Awesome 2014!

[okeedokie]

Hi Jess!

Talk about stressful!! I'm with Amy, poor Troy and poor you. I think that going through all of this with just ice cream is miracle. Sending healing thoughts to Troy and wishes for some down time for you so you can catch up with yourself.

Amy glad to hear you're doing so well! That chocolate chili is on my recipe list. I made the nom nom chicken and gravy too and loved it!

As for me...all goes well. I rebooted after my sugar free chocolate debacle on my birthday. My body swell I g has gone down, I'm getting to the gym 2-3 x's a week and even did sprints yesterday!

Things are improving. I listened to a few of the o line lectures that Paleohack did last week and think there is a good chance I have adrenal burn out.

I'm going to get tested to SSE if its true. Even though my body is recovering, I'm still not ever 100%. Km always tired and slightly up my feeling. Have any of you gone through this? If so, I'd appreciate hearing g more about your e perience.

I started a 10 day vacation today and am writing this from my parents home in Spokane, WA. I've explained my diet but I can see that I'll need to go shopping tomorrow. Its all a little much for them to grasp.

I'll do my best to stay compliant and on the whole30 track.

Would love to hear from everyone else!

Hjgs,

Linda

[okeedokie]

Yikes! Sorry for all the errors! Typing from my phone.

[1Maryann]

I'm here, too.  Just been a crazy week.  I got a new dog off death row, a 7-8 year old morbidly obese (120 lb) girl with heart worms.  I figured no one else was going to save her.  But she's been drinking water by the gallon and peeing rivers, so off to the vet we go.  After an 8 hour test yesterday, she has been diagnosed with Cushing's.  So it will cost me about $1000 in the next six weeks for the start of treatment.  Then she will go on maintenance meds and need to retest every 3-4 months for life for about $3-350 a pop.  So a few hundred bucks for heart worm treatment turns out to be a drop in the bucket.

 

Jess, you and Troy take care of yourselves.  I knew I had a bad feeling about him going back to work so fast last time.  I've done the pneumonia thing, and it takes a very long time to recover.  Maybe this will make him realize he doesn't have to be Superman.

 

I said I was staying in for at least another 30, but I've been thinking about it and I don't think it's in my best interest, long term.  I can W30 in my sleep!  But I can't ride my own bike successfully.  So, I may not feel ready to take off the training wheels, but I do need to loosen them up a little.

 

Last year I managed to dump legumes, alcohol, and diet soda/artificial sweetener.  None of them have made it back in, not once.  So I decided I would take on three more challenged this year.  Instead of eliminating 'grain', I will cut that down to wheat, corn, and soy.  They are the most inflammatory of the grains, and depending what you read, over 70, or 80, or 90% of the US crops of these foods are GMO.  So I will allow rice, which doesn't bother me at all, back in on occasion (gotta have sushi sometimes).  If it starts pushing healthier things off my plate, it goes.

 

I still haven't made chicken and gravy.  Now Amy and Linda have me ready to give it a whirl.

 

Linda, let us know how the testing goes!

 

Gotta run.  Time to walk the dogs.

[AmyS]

Nice to hear from y'all.     MaryAnn, if you like chicken and gravy in general, you'll love this version.  I fed it to my children last night without telling them the gravy was veggies and broth.  They slurped it up in about a second.

[melbournegirl]

Poor Jess, troy is having a rough time... Hope you are okay now.

Well done everyone else!

I'm back onto day one again!!! Work has been very stressful as has home life and my health fell apart but there is light at the end of the tunnel and after 5 days with no coffee I am feeling much better and have managed a day of sensible eating of only that which is good for me.... Convincing myself again that sugar, wine, coffee, wheat etc is a poison that I don't want to eat, REALLY

[Jtandi]

anyone still on this thread? anyone move over to the older post-whole30 thread? needing some contact to try to get back on track. when it rains it pours, Troy got a call this morning, his grandma had a massive head bleed last night and passed away today. it's hard to be so far away (they are in Providence) and it doesn't look like we are going to be able to get back...sigh. I did throw out everything with gluten from my house yesterday and stocked up on some great food, now I just have to get it together.

