Psyching up for a December W30!

[Jim4884]

14 hours ago, hollysmokes said:

@Jim4884 are you W30-ing right now?

 

5 hours ago, kirbz said:

I am struggling quite a bit with what to do after Whole30. I don't know how I want to eat for the long term. I don't know if I want to try for something Paleo-like, or if I want to have my diet informed by my reintroductions. I think I want to try for Paleo. But, even then, I'm thinking it will only be 90-95% of the time. Because an occasional trip to Red Robin is going to happen! LOL. 

Have you guys given much thought to life after Whole30? What do you think that will look like for you? 

I have not been doing a formal Whole 30 with you guys, I forget why I originally chimed in, but I have been enjoying reading and replying now and then.  I want to be clear that I am not a moderator or anything, but I am a big proponent of the Whole 30 approach, and love to share my experiences and positive results.

Life after Whole 30?  For me, that mostly means following the Whole 30 rules forever, but with a bit of a more relaxed rigor.  I never try to deceive anyone, but if people ask about my diet (like at work, when I'm seen in the break area preparing my breakfast and/or lunch, which I do most every day), I explain that I basically do not eat sugar, grains, dairy, or legumes (or drink alcohol).  And that is how I approach it in my mind - I don't eat any of those things, but I make exceptions based on two main factors: 1, how far from the whole 30 guidelines a given food item might be; and 2, is it worth it?  A couple of beers with some friends on a Friday happy hour?  Worth it.  The donuts someone left in the above mentioned break room?  SO not worth it.  Walkers Wood Jerk Marinade - the last ingredient listed is sugar, I use maybe a teaspoon of that seasoning on a pound and a half of chicken, it's not sweet to me at all, no chance of triggering the sugar dragon - worth it.  Ordering a salad with grilled chicken in a restaurant, asking them to leave off the cheese but not ask about the oil in the dressing?  I'm OK with that.  Getting a burger and fries at a fast food place for convenience? (which I used to do VERY often) - not worth it.  You get the idea.  I definitely considered myself a Paleo eater.  I enjoy cooking and am willing to put in extra effort to eat more cleanly, but I also have learned what effort there is worth it for me and what is not (i.e. I make my own mayo and breakfast sausage, but I'm OK with buying that jerk seasoning.)

Happy to dialog further with anyone who is interested, PM me and we can trade e-mails.  I've been eating this way for about a year and a half now, including two completely compliant Whole 30's with official re-intros, which I HIGHLY recommend.  Also, the other Whole 30's I have done, someone in the group created a thread in the "Life After Whole 30" section, as the moderators (wisely) prefer there not be too much discussion of non-compliant foods in the "active" Whole 30 section of the forums.  Maybe I'll see if I'm smart enough to figure out how to do that and post a link here  (yes, here: 

Once again, happiest of holidays wished to all...

[hollysmokes]

Haha @LadyLisbette as long as it was just the sound of doom and not actual doom! Don't let perfection get in the way of good and you done good! Your duck and chutney sounds like a cooking adventure gone good, too. I shallow-fried my tostones and I've been straining the oil and storing it in the fridge for reuse. The tostones use REALLY green plantains and they are very firm but I've used them with a hint of yellow and they were fine. I also love the really ripe, all black ones that are softer and you can just pan fry them in ghee. They are so sweet, sticky, gooey and delicious. I think I would have to have enough people around to eat most of them; it could absolutely be a food-with-no-brakes for me. My mom hadn't had tostones in many years and she said they were perfect; just like she remembered her mother making.

Is your two-minute drive to the park something you could walk and just incorporate it into your hike? Reading all of the Katy Bowman stuff is inspiring and she walks everywhere: grocery, work, coffee in the morning. I don't have that ability; I'm 10 miles up a windy country road with no shoulders or sidewalks and lots of cars going too fast. I see bicyclists sometimes and it makes me crazy because it is SO dangerous for everyone involved. I have to stick to our street but it's not very long. Two laps plus the trip up and down the driveway is a smidge short of 3 miles.

