CALLING ALL JANUARY 1ST WHOLE30ERS!

[greenhm]

Day 9! Mostly a good day. Had a lot to do, including a meeting this morning that was held at a restaurant. I actually called the restaurant last night to make sure they would be able to meet my needs . Some people at the meeting made some comments about 'no carbs' and 'dieting' but I shrugged it off and enjoyed my meal. No side effects! Meals today:

 

M1: 3-egg omlette made in olive oil with tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, and green pepper. Also had a peppermint tea and lots of lemon water. I find I drink a ton of water when I go out to restaurants.

 

M2: leftover hot sausage (2), mammoth green olives, pistachios, and half of a pretty big cucumber sliced up.

 

M3: leftover steak on romaine with the rest of my homemade dressing and the leftover white potatoes.

 

Including my tea, I've drank 3.5L of water today. I've been having a bit of abdominal distress (cramping, rumbling, some gas...) after my dinner tonight. I have read that digesting raw veggies can be harder? I did have a pretty big helping of romaine lettuce with my steak salad for dinner....could be it? Because the steak was just a combination of spices, and the dressing for the salad was a little lemon juice/olive oil/balsamic/dijon (compliant). Maybe this is normal? It's so hard to judge sometimes...

[blmorris]

Start with thinking about non-food ways to comfort you and experiment with those instead.  Put on some music you like and dance around, paint your nails, read a book, do a puzzle or craft, call a good friend, use an adult coloring book, whatever.

On the mini-meals, the recommendation is to only have those when you are truly hungry. The litmus test for that is to ask yourself if you could eat something bland like steamed fish and broccoli. If the answer is yes, have a mini meal of protein, carb and fat, or at least two of those components.  You experienced why it's not the best idea to have just nuts, as they can turn into food without brakes for some. Think about booting nuts off the island for a while, if you find that becoming a habit on your Whole30. 

Thanks for the tips Chris! I kept myself busy today, went to my grandson's hockey games, watched my granddaughter's horse riding, and I kept my mind off of food. I will remember the litmus test to test my hunger. I think I have been eating mini meals out of habit or something. So I am looking forward to tomorrow as I got through today ok. 

[SugarcubeOD]

Day 9 down, have been driving and in work meetings all day so adherence to meal times has been tough.

 

I had M1 around 7.30am with some liver, two compliant bacon strips, an egg and a some kale but was actually not really hungry and had to force myself to eat and then took some leftovers with me . I then had to drive for 2 hours and was in a meeting from 10am to 1.30pm so was crazy hungry by the time I came out. Thankfully I had prepared with bringing food but ate M2 during the half hour drive to my 2pm meeting (while also driving-bit of an effort!!). For that meal I had some salmon I had poached in the morning with some ghee and garlic, a boiled egg and some left over kale from breakfast-a bit average but almost hitting the macros (fat content down a bit but I had some coconut flakes after it). Out of that meeting by 5.30pm and pretty sure because I had such a gap between M1 and M2 I was again ravenous! Got to my hotel room and gobbled down 2 boiled eggs as a snack before nipping off to the supermarket and getting some pre-made salad (with no dressing), some sparkling mineral water and some lychees and a mango and raspberries. Came back and mixed the salad with the roast chicken I cooked last night [and packed for today] and an olive oil/balsamic dressing. I then had half a mango, about 4 or 5 lychees, and some raspberries with coconut flakes. Far cry from my normal comfort food room service and/or hotel restaurant orders but definitely made me realise how much I have been lapsing of late with bad habits on my work trips. Will definitely be tightening up my act around this from now on. Quite proud of myself for getting through it though, and definitely starting to realise the importance of the regular meal times and appropriate macro ratios.

Two things... yes, coffee is an appetite suppressant so if you're having difficulty with meal 1 appetite, have the coffee after.

Second you mention macros and I just want to make sure you're not 'counting' macros but you're referring to the 3 macros being fat, carb, protein and whether your breakfast was balanced. If it's the latter, then a-ok... if you're counting or tracking macros throughout the day, then we'd encourage you not to do that... counting and tracking calories, macros, grams etc... is against the principles of the Whole30... hopefully that's not what you were doing but just wanted to check in and if you were and want to chat about the why's and why not's more, we would be happy to have that conversation

[run_lift_golf]

Zuppa Toscana is one of my favorite soup recipes, but I didn't know I could have it on W30???  I guess if we put our W30 compliant homemade sausage in it and substitute something for the whole cream (what did you use?), we could have it   Let me know what you used for cream substitution and maybe I can make it this weekend yay!

