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Gonna fight to stay whole.


J9er

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  • Whole30 Certified Coach

When I did my first W60 I totally got caught up in this perfection stuff.  ONLY grassfed, organic.  I started switching out detergent and fabric softener (though dryer balls with lavender essential oil are nice :) ), deodorant, etc.  I have crazy curly hair and the only bad-ingredient stuff around was the curly hair products I used that just couldn't be replaced.  I still do use a natural deodorant (Schmidt's - I like it) but I'm back to Tide and Dawn :)   Its such as easy worm hole to get trapped in - but unless you are moving out to the backwoods of BC and start killing all your meat and growing all your own food... So stick with "doing the best you can with what you have" :) Less cray crays that way!

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Oh gosh was it ever hot this weekend. 

I'm not sure the heat has ever stopped me from doing anything outside before. But it definitely did this weekend. We braved the outdoors and ran errands and stopped in at the beach to see some friends, Sunday we did go out for a little bit but it was mainly driving and shopping, seeking a/c as much as possible. 

Saturday, I *may have had icecream for supper. It was just too hot. Sunday we ate lunch at five guys. I had a few too many of my husband's fries, but overall not too bad. We had a busy couple of days and my meal timing was off, which then lead into yesterday being off. I didn't really end up eating lunch which lead to me not really being hungry for supper, but I forced it. 

Seem to be fine this morning. I got up early and ate a big breakfast.

We are doing a hiking trip this weekend. We have struggled with our meals on our trips before. We uaually take the store bought crap although I made a couple of dehydrated meals for our last trip. I learned a lot and hope to improve greatly in this department. 

We recently found a company run by a cool young woman who makes paleo backpacking food. We have been wanting to support her, but just haven't gotten around to ordering anything. In looking at her meals for ideas, I have made some pretty awesome backpacking meals for our trip. 

On the menu is venison chocolate chili, sweet potato turkey stew, juevos rancheros, some coconut fat bombs, homemade grain free granola - read, mixed nuts doused in coconut oil and maple syrup:ph34r:. We have epic bars, salami, Jerkey, Hb eggs. Veggies are added to the entrees, and I'm drying a ton of kale to munch on or add to the meals, and we'll take raw veggies for the first day at least. I'm interested to see how we feel this time. I'm putting money on 100% better. 

Our last trip was before we had done a whole30 and I think our food affected our performance hugely - not to mention, our guts usually get turned upside down on our trips, ugh. 

I did have a small break out of eczema on my hand this weekend :(.....I spoke too soon. I'm putting my money on the dairy,  - everything else has been compliant for ages now. So I made ghee with the butter I've been hoarding yesterday, and stocked up on coconut milk for my coffee. Time to get serious. 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, J9er said:

On the menu is venison chocolate chili, sweet potato turkey stew, juevos rancheros, some coconut fat bombs, homemade grain free granola - read, mixed nuts doused in coconut oil and maple syrup:ph34r:. We have epic bars, salami, Jerkey, Hb eggs. Veggies are added to the entrees, and I'm drying a ton of kale to munch on or add to the meals, and we'll take raw veggies for the first day at least. I'm interested to see how we feel this time. I'm putting money on 100% better. 

This all sounds fab - I so want to come!! Jeuvos Rancheros - I have not had THAT for a very long time....

Have a great trip, and yeah, that old dairy fiend...... he and I are not on regular speaking terms. It's for the best. :mellow:

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thanks!! And you can come any time!

i don't know why I'm struggling with cutting out the dairy so much. I don't miss anything else, and it's not like I chug glasses of milk or want to eat a ton of cheese. But if I have heavy cream in the house, it's destined for my coffee cup. Or a pat of butter goes on my veggies.....and then I feel licensed to have a giant icecream on the weekend :wacko:

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1 hour ago, J9er said:

thanks!! And you can come any time!

i don't know why I'm struggling with cutting out the dairy so much. I don't miss anything else, and it's not like I chug glasses of milk or want to eat a ton of cheese. But if I have heavy cream in the house, it's destined for my coffee cup. Or a pat of butter goes on my veggies.....and then I feel licensed to have a giant icecream on the weekend :wacko:

Yeah, it's the one thing I can't break up with permanently because I enjoy it so damned much when I have it - I just know that it has that nasty creeping effect on me so I've had to learn when to draw the line, which means restricting it to vacations mostly.... :(

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Too bad about the dairy... It is delicious!  

