eating lately: whole 30 wrapup

I did it! A month of following the Whole30 program (actually turned into a Whole31, up until that [needed] glass of wine at the end of the day...), and I've got to say, it really was not all that hard. Despite having to devote more time to food prep (and dishes washing) than I'm used to, I found it easy to stick with and really never found myself counting down the days. You're eating real and tasty food - what's so hard about that? It definitely helps to think of the program in terms of what foods you can put into each meal that make your body healthier and taste delicious, rather than focusing on a list of things you "can't" have.

After finishing, I feel about the same as at the halfway point in terms of the upsides (good food, good nutrition, healthy thoughts), downsides (time and money), and neutrals (no change in body/energy) - overall, I'm happy I did the Whole30. However, I will say that it's a good thing I had my own psychological/nutritional reasons for taking it on, because as with my halfway update, I didn't really feel like it gave me the things people rave about - which is disappointing - like extra energy, clear head, easing of chronic issues, flattened stomach (ah, the vanity). No weight loss either, but then I was specifically trying to not lose anything. And also ate a LOT of almond butter, whoops.

The Whole30 founders are all about the non-scale victories though, and in the spirit of that, here are my victories from this last month:

Interrupting my unhealthy psychological relationship with food for a month - removing some of the choices that give me anxiety (or lead me to overexercise) might not be a long-term solution, but it was a relief to take a mental break from that for a month both by making certain foods not an option and by focusing on health-promoting foods and balanced diet. Any little changes this inspires is something, no matter what my crazy brain decides to revert to...

Making over my breakfast and lunch routines - I basically didn't eat real meals for breakfast/lunch before, and now I've got several go-tos that are healthy, delicious, and really quite easy. Those are some lasting habit changes I'm really happy about. (See the end of the post for some descriptions of what's in these photos.)

Coming up with some date ideas that aren't food related - don't get me wrong, going out to try a new restaurant is always going to be our favorite way to enjoy date night together, but it was nice to find a couple of different things to do this month, like going to a concert or going to play tennis, since going out for dinner is pretty well impossible on this program.

Trying zucchini noodles (finally!) - I'd been pinning recipes forever but hadn't actually gotten around to trying this spiralizing veggie thing... and now zoodles are the new favorite meal around here. Peter, who previously didn't like zucchini, says he could eat them "every other day."

Feeling accomplished - can't lie, it's kind of satisfying to say I stuck with the program with no cheats! And I feel proud that I did something for myself to get mentally and physically healthier.

Learning some new things in the kitchen - there's the spiralizing, but I also tried out an egg "tortilla" technique, finally made stuffed peppers for the first time, and incorporated some new items I hadn't cooked with before, like chicken thighs (random but true). Also discovered almond butter + apples - yum!

Becoming proficient at grilling - thanks to all the lunchtime Aidell's sausages and TJ's chili lime chicken burgers, I'm getting pretty good with the grill with no Peter assistance - which is saying something, as our grill's starter is broken, so you have to manually light the thing. I used to be terrified of it and singe the hair off my fingers every time, but now it's no problem.

Using up a few jars of spices - some of those things were OLD (maybe should have thrown them out?) and it feels like quite an accomplishment to be cooking enough interesting things to actually finish off some jars. It's nice getting slightly more comfortable with a dash of this and a dash of that, for a non-cook!

Feeling healthy - focusing on foods that make my body healthy for a month just has me feeling that I am what I eat. (Also, I'm a really good rule follower, so following rules about having to put a good amount of protein and healthy fat and lots of veggies on my plate has been a good way to get me to really do it.)

Resetting my palate - no added sugar or artificial sweeteners for a month really does start to adjust your taste buds. For a girl with a sweet tooth, to have raisins start to feel like a serious treat really says something. Going forward, I think I'll be able to enjoy sweet treats for what they are but not crave sugary sweetness so much - and things with artificial sweeteners really hold no appeal, taste-wise.

