Death of the Dragon - 30 days of carnage (July 25)

[emilyelowe]

56 minutes ago, jephrystanley said:

Hi everyone.  Monday here and I am catching up after a crazy week of work and life last week.  Good news is that we are still going strong!!!  Day 22.

It's been a good week for eating.  Made the banger sausage and mashed sweet potatoes last night (DELISH!) and some friends had us over for dinner Saturday and they made the ENTIRE date meal of the blueberry scallops for us which was SO nice and also DELICIOUS!  Our only real disappointment was Friday night we made the soup version of the cold thai salad for dinner and it was blah.  No flavor.  I even added chicken and shrimp to the table as possible upgrades for us and it didn't help much.  The worst part was were entertaining friends and had been bragging about how delicious all the food on the program has been and then...womp womp.  It was edible just not as good as everything we've been making...that's what we get for bragging.

I am having serious cravings right now though.  I have to admit, I am beginning to look towards the end get excited about some things I can eat again.  We're going to try to eliminate dairy post Whole 30 as best we can (cheese will be tough).  Same with gluten.  I must admit that I am looking forward to a cocktail.  But the strength and confidence I am gaining through active and consistent participation has me feeling good.  I am certainly not working out as much as I need to be but I do see some changes in my body that are encouraging.  I need to be hitting the gym because I think the combo of good eating and working out would show some serious results and I know that would be motivating.  We've ridden bikes and walked a lot but that's not enough.  I've always hate the gym.

Today we went simple on breakfast: over easy eggs, sliced tomatoes, bacon and some fruit.  Lunch today is two HB eggs with a dollop of mayo on spinach and we're trying one of two spinach salads tonight, either seared tuna or peaches and prosciutto.  Whichever one we don't do tonight, we will have Wednesday.  Tomorrow night we're doing some chicken tikka kababs.  

Energy levels are good.  Headaches have come and gone.  And I think that I've identified the gas culprit: red onions.  I've eliminated them and the gas has significantly decreased.  I think cashews do it too.  I haven't had any in several days and very little gas.  

The bangers and mashed sweet potatoes are THE BOMB, I agree! And isn't that always the way it works out? I was so excited about the jalapeno poppers and coconut chicken we made for friends last week and then I was just kind of like - Oh. Well that was OK. 

I ALWAYS get cravings at this point, too. As I start to think about reintroducing things, I start getting real stir crazy. Stay strong until Day 31! And be prepared to be honest with yourself during reintroduction - just because you've really been looking forward to something and you don't think it's going to bother you and it's your most favorite food ever and it's never bothered you before, remember to actually listen to your body. I was not happy when my body told me we shouldn't eat cheese (I actually threw quite the fit and said, "Well if that's how you're going to be - here, have some more. "), but alas, after slowly decreasing it more and more, I honestly don't miss it. Thinking back, it NEVER made me feel good. It just took me like THREE Whole30s to actually believe it and do something about it.

I would highly recommend getting back into the gym because I think you will be surprised at how your body is able to respond. My last Whole30 the difference between gym performance during Week 3 vs. Week 4 (and then during reintro when it tanked) was incredible. I was throwing around more weight than I ever had in my whole life. It was crazy. It's so fun to see what your body is capable of when you fuel it properly. Just start with 2 days a week! I also think in the summer, it's totally acceptable to only be riding bikes and walking, though, because you want to enjoy this time and this beautiful weather. So no sweat either way! (I mean, I hope you are sweating, but no worries. )

Not that this is my job - but generally two HB eggs isn't really enough protein for a meal. Not sure if you were just short on supplies for lunch, but eggs should be the number you can hold in your hand, which is 3-5 for most people. I mean, I don't know you, but if I can hold 3, I feel pretty confident you can hold 3.  

Glad you are figuring out the gas situation! That will be a good thing to know in the future, I'm sure!

