Donna and Casey's Whole 30

[Donna]

Oh Ladies....confession time! Yesterday was our 30th wedding anniversary and my husband took me to this phenomenal restaurant to celebrate. He convinced me to cave for the night and start fresh in the am....He said "your W30 is over, begin again tomorrow" How many times do you celebrate your 30th....I perused the menu. I tried to stay compliant but then decided to go for it! Off the wagon I fell....

On the way home, I felt like a stuffed pig. Last night I hardly slept I was so uncomfortable with stomach issues and intestinal gas all night long....it sooooo wasn't worth it!!!!! Lesson learned. Today is day 1 of my third W30 and I hope I didn't do too much damage to my intestinal healing....

[EllieBellie]

Aaaaawww, congratulations to you and your hubby, Donna, and sorry you were poorly after your fabulous meal. I find that even though off-wagon food leaves me ill, it also leads to more intense cravings - bizarre!

And yay, Casey, it may be low-key but we can quietly cheer our birthday together when it rolls around! We share it with Robert Mitchum, Lucille Ball and Elliot Smith (obv sadly all deceased, but legends nonetheless!!).

Day 27

B - Egg scramble with sugar snaps, cherry toms and chorizo

L - Leftover beef burger and roasted veg, some macadamias

D - Sirloin steak, more roast veg and kale OMNOMNOM!

S - Whoops almonds and sauerkraut...

Definitely did not have enough protein at lunch (it was a mini-burger) and I'm avoiding starchy veg and fruit so I'm feeling slightly less energetic but also a bit calmer.

[kt1969]

Donna, sorry you felt crappy. But congrats on 30 years...that's awesome!

Yesterday's meals:

B: Larabar, plain iced tea [was in a rush getting out the door, clearly not enough food]

S: pistachios, dried apples

L: turkey salad on pure wrap

S: bit of carnitas

D: grassfed meat sauce on spaghetti squash, salad

[CaseyD]

Donna, 30 years is definitely worth celebrating, but it is great that you are being mindful about how the food is affecting you. Just jump back on and you'll feel like your best self in no time.

I'm sorry, but I must say today I am an awesome mom, according to my daughter. Ok, I admit it, I got her a birthday present a little early. She loves learning things like the alphabet and numbers, so we rode up to Target on the bike this morning and picked up some interactive toy that does all that and more. She is carrying it around non-stop like it is the best thing that's ever happened to her. We've been playing outside every day and now we're going to be stuck inside for a while because of the heat (108 today, seriously?!). I kind of panicked, not knowing what the heck we were going to do!

Yesterday was weird. For some reason I felt really off emotionally all day. I don't get what happened, but I'm glad I feel better today.

So food wise:

B: eggs and brussels sprouts cooked in tallow

L: Puerto Rican beef recipe out of Everyday Paleo

D: I ate very late yesterday and just made a little bacon and an egg.

[kt1969]

Casey, where do you live? 108 is just not right.

[CaseyD]

I live in St. Louis, Missouri. That's what they forecasted for us, that it would hit 108 today. I think that's supposed to be a record for us. So far we're at 103 (which is pretty insane, I think). I guess I'll get to see what it must be like in the desert! Kind of creepy.

[Donna]

108! OMG....unbelievable....you are all wonderful mommies...and you take the time to take care of yourself so you can be the best you.

Foods today, third W30, Day 1

Breakfast: jerky, mean green juice (kale, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger, celery)

Lunch: chicken with mayo salad

Dinner: sauteed Swiss chard in garlic olive oil, GF hamburger, cucumber slices, cauliflower

back in the saddle, people. Stomach feeling better today. Never again!!!!!

[mrstrudo]

Wow! Congrats Donna on finishing it up and doing it again! Hi to everyone else! Just a quick check in before I head off on vacation! I'm making this a Whole28 and taking it a bit easy on my vacation this weekend. Still following a paleo template, but maybe relaxing a bit and having an ice cream or a latte. Definitely some lobster and butter! (East Coast!) I doubt I'll have any gluten bombs though. I have plans to start my second Whole30 on July 8!

