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(gonna be) healthycrone's W30


healthycrone

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I'm starting my first W30 tomorrow. This will be a solo venture; my husband is supportive, but not participating. I am overweight. I quit smoking a little over a year ago and I swear, every pound I ever lost in my life found it's way home. And brought friends and family! So, if I lose some weight along the way, then yea! But the reason I'm doing this is to hopefully begin healing a longtime dysfunctional gut. I am so tired of being sick & tired! Besides the bubble, bubble, toil & trouble in my gut I have a hiatal hernia (so GERD), chronic constipation, arthritis (so chronic joint & muscle pain), osteopenia teetering scarily close to osteoporosis, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and... OMS! I sound just like my Ma did the last decade or so before she passed - and I'm not ready for that yet. I'm going to be 60 soon; entering the last third or so of my life & I'd like to be healthy enough to enjoy it. I've researched, read & planned, and planned and read some more. I started early getting rid of a couple of bad habits that I was afraid would derail me if I did everything at once: my heavy use of artificial sweeteners for coffee & tea and an addiction to diet coke. I don't like plain water - never have- so staying hydrated without all that sweet poison will be a challenge. I'm learning to enjoy infused water, and I've found I can indeed drink tea and coffee without the sweetener! I've rearranged my routine so that the (for me) danger zone of 3-5pm will be spent doing yoga or low impact aerobics to distract me from falling face first into a bag of crack (our family's not so fond name for potato chips), one of my personal weaknesses. I used NSAID's for years to manage joint/muscle pain but recently read that that might be contributing to my gut issues, so I've stopped. Reduced inflammation & pain: another hoped for outcome of my journey here.

Anyway, I'm excited to begin. And hopeful. And determined. Breakfast & lunch for tomorrow are already packed and ready to go.

Blessed be. Let's do this!

 

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Day 1 almost done! Found that breakfast hash (chicken, sweet potato, apple, walnuts, kale) filled me up and held me over nicely until lunch. Note to self: next time add more greens. They cook down to almost nothing. I'm a grazer and used to a little something every couple of hours, but no snack needed today. Lunch was tuna salad (compliant tuna, W30 mayo, green pepper, hard boiled egg and a few compliant raisons) on mixed greens. Plus, some watermelon. Did fine until about 5 then started feeling really hungry and got a little headache that has hung around all evening. Dinner was crockpot carnitas on sautéd cauliflower rice, carrots and green onion. So good! The only thing I really missed today was a glass of raw milk. 

Headache still here and feeling the... pinching in my chest that usually precedes a bout of esophageal spasm. Not too bad though. Think I'll make a cup of hot tea and crawl into the sack.

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You CAN do it!  Such great planning you've done too!  I sometimes really look forward to bedtime so I can just be done with the day and the efforts of staying on track and the fear that I'll biff it. :)  Have you tried the La Croix sparkling water?  Maybe that's what you meant by infused water.  It's fairly inexpensive and it grows on you and is so much better than plain water.  Welcome to Whole30 and congratulations on getting started!

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Michelle & Emma, thanks so much for the encouragement!  I was eyeballing the La Croix sparkling water at the store today. The infused water I was talking about is just that..fruit in water. Maybe the carbonation in the sparkling water would be a lift? Thanks for the tip!

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Day 2 in the bag! Today was a little tougher. I felt a bit foggy all day and my stomach keeps poking me asking for handouts. I'm honestly not hungry though, so I'm having to ignore as best I can. Kind of like standing in line at the grocer's with a toddler next to all that junk food: please, can I? Please, please, please, can I, huh? Please? Geez. Hopefully, if I ignore it long enough it'll go away.  :wacko:

Fortunately, I'm a creature of habit because breakfast & lunch were pretty much the same today as yesterday. M3 was steak & salad (thanks, DH!) but felt a little light on veggies even though the salad was pretty big. I used Tessamae's Balsamic dressing. Yum! 

Went through my supplements... every last one is noncompliant! I'll either have to shop for different brands or go without for a month. Really, it's amazing what you find when you start reading labels!

