CMB227 Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 I started Whole 30 thirty one days ago after my last cholesterol checked showed that once again my cholesterol was on the rise. There has been a steady increase over the last six years. One of the good things about having all of my test results available on line from the medical system I am a part of is that I can pull up test results from years back. Those are put into a handy dandy chart that carefully graphs those results and then slaps me in the face with them. My Doc has wanted me on statins for several years now, and I have always resisted. She has recently lost over 40 pounds and looks great. I assume that she also checks her cholesterol and is doing fine. Weight loss by itself is no indicator of good health or good numbers #disastrousgoroundwithK!mk!ns years ago when I lost nearly 50 pounds in less than 4 months and thought I was so "fancy" until I got my cholesterol numbers and discovered that I was in real trouble. Since then, fat is my friend. Anyway, my doctor approved Whole30 saying that she pretty much eats that way - all whole foods in their natural state without additives or adulteration; although, she does not avoid legumes, wheat, tiny amounts of sugar, honey etc, or the rare glass of wine. I have been on a gluten free diet before, and it made no difference to my digestion or joints. For me elimination is a way of controlling my cravings rather than repairing damage. That being said, I went into Whole 30 with the slightest of tremors developing in my right hand. I have had only one tiny tiny episode of vibration since I began this venture. There may be something there after all. Now that I have completed the first round, quite proud of myself, I am in a quandry as to where to go from here. Do I stick to the guidelines strictly for the next 30 days? Do I stick to the guidelines pretty much letting the occasional lapse in? Maybe I answered that already. Yesterday, I went to lunch with a friend and used the restaurant ranch dressing on my otherwise compliant salad. Last night after dinner, I pulled two miniature York Peppermint Patties out of the freezer, cut them into tiny pieces and ate each piece separately. By the time I finished them, I was sick of the sweet. The mint was divine, but the overall sweetness was too much. The rest of the evening found me feeling kind of yucky. Interesting. At this point, I feel that staying Whole 30 compliant will be best for me, but not being so strict on rare occasions when we go out. If this is going to be a life style rather than a band-aid short term fix, it has to have a bit of flexibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted February 15, 2018 Moderators Share Posted February 15, 2018 Check out this page and the various resources linked from it: https://whole30.com/finished/ Or if you prefer a book, Food Freedom Forever is about what to do after Whole30 and for the rest of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 Thanks, Shannon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 Step 1 - Self Evaluation: I won't know about lowering cholesterol for a while yet. My doctor wanted three months between checks. So, that will be in early April. However, there a few things to crow about. My blood pressure is down. I was hovering around 130-138 over 80-85. That's a little high for most people, but for me I consider that way high. As a young adult, I always had blood pressure around 105/60 or lower. If I stood up too fast or ran upstairs, my head would spin, and it wasn't unusual for me to be light headed when working hard. This morning, my blood pressure was 110/75! NICE! Another thing to crow about is my weight is down about 8 pounds. I can slip my jeans on and off without unzipping them. I needed a belt the other day to keep them up while I was out walking my dog. The minor tremor I had been developing has only showed up once during the 30 days and then again today, AFTER I had eaten a sandwich with whole wheat bread. That was the first wheat of any kind in 30 days. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or if it was related. I really do need to do the reintroduction process when I am ready to do that. For right now, I am going to stay compliant for another 30 taking it day by day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 Right now, I so badly want to just eat what ever I want. Letting the reins loosen a bit has always been the hardest thing for me. I keep to a program until the reintro part starts. I am full but that has never stopped me from eating before, so it is not going to stop me now. It does make it easier to resist the temptation, but I guess I am tired of saying no. Emotional eating: happy, sad, angry #ohyeahangrywilldoiteverytime, joyful celebration all have to do with food and getting the buzz from the food - the temporary sense of relief that comes with stuffing one's gob with food. I slipped at lunch today putting regular Heinz 57 Ketchup on my plate only to find out after the fact that it has HFC in it. Who does that? For pity sakes!! It's ketchup! READ THE LABEL FIRST! I can't quit now. I have done so well this past month and really enjoy feeling good. Needed to vent to get a grip, better than eating for sure. Sigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 2/16/18 was a tough day. Yesterday, I ate a sandwich with whole wheat bread. The day before that I had two miniature peppermint patties. So, today was about being compliant. My biggest fear is not being able to find the balance where I can enjoy small treats from time to time without losing control and reverting to old eating habits. As long as I am in the super controlled portion of an eating plan where the parameters are clear, I do well. When I am to start reintroducing foods that up to this point were forbidden, I fall apart. It is to my credit, and I am tooting my own horn here, that I have had two indulgences and have not fallen flat on my face into a pan of lasagna! If I can continue to do that, I will be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 Here is the plan for tomorrow and the two days after. I have peanut butter, so I will have that with an apple for