First Timer - started Jan 28

[Jihanna]

This is the mini meatloaf recipe we use -- https://unboundwellness.com/one-pan-meatloaf-dinner-paleo/
I've used zucchini and yellow squash in them, and they've worked interchangeably for me. The squash is completely hidden in the meat, so even my 14yo loved it. Incidentally, the Whole30 ketchup recipe mentioned/linked in there is the one I use for my ketchup-type condiment. My 14yo does NOT like that (nor does my husband), but my mom and dad enjoy it as much as I do  The meatloaves are really easy to do a double batch of and freeze however many (uncooked) to pull down and cook for a later meal. I know the program rules say not to weigh your food, and I totally get the reasoning behind that, but I DO actually weigh these little guys only to make sure they're all about even and will cook at about the same rate.

I'm not a big avocado lover either, and coconut flakes are great as an ingredient but the use is limited (for me)... olives I love, and could eat a jar at a time if I let myself (ignore the fact that I'd get a stomach ache afterward, though!). If none of those work for you, though, maybe it could work to incorporate some compliant mayonnaise, use coconut or olive oil to moisten things like starchy vegetables, or make sure you have a mayo- or oil-based dressing for when you eat salad. One of those is generally how I get my fat in (I couldn't tell you if I'm really doing enough on that front, but I don't usually feel too snacky and often go too long before I'm feeling hungry and have a desire to eat, so maybe I'm doing alright, haha).

Prepping potatoes is just a different sort of effort, because you have to cook them a little first to avoid having the black spots. You can get away with just cutting and freezing a great many vegetables (despite the typical instructions of blanching them first), but you absolutely do need to blanch potatoes or you won't want to use them after they've been frozen (trust me, made that mistake!).
http://pickyourown.org/freezing_potatoes.htm

Things are going fairly well for me. I'm still struggling against the head cold/sinus issues, but it's not quite as bad as it was the other day and I'm feeling more of an appetite than I had when I first started really feeling sick. I have been trying to keep up with the log, but if you write it down somewhere else that's fine... the important part is to have a record, something you can look back on and use to see patterns in how you felt and what you ate, etc., and to help you work through reintroduction when that time comes. The log can also help you identify some of the habits you might never actually think about (like snacking!) or to see where you're giving in to cravings without realizing it. So as long as you've got that somewhere, it'll be good reference and it doesn't matter much if you put it up where the rest of us can see

[Lauraco]

Thank you once again, Jihanna.  I feel like I'm really taking advantage of your knowledge.  I read your re-into log, and you are soooo busy!  I appreciate the meatloaf recipe - it looks like a pretty easy one and I like the idea of mini meatloaves to have on hand for a quick protein and vegetable option.  

I went to Lidl today, opened the app and got $5.00 off $30.00.  They had some good beef specials, so I got some, as well as other meats.  The prices were good.  The produce section was smaller and there was less variety than Aldi. They also did not have many healthy options for sugar-less meat or cooking ingredients.  I think I will probably stick to Aldi and Sprouts for most produce. 

What brand of spiralizer do you use?  With arthritis in my hands, my little manual one takes me awhile.  I'm thinking that I want to invest in one with a turn handle or something electric with an attachment.  I don't want something that is going to break in a second, though.  I'm checking reviews and Amazon.  Will see what I find.  I am using my 25 year old Cuisinart food processor for more different things than I have in years.  It is a dream for shredding potatoes for hash browns  

I hope your head cold/sinus issues are on the downhill side.  I really hope nothing like illness, extra stress or anything else pops up for me until I'm at least done with the 30 days of this.  I don't think I could keep up the cooking if I had too many distractions. Your schedule sounds much too much!

 

Feb 17, Day 21

I can't figure out how to just keep writing, and since I started with this area, I'm going to keep going, even if it isn't a reply to you, Jihanna. You don't have to read it, it's just kind of my journal, more like a stream of consciousness.

