The Seduction of LadyM Returns

[LadyM]

Day 9 Whole 30 Number eleventy five thousand

Whole 30 brought me everything it promised and more back in the day, and I largely stuck to the template much of the time, though I also saw my weight and exercise habits fluctuate somewhat and tinkered with tweaks involving a mishmash of things from ayurvedic medicine to weight watchers. 

A visit to my holistic thyroid doc and bloodwork brought me back to W30. Their office supports paleo 100%, and I figured if I'm going to do it, I might as well do it all in. So here I am, W30 number 7 (or maybe 8 or 9? I stopped counting. Because it doesn't really matter). I've made my long-distance boyfriend aware of what I'm doing, and I've dusted off my trusted old cookbooks as well as invested in a few new ones. And here's what I have to say:

Holy smokes is this food delicious and do I ever feel good putting my energy into taking care of myself in this way!

The pandemic and solo quarantine life for me has, to put it mildly, been a roller coaster. The search for a house and the last minute falling through of the sale of said house, complete with packing and sorting and now living amid boxes in the same old space I was trying to leave, with the start of a new school year teaching online, amid a long-distance relationship with a caretaker and his dying mother, has only exacerbated the stress and instability and uncertainty of it all.

Yet, W30 feels less like an added stressor and more of a great big fat YES to creating stability through self care in a dramatic yet ordinary way. Through food. And as my energy shifts for the better, I'm also getting back to moving this body gently--after months-long hiatus from teaching yoga and barre and my old life of walking everywhere (man did my life have a lot of movement and exercise built in!) and going to the gym and pilates.

Anyway, it feels good. I'm grateful for the structure of this program, as ever, and looking forward to checking in here now and again as I keep chugging along.

 

[Tevenie]

Wow, you have a lot to contend with.  I am in a similar place - getting my house ready to sell and hopefully move to another country so I sympathise - I  totally agree about W30 creating stability - I wondered if I was crazy attempting this on top of everything else, but somehow it has made it easier to focus.  I do like rules - for me life is just easier that way.

Good luck with your round.

 

[LadyM]

Thanks so much, Tevenie! I've been contemplating this even more today after receiving bad news about my beloved grandmother taking a turn for the worse with COVID. A deeply ingrained part of me wanted to soothe my pain with garbage food, but instead, I'm sitting with the pain. The only way out is through. And 2020 is hitting us with that at every turn, no?

Best of luck with your house and move!

[SchrodingersCat]

Welcome back! I'm so sorry to hear of your pain and stress.

I hear you loud and clear on W30 not actually being an additional stressor, but actually being an oasis of control in a raging ocean of WTF 2020. I'm in Melbourne in hard lockdown, have been for months and it would be (and was) so easy to just eat all the things and drink all the wine, but that just made everything worse. Locking into another round has been the best thing I've done for my body and my mental health, to be honest. Good luck!

[LadyM]

23 hours ago, SchrodingersCat said:

it would be (and was) so easy to just eat all the things and drink all the wine, but that just made everything worse. Locking into another round has been the best thing I've done for my body and my mental health, to be honest. 

#realtalk

So happy for you that you've returned to sanity. Cheers to that! I'm so grateful to be back myself.

[LadyM]

Day 10 in the bag

Yesterday brought tears and a near-meltdown over my grandma's suffering with COVID and my feeling the end is near. No doubt I would have been eating my feelings in very destructive ways were I not committed to W30 right now. However, on Whole 30, I'll be honest, I did help myself to more food yesterday than was perhaps advisable, but it was limited to meals and 100% compliant, and not in a stuffing-my-face-with-sweet-but-technically-compliant things. So I'll give myself credit for that. And also acknowledge that my period is due in a few days, so hunger and more food is par for the course. And today, Gram is doing better, so hooray!

I'm also continuing to either go for walks or bike rides or both every day. Tomorrow I'll add back some barre. Really missing that deliberate muscle fatigue. Not to mention the strength and muscle tone that comes with it! Making my way back to myself bit by bit.

