First Whole 30- Starting 10/2!

[mdraeger]

@Betsie_n Your description of your book group reminds me so much of the one I had up in Seattle. I've been looking for a replacement here in CA, but so far haven't found one. It's so great to have that group dynamic – where people can eat/drink what they want without (too much) hassle. I had a few Whole30 meetings where I would bring my kombucha and only be the tiniest bit sad about not drinking wine. Folks like your baker friend fascinate me. I totally get wanting to bake things and feed them to other people so you aren't eating a bunch of sweets/pastries. I have a good friend who's a former pastry chef and she loves making elaborate desserts for groups of people. (She was very popular in our book group.) But she never cared if anyone wasn't partaking for any reason. So, for folks like your friend, I assume it's an internal issue, either she feels valued when she provides for people or she feels like she should be abstaining/other food-related issues. It sounds like she's not heavy handed about it, but it's hard nonetheless.

@TerriN I am so impressed by how well you navigate your wine-making activities on the Whole30. Wine is my biggest temptation when I'm on the Whole30 – not so much at home, I'm pretty good about managing that temptation. (The exception being situations like @laurenmccracken describes where I'm really upset or frustrated, I still really want the soothing power of wine in those moments... ) But when I'm out with friends, it's so hard to drink my club soda or kombucha and not feel deprived, so you are a huge inspiration. I'll be around in November as well and am glad to have this group to lean on as I work through the Food Freedom Forever process.

@laurenmccracken I've been married for a little over 20 years and know how upsetting it is when my spouse isn't on the same page on anything, let alone something as major as that. We are child free by choice, so I can only imagine the added emotional charge of your situation. I'm so sorry that you're going through it and I hope you guys can talk through your feelings and come to a supportive place. For whatever it's worth, I'm proud of you for choosing the healthy path instead of the wine. I don't know that I'd be able to do the same. You're a Whole30 badass!

My weekend is starting well. It was another wide-awake too early morning, but I enjoyed some quiet reading/coffee time and planned out my grocery shopping/cooking plan for the week. I made an experimental sheet pan breakfast based on this recipe, using up the remnants of my produce drawer. (Side note: am I the only one that feels a little too proud of using all of the contents my crisper drawer?) I messed up the timing a little bit, so the eggs were overcooked and the bacon wasn't as crispy as I would have liked, but it has the potential to be a really easy breakfast, so I'll definitely keep playing with it. Otherwise, it's a day of errands/cooking and cleaning so that we can go play tomorrow. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

 

[TerriN]

@mdraeger  I really enjoy the candor in your posts  Navigating through Whole 30 is not for the faint of heart! And for those of us that make it to the finish line or close to it....have the additional emotions that surface and catch us by surprise. Whole 30 is quite a journey isn't it? I definitely get the wine thing and today was another big barrier to tackle. We had another crush today and this time I was around the entire time. It was a beautiful fall day and we started early in the afternoon. Lots of friends, wine crushing, wine tasting, wine stories and laughs  I totally get it though about being on the sidelines and feeling a bit deprived. My kambucha felt a bit pleasurable however and I stayed busy cooking chili for the gang (and my compliant version for myself). That said, there's a feeling of empowerment I'm beginning to take ownership of and a sense of pride as I navigate through these scenarios. What I've learned is the empowerment far outweighs the feeling of a glass or wine or 2 and it's temporary effects. The sense of empowerment I experience for a much longer period of time. I eat my compliant chili, drink my kumbacha, enjoy my guests and enjoy this beautiful day and the wine will always be there. I'm happier with the decision I made today. Okay well except for grating the Tilamook cheese for the chili and wanting for a split second to grab a quick bite  @laurenmccracken I'm proud of the decision you made to skip the wine-I get it it's so difficult in certain scenarios. Don't be too tough on yourself as you made it through that situation and moved on and put yourself first. Good for you! Emotions are real and they really suck at times. Feel free to always vent here-we've all been there...hugs

I have one week left and not sure what my plan is. My hubby and I are getting away to our summer home to close it up for the winter next weekend. We have his 15 year old daughter with us full time, but she's not going and will be staying behind. So it gives us a night together that we almost never have-I'm thinking that would be a great time to have a glass or 2 of wine because it's so peaceful and enjoyable in that area. I'll stick to compliant food and not feel guilty about the wine. My plan after that is to get right back on the wagon and stick through whole30 until Thanksgiving-and continuing on my fitness routine that has been going really well. In fact, this morning I went running. Between my illness and job my running over the past month or 2 has been almost non existent. Today, I went out just to see how things would feel (it truly was a gorgeous fall day with temps in the 60's and sunny). I ran 5.25 miles and even cut my time! I guess Tiger Blood is back  I was so excited I think this empowered me to own the rest of my day the way I wanted to! Feeling really good about myself this evening. Thanks for always being here to listen

[laurenmccracken]

I've survived a weekend with my best friend... lol no,really! I thought between my daughter's birthday and my friend's visit, I'd have had wine or the cake I made for my daughter. 

We went to a street fair/festival and it was so hard to find compliant food. I don't care about the corn dogs or funnel cakes--- those things are gross-- but surrounding restaurants had limited menus and no desire for modifications. I kinda forced it and had turkey on a salad with just olive oil-- no avocado to be had. All in all, a fun weekend was had and my LO enjoyed the festival and her birthday. 

