Whole30 Days Hath September

Back in March, Husband and I completed our first Whole30. I wrote about the experience after it was complete, and since September 1st marked the beginning of my second Whole30, I figured I'd share it here.

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So.

It's not all that often that I start something and actually complete it. But I was determined this time. Tim and I just finished up a Whole30. I'm not super into fad diets or extremism, but after hearing about the success and health results of a couple of family members and various others with this type of eating, I started considering making an exception. I finally decided to do it in March for a few reasons:

* The steady decline of my eating and exercise habits over the last few years.

* The fact that when I got home from work, all I had the mental, emotional, or physical energy to do was veg. All of the things that I actually enjoy doing, that fill me up or increase my health in some way were out of the question because of the effort it would take to do them. Leaving me wasting time on things that were not pouring in, but rather draining me.

* The recent realization that unless I make some diet/activity changes, I WILL end up with diabetes and/or thyroid problems in the next few decades. I don't even remember the situation, but one day recently I just had this clear as day epiphany that this would surely be my future if I don't change something. Having a family history of obesity and the aforementioned health issues (not to mention high blood pressure and heart disease), it is highly likely that this will happen to me when I reach middle age (or before) unless I get off my butt. 

Shockingly enough, Tim agreed to do the 30 days with me- he is even more of a skeptic than I, not to mention he hates the American obsessions with "diets" and being skinny, etc. But, he loves and supports me and knows that what he likes (sour cream and tortilla chips) isn't always what's best for him, so he was all in with me. Isn't he the greatest?

And we did it! Yesterday we celebrated our victory with an oh-so classy late-night progressive dinner (Taco Bell & Dunkin Donuts) with some good friends. It was a good night.

I've heard (read) about many people that have had more radical/amazing experiences and results than we did, but I can't say enough right now how glad I am that we did it. Some reasons why:

(I like bulleted lists today)

* It was empowering to have total knowledge and control of what I put in my body. Over the whole month, only on three occasions did I eat something that was not personally prepared by myself or Tim. Historically, I have not been very comfortable in the kitchen unless it's to bake, but I learned how to do some things decently well. I broiled for the first time, made my own sausage, sucessfully made my own mayo, and learned to enjoy sweet potatoes and fried eggs (together and individually!) for the first time in my life. 

* While the focus of this particular theory of eating isn't on weight loss, I did lose almost 10 pounds without exercising a single time this month (Tim lost around 15)! We'll take it.

* I've read about some people experiencing a total mellowing out of their moods over the month that they did it. I can't say that I was totally mood-swing-free this month, but for a good portion of it, it did seem much easier to be in a more positive mood. Like I was starting off from a more upbeat baseline rather than trying to force myself to be chipper. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's an improvement, so again I'll take it.

* I had anticipated that when the Whole30 ended, I would be reaching for everything in sight that I had been missing out on during March. Especially since I work in a food setting where I'm surrounded all day by grain/dairy/sugar and could easily access any of it, I figured today I would be stuffing my face with muffins and chips and lattes. But, surprisingly, today I didn't feel the need for it. I didn't feel the NEED for it. That emotional "need" that tells you that because you CAN have it, you SHOULD have it. So, while I did allow myself to enjoy a few things that I hadn't had for 30 days, for the first time in a long time I felt like I was the one in control of my appetite and cravings, rather than vice versa. One of my biggest hesitations with doing a Whole30 was that I would turn into one of "those people" who are obsessed with eating their certain way, unable to make exceptions or exercise balance in their lives. But I am shocked to find that my mind and body  are telling me that they want to keep being fed the way they've been over the last month for the most part, and make exceptions as appropriate. Not using "fun" food as an emotional crutch or a boredom reliever, but enjoying it in moderation as a gift from God and a way to experience community with others. 

* The spiritual connection. I intentionally planned to do this during the season of Lent. To be clear, I did not do this as a fast for spiritual reasons, but I realized it would easily lend itself to some overlap. And so, in this season of reflecting on Christ's gift, I was more motivated to pick up my Bible rather than my laptop on more occasions than has been true for the last few years. Maybe it's because of the aforementioned "lighter" mood, but again...I'll take it.

* I tried not to formulate expectations at the beginning of this about weight loss or good moods, but my main goal at the outset was just to "break the cycle" of going to work, dragging all day, coming home, sitting on my butt and filling my body and mind with things that weren't nourishing me. And I feel like I've actually done that somehow. I'm out of breath because I went running for the first time in...I don't even know how long. Granted, sunshine and warmer weather helps. But regardless, Couch-to-5k started for me today, and I'm considering actually running a 5k at the end of May. If I feel this accomplished and victorious after this month, I can only imagine I'll feel the same way if I actually do a 5k. And who knows what's next after that. 

Feelin' pretty positive. :-p

So. 

This is not to convince everybody that they should do this and then go Paleo and then do Cross-fit and then Juice Plus (I've done none of those things) and then and then... This is just to share my experience and invite you to celebrate with me. I will say that the main drawback to eating this way is that to fully do it "right," you have to have a lot more money than we do. We didn't bother with grass-fed/pastured whatnot, we just did what we could afford and still had pretty good results. But we did spend way more money on food last month and it felt like we ate more than usual (less filler ingredients in stuff, I guess?), so I'm interested in doing it again in the summertime when produce is on better sales and more readily available. 

Aaaaanyway. To celebrate and give myself an appropriate non-food reward, I spent the last of the Christmas money I'd been hoarding and bought myself this dress that I hadn't stopped thinking about since I tried it on several weeks ago: 

What's up with my new-found love of polka dots?

And that's all I have to say about that.
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Stay tuned for updates, meal plans/ideas, etc. as September continues!