Wednesday, March 26, 2014

My Whole 30 (22) Wrap Up!


Well folks, I haven't been blogging much lately (don't worry I plan to be posting regularly in the near future). We moved into a new home in January, and I've been busy unpacking and arranging our house while attempting to potty train our two year old.

I thought I would post a Whole 30 wrap-up since I've got a little time tonight. Let me just start with a confession.  I got 22 days into my Whole 30 and decided to quit just eight days shy of the goal. Clearly, I do not have an iron will.

I would not have come anywhere close to 30 days if I hadn't committed to blogging about it. My pride kept me going as long as I did.

 I quit for two reasons:

1. We were at Five Guys with the kids and I wanted to eat a burger and fries.

2. We were going out on the town with some friends that weekend and I wanted to be able to enjoy an adult beverage.

Do I regret quitting early? Not at all. Will I ever do another Whole 30? It's dubious. I don't regret going on this spell of super clean eating at all. I learned quite a bit through this process.

First, subjecting myself to this restrictive eating plan made me think deeply about the reasons why I had committed to the plan in the first place. This was painful because underneath it all, I think for me the allure of clean eating has more to do with how I look than how healthy I am. 

 There's nothing wrong with wanting to shed excess pounds, but in the future I think it would be wiser and kinder for me to take a more gradual approach. 

 There was something else I noticed while I was following this plan. I felt depressed just about every day. I don't know if this is normal or not, but it was very telling in my life.

I don't just eat to fuel my body. I eat for comfort and pleasure, and I'm ok with that. I have three small children 4 years old and under. Sometimes a girl needs some chocolate and a glass of wine.
 
In my mind, this eating plan produced a sort of food legalism. Grains, beans, dairy, alcohol, and sugar are evil and should thus be avoided. I still struggle with guilt when I put any of these things in my mouth. I can't live like that and I don't want to.   

The thing I enjoyed the most about this challenge was that it forced me to eat my vegetables-- and lots of them. I needed that discipline. As a result I've figured out several ways to make veggies that my family enjoys (and they all involve butter). Its easy to substitute grains and dairy when we ought to be eating vegetables.

What does all of this boil down to for me? MODERATION. I don't have celiac disease. I'm not sensitive to gluten, and from what I can tell, neither are my children.

I'm on board with eating a diet full of whole foods and amping up our vegetable intake, but I don't agree with cutting out entire food groups. I ran across this article when I was 4 days into my Whole 30 and it derailed me mentally.

I was looking for a magic bullet. What can I eat, and eat, and eat and never have to worry about my weight again. I was reminded of these verses as I thought back on my experience.


Colossians 2:21-23

21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

I'd love to hear your thoughts...Feel free to comment.


3 comments:

  1. Renee, great wrap-up & congrats on the discipline to go 22 days! I don't think I would make it 22 minutes, I just love cheese! haha! But seriously, it's easy to see the pinterest boards of others & feel like everyone is eating super healthy & balanced & spending tons of money on their food while you're having spaghetti for the 2nd night that week. Anyway, I agree that unless there's an actual medical reason there isn't a reason to cut out whole groups of foods. It's not practical & it can make our eating habits an idol. The bottom line is we live in a fallen world & "the perfect eating plan" isn't going to prevent cancer, other diseases, heart break or death. While there is certainly benefit to eating healthy & balanced foods there is also something to be said for trying to be too in control of our health & not trusting the Lord with our health. This is something I struggle with often in the grocery store as I struggle with buying non-organic meat or cereal instead of fresh, free-range eggs. I'm called to be faithful with our budget as well as our bodies & there's no perfect solution. Thanks for sharing your thoughts & encouragement! Also, please do a post on how to potty-train a 2 year old boy because yeah, I'm clueless & he hates the potty!

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  2. Love this post! Feel free to post about all those yummy vegetable recipes! I have to force feed veggies to my kids (which is probably not helping them learn to like them at all). I love your honesty.

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  3. Good job mama!!! When I did the whole 30, it made me very aware of what I was eating and tried tons of veggies and recipes that I wouldn't have eaten otherwise. We try to live 80/20 (ish) but I work out and eat well 80% of the time so that I can let loose and enjoy the other 20%. Moderation is absolutely key!! And finding out how your body works/reacts with certain foods is also helpful. 22 days is amazing! Be proud of yourself!!

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