Tiger blood is gone it seems. Then again, I know I didn't have enough protein or fats for lunch and so maybe that's really my issue. Up ridiculously early to take friend to airport and then home and back up to the airport later this afternoon to pick my mom up. She will be here 3-4 days and doesn't know I'm doing whole30. Can probably hide it well, minus the wine. 

I have a big prime rib roast to make while she's here, so that will be my meal on day 31 so I can have the wine:-) she's trying to be "low carb" so she doesn't want me cooking pastas anyway, so protein and veggies, here it is! 

@TerriNthat weekend away sounds amazing! We are planning one to central coast of CA in November too, and I want to do wine tasting and see our old haunts there too so... makes me reevaluate the reintroduction phase for me... I don't want to do whole30 strictly then, but could try to stick to mostly paleo, but also don't want to "mess up" the gut healing components of whole30. I feel, in general, so much better being on whole30. 

I still haven't. Priced a huge difference physically. Some times of the day my ring is looser than others, but otherwise my clothes are fitting the same:-/ NSV are it for me it seems. Which I'm thankful for, but when I have weight to lose and a history of having lost weight the first round last spring... kinda a bummer!!!

[mdraeger]

@TerriN Why, thank you!  I think about this stuff a lot and am so grateful to have you guys to "talk" to about it. I'm trying to remember the things that I truly miss vs. the habits that are just easy to slide back into. Congrats on the Tiger Blood run. I'm also a lapsed runner, so your success gives me hope! 

@laurenmccracken Some friends invited us to a similar festival yesterday and the scenario you described was exactly why I declined. (but good for you for toughing it out for the LO.) If it helps, weight loss comes slowly for me on W30 as well. It's frustrating. And I honestly don't care about the number on the scale (okay, maybe a little) I just want my clothes to start feeling looser. I will say from my prior W30s, the most success I've had with this was when I was able to stay largely compliant afterwards. Also, for me, exercise is really the key. With all of the work that goes into W30, it's hard for me to get consistent exercise in as well. (And I never seem to be starting a Whole30 in the middle of a consistent exercise plan – go figure!) I'm planning a November "Exercise 30" where I do at least 15 minutes of something every day. I'm hoping the combo will kick start some weight loss. I'll report back on my findings.

Yesterday Hubby and I ran a million errands. It took forever and we hit our last stop (Whole Foods) tired and hungry. But hubby went and got some compliant turkey slices at the deli counter and we snacked on that as we finished our grocery shopping. Life saver! While we were out and about, we talked through our reintroduction thoughts and we're largely on the same page. I'm making him read that Food Freedom Forever book because while he does really well on the W30, he tends to fall off the wagon faster than me. I don't want him to undo the progress he's made or derail my efforts to stay on track, so I'm hoping that this reading assignment will help.

Today we're meeting some friends from out of town for lunch. I did a ton of research and found a burger place that is really W30 friendly. The meat is grassfed and they roast their vegetables in toasted sesame oil (!!!) The idea of being able to get a burger with a side dish that isn't a sad dry salad is almost too much for me. I'll, of course, confirm ingredients when I get there, but I'm pretty damned excited about it. And then we're going to a basketball game (Go Warriors!) with my brother and sister-in-law in the evening. The game is at 5:30, which is going to make meal timing a little tricky, but I'll eat a mini-meal beforehand and probably squirrel away some olives and lunch meat in my purse. 

Sounds like everyone is having a solid weekend! 

[TerriN]

@laurenmccracken awesome job on the weekend with all you had going on! Don't you feel empowered and bad ass? cuz you should-way to rock it!  I'm sure your since you're on the home stretch you'll just breeze through with your mom. Who knows since she's low carb she may herself take an interest in Whole30-and I would focus on how it makes you feel vs. the weight loss. But I get it-I mean let's be real...we all wouldn't be here for the most part if we wouldn't be looking to drop some pounds for whatever our own personal reasons are. For me, it's just been a whirlwind of 5 months with a new job, becoming  full time step parent to my 15 year old stepdaughter (don't have kids of my own so I have no idea what I'm doing half the time!)....yea let me repeat that again...a 15 year old girl....boys, hormones, teenagers...oh my!!!!! So I've put myself on the sideline and it's cost me in terms of weight, and unhealthy habits that have crept in. The fact that I'm getting back to running, back on a workout routine, and loving myself enough to put whole 30 first in my life is HUGE. I personally feel we're pretty damn awesome!!! That' said, yes the number on the scale means something and watching clothes become looser. For me personally it took a few months for the weight to add on so I can't except it to go away in a month. I also need to be consistent not just with eating but with exercising as well-it's a tough pill to swallow and admit but it is what it is. I own it and have to adjust accordingly. It sucks! That said, I also look at the smaller victories such as my bra fitting better and my pants NOT getting tighter. Patience is not my strong suit-LOL! 

