Jump to content

Starting September 9th looking for support


charleyd40

Recommended Posts

 

This was the acorn squash recipe I had last night.  It was so good I've been craving leftovers and eating them all day.

 

Oh, and - the burnt butter ghee that I made the other day?  Delicious!  Especially delicious on top of my acorn squash.

 

 

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2012/10/07/stuffed-acorn-squash

 

 

  • 1 large acorn squash
  • 1 lb. (500 g) ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 1 apple (any variety)
  • 6 slices of bacon (sugar free if doing a Whole30)
  • *1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp ground sage
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet or dish with foil or parchment paper.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds out. Place on the baking sheet and roast until the flesh is tender, approximately 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to the touch. **While the squash is baking, prepare the stuffing.
3. Dice the apple and onion into medium-sized pieces. Slice the bacon into pieces.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon. Add the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the apples and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove the bacon / onion / apple mixture to a large bowl.
5. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef (note: if the beef has yielded a lot of fat and is not grass-fed, you may want to drain it before adding the spices and herbs). Add all spices and herbs: rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds, sage, pepper, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Pour the ground beef into the same large bowl. Stir to combine.
6. When the squash is cool to the touch, use a spoon to scoop out some of the flesh and mix into the beef.
7. Use a spoon to fill the squash boats with the beef mixture.
8. Return the squash to the oven and bake another 15 minutes at 375 degrees F until everything is heated through.
 
I'm finishing day 20 today.  Today my hips ache for the first time - not sure if it is fibromyalgia or just working out, or a weather change.  A bit disappointed because I'm really hoping my aches go away.  I worked a bunch of graveyard shifts this past weekend so maybe the schedule messed up my system.

 

I made this tonight.  Oh, MAN YUMMY!!!!!!    My husband asked me to make it again.  Super high praise.  

 

Day 25 complete.  

 

Back at work, and doing well.  I feel good, my attitude is better than it has been in 15 months.  Work stress seems to be rolling off right now.  I am not really taking it home with me.  My relationship with Mike is refreshed by my outlook.  I started back at my old workout class.  I literally had my butt handed to me today in class.  My inner thighs are screaming whenever I move.  It really is starting all over from scratch, but it feels good to hurt this way.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 399
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Day 21 yea!!!!  I'm actually hungry this morning after not having much of an appetite for the past week.  Yesterday I ate egg salad for breakfast, some left over acorn squash and beef for lunch and dinner.  I'm doing a poor job of eating green vegetables - I've still got frozen veggies that I roasted last week.  That'll be my goal for this final 9 days of the whole 30.

 

I have a friend's celebration to attend on October 15 where we might toast with Proseco.  After that, maybe a second whole30 to bring in the holidays.  Or some research on what is different about Paleo vs. Whole30 - I'm forgetting.  Comments?

I haven't decided what to do next Tuesday.  I would really like a glass of wine, and some homemade pizza.  That will probably be on Tuesday.  Then I will probably return to the whole 30.  I am not craving a lot of foods, so I feel like I can stay on the plan, until I have another clear plan.  Maybe every few weeks.  I am liking how I feel too much to go back.  My weight is super stable.  It used to swing widely day to day.  It is coming down very slowly, but steady, and I feel good about it.  Too good to go back right now.  I am just learning how much I need to eat, and when.

 

I was actually drawn to Whole30 more for other reasons than weight loss.  I was doing a satisfactory job of losing weight before starting whole 30 but I definitely was in a rut in regards to food and starting to slip. About 15 months ago I had realized my anxiety and panic issues were getting too much to deal with on my own and decided I needed to re-lose weight (lost 65 lbs in 2006/2007, gained 55 of it back after having kids) and start going to therapy. 

 

The goal was to lose the weight slow and steady, focus on exercise FIRST rather than diet, shift to less processed and artificial foods (particularly trans fat and artificial sweeteners) and since the panic attacks were mostly related to medical issues I did not actually have, as I lost the weight, the talk therapy would fill in the rest.  Well it didn't fully work, I was losing weight but the panic attacks were not going anywhere.  So I have been on medication to handle those but I cannot get OFF of the medication until I am panic attack free for a few months.  They have been reduced immensely but I still have a few triggers that can set them off.

So I read the list of things that Whole9 can help with and figured I had nothing to lose by trying whole 30.  I swear since day 6 or so the things that could trigger a panic attack (lets say as example, a random pain somewhere in my body that I could not explain) have diminished or disappeared.  It could be the physical benefits, or the psychological benefits, most likely both but for the first time since I started medication in March I can envision life without it.

Absolutely awesome results!  Congrats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since "going Paleo" (for the second time) in Jan of this year when ever I went rogue I noticed a couple of things:

My RA symptoms increase

My mood becomes less stable (Not that I'm an unstable person :lol: just that it fluctuates)

 

I had felt so good earlier this year that we're reducing my RA medications and so I need to do what I can to help that process be successful. 

 

I work with a Psychologist, and I must admit he's very helpful in all of this!!

