Take 2.1 Sep. 1 Start Date

[Karen02769]

Having completed a successful Whole30 in May/June, I'm back. Over the summer I fell off my bike. And I fell hard! But, I'm back and this time I brought a friend with me. My goals for this go-round are to tackle the psychological issues I have with self-image and emotional eating. I learned last time that physically, Whole30 is the best medicine there is. I had at least two weeks of fantastic sleep, pain-free joints, and clear, rash-free skin. I deserve that, right? So, why don't I eat in a way that promotes it?

 

My friend and I committed to this start date weeks ago. We both had August vacations, so the Sep. 1 start date felt very wise. However, upon returning from my vacation I went back to work for one day, then got the flu! Who gets the flu in the summer? Last night, I didn't think I'd be able to start today, but when I woke up, I told myself that a year from now I will really wish I'd started now. So, I fished the broccoli, spinach and eggs out of the fridge and went to work. 

 

I can do this. My health is something worth working toward. 

 

No try. Only do.

 

M1: 2 eggs, avocado oil, broccoli, spinach and onions.

[Karen02769]

I finished out the day strong. I had an event tonight with an unbelievable array of foods from a local gourmet vendor. It was really quite spectacular. Normally I would tell myself that it was just too good to pass up, but tonight I made different choices. I waited until the very end of the evening when we were cleaning up before I even looked at the food. Then, I found compliant options (sausage with grilled veggies, carrots, and celery), and made myself a meal according to the template. Instead of eating as a social activity, I chose to eat for fuel, sitting down, not noshing on passed appetizers while standing and chatting. I felt very good about that choice. When I got home, I declined a late night dinner with my husband who had waited for me to eat. Usually I feel so guilty that when he waits for me that I sit and eat with him just to keep him company. That's a bit weird, right? I tell myself that I'll only eat a few bites, but then I hate wasting what's on my plate so I end up eating a full meal when I'm not even hungry. That's definitely a behavior to pay attention to.  I know eating is a social activity. I must learn how to engage in it without eating when I'm not hungry or eating nutrient-empty foods. Another bonus: there was never a thought in the back of my brain that I was being judged for eating unhealthy food. 

 

Day 1 M2: big salad with chicken, avocado, apples, pecans

Day 1 M3: grilled sausage and vegetables, carrot and celery sticks

 

I probably didn't eat quite enough today. I'll try to eat 3 eggs for breakfast tomorrow morning.

[Karen02769]

Day 2

The Sugar Dragon rears his ugly head! My assistant is eating a piece of hard candy and I want to tell her to go outside. It's such a habit for me to hit the candy bowl at this hour. But with me it's not just one piece of hard candy - it's one, then one more, then one more...  Saying no is a discipline. I am not actually hungry. I'm bored and tired. Alternatives to snacking include writing thank you notes, going for a short walk, cleaning my desk, or making phone calls.  No try. Only do.

[Karen02769]

Day 2

 

I did it. No snacking. No sugar. Go me! Usually my husband makes dinner and has it ready when I get home from work. However, when I'm on Whole30 he feels intimidated and doesn't make anything. So, while he's very supportive, I do have to adjust to cooking when I get home. Tonight I grabbed a chicken breast out of the freezer, salted some eggplant, chopped up some vegetables and made a nice chicken curry with eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and potatoes in coconut milk. It was ok. But, we didn't eat until 8:00. I'm going to have to do meal planning before the next grocery shop so that doesn't happen again.

 

D2M1: 3 eggs, broccoli, 1/4 sweet potato, onion

D2M2: BAS with chicken, spinach, tomato, pecans, avocado, and peach

D2M3: chicken curry with eggplants, potatoes, carrots, and peppers, 1 handful cashews

 

No exercise as I'm still not feeling great. I'm going to try to walk tomorrow in the morning. 

[Karen02769]

Day 3

 

On Thursdays at work, the office orders lunch from everyone. The reason for this is that our building was moved a number of years ago from downtown Quincy where there are lots of lunch options to the middle of nowhere. It is a very nice gesture, but the problem is that the options of places from which to order are limited. Our receptionist chooses the restaurant each week. She is about 25 years old and thin as a phone pole. So this week she ordered from a place called Johnny Macaroni. I should have brought my lunch, but instead I brought an avocado, thinking that I would get a salad with no dressing and add the avocado to it. And that's what I did. I ate it while watching my co-workers chow down on all my favorite Italian gut bombs. I'll bet I felt better all afternoon than they did But it took a lot of deciding to stay on plan. 

