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Starting February 20


MargaretAM

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42 minutes ago, TryingOver said:

Do any of you have favorite slow cooker or pot roast recipes? I think I'm going to try again next weekend with a different cut of meat.

I had the same thing happen last night... the meat was just way too tough. SUCH a bummer! I cut it up and put it in the crockpot. My go-to is always onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Top with chicken stock (in this care W30 compliant), and let it cook overnight.. honestly no less than 10-12 hours. It should shred up pretty awesome and can be used for anything! Super good! Usually takes care of the most tough pieces! And I like to save the cooking liquid for later things. It only gets better over time! 

 

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DAY 7

Hello Everyone.  I have missed you! I had a crazy couple of days with work and two extended family members going into and out of the hospital (everyone is fine). So I have been mostly lurking and reading all of the great posts on here.  I am deeply appreciative of the work it takes for each of us to make these changes!

I am in the mood to review my Week 1. Here it goes, in no particular order:

The Good

  • I feel so incredibly nourished by the food I am eating.  I am having so much fun finding and trying new recipes and lovingly preparing myself good food.
  • I also feel free from the focus on gaining/losing weight, controlling myself, etc.  I eat as much of my compliant food as I need until I am comfortably full.  Note: I still have a part of me that is afraid of gaining weight eating this way - but I am able to contain it.  See below.
  • The last two words above bear repeating: "comfortably full".  Yes, I am comfortably full for 4-6 hours after most meals.  That feels amazing.
  • Very few wasted veggies from the fridge this week! (Read: my aspirations when I am grocery shopping are actually matching my eating reality)
  • I had a tough day on Saturday and let myself get too hungry (poor planning) while at work.  I ate some raw veggies from the hospital cafeteria, but there was no other compliant food available to me (at the hospital...true story). I really needed either some protein or fat to get me through but it wasn't happening. And I Did.Not.Cave. I sucked it up and got myself a compliant meal as soon as I could.  (I also learned to have a compliant snack always available)
  • I finally had a homemade mayo win! Yea!

The Bad

  • Exhaustion - several days of it.  I am hoping I continue to traipse along the common timeline and start to feel more energy tomorrow.
  • Psychological cravings.  Oh my goodness.  I have learned this week what a mindless grazer I am.  In fact, it was pretty clear on the evening of Day 1 when I was pacing restlessly back and forth in my kitchen, practically snarling at my family members as they walked by.  (it wasn't hunger btw, I have been working really hard to distinguish the two)
  • Ok, in spite of what I said in bullet 2 under The Good, there IS a part of me that is afraid I am going to be heavier on the other side of this process.  However, I remind myself of the magic that is hormonal rebalancing...and trust (or a close approximation of trust...distract).  

The Ugly

  • My workout today (see bullet point 1 above)
  • My inner two year old when I lovingly, but sternly, tell her she cannot have chocolate today.

And last but not least: The Funny

  • For the past 4 nights in a row, I have dreamt that I accidentally started eating a non-compliant food.  Nothing fun mind you.  One night I dreamt I was putting a piece of gum in my mouth and spit it across the room as soon as I realized what I was doing.  Last night was epic.  I realized I was drinking milk and was trying to spit it out of my mouth.  However, the milk turned into a viscous, silly putty like material and was stuck in my gums, in between my teeth, etc. and I couldn't get it out.

Thanks for reading.  Looking forward to seeing what week 2 brings.

Good night all.

Margaret

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5 hours ago, brandyontherun said:

Thanks Kelly- I don't feel like a rabbit either!!  I feel like I've been eating more diverse foods than I did before this, and while that includes a lot of veggies, it's also been a great variety of delicious and filling foods.  I don't see this as a diet (it's about changing my lifestyle!), but most of my family does.

I had planned to use mayo to make ranch for veggies, to use on boiled eggs, and to make tuna salad but so far it's been a complete fail! ha!  Where did you find this Primal Kitchen brand?  I'll have to google it and see if I can just buy some compliant mayo near me because I can not make this mayo for the life of me and oil is too damn expensive to be wasting (haha)  

I bought the mayo on Amazon 

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Day 7! Wow! We made it a whole 7 day! I'm really proud of myself! 