Food is fine. Over the weekend I'd grilled a bunch of GF burgers and NomNomPaleo's green chicken and had some salmon cakes leftover, so protein has been set. Salads and roasted veggies galore from my CSA plus delectable homemade mayo-based fatty sauces and avocado mash (thank you, Costco) round out my template meals. This is like riding a bike, I have to say.

Do other repeat W30ers find that to be true as well?

[LadyM]

Day 11

Long walk this morning and some cooking done. So happy it's soup-appropriate weather. I made the creamy broccoli kale soup in the W30 Quick and Easy cookbook, have sweet potatoes and beets roasting in the oven, and hot dogs, ground pork, and two filet mignons ready from the freezer. Also made a fresh batch of mayo before bed last night and am considering more salmon cakes because I love them, and because I'm anticipating the shift in diet that's coming in the next week or two and am therefore going to eat what I like while I can.

As part of my pursuit of thyroid health, I'm further tweaking W30 with recommendations and supervision from my doc, mostly lower in starch and fat, for a 25-day run. It will absolutely be W30 compliant, though not entirely true to the spirit of the template, so I may not continue the log here. But after that tightened protocol, I will be continuing the W30 for a yet-to-be-determined time frame.

What's important right now is that just by starting again I'm feeling so much better. Truly. Like back to my old self, even though TOM is due in three days or so.

[decker_bear]

On 9/10/2020 at 4:02 PM, LadyM said:

Do other repeat W30ers find that to be true as well?

Yes, absolutely! I was all about W30 a few years back, and like you, I tried a bunch of different things including weight watchers and keto. It was my knowledge of the W30 program, how it is not a weight loss program but a nutritional reset, and a desire to regain control of my relationship with food that drove me straight back to the W30. I'm still paying for WW because I had a 6 month agreement, but I've never felt as in control as I do right now. 

I'm also coaching a couple of friends through their first round of W30. As I'm coaching them, explaining the rules, explaining the sciency-stuff behind the rules and giving recommendations for how to deal with side-effects, I realize it is exactly like riding a bike. It's been years since I was reading this material regularly, but when I came back in it was like I never left. I still make some of the same meals I used to make, but I'm bringing in some different ones as well. 

Stay strong! I think we're a bunch of vets on here right now and WE CAN DO THIS!! 

[LadyM]

16 hours ago, decker_bear said:

I realize it is exactly like riding a bike. It's been years since I was reading this material regularly, but when I came back in it was like I never left. I still make some of the same meals I used to make, but I'm bringing in some different ones as well. 

Stay strong! I think we're a bunch of vets on here right now and WE CAN DO THIS!! 

LOVE THIS!! And the idea that once it is ingrained through experience, it's always there. I think even when I was doing WW and focusing more on an ayurvedic lifestyle, the template was always at the back of my mind. Its simple brilliance and powerful effects are incomparable.

And yes, WE CAN DO THIS!!

[LadyM]

Day 12

Feeling stressed about starting a new school year online next week, but super motivated to prepare in all the ways. Cooking, cleaning, syllabi overhaul. And I also created time to go for a long bike ride before the rain came. W30 really does make me feel like I can do anything. Which is good. Because I have to do everything this weekend!!!

I did, however, wake up wondering if I really needed to eat what amounted to two dinners last night. I was genuinely hungry. And I may be undereating as I've mostly eaten two meals a day. Funny how even though it's like riding a bike, it's all learning all over again. Especially after a stint in restrictive eating via Weight Watchers. I have to allow for time to unwind from that messaging, because it's real.

Today I made the bangers and mash with caramelized onions from the W30 book for meal 1 as well as their bbq sauce (meh. also meh for Mel Joulwan's bbq sauce. might just be an item that can't really be recreated without sugar. oh well. I'll just have to think of it as something else altogether.). I threw together a salad with all the leftovers (steak, roasted veggies, beets, olives) for meal 2. And for meal 3 I'll have zoodles with shrimp and the fresh batch of sunshine sauce I just made.

