Binge eating and re-starting Whole30

[Guest]

@littleg and @hmg1993 thanks for the kind words. Feel better after some sleep. Your right hmg and I know I shouldn’t feel guilty about feeling good and it’s the best way to get through this, I think my mind just starts to tell me things during those hard days (7-10, and beyond) when I’m craving sugar almost using it as an excuse. That’s what it was yesterday. But I know I need to continue focusing on feeling good and keeping myself as healthy as possible so I am able to help my family and myself get through this. And the soreness/achyness, foggy head, and nausea this morning are once again my reminder why all those foods are so bad for me. And for the record I even said yesterday as I was eating multiple times, “this isn’t even good.” 

Will be trying the Kalua pork asap. And probably that frittata tonight. 

[hmg1993]

@littleg  Couldn't have said it better.  This is such a no judgment zone ... be it binging, apple slices, almond butter -- or my recent trick of picking the macadamia nuts out of my husband's trail mix.  So glad you're feeling better @Dragonslayer. Let me know how you like the frittata.  It is amazing cold for lunch too.

 

I ordered a Cemex and an instant pot today.  Bring it!!

[littleg]

@hmg1993 You shop like me "oh, an internet stranger said it was good - I'll buy it!" (that is how I ended up with both the IP and Chemex)  But I promise you won't be sorry!  The chemex filters are expensive (for filters) but they do work better.  We tried the #4 (is that it?) size filter from our regular automatic coffee maker and it ripped.  But because I'm so cheap (I mean, environmentally conscious) I dump the grounds from the filter into the garbage and then put the last of them stuck to the filter  down the garbage disposal as I rinse of the filter to reuse it... like 3 times.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy your new gadgets!  Let us know if you find any good IP recipes!  

@Dragonslayer Hope you are feeling a bit better today.  Hope mom is too.

So my run of no urges ended yesterday.  All the dried fruit and too much almond butter (there wasn't much left in the jar, so the almond butter fiasco wasn't as bad as could have been) but the dried fruit was bad.  Raisins, dates, apricots... all the stuff I keep around for "recipes" that usually ends up being eaten during a binge.  I had like 3 days in a row where I was going almost 8 hours with one meal - Saturday it was due to work and Sunday and Monday it was due to being stuck out of the house and just not having access to anything compliant besides fruit.  So both days at 4 PM and being STARVING when I came home I tried to be reasonable - I ate HB eggs with mayo and had kombucha (Monday this worked) but yesterday I just lost it and dove into the raisins and it was downhill from there.  But, it didn't turn into a processed food binge.  I'm not sure if that counts for anything or not.  My stomach hurts today but I don't feel as bad mentally as I normally do.  Not sure what to do from here W30 wise.  Maybe I'll just try to string it out to a W50 (I was on day 21 I think).  The only reason I'm disappointed is because so far this W30 was soooo much easier than others.  I just stopped my munching of fruit after dinner like it was nothing, was really sticking to 3 meals a day with no problems... I'll think about it today and decide how to go forward.

[hmg1993]

@littleg My two cents would be to keep trucking on as you’ve been on such a roll and if you’re up for it, extend to a W50. But in my opinion I think you could claim a 30 too.  Dried fruit is such a temptation and I have just resigned myself to the fact that I need to keep it out of the house and my mouth. Easier said than done!

[Guest]

@littleg you can totally still count that as 30! But 50 would probably be beneficial too. Sounds like you’re doing awesome! Keep rolling! @hmg1993 so excited for your IP! I’m actually regretting not getting the 9 in 1 version (I just did 6 in 1) but I’m sure I can still do everything I want, just gotta figure out times and temperatures and such. @littleg do you know if you can still make  yogurt with the 6 in 1 that doesn’t have the yogurt button? I figure it’s just a timing thing, but didn’t know if it’s actually a different aspect of the pot that is included in the more expensive version. I’m curious about coconut yogurt. 

I’m still doing mediocre at best, but gonna try and do a few new things this week. My issue I know is that the only way I am used to dealing with stress and anxiety is with eating, so my focus is to find new things to help manage my feelings and try not to turn to food. I’m just gonna focus on that each day this week and see if being mindful of my feelings and trying to purposely do something else will help a bit. I bought some “worry beads” on amazon to try, ever heard of them? It’s just like a fidgety bracelet with beads you can move around and I think it would be good for me to just do something with my hands. And I can wear it as a bracelet so it’s always on me. Then I read that black tea is a big stress/cortisol reducer. I’ve always done green tea or some others, so I’m gonna buy the black stuff today and give it a go each afternoon. I’m still very controlled in the mornings and my hard time is at night, so I’ll try the tea mid afternoon. I’m also going to switch my meditation to the afternoon after work. I have tried to do it before for at least 5 minutes, but I realized I’m doing it when I don’t really need it, so I’m gonna switch that around too. Lastly, for this week, only 7 days so I don’t feel overwhelmed, I’m going to try to only eat what I deliberately put on my plate for 4 meals. (3 proper meals and 1 large snack type meal). I’m going to take pictures of each plate and journal each day. I’m sure if I end up doing this successfully the foods will naturally end up being Whole30, but I’m not forcing that one, so if it’s a restaurant and something isn’t compliant, it’s all good as long as it’s on the plate and I don’t eat other stuff afterwards. This will not be easy for me, but I just want to give it a try for a week. Hoping it may help get me back on track. 

