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Whole30 WIP!


sylphine

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WHOLE30 WIP!
I have various health issues, arthritis and depression linked to ongoing ulceritve colitis  diagnosed in 2005  - long term migraine and candida which I only came out of denial with recently - I'd been looking at healing myself through food and came across the paleo diet on the internet- I started to make connections and realised I had systemic inflammation from head to toe -4 months ago I did 3 weeks of an anti inflammatory diet very similar to the whole30 but no fruit- Through continued research around eating paleo foods I came across the whole30- I bought the book It Starts With Food and decided that once I'd read it I would do it- which is what I've just done-

I also had a lot of what I'd call head colds ie  painful blocked sinuses and loads of mucous- That was an endless cycle I couldn't work out why I kept getting them until I decided to  see an alternative healer who told me I had allergies to sugar deadly nightshade dairy and a rather unusual one corgettes- I proceeded to work on cutting out these foods that I loved and found that everything calmed down when I stayed on track but even a day of eating cream or potatoes cheese or tomatoes etc would have my sinuses throbbing the mucous running and my arthritis and candida flaring up-

so I realised before long that I really was allergic to these foods and I needed to stay off them permanently if I wanted to heal myself -
I did have a problem with alcohol but knocked that on the head many years ago and later on gave up the tobacco and thats when the emotional overeating surfaced-  I always had a sweet tooth but since cutting out the smoking I used to joke that I was now smoking cakes- I just swopped one addictive behaviour for another- sugar was probably my first addiction it was what I comforted myself with as a child of a dysfunctional family before moving on to medicating myself with alcohol drugs and tobacco and eventually back to sugar -
I was overweight and feeling crap about myself - doing this i felt would help me kickstart the new healthy me-

I was glad to get started having prepared myself the best I could cleaning out my food cupboards buying new food stuffs and psyching myself up by telling family and friends what I was doing- I wrote a list of goals

1) I would eat at least one meal a day at the table (since my kids had left home I was now single and had got into bad habits when I was on my own and was generally eating in front of the tv or pc)
2) drink at least 2 litres of water a day (I was struggling to drink more than a glass or two a day
3) unplug ie  take a day off per week from all electronics fone pc tv etc (was watching/surfing the net way too much)
4) stick to 3 meals a day (was having too many unhealthy snacks in between)
5) go for a daily walk or cycle for at least half an hour (was not taking enough exercise)
That was enough to get me going!

 

I registered with the online forum-  I asked for help a couple of times with clarifying food stuff but I didn't connect any further -
I did register for the whole30 daily emails - they have been a godsend- helping me keep on track - inspiring me to look at stuff from different angles - so many great tips and ideas - especially loved the "How did you do today" section which involved clicking on the yes i did it button at the end of the day and having a surprise video or quote- that was inspiring and fun

 

I pretty much just got on with it from there

 I decided I would carry a snack box with me everywhere in case of emergencies - I put organic dried dates figs pears and peaches and occassionally coconut pieces and almonds in it - many a time it kept the  dragon from the door when I was caught out at around a meal time-

I discovered coconuts-  coconut oil -coconut aminos a delicious soya sauce alternative, and my favourite- coconut manna - creamy smooth coconut flesh-

theres a local farmers market once a week in town which varied greatly as to what was available - the local supermarket has a pretty good organic veg section and I have an organic supermarket at the end of my street so everything was pretty much at hand- I have struggled with eating meat- I very rarely eat it- I would like to return to being a vegetarian and ideally a vegan- I have tried various times to just go vegan but found it difficult to sustain the lifestyle- So am taking it a bit slower and so far have cut out red meat - so my protein intake on the program has been a small amount of chicken and seafood and eggs - I have upscaled my intake of seaweeds and chia seeds - I used coconut water coconut milk and  cream -tahini and umiboshi puree as flavourings oh and lots of ginger root herbs spices and salt-

breakfast was often an omelette and leftovers - I'd mostly cook enough at lunchtme which was my main meal to cover teatime and even have some lef tover to add to the following  breakfast - Im living on my own so theres only me to cater for and Im not fussy when it comes to food as long as its nutritious I could eat the same day after day- I did my best to keep it simple -takeout lunches were often boiled eggs or a kind of guacamole and or salad-  I bought a nice new shiny steamer and a microwave silicon steamer (perfect for fish)  and a decent frying pan and a garlic crusher -

 

I bought some new supplements to help deal with my inflammation - organic turmeric powder and organic true cinnamon powder and a pack of veggie caps and a machine to make filling the caps easier - I take 1000mgs a day of each- I also bought some wild oregano caps and take one of those daily and a tincture of pau d'arco  which are both antibacterial and help in the fight against candida - Ive just bought some water kefir as I see the future as including various prebiotic cultures to help restock and maintaina a healthy gut flora-

