Day...

Update on the retox:  yesterday I tried to drink a margarita... I ended up giving it to Scott. It tasted great, but felt like poison. I also put some pasture raised butter in my mashed cauliflower (which is superior to mashed fennel/celery AAG recipe any day).

Today I felt all the bloat from the ice cream. Seriously. Though I forgot to take my magnesium last night so maybe... And today I forgot my enzymes for lunch and dinner... Let's hope I can maintain some sense of regular...

Definitely more mucous from the dairy. 

I maintained until after work this afternoon when we all met for a beer for joe's birthday. I had maybe eight sips of Max's beer. It didn't feel as bad, but even eight sips hit me hard for two hours. Then we (me, max, em) went to dinner and I had coconut lettuce wraps (rice noodles and peanuts were the non plan ingredients, though I suspect a little soy too), a steak with steamed spinach and mashed potatoes (my cauliflower was better).  I think the potatoes were dairy free, and the spinach and steak were ok too. I had a glass of white wine... It was yummy and didn't feel like poison!  Though it did hit me harder than past normal and now I have a slight headache. 

SO!!  Today was a little too off road (rice, peanuts, maybe soy, probably not dairy, alcohol) to gauge from, but I'm planning on staying pretty tight for the weekend. :) let's see how my body reacts...

xoxo

eff.

Since you guys aren't still posting...

I'm going to start using this as my experiental updates.
So...

I ate a pint of ice cream last night (sorry twin.  I tried to not.  Emotional eating, but also just a sort of, hey fuck you to limitations).  And one hard apple cider.

That's all I've gone off the rails, and so far...

The cider (less than 5% alc content) did not hit me for two hours.  Two hours.  Then I felt it in my limbs and I did not like it.  Two hours.  That was weird.  I had it with dinner, but usually alcohol hits more quickly.  Interesting.

The ice cream (and I was full after half, but whatev.) made my mucous thicker, though doesn't seem to have increased my stuffiness or anything.  It also has not yet had a digestive impact of any kind.  I had to start taking my digestive enzymes full on again as of Sunday, so I do have that on board helping out.  Maybe that's why the ice cream isn't bothering me.  I'm not bloated from it.  Interesting.

Oh, and I started feeling really run down on Monday afternoon, so I got some Quick Defense herbs on Tuesday and started taking them... so no idea how that might impact digestion and mucous, but I'd guess not really?

Anyway.  A little off road journey.  Woo!  But one thing at a time to see how it affects me...  I know dairy increases the mucous, so I'm going to kick it out for pretty much good....

xoxo
eff.

UPDATE 2:15PM

okay, the bloat has started.  Stupid ice cream.

Forgetting

I didn't eat or drink anything non whole30 yesterday.  Oops.  Or today so far.  Sigh. 
I will, though.  Just you wait...
xo,
eff.

Day final.

Notes and Errata:

I tried to stop taking my digestive enzymes (only took at bfast for two days) to see if I was able to digest fully on my own and ended up constipated again.  So I'm back to taking with every meal. 

I made jello with strawberry juice from Max's strawberries, Great Lakes Gelatin, and a tablespoon x2 of raw honey -  not whole 30, but I had some anyway. 

I ate some BBQ sauce on some ribs that Max made yesterday and the sauce had Molasses and Xantham Gum - not whole 30, but I ate them anyway.  Then I had them for lunch again today.  Whatev.

I think everything I did over these days pretty much counts. It's my intention that mattered, because I stuck with it and didn't give in to cravings. A bit of sugar in my bacon because I could never order it on us wellness meats (always out!!) does not make me a failure. 

Aaaannddd... I'm done.  I will continue to have no dairy, no grain, no soy.  Probably no legumes.  Sugar in moderation (and in the form of honey and maple syrup and coconut sugar and rarely molasses) will be allowed, as will alcohol, though I'll aim for Paleo versions of cocktails. 

I can't report big changes measurement wise, though here's the deets:

Weight: 146.4
Hips/Butt: 39
Belly: 38
Waist:32
Bust: 32/37

So... lost 4.4 lbs, 1.5 inches in the hips/butt, 1 in the belly, 3 in the waist, and 2 in the second part of my bust.  Woo!

I'd like to keep at it a little.  Lose a few more inches. Gain a few more too (biceps, baby).  See what it's like to get closer to 20% or less body fat. 

Think I can do it?

Hells yeah. 

Infinite x to the o,

eff.

Really? Almost done??

My digestion had almost resolved itself until last night, when I ate a bunch of raw veggies (with a package of smoked salmon and some compliant baba ganoush) when I wasn't able to prepare in advance for dinner on the run.  However, it's much better after a round of worse and urgent.  :)

I think making it through these last 10 days (which always seem so pointless... must be why I've never completed one) is what has tempered most of the issues.  I imagine spending another 10 days or so being strict would be helpful, but I don't know that I will.  I have decided I really like eating this way after all, and that I'm not missing much and feel pretty good; and doing T25 at the same time is making me feel strong, too.  So we shall see.  Everyone and their brother is waiting for me to finish so we can "go out".  I don't think they get that I'm not interested in falling face first into a pitcher of beer and a sack of gluten free cookies...
Actually, it even sounds gross. 

What am I interested in?  The tequila and white wine urge have passed... I might want a little dairy, but I think I'm going to leave that out for another month.  In the meantime, I want to try experimenting with making my own nut/coconut/gluten free oat milk medley, and I want to make some blender lemon curd (holy crap that's not paleo), and I think I'd like to try making some very decadent paleo treats from my cookbooks.  Obviously my sugar desires were not slain, but I'm not craving it.  Sugar doesn't really get me unless I go crazy with the whole thing.  I'm not planning on doing that.