[diamonds422]

@SugarcubeOD Thank you so much for sharing. I stopped taking antidepressants for 10 YEARS because I so badly wanted to convince myself I could live without them. It was a big deal for me to find peace with the fact that I will probably take them the rest of my life. Accepting necessary medical treatment does not mean we are weak. I wish you the best and I'm glad you're sticking around the thread with us till the end! 

[jephrystanley]

@Laurie....I was just on my way to grocery store and thinking about your comments regarding Rx bars and I wanted to tell you a story.  Two weeks (two short weeks!) before I started the Whole 30 (July 24), I bought a bucket of fried chicken at my local Harris Teeter because I was there and it smelled amazing (NO WILLPOWER!).  It had twelve pieces of chicken in it.  And over the course of two days, I ate the whole thing.  Repeat: THE. WHOLE THING.  I plowed into it, wrapped it up secretly in the fridge so hubs would not know (I confessed) and then munched on it all day the next day.  This was right after we moved and right before I started my job so I was home all day with my dogs, feeling homesick, missing my friends and tired of unpacking.  And I took it out on my body.  And in case I wasn't clear,  A WHOLE BUCKET OF CHICKEN.  BY. MYSELF.  (I'm laughing as I type this.)  The point being (and someone else made it more eloquently earlier), don't be to hard on yourself.  Life is stressful and messy and all we can do is give it our best shot every day; celebrate it when win and learn when we lose.  That's it.  So feel better...it's not like you ate a whole bucket of chicken!  HA HA HA!

@emilyelowe, really re: HB eggs?  Thank God you told me that because I thought two HB eggs was a lot! I'm glad to know I can up that because you're right, it's not enough (my body can tell that).  I supplemented with some fruit and nuts but I'd rather eat the eggs!  I'm glad I like eggs a lot because we sure do go thru some eggs.  And thanks for the motivation about the gym.  I know you're right; I just hate it.  Mainly because I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.  I was hoping to find a trainer who would work with me but I've dragged my feet on it thus far since we moved. I know you're right, I just need to convert that knowledge to action.

[SugarcubeOD]

4 hours ago, jephrystanley said:

@Laurie....I was just on my way to grocery store and thinking about your comments regarding Rx bars and I wanted to tell you a story.  Two weeks (two short weeks!) before I started the Whole 30 (July 24), I bought a bucket of fried chicken at my local Harris Teeter because I was there and it smelled amazing (NO WILLPOWER!).  It had twelve pieces of chicken in it.  And over the course of two days, I ate the whole thing.  Repeat: THE. WHOLE THING.  I plowed into it, wrapped it up secretly in the fridge so hubs would not know (I confessed) and then munched on it all day the next day.  This was right after we moved and right before I started my job so I was home all day with my dogs, feeling homesick, missing my friends and tired of unpacking.  And I took it out on my body.  And in case I wasn't clear,  A WHOLE BUCKET OF CHICKEN.  BY. MYSELF.  (I'm laughing as I type this.)  The point being (and someone else made it more eloquently earlier), don't be to hard on yourself.  Life is stressful and messy and all we can do is give it our best shot every day; celebrate it when win and learn when we lose.  That's it.  So feel better...it's not like you ate a whole bucket of chicken!  HA HA HA!

@emilyelowe, really re: HB eggs?  Thank God you told me that because I thought two HB eggs was a lot! I'm glad to know I can up that because you're right, it's not enough (my body can tell that).  I supplemented with some fruit and nuts but I'd rather eat the eggs!  I'm glad I like eggs a lot because we sure do go thru some eggs.  And thanks for the motivation about the gym.  I know you're right; I just hate it.  Mainly because I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.  I was hoping to find a trainer who would work with me but I've dragged my feet on it thus far since we moved. I know you're right, I just need to convert that knowledge to action.

You may find that you do better with the two or three eggs and some other source of protein.  Many people have an egg limit... like they could eat 3 or 10 and still not get the same satiety as if they ate three eggs and some leftover pulled pork... but yes, @emilyelowe was right on the money, definitely more than two for you!

