The Columbus Crew

[C_Cezeaux]

Ok, fresh from the measuring tape I find that I have indeed made progress on the toning.  Let go of a full inch each on chest, waist, and hips and half inch on that pesky upper arm.  It felt so good it inspired me to take an extra long walk with little dog and I have my "to do" list in order for the day. 

[Pickle]

Really enjoying all your posts- 

 

I have been struggling this past week- long hours at work and lots of hunger between meals.  So then I eat more at my meals and notice that my clothes are just as tight as ever.  My body composition is changing a little with these different dietary choices and lots of hot yoga; but my size is exactly the same and today I feel very discouraged. 

 

When I take starches out till my last meal of the day, I'm hungry, ravenously so, all day.  Same with fruit.  Pretty much struggling all the way around. 

 

Today I had leftover chili with two eggs and 1/2 avo & handful of raspberries

 

We'll see how it goes.  Off to do a little overtime at work, go shopping for the week, hot yoga and a meeting tonight. 

[dcducks1]

All.......the final week. I can see clouds in the distance and seagulls in the air so land must be close by. Let's finish strong.......and clean. Today we are cleaning cabinets. Clean the top of the refrigerator and on top of cabinets. Wipe out or vacuum inside the cabinets. Clean under the fridge and oven. Clean.....clean.....clean!

Dave

[mergthemagnificent]

Burgards and Cynthia, CONGRATULATIONS and thanks for sharing your observations and your REAL SELVES.  Very helpful.  I hope the Crew will carry on well past this week and keep talking about our learnings and tips, very helpful to me.

 

Miss Lindy also, I am with you too...planning to keep eating this way 99% of the time....and regularly going back to strict w30 eating for several days to keep the compass clean and operational.....so all communication with you, Burgards, Cynthia, Dave, Pickle, KSByer, cottagequeen, MeadowLily, Brewer5, jmbcn...all is so helpful!

 

Pickle: hang in there and eat enough to be full for four hours....make sure you are taking in enough fat....the body composition will continue to change and, eventually, the weight will drop off also - at least that is what happened to me.

 

Would love some partners for a careful reintro, whenever we want to start after this week.  In the meantime, I am going to keep reading the reintro tales on the forum, especially the ones about wine...pretty sobering

[mergthemagnificent]

Oh, and Bronnyd, loved the videos and your post

[misslindy]

Really enjoying all your posts- 

 

I have been struggling this past week- long hours at work and lots of hunger between meals.  So then I eat more at my meals and notice that my clothes are just as tight as ever.  My body composition is changing a little with these different dietary choices and lots of hot yoga; but my size is exactly the same and today I feel very discouraged. 

 

When I take starches out till my last meal of the day, I'm hungry, ravenously so, all day.  Same with fruit.  Pretty much struggling all the way around. 

 

Today I had leftover chili with two eggs and 1/2 avo & handful of raspberries

 

We'll see how it goes.  Off to do a little overtime at work, go shopping for the week, hot yoga and a meeting tonight. 

Hi Pickles

I know exactly what you are talking about, my body  composition is changing but not much else--very discouraging at times. However, there are positives that I won't give up while waiting for my stubborn body to kick in so on I go.

 

It sounds like you are not eating enough, especially fats. What about adding some Ghee to extra vegetables? If you are hungry you are not eating enough. You might need more protein and fat. It sounds like you are doing a lot of exercise and you are moving all the time at work so you are expending a lot of energy and need to feed that.

 

I have changed my breakfast to 1/4/ egg, veg bake with olives, 2-3 cups vegetables with Ghee, and about a fistful of kumara plus either a mug of bone broth or coffee with coconut oil. With that in my I can go steadily until 2 or 3 in the afternoon if I have to: I usually have breakfast between 7 and 8 in the morning. I know I don't do as much moving in a day as you do and that is a huge amount of food for me but I can feel changes even if I can't see them yet. 

BTW I make the egg bake with 12 eggs so 1/4 is about right. (I also have other things for breakfast but this is my staple and easy to do first thing in the morning because it is mostly done!)

 

Since I started using Ghee I am seldom hungry before my next meal, sometimes not even really hungry but ready to eat. I started measuring my Ghee because I wasn't sure how much a tablespoon was and I was not eating enough at all. There are also days now when I can tell when I need more or less of something--amazing. Trusting myself and going with less Ghee, protein, or more, it always works fine for me. 

