Hey friends! By now, you may have heard a thing or two about the (dreaded?) Whole 30 eating plan. It's basically signing yourself up for misery....at first. NO cream in my coffee, no dairy at all. No grains (no Skinny pop!), alcohol or added sugars of any kind...even artificial sweeteners are out. Meat and veggies/fruits are in. My husband wanted to do this. Me? Not so much. I sort of pride myself on eating healthy and taking care of my body. He ordered the book, and it didn't take long for me to be intrigued. But this would OBVIOUSLY be easier to do together. I conceded....I DO kinda love a challenge. The truth is we both needed a little extra motivation. So, I'm here to tell you how we made it out alive...and HAPPY. We learned SOOO much about food...sugar is in EVERYTHING! It's truly eye-opening. Although this was hard at first to adapt to this way of eating, we both started seeing and feeling some amazing things. We felt lighter, (we did lose weight) and had more energy and positivity, we just feel GOOD. If this is something you have been considering, I definitely recommend. The idea is to slowly add some foods back in to see what foods may trigger various issues to your body. We did not do this, as it was our anniversary the day after we finished the thirty days. DO NOT do what we did. We indulged in sushi, (free) cake, and ice cream....14 years of marriage felt treat-worthy ;) WE WERE SICK. Our bodies were not happy about all that sugar. We didn't sleep. Gross.
So, the things we have learned going forward are simple, yet profound. We CAN pass on treats, because we know we will feel ill. We have developed the mentality that fueling our bodies with healthy foods, will just feel amazing in the long run. We CAN do this and you can too. It's not to say we won't enjoy a treat on the weekend or a glass of wine or beer on date nights, but feeling good about what we put into our bodies is more than important. We are achieving goals, and that's important to share with each other too.
Here are some random tricks and tips that worked for us:
EGGS! lots of eggs...make them in many forms.
eating olives helped my desire for a piece of chocolate..who knew?!
vary your salad ingredients so you don't get tired of them
raspberries make a great night time snack
The recipe for the perfect burger:
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Whole30-Burger-Recipe-38071359
ENCOURAGE each other!!
These sauces SAVED me...so DELICIOUS! (Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme):
POTATOES!! olive oil + salt + pepper
Eating healthy doesn't mean eating less.
I'm all for doing things that are kind to our bodies. Our earthly bodies should be cared for daily. It doesn't mean perfect eating days every day. It means choosing foods you love that will fuel you to be your best self. It means loving yourself every day. It means balance. It means believing you CAN. Don't do it alone. Find your people who will encourage you on your journey, and maybe do it with you. You are worthy.
