LadyM's seduction continues (sur son propre velo)

[LadyM]

How's your writing W30 going?

 

Good question!  It's not really happening. I may have been aiming too high! It's next, though. . . . and at the forefront of my mind. But to shift from mind to action is the next step. . . . 

[LadyM]

Day 4

 

Here's what I'm loving about my W30 right now:

 

1. Returning to simple food. 

2. The template.

3. I'm not overeating. And I'm only eating when I'm hungry. Which happens to be three times a day. Like clockwork. Unless I've eaten too much in the previous meal.

4. Being friends with fat.

5. Amazing sleep. 

6. Regularity! And not much gas to speak of. *cue the singing of angels*

7. Sugar dragon seems to be sleeping as well as I am.

8. I'm beginning to feel like myself again.

 

I've had a few food anxiety/cheating dreams, but nothing too crazy. Food is still at the forefront of my mind, but I'm expecting that to subside as I get more comfortable and in the groove with food prep.

 

I'm letting go of ketosis and just sticking to the template in a slightly tweaked way that makes sense for regulating blood sugar--meaning the veggie focus is on non-starchy veg and plenty of fat is good.

 

Made it to barre this morning and it feels so good to have done that. A little movement first thing is such good medicine. I'm working out dinacharya (morning routine) for myself that includes meditation, movement, and writing. Every day. To implement beginning Sunday once YTT is done. 

 

Today's plan:

 

M1: BPC, eggs, greens, sf bacon.

M2: kalua pork, roast broccoli, kraut, tahini sauce

M3: salmon with mayo, hb egg, cauli hummus and celery, almond stuffed olives, decaf BPC

 

Long yoga practice this morning and maybe a walk at lunch. Teaching yoga tonight and tomorrow morning, too. Really looking forward to Friday and Saturday when I can focus entirely on YTT and not have extra responsibilities. Then Sunday I'm planning to spend the day with my BFF having a little adventure. Maybe mushroom hunting. We'll see. But I'm looking forward to it.

[SaraRuns]

You will get started on the writing when the time is right, I believe that.  With so much else on your plate, it may make sense to hold off on that goal.

 

"meditation, movement, and writing. Every day. To implement beginning Sunday once YTT is done."

This makes so much sense.

 

Mushroom hunting sounds like fun!

[LadyM]

Day 5 plan:

 

M1: BPC (before yoga), sf bacon, eggs, greens

M2: kalua pork, broccoli, kraut, avocado

M3: Burger, bacon, cauli hummus, celery, olives

 

Just placed an order with US Wellness Meats. Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs, here I come!

[SaraRuns]

Short ribs, yum!

[LadyM]

Had a dream last night that I mindlessly ate a handful of starburst. IRL that's not a food I've been remotely interested in since I was a kid in soccer cleats! Grateful to have awoken to a world in which I haven't touched sugar in weeks.

 

My lower back/SI is out of whack this morning thanks to yoga. I see FMD Monday and she'll put me right. Maybe I can even get out of pain with some back bending before the day begins. This morning's practice is extensions, so at least it shouldn't exacerbate things. 

 

Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day after a long, wet cold snap. Went for a walk in the woods on my lunch break and dang if being in nature isn't the quickest way to feeling soothed and balanced. It's the best medicine, really, and I'd like to do a better job remembering this.

 

AF arrived yesterday just in time for our day of inversions. It always happens that way. I went ahead and stood on my head to my heart's content, though. I just LOVE going upside down. One of my intentions is to find a place to do silks this year. One of the women in the training is certified in it and suggested a school up north. So, maybe I can work it in. We'll see. Anyway, the intention is set. I'm ready for more fun and (literal, not figurative!) upside down in my life.

 

Day 6

 

Plan for today is another walk at lunch. And for food:

 

M1: (the usual, bc it's working really well) sf bacon, eggs, greens, BPC

M2: kalua, broccoli, avocado, kraut (avocado kept me satiated longer than tahini did)

M3: kalua, sauteed greens, mayo, decaf BPC

 

The kalua should be gone just when my short ribs appear in the mail. I'm already salivating for this. Really enjoying luxuriating in fat right now.