@mdraeger thanks for the recommendation of the book Food Freedom Forever...that's sounds like a great read the last official week of whole 30 for me. I have a week to contemplate what life after whole30 looks like for me. I love how I feel and I've already identified things I won't eat or won't miss. Grains & legumes being one of them unless it's a special treat. I'm considering looking into a Keto type eating plan for November-it's very similar to Paleo/Whole30 with the major difference being NO potatoes/starchy veggies & NO fruit- but you can add dairy and occasional dry wine-woohooo!!!!! So my thought process is more research and then introducing dairy to see how I do. I miss my cream in the morning with coffee and it would be nice to have an occasional shred of cheese and dollop of sour cream. I'm not a big potato eater to begin with so I won't miss that. I've pretty much stayed fruit free on whole30 also-so that shouldn't be an issue. I'll keep you all posted. 

In the meantime going to get a workout this morning, a bit of prep for this week and a birthday dinner with my family. I'll bring kombucha and find a good protein, fat, veggie dish-it's a mexican restaurant but i'm familiar with the menu. Have a wonderful Sunday!

 

[halfpint_aggie]

Howdy y'all!  It's been a crazy couple of days so I haven't checked in, every time I start typing a response, a child needs mommy.  But I am still here & still going strong with the W30.  Even survived staying a night with my parents, a mini-college-reunion-tailgate, and a Halloween Festival.

And the baby is crying now.  TTYL

[halfpint_aggie]

OK, let me try again to get more than 2 sentences out before someone starts needing me.

@laurenmccracken (I think it was you who said their tiger blood was waning).  My tiger-blood has subsided too.  I know it's because I haven't been eating enough food.  One kid after another has been sick.  I took on some huge sewing projects.  And the ragweed counts have been horrid.  I took a benadryl last night before bed & ended up being awake from 12-2AM with the 4-year-old vomiting.  I still haven't eaten breakfast this morning past a piece of fruit & some coffee.  So no tiger-blood at the moment.  But I know if I weren't on W30, I'd be feeling so much worse right now.  I keep focusing on that.

@TerriN, I can only imagine how difficult of an adjustment it must be to suddenly have a teenage girl under your roof.  But I had to laugh at you saying you've never had children of your own, so you don't know what you're doing.  I have children of my own & I still don't know what I am doing!

[Betsie_n]

Happy Monday and day 29 for me and some of you! Woo Hoo!

Can I just stop and say how grateful I am to have found this lovely group of women to share this W30 journey with this time?? Wow, what a testament to the power of women supporting women! I know it was a happy accident, but I also believe everything happens for a reason so I know we all wound up here as part of some great plan by the universe <3 I've joined the forums on my previous rounds of W30 and while they've been helpful, it's never worked out quite as well as this core group has and I think it's really helped me dig deeper and find even more meaning and understanding of my own journey. Thank you, ladies - thank you! 

I just love reading all of the different stories and perspectives from women in different life stages dealing with similar issues, but also providing insight and support. I've often felt alone on this journey towards improved health but haven't thought that I minded, but opening up here and with my nutritional therapy friend and realizing others have the same struggles has empowered me to confront both physical and emotional issues that I want to solve. 

It was a good weekend for me with the kids in town. My daughter isn't eating much due to first trimester nausea, so it was all about what she wanted to eat, but we worked it out - chicken zoodle soup for dinner on Saturday night was totally fine with everyone - the boys had a side of bread, of course, but it was fine. The best was my book club meal where I could eat almost everything my friends brought! The minor exceptions were popcorn, a salad dressing that had maple syrup, some walnuts in the fruit salad that I picked out and sorbet for dessert...oh, and wine of course. One friend brought a chicken chili that had beans, but she made a side pot without beans for me! While they all know I do the paleo thing, I don't think any were cognizant of my W30 situation, so most of it was just a happy accident. It was so cool when I looked at my plate and realized that I wasn't missing out on anything, really! I poured the champagne for everyone, then poured my kombucha into my glass and it was completely ok. I honestly, 100% didn't feel like I was deprived in the least bit! We celebrated some great news shared with the group and that's what mattered - not what was in my glass or on my plate  Another moment of gratitude - and empowerment. 

@mdraeger - thanks for mentioning Food Freedom Forever. I've wondered if I should get that book. The reviews have been mixed on whether it says anything different from the previous W30 books, but I really do want to figure out my mind-food connection this round, so it sounds like I should go ahead and get it. 

@TerriN - wine crushing AND a 15 year old step daughter?!? Whoa! If you can W30 your way through that, you're the rock-star! It's so wonderful that you're finding you through this process because that's what will sustain you through the ups and downs of life with a teenager and post-W30 life. And, yes, like @halfpint_aggie said, even when we have our own children, we're still clueless, so welcome to the club

@laurenmccracken - Hooray for you and getting through the weekend with the emotional stuff with the hubs and then visit with the BFF and kids party and street fair and now mom visiting! That's a whole lotta stuff packed into a very short time that you had to navigate and still stay true to your goals and yourself. That prime rib will be amazing!

@halfpint_aggie - You and your poor sick kiddos! I truly hope they get well at the same time for a few minutes so you have a breather and get some good quality food into your system! Keep on keepin on, mom!

It's almost Halloween! I get trinkets from Amazon to hand out as my primary treat to the kids, plus some little Dum-Dum suckers - we do the teal pumpkin thing here, so we lean to the allergen-free thing, and I figure I don't need to contribute to over-sugaring the kids since I feel strongly about the detriments of sugar. The kids seem just as excited to get a glow in the dark bouncy ball as to get another piece of candy....and that keeps my temptation level down too. The hubs hates it, lol! 

