T-10 Hours...

...until breakfast, and the start of my very first day on my Whole30 journey. For those that haven't heard of the Whole30 program, it's 30 days of strict clean eating meant to be utilized as a "nutritional reset". Though, for me, it's the beginning of what I hope will be an entirely new relationship with food. Now, don't think this means I won't touch the things I love again (see you in April Chic-fil-a), but I hope it will teach me how to incorporate these better choices into realistic, day-to-day eating habits.

I'm here because I have a problem. I am a sugar addict. It's real. Cravings, withdrawals, denial. What brought me here was when I opened my pantry 5 days ago and realized I had 7 boxes of cookies. No one person should be able to claim 7 boxes of cookies as their own (and I can't pin them on my husband or my 10 month old who has 2.5 teeth ). And I don't binge on cookies, but 2-3 a night, because of a relentless craving, adds up.

Aside from the cookies, I took a look at where else in my day I was consuming sugar. Peanut butter on my toast with a side of fruit flavored yogurt for breakfast (or a chocolatey granola bar when I didn't have time for anything else), sweet vinaigrettes on salads for lunch, sugar added into foods I never would have imagined...and, I mean, I've been actively making healthier choices for the last two and a half months. After reading the ingredient labels on so many things in my cupboards (and not to mention considering the "better" choices I've been making at drive thrus and restaurants), I started to realize just exactly how I've been wasting the precious calories I've been counting since January. I've only focused on how many of these "addiction" foods I can cram into my calorie allotment for the day and not what it takes to fuel my body. I've been active 6 days a week, either strength training or cardio, for the last two and a half months (except for 4 days for a bit of a "stay-cation" with the hubs), and yet I wasn't really modifying the quality of foods I was putting in to this new, more active body.

As part of the program, they suggest you tell people what you're doing, mostly as a form of accountability. So this is my way of going public. I'll post what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, but I'm not supposed to weigh myself or measure during the next 30 days, so no number talk. If you read it, let me know! It'll motivate me to hang in there! Aside from weight loss, some of the other benefits can be more energy, better sleep, less joint pain, improved focus and just overall happiness.

So here I am. Ready to see what it feels like when you start treating your body with just a little more respect and kindness. It's just 30 days, right???

xo,
Megan


For reference, here are the basic "No" foods on the program:

Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize. 

Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.) 

Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels. 

Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin). 

Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.) 

Do not eat white potatoes. This is somewhat arbitrary, but if we are trying to change your habits (chips and fries) and improve the hormonal impact of your food choices, it’s best to leave white, red, purple, Yukon gold, and fingerling potatoes off your plate. Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30. No Paleo-ifying baked goods, desserts, or junk foods. Trying to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold will ruin your program faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” This means no desserts or junk food made with “approved” ingredients—no banana-egg pancakes, almond-flour muffins, flourless brownies, or coconut milk ice cream. Don’t try to replicate junk food during your 30 days! That misses the point of the Whole30 entirely.