 

Also enjoying eating regular meals that aren't enormous in volume. Ayurveda says we should really only eat the amount of food we can hold in our two cupped hand at any given time. Left to my own devices I tend to be a volume eater who habitually overfills. Over the years I've observed the strange phenomenon that the more I eat the more I want to eat. As if my stomach stretching is a cue to keep filling it. This gets me in a terrible jam.

 

So, this whole30 is also, in part, about retreading the pathways in my brain to recognize appropriate volume for my tummy. Small plates and small(er) pyrex containers for my lunch is helping immensely. I'm learning what satiety rather than stuffed feels like and really enjoying the process. Can't beat that!

[pjena]

Nature does help!  Our road is being rebuilt this summer, along with the utilities, so they cut down a ton of trees this week.  It makes me just want to cry.  I wish they'd figured out a way to fix the road without killing our wooded street.  Normally, the road around the lake across the street is a nice nature filled walk, but I will need to find a new walk for the summer.  

I think I could stand to relearn smaller portions, too.  Or, just waiting to eat.  This morning at the hospital with my friend, I was starving and tempted to get something from the coffee shop, but I decided instead to just wait until I got home to eat something real.  It was a good choice.  A muffin or sugary yogurt would not have helped much.

Happy Mother's Day.  I know it's a hard day for you.  Hugs to you! 

[LadyM]

Thank you, dear Jen. I hope you had a happy Mother's Day, too! You deserve way more than one day devoted to honoring all the many ways you extravagantly mother your boys (and countless others, no doubt)!

 

I definitely shed some tears yesterday, but I was with my BFF whose mom is also passed on, and we made a splendid day of it. Flat Stanley is visiting from Texas, so we showed him many local favorites: the apple orchard abloom, Lake Michigan, my fave beach resort town, a gorgeous hike in the woods. No morels yet, but I'm still working on developing my mushroom eyes! Anyway, we talked about our moms and mothered each other. We had brunch out, and I might have ingested something not entirely "clean," but I did my best, sticking to protein and veg, even brought my own olive oil for salad dressing. When I thought about what potentially could have been in the brisket marinade, I toyed with the idea of off roading for the one day--especially when BFF opted for froyo and cookies in the afternoon--but thought better of it. So glad I did. I always feel better the next day when I've opted for compliance. Working on consistently making choices today that the M of tomorrow will be grateful for. (Side note: BFF felt sick after all the sugar and we had a chat on the way home about making a commitment to NO SUGAR. For our bodies it's simply necessary for the foreseeable future.)

 

I haven't met anyone who isn't deeply affected by having to take down a tree. It's a powerful experience. Like death. Really. Shows how connected we really are to the natural world.

 

I sure hope I get out on my bike this week, but it'll depend on the weather.

 

Busy front-loaded week per usual. So I'd better get to it.

 

Today's M1 is more of the same: sf bacon, eggs, greens, BPC--but I'm still loving it and it's working for me, so who am I to mess with greatness. Running a little low on groceries, but I can always throw together a compliant meal out of eggs or tinned fish of one variety or another. Might end up at Costco today, not sure. But I will continue this W30. I feel more and more like my happiest and best self every day. Why on earth would I want to mess with that?

[SaraRuns]

I'm glad you were able to be with a friend yesterday.

 

I love that you took Flat Stanley out and about!

 

Don't mess with that which is working.  Sounds like a plan to me.  I don't know that I can give up my voluminous salads, but I don't ever feel stuffed after eating them.

 

Have a great week!

[pjena]

I'm glad you had a nice day with your friend and good for you making good choices!  I also always feel better when I make good choices.  Wish I'd made better ones this weekend... Oh well. 

[LadyM]

 I don't know that I can give up my voluminous salads, but I don't ever feel stuffed after eating them.

 

I don't think anyone needs to have smaller salads, really! Especially because lettuce and greens aren't nearly as voluminous once they enter the digestive process. In fact, everyone could do with more veggies, by and large. This is just a really good experiment for me about the size of my stomach and satiety. Most people would have no business doing such a thing!

