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Enough excuses! Starting 11/21!!


MizRik

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I hear the sound of the tumbling tumbleweeds here!

I wrote a long post last night, but it appears it did not post. That's the story of my life at the lake. I've made everyone else shut off their phones and computers, so hopefully it will go through.

We have the little kids for a couple of days (ages 7 and 10). I'm finding it difficult to navigate at the VA house. I'm just not in my groove.  Also, there is a lot of chocolate around, and I helped Bethany make cupcakes today. We decided to go out for dinner tonight, only to find that every restaurant at the lake is closed but one (many close for the winter, but a few have gone out of business). So everyone was at one restaurant... a mad house!  The kids wouldn't eat their fries, and I actually started searching the forums to find a reason that I could make them compliant, but alas, no excuses to be found!

@MizRik @mhemm @IronGirlTrixie @AliceV @PattiMcK @higs @Laurie @NoMoreCrunchyCravings report in and let us know how you're plan is going!

Also, I noticed @IronGirlTrixie's November 1 group is recommencing for a January Whole 30. Are there many folks in your group? Should we just join them? Let me know your thoughts!

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Today is my day 30. Initially I was going to just continue on until I left the country for vacation on January 2 because I've been feeling so great, but I think on second thought I'm going to start reintroducing tomorrow so that traveling won't be such a shock to my system if I'm not able to get compliant foods all the time while I'm in Iceland, I hopefully won't have a stomach explosion while I'm out touring some mountain town or geothermal hot spring. :blink:

I made compliant meals for the next two workdays (identical meals to todays) and I think I may just add milk to my tea, cheese and yogurt to my meals tomorrow as those are the types of things I'd be most likely to eat while abroad. Other things I'm going to reintroduce on day 34 are glutinous grains, so pasta, crackers, and bread maybe. I had a mishap with sugar a few days ago (one slice of noncompliant bacon eaten absentmindedly while cooking) and didn't feel any ill effects from it, but I'd like to continue to try to steer clear of sugar, so that won't be in my first group of reintroductions.

That's my plan for now. I wrote a list of some of my NSVs here, and I was going to wait to weigh myself until Thursday or Friday, but I guess I'll weigh myself in the morning since I'm going to start reintroductions tomorrow as well.

How is everyone else doing?

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My sugar dragon awoke last night, not fully roaring, but definitely grumbling and growling. I *think* it's because I was eating more fruit than usual over the holidays. We were doing some belated birthday celebrating, and I ate fruit when everyone else was eating cupcakes. Apparently that was enough to prod the dragon!

No dragon mutterings tonight, thank goodness. Even though I caved and ate the one remaining larabar last night before I realized what was going on.

We had soup tonight, and I added beet greens to the mix for the first time ever. They have a lovely flavor.

I felt even more slim in my swimsuit today, while I was at the gym swimming. And more slim in the beautiful new jacket my husband gave me for Christmas. :D I'm curious what the scale will say January 20, but feel no desire to hop on the scale early. Honestly, I'm still thrilled about the 7 pounds I lost during the first Whole30, after a summer and fall of losing NOTHING in spite of my paleo eating. As long as the fat is melting away, I don't care how slow the process is. The right direction is good enough for me!

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@CCLaymon, I'm here!  I'm on Day 2 and joined up with a Dec 26 group.  But I'm also still planning on joining y'all in whatever group you set up.  The lake sounds like a lovely family holiday.

It's like riding a bike...  Have my Mel Joulwan chicken thighs roasting as we speak.  And I have 2 pounds of elk meat thawing for chocolate chili!

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Emily, Congrats on day 30! You're probably right to start now. We had many a long bus trip in Italy where there was no place to pull over!

Jessica, yay for feeling slim! I'm just not there yet, but I know it's coming :)

Higs, you never disappoint on the adventurous eating!  I drove to town today to make phone calls and use the computer. Seriously, I'm in tim-buk-to. Sometimes it's nice to be disconnected, but not when you're trying to stay on top of things!!

Anyone have big plans for New Year's Eve? I think Rick and I will be asleep by 10pm! 

 

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2 hours ago, CCLaymon said:

Emily, Congrats on day 30! You're probably right to start now. We had many a long bus trip in Italy where there was no place to pull over!

Jessica, yay for feeling slim! I'm just not there yet, but I know it's coming :)

Higs, you never disappoint on the adventurous eating!  I drove to town today to make phone calls and use the computer. Seriously, I'm in tim-buk-to. Sometimes it's nice to be disconnected, but not when you're trying to stay on top of things!!