[AmyS]

anyone still on this thread? anyone move over to the older post-whole30 thread? needing some contact to try to get back on track. when it rains it pours, Troy got a call this morning, his grandma had a massive head bleed last night and passed away today. it's hard to be so far away (they are in Providence) and it doesn't look like we are going to be able to get back...sigh. I did throw out everything with gluten from my house yesterday and stocked up on some great food, now I just have to get it together.

Hi Jess, I'm still kickin' around the place!

 

I'm so very sorry about your husband's ongoing serious illness and his grandma's passing away.  I'm so so sorry.  Sending lots of warm thoughts and cyber-hugs your way.  As far as getting it together, if you find that eating Whole30 or Whole30ish reduces your stress, by all means go for it.  It can be hard to experience so much stress and grief and still think about food prep - but if it helps, definitely go for it. 

 

I'm looking down the homestretch of my current Whole60.  This past week was difficult for reasons I can't quite articulate.  I just really wanted to eat and drink extremely bad-for-me foods and drinks.  I think, looking back, that I may have set it up by undereating at breakfast for several days.  I drank decaf coffee twice in there, and it has enough caffeine to set off several bad things for me, including impaired judgment (that sounds crazy I know, but it's unfortunately true).  This morning I woke up feeling prepared to finish the 60 days out.  Phew.  I will say that though I've been compliant as regards food choices throughout the 60 days, it has not been my cleanest WholeX in terms of numbers of meals, exercise, or some of the other Whole30/Whole9 principles.  But it has been a great experience (except for this last icky week) and I'm glad I'm eating this way.  It's such a relief to deal with my life via Whole30 rather than Impaired By Bad Food.

 

Hugs to Jess and everyone.

[1Maryann]

I'm still here, too, Jess!  Sorry if we abandoned you.  Also sorry about Troy's grandmother and I know full well how it sucks to be so far away.

 

Yesterday, another of my elderly dogs had a seizure, so off we went to the vet.  He didn't like her chest sounds, so he took an x-ray and she has a mass the size of my fist in the middle lobe of her right lung.  So I will be losing another pup in the not-too-distant future.

 

I'm riding my own bike instead of W30-ing, and the difference is...practically nothing.  I did eat rice 2-3 times, and I made a spicy barbeque sauce with 2 TBS of maple syrup in it.  Amazingly enough, neither of these things made me want more off-plan stuff.  I have discovered that the only time I am even tempted to cheat is when it is close to a meal time and I know there isn't anything prepped for quick eating at home.  It is worse when I am tired.  Then the temptation to grab some pre-made or processed foods is pretty strong.  I wish someone would come up with healthy W30 fast food.  My only choice is Elevation Burger, and they are 20 minutes out of my way.

 

My new spiralizer just arrived, so there will be lots of zoodles in my near future.  I wonder how zoodles with meat sauce freezes?  That would be a nice choice for an easy zap.  I do the same with chocolate chili, but it still needs other veggies, so isn't as convenient.

[melbournegirl]

Hi all, sending everyone hugs that need them, and those that don't too!

I'm still struggling, but gave up coffee and tea two weeks ago and cocoa starting yesterday going to keep this going for 40 days.

Off to Brisbane for work now for three days, got three projects all finishing at once which is quite stressful, a good time to eat well and exercise well if I can manage it

[praxisproject]

1Mary - My big revelation with the zucchini noodles was putting them in curry or asian noodles or soups. I don't know why but I used them like pasta, but not asian noodles, silly me.

[1Maryann]

1Mary - My big revelation with the zucchini noodles was putting them in curry or asian noodles or soups. I don't know why but I used them like pasta, but not asian noodles, silly me.

I would be guilty of the same.  I think of them in terms of pasta, but I never considered how delicious they would be in a slurpy asian soup.    Thanks for the nudge!

[AmyS]

This is my last night of my current Whole60!  I have had a rough go of it the last couple of weeks, but am sliding into the finish with no cheats.  Phew!  I'm not sure why sometimes this feels like the best thing ever and other times it feels like a real strain.  I have had both experiences this go-round.  I'm so glad I have persisted, but wow it's uncomfortable to feel so emotionally stretched by how I eat.  Looking forward to taking a break for a few days and then back at it.

