First off, thank you for taking time to read and follow along my journey. I've recently been though some amazing leadership work and can't thank my amazing support system enough.
I joke all of the time but it is true... over the last 10 years I have lost and gained the same 50 pounds over and over again. I've tried everything from weight watchers to low carb, juicing, fasting, etc.. Through Zarvos coaching I have had the opportunity to address the source of my food addition. And quite honestly I don't think I have ever been in a better place when it comes to my own self image. And while for the first time in my life I feel like I don't need to lose weight out of "necessity," self-loathing, or any other negative reason you can think of.
For the last two years or so I have been battling depression. Something that I have felt ashamed of in the past. Which is kind of silly when you consider that 1 in 4 people today suffer from some sort of mental illness. Recently I have had the goal to eliminate the antidepressant drugs that I take. But to do so I needed to make some serious health changes. The biggest being the food that is on my plate.
A friend started sharing the Whole 30 diet with me. At first I was skeptical. You have to give up what?!?! No way, what do you eat? WHY? Seriously, why would you do that? I mean food brings me so much joy... why would I want to give up all of my favorite things right?
But then I put away my humor and snark for a second. And thought... do my eating habits really bring me joy? Is it joyful that I can't preform at a level I'd like in my Zumba class? Is it joyful that I suffer from mood swings, depression, PCOS, and high blood pressure all of which are weight related? The more I thought the more I realized that my food cravings are practically running my life. So I can the book a shot.... and honestly... mind blown!
The book is called It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways and you can find all the information you need at the website (http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/) But the premise of the book is simple. Take 30 days and reset you body with nutrition. So... for the next 30 days:
- No added sugar: including all the artificial sweeteners and syrup
- No grains: yep... none
- No dairy: ghee is pretty much the only exception there
- No weighing yourself (with exception of the beginning and the end)
- No cheats...
I am excited for the challenge but even more excited to reset my body. The testimonials, science, and results behind the program are staggering, but I love that the challenge gives you help during AND after to help access how your body handles reintroduction of the foods. IF you have questions let me know. Thanks for joining me. Some of my favorite quotes from the book from below.
Quotes
“How many times have you tried a new plan, bought new foods, and stuck to the new menu for a few
weeks, only to fall right back into your old habits—and old waste line? … You struggle with food
cravings, bad habits, compulsions, and addictions. You know you shouldn’t but you feel compelled to
eat these foods. Sometimes you don’t even want them, but you eat them anyway. And you have a hard
time stopping. All of which makes you feel guilty and stressed – and more likely to comfort yourself with more unhealthy food.”
"You may panic. You may thing, “No way I can do this.” You may say to yourself, “I cannot live without [fill in food].” We assure you, you can. And you will. We’ll walk you through it. And when you’re done, three things will happen. First, you will once again be able to appreciate the natural, delicious flavors(including sweet, fatty, and salty) found in whole foods. Second, the pleasure and reward you experience when eating that delicious food will once again be closely tied with good nutrition, satiation, and satiety – you’ll be able to stop eating because you’re satisfied, not just because you’re “full.” Third, you will never again be controlled by your food. Freedom."
"So let’s bring this one home for you younger folks. Chronic systemic inflammation plays a key role in more than just age-related diseases (heart disease, stroke, etc.). Inflammation contributes to a long list of conditions that you may be dealing with right now. Like asthma, allergies, acne, eczema, other skin conditions, depression, ADHD, and mood swings. Do we have you attention now?"
"Belly fat is especially active in this process (creating inflammatory compounds), contributing to inflammation more than fat stores in other areas – in other words my belly fat makes me more depressed, moody, etc."
"While we are all born with a certain code, we are also born with switches that tell that code what to do. Our environmental input (diet, exercise, air quality, etc.) activates those switches. Think about it this way: Genetics loads the gun, but environment pulls the trigger."
"So what do you eat when you find yourself battling the sugar dragon? Anything BUT the sweet stuff. As Dallas likes you say, you can’t battle the sugar dragon outright – the only way to slay it is to starve it."
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