Starting July 16!! Successes and woes!

[Emma]

Great! I've got the arrowroot and the almond flour already so I can just pick up the bone broth. I spent some money and tried a few different ones the store sold and - blech!!! It will be good to try again because I like the idea of sipping warm bone broth on a chilly day so I'll see if they have the recommended brand and use it and sample it.

I think back to my mood the other night which was so snarly and happened so quickly. I had been in such a good mood just an hour earlier and then boom I was the opposite. I thought it was my lack of veggies which might have contributed, but it was odd how sudden. If it was PMS, wow, those hormones just turn things on. No wonder teens go through some moods.  

[LadyWolf0926]

Oh my GOSH!! That meatball recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!! This is Friday's dinner, and the family is going to love it!! I checked out her Pinterest page while I was saving the recipe. It's like crazy amazing the recipes she's got in there. It's a treasure trove of yum!! Thank you thank you thank you Beckha99 

[Beckha99]

4 hours ago, LadyWolf0926 said:

Oh my GOSH!! That meatball recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!! This is Friday's dinner, and the family is going to love it!! I checked out her Pinterest page while I was saving the recipe. It's like crazy amazing the recipes she's got in there. It's a treasure trove of yum!! Thank you thank you thank you Beckha99 

I know right??? So many good recipes. I think some of the recipes I found on this round have really made a huge difference in making it easier to stick to. Happy Day 30 to you!!

[Beckha99]

Day 29-

Man, I tell ya, my body is definitely giving me a run for my money here at the end. So I finally actually got my period yesterday morning. It came with it's jerk friends cramps and bloating. I always have gotten some cramping at the very beginning, but since I had my second kid it has been minimal. Not this month however! First, it was less like I got my period and more like spotting yesterday. My first 2 days are ALWAY heavy, so I don't like this change from the norm. Plus, the cramps started, and stayed all day. I took an advil around dinner time and it got a little better. Then last night I slept like CRAP tossing and turning, and the cramps came back hella worse. I had to go downstairs in the middle of the night to take something. I only slept 5 hours last night. In all fairness, I did take a 20 minute nap yesterday, because I was so tired (always happens on my 1st day). So with the 8 hours I got the night before, maybe that too contributed to my restlessness. 

Weirdly, everything is still really light going into day 2.  I don't like changes in this department. Last time there was no change at all! I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. And if I start reintro on Wednesday, is it going to make my cycle even more screwy? I read a lot on the ladies only section last night, and there were some real nightmare scenarios. I will cross my fingers and hope for the best. 

Hoping to get a lot done today, and keep my mind off of the last 2 days. Last night at the grocery store was straight up crazy. My daughter dragged me away from staring at the dark chocolate section. Scary! Well, Happy Monday all! Congrats on the 30 day mark @Emma and @LadyWolf0926!!! You ladies kick butt!!!!!

[Emma]

9 hours ago, Beckha99 said:

 I don't like changes in this department. Last time there was no change at all! I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. And if I start reintro on Wednesday, is it going to make my cycle even more screwy?

Mine has been so odd also. I thought it was light and over and done, but I've still got cramping and back aches and yet it is still light. It's not super bad, just distracting.  I think what we eat definitely impacts. I'm more regular when I don't eat all the other stuff. It would be interesting to see what yours become over time if you continued on. Any thoughts of hopping right back on the Whole30 train?

[Jihanna]

I have to be honest and say that I wouldn't even consider doing my reintro during my period, especially not given my hindsight knowledge of what happened to me with certain of my reintroduction foods! Peanuts did enough of a number on me that I had to give FIVE DAYS recovery time before trying soy, which did the exact same thing to me but not quite as severe. So all that considered, I think I'd just wait out the extra days and reintro after my body wasn't already putting me through hell  

[Beckha99]

2 hours ago, Emma said:

Any thoughts of hopping right back on the Whole30 train?

I think that in some way, shape, or form, I will continue on. But I know for a fact over labor day, and then again at the end of September (for a week) I am not going to be compliant. Labor day we are going to see friends we don't see very often, and then at the end of September the kids and I are doing a trip down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) with my sis and her kids. That is going to be 1-crazy stressful and 2-crazy busy. 

I know that I love the way I am feeling right now, and want to keep feeling this way. The hubs wants to go through mid-November. We will see how things go. I am hoping we can make it work somehow even if once a week or every few weeks we have something that if off plan. 

[Beckha99]

Day 29 (evening edition)-

I did get out and run/walk and swim today. My body felt sluggish, but after the bad sleep and having my period it is to be expected. I am glad I did it, but it took talking myself into it. 