[Delicacious]

9 hours ago, emilyelowe said:

I ALWAYS get cravings at this point, too. As I start to think about reintroducing things, I start getting real stir crazy. Stay strong until Day 31! And be prepared to be honest with yourself during reintroduction - just because you've really been looking forward to something and you don't think it's going to bother you and it's your most favorite food ever and it's never bothered you before, remember to actually listen to your body. I was not happy when my body told me we shouldn't eat cheese (I actually threw quite the fit and said, "Well if that's how you're going to be - here, have some more. "), but alas, after slowly decreasing it more and more, I honestly don't miss it. Thinking back, it NEVER made me feel good. It just took me like THREE Whole30s to actually believe it and do something about it.

Yes. My husband has been asking me about reintroduction and I told him it takes 10 days! I'm suspecting reintroduction is tougher to prep for than just whole30, because I need to remember to include just that one type of food and not the rest. There's 9 more days anyway, so I will think about that in a couple more days time! 

Oh and I just discovered a great way to serve breakfast/lunch/dinner etc.... I pulled out some unseasoned nori sheets, and some vegetables (strips of cucumber, carrots etc), bacon, egg mayo, avocado, whatever you fancy actually and everyone just makes their own nori handrolls! I ate three large ones for breakfast and am still pretty satiated 5 hours later. 

[emilyelowe]

17 hours ago, jephrystanley said:

 

@emilyelowe, really re: HB eggs?  Thank God you told me that because I thought two HB eggs was a lot! I'm glad to know I can up that because you're right, it's not enough (my body can tell that).  I supplemented with some fruit and nuts but I'd rather eat the eggs!  I'm glad I like eggs a lot because we sure do go thru some eggs.  And thanks for the motivation about the gym.  I know you're right; I just hate it.  Mainly because I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.  I was hoping to find a trainer who would work with me but I've dragged my feet on it thus far since we moved. I know you're right, I just need to convert that knowledge to action.

Yes, really! I eat 5 eggs a day - one pre-WO, one post-WO (white only), and 3 for breakfast. Talk about going through some eggs! I'm right there with ya.  

The gym can be super intimidating if you don't feel confident. And I DEFINITELY remember the days I dreaded going to the gym. Do you not know WHAT to do (i.e. what exercises in what increments?) or HOW to do it (i.e. literally what a movement looks like?)? I read a book called Thinner, Leaner, Stronger that finally convinced me that the only way I was going to change my body was to move heavy things and it has made a world of difference. He goes through the science of how your body processes food and builds muscle (of course, he encourages calorie and macro counting, but you can just skip that now that your body is sending you the right signals about what you need and you are eating real, whole foods ) and then has workout plans with full descriptions on how the movements should be done. It has made me much more confident at the gym and if I ever don't know how to do something, I just Google it. The internet is an amazing thing.

If that sounds like too much at once, maybe join a studio with classes? I've also gone through phases where I'm like, "I just want to show up and have someone tell me what to do," and have generally found that group fitness is much more affordable than a personal trainer. I mean, I'm all for a personal trainer, too, if that's your style. I just thought I'd throw out some other, hopefully less intimidating options. Good luck! Just remember: You're doing a Whole30 and you're awesome. You don't have to do everything at once.  Take your own advice and don't be too hard on yourself. 

[emilyelowe]

10 hours ago, Delicacious said:

Yes. My husband has been asking me about reintroduction and I told him it takes 10 days! I'm suspecting reintroduction is tougher to prep for than just whole30, because I need to remember to include just that one type of food and not the rest. There's 9 more days anyway, so I will think about that in a couple more days time! 

Oh and I just discovered a great way to serve breakfast/lunch/dinner etc.... I pulled out some unseasoned nori sheets, and some vegetables (strips of cucumber, carrots etc), bacon, egg mayo, avocado, whatever you fancy actually and everyone just makes their own nori handrolls! I ate three large ones for breakfast and am still pretty satiated 5 hours later. 

