flwrhead Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I'm always running late! So far, the only thing that has been difficult is the craving for sweets, which reinforced why I needed to stick with this and see it through. For the first 15 days, I dreamt of food every night. Always things that are off-plan and sometimes things I don't have a problem with (like Lay's potato chips, I don't really care for them) but mostly sweets. And then boom! Day 16 and no more food dreams, no more cravings. I have been shopping and cooking more than I ever thought possible. Printing and trying new recipes, bought a mandolin and zoodles are my new fave food; I'm trying cucumber noodes tonight (coodles?). The only SWYPO food I've consumed was a Lara bar and that was because I was driving six hours straight and knew I couldn't eat restaurant food, I just didn't trust them. I don't think I'll ever binge eat Lara bars, so I'm not stressing about it. Excited about taking my measurements on Day 31, and hesitant to reintroduce foods, particularly sugar. I am adopting this as the way I eat all the time, with rare treats. I know how the other foods make me feel - aches and pains, acid reflux, sinus issues regardless of the season, tired and bloated. Why would I ever go back to that? No thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnefair Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Oh, how I look forward to the day of cravings going away! You give me hope . I am craving sweets although they are not typically my problem foods (bring me chips!) and wine - a definite bad habit item. I agree that zoodles are wonderful, you'll have to let me know about the cucumber though, not so sure about it. Good luck with the balance of your whole30 and beyond. Lynne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Seriously, I didn't think the cravings would ever go away! Just when I thought I may have to cut out fruit entirely, they stopped. Good thing too, because the peaches this year are incredible! The cucumber noodles recipe I'm following is this: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/07/16/cold-sesame-cucumber-noodles/ I'm cooking a tilapia filet to go with it. Yes, it's farmed tilapia, but it's in my freezer and has to be eaten sometime! Oh, and although I rarely drink anymore, I've been craving wine too! Strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Day 21 and I have a nagging headache. I'm surprised because my sinus issues have virtually disappeared since starting the W30, but this morning I actually blew my nose. And the headache feels like a sinus headache, wearing my glasses hurts. Took an Advil, I'm sure it'll go away. The cucumber noodles were good last night, the spices in the sauce were a bit much, definitely cutting the red pepper flakes down next time. I'll have the second half tonight with tilapia again since that's what I have. Researched several recipes yesterday and will make a list to go to the store tomorrow night. I can't really say that I've experienced tiger blood yet. My energy levels are fine during the day, but I get really sleepy around 9:30-10:00 and have no problems sleeping until 6:30. My goal is to start at the gym this week and I'm setting my sights on tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Food observation: Yesterday for breakfast I had sauteed asparagus spears in ghee and a blueberry "tortilla." Today I had sauteed asparagus sprears in ghee, and two eggs over easy with a large tablespoon of homemade guacamole on top. Both days I had breakfast around 7:45. Yesterday I was hungry at 10:00 and really hungry at 10:30-10:45. I ate lunch at 11:00. Today it's 10:49 and I'm not even remotely hungry. That little bit of fat from the guacamole really did the trick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordovez Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I think most people would feel stronger cravings, when they go cold turkey onto this program. Because I was already trying to cut carbs and sweets, I had started a little before starting the program. The most persistent craving? Bread. So many days I would just buy a roll of bread and wash it down with water or juice. I live in Paris, so I pass by the most amazing bakeries now, and don't even turn to look in the window any more. Take my word for it, the bread here is superb. I also like baking my own bread. So one day I will be back eating it occasionally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 I think most people would feel stronger cravings, when they go cold turkey onto this program. Because I was already trying to cut carbs and sweets, I had started a little before starting the program. The most persistent craving? Bread. So many days I would just buy a roll of bread and wash it down with water or juice. I live in Paris, so I pass by the most amazing bakeries now, and don't even turn to look in the window any more. Take my word for it, the bread here is superb. I also like baking my own bread. So one day I will be back eating it occasionally. Hi! Or, bon jour! I've been to Paris several times, so I know how fabulous the bread is! I think I would live on bread alone if I lived there! My dream