May 12 Reintro

[LO867]

Hi Shanneva, Hannah, and Clare. I hate leaving out old thread but maybe we can keep up with each other.

[womaninshoe]

Ah ha! Found you

 

Not a great day today. Was tired and stressed and too busy all morning, then realised it was 2pm and hadn't eaten anything. My amazing lunch decision? half a bag of tortilla chips and 2 3 OK 4 slices of sourdough bread and honey. Had a rest in the afternoon and managed to get all the kids and the dog out for an hours walk in the forest, so felt a bit better. 

 

Had a pretty good food day aside from that. It was interesting actually - the tortilla crisps were a bit 'meh'. although the bread was lovely. Trouble is, this was my entire life before Whole30 made me sit down to proper meals. 

[womaninshoe]

Reintroduction is kind of skewed at the moment I think because 1) a horrible cold has just gone round the whole family, and 2) have just started my period. So I'm not sure I can accurately separate how I've been feeling this last week from those factors and the food I've been eating. Which is a good thing, in that I was feeling awful and thinking I'd never be able to eat anything "non-compliant" ever again! 

[LO867]

Reintro is so hard! I find comfort in rules, and the stricter they are the better. I'm sure my personality lies on the autistic spectrum.

I introduced grains on Tuesday. It was so weird.... I used to have a bowl or oatmeal every morning. As I was making tthat, fear set in and I wondered how I would ever make it through the morning. So I fried my normal two eggs and added some avo. Success. This was a day for a doctors appointment in another city, so we took a trip. Lunch was compliant as far as I know, including corn in my salad. On the way home (which was rushed) I made some poor decisions. I bought roasted corn kernels (okay, maybe deep fried......) and my favorite sugar snap peas. You know, the fresh fat green ones. Yuuuuummmmm. From a fruit stand, so fresh! Not remembering that those were probably in the legume family, I can't judge how I felt after. The bloat didn't come for hours. Was it the fried (and dried) corn? Or the peas? Or the overload? Stress?

Goodness. So I'll extend my reentry. I want to know. More grains the following day, but not a lot. Whole 30 yesterday and today.

I did a wworthwhile "cheat" last night by making an apricot sauce with a sprinkling of STRAIGHT SUGAR to go with my compliant pork tenderloin and vegetables. It was truly amazing.

[womaninshoe]

It took me a while to twig that peas and sweetcorn weren't allowed on the Whole30 - that struck me as completely bizarre. 

 

I'm philosophically opposed to "diets" - I've never been on one. I accept that for some people, some foods are not ideal for your body, but I think also a lot of damage can be done through artificial restriction and deprivation. As a Christian, the Bible has a lot to say to me about food - like, "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer" and "it is not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean, but what comes out of it". And what about the bread of life, and a land flowing with milk and honey?

 

I think that's why, on the whole, I prefer the Nourishing Traditions approach - it doesn't demonise these foods so much, but helps you understand how to enjoy them by preparing them properly.

 

Actually, I have been on a sort-of diet before - I used to fast one day a week until 3/4pm. I had watched a programme about intermittent fasting, and picked a day when I was often so busy I didn't eat until late anyway. That really worked for weight loss, with no other food changes, but I stopped when I got pregnant again. 

 

I did the Whole30 because it was a short-term thing - I really didn't understand what I was getting myself into! I've been amazed by the benefits, and the knowledge it's given me. And at the moment I have very little desire to eat off-plan foods. But when I do, I'm not going to feel guilty about it, or blame everything that goes wrong the next day in terms of mood/health/circumstance on it. That's what I did at the start of my reintroduction and felt quite depressed, only to realise later that colds/period/high pollen counts and walking the dog through long grass also played their part.

 

Yesterday had a W30 breakfast. My kids had a sports day, and I had a coffee at the cafe with milk and 2 sugars  and it was delicious  (but it was before lunch, and am back to black, unsweetened today). Lunch was W30, and a dinner of meatballs, carrots and broccoli would have been except that there were breadcrumbs listed as an ingredient. But I thought it was worth it, to sit down and eat the same thing as the rest of my family for the first time in 5 weeks! Then in the evening (because, Friday) I had some SWYPO "paleo" chocolate that my mum had given me, and half a bottle of fruit cider (I think ingredients are sugar, fruit and sparkling water) that my husband bought me. I didn't want too much of either. I also made some SWYPO chocolate spread (hazelnuts, cocoa powder, creamed coconut etc) and had a teaspoon or so before it went in the fridge.

