Contessa

Greetings from the U.S. on what may be the most stressful day of the year for many of us. Let's vote instead of snack. Yay! Things are going okay here foodwise. Since my last update, I had a couple of weeks that involved heavy off-roading (like, lost in a rainforest during a tsunami level off-roading) and a few weeks of keeping my oars in the water. Those metaphors don't really complement each other, but you get the idea. The current week feels very balanced (heck, maybe even a little too restrictive). I declared on 10/25 that I was going to skip "recreational sugar" (cookies, candy, cake

Just wanted to say I'm loving your posts. You have a delightful way with words. I hope W30 is very effective and enjoyable for you!

Regardless of what the food looks like, I hope you have a truly joyful birthday with lots of greetings and cheer from your loved ones! I'm toasting you with this extremely boring glass of seltzer water!

A good food week last week. Man, snacking is where it's (not) at. Yes, I'd like to be eating a little less "recreational sugar" right now, but I'm not bingeing, and I'm not snacking, and that is a good place for me. One thing I have learned during 46 years on the planet is that we humans are depressingly good at justifying our own behaviors. Whether it's a U.S. legislator making up new rules about the when to appoint a Supreme Court justice, or a citizen unconsciously plowing through half a bag of tortilla chips at mid-afternoon, we are good at creatively cooking up reasons. Speaking

After righting the ship and having some very good days last week, I see anew that snacking between is the start of a huge cascade of undesirable emotional and physical outcomes. I'm not talking about "Enjoying a slice of apple with peanut butter after a 5k" snacking. I'm talking about "It's mid-afternoon and I feel irritable with my job so I'll open up this bag of tortilla chips and suddenly look down and realize I've eaten 2/3 of it" snacking. A new mini-goal for this week: No snacks between meals. Period. I'll report back later on my findings

Just wanted to say that I love this plan for a reset.... sugar is also the one place where my eating feels truly unhelpful and out of whack. I spoke to a friend this weekend who permanently gave up "recreational sugar" (I love that phrase). Perhaps that's something for me to think about. If the cookies are antagonistic to my overall wellness today, is that going to magically change tomorrow? You're sure to experience a lot of benefit from this reset — I look forward to tracking your progress.

Absolutely love this thought! Perhaps we should use it as a guide and let it teach us more about how we respond to food. I appreciate your takeaway on alcohol, too. It affects me the same way, impairing my sleep. Wine and beer are great as weekend treats.

Rough going here in early September. I learned last week that cancer has returned to my beloved 75-year-old father. He had his first spin with this awful disease (multiple myeloma) back in 2014. He's beat it a couple of times, at considerable personal cost. He's had some unexplained pain this summer and now we have an explanation for it. It isn't clear yet what his prognosis is. (Weeks? Years?) He meets with an oncologist tomorrow to go over his options. I know none of us are meant to live forever. Science and skilled care have given Dad six active, high quality years since his first

I just want to say that I love this so much and I relate fully to this aspiration! Brava!

I look forward to your forthcoming Whole 30 cookbook. This sounds tasty, colorful, and nourishing! Wow!

Just here to say that a "6 hour slow roasted brisket in pomegranate and pecan marinade, with a pistachio mint gremolata" sounds phenomenal. You're on a cooking hot streak!

Feeling listless on a Friday night. I made plans to enjoy a breezy patio dinner at a restaurant with my fella tonight, but in the end we canceled the reservations out of COVID concerns. Infection rates in our area seem to be really high, and I am not sure I can handle two hours in public without a mask on, even if it's outdoors. "Your 'Surge Capacity' is Depleted — It's Why You Feel Awful" This essay has been making the rounds in my social media circles, including a repost from W30's Melissa Urban. It resonates with me. I continue to find help in hearing (reading) other people's refl

I feel like many of my close friendships slid into neutral when COVID hit. Heck, those friendships probably aren't in neutral anymore, but are kind of rolling backwards down the hill as weeks melt into months, and months merge into one amorphous blob. Yes.... those connections are so important. Every bit as good for us as leafy greens. Relating completely to what you've said, and I wish more people were talking about this. Thank you for reflecting on your experience.

Relating fully to this statement. I heard someone refer today to jeans as "hard pants" — I laughed in recognition. Please don't make us go back to the land of hard pants! Hope you get a great night of sleep.

This was a good week. Day by day by day, staying checked in with myself. Sometimes wobblingly, sometimes steadily. I took myself on a hot date to the grocery store on Friday night and paused as I noticed my cart's contents loaded on the belt at the register. That's always a moment for me. This is the stuff that will be fueling me over the next week. I usually can see all my grocery purchases at one time because I'm only shopping for myself. Looking at the foods on that belt made me feel good. I saw variety. Some fresh green stuff, some snacky stuff. Half a loaf of bread. A lot of who