Jump to content

Contessa's June Realignment


Contessa

Recommended Posts

Food journal for 6/12/20:

Breakfast: This was a grumpy breakfast smoothie of spinach, blueberries, cashewmilk, etc.

Lunch: Spaghetti squash + ground turkey + brussels sprouts + broccoli + sauce

Dinner: Melissa Joulwan's Cuban Meatballs + mashed potatoes + broccoli

Woke up this morning feeling like straight-up trash. I don't think this is a Whole30 or carb flu thing..... probably more about not having been to my chiropractor since before COVID tranformed us all into shut-ins. I think my gimpy knee is affecting my gait; my lopsided gait is influencing my lower back, and my lower back is feeding me some pretty ferocious headaches. (I did check my temperature and got a normal reading. This doesn't seem to be COVID in disguise.) 

Made an appointment with my chiropractor for tomorrow. I've been avoiding it but I think I need to get back to giving regular attention to these old bones. I'll just wear a mask and wash my hands before/after the appointment.

Felt some mega strong cravings today but didn't give in!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Food journal for 6/13/20:

Breakfast: Sweet potato + broccoli + 2 scrambled eggs + sauce

Lunch: 5 oz kombucha; meatballs + mashed potatoes + sauteed kale + sauce

Dinner: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, butternut squash, roasted chicken + sauce

I have really reached apex Bowl of Stuff Plus Sauce here.

A throbbing head and a gently spasming lower back made this day difficult. This morning, my chiropractor said that all his patients have been slowly limping into his office and telling him about all their bad behavior during self-isolation. I'm walking stiffly and trying to keep my back straight. Man. I'm such a wimp. I'd never make it as someone managing serious chronic pain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Contessa said:

telling him about all their bad behavior during self-isolation.

But not Contessa, she told her chiropractor that she's on a new track and doing her body good!

I hope the Dr's realignment of your spine helps so that you can get back to fully concentrating on your June realignment...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/14/20:

Breakfast: I slept right through it!

Lunch: Turkey burger (no bun) with avocado, bacon, and sprouts, with sweet potato fries.

Dinner: Sauteed sweet potato + broccoli + brussels sprouts + meatballs + sauce

Spent some time today doing extremely gentle yoga and whispering kind messages to my spasming back. I think it is helping.

I need to spend some serious time thinking about my post-W30 life. I've already decided on a Fast Track re-introduction, preferring its structure to the loosey-goosey Slow Roll re-introduction. Despite the 3 or 4 Whole 30s I've completed, I've never done any kind of intentional re-introduction. In fact, at the conclusion of my first Whole 30, maybe eight years ago, I committed the ultimate careless error. The moment the 30 days were up, I tore into a jumbo bag of peanut M&Ms with absolute savagery. It's like the whole reset had been an endurance contest or something, and I was astonished to have lasted a full 30 days. (Side note: I remember how disappointingly chemical-y the M&Ms tasted in that moment... after month-long build-up, all I could taste was a huge hit of blue 1 lake, yellow 6, and gum acacia. Peanut M&Ms used to be a real binge food for me, but I have never enjoyed the taste since then.)

Anyhow, I don't want to do the same thing this time! What I'm working on here is a sustainable, long-term relationship with food that honors every dimension of my life... physical, emotional, psychological. It's something worth careful meditation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Contessa said:

The moment the 30 days were up, I tore into a jumbo bag of peanut M&Ms with absolute savagery. It's like the whole reset had been an endurance contest or something, and I was astonished to have lasted a full 30 days. (Side note: I remember how disappointingly chemical-y the M&Ms tasted in that moment... after month-long build-up, all I could taste was a huge hit of blue 1 lake, yellow 6, and gum acacia. Peanut M&Ms used to be a real binge food for me, but I have never enjoyed the taste since then.)

A reward for a job well-done, here's a big bag of technicolor chemicals!  Why in the ever-living black hole of eternity do we do this to ourselves???  

 

13 hours ago, Contessa said:

Anyhow, I don't want to do the same thing this time! What I'm working on here is a sustainable, long-term relationship with food that honors every dimension of my life... physical, emotional, psychological. It's something worth careful meditation.

"...that honors every dimension of my life..."  This is beautiful.  It IS worth careful meditation.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, MadyVanilla said:

A reward for a job well-done, here's a big bag of technicolor chemicals!  Why in the ever-living black hole of eternity do we do this to ourselves???   

Seriously. My inner 4th grader was so disappointed in that moment. The moment I'd worked for! the moment I'd dreamed of! and it just tasted like sweet, peanutty antifreeze.

