mergthemagnificent

Marie, I suggest you join another post with people starting tomorrow....there is one already underway. That way you will have more support.

Oh, AmyAllyn, I am so sorry this feels discouraging - especially since it sounds as though you are knocking it out of the park in term of improving your health. I am with Shannon - concentrate on those NSVs while you stick with it. You are doing such good things for yourself. Don't let one number define who you are....and don't believe it will never change.

Hope you two are doing well. Maybe join the Newbies thread so there are more people to support you? I'll be checking in either way. Keep on!

What I am noticing so far, day two, of this journey is the small, almost hourly decisions I can make toward wellness and self-love. Taking a nap or lie-down when I need it, eating lots of veggies at each meal, asking myself if I am really hungry, or just bored, or having some other emotion that needs to be listened to - not buried under something else going in to my mouth. Many little decisions, every day - almost every hour.

I would add an S - because when I am stressed and not thinking about myself and my food needs enough, I go crazy and try to soothe with food/alcohol. It doesn't work.

To all three of you: BRAVO! You've taken the most important step and I am right with you. This is a series of decisions made to love yourself in a really good way - not in the "oh, I want a cappucino" way. I have been on this road before, but need to fine tune some behaviors - and I can learn a lot from each of you who have kicked the alcohol habit....so help me out too - and I will do what I can for you.

Hey, Kwantum....I started today. I have done it before also, and have started many more times but stumbled. My motivations are to look and feel as good as an exercise teacher of mine who transformed herself with clean eating. I started a 30 day yoga challenge today to get back to a practice I love - and it really was HARD this morning. Lots of stiffness where there used to be ease. I want to put the two together. I also want to get a handle on my relationship with wine. Too much, too often (2 glasses a night) and my aging body really doesn't handle it well any more. My husband drinks every night, but seems to be unfazed by it - unlike me. For me, putting some form of exercise together with the meal planning and food awareness is a key helper. I hope to lose weight also. Today felt good, but there were MANY little moments of thoughts like: "cmon, you can go get a smoothie" or "a skim cappucino won't hurt". In each case, just 15 minutes of something else seemed to push the thoughts away.

Here I am....back in my old form....recognize the meditating bear???

Ok, that worked. Now I can go back to saying how glad I am to find you all here still.....like coming home for Christmas. I am in for Jan +++ w30 but need to get my butt in gear about it, which takes more effort than it used to BECAUSE IT IS BIGGER THAN IT USED TO BE Well, Merry Christmas everyone See you after and may 2017 bring many delights to us all.

Oh arrgh!! I wrote a long first new reply and it doesnt seem to have posted. Will keep this one short as a trial.

Well, folks, I dunno what happened, but I had one heck of a time logging in there for awhile. At least I could read your posts and SMILE at the stories, sliding pie crusts, rebellious bread dough, bathtub negotiations, and Crimsann's incredible capacity to be around cupcakes while doing a whole 30!! You are fantastic...all of you! I am back from joy trip, all 48 hours of it, to NYC with the hubs. We had a great time, once we got through the flying stuff, which sends him to the literal edge...but we had what was almost a second honeymoon, minus the sex ( we are old) and it was very sweet. I can feel myself getting thick in the middle and a little too loose with the ISH part of whole 30-ish, so I am going to start up July 1...need the next few days to get my mind around it again. I will probably ignore the soy sauce in a few dressings in the fridge that need to be used up...but otherwise, full steam ahead. Help me out, partners, becauseI have sinned while in NYC...so the comedown may be Hard!! Susan, I get the hubby who never throws things away...and unfortunately, it is about to get worse at our house. While in NYC, we went to an antique book store where they were selling old covers of the New Yorker. My beloved says:" oh my, and I have been giving those away!! I think I will start keeping them ". Time for an addition on the house for the magazine wing. We alread have the old tax returns room, and the files from committees twenty years ago library. I don't use my Instapot much in the summer except for Bone broth and ghee...am thinking more abut how to make salads and cold proteins easier.

I am also in, Susan and Crimsann. Starting a day late (today), and will do a modified version between June 24 and 27

Nancy, so glad to see you back on the screen. I know you have been a comfort to your family, snorting and all. I believe laughter is so important at times like these. Glad you were able to give them that gift, a sell as the many gifts that come from just being YOU. Crimsann, thanks so much for sharing the meal plan....very great ideas. So, each week you plan 2 meals and make enough of it to cover all 14 meals ( minus meal 1)? That is surly one way to simplify....don't you get bored with rotating two things out for all those meals??? I've given up looking for a great 30 days ahead when some event won't interfere with a whole 30, so I am just going to do my best to be compliant all the time, except for the really special occasions ahead, and then not go crazy...then maybe I can do a very strict 60or more starting in August after I return from vacation. There is plenty I can do to make myself feel and be better...and no reason not to ramp that up right now. Otherwise, all is well here. Keep taking good care everyone.

GLOP. Went to a garden party (WAY too fancy for me) today and ate bad stuff. FEEL LIKE GLOP. Going to bed. Tomorrow is another day. Sigh. Let's hope this is a good week. Supposed to have a taste of summer here this week....a few days of that and I will start complaining about the heat OK, I am actually better than that sounded....just a bit irritated w myself for sliding off the rails.

Hi, everyone. Nancy, sorry for your loss. I LOVE my SILs...just don't see them enough. Kudos to them for living with my love able but rotten big brothers whose favorite trick in childhood was to tie me up in the garage and leave me there until Mom and Dad wondered where I was. No wonder my favorite thing to do was to go hide in a neighbors dog house, with their German shepherd who lived there, or to climb the tree behind our shed and get up on the roof, out of sight. My poor hubby, he is living with result of these coping mechanisms.... My fish...yes, 60 pounds, just for the two of us. My freezer is now so full it is a death defying act to open the door. The Fish is caught in Alaska, in season, flash Frozen and shipped by a one man outfit called Salmon and Sable. I bought 60 pounds to avoid the shipping charges, but, then again, I basically had to surrender my puny freezer space until we eat our way back into it. The fish is the best I have ever had, but it comes in season, so now I have enough halibut and sablefish to get me through to next Spring. If you are interested, check out the Salmon and Sable website...but, warnin, it is EXPENSIVE....just worth it for me to be compliant and not eat so much red meat along the way. I have an order for salmon for the fall...not in season now. Anyway, since I spent so much on the fish, I have my Julia CHild The Way To Cook here on the coffee table and am reading about how to,properly treat frozen fish....hmmm...I might have to quit my job.... I've fallen by the wayside twice this week, stopping by our health food store and the juice bar to get a green smoothie...then today, a sandwich (WHAT.???).....so will restart my whole 30-ish on Sunday as tomorrow I am meeting up with a friend from out of town at a local French bakery-her choice...cmon people....I cannot be asked to do that, can I? So I may be facing joining you all in June, for real. Or maybe waiting to jump in with Nancy in July because hubs and I are going to NYC at the end of June and I just won't feel like being compliant for a weekend in the Big Apple. In the meantime, I am going to try to I've toward compliance...getting way from those smoothies, the cappuccinos, sandwiches, etc....I feel so much better when I do!! Crimsann, any chanc you can share your meal plans? Cheers everyone!! UNiversity graduation here, so the town is a zoo!!!