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Starting Whole 30 Today! (2nd timer, first time=>holidays, 2016)


TeeAycherson

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Hi all!

This is my second Whole 30 and I am wrapping up Day 1.

I did my first Whole 30 over the Holidays (!!) back in 2016 after talking to a fellow soccer mom on the sidelines about it. She had mentioned not being able to go out for beers with some folks and I had noticed that she had was glowing and gorgeous and had dropped a bit of fluff. When I asked her why the break from booze (we spent last Halloween with her family and she was the first to break out a flask of sipping whiskey on our walk!), she told me all about the Whole 30. My reaction was equal parts intrigue and "no way", but I had just had a baby in April and was feeling way to fluffy myself, so a few weeks after our conversation, I decided to give it a go. It was hard.. I had a lot of dinner for breakfast.. and I had to conjure super human strength not to steal Halloween candy from my kids and eat half of the Christmas cookies I made for our tree decorating, but I had a lot of fun making our Whole 30 compliant Thanksgiving Feast (passing on the pie? not so much).

Long story short, my first Whole 30 freed me from these skin colored bumps I got on my temples (little pimples), night time bloating (it was painful y'all), the END of my chronic UTI (it was just a constant thing), and I dropped 16 pounds while never ever feeling hungry and not working out other than yoga once per week. That was big. Huge. The end of my chronic UTI. It made me want to cry. Not looking pregnant at night! Yeeees! Not packing the baby weight around... again, so much yes.

Fast forward to the present day: almost exactly two years later I find myself a 39 year old graduate student in her second year while raising three high schoolers and a pre-schooler. This past year has provided me with my first gray hairs (like, a giant festering patch right up front), reading glasses (hello 100 pages of reading and endless screen time everyday), and a stubborn 16 pound weight gain that will. not. come. off. with exercise.

I love learning, but I hate balancing a graduate student work load with raising four kids with this crazy age gap and the weird, weird process of aging. It sucks and I have been eating like &*$# to "fuel" and "reward" myself through this craziness. My body feels puffy, painfully bloated every night, my UTI is back (currently on antibiotics that are killing my stomach), my brain is foggy, my Barre3 workouts are not yielding the results they used to, I am tired, I never want to have sex (hello, when my belly hangs over the top of my undies, I am hiding), and just feeling plain toxic.

SO. It is time for another Whole 30 and if I am feeling it at the end, will extend it to a Whole 60 because I need a major habits shift and I had read that it takes 60 days to wire in new habits (the internet says so many things... ). It is a crazy time to start a Whole 30 with all the time I don't have to meal prep and with how easy it is for my tasks to snowball out of my control, but I need a reset because I do not see how I can keep going at the pace I need to to complete my program and parent these amazing kiddos feeling the way I do.

So anyway, I am hoping to use this forum as a bit of a Whole 30 journal and if anyone finds anything they resonate with here, please let me know! The Whole 30 is a freaking challenge and the more awareness we have of others facing the same challenges as us on any given day, the more strength we can draw for ourselves to help us keep nailing those good choices. 

 Alrighty, I am off to do those Whole 30 dishes (those are no effing joke) and all the homework I didn't do this weekend in favor of spending time with my family and mentally prepare myself for that Whole 30 Day 2 'hangover'!

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I think there is a place for Whole 30 Logs, but I am just going to keep this one for myself right here. Awkward public journal accountability thing...

DAY 2:

Experienced no "day 2-3 hangover" probably because I felt like toxic shit when I started this thing, so it is probably only up from here! I noticed a little heartburn, which is weird, and felt hyper-aware of just how many impressively descriptive food commercials they play on the radio during evening rush hour traffic (apple pie milkshake from Burgerville, anyone?), which was not weird. I did a fantastic job of planning and packing my lunch Sunday night, so I felt full of yummy food all day.  Also of note; no extreme bloating tonight so far and no feeling gross after anything I ate today. One other bonus is that while I am into this whole caring-for-myself thing, I am interested in going to bed earlier and even happily drank a cup of tea. Usually, I wish tea were either coffee (in the am) or booze (in the pm), but tonight tea was A-ok. Twinges of cravings, but no internal fighting over it.

