January 1st Start Date!

[Lorna from Canada]

5 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

NSV over here on Day 11 - I'm down a belt loop in my regular belt I wear! (As @ladyshannysaid, 'who wears a belt anymore... apparently I do!). 

Does it count that one of my baggy sweatshirts is slightly more baggy? LOL

15 hours ago, Rebecca001 said:

And gosh Lorna, you need to move that box!! 

We decided to give its contents to our building's concierge team. We opened it to make sure there wasn't personal info inside and, just like you said Sugar ...

5 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

the smell of them was so intense (this weird sugary fruit scent)...

... but it actually made them easier to resist. There was so much competing, unnatural scent that I turned my nose up and walked away. So, crisis averted. I didn't even sneak out the gorgeous little packet of glossy licorice allsorts for a post W30 'treat' - that's a major win - I adore LAs above all other candy!

At this point in every W30 I've done I start with the "I'm eating too much fruit and not enough veg" schtick in my head. I'm eating too much fruit and enough veg and it's okay. I haven't been able to get it down to 2 pieces per day ever in my life. I don't have a huge sugar dragon - my food crutch is salty/savory - and I don't think I'm messing with him but I am realizing that this is a battle. SO, tomorrow I am committing to just 2 pieces of planned fruit. That's it. 

Wish me luck!

[Saiee]

So I am only 5 days into my 2nd restart, I started on the 5th I think then screwed up with a can of tuna (soy) and then a supposedly whole 30 safe jerky (brown sugar). But other than that I have been compliant, though it is still a start over.  So I have had urges, especially after the jerky screw up... I still feel drawn to things.  Funny story is I had stale Chex cereal and had run out of dog treats so I would give each one piece (They are small dogs).  They like them so instead of buying dog biscuits that are expensive vs how many you get I just bought a Family size box of Rice Chex (my least favorite) and put it in an old Cheeze ball barrel. So when I give them treats I "feed my chickens" as I toss a few down to them.   But last night I wanted to take that Rice Chex and have a bowl of cereal real bad.... I did not but wow the sudden urge caught me off guard and I laughed about it later about going back to old habits.

 

Because when I was just a wee child my sister said my mother had to hide the dog biscuits from me. 

[becs]

@SugarcubeODNice job on the lost belt notch! Huge win! Sounds like everyone's racking up the NSVs. Keep it up! Only nine days left. That scares me just a little bit. I'm still undecided on whether to extend or reintroduce on 1/31.

We are having a way-too-rare rainy day today, and I'm loving it. The Southwest USA has a ton of great advantages, but who knew you could have too much sun? I know I'm not getting any sympathy from anyone here, but rain always makes me happy and nostalgic for the Northeast, where I grew up. I'm kicking myself for not running in the rain this morning, though. My sleep has been fantastic for the last couple of weeks, but it was terrible last night. I ended up sleeping in to get a couple more hours. I wonder what caused it?

I just ate the ugliest, weirdest dinner. I forgot to defrost pre-made freezer goodies for dinner, so I decided to scrounge up something with leftovers in my fridge. That turned out to be grilled chicken with roasted cauliflower and spaghetti squash (warmed up), tossed with a W30 Caesar dressing. Sounds disgusting, I know, and it got zero points for presentation, but it was surprisingly tasty. That being said, I better go and pull something out of the freezer for tomorrow!

[Rebecca001]

@becs oh I’d love too much sun, I’m a real sun bunny. We don’t get enough, predictable sun here. Although from 1st feb I try to run in shorts and vest and get some vitamin d again. It’s cold and grey here, we’ve had some sort of storm the last few days (nothing by USA standards) but today should be calmer. 
 

day 21! I must admit I am a little peeved that this January has 5 weekends! I am almost certainly going to drink a glass of wine on feb 1st! The food doesn’t bother me much really as it’s so natural to me, although this time I am going to reintroduce soy (or attempt to) so I can have occasional meat free days and dairy substitutes. 
 

I think I’m eating too much fruit and I DO have a sugar dragon, and I can certainly feel myself craving emotional relief from food rather than the food itself. But I’m being kind to myself about it, I think considering what the last few months and particularly January I have been like here in the UK, even to go alcohol free is quite a feat. Winter lockdown is very difficult, a lot of people are struggling with their mental health and school life is particularly hard. We begin our mass coronavirus testing of children in our school today which has been an admin nightmare for me, with 11th hour changes and long days getting it sorted. 
 