Anyone have big plans for New Year's Eve? I think Rick and I will be asleep by 10pm! 

 

Thank you - today's reintroduction was dairy and went fairly well. I put cream in my coffee and was amazed at how creamy and delicious it was, and how it was sweet enough without adding any sugar at all (used to add quite a bit, but less and less after each successive w30). I ate a Greek yogurt with breakfast, but forgot to bring anything non Whole-30 with me (I stole the yogurt out of the patient fridge on our unit!), so I'll have cheese maybe with my dinner, and perhaps use butter to fry my eggs instead of coconut oil. So far so good. I've become a little congested from the dairy (to be expected, it happened with my other two w30's too), but no brain fog or sluggishness. But then again, I had a cup of coffee in the morning and haven't had one in a few weeks, and I can honestly still feel the stimulant effect it gave me coursing through my veins hours and hours later. It's a weird feeling and I think I'd rather avoid caffeine on a regular basis and really just use it when I'm exceptionally tired or have a headache in the future.

Also, tried one of the Epic brand jerky packs (pork, I think?), which is w30 compliant. I want to bring some along with me when I'm abroad so that I can fall back on a compliant protein source if there's nothing else I feel comfortable eating. I got a couple of the compliant Epic bars, too. They look so good on the front of the labels, and then you turn them around and they look like a moist turd under the clear plastic packaging. :wacko: I'll try them though - would also be good to carry some of them along on my trips.

My New Year's plans are not yet finalized. We were tentatively invited to a coworker's house, but I'm not planning on drinking, and my husband doesn't drink, and I'll be on my glutinous grains reintroduction day and don't want to be tempted to eat a whole bunch of other off-program stuff, plus she lives almost an hour drive from our home... looks like we'll be staying in. I think watching a movie with hubs might be really nice, and then finish just in time to watch the ball drop with a kiss to enter into the new year. :wub:

 

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19 hours ago, higs said:

It's like riding a bike...  Have my Mel Joulwan chicken thighs roasting as we speak.  And I have 2 pounds of elk meat thawing for chocolate chili!

Your elk meat chili sounds good. I made venison stew but froze it, so will keep that maybe for when I come home from Iceland to have something compliant to fall back on. Do you taste the chocolate in the chili? Seems like it'd be strange.

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1 hour ago, NoMoreCrunchyCravings said:

Your elk meat chili sounds good. I made venison stew but froze it, so will keep that maybe for when I come home from Iceland to have something compliant to fall back on. Do you taste the chocolate in the chili? Seems like it'd be strange.

Smart to have something in the freezer for your homecoming. I think @mhemm made chocolate chili a week ago (although not with elk ;)) and she said it was delish.

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@NoMoreCrunchyCravings One of the Epic jerky packs saved me over the holidays when my parents arrived 10 minutes early on the morning we were headed for church. I could have kept them waiting for 10 minutes, but didn't really want to. I could have skipped eating breakfast altogether, but definitely didn't want to do that. Instead, I filled up my KleanKanteen with water and took along the Epic jerky. Once I got my mom settled (she uses a walker and is not very mobile) with my dad keeping her company, I went back down to the car and had my "breakfast" of jerky and water. It meant I didn't get hungry during the service, tiding me over nicely to when we returned home and I fixed lunch. I think I need to re-stock, so that I'll be prepared for whatever the next emergency will be. ;)

Thanks for reporting on your dairy day. I'm interested to hear how all your re-intros go.

@CCLaymon My husband started our own New Year's tradition back in 1994, when we realized that we just didn't want to go anywhere, but still wanted to do something special. He decided to plan and make a smorgasbord-style dinner as a treat for me! It harked back to when we were dating, and he would prepare a dinner for me, because he was (and is) an excellent cook. That first New Year's Eve dinner was long before I'd ever even heard of paleo or low-carb eating. The menu (as I recall) was Genoa salami, pickled herring, smoked whitefish, Swedish meatballs, a baguette and butter, water crackers, Brie cheese, Manchego cheese, sliced apples, sliced starfruit, sliced kiwis, and cookies, plus Martinelli's sparkling cider.

We've had some variation of that ever since. :D I need to put my thinking cap on and come up with a compliant version!

On New Year's Day, we'll have over two old friends (and their families) for a potluck dinner - it's another tradition, this one established back in 1986 (I think), before I'd ever met my husband. I need to think about what I'll be cooking for that also.

Where's everybody else? How are your re-intros going? :D

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I love the Epic jerky!  The sriracha is my favorite!  

