Casey's really doing it

[CaseyP]

Okay. I'm back on track. I had a sort of stressful end to last week so i wasn't positng but my meals for tomorrow  are prepared and I'm feeling good about the week.  How are you doing? 

[jenmidge]

Hi, I am still going okay. I really wanted to snack over the weekend, not because I was hungry but because I had things to do in the house and snacking is a great way to put off starting something you aren't keen on doing. But I got through it. I've  been eating a lot of white potatoes and my stomach is a bit bloated again so plan to cut them out completely after I've finished what is in my fridge.

I bought a plantain last week. I've never been able to find them in the stores here but visited a store in a larger town 20km's from here. I was ridiculously excited until I googled them and realised it will probably take about 3 weeks for the thing to ripen I am glad you are back on track.

[CaseyP]

Wow. Good luck with the plantain. I guess that will help with practicing patience. I've seen them but never bought one; let me know how it is.  I DEFINITELY know the story on snacking to put off doing other things Good job getting through it.  Any more non-scale victories? 

I did pretty good today.  I made a giant fritata tonight which will last me two or three breakfasts and have a salad with grapefruit and olives with tuna planned for tomorrow.  I also found a great deal on a gym membership so I plan to start that in a couple weeks, plus I should be able to start walking outside soon which will be great. 

[CaseyP]

I ate my tuna salad today outside in the sunshine! Yay, it was wonderful. It wasn't enough food though so I ended up with a late afternoon snack of pistachios and apple and some vegetable chips.  I was really craving other things but managed to get out of the grocery store with only compliant items 

I also did some light aerobic exercises, went for a short walk in the sun, and got a massage so overall pretty good day.  

[CaseyP]

Yum! I pan fried pineapple this morning in coconut oil! It was almost too sweet. Ate it with my breakfast fritata so  I don't think it will give me a sugar crash.  I also found some over-ripe mangoes I made into a salsa for my salad today.   The tropical flair is welcome since the clouds are back today and the wind is picking up.  

[jenmidge]

Please could you share your mango salsa recipe? It sounds perfect with all the chicken I eat. On my first W30 I loved adding fruit to meals, it seemed such a treat and livened up my meals when I was becoming a bit bored with food. Pina colada chicken is still one of my favourite recipes. My plantain has turned yellow but is still rock hard. I'm looking forward to plantain chips eventually. 

I made 2 family sized cottage pies last Sunday using 1kg of turkey mince and most of the contents of my weekly veg box. All I need to do each morning is spoon some into a plastic lunch box for work and I'm sorted for the day. I also had some for breakfast this morning as I was running too late to cook up eggs and sauté veg and I heated up another portion for tea tonight. Not very exciting but it sure makes sticking to plan easier.

[CaseyP]

Oh goodness, I tend to just throw things together and hope it turns out... for the salsa I just diced a mango, and added garlic and onion powder, a Mexican spice blend, a little extra cumin and salt. You could probably find a better recipe online.  I purposely didn't add tomatoes but a little minced onion and cilantro would have added nice flavor. I fried more pineapple this morning and scrambled it into eggs (yes I'm back on eggs, thank goodness) with cinnamon and basil. It was interesting.... I'll have to practice more and come up with a real recipe.  I agree about adding fruit. I read an article that noted that apples, berries, and many other fruits have a lower glycemic index than sweet potatoes and beets so I decided as long as they are part of a meal and don't take over, they are good and add variety.

[jenmidge]

The stores here are full of all manner of Easter treats. I don't miss Easter eggs as I didn't bother with them before, but I do love hot cross buns. Not sure if you have them in the US but they are sweet bread rolls flavoured with spices and dried fruit. Delicious toasted, with loads of butter on. That is interesting about fruit and GI. I just about eat 1 sweet potato every day. I am a bit wary of reducing my carb intake in case my mood or sleep suffers but I am eating carbs with every meal at the moment and my clothes are still as tight as ever, so something needs to change. I've also not felt any new NSV's. I am waking just before my alarm goes off at 6.30am but I don't exactly bounce out of bed full of energy.

[CaseyP]

How far in are you now? 2 weeks ? Or 3? It took me longer to feel the energy than I thought it would before. Hopefully it will kick in soon for you. I am definitely not feeling any energy at this point, tho im not dragging quite as badly as I was a few weeks ago. 

Hot cross buns sound wonderful.... I loooooove toasted  sweet breads with gobs of butter. But don't remind me....  I am just having a really hard time with sweets and carbs. Tonight i had oatmeal with bananas before bed, which doesnt seem that bad to me but i know its a grain and not compliant and will probably set me up for cravings in the morning.  I have also gotten into honey and dried fruit which tends to lead to other cravings.  I don't know if I need to eat more carbs with meals or cut back altogether . I feel like I need to have plenty of carbs and snacks on hand, at least until this weather - and my mood - clears up.  Well, tomorrow I will pay more attention to portion sizes and keep some balanced snacks in the car.  