 

I make my own compliant sausage, potatoes, homemade chicken broth , kale from my cold frame, 1 can coconut milk instead of whole cream.  Season it how you like.  I make it every week and its a hit with everyone.

 

For the chicken stock I spatchcock and grill two whole chickens one day each week.  Throw the bones and skin in the crockpot and pretty much use the bone broth recipe from the whole30 cookbook.  24hrs later you have liquid gold.  Great for soups and I use it in my chili to.

[runcolorado37]

Day 9 done! Flew past and happy to report we made it throw the first day of the weekend with no problems. Although I guess I haven't survived Saturday night yet. We have plenty of sparkling water, tea and some Hint flavored water to help make it through.

M1: eggs and spinach, pretty lame but much better than I usually get on Saturdays as we're running out the door to go dirt biking as early as possible. For the first time we weren't dying for lunch after a morning riding! Thank you Whole30!!

M2: chicken sausage, grilled pineapple with cayenne and salad

M3: leftovers from M2 with 1/2 an avocado and 1/2 apple added to my salad.

[blmorris]

I posted earlier today about my worries of being home all day and not at work, but it went well today. Thank you to all who gave me helpful suggestions. I appreciate your support and insight! I kept myself busy and my mind was off eating out of habit or boredom! 

 

M1- 3 scrambled eggs with roasted vegtables (from last nights dinner) and spinach

M2- zucihini(spelling?) peppers and onions sautéed in olive oil and shrimp

M3- steak, baked potato plain, salad(no dressing)

mini meal almonds and banana

 

Healthy eating everyone!

[praxisproject]

Day 7 here is super hot. Got all my shopping done and managed to find more of the fantastic ghee I found (wish I'd bought it earlier, it has a weird label so I bought every other kind before this one lol) and some organic strawberries  Stocked up on heaps of Kombucha too.

 

Including my tea, I've drank 3.5L of water today. I've been having a bit of abdominal distress (cramping, rumbling, some gas...) after my dinner tonight. I have read that digesting raw veggies can be harder? I did have a pretty big helping of romaine lettuce with my steak salad for dinner....could be it? Because the steak was just a combination of spices, and the dressing for the salad was a little lemon juice/olive oil/balsamic/dijon (compliant). Maybe this is normal? It's so hard to judge sometimes...

 

Unless it's the lettuce, other possibilities are the peppers, onion, spices on your steak (is one of them paprika?), lack of salt, too much water today (seems unlikely) or something you ate yesterday.

[ozdeb15]

Hi my name is Debra and I live in Western Australia. I am on day 10 and doing well so far. We are experiencing really hot weather as it is summer here. I am a 62, and have 7 delightful grandchildren with number 8 due this month. The thing I am struggling with is cooking when it is so hot, but I manage, I am feeling really motivated now that I have got over the head aches. 

[XDools]

Day 10 here and last night was stinking hot. I'm in the Western Australia and there are bushfires everywhere. Hot. I have been a bit of serial stalker on this post. Up until now everything has gone well. I have been bloated but I noticed yesterday (day 9) that that was waning. I have been carefully paying extra attention to my gut health, starting the day with bone broth with lots of gelatin in it, drinking lots of water and supplementing with daily probiotics. I'm yet to ferment my own veggies.

 

Yesterday was my tough day. When its this hot, my appetite goes down. So for lunch I didnt have enough to get me through to dinner time, and then I had unexpected guests arrive for a swim in the afternoon to cool off. I managed to provide them with some banana cake but I was hungry from my too small lunch. So I substituted the coffee with bone broth and had a plum. I felt a lot of peer pressure but I got through it. And the world didnt stop.

 

Then for dinner (saturday night) I was invited to a friends house for BBQ as a thankyou. These people have been through some tough times and I managed to find them a job and help them on their feet a little. With much resistance from the host, I bought my own meat. But the salad...... the salad had flecks of feta cheese all the way though it! I picked off as much as I could but invariably it was consumed. Then the host bought out a bottle of wine. It was a special wine they were waiting to share with me.... they had picked the grapes themselves, and it had been served, believe it or not to Prince Charles who was out here a few weeks back.... So needless to say - I need to start over. I couldn't find it in my strength to say no thankyou given how special it was to my hosts. I did have a glass - my husband kept topping it with soda water and ice to dilute the sugar. The one glass lasted over 4 hours. That in itself is quite new for me. I generally like 2-3 glass on a special event like that.

