AmyJ's Whole30 Journey - Beginning December 8, 2014

[AmyJanette]

I think Pampered Chef sells a tool that can be used to make spirally noodles - called the 'spiralizer'.  I would like to try that - I've seen recipes with the 'zoodles' and I've been on the lookout for a tool to make them.  Will also have to try sweet potato hash...Sounds yummy!

 

I'm glad to have people to share the Whole30 thing with...We just moved here and I don't know very many people in the area yet, so it's nice to chat with you guys, too.

 

Hutlifr:  I'm sorry for your loss.  I think part of the reason I'm so focused on this right now is fear of a preventable death.  I have lost three uncles and my Dad to lung cancer.  I worked in long term care for 7 years and in that time I saw the difference between people who took care of themselves and people who didn't.  The people who didn't take care of themselves had limited mobility, dozens of medications to treat numerous health problems, and suffered immeasurably before passing away.  It's hard to see firsthand, but harder to think that's where I'm headed if my health doesn't improve.  It does give me a lot of motivation.

 

So, this is DAY 7!  I'm one week in!

 

Breakfast: Leftover spaghetti squash and meat sauce

Lunch: Baked sweet potato with cinnamon and coconut oil, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, and lemon pepper chicken ( http://holisticallyengineered.com/2013/02/whole30-lemon-pepper-chicken.html )

Snack: Raw veggies and almonds

Supper: Lemon chicken and sweet potato

 

Today I have felt very calm.  Not really tired so much as relaxed.  I have not been feeling strong cravings for cigarettes at all today - the cravings I have are very easy to ignore.  I have had a couple cravings for food-without-brakes...mostly I just want a big cold glass of milk!!

 

So, I don't know what I got into yesterday - maybe a spice of some kind in my homemade taco seasoning, though nothing went in I have never had before - but I had a pretty good allergic reaction to something last night.  My eyes swelled almost shut and they had hives and were itchy and running, and I had hives across my face.  Took some Benadryl (allergy med) and they settled enough, but itchiness and hives were back today.  Been keeping the Benadryl going, plus Ibuprofen for tooth pain....The tooth I had repaired last week after I broke it has been extremely painful the last couple days - I haven't been able to even chew on that side.  I will have to call the dentist tomorrow to get it either fixed or pulled.  It hurts worse now than when it was just cracked.

 

So been a bit of a stressful day just from the medical stuff.  It's pretty amazing how easy emotional eating is to recognize, though, now that I've been eating regular planned meals.  And I find it easier to ignore those food cravings when I know that's what they are.  Let's hope it stays that way!

 

[85MotherOf4AK]

I just julienned the zucchini. They were a bit bigger them zoodles but my family loved them. My husband said it was great and he would eat them in place of noodles anyday.

He is supper supportive even though he isn't starting whole 30 till we get home from TX. I had a head ache for a few days and on day three I got outta the tub and said "screw it I am done, I don't care at this point" and walked to the kitchen. He thought I was going to eat something non compliant and came running to talk me out of it! Such a great man! I was really just finally caving to take some tylanol.

[AmyJanette]

It's great to have a supportive spouse!  Sounds like your hubby really wants you to be successful.

[AmyJanette]

Day 8:

 

Breakfast today: Leftover lemon chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix.

Lunch: Salmon Broccoli Dill Frittata

Supper: Beef Stirfry with snap peas and mixed herbed veggies  (I was at my Mom's...she made pizza for everyone else, which is one of my favourite foods!  But I resisted, only whined and pouted a little bit...lol)

[85MotherOf4AK]

T sucks about your loses. My grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer this summer. She quit smoking and did really great at it. We were all so proud of her, but she has always made poor health choices. She had surgery but has remained extremely sick. She can no longer eat of drink only IV. She keeps getting phemonia. She can no longer live independently. She is in a live in facility. It breaks my heart. We used to talk almost daily on the phone, she kinda took the place of my mom after she passed. Now she cannot even talk on the phone. You just can't hear her cause she just speaks in whispers. I know that it is all a result of her lifestyle and the food choices she made her whole life along with the smoking. It sucks! But silver lining it is great motivation, as me and a few of my cousins have quit smoking as a result.

[AmyJanette]

I'm very sorry about your Grandma.  Does she live close enough for you to visit her?

It's really hard to make those changes for ourselves, even if we see things happening to other people.  I think it's the mentality that, "It can't happen to me."  And when it happens to someone we love it kind of shakes us all up and makes us scared that, "Oh...maybe it CAN happen to me."  That's where I'm at now, and I am hoping it's not too late to change the way I live out my golden years.

