Lenten Whole40 support thread

[peahen65]

Sounds like a good plan, mcjule.  This is day 34 for me and I have been stressing and obsessing over how/when to reintro.  As of today (after a good night's sleep) I have decided to have compliant foods on Easter Sunday, but have some SWYPO treats (like the Mexican Pots de Creme) as well as some red wine Sunday evening.  The Monday AFTER, I will reintro dairy with Greek yogurt in AM, whole cream in my coffee mid morning, butter on my veg at lunch, and cheese with early supper.  Non-gluten grains will be Thursday (Mary's Gone Crackers, a little white rice, and some rolled oats).  I don't really eat legumes but VERY rarely and I plan to not have soy anymore so not going to bother reintro with those.  I don't eat gluten grains (again but very rarely) so probably won't formally reintro those either.  But maybe I will if at the time I think it would be prudent.  Trying not to worry/obsess over it.  I'm ready to finish the Whole30 (46) but I think ending it will kind of bother me - contradictory, I know.  But my hormones are all over the place right now and lots going on this time of year with my children, lots of stress, so I'm a mess anyway.  Someone said that Melissa says for "older" women like me with hormone stuff (menopause related) going on should possibly seek out a naturepath to delve further (beyond food).  I know of a good MD who is a naturepath too relatively close by.  I think I'm going to make an appointment with him.

[craftygrrl]

HI all! glad to hear the talk about reintro. Last whole30 I did, totally blew the reintro cause had a major family thing. Which come to think of it is why I had to restart partway through this one....

this time I'm trying to plan my reintro. so that I'm done BEFORE Easter and can plan dinner in advance (or at least what I'm going to eat at the inlaws). So I plan to start with gluten containing flour first- ie bread. I plan pizza without cheese for dinner, and whatever else breadlike I can find during the day. Just to make sure that I'm actually doing it right this time- 

day one is your reintro to that food group, eat that one food group all day, keeping the rest of your diet whole 30 compliant. Days 2&3, back to whole 30 compliant, no bread for example. day 4, reintro a different good group, dairy, for example, have cheese in my eggs for breakfast, yogurt which I've found I really missed, more so than the milk and the coconut milk yogurt is just not the same....cheese on something for lunch and milk with dinner. then days 5 & 6, back to whole 30 compliant...

have I got that right?

 

Tess, that rash does sound suspicious for an allergy to wheat

peahen, the nomnompaleo mexican cremes de chocolate have looked really good ever since I got the cookbook, just have been too lazy to make them.  deliciously organic has a couple of really cool desserts that I'm planning on for after the whole 30

lujo, my favorite blender is actually a Vitamix, which I love dearly and have had one for years. but they are expensive. you can get one a little cheaper if you order the certified reconditioned, which is what I did this last time

[lujo238]

Good morning.  It feels like forever since I last posted here.  I've been reading other's posts but just so darn busy.  I did my dairy reintro and I think it went well.  I feel like I am hyper aware and perhaps analyzing things too much.  After my first serving of dairy I though for about one second I was going to have stomach problems but nothing happened after that first little twinge.  I suppose that could have just been regular digestion.  I didn't appear to have any sort of gut reaction.  I did notice the day after though that I felt a little stiff.  Could that be the dairy or could it be the temperature drop we just had?  Or did I get stiff when the temp dropped because I reintro'd dairy?  It's complicated I guess.  My decision on dairy though is okay in moderation and look out for stiffness in warmer weather.  I will mostly use it as a garnish or condiment and I will be buying better cheese.