[WholeDave]

On 12/31/2016 at 5:25 PM, CaseyP said:

@jenmidge @WholeDave Any of my old buddies still out there? 

 

I'm back after falling off the cliff!! Hiya Casey hope you're going well.

[CaseyP]

3 hours ago, WholeDave said:

I'm back after falling off the cliff!! Hiya Casey hope you're going well.

Yay Dave! We'll throw you a life line!

I wouldn't exactly say I've completely recovered from falling off the cliff myself, but I'm posting regularly, which at least gives me a branch to grab onto.  Welcome back. 

[jenmidge]

Tomorrow marks the end of week 3 for me. On the menu for next week is lasagna that I made this evening, using sweet potato in place if pasta sheets. I'll have it with broccoli and green beans. Not sure what to take for work lunches yet as I'll be out of the office most days. If I make mayo tomorrow and take a trip to the grocery store I'll be able to take tuna or chicken salad.

I'm still having problems with my lower back. The physio told me that one of my hips is out of alignment. Last week she tried to manipulate it back but with only partial success. I've another session next Tuesday. 

I've started eating a banana each evening. Not a good habit I fear as they are so sweet. Might try swapping it with a green apple next week. I'm also eating a few dried figs most days. I know I'm feeding the sugar dragon but I don't intend to give up sweet foods forever and I figure that they are far healthier than refined sugar. If in the future, I can stick to natural sugars like honey and dried fruit, I'll be happy.

[CaseyP]

Yayyyyyy! Congratulations on getting to the last week! You have done far better than I lately. I am plugging along, not really compliant but doing better than trying nothing at all.  I went to a potluck yesterday and thankfully there were a lot of salads. Plus I  took a potato dish I could eat.  I did succumb to the brownies but only a little.  Lasagna with sweet potatoes sound great.   I need to spend this evening making up meals ahead for this week.  That helps a lot.      Keep going to the finish line and beyond!

[jenmidge]

thanks for the encouragement. Only 7 days to go now. Someone at work was eating a large chocolate chip cookie today and I started obsessing about what it would taste like and even how it would feel biting into it.  I am planning on sticking to a mainly paleo diet after day 30 but on day 31 I am buying myself a chocolate chip cookie!

btw, I've grown to love my black coffee now and even like it cold. I'm also still adding nutritional yeast to everything for that faintly cheesy taste, so I don't feel any need to add dairy back into my diet which is great. Ice cream might be the exception in summer but frozen bananas blitzed in the blender make a good substitute, especially with nut butter added or cacao powder. Definitely looking forward to some SWYPO.

[CaseyP]

...obsessing about how it would feel biting into a chocolate chip cookie!! That's great.... maybe day dreaming about it can take the place of actually doing it.  

I haven't been able to get back on consistently, since I fell off a few weeks back.  But this week I made bone broth and ghee, joined a gym, and prepped a whole lot of food for a 3 day trip to visit old friends this weekend. So I feel like I'm getting pretty ready to get back in the game; however I don't think I want to 100% commit for this weekend. I'm thinking of starting over the week after Easter, if not before. 

I'm cheering for you as you finish up and start into your "mainly paleo" diet. I hope you can enjoy your cookie and then stay back on track. 

[jenmidge]

Hopefully, going to a gym will help you want to eat healthily as well although I believe one needs to be fully ready mentally, to commit. At least, that's the case for me anyway.  It's been a struggle to get out of bed the last two mornings and I am fairly sure it's because I've completely lapsed with my water intake during the day. I made more of an effort today but still only drank about 1 litre. Need to try harder.

 I had nothing prepped for tea this evening and didn't get home from work until nearly 7pm. I called into the local store and bought steak mince then made lettuce burgers - Yum!

re: the cookie, it's no ordinary cookie, it has crunchy edges and is softer in the middle and has big white chocolate chunks  ....I think I'm going slightly bonkers. Only 4 days to go

[jenmidge]

I just wanted to report that my plantain was finally ripe enough to eat this evening. I fried slices of it in ghee and sprinkled with nutmeg. WOW! It was still a bit starchy so it was like mouthfuls of banana flavoured pancake. Not great for the waistline but will definitely be buying more, maybe as a once monthly treat with some smoked bacon.

I did my usual prep on the weekend and have W30 meals for about 4 days even though tomorrow is day 30. I am trying to save up at the moment so will keep on prepping meals in advance to avoid needing to buy meals out, especially work lunches. I hope you had a great weekend.

[CaseyP]

Ahhh , the No Ordinary Cookie!  Now I understand . The plantain sounds interesting. I will have to try one.

