anyone starting Sept 11???

[Lady49er]

That's so funny you should mention it, @HopingtoHeal, but MiniMe and I agree; if it isn't the good stuff, it isn't worth it. Life is too short to eat bad pizza, cheese, or ice cream. It sounds like you, @50andstillhere, and I have found that dairy is our nemesis and to be reserved for times and meals in which it was "worth it" to deal with the results.

Pizza is DEFINITELY one of those "worth it" items for me, but I'll limit it to once a month. Oh my goodness what a sensory experience my  pizza was the other day!!! My husband tried to surprise me by going out to get it for me, but I figured out what he was doing and stopped him so that we could go to the restaurant and eat there. I've really learned to focus on the pleasure of food instead of mindlessly shoveling it into my mouth, and eating at the restaurant instead of at home added to that experience.

I waffled between getting a personal size and a medium because, having once worked at a pizza place, I knew there's a logistical approach to the distribution of cheese and toppings based on the surface area. The smaller the pizza, the harder it is to keep the bubbles from forming on the crust. If the bubbles aren't popped soon enough while the pizza is baking, the toppings shift to the other side of the pizza, and the area with the bubble is just crust and sauce. Bleah.  Still, I didn't want the temptation of a medium in front of me because I didn't trust myself to not eat the whole thing. So the personal size was ordered, and despite a dreaded bubble, it was yummazing, and each and every bite was savored!

Poor MiniMe had a less than satisfying experience with her school pizza. She really thought she'd love it but decided that from now on she'll skip school pizza and eat it with me at a restaurant. 

Your doctor will definitely be able to give you better insight @HopingtoHeal. It wouldn't surprise me at all if it is the dairy causing or contributing to the joint inflammation. I figured out that's what was causing my knee pain, so now I know not to have it on or the day before any planned physical activity when I'll be on my feet for an extended period. Grains also made me tired and really bumped up the cravings for both of us. Ugh. Again, pick and choose. 

@50andstillhere, the problem with gas could be something else, but if dairy seems to exaggerate the problem it would seem that it doesn't sit well with your system. My mother-in-law is lactose intolerant, so she avoids dairy whenever possible. She loves the Zuppa Toscana that I make with coconut milk, so maybe look into replacing any cream or milk in your recipes with coconut milk. It isn't quite the same, but it's worth the sacrifice in taste to not feel horrible. I've read so many articles about how humans aren't meant to ingest cow's milk, but people have been doing it for centuries. As well as checking with your doctor (who might just wave it off and tell you to avoid it if it bothers you ... no help!), I would suggest researching diets of cultures who eat a lot of cheese and other dairy and see what other foods they eat and drink as well. Perhaps it's how the food is combined that could make a difference for you.

Tomorrow is sugar. I bought a pumpkin spice bundtlette to share with MiniMe, and I'll FINALLY get to have a pumpkin spice latte from you-know-where. My baristas miss me! LOL!

[madness]

Looks like you guys are doing well with those introductions! I'm back on the full blown plan - have been for a few days. I actually don't even know exactly when I started. I had made the decision last Monday that I would eat the non-compliant leftovers but stick to Whole30 when cooking. Once leftovers were gone, I would officially start. But by Friday, I realized that I was throwing out leftovers that hadn't been eaten. My subconscious made the decision for me! So I'm maybe 5 days in, but today is my super official Day 1 of Round 3.

Any of you having trouble with dairy might want to look into raw cow milk or goat milk. We get raw cow milk from a nearby farm. It's soooo good. When our farm is producing it, we drink raw goat milk. I love it but one of my kids is very sensitive to any off flavors (the taste is slightly variable depending on what they are eating, but none of it is offensive to me). Goat milk at the grocery store is usually very strong tasting and pretty dang gross. See if you can find a nearby farm.

[Lady49er]

Thanks for the suggestion about the milk, @madness. My husband just retired from the Bureau of Prisons, and he sometimes brought home milk from their dairy. I never could convince myself it tasted good. Maybe I was just too accustomed to 1% or 2%. Anywho, milk as a beverage is sort of a thing of the past for me because now I weirdly prefer almond milk. Except in cereal or when dunking gingersnaps. Oh, and a weekly Starbucks latte wouldn't be the same with anything but nonfat milk. Gotta draw the line there!  Really the problem for most of us is more about dairy products such as cheese and sour cream than the actual liquid form. So at least now I know to take it easy on that food group for the sake of my knee, thanks to Whole 30.

Yesterday was kind of a letdown. We thought sugar day was going to be like Christmas. Not so much. I ate a pumpkin biscotti, a special candy bar, and part of a pumpkin spice bundlette I'd been hoarding for this day and they were each thoroughly enjoyable, but I had a bunch of other things I had set aside as well and was just kind of meh when I thought about eating them. So I didn't. Mini Me had a tiny bag of m&m's that were passed out in class last week that she saved for this day, and I made s'mores for the girls for dessert after dinner. She said it was just too much and probably won't eat one again. We were both almost looking forward to today and eating in compliance again. Could it be that our sugar dragons have gone dormant? I'll be fine with not waking them up again. An occasional treat us fine, but now we know that we can survive with goodies twice a week and we won't die of sugar deprivation. We'll see how we feel about that when the trick-or-treat bags come home. 

For those who were asking, I don't know how much I lost in inches or weight because I didn't measure or weigh before we started. But MiniMe lost 9 pounds!! I'm trying to not make too big of a deal of it and focusing her instead on the accomplishment being healthy eating choices because I don't want her fixating on weight or thinking there is anything wrong with her body no matter what, but I have to say I'm so relieved that this is working. I was really skeptical before we started, but now I can take her to her appointment with the pediatrician next month without dreading the lecture. 

We're almost halfway through reintroduction. Thursday is soy, and I couldn't be happier. My ex-husband is Japanese, so of course I'm all about that cuisine. I had to totally cut it out during Whole 30 though because ... coconut aminos. Please. Don't anyone EVER compare that to soy sauce again! It's like putting sugar substitute in your coffee and trying to tell yourself it tastes the same as sugar. Uh, no. Just. No.

There's a corned beef in the crock pot for tonight and chicken salad in the fridge for lunch. W30 compliance is the new normal. <3

[madness]

On 10/17/2017 at 10:48 AM, Lady49er said:

My ex-husband is Japanese, so of course I'm all about that cuisine. I had to totally cut it out during Whole 30 though because ... coconut aminos. Please. Don't anyone EVER compare that to soy sauce again! It's like putting sugar substitute in your coffee and trying to tell yourself it tastes the same as sugar. Uh, no. Just. No.

HAHAHA! I didn't buy coconut aminos for my first Whole30 last year. I just did without any of that flavor. But this time I was determined to have some Asian food that tasted *right*. I was HORRIBLY disappointed with the coconut aminos too! So I played around with recipes and made different things rather than my usual Asian dishes. It was fine in some things but severely lacking in others. So I hear ya!

[Lady49er]

With pretty much everyone wrapping up reintroduction, it seems like this thread is coming to an end. I'd like to thank all of you for sharing stories and support, which helped us get through the hardest parts of this adventure.

Special shout out to @Margot for getting this party started. I hope your little birds who have left the nest will be able to join you for Thanksgiving, and may you stay safe from the hurricanes. I don't know how you folks in hurricane prone areas do it. I'll stick to my California wildfires and earthquakes, thank you very much! 

Best of luck to the rest of you in continuing to build on the groundwork you've laid down for healthy eating. Perhaps we'll cross paths again on future threads as we work to get back on the track we'll inevitability stray from during the holidays. I promise not to drink too much eggnog though! Stay well, dear people!