pjena Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 You are not doing a W30 anymore so there is nothing you can't have. You can have anything you want. Once you grasp onto the freedom of that statement then refocus to the should you have it question. Is it special? Is it worth it? Will it make you more healthy or less healthy? You are in control not the food! If you want to have a little chocolate everyday than maybe you should. But perhaps you should splurge on some chocolate that is worth it. Hershey's kisses are not special or worth it. Mostly just sugar. But an 80% or higher dark chocolate with some sea salt. Savor a square of that and it is worth it. To be honest, after almost a year, I'm still struggling with that. If I tell myself I can have anything, I often do. In the moment, it's hard to remember to ask myself those questions. In the moment, I don't want to ask myself those questions. I keep trying, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 To be honest, after almost a year, I'm still struggling with that. If I tell myself I can have anything, I often do. In the moment, it's hard to remember to ask myself those questions. In the moment, I don't want to ask myself those questions. I keep trying, though! What about sticky notes in your pantry and on your fridge reminding yourself to ask those questions? I'm not saying this is always easy for me but I think this is the single biggest mindset change that has made a difference for me. Possibly the other part of it is truly getting to a place where you don't want those things not just can't have. Like with the chocolate...I would rather have good clean chocolate than generic chocolate. I know enough of what certain additives do to my system and mood to truly want to avoid those things as much as I possible can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I think this is a common struggle for all of us. How to balance "being allowed" something versus saving it for special. Especially for those of us who already aren't seeing results and we are strict. Sometimes it makes me want to throw up your hands and say I might as well eat what is easy. Makes me want to, but I haven't actually done it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Sticky notes isn't a bad idea. Just something to make me stop and think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 With kids and Valentine's parties, chocolate kisses make their way into our home. The good chocolate I just don't buy because one small delicious well enjoyed square quickly becomes half the bar and then the other half. I smiled at pjena's comments because in the moment, I don't want to ask myself those questions either. The question that I have asked myself is, "What will make me proud?" and that sometimes helps. The other thing that helps is really trying to remember why I'm trying to lose weight and be healthier and that's so that I'm a healthy older mom and around for my kids as they grow up. Since I lost the biggest chunk of weight, the memory of how unhealthy I was has disappeared and so the burning need to change things has softened. Yet, it's still there. I'm still not as healthy as I could be and as I want to be to better prevent old age issues in my life. Sticky notes reminding me of that might be good because the desire/need to be a healthy mom 20 years from now certainly trumps the momentary daily decision to want a treat. But....oh....sometimes I think, "My entire life NO Cadbury caramel eggs?" And then I start visualizing all the great delicious things I want to eat. Usually it's just because I'm hungry. This last week we've been eating Whole30 at home and things are just fine. I made a great lamb cabbage dish two nights ago with curry from nomnompaleo's website. I tried to replicate it last night with bison but it wasn't as good. Things are progressing and I've been walking every day in 0 degrees and doing my meditating and the shoulder exercises, but I've also been snacking on gobs and gobs of baby carrots. I eat the baby carrots until my mouth begins to react to them and I have to stop. I'm not hungry. I'm not stressed or emotional. It's always in the afternoon. Sometimes I brush my teeth or make tea and that helps. Sometimes I try eating a mini-meal, but then I still want to grab a few baby carrots each time I pass through our kitchen. We haven't had almond butter and I've avoided the almond and raisin snack I was loving a couple weeks back and I know the carrots are not hurting me in any way, but it's interesting just how much I want to snack. If I could be outside or go for a run, ski or walk that would probably help, but I'm in the house with a napping kid and it's the time of day when my energy feels fine, but is at its lowest. It's a time of day I can't meditate EVEN IF I've just had a cup of tea because I'll fall asleep while meditating. I think I use the food to wake me up or possibly boredom, but I'm often quite content interacting with my other kid or reading a book. I might try some gum this week or I might just buy more baby carrots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Tea is my go to for snacking. I usually drink a big glass of water while waiting for the tea to be ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Well, darn - we all caught colds again and this one has turned into a small temperature. Drats! It does mean I don't snack because nothing sounds good and I eat less because nothing tastes good. I'm also up and functioning so I'm not that sick, but I'm certainly not feeling chipper and full of good cheer. Such a drag. Sunday we went to the outdoor ice rink and had a great time outside for two and a half hours. That night, the cold that was trying