I sold jewelry througn a direct sales / MLM company for a few years when my ex-husband couldn't keep a job. I worked a full-time+ job, and then did jewelry parties on the side. I never pressured anyone, much less my friends, to buy anything. The product, price, and customer service were all something that people liked, so yeah...I made some money. I never signed anyone up, and still did well, relatively speaking, and helped make up for the lost money every time the ex lost yet another job. I also like going to some of the home parties that friends have, although I haven't been to one in years. Most are Facebook parties at this point. If people don't like the products, then they don't buy them. Seems pretty simple to me. I don't understand the strong feelings about it one way or another.

All of my bras come from Soma. That's it. I've found a couple of cuts that I like and I can't imagine buying any other at this point.

I love football, so we're watching. As always. For the first time ever I don't have a preference for a specific team. I don't love or hate either of them. I really like Peyton Manning, and my team is in the AFC, like te Broncos, so I should root for them I guess. Hen again, I think Cam Newton, and the whole Panthers team, is exciting and dynamic and generally fun to watch. I'm just hoping for a good game.

Tonight is the Big Night where I officially put something back in my diet I'm not supposed to have. Ok, technically it's two things (wheat and dairy). I've already picked out what I'm eating, but the primary draw for me is this thing of beauty. I love this particular dish at this partciular restaurant so much that I'm actually fantasizing about it. I'm practically giddy with anticipation. The rest of the menu is easy. Farm to table, local, fresh, amazing food. But this? Oh, man. I'm so excited about it.

I really need to make this, and I have all of the ingredients on hand.

My husband lost one of his closest friends to a heroin overdose a few years ago. He was 28 years old, from a normal, middle class, well-educated family. He was an extraordinary Blues musician whose star was continuing to rise as he gained recognition and acclaim globally, putting out several albums, etc. The day he died, he'd just finished a radio interview, and had gotten out of rehab the day before. He wanted to be done with it. He had everything going for him. He also suffered from Bipolar Disorder, which goes part and parcel with drug addiction. Total tragedy.

There are several good documentaries out there about the heroin epidemic, several that are now available on YouTube. They show that it can touch anyone, regardless of background or financial status, and how the "good kids" are just as easily trapped by it as anyone else. That might be a good way to spur discussion.

My kids are 19, 13, and 12. The 19 year old is in school and has work, but she has communicated with her friends primarily via text for years. The 13 year old is on her phone a lot, but she's usually watching youtube videos or something. The 12 year old is always texting or on snapchat or instragram.....some form of social media. The only time it bothers me is if they try to do it when we're doing somethihng as a family, like playing a game or eating dinner, and then I just remind them to put the phones away and they do. I just don't see the difference between the way they communicate and spend their time and the way anyone has, all the way back to when I was a kid, other than the mechanism itself has changed. Funny story....I was sitting with my parents over Christmas. My father was reading a book and I was on my phone, and my father jumped all over me, going on and on about the stupid phones, blah blah blah. I said first of all, I'm over 40 and you are not the boss of me, and second of all...I was reading a book, on my Kindle app. Somehow that was not the same as his reading his physical book in his hand. Umm...whatever, dad. hahaha

I haven't read all the responses, so sorry if this has already been addressed. The shorter cruises (3 - 4 days) will always be rowdier, and will always have older, not-as-nice ships (except Disney), on every cruiseline. They're pretty much booze cruises, and Carnival just happens to have more of that type of ship and cruise than any other line. On Norwegian, it's the Sky. On Royal Caribbean, it's (I think) Majesty of the Seas, and one other. Longer cruises will always have a different vibe, and Alaska will, particularly, because of the destination itself. I've been on some amazing Carnival ships/cruises and some that I would never do again. With Carnival, the ship, length, and destination make all the difference. I wouldn't hesitate to take a Carnival cruise to Alaska if the price was right, but I'd do NCL over Carnival if prices and itineraries were about the same.

