Jac's Countdown to 50! page 2

[zoebird]

I agree that the sleep issues/etc can be traced right back to what i call "chemical slurry."

The lethargy can be managed through movement. Cat stretches (on hands and knees, arching and rounding the back -- inhale on the arch which is belly toward the floor/back bend, exhale on the round, which is spine toward the ceiling) are great for "waking up" the body and feeling more energized.

You can do this, honestly.

[Jac]

Really? I'll try that Zoe, thanks. I need all the help I can get!

[marthat]

Hey, Marthat, is that your arm in your avatar? It's a very cool tattoo! My third daughter has some lovely tats - not that her dad agrees, lol, and it's something I've wondered about. It appeals on some level, ya know??

Yeah, that's my arm. The flowers are for my parents - Dad loved tiger lilies and my mom loved hollyhocks. They are both gone now. It's my third tattoo, and the first one in a "public" place. I got the first one in my 40th year. This one, I got when I was 48.

I'm currently doing a Whole30 and I would second the others in recommending it. It can seem a bit tough at first, but the results are worth it. Last year, I did one in the month of April. I had been struggling with chronic Achilles tendon inflammation for the better part of a year. Within 2 weeks of starting the Whole30, I had a day of concerted healing (could actually feel what I imagined to be a "knitting together" of the tendon one night) and the pain was gone, never to return. It was an amazing experience. For me, the big thing was giving up dairy, as I don't have a sweet tooth, but love "creamy" things like cheese and butter. Right now, I'm into my second month of Whole30 restrictions, with a couple of minor cheats that don't affect my success at all. I allow myself a martini in Friday nights (a winding down from the week ritual with hubby) and I allow some soy sauce as a condiment. I don't stress about tiny bits of sugar in non-sweet condiments like mayo, and I weigh myself daily. In the past 38 days, I have lost about 9 lbs.

If you're going to do it, read the Whole30 website well for the rules. And be sure to read the tough-love section, it's important to your overall success. The Whole30® Program | Whole9 | Let us change your life.

Good luck to you!

[Jac]

My first tattoo may well be a celebration of being 50 and healthy. I've always wanted a fantail, probably on my right shoulder - Maori mythology about the fantail is that it's a messenger. I was given it as a symbol of my own work as a messenger a long time ago, and have used it since then on all sorts of projects and documents. I feel like I can't do such a proud thing until I have a body that fits who I am. I don't know how to define that, but it's a work in progress.
fantail_piwakawaka.jpg

I went back to the whole30 site, but it just pisses me off . I've done this twice - 2 full times, no cheats, no slippage, and no whining. It didn't make a single bit of difference to how I felt, how I looked, or what I weighed. Not a single noticeable thing! Bear in mind that with my sensitivities to veges and nuts and dairy, when I'm eating 'on Primal programme' my food list is already fairly restricted. And I don't like coffee, so that's never been a treat I can utilise. It's worth noting that I was off the coke for several months last year so all I had to do to comply with the whole30 was to cut out some of the condiments like sweet chilli sauce that I'd left in my programme. Still, I was pretty gutted by the lack of results, lol. Losing weight is a mysterious process for me. The 11 or so kgs I've lost over the last year have been in a few fast surges - once when I tried fasting for 24 hours at a time, a couple of times a week (I couldn't sustain that, but the weight has stayed off), and once when I went VLC/HF - again, I couldn't keep it up. I tried VLC again recently, but rapidly went into a tailspin and didn't lose anything anyway. My IF experiment has been OK in terms of being able to manage going 18 hours without food (that's a big deal, coming from hypoglycemic issues pre-primal), but the consequences have been around using coke to offset the energy loss and the spiral into sugar consumption that goes with using sweeteners and stimulants rather than nutrients. AND I haven't lost weight!

Having raved about all that - in effect I am actually doing a whole30. Hi-ho, hi-ho, back to paleo I go. Day 1 today.

I have to admit to feeling a bit panicked this morning. It's not quite 9am, so I wouldn't normally have had any sugar or coke yet - not for another 4 or 5 hours in fact - yet I've thought about it almost constantly since last night. I feel jumpy and irritable.

