pickle14 Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hi Gang, So my surgery went well and without any complications. I was able to eat in the recovery room as they let me order from the hospital menu. I was able to stay Whole 30 as I forget how bland hospital food can be. I just got a plain chicken breast with steamed carrots and broccoli some real chicken broth! There wasn't even any salt in anything! LOL I did nibble on my protein salad on the way home. Yesterday I took it easy and stayed on plan. As this was laproscopic surgery my belly is swollen and I am a bit uncomfortable. Not eating big meals, but keeping snacking to once a day, and make a small meal of it. Today I felt a little better and fixed the Pad Thai salad, roasted a split turkey breast and steamed broccoli & cauliflower. Sunshine sauce is delicious! First time for me today. Lunch was protein salad & fruit salad. Breakfast was leftover carnitas, spaghetti squash & snow peas & avocado. All in all it is going well. I lost my tiger blood with the surgery, but hope to be back on top of the world about the end of this thing! Still, my arthritis pain is gone. I am rashing like crazy, but I think it is the surgery, so I'm back on allegra for the time being. Hope you are all doing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmeredith82 Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 So 4 days left, and I'm alternating between "only 4 days left, I got this!", and "how are there still 4 more days? So over this..." Ha! I made a double batch of the spicy tuna cakes yesterday, hopefully having some quick food available will help me through these last days. Weekends are always more challenging though! I am really looking forward to just having more options for food, esp. when out to eat, but I know I will need to be careful, and I'd like to keep up the weight lose momentum... Still haven't decided what will happen on day 31. Hope you are all doing well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle14 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I need to make those tuna cakes! Maybe tomorrow. For dinner we are having "Artichoke Meatloaf". I have plenty of leftovers to dine on. I had leftover Shepherd's Pie for breakfast. Yum. My husband is not crazy about sweet potatoes so maybe next time I will use Yukon gold's, but the sweet topping was wonderful to me. Hmmm, still struggling with nausea post op. But that is pretty normal for me, so I am just plodding along. it is hard to eat sometimes though. Hope the weekend is going well for anyone remaining! I made that pad thai salad the other day and it was tasty too. In fact I have tried many many new recipes in the last 4 weeks and I have yet to find one I don't like. I have no complaints about the food, but I do long for a rice cracker with cheese now and again! We haven't done gluten around here in quite a while, but something really crunchy would be nice about now. I have been making and eating kale chips as my 6 kale plants are so prolific! Next year I will plant some spinach and chard too! Not sure how we will keep up with it all though. I canned some dilly beans this morning, and harvested pickles and have them in a brine now. Hope I am able to harvest tomatoes next month before we get a frost. Last year an early hard freeze killed everything in my garden about Sept. 17th and I had 40lbs of green tomatoes to deal with! LOL At any rate, this Whole30 way of eating agrees with me, and I look forward to loosening it up a bit in a few days. Rice would be nice along with a few other items, but mostly I am loving the new way of cooking and eating. I'm not gonna lie, I still miss sugar but fresh fruit tastes so wonderful! It's about time for lunch here. I haven't done that math yet. If I started on the 13th when is my last day? I really want to weigh myself, even though the abdominal surgery is causing me to swell and retain fluid at the moment, I am curious, but will not be too suprised if weight loss is minimal. I only regret not weighing myself before my surgery last week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmeredith82 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I started on the 12th, so day 30 is tomorrow for me. I don't think I'll do the whole phased reintroduction, I think I'm going to just continue to make whole30 meals at home the rest of the week, and just relax on the rules when we go out to eat. We will see how that goes, and then decide how to move forward. I do not anticipate any issues with the foods as I really haven't felt any different. I feel like I've lost some weight so I am anxious to see what the scale and measurements say on Tuesday. I've been doing the 30 day shred workouts as well, so I'm really hoping that I've lost some inches! I ate dinner with my in laws over the weekend, they are doing the HCG diet, and it felt good to explain the whole30 concept to them, especially compared to all that they are going through... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsie_n Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi All! I've been MIA from the computer while recovering from sinus surgery, but still on track. It went well, but I've been super tired - I guess the anesthesia really put me out. Apparently they also had something in my throat so I woke up with an extremely sore throat. I ended up having a few spoons of honey (raw, local) to soothe it when I got home, but I'm considering it medicinal so no restart for me. Food has been compliant, but a little hit and miss on timing as I've been off my normal routine. I'm back to working today, so I'll be more regular with my meal times and less snacking. Tomorrow is day 30 for me, but after I eat the two squares of dark chocolate I found lurking in the fridge, I plan to stay W30 compliant for at least one more week - maybe longer. Since I'm still in recovery mode, I know that it will speed my healing to stay as "clean" as possible. I would like some wine sometime in the fairly near future, so that will likely be my next reintro. I don't feel like I've lost weight this time around, but I will weigh in and see for sure. I know that when the body is stressed as mine as been with infection, it holds onto weight, so that's another reason I would like to extend the W30 post-infection for awhile. I've been Paleo for nearly two years (I've lost 60lbs) and this is my second annual W30. I like to use it as a reset to get back to basics. I stick pretty close to the rules normally, but I have a tendency to rely too much dark chocolate to feed my sugar dragon and I eat corn tortillas and chips (organic) semi-regularly. I have had a hard time getting past adding honey to my morning coffee to sweeten it, also. I feel like I can now permanently let go of the honey in the coffee and I will not keep chocolate stocked in the house and will only have it as an occasional treat. Corn tortillas and chips will continue to be very occasional treats (my husband is Mexican, so tortillas are really hard to avoid!). For those who are finishing your first W30 and wondering about reintro phase - I highly recommend taking your time through this phase. While you may not think your body has adjusted to the cleaner food, you will be surprised how it responds to foods that were previously normal to you - and not in a good way. Take it slow and take baby steps. If you go all out and have a full "cheat" day or weekend, you will not feel good and then it's really hard to get back on track. This is what keeps me on track all of the time - I don't like feeling bloated or fuzzy for the sake of a slice of pizza. I actually wrote a blog post while back about how I have learned to live clean all of the time and how it feels in real life, if anyone is interested: http://cookingripe.com/im-not-on-a-diet-but-im-losing-weight-and-getting-healthier/. There's a good article on the W30 site today about the one bite rule - I find it works well for me when I'm out and about and want to have a little goody: http://whole30.com/2015/08/one-bite/ Someone mentioned the need for something crunchy and chip-like. I like plantain chips after W30. I don't make my own, so I buy Inka brand (I get from Thrive or Amazon, but they may be in Whole Foods, etc.). They fulfill the crunchy need and work well to scoop guacamole and salsa. There are also some potato chips that are fried in avocado or coconut oil, if you can handle having them without eating the whole bag . I get them when we have parties and BBQs so I can do chip and dip like everyone else, but don't often have them on hand to tempt me too much. Glad to see a few folks are still in the game as we reach the finish line! Congratulations! Betsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmeredith82 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Morning all! Thought I'd post a quick recap, thanks for letting me chat with all of you on this, even though I somehow ended up on the board that was one day off! So day 31 for me, here are my thoughts on the last month... - Overall the plan was in some ways easier, and in some ways more difficult, than I anticipated. The first week meal planning was stressful and required a good amount of energy, time, and money for prep work. This did get easier as the weeks progressed - both in just knowing what I could / couldn't eat, and becoming more confident throwing things together. My husband and I like food, and cooking food, and entertaining, so I felt some extra pressure to make sure everything was enjoyable to eat! We hosted 2 dinner parties during this that were both a success. As you know, I did struggle with eating out, and remaining flexible. After a few weeks I relaxed a little when stuck out, and focused on making the best choices I could. Because of that I am sure I had some kind of oil on some grilled chicken that was not complaint, but I didn't stress about it. It's been really nice to get back into the habit of meal planning and preparing fresh, healthy meals. - Two of the issues that I had hoped to fix were sleep and skin. I'm a fairly restless sleeper, and I was hoping that this plan might help. I'm not sure that it made a difference, but to be fair, I've had some life stresses lately that haven't helped. I've always had breakouts, even now that I'm older (yay acne cream and wrinkle cream!) and I also didn't see any changes in my skin. - My main motivator for this was weight loss, and after stepping on the scale this morning, I am happy with my 8.8 lbs. I am "very overweight", so I was hoping for a little more, but realistically I've always had to fight for every pound lost, so almost 9 lbs in a month is really very good for me. I also lost several inches on my waist, arms, hips, and legs. I've been doing the 30 Day Shred workout as well, so I'm sure that also contributed. I'm not really sure what I'll do moving forward... I may aim for something more like a 80/20 split - eating pretty much on plan doing the week, but relaxing some of the weekends. I miss wine, and miss cooking and eating a wider selection of foods. I am really excited to put a splash of milk in my coffee again! I still have a long ways to go with weight loss, so I am hoping that I can continue to lose, even at a slower pace. Best of luck to you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole105 