 

My sleep the last two nights has been terrible and probably will continue for a few more days.  We lost a dog over the weekend.  She dug out under the fence on late Sunday and by the time we noticed it was dark and she didn't come when we called for her.  Two of my kids and my other two dogs ended up in bed with me, the kids due to the missing dog and the dogs due to the terrible thunderstorm we had.  Then yesterday my oldest son went out driving around and found poor Lucy.  She had been hit by a car right across the street from our subdivision.  So sad, she was such a good dog.  Last night my 19 year old son dug a hole in our back yard in the rain and we laid her to rest.  My 12 year old is just devastated as she was his buddy you know.  I gave up trying to make her sleep on the floor a while ago because as soon as I left the room he would call her up onto his bed with him.  I cared for the dog too but watching my kids grieve is the worst.  I feel awful also because we were talking about what to do about her digging.  We have been refilling the holes with rocks to make it harder to dig out but that wasn't working.  We were talking about an electronic collar or burying chicken wire around the inside perimeter of the fence.  I hadn't made a final decision yet and now it's too damn late.  I feel so awful. 

 

Change of subject cause I can't type and cry at the same time.  My mother also reintro'd dairy with no gut reactions.  She said though the next day her joints felt stiffer and her eyes felt puffier like her allergies were worse.  So my stiffness and hers could both be from the dairy.  My eyes feel a bit itchier also but with all the crying it's hard to say.  We did find out though that one of our dairy products had carrageenan in it.  That was a mistake.  I thought we had checked all our ingredients so I don't know how I missed it.  She wants to reintro dairy again at the end without carrageenan to see if the reaction is any different.  Maybe next time we also won't have a 20 degree drop in temperature, a thunderstorm and the death of a beloved pet at the same time either.

 

Sorry to be such a downer today.  I hope no one is off put by my personal ramble I just can't get it off my mind right now.

[Angelica Douglas]

Sounds like a good plan, mcjule.  This is day 34 for me and I have been stressing and obsessing over how/when to reintro.  As of today (after a good night's sleep) I have decided to have compliant foods on Easter Sunday, but have some SWYPO treats (like the Mexican Pots de Creme) as well as some red wine Sunday evening.  The Monday AFTER, I will reintro dairy with Greek yogurt in AM, whole cream in my coffee mid morning, butter on my veg at lunch, and cheese with early supper.  Non-gluten grains will be Thursday (Mary's Gone Crackers, a little white rice, and some rolled oats).  I don't really eat legumes but VERY rarely and I plan to not have soy anymore so not going to bother reintro with those.  I don't eat gluten grains (again but very rarely) so probably won't formally reintro those either.  But maybe I will if at the time I think it would be prudent.  Trying not to worry/obsess over it.  I'm ready to finish the Whole30 (46) but I think ending it will kind of bother me - contradictory, I know.  But my hormones are all over the place right now and lots going on this time of year with my children, lots of stress, so I'm a mess anyway.  Someone said that Melissa says for "older" women like me with hormone stuff (menopause related) going on should possibly seek out a naturepath to delve further (beyond food).  I know of a good MD who is a naturepath too relatively close by.  I think I'm going to make an appointment with him.

@peahen I plan on making the Mexican Pots de Creme for Easter too! (I even wrote it on my calendar so I would not forget)

 

I don't plan on introducing too many things at once after easter. I didn't work out at all during my Whole30 (I wanted to see what a clean diet only would do to my body) but on Day 31 I started the Insanity challenge. Since that is 60 days, I'm thinking I'll follow a 90/10 rule instead of 80/20. I really want to see what kind of difference this will make. The funny thing is, I tried the treadmill the over the weekend and was able to run almost two miles before breaking a sweat. I usually hate running because I get out of breath after a few steps but this time was a piece of cake. The Insanity workout still kicked my butt but my recovery time has gone pretty well. When I tried the workouts in the past I could hardly move the day after, nevermind doing 5 days in a row.

[mcjule]

Oh Lujo!  I am so very sorry.  That is just awful.  I started crying reading your post!  I'm a dog person and I know how hard it is to lose a dog--it's like losing a family member.  We had ours hit by a car when I was young and I still think about it.  Hang in there and know we're all thinking of you and your family.  I'm glad you shared with us.