Since I'm continuing on to a W45, I'm planning to do a weigh-in on Wed as a check-point, but otherwise, continue on as I have been. I may add a few tweaks with guidance of my nutritional therapist. The no nuts thing seems to be helping my gut, so maybe I've solved that, but I'm betting I haven't lost much weight and would like to do that feel like something has been in the way of that for awhile and I'd like to get to the bottom of it. 

Cheers, ladies! 

Betsie

 

[mdraeger]

Hi ladies! 

@TerriN I had to chuckle, because when I read your comment about not knowing what you were doing, I thought about how literally every single one of my parent friends have said that exact same sentence and then laughed out loud when all of the ladies on this thread said the same thing. I feel that way about most of adulthood in general – 90% making it up as I go along! 

@halfpint_aggie I'm so impressed that not only are you navigating sick kids and stick to the W30, but you're able to have the bandwidth to notice how your eating influences your energy levels. You're doing some next-level Whole30-ing!

@Betsie_n Your book group meeting sounds fantastic! I was especially impressed about the friend that made a beanless version of the chili for you. And I totally agree about how amazing this group is. I've also joined other accountability groups on this forum and they've been various degrees of engaged and helpful, but I've never had a core group dig in like this. It has been amazing. I was initially skeptical of the Food Freedom Forever book and checked it out of the library the first time I read it. I liked it so much that I've recommended it to friends even if they never do a Whole30. 

My Sunday was hectic but successful. The burger place I chose for lunch was even better than I'd hoped. Hubby and I split a beautiful HUGE salad (with dressing from my purse, so classy!) and then we each got lettuce-wrapped burgers and I got the most delicious roasted brussels sprouts and he went slightly off plan and got sweet potato fries (given that he resisted some seriously amazing looking milkshakes, I still consider this a huge win for him.) Our friends got all of the decadent things and there was a tiny pang of wishing I could have cheese with my burger, but I did appreciate how I felt awesome after eating a mountain of food as opposed to bloated and stuffed. My strategy of tiny meal before the basketball game worked great. I brought an RX bar just in case the game ran long or I was starving, but I didn't need it. I was definitely hungry when we got home, but we ate a small, compliant dinner and were just fine. My energy levels were a little up and down yesterday, but that might be the odd meal-timing or hormones, as it's that wonderful time of the month. Ugh.

My sister-in-law seems super over the Whole30, but I think it's much harder your first time around. (She also seems determined to make this harder on herself than it needs to be, but that's a long story for another time.) She's doing a thorough reintroduction though, even with some business travel at the half-way point, so I'm really proud of her for toughing it out. 

It's so weird to me that I only have two days left of "official Whole30." Mostly, because I'm not really planning to do anything different until the weekend, where I'll probably have a glass of wine. We will do a reintroduction of sorts, but not until next week. So different from other Whole30s where I was mentally exhausted by the constraints or much closer to the holidays where it was just too hard to stay on Whole30. We've gotten so much better about socializing this time around, which was really the hardest part of the other ones. Hopefully, that bodes well for my future progress.

 

[halfpint_aggie]

Both of the girls are actually asleep!  So I was able to eat a decent lunch.  Hopefully a little tiger-blood will kick in immediately so I can get some cleaning done.  This house is a pigsty!

@mdraeger, thanks for the kind words.  I feel like I'm just limping along, so it's nice to have that feedback.  I've kind of felt like this wasn't a great W30 because it didn't look exactly like what I had envisioned, but you're making me feel like this really was a victory.

I'm not sure how I want to approach life after this W30, and it ends tomorrow.  My husband wants to continue on because he is slimming down a lot & wants to lose more weight.  I 100% support his wanting to be healthier.  As we approach 40, we've had a few friends have heart-attacks & other health issues; and I want to do anything we can to avoid that.  And I really need to incorporate a fitness routine back into my life.  I have a herniated lumbar disc that has been giving me trouble lately, so I need to get stronger.  And eating well will help with that.

However, continuing on with a strict W30 diet doesn't really feel necessary to me right now.  I probably need to get the Food Freedom Forever book and see if that can offer any insight.  We had struck a good balance after our previous W30s, but we were living in a different country.  It was easy to avoid falling off the healthy-food-wagon when we had no life.  It's much harder here in Texas.  Especially for my husband.  My gluten allergy builds in a little healthy-eating-cushion.  Bread/desserts/beer, not an option.  And with the holidays approaching, there's lots of room for us to screw up.

We are also leaving on a camping trip on Saturday.  If we were just going the 4 of us, then eating W30 while camping would be super easy.  But, we are going with the in-laws.  My mother-in-law is weirdly unsupportive of my husband wanting to lose weight.  Her diet mainly consists of crackers, tortilla chips, and processed cheese.  She wants to feed us when we are camping with them and has a hard time with her food "not being good enough".  I don't even know how to put the situation into words.  Sometimes it feels like she doesn't want her kids to succeed at anything because she still wants them to need her.

Anyways, that's a lot of rambling, I better get moving with the chores before my girls wake up.  Talk to you ladies later!

[laurenmccracken]

I've read through everyone's posts and man! We are all bad asses!! We have navigated reunions, tailgates, Girl's weekend, crushing parties, illnesses, and life's curveballs! We made it y'all!  

