Official Introduction

[LindaLee]

Hello...my name is Linda and my husband and I are hoping to officially start the Whole30 plan this weekend. I'm 50 and my husband is 54. We are newlyweds! We just got married in October.

In the last few years, I've developed seasonal allergy symptoms (primarily to mold) and my cholesterol went up to 250 (though my triglycerides are good; it's my LDL that sucks). I've gained hips/saddle bags that I never, ever had before, and my energy levels have been very low. My doctor put me on statins, partially I think due to my fear - my mother had a massive stroke when she was 55 and died at age 63, and I am petrified that I'll meet the same fate. I know I have unhealthy attachments to food; I tend to eat very well when my husband is here, but much worse when he isn't and I'm feeling lonely.

I was on the statins for two months. During that time I gained an unacceptable amount of weight, and when I went on line to see whether this was a common side effect, I saw so many horror stories about the side effects that I stopped taking them immediately.

My husband and I both used to do a lot of hiking and work building trails, but in the last few years we've curtailed that due to living in two different towns (because he has partial custody of his son). We've both gained more weight than we like, though neither of us are overweight.

We want our healthy bodies back, and we want a changed LIFESTYLE not just a temporary diet fix. Since we just got married, we want to have many, many happy active years together.

Ron did the Caveman diet many years ago and said he lost a ton of weight and never felt better. He's all for it.

I love to work out but Crossfit scares me! Lately I've been alternately walk/jogging (couch to 5K), with circuit weights at the gym and the Firm aerobic weight training.

So here we are...I'd love to hear from other people, especially folks who are our age and who don't have ready access to organic food stores or farmer's markets!

Linda

[Jeanye Mercer]

Hi, Linda,

I'm 49. I started crossfit and eating clean 3 years ago. I absolutely love both! The comraderie and support are unmatched in the crossfit/paleo/whole9 community.

I encourage you to do some reading on the cholesterol situation. Much of our fear is unfounded, I believe, and encouraged by pharmaceutical interests. If you haven't ordered It Starts With Food, I would recommend doing so right away. The science is so helpful!

I rarely shop at organic food stores or markets. I can find virtually everthing I need at my local HEB grocery store. Lots of folks have found ways to shop online as well.

Best of luck to you! and congratulations on your marriage. May you have many happy, healthy years ahead of you!

[LindaLee]

Thanks, Jeanye, for the warm welcome! Have you eaten clean all three years straight, or mixed it up, or...? Ron says he can take or leave bread; I'm okay with that, though I'm thinking it'll be kind of tough until I get in the habit. The caffeine situation and breakfast are my greater "concerns" - I love my diet dew, and I'm an "eat my cereal in the car ob the way to work" gal. I have liked what I've seen so far about breakfasts, though.

I have ordered the book - it shipped today!

Thanks again! I look forward to chatting more!

[befabdaily]

You don't have to Crossfit to lift heavy things. I am a little intimidated by it too.

I started weight bearing exercise from a pretty weak state. I had been doing lots of cardio (Zumba) and just walking for years, but not much with weights. Right now I'm following a bodyweight program called Convict Conditioning, all of which can just be done in your house and it starts with modified exercises for people who are out of shape.

I don't know what all you have where you are, but for me, one of the best resources are the local budget grocery chains that are targeted at latino and asian demographics. Cheaper veggies, great deals on stuff like spices and coconut milk, and cuts of meat like oxtails, that standard grocery stores don't sell around here.

[Jeanye Mercer]

Linda,

I have completed 4 or 5 Whole30's. I do not follow the Whole30 every single day. However, the vast majority of my meals follow that plan. Throughout the three years I seem to have found a place of balance. For me that means preparing most of my meals at home, eating real food and allowing myself occasional treats. When I do indulge it's because I've usually planned ahead and decided on a special treat. There are times when I indulge more often than I planned or when I find that I've eased up a bit too much. I'll do a 5-10 day reset and I'm good to go! (Oftentimes it only takes a day or two to ger right back on track.)

The joy for me is that I LOVE this lifestyle. I feel freed from obsessing about food and calories and points, etc...(with the exception of a few stubborn body image issues that I continue to work on) And I feel so GREAT physically that I don't want to jeopardize that. Continuing to educate myself regarding real, clean food and it's benefits has helped me stay strong as well.

Ditch the dew and cereal sooner than later. A few weeks/months/years from now you'll look back and wonder why you ever thought you couldn't live without them. For me it was power bars and soy chai lattes!

[LindaLee]

Thanks again for all the great advice! I wrote in a different topic about my recent cholesterol results, and my decision to stop the statins and tell my doctor I wasn't going to take them anymore.

This week, I realized there is a certified CrossFit gym right in my hometown! How cool is that? I called to start the Foundations class in July. I'm scared to death because intense bursts of activity are not and have never been my forte (I'm more a slow and steady kind of gal), but I'm also excited.

Today, I went through my cabinet and tossed out cereals and pasta, maple syrup, beans, peas, etc. Anything that isn't perishable and was unopened, I will give to my church's food bank (though it doesn't seem quite right to share unhealthy food with someone else!). My husband is worried about his fiber so I'm keeping his Fiber One cereal. Maybe we won't need it if we up our veggies.

I'm planning to start Whole30 tomorrow, though I'm still waiting for my It Starts With Food book to arrive...it was supposed to be here yesterday but darn Amazon sent it via FedEx SmartPost, which always ends up in Earth City and then disappears between there and here. So I had to call Amazon and have them resend it via good ol' USPS.

Anxious. But ready, I hope. Glad I can still have my sugar snap peas, LOL!