We deserve better!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/15/20:

Breakfast: A bit of hardboiled egg; green smoothie with banana, blueberries, spinach, kale, ginger, etc.

Lunch: Broccoli + mashed potatoes + roasted chicken + sauce

Dinner: Leftover turkey burger + sweet potato fries + 1/2 "Gutzy" food & veg snack pouch

Today was my first day back in the office after being away for a while. The very first thing I saw when I walked in the door of the office was two boxes of donuts, brought in by our office manager! Ha. That's a fine welcome back. I sailed right past the donuts without flinching.  (I'm REALLY glad the office manager didn't bring in two boxes of tender, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies..... breakfast may have unfolded differently.)

Seeing a couple of colleagues gave me a real lift. We "air-hugged" each other from a distance as we returned to our desks. Glad I had some compliant food ready to grab and go to fuel me through the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/16/20:

Breakfast: 1 poached egg + meatballs + sauteed kale + sweet potato + sauce

Lunch: Butternut squash + roast chicken + brussels sprouts + mashed potatoes + sauce

Dinner: Lord have mercy, I am very tired of cooking! Chicken fingers and fries with compliant sauces.

At the end of the day, I gratefully remembered that Day 17 is typically my very worst day on the Whole 30. And today is my day 17! Day 17 tends to be Peak What Is the Point of All This? for me. My ennui and irritation today felt so familiar — then I realized why. I managed to hang on by my fingernails today and will live to sauté kale and steam broccoli another day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/17/20:

Breakfast: cauli rice + broccoli + roasted chicken + sauce

Lunch: Sweet potato + mashed potato + sauteed kale + meatballs + sauce; 1/2 apple + almond butter

Dinner: Mel Joulwan's Salmon Cakes (fantastic!) + steamed broccoli + sauce

Non-scale victories so far:

  • My sleep quality has improved greatly, almost since the very start of my Whole 30. My breathing is much clearer. Starting to think that my beloved daily yogurt may never return.
  • I do find myself feeling better in my clothing, which is nice. I really didn't want to buy more clothes.
  • If I'm not eating sugar, my mind is generally a more pleasant place to hang out.
  • My knee is not back to 100% yet, but it's much better.

Another day of doing the thing. Chop wood, carry water. Chop vegetables, boil water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Contessa said:

Dinner: Mel Joulwan's Salmon Cakes (fantastic!) + steamed broccoli + sauce

I have her cookbooks and keep wanting to try this recipe after seeing where so many have raved about it.  Salmon cakes cause me to take pause, however.  Cake made of salmon?  And yet I like crabcakes.  Maybe if I make it one word - salmoncakes.  Anyway, I think I will try to make these.  

 

15 hours ago, Contessa said:

If I'm not eating sugar, my mind is generally a more pleasant place to hang out.

It's like going from a punk rock concert where everyone is screaming and jumping on top of each other to a lovely outdoor jazz concert along the river...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

love Mel Joulwan's salmon cakes! They're delicious! I make the Tex Mex version with the Lizard Sauce and pretty much just eat the Lizard Suace with a small piece of salmon cake on my spoon! LOL. So. Good. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, kirbz said:

I make the Tex Mex version with the Lizard Sauce and pretty much just eat the Lizard Suace with a small piece of salmon cake on my spoon! LOL. So. Good.

Oh wow. I have never tried her Lizard Sauce, but I have a bunch of dried guajillo peppers in the cabinets dying to be put to good use! This sounds like a kitchen project waiting to happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, MadyVanilla said:

Salmon cakes cause me to take pause, however.  Cake made of salmon?  And yet I like crabcakes.  Maybe if I make it one word - salmoncakes.  Anyway, I think I will try to make these.  

I was also a little iffy on the salmon cakes, but curiosity won. Canned salmon is not a food I have worked with before. Also, the can of salmon contained... some tiny bones and tiny bits of salmon skin! (I was emotionally unprepared for this.) But once I separated the wheat from the chaff,  metaphorically speaking, the recipe was very easy. Even though I halved the recipe, it still yielded 3 servings. I will make this again. It's worth the weirdness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/18/20:

Breakfast: sweet potato + sauteed kale + roast chicken + 1 poached egg + sauce

Lunch: purple smoothie with beets, spinach, blueberries, etc.

Dinner: leftover salmon cakes + diced red potatoes

Today I pulled my sleep data from my Apple Watch and compared my pre-W30 results to my mid-W30 results. It's really interesting to see this data. The graph on the left is my "deep sleep" from January. The graph on the right is my deep sleep from June.