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Yeah! Day 30 at last!! Congratulations to the rest of you that made it this far. I've enjoyed reading your posts; it's nice to know other people are trying at the same time. I did cheat today by getting the scale out. Was happy that I lost 8 pounds! Not bad for one month! Still have a ways to go, so I'll try to stay on the plan, but modified. Not craving the Werther's hard candies as much as I used to, so that's good. High blood pressure has improved and not sure yet about the Diabetes. Good luck with the reintroduction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 My thoughts after completing the Whole30…. First let me start with a bit of my story, I never had a weight problem and considered myself healthy until several years ago I had a motorcycle accident that left me not able to exercise for quite some time. Then I went through menopause and gained enough weight that I was not only uncomfortable with how I looked but also with how I felt. My joints hurt, exercise seemed to increase that joint pain so I started dieting and this led to quite a rollercoaster ride of diet failures and with each failure I began to feel not only physically worse but emotionally worse. I hated myself. I tried so many things, low fat, no fat, low carb, no carb, HCG injections and strict low calorie diets. All of these attempts made me feel like I was a failure and I would never be able to enjoy food. I was tired, everything hurt, I wasn’t sleeping well, drinking too much and I was flat out hungry. Before starting the Whole30 my diet consisted of this in general: Breakfast – a protein shake or protein bar. Morning snack – cottage cheese with fruit. Lunch – a salad with chicken and low fat/no fat dressing. Afternoon snack – greek yogurt with fruit. Dinner – a protein with steamed veggies or a salad and maybe a tiny bit of rice and a glass or three of wine. The Whole30 is not hard. The book is so well written, the details in regard to food preparation for the recipes are incredible. After the first two weeks I started to feel like a chef in the kitchen and I was enjoying not only preparing my meals but eating them! I was no longer weighing and measuring every bite I was to take and logging it into an app that would tell me whether I ate enough or needed to eat more that day. I was now beginning to let my own body tell me if it was full or not. I learned if I was hungry before lunch that I didn’t eat enough fat at breakfast, add a bit more fat and problem solved! To me, this experience has been one of joy instead of deprivation. Previously, I was only cooking with chicken broth to sauté and a quick spray of my pans with olive oil to keep my food from sticking. The thought of cooking with olive oil, coconut oil, ghee or adding avocado to my meal would have made me feel like I was doing something wrong, that I was eating too much fat but now I have no fear, it’s these good fats that make me feel full and satisfied. They have also contributed to my skin feeling so much softer and glowing. My sleep has improved (although I’m still not going to bed early enough to get a full 8 hours) I do feel better than before when I wake up. My clothes are starting to feel a bit looser, my allergies seem to have vanished and best of all, the daily headaches that were part of my life for as long as I can remember are also gone….completely gone! I’ve completed the Whole30 and am moving on to a Whole60 as I am interested in seeing more positive results and gaining more of the confidence I need to deal with social situations regarding food choices. I didn’t weigh or measure myself before starting the Whole30 and I haven’t done so since completing it, I don’t need to…I’m no longer the number on the scale or the size on the tag. I’m more…more healthy, more happy, more energized, more calm, more satisfied. The journey continues…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtlenaha Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Day 30 for me! The last official day! My husband and I decided to stay off most off-plan foods until and unless we go out to eat or are at someone else's house for dinner. So here at home we'll remain compliant. And we love the recipes, especially the ones for salad vinaigrettes and sauces that you can use on anything from chicken to burgers to whatever. Yeah, it's a little labor intensive, but it's worth it in the long run. Tomorrow's first official day off the plan I have a trip to Hood River, OR plan for a face-to-face meeting (for work) - and we will be going on a hike and carrying a box lunch. Fortunately, we got to order in advance what it is that we wanted, and I'm having a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. The only off-plan ingredient is goat cheese. Everything else should be on-plan. Oh, and I'm having wine tomorrow evening. That's a given. Good luck and good job everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsie_n Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Day 31! Congratulations to Judi, Rtlenaha, Nicole 105 and KMeredith and anyone else lurking out there on a successful completion! I love hearing success stories. Judi - your story especially moved me because I related so much to your experience. I love this lifestyle and am so glad to have stumbled onto a better, cleaner way to live and I love seeing others make the connection! My results: Scale - only lost 1.5 lbs, but I'm ok with that! I know that the infection I have been fighting played a role in the lack of scale movement. Now that the infection has been surgically cleared (I pray!), I know my gut will get back into balance and I will be able to lose the