to establish a hold in me, got its way. Last night we had chicken cacciatore. Today we'll probably have lamb stir fry for lunch. I have a couple butternut squashes that have been sitting on our counter and will probably cook them up too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Sassaman Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 BOOOOOO on more sickness! My goodness. Your household has certainly had more than its fair share! I hope it doesn't get too nasty. Get lots of rest, that is really the only thing that ever really works for me. Lamb stir fry sounds.....interesting. I wouldn't have thought to use lamb for it. What kind of veggies do you pair with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 I know! It feels like we've been sick a lot, but really we've just had minor things like colds and stomach junk (lots of minor things though). It's just that minor things tend to have a major impact on me. Eh. It's annoying. I also have a temperature and so does my son. My son inherited my immune system. It's buggy that our colds seemed to be past their worst day and then turned into this. However, we slept decently thanks to inhalers and tylenol and our coughs are nice and productive and, aside from the sheen of sweat on my body (much better than the freezing cold of no-tylenol), we're up and about and able to enjoy being at home and not doing much. I'm optimistic we'll both get better without me getting my horrid all night asthma cough and my son deteriorating into pneumonia. Honestly, it's SO nice to know that how we are eating is not contributing to this. I was pretty tired of the guilt of knowing that my food choices exacerbated the illnesses. Last night my husband had the garbage stir fry again with lamb. It's GOOD. And easy. It was also better with the lamb than when we had it with the bison. http://nomnompaleo.com/post/41781593486/whole30-day-29-garbage-stir-fry-with-curried-cabbage We order ground lamb from USWellness Meats, but our store recently started selling some grass fed ground lamb from Australia. It's 11 dollars a pound, but where we live, that's not a bad price. We use one pound for the four of us. Last night we added mushrooms and other things. We'd been eating a lot of pork, but I like pigs and enjoy how clever and fun they are and so we're trying to eat more lamb instead. Last night the boy and I were both feeling so lousy that dinner didn't sound good so I made up some Vietnamese Pho. It's really pretty easy, but of course, all this cooking stuff is easy once you know how to do it. Ha. It's that learning curve that's not easy! Our home created version of Pho was chicken broth, water, anise stars, cinnamon, ginger root, garlic, fish sauce, lamb meatballs and mushrooms and kelp noodles. I loved the kelp noodles. I only ate a cup or so of soup - maybe two cups. At this rate I'm bound to lose weight! Actually, at the community health meeting I went to yesterday, I was back down 5 pounds from my starting weight. Last week I was only down one. The numbers are so deceiving because of bloating and I have felt bloated (though that stomach thing a week ago didn't help). I haven't been eating any nut butters and only a few almonds here and there. Replacing almonds with baby carrots was brilliant and feeling under the weather has stopped all snacking. It's so much easier to maintain weight than to lose weight. I'm okay with the silver lining of being sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Hope you feel better soon! I agree, maintaining is SO much easier than losing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Pneumonia in our household! Antibiotics and oh, I already feel better! I took them last night. This morning I just feel better - more pleasant. I feel like I have not felt pleasant for two months. I've always been prone to walking pneumonia which is often from bacteria that live in our noses and throats and slips into the lungs when a cold hits. What if I just have a bad mix of bacteria in my system always trying to get the upper edge. My gut bacteria are losers and the ones in my respiratory system don't do me many favors. Is it possible to get an entire bacterial replacement for one's system (not my skin though. My skin bacteria do a good job and I don't have zits or dry skin or other issues)? I swear, if this was possible, and didn't cost an arm and a leg, I'd consider it...! I'm still coughing and my son is still really sick, but we'll feel better soon and hopefully, we'll transition from antibiotics to health smoothly with lots of good kim-chi and sauerkraut. We got a new kim-chi from our Seattle CSA and oh-my-gosh it is good! It uses black garlic and sesame seeds. I'm excited for dinner tonight. So, I've also been aware that I've been really bloated for a while and haven't been sure why. I'm not eating nuts, nor feasting on baby carrots. The one thing I had been doing was adding honey to my chai tea two or three times a day. A few days ago I knocked that off, but was still bloated as of last night. This morning I don't feel as bloated, but definitely there seems to be a lot of weight in my abdomen. The fat stomach feeling (and really tight jeans) is a bit odd especially given how little I've eaten the last few days and how much liquids I think I drink. I wonder what impact the antibiotics will have. Yesterday: Sweet potatoes and duck egg Orange juice gelatin Hot dog Apple Bison stir fry with broccoli and onions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Antibiotics are working wonders on me. At this point, I wish I could live on them. I know. I know. I don't really and I'm a fan of avoiding them, but man-oh-man, what a difference. I worked today. I got things done. I also