J9er  - I think we should each plan a hiking trip Ireland.  We can meet up for a day and have jmcbn make us some liver pate!  

 

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19 hours ago, littleg said:

Too bad about the dairy... It is delicious!  

J9er  - I think we should each plan a hiking trip Ireland.  We can meet up for a day and have jmcbn make us some liver pate!  

 

Yes please! I would go back to Ireland in a second. Liver, with a side of homemade kombucha too!  

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So I nearly had a heart attack. My dehydrator shut off last evening while I was making supper. I had venison chili in it, and it was almost done. Longggg story short, it seems to have a shut off mechanism of its over heating, so it ended up turning itself back on. Anyways. The meals for the trip are done now. I'm going to dry some fruit and veggies today. 

Actually, of all the prepping, I'm most worried about having enough carbs with us. I have tons of fat sources, tons of protein. I am going to try to make plantain chips and sweet potato chips in the dehydrator. I did make some home made Lara bars, but dont  want to depend on the dates as a carb source.

It will be a busy day today. I want to finish packing and food prep by tonight, so I have tomorrow to just relax.

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15 hours ago, littleg said:

Patiently waiting to live vicariously :)

Ha!!! I'm back! Well we got back late last night and I've been wanting to post all day. I've been running around like a chicken, unpacking, doing laundry, cleaning, cleaning my car.....grocery shopping, food prep +++, packing, getting ready to leave for Montreal in the morning!! But I thought I would just sit down for 2 mins and type.

Well. WOW. What a weekend.

I will say, my feet are killing me, they are a little swollen, and I have a couple little blisters, but other wise I feel pretty good. I was a bit really stiff this morning, but I'm totally fine now.

WOW. That was probably one of the hardest hikes I've done. In the top 3 for sure! It was stunning. The views were amazing, weather was gorgeous, my husband and I just had the best time! It was so great to breathe fresh air, get some serious elevation, and soak in the vitamin D.

I woke up Thursday morning and felt pretty funky. I think I may have caught a stomach bug from my friend's kids. I was nauseated, had a bit  of diarrhea, heartburn, headache and even a bit of a fever. I was so afraid the whole thing was going to come crashing down. But I forced myself to eat proper meals, took tylenol around the clock and spent the day alternating between last minute packing/cleaning and resting in my bed. I started to feel a bit better by the afternoon, but the bug did linger until Saturday. It was a bit of a drag, but I managed, and it was still an awesome trip.

We left home at 4 as planned, and of course traffic was a nightmare, so we got to Lincoln around 11. We were in bed by midnight, and on the trail in the morning by 7.

It felt so good to be out on the trail. We were slow, averaged 2 mph over the weekend, but most of that came from the down hill. I have a history of some terrible ankle rolls, and am pretty timid on the descents -- also we both have short legs!  My husband was hurting the first day -- he walks a lot at work, and we hike on the weekends, but the climbing was killing him. But he had his legs back by the second day, and did much better. We are doing some gear switch over, and our water filtration system is totally new to us. It took us forever to get in the groove, so that really hurt us the first day too. We wasted a couple of hours and ended up having to hike with our headlamps. It also made for a really long day on Saturday.

We LOVED our food. Judging by our recovery, I think it served us well! We ate our 3 meals per day, no snacking. We were definitely fueled by fat and protein and it was awesome! I am going to work on dehydrating some meals periodically so it doesn't have to be so much work before the hike. But the prep was totally worth it. We ate almost NO sugar or simple carbs. We took 4 homemade Lara bars and 2 Rx bars, and came home with 2 Lara bars and both of the Rx bars. Our nut mix had a bit of maple syrup in it, and we took some Justins Peanut Butter Cups for a treat in the evening, and that is it. So anyone who is reading and wondering if they can do a backpacking trip whole30 style...it is completely possible (the peanut butter cups completely worth it, but we even came home with extra!), it feels amazing and it isn't hard. It did require A LOT of prep, but overall, it really wasn't that bad.

