a protocol for snacks to follow the meal template. You need to eat more at mealtimes if you are hungry enough for a snack - break that habit!!! 

Thanks for the warm welcome. Yes, I need to break that habit. I tried a new delicious breakfast concoction today with apple, almonds and coconut with the result that I got so full that my husband had to finish it up for me. I still managed to stuff in a couple of boiled eggs for protein and here I am 3.5hours later and still feeling full. Lunch is 2.5 hours away and I think I'm going to make it. The afternoon will be difficult though and I might plead to my husband for an early dinner. Fortunately I don't usually snack between dinner and bedtime so that won't be a problem.

I know it's more in my head than anything but I'm not sure that I like the feeling of being really full after a meal. Maybe I'm just not used to it.

 

I am from Germany but have been living in Michigan now for over 10 years. The hubby is an American citizen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 12 was ok but not the best. I was out all day so lunch/Meal 2 was a bit hit and miss but still compliant. Meal 3 was lovely - a very simple panful of fried onions, shallots, mushrooms and a steak, all cooked in my lovely ghee. Added a ripe avocado for extra fat and I was done for the day. 

 

Tomorrow morning is Aquafit and then some cleaning when I get home. I am a bad housewife and rarely pick up a duster. Maybe me planning to do so is the onset of extra energy. That would be great! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recording Day 12 here.  The kids had a drs appt so let them stay home all day.  It was a mental health day for them but I didn't get much done for myself.  The hard part for me is I cook one meal and it lasts for days.  We are still eating pot roast.  I made up a new pot of Chocolate Chili but used hot chili powder this time, so my son won't eat it.  I also made sweet potato rice by grating it in the food processor and then putting the cutting blade in and pulsing it. 

 

M1 was sweet potato rice with pot roast and veggies.

 

M2 was chocolate chili with sweet potato rice

 

M3 was pot roast, again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good morning.  So excited.  I read my electric meter for the first time a few weeks ago and yesterday received a bill for 1300 GBP.  Shock of the century.  A very nice Scottish woman at Spark walked me through reading my meters and turns out I had input my gas readings into the electric.  Lucky me.  I was imagining the horrors people go through getting their mobile bills for thousands of dollars after roaming charges.

 

I'm gearing up for another 7 overnight shifts, starting this Monday.  I'll have to do a cookup this weekend.  This one week on, two weeks off, schedule leaves me feeling disconnected from my work.  And I don't get anything done at home until the few days before I have to go back to work.  Hubby is still not here and we have no contract in hand.  Next few days will tell whether the acquisition goes through or whether the kids and I hop on a plane back to sunny California and all of its obstacles which are different than the obstacles faced here.

 

M1 - pot roast

 

M2 - pot roast

 

M3 - pot roast.

 

Ok, maybe chili.  I gotta do some shopping!  I've got some mince and plan to make some meatballs once I get some veggies to sneak into them.

 

T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 13. Didn't get enough sleep again. When will we learn? I'll start listing my meals too since you guys do that.

Oh, btw, I'm proud of myself for making it through the day yesterday without any snacks and it didn't even feel that hard. I just added what I would usually have for a snack to my meals so it would fill me up more. That worked like a charm.

 

@Tracy, I don't know how you bear eating the same thing three times a day. I'm ok eating the same thing for dinner on three subsequent days but breakfasts and lunches need to be different. Of course that means more work in preparing the meals but I prepare all the lunches for the week on Sunday's to make it manageable during the week. We both work full time.

 

So today the plan for meals is:

 

M1: apple-date-almond-chia seed-almond butter-almond milk "oatmeal" plus 2 eggs

M2: mason jar salad with grilled chicken plus an orange and a handful of nuts

M3: rosemary meatballs on collard greens

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This week I have been really tired with the double whammy of days 10/11 and Daylight Saving Time here in the US. We "sprang forward" on Sunday so everyday has been hard to get out of bed.

 

My eating has been going well and I haven't been snacking  which I'm very proud of (used to snack A LOT). I have still been craving sweets - yesterday was particularly bad. The only thing I can do to get me through this is drink lots and lots of herbal tea and just down water. It leads me to think that I crave sweets when I'm actually thirsty. I've always drank a lot of water but in order to keep up with my thirst levels I've had to up the intake.

