January 2nd start date

[sunnytropic]

@CaseyLee I am seriously obsessed with the cherry sauce, I bet you could make it day before and then just wait to marinate it for an hour the nigh of. I only marinated for an hour and it turned out great. I have been putting the sauce on everything today, I still have some chicken thighs left but I had pulled pork from Monday I was trying to use up and the sauce was really good on that too!

[CaseyLee]

6 minutes ago, sunnytropic said:

@CaseyLee I am seriously obsessed with the cherry sauce, I bet you could make it day before and then just wait to marinate it for an hour the nigh of. I only marinated for an hour and it turned out great. I have been putting the sauce on everything today, I still have some chicken thighs left but I had pulled pork from Monday I was trying to use up and the sauce was really good on that too!

 Do you think the recipe would work with chicken breasts too @sunnytropic?

[MarcellaC]

4 minutes ago, sunnytropic said:

@CaseyLee I am seriously obsessed with the cherry sauce, I bet you could make it day before and then just wait to marinate it for an hour the nigh of. I only marinated for an hour and it turned out great. I have been putting the sauce on everything today, I still have some chicken thighs left but I had pulled pork from Monday I was trying to use up and the sauce was really good on that too!

I'm excited to try this recipe too.  It sounds so good.  Already thinking I'll try to make garlic mashed potatoes again to go with them, my last batch tasted great, they were smooth but really thick, maybe a little extra unsweetened almond milk will help.  I'll have to do it next weekend, extended tax season hours (9a-8p) start at work tomorrow and I'll be working 6 days a week for the next 5 weeks.  Yay for OT though!

[JenHZ]

Sorry  but I am going to drop out  after having 2 noncompliant meals out yesterday.  well I don't know if 1 was because I didn't' ask.  Just to physically and mentally tired after a very long march.  

I would appreciate any thoughts on how you  eat after a really intense day both physically and mentally. My first plan was to have so much energy I'd still be able to cook.  no way I couldn't' even face walking down the stairs to the freezer for green beans. my backup plan was to have cold food but dspouse was having a headache and couldn't face that and frankly neither could I.  so we went out to dinner.

we plan to pick back up again with official whole30 on February 5.

I will probably peek in here to see how you all are doing.

[StrivingToBeSteadfast]

Hey friends.

I come to you disheartened today, I lost the battle yesterday while baking and I've been spiraling (hardcore) since. I have such a messed up relationship with food.

I am planning on continuing whole30, and I want to get back onto it this week hopefully because I cannot live like this. I am reading food freedom forever, but does anyone else have any good suggestions for books involving our emotional connection/stress relief involving food? Also, looking for some good coping mechanisms to think through my food decisions. I need help, y'all. I know I can't live like this, and I know it's going to be a (literally) painful road ahead because of the terrible food choices I made.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate you all, and I am so proud of how you're changing your life.

[MeadowLily]

On 12/22/2016 at 2:49 PM, ShannonM816 said:

Some things that might help with having food prepared: do a weekly cookup each week -- most people do them on Sundays, but whatever day works for you. Here's an actual one-week meal plan that uses that method, if you want a more concrete example of how it works. Also check out this post about meals that you can throw together easily.

 

Clear the decks, clean the slate and don't wait until tomorrow. Get right back into it. 

Follow Shannon's advice here, given earlier. Go take a shower or long bath. Flip the Switch and wash yesterday right out of your hair. These new behaviors take practice, practice, practice. 

 

Don't let a day of thrill eating turn into a week.

Don't let a week turn into a month of thrill eating.

Don't let a month turn into a year.

Don't make UP for overeating by undereating or NOT eating.

Remind yourself how far you've come.

Plan each meal.

Revisit your food journal and repeat that awesome week.

Drink water like its your job.

Repeat this tomorrow.

 

[MeadowLily]

Binge eating is complex, I know. I am a recovering food addict. I had to own it and name it with help.

