Tigers and Turtles - 2016

[NancyW]

Hi all. Not much time to catch up, but a quick visit anyway. My January W30 is probably not going to happen. I'm having knee surgery on the 13th (Friday, the 13th--good thing I'm not superstitious!) of January. I'll be off my feet for 2-6 weeks, and I don't have the room to prep for the first couple of weeks. Sharing a fridge is hard, and it hardly makes sense to move in with someone to save money, only to spend it on an extra freezer! If I'm going to do this, it'll probably be February, or maybe a mid-February start. I'll have to plan more carefully than I'm used to in order to make it work. Will just have to play it by ear till I know what my recovery will look like. At least it's just arthroscopic surgery, nothing major like a replacement!

I hope everyone is well--will try to do a better job of keeping up now!

[QuilterInVA]

Good morning, ladies! I've had a rough 2 months. I started with strep throat, then a bad asthma attack and before I was over that I got the Individual and ended up in the hospital for a week followed by 3 weeks in rehab. I came home in time for Thanksgiving. 

I'm definitely in for the Christmas party and January W30.

[misslindy]

On 11/29/2016 at 2:59 PM, NancyW said:

Hi all. Not much time to catch up, but a quick visit anyway. My January W30 is probably not going to happen. I'm having knee surgery on the 13th (Friday, the 13th--good thing I'm not superstitious!) of January. I'll be off my feet for 2-6 weeks, and I don't have the room to prep for the first couple of weeks. Sharing a fridge is hard, and it hardly makes sense to move in with someone to save money, only to spend it on an extra freezer! If I'm going to do this, it'll probably be February, or maybe a mid-February start. I'll have to plan more carefully than I'm used to in order to make it work. Will just have to play it by ear till I know what my recovery will look like. At least it's just arthroscopic surgery, nothing major like a replacement!

I hope everyone is well--will try to do a better job of keeping up now!

Oh, my you have been going through it haven't you? At least you are moved now and your surgery is less than it could be which is good. I think we will have to keep this site going another year.

[misslindy]

11 hours ago, QuilterInVA said:

Good morning, ladies! I've had a rough 2 months. I started with strep throat, then a bad asthma attack and before I was over that I got the Individual and ended up in the hospital for a week followed by 3 weeks in rehab. I came home in time for Thanksgiving. 

I'm definitely in for the Christmas party and January W30.

Susan, you have been having a bad case of it haven't you? Hopefully you are on the mend now. Sending good thoughts.

[misslindy]

Hello, we have been having continuing car dramas and I for one am over it. We have not had a vehicle now for 5 days and thank goodness for the freezer or we would be quite hungry. We do have friends who have offered to take me shopping and others who have even offered the loan of a car. Such lovely people we have in our life, at least we know we won't starve and can ask for help that will be given happily.

Susan and Nancy hope you both get through the next few weeks well, take care and am holding a good thought for you both.

 

[Crimsann]

I don't even want to look back at how long it's been since I posted last, nothing too serious going wrong over here but a whole pile of drama (work related) has had me both scrambling to keep up with life and in a bit of a funk.  Without going into all of the detail, the parent company where I work at night has been taking a more aggressive stance towards taking over some of the billing functions and just let our manager go with zero notice.  Since I only work there at night, I am not usually too involved in the office drama but this one is going to have far-reaching implications.  I see it as a very clear move towards taking the entire process to their home office, we are already separated from the local office payroll wise and without her expertise with the system we use there isn't any argument in favor of who does/doesn't fill the seats.  Most of the remaining staff have only been with the agency for two years or less.  I can only imagine what they are feeling.  The timing, this close to the holidays, has added a layer of stress that's probably got me to the breaking point and I'm mostly out of the thick of it.  I'm trying to give it some time to let the dust settle and at least hear a bit about what they have planned in my case, but it's looking like a clean break is in the near future and it's really just a matter of who does the breaking!

I've mentioned this possibility a couple of times this year, so the signs have been there, this was just the most forceful one and the most personal.  I've got a lot of thinking/planning/talking to do this week but the way things are looking right now, I don't expect to be starting the year there.  Which adds both an interesting advantage and some additional challenges to a January Whole30.  While I would have more free time for meal prep and exercise, I would also have a tighter budget and that free time on my hands could lead to more temptations than usual.  I'm not sure how much that last bit worries me being that overeating isn't typically my struggle, but part of what has really helped me in the past is the fact that I only have the food I bring with me for most of the waking day. 

