whole30 and beyond

good day, y'all. hope it's treating you well. so far today, finley accidentally sat on bailey's face as she was laying on the floor, and Audrey was trying to fill up her water bottle at one of those fridge water things and she must have not known how to stop once it was full and it started overflowing. she started screaming and then, I guess, pulled it off too hard and it all dumped down on her face. it was actually really funny, but she was freaking out. she kept yelling, "NO WA-WER! NOOO!" and in the process, I burned my eggs. that smells good.

so, I promised a whole30 wrap up, and here is my attempt. I've debated the best way to go about it and I might just make a list of lessons learned/tips we discovered along the way.
in case you don't know what i'm talking about, whole30 is this: eating ONLY meats/fish, vegetables, some fruit, some nuts, and oils for 30 days. it is a program designed to detox your body from all the chemicals, processed foods, and junk we consume. also, it's designed to get your body to stop craving sugar and unhealthy food that does not fuel you or satisfy you. you eat whole foods with NO added sugar in the ingredients (which is more a challenge then you think).

the downsides to whole30:

• it is expensive. we spent nearly double our grocery budget to have a constant supply of fresh produce and meats (but we didn't eat out at all and so it balanced out).
• it is a lot of work. you basically need to cook/prepare something for 3 meals a day/7 days a week. there are tricks to make this easier, but it's time consuming.
• it's very hard in the beginning.

the upsides to whole30:

• my body craves vegetables.
• my mind is clear. I am able to control my emotions and just think more clearly in general. I didn't even necessarily know food affected my reasoning ability, but it does. in the highly stressful, chaotic moments of my day, I am able to deal a lot better (probably because I am not grabbing a cookie or diet coke or handful of m&m's when i'm stressed anymore).
• I know, now, the amount and kind of food my body needs to be fueled and satisfied and it is less than I used to eat.
• jake and I have tried out a TON of new recipes and have worked together to make meals and it has been so fun.
• jake and I did this together and it was really, really cool. I asked him to do it with me and then he jumped on board. in the beginning when you feel miserable and just want to eat some bread or a cookie or something, he would be strong when I was weak and wanted to give in and vice versa. our relationship grew because of this practice of denial and perseverance. because it really is a practice of both.
• fruit tastes like desert. since we haven't been eating deserts or artificial flavors and foods at all, we can actually appreciate the pure sweetness of strawberries or mangos or peaches. they are so satisfying. watermelon was a lifesaver :)
• I fit in all my pre-preggo clothes.

some tips we learned during whole30:

• putting lemon and/or lime in your water is helpful and feels like a splurge after drinking only water. we figured this out on day 10. ha!
• if black coffee is not appealing to you (it was NOT for me), drink it iced. it really helps and now I love it.
• learn ALL the ways to make eggs in the morning and try em out. I got so sick of eggs by day 14, but we started mixing it up and we got through it.
• when you want to quit, don't. it really is so worth it.
• in the early days when you think a sandwich will make your headache and dizziness and yuckiness go away, eat 3 big carrots (this is what happened to me on day 9 :)).
• do it with someone! I could not have done it without jake. if you're married, I don't know how you can do it without your spouse. no way could I make food for me and him separately. plus it's accountability and encouragement.
• pray. when you crave something, pray.
• frozen grapes! an awesome treat when you really want dessert.
• finally, drink hot tea after dinner. it totally makes you not want anything else to eat.

there ya have it. jake and I had a super positive experience and it just was a really healthy thing to do physically, emotionally, and spiritually. watching my babe stick it out when he was struggling was very encouraging and made me want to also.

text your friends who have done it before you when you're struggling. thank you, rebekah ransom, julie zellers, and jessica williams :)

our Bails. she's keepin us young :)

love to you.
mer