Whole 30! Day 1

Well, here we go.

Today, I'm setting off on a 30 Day Challenge to change my eating habits. Drastically. On the Whole 30 plan, I cannot have:

1.  Grains

2.  Legumes

3.  Dairy

4.  Added sugar or artifical sweetners of any kind

5.  Alcohol

for 30 days. C'mon people, it's a month! I can do this, right?

If you would have asked me yesterday, my answer would have changed by the minute.

6:00 a.m. - Yes! No problem! I'm going to come home from work, cook a bunch of things, and be stocked for the week! This is going to be amazing!

8:00 a.m. - What was I thinking, my life is far too busy to embark on a plan like this! I live on protein shakes and convenience foods. There's no way I have time to do enough food prep to be successful at this.

10:00 a.m. (after a pep talk from the Bestie) - I can totally do this. I just have to avoid Pintrest and remember that eating healthy can be simple. I will not win any awards for the prettiest dinner or the fanciest lunch. But, I will still have awesome results

12:00 p.m. (while making a shopping list) - Arghhh! There's just too much to think about! What was I thinking!?! I can't do this! I don't even know how to cook! How am I supposed to make my own mayo? The recipe says you need patience. I don't have patience! I don't have enough rubbermaid containers to store prepped food so that it's convenient. But, I can't buy any rubbemaid containers because my "Tupperware Cabinet" is so full and disorganized that I can't even open it without something falling out. How am I supposed to do a plan so restrictive and challenging without rubbermaid tubs, patience, or TIME?

2:00 p.m. - Keep it simple, Dana. buy what you can buy. Make what you can make. You CAN do this. You have never been a girl to shy away from a challenge. 

Why? I am doing this for a few reasons:

1.  The obvious - I could stand to loose a few pounds. Like 15. I don't think that's going to happen in a month, but it will give me a good start.

2.  I do not want to gain weight. I just completed my first half marathon. I did not lose weight while training for this race, like many people do. I was hungry all the time and ate... a lot. But, I do not want to gain weight post-race like many peopl do now that the hard work and dedicated training is over. This will give me something else to focus on.

3.  Sugar. Hello, my name is Dana, and I'm a sugar addict. Totally addicted. And it needs to stop. I will eat sugar until it makes me sick, and then eat some more. It is absolutely terrible. Over the years, I have had many friends remove sugar from their diets successfully and have great health benefits from it. And I have always thought that I could NEVER do that. The path I'm on will lead me to a doctor's office, brought to tears by a diagnosis of pre-diabetes. And even after that diagnosis, I bet I would head to the nearest gas station for candy to treat myself. Who knows? Maybe I'm there already. It's been years since I've had my sugar and triglycerides tested. The thought of coffee or tea without Splenda frightens me. Not to mention coffee without my beloved Coffeemate, in every sickeningly sweet flavor imaginable! And this is why I must stop. If I am so hooked on something in my life that the thought of being away from it gives me anxiety, it's an unhealty relationship. Goodbye sugar and Splenda. I'll miss you, I'm sure. But, I'll be better off without you.

4. Support. Althea asked me if I wanted to do it with her. One thing I have learned about myself. I'll do just about anything if I can do it with a friend. That's how I got hooked on kickboxing... twice. That's how I signed up for the Half Marathon. It's why I ski. It's why I golf. And, to be honest, it's why I'm doing this.

Here goes nothing. While writing this post I drank green tea with NO SPLENDA! And I did not die. So, there's that. 

For more info on the Whole 30, check out www.whole30.com. I plan to chronicle my journey here so I can remember how I felt along the way. If you're reading, I hope you enjoy it. I promise to TRY not to get to whiney along the way.