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Lenten Whole40 support thread


peahen65

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Good morning. Yesterday was my early day off from work.  Usually I have lots of errands or appointments so I end up more tired than I would if I had worked all day.  Yesterday I had no appointments so I thought I would go home get some stuff done around the house and make a great dinner.  Well I did make a great dinner but nothing got done around the house.  I sat in the living room "for just a minute". and woke to my mother getting home and asking when I was going to start dinner.  Oops. I didn't eve really know I was tired until I fell asleep.  Oh well, it's not like the laundry is going to move out if I skip it for a couple days. 

Dinner last night was one of the hot plates from Well Fed.  What a brilliant idea.  Prepping for that will definitely be part of my cook up this weekend. 

 

No side effects from walking Tuesday evening so I'm doing it again tonight.  My daughter has soccer practice from 5-6:30 Tuesday and Thursday and that is the perfect time to get a walk in.  The path isn't level and I try to keep a brisk pace so it's a good workout.  I even "ran" a couple times Tuesday and I will try to do that a few more times today.  I will see about adding back some strength exercises next week.

 

My mom and I are doing this together.  We have started talking about things we want to keep doing post whole30. I doubt either of us will go full paleo unless we have a bad reaction during the reintro period.  We have decided though to maintain a "clean" kitchen.  If all of our choices at home are good ones that will help us make good choices.  What if any decisions have you guys made about your lives post W30?

 

TDC - Yes the reintro is already on my mind.  Not just the anticipation but the worry I'll do it wrong.  On previous diets when I quit I went hog wild.  This time I am hoping having someone else's health issues as part of the goal will help me.  My mom's rheumatoid arthritis has been already helped by what we have done so far.  As for me I was already thinking of doing another whole 30 in a couple months.  The light alarm clock sounds interesting.  I find I am waking on my own before my alarm these days and just burrowing in for warmth waiting for the alarm to go off.

 

peahen - It's great to hear about your husbands blood pressure.  Wow a daughter who bakes in the house! That would be a problem for me.  Thankfully my 19 year old hides any junk he buys for himself in his own bedroom and my 12 and 7 year old have to eat whatever I buy.  Have you tried clarifying your own butter?  It wasn't hard but I was worried I didn't get everything I was supposed to out of it.  I plan to pick up some cheese cloth this weekend to try again.

 

mcjule - Hope your feeling better.

 

TessTurbo - Congrats on eating out successfully.  I have been to scared to try it yet.

 

craftygrrl - Congrats on the mayo. I'm sorry you had such a tough party to go to.  At least with 40 days in lent there is time to start over.  Well done avoiding the cookies and junk food.

 

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lujo238: It's a legitimate worry, actually, the Reintro. As I mentioned, I haven't yet managed to do the Reintro properly in the past two times I've done it and I'm determined to do it properly this time. I think the main issue was I didn't have a proper plan for it, I sort of thought 'on this day I'll lighten up on dairy' but actually I think what I need is to do an exact plan for each meal on each Reintro day. That way it's rigid and fixed and there's no swaying from the plan (hopefully!). As I said, having it in my head that my 'diet' doesn't end until Easter is really going to help. Planning to do another one soon after is a great idea: I pretty much did the same when I did my first one!! I don't really plan to do another one soon after this one although I will be going away on holiday at the end of May so I might do a 2 week one just before hand to get my body into the right frame of mind, so to speak!

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Hey all!  I'm back at work but still feeling pretty terrible -- blowing my nose a million times a day, super congested etc.  It's made sleeping difficult because I'm not breathing well.  REALLY hoping this clears up soon.  I'm taking a decongestant and a nasal spray.  Lujo238, I'm already thinking of reintroduction too.  I guess my broad goals are getting to a point where I'm not terrified to eat out or at someone's house (so I won't be staying 100% paleo) but also making some permanent changes in my diet.  A lot of it depends on where my intolerances are.  I already know I'm lactose intolerant and I think I had been getting WAY too lax with the dairy.  I had learned that cheese and yogurt didn't hit me as badly as other things so I was eating them regularly.  I think I need to cut all, or nearly all, dairy out of my diet.  Then I just need to see where everything else is.  I suspect I have a wheat problem so I may have to do without wheat (at least most of the time).  So those are just my initial thoughts . . . 