I didn't think there was such a thing but I found something that brown butter ghee does NOT make better: buffalo wing sauce. Blech! I made buffalo wings in the new air fryer (major success) but I made my sauce with the bb ghee because that was what I had on hand, I was being lazy and didn't want to clarify more butter. Yeaah...big mistake. My mom and husband had the real deal sauce and said it was terrific. Anyway, I just wanted to pass that tidbit of info along so no one else makes that mistake. On the other hand, horseradish sauce made from homemade mayo instead of sour cream is great! Our Christmas prime rib was perfectly cooked and so delicious! I kept the rest of our dinner simple and just roasted some cauli and brussels with garlic and herbs d'Provence plus a baked sweet potato to add some color.

Aside from my NYE wine, I haven't decided how I'm going to re-intro this time. I did it slowly and carefully last time and didn't discovered any food sensitivities or allergies. My take-home message from this go-'round is portion control, more veggies, more movement and way less mission creep. The mission creep is what gets me but I did better after my W60 last year so I think this W30 nudge back on the straight and narrow is what I needed. I hadn't seen my mom since August and she thought I looked slimmer-NSV!! She also admired the momentum I've built (also NSV) and is being motivated by it. We're planning another trip up here for her in March so we're going to keep each other motivated until then and see what we can accomplish. She was pretty impressed with herself (she's 80) for completing 3 back-to-back days of 3 mile walks. I'm hoping she can do 5 miles by the time she gets back up here and, hopefully, the weather will be a little more cooperative.

 

[kirbz]

Alright, as I'm officially done, here are my results! Though I do plan to continue my Whole30 through the end of the week. I may then try reintroducing some legumes, or I may stay Whole30 a bit longer...  

Weight Loss: 15.0 lbs

NSVs: 

• Clearer, glowing skin with fewer blemishes
• Leaner appearance and flatter tummy 
• Less painful joints 
• Fewer sugar cravings 
• Healthier relationship with food
• More nutrition in my diet 
• Energy levels are slightly more stable throughout the day 
• Learned new recipes and cooking skills (and tried new cooking gadgets) 

General Thoughts:

I'm starting to think that a Paleo-ish lifestyle can be sustainable for me. Breakfast was honestly one of my biggest hangups, but I finally figured out something that works! Scrambled eggs and a mason jar of soup (which will be a rotation of Mel Joulwan soups)! Yay! 

There are a lot of things I wish I had done better. I didn't eat three full meals on many days. I didn't eat within an hour of waking on most days. And I didn't eat pre- and post-workout meals for the latter half of my Whole30. Despite all this, I learned a lot about what can be sustainable for me, which is honestly more important than the NSVs, so I'm trying to be gentle with myself. 

Anyway, I look forward to hearing about all of your successes as you finish up your Whole30! Finish strong! 

And, @Jim4884, thank you for your thoughts on life after Whole30 and for setting us up with a new page as we transition into Food Freedom! That was very kind of you! 

[LadyLisbette]

@hollysmokes I have much to learn about tostones! I can see them being a food with no brakes, for sure. When you use them green, do you smash thecoins first? I'm really in no position to indulge in such a dense carb, so I will probably only practice for special occasions...a slow process, for sure! It must have made you proud when yours came out just like your mother's mother's, how awesome!

The road to the Park is pretty treacherous...like where you live, there are a lot of bicyclists, and they take their lives into their handlebars. Our lives are in limbo at the moment, but I know that soon there will be a landslide of discovery, including about where my new neighborhood hikes will be. Meanwhile, I must not neglect the beloved trail where I currently live, and I keep hearing it's mossy and green, and the creeks are full and rushing, and I haven't been up there in an age. SO: it's time to be here now, and get myself up there to enjoy it while I can!

Your Christmas dinner sounds heavenly delicious. I've never cooked prime rib before. Horseradish made with mayo sounds great! I'll keep that in mind about the brown butter... The duck experience is making us curious about goose, so that may be the next big adventure. I'll ask my specialty meat market folks about that next visit. Have you ever cooked a goose?