Later last night I felt like I wanted something.  I visualized eating a cookie or some other dessert-like thing and it wasn't that I was craving anything sweet or salty, and I wasn't hungry, I just wanted to eat something.  This is the time when I would usually go grazing in the cabinets and refrigerator and find something to snack on.  Last night, about an hour after this started, at about 9:30, when I realized it was happening, I thought about having some camomile tea, but I already get up about 3 times a night, so didn't want to drink more.  I ended up going to bed at about 10:30, and that's one way to stop it, but I realized that this late night grazing is a really bad habit and I need to remember the rule of not eating after dinner being just as important as the don't eat sugar or dairy rules,, and break the habit.  Maybe some other tricks, too.  Maybe brushing my teeth and flossing earlier, not just before bed, that usualy stops me from eating more.  

I've also been thinking about the future.  My manager sent me a package of treats for Valentines Day and there was a packet of M&M carmels, a packet of snapfish and a packet of movie popcorn. I put the whole package away in a cabinet. Well, since my husband awakened his sleeping sugar dragon a couple of days ago, he had the popcorn while we were watching Lorena on TV last night, which really didn't bother me, because I hate how popcorn sticks in my teeth and I didn't want any, and then this morning I saw that he ate the M&Ms.  I'm glad/not glad.  I'm glad they're gone, but he shouldn't be eating stuff like that either, but it's his choice.  Sometimes I think the women get blamed for their husband's eating habits and therefore their health issues, so I tend to take responsibility for that, but, that's dumb.  He had the same chicken and squash that I did for dinner, that's good enough. He's a grown up with perfectly good reasoning skills.

Back to my future - this morning, I was thinking about my refrigerator and freezer, and how I don't think it has ever been this full of meat and produce before.  I tend to be a "few-days-ahead" grocery shopper, but now I need to make sure I have enough options available so that we don't get something out.  I started thinking, oh, but I will always need to be doing this, because this isn't a diet, it's a change in eating habits for overall health.  I don't know why that just became evident to me, maybe denial?  Then I thought, I'm OK with that.  I know I will get more into the routine and get more organized eventually.  Right now the thought of pasta hurts my stomach.  I don't really miss dairy, other than putting cheese on things like casseroles, I'm not a big dairy-by-itself liker.  I don't like milk by itself, I don't really like ice cream, it feels sticky in my throat, or a bunch of cheese, by itself, but I do like snacking on cheese and crackers.  Sugar hasn't been that hard.  With sugar and chocolate, it's always been kind of an: if I don't eat it I'm fine, if I start, I want it all the time. It will probably be hard to say no to an apple fritter once in awhile, though. I do think grains will be hard.  I like toast with fruit in the mid morning, and having a protein breakfast first thing isn't my favorite.  In fact, it's 10:00am  and I haven't had breakfast because I do some pet-sitting occasionally and I got up this morning and first thing went to take care of a kitty, then I came home and made coffee and was thinking while I was driving, etc. and wanted to write about this.  Which is really weird, because I am not normally a journaler. I also like sandwiches.  When I think of having leftovers, like chicken, turkey, brisket, etc. I think of putting them in a sandwich. I've been on diets before (that's an understatement, I've been on diets all my life) and when I stopped the actual diet, I thought that a potato chip or any other packaged snack like that would never pass my lips again, but sure enough, I would gradually have some now and again - when it "went with" something like sloppy joes, or Fritos with chili. Maybe I'm old enough now, that I won't have time to revert back to my old ways.  Plus, one of the things your body does in your favor as you age, is revolt against bad food.  Lots of things are not worth the after-effects, and I already eat pretty plain to avoid acid reflux and other unpleasant consequences. 

Those are my morning musings. I wanted to be able to look at this later and see how/if my thoughts have changed. 

