The "Return of the Dirty Thirty" 12 January start date

[Geminimik]

CC - I want to hop a plane. I'm so jealous. Please give Rosann a big hug from me and tell her that we're still going to Italy for wine, evoo and men!

 

Meadow - and the other elders on this thread. Keep reminding us. It is so easy to miss the magic of the W30...of the possible life change. I'm not thinking of ending anymore, but rather gently transitioning over time. I'm certainly not where CC or Meadow are yet, but I get glimpses of it, if only for a moment. 

 

Shannon - I so agree with everything you said. It's about finally not being a slave to our diet, cravings or hormones. It's about being at a point where we can trust ourselves, where our tastebuds, hormones and cravings are no longer on steroids. We no longer suffer from invasion of the body-snatchers. 

 

I still oversalt and I know for me this needs to be worked on. Like someone said I need to return my tastebuds to normal so I enjoy the subtle flavors of all the foods instead of intense salt and intense sweet. 

 

Okay, after all of that is said, today is my first day back to the gym in the AM in over a week, so off I go. Going to work on reestablishing my good habits. Two meals out, thurs and sat (I hate that) but it will be allright. I will pick simple foods and be grateful for the companionship and Wicked.

 

Hugs to all. I have a beautiful grapefruit today. Fresh radishes & carrots from the farmer's market. Will have more fish tonight, that really resonates with my system. Still haven't made bone broth, hopefully this weekend. A jacuzzi would be nice.

 

Darling Dave, I can't wait for you to have your surgery so you don't hurt anymore.

 

m

[MeadowLily]

To say I am squirrel nutty about Larabars is to understate my personality by several thousand degrees.

 

I know myself.  I can never count calories or follow a menu plan written by other people.  I can never count steps or grams of bread crumbs.  That's why the Whole 30 is for me.

 

You'll have to search the Whole 30 site for the articles, manifestos and tips about missing skills for people who struggle with weight.  Just practice, practice and practice until they become your skills in your wheelhouse.

 

We can give ourselves permission to have a meltdown and throw in the towel.  Whole 30 is not a  diet.

 

We are not dieters and this is not a temporary diet of 30 days.   Using these words flies in the face of what a Whole 30 is really all about.    It is a food reset.

 

If diets worked so well, we wouldn't be here.   So many of us have ridden that diet merry-go-round...all the horses saddles are worn smooth from our butts!

 

Eat whole foods without limiting quantity.   This is exactly the Whole 30 strategy I've used and I swear it broke the cycle for me.   I ate like a king for the whole month.  All Whole 30,  all healthy, non-trigger foods.

 

 

I do not eat Larabars.   I do not eat unlimited nuts and dried fruits.  I do not slather nut butters on dates.  I don't make SWYPO pancakes or waffles.    I don't make faux boxed cereal by using shredded coconut, adding blueberries and topping it with coconut milk.  I don't guzzle bottles of homemade mayo.

 

I embrace the Whole 30 tenets with every fiber of my being.  I don't kick against the simplicity of 1-2-3.

CC reinforces this for us.   Proteins.   Vegetables.   Good Fats.

 

That's it.   

 

The number one reason any particular diet fails is that it is implemented so brutally strict right out of the gate.    Every part of a person's being rebels fairly quickly.   This Shock and Awe approach is so brutal for binge and thrill eaters that it sets them up for another vicious cycle.   

 

If you've been a dieter all of your life, you're going to have to edge your way down slowly.

  

 

Thrill eating....going off on a bender,

then bouncing back with more calorie deficit.   This is only going to put you deeper in the hole.

 

 

The only way we can ever get relief from this vicious cycle and cravings is to make vegetables your best friends.   Embrace proteins and good fats.   They are your lovers.

 

Shannon takes the Whole 30 very seriously.    So do I.    I might laugh, dance and sing but that's to keep my hands and mind busy. 

 

Wild horses couldn't pull me away from the Whole 30.   It's changing my world.

 

 

So who's gonna make it to Day 30?    Who's gonna take the slow roll reintroduction with you when you go?

 

 

 

You can be anything you want to be.   Progress.   Not Perfection.

 

[MeadowLily]

[NannyD]

Hello everyone. I have been away for personal reasons but doing great with food. A lot of bone broth. Chicken and beef. What a relief to have that in my life. Best to all of you and I will check back as soon as i can

[MeadowLily]

For Grannie

 

[MeadowLily]

Miki has accomplished something that most people cannot do.   I'll let her tell you about it.

 

We've discussed that within 3 years time, 85-90% of dieters have regained every single pound with 'friends' who were/are on any diet.   This even includes some WLS - folks who've had a weight loss surgery.

 

“The data are quite clear,” says David Levitsky, Ph. D., a professor of nutrition at Cornell University. “When people complete their dietary treatment, they gain most of the weight back within one year.” The reason for that is complex, Levitsky says, and has to do with losing motivation once the weight stops dropping away, becoming bored or complacent about your new diet, and a host of other factors. 

