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 20 is done!

Quote of the Day: If you’re tired of starting over, STOP giving up! You’re doing great!

So here’s the question: If you know that at some point during your Whole30, you are going to consciously eat things that are not compliant, do you never start? Or do you start anyway? And, if you’ve decided to blog about what you’re eating, what do you say?

I struggled with this off and on. I thought about it before starting and I thought about what impact sharing my “interlude” would have. Would you all decide that my Whole30 was a waste? Would anyone use it as an excuse to eat or drink things just because? Would someone think I was a fraud because I’m eating things that are not even remotely compliant? Should I just pretend? To these questions, I really don’t have the answer. But what I can share with you is what I decided for myself.

When I took on this challenge, I decided to do a Whole30. I also decided to share what I eat every day. It’s not always been easy, sometimes I just want to go about my day. But I committed to sharing with you for 30 days – every day. I did not, however, guarantee that I would be successful or perfect along my journey. That was left to life.

I am a co-chair for a charity event that takes place on February 5. Right now I am totally in the thick of things. I’m trying to do my every day stuff – job, mom, life – while spending every other waking moment making sure this event is a success. Oh yeah. And blogging daily. Tonight we had a meeting that included a visit from the business that is donating our signature drink. I could have let everyone else tell me our variation on a cosmo was lovely and just gone with it. But I didn’t. I had one and it was great. And tomorrow, I will be meeting with my co-chair at the location and the chef has prepared a tasting menu for us to decide what we want to serve. Again, I could be a bystander. But I won’t be – because that simply isn’t who I am.

So for 24 hours, I am taking a break from my Whole30 because I need to and I want to. It’s that simple.

The thing is that when January 31 roles around, I don’t have any intention of eating very differently from how I do now. So I’m going to say that it all works out in the end. Doing this Whole30 with all of you has reconnected me with what works for me and I’m still in the process of fine-tuning. I am actually learning a few things about myself that I’ll probably share at the end, but for now, please forgive me for taking this break to sample what will be a part of my event in a few weeks.

I would love to write more about today’s quote, but maybe this situation is the perfect picture. I’m not quitting, I’m not starting over, I am continuing. This is how I will succeed.

Day 20 – The Details

4:30am – Black coffee

6:15am – 2 eggs, kale and mushrooms, 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, 1/4 avocado, sauerkraut, pineapple

11:30am – Ground turkey and artichoke concoction on a bed of young kale and spinach

1:30pm – Nuts and prunes (I know…I’ll need to address this next week)

3:30pm – Apple, (2) chicken thighs

6:00pm – Cosmo, assorted crudités

8:30pm – Wine with my co-chair

Food: Another day of random eating in the afternoon/evening. Plus the drinks. And I actually feel really short on veggies. I normally eat so many more. Ugh. On top of random eating, the nuts and dried fruit will need to be my next focus. I am very busy and they are absolutely stress eating for me. I might be a little hungry when I start, but I am eating too many of them and doing it in front of the computer and without attention. It’s not good for my mind, body, or habits so I need to work on it.

Mood: Too busy to notice my mood today. Must have been fine!

Sleep: 6 1/2 hours. Dang. Tonight will be a little short too.

Activity: Weights. It was a good workout at the gym today. Just wish I could have gotten outside too.

Focus – Meditate Daily: Early morning. Loved it. Could use another 10 minutes right now, but I also need to sleep. I will try to combine the two, I think.