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mcjule, lujo, TDC

I hadn't even started thinking about reintro yet. I blew it last time as we ended our whole30 just in time for a major family gathering, with all the attendant non-whole30 compliant foods, so I didn't slowly reintroduce as I'd planned. And, with it being Easter, will need definitely to plan this time. Have to decide which area I want to reintroduce first. If you have a specific plan with food choices, please post.

McJule, hope you feel better soon. I'm not sure if the Yogi teas for cold comfort are compliant or not, some of their teas are, some aren't but my eldest daughter (who is not doing this with us) is drinking them now for her miserable cold. the other thing that I found that helps is a neti pot (but use sterile water to make your saline because of the risk of infection).

That said, has anybody seen the Veg Out Recipe for Success? 30 different veggies in 30 days? Anybody else trying it? We've kinda gotten into a rut with our veggies (even before we started this whole 30), so I thought that it might be a good idea.

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Hello everyone!  Peahen told me about this group!  We started on March 3rd for the duration of Lent!  Thank goodness we chose Lent because after the past ten days we have been faced with MAJOR life stresses and I know we would have easily succumbed if we didn't make this a Lenten decision!  I haven't had time to read through the thread yet but so glad to know about it.

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Hi guys!  Reintro... my husband and I have informally talked a little about what we will do (or not do) after the Whole40, but I've not thought a lot about it, really. I do want some very dark chocolate on Easter!  But as far as reintroducing foods I've been avoiding... just not sure how one goes about it.  I've asked on Resources for something specific I can read about Reintro Phase - maybe you have a url for something like that, TDC?

 

I already was eating quite cleanly, semi-Paleo, so some things may stay the same.

 

My monthly will begin tomorrow, so I am very emotional today.  Or maybe it's another (food) emotional thing going on with me due to the Whole40 like I've had before.    The Cuban Missile (Cincy Reds pitcher) was hit in the head with a ball yesterday and when I read that this morning, I burst into tears.  Then I read more about the little boy who got through a fence and drowned in a drainage canal in Mesa, AZ, and wept buckets as he was 11 and had Down syndrome and O Lord, it's my worst nightmare as my youngest is almost 10 and has DS and we've had him breach security and get lost (more than once) and I nearly had a nervous breakdown over it. Too close to home!  Maybe I should STOP reading things!  Then I watched a documentary and cried at the end when a lady's preterm baby died.  Sigh.  With all this emotion flowing, I made some bad food choices too.  I ate well until after lunch, then I ate probably 5 tablespoons of coconut butter.  I am not one to normally comfort myself with food, either!

 

Mcjule, I hope you feel better very soon.  I second the motion on the netipot.  And tea - one of my favorites right now is a blend of green tea and chai tea.  The spices in chai might soothe you.

 

I like the 30 days veg idea, Craftygirl. I should try it. One of my goals for my Whole40 was to branch out and broaden my veg choices. I'm not doing great in that department.  I usually fall back on my old standby, broccoli.

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Sooo ...was anyone else really surprised and/or disappointed to realize that Lent is actually 46 days and NOT 40??  I'm not sure how I went through 12 years of Catholic education and never realized that Sundays during Lent don't count and that the time between Ash Wednesday and Lent is always more than 40 days?  So ...I guess it's a Whole46 for me. 

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ShaunaF, I learned this just last year! I'm also not sure how I went through 12 years of Catholic school and somehow didn't know this until I was 45 years old! So many people have now told me that when they give something up for Lent they can have it on Sunday since technically those days don't count. So yes, you aren't the only one surprised that our Whole40 is now a Whole46!

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Anyone have advice to avoid snacking?  I'm only doing it if I get hungry but I seem to be hungry mid-afternoon both days.  I snacked probably everyday of the first week and I'm down to every other day this week.  I thought adding fat was what I needed so I had avocado with breakfast the past two days and yesterday I didn't really snack and then today I did.  I don't get it.  I was famished about 2 hours after eating lunch (large salad w/2 cups diced chicken breast and homemade dressing).  And I always snack on nuts, which is ok, but I'd like to cut down on them too so advice about snacks would also be helpful!  Thanks!

