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Return of the November Whole30


CCLaymon

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Just 2 more days! Time to start noticing NSVs and planning for controlled reintroduction! :D

I served pan-seared cod tonight, and it was so delicious, I'm going to share the recipe.

Pan-seared Fish

  • 2 pounds thick white fish filets or steaks (halibut, striped bass, sea bass, cod, or swordfish)

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup arrowroot powder

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1-1/2 cups crushed nuts

  • 6 tablespoons clarified butter

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 315°F. Pat fish dry on paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Place arrowroot, egg, and nut crumbs in three separate shallow bowls or plates. Season each gently with salt and pepper. Working one piece at at time, lift fish and dip, presentation-side-down, in the arrowroot, followed by the egg, followed by the nut crumbs, pressing down firmly until a thick layer of crumbs adheres. Place fish crumbed-side-up on a clean plate and repeat with remaining fish.

Heat clarified butter in 2 large cast iron skillets over medium heat until shimmering. Add fish pieces, crumbed-side-down and cook until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip fish and put entire pan in the oven. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the fish registers 140°F, about 5 minutes (a knife or a cake tester inserted into the fish should show no resistance). Serve immediately.

I paleo-fied this recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/the-easiest-crispy-pan-seared-fish-food-lab-recipe.html

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@IronGirlTrixie We're going to do a Seed&Spark campaign instead of Kickstarter. Same idea, but S&S is strictly for film. I've followed their platform for a couple years now and women-driven films seem to have a lot of success with S&S. They are also doing a 100 day initiative right now called "100 Days of Diversity" to help foster minority and women filmmakers so I feel like they are the best option for this film.

Keep going March ladies you're almost there!!!

And YAY, it's my friday. Going to be filled with a bunch of pre-production stuff. Woo Hoo!!!!

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On ‎3‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 11:02 AM, IronGirlTrixie said:

In other news, wobbly bits have become more wobbly. Might be time to hit the gym and tighten them up! 

This one line made me snort La Croix out of my nose! Though they are delicious, they're nowhere near as enjoyable on the way back out as they are on the way in the first time around. :wacko:

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 11:16 PM, IronGirlTrixie said:

I had an NSV moment today. I went to a hockey game and the seat was comfy! I think the person in it is shrinking! 

This is an amazing NSV!!!

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 1:28 AM, browneyedbeauty said:

Never heard back about the job. Disappointed, but motivated to keep pursuing my ultimate goal.

I'm in pre-production for a short film I wrote a couple months ago. It's the first time I've set out to produce something I've written and only the second time I've shared my writing with people I don't know. The response has been really positive. My wife and I are working on a budget and marketing plan to fundraise the money we need to shoot it. I've been put in a touch with a good director who loves my script and is excited to produce it. We're scouting locations this week. 

And I had a really good weekend with a relaxing fun day yesterday. All-in-all this week has been really good and much needed with the ongoing gloom here because it won't stop raining. :P

I'm sorry about the job... However... Amazing about your film process!!! I can't wait to hear how it all goes. What's the topic?

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Very late last night I got back from New Orleans and as amazing as the trip was, I'm *really* glad to be back to my own bed, the cold New York clime, and to cooking my own food. Needless to say I was totally off the rails between eating *and* drinking. It was a blast, and I had some of the best meals and drinks I've had in a reeeeeaaalllly long time, but by my fourth or fifth day, I felt bloated, swollen, sluggish, and my tush was killing me from all of the spicy foods-- that Cajun/creole seasoning is no joke! :huh:

Today I had an appointment with a new psychiatrist to try to manage my medication regimen - he's starting me on a different anti-depressant medication which I will pick up from the pharmacy tomorrow, and then I'll begin my transition taper from my current medication. I'm also working the next three days in a row. So aside from catching up on rest and laundry, today is a cook-up day as well.