I did make the chocolate chili - I'm not by any means a fancy person, so I don't have the proper verbiage, but it gives it a deeper, darker flavor.  Does that make sense?  I used ground venison, I'm sure the elk version will be amazing!  I definitely plan to make it again!  

I am completely off plan and can't wait to start another round.  I need to stop sugar - like forever. 

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2 hours ago, mhemm said:

I love the Epic jerky!  The sriracha is my favorite! 

Oooh! I didn't know there was a sriracha flavor. I want to check it out! :D

2 hours ago, mhemm said:

I did make the chocolate chili - I'm not by any means a fancy person, so I don't have the proper verbiage, but it gives it a deeper, darker flavor.  Does that make sense?  I used ground venison, I'm sure the elk version will be amazing!  I definitely plan to make it again!  

You make perfect sense. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to eat tomatoes. And when I can, I want to try this recipe. It sounds so yummy.

2 hours ago, mhemm said:

...can't wait to start another round.

Good! I'm eager to have the whole gang back for our second go, whether it's on this thread or a new one that @CCLaymon starts for us. :D

2 hours ago, mhemm said:

 I need to stop sugar - like forever. 

LOL! Don't we all! My sugar dragon was SO powerful at the start of my Whole30. I like the idea of being able to indulge every now and then, but I worry that if I try it, my sugar dragon will simply seize control. But I'll worry about that when I get to the completion of my Whole60 (or Whole90, if I decide to go for that long).

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I am not in love with the Epic bars, but I'm glad they are working for all of you!

Jessica, I love your New Year's Eve smorgasbord idea, Whole 30 style! I can't wait to hear what you include.

Melissa, I thought you might be off the wagon, LOL!! You and Rikki are on the 4 day countdown to jumping back on board with us! :D 

The kiddos go home today, so I'm ready to have a little more control over the junk food in the house. I have to say we've done well with the temptations.

We have a couple of stressful days ahead - Rick and I own our business, and there is a lot of transition right now with changes to our back office, bringing on a new ops manager Tuesday, I'm executing a new marketing plan starting Tuesday, and our company retreat is in Charleston starting on the 6th. Lots of crazy that usually drives me to food. I'm holding up well, but getting up at 4:30am (no alarm) every day so I can get work done for a couple of hours before everyone else is awake.

My win for the day:  I have been battling pain with shoulder impingement since July (a wake boarding incident...).  Today I realized I know exactly the person who can help me resolve/rehab this, so I sent her an email and asked her to coach me through it. WHY HAVE I WAITED SO LONG?  This is one of the things I like about eating well (specifically no sugar). It helps me take action steps instead of procrastinating, especially when there is an easy answer.

Have a great day! I'm working until about 9pm, home at 10pm so I'll check in tomorrow!

 

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15 minutes ago, CCLaymon said:

Melissa, I thought you might be off the wagon, LOL!! You and Rikki are on the 4 day countdown to jumping back on board with us! :D 

@CCLaymon - I can't wait!  The hubs has been really interested in joining this time around - I'm not sure if he'll be ready in 4 days, but that's his choice, I am ready today.  I just ordered another recipe book, because you know you can't have too many, and downloaded the Kindle version while I wait.  Today I will be browsing and creating my menu and grocery list for next week!:D

https://www.amazon.com/Well-Fed-Weeknights-Complete-Minutes/dp/162634342X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483015071&sr=8-1&keywords=well+fed

It's been a rough week off-plan, my sleep is all messed up, my moods are all over the place - I miss TIGER BLOOD!

Have a great day everyone!

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2 hours ago, CCLaymon said:

My win for the day:  I have been battling pain with shoulder impingement since July (a wake boarding incident...).  Today I realized I know exactly the person who can help me resolve/rehab this, so I sent her an email and asked her to coach me through it. WHY HAVE I WAITED SO LONG?  This is one of the things I like about eating well (specifically no sugar). It helps me take action steps instead of procrastinating, especially when there is an easy answer. Good job taking that first step! Can't wait to hear how your rehab goes.

 

13 hours ago, mhemm said:

I love the Epic jerky!  The sriracha is my favorite!  I didn't see that one but will look for it next time, thanks for the tip.

I did make the chocolate chili - I'm not by any means a fancy person, so I don't have the proper verbiage, but it gives it a deeper, darker flavor.  Does that make sense?  I used ground venison, I'm sure the elk version will be amazing!  I definitely plan to make it again!  I will really think about trying it during my next w30 in February. So many people say they love it!

I am completely off plan and can't wait to start another round.  I need to stop sugar - like forever. Take things one day at a time. Are you planning to do another full w30 or do you think a nice 7 day reset would work for you??

