As I stepped out of the shower and glanced at myself in the mirror that evening, a lightbulb went off. Eh, more like a skillet over my head. ::BAM!!!!!:: Then my inner voice...
What is wrong with you, woman? GET A GRIP! Just because you have birthed two children doesn't mean you are "allowed" to have a body like this! Control yourself! Get some self discipline! Get that rocking body BACK! What do you want to weigh? That's right! One hundred and SEXY.
The decision was made on a Friday, I prepared on Saturday and Sunday. I started on Monday.
It's Tuesday.
This is the start of my journey down the path to healthy eating habits, self discipline, and a new perspective on food.
Have you heard of
Whole30? Thirty days of no dairy, no grain, no sugar, no preservatives, and no alcohol. Sounds pleasant, right?
The "whole" point (haha) is not for weight loss, although people do lose weight (and numerous inches). It's about giving yourself a nutritional "reset." After reading through heaps of testimonials, people say it has changed their entire viewpoint on food. It's changed their relationships. It's changed their confidence. It's even rectified issues such as diabetes, depression, anxiety, acne and other skin conditions. And the people always seem so
happy.
So here's the skinny on my end.
Past challenges:
- Drive thrus. Hot chocolates, egg & cheese bagels, frappucinos, nuggets. You name it, I picked it up (almost daily).
- Stress. When I'd get to a breaking point with the boys I'd scarf a bowl of cereal and it made me feel better. Until it didn't.
- Feeding a family. I have three other mouths to feed besides my own, so how will I manage self discipline at home? Although I am a "well behaved" grocery shopper and my family eats fairly well, I refuse to stop giving the boys their few m&m's for dessert, so those items will still be in the cupboard.
Reasons for implementing this program:
- I want to feel comfortable in my skin.
- I want to get back into a bikini.
- I want to not feel three months preggo all the time.
- I have terrible eczema on my arms and hands this fall (worst since I was 14!) - I want to see if it will clear up on it's own without medication.
Upsides:
- I got my hubby on board with me! WOOT WOOT, RAISE THE ROOF, ALLELUIA. Jeff's doing a "loose" Whole30. Example: He's using a low-carb Italian dressing instead of my homemade ones, and I didn't pay attention this morning but he probably put sugar and milk into his coffee...
- My amazing friend (and co-worker) Lori is also doing this with me! Truly, if it weren't for her to bounce feelings/complaints/fears off of, I don't know that I could do it. She's a vegetarian so our meal plans are quite a bit different - I actually enjoy our late-night texts about the dinners we made and the reality that she wants to cheat with a cookie and I want to cheat with a glass of wine.
How did I get started?
- I read and re-read practically every shopping list, testimonial, rule and recipe on the Whole30 website. I was immensely excited and even more nervous all at the same time.
- I committed.
- I made a shopping list and a meal plan. Little Coconutty has a really cute menu planner that I printed out on cardstock. Trust me, really cute things matter when I'm unable to have pasta primavera.
- Instagram has an astounding world of support. My favorites so far are @littlecoconutty, @bitsofbbskitchen, @whole30, and #whole30recipes.
- I went grocery shopping. It sucked. While keeping the boys from jumping out of the cart, I read every single label. Everything has sugar. Forget it with the processed salad dressings.
- I cooked. Sunday was spent chopping and preparing for the week and it was highly extensive. Even Jeff commented that I had been in the kitchen for hours. I made a paleo asparagus & egg strata for the week's breakfast, a homemade balsamic vinaigrette for the week's lunches at work, and put a roast in the crockpot for the week's dinners. It was exhausting.
- Finally it was time for us to start!
My goal is to update the blog each week on my progress. I already feel a difference and cannot wait to share!