 

On a related note, I'm curious as to whether anyone here follows a non-Whole30 Paleo diet (when not actively Whole30ing, that is).  I came to Whole30 straight from a junk food diet, so I know nothing of regular Paleo.  I've been considering diving into it since within the larger Paleo framework I could (again, when not Whole30ing) have treats that, while not optimally nutritious, would not kick my grain/dairy/etc intolerances into high gear.  Any thoughts on this from y'all?

 

Very proud of myself overall and thankful for this group that really convinced me that Whole30 eating over a longer period of time would be a good idea.  For me, it really is.  All other things being equal, I probably will always do best on Whole30 all the time.  (But, um, not tomorrow. 

[okeedokie]

Hi Amy,

 

Congratulations on reaching 60 days!  

 

I've been practicing a paleo diet for about 3 years now.

 

 

I was diagnosed with an extreme grain allergy so any type of grain including corn makes me very ill.  

 

It was really tough at first and since it really wasn't my choice so I was pretty angry about the diet change for a while.

 

I had to teach myself how to cook and bake all over again and started enjoying it.

 

I started following blogs like www.theurbanposer.com www.elanaspantry.com and www.againstallgrains.com

 

They have outstanding recipes and make eating paleo not much of an extra effort.

 

I have made some AMAZING desserts from all of these sights and I also have a Pinterest board with about 100 recipes on it.  Most of which I have tried.  A lot or most of the sweeteners are maple syrup and honey.  Agave nectar processes in your body the same as high fructose corn syrup so I avoid that.

 

I'm happy to share recipes or answer any questions you have.  

 

I have grown to really love my paleo lifestyle. 

 

All else goes pretty well with me.

 

Im just back from vacation.  I stayed with my folks who really didnt understand my diet so I ended up cooking for them (which they loved!)  A few challenges so not Whole30 overall but I'm really pleased at how close to compliant I was considering I was traveling for almost 2 weeks.

 

Still trapped in the polar vortex.  God, I can hardly wait until spring!!

 

Hugs to you all.

 

Linda

[AmyS]

Linda, thank you so much!  I am pretty excited about settling in to a broader/deeper Paleo lifestyle, so that when I do have treats (or make them for my kids) I know they are not going to cause the kinds of problems the conventional treats cause me. 

 

I took one day off, and I'm doing another Whole60 to finish toward the end of April.  I had a good day off, but I realized that I don't really miss specific FOODS anymore.  I miss textures, flavor combinations, things like that.  And I have a decent set of cookbooks to help me make those things that I love in ways that I can actually eat them.  I'm planning on a new recipe and/or a new condiment every week this Whole60.  This week was curry mayonnaise.  Next one will be either ketchup or barbecue sauce.  Looking forward to making these things that I can eat and that will really feed me (and the kiddoes too).

 

My biggest question for you, Linda, is how do you see the difference between Paleo and Whole30?  I understand some parts of the difference, like if you're eating Paleo you could use some sweeteners and you could make things like desserts.  Beyond that, though, is there a significant difference between the two?

[melbournegirl]

Amy, I'm proud of you, again of course. Well done.

I did my first whole30 in oct 2012. I was gluten and legume free for years before then but after the whole30 I threw out my gluten free grains and only added ghee back in for dairy. I did test dairy a bit in 2012 and I thought i was intolerant but the reaction became even more noticeable after I cut out grains.

I occasionally have an icecream or corn chips or milk chocolate which I always regret, and every now and then some gf mueslie bars or rice crackers which are okay. I rarely have honey or maple syrup because I am scared of my sugar dragon but I am okay with fruit juice and dried fruit and occasionally tapioca in puddings.

I make a range of paleo foods to fulfil any processed food cravings. The only thing I haven't found a substitute for is toast. Lucky I was never a big bread eater but I did enjoy a rice and chia based fruit loaf toasted prior to whole30....

Tell me some of the things you are trying to find equivalents for and I will tell you my alternatives?

[melbournegirl]

Forgot to say, what I add back in after whole30s is dark chocolate, potato chips, wine, almond crust pizzas and pie tops and fruit puddings and sweet potato or coconut flour puddings and pancakes and blueberry coconut milk icecream plus the occasional grain based or sugar based snack but not grain based breakfasts and can't see the point any more in replacing meat and vegetables with rice. I miss the concept of rice but if I am going to have something without much nutrition I'd prefer it to be chocolate, wine or potato chips LOL.