 

Hope you are feeling better today. 

[bronnyd]

Hey Pickles - just wanted to add to misslindy's encouraging post about eating more fat. When I eat healthy fat, i.e. avo, fatty fish, coconut oil, bacon, ghee, etc. I feel really satisfied. Mac nuts are also a great source of fat. Sounds like you're working your butt off - can you plan ahead and make sure you're eating enough fat in every meal? Often I grab a quick easy lunch of avo/hbeggs and mac nuts with maybe some tuna or salmon - I think you're vegetarian though, right?

 

Fat is a discovery that saved my butt. My issue is eating more veggies.

 

That said, I made a great veggie stir fry for dinner tonight with an orange beet, zucchini, red cabbage and spinach sauteed in 2 Ts coconut oil to eat at work. 

 

m1- salmon and stir fry with one small piece bacon

m2 romaine salad with carrot, fennel, kale, chicken and piece bacon,mac nuts oo and lemon.

[C_Cezeaux]

I'm carrying on with the crew, I really think support during reintro is going to be just as crucial as all this great support during the program.

 

Pickle, I am definitely in agreement on adding that fat back in.  And I have starch in at least two meals of the day - not always a full serving, but those starchy veg are in there somewhere. If I don't do that I end up hungry.  I also really had to cut back on the amount and type of fruit to avoid hunger and help fight sugar dragon.  I really struggled with the ways my clothes were fitting the first time - it took quite a bit of trial and error for things to click for me.  I didn't really make the progress with the clothes fitting better until this 2nd time when I finally seemed to pull my food choices together.  Hang in there!

[KSByer]

I have been struggling this past week- long hours at work and lots of hunger between meals.  So then I eat more at my meals and notice that my clothes are just as tight as ever.  My body composition is changing a little with these different dietary choices and lots of hot yoga; but my size is exactly the same and today I feel very discouraged. 

 

When I take starches out till my last meal of the day, I'm hungry, ravenously so, all day.  Same with fruit.  Pretty much struggling all the way around. 

It's hard, isn't it? It's hard to keep the faith and to continue meal after meal (90 perfect meals!!) and feel your body morph into a slightly new shape and endure the hunger pangs and not be able to stop them and feel bummed that this new shape isn't as good (yet!) as what you had your heart set on. I have to keep reminding myself what my body felt like 22 days ago. And then I realize that there are still lots of little ways that I feel better. Add to that I'm just proud of myself for sticking with this. Those are the positive reminders I keep telling myself. I can't give you any food types or template amount tweaking advice. I don't feel qualified to do that, but it sounds like you are burning off a lot of calories at your job, so listening to your body cry for food seems like a logical tweak so maybe larger meals might help. 

 

I'm sending you good thoughts and hoping one of our nutrition smart moderators sees your post! 

[KSByer]

Day 22. 

m1- Omelette with salmon, broccoli, onion, zucchini. 

m2- Got caught at a luncheon where nothing Whole30 compliant was served. Survived by eating an emergency Larabar, an apple and a couple of tablespoons of almond butter. 

m3- Grilled chicken with kale and shitaki mushrooms. Baked red potato with ghee. Mustard microgreens with Tessemae dressing and black olives. 

 

Off to Asheville for the next couple of days. I've been scouring the local restaurant menus and I have a plan. Fingers crossed I can do this. I suppose I have no choice but to pack emergency fare, just in case. 

 

We're on the downhill slope, Crew! Let's stay focused on the finish line!!!

[Pickle]

Thank you Everyone!  Thank you for taking the time to write, to care, make suggestions and give support.  I really appreciate each of you.

 

Today I had very little time between my errands and hot yoga, so my middle meal was low on the veggies.  I am going to heed the advice and add more fat tomorrow.  Today I was flying by the seat of my pants just to eat something compliant; tomorrow is my day to prepare all my meals for the subsequent 3 work days.  And I'm very tired today.  I care for a lot of folks with pneumonia at work- my body may be fighting off some bacteria/virus.  I can see this possibility in my overall negativity the last few days too.  

 

M1- leftover chili with 1/2 avocado, handful raspberries

M2- chicken with mayo, cucumber and tomatos, small apple and tbsp almond butter

M3- chicken curry stew (broccoli, sweet potats, and full fat coconut milk in it), tsp of almond butter

 

Almond butter has been my go-to when I have am still hungry at the end of a meal and it may be what is making my favorite scrub pants still tight!  And as much as I really want to eat fruit with breakfast, I will only eat it at lunch. 

