Oxidizing the Adipose Tissue

[Rebe_J]

Wed Feb 11

I completed my Whole 30 on Jan 30. It was a success to the extent that I followed the meal templates. It was my second (complete) W30.  I came away a little disappointed this time that I didn't lose much weight--about 5 pounds... and I need to shed much more.  I was also a bit disappointed in myself for not getting my butt in gear and (re-)starting my workouts. And there was that nasty head cold that had me sniffling and sneezing and coughing....

 

Also, I know from before whick foods I can add back and what I can't. Sugar is a non-starter (the small amount in bacon or ham is OK). Dairy is discouraged and limited--I'm not a big fan of cheese, but I have missed my homemade yogurt. Legumes...meh; no biggie there, either. Grains? Oats and corn are OK, wheat and other gluten not so much.

 

I also know that none of the foods eliminated during W30 cause me any serious grief if I have one meal here and there. DH and I agreed to one pizza per quarter. Pizza once in 3 months is no big deal. Well, it is a big deal, because I will be pretty darn picky about where we go for pizza.

 

My intentions now... Following the Whole 30 meal template most days. I'm shooting for 90% compliance. I won't have to be totally anal about every stinking ingredient, though. I have a vacation in early March, so after that, my intention is to jump on the 30-Day Reset outlined by Melissa Joulwan in her new book, Living Paleo for Dummies.

 

The big picture: Burn the Fat. (I'm paraphrasing in my title, so as not to be stealing from Tom Venuto, author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.)

 

 

 

[Rebe_J]

Wed Feb 11

 

I did W30 for January; took a day off for Super Bowl, then back on plan. At this point, I should be burning fat, or at least have some metabolic flexibility. So if I want to really oxidize some adipose tissue, I had better turn up the heat....Get moving!!!

 

 

Meal 1: Ground beef w/cabbage, onion, carrot, topped with 2 eggs fried in coconut oil, sliced tomatoes, 1/2 apple with almond butter

Meal 2: Sliced turkey, guacamole, assorted salad vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, radishes), homemade mayo/mustard

Meal 3: Chicken tenderloins, 1/2 baked potato with ghee, green beans, homemade applesauce.

 

Workout:

Simple & Sinister Kettlebell workout. About 45 minutes, including joint mobility, warmup and cool down. It's been a long time, and I know I'll feel it tomorrow. What I like about KBs...simple but not easy.

[Rebe_J]

Thursday, Feb 12

 

I'm feeling my legs a little from my KB workout yesterday. My knees had forgottten how to do Goblet Squats.

 

Today, we get to take Mom in law to her eye doctor appointment. Those appointments always take a long time, as he is a retina specialist and he tends to over-book appointments.

 

I started my morning with a cup of coffee with coconut milk, coconut oil and a smidgen of cocoa powder. Very good. Almost bullet-proof.

Meal 1: Goulash* and eggs fried in coconut oil and topped with guacamole; sliced tomatoes, bell pepper strips, cucumbers, small serving applesauce.

Meal 2: sliced turkey, assorted vegetables, mayo/mustard for dipping, applesauce

Meal 3: chicken sausage (Costco) with peppers, onions & mushrooms

 

* I named it "goulash" but I'm sure it's not even close: ground beef cooked with onions, cabbage, carrots, tomato paste, seasoned with Penzey's Tsardust Memories spice blend.

[Rebe_J]

Friday the 13th

Yesterday dragged on with MIL's doctor appointment, then trying to get her TV to work. Very aggravating and time consuming.

Today: workout, haircut for me, then visiting a new grocery store that has a full service butcher counter and picking up a few items.

I have a list of things to cook in my new Instant Pot. Bone broth, braised kale & carrots, steam-baked potatoes, and a chuck roast.

Considering applesauce took 4 minutes, this really isn't as daunting a list as it looks.

Meal 1: same as yesterday

Meal 2: chili, Apple with almond butter

Meal 3: pressure cooked Mexican beef (Nom Nom Paleo), braised kale & carrots, melon

I'm still feeling a twinge of soreness in my legs. Before my workout today, I'll do a thorough foam-rolling. I was expecting some DOMS, so today's slight soreness is a pleasant surprise.

Really gave my Instant Pot a workout today. Kale, bone broth, spaghetti squash, Mex beef. And a big pot of chili on the stove. The refrigerator is loaded.