I had a small glass of wine with my otherwise-compliant prime rib dinner. First alcohol in 33 days. I thought the histamines were getting to me, but I think I'm just getting sick AGAIN! 

I haven't had any cake or frosting, and have just seemingly made whole30 my brain shift.

i want it to continue!!! My mom has been here for two days and still doesn't know I'm doing whole30. She has such a negative self body image that I just cringe when she brings it up (for herself)....

i don't need her judging how "successful" my whole30 has been based on what I look like.

i don't think I dropped anything... but I feel better and feel empowered to take care of me and to make healthier choices even if those around me aren't! 

 

Hwres to you amazing people who have navigated this road with me!! 

 

[TerriN]

Congrats ladies for making through! Virtual high 5 & hugs! As you know whole 30 isn’t f0r the faint of heart- I’m sure that this thread began with many members but only you stuck with it, put yourselves first, conquered  obstacles & made it to the finish line. Please take time to acknowledge your bad ass self this morning! Woo hoo!!! It’s not always about the race but the journey along the way!!!!  

[halfpint_aggie]

Happy Halloween y’all!  And happy Day 30 to me!!!!

[Betsie_n]

Amen on the bad-assry in this group! @laurenmccracken, you are so right! We lived life AND completed 30+ days of mindful healthy eating and gained deeper awareness about our personal health and gained new habits! Wooohooo and cheers to us!

I'm feeling really good - the gut issue seems to be 95% resolved right now, so I'm blaming the nuts and will remain nut-free through my extra 15 days and then decide what to do about those later. I've realized I am mostly out of the habit of snacking between meals and after dinner. I don't think about it and I'm not hungry. However, stress does get me trolling the pantry, so I know I still need to work on that side of things. I feel a little lighter now, but I don't expect any huge scale wins tomorrow - but am hopeful that my extension will have more impacts there. I'm on day 3 of my monthly and have almost no symptoms - I've had fairly bad cramps and heavy flow the last several months, and so far, that's not the case this month. My skin is clear - no more random zits happening and my nails are crazy strong. I have lower back pain that I'd hoped would resolve with lower inflammation, but since I've got a bone on bone situation there, I guess that may not be in the cards as it still gives me trouble. I love my new yoga thing, but haven't been as consistent as I'd like, so I'm going to continue to work on increasing my days per week of yoga. 

@halfpint_aggie and @laurenmccracken - my hat is really off to you two for navigating this journey with little ones at home! I know that's many added layers of life complications that the rest of us may not have had to deal with. But what an awesome thing that you are figuring this health stuff out while they're young. I wish I had done the same! I think I would have had more patience and energy with my daughter and I would have taught her better habits, too. The good news is that she adopted a mostly paleo lifestyle after my first year or so of doing it and she knows so much more than I knew at her age - which will serve her well as a new mom in a few months! We're going to change these younger generations' habits - another high-five!

@mdraeger and @TerriN - it's also been awesome to have other later life stage ladies here, who have had journeys similar to mine and who are navigating situations I completely relate to - or which I could relate (Terri and her winery!  ) It's great to see everyone making post-W30 plans that are not completely off the wagon - just leaning off and maintaining. 

Don't forget to check our your NSV on the list - I'll repost here. It's hard not to be disappointed if the scale doesn't show big changes (I lost 7lbs my first round and I think like 3lbs the other times), but these NSVs are really more important and the weight will come with continued focus. 

Happy Halloween - and good luck with the treat bowl tonight  

Betsie 

NSV.pdf

[mdraeger]

Holy crap, it's (my) day 30! Yesterday, my very sweet co-worker asked me what I was planning to eat tomorrow when I was done with my diet. I have apparently corrected her on this word choice before, because as I opened my mouth, she quickly added "I know, way of eating." But she asked again later and I sort of demurred because it was hard to explain that I wasn't going to eat anything off plan. It made me profoundly sad for her, and the millions of women like her, who are stuck in the toxic cycle of dieting/beating themselves up for "being bad"/struggling with all of the issues that diet culture has given us. I've gently encouraged her to try Whole30 but mostly I try to lead by example and let folks come to me. When she's ready, I'll be here! 

@halfpint_aggie I so sympathize with your mother-in-law issues. My mom does similar things, it sometimes feels like she lives for us to be in crisis and is weirdly upset when things are going well in our lives. This would often manifest in her picking weird little fights over totally random things, food included. It took me a LONG time to realize what was happening and it's still really hard to navigate sometimes. I personally handle it by detaching from the situation emotionally (as much as I can) and remind myself that she's projecting an emotional issue onto this food/unrelated thing because it's too scary/hard to deal with that underlying thing. This doesn't always happen, but when I can do it, it really helps me de-escalate the issue and handle it more gently. But even realizing all of that doesn't make it easy or less frustrating. 

@Betsie_n I'm going to print that NSV pdf and go through them either tonight or tomorrow morning before I weigh myself and take measurements. I have no idea if I've lost weight or inches. (I think so, but I want to have back-up in case neither thing has changed much.) My skin is definitely improving and my energy is steadier. I'm excited to keep going, which feels awesome. 

Happy Halloween everyone! I have to go get some Halloween candy for the trick or treaters. I don't feel like I'll be overly tempted to eat it, but I'll still get something that isn't a big favorite, just in case. I have a flank steak soaking in marinade, so we will have a delicious dinner as our "treat." 