[AmyJanette]

So, one more reason not to eat Chinese:  I cracked a tooth on an egg roll at a restaurant a couple months ago...the egg roll had a little piece of bone in it, and I chomped down and cracked my tooth from the middle to the cheek side, and halfway down my molar.  I finally decided it was bad enough to have it looked at, and then had it repaired (half my tooth taken off and the cavity filled) last Wednesday, and it is still so painful that it keeps me from chewing on that side and it hurts when I eat.  It's been keeping me from completely enjoying all these great meals I've been preparing. 

 

Sooo...I called the dentist office today, and they gave me an appointment for tomorrow and said that if the filling didn't work, I'd likely have to have a root canal.  Bottom line?  DON'T EAT CHINESE!!!

 

In other news...I went to four different grocery stores looking for compliant sausage (FOUR!!!) and not one had sausage that I could have.  If it didn't have sugar, it had corn syrup.  If it didn't have sugar or corn syrup, it had bread crumbs or wheat or something else that is on the negatory list.  (BTW, I'm in Canada, and having shopped for groceries in the US on a couple lengthy trips I can tell you there is no comparison between the variety of foods in the US and those in Canada.  I haven't even heard of half the brands recommended in this forum.)  

 

So, I decided to MAKE sausage...so I found a recipe online, tweaked it, and made my own!  And it actually tastes like sausage! It's such a little thing, but I really am proud of myself...lol.  And to top it off, I find the more hands on I get in the kitchen, the better I love cooking Whole30 meals from scratch!!  A lot of my meals I start out with recipes I have found and then I tweak them to my own liking and taste, and it's awesome!!!

 

Do you all go mostly from a recipe or do you find yourselves being creative in the kitchen?

[85MotherOf4AK]

My grandma likes like 200 miles away, so visits are limited with kids in school and leaving state (Alaska) for Christmas with Family in Texas and Spring Break in Oregon with my sister (she is having a baby) perfect timing when the kids will be off from school.

I don't think it is every too late to change for our future. Our Golden years are gonna rock! What part of Canada are you in. We drove through when we moved to oregon 8 years ago. It was fun to visit.

We moved back to alaska 3 years ago. We are already talking about moving back to oregon. It is beautiful beyond words here, and the outdoor activities are amazing, but the winter is so long! And I miss having more to go do and see: musuems, zoos, parks, gardens, ect. Love having places to take my monkeys!

As for the sausage, I love those little kitchen victories! I started following lots of recipes now I am just winging it with a few recipes here and there. Tonight we had stir fry veggies with chicken and shrimp and sesame seeds! So quick and yummy!

[Hutlifr]

Hope that Chinese restaurant will pay for your tooth... Did you show them the bone you bit on back then?

[AmyJanette]

No, I didn't think it did any harm when it happened so I didn't say anything to the restaurant...but after a month of it twinging every now and again when I was eating - mostly with nuts or harder things - I finally went to the dentist.  And so I don't expect the restaurant to pay for it, because I didn't say anything originally.  It's fine, though - my husband's work has 100% dental, which is awesome.  I haven't had to pay for dentistry for a while - I get checkups/cleanings 4 times a year, and any necessary work I need done is covered.  They wouldn't whiten my teeth for my wedding, though...lol.  So anyways, the receptionist needs to stop being an alarmist - I was just in to the dentist, and after an inspection, she discovered my bite was off a bit so she ground down the tall edges of the tooth and it already hurts less.  So no root canal!  Yay!  She said it would be a couple days before the pain was completely gone, so hopefully I'll be able to chew on that side soon enough!

 

I would love to go to Alaska someday.  I live in midwestern Ontario...Some of you may have heard of us last winter when all the roads in three counties were closed for almost a week due to ten feet of snow dropping over the course of a few days...  So far this year, we have NO snow...very strange after the winter we had last year.  But yeah, I think a trip to Alaska would be amazing...my husband and I have gone to northern Ontario every year for a vacation since we met - fishing and wildlife viewing, hiking - that's the kind of stuff we're into, and I bet Alaska and even Oregon (which is also on my bucket list to visit) would be great for outdoorsy stuff!  

 

So, today I am making some soup...I wanted to make it yesterday, but I couldn't find any compliant sausage, so now that I have some, I am going to try this soup: http://loveandcupcakesblog.com/2014/06/04/whole30-butternut-squash-leek-soup/ but I am going to add some sweet potatoes to it that I baked the other day and need to get used up.  It's going to be YUMMY! 

