Official 1/1/13 Start Group

[dukunbayi]

I'm officially done with my w30. I made the decision to have some dark chocolate last night (90%). I had a couple squares after dinner and put it away. So, fairly strict paleo will continue, but I am moving on from the w30 cocoon.

@NatPatBen, I looked up the Velvety Butternut Squash recipe after I read your post, and I'm gonna make it today. Looks delicious! I'll need to run out and get some pecans, but I've got everything else. What a fantastic cookbook that it. It's made me lose my fear of spices!

[Nila]

I'm officially done with my w30. I made the decision to have some dark chocolate last night (90%). I had a couple squares after dinner and put it away. So, fairly strict paleo will continue, but I am moving on from the w30 cocoon.

@NatPatBen, I looked up the Velvety Butternut Squash recipe after I read your post, and I'm gonna make it today. Looks delicious! I'll need to run out and get some pecans, but I've got everything else. What a fantastic cookbook that it. It's made me lose my fear of spices!

What outside-of-W30 foods do you think you'll have? Do you know which ones your body doesn't like or are emotionally loaded? I'm curious what this will be like when I get there.

As for the squash...I think it would be delicious without the pecans. I will probably cut the garlic a touch if not completely the next time I make it. It has garlic, right? My son said it tasted about like pumpkin pie.

[dukunbayi]

@Nila, I think just dark chocolate for now . Welllll, maybe the peach crisp from Well Fed and some other paleo treats, ie the 'emotionally loaded,' potentially triggery things. I don't really miss most of the stuff I eliminated for the w30, so no burning desire to reintroduce. In fact, I'm even eliminating most nuts and dried fruits for GI reasons. I just felt ready for a little bit of latitude, a loosening of the mental rigidity, and the freedom to let slide, say, "non-compliant" ingredients that happen to show up in restaurant meals. That sort of thing.

[Run4fun]

Well Fed Moroccan meatballs with bacon roasted brussel sprouts and roasted spaghetti squash - it's what is for dinner!

[torena]

Sorry I have been MIA. I've been having several discussions with my husband and kids and some paleo friends. I decided to move on from my Whole30 and not do the 21DSD this month. I need to have a clearly defined line between the end of my Whole30 and the start of my 21DSD. I realized that I am coming very close to teaching my daughter about this complex with "food challenges" and I need to work on fixing that. So I gave in and enjoyed some paleo baked goods (Elana's Pantry Orange Dark Chocolate Scones). I went to a birthday party, and following both some advice I once read on the MDA forums (the 5%, or 10% or 20% of paleo people like to follow should be used in cases where you're at a birthday party and there's cake. Don't be a jerk and refuse to eat the cake. In my case, especially when the birthday girl is offering you some.) and a few paleo people at this party. I need to let go of the guilt and focus more on increasing my willpower. Have I been eating perfect? No, but perfectionism kills me (and many others). Was my diet *perfect*? No. Could it be improved? Sure. I don't want to get to the point where I am counting everything I eat to maximize my macronutrient ratios. I did track on myfitnesspal for a few days just to see if MDA/Whole9/Balanced Bites were right regarding carbs - if you stick to primarily veggies with limited fruit you are going to stick pretty much right in the sweet spot weight loss zone of carbs (50 to 100g). In my case, without the apple or banana I was just below 50g which is okay but seriously, the amounts listed on any website are not perfect because you don't know the exact measurement and girth of that banana or apple compared to what you have in your hand. My point about this weekend, though, is that I didn't binge! I made choices but continued to have really healthy food without just completely ditching my hard work.

I am testing recipes for the Paleo Parent's new cookbook. Last night's dinner was amazing - Bacon Chicken (a whole chicken wrapped in bacon), summer squash, and mashed cauliflower. My daughter REALLY liked it. The carcass is in the crockpot for stock and should be ready for soup tomorrow! I think it'll end up a various veggie soup with whatever I need to use or lose.

I am checking out a new farm coop tomorrow. Their bacon (fresh, uncured) is half the cost of my regular farmer's bacon and I am so excited.

I made The Paleo Mom's paleo yeast bread tonight and it turned out pretty good. I hope my kids approve for their lunches!

How's everyone else doing?

[NatPatBen]

I also decided not to do the 21DSD.

I did a lot of thinking about why I didn't get the almost jittery energy levels that I had when only following a FEW principles of the book Clean by Dr. Junger. Yesterday on the busride home from work, I skimmed through Clean to refresh my memory on that program. It's about eliminating toxins & common inflammatory triggers in both food, clothing, products used (on skin, in home, etc), stress, etc.