Sweet. Bring it on day 3.

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7 hours ago, TiffanyH said:

so I felt full of yummy food all day.  Also of note; no extreme bloating tonight so far and no feeling gross after anything I ate today. One other bonus is that while I am into this whole caring-for-myself thing, I am interested in going to bed earlier and even happily drank a cup of tea. Usually, I wish tea were either coffee (in the am) or booze (in the pm), but tonight tea was A-ok. Twinges of cravings, but no internal fighting over it.

Hi, Tiffany!  I enjoyed reading your story and all of the amazing improvements you experienced with your whole30 a few years back.  I'm on Day 30 of my first attempt, but I am also extending it - up to 65 days, which takes me right before Thanksgiving.  I'll jump on a 2nd round after Tgiving, which will take me up to Xmas, and then start another round and see how far I want to take it.  I have a long way to go in health and fat loss, as well as correcting years of bad habits.

A comment you made in your first post really resonated with me: rewarding/fueling/powering yourself through hard work/late nights with treats of some kind.  I work from home and I work far beyond 40 hours/week, and so food has been that for me: a way to bribe myself to stay at my desk late and accomplish this or that.  A big Starbucks latte with a rice krispy bar and maybe a donut?  Sure, that's a nice trade-off.  My first few days of w30 were challenging, because they revealed just how much I was leaning on food/snacking/sweets to give me the "boost" I so desperately needed (especially when my sleep was so compromised).    With w30, I likewise began to feel tired at night, 9pm-ish, when I'd normally catch my 2nd wind and work into the wee hours (still getting up at 630 to make breakfast see my daughter off to school).   Now, I look forward to going to bed and reading, and falling asleep within the first few pages - where my mind would previously race.

Lastly, your comment above hit a note with me as well: when fueling ourselves with the meal template (LOTS of veggies and the 3 squares a day, no sweetened coffee coursing through the veins all day), we can recognize true physical hunger in comparison to the "want" to eat/snack.  It's somewhat jarring to start, but now I'm appreciating it more than ever.  My husband has a major sweet tooth (recently diagnosed diabetic, he snacks on sugar-free jello/pudding, still always looking for that sweet hit/sugar dragon), and my kids both drive and like to pick up/bring home fast food, so I'm faced with significant temptation.  In fact, right now, there is a plate of brownies (leftover from a batch I made for my visiting uncle/chocoholic), and a plate of homemade cookies (delivered last week from the neighbors). I enjoyed smelling the brownies baking, but I never even considered sneaking a bite or a taste.  I made up my mind to see what w30 can do for me and my chronic complaints/afflictions, and being fueled so well, I can identify how much of that desire for sweets is all in the mind.

Good luck to you!  And thank you again for sharing.

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Day 3 in the books...

Today was awesome in that I did not feel like I needed to snack constantly throughout the day to feel full like I usually do (thank you dense nutrition!), I didn't find it super challenging to eat, and still have not had to battle the inner sabateur interested in eating cookies to solve problems.

However, I did have some "pass the *&^%#$ cookie" moments while trying to make sense of a professor's rubric, looking at my to do list for the rest of the week, and clean my house this morning. I recognized that urge for what it was though, and as such, it passed pretty quickly and without any residual pining. I did have a short fuse with my husband, but not sure I can blame that on Day 3. Besides, Day 4 is "Kill All The Things" Day, right?

Looking forward to Chameleon Vanilla Cold Brew with some Nut Pods tomorrow am and a plate of eggs, potatoes, and Frank's Red Hot. I gotta good feeling about Day 4!

happy feel good GIF

Michelle (I don't know if you can tag on here) : The W30 is a wicked wise teacher, isn't it? It sounds like you approached your experience with an iron will and mind wide open! So impressed by your resolve to make brownies for a loved one and not take a finger dip! I am also trying to get to bed when I feel tired and not treat myself up when I feel I need to rally to get work done once my kids are in bed. This second time around it has been much easier for me to recognize when I am looking to distract myself with sweets when I feel stressed by work or family and when I am getting the urge to use sugar as a quick energy boost to keep me going. Still working on cultivating mindfulness around root stressors and healthy ways to cope on the fly.

