Day 18

I’ve noticed a positive change in my sleeping.  Prior to Whole30, the arthritis in my right shoulder would often wake me up at night, aching.  I couldn’t sleep in certain positions on my right side (if I could sleep on my right side at all) and I had started taking ibuprofen and tylenol before bed to ease some of the discomfort.  The past few days, mobility in my shoulder has increased (without the time consuming, I-always-forget-to-do-them physical therapy exercises the doctor had given me) and it is not waking me up at night.

I really hope this lasts.

The other great thing is the fit of some of my pants (the ones pinching my waistline).  They are fitting comfortably now.  And my main man (MM) says he has noticed my belly fat (where I gain all my weight) has gone down.  Yea!

Chapter 16: Meal Planning Made Easy

The great thing about Whole30 is the absence of counting calories, or carbs, or fats, or anything else. No weighing or measuring.  Some foods are merely eliminated – just an easy, nope won’t eat it, and the rest of the foods are permissible.  To make it even easier, It Starts with Food, provides some simple guidelines for personal serving sizes – using one’s own hand.

Protein – have it with every meal (as high quality as affordable)
serving size of meat, poultry, seafood: the size of the palm of one’s hand
serving size of eggs: as many whole eggs as can fit in one’s hand

Vegetables – fill up the plate, try a variety to keep things interesting and have them with every meal
serving size: eat as much as desired until satiated

Fruit – one to two servings a day
serving size: the size of one’s fist

Healthy fats – one or more per meal (I know, crazy, right?)
serving size of healthy oils (remember vegetable oil is NOT healthy): 1-2 thumb-sized portions
servings size of butters: 1-2 thumb-sized portions
serving size of nuts and seeds – 1-2 closed handfuls
serving size of olives – 1-2 heaping handfuls
serving size of coconut – 1-2 heaping handfuls
serving size of avocados – half to whole

Adjust as necessary for energy levels and satiation. The premise of Whole30 is once the “supernormally stimulating, nutrient-poor, calorie-dense and highly processed foods” are no longer in our diets, our bodies begin to reset themselves and our hungry vs full signals to our brain become reliable.

Chapter 17: Preface to the Program

The authors, to this point have assumed the reader has not started the program yet, and has merely been reading about it. I had the advantage of my mm who had already read most of the book (he stopped at the reintroduction of the eliminated foods chapter) and had already cleaned out the cabinet and fridge of the unhealthy stuff and was already in the habit of making Whole30 meals.

So, at this point, if one has not started, it is decision time. Will you or will you not choose to conduct your own personal science experiment for 30 days and see if what the authors say is true.

“No cheats. No slips. No excuses.” Doing it halfway won’t provide accurate or reliable results.

What do you have to lose, besides the possibility of a healthy, abundant, free from all the pain (physical, emotional and mental) of food addictions, life.

Chapter 18: Process of Elimination

From It Starts with Food,For 30 days, you do the following:

Say yes to foods that make you more healthy (meat, seafood, eggs, lots of vegetables and fruit, naturals fats)

Say no to sugars (in any form), alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy

Say no to recreating junk food, baked goods, or treats with “approved ingredients” Remember, the goal is to break old, unhealthy lifelong habits. (Pinterest has revealed many who missed this point)

Say no to stepping on the scale or taking body measurements. (ok, we cheated here, we didn’t believe the belt loops and just had to check)

The book breaks down some of the crazy symptoms to expect at certain points in the 30 days. This way, you know how it might impact you and understand the symptoms are not a sign of the program not working, but, the fact, it is.

Overall

My mm loves the return of mental alertness. He was saddened by the thought he was “getting older” and his mental sharpness was diminishing. Imagine our surprise when we found out it wasn’t age. It was the food he consumed. Since he restarted his 30 days with me when I started, he is now at 40 days. He has more energy, he is more alert and focused, and his cravings have significantly diminished.

We both agree, even as we move through the reintroduction phase and beyond, we want to continue to make this our new normal. Yes, after the 30 days (and reintroduction phase) are done, we can enjoy treats and special occasions. But that is what we want them to be: treats and special occasions. We no longer want our choices to be driven by cravings and addictions. We want real freedom to choose where, when and what we want to indulge on.

18 down, 12 to go.