Journey to and through W30

[genifer]

Im not currently doing W30... yet. My plan is to start in January. I did, however, attempt a start on the 14th of Nov. I started out great, hit the 'Kill all the things' stage, got past that and then ate some noncompliant stuff. I decided to treat this as a practice run for a January start. My goal here is to begin eating cleaner foods and try to understand my eating habits.

 

I can log everything I need to here whether anyone reads it or not, doesn't matter. I need a place where I can put all my thoughts down as I move to a healthier place. I feel as tho Ive started already with the trial W30, I made it to just about 2 weeks, so halfway. My problem was that I realised I wasn't ready to give up my sweet tea. That was it really. But that kind of sabotaged the whole thing, I was craving sugar and that's something I need to eliminate, sugar cravings.

 

 

Anyway, I have to get ready for college. Long day for me. I haven't had much of an appetite for the past two days. Some tell tale signs are signalling that I am in the start of a colitis flare up. This happens regularly, Im realising, if I miss even one dose of my meds.

 

Today for breakfast I had sort of scrambled eggs with bacon, cabbage and celeriac thrown in there. It was nice but, as I mentioned my appetite isn't great, I had to force it down (bc of a long day) and I could only eat a small plate full.

Cup of black tea with honey.

I don't know when Ill be able to eat again bc in my profession, getting clients done takes precedence over anything else! lol...

[rgbarron01]

Best wishes as you work your way through.  This has been the best/worst, easiest/hardest undertaking depending on what stage of healing I am in (Day 21 here).  This space has been helpful.  I hope you feel better.

 

rhonda

[genifer]

thanks for responding Rhonda. I thought I had posted a response before now, but I think I must have not hit 'post' before closing tab down.

 

Its a busy time of year. Every year at this time I promise myself that Im not going to allow myself to get so busy and carried away with the stressfulness of the holidays. Every year I do a little bit better. I try to find ways to keep my sanity and maintain my health, with the stress of Christmas and all the rich food on offer Ive found that if I don't, my health really suffers. Im doing well so far. I have had a few mince pies and Im realising what some of my triggers to binge and over eat are. I was at the movies watching the Hunger games with the kids and they had crisps. I had some crisps. Sitting there, watching a movie with the family, eating munchies... that's a habit of a lifetime. That's something my dad and I would do together when I was a kid. It was the one thing that my dad did with us as a family. I don't ever see my dad anymore, I live thousands of miles away from him but that habit of eating junk food, pigging out, watching movies=good feelings to me. Now, sadly, Im teaching my kids the same thing. On a realistic note, I could learn to enjoy these things with the right amount of moderation... we end up pigging out. Why isn't it so fun if we're not actually pigging out?? I don't know.

 

Another trigger that I am fully aware of is pmt. I have a feeling that Ive got a vicious circle going on here. If I can break the sugar cravings, Ill probably get rid of pms/pmt altogether, or at least deal with it in a much more healthy manner. Im open to suggestions.

 

On a very positive note... I mentioned Im training to be a hairdresser. I finished my last assessment on Saturday so all I have to do now if finish my required hours and Im done! Ill be officially a fully qualified hairdresser. In January Ill be returning to college to do some advanced training but I can finish that within six months.. potentially. Im already working in a salon so that will help with the assessments I need for that level ...and Im earning a wage for the first time since my children were born 14 1/2 years ago! Big changes in our lives at the moment. I am juggling so much, raising teenagers, working, college, keeping a house as well as managing an illness that had me virtually house bound at one stage just a few years ago. I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for.

[genifer]

Its been a manic week. Ive tried eating healthier foods and have done well, but Ive also had some mince pies and a few junkie sort of things. Not too bad. Been super busy in the salon, which is a good thing. My kitten wasn't well (she's better now tho!) and I haven't slept very well the last few nights, which is a bad thing! I had some kind of flu like bug on Wednesday but cracked on, was called into work on Thursday, and went in even tho I wasn't well. I have some soup on the stove and sweet potatoes in the oven for breakfast and lunch. When I wasn't very well the other day I had some chicken soup and that was like a miracle potion or something, I felt so much better after having that! Ive been slow cooking my stock in the oven over an entire day on low and its come out lovely, so easy too!

 

Looking forward to my sunday off!! I think Ill sleep all day and night!

