Anew in Arkansas (My first WHOLE30)

[heb2014]

9 minutes ago, MadyVanilla said:

How enlightening! You're absolutely right - his choices don't dictate yours.  I get so angry with my husband for sticking with the SAD diet.  But he makes his own choices.  It really only impacts me when we go out to dinner, and even then, I still get to make my own choices.  Here's to doing our own Whole30s!

It's taken me a while to get to this point...and it will be a test as we move in to Food Freedom.  I had previously thought I could make my own decisions, like not eat dessert when he did....but my will power was rather weak and I'd often felt "left out".  I think that's what was different about the night we got ice cream - I still went, I still had something I love (coffee), and most importantly, I chose not to see it as "this sucks that I can't have what they're having".

Looking ahead to Food Freedom, I'll probably limit the amount of "dessert" I have  - like only special occasions AND homemade (probably will need to define what "special occasions really are...not every time we go to someone's house for dinner...). I will try to keep that mentality (that this doesn't suck that I can't have what everyone else is) and if there are times that I know my will-power is going to tell me otherwise, I may choose not to go.  Just thinking out loud....

[heb2014]

Day 19....Random thoughts

It is hard to cook pasta (for the kids) and not eat a bite to test for doneness....but I have managed to, twice. I have no idea if it was al dente or mushy. They didn't complain and ate it like it was the best food I've ever made.

My husband made a fruit salad with some fruit that was about to go bad to go with dinner and put coconut oil on it = FANTASTIC. This will become a thing (not that we make a lot of fruit salad, but if I need something to carry somewhere...). I don't do coconut flakes so I was surprised to figure out it was a texture thing and that I love the taste. Would have been good with some pecans and walnuts added.

I love having fruits and vegetables stocked and I can pull a bunch out and roast whatever I feel like at the time. Planning is a necessity but this allows for some flexibility.

My husband wakes up in the mornings pumped about Whole30. This morning, he declared that "WE ARE DOING WHOLE30 FOREVER, I love how chiseled I look". 

My husband complains constantly in the evening about Whole30. Last night, he was groaning "Look at my belly, why is it so big? This is making me fat".

Every.Day.     (but apparently he's experiencing bloating for the first time in his life )

I feel really good this morning - like REALLY GOOD (but still had trouble waking up).

[heb2014]

Day 26 random thoughts

I can only eat leftovers so many times. Batch Cooking (at least large batch cooking) doesn't work that well for me.  I made a gigantic pot of Chili which we ate for dinner Sunday, with potatoes for dinner Monday, with hot dogs for dinner on Tuesday (which it took me going to 4 stores last weekend to find compliant hot dogs), and for lunch yesterday. I saved enough for dinner tonight and froze the rest (probably enough for two more meals if eaten over potatoes). Enough with the chili for a little while.

I feel like we need to compost. There is soooo much vegetable and fruit scrap that I feel guilty throwing it in the trash. Not even wasted food - but the peels and seeds and cores and egg shells...

Having really strong cravings the last few days. Probably karma for me not having any issues with cravings the first couple of weeks. I don't even really think it's because the end is in sight (although it might be) because we've talked about reintroduction and then continuing on, slightly modified for what doesn't bother us.

[MadyVanilla]

On 9/26/2019 at 11:31 AM, heb2014 said:

I can only eat leftovers so many times. Batch Cooking (at least large batch cooking) doesn't work that well for me.  

If there is anything I have learned from this go round, it's this.  I thought it would be great, since I love leftovers.  But the same thing over and over is just so draining...plus, feeling like I have to eat that and not something else because it would take too long and too much effort to prepare.  I like that you changed the chili up each time.  At least that made it a little less boring!    

[Amura]

On 9/26/2019 at 5:31 PM, heb2014 said:

I can only eat leftovers so many times. Batch Cooking (at least large batch cooking) doesn't work that well for me.  I made a gigantic pot of Chili which we ate for dinner Sunday, with potatoes for dinner Monday, with hot dogs for dinner on Tuesday (which it took me going to 4 stores last weekend to find compliant hot dogs), and for lunch yesterday. I saved enough for dinner tonight and froze the rest (probably enough for two more meals if eaten over potatoes). Enough with the chili for a little while.

I feel like we need to compost. There is soooo much vegetable and fruit scrap that I feel guilty throwing it in the trash. Not even wasted food - but the peels and seeds and cores and egg shells...

I've never been into eating the same thing over and over. It might be time-saving, but it takes all the pleasure from eating. 
I usually make only double-batchs, so two meals out of each cooking. And very often I don't eat them both in the same week - one goes difrectly into the freezer.
 The only things I make large batches of are some essentials that can be used in many ways (for example, bolognesa, marinara sauce, etc.) and I split it in several smaller containers to freeze them.
The freezer is my friend

Scraps.
I use some vegetable scraps for homemade broth. Peels of carrots, the green part of leek, the hardest part of broccoli, things like that. (If I don't have enough, I also freeze them for later.) 
Still they'll go into the compost container, but it's cool giving them some use.