[Rebe_J]

Sat, Feb 14.

It's a work day and I didn't give myself much time here.

 

 

 

 

M 1: eggs, sausage, kale/carrot, tomatoes, grapefruit (3 sections)

M 2: salad with homemade dressing, turkey, melon

M 3: spaghetti squash with meatballs and sauce

[Rebe_J]

Sunday, Feb 15

 

I can talk the talk as well as anyone, but walking the walk is an altogether different animal.

 

Yesterday started out great, but I caved and ate a cookie. That opened the door. I didn't get it under control until this afternoon.

 

I did my Kettlebell workout and during my rests, I thought about what I had done and put it behind me. Back on track.

 

Tired of starting over?

Stop quitting!

[Rebe_J]

The soreness in my legs this morning reminds me that I increased the weights in my workout yesterday. I must remember to congratulate myself on the smallest of victories...

 

I'm at work and I've got a few minutes of peace and quiet before the day really begins.

 

Meal 1: 3 eggs fried in coconut oil, braised kale & carrots, cherry tomatoes, a few grapefruit segments

Meal 2: turkey, big salad with homemade dressing, orange sections

Meal 3: chicken tenderloins, TBD what's to go with it. A side of spaghetti squash and sauce? The fridge is stocked, so there are a lot of options.

 

 

I'm trying to get into the habit of prepping grapefruit into sections. I like grapefruit with my first meal, but half a grapefruit is usually too much. A few sections are enough.

 

I'm pleased with how the kale & carrots turned out in the Instant Pot. I'm happy with my new toy and I'm looking for more things to cook in it. What a time saver. And food tastes better than when made in the slow cooker.

[Rebe_J]

Wow, it's Friday and I've missed posting anything here since Monday. Well, Tuesday wasn't pretty. My days off have been good.

 

I just finished my KB workout and I'm pleased that I'm making some progress. Slow progress is still progress. I'm not thrilled that I'm still not shedding these excess pounds. I try not to get disappointed and when I do, I try to remind myself of the good things that come out of the W30.

 

I've been giving some thought to my intention to stop following the Path of Least Resistance (PLR). I've been in that mode for far too long. I pay lip service to all the things I say I believe in, but my actions....PLR.  I know I'm not unique in this. I have great intentions and stick to W30 for 30 days, then oopsie! How did that almond poppyseed muffin get on my plate?

 

I won't beat myself up; that leads to donuts. And I'm rambling. I need to organize my thoughts, just in case someone reads this.

 

 

On my days off this week, I did quite a bit of cooking and food prep. I found a new grocery store with decent produce. And, I played with my new toy, the Instant Pot pressure cooker.

 

Stovetop Carnitas (Well Fed) adapted to the pressure cooker by Tom Denham. Deeee-licious! and done in 20 minutes. Thanks, Tom.

PC Kale & Carrots (Nom Nom Paleo). Very good, even the stems are tender in 8 minutes.

Applesauce: apples and cinnamon. 4 minutes.

Spaghetti squash: 3 minutes and cooked to perfection--evenly.

Steam-baked potatoes in 12 minutes. Ready to finish in the oven or dice up and brown with bacon and eggs.

 

I also made a big batch of meatballs (Well Fed2), pre cooked some hamburger patties, made a breakfast casserole, Paleo brownies for DH, and a big pan of Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (Nom Nom Paleo)

 

I cleaned and prepped a bunch of vegetables: 4 colors bell peppers, radishes, celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers. They're ready to pack into my lunch box, and for DH to have with his meals while I'm at work. Also made ghee, mayo, catsup, salad dressing.

 

I spent some time getting familiar with my new recipe manager, Paprika. I can use my iPad while I'm cooking, and I can make notes on the recipe and not have to keep track of sheets of paper or a notebook. I think I will get a lot of use out of it.

 

I had a busy "weekend" and now I'm ready for work tomorrow.

[Rebe_J]

Saturday, work day

I slept well, woke up early, but refreshed. I had some dreams, too, but not about food.

M 1 Brussels sprouts, eggs, cherry tomatoes, grapefruit
I was careful to get 2 cups of vegetables. My grapefruit is pre-sectioned, so I just had a few bites.

M 2 at work. Burger patty from home, big salad with extra veggies and dressing from home. Small piece pineapple.