breakfast. I don't know what miso is, but I will find two additional servings of the legume group with two compliant days after. Day 1: Evaluate legumes, while keeping the rest of your diet Whole30 compliant. Try some peanut butter on your green apple with breakfast, a bowl of miso soup at lunch, and a side of black beans with dinner, while paying attention to how you feel. Then, go back to the Whole30 for the next two days, and see how things go. Pay attention, evaluate and decide how, how often and how much to incorporate legumes into your regular diet—if at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 So, Saturday did not go as planned at all, but it was ok. I had hidden my peanut butter so well that I could not find it. Then my husband decided to go with me into town to drop our dog off at the groomer's and wanted to go next door for lunch while we waited - nix the plans to walk around town Lunch was a spinach salad with grilled chicken, bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing (not compliant) and a glass of red wine. C'mon now, it has been 34 days! The rest of the day was compliant. I did not sit in the corner with a box of Costco cookies or boil up a boat load of pasta with all the fixings or have two or three more glasses of wine. I thought the day went really really well because I was not the least bit tempted to leap off the wagon. I took a piece of advice from Melissa's thoughts yesterday while at lunch and do not regret it at all. Food freedom is about indulging when it’s worth it, passing when it isn’t, and never feeling guilt or shame for doing either. It’s about taking the morality out of food, and recognizing you are not a “good” or “bad” person based on what’s your plate. True food freedom means you never again feel powerless over food. https://whole30.com/2018/02/my-food-freedom/ I will be posting random pictures of my life that make me happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 Reached a goal this morning. Broke out of the 180s, now 178.2. I will check back in here from time to time, but this is not a friendly or encouraging place. I understand the need to be in an excuse free zone, but I need to work things around to where I can succeed. I have been slowly introducing foods back into my diet and have had no reactions. I am so blessed and fortunate to not have food allergies or sensitivities. I am grateful to the whole 30 for giving me the tools I need to lose weight and hopefully be healthier. However, I get shot down for not doing things perfectly Whole 30, so I will not be sharing outside this monitor free zone. The moderators here remind me too much of the nuns with their cracking knuckles with rulers and grabbing ears to shake children's heads when they made mistakes. While I am following the food lists for what is allowed and what isn't and eating better than I ever have, I am not following the meal templates nor do I sit down at a table with no distractions and seldom chew each mouthful X number of times. I do weigh and measure everything I eat and keep it under 1500 calories a day. I have learned a great deal here and am happy about that, but the negativity is not in my best interests. And the other thing I am doing which is helping ME tremendously is intermittent fasting. I doubt that that is whole30 either. If the moderators stop in here, I am sure I will get a warning for not being mentally compliant. Sorry, just really ticked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liesje Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Well @CMB227, I think you did very good until now! First you ended the whole30 and now you are doing the best you can to find a way to go further! I am on this forum since almost a week and I am also a little dissapointed that it seems not quite active. When I post something and I wait for a day, most of the days no reactions came. I'm used to having whole conversations on a day with others on other fora. I hope this feeling of negativity didnt break you down! Greets from a Dutchie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liesje Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 p.s. love the dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMB227 Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 9 hours ago, Liesje said: Well @CMB227, I think you did very good until now! First you ended the whole30 and now you are doing the best you can to find a way to go further! I am on this forum since almost a week and I am also a little dissapointed that it seems not quite active. When I post something and I wait for a day, most of the days no reactions came. I'm used to having whole conversations on a day with others on other fora. I hope this feeling of negativity didnt break you down! Greets from a Dutchie. Dutchie, Thank you for you kind words and encouragement. I, too, was surprised by the lack of participation on the forum boards at first, but the surveillance seems to kill free exchange of ideas. That being said, I a grateful to this program for giving me the tools I needed to really take my health seriously. My pup is a Standard Poodle who now 10 months old. She gets me out of the house every day. The breed description said "very active". WOW, were they understating the facts! LOL. I record all of my food, exercise and water intake on SparkPeople. Easy to use and free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liesje Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Very nice to have such a lovely pup to drag you out of the house! Is it a he or she? I went for a long walk too today, the weather was beautiful here. Cold, dry and sunny. I live near a small nature reserve where you can spot big hairy cows with big horns in the wild, so close to my house I can walk there, while I live in the city. Very nice. I try to get active every few days and walk there for an hour or so. I dont have a dog but I have a cat on my lap right now, she's not happy that I'm typing and an 8 year old next to me on the couch. Well, hopefully you keep me posted how it is goning with your cholesterol and everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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