[jrustdc]

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. We had two different inspectors come out yesterday and today and we're still not sure whether or not there are actually bedbugs. We've done tons of laundry and cleaning and organizing - it's exhausting. And really stressful - the treatment is really expensive if we end up having to do it (the rough estimate was $4500). Plus we are trying to get ready to go out of town next week, and there's still work stuff hanging over my head. And the temptation to throw it all to hell and eat whatever I want is strong, but I have stuck within spitting distance of W30 most of the time, including this afternoon when I was at Whole Foods. I hit it at the worst time - they were sampling EVERYTHING. And I resisted all of it. I did have a small piece of agave-sweetened chocolate on the way home, but compared to all of the temptations in the store that was pretty restrained.

Donna and Ellie, congrats on finishing!

Mrs. T, have a great time and really enjoy the lobster! Mmmmm. Lobster (and hey, the butter is usually clarified so it *IS* W30)!

Casey, I hope you are surviving the heat. That's brutal.

Yesterday

B: Fried egg/avo/salsa, coffee with coco

L: Smoked chicken, mayo and avocado in a collard wrap

D: Fajita bowl (chicken, guac, salsa, veg)

S: lots of snacks, some compliant, some not -but I did NOT have any froyo when I took the kids out (although I had some fruit sorbet later as a consolation - it was a lot cleaner than the froyo would have been)

Today

B: Fried egg/avo/salsa, coffee with coco

L: Smoked chicken salad (with mayo and avocado) in a collard wrap

D: Shrimp, mango, jicama, and avocado salad with lime juice & olive oil

S: fewer, mostly compliant

[Donna]

Casey, just reading your thread and remembering those days when you are stuck in the heat with a toddler....how about Grandma's house???? Just a visit to break up the day? Or a friends? I remember the days of being "Julie the cruise director" all summer long thinking up fun and exciting things to do each day. If you go to Pinterest there are alot of interactive summer pin ideas to do with kids....It's very informational....check it out. How is the death metal guitaress doing???

Katherine, enjoy your lobster! Enjoy your vacation. Stay away from the gluten bombs. I had a half of a half of a small fresh baked french roll at this amazing restaurant for our 30th with fresh herbed garlic butter....I paid all night long with cramps, gas and bloating. Yesterday started day one and ate CLEAN and feel so much better now!!!!

Kate:you are so kind and such an incredible inspiration to me on this thread...and I love all of your recipes! thank you for being such a great support to all of us.

Jen: UGH....4500? for a sleepover....glad to hear they might not be Bedbugs! I know that would be a reason for me to say...that's it, I gotta eat really bad food to make me feel comforted right now. KUDOS for not caving. You are quite the woman. YOu have had a rough week and held it together and are showing me how to do this in times of stress as well as ordinary days....Keep going girl as I am in awe of you this week!

[Donna]

for Casey...stuff like this is on Pinterest

http://counting-on-m...ur-toddler.html

http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/07/8-activities-for-tots-that-wont-cost-you-anything.html

[EllieBellie]

Not quite finished yet! On day 29 and feeling excited.

Day 28

B - Crabmeat and 1/2 avocado omelette

L - Leftover steak and roast veggies and an apple

S - Larabar

D - Omelette again, wrapping up so sautéed mushroom, red onion, W30 compliant sausage and mustard. Only realised afterward that it was essentially a paleo hotdog!

S - Parma ham and some pecan butter (again, I always snack mindlessly on shopping day)

I went to bed full to pop. I know ISWF says not to forego meals but I couldn't have a morning meal if I tried today!

Jen, still really hoping you've got whatever this infestation is nipped in the bud. Thankfully I've never experience the blighters... washing and zip locking my wardrobe would take weeks!!

Katherine, enjoy the lobster and the holiday!

[kt1969]

Jen, I forget if I said this already, but I am rooting for NO bedbugs! Hard! Yuck.

Katherine, lobster with butter sounds fantastic. Have fun.