[laurenmccracken]

It's Halloween and I'm sick AGAIN! This cold just will not go away! I was feeling so great on antibiotics, finished them, and 3 days later sick again. Meh!!! Besides the small glass of wine I had, my meals have all been compliant. My husband just thought I'd go have tacos tonight... um no... 

im home passing out treats while my mom and husband take the girls out. I'm making myself a compliant meal while they're out so I will have eaten before tacos. 

I didn't weigh or measure myself, but my clothes don't feel any better or fit at all for that matter so that's a bummer! I lost 17lb the first time... oh well. I'll keep on keeping on for now! 

 

Happy Halloween!

[halfpint_aggie]

One of the things I was looking forward to post-W30 was having a splash of whole milk in my coffee again. But in my sleepy-haze this morning (4-year-old woke me up early, after we stayed up late watching Stranger Things 2), I forgot to put it in there. Decided to have a second cup, and poured in my milk. Yuck. I don’t like it anymore. And it’s left this film on my tongue that is horrible. The baby needs to hurry up & finish her breakfast so I can go brush my teeth. So back to black coffee it is.

@laurenmccracken, sounds like you need another round of antibiotics. So sorry you’re feeling sick. 

I had a tiny glass of Sauvignon Blanc last night with my husband. Normally I’d have 2 glasses with a heavy pour & not feel much effect at all.  But last night that tiny glass had just the right amount of mellowing effect. I consider that a pretty awesome NSV. 

Has anyone else noticed they can go longer between hair-washings?  My hair isn’t getting as oily. I loathe washing & fixing my hair, if eating healthy will reduce the number of shampoos I have to endure, I’m all in! 

I am loving how my skin is looking too. Back in April, my skin rebelled on me (postpartum hormones are the worst), and I had to switch my skincare routine up to get rid of the acne. Over the past month I have managed to completely transition back to my anti-aging regimen. So the combo of healthy-eating skin with skin care products that I Love has made me feel great.  I actually had a conversation on Sunday where someone said I seemed too young to have 2 kids. Ha! I’m definitely old enough, but I’ll take it!

I lead a mommy & me music time at my church on Wednesday morning, and some of us like to go out to lunch afterward. There’s a taco place we love that is cheap. So I’m planning on going there today for lunch. They offer a taco salad option, so I will do that instead of actually having tacos.  I am a native Texan, no amount of Whole 30 will keep me away from tacos indefinitely. And I make no apologies for that. But a taco salad instead of an actual taco is a compromise I can easily live with. I still get all the delicious meat/veggies/sauce that way. At home, I make compliant tacos using jicama “tortillas”. 

Planning a compliant dinner for tonight & I’m going to be doing some batch cooking this afternoon to prep some food for our camping trip. Fingers crossed that my mother-in-law doesn’t get too upset!

[Betsie_n]

@laurenmccracken - NOOOOooo! No more sickness for you! Time for home remedies to stave this off! Try to get some oil of oregano capsules and take up to 3 times a day. They're a natural antibiotic and they saved my life when I spent almost a year battling infection after a botched wisdom tooth extraction and subsequent sinus surgery to repair the damage. I have used them as a preventative and at the first sign of cold - and I haven't actually gotten sick since April 2015. Here's the brand I get: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0013OXFBI/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3HPRVPO7OSH26&colid=BF9WETHDIFO - also available at any health food store. I also pound high doses of Vit C when I feel something coming - I take like three 1000 mg pills a day and at least 500 IU of Vit D.  And then I drink lots of Breathe Easy (Yogi brand) tea, spiked with some cayenne pepper to singe away the sickness. I hope you feel better soon! 

@halfpint_aggie - Congratulations on the black coffee and small glass of wine. I've never transitioned to black - I still use coconut milk as my creamer, but can do black when we travel, though still not my preference. I've definitely decreased my wine intake during my Paleo years since it only takes a little for me to "feel" it. One glass is usually totally sufficient. I hope your camping trip doesn't wind up being to complicated, food-wise, for you. 

@mdraeger - I am sad about the diet spin-cycle women are so prone to. I have many friends who are constantly on and off a "diet"  - I just don't understand why you'd devote time and energy to something and then just go back to doing what you were doing before and expect you wouldn't end up where you were originally. I have a friend who mentions my "diet" also - or she says things like "I know you don't like x" - actually, I love x, but x doesn't love me

Full disclosure - I did my day 31 weigh-in and while I'm technically down 4 lbs from my W30 starting weight, I am really at my average for this year as I was on my high side on day 1 of W30, having hosted a big party and such leading up to W30. Yes, I'm more disappointed than I want to admit. Yes, I'm menstrual and probably holding a little water weight and I do have a lot of NSV and I know we fluctuate daily, but I was hoping for a little more movement on the scale today. I didn't do measurements at the start and wish I had as those are often more telling than the scale. I may do some tomorrow for comparison at day 45. I was supposed to meet with my nutritional therapist Monday, but we pushed to this afternoon, so I'll be talking with her about recommended tweaks to figure out what is getting in the way of weight loss. I do think continuing to be nut free will help and I should watch potato consumption more carefully. 