The nutshell.   

When you fall back into old food patterns, the brain goes back into an unconscious mode.  The absolute best thing you can do today is make one decision and Flip that Switch.

In the unconscious eating mode which the brain loves so much, it will keep you in that holding pattern and loop for a day or week or month or year.   It will help you spiral right back where you started.

I've had wild swings UP and down with my eating/weight/way of eating.  In that unconscious eating mode,  you don't look in the mirror or acknowledge what in the world is going on until you literally snap back out that deep slumber.  You don't know how you got there...months down the road.

Your body and mind will throw you into a timewarp and mindwarp but one day you awaken, needing to start all over again.  Don't let it go.  Not even today.   

It's not even possible to accommodate the brain and body's desire to eat everything and get all of it out the way. Eating. All. The. Things. There are endless streams of food and mountains of triggers everywhere we look. 

Take that shower. Spruce yourself up.  Brush your teeth.  Make some tea and eat a template dinner.   Tomorrow, you will be back in biz.   Lop off what happened yesterday, right now.

[Julzology]

@StrivingToBeSteadfast and @JenHZ Please don't beat yourself up.  Even though you had a slip look at how far you came on this journey?  20 days what when I bailed last time.  I still learned a lot but it took me 2 more false starts and 2 years (and 10 more lbs) to get me back here.  Progress not perfection.  There is value in sticking with it, in starting over, in figuring out why it happened and then taking steps to avoid those pit falls in the future.  Good luck to you both. 

Day #21 I made ghee, mayonnaise and a breakfast casserole today to get ready for my week.  I've been a bad breakfast eater so far, not eating the right ratios of protein and fat and not eating soon enough.  The breakfast casserole should resolve that problem.  I still need to tweak my pre and post workout meals not to mention pre workout water intake.  

I feel like now that I made it past 20 days I'm almost home but that thought process is a slippery slope for me.  I have to stay vigilant.  On the one hand I say to myself "only 9 more days, you can't give up now when you're so close"  on the other hand " you made it 21 days, that's enough, right?"  Like I have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other like in the old cartoons.  I honestly thinking working out is helping quiet the devil.  How will I find out if this is really life changing if I don't see it through to the end?

[sunnytropic]

@CaseyLee I think it would definitely work with chicken breasts, just adjust the cooking time for the meat. I am seriously going to make this sauce again in the future, I think it would go with a lot of stuff.

@StrivingToBeSteadfast and @JenHZ I'm sorry to hear about your struggles but agree with @Julzology , try and put a positive spin on the experience by making it 2/3 of the way through, it's a huge accomplishment.

I want to make a Shepherds Pie tomorrow. I was going to make it tonight but ended up going to my husband cousin's house for the afternoon. Had to stare down a table full of chinese food (old favorite) but I made it through. I had my snack shortly after we got there (hard boiled egg + clementine) so I wasn't hungry when everyone and the little kids were eating. I also brought along my dinner (mish mash of leftovers) for later but we ended up leaving around 6:30 so I just brought it home with me and ate it now.

Watching the football and drinking my seltzer, it's not so bad. I think I'll try and remember just because I'm watching my favorite sport I don't need to be drinking a beer!

[Anissa]

Today is my birthday and we went out for dinner. There was fresh baked bread and butter on the table, I passed. I had a wonderful lobster tail plain with asparagus. They knew it was my birthday and brought out raspberry sherbet (my fav) with raspberries and blackberries. I ate the berries and brought the sherbet home for the kids. I drank club soda. Made it through. 

Hang in there everyone, we are getter close. If you have slipped get back in there. This 30 day plan is a kickstart to a changed lifestyle. This is a marathon not a sprint. 

[StrivingToBeSteadfast]

@MeadowLily, @Julzology, and @sunnytropic--- Thanks so, so much for your encouragement.

When I read those last night, I cleaned my room, took a shower, and went to bed- hoping for a better outlook today.