 

 

 

This should scare the - - - - right out of a dieter.   Keep dieting and dialing it down to a nub.  The odds are stacked against dieters for maintaining that loss.   The majority of them have regained every pound the very next year.    Why?   Because dieting is a band-aid.   It doesn't fix the head.

 

We can all diet on remote control.    It doesn't work.

 

 

Those with true success, engage their heads in the process.  It will require a willingness to look at our own Groundhog Day behaviors.   

 

Animal lovers know the only way to train a horse or a dog is to snap them out of a destructive habit.  You have to redirect their attention.   It requires patience but you can teach a dog new tricks.

 

Get rid of the Fattitudes.   Don't diet.   

 

Eat three great meals aday, your head will start to engage and come along for the ride.

[MeadowLily]

 

 

You don't have to be the "Leader of the Snack".

 

 

 

 

[drtracyb]

forgive me dirty 30 for I have sinned:  too much abstaining makes it hard for me moderate.  I used to be fine with both abstaining and moderating for a long long time but today I stress ate.  I absolutely had a whole milk latte and chocolate chip cookies.  for lunch.  I don't even like cookies.  ok time to move on.

 

stuck in blizzard. marinating meats and getting ready to cook salmon.... as soon as we eat the roast chicken I will start simmering my BB!  this is a first for me! washed my beautiful broccoli and kale and stocked up on mushrooms!  

 

LOL, just readiong that makes my gut clench.  I had gastric bypass 12 years ago and drinking a whole glass of milk and eating chocolate chip cookies would send me into a sugar coma and cause unending GI upset.  Not that I don't have my own "sinning" moments - they just consist of things like french fries and pizza.

[drtracyb]

Ok, Day 4 for me.  I've got the niece's chocolate lab with me for a few days so the day started with taking her to the park marching up and down the soccer field to teach her how to bring back a ball.  The nice thing about having a dog is that it forces you outside.  I missed that part of my life, as I am down to one 16-year-old decrepit queensland who can't walk more than a block.  Poor old Molly, she is marching up and down the soccer field trying to follow me as I chase the labrador's ball that I just threw.

 

Now M1 of two eggs and some kale.  Then rear gym, 60 minutes on the treadmill.

 

I made a bunch of tuna salad after reading Meadow et al's threads on eating more fish.  Can people give me suggestions for good fish recipes?  I grew up with my dad catching Coho Salmon in Lake Michigan but I have never really cooked fish myself.  Anyone have a good no-sweet-potato fish cake recipe?  I'm not doing starchy veg's this month.

[MeadowLily]

Miki -

 

I was thinking of you early this morning.  You remind me of some of my mother's sisters.   She has sisters that are my age because there were 12 sibs altogether.    I have aunts that are my age.

It was always so much fun being around them.   For some reason,  I thought of this story when I was thinking of you.

 

Grandmaw had a bird named Pedee.  One winter day, it was so cold in the house.  The gas/electricity always used to go out here in  Jan/Feb with the wind howling 90 per.   Pedee was frozen solid in his cage like the Rock of Gibraltar.   Grandmaw gave the bird mouth-to-mouth and blew air into its' tiny lil lungs.   Well, Pedee didn't come to.  So she wrapped it in a towel and put it in the oven to warm it up.   They did have a wood-burning stove but it didn't warm up the upstairs.

 

Pedee did not come back to life.  So we found a shoebox and buried Pedee.   Some the younger kids were bawling and hollaring, crying their eyes out.  Some of the sisters were laughing hysterically and Grandmaw had an absolute madhouse on her hands.    To this day, all we have to do is look at one another and we can end up throwing ourselves onto the floor, rolling around and into fits of giggles.    I think you would fit right in with our family.   I know Higs, Laurie, ChiggerCane, CC, Granny, Nanny, Annie, Cottage Queen, Dr.T, Tulip and all of the others would think we were absolutely cuckoo for cocoa puffs ...but I guarantee you would enjoy yourselves. You would forget all of your troubles for just awhile.

 

We  need some peace and fun.  MamaMiki is loaded to gills with peace and comfort.    Send me some Miki.

 

[ChiggerCane]

Poor peedee - the indignity. At least she didn't burn.

 

Couple broth questions:

Someone posted they have a cup 'for' breakfast - or 'for' snack.  ?? Bone broth is not a 'meal', correct?  Sorry if this is a 'stupid' question.

 

Other question - would this broth be considered 'clear'?  Hubby is having colonscopy next week (oh fun!) and I'm trying to decide what to have on hand for the day before.  Any advice?

[committedtocooking]

 

Eat three great meals aday, your head will start to engage and come along for the ride.

 

This! I just need to make this my motto.

