Here we go again! During my first round of Whole30 I lost just over 8 pounds, THREE inches off my waist, 1.5″ off my hips, and an inch off my thighs. Crazy huh? I felt pretty great about the whole thing. I kept most of the weight off and was feeling so good about things, and myself, until the end of last year. I guess all the work, travel, and blog events got in the way of things and my eating habits went to shit. I’ve also noticed that I’m breaking out again and not sleeping well at all… so here we go again!
So what is Whole30 you ask? (for those of you not around the first go-round)
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?
Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health. (Taken from the Whole30 website)
So what does this mean for my diet and eating habits? They are going to totally change. For the better. For the next 30 days I’ll be following these rules – No added sugar (real or fake), no alcohol, no grains, no legumes, and no dairy. This pretty much means I’m going to be spending A LOT of time in my kitchen cooking.
I’m sure plenty of people think this is silly or some weird fad diet, but its really not a diet at all. And for me it is the perfect way to get back on track. Why do I think this is the plan for me?
- I love fruits and veggies, which are a big part of this plan, and I really shouldn’t be eating as much of that other stuff as I do.
- This will force me to cook! I even have the new Whole30 cookbook, so I have lots of new recipes.
- It will help me find more activities that don’t revolve around food and booze. More running, more yoga, more riding my bike, more times enjoying all the reasons I live in Florida.
- Less eating out = more time at home. I’ve been traveling a lot lately and I like the idea of being home more.
- The first time I did Whole30 was the best I’ve slept in probably 10 years.
So there ya have it! You’ll probably be seeing a lot of “food I made” pictures on my Instagram this month, recipes shared on the blog, and potential rants about how much I just want a freaking glass of wine or Diet Dr Pepper.
