Days 2 & 3 of Whole30

The first few days of Whole30 have felt easy -- a little too easy. One of my biggest fears was that I wouldn't be able to resist drinking in social situations. I realized at the start of the week that I scheduled drinks with a few coworkers weeks ago. We met around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. I showed up not having had dinner and luckily the spot we chose had some Whole30-friendly options like endive lettuce filled with chicken salad and sauteed broccoli. I didn't miss cocktails or beer at all and instead drank several pints of water. That made me feel much better than a slight alcohol buzz would have.
The only slip-ups I've had, if I can even call them that, would be that I've had a few dishes with cheese in them. I either forgot to ask for no cheese or didn't realize cheese was an ingredient when I ordered it. Either way, the amounts were minimal, so I don't consider that a major violation of the rules.
This morning I experienced a slap-in-the-face-style reminder as to why this eating plan and losing weight are important. I scheduled a physical a few weeks back, again before I decided to try Whole30. My new doctor's advice was that I should lose about 20 pounds using the South Beach Diet, but other than that, I'm very healthy! I've heard this advice before. My weight and height give me a high body mass index in the "overweight" zone. I've heard from other doctors not to sweat BMI so much since the range doesn't take into account body type or frankly ethnicity. I think that is code for "don't worry about your curvy, Latina hips."
Today, the doctor told me, you're healthy now, but what about later? And, if you ever have kids, it will be harder to lose weight if you're already overweight. Ouch. The truth really does hurt.
So there you have it. My desire to get healthy and lose weight should be less of a whim and more of a must-do. The stakes are higher now. I need to take this eating plan/lifestyle change stuff seriously unless I want to be one of those people thinks they know more than medical professionals. Or one  of those people who complains about her weight or daydreams about being thinner, but doesn't take action. It's not about vanity anymore, but being the best version of myself I can be -- or should be. I hate conforming to external ideals, but I also want results. I hope Whole30 helps.

Kicking off the Whole30 eating plan

Yesterday, I put myself on track to change my life. Well, that sounds both vague and highly optimistic as if change isn't possible all the time (or a given, really). To be more specific, yesterday I started a new eating plan called Whole30 that promotes ONLY eating food that is good for your body for 30 days. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is in that the plan limits you to eating from three basic food groups: vegetables, protein from meat, seafood and eggs, and fruit. Of course, in America, where empty calories are everywhere and the idea of eating processed food-like products is the law of the land, saying "no" to certain food feels much harder than saying "yes" to what you should be eating.
I convinced my sister to join me on Whole30 because we both try to follow a healthy diet, but catch ourselves falling into bad habits that make clothes fit tighter than we'd like. Lately, I've been tipping the scales at my highest weight EVER, yes I'm at my heaviest, gasp! I've gained close to 10 pounds since my wedding nine months ago and I felt fat then, too!
The point of Whole30, is not supposed to be weight loss. In fact, the diet tells you not to weigh yourself at all during the 30 days. Instead, the focus is supposed to be on eating food that nourishes your body without any harmful effects like putting excessive or empty calories like alcohol, processed sugar and desserts into your body. According to the plan, foods like beans and whole grain bread are not the best way to provide nutrition. That was a big shock to me since I love both of those food groups and feel good about eating them. The good news is that after the 30 days, you can start reincorporating some foods and hopefully learn to eat the less-than-optimal foods in moderation. I always say one cupcake won't make you fat, but too many cupcakes will. Whole30 basically says, stop thinking about cupcakes altogether. If it's not the BEST food, don't eat it.
I'm looking at the next 30 days like a cleanse and a time to recalibrate my eating habits. One of my main goals is to learn to eat more consistently, resist temptations, and just be more disciplined about my health and well-being. I'm also going to blog each day as a way to process and document the experience and hopefully build another habit of writing more often.
I'm excited for the journey that lies ahead!