I had a migraine in the first week which was what I expected as I often have them when Im detoxing -Ive lost half a stone which Im very happy about -optimally Id like to drop another stone- I did struggle with the scales -Id been using them every day since I did a lighter life diet a couple of years ago and just got into the habit - I managed 5 days without checking but caved in on the 6th and continued to weigh myself every day since - thats a WIP (work in progress)- Ive also struggled with the sugar dragon I still havent been able to not have something sweet at the end of a meal - Ive used dried and fresh fruit to deal with it- not optimum I know but Ive done the best I could at the time- Im aware its yet another WIP -Id say every other day I have breakfast at the table thats better than it was but still another WIP- unplugging once a week is still a fantasy it hasnt happened yet so thats yes you get my drift a WIP-

 Ive done well with the water in general drinking a fair amount over the 2 litres and have started drinking around a litre first thing in the morning which I feel is very beneficial and cleansing then I wait around 45 minutes before I have breakfast - so thats one goal thats on target- sticking to 3 meals a day was complicated by taking a snack box of dried fruit an nuts with me everywhere "just in case" I thought I should be realistic as Ive had a sugar dragon on my back almost all my life it wasnt going to vanish instantly and I wasnt sure I could cope without a substiute at times- so anyway it turns out I didnt often use it certainly not every day and I did try to stick to 3 meals no snacking and its my aim for the future so- another WIP-

In general I do walk or cycle daily often for a lot longer than half an hour- that is going well-

 

emotionally its been a roller coaster of a ride- the first week was exciting the second intense the third a revelation and the fourth a sense of pride in my ability to care for myself in a very respectful way took over- I see there are issues to address still- my addictive weighing -my need to vanquish this  sugar dragon and the challenge to be more present and respectful with my food-
I have done this pretty much on my own  I would like to connect more with others who are  also on this path - thats a WIP

 

all in all I feel Ive done a pretty good job this last 30 days - Ive eaten in a way I didnt think i could sustain and it didnt kill me far from it - I feel i have more energy I feel lighter literally- my head feels clearer- in general I feel more peaceful- Ive not had a migraine since the first week -my guts are appreciating the good food- my arthritis is so so my mood is generally optimistic and if I do feel down its not staying for long- I am a  WIP-I intend to continue my whole30 indefinitely as I want to address the issues Ive uncovered and -I want to heal myself -

 

I believe this program works If you work it and Im willing to keep going till I get it-

 

a massive thanx goes out to Mellisa and Dallas Hartwig and everyone involved in supporting this life affirming life changing program -

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I'm really sorry you felt ignored by this community. With the influx of so many people, and with the posts coming in so fast and furious, sometimes some people fall through the cracks, some questions are not answered. But I'm glad you stuck with it, and I'm glad you wrote this long missive about your Whole30 experience. I read every word.

 

I'm also glad you've decided to keep going. You seem very self-aware regarding the tweaks you need to do and the further challenges before you. May I suggest that you keep writing about it? You can keep a log in the Post-Whole30 forum, and keep chronicling your progress. That way we'll be able to "visit" with you and make comments now and then.

 

But most of all, congratulations! You did it, and you got a lot of good outcomes from it. I am so happy for your success.

 

Keep WIP-ing it (so to speak)!  :)

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I'm really sorry you felt ignored by this community. With the influx of so many people, and with the posts coming in so fast and furious, sometimes some people fall through the cracks, some questions are not answered. But I'm glad you stuck with it, and I'm glad you wrote this long missive about your Whole30 experience. I read every word.

 

I'm also glad you've decided to keep going. You seem very self-aware regarding the tweaks you need to do and the further challenges before you. May I suggest that you keep writing about it? You can keep a log in the Post-Whole30 forum, and keep chronicling your progress. That way we'll be able to "visit" with you and make comments now and then.

 

But most of all, congratulations! You did it, and you got a lot of good outcomes from it. I am so happy for your success.

 

Keep WIP-ing it (so to speak)!  :)

hi glen thanx for the encouragement - a moderator pointed out that he did actually reply to a question i posed on the first day which i had forgotten about so my mistake re no encouragement on day 1 - i will try again and post in the post section - an sori bout the lengthy post i will try to shorten them in future

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hi glen thanx for the encouragement - a moderator pointed out that he did actually reply to a question i posed on the first day which i had forgotten about so my mistake re no encouragement on day 1 - i will try again and post in the post section - an sori bout the lengthy post i will try to shorten them in future

 

Nah, you had a lot to say. This is the place to say them.  :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

You are amazing! You are triumphant! Look at ALL you have accomplished in revamping your life: you quit drinking, doing drugs, and now eating poorly. What an inspiration! Good luck on your crusade.  :)

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