[Jihanna]

This is the spiralizer I got:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CVB8KBD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's my very first one, so I can't attest to how good it is compared to any others, but I did read a bunch of reviews before finally making the purchase (reviews on this one and a few others). I did see some who said that this one is much better for them after having a tiny one you hold and twist with your hand (which I'd looked at), and I knew I wanted something hand-operated because I didn't want to have to plug it in just to get my veggies done (it also gives me more options on where to do it, in case two of us are working in the kitchen). I usually hold the slicer end in place with my left hand, pushing just slightly toward the right as I spin the hand-crank with my right hand; that's done more to make sure it stays in place and continues as much as possible with one spiral/noodle, not because it's difficult to turn.
-- yellow squash and zucchini go very easily, as do cucumbers
-- carrots are extremely easy too, but they spiralize differently because they're not as thick around
-- daikon radish is probably my favorite thing to turn into noodles, and pretty easy to turn
-- potatoes and sweet potatoes also haven't given me any difficulty so far
-- eggplant I've tried to do twice and never could get it to work, so figure it'll have to just stay sliced or cubed
The only difficult part of using it, for me, is pushing the "butt" of the veggie hard into the piece that stabilizes it while you turn the crank; it's not painful to do, but you do have to push a bit to make sure it's on there or it might fall off. Some reviews talked about how larger veggies can't be done with it, but that's silly - I just cut them in half to make them fit

I'm glad you checked out LIDL and could see if it would work for you. I prefer ours to our Aldi, but ours actually has a pretty nicely stocked produce section and I'm able to get good meat deals there... but I still always keep my eyes peeled for the deals at Aldi, too, because those definitely come in handy! I basically get 90% of my produce between Sprouts and LIDL, and probably 75% of my meat at LIDL (at least until I've got a steady roll-over budget that I can use to go back to my favorite butcher), with the rest of the meat and my eggs from Kroger. Each area is a little different, though, and each person has to figure out what works best in their situation

I totally understand you wanting to journal here, since you've been here the whole time already  I hope you don't actually mind if I do read through them, though, because I do enjoy seeing how you're doing (and sometimes it helps to smack me in the face with something I've not thought about). One thing I can suggest as you get into the groove of things, if doing a full week of planning and shopping feels like it's a bit too much, I'd suggest trying to make sure you keep enough MEAT on hand for a week (or more, if you find a great deal) of cooking and then maybe plan to go after fresh produce every 3-4 days. That would help you make sure you don't have things sitting in the fridge for too long (or requiring you to prep them before they go bad), too, which could help overall. Just a thought  and it's something I'd do for my own situation, if I didn't have so many mouths to cook for

Also, since you asked -- yes, my head is doing a bit better. I've actually been breathing clearly through my nose all morning, without any meds needed (not even a cough drop), and I don't feel like I've got a bunch of gunk in my throat anymore, either. Sinus pressure is also a bit better, and my ear doesn't feel completely battered now. I think this might be the first time I've ever gotten that type of cold without the congestion falling into my chest and causing misery for a week or three... and it's the first time it's been February before I got sick (2 years ago it was December, and last year it was early January). So, improvement by leaps and bounds this time! I'm happy to give credit to my diet on this one  

[Lauraco]

I made the meatloaf recipe last night - but a big one, not mini ones.  There are leftovers, so that's kind of like a mini   I also made some balsamic vinegar roasted beets.  They were very good, also very time consuming.  But I think things are more time consuming when you do them the first time and don't know what to expect.  

I like the suggestion of keeping lots of meat on hand and shooping for vegetables more frequently.  I cleaned out my vegetable drawer yesterday and although I made a good dent in everything, I had to throw out some asparagus, green beans and lettuce.  

This program really does take a lot of time, and I'm amazed at how fast the weekend flew by with seemingly nothing accomplished.  Better than a 4-pound gain weekend of eating junk, though! 

I'm glad to hear you're feeling better, Jihanna.  Hopefully you will keep getting better and over it for the year.  I pretty much have year-round allergies - hmmm... that just made me think --- I wonder if W30 will help with that?  That would be an extra bonus! 

I ordered a better spiralizer, so looking forward to spiralizing my little heart out when it gets here. Are daikon radishes "hot"?  I don't know the difference in radishes, but I don't like them too strong. I think I'll stick to slicing eggplant, too.  I just saw a recipe using plantains as hamburger buns.  That sounds good! 

