Opsdiva Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I picked my start date based on the grand opening of (FINALLY!) a Whole Foods in my city. I realized this would be so much easier with a convenient location to get many W30 necessities. I've been leaning into the idea of W30 for the past couple of weeks, but nothing hard core. The struggles for me will come in the form of sugar and artificial sweeteners. Barely a single morning in 20 years has passed without me having coffee with a ridiculous amount of sweetener (currently in the form of liquid Sucralose) and plenty of French Vanilla Soy Creamer (also laden with AS). Also rarely a day passes that I don't have at least one Coke Zero. Most days = 2. The other challenges will likely revolve around condiments/dressings/sauces. I could just eat shrimp and veggies every day for lunch... but not without cocktail sauce! Stategies to Promote Success: Wide Variety of Herbal/Flavored Teas Water with Lemon to start the day instead of coffee (I did this for a week once with great results - just didn't keep it going) Homemade Sauces (I made Well Fed Mayo from scratch last night and it was awesome!) Remove all AS from the house. Yes, it was expensive, and yes I might start using it again... but I can't have it convenient to me during my W30. Maybe I'll let my husband hide it somewhere! I don't often stick with personal goals. It's so frustrating, because I'm such a high achiever in my professional life. I don't understand how I can constantly fail at personal goals. I know I can do this for 30 days. I keep reminding myself to stop the Perfection Cycle - where I start thinking I have to be perfect every day for the rest of my life (and thus just quit because that's impossible) and remember that I ONLY HAVE TO DO THIS FOR 30 DAYS! Thank you to everyone who shares in the forums. I have leaned heavily on your words as I prepare for this journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 It's t minus 3 days and I'm sitting outside doing my usual Sunday morning routine on the lanai: Sipping my delicious french vanilla creamed artificial sweetener laden coffee and watching the birds. Today I can add that I'm concerned, wondering what I'm going to do when I can't have it. I look forward to my coffee every day! I realize as I'm typing this that those words kind of spell out the whole point... That if you feel like you can't live without something like cream and sugar in your coffee, then maybe you have a little problem. I will have to keep reminding myself that hard core this week as I implement new routines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman57 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Good luck in two days! I'm starting October 1. I've never completed one. Let's see: I was a sweetener kind of gal and I know I used to have diet sodas. But I don't remember the frequency. Suffice it to say that on my first attempt of a Whole30, I found some herbal teas to be great in the middle of the day (Stash has a nice mint tea -- Cascade Mint). I was a black coffee drinker for a while then I started having it with heated milk and sweetener. I stopped that on my first attempt and just went back to black coffee. Recently though (in this last week) I find that actually coffee appears to upset my stomach at certain times of the day. So I have this Assam Gold tea I got from Teavana which is so mellow it doesn't upset my stomach but still gives me some caffeine. It's almost more like a liqueur than it is tea. I never got back into the diet soda thing though. I mean occasionally I'll have one but I never have one once a day anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hols1 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I picked my start date based on the grand opening of (FINALLY!) a Whole Foods in my city. I realized this would be so much easier with a convenient location to get many W30 necessities. I've been leaning into the idea of W30 for the past couple of weeks, but nothing hard core. The struggles for me will come in the form of sugar and artificial sweeteners. Barely a single morning in 20 years has passed without me having coffee with a ridiculous amount of sweetener (currently in the form of liquid Sucralose) and plenty of French Vanilla Soy Creamer (also laden with AS). Also rarely a day passes that I don't have at least one Coke Zero. Most days = 2. The other challenges will likely revolve around condiments/dressings/sauces. I could just eat shrimp and veggies every day for lunch... but not without cocktail sauce! Stategies to Promote Success: Wide Variety of Herbal/Flavored Teas Water with Lemon to start the day instead of coffee (I did this for a week once with great results - just didn't keep it going) Homemade Sauces (I made Well Fed Mayo from scratch last night and it was awesome!) Remove all AS from the house. Yes, it was expensive, and yes I might start using it again... but I can't have it convenient to me during my W30. Maybe I'll let my husband hide it somewhere! I don't often stick with personal goals. It's so frustrating, because I'm such a high achiever in my professional life. I don't understand how I can constantly fail at personal goals. I know I can do this for 30 days. I keep reminding myself to stop the Perfection Cycle - where I start thinking I have to be perfect every day for the rest of my life (and thus just quit because that's impossible) and remember that I ONLY HAVE TO DO THIS FOR 30 DAYS! Thank you to everyone who shares in the forums. I have leaned heavily on your words as I prepare for