Greek to me Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Wow Robert, you made it through ALL that unscathed?!!! I'm impressed. Very impressed. That food combo has me asking a question though. Not to you-but to all of us. We live in a society where obesity is epidemic, including childhood obesity. I work in healthcare and one the front cover of the VENDING machines is a nurse holding a baby!!!!!! If we could take our whole 30 program and create menus to entertain, what would the food look like? If we are eating healthy, why wouldn't we want to transition that to those we surround ourselves with. I have to say that some of my food has been more awesome than ever. More flavor and color. While I don't have the answers about how I entertain exactly, it does make me ask the question. Amber, any special "non whole 30 reason the almond meal oatmeal can't be done? Is it just food volume? If so, I wonder if it can't be incorporated in small amounts like side dish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesmarie Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Happy Monday and Day 22 everyone! Though I only got to skim over your posts from the weekend, I am so happy to be back on and to report sticking to my whole30 guns! I'll reply back this evening on some posts I had some thoughts on tonight but I got to get to work! Have a wonderful day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greek to me Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 This is a friend of mines birthday side dishes for her two year old. Featuring ELMO and Oscar the Grouch. You'll notice she was very creative with fruit and veggies. The "teeth" were apple wedges with peanut butter and marshmallows. I could easily change that to almond butter with banana pieces. I love these ideas. Oh yes -of course there has to be some treat -hence the cupcakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKStarcher Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Re: the "oatmeal"...the almond meal has a little protein in it, and obviously fat. While I didn't have 2-3C of veggies with it (depending on the specific veggies, I sometimes can't eat more than 2C with ANY meal anyway), I did throw in one of my spicy tuna cakes just to be safe. Not a perfect meal, but not every meal of mine is. I would agree it's more of a "treat" for when you feel like you're needing something like cereal, or in a pinch (it was that or a Larabar). lol Re: entertaining...when we go to friend's houses or host at our house, I try to keep the food offerings as clean as possible. I usually lean on recipes that my husband has given the thumbs up...bc if HE likes them, pretty much anyone will. For kids, it's gluten free breaded chicken nuggets & sweet potato fries, yogurt cups, etc. We don't have people over often, though. I do know of one book that came out recently that you might be interested in. http://www.amazon.com/Gather-Paleo-Entertaining-Bill-Staley/dp/1936608480/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384187010&sr=1-1&keywords=gather I haven't had a chance to look at the book yet, but there are links to some of the recipes (even "pigs in a blanket")...I always enjoy trying new recipes and sharing them with my friends (& they don't complain either. lol) And here's the almond apple cereal: http://simplefitness-llc.com/2012/12/10/slow-cooked-almond-apple-cereal/ I cooked additional diced apples (tart) separately and add them in when I'm ready to eat. You could add any berry or fruit, though. Congrats on staying strong Robert! I only had my husband & son to deal with...but they have a pantry full of unauthorized treats and my husband ordered our favorite pizza (after making sure it was okay with me). Surprisingly, the pizza didn't lure me at all. Those dang sugary sweets everywhere were doing their darnedest, though. Welcome back Jes! And congrats to you too, on surviving the family retreat! Follow-up -- The almond meal (eaten at 6:45am) held me about 4hrs and then the tummy started to grumble a bit. Without the tuna cake, I suspect I would have been grumbling sooner. So...as a small side, it could work...but I wouldn't suggest relying on it as your sole breakfast. Would be good on the side of maybe 2 cooked eggs and some roasted kale or wilted spinach. Ended up having to eat my lunch at 11:00 -- 3 buffalo chicken egg muffins, 1C caulirice with 1C chopped baby spinach mixed in, and 1C berries. Hopefully that holds me until about 3ish when it will be time for my HB egg/avocado pre-workout snack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelin Texan Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 JK...where did you find the spicy tuna cakes recipe?....or do you have a link? I couldn't find doing a paleo search for them. Thanks so much! I like oatmeal but also find it doesn't hold me over. I do get tired of eggs for breakfast but it works. I tried a new recipe for Chicken and Apple Sausage patties this morning from paleomg.com and it was very good. I think I over pan fried it a bit...to make sure done...a tad dry but good and a different protein for breakfast. Made 12 patties...I ate 3 and froze the rest uncooked..to pull out as needed. Sorry I haven't learned to do a link on my Kindle Fire HD yet...or I would post the link...guess it is something else I need to learn now...lol. http://paleomg.com/guest-post-chicken-and-apple-sausage/ Yay me...I did it...