Whole30 or Bust: Getting Back on Track

Hello fam! And Happy Twentysomething Sunday!

As I was thinking about what to write for this week, I was overcome with ideas. I went to the gym on Monday (which, believe me, is worthy of writing about), Tuesday I did some after-work writing, Wednesday was Valentine’s Day, and on Thursday, I met one of my biggest literary inspirations, André Aciman. Yeah, it was a good week.

Yet, the one thing that kept pulsating in my mind, that I continuously felt the need to share with everyone, is that I’m currently doing Whole30.
#Whole30 #fitfam #cleaneating

Okay, I’m done with hashtags for now.

The reason why I feel like it’s so relevant is because doing Whole30 has literally changed every aspect of my life (and it’s only been 7 days)! Although, I will say, Day 7 is known as “Eat All the Things” day, and now I know why. I’ve come to know a new understanding of the word “hangry.”

It’s also relevant, because as you may have seen in last week’s post, I’ve gained some weight in my closer-to-30 age. And although the point of Whole30 isn’t to lose weight, it is certainly a perk.

First, I’m going to be upfront about the rules:

1. Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial
2. Do not consume alcohol in any form
3. Do not eat grains
4. Do not eat legumes
5. Do not eat dairy
6. Do not consume carrageenan, MSG, or added sulfites
7. Do not recreate baked goods, treats, or junk food with approved ingredients
8. Do not step on the scale or take measurements

I know what you’re thinking…who in the hell would ever want to do something like this?! It sounds awful! Well, to be honest, it kind of is. But it’s also kind of awesome.

But really, why would I choose to live my life without wine and cheese for 30 whole days? Well, here’s why:

1. I needed to say goodbye to the food baby
   • For as long as I can remember, I’ve been carrying around a food baby. And no, not just after I eat a large meal. But randomly, 4pm, haven’t eaten in 4 hours: food baby. Just woke up, haven’t eaten anything yet: food baby. I needed a way to get rid of it.
2. Free food became the only food
   • How lucky am I that my work always has free food?! Right? Wrong. I’m not exaggerating when I say: one week, I had workshops at 12pm and 5pm every day. Pizza was served at each workshop. And that week, I had pizza every day for lunch and dinner. And I couldn’t stop. I needed help.
3. I didn’t think something like Butylated Hydroxyanisole should be an ingredient in my food
   • What is food, anyway? It’s hard to tell nowadays, with everything being so overly processed. I’ll never understand how flakes of cardboard can now be turned into “mashed potatoes” just by adding hot water. But, that’s our food today. I wanted to see what it would be like to only consume real foods, for what will probably be the healthiest month of my life.

And even though it’s only been 7 days, I’ve noticed so much change already:

• My food baby is diminishing
• I feel lighter
• My jeans fit more comfortably
• Cooking has actually become fun
• I’m more thoughtful and more aware about the foods I’m eating
• My social plans have been more creative (not just “let’s get drinks!”)
• I just feel healthier

So, cheers to the next 21 days!

It’s been a fun journey so far, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been more thoughtful about my own life and my own behaviors around food and drink (i.e. why do I feel the need to drink every time I’m at a bar? Is it because everyone else is? Or do I truly want an alcoholic beverage?). I’ve also learned to be more aware of the ingredients in my food (i.e. I had no idea that sugar was added to so many meats, like bacon, or that carrageenan (a chemical additive known for chronic inflammation) is almost always found in deli meats). Seriously people, read your labels! And overall, I’ve learned that I am in control of my own health.

Also, P.S. this post isn’t meant to be an everyone-should-do-this type of post. It’s simply what’s working for me right now, as an older twentysomething, who seriously needed some changes in my lifestyle to positively impact my health.

What have you all found to be successful for you and your health in the older twentysomething time period?