peak

Congrats on achieving a "half-C"... and yes, it is more than just the number. In just over 3 months I have shed some 40 pounds and my doctor says that with correct attitude, exercise and eating right that another 20 is possible. I have it to lose but I am not going to make it my goal. A friend complimented me on my success and suggested that I go out into the woods and find a large rock that weighs the same amount that I dropped and that I should put it on my kitchen counter as a positive perspective-reminder of my success. I just might do that

Congrats to you! in the past I have dealt with the GERD and can identify with you on that aspect. Not having to expect it anymore is a definite positive my W30 plan as well.

I am going to be frank... "Uhg!" I said to myself when joining the Whole 30 forums six months ago as it required another password and another user name to remember along with all the other recreational and professional subject forum websites to which I belong. What W30 name to pick… Should it be something clever or something simple? Perhaps it should be something that clearly stated my goal at that time. I thought it should be a cute, positive little reinforcement “pseudo- reminder” to me as to why I am on this forum … I will see it and recognize it each time I log in. Hence the former “Goal= -40” moniker. Imagine my embarrassment after joining to read in one of the topic responses that losing weight is not necessarily a point on which one should focus ...but rather a person should concentrate on being HEALTHY instead of losing weight. I will admit to not really becoming fully immersed in the finer points of The Program Rules when starting; I only thought of how simple this eating plan really is. I do not consider W30 a diet, per se, because to me it is not a diet. For me it is eating sensibly …but it took the plan to realize how the simplicity of eating right really is. I do not have a problem eating good, healthy foods but I needed a realistic outline. Whole 30 concept provided it for me. One point of the W30 that I read is ...that "the plan is not difficult" and for context of that attitude it followed with items that ARE hard to do. “Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard." Those examples piqued my curiosity, but as a relatively healthy male, I have experienced neither. Furthermore, short of Divine intervention and with a healthy lifestyle, I hope to never have the need to understand either one. Those illustrations made sense, but, I had to find my own examples to keep me charted on my own W30 course. I have been very fortunate in the past few years and my professional satisfaction has given me a sense of well-being. Nary a day goes by that do not think of my parents, rest their souls. I have them to thank for my existence. I have silently self-referred to them as good examples before. Because of their fortitude, when they were young, to overcome adversities which certainly can be considered “hard”, I used them a source of inspiration once again for perspective in the Whole 30 Rules. If they got through their hard times back in the day, then I can perform a simple act of eating right. Both lived the Depression as teens. Both served in WWII with dad serving on Guadalcanal. If anyone has seen the miniseries, The Pacific, it will give an idea of what “hard” is from an infantryman’s perspective. Hard is being a child of the Depression and fighting in war, my father did both. Eating right is not hard. I have opportunities that my parents never did. I should honor them by becoming the best person I can be which includes striving to be in the the best physical shape that is realistically within my ability. Continuing to eat right will be one of many attributes along the next steps my journey. In order to be at my Peak performance I need to continue eating right and be patient. My doctor, a couple of weeks ago, mentioned that dropping another 20 pounds would do wonders beyond the good feelings I am already consciously experiencing now. I never thought that the realm of dropping upwards of 60 pounds would ever be in my scope! (No, a new username of “Goal= -60” never crossed my mind- LOL.) Moreover, I am not going to focus on dropping another 20 pounds as an endgame but if it happens then great... perhaps that is what my weight should be. I weighed 215 when I was discharged from the service, but that was 33 years ago as a 20-something kid. I will set realistic goals. I am not going to attempt, at this new starting point, to get into the physique that will allow me to pass the Marine Corp PFT standards again, but I will not rule it out either. I completed my first Whole 30 late March this year- recording my weight loss of about 17 pounds; I had plenty of girth to donate to the cause. Six weeks earlier in January I scaled at 260+. That large number staring back bewildered me! Last Sunday, 2 June 2018 after a weekend of hard physical work, I dipped the pointer on the scale to about 218 pounds. Yes, I also know that stepping on the scale should be limited according to the program. But, regularly I have been teetering around the 222 range. I am not superstitious nor a poker player but “three deuces” are a much better number than 260! I still need to continue in striving towards a better physical being… but I consider that my initial goal of shedding 40 is achieved. Therefore, another positive reminder every time I log in to the Whole 30 Forums is appropriate and necessary. I am feeling that the attitude of “be-my-best at my age” is a righteous goal towards I will continually strive. I am changing my username on the Whole 30 forums to “peak.” In the opening steps of the program, there are words that say “Whole30 could change your life” …and the logo even states “let us change your life.” Respectfully, I must partially disagree with this. No one thing, concept or diet nor any one person can change another. I am the only person who can change me. Whole 30 definitely gets full credit in the nutrition/ food factor arena for helping my self-sense. With the right attitude, Whole 30 can change one’s life, but it is up to the individual. To those here who have met their goals I congratulate you. To those who are in the midst of W30 I say keep going. To those, without some extraneous adversity, who are finding it difficult I say keep your chin up... find the internal fortitude to keep going because it is realistically easy when compared to things that really are difficult... and the results are worth the effort. Respectfully- frank.