 

Ladyshanny you sound like my parents! So true though. Just because I’ve made this huge improvement doesn’t mean I should stop either, especially when it gets uncomfortable. This transition hasn’t been that hard, which is good, but probably means I need to do a little more to push my boundaries.

 

I just made those bars on Monday night but I’m going to move them down to the basement fridge – that will be enough to discourage me from having them. What’s funny is that I have candy around the house but was really gravitating to the bars. The candy doesn’t really bother me – I think for one second about how good it would be, but then realize how quickly it will be gone so it’s not worth ruining these 30 days over 1 Hershey kiss (almond! The best kind!). Not going to lie, I did have a farewall larabar last night…It’s sad to think I’m having this much angst over a 4” bar of fruit and nuts. I gave up my 3 times a day Coke (the liquid, not the powder ha) habit almost no problem, but struggle with the bar that I’ve only made 3 times? I think some of it is I know that Coke is bad for me, but the larabars can be a good thing in the right situation. I just wasn’t using them that way.

 

Meadow, you can have all my actual branded larabars – not a big fan which is probably good!  I’m more likely to use them in actual emergency situations instead of when I want something sweet!

 

On the weight issue – thanks to those who have had a long road to go for sharing some of their experiences. I’m not overweight by any means but have packed on pounds over the last few years at a rate that can’t continue. Hearing about the health effects you are suffering from your pre-Whole 30 diet is further encouragement to me on this path so I avoid those same issues. It’s easy to justify eating things that comfort you when you feel bad, but unfortunately it’s a vicious cycle. That momentum works the same way but in a positive manner under Whole 30 – it becomes easy to eat things that are good for you when you feel good. Same with working out. Since I’ve become consistent with it, I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s hard to get that momentum started but it’s easy when you are in that groove. I want to continue that momentum when these 30 days are up.

 

Tulip – maybe try the bone broth in a crockpot if you have one? I’m nervous to leave my stove on overnight. Heck, I just started running out to the store for a quick trip while the oven is oven and I don’t even love doing that!

[ladyshanny]

Poor peedee - the indignity. At least she didn't burn.

 

Couple broth questions:

Someone posted they have a cup 'for' breakfast - or 'for' snack.  ?? Bone broth is not a 'meal', correct?  Sorry if this is a 'stupid' question.

 

Other question - would this broth be considered 'clear'?  Hubby is having colonscopy next week (oh fun!) and I'm trying to decide what to have on hand for the day before.  Any advice?

Bone broth is considered a beverage on Whole30, drink it as you please.  It is not a meal replacement and isn't really a snack although I find that if I ate just a bit too little, a cup of bone broth will bridge the gap until it's meal time.

 

I would say that bone broth would count as a clear fluid but if you're unsure, give the clinic a quick call, they'll know for sure!

[MeadowLily]

We can't expect marinated results with microwaved efforts.

 

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[Tonya]

Lol, Meadow, I still microwave stuff, but I am definitely spending more time preparing food and cooking more with my crockpot!

 

So yesterday I had my first tough workout since doing this Whole 30.  Such a great workout, body weight stuff, free weight stuff, jump rope - all good.  I am a "salty sweater" (sorry, TMI and gross), which means I lose more salt than typical when I work out hard.  I have to have some sort of electrolyte replacer after a tough workout or even if I go for a walk on a hot day in summer, otherwise I get very nauseous and end up with a terrible headache.  I typically use NUUN tablets, because they don't have sugar in them....but they have sorbitol!  I didn't discover that until yesterday when I was going to put one in my water bottle.  I figured I could just throw some extra salt on my dinner last night, but no good, I was still very dehydrated.  I drank some salt water, which helped a little bit, but I get worried about drinking too much water because my brother was hospitalized last year for hyponatremia - he was out in the field last summer and only had water with him (he suffers from the same salt issue as me).  I was still nauseous, and had a headache all night - I also get lethargic and don't think about things that I should - I should have thought to look up a recipe for an electrolyte drink, but I didn't think about it until this morning after sipping on salt water all night long.  I think too, eating no processed food, I have less salt in my system to begin with. 

 

I'm off to look up electrolyte drink recipes - I would love suggestions if anyone has one they make.  Coconut water is ok, but it doesn't have enough salt in it for me.  I wonder if I could just add salt to the coconut water? 

[MeadowLily]

Marinated results take time and patience.

 

Microwaved efforts cause anxiety and high expectations.

 

 

 

We live in a microwave world where we want everything instantaneously.

 

 

A Whole 30 is passing up immediate gratification for long term satisfaction.  To be really in the pocket Whole 30 template is to make the minute by minute good decisions.....

 

 

The meal by meal and mile by mile choices that will eventually add up to your success.   Nobody may lavish you with praise.   No cheering crowds....You Go, girl!      No golden trumpets to mark your progress.

 

In fact, nobody to notice all of the quiet sacrifices we are making in our snackless corner of the world.

 

Marinated results will take you further in life than microwaved efforts ever will.

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

 

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]