My Second Whole30

Earlier this month I started my second Whole30.  I successfully completed the first one back in the January.  It was a very eye-opening experience and made a lasting, drastic impact changed how I eat.  I've eaten mostly Whole30-ish all spring/summer with splurges here and there... but eventually those heres and theres became more frequent and less disciplined.  I knew I needed a reset.  The Whole30 team was kicking off a big September Whole30, and looking at the calendar for the rest of the year, I realized this was the best time to do it.

Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it.  I knew the amount of food prep that would be required.  But over Labor Day weekend I was able to get all the shopping done and get many things prepped ahead of time, like clarified butter, ranch dressing, coleslaw, and breakfast sausage (ranch, slaw, and sausage have been staples of my diet since the first Whole30!).  Once I got going in the kitchen that weekend, I got more excited and more motivated.  The first week wasn't NEARLY as hard as the last time because I have a good repertoire of meal ideas in my brain already, and my body didn't have to go through the same amount of withdrawal of food garbage like it did back in January.  I tried some new recipes from the Whole30 book and will be repeating them -- chicken meatballs, chimichurri sauce (hello beautiful), and the grilled Thai curry chicken (or something to that effect).

I had a solid week of some stressful situations this month, yet stayed compliant the whole time even though I found myself daydreaming about comfort foods that I normally would have turned to.  It was so empowering to recognize that I didn't find solace in unwise, unhealthy snacking for emotional reasons.

I kind of surprised myself when I decided to end this round on day 20.  Did I fail?  Here's why I say no.

As I've read the Whole30 book and followed their social media feeds, one thing I have learned is that they desire to see people eventually become independent with their eating - like a food coming-of-age if you will - where no one needs to stand over your shoulder to tell you what to do.  You know your strengths and weaknesses and you make good choices based on these.  Additionally, I set out for a reset and by the time I hit day 20, I felt like I had truly achieved that.  I was able to correct weak areas by eliminating problem foods.  I was able to retrain my palette.  I was able to easily say no to tempting foods while the rest of my family indulged.  And having already gone through the post-Whole30 life, I know how easy it is to slide down that slippery slope toward food controlling me instead of me controlling food.  I feel ready to move on back into life after Whole30 with a renewed sense of purpose in my eating:  mostly as fuel, sometimes for enjoyment and celebrations in social settings.

As always with Whole30, my energy skyrockets (though it has been pretty awesome all year) and my skin glows.  And when I remeasured myself after 20 days, I took off an inch around both my waist and hips.  I feel so darn good.  I'm looking forward to maintaining this feeling!