this journey! Hi there! A word on artificial sweeteners. They are literally poison to your body. If you were to hold a packet of AS in one hand and muscle test that arm you would not be able to hold it up under pressure no matter how hard you tried. Do your body a favor and never ever go back to AS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Thank you guys for the suggestions. I picked up a few interesting herbal teas last night and I've made the promise to myself that I will brew one at the first sign of weakness. Tomorrow is the big day, so today once I finished making my coffee, I threw out the last bit of soy creamer. I just can't have it in the house. Tonight I'm going to give all of the AS to my husband to hide. Maybe I'll never ask for it back I also tucked away the scale yesterday. I weighed in for one last go - 194.8 - and did measurements - waist 35" and hips 45". I know the measurements are most important. I'm 5'7" and carry weight really well - and my 43 year old self ideal weight is 160 with 29" waist and 39" hips. I prepped and cooked plenty of food on Sunday, so I should be totally ready to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWholeEmily Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I'm not a sweet coffee drinker but I enjoy (ed) a couple mugs a day with half and half. Switching to black coffee was something I balked against...but now I'm on day 4 and finding I don't even really WANT coffee. I've concluded the coffee habit was a habit. Maybe you can make a big morning deal out of tea on the lanai, and your habit will change too. I thijk b letting go of our comforts and stress releases is half the battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman57 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 If I had a lanai I wouldn't care what I was drinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrye Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Tried a little coconut milk in my coffee this morning (today is my Day 1). Eh, not too bad:) And from an ex-coca cola drinker to another-might I suggest sparkling mineral water? Still gives you the nice "burn" of carbonation without the bad stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Day 1 - Off to a good start with black coffee w/coconut milk - this wasn’t so bad! Like all things - it’s never as bad as you make it out to be in your head I’m feeling very optimistic about adopting that change permanently. Meal 1 - 2 Eggs, compliant chicken sausage, sauteed peppers/onions, canteloupe Planned for the rest of the day: Meal 2 - Pork Roast, steamed broccoli, roasted root vegetables, a little Russian dressing for dipping (Well Fed 2), cantaloupe Meal 3 - Chicken Breast, avocado, steamed broccoli/cauliflower I’ve been tracking my food on Myfitnesspal for a couple of years now. In fact, right now I have a 143 day streak going! I weigh about the same now as I did when I started, so clearly all of the obsessing isn’t working for me. Just like hiding the scale and ending the daily weigh in - I’m going to stop logging into MFP every day, and stop logging my food. I’m going to trust the process in this next 30 days, and trust that if I eat good food, I will be full and not overeat. I’ve been leaning into cleaner/more paleo eating for the past couple weeks in preparation - and I feel like I’m already feeling a little bit of benefits. I’ve been waking with more energy, and I’m just not feeling hungry or having cravings like I normally would. I’m very grateful for the Well Fed and Well Fed 2 cookbooks. I followed her system and several recipes for my cooking this week and I really feel like I set myself up for success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Day 2 Day 2 was a learning experience for sure. Day 1 ended well. I didn’t track my food - was perfectly compliant - didn’t weigh myself. This morning, waking on Day 2 I felt good and felt zero bloat. On a typical day, this feeling would make me jump on the scale with high expectations. Today, I am focusing all of my thought on how good it feels rather than looking to the scale for affirmation. I must say: I’m REALLY pleased that I didn’t pig out the few days before starting my W30. I think I might escape the “hangover” period of day 2 & 3. I started today again with black coffee w/coconut milk. I really kind of like it. All I had was the Lite coconut milk - which has no sugar - but people always say “use the full fat coconut milk.” I’m just wondering why. Meal 1 - 2 Eggs, Pork Roast, Peppers/Onions Meal 2 - Chicken Breast, broccoli/cauliflower, sweet potato, small bit of leftover baked apple/pears - NOTE - didn’t want to eat this meal. I made myself... You’re supposed to make yourself eat, right? ALSO - noted that I didn’t get fat in this meal. It was inadvertant, but I do struggle with getting fat in sometimes. Meal 3 - Macadamia nuts, Chicken Breast, broccoli/cauliflower with Creamy Italian Dressing (Well Fed) Meal 3 was really late today, and much of my learning came into play on hunger cues/timing of food. I forced myself to eat the big lunch even though I wasn't feeling it. Around 5:30 I still didn't feel hungry, so I didn't want to eat before going to Pilates at 6. BIG MISTAKE. About half way through Pilates, I was ravenous. Twice I had to stop what I was doing because I felt so nauseated. I NEVER get that sick feeling while working out. I had to go straight to my stepsons baseball game after that, and it wasn't over until 8:30. That means it was almost 9 before I had Meal 3. I was so over-hungry I didn't want to eat and didn't know what to eat. I hate a small handful of macadamias to get the eating going, and then fought down the chicken and veggies. Because I've always been a snacker - I have never really gotten that hungry or been too long since a meal that I needed to eat prior to a class like Pilates. But now I know... those preWO meals are important!