Starting tomorrow, May 12th!

[JoniScott]

Aww, thanks Lisa. That's such good advice, and so true! I spend meal times reading books aloud, or doing "morning time" or, in the evening, tidying the kitchen while Andy (my husband) sits with the children (it's kind of a break for me, but so important to be with them too, I know).

 

I will definitely think about the HOW, and not just that WHAT. 

 

It's 6pm here in London. Where are you? x

Hi Old woman and Lisa: I ran across your posts and just wanted to add that I relate to you both! I homeschooled 5 kids who so far have produced 7 excellent grandkids! I started whole30 on May 9. It is great to find like-minded souls here!

[hannahmckeand]

Hi all, and welcome Shaneeva!

Yes Clare, you should definitely visit Utah, it is completely amazing here! I used to live in Earl's Court, but very happy to have moved over here.

 

So day 2 i definitely had a headache, then day 3 nothing, but then yesterday ('Day 4 - You will want to kill people') I wasn't crabby, but I felt incredibly anxious and upset all day! It was like an out of body experience, my brain knew it wasn't real, because I couldn't think of a single thing to be anxious and upset about, but I just couldn't shake the feeling! How weird is that? Today I feel totally fine again.

 

Tried the purple potato fritata from the book yesterday, pretty good, think it would be better with bacon through it instead of the kielbasa.

 

Oh, and sweet potato cakes made in my waffle maker.... yum!

 

Hx

[LO867]

Shanneva, have you increased your portion size so you're not hungry all the time? Is your sugar dragon shrinking ??

Clare, you're sticking with us, right? An unintentional half spoonful of porridge should keep you from going on from here. You h as vent come this far to stop now. I totally appreciate your ability to stick with those rules! I liked my fingers (habit) while breaking a muffin for my little granddaughter on Saturday. I had a brief taste of sweet pumpkin bread. I wasn't too impressed. .... funny how things change!

[LO867]

Hannah, sweet potato cakes?? I'm salivating already. Maybe my daughter would join me. Sounds like cheating!

[hannahmckeand]

Oh no! Maybe it is cheating!?

I just mash up the cooked sweet potato and season with salt and pepper. Then throw the mash into the waffle maker with some spray oil so it doesn't stick and cook it for about 10-15 minutes on the lowest settings. I throw everything in my waffle maker, eggs are particularly good, but never actual waffles! But you are right, I am probably feeding my secret desire for bread or something....

[LO867]

Hannah, don't get me wrong, I wasn't calling you a cheater. I was saying that it sounds delish and maybe I should try it! Then again... checking my motives first. Aaaarrrghh!

[hannahmckeand]

Oh fooey!! 

I can't be second guessing every single thing I eat and wondering if I like it because it might be like something else. I don't even eat that much bread and baked stuff in normal life! 

What I like about bread is it is a practical base on which to pile toppings, but by that definition you could say an omelette is a bread substitute in my head! 

No, the sweet potato cakes stay!

BOOM!

Hx

[LO867]

Love it! You're making decisions!

 

Hey, what makes me an advanced member? I'm a newbie-- first time, Day 5.

[hannahmckeand]

Other ladies of this forum, Clare and Shaneeva and Joni, if you click that you like the forum at the top of it, then you will get notifications when chats are happening. Although Clare will probably be asleep when we all are awake!

Hx

[hannahmckeand]

Oooo... Don't know!

[LO867]

So I guess my post didn't post-- do this and back to work. But you gals are all so fun!

 

The good things I've noticed so far--

 

1) I'm hardly ever really hungry. A couple of times I couldn't wait to eat because of hunger. But I'm trying to avoid snacking, so I eat what seems like a lot of food.

2) The feeling of cleaner teeth. I love it. Flossing is less gross, too.

3) Less need for caffeine! Who would've thought! I'm not bouncing out of bed, yet, but I could take or leave my coffee now.

4) Too many leftovers in my fridge. My daughter is not joining me on this adventure, and I wish she would! I'm NOT cooking every day, but often enough that I need to get creative for the 6th meal of something. I hate wasting food-- and I used to cook for my big family where things would just disappear!

5) No headaches or body aches, except for the horrible leg cramp on the night of Day 1.

 

Thanks, Clare, for listing yours. I think this is a good exercise even at this point!