One day. I can do this today. I'm working at home, so I can eat myself stupid on primal foods if I want to compensate, but there's no soda or sweets in the house. No whining - this isn't hard, and I've created my own discomfort anyway.

[Jac]

OK, I've edited that last post to death - but wanted to add this link

Paleo For Women | Shattering the Myth of Fasting for Women: A Review of Female-Specific Responses to Fasting in the Literature

Stef has looked at the literature about fasting specifically for women and found some interesting stuff. From my perspective the most relevant point is about the sleep disruption. D'oh . When I think back to having found balance and feeling great, sleeping was a key feature - I was ready for bed by about 9.30, and I slept through the night. I didn't sleep well in the past, and I'm not sleeping well now. I'm restless, wakeful, mind racing, overheated (even though it's winter here), and tired in the morning.

[marthat]

Sending positive vibes your way, Jac!

That wee fantail would make a fabulous tattoo. What a great symbol!

[zoebird]

I love the pewakawaka (fantail)! ;D they are the best!

I don't think yu need to visit the whole30 web site to do a whole30. The idea is to just cut out everything that isn't whole fruit, veg, meat, and eggs. I think that's pretty straight forward.

But I recommend smaller chunks. Start with a "whole7" meaning that for the next 7 days, no chocolate, no sweets, no grains, no soda. Then, renew after 7 days. Or choose a number like 10 or 9. Go that many days and evaluate how you feel.

[winencandy]

I get panicked when I try to count calories or analyse my food intake according to macronutrients,

Me too!

I got the first one in my 40th year.

Me too

I'm currently doing a Whole30 and I would second the others in recommending it.

I can't recommend it. My Whole 30 experience was NOT good for me. I will NOT do another one!

I went back to the whole30 site, but it just pisses me off . I've done this twice - 2 full times, no cheats, no slippage, and no whining. It didn't make a single bit of difference to how I felt, how I looked, or what I weighed. Not a single noticeable thing!

Me too

Losing weight is a mysterious process for me.

Me too (hehehe, this "me too" is becoming silly)

One day. I can do this today.

You can do ANYTHING for one day! (That's what I keep telling myself)

That wee fantail would make a fabulous tattoo. What a great symbol!

+1

[Paleobird]

Ok, thanks. Paleobird, your directness is just what I'd hoped for. Jammies, thanks for the envy And the suggestions.

I've had coke today, and have just eaten the last few squares of chocolate. Tomorrow's day 1 of kicking it once and for all. Caffeine, sweeteners and sugar are all being used as crutches for my lack of energy. The rest of the crap is just collatoral damage and isn't difficult to fix. I usually get a headache for a couple of days, but it's lethargy that pulls me back to it after I've detoxed. I'll start with a 30 day challenge and track progress.

Love you guys, really

Anytime.
You can do this Jac. I know there is way too much hype around the Whole 30 thing saying it will "change your life" etc, and this has left some people feeling a bit disillusioned with it. I think for some people who consistently eat twinkies and fries, it might very well be life changing. For those of us that are already fairly health conscious, not so much. In your case, Jac, I do think it is still worth doing just for the clean out effect. (What my Dad, an engineer, would call backflushing the filters). It's not going to make you look like Cameron Diaz after 30 days but it is a sensible place to get started. Clean out your filters first, then we can start talking about the precise composition and quantity of fuel your engine needs (to strain an engineering metaphor to the breaking point).

[jammies]

Anytime.
You can do this Jac. I know there is way too much hype around the Whole 30 thing saying it will "change your life" etc, and this has left some people feeling a bit disillusioned with it. I think for some people who consistently eat twinkies and fries, it might very well be life changing. For those of us that are already fairly health conscious, not so much. In your case, Jac, I do think it is still worth doing just for the clean out effect. (What my Dad, an engineer, would call backflushing the filters). It's not going to make you look like Cameron Diaz after 30 days but it is a sensible place to get started. Clean out your filters first, then we can start talking about the precise composition and quantity of fuel your engine needs (to strain an engineering metaphor to the breaking point).

I agree with this - I did a whole 30 after 6 months of primal and pretty much just found it made me obsessed with food and wanting to "cheat" all the time. I have a friend who did it with me, but she had never been primal. She loved it - completely eliminated all her joint pain and she lost the little bit of remaining baby weight.