[TDC]

Hi all,

 

I've been AWOL for a while because I'm trying to wean myself off checking the forum at work because I spend FAR TOO LONG on it. Also my boyfriend's father is dying from cancer so I've been going up to his parent's place at the weekends to be there with them so I haven't been able to check the forum. 

 

Lujo: I'm sorry to hear about your dog. It's a wrench to lose a loved one, human or animal. I'm proud that you stayed strong for your children and yourself and all the other people that depend on you. There's nothing like having a solid shoulder.

 

In having to go up to visit my boyfriend and his parents I've stayed compliant, which was no easy task. It meant either going hungry a few times (we had no transport of our own and the hospice is quite a way out of town) and having to refuse KFC and various other takeaway food that was necessary to be ordered in. Luckily for me my boyfriend was mostly supportive and we would eventually manage to fill the whole! Of course my boyfriend has not been able to stay on track, but I know what it's like to be in his situation -- my mum passed away two years ago from cancer. At that time I just didn't want to eat; for him it's just too much hassle to stay on track. However, he did tell me halfway through last week that he was tired of eating takeaway and unhealthy food (which is a MAJOR step -- two years ago he would have been quite happy to eat takeaway every day!) and asked me how he can try and be a little more healthy (my suggestion was to get a load of raw veg and cut them up as crudite and have some cooked meat, e.g. chicken, prawns in the fridge. There's nowhere to do any cooking or heating at the hospice so there wasn't too much I could help him with!). He also asked me to bring some of my homemade fishcakes when I went up at the weekend. So all in all, he is doing his best whilst in a shitty situation.

 

As for me, I've stayed on track since my dairy fiasco last Tuesday, simply because I just haven't had a chance to think about reintroing! Also it was just too hard to readjust my mindset, in my mind I was Whole35ing until Tuesday (today's the last day!) so it was heart wrenching to stop before time. 

 

I went shopping yesterday for food and I'm so used to shopping for the whole30 that I didn't even think about my plan for the reintro period, so I haven't really got one for tomorrow! I'm planning to reintro non gluten grains so I can go out for a rice-based lunch! woohoo! So it'll probably be porridge for breakfast, rice for lunch and dinner (being the only grains I really care about!).

 

I'm weighing in tomorrow morning which I'm quite looking forward to as I feel like I'm at the point where I'm really really happy with my body, so although I don't care about what the scales say, it's still interesting to see what they say :-)

 

Are we staying on here for a bit? Shall we start a new thread on Post-Whole30? And then as people finish they can join us.

[GFChris]

 

Are we staying on here for a bit? Shall we start a new thread on Post-Whole30? And then as people finish they can join us.

Congrats to you all as your Whole30's come to a close.

 

For those of you transitioning to reintroductions, we ask that you create a new thread in the Reintroduction section. Otherwise, if you're continuing your Whole30 beyond the 30 days, it's fine to keep posting in this thread.

[peahen65]

Sounds like Tiger Blood to me, Angelica!  Woohoo!

 

Lujo, I am so sorry about your family pet.  How hard that is, especially for children.  And personal rambles are fine with me!  It can help just to type it all out {{{hug}}}

 

Day 35 today... 11 more to go.  This coming Sunday is going to be interesting.  I have an all day training to go to (why it's on Palm Sunday, I have no idea) so will have to pack well.  I will be leaving home at 5 AM and driving 2.5 hours, physical exertion all morning long with a short (30 min) lunch break, then more hard work until 5 PM.  Then drive home.  It's going to be like an all day workout, so I reckon I'll pack several sweet potatoes and a great lot of chicken salad!  Maybe some stuffed eggs for snacks too.

[mcjule]

Good luck on Sunday peahen!  Lujo -- I've been thinking a lot about you and your family -- hope you are hanging in there.

 

So I'm thinking now that maybe I should have tried some heavy cream or half-and-half yesterday.  I know my plan was (and now still is) to wait until Day 34 to reintro anything but I have to reintro dairy products one at a time to see what I can and cannot eat.  Cream would have been perfect yesterday.  I'd love to be able to have it occasionally (in small amounts of course) because I can't bring my almond or coconut milk with me everywhere and I love creamy coffee.  Oh well . . . I'll try that another day.