Can you talk more about the mission creep? How will you nip that in the bud if you sense it happening?

One aspect of re-intros I want to be more scientific about this time is grains. Staying compliant, adding grains only, and really paying attention there. Even though life is chaos right now, there is no reason I can't do careful re-intros all through January. W30 has taught me to prioritize keeping tubs of good food in the fridge. I can keep doing that! The tubs run low, make something else.

Tonight I steamed tamales for my husband, and while I had my back turned, the cat jumped on the table and face planted into the tub of sour cream. LOL! She had sour cream all over his whiskers. We don't know how long she was at it before we found her. I must admit, I do like sour cream, but I like mayo more.

@kirbz CONGRATULATIONS! That is an impressive weight loss, and list of NSVs, too! You had to be really creative and adaptable while being away from home so much, ad you did it, yay! Nice job.

8 hours ago, kirbz said:

I learned a lot about what can be sustainable for me, which is honestly more important than the NSVs, so I'm trying to be gentle with myself. 

Those two parts right there are gold. Together, maybe the ultimate NSV, yes? ... how we keep going after/in between Whole30-ing, it seems to me. I'm really happy for you!

Today I had such a satisfying lunch! I got up early to cook two salmon filets, and a pan of brussels/yams. I hurriedly tossed some of both, with more veg than I thought I would eat, and a dollop of mayo into a tub and dashed off to work. I ate it cold, and it was delish, and filled me up for five hours. The moral of the story = more veg.

[hollysmokes]

I'm with your cat, @LadyLisbette! I love sour cream and could definitely face plant it I've had my goose cooked before but I've never actually cooked one- sorry I couldn't help it; apparently Tigerblood has a deleterious effect on my sense of humor- yep, feeling awesome today! My dad used to do a goose every couple of years and I ate his once and really liked it. Like your duck, they have less meat than you think they would have for a bird that size. It's all dark meat, which I love but I don't know if I could convince my husband who is the white meat eater around our house. He whines if I use a whole chicken in chicken salad because he knows there's dark meat in it so I don't know if I'd spring for the price of a goose.

I'm with you on more veg, too! That's one of the things I've been working on this time. I just finished the last of my egg roll bowl with extra veg and 2 eggs, half of an avocado and a few blueberries. SO yum but I'm sad that it's gone and I'll have to cobble something together for tomorrow. I've been drinking more water, too and that feels good (except around 2 AM).

Tostones are definitely a food with no brakes for me; thankfully I have to make a special trip to an international grocery to find them. I only buy 2 plantains at a time and only make them when there are others to share them. I peel the green plantains and cut them in 1-inch chunks. Heat up about a half inch of oil in a skillet, stand them on end and fry until light golden, flip them over until light golden brown on the other side then remove from the pan and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Stand them on end and squash them with a meat pounder (my method) or the heel of your hand (my grandmother's method) then put them back in the hot oil to finish cooking and get a little more golden. Pull them out, salt them and try to wait until they're cool enough not to burn your mouth.

Speaking of food with no brakes, I just got some coconut butter (AKA coconut manna) and that may not be a good thing for me to keep in the house. That stuff is seriously delicious and I could easily sit down with the tub of it and a spoon. I need to set some limits on that- maybe as pre-workout only?

As far as my mission creep goes, before we started this W30, I thought I was being pretty compliant but I realized that I was letting bad habits sneak their way back in. Thankfully you nudged me back before I reached catastrophic failure! My portion size was slowly increasing, afternoon wine and stopping at the neighborhood watering hole for craft beer was routine and non-compliant ingredients were, little by little, showing up more often: a little fried food here, a slice (or 2) of pizza there. It was all starting to add up because I wasn't paying close attention. Or I was just in denial (more likely). My husband generally does a terrible job of explaining to anyone what I'm doing during a W30 but he surprised me this time and told some friends that asked why I wasn't out for a beer with him that I wasn't drinking and was only eating really good proteins and vegetables. Even though that's a simplification of what we're doing, it shone some light on what I hadn't been doing. Ah hah! So, awareness is my first step in keeping it from happening again. I think I might need to set some W30-style rules for myself, too, so I'm pondering what that will look like.

