Day #24: 7 Full days left!

Alright, 7 days remaining in my first round of the Whole 30 Challenge.  I'm going to keep going after the 30 days are over and not have my first "cheat" until  my birthday weekend in a couple weeks, although at this point I don't feel like I need it. 

As of yesterday I hit my first goal: the loss of 10 pounds!  In 23 days!  I was so excited!  And then this morning my husband hugged me and said he could feel me getting smaller.  Yay! The totally awesome part of this is I AM NOT STARVING MYSELF IN THE SLIGHTEST!  In fact, I'm eating a lot of food.  I'm just eating certain foods in certain combinations, that's it.  I'm not gorging on ridiculous amounts of protein.  I do not count calories.  I do not count carbs.  I do not weigh my food before I eat it.  It's awesome for a person like me who can't stand keeping track of everything I eat.

I've been walking more due to the Eat Well Live Well challenge my work is doing, but I haven't been really working out.  I would like to add actual workouts to my routine, especially strength training, and see what kind of results I get. 

This has opened my eyes even wider to the fact that the food/drink we put into our bodies really does have an effect on who we are.  We can be happy, healthy, energetic people if we fuel our bodies properly.  Or we can be depressed, sluggish people if we don't.  You can make a big difference in your life today.  And the only thing you need to do is change what you are putting into your stomach. 

As good as I feel, I don't believe my relationship with food has had the paradigm shift I need for long-term success, which is why I'm not giving up on this yet.  I ordered the book, It Starts With Food, which should be here today, to give me more insight and tips to make this a lasting change in my life.  I want to be able to occasionally have something unhealthy and not have it derail me completely.  I want to be able to make eating this way a habit, a part of who I am, not just something I'm doing right now.  I could see myself doing this for the rest of my life.  It's sustainable, it's logical.  And I feel so good.

Again (I know I always do this) but I invite anybody to check it out and please join me!  It may sound difficult, but it's really not.  And when you feel the difference in your life you will know what I'm talking about and be as desperate as I am to share it with other people.  And don't worry about the added expense, because there really is none.  Instead of buying all that bread and sugar and dairy products, you're buying fruits and vegetables and meats.  It really does wash, I promise (trust me, I hate spending tons of money at the grocery store). 

P.S.  I've also lost 4.5" from around my waist in 24 days.  Seriously... check it out.  

http://whole9life.com/2011/06/whole-30-v4/

Day #21: 3 Weeks in!

It's 12:10 am and top o' the mornin' to ya!  I'm standing at the dawn of day 21 in my 30 day challenge.  (Check out previous posts to get website info if interested).

Thanksgiving was interesting.  I brought Mashed Sweet potatoes (baked sweet potatoes, skinned and whipped, with a little olive oil and cinnamon) and a big spinach salad, my sister brought fruit salad and you know there was turkey galore, so I had no problem staying within the boundaries of my current goal.  The hardest part was probably standing in front of a table of desserts and there not being a single thing I could eat, but even that wasn't all that difficult.  It's getting easier, that's for sure.  There are definitely times when a yogurt sounds really good or I just want to lick the batter off the spoon REALLY BAD, but I want to make it to the end of the 30 days guiltless.  I want to get to the end and see that I was able to control myself every second of every day for 30 days.  They say will-power is a muscle and the more you exercise it the stronger it gets.  I consider this my will-power boot camp.

So, I'm 60% through this thing, and so far I've seen nothing but benefits.  My skin is clearing up, I'm losing less hair in the shower, I have more energy during the day, an easier time sleeping at night.  My general outlook is more positive and confident (although today I was a little moody but I can't expect to be cured in 3 weeks) and my clothes are looser.  I'm hoping that in 10 days I'll be able to wear my wedding ring without the circulation in my finger cutting off.  6 days would be nicer considering we're celebrating our 9 year anniversary next week, but I'll take what I can get.

