Size 10

Whole30 Update:  Completed day 30 on March 2 while in FL without a scale, so rather than not know what my ending weight is I will continue on with Whole30 and wait until I'm back home on March 7 for an official weight and measurements.  The day I left home I did weigh myself and had lost 5 lbs. during the first 3 weeks, so that was exciting for me!  I hadn't been able to budge the scale for quite a few months while low carbing, so I am giving credit to Whole30 for breaking a major plateau!  

Some other positive results I've experienced during my Whole30+ - I sleep like a BABY.  I fall asleep easily and don't usually wake up until pretty much 7:30ish - which in the opinion of some mothers is sleeping WAY BETTER than a baby! And when I do wake up, I'm refreshed and ready to get up, not reluctantly dragging myself out of the sack.

But my favorite result so far is I actually bought a size 10 pair of shorts and capris!  Now granted, they were made of a stretch type of fabric, but still, I was ecstatic to say the least!

Other results/benefits I noticed...I feel much calmer and less obsessed worrying about things I can't control. And, hate to admit that I have a temper, but that seems to be better controlled these days also.

I do think that the premise behind Whole30 for reshaping your relationship towards food is a huge part of this process. I will say that I didn't miss dairy or low carb "breads" and wraps as much as I thought I would. I did miss the sweeteners, however. I was in the habit of looking for something sweet at the end of a meal, so I was eating quite a few dates initially.  Now I am just as likely to find an apple or orange fills that need or a few nuts mixed with raisins. You definitely must have a plan in place.  Have the right kinds of foods in the house so you can prepare compliant meals and snacks. Being prepared keeps you on track!

So what to do now?  I plan to continue Whole30 for a while longer.  I may reintroduce sweeteners very occasionally but will stay off the dairy and low carb breads for now.  I haven't found Whole30 to be a difficult way to eat. In fact, I think it has been easier in many ways.  I keep my meals simple and uncomplicated...meat, veggie, salad. No rocket science required here!

Take a look at some of the yummy things I made before I came down to FL for the week!

Whole30 Chili
http://www.afamilyfeast.com/whole30-chili/

Baked Sweet and White Potato "Chips"
http://fitandawesome.com/recipes/paleo-sweet-potato-chips/

Spinach "Chips"
https://lostgardenblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/cheesy-nacho-spinach-chips/
I just used oil, salt and pepper for my chips. 

Scrambled Eggs, Avocado with Salsa
This is just what it says...scrambled eggs on top of diced avocado with a spoonful of salsa on top.

Roasted Nuts with Coconut Oil and Cinnamon
http://yourhealthista.com/post/31460694813/whole30-day-three-cinnamon-coconut-roasted-nuts

Homemade "Larabars"
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/11/08/homemade-cashew-cookie-larabars/
I coated both sides of my bars with unsweetened coconut to make them less sticky for
wrapping and holding in hand to eat.

Whole30 Yum!

I wanted to share a couple of recipes I've made recently during my Whole30. I can make one or two recipes and that keeps me in leftovers for the whole week.  

Last week I made a hot chicken salad with broccoli.  It is an adaptation of a recipe I have that was loaded with cheese and topped with potato chips - which, I won't lie, is very good. That being said, it was just as good with my Whole30 modifications! 

 For recipe:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rVCbA1sDX1xpOznD5opF8QYC97JqxHzPjG9gSMnd880/edit?usp=sharing


Stuffed sweet peppers with a ground pork filling.  Would be equally good using ground beef.

For recipe:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FIfrok_Y_LQbl-qXGpw20gFpgNHyU7Zm56u1Adcfa6k/edit?usp=sharing

Whole30 Salmon Cakes:  http://www.afamilyfeast.com/whole30-salmon-cakes-tartar-sauce/

The recipe made 8 patties for me.  I cooked 4 and froze 4 uncooked for another week.