@kirbz that's a pretty significant weight loss! Congratulations on that and all of your NSV's as well. I know I've slimmed down but I haven't weighed myself since last March when I had to get weighed before zip-lining at Big Bend and I know I gained weight between then and this W30. I'm going to leave it at that and, like @MeadowLily says, "If the jeans fit, you must acquit!" and my clothes are fitting much better.

[kirbz]

@hollysmokes I'm sure you already said this but what recipe did you use for your egg roll in a bowl  breakfast? Did you use the one from Paleo Running Momma? I've been eyeing that for a while and am wondering if I should do it! 

Oh, and I'm totally with you on the coconut butter! So delicious! I use it as a pre-workout when I do something pretty intense and I use it when I'm on long hikes or snowshoe trips. It's become a go-to fat source for me! YUM YUM YUM! 

And I can also relate on needing more vegetables! I keep trying but still haven't been getting as many in as I would like. But I will keep trying and I have to remember how much better this is than what I was eating before. Which was Lucky Charms, Mac N Cheese, tubs of ice cream, etc. Like really, it was that bad! 

I'm also going to have to set some rules for myself. I'm not sure what those will look like but I definitely have the first one. No ice cream in the house. Ever. Not that I won't let myself have ice cream. But if I'm going to eat it, we need to make it a special occasion and go out for it. Otherwise, I will eat an entire 1.5 quart tub (I'm talking the BIG ones, not those puny, little ones) in one sitting. Three times a week. Yes, I did that before Whole30.

I have Food Freedom Forever and really need to read it. Have any of you read it? 

[hollysmokes]

Hey @kirbz, yep, that's the recipe. Do it! @LadyLisbette tried it first and swore by its deliciousness. I have to agree (my Mom too); we've all said it merits inclusion in our regular rotation.

My husband calls those ice cream containers single serving containers. Years ago I started getting ONE of those "puny, little ones" in an effort to downsize his single serving container and now when there is ice cream in the house (a rare treat) he manages to stretch it into 3 or 4 servings. I think I'm going to try your ice cream rule on wine. If I have it in the house, I automatically have some (not one) but if it's not there, I don't really miss it. 

I managed NOT to dive into the coconut butter when I got home yesterday but it's supposed to be 60 and beautiful this afternoon so I'm planning a long walk that will incorporate several trips up my crazy, steep, long driveway so I think I'll have ONE spoonful before I start. I really admire the amount of movement you incorporate into your life and, even though my walk this afternoon will not be what you would call intense, I'm still going to pre-ward myself with some manna! I don't usually like to have earbuds in when I walk but since I'm just going solo up and down my quiet, boring street, I think I'm going to try to listen to one of Katy Bowman's podcasts and see how that works out.

I haven't read any of MH's books; I've gotten all of my information from the website. I did subscribe to the daily emails on my first W30 and found those to be very helpful and encouraging. I saved them all and, even though the graphics are gone, the message is still there.

Happy Friday everyone!

[LadyLisbette]

Hi friends, the last couple of days, including now, feel like that part in a movie where all is in chaos. No one is in charge. And you don't know how the story will end. So I'm surrendering to not having any control (the house: the deal might or might not fall apart) and steadying myself for flexibility and peace with possible other options. On top of that, we are one down at work so it has been long hours since after xmas....but this morning I got up early to make the chicken apple sausage patties I mixed last night before I turned in, because all the tubs were empty and in the dishwasher and to check in here and get my head screwed on straight.