[85MotherOf4AK]

Sounds amazing. What a morning. Took the girls to the bus. Didn't have time to eat before I left. Ting guy and I then went to the post office and stoop in line for 30 min to send all our Christmas goodies!

Must get them out of the house. It was a great test in willpower making them and not even licking a spoon or a chocolate covered finger! I did awesome! But having them just sit here is to much they had to go! I can smell how delicious I am sure they taste!Lol! But mind over matter! So off to the P. O. We went. TG did so well as we stood in line: just smiled and laughed and cooed to the pretty ladies standing in line. I think we might have trouble on our hand in the future. He can already get the attention of every girl/woman in the room!

anyhow, we came home and I am finishing some left over zucchini, sweet potato hash with chicken apple sausage. I really love this sausage. It is fully cooked so way quick and easy to use. You can brown it up for texture and it actually tastes really good. My girls have been choosing it everyday for their protein in their school lunches and we usually have it for breakfast. Crazy 26 days in and we aren't tired of it!

[cozycollinskitchen]

Hi, I just wanted to say we have a ton of stuff in common, my dad died 3 years ago at 61 also, right before thanksgiving, I was somewhat healthy before that, but boy did that put me on a downward spiral. My dad did not have lung cancer but he had a lung disease that took him from us In a short time. I also am quitting smoking. I also am embarrassed to admit, but maybe saying this out loud will help me, I came very close to drinking myself to death the last 3 years to deal with the pain. My dad wouldn't want that, and I don't want that. So, I am taking my life back, I am doing whole30 because I need it, it is going to be the start of a brand new life. I am excited, and looking forward to my new/old self. I miss the old me. Ive already started, practicing at least, and doing better in all aspects, but in jan I will take my life back for good. My self induced torture has went on long enough!!!!!! Good luck, my sincerest condolences on the loss of your father, and keep at it!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

[AmyJanette]

Don't EVER be ashamed of anything here.  We are all here because we need to improve, and we all have to improve to different degrees.  We all have our demons, and we all have dealt with them in different ways, some of them less healthy than others.  I have, in the past, gone on a downward spiral after a series of traumatic events, and though it wasn't alcohol related, my behaviour was just as devastating to myself and to those around me as if it were.  If I hadn't met my husband when I did, I would likely be a lot less healthy than I was going into my Whole30.  And, I don't even know you, but just from your post I can tell how difficult this positive step is for you, and I'm proud of you for taking it!

 

So we do have a lot in common, and if you need any support through this, please message me privately or post in my log.  One thing that I've learned is that it's better to talk to someone when you're going through a rough patch than to give in to the demons and do things that are self-destructive.

[Augie]

Wow! Your log is impressive! Your meals sound so amazing and delicious! I can't believe all the stuff you're tackling right now! You're amazing!

[85MotherOf4AK]

The lose of parents is so difficult my father when I was two and my mother when I was pregnant with my 5 year old daughter. I am 29 and all I want to do is be there for my children as long as possible. Making healthy choices for me is kinda difficult, but think about making them for my kids so they haver and don't know the pain of losing a parent when's they are young like I did is the perfect motivation!! I love them more the life itself and I don't want to miss a single part of their loves. My mom missed all of her grandchildren a birth except my oldest. (That's 5, will be six min march when my sis has her second) and she missed both of her daughters getting married. It's hard not to be angry still, but we are moving forward and making better choices for ourselves and our family,

I mtotally relate on turning to other things to cope with lose to the point it controls your life.

The most awesome part is taking the power back into your own hands! It can be very thrilling taking yourself back!! Whatever your motivation focus on it and Rock your Whole30 Ladies!!! You totally Got This!

Day 26: still haven't smoked! Yay me. When I smell it in public now it actually stinks!! I think that is HUGE!

[AmyJanette]

Thanks, Augie.  I try.  To be honest, I just have a lot of time on my hands right now...I'm in between jobs, so when my husband is at work, I spend my days cooking and planning meals and looking up recipes.  I think I started out using the planning process as a way to deal with my cigarette cravings, but I'm getting fewer and fewer of those as the days pass and I'm finding I actually enjoy the planning and creative aspects of the meals.  So it makes a huge difference in the meals you are able to make when you have the time!  

 

Congrats, 85Motherof4AK! I hope I can persevere on the non-smoking front as well as you have!  You don't have too far left to go till you can start reintroducing things back in!  And I agree with you...It's a great feeling to take control back.

 

Sooo...I had a dream last night - little early on the timeline, but oh well - about the thing I have been craving most.  In the dream, I went out to the fridge, opened it, and took a big swig of milk, right out of the container...It tasted so creamy and rich and delicious...And then I spit it out because I was still on my Whole30...  

