So I decided eating like that was not fun. No energy and a hurty tummy. So I am sticking with Whole30. I made some Chocolate Chili. I made more coconut creamer. I cooked my eggs with spinach and ghee. And I feel soooooo much better today.
Hi! Well, I had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I drank a little, ate cheese, ate stuffing, ate cookies, ate chocolate, ate pie, and bread and junk! And then I had the worst stomach ache ever. I really felt crappy the whole weekend.
So I decided eating like that was not fun. No energy and a hurty tummy. So I am sticking with Whole30. I made some Chocolate Chili. I made more coconut creamer. I cooked my eggs with spinach and ghee. And I feel soooooo much better today.
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Re-entry is hard. I added powdered Stevia to my coffee. And I don't like it.
I went back to Splenda. Added that to my coffee. I didn't like that either. I think it might be the coconut milk I am using? It's just not the right taste. I am going to try my regular creamer and see if I like that. However, I did make Paleo Chocolate Zucchini bread and Paleo Banana bread and both were delicious. Stevia for baking works really well. I also found stevia sweetened chocolate chips. Which taste delicious! I went out for my son's birthday to Buca di Beppo. I ate a tiny bit (3 spoonfuls) of a macaroni dish that had a tomato base, but also had cheese. I got a stomach ache almost immediately. I don't know if it was from the dairy or the gluten. My stomach hurt the whole next day. I went back to my Whole30 to try and get whatever it was out of my system. Not sure if it was dairy but right now I don't care if I ever eat dairy again. Yesterday was my last day on Whole30. Today I got to finally put sweetener in my coffee!!!
I chose to try Stevia - which by all accounts is the best option to use to sweeten food. I bought SweatLeaf Stevia in both powder and liquid form. My liquid did not arrive yet from Amazon, so I used the powder today. I am not sure how much I like it. It has a bit of an aftertaste. But, maybe it's because I haven't had sweet stuff in my coffee for such a long time. Also - I lost 14 pounds!!!!!! This morning, I got on the scale for the first time in 30 days. If you remember, I started Whole30 to avoid gaining 10 pounds during the Halloween candy season. I started at 193. And today, I am at 179! Was the Whole30 hard? At first it was - a little. But, honestly, I'd rather eat this way, than be on the pre-surgery liquid diet. It's much easier to eat out, cook your own food and try new recipes on Whole30. I did five weeks on the liquid diet around my surgery in March 2014. Whole30 was much easier. Will you keep doing it? I've read blogs and seen posts in forums about people being on the Whole45, the Whole100, the Whole212. Basically, this means people stayed on it past the 30 days. My plan is to strive for 90% Whole30. I am not sure what that means right now - but right now I have no intention of rushing right out and indulging in dairy, breads, beans or candy. What's next? Since the Whole30 forbids baking anything that resembles a bread (even if it is made with almond flour) I'm going to bake some Paleo treats today and see how they taste! This is my last week of the Whole30 challenge. It has been great. I feel really great right now. Clothes aren't as tight, my stomach is more flat than before, and I am not craving any sweets, breads or dairy. As I have said before, I definitely miss a bit of sweetener in my coffee. But, I bet I won't need to use as much as I did before Whole30. Also, I seem to LOVE sweet potatoes. I could always tolerate them, but nothing was better than white potatoes (french fries, mashed, you name it!). Lately I have started to LOVE the sweet potatoes over the white. I think it's because 1) I don't get many sweet things these days and 2) clearing out all the junk actually lets me taste the flavor in a whole new way. The most interesting development in this challenge is that I do not miss cheese. I ate so much cheese prior to the Whole30. I ate it on EVERYTHING. In large quantities. I don't seem to miss it. I don't crave it. I don't think about it. I thought that would be one of the harder foods to let go of.
I made Whole30 Chocolate Chili on the weekend, and have been eating it for dinner. It is so warm and delicious as we move into colder weather. Fire in the fireplace, warm chili in a bowl and binge watching Christmas movies is the best! This chili is a real treat that I know I will make again long after my Whole30 is done! It's day 619 since I got my Lap-Band. And, I am feeling really good on day 22 of my Whole30 plan. Since my last post, I have not had any cravings! It is so strange, but appealing. I don't seem to miss my Splenda in my coffee. I no longer crave sugary foods and dream about them at night. I don't curse this diet and wish it would end. I have a decent amount of energy. And, I definitely don't desire a snack at all during the day.
Here is my typical meal plan for the day. You will note that it is not only Whole30 compliant- but works well for Lap-Banders as well (little chance of getting "stuck"): Breakfast: Small cup of coffee with coconut milk/real vanilla bean/cinnamon 2 soft scrambled eggs cooked in teaspoon of Ghee with roasted vegetable (spinach or bell pepper) Lunch: Roasted chicken breast or wild caught tuna Watermelon salad: Arugula, carrots, raspberries, blackberries, and watermelon topped with balsamic Dinner: WellFed Chocolate Chili (my new favorite!) or Spaghetti Squash with homemade marinara and chopped chicken Lots of water during the day. I am only drinking ice tea (sans sweetener) when I eat out. I am so very happy to be at this stage of Whole30! I'm starting to feel the energy and enthusiasm that people say they get while on the Whole30 plan. For the past week, it has not been so good. I have had headaches. I have felt lethargic. I am sick of no sugar. Sick of no alcohol. And just plain sick of the routine of healthy eating.