 

I've not really felt Tiger Blood but I think part of that might be the Trazadone I take for sleep so I'm going to start cutting that all back and see if I can now sleep without it.  Sleep depreviation for me is the worst, impacting both physical and mental health so I've been reluctent to mess with that! 

I did find at my appointment with Dr G yesterday that I feel ready to face/work on some things with him that I've been a bit unwilling to tackle before, I can only conclude that my mind is more 'clear'.

 

And with that today is day 25!  WoW!  Less than a week left in my first Whole30!!  Still sticking with my plan of a few days "off" for my birthday but being mindful during those days of what I put in my mouth and the value vs consequences.  For instance we're going to the resturant that I've been wanting to try and then going to Salt and Straw for ice cream - if anyone does ice cream right it is them!! 

That very well may be the only off roading (Is that what they call it?) I do before starting a new Whole30 on Oct 14th. 

Oh, I made more Mayo last night (3rd batch) and I used macadamia nut and olive oil and also messed something up - so it's really thin/runny and tastes funny.

Notes made :lol: and I'll probably just throw it out and try again with just Olive Oil!

 

Have a good day all!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh and I ate so much yesterday it was incredible :lol:

 

I asked myself each time "Steamed Fish and Broccoli?" and if the answer was yes I ate...again and again and again.

 

1) Post WO - Protien, starch

2) Breakfast - Protein, veggies, fat

3) Breakfast #2- Protein, veggies, fat

4) Lunch- Protein, veggies, fat

5) Lunch #2- Protein, veggies, fat

6 Dinner- Protein, veggies, fat, fruit

 

The only thing I can think of is the Mon, Tues, Wed CrossFit work-outs caught up?? 

 

:D

 

I just went with the idea that if they weren't cravings my body knew what it needed.

 

I'm sitting here chuckling as I think again of how much I ate and :) as I was typing that I realized that for perhaps one of the first times in my life I'm not worried about the fact that I ate 6 meals :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Barb E - I'm sure CrossFit takes it out of you! When your body calls, it's best to answer (especially when fish & broccoli seem appealing!).  I, too, feel that mood stability is my most unexpected and greatest side effect of Whole30. I used to constantly complain while at work, and now, I truly just don't feel very unhappy with my job or life or anything else, really. Steady. I feel really steady. I haven't felt really felt a HUGE increase in energy, but (similar to you), I take Benadryl at night this season for my awful allergies, and the antihistamine could be affecting my overall wakefulness for sure. I know that this diet is supposed to help with allergy relief, but when I stopped taking my meds for a few days, I was miserable.

 

 

Love that we're close enough to the end to start thinking about Day 31. Honestly, I don't know that I'm really planning on any reintroduction right away. I'm going to visit my sister Columbus Day weekend, and I'll likely have some wine or other spirits, but plan to continue with a fairly strict Paleo lifestyle.

 

Oh! I made the chicken-curry-pumpkin sliders last night and they were sooooooooooo good. Two thumbs up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I knew these last 5 days would be the most challenging and the first 2 days have held true.  Last night I turned down a slice of birthday cake for my son's 5th birthday.  That wasn't even the hard part.  The hard part is those little tastes you take without thinking about it.  Those little samples he may have left on his plate when you are cleaning up after dinner, or a couple of crumbs when you go to cover the leftover cake (or the extra peanut butter and jelly on the knife after making their lunch!) but I was careful and didn't slip up.

 

Today was a tough challenge too, my entire eating schedule was thrown off.  I had to eat breakfast at home instead of at my office (about 2 hrs earlier) so my plan was to eat my frittata and then have some carrots + almond butter on the train.  Well, I didn't really get to eat the carrots (turns out eating carrots on the train is really obnoxious) so I only had a few.  But I was able to make it last until 1pm and had a slightly larger than normal lunch and now I feel back to normal.  I love spaghetti squash and meatballs.  i fell that could be a permanent replacement for pasta.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know!  Truthfully it is feeling very anticlimactic here.  Are there people who finished?  Today is my day 27.  Not sure how to transition.  I've been tempted a few times to stray.  The little devil says "Why not just stray, you're almost done anyway" and then the little angel says "But you need to finish all 30 days (and keep going)".  So far I listened to the angel.  I'm hoping our daily email helps us with transitioning to something on day 31.  I have a celebration I want to attend and drink a toast of Prosecco, and then I'll start back up with 30 again.  Next step is committing to it for my kids, who both have behavior issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just asked a few questions in the transitioning forum.

I think I have a pretty good grasp on how it works (one of the moderators walked me through it).

 

But definitely stick it out for the full 30.  You don't want to walk away from it saying "close enough".  You want to cross the finish line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yay! Finally managed to log in to the forum for the first time since last Thursday. 

 

Whole30 completed and now on day 32. I am going away tomorrow until Sunday and will have to source all meals in cafes or pubs. I will be as good as I can be but doubt if I will be 100% compliant. I do want to reintroduce dairy (butter and cheese first, then milk later) so may have some cheese. 

