getting healthly – Page 2 – NourishingWhole

Whole30 Round Two

I know, I said I more than likely wasn’t going to do another. But I have been trying to follow the Low-FODMAP rules, and I have found that I have been eating cookies all day, just because they were Low-FODMAP, and I am lazy.

Despite how much I hated the rules of Whole30, I actually stuck to it. So, I figured since eating cookies all day, is opposite of what I want, I thought Whole30 would be a good thing to do again.

But, I am going to not be crazy strict. That’s not a true Whole30 then. Yup, you are right. But I am not going to buy Fish Sauce on Amazon, just because I can’t find a compliant fish sauce in the area. I am not drinking fish sauce for the sugar, (who drinks it anyway!) and I guess in reality, I could just leave it out. But whatever. And buying an expensive dijon mustard just because it doesn’t have white wine it in. I already don’t consume alcohol, so then again, how much then would be in the ¼ tsp, I used to make some “compliant” mayo…

I need to keep this Whole30 in our budget. So, that means, I won’t be buying any crazy new different brand, just because it is “compliant” instead of the store brand that has sugar/wine/one non compliant ingredient. I am going to go with the 80/20 rule this round. Well, more like the 99/1 rule, I am going to limit my use of non-compliant ingredients to one.

For example, I decided to start today, instead of next week, so I didn’t everything I needed. Like, a lemon, I do have bottled lemon juice. But bottle lemon juice has a forbidden ingredient of a SULFITE. I said, “screw it”, and made my mayo, with it anyway. So now my homemade mayo isn’t Whole30 compliant, but that was the only thing that wasn’t in my lunch. Same with dinner, dinner called for fish sauce, which has sugar.

This is my personal, realistic, staying within my budget Whole30. It would be torn apart on the forum. So what, I don’t care, I am going to follow the rules as best I can, without going crazy about every single minuscule detail.

Yesterday, I started planning out 30 dinners for Whole30, thinking I would start in October, then I thought, nah, let’s just start next week. Spend the week getting ready. Then this morning I thought, why not just start today. Plus that way, I will be done in time for my Mother-in-Law’s birthday! (Wacky Cake! Yummy!)

Today, I spent some time making a spreadsheet of meals to keep me on track. It isn’t finished, but go ahead and check it out. Also, made a shopping list for this week, and will go shopping tomorrow. (Oh! and I figured out how to edit pictures on my phone, and how to take fairly decent ones too! Hopefully, WordPress uploads them right.)

Like last round I will post meals, it was fun. And it helps keep me honest.

Breakfast:
1 whole egg and 1 egg white (leftover from making mayo), scrambled with some garlic infused olive oil and sauteed green peppers, cucumbers, bacon, and a banana.

Lunch:
Tuna fish mixed with homemade mayo, cucumbers, black grapes.

Dinner:
Slow cooker Thai Beef Stew with mashed potatoes.

Feeling overwhelmed

I have been feeling run down the last few days, and trying to get figure out what is my deal. I am an emotional person, and bad news, especially, when I have been working so hard, just devastates me.

I have been kicking against the pricks of genetics for years, and now that I know what the answer is I just feel like I can’t fix it.

I have been trying to do everything at once, lose weight, increase muscle mass, become a runner, clean my house, become organized.

And I am expecting this over night… It doesn’t work that way. We all know it.

I need to take a step back for a bit. I am going to focus on just eating controlled portions and training for my half marathon. No 21-Day fix workouts on top over everything, no beating myself up because it took me a week to fold the laundry (and then another to put it away…).

I need to be gentle to myself, I am not super woman.

August 8, 2015

Yesterday, I had a follow up with my Functional Medicine Doctor. I have SIBO, the antibiotics have really helped that. And even though I feel great, I can not eat whatever I want. SIBO can be caused by the bodies inability to digest FODMAPs.

Well, as if the list of foods I can’t/shouldn’t eat could get any longer…

Years ago, I did the FODMAP thing, it helped a little, but not really. Now, I have to retest them ALL, especially because I wasn’t avoiding them while I was taking my SIBO antibiotics. Now, 6 weeks of don’t eat anything…

I don’t even know where to start, the list of Paleo FODMAPs isn’t very long, and onions and garlic are big no-no’s for FODMAPs. Also, almonds (most nuts actually).

When this happens, that list of “don’t eat”, grows, I just want to give up. What did I do to get a screwed up gut?!