 

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Day 4:

Happy "Kill All The Things" Day to me!

I woke up this am on my husband's birthday ready to go out to B-day breakfast and ask annoying questions of the server, make good choices, and drink black coffee and totally succeeded! Eff. You. Pan. Cakes. I was a bit too sad when I read that the only hot sauce they had contained added sugar, but... there was salt, so I survived.

That is where the "good" portion of this post ends because I actually did want to kill all the things today... not necessarily because of dairy/sugar/bread detox, but because I was nailed with the stomach flu. It had been a brewing since last night and took all day to ramp up, but it had me at super grump status from the get go. I all but told one of my classmates his constant interrupting was totally not going to be tolerated by me today, literally rolled my eyes at a professor (who am I? I really hope she didn't notice!), and cried when it seemed like my husband didn't like his birthday card. Sweet.

I had to skip actual dinner, but did eat some cucumbers and spoon full of almond butter and some tea.

Good physical things to mention, though, now that I got my gripe on (see?): Much less puffiness in my face (like much less), much less bloatiness in my stomach (literally, belly didn't soggy pancake over the front of my pants today, nor am I filling the bed covers with farts I was unable to pass all day. TMI? Sorry... but this is MY journal!), and yeah... those are the only good things, but those things are pretty damn good, considering it is only day 4!

So yeah... keep the black coffee coming, but also, buzz off until day 15 or whatever, interrupting classmate.

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On 10/16/2018 at 10:27 PM, TiffanyH said:

(I don't know if you can tag on here) :

 

You definitely can tag people on the forum - just type the "@" symbol and their user name and it should come up. In Michelle's case, she has a special character in her user name which is making it difficult/not possible for people to tag her. I've sent her a note so that she's aware and can change that if she sees fit. For most people though, tagging with the @ symbol works just fine. :)

(Bummer about your stomach flu, hope you're feeling better!)

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Hi Tiffany,

I started my Whole 30 yesterday, so you are a few days ahead of me. This is my first time and I am very hopeful that this program is going to change my relationship with food. Even though you are a second timer, I feel connected to you story. I am also a mom of your age and back in school working on my Master's. I work full-time and go to school full-time while running this crazy household... So I know the daily hardship and struggle you are going through. I am a little scared of how am I going to do this without my comfort foods. I mean, I need my glass of red wine at night to calm down and my piece of chocolate to feel uplifted in this chaos. But I am trying to be positive, it is only 29 more days to go! :)

Good luck to you on this journey! 

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16 hours ago, ladyshanny said:

You definitely can tag people on the forum - just type the "@" symbol and their user name and it should come up. In Michelle's case, she has a special character in her user name which is making it difficult/not possible for people to tag her. I've sent her a note so that she's aware and can change that if she sees fit. For most people though, tagging with the @ symbol works just fine. :)

(Bummer about your stomach flu, hope you're feeling better!)

Thank you so much, @ladyshanny!!

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@renataczina, Thank you so much for reaching out! How far along are you on your master's journey? Isn't this the hardest thing ever to balance with family and work? Just when you finally get the kids down after working and dinner and playing and stories and clean up and family dynamics... you have to START homework!!!! This time in life is just really, really hard, but I we will get there if we just keep completing one tiny task at a time and be sure to fuel our bodies wisely.

I am trying to retrain my brain to think about 'treats' differently. At my age, it is really my body that is keeping me going IN SPITE of my mind, so I feel like it is MY BODY that deserved the treat... not my mind. My mind chooses sugar and wine for treats. I know that my body would choose more water, and avocado, and a sweet potato covered in lime juice and cilantro. I want to be able to keep going... graduate and have energy for my kids, my husband, and myself, and I think that rewarding my body over my mind is going to be what makes my current pace sustainable. The Whole 30 can be rough to stick with in times of stress and when you fall behind on meal prep-hello random thing or hunger for breakfast, but you learn quick not put off grocery shopping or food prep after a couple of these experiences! Just. Don't. Quit. I felt AMAZING at the end of my Whole 30 and I lost 16 pounds while eating as much as I wanted and not really working out. I felt renewed. And I am going for that now after 'treating' my mind every afternoon for my past year of grad school.