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mcjule: I often find cold food less filling than warm food. So perhaps you could make a big batch of soup (e.g. minestrone without the pasta) and have a mug or small bowl of that with your salad lunch. Something chunky like minestrone (rather than smooth) will take longer to eat and I always find more satisfying. You could also drizzle on a spoonful of olive oil on top to up the fat content to help. Note this is in addition to your salad lunch, not instead of! Also, your salad lunch may not have sufficient fat to fill you up. Try adding a few nuts or seeds, using chicken thigh instead of breast, adding some bacon bits, having half an avocado with it. I often found I was hungry during my first Whole30 and snacked quite a bit -- partly boredom, partly because I was constantly thinking about food and partly perhaps genuine hunger. This time round I can't really remember when I've snacked except on days when I've had to have dinner too late for whatever reason. I think it's partly because I am not so obsessed with thinking about food all the time and also I've got a better handle on how much I need to eat. Anyway Melissa posted on Facebook today that it's normal to feel hungry between meals in the first week but if you're still hungry in the weeks after that then you're not eating enough. Remember the mantra: if you're hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli then you're genuinely hungry and should eat something. If steamed fish and broccoli is not appealing then you're not really hungry but bored.

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Good morning.  Happy Friday to everyone.  Today I will be trying another fish dinner.  I think I will over cook it to dry it out and then dose it in hot sauce, LOL. the big problem I had with the fish last week was it felt a bit slimy.  My sister and her husband who eat fish all the time insisted it was not under cooked but for me I prefer a firmer texture to my meat.  Unfortunately I bought too much of the fish last week so now I have more of the same fish to eat.  I just need to find a different way to prep it. This will be my last attempt though.  If this isn't palatable then it is Frittata Fridays for the rest of Lent. 

 

TDC - About 2 years ago I lost over 100 pounds on a diet plan that worked really well.  It all fell apart though when I stopped following the guidelines and skipped the transition period completely.  Sure it was a strict plan and some people will try to blame the plan itself but the honest truth is if I had stayed the course and followed their directions I may not have gained back more than half of the pounds I lost.  I like your idea of having a specific plan.  I like planning menus so I think I will plan my reintro menu so I have a plan in place.

 

mcjule - Eating with others is tough.  It sounds like a good plan for you to cut dairy.  Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that just because we can eat something does not mean we should.  As for the snacking try adding a more starchy veg to your breakfast.  I find I stay satisfied longer if I have sweet potato or carrots or beets at breakfast.

 

craftygrrl - I would be interested in the veg out 30 day thing.  Do you have a link?  I have joined a local CSA for Spring and I cannot wait to see what we get.  As for my reintro plan so far all I know for sure is dairy will be first.  Cheese is probably the thing my kids miss most and my mom prefers to take her meds with a small glass of milk every morning and I know she misses it.  Next we will probably do grains so we can try pasta.  If you ask my daughter what she wants for dinner her answer is always spaghetti. If you say we don't have or can't have spaghetti she says "Okay, how about pasta?". LOL  She'll eat anything if you put it over noodles.  I tried to make zoodles for her last week and all I did was convince her I am a crazy person. 

 

OrganicMom - Welcome, I have seen a few of your other posts it will be great to have you here with us.

 

peahen65 - Oh the tears!  I have the same problem with my emotions at certain times of the month.  My kids think I'm a loon sometimes but I have tried hormone therapy (migraines) and antidepressents (whacked out vivid dreams) where the side effects were worse.  A good cry never hurt anyone I say.

 

ShaunaF & KrisL- I count the extra days as reintro and room for error.

 

Out of time. Have a great day everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

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I just joined a CSA too!  Actually I was a member years ago and still get the emails so I decided to reup.  It's all local fruits/veggies but now you can add pastured eggs and meat.  Yay!  I tend to get organic meats when I can but it's been hard to go to multiple stores to shop so having it come right to my doorstep is a huge help.

 

My cold is going away . . . slowly . . . but I'm not feeling as bad today.  Still working on the snacking.  I think you are right that I must not be eating enough.  I added a starchy veggie to breakfast this morning (sweet potato) but then I completely forgot my eggs at home!  So I'm sure I'm going to end up hungry!  Fridays are hard with the no meat . . . 

 

peahen, that happens to me ALL the time.  I think being a mother makes us particularly susceptible.  I can't handle seeing anything about kids (or animals) being hurt or killed.  I just lose it.  