I'm finding as long as I'm pulling meat out of the freezer in a reasonable rotation, keeping interesting sauces on hand, and using up my CSA as it comes, the rhythm of meal prep is working pretty well. And it's so preferable to doing a big shop and cook up once a week like I used to. It seems to be working for now, anyway.

Onward to more cleaning and organizing so tomorrow is clear for focused schoolwork. Also: an after dinner walk whenever possible is really doing right by me. so that's also on today's agenda.

[decker_bear]

53 minutes ago, LadyM said:

Funny how even though it's like riding a bike, it's all learning all over again. Especially after a stint in restrictive eating via Weight Watchers. I have to allow for time to unwind from that messaging, because it's real.

also meh for Mel Joulwan's bbq sauce. might just be an item that can't really be recreated without sugar. oh well. I'll just have to think of it as something else altogether.

Right!! All the advertizing screams at us to eat keto, low fat, low carb, sugar free, count macros, exercise, etc etc to "be healthy." And WW is certainly no different - "eat everything you want AS LONG AS you stay within your points," which effectively equates to "restriction." Coming back to W30 where the message is "Eat!" definitely takes some adjustment. One of my friends I'm coaching said, "Are you sure I'm not going to gain a bunch of weight?" Nope! But that is surely another indication of the restriction mindset that is so prevalent. 

Speaking of sauces ... earlier this week (or last week, I can't remember, it all blurs) I tried making a W30 Worcestershire sauce. It definitely was NOT Worcestershire, but it was crazy tasty. I added some to a batch of chili I made and I have been eating it on eggs. It's BBQ-esque in the sense that it has the tomato paste, the acidity from the vinegar, and the umami from garlic and coconut aminos. Another member found this so I can't take credit.  It won't be BBQ, but it is a really tasty sauce you could add to your repertoire. 

https://iheartumami.com/paleo-worcestershire-sauce-hamburger-steak/

[LadyM]

@decker_bear THANK YOU!! I loves me some saucy sauces and that one definitely looks fab. I think I have everything except beef stock, so I'll be on the lookout for some compliant store-bought stuff, because I never have beef bones for stock.

 

DAY 13

Today I woke up without fighting my alarm for the first time since before quarantine. (Side note: I seem to be organizing life as before quarantine and after quarantine. I wonder how many of us are doing that. . . . ). I also went to bed before 9 last night, utterly, happily exhausted from a productive day. So there's that. But I woke up before 6, and had my proper, best-self morning routine--also for the first time in a dog's age. Coffee, writing, reading/contemplation, yoga asana, sitting meditation, breakfast--all happened by 8 am! I'll soon be off for a walk, but I just want to note that an exquisite foundation to the day is possible. HOOOOOOOOOOOrayyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Lots of other little NSVs emerging, not just ease in self care, but its very important roots: an easing of self loathing and self criticism, particularly surrounding the body. Yoga always helps with that, but it also, *ahem*, starts with food, then good sleep, and appropriate movement. It all works together, and it feels, not even two weeks in, that I'm slipping back into that well-oiled machine territory. Praise be to all that is holy. Including my mind and my body.

OK. Today I'm dedicated to finishing prep for the term ahead and getting the ball rolling with my students. I'm actually looking forward to this task, finally. I'm also beginning to feel a bit better about the house hunt. More balanced. More like being in the flow of things will allow all these challenges to become easier. The right house will present itself. I don't have to manifest it all by myself. I just need to be prepared and open to it. As in all things.

This isn't exactly Tiger Blood, but this is me getting closer and closer to the me that most feels like me. Balanced. Stable. I'd been seeking those things outside myself while thrown off my game by the pandemic. But now I'm coming home again. And seriously. All it took was less than two weeks of W30. So grateful to be in this good place!