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted September 28, 2014 Author Share Posted September 28, 2014 Soooooo.... I'll be starting over tomorrow morning. Sunday Sept. 28 is Day 1 on Day 5 overall Things went a tad bit off the tracks last night and then completely derailed today. I will say this - it was a learning experience. I've learned that I can not go out to dinner with friends during this process - especially not on day 3. I will not make good choices. I've learned that I must be vigilant in my preparedness because if not - and I let myself get too hungry - then I will not make good choices. Moving on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 Here I am on the morning of Day 8 total - Day 4 of W30 Restart..... and I feel pretty good. The first 3 days of the restart have been great and while I'm disappointed in how this W30 started, I'm feeling pretty jazzed over what I've learned about myself in this roller coaster of a week. Yesterday meals: Meal 1 - clean sausage, 2 eggs, peppers/onions Meal 2 - grilled chicken breast, roasted root veggies, sweet potato with coconut butter Meal 3 - WF2 Italian Meatballs, compliant spaghetti sauce, zoodles I'm already gearing up for a more successful weekend and have flat out told our friends that we won't be going out! We're planning to take the boat out and I'm feeling a little nervous over what to take to eat. Our typical snack food has always been hummus, raw veggies, gluten free crackers, and fruit with occasionally some deli meats. I'm rethinking our "boat snacks" pretty hard. Maybe I'll make some kind of cucumber salad, or veggie salad. It will definitely be hard to just do meals and no snacking... but I'll figure it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman57 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Just enjoyed a nice "chopped" salad of tomato, cucumber, mint, parsley, onion --- you know: tabbouleh without the barley. That'd be lovely on a boat. Or leave out the cucumber and serve it on cuke slices. I looked at the WF2 meatballs and am contemplating them. If you haven't tried it yet, the gingered zucchini soup in that book is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hols1 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Here I am on the morning of Day 8 total - Day 4 of W30 Restart..... and I feel pretty good. The first 3 days of the restart have been great and while I'm disappointed in how this W30 started, I'm feeling pretty jazzed over what I've learned about myself in this roller coaster of a week. Yesterday meals: Meal 1 - clean sausage, 2 eggs, peppers/onions Meal 2 - grilled chicken breast, roasted root veggies, sweet potato with coconut butter Meal 3 - WF2 Italian Meatballs, compliant spaghetti sauce, zoodles I'm already gearing up for a more successful weekend and have flat out told our friends that we won't be going out! We're planning to take the boat out and I'm feeling a little nervous over what to take to eat. Our typical snack food has always been hummus, raw veggies, gluten free crackers, and fruit with occasionally some deli meats. I'm rethinking our "boat snacks" pretty hard. Maybe I'll make some kind of cucumber salad, or veggie salad. It will definitely be hard to just do meals and no snacking... but I'll figure it out. Hi Opsdiva, Please don't beat yourself up about having to start over. This is a life altering, life changing way of eating and it takes time and practice to get the hang of it! And yeah it is really, really hard to go out to a restaurant or a social event during your first W30. I just avoided it completely but that's me! A great substitute for hummus is roasted cauliflower hummus. I am completely addicted to it! You can find recipes online. I make a big batch every Sunday when I do my weekly cookup. I use veggies to dip but dried apple chips are even better although you do have to watch the sugar content. Have fun and hang in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opsdiva Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Hi Opsdiva, Please don't beat yourself up about having to start over. This is a life altering, life changing way of eating and it takes time and practice to get the hang of it! And yeah it is really, really hard to go out to a restaurant or a social event during your first W30. I just avoided it completely but that's me! A great substitute for hummus is roasted cauliflower hummus. I am completely addicted to it! You can find recipes online. I make a big batch every Sunday when I do my weekly cookup. I use veggies to dip but dried apple chips are even better although you do have to watch the sugar content. Have fun and hang in there! Thank you for that, Hols. I've been kind of telling myself that.... and I can see that my next W30 will be much different from this one. Only 9 days in overall and every day is like an epiphany of some sort. I was so tired yesterday, but then couldn't sleep last night. This morning, I felt like I woke up with minimal effort and didn't feel like "Ugh, I have to start the day!" it was more of "Okay, let's do this." I'm definitely trying the cauliflower hummus!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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