I've been feeling the old ghost of stress eating like a tiger nipping at my heels! ...but I had your conversations in my head @hollysmokes and @kirbz about rules, and mission creep! This week would be ripe for W30 crash/burn and mission creep, instantly! So I've been sitting with your input these last few days. First, can I just say how wonderful it is to go in to the new year with momentum/self respect already established? Sigh! Instead of resolutions, I like the idea of re-upping on an ongoing basis all year, best habits, etc...but there is something formal about the starting gate of the new calendar page to crystalize the concepts and rules...and I am loving the idea of rules. Here's what I'm thinking:

• No chips. Just no chips. If I can watch the hubs eat chips during W30, I can do that all the time. So there: no chips.
• No sampling what he is eating. I already know what it tastes like.
• If I feel mission creep setting in, I want to catch myself more quickly and do a W7 days. Maybe there's official W30 language for what that is, a re-set maybe? I don't know, but that's what I have in mind. Like you said, Holly, that part is about awareness, so:
• Keep the mindfulness practices going across the spectrum of activity. Stay awake. Don't go back to sleep.

@kirbzI have FFF, too, and I can see a bookmark where I left off some time ago...I plan to read it, but don't know yet when I'll have time. Thanks for the reminder. I have ISWF also, and have loaned it out to friends several times. I love the generosity of MH in making so much available online.

Holly, I've admired all year what a great year you had, the way you stayed on program so beautifully...it seems like we both started making exceptions in the fall. I had mission creep in the summer, and then had a great October, and a too-indulgent November when we traveled. Was it the autumn when your mission creep set in? Thanks for giving me language for that phenomenon.

You mentioned denial...yes, that is part of it for me. I will have to be quicker to recognize the creep this year. I want to greet next December in a more solid place of health and awareness, and habit of quicker catches. Hm, how is this formula: awareness + practice = quick catch. So actually when I think about this year, I'm imagining next December. If only I knew where I was going to be living then!

I found a frozen turkey breast in the freezer, so I'll thaw that out, and I won't have to share it b/c hubs doesn't like white meat.

I think there's more, but the sausage smells so good, and it's time to eat...happy weekend, all!

[LadyLisbette]

Oh my gosh, please indulge me in a little geeky idea I just had. I was thinking about imagining next December. Then I remembered a practice I learned from chi running. A tai chi practice. It's called Y chi (pronounced ee chee)...it's what athletes do all the time in terms of keeping your eye on the ball.

In walking or running practice, the way it works is hijacking our vision as the most powerful way to focus the mind. So when you're walking or running for example, you set your gaze on a tangible object on the horizon, say a tree or a rock. As you move forward, you let the object pull you along. You can imagine a chord from your navel to that object. The time goes by more quickly. It's a fun practice that I do when walking or hiking as the knees won't let me run anymore. So this is how I'll keep my focus on December, maybe, anyway, an idea to play with.

[hollysmokes]

On 12/29/2018 at 9:48 AM, LadyLisbette said:

...all is in chaos. No one is in charge.

Not from where I'm sitting!! You are in charge and you showed it by NOT stress eating. Recognizing that ghost for what it is but not succumbing to it is huge. We have another W30 in the bag (woooohoooo!!!!) and, not only are we stronger for it, but we are starting off the new year with momentum, self-respect and a plan! Gotta love that. 

On 12/29/2018 at 9:48 AM, LadyLisbette said:

No sampling what he is eating. I already know what it tastes like.

Hahaha! That SO made me laugh! I've made my husband be his own taste-tester on more than one occasion! He's good at it, too, but he tends to under-salt things which is not a big deal if he's the only one eating it but if it's something for a potluck for work, I have to remind him to think about the salt level. 

So, the big general rule that rules all of the other rules:

Like you said, be quicker to recognize the creep: stay awake/aware and don't go back to sleep so denial can't slip back in.

The nitty-gritty:

Sustain the self-love/care. Our power went out during the night so I was running a few minutes late this morning. My very first reaction was to skip my lovely foot lotion. WHY? It would save me about 2 whole minutes (even though when I have time, I also use my foot massage ball and do a couple of foot stretches before I put my shoes on). This idea has been my main focus this W30 and it has taken a few different paths:

 

 

Here's to another trip around the sun!