But, yeah, composting is great. No more guilt!
We live in an apartment but we have a community compost, so we fill a container and bring it there on the weekend.

[heb2014]

On 9/29/2019 at 8:11 AM, Amura said:

Scraps.
I use some vegetable scraps for homemade broth. Peels of carrots, the green part of leek, the hardest part of broccoli, things like that. (If I don't have enough, I also freeze them for later.) 
Still they'll go into the compost container, but it's cool giving them some use.

But, yeah, composting is great. No more guilt!
We live in an apartment but we have a community compost, so we fill a container and bring it there on the weekend.

I do the same for homemade broth or brines....but I've run out of space in my freezer  I've wanted a small chest freezer for a while now...

We've composted off and on, and we were even doing a small experiment at the beginning of the year to weigh how much compost we produced (which was something like 40 pounds every 6 weeks for a family of 4!). We only had one pile, so we would store our scraps in the freezer until ready to add it in larger portions at a time to the pile, as well as turn the pile....and then the freezer space became an issue, so we stopped in June. We've talked about getting one of those rolling/tumbling types. I definitely feel guilty about sending it to the landfill and wish that there were community or city options available (and there might be....convenience also plays a factor unfortunately....

[heb2014]

Days 27-30 Thoughts

I spent a lot of time outside Saturday (day 28), and it's still hot and humid here. I woke up with the worst headache I've had in a long time on Sunday. I racked my brain trying to figure out if I ate something I wasn't ready for, but I think it came down to not drinking enough water (and perhaps too much coffee). I will readily admit that Friday and Saturday I did not drink the 80 oz I have been getting in every day.

That headache and wondering if I ate something that had an effect on me makes me a little anxious about reintroduction. We like eating this way and are definitely going to have to work on our Food Freedom plan, but I'm nervous that reintroduction is going to lead to 4 days of headaches. At the same time, I am anxious to see if I have any issues with anything. 

The whole "reset - enjoy - acknowledge slipping - repeat" seems so loose; I feel safe in my little restricted (but definitely not deprived) corner of the food world right now. I definitely need to spend more time during reintroduction defining what Food Freedom looks like for myself.

[Amura]

1 hour ago, heb2014 said:

I do the same for homemade broth or brines....but I've run out of space in my freezer  I've wanted a small chest freezer for a while now...

We've composted off and on, and we were even doing a small experiment at the beginning of the year to weigh how much compost we produced (which was something like 40 pounds every 6 weeks for a family of 4!). We only had one pile, so we would store our scraps in the freezer until ready to add it in larger portions at a time to the pile, as well as turn the pile....and then the freezer space became an issue, so we stopped in June. We've talked about getting one of those rolling/tumbling types. I definitely feel guilty about sending it to the landfill and wish that there were community or city options available (and there might be....convenience also plays a factor unfortunately....

I keep a freezer inventory, where I write down everything I put into my freezer.
Every week, when I'm planning the meals, I make sure to use up some of the oldest things in there. For example this week I'm using some bolognesa sauce and some roasted chicken.
That saves me time along the week, but also I make sure to rotate whatever I have in the freezer. This way I save some space and I have variety in my meals.

My parents have their own compost pile, but it's only a family of two so I guess it's easier for them. Actually my daddy often mentions that the pile seems to get smaller very quickly. Maybe it's got something to do with the climate, I don't know.
But I've only used the community options, so I'm quite ignorant of how it really works.
My only suggestion would be "do what you can" because every little bit helps 

[heb2014]

Reintroduction Day 1: Legumes

Eating lettuce wraps with hummus, Applegate Turkey, and veggies for lunch.  Dinner will be taco salad with black beans.

A few statistics from my Whole30 

Lost 8.6 pounds (yes, I weighed today, but it doesn't hold power over me - I think i'll keep up with only weighing once a month)

BMI went from 27.7 to 26.3

Lost 1/2" on my waist, 1 1/2" off my thigh, 1" off my arms, 2" off my hips, and 1/2" off my chest.

My rings are fitting better.

I am remembering more of my dreams, though sleep is still an issue with my 2 year old waking up on and off.

My face is noticeably thinner.

I usually have more energy (but do still find myself low on energy sometimes also)

I have started exercising more (not quite regularly yet, but more)

My brain fog is....ehhh. Maybe better but probably has a lot to do with the sleep (above)

Still having trouble getting up in the morning - as well as going to bed on time.  #morehoursintheday

Definitely makes me think more about what I will be putting in my body moving forward.