[ShadowInTheKitchen]

8 hours ago, LadyM said:

 this is me getting closer and closer to the me that most feels like me. Balanced. Stable. I'd been seeking those things outside myself while thrown off my game by the pandemic. But now I'm coming home again. And seriously. All it took was less than two weeks of W30. So grateful to be in this good place!

I love this.

[LadyM]

Day 14

Two weeks, y'all!!

Observations:

The sugar dragon has not been plaguing me as it has in past W30s. I'm hardly eating fruit, even, and it's not that big of a deal. I have sweets cravings at the end of meals, but this is more habit than need, and I'm not indulging it--not even with fruit. This is a MAJOR shift for me and a major win as my mother died in her 60s of kidney failure related to diabetes and though my glucose numbers are generally good at this stage, prediabetes is something I need to actively resist with these genes. One of the things that sparked this W30 was an off-handed convo I had with my dude that went something like this:

"You know I really do eat healthy in general. Except for sweets. Just like my Mom, and diabetes killed her," I said.

"Hmmm. Seems like there's a lesson in there somewhere," he said, tongue in cheek.

Which leads me to another observation: I needed the hard rules of the W30 to say no to the kind of foods Dude and I tend to eat together. When we first started dating, I did pretty OK off roading on dates in a reasonable way and then eating cleaner on my own time. But time and comfort and quarantine life threw that out the window and, as is my unfortunate way, I bend to his ways easier than he does to mine, and I ate more like a bachelor than I care to admit. I had actually lost 10 pounds at the start of the pandemic in preparation for a spring break cruise that never happened. As time wore on and uncertainty and depression took their toll, I pretty much threw all my good habits and sense out the window and ate all the garbage, felt like garbage, stopped exercising and spending time in nature, and at the same time my thyroid levels went shockingly low, as they're wont to do when I'm not on my A-game. And, of course, the weight crept back on and then some, though I haven't stepped on the scale in many moons.

Anyway, the point is, I told Dude I'm doing a W30, and while he thinks it's insanely punishing and keeps forgetting and offering me bites of potato chips and the like, ultimately he respects my choice and reasons for doing it. And we don't live together, so it's not really an issue except when we spend a weekend together. I also, of course, think a W30 would be the best possible thing in the world for him and hope to lead by example, but I'm keeping the focus on me and my journey. There's definitely a life lesson in there somewhere.

This week starts a new school year, and yesterday I had ALL THE ENERGY and DID ALL THE THINGS to prepare. I don't actually begin teaching until tomorrow, so it's nice that I have a day to myself. Telemeetings with my therapist and doc are on the agenda for later this afternoon, and I'm eager to continue deepening the self care.

Last night I awoke at 2:30 to pee and had a terrible time getting back to sleep, so I ended up snoozing a couple hours past my alarm and am not, so far, having the kind of energizer bunny day that yesterday was. But that's OK. I'm rolling with it. And I do have the time and space to fit in my morning routine albeit at a later hour. It's all good. And I do hope to conquer the racing mind that kept me awake in the wee hours with exercise and regular meditation. The house hunt and relationship problems and work anxiety and grandmother with COVID aren't going to change because they're swirling through my mind as negative thoughts. Working on cultivating the calm inside regardless of what's going on outside. W30 is helping. And it ain't over yet.

[LadyM]

Day 15

Same issue last night with awakening at 2:30 to pee and then having trouble getting back to sleep. I let myself sleep a little past my alarm to compensate, but it probably didn't really compensate. Happily, I checked my FitBit data and my sleep wasn't anywhere near as terrible as I thought and I actually did get 8 hours sleep with a "good" score. So maybe that will help if I wake up again tonight--to trust that I'm not actually awake as long as it seems.

So, first day of online classes went relatively well. We all survived. It's going to be OK. And I actually like having the steady focus of work after the strangest summer for me on record.