To be honest, I found this recipe to be a bit dry even though I added an additional egg to the recipe. Overall, a good, filling meal, but I will definitely tweak it next time.  Possibly cut back on the amount of sweet potato. I did not serve it with tartar sauce since I was having a creamy coleslaw on the side.

Salt and Vinegar Zucchini Chips:  http://www.sugarfreemom.com/?s=salt+and+vinegar+zucchini+chips

I thought the zucchini chips were good - will definitely make again, but I did over bake them...oops! Mine were in the oven probably 3 hours...

Half-Way Mark

Half way through Whole30 and feeling good!  After my initial beginning with a couple of minor slips, it's been pretty much smooth sailing.  With Daughter #2's success as a guide and motivator, I've been determined to finish the month out strong. I'm anxious to see what my final results will be. So far, I've felt great, been sleeping very well, and have avoided the flu bugs that have been hanging on my grandchildren for the last couple of weeks!

My daughter tackled the Whole30 during the month of January.  Although she was already in great shape from a year of hard work low carbing and working out (she is a Beachbody coach) she managed to lose an additional 8 lbs.  So I thought I'd do a little "interview" with Rachel to share with you all.

Rachel, you just finished Whole30. Why did you decide to do this? What would you say was the most difficult thing to give up? What did you not miss as much as you thought you might?

Why did I do the Whole30? You, Mom, were talking about doing it. When I heard what it was, my initial reaction was, "Heck no!" I had already given up so many foods by doing a low carb diet for almost a year. I didn't want to give up even more! But I started searching the Internet to find out more about it, and I was very impressed with the results people had. I was intrigued! I liked the idea of finding out how my body would function and feel if I fueled it the way it was intended to be fueled. So I decided to go for it! What was the most difficult thing to give up? Sweeteners! Although I had not been eating much sugar at all, I was using sugar substitutes in all kinds of delicious low carb desserts, and most days would have at least a truffle or cookie or something. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth! What did I find that I did not miss as much as I thought I might? Dairy! It was pretty challenging at times. I am used to eating cheese with pretty much every meal...cream in my coffee. Cheese in my omelet. Cheese on my salad and in casseroles. Even cheese for a snack! However, I was able to find enough great recipes that I didn't miss it too much.

Do you think you spent more or less time in the kitchen prepping food? More money at the grocery store? Did you find that it was easy to make Whole30 compliant meals without having to constantly go pick up some odd ingredient here and there?

Do I think I spent more or less time in the kitchen prepping food? More, by far! Most things needed to be made from scratch to avoid the added sugar, preservatives, dairy, etc. I definitely spent MORE at the grocery store. This surprised me since I was not buying alcohol. I thought it would even out, but it didn't. Produce is expensive, and so is grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free meat. Almond or cashew butter is MUCH more expensive than peanut butter. I did have to buy quite a few ingredients for recipes that I would not have just had in the house.

Did you have any slip-ups during the 30 days? If so, how did you handle it?

I didn't have any "slip-ups" as far as something looking good so I decided to cheat. However there were a couple of times that I took a bite of something without realizing it had an ingredient in it that wasn't compliant. For example, the second week I bought almond butter. Same brand I had bought the week before (Justin's) that only had almonds as the ingredient. Well I took a bite and immediately knew it tasted different (better!). Well I hadn't noticed the small word "Maple" above almond butter. So it had maple sugar in it. I did not say, "Oh well, I spent $9.99 on this so I'm just going to use it." Nope, I stuck it in the back of the fridge for next month and went out and bought another jar. Another time, during week 1, I opened a carton of yogurt for my daughter and automatically licked the foil cover! I could t believe I did it! So I ran to the sink and spit it out. LOL.

Four weeks can be an eternity if you are feeling deprived. Did you feel deprived in any way? Did you go through periods of wanting to give up? If so, how did you overcome that urge.