The weight may not be coming off in leaps and bounds, but 8 pounds in 3 weeks isn't too shabby.  I've been taking walks and just trying to keep active in general, but I haven't been actually working out.  I wanted to see how much I would lose the first 30 days just kind of doing what I was doing but changing up my diet.  I'm going to go for a round 2, though, and I'll add some workouts in there and see what happens.  I consider it my own little experiment.  Not to mention my energy is finally picking up in a way where I feel ready to start working out again.

I'm going to buy the book, "It Start With Food", to help out with the second round.  I need more ideas on things to eat, meals to prepare, etc.  I want this to be a permanent change in my life and I know that in order to achieve that I can't get bored.

If anyone wants to join me for round 2, I'm starting it on December 4th.  Check out the Whole 30 website, get your kitchen ready, and just go!  I know this time of year is probably the trickiest time to begin something like this, but imagine starting the new year ahead of the game instead of 5 pounds behind it.  :-)  You'll feel less sluggish and merrier for the holidays.  If you're anything like me, food has become a big part of most traditions.  Eating this way is causing me to get more creative and find new ways to make the season special that doesn't revolve around food.

December 4th... the saga continues...

"Is it a rebellion?"

I know that I have been all Viva la Revolucion! regarding sugar lately, but this is something I feel very strongly about.  The article I've posted is a little wordy and leans toward the clinical, but it's important information to have regarding how sugar effects us.  Again, not our waistline, but who we are as people!  This food challenge that I've been doing (on day 17) has opened my eyes even further to the benefits of feeding your body properly.  It's becoming very apparant that certain things are like poison to our minds; corrosive and damaging.  Please take a few minutes and read through the article, especially those of you who suffer from depression and other mental health issues.

 

The Links Between Sugar and Mental Health

December 22, 2009 | 70,970 views |

Noted British psychiatric researcher Malcolm Peet conducted a provocative cross-cultural analysis of the relationship between diet and mental illness. His primary finding was a strong link between high sugar consumption and the risk of both depression and schizophrenia.

There are at least two potential mechanisms through which refined sugar intake could exert a toxic effect on mental health. First, sugar actually suppresses activity of a key growth hormone in the brain called BDNF. BDNF levels are critically low in both depression and schizophrenia.
Second, sugar consumption triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in your body that promote chronic inflammation. In the long term, inflammation disrupts the normal functioning of your immune system, and wreaks havoc on your brain. Once again, it’s linked to a greater risk of depression and schizophrenia.

 

It’s already known that many additives, preservatives and food colorants can cause behavioral changes, and sugar should definitely be on this list as well. One of the most recent and highly plausible theories that explain sugar’s impact on your mood and mental health is the connection between sugar and chronic inflammation.

The Central Role of Inflammation in Depression

Chronic inflammation in your body disrupts the normal functioning of your immune system and can wreak havoc on your brain.

Chronic inflammation is also associated with heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. So consuming excessive amounts of sugar can truly set off an avalanche of negative health events – both mental and physical.
Keep in mind that “sugar” refers not only to refined sugar, but to many other sources as well, including high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and starches in the form of grains and potatoes. (Following my nutrition plan is a simple way to automatically reduce your intake of all these sugar sources.)
Another major culprit that encourages inflammation in your body is rancid or oxidized omega-fats (think trans fats), whereas a diet rich in omega-3 fats helps to reduce inflammation. Healthy omega-6 fats like gamma linoleic acid (GLA), found in evening primrose, black currant seed and borage oil can also help counteract inflammation.
As you may already know, I recommend taking animal-based omega-3 supplements for many types of inflammation, and for optimal brain health. Most alternative health practitioners are also well aware of the benefits of omega-3’s for depression.
While all omega-3 fats possess immune-boosting qualities, omega-3 fats from marine sources (EPA and DHA) are more biologically potent than omega-3 fat ALA found in plant sources such as flax seeds, and are more potent inflammation fighters.
My favorite source of omega-3 fats is krill oil, as it has several advantages over fish oil.
The importance of reducing inflammation when dealing with mental health issues is also evidenced by another recent study.
Published in the International Breastfeeding Journal, the study entitled “A new paradigm for depression in new mothers: the central role of inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory treatments protect maternal mental health” discovered that inflammation may be more than just another risk factor. It may in fact be THE risk factor that underlies all others.
The researchers’ stated:

“The old paradigm described inflammation as simply one of many risk factors for depression. The new paradigm is based on more recent research that has indicated that physical and psychological stressors increase inflammation. These recent studies constitute an important shift in the depression paradigm: inflammation is not simply a risk factor; it is the risk factor that underlies all the others.
Moreover, inflammation explains why psychosocial, behavioral and physical risk factors increase the risk of depression. This is true for depression in general and for postpartum depression in particular.
Puerperal women are especially vulnerable to these effects because their levels of proinflammatory cytokines significantly increase during the last trimester of pregnancy--a time when they are also at high risk for depression.

Moreover, common experiences of new motherhood, such as sleep disturbance, postpartum pain, and past or current psychological trauma, act as stressors that cause proinflammatory cytokine levels to rise. “

In the case of post partum depression, breastfeeding is the most obvious remedy of choice as it naturally eases stress and modulates the inflammatory response.

Improve Your Mental Health by Ditching Sugar

Other studies have also found significant links between high-sugar diets and mental health problems such as depression and schizophrenia, even though they were not focused on the presence of inflammation per se.
For example, a 2004 study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that a higher dietary intake of refined sugar and dairy products predicted a worse 2-year outcome of schizophrenia.
In addition, a low dietary intake of fish and seafood (sources of healthy omega-3 fats) predicated high prevalence of depression.
The authors also pointed out the link between depression and physical illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, stating that they all share epidemiological features.
And what do diabetes and heart disease have in common?
Both are caused by and/or worsened by a high intake of sugary foods.
It is a proven fact that sugar increases your insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging, and many more negative side effects.
Sugar can also cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, which leads to hyperactivity, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.

Reduced-Sugar Diet Also Shown to Decrease Anti-Social Behavior

As explained by Dr. Russell Blaylock, high sugar content and starchy carbohydrates lead to excessive insulin release, which can lead to falling blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia, in turn, causes your brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, depression, anger, anxiety, panic attacks and an increase in suicide risk.
Two studies that confirm this theory go back several years.
A 1985 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found that reducing sugar intake had a positive impact on emotions:

“… Subjects reported many symptoms and/or presented a distressed profile during baseline assessment. However, following a 2-wk dietary change symptoms declined, and the MMPI or POMS profiles reflected a more stable and less distressed individual.
Results suggest that a dietary change can remediate the emotional distress exhibited by some individuals...”

The dietary change consisted of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet void of sucrose and caffeine.
The other, the Los Angeles Probation Department Diet-Behavior Program: Am Empirical Analysis of Six Institutional Settings, was published in 1983.
This study included a before and after comparison of 1,382 juveniles who were detained in three juvenile halls, and a before-after comparison of 289 juveniles who were confined in three juvenile camps.
The dietary modifications were designed to lower the daily consumption of sugar in all six settings to see if it had an impact on behavior.
In the three juvenile halls, a 44 percent reduction in the incidence of antisocial behavior was found during the subsequent 3 months. And the 289 juveniles in the probation camps showed a 25 percent reduction in the incidence of antisocial behavior during the 9 months after the implementation of the revised diet.
The authors concluded:

“Although it is clear that the diet change caused the improvement in behavior, it remains to be determined if the relationship between sugar and antisocial behavior is causative.”

The Most Powerful “Drug” to Heal Depression

If you are following the traditional paradigm you will most likely receive a prescription for antidepressants. Unfortunately, most of the time they simply don’t work any better than placebos, and there are many studies that clearly document this.

Physical exercise, on the other hand, is one of the most powerful anti-depressants there is. Numerous studies show that aerobic exercise can improve your mood and is an antidote for mild depression and anxiety.
Dr. James S. Gordon, a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression, uses exercise extensively when treating depression.