[littleg]

@Dragonslayer Sounds like you've got a plan!  A while back Sarah (who started this thread) messaged me about some supplements she has taken that have helped her.  Maybe shoot her a message if you are interested in finding some supplements that may help.

I think the yogurt setting keeps it at 110 degrees for the fermentation period (after bringing temp to 180 to pasteurize it).  I don't know if you could set the temp without that function.

[hmg1993]

@Dragonslayer have you tried Holy Basil for stress/anxiety? I find it really helps

[Guest]

Holy basil, never heard of it! I’ll look it up thanks! And yeah I’ll do some research on other supplements as well. Turns out I love the taste of black tea so that’s a win so far! 

[hmg1993]

My favorite tea is Earl Gray!

[Guest]

@hmg1993 do you take holy basil capsules or in a different form. Seems there is liquid, tea, powder, etc. I’m curious to try. And do you take it everyday as a supplement or just as needed?

Feeling good this morning. Had a day off yesterday to ski with my man and relax a bit. My mom is doing slightly better which naturally makes my stress go down, but I still need to practice other ways of managing it for the ups and downs that I know will continue to occur. Paid WAY too much for a “Headspace” membership (online meditation sessions). It only comes out to $7 a month but you had to buy the year, and I’m a sucker for the deals. So now I really feel more compelled to meditate everyday just to get my moneys worth! It’s actually an amazing website though. So many different types, advice, lengths, etc. really helpful and they have all different categories for what you want to cater your practice to. I’m still just doing 5 minutes a day, but hopefully working to 10 this week. 

Today will be spent doing laundry, cleaning, and then marathon ”IPing”. Not even sure what I will make yet but I have a pork roast that mostly likely will turn into pork green Chile, and then some ground deer that I want to try the IP version of a Shepard’s pie I think. I’ve read that you can put frozen meat straight into the IP and it just takes a few minutes longer. Seems strange but I may try to see what happens. 

[hmg1993]

@Dragonslayer  I take it in the capsule form, one capsule before bed (even though it says two).   I take it consistently at night along with my magnesium supplement.    The brand I got is is Gaia.  

Meditation is incredible and I wish i didn't have such a monkey mind and could actually stick to it.  definitely a  goal for this year.  Your pork idea sounds so good and i can't believe you can use frozen meat.  Can't wait for mine to arrive.   Let us know how it works out.  

Will post recipes tomorrow.  I'm trying another couple from the W30 instagram recipes feed.  Last week the shrimp and the shepherds pie were amazeballs but the pork chops with apples .. not so much.  Could have been the chef though!

[Guest]

Good morning! Feeling good and ready to head back to work today. It’s day 3 of “all meals on a plate” with absolutely no exceptions, and it’s going well so far! Last night I got a little Ansy and wanted to snack before dinner. What I really wanted though was a glass of wine, so I had one! And it was delicious and I don’t regret it at all. For some reason sipping on wine really helps me with my patience for waiting to eat. So I’m gonna bring it back into my life. Not every night, but I’m thinking nights I don’t have wine I’ll have a glass of kombucha instead. I just need something to help me wind down at the end of the day and it really helped yesterday. 

Didn’t really do anything I said I would with the IP but I did do other yummy things! I made buffalo shredded chicken which took all of 10 minutes including prep. Chicken breasts, ghee, Franks red hot sauce, and a little salt. 8 minutes later it was ready to shred and eat. Made a jicama salad to go with it. Diced jicama, red pepper, celery, cilantro, chipotle lime mayo (primal kitchen brand), ACV, salt, pepper, and dried minced garlic. 

Next I tried just some plain brown rice for my fiancé for dinner/lunches. It wasn’t ready after the “rice” setting was done so I kept it in and added a few more minutes. Turned out ok. Wondering if I’m not supposed to do the normal 2 cups of water with 1 cup of rice. 

Then I made beef and broccoli stir fry for dinner which was great. 20 minutes cubed beef with beef broth, coconut aminos, coconut oil, fish sauce, Chile garlic sauce (basically Siracha but without the sugar- comes in a small jar), ginger, garlic and salt. While that was cooking I sautéed some fresh broccoli together with a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. Used the same sauce of everything above but  added some rice vinegar and basil as well. Poured it all into the IP when it was done. Super good. Also made a frittata with bacon, red onions, kale, and tomatoes in the cast iron (400 for 25 minutes- perfect every time) for breakfast for a few days, so I am good to go for lunches for a bit! 