Kudos to you on making the 30 days! I can identify with you! I kinda' feel the same way in that my appetite has decreased too. Since eating so much better from when I started the W30 plan late in February i am down some 35 pounds and I feel great. I do not let the reduced appetite bother me. When I am hungry, I eat... if it is 12 noon and I am not hungry, I don't. I let my body tell me when to eat and I do not worry about it. When I do eat, it is well balanced with meat and veggies, but it might be at 9 in AM or 3 in the afternoon. My co-workers are very encouraging but they do get a little upset if i warm up a leftover steak at 10:30 and the wonderful smells waif through the office. Perhaps to entice your appetite, consider the concept of quality over quantity. For me that means buying better cuts of beef, asparagus even if it is $6 a pound, sea bass instead of cod or lobster once in a while. I am having fun by cooking with new spices... it adds variety to keep the anticipation of dinner.

If you can keep on the diet plan during the trip and for a week or two longer after returning from your trip I think is a good idea. Depending on how much you digress on the trip it might require a restart. What are the "snacks" that you plan to bring? I found that my snacks were more of the fresh fruit category and I learned that I was perhaps eating too much of that category... my snack now consist more of protein based items: I plan my week by grilling and planing for leftovers such as chicken, pork or steak. I am eating more of those between meals if I feel a pang coming on. Perhaps that concept might work for you, albeit tough to do when not cooking on your own. I am on the eighth week of W30 (sort of...) I was faithfully and completely compliant for the first 30 days. I have, however, enjoyed about a half-dozen adult beverages since that time. I am not reintroducing alcohol per se, because it is significantly reduced. I used to probably have 2 or 3 drinks a day before I started. Now I enjoy a glass or two of wine or a good Scotch only on one weekend day. Perhaps you might try similar by not going overboard. Instead of consuming many full 12oz or pint,s share a flight with friends so that you can sample the different beer flavors. Perhaps try to only consume a total of 16 ounces but spread out among the many flavors. Depending on how much you digress on the trip it might require a restart. How are you doing now that you are on 22 day? Are you finding the plan difficult? Do you long for day 30 just so you can have one of the forbidden fruits? If you are doing OK then let your body tell you how it is feeling to guide you into the correct answer for you. For me, I saw no reason for me to start full reintroduction because eating better according to the plan is retentively easy for me. At some point I will try the reintroduction process, but I am OK with continuing because eating good foods is not that hard. You will need to decide what is best for you, but I will toss this out there: be careful of altitude sickness! i do not from where you will start your travels, but if you are from a lower setting please be aware of altitude sickness as it can be a real issue for tourists who visit us... and alcohol does not help that matter. Drink plenty of water,

So I have ordered from True Fare to assist me through my first 30 days. The food is rather good and they state that their menu is W30 compliant ... including Galactic Hog Skins Hmmmm.... SWYPO ??? Oh, I hope not

I am experiencing significant backs pains recently (as in the last 14-18 days.) Today is 8 weeks since starting W30. I was faithfully compliant for the first 36 days and still continue the program, the only exception being about 6 drinks on weekends occurring only in the past 4 weeks. I am not reintroducing alcohol per se, just enjoying a libation on a weekend. I am not reintroducing any other prohibited items at all. I posted the first 30 days' results here: Great results after 30 days I have in the last 8 weeks a dropped a total of 30 pounds thus far and the diet is easy. Things are so much better except for the back issues. I am walking and sitting with much better posture and am certain that I am using a different set of muscles to do so... is it possible to attribute the resulting pain from dropping weight? Chiropractic care, PT and massage therapy is not helping. I am doing stretches and basic exercises to help strengthen my core but it seems to be to no success. I asked my GP doc and she does not think it is caused by the weight loss. I tend to agree with her but it is strange how it is so coincidental. Any comments? Thanks, -frank.