I actually mapped my reintroduction out on a calendar last time (I had a lot of events around that time, so it was just easier for me that way to see where they fell in comparison to what I was doing). I DEFINITELY think re-intro is harder than the Whole30. It's introducing things one at a time, plus having to wait before you do something else, even if you don't think there were symptoms, plus feeling crummy from symptoms, PLUS still trying to follow the meal template with foods that aren't really intended to fit onto it. It's super complicated and definitely my least favorite part. You'll definitely want to PLAN PLAN PLAN. 

Aaaand... that breakfast sounds amazing. What are nori sheets and where can I get them?  

[Delicacious]

@emilyelowe Nori is essentially seaweed. So I'm guessing supermarkets with a Japanese aisle would have them? They are roasted seaweed sheets, those we use when we make sushi. You'd need to look for plain roasted ones, without seasonings because many are seasoned with soy. 

[Delicacious]

Anyway guys, I think I may have made a discovery. I had mash potatoes with my beef stew tonight for dinner and about an hour later, I started to get crampy and gaseous. Similar to the feeling I got when I had that brinjals and tomatoes combination that day. Turns out potatoes are in the nightshade family too. 

My question is, why wouldn't I have discovered this before? I eat potatoes occasionally and never seemed to have a problem. I don't seem to have a problem with tomatoes at all now still. Is it because I'm eating more tomatoes with whole30 that I'm seeing a reaction to other nightshades? Or maybe I had more potatoes than usual? (Not really actually, probably a potato worth of mash?)

[SugarcubeOD]

1 hour ago, Delicacious said:

Anyway guys, I think I may have made a discovery. I had mash potatoes with my beef stew tonight for dinner and about an hour later, I started to get crampy and gaseous. Similar to the feeling I got when I had that brinjals and tomatoes combination that day. Turns out potatoes are in the nightshade family too. 

My question is, why wouldn't I have discovered this before? I eat potatoes occasionally and never seemed to have a problem. I don't seem to have a problem with tomatoes at all now still. Is it because I'm eating more tomatoes with whole30 that I'm seeing a reaction to other nightshades? Or maybe I had more potatoes than usual? (Not really actually, probably a potato worth of mash?)

It's possible that if you're eating a lot of one kind of nightshade that you're nearing your tolerance.  It's also possible potatoes always bothered you but if you had other things going on or were always just low level yucky feeling that you didn't recognize the connection... Maybe slow down with the tomatoes/nightshades for a couple days and then eat a potato and see what happens...

[Delicacious]

7 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

It's possible that if you're eating a lot of one kind of nightshade that you're nearing your tolerance.  It's also possible potatoes always bothered you but if you had other things going on or were always just low level yucky feeling that you didn't recognize the connection... Maybe slow down with the tomatoes/nightshades for a couple days and then eat a potato and see what happens...

Ok will try that. Today's amount of tomatoes were low. About 5 cherry tomatoes I think. I'll drop off nightshades for the next few days and observe. Come to think of it, I occasionally had these cramp feelings before whole30 and could never figure what caused them. I always attributed it to IBS. Maybe it's nightshades all along. 

[emilyelowe]

43 minutes ago, Delicacious said:

Ok will try that. Today's amount of tomatoes were low. About 5 cherry tomatoes I think. I'll drop off nightshades for the next few days and observe. Come to think of it, I occasionally had these cramp feelings before whole30 and could never figure what caused them. I always attributed it to IBS. Maybe it's nightshades all along. 

And the Whole30 strikes again! It's amazing to me the things we learn about ourselves on this program. Hope you feel better soon, @Delicacious! The pork and potatoes looked and sounded amazing!

[emilyelowe]

Day 22 in Columbus. It's feeling like we are really getting close now. I think I've decided to purposely reintroduce gluten in all it's scary glory on Day 31 so I know exactly what it does to me and then attempt to Slow Roll from there. (Day 31 is next Thursday for me and we have friends in town for the weekend - so who knows what will happen!)

