In April, Randy and I participated in the Whole 30 challenge (Whole 30 Challenge). It was kind of a fluke; one of my FB friends posted about it and I was curious. I looked it up, and saw it was a way to “reset” your body from any damage certain foods might be causing in your body. To that end, you give up all grains, dairy, sugar, alcohol, as well as certain chemicals in food. (MSG, sulfites, etc.) I think we were both ready for some kind of challenge, so we thought, “Hey, let’s try it!”
Although I’d never heard of Whole 30 before, I’d of course heard about low-carb diets, and never gave much credit to them. But the more I’ve been reading about GMO, “wheat belly,” and the like, I started to wonder. I have some undiagnosed digestive/stomach issues, so one of my reasons for doing this was to see if there is any improvement. There have been many people who have also experienced a great increase in energy, better sleep, and better-looking skin. Some even say it has helped with children on the autism spectrum, as well as people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other medical issues.
I’d always thought giving up breads, pastas, and cheese would be IMPOSSIBLE. I love all those things. The weird thing is, it really wasn’t hard. The only time I experienced any kind of craving for those is if I saw it and smelled it (which wasn’t often, since we didn’t have anything like that in our house during the challenge). Even then, it wasn’t too much of a challenge—I kept thinking, “It’s just for 30 days!” and that helped. The focus of this challenge isn’t so much what you can’t eat; rather, eating more of the good stuff (veggies, fruit, high-quality meat, healthy fats).
Another reason this has been so easy is that we have been eating SO WELL! In the 30 days, we tried right around 25 new recipes, and almost all of them turned out GREAT. Our favorites were sundried tomato basil meatballs, pistachio pesto chicken “pasta,”
chicken fajitas, and apple mustard turkey burgers. Breakfasts now look very different as well. One morning Randy made some yummy omelettes with tomatoes, bell peppers and avocado.
This week we tried a breakfast casserole with eggs, homemade turkey sausage, spinach, portobella mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. We were surprised at how YUMMY this was!
It took a lot of work to plan and prepare all these meals, but thankfully Randy and I make a good team, and each shouldered some of the work.
I have always been a relatively picky eater, so the focus on eating lots of veggies was daunting. I have always been lucky if I get 1 or 2 veggies in a day. Now I try to eat at least 2 different kinds at each meal. If you know me, you know how HUGE this is! Again, I have found some great recipes to prepare these strange, new veggies (kale chips right out of the oven is one of my faves). I also have a passion for avocadoes, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes—and I have been buying all these in bulk. ;)
Results, you ask? Well, I did see a little improvement with my stomach issues, although it’s inconsistent so it’s hard to tell, and at times I had more energy. I lost a respectable 6 pounds. My clothes are fitting better. More importantly, I completed a challenge and found out that something I thought was IMPOSSIBLE really wasn’t! It is always fun to complete a challenge with Randy—gives us common goals and conversation topics that don’t include our kids or work. J
Speaking of Randy, he is the one with the major results. He lost 8 pounds and there is a noticeable difference in his ab definition. More amazingly, he gone from 3 or 4 sodas a day (and I’m not talking about the 12 oz can, either) to none without a single issue. No sweet tea, no candy, no beer. No problem! He is sleeping better than ever, waking up (early!) naturally with ENERGY out the wazoo. His skin is clearer and his heartburn hasn’t been bothering him. The coolest thing is that it helped him see how strong (mentally as well as physically) he is. He has transformed in the last 30 days, and I am not using that term lightly.
We have enjoyed it so much, we plan to continue. We will allow ourselves some “nutritional off-roading” (as Dallas and Melissa Hartwig call it) from time to time, but plan to continue to eat like this on a regular basis.