Hope everyone has a good weekend! 

[hmg1993]

@Dragonslayer  Your food (and wine!) sound delicious.  I am planning to have a glass of wine myself tonight as am going out to dinner.  If I keep to one it's fine but more than that and the bread basket is consumed!!  I'm planning on three W30 IG feed recipes this week -- the greek marinated grilled salmon, chicken with mushrooms and tarragon sauce and the ranch pork loin with broccoli.  Will likely do leftovers for lunch because I don't think I can face another piece of frittata.  Loved the recipe but by Friday I was ready to eat something else.  Feeling tired but good.  Hope everyone has a great weekend and go Pats (insert your favorite team!)

[littleg]

I would love a glass of wine  Little guy has some nasty stomach virus so we're on day 5 of lots of vomit and diarrhea and 3 AM wakeups (for the day) and we moved yesterday.  If there were ever a day for wine it was yesterday!  

@Dragonslayer your recipes sound great!  When things are settled and I'm back in marathon cooking mode (instead of marathon vomit covered clothes washing) I may steal some of your ideas.  I've looked for a garlic chili paste before but never found a compliant one - where did you get it?  An Asian store or WF/mainstream type place?  Also, if you didn't already try it - yes meat can cook from frozen.  I do it all the time - just takes longer to come to pressure.  And I vaguely remember directions for rice cooking in the IP direction/recipe book - I feel like it was somehow different than regular rice but I may be totally wrong

@hmg1993 For sure on the wine vs bread thing - I do the same thing - I have no idea why a glass of wine keeps me from the bread basket but it totally does!  Hope you had a nice evening out!  Did you get your Chemex yet?!

 

[hmg1993]

Had a tough day and an observation yesterday.  Basically went off rails,  Started with too many nuts but then ramped up into things that don't make me feel well, culminating in an English Muffin and butter.  As i write feel bloated and that hungover feeling from eating too much.  On the plus side my off the rails was so much less that what my binges used to look like so I am taking that as a win.  The cause?  When I look back, there were myriad stresses that were piling up -- really stressful and very political week at work, a beloved friend who is sick, child going back to school and a to-do list as long as my arm for the weekend.  I tend not to be good at acknowledging these stressors and giving myself some TLC.  Instead my mode is to power through and not think about it.  Not good and something I need to work on.  The answer is not in the fridge!  Thanks for listening.  Helpful to write it out.

[hmg1993]

@littleg Both Chemex and IP were ordered together!  Can't wait.  And my husband is warming up to the idea so that's a win!!

[hmg1993]

meant to add @littleg, I hope your little man feels better.  Sounds like an epic week and hope the move goes smoothly.  Congrats on being in your new home......

[littleg]

@hmg1993 I think that is something we all need to work on.  That the right move to deal with being overwhelmed is not the beaten path to the fridge/pantry.  Happy (at least) to hear it wasn't as bad as it used to be.  

[Guest]

@littleg wow sounds like you have so much going on! Good luck with moving! That’s exciting! And hope the little guy recovers soon. That’s a bummer. 

@hmg1993you are still doing great, sounds like just a little bump in the road. Not every day can be perfect. And stress like that will always make it tough! 

I’m the same with the wine, a little too much and all the bread is gone. And then the dessert too. But one glass does me good usually. Just gonna make it a once in a while treat. I’m still doing well with the plates on meals goal. I’m at day 4. Today I’m sitting dispatch at the computer all day and it’s a slower day than expected. Boredom is always a trigger so I brought “emergency” food as extra with my lunch in case I got any crazy thoughts. I ended up eating all the food at lunch instead of saving it for later. I wasn’t still hungry but it was there in the box and I just mindlessly kept putting more on my plate and eating. It was all during my “lunchtime” so I guess it’s better than snacking all day, but still didn’t need the extra and adding food to the plate is not following my goal. I’m ok now though and back to being aware and in control. I’m just gonna try and be more aware of my hunger later to see how I feel at dinner. Feeling strong mentally though. But as I’ve said before, it’s always like this the first week. Just hoping my new strategies help me get through week 2. We will see! 

 

[hmg1993]

Thanks @Dragonslayer and nicely done today.  I love the plates idea.  It's so easy to pick up handfuls of stuff and not be aware.  Enjoy dinner!