Norwegian has three ships in the Alaska market (I think), and they're great for both adults and kids. My favorite cruise line. I believe the Pearl, the Jewel, and Star (maybe) are all doing Alaska right now. I've been on Pearl and Jewel and love them both, as do my kids. Carnival is either really nice or really not, depending on the specific ship. I forget what ships Carnival has there now, but generally speaking they're always good for kids, and if it's not an old ship, for adults, too.] I have not been on Princess but I understand they have fine ships with fine offerings for adults and children. Carnival owns Princess, but Princess is generally considered a bit more upscale. Royal Caribbean is very good, but, for me cost prohibitive. Plus, the ships remind me of shopping malls, which is not to my personal taste. Many people adore RC, though. I would avoid Holland America and Celebrity. Neither is geared toward children, and my nieces and nephews did not have the best time on their Alaska cruise on Celebrity, nor the Caribbean cruise on Holland America. Frankly, the adults (except the grandparents) didn't love either of them, either. The whole ship (both lines) kind of rolled up and went to bed at 9:00, they said. They aren't party animals, but would have liked some more options. Hope that helps.

Day 30!! B: Leftover thai red curry (chicken and veggie), with some sweet potato added in because I didn't have much L: One Aidell's sausage and some cut up baby bell peppers S: Handfull of cashews D: "Creamed" (no dairy) Spinach stuffed chicken and zoodles with Rao's marinara I don't know exactly how much weight I've lost because I didn't weigh myself on Day 1, but it's about 10-11 pounds. I'm really, really good with that. I don't know if that will slow down or not in month 2, as I add in some non-Whole30 foods but also some exercise. We shall see. I just feel much more in control now, so that's a huge win. Unfortunately, I'm experiencing some incredibly stressful life events right now. Several of those that you would normally see in a list of Top 10 Most Stressful Things. My husband, who has been on this W30 journey with me, was dying for a chocolate shake last night, but just...didn't. Earlier today I was <<this close>> to getting in my car, driving to Chilis, and having a giant margarita and a whole order of Southwest Eggrolls But the whole time I was fantasizing about it, I was going about making my Aidell's sausage and slicing my peppers for lunch. All that to say I am definitely an emotional eater and stress is my primary trigger, and I was able to manage through that today (and for the last 30, even in the midst of All of the Bad Things) just fine. I wanted it, but I really don't think I was ever in any real danger of doing it. HUGE non-scale victory for me. I've got this. I am in control. Maybe not of anything else, but of this. I'll take it.

Chalk me up as another who cannot stand mouth noises. At all. Not eating, not kissing, not any of them. I'm not even talking about over the top noises, although those are intolerable. I mean just normal eating or light kissing or whatever, including my own. It's awful. I also hate socks. All socks. I think I have foot claustrophobia or something. I wear them when I have to, but then I can't wait to rip them off at the end of the day. Repeated loud beeping noises drive me into a frenzy. Trucks backing up, or alarm clocks or smoke detectors...you get the picture. I think I must have died in a fire or been run over by a reversing truck in a past life or something. I have a bit of a tape addiction, but only Scotch brand tape in the green package. I love the way it smells and I love the way it feels when I stick it to my hand and then peel it off, over and over. I'm always taking strips of tape and rolling them into perfect cylinders (it's not easy...go ahead and try it...I dare you...perfectly lined up edges? No way can you do it. haha!), then I stick the cylinders together and end up building these elaborate honeycomb looking things that people find all over the house. It's gotten to where I really just can't keep it in the house. Too distracting.

Day 29. I thought I was on the same schedule as PinkandGreenMom, but...no. Anyway, I barely ate anything yesterday. I just wasn't hungry until late in the evening (like, 10:30 pm), but I decided it was too late to eat so I just drank some water and went to bed. I'm a bit hungrier today. B: 1 Aidell's sausage and sauteed spinach on a sweet potato L: Nothing yet, but I'm hungry. I'll probably have the last of the chicken soup I made the other day. D: Thai curry chicken and veggie stirfry ETA: My next 30 days will be a bit less compliant, in that I plan to have a glass of wine a couple of times a week, and I already have a couple of meals/events planned that I know will be off plan. That's ok. I'm confident I can make wise choices now, whereas previously I would not have been able to do so. I need to focus on exercise, and I'm kind of scared about it, frankly. I know that sounds stupid, but I really dislike exercise, and I just don't do well at sticking with it. It's much harder for me than eating properly. I think the fear comes in because I don't want to fail, and then get discouraged and get off the good food path, too. I should probably try to find a plan that is not too difficult (my fitness level is quite low, anyway), but very prescriptive, like W30. Anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking of Fitness Blender, because it doesn't require equipment and I travel a lot for work.

