WEEZY WEDNESDAY!!!!! Whole30: Day 9

You may not know this, but my mom, Louise, is a Rockstar (capital R). She is the most encouraging, motivating, dedicated, hardworking, loving person I know. She excels at everything she does, and she excels because she never gives up. Of course, she's too humble to see this in herself. But I see it, and I want to be just like her when I grow up.

If you've been skeptical at all reading this blog here's proof that you can do this and succeed at any age, no matter your circumstances. Mom's days are packed to the brim with little down time. She's had four kids, and (dare I say it?) she's in her 50's. (Holy crap, I almost got struck by lightning just then!) She's already completed one Whole30. It ran away whimpering because she kicked its ass so hard. Now, she's killing it again with this Whole30, even in the face of challenges. So, by popular demand and without further ado, heeeeeeeeeeeeere's Weezy!

I have a nemesis.  His name is confetti cake.   Well, actually, his name is chocolate, but it was a confetti cake that stepped out of the shadows last week and planted itself in my path. 



Damn, you!

I was first introduced to the idea of a Paleo lifestyle last summer.  GQ, an avid athlete since 11, had started looking into it.  Since I live vicariously through my daughters, I started to look into it also.     After perusing numerous blogs, websites, and books…oh my…I started implementing some small changes in my diet.  Removing legumes was easy, I tend not to cook with them or eat them with any regularity.  Dairy also was not a big part of my diet in general.  I would enjoy certain cheeses occasionally, especially incorporated into a recipe, but other than that, I could take it or leave it.  But grains and ….sugar?  Sugar is a food group, right? 

Soon I came across the Whole 9 blog and the Whole 30 program.  I can do this, I thought, this made sense!  So I bought the book, It Starts with Food, and in October I jumped face first into my 1^st go at the Whole30.  I did not tell many people what I was working on.  I did let my better half know, since his diet was about to change too. And I told my girls, my enthusiastic cheerleaders.  

About 1 week in, I realized,

   I loved it.

I was sleeping much better, not waking up 2-3 times a night.  I had better mental focus, less distracted.   I had more energy.  Not as much as I wanted, but more than just a few short weeks before.   I just felt better physically.  The 30 days turned into 47, and I wrapped this phase up just before Thanksgiving, giving myself a few days to reintroduce the foods I wanted to so I could see how I reacted to them.  

So, the girls and I decided we would do this again starting Jan. 1, got JQ on board, and here we are!

Yay!

Ehhh.., true confession…..4 days in…. the confetti cake made its appearance.   Birthdays, arrgh! 

Funny thing, I did not have a mental battle over it, I just decided I wanted to eat the cake, and I ate it.  I will say, the first 2 bites were great—which reminds me, if you pay attention, it is only the first bite or two of something that tastes really good.  The first bite of peanut butter out of the jar, the first vanilla wafer from the newly opened box, the first taste of cream soda, only from a newly opened bottle, of course.  Sorry, I rambled there—the last few I could have passed on, but I didn’t. 

I did not beat myself up for it.  I did not tank and call myself a failure.  I just pressed restart and began again, immediately, day 1.  I will still do this for at least 30 days; maybe again it will go a bit longer.  I will be more diligent in the reintroduction phase.  This is not a diet you can follow indefinitely.  There are birthdays, weddings, family reunions and other celebrations and events from which I do not want to exclude myself, and I will face the bread, the 3 bean salad (well, no), the mac and cheese, or whatever's there.  If I know how it will make me feel, I can make my decision to eat it or not. And that's the beauty of the Whole30.