I'm not! There is no pizza or Ghiradelli Chocolate (even thought I'm in San Francisco this week) or bagel as big as my head in my future. I'm just broadening my perspective on this thing. According to "It Starts With Food", that's exactly where I should have gone after I finished my first Whole30. As they say, it's not called the Whole365.
I'm ready to move to a Paleo diet. Yes, Whole30 is a version of Paleo but, from what I can tell, Paleo is less restrictive. I like that my Whole30 reset my neurotransmitters, hormones and everything else that was fucked up in my system but now my body is telling me it needs more. My...um...digestive system is signaling that it needs something else to process that is a little more complicated than fruit and veggies. (That's as delicate as I can get guys...you'll have to infer whatever you infer.)
My energy is also down. Lots of yawning and sleepiness. I know I'm sleeping okay because I bought this fancy new pedometer. It's called a FitBit and it's cool as hell. I wear it all day and it tells me (accurately) how many steps I've taken and calories I've burned. I don't care so much about the calorie burn because since I started on this plan I've stopped counting them (thank GOD) but I'm committed to 10,000 steps a day and I haven't been able to get an accurate pedometer to help me with that. My last one told me it took me 368 steps to go from my bedroom to the kitchen. It's actually only about 30 steps. D'oh!
The cool thing about this FitBit is that I wear it while I sleep and it tells me how I'm sleeping. How restless I was. How many times I woke during the night. How long I actually "slept". This is how I know I'm sleeping okay. Plus, I'm old enough to know when I'm not getting good sleep and when I am....it's really not rocket science.
So I'm going to lighten up on how strict I am with this thing. I've ordered Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan so the hubs and I can start cooking Paleo and slowly but surely ease my boys over to the light. The Force is strong with this one people...I know I can be successful. I'm convinced that Darth Vadar owns most of the stock in McDonalds anyway. That can't be good you know?
How about you guys? Are you out there? Are you hanging in or have you thrown in the towel? It's okay either way. Just comment and tell us where you are? If you had to step off the path, tell us what brought you to that decision and if you learned anything from your experience? Has it changed your perspective or is it just a load of crap?
More from the left coast to come...I'm here all week folks. Don't forget to tip your waitstaff.
Namaste
I'm so over it I've spent the past four days hard out craving sugar and feeling really grumpy .. then my Whole30 newsletter today talked about the 21-day cravings that is the brains last attempt to get you to stick with the unhealthy habits. Whatever. I'm sick to hell of it but feel stupidly determined to make it to 30 days.. so I will. But I'm telling you I'm going to launch straight back into whatever the hell I want after that..! But I do think I'll have picked up some much better cooking & eating habits that I will (hopefully) stick to going forward. And I got Well Fed from the library and it's bloody good.. I really like it and have heaps of meals planned for my final week coming from its pages...
ReplyDeletebut yeah.. in general.. over it... grumpy .. don't feel like I've lost any weight.. feel better I suppose but not like rainbows and starbursts.. just 'good'... sorry to not be more elated than that.. xxxx
I love you girl!!! I'm so happy you put how you really feel. I'm sure there are others that feel the same.
DeleteI only felt better with each passing week (my first time around) but I suspect that's because my diet was WAY worse than yours. My body was probably saying....we'll be good just please don't eat that way anymore!
I also admire the way you're sticking to it in spite of how you're feeling. I may have finally met someone as stubborn as me!
Sherry
I am almost halfway through and I am sticking with it even though i am getting tired of the same foods. I need to find some tasty recipes. I am not craving sugar like I thought I would, but I could sure eat a grilled cheese sandwich right now. I miss my spaghetti and Italian bread. I do plan on eating healthier after the whole 30. I need to lose at least 35 pounds and I got on the scale yesterday and I have lost 6 pounds so far. I know you aren't supposed to get on the scale, but that is motivating me to keep plugging away at this.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! This is exactly where I am at too! I decided to do the Paleo too. Once I have time to read more. I bought some low carb Exekial sprouted wheat, Flax Seed bread because I wanted a darn sandwich! I am tired of standing there thinking, "What can I eat?" 0 grams of sugar and 14 grams of carbohydrates. Thats good enough for me. I bought more fresh ground almond butter for my apples. I love that. So I am not going crazy, but I am ready to add some legumes back in, some black beans, I still am drinking cream in my coffee and diet coke....and I am ok with that. Out of those two, if anything SHOULD go it would be the diet coke. It is poison, but I love it! Ok, I am in a hurry......so I will read more later, along with the comments. Maybe this is part of the natural progression. :o) Thanks for being honest!