 

What was interesting to note, is that very soon after I had consumed the wine/soda water mix - a dull headache began. My sleep was normal (albeit short as it was a late night and the sun rises at 4:30am at the moment). And today - I'm tired. I'm searching for a quick hit of something and my food feels boring. One glass of wine and flecks of cheese and I am not the same today as I was yesterday.

 

So even though I am starting again. I wonder how long the wine will take to be out of my system. I guess I will know soon. Day 1 - hello again.

[XDools]

Hi my name is Debra and I live in Western Australia. I am on day 10 and doing well so far. We are experiencing really hot weather as it is summer here. I am a 62, and have 7 delightful grandchildren with number 8 due this month. The thing I am struggling with is cooking when it is so hot, but I manage, I am feeling really motivated now that I have got over the head aches. 

 Hi Deb - me too. The thought of cooking on a stove.... I hope you and your family are safe and not near the fires.

[ozdeb15]

 Hi Deb - me too. The thought of cooking on a stove.... I hope you and your family are safe and not near the fires.

I am in Bunbury, have been anxious about friends who live a little closer to the fires, where are you?

[XDools]

I am in Bunbury, have been anxious about friends who live a little closer to the fires, where are you 

 

Perth metro so we are fine here. I have work colleagues in Harvey who I hope are all ok. Stay cool

[praxisproject]

G'day Debra and XDools. I hear ya on the heat. So hot today!

 

I've done a number of Whole30s through the summer heat and I've found a few tricks which I'll share:

• You can eat your fruit frozen, just don't blend it.
• If you've got any leftovers, try them cold. I found a surprising love of cold red beef curry both when it's hot and for breakfast, even better with cold roast pumpkin. Go figure
• Tinned fish like tuna and salmon is great when you don't want to use the oven or stove.
• A cold mango from the fridge is both awesome and socially acceptable at BBQs and the pool.
• Your appetite often goes down and so does your activity level, this is totally fine. Don't go doing crazy workouts in this heat.
• Icy cold Kombucha is both refreshing and (if the right colour) even looks a bit like beer in the bottle. Perfect for BBQs.

I have some chicken wings I need to cook today, so I need to turn my oven on today   fortunately I think the cool change is about to hit

 

Day 10 here and last night was stinking hot. I'm in the Western Australia and there are bushfires everywhere. Hot. I have been a bit of serial stalker on this post. Up until now everything has gone well. I have been bloated but I noticed yesterday (day 9) that that was waning. I have been carefully paying extra attention to my gut health, starting the day with bone broth with lots of gelatin in it, drinking lots of water and supplementing with daily probiotics. I'm yet to ferment my own veggies.

 

Yesterday was my tough day. When its this hot, my appetite goes down. So for lunch I didnt have enough to get me through to dinner time, and then I had unexpected guests arrive for a swim in the afternoon to cool off. I managed to provide them with some banana cake but I was hungry from my too small lunch. So I substituted the coffee with bone broth and had a plum. I felt a lot of peer pressure but I got through it. And the world didnt stop.

 

Then for dinner (saturday night) I was invited to a friends house for BBQ as a thankyou. These people have been through some tough times and I managed to find them a job and help them on their feet a little. With much resistance from the host, I bought my own meat. But the salad...... the salad had flecks of feta cheese all the way though it! I picked off as much as I could but invariably it was consumed. Then the host bought out a bottle of wine. It was a special wine they were waiting to share with me.... they had picked the grapes themselves, and it had been served, believe it or not to Prince Charles who was out here a few weeks back.... So needless to say - I need to start over. I couldn't find it in my strength to say no thankyou given how special it was to my hosts. I did have a glass - my husband kept topping it with soda water and ice to dilute the sugar. The one glass lasted over 4 hours. That in itself is quite new for me. I generally like 2-3 glass on a special event like that.