M 3 Spaghetti squash with meatballs and marinara sauce, melon

 

snack at work: yogurt with a little granola. It was too sweet. I eyeballed the poppyseed muffins and passed. Yay me.

 

Came home early with a sinus headache; there's a change in the weather. If we get some much-needed rain or snow from this storm, it will be worth the pain...

[Rebe_J]

Dang, it's Wednesday and I haven't set foot here....

[Tina Marie]

I hope you don't mind that I was reading your posts ... I have been thinking of getting an insta pot too - it appears it is easy to use ?  It looks like you have not had any trouble using it ?   Did you make the meatballs in it as well ?  Thanks for sharing

[Rebe_J]

I hope you don't mind that I was reading your posts ... I have been thinking of getting an insta pot too - it appears it is easy to use ?  It looks like you have not had any trouble using it ?   Did you make the meatballs in it as well ?  Thanks for sharing

 

Hi Tina Marie, I'm happy to have "company" here.

 

I love my Instant Pot, but I probably won't use it for meatballs. I bake the meatballs, then freeze them. I heat them in sauce at mealtime at home, or heat them up at work and have with a salad. They're good cold, too. Well Fed2 has several variations on meatballs, and they turn out great.

 

The controls on the Instant Pot are intuitive and relatively easy. I won't have much use for its ablity to cook rice and beans, and I already have a yogurt maker that I don't use anymore. The downside is that it's too fast. I have little time while it's working to get other stuff done, unlike a slow cooker or a stove top soup pot.

 

Today, I plan to use it for applesauce, spaghetti squash, kale, potatoes, and maybe carnitas-like pork. It's not true carnitas, but quite good.

[Rebe_J]

Thursday Feb 26

 

Yesterday was a full day, complete with a nice anniversary celebration dinner. Hard to believe it has been 39 years.

 

Dinner was at our favorite Mexican place. I had shrimp fajitas. I didn't ask about compliant oils, etc, as I'm not on W30 right now. This was a splurge meal, and I enjoyed it. I ate my share of chips and salsa--house-made chips are more splurge-worthy than anything out of a bag from the store. I didn't eat much of the beans and rice, as they aren't my favorites, anyway. There was plenty of shrimp and vegetables and guacamole to satisfy my hunger. Best part: waking up today feeling good.

 

We made the rounds at 4 stores for groceries and other supplies. The fridge is over stocked and today I'll do something about it. I have my weekly meal plan ready and an outline of my "production schedule." I will have time sometime during the day for my KB workout and some other fun.

[Rebe_J]

I just finished my KB workout. I was a bit of a wimp. Before I did my warmup, my neck and shoulders were stiff and a bit sore (from what I don't know), so I did some foam rolling. Then my warmup. During my workout, my right knee started to bother me. I am too old to just "gut it out" and "push through" pain, so I took it easy. I did not do the last two TGUs. I got in a good stretch and then a nice hot shower. The water felt good on my shoulders. Maybe I have had too much iPad time the past few days. Hmmm....

 

Food today: I cooked a spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot, then a big batch of applesauce with cinnamon. I cleaned and prepped a bunch of vegetables: bell peppers in 3 colors, cucumbers, radishes, green onions, tomatoes. I sliced up a nice cantaloupe and sectioned two grapefruit. I made an "Egg Pie" and a pan of Paleo "brownies."

 

The brownies are for DH. They are quite good; no grain, no sugar, no dairy; sweetened with dates. DH could stand to gain about half the amount I could stand to lose. It has been a struggle to get him to accept the fact that I don't need to eat as much as he does. He's finally listening. He's also getting better at eating his first meal earlier in the day.

 

Dinner tonight. I'm going to try paleo Kitchen's Honey Mustard Chicken. I know, it has honey and Dijon mustard. I am OK with these small ingredient allowances. After all, I am POST W30.

 

[Rebe_J]

Friday, Feb 27

 

The morning started at DMV. Even with our using the queueless text system, it was a long wait for a 30 second transaction.

 

I'm crabby today. I have one of those sinus headaches that indicates a change in the weather. We're supposedly going to get snow later today. I wish it would hurry up. My face hurts.

[Rebe_J]

It's March.

 

My sinus headache continued through most of yesterday. I'm better today. The snow came and went and left the mountains covered in a nice blanket. Ours melted almost as fast as it fell. Perfect.