is to retire to France, I'm slowly dropping hints to my husband, we'll see... I honestly don't have a craving for anything off-plan right now. I'm sure if I had fresh baguette and butter in front of me, I'd say differently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Day 23 - I decided to just jot into the grocery last night and pick up chicken thighs to make nom nom paleo's cracklin chicken. Had that for dinner with a ton of roasted broccoli and cauliflower, then had cherries later. The chicken thighs were much greasier than I'm used to - the skin was excellent though! Next time I'll trim more fat off the thighs. So weird, as a child I loved animal fat - I would gnaw the fat off of pork chop bones. Now it grosses me out. I saved the bones though, so one of these days I'll make bone broth. Tomorrow is the farmer's market, hooray! I put off doing major grocery shopping until I see what's available there. I hope they have those crazy long Japanese green beans! I'm definitely getting salad veggies and double the usual amount of zucchini for noodles, apples (already!) and nectarines. And whatever else looks good! Oh yeah, and more eggs. Meal plan for next week includes making: Sweet and Salty Broccoli Salad - to round out lunch salads Creamy Paleo Chicken Skillet - for dinner and maybe a beef stew or meatballs to have with the zoodles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 Day 26 (how did that happen?) - feel great! My tops are baggy, across the upper shoulders and definitely around the waist. Huzzah! This weekend was composed of a lot of shopping and cooking. Went to the farmer's market and the beef people were there!!! I quizzed them - pastured cows, grain finished, no bad drugs. Their prices were a bit better than Whole Foods and they're LOCAL. So happy. Will be stocking the freezer over the upcoming months. Made the Creamy Paleo Chicken Skillet (recipe above) and it is lovely, but desperately needed seasoning. A generous amount of smoked paprika made it perfect. Also made the broccoli salad and asian meatballs, which I'll have tonight with zoodles and tahini dressing. I feel really good, I'm so glad I did this! I'm on the fence about continuing to a Whole 45 or 60, or do the introduction phase, or what. I'm no longer craving sweets but I think I should do this until I'm no longer afraid to have something sweet, if I really want it. I can't say that I've reached that point yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmlynne Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I couldn't decide what to do at the end of my w30. I was afraid that if I reintroduced, I would end up with the cravings again. So, I ended up continuing on. I am now on day 90 something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 I couldn't decide what to do at the end of my w30. I was afraid that if I reintroduced, I would end up with the cravings again. So, I ended up continuing on. I am now on day 90 something Wow! Day 90 something! That's amazing! I know that I can't do this every day for the rest of my life, but I think I can do it for 90-95% of them. And if I'm not missing dairy, or wheat, or even sugar (well, maybe a little), why eat it? Why do that to myself? I think doing the reintroduction has a lot of value, just to see how your body reacts to certain things, without the whammy of splurging on ice cream and not knowing if the reaction is caused by the dairy or the sugar. So I'm probably going to do the reintro for the sake of science and just stay away from sugar. Other than the reintro, I plan to stick with eating this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 I am definitely feeling sick today. Throat hurts, slight earache, sinus issues. Blurg. Yesterday was great except for not packing enough lunch and being ravenous an hour after eating. I held off as long as I could and then ate some cherries and almonds. I don't think that's terrible, but today I brought broccoli salad to go with the creamy chicken skillet, which is almost like a stew, and that should satisfy my hunger. The Asian meatballs were pretty good with zoodles and tahini dressing; tonight I'll add broccoli, mushrooms and red onion to up the veggies, even though there are veggies in the meatballs. I've always drank a lot of water with my meals and I'm trying to cut back on that. I found that doing so made me chew my food more, instead of washing it down quickly, and I know that's how you're supposed to eat so I need to get into that habit. I really feel crappy. I may go home early. I'm going to finish my coffee and see how I feel then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmlynne Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Hope you feel better soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Thank you Karen, I do feel much better today! Still a little sinus stuff going on, but no body aches like yesterday. When I started this, I didn't rid my house of non-compliant foods because I'm not the only person who lives there. After 28 days, I am not even tempted by the bag of Oreos, the Doritos, etc. The ice cream is just a little bit tempting. Ate the same food I've been eating this week - eggs w/asparagus spears