This morning, I woke up and I was feeling dreadful. Not so much physically, just emotionally and mentally. The only reason I got out of bed this morning was to go to McDonalds to get 2 McGriddles (something I had never even tried pre-W30) and a brownie. Called into work, and I'm staying home for the day. How pathetic am I?!?!

I dont know if I just need a day off, but I really don't see myself being successful at this, and a different way of life just seems so far off.

 

Any thoughts/strategies/encouragement would be extremely appreciated. I know this isn't very encouraging for those of you currently on W30; I really apologize. I want you to know that I am proud of you and am so grateful you are still by my side.

 

[sunnytropic]

@StrivingToBeSteadfast I am a master of self-sabotage, I spent most of the fall restricting during the day because I knew I would be getting home from work 2-3 hours before my husband and would sit on the couch eating chips (puffy Cheetos! bbq lays dipped in sour cream!) and then hiding the evidence. Pretending I didn't when husband got home and would eat dinner with him and then go to bed so uncomfortable from being full. Been doing this one way or another since college, sometimes I can go months or even years without, but the behavior always comes backs when I'm stressed/anxious/worried. I actually still have a bag of chips in my hiding place that I didn't get to before starting Whole30. I should probably toss them but it almost feels like a security blanket having them there but not being tempted at the moment.

I know you said you are reading Food Freedom Forever (so am I) so maybe go back to the start with it and read it slowly? If it's hard copy highlight/post it/take notes? I have the ebook and kind of want to get the hard copy too so I can do this. Attitude changes won't happen overnight but I think you need to stop beating yourself up and look at this as a learning experience instead of a failure. Easier said than done, I know.

[JenHZ]

@StrivingToBeSteadfast if you really can't get out of bed and work, and cannot see a different future you may be suffering from actual depression.  do you have someone professional you can talk to about that?

[StrivingToBeSteadfast]

@sunnytropic Thanks for the insight I'll definitely start marking up my Food Freedom Forever book. Thank you.

 

@JenHZ Thanks for looking out for me There's a ton of family stuff going on in my life right now; I think I just needed a break today from the overwhelming schedules and I just needed the reminder of what's actually important, you know? I've struggled with clinical depression before, but today is a bit different. I've decided to set aside the rest of the day for self-care and re-prioritizing my life a bit. 

[JenHZ]

@StrivingToBeSteadfast  OK so you know what to look for.  would reframing whole30 as a/the part of your life you can work on/control be helpful or more stress?

[Netherlands]

This is day 22 allready! I love to read all you guys' stories. For me: I love the food. I eat more than I ever have, don't snack (that in my case is a miracle) and do not have cravings (another miracle in my case). The only thing I find hard is not having wine during the weekend. But I feel so committed that it is not that hard to say no.  BUT: I do not sleep well (and yes, I take all the goodsleeptips to heart), I don't have more energy and I do not feel that happy feeling that seems to come a lot earlier for most people. Will I finish? Absolutely! And I am sure to keep some of the good habits. With 8 days to go there still is room for improvement so I'll be patient. But I don't know about this W30 thing. Maybe it is not for me and my body and brain need a big bowl of pasta and a good glass of red wine a couple of times a week.....

[Nira81]

On 1/22/2017 at 10:19 AM, kirkor said:

What were the circumstances that contributed to the choices you made yesterday, and what's your strategy for handling a day when similar circumstances arise again?

@kirkor Saturday's circumstances: poor sleep due to baby's waking in the night; a bummer of a workout due to injuries; no real plans for the day; not enough water intake.  

Strategies can be: wear my earplugs and let dad handle baby if needed; try something new for a workout, possibly barre or a new yoga class (and let go of the disappointment for not bouncing back so quickly postpartum. It's been very disappointing and I am sad); make sure there are weekend plans made.  

I guess I also need to force meal 1 - I'm still not feeling hungry 50% of the time for that first meal.  Is this normal? 