I too have had the wide eyed awakening that I definitely graze, needlessly during the day. NOT THIS WEEK, but before. And I have to agree that I have definitely been comfortably full. I am content. This week has been a real eye opening. Eating and not being SO stuffed with food and guilt. Not HAVING to have dessert. My body is definitely feeling more centered, and calm. I was walking though the woods today and noticed that I have this feeling that I haven't felt, it a VERY long time.... and that was zero anxiety. I have had pretty bad anxiety I guess.. not about social settings or things like that, more about me and my constant "what am I doing with my life".. you know the one. But even amidst a new career starting, 3:45 mornings at my second job, working nonstop, and trying to keep up with the endless piles of dishes and prep, I feel, good. Calm. Content. 

Now on the flip side, I had 3 migraines this week.. I have been a life long migraine suffer, and I'm a little disappointed that even with cutting out my biggest trigger: alcohol, I am still getting them. Usually, it was 1 a week.... so I am going through everything I have prepped to eat and drink trying to figure out if is something else..? 

Has anyone else noticed a difference in, dare I say, menstrual cycle? I have an IUD and haven't had a period for, well, honestly, years, and this week, she decided to make an appearance (Which could have a lot to do with my migraines). It's been an emotional rollercoaster this week. I've cried, I've been exhausted, I've been abnormally happy. I told a friend of mine "I can imagine ice chunks calving off a huge glacier"... It hasn't been an easy week, but I feel like this is a really good natural process to get things back to a normal,  HEALTHY baseline. Just really hoping the migraines stop... the meds for those are brutal. 

GREATEST of luck to everyone for next week! I feel like we made it though the hardest part!! ;)

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13 hours ago, *Aurora* said:

It's Sunday... are you prepping today too?  I feel like I've been in the kitchen all afternoon! :P 

I made a spaghetti squash casserole (the same one I posted above) and it smells delicious.  Although it can get boring to have the same lunch at work everyday, I know I'll be happy to not worry about lunches this week!  

The best... two different people came up to me today and commented about my weight loss!  I lost 16lbs my first round and jumped into round 2 right after.  I can feel (in my clothes) that I've lost more but am resisting the scale.  It felt nice to have positive compliments! :D 

 

Way to go @*Aurora*, keep it up!

@MargaretAM You are learning from your experiences, next time pack some emergency food.  You didn't give up which is what matters!

@MKFish  I also have an IUD, but I haven't noticed any changes in that department.  Mother Nature sometimes makes an appearance, but very few and far in between.  We indeed have made it through a tough week, hang in there!

I planned my menu for the week yesterday.  Looking forward to trying new recipes.  My goal is to do this 70/30.  Im trying to get my family used to more veggies, less grains.  I are up eating rice and beans almost every day, so its a challenge.  For the past year Ive been weaning myself off grains and starches, but I still crave them.  

I was able to do a workout this am without feeling exhausted (hooray!).  Im planning on going for a walk at lunch time so I can get my steps in.  Overall, I feel great knowing Im feeding my body properly.  

I need to take a closer look at my serving sizes.  I may be eating too much protein (1.5 palm size per meal) and fat (2 thumbs or so).  I also go 5-6 hours between meals since I get up so early.  Any recommendations?

Here we go Day 8! :) 

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Hi Everyone.  I wanted to make a post about my first week.  It went very well.  I think because I had cut grains and sugars previously, it made it easier. I had never cut artificial sweeteners before this week, though.   I did notice a slight headache the first 3 days.  On day 3, I felt like the wind went out of me at 2pm that day....extremely tired and ended up going to bed around 8pm.  Woke up exhausted and didn't want to get up.  After day 4, the tiredness went away.  I'm still waiting for that burst of energy though.  Eating the 3 complete meals has satisfied me.  I missed having a snack at night while watching TV, but realize I was doing it out of habit, not that I was hungry.  Still not sleeping well, but hope that improves as I continue on the plan.  I knew the meals would go smoother if I planned and prepared, which I did, but boy that's a lot of dirty dishes! :)  I was excited to try new recipes, but I think it was a little too much for me.  This week, I'm stocking my favorite veges and proteins and have planned to keep it simple....just meat with roasted or steamed veges for most days and only about 3 new recipes this week.  I like plain food anyway, so I don't necessarily need all the different spices....at least not every day.  My only "issue" right now is getting those veges down for  breakfast. I'm doing it, but it's really a struggle sometimes.   I've searched for  whole30 breakfast ideas, but the majority either show only a fraction of the veges that should be on the plate (according to the template), or all the veges are starchy veges.  I've been careful to only eat that fist size portion of the starchy ones per DAY.  Love to hear from you guys, how you deal with breakfast.  Anyways, that's enough rambling.....on to week 2.  Much success everyone!

