#lifeafterwhole30

Now that I've completed my first whole30, the time has come to be honest with myself about what I've learned and work on life after whole30.  I waited a few weeks between ending the program and blogging about it to allow time for life to get back to "normal".  The authors of Whole30 call this "riding your own bike" and I feel like that's exactly what I'm learning to do.  I am no longer able to make excuses for not eating that brownie or not drinking that beer- I have to figure out when I want to splurge and when I want to simply pass on foods that aren't good for my body.

Here are my top ten takeaways from completing my first Whole30:

#10:  Where your calories come from matters.  I'll admit I used to believe that as long as you consumed less calories than what you were burning each day, you didn't have to worry about gaining weight.  Now, I realize that where these calories come from makes a huge difference in what they do for your body.  Eating 1000 calories worth of cookies, breads, and chips is not the same as eating 1000 calories worth of protein, carbs, and good fats that come from meat, vegetables, and nuts. 

#9: If you can easily make it yourself at home, don't bother buying it. Sometimes the convenience of store-bought condiments and food is worth the extra price.  Other times, it's just as simple (and more affordable) to make homemade versions where you can control the ingredients.  You'll have to decide for yourself, but here are a few of the foods I've started making on my own since doing the Whole30.  Still on my list to try: ghee (clarified butter), and almond butter.  I just purchased my first bag of peanut butter powder and it made delicious peanut butter!

Taco Seasoning
Ranch Seasoning (dry)
Ranch Dressing 
Mayonnaise
Whole Wheat Bread
Ketchup
Larabars (my favorite!)


#8. Eating healthy is expensive.  I'm sorry, but I can see why Americans eat so much processed food- the cost of healthy, fresh vegetables, meats, and fruits are way more expensive than boxed "food".  I plan on posting a few helpful hints I have for eating healthy on a budget...stay tuned.

#7. I have more willpower than I ever gave myself credit for.  Becoming educated on the food I was consuming was an added bonus for me.  I didn't expect to become so passionate about ingredients and good food.  Understanding what goes into some of those junk foods only motivated me NOT to eat them, which made staying 100% compliant that much easier.  Do your homework (and that's not just the teacher in me talking).

#6. Not all sugars are created equal.  So this one I already knew (hence the reason I wanted to do the whole30 in the first place), but I wasn't aware of just how scary this can be. After reading several books on this topic, along with watching a documentary or two, I learned a little history lesson about sugar.  In a nutshell, we are naturally attracted to sweet foods.  In nature, as hunters and gatherers, we were taught that if we found food that was bitter it may be dangerous (toxic), where as if it was sweet it was probably okay to consume.  The natural sweeteners found in nature (fruits, etc.) weren't the problem.  The issue came when we started consuming things like soda and candy bars, training the human brain to want more and more of the processed sugars that are several times more sweet than naturally occurring sugar found in nature.  It's no surprise to me that a study found sugar to be as addictive as cocaine. 

#5. I don't have to drink to have fun.  It's true.  There were at least five occasions during my thirty days where I was with friends, family, and/or co-workers and opted for lemon water instead of alcohol. And I still had a great time. Does that mean I'll never again throw some beers back on a Friday night? Ha, no.  But if I don't feel like drinking alcohol, I can choose something else and it doesn't bother me a bit.  How's that for growing up and not giving in to peer pressure? :)

#4.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  This one is something I've preached to my kiddos, but wasn't something I really thought mattered when it came to my own meals.  Before starting the Whole30, I would grab half of a bagel or a piece of toast to eat with my coffee as I drove to work each morning.  My energy levels peaked as my body was fueled with these carbs, but soon dipped when I wasn't getting those quick spikes.  Eating a breakfast with plenty of protein (sausage and eggs) set the tone for my day and kept me full until lunch.

#3. When I make a commitment, I stick to it.  This program had a bit of "tough love" built into it, and I think it was perfect (at least for me).  I needed someone to remind me that I'm in control of my food choices.  There are always going to be birthday parties, weekend getaways, holidays, and nights out with friends.  I made it through three snow days, two parent-teacher conference nights, numerous outings, a Superbowl party, and two game nights with friends- all with no slips, cheats, or "special occasions".  And it was all worth it.

