Whole 30 | Choices | Day 22

Here I am at Day 22.  Just 8 more days to go on this Whole 30 - but then what? 

Whole 30 is an elimination diet in which many people choose to participate for 30 days or longer. The idea is to assess your food sensitivities/intolerances while changing your eating habits for the better. The fact that you lose weight and inches because of it is just a bonus!

There is a meal template to follow and that has been a real eye-opener.

I love the meal template because it really makes portion control very simple.  It is SO important that you eat this amount (at least) every meal.  Some people feel like it's a lot of food, but in reality - it is a lot of NUTRITION.  It is fuel and you need it.  If you don't eat enough, chances are you will not have the results you are looking for, you will not lose weight as well, and you will be hungry before your next meal. Snacking is discouraged on this plan.

I've lasted this long without sugar, dairy, grains, legumes or processed foods. There's only a few things I miss and luckily I don't think they are food items to which I have any adverse reactions.  The things I miss are: RICE (shocker) and  some dairy like Greek yogurt and cheese.  That's it.  Oh and Korean food which may contain soy or sugar here and there, but yeah...

On Day 19, I went on an all-day trip with some of my girlfriends to Universal Studios.  I knew that I would have to really prepare in order to stay on plan.  I went on their website ahead of time and found out that you can bring your own food, but there was a size limit on your container and you couldn't bring in glass, etc.  

I ended up making a huge batch of chicken salad with homemade mayo, mustard, almond slivers and grapes - the kind you would put on a croissant.  Hannah was also going on the trip and wanted to stay compliant, so I packed for two.  I also brought carrots and little packs of Wholly Guacamole, sliced apples and almond butter.  We were able to take water bottles into the park and get refills throughout the day.  
The food was perfect and we were able to save money too!  We did get an unsweetened tea at the coffee shop when everybody took a little break.  It was refreshing and felt like a treat for me.

One cool thing that happened besides the TON of walking we did there was my good friend Vicki talked me into taking the stairs from the lower level to the top.  These are not ordinary stairs! There are escalators (4 sets) that run right along the side of the stairs.  I decided to go for it!! Oh my word, by the end of the second one I thought I was going to kill over!  My dear sweet friend all of a sudden turned into Jillian Michaels from Biggest Loser and the next thing you know she's in my face cheering me on. My friends on the escalator were cheering too.  I did make it to the top of the third flight of stiars (360 steps straight up) and decided that it was enough, but I was so proud of myself for just making that choice.  
Once I caught my breath, I really felt great! haha.  

I think you get the idea!! It's basically about making good choices.  MOVING.  Controlling your food and not letting it control you.  When I was first invited to this event, my first thought was that I couldn't do it because of Whole 30.  Then I realized that I want this way of eating to be a lifestyle.  I don't want to avoid making great memories with friends because of FOOD.  Being conscientious about what we put into our systems is what we should always be concerned about.  I don't want to wait until I've been diagnosed with some illness and then be FORCED to follow some sort of strict diet.  I mean, the high blood pressure warning was enough for me! 

If you are intrigued by this plan yet - don't hesitate! Get over to my side bar and click the Whole 30 link.  All the info is FREE.  There are also support pages and forums that will help you.  Of course you know I am always here for you too!   It's not has hard as you think.  You can do it.  You just have to make that choice!!