So I'm not sure what to think about that, I have planned out 15 weeks of potential lunch menu's...some with "matching" dinner menu's but I haven't gotten that far with those yet.  Yes, you read that right...15 weeks and to think I was so pleased to have a months worth of plans for January 2016.  LOL!  One thing I can say about this last year is I've amassed a lot more in the way of ideas and options and having it all written down is huge.  Even now, knowing that I have that list, I can't think of more than three things I could make that would be compliant...but I sit down with my list and suddenly I'm off and running.

No matter what it looks like, I do plan to be Whole30 for a long stretch starting the year off.  I've struggled, or maybe more accurately not bothered to struggle, the entire time I've been off which as frustrating as that's been has also given me a better appreciation for how I feel when I eat right.  It's going to take a good serious 3-month kick in the pants to get back in gear (and into those pants) and undo this fall, but I'm going to find a way to make it work no matter what the outcome of the work situation.

Just wanted to check in and let you know where I was at with things.  I desperately need an injection of holiday cheer, you can tell because I can't even really muster up the humor to tell you about taking my niece to get a live Christmas tree and watching her attempt to pull a scrawny sapling out of the ground like it was a weed.  (You could see the thought process, she was nearly horizontal with pulling it and clearly thinking "well this works at home, you just put a little back into it and.....tuuuuuuuug!")  Maybe by the time we get the pictures back I will have recovered somewhat and will share that.

You know what might be sort of fun...what if we all added maybe two or three favorite songs...and I mean specific title and artist...to a Tigers and Turtles Holiday Play List.  We could just post the suggestions and you could listen to them however you personally wanted to, easy enough to make a playlist on something like Spotify and even free account users could listen to it.  I know there are other similar options as well.  I bet we could come up with a pretty interesting mix. 

[vozelle]

Hello ladies, I'm still here… Sorry to hear that many of you are going through difficult times. May blessings come your way during the Holidays! I'm about halfway done with my 45-day "Antimicrobial Protocol", all done with the heavy-duty antiparasite medication. I'm super focused on healing the gut and following MD orders... eating paleo is just my regular daily norm. Haven't had any sugar in 4 months! Looking forward to retesting in January to see how everything is going inside...

We'll wishes to all!

 

[misslindy]

On 12/9/2016 at 3:59 PM, vozelle said:

Hello ladies, I'm still here… Sorry to hear that many of you are going through difficult times. May blessings come your way during the Holidays! I'm about halfway done with my 45-day "Antimicrobial Protocol", all done with the heavy-duty antiparasite medication. I'm super focused on healing the gut and following MD orders... eating paleo is just my regular daily norm. Haven't had any sugar in 4 months! Looking forward to retesting in January to see how everything is going inside...

We'll wishes to all!

 

 

Does that mean you haven't had any fruit at all for four months? I am thinking I might have to do that. I usually have an apple or some blueberries.

 

[misslindy]

So I guess the Christmas Party is happening after Christmas????? Hope you all have a good holiday season and I will be checking in before and after the big day. I have lost my voice and am croaking like a frog, a sick frog at that. Still too cold most days to swim so am not happy, perhaps we will have a longer time after Christmas. Seasons are definitely changing.

Safe travels to those of you going away, happy times to all and see you back in here.

[Crimsann]

So it's official, Friday will be my last day with the evening hours...it's settling in for me and I'm mostly feeling good about the decision.   The transition however is not going well work wise and with three days left the stress is mounting.  This is their fault, because I offered to work out the rest of the year so there wouldn't be this holiday week scramble but they chose not to extend past the typical two weeks notice.  I think this was to "show me" they didn't need me, it fits with the rest of the silliness going on right now so I don't know why I still insist on feeling responsible and stressed about something that really is not my problem at this point.  The thing is "not a problem" is my catchphrase, the "not MY problem" attitude is a shoe that does not fit. 

