vnewtnew Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Good Morning Everyone! I hope most, if not all, is well with you I have been reading and re-reading posts today and really seeing so much of what I've been going through reflected there. Especially about the near the end of the finish line blah's. I was feeling that last week even before I got sick. It's so good to come and see that others are struggling with similar issues. It helps solidify my resolve to keep going- and I am committed to go through July 15. I just love being able to come here and "chat" with my W30 family- it nourishes my soul while I am striving to nourish my body in the best way possible. Since I have been sick, it's even more crucial for me as I just want to crawl under my covers and stay there until I feel better (this fantasy alternately involves enormous quantities of less healthy food & absolutely no food at all). I even stayed home yesterday from my niece's 13th birthday party. I have not missed one of her parties since she was born. Not one. But I just could not do it, I was so sick and weak and miserable. And more miserable, because I had to miss it. *sigh* Looks like a visit to the doctor is in the cards for me tomorrow. I have had a horrible couple of nights and the view of my throat this morning is screaming "Strep". Like many of us, (while we've been sick) I am having a hard time finding the will to eat (or breathe, or blink). Forget the appetite. I ate chicken soup 3 times yesterday and I don't know if I can face it again. I have zero energy, and even less inclination to cook. Just want to curl up with my tea and try to doze all day since the sleep isn't happening at night. @Crimsann... I loved your last post so much. So inspiring and motivating while being incredibly sympathetic and supportive. Do you have multiple personalities? Because I never met any one person with all those amazing qualities plus a solid sense of humor. This is just what I needed this morning! Happy Sunday and welcome to the beginning of week four! Look at us getting all ready to take on the final (for some of us) lap of this Whole30!!!! Go us!!!! Vicki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimsann Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 @vnewtnew....HOOT! Good question, I've certainly never been officially diagnosed, lol! I will say that some of my family might agree with you. I'm a pretty quiet and solitary person truthfully, but my job involves constant interaction with people and long hours of public speaking/teaching so I do very much have an "at home face" and an "at work face". Those were some really kind things you had to say though and I'm really glad if anything I say helps anyone here. I was doing my own blog entry/food log for today and flipped over to the horoscope I've bookmarked for us and nearly choked....get a load of today's "advice" You aren't interested in listening to the cool voice of reason today because it seems as if your current commitments prevent you from taking the most desirable path. Without an apparent way out of your present dilemma, you might have to get serious now about changing your schedule. Thankfully, you realize that your casual attitude can't make the very real problems disappear. The good news is that your determination to untangle a complicated dilemma could be enough to do the trick. I'm also pretty sure something in there is saying I had better find a way to get some kind of workout in already. It might have been the oh so subtle hint about changing my schedule?! Eek! I can't wait to go back to being a Taurus full time, this Gemini nonsense is taxing! I did want to clarify one thing from my midnight mumblings of yesterday. When I mentioned "pushing boundaries" I didn't mean walking the edge of compliant vs. non-compliant, I just meant pushing myself to try foods I am either somewhat unfamiliar with or not entirely sure I like and even in one or two cases things I'm dead sure I don't like but I know that's my 9-year old self still talking. Whole food variety is a huge part of what I'm doing this for, to reinvent how I eat and become on such good terms with healthy foods that they become my first thought...not an after thought. I also wanted to say in sort of general terms that if you are this close to the end and find out that something you ate which you truly believed was compliant is in actuality not compliant and you are debating a restart, or continuing on, or quitting....I don't count, but I feel like your decision might need to vary depending on why you are doing this. If you are doing it for a pure test of food sensitivities then yeah, restarting is the only way to complete that kind of Whole30 with accuracy and you aren't going to get what you wanted and needed out of this without the grim reality of a restart. But if you are doing this more to take control of your food decisions and you spent the last 20 some days fighting for that control and being damn proud of yourself for what you have accomplished and you ate something you had no inkling was off plan until it was too late, maybe I'm too soft, but I think you have earned the right to finish a Really Seriously Hard And I Did It Even With Setbacks 29 of 30 and do so with pride. If you want a pure Whole30 then of course consider doing it