Take Two: Lady M's second Whole 30

[LadyM]

Day 45

M1 meat quiche, cm tea, 7

M2 tod mun chicken cakes, sweet potato w ghee, romaine, kumquats, 11:30

M3 Italian roast pork and zoodles w chimichurri, kale chips, celery w AB, RX bar, tea, 5 (SO hongry! Don't know if it's pms, only two meals yesterday, or a combo, but I ate past satisfaction and I don't like the feeling. Let this be a reminder to myself.)

Feeling really good today. Went to bed early and woke up early for bootcamp. It went well, and the trainer is thrilled with my progress. When I stood on the scale she asked me if I'll ever want to see my numbers and I said I will when our 8 weeks are up. This is the start of week 7. I have in my mind that I'd really like to complete a Whole 60. I'm just feeling so good and enjoying the process, so why wouldn't I?

The trainer and I also talked a bit about food diversity. I think I do a pretty decent job of mixing it up with my food, though my breakfasts are often on repeat, yes [in fairness, though, I do use different meats, greens, and types of sweet potato--even seasonings--in my meat quiche (thanks again for that one, Choc!)]. Anyway, she said that if you keep your food on a four day rotation (meaning you don't eat the same thing again for four days) you won't develop new food sensitivities and you'll keep inflammatory responses to a minimum. That makes sense to me. So, I'll be more mindful about that.

Must decide today what to buy, cook, and eat for the week. I still have plenty in my fridge, so I'm in good shape; but I'd like to try a new recipe or two. I'm thinking maybe the West African stew from WF2 and this for protein. Any must-eat veggie recipes for me to try, y'all?

[Beets]

Four days? Oh god. That would be impossible for me! I need to be better with it though, the mixing up of food. Nice to hear you're trainer is impressed. And w60, yeah!

I have no veggie recipes but I'm eager to get some new ideas.

[Chocoholic382]

I love that as I read your last post, I was munching on some meat quiche myself 

[pjena]

Yay!  I'm so glad you had a great weekend proving to yourself that you can have fun while staying as healthy as possible.  Yay!  That post should get a lot of us through Easter dinner!  

 

I'm so not getting in any food rotation!  I probalby have had eggs and kale for breakfast 350 of the last 365 days!  Crazy, but I just love it so much.  And salad/veg with tuna and avocado is my go to lunch.  I just don't mix it up.  I guess as long as I don't seem to be developing sensitivities, I'll just roll with it.

[LadyM]

Day 46

M1 eggs scrambled in better butter w bacon, kraut, cm coffee, 7:45
M2 roast pork, avo, kraut, mashed cauliflower/carrot/parsnip, 1:15
M3 fried sardines, romaine

Lovely yoga practice this morning. Otherwise mad dash today to get taxes done, prep for class, meetingsmeetingsmeetings, and tonight I get to be in the audience at a dance performance. Hooray!

BTW, I think the trainer and her four day rule mostly applies to inflammatory foods. So, after we've done a reset such as W30 and start reintroductions (if we desire), we can eat the less than optimal foods that we love and that don't cause reaction, but shouldn't do so more than once every four days to prevent leaky gut and other nasty developments. There. Does that help?

 

Update: I took a mental health day. This choice was instigated by my being blindsided by grief (over my mom's death last October) like I haven't experienced in months. I ugly cried it out on and off throughout the day, filed my taxes, cancelled my meetings and class, finished the previous season of Mad Men, and took a long and luxurious nap. I'm feeling much lighter now, and am so glad I chose to allow myself to feel the weight of it rather than power through, choking back tears, business as usual. W30 continues to help teach me how to listen to and take care of myself. This is a wonderful thing.

[pjena]

That actually could make sense.  I seem to be ok having the occasional dairy, wheat, etc, but when I go a week seriously off plan, I break out in cold sores.  Interesting.

[Beets]

I'm sorry to hear about your mom. I remember you went to visit her, if I recall correctly, last year and you mentioned she wasn't doing well.

Sometimes you really need a messy, snotting, sobbing cry. Glad you took the time for yourself.

[LadyM]

Thanks, Beets. And yes, I belief that my grief process--that began well before she died--is one of the things that inhibited wild success on my first W30 last April. I am in many ways liberated by her death--as is she, of course--and I also miss her terribly and regret they ways I could have been a better daughter. The latter was playing on a loop in my mind yesterday. Feeling much better today. Sometimes you just have to feel it--and the only way out is through it.