NSV though- I am certainly more able to cope when I’m W30. I think because I’m sharp, my mind isn’t foggy, I’m not hungover... and I guess because it makes you ‘feel all the feels’ that works two ways. Someone described be as ‘unflappable’ yesterday which made me smile 

[Lorna from Canada]

7 hours ago, Rebecca001 said:

But I’m being kind to myself about it, I think considering what the last few months and particularly January I have been like here in the UK, even to go alcohol free is quite a feat.

Self compassion is so critical! After years of living with a nasty inner critic (I call them my Itty Bitty Shitty Committee), I've had to work hard to develop self kindness. Dr. Kristin Neff's work is a great resource for anyone needed a boost in this area.

I usually end the day by reading the notes for the next day in my W30 Day by Day but had missed reading Day 21 so I caught up last night. Boy - Melissa hit it on the head! While day 20 tends to be a big high, W30ers often report day 21 being a big downer thanks to boredom and repetition and all the things I was feeling and reported on by @Rebecca001. It was good to realize I am not alone and I think my plan to limit fruit today is going to be the gentle challenge I need to keep engaged.

14 hours ago, Saiee said:

So I am only 5 days into my 2nd restart

It's hard to restart so KUDOS to you for making it happen. I had to do a restart one time when a dairy filled babaganoush (sacrilege) made an appearance in my kitchen for 10 days without me noticing. I was really  curious about my dairy sensitivity on that round so, nothing to do but restart but I was on day 11 and it was not easy! I'm 90% convinced I am going to tag on a 2nd W30 starting January 31 so I'll be here for you!

Busy day today - I FINALLY got access codes for a bunch of files I need to complete a project for a major client. I was half way through, their IT person decided to change the access codes and then buggered off on vacation for 6 weeks! Now I am behind schedule and need to catch up so this could be a busy, busy weekend. All good though - I am truly grateful for my work during this awful time when so many people are suffering financial hardship.

Hope everyone has a beautiful Day 22.

[becs]

9 hours ago, Rebecca001 said:

Someone described be as ‘unflappable’ yesterday which made me smile 

This is a beautiful compliment! Especially in the middle of what sounds like a lot of stress.

 

1 hour ago, Lorna from Canada said:

I am truly grateful for my work during this awful time when so many people are suffering financial hardship.

Ditto! I think about this all the time, as well. I'm also extremely grateful that I've been working from home for my company since 2007, so I didn't experience all the painful/frustrating adjustments that a lot of other people did.

I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. My big NSV of the moment: I'm not at all bummed about not having alcohol for the 4th weekend in a row! I feel like I'm on cruise control with the W30. I think I've made a final decision about the reintro phase. I'll do the fast-track reintro, and add in foods twice per week until I get through all six categories. Then I'd like to revert back to W30 eating, with wine one night a week, and see how that feels. My body definitely has more healing to do! I'm too curious about the reintro to postpone it, though.

[Rebecca001]

Well that’s day 22 done (almost) and I cannot tell you how glad I am to see the back of this week. I won’t lie, I have found it really tough; I’ve had glimmers of light and moments of energy but this week has been a real test. However, and this is the biggest thing for me: eating rubbish food and drinking wine would have made it worse not better. I 100% know this. 
 

I’m a firm believer that a good day is never wasted, and Ok tonight I feel utterly exhausted and I am going to eat a massive dinner that’s as close to junk food as I can muster, but my discipline this week will pay off next week when I feel better. 
 

I’m going to write my shopping list and menu for the week ahead now, and just get my head back in the game. Next week I’m going to really focus on my behaviours not really the food: 3 meals, no snacks, no/less fruit, and no nut butter because ye gods that stuff is like crack cocaine. What do they put in it??? (Nuts, obvs!) - danger food! But as I said earlier, I’m not going to punish myself for getting through this week this way- it’s all ok food, it’s good nutrition and next week (from tomorrow) will be better. 

hope you all have a brilliant weekend. 

