Everything is okay in Moderation…right?!

I used to tell myself all the time that everything is okay in moderation. That’s how I would justify that piece of chocolate cake or the hard cider (or two) I’d have with dinner or the piece of pumpkin pie (or two) I’d have as a mid-afternoon snack. But you know what happens when you use this justification? It doesn’t become a once-in-a-while thing. It becomes an everyday thing. It creeps up on you. I know it crept up on me. Starting around Thanksgiving until this past Sunday, everything was “in moderation.” And it was okay because it was the holidays. Right? Well, for me, that meant increased break-outs, horrible sleep patterns, exhaustion, terrible mood swings (sorry Scott), and just in general feeling like crap. And while I was still working out, I didn’t like the way I looked or how much I weighed. Now, I don’t normally weigh myself, but Scott and I started a Whole30 program on Sunday, January 11th. That required taking before pictures and weighing ourselves. Needless to say, I am so happy to be doing this program! I am not happy with where I am right now!

Now you may be asking, what exactly is a Whole30 program? Check out the whole program here http://whole30.com/. But to sum it up, it’s basically a short-term nutritional reset of your system over a period of 30 days. It is set up to help you stop unhealthy cravings and habits (mine are sweets and alcohol), restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. It removes certain food groups, like sugar (alcohol is included in this category), grains, dairy, and legumes that could be having an adverse effect on your health and fitness. The best way to see if they are affecting you is to remove them from your diet! The 30 day time period gives your body a chance to reset and heal itself. And it’s easy. You just eat real, whole food! More (and more) vegetables, some fruit, more protein, more seafood, eggs, and plenty of good fats from oils, nuts, and seeds. And it’s only for 30 days! This isn’t meant to be a life-long eating plan, just a short-term nutritional reset! The best part is you don’t have to count calories! You don’t weigh yourself every day! You eat when you’re hungry and you stop when you’re full! You just make sure to eat foods that have a short ingredient list, or better yet, no ingredient list at all!! Today, for lunch, I had Brussel sprouts, asparagus, and a deer stew with a bunch of veggies, plus a salad with guacamole. It was delicious! And kept me full all afternoon!

This will be my third Whole30 I’ve done. I’m on day three and so far, I’m doing well. I’m a bit more hungry than normal as my body adjusts to less carbs and fewer empty calories. I’ll admit, I was having a lot of fun over this past month or so (since Thanksgiving). I definitely enjoyed all the goodies that were brought over for Thanksgiving dinner, including mac and cheese and all the sweets. And I more than enjoyed all the Christmas baked goods that were brought into the office and brought home. And I slowly got back into the habit of having one (or two) hard ciders every night with dinner. With a move sandwiched in between the holidays, plus lots of unpacking, the drinks started going down easier and easier. Except my sleep starting become more and more sparse and my mood swings starting getting worse and worse. Seriously, I’d get mad for no reason…and I’d stay mad, not knowing what was actually wrong.

So needless to say, this Whole30 is definitely needed. My body doesn’t handle sugar and/or alcohol the way it used to (or the way I thought it used to). I have very quick, very negative affects when I have it. And it was becoming a daily habit! Worse, I was starting to crave it! I wanted something sweet every day, sometimes multiple times a day. And it was super easy to crack a hard cider as soon as I got home from the gym. I used to be an occasional drinker or an occasional sweets person. But over this past month, it became an everyday thing. And that’s what happens when you use the justification that everything is okay in moderation. Don’t get me wrong, I know that after the Whole30 is done, I will probably have a drink or some sweets every now and again. But I’ll also know that I feel better, sleep better, look better, act better, when I don’t have them all the time. And it will be easier to say no because I’ll have just done it for 30 days!!

What do you think? Could you use a Whole30? Let me know your thoughts on this type of program. Does it make sense to you? It’s definitely a great program, but I know it can be difficult to follow, especially when eating out or going to parties. Find a group, ask a friend, or ask me to help you with it! It can be done! And you will see great results!!

On another note, Scott and I got a new washer and dryer yesterday :) Yes, it’s totally the little things that make me super happy! 

I hope you all are having an amazing week! Day three has been super easy…I’ve had a couple sweet cravings on days 1 and 2, but I’ve resisted and kept myself super full so I don’t slip up. Let me know how I can help.  I’d love to help you out with your program and reset :)

With love and wellness,
Whitney