[genifer]

Okay... wow, yeah... Its been a manic sort of few weeks... I started working a few weeks into starting this journal/thread, my first position as a trained hairdresser (not sure if I mentioned that in previous posts, and way too lazy to scroll up and check). I have loved every single minute of it... However, I did find it difficult to maintain any modicum of self control with clients leaving choccy presents and the cookies and no time for lunches and having to scarf down sandwiches in between clients... this all lead to a massive binge and as its fizzling itself out (like I am seriously in possession of no self control here or something) I am feeling like absolute sh!te. Not surprisingly. Bloated, tired, and noticing the beginnings of a flare up of ulcerative colitis. So not cool. Im working on a January 1 start for W30, weening myself off certain things... which is still difficult since its just everywhere. Dh and I hadn't spent much time together over the last few months with conflicting schedules and yesterday was the first day we had out together so we spent it in Starbucks sipping (gulping) festive lattes which were really scrummy and muffins, then sausages from the Christmas market in town. We also exchanged the second hand, really nice camera for an amazing digital slr which takes me back to my photography loving college days! Im stoked about that!!

 

Ive been researching meal plans and started thinking of ways to make W30 easier and manageable while I start back at college and work in January. Im wanting to get a whole load of meals premade in the freezer so I can just chuck them in the slow cooker and eat something nutritious as soon as I walk in the door. I also want healthy, wholesome meals for my kids, bc they've been living on frozen chips, toast and cornflakes for about two months... Im such a bad mother!!! I did manage to throw together some spaghetti sauce that had shed loads of veggies in it and they had not a clue! When I do that I have to be ever so sneaky about it. This time I added a load of frozen veg, courgettes, spinach, even eggplant, it was lush and they didn't know (hehe), they wont even sniff it if they suspect anything as untoward as an unusual vegetable in their sauces.

 

Im hoping to come up with some serious meal plans, empty my freezer and cupboards and stock up on the good stuff in the next few days so I can be ready for January 1, that gives me an additional week to ease into W30 before we all get back to school and work on January 6.

 

Getting back on track and feeling positive about it!

[genifer]

Wooohoo, New year is finally here! Yay. W30 starts here. I feel like I put on a dress size in the last few weeks, not a good feeling. I haven't put any weight on but Im so bloated that it certainly feels like it! Ill be cooking the New Year's roast with all the veggies and ...actually Im doing two roasts: A roast beef and a chicken. My family is divided on meats. That's ok tho, Ill have plenty left over to sustain me thru the week (any maybe into next week when everyone is back to normal).

 

I have some specific goals for the new year. We've had some major changes occur in our lives during the last six months and I want to put some habits in place that will help us all be successful.

 

The first thing I am committing to is spending one hour a day in prayer, worship, bible study and meditation. Whatever form it takes I know one thing that has been slowly slipping away to nonexistence is my time with Christ. One hour a day isn't much, in fact I see it as a necessity. Ive already started that within this last week and the difference its made already is ...wonderful. That is one of my top priorities.

 

Secondly, starting off the new year with W30, seeing it thru and then making a new goal for every month to keep it going, focusing on health and fitness. The reasons Im doing W30 are many. I have inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis) and every time Im on a restricted diet, watching what I eat I feel better. I started with about 10 months on specific carbohydrate diet (a lot like paleo, but ...fussier!) in 2010, stuck with some of it, but could not follow it to a Tee so Ive been trying to find some guidelines that would work for me. I think Ive found them with W30. The other reasons are simply health and fitness ones. I just want to be fit and healthy! ... and I want to work on sugar cravings, etc.

 

Another thing that isn't health related or anything of the sort has to do with work/home life balance. I started working around November time and the kids (they were previously home educated) went back to school in October, so we've been trying to find our feet and find a routine and that's what Im looking for in the new year. I want to make sure everyone's getting homework done and keeping on top of their studies, catching up on things and such and so forth. January may be quite slow for me, work-wise (hairstylist) so that might be good. The other thing to do with this part of the plan is to get some advertising up and running.

 

That's it for now. Happy New Year!

[genifer]

So, I started W30 on Jan 1 with the Jan 1 gang over in Welcome to W30. Its currently day 8 and Im ever so tired. Im heading straight back to bed as its my day off and nobody's home. Im so irritable too. I was stressing out at kids this morning helping them get ready for school. sigh...

 

My meals consist of eggs with bacon, and courgette for breakfast (this morning). Ive eaten mince beef with loads of veggies, jalapenos, salad and some sweet potato fries for dinner last night. The beef was quite fatty actually. Today Im having pork chops with whatever veg I find in the house before I do a shop tomorrow.

 

I have to go back to bed this morning. My house is a tip, an absolute mess. My plan is to sleep now and clean and cook later. ttfn!