[Guest]

Good (early) morning. I’m up early before work to have my coffee, post here, and then do yoga/short strength workout despite my tiredness and slightly queezy stomach. I came home last night feeling a little hungry but couldn’t tell if it was cravings or real. I made a good dinner, but while I was cooking and eating, I had the nervous feeling in the back of my head and in my stomach. I’m sure if before dinner I had sat down and taken 5 minutes to breathe, meditate, and just calm my nerves a bit I would have been totally fine. I didn’t though, and after dinner ended up having a mini binge of fruits, nuts, coconut butter, and buttery salty homemade popcorn. My fiancé even said “are you supposed to be eating that?” And I totally lied and said “I’m just still really hungry for some reason. And popcorn is better than sugar and gluten.” The latter is true but it isn’t on my plan this week and neither was the snacking after dinner. I stopped sooner than I usually do, but still regret my lack of mindfulness and wish I had thought it through a little longer. It was totally preventable. But I’m gonna try and shake it off with my workout this morning and continue by day with confidence. Still working on baby steps. And I’ll be throwing out the small amount of popcorn left, along with the coconut sugar I found last night... I made a dangerous popcorn one time with melted butter and coconut sugar and salt, and I fear I will now turn to that soon since I found them again. Anyways, bummer that I didn’t make the 7 days, but I’m continuing to practice it and maybe try for another 7 bc it’s definitely something that helps me mentally. 

Food today is Mexican egg scramble, pork green Chile collard wrap, leftover zoodles and chicken sausage and sweet potatoes in a creamy sauce, and most likely roasted chicken and asparagus for dinner. 

[hmg1993]

@Dragonslayer  I don't think the day count matters - 5,7,9 etc. - as much as how you feel each day and that you keep trying.  You're learning things every time you don't achieve your goals and that's win too.  Long day and crazy week but light is on horizon and I just learned that i don't have to travel overseas for work next week and am happy about that.

[Guest]

@hmg1993 well that’s good news! Your still doing so awesome and I’m so wishing I could just rub the magic lamp and be at the point you are at now with food... but I know the learning process is important and I sure am learning a lot lately.

we went to happy hour last night instead of making food. It was a freezing hard day at work and warm comfort food was needed. Literally the only thing compliant for me was a side salad with salmon that was basically 5 bites and I finished it in about 1.5 minutes. Everyone else got pizza. I had a glass of wine that I probably drank too quickly, and then told my fiancé I was still hungry and that the pizza looked so good. He said, “just eat it. I’ll watch you tonight. It just counts as your one meal. Just don’t eat the whole pizza.” I immediately agreed and ate 2 large slices. The rest of the night was so incredibly hard. Like borderline panic attack and I felt like a cocaine addict hard. But he was there watching me like a hawk which was amazing. I would go in the other room and he would say “ what are you doing and do you have food with you?!” I never ended up eating anything for the rest of the night which is truly a miracle for me. We talked it out for a while and although I don’t want to eat things like that on a regular basis, I guess it is good practice to have something on a special occasion like a restaurant and then try my hardest to not have anything else afterwards. I learned a lot last night and it felt great to go to bed not regretting a binge and knowing I ate something I normally would lose control with.

 I’m Still going to eat Whole30 as much as possible, practice this meal on a plate thing religiously, and avoid refined sugar like the plague, but maybe every few weeks I’ll try and do something like last night again with him knowing so I can be watched and just keep practicing. (Although I would like the choices to be gluten free, so maybe next time just dairy, or rice, or something along those lines.) I dunno, still feeling all this out. But I am really thinking the meal on a plate thing is working and what I need to focus on mostly right now. Regardless of what the food is. So I’m just gonna roll with it! 

[Guest]

There’s a free Docuseries online right now called “Broken Brain” by Dr Mark Hyman. I’ve always liked his books/viewpoints/research. It’s free right now and I watched 2 episodes last night. Super interesting and very related to food and essentially promotes a similar eating style to Whole30 with a few differences. Also talks about other ways to “heal” your brain from the years of “hurting” it. I’m finding it very inspiring and it’s reminding me of the reAsons I was so passionate about a year ago with staying away from refined/processed foods, sugar, and gluten. If your bored (which I’m sure you aren’t @littleg but if you need a break! And maybe same to you @hmg1993) you should check it out! 

I had a rough day yesterday for many reasons but I’m up early for yoga again bc i can feel it’s really helping, and it’s my Friday so I’m looking forward to some days off! 

Have a good one! 

[littleg]

@Dragonslayer Sounds like you've got such a great support system in your fiancee  Thanks for the movie tip - I'll check it out!

@hmg1993 Hope work stress eases up soon!

Little guy has normal poop again!  1 major episode of emesis yesterday but I think that may not have been real stomach virus - gagging with a full stomach more likely.  So we are on the mend.  He slept until almost 4 AM this morning.  Thank goodness... this has been a TOUGH week with not nearly enough sleep for all three of us.  Settling in to the new house.  All the odds and ends are left at the old house so this is going to be the annoying part of the move - the stuff you use all the time is easy!