Another Whole30?

A good friend of mine asked me to do another Whole 30 beginning tomorrow. As I’ve written about in past posts, a Whole 30 is a dietary reset. For 30 days you eliminate foods that are a common cause of inflammation in many people and focus on eating nutrient dense whole unprocessed foods. The food groups that are eliminated are sugar, dairy, grains, legumes and alcohol. The foods that are allowed are poultry, fish, meat, eggs, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and nuts. I have completed three Whole 30s since I first discovered it over three years ago and have attempted to start many many more only to quit and satiate my food temptations like a glutton.

While the Whole 30 is extremely beneficial and does make me feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life, it is also incredibly difficult and restrictive. In order to start a Whole 30, you have to be ready to commit for the Whole 30 days. If you’re not ready to commit to all 30 there is absolutely no point in it. It takes 10-14 days just to begin feeling the great effects of the diet, which comes after a period of feeling exhausted, sluggish, foggy and irritable.

I’ve found that when doing a Whole 30 it helps to have people do it with you. Or at least have a solid support system and team of cheerleaders who can help you get through the toughest moments of temptation. 

I wrote all of this to say, I don’t think I have it in me right now to complete another Whole 30. I just don’t have the mindset yet. I do know that I need to make some sort of dietary change and sooner rather than later. 

I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed with how my life has changed with my new job. I’m still trying to find balance and figure it all out. Today I found myself, writing out my daily schedule so that I could see where exactly all my time is going and how I can reorganize my time so that I can find time for myself and for enjoying my family and maybe even friends again.

As it turns out, since I started this new job, my diet has gone completely down the drain and I’ve been feeling those effects lately. I used to eat mostly paleo with very low sugar and alcohol intake. Now I can’t keep the cookies out of my mouth, nor stop myself from indulging in nightly cocktails of Deep Eddy’s mixed with sparkling water. I’ve also been living off of PBandJ sandwiches for lunch, with a side of Cheez-Itz or Cheetos. It’s no wonder why I’ve been feeling so miserable. 

While I don’t necessarily want to do a dietary reset, I do know it’s time to do something. Especially now that some of my slimmer fitting pants are feeling a little snug and I am beginning to feel my thyroid act up intermittently. So while my friend is going forth and committing full heartily to the Whole 30, I am not, but I have promised myself to slow down and take time to nourish my body. I am taking a break from grains in all forms including both sugar and alcohol. That is at least a start. We will see where it takes me.