 

In the evening, I was able to score a pair of tickets to a Patriots pre-season game. So, after work I went home and had leftover chicken curry for dinner so that I wouldn't be tempted by stadium food, then we left to go to Gillette. It's about a 45 minute drive from our house without traffic. We allowed two hours to get there and park. 30 minutes after kick-off we were still stuck in traffic and being routed to parking lots two towns away, so we went home. More than 3 hours in the car. I decided to look at it as date night but without as much as expense and with no calories. We had great conversation and enjoyed each other's company. Then we got home, put on our comfy clothes, and watched the game on t.v. Is that the definition of getting old or what?

 

D3M1: 2 eggs, sausage, 1/4 white potatoe, onion, spinach

D3M2: salad with steak tips and avocado

D3M3: chicken curry with eggplant, potatoes, carrots, peppers, 1 handful cahsews

 

Exercise: 30 minutes light weight lifting

 

Joints: mildly stiff

[Karen02769]

Day 4

 

I started the day with a long walk. My knee hurt a lot and somebody passed me. That never happens! I had a delicious breakfast which was, thankfully, quite plentiful because I forgot my lunch! Darn! I was so mad and at the same time so hopeful that we would close the office early for the long weekend that I decided not to try to buy a compliant lunch and just eat when I got home. However, the email notifying me of the early office closure went into my junk mail folder! Double darni By the time I saw it I was deep into something that I wanted to finish so I just stayed until 5. But, I did call my dear hubby and told him of my dilemma, warning him that I would be very hungry by the time I got home. The darling man had supper waiting for me! All delicious, mostly out of the garden. I am a lucky, lucky woman. I probably ate a bit too much, but I think I was psychologically making up for skipping lunch.

 

I hope the anti-inflammatory benefits of this way of eating show up soon. I struggled all day with achy knees, hips, and back.

 

Also, tonight I have to start chemo-cream on my back to get rid of basal cells. I'm not looking forward to that for the next month, but I am grateful that I live in an age when these things can be dealt with.

 

D1M1: 3 eggs, onion, sausage, broccoli

D1M2: nothing

D1M3: carne asada, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, onions, avocado

[Karen02769]

Day 5

 

Saturdays can be a challenge, but I managed to stay busy and mindful about my food choices. I had a bunch of errands to run today, so I left immediately after a healthy fuel breakfast. I felt energized until the very last stop at B.J's.  That could have been a minefield because of all the "tasters," but it all looked so gross to me. Greasy, fake, sugary, and unhygienic. I bought a bag of pistachios instead. Had a handful in the car, then came home and made lunch.

 

My stomach hasn't been super happy lately and my joint pain is still fairly awful. I was tired and napped a bit. My friend who is on her first Whole 30 with me is miserable. She has "kill all things" really badly. I'm supposed to spend the day with her on Monday - I'm hoping she's feeling better by then. We're going to make homemade mayo. Or, I should say TRY to make homemade mayo because my attempts have been significantly less than 100% successful. We're also going to make some salad dressings and homemade rotisserie chickens. We'll join our hubbies for a 25 mile bike ride and do the cooking while they go for a kayak and chop down a tree. It feels really good to have a social activity planned that does not revolve around eating and drinking unhealthy food.

 

Day 5 M1: 2 eggs, leftover carne asada, broccoli, peppers, onions

Day 5 S1: pistachios

Day 5 M2: leftover curried chicken with potatoes and eggplant

Day 5 M3: steak, sweet potato spirals, broccoli, grilled pineapple, and coconut.

[Karen02769]

Days 6 and 7

 

Day 6 - Sunday

"I want a nap" hit with a vengeance. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, but I was just sooooo tired. I did manage to go to the grocery store to stock up on veggies, make ghee, make bone broth, make homemade sausage, grill chicken breasts and make cottage pie. Delish! 

