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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Whole 30 Challenge {wiaw #6}


Holy celebrations, Batman. I was doing really great up until the 5k, I mostly walked/jogged in mid-December. Then...came our ugly sweater party, a cookie exchange, Christmas, vacation...shall I go on? So instead of showing you all the healthy eats, I thought I'd share...the indulgent, celebratory eats, instead.


All this food makes my stomach, and eyes hurt. Any time I begin to indulge, everything is fine....but after a few days, I feel gross. I guess that is a lovely perk to getting older, huh?

After seeing so much buzz, I finally decided to read It Starts With Food (ISWF). I have wondered for a while how my body was reacting to certain foods and/or ingredients. And after reading the book, I knew there was no turning back, and that I would have to start the Whole 30 Challenge, because unfortunately ignorance is bliss, and I now owe it to myself to see how this goes.



The Whole 30 is a Paleo style program, or way of life, if you will. It is definitely not easy, but where would be the fun in that, right?

Once I told Jason, he said, "if you make it, I'll eat it", which helps me immensely because how I was going to meal plan for two, was beyond me.

There are a few reasons I wanted to try this challenge:
  • I have terrible skin. I actually had to go on Accutane at 22 to clear up my face. Everything was great, until last year. My acne has started to creep back up, and continues to just get worse. I have wondered for a while now if certain foods {sugar?}, and stress have been the root cause, this whole time.
  • Allergies. They started as seasonal a few years back, and now if I don't take at least one alavert a day, I get all the "fun" symptoms. Also, while I have suffered from terrible almost migraine-like sinus headaches in the past, the last several months, I am starting to experience them for a week at a time.
  • Inflammation. I'm fat, of course I am inflamed! But it makes working out painful. Not that I can't do it, but damn, does it always hurt. Especially my calves. 
  • I'm tired. all.the.time.
  • Weight loss. While the writers of ISWF don't recommend trying the Whole 30 just for weight loss, I'd be flat out lying if I told you that wasn't one of the reasons as to why I am doing this.
I still think clean eating, and working out is what works for me, with limited processed carbs. But even when I eat what I "thought" was clean, there were most likely added sugars, and additives that I didn't need, that could be causing my above mentioned issues.

Jason and I started, Monday, January 6th. He has had a way easier time with this. I'd like to drink a gallon of diet coke, and eat all the bread in the world, right now. 

So here we go, back at it. Please pray I don't murder my super supportive husband in the remaining 28 days.

Have you ever completed a Whole 30 Challenge?

For support, I've joined forces with Krystal's Kitsch, Creative Home Keeper, and This West Coast Mommy. We all are dedicated to sharing our Whole 30 experiences online, and we hope to share inspirational stories, easy recipes, and tips for getting through this dietary change. And God willing, they help me survive this! Follow along at #Whole30BlogChallenge on Instagram and Twitter. See what we are eating, see our progress, and our results!
#Whole30BlogChallenge

XOXO,
Nichole


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17 comments:

  1. One meal at a time! I've never done it, I'm interested in how you make it through.

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  2. You can do it, I know it! I agree that all the "ailments" are in the foods we eat and the toll it takes on us in some way. When I was eating at my best before the wedding, I felt wonderful, looked wonderful, and just had more confidence. I'm getting back there, but this food holiday challenge is making it a little difficult. haha

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    1. That seems to be the way it goes, isn't it? Always after the wedding is it harder to get into it...but you can do it! Well, after you finish that toffee, of course ;)

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  3. You're lucky to have a supportive husband. Mine likes to eat all the bad foods in the house and temps me with sugary fatty breads and cookies.
    I'll say a prayer for you to make it through without a breakdown.

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    1. On day 2, I was super irritable and he said, "I'll just fake it for both of us", since I wasn't be very nice to him. Whoops!

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  4. I started on January 6th too!!! I think you will really like the Whole 30 -- especially with your husband on board! I did my first round last June, and it was an amazing feeling. You actually feel cleaner (no allergies, no bloat, sleep good) lol! Have you found any recipes that you love so far? Against All Grains has an awesome porridge I'm having tomorrow!

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    1. So I read the book, but then sort of failed at meal planning for week one. We're on track, but I haven't found any recipes I LOVE so far, and that is my goal this weekend. No allergies, no bloat, sleep good, are all great reasons to me. Now, if I can survive this week!

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  5. let me just say that ever since i ditched all that crap i used to eat, my skin did a whole 180; same with my sleep. i used to have the WORST eczema flare-ups and super sensitive skin and now? all gorgeousness. i love it.

    i also think that as we age, our body doesn't adjust as well to crap food like it did when we were younger which is why we feel more of the negative effects from the junk food we eat.

    so i think this is a great thing! cleaning up your diet and only sticking to foods that are fresh and avoiding things that come out of a box, bag or can is a good step!

    kathy
    Vodka and Soda

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  6. You know how much I love the Whole 30 program. With that said I have never actually done it. I'm definitely going to do it soon.

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  7. I'm so excited to follow along with your Whole30 journey! I keep saying I'm going to try it...but...I've yet to do it. Maybe watching all of you ladies and reading about your successes with it will give me the final push I need to make it happen! There are SO MANY reasons that I know I'd benefit from trying to out! I can't wait to watch you succeed!

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  8. You can do it! With inflammation and achiness you may be experiencing dehydration/too much salt. Also, you may want to see if you have any food allergies. When you stop eating that food a lot of you symptoms may pass. It may seem unbearable but the more frequently you do it, the easier it gets. It becomes more of a habit than a chore.

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  9. That's awesome! I"m doing clean eating too and love it. You can see my 10 Day Challenge here and I'd love to join forces with y'all if you need another blogger. xo
    Heather @ mylifewellloved.com

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  10. I love this concept but I don't think I have the willpower! But I bet you do! Good luck and I can't wait to hear about your results!

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  11. Love your humor! Good luck with the Whole 30. My husband and I are starting the clean eating plan next week. I hope it goes well. I feel the same way you feel when I work out and I have allergies and asthma so basically working out sucks! I love bread and pasta so this should be fun ..eh not! lol :) Great post!

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  12. Congrats on deciding to change the way you eat! I changed the way I eat a few years ago when I was having panic attacks and anxiety. Changing how I ate has helping so much. Good luck to you during your challenge.

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  13. I LOVE eating clean! I don't do it all the time, but I try to eat clean most of the time. In the next two months we are going to try to eat less processed stuff before my hubby goes to Warrant Officer school, and it will make us both soooo much happier. I don't cut out carbs, I just limit myself to only whole grain, and one to two servings in the morning/afternoon. Otherwise I am a biatch, and have zero energy to work out. I also recommend upping your protein. I find that if I have more protein in my diet, I don't crave as much random stuff. I guess it's because your body takes longer to metabolize meat. Anywho, good luck!

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