#2. If you make eating good food a priority, you can afford it.  So now that I've mentioned #8 from above (eating healthy is expensive), I also have to admit that it was still very doable (for my family).  Instead of spending money on eating out or buying alcohol during those thirty days, I increased my grocery bill budget and it was almost a wash.  For anyone who drinks a 20 oz. bottle of pop or eats fast food for lunch each day, you might actually save money while completing your whole30.  Think about it: the average cost of a drive-through meal at McDonald's (or enter favorite fast food chain here) is right around $5-$7.  By bringing a salad to work each day (even with chicken breast, berries, dressing, and vegetables added), I still paid only about $1-$2 per meal.  I'm saving right around $20-$30 per week!  Take a look at your budget and see where you might be able to cut back.  Your wallet will thank you. 

#1.  Weight is not the only indicator of good health.  I may have already mentioned this in a previous post, but I want to shout it from the rooftops.   Just because my BMI is in the normal range, does not make me healthy.  A number on a scale cannot accurately reflect everything going on inside your body.  My mood, energy, and happiness were all affected by what I was eating.  If you want to be healthy, you have to start by eating good food.

So there you have it- my top ten takeaways from completing my first whole30.  Would you believe that I counted over 40 nonscale victories when I was done!  Yes, I lost a dress size and 6 pounds that I've kept off, but the other benefits far outweighed my weight and measurement numbers.  If you haven't done the Whole30 yet, what are you waiting for? 

God's Blessings,
A Good Food Fanatic

Whole30- What and Why

I just completed my first Whole30, and I just have to get my thoughts written down while they are fresh in my head.  Up until this point, I haven't done any personal blogging, only professional so that gives you an idea of how passionate I am about food.

In this post I will share what the Whole30 is, and why I decided it was the best option for me.  Future posts will include detailed descriptions of what I ate and how I felt each day, and maybe even some new recipes (with photos) if you are looking at doing your own Whole30!  More importantly, I will also share what I learned from completing the program, and what parts I want to continue now that my thirty days are finished.

Disclaimer: My experiences on the Whole30 may not mimic yours; however, there are thousands of people who have shared success stories similar to mine.  I am not in the medical field- I will not judge you for eating pizza or ice cream. I enjoy those foods as well.  Nobody paid me to review the Whole30 (nor do "they" even know I exist!).  I simply want to educate others on how food can sometimes control us, and what we can do about it.

What is the Whole30?

If you have never heard about the Whole30, it's basically clean eating- no dairy, soy, gluten, alcohol, or refined sugar of any type for 30 consecutive days.  You can read more about it here.  The founders are passionate about eating good food, and making sure you are in control of what you are eating.  I highly recommend buying the book Whole30: The 30 Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, which explains the program in-depth, and provides recipes for making your own good food.  If you're anything like me, you'll also end up buying It Starts With Food, which provides more of the research behind the program. My husband did not read either book, and ended up dropping out of the program on Day 7.  I had learned so much from reading, I wasn't about to give it all up! (And, maybe my stubborn nature came in handy as well).

Besides the cost of the book, the only cost for the program is the groceries you buy to make your own healthy, delicious meals.  Hopefully, in the near future I will post some ideas for completing the Whole30 on a budget.  If you are normally a "dollar mac-n-cheese" or "99 cent frozen entree" type of grocery shopper, I feel the need to warn you about the spike in your grocery bill.  You will need to budget.  Nevertheless, buying healthy ingredients to cook at home replaced what I would normally spend eating out or buying alcohol so it was (almost) a wash.   

 Why I Chose the Whole30

 My story has nothing to do with weight loss.  I am one of those lucky people whose genes have allowed me to eat almost anything I want without having to worry too much about becoming overweight.  With that being said, it's not like I don't gain a few pounds after a weekend away, drinking alcohol and eating out; it's just that I have always been pretty good about portion control at meal times.  So why would a 5'4, 115 pound gal need to diet? Let me introduce you to my favorite new quote:  

"Weight is not the only indicator of good health."