I felt utterly exhausted after dinner, and even though I got my first Imperfect Foods shipment today (and I'm impressed with my haul), I decided to go to the Asian grocer to pick up what I needed to make Well Fed 2s Moo Shu Pork--a dish I've never made. So here I am, hours later, and a whole lotta cooking later, just about ready to finally hit the sack.

TBH my meals have been lackluster lately because I was eating what was left in the fridge. Think hot dogs and boiled eggs and leftover mediocre soup. Perfectly fine template meals, just totally uninspired. Having Bahn Mi meatballs, Moo Shu Pork, fresh salmon cakes, and pad thai fixins, plus plenty of salad, roasted veg, and saucy sauces, will make eating interesting again.

But here's the thing: I find it's actually good for me to have these little periods of eating to be nourished not to be amazed by flavors. It's not super fun, but it's satisfying. I'm nourishing my body rather than pleasure seeking (and believe me, I am a pleasure seeker extraordinaire). It's good to observe this shift in eating behavior.

Other NSVs:

*I'm back to doing barre. Twice this week so far and I've got that booty burn I love and have missed. It feels really good to move in this way.

*I'm going back to pilates with my trainer on Friday. It's been nearly six months. She will kick. my. a$$. And I will love her for it. My aim is barre M-W, yoga T-Th, pilates Friday, and plenty of walking and biking throughout the week. We have wonderful trails here and being in nature whether on foot or bike, heals all. Especially overmuch screen time.

*My daily meditation game is strong and having its intended effects. Feeling much more stable and powerful. Connected to a larger power source, if you will. Less alone in the world. Nothing short of miraculous, really.

*I went for an eye exam for the first time as an adult last week, and my glasses came in today. I love them. I got two pair, one with blue-blocker lenses. I've been wearing them as I gaze into all my screens. Wondering if/how this might begin to affect my sleep.

I think that's enough for today. I'm pooped--in that good, well-earned way. I'm going to hit the hay before 10 and do it all over again tomorrow. 

[LadyM]

Days 16 and 17

I had such profoundly uninterrupted sleep last night I don't remember it! Here's what I want to remember about my sleep hygiene surrounding it:

*I took my magnesium supplement earlier than usual, like at 7 p.m. rather than right before bed.

*I wore my blue-blocker glasses when I looked at screens 5 p.m. on.

*Watched just an hour of t.v. earlier in the evening before the sun went down, with my blue blockers, then turned it off and went for a walk before sunset. Just a 20-minute gentle walk to get all my steps (12K is my daily goal).

*When I got home from my walk the sun was setting, I made myself a small cup of tea, and my evening activity was to talk on the phone to a dear friend on the East Coast for an hour and 40 minutes. I sipped my tea and let the house basically get dark around me.

*Evening ablutions and potty after that, no looking into screens, put myself to bed, read a few pages of a favorite spiritual text, turned off the lights, and zzzzzzzz.

Nothing too earth shattering, really. But I think the combination of diminishing screens, blue blockers, fresh air and gentle exercise, as well as tapering off fluids at the end of the day has an effect worth repeating.

Yesterday, Day 16, I woke up with a raging headache that would not go away. This is not something that generally happens to me. Like ever. Tuesday was a hugely stressful day of online teaching and meetings, TOM arrived Wednesday, and I got new glasses for the first time ever on Tuesday and I wore them. Perfect storm combo, but ultimately I think it was the progressive lenses. My dude confirmed that he had a headache for two days after getting his new glasses a couple weeks ago.

So, being the stubborn so-and-so who hates to take NSAIDs that I am, I went for a long walk in the woods to help with the headache, and it did, somewhat. But not enough. So I took two tylenol and did a 35-minute guided yoga nidra (if this isn't part of your arsenal I cannot recommend it highly enough!), then got up from that 100% better.