 

Going to rest tomorrow and make myself stay home; no overtime, no yoga classes.  I was going to go to my first barre class tomorrow!  But my body is telling me to lay low and take care.  

 

I just re-read everyone's posts- thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

 

KSByer-  You'll do great in Asheville, being as resourceful as you are.  And it'll be so nice to come home!

[EPC]

Pickle - I feel you and I are in almost the exact same situation.  I nearly burst into tears when on day 20 I attempted to pick out a dress to wear for a special occasion and discovered all my dresses fit worse than they had before starting whole 30.  I am still sticking with it and hoping for good results in the end, but it was extremely frustrating. 

 

Regarding starchy vegetables, I have also started trying to cut down on them. I know that this is controversial and against some of the advice I have seen in these forums, but I have had some success eating them earlier in the day (at either m1 or m2) rather than saving them until the end of the day.  I find the combination of starchy veg and fat to be so filling that having them at m1 really helps me get through the day.

 

For m1, I have been including a sweet potato with ghee or coconut butter OR butternut squash soup with coconut milk.  These feel like compliant "treats" to have first thing in the morning and help fill me up during my long days (between work and exercise, I don't get home for m3 until 14-15 hours after I leave the house in the morning). 

 

Trying playing around with the timing of your starchy vegetables as well - it has really helped me.

[cottagequeen]

dcducks, I am happy to report that I walked half of my old 2.2 mile route today without abdominal support and with minimal complaints from incision areas. This time last week I could barely go 2 blocks! My bathroom is shiny, 3 cabinets and pantry are sorted and organized, junk drawer is usable, floors vacuumed/mopped and all the grand kids clothing has been sorted by size and what they can no longer wear is ready to be sold on the local rummage sale page. Also have 2 boxes to take to the thrift store and it sound like the trash or recycle truck is here to get the overloaded recycle stuff... Thanks for the butt kickin'!

 

I am almost weaned off the stool softener, down to every third day now. Have decreased my non compliant probiotic source and increasing my compliant forms. Having all y'all to hang with has made this time period go by quickly and been motivating even tho not officially doing a Whole30. It has kept me from falling down the rabbit hole and from getting depressed as I so wanted to do this a Whole30 with you.

[misslindy]

dcducks, I am happy to report that I walked half of my old 2.2 mile route today without abdominal support and with minimal complaints from incision areas. This time last week I could barely go 2 blocks! My bathroom is shiny, 3 cabinets and pantry are sorted and organized, junk drawer is usable, floors vacuumed/mopped and all the grand kids clothing has been sorted by size and what they can no longer wear is ready to be sold on the local rummage sale page. Also have 2 boxes to take to the thrift store and it sound like the trash or recycle truck is here to get the overloaded recycle stuff... Thanks for the butt kickin'!

 

I am almost weaned off the stool softener, down to every third day now. Have decreased my non compliant probiotic source and increasing my compliant forms. Having all y'all to hang with has made this time period go by quickly and been motivating even tho not officially doing a Whole30. It has kept me from falling down the rabbit hole and from getting depressed as I so wanted to do this a Whole30 with you.

So happy to hear of your progress, how positive it is! You are amazing and I would say you have been doing the Whole30 with everyone, it just looks a bit different and you are including the differences to accommodate an unanticipated event--you are doing brilliantly with it all. Just think how much easier/better your recovery has been because of your efforts--you are an inspiration to all mountain climbers of diet!

[bpaitsel]

Wow - 7 days to go and then reintroduction time.  For those that are feeling like their clothes are tighter - even on the W30 you can still be eating foods that your body doesn't tolerate.  In addition to tracking my food for the last couple of years (started when I initially went gluten free to track symptoms) I also track any unusual symptoms (acne, joint/muscle pain, rashes, digestion, sinus congestion, whatever).  That way it is easier to note any trends between food and symptoms.  By weighing every day you can see that if you gain weight suddenly it might be inflammatory fluid retention from a certain food.  Now that we are not weighing ourselves that is a little harder to detect.  But, if you are feeling bloated or seem to be retaining fluid it could be a food sensitivity.  I have noticed this a couple of times during this W30 - after having nightshades.  Since this is my first successful elimination type diet it is easier to pick out which foods that might be a problem.  Just a thought that might help some.  We all need to think about our accomplishments so far - just making the attempt at a W30 means that we are making better choices for our health.  Everyone hang in there!