My 3YO son is being a giant pain in the ass. His big sister is at camp for 3 weeks and he is really missing her a lot [we're only in the first week], and my wife was in SF last week for 5 days and in DC this week for 3, plus his last day of preschool with a beloved teacher was Wednesday, so I think it's probably just that...but it's driving me crazy. Sigh. Whiny and hitty. I have been looking longingly at a jar of M&Ms in our cabinet but haven't eaten a one, so I am waiting for my medal to arrive for that one.

Yesterday:

B: fried egg, carnitas, strawberries

L: curried turkey salad with raisins on Pure wrap [my last one, wahhhhh]

D: rib eye steak, grilled asparagus and grilled zucchini

S: pina colada pop

Sunday is my last day of the W30, I think. I started on June 2, so that should be right. I am trying to figure out what to do going forward. I will be honest with you all about this and I hope you won't judge me harshly for not staying paleo. I still have at least 25 lbs to lose, and it doesn't seem like this works well for weight loss for me, for whatever reason. I have learned a lot from doing it, and am glad I did it, but I don't think even paleo is something I can maintain long-term. However, I can and will incorporate what I have learned going forward, about eating more protein/fat so that I feel full between meals and snack less, if at all. I may go back to Weight Watchers, that old standby, but focus more on protein/fat/veggies than I would have previously, and much less on processed foods. I know a lot of you have had really good side effects from this way of eating, but I can't say I have noticed anything particular...sleep, skin, energy, digestion, etc...it all feels about the same. And as you know, the amount of meat I have been eating has caused a lot of conflict at home and I don't think it's feasible to keep it up at that level. You all have been wonderfully supportive and I really appreciate it, and I hope you'll still let me hang out.

--Katie

[CaseyD]

Jen, that sounds so stressful. Hey, if you find out they really are fleas (I'm hoping for this and NOT bedbugs!!!), let me know. We figured out the best way to handle fleas and some friends of ours just followed our advice to the letter and managed to get rid of them in a couple weeks. So apparently it works. Now we know we can get away with solving the flea problem in about $100. But that is if they turn out to be fleas.

Regardless of all this, stick to the healthy eating. Nothing makes a stressful situation worse than making yourself sick with food on top of it. And after all this clean eating, crappy eating will likely really mess you up. I think I can safely speak for all of us here when I say feel free to just dump the stress on us than attempt to eat it away.

So, wow, it really did hit 108 yesterday! But it wasn't that bad. You see, in St. Louis we are used to high humidity with our heat, which makes you feel like you're suffocating outside. It's been very dry here, so 108 didn't feel too bad. I actually got us outside and gardened a little while my daughter played in her pool. I could do summer like this. I'm sure the humidity will arrive soon, though.

Katie - you have to do what you feel is right for you. I feel clean eating (as in, sticking to whole foods) is the best thing to do probably for everyone on the planet, but I also think that could mean a variety of things for different people. I hope you find something that fits you perfectly and gives you the health you seek. I think the Whole30 is a great tool to learn what that could mean, but I think it isn't a one-size-fits-all thing by any means.

You might do well doing a paleo/whole food vegetarian thing and counting calories at the same time.

Donna - thanks for the links! Oh, and I forgot that my mom actually told me to come over this next week because she's off work. I'm just so used to it being the two of us that I am on autopilot. I borrowed the car today, so we'll probably venture to the park anyway to play in the fountain and wading pool.

Ok, to the food!

Yesterday:

B: eggs, bacon, sweet potato hash browns (I'm failing at this ultra low carb thing, oh well) and tomato

L and D: I made a taco beef soup from the back of ISWF. I added fire roasted tomatoes to it and it is amazing! So easy too!

I haven't weighed myself - I honestly don't think my weight is going down - but, my husband and I have both noticed that the cellulite I've had on the back of my legs since I was 12 is disappearing. That, to me, is MUCH better than any number on the scale. I can't believe it is going away. Even when I was riding my bike 100's of miles a few years back, this stuff hardly reduced. I was probably 20 pounds lighter back then and I still had all this cellulite. It is literally just disappearing!