Day 26... wow.

xoxo
eff.

A digest

So!  Started taking digestive enzymes yesterday morning. Less bloating, less gas, still little go. But I'll give it a couple more days. 

I've still been incredibly faithful with my food - except for the trace sugar in my bacon, it's been 100% whole30 compliant. And then... I'm currently making pot roast. And the recipe called for burgundy wine. So I put it in. There is no substitute for the flavor of a nice red in a crock pot roast. It's done. It's cooking. It's what I will be eating this week. My last week. 

So hell, I said to myself. Self, why don't you make that tequila lime coleslaw for which you've collected the ingredients?  Self said, well... that's a little more blatant. Self replied, yep. Sure is. And?  Self sighed, then started chopping the green onions.  Done. Haven't had it yet. 

End results are eight days away. I have no doubt that I will make it. I don't have any cravings (the tequila is a close one, but not the wine. I want white, not red).  I am not sure what the end will show, though. The night before last I woke up at 2:30 in the morning and could not go back to sleep. I got up at 4 and finally started doing things. No nap either. Last night I woke for about 1.5 hrs around 3... But finally got back to sleep and missed the run today. On purpose as I needed a rest day from my t25, but  if I'd been sleeping better I could have handled a slow short run...

I have lost a little weight, though not like I was in the beginning. Maybe five lbs is my guess?  Inches wise... Maybe an inch or two on the waist or hips... Hard to tell when I'm bloated and constipated all the time. 

I don't think I will do another whole 30. Maybe a specific carbohydrate diet or a 21 day sugar detox or even, cats forbid, a GAPS plan, but the whole 30 did not help my IBS/Candida/whatever the hell my digestive issues are now. (IBS was very old diagnosis... I self diagnosed candida based on some gross photos on the internet that match my.. output.)

And maybe I'll go see a functional medicine practitioner. Once we get closer to the end of the year so I don't have to worry about saving my HSA for my exorbitant insurance deductible...

Anyway. Digestive enzymes. Kombucha. Sauerkraut (so loving the Sonoma brine kraut - especially the smoked chipotle.. twin, you know you gotta buy the raw sauerkraut to get the good effects, right?  No more of this crap in a bag or that shelf stable classic...). Lotsa water. Coffee this weekend (did get some stuff moving), tea during the week.  I'm currently soaking raw almonds from the farmers market so I can make my very first batch ever of almond milk. I'm also planning on making Mark Bittman's almond milk as soon as the whole thirty is over... It includes gluten free oats for creamier texture, and coconut too.

Okie dokie. Hope you are both well. Miss your posts...

xoxo

eff.

update on minutae

My erm, digestion issues are not getting any better.  Let's just say my output is not up to what it should be.  And I'm really gassy and bloated.  I added Kombucha and sauerkraut to my days for probiotics and might start taking an actual probiotic.  I don't think I'm going to add digestive enzymes just yet...

Improvements/worsenings I've seen thus far:
1.  I think my skin is a little clearer - I have a lot of redness in my cheeks, not quite rosacea, but more like ruddy red dots all over my cheeks.  I think that's reduced.  However, I think my skin has become more dry.
2.  I think my chin hair (I have about five) is growing more slowly or disappearing.  I've only had to pluck one in the last 20 days.  Usually it's two or three by now.
3.  My hair... no idea.  I forgot to wash it last week, so ended up going about 12 days without a wash.  Though it may have been another extra week, so maybe 19 days...  Oops.  It's possibly healthier, but no way to tell after that.  It definitely seems to be holding its natural curl better, though that might be the new drying method.  whatev.
4.  I *think* my side muffins have reduced a little.  A little.
5.  My breasts have *definitely* gotten back to normal. No more boob bulge over the cup.
6.  Is this TMI yet?  My energy is so so.  When I drink coffee, I'm fine.  When I drink black tea, I seem to slump.  If I don't drink coffee, there's very little output in the poo department.  Coffee seems to be necessary.  Maybe I need more fat in my diet.  Will that make me go?
7.  My sleep is... who the f#$* knows?  On/off, sleeping better, sleeping worse, now waking up and staying up... it's not leveling out.
8.  I'm finding it easier to get up in the morning though.  Regardless of the sleep issue.  Maybe I'm also excited about t25 - I'm totally digging the only 25 minutes thing, even though it's hard.  Though I think I'm not working quite as hard as with Insanity?  I'm still working, though... maybe it's because I'm so out of shape...
9.  so.  so.  bloated.  no (almost no).  poo.

okay.  Day 20.  here's a food log for yesterday:

bfast: black tea, 3 eggs, half large sweet potato, all cooked in 1 or 2 tablespoons coconut oil, with a 1/3 cup sauerkraut.
lunch: left over sausage and butternut squash stuffed tomato, extra left over chorizo/sweet potato stuffing from the pork chops thing, beet greens with bacon, roasted beets/carrots/cauli/broc.
dinner: two artichokes with about 4 tbl homemade mayo, 1 cup leftover stuffing from the tomatos (meat/squash).  some jiggly jello I made.  sparkly water.  magnesium supplement before bed.

and... that's it.  Too much protein?  not enough fat?  too much fat?  what gives?  WHY AM I NOT POOING DAMNIT!??!

xoxo
eff.