September 14, Anyone?

[Jenny2014]

Hi everyone,

 

No trip to the ER today!  Just a followup with my son.  He's good to go, released to go to school tomorrow.    And another win, I've had exactly 3 meals today! And all of them within the template.  And it's 8pm and I feel comfortably satisfied.  Hopefully I'll stay that way til bedtime.  If not, I may have a cup of chamomile tea.  Having a cup of something hot seems to help my munchies.

 

Jessica- my go-to easy stuff is from the cookbook Well Fed.  Love it!  For regular days, I like her "hot plates."  They are essentially a combination of proteins, veggies and fats (many of which are pre-cooked by you on the weekend) and you through them together in combos with a combination of suggested spices to make a delicious sort of stir fry that can be Italian, or Thai or Mexican or whatever you like.  She also, of course, has dishes that take hours to prepare. While they are well worth it, they aren't for every night. 

 

Tonight I went even easier-- I had baked some chicken thighs a couple of nights ago (two packages of them, took 35 minutes in the oven).  I had two of those tonight with some microwaved frozen broccoli and a batch of mashed cauliflower tonight.  Super fast and easy. 

 

I'm SO sore from my TRX class yesterday.  Nice to know that I actually have muscles, though.  I have it again tomorrow morning, and am a little worried about how that will go given standing up from a chair (and sitting back down) is a challenge at the moment. 

 

Have a good night!

Jen

[Rebecca H]

Today was the hardest day yet.  I felt really off much of the day, but I got through it.  Hopefully things will shift in the next day or two.  Going to bed now -- too tired to write more -- I will catch up tomorrow.

 

Good to hear that everyone is doing well -- and especially glad your son is better, Jenny.

[Rebecca H]

Really rough day emotionally yesterday -- my brother had a heart attack and almost didn't make it.  He's still in intensive care.  I stayed food compliant, and that's about all I have for now.  Hope everyone is doing well.

[jessica301]

Rebecca, I'm so sorry...keeping you and your family in my thoughts during this difficult time...

[Rebecca H]

Thanks Jessica -- I really appreciate your kind words -- I got to talk to my brother this morning and he sounded pretty good. They had to defibrillate him 10 times during surgery -- it is a total miracle he made it through surgery, but it seems he's going to pull through -- I'm a little less freaked out today, but still not super chatty.

 

Today was Day 7 and the first day I have experienced cravings so far.  I'm not as tired or detoxey, but I really wanted some sort of baked good.  Getting through it though.  Tomorrow is grocery shopping day - yay! 

 

How is everybody else doing?

[Jenny2014]

Oh Rebecca!  How frightening!  I can't even imagine!  I'm glad that he sounded better yesterday.  Hopefully its all uphill for him now. 

 

It absolutely makes sense that you'd have cravings-- I would guess it has a lot more to do with the stress that you're dealing with than the Whole 30.  I recently read a thing by Melissa Hartwig, a video from a conference they were at, where they talked about cravings and stress of all kinds.  I think feeding yourself well during this time is important, so good for you for sticking to it. 

 

Is he far away from where you are? 

 

My last couple of days have been busy but compliant.  I did end up skipping lunch one day due to the business and not having prepared something compliant to take (something I have to rectify for this week) and I did have one meal out.  I had to send it back because they didn't do what I'd asked them to do (leave corn and cheese off a salad), but they fixed it.

 

I have to go do some volunteer work at a fall festival in our area today.  A fall festival filled with all kinds of delicious treats.  I know I won't stray, but I'm not sure that I'm far enough into this Whole 30 to not enjoy the smell of the typical Midwestern U.S. festival fare.  (Usually, near the end of a whole 30, those kinds of smells gross me out-- grease and processed foods). 

 

Happy weekend, people!

[Jenny2014]

Ah, Sunday.  I'm looking forward (?), well, almost, to my grocery store trip to stock up for the week.  I'm planning to roast a chicken today and make some mashed cauliflower.