again, either by continuing on from your goof point or starting over sometime soon. But you can still have 30 days of really trying to take care of yourself and they can be a heck of a lot better than the 30 days before and I don't think that stops counting for something because a sneaky additive or ingredient tried to take you down. You just have to be really honest with yourself on how you got into a non-compliant area, if it was a "so good I don't want to look into this in case it's bad" or a "who needs to read labels, I can pretty much sense this is fine" or even a " I just can't take looking and looking and not finding what I need without something questionable in it so I'm going for it." then maybe you need the restart in order to start fresh and more fully committed to doing better and giving each food choice the time and attention it demands right now. And even my soft heart isn't handing out badges if you decided one slice of pizza was okay and then came to your senses dripping in mozzarella. Hey I had to give up throat lozenges while I was dying, it's made me strict. So maybe some of you who started with us aren't going to get the shiny perfect Whole30 badge on July 1, I just want to give you the YOU DID SOMETHING AWESOME badge for sticking with it as long as you did and really trying to d it right. Though my opinion doesn't count at all officially I hope I can at least say in my book what you did mattered. And if you want to stick with us until the end of the month, then I'm glad to have you and if you make another attempt I hope you let us know so we can cheer you on to an even better Whole30 soon. Yes, that is the timer clicking down....9 days to go. I feel like this needs to be set to poetry. Ode to June 1 (or should that be Ode to July 1?!) Tick-tock it's winding down the Tenth is done and gone we'll be in single digits when the night breaks into dawn Who wants to write tomorrow's verse?! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozelle Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi all, wow a lot has gone on here over the weekend!... hope things are looking up for those who have been struggling. I just got back from a weekend camping trip and successfully navigated all the potential pitfalls. *Whew*, that was not easy. Camping trips have always meant LOTS OF SNACKS around ALL THE TIME, so it was a very different experience to be orienting around actual meals and Whole30 fare rather than reaching for whatever/whenever all the time. I noticed that my body had no interest in (or desire for) snacks, but my brain would drift toward the idea of them and start attaching to the image or smell of a familiar treat... while the thought of actually EATING the thing made my stomach turn. The dissonance between the body and brain's messages was rather peculiar! Day 21... moving into week 4 and the final stretch, WOW. I hope we all stay in touch this week, I really want to hear how folks are doing with symptoms, energy changes, hopes/fears/doubts, new food/recipe discoveries, etc. (Anyone coping with the predicted "food boredom" mentioned on the Timeline?) On the up side, I have been sleeping well and experiencing waves of mellow, calm, grounded energy. On the down side, my digestion is still not "regular" and that is worrisome... not sure how I will go about reintroducing anything after Day 30 if I have no solid baseline in that regard. *sigh* Stay strong everyone... we're in this together, WOOT WOOT!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abiswarbrick Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I'm no poet but here it goes... Tick-Tock it winds down further, The ninth is here already, We're on to something special, Just take the last days steady. @Vozelle You're not alone with the digestion, I've gone from one extreme to to other- let's just say I'm glad I wasn't camping this weekend lol!! I think I may have eaten something that disagreed with me- a bit worried that I'm eating stuff from my cook-up last Tuesday.... I'm going to settle on bi-weekly cook ups in future for my own peace of mind. I hear you on the snacks front- I have successfully negotiated a theatre trip without sweets (my Mother in Law didn't have any herself even though I said I didn't mind- Bless her!) I was at my sisters for a Father's day BBQ and successfully had my meal without then grazing (even on compliant snacks) all afternoon! I'm glad to report that after my difficulties last week I am feeling a lot better today, thank you all so much for your support, it really helped xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeGA"gardener" Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Loving your honesty and humor you've come a long way Restarting is a reality If people are interested in helping you This is good to know http://whole30.com/2014/06/really-start-whole30/ And http://whole30.com/2014/01/perfect-whole30/ Will anyone join me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misshannah Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I saw this list in a post by moderator missmary and this is going to be my guide when I'm "riding my own bike." I'm going to practice careful reintros and really try to pay attention to what my body needs for as long as it takes to get to this point: 1. Are you able to do what you want to do? 2. Do you feel strong and capable in your body? 3. Are your emotions stable? 