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to all of this! :) The first time I did it I got to day 27 and said to myself "I want a fucking biscuit. Today. Now!" And so I bailed and ate one. This time I jumped ship much faster! I kind of obsess about what I eat, and what I can try to lose the last 10 pounds that will not leave. Ever. I might need a Whole30 of not worrying about what I'm eating and just be. :) I never felt the "miracle". But Well Fed is a great cookbook. I use it often. Even when I'm eating ice cream for dessert. :)
ReplyDeletexoxoxox
Be gentle with yourself, is all I can say. I mean, that doesn't mean we let ourselves off the hook, I seeing that you did a lot of work on this meal plan, you can cut yourself some slack, ya know? I think these Whole 30 things, the other plans, etc. are good kickstarts to a healthier outlook and lifestyle, even if not lived to the letter of the law. It's all about progress. Like Mrs. D mentioned, it's about learning new things and picking up new habits. Living religiously to a meal plan is difficult. There have to be some allowances for "bad days" or times where you are flung out in the middle of nowhere and there isn't much choice (as happened to you recently). how many people do you know that are still on Atkins? Grapefruit diet? I think that the Whole 30 will give you a different perspective of food without making you a slave to it. You know that something like a sandwich now and then isn't going to kill you. Eating two a day might be too much. Balance.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff, Sherry - I am rooting for you, and I have been learning a little bit here myself :)
Paul
You will want to kick yourself for restricting your diet in such a strict way (unless you have a food allergy) when you get sick of the restrictions and try to go back to everything in moderation. I belong to many fitness and diet groups online. You would not believe the number of people who say Paleo was the devil to their metabolism. I wish you luck, and maybe you will be the exception. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteCan I have your old pedometer? I am going to start my Dr. Gourmet diet today, the cap'n is gone for two weeks and I made him take all of the M&M's with him. Maybe I'll post on my blog my menu and recipes and progress. But then again, I may go by some chips and dips as Mrs. D spoke of in her blog and have one more day of totally bad for me junk food.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I can't get my computer to respond directly to each comment so I'll have to do it this way. Where there's a will and all that...
ReplyDeleteConnie - Try to stick it out. I don't regret my first Whole30 one single bit. It's not for everyone but it did so much to get the sugar cravings to go and to get me back on a healthy path. It was the best thing I ever did for my health...you know...besides quitting drinking and smoking.
Amy - You are so wise in everything you do...this is no exception. Just take care of your sobriety and everything else will fall into place.
Annette - You know I'm always honest! Can't help it. You are doing what is right for you and I love that! Nothing is worth more stress. The whole point of this for me was to get to a place where I didn't have to constantly think about food. When that started to happen again (like you said, sitting there thinking "what am I going to eat") then I knew it was time to back off. I get a little...um...obsessive from time to time. Your journey helped me to know that it was okay to back off a little. Thank you.
Paul - Gentle is exactly right. As I said above, when it turns into a diet rather than an eating plan and way of life...it's gone to far. I hate the word diet and all that it stands for. Thanks for being one of my greatest supporters.
Anonymous - thank you so much for commenting. As I said, I'm done with the heavy duty restrictive part of this. However, I still think that eliminating "white" foods is not a bad idea. I think whole grains are good and so will likely add those back in. I'm dairy sensitive so I'll be careful there. I have to do this the best way for me. Again, thanks for letting me know what the other camp has to say. I'll check it out.
Kary May - NO you can't have my pedometer! It's broken! Nice try. I looked up Dr. Gourmet and it looked like a really great plan. Good luck and keep me posted on progress. I hope it makes you feel better! (I would have made him leave at least some M&M's.)
Love to all of you,
Sherry
It is true that self denial of physical cravings is indeed the most difficult part of any recovery...giving ones self the excuse for indulging is the easiest antidote for those wants...Bless you baby and all the participants in the Whole 30 project for feeling the pain and sticking it out...the perspective gained from the process is most likely better than the progress made...KUTGW...I love you..
ReplyDelete