Reflections: Week 4 + 2 days

It's hard to believe I'm sitting here writing about this Whole 30 being over already. I really can't believe how quickly this time passed. With complete sincerity I can tell you that the second Whole 30 is soooooooooo much easier than the first, which is probably a combination of being familiar with the rules and having experience with the cooking as well as a product of already cutting the majority of sugar out of my diet, even post Whole 30 #1. I hope you will find, just as I did the first time, that this isn't just some quick fix, some way to fit into your old jeans for a few weeks, but rather this way of eating is truly a lifestyle change that is worth sticking with for the long haul.

I can tell you that on Day 25 I started to get worried again, just like the last time.  I am still worried to be completely honest because to me, the Whole 30 provided a food security blanket. The rules are quite definite and I could always hide behind the very easy phrase "I'm sorry, I am doing a Whole 30" to ward off any temptations from my comfort foods. January was stressful enough professionally and February and March promise to be exponentially more stressful and chaotic. What if I turn to that red wine instead of cherry juice? What if I eat a whole pint of Haagen Dazs Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Ice Cream in one sitting? I toyed with extending this to a Whole 60 or Whole 90 but realized that I wouldn't be addressing the real problems that lie ahead of me: it would just be me consciously giving my emotions, and food of all things, all the power.

So, I've taken off the kid gloves, gotten a manicure and pedicure, put on my high heels and am ready to face whatever life throws at me with the lesson this Whole 30 has taught me: I don't need food to get through bad days, sad days, days my heart is broken or days of celebration. I eat to live, I don't live to eat. What is most important in life are the people who love you and who deserve your love in return. Don't miss any opportunity to tell and show them how much they mean to you. Don't forget to love yourself--you are amazing and got through this 30 day challenge that many people can't complete despite their best efforts. Spend time with the ones you love, perhaps over a home cooked meal of grilled grassfed beef steaks, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potatoes, cinnamon apples and unsweet tea with lemon. Have fun cooking together, sharing and finding recipes, working out together, debating nutritional theories, shopping at local grocers. Smile. Forgive and  forget. And forgive my cheesiness ( I know cheese isn't Whole 30 compliant!).

What's next on the menu for The Daily Chomp? I'm still going to post different healthy How To recipes as time goes by and occasionally post other articles. I'll probably start recruiting y'all for another Whole 30 in April or May as I've found this is a good reset to get my mind and body back on track with clean eating, But tomorrow I will do the final weigh in and post it, have some of Krystal's homemade pumpkin bread for breakfast, call the first timer and my awesome sister Lori on the way to work to swap food plans, have lunch wherever the Lunch Bunch wants, have a square of dark chocolate Eric gave me for my birthday as I walk to afternoon court, take Mel out to dinner wherever she wants for being the best support/trial partner a girl could ever hope for, call Nerine, the bestest of  friends and fellow veteran of the Whole 30 who is just such a daily blessing to me and indulge in some of that Haagen Dazs with her over the phone as she enjoys one of our favorite Burger Fi meals all the while wishing I was in Florida with her, Fogo it up on Friday, and try to make friends with the strangely familiar woman in the reflection of the mirror who looks nothing like I did back in June. And now, I think we all deserve a virtual shout out.......