Post by Karen on Jul 24, 2012 20:17:00 GMT -5
Since we're always talking about how diet changes how we feel, I figured I'd chime in with my latest experiment.
I just finished a Whole30. It's something that I stumbled upon looking for a Paleo cookbook. Since I eat similar to the Paleo diet, I figured I'd give it a shot. The Paleo diet focuses on nutrition that our forefathers ate before processed foods and sugar overtook our normal diets. I bought their book "It Starts With Food" and in one of the first paragraphs, "What you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy." Here here! I was hooked.
Here's a snapshot of the program:
- Eat 3 meals a day, the first within 1 hour of waking.
- Start your plate with protein (preferably grass-fed, organic, no antibiotics). Then fill the rest of your plate with veggies.
- Consume moderate amounts of fat with every meal. Vegetable and seed oils are a no-no; olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, etc. are acceptable. Essentially, it trains your body to stop craving sugars and carbs, and instead, trains your body to burn fat and only use carbs for the short bursts of energy.
- Fruits and sweet potatoes are acceptable in moderation.
- Eat enough at each meal so you aren't hungry in between. This will help reset your body's signals about hunger & fat burning. Essentially, if you're going hungry on this plan, you're not eating enough. If you're hungry all the time, your body thinks it's in starvation mode and holds onto fat instead of burning it.
- Absolutely no sugar or sweetener of any kind.
- No grains (wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, etc.).
- No dairy in any form (except clarified butter or ghee). Dairy contains the hormonal messages intended for a different species and is to be eliminated during this time period.
- No booze.
- No legumes (peanuts, beans, peas, etc.).
- With the exception of a few Whole30 approved foods, no processed foods are allowed on the plan - they have lots of fillers and chemicals.
- Do this for 30 days. If you cheat, you start over. You can't expect results while cheating.
- Essentially, get really good, clean nutrition strictly to see how your body responds. When you're done, slowly start re-introducing food groups to see how they really affect you.
I finished my Whole 30 on Sunday. Although some days I didn't eat enough or I ate too much fruit, I didn't eat anything on the no-no list for the entire time. It was amazing how much you have to read labels on even the most minimal things - seasoning salt (sugar), tomato paste (sugar), beef jerky (sugar, soy sauce), etc. I was worried I'd get bored of the same old food but I found some great recipes along the way and ended up eating some pretty creative and tasty meals! In fact, I traveled a bit during this time and cooked dinner at both my best friend's house and my cousin's house. Both loved the meals and were super impressed at how well I ate despite the 'restrictions'. It was hard for me to eat breakfast - I haven't eaten a real meal for b-fast in forever, and I can't do eggs, so I had to get creative.
I ate very similar to this before so I didn't expect too much of a change. But, I lost 6 pounds in 1 month and I went down an entire pants size! My measurements are almost exactly the same as when I was 12 pounds lighter. People have commented that I look like I lost weight and I'm starting to turn heads again. I have SO many more clothes in my closet that fit. My fat pants are too big to wear! The upper tummy bloat is gone. And my cellulite has really, really smoothed out. All of this by eating more fat and without exercise! I didn't exercise once during this whole thing. Andddddd... with the exception of my period (which was lighter), I didn't have a lick of endo pain the entire time. None. All my triggers no longer snuck into my diet like they did from time to time...
Even though I 'finished' on Sunday, I'm still eating very close to this plan and continue to do so. I had some corn tonight and rice yesterday in my meals, and will have a drink for the first time in over a month tomorrow, but plan on sticking with this for much longer overall. In fact, last night I made a few meals to tide me over this week.
Food affects us in big ways. If you're ready to take the leap and really clean up your diet, I'd really recommend a Whole30. If you're not quite sure why, I'd really recommend reading "It Starts With Food". It outlines everything you need to know about gut health, autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalances, and cravings in an easy-to-read and motivating way.
whole9life.com/
whole9life.com/category/whole-30/
whole9life.com/itstartswithfood/
I just finished a Whole30. It's something that I stumbled upon looking for a Paleo cookbook. Since I eat similar to the Paleo diet, I figured I'd give it a shot. The Paleo diet focuses on nutrition that our forefathers ate before processed foods and sugar overtook our normal diets. I bought their book "It Starts With Food" and in one of the first paragraphs, "What you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy." Here here! I was hooked.
Here's a snapshot of the program:
- Eat 3 meals a day, the first within 1 hour of waking.
- Start your plate with protein (preferably grass-fed, organic, no antibiotics). Then fill the rest of your plate with veggies.
- Consume moderate amounts of fat with every meal. Vegetable and seed oils are a no-no; olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, etc. are acceptable. Essentially, it trains your body to stop craving sugars and carbs, and instead, trains your body to burn fat and only use carbs for the short bursts of energy.
- Fruits and sweet potatoes are acceptable in moderation.
- Eat enough at each meal so you aren't hungry in between. This will help reset your body's signals about hunger & fat burning. Essentially, if you're going hungry on this plan, you're not eating enough. If you're hungry all the time, your body thinks it's in starvation mode and holds onto fat instead of burning it.
- Absolutely no sugar or sweetener of any kind.
- No grains (wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, etc.).
- No dairy in any form (except clarified butter or ghee). Dairy contains the hormonal messages intended for a different species and is to be eliminated during this time period.
- No booze.
- No legumes (peanuts, beans, peas, etc.).
- With the exception of a few Whole30 approved foods, no processed foods are allowed on the plan - they have lots of fillers and chemicals.
- Do this for 30 days. If you cheat, you start over. You can't expect results while cheating.
- Essentially, get really good, clean nutrition strictly to see how your body responds. When you're done, slowly start re-introducing food groups to see how they really affect you.
I finished my Whole 30 on Sunday. Although some days I didn't eat enough or I ate too much fruit, I didn't eat anything on the no-no list for the entire time. It was amazing how much you have to read labels on even the most minimal things - seasoning salt (sugar), tomato paste (sugar), beef jerky (sugar, soy sauce), etc. I was worried I'd get bored of the same old food but I found some great recipes along the way and ended up eating some pretty creative and tasty meals! In fact, I traveled a bit during this time and cooked dinner at both my best friend's house and my cousin's house. Both loved the meals and were super impressed at how well I ate despite the 'restrictions'. It was hard for me to eat breakfast - I haven't eaten a real meal for b-fast in forever, and I can't do eggs, so I had to get creative.
I ate very similar to this before so I didn't expect too much of a change. But, I lost 6 pounds in 1 month and I went down an entire pants size! My measurements are almost exactly the same as when I was 12 pounds lighter. People have commented that I look like I lost weight and I'm starting to turn heads again. I have SO many more clothes in my closet that fit. My fat pants are too big to wear! The upper tummy bloat is gone. And my cellulite has really, really smoothed out. All of this by eating more fat and without exercise! I didn't exercise once during this whole thing. Andddddd... with the exception of my period (which was lighter), I didn't have a lick of endo pain the entire time. None. All my triggers no longer snuck into my diet like they did from time to time...
Even though I 'finished' on Sunday, I'm still eating very close to this plan and continue to do so. I had some corn tonight and rice yesterday in my meals, and will have a drink for the first time in over a month tomorrow, but plan on sticking with this for much longer overall. In fact, last night I made a few meals to tide me over this week.
Food affects us in big ways. If you're ready to take the leap and really clean up your diet, I'd really recommend a Whole30. If you're not quite sure why, I'd really recommend reading "It Starts With Food". It outlines everything you need to know about gut health, autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalances, and cravings in an easy-to-read and motivating way.
whole9life.com/
whole9life.com/category/whole-30/
whole9life.com/itstartswithfood/