Day 30 - I made it!

Hi again, it's me, annoying diet girl. You may have forgotten that I've been doing Whole30 this past month. You weren't aware of how many eggs I've eaten, how much I miss(ed) corn, or my experience with "die off". And why? Because blogs that chronicle each & every waking moment are more annoying than annoying diets. But here's a quick recap for the curious or bored. (Mom, I know you're not bored, but you can read this too.)

Week 1 - we've covered that - please see my previous blog post.

Week 2 - Ok, the reality of choosing to do a gut/eating reset sinks in, and you're left with food boredom and remorse. But not really. I felt great, and almost immediately felt better in my clothes and in my skin and in my day to day life. Annoying. Speaking of skin, mine was clearer than it had been in years ... that is, until I used a make up wipe that gave me a rash all over my face, but that isn't Whole 30's fault.



Week 3- I'm missing corn. Not wine - my beloved wine - and not cheese. I have, as most who know me will tell you, a passionate relationship with dairy. Cheese with a side of cheese. Yet I experienced no dairy cravings. No, for me it's simple. I want the pop of my popcorn, and I'm not talking movie popcorn with salt and fake butter, I'm talking homemade organic popcorn, popped in organic coconut oil, dusted with Himalayan pink salt. Healthy popcorn. Hell, movie popcorn too. And I miss chips & salsa. Salsa without chips is difficult - jicama isn't as yummy as a substitute chip, and using your fingers is messy and apparently frowned upon in restaurants.


Die Off Interlude. Since I'm not a big "candida diet" follower, I didn't know what "die off" was, until my dear friend, Leila, mentioned it. I googled and gagged. The nasty candida bacteria were dying and violently exiting my body, taking prisoners along the way. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say I'm glad I recently had TP on my Costco list, and I'm thankful that was my only symptom, of which there is a shocking laundry list. Four days later and slightly dehydrated, I was left a few pounds lighter and missing my corn craving. And every other craving too.

Week 4 and the final days were honestly a breeze. I got to the point where I didn't have my old food cravings. Sure, I love taquitos drowning in guac. Sure, manchego and red vino are proof of God. Yes, I miss popcorn. But I don't crave any of it. Not anymore. Pretty incredible.

On Day 29, I went to Traders to pick up a few items. One of the regular checkers asked me what I'd been doing, commenting that I've lost weight. He's so nice to notice. Flirty? Maybe. That feels good too. It felt as good as sitting down in my jeans and not having the waist cut into me. It felt good like not needing a nap to make it through the day. Like not feeling snappy at my sweet daughter.



During this next phase, I get to reintroduce the foods I've removed back into my system. One by one, starting with wine, just like the book recommends. Stay tuned for those fun-filled findings. Oh! And I almost forgot. I lost 7.2 lbs. That .2 is as important as when my daughter tells you she's 5 1/2. I'm 43 1/2 and I lost 7.2 lbs. A great start!



(All images courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons.)

Whole30 - Day 10

You know when super annoying people go on super annoying diets, lose weight, feel better, get more energy, have improved skin texture, bladdahdeeeeeblah? I think I am becoming that person.

Oh no. Or, oh yea! Because I think I might deserve it, because for the last annoying 10 days, I have not eaten corn (miss you, Corn!). Or wine. Or sweetener of any kind (except for one Halls lozenge during the PND coughing night of my minor cold last week). Or dairy - moo. Or legumes, which I didn't even realize how many legumes I was eating, thank you very much peanut butter and soy snuck into absolutely everything processed.

Aside from a day or two of a little fatigue and a little hunger, I now feel...better. (Cue Doc McStuffin' song if you're a parent with a girl child under age 8). I am sleeping better - I even rose before dawn to write and get my day started and watch the sunrise. What?? I'm a sunset person!

Apparently I did needed to take off a few lbs. Yesterday I put on my jeans, and they fit better. I'm not allowed to weigh until the 30 Days is over (harder than it sounds for me) but judging from my pants that I didn't sausage-roll out of yesterday, progress is happening independent of my beloved, overused, annoying scale. Many people don't feel weight loss progress until week 3 on this diet, so I felt ahead of that curve. My curves.