I've really been struggling with keeping the holiday spirit alive, so I'm glad at this point that by the time we roll into Christmas Eve it will be a clean break and I won't have even that one more short week to wade through.  I bought myself a pair of huge puffy elf slippers with curled up toes AND bells and keep putting them on at night to try and boogie away the blues...plus I think they will be fun to chase the girls around on Christmas day with.  Food wise I'm a disaster area of leftover cookies and candy canes which is going to make January super ouchy. 

I think I need to enroll in a yoga class first off, lol!  But I sort of hate being a January Joiner so I may wait a few weeks to do anything like that.  I will be working out a more scheduled exercise routine for myself though even in the first week off between holidays just so I get started right away with coming home early and putting some of that extra time to good use.  I'm also working on my resolutions for this coming year, though I think this years are going to be primarily focused on reorganizing finances.  That fits since I need to start the year off working on rolling over my second retirement account. 

I haven't forgotten you guys though, quiet as I've been.  I did start putting together a collaborative holiday music list on Spotify.  I don't think it's "finished" but as a song has popped into my mind I've been adding to it and I'm going to go ahead and share the link.  It's set up so you should be able to add to it I think if you want, and please feel free to!  I love a good crazy mix so I hope some of you will get to try this and enjoy it and maybe add to it as well.

https://open.spotify.com/user/crimsann/playlist/4jUjpOIGqaEPYqdFXf4EPv

 

 

[Crimsann]

On ‎12‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 4:29 PM, misslindy said:

I have lost my voice and am croaking like a frog, a sick frog at that. Still too cold most days to swim so am not happy, perhaps we will have a longer time after Christmas. Seasons are definitely changing.

Now I just have to find one of those joke songs where it's tree frogs croaking out a Christmas carol.  I know I bought a cd of that years ago as a white elephant gift.  It would be perfect fun to add one and dedicate it to you though I do hope you are feeling better by now!!!

It's definitely heading into winter here, though we seem to be getting a bit of a mild spell for the weekend.  I have to admit, it was a huge tick in the PRO column that I won't have to drive home so late at night now this winter. 

[C_Cezeaux]

Sounds like some major changes are happening for some of us.  Crimsann, I hate uncertainty at any time, especially at this time of year. Hang on to the holiday, something better could be waiting just around the corner.

I hope everyone under the weather is feeling better by now, MissLindy, hope you have some good tea for that throat. I will add my holiday blessings in for everyone as well. 

Strangely, our hours have not decreased at all, so we just took a week off between Christmas and New Years anyway.  We'll be making a crazy trip out to WA, then WY, then back home and back to work on the 2nd.

My favorite Christmas song of all time has always been "Carol of the Bells" followed closely by "What child is this?" - I should go find my favorite versions of both to link, but would send me into several hours of listening to songs on the net that I can't afford to take right now, lol.  I love Christmas.  I've gone overboard, as usual, just sent my grown children their Christmas stockings through mail on Monday.   

Still hanging in on my paleo, definitely am going to want a round of W30 when I get back from travels, though. 

[Crimsann]

14 hours ago, C_Cezeaux said:

My favorite Christmas song of all time has always been "Carol of the Bells" followed closely by "What child is this?" - I should go find my favorite versions of both to link, but would send me into several hours of listening to songs on the net that I can't afford to take right now, lol.  I love Christmas.  I've gone overboard, as usual, just sent my grown children their Christmas stockings through mail on Monday.   

Stockings were always my favoritest thing.  I got both my nieces the most adorable advent "calendar" which is actually a long garland of tiny little stockings numbered 1 - 24.  They are small enough that it's hard to fit much more than a piece of candy or hair clips in most of them, but they have been having a blast opening something each night from Auntie.  I added some "cheats" as well by slipping in a note about a movie night one day and giving my sister a few larger gifts to pull out on those nights...so for movie night they got a copy of "Ratatouille" and popcorn and hot chocolate.  I think it's going to be one of those traditions that they enjoy for many years to come and the gifts can grow with them. 

Anyway, I've got you on the songs...I popped over and added versions of both of those songs to the list though if you get time to shop around and add different versions that's totally welcomed!  I also added a version of "So Good to Be Bad" which I would love to rewrite a W30 version for January about "Feels so Good to be Good" but I don't have the voice to record that and I think the lyrics would be missing something without the tune to go with it.