[hollysmokes]

Part II:

(apparently hitting "tab" publishes your post whether you're ready or not!)

 I will continue:

• My peppermint foot lotion (that I am trying to recreate so I don't have to spend a fortune on it).
• Collagen peptides- no way to get around the cost of this one but, too bad!
• Katy Bowman's on-line alignment series! Yay this is a biggie!
• I tossed out almost all of my hang-around-the-house-cooking clothes. I can't seem to cook without wearing everything I'm cooking so I tend to wear the same old stained stuff over and over. It looks awful and I feel awful in it. So into the trash! I got some inexpensive yoga pants and found some fresh T-shirts in my dresser that I don't mind getting messed up. Yes, I have aprons but it just never seems to happen. I don't see myself wearing an apron around the house every day/all day. I guess I could add my pearls and go all June Cleaver but I'll never trade my softstar slippers for high heels!
• I got rid of things that were guilt-inducing. It was silly things like hair conditioner that was leftover after its shampoo mate ran out. I now hate the smell of it but it was pricey and felt like I was required to use it up because I paid good money for it. 

My present to myself for another successful W30 was a place to hang. Literally. Yesterday I rigged up an iron pipe on the swing frame behind our house that hasn't had a swing in it for about 3 years. If I stand on a section of railroad tie, I can easily reach that pipe so I can hang form it  to open up my shoulders and also work on toughening up the skin on my hands. 

I'm still working on my re-intro plan and I'd better get a move on it because we've been invited to a party tomorrow and I've been instructed NOT to bring anything. I think I'll eat before we go. I know there will be ribs I can eat but probably not much else. It's a pretty adult beverage-oriented get together so I'll need a plan for that, too, but I'm going to wait to see how I feel after having 1 or 2 glasses of wine at the concert we're going to see for our anniversary tonight.

Have a happy and safe NYE! 

[LadyLisbette]

Happy Anniversary, Holly, and Happy New Year, and Happy Whole30 Finish Line! Woo hoo!!

Thank you for that pep talk. It helped, and now it seems like a year ago.

Your power went out yesterday morning? Really? Holly, we have to stop meeting this way. Seriously, LOL, we woke up to a power outage, yesterday, too! Unfortunately, the power never came back on until an hour ago. 32 hour outage. Bbbbrrrrrr we used the fireplace insert, but it was 52 when we got home from work last night, very disappointing! There was a giant run-around with the utility company, and my husband was a hero, pushing back relentlessly until they finally sent someone out to repair it. Criminey! So I had made a beef stew to enjoy on new year's day, today, and we ate it cold last night by candlelight and shivered in front of the fire, barely sleeping. Hubs fell asleep while I stoked the fire and waited til midnight,  when we poured some Laphroaig. YUM. Just a sip was such a luxury!

...OMG an hour before the power came back on, our long haired cat started actually trembling! She's 20! I thought she might die! Just when I asked my husband, "Will you call that hotel and ask if they will let us bring a cat", click, the power came on. Magic words. For awhile the cat still trembled but also followed me into the kitchen to beg for treats (she is my child), so we think she'll live.

Anyway, that was a long, unintentional fast since the beef stew, because even though it was cold, I was terrified of opening the fridge and freezer, and there was nothing to be done short of getting out the camping gear/cook stove, and going outside to the freezing temperature.

The short story is I seriously contemplated, around 11am today, doing bread as a re-intro and making an Elvis-ish almond butter/banana sandwich. But that is just not what I do anymore!!! Nope, when the power came on I broke my fast with W30 leftovers, and got the duck soup started, with no idea what the first re-intro will be yet. Oh, well, I guess that was the Laphroaig. At any rate, another stress test with no cave-ins - yay!!!

I'm dying to hear about your concert last night, the wine, and the party today! Did you enjoy a nice meal beforehand? Holly stepping out, go, girl!

