Jump to content

Whole January


KalinaM

Recommended Posts

Hope everyone's weeks are going well!  It's hard to believe we're in the home-stretch.  Only 5 more days for those of us who started Jan 2nd!

 

My husband is done since he left for a Bachelor party today, so I'm on my own now. I'm so tempted to finish up early too - especially since I'm PMSing and craving chocolate. I made this Spinach and Artichoke stuffed mushroom recipe today for dinner to treat myself (sans the parmesan and with Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese, obviously).  It turned out pretty good!  Although in hindsight, it'd have been better with larger mushrooms like portabella, instead of baby bella.  The tiny mushrooms were hard to stuff, and I'd have preferred a bigger filling to mushroom ratio.  I have the leftover filling to have at a later time - just trying to figure out what I want to do with it.  Thinking about maybe doing an omelet tomorrow or Saturday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, ____Emily____ said:

Hope everyone's weeks are going well!  It's hard to believe we're in the home-stretch.  Only 5 more days for those of us who started Jan 2nd!

 

My husband is done since he left for a Bachelor party today, so I'm on my own now. I'm so tempted to finish up early too - especially since I'm PMSing and craving chocolate. I made this Spinach and Artichoke stuffed mushroom recipe today for dinner to treat myself (sans the parmesan and with Kite Hill dairy-free cream cheese, obviously).  It turned out pretty good!  Although in hindsight, it'd have been better with larger mushrooms like portabella, instead of baby bella.  The tiny mushrooms were hard to stuff, and I'd have preferred a bigger filling to mushroom ratio.  I have the leftover filling to have at a later time - just trying to figure out what I want to do with it.  Thinking about maybe doing an omelet tomorrow or Saturday.

Oh yum! Saving this for a superbowl app idea!

 

I made a Thai chicken recipe in the slow cooker last night and am eating it for breakfast now with cauliflower rice. It's ok, but I don't think I'll put this recipe on file!

Only 4 days to go!! Woohoo!! I think I've decided I'll do an extremely slow roll intro this time instead of extending or putting pressure on myself to meet certain criteria.  I want to weigh myself if nothing else! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 29, can you guys believe it? I feel like I've kind of been coasting the last week, it hasn't seemed as hard but I also think I'm not sticking to the meal template quite as well as I should be (filling the plate with veggies can be challenging).

I'm having mixed feelings about reintroduction. While I haven't exactly felt tiger blood, my mood is significantly more stable, and my sleep is better (at least, when I can manage to get myself in bed on time). I've done multiple rounds before and eventually just go back to my old habits, so I'm really trying to be more introspective about how I want to transition off the W30 - particularly recognizing my patterns of self-soothing with alcohol or food (or both, let's be honest). This season of life is just really stressful, with young kids, aging parents, and career advancement. I definitely need to find better ways to cope. Part of that will be waiting to reintroduce alcohol or sugar. I think I'm going to start with reintroducing legumes. I don't eat a ton of them anyway and I've never noticed any issues when I've reintroduced them in the past.

What are everyone else's reintroduction plans?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, CGinDC said:

- particularly recognizing my patterns of self-soothing with alcohol or food (or both, let's be honest). This season of life is just really stressful, with young kids, aging parents, and career advancement. I definitely need to find better ways to cope. Part of that will be waiting to reintroduce alcohol or sugar. I think

What are everyone else's reintroduction plans?

 

I so could've written this! Stressful being the sandwich generation. And yes, my once a month gladd of wine slowly turns into a 5 times a week glass of wine and I dont want to do that anymore! I really dont have a reintro plan, which is bad I know!! I keep going back and forth between structured and slow role. The only thing I won't reintroduce is gluten as I found out on a previous whole30 that was bad for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm already knee-deep in re-introduction (my options were do Whole30 for only 3 weeks, or wait several months to do it, so I only did it 3 weeks before starting reintroduction). I'm doing it every 4 days as suggested.

Started with non-gluten grains, and I think I MAY have had an effect - allergies and worse sleep - so I'll be doing that one again. Then I did legumes, and it turns out legumes are GREAT for me - I had the best digestion I've had in months. So yay legumes! Yesterday was dairy - not sure about that yet, need to give it another couple of days. My husband seemed to have an almost immediate reaction to dairy after breakfast, but not so much after dinner, so he'll be doing that one again.