It helps to cook. My chicken pesto and grill-roasted veggies made my husband say to me, "I love how we're cooking these days." Score, because I can eat that. And I made my own freakin' mayo this week, people. MAYO. Just eggs & oil, right? Commercial mayo is chock full of random soy crap. Who knew? And by the way, I might never go back to eating commercial mayo, because my homemade mayo is so very creamy and good! My mom always told me my Grandma's homemade mayo was deelish, and guess what? My mother was right (not shocking - she's a smart lady). Tuna salad with homemade pickles (thanks, Auntie Mamie & Cousin Alex) and homemade mayo was da' bomb!!!

In the Whole30 book, it says on days 10 and 11, statistically if you're going to quit or cheat, these are the days that would most likely happen. No way. I'm 10 deep into a popcorn & tortilla chip-free world, and I'm not turning back until all those new jeans I bought this summer have to be altered...again. Jason, my dry cleaner/alterations guy, will thank me for the added business. Stimulating small, local businesses - an added benefit of my super annoying, I wasn't sure this would work for me diet.

Until we meet again...(I'll be the skinnier one with the baggy pants)
L

Whole30 - Day 1

Well, Ms. Scale (bitch) never lies. Sometimes pants lie. Often the mirror lies. And I have been lying to myself about my expanding (ass) self. I always quote Me when I've said something like this: there's truth in a number. The scale is telling me a really jacked up story lately, and the time to reign it in is upon us (me).

A dear mate of mine, Julianne, recently found great body transforming success with Whole30, losing 2 sizes in a month. Holy crap, I'm in.

It's 30 days of eating protein, veggies, and even fruits & nuts & seeds. I can do that. And potatoes! What??? Game on.

And here's what I'm not eating: dairy (heart stab!), processed carbs, grains, alcohol (seems ok at noon - we'll see how 6:15pm feels today) and sweeteners. Oh! And legumes. Bye bye, peanut butter - I've already replaced you with almond butter this month.

That's that. Here I go. Apparently I'll be pretty cranky in a few days as my body becomes un-addicted to wine and popcorn and organic sprouted bread.

What I plan to miss most: popcorn, wine (weren't you reading above??), cheese, sourdough
What I plan to NOT miss at all: my growing self (again - pay attention!), energy slumps

Over.
L

Why I Write - Thanks a lot, Rina

I am a lucky member of a writers' group, stocked with unique women whose talents inspire me. Two of them, Charlene and Rina, have recently participated in a Writing Process exercise, exploring why they write. At they end of each exploration, the writer names three other writers to take their own exploration. Thanks, Rina, for fingering me in the exercise. I probably needed it.

Why do I write. Why do I write? Why????? Do I write?


I write because my internal narrator is constantly writing the great American novel in my head. The movie of our lives. The heartbreaking snapshot of life's irony. The hilarious quip. The poignant short story. The children's tale.

I remember having a literary epiphany once with my sister. We were discussing the speed at which my husband reads. He can blast through a novel and retain quite a bit of it. I, however, take a long time to read that same novel. Once I do, I know it like a friend. I hear its characters' cries and mourn its ending. I live its words, which linger in me. I smell its journey. "You have the internal narrator," my sister said. The what? Some people read words, and others hear the words narrated to them in their mind when they read; those people tend to read more slowly yet absorb more from what they read.

It was so simple and true. I heard my narrator. Aren't big sisters so awesome and helpful? But I don't just hear narrators when I read. I'm constantly hearing my narrator, always in my mind, writing, telling, showing, narrating, outlining.

Sooooo, that's why. That felt good to get out, actually. And now, the next victims:

• Kim Tracy Prince, you know it. Preach to us, oh prolific one.
• Danny Reines -  numbers have colors? Your brain works on such a high level - I want to know what drives your writing.
• SheriBelle - my chin is in my hands and I'm listening.