[Karen]

Amy - I'm pretty much paleo most of the time.  I still don't allow treats or sweeteners in most of the time (maybe 4 times a year?) and have allowed rice and corn back in since I tolerate them.  Otherwise, my meals consist of meat, veg and fruit.  My nemesis would be potato chips cooked in avocado oil...  Eating out, I typically end up with a burger (minus cheese and bun) and sweet potato fries or a steak with veg.  So, not always Whole30-ish, but often times, it is.  Although I have cravings every now and then for cheese or chocolate, I have yet to cave.  Dairy in particular makes me feel particularly awful, so I have a great motivation to stay away from it.  I learned over this past year that I don't have to go from one extreme to another - Whole30 to completely off the wagon.  I've been quite happy in the middle since I realized it's just what I need to accept about my body and my health.  Hope you're able to find some sort of middle ground, too!  

 

FYI - I made this ketchup this summer and it was awesome!  http://boulderlocavore.com/2012/10/the-best-homemade-ketchup.html  Back when I had mayo, I used to love mixing mayo with ketchup.  Give it a shot!

[AmyS]

Thanks for all the tips about long-term sustainable Whole30ish/Paleo eating, I really appreciate them!

 

I don't think I'm missing any particular foods anymore.  For instance, I tried one of my formerly beloved cafe mochas during my day off, and I found the taste and texture off-putting.  It was funny, but it seemed obvious to me how completely processed and unnatural this was, and it just didn't do it for me.  I had some maki sushi, and I don't think there's anything I would substitute for that, but I am pretty sure I'll be OK eating sushi every so often, since I don't eat it very often anyway.  The largest concern I have is soy, but since I eat sushi maybe a few times a year I probably won't try to replicate it with, say, the Well Fed recipe.  After reading these responses, I started running through my head all of the foods I used to eat on a regular basis, and I am not interested in them anymore.  However, I realized that I AM interested in some of the flavors I remember - except, now I will have to have them made out of real food, not the processed crap I ate for so many years.

 

So this is why I'm on the lookout for condiment recipes, for instance - Karen, that ketchup recipe looks good, I'm also thinking of the one I have in my Everyday Paleo cookbook. 

 

I'm also on the lookout for post-Whole30 sweet treats for self and kiddies.  I have a few in the recipe books I have, and I tried some cookies over the holiday that went over well with the kidlets, so I think I just have to wrap my brain around making sweets Paleo-style.  Since I didn't come to Whole30 via a Paleo gateway, I have no experience with paleo-fying treats, but this is actually something I want to do over the long term.

 

Beyond this, I'm thinking of flavor/texture combinations in dishes like arroz con pollo, which I could redo without the arroz (and the peas) and it would be really good over butternut squash.  That's the kind of thing I'm thinking of.  But the kind of sad thing is that I don't have too many old favorites that I want to recreate, because prior to Whole30 I really didn't eat well at all, and I didn't have favorite foods, and I mostly ate processed/junk food.  Maybe that's what made real food and Whole30 such a pleasant change, though, so I won't knock it!

 

A minor victory last night - we hosted a sleepover for two friends of the kiddoes.  I served them Applegate hot dogs (with buns), chips, sugar snap peas, and fruit.  They devoured the sugar snap peas and the fruit, and then ate fruit all evening instead of the junk food we picked up as sleepver snacks.  Toward the end of the evening they each ate a smallish serving of some junky stuff, but mostly they ate actual food all night!  Gotta love that.

[1Maryann]

I'm the wrong person to answer this one.  I come from a long history of disordered eating.  I spent years on Weight Watchers, where I was restricted to 6 oz protein and 1 TBS of fat a day.  I was starving all the time and obsessed with my next meal.  Then I did years of Atkins, where I could have lots of protein and fat.  I wasn't permitted sweet potatoes because they were too high in carbs, but I could have all the artificial sweetener, diet soda, and chemical shakes I wanted.  In between bouts of those two, I ate nothing but processed junk.

 

This is the first time I've tried eating real food.  I'm so used to it now, there isn't much I want to add back.  I eat rice on occasion, and white potatoes.  Sometimes I use my grass-fed butter as is, instead of making ghee.  I did make barbeque sauce with maple syrup last week.  I don't quite understand paleo myself, but then again, everybody has a different version.