I really, really didn't feel like cooking dinner tonight. I did drag myself to the grocery store and get things to make taco/cauliflower rice bowls. I was glad I did, but I didn't want to. But at least I now have the frame of mind even when I don't feel like cooking, to find a simple w30 recipe and get it done. Much better for us than ordering a pizza. 

So tomorrow is the "last" day. It is a bittersweet feeling. After being dragged out of the dark chocolate area by my daughter yesterday, I am kinda scared. I read one gentleman's comments today that said he has done several whole30's and never has a problem sticking with them, but when he is not on the W30 the wheels fall off. I kinda feel like that could be me. Like I intend to keep with things, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions or whatever. I hope I can stay strong. 

[Emma]

I think I'm just like that man, though maybe I'll learn some things on this reintro. One thing that did work really well for me way back when we did the first Whole30 was that for about six months afterwards, we tried to eat the same things at home, but when we went out, I stuck to rice based meals and avoided the pasta and bread based meals. It seemed like rice didn't trigger the same longing for more like fresh baked bread or yummy lush pasta. I also baked only paleo treats and - smiling - we ate a lot of paleo treats because the sweet tooth was there, but not out of control.  The result was that we did okay and I didn't fall off the deep end and I saw some major changes in my health over those months.  A road trip though is a really rough one because I think I'd want french fries and milk shakes and all sorts of things. Healthy hard boiled eggs and almonds just don't seem quite as invigoratingly freeing as a road trip requires. Perhaps there is a nice inbetween. Or perhaps there's not and you go off the deep end and if you rein yourself in fairly quickly, you'll be okay. If you take years to rein yourself in, well, that's not as good, but I took years and I finally got back here and I'm doing okay right now. It's a process.

[Jihanna]

So here's the thing. Whole30 isn't intended to be a forever-diet... but it does make an amazing place to start, and it gives you a wonderful template to work from in determining food intolerance or processing issues, plus it's an excellent reset button. Part of learning to ride my own bike is falling off the blasted thing and then learning from the falling-off experience to build parameters that work best for me.

Reintroduction is important because that's where you learn what causes problems, which is necessary to start making decisions about what to include in your "life beyond" (where you get to write your own set of rules). Those rules can be as close or as far from W30 as you want, really. The point is that it's your decision, you make the rules and decide how much (if any) you can stray from them. All of that can (and should) be affected by your tolerance levels as well as your psychological relationship with foods and food-related habits.

And if you decide you need to push the reset button? Don't sweat it! Don't beat yourself up!
Starting another round (or a mini-reset) DOES NOT MEAN YOU FAILED!
All it means is that you've decided that you need a reset, for the sake of your health... and THAT is awesome, because you were able to see the need AND do something about it! Come out the other side stronger, with a renewed vision of what your life beyond rules look like, and acknowledge that they might need to be revised over time as you learn more about your health and needs.

I made the conscious choice to NOT stay "compliant" after Whole30, instead doing mini-resets often.
At home, I am almost entirely in line with Paleo. I do occasionally eat non-gluten grains (maybe once every week or two) and legumes (once every month or so). Most of what I cook is actually pulled from my Whole30 recipe stockpile. I still drink my coffee black, I still skip sugars in my cooking, and I very rarely make things that would be even remotely SWYPO for me. When away from home, I relax the limitations but I keep the "is this worth it?" question at the forefront. If I think I might regret it, I don't eat/drink it. No ifs, ands, buts, or maybes. Dairy, gluten, and soy all cause varying degrees of issues for me, so these are things that I might consider while out (maybe) but not at home. As a recovering alcoholic, I won't drink it or use it in my cooking (though I will use extracts). I reset for a few days every 2-3 weeks.

Keeping the mindset of being able to enjoy without regret helps me make more informed food choices, and resetting often allows me to find firm footing if things were beginning to get unstable. Note that I will reset after 3 weeks even if I don't feel that I've fallen off the bike, but I'll also reset much sooner if I feel that it's needed. I believe this keeps me more aware of the thought process behind choices, more accountable for the choices themselves, and more capable of maintaining a healthier relationship with food than I had before I started.

I decided not to follow Whole30 long-term for 3 reasons. First, it's an elimination diet, and the whole point of an elimination diet is to see what foods can be reintroduced without ill effects. Second, I want to be able to explore my Food Freedom and I can't do that if I just keep going in circles with training wheels on. Third, I wanted to have a clear set of rules that apply during a "reset", and those rules absolutely have to look different than the ones I expect myself to follow on a daily basis.

I honestly apologize for the book here. I've rewritten it several times, condensing thoughts and trying not to ramble as much, but I feel like I need to just go ahead and post it and be done so... here we are.

[Jihanna]

Accidentally copied my post, edited that out, sorry.