Taking the "wining" out of "wining and dining" for a while - not that I was overly excessive, but after a couple of months in which I had 2 beach vacations, work dinners, a wedding, and several date nights, it was kind of nice to just make alcohol a non-option for a month.

Starting to learn to listen to my body - it took a little adjusting to figure out what amounts of what to eat at meals, but finally I'm actually trying to pay attention to what my body is telling me it needs. And that's probably why I didn't lose any weight, even with cutting out ice cream and such... my body has probably been trying to communicate for a while that it needs a few more pounds on it to really be healthy... finally listening to it a bit more about what to put in and when ended up being more than before, since it needed that.

Drinking appropriate amounts of water - I've always been terrible about this, but this month I did way better at being hydrated. Partly because I wasn't drinking other things (i.e. Diet Coke/booze), but also because of the aforementioned learning to listen to my body. It's thirsty a lot!

Recovering better from workouts - though my nagging injuries are still there to some extent, I do think the Whole30 has helped my body recover better from workouts. I actually feel kind of stronger between weight lifting sessions, and I've been able to up my mileage all the way to 10k without my injured ankle feeling worse, whereas a month ago it would be super achy after even a couple of miles of running. This better recovery is probably in big part because I upped my protein so much, which helps those muscles rebuild better, and actually started incorporating post-workout meals like the program tells you to, so I was refueling much better. Also, the program philosophy finally helped me take on a better attitude toward recovery - which was to actually recover (radical, I know). On days off, I was better about actually letting my body rest and still putting good nutrition into it to aid that recovery, all thanks to the inspiration from reading some articles on the Whole9 site (this one too).

So though it's not a cure-all for my issues (and I've still got some to deal with), I'm glad I did it - I was forced to make over some meals and to pause my usual not-so-good approach to and attitudes about food/exercise/body image for the month. A "restrictive" type of program might not be good for everyone with these issues, but for me, it was helpful to remove some items/temptations from the mix in order to sort of mentally "make room" to finally fill myself up with the proteins and good fats, rather than spending my day thinking of calories as something to do battle with.

Going forward, I think I may end up eating pretty close to a paleo diet, with some modifications as well as some exceptions for eating out, celebrations, and the occasional ice cream treat. I hope that this experience will continue to help me think of food as fuel for my body, and that along with that attitude I'll better be able to eat less of the foods that don't make me healthy, yet enjoy treats for what they are on their special occasions, minus any anxieties or guilt. I'm on the road to more intentional eating, and I'm proud of myself for that.

If you're thinking of trying, I say go for it. There's really nothing to lose, and plenty to gain. If nothing else, more veggies and less sugar for a month, but I do really believe all the stories of people who have had chronic issues helped and have been reinvigorated by this program.

In closing, I'd like to thank:
...the Whole30 founders for having a program (and community with such great inspiration and resources) that was just what I needed to change up my approach to food right now.
...Peter for not thinking I'm crazy and being willing to try out any of my new recipes (and even really liking zucchini noodles).
...Aidell's for making chicken sausages, Tessemae's for making compliant ketchup, and Chipotle for making delicious carnitas when all else failed and I just could not cook.
...you all for being encouraging and being willing to have conversations about these issues with me, reminding us all we're not alone in our issues, whatever they may be.

Couldn't have done it without all of these!

p.s. I updated my Whole30 resources post with some additional recipes and products that I liked, and the photos in this post show some of my quickest go-to meals, often things that are easy to make in batches and reheat: bagged salad lettuce with taco meat, tomatoes, and guac; zoodles with Rao's marinara, Applegate farms chicken strips, and tomatoes; apples with almond butter; oven-baked fajitas; Aidell's chicken & apple sausage with Wholly Guacamole and grilled veggies; bagged salad lettuce with Trader Joe's chili lime chicken burger and guac; eggs scrambled with peppers and onions; zoodles with garlic sauteed shrimp; baked Italian sausage, potatoes, peppers and onions; ground pork, sweet potatoes, apples, and eggs with sunrise spice; Aidell's chicken sausage with sweet potato wedges and Tessemae's ketchup.