I posted in my log that I weighed in yesterday on Day 31.  I have to admit, I'm disappointed.  I feared that I wasn't losing weight and I was right.  I lost two pounds.  I also lost an inch in my waist and an inch in my bust (didn't really need that one!).  I know I don't work out much, which is something I'd like to change, so maybe that's why I didn't have much weight loss/body changes?  I don't know.  And honestly I don't really notice anything different about my skin/hair/nails.  They seem about the same.  Obviously the biggest change is an end to my stomach issues, gaining control over my eating (i.e. not snacking so much) and I know that is worth a lot.  Still . . . I'm wondering what I should have done or can do now to accelerate the weight loss.

[Angelica Douglas]

Its day 36 and I have a question for y'all that do AIP. While my skin has a much better appearance, I'm still getting breakouts. And these are the deep ones around the chin and jawbone. I've read that this could either be hormonal (most likely) or related to nightshades. I eat peppers in just about every meal. And I'm talking scotch bonnet peppers. After this week (I've already meal prepped and I'm not throwing away the food) I'm thinking I'll eliminate nightshades too. Thinking I may even go past Easter to see if this is really my problem. Any advice?

[peahen65]

I'm not following that protocol, Angelica.  I've thought about it for my littlest, who has Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  Some of his favorites are tomato sauce and ketchup so I'm not sure how to go about it.  Just getting him to eat somewhat decently is a struggle.  Let us know how the nightshade elimination goes, though.  And Scotch bonnets????  You are the WOMAN!!!  Woohoo!  Do you have some good ideas on how to get some heat if you have no access to peppers?

[mcjule]

Doing my wheat reintro today. My husband thinks I will be fine and I'm pretty sure I am going to feel awful. We'll see who is right!

I also had wine last night at the reception I went to. It was good! My stomach was fine but my sleep was fitful. Maybe that was just because I was away from home. Who knows. I will definitely have wine occasionally but less than before I think.

[TessTurbo]

I'm reluctant to call it wheat for sure, since I woke up with the rash before I'd even eaten any. I don't know if the rash was on an upswing on its own, or was aggravated by the wheat. Must try again to be certain. Investigation revealed there IS form of gluten intolerance that shows itself in a face rash rather than digestive problems, but that rash doesn't much sound like mine. (And I certainly never had the digestive problems associated with gluten intolerance.) Will let you know what happens when I try again.

Meanwhile, I've more or less stuck with Whole30 eating voluntarily, though last night I did have a cookie, and nothing seemed to happen. Gotta try some reintros this week: I have a wedding shower at a country club and some Easter meals at other people's houses to attend. If I don't reintroduce soon, I'll be in big trouble this weekend. Though I did once go to a fancy shower that served lobster bisque followed crab quiche -- sorry, no seafood (especially shellfish!) for this girl, and I've known about that for years. I ate the dessert, then stopped for a cheeseburger on the way home. Lame. I don't know what I'd do if that happened this weekend. Probably eat a bread roll and see how my face does.

I did discover that slider-sized burgers wrapped in lettuce topped with mustard, Well Fed's ketchup, and olive oil mayo are strangely satisfying. Will have those again for dinner tonight...

[craftygrrl]

So sorry for your loss lujo. They are a family member and it takes time to grieve their absence, especially when you are feeling guilty that you should have done something more... 

 

Tessturbo, I just found mini romaine lettuce heads at Costco- perfect for making little sandwiches. we wrapped hot dogs in them last night.

 

TDC- keep up the good work! you've had a lot on your plate too.

 

has anyone started a reintro thread for this group yet?( since the moderators suggested that we do that once we reintro)

[mcjule]

I started a reintro thread today.

The gluten is not treating me well. It's not quite the utter disaster I feared but I feel yucky and bloated and have a stomachache. It was immediate.