I woke up feeling pretty rested this morning (despite having a Great Dane who is apparently quite the dreamer sleeping in my bed all night ) and have been trucking through all day without any caffeine so pretty excited about that. (just realized it is only 12:30, though - haha - it feels much later) Today has been kind of weird - feeling a little like a sausage packed into my pants, a little bloaty, and suddenly got a headache around 11:30 a.m. It seems to have subsided now that I've eaten lunch and I am definitely trying to drink more water this afternoon. 

Dinner last night was very disappointing - grilled chicken, mayo, green beans, chow mein, and a plum. Part of the disappointment was probably because that is a bit of a hodge podge of items and I really like things that go together. But more so the chicken didn't taste right - kind of fishy - and the green beans weren't right either. I made them with ghee instead of coconut oil and, I'll admit, I didn't actually measure the coconut aminos, but I was so sad because they were really good last week.  Chow mein was OK - I didn't include the coconut sugar the recipe calls for so wondering if it would have been better if I had. May or may not try it again post-W30. It would be nice to have a different way to eat spaghetti squash and food to include when that Chinese craving comes. 

I had chicken and mayo on the way to the gym this morning (still yuck - really not digging that chicken), HB egg white post-WO, sweet potatoes + chow mein + 3 eggs + hot ranch + peach for breakfast, and THE BEST WHITE CHICKEN CHILI EVER + half an avocado for lunch. Seriously, everyone needs to make paleo running mama's white chicken chili that I linked above. It might be the best soup I've ever had, and I LOVE soup. I've told like everyone I know about this soup. So I had to tell you guys, obvi. 

Also, I fell into the Rx Bar trap we were JUST talking about yesterday! I bought one last week to have in my purse for this weekend in case things got real at the baby shower. I had opened it and tasted it this weekend (it was a flavor I hadn't had before) so then it was open in my purse but I figured I'd just leave it in there for emergencies. I forgot about it until I was moving some things around yesterday when I got home after work and once I saw it, it was like I COULDN'T LOOK AWAY.  Having a snack when I get home from work, before dinner, is definitely an old habit from the days of counting calories and not eating enough and always being hungry before dinner. I knew in my head that I wasn't hungry and didn't need a snack, but I still ate a chunk of it. (DANG Mixed Berry is good). Once again, I put the rest back and said, 'That is emergency food. It needs to stay in your purse,' and moved on to prep dinner. But then, after my disappointing dinner, my sad brain reminded me that the rest of it was still in my purse, so I ate it. #facepalm This was definitely a combination of habit + impulse control + Sugar Dragon + emotional eating and it is a real bummer. It's crazy to me that no matter how good I feel, I still make these silly choices. What the what, self? 

I'm thinking the plum last night + half Rx Bar + the peach this morning might be what's having me feeling less than stellar. The Whole30 was so much easier when it wasn't summer and I wasn't surrounded by all of the most beautiful looking fruit. I'm like Eve in the Garden over here. Lord help me. 

I'll be home alone for dinner tonight so I hope I don't do anything stupid. There are Cheryl's cookies hiding in my pantry and I promise you all I will not eat one. I am probably going to have Meatza for dinner because it was SUPER good and gives me something to look forward to. When you guys eat Meatza, do you have anything else with it? It seems like it's missing a fat, unless the 1/2 pound of ground beef goodness counts, which I'm 99.9% sure it doesn't. I don't really have any greens to make a salad with dressing, so not sure if I should add something else. Like I said, I like it when things "go," together. Suggestions welcome.

Have a great day!

[emilyelowe]

Mods - is there any clarification out there on wraps? I was thinking about these nori wraps but then remembered that PureWraps coconut wraps are not allowed. Is it because the nori wraps are veggies and/or less processed? I'm just wondering how to determine all the compliant ways I can wrap my food, because that's basically my favorite way to eat. It's like opening a present.  

[SugarcubeOD]

10 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

Mods - is there any clarification out there on wraps? I was thinking about these nori wraps but then remembered that PureWraps coconut wraps are not allowed. Is it because the nori wraps are veggies and/or less processed? I'm just wondering how to determine all the compliant ways I can wrap my food, because that's basically my favorite way to eat. It's like opening a present.  