Ok, my pictures are terrible!! My husband is the photographer, so I added the only pics I took with my phone because we haven't dealt with our camera yet.

Some of the food I did....the dehydrated chili looks like barf, but it was really good! Next time I would add potato flakes or pureed potato for added calories and carbs. I dried a bunch of kale for kale chips, and some plantains and a few strawberries. So light and packable.  I am still smiling in that pic after the 4th or 5th?  summit of the day! Yikes,  the day was only half over at that point!

I will post more pictures when my husband gets them on the computer. Anyways, I am to be up super early in the morning, and will do the hike in the ADKs on my way up to Montreal. So, @littleg thank you, for telling us about this hike! We want to go back and do it in the reverse, and maybe explore Owl's Head Mt. My husband would love to do some fishing in the creeks and rivers as well.....I see more NH visits in our future!

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Yeah!  I'm glad you liked it!  Which direction did you go?  We did it so long ago I forgot the name of the first peak but we went counterclockwise - did the Bonds before the Presi's.  It is a tough hike!  Don't be fooled by the folks who do it in a day :)  They are just crazy.  They are the ones who come to the ADKs and do the Great Range and think its fun.  

So happy to hear the food worked out.  Did you find that you were less hungry than other backpacking trips?  I definitely get the sugar munchies when I'm backpacking and probably eat more than I need to. 

Have fun in Montreal!

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First stop. Munching on some veggies. Hangin on red pepper. I don't know why I force it. 

Yes, we both found that we were way more satiated. No cravings. We were going 4-7 hours between meals. It made my husband realize he needs to up his fat intake throughout the day at home as he's been grazing a lot lately. I used to eat too much because we would pack tons of pasta and crap that didn't fill us up properly, and we would take extra because we would bonk so often, so I would try to eat it so I didn't have to carry it :). Not this time. We came out with some extra fat bombs, a bag of Jerkey and a few nuts. That's it. It was pretty cool. 

Mee went clockwise and started on Fraconiaridge with Mt Flume being the first peak. I think the pics I posted are on Garfield ridge and mountain. Yes! It was tough. And I did have to keep reminding myself, Aton of the people we saw had hiked many of the trails before, or they were thru hikers that are used to putting on 20 miles a day. Over all I think we did great! 

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Noonmark was amazing! Loved it. I arrived about 11:30 and was on the trail at noon. It was perfect! I was definitely feeling the residual stiffness from the weekend. I didn't eat lunch before going up but I had a couple meatballs and mayo, at the top I had some turkey Jerkey and a couple dried plantains chips. 

The weather was amazing, temperature was perfect, the views were incredible! My husband and I hiked Whiteface last year, but I forgot how much we loved that area. I want to go back!! 

I was back at the car by 3. I scarfed my lunch (I was SO hungry), and Then continued on my way north. What a great drive too. The roads were smooth sailing, no traffic at the border either. The scenery was beautiful, with the mountain views through the Adirondacks, and farmland once I crossed into Quebec. 

My mom's flight was delayed by 4 hours.  I don't mind eating alone but I was looking forward to seeing her. I found a little tapa bar down the road from my hotel. It was fantastic. I had a warm shrimp salad with sautéed fennel and wilted spinach, venison tartar, and green beans with truffle oil and roasted almonds. Very rich, and I ate every bite! I'm so full. 

The servers were so charming and lovely. My French is non existent but they were so forgiving and kind. 

Anyways, off to bed. Looking forward to the sites tomorrow. 

