Me Pre-Whole30 vs. Me Post-Whole30

I almost worry that my last post glorified life NOT on Whole30 a little too much! I hate that this could be the message for some people because this is so life changing and it would be a shame for someone to dismiss it based on me saying something like "Whole30 threatened to hurt my relationship with food in new ways." I assure you, this is not a notable risk for most people. Furthermore, I would take the type of dysfunction I may have developed by doing never-ending rounds of whole30 ANY DAY OF THE WEEK over the dysfunctions I had before doing it!

That's why I want to take a few minutes to compare just how different I feel now to before doing it.

First and foremost (although not  most importantly), I lost 12 pounds in 25 days! And I didn't have a lot of weight to lose! I would imagine an obese individual could possibly see even bigger results. However, again, not the most important element. And I don't feel like everything I lost was fat. I think I was carrying around some sludgy toxic fluid that I dropped very early on. I would guess most of us are carrying that around if we're not eating right.

Another huge change is my attitude about certain foods that I considered truly healthy. Such as peanut butter and dairy. These are now moved to the "treat" category and only in their purest forms available....although I will keep lots of ghee and a little grass-fed butter in my "healthy" category.

I used to think beans were extremely healthy. Maybe they are for some people but I learned very quickly that they were causing me a lot of problems. They are GONE forever out of my diet! I didn't even like them that much anyway so no big loss.

The biggest lesson of all is JUST HOW MUCH food affects my energy level. It's something I truly did already know but, after almost a month of basically no afternoon slumps or feeling like I was going to fall asleep on my feet when I was counting a client's set of 12 repetitions for the 100th time that day, I have become acutely aware of it. I feel so completely energized and inspired with each of my clients again. My evenings with my son are much more full of play and movement than before. And I don't have to push myself to do them. My energy feels limitless!

I LOVE giant plates of veggies. I've been a fan for a long time but somehow my veggie portions slowly shrank over the past couple of years. No more! For each and every meal, including breakfast, I love nothing more than big heaping piles of veggies. Not only do I know they are nourishing my inside, making my skin glow and keeping me regular, THEY FILL ME UP!! And they satisfy me because I have to chew, chew, chew them and chewing helps create satiety.


Before the Whole30 I would constantly say "I've never gone a single day in my life without cheating." And that was completely literal! I had never once managed to eat perfectly for an entire day. Even though I could focus on the 5 1/2 days I did not complete on this program, I won't. I, instead, can't help but fixate on the fact that I went almost an entire month sticking to a plan!!! As someone who literally has never stuck to anything religiously for a single day (LITERALLY), this is huge and redefines how I view myself! I am NOT a quitter! I AM dedicated!

Another huge lesson is this: Before the Whole30, I kidded myself into believing that I was setting a good example for my son by eating the way I did. I thought because he saw me eating more veggies and salad than the average parent that I was doing great. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why he was getting more and more picky about healthy food. Since cutting out ALL the treats I was eating in front of him (which was more than I realized), he is so much more open to eating new, healthy things. The other night I gave him a plate with a chicken thigh covered in herbs, roasted SKIN ON red potatoes covered in dill, roasted garlic broccoli and raw carrots and held my breath as he inspected it...he actually said "yay! Potatoes!" And he ate every last thing and then enjoyed a date roll with me (made out of medjool dates and almonds) for dessert. Now, he has since decided that he prefers white meat to chicken thigh BUT it wasn't something he looked at and turned his nose up. It's something he decided after eating it about 4 times and disliking the consistency of the fat in his mouth. Easy fix and I'm totally okay with it because, to me, it's him tuning in to his natural palette and his body telling him what he needs or doesn't need.

I went into this plan kind of haphazardly combing different things I had learned together and kinda sorta making it work. In many ways, that hasn't changed. I've gathered so much diverse information and applied it to this new life and body I've made for myself over the years. However, I would almost apply the label "Paleo" to myself at this point. I will never follow the hard, fast rules of Paleo but this program has made me understand just why it's becoming such a big deal! So you can call me "kinda-sorta Paleo with an occasional side of pizza and beer" from here on out...