Well, hello there. It's been a while. And it's not because I haven't wanted to write. Life just got in the way ... like usual.
Same old stuff. Busy job. Busy kids. Busy days. Busy nights. Busy weekends. Always on the go. Never slowing down... until I broke.
For the past few months, I've been battling some inner demons. It didn't matter how much sleep I got or how regimented I was with a schedule, I. Was. Tired. And emotional. And had little patience.
I had a week and a half off at Christmas, and in the quiet one day, I sat and examined my spirit. I felt spent. Like I had nothing to give. Unworthy. Empty. I KNEW that none of that was true. But it felt so real. And I had to figure it out. Enough was enough.
I had heard that certain foods could trigger those feelings. So I decided to conduct a little experiment, and I jumped on the Whole30 bandwagon.
What is the Whole30? For 30 days, you cut out all dairy, grains, sugar, and legumes. After 30 days, you reintroduce those foods so you can see what triggers your ailments.
My sister and brother-in-law joined me on the journey. I'm pretty sure I texted my sister every day to tell her which foods I missed that day. Most of the time, it was coffee with creamer. Oh how I missed the dessert coffee! It surprised me what I missed and didn't miss. (It's been 36 days without bread, and I still don't miss it.) I went on a week-long work trip, and I still managed to follow the strict diet. (My stubbornness works in my favor sometimes.)
There were many days I wanted to quit. But really, just saying, "I don't want to do this anymore" made it feel more manageable. I just needed to be heard. I think we each said this at least twice a week to each other.
But interesting things happened along the way:
I was supposed to start introducing foods back into my diet on the 31st. On the 31st, I had—you guessed it!—coffee with creamer (sugar). I really wanted it to taste amazing. But it didn't. Total bummer. I also realized that once I started eating sugar, I had a hard time stopping. It was then that I realized: though the 30 days was over, I wasn't ready to add in those other foods. My brain is not yet trained to stop eating and make better decisions. So I decided not to move on quite yet. To a more forgiving degree, I'm still forging ahead.
I no longer feel like enough is enough. I am enough. And so are you.
Thinking about doing a similar program? Here are my thoughts:
1. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. Be realistic. You can still do the Whole30 without spending hours in the kitchen. I made a whole lot of chickens. I used the leftovers in salads and used the bones to make chicken broth. (I don't think I'll be buying broth again. SO much better homemade!) Pot roasts, steak salads, spaghetti squash, grilled vegetables, pesto pork tenderloin. Oh my word, guys. This is totally DOABLE.
2. Get a buddy. This, for me, was necessary. I couldn't have done it without knowing that someone else was doing it, too.
3. PLAN. Figure out your meals in advance and STICK TO IT. Yes, sometimes that means you have to eat at 7p, because you got home late, and you forgot to thaw meat. You can't go to McDonald's. In fact, the only Whole30-approved fast-food item is Chipotle's carnitas salad (lettuce/carnitas/mild salsa/medium salsa/guacamole). And while it is satisfying because you didn't have to cook, let's be honest, it isn't THAT amazing.
4. Buy Whole30-approved RX bars (basically any without peanuts). Trader Joe's has them cheapest. And while you're at Trader Joe's, pick up dried mango (not the sweetened variety), raw nuts (not peanuts), and unfiltered honey crisp apple cider while you're at it. When you are on the go without an approved meal option, these come in handy!
5. Find someone with a Thrive Online account and ask if you can borrow it for staples. The spaghetti sauce is fantastic. And it helps to have other approved condiments as well: mustard, salad dressings, etc. Not a deal-breaker, though.
6. againstallgrain.com is a really great website with some fantastic recipes: dairy-free pesto, ketchup (I still need to try this!), bone broth, etc.
Have any questions? Holler at me! I like to give my opinion. :)
Same old stuff. Busy job. Busy kids. Busy days. Busy nights. Busy weekends. Always on the go. Never slowing down... until I broke.
For the past few months, I've been battling some inner demons. It didn't matter how much sleep I got or how regimented I was with a schedule, I. Was. Tired. And emotional. And had little patience.