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Oh, and I knew you counted the Sundays for Lent but for some reason when I counted I ended up with 44 instead of 46.  Apparently math is not my forte!  My Whole 46 is going to include Reintroduction (although not having anything like dessert) to work with my vacation and I am technically four days behind because I had to restart.  So I think that means after 30 days I'll still have 12 until Easter where I'll do the reintro.

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How old is your mom, lujo? That's awesome that she's already seen a difference in 2 weeks!

Yes, I had forgotten Sundays not being counted since they are feast days! So really, most of us are doing a Whole30 x 1.5. A few are doing reintro phase during holy week.

Welcome, OrganicMom!

Subbing 1st grade again today. It's my break time while they're in art so I'm having my lunch: big pile broccoli with shallot pepper, roasted chicken thigh from my Wednesday cook up (with Sunshine Sauce!), and two small baked sweet potatoes.

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Our Lent is actually longer as it starts on Monday (really Sunday evening) rather than Wednesday and if I was following the traditional Orthodox fast it starts a week prior for the giving up of meats.

 

I'm wondering what everyone does when they are having cravings to get their minds off of them?  Any good hints?  I have a feeling my cravings for chocolate are not going to go away....especially if I stay this stressed!!

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I've been having non-specific cravings a lot. I just want SOMETHING, but don't know what.  I was a major chocolate consumer before I started this: dark chocolate every day.  And I do miss it.  When I get overwhelmed with cravi-ness, I drink a glass of water, or a cup of hot chai tea (plain), or have a spoon of a Kolat Superfood or coconut butter if I'm desperate.  One thing that was very helpful last night was going for a long walk.  I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else does when craving too.

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So today I did not beat the snacking demon!  I got hungry mid-afternoon and of course what do I have in my office -- nuts!  So I ate some almonds.  I think what I need to do is both try to eat bigger breakfasts and lunches and see if that works (I feel like they are huge already, but I'll try!) and then bring basically a third mini-meal to work so more meat and veggies and eat that if I get hungry mid-afternoon.  That way I won't gorge on nuts and it will help me make sure I'm actually hungry vs. stuck in a snack habit and reaching for something easy.

 

My CSA box arrived with a whole head of red cabbage and a bunch of beets.  Two things I like eating but don't usually cook.  Looks like I need new recipes!  I also got a bunch of stuff I eat all the time so that makes me happy -- and my pastured eggs!  Yay!

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Yesterday was my husband's birthday. After nearly three weeks out being of town for work, eating in restaurants the whole time, he requested a meal IN. No problem there, glad to accommodate! I bought his favorites and it was just barely warm enough to grill outdoors. I'm allergic to salmon, though, so the hundreds of times he's eaten that, I usually have chicken instead. (Last night I had a big taco salad.) He doesn't have a sweet tooth, so I bought him a couple of tiny fruit tarts about 2" in diameter. Just enough festiveness to suit him, without having to stare down the rest a cake that would scream my name from the counter all day long. Problems solved, all parties thrilled with the outcome. I wish every special-occasion meal were that effortless and temptation-free.

I'm allergic to most seafoods -- shellfish included. Thankfully, I knew from an early age that fish didn't sit well, so I never cultivated a taste for any of them, and therefore don't miss it. But I don't get sick sitting next to fish if that's what someone else enjoys.

Cooked up a pile of onions & different peppers yesterday, prepped zuccini noodles...a moderately big ingredients-only cookup. Stored them all separately, so Mexican, Asian, you name it, I can throw it together in a hurry. Veg omelet, anyone?

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Our Lent is actually longer as it starts on Monday (really Sunday evening) rather than Wednesday and if I was following the traditional Orthodox fast it starts a week prior for the giving up of meats.

 

I'm wondering what everyone does when they are having cravings to get their minds off of them?  Any good hints?  I have a feeling my cravings for chocolate are not going to go away....especially if I stay this stressed!!

Hi Organic Mom, Hi peahen

chocolate cravings. ugh. one of my really really hard things. I have found one chocolate tea that was compliant, (but I just ran out of it, and of course hubby, being the sweetheart he is, threw the empty container out, and took the trash out, so I'm going to have to search all the teas at the store to see which one it was that didn't have noncompliant stuff. If you are a real cardcarrying (can do without the sugar part), I make a hot cocoa at night sometimes, that is hot water plus cocoa powder mixed to a paste, then almond milk, maybe a little cinnamon. heat. then top with chocolate coconut milk (blend coconut milk, cocoa & vanilla, refrigerate, thats one of my coffee creamers). not sweet, but I'm not sure if it counts as SWPO? I don't add any sugar to it. Just sometimes I get sick of tea, and part of my evening wind down ritual is a warm cup of tea or cocoa. Moderators? is that SWPO? or compliant?