Also, I couldn't think of a quick rhyme for broccoli. 

[mergthemagnificent]

Oh arrgh!! I wrote a long first new reply and it doesnt seem to have posted.  Will keep this one short as a trial.

[mergthemagnificent]

Ok, that worked.  Now I can go back to saying how glad I am to find you all here still.....like coming home for Christmas.  I am in for Jan +++ w30 but need to get my butt in gear about it, which takes more effort than it used to BECAUSE IT IS BIGGER THAN IT USED TO BE 

Well, Merry Christmas everyone See you after and may 2017 bring many delights to us all.  

 

[C_Cezeaux]

Merry Christmas all! I hope your holiday is lovely and filled with cheer. We've got one visit down' currently waiting at the airport for the next leg of our journey. Managed not to totally kill myself at Christmas Eve dinner, held the damage to one small Margarita and allowed myself a taste of blueberry cobble. :-)

[Crimsann]

Merry Christmas! 

My sister is working today, occupational hazard when half the family is in healthcare and another quarter of it is in law enforcement, so I won't see my girls until tomorrow.  I'm tucked up today with every hot drink from black coffee to mulled wine and three kinds of cough drops.  How festive!   I don't actually feel bad, but I've picked up a cough and I need to kill it dead by tomorrow.  Trying to ignore the small mountain of wrapping that none of the elves bothered with last night...what were they doing instead?!  And the recipe for a layer cake with a complicated German butter cream that I should have left ON the internet.  Right now I just want to tie a big red bow around a long winters nap and hand it to myself. 

At least I can spend the whole day in pajama's with little to no shame. 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

[vozelle]

On 12/16/2016 at 1:26 PM, misslindy said:

Does that mean you haven't had any fruit at all for four months? I am thinking I might have to do that. I usually have an apple or some blueberries.

 

Hi misslindy, it just means no added sugars, artificial sweeteners or sweet treats/desserts. I have occasionally had some fresh or dried fruit in small quantities.

[vozelle]

Hi ladies,

It's nice to hear about all your holiday adventures and plans. Carol of the Bells is the JAM. Hope everyone is enjoying time with family, finding their way back to health, or doing whatever is needed to stay in balance.

I am on day 45 (triple hurrah with back flip!!!!!!) of my 45-Day Antimicrobial Protocol. *whew*  Will be staying on the Paleo bandwagon through January and probably beyond. If any of you are doing a January Whole30, let me know what group thread you join so I can follow along!  

It has been interesting to move through Christmas meals/gatherings watching all of the food mayhem going on around me. I have felt like the calm eye at the center of a wild storm, LOL! My first sugar-free Christmas ever, probably.  I think I may just commit to going a year sugar-free… It feels that good.  I'm not bragging, I swear… Just reminding you all how amazing it feels to be standing in this place.  Tiger blood for Christmas? Um, YES please! I'll take an extra helping of THAT!

Happy New Year and many blessings to each of you,

Love V

 

[NancyW]

Hi all! Glad to see you all popping in. I haven't been here for a while--guess I've been hiding from the whole food thing, if not from the actual food...

My favorite Christmas song is "Angels We Have Heard On High." It was the song we sang when I was in 5th grade in the school pageant, and I was one of the angels. Ok, I was in an angel costume, that doesn't necessarily mean I was an angel...

I made a decision that should make things easier for me. I bought a small chest freezer to install in the garage. The hardest part, really the only hard part, of sharing a home with a friend is sharing the kitchen and the freezer space. I tried to do the small batch cooking but it's just not working. I figured I better get that freezer here (delivery on Thursday!) and start filling it. I have just over 2 weeks till my surgery, so there's time to stock it. I'm still not sure about the possibility of doing a W30 during my recovery since I don

Here's to getting back to the business of taking care of myself, with support from my favorite Tigers & Turtles!

[NancyW]

21 hours ago, vozelle said:

It has been interesting to move through Christmas meals/gatherings watching all of the food mayhem going on around me. I have felt like the calm eye at the center of a wild storm, LOL! My first sugar-free Christmas ever, probably.  I think I may just commit to going a year sugar-free… It feels that good.  I'm not bragging, I swear… Just reminding you all how amazing it feels to be standing in this place.  Tiger blood for Christmas? Um, YES please! I'll take an extra helping of THAT!