[Jihanna]

I'm glad you liked the meatloaf! I hadn't thought to try it as a big loaf, but might in the future. I've never done roasted beets, but keep seeing recipes for them and know I need to try them eventually  I do find that things go a bit more quickly the second (or third+) time around, especially since you kind of fall into a pattern of how things can be done most efficiently in your situation.

I'm afraid I might be tossing out some asparagus soon, myself... I so wanted to cook it, but unless it's still okay tomorrow then it's going to go the way of the dodo. I've been pretty good about making sure things get used though, since I plan pretty heavily and we've got enough mouths to not see things stick around for too long  

Daikon radish isn't hot, no. It's a little bit tangy, but not spicy (I can't handle much at all in the way of spice, so for me to say it's very mild is definitely saying something). I do thin spirals with mine. Some recipes call for salting it (which draws the water out of it, and then you just drain/squeeze before using), others don't. I've found that even when it doesn't say to salt it, doing so does enhance the flavor quite a bit (and makes it a rather tasty little snack to grab a few bites of while throwing things together, too, haha).

I still haven't tried plantains for this kind of cooking... I used to know 3 different ways to cook them (one sweet, one salty, one spicy), but haven't cooked them at all in probably 20 years (I did do fried bananas a few times since then, using the "sweet" recipe) and haven't really missed them in that time, either. Well, except when eating a really well-made ropa vieja. I have seen several recipes that call for them, though, so might have to try a few out sometime when they're on good sale at LIDL or Aldi

I hope you enjoy the spiralizer! I love mine. I don't use it nearly as often as I'd like to, but I definitely do love it!

[Lauraco]

I had to go get an MRI at 5:30 yesterday, which was kind of in the middle of making dinner time.  I had made my zoodles already, but made the rest of dinner when I got home.  I thought I had eaten enough at lunch, but I was really hungry.  Fortunately, the meal I planned wasn't too time-consuming.  It was shrimp with roasted cherry tomatoes and the zoodles.  I ate a regular serving of it, and started getting stomach cramps/ache like I used to when I would wait too long to eat and then eat too much too fast.  Ick.  It went away pretty quickly, I was just surprised that it happened.  I have to say, though, my meal looked like a veritable magazine cover.  Great colors with that combination  

I tried out some egg muffins this morning using bacon, spinach and eggs.  They were really good.  I only made 6, but I'm going to make lots of them next time to have on hand, and with different ingredients, like sausage and onions and/or peppers.  That was a great way to have breakfast without too much effort.  They could be lunch or dinner, too, if you run out of time.  

[Lauraco]

Today I am sick to death of cooking meat and vegetables. Bleh.  I had an engagement last night, and had to make dinner late.  By the time I got home, my husband had eaten all of the leftover shrimp & zoodles from the night before and the remaining egg muffins.  There went breakfast and lunch for today.  I made chicken thighs and spinach and he ate that too.  This morning I just want to eat a piece of fruit.  I'll figure it out.  Jihanna, I really admire you for cooking (and doing everything that goes along with cooking) for four people every day.  I think I would have days when I said OK - everybody on their own! Lots of days.

I am now wondering this:  W30 is not a weight loss program, but a cleanse/reset/figure out your body and food relationship program.  What do you do at the end of W30 if you DO want to lose weight?  I haven't been looking at calories and fat content at all, and before W30, that is all I would look at to determine what to eat.  Like, I would never have chicken thighs, only chicken breasts.  (In fact, seeing the fat on chicken thighs really grosses me out.)  Have you come across information about weight loss?  Or are we not supposed to think about weight loss in freedom from food?  I have about 50 years of calorie counting/weight loss programs stuck in my head.  Maybe freedom from food will do it, but I'm definitely not there yet! 

My new spiralizer is supposed to get here today and I was holding off on spiralizing sweet potatoes because they are harder,  So I'm relatively excited about getting that and having spiralized sweet potato fries with pork tenderloin (and some other green vegetable) tonight.  Until then...I have to figure that out.  It's only Wednesday, and I already have quite a long grocery list.  I have meats, but need more vegetables.  I need to squeeze in getting at least some lettuces today. I'm also thinking about making a big roast. That should last a few days - maybe.  My husband is a big meat lover, and he is loving that I am cooking meat every day, that's for sure   But it doesn't last long.  You would think we are a household of four ourselves! 