 

I am finding it much easier to stick to the three meals a day these last few days.  We are officially a week in! 

 

I'm going to pre-plan the majority of meals for this week and start some pre-week cooking today so when I come home exhausted tomorrow I won't have to think about what to cook.  I'm also going to see if I can find/think of something on the easy-side for lunches.  Otherwise, I end up not packing one and end up skipping.  leftovers are my favorite, but with my husband, often there aren't any!  Even if I cook twice as much, he seems to find room for it.    I may have to double-cook and them immediately hide my left-over portions and mark it "stay out!" in the fridge. 

 

I hope you are all well! 

[jessica301]

One week down, a few more to go! 

 

I survived my first social outing last night -- ordered olives in EVOO, broccolini with roasted tomatoes and fish (the fish came with beans so I made sure I didn't eat any) and had pellegrino with lime as my beverage. I had fun but realize how much quicker I get tired when I am not consuming alcoholic beverages!

 

Shopping trip was easy today. I am prepping dinners for the week -- chicken sausage with roasted veggies, a big spaghetti squash, and ground turkey with tomatoes, basil, onions and garlic. Both meals make me forget I'm even on a diet. I also prepped a shepherd's salad -- tomatoes, onions, cucumbers drizzled with evoo and lemons. It's quite tasty.

 

Lemon ginger tea is my go-to hot beverage. I'm a coffee addict and never thought the day would come that this would satisfy me. I will always love coffee, but I can not say I miss the groggy feelings I had in the mornings before my "essential cup."

 

Really glad I just let all these detox symptoms not get to me - it's starting to get better and it feels great to listen to my body more and not just feed it with sugar or caffeine as I used to.

 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and cheers to a great week ahead.

[mamakitty]

Happy Monday!  So here's an odd side effect of my Whole30 this time around: I feel compelled to buy candy & treats for OTHER PEOPLE. It's like some kind of evil urge to undermine everyone else's health, while I stay up on my high horse being compliant, eating healthy, and feeling good.  I bought a giant bag of candy for the candy bowl on the desk behind me.  And I also volunteered to participate in a dessert potluck at our next Boy Scouts meeting. Wait, maybe it was my suggestion for desserts in the first place.  What the heck is wrong with me?

[jessica301]

mamakitty, I can't say I've been having that kind of side affect from the whole30, but I did have my first food dream last night.. I was at work, having lunch. I ordered a salad and it came with beans and a non-compliant whole30 dressing. I guess I must have forgotten those rules, because I started to eat the meal then a few bites later realized what I was doing! After eating the salad I felt defeated and bloated. So random!

 

On an aside, we're nearly 1/3 of the way through! How is everyone feeling?

[hshlutz]

Hey all! 

 

So glad to hear everyone is still stickin' to it! 

Rebecca -- I'm glad to hear your brother is pulling through! I will keep him and you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. 

 

Into week two, and I'm already seeing (and feeling) results. I'm so much less bloated than I was pre-30 (I was having some digestive issues) and I don't get that 2pm slump after lunch and I think after this past weekend, I've mastered the guide to eating out on the Whole30. Went to a beer festival Saturday (that was a REAL test -- I do love a good beer) and a music festival Sunday. Luckily, in LA we have a lot of food trucks that use organic and sustainable meets and produce. Was able to have a burger (no bun, sauce or cheese of course) on the go and kept some emergency Larabars in my purse just in case. 

 

I've been food prepping and bringing lunch to work each day -- feels great to know I'm eating well and can identify each ingredient in my meal. 

I made a frittata for breakfast this morning (for those of you getting sick of plain ol' eggs, I highly recommend trying this!) -- organic egg whites, apple chicken sausage, caramelized onions (sautéed in Ghee), fresh figs and a dash of sea salt. 