In between naps and laundry today, I've made a veg-heavy chicken stew in the Dutch oven - onions, carrots, celery, red and green pepper, all sautéed in olive oil. Then I smushed a can of whole strewed tomatoes and used the juice to deglaze the pot, and added a jar of artichoke hearts. When that was warm, I added three big chicken breasts, some garlic powder, and a healthy shake of a creole spice blend I bought in Louisiana (glutton for punishment??). It's been simmering on low for a few hours and the house smells wonderful. Just now, I set a whole roaster chicken to bake alongside some Yukon gold potatoes wrapped in foil, and next I'm going to make a batch of mayonnaise. I haven't done any in several weeks because the last three that I did had failed, and I'd been using the oil/egg liquid as marinade as well as a cooking fat in which to do my fish and eggs. But it's all used up now, so if the mayo works out, then great. But if not, then I'll use it to sauté my fish filets and eggs. :lol: 

I think I'm also going to make some garlic mashed potatoes with olive oil, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, and sautéed Italian peppers to go with some over-easy eggs I can anticipate wanting to eat for the next couple of nights' dinners. I was planning to go to the green grocer today to pick up some fresh veggies (all we have in the house are onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, and whatever frozen ones I've got in the basement fridge), but I didn't get there. I do shop in bulk though, especially when there's a sale, so I'm glad to have plenty to lean on when in need.

Breakfast was leftover compliant pulled pork and raw carrots, with Kalamata olives in olive oil (and a little non-compliant feta), along with a couple chugs of a non-compliant Stardollars drink. Lunch was more of the same to use up the pork, plus La Croix. I'm planning to do easy sautéed spinach with eggs for dinner as my box of spinach is looking wilty and sad from being forgotten during my trip to Louisiana.

By tonight, I'm also hoping to have uploaded my trip photos. Can't wait to share some of them with you all (I'll leave the off-plan ones off this thread, though!).

How is everyone else doing? Just another day or two left to the March Whole 30, eh? What was doing another round this month- ready to reintroduce or ready to make it a W60? B)

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Good Morning Ladies!  I went to my first "Wet Workout" in the pool last night and it was wonderful!  I have to tell you that I realize that for myself I have a lot of work to do!  This will become something that I'll be doing for myself and my physical well being, easy on the joints and the ladies in the group were very pleasant and welcoming!  If any of you get the chance you should look into doing some kind of pool activity if you can, and another perk, when I got home and went to sleep?  I slept like a baby!!  Hope your all doing well oh and on another note I'm going to join this gym so I have access to all kinds of classes and exercises!  Looking forward to getting fit!  

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So... how is everyone one? Did any of you do any re-introduction today? I am thinking I will try a few re-intros soon. But I have a stomach bug right now. It's not serious and I expect to feel better in a day or two. But now is definitely not the right time for re-intros for me. Maybe next week.

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Congrats to all who did a March Whole30!!! YAY you did it!!!

My family got some pretty bad news yesterday, my grandmother has a mass on her right lung. They are pretty sure it's cancer. My mom needs to make an appointment for my grandma to see a specialist to confirm what stage it is and get treatment options. We want as much info as possible, but with her dementia and her DNR, we've decided if it is cancer, we are not going to treat it and do everything possible to make my grandma as comfortable as possible until the end. It could be anywhere from a couple months to a year life expectancy choosing this route. I'm relieved she will not have to spend years losing her mind to dementia, as her mind is what she values the most, and It's been hell for her to lose her memories and cognitive skills. Still, none of us were expecting cancer and we all feel blindsided.

@NoMoreCrunchyCravings It's a short film between two women, former lovers on the eve of a wedding who are wrestling with the question "Can exes ever be 'just friends'?"

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On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 0:51 AM, browneyedbeauty said:

Still, none of us were expecting cancer and we all feel blindsided.

@NoMoreCrunchyCravings It's a short film between two women, former lovers on the eve of a wedding who are wrestling with the question "Can exes ever be 'just friends'?"

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandma. Yes, totally understandable about feeling blindsided. I think your family's plan honors her though- getting all of the information you can, then making a decision based on prognosis. No matter what the decision, making choices that will alter the time you have with a loved one is really hard. Sending a hug through the internets.

Regarding the film- it sounds wonderful, and something I'd really like to see! I know it will likely take quite some time, but will you let us all know when it's available for viewing?

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Thank You, ladies!

I had a really good visit with her this afternoon before work. She doesn't remember the ER visit or her Dr.'s appointment yesterday (more on that below), still, she seemed to have a sense her time is limited and she opened up to me about some things in her past which I don't think anyone in our family knew. She's done this with me several times and I treasure these conversations with her, even more so now.

Her Dr. yesterday revealed that the tumor in her right lung is 6cm, the surrounding lymph nodes are enlarged which indicates the cancer has started to spread. She also has an Aortic Aneurysm which is labeled a "4.2", they recommend surgery when it gets to a 5 but with a DNR I don't know what treatment we could provide for her. She has an appointment next Tues with a cardiothoracic specialist to find out more and figure out what we can do to make her comfortable. Her Dr. recommended hospice "sooner rather than later" - I've had a few friends go through this with family and in my experience hospice is only recommended when someone has a couple months or less to live.

