March 1st start

[Cindi]

I think I'm even dragging my husband to do a whole30 with me. Doing it in March will bring us right up to Easter. Not that I'm going to ditch everything I have or will have learned. But I know on Easter I will be having some paleo treats that would not be allowed on whole30, and probably some wine.

I have a question. First a bit of background. I have a sweet tooth. LOL I did a whole30 in Jan. and lost 8 pounds. I probably need to lose 40 pounds maybe more but I haven't been that low in a long time so its a good jumping off point. I have been fairly low carb since 2002 when I lost 120 pounds. I since gained back and bounced around these 40 pounds for about 7 years, mostly creeping up. Just glad I got this figured out and I never totally lost my head and gained it ALL back. I have been afraid to eat fruit....but would eat a sugar laden coffee from starbucks anytime. I now know that the fruit is a MUCH better choice. I can eat fruit and not freak out. My husband lost his weight 50# in 2002 as well. but he has kept his off without any issues. Prior to paleo/primal he did gain maybe 10 pounds but within a few weeks had that back off. I still struggle. So....that being said...I am getting to my question.

I am reading ISWF. And they talk about drinking your calories or that you shouldn't. I get that. Makes perfect sense. And they talk about drinking fruit smoothies as not a good way too go. HOWEVER....I make fruit and veggie smoothies. A good way to get some extra veggies with breakfast. For instance this morning.. I had half an avocado with salsa, 2 eggs, and a smoothie. The smoothie consisted of, half a banana, handful of frozen strawberries, some wild blueberries, a couple blackberries, 2 baby carrots, a kale leaf, a nice handful of fresh spinach. Sometimes I use 1/4 of a beet and their greens. Sometimes I mix up the fruit...maybe half of an apple or a bit of frozen peaches or a kiwi. But usually the veggies are pretty consistent.

So....is that too much fruit even with the rest of my breakfast, if am really trying to lose some weight?

[Renee Lee]

First, congrats on losing 120lbs and maintaining most of that. That is HUGE. Your 40lb yoyo reminds me a lot of my big weight loss (only 80lbs) and my own 20lb yoyo before I fully converted to paleo. You CAN OVERCOME IT!

Anyway, I am SOOOO glad that I never developed a smoothie habit. It is something that folks cling to for dear life. Yes, it's a good way to get veggies in, but it's also a really BAD way to try to lose weight. I'm not saying that you can't...but it's going to be harder and probably really discouraging.

Side note: it's not a question of how much fruit is in it (and the answer's yes, btw...that's like 2.5-3 servings of fruit, just with breakfast. No bueno!) It's because liquid food isn't satiating, it's calorie dense without sending the right signals to your brain, it's a HUGE blood sugar/insulin spike. It's NOT a good idea.

[Cindi]

Thanks for the input. I wouldn't really call it a smoothie habit but it is a nice way to get in some veggies and I never do JUST a smoothie. I have plenty of protein and fat right along with it. I've even put avocados or eggs IN the smoothies but not usually. But if I don't do the smoothies WITH my breakfast then I'm probably not going to get the extra veggies (or fruit for that matter). I don't want raw carrots for breakfast but will on occasion make some cooked spinach or an avocado for breakfast. Eating the veggies for breakfast is tough. Maybe I'll just have to make sure I do WAY more veggies for lunch and dinner.

If given the opportunity I could easily have salmon or steak for breakfast. my husband on the other hand will have no part of that. It is sausage, bacon or ham ONLY for breakfasts.

[AJ10]

I have a sweet potato cake every morning for breakfast (egg as binder, raisins and cinnamon) and lately throwing a bunch of kale or collard greens on 1/2 the plate drizzled with avocado dressing and cherry tomatoes. I. Love. It! Alongside 2 eggs:)

[Cindi]

HERE WE GO! For a week I haven't been horrible but I haven't been making very wise choices either. Bad choices make you feel Yucky. I'm looking forward to having a good tomorrow and a good month!

[Carrie]

I am deeply excited for this... I know my life is about to change... I've been trying to figure out what will work for my body and my mind in regards to figuring out how to get healthy for a few years now and this is the first time I know I will win... I will get healthier and exceptionally healthy. I've cut out foods before so it's not that different for me... For a while I was dairy, soy, nut and gluten free for my baby. Then we found it was really my problem. So I stayed gluten and dairy free and only soy in the fermented wheat free kinds. Then I did the slow carb diet. I like that diet because of how simple it was but hated the excessive gas. So it's like I've taken steps in this direction for the past 2 years. I've set goals, made them visible for my family to see in order to help me be accountable and I'm firmly committed and fantastically excited. I took pictures last light, weighed and measured this morning and have committed to staying away from the scale and tape for the duration of this program... I am already preparing for doing a whole 60 or 90 depending on where I'm at at the end of this. And I sooooooooooooooooooo look forward to no crazy cravings or binges on sugar and grains! I'm all in and deeply excited about this.