I want my life back - 30 days seems to be a good starting place

[cactusflower]

Hi everyone!

 

I am new to Whole9 and Whole30.  I have a few reasons for wanting to do this.

 

I've been on antidepressants since 2002/2003 and am now on my third one because the other two "stopped working".  With this third medication i'm also taking another antidepressant to "boost" it.  I'd really like to stop taking them altogether.

 

I had some serious finger/hand pain (I couldn't hold my toothbrush) a few years ago and was tested for Celiac, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis etc etc. All my tests came back normal.  It seemed to go into remission after taking medication but now I have other pain.

 

I have gotten headaches most of my life (i'm 40) and have had seasonal allergies most of my life.  The headaches seemed to get a bit better after a couple months of acupuntire treatments but I still get sinus headaches and sinus congestion that sometimes last a couple days.  Lately the nagging factor is the joint pain I am having.  One day it will be my wrist (and slightly swollen) the next day it's gone and in my ankle (slightly swollen).  Other days my fingers hurt, or my hips hurts or my knees hurt or my elbows, shoulders or they all hurt together etc etc.

 

I'm 5'4 and as of yesterday morning, 170 lbs. My highest. weight. ever.  I was once a fit, healthy, active and pain free 125 lbs. Yes my diet has sucked (processed crap) which is why I gained weight but the pain I am having now is slowly sucking the life out of me.  I haven't been to the gym in weeks (I used to live in the gym and loved it!) and even then it's sporadic. My social and love life are non-existent.

 

I spent alot of time reading some of the blog posts before signing up and it appears that this will be a good way for me to start regaining my health and life.

 

Thanks for listening.

 

 

[misshannah]

Good luck! I'm on Day 11. If I can do it, anyone can. Seriously. 

[melbournegirl]

You will be amazed at how much better you will feel after a while. Best of luck!

[cactusflower]

As you can see from my first post...I attempted this then with no such luck.  Here I am again... 9.5 lbs heavier than that last post EEK! andready to commit.  I don't know how much Iw ill post or what I will post but I want to commit to 30 days.  A few weeks ago I did a "sugar detox" whichw as essentially very similar to Whole30 except on Day 9....I was at a BBQ and not prepared to keep myself sugar free. 

Last night before bed I made a list of all the symptoms I was feeeling at that moment and what i had felt int he the last two days...a lot of itchiness going on plus sinuses, headaches GERD etc etc.

Today this is the plan food wise:

 

3 eggs for breakfast - black coffee

 

I have a bunch of ground turkey I am planning on making meatballs and patties with - i'm mixing it wilth salsa.

 

Once my turkey is cooked I can throw it into salads or just eat it with veggies.

 

I'm thinking about maybe getting some olives for my salads or just as an addition to my plate.

[cactusflower]

Good morning everyone! I must confess yestedray was a giant fail. Why was it a giant fail? LACK OF PLANNING!  That has got to be one of the biggest things if not the only thing I learn from this. I need to plan plan plan so I am prepared!  The carb/sugar and hunger monster attacked and I wasn't prepared.  I made sone turkey meatballs with salsa but i think they tasted bland... I woke up this morning with you guessed it LOTS of sinus congestion and LOTS of water retention..oh joy.  What sucks is I had a wicked leg workout yesterday!   Right now I'm drinking tons of water ....

 

I have more ground turkey and am going to make patties out of them today.  I will use something other than salsa.

[Brewer5]

cactus, so glad to see you posting here again.  Here are my initial thoughts:

 

Everyone is different -- but you don't *have* to plan, plan, plan, super far in advance -- what you DO have to plan for is that if you don't eat nice, big meals with FAT, protein, and veggies on a regular basis (I am going to say maybe even every 3-4 hours in the beginning, maybe 4 meals per day for you to start out with) -- then THAT is when this carb/sugar/hunger monster will strike.

 

Keep in mind that protein is satisfying, the fiber in veggies help you feel full, but the FAT takes longer to digest and is what really makes a meal "stick" with you for awhile.  Helps keep blood sugar steady.  You can and will get out of the blood sugar roller coaster, but you need to make good friends with fat.  I am reminding you of this because I know at this point you have a fear.  

 

Don't beat yourself up, but DO tell yourself that you deserve better.  You deserve this Whole 30.  It may seem like a lot of work, but it will actually be such a nice break for your body and mind.  Really.  Imagine all the things your body will be able to heal when it isn't having to run around and clean up the damage from a crappy diet!  Imagine no longer feeling guilt about food!  It's amazing.

 

I am going to drop in here daily and check on you.  If you want me to stop, just say so.     But know that I will be here to chat, and please don't leave me hanging & wondering about you, okay?  I see a big success story here -- you just need to see it too!

 

Re:  Your turkey.  One of our favorite things to do is just dice up a sweet onion and mix it into the meat for burgers or meatballs.  Then for seasoning we usually just use garlic salt or herbamare (it's like healthy seasoned salt).  Think simple in the beginning, especially!  Otherwise I think it is too easy to get overwhelmed.   It doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't need to take you hours in the kitchen.  You can work on more exotic recipes once you've got the basics down and you are feeling better.  Good luck!

[birder]

I was in the same place as you once.  It was horrible.  I did a perfect Whole 30 but had already pretty much cut out grains and refined sugars from my diet so had it a little easier.  I'm so happy I did it.  I've not been kind to myself the last couple months so I'm doing it again.  I woke up and was in pain that I'm sure you understand and knew I could not do it another day.  It is sooo worth it.  

 

Take some time to investigate some new recipes.  The Clothes Make the Girl and the foodee project are two of my favorite sources.  I have both Well Fed Books in Kindle and use them all the time.  There are some tricks to cooking without sugar and grains.  You will want to use many more spices and good spices, I walked into a Penzey's half way through my first one and fell in love! (careful for sugar in spice blends though).  Sometimes that missing kick something needs is a splash of vinegar, lemon, or lime juice.  Two products I can't live without are Red Boat Fish Sauce and Coconut Aminos.  

 

Olives are great!  Get several different varieties.  One of my favorite quick meals is fresh greens with a can of tuna and some kalmata olives on top.  It seems like you spend a ton of money on food but I actually started saving money eventually.  I quit eating out and soda and candy are very expensive.  

 

You can do this and it is worth it.  It is only 30 days.