[Lorna from Canada]

38 minutes ago, Rebecca001 said:

no nut butter because ye gods that stuff is like crack cocaine.

reading this while shoving a tablespoon of almond better into my mouth 

[SugarcubeOD]

16 hours ago, becs said:

I just ate the ugliest, weirdest dinner. I forgot to defrost pre-made freezer goodies for dinner, so I decided to scrounge up something with leftovers in my fridge. That turned out to be grilled chicken with roasted cauliflower and spaghetti squash (warmed up), tossed with a W30 Caesar dressing. Sounds disgusting, I know, and it got zero points for presentation, but it was surprisingly tasty. That being said, I better go and pull something out of the freezer for tomorrow!

LOL! I have eaten some extremely ugly things... they may not be social media worthy but they were compliant, I was hungry, then I wasn't so I consider that a success! It's also a good thing I live alone because no one can see all the weird 'one bowl' meals I eat  

[Rebecca001]

So I’m sat under a blanket, watching trashy tv, and this is my menu for the week ahead. I’m going to batch cook and freeze the meatballs and chicken for lunches and the ratatouille pots- I saw them online, you make them and freeze in a tub in individual portions, then thaw them out when you need them and before you heat in the microwave you make a little well and poach an egg in there. Thought they sounded fun. I am also going to count my veg portions again as the first week I ate 50+ portions but the last two weeks I’ve not had nearly enough. 

[SugarcubeOD]

20 hours ago, Lorna from Canada said:

Does it count that one of my baggy sweatshirts is slightly more baggy? LOL

Of COURSE it does!! 

[SugarcubeOD]

28 minutes ago, Rebecca001 said:

So I’m sat under a blanket, watching trashy tv, and this is my menu for the week ahead. I’m going to batch cook and freeze the meatballs and chicken for lunches and the ratatouille pots- I saw them online, you make them and freeze in a tub in individual portions, then thaw them out when you need them and before you heat in the microwave you make a little well and poach an egg in there. Thought they sounded fun. I am also going to count my veg portions again as the first week I ate 50+ portions but the last two weeks I’ve not had nearly enough. 

Looks delish!  You know what's tasty? Sauteed mushrooms and sliced baby bok choy together - I thought of that when I saw your fried eggs and mushrooms item and thought that might help you increase your veggies - I make a huge deep frying pan full of that and then reheat during the week... it's surprisingly hearty!

[becs]

@Rebecca001Your meal plan looks awesome! So much variety. I think your "junk food" dinner plan sounds just fine. As Melissa is always pounding in our heads, you don't have to do the perfect Whole30! 

I like your idea of focusing on behaviors next week. I've been munching on walnuts at night (at the same time I would have been munching on chips pre-W30), so that's a dangerous game. I will stick to my three meals a day, and if evening cravings hit I'll get up and clean something until the feeling passes. I usually munch when I'm bored, so doing something productive ought to help.

I have a sample packet of Rx Almond Butter in my pantry (almonds, egg white, dates, and coconut oil). I ought to buy an apple this weekend to go with it and try it out. I don't have a sweet tooth, and almost never eat fruit. I should probably plan on eating some kind of fruit at least a couple times a week!

[Rebecca001]

We can get pure 100% almond butter, but it is the devils work really, it’s pure nutty deliciousness. Definitely food with no brakes. 
 

@SugarcubeODthanks, I will try the bok Choi idea, I usually add spinach but it just disappears to nothing, whereas I imagine bok Choi retains some substance. 

[SugarcubeOD]

45 minutes ago, Rebecca001 said:

I usually add spinach but it just disappears to nothing, whereas I imagine bok Choi retains some substance. 

Me too but yes, the Bok Choy is sturdier while still having that nice tender green flavor! It's back on the menu this week - I'm making Greens with Potatoes and Sausage from Well Fed Weeknights for next week and while I will do the kale that is suggested, I find those recipes don't usually have enough veg so I'll add my mushroom concoction to amp it up.

[Lorna from Canada]

3 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

You know what's tasty? Sauteed mushrooms and sliced baby bok choy together

So good - I am always sauteing mushrooms, onions and whatever sturdy green I have in my fridge - usually kale, chard, bok choy or broccoli. Surprisingly delicious side for almost any meal!