@NoMoreCrunchyCravings - I will keep you informed!

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@browneyedbeauty I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope that your appointment with the CTS person gives you some good suggestions and a plan for the management of her comfort. The progression of a loved one's illnesses and new startling diagnoses with poor prognoses is really hard. We enrolled my mom into a palliative care program about two month or so before she was admitted to the hospital for the very last time last year (though we didn't know it would be so then). Our palliative care program has a hospice program in the same health management organization, so they had explained to us that for patients who start in palliative care but who decide to progress to hospice, it's a smooth transition, and helps them to make the most informed decisions with a really strong network of support for the loved one's care and management, and for the mental health and spiritual needs of the family members as well. Though my mom didn't make it into their hospice program, I did use them for grief counseling after she died. This service was free, and was a big help to me in the months following my loss. I'm not sure where your grandmother fits into the spectrum on this, but if her physician was suggesting to enter her into hospice "sooner than later" you might want to discuss it with your mom. Hospice is an amazing program and really can make all the difference. Even if you just get information from them with an at-home consult, it would be helpful for you all.

Sending you internet hugs. Let me know if you need more information about anything, and I'd be happy to help if I can.

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How is everyone doing this week? I've actually made a bit of a turnaround and have started cooking and eating 80+% to the w30 recommendations compared to being totally off the rails as I had been for the last three weeks or so. I also was able to convince my best friend to try a somewhat w30ish/paleoish cooking/eating style as she was complaining about feeling tired/sluggish, having minor short-term memory issues, unable to lose weight, always hungry/snacking. When I suggested she do a Whole 30 she flat out refused because she didn't want to stop eating dairy or sweeteners, but when I started telling her about the w30 food recommendations under the terms "healthy nutritional eating recommendations" she said she'd try it and has been doing it (though still eating dairy and sweeteners, and I'm sure some other non-w30 stuff as she's not really reading labels) in terms of cooking for herself using fresh ingredients, eating one to two palm-sized portions of protein, 1-3 cups minimum of veg and a portion of healthy fat with every meal, having three meals and a mini-meal if she needs more, and drinking more fluids for a week or so and feels so much better.

I think I'm actually going to do a two week reset. I'm leaving home for a trip to Florida on April 29th, and while I know that while traveling I won't be able to maintain a strict w30 diet, but there's really no reason I can't eat that way to feel my best for the next two weeks leading up to my trip. I think I'll maybe start journaling my foods again too, to keep me motivated and honest. I don't know if I want to stop drinking my mostly daily coffee, which has noncompliant additives, but then again I'm not doing an actual w30, so it's something I have to think about and really make a concerted decision about.

Is anyone currently doing a w30 for April?

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13 hours ago, NoMoreCrunchyCravings said:

I've actually made a bit of a turnaround and have started cooking and eating 80+% to the w30 recommendations compared to being totally off the rails as I had been for the last three weeks or so.

Good for you, @NoMoreCrunchyCravings! And your 2-week reset makes sense. Why not feel your best.

I've been testing various things, both FODMAPS and some of the traditional things that one tests during reintroduction. I learned that cream is a no-go, alas! I'd really hoped I could have it, but it upset my stomach, so no. I'm not going to bother with unclarified butter; if cream was no good, I suspect I am better off without butter also. I'm so used to using clarified at this point that I'm content to simply always use it. I also tried soy sauce (the good, fermented kind without additives) and don't seem to have any trouble with it in small amounts used occasionally for seasoning.

Regarding FODMAPS... some FODMAP foods I can eat in moderation (apples, mushrooms, ginger, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli), but not large amounts. Other FODMAPS, even in moderation (butternut squash, coconut, garlic) are absolute no-goes.

Cream, butter, and soy sauce were really the only non-Whole30 foods I wanted to add to my Whole30 diet. So I'll keep the soy sauce, but do without the cream and butter.

I think I'm going to return to the FODMAP restricted list for a couple of weeks to let my body recover from the FODMAP testing. Then I'll have some of the okay ones in small amounts. But I'll wait to test any of the other yet-untested-ones.