 

How did the rest of the 9/9ers get on?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today is my day 29.  Still compliant (well except for below).  I made Melissa Joulwan's Chocolate Chili recipe yesterday.  It was so delicious I kept sampling it all day and ate it again for M1 today.  Next time I will heed her recommendation to make at least a double recipe.

 

It is not spicy at all.  I prefer it that way, but my husband added a bunch of hot sauce to his bowl to spice it up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats.  Today is my day 30.  Still compliant, but today I made my first smoothie using frozen strawberries, coconut cream and a little orange juice concentrate.  I'm having such a sugar low right now - won't be doing that again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am away from home but have not done too badly today.

Meal 1 was in a hurry before I left home. 5 small slices if pork loin and a mug of red bush tea.

Meal 2 was a bowl of Roasted Red Pepper and Sweet Potato Soup with a black coffee.

Meal 3 was a Sizzling Cajun Chicken Breast with red peppers and onions. I also had a baked white potato as that was the best carbs on offer.

So day 33 has seen my first reintroduction experiment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had this whole post here! Eeerrrrrr.

I completed my whole 30. Day 31 wasn't pretty, but I am back on track from day 32 on. I intend to keep going on the whole 30 meal plan. I feel too good on this to go back. I know that I will have the occasional meal off plan, but I really want to stay in fat burning mode.

I need to find the balance of satisfied and weight loss. I still have not lost any weight.

Is anyone going to stay on the forums? I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts, and working our way through this together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Done with Day 30.  I think I am going to keep going, too.  My goal is to minimize fibromyalgia effects, I think I need more than 30 days to do that.

 

I accidentally ate dairy today - I sampled Trader Joe's pumpkin soup, which was delicious!, but as I swallowed it, I realized it was delicious because it had cream in it.  Drat.  I suppose I could say I failed day 30 and start all over, but I'm starting over anyway.

 

I also "cheated" today by making a strawberry/ orange juice/ coconut milk smoothie.  Five strawberries, a teaspoon of orange juice concentrate, and half a cup of coconut milk.  Major sugar low afterwards, felt out of sorts for several hours afterwards.  No smoothies for me! 

 

Wondering if we stay here or search for people starting again tomorrow.  I've enjoyed this board.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see any reason that we couldn't use this thread to keep in touch and help stay focused.

I am out of town for the weekend. I had food for breakfast, and lunch with me. We didn't stop to eat until 9pm last night. The food was terrible. It made it easy to walk away from it. Good reinforcement for how much betrer real food is.

Today will be tough. I would like to eat on plan for breakfast and lunch, then a nice dinner with my son. We will have to go to the grocery to get a few more things this morning. Tomorrow is the long drive back home. I am hoping to stop at Whole Foods as we drive through Seattle. They have a jalepeno bacon that is compliant, and is fantastic on top of butternut squash soup. Plus there I can get food for in the car that will let me get home without eating in a restaurant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been getting the daily whole 30 emails, so I signed up to receive them for another month.  Yesterday was my day 30.  Today was basically day zero.  I ate a little bit off plan - had some sun chips and a subway sandwich at work.  Just turkey with a lot of veggies, vinegar and oil.  But I did eat the bread.

 

In hindsight, I should have signed up a day earlier to re-start my mailings so day 30 and day zero would have matched.

 

Would love to get my kids Paleo but really am having trouble with lunches.  I tried sending a paleo lunch to school the other day and the teacher complained that my son didn't have enough food, so she ended up giving him snack foods from her non-Paleo supplies at school.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

why does my whole foods not have jalapeno bacon!? I was just there yesterday. that sounds awesome!
 

I think when reintroduction is over, I would really like to switch back to Oatmeal for breakfast.  I don't mind eating paleo for lunch and dinner but I am really starting to hate eggs and I just cannot bring myself to eat fish or a piece of chicken for breakfast.  It doesn't have to be oatmeal, I will just have to seek out a paleo friendly breakfast that isn't so much meat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love avocado and mayo with cold meat for breakfast. 

 

I have started another Whole30 today and am posting on that thread. My weekend away went well and the only non compliant things that I ate were two jacket potatoes and some garlic butter (not at the same meals). I was pleased not to have any side effects. 

 

I don't know whether to follow the reintro schedule as I am not interested in (for example) eating yoghurt for breakfast, butter at lunch and cheese at supper. I just want to eat cheese occasionally and butter occasionally. The same with lentils - maybe a couple of lentil and sausage casseroles over the winter but no more. I weaned myself off kidney beans in chili a long time ago. 

 

What would you guys do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that's how I feel actually, it is why I have put off reintroducing dairy until the end (originally planned to do it first).  I think you are testing to see if you have a reaction to it.  However, I don't like the idea of eating more dairy than I would normally consume in a day.  It would be a very rare day where I had 3+ meals containing dairy, part of me feels like when you reintroduce you should eat the amount you would normally eat in a day but that is not the plan as I understand it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...