Four weeks IS a long time. Yes, I did feel deprived a couple of times. Mostly in social situations when my friends were all drinking and eating some good-looking food. I sat and sipped sparkling water and ate a few veggies. I did not want to give up, though. I was feeling good, even though I was craving cookies, ice cream, and sandwiches!

Are you happy with the results you realized after the first phase of Whole30? Would you do it again - was it worth it? What will be your eating plan moving forward?

Am I happy with my results? Yes! I lost 8 pounds and 7.5 inches! I was pretty shocked when I stepped on the scale for the first time. I knew I felt a lot thinner, but didn't want to get my hopes up. I would definitely do this diet again, probably once or twice a year. I plan to transition into a mostly Paleo diet.

The Whole30 book outlines many possible improvements in everything from weight loss to relief of illnesses, improved cholesterol levels, better emotional health to name just a few. What were the most significant changes you experienced?

I have had chronic stomach aches my whole life. Several times a day feeling nauseous. I would deal with it by drinking something carbonated, or drinking an apple cider vinegar concoction, eating something peppermint, etc. I just kind of was used to it and didn't really associate it with anything specific. I did not feel that way AT all, starting with Day 1 on this diet! So I am quite sure I have an intolerance for dairy. That is why I plan to go Paleo and really limit my dairy to maybe one or two splurges a week. It's just not worth it! Also, I have had some anxiety issues for the past few years, on and off. My symptoms had peaked again in Sept going back to school and a new busy schedule, and again around Thanksgiving and Christmas. At the very least, I would lay awake for hours at night worrying about money, my kids, everyone's health, etc. I did not experience any of that during my Whole30 either! It was great. I didn't feel as quick-tempered with my kids, either. Just a more steady mood. The other great change was my energy level. I was already energetic to begin with since I had already lost 30 pounds and exercise regularly, but I had even MORE energy on this diet. In fact, I decided after the first week to switch to the most intense workout program I have, Insanity Max:30, to take advantage of it!

Now that you will begin "re-introduction" how will you approach that phase? What is the first thing you plan to re-introduce? Is there anything you plan to keep eliminating at this time?

I am going to try to do the reintroduction phase as suggested in the Whole30 book. One thing at a time, over at least 10 days. Yesterday was my first day in this phase. I made a Paleo cookie dessert that uses maple syrup as the sweetener. Man, did that ever taste good! But I did go off plan in the evening when I was scooping my kids their ice cream. I decided to have a bite, which turned to 5 bites. I regretted it immediately! Right away I felt bloated, totally stuffed, and sick to my stomach. What a mistake! So I realized that I really do not miss the dairy! So not worth it! So I am back to a Whole30 day and will reintroduce alcohol next! I do miss my nightcap of Captain and Diet Coke. But I plan to limit that more as well.

Congratulations, Rachel! I hope my results will be as significant as yours!

For more information on the Whole30 program: http://whole30.com/

Whole30 Prepping

Whole30 DAY 1 - Now it's official.  I have begun and no slips today.  Can I get a high five?? One day down; only 29 to go...

Mayonnaise and butter - Staples in my kitchen - I use them all the time.  On the Whole30 program regular butter and commercial, chemical-laden, soybean-oil-based mayonnaise are both out.  So I made the mayonnaise recipe which I posted yesterday. I am happy to report that it worked just as the recipe said it would. It was a very quick and easy process using an immersion blender, which I just happen to have.  If you're not sure what an immersion blender is, see an example here:  

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-75BC-Blender-Brushed-Chrome/dp/B00ARQVM5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485998242&sr=8-1&keywords=immersion+blender+stainless+steel

I have made mayo before in a blender where you stream the oil into the other ingredients   v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y while the blender is running. I may revisit that method at some point. It works well, but does take longer. Although I used the "light" olive oil for this recipe as suggested, the final product still had a slight olive oil taste; not what I'm used to (or want) in a mayonnaise. After tasting, I stirred in a little extra salt, some pepper, and an extra tsp. of lemon juice This is definitely a recipe you can play around with to suit your own taste depending on your use for it.  Next time, I will try making it with avocado oil which has a more neutral flavor, and instead of lemon juice, I'll use vinegar - or some of each. 