We can do this!

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Day 5:

Today was blah. I prepped my lunch for what felt like forever, got a late start, arrived at the high school where I student teach reluctant, but ready (and fueled by beta blockers... hello courage in a pill) to be filmed for a documentary highlighting the importance of inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms. However, when I arrived at school, I couldn't find the camera crew, my mentor teacher, or my advisors and my stomach flu was threatening hard. My mind chose that moment to rain down reminders of all of my looming deadlines I have yet to make any progress on this week and, with my hands full, someone walked by and asked me to hold a little fish tank while I waited in the empty hall outside a locked classroom door. Is "Cry About All The Things" a day? Because that was today. A grown freaking woman standing in the hall with a GIANT bag of food, four thermoses filled with coffee and water, a bag full of books, and a beta fish... alone... and crying. Hands full, eyes full (trying not to blink because I didn't have a free hand to wipe any tears off my cheeks).

Whatever though. I survived and when the camera finally rolled at me I talked. Full sentences even. I made it the rest of the day and now I am laying in bed furious at myself for staying up too late again as, along with eating clean, I am trying to get more sleep to try and end the toxicity I have been feeling these past several months. My food has been dialed, but sleep needs some work. If I am posting on this diary page late at night again, shame me.

Day 5 was not hard for me food choice-wise. I got the urge for honey toast and really felt like I deserved it as my toddler screamed at me for 15 straight minutes, but I resisted with pretty minimal effort. I remember my first Whole 30 being a lot harder the first five days, but I think that this time around perhaps I am familiar with the payoff I received for my efforts last time and I got my sights on that.  Reaching my rock bottom six days ago with the physical feelings might have also provided some momentum because the first time around, lets be real, I did it to lose weight. This time it is for health and I think that is a lot more motivating (yeah, duh, everybody says that... but I think it isn't bull-honky).

Anway, no complaints, food prep/choice wise, and the yay moment for the day was noticing that I woke up with a really flat tummy again. Flatter than it has been in months.  Onward... Hopefully with all THIS business behind me. sad cry GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants

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Day 6:

It is Friday night. I am a graduate student. I am a teacher. I am a toddler and teenager mom. I complied today. I am tired.

Yay moment of the day: I love, love, love roasted root vegetables topped with eggs and covered in avocado and hot sauce.... and I ate that for three (out of five) meals today. despicable me love GIF

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Day 7:

Today I woke up feeling pretty well rested and not hungry. Which is weird because I always wake up hungry. I had my usual breakfast of root veggie mix, eggs, and avo, along with extra fresh fruit and veg today to "try" and balance out all the roots I have been indulging in. I treated myself to an almond milk latte (yes, compliant milk) and was not hungry again until after my Barre3 class ended at 2pm.

During that barre class (I go 2-3 times per week and have been for the past year and a half or so), I felt pretty amazing. I still had to take breaks, but not nearly as much as I have had during the past month or so. One reason I knew I had to do this W30, was that, despite my regular barre-ing (that sh#$ is no joke) I was beginning to feel weaker, not so good in class, and my yoga pants were expanding in all the wrong places. I think the lack of sleep and the sugar and dairy overdoses (chocolate and cheese!) were just poisoning the life out of me. Today I felt fu#%$ng on fire and it is no coincidence. Also, I could be imagining that the muffin top was not trying to escape its spandex prison today, but probably not.

It's day 7 and something great is going on inside this body. I read on a W30 blog the other day that food boredom was a serious issue on this thing... it was hard not to reply, "you're doing it wrong then" because I made some bomb Tom Kha soup tonight and cravings continue to bother me in blips. They come and then they instantly go. Intense little blips, but blips nonetheless. Oh wait: I do think that I want to be careful of my new attachment to almond butter. I think I may be using it like candy and so I am going to watch that. It is a great, quick snack in a pinch, but I had way too many spoonfuls today.