4. Is your skin clear? 5. Do you have a libido for your partner? 6. (Do you have) a clear mind for your chosen work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeSue Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Day 22 - checking in after going on a short hiatus from the forums. As this month has gone on, work stress increased substantially right around the mid-point. I knew it was going to happen and despite eating well and exercising, the stress still hit me. That said, the first 3 weeks of the Whole30 I have mostly felt great (especially the first two weeks). But here I am on Day 22 and I'm feeling like I did before I started the program. Yesterday, for example, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep at 7:30pm and slept until 6:30am today. I woke up around 11pm with extremely painful indigestion (or possible gallbladder pain) which was the first time that had happened since starting the Whole30. My joints ache (I have Rheumatoid Arthritis). And I'm just generally feeling fatigued. The thing is, I've been diligent about making sure I'm eating the right proportions of protein, vegetables and fat. There are no smoothies, I'm not snacking, I have at most 1 serving of fruit per day (always within a meal). I'm not eating anything that "isn't within the spirit of the Whole30." Here's a sample of a day's worth of meals: M1: 3-4 eggs scrambled with 1 cup of bell peppers plus 1/2 onion chopped, cooked in a combo of ghee/bacon fat, 1/2 avocado on the side M2: The chicken, cucumber, apple with greens salad with blackberry salad dressing (swapped raspberry for blackberry) from the Whole30 book. M3: Burgers with guacamole, side of 1.5 cups of steamed vegetables & .5 cup of sweet potato Yes, the bacon is compliant (Pedersen's from Whole Foods), everything is homemade. I'm also targeting 10-12 cups of water per day. The major motivation for starting the Whole30 was that my health took a major nosedive almost a year ago. At the time I was fairly convinced something had to be going on with my thyroid. My tests showed that I was in normal ranges but "not optimal" however doctors just said I was fine and to keep doing what I was doing (unfortunately that meant I kept putting on weight and feeling worse). I'm planning to have repeat blood work on July 1st to see where things stand. I didn't go into this with the false hope of a "cure" but I was hopeful that I'd get some relief that lasted more than just a couple of weeks. I do plan to continue eating like this though - I'm not so discouraged that I want to fall off so to speak. I'm just feeling like there's more to my health issues that are going to take far longer to deal with. Anyone else on here dealing with thyroid problems or suspected thyroid problems? How are you feeling at this point in the program? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Efab Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi all! Happy Week 4! It is so fascinating to me that so many of us have had a weird few days here in the home stretch. I know that the Timeline warned of an "interlude" on Day 21 from food boredom, but like many of you I also experienced fatigue and stomach upset this weekend. I'm happy to report that by yesterday afternoon I was back in fighting form, but golly Saturday was the pits. I had a work event Saturday and took Meal 2 (huge salad with chopped egg, chicken and olives) but by 2:30pm I was asleep on the couch with an upset stomach that lasted through the night. These were brand-new occurances on my Whole30, and I am glad that they (seem to) have passed. I hope everyone else is back on track this week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozelle Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 @WholeSue.... Honestly, it could really just be the stress packing a wallop on you. Stress = Cortisol hormone dump into your bloodstream, which wreaks havoc on your entire system, causing inflammation and a cascade of negative metabolic reactions. An overload of stress can halt or even backslide your progress, from my understanding.... Maybe check with the moderators on this in the "Troubleshooting" forum? Wishing you well! @ abiswarbrick... Hope our digestion issues settle down over the next 8 days, I feel you. Congrats on your successes with the Snack Dragon! I totally forgot to brag here that I made it through an entire WEDDING on June 13th, where they served not only the best cake from a fave bakery, but also had a POPCORN BAR... popcorn being quite possibly my favorite food on the whole planet, and definitely SWYPO for me... I mean, they had all these special sprinkly toppings in every flavor imaginable... Oh, the humanity!! But I survived, and it wasn't so bad actually (I ran out to the car and ate a hard boiled egg to strengthen my late-night resolve!), and I didn't wake up the next morning with a stomach ache like I usually would have after a no-brakes popcorn frenzy. Glad there are no more weddings this month though, haha! @Efab... Yeah, some peculiar ups and downs, and deviances from the Timeline, which I must remind myself is normal, since we're all unique individuals. Sorry you had a tough Saturday, good luck this week! @misshannah... Thanks for sharing that