 

Work was pretty slow today, and I guess it was out of boredom that I got an apple fritter with my coffee. it was good, but not THAT good. Then, at lunch, I got frustrated about the microwave in the lunchroom. There were several people ahead of me, so while I was waiting to heat up my chicken, I ate some yogurt with granola. It was good, but not splurge-worthy.

 

I was able to leave work early and I came home and did a KB workout. I feel pretty good about it, too. I almost followed the Path of Least Resistance and just flopped in my chair with my iPad. Yay, me that I got off my hiney and did my workout.

 

I'm pleased with my progress, slow as it is. I'm feeling less winded doing my swings, and i'm finally able to add some weight to my TGUs. During my cooldown, I noticed I'm more flexible and am able to get deeper into the stretches.

 

Not a perfect day, but not the disaster it could have been.

 

Compliant hot dogs for dinner, with Bubbies saurkraut, sliced tomatoes, cukes, peppers, etc, and some melon or applesauce.

 

Two more work days, then vacation.

[Rebe_J]

Dinner last night: I added half a baked potato with ghee. I had forgotten that I had "steam baked" some potatoes in my Instant Pot. Pre cooked and ready to heat up, they are not as good as fresh from the oven baked spuds, but worth it for the convenience. Ready after 2 minutes in the mike.

 

Today:

Meal 1: hash made of ground beef, sweet potato, onion, peppers, mushrooms, kale. Topped with scrambled eggs, topped with salsa and avocado. A few grapefruit sections and cherry tomatoes on the side. A big meal, but I ate it all. And now, 2 hours later, at work, I'm trying to talk myself out of something from the bakery. I'll set a timer and see how I feel about it in 15 minutes.

 

I'm a little sore from my KB workout yesterday, but in a good way. Now I have to start doing some walking. Just 30 minutes a day would be a big help.

[Rebe_J]

Wednesday, March 4

I'm on vacation; I don't have to go back to work until Saturday, March 14.

 

I'm a little disappointed that DH and I have not sat down and talked about what we want to do for 10 days. It's my fault, though. He knows I'm tired from a long stressful busy season at work. I haven't had any vacation time since August. I'd like to get out of town for a couple days for a change of scenery, but the weather is dicey, and then yesterday's mail brought an order to report for Jury duty on Monday. Whee!

 

I did not see the results I was expecting (hoping for) from my January W30.

I did not fully commit to a Fat-Burning February, like I had intended. I did more workouts than in Jan, but still....

 

This morning, I'm having bulletproof coffee in lieu of breakfast. Traditionally, vacation starts at our favorite casino for some fun and a meal. I'll probably splurge and have a biscuit with my steak and eggs. Most places are happy to substitute something for the potatoes.

[Rebe_J]

I just read through some of my W30 Log from January. It's probably good for me to read through that and the W30 Daily emails occasionally.

 

Typical of me: Grand Plans, tiny effort and even smaller follow-through. I guess I shouldn't feel like the Lone Ranger on that one.

 

I'm thinking that one thing that I allow to deter me is that I don't really have any friends outside work. DH is great, but it's just not the same as a dear friend. I used to be able to use the excuse that elderly parents took up so much of my time that I didn't have time for friends. Now I have the time...

 

I don't really know where to start. WW meetings were good for the fellowship, but I don't believe in the philosophy.  I have to give this some thought while I have time off from work.

 

As my former WW Leader used to say: If you're looking for an excuse, any one will do.

[Tina Marie]

ok  stalking your log again !   you know here on the forum there are lots of people out here that more than happy to give support and encouragement at any time ! if you want anyone to make comments or entries you may want to move your log out of post whole 30-     just a thought.  

 

I think you are doing marvelous by the way !

[Rebe_J]

Thanks, Tina! I'm giving a lot of thought to this right now. One thing I really need is to get off my butt and move more. I spend too much time here on the computer, cruising forums. They are helpful and supportive, but keep me sitting. I do more than enough of that at work.

[Rebe_J]

I just had a delicious breakfast Meal 1. Leftover carnitas chopped up with shredded sweet potato and kale, scrambled with eggs, sliced tomatoes on the side.

 

I have been reading posts on these forums, and there seems to be a lot of people, especially newer ones, who want to leverage their old ways into W30. It's natural, I guess to want to make a big change without having to make any changes....