Alcohol is tricky for me. I LOVE wine - the taste, all the science behind it, the endless variation among and within different varietals, all the history of winemaking... All other alcohol I could easily give up, but wine is harder. But after reading (in the Whole 30 and It Starts with Food and then in additional research I did) about how bad alcohol is for you, I feel like I should give it up - but I just don't want to. So I need to do more thinking on that one.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, CGinDC said:

This season of life is just really stressful, with young kids, aging parents, and career advancement. I definitely need to find better ways to cope. Part of that will be waiting to reintroduce alcohol or sugar.

I know what you mean about the stress, even though I'm in a different phase of life - empty nester with a kid who lives across the county, my mom is in a nursing home in another state and not doing great... So lots of traveling to see them and also trying to be involved from a distance.

I've been getting back to exercising more (only because my physical therapist kind of insisted) and I think that's helping a lot - but I remember how hard it can be to find time for that with young kids!

I think I'm going to try to keep avoiding added sugar, at least most of the time and definitely in things where it does not need to be, like canned soups and bacon and things like that. I mean, if I'm going to have a (small!) piece of cake it's going to have sugar and I'm cool with that as long as I'm making an intentional choice to eat it, not just eating it because it's in front of me!  We'll see how that goes. :) 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, KalinaM said:

I so could've written this! Stressful being the sandwich generation. And yes, my once a month gladd of wine slowly turns into a 5 times a week glass of wine and I dont want to do that anymore! I really dont have a reintro plan, which is bad I know!! I keep going back and forth between structured and slow role. The only thing I won't reintroduce is gluten as I found out on a previous whole30 that was bad for me.

I'm so interested in the experiences of those of you who have done Whole30 before (this is my first one). If you did reintroduction before, and already know what does/doesn't affect you, do you still do re-introduction of the things that didn't show an effect last time? If so, is that because things can change over time, or...?

Not trying to be nosy, just want to learn. :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Sheila B said:

I'm so interested in the experiences of those of you who have done Whole30 before (this is my first one). If you did reintroduction before, and already know what does/doesn't affect you, do you still do re-introduction of the things that didn't show an effect last time? If so, is that because things can change over time, or...?

Not trying to be nosy, just want to learn. :) 

I have done a few but I need to do a slow roll reintroduction. I have never had a ton of immediate effects when I add things back in, but over time my reflux gets bad and moods become much more variable. I'd like to pinpoint whether it's just processed carbs in general, the combination of carbs and dairy, alcohol...like, is it something specific or is it just the combination of certain things over time? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, CGinDC said:

I have done a few but I need to do a slow roll reintroduction. I have never had a ton of immediate effects when I add things back in, but over time my reflux gets bad and moods become much more variable. I'd like to pinpoint whether it's just processed carbs in general, the combination of carbs and dairy, alcohol...like, is it something specific or is it just the combination of certain things over time? 

Yeah, that makes sense. Over time makes it hard enough to identify, but then when you think about all the possible combinations of things...  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Sheila B said:

Yeah, that makes sense. Over time makes it hard enough to identify, but then when you think about all the possible combinations of things...  

Yes, it becomes a bit overwhelming. I'm doing legumes first because I don't eat them that much anyway, so I don't think they're the problem. With non-gluten grains, I'll probably do rice first and then corn separately - those are the two that I eat the most frequently. Then dairy, then gluten will be last.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty excited for the end of this Whole30.  I don't do the reintroduction anymore after my first time, but I probably should since it has been about 4.5 years since then and I'm sure my body has changed.  I also haven't given a ton of thought to how I'll eat starting day 31... I would like to cut back on added sugar for sure.  I'm planning to pack my normal breakfast and lunch for work, so that'll be compliant, but otherwise I don't know

 