[peahen65]

Day 38 today, still plugging along... I met a Crossfit guy at the coffeeshop today (he owns a Crossfit gym).  Getting tired of my black Americanos, I brought in a little jar of coconut milk for my barista to put in my coffee and that piqued the interest of the Crossfit guy.  I had a nice long conversation with him about Whole30.  He asked if I was an endurance athlete (which I choose to take as a compliment  ) and I said no, just a middle aged lady athlete.  He suggested I check out Crossfit as it can be beneficial to those of my demographic  (aka older ladies).

 

After workout today, I had to go to school to help with pizza day (typical Friday for me).  I took roasted chicken thighs with me.  Being around pizza doesn't phase me at all anymore.  Nor all the snack cakes - woohoo!  One child needed help getting a cupcake out so I helped and in the process got a clump of icing on my thumb.  I reached over and wiped it off on a box lid and my fellow pizza day helper kind of flipped out on me.  He's a big joker anyway, and made a HUGE deal of me not licking off that icing!  Kind of embarrassing, as some of the teachers (one of whom was nearby) think I'm a complete nut.  I could FEEL her rolling her eyes  at this.

 

So today, one curious person educated (the Crossfit guy) and another even more convinced I'm crazy EXTREME.

[mcjule]

Ah peahen -- it's funny isn't it?  My co-workers think I'm crazy and my husband may think so too (no matter what I tell him about the diet he can't seem to fully understand what I'm doing).  I have had people comment when they see my coconut milk that I'm "super healthy."  One of my son's teachers said I looked like I'd been losing weight the other day, which was awesome considering I'm disappointed that I didn't lose much on the Whole 30.

 

I was looking into CrossFit but I don't see how I can do anything multiple times a week when I'm tied up between 7 am and 8 pm everyday with work and taking care of the kids.  I sometimes try to fit in mini workouts after 8 pm (like a little weight lifting) and I keep contemplating trying to get up at 6 am and do a video or something but so far that hasn't happened!

 

My wheat intro yesterday proved to me that wheat does not do my body good!  But it wasn't so bad that I made it through the day just fine . . . I just felt yucky.  It's also that time of the month so I know that may be contributing to my yuckiness.  I posted on my reintro log that I plan to be mostly gluten-free going forward but I'm glad I have educated myself on the effects so that some occasional wheat may not make me feel great but it won't be a huge disaster.  I can say that I am never going to have a "wheat at every meal" kind of day again.  Not worth it.  

[peahen65]

Back from my big day.  I cooked lots last night, so was well prepared. Egg salad, chicken salad, and broccoli salad  all packed in a cooler for my day away. I tried to keep it light with no animal fat, as the past two days before I've had some bad reactions to heavier fats and grease.

 

I started my day off with a smoothie made of avocado, blueberries, powdered egg whites, coconut milk, flax seed, and chia seed, water kefir. This was at 4:30 AM, waaay before I ever eat (or am awake), so I didn't want anything heavy.  After driving 150 miles to my training, I had some of my egg salad for breakfast and a half cup of coffee with a little coconut milk in it - this was at 7:30 AM.  A break after first session about 10:30, I had a bottle of water and a Lara Bar to recuperate a little before getting back to sweating  .  We had a 15 minute lunch break at 1 PM, during which I inhaled my broccoli salad and my chicken salad and the other half of my morning coffee and more water.  I had to stop myself because I was so hungry that I wanted to eat it all, but knew I'd be sorry when during the afternoon session. I didn't want to throw up!  But I wasn't too hungry later so after the training was all done, at about 5 PM, I ate egg salad and a sparkling lemon water (Hanson).  I was content and felt well fed for my drive back home.

 

The only thing I wish I had done differently was I'd rather have had a banana or a sweet potato than the Lara Bar between sessions.  I think I'd have not been so voracious at lunch.  At this point, I think Lara Bars are just kind of... meh.   

