The
challenges
Having to
make all of my meals, from scratch: I couldn’t rely on premade foods. Most had
terrible ingredients that were absolutely not compliant with the challenge.
Before Whole30 (like I’ve mentioned in a previous post), I used to buy my
breakfast and lunch at work, AND could eat restaurant food for supper up to 5
times a week. Appalling!
Finding
compliant ingredients: It’s
quite the eye opener when you read labels to see how many things have sugar
(and the other fancy names it goes by) and other undesirable ingredients (such
as soy and gluten). Spice mixes I loved I couldn’t have because of these issues.
I couldn’t find any compliant store bought broth or almond milk. Realizing that
some of the things that pass as “healthy” can be quite far from it.
Trying
new recipes that didn’t turn out as delicious as I expected them to be: However, once I relaxed and
kept things simple, oh man was the food ever so tasty!! In fact, many of the
meals I made during the challenge will absolutely stay in regular rotation!
When I
got emotional or stressed, I couldn’t turn to food: I had no idea that I was a
stress eater or emotional eater. Seriously! It became evident to me that I was
during this process. And being a single mom of a teenager, having recently
(October 11, 2014) lost my father whom I dearly loved, and having my mother move
in with us – God knows I’ve been experiencing stress!! So what did I do? I just
took better care of myself. Getting new lovely scented shower gels. Buying a
perfume scent that I used to wear in my early twenties that I really liked and
wearing it to bed, just for me. Watching my Big Bang Theory DVDs. Hiding out in
my room once in a while. Reading.
The
easiest
Eating the delicious food that I was making!: Eating so much restaurant food had left me
unimpressed with food. I kept wanting tasty things. But you know what? I’ve
come to realize that restaurant food isn’t as tasty as one would expect.
I didn’t have to count calories or limit portions: As long as you eat real food, your body pretty
much does that on its own. It’s very difficult to binge on meat and vegetables.
Your body is satisfied quicker than it would if you binged on pizza, chips,
chocolate, and other “treats”. Go figure!
Resisting cravings: Really! I had them. Sometimes, they were quite
intense. However, I was SO much stronger than them. I don’t know why. I suppose
I was ready. And I think that reading It Starts With Food before
undertaking the Whole30 probably helped. Knowing why and how we react to food
the way we do makes it easier to control cravings – in my opinion.
The results
I don’t think I’ve felt the “magic” as strongly as
I had expected. However, here is a list of subtle changes:
· My joints hurt less.
· I’ve only taken my heartburn medication 3 times (I
think) during the whole month. I used to take it every other day.
· I’m extremely proud of myself to have made
it through this challenge! It’s about time I start treating myself with love!
· My face looks different. I can’t quite explain how.
It’s subtle. But I see it. Less bloated maybe?
· My daughter and my mom both got colds, but I didn’t,
even though we all live in the same house.
· I don’t get the same afternoon “want to nap”
feeling as strongly as I did.
· I don’t feel the need to eat between meals.
· When I’m hungry, it’s not the hurting kind of
hungry. It’s just a matter of fact “hey it’s been more than 3 or 4 hours since
I last ate, I should probably eat something” kind of hungry.
· I don’t use food for comfort, reward, or stress
management.
· I understand the difference between hunger and
cravings.
· I’ve inspired a few people around me to incorporate
some of my healthier meals into their meal rotation.
· I haven’t eaten restaurant food in 30 days.
· I have a bigger good food recipe repertoire.
Centimetres lost:
Arm – 2 cm
Chest – 6 cmWaist – 2.5 cm
Hips – 2.5 cm
Thigh – 2.5 cm
What’s next?
Reintroduction, that’s what.
So for the next two weeks, I will reintroduce food
categories I’ve eliminated one at a time to see how my body reacts to them.
First, grains (wheat, rye, or barley). Then dairy.
Then other grains (like rice and corn). Then legumes (although I’m not a super
huge fan, so I don’t mind not bringing them back into my diet – they weren’t
there much anyway).
But no matter what, I will most likely eat a Paleo
diet most of the time.
I want to keep the good habits I’ve developed
during this challenge. I want to keep making my meals from scratch. The
difference, if I’m invited to the restaurant or to eat at friends or family’s
homes, I won’t worry about what will be served. In restaurants, I can make the
healthiest choice possible within the limits of the menu (with possible
modifications if needed – yes, I will be THAT woman).
So there you have it. This was my first Whole30 journey. I expect to do it again, maybe yearly, or every 6 months. We shall see.