Would you be so kind to share your recipe? I am tired of only grilling with spice rub and smoke... would be really interested in what your compliant substitute consists of. Thanks- frank.

Gum was my problem too! I had to remove all of the different flavors from my work desk because I would instinctively out of habit just grab a piece almost unconsciously. It was mentioned by someone in another thread here to substitute pieces of fresh mint leaves. IIRC it was in the context of a person who was jogging or exercising to try this as a means to keep one's mouth from drying during activity. I bought a package of fresh mint to try, and while it took some time to get used and it is not exactly the same I do not mind this alternative. I also use mint in my camomile tea in the evening.

Completed 30 days two days ago, recorded the data difference today: 25 Feb- waist: 42, chest: 48, belly: 50, weight: 256 31 Mar- waist: 41, chest: 47, belly: 47, weight: 239 Back in January I was upwards of 260 pounds. Even at 6’-3” this is the heaviest I have ever been. That number was the indicator that I need to do something. At age 53 it ‘aint gonna’ get any easier! A desk job does not help the matter. The Whole 30 is the most sensible food plan (not gonna’ call it a “diet”) that I have ever done. All it is, is eating good food. I am walking around erect! Yes, that is right… I stand much straighter with less slouching in the back. Other notable benefits: jeans that were tight or did not fit at all are now wearable. Better sleep and a MUCH better attitude and focus at work! For me this plan was (is) really easy. I tried to make it as hassle-free as possible and bought a 30 day, pre-prepared meal plan from True Fare. Between this food and my own home made on weekends it was not hard at all. I did need to look closer at the ingredients for my own cooking… needed to be creative with the spices to insure compliancy. I had a glass of wine last night with my steak. I am not reintroducing alcohol as a first test; it was more of an “atta’ boy” to myself. In fact I do not envision reintroducing any of the forbiddens because I do not feel the need to do so just yet. I am going to continue for another 2 weeks or so and then think about reintro (I need to read up more on how to plan it.) There is a wonderful response by Moderator Sugarcube in another thread that I read and previously quoted elsewhere that really makes sense. While weight loss for me was a big motivating factor, I am going to focus less on it as a primary item and allow for more of a goal towards my overall well-being. Yes, I still have plenty of belly to lose but the new eating plan gives me a leg up on the next steps on which I will take. -frank.

Just finished my first W30 and what you said is a BIG difference that I also noticed! Congrats to you!

Good for you... having just finish my first W30 I feel vetted enough to post in this subforum. I got a chuckle from you parenthetical editorial:

So I enthusiastically purchased Colman's Mustard powder to mix with meat pan fond, water and tarragon leaves to make a sauce for pork chops. To my dismay I read beyond the single ingredient of "Mustard Four" to then read the nutritional information that stated "Carbohydrate of Which Sugars." In keeping with intent of The Rules, is this a concern?

Brightside, As your username suggests, look on the brightside- you made it to day 26, you know the routine. Kudos to you! In m opinion, finish out to day 30 and look back on how well you did and then reassess if you need to restart. I too, by rote and habit, used a similar cooking spray about half way in. Oh well, I said to myself. I was on a good roll as far as how to go about readjusting my attitude towards food and resolved to not use it again. I am on day 27 today and am going to evaluate my recorded data numbers on this upcoming Friday and most likely I will keep rolling with The Rules because am feeling much better. There is a wonderful response by Moderator Sugarcube in another thread that I read yesterday and it really makes sense. It was in relation to post Whole 30 relationship with food. I am using it to refocus my goals (I might need to change my username.) Where am I going with this? Do not beat yourself up. Your username is so optimistic! Roll with it! See how you feel and and then figure out where to go. I am not going to reintroduce just because my 30 days are up and yes I too slipped up in the middle of it, but even though I accidentally slipped up, I was feeling so much better that good feeling kept me going... and is still keeping me going. Keep your chin up and let the positive good feelings keep you going too! -frank.

Thank you... that is good news if and when I need it. I was starting to feel under the weather and my usual remedy is a hot toddy with orange spice tea, honey, Jack Daniels, cinnamon and a squeeze of orange (and the Mucinex.) I was able to get by the last couple of days on just virgin hot tea and Advil. -frank.