Alrighty, before I post today's meals, I have to addend my Day 8 food...I had another small meal after I posted my meals for that day.  Guess the beef stirfry wasn't enough.  So, Day 8, Meal 4: Pork Loin, Sweet Potato 

 

And now for today's meals:

Day 9:

 

Breakfast: Peppers, onions, and mushrooms, sauteed in ghee, with a small bit of my homemade sausage added and two eggs on top.

Lunch: One bowl of Butternut Squash Leek Soup with sausage, sweet potato, coconut oil added.  It was a bit bland and I likely wouldn't try it again.

Supper: Lemon Pepper Chicken; Potatoes, Parsnips and Carrots done in the slow cooker; and a sweet potato with coconut oil on it.

[AmyJanette]

I am starting to wonder if sweet potatoes are a food-with-no-brakes for me.  I really like them, and I have been having them more than any other food on my Whole30.  When does a food cross the line from one that you really like to one with no brakes??

[TLaposi]

Im finding sweet potatoes are my best friend too. 

[85MotherOf4AK]

I love sweet potatos and squash! They are a great potion to do a lot with. I shred them, dice them, mash them. I put them in a almost every meal. The are nutrient dense so I think you are safe. I am so excited as I draw near to the end curious what my inches and pounds lost will be. I know it is not about weight loss, but I can help but wonder. My husband compliments me daily and it is really nice, but when I look in the mirror I just don't see what he does. Oh well I feel great and that's what matters!

[AmyJanette]

Sure is!  I am now on Day 10 and I'm pretty sure my waist is smaller.  But we'll see.

 

So, today was a bit rougher.  I think I really get the urge to eat when I'm alone.  My hubby works 12 hour shifts and when he's not home for so long I want to eat...Today was the first day I had just a really strong urge to eat.  I don't crave sweets, really; I just crave FOOD in general.  How do you cut out the foods with no brakes when EVERY food is a food with no brakes???  

I don't know if maybe my body is trying to tell me something.  Maybe I'm not getting enough of a certain nutrient or something.  Maybe I'm bored, or lonely...I've just had the urge to eat all day.  So, I caved and had a smoothie with lunch and a fourth meal, but I promised myself I will do better tomorrow, whether I have to eat bigger portions or find something more interesting to engage myself while eating.  I think too that I will have to call the dentist and go back for another session of drilling on the edges of my new tooth.  Still painful (though not as much) when I chew.  I am kind of wondering also if having constant dental pain is making me want to eat to feel better - which I am now more aware of since I have been really good at my meals thus far and I recognize the binge eating urges as compared with hunger pangs...  And, I did eat more than usual today, BUT I ate less than I wanted to, so that's good, I guess.

 

So, because I needed a distraction today, I got our tree in the house and rearranged the furniture so I could put it in the corner of our living room.  It's our first Christmas in our new house, so it took some debating as to where the tree would go.  Anyways...once the tree was up, I strung the lights on it.  Then I left it - decorating the tree is something hubby and I do together every year. 

 

That done, I looked up a bunch of recipes for chicken breast.  I bought six breasts for $8 (It's usually double that, at least!) so I needed a good recipe.  Ended up doing two kind: coconut chicken and this really hot, spicy chicken.  The spicy chicken looked like it used smaller chicken pieces, so I cut up the breasts - 3 or 4 pieces each - and did half and half.  So, now I have enough chicken to do at least one meal every day for the next week, and a couple besides.  

So, Day 10!!!

 

Breakfast: Two tuna salad wraps:  tuna, avocado, celery, and green olives, wrapped in a lettuce leaf.

Lunch: Leftovers, some pork loin, a lemon pepper chicken thigh, mixed root veggies and 1/2 a potato. Also a fruit smoothie (bad me!) with hemp hearts for protein.

Supper: Coconut chicken and spicy chicken (about 1/2 breast of each); sweet potato with coconut milk and cinnamon, and a salad (lettuce, green pepper, tomato, onion, cucumber) with compliant Italian dressing.
Fourth meal:  1/3c. olives, sweet potatoes with hemp hearts,coconut milk, and cinnamon.

 

Also, I have been unable get to sleep the last couple nights...Just restless, tossing and turning, and just unable to get to sleep.  I read a thread somewhere else in the forum that a few people have had the same problem around the same time...but it's not in the timeline.  Anyone else have trouble with being a little too alert at night around days 8-10??

[85MotherOf4AK]

I hear you on the food cravings. I find myself drawn to the kitchen at times when there is no way I should be hungry. I find it happens to me late at night when tiny guy are up playing and feeding. I am trying to not over eat too much even though I know I can eat more snacks because I am breastfeeding.