This forum/journal thing is really helpful to me.  It's good to just get it all out!  Happy Hump Day!

[Lauraco]

Jihanna - On the big meatloaf vs. mini meatloaves.  I cooked my big one in a loaf pan, not on a sheet pan, like the mini one recipe.  You probably know that, but just to clarify.

[Jihanna]

I've actually done meatloaf "free" on a sheet pan and also in a loaf pan, so the clarification is appreciated.   I'm sorry I've not been very talkative... I've been in a generally moody and irritable disposition and have been hanging back and staying mostly quiet anywhere that remotely resembles a "social setting", so forums qualify! I've been reading, just trying not to respond until I'm past the stabby feelings. I hope all is well with you  

[Lauraco]

jihanna, please don't feel like you have to respond to my ramblings.  i appreciate all of the information you have passed along to me as my "first responder"!   I'm kind of writing to myself here, as much as anything.  I think you are making a very wise decision to stay quiet when you are feeling edgey.  A lot of people don't, and I have a feeling they might regret what they spill out on social media sometimes.  

Last night I made spiralized sweet potato "fries".  They didn't turn out to be crispy like I expected at all.  I was supposed to cook them on 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, and they were very soggy, so I turned up the oven to 450 so I could cook my pork tenderloin at the same time, and cooked them for 15 minutes longer, and they never did really crisp up.  I might have had too many piled up. I didn't really pay attention to the recipe quantity, because who knows how much 6 oz of sweet potato is.  Next time I will weigh it.  They were still good, so no big deal, and I LOVE my spiralizer.  I baked the core and ends of the sweet potato too, and the core turned out like a french fry - it was really good! 

I had a horrible work day yesterday, and was kind of amazed at myself for not turning to food, or wanting to eat something bad.  Day 25 now.  

[Lauraco]

jihanna, please don't feel like you have to respond to my ramblings.  i appreciate all of the information you have passed along to me as my "first responder"!   I'm kind of writing to myself here, as much as anything.  I think you are making a very wise decision to stay quiet when you are feeling edgey.  A lot of people don't, and I have a feeling they might regret what they spill out on social media sometimes.  

Last night I made spiralized sweet potato "fries".  They didn't turn out to be crispy like I expected at all.  I was supposed to cook them on 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, and they were very soggy, so I turned up the oven to 450 so I could cook my pork tenderloin at the same time, and cooked them for 15 minutes longer, and they never did really crisp up.  I might have had too many piled up. I didn't really pay attention to the recipe quantity, because who knows how much 6 oz of sweet potato is.  Next time I will weigh it.  They were still good, so no big deal, and I LOVE my spiralizer.  I baked the core and ends of the sweet potato too, and the core turned out like a french fry - it was really good! 

I had a horrible work day yesterday, and was kind of amazed at myself for not turning to food, or wanting to eat something bad.  Day 25 now.  

I found out this morning that I do not like sweet potato egg nests.  It sort of seemed like mash.  If you didn't want to taste either the eggs or the sweet potato, it would be a good way to get it down - IMO.  I think I will eat them separately going forward.

[Lauraco]

Morning musings...I feel like I am becoming passé on this program, I am now an "advanced" member.  Day 27, I know what I am supposed to do, I've tried new things, I still gravitate toward the things I always liked.  (e.g. I don't know if I will eat the rest of the riced cauliflower I bought).  I still have some bad habits I need to break, like wanting to snack and eating pistacchios and raisins.  No problem with dairy and sugar, (meaning sugar other than in fruit).  It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to cut out grains.  I am very curious as to weight loss which I will find out next Wednesday.  I think my pain due to inflammation is less, and so I plan to continue eating this way.  The pain did not magically disappear, but better is better.  Next I think I will try to eliminate more inflammatory foods like tomatoes, eggs and potatoes.  I have already eliminated  peppers and the pepper-based spices that are inflammatory.  It's easier to eliminate tomatoes since I'm not eating pasta, but I do like them in bolognese and spaghetti sauce with spaghetti  squash "noodles" and in salads.  It will be especially hard to give up eggs and potatoes.  I definitely want to lose weight, and since this isn't a weight loss program, I will need to start tracking carbs, fats and proteins I guess.  