One. Week. Down. No. Problem.no problem thumbs up GIF

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Day 8:

Today I had planned to go to the pumpkin patch with my four kiddos and husband, when I suddenly realized that I am doing a Whole 30 and that I would not be able to eat apple cider donuts, drink cocoa, and follow up it up with their fresh, hand-cut fries and a candy apple and I was like, "Hold the phu#%ing phone. I am not going." Food. I love food. I love eating. I love food as experience. But it is so enlightening to for me to see just how attached I am to certain (unhealthful) foods in particular situations or when feeling certain feelings. A lot of the feelings based attachments, this time around, have been easy for me to spot, give a nod to, and will my way past, but the food things that are tied to "place" and experience, that I feel give a certain situation half its value are harder make changes around.

I finally deemed my "eff going to the p. patch" choice silly, but when I went to rally the fam (three teens and a preschooler), no one even wanted to go! And then I was bummed.. a little, but also a little relieved :) The compromise? We all go out for pastries at our fave bakery and DRAW pumpkins. What the ?! Normally, this would have been a golden suggestion from my husband, but freaking really?! :lol: To this, I responded, "The dog and I will meet you there." and the dog and I RAN to the bakery and I brought my own Whole 30 approved Nut Pods hazelnut coconut creamer to put into my coffee because eff if I was going to miss out on some pumpkin themed action in October (my fave) because I can't have a sugar soaked piece of bread. And drawing pumpkins with my whole family was awesome. Just awesome. I am a graduate student and my kids are 14, 14, and 18. We never sit down together outside of dinner time, so this day was more of a treat than I could have realized going in. Definitely one of the best times at a bakery I have ever had and I didn't even eat anything. See friends (me)? You can still have fun without the sugar bun and alcohol (ahem... me. I am talking to you, me.).

Day 8 W30 timeline suggests that maybe bloating will be making my pants fit more snugly at this point. I think that is not happening for me this time around because I ate a pretty healthful vegetarian diet before starting this journey and so the only shock to the system is the removal of the sugary treats each afternoon and the onslaught of cheese everyday I cooked dinner. Also wine and old fashioneds... those are gone, too. But fruits and veggies were there and not much processed food. One 'rule' I am tempted to break is the scale rule, but we'll see. I kind of loved the surprise of how much weight came off last time and I kind of like not being motivated (aware or not) by any numbers on a scale. Hmmm. So there... I just processed myself out of breaking that rule. Anywhoooo....

Physical things check-in: I felt most energetic on my run to the bakery and I am currently basking in the delayed onset muscle aches from yesterday's barre work out. Feeling so, so much better than I was nine days ago and abstaining from my husband's birthday cake, the pumpkin patch pitfalls, and the bakery's bounty is a tiny, tiny price to pay for feeling this way. Also, still no fart parade at night/bloating during the day (so much yes!) and under eye bags are still diminished (also sweet). I have not EVEN been drinking enough water though. At least my fruit, veg, kombucha, and tea consumption is higher.

Goal for improvement: more leafy greens, more water going down this hatch. funny water GIF by America's Funniest Home Videos

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Day 9:

Today I came home from a full day of classes and meetings with classmates, tired and starving. I blended a banana with some blueberries and almond milk to quell the hunger beast before I had to break out the veggies for tacos for the fam (no shells for me). I wanted to kill all the things. TODAY was kill all the things day.

Day 9 and 10 are supposed to be the days one is most likely to quit the W30 and I felt that. Just one slice of bread... Just one mouthful of chocolate chips... just one drink of whiskey cocktail... just one whole freaking cherry pie! Kill all the things. I also felt all farty for the first time in 8ish days and I think it might be because I ate a bunch of berries right before my main lunch dish today... fruit trapped in the gut behind starchy veg=fartastic afternoon. Eat your fruit separately, folks.