helpful list, I like it! I have somehow avoided food boredom this entire time. I was actually bored with my food BEFORE the Whole30, and have really enjoyed learning to cook with spices, make homemade sauces, and do fun things with veggies that I've never done before (zoodles = awesome). Here on Day 22 I realize that I have also gotten a mild taste of the fabled Tiger Blood... welcoming any more that comes my way (but trying not to be attached). Have a great day everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubytheSugarDragonSlayer Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi Friends!! Haven't posted in a few days - been out and about in the world! So hubby is "sort of" doing this with me, by that - he is eating compliant foods, but he is adding in beer and bourbon - hence the "sort of". Even with those additions, over the weekend he admitted to me that he is feeling better than normal and that this "Whole30" might be on to something. I believe I'll take that as a NSV! Like so many of you I was hoping for weight loss, but overall really want to feel better and be healthier. And I really think that is helping! Navigated quite a few challenges so far - toughest one comes later this week - heading to Orlando and spending a couple days with one of my besties - it is going to drive her NUTS that I'm not drinking!! Oh well, her problem, not mine! Too close to 30 to bail now, and I feel good, so why would I want to give that up? Maybe I'll make some of the "cocktails" from the W30 book, they look fancy! Went white water rafting over the weekend - my friends thought hard boiled eggs were brilliant river food! Then they though it was strange that I had a tub of olives until I introduced them to eating olives and oranges together - they were blown-away! Crazy combo and it totally works!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WholeSue Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Ruby you reminded me a question I wanted to ask - I LOVE olive oil, but I've never picked up olives to just eat plain - went over to the olive bar at the grocery store and was totally confused - what to try? What would you suggest for a novice olive eater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimsann Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Quick check in! I think earlier one of you, or possibly more than one of you, mentioned using a Fitbit? One of my mini goals for my Whole30 was to wear mine every day even if I didn't set myself up for any specific "walk this much" goals just keeping it on and especially logging sleep while I was seeing how I did with this. Thinking about trying to add some specific exercise parameters for July whether I continue with Whole30 or not, and thought it might be time to add a friend just to know someone might be looking at those numbers. I would be happy to private message you my email address if anyone is interested. I have also used a Striiv in the past and could join up there, I just miss their old app with all the fun trophies throughout the day and the walkathons. Two years ago a group at work and I did a long challenge over the summer where stage 1 was to walk 5,000 steps a day every single day for 60 days...then in stage 2 we had to walk to certain mile markers on a virtual map they created "site-seeing" across the U.S. In phase 2 I committed to walking 10,000 steps every single day to make sure I made it all the way to the end goal which was a huge investment of time for me...but that is also when I could walk 40 minutes every day at lunch. I know I can get 5K without doing too much above and beyond just moving around the house and the office, 10K is a stretch time wise for sure, but maybe somewhere in between. Basically, it's probably safe to add me, I'm not likely to make your numbers look bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozelle Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 @WholeSue RE> olives: I love the big green ones (not the pimentos, yuck)... they have a light, lovely flavor and lots of olive meat! I have seen them under different names, but they always look like this: http://www.aoap.com.au/content_common/pr-olives_miccio-sicilian-green-olives.seo Yum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Ruby you reminded me a question I wanted to ask - I LOVE olive oil, but I've never picked up olives to just eat plain - went over to the olive bar at the grocery store and was totally confused - what to try? What would you suggest for a novice olive eater? As someone who learned to cook and to love food during my formative years in Greece I'd vote kalamata olives every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeGA"gardener" Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Castelveltrano whole green Italian olives from Nappa valley (Mezzetta) are also delish! Meaty and mild not tangy as are regular green olives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Castelveltrano whole green Italian olives from Nappa valley (Mezzetta) are also delish! Meaty and mild not tangy as are regular green olives Ha! I knew you'd vote Italian!