I had a week and a half off at Christmas, and in the quiet one day, I sat and examined my spirit. I felt spent. Like I had nothing to give. Unworthy. Empty. I KNEW that none of that was true. But it felt so real. And I had to figure it out. Enough was enough.
I had heard that certain foods could trigger those feelings. So I decided to conduct a little experiment, and I jumped on the Whole30 bandwagon.
What is the Whole30? For 30 days, you cut out all dairy, grains, sugar, and legumes. After 30 days, you reintroduce those foods so you can see what triggers your ailments.
My sister and brother-in-law joined me on the journey. I'm pretty sure I texted my sister every day to tell her which foods I missed that day. Most of the time, it was coffee with creamer. Oh how I missed the dessert coffee! It surprised me what I missed and didn't miss. (It's been 36 days without bread, and I still don't miss it.) I went on a week-long work trip, and I still managed to follow the strict diet. (My stubbornness works in my favor sometimes.)
There were many days I wanted to quit. But really, just saying, "I don't want to do this anymore" made it feel more manageable. I just needed to be heard. I think we each said this at least twice a week to each other.
But interesting things happened along the way:
- My complexion improved—People said my skin was glowing
- I had energy again ... all day long
- I felt rested
- I had patience
- I actually enjoyed being with my kids and laughed with them (not that I didn't enjoy being with my kids before. But since I had more energy, I could play with them instead of counting down the minutes until bedtime.)
- I could think clearly. My thoughts were no longer scattered.
- Not once did I think about my pants feeling tight. (And with my busy February, I only had time to go to the gym once.)
- I lost 8 lbs., a full pants size, and am now only 3 lbs. away from my pre-first-born weight. (NOTE: You aren't allowed to weigh yourself for 30 days. This is simply because the Whole30 isn't a weight-loss diet... though that is oftentimes a result.)
I was supposed to start introducing foods back into my diet on the 31st. On the 31st, I had—you guessed it!—coffee with creamer (sugar). I really wanted it to taste amazing. But it didn't. Total bummer. I also realized that once I started eating sugar, I had a hard time stopping. It was then that I realized: though the 30 days was over, I wasn't ready to add in those other foods. My brain is not yet trained to stop eating and make better decisions. So I decided not to move on quite yet. To a more forgiving degree, I'm still forging ahead.
I no longer feel like enough is enough. I am enough. And so are you.
Thinking about doing a similar program? Here are my thoughts:
1. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. Be realistic. You can still do the Whole30 without spending hours in the kitchen. I made a whole lot of chickens. I used the leftovers in salads and used the bones to make chicken broth. (I don't think I'll be buying broth again. SO much better homemade!) Pot roasts, steak salads, spaghetti squash, grilled vegetables, pesto pork tenderloin. Oh my word, guys. This is totally DOABLE.
2. Get a buddy. This, for me, was necessary. I couldn't have done it without knowing that someone else was doing it, too.
3. PLAN. Figure out your meals in advance and STICK TO IT. Yes, sometimes that means you have to eat at 7p, because you got home late, and you forgot to thaw meat. You can't go to McDonald's. In fact, the only Whole30-approved fast-food item is Chipotle's carnitas salad (lettuce/carnitas/mild salsa/medium salsa/guacamole). And while it is satisfying because you didn't have to cook, let's be honest, it isn't THAT amazing.
4. Buy Whole30-approved RX bars (basically any without peanuts). Trader Joe's has them cheapest. And while you're at Trader Joe's, pick up dried mango (not the sweetened variety), raw nuts (not peanuts), and unfiltered honey crisp apple cider while you're at it. When you are on the go without an approved meal option, these come in handy!
5. Find someone with a Thrive Online account and ask if you can borrow it for staples. The spaghetti sauce is fantastic. And it helps to have other approved condiments as well: mustard, salad dressings, etc. Not a deal-breaker, though.
6. againstallgrain.com is a really great website with some fantastic recipes: dairy-free pesto, ketchup (I still need to try this!), bone broth, etc.
Have any questions? Holler at me! I like to give my opinion. :)
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