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKStarcher Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hi Travelin Tex...the spicy tuna cakes are from Nom Nom Paleo. Not sure if she has them on her site or not. I downloaded her iPad app and it's in there. LOVE them. If you have parchment paper muffin cups, use those and you won't have to oil the muffin pan first. [EDITED BY WHOLE30 MODERATOR] "We fully respect copyrighted content on this forum. If the recipe in question is from a book, app, or other not freely available source, please do not repost it here without the express written permission of the original author." [/EDIT] I've also made these (but they're a little more work; and personally, I'd cut back on the spinach a bit) http://nomnompaleo.com/post/7486819479/prosciutto-wrapped-mini-frittata-muffins If you have an iPhone or iPad, I highly recommend her app...it was well worth the minimal price! http://app.nomnompaleo.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelin Texan Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Thanks so much!...both sound delish and I'm sure I will be making them soon. The muffins will be better than the ones I posted...they also had too much spinach for me. I had scanned the recipes on her website...Guess I missed it both times. I have signed up to get her post and several others as well...very helpful. Will ck and see if she has app for Android. I learned to copy and paste now...lol. So the Chicken and Apple Sausage link is now on my other post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKStarcher Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Oops! Sorry moderators! Well, as I mentioned...the app is definitely worth getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert2014 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 JK that was funny. Recipe timeout for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greek to me Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Happy Monday evening and end of day 22 all! JK, thanks for the recipe. I'm looking forward to trying it. It was an interesting day on this end. Got up to workout. Didn't have any prepped protein ready to go and just couldn't open any tuna for a pre w/o protein snack so I went without. It was early enough...or so I thought. I had a pretty great workout initially...then I just petered out. So after about 45 minutes I headed out the door. It was now 10 a and time to eat breakfast. Forget the post w/o meal. So breakfast at 10 a down and off to go visit a family member in the hospital. What I didn't anticipate was that we would end up taking one of the family members out to lunch. So finally at around 1:30 it was time for lunch. I learned a lot during this lunch. I had a lot of conversations with myself as I looked over the menu. First it was "I can't have this...can't have that...." Then I amended my words to "I'm choosing not to eat this because...." and ya know what??? My attitude totally shifted. Suddenly it wasn't about deprivation, it was about choice. My choice that I WANTED to make. Not some self imposed restriction. As I left the restaurant, someone was eating something that I would have loved to have ordered. I asked myself "how am I ever going to abstain...is this really realistic?" And then I shifted that thinking too. Instead I said "I always reserve the right to choose to eat that when I want it. I want the frequency of wanting it to be on the exception, not the rule an in this way, it becomes a realistic sustainable goal." It really was very eye opening. Not only did I have to shift my thoughts and recognize that I am making choices, I also recognized that my relationship with food hasn't completely changed. Beginning to change...yes. But hidden down beneath the front of the Whole 30 safety net, I recognize that my thought process falls back into old patterns RAPIDLY. A little too rapidly. With only 7 days to go to end the Whole 30, it's become more and more likely that my Whole 30 will become my Whole 40....a few extra days at a time........ Great to hear from you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amberino21 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Amber, any special "non whole 30 reason the almond meal oatmeal can't be done? Is it just food volume? If so, I wonder if it can't be incorporated in small amounts like side dish. Paleofying foods isn't part of the Whole 30, and IMO it's somewhat desserty. It also doesn't fit the template at all - it would push other, more nutritious options off the plate. Would you include a few spoons on top of your protein, next to your vegies? That's probably unlikely in most instances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greek to me Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Ok. Makes sense. I'll have to wait it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junimoon Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Aaaagggghhhhhhh!!!!!!! No cravings, what so ever, for 3 weeks and now they won't quit! I know it isprobably the "extinction" process but they are coming at me with vengeance! I caved and ate 3 slices of dried mangi just to make it stop. It really has been pretty steady for two days now. Also, my patience is pretty short. JK- I know you too have felt the cravings. Still having them? Anyone else? Other then that woohoo to day 23!