lounged on the sofa for hours with my very sick boy, but my mood was infinitely better and it is so nice to not be besieged by the asthma cough. I ate breakfast and a lunch, but it wasn't much food. My husband made the steak and broccoli ginger stir fry from 21 Day Detox and I ate a lot of that with our awesome new kimchi. I'm still probably fighting the initial virus, but the infection is more under control. I hope it stays that way. The weather is wonderful and it would be SO nice to be outside or to go play hockey tomorrow, but I think we're just going to keep it really easy. When I super slowly jogged home from work today, it triggered a 40 minute coughing/gagging attack. Breakfast: orange yams with a duck egg Lunch: Applegate turkey slices and an apple Dinner: Steak and lots of broccoli and kimchi Black tea, Green tea, sparkling water Gelatin made with orange juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Sometimes antibiotics are what we need. If they were not so abused by our medical community I think it would be better for everyone. I'm glad you are feeling better and that you are eating probiotic food to help support the good bugs. Hope everyone is on the mend soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Oh no! Glad the antibiotics are helping. I broke down and got some on Monday and they have made a huge difference. Take it easy on the exercising until your lungs are doing better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 There are so many things going on this week that I'm super glad I'm feeling decent and my energy is better. I just made some paleo bagels to have with goat cheese and lox for a celebration lunch and this afternoon I'm going to make a chocolate espresso cake for a birthday. It's good to have some energy and have fun doing things instead of dragging myself through it. I'm still not healthy and could fall apart once the antibiotics are done, but I'm in far better shape than I was. Last night we had chicken pot pie with an almond flour crust and loads of veggies. It was okay. No, it was good, but it wasn't creamy. Next time we'll try it with a cauliflower cream sauce. Today is leftovers. Tonight will be sweet ginger duck legs with spaghetti squash from 21 Day Sugar Detox. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to weighing in today. I'm fairly certain I've lost a few pounds from being sick and having no appetite and I'm looking forward to seeing that number. It's motivating to see some movement and hopefully will help keep me on track. While sick, my portions have been tiny. I haven't been tracking anything, but sometimes I wonder if these are what my portions ought to be like given my lack of exercise. It's also interesting how I haven't been snacking, haven't wanted to, and have been full quite easily. None of it is my mind or mental state, but rather my body's physical state. I think my normal questing for food is so much more physiologically based than mental which makes me feel better. It's not my fault that I eat too much, though it is my responsibility to keep things in check. I hate the blame and attacks that go onto people who are overweight. It's just not as simple as eating less. Have a good day everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Lots of yummy sounding food going on over there! When you say your portions have been tiny what does that actually translate too in terms of the template? When you are questing for food do you stop and do a true hunger test? Like hungry enough to eat something not super appealing to you? I agree there are a lot of reasons for someone to be overweight and it is best to give people the benefit of the doubt until you know more about that situation. I honestly believe after almost a year of eating this way that eating less is not the entire answer in 99% of cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Sassaman Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 YAAAAAAY for feeling better! Energy is a beautiful thing! You will have to let me know about the cake. I haven't even begun to dabble in Paleo baking because of the expense of the flours. But I want to be able to do things for special occasions that are not processed if possible! How has your shoulder been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 The answers are never as simple as most people would like to make them. If simply eating less was the really the easy answer, so many people would not be overweight. Hope things went well with the scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I hope you all feel completely better soon! I hope things went well with the scale, too, but most important is feeling better. Though, I always laugh at the truth of the girl in The Devil Wears Prada who said "I'm only one stomach flu away from my ideal weight." I was kind of envious of a friend who was sick over the holidays because she lost weight instead of gaining like I did. So sad that many of us feel that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Physibeth - Tiny portions of breakfast are probably 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes and an egg or a cup of stir fry for dinner - proportionally they fit the template. Amount, they probably fit my hand size better than what I normally consume. I'm not terribly concerned. I maintained my weight most of last year eating Whole30esque and not worrying about portion sizes so I feel like I have a good sense of what amounts work well for me and I certainly never felt like I was lacking for food. While sick, I wasn't hungry and still am not, so I'm noticing and trying to take advantage of my body's desire for less food. Julie - My body has been SO much better since the native healers