Thanks Kirkor for your questions and @KLOJEAN for the props.  

 

[StrivingToBeSteadfast]

@JenHZ I've dedicated some time this morning to think about that.

Here is my conclusion: Whole30 (er... Whole19?) has taught me amazing things: my relationship with food is a lot more whacked than I thought, food prep is extremely important, I actually love cooking, food is expensive, restrictive diets are not my thing (I know Whole30 is designed to be anything but restrictive, but for the mentality I have right now, it's been a really good learning tool to maneuver through that), food freedom is actually what I want, my emotional eating (along with generally poor eating habits) are a lot easier to recognize than I thought, eating "healthy" in todays society is kind of uncommon, food extremely (!!) impacts the way we feel, and lastly, I just want to eat. real. food.

Those lessons, my friends, were worth the 19 days. I've learned that programs like this kind of put me in a hyper-attentive mode when it comes to food, but I don't necessarily want to live that way. Which is slightly contradicting, because it's hard for me to find balance without the solid black-and-white rules of this program. haha. I've realized I love having a plant/meat based diet, and meal planning really isn't as hard as I thought. So I've asked myself: Do I try another round of W30? Is that best for my relationship with food? For now, that answer is no. In the coming year, maybe that answer will change and I'll be able to give it another go! But I think I've got to focus on what might work best right now. 

Here's what I think that looks like for me:

1) Eat Mindfully.

--- Everything that comes onto my plate or into my mouth, I want to make a conscious, deliberate decision to put it there. This is going to look like saying grace before each meal (in my head if I'm in public)- which I know isn't for everyone, but it will help me to focus on what's important and put gratitude into perspective for the food and nourishment I receive. In addition, I'm going to make a conscious effort to put my fork down between bites and eat slower, only eat if I'm hungry, and realize that there is always, always healthier options. On the same coin, if I choose to indulge, I want to enjoy it and ensure it's purposeful.

 

2) Eat. Real. Food.

---Eat to nourish and sustain your body. Do this diligently. Oh, this also doesn't mean that your food has to taste bad. (Whole30 taught me that real food is so, so good.)

 

3) Have a plan.

--- Proper prior planning prevents poor performance, you know. Evaluate your day, and understand when you might be stressed/busy/put into a situation where you may not have time to evaluate your food choices. I'm going to plan on meal prepping each Sunday, but also knowing when I might have instances to troubleshoot in order to eat the way I want to live.

4) Continually understand your food habits.

--- If you make a poor choice, chalk it up as a lesson and move on, but don't dwell. This life is made to be loved, savored, and enjoyed. So is food; use it mindfully. I plan on reading 1 book per month on nutrition/relationships with food/food habits, and hopefully I'll understand more of the phsychilogical aspects to it as well. 

 

Maybe this will be hard without the structure of W30, but for some reason I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure if I try it again. I just wanted to give each and every one of you another huge thank-you; you all are the best, and I truly cannot thank you enough for teaching me these lessons. 

Here's to the 19 days of structure and expanding my comfort zone, the 2 days of major messing up, the 1 day of re-evaluating, and the lifetime of learning. Wishing you all Food Freedom. <3

[Karen Twin-Cities]

I am both energized and saddened by everyone's W30 experience that you have been sharing with us. This weekend was hard for me too. My husband was out of town and cooking for myself seemed more like a chore. I bought a pre-made side from Whole Foods on Friday night and cooked up some sausage to go with it. The side from Whole Foods was terrible. It gave me a horrible stomach ache (I'm starting to think I might have IBS) and I ended up eating an RX bar for dinner and then curling up in bed with peppermint tea and a movie. 

Saturday I struggled with cravings! I have always been the counting calories restrictions so I can enjoy other things kind of person. Like I did a work out today so I deserve this cupcake! But I fought through it had a cup of tea and checked out a book from the library and started reading. I like to remind myself that I am not a dog and food is not a reward. 