 

Oh my goodness, this is an essay. Sorry! Short version - I'm thankful that the Whole30 has done a good job in training me to want to eat the right things, and sit down for proper meals. But when I want to eat something else/off-plan? That's OK too. If I feel like the "something else" is becoming the majority, I'll do another Whole30. 

[Shanneva]

Hey Ladies! Just wanted to say a quick hello, and happy to have found you here. Off to bed, but more tomorrow

[LO867]

HI Shanneva and Clare!

 

I'm continuing to learn through the reintro process. Learning more about me, and secondly, how foods affect me.

 

I've decided that I cannot do a perfect reintro. There are too many factors in my life to fully evaluate each food group and the effects they have on me! Stress, ever changing pollen counts, activity levels, ambient temperature and the like all get in the way of trying to evaluate my foods as I reintroduce them. Still I am paying more attention to how foods affect me.

 

I'm continuing to eat mostly Whole30. I like the way I feel, and my leg cramps have lessened now that I've added a banana most days and some magnesium tablets.

 

I've introduced only grains, refried beans and white wine since our 30 days ended. I've discovered that I may have trouble with grains, even "non-gluten" grains. My arm started itching, and I've had a few hot flashes, which can be an indicator of a blood sugar spike. It makes me wonder if I'm pre-diabetic. (No, I'm not a hypochondriac!) As much as I love grains, I can do without them for the most part, and weigh the consequences if or when I want some. The itch though, has me puzzled.

 

I still have pain in a few of my joints, which began about 3 months ago. I don't like it at all. I think it was better before introducing grains. Again, there are so many factors, like how much computer work I've done that day, or how many flights of stairs I've climbed. I have definitely hung up my knitting projects, which were part of my giving back.

 

I think it's time to see the doctor to ask these questions. Getting older is hard-- admitting I'm older is even harder! But I want to stay as young as possible for as long as possible. My grandkids are worth it!

 

Also need to become more active, at least stretching or yoga. The weather has recently warmed (we had snow three weeks ago) and the long days are calling me out. I love this time of year!

 

How are you ladies? Any plans for the summer?

 

Lisa

[LO867]

 

I"m so glad to figure out how to attach photos, though it looks like you can only so one at a time. I really think keeping my heath is worth it. I want to run and chase and be crazy with these precious kids! Family is the greatest gift!

 

Off to bed soon. Hope you are doing well.

Lisa

[LO867]

 

 

I'm philosophically opposed to "diets" - I've never been on one. I accept that for some people, some foods are not ideal for your body, but I think also a lot of damage can be done through artificial restriction and deprivation. As a Christian, the Bible has a lot to say to me about food - like, "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer" and "it is not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean, but what comes out of it". And what about the bread of life, and a land flowing with milk and honey?

 

I think that's why, on the whole, I prefer the Nourishing Traditions approach - it doesn't demonise these foods so much, but helps you understand how to enjoy them by preparing them properly.

 

Actually, I have been on a sort-of diet before - I used to fast one day a week until 3/4pm. I had watched a programme about intermittent fasting, and picked a day when I was often so busy I didn't eat until late anyway. That really worked for weight loss, with no other food changes, but I stopped when I got pregnant again. 

 

I did the Whole30 because it was a short-term thing - I really didn't understand what I was getting myself into! I've been amazed by the benefits

 

I've never been on a diet either. Most of them are faddish and I believe in moderation. This "diet" made sense to me, and as I mentioned, I started having some challenges. The bread of life? I'm most definitely in. The land flowing with milk and honey? Absolutely! Vineyards on every hill? Yes please! I have been troubled by the demonization of any foods. And yet, they do not all agree with me. (Dang!)

 

Nourishing Traditions looks interesting to me. The addition or fat rather than the elimination of it is such a turn-around approach. I've benefited from it already in shinier hair and feeling full for a longer period of time. I would like to explore more along these lines.

 

For me, one of the points that pushed me to try the Whole 30 was exactly the fact that it was limited to a short period of time. So yes, I need to keep that also in mind. Keep what works. and toss the rest out!