 

@bhenningsen I wanted to point on that your breakfast doesn't follow the meal template and eating something that replaces a food you like isn't getting out of that food "habit".  Maybe consider trying an omelette with veggies and a meat for breakfast? Still have an apple but just not at the end of the meal (dessert habit)? What do you think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 13 is going ok so far. I had lunch at the gym as I am fed up with all the cooking and washing up. I need to prep! 

 

Aquafit was good this morning, my knee mobility is greatly improved since I started this exercise regime in December. And energy was good too - none of my usual 'drifting off into the distance while shuffling my feet' that is how I usually end up for the last ten minutes! 

 

M1 - eggs, bacon, tomatoes all fried in ghee, on watercress with hemp oil (run out of mayo and the last batch was a disaster)

M2 - Superfood Salad w/o dressing at gym - loads of leaves, salmon and cashews. 

M3 - got breast of lamb, shallots and carrots in the slow cooker. I'll stir fry some spring greens in garlic and ghee to go with it. 

 

@ Tracy - I do hope your plans work out for the best for you and your family. From where I am sitting I am not sure what that is. Good luck hun xx

 

@ Bhenningson - well done on no snacks. I am not sure that your breakfast isn't a bit SWYPO. I might try it post Whole 30 as I shall be looking for an oats replacement. Porridge is my usual breakfast of choice when non-Whole30. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 14!!!!!  Wow!!!!!  I feel so much better.  I know it is dairy that is causing my aches.  All this tea with milk that I was drinking after my move to the UK.  Now I've been drinking warm water with lemon in the mornings, instead.

 

No, it did not end up being pot roast, pot roast and pot roast yesterday.  I batch cook, so there is a huge batch of chocolate chili in my fridge, and still left over pot roast and roast veggies.  I made sweet potato rice for the first time and loved it.  I ended up throwing it into the chocolate chili because I always add a ton of shredded veggies to that recipe to sneak veggies into my kids.

 

I love my Instant Pot.  I had some frozen chicken thighs that I wanted to use up, and did not want to feed pot roast for another night, so I sauteed some garlic, and onions in the instant pot, added a cup of chicken broth and tomato paste, and submerged the chicken thighs.  Fifteen minutes later we had tasty, fully-cooked chicken.  For the kids, I pulled the chicken out of the instant pot and cooked rice in the same broth the chicken had been cooked in, so they had delicious chicken and rice for dinner last night.  Rice is not a trigger for me, but I don't eat it during whole30s, so I had my chicken with roast veggies.

 

I'm still on a mission to make italian meatballs and marinara sauce today.  This is the recipe I am looking to adapt the instant pot.  Or I'll just slow cook it - the Instant Pot has a slow cooker function, too.

 

http://www.paleonewbie.com/crock-pot-paleo-italian-meatballs-in-marinara-sauce/

 

Yeah, Bhenningson, not to gang up, but I'm not sure noatmeal is whole30.  Did you check?  It is Paleo, but they are stricter during the Whole30 elimination diet.

 

Ok, I am off to go wander the UK grocery store and forage for the things I need for my recipes for the weekend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ all: Mmh, so I am being ganged up on but you know, that's quite ok. :) I would point it out to you guys too if I thought something was amiss in your diet.

While all the ingredients in the "oatmeal" are fully whole30 compliant (almonds, coconut flakes, almond milk, apple, chia seeds, almond butter) and it really is kind of a stretch to call it "oatmeal", I realize that I may indeed need to take a closer look at the meal template. Maybe that concoction would be ok as a side rather than the main dish. To put your minds to rest though, usually our breakfasts look different than that and I believe fit the meal template better.

 

@superchigirl, thanks for the hint on the dessert habit. That makes sense although I haven't been in the habit of having desserts before whole30. I will start eating my dessert items (piece of fruit, handful of nuts) at the beginning or throughout my meals rather than at the end

 

Today I woke up rested and feeling great. I tried something new for breakfast and loved that as well.