What I will do, except when I mindfully allow myself to deviate, is stick closely with a Paleo/Clean hybrid:

• Lighter breakfasts & dinners, per Clean (focusing more on light dinners than breakfasts)
  
• 12 hr+ window between dinner & breakfast, per Clean (and I think in line with Paleo)
  
• Way more vegetables, per both
  
• Elimination of grains, sugar, processed food, per both (though Clean allows non-gluten grains, I don't miss/need them)
  
• Less beef, more fish/chicken, per Clean <-- This will be a trial to see if it's the beef contributing to lack of soaring energy levels
  

I'm still exploring to see what works best for me. I DEFINITELY know that light dinner, 7+ hrs of sleep, and 12+ hrs before breakfast means I feel FANTASTIC in the morning.

[MyWar]

Had some naan yesterday, in a world of hurt today

[Run4fun]

MyWar's post is exactly why I stick very close to 100% Whole 30 compliance. Anything of significance that has gluten or sugar in it makes me physically ill. It's a cycle (for me) that makes me regret eating non-compliant foods for weeks afterward and is.just.not.worth the flavor or experience at the time. I don't think anyone needs to apologize for the decisions we make.....only to OWN them, whatever impacts they have. Other than wine, kefir, and a itty bit of cheese once or twice a week...oh and a few croutons when I eat salad, I have remained Whole 30 compliant, I have felt good and have not had urgent trips to the bathroom. I am thankful for that and it's what I am currently using as my guide, I am very happy with my Whole 30 experience and how I am adjusting back into "normal" life now.....but I still think I'm only a month away from another Whole 30 experience!

[DVeep]

Oh COSTCO! Well, from the produce section we buy the bags of avocados, 1-2 packs of organic spinach (throw it into eggs or broth), a bag of lemons (many of which I squeeze and pour into ice cube trays for handy lemon cubes), baby portabello mushrooms (24 oz/$4.50), bags of garlic, EVOO and LOO (for the paleo-mayo). They have yummy lamb roasts from Australia. ECOS laundry detergent. Cases of Pellegrino mineral water. TurboTax. Tires with free rotate-balance. Gasoline. Toilet Paper! Bath towels, 14-cup food processor, crockpot, fabulous dual-pak insulated (hot or cold) thermos (grab, squeeze, drink, no spill stays hot for HOURS).

I know folks who have purchased flooring there. We bought our 42" flat screen there just before the 2009 Inauguration. You can go in on items with family or friends. Plus, you get the 2% annual rebate, which at least pays for our membership. Plus, they are wonderful about returns. We even returned a spa --- oh that's a whole other story. The only credit card they accept is American Express, which we got so we can charge, then pay it off each month, AND we get a 3% rebate from AmExp!!

Oh, and we are now the proud owners of a 7cft chest freezer bought at Costco for $174.00, so now we have room for a half-pig this summer, which works out to be $4.50 a pound for pastured pork instead of the $6-8/lb we have been paying! AND I learned that we can have them custom grind or package how we want it!!

Yeah, for us, Costco is so worth it.

[helen]

Thanks for the updates! I went to two birthday parties (kids) back to back on Sunday and ate a lot of non-compliant foods. I felt awful on Monday. Definitely a food hangover. One good thing though is that I was able to not overeat and I also realized that it was okay. I am trying to stay as Whole 30 compliant as I can when I am at home and work. So I guess I'm following the 80/20 kind of rule of the Paleo world. Yesterday I was stressing (applying for a new job that I'm not going to get but my supervisor thinks I need to do it because usually a few rejections lead to a job, feels very demoralizing) and had a few Hershey's kisses. In the past I would not have stopped but I was able to yesterday. I need to buy some dark chocolate to have in the house actually now that I think about it for such occasions.

I want to have a healthy relationship with food honestly. I used to work in a health food cafe when I was in college and I saw a lot of really weird 'eating disorders' disguised as 'health conciousness' honestly and I don't want to pass that on to my kids.

I want us to eat real, whole food most of the time. And I love having the Whole 30 rule to fall back on when I binge. I have also discovered that I don't think I can lose weight not on a strict plan like the Whole 30. I can maintain which is awesome but I must have some serious insulin issues lke the book suggests. For this reason I think I am going to do Whole 30 in April to get ready for the beach in May and summer at the pool.

[MyWar]

On the plus side, my ritalin is keeping any and all potential weight gain at bay.