Wow, this is really a snowball to the face! Vozelle, thanks for the reminder of what I signed up for!!!

[vozelle]

For those of you planning to do a January Whole30, here's a link to join in the "official" fun (you'll get emails and other swag by joining). Start date is Monday  Jan 2nd:

 http://whole30.com/2016/12/join-januarywhole30-2017/

 

 And here's a forum thread that is gaining momentum, if you want to follow along with a group:  

 

 

[Crimsann]

22 hours ago, vozelle said:

For those of you planning to do a January Whole30, here's a link to join in the "official" fun (you'll get emails and other swag by joining). Start date is Monday  Jan 2nd:

 http://whole30.com/2016/12/join-januarywhole30-2017/

 

 And here's a forum thread that is gaining momentum, if you want to follow along with a group:  

Thanks for the links!  I'm not sure if I'm joining either the official or the unofficial threads this time around but we will see as it gets closer.  I'm also contemplating a version of your Sugar Free Year, but I want to mull that over for a bit first.  I wouldn't have said sugar was my biggest struggle, and it's not cravings wise...but what I've found is I am more likely to cheat with sugar than anything else that is off Whole30 (gluten and dairy being close in the mix but almost never without sugar as well) due to how pervasive and convenient it is.  I think the closest I could get to doing a Whole365 without actually doing that is to eliminate added sugar because I'm not sure how often I would reach for anything else off plan if that wasn't involved.  It's the convenience that gets me.  And the one thing I do have going for me going into this next year is more time to do better by myself.   

But I'm not sure if I want to go so far as saying no sweeteners of any kind as that would mean also giving up my favorite ketchup and my favorite chicken sausage and both of those are quick/easy tasty boosts that have helped me stay on track between Whole30's and which don't lead to any cravings that I can tell.  I think I may be willing to do a sugar free year plus those two very specific exceptions with the understanding that just because honey/brown sugar is okay in those items doesn't make them okay in anything else. 

I do think this plan would force me to focus on smarter/better ways to take breaks from Whole30 without falling into the traps I keep falling into.   

 

[vozelle]

2 hours ago, Crimsann said:

 ... And the one thing I do have going for me going into this next year is more time to do better by myself...

... I  do think this plan would force me to focus on smarter/better ways to take breaks from Whole30 without falling into the traps I keep falling into...

 

I'm so glad your work schedule is going to be more sane… I've been worried about you and your stress levels! Sounds like your thinking process is spot-on about the sugar plan, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I've been reading "Food Freedom Forever", and can strongly recommend it.  Lots of great tools in there. Especially for those of us who tend to be a lil' rigid and fall into the perfectionism trap (hello You and Me!), and are on the long loooooong  journey of finding our bestest most optimal eating style to follow for the Rest Of Our Lives!

[misslindy]

On 12/27/2016 at 9:57 AM, vozellesaid:

Hi ladies,

It's nice to hear about all your holiday adventures and plans. Carol of the Bells is the JAM. Hope everyone is enjoying time with family, finding their way back to health, or doing whatever is needed to stay in balance.

I am on day 45 (triple hurrah with back flip!!!!!!) of my 45-Day Antimicrobial Protocol. *whew*  Will be staying on the Paleo bandwagon through January and probably beyond. If any of you are doing a January Whole30, let me know what group thread you join so I can follow along!  

It has been interesting to move through Christmas meals/gatherings watching all of the food mayhem going on around me. I have felt like the calm eye at the center of a wild storm, LOL! My first sugar-free Christmas ever, probably.  I think I may just commit to going a year sugar-free… It feels that good.  I'm not bragging, I swear… Just reminding you all how amazing it feels to be standing in this place.  Tiger blood for Christmas? Um, YES please! I'll take an extra helping of THAT!

Happy New Year and many blessings to each of you,

Love V

 

 

Hi Vozelle

I hope to follow on your year of sugar-free--it is much, much better and I find that the exercises I do are not so hard,  the physio is amazed at what I do and am not sore after--I think it is sugar free, decrease inflammation all round. So have decided that is the way to go, have had some days of too much sugar! Usually have an apple a day or some blueberries--won't mention this past week or so, not a fruit in sight.