“What we’re finding in the research on physical exercise is that physical exercise is at least as good as antidepressants for helping people who are depressed. And that it’s even more important for older people,” Dr. Gordon says.

Physical exercise changes the level of serotonin in your brain. It changes, increases your levels of “feel good” hormones, the endorphins. And also, it can increase the number of cells in your brain, in the region of the brain called the hippocampus.

These studies have been first done on animals, and it’s very important because sometimes in depression, there are fewer of those cells in the hippocampus, but you can actually change your brain with exercise. So it’s got to be part of everybody’s treatment, everybody’s plan.”
If you’re not sure how to use exercise like a drug, including the correct variety, intensity, and frequency, please review my Exercise page for more in-depth recommendations and guidelines on how to incorporate it into your life.

Please, don’t delay starting an exercise routine. Many Americans don’t get enough exercise, but this problem is easily remedied if you view exercise as a crucial part of getting healthier and happier.

Other Key Factors to Overcoming Depression

Clearly by now you will have realized that radically reducing or eliminating all forms of sugar is an important step to address the root problem in your body that may be significantly contributing to your depression.

That, plus exercising, may bring you a lot more relief than most conventional strategies used against mild to moderate depression.
Here are four additional strategies that can help you even further:

1. Address your stress -- Depression is a very serious condition, however it is not a “disease.” Rather, it’s a sign that your body and your life are out of balance.
   
   This is so important to remember, because as soon as you start to view depression as an “illness,” you think you need to take a drug to fix it. In reality, all you need to do is return the balance to your life, and one of the key ways to doing this is by addressing your stress levels.
   
   Stress can produce depression of all kinds by affecting your neurotransmitters, but stress is also a contributor to inflammation, which may be one of the most significant risk factors for depression.
   
   There are many ways to address stress. Meditation or yoga works for many. Sometimes all you need to do is get outside for a walk. But in addition to such stress reduction strategies, I also recommend using an energy psychology system that can help you address buried emotional issues that you may not even be consciously aware of. For this, my favorite is the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT).
2. Eat a healthy diet – As discussed, foods have an immense impact on your mood and ability to cope and be happy, and eating whole foods as described in my nutrition plan will best support your mental health.
3. Support optimal brain functioning with essential fats – Again, I strongly recommend supplementing your diet with a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat like krill oil. This may be the single most important nutrient to battle depression.
4. Get plenty of sunshine – Making sure you’re getting enough sunlight exposure to have healthy vitamin D levels is also a crucial factor in treating depression or keeping it at bay.
   
   One previous study found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who had normal levels. Vitamin D deficiency is actually more the norm than the exception, and has previously been implicated in both psychiatric and neurological disorders.

These six primary strategies – avoiding sugar, exercising, addressing emotional stress, eating right, and optimizing your omega-3 and vitamin D levels -- are the lifestyle changes that offer you the greatest chance of restoring and maintaining your mental health.

Day #15 of the Whole 30 Challenge

http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/

So I'm halfway through the challenge.  Aside from the constant sinus headaches from the weather changing, I'm feeling pretty good! I keep having stress dreams where I consume insane amounts of brownies and pizza and then realize that they don't fit into the challenge and that I now have to start all over again!  I think these dreams are to remind me that I am not there yet... I don't think I would be having stress dreams about having to start all over again if I was completely converted to this way of eating.  This is probably why there is another 15 days left, enough time to help make this way of eating more of a habit. 

When I tried low-carb diets in the past, it was always this point that was the killer.  If I could make it past this point and continue on, I would find success.  It usually took about 30 days to really detox myself from sugar.  I believe I have hit this point with this challenge, although it is not low-carb, I am just getting all my carbs from fruit, veggies, and nuts/seeds.  Yesterday all I wanted was sweets.  I did not give in and eat anything not allowed, but instead fulfilled my cravings with fruit.  I probably ate more fruit than I should have, but I did not give in and that's what counts.  Today I'm feeling very similar, although I don't have much of an appetite.

