The concept of Whole30 is actually quite simple. Eat REAL food! No processed food or food with added sugar or additives, and stay away from grains. So what do you actually eat? You eat meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, healthy oils, nuts and seeds. While this is not necessarily a diet (if you need to lose a few pounds, you most likely will) I like to think of this as more of a reset for your body. After feeding your body nutrient dense food for 30 days you feel an amazing amount of energy and you start to recognize how positively your body reacts to eating this way. For me I did lose weight, but also found that my allergies went away, my skin cleared up and I was able to sleep like a baby!
As cheesy as it may sound, doing the Whole30 did change my life. It wasn't another diet, rather is was learning about food and how my body reacts to it. As you may know, I LOVE food and love cooking, so diets have always been hard for me but after doing the Whole30 I was able to appreciate and taste what good food should really taste like. When things are not covered in sauce and butter, you learn to really taste things and figure out what you like and don't like. Since doing the Whole30 for the first time last year, I have been somewhat consistent with eating that way all the time. I am pretty flexible with weekends, but I find that my body can't handle more than 2-3 meals a week of food that contain sugar, grains, or dairy. I start to feel tired, my allergies come back and I start to crave other bad food. It is a vicious cycle. The Whole30 has not only peaked my interested into learning more about nutrition, but has changed the way I feel about food and eating.
So it is time to do another Whole30 and today is DAY 1! My goals for this round are different. As you know, I am training for a marathon, century ride, and doing Crossfit regularly, so my goals are focused on performance and fueling my body to withstand all that activity. I need energy!! There is a great goals worksheet available for those interested at the wonderful Whole9 website. I am still working on thinking through this, so will share more later when I have completed it.
So here are the things I will not be eating for the next 30 days:
- added sugar, real or artificial
- Alcohol
- Grains
- Legumes
- Dairy
- Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites
- White potatoes
So have I convinced you to join me? It may sound extreme and for some people it is, but I like the concept of challenges. If the Whole30 is too much to take on right now, I challenge you to take on something else for 30 days with me. Maybe for the next 30 days you will not drink soda, or you will get 8 hours of sleep each night, or take a 30 min walk every day. Any small change you can do consistently for 30 days will fuel other changes in your life. Trust me. When you are able to cross days of the calendar and look back on your consistency you will realize you are capable of doing something great for yourself.
In addition to sticking to the Whole30 for the next 30 days, I also plan to blog EVERY SINGLE day for the next 30 days. It may not be long or detailed, but I will post something every day about how the Whole30 is going for me! Keep reading and sharing with me your experiences if you decide to do a monthly challenge.
For more info and a plethora of resources about the Whole30, visit Welcome to the Whole30.
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