I am really sorry to hear about the people who have slipped up in their W30 journey. I think we can all sympathize with how you felt in those moments and most of us coming from a place of feeling guilty with every indulgence is very familiar. I know Melissa has written before (particularly with reintroduction or life after W30) about owning your choices. We are all adults and if we want to have a cupcake we can have a cupcake. Eat that cupcake and don't feel guilty about it. Cupcakes taste good and when it's your birthday or a special occasion thats ok. But don't let those decisions derail your food journey. If you want to end the cycle then end the cycle. Make something easy and complaint and feel good about that choice. 

You are strong! You have made it this far already so get back on that horse and recommit to the goals you had when you decided you wanted to start a W30. 

[Karen Twin-Cities]

also @Julzology I did my first OrangeTheory class yesterday! It was hard but I didn't die. I think that the heart rate monitor really helped keep me in perspective. I'm definitely sore today. I want to go again I just have to decide to make the investment in the heart rate monitor. I wish they would sync with a fit bit or garmin device because I would wear something like that all the time but I also like having my results on the screen. 

[CaseyLee]

@Karen Twin-Cities! That is awesome! I LOVE OTF and yes you will be sore. I am 63yo, and I go 4 times a week!!  Ask for "options" if something feels too hard. I love the words they use - options - rather than modifications.

Hope it works for you!!

[Julzology]

@Karen Twin-Cities Good for you!  Glad you tried a class.  Yes, I consider it a thorough ass kicking but I keep going back.  I realized yesterday at my class that I recover much faster than my first class.  They gave me a 50% discount on my heart rate monitor at my OTF, maybe you can ask if there are discounts?  

@StrivingToBeSteadfast My first Whole 30 I ended on day #20.  Made a conscious decision to do so.  I tried again two more times even did Whole30 + Wine for a few weeks.  I hope you'll come back when you're ready.  There is real value in completing the program and following the rules.  In the meantime it sounds like you have a solid plan and good luck to you with everything.  

On a side note:  I have acquired a cold and feel kinda crappy.  I am hopeful that I'll kick this in a short amount of time given my better nutrition etc.  I think I'll cancel my AM workout though.  Don't think I can get through it the way I'm feeling.  Dammit.  Hate being sick. 

[Nira81]

@JenHZ @StrivingToBeSteadfast  I am enjoying your reflections.  

@Karen Twin-Cities My pattern is to restrict food in order to enjoy treats as well and so I liked your tough love thoughts on food treats.  

I'm having fewer and fewer cravings and this week feels like a final opportunity to return to good planning, restrict less at meals and work through that same old automatic urge to eat emotionally.  @MeadowLily I think you have some really good points there. Practice, practice, practice.

[MeadowLily]

All'y'all are compliant without complaint.  That's why I was riding your wave. You're probing deeper and without saying that everything sux.  When we touch other's relationships with food we are stepping on deeply felt principles.  We have to tiptoe and tread lightly.

It's not bragging if it's true.  I have not ever complained one time about the Whole 30.  Not one time.

You know why?  My health was in the toilet and I had T2. Everything was going to hail in a handbasket. I never experienced the KAT phase because that's not my nature. The only thing that sux is shorter lifespans and delicate health.  It is patently unfair.

But the Whole 30 does not sux.  There is nothing about 3 wonderful whole foods meals aday that sux.

The half has not been told of people who would give anything to be eating in the way that we are. We've got it made in the shade. So keep tooling along without the sux. 

 

[Oh the Irony]

Much love to everyone. I'm on my phone and can't really pull things out and comment. 

I'm hanging on. I had another vertigo attack--ended up vomiting in a trash can while lying on the floor of my boss's office.  then six hours of room spinning and vomiting after my parents came and got me. It leaves me totally drained for days.

so I'm eating compliant food but not enough of it. I haven't really had many cravings and feel very motivated to complete. I can tell I lost more weight this weekend than I should.