Ya, coconut wraps are taking a 'flour' product and turning it into somethign resembling a bread wrap... the nori sheets are just like wrapping in lettuce or collard.. and oh so delish!  Just make sure you don't put 'wet' stuff as the first layer because it makes the nori really hard to bite/cut... 

[diamonds422]

Day 27 for me and my husband. I made the no fuss salmon cakes from the book last night, an old fave. I like cooking so much more in our new kitchen! This Whole30 has been the hardest of them all, for sure. The first one had the novelty factor, the second one had my husband joining in, and this one had buying a house, moving and getting sick...so yeah, tough. But I'm so glad we are sticking it out until the end, cough drops be damned. I'm probably one day away from being completely recovered from this terrible cold I've had for over a week. It's a bummer because I definitely haven't felt any tiger blood. Maybe at the end I'll be fully recovered!

[Jim4884]

2 hours ago, emilyelowe said:

I'll be home alone for dinner tonight so I hope I don't do anything stupid. There are Cheryl's cookies hiding in my pantry and I promise you all I will not eat one. I am probably going to have Meatza for dinner because it was SUPER good and gives me something to look forward to. When you guys eat Meatza, do you have anything else with it? It seems like it's missing a fat, unless the 1/2 pound of ground beef goodness counts, which I'm 99.9% sure it doesn't. I don't really have any greens to make a salad with dressing, so not sure if I should add something else. Like I said, I like it when things "go," together. Suggestions welcome.

Have a great day!

I typically top my meatzas with broccoli, squash, and black olives, and add some avocado after baking.  I think the olives and avocados plus the meat provide enough fat - seems to be OK for me...

[Delicacious]

5 hours ago, emilyelowe said:

Dinner last night was very disappointing - grilled chicken, mayo, green beans, chow mein, and a plum. Part of the disappointment was probably because that is a bit of a hodge podge of items and I really like things that go together. But more so the chicken didn't taste right - kind of fishy - and the green beans weren't right either. I made them with ghee instead of coconut oil and, I'll admit, I didn't actually measure the coconut aminos, but I was so sad because they were really good last week.  Chow mein was OK - I didn't include the coconut sugar the recipe calls for so wondering if it would have been better if I had. May or may not try it again post-W30. It would be nice to have a different way to eat spaghetti squash and food to include when that Chinese craving comes. 

Just some thoughts on chow mein - we typically don't add sugar in chow mein, it really doesn't need it. A good splash of coconut aminos + fish sauce can give it the depth it needs. I like to use lard or a light olive oil because coconut oil and ghee just tastes weird with chow mein. Then I sauté some chopped onions and minced garlic to give it the Asian flavour before adding the rest of the meats ingredients etc. noodles (squash) goes in last. Spring onions also makes the dish more fragrant.  

[emilyelowe]

14 hours ago, Delicacious said:

Just some thoughts on chow mein - we typically don't add sugar in chow mein, it really doesn't need it. A good splash of coconut aminos + fish sauce can give it the depth it needs. I like to use lard or a light olive oil because coconut oil and ghee just tastes weird with chow mein. Then I sauté some chopped onions and minced garlic to give it the Asian flavour before adding the rest of the meats ingredients etc. noodles (squash) goes in last. Spring onions also makes the dish more fragrant.  

Thanks, @Delicacious! What are spring onions? Like, green onions/scallions?

[emilyelowe]

Day 23 and still having digestive trouble. I want to write a letter to myself that says, "Dear Body, if we are going to wake up at 4:45 a.m. to poo, could we at least be productive about it?"  I know it's probably the potatoes and I just have to be patient but this morning was pretty frustrating and I am feeling a little uncomfortable/bloat-y in my belly. Unfortunately, Sunday I still had two servings of potatoes because I had normal sweet with M1 but then had dinner at my in-laws where I had some white with a beef stew. I probably should have worked around them but I didn't even think of it at the time. So then I had sweet potatoes with M1 Monday and yesterday. I'm sure this would move along faster if I skipped them entirely for a few days, but they're in the fridge calling to me! I'm going to have a whole bottle of kombucha, remember the Natural Calm, and skip the La Croix today to try to move things along. I'm also not going to buy any more potatoes after we finish what we have (which unfortunately is kind of a lot ). 