I totally believe in sugar addiction.  Studies have shown that the symptoms/actions that people thought to have a sugar addiction exhibit are the same as those with a drug addiction.  They have also studied the effect sugar has on the brain, and again it triggers the same response as cocaine.  This is crazy!  And, like any other drug, the more sugar you have the more sugar is required to get the desired effect.  Things don't taste as sweet as they used to and you don't feel that rush anymore.  And since sugar is added to almost everything nowadays, it's hard to escape it which means we are consuming it even when we don't realize we are.  Not to mention that sugar comes in so many forms, and there are foods that may not be sugar-laden but they act the same once they are in your body like white flour, rice, and corn.  These things are used as fillers in almost everything from ice cream to vitamins.  Foods that are marketed as "healthy" are usually so full of rice and corn but they're low-fat... low-fat does not equal healthy, which is why so many people who eat pre-packaged "health" foods usually consume so many carbs. 

I believe that is why this challenge is so important.  It is resetting my body, my brain, my metabolism.  Right now my goal is to eat foods with as few ingredients as possible: meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds.  And when you eat foods in certain combinations (protein, carbs, fats) it maintains a healthy blood-sugar level and keeps you from getting the sugar high followed by the crash.  Sugar is like adding gasoline to a fire; it flares up momentarily but then when the gasoline burns off the fire dies.  Eating a blood-sugar healthy combination of foods is like adding a big, dry log to the fire; it burns for a long time and keeps the fire alive much longer.  Not to mention that natural foods containing protein, healthy carbs, and healthy fats are usually high in nutrients and fiber as well, which can only mean good things for our bodies.

It is so important that we realize the damaging effect that the foods we eat can have on our lives.  It's not just about our waistline, it's so much more!  We need to have a paradigm shift when it comes to the foods we eat.  We need to stop treating eating as a recreational activity!  That's one thing I've learned about myself doing this challenge.  I would often eat not because I was hungry or because I was craving a certain food, but because it was entertainment to me.  That's really sad.  I am realizing that I need to change this and I think this challenge is how I will do it.  Please check out the link above if you're looking for real change in your life. 

Wish me luck that the next 15 days will bring me the peace with food that I'm looking for.  I am so excited to not have to feel this way anymore, like any moment I will snap and eat a box of cinnamon-sugar donuts or a huge bowl of ice cream.  I know if I can make it past this point that it will get easier and eventually I will look at those foods and say "Meh".  That's my goal.  To look at bad foods and say "Meh". 

I honey.html#ixzz2CUb5nXO1

There are cravings, an escalation of tolerance levels, and dramatic withdrawal symptoms associated with sugar addiction that parallel that of both prescription and non-prescription "street" drugs.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037337_sugar_addiction_habits_raw_honey.html#ixzz2CUb5nXO1

Day #10 of Whole 30 Challenge

Again, for anyone who isn't familiar with the Whole 30 challenge, here's the link:

http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/

Today I start day 10 of my 30 day challenge to eat whole, real foods.  So far I have lost 6 pounds and also have experienced the added benefits of ore restful sleep, feeling more refreshed in the morning, less bloat, more energy, easier time exercising, my mood has lifted, my mental fog is beginning to clear.  I honestly am beginning to feel hopeful and happy.  My patience is improved, I find myself enjoying my children more.  And I'm only 10 day in!

I am so excited by this challenge because not only does it seem to be working but it makes sense!  And I have a hard time with things that don't make sense.  Basically you eat only what you could hunt or gather, minus a few exceptions due to the fact that they have inflammatory components.  In other blogs posts that I have read, people who have completed the 30 days have no intention of going back to their old way of eating because of how much better they feel.  Some of these people have suffered for years with skin conditions, arthritis, stomach problems, fertility issues, and within the 30 days they saw such an improvement, or in some cases the complete disappearance, of symptoms that they knew there was no sense in going back.  Their bodies had healed themselves with the help of the right food.