Which was a very good thing, because I needed my wits about me to make WF2's moo shu pork, which was delicious, but a many-stepped process as Mel Joulwan's recipes can be. But holy delicious and worth every moment of labor!! That hoisin sauce is magic. Must figure out what to do with what will undoubtedly be leftover sauce besides drink it. That woman really gets flavor. So does Michelle Tam from Nom Nom Paleo. They're still my go-to. 

In fact, this weekend I'm planning to make Kalua Pig in the instant pot. And scour my city for ripe plantains so I can make some tostones fried in coconut oil to go with that pig and a whole lot of avocado. My ultimate fatty-starchy comfort food. The kind of meal that makes me ever so grateful to be alive and experience the unctuous, salty goodness.

Obvi I have turned a corner on my virtuous ascetic "hot dogs and leftover soup are fine" attitude.

Whatevs. One can only deny one's true nature or ride the waves of minimal groceries for so long. Fact: I am a hedonist at heart, and managing my desires for pleasure is lifelong work. And I'm making progress.

Even St. Augustine ended up a saint, right?

Believe me, I'm not aiming for sainthood. Just to rediscover how to ride my own bike while being able to fit into all my pants and generally feel happy and well. Why this is something I need to keep figuring out must have something to do with self love and major life lessons. Which is why I'm committed and not entirely beating myself up over it.

OK. That's enough. Time for meditation. Today I wrote here instead of my journal. Today's a new moon, y'all. An especially powerful one at that. Best time to set a new intention and have it supported by the universe. Certainly not going to waste it!

[LadyM]

Day 17 in the bag

Good day, decent energy, no headache.

I'm very excited to return to pilates with my trainer tomorrow. Wheeeeeeeeee!

Tomorrow I'm also looking at houses, doing some work, going for a walk in different woods, and hitting Costco and Trader Joe's for necessary provisions for phase 2 of this w30, which will begin on Monday. Then phase 3 begins October 18 which lasts until December 13. In the end I will have completed a Whole 105. At least. I figure I'll off road at some point around Christmas with alcohol, but who knows. Anything could happen between now and then, including me losing my taste for booze. It's happened before.

Anyway, no need to get too far ahead of myself, but I did just map out the whole thing in my calendar, and I'm actually quite happy to be in it for a longer haul. I'm so ready to hunker down and focus on meeting my own needs right now. It's a good and self-supporting if not self-preserving thing.

Two meals today:

m1: greens topped with cukes, carrots, beets, bahn mi meatballs and sunshine sauce

m2: sesame (cucumber) noodles from Well Fed with more bahn mi meatballs and roasted romanesco, carrots, acorn squash with ghee

[SchrodingersCat]

Your food prep sounds divine!! I might actually do an Asian banquet for us this weekend

You sound so centred and in tune with what your body needs, it's a great place to be.

[LadyM]

15 hours ago, SchrodingersCat said:

Your food prep sounds divine!! I might actually do an Asian banquet for us this weekend

You sound so centred and in tune with what your body needs, it's a great place to be.

Thank you, friend. And I love how you run with a food idea and turn it into a magnificent production! Can't wait to hear all about your Asian banquet!

[LadyM]

Day 18

Today's Whole30 Day by Day is all about sleep. And last night I got the highest FitBit sleep score on record for me! WOOT! Double WOOT because I woke up at 3 to pee and apparently it wasn't as disruptive as I thought. So I can relax about that. But still aim to drink less later in the day.

Pilates was fabulous. I just love the way it feels to connect breath and movement and connect to my body in that way. Apparently I haven't lost that connection as much as I thought I had in my 6-month hiatus, because my trainer was impressed with everything I can still do "perfectly" (her word). A very nice word, indeed, because more than ever I feel there's nothing I'm doing perfectly in my life.

Anyway, followed pilates with a lovely and chilly walk in the woods then errands then work then looking at houses. Some nice options, but the one I'm still hung up on--the one for which the sale fell through--should be back on the market next week, and I just have to see what's what with that one before I can move on. That's how I feel after seeing about 30 other houses in the past three weeks. So, we'll see.