 

M1: 2 fried eggs over a bed of spinach, with 200 grams of Prosciutto di Parma and a slice of Cantaloupe

M2: roasted zucchini boats filled with a ground beef/roasted cashew mix with an orange

M3: rosemary meatballs on a bed of collard greens and peaches along with a side salad and vinegraitte

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@bhenningsen If you weren't a dessert person before this then it's probably not something to worry about as much. Some of us (e.g. yours truly) have a crazy sugar dragon and can't have fruit at the end of a meal because I think I *need* it to satisfy me. If you're not eating the fruit to satisfy a craving then it's probably fine.

 

Believe me, I have done a couple W30s in the past and have had many slipups much worse than "oatmeal" along the way. Just a friendly suggestion that I'm hoping will benefit YOU :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 14 - wow - I am feeling very good about that  :D

 

M1 3 egg herb omelette cooked in ghee, spinach and hemp oil. Lasted me from 9am til well past 2pm

M2 beef and tomatoes and a nak'd bar. I didn't want to eat too much as we have to have an early supper tonight. I have issues with eating when not hungry so I just had a bit at around 2.30.

M3 chicken curry with cauli rice. 

 

Exercise - I took a group of seniors on a tour around Exeter today and we spent a couple of hours strolling around in the sunshine having a great time. I got a lot of compliments and thanks and a round of applause at the end. I love my life right now. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's going to be a loooong day today. Hubby was up and gone by 5:30 and not due back until tomorrow evening. I haven't been back to sleep and got up at half seven. I don't usually get up til 9! 

 

Where's that tiger energy when you need it?

 

Day 15 today. Half way there when I go to bed tonight. Wey Hey, we are rocking this! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow - I just found this recipe for egg salad and it looks gorgeous, I have all the ingredients and it's compliant. 

 

Don't look at the ones lower down the blog as they aren't compliant - save them for post Whole30!!

 

http://www.the36thavenue.com/avocado-cucumber-egg-salad/

 

This will be my lunch wrapped in Little Gem leaves. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, day 15.  I cooked an absolutely delicious batch of meatballs and homemade marinara sauce last night and also made a bunch of sweet potato rice.  I did not have any ground almonds for the meatballs so threw in a few tablespoons of coconut flour instead.  I also cooked it all in the Instant Pot on low for about 15 minutes rather than the crock pot for 4 - 6 hours.

 

http://www.paleonewbie.com/crock-pot-paleo-italian-meatballs-in-marinara-sauce/

 

/www.paleonewbie.com/crock-pot-paleo-italian-meatballs-in-marinara-sauce/

 

M1 Two fried eggs on sweet potato rice with a side of kale.

 

M2 Meatballs, marinara sauce with a side of sauteed zucchini.

 

M3 - probably some of that beef stew since I've had a break from it for a few days.

 

I do eat an apple mid-day and had mine today actually mid-morning while I was at the park with my kids.  My daughter was all upset because a seagull flew away with her Cadbury mini roll cake treat, packaging and all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seagulls are a real pest and can be dangerous. I expect your daughter was frightened as well as upset. 

 

 

The egg mayo from my earlier link is to die for.  I used 3 eggs, one avo and half a cucumber and had it all for my lunch. Gorgeous. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 16 - it's the home run kids!! And time for an appraisal of how we are doing and feeling

 

Last time I did Whole30 it sorted out a decades long sleep problem. But it's not working on improving my sleep at the moment. I hope the next couple of weeks see a change there. 

 

Some of my clothes feel looser, especially around the thigh and waist. And when I look down at my belly when I am sitting down it looks less huge. I won't say smaller because it is too big to have the S word used anywhere near it. 

 

The zips on my favourite and my new ankle boots do all the way up to the top - puffy ankles are a real problem for me. 

 

My knee mobility is greatly improved. I put this mainly down to the twice weekly aquafit classes but my increased energy and ability to 'try harder' I put down to Whole30. 

 

I have just spent a couple of hours cleaning the house. This is a real biggy for me as there is always something else I would rather be doing. But I knuckled down and swept and washed and polished until my back was screaming. And I don't feel tired. I credit Whole30 with me wanting to do this as I have more energy. 

