The Not-So Longest 30 Days of My Life

No dairy. No legumes. No grains. No sugars. No sweeteners. No alcohol. Thats what I did for 30 days... voluntarily. For those of you who know me, I'm sure you thought that sounded like a pretty futile plan. After all, this lofty goal was coming from the girl who's favorite item at Trader Joes is Frying Cheese, who's grandma used to sneak her bread before dinner because her parents knew if she ate some she'd fill up on that before eating anything else, who loooooves Taco Bell's Pintos & Cheese (and of course, nacho cheese), and from the girl that I'm pretty sure drank Diet Coke out of a sippy cup. Case in point:




But guess what? I did it. And it really wasn't that hard. No, seriously.

The idea behind The Whole 30 as it's called is to remove foods from your diet that may have a negative affect on you. They say it takes 30 days for everything to clear your system. Then after that, you slowly reintroduce each thing you cut out, and see how your body reacts to it. For instance, some people can reintroduce dairy (mmm, cheese) and not have any adverse affects but immediately feel bloated, tired or have stomach aches after introducing grains. For others, they can reintroduce both of those groups without problems, but gain weight if they eat legumes. So the goal is to find out what your body likes and doesn't like, and use that info to maintain a healthy, happy body.

So what did I eat? A lot. And a lot of good stuff. A lot of what is known as "clean" foods: Meat (organic, grass-fed), eggs (preferably pastured and/or organic), fruits and veggies (preferably organic but not mandated) and healthy nuts. I became a master at adding veggies to meals without being able to taste them. I became a master at seasoning because pre-packaged or pre-seasoned goods were out of the question because they contained either sugar, or ingredients I couldn't pronounce. I became a master at cooking eggs every way possible. And I became a master of planning ahead. Check out this Sunday's meal prep for the week:



Clockwise from top left: homemade meat sauce with 4 zucchinis and a whole bag of spinach (tastes like the good part of homemade lasagna), sweet potato hash with 2 zucchinis, 1 onion and chicken chorizo sausage, naturally sweetened chicken apple sausage, buffalo wings (marinated in Franks Red Hot Sauce and coconut milk), fajita veggies ready for mixing, and italian sausage with sweet peppers and onions. All that took about an hour and a half to cook, and will probably last me and the Mister until Thursday.

I also learned a ton about myself in these last 30 days:
-I don't NEED Diet Coke when I eat or when I'm in the car. Hard to believe, but I don't even crave it anymore.
-I don't need cheese as a snack, or even in my eggs.
-I don't need milk or even splenda in my coffee.
-I don't need Sweet & Low in my iced tea
-I don't need a little something sweet after dinner.
-I don't need to eat out as much (crazy!).

All in all I'd say its been a success. I broke some pretty unhealthy habits and picked up some really good healthy ones. I even dropped some weight and some body fat long the way.

But have no fear... all has not changed forever. I also realized it's good to indulge yourself every once in a while. Having a couple of drinks and a cheeseburger with your friends is good for the soul. So is exploring new restaurants when your parents come to town. So is accepting cocktails from your mix-master uncle. I just realize now that I don't need those things, and I have the willpower to say no. Well, most of the time. End of Day 30 here, and there's cheese on the menu:



Now who can say no to that? (Actually, my body should be telling me in the next few hours whether or not I should have said no)