[Amura]

Congrats on finishing your Whole30!

And good luck with the reintroduction, I hope you find some reactions which will guide you to design your own food freedom 

[heb2014]

Reintroduction Day 3:

The hummus and black beans didn't see to have any affect on me; in fact, I felt really good yesterday and had some extra energy - enough to do a couple of things I had been putting off.  My husband said he felt a little bloated yesterday - after eating the rest of the hummus with carrots on a day we were supposed to be back to Whole30 (but he did state that he liked the hummus with carrots and doesn't feel the need to go back to eating it with crackers - wheat thins being the preferred choice previously)

I want to test soy separately. I've wondered for a long time if I have a hormonal imbalance. Before Whole30, I had terrible night sweats, hyperpigmentation of my skin, and some other things I don't want to talk about that Dr. Google makes me wonder if I may have estrogen dominance. It's been "livable" so I've only talked to my doctor about it once, but there were too many other factors at the time to determine (I was pregnant). However, it was an issue before and after pregnancy.  Anyway, I should have recognized this as one of the biggest NSV, but the night sweats have significantly decreased - almost disappeared. I know there's controversy about soy, and a lot of information out there for and against it, but I think the best thing to do in my case is to test it out as a separate item. Maybe I am completely wrong that this is the item linked to my night sweats, but I haven't missed it - especially with coconut aminos as an alternate to soy sauce.

I'm still trying to decide how we'll use legumes - particularly beans - moving forward. I would like to use them as another option for protein (though incomplete) and they provide additional nutrient benefits (folate, fiber, antioxidants). We previously used beans a lot - as a side for tacos, mixed in chili and soups, or as main dishes, like red beans and rice or great northern beans and cornbread (because those are both super simple meals I can throw in the crock pot and repurpose leftovers very easily - bean burritos and white chicken chili). We love hummus, and my daughter loves English peas so we would use them as a side often too.

I think moving forward, I will opt for dried beans over canned beans (which I previously did...but then convenience became a factor), and I will use the overnight soak method to help with indigestible carbs/sugars. I will likely limit them to a side dish or accompaniment, and only use them once every two weeks or so. I will try freezing leftovers for repurposing later. Peas and hummus will likely make an appearance more often - maybe once a week. And we will continue to enjoy our hummus with vegetables instead of crackers. My husband and I have come to love cashew butter more than peanut butter, which we don't eat often anyway, but I think I will also try to find a peanut butter with less sugar and no vegetable oil (soy) for my kids.

 

 

[Amura]

I have similar thoughts about legumes.
I like having a vegetable source of protein on hand, even if it's not complete it's ok because it's not my only source of protein at any given day, but I haven't tested soy at all.
Not that I had much soy before but I do like soy sauce in some dishes. It's just that I feel it's the one thing that could be certainly disruptive and also easy to give up - so I'll wait as long as possible.

If I could find some coconut aminos I would give it a try though, but it seems it's not sold here. Pity.

[heb2014]

Reintroduction Day 4 - Non Gluten Grains

Oatmeal (gluten free steel cut oats) for breakfast; last night's stir-fry leftovers with quinoa instead of riced cauliflower; and fried rice with kimchi for dinner.  Might add some corn in the fried rice to just go for it and test out all the non-gluten grains we typically eat.

Prior to research for this, I had no idea most oats are not considered gluten free because of the equipment used for processing.

 

[heb2014]

Reintroduction Day 7 - Dairy

Meant to use cream in my coffee this morning, but never bought any - oh well. Added cheese to my salad for lunch and in all honesty, I may just add a cheese stick with dinner because the tacos I was planning probably won't happen until tomorrow and we'll be eating leftover stir-fry or chicken salad tonight.  REALLY tempted to get a PSL from Starbucks, but I know that has too much sugar to test on dairy day.  

The non-gluten grains (which ended up being oatmeal and rice twice) didn't seem to have any affects. It didn't give me the extra burst of energy the beans seemed to, but it didn't do anything negative either. Didn't test corn, so likely will after the scheduled reproduction is over. I forgot about popcorn...we previously ate it fairly often, maybe once a week as a snack with the kids. Definitely need to look in to air popping it rather that microwaved versions.

Will probably limit rice to every other week and keep mixing in some riced cauliflower (did this before Whole30). Oatmeal will be a once a week breakfast - the kids love it; I'll keep using steel cut oats. Corn will mostly likely show up as tortillas if I don't have an issue with it, or corn on the cob as a side when it's in season....and air-popped popcorn for movie snacking (but only if hungry - not mindlessly eating it) or for the kids.

[Amura]

Popcorn, with an air popper? I guess it's so fancy, but is it really worth buying an appliance for this purpose?
Honestly asking, I don't make popcorn that much, but for me it's something you make in a common saucepan... 
(I'm sure I'll make it more often when my son grows a little more.)