 

14 hours ago, Jessica NG said:

One of the Epic jerky packs saved me over the holidays when my parents arrived 10 minutes early on the morning we were headed for church. I could have kept them waiting for 10 minutes, but didn't really want to. I could have skipped eating breakfast altogether, but definitely didn't want to do that. Instead, I filled up my KleanKanteen with water and took along the Epic jerky. Once I got my mom settled (she uses a walker and is not very mobile) with my dad keeping her company, I went back down to the car and had my "breakfast" of jerky and water. It meant I didn't get hungry during the service, tiding me over nicely to when we returned home and I fixed lunch. I think I need to re-stock, so that I'll be prepared for whatever the next emergency will be. ;)

This sounds like really good thinking on your feet - not an ideal situation, but you kept it from tipping you over the point of no return. Good on ya!

My husband started our own New Year's tradition back in 1994, when we realized that we just didn't want to go anywhere, but still wanted to do something special. He decided to plan and make a smorgasbord-style dinner as a treat for me! It harked back to when we were dating, and he would prepare a dinner for me, because he was (and is) an excellent cook. That first New Year's Eve dinner was long before I'd ever even heard of paleo or low-carb eating. The menu (as I recall) was Genoa salami, pickled herring, smoked whitefish, Swedish meatballs, a baguette and butter, water crackers, Brie cheese, Manchego cheese, sliced apples, sliced starfruit, sliced kiwis, and cookies, plus Martinelli's sparkling cider.

We've had some variation of that ever since. :D I need to put my thinking cap on and come up with a compliant version!

On New Year's Day, we'll have over two old friends (and their families) for a potluck dinner - it's another tradition, this one established back in 1986 (I think), before I'd ever met my husband. I need to think about what I'll be cooking for that also.

These both sounds like wonderful plans and traditions!!!

 

14 hours ago, Jessica NG said:

Smart to have something in the freezer for your homecoming. I think @mhemm made chocolate chili a week ago (although not with elk ;)) and she said it was delish.

I've seen on the forums that other people have also made it... maybe in my next w30 in February??

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16 hours ago, NoMoreCrunchyCravings said:

Your elk meat chili sounds good. I made venison stew but froze it, so will keep that maybe for when I come home from Iceland to have something compliant to fall back on. Do you taste the chocolate in the chili? Seems like it'd be strange.

The chocolate gives it sort of mole taste, which is marvelous.  I use Mel Joulwan's recipe:  http://meljoulwan.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/

and then I doctor it with different meats (sometimes venison or bison) and I like to add a sweet potato as well.

Venison stew, yum!!  I wish I had a good source for wild game.  I get mine packaged and it costs a fortune, but it is so worth it.

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@CCLaymon Cassie, it sounds like you are having all sorts of wins. Keep taking good care of yourself through the upcoming stressfest!

@mhemm Melissa, your sensible and measured plan for starting your next Whole30 sounds excellent! Go, you!

@NoMoreCrunchyCravings Emily and @higs, thanks for cheering me on! It feels great to hear "Good job!" :D

I've worked out menus for New Year's!

Eve: deviled eggs (I love them!), cucumber slices, green and red bell pepper strips, herbed mayo dip, olives, Genoa salami and lunch meats and cheeses (for husband and kids). fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries, apple slices (for husband and kids), orange slices, kiwis, kombucha, Martinelli's (for husband and kids), baguette and water crackers (for husband and kids), ice cream (for husband and kids).

Day: homemade vegetable chicken soup (made with bone broth), baked potatoes (with optional grated cheese and baked broccoli for my vegetarian guests), green salad with homemade vinaigrette, ice cream and coconut ice cream for everyone but me. :D

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7 hours ago, higs said:

The chocolate gives it sort of mole taste, which is marvelous.  I use Mel Joulwan's recipe:  http://meljoulwan.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/

and then I doctor it with different meats (sometimes venison or bison) and I like to add a sweet potato as well.

Venison stew, yum!!  I wish I had a good source for wild game.  I get mine packaged and it costs a fortune, but it is so worth it.

I've actually never had mole. Each time someone else describes it though, it makes me want to try it more and more, especially with the addition of sweet potato. I'll definitely try it in February the next time I do a big cookup. I've never had elk and have only had bison once I believe. The venison was from a deer my father-in-law caught two years ago. I've had it in my freezer for a year and was worried it'd be bad, but the stew came out great. I wish I could get other types of wild game near me - I have no idea where I'd even start to look for it. :ph34r:

6 hours ago, Jessica NG said:

@CCLaymon Cassie, it sounds like you are having all sorts of wins. Keep taking good care of yourself through the upcoming stressfest!