That, and my skin is starting to clear up. I've been eating paleo for a while now, and that hadn't changed. So, I'm wondering what I had in my diet still that was causing my skin to break out. This is another thing that has plagued me since I was 12. I'm thinking 12 really did a number on me if 20 years later I'm still carrying it's burdens.

[kt1969]

Wow, quiet day. Donna, you out there? Jen?

Meals:

B: scrambled eggs with spinach, carnitas, nectarine

L: turkey salad on greens, carrots, Larabar

D: Well Fed pad thai

[Donna]

Hi Ladies....

Busy day running around in the heat here on east coast. Chores etc...I did however keep my foods clean.

I went to the gym and did weight training for one hour and walked 3 miles in the sweltering am heat....

Day 2 (yesterday) foods

B: Beef Jerky stick, peaches

L: Chicken salad with greens

S: mixed nuts

D: Salad greens, with portobello, shrimp, chicken

Katie:

If you don't feel this lifestyle is vastly improving things, you should definitely tweak it to your own. And of course, hang with us as you do that and explore a more vegan approach. This lifestyle has been the answer to a multitude of problems for me. It all started with auto immune disease (hashimotos, rosacea, gluten intolerance)....EVERYTHING has improved markedly....I definitely have an allergy to wheat, dairy, and sugar. If I didn't I wouldn't feel so awesome on this plan. I am slowly but surely regaining my old natural figure that was awash in puffiness, bloat and unexplained weight gains for the amount of food I was eating!

I hope everyone stays safe this weekend...remember it is the long July 4 weekend and the crazies are out drinking and driving

[jrustdc]

Katie, I definitely hope you will stick around - I will be finding my own way, too, and i think it really helps to have a supportive group of friends. That is part of what kept me from totally going off the rails this week, knowing I would be accountable to you guys (in a good way).

We're heading out of town in less than a week and the list of things at home (and work ) that have to happen first is terrifying. Even without the bug mess.

Yesterday

B: Standard egg/salsa/avo w coffee plus raspberries

S: Nuts

L: Tuna with mayo

Snacks: cucumber, apple w/ sun butter, paleo granola, and a couple ounces of wine

D: chicken salad with walnuts, cranberries, chives & W30 mayo

I forget if I already said this, but the off-roading I have been doing has a little sugar, and sometimes grain oils. No dairy, gluten, legumes, or other stuff. What is interesting is that one of those things (sugar or grain oil) is disturbing my digestive system a bit. I would have thought that those two wouldn't bug me where dairy or gluten probably would. However, 4th of July is coming up, and after that we're traveling for a month, so I probably won't hold a hard line on W30 but will be paying attention to how my body feels and tinkering. If I'm not feeling good once we come back I will do a hard core W30 for a reset.Of

Off to roast some veggies and go for sweet potato chip attempt #2 in the dehydrator.

[EllieBellie]

Do stick around, Katie! We're happy to support you however you decide to feed yourself! It's just food after all, and you know your body better than anyone. (Also, if it helps, I'm pretty sure I've not lost any weight either, so you're not the only one!)

It's Day 30 for me today, but I'm only off-roading for one day (*hopefully*) so it's no biggie. Apart from the lingering sugar addiction I've had a really fun and illuminating month, and I don't think I'll ever tire of eating coconut products!

Yesterday's grub...

Day 29

L - Leftover steak with green beans, olives and closed handful macadamias

D - Pork tenderloin, rubbed with paprika, chilli, garlic, cinnamon and ginger, served with spiced kale chips, 1/2 avocado and sauerkraut

I was so nervous about the tenderloin, having never cooked or eaten one before! I usually don't bother with pork products, because they're so easy to dry out. Also, it cost me a good proportion of the food budget because I was adamant it had to be happy piggy. But, it really was so tender and yummy, it's getting added to my dinner party repertoire.