 

Also, for those of you who haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, DOOOO IT! Even before Whole30, it was one of my favorite healthy pasta substitutes. I brought that for lunch today and cooked my own spaghetti meat sauce to go with it. It amazes me how much added sugar is in ready made spaghetti sauces out there! 

 

Going to attempt to make my own almond milk tonight! Yum  

 

Anyone else have any yummy recipes that are their go-to during this time?

[jessica301]

Hshlutz, I commend you for being so diligent at the beer fest. That must have been a bit challenging but can imagine how accomplished you felt afterwards!

Also need to try your frittata. I have been doing the same thing for breakfast- 3 eggs and a sweet potato.

 

I need to get more creative with my meals but keep going back to things I know how to make quickly and that will keep okay for 2-3 days each. I live alone so I have found ground turkey and chicken sausage meals keep well and are great as leftovers.

 

Spaghetti squash is amazing- I put EVOO on mine with salt and pepper then top with whatever I have made in my pan.

 

How is everyone doing? We're almost halfway through.

[Rebecca H]

This has possibly been the hardest week of my life.  My brother had a relapse Friday evening and had to be helicoptered to another hospital with heart-transplant and LVAD pump capacity.  He has been touch-and-go, up-and-down, and mostly unconscious from sedation since then.  I flew back to Chicago Saturday evening and have been here since -- mostly at the hospital, though I did have one night at a hotel and one at my mother's house -- so my sleep has suffered.  I was able to interact with him a little a few times, but it is getting harder and harder the longer he is under heavy sedation.  My mother is a wreck, and relies on me to remember most of the details -- I have to repeat things to her over and over because she can't retain it.

My mom isn't comfortable driving the freeways and the distance to and from the hospital, and I haven't driven in 15 years, so we are more or less dependent on friends for rides, which also interferes with our ability to get a good night sleep.

He is improving in baby-steps, but he is still very critically ill, and even if he makes it through this first phase, it is quite likely he may need a heart transplant or pump, both of which are major life-changing events.

On top of that, the hospital's cafeteria is under construction and so food choices are super-limited.

Nevertheless, I am astonished to report that I have maintained Whole30 compliance so far, and am beginning to experience some signs of feeling better overall.  There are different food trucks that show up every day, and I was given a pass for the Fitness Center for showers and sauna, etc... and they tend to have a better and healthier variety of food choices than the other little venues in the hospital.  The hardest thing has been salad dressing, so I have eaten a lot of salads sans dressing -- but it's really not too bad.

It's the end of week 2! Almost halfway there -- I figure if I can do it through this, I can do it through anything.

[Rebecca H]

Two days left today and tomorrow and this first Whole30 will be history!  My brother is home and doing better than anyone predicted, though he still has a long road ahead.  I didn't eat much that was incredibly creative the last month, but I stuck to the program come hell or high water -- flying home today --  tomorrow is day 30 -- feeling proud of myself.

[jessica301]

Rebecca, I'm so happy to hear your brother is home. What a challenging time it must have been for him and your whole family. What a brave guy. Keeping you in my thoughts.

 

Can you believe we have almost made it through the 30 days? On days 1 and 2 I never thought it was going to end, but we did it.

 

I'm feeling a lot more clear-minded and less anxious than when I began, which I never thought would happen since I live in NYC lol. My moods are also so much better.

 

Is anyone continuing on or planning to start the reintroduction on Tuesday?

[Cyndi Lou]

Two days left today and tomorrow and this first Whole30 will be history!  My brother is home and doing better than anyone predicted, though he still has a long road ahead.  I didn't eat much that was incredibly creative the last month, but I stuck to the program come hell or high water -- flying home today --  tomorrow is day 30 -- feeling proud of myself.

Rebecca so glad to see you finishing your whole 30. Your almost done. My last day is Tuesday.

[Rebecca H]

Thanks Jessica   I had planned originally to do a 60-day, and I just got a buddy, so I'm all in -- today id day 30 for me, but I will be continuing on for the next 30 days.  How about you?  What are your plans?