[dukunbayi]

We had Indian take-out last night and I ordered as 'compliantly' as I coud off the menu. No rice with my dinner, but afterwards I had a scoop, oh you know, just to soak up the heat. Then I thought, hmmm, let's see what happens if I have some naan, so I ate an entire round. That, in addition to the dark chocolate (a range from 73%-85%), the dates, the raisins, the pecans, and the coconut flakes made me start craving ice cream which we, mercifully, didn't have at home. All in all, it affirmed my inability to moderate (not that I needed affirmation) and the imperative for me to stay as close to 100% w30 compliant as possible, as a matter of routine.

Nipping this one in the bud. Big breakfast today with 3 eggs and leftover chocolate chili. Ground lamb defrosting in the fridge.

Anyone else indulge on Valentine's Day?

[helen]

Anyone else indulge on Valentine's Day?

I have had milk chocolate the past two days since my daugher brought home TONS from her Valentine day exchange at school. I prefer dark chocolate but don't buy it very often just as a treat. Next year I am going to buy some so I can have it when the candy comes rolling in.

I am trying to stay as compliant as I can because I just feel better when I eat Whole 30 compliant. Processed food sucks. We are going out tonight to a movie and I have been considering having a beer. I quit drinking last summer and it hasn't been hard but I want to test the waters and see if I really miss beer (IPAs specifically) as much as I think I do. A few days ago I was making my daugher a cheese sandwich (so not compliant but he cheese was organic and the bread was not processed at all so no preservatives at least). I ate a piece of cheese and honestly it wasn't as awesome tasting as I thought it should be.

I love Indian food. I am kind of jealous of your Indian binge

[dukunbayi]

I am so sad. I bought a bunch of stuff from Wellness Meats, including 6 packs of sugar-free bacon. Problem is, I accidentally ordered beef bacon, not pork bacon. I didn't even know there was such a thing as beef bacon! We opened one this morning, and my kids don't like it. To make matters worse, my partner doesn't eat beef, so I can't even chop it up into hashes and greens, etc. Oh, what to do .

[helen]

I am so sad. I bought a bunch of stuff from Wellness Meats, including 6 packs of sugar-free bacon. Problem is, I accidentally ordered beef bacon, not pork bacon. I didn't even know there was such a thing as beef bacon! We opened one this morning, and my kids don't like it. To make matters worse, my partner doesn't eat beef, so I can't even chop it up into hashes and greens, etc. Oh, what to do .

Bummer I didn't know there was beef bacon either. Do you like it? Maybe you could freeze it and take it for snacks/lunches. I hate when I do stuff like that though. I know how you feel.

[NatPatBen]

I didn't know beef bacon existed, but as we don't eat pork, I may give it a try at some point!

I've been staying compliant for the most part, but some days I eat too much compliant food (fruit/nuts).

I'm still enjoying making different Paleo recipes.

Harvest Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glazed Walnuts (and apples & onions) is my new favorite veggie dish. It's almost Food Without Breaks it is so good.

I also just made PaleOMG's Carrot Cake Cupcakes (sans frosting). The recipe calls for 1 TBSP honey; I used less than that and they're sweet enough to me. They're also not as addictive as cookies, so I feel comfortable having them here without over-indulging.

[helen]

I didn't know beef bacon existed, but as we don't eat pork, I may give it a try at some point!

I've been staying compliant for the most part, but some days I eat too much compliant food (fruit/nuts).

I'm still enjoying making different Paleo recipes.

Harvest Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glazed Walnuts (and apples & onions) is my new favorite veggie dish. It's almost Food Without Breaks it is so good.

I also just made PaleOMG's Carrot Cake Cupcakes (sans frosting). The recipe calls for 1 TBSP honey; I used less than that and they're sweet enough to me. They're also not as addictive as cookies, so I feel comfortable having them here without over-indulging.

Yum. Those cupcakes look good!

[Nila]

I tried beef bacon once and absolutely hated it. 6 packs is so much! I'll be curious to see what suggestions people have for this.

[Contessa]

Rambling out loud:

I'm trying to think through when I might launch another Whole 30. (I would welcome anyone's remarks on this.)

Good reasons to start again soon:

• My brother, over on the opposite side of the country, is kicking off a Whole 30 on Thursday. He has invited me to join him and a couple of his buddies, virtually I guess, in doing a 30 day reset. I would love the company.
  
• My post-Whole 30 diet has been less than spectacular. (In fact, I'm now eating more troublesome food now than I was before I started my Whole 30 in January.)
  
• I feel less than spectacular. No major health problems or anything, just feeling grouchy and irritable. The energy swings are no joke. The 3:00 pm blood sugar crash is back in action every afternoon.
  