Genetics, is the answer actually. Turns out I have a genetic mutation that predisposes me to gut issues.

My husband has it too, our kids are just screwed.

What does this mean? I need to be Gluten free, I need to avoid all legumes, I need to hire a personal chef. Any takers, I can pay $5 a week. (man, being poor sucks!)

I mean, I just finished Whole30, life is supposed to be full of “food freedom” not food jail.

I just ordered from the Monsah University in Australia the FODMAP booklet, cause the interweb lies. Every site you look at will tell you different foods are safe. Monash University is the leading source, the do the testing, so in about two weeks, I will jump into that. As for now, I am going to just eat those apples and sweet potatoes, so they don’t go back while I wait.

21 Day Fix Day 3:

Day three is coming to a close, and things are going well. Surprisingly, I am staying under my calorie goal, tally chart thingy. Last time I did a round of 21 day fix, I was going over fruits, veggies, fats, everything. This time around, I am staying within the containers, and actually having a hard time finding a way to fit them all in!

Also, Half Marathon training is going well. Already got 2 runs in, and tomorrow is a rest day for runs, and Pilates for 21 day fix.

I have a couple of recipes I want to share, but since I personally, like recipes with pictures, it is taking a me some time. I guess, I should just accept that I don’t have a fancy camera, so the recipes will be having crappy cell phone pictures.

I am hopeful to have the first one out this weekend.

So here is a little teaser for what is could be…

What do I want from this blog?

I started this blog as a way to talk my way through Whole30, without the “tough love”.

I dislike that term, by the way. Love isn’t tough. It is kind and patient, gentle and inviting. It shouldn’t make you feel like everything you have done is worthless. Which is how I felt using the forum.

But now I am done with Whole30, But I don’t want to be done blogging.

I don’t want to be another “mommy blogger” or another “mommy food blogger” or another “paleo food blogger”. But I think it is a little inevitable, I am a mom, I LOVE food, and I am paleo.

I am not the type to develop a new recipe weekly for you.

I think I will take this blog in a weight loss and health improvement blog. That is my goal in life, to nourish my body to be healthy and whole. With a little parenting, little spirituality, a little of this and a little of that, all mixed it. It is my blog. I titled it with the word, WHOLE because, I wanted it to be about, the whole of my life.

So with that, it is August. Whole30 is done. And I am on to the next thing. This month, I am working on a couple of things, half marathon training, doing the 21-Day Fix, and I want to improve my scripture study.

Half Marathon Training: I found a training calendar, and I need to just do it. I also recruited a friend to do it with me!

21-Day Fix: I know I posted I was going to do the 21-Day Fix Extreme, but I want to do that half marathon, so I thought I should cut back a little.

Scripture Study: It seems like every Fast Sunday, at least one person gets up and says “Hey you! Why aren’t you reading and studying the scriptures? It is promised that you will have more time, more energy, more everything, if you just devote that time every morning to your Heavenly Father.” And then I go, “Crap, they are talking right to me, I should do that.”

Sometimes I am great at it. But most of the time, It never crosses my mind to even crack those suckers open.

This month, I am going to read daily. There is a couple of great places to get a daily verse set and question. This year, I wanted to finish the Book of Mormon again, since I haven’t do that since high school… I am in Alma, two months behind of BofM365 instagram feed… time to double up!

Day 31–Now what?

The good:
I get to step on that scale!!
Start: 208
Day 31: 199.2 WHAT! WHAT!!

Sleep?
Meh, I have a toddler who joins us almost nightly

Energy?
Ebbs and flows, but it mostly up

digestion?
I do not believe Whole30 helped it, especially since I had more occurrences of flares toward the end.

Reintroduction plan (5 days between new foods):
Day 1: CHEESE
Day 2 through 6: Whole30
Day 7: Peanut butter and beans
Day 8 through 12: Whole30
Day 13: Rice and corn
Day 14 through 18: Whole30
Day 19: Gluten

So far dairy has been fine. I had straight cheese, pizza (paleo with cheese) and frozen yogurt!

I did also have some popcorn at the movie in the park, and some potato chips at the park with some friends tonight.

Over all I am feeling good. A little sluggish, but over all fine.

So now that Whole30 is “done”, I am going to start the 21 Day Fix Extreme, while finishing up the reintroduction phase.

Also, I think I want to do a local half-marathon in October. So, need to start training for that if I really do want to do that.