 

Lisa

[hannahmckeand]

Yes, this is delightfully distracting from the rather dull work task I should be achieving!

But, additional good things:

1) Seem to have reduced water retention a lot already, my ankles aren't puffy any more and i feel slimmer round my middle.

2) Not craving sugary things at all surprisingly.

 

 

Thanks for yours Lisa!

[womaninshoe]

Hannah, Earl's Court is the other side of the world anyway!

 

Am definitely sticking with this, for sure. It's a minefield though - I didn't taste some pasta to check that it was done, and I didn't lick my fingers when they got cheese sauce on them from the kids' macaroni and cheese dinner. Took a lot of energy to remember not to do those things though. Not that I wanted to, just the power of habit!

 

Terrible idea to make that for the kids anyway. It's just me doing the w30, but I have told them about it and told them I would like us to eat more healthily, so when I went shopping today I didn't buy our usual hot cross buns/french fancies/cherry bakewell tarts/cookies or sugary cereal! Not sure what they are going eat, eek. I did buy dried fruit/plain choc chips/nuts to make a trail mix for them, and a w30 version for me without the chocolate. Haven't tried them with it yet... they are still free to spend their pocket money on stuff in the corner shop, if they like.

 

Welcome Shanneva - good luck!

 

Lisa, congrats on your advancement, lol!

 

Joni, it's lovely to meet similar people. Home ed is growing in the UK, but lots of people have still never heard of it, especially outside of cities I think. 

[womaninshoe]

Oh, and my husband ate dinner with me tonight! Indian chicken with courgettes, tomatoes, broccoli, curry powder and coconut milk - one of the 'hot plates' from Well Fed. He liked it, I think. He's supportive, but a bit frustrated at the time and money this is consuming. Hopefully it will settle down as this becomes more natural.

 

I like that this thread is 'hot' 

[LO867]

Just throwing this out there... (and yes, it relates to what we're doing!)

I live with my daughter, who is an adult but is delayed in some ways. She won't/can't cook for herself, and me-- I've always been the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, so she depends on me.

My daughter is on a new drug for her epilepsy, which is helping a LOT (finally!) but it suppresses her appetite big time. Before starting this program, I was good about making healthy things for her that are also calorie laden. There are several things in the W30 book I've made that she doesn't enjoy, and therefore won't eat. I HATE the thought that her go-to is peanut butter and jam, (a combo of 3 things we're not supposed to have!) when really she should be doing the whole 30 with me.  

She will join me in eating dinner and often breakfast-- whole30 if she likes it okay. She doesn't have weight to lose--she lost 15-20 pounds already on this new drug. That's why I'm stressing.

Any thoughts?

[hannahmckeand]

Awww Lisa! You sound like superwoman! What a lot you have on your plate (no pun intended!)

 

I just went a bit crazy in Barnes and Noble yesterday and bought a whole bunch of the pale cookery books that they recommend in the back of the Whole 30 book. Om Nom Nom is wonderful and so are the two Julie and Charles Mayfield books.

 

How about splashing out on a couple of those and then sitting down with your daughter to browse through them and get her engaged. They are full of the most beautiful glossy pictures and every page has my mouth watering. Perhaps you can get her interested in picking out some recipes to try and who knows, you might even be able to draw her into an interest to give you a hand preparing them? Perhaps you can get her starting to think about it as a nice thing that you tackle together sometimes, if not all the time.

 

For her extra calories, I feel like there are always some things you could add on the side that she could have and you could have less of. The sunshine dip in the book is yummy and calorie packed and would go on the side of most things. Guacamole also. I just noticed that the Wholly Guacamole brand in compliant and delicious, so you can even just buy that if you don't have time to make it yourself.

 

Also I feel like lots of our dishes it would be easy to add cheese into for her portion either sprinkled or grilled on top.

 

And you can always add a dessert into the mix to add extra calories in for her.

 

Good luck with it, let us know how you go.

 

We are so HOT!!

[LO867]

Hannah, you're close. My sister is Superwoman, and I am Phoenix! You are all superheroes for sure.

Thanks for the reminder of the sunshine sauce. I wanted to try it and I got hung up on finishing what I already had cooked.

Will definitely try it tonight!

Thanks ladies, for your support!

