Goneb, Never tried burning a strawberry bed but our wild low bush blueberries are routinely burned to ground level as a way to make way for the new stems and to kill diseases and perhaps some bugs. That process works very well. With strawberries it may also work if the crown of the plant is not killed by too much heat. I would add more straw later to keep the frost from heaving the plants. Burning as a cultural method may be a lost art. I believe I read where the organic pioneers, the Nearings, kept beds going far longer than was thought possible. They did not use any burning however. Sounds like this could be a good experiment. I do know that burning over fully frozen bb plants burns only to the ground level. I just remembered that we also burn old fields that have lots of wild strawberries and they are not harmed by the burning at all. Some strawberry diseases however are soil born and would not be killed by burning. Planting varieties resistant to these diseases and burning plus using the traditional renovation techniques may indeed allow one to keep the beds going longer. Bberry

I googled and found that since it focuses on whole foods, weight loss may occur as a result of giving up processed foods, grains, dairy and sweets, however that is not the primary intent. I also learned that my neighbor broke a cardinal rule: You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

I have a friend who has tried every single weight loss scheme out there. Literally everything but bariatric surgery. She's done Medifast, Isagenix, dozens of different MLM weight loss schemes, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Zumba classes-she'll drop about 20 lbs then gain it plus. I think she had her best weight loss with Medifast, but she quit that after a few months and gained it back. She's also Type II diabetic but won't do what she needs to do to lose the weight. She takes medication instead. I got notice from my health care team that my A1C was in the pre-diabetic range-that is super scary! So I started to change my diet-and so far I've lost almost 30 lbs. I just don't eat sweets, added sugar, extra carbs-and it's coming off. My last blood draw I was out of the pre-diabetes range! I'm going to keep at it-I need to lose more but I'm doing it the old fashioned way-healthy eating and exercise. My BFF ran into an old friend who'd lost 50lbs-she was on some crazy scheme diet where she could only eat a super restrictive diet. It was utterly unsustainable. Sure, she lost 50lbs, but had to be miserable! I'm working on my BFF to eat sanely (she's another Type II diabetic) but she keeps carbs & candy in her home...she's not a fan of veggies & fruit. I've got her at least bringing healthier snacks with her to work and eating a lunch during the day instead of starving herself then gorging when she got home. I wish there was an easy way to drop pounds-a pill or a drink-but nope. It's all about intake and output-fewer calories in-more calories out (burned) and you will lose weight.

my clothes were getting tighter and i just refused to 'give in' and buy a bigger size. TBH, i was not heavy but i just refused to fall into 'oh we are older, its just what happens' category. my friend introduced me to THM and it changed everything. basicallly, you do not mix your healthy carbs and fat in the same meal. eg.: eggs with bacon/sausage and 1/2 avocado OR egg whites with veggies on sprouted bread chicken thighs with buttered veggie (broccoli) OR white meat chicken over a bed of lettuce with cucumbers, toms peppers etc and a light dressing (not heavy oils) or on a low-carb wrap/pita it does take some thought, but once you get the hang of it, its easy and automatic. i eat no white anything. no sugar, i do use Truvia. i eat mostly berries as they are least amount of natural sugar. i eat every 3-4 hours, not in between, this is good for your digestion and metabolism. i do have Hashimoto's for about 25-30 years now, and actually my med dose has recently gone down and my thryoid is not as swollen. my Endo is very pleased. i do my best! to not eat after dinner. i walk 5 days a week (3-4 miles), Follow the THM plan and use their recipes which are fabulous. Even DH likes them! BP is perfect, Cholestrol is 180 although my LDL is a slightly above 100, always was since my 30's - genetics?? i am not saying everyone is the same, but this diet lifestyle really works for me. good luck to everyone!