 

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Ahhhhh. It is good to be home. My house is an absolute DISASTER - incomplete unpacking from backpacking trip, and now mess from Montreal trip. My husband actually kept any new mess to a minimum, but I don't even know where to start. I might go visit a friend instead and procrastinate :) 

I want to stay close to home for the next couple of weeks as we will have another round of traveling to the west coast starting mid September. Felt good to do my work out this morning. The hotel in Montreal had a nice gym, but it has been so many years since I stepped foot in a gym, I get really territorial about the equipment I need! I don't like to share. We did lots of walking, and of course I did the hike on the way up, so I didn't mind skipping those days. 

Eating. My mom is a pretty clean eater, but she grazes ALL day. Eats like a bird. I'm about 6 inches taller and probably have over 50pounds on her, so of course it makes me feel like a complete freak when I eat next to her. So interesting, how I can be in my 30's, continually "working on my shit" and my mother's presence can still bring up these old feelings of inadequacy, self consciousness, etc. It's MY stuff to deal with, but I can't believe it still comes up! 

 Meal times were off which I find throws a wrench into things a bit and it is so hard to get enough vegetables when eating out. Had a few treats, small scoop of icecream while walking around the city. Enjoyed a glass of wine or two - it was SO good, one beer - also good. We had sushi for lunch at a high end sushi place - it was amazing. I had some white rice, but avoided the soy no problem. They dressed my ceviche with a blood orange dressing, I wanted to pick up the plate and drink it. The ceviche was a generous portion of scallops, clam, octopus, crab and some fish wish avocado and that beautiful dressing. 

Dinner was at Pied De Couchon. And I had Pied De Couchon - pigs foot stuffed with fois gras.  Amazing. Rich. Again, not enough veggies. But it was worth it.

Driving home yesterday I had tacos from a real deal Mexican restaurant - they were delicious - I ate one of the small corn tortillas, but left the rest and just ate all the stuff of the top, amazing. One thing I always notice after eating out, whether I'm compliant or not, is how thirsty I am after. It's crazy. I get puffy too. There's either something in there that doesn't agree with me, or its just a super super sodiUm overload. Yuck. Lots of water today. 

Anyways, needless to say... I'm glad to be back to my food, and my schedule and there will be no off roading for awhile now. I did so much food prep before I left, there was stuff to throw together go dinner last night, and I should be able to make it through today - might have to eat the same meal all day, but I'm ok with that. 

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Welcome home!  And then welcome home again from the friend's house you went to to procrastinate :)  Living 3 hrs from Montreal we always say we should go but never have.  Hubs doesn't have a passport nor one of those new drivers licenses that gets you into Canada (those exist, right...?).  Sounds like you had a nice time.  That food sounds so good (well maybe not the pig's foot - good for you for trying that - I don't think I could have!).  Glad you were able to make good choices and not go crazy!  Walking a ton during vacation is such a good way to stay active.  Probably a bit easier to walk around Montreal than up and down the Presi's ;) 

I'm glad you liked Noonmark - its a nice little mountain :) If you do a 2 day trip the next time you are there do something hard on day 1 and then on day 2 hike Indian Head (its about 8 miles of dirt road walking and 2 of easy hiking round trip - so its a good "tired day" hike - same parking lot as Noonmark).  Holy view.  Its amazing.  Pack a breakfast or a lunch, bring a book and just plan on hanging out for an hour or so up there.  

Its funny that you bring up the puffiness - I'm the same way.  Processed "compliant" food do the same thing to me... all those chicken sausages and stuff everyone raves about.  My theory is its something about the low quality salt they use (because I use a TON of salt at home - but its all pink Himalayan or sea salt).  But who knows.  I'm good at coming up with baseless hypotheses!  

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Ha!! I am curious to see this now. Shaq in the ADKs lol. 

Yes Noonmark reminded me of a tougher version of a hike I used to do on the west coast. I hope we can get up that way before the weather turns, between our other travels. 

Yes, I use a ton of salt too! That's why I thought it was so weird. I'm still catching up on my water drinking. The thirst is crazy. 

I tried the pigs foot because a friend had told me she went to the restaurant and ordered it and was to die for. It really was good. Lots of gelatin. It didn't look that footy really. 

