Mama Pajama Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 Hi everyone (anyone)! My screen name is Mama Pajama, and I'm a 49 year old single mom to a 14 year old young man. I'm dirt poor, but I work hard at being a freelance writer, love books and movies, live music, having good times with great friends, and relaxing at home. I'm a terrible cook, mostly because a great deal of my (thankfully small amount of) childhood trauma was centered in my mother's kitchen, around weight and food issues. I've never really dieted - aside from a flirtation with an eating disorder when I was a teen - and have a casual relationship to exercise, having spent time doing yoga, martial arts, and belly-dancing regularly in times past, though now the only exercise I get is opening the refrigerator! As a result of my long-standing and well established food issues, I'm currently carrying approximately 245 lbs. on my 5'2" frame, have eczema that comes and goes, many aches and pains including chronic lower back issues, a lack of energy, and a lack of contentment in the way my body looks and performs. Four days ago, my doctor said the pre-diabetes I've been shrugging my shoulders at and ignoring is now type 2. Needless to say, my eating habits and resulting health issues, and lack of regular exercise, are not the example I want to be setting for my son. So here we are. I did a self-devised 21 day 'detox' last year, and it felt great - a pleasant side-effect (weight loss was not the goal) was that I lost 15 lbs.. I bought The Whole 30 book during that time, thinking it may be of use somehow, but never read it. I'm reading it now, and picking my 'start date' to be June 1st. That gives me one week to get ready, get set, and go! I'm looking forward to having a bit of support along the way. Thanks for being here ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 I've been keeping a food journal for the past week or so, which really helped put in perspective what I'm eating and when. I started my Whole30 today, so I'm looking forward to seeing how my journey progresses! wish me luck ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim4884 Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 On 5/25/2018 at 6:54 AM, Mama Pajama said: As a result of my long-standing and well established food issues, I'm currently carrying approximately 245 lbs. on my 5'2" frame, have eczema that comes and goes, many aches and pains including chronic lower back issues, a lack of energy, and a lack of contentment in the way my body looks and performs. Four days ago, my doctor said the pre-diabetes I've been shrugging my shoulders at and ignoring is now type 2. I did my first Whole30 nearly a year ago, and, among other benefits, saw these: I went from 250 lbs to 210 lbs - and have maintained that weight since (I just continue to eat Whole 30 about 95% of the time) My eczema (it was mild) has completely disappeared Went from pre-diabetic to completely normal blood sugar Obviously, everyone is different, but it seems that Whole 30 is a promising thing for you to try. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 8 hours ago, Jim4884 said: hey @Jim4884 - yeah, my rather mild eczema shows signs of clearing already! I'm hoping that after my Whole30, I can get my blood work done again, and see how much I've improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 I finished my Whole30 on June 30, yay me! I reintroduced legumes on day 31, no problem, and I'm back to eating 'according to the plan' for a bit. I'm in no hurry to reintroduce much of anything else, but I probably will, just to test out sensitivities. biggest win? I lost 30 pounds! I posted the entire journey to my blog, which I will link here in case anyone is interested in reading it. so very proud of myself! https://theunusedportion.blogspot.com/2018/06/food-journaling.html https://theunusedportion.blogspot.com/2018/06/moving-forward.html https://theunusedportion.blogspot.com/2018/06/tiger-blood.html https://theunusedportion.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-whole6.html https://theunusedportion.blogspot.com/2018/07/monday-130pm-leftover-spaghetti-squash.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 several days later, and once again out of food. I mean, there's food, but there's very little meat, barely any veggies, and enough 'off plan' food to fill in the gap, but I'm not eating it. nope. no pasta or dairy for me, thanks. and it's HOT so I don't want to cook anything. now that my Whole30 is over, I've basically stopped eating...yesterday I didn't have breakfast, had eggs with some leftover slaw for lunch, and two raw carrots with pesto for dipping for dinner. I haven't eaten yet today, and it's 4pm. I was 'supposed' to reintroduce non-gluten grains yesterday, but I didn't, which is odd, because I was kind of looking forward to a big bowl of brown rice, but again - it's too hot to cook, so I didn't. sigh...now I'm thinking this program may have triggered my mild eating disorder issues, and adding that into my lack of funds, I may be in some trouble in the near future in terms of my diet and health. I'll try to work with it, but it would also be nice to lose a ridiculous amount of weight really quickly the way I used to when I was a dumb kid. you'd think I might have learned something, but alas...dumb kids apparently grow into dumb adults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoJo09 Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Would it help to tell yourself that the three meals a day are not optional and your body needs them to function? Your brain surely can't argue with that logic! I don't want to minimise the reality or danger of an eating disorder, but might this just be food boredom, where you can force yourself to push through it? Tuna and eggs are a bit boring, but they're cheap, easy/no