Whole30 in ONE WEEK. Oh crap.

I’m getting my mind in the right condition, and I’m kind of scared crapless about it.  I am usually one to impulsively jump into things, and so I wanted to make sure and know that this is something that we definitely want to do.  It will take a lot of commitment to stay on the Whole30 Program for a whole thirty days.  If you are wondering what it is…basically, it is a 30 day plan in which you cut out:

• legumes (including peanuts, soy, and all beans)
• all dairy
• all grains (even quinoa and other nutritious grains)
• all sugar and sugar substitutes (except naturally occurring sugars in fruits and veggies)
• alcohol
• white potatoes (basically your body treats it like starch and sugar, despite some good nutrients)
• additives (duh) like MSG and sulfites

So what do you eat then?  Lean meats, lots of veggies, and fruits.  Cashews and seeds are okay.  There’s some fine print about what you can and can’t eat, and it can all be found on the Whole30 website.  There are free pdf’s of helpful information and guides for shopping and what to have on hand.  This is the free part.  There’s also a book, which I am halfway through reading.

Our family is addicted to sugar.  Totally addicted to grains and dairy (except E who drinks almond milk).  I know it will be a big adjustment.  Since E doesn’t eat soy or dairy, it won’t be too hard on him.  We still aren’t sure how we will still incorporate grains into our kids’ diets, because I don’t think we can cut it all out just like that for them.  And with C we are only going to give her organic milk to drink and let her have her cottage cheese, which she probably couldn’t live without.  She would eat it for every meal if we let her.  As for JD and I, we are going to have it rough, I know, for a couple weeks.  But it is so totally worth it.  This program isn’t about eating this way forever.  It’s 3o days.  A friend of mine says, “I can do anything for _____ amount of time.”  So we can do anything for 30 days.  And in the middle, we will start to get so much energy and feel really great and remember that it is JUST FOOD.  While it is nice to enjoy a meal and indulge sometimes, it is easy to start to do it all the time.  To get, basically, gluttonous.  For me, I need a challenge like this.  No cheating…not even one time, so our bodies can heal and our minds can focus.  No faking.  No pale0-desserts that are technically “okay.”  Because in reality, you are still in the old mindset of eating sweets after meals and thinking you need it or want it and it is ok to always indulge.  For us, this is about changing our mindset and really engaging in a healthy lifestyle.  We did really well for about 5 months eating whole foods and exercising.  But slowly, we got off track.  Our lives got more stressful and we let that distract us.  A healthy body and mind are linked, you can’t have one without the other.  So we are ready and willing, and next Monday, we start our new eating plan with the hopes that it will get us into the correct mindset for us, for eating well and thinking the right way about food and its place in our lives.

I would love to know if there is anyone else out there that has done this program or is doing it now.  Comment below!