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Monday, October 14, 2013

Whole30 & Paleo

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on my request for opinions about what I should do with my blogs! The results from that survey are here if you missed them! I have made a decision, too. I have decided to keep everything here. The majority of you voted this way, so that's good. :) I may change my mind later, who knows? But for now i am going to blog it all right here.

This means a few things:
1- If you never followed this blog & only followed my weightloss blog, you will need to start following this one. I will not be offended if you skip the posts you don't care about (we all do it!).

2- My weightloss blog will not be shut down - not yet, anyway. I may need it sometimes to look up something, or I may post updates there occasionally. But those will be rare. So keep following there if you want to, just don't expect many posts.

3- If you don't care to hear about what I eat and when and how it's going with Whole30, you will also have some posts to skip. And that's okay, I understand. Just know that there will be a lot of posts about it! It's a big part of my life. And Whole30 is for 30 days, and i do plan to blog the journey ALL THIRTY DAYS. So if you skip those posts, or even feel the need to unfollow me, it's okay. I will still love you. :)

Now that THAT'S out of the way! Let's talk about WHOLE30!!!! 

{{{Whole30}}} 

Start Date: October 14th
End Date: November 12th
(But it doesn't really end there! My new lifestyle will just be beginning!)

Let me explain... 

Have you ever heard of Whole30? If not, have you ever heard of Paleo? I know it can sound like some funny thing, but it just means "old" or "ancient". It is believed to be the way the caveman ate, before agriculture was introduced. This is paleo, in a nutshell:



That is the simplest way to say it. (Also no dairy. I know.) But if you want more details definitely read this post! Katie from Loves of Life explains it very well with lots of detail.

I will talk more about paleo later. Today i just want to explain Whole30. And by the way - it's after midnight. I have been meaning to write this all weekend! Ahhhh! 

Whole30 is a 30-day program that is meant to be kind of a reset button. It's 30 days. 30 days to get the sugar out of your system, to get in a habit of eating nothing but veggies, fruits, meats & some nuts. It is actually MORE strict than paleo eating, because paleo allows stevia, almond flour, honey, etc. Whole30 does not allow any sweeteners, natural or artificial. (This means we will not be having coffee - which is a HUGE DEAL! We are major coffee drinkers!) (Coffee is allowed but no sweeteners or cream.) It is more strict in other ways, too. Basically, for the next 30 days, I will be eating NOTHING but whole foods - foods that come from the ground or from an animal. Just read this. It's a full explanation of how the program works, and it is actually what motivated me to do it!

After the 30 days are over, I hope I will have adopted a new lifestyle. That is the point. I may allow coffee with stevia again. I may allow some dairy. But overall, I will have adopted a whole new way of eating! Paleo, or paleo-ish. A way that will benefit me for life. I told Brad today, "From now on, we will make our health a priority in this house!" And we will.

People who have done Whole30 &/or switched to a paleo lifestyle, have seen AMAZING results. I do not mean just weightloss. I mean, reversing just about any & every ailment you can think of. (PCOS is one of them. HELLO!! Diabetes is another. Even seasonal allergies (huge issue in our house!)). This testimony actually made me cry! Imagine the pain & embarrassment this girl has been through. GONE, from changing her diet.

By some miracle, I got Brad to join me! He is excited & ready to do this too! He is really not that overweight at all, but he is out of shape, and he has health problems that he knows would change if he got himself back to exercising and if he started eating well. In our marriage, i have done many diets & "lifestyle changes", but he has never done them with me. He's always supported me & encouraged me & exercised with me, but he's never been okay with giving up his cereal or his ice cream. But now he is motivated to do something to get back in shape. I REALLY think having him do this with me is going to be a HUGE help!!

We went to a family reunion yesterday & I decided this would be our before picture. YIKES!


I also have THREE girlfriends joining me!!! Ahhhh! I have always had girls support & encourage me in my weightloss (especially blog friends!), but I've never had local friends to do the exact same thing WITH me for 30 days. So i am really excited about that, too! Amanda has already adopted the paleo lifestyle, and this will be her THIRD Whole30. It's Ashley's first, and even though she is a great size (to me!), she says she has gained weight & just FEELS terrible. She knows this is likely because of the foods she eats, and she is so ready to change! Jen now eats the paleo way, but this is her first Whole30.

Amanda & Ashley & I took before pics at church this morning. Some individual shots & one together!

{moi, ashley & amanda}

There is really a ton more I could say, but i really need to go to bed!! Just wanted to fill everyone in! I will touch base with you tomorrow & let you know how it's going! I am very excited, and would really appreciate your prayers & support! 

Someone sent me this video & MAN, did it encourage me!!! This coach is talking to his football team, but it is definitely a word for ME as well. :) Watch it if you want to be inspired & motivated today! I think i will come back here & replay it everyday! ;) 

10 comments:

  1. Yay! I am so excited you are doing this! Except for the coffee, I don't think you will even feel like it is that different. I have been eating mostly whole foods for awhile now, although I still eat dairy...but I have significantly cut down my sugar and processed food intake. It's made me feel a ton better. I pray this is a good thing for you!

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  2. I'm so excited for you, Melissa! And I'm so glad that you have not only your hubby but three friends joining you on this challenge. I'll be cheering you on for the entire 30 days, my friend :)

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  3. Soooooo excited for you!! I'm super interested in Whole30, and I can't wait to learn more about it through watching you. Thanks for being such an inspiration to me!!

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  4. This is so exciting-- especially that your husband and friends are joining you!! I know you will be successful, especially with such good support!! Yay! Keep us posted!

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  5. Excited to hear how this goes for both you AND Brad! Three cheers to Brad for joining you on this one!

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  6. Good for you! I totally support the food that was meant to be food theory. There is very little I eat (when I'm being good - which there was a whole year and a half that I wasn't) that is processed.

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  7. I've heard so many good things about the Whole 30 challenge! :)

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  8. Didn't have time to watch the video, but so excited your hubby AND three gals are doing the WHOLE30 with you! Hope it helps having the accountability and it is a boost towards the lifestyle you're aiming for! Cheering for you!

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  9. catching up on blog reading... so cool that you are doing this! Drew juiced for a while, and this has similar stuff.

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  10. Good luck with Whole 30! I really hope it goes well for you guys and you see some amazing results.

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