I am in no way discounting Western medicine.  However, I believe that God has given our bodies the ability to heal themselves from a lot of ailments. And I also believe that the food we eat has a lot to do with us acquiring some of these ailments in the first place.  I'm not saying if you have cancer that you should eat a crown of broccoli everyday and you'll be cured.  Lets use me for an example.  I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).  Here's a short list of symptoms that a woman with this condition can experience:

• Acne.
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight.
• Extra hair on the face and body. Often women get thicker and darker facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
• Thinning hair on the scalp.
• Irregular periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods a year. Some women have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
• Fertility problems. Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting pregnant (infertility).
• Depression.
• Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful but lead to hormone imbalances.

 In other words, NOT FUN! Doctors don't really know the cause.  They know that's it's caused by hormonal imbalances and that it is hereditary.  But they don't really know why women started getting it in the first place.  However, it's becoming more and more common.  Statistics show that 1 out of 15 women have PCOS, but it's often misdiagnosed and mistreated.  Many doctors feel that you should take birth control to regulate your menstrual cycle.  That's all well and good, however the birth control doesn't help the rest of the list of symptoms.  Then you take an antidepressant, they have special medicines to help with hirsutism (male-pattern hair growth in women). All of these things bring with them a list of side-effects with no guarantee that the symptom you're trying to relieve will actually be relieved. 

When I was diagnosed I started researching PCOS.  Turns out, there is a big movement being made for a holistic approach to treating PCOS. It's about using the glycemic index (http://www.glycemicindex.com/) to help your body heal itself.  Sugar is the enemy, starch is the enemy.  When I mentioned this to my doctor and asked her if she'd heard of anybody finding relief with eating this way, she told me that obviously it was probably healthy, but what I really needed was birth control.  I was trying to get pregnant with my second and she told me that I needed birth control! 

Meanwhile, I spent 8 months trying to get pregnant with no results.  I know that's not very long considering what some people have to endure, but it was still disheartening.  I had tried low-carb diets before and found that it worked in weight-loss.  Armed with my new-found knowledge about how sugar effects women with PCOS, I cut out all refined sugar and carb-heavy foods.  In a month I found out I was pregnant.  This is what I think happened. 

PCOS causes little cysts to grown on the follicles that release the eggs from the ovaries, blocking the eggs from being released.  This means you don't ovulate.  Your body, awaiting the arrival of the egg, still does it's normal thing but when the uterus doesn't receive an egg, it just waits... and waits... and waits.  Eventually you get an overflow of it's... preparation, causing you to think that you've had a period, when really it's just your uterus can't hold anymore.  But if you don't ovulate, you can't conceive, obviously. And you haven't had an actual menstrual cycle.  They believe the cysts to be caused by imbalanced hormones.

When I cut out sugar, my hormones regulate.  I've have always had irregular, inconsistent cycles.  And they started late (when I was 15) which is also a sign of PCOS.  Sugar is one of the biggest culprits in unexplained hormonal imbalance.  And we eat SO MUCH OF IT!!  No wonder PCOS is becoming more and more common with every new ingredient that you can't read that's added to our food.  Anyway, when I cut out sugar all of a sudden I am on a 32 day cycle... if I stay off sugar I eventually work my way down to a 28 day cycle, something my doctor told me I could only get with birth control.  Essentially what I believe to be happening based on my experience and the research that I've done is that the cysts aren't forming as they were because the hormone imbalance isn't there, which means I can ovulate, which means I have an actual cycle.  If I start going off my low-sugar diet, my next cycle is late... every time.  Coincidence?  I don't believe so.

I know I am not a doctor.  But there's got to be something to this.  I had a friend who dealt with IBS and rheumatoid arthritis for 20 years before finally a doctor did some testing and found out she had Celiac disease (severe gluten intolerance).  She had been on SO many medications and been in pain for years.  She cut out gluten and within weeks she felt amazing.  She dropped all her medications, gained some much-needed weight, and was able to walk and move with no pain.  I had another friend who dealt with chronic migraines... turns out it was Celiacs.  Yet another friend who dealt with problems losing weight, depression, fertility issues... PCOS.  Once they cut out the culprits in their diets their symptoms lessened or in some cases ceased completely. 