[LadyM]

Moving right along.

 

One thing that's happened to me during this W30 is eating immediately after waking. I'm just. so. hungry. This has to be a sign of good hormone shifts happening, and I'm heeding the HONGRY call. It kinda throws off my meditation and walking schedule, but that's OK. It's all in the name of experimentation right now.

 

Yesterday I ended up making cracklin chicken for lunch and ate the whole pan of four thighs because so much yum. With mayo and avocado to accompany it, I wasn't hungry the rest of the day. Well, I was a little hungry when I got home from teaching at 9:30 p.m. but made the decision to just go to bed. Always a good choice. Eating late does me no favors. And today I realize that I forgot to pick up eggs at the co-op while I was there (doh!), so I'm still short on groceries. I hope my US Wellness shipment arrives today, because I'm not going to make it to costco until tomorrow. Oh well. 

 

Skipping bootcamp in favor of grading papers all morning. It's all good. Getting walks in to and from work and teaching a boatload of yoga this week. Will try to squeeze in the gym tomorrow. It will all work out.

 

FMD yesterday was pleased with my progress. Everything is much calmer and my liver seems to be doing just fine processing the influx of healthy fats. She's in support of my dietary shifts. Also worth noting, I'm starting to feel the dietary shifts in my body composition, too. That's nicely motivating. 

 

So, onward!

[SaraRuns]

Thanks for responding.  I know if I got nothing else out of W30, it was cutting back on my volume (not veg) and not getting stuffed.  I am a much happier person when I don't get to the overate feeling.

 

Glad you are seeing/feeling motivating progress, that is always welcome.  You sound busy, like usual.  Make time for some rest, too!

[pjena]

I'm so glad things are working the way they are supposed to and that you're feeling results.  That is motivating. 

[LadyM]

Learned some good info from an experiment yesterday. I'm still so curious about IF and wondered how it might work if I consumed all my food between 6 am and 11. Well, by 5 I was ravenous--too ravenous--and ate a duck breast, olives, celery with tahini dressing, and had one of those "can't get satisfied" spells during which I ate a handful of coconut and a handful of pecans. Stopped myself at that because I had to teach yoga at 7. A little disappointed I broke my own "no nuts" rule, but am forgiving myself in the name of a failed experiment that gave me useful information. The only way I can skip a meal is if I seriously overeat in the previous meal, and that doesn't feel like it serves me well. So, back to three squares a day and being glad about it!

 

Had to talk myself into going to barre this morning, but glad, as always, that I went. It was tough. I think working out in a fasted state is a challenge now, especially in the morning since I'm waking up SO HONGRY. So, a pre-workout something or other appears to be in order. 

 

Yesterday was a whirlwind, full of meetings and classes, but I still managed to walk everywhere I needed to go, albeit in the rain. Thought to myself in my grandmother's voice, "What are you, made of sugar?" and all the days I walked regardless of weather when I lived in big cities without a car and that was simply the way I got around. I like summoning that urban chutzpah.

 

Costco run today--yay! And I made a list so I don't forget anything (like eggs!). More spaciousness in my schedule today, too, and that feels good. Grading, an appointment, teaching yoga, maybe bootcamp depending on how I'm feeling by this evening. I love these days when my time feels like my own.

 

Cheers to Day 11!

[SaraRuns]

urban chutzpah  - Love this!

 

Yay for a day that is your own!  And I'm glad you found some lessons learned in your IF experiment.

[LadyM]

Made it to Costco AND my shipment of grassfed meat arrived. Now I'm FLUSH with wonderful things to eat, including all kinds of offal. Energy boost here I come!

 

First thing I'm making is a 6-pound Texas-style beef brisket. It's resting with a magnificent dry rub in the fridge. I've never done this before, but am very excited for a taste of home. And I think I'll be having the neighborhood over for dinner. Though, I must admit, I had no problem demolishing that 6-pound pork butt last week. . . .

[LadyM]

Beginning to feel lighter and happier, effortlessly grateful. I can feel my body comp continuing to shift, little by little, and that makes me feel calm about my choices and remaining on this path.

 

All this in less than 12 days! Dang.