I did not prep food for tomorrow yet and I am behind with my grocery shopping for day two of the "two hardest days", so we will see how that goes! Also, proctoring state testing for Oregon seniors as part of their graduation requirements. I expect a train wreck of a day, but perhaps it will make for a more eventful journal post.

At least my skin looks great ( a noticeable upgrade in quality) and my pants are still fitting better. Starting to be able to feel and sort of see more of the muscle I know has been hiding under the puff for the past several months. One of my kiddos pointed it out yesterday.

Still didn't drink more water... fart GIF by matthewjocelyn

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On 10/18/2018 at 11:01 PM, TeeAycherson said:

I am trying to retrain my brain to think about 'treats' differently. At my age, it is really my body that is keeping me going IN SPITE of my mind, so I feel like it is MY BODY that deserved the treat... not my mind. My mind chooses sugar and wine for treats. I know that my body would choose more water, and avocado, and a sweet potato covered in lime juice and cilantro.

This is FABULOUS, @TeeAycherson!   I think that's a huge bridge to making w30 work, that decision to care for your body (and mind) with nutrient-dense and nourishing foods (despite how the petulant inner-child whines).

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On 10/20/2018 at 11:15 PM, TeeAycherson said:

Day 7:

Today I woke up feeling pretty well rested and not hungry. Which is weird because I always wake up hungry. I had my usual breakfast of root veggie mix, eggs, and avo, along with extra fresh fruit and veg today to "try" and balance out all the roots I have been indulging in.

I read on a W30 blog the other day that food boredom was a serious issue on this thing... it was hard not to reply, "you're doing it wrong then" because I made some bomb Tom Kha soup tonight

@TeeAycherson - a big AMEN on food boredom!  I never felt bored, just a bit overwhelmed (because of my schedule, fitting cooking in as an everyday event was daunting).  But for the most part, I stocked up the fridge/pantry, no recipes in mind, decided what I was craving, and made that w30-compliant.  SO many good meals, some I'll repeat, and some of the best were just thrown together.

I love my root veggies, but always make sure to have a larger serving of leafy greens, even just steamed OR wilted beneath whatever hash/egg combo I make = so simple to get them in that way.  I also love veggies with egg and avocado; have you tried nutritional yeast?  I absolutely ADORE it on avocado and eggs.

Also, HURRAH for awakening rested AND not hungry!  From experience and tutelage, it's likely your non-famished state is due to a more balanced blood sugar/balanced hormones, eating those balanced meals with plenty of veggies, protein, and fat.  Way to go!   

I finished my round last week, went 2 more days, then took 3 days off while traveling.  Nothing I enjoyed gave me that boost/lift I used to previously believe was what I needed...  and the w30 meals I make taste SO MUCH BETTER than anything I can buy elsewhere.  I'm back on, R2D2.

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Day 11

Today was a trying day, but I made it. I hadn't done any food prep, but survived on some quick bone broth with an egg and some mushrooms dropped into it, some avocado, and some strawberries with hazelnut Nut Pods Creamer dumped over it. It was actually really freaking good, but sorta lacking in the roughage department! I made a huge pan of asparagus, broccoli, and tomato to much on with my meals over the past two days, but so far those greens aren't

working any magic. The pipes are feeling a bit sluggish, if I am totally honest. I know I need more leafies and berries and water. 200w.gif?cid=3640f6095bd15fc378366c4c6f2

Things have just been really busy and it is hard to keep up at this moment. Seem to have lost my footing a bit.... ah, this schedule is whack and cooking is hard each day, but I am determined to get it back.

I am sick today, which doesn't help matters, but I still feel a lot less toxic than when I started this thing and even though I am feeling a bit bloated for the first time since the start, my pants are still fitting better than they were and I still have more energy than I did before, so I am focusing on that.

Goal for tomorrow is to look up more breakfast recipes (need to get some chia seeds for chia pudding), and just eat a giant salad and drink a bin of water and berries. Also to cook something proper... Day 10 and 11, hardest days of W30 officially behind me. Craving a little ice cream? Yeah. I kind of am, but it took me 11 days and I am impresses AF by that!