Feeling confident from mayo success, I decided to make a batch of clarified butter. I bought some ghee (a gourmet name for clarified butter) at the grocery store for the gourmet price of $7.99 for a 16 oz. jar. I'm not going to do that very often!  I made my own for a third of the cost. The process was very simple:

Take a lb. of butter, cube it up, and place it in a medium size sauce pan. Turn the heat on medium low and let it sit undisturbed until a thick white foam covers the surface. Using a spoon, carefully skim the foam and throw it away.  Finally, strain the clarified butter through a cheesecloth lined strainer to catch any remaining milk solids. Store it in a jar in the fridge. That's all there is to it. Easy-peasy, as my grandchildren would say!  

Here is what my clarified butter and mayo looked like after I finished:

I bet you can guess which is which!

And while I'm sharing photos...I might as well share the chicken chili soup I made for my dinner tonight:  

I was hungry for chicken chili but no beans are allowed on Whole30...so I substituted a package of spinach.  Wow - delicious and comforting on this cold February day! Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it. Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1omkV6sx3eVBj_3UBQmk5KcI91lUSRVzCKQuDYUckGTU/edit?usp=sharing

Whole30

One of my goals for the new year was to give Whole30 a whirl.  What is Whole30 you ask? It is a nutrition program developed by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig to "reset your health, habits and relationship with food." (pg. 2, The Whole30: The 30-Day Guild to Total Health and Food Freedom).  Check out their website here:  http://whole30.com/

Basically, you eat meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit and natural fats. You do not eat sugar (not even "natural" sweeteners like Stevia), alcohol, grains, legumes or dairy products. They ask that you do not weigh or measure yourself during the entire 30 days. 

I had intended to begin in January, but I've taken my time mentally prepping for this experience.  I also cleaned out most of the dairy products and other no-no items that would be glaring at me every time I opened the refrigerator.  

Since I have been low carbing for a year now, some aspects of Whole30 should be fairly easy. But dairy seems to sneak into just about every low carb recipe.  And where once potatoes were verboten, now they are allowed, so a bit of a mind-bender to get over. My goal is that this 30 day "reset" will break the plateau I've been on for several months and give me some new insights that will help me move my "health, habits, and relationship with food" in an even more positive direction.

So today is Day 1 for me - or so I had intended it to be. Since February is a short month, I figured I'd just start a couple of days early.  Lunch went fine until I had some celery sticks spread with sunflower seed butter (which is technically approved in limited quantities). I read the label after the fact and saw "dehydrated cane juice" listed as an ingredient.  Wah-wah...start over.  So even though the rest of my day was Whole30 compliant, I'll do the right thing and call tomorrow my official first day!   Even though I was disappointed that I made that simple blunder, it was a good reminder:  always read the label BEFORE eating the food, duh...

Here is what I made for my dinner this evening:
http://melaniemitro.com/recipes/whole30-sloppy-joe/#.WJFNS1MrLIU

I served my Sloppy Joe over basic cauliflower rice rather than a potato. It was delicious! I'll try it with potato next time and see which way I like it best.  

Tomorrow I plan to try my hand at making homemade mayo using this recipe:
http://thehealthyfoodie.com/fail-proof-home-made-paleo-mayo-whole30-compliant/

If I don't die of salmonella, I'll let you know how it turns out!

Lazy Day

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yep6gusOqAE&list=RDyep6gusOqAE&index=1

Ah-h-h...Lazy Day....

So we arrived in Ft. Myers last night, and the minute I stepped out into the FL evening, I felt this gigantic AH-H-H..moment. I took off my sweater and felt WARM!!!  I guess I'm getting old, friends, because this is the first winter I actually WANTED to be here.  It was so cold up in Michigan and I was pretty ANXIOUS to get down here to spring-like weather.  The grass is green, flowers are in bloom. Yes, it's warm and balmy and, well, it's FLORIDA in the winter-time...pretty darn nice.  That in a nutshell is why the old farts retire down here and why the smart, young folks relocate here after college!!!

