On Monday, August 26, I plan to start the Whole30 challenge. Basically, for 30 consecutive days, I will be abstaining from refined sugars and sweeteners, dairy, grains, seed oils, alcohol, legumes and some other stuff. According to the diet's creators, this will bring my metabolism back to its normal, healthy state by breaking negative, hormonal feedback loops and easing digestion problems that result from eating foods that interfere with my body's natural functioning. The book It Starts With Food has been fun to read and explains the solid science behind this.
My bestie, Stacy, has successfully completed the challenge. She looks great, eats great, and has inspired me to take the challenge. She loaned me the book. Thanks, Stacy!
As you may know, I've long suffered from food sensitivities. Dairy, most obviously, has been hard for me to digest, but I suspect that my problems go way beyond dairy. Throughout the years, it's been a constant guessing game as to what foods have made me feel tired, foggy, moody, bloated, pimply, twitchy, etc. So instead of doing trial eliminations based on all the weird, wild guesses I've made over the years, I'm going to hit the reset button with the Whole30 and start from there.
My #1 Motivation: Many of the testimonials online say that energy levels and ability to focus are boosted and sustained, along with a feeling of general well-being.
I also hope to lose weight, learn to shop locally, feed my family healthier meat and in-season produce, and model good behavior for my daughter.
At this point, I'm making up my meal plan and shopping list. I'm feeling optimistic, in that I already like a lot of the things that are on the Okay list and have started to limit some tempting things on the Bad list (like alcohol, dairy, and sugar). I live close-ish to an organic farm that sells grass-fed meat and organic produce. I also did pretty well when I was pregnant with Lola, so I know I can say "no" to bad things if the payoff is high enough. I was worried about the financial aspect and still am somewhat, but if I'm buying less crap to munch on at work and home, it should balance out.
I'm feeling un-optimistic, in that I worry I'm being naive about how hard it will be and that my commuter, working, Lazy Mama lifestyle won't allow for more from-scratch cooking (necessary because so many of the foods available to us contain the Bad items). Perhaps the benefits of better sleep and higher energy will help me out with this.
I'm gearing up for the challenge, and I'm looking forward to good results. I know how different I feel with a clear mind and a healthy gut. I WANT THAT, NOW. And maybe, just as Stacy's experience has inspired me, I will be able to inspire you, too.
Read on if you like. Otherwise, I'll probably be telling you about it some other way.
Much love,
Mel
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