Because I'm home I thought that I would share some of my feelings about this process so far. I have to admit that I have never been one for total elimination when it comes to food. Like any trainer I fully support the idea that if your particular body doesn't tolerate something then you absolutely shouldn't include it in your diet. So, for those with celiac or gluten allergies or peanut allergies, I obviously wouldn't advise eating those things. I will admit that some foods have been shown to have inflammatory properties, so we should keep them to a minimum. Additionally, we ought to be eating the MOST minimally processed foods we can. Even before attempting this "reset" with the Hubs I was a perimeter grocery shopper (Obscene amounts of leafy greens and lean meat!).
My reasons for trying this are less about the food intolerances and more about getting rid of the nasty little chemicals in my diet and the lack of thought going into my food choices. I have a tendency to inhale food without being mindful of WHAT I'm consuming and how it makes me feel. My dependency on artificial sweeteners, gum, and diet sodas was out of control.
First, the positive thoughts on all of this... Surprisingly, I don't miss the cream in my coffee all that badly or the Equal. I find that I actually like coffee. I don't know that I would ever have discovered that with out doing this process. Chewing gum has finally lost its hold on me so my jaw doesn't ache all the time and I'm not drinking diet soda. Simply cutting those two items has saved me money to the tune of at least 20 bucks this first week. Yay! Win!
I'm enjoying the burst of creativity that seems to come with having a new and somewhat untested pantry to work with. This week I'll be trying to do my first green curry which thrills me. Despite not having rice to eat along side, I have a cauliflower waiting for me in the fridge that will be transformed for my first attempt at "paleo-rice"! (I can just see my husband rolling his eyes now!) I'll probably play with making compliant date-walnut bars this week as both Mr. Bean and I are craving something sweet, and these are legal. The directions not to mix 100% cocoa with dates seems a bit arbitrary and militant, and since the developers of the Whole 30 idea can't seem to give concrete reasons for why, I'm calling BS and I'll move forward to delicious combos of some kind! Once I come up with something that I like, I'll take pics and post the recipe!
Another reason that I agreed to give this a go is my energy levels. Going in I knew that I needed to supplement my heavy running and lifting schedule with BCAAs as I wasn't recovering between workouts fast enough. I also knew that my energy levels were totally off, and I felt sluggish and crappy most of the time. Since one of the touted benefits is stabilized and increased energy and performance I was willing to give it a go. I'm happy to report that I have experience BOTH of these since starting this on Monday. I don't have that mid-day drop in energy. I feel good, like, REALLY good! Instead of crashing out at 7:30 in the evening I go strong till bedtime! Which brings me to the increase in the quality of my sleep! Since the beginning of this I've slept the sleep of the dead. It's WONDERFUL!!! If I get nothing more than better sleep from this WHOLE process I'm happy!
In my next post, I'll update the things that haven't thrilled me about the Whole 30. We're headed into our first weekend! Wish us luck!
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