So I am currently Whole30 plus soy sauce (in moderation and not often) minus most FODMAPS plus a few mild FODMAPS. I'm really satisfied with this way of eating, and I have no desire to eat grains, legumes, dairy, or sugar. My husband is also carrying on with the Whole30, although he is doing Whole30 plus cheese. His allergies are a whole lot better this spring, better than they've ever been, due to the Whole30. He's usually so allergic that it's like he has flu. So far this time, he's merely dragging a bit. He's really happy about the improvement, and so am I.

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I thought I'd check in here - it's been SO long! I went off the wagon (after about 4 months on) and it's not all it's cracked up to be :D:D

I'm joining a new group and starting on Day 1 tomorrow in case anyone wants to join me! @Jessica NG I'm so glad your food options are increasing!!

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@browneyedbeauty I have been reading your posts.  I am sorry I did not respond to you earlier but the words cancer and hospice hit too close to home and I just could not write.  Please know that you have been in my thoughts.  Treasure all your moments with your grandmother.  Each experience, conversation, etc. is a gift.

@NoMoreCrunchyCravings How is your 2 week reset?  Where in Florida are you vacationing?

@CCLaymon  I am going to join you with the group starting today.

@Jessica NG  How is your mom?  I am impressed with your ongoing dedication to W30.

@IronGirlTrixie  Hope you are feeling better. 

I ended my March W30  a few days ago - went off it one day, back on W30 the next day, off the following day and back on yesterday. The food was really not worth it.  Luckily, I did not have any negative reactions.  I found it very easy to get right back on track.  April 16th is day 1 of  a new W30.  My W30's are far from perfect - all compliant foods but eating between meals (usually mini meals), eating when not hungry and too many rx bars (for treats as opposed to emergency situations).  Not looking for perfection just continued improvement. I don't need to drop weight.  I follow W30 because I believe in the lifestyle.  I  have had lots of relapses with my grief and depression.  Family drama has also been very hard on me.  One reason I have not posted is that I go into isolation mode.  Trying to work on getting out of isolation and interacting more with people.  I started going back to the gym as a way to be around people.  During my time away from the gym, I worked out at home. My goals for the rest of April and May  - W30, exercise 4 to 5 times a week - combination of gym and at home workouts, return to bereavement support group and ..............well, I need to figure out the rest.

 

 

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@CCLaymon I might lurk on the group that starts today. I'm eating Whole30 plus minimal soy sauce, but I currently regard myself as being in the re-intro phase, not on a W30, even though I probably will not do any reintro for the next couple of weeks. Sounds like your brief time off the wagon clarified some things in your mind about how you want to eat. That's good!

@Laurie Your plan for a fresh W30 plus gym plus support group sounds excellent. I suspect that if you can keep these foundational elements in place, you will be able to build on them. Thanks for asking about my mom. She's still in rehab. She'd been having difficulty making any progress (she wants to be able to walk again, using her walker), but had a breakthrough last week with a burst of progress. Her kidneys have improved even more (she stopped needing dialysis in the hospital, but her kidneys were still not all the way recovered). It's strength and balance that she is really working on now.

I want to report a non-scale victory for both me and my husband. We went to my in-laws for Easter, which always includes a potluck, with lots of non-compliant foods. Neither my husband nor I ate any of the non-compliant foods. We stuck to the grilled meats, the asparagus, and the fruit, and didn't even LOOK at the dessert buffet. We are both pretty pleased with ourselves about that. :D

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Oh! I just saw this from @SugarcubeOD and I really liked it.

"You could do re-intros, realize that sugar in ketchup and a dash of cream in coffee is fine and then make your own WholeCCLaymom plan..."

I suppose I'm now on my own "WholeJessicaNey-Grimm plan," which is currently W30 plus some soy sauce and minus many FODMAPs. Cool!

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Ladies, honestly, I'm going to give you all the choice here - we either move this thread back to the Post Whole30 log again or you can start a new group thread there - unless ALL of you are you going to be doing a Whole30 starting any time soon I see no reason for this thread to continue in this section of the forum as you've all been here, done that many times before and should all be more than ready to move beyond that with reintros, off plan items etc.....

Let me know what you think.

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@jmcbnI'm in re-intros myself, doing the "slow roll" type after my W120, so I'd be fine with having this thread moved back to the Post Whole30 section. So that's my vote.

Sorry for cluttering up the W30 section of the forum. I don't think we meant to be a problem, but just continued posting on a familiar thread with familiar names as we continued on our various food journeys. Could you move the thread for us?

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