 

I was never a sweet eater, so paleo baked goods don't interest me at all.  They all sound like way too much effort for something I could take or leave.  Most of the times I want to hop off the wagon, it's out of laziness--why NOT open that jar of soybean oil dressing?  Same goes for TJ's frozen brown rice.  Why spend all that time making cauli rice when I could zap a bag in 3 minutes?

 

This time, I'm finally riding my own bike well.  I think it's due to drawing a line in the sand, though.  It is much easier to say NO corn, NO wheat, NO soy than to let them creep in bit by bit.  I don't do well with them, and the GMO thing has me creeped out.

[1Maryann]

Just found this article and wanted to share with you ladies.  I never even heard of functional medicine until I met Karen.  Just more reinforcement for how healthy choices can heal our bodies.

 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12809/how-i-beat-progressive-ms-with-a-paleo-diet-functional-medicine.html

[AmyS]

Just found this article and wanted to share with you ladies.  I never even heard of functional medicine until I met Karen.  Just more reinforcement for how healthy choices can heal our bodies.

 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12809/how-i-beat-progressive-ms-with-a-paleo-diet-functional-medicine.html

Love the article!  (Of course then I had to go read the comments.  Argh.  I think comments sections on the internet are entirely populated by trolls.  Real, hairy, live-under-the-bridge trolls.) 

[Karen]

Inspiring article!

The thing that I always have to remind myself of is that if you break a bone, it'll heal if it's set properly. If you cut your finger, it'll heal if you clean it and protect it from infection. If you get a cold, the body will fight it. The body knows how to heal itself if given the proper conditions. Why conventional medicine mostly ignores that boggles my mind.

[1Maryann]

Love the article!  (Of course then I had to go read the comments.  Argh.  I think comments sections on the internet are entirely populated by trolls.  Real, hairy, live-under-the-bridge trolls.) 

I agree.  There's something about the anonymity.  My local paper insists on printing full names of contributors to Letters to the Editor.  Their online forum allows comment on most articles and you can use a pseudonym.  The garbage that gets posted there is unbelievable!  If these people had to use their real names they would never say such things.

[okeedokie]

Great article!  These are those types of things that I love to file away for a rainy day.  I appreciate you posting it Maryann.

 

Sorry to have fallen off the grid.  I got very ill and am facing some new challenges.  Yippee!

 

My stress level has been so high this past month that I decided to treat myself to a massage last Saturday (my 27 yr. sober birthday). I think it was the first time I have truly relaxed in weeks.  The next day I woke up sick as a dog and by Monday had full blown bronchitis.  Something I have never experienced in all my 54 years.

 

The icing on that cake was being told that I now have high blood pressure.  Again something I have never had in my life.  On the contrary, my blood pressure has always been quite low.

 

So I'm getting better now but am faced with some changes that need to be made toot-sweet to avoid further body/health problems.

 

I started a meditation class this week.  I completely sucked at it but it was recommended and I'm going to follow suggestions.

 

I signed up for yoga classes at a real yoga studio, not at the gym.  I'm hoping the experience will be more pleasant that the gym yoga I've tried and didn't care for in the past.

 

I have started to include more high energy exercise (like sprints) into my workouts.

 

I'm clear that this is another layer of my onion.  As I get better/healthier more is revealed.

 

SO I will trudge this road of happy destiny and do something I am not good at...follow directions and suggestions.  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

 

BTW, in regards to the questions Amy had about a Paleo diet, I thought Karens response was as good as it gets!  All I can say is "DITTO!"

 

If you'd like some recommendations for great Paleo cookbooks let me know.

 

I have to giggle because the Whole9 folks call a Paleo diet with treats included "Sex with your pants on",  LOL!

 

In my opinion, sometimes we all need a little bit o that.

 

Hope you are all well.

 

Hugs,

 

Linda

[1Maryann]

WHERE IS JESS????

 

I checked her profile, and while it says she was 'last active' on 3/6, she hasn't posted anything since she posted here on 2/19. 

 

Jess, if you're out there, please check in.  How is Troy?  I know you guys were having a rough time a few weeks ago, but even if you're eating powdered sugar by the bag, we still love you!  Let us know you're okay.