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Kelley Flees wrote:  

Quote

I had planned to use mayo to make ranch for veggies, to use on boiled eggs, and to make tuna salad but so far it's been a complete fail! ha!  Where did you find this Primal Kitchen brand?  I'll have to google it and see if I can just buy some compliant mayo near me because I can not make this mayo for the life of me and oil is too damn expensive to be wasting (haha)  

 

Kelley Flees, I had trouble making the cilantro lime mayo in the book.  I used a blender.  It started out great, then separated.  But I found this recipe on the web, using a stick/emersion blender and it worked like magic.  Super easy!  

http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2015/04/failproof-diy-homemade-mayo-in-2-minutes/

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@clara912 I will sometimes eat a mellow veggie soup (like a cauliflower/carrot) or have a salad with grated carrots and a less acidic dressing (usually apple cider vinegar) with my breakfast.  I have actually done this on and off for years and it really works for me but I know it can be a hard adjustment for others.

Also, I am curious when you say "fist-sized portion of starchy veggies".  I don't see that on the meal template.  I am a little nervous I am relying too much on sweet potatoes.  On the one hand, I really don't want to start focusing on portion sizes too much and I know that starchy veggies can help maintain serotonin and mood.  At the same time, I don't want to be inadvertently feeding cravings.  I find that several recipes include sweet potato or pumpkin as a binder so I am trying to not add a starch on top of that.  But perhaps it is still too much.  

@MKFish I'm sorry to hear that your migraines aren't better yet.  No good advice here; just thinking of you.

 

 

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Starting week 2 and I had planned to be home from the office all week, so didn't prep anything over the weekend. Not planned: this bastard of a cold that has developed and has me really NOT in the mood to eat, let alone prepare lunch for myself and dinner for the whole family. It's also "hell night" in our house, when all three kids are at activities and we're eating in shifts, which complicates the menu choice further. I'm thinking there is soup in my future.

@MKFish, I'm also starting to worry I'm going to one of those rare people who gains rather than loses weight. I had hoped that cutting out grains and refined sugars would do wonders, but end of week one and I'm seeing no change so far. I think I might be eating too much, and relying too heavily on starches (potatoes, sweet potatoes, especially) to add bulk to my meals. Also think I need to eat less at breakfast. I'm just not hungry by the time lunch rolls around, but then force myself to eat anyway because I don't want to just skip the meal and end up grazing late afternoon (one of the habits I'm trying to break) and not feeling satisfied after dinner (and then grazing until bedtime -- another habit I'm trying to break). Who would have thought that listening to your own body would be so difficult?

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@DotinTO Thanks for sharing your struggle with this also.  I think it is hard to relearn to listen to the body's signals, especially when there is a lot of hormonal and psychological "static". I am afraid I am going to gain weight too.  No changes in how my clothes are fitting at this point.  What it comes down to for me right now is I don't want to be relying on starchy veggies as a substitute for grains/sugar but I also don't want to remove them because I am afraid of gaining weight.  I have a feeling this will be a messy process for me for a while and may take time to sort out.

@Kmyers17 Welcome! glad you found and joined us.

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On 2/25/2017 at 2:30 PM, Kelley Flees said:
20 minutes ago, DotinTO said:

Who would have thought that listening to your own body would be so difficult?