I was happy I got to see Montreal, but to be honest, growing up near Vancouver, it doesn't really get much better, and yes I'm biased. A lot of people I know loved Montreal because of the food and drink scene - poutine  is the big thing there, but I hate poutine and I'm not into the drink so much so that didn't leave a ton for me. They have a lovely little 700ft mountain on the outskirts of the city and I walked up that the other morning, the view was stunning. Driving in over all the bridges, and over all the big lakes was beautiful too. 

There are a TON of places near where I lived for most of my life I never made it to, so I always say, there's plenty of exploring in your own backyard, you probably aren't missing much.

 

 

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My dad used to regularly bring home pigs feet (or trotters as he'd call them) when I was around 10 or so - I've no idea how he (or most likley my mum) cooked them but my big sister and I were always grossed out to see one sitting in the fridge :wacko:

I've tried all kinds of 'weird' meat (sheeps brains & testicles to name a few!) but I have to say a pigs foot never appealed........ Brave lady!!

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On 8/26/2016 at 0:52 PM, littleg said:

Hubs doesn't have a passport nor one of those new drivers licenses that gets you into Canada (those exist, right...?).

No that's not really a thing, at least not the driver's license bit. You're probably thinking of a Nexus card. This card is for travellers who are low risk (i.e work in the other country, go across for weekly groceries) and allows them to pass through customs via a special lane without waiting in the normal que. I contemplated it once as I go to the states monthly (mostly for yummy grocery products I can't buy in Canada) but the catch is that every person in the vehicle has to have a card in order to use the lane. :( 

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12 minutes ago, VivaLaMeredith said:

No that's not really a thing, at least not the driver's license bit. You're probably thinking of a Nexus card. This card is for travellers who are low risk (i.e work in the other country, go across for weekly groceries) and allows them to pass through customs via a special lane without waiting in the normal que. I contemplated it once as I go to the states monthly (mostly for yummy grocery products I can't buy in Canada) but the catch is that every person in the vehicle has to have a card in order to use the lane. :( 

Actually the drivers license IS a thing. I had one in Canada (I used to be from BC). It's an enhanced drivers license and it can be used to cross the border by water or on land but not for flying. Im guessing it's a state by state thing here in the US, But im not sure. I also have a nexus card and LOVE it - my husbands has expired and I joke with him all the time that I'm going to refuse to travel with him because he holds up the show now. He will definitely be renewing his as soon as he can get to a border crossing. 

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@J9er Ok so it IS a thing in the US but in Canada we'd just use the Nexus card. ;) That's really cool actually, I think the Nexus card works for air travel between Canada and the US too. My partner is too cheap to pay the $50 to get a card anyway, so I guess we're stuck waiting in line like everyone else!

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2 minutes ago, VivaLaMeredith said:

@J9er Ok so it IS a thing in the US but in Canada we'd just use the Nexus card. ;) That's really cool actually, I think the Nexus card works for air travel between Canada and the US too. My partner is too cheap to pay the $50 to get a card anyway, so I guess we're stuck waiting in line like everyone else!

Haha, no I'm saying that the enhanced driver license is a thing in Canada. My BC drivers license was an enhanced DL.  It's not all that necessary if you are going to have a passport anyways, but for people who don't fly, totally worth it as it's cheaper than a passport.

Well next time you're sitting in a 3 hour line (if that happens to you, it happened to us a lot) - ask if he/she would pay $50 to get out of the line! Lol. $50 over 5 years is pretty decent for escaping those long lines. If you travel with a carload of people and you'd have to pay for each of them I could see not doing it, but for me....would still be worth it! And yes it's good for air travel too. I have the retina scan (a little bit "big brother") on my card, so at certain airports all I have to do is look into a little machine and up pops my name and off I go through the fast lane in security. It's also the equivalent of GLOBAL entry,  TSA pre check and a few other fast track methods. I do travel a fair amount through a very busy airport so it's totally worth it to me and the $50 has long been forgotten. I should be a nexus promoter haha. 

Just curious, do you still cross border shop even with the dollar the way it is? Is it still cheaper? Or is it just to get items you can't get in Canada? I imagine just filling up with a tank of American gas would make the trip more than worth it. 

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