Whole 30 update or I am now drinking my morning coffee with raw egg

from beehive

A week ago I decided to follow in a friend's footsteps and dive into the Whole 30 program. Matt decided to do it with me. For one week we have eaten only vegetables, meat, and fruit. Throw in a few kinds of nuts and olive oil and ghee, and that's it. No beans, no sugar, no dairy, no alcohol, no grains, no wheat, no corn, no potatoes, no quinoa, no pasta...you're getting it, I know. This is, logistically, not an easy thing to do. I am not doing it to lose weight. In fact, I really don't want to lose weight. I am doing it because I have suffered, all my life, from low energy.

I have wondered, for years, how people stay on top of it all, when I'd rather just lounge of the couch and read a magazine. After school, when my day is truly just getting started, I'd rather hibernate. At night, I fall into bed right after the kids, when there is so much left to do. So much more I'd love to get done, for me. I'm aiming for my full potential, and it has always felt far, far away. Due to a cloud of blah. I am optimistic and full of positive mental fitness...but I don't have the physical energy and clarity to accompany that.

I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking and have tried to acquire this 'lost energy' in the past, but to no avail. Hhmmm.

I read, I'm healthy, I'm aware that the world has sworn off gluten and sugar and that vegetables are good for you and on the grand scale I think I live very cleanly. I drink weird green stuff, buy organic meats, and 'eat more kale' like the bumper sticker says. But if you've read my intro on my recipe page, you know that this is coupled with a rip roaring southern heritage where we eat for love and comfort, tradition and opulence.

Long story short. When you cut every damn thing in the world out of your diet, you begin to notice your true eating habits. AND I HAD NO IDEA! For thirty days I am not putting anything that is not on the list in my mouth. The whole 30 challenge is very specific about this. I absent mindedly tasted the brown rice rice that I had cooked for the kids last night to see if it was done, and I almost gave myself a heart attack. This is serious business for me. And I wish I could say that it's not working. Because it means a whole new way of life, a complete reframing of my food world view, a tectonic shift.

But, Oh My.

I have never felt better in my life. After one week, I have more energy and stamina than I have ever possessed. I am the damn energizer bunny. Clarity and Vitality, hello. Finally. I no longer feel like I am barely plugging through it all.

I was on the phone with Rachel (from 6512 and Growing) the other day. She asked two very valid questions.

1. How do you know that you are objective, that the results are real as opposed to your desired outcome? My answer is that the mind is a beautiful thing and I would love to be able to 'trick' it, but through the years, I have tried many, many, many things and have never succeeded. I'm self aware and have thoughtfully approached this on many levels, but nothing has worked. I went into this without much thought, but total commitment, and the rewards were almost instant. For the first time ever, my head and heart are hanging on to the body, instead of the other way around.

2. Do you think that the increase in vegetables and the decrease in sugar has anything to do with the results. Yes. I do. I ate a lot of vegetables before. Lots of big salads. I love vegetables. But I am eating so much more now. Three times more? Four times more? And virtually no sugar. (only sugars that naturally occur in fruit and whole foods) Yes, that's huge, but at this point I can't separate out the gluten, wheat, grain, dairy piece and I don't really want to. After thirty days, I'll make modifications and see what seems reasonable.

More than anything, this has fostered a new way of looking at what we eat. I used to eat all the kids scraps and I can't do that now. I would grab a bagel or a doughnut in a rush and now there are very limited opportunities for me to grab something. I am forced to eat breakfast and it has to be good enough to hold me till lunch. (whole 30 doesn't really go for snacking, which has been a relief)

So breakfast might look like this:

a smoothie made with a handful of almonds, a bunch of chard, a banana, and some frozen peaches
eggs scrambled with onions, kale, peppers, and sausage
some carrots and apple
coffee with homemade coconut raw egg creamer

There is no denial, if you embrace the concept. "Well damn, I can only eat lots of fruits and vegetables and good meat." I haven't said that, yet. I did say, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, coffee without cream?!?!" and then found a bizarre recipe for non dairy creamer. And it's pretty darn good.

I honestly feel that I am re-programming. In the best possible way. If you want to read more about it you can go here. There is nothing to buy, but healthy whole food. It's one page, and it's very concise. It's only 30 days. My kids are not on it, but they are feeling the change and it will certainly impact them in the future. I will share some of these new meals that we are creating. They are yummy versions of some less healthy favorites that we have turned on their ear.

More soon!

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