[heb2014]

2 hours ago, Amura said:

Popcorn, with an air popper? I guess it's so fancy, but is it really worth buying an appliance for this purpose?
Honestly asking, I don't make popcorn that much, but for me it's something you make in a common saucepan... 
(I'm sure I'll make it more often when my son grows a little more.)

That's what I meant by air-popped - making it on the stove. Was using the term air-popped generally to mean not microwaved.  Guess I should have said stove-popped, because you're right, it doesn't use air. Definitely not buying an appliance for it.

[Amura]

Ah, ok, that makes perfect sense to me now. 
I've just read somewhere that there are those fancy air poppers, which use no oil (and they advertise it as something desirable).
I guess they are useful for people who would use them a lot, but I'm the sort of person who tries to keep appliances to a minimum (they cost money, they take up a lot of space and you gotta take care of them) so a saucepan usually does the trick for pretty much anything

[heb2014]

1 hour ago, Amura said:

Ah, ok, that makes perfect sense to me now. 
I've just read somewhere that there are those fancy air poppers, which use no oil (and they advertise it as something desirable).
I guess they are useful for people who would use them a lot, but I'm the sort of person who tries to keep appliances to a minimum (they cost money, they take up a lot of space and you gotta take care of them) so a saucepan usually does the trick for pretty much anything

My parents had an actual air-popper when I was growing up and it's mostly about convenience - you can set it up and not have to do anything else (vs having to shake the pan on the stove-top)....but I'm the same way: I don't feel the need to have an appliance that does one specific task (or even a gadget for that matter).

[heb2014]

Post Reintroduction thoughts:

Dairy didn't seem to have any affect on me, but whipped cream in particular seemed to bother my husband. My daughter wanted to make a special dessert from a cookbook she was given, so we had purchased some whipped cream. My husband made a fruit salad and had some on top - felt terrible shortly after eating it.

We added gluten back in on the 10th. Friday I was home with my daughter out of school and I was super lazy. I'm not sure I blame this on the gluten or just needing some downtime myself. Felt great Saturday morning. Will have to watch for it this the next time I have additional gluten. 

One thing I don't think I've noted here is that I have keratosis pilaris on my upper arms (have had for as long as I can remember). While it didn't completely go away from the Whole30, it did get better; it was never as terrible as what you might find from Google - didn't stop me from wearing sleeveless shirts - but I did notice improvement. I had read somewhere that it might be related to gluten so I was worried that adding it back would immediately make my arms bumpy again....but it didn't (or hasn't yet, 6 days later).

The good news is that none of the things we added back in during reintroduction seemed to have much affect on me. I guess that's good news - no apparent sensitivities! - but taken with caution that I know consuming more of them could still cause issues, that it may be about the quantity/build-up. If I keep eating gluten, I am betting my KP may get worse.

I still haven't tested soy and sort of think I may just keep staying away from it because I still feel really good (with the exception of below). I'll likely only test it if we go out for sushi, and we haven't done this is a while.

So reintroduction completed, trying to figure out how to navigate food freedom without having a strict set of rules yet.....and Saturday we went to a wedding. I knew being a 2pm wedding there would not be much food (if any) except cake, but having to get 4 people ready (yes I include my husband in that) and leave by 12.30 to make it in time - I didn't eat lunch. I had already determined wedding cake, particularly if it's white cake with white icing - the blandest of the bland that I adore -  will be allowed in my food freedom; this is the type of special occasion I would like to allow myself to have dessert if I feel like it at the time. So I had already decided I was going to have a piece of cake, but going in to it with no lunch was a terrible idea...and eating a piece of the groom's cake after that was BAD. Too much sugar (and caffeine because I had coffee with it) + not enough food = not feeling well Saturday evening.

And then there was a birthday party Sunday and another piece of cake I decided to eat. Sunday afternoon - lazy and tired.

Monday -  I was DRAGGING and definitely noticed more brain fog  than lately.

I won't say I was completely back to Whole30 in those days, but I have a culprit in mind:

Sugar. I'm looking at you in particular, Sucrose, Dextrose, and HFCS. Maybe okay in moderation, but two days in a row in large quantities will not be a part of my food freedom. I will likely ease up on sugar in some respects, like when used as a preservative for meat, but sodas, sweet tea, desserts, cakes, candy, coffee creamer - if things like that become part of daily life again and I feel like I did Saturday evening through waking up Tuesday morning, it will be a sign that it's time to do another reset. Not just a sign - a billboard - with neon flashing lights. The good news in this though is that I don't want to feel like that and I'm pretty sure every time I see a piece of cake for a while, I will run the other way.