My weekend was okay.  Had a restaurant salad one meal and a gluten-free cheeseless pizza for another, which really wasn't as awful as it sounds.  Breakfasts involved hard boiled eggs and oatmeal; the rest was snacks of fruits, veggies, rice crackers and tuna. The thing that got me was Coke, particularly while driving.... it's a habit more than a caffeine necessity. I'm going to go off it this week..... I will make that my one goal if nothing else.

Congratulations on finishing 30 days and beyond! What is your plan now? Are you going to do a slow roll reintro?  

[jenmidge]

Good job on your eating over the weekend. Previously I've not even tried to eat healthily when away as it is so hard.

Day 31 wasn't a lot different food wise, to the days before it. I ate 3 W30 compliant meals but did treat myself to my cookie mid afternoon. I went for a very large double chocolate chip and it was worth it. I wanted a second immediately afterwards but I only bought one and resisted the urge for more chocolate later. Today I'm back to complaint eating until I come across something else that is worth the deviation or until my next visit to family. To reduce the risk of falling off the cliff again, I've made a rule for myself that I won't have more than one off plan treat in a week. Here's hoping it works this time.

I'm not doing reintro's because I did them thoroughly after my first W30 and have a fairly good understanding of how different foods affect me.

I lost 5lbs which isn't as much as I'd hoped but it's giving me motivation to carry on.

I fully recommend the fried plantain btw.

[CaseyP]

Double chocolate chip! Mmmmmm.  So glad you enjoyed it guilt-free AND have a plan to stay on track. Sounds like you're on your way to Food Freedom! Yayyyyyy! I'm envious.... or maybe "inspired" is better 

I picked up a book today about Hoshimoto's thyroid disease. Both my mother and my sister have been diagnosed and I have enough of the symptoms to guess I have it too. The book has a 90 day plan to start healing with a diet that eventualy ends up pretty much same as whole 30, plus rest, light exercise, and more supplements than I can afford, but it got me inspired to take better care of myself. My plan is tomorrow to completely go off refined sugars, gluten, dairy and soy. Start weaning off caffeine and other grains and sweeteners, and be whole 30 compliant (for more than a day at a time!!) in two or three weeks.  I feel ready for this finally.  I did a light workout today and meet with a personal trainer tomorrow to make an exercise plan.  Plus the sun is shining!!!!!! 

[jenmidge]

I am very sorry to hear about the diagnosis for your Mum and sister and the symptoms you have as well. Would your Mum and sister do a W30 with you? Are you going to follow an Auto Immune plan? The weather is warming up here as well and it makes such a difference, even if I only get to see the blue sky and sunshine out of an office window, like today. Good luck with your next few weeks and becoming W30 compliant. 

 

[CaseyP]

Yeah, my mom has been totally paleo for a couple years (except this last holiday season) and even more extreme than whole 30... no nightshade, no nuts. It has helped alot but she also had a hard time this last winter and some of her symptoms have come back. We try to help each other.  My sister stays away from gluten and has talked about doing a whole 30. Maybe I will talk to her again about it.  

[CaseyP]

I looked up an AI eating plan and quickly became overwhelmed.  Today I kept to my basic no gluten, no dairy plan with goals of working into whole 30 and probably AI which is what my book suggests and feels doable. I also took an hours worth of light exercise at the gym, it was fun and i feel great. 

Raging storm all day today... it caused two huge trees to fall into the yard. So much for spring. Temps are supposed to dip back down almost to freezing with buckets of rain for the next several days.    Upping my vitamin D supplement!!

[Alaska Woman]

On 7/22/2016 at 2:24 PM, WholeDave said:

Casey, I find breakfast is the defining and most important meal of the day - propels you into the day and if you get into a rhythm it soon becomes second nature. Flavour is an important part of that - if it's bland you won't look forward to it.

 

My staple breakfast is a stir-fry: 1 clove of garlic and some peppers fried in a decent amount of olive oil, a tomato and a couple of mushrooms chopped, salt & pepper, make a well in the middle add eggs (2 or 3 for one person, 4 for two), swirl them around and cook slowly, then throw in a handful of chopped spinach or kale on top, a little more salt & pepper. A squeeze of lemon juice and/or a chopped spring onion after serving. Takes about 15 mins.

 

Good luck! Sounds like you're going really well. You will start to notice the changes pretty quickly which is motivating. And it only takes a few days for the crazy cravings to die down a bit

Sounds yummy. Will try it tomorrow. I almost always have some sautéed peppers on hand because I really like them and you can put them with lots of different things.

[CaseyP]

Was unbelievably tempted to get coffee and doughnuts this morning but went to the gym and exercised instead and then bought myself a kombucha for a treat.   I also found some plantains on sale! They were pretty yellow and soft  so i fried up about half of one and then discovered it would have been sweeter if I'd  waited until the skin was black.  I liked it though..... sort of potato- ish.  I'm having tea without sweetener this afternoon instead of cola. So far so good.