Whole30 Journey

June 1st marks my first day of Whole 30

I've mentioned a time or two that I want to do something to make myself healthier. And it's never panned out. I said I wanted to actually get to the gym but I'm pretty sure the people at 24 hour think I moved away since it's literally been almost a year since I last went. I started following a few fitness instagram accounts that had short circuit type exercise series' that I could do on the floor of my office when I took a break from studying. I did them for like three days and then stopped. I even looked into doing a Couch to 5K running program but then realized I just hate running so that was out before it even started. And with my crazy schedule for the next month including as much board prep as I can possibly handle while balancing being a momma and a wife too I've come to the realization that I just don't have the time for an exercise program right now. I can't fathom finding an extra 30-60 minutes in a day consistently to make a difference in myself and I'm honestly okay with that.

And this is where Whole30 comes in.

I've been terrified of dieting, counting calories, etc etc since I've had such a struggle with breastfeeding in the last few months, specifically with milk supply levels. I know there are plenty of mommas out there who can exercise daily, count calories as long as they're factoring in extra for nursing and successfully lose their baby weight all while sustaining their babe too. But since my biggest problem was low supply I couldn't risk it. What this amounts to is that I've basically been eating whatever, whenever I wanted for over a year. It started when I was pregnant, eating healthy 80% of the time but enjoying far too many french fries and carbs in general, sugar filled coffees, desserts/treats throughout the day. You get the point. I've thankfully had a good metabolism my whole life and haven't had to worry about what I eat and how much I burn but I know my habits weren't healthy. And now that my breastaurants have closed shop until another baby comes along it's about time I do something for myself.

The basic idea behind Whole30 is avoiding certain food groups entirely, as their thought to be "inflammatory foods" making you sluggish and lacking energy, making your body not run optimally and causing all sorts of trouble with how you feel as a whole. Granted I don't have any medical concerns, no heart burn, digestive issues, chronic pain, etc etc but I do feel run down a lot. I find myself refilling my coffee cup or grabbing some sort of pick-me-up in the afternoons just to make it into the evening. Not to mention that I have 5-10lbs of baby weight still hanging on and the aforementioned bad eating habits and this plan seemed perfect for me.

In a nutshell you can eat as much protein, veggies, fruits and good fats (things like nuts, avocados, etc) while avoiding all alcohol, grains, legumes, sugar and anything processed.

It seems easy enough and since I'll essentially be a home-body with board studying this month it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. We did all our grocery shopping Sunday, planned approved dinners for all of us, lunches and breakfasts for me. I plan on recapping weekly what I've been eating/good recipes, how I've been feeling and what I think about the whole process. I've taken measurements but time will tell if they change and I care to share the progress. I'm not necessarily doing it to lose weight but more to just start feeling better and I'm optimistic right now. So long ice cream and white wine, I'll see you in 30 days!