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On 10/24/2018 at 11:19 PM, TeeAycherson said:

Goal for tomorrow is to look up more breakfast recipes (need to get some chia seeds for chia pudding)

Hi @TeeAycherson - hate to be the bearer of bad news but chia seed pudding is not permitted on the program. And in my personal experience the chia seeds can actually make constipation worse.

Here's an excellent forum thread discussing it and why it's not permitted.

 

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Thank you so much for chiming in there, @ladyshanny... I did read that thread and learned of a woman who began this program as a vegetarian and had, ahem, the same issue I am having. I have been a vegetarian for the past year, so my body is not at all used to eating meat and not eating fermented soy and tons of bean-ey veg things. I am not sure why I totally didn't take that into account while puzzling over my digestion.

Ok, so no chia.

Day 12

Today I fantasized about toast with a pool of melted butter, but I ate an epic bar instead and a small glass of kombucha as my pre-cooking dinner after a long day at work and picking up the baby from day care snack and felt great after that. Good feelings. No post-work-pre-dinner toast required. Gotta remember that. Toast is not required for my body to be happy :lol: Breakthrough day! Get outta here, toast.

 

toast GIF by 100% Soft

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10 hours ago, TeeAycherson said:

 

Day 12

Today I fantasized about toast with a pool of melted butter, but I ate an epic bar instead and a small glass of kombucha as my pre-cooking dinner after a long day at work and picking up the baby from day care snack and felt great after that. Good feelings. No post-work-pre-dinner toast required. Gotta remember that. Toast is not required for my body to be happy :lol: Breakthrough day! Get outta here, toast.

 

I would morph that craving into:

a baked sweet potato with a few globs of GOOD ghee melting down over the top (Gather Superfoods has  brown butter ghee that is DEE-LICIOUS; I also love Ancient Organcis)

--OR ---

mashed root veggies/potatoes infiltrated with ghee.  I cook roughly diced root veggies/potatoes (celery root with potato is great!  so are rutabaga and turnip) in my InstantPot (pressure cooker) for 7 minutes, quick-release the steam, then plop in ghee and a bit of almond/coconut milk creamer (unflavored of course) and some good sea salt.  Super buttery and indulgent and compliant, and scratches that butter itch!

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@MichelleCA Ummm... those are BRILLIANT solutions! THANK YOU so much for sharing those craving quenchers! I have yet to purchase any ghee yet this time around. I am not sure why I haven't! I have been plopping down Nut Pods into things and that adds some of the creamy texture I have sometimes been missing, but these two things sound most excellent! I have a traditional stove top pressure cooker that I am terrified of, but that really got me through my last W30. I think I may invest in the Instant Pot before holiday season hits because it seems so much more simple to use. I literally do not let my kids in the kitchen when the pressure cooker is on! I know its not unsafe, I mean its a newer one, but still.

How have you been since being back from your trip and beginning round 2?

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Day 13

Ok, so I have hit the days that cravings are supposed to be super intense, and yeah, yesterday that arrived right on time in the form of a total brain take over by toast and butter. Today I wanted a burger bad, so I went to a nice place and ordered the dang burger, took everything off of it, and ate the meat patty (piedmontese grass fed beef topped with (sugar free) prosciutto) naked and it all the spots. That was my first burger since last December and it was so good.

So far a shot of sparkle water or kombucha consumed preemptively have kept cravings manageable, but I feel like my W30 form (prep and planning) has slipped a bit and that my be giving the cravings a bit more room to exist. Good thing its friday and my husband and three out of four kids will be out of town this weekend leaving me plenty of time to plan and prep and get my head right. As much as homework and the three year old allow, anyway.

My school schedule is just really intense and all that I am juggling is very stressful right now. Mommy guilt is at full tilt and I am tired so early on in the evening but I still don't go to bed. I feel like I have had a lot more energy on just one cup of coffee during the days though, and so I know that kicking sugar, dairy, legumes, and grains out of my diet has been a very good thing for me, so I will use that fact to keep me going with the meal prep and the effort it takes me mentally to not eat like total sh$t as a reward for all I do.