I loved reading the nitty gritty on your new year intentions/continuations with self care/self love. Here are a couple of things I've been thinking about:

The rum cake is still sitting in the fridge at work. That gift from a customer used to be a thing I looked forward to, and enjoyed every year at Xmas. This year and last year, just no, none at all. I looked at it sitting there in saran wrap like a loss, but not a painful one. I mean, we get used to dealing with loss as we get older, right...and we let things go. This is just something I've let go of. I'm so glad that Hubs is on the same page with me about sweets and baked things, because I urged our staff, when they asked if we wanted any, to just take it home. Enjoy! We don't want it. Oh, that felt good. So psychologically I'm looking at things like chips and hard candy and Xmas treats as things I've LET GO OF.

Oh, and for once and for all, I have learned that I cannot take coconut milk in my coffee, even decaf. Stomach says no. So I let it go.

Yay for foot lotion, and collagen peptides, and Katy Bowman, and new clothes that you like wearing, and letting go of things that make you feel yucky. Yes!  You are the protagonist in your own great American novel, and so you switching up the wardrobe! I laughed out loud about pearls, and heels, and June Cleaver   ( I looked up Softstar slippers....giving me an idea for a housewarming present for myself. I have some moccasins and I love them but they are 30 years old!! And not very warm.)

One thing I have adopted on this round that I WILL be continuing, is eating more olives. I found a place that has delicious whole olives from Napa Valley, so I have been enjoying them, and pitted kalamatas at least one meal per day.

I will eventually find for myself in the new routine/new home/neighborhood etc amovement practice....meanwhile, I've sort of let the survival yoga slip away from me. I know it's always there, waiting. I have to stop whining that the house is dirty and disshevelled etc because truth be told, the room I always do yoga in is NOT THAT BAD and still my sanctuary....so without further self-criticism, invite myself back to yoga, and know that more will be revealed in the move.

There was an olive branch from the seller yesterday, so I take that to heart, and just try to stay sane and carry on....

Still avoiding the scale. Still want to try bread but only in theory....so I'll just play it by ear for now....

 

[LadyLisbette]

PS someone asked me if I have slimmed down, as she gestured at her abdomen! I was surprised that it is/might be noticeable, but I take it to heart, and know that at any rate, my progress is slow and sure!

Also, your hang out bar sounds awesome! To be outside, at play, taking deep breaths, and who knows what else. Chin ups in your future I'll bet.

[hollysmokes]

Your power outage reminded me that we need wood. Thankfully it wasn't very cold that night and it only lasted a couple of hours. Even with the power out, we can cook since we're on propane. We have had occasions when the propane tank ran out because they didn't come out to fill it (Thanksgiving a couple of years ago!). We finally got the option of using a different company so, hopefully, that won't happen again. We had to set our camp stove up in the kitchen so we could cook but we had no hot water unless we boiled some. Your poor girl! I'm so glad she's OK. If my little girl gets chilly, she'll climb up under the quilt on the bed and burrow in it. It's pretty funny to go into a bedroom that no one's been in and it looks like mole tunnels across the bed. 

I hate being in limbo but good news on the olive branch! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. Hopefully the seller will look at the new year as a new start and be ready to sell and move on. I'm really liking the fact that we started in December and now have a wonderful running start at the new year! I ate the last little piece of prime rib with a big pile of vegetables (now I think of your husband every time I write vegetables/veggies/veg ) before we headed to the party so I had no problem not indulging in finger food. I had a couple of ribs (no sauce), a bite of black eyed peas (for luck- it's a Southern thing) and some really good artisanal salami. I know it's not compliant by strict W30 rules but, like kombucha, the tiny amount of sugar in it is added at the onset to jump-start the fermentation process and gets gobbled up by the lactic acid bacilli as they turn ground pork into something divine. I don't know if that counts as something that I've reintroduced or not and I would have skipped it if we were still in the midst of our W30 but it sure was good and felt like an indulgent treat! The concert was terrific and my first reintro glass of wine was as well. I think that's all of the straying I'm going to do for a while and am going to stay strict W30- veg-filled hash with a couple of fired eggs for breakfasts this week.