Meatza for dinner last night and very little temptation despite being home alone. It's amazing what a satiating meal can do to the appetite and the mind games! The pup and I actually had a very productive afternoon! We made meatza, put the butter chicken in the slow cooker, and baked the potatoes for the spinach and artichoke potatoes I'm going to finish tonight. We took a walk and then a car ride to return some shoes and pick up some things at Whole Foods, made the bed, did some laundry, watered the grass. It was a good time.  It was actually pretty neat that at 8 p.m. (bed time!) I was like, "Darn! I want to keep working!" I just love the energy I have. 

I slept very well (no pup in the bed!) and, after my 4:45 bathroom facepalm, I got up and went to yoga at 5:30. That was lovely until the last 10 minutes of class when my tummy started cramping in preparation for another stupid poo. Rawr. 

I had like two bites of meatza on the way to the gym (I am clearly over the HB eggs) and didn't have a post-WO because I didn't think I needed it. White chicken chili and half an avocado for M1, butter chicken and chow mein for M2, and grilled chicken with spinach + artichoke twice baked potatoes for M3. I am excited to try the butter chicken - it smelled SO amazing while it was cooking yesterday! 

I'm sure I'll be back with an update. Have a great day!

[Delicacious]

15 minutes ago, emilyelowe said:

Thanks, @Delicacious! What are spring onions? Like, green onions/scallions?

Yes! Scallions. 

[emilyelowe]

18 hours ago, diamonds422 said:

Day 27 for me and my husband. I made the no fuss salmon cakes from the book last night, an old fave. I like cooking so much more in our new kitchen! This Whole30 has been the hardest of them all, for sure. The first one had the novelty factor, the second one had my husband joining in, and this one had buying a house, moving and getting sick...so yeah, tough. But I'm so glad we are sticking it out until the end, cough drops be damned. I'm probably one day away from being completely recovered from this terrible cold I've had for over a week. It's a bummer because I definitely haven't felt any tiger blood. Maybe at the end I'll be fully recovered!

Bummer that you are still not feeling well! I hope you get fully recovered soon! Are you planning to do a standard 10-day reintroduction? If you still aren't feeling the best and still aren't feeling the Tiger Blood, you could always stick with your Whole30 for a few extra days to see if you get there once the cold passes and then do your reintroduction, either formally or Slow Roll, later. I'm Slow Rolling, so I'm sure I'll be around on this chain (or whichever one the mods kick us to ) after my Day 30. 

[emilyelowe]

Day 24! One week from today I will be eating gluten. I am both excited and scared, but mostly excited. Not because I miss the things I'm going to reintroduce on Thursday - I'm actually purposely trying to eat not very special things as a guard rail for myself - but because I'm going to learn. And I love learning.  I think my plan for next week is to have a piece of bread with breakfast and pita with a gyro for lunch. As I've mentioned, we have people coming in to town on Friday, so the rest of the weekend will be interesting.

However, right now I'm really kind of feeling like I will be able to stay mostly on track (on track = a truly SLOW slow roll) even over the weekend. I was reading through the journal I kept on my phone during my last reintroduction, and it makes me not even want to reintroduce things. Like, most of what I was saying was how terrible I was feeling. I had headaches and bloating all the time. The interesting recipes and partnership with my hubby during this Whole30 have really started to make me think I want this to just be how I eat. Maybe it is just the oncoming Tiger Blood talking but for now, I'm feeling motivated. I think having my husband on board with me has really made a difference so I hope he sticks with it, too. We shall see. 

The spinach and artichoke potatoes I made last night are THE BOMB. So yummy. Last night I had one of those, grilled chicken, and a bit of mayo for dinner. This morning I had one with mayo and 3 eggs for breakfast.

