Paleo, Caveman, Atkins, South Beach, Organic...we've heard about them all. There is always a new one that claims to be better than the previous. And as a person who loves food, I have always scoffed at these DIETS. Especially after going to school for a degree in Exercise Science. I keep telling myself and others that diets do NOT Work. You just have to eat in moderation, don't limit yourself, and eat a balanced diet. It's been my philosophy for a long while now. My college courses have just sort of reiterated that belief.
Enter: a childhood friend who has been through more than anyone should have to bare. She's truly been an inspiration to me as she's journeyed through countless trials and continued to stay positive. This past week, I stumbled upon an Instagram page of hers I had not known about previously. It was dedicated in large part to her journey through a program called Whole30, and it journaled some of the meals she has eaten while going through this program. As I read through her posts, I found much more than pictures of food. Instead I continued to learn from her positive outlook on the circumstances she was in, she talked of how this food challenge helped her tremendously on a psychological level, improved her attitude, and given her energy, to name a few.
The curiosity inside me began to build. I sent her a message telling her what an inspiration she was, and asked for more information on this food challenge she kept referencing. I decided to follow her Instagram account, and didn't think much more of it.
The next day I began to see her new posts in my IG feed. Still on track for the challenge, and still extremely positive - and even more - she was on vacation! Who sticks with their diet on vacation?! Knowing she was on vacation, I didn't want to bother her with more questions. Instead I decided to turn to the All-Powerful GOOGLE. I knew it could point me in the direction of some information on this wacky diet that my friend touted as life changing.
whole30.com was the top search result. I clicked.
And before I read any further, I ranted to my coworker what a crock this all was. How much I hated these fad diets. People get so wrapped up in them. Just eat healthy! If you want to lose weight, eat balanced meals and exercise - end of story!!
Then an interesting thing happened...I began reading some of the information on their website. Suddenly the slight curiosity turned into a burning desire to know more. These people were making a lot of sense. Of course it helped that they claimed improvement for allergies, asthma and skin conditions - all three ailments I have been fighting for as long as I can remember.
Even above and beyond that, the idea that food choices could impact health, mood, hormones, energy levels were all points that resonated somewhere inside me. My husband will be the first to tell you my hormones and moods are all sorts of outta whack. One day I will be overly happy, even giddy, and he can do no wrong. Another day, or later that very same day perhaps, I'm a monster. Everything he does is wrong, and the smallest of instances has me on the rampage for at least an hour, if not until tomorrow. It's not something I'm proud of by any means. And as much as I am sure he hates it, I promise I hate it even more. It is frustrating to one day feel like you can accomplish anything and be so productive, and the next to want to do nothing. Quite literally have zero desire to accomplish anything at all but lounge around in pjs and consume large amounts of sugar.
As the mom of twins, I find myself tired often. I generally just attribute being worn out simply to being a mom. However, I spent a good portion of the end of 2013 looking for answers to a new level of continuing fatigue. They tested me for mono, vitamin deficiencies and anemia - all coming back normal. As the New Year rang in, my allergies and asthma kicked into overdrive and the sluggish problem took a back seat. Instead we started the process of allergy testing, changing medications and asthma protocols all over. And while having a new doctor for this process has helped, I still find myself battling skin rashes and a tight chest from the asthma on a daily basis.
My eating habits lately have been terrible. I eat junk. Plain and simple. I am always on the go, and it is far easier to grab something from a fast food restaurant or to eat out with my family than it is to take the time to plan out and cook healthy meals. Working, going to school, and raising 19 month old twin boys - it takes a toll on this momma. Then add the stress of finals week into the already chaotic life, my eating habits tanked. I am pretty sure I went through three entire packages of Double Stuf Oreos, at least half of a 4-pound bag of Sweedish Fish, and at least a few gallons of Dr. Pepper. My insides were not happy. Stress+eating junk+lack of sleep+an already hormonal lady=what I'm pretty sure was an ulcer. I never got it checked out, because quite frankly I didn't want to know, and with finals being over things seemed to be a little better. Except my eating habits.
But let's be honest, over the past few months they have slowly been going down hill anyway.They've remained awful. Sugar is my main food group lately. Ice cream has become a comfort food for those stressful days my boys aren't napping - throw them in the car and lets take a drive to get the ice cream of angels. So creamy and delicious, and most importantly my children fall asleep on the way there, so that ice cream also brought peace of mind. Or I find myself dying for french fries, only to load up the boys and get to the drive-thru, order not only french fries, but often an entire value-meal that I would eat two bites of and then decide I was full. Maybe I wasn't hungry to begin with. Either way, food wasted. Not to mention the lack of nutrition I am sure to be suffering.
So seeing this friend's posts about vegetables and eating healthy struck a nerve. If nothing else, I wanted to start trying to not eat out as much and decrease the amount of Dr. Pepper I was consuming.
I perused the website, learning more about the philosphy behind whole30. I was deeply intrigued now, not just a little curious. I knew it would be something difficult, yet at the same time seems manageable.
The prospect of learning what foods may be triggering my allergic responses and continual asthma issues is highly desirable.
Being able to have more energy - it's something the mom of twins dreams of.
Fixing those awful sugar compulsive eating habits I have developed - freedom.
Health improvement - I can only hope the benefits will be as drastically life altering as they are claimed to be. Having to worry about allergies and asthma even on a slightly lesser level would be an improvement for me.
Having a stable mood - my family would all throw a party for this one - but especially my husband.
I sent another message to my friend with the basic message of TELL ME MORE!!! I couldn't get enough. I read even further into the website. Ordered the book from Amazon. And then continued to talk about nothing else to my hubby for the rest of the evening. In fact, I'm not sure I have talked to anybody about much else these past few days. The idea of being able to see such drastic changes in so many areas of my life is all-encompassing. I tracked my package from Amazon, only to find out the book wouldn't be here Saturday as I was expecting, but Tuesday! BAH!
So what do I do? I order the Kindle edition and delve in. Begin reading more about the hows and the whys of the program. I'm only 4 chapters in, and already I am finding myself drawn in further. I love that they state outright that diets don't work. Because that's been my philosophy all along, which is why I am not calling this a diet. It's a food program, a food cleanse, a challenge. Maybe it won't work. I understand that's a real possibility. Yet I also know that until I try I am going to continue to wonder. Yes, it will be hard. But yes, I really do think I want to try it.
And yes, I believe the experience will teach me a great deal. I look forward to learning more about how food influences my life. If nothing else, I go 30 days without a lot of junk for no reason, find out how much I truly love carbs, and get back in the good habit of cooking in my own kitchen...the way I see it, there's not much to lose!
Except maybe some of my pride, since I've been such an outspoken hater of all things Paleo and all diet fads...but humble pie is good to eat once in a while, right?!