Whole30, will I do it again?

Probably not.

I like sugar, and sweets, and for the love of food, I just want to eat when and what everyone else is.

Maybe if my family, in-laws included, ate more closer to a paleo diet, I would do this again. Right now, I just feel like I have missed out of actually being a part of things.

I am present, and participating, but I am not enjoying that cake, or dinner that everyone else is. I had to bring my own dinner, so that it was safe.

I guess it comes down to feeling judged about my food choices.

I have been seeing a few changes. I was talking to a friend the other day about choices and self-control. She is a dietitian and I mentioned how I passed up a cookie or 2 for 3 BANANAS! She said:

“that while sometimes the “healthier” choice isn’t always the better choice, if you are going to follow moderation. Sometimes, being able to have that cookie, and not denying yourself, keeps you within you goals.”

I need to work on moderation and developing self-control.

I wasn’t pain free during it either. On Day 22, I had a pains like I had eaten foods I know not to eat. Not fun, when you are working so hard.

Working with my doctor and not getting the answers we all want, and then still having issues while on this super clean diet, is frustrating. And day 22 wasn’t the only day of pain.

I have decided to continue some of these principles in daily life. Mainly the added sugar. And to really keep track of what my gut and body does after eating.

One thing I learned, was how added sugars are in EVERYTHING!! Seriously, this is something is something that really should be addressed. Why does sugar need to be in everything?

Now that the 30 day strict period is over, I am going relax a bit. LIke pepperoni, I couldn’t find a sugar free pepperoni, but in things we eat daily, I will keep sugar free.

The SWYPO food rule, that’s one that I can not continue. I am a lazy eater. I hate eating a salad daily, a sandwich, or even a wrap would be nice.

Other than that, I think this is something that I could do indefinitely. On to the reintroduction phase. Hopefully, I don’t react too badly. Starting with some cheese tomorrow (and corn, I am really looking forward to popcorn at our Friday night movie!)

July 30th– And I am DONE!

For having “dieted” as long as I have, I am always surprised when I finish a program. Whole30 isn’t really a program, but you know what I mean. Whole30 has been an interesting experiment for me. I went through the typical, I HATE THIS phase, and now I am kind of content.

Am I going to keep going, sure, but with some changes.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow, PIZZA! Oh, and I get to see if I dropped any weight. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised it I was up from the start. My body hates me.

Food Log:

Wednesday:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, blueberries and cucumbers
Lunch: Leftover taco salad
Dinner: Curried chicken with zoddles and carrot noodles
Snack: Apple and sunbutter

Thursday:
Breakfast: GGS and a hard boiled egg
Lunch: Leftover taco salad
Snack: Banana
Dinner: Sloppy joes over sweet potato fries and cucumbers and ranch

Coming soon a post on my over whole30 feelings and what is next.

SIBO, it might be the answer

Whole30 is coming to a close (THREE MORE DAYS), and while I know improvements have been made, die Sugar Dragon! My gut hasn’t been better, and my motivation to continue this lifestyle is mostly gone. Really, why would I continue to avoid “normal” foods to only make EVERYTHING from scratch and still be having issues. I would much rather eat without having to ask thousands questions.

Read my about section, here, now so you know more details about what has and is going on.

Did, you read it?

Alright then, here’s where we are now:

At my appointment on Friday, we went over my stool test results, which came back “normal” and after discussing my lower intestine, the doctor decided that maybe the small intestine is the culprit. Stool test only looked at my lower intestines. SIBO, small intestine bacteria overgrowth.

The test for SIBO is a breath test, that is only 80% accurate, and costs $200. We didn’t feel that for that much and the test not being accurate it would be worth it to us to spend the $200. Especially, since the doctor would want to treat anyway.

There are a few different treatment options, she presented me with two, ingesting peppermint essential oil or taking a high dose antibiotics.

Having researched for some time, but not in enough detail, I do not feel confident, that ingesting oil, any essential oil, is safe.

So that left the antibiotics. Which she told me, might not be covered by insurance and was $700.

So we prayed that insurance would cover it, and I made plans to call the pharmacy Monday afternoon.

My pharmacy called me, and said the script was in and that my insurance did cover it!

When I picked it up, I was told, it is actually $1400!!!

I am so grateful, that Mr. Wonderful has a great job with amazing insurance. I also really hope that this is answer. And maybe just maybe, paleo will be a lifestyle choice, not necessity.