Well hello friends.  If you can math, you know it hasn’t yet been 30 days…  All of you die-hard Whole30-ers will not like the way I’m going about this, so maybe just click away from this post now…lol

When I first started Whole30, I went into it thinking that I would do exactly what the author said–follow the program to a t for 30 days and if I fell off, I’d start from the beginning.  But let me tell you how that actually went down. I started on a Monday and did amazing all week! I didn’t break any rules and I wasn’t even tempted to.  The first few days, I definitely felt really sleepy and the second day I had a ton of bloating.  But other than that, I didn’t struggle much.  As I’ve said, my eating habits aren’t that far off from the plan, so I don’t think it was a huge adjustment for my body. But by the time Friday rolled around, it was the first day where I felt clarity and energy! I got so much done during the day and I really did start to feel a difference.  However, the timing of this challenge was not great as my husband is in the Army National Guard and he had his 3 week training starting at the end of this week.  He was leaving on Saturday and come Friday he asked if we could go out for dinner and drinks for his last night.  I MEAN, he’s gonna sleep in a tent in the woods for 3 weeks…I think I at least owed him this! So I decided to restart again after he left.  I actually didn’t break THAT many rules at dinner.  I got a steak with potatoes and veggies…but I had lots of alcohol lol

Fast forward to Saturday, when my girl Cassie, AKA Gluten Gossip, had her birthday celebration at a brewery.  It had a gorgeous outdoor patio with all kinds of games AND they served cider/mixed drinks…so I totally could have just continued drinking, but I was actually surprised how easy it was for me to just stick to water! And then she brought out the gluten free cupcakes…and I ate one lol BUT come Sunday, I started over.

I stuck to the plan and noticed something HUGE this week–I no longer had cravings. This is a big deal for me.  I’m almost ALWAYS thinking about food.  Like an hour after dinner is over, I’m actively arguing with my brain about how I don’t need a snack lol All I want to do all night long is eat something…I don’t usually do anything crazy–it’s usually just popcorn, fruit, pieces of chocolate, etc…and a lot of time all of those things.  It just feels so annoying to constantly be wanting to eat though! But suddenly, with all those grains off the table, I felt totally stable…which seems like a weird word to describe it, but it’s dead on! I wasn’t thinking about food at all in the evening! Even when dinner time rolled around, I didn’t feel like I was starving to death.  There were one or two nights where I actually did get hungry (not just bored) and I had some watermelon or an apple with almond butter and felt totally satisfied.

It was at this point that I kind of realized I had gotten what I wanted out of Whole30.  I’ve been a carb-fiend my whole life.  Any time I saw a diet that cut out carbs, I didn’t even give it a thought.  I’m great at not eating grains during the day, but come dinner time, I always felt like I NEEDED grains or I wouldn’t be satisfied.  The thought of skipping that seemed like pure torture and something I just couldn’t sustain.  But for some reason, this time around I decided to give it a go and it seriously changed everything for me.  Suddenly, controlling my portions at dinner wasn’t even a big deal because I could eat SO many veggies without worrying about it! I think this is one of my biggest take-aways.  Portion control is always so hard for me and when I’m eating this way, it’s not even an issue anymore! Plus it inspired me to get really creative in the kitchen and make things I wouldn’t have thought of before. Like this shrimp stir fry:

 I had never used coconut aminos before, even though I always meant to try them.  And I make stir-fry ALL the time, so I knew I needed to get them for this challenge.  I was BLOWN AWAY at how amazing they were.  The depth of flavor was insane and this was by far the best stir fry I’ve ever made (flavor-wise).

I kept thinking up new recipes and was shocked again and again by how satisfying they were! These ground turkey lettuce tacos were SO good and I made enough so that I could have taco salad the following night. Plus not limiting my intake of avocado…? That’s all I’ve ever wanted in life!

I also started getting creative with coconut flour and found that I could make a lot of yummy dishes with that–like fried eggplant or “breaded”-mustard chicken.

I started really enjoying my lunches again and feeling invigorated by not having to worry about how much of each food I was eating.  This way of eating really just changed my mindset.  I feel like before, my mindset towards food was like a super anxious dog that’s jumping around and growling and whining….like he just can’t seem to control himself or figure out how he feels! But this way of eating has made me feel like a a dog chillin’ out in the sun haha zen.

Later that week, I went out to dinner with my parents at Outback.  I was doing great! I turned down wine (easily), ate carrots and celery as an appetizer, ordered steak and potatoes plus salad, and when dessert came around I didn’t care about it at all.  But I could tell my parents really wanted it and they wanted me to share it with them.  Food is just such a big thing for my family–it’s really something we connect over and it’s how a lot of them show their love.  So I agreed and for the first time that I can remember, I ate a few bites and put my spoon down willingly.  Usually, I’m like elbow deep in there and I’m in it til the end! This time, I felt satisfied after a taste and was good to go.  WHAT?!

So it was at this point that I decided I didn’t need to keep going with Whole30 fully.  I had gotten the mental peace that I wanted from it and I saw how I could incorporate it into my life.  Going forward, I now understand that all the grains and sugar really do make my brain feel out of control.  I plan on cutting way down on them during the week so that when the weekend rolls around, or the occasional blogging dinner, I can indulge in a healthy way–in a way where I thoroughly enjoy myself, but I don’t feel frenzied or the need to eat WAY more than I need. I feel like I finally have control over food.