[Shanneva]

Hello again! Almost made it thru Day 5...hooray! I find that I'm full when I am eating my meals, but then get hungry just an hour or so later. I think it's because before this, I was doing 5 smaller meals a day, so my body is used to eating all the time. Plus, I workout mid-morning, so that makes me extra hungry. Other than that, everything is going OK. Glad to hear the benefits you all are experiencing! Have you all found a vegetable to eat with breakfast? I find it hard to want to eat one in the morning.

[hannahmckeand]

Plus, I workout mid-morning, so that makes me extra hungry. 

Shanneva

Are you eating the pre-workout and post-workout extras that they allow us? It's basically a couple of small meals and might make you feel like you are back up to 5 a day ish.

 

I am an early morning work out person, like at 5.30, so I have my pre and post workout mini meals around that and then have breakfast around 9.30, and it seems to keep me full.

[womaninshoe]

Good morning ladies  

 

Shanneva, I have really been enjoying my breakfasts - bacon, with fried tomatoes, spinach and sweet potato hash. Will add in a sausage when my compliant ones arrive, as I really don't like eggs (bit of a drawback now!). 

 

Hannah, I was thinking about what you said about being anxious the other day. Hope you feel better now. I have felt out of sorts for months, a kind of low-lying sadness that comes and goes. Not at how life has turned out - feel incredibly blessed. More at how rubbish I am as a wife/mother/homeschooler/daughter/friend etc! Not strong enough to count as depression, but definitely not how I want to be feeling. I hope that's another way this is going to make a difference...

 

Speaking of which, another benefit - am pretty sure am having less PMS symptoms and aches and pains. 

 

My baby has an ear infection and a temperature, so am in for a fun day

 

Clare x

[LO867]

Good morning, everyone!

 

I have been in kind of a light fog, which seems to have cleared this morning!

 

Clare, your breakfasts sound amazing. I'll need to hunt for some good bacon! I made a mushroom scramble this morning, which is nice and easy, but it gets old after a while. I find that when I cook bacon, I might as well go ahead and do a whole bunch at once since it's such a mess, and reheats perfectly.

 

One reason for me embarking on this food plan is that I've been lacking energy for a couple of months. Now that I've begun this program, I'm noticing a more positive outlook and a small increase in energy levels. Springtime and the promise of warm weather does the same for me!

 

I don't remember who suggested the Sunshine Sauce-- ohmygosh, it's amazing stuff! I feel like I overdosed with slices of pear and an apple.  Tina (my daughter) thought it was "okay". Still looking to increase her calorie content. She's responsible for part of that, too---- she just doesn't get it done consistently. Oh, parenting never ends! She's a sweetheart, so it's all worth it!

 

Light-headed feeling coming on-- hmmmm.

Have a great day! Lisa

[hannahmckeand]

Such interesting last posts from you two Clare and Lisa, really resonated with some stuff that has been on my mind this year. Clare you talk about your low level depressiony blues, and Lisa you mention feeling a more positive outlook, a comment which alludes to your own bluesy feelings recently.

 

I think that all last year I was battling with very low level depression. Like you say Clare, not stuff I felt like I should seek help for, but just an incessant low level exhausting weight of malcontent. I kept thinking 'How do you tell if you're depressed? Perhaps I'm just a bit sad and lonely (My partner is away for work constantly), or is this depression? I am a really strong willed person. Would this same level of depression be overwhelming to someone else and I should stop battling it alone and get help?'

 

In about February this year I felt completely better and started analysing it in retrospect, so I could hopefully make some changes to stop it happening again, but also have some tools to hep myself out if it does. 

 

I identified some big lifestyle things that I think are a really big deal;

 

Food and Eating: I have been 10-12lbs overweight for about 10 years now. I am super active and yet still it has been a problem. And not a day has gone by where I haven't been disappointed with my body and completely focussed on what I'm eating. I spent 3 years as a vegetarian and 1 as a vegan, and was miserable, unwell and never comfortable with it. I know my body craves and thrives on protein and meat, but I got so far away from it. For years now I have tracked everything I eat every day, following my macro-nutrients, but then fall off the wagon into binge days and occasionally weeks.

It had to stop. Hence Whole 30, which I am loving. I'm so relieved to not be measuring and tracking, but just eating when it feels right.