[mergthemagnificent]

Denise, so glad to hear your body continues to heal well and that you are feeling encouraged. You have such deep wisdom hat anything you offer to this crew is a real blessing.

Bpaitsel, thanks for the wisdom about inflammatory reactions...yes, the whole 30 does give us a running start on what might be the culprits, but even then we have to keep our radar on and sniff out those rascals that give us trouble. We are all well poised now to do this...so let's be careful with our reintro...

Cheers everyone!

[KSByer]

Denise, you've certainly had just as much (or more) skin in this game as any of us! Bravo for being able to coax your healing along so fast.

And bpaitsel, it never occurred to me that some of the foods we're eating now might be our adversaries, but that makes sense. I know my skin still seems to react adversely to red meat.

Day 23. In Asheville, NC and feeling lucky that so many folks here are into healthy eating.

m1- Eggs over easy with leeks, red bell pepper, zucchini, and shiitake mushrooms.

m2- Salt and pepper ribs, sweet potato (I liked it!) and collard greens

m3- Pork loin, iceberg salad, and roasted beets, waxed and sweet potatoes.

Gooooooooooo, Crew!

[bronnyd]

bpaitsel yes you hit it right on about possible sensitivities to whole30 compliant foods. I found out over the second w30 i did that that chocolate chili everybody raved about was really goooood but my body did not like it. When I took out tomatoes, I felt wayyy better.

Now, after not eating tomatoes for a whole summer, I can tolerate them to a degree. But during this w30, i'm pretty much not eating tomatoes - did have a couple small tomatillos from the garden fried in eggplant last week and no reaction. Eggs are another high allergen food. I did an elimination diet a while back with no eggs and Thank GODDESS I can eat them. 

 

Still, I have been cutting down on eggs. Nothing too drastic - just not eating them almost every meal like I was for a couple weeks prior there. If there is a food you suspect an issue with especially if it's something you love, don't turn your head. Take it out for a while and see. It's not forever.

 

I just ate two meals today as my lunch was huge and late and lots of fat. Also drank tons of water - very conscious of making sure I have lots of water. 

 

m1 two fried eggs with spinach and zuccini, 2 pieces bacon

m2 sauteed greens and purple cabbage with two chicken thighs in 2 Tspns oo and 1/2 avo. The OO and chicken fat filled me right up and kept me satiated until now - bedtime.

 

Night!

[Pickle]

EPC-  I keep reminding myself of the main reason I'm doing Whole 30.  I got diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in September and am attempting to restore my gut health in an attempt to reverse my Hashimoto's or at least stop it from progressing.  This is the beginning of a lifelong journey for me as gluten/grains increase the permeability in the gut and thereby make the Hashimoto's worse.  I go in for my next round of blood work on Monday with my doc and will see how much my numbers have changed.  THAT is why I'm doing W30- I have done so many diets and been yo-yo-ing with 20 lbs for so long that I forget that losing weight is not really my objective this time.  I can refine over time and hope that my body will settle out where it's supposed to be.  Eating three meals a day with maybe a snack once a day is also a milestone for me- I used to purposefully skip meals so I could snack. 

 

Bpaitsel- Thanks for reminding me of that.  I've got time for fine tuning as W30 is just the beginning.

 

KSByer- Sounds like you're doing well in Asheville.  I remember eating at some pretty good little restaurants there.

 

bronnyd- I hope to get to the point where I can eat such little food as you and be satiated.  Something to aspire to!

 

Cottagequeen- Way to go taking your health into your own hands!  So glad to hear of your recovery. 

 

I am home from work today- SICK.  This is the first time I've been sick in over 6 years.  Low-grade fever, sore throat, and wipe-out exhausted.  Stayed in bed almost all day yesterday resting and am taking care of myself again today.  Hoping to nip this in the bud; a friend of mine just had walking pneumonia for 3 weeks...

[dcducks1]

All, been a busy-crazy-week! I'm glad to hear about chores getting done, long ealks, and overall high spirits. Be proud of yourself for what you have done and accomplished. I want everyone to realize that at the end of this......results will vary! Some will lose weight, or inches...or both! Some will lose nothing but gain less pain, bloating, swelling, better breathing, etc. There is a success somewhere! I'm hoping all of you find it next week. I'm proud of all of my crew.....just a couple more days. Chores: clean your vehicle.....detail it, and I need 45 minutes of walking or exercise!