But, last night as I finished my 19th day, I started to feel really good. And today, I woke up feeling really optimistic. Day 20. Only 10 days to go! So, as I sip my coconut milk infused coffee (sans Splenda), I have a renewed hope that I am reaching the "tiger blood" stage of this Whole30. I'm excited for that! As I was loading up on some Whole30 compliant groceries, I noticed this advertisement on my cart. Apparently, this guy can hypnotize you to believe you have a Lap-Band? He is Virtual Gastric Band certified. What the heck does that mean? I looked into it further. I guess this has been around a while. I never had heard about it. There is a lady in the UK that sells DVDs that help hypnotherapists to become Virtual Gastric Band Certified and grow their business. How does it work? According to an Australian website on the same subject: The Virtual Gastric Band is a non-surgical technique which uses the power of hypnosis to retrain the person to be satisfied with smaller portions of food. Clinical hypnotherapy convinces the mind that the stomach is full after a smaller amount and there is no desire to eat more. A Virtual Gastric Band is like 'flicking a switch in the brain.' It changes a person's attitude towards food and helps them regain control over cravings and bad habits. Feedback shows increased willpower and no need for the person to deprive themself of the foods they enjoy. Weight is lost naturally and consistently without dieting." Since the real Lap-Band creates a physical barrier to overeating, I am not sure hypnotherapy would have the same effect. To be fair, I have never tried hypnotherapy. It sounds too good to be true.
I don't think there is a magic bullet, magic pill or magic mental trick that can help you lose weight in the long term. It takes a lot of work and dedication. I like that my Lap-Band is physical. I can feel it. I can touch my port. It's a tactile reminder of the work I need to do. And, I don't have to keep paying or going to a hypnotherapist to keep me on track. I'm on day 15 of Whole30. Half way there! Last night I had a dream I was swimming in a vat of delicious ooey gooey macaroni and cheese.
I'm on day 14 of Whole30. And I have had a persistant headache for the past three days.
I can't believe it would be eating on the Whole30 plan that would cause my headaches. I am drinking coffee, and I haven't had a headache the whole time. But, the weather is changing. It's cooler. It's windy. Maybe it's messing with my sinuses? I also thought it might be eye strain. I stayed home to rest my eyes today. Really tried to keep them closed all day. I drink lots of water all day. But, the headache is still there. Tomorrow I am half way through the Whole30. And, other than missing my Splenda in my morning coffee - it isn't that bad. My friend at work made us pesto chicken and zoodles (zucchini noodles). I made a delicious spaghetti squash with home made marinara. I also made some delicious chicken with thyme, and roasted cauliflower. Every bit of it is Whole30 compliant AND food my surgeon would be happy I am eating. Nothing artificial and nothing processed. Just great tasting food with natural spices like garlic, oregano, thyme and pepper. My engagement ring is getting loose on my finger. I mean, it's really loose! I need to watch it when I wash my hands or put lotion on. It's just another proof that I am losing some weight on this plan. I just wish the headache would go away. Ah - finally it's November! The Halloween season is hard on those of us trying to be Lap-Band compliant. Too many small bite-size sugary temptations. Lots of sweet and creamy slider foods. This season I challenged myself to try the Whole30 plan. 30 days of eating only whole foods. No sugar, dairy, soy, legumes or grains. And, I am proud to say I am successfully on day 12. And like clockwork, I have started to have crazy dreams - just like the Whole30.com website said I would. Your energy levels are better than normal – you’re downright Tigger the bouncing tiger! But something weird is happening. You’re dreaming. Not crazy nightmare or strange surrealist dreams, either. Incredibly normal and realistic dreams – about donuts. Or Twinkies. Or Snickers. In your mind, sometimes you get caught and feel guilty. Sometimes you just brazenly eat the contraband. - Whole30.com Last night, I dreamed that I ate a 3 Muskateers. I was feeling very guilty. I was contemplating whether to keep it to myself and not tell anyone, or really start the Whole30 over again at day one. I finally realized that it was just a dream. But, then I started dreaming more. I dreamed I drank an energy drink (I never drink those), and had some chips on accident. I was hating myself for not being more careful. I was feeling frustrated that I could not even keep doing this for thirty days. I thought I was being lazy and not paying attention.
It was so nice to wake up and realize it was all just a dream! I was really stressed out about it. Not a fun way to spend the night. But, in other news, I wore some of my smaller pants and shirts this weekend. I know I am losing weight. I just can't get on the scale to prove it! |
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