cook proteins that might get you through this hump. And if you have a slow cooker, that's a good way to cook cheaper cuts or minced meat without the kitchen heating up too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 4 hours ago, GoJo09 said: Would it help to tell yourself that the three meals a day are not optional and your body needs them to function? Your brain surely can't argue with that logic! I don't want to minimise the reality or danger of an eating disorder, but might this just be food boredom, where you can force yourself to push through it? Tuna and eggs are a bit boring, but they're cheap, easy/no cook proteins that might get you through this hump. And if you have a slow cooker, that's a good way to cook cheaper cuts or minced meat without the kitchen heating up too much. it certainly Could be food boredom...and I Did say I was thinking of 'celebrating' my completing the Whole30 by taking a break from eating so much food so often, but it's also poverty, and my lack of ability to Afford food, and having a teen to feed, to boot. I appreciate your suggestions, but I don't eat tuna, or own a slow cooker, and sadly, the $2 I have in my bank account won't buy me much of anything. it's a great program, for those who can actually afford to purchase the foods they want when they want, but for people like me, it's a bit out of reach. I wouldn't have been able to do it if I hadn't had several angels step in and buy me groceries... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoJo09 Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 I totally get what you're saying - I hope my comments didn't come across as condescending at all, because I certainly didn't mean them as such! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 @GoJo09 - not condescending at all, I hear that you're doing what you can to help, and I appreciate it! for the most part, I don't eat during the day while my teen is at school, but have dinner with him in the evening, because there needs to be food for Him. as a growing teen, he needs access to good food as often as possible, and to not feel like he can't eat because there isn't enough - so I forgo meals to make sure there IS enough, because really, there isn't. now that it's summer, and he's home all day every day, we don't get the benefit of his being provided free meals at school due to our poverty, and the added meals really strain my budget. we visit the food pantry regularly, and that helps somewhat, but it's not like they're stocking Whole30 compliant ingredients, so I make due with what I can get. often, it's not enough to feed me through the week. this week, I got some potatoes, onions, three carrots, and a 1/2 pound steak. if I eat the way Whole30 advises, that equals maybe two meals. you see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 I had a crappy week, and I wrote about it here: https://theunusedportion.blogspot.com/2018/07/relapse.html I had my teen take a pic of me in the same dress I was wearing in the first photo I shared to see if I could tell the difference in my weight, and I really can't, which is kind of disappointing, but...I know I lost 30 pounds, and that's encouraging. in fact, i want to get on a scale again, and see if I lost any more. maybe even start checking my blood sugar regularly so I learn a bit about how that all works, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 24, 2018 Author Share Posted July 24, 2018 hey, you know what's really messed up? the fact that I think I put 20 of those pounds I lost back on...can that be true? it seems unlikely, and yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 24, 2018 Administrators Share Posted July 24, 2018 5 hours ago, Mama Pajama said: hey, you know what's really messed up? the fact that I think I put 20 of those pounds I lost back on...can that be true? it seems unlikely, and yet... Good Morning, @Mama Pajama - you are free to put a link to your blog in your signature here on the forum but posting specifically to drive traffic to your own website is not permitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Pajama Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 22 hours ago, ladyshanny said: Good Morning, @Mama Pajama - you are free to put a link to your blog in your signature here on the forum but posting specifically to drive traffic to your own website is not permitted. Good Morning, @ladyshanny - thank you for the information. I was merely sharing my journey/struggle/story, not looking to 'drive traffic', but I don't have to have a voice on this forum. I get that no one is interested in me or my life, thanks for the reminder that I'm not only fat and ugly, I'm also supposed to remain invisible, and keep my mouth shut. my mistake. I will delete all of my posts, and never post here again. sorry to have bothered everyone. goodbye ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 25, 2018 Administrators Share Posted July 25, 2018 33 minutes ago, Mama Pajama said: Good Morning, @ladyshanny - thank you for the information. I was merely sharing my journey/struggle/story, not looking to 'drive traffic', but I don't have to have a voice on this forum. I get that no one is interested in me or my life, thanks for the reminder that I'm not only fat and ugly, I'm also supposed to remain invisible, and keep my mouth shut. my mistake. I will delete all of my posts, and never post here again. sorry to have bothered everyone. goodbye ~ Whoa. You can have a voice on the forum. Type it all out here. But don't type it out somewhere else and then make people click off to read it. This platform is here for you to have a voice regarding this program. I won't even address the other comments you made which are completely off base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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