Whole30: What?

Alright here we are… it has actually come to this.

I am doing Whole30 for the month of December. And, if you haven’t heard about it – here’s the skinny: no grains, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, no legumes.

Which, if you know me, you know I live and die by bread and cheese, and could care less about alcohol and legumes. Also, slightly shamefully, sugar has been quite the issue in the last, eh, three months. 

So. My thought process pre-Miss America was that maybe I would try Whole30 when I got home. I love a hard reset (see: repeated fan of juice cleanses) and I knew this would be a way to keep myself disciplined in the ways that I really truly needed to be. 

Well, now that I am back, and I have gained weight, I figured it was time.

And let’s get just a few things out of the way here first….

Yes, I’ll be doing this through Christmas. 

Yes, I will be done on December 30^th (mhm, today is Day 2.)

Look, I love a good challenge. I mean, I chose to compete in Miss Vermont the first time before I even had a talent. That being said, I also think Christmas is exactly the time that I should be doing this. I am a holiday food glutton. Stuffing. Cheese and crackers. Holiday cookies. Pie. Rolls. Christmas Eve taquitos (which I thiiiink is just a my family thing, but whatever.) So,  I knew that I didn’t want to wait until January – because frankly, December would just be month of guilt.

And, yes, I have gained weight. I have been to Miss America. I have come home, to continue to work three jobs, and know that I don’t need to be on stage in a swimsuit. I have enjoyed Thanksgiving.  I have eaten pizza, and bread, and cheese, and homemade cookies, and M&Ms, and Cheez Itz, and Starbucks, and mac and cheese. And here I am. 

I am nine pounds heavier than I was on stage at Miss Vermont.

That’s it. In the scheme of things, that’s not much. 

But, it feeeeels like a lot. 

And no this is not about losing weight.  This is about losing bad habits.  This is about breaking the cycle that I have set up for myself with pre-workout snacks, and rushed breakfasts, and unplanned lunches. It’s not about nine pounds.

It is about how I look at food, now that I know I won’t have 5 people staring at my body.

My body is still healthy. I still workout. There is nothing wrong with how I look – wait, let me say that again, louder for those in the back – there is nothing wrong with how I look. But I need to change what I am eating.

And finally, yes, it is just 30 days, without a few things. I’m still going to be eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and eggs. There is no lack of food here. It’s just a lack of bad stuff. It’s just a lack of the stuff that makes you feel like crap anyways.

Well, except for sugar in your coffee. 

That makes me feel like magic, and I can’t have it. But, whatever.

So, that’s it. I’m doing Whole30. I’m doing it in December. I’m doing it to press RESET on the way that I eat. 

My expectations are really simple right now too. I will have cravings. I will be tired. But at the end, I will be healthier, there’s really no doubt about that. I will be happier with my approach to fuel over food. I will be more focused on what is in my food. I might lose nine pounds – I might not. 

I’m hoping I have it in me to post at the end of each week. But nonetheless feel free to check-in, hop on, and give yourself a chance here. 

One of the simplest ways that I can say why this is going to be worth it…I am worth a 30 day commitment. I am worth 30 days of not putting crap in my body. So, let’s see where this goes.