The Whole 30: Day 9 of my Detox

You guys seemed pretty interested in this paleo detox I'm on and not all of you have Google+ - so I'm just going to update here on my progress. This morning I started day 9 of my Whole30 paleo "detox". While I haven't had any "slips", I have had a few emotional ups and downs and some pretty loud cravings but you guys... I'm feeling so good. And I'm cooking really delicious food.







The most significant change I've noticed so far is the lack of bloating. Before I started this detox I would look and feel twice my size in my abdomen every evening. And gas would sometimes feel stuck up under my ribs. It was a little uncomfortable and a little hit to my ego but I'd wake up in the morning back to my normal size. But I would get more and more bloated as my day went on. Now, I'm the same size when I go to bed as I am when I wake up and I haven't experienced any bloating.

I'm surprised at how intense my cravings for sugar and alcohol have been. I didn't really think I was a "sweets" person until I completely eliminated them from my diet. I've also identified triggers. For example - Saturday is one big trigger. As Jeremy and I were driving over to my mom and dad's house I had these flashes of standing at the counter and eating a bite of brownie. Or last night when I was cooking dinner for a friend I kept having visions of myself sipping on a glass of wine as I sautéed onions. And last Sunday I wanted a cupcake so bad it just about gave me heart palpitations.

The first few days of the Whole30 were the hardest. I kept going back and forth in my mind as to why I was doing this - how silly it is - how whole grains are just fine. I considered quitting. The back and forth was exhausting - but at about five days in I felt empowered by the fact that at the end of the day I've only eaten foods that make me healthier. The choice to eat well suddenly became easy - and now my most difficult decisions involved what delicious food to cook for dinner. I was worried the momentum of this experiment would quickly wear off but now I'm actually looking forward to the days ahead and seeing the kind of progress and improvement I will experience over a longer duration of eating clean.

I've finally started reading It Starts With Food. Melissa and Dallas make a hefty promise that reading this book will change your life. I remember when I was working on the cover design that line of copy stood out as a bit hyperbolic - but you guys. I'm only 25% in and it really is changing my life. It is just scientific enough to back up the claims it is making but written in a very plain-speak way that anyone can understand. I'll try and write a more extensive review after I've completely finished the book.

One downside is that when I get hungry I start to feel kind of foggy-headed and a bit shaky - like I'm having a blood-sugar crash. I feel like this will probably start to level out as my body learns to use fat and protein reserves for fuel rather than looking for the closest source of sugar readily-available.

And I'll admit that I'm spending a ton of money at the grocery store. Organic produce, local eggs and sustainably caught fish can add up quickly. I also have to hit the store a few times a week in order to get the freshest veggies and seafood possible. I don't think that should discourage you if you're wanting to try it out. Food is just what I choose to spend the bulk of my paycheck on and I genuinely enjoy grocery shopping. My car has 135,000 miles on it and a squeaky belt but I eat really really well.

I'm getting LOTS of questions about the Whole30. Here are a few?

Can you have coffee? Yes. I have two glasses of coffee in the morning. Maybe I would be best with just one but for now it's two.

But no milk!? No. No milk. I use a tablespoon or two of coconut milk (from a can) in my coffee.

And no beans!? What's wrong with beans!? No. No beans, either. According to Melissa and Dallas at Whole9Life legumes (including peanut butter) cause inflammation. One of the main functions of this way of eating is to reduce inflammation.

Can you eat chicken and pork? I do not eat chicken and pork but if you are doing the Whole30 and you eat chicken and pork then yes, you can continue to eat chicken and pork.

I just couldn't live with out [ X ]. This isn't a question but I'm going to jump in and say yes, yes you can. If I can live without oatmeal you can live without [ X ].

Feel free to ask me any questions you've got in the comments - but also check this out for a quick read that summarizes the what and why of all of this.

Finally, here's a chart that details everything I've had to eat and drink for the past 8 days. I've also included my workouts and how much sleep I am getting. The point of sharing this is to show you, someone who might also be considering doing the Whole30, exactly what my day looks like in regards to food, exercise, and sleep. This is what's working for me so far - your approach may look different - especially if you hate eggs or like to eat meat. There are some things I could be doing better - like maybe not having fruit for dessert almost every night (even if it fits within the parameters of the Whole30) when the whole point is to bust habitual sugar cravings (like the NEED for dessert after dinner). Or not grazing on Saturday (which is Day 4 below). For now, I'm doing the best I can.


Click on the image to view it larger in Flickr.

Finally, I want to say that while I wholeheartedly trust the Whole30 for myself, I don't think it's the only way. Kelsey commented on my last paleo post that she did the 6-week Dr. Fuhrman Eat to Live cleanse and had a lot of success on it. Ramona simply quit drinking coffee for 30 days. And did you all see Anna's post on the juice cleanse she did? There are lots of ways to improve your health - large and small. So please don't feel like it's too overwhelming or an all or nothing kind of thing when it comes to improving your own well-being.