Someone mentioned Keto a couple of days ago. I'm curious about how it works within the Paleo template. I've seen some Paleo leaders talking about it but haven't researched deeply. I have seen some Keto recipes and see weird ingredients that I don't want to include in my meals, so I haven't pursued it. Is there a good resource to find a version that fits with W30/Paleo better? 

I also ordered Food Freedom today.  OH and the wine tasting party scheduled for Saturday has been changed to an online event only as there were too many other competing events around town Saturday, so I dodged that bullet  

Onto Day 31 here! 

Betsie

 

[mdraeger]

So, I did my weighing and measuring this morning. Once again, @Betsie_n is my doppleganger – I lost 4 pounds and am working not to be bummed about it. I definitely have weight to lose. I am glad I took measurements at the start, because I did lose inches and that is giving me a feeling of improvement. I also have to remember that exercise is a big key to weight loss for me and I have not been consistent on that front. I'm starting a 30-day movement challenge with the goal of doing at least 15 minutes of activity for the next 30 days. Hopefully, that kickstart some weight loss. Hubby and I filled out that NSV sheet that Betsie sent out the night before, so I was prepared for weight loss disappointment.

@Betsie_n I'm curious about the keto thing as well. I am also not interested interested in introducing a bunch of weird ingredients and I need to do more research on it. I definitely want to lose weight, but not if it's at the (potential) expense of my long-term health. Mark Sisson (of Mark's Daily Apple) just released a book about it. I was reading about his take on it here: https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-does-the-keto-reset-fit-into-the-primal-blueprint/ My big issue is whether or not it's comparable to endurance training, so more research is definitely needed. I requested his book from the library, so hopefully I'll be able to report back soon. I will say my hubby hits ketosis on our normal Whole30s and he gets that weird keto smell which I am definitely worried about. He did lose 12 pounds though... 

@laurenmccracken I'm so sorry you're sick again! That sucks!!! I hope your camping trip prep helps. If you can have some compliant food, it should be helpful. 

@halfpint_aggie I am looking forward to reintroducing wine on the weekend. I was debating between having a glass tonight, but I've been trying to break a wine every night habit, so I want to start it off right. I will remind myself to go slowly, because I have a bad habit of drinking wine too fast. Not a problem when you know your tolerance, but not good if your tolerance has changed. Learned that lesson the hard way after a previous Whole30... 

Good job, ladies! I am staying on plan for the rest of the week and then introducing wine on Friday or Saturday, depending on social plans. I'll continue to check in and see how everyone's doing. 

[halfpint_aggie]

I had my taco salad at lunch. And it was delicious. But I’m really glad now that the 1 year-old is the only one home with me.  Such stinky farts. It’s bad guys. 

I did a full 10 day plus reintroduction before & never had this kind issue.

[TerriN]

Congrats ladies on all your accomplishments! The way I see it whether it’s 4 or 14 lbs it’s a win! I’ve been really digging into book Food Freedom Forever & it specifically addresses the “expectations” on round 2 or 3 with Whole30 and how expectations are usually under par for a variety of reasons. I’m personally keeping that in mind for my weigh in on Saturday. What I do know is that my clothes are fitting better-I’ve had 5 extremely stressful months I’ve had to endure that led to less excercise, increasingly more bad choices for meals and more frequent wine drinking even during the week than I’d like to admit. I don’t expect scale miracles but my behaviors have improved drastically. Last night for example was Halloween & had I not been on whole 30 I would of had at least 2 if not 3 slices of gross Costco pizza a reward because I hardly eat pizza. But since I ordered it for my stepdaughters party- why not? Not to mention the 4-5 sneaks of bite size candy I would of treated myself to. And of course that would of led to additional bites of candy today because heck it’s wednesday & I’m gonna start eating healthy on Monday. In addition as I unloaded the bags of Doritos, Chica Boom POP, potatoe chips & brownies bites out for her friends (all 20 of them) how many handfuls would have ended up in my mouth as just a “taste”. Then finally because it was Halloween and we’re home with a bunch of teenagers let’s celebrate with them and open a bottle of wine! That’s exactly how last night would of played out. Instead I nursed my bottle of Kombucha, and enjoyed every slurp of my Italian meatball soup. For me that’s huge progress - not perfection. Am I dreading the scale a bit? Of course, but my behaviors from last night far exceed what the number on the scale tells me. I also realized a few times last night there was a twinge of temptation a few times. Ok I admit - having to physically open and touch handfuls of nacho cheese Doritos as I transferred them to bowls, and opening and placing brownies on a platter was pushing my limits a bit  BUT- I still have some work to do. 

Again congrats to all- you accomplished something that most could not- take the time today  to celebrate YOU!!!!!

[TerriN]

Also I’m still in the early stages of researching Keto diet lifestyle. I’ve googled whole 30/keto differences and the major ones are elimination of potatoes & fruit, but addition of dairy. And occasional dry wine (red). Also nuts are allowed but limited. It’s more focused on lower carb but higher fat- thus hard full fat cheese, cream etc. after my whole 30 or a week later I’ll start introducing dairy to see how it goes. I’ve been doing without potatoes (mostly) and no fruit so I think that won’t be a big change for me. The added dairy will allow me to be more flexible with coffee, and things like sour cream on my taco salads etc. I feel it may be a bit easier to navigate through as everything doesn’t need to be homemade such as Caesar dressings- but you still need to watch sugar content & for health reasons I’ll watch soybean as well. I’ll keep you posted on my research & findings 

[TerriN]

https://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-food-list/

 

[halfpint_aggie]

@TerriN, I can totally relate to your temptation while Halloween prepping.  I was very thankful that I was still on W30 the past few days.  With all the Halloween activities, a few things here & there would have gotten popped into my mouth.  And that's if I was being careful about what I was eating.  Really, with how my nutrition had been going prior to this reset, I would have gorged myself on bad stuff & had cokes throughout the day & then margaritas while Halloween-ing.  I'm definitely going to have to pick up Food Freedom forever soon.