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I haven't posted for the last 4 days... but I have stayed on the program! I feel like I'm learning to cook again. On Friday, my daughter & I made dill relish - with zucchini instead of cucumbers. Really can't tell the difference in, for instance, a tuna salad and it has no dyes or other questionable additives. I tried a brisket for the first time in decades over the weekend and it was amazing. I ate a beet. And a brussels sprout. And didn't die! Neither one has ever been something I'd eat, even with someone else's mouth. But I did some looking for ideas in a couple of vegetarian cookbooks I have and tweaked a bit to stay compliant, and found maybe they aren't so bad after all.  :lol: I've only had a snack once (a closed handful of cashews and compliant dried fruit), other than that the three M's are keeping me pleasantly full, although I will say, when it's time to eat, it's time to eat! No delays, please. Now, if I could just stay awake! The headaches are finally gone, but they've been replaced by bone tiredness. (i actually fell asleep waiting for a light to turn green on the way home from work. Thank heavens the cars that were turning in the lane next to me woke me up!)

Now for the best news: the hot knife that's been poking my stomach & intestines for the last 15 years has apparently been replaced by something more akin to a ...let's say a toothpick. Still feeling a bit, but OMS! so much better! So, something must be working right! So, even though I'm still seriously missing that glass of milk, I'm feeling really blessed.

Good night Day 6! 

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hi HC,

You are so funny and engaging! I am so happy your gut is playing ball.

I started on the 29 th June, and did so because I wanted to see if eating properly would fix my thyroid so I could avoid taking tablets for the rest of my life. I am 60 and 208 pounds on a 5'5" frame. I gym a bit, do the dance based classes for fun, hit machines and free weights with a trainer and pilates to sort it all out. Started that a few years ago and lost 35 pounds and then just got stuck. So here I am.

It is a plan that is simultaneously so hard and so easy, my head swims. But one foot in front of the other, reading, cooking, not compromising and I feel hopeful that I too will become a healthy crone... Can we get t shirts?

Nanc

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Nanc, T-shirts! What a great idea. You'ra a little ahead of me on this thing, a couple of days, so tell me, will I wake up soon? You sound like me. I'll be 60 in September. I'm a shorty, only 5 feet tall and I'm carrying around 189 pounds. (i tried WeightWatchers & gained weight!) I was diagnosed with Hashimotos/hypothyroid about 15 years ago. Better luck on the Armour Thyroid than the Synthroid, but I don't want to take them forever either! I think you've got the right idea: One day at a time! You know this really is easy...in theory. Just hard in practice sometimes. We can do this thing!

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I am so pleased to meet some one else who gained on WW! I was religious, scrupulous in recording each crumb. I got ticked off for not eating enough carbs and grains...

Not sure when the energy hit comes, but I am sleeping really well. I kept up in Zumba today pretty well too. I do think in retrospect that I am doing more physical things, helping a friend clear a garden, and spending more time in my own working on planting vegetables and flowers. It could be subtle - maybe I am so tired at the end of the day because I have done more. I have certainly done more cooking...

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Zumba! How fun is that? True confession: I was a Sweatin' To The Oldies gal for a few years (I have all 5!) before I just got bored with them and decided to try Zumba. Way more fun, although I still feel like a total klutz! Mr Simmons was fun for awhile...didn't do squat for my weight but he kept the rust off my hinges. What more could an old girl ask for?  :lol: I'll bet being more active in general is helping with the sleep. 

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Day 8 is done! Still hanging in there...no slips or oopses. I'd be really grateful if that energy hit were to come along now. Any time, really. I'm ready! Sleeping well and fortunately I've either missed the "kill all the things" phase or I'm behind the timeline and my DH is still in danger. ;) Or, maybe I'm just too tired to expend that much energy! I'm having a bit of trouble getting breakfast in that 1 hour after waking window. I'm really not much of a morning person, but I start work at 6am and I've a 30-40 minute commute. So, I'm waking up around 4:45. Dressed & thyroid meds. By the time the 20-30 minute wait after taking those goes by I am on my way to work. (thank heavens my car seems to know the way to work as I'm rarely bright eyed & bushy tailed at this hour) Unfortunately, I'm usually pretty busy for the first hour or so at work, so it's often 7 or 7:30 before I can get my breakfast. I don't actually feel hungry until about 6:30, so I'm hoping the delay doesn't mess anything up.