[Jihanna]

((((( hugs )))))

I would totally take the cauliflower rice you've got, if I could ... I actually love the stuff, especially when it's mixed up in stir-fry. Coconut aminos definitely get used a lot around here, where cauli-rice is concerned.

With the "bad habits", I'm finding that it's just taking time and consistency, and the acknowledgement that if I do give in then I'm going to find it harder to resist the next time. I think it's a great idea to continue tweaking and testing, even beyond what the Whole30 suggests, to learn what does and doesn't make a difference in your experience/situation.

There are actually some pretty yummy sauces that can be made with sweet potatoes. Quite a while back, I decided to do a big lasagna meal that was dairy-free, gluten-free, and nightshade-free... amazingly enough, everyone actually liked it. I can't remember what all was in the sauce, but I do remember it was sweet potatoes and that it had beets in it to give a deeper color. I'd imagine something like that would go quite nicely over spaghetti squash , though it definitely doesn't give the tomato taste.

[AmyBrian]

On 2/12/2019 at 2:33 PM, Lorna from Canada said:

I've just ready through all of your posts in this thread - feel like I'm sitting in a cafe eavesdropping on the most interesting conversation! @Jihanna - your stories and commitment are amazing! Like you, I'm not sure where to go to continue to process this amazing experience - staying here posting about Reintro Day 89 seems unlikely. 
@Lauraco Sounds like you are NAILING this and really embracing the experience. Like Jihanna said, this is more than an elimination diet - I have learned SO much about myself from this experience and my relationship with food has changed significantly. I was really, really skeptical of the intital claims but now I am a huge believer in what W30 is trying to do. 

Carry on you two - this is the best thread on the forum  

 

I've been reading their posts too. Amazing information. Thank you ladies. My husband and I will be starting whole 30 tomorrow Feb 25th. 

[Lauraco]

I have been reading - maybe over-reading - about various diets/food plans. There is so much conflicting information, I'm sure some of it is sponsored, and "fake media", but if I take everything seriously, it looks like not much is safe other than kale cooked in coconut oil  The Keto diet is so intense.  I don't want to monitor that much, plus, I think I would die if I couldn't even eat a piece of fruit without blowing the percentages.  Sometimes I think that when a diet plan discourages you from eating a carrot because there is too much sugar in it, it is just the last straw for me.  It's like what's the use - I might as well go back to putting a bunch of melted cheese on everything, because I can't follow that much restriction.  On Weight Watchers, you can eat whatever you want, but only so many points, which is completely not creating/changing eating habits like Whole30.  I read that Whole30 is a fad, that scientifically, 30 days is not long enough to reset your digestive system.  But I have liked it because it isn't too hard, It focuses on mental/psychological eating problems, and is healthy.  It doesn't purport itself to be a diet, but really makes you consious of what is in your food, the importance of reading lables, and of self-discipline.  I feel myself getting bored, though.  Not bored enough to eat an apple fritter, but bored of the "plain-ness" of the food.  I can't really put a finger on it, because I don't want pasta or bread or sugar besides fruit, I don't know what I want, but something is missing.  It's hard for me to use enough "good fats" and oils in cooking, because I don't like that oiliness, but I'm trying, thinking that may be my what's missing problem, as the theory seems to be that good fats keep you satiated.  

I made a roast with carrots and baby red potatoes over the weekend, and it was really good, and lasted a few meals, but I became paranoid about eating the carrots and potatoes, so those mostly went to my husband.  I also cut up extra carrots to eat raw and felt guilty about eating them.  I made broiled chicken breasts and had one on a big dark leafy green salad with balsamic vinegar and oil, and one with spiralized zuccini cooked in olive oil with some chopped raw almonds.  Also made egg/bacon/spinach muffins for breakfasts.  Still having trouble with the timing of meals, but trying to re-train myself to not eat after dinner - at all.  