[LadyM]

Day 47

 

M1 meat quiche (shredded the sweet potato and added shitake this time for a very desirable result), avo, cm tea, 7:30

M2 nomnom green chicken (though I've marinated a whole chicken and will crock pot it), slaw, 1

M3 more green chicken, sweet potato with ghee, celery w AB, bp decaf coffee, 4:30

 

Last time around I made it 47 days and then leapt onto my own runaway bike at a Memorial Day party. This time I'm sticking with it longer, though I am looking forward to that same Memorial Day party this year. In fact, it might be the momentous occasion with which I end this W30 as well!

 

Early to bed meant early to rise, bootcamp followed by burst training/cardio followed by stretching. Good stuff. Facial and massage on tap today before teaching this evening. No one ever accused me of not pampering myself!

[pjena]

I'm glad you took the time you needed.  It sounds like it was very much needed. 

[LadyM]

Thanks, Jen!

[LadyM]

Day 48

 

M1 meat quiche, avo, 8

M2 thai meatballs, beets, kraut, bp decaf, noon

M3 apple, carrot, green chicken, mashed cauli, 5:30

 

This morning after yoga we had a little dance party to Pharell Williams' "Happy." Man is that a great way to start the day.

 

Feeling happy for that, for the sunshine and warm temps coming, for the fact that I've extended my W30 beyond the one I did last year, for this remarkable adaptable body that is my greatest teacher.

 

Wonderful massage and facial yesterday. Teaching and meetings today followed by a performance. Final three performance run begins tonight. Looking forward to doing this show three more times, and also looking forward to getting more rest and moving onto the next thing. By that I mean another show this summer and an earnest return to writing. Life is good.

[calee]

Sending hugs regarding your mama. Myine died in 2004. It was after visiting the cemetary in Lodz Poland last fall where her parents were buried and see the town in which she was born that I found my connection to her. The Concentration camp visit and other sites like the Warsaw Ghetto allowed me to connect with her and her life in a way I never had during her lifetime. Grief and understanding come in waves. I believe when we are ready to experience them.

Bravo on finding joy on your adventures with friends while holding t o your focus on this W30 journey.

[LadyM]

Thank you, dear Lee.

[LadyM]

Day 49

 

M1 meat quiche, avo, cm tea, 8:30

M2 tod mun cakes, japanese yam w ghee and tsardust memories (new fave combo), 11:30

M3 goyza meatballs, slaw w wasabi mayo (both from wf2 and fantastic!), 3:30

 

Developed a coughing fit during the performance last night. Oh dear. I recovered OK, and am now treating myself with kid gloves to get through the final two shows. Slept in this morning, sucking down bone broth, upping a couple supplements. My aim is to power through and also support myself enough that I don't crash and burn after the show's run. That happened last time. And the burning lasted for three months. I'm stronger, healthier, and smarter now, so I have confidence history doesn't have to repeat itself.

 

Update: delicious nap this afternoon. Decided to opt for yoga and a walk tomorrow instead of an 11-mile run, which I'll move to Sunday afternoon (health permitting). Looking forward to tonight's performance followed by "drinks" with friends. I have yet another reason to forego alcohol (it would seriously depress my already possibly compromised immune system) and will opt for hot water with lemon instead. I can play the diva card if need be!

[pjena]

Take care of yourself.  Honey is medicine in this case.   Day 49 is amazing!  You sound so balanced and confident.  Keep it up!

[LadyM]

Thank you, Jen! It's not bad enough to dig into the honey, though I have been tempted!

[LadyM]

Day 50

 

M1 meat quiche, avo, cm decaf coffee, 9

M2 green chicken breast, sw pot w ghee and tsardust, applesauce, cm tea, noon

M3 gyozo meatballs, wasabi slaw, kombucha, green tea, 5

 

Good show last night followed by "drinks" out with friends as I'd planned. Drank hot water with lemon and played the Diva card. My friends joked about how they really knew they were hanging out with an actor and all was well. Final performance and strike tonight. And then I sleep the sleep of angels.

 

Decided to skip the farmers market this morning in the interest of clearing out my freezer a bit. No big fancy Easter dinner, but I prefer it that way, really. It supposed to be positively gorgeous all weekend long, so I'm happy to put my non-theatrical energies into playing outside. But first stop: yoga in half an hour.