and chiropractor. I'm not super woman, but I don't feel like I'm causing more injury to myself just by moving around. Tonight is yoga and I'm looking forward to stretching out. Paleo baking is a nice way to do things. I don't have a favorite go-to chocolate cake yet. I have one that's good, but I don't love it. My favorite thing though are those Rob Wolf banana muffins which really are tasty. Almond flour and coconut flour are expensive, but you feel better afterwards. Pjena - I just snorted up my tea. "One stomach flu away" - that's pretty funny! The scale was pleasant. Two pounds down so now only 9 pounds away from the healthy BMI. I know it's just numbers, but there's still something to it. The thing that most pleases me is that now I feel like "normal" in this zone of 5-10 pounds above a healthy BMI. It used to be that "normal" was 40 pounds over a healthy BMI. When I started losing weight, I found it interesting to inhabit a new body and sometimes I'd hit a space that felt plain old comfortable. I'm glad this is my new comfortable zone and that when I gained the weight over the holidays, I was really aware of it and un-in-love with it. Hopefully some day the "normal" is actually in the healthy BMI zone, but for now, I have not clue what that even feels like. We all slept well last night. The infections are starting to clear through. My son is back at school, though still not eating yet. It's good to feel better and be able to get things done. The community 5K is this weekend and I'd wanted to participate, but I'm not going to run. I might walk, but definitely not run. Bummer. Ah well. Breakfast: Egg and sweet potato Lunch: Beef stir fry Dinner: Leftover duck leg with sweet ginger sauce and spaghetti squash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Breakfast: Korean stir fry of meat, eggs, seaweed Lunch: Kipper snacks and kale salad Dinner: Leg of lamb Rogan Josh and cauliflower I'm working on my morning tea. I forgot to have it when I got up so I'm just now drinking it and it's my excuse for not doing other things. This morning I'm making a new chocolate cake recipe for my kid's b-day. I like making those fancy crazy cakes in neat designs. He requested a batman theme so I'm planning a double story cake with cityscapes on the side and a batman figure on top. It should be relatively easy, but I'm hedging on the cake recipe. The paleo one I'm thinking of trying will use 12 eggs. 12! It's so different paleoing than regular baking. I went to yoga last night and it was GREAT. We also all slept well last night and that was great. Hopefully, we transition off these antibiotics smoothly and continue this breath of better health (I'm gonna go have some sauerkraut snack right now!) so I can continue thinking about building in exercise and we can continue the good sleep. It's zero degrees out, but sunny - a nice day. I'm off to eat good bacteria foods and to make a cake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraRuns Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Smart move on the 5k. There will be others and your health is more important. Glad the scale went well and I like your thoughts on the new normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjena Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 So glad you're feeling better! The sun is shining here, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Fall apart fall apart. Chocolate sent to our house and I decided to eat it. And eat it and eat it. And then one of the cakes I made had some non paleo frosting. I tried a paleo buttercream, but biffed it so I went with the normal and then licked the spoon and then again and again.....My taste buds enjoyed it. My brain enjoyed it. My body did not and I was constipated and my abdomen was sore to the touch for a couple days. All good things to know. The rest of our meals were all fine, but that excessive sugaring was a bit excessive. Now, the house has nothing left in it and yesterday at the store, I did not buy chocolate or donuts like I'd envisioned so things are going back to normal. I went to yoga last night and it was great. My legs were shaky afterwards and my hips and shoulders were sore throughout the night, but sore in a good way. I went to bed early and slept restlessly until I got up and had the magnesium. I probably slept 9 hours and that was nice. I liked daylight savings last night and I really appreciated that there is no school or work this morning so that we could wake up at our normal time (just an hour later on the clock). Spaghetti bolongese last night suggested by our son with lots of carrots - was great with tabasco sauce We discovered a new kimchi, but we eat it so fast that we never have any left and have to wait for our weekly CSA order to arrive Curry with fresh basil or a phad thai with fresh basil for dinner No clue what is for lunch Breakfast not prepared yet, but it will probably be eggs and sweet potatoes So life goes on. I'm not meditating and I think I probably should be. I think my mood was better and my focus on goals. Right now I'm floating in that land of no rule or structure where overeating and never exercising and being my old ways can take rein. But even in this land, I'm aware that I'm not living it up like a student on Spring Break. I did exercise yesterday and I did eat well and today my thoughts have been about what we will cook and not where we can sneak out to. Yay for my new ways even in the land of no rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Good observations about the sugar and good job steering yourself back on course. Consistent forward progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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