Red = not great results.
Green = great results.
Blue = so healthy that I am basically floating six inches above the surface of the earth.

It's nice to see these colors!

 

IMG_5589.thumb.PNG.080a05eb77f27a12468d94dc276b72db.PNGIMG_5590.thumb.PNG.f790fab26ee30ab80b245c405b475117.PNG

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/19/20:

Breakfast: Brussels sprouts + meatballs + butternut squash + sauce; a little Forager cashewmilk kefir

Lunch: Last serving of leftover salmon cakes + diced red potato + sauce

Dinner: Oh my goodness, surprise California rolls with my boyfriend on the patio of a restaurant. Yes, this was an infraction of my Whole 30. This was not a compliant meal (rice + soy sauce). However, I went with "food freedom" in the moment. Because rice and soy sauce are not trigger foods for me, and because sitting on a patio with my man was such a luscious break from the difficulty of the past three months, I am fine with this infraction. I did turn down his playful invitation to get a big ol' milkshake after the sushi (this would definitely have been a step in the wrong direction).

Three weeks into this W30, and about ten days before my reintroduction starts. I've been thinking a lot about what my "food freedom" might look like. (The mere phrase "food freedom" stirs a sense of hope in me.) Today I ordered a copy of Michelle Tam's Ready or Not cookbook, which features lots of compliant recipes for last minute meals or cook-all-day meals. Excited about that. Getting a handle on the food preparation will really help. This cookbook even contains some "freezer hacks," which will be really helpful as the life begins to speed up again. (Have I mentioned that I really don't want life to speed up again?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Contessa said:

 

Three weeks into this W30, and about ten days before my reintroduction starts. I've been thinking a lot about what my "food freedom" might look like. (The mere phrase "food freedom" stirs a sense of hope in me.) Today I ordered a copy of Michelle Tam's Ready or Not cookbook, which features lots of compliant recipes for last minute meals or cook-all-day meals. Excited about that. Getting a handle on the food preparation will really help. This cookbook even contains some "freezer hacks," which will be really helpful as the life begins to speed up again. (Have I mentioned that I really don't want life to speed up again?)

Thinking very hard about my food freedom i was able to successfully convince myself that I deserved nachos :) so ill be going on another 30 days!

Let me know if you like the cookbook! I found that i need to have a variety of stuff ready to go in case something just isnt sitting with me well which can happen especially during my flares and i just wont eat anything for days at a time...which is kinda how i got to nachos! SO i have to prepare against that this next month.

Ive had that canned salmon recipe bookmarked for like 5 weeks lol. I even have canned salmon! and i havent gotten a chance to make it yet. Maybe ill do that instead of the chowder.

Youve been doing so well! keep it up - good call on the milkshake, though i mean maybe ill try to get one before i start again on sunday....ill think of you <3

Happy thoughts!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/20/20:

Breakfast: Nom Nom Paleo's Waldorf Chicken Salad (delicious)

Lunch: Avocado smoothie - it was approx 95ºF today here in Atlanta and I want things that are cool and easy to prepare.

Dinner: Sweet potato + brussels sprouts + shredded spinach + roast chicken + sauce

Kind of a quiet day here. My busted-up knee is coming back to life! I'm so excited. I did a challenging yoga class (online) today and was so happy to get through all of it without pain. I have lost a lot of conditioning in my self-isolation, but I'm slowly coming back. Very grateful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/21/20:

Breakfast: Chicken salad

Lunch: big green salad w/ roasted chicken, grapes, pecans, apples, salad greens, balsamic

Dinner: roasted cauliflower + kale + roasted chicken + 1 fried egg + sauce (I was really hungry! Salads never fill me up)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/22/20:

Breakfast: Chicken salad

Lunch: leftover green salad w/ roasted chicken, grapes, pecans, etc. + 1/2 "Gutzy" fruit & veg pouch.

Snack: 1/2 lemon Larabar. From my emergency rations in my desk drawer. Dumb salads never fill me up.

Dinner: Turkey burger with bacon, avocado and sprouts + sweet potato fries and compliant ketchup

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/23/20:

Wow, 30 days starts to seem really long after a while.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with spinach; black coffee

Lunch: Avocado and spinach smoothie; neverending chicken salad

Dinner: 1/2 turkey burger with bacon, avocado and sprouts + sweet potato fries and compliant ketchup

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food journal for 6/24/20:

Breakfast: Sweet potato + cauliflower + chicken + sauteed kale + sauce

Lunch: Ground turkey + mashed potato + steamed broccoli + sauce

Dinner: Ground turkey + mashed potato + steamed broccoli + sauce (an encore performance)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...