I/we have not eaten out or had take-out (except for my husband getting his Starbucks mocha lattes) for this whole time.  I chose this time because I didn't have any business trips planned, and that worked out.  But I think going out would be OK.  I would like someone else to make the salad, chop the vegetables and clean the dishes.  That part will be the treat, not rich or "bad" food. I wish restaurants didn't use vegetable and/or canola oil, but maybe better or more health-oriented restaurants don't.  I should probably research that to be prepared. 

Right now, I think I need the rules to keep me on track.  I really want to lose weight, and I think it will take about 30 pounds on me to make a big difference.  I mean, once you're fat, you're fat.  At 30 pounds less, I think I would still be overweight, but not so huge.  If I can keep up with the anti-inflammatory aspects, and walk/do more, that will be very helpful, too.  

Today is Day 29, my daughter's 36th birthday, and my 10-year melanoma cancer-free anniversary!  

[ShannonM816]

1 hour ago, Lauraco said:

my 10-year melanoma cancer-free anniversary!  

Congratulations!

 

1 hour ago, Lauraco said:

I became paranoid about eating the carrots and potatoes, so those mostly went to my husband.  I also cut up extra carrots to eat raw and felt guilty about eating them. 

You might find this interesting:  https://whole30.com/2012/08/carrot-train-to-crazytown/

 

[Lauraco]

@Shannon Thank you for the congratulations.  It's a pretty big deal since my doctors gave me odds of about a 5-year survival rate.  I'm practically a poster child!  I can't give any credit to eating well, though     

Also, thank you for the link to carrot-train-to-crazytown.  That is exactly how I feel.  When I read about some of these diets, I start feeling defeated.  So I am not going to let my thoughts go to crazytown!  

[Jihanna]

@Lauraco It's way too easy to get "done in" by all the information out there, regardless of whether it's right or not. That's honestly part of what I love about Whole30 -- it's all about what finding out what works for my specific body and situation, all the way down to what I should avoid if I don't want to start sliding down slippery slopes. Because quite a few things excluded for W30 simply won't be worth it for me, I'll continue to follow the W30 rules most of the time -- but I've decided not to label it "paleo" or anything else, because it really is just going to be a personalized regimen that doesn't have to work for anyone else.  

@ShannonM816
Quoted from the linked article: "But unless eating carrots are going to tempt you into a box of Krispy Kremes..."
Too funny. Definitely think most of us are safe on that count!

 

[Lauraco]

Here I am, 30 days later!

The time really flew by and I'm so glad I did Whole30, intead of continuing to moan and groan and wish that I would just DO something about my weight and pain.  I weighed in, and found that I have lost 8 pounds.  Not spectacular compared to what some people experience, but I think pretty good considering I don't exercise.  I've always had a hard, slow time getting weight off, and in my younger years would do a LOT of cardio when I was trying to lose weight.  I hope to be able to begin walking around the neighborhood again when it gets warmer.  Last year I had so much pain I couldn't even do that without causing myself more pain.

I don't really have any re-introduction plans. Right now I plan to keep doing the same thing, and as I've said before, cut out white potatoes (not that I was eating that many) and tomato/tomato-based things, which I have already started doing too. I think my major goal now is to stick to this way of eating, and continue to break old habits and stick to the new ones.  I have  been trying to be more consistent in meditating, using the Calm app, and want to make that a daily habit.  Another thing I want to do is incorporate chair yoga and/or tai chi into my daily work schedule.  I don't know why I don't do these things - it doesn't take that long, and since I work remotely, I can make time, I just dont.  I find myself sitting in front of my computer for hours, forgetting to get up and stretch, then I can barely move until I loosen up.  