I hear you. My body is yelling at me through a headache. My husband suggests it is due to the lack of sugar. It's not fun, but I can get through it. This is the second day of a headache. I'm going to go to Target and get some yummy approved food and that will cheer me up. I have many items for lunch and dinner right now, but especially my PWO meal: only one left. I must fix that real quick. My struggle is finding organic options at stores close by me. I dislike having to go to so many different stores for different items. It is a bit much, agreed? 

I find myself curious if I am eating too much. For lunch, I cut it down to half of a plantain for my nachos and 1/2 of an avocado. As you mentioned, I guess we are all learning about our bodies and what works best. It will take some time. I figure it is better to eat a tiny bit less and see if I do feel the need to snack later. Is having a Larabar or eating handful of nuts such a bad thing? I don't think so. 

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Day 8 and 4th migraine. I'm one migraine away from throwing in the towel. I just can't handle this for 30 days... I have to ask what is more beneficial? The meds I take for the migraines are brutal and take a toll on me.. I just don't know what else to do! 

I feel like it's something to do with breakfast.. what i'm eating, or not eating.. I just don't know. I'm just really frustrated today....:(

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I haven't been posting the last couple of days but I've still been plugging right along on this journey.  This cold is kicking my ass and I had to resort to cold medicines ... which bums me out as I doubt they are on-plan so to speak.  Ah well.  I am continuing forward and hoping this cold goes away soon so I can see how I really feel .... for right now who knows if I've been tired because of the cold or because of the change in diet.  So ... hopefully by end of week all will be good!

@KelleyFlees - thanks so much for sharing the mexican breakfast casserole recipe.  My bf and I made it this weekend.  I THINK it tastes delicious (darn cold!).  Plus now I have leftovers for the week!

@MKFish -I'm so sorry to hear about the migraine issue.  I know this diet removes things (like dairy, grains, etc) .... have you also added anything you normally weren't eating?  A tea?  Any of the coconut products?  Have you been tracking what you've been eating when ... perhaps you can find something in common on the days you are getting the migraines?  Hope it clears up soon.  My bf gets those .... it ain't pretty.  I hope you can hang tough and troubleshoot what might be causing it.  Even you getting those once a week every week is way too often. :(

Linda

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56 minutes ago, MargaretAM said:

What it comes down to for me right now is I don't want to be relying on starchy veggies as a substitute for grains/sugar but I also don't want to remove them because I am afraid of gaining weight.

Can I ask what makes you think that removing starches will make you gain weight?

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Ladies, those of you thinking you've seen no change so far please remember that this is a 30 day program & many people don't see the bulk of the NSVs until the latter stages. As for losing weight - well this is not a weight loss plan. Some people lose weight as a result of the change in their diet, but many don't. What is important though is that regardless of the number on the scale you are doing great things for your body, and hopefully making some long term positive changes.

For those of you having headaches - how is your water intake? Are you drinking the recommended half an ounce per pound of body weight, daily? Are you salting your food? How much fat are you adding to your meals, remembering that much of what you use for cooking will stay in the pan...

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@jmcbn - Thanks for your question. What I meant was I don't want my motivation to remove them to be about gaining/losing weight.  I know W30 is not a weight loss program and that changes take time.  And weight loss is not a primary goal of mine, but it does still lurk in my mind, which is why I am trying to sort through the many thoughts, emotions, body sensations and motivations I am having.  I appreciate your guidance and reminders.

@MKFish I feel so badly for you and am hopeful some of the suggestions/questions from the moderator or others with more experience will hold the key for you.

 

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5 minutes ago, MargaretAM said:

@jmcbn - Thanks for your question. What I meant was I don't want my motivation to remove them to be about gaining/losing weight.  I know W30 is not a weight loss program and that changes take time.  And weight loss is not a primary goal of mine, but it does still lurk in my mind, which is why I am trying to sort through the many thoughts, emotions, body sensations and motivations I am having.  I appreciate your guidance and reminders.

Ah,okay, now that I've re-read it I can see what you meant. My advice would be to stick with a fist sized serving of starchy veg a day - this won't feed your sugar dragon but will provide a little tryptophan in your diet which is the precursor for serotonin - that said white potato is much better for this than sweet..... and if you can eat some oily fish along side the white potato then even better as the omega 3 fatty acids/DHA will help make the tryptophan more bioavailable.