Chicken pad thai for din din. Salmon cakes for lunch with leftover roasted veggies and a salad with Nom Nom's citrus vinaigrette, which is so simple yet so tasty. Why on earth does anyone buy bottled salad dressing? Must be because they don't know any better.

Random W30 observation/nsv:

I find it easier to accept what is even when it's not what I want it to be, including my body and my general dissatisfactions in life. Guess it's that mental stability thing that comes with being well fed.

That's pretty good, huh?

Onward to dinner and a walk and early to bed. Happy to transform this week into the weekend!

 

[LadyM]

Day 19

Good, long sleep last night; long walk in the woods done; laundry completed; instant pot kalua pig with greens cooked; and I'm just about ready for a nap before walking through the house to date I most want to own with my new realtor. Waiting to hear confirmation from him. 

That's about it. It's a beautiful day here, and I'm choosing to relax the best I can despite the circumstances outside myself I cannot control, including RGB's death. RIP.

[decker_bear]

On 9/18/2020 at 3:12 PM, LadyM said:

Chicken pad thai for din din

Oh my goodness, I would love this recipe! 

[LadyM]

13 hours ago, decker_bear said:

Oh my goodness, I would love this recipe! 

It's just the one out of Mel Joulwan's Well Fed cookbook: http://meljoulwan.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/ An oldie but goody! I used zoodles instead of spag squash and some different veggies. Infinite possibilities for variations.

[LadyM]

Day 20

Very nearly 3 weeks down. Amazing.

Sleep last night was fitful, largely because I ended up only eating one meal yesterday and I got some very exciting news shortly before bed: my offer on the house was accepted! Mind you, this is the same house for which the sale went through last month, the house I've been visualizing myself in and purging furniture and appliances for and even buying a Mid Century Modern piece of furniture or two for. The appraisal last time was way off my new realtor confirmed after walking through the house with me, and so we're going to give it another shot with a new lender and a much more experienced realtor and I'm praying this time around will mend my broken heart and get me HOME.

As for eating yesterday, I made Kalua Pig in the instant pot as promised, finishing it with a pile of kale, collards, and cabbage, and ate it with a baked sweet potato and the Whole30 recipe for bbq sauce which is pretty darn good. It all was so unbelievably delish, I ate my fill at 2 p.m. (slow start yesterday), and didn't get hungry again until about 2 am when I woke up with a rumbling tummy four and a half hours after going to bed. I'm still glad I listened to my body and didn't eat dinner when I wasn't hungry. That's a big ol' NSV for this gal.

Projected meals for today are all about finishing leftovers:

M1: salmon cakes with awesome sauce

M2: Moo shu pork

M3: pad thai with the last of the bahn mi meatballs and whatever veggies need to be used up

[By the by, I discovered the joy of making a pile of zoodles to have on hand (after cranking the zucchini into strings, salt them, let them sit, rinse, dry, then keep in a big ziplock with paper towel). So helpful, and infinitely better texture than store bought frozen or skipping the salting and draining and drying steps.]

We're looking at a closing date the end of October, and I have every intention of continuing W30 through then and beyond. This week I begin phase two of this W105 (or whatever it ultimately turns out to be) wherein I deliberately play with macros under doctor's supervision. And that means a run to the store for a green plantain to make patacones and maybe some potatoes to have hash browns with breakfast.

I'm feeling hopeful, y'all! And still ever-grateful for the support of W30 right now.

[decker_bear]

53 minutes ago, LadyM said:

I'm feeling hopeful, y'all! And still ever-grateful for the support of W30 right now.

A W105 seems so daunting, but you're doing great. 20 days in is no joke! I've loved cheering you on through your journey. Support is huge. I get addicted to this forum sometimes. 

I love your idea for prepping the zoodles. It's a lot easier to just add them to a dish than to zoodle them, salt them, wait for them to drain, dry them and THEN eat them.