This is the phrase I found myself repeating day after day during my Whole30.  Questions about why I would want to commit to this type of program started pouring in from family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers (I actually had to defend my decision to a man working in the meat department of the grocery store after asking if the pork had any added sugar.  He proceeded to give me his unsolicited advice about not needing to diet because I don't have any more weight to lose. Seriously people-none of your business!). If a slightly overweight person says they are making an attempt to eat more healthy, nobody bats an eye.  But if a petite girl who is addicted to sugar and eats more pasta than Garfield decides she wants to control her sugar dragon, suddenly everyone is concerned.  (Yes, I know this is mostly out of love...except for Mr. Meat Man. Haha).

A family friend introduced me to the Whole30 in December of 2015.  She was about to start the Whole30 for the second time and was looking for others to join in on the fun.  For nearly 15 years I had been struggling to eat healthy.  Growing up, my mom was an amazing cook, and meals of meat, potatoes, and vegetables were a daily occurrence in my household.  Family gatherings consisted of at least two meats, three vegetables, numerous salads, and even more desserts.  Let's be honest- food brings people together.  And it just tastes so good.  But after going off to college and developing less-than-healthy habits, I needed a fresh start.  I needed to get back to those meat and veggie days. the days of boundless energy and clear skin.

The Whole30 was unlike other diets.  The program is designed to change habits, and that's exactly what I needed.  With two young children and a full-time job, breakfast was always on the go.  I was grabbing a half of a bagel or a muffin (carbs, anyone?) and coffee for the car ride to work each morning.  After each meal, I craved something sweet- a piece of chocolate, a dessert, anything with sugar.  My energy was lacking and I was often irritable.  I was living proof that there is such thing as HANGRY (angry from being hungry).  I wanted clear skin as a 30-something year-old adult.  Mood swings and sugar spikes had their hold on me and I welcomed an opportunity to free myself from letting food control my emotions and behaviors.

Willpower I Didn't Know I Had

Don't think for a second that this was an easy task.  I once read a study that mentioned it takes 21 days to develop a new habit, so I knew I had to find more than just a week long detox or 14 day cleanse if I really wanted to see change. The Whole30 program is designed to allow a whole month for your body to learn how to properly burn fat, use food for fuel, and heal any damages poor diet has had on you.  As an added bonus, you become aware of how companies sneak sugar into many common foods, and you learn how to tell the difference between "cravings" and "hunger".  One of my favorite take-aways was being able to enjoy the natural sweetness of fruits instead of relying on baked goods or sugary sodas to get my fix.  I've heard sugar has proven to be more addicting than cocaine, and I can believe it!

I was one of those people who never wanted to stray too far from my comfort zone, especially when it came to giving up a beloved food.  In addition to my sugar addiction, I also had an unhealthy attachment to complex carbohydrates.  Comfort foods, such as bread and pasta, were my go-to meals and snacks.  My family learned to just pass the bread and butter straight to my end of the table when we dined out at restaurants that serve this before meals.  My Christmas and birthday gifts usually involved at least one loaf of delicious bread, either homemade or from Breadsmith company.  While helping me move into a new house, a friend teased me about having several boxes marked "pasta" to unload into my new pantry.  Even when my youngest was showing signs of a milk protein allergy as a newborn, I was scared to give up all dairy in order to continue breastfeeding, and decided on a very expensive formula instead.  If only I had known about the Whole30 program four years ago! And if only I had known how much willpower I really had!

Stay Tuned

As promised, I will dive into what I did to prepare for my first Whole30, including must-haves and things I wish I had known beforehand.  My next few posts will highlight this information, along with a day-by-day synopsis of what to expect if you're thinking about taking the plunge into good health.  I welcome any comments or questions from those of you thinking about starting your own Whole30.  Or if you're a Whole30 veteran, I welcome any advice for life after the Whole30!  

God's Blessings,
A Good Food Fanatic