Yeah- 46 days to Lent? maybe could do reintroduction BEFORE Easter? then wouldn't blow it so badly on Easter. Except I think I can't, cause I blew it at that family dinner. Oh well, it was a nice thought while it lasted. I'll count days just to make sure.

Lujo, here's the link to Veg Out:  http://www.vegoutwithrfs.org/

well, it didn't save as a link, but you can copy & paste it into your browser. Not all of their recipes are Whole30 compliant, but at least they are ideas to try new things. For a while there, I used to buy one new fruit or veggie that I had never tried before each grocery trip. Problem with that idea is that a lot of the new stuff was expensive- especially the new or different fruits- $5 for one piece? Yikes. So I fell away from that. 

Have a good week!

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So I'm having a complete panic.  I was feeling super proud of myself for not snacking today and not eating nuts and now two things are bothering me.  1)  I just discovered that my spray olive oil has soy lecithin in.  I have only used it a handful of times because I'm generally cooking with coconut oil or ghee, but I have used it, and 2) my "special" meal wasn't prepared for me at this brunch I went to so I went to the buffet and did the best I could.  Avoided the eggs w/added cheese, baked goods, yogurt, "glazed" ham, and decided upon fruit and a couple pieces of sausage.  Was assured that there was no dairy or gluten in the sausage.  But now I'm FREAKING out about what else was in there.  Add sugars?  More soy?  Yucky additives.  

 

I'm so worried that I messed everything up today.  I should have thought more carefully before having the sausage but I was thrown by my meal not being there and just kind of guessing on the fly.  I'm halfway through the Whole 30 and was finally really getting into the swing of things and now I may have completely sabotaged myself unintentionally.   :(

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So I'm having a complete panic.  I was feeling super proud of myself for not snacking today and not eating nuts and now two things are bothering me.  1)  I just discovered that my spray olive oil has soy lecithin in.  I have only used it a handful of times because I'm generally cooking with coconut oil or ghee, but I have used it, and 2) my "special" meal wasn't prepared for me at this brunch I went to so I went to the buffet and did the best I could.  Avoided the eggs w/added cheese, baked goods, yogurt, "glazed" ham, and decided upon fruit and a couple pieces of sausage.  Was assured that there was no dairy or gluten in the sausage.  But now I'm FREAKING out about what else was in there.  Add sugars?  More soy?  Yucky additives.  

 

I'm so worried that I messed everything up today.  I should have thought more carefully before having the sausage but I was thrown by my meal not being there and just kind of guessing on the fly.  I'm halfway through the Whole 30 and was finally really getting into the swing of things and now I may have completely sabotaged myself unintentionally.   :(

Oh, how frustrating, mcjule.  :( 

Yes, it's tricky to find a cooking spray without soy.  Your best bet with sprays is to make your own - put some olive oil in a spray bottle that you can find in a kitchen store.

Sadly, ingesting soy technically calls for a restart. Think about the last day you used that spray and add on 30 days. For example, if it was yesterday and that was day 15 for you, call it a Whole45 if that works better for your mindset. 

 

Instead of framing this as sabotaging yourself, consider all the wonderful progress you've made up to this point, and how you've been feeling better and gaining more wisdom on good/bad stuff in food. Channel that positive energy and 'swing' into picking yourself up with a renewed focus and drive.

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I have no idea the last time I had the spray olive oil.  Like I said it's been a few times where I sprayed the bottom of a pan of something I baked.  Maybe I had a week ago?  Maybe less?  The best I can figure was a week ago Friday when I had baked cod, although I feel like I used ghee then.  I know I didn't use it for the chicken or the cod I cooked this past week.  I can't fit in another 30 days before my vacation and I can't stay on the Whole 30 then because something like this will definitely happen again when I have to eat all of my meals out.  I think the best I can do (and you all can kick me out if you want) is to keep going as long as I can to fit in the reintro before my vacation and then start with the reintro but don't do a soy/legume reintro.

 

I'm so upset I barely slept last night.  It never occurred to me to check the ingredients in my spray olive oil.  I just want to cry.

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