Time to stuff Day 8 in the sack - and me too! 

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I have a dog who thinks he comes first, so by the time I am clean and he is taken care of, walking, grooming feeding I am over the hour. I do what they say and grab a halfsize serving of protein and take that with. Ralph (the dog) insists on shares. When I get back I have the full veggie laden splendour with two eggs.

I made a bunch of sausage patties for that purpose, ground pork with onion and spices about 3 inches across. It also helps when I am in the gym early.

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lol!  Our fur children always think they come first. And, if we're honest, they do. They're demanding little things, but they give us so much more than they get! I've got two of them myself. Fortunately for me, DH has morning fur child responsibilities, I have evening, so at least I don't have to deal with feeding & walking before work. Just a few minutes of ball throwing.

Your sausage patty solution sounds like a sensible fix... 20 seconds in the microwave to heat then it's finger food to fill the void till things settle down. Thanks for the suggestion.  

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You prework schedule sounds like it would kill a mere mortal!

I think this can work, and having just closed the lid on day 11, I feel flatter and stronger somehow.

Cheers for now, am all cosy which is Ralph's cue to decide to go out. He is 140 lbs and when he huffs and phuffs, hard to ignore.

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You go girl! I'm so happy you are feeling good! I guess that's part of those non-scale victories, right? Today, day 10 for me, woke up a bit perkier than I have been - I've high hopes for the worst being over. It's not been that bad, like I said the only thing I'm really missing is a glass of milk now & then. What about you?

What breed is your Ralph? I absolutely love those big guys. Our last dog, the love of my life, was a Neopolitan Mastiff, and before him we always had dobies. After Brody's sad passing, I told my husband I would never again have a dog I couldn't pick up and carry if need be. So off we wnt to the shelter and came home with a little terrier/corgi mix! Oh! the energy wasted on that boy! If only he could share! While we were in line waiting to pay for him, DH spotted a puppy, a little Australian Shepherd mix and fell in love. The people who had him said he was a stray & they couldn't keep him, so we took him off their hands, and came home with two. That "little" guy is almost 80 pounds now, but still a far cry from your boy's 140!

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When my 18 year old dog had strokes, I had to carry her outside multiple times during the night to use the bathroom and I also said I'd only have a dog I could carry.  I'm so thankful I could carry her, but just barely.  We recently adopted an eight month old pup who is a lightweight at 35 pounds, but is exactly the opposite of the quiet mellow good-with-children dog we'd envisioned.  :)  Our new one is non stop energy, tall and leggy, able to lick the bottom of the kitchen sink, and a bundle of overwhelming good cheer.  She is wonderful and exhausting and she has gotten us all out of the house walking and hiking at least once a day.  Our 11 year old dog didn't care for her youthful ways at first, but he's having a blast racing alongside her and wrestling again - in the house during my attempt at a workout!  I've always loved Mastiff's and their sweet gentle personalities, and also the sharp quickness of Australian Shepherds.  Mcnix, what kind of dog is yours?

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Here we are. Day 11. I have to admit, I have been feeling just the teensiest bit smug...other than feeling like I could sleep 24 hours a day and missing a glass of milk every now & then, my journey so far has been pretty easy. I'm sleeping better, less pain, no serious craves or withdrawal from anything. Piece of cake, right? Then I woke up! This morning, for some reason, everywhere I looked there was forbidden food beckoning to me. In the fridge, the cupboards!. No one else in my home is doing this with me, so the kitchen is full to bursting, it seems, with non-compliant foods. None of which paid much attention to me at all until this morning! Reminiscent of the old cigarette commercial, I'm suddenly hearing:"Taste me, taste me! C'mon and taste me!" coming from the depths of the fridge. I opened the cupboard and a box of my used-to-be favorite cereal jumped on me. I kid you not! All of a sudden my brain seems hell bent on making me have something, anything, I shouldn't. Mutiny, I tell ya! This is just...wrong. What to do? During the week, my time is very structured. Weekends, not so much. Perhaps the lack of structure contributes to the mutinous tendencies being expressed by my traitorous brain this morning. I will not give in! I fixed myself a breakfast of leftover root veggies and eggs, with a crumble of prosciutto to quiet my actual hunger. I can still hear shouting from the kitchen. I'll have to be in there later this afternoon. There is mayo & salad dressing to make. Sausage patties to make & chickens to roast. Veggies to prepare. I usually do this on Sunday, but tomorrow is family day: all the kids, grandkids & siblings come for the afternoon & supper, so there won't be time tomorrow. In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to stay busy! There are bathrooms to clean (oh, the joy!) and laundry to do. With apologies to Queen, I will, I will, rock this! 