Dave

[C_Cezeaux]

The weirdest thing happened to me today. I was getting set up to start my exercise when I noticed that I was whistling and it occurred to me... I was LOOKING FORWARD TO EXERCISING!!  When did this happen???   Don't get me wrong, I have always been the active, outdoors type which made the forced inactivity of recovery particularly frustrating.  I love to be out walking somewhere wild. But structured, indoor exercise?  Bleah.  I think I may have actually trained myself by "treating" myself to that show I like so much only while I exercise.  Wow.  I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, lol.

 

Pickle, I'm sorry you are not feeling well.  Do you have some chicken broth on hand?  Good for what ails you.   Hopefully you will be back on your feet soon.  Way to keep your eye on the prize!  Will be waiting to hear how your results turn out.

[mergthemagnificent]

Cynthia, love hearing from you...great sense of humor and good spirit...

And Pickle, don't rush your healing...rest as much as you can.

Just a few more days, folks!

Thanks for steering us along, Dave.

[KSByer]

My whirlwind trip is over. This year I experienced Asheville in new and wonderfully surprising ways. We found some killer craft and junk antique stores and I met one of my favorite artists who graciously toured us around his studio-- quite a thrill! And, I ran across another artist who I'd been trying to track down for over eight years, but I had forgotten his last name and never knew what happened to him. Today I just happened to notice one of his paintings in a gallery window. And an even bigger treat to learn that he is featured in an Asheville gallery every year. Oh, life is good!! Art and shopping for junk is almost as exciting to me as food is. And fortunately, Asheville caters to diverse palettes, diets, etc. without batting an eye. What a treat to find folks so passionate about clean, delicious food!

 

Pickle, I'm so sorry to hear you're sick! I really hope it's not walking pneumonia!!! Frankly, I'm sure your Hashimoto's is hard enough to deal with by itself!! I have hypothyroidism and my first few months with it were extremely difficult. I had virtually no energy-- it was alarming. Once I was diagnosed things steadily improved with meds. I hope yours will, too. I am very interested to see if W30 has any impact on my levels. 

 

Day 24.  

m1- Fried trout and grilled potatoes with asparagus and two eggs over easy. 

m2- Smoked trout anchovies with baked potato, grilled romaine lettuce and an egg over easy. 

m3- Grilled chicken breast with baked red potato, grilled pepper medley and leeks along with a mustard microgreens salad. 

 

Six more days. Piece o' cake fruit!   Goooooo, Crew!

[bronnyd]

Pickles - feel better! Hope you get some soup and lots of liquids in you!

 

dcducks - I wish I had joined/started my whole30 at the beginning - recently read your post on day 1 about doing chores. I have been wanting to really clean - so this weekend it will be the kitchen. 

 

HAH KSByer on piece o cake fruit. That made me chuckle. 

 

C-Cezeaux BIG smile about looking forward to exercising! Yay! I'm still working on it.

 

Yesterday was grumpy tired day for me as I'm just into my first week. This morning was still grumpy but as the day wore on, I perked up. Truly believe it is because of all the VEGGIES I'm eating. My body is loving it. Every meal now I eat greens. It's like DUH - my cells are soaking it up and wondering how I could be so dense about it until now.

 

The other habit I'm practicing is no eating after 7:30 on weekdays. That's challenging for me because I teach until 8/9 most weeknights and have very little time between lessons to eat. But I've been doing a pretty good job of planning ahead and packing my dinner.

 

Today's meals were tasty and healthy.

m1 two fried eggs on top of a heaping pile of sauteed spinach and red cabbage, 2Ts bacon fat to fry with.

m2 big salad with 1 piece bacon, 1 chicken thigh with skin all crispy, carrot, handful almonds, fennel, oo and lemon

m3 big salad with same. 

 

Lots and lots of water and I squeezed the juice of one whole lemon today into several glasses. Easypeasy and oh so tasty.

[EPC]

Pickle - I hope you feel better soon. I certainly understand starting this process to improve health, particularly for someone like you who is dealing with this recent diagnosis. I eliminated all gluten about 10 years ago for health reasons as well - and I am a different person today!! My health as improved dramatically and I've never looked back. Hopefully you have a similar experience!