Congrats on someone noticing a slimmer you! I was a little nervous about it but yesterday I put on a pair of jeans that had gotten too tight and they fit perfectly! I've also noticed that squatting is easier and better plus it actually feels good! I love my hang out bar! I want it to be the first step in what will be a long road to a chin up Oh, my grandmother used to make a rum cake and I really loved it. Good for you letting go. When I came back from my days off at Christmas, one of the labs that I work with had left me a gift bag with peppermint patties, andes mints and chocolate-covered peanut butter balls. I started to save them until my W30 was over but I brought them to the admin office to "share" with everyone instead. Yes!

And yes, I think it's time we relocated! Lead and I shall follow...

[Elizabeth33]

Congratulations for all those that finished. I am on round 2 of antibiotics 

[LadyLisbette]

Thanks for the congrats and for checking in, @Elizabeth33! I so feel your pain! I just posted in the re-intro thread about my first W30 and how derailed I was because of antibiotics! Where are you at with food and your overall health? Is your stomach okay?

@hollysmokes thank you for all of your kind and wise words. Slowly but surely, we are getting there...today we learned that the 2 tasks on the seller's to-do list will be done by Friday, and that is sooooooon. SO things are looking up.

I'm excited for you about the hang out bar! Something about being in the backyard, and at grown-up play on what is essentially an element of a jungle gym just sounds like so. much. fun.

Your story about the bag of sugary treats, and how you thought about saving them until after W30 reminded me of some habit research I was just reviewing in FFF yesterday! I used FFF to review re-intros because I loaned ISWF to a friend...anyway, there was a study done with flight attendants who smoke. They studied their cravings. Some of the flight attendants were on long flights, some were on short flights. Guess who had the worst cravings? (Do you already know this story/study?) We would think the ones on the long flight would jones the worst. But actually the ones on the short flight had the worst cravings because the jonesing has to do with the brain knowing that the reward is on the near horizon. So this applies with "dieting". We go on a diet, and when it's over we reward ourselves for being so "good" and then there is the yo yo. Yo yo dieting. I think W30 is teaching us not to treat this as a diet. We're learning not to be Yo yos. So it's so awesome that you passed the peanut butter balls etc off to someone else! YAHOO! Today we passed the rum cake along, too! Hurray for us!!!

I wish our cat would climb into our laps or burrow into the covers like other cats I've loved...alas, this cat is her own woman. All things being relative, if she sits next to me and purrs, and lets me pet her for a time, that is her version of sleeping on my head, like Guinevere used to (oh Guinevere, my old friend in kitty heaven) When she trembled with being cold, she actually let me hold her on my lap with a blanket around her for 5 minutes - a RECORD.

Black eyed peas for luck, I like it! The artisanal salami sounds heavenly! Yummm. It sounds like you had a great time at the concert and the party, and I congratulate you on rocking your skinny jeans! Yay!!!! Yes, we are off to a great start...I could see Dec being a tradition, but then again, Food Freedom might make it not necessary!

I'm excited about the chicken that's marinating...I used this recipe: http://thepaleopanda.com/succulent-sweet-dijon-thighs/

There were no reviews, but who cares, it looked so good. I had 3.25 pounds of chicken, so I tweaked the recipe. Still working on the beef stew, and have a ton of veggies (LOL) on the fridge. I'm SO GLAD I didn't lose any food in the outage.

 

[Elizabeth33]

@LadyLisbette this time I am trying to be more paleo. I found something that helps coat the stomach for the antibiotics. Ingredients are compliant but not what it is hence my not mentioning it. I can message you if you want to know. But I have really gone off roading and need to get back to eating cleaner. Been really fatigued the last few days and I know it’s my eating.  Thanks for asking. 

Good luck everyone on the reintroductions.