I successfully sat in a Lunch and Learn session surrounded by pizza today PRE-lunch and survived, so that's a victory. Once my nose acclimated to the amazing smell of the pizza, I actually forgot about it, which is a pretty big deal, because I have a tendency to obsess over food or other things I want. It might have just been that I gave my brain something else to do in the form of peeling off all of my Gel nail polish, though, haha. (that is very bad for your nails - don't do that). Either way, I made it. I'm eating butter chicken and chow mein for lunch now (I was starting to get a bit of a headache, so hoping that will pass now that I've eaten). 

I also walked past FREE, genuine, German handmade, mini cream puffs on the way out of work yesterday. I thought about taking them home and putting them in a Ziploc but then I channeled my inner Melissa and was like "If you want a cream puff next week (which you won't because you don't actually like cream puffs), you can go get one because ADULT." Also a victory.

Last but not least... I "accidentally," squatted 5 pounds more than my previous working set this morning, which was kind of exciting. I was like, "Why is that so heavy?" and then I looked and was like, "Oh. Well let's roll with that, then." I failed on my fifth set, so I went back down 5 pounds for my sixth (and last), but I was still pretty pleased with myself. Suffice it to say, gym performance is improving. I'm also falling asleep and sleeping well and feeling very energetic and focused. AND I washed my hair again and the dandruff is even better than last time! NSV! (I only wash my hair 1-2 times per week - it's not weird, it's good for you - so that is why I keep randomly making this announcement. I have to wait a week before I can test it again. Haha). Literally 0 flakes this morning. I can't believe it. Praise the Lord! 

Also, my husband this morning was explaining how something he hadn't done in a long time was easier at the gym and that he can run faster than normal and I just said, "It's called Tiger Blood. Welcome to the Whole30," to which he immediately rolled his eyes but, you know, it's not always easy being right all the time. #noapologies  

Back to Reality, though: We don't have a good plan for dinner tonight AND we have to do some errands, so I have a feeling all of this "Yay, I love Whole30 and unicorns," spirit will be slightly lacking in a few hours, but I'm going to try to document it and hold onto it as long as I can! Haha!

Have a happy Thursday!  

[Delicacious]

Hellooo everyone! How's everyone doing? It's Day 24 for us. Just made a spinach, peppers and bacon frittata this morning and it's so nice to have fresh food for breakfast. Kids have been taking turns to wake us up (more my hubby than me), so he's upset that he's really tired and not feeling that much tiger blood yet. I'm sleepy but more energetic than I would usually be when I'm sleep deprived. So it's good. 

I've been busy (and lazy) last weekend and so this week's food has been rather rushed since not much food prep was done. All my freezer stores (except a fresh batch of roast pork) have been depleted and so I'd really have to cook this weekend! Dinner is probably going to be lemon pepper wings, and I might start making some beef stew for next week. 

Have a great day everyone!

[diamonds422]

Hi all, it's day 30 for me and my husband. I'm so, so glad we didn't quit despite all the difficulties. Today's lunch was the greek version of the Whole30 protein salad on a bed of spinach with balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top, with a side of strawberries. AMAZING. I can't believe I didn't try it before. It's amazing how some roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives and basil can change something so much. 

Non-scale victories are numerous-- more energy, better skin, minimal cravings (gone now that the stress of the move is over), getting more efficient in the kitchen, and I'm sure a lot more I can't think of right now. My husband, like he did during his first Whole30, completely stopped snoring the third day or so. 

We're basically going with the slow roll introduction. I've never really had issues with the food groups being introduced, but I think for my next Whole30 I'll do the reintroductions on schedule to make sure. Can't do that this time around, but it's in my plans for sure. We basically plan to eat Whole30 or at least paleo all the time unless something comes along that's worth it. 

It's been a pleasure being part of this thread with y'all. I'm sure I'll see many of you around the forum in the future! Best of luck to everyone who is approaching the finish line!