 

I hope everybody had a good weekend.  Less than one week before my WholeLent ends and I get to start doing reintro!  I'm mostly looking forward to some dark chocolate

[TessTurbo]

I ate pizza yesterday. Surprisingly, no adverse digestive effects, except for severe water retention this morning. How much salt is in that sauce, anyway?!

My plans for a productive day that included a big cookup are derailed: no power. We went from 73 degrees and gorgeous yesterday to a tremendous power-killing windstorm now, to rain later, followed by snow. This is Michigan; it happens. Anyway, I have only raw chicken, cold soup, no lettuce, frozen beef... Gotta figure something out for the day.

[lujo238]

Hi all,

 

I haven't been posting much here because I have started my reintro so I started a log over there.  I wanted to pop in here though and give a shout out to those of you going for the Whole Lent. 

 

Tess - Sorry to hear about your weather problems.  Sounds like time for a quick trip to the store for some canned tuna.  My Kroger makes an awesome compliant rotisserie chicken maybe your grocer has one too.  Also hard boiled eggs can sometimes be found in the deli.  They won't be pastured or organic but may hold you over until your power comes back on.  I won't even mention the P word. LOL

 

Peahen - I think you mentioned before your were a Zumba instructor.  Is that the training you went to?  If so I know what a rough day that was.  My sister and a close friend both do that and the training is intense.  I struggle getting through an hour of Zumba so a whole day is a lot. 

 

mcjule - I am having the same trouble fitting in a workout.  I am planning to get back to the gym tomorrow as the kids are on spring break and I have no after work obligations all week.  Woo Hoo.  We'll see how it holds up next week though when we are back to evening practices.  I should be able to do it. 

 

Thank you to everyone for your kind words about my dog.  It's been roughest on my boys as they are old enough to understand and grieve more.  My 12 year old is still climbing in bed with me.  The 19 year old has thrown himself into yard work of all the crazy things.  Not that I don't appreciate it but I think he is trying to work off his grief.  It's a healthy outlet though so I encourage it. 

[TDC]

Hi everyone,

 

I know a few people have started Reintro logs but I thought I'd start one for everyone so we can check in and see how everyone's doing. I do think we need to move it out of this group because it's going to be confusing for Newbies, plus I'm confused as to who is where, if you know what I mean.

 

So the new thread is this: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/18290-lenten-whole40-reintroduction/

 

Come on over and join me when you finish following the Whole30 and want to keep a log of how you're doing the Reintro, and to bounce some meal ideas off each other. I find that the hardest thing: having spent 5 weeks NOT eating stuff I'm at a loss with what to eat -- how do you eat cheese without it being on pasta or on toast, for example!

[peahen65]

That's a wonderful idea, TDC!  I'll see y'all there in 6 days!

[peahen65]

Was looking at chocolate getting ready for the end of Lent. I saw some very yummy looking organic dark, but as is my habit now, did not take anything for granted and read the ingredients: SOY LECITHIN!!! Ugh. Soy is in tuna, spy is in chocolate... What is soy NOT in?

[lujo238]

I know peahen right?  I've got to put together some Easter baskets though.  This year I haven't even thought about them.  Usually I fill my own baskets with stuff for my kids instead of the store bought ones.  I was with my 12 year old the other day and I actually stopped to look at some ready made baskets.  The idea of filling my own is just overwhelming me this year.  My son says to me, "I like how you make your own baskets mom and put all the stuff we really like in them instead of just buying these kind."  Really?!? Well looks like I don't get to cheat this year.  Damn kids and their appreciation.  LOL

[peahen65]

The last night, guys!  I've enjoyed walking this journey with you all.  I've learned a lot.  I'll be heading over to the Lenten reintro thread to continue there (and reading everybody's reintro stories - very interesting all!)

 

I did weigh in this morning, Day 46 for me... and I lost those 3 stubborn holiday pounds - I hit my normal weight to the ounce!  I'll do my measuring tomorrow morning.