Anyway, I digress...

So "Lazy Day" takes me back to those sunny, hippy, 60's when I was young and slim and skippy- happy.  I kind of felt that way after meeting up with our good long-time cousin-friends down here in Ft. Myers.  We had not seen them in several months and I got some pretty nice kudos from my girlfriend about my weight loss.

Now let's be real girls...other girls don't usually like to be left behind in this arena.. you know what I mean.  They're happy for YOU but they are unhappy for THEMSELVES...and sometimes that old green-eyed monster emerges...well, I didn't pick up that vib from my pal.  I got compliments last night as I removed my cover-up to get into the hot tub and revealed my -30 lb. self as I entered that cauldron of bubbling who-knows-what???!!! Yep, there are some crusty old men frequenting that hot cesspool on a regular basis down here, so I usually avoid it like the plague...but not last night...and it was worth the compliments, believe me!

So tonight, my gal-pal and I planned a little shopping excursion - (due to being preempted by some football game the guys just HAD to watch, apparently)...and, anyway, I did need to buy some new shorts since my former shorts were not doing my new weight loss any justice ... so, again with the compliments from my "sista."  Now I know for sure she's real curious about how I pulled this off, right?

And finally she asked how I did it.  I thought I had told her...yes, just basically low carb!  Cut the carbs, find replacements...."what about alcohol?"....well, yeah, there is NO replacement for alcohol!! I basically don't drink at home any more!  That seems to end the discussion for some people.  But if you can get by that BIG thing - and it is a BIG thing for some people - then you can be a low carb success story yourself.  Wish I had made that connection 20 years ago...  It was definitely the STALL in my many unsuccessful weight loss efforts in the past.

Am I drinking during my vacation?   Yeah, a little.  But it's not the occasional drink that is a problem. It's the every night "mother's-little-helper"- the "elephant in the room" that becomes the elephant in your jeans!  So get tough and get it out of the house.  Yes, breaking up is hard to do, but some things are worth giving up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbad22CKlB4

New Year's Re-commitment Resolution

The girls and I kicked off the new year with a support group lunch at The Corner Bar.  We had become pretty lax with our regular meetings the past few months and we missed the accountability factor!  We decided to meet once a week on Saturday mornings, even if only for a half hour, to check in and get a dose of encouragement for the week ahead.  I believe this "support group" is the driving force behind my successful weight loss this year.  If you feel you are the lone wolf out there desperately trying to lose weight - get a friend or a spouse or a child on board with you.   Or go bold and form a group in your community.  You know there are others out there sharing the same struggles.

This is a perfect lead in to mention my middle daughter and her personal success story last year. She was always the "thin" one in the family.  We all wondered whose genes she inherited...

Well, unbeknownst to me and Daughter 1 and Daughter 3, while we were beginning our weight loss journey together, Daughter 2 was beginning a journey of her own (she lives in another town). None of us thought she needed to lose weight, but she began working out, eating low carb, drinking Shakeology, and has become a Team Beachbody coach.  You can meet her here: teambeachbody.com/rachelbronsberg
Team Beachbody coaches are great for support and encouragement - join one of her group challenges!

Over the course of the last year, Daughter 2 has lost 32 lbs. - not to mention has become super fit!  I guess we all have room for improvement.  Let's face it, we all know where we should be personally to look and feel our best.  If you are 75 lbs. overweight, you look at someone who is 20 lbs. overweight and think to yourself, "she doesn't need to lose weight!" But that is for each of us to determine.  The goal is to be healthy and feel good mentally and physically.  You set your own goals - and remember -

https://goo.gl/images/rPdWoh

New Year - New You

Welcome  to G.G.'s Low Carb Journey!  If you found my blog, you must be on a journey of your own.  I hope you find encouragement here.  I will be sharing my own thoughts on the low carb lifestyle I have chosen, and links to websites I have found helpful.  Of course, I am not a medical professional - I'm a gigi!  (That's "grandma" to my grand-kids!)  I don't give medical advice; I just share what worked for me.

