Retired couple started March 28 - feeling good!

[Rebecca 63]

Hello Whole30 Community - I'm Rebecca from Colorado - my husband and I, newly retired at 63, are on day 7 of the Whole30 experience. It's going well, as we are pretty active and have been cleaning up our diet over the last few years due to concerns about aging and staying as healthy as possible. We've had some dear friends and family decline and die recently, some of whose lives might have been longer with better lifestyle choices. It's sobering (no pun intended regarding alcohol - although that was a factor in several of the deaths). I've been gluten-free for about 10 years (non-celiac, but very sensitive to wheat) and had reduced my dairy and corn consumption sharply as well. My body mass index, digestive health, and sinus health have improved considerably, but not enough.  Walking is my favorite exercise. My husband, Greg, who is a runner, prided himself at being able to eat anything (and everything, sometimes!), but realized he needed to cut back on grains, processed carbs, and added sugar. One of his concerns was joint and tendon pain, as well as trying to maintain his perennially slim profile. We aren't experiencing any adverse physical effects so far.  Feeling great, sleeping well, and heads are clear. The only downside to Whole30 for me this first week is the extra meal planning and time-consuming preparation. I'm the chief meal planner and head cook - my husband makes salads and pitches in with veggie chopping, clean-up and grocery shopping. We'd be interested to hear from other over-60 participants, especially on keeping up their energy! We are also doing meditation and yoga. Thanks and glad to be here.

[Rebecca 63]

Another few notes - just completed first week. Have made the Butternut Squash soup from the book twice, delicious. Made a Mexican-spiced meatloaf with very lean ground beef and ground turkey, with lots of grated, sauted veggies mixed in it - first time I've ever made a meatloaf with added carbs like breadcrumbs, crackers, or oatmeal. It had a little water around the edges when it was done, almost like a broth. I'll just cook the veggies a little more next time before I add to the mix, so they'll have less moisture. Made a "protein salad" a can each of water-packed tuna, salmon, and olive-oil packed boneless/skinless sardines. Added chopped celery, grated carrot, diced green onion, dill pickles, and compliant mayonnaise - and Mrs. Dash lemon-pepper. 

[Rebecca 63]

We completed the Whole 30 on April 26 - have been easing back into some added sugars (but not much), and still avoiding dairy, legumes, gluten-containing grains, and alcohol. My husband seems to do better with grains in general, but I'm happy to avoid almost all of them now. I was gluten-free for more than 10 years before I started the Whole 30. We're especially pleased to have broken our nightly "drink" habit. Also, I wanted to get soy out of my life, and this helped me accomplish that too. We are eating a lot more vegetables than before. And all fruits seem to be sweeter to us now that we stay away from other kinds of desserts. We also are saving money by not going out to eat as much - hard to find restaurants that are "compliant". One place that works here in Colorado is Wahoo Fish Tacos; they have a "paleo" plate with two GF proteins, citrus slaw, fajita veggies, and guacamole. Yum.

[Bellmaestra]

I'm 64 and my husband is 66. We started Whole30 together on July 12 2016 and have done pretty well. The challenge is I have many pounds to lose, and my husband doesn't. He's also not one to venture into finding what's in the fridge, so he'll fix himself a piece of toast. So I feel a certain amount of pressure to make sure he's nourished.

The other challenge is that he's going to be tested for Parkinson's on May 31st. While I hope the diagnosis will be negative, having a diagnosis and a plan could be a good thing. Just more proof that old age ain't for sissies.

Stephanie