So what does that have to do with Whole 30 you may ask?  I'll tell you.  Whole 30 cuts out gluten, peanuts, milk, sugar... all these things that are possible allergens or have inflammatory components, for 30 days giving your body the chance to heal from the effects of eating them for so long.  Eventually you can begin to intelligently start adding back in some of the healthier ones and see how they make you feel.  If you feel fine, then you probably aren't sensitive to them. 

To me, it just makes sense!  If you're dealing with issues that doctors have never been able to explain or treat, if you've tried endless medications or treatments with no success, why not try this?  It's easy and simple.  No special foods for foreign lands, no powders you have to sprinkle before every meal, no pills, no excessive amounts of bacon or grapefruit.  You just eat real food in the right combinations and lots of it.  To me, the little sacrifices of milk and sugar and bread are totally worth the way that I'm feeling... and I'm only on day 10.

So, that's my story so far and my reason for doing this.  I could honestly see myself eating this way forever.  Does that mean I'll never again experience the creamy goodness of cheese cake or eat another buttery roll while dining out?  NO!  What would life be without the occasional cheesecake or dinner roll?  Empty, I say!  EMPTY!  However, these should be considered occasional exceptions, not the everyday rule. 

Please check out their website.  Yes they have a group that you can pay to subscribe to and there's also a book for sale, but you can get the majority of the information you need to start today right on their website for free, that's what I did.  They WANT people to feel better and they've given the tools we need to do it.  So just take a gander.  It's really not as hard as it may seem.  And after 10 days, my morning banana tastes like candy, my afternoon serving of cashews and pistachios are a real treat, and I'm loving eating so many vegetables everyday.  I guess the real question is how do you want to feel and what are willing to do to feel that way?  It's only 30 days!  720 hours in which you spend about 240 sleeping.  If it might change the rest of your life, what is 480 hours really? 

Day 5 of Whole 30

I am amazed at how easy this way of eating is!  I don't feel deprived.  I don't feel cranky.  I'm not getting cravings.  The only thing I can say that I'm missing is the program calls for 3 meals a day, no snacks... I miss my snacks.  Today was bad because I just felt hungry this afternoon, but I bet I didn't have enough fat and/or protein at lunch.  I will have to evaluate.

PLUS, I get to eat things like cashews and sweet potatoes, which other "diets" haven't allowed.  I LOVE SWEET POTATOES.  I swear God intended them as candy when he invented them.  I try not to have them everyday, but oven baked sweet potatoe fries with a little cinnamon? Perfection!

Anyway, I've been reading testimonials from different bloggers and such regarding the Whole 30 program and nobody has bad things to say about it.  In fact, a lot of people are saying it not only helped them lose weight but changed their body shape, took them off their meds, lowered BP and cholesterol, cured depression, increased stamina, etc etc etc... 

Just thought I would check in, let you all know how it's going.  I know I'm not supposed to weigh myself, but that's really hard for me.  4 pounds down since Sunday.  It's probably mostly water weight and cheese, but it feels good to get rid of it.

Eat Well Live Well

For anyone who isn't familiar with the Eat Well Live Well challenge that Wegmans puts on, here is the link:

https://www.eatwelllivewell.org/

Here is the idea.
5 cup servings of fruits and vegetables today, wear a pedometer and aim for at least 10,000 steps a day, watch your portions, and measure your progress.  The company I work for signed up for this and I'm a team leader.  Fortunately, this program works PERFECTLY with the Whole 30 program I started.  In fact, since I started the Whole 30 I've been almost doubling my daily average servings of fruits and vegetables, so it's a win-win! 

This is a simple concept.  You don't actually have to cut out the bad stuff.  Just make sure to include the good stuff and get moving.  The funny thing is that as you fill your belly with good stuff and get more exercise, you are less inclined to eat the bad stuff.  Again, win-win!

We started more than 2 weeks ago, but I figured I'd share for anyone who might be interested.  It's a great program because greatness is based on simplicity in my eyes.  And this is simple!  Piece of cake... er, celery!