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