[christine19]

I can’t believe it’s day 22 already. I successfully made delicious coleslaw with compliant Primal Kitchen Mayo - I love SWEET coleslaw - I just chopped up an apple to mix in and I swear it was as sweet as coleslaw with traditional Mayo and sugar! incredible hoe sweet fruit and even some veg like celery is after slaying the sugar dragon! 
 

Mostly simple meals this week, made it through a batch of grilled chicken thighs, a bag of shrimp and another spaghetti squash! Once again, I am out of food, the only leftovers I have are a few roasted potatoes! So I’ll cook up some things over the weekend. I had some good workouts and my latest NSVs are I feel very energetic, staying up later than usual and getting out of bed easier! The end of January is within sight! We rock! 

[Lorna from Canada]

7 days - 1 week left! I started a T minus 7 day countdown/prep to start this W30 and here I am a month from that date already. Just 7 days left in this round! I am taking 1 day off (aka drinking some wine on day 31) and then heading right back into a second, slightly modified W30. My mods will be including SWYPOs so - I can't technically say it's a 2nd W30 but I will say it is for myself because I will be 100% compliant with ingredients/food restrictions if not with all the rules and recommendations. I ordered fresh cassava flour for tortillas, have the ingredients on standby to make my fav keto crackers and there are 4 kinds of frozen berries for my yonanas. All in all, I am ready to go strong for a 2nd month.

At day 23, I am a bit begrudging of the tiger blood of others as I feel, like I did for my previous W30s, no change in energy. I still drag around at 2PM like an elderly tabby whose dreams of tiger blood are as unrealistic as the vivid one that woke me up at 5AM this morning. I don't expect it but I always hope for it all the same. Still, there are so many other NSVs and I feel terrific all in all so - meh. You tigers go for it!

Hubs is joining me in the W20 Round 2 with SWYPOs although I suspect beer will be on his list.  I was hoping my daughter would want to tag along - she's done 3 previous W30s as well but she didn't seem keen tonight when I spoke to her about it. That's okay - I'll be fine

I hope your last week is getting off to a powerful start and that you all plan to runn across the finish line with confidence.

[Rebecca001]

What is SWYPOS?

@Lorna from Canada I think I’ll be much the same as you. Day 31 I’m going to weigh myself ( I am always shocked at how dependent I am on the scales of doom, probably a good reason why I shouldn’t- but I’m gonna), and then I will probably have a glass or two of red wine. I’m going to try some soya ‘milk’ products - but it’s very hard to find any with zero sugar,(I think there’s one brand that does one that’s plain soy milk yogurt and nothing else) just to see if I can tolerate that, and then I am going to continue another month. Whilst I do quite fancy a drink after this godawful month, I also don’t want to resume drinking every Friday and Saturday. 
 

I also have an odd (moral) dilemma- obviously W30 ends at the end of day 30 (so next Saturday at 23.59) however January itself ends Sunday 31st. Now, in uk we have this Dry January thing which means no alcohol for the whole of jan, which is what I’ve told everyone we’re doing (because I get enough raised eyebrows with that so imagine the looks of I said I wasn’t eating cake either!) So technically if I drink after my w30, that’s not actually dry January. But 31st is a Sunday- we don’t really drink in the working week, which means I’d end up doing til feb 5th..... oh dilemmas, dilemmas.... 

anyway, Sunday today. We are forecast snow today, all day, so I plan to get out for my run as early as feasible to avoid treacherous pavements. I’m having roast ham for dinner, will do all my prep for the week (this week I’m doing salads, seasoned chicken, and some lamb kofta meatballs)- this week I plan to freeze them afterwards in 2s as the family have cottoned on to the fact that my food is quite delicious and keep eating it! 
 

have a great day- final week! We’ve got this! 

[Rebecca001]

Also @Lorna from Canada I haven’t had so much of the tiger blood this time. I think because I didn’t need to change nearly so many things as my first round, plus I haven’t had as much rest as last time. I still feel tired a lot. 
when my mum did her first round, (she has fibromyalgia) she didn’t get the TB despite getting so many benefits, but she did when she did her 2nd round as she cut out all the nightshades as well, plus nuts. It’s a lot more restrictive then, but it does seem that those things can stop the TB if you’re super sensitive to them? 