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesmarie Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I hope you all had a wonderful monday, Greek- Congrats on changing on the conversation that was happening in your mind. I feel like sometimes that is half the battle, I can think/talk myself into a corner all too quickly. I had an interesting thought on this today though. I work in the health care field and there is no way once I've but my hands on a patient that I am touching myself again without washing my hands. So much so that any itch that needs scratched or clothing adjustment needs to happen it will wait. And in that moment of pause that I acknowledge what is happening and remind myself not to touch my face or hair or whatever because they have someone else's germs all over them. Is the same pause that I am starting to have with food. In that moment there would be no sweeter satisfaction that scratching that itch (or taking that bite) but what are the repercutions of such an action but what am I about to put on my face or in my hair (or in my body) is it worth it? As for the talk about what everyone is doing post day 30… i'm going to focus on extending this a little longer (I found out i'm allergic to almonds… :/ ) so I want to give my body some time to recover from the fact that I eat almonds a LOT… and in many forms… but as I said before i'll be adding in a new food group one at a time to see how I react to them it will be a lot of raw/organic things because it is official that I am allergic to parabens and preservatives. Thankfully, nothing is as extreme as needing to carry an epipen with me but I prefer not have severe "seasonal allergies" all year long. Robert- i'm really digging your analogies they are spot on for me. Thank you for sharing JK- Congrats on kicking those cravings to the curb! And thank you for sharing your positive posts (I really enjoyed the cartoon) TT- Your chicken artichoke recipe will be dinner tomorrow, i've been dreaming about it since this morning. You all ROCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert2014 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Good morning wonderfuls. Day 23!! Let's finish out the next week in grand style!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKStarcher Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Ha ha, Robert! Indeed. Juni - I always have cravings of some kind...some days are just stronger than others. This past Sunday was probably the worst. I literally wanted to taste EVERYTHING. I was arguing with myself all day. "just a lick", "one nibble", "only 8 days away, what's the big deal?". It was annoying, to the point that it actually pissed me off enough to make me get really stubborn...and when I'm stubborn, I don't budge (ask my husband). lol. I woke up yesterday feeling far less on edge. I still "eyeball" certain things that I come across and think "I wouldn't mind having...", but then the logical side pipes up and says "yeah, but it will make you feel ______". And that's enough to keep me moving along. One hour at a time, sistah. I think I'm very similar to Greek...the 30 days isn't going to nix all of my deep seeded behaviors. I'm going to go through the reintro process and see how I react and then try to stick to the plan as close to possible for a couple more cycles and see how I progress. As my trainer said to me last night (after a fun little session), my food "is the shit!" right now. LOL (aka - it is pretty on target and he's seeing it in my recovery & performance in the gym). I really like how I'm feeling in the gym right now, so I don't want to throw that away. Jes - that's a bummer to hear about the almonds. When I was dealing w/ my hives, I thought I had built up an intolerance to nuts/almonds so I tried cutting them out for a week....it was not fun. I feel for you. And my mom is sensitive to preservatives & parabens in her skincare, as well...so I've heard of the frustration there. It's good that you're narrowing down what your triggers are, though. Knowledge is power! Here we go...7 days & counting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelin Texan Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Jes...it can be hard to cook for 1 or 2 people and not get tired of leftovers. The last bit of the Chicken and artichoke recipe I turned into a soup. I shredded the chicken, added a can tomato sauce with basil & Olive oil, some chicken broth, chopped fresh carrots and a chopped a couple tomatoes that were close to being too soft. You could add other veggies as well to and then... yay for a different meal. Hope you like the recipe. I have to say....I am impressed with all of you guys...so smart and insightful and to hear of your personal growth during this journey...all I can say is Wow...you guys are awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morkkel Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Wow! I missed a lot! Sounds like everyone is doing well!! Travelin' you are such a cook - nice work on reworking those meals! I too plan on trying that chicken artichoke dish! As for me - I haven't felt any magic throughout this journey. I did have some personal growth and have some new relationships with food, which is what I really wanted, so if from 30 days, all I got was that - then that is good enough!! I guess the diet can't be for everyone. I like the meals and plan on continuing to eat this way, but think I do a bit better with snacks and probably some comforts that I like - oatmeal, wine, etc. I tend to not have as many cravings when I have those in my diet - why is that? My diet is at its worse when I don't plan, so meal planning over this past month has reminded me how important that is! I know I should extend it to the whole 45 or whole 60 to see if my energy