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Actually, one other question.  I am trying to keep to no more than a 1/2 to whole piece of fruit a day and eating that in the body of my meal rather than after so it doesn't feel like dessert.  Should I try to do either the fruit or the starchy veg?  What about on heavy workout days (I do high intensity weight training)?  Should I try to follow the carb chart in ISWF on those days?

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@MargaretAM - what you're doing right now is fine. Many people limit fruit becasue they find it keeps the sugar cravings alive, but for the most part they are eating fruit on it's own. It shouldn't have the same effect on blood sugar when eaten along side protein & fat.

For your heavy work out days you should include a starchy carb postWO to replenish muscle glycogen stores (fruit will replenish LIVER glycogen NOT muscle glycogen, and muscle glycogen does not normalise itself on daily basis). I'd stick with this recommendation until you are fairly sure you are fat adapted (usually 10-14 days in depending on meal composition & former eating habits) and then you can play around with it a bit, maybe cutting backa  little, depending on how much starch you're including elsewhere. It's worth noting though that postWO is when your body deals best with starches.

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Yes, I'm not as worried about not losing weight so much as I am about not GAINING more! I have a lot of digestive issues and I have noticed that I've had far less gassiness and bloating over the past few days than normal, so I'm definitely counting that as a win. Still, my system is unused to all this meat -- I don't eat pork or beef, but have had to up my intake of poultry in order to not eat $$ fish every meal -- so I'm hoping that once I've adjusted to that things will improve further.

And I hear you about the migraines, @MKFish. I used to get one every couple of months, then I started to get them every month at the same point in my cycle, so I stopped taking the BCP (it was just for my skin) and decided to try this program in the hope that I might discover some of my non-hormonal triggers. But I've had three this week (NOT at the usual point in my cycle), and while they aren't always debilitating pain-wise, I get visual auras and tend to vomit, which is not much fun at work! I hope your migraines abate so you can hopefully stick it out for the rest of the plan and pinpoint your triggers. ( @jmcbn, I drink a ton of water and herbal tea, so I'm pretty sure it's not a dehydration issue for me.)

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1 hour ago, DotinTO said:

I hear you about the migraines, @MKFish. I used to get one every couple of months, then I started to get them every month at the same point in my cycle, so I stopped taking the BCP (it was just for my skin) and decided to try this program in the hope that I might discover some of my non-hormonal triggers. But I've had three this week (NOT at the usual point in my cycle), and while they aren't always debilitating pain-wise, I get visual auras and tend to vomit, which is not much fun at work! I hope your migraines abate so you can hopefully stick it out for the rest of the plan and pinpoint your triggers. ( @jmcbn, I drink a ton of water and herbal tea, so I'm pretty sure it's not a dehydration issue for me.)

@DotinTO I also suffer from migraines with an aura....my GYN refuses to prescribe me bcp or any bc with hormones because apparently it puts those who suffer from migraines with aura at a high risk for stroke. Please be careful and talk this over with your Dr. if you decide to go back on. I had to go with the copper IUD. I also wanted to let you and @MKFish and anyone else who suffers from migraines know that I've been taking a preventative for years that helps tremendously. I now only get maybe 1-2 migraines a year when I used to get them monthly. It's called verapamil. I think it's used as a beta blocker in most instances, but for me it works as a migraine preventative. It's worth taking a pill every day to not suffer through that misery.

 

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On February 23, 2017 at 8:20 PM, MargaretAM said:

@Lilkathy: thanks for your update.  What are you struggling with in terms of your morning routine?

@MargaretAM sorry it took so long for me to respond. I just don't feel like I have enough time to fit in the yoga I want to do in the morning and the food I need to eat. And I don't want to wake up earlier than I already am. I don't want to eat before yoga because it's uncomfortable but I know I shouldn't wait until after. I'm thinking I may just need to go for a walk in the AM (grab a pwo type snack to eat on the walk) then have breakfast, and then do yoga after work or in the evening instead. And my work hours start even earlier in the summer, so I guess I need to just get used to doing my workouts after work, even though I prefer to do it in the morning. There is just not enough time to digest. Lol!

 

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