I'm thinking that one of the ways I could incorporate W30 principles in my life would be to start experimenting with my own recipes. I know my fella would be up for the challenge, he is such a kitchen foodee! We've started looking at places to move into together when I get back to the UK, and our first priority is a flaming stovetop (no electric nonsense) and a set of good chef knives! I've been doing this W30 with one blunt knife, one chopping board, a bent frying pan and a crooked oven tray... I cannot wait to be reunited with my kitchen equipment that's in a huge box at my parents' house (my boyfriend refers to it as my dowry!).

Happy weekend, everyone!

[CaseyD]

Ok, I'm in the middle of a fun-filled day, but a pause was necessary for my daughter to take a nap...

Yay Ellie!! Great job finishing your Whole30!! Sounds like the cookware is going to make eating this way much nicer. Yikes, a blunt knife. I think I would have just gone mad one day if that was me!

Yesterday:

B/L: hamburger salad with lots of avocado

D: salmon with kale chips and sweet potato with coconut oil.

There are two festivals going on by us today. Twice a year, the city closes down a route so bikes can just ride through and they have a lot of bands and vendors set up. We did that all morning. This afternoon, our neighborhood business district is doing their annual festival, so that street is shutdown for all that. It's neat that these two things were coordinated to happen on the same day and in our area. It's 102 now, so I think we'll probably just sit under the sprinklers at the festival.

[kt1969]

Hey, I was just having a thought...are you ladies on Facebook? If so it might be fun to start a closed group on there, so we can keep up with each other without clogging up the forum, now that everyone is pretty much done with their W30.

[Donna]

Ellie....is your partner from the UK or US? Why are you in the US again....is it work? I forgot.....

Casey....102! Sprinklers wouldn't even cool you at that level of heat. Is their humidity as well? We were hot but dry here for a change...96 so it wasn't that horrible.

Katie!!!! Great idea...I am on FB. If everyone agrees we can PM you our last names and we can do the private group thingie.

Food today Day 3

B: Bacon....and I mean just bacon!

L: chicken with peppers, mayo, almond slivers

D: Salad, small amt of compliant sausage and veggies

I ran 4 miles today and walked 1 mile.

[CaseyD]

It has been really dry, so the heat is tolerable. We spent a lot of time outside today, but fortunately there were sprinklers everywhere. Staying soaking wet helped.

The FB thing sounds great to me. I'll send you a pm Katie with my last name (even though I was using it on here for a long time so I guess it's not a big secret ;-).

I honestly have no idea what day I'm on, and tomorrow is the first of the month, so I'm just going to start counting over at this point. I think it works better for me to not think of a beginning or an end. I figure if July passes, it's safe to say I've done more than a Whole30 at that point. ;-)

So, today:

B: homemade sausage, egg and sweet potato hashbrowns

L: avocado and some ground beef, and lots of water

D: we ate at Red Robins and I managed to make a burger W30 compliant (unless I was lied to!), and lots of water

The heat kind of kills your hunger!

Donna, running 4 miles in 96 degree weather is no joke. I don't usually ride my bike in temps above 90-92, and that generates wind! Hats off to you, lady!

[CaseyD]

Oh, I just realized if you go to your personal fb page, you can cut and paste the link. That might help to pass that info along to set this FB group up.

I sent you a pm, Katie

[kt1969]

I just tried to create the group, and it looks like I can only add people I am friends with. You guys wanna be my friends? PM me your link or full name or whatever [link is probably safest since there are a million people with every name, it seems]. I'll try to friend you and then I'll get it started!

[kt1969]

You women exercising in this heat are very impressive! I walked the dog at 11:30pm last night bc it finally got cool enough to move. I am not good in the heat.

Today:

B: scrambled eggs with spinach, carnitas, blueberries

L: leftover well fed pad thai

D: Oven fried curried chicken fingers [recipe here: http://delightfultastebuds.com/2011/05/04/oven-fried-curried-chicken-fingers/], steamed sugar snap peas , and salad [also CSA lettuce].

Wow, only one more day! Hard to believe. After the first week or so it seemed to go very fast. I am going to weigh myself on Monday morning. Would love to see 10lbs but am guessing the best I will do is 8 and it could be as little as 6. We will see!