soars, or my face clears up, but I don't think I could stick to it that long. Maybe as I reintroduce food I'll find a trigger or something similar, maybe i just don't have any bad allergies toward foods - maybe my body is Switzerland?!. I too would love to continue to keep in touch and see how everyone is doing and feeling in the future with this group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greek to me Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Hi gang! Traveling I love your recipe too. I'm busy trying to make it with seafood in my mind. Morrkel-I'm sorry the magic hasn't happened for you. But I'm really impressed that despite the lack of magic you've stuck with it the whole way. Cravings and all. I'm glad to hear you want to keep in touch! Juni - I'm feeling for you and pulling for you (and all of us) to finish well! Jes- I am so bummed that you can't have almonds. Ugh! But I'm also really happy you found a trigger. Robert thanks for the check in rally for the day!!! Day 23 is, as some of you have mentioned, (and as on the timeline) "Im so close-what do a few days matter". I broke today. Not in a horrid way. 3 cashews. 3 lousy cashews. I know. Cashews are whole 30 compliant. It wasn't the cashews themselves. It was the fact they weren't part of any meal. You see, this Tiger Blood as they call it has me not sleeping. Normally that would be good but I'm just recovered from being sick and getting sick again. Kids-need I say more. So I'm really tired. But not fatigued. So I'm wide awake at 5a. Egad. So I'm up and going early, feeling like a slug on high doses of caffeine. I jet to work and eat breakfast. I tried a new egg recipe by cutting back on yolks. So per piece of frittata I have: 2 yolks, 3 whites. Anyway, by 10:30 I was hungry again. So I had my snack, only I forgot to pack a protein snack so it was a carb and fat snack. Didn't stick with me long. Lunch at noon and by now I'm feeling lousy. Not sure if I'm imagining it but I feel like I bloated up overnight. I check that off to fatigue or maybe virus. Who knows. I eat lunch and feel like I could keep eating even though I'm not hungry. Now I know it's fatigue. By 3 p I was getting something from my purse when I tripped over my bag of cashews. And there you go. I'm not losing sleep over it but I'm annoyed by it because there was no reason to have eaten any. Zero. So then I get home this evening and trip over an old chocolate bar I've had. Good news is I just removed it from my presence. So...Day 23 learning. It's easy to think you're close enough. But in reality the point is to change behavior and relationship with food. So I shouldn't be looking for a deadline. I should be exploring why I'm making choices. Yep-not time for me to quit yet. But I may modify a tiny bit. Tiny. Final thought. If this Tiger Blood that seems to interfere with sleep doesn't slow down, I'm going to down a vat of donuts. Happy day 24 tomorrow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morkkel Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Maybe you just needed a snack?? 3 cashews with all of this going on is awesome! I so want that tigerblood - I fell asleep at 7pm last night - 7PM!!!!! This is just getting ridiculous. I'll blame the time change, but I think I might get a gym membership and just force myself to go in the evening so I don't go to sleep that early - it's just not right. I DO NOT need 10 hours of sleep. I am ready for reintro day already - anyone else? I really do want to see if there are any triggers. I think I'll start with dairy - I've been missing some pumpkin egg nog milk - I usually have some this time of year, so I thought that would be the perfect dairy reintroduction! What will you all do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKStarcher Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Morkkel - I'm not feeling Tiger Blood either. I've been on "steady" energy since about day 5 or 6. Not low, and not high. Like you, though, my primary goal was not the Tiger Blood. I was looking for a solution to my hives, which I found. So, in that sense, this program has been a success. Unfortunately, I'm no longer sleeping as well as I was during the middle of this program. For a bit there, I was falling asleep and only waking up once (to use the restroom) and then falling right back asleep. The last few days (still going to bed at the same time every night) I've been waking up as usual to use the restroom, but then also waking up multiple times after that. I fall back asleep, but then I wake back up, and then fall back asleep, etc. etc. Lots of dreaming too. It's very UNrestful sleep. :/ The only thing that changed was that I stopped taking an adrenal fatigue supplement b/c I realized it had honey in it. I'm sure it was trace amounts, but since I became aware of it, I thought I should remove it. I have no idea if that's the culprit or not, though. I'm going to ride out the remaining 6 days without the supplement and then go from there. Thankfully I'm at least falling back asleep...I just can't seem to STAY asleep. Greek - I get the frustration over the 3 cashews, but I wouldn't worry too much about it (which it doesn't seem you are). This whole program has been an ongoing lesson for all of us...and we will continue to learn things post-30 whether we do reintro, stick through another 30 or tweak to fit our needs. What's important is that you have a strong handle on seeing your decisions and understanding where they're coming from. That's a BIG step. Your insight into