Whole 30 #2--Not Looking Back

[Gramma Susie]

My first Whole 30 was Fall 2013 and it was such an amazing experience. Besides what I learned about myself and nutrition, I lost 10 pounds during the 30 days and an additional 10 over the course of the next five months just continuing with no gluten or junk food. I was very close to my goal and feeling so much happier. It changed my life. Then my life took a turn with the illness and death of my dad. I allowed easy food back into my life and too much red wine, and I fell back into poor sleep habits.. Things came apart for me and my midsection started looking like a 4-month pregnancy. I recently made an attempt with a 21-day hormone reset and learned a lot from that, too. Mostly, though, I realized I needed this second Whole 30 and so much want to get back together with that sweet spot I found the first time around.

So...I'm now on Day 4 and it's going pretty well. My log is starting a little late, but that's okay.

I didn't weigh myself until Day 3 because I want to use the scale at the the health club and couldn't get here before then.

Today I had coffee with coconut oil, scrambled eggs with veggies for breakfast, salad with eggs and chopped ham for lunch, and salmon, half sweet potato, and roasted Brussels sprouts/cauliflower for supper. It was a fairly easy day. With the first Whole30 I learned I can eat to live and I'm hoping I can get back in that groove.

If you have thoughts or tips for me on doing a second Whole30, I'd love to hear from you.

It's really so great to be back.

[Gramma Susie]

Okay, so now I'm struggling with the same things I struggled with before. It was a tough weekend in a couple of ways.

Saturday, May 28

We were away for the weekend and invited to our son's inlaws for a meal and drinks. This particular family I find it so hard to decline with, both food and beverages. I wasn't going to say anything about what I was doing so as not to draw attention to my whole 30. It wouldn't be something she believes in and it's just too bad this Invitation had to come up during my 30 days. Why is it so difficult for me with some people to do what I want to do and know is right? And, having said that, it's amazing to me that other people can be so tiny and seemingly fit eating things that just aren't good for you. Anyway, I made it through eating a few things that were okay and a few things I should not have, doing the best I could with that. AND I had a glass of wine. Argh. I wasn't going to do that. I wasn't going to do that. I did it. It made me who I am with these folks and put me in a more comfortable position--for the moment. Then I left and got after myself for breaking my 30-day pact with myself. These are the things that trip me up regularly. I'm shaking my head here and really have to self-examine a bit. Its my version of peer pressure. Having said that, I've been trying to be more kind to myself and not beat myself up so much when I screw up.

Sunday, May 29

Started out back on track doing well. Eggs and coffee for breakfast, and an orange. Chicken and roasted vegetables for lunch. No slips. Mom had gone to church and had lunch with us. I took her back to her apartment in a senior complex and she called me back just as I got home that she had some issues and we had to take her to ER. We spent 3-9 pm in ER with her. We are having a follow up appointment for her and we won't know for a few days exactly what's up with her. But I got so hungry at the hospital and ended up picking the peanuts out of some trail mix just to get something in my stomach. ER activity is not a norm for me, but it seems that our life is full of many occasions when things change from what we expect and I have to scramble to figure out what I'm going to eat. Easy food isn't good for you and there's a lot of easy food out there. Last minute kids at my house and no food they will eat, so we grab a pizza. When we are in isolation, we eat very good, clean food. But, we spend time with people and have circumstances come up that we want to participate in and don't want to stand out. We want to be easy going folks, and end up eating junk at times because options are so limited. In my world, a little junk leads to a little more junk. I'm being a princess here, but I'm tired of mainstream food not being good for you. It's so crazy, but hospital food is notorious for being junky food.

I'm 62 years old and am starting to feel the end is closer than the beginning. Sometimes I get frustrated and ask myself when I just get to go along and not have to pay so much attention to everything I put in my mouth. When I am more carefree and do that for very long, my belly grows and I find myself back in a stinky kettle of fish.

Sorry to be a whiner.

If anyone has thoughts about these kinds of circumstances, I'm interested to hear them.

[Gramma Susie]

Three days behind. Doing pretty well when I have no events or interference with cooking and eating.

Monday, May 30

Normal eggs/coffee breakfast, salad for lunch, burger out at restaurant--no bun or other accoutrements. We are still away from home because of Moms ER visit. I didn't intend to be gone another night and didn't have good options except to go out for dinner. But I know the burgers we eat at restaurants are probably not good meat, I I do want to minimize this activity in the long term.

Tuesday, May 31

Eggs and sausage and coffee out (again, probably not pastured eggs or sausage) before leaving town, salad with salmon for lunch when we got home, turkey/beef spaghetti sauce over cooked shredded cabbage--so nummy, even without my favorite parm cheese.

Wednesday, June 1

Eggs/coffee/orange breakfast, salad with deli turkey (not my favorite, but the only protein I could find in my son's refrig while doing an emergency babysit for them), pork steak, roasted asparagus, 1/4 sweet potato.

So, I'm now 9 days in. May go longer because of the red wine screw up, but my 41st anniversary (29th day) and my husbands 64th birthday is the next day (30th day) so we will have to see. My goal for red wine is a glass or two 3-4 days/week. Never more than 3 in a day, or 10 in a week. Having said all this, I think I'm starting to feel somewhat diminished around the middle after nine days. I remember feeling that way the first time and it is so exhilarating.

Starting to think about what I'm doing during this W30 that could be assisting this midrif reduction. I would say my most significant changes from my eating before I started W30-2 are:

**ALMOST NO DAIRY AT ALL . Having coffee with Mom on the weekend included a bit of cream, but that's it.

--Just Before W30-2 I had gotten back into a pattern of eating cheese as a snack,

--parm on my salads,

--cream in my two morning cups of coffee,

--cheese on pizza.

--Also, I would have a bowl of full fat yogurt with nuts and fruit for breakfast a couple days a week.

**ONLY ONE GLASS OF WINE in 9 days

--which normally would have been 5-6 nights per week when with family, definitely more than 3 glasses in an evening, including reminiscing and laughing.

--maybe a beer now and then when going to brew pub or a bit of gin in a glass of sparkling water on the deck or by the fire in LR with husband and cribbage board

**ABSOLUTELY NO BREAD, RICE, CRACKER, OATMEAL, OR GLUTENISH THING. My food sensitivity test showed a sensitivity to gluten (not celiac, but sensitive)

--Normally, I have gluten free oatmeal a couple mornings a week (with ground flaxseed, one egg stirred in during cooking, coconut and nuts on top).

--I would also maybe once/week eat gluten free crackers dipped in homemade guacamole.

--The really big thing is the Papa Murphy's pizza for last minute meals with family. I need to figure out a good meal replacement on those days when I'm caught off guard by last minute invites or spur of the moment company. Something I can keep in my pantry or freezer. Guacamole is one, using carrots or cucumber to dip, but gotta have the ingredients.

Also, I know I'm eating plenty of good fats, since I discovered it keeps my blood sugar more stable and it may help me sleep better when. I've had it for dinner.

So, Food For Thought . The mystery to solve is which of these eliminations are causing the reduction around the middle. Could be a combo.