@mhemm Melissa, your sensible and measured plan for starting your next Whole30 sounds excellent! Go, you!

@NoMoreCrunchyCravings Emily and @higs, thanks for cheering me on! It feels great to hear "Good job!" :D

I've worked out menus for New Year's!

Eve: deviled eggs (I love them!), cucumber slices, green and red bell pepper strips, herbed mayo dip, olives, Genoa salami and lunch meats and cheeses (for husband and kids). fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries, apple slices (for husband and kids), orange slices, kiwis, kombucha, Martinelli's (for husband and kids), baguette and water crackers (for husband and kids), ice cream (for husband and kids).

Day: homemade vegetable chicken soup (made with bone broth), baked potatoes (with optional grated cheese and baked broccoli for my vegetarian guests), green salad with homemade vinaigrette, ice cream and coconut ice cream for everyone but me. :D

You are welcome! And this new year's smorgasbord also sounds AMAZING! Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there with some more w30 delights! :P ;) :lol:

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Today was a w30 day and I'm kind of glad. At this point it's just easier to stay compliant, though I don't have any regrets about all of the dairy I ate yesterday (more than I'd initially planned), and don't seem to feel anything but mild congestion from it all last night and today, as I'd expected. One thing I did notice - I didn't much enjoy the Philadelphia cream cheese when I tasted it last night. I used to love it so much I'd almost have the desire to rub bars of the stuff all over myself and could easily lick it all off. But when I had it by itself (without the magic of a bagel or lox or red onion) last night it just wasn't the same and I thought "eh, I can do without it." 

I only have prepared enough food for breakfast tomorrow, but I'll be off from work, and I do have a compliant rotisserie chicken in the fridge that I'd bought the other day. So I think tomorrow after breakfast I will pull it apart and make protein salad out of it to have for Friday's and Saturday's lunches. I wasn't going to do another batch of mayo since I'm leaving in just a few days, but maybe if I do, I can finish it up when I prep Sunday for traveling - I can bring some tuna salad or something in a ziptop baggy to be able to eat compliantly on the airplane and in the airport on Monday since that's another w30 day. I'm planning to bring olives and pepper strips in baggies, along with a few baked koimo potatoes, a couple hard boiled eggs, some pecans, and some almond almond crusted tilapia (all travel wonderfully in ziptop baggies and are ok out of refrigeration overnight once cooked if eaten the following day). I'm also going to bring a few packages of sardines since they are packed in pop-top tins, a can or two of olives in my checked luggage, and a bunch of those Epic jerky products. I always carry empty ziptop baggies and will bring plastic cutlery to facilitate eating all of my w30 delicacies. 

How is everyone else doing today?

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@NoMoreCrunchyCravings Emily, I'm awed at how together you sound regarding prep - both logistical and mental - for your trip. You're a role model for any traveling Whole30-er!

I was planning on talking a little about my day in this post (it was a good day), but...my eyelids are falling closed. So I think I am going to head toward sleep instead. ;)

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Yesterday was so stressful, I was ready to start drinking at noon!!  Hubs gave in last night (even though he said he started Whole30 last Wednesday, he's really not even close to hitting the mark, LOL).  I was doing this whole self talk about how my Whole 30 is technically over, and I could jump back on today, and wouldn't a glass of wine or a cosmo (or 2 or 3) be grand?

In the end, I stuck to my guns, because I want to get away from food and drink as a stress reliever - dangerous territory for me because I naturally worry/stress/am anxious a good bit of the time. Also, as we've all discussed, eating well and no sugar makes me significantly LESS stressed than before.

I like the ideas of doing something special for New Year's, and just making it compliant. I think I will work out a weekend menu with the my husband today while we will be in town with a nice market (that's 45 minutes from home).  

I'm excited for us all to be together again on Monday!

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I was going to start the new thread today, but I think I will wait until tomorrow. There are a bazillion new January threads starting, and I don't want us to get pushed to page 3 before we get started! Let's say we'll officially move to the new thread on Sunday, since some people will start Sunday the 1st, and others will wait until the 2nd.

I'll post the link here tomorrow when it's ready.

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I'm alive! I promise! Crazy life currently and to say the least I have 100% fallen OFF the wagon. The crash and burn has been BAD!! Old habits, old headaches, old fatigue, its all coming back to me!! Crazy how it comes back SOOOOO fast!!!

I have been thinking about you ladies non-stop!! I will be back soon!! Anxious to catch up on all the posts I have missed!

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