Seeking Hard Core Accountability Partners

[carmen88]

Hi Everyone!

 

I am looking for hard-core accountability partners, people willing to fully commit to the program. You don't need to be on Day-1, just on the program and willing to be honest with yourself and others.

 

I am hoping to form a group to share our struggles, successes, tips, etc.. and to encourage one another. Communication will be important, and I believe together we will be stronger!

 

If this sounds like something you are interested in, let me know

I am looking for hard-core accountability partners, people willing to fully commit and that means if one of us cheats, we both have to restart. You don't need to be on Day-1, just on the program and willing to

[stravajunkie]

Hi Carmen! I'm all over the tough love/accountability idea. I started today, this is my 2nd complete W30 but it's been awhile...I'm running out of time tonight to keep typing but here's what I posted in other thread I'm following:

 

Hi Folks! When I decide to do this (and I've been putting off starting another W30 because: hard) I'm a daily poster. It helps me a lot to see what is working well and helping other people. So my contribution to the mix today: one of the biggest parts of the W30 is extracting ourselves from the psychological snares of food. I.e. using food to solve non-hunger related problems: emotions, moods, stress, tiredness, etc. etc. I'm terrible about this. What I've been focusing on today is making a short list of "activity bursts" I can do (5 minutes or less) to take my mind off cravings. Here's part of my list: weed for 5 minutes-5  minute walk-5 minutes of karate practice with kids-5 minutes of body weight exercises (squats, calf raises, plank, whatever), 5 minutes of drawing, 5 minutes of silly videos, 5 minutes of reading to a kid, 5 minutes of self foot/hand massage...as you can see, for me, anything that involves movement and especially being outdoors is mentally freeing. Other folks who have more artistic, craft talent etc. would have a different list...

 

The thing that amazes me is its SO DIFFICULT to take 5 minutes to do anything on this list. Yet, I can effortlessly stand by the counter and munch an entire bag of potato chips (much more than 5 minutes!!) in a stress frenzy. So it's not a question of if I CAN do it, but retraining my responses. The W30 parameters create the space for this to happen.

 

What have you all discovered (big or small) that is helpful for you so far?

 

I'm not really looking for weight loss but an improved relationship with food. I'm a cyclist so I have the riding/training issues thrown in as well, though I've done this off and on enough to have some experience with *not bonking* on the W30

[carmen88]

Hi Stravajunkie,

 

That's so true about the psychological snares of food. I'm glad to read you're a daily poster - I am too, I do well with the extra support and community. Thank you for sharing your list, I am going to use some of your options and I agree, the hardest part is actually doing it. We are forming new "tractor ruts" in our brains neuropathways, and the nice thing is eventually it does get easier. 

 

Your point "using food to solve non-hunger related problems" really stuck with me. I'm trying to keep this in the forefront of my mind today as I too am in this for an improved relationship with food, not really weight loss. Slowing down and having a check-in with myself before I act helps me, and I'm working on making this a stronger habit. 

 

Have a successful day 1!

[stravajunkie]

Howdy! Day 3 for me. Mainly I'm feeling a little tired and draggy, plus cranky. I don't do grains/sugar very often even when not doing W30 so I didn't expect to experience much tiredness. However, I have been WAY overdoing the dairy lately, and I think the tiredness is from giving up all those carb boosts from milk and cream in my coffee all day.

 

I haven't been experiencing too many cravings for sweets, but CONSTANT cravings for dairy!! So, I guess it's a moment of truth, because I've been a bit in denial that I've gone so overboard with that stuff.

 

I did go for a fairly challenging 2 hour gravel ride yesterday and although my legs felt pretty dead to start with, my energy remained steady. That I'd consider a win.

 

As far as cooking goes, I love the flexibility of protein + veggies + spices matrix: pick a protein of choice, a veggie of choice and spices that turn it into *some kind* of ethnic inspired dish..

 

Lately I've been into avocado boats-half of an avocado crammed with *whatever*: Bacon and tomatoes and mayo, what we call "taco meat" (super lean ground beef with cumin/chili powder/garlic/oregano) and salsa, shredded chicken roasted peppers....etc. etc.

 

The W30 cookbook, if you don't have it, is actually worth the price. Because it doesn't just give recipes, it kind of teaches you how to cook quickly and flexibly within these parameters....

 

Hang in there, it IS WORTH IT. I can tell you as a former hardcore sugar addict (and still very much wrestling with that issue) this program does re-frame your relationship with food and for me it's been basically revolutionary. All that coming from someone who's only done one complete W30 and then just kind of done an 80/20 application....but without REALLY doing the W30 I would never have learned the skills to make flexibly healthy choices (and forgive myself for screw ups) when not doing it.

[madness]

Hey guys! I'm doing my first Whole30 and have extended it to a Whole100. I'm on day 46. I started in the hopes of lessening joint pain (psoriatic arthritis), increasing my energy/mood and sleeping better. I hoped to have an improvement in psoriasis as well but I didn't have *that* much hope (I've tried sooo many things to improve it and have become jaded). Weight loss would be the added bonus. At 30 days, I found my arthritis pain to MAYBE just starting to decrease, no change in my psoriasis, but greatly improved energy and sleep. I did lose 12 lbs. So I decided to continue. Now weight loss is one of my primary goals as the other things are taking their sweet time.

 

Before Whole30 I had a fairly decent relationship with food. I didn't have sugar cravings, didn't typically binge on snack food and ate a wide variety of foods. But now that I've been on the Whole30, I've noticed a lot of things I did that I didn't realize. Anytime I was making the kids a snack (anything from cutting up fruit, to baking crackers to serving mac and cheese), I would eat some. Not a ton, but I ate food without being hungry and usually without even liking what I was eating. Same thing when I would visit my parents (every weekend). They always have tons of snacks out - nuts, chips, whatever. I would eat a few. ALWAYS. No matter if I had just eaten and wasn't hungry. If there was food in front of me, I would have some.

 

Now, I think before ANYTHING goes in my mouth. Do I need this? If not, do I actually want it? If so, it is worth it? Almost always there's a "no" in that line of questioning when it is something between meals (I did eat a bunch of blackberries while picking the first harvest last week!)