 

What was interesting to note, is that very soon after I had consumed the wine/soda water mix - a dull headache began. My sleep was normal (albeit short as it was a late night and the sun rises at 4:30am at the moment). And today - I'm tired. I'm searching for a quick hit of something and my food feels boring. One glass of wine and flecks of cheese and I am not the same today as I was yesterday.

 

So even though I am starting again. I wonder how long the wine will take to be out of my system. I guess I will know soon. Day 1 - hello again.

 

Good for you on deciding to restart! I think you will get better results.

The wine may not take long but for me cheese takes a few days (even a small amount like that), I think it's the dairy hormones, I always get that "hit" feeling from them. Good thing there are no cheese dealers

If you can find them, there are some great fermented veggies in jars (both large and small). I'm a bit scared to ferment them when it's so hot here, so I've never tried.

Harvey was evacuated recently, but I think they had plenty of warning: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/01/07/02/03/emergency-bushfire-warning-issued-for-township-of-waroona-in-wa

 

For those outside Australia wondering about the fires, these are (I think) the biggest fires ever in Western Australia   covering an area about half the size of Sydney the city (maybe bigger now): http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35271307

 

If anyone needs specific info on locations:

http://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/alerts/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/alerts/Pages/alertsmap.aspx (map)

http://myfirewatch.landgate.wa.gov.au/ (a fancier map with more detail)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/state/wa/ (very specific, roads)

[Born Sandy]

Two things... yes, coffee is an appetite suppressant so if you're having difficulty with meal 1 appetite, have the coffee after.

Second you mention macros and I just want to make sure you're not 'counting' macros but you're referring to the 3 macros being fat, carb, protein and whether your breakfast was balanced. If it's the latter, then a-ok... if you're counting or tracking macros throughout the day, then we'd encourage you not to do that... counting and tracking calories, macros, grams etc... is against the principles of the Whole30... hopefully that's not what you were doing but just wanted to check in and if you were and want to chat about the why's and why not's more, we would be happy to have that conversation

Hey sugarcube, yes, purely macros in terms of the template, I'm not sure I would even know how to count or track them lol! A template with servings of thumb sizes, handfuls etc is good enough for me. 

 

So my Day 10 is now complete. I had a big breakfast because I knew my day might be a bit skewed with work stuff like yesterday so M1: throw together hotel room meal of left over roast chicken, roast vegetables and some salad with some olive oil. M2: another scatty on the road meal driving meal but roast lamb leftovers and a salad with olive oil and balsamic and M3 decided to treat myself because I was home and made some crispy Chinese pork belly (just used a dry rub of five spice, salt, black pepper and a bit of chilli) with some cauliflower fried rice and steamed Chinese broccoli. Might have a mango a bit later. Have also had a kombucha and loads of mineral water with lemon. 

 

Have had a few comments from family and friends about my skin and eyes looking fresh and "glowing" which is nice to hear. Big things I am noticing is my previously bloated stomach is back to its normal size, all bloating is gone! My energy levels are flying and I feel clear headed and 'present'. Have had a HUGE weekend of work related stuff with very intense and confronting things involved which, although I am used to that in my line of work normally by this stage I would be curling up on the couch and dozing as a means of blocking a lot of it out. I actually feel very alert and might now go for a walk or possibly the gym. Energy levels are excellent. Just very pleased with how I am feeling.  Hope everyone else is doing well, loving reading the posts and progress to date.  

[Born Sandy]

Hi my name is Debra and I live in Western Australia. I am on day 10 and doing well so far. We are experiencing really hot weather as it is summer here. I am a 62, and have 7 delightful grandchildren with number 8 due this month. The thing I am struggling with is cooking when it is so hot, but I manage, I am feeling really motivated now that I have got over the head aches. 

 

Hi Debra and XDools! 

 

I'm a former sandgroper (from Fremantle originally) but now living in Sydney. I hope you are managing okay in the heat, WA summers are something else altogether on the heat range and I always found it hard to eat in summer there, the heat just wipes your appetite out a lot of the time. Good to know you are both safe from the fires although I bet the air is probably thick with smoke. Stay safe and cool the two of you!!

[praxisproject]

M3 decided to treat myself because I was home and made some crispy Chinese pork belly (just used a dry rub of five spice, salt, black pepper and a bit of chilli) with some cauliflower fried rice and steamed Chinese broccoli.

 

Ooohh, I like the sound of this.