last 10 lbs I'm working on. I know that had I not been eating clean this past month, I likely would have gained weight due to the physical and emotional stress my body was in - and due to the decrease in physical activity. I plan to stay nearly 100% compliant for at least the next few weeks (save for some much deserved dark chocolate and a little wine!) to ensure my body heals as quickly as possible. It's been a very long 8+ months of recurrent infection and pain! Coffee - my goal was to learn to survive without honey as a sweetener and to only have one 20oz cup a day. I made it and will continue with this habit. I use 100% coconut milk and some ginger and cinnamon to "cream" my coffee and I'm ok without the added sweetness - finally!! I will also refrain from adding to my evening tea. Snacking - another goal was to get back in the habit of only 3 meals and to abstain from snacking. I'm not 100% there, but moving in the right direction. I'm being more mindful about eating enough for lunch so I'm not so tempted to eat before dinner (unless dinner is going to be very late). Mindful eating - my last goal was to remember to slow down and really chew and enjoy my food. After months of mouth pain due to the botched wisdom tooth extraction and infections, I had realized I wasn't always chewing my food completely and just swallowing larger chunks. I've worked hard at slowing down and setting down my fork between bites. Food is much more enjoyable this way and I feel more satiated because it gives my body time to realize I've eaten enough. Husband - my husband is not on the Paleo bandwagon, but he does eat what I make and enjoys good, clean ingredients. He just also eats bread, cheese and sugar - though it much smaller quantities than before. He's also been a big beer drinker until about 3 weeks ago when he had his first bad gout attack. No beer since then and he's making connections between what he eats and how his body responds, so I think he's on the path to a healthier life, as well. It was stressful when we were both having issues and scary when he could barely walk, but if it got his attention there's a positive purpose! One other tidbit I wanted to share - when I was being prepped for surgery, they medical folks kept asking me about which prescriptions I take. When I told them none, they were all surprised! Why should it be surprising that a 46 year old woman doesn't need prescription meds?? I proudly explained that I used to take blood pressure meds and daily allergy meds and occasional steroid allergy meds, but I got healthy and no longer need those. I also didn't freak out when they asked my weight or when the weighed me (thankfully in kilograms so I didn't break the scale rule, really!). Nice reminders of how far I've come! While it's been a tough month, it's been an important one to get through. I plan to continue doing annual W30s as a way to get back to basics and meet new wellness goals. I appreciate having all of you along for this year's journey and hope your individual health journeys continue in the most positive ways post W30! Betsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle14 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 OK Gang, I did it! It got rough near the end, but I believe that was the effects of surgery. My hormones being tossed into a blender with the removal of my ovaries most likely. Now, 10 days post op I am getting my tiger blood back. I have introduced a couple of foods that have not given me trouble. First, some legumes in the form of hummus, then a little dairy. I know I can't do too much dairy (once a week perhaps) & the legumes are no problem so far. As for gluten, I gave that up for the most part a couple of years ago as my husband cannot eat gluten, so we just don't have it around. I make gluten free tortillas for him that we both like. (I have ordered some paleo wraps just to try for the occasional portable lunch, but I think I will try making my own.) I liked paying attention to my reactions to foods while on the Whole30. I found I cannot eat eggs every day. Like many foods, I believe that they too began to have a cumulative effect, as well as too many red or yukon gold potatoes. Sweet potatoes, no problem. Again, I found that I don't do cruciferous veggies too many days in a row. Perhaps some of this might change with a Whole 60, I don't know. I like cole slaw! My sugar dragon has not been slayed just yet, but I will attempt control the monster for the rest of this month as my daughter is coming for a visit and I feel like a little sugar. I will stick with paleo (just cause I think it is healthier sugars), but my next whole 30 I hope to make a whole 60. I felt like I was interrupted somehow by my surgery 3 weeks into this. Honestly, I stayed on plan, but I lost my momentum while recovering. I am sure my surgery and recovery went better than if I had been in a sugar funk though! So that is a very positive outcome for me, though perhaps less measurable or quantifiable. On the upside, my skin rash is gone and my sinus allergies are much improved. I have not given up the Allegra, but I hope to when I begin the next round! Not sure when my next Whole30 will be, as again I have surgery coming up. Oh dear, that is probably the reason to begin soon! LOL I would like to introduce some rice and see how that goes before I "clean up" completely again! I want to use the next couple of weeks to reintroduce foods slowly and then see how I am feeling. Thank you all so much for hanging in there with me! It has been a pleasure and helpful too! Alison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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