[Lorna from Canada]

On 1/22/2021 at 6:46 PM, christine19 said:

I successfully made delicious coleslaw with compliant Primal Kitchen Mayo - I love SWEET coleslaw

I love sweet coleslaw too - I make mine by lightly brining the cabbage in salt and vinegar then, in addition to chopped apple (my mom always chopped an apple into our coleslaw - for years I thought all coleslaw was meant to have apple in it ) I squeeze half a juicy orange into the mayo instead of the lemon I would usually use. Works a charm for the sweetness - I'll never go back to adding sugar to cole slaw again.

[Lorna from Canada]

6 hours ago, Rebecca001 said:

oh dilemmas, dilemmas...

It is! I am a rule follower so this would be huge for me too. And I'd have to do all kinds of FFF thinking around whether this glass of wine is a "worth it" thing or a "inappropriate reward" thing. I don't know what to tell you - you'll have to make your own decision about what this means to you won't you?

Interesting note about the nightshades. I'm not game to try excluding them - I have my limits  I'm not worried about TB - I have generally a good energy - I just envy those who experience a super-boost!

[christine19]

50 minutes ago, Lorna from Canada said:

I squeeze half a juicy orange into the mayo instead of the lemon I would usually use. Works a charm for the sweetness - I'll never go back to adding sugar to cole slaw again.

Oooh....that’s a good idea I’ll try that! Today we are going to make a pork loin on the smoker - it’s 7 pounds so that’s a lot of meat for two people will last the week. Plus I have leftover chicken and shrimp. I won’t have to go grocery shopping until later in the week. 

Funny story, my husband got a roasted chicken from a friend that wasn’t going to eat it. He wanted to make chicken salad with it. Right on the label it said brown sugar. He’s knowledgeable about nutrition, but we had a spirited discussion on how he thought the sugar is just on the skin so it’s ok for me to eat. (Really??? Love him!) After a bit of back and forth, I handed him the open jar of Hellman’s Mayo, a bag of dried cranberries with sugar and said use this stuff up please!  now he can have chicken salad for lunch all week and I only have to worry about my lunch! 

7 hours ago, Rebecca001 said:

But 31st is a Sunday- we don’t really drink in the working week, which means I’d end up doing til feb 5th..... oh dilemmas, dilemmas.... 

I was thinking the same thing, I don’t want to drink on Monday.  I need to get some blood work for a doctors visit, so I’ll  do that Friday, so that I can have a drink Sunday if I want.  I would probably have my sugarless margarita (tequila, lime juice and lime seltzer) 

The other item I am thinking of temporarily introducing is my protein shakes to use them up since they are expensive. Pea protein, cocoa and stevia. I guess that is just testing the stevia, as peas are allowed? I only used to have them as breakfast or a post WO snack, it’s not like I would have it 3 times a day to see if it’s a problem. Not that I miss them, but I’m a little tired of eggs for breakfast....

[Rebecca001]

I think to be honest, I will remain alcohol free for the whole of January. That means til close of play on 31st, irrespective of whole 30 being 30 days. And yes, we probably wouldn’t drink on the Monday, so in the end it will probably end up as a W35 - no great harm in that. 
 

@christine19 my husband is the same. He’s given up dairy and bread, but actually he’s only given up actual milk, actual cheese and sliced white bread. Anything containing the ingredients of dairy or grain are fair game, and, I quote, he’s ‘not going to read labels or be too strict’ - and then doesn’t feel any better for having ‘given it all up’. To be fair, he’s ten stone wringing wet and can eat junk food day and night without gaining an ounce so he’s never had to really care

[50andstillhere]

On 1/22/2021 at 12:57 PM, Rebecca001 said:

So I’m sat under a blanket, watching trashy tv, and this is my menu for the week ahead. I’m going to batch cook and freeze the meatballs and chicken for lunches and the ratatouille pots- I saw them online, you make them and freeze in a tub in individual portions, then thaw them out when you need them and before you heat in the microwave you make a little well and poach an egg in there. Thought they sounded fun. I am also going to count my veg portions again as the first week I ate 50+ portions but the last two weeks I’ve not had nearly enough. 

So organized - I love it!