It's this one. I modified a bit. Decreased the cayenne, elliminated the poblano and green chiles (so DD13 would eat it....she can't tolerate much heat in her food), and added matchstick carrots and chopped zuchinni. The lime at the end, plus the cilantro and avocado, if you like them, really made the soup for me. I did not use plantain chips, either.

Day 28 for me, too. Like I said previously, I have no idea how much I've lost, but I know I have. I didn't weigh myself on Day 1, and I have no plans to weigh myself on Day 30 or 31. I just know I look and feel better, and that's good. My husband has lost 20 pounds. Since I cheated on this Whole 30 (remember the wine a couple of weeks ago? Ugh...), I can't say I did this cheat free, but it was pretty darn close. I plan to continue the clean eating for pretty much always, 80/20. I'm scared of the 20, though. I know myself, and the slippery slope is steep and quick for me. So, I'm planning my unclean meals in advance, as much as possible. This has been fun to do with all of you! I love checking in, getting meal ideas, and having a place to confess my wine sins. :-) By the way, I had tortilla-less Chicken Tortilla Soup last night that was to die for, which I'll have for lunch today, and I have beef short ribs in the slow cooker now that are making the house smell amazing, that I'll servive with Nom Nom Paleo's IP kale and carrots, and cauliflower mash. So, so good. I absolutely do not feel deprived.

I have not weighed, but today I wore a suit that I hadn't worn in a couple of months and the pants were nearly falling off. I hated that they were ill fitting, but I couldn't help but be a little happy! Traveled all week and did totally fine. It's not even all that hard to make the good food choices anymore. I feel good. Next Friday night (2/5) I'll have my first piece of bread in more than a month. I hope it doesn't make me feel crappy.

Same here. Could be 30 minutes, could be 2 hours, usually comes in about 75 or so. The most frustrating part is that he's only driving 33 miles each way. It's not fun for him, but he actually gave up a job a mile from home to go back to this one, so I guess it's worth it in the end. As with all things, you just adjust.

I just ate an entire bag (2.5 servings) of banana ships. Pretty sure that falls solidly into the SWYPO category. And now I have a headache, too, I'm guessing from all of the sugar. Blah.

Premadepaleo.com. It has a specific Whole30 option. I've also ordered from Plated, Blue Apron, Home Chef, and one more than I can't remember right now. I looked at all of them to see the menus if I could reorder (Plated was my favorite), but while I could make Paleo meals I couldn't really guarantee it was 100% Whole 30 compliant, so I passed this time. ETA: In case you're interested, you can go here to get a coupon for 10% off.

Day 22 for me, too. I feel really, really good, except for that awful gas bloat I woke up with this morning. I'm blaming it on the cabbage I had yesterday. I have energy and my skin looks fantastic! B: Who knows? Black coffee right now, that I'm actually enjoying. The half and half may be a thing of the past. L: Probably leftover kalua pig, with....something. I don't know. D: I have to cook again? Ugh. I'm at the "please don't make me cook another thing" point of the program. I just ordered some paleo frozen meals to keep on hand for days like this.

In spite of my wine blunders last week, I have not wavered on food compliance, which is a huge win for me. Normally if I feel I've "failed" at something, I'd end up head first in a bag of cheetoes. Not this time. I feel very accomplished because of that. I saw my sisters yesterday for the first time since Christmas. Both first commented that I look considerably thiner in my face, and then later that my stomach is nearly flat (comparatively speaking). I have not lost a clothing size, but I do agree on both counts. So I've decided that, like some others, I am going to continue eating pretty much like this, except on actual special occasions (just have to define what that means). The changes I'll be making will be because I do want to lose a good amount of weight, so i'm going to try to add in some body-weight strength training, 4 - 5 times a week, and then cutting back some on calories by focusing on leaner proteins and smaller portions. We'll see what happens.

Ha! I'm not even kidding. But then I'm the one who had paranormal investigators come to my house, so that's a super logical conclusion for me. :-)

Clearly, your house is haunted.

The good news is that, even with my business travel all week, everything I've eaten has been completely compliant. The bad news? 3 days, 4 glasses of wine. Ugh. So I'm not starting over, even though we're supposed to. I'll just continue with the plan. No more alcohol after this trip, and continue with the eating through February, with the exception of the meal I have planned on 2/5. The moral of the story is that work is bad for my health, one way or another!

Never mind. Irrelevant. Off to tackle Day 16.