Ok, Day 13.. you're in the freaking bag! Goal for tomorrow- more fruits and tea. Today mad meat and veggie, but I always feel best when I have some solid fruit intake. grapes eating GIF

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15 hours ago, TeeAycherson said:

@MichelleCA Ummm... those are BRILLIANT solutions! THANK YOU so much for sharing those craving quenchers! I have yet to purchase any ghee yet this time around. I am not sure why I haven't! I have been plopping down Nut Pods into things and that adds some of the creamy texture I have sometimes been missing, but these two things sound most excellent! I have a traditional stove top pressure cooker that I am terrified of, but that really got me through my last W30. I think I may invest in the Instant Pot before holiday season hits because it seems so much more simple to use. I literally do not let my kids in the kitchen when the pressure cooker is on! I know its not unsafe, I mean its a newer one, but still.

How have you been since being back from your trip and beginning round 2?

Hi!  So glad the suggestions resonate with you.  Mashed root veg/potatoes, a big batch of them from the pressure cooker, with lots of ghee and salt (and sometimes garlic) have been a life-saver, satisfying and versatile (beneath some juicy meatballs, or chicken/gravy - nom nom paleo has an Instant Pot roast chicken with a gravy that is created from the cooking process, just blend it with arrowroot or tapioca - DIVINE).  

Speaking of, YES, Instant Pot all the way!  They are so super cheap now, too.  Mine is about 6 years old - bought it when I was vegan and cooking a lot of beans/grains.  It has been used countless times, and I've definitely received my return on investment (it was $120 or so when I bought it, but they are now $80 I think?!).  Go for it!  And yesK, I told my family DO NOT TOUCH Instant Pot whenever it's on, unless they ASK me first.  My kids are older, but no problems so far!  And invaluable when you are busy - even for making roast potatoes/root veg: you can cook them 5 minutes, quick release, then plop them on a pan with some pastured duck fat, roast at a high temp till crispy.  MUCH faster than roasting completely in oven.  Currently, my fave w30 meal is to cook a seasoned/marinated pork shoulder in the IP for 70-90 minutes (depending on size), then broil it to get a crisp skin.  FAR better than the 8-10 hours it would take to slow cook it.  Serve with a citrus-y slaw and some tostones, YUM!  Even my picky teenage daughter loves the pork roast, and my son makes a sandwich out of it.

Thanx for asking!  Day 6 of Round 2, all good!  Need groceries and a bit financially drained right now, so biding my meals carefully... 

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On 10/24/2018 at 11:19 PM, TeeAycherson said:

The pipes are feeling a bit sluggish, if I am totally honest. I know I need more leafies and berries and water.

I meant to mention also:  I would go full-on with leafy veggies.  No matter what you have, throw a few handfuls of baby spinach, or even lettuce as the base of your plate - I have ZERO problems with digestive issues on w30, because none of the glue-y gluten is being consumed to clog up the pipes, and the amount of hydration and roughage makes everything like clockwork.  More veggies!  Coleslaw is a great option because you can load it with compliant mayo and spices and some slivered apple for sweetness, and it is FABULOUS with steak or roast or ribs...

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Day 14

matthew broderick books GIF

Cravings continued to come in hot today. I fought the buggers off, but seriously need to be on guard because sheesh... I almost raised the eff it flag today for a tiny bowl of gelato and a bagel! Ok, rather than be "on guard", I think I will try more of the zen approach I had going on at the beginning of this thing. Just like a water bug floating down the river... going with the flow and observing all that is. Expect that water bugs are actually hella on guard... bad example?:lol:

I made a yummy curry sauce I can pour over anything today, so that saved me and I will rely on it to last me the weekend. Thank goodness for cans of coconut milk and (compliant, locally made) ready-made curry paste! Tomorrow marks halfway... NSV check in: no more blackheads on my temples, still have my evened out, smoother skin tone all over, pants fitting WAY better and I am noticing more and more shape changes (that only I would notice, I think, but still), and increased clarity of mind.

Still really need to work on that sleeping and hydration piece though. Oh and the cortisol reduction piece.... oh well, one thing at a time, eh?!

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