2017 begins the second year in my low carb journey.  Actually, Feb. 2 will mark the end of my first full year of  this way of eating (WOE, as they say). To me, it's now a way of LIVING. Looking back, I wish I would have started blogging a year ago.  But the reality at that time was, I didn't know if I could ever get back to a healthy weight. At 62, I found it tough to even lose 5 lbs., let alone the 40 or more that the docs would say I needed to lose.  My cholesterol was way too high, and I am on medication for hypothyroidism.  I found reasons not to exercise.  I liked baking cookies "for the grand-kids."  Yeah, you know I ate them, too. I guess I just had come to accept the achy joints, the extra weight, as all just part of the aging process.  I was in DENIAL, friends.

Then a day in late January of 2016 my youngest daughter called me on the phone in tears after feeling humiliated during a visit to the chiropractor for nutritional testing.  During the course of the conversation I said, "you know, we should join a support group or something...no, we should form our OWN support group!"  My oldest daughter also lives in our town.  The three of us were all struggling with the same diet issues.  We all had weight to lose.  That moment our journey began - and it began together.

We met regularly each week to share ideas, struggles, suggestions, recipes.  We never weighed in, we didn't disclose our "starting" weight.  We all knew we were overweight and we all knew how much we needed to lose.  We didn't need or want the embarrassment of "weighing in" required by many weight loss groups.  We were meeting to encourage and support and share ideas.  We each decided on our own plan to tackle the weight and we shared our plans for each week.  I decided to go "low carb" and the girls eventually took that direction also.

I did not approach the low carb plan as some do, following Atkins 2 weeks of induction, then adding back this or that carb, etc.  I began slowly, knowing I was making a change for the long term.  I didn't care if it took me a year to lose the weight.  From the beginning, I told the girls this was not going to be just another diet for me, it was going to be a new lifestyle!

What I found was that eliminating a couple obvious culprits in my eating routine is what jump started the weight loss.  We each know - if we'll admit it to ourselves - what the culprits are in our personal diets that prevent us from successful weight loss.  For me it was SUGAR - yes, sugar in all it's evil forms held me in it's addictive trap.  OK, and WINE...I liked my evening glass/cup/goblet/carafe  of wine...too, much!  There, I said it - true confessions!   But let me add, losing that one bad habit jump started the journey in a big way!

The next change I made was logging into www.myfitnesspal.com daily to record my meals and exercise.  The more I logged the meals the more I realized how many carbs I was consuming per day. I began keeping my carb intake as low as I comfortably could - usually between 20-50 per day.  Logging my daily exercise encouraged me by showing me how many calories I was burning. I also kept a hand written journal where I tracked my daily weight and meals.  This way I could easily look back to see where I may have slipped up at one point and/or what was working well.  Some people choose not to weigh themselves each day, but for me it is a motivator to stay on track and a reality check. Personal preference...

Long story short - I lost 20 lbs. in 3 months and became convinced that I could eat this way for the rest of my life.  After that initial 20, the weight came off more slowly, and as of today, I have lost another 10 lbs. - so 30 total over the course of the year.  My goal is ultimately to lose another 10-15 lbs. this year which will be my goal weight.  In the meantime, I feel so much better - and happier - and my cholesterol dropped roughly 45 points!  Oh, and I might add that "Grandpa" is pretty complimentary these days - bonus!  This is what I got for Christmas:
www.hsn.com/products/victoria-wieck-14ctw-absolute-bypass-band-ring/8139432
I call it my "celebration" ring.  After all, successful weight loss is a reason to celebrate!