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeGA"gardener" Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 heck noooooo We love all olives lol We buy oil cured black some mixed and love kalamata Use black and green too tapenade... But those Castelveltrano heaven! Does Ireland grow olives? Too cold I'll bet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Nope, no olives here unfortunately. In Greece my best friend had an olive grove in her garden - it was bliss!! They weren't kalamata olives, but they were good.The town I lived in was a spa town and there was a local producer there of olive oil - Elea. I think because of the water & soil quality in the area the olives had a really good flavour... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeGA"gardener" Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Nice! Greeks know what their doing We have a few Greek friends YaYas and all She taught me how to make authentic spanakopita too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Did she teach you to use egg in the spanakopita? I haven't eaten any in years because of the filo, but it was always one of my favourites...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeGA"gardener" Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Yes I changed it up a bit the last time we made it and she doesn't use all butter on the layers she uses skim milk in between Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubytheSugarDragonSlayer Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Ruby you reminded me a question I wanted to ask - I LOVE olive oil, but I've never picked up olives to just eat plain - went over to the olive bar at the grocery store and was totally confused - what to try? What would you suggest for a novice olive eater? Hi Sue! The olive bar at the grocery store is usually pay by weight, I suggest you grab a few of each and sample away! Be on the look out for olives stuffed with cheese - they like to put blue cheese in them! I usually get the mixed olives with Italian seasonings, I also like the ones with sun dried tomato stuffed inside. Try the marinated artichokes too! Tonight for dinner I made the cauliflower rice and the scallops with blueberry ginger sauce, may I say "super yummy"! The left-over blueberry sauce is getting mixed with olive oil for tomorrow's salad dressing, that is going to make lunch extra special! The recipes are in the Whole30 book. If you haven't done a balsamic reduction yet, I highly recommend it! I put some on my veggies with breakfast the other day and it spilled over to my fried eggs, unexpectedly tasty! So far this month I've tried so many new foods I haven't had the opportunity to get into food boredom - I have been challenged to find new recipes and cook new stuff. It has been quite an adventure! I'm so glad to have all of you sharing your experiences here, you are wonderful companions on this journey! You All keep me motivated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaB Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Hi, all. It's been a rough weekend. I thought I was doing better last week, but the fatigue hit again on Saturday, and Sunday other non-W30 events occurred that sent me into a tall-spin. This last year I have been battling depression on and off, mostly caused by external events, and now find myself struggling once again. We've been doing okay with sticking to W30 compliant meals and avoiding the snack monster, but now it's starting to feel like work to stick with the program. This is mostly because I'm doing the primary thinking about how to keep it working. Also - I think the best I can hope for is kitty blood - tiger blood so far removed from my reality. It is encouraging to come to the forum and stay in tune with how everyone else it doing, and knowing we are not alone on this journey that will, hopefully, result in better health overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozelle Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 If you haven't done a balsamic reduction yet, I highly recommend it! Ooh! I'm gonna try that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vozelle Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 ...but now it's starting to feel like work to stick with the program. This is mostly because I'm doing the primary thinking about how to keep it working. Also - I think the best I can hope for is kitty blood - tiger blood so far removed from my reality. It is encouraging to come to the forum and stay in tune with how everyone else it doing, and knowing we are not alone on this journey that will, hopefully, result in better health overall. I feel you, DonnaB... and I'll take some kitty blood over nothin' any day. Prrrrrrrrr. Hold on for the ride, a tail-spin can't last forever. Hope it turns around soon. It's all about the long long loooong term results, I figure. : ) And now for a brilliant idea!!: Maybe your final week would feel simplified and more doable if you follow the "7 Day Meal Plan" in the Whole30 book? (It might appear somewhere on the web site too, I haven't checked). They put together a full week's plan, complete with cooking directions and meals... I read it over and just looking at it made me feel relaxed and capable... takes a lot of the work/brain-power OUT of the equation. Maybe that could be a de-stresser for you? No reason you can't do it for Week 4. Good luck! Rooting for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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