 

I've taught three yoga classes this week and they all went well. My reward at the end of this busy day is a massage. I am thrilled to be in someone else's hands for 90 minutes. Having that to look forward also makes whatever this day throws at me more tolerable.

 

Had more pecans yesterday, but it was a deliberate choice and not in any way out of control. That feels like progress. Not that I'm planning to continue eating them every day--certainly not--but knowing I can enjoy a handful of nuts every now and again as part of my healthy diet is very satisfying. Nut butters, however, are still out of the house. . . . I eyed the giant tub of almond butter at Costco yesterday and quickly kept walking. There's just no reason for that kind of temptation. Same goes for coconut butter.

 

Today's plan:

 

pre wo: BPC

M1: sf bacon, eggs, greens

M2: brisket, avocado, salad greens, kraut, evoo

M3: liverwurst, celery, cucumber, mayo

 

Easy peasy.

 

Plus walking everywhere, which will add up to at least 90 minutes, on top of a vigorous yoga class this morning. 

[SaraRuns]

Enjoy that massage!  My massage on Tuesday did me wonders!

 

Sounds like a great day of movement and I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling changes that feel great to you.  Keep on keeping on!

[LadyM]

That massage was dreamy. It was a rainy day and I was able to squeeze in a little nap between the end of my workday and the massage. So, it was relaxation on top of relaxation. So good. Slept like a baby and didn't need to set an alarm. Got 9.5 hours last night. Wheeeeeeee!

 

The brisket? OMG the brisket. I may write poetry about it. Heavenly. Maybe too heavenly. I ended up eating more than a normal portion at lunch as I picked at it when carving it up on top of the meat and glorious fat I ate over salad greens with avocado and sauerkraut. Uber satisfying. Wasn't really hungry the rest of the day. Though I kept thinking about that pile o' glorious meat in my fridge all day long. Phew. And I did have a little hunk of it and a handful of pecans before my nap. Then I was done for the day. So, my meals looked a little different than the plan. Per usual.

 

Today I may walk and or ride my bike and or barre. Just not sure yet. I'm reviewing a show tonight and reconnecting with a friend for dinner beforehand. Hoping I can cobble together a reasonably compliant meal. It's a Friday fish kind of deal, and even fish fry joints generally offer a poached/steamed option. So, that's my plan for M3 along with a little jar of ghee in my purse for added fat. When I eat large enough balanced template meals with plenty of fat for M1 and M2 I tend not to be too terribly hungry at the end of the day, so this should work out just fine. Fingers crossed.

 

M1: sf bacon, eggs, greens, BPC

M2: brisket, greens, kraut, avocado, EVOO

M3: (potentially) fish and ghee

[LadyM]

M3 was rounded out with a compliant salad from a salad bar, so SUCCESS! Of course, it's entirely possible that the broiled fish had butter or some other non compliant oil, but for my purposes on this my umpteenth W30 for which I don't necessarily need to do reintroductions because I've done them before, I'm OK with that uncertainty. And I'm happy that I cobbled together more of a template meal than I thought. I also skipped the awkwardness of pulling the ghee out of my purse by drinking a BPC coffee before I left and sprinkling the salad with sunflower seeds as well as a healthy dousing of EVOO. 

 

And so it's a new day. Latest night I've had in a dog's age, and I didn't sleep as long as I like, but I awoke on my own without an alarm and have the spaciousness for a nap and/or a long sleep tonight. Rest day after a tough barre workout yesterday. Maybe I'll get in a walk or some yoga. We'll see.

 

M1: BPC, sf bacon, eggs, greens (upped the fat in my BPC to see if this tides me over a bit longer)

M2: brisket, salad, kraut, avocado, evoo

M3: tbd

 

Happy weekend, all!

[LadyM]

Arose before my alarm this morning and have a lighter Monday than usual since I accomplished so much this weekend. Yay, me! Is this Tiger Blood? Who knows, but I'll take it!