your food choices is great to see, and it honestly helps me gain better insight into my food choices...so thanks! (And just say "no" to the donuts!! lol. Those are one of my "gateway drugs"...I never could 'just have one'. I don't even know why either. They're not THAT good, ya know? They just feed that sugar demon...they're evil. Ok, I've had my say on donuts. Oh, and "YES" to staying in touch... Ok. I'm off to make some breakfast. Have a great mid-week everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morkkel Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 JK - I hope your sleeping gets better, it must be the medication, but maybe over the next week your body will adjust to not having it?? Okay, just entered in my grocery receipts and this is ridiculous!!!!! Like seriously ridiculous. Not even halfway through the month and for the two of us - $500 BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have got to be kidding me. Maybe after the whole 30 I should try the ramen and rice diet. Is anyone else experiencing this. Maybe I am just doing it wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greek to me Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 JK-thanks for the thoughts. It's actually the reason I post the info - and I learn from all of you when you post. As far as the sleep/broken sleep. I understand this! That's the problem. Two to three times a night I wake up and my body thinks its time to start the day. The next hour/plus I spend negotiating with my body and not sleeping. Finally I give up at some absurd early hour and then am rummy during the day. But I'll ride the tide. So glad you want to keep in touch. Morrkel - my grocery bills went up too. I was averaging $100/week per person. That went up to an average of $130/week. At first I was upset about it -then I looked at a bigger picture. I am saving well more than $50/week (no kidding) on soda and coffee treats and other assorted last minute grabs. So in the long run, it's been less expensive. I'm also wondering if your sleeping is "make up time". I have a friend who spent years pushing through her fatigue. She went on 5-6 hours sleep a night. Now her system is finally revolting and so she is on catch up mode. I'm curious to know what your goals were with Whole 30? The jury is out for me. I opted not to per weigh myself for this first 30 so I won't know if the scale changed at the end. But I did have other markers and some of those have changed. The one thing I know for sure, I love not obsessing about having snacks with me because I'll get hungry every two hours. I love some of the food I've made that I would have otherwise never tried. I love that I have energy to do things when I can tame the sleeping, and I love that I've met all of you along the journey. Because if these positives, and because of vulnerabilities, I'm willing to keep the journey going, 10 days at a time. You'll all have to keep me honest. Happy day 24!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morkkel Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Gosh, I am on top of this forum today! Greek - glad I'm not alone in grocery expenditures. You are right, I'm saving in not eating out, I guess I wonder how families with kids do it! I can't believe the cost - but suppose that's a different issue altogether! Are you hungry in between meals? I am hungry, and the next meal is on my mind all the time. However, I am literally eating until my body says ENOUGH! So not sure what to do in between meals except suck it up! And drink copious amounts of water. I am so excited that you are going to continue the journey! I definitely want to tag along and see how far you can go! Shoot for the moon... if you miss, you'll land among the stars! My original goal was energy. I have been consistently sleeping 8 hours a night my whole life, but my energy levels just stink. I have perpetually low iron, so hoping to find out why I have such difficulties absorbing it - thought maybe it was a gluten issue? Plus the increase in meat and veggies would surely help...right? So anyway, can probably blame my energy on the iron, but was hoping to gain more hours in my day, or at least more life in those hours - if that makes sense! I suppose my other goal has been met - eating out less and eating healthier. So I guess one out of two ain't too shabby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhill0823 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I have been away for way too long! I'm so glad to see that everyone is doing well! Day 24, can you believe it!!!! I'm not sure that I had set goals at the beginning of this journey but so far I have gained so much! The biggest thing I have gained is knowledge of what it takes to make me feel better! It's a wonderful feeling to sit down at dinner and eat too much food but still stand up and not feel bloated and gross. It's all veggies and meat, it's a different full feeling. I've stopped having issues with my feet and ankles swelling and I've lost some weight. My sugar levels were borderline diabetic, and now they are slowly getting back down to normal healthy range. For the first few weeks I was living with a deadline in sight for this journey, now I'm just sitting here thinking that I may occasionally reintroduce things here and there but for the most part I really enjoy the way that I feel and the changes that this is making for my health!! Happy day everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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