 

Exercise: I am so active, I climb, I hike, I ski, but I realised I have been hiding away in the activities that are easy for my body and as such, my body has been becoming stiffer and less mobile and more painful month by month. I couldn't even put my underpants on without rolling back on the bed and putting my legs in the air. Crazy. So I have done something completely out of my comfort zone and joined a cross fit gym. I've been going for a month and the difference is out of this world. They don't let you do the classes until you have done a few sessions with a trainer and mine was great and immediately identified my mobility issues and areas of weakness (glutes!!!!). She has got me on this extreme regime of stretching and it is changing my life. I try to go 4 sometimes 5 times a week and I go 45 minutes before class to stretch and it feels so good. A month on I still have tweaks and aches, but they feel back within normal levels and I know they will keep improving, and in general terms I can say I am at least 80% more pain free day to day than I was a month ago.

 

Domestic habits: I realised that when I get sad there are a whole bunch of things I do or don't do that I really hate and wish weren't the case. And here they are, I'm going to be brutally honest, because this is a safe place right?

- I stop showering every day. And every day wish I was a person that showered every day.

- I don't change my bedding for weeks on end.

- I watch TV incessantly and look at the shelves and shelves of books I wish I was reading instead.

- I think of the TV as company instead of entertainment, I use the characters in TV shows as friend substitutes (which is crazy, I have great friends)

- I don't walk my poor dog every day, even though I know even just a walk around the block will make us both happy.

 

I'm sure there are lots more, but you get the idea. I fact, maybe you gals have some you can throw in there too?

 

Anyway! SO! I have instigated change! These are the things I've been doing the last month:

- I cancelled my Hulu and Netflix subscriptions (mid shows in some cases). I didn't have the intention of watching NO television! I just wanted to make it less easy, less inviting. But actually, the symbolic act of doing it has meant that i have watched only 2 things in the last month and I couldn't wait to switch the TV off after them!

- I dived into my bookshelves instead. I have been reading for pleasure and information every day. At first my attention span was bad and I got distracted, but slowly the reading muscle has returned and now I am devouring reading material with real pleasure again. It makes my brain feel so much more refreshed to absorb information and entertainment in this way.

- I cross fit 4-5 times a week

- I stretch every day, even if it's only for a few minutes in between other tasks.

- I change my bedding every Sunday.

- I shower every day.

- I walk the dog every day.

- I cook proper meals for myself every day.

- I give myself an 8 hour window to sleep in every night.

- I don't look at screens after 8pm, which I swear is helping my sleep be better.

 

I am feeling 1000% better than I have in years!! Seriously, I can't tell you what a difference these small, no-brainer things are making. I feel like a decent functional human being. 

 

This is all new and a work in progress. But I'd be interested to hear about the things you would like to change, or the things that you have changed to make your lives better. I really think that so many people are living in these funks and it just isn't being talked about enough!

 

Wow! I just wrote A LOT!!

[LO867]

Hannah,

You are my HERO!

Thanks for sharing your story so openly. Mine will have to wait cause I'm at work!

Lisa

[womaninshoe]

Wow Hannah, that's inspirational. I can relate to SO many things in your post. I will definitely write more in response when my brain is more awake.

 

I didn't feel hungry in between meals today - yey! I ate at 8ish, 1ish and 6ish. What time do you all eat? I think drinking more herbal teas helped - I love the PUKKA range (don't know if you get it over the pond?) - the liquorice root really helps with missing sweet drinks.

 

Night all x 

[womaninshoe]

How is everyone doing? I've been managing OK - navigated tea and biscuits at a Bible study this afternoon. In fact it was amazing that I even made it - haven't been for a month due to illness and low energy among me and the children. So another benefit maybe?

 

Going to Mum's house after was harder. The children have dinner there every Thursday - I wasn't eating so that was OK. But her house is FULL of cakes/crisps/gorgeous yummy cheese etc etc. Sob. I ate olives, gherkins, grapes and a banana. Far more than I would have done at home, to make up for missing the rest. 

 

On the other hand, my own tea was a prawn and spinach curry from Well Fed, which was absolutely delicious.

 

Hannah, thinking about your post, I would love to make some of the same changes. Less TV, more time reading, more time outdoors. It's hard when there are 6 other people in the house who all love the things you're trying to give up! Maybe Whole30 will give me the energy to make those other changes for myself, just like I'm doing with the food.