Whole 30

I've been doing something different the past weeks. It's a program called Whole 30. It's been eye opening and liberating. When I was first told about the program, my first thought was there's no way I could do that for 30 days!

In a nutshell for 30 days:

1) Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial.

2) Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds including peanuts and soy. The only exceptions are green beans, snow peas and sugar snap peas.

3) Do not eat grains in any form. No oats, no wheat, no pseudo grain like quinoa, amaranth, or buckwheat.

4) Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat, or sheep's milk products such as cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt and sour cream. The only exceptions are clarified butter or ghee.

5) Do not consume alcohol in any form. Not even for cooking.

6) Do not consume carrageenan, MSG, or added sulfites.

7) Do not recreate baked goods, "treats", or junk foods with approved ingredients.

8) Do not step on the scale or take measurements for the entire 30 days.

You are also strongly encouraged to eat three meals a day and to not snack. Especially after the first two weeks.

What you are eating are meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats.

Today is day 42 for me. Yep. That's right. I've done so well on the program I've chosen to continue for awhile longer. What surprised me the most is how "not" hard it was to give up so many of my favorite foods. I had thought I'd REALLY miss grains and cheese. I don't. Mind blown.

There has been a learning curve. I have had to "relearn" to cook. I'd gotten pretty lazy with planning meals and actually cooking food. At first this process was a bit overwhelming, especially the dishes! Oh my the dishes! And the label reading! I didn't realize how much sugar and soy are in so many products.Salad dressings, ketsup, BBQ sauce, condiments of all kinds, chicken and beef broth, really?! Sugar in broths! Why? It's been eye opening. The more I planned, shopped and cooked the easier it became. I've also been completely taken aback by how much better the food I'm eating tastes. I no longer use anything packaged but make everything myself. And it's not that difficult! Boom! Again, mind blown.

I haven't weighed and have no plans at this time to do so. I despise, despise, how the scale determines how I feel about myself on any given day. If it's down I feel good about myself, if it's up, I feel lousy. So if you're wondering what my markers for success are; my jeans are looser, my tummy is flatter and I'm killing my workouts. Killing them. That's motivation enough for me.

So, you can be honest with me, does it sound crazy to you? Or crazy hard? Have you done the program? Let me know your opinion! If you want more information about the Whole 30, they have a website with free PDF's and additional (and free) information: whole30.com