Today has been interesting from a food/temptation perspective.  I was really worried that I'd jump right back into grab-a-treat-mode while running errands.  But, I haven't even been tempted.  I swear for the past 2 weeks the coke displays in the stores have been trying to jump in my shopping cart.  Today I didn't even notice them.  I just got home from preschool pick-up and I was feeling hungry.  My daughter is eating some popcorn, and instead of just eating huge handfuls of that, I grabbed a few pieces of turkey lunch meat, wrapped them around some compliant pickles & homemade mayo.  Not a bad little snack.  Much more filling than popcorn.  I'm feeling more empowered about long-term success today.  I fell off the wagon so hard before because of morning-sickness & then a high-risk pregnancy that's something I won't have to deal with again.

@mdraeger & @TerriN, thanks for sharing the links about keto.  One of my best friends refuses to try the W30 because she wants to do Keto.  (She has started and stopped that diet so many times I've lost track.  At least twice during October.)  At her house the other week, I picked up a Keto book she had sitting out & it was saying not to use Olive Oil & basically made carrots out to be the devil.  I am such a W30 believer, that was crazy to me.  I cannot get behind a diet that promotes cream cheese over carrots.  But I want to learn more to see if maybe I can help her.  She is really unhappy with the shape she is in & how crappy she always feels.  And I can definitely relate to that.

I weighed in today.  I'm pretty happy with my weight loss.  It was 8 pounds, which I am really thrilled with.  I have been steadily gaining 1/2 pounds per week for the past 6 months.  So the fact that the scale is moving in the negative direction at all is a victory.  To be back in what my OBGYN calls my "healthy baby-making range" is amazing.  (We don't plan on making any more babies, but several years of infertility struggles has sealed that label onto my healthy weight range.)  I'd like to lose another 10 pounds (still within doctor-approved weight range, with room to spare); I have back problems & when I'm at that lower weight range it bothers me less.  But I know it's going to take a combination of healthy eating & exercise to get me there.

I really need to figure the exercise part of things out again.  All the healthy eating in the world can only take me so far.  Neither exercise nor nutrition alone will allow me to live the healthy, pain-free life I want.

[Betsie_n]

As always, everyone's s posts today taught me little tidbits and gave me perspective. Thank you, ladies! 

@mdraeger - I guess we're in the four pounder club, eh? Well, at least it wasn't a gain - and you were so smart to take measurements like I did not. I tried on some clothes this weekend that I thought looked better in my middle area, which is my area of annoyance, so I'm going to just assume that if you lost inches, so did I since we've been twinsies all along   Your fitness gameplan sounds very do-able, which is what is important. I know when I try to do too much, I end up not doing it, and 15 min/per day doesn't sound so hard and will help you build a new habit. I do my 3 mile walk, 5 days per week because I worked it into a habit about 4 years ago. I'm trying to do the same with yoga - I started with 10 min routines, then 12 min and this week I'm up to 15 min and have gotten it done all three days this week so far - and I'm loving it.  Thanks for info on Keto from Mark Sisson - I know he's on proponent of it. 

@TerriN- OMG, between your winery and the step daughter's teenage Halloween party (did you say 20 teens in your house??) you deserve a medal for getting through unscathed! Congratulations! And, you're so right - I was thinking similar thoughts about last night and how I'd usually have just a little of this and that because it's Halloween and therefore required to have a treat....but then that leads to more and more this and that. That's exactly the behavior I'm working so hard to curb this time around. I need to connect the dots on why I can stay on track so easily during W30 but then think it's ok to have bites and tastes that add up to bigger issues when I'm not in W30 mode. Thank you, also for providing info on Keto - the site you shared was very helpful. The sweeteners allowed kill me, but obviously you don't have to use those. I also never add dairy as I've learned that I do have a real sensitivity to it, so I've long since gotten over needing any dairy (which says a lot from a former milk and cheese queen!). It's really about the carbs, I guess and I hate the thought of giving up fruit as I really adore my apple snacks. I've learned to limit my bananas because I know those are so carby, but eliminating most fruit would hurt for sure. And who knew onions are so carby??? I didn't realize that at all. Hmm...I'm going to talk to my NT about the carb thing - probably something I need to consider working on next. 

@halfpint_aggie - I bet that taco salad was tasty! I love tacos, too - my hubs is Mexican so it's our go-to meal (which I made last night!), but I do the taco salad and am just fine with that. Oh and congratulations on that 8 lbs!!! That feels good! It's freeing to realize that you've developed new norms and that what we thought we needed, like snacks while running errands, we don't anymore. The challenge is to continue with that mindset, I know. 

Glad to have you all still here <3

Betsie