Healthy Journey

[bikergranny]

Hi there, it's Mimi and Poppy here!

We are "the coolest grandparents ever (they say)" to 7 little grandsons and FINALLY one grand daughter!

We ride a Harley (Mimi no longer has her own since she DROPPED it on its side several years ago! So now she just rides on the back and takes pictures!), we have a Jeep outfitted to drive on the beach, and we try to do something fun every day. We are very busy with our jobs, travel, and visiting the grands.  We live and work in the Houston area and have dismally long commutes, horrible traffic, too many restaurants, and high work stress. This is a perfect setup for eating out too much and indulging in outrageous food choices! 

 

We love the low-carb lifestyle and we know we can live without grains and sugar because we have done it. It's just a matter of putting it into practice. In fact, when we eat the hot yummy breads and desserts at restaurants we pay for it with joint aches and tummy troubles. Our Tex Mex restaurants have healthy choices, but it's so hard to turn down the chips and salsa when we sit down!  Our bodies are begging us to eat healthy and we have ignored the signals for almost 2 years. We are each carrying about 30 extra pounds now. Also, we do not exercise much anymore either. We are each a fat, hobbling, unhealthy hot mess, and it's time to change!

 

Poppy loved the strict Dukan-type eating plan, with few carbs, but I just can't stomach it any more. I need veggies and a little fruit. I was looking for a healthy eating plan when I found Dallas and Melissa's book in April. I am a teacher and I knew the last months of school would be an insane time to reinvent our eating, so I have been reading and studying. We got the 1-week visit to the new grandbaby in Florida done, and now I am off work and ready to start our first Whole 30! I could care less about engineering weird pancakes or fake breads using ground up whatever, I want simple, clean food. And what Melissa and Dallas offer is exactly what I have been looking for!

 

So, it's day one for us. My first act it to get in the kitchen and clear the pantry of all the things not on the list. We can give the bagged popcorn, hot cocoa mixes, etc. to our daughter who lives here. Then I have to go to the store and figure out what we are going to eat this first week of our Whole 30.

 

Our issues are:

1)Poppy is a field tech and has to eat on the road in his truck. However, he has strained his shoulder and is on light duty for several weeks. He will probably be able to pack his lunches and use the microwave for this time. But when he gets back to regular duty he will have to eat cold, prepared meals from a thermos and lunch bag.

 

2)I have a bad sugar problem. I worry that the little bit of carbs I can have on this eating plan will trigger sugar binges for me. Not saying it will, but it's something I need to be vigilant about.

 

3)We travel and visit a lot, on the bike, in the Jeep, on airplanes, stay in hotels, stay at the kids' houses with little kids, pools, the adults serving insanely wonderful margaritas. You get the picture. Ugh! We are totally blessed in every way, but it makes it hard to stick to any sort of eating plan. 

 

Anyway, this is my first post, just saying hello, sorry so long!

Mimi

 

 

 

 

[bikergranny]

I spent the day cleaning out the unhealthy processed carbs and other assorted junk. 

Haven't been to the store yet, but for supper we had some leftover steak, sweet potatoes, and acorn squash. I know this is a little high in carbs, but it was what we had on hand.

 

Now off to the new HEB to find some organic stuff!

WooHooooo, love Whole 30!

[Lizzard77]

Welcome and good luck! I have found , 2 weeks in, it's super easy for me to turn things down however, the first 2 weeks were really hard.  It's all about choices and setting yourself up to win.  There are a lot of good threads around here about what to bring when travelling and on the go.  If you are good at pre-planning and take a bit of time before a trip, you can stock yourself up pretty well.

 

My husband and I are taking the bike down to the Autotrain in DC (from NJ) in July then from Orlando to Ocala for a week stay with the in-laws.  I have ordered some compliant foods like jerky and paleopacs, and am taking a few cans of tuna and hard boiled eggs because they are small and will fit on the bike.  While there I located a few places that have pastured eggs and meat.  That way i am prepped for emergencies (train food may not be compliant) and can help stock the fridge when we get there.

 

Keep us posted on how it's going!

[bikergranny]

Day 2 here! I am meeting the grandkids and their other grandmother in Beaumont for "Man of "Steel" in 3D and then lunch, just for the day. Oooooo this is going to be a challenge!

 

We went to HEB yesterday and loaded up on organics, grass-fed, and free-range foods. I have not shopped there very much before because it is always so crowded, but I am now. Their clean food choices are pretty good!

 

Totally committed, Liz! Thanks for the heads up on the first week. I am also meeting some teacher friends for lunch Friday, so another speed bump. I am going to look at the menu online and prepare!

[bikergranny]

Stayed on my Whole 30 yesterday during my fun day with the grandkids. We went to see Man of Steel in 3D. I brought a snack-sized ziplock of whole cashews, and I was pleasantly surprised that they sold beef jerky in the theater! Along with a purchase of bottled water I was good to go! Then, when asked, the kids wanted to eat lunch at Golden Corral. If you are from a part of the country that does not have Golden Corral, count your blessings! It consists of buffets of every cuisine: TexMex, Italian, Asian, "home-cookin", salad bar, dessert island, chocolate fountain, chocolate lava cake, cotton candy.... it just goes on and on. It is a plethora of mediocre food. BUT, you can eat all you want of it! 

