For the next 30+ days, I will be eating meat, vegetables, healthy fats, fruits and nuts. I will not be eating processed food, sugar, dairy, grains or legumes, and I won’t be consuming any alcohol.

I’ve done a few Whole30 challenges before, but this time I’m looking for something a little different. I lost touch with my Paleo choices last year and I would like to reconnect with what it means to feel healthy, vibrant, and in tune with my whole self.

If you’re doing a Whole30 or other challenge, if you are living/exploring the Paleo lifestyle, or if you are simply looking for some tasty recipes to add to your repertoire, be sure to leave a comment to let me know you’re out there! I am so glad you stopped by!

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Day 13 is done!

Quote of the Day: There are seven days in the week and someday isn’t one of them.

I am so glad that I started my Whole30 journey two weeks ago instead of “someday” because I am super excited about how I feel right now. My jeans are fitting better, my energy is really high, and food is becoming secondary in my thoughts. I guess I need to clarify that because I’m still constantly thinking about food, but it’s different. I think about what I’m making for dinner, what I might experiment with for this blog, whether or not I need to make some lunches for my husband, what delicious thing needs to get on the menu, and all kinds of things like that. What I’m not doing is obsessing over whether I should or shouldn’t eat, whether I feel (emotionally) like eating or not, what cravings I am working to overcome, how I’m going to make it through the day without wine or cheese or ice cream. Just none of that.

I can’t tell you how freeing that is for someone like me. I wish I had a comparable example, like someone who loves cars or gardening or sports or…I don’t know. I can’t think of any other category that someone might think about as often as I think about food. Music or art, maybe. Perhaps you can love those so much that they occupy your mind and integrate themselves into your day. Maybe it’s the creative aspect of it and the fact that we have to eat. I really don’t know. Anyway, once I am removed from sugar and refined carbs and alcohol that all seem to hijack my ability to make rational decisions based on hunger and need, all of my thoughts about food are fun. They no longer feel obsessive. It’s really just lovely.

So here I am with nearly two weeks completed on my Whole30 and I feel really, really good. This is why I do it – to remind myself that food is nourishing and enriches life. It is joyful and fun. It is necessary for survival. And when all those parts come together, it’s just  how it should be.

Day 13 – The Details

4:30am – Black coffee

6:15am – 2 eggs, zucchini, 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, 1/4 avocado, sauerkraut

11:30am – 1/2 a Greek omelet (no cheese) and salad with salsa

1:30pm – A few walnuts and dried fruit

4:30pm – A handful of carrots

6:00pm – 5 oz. Cuban Pork with Mexican Cauliflower Rice, 1/4 avocado

7:30pm – An apple

Food: It felt like a great day with food. There were times when I was hungry, but just a little bit, and it was nearing time to eat anyway. I feel like my leptin and ghrelin are working together to signal hunger and satiety more appropriately now. It’s a relief. And the nuts and dried fruit were not a “junk food” moment – I was over visiting my neighbors and that is what was offered. Because they know me.

Mood: Upbeat. Enthusiastic. Happy. It’s sort of funny because my mood has been fine the past two weeks. But I realize that I’ve been noting that it’s steady, for example. There has now been a shift. This is what happens in the Whole30 for me. Energy is actually through the roof and I feel like I can accomplish so much more.

Sleep: 6 1/2 hours. I didn’t get to bed until 10pm last night, which is a little later than normal. I had a lot of energy when I got home from work, but when I finally did go to bed, I fell asleep immediately.

Activity: Weights

Focus – Meditate Daily: And evening meditation with a whirring mind. I might have to hang on to this focus for another week to see what happens.