I kind of inadvertently gave up caffeine for most of this Whole30.  Got a small nitro cold brew at my coffee shop yesterday and wound up drinking it all (normally I'd sip on it during my meeting and dump most of it after I left the coffee shop).  I was up until 7:30am this morning... I had to call off work since I would only get about 1 hour of sleep before having to start.  So I'm actually a bit nervous about how my body will react when I get lattes again after reintroducing dairy...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started reintroduction several days ago after completing the Whole30 earlier (started earlier). I've reintroduced butter. My brain loves it. Especially on sweet potatoes. I then went for the most troublesome one after a couple of days back on W30, cream, cheese, half and half, and milk. OMG. I actually got nauseous. I did spread these out over 2 days but did a little at each meal to challenge my body. Today, I'm racing back to W30. That messed up my digestion as well. Now gassy and constipated at the same time. Oh, joy!

Since I wasn't used to eating so much over the course of the W30 and had been calorie starved for a couple of years, I did gain 3 lbs. I realize now, my metabolism, gut health, and stress hormone cortisol was all out of whack from too much sugar, not enough protein, and milk. Weird that I do well on butter but not other dairies. I've learned a lot. The next steps after reintroduction will be possibly intermittent fasting with 2 meals and a snack to see if I can start to lose the 20 lbs I gained this past year - but with W30 as a lifestyle. Exciting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Sheila B said:

Alcohol is tricky for me. I LOVE wine - the taste, all the science behind it, the endless variation among and within different varietals, all the history of winemaking..

I SO hear you on this one. I was told once by a nutritionist that given my liver and DNA constitution I should never drink an ounce of wine. I did stop for over a year. And I healed hypoglycemia during that time. When I came back to wine I found my cadence. 2 glasses of wine on different days work best. And sometime socially I'll drink 2 in a row. I always pay for that. I'm curious to see how wine feels in reintroduction. But like coffee, I don't see myself giving it up but finding the balance I can work with. I will need to give up milk, cream, etc. I'll be grieving that. But I get sick to my stomach. Wine doesn't give me huge reactions, I just don't sleep as well and feel a tad off the next day. I LOVE wine and the science of it too. I hear you.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Sheila B said:

I think I'm going to try to keep avoiding added sugar, at least most of the time and definitely in things where it does not need to be

I was surprised how easy it has been to give up sugar. I was a total addict. But now I have zero interest. Not even in reintroducing it. I'm much more interested in bread and grains in general. And wine. Something about a glass of red wine, warm sourdough slathered in butter. But I've decided SLOW reintroduction. Also, I got rid of my TV. What a relief that is to have more space in my life. It's helped with food cravings as well. I paired watching movies and food + would add my laptop in there to work. Now I'm cleaning more, walking, and working in a more concentrated, focused way. Wow. I'm loving the habit changes that domino out of the W30.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Sheila B said:

 

Alcohol is tricky for me. I LOVE wine - the taste, all the science behind it, the endless variation among and within different varietals, all the history of winemaking... All other alcohol I could easily give up, but wine is harder. But after reading (in the Whole 30 and It Starts with Food and then in additional research I did) about how bad alcohol is for you, I feel like I should give it up - but I just don't want to. So I need to do more thinking on that one.

Yes, I feel the same! It's such a cultural thing, really! And so nice to bond with friends over. But-- I know alcohol isn't the best. I'm going to try to leave it out until after reintros and then be VERY mindful about when it's worth it. Or at least try to be!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Sheila B said:

I'm so interested in the experiences of those of you who have done Whole30 before (this is my first one). If you did reintroduction before, and already know what does/doesn't affect you, do you still do re-introduction of the things that didn't show an effect last time? If so, is that because things can change over time, or...?