 

Yesterday I took the opportunity to play in the empty studio and plan some of my yoga classes. It was a pleasure to just move my body the way it wanted to. I rekindled my love of yoga, played my music loudly, and watched my body in the poses reflected in the mirror without (too much) judgment. It really is a miracle what this body can do. I opened up a deeper awareness of the big picture and am realizing on a different level that this health journey really is about the long run. With every choice I make each day my aim is to do something good for the M of tomorrow. Tomorrow being Tuesday but also Tuesday 20 (and maybe 50) years from now. I think I've made good strides in this regard, choosing gentler ways that I can maintain, and it's an ongoing practice with which I'll stay curious and present.

 

It's a busy week in that I have plans every evening: teaching, yoga, teaching yoga, and a writing assignment. Then I'm off to visit family a couple states over. My grandmother is recuperating from a fall. She's 97(!) and my mother's mother. It's always an exercise in grief to visit, but it has to be done. And it will be good to reconnect with my mom's people.

 

Back to bootcamp and barre and walking and yoga in full swing this week and really looking forward to it. Two bootcamp classes, two to three barre classes, and three yoga classes with as much walking to and fro as possible is the plan. Not sure how I'll keep up the exercise and W30 eating while traveling, but I'll be pondering it. I have a cousin who's experimented with serious elimination diets and she's opened everyone's eyes to such things. So, it shouldn't be too big a deal. I'll travel with my own food and maybe bring enough to cook for my aunt and uncle with whom I'll be staying. People are generally happy to have me cook for them . And maybe I can coordinate a fish dinner at a bar my cousin turned me on to that has really excellent broiled fish on Fridays. I know it can be done if I stay determined and don't sweat it too much. I'll be nearly 3/4 of the way through this W30, and I'd like to see it through to the end.

 

Today's plan:

 

barre, walking

 

M1: sf bacon, eggs, greens, BPC (I'm like a broken record with this one, but still really enjoying it)

M2: brisket, avocado, kraut, greens, evoo (same as above, but when you cook six pounds of meat, it takes a while to eat!)

M3: egg salad with homemade mayo and pickle, celery 

[SaraRuns]

97, wow!  It is good you are getting to visit, despite the emotions it will bring.

 

I would definitely let you cook at my house. 

 

Sounds like you will be very busy, but you are prepped for it.  Have a great week!

[pjena]

So much to catch up on!

 

Love that you viewed the other day as an experiment and didn't let it get you down, that you walked in the rain and walked away from the AB at Costco, that you are loving yoga, that you successfully navigated a Friday Fish Fry and that you are going into your travels with optimism! 

[LadyM]

You gals are so sweet! Thanks for being the greatest personal cheering squad!

 

Yesterday I did a tough barre workout and got in my walk even though I really wasn't feeling either. Turns out I had a pretty low energy day after waking up so dang early. But I pushed through and it was fine. I was very productive with work, actually. I forgot how Whole30 can be an effective treatment for procrastination!

 

But eating was kind of weird. I was really hungry. And I guess we have days like that, so I tried not to stress too much about it. I had my meals planned, and because I was hungry (I even tried drinking water first to see if it was misread thirst) I ate them. And was finished by noon! M1 at 5, M2 at 8, M3 at 11. Very strange. Then when I got back from barre around 1 I was still hungry, so I nibbled on liverwurst, celery, a hard boiled egg, and then more brisket and the most amazing pickles. Sheesh. Then I was done and not hungry the rest of the day.

 

Now this morning I haven't been hungry. I know I do better with my regular meals, but I'm not going to force feed. I wonder if sometimes we just need more food and sometimes we need less, just like sleep, depending on what we need. Speaking of, I slept LOOOOOONG last night, going back to sleep and skipping bootcamp this morning because I was so very tired. Maybe I'm just cycling through something. Anyway, I'm rolling with it, and hoping to get back to more regularity on all fronts soon.

 

Yoga tonight and walking to and from work. Bootcamp tomorrow! These guns needs some iron pumping. . . . 

 

BFF dropped off a sack full of the most gargantuan morels I've ever seen! I actually have never prepared them before, so I'm looking forward to frying them in ghee for supper tonight. Mushrooms, especially wild ones, are so mystical. I may be levitating during yoga after eating them!