• 
  I miss the simplicity of eating clean. I miss the simplicity of not having ALL foods at my beck and call.
  
• 
  There's a local Paleo restaurant that offers some pre-made options for weekly pick-up. I could take advantage of that. It is expensive, but might offer a nice support.
  

- - - - - - -

Good reasons to wait:

• I'm moving in 3 weeks. It'll be a little chaotic until then. Not sure I will have time to cook AND pack over the next couple of weeks.
  
• Okay, I'm still so weary of cooking so much. (This concern is not going to get better with time, I'm afraid.) The stress of having to plan, shop and prep all this food really gets to me. I'm also doing this on my own, so I can't share the load.
  
• I'm also worried that the Whole 30 is actually not a great 'solution' for someone like me who has a long history of light-to-medium disordered eating. I wonder if it's too restrictive, and if it actually degrades my ability to make healthy choices around food. Is it leading me to trust the structure of the Whole 30, and not trust myself? I suspect it's probably doing some harm and some good at the same time. Not sure how to deal with that.
  

This is the mystery of my present life. Thanks for letting me ramble here.

[helen]

Rambling out loud:

I'm trying to think through when I might launch another Whole 30. (I would welcome anyone's remarks on this.)

Good reasons to start again soon:

• My brother, over on the opposite side of the country, is kicking off a Whole 30 on Thursday. He has invited me to join him and a couple of his buddies, virtually I guess, in doing a 30 day reset. I would love the company.
  
• My post-Whole 30 diet has been less than spectacular. (In fact, I'm now eating more troublesome food now than I was before I started my Whole 30 in January.)
  
• I feel less than spectacular. No major health problems or anything, just feeling grouchy and irritable. The energy swings are no joke. The 3:00 pm blood sugar crash is back in action every afternoon.
  
• I miss the simplicity of eating clean. I miss the simplicity of not having ALL foods at my beck and call.
  
• There's a local Paleo restaurant that offers some pre-made options for weekly pick-up. I could take advantage of that. It is expensive, but might offer a nice support.
  

- - - - - - -

Good reasons to wait:

• I'm moving in 3 weeks. It'll be a little chaotic until then. Not sure I will have time to cook AND pack over the next couple of weeks.
  
• Okay, I'm still so weary of cooking so much. (This concern is not going to get better with time, I'm afraid.) The stress of having to plan, shop and prep all this food really gets to me. I'm also doing this on my own, so I can't share the load.
  
• I'm also worried that the Whole 30 is actually not a great 'solution' for someone like me who has a long history of light-to-medium disordered eating. I wonder if it's too restrictive, and if it actually degrades my ability to make healthy choices around food. Is it leading me to trust the structure of the Whole 30, and not trust myself? I suspect it's probably doing some harm and some good at the same time. Not sure how to deal with that.
  

This is the mystery of my present life. Thanks for letting me ramble here.

After I read the first section I was like 'go for another!' but then the second section makes a lot of good points. I think making peace with food is hard. My husband and I are pretty much staying on the plan. We are kind of following the 80/20 rule but not being specific about things (we went out on Friday night on a date to a local health food restaurant and I had a tofu and spinach pesto sandwich (bread made there and whole grain) and I had a beer (my first since beginning of October!). It felt fine but felt good to get back on the plan.

I do know what you mean about the disordered eating. It is so hard to retrain our brains. I cannot lose weight unless I do a restrictive diet like Whole 30 (I can maintain) even though I'm eating pretty good (maybe too much chocolate last week which was my only non-compliance except the date night dinner).

I will say that having a brother across the country isn't all that much support. Support is having someone cook with you and prepare meals if you have that (like a partner or friend). I have actually found the Whole 30 taught me how to cook and it is SO much less work now. It is just routine and mostly keeping things in the refrigerator. It helps that I can literally eat marinate grilled chicken thighs and some kind of veggie (tonight green beans sauteed in garlic) six nights a week and be healthy.

I think you should read some books on Intentional Eating/Mindful Eating (there are great ones out there). I love the book 'Eating by the light of the Moon.' My dance teacher works at a disordered eating center (I think the majority of women and men have disordered eating in our culture, it is hard not to) and I saw the author speak. She is from Hawaii so uses stories to weave it together but if you open your mind to it there is a LOT of good stuff in there. I think that book and the Whole 30 together really have changed my life.

Feel free to ramble anytime! I think you should wait though until after you move.