 

It prompted me to look for an old blog post of mine from my WW days. It's about the Letter of the Law vs. the Spirit of the Law as it applied to Weight Watchers.

 

Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law

Staying “On Plan”

Two weeks in a row now, I haven't lost any weight. I've stayed the same.

Technically, I've been On Plan--following the Letter of the Law.

I stayed within my Points.

I followed and met the Good Health Guidelines.

I exercised.

 

Then there's the Spirit of the Law.

Choose Filling Foods over empty calories.

Monitor hunger levels. Eat when hungry, but before ravenous. Stop when satisfied.

Move more. Do some sort of activity every day.

Identify and avoid emotional eating (or eating for any reason besides physical hunger).

 

How did I do in terms of the Spirit of the Law?

Lousy.

I chose sugar/fat -laden foods in addition to filling foods.

I ate more after being satisfied, even if within my Points.

I worked out hard at the gym five days, but allowed myself to be lazy the rest of the time.

I reached for food because it was convenient, and it “winked at me” and not because I was hungry. I used food for comfort on more than one occasion.

 

Technically I was “On Plan.” I should have shown a loss.

Ethically, I was out in left field. I should have shown a gain.

So, I'm feeling lucky I didn't gain. And grateful.

How to fix it? My WW leader would say, “You know what to do!” What she did say in my meeting today (for the forty-eleventh time), “Bring the body and the Mind will follow.”

In other words, FOLLOW THE PROGRAM. (And abide by the Spirit of the Law.)

Success breeds motivation.

 

I'll give it a try, for a change.   

 

 

How does this apply to me and W30, or Post W30?

How am I following the Letter and not the Spirit? I see it in others' posts a lot, but how am I doing?

 

LARABARs. I am leaning on them too much. The last 3 or 4 that I ate, I wasn't hungry. I would have eaten a donut.

I am drinking coffee before Meal 1 too often. I am drinking more coffee than I need. It becomes an appetite suppressant.

For Post-Whole30, I haven't set out any clear cut "rules" to live by, but the Spirit of the Law remains: eat real food in appropriate quantities to sustain good health.

 

 

I will give this more thought and add to this....

[Rebe_J]

Well I did a lot of cooking today.  My pressure cooker and I cooked spaghetti squash, potatoes, and kale. I mixed up a batch of potato salad with Paleo mayo. It's mostly for DH, but I had a small serving with lunch. My brother had given me some bread & butter pickles (Mom's secret recipe) and I used some in the salad (the secret to Mom's world-class potato salad). Not W30 compliant, but very tasty and OK for post-W30.

 

Then I had to cut my workout short. I could feel a pull in my right glute/hamstring while swinging the KB. Not bad, but I don't want to push it. I did some extra stretches followed by a hot shower. Now, I can feel it when I sit and stand. I insisted that DH go for a walk with me tomorrow; I'm hoping that will help it.

 

I grabbed a couple slices turkey breast and a handful of cherry tomatoes for my post workout mini meal. It hit the spot, though I probably didn't work hard enough to really need it.

[Rebe_J]

Friday Mar 6

 

Yesterday was a good day. Some shopping, food prep, reading, good food and a workout. Three meals and a post workout mini meal.

 

I slept well, in spite of watching action packed TV before bedtime. I'm working my way toward an hour of classical music and a good book during that time.

 

I woke up with a sore knee and butt. It will feel better after some movement. I'm not debilitated, but I feel like a dork for pulling a muscle doing something relatively easy.

 

I also woke up with some respiratory congestion. Spring sprung early around here. A sinus rinse with the Neti Pot is on the agenda. (distilled water, of course)

[Rebe_J]

It's Monday and I don't have to work. Yay.

This has been an uneventful vacation, and that's pretty much what I had intended.

 

I did not intend to go so far off-roading in terms of eating. Wow. It has been like something out of "Lost Weekend" the past few days.

 

DH agreed with me yesterday, that the popcorn we ate as our dinner last night was the LAST SPLURGE until my birthday late in April.

(Air-popped corn with ghee is pretty tasty.)

 

It's late morning, due to the time change to Daylight Dummy Time, I mean Savings time. I am having bullet proof coffee and will eat breakfast in a few minutes. After that, DH and I will go for a walk, and then I have an appointment at the bank to do some financial planning. Taxes later today. Kettlebells later today.

 

Back on track.

Sorta.