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Emma, What a great mom you are! I'm sorry you had to go through that. With our mastiff, it was Valley Fever. Poor guy developed lesions on his brain and he could no longer hold his head up or walk except in a circle. No balance whatsoever. He was 175 pounds and, well, it was pretty horrible at the end. Our "new" kids are way different, but, you are so right! They do keep you moving, huh? They give so much joy and keep us from crawling too far into our own heads - I can't imagine not having a dog or two in my life!.

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Ralph is a Newfoundland, he will be post-73185-0-93467600-1436733954_thumb.j 11 on Tuesday.

He is my first dog, My late husband picked him, and he is my buddy. We got him as a 14 month old in 2005, after I had retired. I retired at 50. So Ralph and I would tramp the woods and swim in the summers and generally hang out.

Day 11 is the day people are most likely to quit, so well done you for defying the demons. Ralph doesn't shop, so my kitchen is temptation free. I have got some dry quinoa and hemp protein powder, but they haven't tempted me yet.

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Ohh, Newfies are so sweet!  Happy Birthday to your big guy tomorrow!!  

 

Healthycrone - Funny what you said about your kitchen talking to you.   Sometime I hear myself saying, "Just back away.  Just back away slowly" as if I'm in some high suspense movie.  My cure for the unstructured times is just to eat a lot of the good stuff.  Once it's in me, the cravings or interests in the other food begin to subside.  I still find myself just looking for something to eat so I have to deal with that, but I'm quite content with carrots or something clean.

 

Days 10 and 11 are hard - especially when they fall on a weekend.

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Mcnix, awwww! Happy Birthday to Ralph tomorrow! Newfie's are indeed so sweet natured. Give him a scratch for me. You retired at 50! I am so. jealous. I'm hoping to retire soon myself, which is just another reason to do this W30. I don't want my retirement to be nothing but Dr appts. I wanna enjoy it!

 

Emma, it sounds like you have a rogue kitchen like mine. Who knew they could be so mean? I'm with you on filling up with the good stuff. The key is making sure you get enough to last until the next meal so you don't start looking for something to graze on. That's when predatory cupbord contents try to take advantage of your weakened state. ;)

 

Thank you both for your support! I got through the weekend without mishap. Sunday was family day and I we had a burger cookout. I was a little concerned at first, because I laid in all the stuff they expected: soda & chips, etc. But I just had my burger without the bun. I made cole slaw and changed my dressing recipe to be compliant. I think I like it better than the original! So there was no room on my plate for chips! Crisis averted!

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HC, beautifully planned. You identified a risk and managed it. Fabbo! (Instead of flabbo)

As for noisy kitchen cupboards, my favourite aspect of this plan is the focus on meals and not grazing. I am capable of undoing all the good I do in the gym on healthy food, just eating too much, too often. I am so aware of all the times I might have put a bite in my mouth of sort of compliant food when I wasn't hungry but was just bored. Over the weekend I ended up painting my fingernails just to keep my hands too busy to eat. I am learning lots about why other ways of eating were less successful in improving my health.

i did an attack class yesterday, lots of punching and kicking and kept up. Still can't lunge but all things in time...

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Attack class?! Is that like self defense? Wow, that's amazing. I admire you...if it was me I'd be on the floor! :D You'll conquer those lunges in no time.

Keeping busy is absolutely the key to stemming the grazing tendencies. As soon as I sit down doing nothing the mind wanders!

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