Work has been really really stressful for quite awhile.  I am constantly on the edge, thinking I will be laid off, and I worry that I don't have a good plan financially if that happens.  I am fortunate that I didn't have any business meetings during the 30 days, because they are even more stressful, usually with travel, and there are always treats and snacks around during the loooonnnggg meeting days, like M&Ms, trail mix, cookies, granola bars, etc., in addition to meals that are brought in and usually not very healthy (pizza, Mexican, sandwiches, etc.). It is very hard to restrain myself from the M&Ms especially.  Once I start, Katie bar the door!  Supposedly that stuff is put out to help keep our energy up since we are exhausted, but I think it could also be to keep us from killing each other   I do have a business lunch tomorrow, and will look at the menu and plan what to order before I go. 

It seems kind of anti-climatic to have reached the 30 days, since I'm not dying to have that first XXX.  I have my meats and vegetables in the refrigerator and freezer for the week, and have meals pretty well planned out. On to the next 30!   

[Lauraco]

Some random notes -

One thing I really wanted to happen was to get the Tiger Blood.  I'm still hoping that will happen.  I didn't get some of the other bad things, though, so maybe my reactions to all of the 30 day symptoms will be more subtle.  But I really want to have Tiger Blood!

I saw a good deal for an air fryer online today, and looked into it.  The thing is, is that it helps to avoid cooking with oils, so I decided against it since we're supposed to use oils, and I have a hard enough time with that already.  I only want it for a few things, like crisp sweet potato slices.  I can't get mine to not be soggy, either in spirals or thin slices.  I'll keep trying with regular frying and baking, because I would like them to be crunchy and fun.

I also read about putting 1tsp-1Tbsp of coconut oil in your morning coffee for good health benefits.  I went ahead and did that this morning.  I will probably use up the bottle of liquid coconut oil I got and see if I feel like it was of any benefit before I decide to do that on an ongoing basis.  I think when I read about it, the person put a couple of other things in, too, but now I can't find where I read it.  It might have been apple cider vinegar and/or tumeric.  I occasionally make a hot drink using Cacao powder (there is a two-sided argument on Whole30 about Cacao, and it possibly being a chocolate replacement trigger, so I don't have it often, plus it isn't at all sweet like chocolate, and doesn't send me down the chocolate hiway) and I add about 1/8 tsp of tumeric and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon to it.  The tumeric is supposed to help with inflammation.  If anybody reads this and has information or other thoughts about these ingredients, I would love to hear  

[Jihanna]

I'm so glad that you're feeling enough benefit to want to keep going and continue to tweak things to find what works best for you!

Coconut oil is what I use for just about everything now (I get the solid stuff, though - turns liquid only when it's hot in the house), including some non-food uses.

It's getting a little late and I'm trying to make a conscious effort to not allow myself to stay up past 10 tonight... but I'll try to think over the stuff I've seen for turmeric and pass on that info sometime soon.

[Lauraco]

Today I had a business lunch and it was my first time eating out for at least 30 days.  I don't remember when I last ate out.  I had the most delicioius salad!  It had lovely mixed field greens, granny smith apple slices, Jicama, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, a piece of salmon and "citrus" dressing.  I'm pretty sure the cranberries weren't sugarless, and I don't know what was in the dressing, but it was sooooo good!  I love having a salad that I don't make myself.  The person I was with ordered the tempura asparagus french fries  as an appetizer, and they are one of my favorites, but I didn't touch them!  That salad was definitely worth whatever non-compliant oil or whatever used.  Mmmmmm.

I made instant pot baby back ribs, roasted brussel sprouts and smashed baby gold potatoes last night.  My husband loved all of it.  I ate a couple of the ribs, I'm not a fan of the fatty cuts, but I have to say, they were fall-off-the bone tasty.  

I joined a Facebook page called 'Whole30 Fabulous after 50', and it was interesting to read that a few people say they continue to cook Whole30, but don't stick to the program in what they eat.  I can see how that would be really easy to do.  Just a little canola here and a little chocolate there can ruin all of your good new habits.  Also, a few people said that they used to love to cook, and Whole30 took that love away.  Just things to watch our for.