for M1, creamy chicken skillet & broccoli salad for M2, and zoodles w/asian meatballs and sauteed veg for M3. Oh, and I ate a peach w/ some macadamia nuts for a snack. I'll be out of food tomorrow, so will get a greek salad w/grilled chicken for lunch with no feta or pita wedges, and make cinammon beef stew for dinner. Need to get to the store, I am very low on veggies! Gonna make a shopping list right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Yesterday afternoon I was hungry around 4 and had a small banana with cashew butter. It was delicious, no lie, the sweetest thing I'd had in 28 days! Very filling and satisfying, but around 5:30, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Wondering if I had a blood sugar crash because of the banana, will repeat the experiment today (if I'm hungry) and see what happens. I'd hate to rule bananas out of my diet, but I've had plenty of energy every other day so I'm suspicious. Today I'm finishing up the asian meatballs w/zoodles and veg for lunch, and making more creamy chicken skillet for dinner as cinammon beef stew takes 90 minutes to make that's not gonna happen on a week night. Very happy that I made it to Thursday without having to cook though, and will be doing more weekend cook ups to make life easier! Went to see Les Mis with my MIL and SIL last night and I was hoping they'd say something about me looking smaller, but nope. Hell, they might be afraid to say something, as I'm usually sensitive about my weight! Then again, SIL and BIL constantly make comments at family dinners about people being fat and eating a piece of birthday cake will make you fat, etc, so it's no wonder I'm sensitive. (The comments aren't made directly to me, but as the only overweight person in the room, I feel singled out.) Sigh. In time their comments won't bother me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 DAY 30!!!!!! Woot woot! I'm going to keep going. I was toying with the idea of doing the reintroduction, but a coworker pointed out to me yesterday that (as I'd told her): I haven't blown my nose but a few times in the past month, so I know it's dairy. My joints don't ache, so I know it's sugar/gluten. My energy level is great, I sleep great, my pants and tops are baggy, I can see my shoulder blades (they're not prominent by any means but they're there), so why would I stop? I'm not stopping. Yes, I may have something off-plan, if it's really worth it and something I genuinely want. We're going to dinner next Saturday at a fabulous restaurant and I won't be quizzing the waiter about how the steak is cooked, but I will make good menu choices and enjoy the meal. I just feel too good not to. Oh - this is kinda strange - I find that I'm laughing a lot more. Giggling, even. Over nothing, or over silly things. Does this go along with "tiger blood" (which I'm not sure I have but I definitely have a lot more energy than I did 30 days ago)? Either way, I'll take it. I am definitely more lighthearted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Oh - this is kinda strange - I find that I'm laughing a lot more. Giggling, even. Over nothing, or over silly things. Does this go along with "tiger blood" (which I'm not sure I have but I definitely have a lot more energy than I did 30 days ago)? Either way, I'll take it. I am definitely more lighthearted. Ha! Me, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmlynne Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 It's amazing how good we feel when we take care of our bodies and feed them good things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 So, today is Day 32! I weighed in and took measurements yesterday: Lost 10 lbs. Lost 4.5 inches Have rarely taken heartburn meds (used to be a daily thing) Have not had acid reflux once! No more joint pain No more tiredness and lethargy I am keeping on keeping on. No plans to stop this, just to add good things to it, like daily exercise. This morning before breakfast the husband and I walked down to the creek and around the woods behind our house (spooked a hawk several times but couldn't get a good picture). I am going to get back in the woods this fall/winter, back to being the active person I once was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Today I am feeling rather down on myself. It's not because I'm not happy with the results of the last 30 days, it's because I have so far to go -mentally, physically, emotionally. Friday afternoon I stopped at Whole Foods and bought a jar of coconut butter. Had to see what all the hoopla was about. Between Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, I ate about a third of the jar. About double the recommended serving amount. And I know why. It has a mouthfeel like ice cream and a melting temperature like chocolate. It was a "sanctioned" cheat, but not when abused and not when I'm treating it like I used to treat ice cream and chocolate and a dozen other trigger foods. So I'm disappointed in myself, but I'm happy that I realized what was going on before I ate the entire jar! No more coconut butter for awhile. Particularly since my dinner last night consisted of coconut butter, a peach and macadamia nuts. No veggies! No