 

D6M1:  2 eggs, leftover carne asada, broccoli, peppers, onions

D6M2: hamburger patty on BAS with avocado

D6M3: cottage pie (hamburger, carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes)

 

Day 7

 

We went to hang out with my friend who is doing Whole 30 with me. She's in the middle of "Kill All Things." Real bad. But we managed a fun day - 15 mile bike ride then she and I made mayo, rotisserie chickens, kalua pork, and salad dressings while the men chopped down a tree. That was very exciting as it crashed down onto the shed. Amazingly there was neither property damage nor human casualty! After working, we sat by the fire pit and had grilled steak and veggie kabobs with cauli-rice and salad. So fun! She'll feel better when she's done de-toxing. I hope.

 

D7M1:  2 eggs, homemade sausage, broccoli, peppers, onions

D7M2: lemon, chicken and kale soup, cashews

D7M3: steak tips, caul-rice, salad with homemade ranch dressing

 

My back is BAD today. My friend is a nurse and has suggested hot, moist heat for a week then a trip to the doctor if I don't feel better. Fingers are crossed for relief! Psoriasis is also acting up again. What is going on? It seems like a should be feeling better by now.

[Karen02769]

Days 8 and 9

 

Day 8 was a hard day, emotionally. But, I did not eat or really even think of eating for emotional reasons. I ate at mealtime and that was all. 

 

D8M1 2 eggs, peppers, onions, avocado

D8M2 chopped salad with grilled salmon

D8M3 swordfish, broccoli

 

Day 9 was brutal because while I did not emotionally eat yesterday, I also didn't sleep enough. I think I ended up getting somewhere around 3 hours. Definitely not enough. It made me feel dull and out of sorts all day, but I did not cram baked goods into my face which is my usual coping strategy. I also had 2 events today. They are hard to navigate, but not impossible. My morning event was a tour of community gardens in 3 of our local schools. It's such a great project that involves the entire community in the garden projects. Kids march out to the beds at recess and pick green peppers and cherry tomatoes to nosh on! One teacher came out and picked some kale for her lunch. The gardens were maintained by the community over the summer with a lot of participation even from people with no kids in the schools. It's win-win-win for healthy food!

 

D9M1 2 eggs with peppers and onions

D9S1 kale, tomatoes, cucumbers

D9M2 arugula salad with beets and grilled chicken

D9S2 celery with guacamole and salsa

D9M3 cottage pie, pistachios

 

I went for a medium length walk this morning. Knees were pretty good. Back is better, though still not great. I have some weird rash all over my feet and lower legs that itches like crazy! Can't wait to feel the Whole 30 love!

[Karen02769]

Day 10

 

Because of the pain I'm having in my back, I've had to drastically modify my workouts. It's very frustrating. Some days I don't think it's even worth the bother of putting gym clothes on because I just can't do what I want to do. It was recently pointed out to me that I've been doing the same basic workout with variations for the last 10 years and it might just be that my 50 year-old body doesn't want to do what my 40 year-old body could do. I don't know if that's it. I've had to give up all forms of jumping, including burpees. This makes my interval workouts almost impossible. I'm also not terrifically comfortable on the spin bike, so that's not a great option, and the elliptical machine takes too long to get my heart rate up. I'm very frustrated! I've been on a protocol of rest and heat for almost a week now and don't really feel any better. I told my friend who is an NP that if I wasn't back to my old self by next week I'd go see someone. Ugh. 

 

Eating clean becomes easier and easier. Today, I said no to the leftover breakfast pastries and bagels that were sitting in the break room. Then, it was free lunch Thursday at my office. I ordered a salad with grilled chicken and avocado, no dressing. Instead I got dressing (on the side) and no avocado. That meant that I had no fat in my lunch, so by the time I got home I wanted to eat the countertop. Fortunately, the dinner plan was ready to go and hubby took care of everything while I lay on a hot towel. I am a spoiled brat. 

 

All in all a pretty good day in spite of being hungry.

 

D10M1 3 eggs with veggies and smoked salmon

D10M2 medium large salad with a small amount of grilled chicken

D10M3 medium salad with homemade ranch dressing, pistachios, salmon, sweet potato, broccoli. Yum.