The Whole 30

I was going to write about the rioting in Baltimore or the Religious Bigotry, I mean Freedom Act, but I started the Whole 30 yesterday and a friend said she hoped I would blog about it. So here I am. I heard about the Whole 30 from a friend last week. She had not done it specifically, but done some Paleo eating and said she had never felt better in her life, plus she looked like she probably dropped some weight.

She used to suffer from Fibromyalgia. She said that after eating Paleo for a while, her fatigue went away and her aches and pains. She said it also helps with many other ailments, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrom (CFS) and other things we just may not like about ourselves.  If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that recently I was diagnosed with CFS. You also know that it took a couple years to diagnose and that I absolutely hate it. When my doctor told me I just had to live with it and learn how to love myself this way, I was like "Hell no!" So when my friend told me how it helped her, I thought I would give it a shot.

Let me say this first and foremost: The Whole 30 is not a "diet." Yes, it will probably help you lose weight, but it's more about your body, mind, and soul. This is a lifestyle change.  This is supposed to improve everything about you and make you realize that you don't need all the extras you eat and make you NOT want to go back to the way you were eating.

Now, I'm just starting, so I have no proof about this, but here is a list of only some of the things the plan can do for you according to the Whole 30:

Inner physical rewards:

1.  Fewer blemishes
2. Glowing skin
3. No more circles under your eyes
4. Stronger nails
5. Thicker hair
6. Fresher breath 
7. Flatter stomach
8. Defined muscle tone
9. Looking younger

Outward physical rewards:

1. Less stiff and painful joints
2. Fewer PMS symptoms
3. Increased libido *cough*
4. Less gas, bloating, heartburn, acid reflux and all the other nasty stuff that comes with a bad stomach
5. Fewer illnesses
6. Fewer allergies
7.  Less chronic fatigue (YAY!!)
8. Less chronic pain
9. Improved blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar

Emotional rewards:

1. Happier
2. More patient
3. Less anxious
4. Less stressed
5. Fewer mood swings
6. Improved depression
7. Fewer sugar and carb cravings
8. Better body image
9. More self esteem

 Brain function improvement:

1. Improved attention span
2. Improved work or school performance
3. Improved memory
4. Faster reaction time
5. Fewer ADHD symptoms
6. Clearer thinking

I'm going to stop there because they tout SO MANY more benefits. Basically on top of all the above, you'll sleep better, have more  energy for EVERYTHING!! You will exercise more, harder and better. You will have a better relationship with food and rid yourself of cravings, emotional eating, using food as a reward, etc.

In a nutshell, you will be awesome.

For me, the physical, emotional and brain rewards are where it's at. If I can improve my energy, lessen my fatigue and allergies, and get a clearer head, I'm good to go.

So, what's involved? I will talk more about that tomorrow because this blog is getting really long. I want to tell you how my first day went.

It went fine except I didn't do proper shopping (which I highly recommend you do. Print out their shopping list and go to town) so I got a little hunger at night, but not until 8 or 9. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast
Palm sized pork sausage patty
Pineapple
I'm pretty sure I had something else, but I can't think of what it might have been.

Lunch 
Chicken thigh (I bought the kind with the bone because I'm going to make some stock out of it which you can use for the program)
Green salad with topped with hot sauce
Banana

Dinner

Grass fed Angus patty
Bed of lettuce, onion, tomato and Avocado
Pineapple (I had to finish the pineapple because it was very close to being bad).

I was fine through dinner. Not hungry at all. Then, like I said...I'm sure it's because I didn't eat any real hearty vegetables. So I'm going to pick some more up today.

I'm not really good at eating veggies. Mostly because by the time I eat I'm starving and I'm not in the mood to clip, cut, wash, etc. Probably why I've been eating popcorn the last few months for dinner. So, to help me fix that, I made these veggie packs for snacks in case I get hungry, or if I do a fail at a meal and still need my veggies. They contain radishes, mushroom, snap peas, carrots and grape tomatoes.


I will say this about yesterday, I was surprised I wasn't more hungry and I felt well rested when I woke up today. Which for me, is very good because I never sleep well, including last night. I tossed and turned a bit, but still felt really good this morning. Woke up at 6 am and stayed up. That hardly ever happens anymore.

Tomorrow I'll talk more about the program, if you want more info before them, you can always visit the Whole 30 online.