 

I've been doing my pork belly with just fennel spice and salt (when I was still in mourning for bacon I was eating this with breakfast).

[AprilS]

Last night my kids went to 'Pie Night' at a local bakery famous for homemade pies and other pastries.  They brought home a couple pieces of pie and some cookies.  Fortunately I didn't see anything until after we had finished dinner.  Also, I had made an extra yummy meal that night so I felt satisfied.  

 

I made Walnut Encrusted Porkloin (used toasted chopped almonds instead) and Beet Salad from W30.  Both were amazing and the plate was beautiful.  Also I make a creamy cauliflower soup with bone marrow that is very satisfying and 100% compliant.  All that to say, I really had no craving for the pie.  I am really glad it didn't come yesterday when I was struggling so hard.

 

The pieces of pie were huge.  When they had eaten all they wanted I rinsed the leftovers into the sink and down the garbage disposal.  It helps destroy the 'charm' to run water on pie and makes a negative response to the food. 'yuck!' instead of 'yum!"

 

But I ended up eating an RX bar after dinner.  I know it is compliant, but dinner was over and I was not still hungry, so I would have been better off without it.  The RX bar was OK but the eating behavior was not.  I guess it felt like treat night and I wanted one too.  Heads up for next time, I don't have to eat when people around me do. And it may be better to leave the table  All in all, it was better than eating the pie.

[MeadowLily]

Ooooo, I felt the same. Yesterday was day 8.  I had a terrible unsatisfied feeling all day.  I was not craving anything in specific, just felt crabby from resisting unspecified desire, and probably from being deprived of all my normal treats.  Plus the weather is so bad here I can't get my usual endorphins from a big bike ride.

 

I refused to try to pinpoint what food would scratch that itch and instead focused on why I want to conquer this control by unhealthy food.  I read a quote from Meadowlily, "It is easier to resist the first desire than it is to satisfy all the rest."  I don't want my brain chemistry to be hijacked by sugar, wine etc.

 

So I did it!  I made it through.  I found that the thrill of victory trumps the thrill of indulgence.  Whew!  

April...  Photographic memory.   I did and do say that.  

 

We can't have a lifestyle change without a change of mindset.  Just willpowering our way through and going through the motions, second verse same as the first - mixed results.   WANT Power is greater than willpower. April, you know that it's the same with exercise.     

 

Engage the brain and the body will follow.  Multi-taskers may try to do other things while exercising...not fully engaged and end up with mixed results.  Truth.   

 

I know a person who's constantly looking down at a phone while trying to hike.  She stumbles and bumbles along, avoiding rocks and ruts in the road.  When the head is elsewhere the body knows it.  It's like a child.  You can't ignore a child and expect love in return.   

 

The child may not express it now but down the road when the parent expects obedience and compliance...kiss that goodbye.  Course corrections can be a painful thing.   Pay attention NOW to everything your body is telling you.   It's the only way.   

[Winston]

Hi. I'm Winston today is my first day of this new start to change the rest of my life!

I am 228 lbs. 5 '6. BMI 35

On 3 b/p meds hurting all over!

Hoping to slay the sugar dragon. As well as lifetime of bad eatting habits!! Maybe live longer in the process!

Praying I can do this!

[4windsrider]

 

Including my tea, I've drank 3.5L of water today. I've been having a bit of abdominal distress (cramping, rumbling, some gas...) after my dinner tonight. I have read that digesting raw veggies can be harder? I did have a pretty big helping of romaine lettuce with my steak salad for dinner....could be it? Because the steak was just a combination of spices, and the dressing for the salad was a little lemon juice/olive oil/balsamic/dijon (compliant). Maybe this is normal? It's so hard to judge sometimes...

I have an uncle who's a bio-chemist and very into physiology/diet etc.  He has always told me that drinking water with a meal dilutes digestive enzymes and slows digestion…so maybe drinking at other times than with your meals will help with the "abdominal distress"…?  Just a thought. 

[4windsrider]

 

 

So even though I am starting again. I wonder how long the wine will take to be out of my system. I guess I will know soon. Day 1 - hello again.