[Beets]

You go, Diva M. Hoping you avoid coughing fits tonight.

[LadyM]

Ha! Thanks, Beets! No more coughing fits. Still feel like I'm fighting something, and intending to keep fighting and win! Happily, I see FMD Monday morning and she can adjust me and tweak my supplements to help boost my immune system and head off the crud.

 

So, show's over. It's been a terrific run and I've had heaps of fun. And I'm feeling good about how I've learned to take care of myself and be social at the same time. Though tonight I skipped the late-night bar with cast and crew post strike and instead sit here typing after warming some bone broth and putting meat and veg in the crock pot to stew. I approve of my own choices, and that's about as good as it gets.

 

Happy Easter if you celebrate it, y'all!

[LadyM]

Day 51

 

M1 corned beef and veg, bone broth, bp decaf, 8

M2 scrambled eggs w veg, fruit, green tea (post-mass lunch out), 1

M3 kale chips, braised cabbage, roast duck breast, coconut chips, RX bar, cm decaf, 6

 

Such a beautiful Easter! Enjoyed every moment of it, including my W30 style feast. It's such a pleasure to enjoy truly indulgent compliant foods once in a while.

[LadyM]

Day 52

 

M1 meat quiche, avo, cm tea, 9

M2 avo, tod mun cakes, handful sprouted nuts, 1:30

M3 crudites w mayo, kale chips, corned beef and veg, pear, 5:30

 

Headed to Ann Arbor for my annual endocrinologist appointment. I'm most looking forward to the drive (sometimes a long drive is just what I need to aid contemplation) and to making a Trader Joe's run. Got my list all prepared!

 

Update: It was far more beautiful on the east side of the state today, so I'm especially happy my life led me in that direction. Got fully stocked up at TJ's--canned fish and Kerrygold and prosciutto are MINE!--and had a little fun at Whole Foods while I was at it. Found some compliant prepared horseradish (from a local Detroit company--bonus!), and bought a handful of spicy sprouted nut/dried fruit mix and enjoyed that treat very much. Ate it with my lunch sitting under a tree while watching a lingering herd of bison in a field near my doctor's office. Such an amusing and unexpected pleasure that was!

 

I noticed how I've been feeling "snacky" lately, as in I want the satisfaction of that crunchy hand-to-mouth experience, and I connected it to my looming period. The good thing is I'm not overdoing it, and I'm including that kind of crunchy snack as part of a meal. It's certainly not a habit I want to fall back into, so I'm happy to have made the observation.

 

Craving red meat (another clear sign that my period will likely arrive tomorrow), so I think I'll make the bison ribeye with kale and sweet potato "chips" for dinner in honor of my craving and my new herd of friends in Ann Arbor. I'll dig into the corned beef in my fridge. I have plans for so many dishes this week, but I'd better eat what I've got first!

 

Also, at the endocrinologist's office I asked the MA not to tell me my weight. She obliged, but then later told me that I've lost weight since last year--and then the doctor repeated that. So, that's cool. And I pretty much knew that from how I feel. What's interesting though is I remember being weighed there last year during my W30 and having all sorts of feelings about it. I'm released of all that this year. And that's better than a reduced number on the scale!

[pjena]

You are my hero, M!

[Attackkitten]

Thank you for sharing this. I'm struggling with my always aging, ever changing body. I want to make it as healthy as possible and love it no matter what. Easier said than done for sure. I agree though- no one else notices all of the imperfections like you do.

[LadyM]

Attackkitten, we're all works in progress, no? And the irony--or perhaps justice--of it is that it gets easier to love and accept ourselves the older we get. That's my experience, anyway, and I hope it continues in that direction.

 

I was just talking to one of my best friends, a gorgeous 65-year-old ballet mistress, about how aging is not for sissies. But also how it's a comfort for me to look in the mirror and see my mom. She died six months ago and I've come to realize that I'm the age now (37) that I so often hold her in my memory--you know, that woman the little girl me looked up to and adored, unencumbered by the complexities of our relationship thereafter. So, that's a pretty beautiful thing. Especially because I have the tools and awareness to live in a different, much healthier and more sustainable way than she did. I'm doing it for me, but I carry and honor her spirit--and that of all my other powerful role models who age honestly and gracefully--with me.

 

I wish the same for you and all other women who struggle to shine forth exactly as they are in this often screwy and misogynistic culture of ours.