Not trying to be nosy, just want to learn. :) 

Yes, for all the reasons you stated! Bodies change and I already learned about gluten. At some point I may want to try reintroducing gluten again to see how I do, but-- it took me 2 whole30s to realize that gluten was in fact a problem since the problems don't come for several days afterwards and then I would still make exceptions for "worth it" items, but as I went along with avoiding it and then having it, I understood also the subtleties of what it did to me in regards to heart palpitations and anxiety and itchy spots on my skin that previously I never understood were related to gluten consumption. So now-- gluten is never worth it. I do accidentally consume gluten on occasion (last time was in October when I ordered gluten free pasta at a restaurant, was surprised at how yummy the dish was and then later, when my husband tried some he told me, that is NOT gluten free! Oh, I paid for that for about a week. Because, again, my symptoms don't show up right away, but I have bloating and digestive issues a couple days later and then the anxiety ramps up and itchy spots last for a week or so after the digestion clears up)

 

So, just in general with the way I'm feeling overall-- I do believe that I am probably not triggered by other categories, except for sugar and alcohol which, let's face it, isn't good for anyone.... BUT-- I'm still going to reintroduce since I don't know FOR SURE that I didn't develop a dairy sensitivity or something along the way.  

 

Hope that helps.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, CGinDC said:

Yes, it becomes a bit overwhelming. I'm doing legumes first because I don't eat them that much anyway, so I don't think they're the problem. With non-gluten grains, I'll probably do rice first and then corn separately - those are the two that I eat the most frequently. Then dairy, then gluten will be last.

I'm also planning on doing rice and corn separately! For the same reasons-- I eat a lot of them. I will also reintroduce my gluten free flour blend on a separate day as well since that has rice flour, but also other things. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, ____Emily____ said:

I'm pretty excited for the end of this Whole30.  I don't do the reintroduction anymore after my first time, but I probably should since it has been about 4.5 years since then and I'm sure my body has changed.  I also haven't given a ton of thought to how I'll eat starting day 31... I would like to cut back on added sugar for sure.  I'm planning to pack my normal breakfast and lunch for work, so that'll be compliant, but otherwise I don't know

 

I kind of inadvertently gave up caffeine for most of this Whole30.  Got a small nitro cold brew at my coffee shop yesterday and wound up drinking it all (normally I'd sip on it during my meeting and dump most of it after I left the coffee shop).  I was up until 7:30am this morning... I had to call off work since I would only get about 1 hour of sleep before having to start.  So I'm actually a bit nervous about how my body will react when I get lattes again after reintroducing dairy...

Oh no!! Hope you are able to rest and get that caffeine out of your system! Feel better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Niya said:

I was surprised how easy it has been to give up sugar. I was a total addict. But now I have zero interest. Not even in reintroducing it. I'm much more interested in bread and grains in general. And wine. Something about a glass of red wine, warm sourdough slathered in butter. But I've decided SLOW reintroduction. Also, I got rid of my TV. What a relief that is to have more space in my life. It's helped with food cravings as well. I paired watching movies and food + would add my laptop in there to work. Now I'm cleaning more, walking, and working in a more concentrated, focused way. Wow. I'm loving the habit changes that domino out of the W30.

WOW, good for you for changing so much in your life this month! Sounds like you've hit your stride. I need to amp up the movement, but it is soooo hard with my young kids. I need to find a way to make it work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, KalinaM said:

I need to amp up the movement, but it is soooo hard with my young kids.

I need to amp up the movement and I don't have kids. You are a rockstar. It seems that hitting even 10% of self care as a Mom makes you worthy of a Pulitzer Prize in our culture. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, KalinaM said:

WOW, good for you for changing so much in your life this month! Sounds like you've hit your stride. I need to amp up the movement, but it is soooo hard with my young kids. I need to find a way to make it work.

Seriously so hard. No time during the day and by the time they're in bed I'm exhausted. Also, I'm not someone who can work out at night - it revs me up and then my sleep suffers. I like the idea - in theory - of waking up a bit early to take a walk before the kids are up, but let's be real. I'm getting 7 hours of sleep on a good night, and when I get less than that I pay for it. I really don't want to willingly cut an hour out of my sleeping time.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, CGinDC said:

Seriously so hard. No time during the day and by the time they're in bed I'm exhausted. Also, I'm not someone who can work out at night - it revs me up and then my sleep suffers. I like the idea - in theory - of waking up a bit early to take a walk before the kids are up, but let's be real. I'm getting 7 hours of sleep on a good night, and when I get less than that I pay for it. I really don't want to willingly cut an hour out of my sleeping time.

YES. It's truly being pulled from all ends of life. Luckily you are in touch with yourself and working on self care rigorously. Can you imagine if you weren't?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...