XDools, That was a true trial and I think your solution was awesome !  Kudos for not just going "whole hog" and having the usual amount of wine (especially THAT precious wine !)  What restraint !  As for " I wonder how long the wine will take to be out of my system".  Alcohol is metabolized very quickly.  When I worked in the Emergency Dep't.  The folks who were brought in by police for DUI would commonly stall for as much time as possible before allowing their blood to be drawn because the levels drop very quickly within a few hours….All this to say that the Feta will be with you longer than the wine..

[4windsrider]

Hi. I'm Winston today is my first day of this new start to change the rest of my life!

I am 228 lbs. 5 '6. BMI 35

On 3 b/p meds hurting all over!

Hoping to slay the sugar dragon. As well as lifetime of bad eatting habits!! Maybe live longer in the process!

Praying I can do this!

You CAN do this…you already are !  And you've found the perfect place for lots of good support. Best of luck !

[drbambi]

Day 8. One Whole30 week accomplished!!!  I was going to say One Whole30 week "done," but it didn't just "happen"... I made a decision to stick with this plan, and I have made precise choices every day for the past week.  Haven't cheated at all, feeling great, not feeling deprived, eating plenty of yummy food, AND SLEEP HAS FINALLY IMPROVED   Slept great the last 2 nights.  Falling asleep much quicker and staying asleep all night yippee!!!  Because I am feeling so great, I am already thinking about post-W30 and what that might look like for me... It helps me to process things for a while and gradually "build up" to making big decisions in my life.  At this point, I envision a diet that looks very similar to W30 eating, but will likely incorporate mild to moderate cheese consumption (which is much less than I used to eat!) and maybe occasional wine/alcohol consumption.  Just thinking and researching some for now. 

 

I probably sound like my entire life revolves around what I eat and drink, and it has been that way this past week due to acclimating to a new way of eating, but my life is actually quite fulfilling in numerous ways that have nothing to do with my diet.  I am guessing all of us W30'ers tend to get hyper-focused on diet during the initial phases of W30, otherwise how would we be successful?   We are just getting more "mindFUL" and less "mindLESS."  I want to thank everyone that utilizes this forum because it has been and continues to be so helpful to me in my journey.  I wish everyone a wonderful week to come....

[drbambi]

Hi. I'm Winston today is my first day of this new start to change the rest of my life!

I am 228 lbs. 5 '6. BMI 35

On 3 b/p meds hurting all over!

Hoping to slay the sugar dragon. As well as lifetime of bad eatting habits!! Maybe live longer in the process!

Praying I can do this!

Hi there Winston!!  Welcome to the forum.  I am just a member, not a moderator or anything.  I'm on Day 8 of my first W30.  Just an FYI, the first few days were the hardest for me, but it started getting a lot easier for me around day 5... I'm sure it's different for everyone.  I am glad you are on the forum because the support is incredibly helpful, especially from individuals that have done this before and know what to expect.  Let fellow W30'ers support you.  Stick with it even when it gets hard... it's already been worth it for me and as I said I'm only on Day 8!  I wish you good choices in the coming week!

[AprilS]

April...  Photographic memory.   I did and do say that.  

 

We can't have a lifestyle change without a change of mindset.  Just willpowering our way through and going through the motions, second verse same as the first - mixed results.   WANT Power is greater than willpower. April, you know that it's the same with exercise.     

 

Engage the brain and the body will follow.  Multi-taskers may try to do other things while exercising...not fully engaged and end up with mixed results.  Truth.   

 

I know a person who's constantly looking down at a phone while trying to hike.  She stumbles and bumbles along, avoiding rocks and ruts in the road.  When the head is elsewhere the body knows it.  It's like a child.  You can't ignore a child and expect love in return.   

 

The child may not express it now but down the road when the parent expects obedience and compliance...kiss that goodbye.  Course corrections can be a painful thing.   Pay attention NOW to everything your body is telling you.   It's the only way.   

Hi Meadow!

 

I love this, so very true.  What I want most will always win in the end.  So if I really just want to be self indulgent, my will power will soon wear out and side track me from healthy choices and results.  But if what I really want is to be healthy, I will be able to sustain healthy habits and attain healthy results, because my heart is alway pulling me in that direction.

 

Another example as you mention, I want to be a cyclist. So my decisions and my actions naturally fall in line.  I might not ride every single day, but my heart is always pulling me in that direction.  If I didn't want to be a cyclist, and tried to use willpower to force myself, it would be an uphill battle that was destined to fail.