I managed to find a "chef" grilling a fresh pork chop in the "home-cookin" area, and with salad with oil/vinegar, I felt rather proud of myself.
This morning was a visit to the dentist for a broken crown, so I have had two smoothies with 1 scoop each of strongerfasterhealthier.com whey protein, a handful of fresh spinach, a few large strawberries, blueberries and a chunk of banana. It's really not enough, but I am chewing a few cashews on the good side of my mouth.

 

Tomorrow is a normal day, and we have our meals already planned

 

This is going great!

[Derval]

Well done on procuring your personal chef!

But whey protein is dairy, and processed, and prob has sweeteners, and is not compliant

and most mass produced jerky has ingredients that you don't want either....sorry!

[bikergranny]

Day 4:

Breakfast: no breakfast! Bad start to a W30 day.

Lunch: leftover steak, cucumber and onion salad in a little bit of olive oil/vinegar (this is so good, makes me think of my Granny!), handful of fresh cherries

Supper: grilled tilapia (2 pieces because I was very hungry!) grilled veggies, mushrooms panfried with clarified butter and some garlic.

Cantaloupe.

Handful of cashews.

Not eating breakfast messed me up tonight, I'm going to bed hungry.

Had some "Stress Relief" Yogi tea this afternoon, it really worked! 

[bikergranny]

Day 6

Today was my birthday! I don't mind telling, 62! I subscribe to the hype that 60 is the new 30...or 40, whatever, so I'm ok with it. Beats the alternative!

Spent the day having fun with hubby, roamed all over Houston area doing fun things. Ate chicken and beef fajitas prepared with no oil or "sauce" (waiter promised me this was so), guac prepared W30 compliant in from of me, steamed veggies. It was so good! I feel fabulous, tummy doesn't hurt with that grains/sugar thingy that happens. Great day!

[Lizzard77]

Happy belated!  Sounds like you're doin' pretty well thus far.  BTW, I was born in Ft. Worth and Lived in Austin with weekends in Rockdale until I was 8.  My mom was born and raised in Rockdale and my dad was from Houston.  Still have family all over TX and love to get back there every couple years.  Hook 'em Horns!

[LindaLee]

You're doing great! Those hiccups with jerky and stuff...yeah, had those before myself.

 

Great job resisting temptation at the movie theatre and on your birthday. My birthday in May was my last downfall and the start of a long time with bad sugar, so I'm especially impressed.

 

Keep up the great work! And enjoy how you feel!

[bikergranny]

Thanks for the comments, Liz and Linda! I feel like I'm not alone out here!

Yesterday was Day 7, and a great Sunday. Talked to all the kids on the phone (we have kids and grands all the way from Hawaii to Bahamas!), had Whole30 version of Texas Country Steak (tenderized round steak simmered with onions), mashed turnips, salad and a little cantaloupe. Fruits and veggies are just delicious this time of year, especially when we can find home-grown fruit stands! Fairfield peaches are out and it's hard to eat just two a day!

Lunch today will be leftovers, and tonight will be baked free-range chicken with greens, sweet potatoes, and....a peach!

You know, we have made this commitment to organic, and it really DOES make a difference! I have bought organic off and on during the years, but never made a real effort before now. Eating organic, grass-fed, free-range is so delicious and satisfying, and we really do FEEL better! The theory that we eat to many empty calories because our bodies are just not satisfied with them is true! WOW! Wakeup call!

Poppy sneaked some Twizzlers when we stopped for gas at Bu-cee's Saturday night, and he felt bad all day Sunday. I said, Uh-Huh! There ya go! LOL

We are joining the gym today, too!

So happy we found Whole30!

[bikergranny]

Day 9 here.

Very busy with lots of running around. We had to go down to the city to pick up the Jeep, which we have been working on getting it tricked out for our week at the beach house with the grandkids. 

Thankfully our commitment to W30 was strong, in spite of traveling 1-1/2 hours each way, having to wait for the mechanics to redo some things, and ending up taking the whole day instead of half of it.

I am intrigued with the Epic Bars I keep hearing about, and I was sure Whole Foods on Westheimer would have them, but they did not. I found ghee, some lean pork chops on sale, coconut milk, and that's about it. My new HEB in Conroe has far more "clean" food choices, so I don't think I will be making the trek to Whole Foods any time soon.

I don't know where to find the Epic Bars. I see they are made in Austin and should be available in the Houston or The Woodlands area, but no luck at Whole Foods or HEB.

[GFChris]

I don't know where to find the Epic Bars. I see they are made in Austin and should be available in the Houston or The Woodlands area, but no luck at Whole Foods or HEB.

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They have a store locator on their website: https://epicbar.com/find.html

 

Worst case scenario, you could order online and have them shipped to you.