protein! Today will be better. Had a chicken sausage w/zucchini fritter cups for breakfast, will have the last of the creamy chicken skillet for lunch with a baggie of fresh veg - celery, broccoli, green bell pepper, sungold tomatoes, and cinammon beef stew w/spaghetti squash tonight. An apple if I'm still hungry at any point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmlynne Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Flwrhead Don't feel bad! As you said, you realized what was going on before finishing the whole jar! I did the same thing in my first whole30 - love love love love love the coconut butter I have come to realize that sunbutter is the same way for me. I will get through a jar so quickly - then have to make sure I don't buy it for a while - and when I do - it must be a SMALL jar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share Posted August 5, 2014 Yesterday was a really good day. I stopped beating myself up and ate well all day, really enjoyed the spaghetti squash w/cinammon beef stew for dinner and was full and not even tempted to snack the rest of the night! This is the first time I've made spaghetti squash that I really liked, it could be because it was fresh from the farmer's market. Going to get another one this weekend and make a batch of hearty spaghetti sauce over the weekend. Today I'm having: M1 - chicken sausage w/three zucchini fritter cups M2 - big salad w/grilled chicken - could not manage to get together a dressing so I'm contemplating a run to WF at lunch, also have a 4 cup container of fresh veggies (broccoli, sungold tomatoes, celery, carrots and bell pepper) to eat with lunch, half today and half tomorrow M3 - spaghetti squash w/cinammon beef stew Snack if needed - apple w/cashew butter Definitely need a fat with M2, I'm counting on the salad dressing for that. I don't really want to buy dressing as I just made homayo (my husband's made-up word) Sunday and want to make ranch dressing with that but didn't have all the ingredients at home, so yeah, it looks like a run to WF is on the agenda for lunchtime! Bingo! I will get some avocados at WF and that will be my lunchtime fat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Day 36, don't really have anything to talk about. Eating in the guidelines, subbing in a lot more veggies than fruit this week. Need to focus more on getting healthy fats with every meal, I've been hungry this week and I know that's why. Trying to think about what to cook this weekend. Chocolate chili or spaghetti sauce? Not really excited about either one! Maybe I should make a pulled pork or lettuce taco something or other to spice it up. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmlynne Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 If do a pulled pork, check out nomnompaleo's kalua pig (sp?). Super simple easy and sooooo delicious! I have done it a couple of time. Made a huge amount of pork - some to freeze for another week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flwrhead Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 Thanks Karen, having meat for the freezer is always good! I was reading on another board (completely different website where folks are doing the W30) and they suggested putting the pork in serving size baggies and freezing it that way, then you just pull out what you need as you need it. Have to complain a moment about the other board - people are claiming to be doing the W30 and they are not. Out of probably 30 participants, there are maybe five who actually follow the program correctly (me included). Most haven't read the book or even the website, they suggest roasted apples with cinammon for breakfast, they aren't having veggies except maybe one meal per day, and they complain that they're hungry. I'm biting my tongue. It's their life, their challenge, and if they fail, well, I'll know why. I'm still going to keep up with the thread though, because they link to really good recipes! Day 37 - things are great, tried on a pair of pants this morning that I haven't worn for a year and while they're still too tight to wear out in public, give it another month and I'll be in them! Good thing too because my current pants are baggy. Tonight's dinner is the last of the cinammon beef stew, so tomorrow will be a lot of cooking for the weekend and next week. Glad to get the reminder of the kalua pork because I'm getting a little tired of beef and chicken. I've also had a craving for a BLT so I'm getting a head of butter lettuce, compliant bacon and making a BLT wrap with homegrown tomatoes from a guy in my office. That will probably be lunch tomorrow, can't wait! My husband told me this morning that he woke up in the night with acid reflux, throat burning, coughing, etc. Oh how I don't miss those days!!! When I first started the W30, I was taking antiacids regularly and still took them sporadically for a few weeks, but I haven't taken one in a couple of weeks now. And NO acid reflux! And no hurting knees and ankles when I climb the stairs to go to bed at night, or at any time during the day. This is so awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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