Whole30 ~ I did it!!

So this past month I embarked upon an adventure: I have been been doing a body-reset program called "Whole30".  The program is very intense, with straight-forward guidelines: basically you have NO sugar, No grains, and No dairy, for 30 days.

When I first realized what it was about and what you were suppose to do, I was like "NO WAY! I could not do that!"  Yet, always the cheerleader for health and holistic living, I proclaimed to my friend who was saying she was going to do it, "I will do it with you to support you!"

September 30, after 10PM I ate my last 3 Tim-Tam cookies, fully dunked in a creamy cup of tea, saying a sweet farewell to sugar, grains and dairy-laden drinks for my next 30 days!!

And what an adventure it has been....

Typical Whole30 breakfast: I have always eaten eggs and coffee,
 but now I was omitting cheese, toast, and cream!!

...The first 48 hours I experienced flu-like aches, crankiness, headaches, as my body screamed it's revolt to being cut off from all it's lovely indulgences and addictions.  The physical side was not as hard as the psychological and emotional realizations!  AND that is really, truly, the point of this whole experience!

We are so driven by emotional and faulty psychological rational and we are blind to it.  For example... here are some thoughts I have caught myself thinking through this denial of sugar, dairy, and grains:

"I am not feeling well... such-and-such a treat would make me feel better."

"I am not pretty, I need to eat this (fill in the blank with favorite comfort food)...."

"I have had such a long, hard day... ginger snap cookies and cup of tea/glass of wine/cheesy whatever, is what i deserve...."

In the midst of this program, you begin to have dreams of "cheating"and they seem so real!!  I would wake to a sense of guilt and question if I had really taken a bite of whatever sugary treat my dream had formulated.

What I did not expect...

Lots of cooking!  I found this to be fun and therapeutic.  Since I have been quite frustrated with how little energy I have at the end of a day at work, this surprised me!  Of course I would be hungry, and I could not just do something quick, carb-ful, and easy.  I HAD to read a recipe and get to chopping!  This picture on the right is one Monday evening explosion of healthy food prep!

I also discovered some new foods I really enjoy:  sun-dried tomatoes in oil and spices are the bomb!!  Also... Bella mushrooms!!   And oh the avocados... I have always loved, but they have been a huge part of my diet these last 30 days.

Going deeper....

Other revelations have come... as I have walked this journey: I often make decisions based on emotional and faulty impulsive rational!    Instead of recognizing the heart/soul need, I am prone to quickly, mindlessly go for dealing/expressing, or resolving the discomfort with an impulsive purchase, entertain false assumptions and descending further into a pit of despair or isolation.   Woah... what an eye-opener to a lack of self control!

So, it's been a good GREAT experience for me and I have lost weight!  I am much more aware of how I have relied on food to meet emotional needs as well as seen how decision making has fallen into this default as well.  I have a greater handle on saying "NO" to these impulses,  I feel better, I am sleeping better, and I feel very accomplished - in a great way!

I did this thing!  YOU CAN TOO! If you decide to take on this challenge, I would HIGHLY recommend getting the Whole30 cookbook; it has fantastic recipes, helpful information and tips and it's very inspirational...

To steal the best line from the book:

"Fighting cancer is hard, having a baby is hard, drinking your coffee black is.NOT.Hard."

Here's to health!