 

So all pretty positive. The only real negative for me is that I am fed up with cooking three meals a day but I am addressing that by looking at things I can batch cook so that pulling stuff out of the fridge is quicker than buttering two slices of bread and adding a filling. This morning was chicken thighs, veg, mayo and strawberries. On the plate in seconds. 

 

Have a good day on this Spring Equinox. Here's to lighter and brighter days xxx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seagulls are a real pest and can be dangerous. I expect your daughter was frightened as well as upset. 

 

 

The egg mayo from my earlier link is to die for.  I used 3 eggs, one avo and half a cucumber and had it all for my lunch. Gorgeous. 

 

No, she was plain annoyed.  My kids are tough. 

 

I gotta bring some avocados home. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tomorrow is the big day.  My husband, who is still back in California, has to sign the contract to buy the care home, and fork over our life savings, and then get on an airplane to come here, leaving his grown daughter in the States.  Or, in the alternative, chicken out and bring the kids and me home, to start over there.  We already sold our dream house and practically gave away all of our belongings.  But our transition here has not been as easy as he hoped, with all the cuts to education and health care, and us having two special needs children.  His fear now is that if he cannot offer us "better", he does not want to do it. 

 

Diet-wise, I absolutely feel better.  I was so achy since I arrived here.  I do believe it is the dairy, as I was drinking more hot beverages here in the form of tea and coffee, since arriving here.  I am still not exercising as much as I would like, but if my husband does this, he will be here in about two weeks, so I have time to buckle down so he will notice the change.

 

Food-wise, my fridge has a variety of choices now from cookups - I still have the beef from the pot roast; I have chocolate chili; I have marinara sauce; I have meatballs; I have sweet potato rice; and bunches of winter veggies that I will roast tomorrow.  I have frozen fish and frozen chicken breasts.  Monday night starts my seven overnights at work.  A horrible time for me, as I get tempted by the sweets left out by the day staff.

 

Food today was the beef from the pot roast, shredded and fried with mushrooms and onions with a handful of kale.  I had that for two meals and had meatballs marinara with kale for breakfast.  Yum.

 

Exactly two weeks left!  Wow!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doing a bit of spring cleaning before the nanny starts here for the next seven overnights.

 

This morning I made soft boiled eggs in my Instant Pot.  I did four minutes on low.  They were perfect eggs with the yolk just bareful fully solidified.  I wanted soft yolks so will do 3 minutes next time.  The peels fell right off, which is why we Instant Pot afficionados love it so much.

 

After the eggs, I threw a whole swede into the Instant Pot on high for 15 minutes (just pushed the "chicken" button).  Swede came out perfect, still just a little firm.  I chopped it into cubes and also prepared some sauteed in ghee with my roast beef.

 

Finally, I threw a whole butternut squash into the instant pot - trying 30 minutes.  I did have to chop the ends off and then cut it across the middle to get it to fit in.  It's my first time so we'll see how I like that for convenience.

 

And I think I am set for a week of really boring overnight shifts at my veterinary emergency clinic.  Avoiding the temptation of the chocolates that I am sure will be sitting around there is my biggest hurdle.  Wish me luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck Tracy. Today is the big day for you back home and I hope everything works out for the best for you and the kids. 

 

I also hope that the week of overnight sessions isn't too bad. Boring is awful but poorly critters is worse. 

 

Day 17 has been good so far. A lighter breakfast which, whilst not fitting the meal template only consisted of compliant foods. I was late and had to have lunch early as I was going to the hairdresser. So I had some fruit, coconut milk and nuts. It was lovely and fresh and light and such a change from all the mayo, ghee and vegetable. Lunch was super compliant to make up for it - chicken, avo, huge salad and mayo. yum yum. Dinner will be last night's pulled pork with baked sweet potatoes and a large salad. 

 

No exercise but I am feeling positive and I am definitely loosing my belly. Also my cheekbones and dimples are starting to make a reappearance. 

 

Yabba dabba doo  :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...