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!