I would suggest experimenting with how much protein and or fat is in eat meal. It can be helpful.

Have a great day11!!

[AmyJanette]

I was going through a box of papers and a post-it note fell out.  It was a quote I had when my third year of university got a bit rough (homesickness hit full force).  What was on it is, I think, particularly apt for me right now:

 

 

"Perseverance and a positive view have the strength to wash all obstacles away."

[85MotherOf4AK]

I absolutely love that! Gonna put it on my mirror in my bathroom!

Well day 28 for me and I am getting nervous about reintro. I know I don't want to go off road to much, but I am so nervous about eating on vacation. I know I want dairy first! This girl Loves her CHEESE! I have been debating which kind I love the most, so I can just savor some, without going over board and eating a whole cheese plater. Which sounds delicious and disgusting at the same time. If that is possible. A tap glass of creamy delicious milk. Dairy is for sure what I miss most. Hope I don't have a bad reaction to it. I think I am most nervous because so many off road items come together in a meal and I wouldn't be able to tell what I am reacting to. I want to enjoy myself and eat freely but I just am so unsure how to handle it. I am nervous about having a bad reaction and feeling miserable on vacation. I don't want to offend family at holiday gatherings by asking a bunch of questions about prep and cooking methods. I guess I will just take it slow "One Meal At A Time!" Try not to let it stress me out.

On the plus side no need to reintro legumes. I don't really miss them at all. My kids miss beans with Mexican and my daughter really misses peanut butter, but I have no yearning for any of them.

Will for sure be having a glass of wine or two, but don't know how to approach that one. I really am nervous about having any kind of reaction. I wonder if others fear that as well. I find myself looking forward to getting home and starting another whole 30.

I guess I really should have my own forum topic, but I feel like I am talking to a friend in here. Thinking I will start a while I am vacationing forum. And probably one for my next whole30. Am regretting not having done it all through this one.

[AmyJanette]

You know, where I come from, they call people like you, 'thread-hijackers'...lol...just kidding.  I don't mind you posting here - makes me happy you feel comfortable enough with me to share.  

 

So, I'm only on Day 11, and I'M having reintro fears...I am going to be hyperventilating by the time I get to 31 days...lol  But I'm with you, dairy is making a comeback!  But I think I am going to maybe do just my W30, then take the rest of January off (my birthday is in January...I don't want to have to check every ingredient if the hubby takes me out for supper) and then start back up doing W30 indefinitely until I feel it's the right time to stop, starting 28th of January (reassess every 30 days).  I need to lose at least 125 pounds - that's an entire person!!! - just to be on the upper range of a healthy weight for my height.  It's pretty scary, facing that kind of a challenge.  And I self-sabotage, so that makes it all the harder to keep going strong.

But, if I add in some more consistent exercise, I should be able to lose 10lbs a month, at least to start off with...making me come within my goal in about a year.  I'm not sure if I can stick with this an entire year financially....we'll be in the poor house by then! lol

 

Sooo...in other news, the crazy food dreams have definitely started.  Thank goodness I knew about them beforehand or I would have been less amused when I woke up than I was.  I don't remember the dream, just that it involved numerous non-compliant foods and I woke up amused...So, here's hoping tonight's crazy dreams are remembered!

Day 11:

 

Breakfast: Open-faced breakfast 'sandwich'...homemade sausage patty on the bottom, egg fried in coconut oil on the top, and lettuce and tomato in the middle.  Also a bowl of radishes and celery.

Snack: Coconut chicken and a few gulps of coconut milk.

Lunch: Baked haddock...one small fillet of each: almond crusted and lemon dill (I liked the almond crusted better). 1/4 of a white potato, and about 2 cups steamed broccoli.  Found a compliant almond milk, mixed it with coconut milk, had one glass with lunch.

Supper: Spicy Chicken dipped in homemade mayo, sweet potato with coconut oil on it.

So, today I went shopping and found a couple of compliant items I had been looking for.  I found plain almond milk, and I also found almond/coconut milk.  Also found a cheaper compliant canned coconut milk.

I made my very first batch of homemade mayo today!  It turned out so thick!!!  Thicker than any you buy from the store...and yummy, though a bit salty.  But it tastes very fresh, and it was DIVINE on the spicy chicken...just right to tone it down!  I used this recipe, with the intention of making tarter sauce for the fish, but never got that far: http://whole30.com/2014/05/mayo/  

[85MotherOf4AK]

I found I love homemade mayo although I was extremely skeptical at first. But it was my favorite with scothballs!