[Contessa]

Thanks Helen. I really really appreciate the good advice. Exploring the Intentional Eating angle sounds like the right thing to do. I'm checking into Geneen Roth's work, too, and will also look at the book you've recommended. Next W30 is on hold for now, but it's just a matter of time before I go in for another round.

[Run4fun]

Our recent Whole 30 heightened my awareness of food as nourishment to my body vs. an emotional release to address (fill in the emotion I might be feeling here)......it has really made my food choices SO much easier as I'm not tempted to eat things I know will make me feel ill, give me a headache, or make me feel lethargic. I wish that clarity for you, CCraven, for both your physical health and emotional wellness.

Please continue to reach out to this group - I'm guessing several of us still check the forum (and this link) daily or at least several times a week to see if there are new posts. And good luck to you with your move - nothing like a life event to test your decision making process!

[torena]

I'm still here, sort of. I keep going through these swings of getting on board with how I need to eat and falling off the wagon. This was my cycle before Whole30. I feel so grumpy and mean and like I have no control over my temper. I am yelling. I feel like a monster! I am drinking coffee just to survive the days, I've been eating a lot of fast food because I'm not planning. I feel like I need another Whole30, if anything to get through that first week and change to where the magic happens. Even if it's with caffeine.. I don't even feel energized when I drink the coffee, I just feel like it's keeping me awake. Doesn't help that my period is here.

I said I would do the 21DSD on March 4th but I feel like that is so. far. away. I need something now. I feel like my sanity is slipping. I need some of this weight off me, as much as I don't want that to be a priority for Whole30, I just need to lose this heaviness that is keeping me from doing things too. We've been talking about homeschooling our kids and to do that I need to my shit in gear.

We purchased an Excalibur dehydrator and a grill with our tax return. Now I really want to cook through Well Fed. A lot of the paleo cookbooks utilize the grill and I always felt I couldn't do the recipes justice in the oven. It'll help not having to sweat my ass off in the kitchen during cooking days.

I think my husband is seeing the difference in me based on my food choices. He's so sweet, he wants to cook me a paleo cake for my birthday so at least it's a "healthier" cake than store-bought. He's calling it his Fail!Cake. I don't care what it tastes like, I'm so excited he's being so thoughtful.

[helen]

I'm still here, sort of. I keep going through these swings of getting on board with how I need to eat and falling off the wagon. This was my cycle before Whole30. I feel so grumpy and mean and like I have no control over my temper. I am yelling. I feel like a monster! I am drinking coffee just to survive the days, I've been eating a lot of fast food because I'm not planning. I feel like I need another Whole30, if anything to get through that first week and change to where the magic happens. Even if it's with caffeine.. I don't even feel energized when I drink the coffee, I just feel like it's keeping me awake. Doesn't help that my period is here.

I said I would do the 21DSD on March 4th but I feel like that is so. far. away. I need something now. I feel like my sanity is slipping. I need some of this weight off me, as much as I don't want that to be a priority for Whole30, I just need to lose this heaviness that is keeping me from doing things too. We've been talking about homeschooling our kids and to do that I need to my shit in gear.

We purchased an Excalibur dehydrator and a grill with our tax return. Now I really want to cook through Well Fed. A lot of the paleo cookbooks utilize the grill and I always felt I couldn't do the recipes justice in the oven. It'll help not having to sweat my ass off in the kitchen during cooking days.

I think my husband is seeing the difference in me based on my food choices. He's so sweet, he wants to cook me a paleo cake for my birthday so at least it's a "healthier" cake than store-bought. He's calling it his Fail!Cake. I don't care what it tastes like, I'm so excited he's being so thoughtful.

Hugs! You can get back on the plan. It helps that my husband is on board. He just texted me that he was compliant all week. Feeling like you are 'failing' is all of part of this ... learning how to be healthy isn't something we are going to master in a month. A grill really, really helps. We use ours every single day. I usually marinate chicken breasts and thighs (I am in love with thighs) and then we grill those while we are making dinner even if we are eating something else just to have them in the frig. I just got home and am tired as subbing for another instructor who is out this week so worked 1-9 Mon and Tues and go in tonight at 5. I had a good breakfast and then my daughter and I went to storytime at the library and yoga at the Y. I was so grateful to have grilled chicken ready to be warmed up in the microwave when I walked in the door. So having prepared healthy stuff is one of the keys for me.

You can do it! Don't let PMS derail your spirit!

[helen]

PS I am not trying to be a pollyanna either! I am doing good right now is all and most of feeling good I really do attribute to eating right. I am probably going to crash at some point and will need your support I am sure!!!