[Beckha99]

Day 31-

Well I finished! I am happy, but also surprisingly numb. If I haven't mentioned it before, I am good at having a routine and guidelines. I feel like I am just floating around now without direction and it is only day 1 post whole30. It could be that I just came in from what felt like a hard run/walk, and I haven't eaten yet. I hope that is it. 

So this morning I was excited to get my coffee and creamer back. It was in a word, underwhelming. I had my regular 2 cups with less creamer than normal because any sugar after 30 days of no sugar tastes like too much. I took my kids to school and went for my run/walk. In the span of 2 hours from the time I drank my coffee, my cramps are back, and my stomach feels just yucky. It is a possibility that I might have a slight dairy issue. I have no problem drinking iced tea to get my morning caffeine but the place where I got my tea no longer make it!!! URRRGGGG!!!

When I was in the throws of the whole30, all I could think about what being done most of the time. You know, I wish I had this or that. Now this coffee situation makes me wonder if things are really worth it. Do I really want the coffee and creamer if it tastes kinda good, but then makes me feel gross? I don't think I do to be honest. That's a big epiphany for me. All day yesterday, I had my things planned for today. I get my coffee back in the am, eat compliant for all my meals and snacks, and then tonight I would get one glass of red wine and a little piece of dar chocolate. Then tomorrow back on the wagon 100%.  Now I am rethinking the wine and the chocolate with the way my body is already reacting. Let's see how this plays out. 

Yesterday was super busy so I didn't get to post. It was nice not to dwell on it being the last day and all. I have a pain/stiffness between my neck and shoulder on my left side. I have tried everything to stretch it and work the knot out, but no luck. And as a result I did not sleep well last night, even though I was certainly tired. My sleep was fitful. Only got about 5.5 hours. That is the second time this week! It's a little irritating because I had been doing well on my sleep.  I am hoping it has to do with my period. When all else fails, blame it on the period. 

Today I did weight myself. Originally I thought I would post it here. Until I weighed myself. Now, it isn't that I didn't lose weight. I did. I lost more weight then I thought I would. It is a good amount. It isn't that I am unhappy about it. The bottom line is that I am not satisfied yet with my weight loss. I am still "Obese" on the BMI. I feel better about how my body looks and feels, and that is a big step. It would be amazing if I could have just committed to 30 days and lost the entire 50lbs I needed to, but that isn't realistic. I need to work on staying positive and keeping on track. 

Overall, I am happy I did round 2. The way my body and mind feel are worth so much. I have come a long way from where I was 30 days ago in all aspects. I feel more in control on my own body and mind. My anxiety and depression has taken a back seat. 

I will keep posting as I continue on because I really enjoy the support here. I am going to keep on rolling!

 

[LadyWolf0926]

Congrats Beckha99!!! 

[Emma]

Yay!!! I'm glad you're still here! I'm glad you finished, but I'm glad you're here. It's fun doing this along with others. So, will you drink coffee again just without the creamer?

[Beckha99]

37 minutes ago, Emma said:

Yay!!! I'm glad you're still here! I'm glad you finished, but I'm glad you're here. It's fun doing this along with others. So, will you drink coffee again just without the creamer?

I don't think I can drink coffee without creamer. It is too bitter, I think. My husband said I should try the almond or coconut milk creamers, but they always seem to separate in the coffee which looks totally gross to me. 

[LadyWolf0926]

19 hours ago, Beckha99 said:

I don't think I can drink coffee without creamer. It is too bitter, I think. My husband said I should try the almond or coconut milk creamers, but they always seem to separate in the coffee which looks totally gross to me. 

I had this same issue, and like you, really want creamer in my coffee. So, I use Nut Pods with a little extra coconut milk, and I put it in the blender. It gives it a wonderful latte-like creaminess to my coffee that won't separate. When I first used it, it was separating like you mentioned and, yeah, it just looked nasty. So, the downside is I have to clean my blender daily; it's a pain in the butt. I am enjoying the heck out of my coffee, tho. 

[KiwiKendra]

On 8/2/2019 at 3:50 AM, Emma said:

So, two nights ago I was googling - haha - I'm always saying that.  Anyway I was googling and came across the nonetorun program which is kinda like the couch to 5K, but aimed at people who are really out of shape. It looks reasonable and balanced and I think I'm going to try to try it out.  It will give me some focus at the gym and it's only 30 minutes a few days a week plus 10 minutes or so a couple other days. YOU are already doing more than it even suggests. For me, I like it because it might be more manageable than my tendency to do all things with vigor and then collapse. It's more slow and steady. Check it out and if you want to (or anybody else) build that in, it would be fun to know others are doing it.

 

Now you've got me looking a running websites LOL.  The way my knees are these days, not sure if I could, but hey anything is possible.